CRAWFORD COUNTY —A sheriff's deputy in Missouri had a close encounter with a UFO on the Interstate last week.&nbsp; The Crawford County sheriff's office wrote on their social media page, "Well, you never know what will be traveling through Crawford County but this one was a little out of this world."

"These friendly humanoids, who have come in peace, are heading west to Roswell, New Mexico for a festival."

"There was a brief conversation about his out of space, correction, out of state registration, but he assured the sheriff's deputy that he would take care of that issue when he returned to Krypton."

"The driver was also warned about our strict enforcement of warp speed on the interstate and to keep his phasers on stun only while traveling."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719794235582.png" alt="Photos Crawford Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photos Crawford Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>CRAWFORD COUNTY —A sheriff's deputy in Missouri had a close encounter with a UFO on the Interstate last week.&nbsp; The Crawford County sheriff's office wrote on their social media page, "Well, you never know what will be traveling through Crawford County but this one was a little out of this world."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719794217778.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>"These friendly humanoids, who have come in peace, are heading west to Roswell, New Mexico for a festival.""There was a brief conversation about his out of space, correction, out of state registration, but he assured the sheriff's deputy that he would take care of that issue when he returned to Krypton.""The driver was also warned about our strict enforcement of warp speed on the interstate and to keep his phasers on stun only while traveling."

Sheriff's deputy has encounter with UFO on Interstate

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">The Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Monday ruled for the first time that former presidents have some immunity from prosecution, extending the delay in the Washington criminal case against Donald Trump on charges he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">plotted to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss</a>&nbsp;and all but ending prospects the former president could be tried before the November election.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the ruling

In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24785411-trump-v-united-states">a historic 6-3 ruling</a>, the justices returned Trump's case to the trial court to determine what is left of special counsel Jack Smith's indictment The outcome means additional delay before Trump could face trial.

The court’s decision in a second major Trump case this term, along with its ruling&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-trump-insurrection-election-colorado-51e79c0f03013034c8a042cb278b6446">rejecting efforts to bar him from the ballot</a>&nbsp;because of his actions following the 2020 election, underscores the direct and possibly uncomfortable role the justices are playing in the November election.

“Under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of presidential power entitles a former president to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court. “And he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. There is no immunity for unofficial acts.”

Roberts was joined by the other five conservative justices. The three liberal justices dissented.

In her scathing dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, “Today’s decision to grant former presidents criminal immunity reshapes the institution of the presidency. It makes a mockery of the principle, foundational to our Constitution and system of government, that no man is above the law."

Sotomayor, who read a summary of her dissent aloud in the courtroom, said the protection afforded presidents by the court "is just as bad as it sounds, and it is baseless.”

Trump posted in all capital letters on his social media network shortly after the decision was released: “BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!”

Smith’s office declined to comment on the ruling.

The justices knocked out one aspect of the indictment. The opinion found Trump is “absolutely immune” from prosecution for alleged conduct involving discussions with the Justice Department.

Trump is also “at least presumptively immune” from allegations that he tried to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to reject certification of Democrat Joe Biden's electoral vote win on Jan. 6, 2021. Prosecutors can try to make the case that Trump's pressure on Pence still can be part of the case against him, Roberts wrote.

The court directed a fact-finding analysis on one of the more striking allegations in the indictment -- that Trump participated in a scheme to enlist fake electors in battleground states won by Biden who would falsely assert that Trump had won. Both sides had dramatically different interpretations as to whether that effort could be construed as official, and the conservative justices said determining which side is correct would require additional analysis at the trial court level.

That work will fall to U.S. District Judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indictment-judge-tanya-chutkan-capitol-riot-9ba5c18d315697d759521425ea203012">Tanya Chutkan</a>, who would preside over Trump's trial.

Trump still could face a trial, said Notre Dame law professor Derek Muller. “But the fact remains that it is almost impossible to happen before the election."

The ruling was the last of the term, and it came more than two months after the court heard arguments, far slower than in other epic high court cases involving the presidency, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/john-dean-richard-nixon-government-and-politics-crime-c7a7b99cca7c685cfc239f5e08b53378">the Watergate tapes case</a>.

The Republican former president has denied doing anything wrong and has said this prosecution and three others are politically motivated to try to keep him from returning to the White House.

In May, Trump became the first former president to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-deliberations-jury-testimony-verdict-85558c6d08efb434d05b694364470aa0">convicted of a felony</a>, in a New York court. He was found guilty of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment made during the 2016 presidential election to a porn actor who says she had sex with him, which he denies. He still faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-classified-documents-january-6-a0cb26da1959e2be04a4be2080eba0ad">three other indictments</a>.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">Smith</a>&nbsp;is leading the two federal probes of the former president, both of which have led to criminal charges. The Washington case focuses on Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election after he lost to Biden. The case in Florida revolves around the mishandling of classified documents. A separate case, in Georgia, also turns on Trump’s actions after his defeat in 2020.

If Trump’s Washington trial does not take place before the 2024 election and he is not given another four years in the White House, he presumably would stand trial soon thereafter.

But if he wins, he could appoint an attorney general who would seek the dismissal of this case and the other federal prosecution he faces. He could also attempt to pardon himself if he reclaims the White House. He could not pardon himself for the conviction in state court in New York.

The Supreme Court that heard the case included three justices appointed by Trump — Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh — and two justices who opted not to step aside after questions were raised about their impartiality.

Justice Clarence Thomas’ wife,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-fraud-mark-meadows-c734294e2810f1240ea7ed1cbf675760">Ginni</a>, attended the rally near the White House where Trump spoke on Jan. 6, 2021, though she did not go the Capitol when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">a mob of Trump supporters</a>&nbsp;attacked it soon after. Following the 2020 election, she called the outcome a “heist” and exchanged messages with then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, urging him to stand firm with Trump as he falsely claimed that there was widespread election fraud.

Justice Samuel Alito said there was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alito-flag-supreme-court-roberts-justice-senate-e53c1d1fef7b81f9dc87fa31b1622c4c">no reason for him to step aside</a>&nbsp;from the cases following reports by The New York Times that said flags similar to those carried by the Jan. 6 rioters flew above his homes in Virginia and on the New Jersey shore. His wife, Martha-Ann Alito, was responsible for flying both the inverted American flag in January 2021 and the “Appeal to Heaven” banner in the summer of 2023, he said in letters to Democratic lawmakers responding to their recusal demands.

Trump’s trial had been scheduled to begin March 4, but that was before he sought court-sanctioned delays and a full review of the issue by the nation’s highest court.

Before the Supreme Court got involved, a trial judge and a three-judge appellate panel had ruled unanimously that Trump can be prosecuted for actions undertaken while in the White House and in the run-up to Jan. 6.

“For the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant,” the appeals court wrote in February. “But any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as President no longer protects him against this prosecution.”

Chutkan&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-capitol-riot-immunity-donald-trump-a98872759762c95fa925ff831df27388">ruled against Trump’s immunity claim</a>&nbsp;in December. In her ruling, Chutkan said the office of the president “does not confer a lifelong ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ pass.”

