REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware (AP) — President Joe Biden will address the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drops-out-2024-election-ddffde72838370032bdcff946cfc2ce6">his decision to drop his 2024 Democratic reelection bid</a>.

Biden posted on X that he would speak “on what lies ahead” and how he will “finish the job for the American people.” He will speak at 8 p.m. ET.

The president is scheduled to return to the White House on Tuesday after isolating at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home after being diagnosed last week with COVID-19.

Biden has not been seen publicly since July 17, but he called into a campaign meeting on Monday to address staff and express his support for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-election-president-wisconsin-democrats-012c6474b8b23960d2cf616e92989a4b">Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid</a>&nbsp;to replace him a day after announcing he would leave the race.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721330243670.png" alt="File photo President Biden prepares to board Air Force One in Las Vegas July 17- image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File photo President Biden prepares to board Air Force One in Las Vegas July 17- image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware (AP) — President Joe Biden will address the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drops-out-2024-election-ddffde72838370032bdcff946cfc2ce6">his decision to drop his 2024 Democratic reelection bid</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Tomorrow evening at 8 PM ET, I will address the nation from the Oval Office on what lies ahead, and how I will finish the job for the American people.&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1815766423056080912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Biden posted on X that he would speak “on what lies ahead” and how he will “finish the job for the American people.” He will speak at 8 p.m. ET.The president is scheduled to return to the White House on Tuesday after isolating at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home after being diagnosed last week with COVID-19.Biden has not been seen publicly since July 17, but he called into a campaign meeting on Monday to address staff and express his support for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-election-president-wisconsin-democrats-012c6474b8b23960d2cf616e92989a4b">Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid</a>&nbsp;to replace him a day after announcing he would leave the race.

Biden to give a White House address on decision to exit the race

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT Hays Post

Ellis County fire crews responded to a semi-truck fire just
after 5 p.m. Monday on Interstate 70 west of Hays.

According to Ellis County Assistant Fire Chief Lyle Pantle, the first
crews arrived at mile marker 161 at 5:13 p.m. and found a fire on
the axle of a truck hauling antique tractors.

Pantle said the driver was able to disconnect the truck from
the trailer before crews arrived on the scene.

The fire was contained to the driver’s side rear axle of
the vehicle.

Crews were able to extinguish the fire in less than 10
minutes and Pantle said most of the damage was contained to the running gear of
the vehicle.

After monitoring hotspots and cooling the area, crews left
the scene just before 6 p.m. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721743271900.jpeg" alt="Photo by Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT Hays PostEllis County fire crews responded to a semi-truck fire just
after 5 p.m. Monday on Interstate 70 west of Hays.According to Ellis County Assistant Fire Chief Lyle Pantle, the first
crews arrived at mile marker 161 at 5:13 p.m. and found a fire on
the axle of a truck hauling antique tractors.Pantle said the driver was able to disconnect the truck from
the trailer before crews arrived on the scene.The fire was contained to the driver’s side rear axle of
the vehicle.Crews were able to extinguish the fire in less than 10
minutes and Pantle said most of the damage was contained to the running gear of
the vehicle.After monitoring hotspots and cooling the area, crews left
the scene just before 6 p.m.

Ellis County fire crews put out semi fire on I-70

HAYS – The Hays Larks entered the final game of the
regular season Monday night a half-game back of idle Liberal and the top spot
in the Rocky Mountain Baseball League, need a win to claim their fifth straight
league championship.

The Larks and Bee Jays finished with identical 22-6 RMBL
records with Hays taking three-of-four in the head-to-head matchups.

And they wasted no time scoring 6 runs over the first four
innings in a 11-3 win over the Dodge City A’s.

The Larks scored single runs in the first two innings,
scoring on a bases loaded walk in the first and a Kaleb Duncan triple in the
second for a 2-1 lead.

After Dodge City scored two runs in the top of the third
Hays answered with two runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings. 

Trent Baker tripled in a run and then Thomas Lyssy followed with
an RBI double in the third making it 4-3 Larks.

Wilbert Espinal homered in the bottom of the fourth
extending the Larks lead to 6-3.

After scoring on a Kaleb Duncan RBI groundout in the sixth
the Larks broke the game open with four runs in the bottom of the seventh
inning.

Bakers singled home a run, followed by a two-run double for
Lyssy who then scored on a wild pitch putting Hays up 11-3.

Lyssy doubled three times and drove in three runs and
Wilbert Espinal homered and drove in three runs. 

Dalton Campbell earned the win for Hays. He allowed three
runs on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks in five innings.

The Larks (28-8 &amp; 22-6 RMLB) open play at the NBC World
Series Friday in the 8:30 p.m. game against the Air Capital Flyers. 

Hays PostHAYS – The Hays Larks entered the final game of the
regular season Monday night a half-game back of idle Liberal and the top spot
in the Rocky Mountain Baseball League, need a win to claim their fifth straight
league championship.The Larks and Bee Jays finished with identical 22-6 RMBL
records with Hays taking three-of-four in the head-to-head matchups. And they wasted no time scoring 6 runs over the first four
innings in a 11-3 win over the Dodge City A’s.The Larks scored single runs in the first two innings,
scoring on a bases loaded walk in the first and a Kaleb Duncan triple in the
second for a 2-1 lead.After Dodge City scored two runs in the top of the third
Hays answered with two runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings. Trent Baker tripled in a run and then Thomas Lyssy followed with
an RBI double in the third making it 4-3 Larks.Wilbert Espinal homered in the bottom of the fourth
extending the Larks lead to 6-3.After scoring on a Kaleb Duncan RBI groundout in the sixth
the Larks broke the game open with four runs in the bottom of the seventh
inning.Bakers singled home a run, followed by a two-run double for
Lyssy who then scored on a wild pitch putting Hays up 11-3.Lyssy doubled three times and drove in three runs and
Wilbert Espinal homered and drove in three runs. Dalton Campbell earned the win for Hays. He allowed three
runs on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks in five innings.The Larks (28-8 &amp; 22-6 RMLB) open play at the NBC World
Series Friday in the 8:30 p.m. game against the Air Capital Flyers.

⚾Larks claim 5th straight RMBL title with win over A’s

PHILLIPSBURG — In the early morning hours of February 14, 2021, deputies were dispatched to a reported shooting in the 600 block of 7th Street in Phillipsburg. The incident resulted in the death of Janna Lea Constable, 43.

Monday evening, July 22, at approximately 5:30 p.m., the Phillips County Sheriff's office executed an arrest warrant for 37-year-old Phillipsburg resident Kevin Lee Hadley, according to Sheriff Kyle Pinkerton, in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/plsoks">social media post</a>.

Hadley was arrested on charges of second degree murder, interference with a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm by an intoxicated person.  He remains in custody with a $125,000 bond. 

All persons are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721730738856.png" alt="Hadley-photo Phillips County" />
 <figcaption>Hadley-photo Phillips County</figcaption>
 </figure>Phillips County SheriffPHILLIPSBURG — In the early morning hours of February 14, 2021, deputies were dispatched to a reported shooting in the 600 block of 7th Street in Phillipsburg. The incident resulted in the death of Janna Lea Constable, 43.Monday evening, July 22, at approximately 5:30 p.m., the Phillips County Sheriff's office executed an arrest warrant for 37-year-old Phillipsburg resident Kevin Lee Hadley, according to Sheriff Kyle Pinkerton, in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/plsoks">social media post</a>. Hadley was arrested on charges of second degree murder, interference with a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm by an intoxicated person. He remains in custody with a $125,000 bond. All persons are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Phillipsburg man arrested for 2021 shooting death 

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A newly posted video of Miss Kansas calling out her domestic violence abuser from the stage the night she was crowned is whipping up a maelstrom of support on social media.

