SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Vice President Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;on Thursday defended shifting away from her some of her more liberal positions in her first major television interview of her presidential campaign, but insisted her “values have not changed,” even as she is “seeking consensus.”

Sitting with her running mate,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-picks-tim-walz-running-mate-a64a91ae84953e880c8d086316d07c54">Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz</a>, Harris was asked about changes in her policies over the years, specifically her reversals on fracking and decriminalizing illegal border crossings.

“I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed,” Harris said.

She went on to say: “I believe it is important to build consensus. It is important to find a common place of understanding where we can actually solve the problem.”

The interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-interview-walz-cnn-eba7d9e9b53a46987f62f7f9206f0db8">CNN’s Dana Bash</a>&nbsp;comes as voters are still trying to learn more about the Democratic ticket under an unusually compressed time frame —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-election-2024-ending-race-be10da43b9447ef1230c178b15c4760a">Joe Biden stepped down</a>&nbsp;just five weeks ago. It was focused largely on policy, as Harris sought to show that she had adopted more moderate positions on issues that Republicans argue are extreme, while Walz defended past misstatements.

Joint interviews during an election year are a fixture in politics; Biden and Harris, Trump and Mike Pence, Barack Obama and Biden — all did them at a similar point in the race. The difference is those other candidates had all done solo interviews, too. Harris hadn't done an in-depth interview since she became her party's standard bearer five weeks ago, though she did sit for several while she was still Biden's running mate.

Harris said serving with Biden was “one of the greatest honors of my career,” as she recounted the moment he called to tell her he was stepping down and would support her.

"He told me what he had decided to do and ... I asked him, ‘Are you sure?’ and he said, ‘Yes,’ and that’s how I learned about it.”

She said she didn’t ask Biden to endorse her because “he was very clear that he was going to endorse me.”

Harris defended the administration’s record on the southern border and immigration, noting that she was tasked with trying to address the “root causes” in other countries that were driving the border crossings.

“We have laws that have to be followed and enforced, that address and deal with people who cross our border illegally, and there should be consequences,” Harris said.

Asked about Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, Harris said, “I am unequivocal and unwavering in my commitment to Israel’s defense and its ability to defend itself.” But the vice president also reiterated what she’s said for months, that civilian deaths are too high amid the fighting.

She also brushed off Republican Donald Trump’s questioning of her racial identity after he said she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-black-journalists-convention-nabj-1e96aa530e88013ed6f577feaf89ccb6">“happened to turn Black.”</a>&nbsp;Harris, who is of Black and South Asian heritage, said it was the “same old, tired playbook.”

Trump and Harris are set to debate on Sept. 10. In a post Thursday evening, it appeared Trump was paying close attention to the interview. After the debate was mentioned, he posted, “I look so forward to Debating Comrade Comrade Kamala Harris and exposing her for the fraud she is.”

Trump went on to say that his Democratic opponent “has changed every one of her long held positions, on everything. America will never allow an Election WEAPONIZING MARXIST TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.”

The debate will be the first-ever meeting for Harris and Trump. The opponents had only been in the same space when Harris, as a senator, attended Trump’s State of the Union addresses.

During the interview, Walz watched quietly and nodded when Harris made her main points. He was asked about misstatements, starting with how he has described his 24 years of service in the National Guard.

In a 2018 video clip that the Harris-Walz campaign once circulated, Walz spoke out against gun violence and said, “We can make sure that those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at.”

Critics said the comment “that I carried in war” suggested that Walz portrayed himself as someone who spent time in a combat zone. But a campaign spokesperson said he misspoke.

Asked about statements that appeared to indicate that he and his wife conceived their children with in-vitro fertilization, when they in fact used a less controversial fertility treatment, he said he believes most Americans get that it’s the Trump campaign that’s splitting hairs.

Democrats’ enthusiasm about their vote in November has surged over the past few months, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/649397/democrats-drive-surge-election-enthusiasm.aspx">polling from Gallup</a>. About 8 in 10 Democrats now say they are more enthusiastic than usual about voting, compared with 55% in March.

This gives them an enthusiasm edge they did not have earlier this year. Republicans’ enthusiasm has increased by much less over the same period, and about two-thirds of Republicans now say they are more enthusiastic than usual about voting.

But at a packed arena for a rally Thursday in Savannah, Harris cast her nascent campaign as the underdog and encouraged the crowd to work hard to elect her in November.

“We’re here to speak truth and one of the things that we know is that this is going to be a tight race to the end,” she said.

Harris went through a list of Democratic concerns: that Trump will further restrict women’s rights after he appointed three judges to the U.S. Supreme Court who helped overturn Roe, that he'd repeal the Affordable Care Act, and that given new immunity powers granted presidents by the U.S. Supreme Court, “imagine Donald Trump with no guard rails.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-election-2024-walz-georgia-bus-tour-ca2f9e33dba69763503c1dcec7641e31">The rally was the end of a two-day bus tour</a>&nbsp;in southeastern Georgia. Harris has another campaign blitz on Labor Day with Biden in Detroit and Pittsburgh with the election rapidly approaching. The first mail ballots get sent to voters in just two weeks.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724983318602.png" alt="Image courtesy CNN via Harris campaign for President" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy CNN via Harris campaign for President</figcaption>
 </figure>SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Vice President Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;on Thursday defended shifting away from her some of her more liberal positions in her first major television interview of her presidential campaign, but insisted her “values have not changed,” even as she is “seeking consensus.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The American people are ready for a new way forward. Our former president has pushed an agenda that diminishes the character and strength of who we are as Americans, and divides our nation. People are ready to turn the page.<a href="https://t.co/yyd4tBqdMu">pic.twitter.com/yyd4tBqdMu</a>&mdash; Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1829330275823702247?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Sitting with her running mate,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-picks-tim-walz-running-mate-a64a91ae84953e880c8d086316d07c54">Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz</a>, Harris was asked about changes in her policies over the years, specifically her reversals on fracking and decriminalizing illegal border crossings.“I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed,” Harris said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">On day one of my administration, I will implement my plan for an opportunity economy. This plan will bring down the cost of everyday goods, invest in America&#39;s small businesses, and extend the Child Tax Credit.<a href="https://t.co/jAQwsUl8QS">pic.twitter.com/jAQwsUl8QS</a>&mdash; Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1829334166749491420?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>She went on to say: “I believe it is important to build consensus. It is important to find a common place of understanding where we can actually solve the problem.”The interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-interview-walz-cnn-eba7d9e9b53a46987f62f7f9206f0db8">CNN’s Dana Bash</a>&nbsp;comes as voters are still trying to learn more about the Democratic ticket under an unusually compressed time frame —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-election-2024-ending-race-be10da43b9447ef1230c178b15c4760a">Joe Biden stepped down</a>&nbsp;just five weeks ago. It was focused largely on policy, as Harris sought to show that she had adopted more moderate positions on issues that Republicans argue are extreme, while Walz defended past misstatements.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Donald Trump killed our bill to secure the border in order to help himself politically. It would have added more border agents and allowed us to increase fentanyl seizures. As President, I will make sure that bill gets back to my desk—and I will sign it.<a href="https://t.co/psDbSdDSMG">pic.twitter.com/psDbSdDSMG</a>&mdash; Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1829338662854656424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Joint interviews during an election year are a fixture in politics; Biden and Harris, Trump and Mike Pence, Barack Obama and Biden — all did them at a similar point in the race. The difference is those other candidates had all done solo interviews, too. Harris hadn't done an in-depth interview since she became her party's standard bearer five weeks ago, though she did sit for several while she was still Biden's running mate.Harris said serving with Biden was “one of the greatest honors of my career,” as she recounted the moment he called to tell her he was stepping down and would support her."He told me what he had decided to do and ... I asked him, ‘Are you sure?’ and he said, ‘Yes,’ and that’s how I learned about it.”She said she didn’t ask Biden to endorse her because “he was very clear that he was going to endorse me.”Harris defended the administration’s record on the southern border and immigration, noting that she was tasked with trying to address the “root causes” in other countries that were driving the border crossings.“We have laws that have to be followed and enforced, that address and deal with people who cross our border illegally, and there should be consequences,” Harris said.Asked about Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, Harris said, “I am unequivocal and unwavering in my commitment to Israel’s defense and its ability to defend itself.” But the vice president also reiterated what she’s said for months, that civilian deaths are too high amid the fighting.She also brushed off Republican Donald Trump’s questioning of her racial identity after he said she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-black-journalists-convention-nabj-1e96aa530e88013ed6f577feaf89ccb6">“happened to turn Black.”</a>&nbsp;Harris, who is of Black and South Asian heritage, said it was the “same old, tired playbook.”“Next question, please.”Trump and Harris are set to debate on Sept. 10. In a post Thursday evening, it appeared Trump was paying close attention to the interview. After the debate was mentioned, he posted, “I look so forward to Debating Comrade Comrade Kamala Harris and exposing her for the fraud she is.”Trump went on to say that his Democratic opponent “has changed every one of her long held positions, on everything. America will never allow an Election WEAPONIZING MARXIST TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.”The debate will be the first-ever meeting for Harris and Trump. The opponents had only been in the same space when Harris, as a senator, attended Trump’s State of the Union addresses.During the interview, Walz watched quietly and nodded when Harris made her main points. He was asked about misstatements, starting with how he has described his 24 years of service in the National Guard.In a 2018 video clip that the Harris-Walz campaign once circulated, Walz spoke out against gun violence and said, “We can make sure that those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at.”Critics said the comment “that I carried in war” suggested that Walz portrayed himself as someone who spent time in a combat zone. But a campaign spokesperson said he misspoke.Asked about statements that appeared to indicate that he and his wife conceived their children with in-vitro fertilization, when they in fact used a less controversial fertility treatment, he said he believes most Americans get that it’s the Trump campaign that’s splitting hairs.Democrats’ enthusiasm about their vote in November has surged over the past few months, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/649397/democrats-drive-surge-election-enthusiasm.aspx">polling from Gallup</a>. About 8 in 10 Democrats now say they are more enthusiastic than usual about voting, compared with 55% in March.This gives them an enthusiasm edge they did not have earlier this year. Republicans’ enthusiasm has increased by much less over the same period, and about two-thirds of Republicans now say they are more enthusiastic than usual about voting.But at a packed arena for a rally Thursday in Savannah, Harris cast her nascent campaign as the underdog and encouraged the crowd to work hard to elect her in November.“We’re here to speak truth and one of the things that we know is that this is going to be a tight race to the end,” she said.Harris went through a list of Democratic concerns: that Trump will further restrict women’s rights after he appointed three judges to the U.S. Supreme Court who helped overturn Roe, that he'd repeal the Affordable Care Act, and that given new immunity powers granted presidents by the U.S. Supreme Court, “imagine Donald Trump with no guard rails.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-election-2024-walz-georgia-bus-tour-ca2f9e33dba69763503c1dcec7641e31">The rally was the end of a two-day bus tour</a>&nbsp;in southeastern Georgia. Harris has another campaign blitz on Labor Day with Biden in Detroit and Pittsburgh with the election rapidly approaching. The first mail ballots get sent to voters in just two weeks.