“Former Presidents enjoy no special conditions on their federal criminal liability,” Chutkan wrote. “Defendant may be subject to federal investigation, indictment, prosecution, conviction, and punishment for any criminal acts undertaken while in office.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686700913232.png" alt="Photo AP" />
 <figcaption>Photo AP</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">The Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Monday ruled for the first time that former presidents have some immunity from prosecution, extending the delay in the Washington criminal case against Donald Trump on charges he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">plotted to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss</a>&nbsp;and all but ending prospects the former president could be tried before the November election.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1719849152417.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the rulingIn&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24785411-trump-v-united-states">a historic 6-3 ruling</a>, the justices returned Trump's case to the trial court to determine what is left of special counsel Jack Smith's indictment The outcome means additional delay before Trump could face trial.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1719857571770.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1719857634573.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The court’s decision in a second major Trump case this term, along with its ruling&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-trump-insurrection-election-colorado-51e79c0f03013034c8a042cb278b6446">rejecting efforts to bar him from the ballot</a>&nbsp;because of his actions following the 2020 election, underscores the direct and possibly uncomfortable role the justices are playing in the November election.“Under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of presidential power entitles a former president to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court. “And he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. There is no immunity for unofficial acts.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The Supreme Court made the right decision. We must maintain strong presidential immunity protections to ensure our leaders can make tough decisions without fear of political retribution.&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1807788510079770685?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Roberts was joined by the other five conservative justices. The three liberal justices dissented.In her scathing dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, “Today’s decision to grant former presidents criminal immunity reshapes the institution of the presidency. It makes a mockery of the principle, foundational to our Constitution and system of government, that no man is above the law."Sotomayor, who read a summary of her dissent aloud in the courtroom, said the protection afforded presidents by the court "is just as bad as it sounds, and it is baseless.”Trump posted in all capital letters on his social media network shortly after the decision was released: “BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!”Smith’s office declined to comment on the ruling.The justices knocked out one aspect of the indictment. The opinion found Trump is “absolutely immune” from prosecution for alleged conduct involving discussions with the Justice Department.Trump is also “at least presumptively immune” from allegations that he tried to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to reject certification of Democrat Joe Biden's electoral vote win on Jan. 6, 2021. Prosecutors can try to make the case that Trump's pressure on Pence still can be part of the case against him, Roberts wrote.The court directed a fact-finding analysis on one of the more striking allegations in the indictment -- that Trump participated in a scheme to enlist fake electors in battleground states won by Biden who would falsely assert that Trump had won. Both sides had dramatically different interpretations as to whether that effort could be construed as official, and the conservative justices said determining which side is correct would require additional analysis at the trial court level.That work will fall to U.S. District Judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indictment-judge-tanya-chutkan-capitol-riot-9ba5c18d315697d759521425ea203012">Tanya Chutkan</a>, who would preside over Trump's trial.Trump still could face a trial, said Notre Dame law professor Derek Muller. “But the fact remains that it is almost impossible to happen before the election."The ruling was the last of the term, and it came more than two months after the court heard arguments, far slower than in other epic high court cases involving the presidency, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/john-dean-richard-nixon-government-and-politics-crime-c7a7b99cca7c685cfc239f5e08b53378">the Watergate tapes case</a>.The Republican former president has denied doing anything wrong and has said this prosecution and three others are politically motivated to try to keep him from returning to the White House.In May, Trump became the first former president to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-deliberations-jury-testimony-verdict-85558c6d08efb434d05b694364470aa0">convicted of a felony</a>, in a New York court. He was found guilty of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment made during the 2016 presidential election to a porn actor who says she had sex with him, which he denies. He still faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-classified-documents-january-6-a0cb26da1959e2be04a4be2080eba0ad">three other indictments</a>.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">Smith</a>&nbsp;is leading the two federal probes of the former president, both of which have led to criminal charges. The Washington case focuses on Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election after he lost to Biden. The case in Florida revolves around the mishandling of classified documents. A separate case, in Georgia, also turns on Trump’s actions after his defeat in 2020.If Trump’s Washington trial does not take place before the 2024 election and he is not given another four years in the White House, he presumably would stand trial soon thereafter.But if he wins, he could appoint an attorney general who would seek the dismissal of this case and the other federal prosecution he faces. He could also attempt to pardon himself if he reclaims the White House. He could not pardon himself for the conviction in state court in New York.The Supreme Court that heard the case included three justices appointed by Trump — Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh — and two justices who opted not to step aside after questions were raised about their impartiality.Justice Clarence Thomas’ wife,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-fraud-mark-meadows-c734294e2810f1240ea7ed1cbf675760">Ginni</a>, attended the rally near the White House where Trump spoke on Jan. 6, 2021, though she did not go the Capitol when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">a mob of Trump supporters</a>&nbsp;attacked it soon after. Following the 2020 election, she called the outcome a “heist” and exchanged messages with then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, urging him to stand firm with Trump as he falsely claimed that there was widespread election fraud.Justice Samuel Alito said there was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alito-flag-supreme-court-roberts-justice-senate-e53c1d1fef7b81f9dc87fa31b1622c4c">no reason for him to step aside</a>&nbsp;from the cases following reports by The New York Times that said flags similar to those carried by the Jan. 6 rioters flew above his homes in Virginia and on the New Jersey shore. His wife, Martha-Ann Alito, was responsible for flying both the inverted American flag in January 2021 and the “Appeal to Heaven” banner in the summer of 2023, he said in letters to Democratic lawmakers responding to their recusal demands.Trump’s trial had been scheduled to begin March 4, but that was before he sought court-sanctioned delays and a full review of the issue by the nation’s highest court.Before the Supreme Court got involved, a trial judge and a three-judge appellate panel had ruled unanimously that Trump can be prosecuted for actions undertaken while in the White House and in the run-up to Jan. 6.“For the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant,” the appeals court wrote in February. “But any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as President no longer protects him against this prosecution.”Chutkan&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-capitol-riot-immunity-donald-trump-a98872759762c95fa925ff831df27388">ruled against Trump’s immunity claim</a>&nbsp;in December. In her ruling, Chutkan said the office of the president “does not confer a lifelong ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ pass.”“Former Presidents enjoy no special conditions on their federal criminal liability,” Chutkan wrote. “Defendant may be subject to federal investigation, indictment, prosecution, conviction, and punishment for any criminal acts undertaken while in office.”

History: Trump's statements on Supreme Court immunity decision

JOHNSON COUNTY —Fire officials in Johnson County urged the public to consider saving the money you might spend on fireworks and attend a public fireworks display.

On their social media page, the Olathe Fire Department shared photos of a house fire on July 4, 2023 caused by&nbsp;discarded fireworks in a trash bin.

There were no injuries. However, the fire caused an estimated $250, 000 damage to the home. "Leave fireworks to the pros. Attend a public fireworks display."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719587569489.jpeg" alt="Photos Olathe Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Photos Olathe Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —Fire officials in Johnson County urged the public to consider saving the money you might spend on fireworks and attend a public fireworks display.On their social media page, the Olathe Fire Department shared photos of a house fire on July 4, 2023 caused by&nbsp;discarded fireworks in a trash bin.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719587758471.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>There were no injuries. However, the fire caused an estimated $250, 000 damage to the home. "Leave fireworks to the pros. Attend a public fireworks display."

Leave fireworks to the pros: $250,000 damage to Kan. home 

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Monday filed a lawsuit against Attorney General Merrick Garland for the audio recording of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden's</a>&nbsp;interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-age-trump-2024-4791639cc06cc0affee55aba80c7e6b3">a special counsel in his classified documents case</a>, asking the courts to enforce their subpoena and reject the White House's effort to withhold the materials from Congress.

<a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24476201/biden1-copy.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;transcript of&nbsp;day 1 interview with President Biden.

<a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24476203/biden-2-copy.pdf">Click here to read&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;transcript of day 2 interview with President Biden

The lawsuit filed by the House Judiciary Committee marks Republicans' latest broadside against the Justice Department as partisan conflict over the rule of law animates&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024">the 2024 presidential campaign</a>. The legal action comes weeks after the White House blocked Garland from releasing the audio recording to Congress by asserting executive privilege.

Republicans in the House responded by voting to make Garland the third attorney general in U.S. history to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/garland-contempt-congress-vote-biden-classified-documents-20f5e8f48cfd8390eb695d13079ca306">held in contempt of Congress</a>. But the Justice Department refused to take up the contempt referral, citing the agency’s “longstanding position and uniform practice” to not prosecute officials who don’t comply with subpoenas because of a president’s claim of executive privilege.

The lawsuit states that Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., made a “last-ditch effort” last week to Garland to resolve the issue without taking legal action but the attorney general referred the Republicans to the White House, which rebuffed the “effort to find a solution to this impasse.”

Garland has defended the Justice Department, saying officials have gone to extraordinary lengths to provide information to the committees about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-hur-biden-special-counsel-classified-documents-0f8e4a9d99f8b7d035f75f78e9b8d3d3">special counsel Robert Hur’s</a>&nbsp;classified documents investigation, including a transcript of Biden’s interview with him.

The congressional inquiry began with the release of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-age-trump-2024-4791639cc06cc0affee55aba80c7e6b3">Hur’s report</a>&nbsp;in February, which found evidence that Biden, a Democrat, willfully retained and shared highly classified information when he was a private citizen. Yet the special counsel concluded that criminal charges were not warranted.

Republicans, incensed by Hur’s decision, issued a subpoena for audio of his interviews with Biden during the spring. But the Justice Department turned over only some of the records, leaving out audio of the interview with the president.

