BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a>&nbsp;

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Thursday passed&nbsp;a measure to reverse an Education Department rule seeking to extend federal discrimination protections for LGBTQ students, though President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the legislation should it land on his desk.

House passage of the resolution on a party-line vote,&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024354?Page=2" target="_blank">210-205</a>, is part of a barrage of GOP pushback at the state and federal levels to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/house-speaker-johnson-betsy-devos-lead-attack-title-ix-rule-protects-lgbtq-kids" target="_blank">Biden administration’s final rule for Title IX</a>&nbsp;since its April release. For all schools that receive federal funding, the rule protects against discrimination for students based on “sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.”

Twenty-six states with GOP attorneys general have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/more-half-states-sue-block-biden-title-ix-rule-protecting-lgbtq-students" target="_blank">sued to block</a>&nbsp;the rule, and courts have temporarily blocked it from going into effect in 14 states on August 1.

The 14 states with temporary blocks are: Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Illinois GOP Rep. Mary Miller&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-title-ix-regulation-targeted-republicans-congress" target="_blank">introduced the legislation</a>&nbsp;in early June. A week later, the Republican-controlled House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved it. Miller’s resolution seeks to reverse the rule through the&nbsp;<a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10023" target="_blank">Congressional Review Act</a>, a procedural tool Congress can use to overturn certain actions from federal agencies.

In the Senate, Mississippi Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/96" target="_blank">also introduced legislation</a>&nbsp;in June to try to block the final rule under the same tool. The Senate version has gathered over 30 Republican cosponsors.

Rep. Virginia Foxx — chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and a fierce opponent of the administration’s final rule — said during the floor debate Wednesday that she wanted to preserve Title IX, which helped equalize funding for women’s sports and education programs beginning in 1972.

“Title IX ushered in a golden era for women’s competition and education,” the North Carolina Republican said. “There is sanctity in the community and tradition of these memories, these spaces and these opportunities for young girls.”

Regardless of whether the attempt to roll back the measure is successful in the Democratic-controlled Senate,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SAP-HJRes-165.pdf" target="_blank">Biden</a>’s veto threat leaves virtually no possibility it could be adopted this year.

Democrats, LGBTQ advocates in opposition&nbsp;

Democrats and LGBTQ advocates have described the effort to overturn the rule as motivated by misinformation and fear.

“Unfortunately, this resolution has been clouded by misinformation, unfounded fears and with some, just hatred of transgender individuals,” said Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat and ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, during the debate.

Oregon’s Rep. Suzanne Bonamici — ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education — said the resolution was “another attempt to undercut this administration’s efforts to empower survivors and protect all Americans from discrimination.”

“If Republicans truly cared about protecting women and children, they would stop this prejudiced rhetoric and take action on bills that would actually protect women from discrimination and harassment and defend women’s reproductive health care, make child care more affordable, preserve opportunities in workplaces for all parents, especially women,” Bonamici said.

Scott called on the House to “reject these narratives and focus on real issues of safety and equity.”

Meanwhile, challenges to the rule are playing out in a handful of federal courts.

Last week, Judge John Broomes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas temporarily blocked the measure from taking effect in the Sunflower State, along with Alaska, Utah and Wyoming.

Broomes also halted the rule from taking effect in “the schools attended by the members of Young America’s Foundation or Female Athletes United, as well as the schools attended by the children of the members of Moms for Liberty,” all groups that sued alongside the four states, per the&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561.53.0.pdf" target="_blank">order</a>.

Under Broomes’ order, the rule is also halted in an Oklahoma public school attended by a minor who is one of the plaintiffs.

In June, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of Louisiana&nbsp;<a href="https://lailluminator.com/2024/06/13/title-ix-transgender/" target="_blank">issued a temporary injunction</a>&nbsp;barring the final rule from taking effect there, along with Idaho, Mississippi and Montana.

In Kentucky federal court, Chief Judge Danny Reeves&nbsp;<a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2024/06/17/us-judge-in-kentucky-blocks-biden-title-ix-rules-says-sex-gender-identity-not-the-same-thing/" target="_blank">temporarily blocked the final rule</a>&nbsp;in the Bluegrass State, plus Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and Virginia. Reeves rejected the department’s request for a partial stay of the injunction while its appeal plays out, per a&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.kyed.104801/gov.uscourts.kyed.104801.117.0.pdf" target="_blank">Wednesday court filing</a>.

The Education Department has confirmed it is appealing the other two rulings but did not have an update Wednesday on whether it is filing a notice of appeal on the most recent ruling in the Kansas federal court.

The spokesperson reiterated earlier this week that the agency has “asked the trial courts to allow the bulk of the final rule to take effect in these states as scheduled, on August 1, while the appeals are pending.”

LGBTQ advocacy groups push back on GOP effort

Allen Morris, policy director for the advocacy group National LGBTQ Task Force, said the vote was part of a pattern of anti-LGBTQ policy measures.

“When you look at the rise in hatred and the rise in violence and the rise of young LGBTQ individuals not having the support that they need, where suicide rates are high, it is disappointing to see our opposition go against us with such a high level of intention,” he said.

Morris told States Newsroom that “a lot of what is happening with this extremism is not founded in truth.”

“It is founded in ways to spew hate and to spew fear. It is a lot of fear mongering, and it’s anything to make people feel like their backs are up against the wall, or as if they don’t have the power,” he said.

Echoing a previous statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Education said it “does not comment on pending legislation” and emphasized that all schools receiving federal funding are obligated to comply with the new regulations as a condition of receiving those funds.

The department has yet to finalize a separate rule establishing new criteria for transgender athletes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720781223271.png" alt=" The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)." />
 <figcaption> The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a>&nbsp;WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Thursday passed&nbsp;a measure to reverse an Education Department rule seeking to extend federal discrimination protections for LGBTQ students, though President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the legislation should it land on his desk.House passage of the resolution on a party-line vote,&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024354?Page=2" target="_blank">210-205</a>, is part of a barrage of GOP pushback at the state and federal levels to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/house-speaker-johnson-betsy-devos-lead-attack-title-ix-rule-protects-lgbtq-kids" target="_blank">Biden administration’s final rule for Title IX</a>&nbsp;since its April release. For all schools that receive federal funding, the rule protects against discrimination for students based on “sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.”Twenty-six states with GOP attorneys general have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/more-half-states-sue-block-biden-title-ix-rule-protecting-lgbtq-students" target="_blank">sued to block</a>&nbsp;the rule, and courts have temporarily blocked it from going into effect in 14 states on August 1.The 14 states with temporary blocks are: Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.Illinois GOP Rep. Mary Miller&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-title-ix-regulation-targeted-republicans-congress" target="_blank">introduced the legislation</a>&nbsp;in early June. A week later, the Republican-controlled House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved it. Miller’s resolution seeks to reverse the rule through the&nbsp;<a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10023" target="_blank">Congressional Review Act</a>, a procedural tool Congress can use to overturn certain actions from federal agencies.In the Senate, Mississippi Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/96" target="_blank">also introduced legislation</a>&nbsp;in June to try to block the final rule under the same tool. The Senate version has gathered over 30 Republican cosponsors.Rep. Virginia Foxx — chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and a fierce opponent of the administration’s final rule — said during the floor debate Wednesday that she wanted to preserve Title IX, which helped equalize funding for women’s sports and education programs beginning in 1972.“Title IX ushered in a golden era for women’s competition and education,” the North Carolina Republican said. “There is sanctity in the community and tradition of these memories, these spaces and these opportunities for young girls.”Regardless of whether the attempt to roll back the measure is successful in the Democratic-controlled Senate,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SAP-HJRes-165.pdf" target="_blank">Biden</a>’s veto threat leaves virtually no possibility it could be adopted this year.<h2>Democrats, LGBTQ advocates in opposition&nbsp;</h2>Democrats and LGBTQ advocates have described the effort to overturn the rule as motivated by misinformation and fear.“Unfortunately, this resolution has been clouded by misinformation, unfounded fears and with some, just hatred of transgender individuals,” said Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat and ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, during the debate.Oregon’s Rep. Suzanne Bonamici — ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education — said the resolution was “another attempt to undercut this administration’s efforts to empower survivors and protect all Americans from discrimination.”“If Republicans truly cared about protecting women and children, they would stop this prejudiced rhetoric and take action on bills that would actually protect women from discrimination and harassment and defend women’s reproductive health care, make child care more affordable, preserve opportunities in workplaces for all parents, especially women,” Bonamici said.Scott called on the House to “reject these narratives and focus on real issues of safety and equity.”<h2>Final rule blocked in more states&nbsp;</h2>Meanwhile, challenges to the rule are playing out in a handful of federal courts.Last week, Judge John Broomes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas temporarily blocked the measure from taking effect in the Sunflower State, along with Alaska, Utah and Wyoming.Broomes also halted the rule from taking effect in “the schools attended by the members of Young America’s Foundation or Female Athletes United, as well as the schools attended by the children of the members of Moms for Liberty,” all groups that sued alongside the four states, per the&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561.53.0.pdf" target="_blank">order</a>.Under Broomes’ order, the rule is also halted in an Oklahoma public school attended by a minor who is one of the plaintiffs.In June, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of Louisiana&nbsp;<a href="https://lailluminator.com/2024/06/13/title-ix-transgender/" target="_blank">issued a temporary injunction</a>&nbsp;barring the final rule from taking effect there, along with Idaho, Mississippi and Montana.In Kentucky federal court, Chief Judge Danny Reeves&nbsp;<a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2024/06/17/us-judge-in-kentucky-blocks-biden-title-ix-rules-says-sex-gender-identity-not-the-same-thing/" target="_blank">temporarily blocked the final rule</a>&nbsp;in the Bluegrass State, plus Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and Virginia. Reeves rejected the department’s request for a partial stay of the injunction while its appeal plays out, per a&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.kyed.104801/gov.uscourts.kyed.104801.117.0.pdf" target="_blank">Wednesday court filing</a>.The Education Department has confirmed it is appealing the other two rulings but did not have an update Wednesday on whether it is filing a notice of appeal on the most recent ruling in the Kansas federal court.The spokesperson reiterated earlier this week that the agency has “asked the trial courts to allow the bulk of the final rule to take effect in these states as scheduled, on August 1, while the appeals are pending.”<h2>LGBTQ advocacy groups push back on GOP effort</h2>Allen Morris, policy director for the advocacy group National LGBTQ Task Force, said the vote was part of a pattern of anti-LGBTQ policy measures.“When you look at the rise in hatred and the rise in violence and the rise of young LGBTQ individuals not having the support that they need, where suicide rates are high, it is disappointing to see our opposition go against us with such a high level of intention,” he said.Morris told States Newsroom that “a lot of what is happening with this extremism is not founded in truth.”“It is founded in ways to spew hate and to spew fear. It is a lot of fear mongering, and it’s anything to make people feel like their backs are up against the wall, or as if they don’t have the power,” he said.Echoing a previous statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Education said it “does not comment on pending legislation” and emphasized that all schools receiving federal funding are obligated to comply with the new regulations as a condition of receiving those funds.The department has yet to finalize a separate rule establishing new criteria for transgender athletes.

