HOUSTON (AP) — The <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/ag-paxton-sues-battleground-states-unconstitutional-changes-2020-election-laws">Texas lawsuit </a>asking the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate President-elect Joe Biden’s victory has quickly become a conservative litmus test, as 106 members of Congress including Kansas reps. Roger Marshall, Ron Estes and multiple state attorneys general signed onto the case even as some have predicted it will fail.

Click here to read a copy of the<a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/admin/2020/Press/SCOTUSFiling.pdf"> filing from Texas&nbsp;</a>

The last-gasp bid to subvert the results of the Nov. 3 election is demonstrating President Donald Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-pennsylvania-elections-93dbc7576bc75f7d4e2be1cdfedb03c7">enduring political power even as his term is set to end.&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;And even though most of the signatories are far-right conservatives who come from deep red districts, the filing meant that roughly one-quarter of the U.S. House believes the Supreme Court should set aside election results.

Seventeen&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22O155/163215/20201209144840609_2020-12-09%20-%20Texas%20v.%20Pennsylvania%20-%20Amicus%20Brief%20of%20Missouri%20et%20al.%20-%20Final%20with%20Tables.pdf" target="_blank">Republican attorneys general</a>&nbsp;are backing the unprecedented case that Trump is calling “the big one” despite the fact that the president and his allies have lost dozens of times in courts across the country and have no evidence of widespread fraud. And in a filing Thursday, the Congressional Republicans claimed “unconstitutional irregularities” have “cast doubt” on the 2020 outcome and “the integrity of the American system of elections.”

To be clear, there has been no evidence of widespread fraud, and election law experts think the lawsuit will never last.

“The Supreme Court is not going to overturn the election in the Texas case, as the President has told them to do,” tweeted Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine. “But we are in bad shape as a country that 17 states could support this shameful, anti-American filing” by Texas and its attorney general, Ken Paxton, he said.

The lawsuit filed against Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin repeats false, disproven and unsubstantiated accusations about the voting in four states that went for Trump’s Democratic challenger. The case demands that the high court invalidate the states’ 62 total Electoral College votes. That’s an unprecedented remedy in American history: setting aside the votes of tens of millions of people, under the baseless claim the Republican incumbent lost a chance at a second term due to widespread fraud.

Two days after Paxton sued,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-false-claims-in-states-b73db1ea12c860053e45d141a1414dee">17 states filed a motion supporting the lawsuit, and on Thursday six of those states asked to join the case themselves.&nbsp;</a>Trump has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22O155/163234/20201209155327055_No.%2022O155%20Original%20Motion%20to%20Intervene.pdf" target="_blank">acted to join</a>&nbsp;the case, tweeting Thursday that “the Supreme Court has a chance to save our Country from the greatest Election abuse in the history of the United States.” Hours later, Trump held a meeting at the White House, scheduled before the suit was filed, with a dozen Republican attorneys general, including Paxton and several others who are backing the effort.

Still, some of the top state Republican prosecutors urging the Supreme Court to hear the case have acknowledged that the effort is a long shot and are seeking to distance themselves from Trump’s baseless allegations of fraud. North Dakota’s Wayne Stenehjem, among the 17 attorneys general supporting the case, said North Dakota is not alleging voter fraud in the four states at issue.

“We’re careful on that,” said Stenehjem, who noted that his office has received thousands of calls and emails from constituents asking the state to support the suit. “But it’s worth it for the Supreme Court to weigh in and settle it once and for all,” he said.

Montana Attorney General Tim Fox called the lawsuit “belated” and said its chances “are slim at best.” But Fox supported Texas because he said the case raised “important constitutional questions about the separation of powers and the integrity of mail-in ballots in those defendant states.”

The litigation rankled Democratic attorneys general. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey called the attempt to overturn votes “unconscionable.” And the support among other leading lawyers was disturbing, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, the co-chair of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, told AP.

“I do think that these individuals are kowtowing to a president who has implemented some level of control and authority over the duly elected attorneys general in their states in a way that is unfortunate,” he said.

“I do think that this is a dangerous precedent to initiate. There is no precedent for this.”

Suits brought by Trump and his allies&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-losing-election-lawsuits-36d113484ac0946fa5f0614deb7de15e">have failed repeatedly across the country</a>, and the Supreme Court this week rejected a Republican bid to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/high-court-reject-gop-bid-halt-biden-win-0b7005328243eeca23f8bc3368549879">reverse Pennsylvania’s certification</a>&nbsp;of Biden’s victory.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-pennsylvania-ken-paxton-b1451249400026effe93cf4e080a9d91">Trump looked straight past the high court loss</a>, claiming it didn’t matter because his campaign wasn’t involved in the case, though it would have benefited if the case had continued. He has spent the week relentlessly tweeting about the Texas case with the hashtag “overturn” and claiming, falsely, that he had won the election but was robbed.

Many of the attorneys general supporting the case have shown greater political ambitions.

In Kansas, Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who is considering a bid for governor in 2022, said the Texas case presented “important and potentially recurring constitutional questions.” Schmidt’s announcement that Kansas would back the effort came only hours after former Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer — another potential candidate for governor — tweeted that Schmidt’s office should join the Texas litigation.

The case stirred Republican infighting in Utah, where GOP Gov. Gary Herbert and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, who will become governor in January, blasted Attorney General Sean Reyes for deciding to join the suit.

“The Attorney General did not consult us before signing on to this brief, so we don’t know what his motivation is,” they said in a joint statement. “Just as we would not want other states challenging Utah’s election results, we do not think we should intervene in other states’ elections.”

Officials in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Wisconsin say the suit is a publicity stunt.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22O155/163379/20201210144443769_Texas%20v.%20Pennsylvania%20-%20Motion%20and%20Br.%20of%20Amici%20DC%20et%20al.pdf" target="_blank">More than 20 other attorneys general</a>&nbsp;from states including California and Virginia also filed a brief Thursday urging the court to reject the case.

“Since Election Day, State and Federal courts throughout the country have been flooded with frivolous lawsuits aimed at disenfranchising large swaths of voters and undermining the legitimacy of the election. The State of Texas has now added its voice to the cacophony of bogus claims,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, wrote in the state’s brief.

Despite the political pressure, Idaho’s Republican attorney general chose not to join the Texas suit. Lawrence Wasden said he has concerns about “supporting a legal argument that could result in other states litigating against legal decisions made by Idaho’s legislature and governor.” Idaho’s two congressmen, Republicans Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher, joined the legal brief from GOP House members supporting Paxton’s effort.