🎥Highlights of Kamala Harris first interview of presidential campaign

By TISA MASON Fort Hays State University President

Fort Hays State University is a regional public university with a global reach. In the academic year 2023, our enrollment served 16,922 students, including 11,715 students from the United States, with 8,000 of these U.S. students hailing from Kansas. This means that more than 68 percent of our U.S.-based students are Kansans. The 8,000 Kansans served included more than 5,000 students from western Kansas and more than 2,000 from Ellis County.

Among those we served are 4,022 on-campus students, 7,693 online students, and 5,207 students who study at our partner campuses in Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, and Senegal.

The diverse mix of students we serve aligns with our mission: Fort Hays State University provides accessible quality education to Kansas, the nation, and the world through an innovative community of teacher-scholars and professionals to develop engaged global citizen-leaders.

In the ever-changing landscape of higher education, universities must continuously adapt and evolve to meet the needs of their students and communities. With our relentless focus on providing accessible, affordable tuition, we recognized the importance of strategic growth to ensure our continued success and relevance in the education sector. We embedded strategic growth to expand the university's reach and impact through thoughtful planning and implementation of initiatives as goal three of our strategic plan.

Dr. Dennis King, Associate VP for Student Affairs/Enrollment Management, was crucial in leading this goal. His expertise in enrollment management and collaboration with various stakeholders across campus were instrumental in the success of Goal 3. Reflecting on his experience, Dr. King acknowledged the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted historical data and planning. Despite these challenges, we implemented critical initiatives such as reimagining an office of university marketing and implementing new technology to enhance communication with students. The pandemic also prompted changes to the scholarship program, demonstrating FHSU's adaptability and commitment to supporting students during uncertain times.

A selection of Goal 3 successes was the growth of strategic enrollment plans in areas such as social work, history, clinical psychology, and medical diagnostic imaging majors. We signed the first state-wide community college articulation agreement guaranteeing nursing program admission to all community college-trained registered nurses. Additionally, the construction of the Wilmer and Lorena Kellogg Training Center for the Shotgun Team showcased FHSU's commitment to supporting co-curricular activities and enhancing the student experience. Women's wrestling created a new opportunity for thousands of women high school wrestlers across Kansas.

Dr. King emphasized that the strategic growth initiative has positively impacted university culture, fostering a desire for better data and refined ROI models. By implementing new tools and processes, FHSU aims to continue improving the university community and providing all students (on campus, online, and globally) with the support they need to succeed.

Dr. King expressed confidence that the 2019-2024 strategic enrollment work will serve as a foundation for ongoing efforts to enhance the university's enrollment during the next iteration of our strategic plan. Recognizing the dedication and collaboration of everyone involved in the process, Dr. King expressed pride in the achievements of Goal 3 and the impact it has had on FHSU's campus community.

Dr. Joey Linn, VP for Student Affairs and co-chair for Goal 3, emphasized the significance of enrollment stabilization in the post-pandemic era of higher education. Dr. Linn highlighted the importance of experimentation and innovation in enrollment strategies, noting that 44 plans were created and reviewed over the five years, 31 were selected and funded, and five were discontinued. “Discontinuance is essential, as the role of experimentation is to create a proof-of-concept opportunity,” Dr. Linn said. “We learn from those experiments that work and those that do not.”

One of the key strategies under Goal 3 was the development of a financial aid leveraging plan to support university growth and enhance student retention. By re-evaluating the scholarship program and implementing new models of data collection and needs-based funding, FHSU improved persistence (the percentage of all degree-seeking students moving through the university) and graduation rates. The success of the financial aid leveraging plan was evident in the proactive transition to new scholarship programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed for a wider disbursement of scholarship funds.

Goal 3 also emphasized attracting and retaining diverse faculty and staff to support institutional growth. This initiative, led by Dr. Grady Dixon, Dean of the Werth College of Science, Technology, and Mathematics, highlighted the progress made in closing faculty representation gaps among women and minorities to increase a sense of belonging among all members of Tiger Nation.

By leveraging the success of past initiatives and embracing new opportunities for stability and growth, FHSU aims to enhance the student experience and prepare students for success in an ever-changing world. As FHSU continues to evolve and adapt to the demands of higher education, Goal 3 will continue to serve as a guiding framework for future strategic planning, relentlessly focusing on our mission to provide a quality, affordable option for our citizens.

We strive every day to deliver the best value in education anywhere. The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity (FREEOPP.org) used data from the U.S. Department's College Scorecard on the earnings of students receiving federal financial aid from over 30,000 bachelor's degree programs at U.S. colleges and universities. Looking across the 27 programs evaluated at FHSU, the cumulative lifetime ROI of FHSU programs provided an economic impact of more than $1.1 billion from the students who graduated during the study period. (https://www.fhsu.edu/president/heart-of-a-tiger/final-heart-of-a-tiger-for-aug-31.pdf)

Through the dedication and collaboration of key stakeholders, FHSU has adapted to challenges and seized opportunities in critical areas such as enrollment, scholarship programs, and faculty diversity. The success of Goal 3 reflects FHSU's commitment to excellence and innovation in higher education, positioning the university for continued success and impact in the years to come. By building upon the achievements of Goal 3 and embracing new challenges and opportunities, FHSU will remain a leader in higher education and a beacon of growth and opportunity for its students, faculty, and community.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575301942236.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By TISA MASON Fort Hays State University PresidentFort Hays State University is a regional public university with a global reach. In the academic year 2023, our enrollment served 16,922 students, including 11,715 students from the United States, with 8,000 of these U.S. students hailing from Kansas. This means that more than 68 percent of our U.S.-based students are Kansans. The 8,000 Kansans served included more than 5,000 students from western Kansas and more than 2,000 from Ellis County.Among those we served are 4,022 on-campus students, 7,693 online students, and 5,207 students who study at our partner campuses in Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, and Senegal.The diverse mix of students we serve aligns with our mission: Fort Hays State University provides accessible quality education to Kansas, the nation, and the world through an innovative community of teacher-scholars and professionals to develop engaged global citizen-leaders.In the ever-changing landscape of higher education, universities must continuously adapt and evolve to meet the needs of their students and communities. With our relentless focus on providing accessible, affordable tuition, we recognized the importance of strategic growth to ensure our continued success and relevance in the education sector. We embedded strategic growth to expand the university's reach and impact through thoughtful planning and implementation of initiatives as goal three of our strategic plan.Dr. Dennis King, Associate VP for Student Affairs/Enrollment Management, was crucial in leading this goal. His expertise in enrollment management and collaboration with various stakeholders across campus were instrumental in the success of Goal 3. Reflecting on his experience, Dr. King acknowledged the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted historical data and planning. Despite these challenges, we implemented critical initiatives such as reimagining an office of university marketing and implementing new technology to enhance communication with students. The pandemic also prompted changes to the scholarship program, demonstrating FHSU's adaptability and commitment to supporting students during uncertain times.A selection of Goal 3 successes was the growth of strategic enrollment plans in areas such as social work, history, clinical psychology, and medical diagnostic imaging majors. We signed the first state-wide community college articulation agreement guaranteeing nursing program admission to all community college-trained registered nurses. Additionally, the construction of the Wilmer and Lorena Kellogg Training Center for the Shotgun Team showcased FHSU's commitment to supporting co-curricular activities and enhancing the student experience. Women's wrestling created a new opportunity for thousands of women high school wrestlers across Kansas.Dr. King emphasized that the strategic growth initiative has positively impacted university culture, fostering a desire for better data and refined ROI models. By implementing new tools and processes, FHSU aims to continue improving the university community and providing all students (on campus, online, and globally) with the support they need to succeed.Dr. King expressed confidence that the 2019-2024 strategic enrollment work will serve as a foundation for ongoing efforts to enhance the university's enrollment during the next iteration of our strategic plan. Recognizing the dedication and collaboration of everyone involved in the process, Dr. King expressed pride in the achievements of Goal 3 and the impact it has had on FHSU's campus community.Dr. Joey Linn, VP for Student Affairs and co-chair for Goal 3, emphasized the significance of enrollment stabilization in the post-pandemic era of higher education. Dr. Linn highlighted the importance of experimentation and innovation in enrollment strategies, noting that 44 plans were created and reviewed over the five years, 31 were selected and funded, and five were discontinued. “Discontinuance is essential, as the role of experimentation is to create a proof-of-concept opportunity,” Dr. Linn said. “We learn from those experiments that work and those that do not.”One of the key strategies under Goal 3 was the development of a financial aid leveraging plan to support university growth and enhance student retention. By re-evaluating the scholarship program and implementing new models of data collection and needs-based funding, FHSU improved persistence (the percentage of all degree-seeking students moving through the university) and graduation rates. The success of the financial aid leveraging plan was evident in the proactive transition to new scholarship programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed for a wider disbursement of scholarship funds.Goal 3 also emphasized attracting and retaining diverse faculty and staff to support institutional growth. This initiative, led by Dr. Grady Dixon, Dean of the Werth College of Science, Technology, and Mathematics, highlighted the progress made in closing faculty representation gaps among women and minorities to increase a sense of belonging among all members of Tiger Nation.By leveraging the success of past initiatives and embracing new opportunities for stability and growth, FHSU aims to enhance the student experience and prepare students for success in an ever-changing world. As FHSU continues to evolve and adapt to the demands of higher education, Goal 3 will continue to serve as a guiding framework for future strategic planning, relentlessly focusing on our mission to provide a quality, affordable option for our citizens.We strive every day to deliver the best value in education anywhere. The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity (FREEOPP.org) used data from the U.S. Department's College Scorecard on the earnings of students receiving federal financial aid from over 30,000 bachelor's degree programs at U.S. colleges and universities. Looking across the 27 programs evaluated at FHSU, the cumulative lifetime ROI of FHSU programs provided an economic impact of more than $1.1 billion from the students who graduated during the study period. (https://www.fhsu.edu/president/heart-of-a-tiger/final-heart-of-a-tiger-for-aug-31.pdf)Through the dedication and collaboration of key stakeholders, FHSU has adapted to challenges and seized opportunities in critical areas such as enrollment, scholarship programs, and faculty diversity. The success of Goal 3 reflects FHSU's commitment to excellence and innovation in higher education, positioning the university for continued success and impact in the years to come. By building upon the achievements of Goal 3 and embracing new challenges and opportunities, FHSU will remain a leader in higher education and a beacon of growth and opportunity for its students, faculty, and community.