GOP plan to reverse final Title IX rule passed U.S. House, but Biden says he’d veto

OSAGE COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.

Just before 11a.m. July 9,&nbsp; Sheriff’s Deputies were called to the area of northwest Maple and northwest Roberts Streets in Melvern for a domestic disturbance, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.

During a subsequent follow-up on the incident, a male subject was contacted in the 200 block of northwest Main Street and Illegal narcotics were in his possession.

Dustin R. Davis, 33, of Emporia was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail on requested charges of&nbsp;Distribution of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia and Arrest warrant.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720560755800.png" alt="Davis-photo Osage County." />
 <figcaption>Davis-photo Osage County.</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.Just before 11a.m. July 9,&nbsp; Sheriff’s Deputies were called to the area of northwest Maple and northwest Roberts Streets in Melvern for a domestic disturbance, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.During a subsequent follow-up on the incident, a male subject was contacted in the 200 block of northwest Main Street and Illegal narcotics were in his possession.Dustin R. Davis, 33, of Emporia was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail on requested charges of&nbsp;Distribution of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia and Arrest warrant.

Sheriff: Kansas man accused of selling methamphetamine

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that a Latino majority's voting rights aren't violated by the election system in the former Wild West town in Kansas that inspired the long-running television series “Gunsmoke.”

U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren concluded that Dodge City's practice of electing all five of its city commissioners at large does not prevent candidates backed by Latino voters from holding office. He issued his decision Wednesday evening in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lawsuits-kansas-american-civil-liberties-union-dodge-city-bd52bd1685f33081a6e84736aab38c03">lawsuit filed in 2022</a>&nbsp;by two Latino residents who argued that the system is discriminatory and violated both the U.S. Constitution and the landmark 1965 federal Voting Rights Act.

The two residents, Miguel Coca and Alejandro Rangel-Lopez, argued that the city should be required to have each commissioner elected from a separate district. About 64% of the city's 27,000 residents are Latino, and it's possible that Latinos would be a majority of residents in three of five single-member districts.

Their lawsuit argued that the city hadn't elected a Latino commissioner since at least 2000, though a commissioner serving in 2022 said he is Latino. Melgren concluded that a review of local elections since 2014 showed that candidates backed by the highest percentages of Latino voters, including non-Latino ones, won “at least half of the time.”

“The Court cannot conclude that white bloc voting prevents Latino-preferred candidates from being elected most of the time,” Melgren wrote.

Dodge City, about 320 miles southwest of Kansas City draws thousands of tourists each year because of its wild history in the 1870s and early 1880s and the images of saloons, cowboys and gunfights created by the stories about fictional U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon in “Gunsmoke” in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. It's also home to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chron.com/news/nation-world/article/some-doubt-dodge-city-casino-plan-is-a-winner-1833983.php">a state-owned casino.</a>

Growth in the meatpacking industry in southwestern Kansas transformed the area by drawing job-seeking immigrants. Seven of the eight Kansas communities identified by the 2020 U.S. census as majority Latino are in the region.

The city issued a statement Thursday saying that Melgren’s ruling “recognizes our effort to represent everyone who makes Dodge City their home” and said the city commission seeks to build “a stronger, more vibrant, and diverse community where all viewpoints are valued.”

“It is unfortunate that we have spent significant taxpayer dollars to defend our position, taking away from our ability to utilize the funds to make our community better,” the statement said.

The two residents’ attorneys said they presented “clear evidence” that the system violated the Voting Rights Act. Their legal team included the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, the ACLU’s national Voting Rights Project and UCLA’s Voting Rights Project.

“We are currently exploring next steps in this case and will continue to work for a truly representative democracy that ensures Latino voters can have their voices heard in Dodge City,” they said in a statement Thursday.

The ACLU also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/77cc6cd0f1254d2eb0ef0bbed751c247">sued the top local elections official</a>&nbsp;in 2018 after she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/70e4a2665b0644bf884c60c25405c076">moved Dodge City’s only polling site</a>&nbsp;outside of the city. The suit argued that doing so made it more difficult for Latino residents who often rely on public transportation to vote. The lawsuit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3b2ecff514544bfd9fd72a6bb667aabf">was dismissed</a>&nbsp;after the elections clerk agreed to maintain two polling sites for future elections.

Melgren did conclude that Coca and Rangel-Lopez showed that Dodge City's Latino population is large enough and concentrated enough in certain parts of the city to control at least one hypothetical commission district. An expert presented 14 proposed maps in which Latinos were a majority in three of the five districts.

The judge also concluded that the plaintiffs also showed that Latinos in Dodge City “vote in significant numbers for the same candidates.”

But Melgren noted that a test set decades ago by the U.S. Supreme Court required the two Dodge City residents to demonstrate that Latino voters “usually” cannot elect candidates they prefer.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720804417642.png" alt="Photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that a Latino majority's voting rights aren't violated by the election system in the former Wild West town in Kansas that inspired the long-running television series “Gunsmoke.”U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren concluded that Dodge City's practice of electing all five of its city commissioners at large does not prevent candidates backed by Latino voters from holding office. He issued his decision Wednesday evening in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lawsuits-kansas-american-civil-liberties-union-dodge-city-bd52bd1685f33081a6e84736aab38c03">lawsuit filed in 2022</a>&nbsp;by two Latino residents who argued that the system is discriminatory and violated both the U.S. Constitution and the landmark 1965 federal Voting Rights Act.The two residents, Miguel Coca and Alejandro Rangel-Lopez, argued that the city should be required to have each commissioner elected from a separate district. About 64% of the city's 27,000 residents are Latino, and it's possible that Latinos would be a majority of residents in three of five single-member districts.Their lawsuit argued that the city hadn't elected a Latino commissioner since at least 2000, though a commissioner serving in 2022 said he is Latino. Melgren concluded that a review of local elections since 2014 showed that candidates backed by the highest percentages of Latino voters, including non-Latino ones, won “at least half of the time.”“The Court cannot conclude that white bloc voting prevents Latino-preferred candidates from being elected most of the time,” Melgren wrote.Dodge City, about 320 miles southwest of Kansas City draws thousands of tourists each year because of its wild history in the 1870s and early 1880s and the images of saloons, cowboys and gunfights created by the stories about fictional U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon in “Gunsmoke” in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. It's also home to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chron.com/news/nation-world/article/some-doubt-dodge-city-casino-plan-is-a-winner-1833983.php">a state-owned casino.</a>Growth in the meatpacking industry in southwestern Kansas transformed the area by drawing job-seeking immigrants. Seven of the eight Kansas communities identified by the 2020 U.S. census as majority Latino are in the region.The city issued a statement Thursday saying that Melgren’s ruling “recognizes our effort to represent everyone who makes Dodge City their home” and said the city commission seeks to build “a stronger, more vibrant, and diverse community where all viewpoints are valued.”“It is unfortunate that we have spent significant taxpayer dollars to defend our position, taking away from our ability to utilize the funds to make our community better,” the statement said.The two residents’ attorneys said they presented “clear evidence” that the system violated the Voting Rights Act. Their legal team included the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, the ACLU’s national Voting Rights Project and UCLA’s Voting Rights Project.“We are currently exploring next steps in this case and will continue to work for a truly representative democracy that ensures Latino voters can have their voices heard in Dodge City,” they said in a statement Thursday.The ACLU also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/77cc6cd0f1254d2eb0ef0bbed751c247">sued the top local elections official</a>&nbsp;in 2018 after she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/70e4a2665b0644bf884c60c25405c076">moved Dodge City’s only polling site</a>&nbsp;outside of the city. The suit argued that doing so made it more difficult for Latino residents who often rely on public transportation to vote. The lawsuit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3b2ecff514544bfd9fd72a6bb667aabf">was dismissed</a>&nbsp;after the elections clerk agreed to maintain two polling sites for future elections.Melgren did conclude that Coca and Rangel-Lopez showed that Dodge City's Latino population is large enough and concentrated enough in certain parts of the city to control at least one hypothetical commission district. An expert presented 14 proposed maps in which Latinos were a majority in three of the five districts.The judge also concluded that the plaintiffs also showed that Latinos in Dodge City “vote in significant numbers for the same candidates.”But Melgren noted that a test set decades ago by the U.S. Supreme Court required the two Dodge City residents to demonstrate that Latino voters “usually” cannot elect candidates they prefer.