“As is sometimes the case, the legally correct decision may not be the politically convenient decision,” Wasden said in a statement. “But my responsibility is to the state of Idaho and the rule of law.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607691990600.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HOUSTON (AP) — The <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/ag-paxton-sues-battleground-states-unconstitutional-changes-2020-election-laws">Texas lawsuit </a>asking the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate President-elect Joe Biden’s victory has quickly become a conservative litmus test, as 106 members of Congress including Kansas reps. Roger Marshall, Ron Estes and multiple state attorneys general signed onto the case even as some have predicted it will fail.Click here to read a copy of the<a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/admin/2020/Press/SCOTUSFiling.pdf"> filing from Texas&nbsp;</a><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">👍🏻 <a href="https://t.co/StE5QV6NC6">https://t.co/StE5QV6NC6</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1336779396636667906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today I filed an amicus brief with more than 100 of my House GOP colleagues that encourages the Supreme Court to take up a critical case concerning the most recent and future elections. We need transparency &amp; integrity in our electoral process &amp; this case deserves to be heard.&mdash; Rep. Ron Estes (@RepRonEstes) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepRonEstes/status/1337230993699299328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The last-gasp bid to subvert the results of the Nov. 3 election is demonstrating President Donald Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-pennsylvania-elections-93dbc7576bc75f7d4e2be1cdfedb03c7">enduring political power even as his term is set to end.&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;And even though most of the signatories are far-right conservatives who come from deep red districts, the filing meant that roughly one-quarter of the U.S. House believes the Supreme Court should set aside election results.Seventeen&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22O155/163215/20201209144840609_2020-12-09%20-%20Texas%20v.%20Pennsylvania%20-%20Amicus%20Brief%20of%20Missouri%20et%20al.%20-%20Final%20with%20Tables.pdf" target="_blank">Republican attorneys general</a>&nbsp;are backing the unprecedented case that Trump is calling “the big one” despite the fact that the president and his allies have lost dozens of times in courts across the country and have no evidence of widespread fraud. And in a filing Thursday, the Congressional Republicans claimed “unconstitutional irregularities” have “cast doubt” on the 2020 outcome and “the integrity of the American system of elections.”To be clear, there has been no evidence of widespread fraud, and election law experts think the lawsuit will never last.“The Supreme Court is not going to overturn the election in the Texas case, as the President has told them to do,” tweeted Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine. “But we are in bad shape as a country that 17 states could support this shameful, anti-American filing” by Texas and its attorney general, Ken Paxton, he said.The lawsuit filed against Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin repeats false, disproven and unsubstantiated accusations about the voting in four states that went for Trump’s Democratic challenger. The case demands that the high court invalidate the states’ 62 total Electoral College votes. That’s an unprecedented remedy in American history: setting aside the votes of tens of millions of people, under the baseless claim the Republican incumbent lost a chance at a second term due to widespread fraud.Two days after Paxton sued,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-false-claims-in-states-b73db1ea12c860053e45d141a1414dee">17 states filed a motion supporting the lawsuit, and on Thursday six of those states asked to join the case themselves.&nbsp;</a>Trump has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22O155/163234/20201209155327055_No.%2022O155%20Original%20Motion%20to%20Intervene.pdf" target="_blank">acted to join</a>&nbsp;the case, tweeting Thursday that “the Supreme Court has a chance to save our Country from the greatest Election abuse in the history of the United States.” Hours later, Trump held a meeting at the White House, scheduled before the suit was filed, with a dozen Republican attorneys general, including Paxton and several others who are backing the effort.Still, some of the top state Republican prosecutors urging the Supreme Court to hear the case have acknowledged that the effort is a long shot and are seeking to distance themselves from Trump’s baseless allegations of fraud. North Dakota’s Wayne Stenehjem, among the 17 attorneys general supporting the case, said North Dakota is not alleging voter fraud in the four states at issue.“We’re careful on that,” said Stenehjem, who noted that his office has received thousands of calls and emails from constituents asking the state to support the suit. “But it’s worth it for the Supreme Court to weigh in and settle it once and for all,” he said.Montana Attorney General Tim Fox called the lawsuit “belated” and said its chances “are slim at best.” But Fox supported Texas because he said the case raised “important constitutional questions about the separation of powers and the integrity of mail-in ballots in those defendant states.”The litigation rankled Democratic attorneys general. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey called the attempt to overturn votes “unconscionable.” And the support among other leading lawyers was disturbing, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, the co-chair of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, told AP.“I do think that these individuals are kowtowing to a president who has implemented some level of control and authority over the duly elected attorneys general in their states in a way that is unfortunate,” he said.“I do think that this is a dangerous precedent to initiate. There is no precedent for this.”Suits brought by Trump and his allies&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-losing-election-lawsuits-36d113484ac0946fa5f0614deb7de15e">have failed repeatedly across the country</a>, and the Supreme Court this week rejected a Republican bid to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/high-court-reject-gop-bid-halt-biden-win-0b7005328243eeca23f8bc3368549879">reverse Pennsylvania’s certification</a>&nbsp;of Biden’s victory.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-pennsylvania-ken-paxton-b1451249400026effe93cf4e080a9d91">Trump looked straight past the high court loss</a>, claiming it didn’t matter because his campaign wasn’t involved in the case, though it would have benefited if the case had continued. He has spent the week relentlessly tweeting about the Texas case with the hashtag “overturn” and claiming, falsely, that he had won the election but was robbed.Many of the attorneys general supporting the case have shown greater political ambitions.In Kansas, Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who is considering a bid for governor in 2022, said the Texas case presented “important and potentially recurring constitutional questions.” Schmidt’s announcement that Kansas would back the effort came only hours after former Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer — another potential candidate for governor — tweeted that Schmidt’s office should join the Texas litigation.The case stirred Republican infighting in Utah, where GOP Gov. Gary Herbert and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, who will become governor in January, blasted Attorney General Sean Reyes for deciding to join the suit.“The Attorney General did not consult us before signing on to this brief, so we don’t know what his motivation is,” they said in a joint statement. “Just as we would not want other states challenging Utah’s election results, we do not think we should intervene in other states’ elections.”Officials in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Wisconsin say the suit is a publicity stunt.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22O155/163379/20201210144443769_Texas%20v.%20Pennsylvania%20-%20Motion%20and%20Br.%20of%20Amici%20DC%20et%20al.pdf" target="_blank">More than 20 other attorneys general</a>&nbsp;from states including California and Virginia also filed a brief Thursday urging the court to reject the case.“Since Election Day, State and Federal courts throughout the country have been flooded with frivolous lawsuits aimed at disenfranchising large swaths of voters and undermining the legitimacy of the election. The State of Texas has now added its voice to the cacophony of bogus claims,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, wrote in the state’s brief.Despite the political pressure, Idaho’s Republican attorney general chose not to join the Texas suit. Lawrence Wasden said he has concerns about “supporting a legal argument that could result in other states litigating against legal decisions made by Idaho’s legislature and governor.” Idaho’s two congressmen, Republicans Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher, joined the legal brief from GOP House members supporting Paxton’s effort.“As is sometimes the case, the legally correct decision may not be the politically convenient decision,” Wasden said in a statement. “But my responsibility is to the state of Idaho and the rule of law.”____

Kan. lawmakers, 100 others sign onto Texas-led election lawsuit

SEWARD COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on child sex charges and have made an arrest.

The Liberal Police Department with the assistance of police in Wichita conducted a year-long investigation involving the rape of a juvenile girl and the electronic solicitation of several juvenile girls in the city of Liberal, according to a media release.

In September, police executed a search warrant at a home in the 800 Block of Millwood in Liberal and recovered hundreds of images and videos containing child pornography. On Dec. 10, police reported the arrest of a 47-year-old Hispanic man in connection with the case.

The Seward County Attorney's office is considering potential charges in the case, according to the release.&nbsp; Authorities released no additional details.

SEWARD COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on child sex charges and have made an arrest.The Liberal Police Department with the assistance of police in Wichita conducted a year-long investigation involving the rape of a juvenile girl and the electronic solicitation of several juvenile girls in the city of Liberal, according to a media release.In September, police executed a search warrant at a home in the 800 Block of Millwood in Liberal and recovered hundreds of images and videos containing child pornography. On Dec. 10, police reported the arrest of a 47-year-old Hispanic man in connection with the case.The Seward County Attorney's office is considering potential charges in the case, according to the release.&nbsp; Authorities released no additional details.

Year-long rape investigation leads to SW Kansas arrest

WASHINGTON (AP) — An emerging $900 billion COVID-19 aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers has all but collapsed after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republican senators won’t support $160 billion in state and local funds as part of a potential trade-off in the deal.

McConnell’s staff conveyed to top negotiators Thursday that the GOP leader sees no path to an agreement on a key aspect of the lawmakers’ existing proposal — a slimmed-down version of the liability shield he is seeking for companies and organizations facing potential COVID-19 lawsuits — in exchange for the state and local funds that Democrats want.

The GOP leader criticized “controversial state bailouts” during a speech in the Senate, as he insists on a more targeted aid package.

The hardened stance from McConnell, who does not appear to have enough votes from his Republican majority for a far-reaching compromise, creates a new stalemate over the $900-billion-plus package, despite days of toiling by a bipartisan group of lawmakers to strike compromise.

Other legislative pile-ups now threaten Friday’s related business — a must-pass government funding bill. If it doesn’t clear Congress, that would trigger a federal government shutdown on Saturday.