Alexis Smith, who works overnight shifts as a cardiothoracic intensive care nurse in Wichita, was crowned Miss Kansas on June 8, but posted the video of her on-stage comments just this past week on the platform now known as X. Her comments are resonating with thousands in part because she called out her own abuser from the stage while she said the perpetrator was sitting in the audience.

<a href="https://x.com/MissAmericaKS/status/1813197140606288016">The video</a>&nbsp;Smith posted July 16 has been viewed more than 60,000 times and generated a rash of news stories.

“My vision as the next Miss Kansas is to eliminate unhealthy and abusive relationships,” Smith said during the interview portion of the pageant last month. “Matter of fact, some of you in this audience saw me very emotional because my abuser is here today. But that’s not going to stop me from being on this Miss Kansas stage and from representing as the next Miss Kansas.”

Smith just recently started her reign and began raising concerns about the issue in interviews and social media posts. Her bold pageant statement against domestic abuse and her courage to speak out is being praised online by dozens of people as her video gets shared again and again.

The beauty queen cares deeply about domestic violence issues because not only was she a victim, but so were many of the other women in her family, she has said.

“My family, every single woman in my family, was impacted by domestic violence,” she said in an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ksn.com/news/local/miss-kansas-a-survivor-advocates-against-domestic-violence/">interview</a>&nbsp;with Wichita television station KSN. “At the age of 14, I got in my first relationship, but it was also an abusive relationship that I was in until about 2018, 2019. It’s something that I’m still experiencing and dealing with today.”

Smith said she even moved to Texas for a couple years after she escaped the relationship. She returned to Wichita to study nursing at Newman University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718101435215.png" alt="Miss Kansas 2024 Alexis Smith-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Miss Kansas 2024 Alexis Smith-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A newly posted video of Miss Kansas calling out her domestic violence abuser from the stage the night she was crowned is whipping up a maelstrom of support on social media.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Respect Reclaimed! Our time is now for healthy relationships.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MissAmerica?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MissAmerica</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThereSheIs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThereSheIs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pageants?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pageants</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RespectReclaimed?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RespectReclaimed</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MissKansas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MissKansas</a> <a href="https://t.co/npejBb6CCs">pic.twitter.com/npejBb6CCs</a>&mdash; Alexis Smith, Miss Kansas (@MissAmericaKS) <a href="https://twitter.com/MissAmericaKS/status/1813197140606288016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Alexis Smith, who works overnight shifts as a cardiothoracic intensive care nurse in Wichita, was crowned Miss Kansas on June 8, but posted the video of her on-stage comments just this past week on the platform now known as X. Her comments are resonating with thousands in part because she called out her own abuser from the stage while she said the perpetrator was sitting in the audience.<a href="https://x.com/MissAmericaKS/status/1813197140606288016">The video</a>&nbsp;Smith posted July 16 has been viewed more than 60,000 times and generated a rash of news stories.“My vision as the next Miss Kansas is to eliminate unhealthy and abusive relationships,” Smith said during the interview portion of the pageant last month. “Matter of fact, some of you in this audience saw me very emotional because my abuser is here today. But that’s not going to stop me from being on this Miss Kansas stage and from representing as the next Miss Kansas.”Smith just recently started her reign and began raising concerns about the issue in interviews and social media posts. Her bold pageant statement against domestic abuse and her courage to speak out is being praised online by dozens of people as her video gets shared again and again.The beauty queen cares deeply about domestic violence issues because not only was she a victim, but so were many of the other women in her family, she has said.“My family, every single woman in my family, was impacted by domestic violence,” she said in an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ksn.com/news/local/miss-kansas-a-survivor-advocates-against-domestic-violence/">interview</a>&nbsp;with Wichita television station KSN. “At the age of 14, I got in my first relationship, but it was also an abusive relationship that I was in until about 2018, 2019. It’s something that I’m still experiencing and dealing with today.”Smith said she even moved to Texas for a couple years after she escaped the relationship. She returned to Wichita to study nursing at Newman University.

🎥Miss Kansas called out her abuser in public. Her campaign against domestic violence is going viral

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;Vice President Kamala Harris&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-joe-biden-2024-presidential-campaign-aad5c42336bd1e4db58aa0868b4586b5">is being thrust into the most scrutinizing of spotlights</a>, suddenly the leading candidate to succeed President Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-harris-election-2024-democrats-withdrawal-trump-c8b82fa105953e8f485c769580f7da49">party’s main hope</a>&nbsp;of defeating Donald Trump.

She spoke Monday at a White House celebration with the NCAA championship teams, her first appearance since Biden announced he was leaving the race.

Biden's exit Sunday, prompted by Democratic worries over his fitness for office, was a seismic shift to the presidential contest that upended both major political parties' carefully honed plans for the 2024 race.

Aiming to put weeks of intraparty drama over Biden's candidacy behind them, prominent Democratic elected officials, party leaders and political organizations quickly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-biden-democratic-convention-2fb8b1bc88b99e919872e63efdd8c275">lined up behind Harris</a>&nbsp;in the hours after Biden announced he was dropping&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-election-2024-president-democrats-trump-9c72115656855da89a41cac3f79aa65b">his reelection campaign</a>.

Biden's departure&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2024/ap-dnc-delegate-survey/">frees his delegates</a>&nbsp;to vote for whomever they choose. Harris, whom Biden backed after ending his candidacy, is thus far the only declared candidate and was working to quickly secure endorsements from a majority of delegates.

Additional endorsements Monday, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, left a dwindling list of potential rivals to Harris.

Winning the nomination is only the first item on a staggering political to-do list for her after Biden's decision to exit the race, which she learned about on a Sunday morning call with the president. If she's successful at locking up the nomination, she must also pick a running mate and pivot a massive political operation to boost her candidacy instead of Biden's with just over 100 days until Election Day.

On Sunday afternoon, Biden’s campaign formally changed its name to Harris for President, reflecting that she is inheriting his political operation of more than 1,000 staffers and a war chest that stood at nearly $96 million at the end of June. It got bigger by Monday morning: Campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said Harris had raised $49.6 million in donations in the first 15 hours after Biden’s endorsement.

Harris spent much of Sunday surrounded by family and staff, making more than 100 calls to Democratic officials to line up their support for her candidacy, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the effort. It comes as she tries to move her party past the painful, public wrangling that had defined the weeks since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debate-trump-biden-presidential-campaign-44e71c900a1c4af2bed93041fdfe923d">Biden's disastrous June 27 debate</a>&nbsp;with Trump.

Speaking to party leaders, Harris expressed gratitude for Biden's endorsement but insisted she was looking to earn the nomination in her own right, the person said.

In a sign that the Democratic Party was moving to coalesce behind her, Harris quickly won endorsements from the leadership of several influential caucuses and political organizations, including the AAPI Victory Fund, which focuses on Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, The Collective PAC, focused on building Black political power, and the Latino Victory Fund, as well as the chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the entire Congressional Black Caucus. Harris, if elected, would be the first woman and first person of South Asian descent to be president.

Notably, a handful of men who had already been discussed as potential running mates for Harris — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly — also swiftly issued statements endorsing her. Aides to Shapiro and Cooper confirmed that Harris spoke with them Sunday afternoon. In her brief call with Cooper, the North Carolina governor told Harris he was backing her to be the Democratic nominee, according to Cooper spokeswoman Sadie Weiner.

But former President Barack Obama held off on an immediate endorsement, as some in the party have expressed worry that the quick shift to Harris would appear to be a coronation, instead pledging his support behind the eventual party nominee.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who left the party earlier this year but considered re-registering as a Democrat to vie for the nomination against the vice president, told CBS News on Monday that he would not be a candidate.

Harris is set to travel to Wilmington, where the Biden campaign had been headquartered, to meet with her new campaign staff.