Federal judge: Dodge City's elections don't discriminate against Latinos

NEW YORK (AP) ‚The data of nearly all customers of the telecommunications giant AT&amp;T was downloaded to a third-party platform in a 2022 security breach, the company said Friday, as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/car-dealerships-cyberattack-cdk-outage-3f7c81f6be0e212172b33cdc9f49feba">cyberattacks against businesses</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/connecticutt-school-district-cyber-attack-new-haven-f7fad8a63916a1a80a3885a92d326964">schools</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/britain-nhs-ransomware-attack-qilin-2dfa0d0426ce640e5a3782900b9596f9">health systems</a>&nbsp;continue to spread globally.

The breach hit customers of AT&amp;T's cellular customers, customers of mobile virtual network operators using AT&amp;T’s wireless network, as well as its landline customers who interacted with those cellular numbers.

AT&amp;T said that it currently doesn’t believe that the data is publicly available.

“The data does not contain the content of calls or texts, personal information such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, or other personally identifiable information,” AT&amp;T said Friday.

The compromised data also doesn’t include some information typically seen in usage details, such as the time stamp of calls or texts, the company said, or customer names. AT&amp;T, however, said that there are often ways using publicly available online tools to find the name associated with a specific telephone number.

An internal investigation determined that compromised data includes files containing AT&amp;T records of calls and texts between May 1, 2022 and Oct. 31, 2022.

AT&amp;T has more than 100 million customers in the U.S. and almost 2.5 million business accounts.

The company said Friday that it has launched an investigation and engaged with cybersecurity experts to understand the nature and scope of the criminal breach.

Compromised data also includes records from Jan. 2, 2023, for a very small number of customers. The records identify the telephone numbers an AT&amp;T or MVNO cellular number interacted with during these periods. For a subset of records, one or more cell site identification number(s) associated with the interactions are also included.

The company continues to cooperate with law enforcement on the incident and that it understands that at least one person has been apprehended so far.

The year has already been marked by several major data breaches, including an earlier attack on AT&amp;T. In March&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/att-data-breach-dark-web-passcodes-fbef4afe0c1deec9ffb470f2ec134f41">AT&amp;T</a>&nbsp;said that a dataset found on the “dark web” contained information such as Social Security numbers for about 7.6 million current AT&amp;T account holders and 65.4 million former account holders.

Some auto dealerships are still using pens and paper to close deals after back-to-back cyberattacks last month on a company that supplies them with software. That company,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/car-dealerships-cyberattack-cdk-outage-3f7c81f6be0e212172b33cdc9f49feba">CDK Global</a>, is still attempting to reestablish normal operations.

Alabama’s education superintendent said earlier this month that some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/data-breach-alabama-education-department-7c1e1019c0848de328483548d568b9f8">data</a>&nbsp;was “breached”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alabamaachieves.org/databreach/">during a hacking attempt</a>&nbsp;at the Alabama State Department of Education.

Cybersecurity experts are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cyberattacks-hospital-lurie-childrens-ransom-eb6f9528198b4e3c2a5e82f74c4cb7e9">warning</a>&nbsp;that hospital systems around the country, which have already been targeted, are at risk for more attacks and that the U.S. government is doing too little to prevent breaches.

AT&amp;T customers can visit&nbsp;<a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4210451-1&amp;h=3774011407&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fatt.com%2Fdataincident&amp;a=att.com%2FDataIncident">att.com/DataIncident</a>&nbsp;for more information.

Shares of AT&amp;T Inc., based in Dallas, fell slightly on Friday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711934822314.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) ‚The data of nearly all customers of the telecommunications giant AT&amp;T was downloaded to a third-party platform in a 2022 security breach, the company said Friday, as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/car-dealerships-cyberattack-cdk-outage-3f7c81f6be0e212172b33cdc9f49feba">cyberattacks against businesses</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/connecticutt-school-district-cyber-attack-new-haven-f7fad8a63916a1a80a3885a92d326964">schools</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/britain-nhs-ransomware-attack-qilin-2dfa0d0426ce640e5a3782900b9596f9">health systems</a>&nbsp;continue to spread globally.The breach hit customers of AT&amp;T's cellular customers, customers of mobile virtual network operators using AT&amp;T’s wireless network, as well as its landline customers who interacted with those cellular numbers.AT&amp;T said that it currently doesn’t believe that the data is publicly available.“The data does not contain the content of calls or texts, personal information such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, or other personally identifiable information,” AT&amp;T said Friday.The compromised data also doesn’t include some information typically seen in usage details, such as the time stamp of calls or texts, the company said, or customer names. AT&amp;T, however, said that there are often ways using publicly available online tools to find the name associated with a specific telephone number.An internal investigation determined that compromised data includes files containing AT&amp;T records of calls and texts between May 1, 2022 and Oct. 31, 2022.AT&amp;T has more than 100 million customers in the U.S. and almost 2.5 million business accounts.The company said Friday that it has launched an investigation and engaged with cybersecurity experts to understand the nature and scope of the criminal breach.Compromised data also includes records from Jan. 2, 2023, for a very small number of customers. The records identify the telephone numbers an AT&amp;T or MVNO cellular number interacted with during these periods. For a subset of records, one or more cell site identification number(s) associated with the interactions are also included.The company continues to cooperate with law enforcement on the incident and that it understands that at least one person has been apprehended so far.The year has already been marked by several major data breaches, including an earlier attack on AT&amp;T. In March&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/att-data-breach-dark-web-passcodes-fbef4afe0c1deec9ffb470f2ec134f41">AT&amp;T</a>&nbsp;said that a dataset found on the “dark web” contained information such as Social Security numbers for about 7.6 million current AT&amp;T account holders and 65.4 million former account holders.Some auto dealerships are still using pens and paper to close deals after back-to-back cyberattacks last month on a company that supplies them with software. That company,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/car-dealerships-cyberattack-cdk-outage-3f7c81f6be0e212172b33cdc9f49feba">CDK Global</a>, is still attempting to reestablish normal operations.Alabama’s education superintendent said earlier this month that some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/data-breach-alabama-education-department-7c1e1019c0848de328483548d568b9f8">data</a>&nbsp;was “breached”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alabamaachieves.org/databreach/">during a hacking attempt</a>&nbsp;at the Alabama State Department of Education.Cybersecurity experts are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cyberattacks-hospital-lurie-childrens-ransom-eb6f9528198b4e3c2a5e82f74c4cb7e9">warning</a>&nbsp;that hospital systems around the country, which have already been targeted, are at risk for more attacks and that the U.S. government is doing too little to prevent breaches.AT&amp;T customers can visit&nbsp;<a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4210451-1&amp;h=3774011407&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fatt.com%2Fdataincident&amp;a=att.com%2FDataIncident">att.com/DataIncident</a>&nbsp;for more information.Shares of AT&amp;T Inc., based in Dallas, fell slightly on Friday.

Massive AT&T data breach exposes ‘nearly all’ customers 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden faced a test Thursday that he had avoided so far this year — a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-president-trump-election-2024-democrats-9e1781a17b3313f525ef70f8a00c310a">solo news conference</a>&nbsp;with questions from the White House press corps.

The news conference was meant to reassure a disheartened group of Democratic lawmakers, allies and persuadable voters in this year's election that Biden still has the strength and stamina to be president. Biden has tried to defend his feeble and tongue-tied performance in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bidentrumppresidentialdebate-0e7577e9a354a69f50675494fea54ca9">June 27 debate</a>&nbsp;against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Republican Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;as an outlier rather than evidence that at 81 he lacks the vigor and commanding presence that the public expects from the commander in chief.

On his social media account Former President Trump mocked Biden's flubs.

Biden made at least two notable flubs, referring at an event beforehand to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin" and then calling Kamala Harris “Vice President Trump” when asked about her by a reporter. But he also gave detailed responses about his work to preserve NATO and his plans for a second term. And he insisted he's not leaving the race even as a growing number of Democratic lawmakers ask him to step aside.

Here are some highlights from the press conference:

He bungled key names — and remained defiant

Perhaps Biden’s biggest slip-up in the press conference came early on when he referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump,” in saying he picked her because he believed she could beat Trump.

Even before the news conference, Biden had bungled an important name at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-summit-ukraine-russia-china-biden-66656f03cd5e203d4074bdb2ead8abd8">NATO summit</a>&nbsp;and instantly lowered expectations for his performance.

“Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said as he was introducing Ukrainian President President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is most definitely not Russian President Vladimir Putin. The gaffe immediately prompted gasps, as Biden caught himself and said to Zelenskyy: “President Putin? You’re going to beat President Putin.”

But he was defiant when a reporter brought up his reference to “Vice President Trump” and noted the presumptive Republican nominee's campaign was already promoting the slip-up. “Listen to him,” he said, before walking off the stage.

One House Democrat, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, issued a statement minutes later calling on the president to withdraw.

He insisted, ‘I’ve got to finish this job'

It’s a delicate dance between the president and vice president, with many Democrats openly pining for Harris to replace Biden on the ticket. Biden didn’t acknowledge that tension, but only brought Harris up in response to pointed questions about whether he believed she had the capability to replace him.

“I wouldn’t have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be president,” Biden said, citing Harris’ resume from prosecutor to the U.S. Senate.

But in response to a later question he acknowledged he’d moved on from his 2020 campaign promise to be a “bridge” to a new generation of Democrats. “What changed was the gravity of the situation I inherited,” he said, without a word about his vice president.

Repeatedly, he said, “I've got to finish this job.”