McConnell’s staff conveyed to other negotiators it’s “unlikely” the trade-off proposed by the bipartisan group would be acceptable, as COVID aid talks continue, according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the talks. A senior Democrat first shared the Republican leader’s views after being granted anonymity to discuss the private conversations, which were first reported by Politico.

Deadlines, real and perceived, haven’t been sufficient to drive Washington’s factions to an agreement, despite the U.S. breaking a record-high 3,000 daily COVID fatalities, and hospitals straining at capacity from soaring caseloads nationwide.

The House recessed for a few days, with leaders warning members to be prepared to return to Washington to vote on the year-end deals, while the Senate was planning a rare Friday session.

The breakdown over the COVID aid package, after days of behind-the-scenes talks by a group of lawmakers fed up with inaction, comes as President Donald Trump has taken the talks in another direction — insisting on a fresh round of $600 stimulus checks for Americans.

Sending direct cash payments to households was not included in the bipartisan proposal, but has been embraced by some of the president’s fiercest critics — including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N,Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent who introduced an amendment to include the checks with Trump ally Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

Sanders said the unprecedented moment facing the nation with the pandemic and its economic fallout requires Congress to “take unprecedented action.”

Trump’s top negotiator on COVID-19 financial aid, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin reported headway Thursday, before the package from the bipartisan senators’ group fell apart.

“I think we’re making a lot of progress,” Mnuchin said.

A one-week stop-gap measure to prevent a federal shutdown appears to have sapped some urgency from the talks. The short-term government-wide funding bill, approved by the House on Wednesday, needs to clear the Senate before Friday at midnight to avert a partial closure.

The next deadline would be Dec. 18, but both House and Senate leaders say they won’t adjourn without passing an aid measure.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Congress would keep working up to or even after Christmas to get an agreement. The new Congress is being sworn in on Jan. 3.

“Now if we need more time then we take more time, but we have to have a bill and we cannot go home without it,” Pelosi said. She also gave an upbeat assessment on the talks.

The bipartisan lawmakers held another virtual “dinner group” meeting late Thursday to try to prop up the deal. They have been working furiously to try to bridge the stalemate over COVID aid.

The $900 billion-plus proposal provides sweeping new funds for vaccines, small businesses, health care providers, schools and families suffering from the virus crisis and the economic shutdowns.

A key hold up has been the standoff over more money for the states, that Democrats - and some Republicans - want and the liability shield that is McConnell’s top GOP priority but that most Democrats oppose.

The partisan group tried to marry those two provisions as a compromise.

McConnell had initially proposed a five-year liability shield from virus lawsuits, retroactive to December 2019, but the bipartisan group was eyeing a scaled-back shield of six months to a year. Labor and civil rights groups oppose any shield, which they say strips essential workers of potential legal recourse as they take risks during the pandemic.

Democratic leaders had wanted far more in state and local aid, but were accepting of the lower $160 billion.

But many Republicans have long viewed the state and local aid as a bailout they would have trouble supporting, despite the pleas for funds coming from governors and mayors nationwide.

Late Thursday, Sen. Dick Durbin and other Democrats pitched another liability proposal to the bipartisan group, but it was rejected by Republicans, according to a Senate aide granted anonymity to discuss the private session.

The Trump administration is back in the middle of the negotiations with a $916 billion plan. It would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans but eliminate a $300-per-week employment benefit favored by the bipartisan group of Senate negotiators.

The White House offer has the endorsement of the top House Republican and apparent backing from McConnell, who had previously favored a $519 billion GOP plan that has already failed twice. But Democrats immediately blasted the plan over the administration’s refusal to back the partial restoration, to $300 per week, of bonus pandemic jobless benefits that lapsed in August.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">President-elect Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;is pressing for as much pandemic relief as possible, though he’s not directly involved in the talks. McConnell, like Pelosi, says Congress will not adjourn without providing the long-overdue COVID-19 relief.

Republicans say the right people to handle final negotiations are the four leaders of Congress and the Trump administration, with the focus on the streamlined proposal from McConnell, R-Ky.

The bipartisan negotiating group — led by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, among others — was seeking to rally lawmakers behind the $908 billion framework that includes the $300-per-week pandemic jobless benefit and $160 billion for states and local governments.

It also includes a four-month extension of jobless benefits set to expire at the end of the month, $300 billion for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b0d2a36521f39010273317fa3562c2e4">“paycheck protection” subsidies</a>&nbsp;for struggling businesses, funding for vaccines and testing, and a host of smaller items such as aid to transit systems, the U.S. Postal Service and health care providers.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607690784014.png" alt="During her Thursday news conference, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said we have to have a bill and we cannot go home without it." />
 <figcaption>During her Thursday news conference, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said we have to have a bill and we cannot go home without it.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — An emerging $900 billion COVID-19 aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers has all but collapsed after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republican senators won’t support $160 billion in state and local funds as part of a potential trade-off in the deal.McConnell’s staff conveyed to top negotiators Thursday that the GOP leader sees no path to an agreement on a key aspect of the lawmakers’ existing proposal — a slimmed-down version of the liability shield he is seeking for companies and organizations facing potential COVID-19 lawsuits — in exchange for the state and local funds that Democrats want.The GOP leader criticized “controversial state bailouts” during a speech in the Senate, as he insists on a more targeted aid package.The hardened stance from McConnell, who does not appear to have enough votes from his Republican majority for a far-reaching compromise, creates a new stalemate over the $900-billion-plus package, despite days of toiling by a bipartisan group of lawmakers to strike compromise.Other legislative pile-ups now threaten Friday’s related business — a must-pass government funding bill. If it doesn’t clear Congress, that would trigger a federal government shutdown on Saturday.McConnell’s staff conveyed to other negotiators it’s “unlikely” the trade-off proposed by the bipartisan group would be acceptable, as COVID aid talks continue, according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the talks. A senior Democrat first shared the Republican leader’s views after being granted anonymity to discuss the private conversations, which were first reported by Politico.Deadlines, real and perceived, haven’t been sufficient to drive Washington’s factions to an agreement, despite the U.S. breaking a record-high 3,000 daily COVID fatalities, and hospitals straining at capacity from soaring caseloads nationwide.The House recessed for a few days, with leaders warning members to be prepared to return to Washington to vote on the year-end deals, while the Senate was planning a rare Friday session.The breakdown over the COVID aid package, after days of behind-the-scenes talks by a group of lawmakers fed up with inaction, comes as President Donald Trump has taken the talks in another direction — insisting on a fresh round of $600 stimulus checks for Americans.Sending direct cash payments to households was not included in the bipartisan proposal, but has been embraced by some of the president’s fiercest critics — including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N,Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent who introduced an amendment to include the checks with Trump ally Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.Sanders said the unprecedented moment facing the nation with the pandemic and its economic fallout requires Congress to “take unprecedented action.”Trump’s top negotiator on COVID-19 financial aid, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin reported headway Thursday, before the package from the bipartisan senators’ group fell apart.“I think we’re making a lot of progress,” Mnuchin said.A one-week stop-gap measure to prevent a federal shutdown appears to have sapped some urgency from the talks. The short-term government-wide funding bill, approved by the House on Wednesday, needs to clear the Senate before Friday at midnight to avert a partial closure.The next deadline would be Dec. 18, but both House and Senate leaders say they won’t adjourn without passing an aid measure.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Congress would keep working up to or even after Christmas to get an agreement. The new Congress is being sworn in on Jan. 3.“Now if we need more time then we take more time, but we have to have a bill and we cannot go home without it,” Pelosi said. She also gave an upbeat assessment on the talks.The bipartisan lawmakers held another virtual “dinner group” meeting late Thursday to try to prop up the deal. They have been working furiously to try to bridge the stalemate over COVID aid.The $900 billion-plus proposal provides sweeping new funds for vaccines, small businesses, health care providers, schools and families suffering from the virus crisis and the economic shutdowns.A key hold up has been the standoff over more money for the states, that Democrats - and some Republicans - want and the liability shield that is McConnell’s top GOP priority but that most Democrats oppose.The partisan group tried to marry those two provisions as a compromise.McConnell had initially proposed a five-year liability shield from virus lawsuits, retroactive to December 2019, but the bipartisan group was eyeing a scaled-back shield of six months to a year. Labor and civil rights groups oppose any shield, which they say strips essential workers of potential legal recourse as they take risks during the pandemic.Democratic leaders had wanted far more in state and local aid, but were accepting of the lower $160 billion.But many Republicans have long viewed the state and local aid as a bailout they would have trouble supporting, despite the pleas for funds coming from governors and mayors nationwide.Late Thursday, Sen. Dick Durbin and other Democrats pitched another liability proposal to the bipartisan group, but it was rejected by Republicans, according to a Senate aide granted anonymity to discuss the private session.The Trump administration is back in the middle of the negotiations with a $916 billion plan. It would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans but eliminate a $300-per-week employment benefit favored by the bipartisan group of Senate negotiators.The White House offer has the endorsement of the top House Republican and apparent backing from McConnell, who had previously favored a $519 billion GOP plan that has already failed twice. But Democrats immediately blasted the plan over the administration’s refusal to back the partial restoration, to $300 per week, of bonus pandemic jobless benefits that lapsed in August.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">President-elect Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;is pressing for as much pandemic relief as possible, though he’s not directly involved in the talks. McConnell, like Pelosi, says Congress will not adjourn without providing the long-overdue COVID-19 relief.Republicans say the right people to handle final negotiations are the four leaders of Congress and the Trump administration, with the focus on the streamlined proposal from McConnell, R-Ky.The bipartisan negotiating group — led by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, among others — was seeking to rally lawmakers behind the $908 billion framework that includes the $300-per-week pandemic jobless benefit and $160 billion for states and local governments.It also includes a four-month extension of jobless benefits set to expire at the end of the month, $300 billion for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b0d2a36521f39010273317fa3562c2e4">“paycheck protection” subsidies</a>&nbsp;for struggling businesses, funding for vaccines and testing, and a host of smaller items such as aid to transit systems, the U.S. Postal Service and health care providers.