Harris, in a statement, praised Biden’s “selfless and patriotic act” in deciding to leave the race and said she intends to “earn and win” her party’s nomination.

“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rnc-republicans-heritage-foundation-project-2025-8cce6cfef6f5bdf45269146739222f80">his extreme Project 2025 agenda</a>,” she said.

Biden planned to discuss his decision to step aside later this week in an address to the nation. He wrote in a letter posted Sunday to his X account, “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."

Nearly 30 minutes after he delivered the news that he was folding his campaign, Biden threw his support behind Harris.

“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” he said in another post on X. “Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/democratic-national-convention">The Democratic National Convention</a>&nbsp;is scheduled to be held Aug. 19-22 in Chicago, but the party had announced it would hold&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-ballot-biden-access-3bf359cce8e73714be45cb99a6e31546">a virtual roll call</a>&nbsp;to formally nominate Biden before in-person proceedings begin. The convention's rules committee is scheduled to meet this week to finalize its nomination process and it is unclear how it will be adjusted to reflect Biden's exit.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus chairwoman Nanette Barragan, who emphasized that she was “all in” behind the vice president, said she spoke Sunday with Harris, who communicated that she preferred to forego a virtual roll call for the nomination process and instead hold a process that adheres to regular order.

The Democratic National Committee’s chair, Jaime Harrison, said in a statement that the party would “undertake a transparent and orderly process” to select “a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November.”

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;Vice President Kamala Harris&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-joe-biden-2024-presidential-campaign-aad5c42336bd1e4db58aa0868b4586b5">is being thrust into the most scrutinizing of spotlights</a>, suddenly the leading candidate to succeed President Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-harris-election-2024-democrats-withdrawal-trump-c8b82fa105953e8f485c769580f7da49">party’s main hope</a>&nbsp;of defeating Donald Trump.She spoke Monday at a White House celebration with the NCAA championship teams, her first appearance since Biden announced he was leaving the race.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a>: &quot;Joe Biden&#39;s legacy of accomplishment over the past three years is unmatched in modern history.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/m12gjVAkD6">pic.twitter.com/m12gjVAkD6</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1815421541628125644?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Biden's exit Sunday, prompted by Democratic worries over his fitness for office, was a seismic shift to the presidential contest that upended both major political parties' carefully honed plans for the 2024 race.Aiming to put weeks of intraparty drama over Biden's candidacy behind them, prominent Democratic elected officials, party leaders and political organizations quickly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-biden-democratic-convention-2fb8b1bc88b99e919872e63efdd8c275">lined up behind Harris</a>&nbsp;in the hours after Biden announced he was dropping&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-election-2024-president-democrats-trump-9c72115656855da89a41cac3f79aa65b">his reelection campaign</a>.Biden's departure&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2024/ap-dnc-delegate-survey/">frees his delegates</a>&nbsp;to vote for whomever they choose. Harris, whom Biden backed after ending his candidacy, is thus far the only declared candidate and was working to quickly secure endorsements from a majority of delegates.Additional endorsements Monday, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, left a dwindling list of potential rivals to Harris.Winning the nomination is only the first item on a staggering political to-do list for her after Biden's decision to exit the race, which she learned about on a Sunday morning call with the president. If she's successful at locking up the nomination, she must also pick a running mate and pivot a massive political operation to boost her candidacy instead of Biden's with just over 100 days until Election Day.On Sunday afternoon, Biden’s campaign formally changed its name to Harris for President, reflecting that she is inheriting his political operation of more than 1,000 staffers and a war chest that stood at nearly $96 million at the end of June. It got bigger by Monday morning: Campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said Harris had raised $49.6 million in donations in the first 15 hours after Biden’s endorsement.Harris spent much of Sunday surrounded by family and staff, making more than 100 calls to Democratic officials to line up their support for her candidacy, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the effort. It comes as she tries to move her party past the painful, public wrangling that had defined the weeks since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debate-trump-biden-presidential-campaign-44e71c900a1c4af2bed93041fdfe923d">Biden's disastrous June 27 debate</a>&nbsp;with Trump.Speaking to party leaders, Harris expressed gratitude for Biden's endorsement but insisted she was looking to earn the nomination in her own right, the person said.In a sign that the Democratic Party was moving to coalesce behind her, Harris quickly won endorsements from the leadership of several influential caucuses and political organizations, including the AAPI Victory Fund, which focuses on Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, The Collective PAC, focused on building Black political power, and the Latino Victory Fund, as well as the chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the entire Congressional Black Caucus. Harris, if elected, would be the first woman and first person of South Asian descent to be president.Notably, a handful of men who had already been discussed as potential running mates for Harris — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly — also swiftly issued statements endorsing her. Aides to Shapiro and Cooper confirmed that Harris spoke with them Sunday afternoon. In her brief call with Cooper, the North Carolina governor told Harris he was backing her to be the Democratic nominee, according to Cooper spokeswoman Sadie Weiner.But former President Barack Obama held off on an immediate endorsement, as some in the party have expressed worry that the quick shift to Harris would appear to be a coronation, instead pledging his support behind the eventual party nominee.West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who left the party earlier this year but considered re-registering as a Democrat to vie for the nomination against the vice president, told CBS News on Monday that he would not be a candidate.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721650226823.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Harris is set to travel to Wilmington, where the Biden campaign had been headquartered, to meet with her new campaign staff.Harris, in a statement, praised Biden’s “selfless and patriotic act” in deciding to leave the race and said she intends to “earn and win” her party’s nomination.“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rnc-republicans-heritage-foundation-project-2025-8cce6cfef6f5bdf45269146739222f80">his extreme Project 2025 agenda</a>,” she said.Biden planned to discuss his decision to step aside later this week in an address to the nation. He wrote in a letter posted Sunday to his X account, “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."Nearly 30 minutes after he delivered the news that he was folding his campaign, Biden threw his support behind Harris.“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” he said in another post on X. “Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump.”<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/democratic-national-convention">The Democratic National Convention</a>&nbsp;is scheduled to be held Aug. 19-22 in Chicago, but the party had announced it would hold&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-ballot-biden-access-3bf359cce8e73714be45cb99a6e31546">a virtual roll call</a>&nbsp;to formally nominate Biden before in-person proceedings begin. The convention's rules committee is scheduled to meet this week to finalize its nomination process and it is unclear how it will be adjusted to reflect Biden's exit.Congressional Hispanic Caucus chairwoman Nanette Barragan, who emphasized that she was “all in” behind the vice president, said she spoke Sunday with Harris, who communicated that she preferred to forego a virtual roll call for the nomination process and instead hold a process that adheres to regular order.The Democratic National Committee’s chair, Jaime Harrison, said in a statement that the party would “undertake a transparent and orderly process” to select “a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November.”

🎥Harris makes first public comments since Biden ended campaign

The Plainville community continues to respond to the death of a fifth-grader in Plainville last week.

How the youth, Aiden Sherraden, died has not been released.

Crisis counselors met with youth and caregivers during the weekend.

Multiple fundraisers for the family have been set.

<a href="https://facebook.com/events/s/ride-for-aiden/1129820271456830/">https://facebook.com/events/s/ride-for-aiden/1129820271456830/</a>

Hays PostThe Plainville community continues to respond to the death of a fifth-grader in Plainville last week.How the youth, Aiden Sherraden, died has not been released.Crisis counselors met with youth and caregivers during the weekend.Multiple fundraisers for the family have been set.See below.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721659896766.jpeg" alt="" />
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Fundraisers set for family of fifth-grader who died in Plainville

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Ellis County Jail bookings, July 15-22, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-secret-service-cheatle-biden-48d384057a894b71859f945034092902">Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle</a>&nbsp;said Monday that her agency failed in its mission to protect former President Donald Trump during a highly contentious congressional hearing with lawmakers of both major political parties demanding she resign over security failures that allowed a gunman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">to scale a roof and open fire at a campaign rally</a>.