The press conference ended with Biden being asked directly whether he’d step down for Harris if he saw polling showing she had a better chance of beating Trump. “No, unless they come back and said there’s no way you can win,” Biden responded. Then he added, in a stage whisper, “No poll’s saying that.”

He argued he's delivered results over rhetoric

Biden tried to make the case that what he’s doing matters more than how he talks about it.

He praised the just finished NATO summit as elevating America’s standing. “Have you ever seen a more successful conference?” Biden said to a group of reporters who often only got to see the conference during prepared remarks.

He drilled down on how inflation has eased from its 2022 peak as he reeled off stats such as the creation of 800,000 manufacturing jobs under his watch, saying that world leaders would want to trade their own economies for what United States has. He also said he would cap how much rent could grow for tenants of landlords who are part of a tax-credit program for low-income housing.

It’s the same pitch Biden has made in stump speeches without necessarily doing much to move his own popularity. His team believes it will sink in if repeated constantly.

Biden kicked off the press conference by talking at length about NATO and its value to the United States — one of his strongest political issues against Trump, who has been openly skeptical of the alliance and once suggested he'd encourage Russia to attack NATO members whom he considered delinquent.

Biden tied himself to an American tradition stretching “from Truman to Reagan to me” of defending NATO. “Every American must ask herself or himself, is the world safer with NATO?” he asked.

Later, to assure a European journalist asking about governments on that continent worrying Trump could win, Biden launched into a detailed recounting of how he helped shepherd Finland into the alliance. After that, he went into detail about how to push back against China for supporting Russia during its war against Ukraine and contended he will continue to be able to deal with Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Overall, Biden spoke forcefully and fluently about foreign policy, one of his favorite subjects. But the news conference’s focus wasn’t really foreign policy, it was reassuring Democrats and the world that Biden is still able to be president and beat Trump.

That shows how even Biden’s strengths are being overshadowed by questions about his capabilities.

When possible, he went back to the stump speech

Every politician has a stock set of lines. And whenever Biden could, he went back to his favorite talking points. It was a way to answer the question without necessarily needing to say anything spontaneous or new.

He went after trickle-down economics, borrowing a line about his father never benefiting much from tax cuts aimed at the wealthy (“I don’t remember much trickling down to his kitchen table”). He hailed Delaware for leading the country in corporations. He said he’s the “most pro-union labor president in history.” He explained his decision to run for a second term with a variation on his “finish the job” catchphrase. He went into his standard spiel about computer chips.

With no time limit on his answers like he faced at the debate, Biden went on for several minutes at a time telling stories about his interactions with foreign leaders and making the case for his reelection.

He answered questions in detail — unlike at the debate

There were few fireworks in Biden’s answers -- with the highly anticipated event at times coming across as more of a think tank lecture than an effort to grab voters’ attention. He went into granular detail on geopolitics and rattled off numbers — asking at one moment, though, to not be held to the precise figure.

While it didn’t erase the stumbles and blank stares from the debate, it showed that he could engage with reporters’ questions on a range of issues without losing focus.

There was still regular coughing and throat clearing. And at times he lowered his voice to a hoarse whisper that evoked the rasp of his voice on debate night.

Overall, his presentation was a reminder that people are focused on him now with an almost clinical eye toward possible slip-ups and mistakes, the kind of pressure that is unlikely to go away for as long as Biden insists he’ll stay in the race.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710295653190.png" alt="Photo Associated Press" />
 <figcaption>Photo Associated Press</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden faced a test Thursday that he had avoided so far this year — a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-president-trump-election-2024-democrats-9e1781a17b3313f525ef70f8a00c310a">solo news conference</a>&nbsp;with questions from the White House press corps.The news conference was meant to reassure a disheartened group of Democratic lawmakers, allies and persuadable voters in this year's election that Biden still has the strength and stamina to be president. Biden has tried to defend his feeble and tongue-tied performance in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bidentrumppresidentialdebate-0e7577e9a354a69f50675494fea54ca9">June 27 debate</a>&nbsp;against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Republican Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;as an outlier rather than evidence that at 81 he lacks the vigor and commanding presence that the public expects from the commander in chief.On his social media account Former President Trump mocked Biden's flubs.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720749875023.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Biden made at least two notable flubs, referring at an event beforehand to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin" and then calling Kamala Harris “Vice President Trump” when asked about her by a reporter. But he also gave detailed responses about his work to preserve NATO and his plans for a second term. And he insisted he's not leaving the race even as a growing number of Democratic lawmakers ask him to step aside.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden: &quot;And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination, ladies and gentleman, President Putin.&quot; He immediately corrects himself, &quot;He&#39;s going to beat President Putin. President Zelenskyy.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/VIqDxC8NCS">pic.twitter.com/VIqDxC8NCS</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1811522378280894803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Here are some highlights from the press conference:<h2>He bungled key names — and remained defiant</h2>Perhaps Biden’s biggest slip-up in the press conference came early on when he referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump,” in saying he picked her because he believed she could beat Trump.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Q: &quot;What concerns do you have about Vice President Harris&#39; ability to beat Donald Trump if she were at the top of the ticket? President Biden: Look, I wouldn&#39;t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if I didn&#39;t think she was not qualified to be vice president. <a href="https://t.co/TqqSKBsyQu">pic.twitter.com/TqqSKBsyQu</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1811546437567586658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Even before the news conference, Biden had bungled an important name at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-summit-ukraine-russia-china-biden-66656f03cd5e203d4074bdb2ead8abd8">NATO summit</a>&nbsp;and instantly lowered expectations for his performance.“Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said as he was introducing Ukrainian President President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is most definitely not Russian President Vladimir Putin. The gaffe immediately prompted gasps, as Biden caught himself and said to Zelenskyy: “President Putin? You’re going to beat President Putin.”But he was defiant when a reporter brought up his reference to “Vice President Trump” and noted the presumptive Republican nominee's campaign was already promoting the slip-up. “Listen to him,” he said, before walking off the stage.One House Democrat, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, issued a statement minutes later calling on the president to withdraw.<h2>He insisted, ‘I’ve got to finish this job'</h2>It’s a delicate dance between the president and vice president, with many Democrats openly pining for Harris to replace Biden on the ticket. Biden didn’t acknowledge that tension, but only brought Harris up in response to pointed questions about whether he believed she had the capability to replace him.“I wouldn’t have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be president,” Biden said, citing Harris’ resume from prosecutor to the U.S. Senate.But in response to a later question he acknowledged he’d moved on from his 2020 campaign promise to be a “bridge” to a new generation of Democrats. “What changed was the gravity of the situation I inherited,” he said, without a word about his vice president.Repeatedly, he said, “I've got to finish this job.”The press conference ended with Biden being asked directly whether he’d step down for Harris if he saw polling showing she had a better chance of beating Trump. “No, unless they come back and said there’s no way you can win,” Biden responded. Then he added, in a stage whisper, “No poll’s saying that.”<h2>He argued he's delivered results over rhetoric</h2>Biden tried to make the case that what he’s doing matters more than how he talks about it.He praised the just finished NATO summit as elevating America’s standing. “Have you ever seen a more successful conference?” Biden said to a group of reporters who often only got to see the conference during prepared remarks.He drilled down on how inflation has eased from its 2022 peak as he reeled off stats such as the creation of 800,000 manufacturing jobs under his watch, saying that world leaders would want to trade their own economies for what United States has. He also said he would cap how much rent could grow for tenants of landlords who are part of a tax-credit program for low-income housing.It’s the same pitch Biden has made in stump speeches without necessarily doing much to move his own popularity. His team believes it will sink in if repeated constantly.<h2>He brought up his work on NATO</h2>Biden kicked off the press conference by talking at length about NATO and its value to the United States — one of his strongest political issues against Trump, who has been openly skeptical of the alliance and once suggested he'd encourage Russia to attack NATO members whom he considered delinquent.Biden tied himself to an American tradition stretching “from Truman to Reagan to me” of defending NATO. “Every American must ask herself or himself, is the world safer with NATO?” he asked.Later, to assure a European journalist asking about governments on that continent worrying Trump could win, Biden launched into a detailed recounting of how he helped shepherd Finland into the alliance. After that, he went into detail about how to push back against China for supporting Russia during its war against Ukraine and contended he will continue to be able to deal with Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.Overall, Biden spoke forcefully and fluently about foreign policy, one of his favorite subjects. But the news conference’s focus wasn’t really foreign policy, it was reassuring Democrats and the world that Biden is still able to be president and beat Trump.That shows how even Biden’s strengths are being overshadowed by questions about his capabilities.<h2>When possible, he went back to the stump speech</h2>Every politician has a stock set of lines. And whenever Biden could, he went back to his favorite talking points. It was a way to answer the question without necessarily needing to say anything spontaneous or new.He went after trickle-down economics, borrowing a line about his father never benefiting much from tax cuts aimed at the wealthy (“I don’t remember much trickling down to his kitchen table”). He hailed Delaware for leading the country in corporations. He said he’s the “most pro-union labor president in history.” He explained his decision to run for a second term with a variation on his “finish the job” catchphrase. He went into his standard spiel about computer chips.With no time limit on his answers like he faced at the debate, Biden went on for several minutes at a time telling stories about his interactions with foreign leaders and making the case for his reelection.<h2>He answered questions in detail — unlike at the debate</h2>There were few fireworks in Biden’s answers -- with the highly anticipated event at times coming across as more of a think tank lecture than an effort to grab voters’ attention. He went into granular detail on geopolitics and rattled off numbers — asking at one moment, though, to not be held to the precise figure.While it didn’t erase the stumbles and blank stares from the debate, it showed that he could engage with reporters’ questions on a range of issues without losing focus.There was still regular coughing and throat clearing. And at times he lowered his voice to a hoarse whisper that evoked the rasp of his voice on debate night.Overall, his presentation was a reminder that people are focused on him now with an almost clinical eye toward possible slip-ups and mistakes, the kind of pressure that is unlikely to go away for as long as Biden insists he’ll stay in the race.___Riccardi reported from Denver.