Congress stuck over state, local aid in virus relief bill

By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/12/10/moran-praises-covid-19-vaccines-offers-public-injection-to-boost-confidence/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — U.S. Sen. Jerry 
Moran on Thursday pledged his support for COVID-19 vaccines in response 
to polling that suggests half the country refuses or is reluctant to 
accept an injection.

Kansas
 leaders expect to receive 23,750 doses of the Pfizer vaccine within the
 next week, following Food and Drug Administration approval on Thursday. 

An additional batch of doses is expected once 
the FDA approves the vaccine made by another biotechnology firm, 
Moderna, with around 150,000 total expected from both companies in 
December.

While
 that news may signal a more positive outlook moving forward, initial 
polling data from Pfizer indicates 20% of the American public is not 
keen on COVID-19 immunization, and 35% are still on the fence.

Moran
 said during a news briefing with the University of Kansas Health System
 that he would do whatever it takes to increase public confidence in the
 shot, including receiving it in public and on camera.

“I
 don’t think it’s my job to force people to be vaccinated. In fact, I am
 quite sure it’s not, but I would say that I would take the vaccine when
 it’s my time, when my prioritization comes up,” Moran said. “I’m happy 
to do it publicly and to encourage people to follow suit.”

With
 the fallout from Thanksgiving right around the corner, health experts 
are touting the vaccination as necessary to keeping children in school 
and businesses open. An optimistic outlook suggests vaccines could be 
available to a wider portion of the population by May.

Moran again promoted the idea of&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/24/moran-personal-responsibility-contract-staffing-among-solutions-to-covid-19-strain-on-hospitals/">personal responsibility.</a> Just like wearing a mask or social distancing, he said, vaccination is key to returning to some sense of normalcy.

“We
 have our first grandchildren in our lives. We want to share 
Thanksgiving and Christmas with them,” Moran said. “There is so much 
that can be gained by personal responsibility in the vaccination that 
helps get us back to things that we would call normal.”

Steven
 Stites, the chief medical officer for the KU Health System, joined 
Moran in praising the remarkable speed in which the vaccines were 
developed.

“Operation
 Warp Speed,” the government-initiated effort to produce a vaccine, has 
been ongoing for more than six months, far less than the four years it 
required to produce the SARS-CoV-1 vaccine, Stites said.

“When
 I saw the FDA’s preliminary review of the Pfizer data saying they met 
their clinical endpoints successfully, I started to cry,” Stites said. 
“I can’t tell you how meaningful that is and what a difference it is 
because it’s the beginning of a new beginning. And without it, we’re 
going to be stuck with COVID for a very long time.”

Where
 the initial supply of the vaccine goes is up to each state. In Kansas, 
officials are abiding by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
recommendations in reserving the first round for frontline health care 
workers directly dealing with the virus.

Next in line is long-term care facility residents and workers.

Dana
 Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control for KU 
Health System, said he has been in close contact with Lee Norman, 
secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, about the 
supply chain and making sure the vaccine is properly distributed. 
Vaccines will be held in undisclosed distribution centers around the 
state.

“We
 want to just make sure that, No. 1, all those distribution places can 
get the supply of vaccine that they’re supposed to get, and once it gets
 in that it is safe,” Hawkinson said. “So I think there is a high level 
of not secrecy but just making sure that we can, once we get the 
vaccine, be able to distribute it as we need to.”

Moran
 said he expects additional help to arrive in the form of another 
pandemic relief bill. He expects the legislation to provide another 
round of the Paycheck Protection Program but said direct payments to 
individuals are less certain.

“There
 is slowly becoming what we would call here legislative text, so 
actually words on paper instead of just broad categories,” Moran said. 
“We do not want the business to go out of business and lose their 
employees. If we lose a business, certainly if we lose a hospital to 
COVID-19, those businesses often do not come back, so we need to do more
 in regard to keeping people employed and businesses open.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607625000373.png" alt="Sen. Jerry Moran appears by video link Thursday at a news briefing from the University of Kansas Health System. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Sen. Jerry Moran appears by video link Thursday at a news briefing from the University of Kansas Health System. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/12/10/moran-praises-covid-19-vaccines-offers-public-injection-to-boost-confidence/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — U.S. Sen. Jerry 
Moran on Thursday pledged his support for COVID-19 vaccines in response 
to polling that suggests half the country refuses or is reluctant to 
accept an injection.Kansas
 leaders expect to receive 23,750 doses of the Pfizer vaccine within the
 next week, following Food and Drug Administration approval on Thursday. An additional batch of doses is expected once 
the FDA approves the vaccine made by another biotechnology firm, 
Moderna, with around 150,000 total expected from both companies in 
December.While
 that news may signal a more positive outlook moving forward, initial 
polling data from Pfizer indicates 20% of the American public is not 
keen on COVID-19 immunization, and 35% are still on the fence.Moran
 said during a news briefing with the University of Kansas Health System
 that he would do whatever it takes to increase public confidence in the
 shot, including receiving it in public and on camera.“I
 don’t think it’s my job to force people to be vaccinated. In fact, I am
 quite sure it’s not, but I would say that I would take the vaccine when
 it’s my time, when my prioritization comes up,” Moran said. “I’m happy 
to do it publicly and to encourage people to follow suit.”With
 the fallout from Thanksgiving right around the corner, health experts 
are touting the vaccination as necessary to keeping children in school 
and businesses open. An optimistic outlook suggests vaccines could be 
available to a wider portion of the population by May.Moran again promoted the idea of&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/24/moran-personal-responsibility-contract-staffing-among-solutions-to-covid-19-strain-on-hospitals/">personal responsibility.</a> Just like wearing a mask or social distancing, he said, vaccination is key to returning to some sense of normalcy.“We
 have our first grandchildren in our lives. We want to share 
Thanksgiving and Christmas with them,” Moran said. “There is so much 
that can be gained by personal responsibility in the vaccination that 
helps get us back to things that we would call normal.”Steven
 Stites, the chief medical officer for the KU Health System, joined 
Moran in praising the remarkable speed in which the vaccines were 
developed.“Operation
 Warp Speed,” the government-initiated effort to produce a vaccine, has 
been ongoing for more than six months, far less than the four years it 
required to produce the SARS-CoV-1 vaccine, Stites said.“When
 I saw the FDA’s preliminary review of the Pfizer data saying they met 
their clinical endpoints successfully, I started to cry,” Stites said. 
“I can’t tell you how meaningful that is and what a difference it is 
because it’s the beginning of a new beginning. And without it, we’re 
going to be stuck with COVID for a very long time.”Where
 the initial supply of the vaccine goes is up to each state. In Kansas, 
officials are abiding by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
recommendations in reserving the first round for frontline health care 
workers directly dealing with the virus.Next in line is long-term care facility residents and workers.Dana
 Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control for KU 
Health System, said he has been in close contact with Lee Norman, 
secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, about the 
supply chain and making sure the vaccine is properly distributed. 
Vaccines will be held in undisclosed distribution centers around the 
state.“We
 want to just make sure that, No. 1, all those distribution places can 
get the supply of vaccine that they’re supposed to get, and once it gets
 in that it is safe,” Hawkinson said. “So I think there is a high level 
of not secrecy but just making sure that we can, once we get the 
vaccine, be able to distribute it as we need to.”Moran
 said he expects additional help to arrive in the form of another 
pandemic relief bill. He expects the legislation to provide another 
round of the Paycheck Protection Program but said direct payments to 
individuals are less certain.“There
 is slowly becoming what we would call here legislative text, so 
actually words on paper instead of just broad categories,” Moran said. 
“We do not want the business to go out of business and lose their 
employees. If we lose a business, certainly if we lose a hospital to 
COVID-19, those businesses often do not come back, so we need to do more
 in regard to keeping people employed and businesses open.”