Click below to watch a replay of the hearing.

Cheatle was berated for hours by Republicans and Democrats, repeatedly angering lawmakers by evading questions about the investigation in her first congressional hearing over the July 13 assassination attempt She called the attempt on Trump’s life the Secret Service’s “most significant operational failure” in decades.

“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders. On July 13th, we failed,” Cheatle said.

Cheatle acknowledged that the Secret Service was told about a suspicious person two to five times before the shooting. She also revealed that the roof from which Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire had been identified as a potential vulnerability days before the rally. Cheatle said she apologized to Trump in a phone call after the shooting.

Yet Cheatle remained defiant that she was the “right person” to lead the Secret Service, even as she said she takes full responsibility for any security lapses at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally.

When Republican Rep. Nancy Mace suggested Cheatle begin drafting her resignation letter from the hearing room, Cheatle responded, “No, thank you.”

Democrats and Republicans were united in their exasperation as Cheatle said she didn't know or couldn't answer numerous questions more than a week after the shooting, which left one spectator dead.

"It has been 10 days since an assassination attempt on a former president of the United States. Regardless of party, there need to be answers,” said Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York.

Lawmakers peppered Cheatle with questions about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">how the gunman could get so close</a>&nbsp;to the Republican presidential nominee when he was supposed to be carefully guarded and about why Trump was allowed to take the stage after local law enforcement had identified&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rally-shooting-guns-fbi-motive-08e925cb85e52c5266878cd76e796ad2">Thomas Matthew Crooks</a>&nbsp;as suspicious.

Cheatle acknowledged that Crooks had been seen by local law enforcement before the shooting with a rangefinder, a small device resembling binoculars that hunters use to measure distance from a target. She said the Secret Service would never have taken Trump onto the stage if it had known there was an “actual threat." But while Crooks had been reported as suspicious, he wasn't identified as a threat until seconds before the shooting, she said.

“An individual with a backpack is not a threat,” Cheatle said. “An individual with a range finder is not a threat.”

Asked about why there were no agents on the roof where the shooter was located or if the Secret Service used drones to monitor the area, Cheatle said she is still waiting for the investigation to play out, prompting groans and outbursts from members on the committee.

“Director Cheatle, because Donald Trump is alive, and thank God he is, you look incompetent," said Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio. “If he were killed you would look culpable.”

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., noted that the Secret Service director who presided over the agency when there was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/reagan-assassination-attempt-trump-butler-gunman-bd3c038d706de55a64727f7d15dffbc8">an attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan</a>&nbsp;later stepped down.

“The one thing we have to have in this country are agencies that transcend politics and have the confidence of independents, Democrats, Republicans, progressives and conservatives,” Khanna said, adding that the Secret Service was no longer one of those agencies.

Trump was wounded in the ear, a former Pennsylvania fire chief&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rally-fatal-shooting-corey-comperatore-8c09711e88a56432424ef3f980321ed2">was killed</a>&nbsp;and two other attendees were injured after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rally-shooting-guns-fbi-motive-08e925cb85e52c5266878cd76e796ad2">Crooks</a>&nbsp;climbed atop the roof of a nearby building and opened fire with an AR-style rifle shortly after Trump started speaking at the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-secret-service">The Secret Service</a>&nbsp;has acknowledged it denied some requests by Trump's campaign for increased security at his events in the years before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-rally-4e3415b1461f5acefbc8e1fadad0375b">the assassination attempt</a>. But Cheatle said that there were “no assets denied" for the rally.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has called what happened a “failure” while several lawmakers have called on Cheatle to resign or for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;to fire her. The Secret Service has said Cheatle does not intend to step down. So far, she retains the support of Biden, a Democrat, and Mayorkas.

Before the shooting, local law enforcement had noticed Crooks pacing around the edges of the rally, peering into the lens of a rangefinder toward the rooftops behind the stage where the president later stood, officials have told The Associated Press. An image of Crooks was circulated by officers stationed outside the security perimeter.

Witnesses later saw him climbing up the side of a squat manufacturing building that was within 135 meters (157 yards) of the stage. He then set up his rifle and lay on the rooftop, a detonator in his pocket to set off crude explosive devices that were stashed in his car parked nearby.

The attack on Trump was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/reagan-assassination-attempt-trump-butler-gunman-bd3c038d706de55a64727f7d15dffbc8">Reagan was shot in 1981</a>. It was the latest in a series of security lapses by the agency that has drawn investigations and public scrutiny over the years.

Authorities have been hunting for clues into what motivated Crooks but have not found any ideological bent that could help explain his actions. Investigators who searched his phone&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-shooting-federal-investigation-2a90bdfd23ba9c3569cb9c29a459e87b">found photos of Trump</a>, Biden and other senior government officials and found that he had looked up the dates for the Democratic National Conventional as well as Trump’s appearances. He also searched for information about major depressive order.

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-secret-service-cheatle-biden-48d384057a894b71859f945034092902">The Secret Service director</a>&nbsp;is set to testify Monday before the House Oversight Committee as calls mount for her to resign over security failures at a rally where a 20-year-old gunman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">attempted to assassinate</a>&nbsp;former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>.

The House Oversight Committee hearing will be Kimberly Cheatle's first appearance before lawmakers since the July 13 Pennsylvania rally shooting that left one spectator dead. Trump was wounded in the ear and two other attendees were injured after Thomas Matthew Crooks climbed atop the roof of a nearby building and opened fire.

Kansas Congressman Jake LaTurner is a member of the committee.

Lawmakers have been expressing anger over how the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">gunman could get so close</a>&nbsp;to the Republican presidential nominee when he was supposed to be carefully guarded. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-secret-service">Secret Service</a>&nbsp;has acknowledged it denied some requests by Trump's campaign for increased security at his events in the years before the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-rally-4e3415b1461f5acefbc8e1fadad0375b">assassination attempt</a>.

Witnesses later saw him climbing up the side of a squat manufacturing building that was within 135 meters (157 yards) from the stage. He then set up his AR-style rifle and lay on the rooftop, a detonator in his pocket to set off crude explosive devices that were stashed in his car parked nearby.

The attack on Trump was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It was the latest in a series of security lapses by the agency that has drawn investigations and public scrutiny over the years.

Authorities have been hunting for clues into what motivated Crooks, but so far have not found any ideological bent that could help explain his actions. Investigators who searched his phone&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-shooting-federal-investigation-2a90bdfd23ba9c3569cb9c29a459e87b">found photos of Trump</a>, Biden and other senior government officials, and also found that he had looked up the dates for the Democratic National Conventional as well as Trump’s appearances. He also searched for information about major depressive order.

WASHINGTON —The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-secret-service">Secret Service</a>&nbsp;has acknowledged it denied some requests by Republican presidential nominee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump's campaign</a>&nbsp;for increased security at his events in the years before the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-rally-4e3415b1461f5acefbc8e1fadad0375b">assassination attempt</a>&nbsp;on him at a recent rally.

In the immediate aftermath of the July 13 attack, the law enforcement agency had denied rejecting such requests. But the Secret Service acknowledged late Saturday, a week after the attempt on Trump's life, that it had turned back some requests to increase security around the former president.

The reversal is likely to be a key focus of a congressional hearing Monday where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-secret-service-cheatle-biden-48d384057a894b71859f945034092902">Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle</a>&nbsp;is expected to appear before lawmakers who have been expressing anger over security lapses that allowed a 20-year-old gunman to climb atop the roof of a nearby building at Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and fire his weapon.

Trump was wounded in the right ear, one rallygoer was killed and two others were injured. Secret Service gunmen killed the shooter.