“The audio recordings, not the cold transcripts, are the best available evidence of how President Biden presented himself during the interview,” the lawsuit reads. “The Committee thus needs those recordings to assess the Special Counsel’s characterization of the President, which he and White House lawyers have forcefully disputed, and ultimate recommendation that President Biden should not be prosecuted.”

On the last day to comply with the Republicans’ subpoena for the audio, the White House blocked the release by invoking executive privilege. It said that Republicans in Congress only wanted the recordings “to chop them up” and use them for political purposes.

But Republicans maintain that access to both the audio recordings and the transcripts are warranted to determine if legislative reforms need to be put in place for the storage, handling and disclosure of sensitive documents by members of the executive branch. Prolonging the investigation also keeps attention on parts of Hur’s report that were politically damaging to Biden as he seeks reelection against former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, in November.

Beyond the bitingly critical assessment of Biden’s handling of sensitive government records, Hur offered unflattering characterizations of the Democratic president’s memory in his report, sparking fresh&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-memory-age-special-counsel-report-doj-f4232bc8316e556ed467185b67c3e0a8">questions about his competency and age</a>&nbsp;that cut at voters’ most deep-seated concerns about the 81-year-old seeking a second term.

“We need the audio recordings and the transcripts,” Rep. Jim Jordan, the GOP chair of the House Judiciary Committee, said during a hearing Thursday. “Put simply, they are the best evidence of the president’s mental state.”

Executive privilege gives presidents the right to keep information from the courts, Congress and the public to protect the confidentiality of decision-making, though it can be challenged in court. Administrations of both major political parties have long held the position that officials who assert a president’s claim of executive privilege can’t be prosecuted for contempt of Congress, a Justice Department official told Republicans last month.

Assistant Attorney General Carlos Felipe Uriarte cited a committee’s decision in 2008 to back down from a contempt effort after President George W. Bush asserted executive privilege to keep Congress from getting records involving Vice President Dick Cheney.

The White House and congressional Democrats have slammed Republicans’ motives for pursuing contempt and dismissed their efforts to obtain the audio as purely political. They also pointed out that Jordan defied his own congressional subpoena in the last session.

It's unclear how the lawsuit against Garland will play out. Courts have not had much to say about executive privilege. But in the 1974 case over President Richard Nixon’s refusal to release Oval Office recordings as part of t&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/john-dean-richard-nixon-government-and-politics-crime-c7a7b99cca7c685cfc239f5e08b53378">he Watergate investigation</a>, the Supreme Court held that the privilege is not absolute. In other words, the case for turning over documents or allowing testimony may be more compelling than arguments for withholding them. In that context, the court ruled 8-0 that Nixon had to turn over the tapes.

When it came to the Watergate tapes, the Supreme Court said it had the final word, and lower courts have occasionally weighed in to resolve other disputes. But courts also have made clear they prefer that the White House and Congress resolve their disagreements without judicial intervention, when possible.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Monday filed a lawsuit against Attorney General Merrick Garland for the audio recording of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden's</a>&nbsp;interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-age-trump-2024-4791639cc06cc0affee55aba80c7e6b3">a special counsel in his classified documents case</a>, asking the courts to enforce their subpoena and reject the White House's effort to withhold the materials from Congress.<a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24476201/biden1-copy.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;transcript of&nbsp;day 1 interview with President Biden.<a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24476203/biden-2-copy.pdf">Click here to read&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;transcript of day 2 interview with President BidenThe lawsuit filed by the House Judiciary Committee marks Republicans' latest broadside against the Justice Department as partisan conflict over the rule of law animates&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024">the 2024 presidential campaign</a>. The legal action comes weeks after the White House blocked Garland from releasing the audio recording to Congress by asserting executive privilege.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1707478982378.png" alt="Page from the special counsel's report that highlight's Biden's memory challenges.- U.S. Department of Justice" />
 <figcaption>Page from the special counsel's report that highlight's Biden's memory challenges.- U.S. Department of Justice</figcaption>
 </figure>Republicans in the House responded by voting to make Garland the third attorney general in U.S. history to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/garland-contempt-congress-vote-biden-classified-documents-20f5e8f48cfd8390eb695d13079ca306">held in contempt of Congress</a>. But the Justice Department refused to take up the contempt referral, citing the agency’s “longstanding position and uniform practice” to not prosecute officials who don’t comply with subpoenas because of a president’s claim of executive privilege.The lawsuit states that Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., made a “last-ditch effort” last week to Garland to resolve the issue without taking legal action but the attorney general referred the Republicans to the White House, which rebuffed the “effort to find a solution to this impasse.”Garland has defended the Justice Department, saying officials have gone to extraordinary lengths to provide information to the committees about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-hur-biden-special-counsel-classified-documents-0f8e4a9d99f8b7d035f75f78e9b8d3d3">special counsel Robert Hur’s</a>&nbsp;classified documents investigation, including a transcript of Biden’s interview with him.The congressional inquiry began with the release of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-age-trump-2024-4791639cc06cc0affee55aba80c7e6b3">Hur’s report</a>&nbsp;in February, which found evidence that Biden, a Democrat, willfully retained and shared highly classified information when he was a private citizen. Yet the special counsel concluded that criminal charges were not warranted.Republicans, incensed by Hur’s decision, issued a subpoena for audio of his interviews with Biden during the spring. But the Justice Department turned over only some of the records, leaving out audio of the interview with the president.“The audio recordings, not the cold transcripts, are the best available evidence of how President Biden presented himself during the interview,” the lawsuit reads. “The Committee thus needs those recordings to assess the Special Counsel’s characterization of the President, which he and White House lawyers have forcefully disputed, and ultimate recommendation that President Biden should not be prosecuted.”On the last day to comply with the Republicans’ subpoena for the audio, the White House blocked the release by invoking executive privilege. It said that Republicans in Congress only wanted the recordings “to chop them up” and use them for political purposes.But Republicans maintain that access to both the audio recordings and the transcripts are warranted to determine if legislative reforms need to be put in place for the storage, handling and disclosure of sensitive documents by members of the executive branch. Prolonging the investigation also keeps attention on parts of Hur’s report that were politically damaging to Biden as he seeks reelection against former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, in November.Beyond the bitingly critical assessment of Biden’s handling of sensitive government records, Hur offered unflattering characterizations of the Democratic president’s memory in his report, sparking fresh&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-memory-age-special-counsel-report-doj-f4232bc8316e556ed467185b67c3e0a8">questions about his competency and age</a>&nbsp;that cut at voters’ most deep-seated concerns about the 81-year-old seeking a second term.“We need the audio recordings and the transcripts,” Rep. Jim Jordan, the GOP chair of the House Judiciary Committee, said during a hearing Thursday. “Put simply, they are the best evidence of the president’s mental state.”Executive privilege gives presidents the right to keep information from the courts, Congress and the public to protect the confidentiality of decision-making, though it can be challenged in court. Administrations of both major political parties have long held the position that officials who assert a president’s claim of executive privilege can’t be prosecuted for contempt of Congress, a Justice Department official told Republicans last month.Assistant Attorney General Carlos Felipe Uriarte cited a committee’s decision in 2008 to back down from a contempt effort after President George W. Bush asserted executive privilege to keep Congress from getting records involving Vice President Dick Cheney.The White House and congressional Democrats have slammed Republicans’ motives for pursuing contempt and dismissed their efforts to obtain the audio as purely political. They also pointed out that Jordan defied his own congressional subpoena in the last session.It's unclear how the lawsuit against Garland will play out. Courts have not had much to say about executive privilege. But in the 1974 case over President Richard Nixon’s refusal to release Oval Office recordings as part of t&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/john-dean-richard-nixon-government-and-politics-crime-c7a7b99cca7c685cfc239f5e08b53378">he Watergate investigation</a>, the Supreme Court held that the privilege is not absolute. In other words, the case for turning over documents or allowing testimony may be more compelling than arguments for withholding them. In that context, the court ruled 8-0 that Nixon had to turn over the tapes.When it came to the Watergate tapes, the Supreme Court said it had the final word, and lower courts have occasionally weighed in to resolve other disputes. But courts also have made clear they prefer that the White House and Congress resolve their disagreements without judicial intervention, when possible.