Heart of a Tiger: Celebrating success, part 3

HOUSTON (AP) — Zach Dezenzo drew a go-ahead bases-loaded walk and the Houston Astros took advantage of two Kansas City errors in a four-run eighth inning to beat the Royals 6-3 on Thursday night.

With two runners on and Astros trailing 3-2, Yainer Diaz hit a grounder to pitcher Lucas Erceg (2-5), who tried to barehand the comebacker, bobbled it and rushed a throw that got away from first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino. José Altuve scored from second on the play to tie the score. Pasquantino’s glove hand appeared to collide with Diaz, and he exited the game with an apparent injury.

After reliever John Schreiber intentionally walked Ben Gamel to load the bases, Jeremy Peña grounded into a force out at home. Dezenzo then drew a walk to force in Diaz with the tiebreaking run. Mauricio Dubón followed with a single to left field to score Ben Gamel, and Peña also scored on a fielding error by left fielder MJ Melendez to make it 6-3.

“It’s been like that the whole year,” Dubón said. “We’ve been fighting. Dezenzo had an unreal at-bat and gave me a chance to make something happen.”

Ryan Pressly (1-3) pitched a scoreless eighth to earn the win after being activated from the 15-day injured list earlier in the day, and Josh Hader pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 29th save of the season.

“These guys like big moments like that,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “That’s a huge win for us, right there.”

The Royals had taken the lead in the seventh after two errors by the Astros. With one out, Salvador Perez reached first on a fielding error by Peña. Paul DeJong, nearly grounded into a double play, but the throw to first was late. Melendez walked, and Maikel Garcia reached base after third baseman Shay Whitcomb bobbled a groundball, loading the bases. Kyle Isbel then followed with a three-run double down the left-field line off Bryan Abreu for the 3-2 lead.

“We took advantage of an error,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “That’s what you have to do -- when a good team makes a mistake, you have to take advantage of it. We made a mistake, and they took advantage of it. Same thing on the other side.”

Astros starter Hunter Brown — pitching on his 26th birthday — allowed two hits and no earned runs while striking out four and walking one in 6 2/3 innings.

Brown last faced the Royals on April 11, when he gave up nine runs on 11 hits in just two-thirds of an inning. He turned his season around after that start, posting an 11-5 record and a 2.98 ERA in 23 appearances since.

“I could not wait to pitch against these guys,” Brown said. “I got bounced in the first inning, and that was definitely still on my mind even though it was however many months ago. So, once I got through the first inning, that was awesome. I was very thankful. That was a birthday gift, in itself.”

Veteran outfielder Jason Heyward made a splash in his Astros debut. After being released by the Dodgers and signing with Houston earlier this week, Heyward had a two-run double down the right-field line off Royals starter Brady Singer in the bottom of the fifth inning to give Houston a 2-0 lead.

Singer allowed five hits and two runs while striking out six and walking one in six innings.

Astros third baseman Alex Bregman was ejected in the fourth inning after appearing to complain about a strike-three call from home plate umpire Alex Tosi.

“When Alex argues balls and strikes, 99% of the time, he’s right,” Espada said.

Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who leads the American League in hits, batting average and runs, went 0 for 4 after hitting safely in 16 of his previous 17 games.

Royals: RF Hunter Renfroe (right hamstring strain) is “feeling better” and started running and doing a full workout on Wednesday, manager Matt Quatraro said.

Astros: RF Kyle Tucker (shin contusion) has “looked really good” in drills and sprinting exercises, and “we’re getting there,” Espada said before the game.

Royals RHP Seth Lugo (14-8, 3.19 ERA) will start against Astros LHP Framber Valdez (13-6, 3.27) on Friday,

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1725010825004.jpeg" alt="Houston Astros' Zach Dezenzo celebrates after drawing a bases-loaded walk during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)" />
 <figcaption>Houston Astros' Zach Dezenzo celebrates after drawing a bases-loaded walk during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)</figcaption>
 </figure>HOUSTON (AP) — Zach Dezenzo drew a go-ahead bases-loaded walk and the Houston Astros took advantage of two Kansas City errors in a four-run eighth inning to beat the Royals 6-3 on Thursday night.With two runners on and Astros trailing 3-2, Yainer Diaz hit a grounder to pitcher Lucas Erceg (2-5), who tried to barehand the comebacker, bobbled it and rushed a throw that got away from first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino. José Altuve scored from second on the play to tie the score. Pasquantino’s glove hand appeared to collide with Diaz, and he exited the game with an apparent injury.After reliever John Schreiber intentionally walked Ben Gamel to load the bases, Jeremy Peña grounded into a force out at home. Dezenzo then drew a walk to force in Diaz with the tiebreaking run. Mauricio Dubón followed with a single to left field to score Ben Gamel, and Peña also scored on a fielding error by left fielder MJ Melendez to make it 6-3.“It’s been like that the whole year,” Dubón said. “We’ve been fighting. Dezenzo had an unreal at-bat and gave me a chance to make something happen.”Ryan Pressly (1-3) pitched a scoreless eighth to earn the win after being activated from the 15-day injured list earlier in the day, and Josh Hader pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 29th save of the season.“These guys like big moments like that,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “That’s a huge win for us, right there.”The Royals had taken the lead in the seventh after two errors by the Astros. With one out, Salvador Perez reached first on a fielding error by Peña. Paul DeJong, nearly grounded into a double play, but the throw to first was late. Melendez walked, and Maikel Garcia reached base after third baseman Shay Whitcomb bobbled a groundball, loading the bases. Kyle Isbel then followed with a three-run double down the left-field line off Bryan Abreu for the 3-2 lead.“We took advantage of an error,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “That’s what you have to do -- when a good team makes a mistake, you have to take advantage of it. We made a mistake, and they took advantage of it. Same thing on the other side.”Astros starter Hunter Brown — pitching on his 26th birthday — allowed two hits and no earned runs while striking out four and walking one in 6 2/3 innings.Brown last faced the Royals on April 11, when he gave up nine runs on 11 hits in just two-thirds of an inning. He turned his season around after that start, posting an 11-5 record and a 2.98 ERA in 23 appearances since.“I could not wait to pitch against these guys,” Brown said. “I got bounced in the first inning, and that was definitely still on my mind even though it was however many months ago. So, once I got through the first inning, that was awesome. I was very thankful. That was a birthday gift, in itself.”Veteran outfielder Jason Heyward made a splash in his Astros debut. After being released by the Dodgers and signing with Houston earlier this week, Heyward had a two-run double down the right-field line off Royals starter Brady Singer in the bottom of the fifth inning to give Houston a 2-0 lead.Singer allowed five hits and two runs while striking out six and walking one in six innings.Astros third baseman Alex Bregman was ejected in the fourth inning after appearing to complain about a strike-three call from home plate umpire Alex Tosi.“When Alex argues balls and strikes, 99% of the time, he’s right,” Espada said.Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who leads the American League in hits, batting average and runs, went 0 for 4 after hitting safely in 16 of his previous 17 games.TRAINER’S ROOMRoyals: RF Hunter Renfroe (right hamstring strain) is “feeling better” and started running and doing a full workout on Wednesday, manager Matt Quatraro said.Astros: RF Kyle Tucker (shin contusion) has “looked really good” in drills and sprinting exercises, and “we’re getting there,” Espada said before the game.UP NEXTRoyals RHP Seth Lugo (14-8, 3.19 ERA) will start against Astros LHP Framber Valdez (13-6, 3.27) on Friday,

⚾ Astros take advantage of two errors in 4-run eighth to beat Royals 

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22HEATHER%20HOLLINGSWORTH%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH </a>

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22HEATHER%20HOLLINGSWORTH%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest"></a>MISSION, Kan. (AP) — An inmate whose escape from a Kansas prison hidden in a dog crate became the subject of a book and TV movie has died behind bars.