Moran praises COVID vaccines, offers public injection to boost confidence

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansans who have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic say they are going weeks or months without unemployment benefits they are due, and some lawmakers say they can’t get answers from the state Department of Labor about its problems with aging technology.

Problems persist nearly six months after the department’s former leader resigned amid unemployment missteps. Unemployed Kansans have taken to social media, saying they have gone weeks without receiving benefits they’re due. Some of them say the department has told them a technology “glitch” is to blame.

The Labor Department is scheduled to make its last extended benefits payments this week, while federally funded enhanced pandemic-related benefits programs are set to expire on Dec. 26

Republican legislators on a committee overseeing the state’s pandemic recovery suggested this week that the department is being evasive about what’s going on, describing it as “a nightmare” or “a debacle.” The agency and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly have for months blamed the agency’s 40-year-old computer system that is used to administer programs approved by Congress this year to deal with the economic fallout of the pandemic.

“All too often, their answers are half-answers or no answers at all,” said Rep. Sean Tarwater, of Stilwell, the top House Republican on the oversight panel.

Ryan Wright, the department’s acting secretary since June, declined an interview request from The Associated Press, but agency spokesman Gerald Grasso responded to emailed questions. He said the department will outline the cost of replacing its old computers for the Legislature after it reconvenes in January.

Grasso didn’t say what specific “glitch” is causing Kansans to receive benefits late but said the computer system is “antiquated.”

Jon Olmstead, 40, a Wichita parent of three children, runs a business with his wife cleaning offices, but they lost work when clients closed workplaces. In August, the Labor Department approved $239 a week in enhanced benefits for him, but he hasn’t received his first payment.

Olmstead’s family is paying rent with help from the state Eviction Prevention Program, but that runs out next month.

“I haven’t even opened my gas bill because I’m afraid to look at it,” Olmstead said.

House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat and Kelly ally, said Tuesday that the problems probably won’t disappear until legislators pay for a new computer system.

As for the department, Sawyer said, “They are over-worked and frustrated themselves.”

Lawmakers said constituents report multiple problems. Some still wait weeks to get benefits, applicants have trouble reaching the department by phone, and a program providing extra benefits and benefits for self-employed workers faces so many fraudulent claims that people entitled to benefits can’t get them.

Grasso said the department has stopped more than 157,000 fraudulent claims, mostly for expanded benefits.

“Depending on what day it is and who you talk to, there’s all kinds of reasons that they give you,” said Sen. Richard Hilderbrand, a Galena Republican.

Grasso said the department is facing a backlog of 5,500 unemployment claims but hopes to have it eliminated by the end of the year. The agency also has a backlog of 25,000 enhanced benefits claims, though Grasso said applicants are now able to log on and download documents to back up their claims.

“We believe we will be able to bring down this backlog quickly,” he said.

Grasso said any outstanding benefit payment approved by the department will be paid “even if the federal program has ended.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansans who have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic say they are going weeks or months without unemployment benefits they are due, and some lawmakers say they can’t get answers from the state Department of Labor about its problems with aging technology.Problems persist nearly six months after the department’s former leader resigned amid unemployment missteps. Unemployed Kansans have taken to social media, saying they have gone weeks without receiving benefits they’re due. Some of them say the department has told them a technology “glitch” is to blame.The Labor Department is scheduled to make its last extended benefits payments this week, while federally funded enhanced pandemic-related benefits programs are set to expire on Dec. 26Republican legislators on a committee overseeing the state’s pandemic recovery suggested this week that the department is being evasive about what’s going on, describing it as “a nightmare” or “a debacle.” The agency and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly have for months blamed the agency’s 40-year-old computer system that is used to administer programs approved by Congress this year to deal with the economic fallout of the pandemic.“All too often, their answers are half-answers or no answers at all,” said Rep. Sean Tarwater, of Stilwell, the top House Republican on the oversight panel.Ryan Wright, the department’s acting secretary since June, declined an interview request from The Associated Press, but agency spokesman Gerald Grasso responded to emailed questions. He said the department will outline the cost of replacing its old computers for the Legislature after it reconvenes in January.Grasso didn’t say what specific “glitch” is causing Kansans to receive benefits late but said the computer system is “antiquated.”Jon Olmstead, 40, a Wichita parent of three children, runs a business with his wife cleaning offices, but they lost work when clients closed workplaces. In August, the Labor Department approved $239 a week in enhanced benefits for him, but he hasn’t received his first payment.Olmstead’s family is paying rent with help from the state Eviction Prevention Program, but that runs out next month.“I haven’t even opened my gas bill because I’m afraid to look at it,” Olmstead said.House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat and Kelly ally, said Tuesday that the problems probably won’t disappear until legislators pay for a new computer system.As for the department, Sawyer said, “They are over-worked and frustrated themselves.”Lawmakers said constituents report multiple problems. Some still wait weeks to get benefits, applicants have trouble reaching the department by phone, and a program providing extra benefits and benefits for self-employed workers faces so many fraudulent claims that people entitled to benefits can’t get them.Grasso said the department has stopped more than 157,000 fraudulent claims, mostly for expanded benefits.“Depending on what day it is and who you talk to, there’s all kinds of reasons that they give you,” said Sen. Richard Hilderbrand, a Galena Republican.Grasso said the department is facing a backlog of 5,500 unemployment claims but hopes to have it eliminated by the end of the year. The agency also has a backlog of 25,000 enhanced benefits claims, though Grasso said applicants are now able to log on and download documents to back up their claims.“We believe we will be able to bring down this backlog quickly,” he said.Grasso said any outstanding benefit payment approved by the department will be paid “even if the federal program has ended.”___

Kan. Labor Dept. to make final extended benefits payments 

RENO COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on child sex charges after conducting an undercover operation into the solicitation of a child for sex.

Just after 3 p.m. Thursday, members of the Hutchinson Police Department Special Operations and Investigations Bureau completed an investigation into a Juvenile Sex Offense, according to a media release from Hutchinson Police.