House Republicans sue AG over access to Biden special counsel interview audio

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/boeing-co">Boeing</a>&nbsp;announced plans to acquire key supplier&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-spirit-aerosystems-negotiations-outsourcing-75471aeaecf3144842ecdcbe2ed6f76f">Spirit AeroSystems</a>&nbsp;for $4.7 billion, a move that it says will improve plane quality and safety amid increasing scrutiny by Congress, airlines and the Department of Justice.

On his social media account Kansas Senior U.S. Senator Jerry Moran wrote that Boeing must earn the trust and respect of Wichita employees and the community.

Boeing previously owned Spirit, and the purchase would reverse a longtime Boeing strategy of outsourcing key work on its passenger planes. That approach has been criticized as problems at Spirit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-supplier-slow-production-737-max-2525b4c5a27a7332b80b3016645918db">disrupted production</a>&nbsp;and delivery of popular Boeing jetliners, including 737s and 787s.

“We believe this deal is in the best interest of the flying public, our airline customers, the employees of Spirit and Boeing, our shareholders and the country more broadly,” Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun said in a statement late Sunday.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-emergency-landing-alaska-airlines-79bc1ea98ee7fbc6edf46aff9319775b">Concerns about safety</a>&nbsp;came to a head after the Jan. 5 blowout of a panel on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 at 16,000 feet (4,876 meters) over Oregon. The Federal Aviation Administration soon after announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-investigation-faa-panel-blowout-monitoring-06b098e57a8c65bdb0ba377f99290d32">increased oversight</a>&nbsp;of Boeing and Spirit, which supplied the fuselage for the plane.

No one was seriously injured in the Alaska Airlines door incident, which terrified passengers, but Boeing is under pressure from the U.S. Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-criminal-charges-plea-deal-861175435e04039112fde0ac6bdbf75a">to plead guilty</a>&nbsp;to criminal fraud in connection with two deadly plane crashes involving its 737 Max jetliners more than five years ago.

Boeing has until the end of the week to accept or reject the offer, which includes the giant aerospace company agreeing to an independent monitor who would oversee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-ceo-calhoun-safety-senate-investigations-de6a273e5ad69764f4e666cc4afda2c1">its compliance</a>&nbsp;with anti-fraud laws, according to several people who heard federal prosecutors detail a proposed offer Sunday.

The Justice Department said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-violated-settlement-max-crashes-25cde72e154f60adae54177ce35c9176">May court filing</a>&nbsp;that Boeing violated terms of a 2021 settlement allowing the company to avoid prosecution for actions leading up to the crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-plane-crashes-737-max-justice-department-da2977c487811e873be2d118b3c5e529">which killed 346 people</a>.

Those crashes were blamed on a faulty sensor in a flight-control system and the investigation is separate from the probe of the more recent Alaska Airlines blowout, which involved Spirit.

Boeing spun off Spirit, which is based in Wichita, Kansas, and not related to Spirit Airlines, in 2005. In recent years, quality problems have mounted, including fuselage panels that didn’t fit together precisely enough and holes that were improperly drilled.

Spirit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spirit-aerosystems-announces-leadership-transition-301944352.html">removed its CEO</a>&nbsp;in October and replaced him with Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive who served as acting defense secretary in the Trump administration.

Things seemed to be going more smoothly until the Alaska Airlines incident. Investigators said a panel used in place of an extra emergency door had been removed at a Boeing factory to let Spirit workers fix damaged rivets, and bolts that help hold the panel in place&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-emergency-landing-report-alaska-airlines-8543c90b68b4d932a700cf57ff8f1b8e">were missing</a>&nbsp;after the repair job. It is not clear who removed the bolts and failed to put them back.

Spirit said in May that it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-spirit-aerosystems-737-layoffs-c8da0ea0a2f4694cc9f22d7d63595ba7">laying off about 450</a>&nbsp;workers at its Wichita plant because of a production slowdown since the January incident. Its total workforce was just over 13,000 people.

“Bringing Spirit and Boeing together will enable greater integration of both companies’ manufacturing and engineering capabilities, including safety and quality systems,” Shanahan said.

The acquisition's equity value of $4.7 billion is $37.25 per share, while the total value of the deal is around $8.3 billion, which includes Spirit’s last reported net debt, the aerospace company said.

Boeing common stock will be exchanged for Spirit shares according to a variable formula that depends on a weighted average of the share price over a 15-trading-day period ending on the second day before the deal closes, Boeing said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687445400176.png" alt="Spirit Aerosystems" />
 <figcaption>Spirit Aerosystems</figcaption>
 </figure>ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/boeing-co">Boeing</a>&nbsp;announced plans to acquire key supplier&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-spirit-aerosystems-negotiations-outsourcing-75471aeaecf3144842ecdcbe2ed6f76f">Spirit AeroSystems</a>&nbsp;for $4.7 billion, a move that it says will improve plane quality and safety amid increasing scrutiny by Congress, airlines and the Department of Justice.On his social media account Kansas Senior U.S. Senator Jerry Moran wrote that Boeing must earn the trust and respect of Wichita employees and the community.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My full statement on Boeing’s agreement to acquire Spirit AeroSystems: <a href="https://t.co/VP30DmZrHM">pic.twitter.com/VP30DmZrHM</a>&mdash; Senator Jerry Moran (@JerryMoran) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryMoran/status/1807574995561755056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Boeing previously owned Spirit, and the purchase would reverse a longtime Boeing strategy of outsourcing key work on its passenger planes. That approach has been criticized as problems at Spirit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-supplier-slow-production-737-max-2525b4c5a27a7332b80b3016645918db">disrupted production</a>&nbsp;and delivery of popular Boeing jetliners, including 737s and 787s.“We believe this deal is in the best interest of the flying public, our airline customers, the employees of Spirit and Boeing, our shareholders and the country more broadly,” Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun said in a statement late Sunday.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-emergency-landing-alaska-airlines-79bc1ea98ee7fbc6edf46aff9319775b">Concerns about safety</a>&nbsp;came to a head after the Jan. 5 blowout of a panel on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 at 16,000 feet (4,876 meters) over Oregon. The Federal Aviation Administration soon after announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-investigation-faa-panel-blowout-monitoring-06b098e57a8c65bdb0ba377f99290d32">increased oversight</a>&nbsp;of Boeing and Spirit, which supplied the fuselage for the plane.No one was seriously injured in the Alaska Airlines door incident, which terrified passengers, but Boeing is under pressure from the U.S. Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-criminal-charges-plea-deal-861175435e04039112fde0ac6bdbf75a">to plead guilty</a>&nbsp;to criminal fraud in connection with two deadly plane crashes involving its 737 Max jetliners more than five years ago.Boeing has until the end of the week to accept or reject the offer, which includes the giant aerospace company agreeing to an independent monitor who would oversee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-ceo-calhoun-safety-senate-investigations-de6a273e5ad69764f4e666cc4afda2c1">its compliance</a>&nbsp;with anti-fraud laws, according to several people who heard federal prosecutors detail a proposed offer Sunday.The Justice Department said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-violated-settlement-max-crashes-25cde72e154f60adae54177ce35c9176">May court filing</a>&nbsp;that Boeing violated terms of a 2021 settlement allowing the company to avoid prosecution for actions leading up to the crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-plane-crashes-737-max-justice-department-da2977c487811e873be2d118b3c5e529">which killed 346 people</a>.Those crashes were blamed on a faulty sensor in a flight-control system and the investigation is separate from the probe of the more recent Alaska Airlines blowout, which involved Spirit.Boeing spun off Spirit, which is based in Wichita, Kansas, and not related to Spirit Airlines, in 2005. In recent years, quality problems have mounted, including fuselage panels that didn’t fit together precisely enough and holes that were improperly drilled.Spirit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spirit-aerosystems-announces-leadership-transition-301944352.html">removed its CEO</a>&nbsp;in October and replaced him with Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive who served as acting defense secretary in the Trump administration.Things seemed to be going more smoothly until the Alaska Airlines incident. Investigators said a panel used in place of an extra emergency door had been removed at a Boeing factory to let Spirit workers fix damaged rivets, and bolts that help hold the panel in place&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-emergency-landing-report-alaska-airlines-8543c90b68b4d932a700cf57ff8f1b8e">were missing</a>&nbsp;after the repair job. It is not clear who removed the bolts and failed to put them back.Spirit said in May that it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-spirit-aerosystems-737-layoffs-c8da0ea0a2f4694cc9f22d7d63595ba7">laying off about 450</a>&nbsp;workers at its Wichita plant because of a production slowdown since the January incident. Its total workforce was just over 13,000 people.“Bringing Spirit and Boeing together will enable greater integration of both companies’ manufacturing and engineering capabilities, including safety and quality systems,” Shanahan said.The acquisition's equity value of $4.7 billion is $37.25 per share, while the total value of the deal is around $8.3 billion, which includes Spirit’s last reported net debt, the aerospace company said.Boeing common stock will be exchanged for Spirit shares according to a variable formula that depends on a weighted average of the share price over a 15-trading-day period ending on the second day before the deal closes, Boeing said.