Trump comments on Biden's 'Big Boy' press conference

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities investigating another homicide in Kansas City have identified the victim as 50-year-old Shawn Mayberry.

Just after 9:30p.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to a reported shooting in the 2400 block of College Avenue in Kansas City, according to&nbsp;Officer Alayna Gonzalez.

At the scene, officers were summoned to a nearby residence where Mayberry was located just outside the front of the home. EMS responded and declared him deceased at the scene.

An adult male subject was on scene when officers arrived and was taken into custody without incident. 

Detectives are not currently looking for any additional persons of interest. The circumstances leading up to the homicide are currently unknown.

Homicide detectives and crime scene personnel responded to gather evidence and collect witness statements.

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities investigating another homicide in Kansas City have identified the victim as 50-year-old Shawn Mayberry.Just after 9:30p.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to a reported shooting in the 2400 block of College Avenue in Kansas City, according to&nbsp;Officer Alayna Gonzalez.At the scene, officers were summoned to a nearby residence where Mayberry was located just outside the front of the home. EMS responded and declared him deceased at the scene.An adult male subject was on scene when officers arrived and was taken into custody without incident. Detectives are not currently looking for any additional persons of interest. The circumstances leading up to the homicide are currently unknown.Homicide detectives and crime scene personnel responded to gather evidence and collect witness statements.

Homicide: KCPD IDs 50-year-old found dead outside home

BOSTON (AP) — A lawsuit was filed Thursday against Hershey, Walgreens and several others in the case of a Massachusetts teen who died after he participated in a spicy tortilla chip challenge that was widely promoted on social media.

Harris Wolobah, a 10th grader from the city of Worcester, died Sept. 1, 2023, after eating the Paqui chip as part of the manufacturer’s “One Chip Challenge.” An autopsy found Wolobah died after eating a large quantity of chile pepper extract and also had a congenital heart defect.

Harris died of cardiopulmonary arrest “in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration,” according to the autopsy from the Chief Office of the Medical Examiner. Capsaicin is the component that gives chile peppers their heat. The autopsy also said Harris had cardiomegaly, meaning an enlarged heart, and a congenital defect described as “myocardial bridging of the left anterior descending coronary artery.”

“Today we filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of this wonderful family for the loss of their beloved son, Harris,” said Douglas Sheff, one of the attorneys representing the family in the lawsuit filed in Suffolk Superior Court. The lawsuit seeks a judgement determined by the court that would include punitive damages.

Sheff said the parties created “a perfect storm” that led to Wolobah's death that included Paqui producing the spicy chip and encouraging people to post videos of themselves eating the chip on social media while the lawsuit alleged Walgreens sold the “poisonous chip” to children.

“The defendants charged about $10 for each chip, $10 for the chip that killed Harris, $10 for his life,” Sheff said. “Isn’t it clear that these defendants knew full well that this chip was unreasonably dangerous? And isn’t this an obvious marketing campaign designed to attract kids to that very danger?”

Lois and Amos Wolobah, the parents of Harris, attended the news conference but did not speak. But at several points, Amos Wolobah appeared to become emotional and Lois seemed to blow a kiss to a photo that was shown of Harris.

The autopsy said Harris Wolobah had cardiomegaly, meaning an enlarged heart, and a congenital defect described as “myocardial bridging of the left anterior descending coronary artery.” But Sheff was adamant that had nothing to do with his death.

“The chip is what killed him,” he said.

Paqui, a Texas-based subsidiary of the Hershey Co., has expressed its sadness about Wolobah's death but also cited the chip’s “clear and prominent labeling highlighting that the product was not for children or anyone sensitive to spicy foods or with underlying health conditions.”

The Paqui chip, sold individually for about $10, came wrapped in foil in a coffin-shaped box containing the warning that it was intended for the “vengeful pleasure of intense heat and pain.” The warning noted that the chip was for adult consumption only, and should be kept out of the reach of children. After seeing reports of teens and others not heeding those warnings, the company said it worked with retailers to “voluntarily remove the product from shelves in September 2023, and the One Chip Challenge has been discontinued.”

A spokesperson for Walgreens said it had no comment on the lawsuit while Hershey's did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Despite the warning, children had no problem buying the chips, and there had been reports from around the country of teens who got sick after taking part in the chip-eating challenge. Among them were three California high school students who were taken to a hospital and seven students in Minnesota who were treated by paramedics after taking part in the challenge in 2022.

The challenge called for participants to eat the Paqui chip and then see how long they could go without consuming other food and water. Sales of the chip seemed largely driven by people posting videos on social media of them or their friends taking the challenge. They showed people, including children, unwrapping the packaging, eating the chips and then reacting to the heat. Some videos showed people gagging, coughing and begging for water and the lawsuit cites scores of examples of people becoming sick after eating the chip.

Harris Wolobah's death spurred warnings from Massachusetts authorities and physicians, who cautioned that eating such spicy foods can have unintended consequences. Since the chip fad emerged, poison control centers have warned that the concentrated amount could cause allergic reactions, trouble breathing, irregular heartbeats and even heart attacks or strokes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715872898677.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BOSTON (AP) — A lawsuit was filed Thursday against Hershey, Walgreens and several others in the case of a Massachusetts teen who died after he participated in a spicy tortilla chip challenge that was widely promoted on social media.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/zQqfVwgTGD">pic.twitter.com/zQqfVwgTGD</a>&mdash; Paqui Chips (@paquichips) <a href="https://twitter.com/paquichips/status/1699875802941145473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Harris Wolobah, a 10th grader from the city of Worcester, died Sept. 1, 2023, after eating the Paqui chip as part of the manufacturer’s “One Chip Challenge.” An autopsy found Wolobah died after eating a large quantity of chile pepper extract and also had a congenital heart defect.Harris died of cardiopulmonary arrest “in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration,” according to the autopsy from the Chief Office of the Medical Examiner. Capsaicin is the component that gives chile peppers their heat. The autopsy also said Harris had cardiomegaly, meaning an enlarged heart, and a congenital defect described as “myocardial bridging of the left anterior descending coronary artery.”“Today we filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of this wonderful family for the loss of their beloved son, Harris,” said Douglas Sheff, one of the attorneys representing the family in the lawsuit filed in Suffolk Superior Court. The lawsuit seeks a judgement determined by the court that would include punitive damages.Sheff said the parties created “a perfect storm” that led to Wolobah's death that included Paqui producing the spicy chip and encouraging people to post videos of themselves eating the chip on social media while the lawsuit alleged Walgreens sold the “poisonous chip” to children.“The defendants charged about $10 for each chip, $10 for the chip that killed Harris, $10 for his life,” Sheff said. “Isn’t it clear that these defendants knew full well that this chip was unreasonably dangerous? And isn’t this an obvious marketing campaign designed to attract kids to that very danger?”Lois and Amos Wolobah, the parents of Harris, attended the news conference but did not speak. But at several points, Amos Wolobah appeared to become emotional and Lois seemed to blow a kiss to a photo that was shown of Harris.The autopsy said Harris Wolobah had cardiomegaly, meaning an enlarged heart, and a congenital defect described as “myocardial bridging of the left anterior descending coronary artery.” But Sheff was adamant that had nothing to do with his death.“The chip is what killed him,” he said.Paqui, a Texas-based subsidiary of the Hershey Co., has expressed its sadness about Wolobah's death but also cited the chip’s “clear and prominent labeling highlighting that the product was not for children or anyone sensitive to spicy foods or with underlying health conditions.”The Paqui chip, sold individually for about $10, came wrapped in foil in a coffin-shaped box containing the warning that it was intended for the “vengeful pleasure of intense heat and pain.” The warning noted that the chip was for adult consumption only, and should be kept out of the reach of children. After seeing reports of teens and others not heeding those warnings, the company said it worked with retailers to “voluntarily remove the product from shelves in September 2023, and the One Chip Challenge has been discontinued.”A spokesperson for Walgreens said it had no comment on the lawsuit while Hershey's did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Despite the warning, children had no problem buying the chips, and there had been reports from around the country of teens who got sick after taking part in the chip-eating challenge. Among them were three California high school students who were taken to a hospital and seven students in Minnesota who were treated by paramedics after taking part in the challenge in 2022.The challenge called for participants to eat the Paqui chip and then see how long they could go without consuming other food and water. Sales of the chip seemed largely driven by people posting videos on social media of them or their friends taking the challenge. They showed people, including children, unwrapping the packaging, eating the chips and then reacting to the heat. Some videos showed people gagging, coughing and begging for water and the lawsuit cites scores of examples of people becoming sick after eating the chip.Harris Wolobah's death spurred warnings from Massachusetts authorities and physicians, who cautioned that eating such spicy foods can have unintended consequences. Since the chip fad emerged, poison control centers have warned that the concentrated amount could cause allergic reactions, trouble breathing, irregular heartbeats and even heart attacks or strokes.

Lawsuit filed: Teen died after eating spicy chip, part of online challenge

LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mo. —Two people including a Kansas man were injured in an accident just after 10:30p.m. Thursday in Livingston County, Missouri.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2016 Can-Am UTV driven by Justin K. Stuart, 24, Hale, Missouri, was westbound on LIV 320 at LIV 377 four miles west of Hale.

The driver failed to negotiate a turn. The UTV overturned and both occupants were ejected. 