John Manard, who was 45, died Sunday at the La Palma Correctional Facility, a private prison in Eloy, Arizona, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. His cause of death is pending the result of an autopsy, department spokesperson Jennifer King said.

Manard was serving a life sentence for a suburban Kansas City killing at a prison in Lansing, Kansas, when he met Toby Young, a married mother of two who worked helping prisoners train animals for adoption. They struck up a romantic relationship.

On Feb. 12, 2006, Young, then 47, hid Manard, then 27, in a crate and helped him escape.

Prison officials said she took advantage of the trust she gained while running the program to drive Manard out of the prison. A guard who recognized Young did not thoroughly search the van.

Young and Manard were captured 12 days after the escape in east Tennessee on Interstate 75 between Knoxville and Chattanooga, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) south of a remote cabin they had been sharing.

Young, whose husband filed for divorce after her arrest, was sentenced in state court for her role in breaking Manard out. She also pleaded guilty in federal court to giving him a gun. She was freed in 2008 and wrote about what happened in the book, “Living With Conviction.”

“John is finally free. But I am crushed,” Young, who has since remarried and goes by Toby Dorr, said in a Facebook&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/toby.dorr/posts/pfbid0yC8wj6SPedGm5Amke8mUU2PL9n7KnURqGTEkQnhcVz5f9DTnJ6u1iG47KbTjsbhEl">post</a>&nbsp;Wednesday. “I pray you have at last found the peace you were searching for, John.”

The escape story also was featured on “Dateline” and is the inspiration behind the Lifetime movie, “Jailbreak Lovers.”

In a March 2006 letter to a Kansas City television station, Manard said he and Young “have a fairytale love the size of infinity.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724950333943.png" alt="Manard photo KDOC" />
 <figcaption>Manard photo KDOC</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22HEATHER%20HOLLINGSWORTH%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH </a><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22HEATHER%20HOLLINGSWORTH%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest"></a>MISSION, Kan. (AP) — An inmate whose escape from a Kansas prison hidden in a dog crate became the subject of a book and TV movie has died behind bars.John Manard, who was 45, died Sunday at the La Palma Correctional Facility, a private prison in Eloy, Arizona, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. His cause of death is pending the result of an autopsy, department spokesperson Jennifer King said.Manard was serving a life sentence for a suburban Kansas City killing at a prison in Lansing, Kansas, when he met Toby Young, a married mother of two who worked helping prisoners train animals for adoption. They struck up a romantic relationship.On Feb. 12, 2006, Young, then 47, hid Manard, then 27, in a crate and helped him escape.Prison officials said she took advantage of the trust she gained while running the program to drive Manard out of the prison. A guard who recognized Young did not thoroughly search the van.Young and Manard were captured 12 days after the escape in east Tennessee on Interstate 75 between Knoxville and Chattanooga, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) south of a remote cabin they had been sharing.Young, whose husband filed for divorce after her arrest, was sentenced in state court for her role in breaking Manard out. She also pleaded guilty in federal court to giving him a gun. She was freed in 2008 and wrote about what happened in the book, “Living With Conviction.”“John is finally free. But I am crushed,” Young, who has since remarried and goes by Toby Dorr, said in a Facebook&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/toby.dorr/posts/pfbid0yC8wj6SPedGm5Amke8mUU2PL9n7KnURqGTEkQnhcVz5f9DTnJ6u1iG47KbTjsbhEl">post</a>&nbsp;Wednesday. “I pray you have at last found the peace you were searching for, John.”The escape story also was featured on “Dateline” and is the inspiration behind the Lifetime movie, “Jailbreak Lovers.”In a March 2006 letter to a Kansas City television station, Manard said he and Young “have a fairytale love the size of infinity.”

Man whose escaped from Kan. prison in dog crate dies behind bars

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Arlington National Cemetery official was “abruptly pushed aside” in an altercation with former President Donald Trump’s staff during a wreath-laying ceremony to honor service members killed in the Afghanistan War withdrawal, but she declined to press charges, an Army spokesman said Thursday.

The Army spokesman said the cemetery employee was trying to make sure those participating in Monday's wreath-laying ceremony to mark the third anniversary of the attack were following the rules, which “clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds.”

A TikTok video of the visit that was later shared by Trump shows scenes of him at the cemetery and includes a voiceover of the Republican presidential nominee blaming the Biden administration for the “disaster” of the Afghanistan withdrawal.

“This employee acted with professionalism and avoided further disruption,” the Army spokesman's statement said. “This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked.”

The incident was reported to the police, but because the employee decided not to press charges, the Army said it considered the matter closed. In response, Chris LaCivita, a top Trump campaign adviser, re-sent a video of Trump at Arlington that he had first put up on X three days ago, adding the message, “Reposting this hoping to trigger the hacks at @SecArmy.”

The controversy comes as Trump has been working to tie his Democratic opponent, Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris,</a>&nbsp;to the chaos of the Afghanistan War withdrawal with just over two months until Election Day. The suicide bombing at the Kabul airport, which killed 13 American service members and more than 170 Afghans on Aug. 26, 2021, was one of the lowest points of the Biden administration and followed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-biden-government-and-politics-donald-trump-7cef514c6cc96848f61a9e8b7fcdf263">a withdrawal commitment</a>&nbsp;and timeline that the Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban the previous year.

Families of three of the slain service members had invited Trump to the ceremony, saying the former president knew their children's stories and blaming the Biden administration for their deaths. Some of the families of these service members spoke out in support of Trump at the Republican National Convention in July, in part to blunt criticism that Trump wasn't supportive enough of veterans.

The family members initially struggled to arrange Trump's visit to the cemetery, according to a spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Mike McCaul, a Texas Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The families had reached out to McCaul because the cemetery had been giving them “a hard time” about coordinating the ceremony with Trump, McCaul’s spokesperson Leslie Shedd said Thursday.

The families said the Army would only allow the ceremony at a specific time that did not work for everyone’s schedule, among other conditions, Shedd said. McCaul then reached out to House Speaker Mike Johnson for assistance and tracked the matter until it was resolved, Shedd said.

“I was furious to hear their request to have President Trump join them to commemorate the anniversary of Taylor’s death was being stymied, along with several of the other family members of U.S. servicemembers killed at Abbey Gate,” McCaul said in a statement. “Gold Star families have already suffered enough.”

The Trump campaign has been facing blowback since an NPR report said that two Trump campaign staff members on Monday had “verbally abused and pushed” aside a cemetery official who tried to stop them from filming and photographing in Section 60, the burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Federal law prohibits campaign or election-related activities within Army national military cemeteries. A defense official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said the Trump campaign was warned about not taking photographs in Section 60 before their arrival and the altercation.

The Trump campaign has claimed the Republican presidential nominee’s team was granted access to have a photographer, contested the allegation that a campaign staffer had pushed the cemetery official and pushed back on any notion that the cemetery official had been unfairly targeted.

“This individual was the one who initiated physical contact and verbal harassment that was unwarranted and unnecessary,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said Thursday. “As the Army has said, they consider this matter closed. President Trump was there to support the Gold Star families and honor the sacrifices their loved ones made. Where was Kamala Harris?”

The Trump campaign has also posted a message signed by relatives of two of the service members killed in the bombing that said “the president and his team conducted themselves with nothing but the utmost respect and dignity for all of our service members, especially our beloved children.”

Photos of the cemetery visit showed Trump standing by the graves and flashing a thumbs-up sign next to relatives of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover and Sgt. Nicole Gee. He also laid wreaths for Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, whose family was not present.

The family of a decorated Green Beret whose grave appeared in the photos of Trump's visit issued a statement expressing support for the families who lost loved ones in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-france-evacuations-kabul-9e457201e5bbe75a4eb1901fedeee7a1">the Kabul airport bombing</a>, but asking for understanding for the concerns from relatives of service members whose graves were near them.

“We hope that those visiting this sacred site understand that these were real people who sacrificed for our freedom and that they are honored and respected accordingly,” said the statement, which was sent by the sister of Silver Star recipient Master Sgt. Andrew C. Marckesano, who died in 2020, on behalf of the family.

The TikTok video shared by Trump shows several clips of his visit to the cemetery. As a guitar strums in the background, there is a voiceover of him saying: “We lost great, great people. What a horrible day it was. We didn’t lose one person in 18 months, and then they took over. That disaster, the leaving of Afghanistan.”

The 18-month stretch without any combat deaths in Afghanistan included about six months of the Biden administration.

Fred Wellman, a 22-year Army veteran who served in Iraq and who is supporting Harris for president, said it was a mistake for the Army to put all of the weight on the Arlington National Cemetery staffer and let the issue go after the staffer decided not to press charges.

“Everyone who is a veteran who served since 9/11 is one to two degrees of separation from someone buried in Section 60,” he said. “The Army is the keeper of that place for us."

A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-bombings-kabul-taliban-80dde38aa7c28451b2dc55b466e31228">Pentagon investigation into the deadly attack</a>&nbsp;concluded that the suicide bomber acted alone and that those killings were not preventable. But critics have slammed the Biden administration for the catastrophic evacuation, saying it should have started earlier than it did.