Moran: Boeing must now earn the trust of workers in Kansas

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.&nbsp;

Just before 3:30a.m. Sunday, police responded to report of a shooting at 12th and Grand, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.&nbsp; First responders found a man with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Before the report of gunshots there was a large crowd was gathered in a parking lot, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

Police are asking anyone with any information to contact Homicide detectives at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719784274963.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.&nbsp;Just before 3:30a.m. Sunday, police responded to report of a shooting at 12th and Grand, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.&nbsp; First responders found a man with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1719851760036.png" alt="Google map" />
 <figcaption>Google map</figcaption>
 </figure>Before the report of gunshots there was a large crowd was gathered in a parking lot, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.Police are asking anyone with any information to contact Homicide detectives at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS.

One dead in shooting near KC Power and Light District

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Monday extended the delay in the Washington criminal case against Donald Trump on charges he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">plotted to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss</a>, all but ending prospects the former president could be tried before the November election.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf">Click here to read</a> the ruling

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2023/23-939_l5gm.pdf">Click here to read a</a>&nbsp;transcript of the oral argument in the immunity case

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2023/23-939">Click here to listen to a replay&nbsp;</a>of the oral argument in the immunity case

In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24785411-trump-v-united-states">a historic 6-3 ruling</a>, the justices said for the first time that former presidents have absolute immunity from prosecution for their official acts and no immunity for unofficial acts. But rather than do it themselves, the justices ordered lower courts to figure out precisely how to apply the decision to Trump’s case.

The outcome means additional delay before Trump could face trial in the case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.

“Today’s decision to grant former presidents criminal immunity reshapes the institution of the presidency. It makes a mockery of the principle, foundational to our Constitution and system of government, that no man is above the law,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a scathing dissent.

The ruling was the last of the term and it came more than two months after the court heard arguments, far slower than in other epic high court cases involving the presidency, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/john-dean-richard-nixon-government-and-politics-crime-c7a7b99cca7c685cfc239f5e08b53378">the Watergate tapes case</a>.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">Smith</a>&nbsp;is leading the two federal probes of the former president, both of which have led to criminal charges. The Washington case focuses on Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election after he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. The case in Florida revolves around the mishandling of classified documents. The other case, in Georgia, also turns on Trump’s actions after his defeat in 2020.

Justice Clarence Thomas’ wife,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-fraud-mark-meadows-c734294e2810f1240ea7ed1cbf675760">Ginni</a>, attended the rally near the White House where Trump spoke on Jan. 6, 2021, though she did not go the Capitol when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">a mob of Trump supporters</a>&nbsp;attacked it soon after. Following the 2020 election, she called it a “heist” and exchanged messages with then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, urging him to stand firm with Trump as he falsely claimed that there was widespread election fraud.

Justice Samuel Alito said there was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alito-flag-supreme-court-roberts-justice-senate-e53c1d1fef7b81f9dc87fa31b1622c4c">no reason for him to step aside</a>&nbsp;from the cases following reports by The New York Times that flags similar to those carried by the Jan. 6 rioters flew above his homes in Virginia and on the New Jersey shore. His wife, Martha-Ann Alito, was responsible for flying both the inverted American flag in January 2021 and the “Appeal to Heaven” banner in the summer of 2023, he said in letters to Democratic lawmakers responding to their recusal demands.

U.S. District Judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indictment-judge-tanya-chutkan-capitol-riot-9ba5c18d315697d759521425ea203012">Tanya Chutkan</a>, who would preside over the trial in Washington,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-capitol-riot-immunity-donald-trump-a98872759762c95fa925ff831df27388">ruled against Trump’s immunity claim</a>&nbsp;in December. In her ruling, Chutkan said the office of the president “does not confer a lifelong ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ pass.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1717443721620.png" alt="File photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Monday extended the delay in the Washington criminal case against Donald Trump on charges he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">plotted to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss</a>, all but ending prospects the former president could be tried before the November election.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf">Click here to read</a> the ruling<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2023/23-939_l5gm.pdf">Click here to read a</a>&nbsp;transcript of the oral argument in the immunity case<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2023/23-939">Click here to listen to a replay&nbsp;</a>of the oral argument in the immunity caseIn&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24785411-trump-v-united-states">a historic 6-3 ruling</a>, the justices said for the first time that former presidents have absolute immunity from prosecution for their official acts and no immunity for unofficial acts. But rather than do it themselves, the justices ordered lower courts to figure out precisely how to apply the decision to Trump’s case.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1719844923254.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The outcome means additional delay before Trump could face trial in the case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.The court’s decision in a second major Trump case this term, along with its ruling&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-trump-insurrection-election-colorado-51e79c0f03013034c8a042cb278b6446">rejecting efforts to bar him from the ballot</a>&nbsp;because of his actions following the 2020 election, underscores the direct and possibly uncomfortable role the justices are playing in the November election.“Under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of presidential power entitles a former president to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court. “And he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. There is no immunity for unofficial acts.”Roberts was joined by the other five conservative justices. The three liberal justices dissented.“Today’s decision to grant former presidents criminal immunity reshapes the institution of the presidency. It makes a mockery of the principle, foundational to our Constitution and system of government, that no man is above the law,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a scathing dissent.Sotomayor, who read a summary of her dissent aloud in the courtroom, said the protection afforded presidents by the court "is just as bad as it sounds, and it is baseless.”The ruling was the last of the term and it came more than two months after the court heard arguments, far slower than in other epic high court cases involving the presidency, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/john-dean-richard-nixon-government-and-politics-crime-c7a7b99cca7c685cfc239f5e08b53378">the Watergate tapes case</a>.The Republican former president has denied doing anything wrong and has said this prosecution and three others are politically motivated to try to keep him from returning to the White House.In May, Trump became the first former president to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-deliberations-jury-testimony-verdict-85558c6d08efb434d05b694364470aa0">convicted of a felony</a>, in a New York court. He was found guilty of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment made during the 2016 presidential election to a porn actor who says she had sex with him, which he denies. He still faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-classified-documents-january-6-a0cb26da1959e2be04a4be2080eba0ad">three other indictments</a>.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">Smith</a>&nbsp;is leading the two federal probes of the former president, both of which have led to criminal charges. The Washington case focuses on Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election after he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. The case in Florida revolves around the mishandling of classified documents. The other case, in Georgia, also turns on Trump’s actions after his defeat in 2020.If Trump’s Washington trial does not take place before the 2024 election and he is not given another four years in the White House, he presumably would stand trial soon thereafter.But if he wins, he could appoint an attorney general who would seek the dismissal of this case and the other federal prosecution he faces. He could also attempt to pardon himself if he reclaims the White House. He could not pardon himself for the conviction in state court in New York.The Supreme Court that heard the case included three justices appointed by Trump — Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh — and two justices who opted not to step aside after questions were raised about their impartiality.Justice Clarence Thomas’ wife,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-fraud-mark-meadows-c734294e2810f1240ea7ed1cbf675760">Ginni</a>, attended the rally near the White House where Trump spoke on Jan. 6, 2021, though she did not go the Capitol when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">a mob of Trump supporters</a>&nbsp;attacked it soon after. Following the 2020 election, she called it a “heist” and exchanged messages with then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, urging him to stand firm with Trump as he falsely claimed that there was widespread election fraud.Justice Samuel Alito said there was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alito-flag-supreme-court-roberts-justice-senate-e53c1d1fef7b81f9dc87fa31b1622c4c">no reason for him to step aside</a>&nbsp;from the cases following reports by The New York Times that flags similar to those carried by the Jan. 6 rioters flew above his homes in Virginia and on the New Jersey shore. His wife, Martha-Ann Alito, was responsible for flying both the inverted American flag in January 2021 and the “Appeal to Heaven” banner in the summer of 2023, he said in letters to Democratic lawmakers responding to their recusal demands.Trump’s trial had been scheduled to begin March 4, but that was before he sought court-sanctioned delays and a full review of the issue by the nation’s highest court.Before the Supreme Court got involved, a trial judge and a three-judge appellate panel had ruled unanimously that Trump can be prosecuted for actions undertaken while in the White House and in the run-up to Jan. 6.“For the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant,” the appeals court wrote in February. “But any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as President no longer protects him against this prosecution.”U.S. District Judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indictment-judge-tanya-chutkan-capitol-riot-9ba5c18d315697d759521425ea203012">Tanya Chutkan</a>, who would preside over the trial in Washington,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-capitol-riot-immunity-donald-trump-a98872759762c95fa925ff831df27388">ruled against Trump’s immunity claim</a>&nbsp;in December. In her ruling, Chutkan said the office of the president “does not confer a lifelong ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ pass.”“Former Presidents enjoy no special conditions on their federal criminal liability,” Chutkan wrote. “Defendant may be subject to federal investigation, indictment, prosecution, conviction, and punishment for any criminal acts undertaken while in office.”