The suspect Randy J. Wheeler, 33, Hutchinson, believed he was going to meet a minor for a sexual encounter, but instead met Hutchinson police officers.

They arrested Wheeler on requested charges of Indecent Solicitation of a child, Sexual Exploitation of a child, Electronic Solicitation, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and  Felony Interference with Law Enforcement.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607648787076.jpeg" alt="Wheeler has previous convictions for fleeing or attempting to elude a&nbsp; law enforcement officer -photo Reno County" />
 <figcaption>Wheeler has previous convictions for fleeing or attempting to elude a&nbsp; law enforcement officer -photo Reno County</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on child sex charges after conducting an undercover operation into the solicitation of a child for sex.Just after 3 p.m. Thursday, members of the Hutchinson Police Department Special Operations and Investigations Bureau completed an investigation into a Juvenile Sex Offense, according to a media release from Hutchinson Police.The suspect Randy J. Wheeler, 33, Hutchinson, believed he was going to meet a minor for a sexual encounter, but instead met Hutchinson police officers.They arrested Wheeler on requested charges of Indecent Solicitation of a child, Sexual Exploitation of a child, Electronic Solicitation, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Felony Interference with Law Enforcement.

Police: Kan. man thought he was going to meet a minor for sex

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. government advisory panel endorsed widespread use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine Thursday, putting the country just one step away from launching an epic vaccination campaign against the outbreak that has killed close to 300,000 Americans.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?507053-2/fda-advisory-committee-votes-recommend-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine">CLICK here t</a>o watch Thursday's discussion on the vaccine.

Shots could begin within days, depending on how quickly the Food and Drug Administration signs off, as expected, on the expert committee’s recommendation.

In a 17-4 vote with one abstention, the government advisers concluded that the vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech appears safe and effective for emergency use in adults and teenagers 16 and older.

That endorsement came despite questions about allergic reactions in two people who received the vaccine earlier this week when Britain became the first country to begin dispensing the Pfizer-BioNTech shot.

Despite all the remaining unknowns, in an emergency, “the question is whether you know enough,” said panel member Dr. Paul Offit of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who concluded that the shot’s potential potential benefits outweigh its risks.

The independent review by non-government experts in vaccine development, infectious diseases and medical statistics was considered critical to boosting Americans’ confidence in the safety of the shot, which was developed at breakneck speed less than a year after the virus was identified.

The decision came as COVID-19 cases surge to ever-higher levels across the U.S., with deaths hitting an all-time, one-day high of more than 3,100 on Wednesday.

Pfizer has said it will have about 25 million doses of the two-shot vaccine for the U.S. by the end of December. But initial supplies will be limited and reserved primarily for health care workers and nursing home residents, with other vulnerable groups next in line until the shots become widely available on demand, something that will probably not happen until the spring.

Experts estimate at least 70% of the U.S. population will have to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, the point at which the virus can be held in check. That means it could be several months before things start get back to normal and Americans can put away their masks.

The FDA next week will review a second vaccine, from Moderna and the National Institutes of Health, that appears about as protective as Pfizer-BioNTech’s shot. A third candidate, from Johnson &amp; Johnson, which would require just one dose, is working its way through the pipeline. Behind that is a candidate from AstraZeneca and Oxford University

All eyes now turn to the FDA staff scientists who will make the final decision on whether to greenlight use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Regulators not only in Britain but in Canada have already approved it for use in their countries, and President Donald Trump and White House officials have complained for weeks about the pace of FDA’s careful review.

FDA’s vaccine director Dr. Peter Marks said ahead of the expert meeting that a decision would come within “days to a week.”

“Americans want us to do a scientific review, but I think they also want us to make sure we’re not wasting time on paperwork as opposed to going forward with the decision,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said before the meeting.

A positive vote for the vaccine was virtually assured after FDA scientists issued a glowing review of the vaccine earlier in the week. Agency staffers said data from Pfizer’s ongoing study of 44,000 people showed strong protection across different age groups, races and health conditions with no major, unexpected safety problems.

The Pfizer-BioNTech shot remains experimental because that final-stage study isn’t complete. As a result, the expert panel wrestled with a list of questions that have yet to be answered.

For example, while the vaccine is more than 90% effective in blocking the symptoms of COVID-19, the FDA’s advisers stressed it is not yet clear if it can stop the silent, symptomless spread that accounts for up to half of cases.

“Even though the individual efficacy of this vaccine is very, very, very high, you really as of right now do not have any evidence” that it will lower transmission, said Dr. Patrick Moore of the University of Pittsburgh. He urged Pfizer to take additional steps to answer that question.

And the advisers are worried that Pfizer will lose its opportunity to answer critical questions as it begins offering the real vaccine to study participants who had been getting dummy shots.

The company proposed gradually moving those patients to the vaccine group, with priority based on age, health conditions and other factors. Under that plan, 70-year-old participants would cross over before healthy 30-year-olds.

Pfizer must still show whether the vaccine works in children younger than 16 and in pregnant women.

On the safety front, as widespread vaccinations begin, the first recipients will be closely tracked by government health authorities since studies in tens of thousands of people can’t detect rare risks that strike 1 in a million. Hanging over the meeting were the British allergic reactions and a warning from authorities there that people with a history of serious reactions shouldn’t get the vaccine for now.

Pfizer representatives said they have seen no signs of allergic reactions in their trial. But some of the FDA advisers fear the British warning will deter millions of Americans with allergies who might benefit from the COVID-19 vaccine from giving it a try, and urged additional studies to try to settle the issue.

“This issue is not going to die until we have better data,” Offit said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607640634805.png" alt="Virtual FDA panel discussion Thursday image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Virtual FDA panel discussion Thursday image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. government advisory panel endorsed widespread use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine Thursday, putting the country just one step away from launching an epic vaccination campaign against the outbreak that has killed close to 300,000 Americans.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?507053-2/fda-advisory-committee-votes-recommend-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine">CLICK here t</a>o watch Thursday's discussion on the vaccine.Shots could begin within days, depending on how quickly the Food and Drug Administration signs off, as expected, on the expert committee’s recommendation.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607648760719.png" alt="Zoom vote Thursday afternoon on the vaccine" />
 <figcaption>Zoom vote Thursday afternoon on the vaccine</figcaption>
 </figure>In a 17-4 vote with one abstention, the government advisers concluded that the vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech appears safe and effective for emergency use in adults and teenagers 16 and older.That endorsement came despite questions about allergic reactions in two people who received the vaccine earlier this week when Britain became the first country to begin dispensing the Pfizer-BioNTech shot.Despite all the remaining unknowns, in an emergency, “the question is whether you know enough,” said panel member Dr. Paul Offit of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who concluded that the shot’s potential potential benefits outweigh its risks.The independent review by non-government experts in vaccine development, infectious diseases and medical statistics was considered critical to boosting Americans’ confidence in the safety of the shot, which was developed at breakneck speed less than a year after the virus was identified.The decision came as COVID-19 cases surge to ever-higher levels across the U.S., with deaths hitting an all-time, one-day high of more than 3,100 on Wednesday.Pfizer has said it will have about 25 million doses of the two-shot vaccine for the U.S. by the end of December. But initial supplies will be limited and reserved primarily for health care workers and nursing home residents, with other vulnerable groups next in line until the shots become widely available on demand, something that will probably not happen until the spring.Experts estimate at least 70% of the U.S. population will have to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, the point at which the virus can be held in check. That means it could be several months before things start get back to normal and Americans can put away their masks.The FDA next week will review a second vaccine, from Moderna and the National Institutes of Health, that appears about as protective as Pfizer-BioNTech’s shot. A third candidate, from Johnson &amp; Johnson, which would require just one dose, is working its way through the pipeline. Behind that is a candidate from AstraZeneca and Oxford UniversityAll eyes now turn to the FDA staff scientists who will make the final decision on whether to greenlight use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Regulators not only in Britain but in Canada have already approved it for use in their countries, and President Donald Trump and White House officials have complained for weeks about the pace of FDA’s careful review.FDA’s vaccine director Dr. Peter Marks said ahead of the expert meeting that a decision would come within “days to a week.”“Americans want us to do a scientific review, but I think they also want us to make sure we’re not wasting time on paperwork as opposed to going forward with the decision,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said before the meeting.A positive vote for the vaccine was virtually assured after FDA scientists issued a glowing review of the vaccine earlier in the week. Agency staffers said data from Pfizer’s ongoing study of 44,000 people showed strong protection across different age groups, races and health conditions with no major, unexpected safety problems.The Pfizer-BioNTech shot remains experimental because that final-stage study isn’t complete. As a result, the expert panel wrestled with a list of questions that have yet to be answered.For example, while the vaccine is more than 90% effective in blocking the symptoms of COVID-19, the FDA’s advisers stressed it is not yet clear if it can stop the silent, symptomless spread that accounts for up to half of cases.“Even though the individual efficacy of this vaccine is very, very, very high, you really as of right now do not have any evidence” that it will lower transmission, said Dr. Patrick Moore of the University of Pittsburgh. He urged Pfizer to take additional steps to answer that question.And the advisers are worried that Pfizer will lose its opportunity to answer critical questions as it begins offering the real vaccine to study participants who had been getting dummy shots.The company proposed gradually moving those patients to the vaccine group, with priority based on age, health conditions and other factors. Under that plan, 70-year-old participants would cross over before healthy 30-year-olds.Pfizer must still show whether the vaccine works in children younger than 16 and in pregnant women.On the safety front, as widespread vaccinations begin, the first recipients will be closely tracked by government health authorities since studies in tens of thousands of people can’t detect rare risks that strike 1 in a million. Hanging over the meeting were the British allergic reactions and a warning from authorities there that people with a history of serious reactions shouldn’t get the vaccine for now.Pfizer representatives said they have seen no signs of allergic reactions in their trial. But some of the FDA advisers fear the British warning will deter millions of Americans with allergies who might benefit from the COVID-19 vaccine from giving it a try, and urged additional studies to try to settle the issue.“This issue is not going to die until we have better data,” Offit said.