“The Secret Service has a vast, dynamic, and intricate mission. Every day we work in a dynamic threat environment to ensure our protectees are safe and secure across multiple events, travel, and other challenging environments,” the agency's chief spokesperson, Anthony Guglielmi, said in a statement released late Saturday to The Washington Post. The newspaper was first to report on the agency's reversal, which it said was based on detailed questions submitted to the agency.

“We execute a comprehensive and layered strategy to balance personnel, technology, and specialized operational needs,” Guglielmi said.

He said the agency will rely on state and local law enforcement departments in some cases where specialized Secret Service units are unavailable.

“In some instances where specific Secret Service specialized units or resources were not provided, the agency made modifications to ensure the security of the protectee,” Gugliemi said. “This may include utilizing state or local partners to provide specialized functions or otherwise identifying alternatives to reduce public exposure of a protectee.”

After the assassination attempt, as reports began to circulate that the agency had denied the Trump campaign's requests, Guglielmi issued a denial.

There is "an untrue assertion that a member of the former President’s team requested additional security resources &amp; that those were rebuffed,”&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SecretSvcSpox/status/1812451649387933912">Gugliemi said</a>&nbsp;in a social media post. “This is absolutely false. In fact, we added protective resources &amp; technology &amp; capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo.”

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has called what happened a “failure” while several lawmakers have called on Cheatle to resign or for President Joe Biden to fire her. The Secret Service has said Cheatle does not intend to step down. So far, she retains the support of Biden, a Democrat, and Mayorkas.

But the agency's acknowledgement that it had denied some of the campaign's requests sparked fresh condemnation on Sunday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on CNN’s “State of the Union, that the reversal “is just beyond the pale" and that Cheatle's "got a lot to answer for.”

Johnson said lawmakers on Monday would release details about a bipartisan congressional task force that will investigate the Secret Service.

Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, which has subpoenaed Cheatle to appear at a hearing on Monday, said the Secret Service has a more than $3 billion annual budget that “is more than enough” to provide adequate protection.

“We want to know who’s at fault for what happened,” the Kentucky Republican said.

Trump’s son, Eric Trump, said Cheatle should resign in “absolute disgrace.”

“The fact that she is still in her job is beyond,” he said on Fox News' “Sunday Morning Futures,”

Biden has ordered an independent investigation. The Homeland Security Department and congressional committee are also investigating.

Trump says he was given no indication that law enforcement had identified a suspicious person when the former president took the stage in Pennsylvania. Some rallygoers said in interviews after the attempted assassination that they saw the gunman on the roof before Trump walked out onto the stage and had alerted law enforcement authorities on site.

In an interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters set to air Monday, Trump said, “No, nobody mentioned it, nobody said there was a problem” before he took the stage and a gunman opened fire. “They could’ve said, ‘Let’s wait for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 5 minutes, something.’ Nobody said. I think that was a mistake.”

Trump also questioned the security lapses and how the gunman was able to access the roof of the building.

“How did somebody get on that roof? And why wasn’t he reported? Because people saw that he was on the roof,” Trump said. “So you would’ve thought someone would’ve done something about it.”

Local law enforcement officers had seen the man and deemed him suspicious enough to circulate his photo and witnesses reported seeing him scaling the building.