🎧 Supreme Court: Trump has some immunity from criminal prosecution

JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a homicide and have taken a suspect into custody.

Just before 6 p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to the 1000 block of East Oakview Street in Olathe for a death investigation, according to&nbsp;Police Sergeant John Moncayo.

Officers arrived and discovered an unresponsive 72-year-old woman with significant injuries. She was pronounced deceased at the scene. Due to information obtained, this case is being investigated as a homicide.

Police took a 40-year-old male relative into custody and placed on a 48-hour investigative hold. His name has not been released.

This case remains under investigation by the Olathe Police Department. Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the Olathe Police Department at (913) 971-6363 or the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477.&nbsp;

JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a homicide and have taken a suspect into custody.Just before 6 p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to the 1000 block of East Oakview Street in Olathe for a death investigation, according to&nbsp;Police Sergeant John Moncayo.Officers arrived and discovered an unresponsive 72-year-old woman with significant injuries. She was pronounced deceased at the scene. Due to information obtained, this case is being investigated as a homicide.Police took a 40-year-old male relative into custody and placed on a 48-hour investigative hold. His name has not been released.This case remains under investigation by the Olathe Police Department. Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the Olathe Police Department at (913) 971-6363 or the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477.&nbsp;

Police: Relative in custody for death of 72-year-old Kan. woman

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — They all had a reason to come back. Every single one of them.

Simone Biles to move past those wrenching two weeks in Japan three years ago, when the gymnastics superstar prioritized her mental health and safety over glory, a decision that inspired some and maddened others.

Suni Lee to prove — perhaps to herself most of all — that the all-around gold medal she earned while Biles watched from the stands wasn't a fluke.

Jordan Chiles to turn the team silver she helped secure at the 2020 Games into gold.

Jade Carey to be an official member of the five-woman Olympic squad after earning her way to Tokyo as an individual qualifier, a pathway not available to the U.S. this time around and frankly, one she had no interest in exploring again anyway.

They're all stepping back into the unique spotlight — oh, and 16-year-old newcomer Hezly Rivera, too — only the sport's biggest stage can provide.&nbsp;<a href="https://members.usagym.org/pages/athletes/nationalTeamWomen.html?id=431412">Leanne Wong,</a>&nbsp;a graduate of&nbsp;Blue Valley High School&nbsp;in Overland Park, Kansas and Joscelyn Roberson are going to Paris as traveling&nbsp; replacement Athletes for the USA Women's team.

Their reasons are deeply personal. Their motivation, however, is not.

“This is definitely our redemption tour,” Biles said after sewing up a third trip to the Olympics by winning the U.S. trials on Sunday night. “I feel like we all have more to give.”

Perhaps no one more than Biles, who at 27 is the oldest American woman to make an Olympic gymnastics team since the 1950s. She never expected to still be doing this nearly a decade after becoming a crossover sensation at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

And here she is. Still working. Still pushing. Not to shut up the critics who still flood her mentions on social media wondering if she'll “quit” again, but because she remains determined to extract everything she can out of her remarkable talent.

“Nobody’s forcing me to do it,” said Biles, who posted a two-day total of 117.225 to claim the all-around by nearly six points over Lee. “I wake up every day and choose to grind in the gym and come out here and perform for myself. Just to remind myself that I can still do it.”

And do it at a level that no one else in her sport — and when she's at her best, maybe sports in general — can match.

A trip to France has never really been in doubt since Biles returned from a two-year break last summer. All she's done over the last 12 months is win a sixth world all-around title and capture her eighth and ninth national championships — both records — while doing the hardest gymnastics of her life.

She will be a prohibitive favorite when she steps onto the Bercy Arena floor though there is plenty to work on before women's qualifying on July 28. Yet there are things to clean up over the next four weeks.

Biles backpedaled after landing her Yurchenko double pike vault, a testament to both the vault's difficulty and the immense power she generates during a skill few male gymnasts try and even fewer land as cleanly.

She hopped off the beam after failing to land her side aerial, though she wasn't quite as frustrated as she was during a sloppy performance on Friday that left her uttering an expletive for all the world to see.

Biles finished with a flourish on floor exercise, her signature event. Though there was a small step out of bounds, there was also the unmatched world-class tumbling that recently drew a shoutout&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/taylorswift13/status/1807200265864450378">from pop star Taylor Swift</a>, whose song “Ready For It” opens Biles' routine.

She stepped off the podium to a standing ovation, then sat down atop the steps to take in the moment in what could be her last competitive round on American soil for quite a while. Maybe ever.

Biles sidestepped questions about what lies ahead. That can wait. It's been a long, winding road back to this moment. She's intent on trying to enjoy it even while being part of a team that will have “a lot of weight on our shoulders.”

She believes she and her teammates are in a better position to handle it. That's the enduring

“It's really nice that Tokyo gave us that opportunity to open up that stage for that talk," Biles said. “And so I think now athletes are a little bit more in tune and we just trust what our gut is saying.”

And Biles’ gut told her that if she wanted to come back, she needed to do it on her terms. That meant taking intentional steps to make sure her life is no longer defined by her gymnastics.

She married Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens in the spring of 2023 and the two are building a house in the northern Houston suburbs they hope to move into shortly after Biles returns from Paris.

Biles heads to France as perhaps the face of the U.S. Olympic movement, though she's well aware that more than a few of the millions that will tune in to watch next month will be checking to see if the demons that derailed her in Tokyo resurface.

And while there are still moments of anxiety — including at last year's world championships — she has put safeguards in place to protect herself. She meets with a therapist weekly, even during competition season, something she didn't do in preparation for the 2020 Games.

The Americans will take their oldest women's team ever to the games, as Biles' unrivaled longevity — she hasn't lost a meet she's started and finished since 2013 — and the easing of rules around name, image and likeness rules at the NCAA level allowed Carey (24), Chiles (23) and Lee (21) to continue to compete while cashing in on their newfound fame at the same time.

They have relied on that experience during a sometimes harrowing meet that saw leading contenders&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shilese-jones-gymnastics-olympic-trials-46215fc814931d62b015490aa94b6e70">Shilese Jones</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/skye-blakely-gymnastics-olympic-trials-9cb98ca5700e5743b6db48113760f886">Skye Blakely</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kayla-dicello-shilese-jones-gymnastics-olympics-594f867f379e0aaf16548370f0622437">Kayla DiCello</a>&nbsp;exit with leg injuries that took them out of the mix weeks before the potential realization of a lifelong dream.

Watching good friends leave the arena in tears offered a reminder of how thin the line between making it and not making it can be. Biles has been on the right side of that line longer than she ever anticipated. She's going to try and enjoy it, pressure and all.

She may have gotten ahead of herself in 2021. She's intent on not letting that happen this time around.