Livingston County ambulance transported a passenger Jesus J. Berumen, 33, Edgerton, Kansas, to Hedrick Medical Center for treatment of serious injuries.&nbsp; A private vehicle transported Stuart to Hedrick Medical Center. 

LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mo. —Two people including a Kansas man were injured in an accident just after 10:30p.m. Thursday in Livingston County, Missouri.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2016 Can-Am UTV driven by Justin K. Stuart, 24, Hale, Missouri, was westbound on LIV 320 at LIV 377 four miles west of Hale.The driver failed to negotiate a turn. The UTV overturned and both occupants were ejected. Livingston County ambulance transported a passenger Jesus J. Berumen, 33, Edgerton, Kansas, to Hedrick Medical Center for treatment of serious injuries.&nbsp; A private vehicle transported Stuart to Hedrick Medical Center.

Kansas man hospitalized after ejected in UTV rollover crash

JERUSALEM —U.S. Forces continue to face terrorist obstacles in the Red Sea. 

Since Sunday, U.S. forces successfully destroyed seven Iranian-backed Houthi drone boats and and seven aerial drones over the Red Sea or in a Houthi controlled area of Yemen, according to the U.S. Central Command.

Additionally on July 7, partner forces successfully destroyed two Houthi UAVs over the Gulf of Aden. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or merchant vessels.

Meanwhile,&nbsp;the U.S. now is considering abandoning efforts to reinstall the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/military-pier-gaza-israel-humanitarian-aid-c4d464cb01bdf86e71c38519fb635cde">pier that has been used</a>&nbsp;to get badly needed humanitarian aid to starving Palestinians, two U.S. officials said Thursday.

The initial plan earlier this week had been to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-gaza-aid-pier-project-dea570c577272f945cdcbfffab0ac34c">reinstall the pier for a few days</a>&nbsp;to move the final pallets of aid onto the shore and then permanently remove it, but rough seas have prevented the reinstallation.

The White House and the Defense Department both said the pier will cease operations “soon” but would not specify timing. Other U.S. officials said the Pentagon and U.S. Central Command were actively discussing an early end to pier operations because&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-pier-humanitarian-aid-f3e21c072630c0d9cb9498d3a0e27a55">weather and some maintenance problems</a>&nbsp;make it far less desirable to reconnect it for just a short time.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said there is no final decision yet and that if the weather calms for a bit, there is a slim chance they could reattach it for a short time.

Across Washington, officials were signaling the end of what has been a mission fraught with weather and security problems, but which also has brought more than 19.4 million pounds (8.6 million kilograms) of aid to starving Palestinians in Gaza.

“Look, I see any result that produces more food, more humanitarian goods, getting to the people of Gaza as a success,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Thursday. ”It is additive. It is something additional that otherwise we would not have gotten there when it got there. And that is a good thing.”

Some aid still remains offshore and in Cyprus, but officials said they are looking at alternative plans to take the aid to the Israeli port at Ashdod. The port has been eyed as a likely replacement option for the movement of supplies from Cyprus to Gaza.

The continuing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/military-pier-gaza-israel-humanitarian-aid-c4d464cb01bdf86e71c38519fb635cde">weather problems</a>&nbsp;have forced the military to temporarily remove the pier three times since it was installed in May. And the project has also been hampered by security threats that prompted aid agencies to halt distribution of the food and other supplies into Gaza.

The aid groups have said that while any amount of food for Gaza is welcome, many have criticized the project as a costly distraction, saying the U.S. should concentrate on pressuring Israel to allow more aid through land borders, which have long been considered the most productive option.

The U.N. suspended all World Food Program deliveries from the the pier after a June 8 Israeli military raid that saved four Israeli hostages but killed hundreds of Palestinians, citing concerns that troops used an area near there for flying out the rescued hostages by helicopter.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701138062166.png" alt="Photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>JERUSALEM —U.S. Forces continue to face terrorist obstacles in the Red Sea. Since Sunday, U.S. forces successfully destroyed seven Iranian-backed Houthi drone boats and and seven aerial drones over the Red Sea or in a Houthi controlled area of Yemen, according to the U.S. Central Command.Additionally on July 7, partner forces successfully destroyed two Houthi UAVs over the Gulf of Aden. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or merchant vessels.Meanwhile,&nbsp;the U.S. now is considering abandoning efforts to reinstall the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/military-pier-gaza-israel-humanitarian-aid-c4d464cb01bdf86e71c38519fb635cde">pier that has been used</a>&nbsp;to get badly needed humanitarian aid to starving Palestinians, two U.S. officials said Thursday.The initial plan earlier this week had been to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-gaza-aid-pier-project-dea570c577272f945cdcbfffab0ac34c">reinstall the pier for a few days</a>&nbsp;to move the final pallets of aid onto the shore and then permanently remove it, but rough seas have prevented the reinstallation.The White House and the Defense Department both said the pier will cease operations “soon” but would not specify timing. Other U.S. officials said the Pentagon and U.S. Central Command were actively discussing an early end to pier operations because&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-pier-humanitarian-aid-f3e21c072630c0d9cb9498d3a0e27a55">weather and some maintenance problems</a>&nbsp;make it far less desirable to reconnect it for just a short time.The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said there is no final decision yet and that if the weather calms for a bit, there is a slim chance they could reattach it for a short time.Across Washington, officials were signaling the end of what has been a mission fraught with weather and security problems, but which also has brought more than 19.4 million pounds (8.6 million kilograms) of aid to starving Palestinians in Gaza.“Look, I see any result that produces more food, more humanitarian goods, getting to the people of Gaza as a success,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Thursday. ”It is additive. It is something additional that otherwise we would not have gotten there when it got there. And that is a good thing.”Some aid still remains offshore and in Cyprus, but officials said they are looking at alternative plans to take the aid to the Israeli port at Ashdod. The port has been eyed as a likely replacement option for the movement of supplies from Cyprus to Gaza.The continuing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/military-pier-gaza-israel-humanitarian-aid-c4d464cb01bdf86e71c38519fb635cde">weather problems</a>&nbsp;have forced the military to temporarily remove the pier three times since it was installed in May. And the project has also been hampered by security threats that prompted aid agencies to halt distribution of the food and other supplies into Gaza.The aid groups have said that while any amount of food for Gaza is welcome, many have criticized the project as a costly distraction, saying the U.S. should concentrate on pressuring Israel to allow more aid through land borders, which have long been considered the most productive option.The U.N. suspended all World Food Program deliveries from the the pier after a June 8 Israeli military raid that saved four Israeli hostages but killed hundreds of Palestinians, citing concerns that troops used an area near there for flying out the rescued hostages by helicopter.

U.S. forces continue to face daily terrorist threats in the Red Sea

PAWNEE COUNTY– James Speer, 32, formerly of Larned appeared in the Pawnee County District Court this week for trial regarding two alleged Jessica’s Law sexual offenses alleged to have occurred in 2013, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.

The matter was originally scheduled to be presented to a jury, but Speer waived his right to a jury trial on July 3, 2024, and asked to proceed with a bench trial. 

Pawnee County District Judge Bruce Gatterman presided over the bench trial. Prior to trial, the defendant gave the State notice of his intent to rely on an alibi defense.

The State presented testimony that during a conversation with her mother in August of 2020 the victim disclosed that, when she was approximately 8 years old, she had been sexually assaulted at party her father took her to. 

She stated the assault occurred when a man asked her to sit on his lap near a bonfire. The girl also told her mother that they ultimately spent the night at the party because her father had been drinking heavily. After she had fallen asleep, the victim remembered being awakened to find the same man’s face and he was assaulting her. The victim told her mother that she did not know that man that did it, but she would “definitely remember his face if she saw it again.”

The mother testified at trial that after her daughter’s disclosure she reached out to the girl’s father and was able to determine the party in question occurred sometime in 2013 in Garfield, Kansas. While the father could not remember the names of the men at the party, he did remember the names of a couple woman that he had attended the party with. The mother further testified that she utilized social media to reach out to the women. One of the women responded to her and gave her the names of two men at the party, one of whom was James Speer. The mother was able to obtain pictures of Speer and the other man and sent the photos to her daughter electronically. The girl testified at trial that when she opened the photo of the other man, she thought it kind of looked like the assailant, but not exactly. However, when she opened the photo of Speer she instantly couldn’t breathe, and she had a panic attack.

The Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department was then notified about the allegations by the mother after the victim identified James Speer as her assailant. A formal forensic interview of the girl was performed by the Child Advocacy Center in Great Bend, Kansas.

Law enforcement testified at trial their investigation revealed that the father had in fact learned of the allegation the day following the party and had told the women he had attended the party with about the allegation. His daughter, however, later downplayed the actual touching after the father said he was going to kill the man. As such, the father never notified law enforcement.

When law enforcement interviewed the two women identified by the father, they learned that one of the two women had been the live-in girlfriend of James Speer at the time of the party. Both women testified that Speer was at the party, that they saw the girl on his lap, that Speer was the only person’s lap the girl sat on, and that they had also saw Speer carry the girl into the house after she fell asleep. They further testified the other man identified at the party had left before anyone had gone to bed. The other man identified at the party died in 2015.

 The victim’s father also testified at the trial about remembering Speer being at the party and how his daughter had sat on Speer’s lap.

Additionally, law enforcement discovered that after Speer’s girlfriend learned about the allegation against Speer the day following the party in question, the woman immediately took her own daughter, who was two year old at the time, to the Pawnee Valley Community Hospital (PVCH) for a sexual assault exam. 