Trump's campaign and the White House did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-secret-service-cheatle-biden-48d384057a894b71859f945034092902">Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle</a>&nbsp;said Monday that her agency failed in its mission to protect former President Donald Trump during a highly contentious congressional hearing with lawmakers of both major political parties demanding she resign over security failures that allowed a gunman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">to scale a roof and open fire at a campaign rally</a>.Click below to watch a replay of the hearing.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hyP3tKtgtnw?si=Pqhet5TaSu_xleoJ&amp;start=999" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Cheatle was berated for hours by Republicans and Democrats, repeatedly angering lawmakers by evading questions about the investigation in her first congressional hearing over the July 13 assassination attempt She called the attempt on Trump’s life the Secret Service’s “most significant operational failure” in decades.“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders. On July 13th, we failed,” Cheatle said.Cheatle acknowledged that the Secret Service was told about a suspicious person two to five times before the shooting. She also revealed that the roof from which Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire had been identified as a potential vulnerability days before the rally. Cheatle said she apologized to Trump in a phone call after the shooting.Yet Cheatle remained defiant that she was the “right person” to lead the Secret Service, even as she said she takes full responsibility for any security lapses at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally.When Republican Rep. Nancy Mace suggested Cheatle begin drafting her resignation letter from the hearing room, Cheatle responded, “No, thank you.”Democrats and Republicans were united in their exasperation as Cheatle said she didn't know or couldn't answer numerous questions more than a week after the shooting, which left one spectator dead."It has been 10 days since an assassination attempt on a former president of the United States. Regardless of party, there need to be answers,” said Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York.Lawmakers peppered Cheatle with questions about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">how the gunman could get so close</a>&nbsp;to the Republican presidential nominee when he was supposed to be carefully guarded and about why Trump was allowed to take the stage after local law enforcement had identified&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rally-shooting-guns-fbi-motive-08e925cb85e52c5266878cd76e796ad2">Thomas Matthew Crooks</a>&nbsp;as suspicious.Cheatle acknowledged that Crooks had been seen by local law enforcement before the shooting with a rangefinder, a small device resembling binoculars that hunters use to measure distance from a target. She said the Secret Service would never have taken Trump onto the stage if it had known there was an “actual threat." But while Crooks had been reported as suspicious, he wasn't identified as a threat until seconds before the shooting, she said.“An individual with a backpack is not a threat,” Cheatle said. “An individual with a range finder is not a threat.”Asked about why there were no agents on the roof where the shooter was located or if the Secret Service used drones to monitor the area, Cheatle said she is still waiting for the investigation to play out, prompting groans and outbursts from members on the committee.“Director Cheatle, because Donald Trump is alive, and thank God he is, you look incompetent," said Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio. “If he were killed you would look culpable.”Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., noted that the Secret Service director who presided over the agency when there was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/reagan-assassination-attempt-trump-butler-gunman-bd3c038d706de55a64727f7d15dffbc8">an attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan</a>&nbsp;later stepped down.“The one thing we have to have in this country are agencies that transcend politics and have the confidence of independents, Democrats, Republicans, progressives and conservatives,” Khanna said, adding that the Secret Service was no longer one of those agencies.Trump was wounded in the ear, a former Pennsylvania fire chief&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rally-fatal-shooting-corey-comperatore-8c09711e88a56432424ef3f980321ed2">was killed</a>&nbsp;and two other attendees were injured after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rally-shooting-guns-fbi-motive-08e925cb85e52c5266878cd76e796ad2">Crooks</a>&nbsp;climbed atop the roof of a nearby building and opened fire with an AR-style rifle shortly after Trump started speaking at the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-secret-service">The Secret Service</a>&nbsp;has acknowledged it denied some requests by Trump's campaign for increased security at his events in the years before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-rally-4e3415b1461f5acefbc8e1fadad0375b">the assassination attempt</a>. But Cheatle said that there were “no assets denied" for the rally.Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has called what happened a “failure” while several lawmakers have called on Cheatle to resign or for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;to fire her. The Secret Service has said Cheatle does not intend to step down. So far, she retains the support of Biden, a Democrat, and Mayorkas.Before the shooting, local law enforcement had noticed Crooks pacing around the edges of the rally, peering into the lens of a rangefinder toward the rooftops behind the stage where the president later stood, officials have told The Associated Press. An image of Crooks was circulated by officers stationed outside the security perimeter.Witnesses later saw him climbing up the side of a squat manufacturing building that was within 135 meters (157 yards) of the stage. He then set up his rifle and lay on the rooftop, a detonator in his pocket to set off crude explosive devices that were stashed in his car parked nearby.The attack on Trump was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/reagan-assassination-attempt-trump-butler-gunman-bd3c038d706de55a64727f7d15dffbc8">Reagan was shot in 1981</a>. It was the latest in a series of security lapses by the agency that has drawn investigations and public scrutiny over the years.Authorities have been hunting for clues into what motivated Crooks but have not found any ideological bent that could help explain his actions. Investigators who searched his phone&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-shooting-federal-investigation-2a90bdfd23ba9c3569cb9c29a459e87b">found photos of Trump</a>, Biden and other senior government officials and found that he had looked up the dates for the Democratic National Conventional as well as Trump’s appearances. He also searched for information about major depressive order.-------------WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-secret-service-cheatle-biden-48d384057a894b71859f945034092902">The Secret Service director</a>&nbsp;is set to testify Monday before the House Oversight Committee as calls mount for her to resign over security failures at a rally where a 20-year-old gunman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">attempted to assassinate</a>&nbsp;former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>.The House Oversight Committee hearing will be Kimberly Cheatle's first appearance before lawmakers since the July 13 Pennsylvania rally shooting that left one spectator dead. Trump was wounded in the ear and two other attendees were injured after Thomas Matthew Crooks climbed atop the roof of a nearby building and opened fire.Kansas Congressman Jake LaTurner is a member of the committee.Lawmakers have been expressing anger over how the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">gunman could get so close</a>&nbsp;to the Republican presidential nominee when he was supposed to be carefully guarded. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-secret-service">Secret Service</a>&nbsp;has acknowledged it denied some requests by Trump's campaign for increased security at his events in the years before the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-rally-4e3415b1461f5acefbc8e1fadad0375b">assassination attempt</a>.Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has called what happened a “failure” while several lawmakers have called on Cheatle to resign or for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;to fire her. The Secret Service has said Cheatle does not intend to step down. So far, she retains the support of Biden, a Democrat, and Mayorkas.Before the shooting, local law enforcement had noticed Crooks pacing around the edges of the rally, peering into the lens of a rangefinder toward the rooftops behind the stage where the president later stood, officials have told The Associated Press. An image of Crooks was circulated by officers stationed outside the security perimeter.Witnesses later saw him climbing up the side of a squat manufacturing building that was within 135 meters (157 yards) from the stage. He then set up his AR-style rifle and lay on the rooftop, a detonator in his pocket to set off crude explosive devices that were stashed in his car parked nearby.The attack on Trump was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It was the latest in a series of security lapses by the agency that has drawn investigations and public scrutiny over the years.Authorities have been hunting for clues into what motivated Crooks, but so far have not found any ideological bent that could help explain his actions. Investigators who searched his phone&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-shooting-federal-investigation-2a90bdfd23ba9c3569cb9c29a459e87b">found photos of Trump</a>, Biden and other senior government officials, and also found that he had looked up the dates for the Democratic National Conventional as well as Trump’s appearances. He also searched for information about major depressive order.------------WASHINGTON —The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-secret-service">Secret Service</a>&nbsp;has acknowledged it denied some requests by Republican presidential nominee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump's campaign</a>&nbsp;for increased security at his events in the years before the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-rally-4e3415b1461f5acefbc8e1fadad0375b">assassination attempt</a>&nbsp;on him at a recent rally.In the immediate aftermath of the July 13 attack, the law enforcement agency had denied rejecting such requests. But the Secret Service acknowledged late Saturday, a week after the attempt on Trump's life, that it had turned back some requests to increase security around the former president.The reversal is likely to be a key focus of a congressional hearing Monday where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-secret-service-cheatle-biden-48d384057a894b71859f945034092902">Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle</a>&nbsp;is expected to appear before lawmakers who have been expressing anger over security lapses that allowed a 20-year-old gunman to climb atop the roof of a nearby building at Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and fire his weapon.Trump was wounded in the right ear, one rallygoer was killed and two others were injured. Secret Service gunmen killed the shooter.The attack on Trump was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It was the latest in a series of security lapses by the agency that has drawn investigations and public scrutiny over the years.“The Secret Service has a vast, dynamic, and intricate mission. Every day we work in a dynamic threat environment to ensure our protectees are safe and secure across multiple events, travel, and other challenging environments,” the agency's chief spokesperson, Anthony Guglielmi, said in a statement released late Saturday to The Washington Post. The newspaper was first to report on the agency's reversal, which it said was based on detailed questions submitted to the agency.“We execute a comprehensive and layered strategy to balance personnel, technology, and specialized operational needs,” Guglielmi said.He said the agency will rely on state and local law enforcement departments in some cases where specialized Secret Service units are unavailable.“In some instances where specific Secret Service specialized units or resources were not provided, the agency made modifications to ensure the security of the protectee,” Gugliemi said. “This may include utilizing state or local partners to provide specialized functions or otherwise identifying alternatives to reduce public exposure of a protectee.”After the assassination attempt, as reports began to circulate that the agency had denied the Trump campaign's requests, Guglielmi issued a denial.There is "an untrue assertion that a member of the former President’s team requested additional security resources &amp; that those were rebuffed,”&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SecretSvcSpox/status/1812451649387933912">Gugliemi said</a>&nbsp;in a social media post. “This is absolutely false. In fact, we added protective resources &amp; technology &amp; capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo.”Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has called what happened a “failure” while several lawmakers have called on Cheatle to resign or for President Joe Biden to fire her. The Secret Service has said Cheatle does not intend to step down. So far, she retains the support of Biden, a Democrat, and Mayorkas.But the agency's acknowledgement that it had denied some of the campaign's requests sparked fresh condemnation on Sunday.House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on CNN’s “State of the Union, that the reversal “is just beyond the pale" and that Cheatle's "got a lot to answer for.”Johnson said lawmakers on Monday would release details about a bipartisan congressional task force that will investigate the Secret Service.Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, which has subpoenaed Cheatle to appear at a hearing on Monday, said the Secret Service has a more than $3 billion annual budget that “is more than enough” to provide adequate protection.“We want to know who’s at fault for what happened,” the Kentucky Republican said.Trump’s son, Eric Trump, said Cheatle should resign in “absolute disgrace.”“The fact that she is still in her job is beyond,” he said on Fox News' “Sunday Morning Futures,”Biden has ordered an independent investigation. The Homeland Security Department and congressional committee are also investigating.Trump says he was given no indication that law enforcement had identified a suspicious person when the former president took the stage in Pennsylvania. Some rallygoers said in interviews after the attempted assassination that they saw the gunman on the roof before Trump walked out onto the stage and had alerted law enforcement authorities on site.In an interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters set to air Monday, Trump said, “No, nobody mentioned it, nobody said there was a problem” before he took the stage and a gunman opened fire. “They could’ve said, ‘Let’s wait for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 5 minutes, something.’ Nobody said. I think that was a mistake.”Trump also questioned the security lapses and how the gunman was able to access the roof of the building.“How did somebody get on that roof? And why wasn’t he reported? Because people saw that he was on the roof,” Trump said. “So you would’ve thought someone would’ve done something about it.”Local law enforcement officers had seen the man and deemed him suspicious enough to circulate his photo and witnesses reported seeing him scaling the building.Trump's campaign and the White House did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.

🎥 Secret Service director testifies on attempted assassination of Donald Trump

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

Two groups of Hays Boy Scouts scaled mountains and tromped through the desert during more than 50-mile hiking excursions in <a href="https://www.philmontscoutranch.org/">Philmont Scout Ranch High Adventure</a>&nbsp;in Cimarron, New Mexico, June 9-18.

Groups of boys from Troop 101 and girls from Troop 1o1G made the trip. However, the boys and girls went on different routes.

The Scouts were selected for a hike at Philmont through a lottery system. For all the teens who participated, this was their first such hike and first trip to Philmont.