“I feel like success is just what I make it,” she said. “I feel like right now I’ve been successful of competing at Olympic trials and making the Paris Olympic team. So then we’ll see from there on out.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1719828518327.png" alt="<a href="https://members.usagym.org/pages/athletes/nationalTeamWomen.html?id=431412">Leanne Wong,</a>&nbsp;a graduate of&nbsp;Blue Valley High School&nbsp;in Overland Park, Kansas and Joscelyn Roberson are going to Paris as traveling replacement Athletes for the USA Women's gymnastics team- photo courtesy University of Florida" />
 <figcaption><a href="https://members.usagym.org/pages/athletes/nationalTeamWomen.html?id=431412">Leanne Wong,</a>&nbsp;a graduate of&nbsp;Blue Valley High School&nbsp;in Overland Park, Kansas and Joscelyn Roberson are going to Paris as traveling replacement Athletes for the USA Women's gymnastics team- photo courtesy University of Florida</figcaption>
 </figure>MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — They all had a reason to come back. Every single one of them.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">She&#39;s heading to Paris! 🛫 🐊 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗻𝗴 is heading back to the Olympics with <a href="https://twitter.com/USAGym?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USAGym</a> as a replacement athlete! Congratulations Leanne! 🔗 <a href="https://t.co/U6QX5xptZt">https://t.co/U6QX5xptZt</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoGators?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoGators</a> | 🐊🤸‍♀️ | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USAGTrials2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USAGTrials2024</a> <a href="https://t.co/SRTgDooMID">pic.twitter.com/SRTgDooMID</a>&mdash; Gators Gymnastics (@GatorsGym) <a href="https://twitter.com/GatorsGym/status/1807613907856400886?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Simone Biles to move past those wrenching two weeks in Japan three years ago, when the gymnastics superstar prioritized her mental health and safety over glory, a decision that inspired some and maddened others.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">YOUR TEAM 🇺🇸 🔜 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ParisOlympics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ParisOlympics</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MTUSA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MTUSA</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USAGTrials24?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USAGTrials24</a> <a href="https://t.co/NIuNsDLrWg">pic.twitter.com/NIuNsDLrWg</a>&mdash; Team USA (@TeamUSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamUSA/status/1807620634727321771?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Suni Lee to prove — perhaps to herself most of all — that the all-around gold medal she earned while Biles watched from the stands wasn't a fluke.Jordan Chiles to turn the team silver she helped secure at the 2020 Games into gold.Jade Carey to be an official member of the five-woman Olympic squad after earning her way to Tokyo as an individual qualifier, a pathway not available to the U.S. this time around and frankly, one she had no interest in exploring again anyway.They're all stepping back into the unique spotlight — oh, and 16-year-old newcomer Hezly Rivera, too — only the sport's biggest stage can provide.&nbsp;<a href="https://members.usagym.org/pages/athletes/nationalTeamWomen.html?id=431412">Leanne Wong,</a>&nbsp;a graduate of&nbsp;Blue Valley High School&nbsp;in Overland Park, Kansas and Joscelyn Roberson are going to Paris as traveling&nbsp; replacement Athletes for the USA Women's team.Their reasons are deeply personal. Their motivation, however, is not.“This is definitely our redemption tour,” Biles said after sewing up a third trip to the Olympics by winning the U.S. trials on Sunday night. “I feel like we all have more to give.”Perhaps no one more than Biles, who at 27 is the oldest American woman to make an Olympic gymnastics team since the 1950s. She never expected to still be doing this nearly a decade after becoming a crossover sensation at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.And here she is. Still working. Still pushing. Not to shut up the critics who still flood her mentions on social media wondering if she'll “quit” again, but because she remains determined to extract everything she can out of her remarkable talent.“Nobody’s forcing me to do it,” said Biles, who posted a two-day total of 117.225 to claim the all-around by nearly six points over Lee. “I wake up every day and choose to grind in the gym and come out here and perform for myself. Just to remind myself that I can still do it.”And do it at a level that no one else in her sport — and when she's at her best, maybe sports in general — can match.A trip to France has never really been in doubt since Biles returned from a two-year break last summer. All she's done over the last 12 months is win a sixth world all-around title and capture her eighth and ninth national championships — both records — while doing the hardest gymnastics of her life.She will be a prohibitive favorite when she steps onto the Bercy Arena floor though there is plenty to work on before women's qualifying on July 28. Yet there are things to clean up over the next four weeks.Biles backpedaled after landing her Yurchenko double pike vault, a testament to both the vault's difficulty and the immense power she generates during a skill few male gymnasts try and even fewer land as cleanly.She hopped off the beam after failing to land her side aerial, though she wasn't quite as frustrated as she was during a sloppy performance on Friday that left her uttering an expletive for all the world to see.Biles finished with a flourish on floor exercise, her signature event. Though there was a small step out of bounds, there was also the unmatched world-class tumbling that recently drew a shoutout&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/taylorswift13/status/1807200265864450378">from pop star Taylor Swift</a>, whose song “Ready For It” opens Biles' routine.She stepped off the podium to a standing ovation, then sat down atop the steps to take in the moment in what could be her last competitive round on American soil for quite a while. Maybe ever.Biles sidestepped questions about what lies ahead. That can wait. It's been a long, winding road back to this moment. She's intent on trying to enjoy it even while being part of a team that will have “a lot of weight on our shoulders.”She believes she and her teammates are in a better position to handle it. That's the enduring“It's really nice that Tokyo gave us that opportunity to open up that stage for that talk," Biles said. “And so I think now athletes are a little bit more in tune and we just trust what our gut is saying.”And Biles’ gut told her that if she wanted to come back, she needed to do it on her terms. That meant taking intentional steps to make sure her life is no longer defined by her gymnastics.She married Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens in the spring of 2023 and the two are building a house in the northern Houston suburbs they hope to move into shortly after Biles returns from Paris.Biles heads to France as perhaps the face of the U.S. Olympic movement, though she's well aware that more than a few of the millions that will tune in to watch next month will be checking to see if the demons that derailed her in Tokyo resurface.And while there are still moments of anxiety — including at last year's world championships — she has put safeguards in place to protect herself. She meets with a therapist weekly, even during competition season, something she didn't do in preparation for the 2020 Games.The Americans will take their oldest women's team ever to the games, as Biles' unrivaled longevity — she hasn't lost a meet she's started and finished since 2013 — and the easing of rules around name, image and likeness rules at the NCAA level allowed Carey (24), Chiles (23) and Lee (21) to continue to compete while cashing in on their newfound fame at the same time.They have relied on that experience during a sometimes harrowing meet that saw leading contenders&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shilese-jones-gymnastics-olympic-trials-46215fc814931d62b015490aa94b6e70">Shilese Jones</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/skye-blakely-gymnastics-olympic-trials-9cb98ca5700e5743b6db48113760f886">Skye Blakely</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kayla-dicello-shilese-jones-gymnastics-olympics-594f867f379e0aaf16548370f0622437">Kayla DiCello</a>&nbsp;exit with leg injuries that took them out of the mix weeks before the potential realization of a lifelong dream.Watching good friends leave the arena in tears offered a reminder of how thin the line between making it and not making it can be. Biles has been on the right side of that line longer than she ever anticipated. She's going to try and enjoy it, pressure and all.She may have gotten ahead of herself in 2021. She's intent on not letting that happen this time around.“I feel like success is just what I make it,” she said. “I feel like right now I’ve been successful of competing at Olympic trials and making the Paris Olympic team. So then we’ll see from there on out.”

Kansas gymnast earns trip to Paris for team USA

FRANKLIN COUNTY—A strong thunderstorm that featured a lot of lightning is being blamed for a fire that destroyed a barn in rural Franklin.

Just before 10p.m. Friday, crews responded to a fire in the 1000 Block of Oregon Road, according to the&nbsp;Franklin County, Kansas, Sheriff’s Office.

Crews at the scene found flames coming from a large barn. Investigators determined lightning struck the barn during the severe weather and it was eventually engulfed in flames.