Allison Jaslow, a former Army captain who leads the nonpartisan advocacy organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, applauded when Trump and Harris picked military veterans as their running mates. But she said aspiring elected officials should not campaign at Arlington National Cemetery.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Arlington National Cemetery official was “abruptly pushed aside” in an altercation with former President Donald Trump’s staff during a wreath-laying ceremony to honor service members killed in the Afghanistan War withdrawal, but she declined to press charges, an Army spokesman said Thursday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">From the families of the 13 Armed Service members who perished at Abbey Gate because of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ incompetence. <a href="https://t.co/Cj5N5U0bkj">pic.twitter.com/Cj5N5U0bkj</a>&mdash; Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepBrianMast/status/1828819107015516660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Army spokesman said the cemetery employee was trying to make sure those participating in Monday's wreath-laying ceremony to mark the third anniversary of the attack were following the rules, which “clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofDefense?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeptofDefense</a> Spokesperson <a href="https://twitter.com/sabrinasingh24?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sabrinasingh24</a> on altercation at <a href="https://twitter.com/ArlingtonNatl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArlingtonNatl</a> between Trump campaign staff and a cemetery staff member: &quot;What happened earlier this week is very unfortunate...We stand behind the Army in considering this matter closed.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/1N4ghCa4rX">pic.twitter.com/1N4ghCa4rX</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1829236022397354197?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>A TikTok video of the visit that was later shared by Trump shows scenes of him at the cemetery and includes a voiceover of the Republican presidential nominee blaming the Biden administration for the “disaster” of the Afghanistan withdrawal.“This employee acted with professionalism and avoided further disruption,” the Army spokesman's statement said. “This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I joined President Trump to lay wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery in remembrance of the 13 heroes we lost at Abbey Gate. We lost these heroes because of the ignorance and arrogance of politicians, like Kamala Harris &amp; Joe Biden, who treat America&#39;s warriors as disposable. <a href="https://t.co/PoLEEgPaa2">pic.twitter.com/PoLEEgPaa2</a>&mdash; Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepBrianMast/status/1828102812267598022?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The incident was reported to the police, but because the employee decided not to press charges, the Army said it considered the matter closed. In response, Chris LaCivita, a top Trump campaign adviser, re-sent a video of Trump at Arlington that he had first put up on X three days ago, adding the message, “Reposting this hoping to trigger the hacks at @SecArmy.”The controversy comes as Trump has been working to tie his Democratic opponent, Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris,</a>&nbsp;to the chaos of the Afghanistan War withdrawal with just over two months until Election Day. The suicide bombing at the Kabul airport, which killed 13 American service members and more than 170 Afghans on Aug. 26, 2021, was one of the lowest points of the Biden administration and followed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-biden-government-and-politics-donald-trump-7cef514c6cc96848f61a9e8b7fcdf263">a withdrawal commitment</a>&nbsp;and timeline that the Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban the previous year.Families of three of the slain service members had invited Trump to the ceremony, saying the former president knew their children's stories and blaming the Biden administration for their deaths. Some of the families of these service members spoke out in support of Trump at the Republican National Convention in July, in part to blunt criticism that Trump wasn't supportive enough of veterans.The family members initially struggled to arrange Trump's visit to the cemetery, according to a spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Mike McCaul, a Texas Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The families had reached out to McCaul because the cemetery had been giving them “a hard time” about coordinating the ceremony with Trump, McCaul’s spokesperson Leslie Shedd said Thursday.The families said the Army would only allow the ceremony at a specific time that did not work for everyone’s schedule, among other conditions, Shedd said. McCaul then reached out to House Speaker Mike Johnson for assistance and tracked the matter until it was resolved, Shedd said.“I was furious to hear their request to have President Trump join them to commemorate the anniversary of Taylor’s death was being stymied, along with several of the other family members of U.S. servicemembers killed at Abbey Gate,” McCaul said in a statement. “Gold Star families have already suffered enough.”The Trump campaign has been facing blowback since an NPR report said that two Trump campaign staff members on Monday had “verbally abused and pushed” aside a cemetery official who tried to stop them from filming and photographing in Section 60, the burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.Federal law prohibits campaign or election-related activities within Army national military cemeteries. A defense official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said the Trump campaign was warned about not taking photographs in Section 60 before their arrival and the altercation.The Trump campaign has claimed the Republican presidential nominee’s team was granted access to have a photographer, contested the allegation that a campaign staffer had pushed the cemetery official and pushed back on any notion that the cemetery official had been unfairly targeted.“This individual was the one who initiated physical contact and verbal harassment that was unwarranted and unnecessary,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said Thursday. “As the Army has said, they consider this matter closed. President Trump was there to support the Gold Star families and honor the sacrifices their loved ones made. Where was Kamala Harris?”The Trump campaign has also posted a message signed by relatives of two of the service members killed in the bombing that said “the president and his team conducted themselves with nothing but the utmost respect and dignity for all of our service members, especially our beloved children.”Photos of the cemetery visit showed Trump standing by the graves and flashing a thumbs-up sign next to relatives of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover and Sgt. Nicole Gee. He also laid wreaths for Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, whose family was not present.The family of a decorated Green Beret whose grave appeared in the photos of Trump's visit issued a statement expressing support for the families who lost loved ones in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-france-evacuations-kabul-9e457201e5bbe75a4eb1901fedeee7a1">the Kabul airport bombing</a>, but asking for understanding for the concerns from relatives of service members whose graves were near them.“We hope that those visiting this sacred site understand that these were real people who sacrificed for our freedom and that they are honored and respected accordingly,” said the statement, which was sent by the sister of Silver Star recipient Master Sgt. Andrew C. Marckesano, who died in 2020, on behalf of the family.The TikTok video shared by Trump shows several clips of his visit to the cemetery. As a guitar strums in the background, there is a voiceover of him saying: “We lost great, great people. What a horrible day it was. We didn’t lose one person in 18 months, and then they took over. That disaster, the leaving of Afghanistan.”The 18-month stretch without any combat deaths in Afghanistan included about six months of the Biden administration.Fred Wellman, a 22-year Army veteran who served in Iraq and who is supporting Harris for president, said it was a mistake for the Army to put all of the weight on the Arlington National Cemetery staffer and let the issue go after the staffer decided not to press charges.“Everyone who is a veteran who served since 9/11 is one to two degrees of separation from someone buried in Section 60,” he said. “The Army is the keeper of that place for us."A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-bombings-kabul-taliban-80dde38aa7c28451b2dc55b466e31228">Pentagon investigation into the deadly attack</a>&nbsp;concluded that the suicide bomber acted alone and that those killings were not preventable. But critics have slammed the Biden administration for the catastrophic evacuation, saying it should have started earlier than it did.Allison Jaslow, a former Army captain who leads the nonpartisan advocacy organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, applauded when Trump and Harris picked military veterans as their running mates. But she said aspiring elected officials should not campaign at Arlington National Cemetery.

Different opinions on Trump's Arlington National Cemetery visit  

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday announced 92 additions to its list of Americans banned from entering the country, including some journalists who formerly worked in Russia, and U.S. law-enforcement and business figures.

A ministry statement said the bans were imposed “in response to the Russophobic course pursued by the Biden administration with the declared goal of ‘inflicting a strategic defeat on Moscow’.”

It said the banned journalists represent “leading liberal-globalist publications involved in the production and dissemination of ‘fakes’ about Russia and the Russian armed forces.”

The new list of banned Americans includes 11 current or former staff members of the Wall Street Journal — including its editor Emma Tucker. She had repeatedly criticized Russia for the arrest and conviction on espionage charges of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, who spent 16 months behind bars before being released in August in a wide Russia-West prisoner exchange.

The ban has also been imposed on five New York Times journalists, including Kyiv bureau chief Andrew Kramer, and four from The Washington Post.

Other Americans on the list include people working for law enforcement agencies, academics, and figures from business and think tanks.

Russia has banned more than 2,000 Americans from entry, according to a ministry list.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663760963726.jpeg" alt="File photo Russian President Vladimir Putin (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP)" />
 <figcaption>File photo Russian President Vladimir Putin (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday announced 92 additions to its list of Americans banned from entering the country, including some journalists who formerly worked in Russia, and U.S. law-enforcement and business figures.A ministry statement said the bans were imposed “in response to the Russophobic course pursued by the Biden administration with the declared goal of ‘inflicting a strategic defeat on Moscow’.”It said the banned journalists represent “leading liberal-globalist publications involved in the production and dissemination of ‘fakes’ about Russia and the Russian armed forces.”The new list of banned Americans includes 11 current or former staff members of the Wall Street Journal — including its editor Emma Tucker. She had repeatedly criticized Russia for the arrest and conviction on espionage charges of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, who spent 16 months behind bars before being released in August in a wide Russia-West prisoner exchange.The ban has also been imposed on five New York Times journalists, including Kyiv bureau chief Andrew Kramer, and four from The Washington Post.Other Americans on the list include people working for law enforcement agencies, academics, and figures from business and think tanks.Russia has banned more than 2,000 Americans from entry, according to a ministry list.

Russia bans more Americans from the country, including journalists

RENO COUNTY—The Kansas Highway Patrol has identified the man who died in an accident that&nbsp;occurred just before 11:30p.m. Wednesday in Reno County.

The patrol reported a 1994 Chevy S-10 driven by&nbsp; Kris D&nbsp;Baymiller, 65, Hutchinson,&nbsp; was eastbound on U.S. 50 approximately seven miles east of Hutchinson. The pickup crossed the center line.&nbsp; A westbound 2018 Peterbilt semi driven by Parvinder&nbsp;Singh, 34, Fresno, California, struck the pickup in the westbound lanes.

Baymiller was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Elliot Mortuary. Singh was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

RENO COUNTY —The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal crash&nbsp; that occurred just before 11:30p.m. Wednesday in Reno County.