The Scouts trained for about 10 months before their hikes. They learned how to pack their backpacks and adjust the harnesses so they wouldn't rub. They also took practice hikes.

Other skills in their years of Scouting helped them during their journey, including camping, knots, using a camp stove, first aid, navigating and leadership.

To pay their way, the Scouts sold tickets for a gun raffle and sold lots of popcorn.

Asher Haag, 15, Ellis, said the Scouts saw many beautiful views along their hike.

Each day, a navigator from the groups was designated. That Scout had to read topographical maps, set the pace and guide the group through the area.

The girls said it was important to work together and keep each other's spirits up. That camaraderie was their favorite part of the trip.

"The day we got a little lost was my favorite," Rebekah Schroeder, 19, Paradise, said. "Everyone stepped up. We rearranged weight to help people out. We worked together to keep up morale. It was fun. This is the adventure I came here for."

On the day the girls thought they were lost, they were taking a shortcut, but it ended up being a switchback. They were only about 500 feet off the main trail, but it was impossible to tell from the map.

Alexis Bigge, 14, Plainville, said she enjoyed hanging out with her crew of people.&nbsp;

"I didn't have to worry about talking to other people much. They knew exactly what I was thinking," she said.

Delilah Meyers, 16, said by the fifth day, everyone was so comfortable with each other that they were all cracking jokes. The girls also played games. They competed to see who could spot the most animals or wildflowers.

They created fun twists to their calls and responses on the trail. Instead of saying, "Is everyone ready?" they would say, "Party on Wayne," "Party on Garth," or "Punch it Chewy."

Rowan Neeley, 13, of Hays  was dubbed Siren because she liked to sing on the trail.

The Scouts carried their food with them. They ate dehydrated meals and a lot of peanuts. There were boxes at staff camps where other hikers would leave unwanted food that Scouts could be swapped.

The girls said they were surprised they could receive so much energy on so little food.

After the second day on the trail, Bigge said everything hurt, and they were tired.

"One of the biggest challenges was everything hurt, and you're tired and done and hungry, and you just want to sit down and not get back up, and you have to get back up and keep going," she said.

Eli Dreiling, 15, Hays, said his favorite day was the ascent of Mount Baldy. He said the group played music, making the hiking more fun.

"We got to see a nice view, and it was just fun to be up there," he said.

The boys' group worked on a conservation project on the mountain, which involved building a trail. The girls' conservation project was similar but rained out.

However, they had to book it down the mountain when a thunderstorm rolled in.

"The 14- and 15-year-olds tracked the weather and were asking the adult in charge—the rangers. It was all good. It was all good. Then boom! It was not all good," a Scout's mother said.

The boys were among the first groups to be allowed to hike through Ute Park, an area that had been scorched by wildfire six years ago.

Earlier in the hike, the boys' group had been hiking through forested areas and had shade.

"Once we reached the burn area, you had the sun beating down on you, so it was really hot, so it wasn't the funnest."

Finding the trail was also difficult in this desolate landscape.

"There were no live trees," Dreiling said. "The whole area just didn't look right. There were spots that were supposed to have water, but there was none of that. It didn't look very alive like the rest of the park. ... It looked kind of dead and open."

Dreiling said he was surprised that much devastation remained years after the fire.

"It was just some grasses and dead trees," he said.

The day the boys hiked the burn area, temperatures were in the 90s. 

Because certain areas had no water sources, the Scouts had to carry two-and-a-half gallon jugs of water suspended between poles. They also had to purify their water with chlorine tablets or boil it for cooking.

Along the hike, the Scouts stopped at various staff camps. There, they could participate in activities such as blacksmithing, pole climbing, gold panning, trap shooting, and a campfire and learn about logging, which is part of Philmont's history.

Cayden Eaton and Neeley both said they enjoyed the Clark's Fork Ranch, where they had a campfire, learned to lasso and rode horses.

Camden Luck said he enjoyed the blacksmithing experience, where the boys helped make a butter scraper. The blacksmith offered cookies for every bucket of water the boys hauled from the stream up the 30 stairs to the blacksmith at the main lodge.

Camden hauled six buckets of water in about 45 minutes.

Haag said his favorite part of the trip was their hike to the peak of Mount Baldy.&nbsp;

In one day, the Scouts ascended about 3,600 feet to the top of Mount Baldy, which is 12,441 feet above sea level. The peak is the second-highest point in New Mexico. From the summit, the group could see Colorado.

The girls also gained about 3,000 feet in their ascent of Phillip's Peak, 11,700 feet above sea level. Some of the boys' group along the trail made their ascents of the peak with 10-pound day packs, while the girls carried their full 40-pound packs the entire climb.

Bryson Dumler said his favorite day of the trip was their longest hike—15 miles.&nbsp;

"We saw a lot more things," he said. "We went under a bridge and over a river.&nbsp;

The Scouts struggled with blisters and had to adjust their packs on the trail. Ill-fitting packs resulted in sore shoulders, the Scouts said.

Over the almost 60 miles the boys hiked, the Scouts had to learn to set a pace. They hiked too fast the first day, and the excursion required them to take more breaks. This resulted in them arriving at camp late.

The hikers saw many deer, and one of the boys' chaperones called in a wild turkey one night. Bears had been sighted in the area. The boys did not encounter any bears, but the girls did.

Neeley said she was excited when she saw the bear.

Rebekah Schroeder, 19, of Paradise, said she was so shocked the bear seemed out of place, and Delilah Meyers, 16, of Ellis, said she thought it was so cute she just wanted to cuddle the animal.

The girls said one of their chaperones also almost stepped on a snake.

They had to take bear precautions, including tying a line to their food and hoisting it about 10 feet off the ground.

"I think we smelled bad enough they knew we were there," Matt Dumler, volunteer, said.

The boys had no access to showers for the entirety of their trip, just an occasional stream bath.

The girls took a very brief shower at one of the staff camps.

Meyers said after nine days with no showers, "I wanted to die."

Members of both groups said they learned and grew during their trip.&nbsp;

Schroeder, who is now in college, said the trip marked her transition from being a girl to an adult.

Neeley said," I learned that you don't have to do things alone. You have people who can help you. If you put in the work and the time to help others, they also can help you. You need to have that support system."

Meyers said, "We would not have survived without each other."

The boys and girls both earned a 50-miler badge for their hikes.

"I think it is important to hit on this," Dumler, boys volunteer, said. "The boys led all of this. The adults were there to just make sure they all came back home. We were told to step back and make sure the boys make all of the decisions, and they did."

The Scouts had the compass and maps for navigating. They decided their schedule and what they ate.

"They are the ones that got us through this," he said.

Gordon Schroeder, girls volunteer, said he admired the girls for finishing the hike, as there were boys' troops who did not.