FDA panel votes to approve Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused in a fatal stabbing death made his first court appearance Wednesday.&nbsp;

Marco Carrillo Fuentes, 31, Wichita, was charged with second-degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.

On November 30, police responded to a stabbing at a residence in the 1000 block of South Richmond in Wichita, according to officer Paul Cruz. 

Upon arrival, officers located 32-year-old Rickey Mason, who had been stabbed in the chest and later died of his injuries.

The investigation revealed a disturbance occurred between Mason and a Carrillo Fuentes over property. During the disturbance the Carrillo-Fuentes produced a knife and stabbed Mason.

On Tuesday police arrested him after an 8 day search. He is being held on a $500,000 bond in the Sedgwick County Jail. He is scheduled to return to court December 17, according to the district attorney's office.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal stabbing and asking for help to locate a suspect.

Just before 4:00 p.m., Sunday, police responded to a stabbing at a residence in the 1000 block of South Richmond in Wichita, according to officer Paul Cruz. 

The investigation revealed a disturbance occurred between Mason and a suspect identified as Marco Carrillo Fuentes, 31, Wichita over property. During the disturbance the Carrillo-Fuentes produced a knife and stabbed Mason.

The Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office has charged Carrillo-Fuentes with 2nd Degree murder in the stabbing death.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Carrillo-Fuentes is asked to call 911.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607541787488.png" alt="Carrillo-Fuentes&nbsp;has previous convictions for burglary and criminal damage to property, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections." />
 <figcaption>Carrillo-Fuentes&nbsp;has previous convictions for burglary and criminal damage to property, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused in a fatal stabbing death made his first court appearance Wednesday.&nbsp;Marco Carrillo Fuentes, 31, Wichita, was charged with second-degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.On November 30, police responded to a stabbing at a residence in the 1000 block of South Richmond in Wichita, according to officer Paul Cruz. Upon arrival, officers located 32-year-old Rickey Mason, who had been stabbed in the chest and later died of his injuries.The investigation revealed a disturbance occurred between Mason and a Carrillo Fuentes over property. During the disturbance the Carrillo-Fuentes produced a knife and stabbed Mason.On Tuesday police arrested him after an 8 day search. He is being held on a $500,000 bond in the Sedgwick County Jail. He is scheduled to return to court December 17, according to the district attorney's office.----------SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal stabbing and asking for help to locate a suspect.Just before 4:00 p.m., Sunday, police responded to a stabbing at a residence in the 1000 block of South Richmond in Wichita, according to officer Paul Cruz. Upon arrival, officers located 32-year-old Rickey Mason, who had been stabbed in the chest and later died of his injuries.The investigation revealed a disturbance occurred between Mason and a suspect identified as Marco Carrillo Fuentes, 31, Wichita over property. During the disturbance the Carrillo-Fuentes produced a knife and stabbed Mason.The Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office has charged Carrillo-Fuentes with 2nd Degree murder in the stabbing death.Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Carrillo-Fuentes is asked to call 911.&nbsp;

Kansas felon arrested for stabbing, charged with murder 

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A Johnson County judge has dismissed a misdemeanor domestic battery charge against an Overland Park city councilman but said prosecutors could refile the case later. 

Councilman Scott Hamblin was charged after police were called to his home on July 21. No injuries were reported. Johnson County Judge James Phelan dismissed the case Thursday after denying the prosecutor's request for a continuance. 

Prosecutors said a police officer who was an essential witness couldn't testify because he is quarantined after exposure to COVID-19. They also said police had not been able to serve the victim a subpoena to testify.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595518705251.png" alt="Hamblin photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Hamblin photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A Johnson County judge has dismissed a misdemeanor domestic battery charge against an Overland Park city councilman but said prosecutors could refile the case later. Councilman Scott Hamblin was charged after police were called to his home on July 21. No injuries were reported. Johnson County Judge James Phelan dismissed the case Thursday after denying the prosecutor's request for a continuance. Prosecutors said a police officer who was an essential witness couldn't testify because he is quarantined after exposure to COVID-19. They also said police had not been able to serve the victim a subpoena to testify.

Domestic battery charge against city councilman dismissed

SEWARD COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a sexual assault and have made an arrest.

On Wednesday, police responded to a residence in Liberal after a report involving the sexual assault of a 7-year-old girl while at her baby sitter's home, according to a media release.

Police arrested a 51-year-old man in the 200 Block of West Spruce. He is being held in the Seward County Jail on requested charges of rape of a child under the age of 14.

Authorities released no additional details.

SEWARD COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a sexual assault and have made an arrest.On Wednesday, police responded to a residence in Liberal after a report involving the sexual assault of a 7-year-old girl while at her baby sitter's home, according to a media release.Police arrested a 51-year-old man in the 200 Block of West Spruce. He is being held in the Seward County Jail on requested charges of rape of a child under the age of 14.Authorities released no additional details.

Police: Child sex assault at baby sitter's SW Kan. home

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Just when the U.S. appears on the verge of rolling out a COVID-19 vaccine, the numbers have become gloomier than ever: Over 3,000 American deaths in a single day, more than on D-Day or 9/11. One million new cases in the span of five days. More than 106,000 people in the hospital.

The crisis across the country is pushing medical centers to the breaking point and leaving staff members and public health officials burned out and plagued by tears and nightmares.

All told, the crisis has left more than 290,000 people dead in the U.S, with more than 15 million confirmed infections.

The U.S. recorded 3,124 deaths Wednesday, the highest one-day total yet, according to Johns Hopkins University. Up until last week, the peak was 2,603 deaths on April 15, when New York City was the epicenter of the nation’s outbreak.

Wednesday's toll eclipsed American deaths on the opening day of the Normandy invasion during World War II: 2,500, out of some 4,400 allied deaths. And it topped the toll on Sept. 11, 2001, as well: 2,977.

New cases per day are running at all-time highs of over 209,000, by Johns Hopkins’ count. And the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 is setting records nearly every day.