According to the Patrol, a vehicle&nbsp; was eastbound on U.S. 50 approximately seven miles east of Hutchinson. The vehicle crossed the center line.&nbsp; A westbound vehicle struck the eastbound vehicle in the westbound lanes.

This is a developing story. Check the Post for additional details as they are available.

RENO COUNTY—The Kansas Highway Patrol has identified the man who died in an accident that&nbsp;occurred just before 11:30p.m. Wednesday in Reno County.The patrol reported a 1994 Chevy S-10 driven by&nbsp; Kris D&nbsp;Baymiller, 65, Hutchinson,&nbsp; was eastbound on U.S. 50 approximately seven miles east of Hutchinson. The pickup crossed the center line.&nbsp; A westbound 2018 Peterbilt semi driven by Parvinder&nbsp;Singh, 34, Fresno, California, struck the pickup in the westbound lanes.Baymiller was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Elliot Mortuary. Singh was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.------------RENO COUNTY —The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal crash&nbsp; that occurred just before 11:30p.m. Wednesday in Reno County.According to the Patrol, a vehicle&nbsp; was eastbound on U.S. 50 approximately seven miles east of Hutchinson. The vehicle crossed the center line.&nbsp; A westbound vehicle struck the eastbound vehicle in the westbound lanes.This is a developing story. Check the Post for additional details as they are available.

KHP IDs Kansas man who died wrong-way crash

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

The Lecture Series "Sorting Out Race" kicked off Tuesday night at the Fox Theater with Alex Red Corn, a member of the Osage Nation and an associate professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Kansas, presenting "What Box Should I Check?"

&nbsp;"I was a social studies teacher at Shawnee Mission schools, and after a few years, I thought I learned social studies, and I'm Osage, but I didn't learn anything about Indigenous education or Indigenous education systems, so I went back and pursued a doctorate," Red Corn said.

Red Corn is both Osage and white and attended Shawnee Mission schools, where he later taught.

Red Corn started by trying to sort out political classifications.

"I've given a version of this talk before and called it 'Tales from a Recovering Social Studies Teacher' because it was everything I learned after my time as a social studies teacher, mostly. It wasn't like I didn't learn anything about Indians in social studies, but the depth and the breadth and the nuisance; I actually had to go outside the mainstream system of education to find those things."

There were 370 treaties signed between 1778 and 1871 with Native American Nations. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Snyder Act, which gave Native Nations members American citizenship status.

He said it concerns nationhood and citizenship, not just race and ethnicity.

Treaties enforced land dispossession and equal government promises for education, Red Corn said.

"Land taken turns into tax dollars turns into universities, public schools," Red Corn said. "At the same time, it turns into the promise that we owe you an education."

The money raised through land dispossession of Native Americans in Kansas went to establish and support land-grant universities, including Kansas State University, The University of Kansas, and other schools across the country, including those on the East Coast.

"I love the word entanglement because it kind of represents this cluster that we all inherited when we are trying to sort out race that we all have some play in it here, and we have to try to figure it out," Red Corn said. ... "And no, not everyone's ancestors did great things to each other, but we still inherited what this is."

Kaw Nation lands contributed primarily to the establishment of Kansas State University. Until a couple of years ago, Kaw Nation members living in Oklahoma had to pay out-of-state tuition at K-State, Red Corn said.

Osage and Kaw land contributed to the foundation of the University of Missouri.

"Kansas State University has the Kaw name in it. The state of Kansas, these educational institutions, the Kanza people, the Kaw people, same thing, Kansas is named after them. Their name is everywhere yet nowhere at the same time," Red Corn said.&nbsp;

Fort Hays State University was not a land-grant institution.

However, historic Fort Hays was operated to protect against Cheyenne and Arapaho, so it was part of the same process of removal of Native Americans from Kansas, Red Corn said.

"I'm curious about how much has anyone learned about the Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples?" he asked the audience.

He asked the audience who knew where the&nbsp;Cheyenne and Arapaho are today. No one raised their hands.

The people did disappear. They have their own governors, elected councils, an education department and media.

Red Corn said most people know the story of "Little House on the Prairie" but don't know that it is also the story of Osage removal.

"'Little House on the Prairie' is literally the story of illegal squatters on Osage land. The federal government was supposed to be keeping them off," he said.

"When you see the Kansas State Seal and the removal of the buffalo and the Indians in the background and the plow and the white settlers foreground, that's that story," Red Corn said. "That's the celebration of that story."

The promise of education with the land exchange turned into boarding schools.

"For anyone who hasn't heard the 'kill-the-Indian-save-the-man' assimilation is the attempt of boarding schools to remove the Indian from the human and replace it with Eurocentric whiteness and Eurocentric farmers," he said.

"Even though these people lived on this land for generations and thousands of years and know how to use the land, they were forced to use someone else's ideas of land use from another continent."

Assimilation attempts continued into the 1950s and '60s when Native people were relocated to urban centers to work in factories, Red Corn said.

As a result of Nations being scattered, 93% of Nation children are in public schools today, he said.

This has meant that these children don't have access to their Native languages in school.

Students are also not learning about Tribal sovereignty. There are 574 federally recognized Tribes in the United States, four of which are in Kansas.

These include: • Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas • Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation • Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska • Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska

"So you learn those basic nifty 50 United States, 13 original colonies, but we don't even know how many nations are there starting point," Red Corn.

Google searches of "Indian" produce stuck-in-the-past stereotypical images of Native Americans. Eighty-seven percent of social studies across the United States as of 2015 were situated in a pre-1900 context, Red Corn said.

Native Americans disappear out of history textbooks after the Trail of Tears.&nbsp;

"In picture books for children, talking bears outnumber Native Americans 9 to 1, so you learn more about talking bears through children's books than you do about American Indians," he said.

The American Psychological Association said Native American mascots undermine the self-esteem of Native American students and increase the likelihood that non-Native kids will stereotype other ethnic groups.

Hays High School retains its Indian mascot, and earlier this year, the school board voted to extend that mascot to Hays Middle School.

Many Native children also do not have regular contact with other Native people, which means there is no pushback against the stereotypes, Red Corn said.

"When you see this type of imagery show up in the exhibit—the fighting warrior, it's everywhere. It's all people see. I have literally met people, and the first thing they do is the tomahawk chop when they find out that I'm Osage," Red Corn said.

Joy Harjo, the first Native American U.S. Poet laureate, said there's a nuisance to the Native American story. It's an empty shell people keep interacting with, and then it's been taken, co-opted and claimed as their own.

"That 'kill-the-Indian-and-save-the man' trajectory that was put in motion is still being Xeroxed and replicated," Red Corn said.

Red Corn said the measure of Native identity has long been based on bloodline.

"I remember being in elementary school and someone would find out that I'm Osage, and they would say, 'How much are you?' It has always been a blood quantity like dogs and horses. Then they find out, and they are 'So if you like just cut our arm off, you wouldn't be Osage anymore.'"

"What box do I check and how have the boxes influenced what we think about race, citizenship and ethnicity?" he asked.

Red Corn said there's a 79% undercount of Native children in school race reporting in part because they are selecting multi-racial instead of Native American.

The states should be able to tell the Tribes how their kids are doing in their classes, but they can't, he said.

Red Corn said the idea of Native life being entangled with colonialism is like Osage ribbon work. The Osage took ribbons they obtained trading with the French in the 18th century and created a new art form of their own.

He said his life is more complicated than walking in two worlds.

He better described himself as a walking entanglement like the Osage ribbon work, shaped by lived experiences.

Despite stereotypes of downtrodden Native people, they are adaptable and thriving people, Red Corn said. The Osage people embody the idea of doing the best you can with what you have, he said.