"I admire the girls for not stopping and giving up," he said. "They are remarkable."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720561032132.jpeg" alt="Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostTwo groups of Hays Boy Scouts scaled mountains and tromped through the desert during more than 50-mile hiking excursions in <a href="https://www.philmontscoutranch.org/">Philmont Scout Ranch High Adventure</a>&nbsp;in Cimarron, New Mexico, June 9-18.Groups of boys from Troop 101 and girls from Troop 1o1G made the trip. However, the boys and girls went on different routes.The Scouts were selected for a hike at Philmont through a lottery system. For all the teens who participated, this was their first such hike and first trip to Philmont.The Scouts trained for about 10 months before their hikes. They learned how to pack their backpacks and adjust the harnesses so they wouldn't rub. They also took practice hikes.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721417972736.jpeg" alt="Scout Troop 101G in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.philmontscoutranch.org/">Philmont</a>, including Rebekah Schroeder, Alexis Bigge, Delilah Meyers, Rowan Neeley, Cayden Eaton, chaperones Gordon Schroeder, Hillary Newell and Chris Neeley and Topeka Scout Maurine Waudley and her dad, Dan. Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Scout Troop 101G in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.philmontscoutranch.org/">Philmont</a>, including Rebekah Schroeder, Alexis Bigge, Delilah Meyers, Rowan Neeley, Cayden Eaton, chaperones Gordon Schroeder, Hillary Newell and Chris Neeley and Topeka Scout Maurine Waudley and her dad, Dan. Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Other skills in their years of Scouting helped them during their journey, including camping, knots, using a camp stove, first aid, navigating and leadership.To pay their way, the Scouts sold tickets for a gun raffle and sold lots of popcorn.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720561391371.jpeg" alt="Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Asher Haag, 15, Ellis, said the Scouts saw many beautiful views along their hike.Each day, a navigator from the groups was designated. That Scout had to read topographical maps, set the pace and guide the group through the area.The girls said it was important to work together and keep each other's spirits up. That camaraderie was their favorite part of the trip."The day we got a little lost was my favorite," Rebekah Schroeder, 19, Paradise, said. "Everyone stepped up. We rearranged weight to help people out. We worked together to keep up morale. It was fun. This is the adventure I came here for."On the day the girls thought they were lost, they were taking a shortcut, but it ended up being a switchback. They were only about 500 feet off the main trail, but it was impossible to tell from the map.Alexis Bigge, 14, Plainville, said she enjoyed hanging out with her crew of people.&nbsp;"I didn't have to worry about talking to other people much. They knew exactly what I was thinking," she said.Delilah Meyers, 16, said by the fifth day, everyone was so comfortable with each other that they were all cracking jokes. The girls also played games. They competed to see who could spot the most animals or wildflowers.They created fun twists to their calls and responses on the trail. Instead of saying, "Is everyone ready?" they would say, "Party on Wayne," "Party on Garth," or "Punch it Chewy."Rowan Neeley, 13, of Hays was dubbed Siren because she liked to sing on the trail.The Scouts carried their food with them. They ate dehydrated meals and a lot of peanuts. There were boxes at staff camps where other hikers would leave unwanted food that Scouts could be swapped.The girls said they were surprised they could receive so much energy on so little food.After the second day on the trail, Bigge said everything hurt, and they were tired."One of the biggest challenges was everything hurt, and you're tired and done and hungry, and you just want to sit down and not get back up, and you have to get back up and keep going," she said.Eli Dreiling, 15, Hays, said his favorite day was the ascent of Mount Baldy. He said the group played music, making the hiking more fun."We got to see a nice view, and it was just fun to be up there," he said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720561421938.jpeg" alt="Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>The boys' group worked on a conservation project on the mountain, which involved building a trail. The girls' conservation project was similar but rained out.However, they had to book it down the mountain when a thunderstorm rolled in."The 14- and 15-year-olds tracked the weather and were asking the adult in charge—the rangers. It was all good. It was all good. Then boom! It was not all good," a Scout's mother said.The boys were among the first groups to be allowed to hike through Ute Park, an area that had been scorched by wildfire six years ago.Earlier in the hike, the boys' group had been hiking through forested areas and had shade."Once we reached the burn area, you had the sun beating down on you, so it was really hot, so it wasn't the funnest."Finding the trail was also difficult in this desolate landscape."There were no live trees," Dreiling said. "The whole area just didn't look right. There were spots that were supposed to have water, but there was none of that. It didn't look very alive like the rest of the park. ... It looked kind of dead and open."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720561517856.jpeg" alt="Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Dreiling said he was surprised that much devastation remained years after the fire."It was just some grasses and dead trees," he said.The day the boys hiked the burn area, temperatures were in the 90s. Because certain areas had no water sources, the Scouts had to carry two-and-a-half gallon jugs of water suspended between poles. They also had to purify their water with chlorine tablets or boil it for cooking.Along the hike, the Scouts stopped at various staff camps. There, they could participate in activities such as blacksmithing, pole climbing, gold panning, trap shooting, and a campfire and learn about logging, which is part of Philmont's history.Cayden Eaton and Neeley both said they enjoyed the Clark's Fork Ranch, where they had a campfire, learned to lasso and rode horses.Camden Luck said he enjoyed the blacksmithing experience, where the boys helped make a butter scraper. The blacksmith offered cookies for every bucket of water the boys hauled from the stream up the 30 stairs to the blacksmith at the main lodge.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720561545890.jpeg" alt="Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Camden hauled six buckets of water in about 45 minutes.Haag said his favorite part of the trip was their hike to the peak of Mount Baldy.&nbsp;In one day, the Scouts ascended about 3,600 feet to the top of Mount Baldy, which is 12,441 feet above sea level. The peak is the second-highest point in New Mexico. From the summit, the group could see Colorado.The girls also gained about 3,000 feet in their ascent of Phillip's Peak, 11,700 feet above sea level. Some of the boys' group along the trail made their ascents of the peak with 10-pound day packs, while the girls carried their full 40-pound packs the entire climb.Bryson Dumler said his favorite day of the trip was their longest hike—15 miles.&nbsp;"We saw a lot more things," he said. "We went under a bridge and over a river.&nbsp;The Scouts struggled with blisters and had to adjust their packs on the trail. Ill-fitting packs resulted in sore shoulders, the Scouts said.Over the almost 60 miles the boys hiked, the Scouts had to learn to set a pace. They hiked too fast the first day, and the excursion required them to take more breaks. This resulted in them arriving at camp late.The hikers saw many deer, and one of the boys' chaperones called in a wild turkey one night. Bears had been sighted in the area. The boys did not encounter any bears, but the girls did.Neeley said she was excited when she saw the bear.Rebekah Schroeder, 19, of Paradise, said she was so shocked the bear seemed out of place, and Delilah Meyers, 16, of Ellis, said she thought it was so cute she just wanted to cuddle the animal.The girls said one of their chaperones also almost stepped on a snake.They had to take bear precautions, including tying a line to their food and hoisting it about 10 feet off the ground."I think we smelled bad enough they knew we were there," Matt Dumler, volunteer, said.The boys had no access to showers for the entirety of their trip, just an occasional stream bath.The girls took a very brief shower at one of the staff camps.Meyers said after nine days with no showers, "I wanted to die."Members of both groups said they learned and grew during their trip.&nbsp;Schroeder, who is now in college, said the trip marked her transition from being a girl to an adult.Neeley said," I learned that you don't have to do things alone. You have people who can help you. If you put in the work and the time to help others, they also can help you. You need to have that support system."Meyers said, "We would not have survived without each other."The boys and girls both earned a 50-miler badge for their hikes."I think it is important to hit on this," Dumler, boys volunteer, said. "The boys led all of this. The adults were there to just make sure they all came back home. We were told to step back and make sure the boys make all of the decisions, and they did."The Scouts had the compass and maps for navigating. They decided their schedule and what they ate."They are the ones that got us through this," he said.Gordon Schroeder, girls volunteer, said he admired the girls for finishing the hike, as there were boys' troops who did not."I admire the girls for not stopping and giving up," he said. "They are remarkable."Meyers said, "It's the hardest thing a Scout can do."Although the boys don't have any big trips planned in the near future, many of them are beginning to work on their Eagle Scout projects.Bryson Dumler plans to install obstacles at the Hays dog park.Dreiling is considering helping make stand for the law enforcement shooting range.Some of the girls are eager to try backcountry hiking again. Rebekah Schroeder has completed her Eagle Scout award and is looking forward to being an adult leader when she turns 21.Three of the other four girls have their sights set on Eagle Awards. Meyers is planning a project with Bethesda Place.Chaperones Hillary Newell and Chris Neeley, scout Maurine Waudley, 17, of Topeka, and her father, Dan Waudley, also accompanied the girls' group.&nbsp;