The medical records reflected that the exam took place on May 26, 2013. The records also indicated the exam was being requested due to an allegation that the child’s mother’s boyfriend, James Speer, had put his hands on a 7 year old girl the night before. The records also indicated that the mother lived with James Speer in Garfield but did not intend to return to the home. Based on the information provided, PVCH made referrals to law enforcement and DCF.

A current detective for the sheriff’s department assigned to the case testified that based on his review of the file it appeared no follow-up was done on the referral as Speer was arrested on July 2, 2013, and subsequently charged with having a sexual relationship with a 14 year old girl. Speer has been in custody since that time.

As part of the evidence at trial, the parties stipulated that in 2015 a jury of twelve persons convicted, James Edwin Speer, of two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a 14 year old child. Specifically, the jury found (1) James Edwin Speer had sexual intercourse with a 14 year old child in an apartment in Larned, Kansas, on or about 24th day of May to on or about the 7th day of June, 2013; and (2) James Edwin Speer had sexual intercourse with a 14 year old child in an apartment in Larned, Kansas, on or about 7th day of June to on or about the 30th day of June, 2013.

Following the presentation of the State’s case, the defendant took the stand on his own behalf. Speer testified that he had not been at the party in question as he had already moved out of the home on May 1st and that based on the evidence presented at the jury trial in his 2015 conviction it was impossible for him to have committed the crimes currently charged as he was having a sexual relationship with the 14 year old during that time frame. Defense counsel then asked in support of their alibi defense that the Court to take judicial notice of the trial testimony of the prior jury trial.

The parties presented closing arguments on Wednesday morning.&nbsp;

On Wednesday afternoon Judge Gatterman announced that as the trier of fact he found the victim’s identification of Speer being her assailant persuasive and when combining that with the eyewitness testimony placing Speer at the party, the victim being on Speer’s lap, and there being no other identifiable possible perpetrator, the Court found the State had proven beyond a reasonable that on or about May 25 or 26, 2013, in Pawnee County, Kansas, the defendant James Edwin Speer had sexual intercourse as defined by Kansas law and then engaged in oral sodomy as defined by Kansas law with a child under the age of 14 years of age at a time when the defendant was 18 years of age or older. Accordingly, the Court found the defendant guilty of Rape of a Child Under 14 years of age and guilty of Aggravated Oral Sodomy of a Child Under 14 years of age.

Following the reading of his verdicts, Judge Gatterman advised Speer of his duty to register as sex offender under the Kansas Offender Registration Act and ordered a presentence investigation report be completed to determine the defendant’s criminal history. Sentencing will be scheduled for a later date.

Under the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines, Speer faces a presumptive prison sentence between 147 months and 653 months in the custody of the Department of Corrections depending on his criminal history. Based on his prior sex offenses, Speer now also faces the possibility of a mandatory 40 year sentence under the Jessica’s Law sentencing provisions.

Speer is currently in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections serving a sentence for his 2015 convictions.

Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett presented the State’s case. Speer was represented by Joe Shepack of Great Bend, Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720657861287.png" alt="Speer has four previous convictions for sex crime and convictions for criminal threat, obstruction and aggravated intimidation of a witness, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections -photo Pawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Speer has four previous convictions for sex crime and convictions for criminal threat, obstruction and aggravated intimidation of a witness, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections -photo Pawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>EDITOR'S NOTE: Caution graphic contentPAWNEE COUNTY– James Speer, 32, formerly of Larned appeared in the Pawnee County District Court this week for trial regarding two alleged Jessica’s Law sexual offenses alleged to have occurred in 2013, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.The matter was originally scheduled to be presented to a jury, but Speer waived his right to a jury trial on July 3, 2024, and asked to proceed with a bench trial. Pawnee County District Judge Bruce Gatterman presided over the bench trial. Prior to trial, the defendant gave the State notice of his intent to rely on an alibi defense.The State presented testimony that during a conversation with her mother in August of 2020 the victim disclosed that, when she was approximately 8 years old, she had been sexually assaulted at party her father took her to. She stated the assault occurred when a man asked her to sit on his lap near a bonfire. The girl also told her mother that they ultimately spent the night at the party because her father had been drinking heavily. After she had fallen asleep, the victim remembered being awakened to find the same man’s face and he was assaulting her. The victim told her mother that she did not know that man that did it, but she would “definitely remember his face if she saw it again.”The mother testified at trial that after her daughter’s disclosure she reached out to the girl’s father and was able to determine the party in question occurred sometime in 2013 in Garfield, Kansas. While the father could not remember the names of the men at the party, he did remember the names of a couple woman that he had attended the party with. The mother further testified that she utilized social media to reach out to the women. One of the women responded to her and gave her the names of two men at the party, one of whom was James Speer. The mother was able to obtain pictures of Speer and the other man and sent the photos to her daughter electronically. The girl testified at trial that when she opened the photo of the other man, she thought it kind of looked like the assailant, but not exactly. However, when she opened the photo of Speer she instantly couldn’t breathe, and she had a panic attack.The Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department was then notified about the allegations by the mother after the victim identified James Speer as her assailant. A formal forensic interview of the girl was performed by the Child Advocacy Center in Great Bend, Kansas.Law enforcement testified at trial their investigation revealed that the father had in fact learned of the allegation the day following the party and had told the women he had attended the party with about the allegation. His daughter, however, later downplayed the actual touching after the father said he was going to kill the man. As such, the father never notified law enforcement.When law enforcement interviewed the two women identified by the father, they learned that one of the two women had been the live-in girlfriend of James Speer at the time of the party. Both women testified that Speer was at the party, that they saw the girl on his lap, that Speer was the only person’s lap the girl sat on, and that they had also saw Speer carry the girl into the house after she fell asleep. They further testified the other man identified at the party had left before anyone had gone to bed. The other man identified at the party died in 2015. The victim’s father also testified at the trial about remembering Speer being at the party and how his daughter had sat on Speer’s lap.Additionally, law enforcement discovered that after Speer’s girlfriend learned about the allegation against Speer the day following the party in question, the woman immediately took her own daughter, who was two year old at the time, to the Pawnee Valley Community Hospital (PVCH) for a sexual assault exam. The medical records reflected that the exam took place on May 26, 2013. The records also indicated the exam was being requested due to an allegation that the child’s mother’s boyfriend, James Speer, had put his hands on a 7 year old girl the night before. The records also indicated that the mother lived with James Speer in Garfield but did not intend to return to the home. Based on the information provided, PVCH made referrals to law enforcement and DCF.A current detective for the sheriff’s department assigned to the case testified that based on his review of the file it appeared no follow-up was done on the referral as Speer was arrested on July 2, 2013, and subsequently charged with having a sexual relationship with a 14 year old girl. Speer has been in custody since that time.As part of the evidence at trial, the parties stipulated that in 2015 a jury of twelve persons convicted, James Edwin Speer, of two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a 14 year old child. Specifically, the jury found (1) James Edwin Speer had sexual intercourse with a 14 year old child in an apartment in Larned, Kansas, on or about 24th day of May to on or about the 7th day of June, 2013; and (2) James Edwin Speer had sexual intercourse with a 14 year old child in an apartment in Larned, Kansas, on or about 7th day of June to on or about the 30th day of June, 2013.Following the presentation of the State’s case, the defendant took the stand on his own behalf. Speer testified that he had not been at the party in question as he had already moved out of the home on May 1st and that based on the evidence presented at the jury trial in his 2015 conviction it was impossible for him to have committed the crimes currently charged as he was having a sexual relationship with the 14 year old during that time frame. Defense counsel then asked in support of their alibi defense that the Court to take judicial notice of the trial testimony of the prior jury trial.The parties presented closing arguments on Wednesday morning.&nbsp;On Wednesday afternoon Judge Gatterman announced that as the trier of fact he found the victim’s identification of Speer being her assailant persuasive and when combining that with the eyewitness testimony placing Speer at the party, the victim being on Speer’s lap, and there being no other identifiable possible perpetrator, the Court found the State had proven beyond a reasonable that on or about May 25 or 26, 2013, in Pawnee County, Kansas, the defendant James Edwin Speer had sexual intercourse as defined by Kansas law and then engaged in oral sodomy as defined by Kansas law with a child under the age of 14 years of age at a time when the defendant was 18 years of age or older. Accordingly, the Court found the defendant guilty of Rape of a Child Under 14 years of age and guilty of Aggravated Oral Sodomy of a Child Under 14 years of age.Following the reading of his verdicts, Judge Gatterman advised Speer of his duty to register as sex offender under the Kansas Offender Registration Act and ordered a presentence investigation report be completed to determine the defendant’s criminal history. Sentencing will be scheduled for a later date.Under the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines, Speer faces a presumptive prison sentence between 147 months and 653 months in the custody of the Department of Corrections depending on his criminal history. Based on his prior sex offenses, Speer now also faces the possibility of a mandatory 40 year sentence under the Jessica’s Law sentencing provisions.Speer is currently in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections serving a sentence for his 2015 convictions.Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett presented the State’s case. Speer was represented by Joe Shepack of Great Bend, Kansas.

Judge rules Kan. felon guilty of another child sex crime

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden used his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-press-conference-nato-campaign-f213c40509e35ed485ed3c57277ee911">highly anticipated news conference</a>&nbsp;Thursday to deliver a forceful defense of his foreign and domestic policies, and batted away questions about his ability to serve another four years even as he flubbed a reference to Donald Trump in one of his first answers.

(Click below to watch a replay of the news conferenc)

“I’m not in this for my legacy. I’m in this to complete the job I started,” Biden said as he insisted his support among the electorate was strong and he would stay in the race and would win.

Fumbles notwithstanding, the president pushed back at every suggestion that was slowing down or showing noticeable signs of decline, or that he was not in command of the job. But he was facing a growing chorus of calls from lawmakers, celebrities and other prominent Democrats to step aside from the 2024 race.