Below is a list of the rest of the lectures in the series and information on an accompanying exhibit at the Hays Public Library.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724875977582.jpeg" alt="Alex Red Corn discusses Native American identity during a lecture Tuesday at the Fox Theater in Hays. The script at the top of the screen is an Osage word meaning&nbsp;doing the best you can with what you have. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>Alex Red Corn discusses Native American identity during a lecture Tuesday at the Fox Theater in Hays. The script at the top of the screen is an Osage word meaning&nbsp;doing the best you can with what you have. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostThe Lecture Series "Sorting Out Race" kicked off Tuesday night at the Fox Theater with Alex Red Corn, a member of the Osage Nation and an associate professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Kansas, presenting "What Box Should I Check?"&nbsp;"I was a social studies teacher at Shawnee Mission schools, and after a few years, I thought I learned social studies, and I'm Osage, but I didn't learn anything about Indigenous education or Indigenous education systems, so I went back and pursued a doctorate," Red Corn said.Red Corn is both Osage and white and attended Shawnee Mission schools, where he later taught.Red Corn started by trying to sort out political classifications."I've given a version of this talk before and called it 'Tales from a Recovering Social Studies Teacher' because it was everything I learned after my time as a social studies teacher, mostly. It wasn't like I didn't learn anything about Indians in social studies, but the depth and the breadth and the nuisance; I actually had to go outside the mainstream system of education to find those things."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724876068130.jpeg" alt="Alex Red Corn is Osage and white. He described his life as entangled in the Native American and white colonial worlds.&nbsp;Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>Alex Red Corn is Osage and white. He described his life as entangled in the Native American and white colonial worlds.&nbsp;Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>There were 370 treaties signed between 1778 and 1871 with Native American Nations. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Snyder Act, which gave Native Nations members American citizenship status.He said it concerns nationhood and citizenship, not just race and ethnicity.Treaties enforced land dispossession and equal government promises for education, Red Corn said."Land taken turns into tax dollars turns into universities, public schools," Red Corn said. "At the same time, it turns into the promise that we owe you an education."The money raised through land dispossession of Native Americans in Kansas went to establish and support land-grant universities, including Kansas State University, The University of Kansas, and other schools across the country, including those on the East Coast."I love the word entanglement because it kind of represents this cluster that we all inherited when we are trying to sort out race that we all have some play in it here, and we have to try to figure it out," Red Corn said. ... "And no, not everyone's ancestors did great things to each other, but we still inherited what this is."Kaw Nation lands contributed primarily to the establishment of Kansas State University. Until a couple of years ago, Kaw Nation members living in Oklahoma had to pay out-of-state tuition at K-State, Red Corn said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724876140450.jpeg" alt="Someone once told Alex Red Corn, who is Osage, that they thought the Osage people were extinct.&nbsp;Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>Someone once told Alex Red Corn, who is Osage, that they thought the Osage people were extinct.&nbsp;Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>Osage and Kaw land contributed to the foundation of the University of Missouri."Kansas State University has the Kaw name in it. The state of Kansas, these educational institutions, the Kanza people, the Kaw people, same thing, Kansas is named after them. Their name is everywhere yet nowhere at the same time," Red Corn said.&nbsp;Fort Hays State University was not a land-grant institution.However, historic Fort Hays was operated to protect against Cheyenne and Arapaho, so it was part of the same process of removal of Native Americans from Kansas, Red Corn said."I'm curious about how much has anyone learned about the Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples?" he asked the audience.He asked the audience who knew where the&nbsp;Cheyenne and Arapaho are today. No one raised their hands.The people did disappear. They have their own governors, elected councils, an education department and media.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724876169179.jpeg" alt="Native Americans disappear from history textbooks after the Trail of Tears, Red Corn said.&nbsp;Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>Native Americans disappear from history textbooks after the Trail of Tears, Red Corn said.&nbsp;Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>Red Corn said most people know the story of "Little House on the Prairie" but don't know that it is also the story of Osage removal."'Little House on the Prairie' is literally the story of illegal squatters on Osage land. The federal government was supposed to be keeping them off," he said."When you see the Kansas State Seal and the removal of the buffalo and the Indians in the background and the plow and the white settlers foreground, that's that story," Red Corn said. "That's the celebration of that story."The promise of education with the land exchange turned into boarding schools."For anyone who hasn't heard the 'kill-the-Indian-save-the-man' assimilation is the attempt of boarding schools to remove the Indian from the human and replace it with Eurocentric whiteness and Eurocentric farmers," he said."Even though these people lived on this land for generations and thousands of years and know how to use the land, they were forced to use someone else's ideas of land use from another continent."Kansas had 12 federal boarding schools.Assimilation attempts continued into the 1950s and '60s when Native people were relocated to urban centers to work in factories, Red Corn said.As a result of Nations being scattered, 93% of Nation children are in public schools today, he said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724876205431.jpeg" alt="Professor Alex Red Corn discusses the damaging effects of Native American mascots in his lecture Tuesday at the Fox Theater in Hays. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>Professor Alex Red Corn discusses the damaging effects of Native American mascots in his lecture Tuesday at the Fox Theater in Hays. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>This has meant that these children don't have access to their Native languages in school.Students are also not learning about Tribal sovereignty. There are 574 federally recognized Tribes in the United States, four of which are in Kansas.These include: • Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas • Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation • Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska • Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska"So you learn those basic nifty 50 United States, 13 original colonies, but we don't even know how many nations are there starting point," Red Corn.Google searches of "Indian" produce stuck-in-the-past stereotypical images of Native Americans. Eighty-seven percent of social studies across the United States as of 2015 were situated in a pre-1900 context, Red Corn said.Native Americans disappear out of history textbooks after the Trail of Tears.&nbsp;"In picture books for children, talking bears outnumber Native Americans 9 to 1, so you learn more about talking bears through children's books than you do about American Indians," he said.The American Psychological Association said Native American mascots undermine the self-esteem of Native American students and increase the likelihood that non-Native kids will stereotype other ethnic groups.Hays High School retains its Indian mascot, and earlier this year, the school board voted to extend that mascot to Hays Middle School.Many Native children also do not have regular contact with other Native people, which means there is no pushback against the stereotypes, Red Corn said."When you see this type of imagery show up in the exhibit—the fighting warrior, it's everywhere. It's all people see. I have literally met people, and the first thing they do is the tomahawk chop when they find out that I'm Osage," Red Corn said.Joy Harjo, the first Native American U.S. Poet laureate, said there's a nuisance to the Native American story. It's an empty shell people keep interacting with, and then it's been taken, co-opted and claimed as their own."That 'kill-the-Indian-and-save-the man' trajectory that was put in motion is still being Xeroxed and replicated," Red Corn said.Red Corn said the measure of Native identity has long been based on bloodline."I remember being in elementary school and someone would find out that I'm Osage, and they would say, 'How much are you?' It has always been a blood quantity like dogs and horses. Then they find out, and they are 'So if you like just cut our arm off, you wouldn't be Osage anymore.'""What box do I check and how have the boxes influenced what we think about race, citizenship and ethnicity?" he asked.Red Corn said there's a 79% undercount of Native children in school race reporting in part because they are selecting multi-racial instead of Native American.The states should be able to tell the Tribes how their kids are doing in their classes, but they can't, he said.Red Corn said the idea of Native life being entangled with colonialism is like Osage ribbon work. The Osage took ribbons they obtained trading with the French in the 18th century and created a new art form of their own.He said his life is more complicated than walking in two worlds.He better described himself as a walking entanglement like the Osage ribbon work, shaped by lived experiences.Despite stereotypes of downtrodden Native people, they are adaptable and thriving people, Red Corn said. The Osage people embody the idea of doing the best you can with what you have, he said."System change is possible," he said.Below is a list of the rest of the lectures in the series and information on an accompanying exhibit at the Hays Public Library.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724876494702.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Professor discusses Native American identity in Hays lecture series on race

BERLIN (AP) — The suspects in the foiled plot to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austria-taylor-swift-concerts-canceled-extremism-arrests-feff9108d0a14d9941c4bc416c0eb05f">attack Taylor Swift concerts</a>&nbsp;in Vienna earlier this month sought to kill “tens of thousands” of fans before the CIA discovered intelligence that disrupted the planning and led to arrests, the agency's deputy director said.

The CIA notified Austrian authorities of the scheme, which allegedly included links to the Islamic State group. The intelligence and subsequent arrests ultimately led to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austria-extremism-arrests-security-taylor-swift-7ece0b264f6e4152b8214c9fba8c425b">cancellation of three sold-out Eras Tour shows</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-fans-austria-concerts-canceled-swifties-003644f97d8bd7064b3dfe0585704f6c">devastating fans</a>&nbsp;who had traveled across the globe to see&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taylor-swift">Swift in concert</a>.

CIA Deputy Director David Cohen addressed the failed plot during the annual Intelligence and National Security Summit, held this week in Maryland.

“They were plotting to kill a huge number — tens of thousands of people at this concert, including I am sure many Americans — and were quite advanced in this," Cohen said Wednesday. “The Austrians were able to make those arrests because the agency and our partners in the intelligence community provided them information about what this ISIS-connected group was planning to do.”

Austrian officials said the main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian man, was inspired by the Islamic State group. He allegedly planned to attack outside the stadium, where upwards of 30,000 fans were expected to gather, with knives or homemade explosives. Another 65,000 fans were likely to be inside the venue. Investigators discovered chemical substances and technical devices during a raid of the suspect's home.

Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner, previously said help from other intelligence agencies was needed because Austrian investigators, unlike some foreign services, can’t legally monitor text messages.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austria-taylor-swift-concerts-attack-suspect-lawyer-80e7ac6e79f631bffcf8c42e8f1b836a">19-year-old’s lawyer has said</a>&nbsp;the allegations were “overacting at its best,” and contended Austrian authorities were “presenting this exaggeratedly” in order to get new surveillance powers.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-vienna-statement-8cabe53d7762bc3f80c0510918ed0aa8#:~:text=LONDON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Two%20weeks,posted%20to%20Instagram%20on%20Wednesday.">Swift broke her silence</a>&nbsp;about the cancellations last week after her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-eras-tour-london-wembley-6a8aff0c9f0bb45382602a75dfc77904">London shows had concluded</a>.

“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating,” she wrote in a statement posted to Instagram. “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows.”

She thanked authorities — “thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives,” she wrote — and said she waited to speak until the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/germany-taylor-swift-signs-gelsenkirchen-swiftkirchen-01a68a8c505bf649a0d3f0f149be158e">European leg of her Eras Tour</a>&nbsp;concluded to prioritize safety.

“Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows,” she wrote.

<a href="https://apnews.com/video/austria-taylor-swift-austria-government-vienna-concerts-3a0085b75ae740abb08d158ee7519cac">Concert organizer Barracuda Music</a>&nbsp;said it canceled the three-night Vienna run that would have begun Aug. 8 because the arrests made in connection to the conspiracy were too close to showtime.

The main suspect and a 17-year-old were taken into custody on Aug. 6, the day before the cancellations were announced. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austria-taylor-swift-concerts-canceled-extremism-arrests-feff9108d0a14d9941c4bc416c0eb05f">third suspect, 18, was arrested</a>&nbsp;Aug. 8. Their names have not been released in line with Austrian privacy rules.

The shows in London, the next stop after Vienna, came on the heels of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uk-stabbing-attack-southport-far-right-violence-a2e43d0d49776c138790d083713873f7">stabbing at a Swift-themed dance class that left three little girls dead</a>&nbsp;in the U.K. In a statement issued after the Southport attack, Swift said she was “just completely in shock” and “at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.” News outlets reported that Swift met with some of the survivors backstage in London.