A U.S. government advisory panel convened on Thursday to decide whether to endorse mass use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to help conquer the outbreak that has killed close to 300,000 Americans. The meeting of outside advisers to the Food and Drug Administration was the next-to-last hurdle before the expected start of the biggest vaccination campaign in U.S. history.

Depending on how fast the FDA signs off on the panel’s recommendation, shots could begin within days.

In St. Louis, respiratory therapist Joe Kowalczyk said he has seen entire floors of his hospital fill up with COVID-19 patients, some of them two to a room. He said the supply of ventilators is dwindling, and the inventory is so thin that colleagues on one shift had to ventilate one patient by using a BiPAP machine, similar to the devices used to treat sleep apnea.

Twice during each of his graveyard shifts he checks all the supply closets to make sure he knows how many ventilators are available. When he goes home to sleep during the day at the end of his grueling shifts, he sometimes has nightmares.

“I would be sleeping and I would be working in a unit and things would go completely wrong and I would shock myself awake. They would be very visceral and very vivid," he said. "It would just really spook me."

The grim figures from Wednesday led the usually stoic health director of the nation’s most populated county to become emotional. Barbara Ferrer described “a devastating increase in deaths” in Los Angeles County, with the total hitting 8,075 on Wednesday.

“Over 8,000 people who were beloved members of their families are not coming back,” Ferrer said, fighting back tears.

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Just when the U.S. appears on the verge of rolling out a COVID-19 vaccine, the numbers have become gloomier than ever: Over 3,000 American deaths in a single day, more than on D-Day or 9/11. One million new cases in the span of five days. More than 106,000 people in the hospital.The crisis across the country is pushing medical centers to the breaking point and leaving staff members and public health officials burned out and plagued by tears and nightmares.All told, the crisis has left more than 290,000 people dead in the U.S, with more than 15 million confirmed infections.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607537575086.png" alt="Wednesday Dec. 9, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday Dec. 9, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>The U.S. recorded 3,124 deaths Wednesday, the highest one-day total yet, according to Johns Hopkins University. Up until last week, the peak was 2,603 deaths on April 15, when New York City was the epicenter of the nation’s outbreak.Wednesday's toll eclipsed American deaths on the opening day of the Normandy invasion during World War II: 2,500, out of some 4,400 allied deaths. And it topped the toll on Sept. 11, 2001, as well: 2,977.New cases per day are running at all-time highs of over 209,000, by Johns Hopkins’ count. And the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 is setting records nearly every day.A U.S. government advisory panel convened on Thursday to decide whether to endorse mass use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to help conquer the outbreak that has killed close to 300,000 Americans. The meeting of outside advisers to the Food and Drug Administration was the next-to-last hurdle before the expected start of the biggest vaccination campaign in U.S. history.Depending on how fast the FDA signs off on the panel’s recommendation, shots could begin within days.In St. Louis, respiratory therapist Joe Kowalczyk said he has seen entire floors of his hospital fill up with COVID-19 patients, some of them two to a room. He said the supply of ventilators is dwindling, and the inventory is so thin that colleagues on one shift had to ventilate one patient by using a BiPAP machine, similar to the devices used to treat sleep apnea.Twice during each of his graveyard shifts he checks all the supply closets to make sure he knows how many ventilators are available. When he goes home to sleep during the day at the end of his grueling shifts, he sometimes has nightmares.“I would be sleeping and I would be working in a unit and things would go completely wrong and I would shock myself awake. They would be very visceral and very vivid," he said. "It would just really spook me."The grim figures from Wednesday led the usually stoic health director of the nation’s most populated county to become emotional. Barbara Ferrer described “a devastating increase in deaths” in Los Angeles County, with the total hitting 8,075 on Wednesday.“Over 8,000 people who were beloved members of their families are not coming back,” Ferrer said, fighting back tears.___

One-day US virus deaths top 3,000, more than D-Day or 9/11

WASHINGTON—After 40 years of public service, U.S. Senator Pat Roberts delivered his final speech on the Senate floor on Thursday.&nbsp;

<a href="https://senatorroberts.app.box.com/s/42cd9532ysvqhzqty1zhh9u3qtvdp2zd">Click here to watch&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;a replay of the speech and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBLYTtGXBTU&amp;feature=youtu.be">click here to </a>watch Senator Moran's tribute to Senator Roberts.

Senator Roberts is Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. He becomes the first member of Congress in history to have chaired both the House Agriculture Committee and the Senate committee. He has also served as the ranking member of each committee.

For 16 years, Roberts represented the Big First District of Kansas, including his home of Dodge City, in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1996, he was elected to the U.S. Senate. He is finishing his fourth term.

Below are Senator Roberts’ remarks as prepared for delivery.

Mr. President, my colleagues, I thank the leadership on both sides for this opportunity to give the “Pat Roberts Adios Amigos” speech.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The story of how I got into politics is a pretty straight family path. As a fourth generation Kansan, my great grandfathers, on both sides of the Roberts - Patrick family were pioneer newspaper editors who came to Kansas as crusading abolitionists.&nbsp;

To say I bleed fourth generation printers ink would be close to the truth.

However, the main influence that drew me to public service was my Dad, Wes Roberts, who was a newspaper man – and soon journalism led to politics. He served as chief of staff and an advisor for several Kansas governors, before becoming State Republican Chairman.

In 1952, my Dad was asked to head up the Citizens for Ike campaign team, which was a genuine army of volunteers, made up of legions of veterans, women’s groups and mostly Republicans who wanted a candidate who could win. Plus, they really liked Ike.

At 16, in my Dad’s tow, I was a sergeant of arms at the 1952 convention, back when conventions actually chose the nominee for president. I vividly remember two lasting experiences.

The renowned Senator from Illinois, Everett Dirksen, was a key leader in the Bob Taft campaign. &nbsp;Senator Dirksen, known for his long eloquent speeches, was in the midst of his convention remarks, when the entire New York delegation, led by former Governor and presidential candidate Tom Dewey, marched in and, with considerable noise, took their seats.

Dirksen paused and pointing directly at Dewey, and with his booming voice, said this:

“You, sir, have led this Republican Party down to defeat in 1944 and again in 1948. Don’t do it again!”

Whereupon, the entire New York delegation stood up and gave Dirksen the “raspberry”.

And, I thought, this is what adults do at a convention?

One morning I was in a meeting with my Dad and the top Ike campaign brass - Dewey, Lodge, Brownell, and other GOP movers and shakers. He told me to sit and be quiet.

He was in the midst of suggesting the “Fair Play” amendment given that the new Ike delegates from the “Solid South” had surprised the “old guard” and won delegate seats at the state conventions -- only to be replaced by the old guard at later surprise conventions. Unlike MacArthur, “old guards” never die or fade away.

My Dad said there was no downside if they lost and he believed they could win a majority of the delegates. The “Fair Play” amendment passed and Ike won on the first ballot.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

I thought to myself, “Wow! My Dad helped Ike win!” I met the General, shook his hand, then again at the 1953 Inaugural ceremonies when my Dad became Republican National Chairman.

It was these reflections, told to my great friend and Medal of Honor recipient, Senator Danny Inouye, that prompted him to say, “I fought for Ike, you met him, it’s up to you to get his memorial done.”

And, after a 21 year effort, we did just that with the help from Bob Dole, Jim Baker, Susan Eisenhower, the Eisenhower family and Senator Lisa Murkowski, who kept the Ike Commission going during the tough years. Finally, we now have an appropriate, if not stunning, memorial to the Kansan who saved Western Democracy in World War II and led America onto the world stage.

With the final dedication of the Dwight David Eisenhower Memorial at the end of my Senate career, it is a full circle family accomplishment. If my Dad helped elect Ike, then the least I could do was to lead the effort to make a memorial on the mall to a great general and president a reality.

In a homecoming address Eisenhower famously said, “The proudest thing I can claim is that I am from Abilene.” He was a small town Kansas boy who saved western democracy and led the nation for 8 years of peace and prosperity.