“My schedule has been full bore,” he declared. “So if I slow down and I cant get the job done, that’s a sign that I shouldn’t be doing it. But there’s no indication of that yet — none.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/live/election-biden-trump-campaign-updates-07-11-2024">Democrats are facing</a>&nbsp;an intractable problem. Top donors, supporters and key lawmakers are doubtful of Biden’s abilities to carry on his reelection bid after his disastrous June 27 debate performance, but the hard-fighting 81-year-old president refuses to give up as he prepares to take on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump</a>&nbsp;in a rematch.

The first questioner of Biden’s press conference asked about him losing support among many of his fellow Democrats and unionists, and asked about Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden was at first defiant, saying the “UAW endorsed me, but go ahead,” meaning the United Auto Workers. But then he mixed up Harris and Trump, saying, “I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be Vice President if she wasn’t qualified."

As of Thursday evening, a dozen House Democrats had called for him to exit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024">the race</a>. The press conference was an effort to show he's up for another four years; voters are watching and elected officials are deciding whether to press for another choice.

Trump weighed in live on Biden’s news conference with a post on his social media network of a video clip of the president saying “Vice President Trump.”

Trump added sarcastically, “Great job, Joe!”

Earlier, Biden's campaign laid out what it sees as its path to keeping the White House in a new memo, saying that winning the “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan is the “clearest pathway” to victory. And it declared no other Democrat would do better against Trump.

“There is also no indication that anyone else would outperform the president vs. Trump,” said the memo from campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez that was obtained by The Associated Press.

The memo sought to brush back “hypothetical polling of alternative nominees ” as unreliable and it said such surveys “do not take into account the negative media environment that any Democratic nominee will encounter.”

Meanwhile, the campaign has been quietly surveying voters on Vice President Kamala Harris to determine how she’s viewed among the electorate, according to two people with knowledge of the campaign who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to talk about internal matters.

The people said the polling was not necessarily to show that she could be the nominee in Biden’s place, but rather to better understand how she’s viewed. The research came after Trump stepped up his attacks against Harris following the debate, according to another person familiar with the effort. The survey was first reported by The New York Times.

“I think I’m the best qualified person to do the job,” he said Thursday.

While Biden has expressed confidence in his chances, his campaign on Thursday acknowledged he is behind, and a growing number of the president’s aides in the White House and the campaign privately harbor doubts that he can turn things around.

But they’re taking their cues from Biden, expressing that he is in 100% unless and until he isn’t, and there appears to be no organized internal effort to persuade the president to step aside. His allies were well aware heading into the week there would be more calls for him to step down, and they were prepared for it.

But in announcing a compact that would bring together NATO countries to support Ukraine, Biden referred to the nation’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin” to audible gasps in the room. He quickly returned to the microphone: “President Putin - he’s going to beat President Putin ... President Zelenskyy,” Biden said.

Then he said: “I’m so focused on beating Putin,” in an effort to explain the gaffe.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720742007717.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden used his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-press-conference-nato-campaign-f213c40509e35ed485ed3c57277ee911">highly anticipated news conference</a>&nbsp;Thursday to deliver a forceful defense of his foreign and domestic policies, and batted away questions about his ability to serve another four years even as he flubbed a reference to Donald Trump in one of his first answers.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Q: &quot;What concerns do you have about Vice President Harris&#39; ability to beat Donald Trump if she were at the top of the ticket? President Biden: Look, I wouldn&#39;t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if I didn&#39;t think she was not qualified to be vice president. <a href="https://t.co/TqqSKBsyQu">pic.twitter.com/TqqSKBsyQu</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1811546437567586658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>(Click below to watch a replay of the news conferenc)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4YF3ksozMBw?si=3XavzsHKEhlly8DY&amp;start=4321" 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>“I’m not in this for my legacy. I’m in this to complete the job I started,” Biden said as he insisted his support among the electorate was strong and he would stay in the race and would win.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden: &quot;I always have an inclination...just to keep going. I just got to pace myself a bit more.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/vYsoeTip1J">pic.twitter.com/vYsoeTip1J</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1811559314382868719?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden: &quot;I am not opposed if my doctors tell me I should have another neurological exam, I&#39;ll do it.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/7glZeatRyP">pic.twitter.com/7glZeatRyP</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1811559403511824708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden on <a href="https://twitter.com/NATO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NATO</a> Summit: &quot;I thought it was the most successful conference I&#39;ve attended in a long time and find me a world leader who didn&#39;t think it was.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/7rZDnwXhGv">pic.twitter.com/7rZDnwXhGv</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1811549885809783207?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden: &quot;I will not bow down to Putin. I will not walk away from Ukraine. I will keep NATO strong. That&#39;s exactly what we did and exactly what we will continue to do.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/LSDp2dPd7G">pic.twitter.com/LSDp2dPd7G</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1811550403399463028?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/PeterAlexander?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PeterAlexander</a>: &quot;You referred to Vice President Harris as Vice President Trump. Right now Donald Trump is using that to mock your age and your memory. How do you combat that criticism from tonight? President Biden: &quot;Listen to him.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/hJPpXbvDFi">pic.twitter.com/hJPpXbvDFi</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1811560186022142094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Fumbles notwithstanding, the president pushed back at every suggestion that was slowing down or showing noticeable signs of decline, or that he was not in command of the job. But he was facing a growing chorus of calls from lawmakers, celebrities and other prominent Democrats to step aside from the 2024 race.“My schedule has been full bore,” he declared. “So if I slow down and I cant get the job done, that’s a sign that I shouldn’t be doing it. But there’s no indication of that yet — none.”<a href="https://apnews.com/live/election-biden-trump-campaign-updates-07-11-2024">Democrats are facing</a>&nbsp;an intractable problem. Top donors, supporters and key lawmakers are doubtful of Biden’s abilities to carry on his reelection bid after his disastrous June 27 debate performance, but the hard-fighting 81-year-old president refuses to give up as he prepares to take on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump</a>&nbsp;in a rematch.The first questioner of Biden’s press conference asked about him losing support among many of his fellow Democrats and unionists, and asked about Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden was at first defiant, saying the “UAW endorsed me, but go ahead,” meaning the United Auto Workers. But then he mixed up Harris and Trump, saying, “I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be Vice President if she wasn’t qualified."As of Thursday evening, a dozen House Democrats had called for him to exit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024">the race</a>. The press conference was an effort to show he's up for another four years; voters are watching and elected officials are deciding whether to press for another choice.Trump weighed in live on Biden’s news conference with a post on his social media network of a video clip of the president saying “Vice President Trump.”Trump added sarcastically, “Great job, Joe!”Earlier, Biden's campaign laid out what it sees as its path to keeping the White House in a new memo, saying that winning the “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan is the “clearest pathway” to victory. And it declared no other Democrat would do better against Trump.“There is also no indication that anyone else would outperform the president vs. Trump,” said the memo from campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez that was obtained by The Associated Press.The memo sought to brush back “hypothetical polling of alternative nominees ” as unreliable and it said such surveys “do not take into account the negative media environment that any Democratic nominee will encounter.”Meanwhile, the campaign has been quietly surveying voters on Vice President Kamala Harris to determine how she’s viewed among the electorate, according to two people with knowledge of the campaign who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to talk about internal matters.The people said the polling was not necessarily to show that she could be the nominee in Biden’s place, but rather to better understand how she’s viewed. The research came after Trump stepped up his attacks against Harris following the debate, according to another person familiar with the effort. The survey was first reported by The New York Times.“I think I’m the best qualified person to do the job,” he said Thursday.While Biden has expressed confidence in his chances, his campaign on Thursday acknowledged he is behind, and a growing number of the president’s aides in the White House and the campaign privately harbor doubts that he can turn things around.But they’re taking their cues from Biden, expressing that he is in 100% unless and until he isn’t, and there appears to be no organized internal effort to persuade the president to step aside. His allies were well aware heading into the week there would be more calls for him to step down, and they were prepared for it.But in announcing a compact that would bring together NATO countries to support Ukraine, Biden referred to the nation’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin” to audible gasps in the room. He quickly returned to the microphone: “President Putin - he’s going to beat President Putin ... President Zelenskyy,” Biden said.Then he said: “I’m so focused on beating Putin,” in an effort to explain the gaffe.“I’m better” Zelenskyy replied. “You’re a hell of a lot better,” Biden said back.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer invited Biden’s team to meet with senators privately at the lunch hour to discuss concerns and the path forward, but some senators groused they would prefer to hear from the president himself. In the Senate, only Peter Welch of Vermont has so far called for Biden to step out of the race.The 90-minute conversation with the president's team, which one person said included no new data, polling or game plan on how Biden would beat Trump, did not appear to change senators' minds. The person was granted anonymity to discuss the closed door session.The meeting was frank, angry at times and also somewhat painful, since many in the room know and love Biden, said one senator who requested anonymity to discuss the private briefing. Senators confronted the advisers over Biden’s performance at the debate and the effect on Senate races this yearOne Democrat, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, said afterward, “My belief is that the president can win, but he’s got to be able to go out and answer voters' concerns. He’s got to be able to talk to voters directly over the next few day."At the same time, influential senators are standing strongly with Biden, leaving the party at an impasse.Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent, told AP he thinks Biden "is going to win this election. I think he has a chance to win it big.”Sanders said he has been publicly critical of the campaign, and said Biden needs to talk more about the future and his plans for the country. “As we come closer to Election Day, the choices are very clear," he said.__ Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo, Colleen Long, Mary Clare Jalonick, Kevin Freking, Farnoush Amiri and Linley Sanders contributed to this report.