The Vienna plot also drew comparisons to a 2017 attack by a suicide bomber&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/9d813da59c6342b09c7ea57f62a5d9a8">at an Ariana Grande concert</a>&nbsp;in Manchester, England, that killed 22 people. The bomb detonated at the end of Grande’s concert as thousands of young fans were leaving, becoming the deadliest extremist attack in the United Kingdom in recent years.

Cohen on Wednesday praised the CIA's work in preventing the planned violence, saying that other counterterrorism “successes” in foiling plots typically go unheralded.

“I can tell you within my agency, and I'm sure in others, there were people who thought that was a really good day for Langley,” he said, referring to the CIA headquarters. “And not just the Swifties in my workforce.”

The record-smashing tour is on hiatus until the fall.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723064189320.png" alt="File photo-Taylor Swift performs during The Eras Tour at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>File photo-Taylor Swift performs during The Eras Tour at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>BERLIN (AP) — The suspects in the foiled plot to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austria-taylor-swift-concerts-canceled-extremism-arrests-feff9108d0a14d9941c4bc416c0eb05f">attack Taylor Swift concerts</a>&nbsp;in Vienna earlier this month sought to kill “tens of thousands” of fans before the CIA discovered intelligence that disrupted the planning and led to arrests, the agency's deputy director said.The CIA notified Austrian authorities of the scheme, which allegedly included links to the Islamic State group. The intelligence and subsequent arrests ultimately led to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austria-extremism-arrests-security-taylor-swift-7ece0b264f6e4152b8214c9fba8c425b">cancellation of three sold-out Eras Tour shows</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-fans-austria-concerts-canceled-swifties-003644f97d8bd7064b3dfe0585704f6c">devastating fans</a>&nbsp;who had traveled across the globe to see&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taylor-swift">Swift in concert</a>.CIA Deputy Director David Cohen addressed the failed plot during the annual Intelligence and National Security Summit, held this week in Maryland.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724925442664.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>“They were plotting to kill a huge number — tens of thousands of people at this concert, including I am sure many Americans — and were quite advanced in this," Cohen said Wednesday. “The Austrians were able to make those arrests because the agency and our partners in the intelligence community provided them information about what this ISIS-connected group was planning to do.”Austrian officials said the main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian man, was inspired by the Islamic State group. He allegedly planned to attack outside the stadium, where upwards of 30,000 fans were expected to gather, with knives or homemade explosives. Another 65,000 fans were likely to be inside the venue. Investigators discovered chemical substances and technical devices during a raid of the suspect's home.Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner, previously said help from other intelligence agencies was needed because Austrian investigators, unlike some foreign services, can’t legally monitor text messages.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austria-taylor-swift-concerts-attack-suspect-lawyer-80e7ac6e79f631bffcf8c42e8f1b836a">19-year-old’s lawyer has said</a>&nbsp;the allegations were “overacting at its best,” and contended Austrian authorities were “presenting this exaggeratedly” in order to get new surveillance powers.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-vienna-statement-8cabe53d7762bc3f80c0510918ed0aa8#:~:text=LONDON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Two%20weeks,posted%20to%20Instagram%20on%20Wednesday.">Swift broke her silence</a>&nbsp;about the cancellations last week after her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-eras-tour-london-wembley-6a8aff0c9f0bb45382602a75dfc77904">London shows had concluded</a>.“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating,” she wrote in a statement posted to Instagram. “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows.”She thanked authorities — “thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives,” she wrote — and said she waited to speak until the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/germany-taylor-swift-signs-gelsenkirchen-swiftkirchen-01a68a8c505bf649a0d3f0f149be158e">European leg of her Eras Tour</a>&nbsp;concluded to prioritize safety.“Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows,” she wrote.<a href="https://apnews.com/video/austria-taylor-swift-austria-government-vienna-concerts-3a0085b75ae740abb08d158ee7519cac">Concert organizer Barracuda Music</a>&nbsp;said it canceled the three-night Vienna run that would have begun Aug. 8 because the arrests made in connection to the conspiracy were too close to showtime.The main suspect and a 17-year-old were taken into custody on Aug. 6, the day before the cancellations were announced. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austria-taylor-swift-concerts-canceled-extremism-arrests-feff9108d0a14d9941c4bc416c0eb05f">third suspect, 18, was arrested</a>&nbsp;Aug. 8. Their names have not been released in line with Austrian privacy rules.The shows in London, the next stop after Vienna, came on the heels of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uk-stabbing-attack-southport-far-right-violence-a2e43d0d49776c138790d083713873f7">stabbing at a Swift-themed dance class that left three little girls dead</a>&nbsp;in the U.K. In a statement issued after the Southport attack, Swift said she was “just completely in shock” and “at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.” News outlets reported that Swift met with some of the survivors backstage in London.The Vienna plot also drew comparisons to a 2017 attack by a suicide bomber&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/9d813da59c6342b09c7ea57f62a5d9a8">at an Ariana Grande concert</a>&nbsp;in Manchester, England, that killed 22 people. The bomb detonated at the end of Grande’s concert as thousands of young fans were leaving, becoming the deadliest extremist attack in the United Kingdom in recent years.Cohen on Wednesday praised the CIA's work in preventing the planned violence, saying that other counterterrorism “successes” in foiling plots typically go unheralded.“I can tell you within my agency, and I'm sure in others, there were people who thought that was a really good day for Langley,” he said, referring to the CIA headquarters. “And not just the Swifties in my workforce.”The record-smashing tour is on hiatus until the fall.

CIA official: Suspects in plot to attack Taylor Swift shows aimed to kill 'tens of thousands'

SALINE COUNTY —Officials are working to determine the cause of a 3-alarm fire at a battery manufacturing plant in Salina.

Just after 4p.m. Wednesday, Salina Fire, Rural Fire District One and Two, the Saline County Sheriff's Office, Salina Police Department, Saline County Emergency Management and the Kansas Highway Patrol all responded to a fire at Stryten Energy in Salina.&nbsp;

According to Salina Fire Marshal Joe Kvacik, nearly a dozen fire apparatuses remain on the scene attacking hot spots inside the Stryten Energy building, 413 East Berg Road, Salina.

On the second and third floors of the large, multiple story Stryten Energy complex, Salina and Saline County Rural fire fighters encountered moderate fire conditions.&nbsp;

"Eventually we got the fire knocked down on the inside. Then we had some roofing material and stuff on the on the roof that was burning," Kvacik said. "We had multiple levels of this building that had fire on it. So we had several ladder trucks out here."

According to Michelle Weis, Saline County Emergency Management Director, fire crews have informed her that there were no live flames as of 6:11 p.m. Kvacik said fire crews continue to overhaul the building checking for hot spots.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724880816222.png" alt="Submitted photo" />
 <figcaption>Submitted photo</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Officials are working to determine the cause of a 3-alarm fire at a battery manufacturing plant in Salina.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/otfY-UhCeWI?si=DOqSJEbheL3sTKOO" 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>Just after 4p.m. Wednesday, Salina Fire, Rural Fire District One and Two, the Saline County Sheriff's Office, Salina Police Department, Saline County Emergency Management and the Kansas Highway Patrol all responded to a fire at Stryten Energy in Salina.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724881266993.png" alt="Photo by Nate King" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Nate King</figcaption>
 </figure>According to Salina Fire Marshal Joe Kvacik, nearly a dozen fire apparatuses remain on the scene attacking hot spots inside the Stryten Energy building, 413 East Berg Road, Salina.On the second and third floors of the large, multiple story Stryten Energy complex, Salina and Saline County Rural fire fighters encountered moderate fire conditions.&nbsp;"Eventually we got the fire knocked down on the inside. Then we had some roofing material and stuff on the on the roof that was burning," Kvacik said. "We had multiple levels of this building that had fire on it. So we had several ladder trucks out here."According to Michelle Weis, Saline County Emergency Management Director, fire crews have informed her that there were no live flames as of 6:11 p.m. Kvacik said fire crews continue to overhaul the building checking for hot spots.&nbsp;"We have a lot of hot spots in there," Kvacik said. "They're pulling a lot of insulation and and just chasing down anything that's still smoldering."On Wednesday Aug. 28, Saline County residents near the Stryten Energy Building saw large black plumes of smoke rise from the large factory building located at 413 East Berg Road.&nbsp; Nate KingAccording to Kvacik, this was a three alarm fire."Our first alarm is basically the crews that are on duty, the fire trucks that would go to this initial alarm when something's called," Kvacik said. "A second alarm is where we'll call back one of our shifts and they staff, like our backup trucks, or they'll send some guys out here to assist, and then the third alarm is when we call the other shift back. Third alarm is everybody."Kvacik said the cause of the fire at this time is unknown.&nbsp;"They [fire fighters] are still chasing hot spots," Kvacik said. "We haven't started the investigation yet. We haven't really sat down and talked to Stryten to see what was going on or what was observed. For us, this is a pretty large scene."&nbsp;Melissa Floyd, a representative of Stryten Energy, said the company was unable to issue a statement at this time. Salina Post asked if residents should avoid the area because of the possibility of potentially harmful chemicals present in the smoke plumes.Floyd was unable to provide a comment at this time.&nbsp;-------------SALINE COUNTY —Fire crews are on the scene of a fire at Stryten Energy, 413 E Berg Road, Salina.&nbsp;Just after 4p.m. Saline County paged first responders to the fire.&nbsp; In addition to fire crews, Saline County Emergency Management officials are on the scene.Stryten is a&nbsp;stored energy solutions firm, according to the company web site. Their&nbsp; products " power everything from forklifts in warehouses and distribution centers to cars, trains and trucks to microgrids and vast telecom networks. In addition to manufacturing high-quality advanced lead, lithium, and vanadium batteries and intelligent chargers."This is a developing story. Check the Post for more information as it becomes available.