There were no injuries were reported. The barn was a complete loss. Investigators have not released a damage estimate.&nbsp;

FRANKLIN COUNTY—A strong thunderstorm that featured a lot of lightning is being blamed for a fire that destroyed a barn in rural Franklin.Just before 10p.m. Friday, crews responded to a fire in the 1000 Block of Oregon Road, according to the&nbsp;Franklin County, Kansas, Sheriff’s Office.Crews at the scene found flames coming from a large barn. Investigators determined lightning struck the barn during the severe weather and it was eventually engulfed in flames.There were no injuries were reported. The barn was a complete loss. Investigators have not released a damage estimate.&nbsp;

Lightning blamed for fire that destroyed barn in Kansas

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden's</a>&nbsp;family used a Sunday gathering at Camp David to urge him to stay in the race and keep fighting despite his dreadful debate performance, and some members criticized how his staff prepared him for the faceoff, according to four people familiar with the discussions.

Biden spent the day sequestered&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jill-biden-first-lady-debate-c8fae7bab90c0f79ab88c9e783ca5ecd">with first lady Jill Biden</a>, his children and grandchildren. It was a previously scheduled trip to the presidential retreat in Maryland for a photo shoot with Annie Leibovitz for the upcoming Democratic National Convention.

But the gathering was also an exercise in trying to figure out how to quell Democratic anxiety that has exploded following Thursday's performance.

While his family was aware of how&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-debate-age-democrats-b93d7ffaad75fd423ea3953fe16287f0">poorly he performed</a>&nbsp;against Donald Trump, they also continue to think he's the best person to beat the Republican presumptive nominee. They also believe he is capable of doing the job of president for another four years, according to the people who were not authorized to speak publicly about internal discussions and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Among the most vocal: Jill Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-gun-trial-federal-charges-delaware-5dd8a9380235c6360a1ddb691ef24a06">and son Hunter</a>, whom the president has long gone to for counsel and advice. Both believe the president shouldn't bow out when he's down, and believe that he can come back from what they see as one subpar performance. The family questioned how he was prepared for the debate by staff and wondered if they could have done something better, the people said.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-debate-age-democrats-b93d7ffaad75fd423ea3953fe16287f0">Biden's campaign has spent the days since the debate</a>&nbsp;— where he appeared raspy, trailed off, and at times gave convoluted answers — working to keep donors and surrogates on board as Democrats increasingly questioned whether he should stay in the race.

At this point in the delegate process, Biden would likely have to decide to drop out for there to be a new nominee. And the people he listens to most in the world — his wife and son — are telling him to stay in.

Even before the debate, the age of the 81-year-old Democratic president had been a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-age-poll-trump-2024-620e0a5cfa0039a6448f607c17c7f23e">liability with voters</a>, and the prime-time faceoff appeared to reinforce the public’s deep-seated concerns before perhaps the largest audience he will have in the four months until Election Day. CNN said more than 51 million people watched the debate.

While the president was huddled with his family, prominent Democrats rallied to deliver a public show of support for his campaign on Sunday.

“I do not believe that Joe Biden has a problem leading for the next four years,” said one close ally, Democratic Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina. "Joe Biden should continue to run on his record.”

Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat and Baptist minister, said there had been “more than a few Sundays when I wish I had preached a better sermon,” relating the experience to Biden’s debate performance.

“But after the sermon was over, it was my job to embody the message, to show up for the people that I serve. And that’s what Joe Biden has been doing his entire life,” Warnock said. It was an echo of the message from other supporters that Biden had a bad debate, but a lifetime of good governance.

Warnock, like Clyburn and others, pivoted to Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-misinformation-election-debate-trump-biden-577507522762aa10f6ee5be3a0ced2bb">many falsehoods</a>&nbsp;during the debate — lapses that Biden and the debate moderators often failed to fact check from the stage — including about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters, immigration and the outcome of the 2020 election.

“Whenever his mouth was moving, he was lying,” Warnock said of Trump.

But concern simmered among some Democrats that Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee were not taking seriously enough the impact of the debate.

Former Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, who served for more than two decades with Biden in the Senate, called the debate “a disaster from which Biden cannot recover.”

Harkin suggested that Democratic senators in pivotal races and “maybe all incumbent Democratic Senators should pen a letter to Biden asking him to release his delegates and step aside so the convention can choose a new candidate,” according to an email to supporters that was obtained by The Associated Press. It was first referenced in Iowa journalist Julie Gammack’s column on Saturday, Iowa Potluck.

“This is a perilous time, and is more important than the ego or desires of Joe Biden to stay as President,” Harkin concluded.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., described “very honest, serious and rigorous conversations taking place at every level of our party ... about what to do.”

But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bidendebatetrumpdnc-aa08cc2b556b315e728d1e9c2bf81be9">DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison and Biden’s campaign manager,</a>&nbsp;Julie Chavez Rodriguez, held a Saturday afternoon call with dozens of committee members across the country — a group of some of the most influential members of the party — where they offered a rosy assessment of the path forward and gave no opportunity for others on the call to respond with questions.

Multiple committee members on the call, most granted anonymity to talk about the private discussion, described feeling like they were being asked to ignore a serious predicament.

“There were a number of things that could have been said in addressing the situation. But we didn’t get that. We were being gaslit,” said Joe Salazar, an elected DNC member from Colorado, who was on the call.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719799862306.png" alt="File&nbsp;President Biden spoke to supporters following the CNN Presidential Debate- image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File&nbsp;President Biden spoke to supporters following the CNN Presidential Debate- image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden's</a>&nbsp;family used a Sunday gathering at Camp David to urge him to stay in the race and keep fighting despite his dreadful debate performance, and some members criticized how his staff prepared him for the faceoff, according to four people familiar with the discussions.Biden spent the day sequestered&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jill-biden-first-lady-debate-c8fae7bab90c0f79ab88c9e783ca5ecd">with first lady Jill Biden</a>, his children and grandchildren. It was a previously scheduled trip to the presidential retreat in Maryland for a photo shoot with Annie Leibovitz for the upcoming Democratic National Convention.But the gathering was also an exercise in trying to figure out how to quell Democratic anxiety that has exploded following Thursday's performance.While his family was aware of how&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-debate-age-democrats-b93d7ffaad75fd423ea3953fe16287f0">poorly he performed</a>&nbsp;against Donald Trump, they also continue to think he's the best person to beat the Republican presumptive nominee. They also believe he is capable of doing the job of president for another four years, according to the people who were not authorized to speak publicly about internal discussions and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Folks, I might not walk as easily or talk as smoothly as I used to. I might not debate as well as I used to. But what I do know is how to tell the truth.<a href="https://t.co/ep5D0EhT5P">pic.twitter.com/ep5D0EhT5P</a>&mdash; Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1806746426904379543?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Among the most vocal: Jill Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-gun-trial-federal-charges-delaware-5dd8a9380235c6360a1ddb691ef24a06">and son Hunter</a>, whom the president has long gone to for counsel and advice. Both believe the president shouldn't bow out when he's down, and believe that he can come back from what they see as one subpar performance. The family questioned how he was prepared for the debate by staff and wondered if they could have done something better, the people said.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-debate-age-democrats-b93d7ffaad75fd423ea3953fe16287f0">Biden's campaign has spent the days since the debate</a>&nbsp;— where he appeared raspy, trailed off, and at times gave convoluted answers — working to keep donors and surrogates on board as Democrats increasingly questioned whether he should stay in the race.At this point in the delegate process, Biden would likely have to decide to drop out for there to be a new nominee. And the people he listens to most in the world — his wife and son — are telling him to stay in.Even before the debate, the age of the 81-year-old Democratic president had been a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-age-poll-trump-2024-620e0a5cfa0039a6448f607c17c7f23e">liability with voters</a>, and the prime-time faceoff appeared to reinforce the public’s deep-seated concerns before perhaps the largest audience he will have in the four months until Election Day. CNN said more than 51 million people watched the debate.While the president was huddled with his family, prominent Democrats rallied to deliver a public show of support for his campaign on Sunday.“I do not believe that Joe Biden has a problem leading for the next four years,” said one close ally, Democratic Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina. "Joe Biden should continue to run on his record.”Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat and Baptist minister, said there had been “more than a few Sundays when I wish I had preached a better sermon,” relating the experience to Biden’s debate performance.“But after the sermon was over, it was my job to embody the message, to show up for the people that I serve. And that’s what Joe Biden has been doing his entire life,” Warnock said. It was an echo of the message from other supporters that Biden had a bad debate, but a lifetime of good governance.Warnock, like Clyburn and others, pivoted to Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-misinformation-election-debate-trump-biden-577507522762aa10f6ee5be3a0ced2bb">many falsehoods</a>&nbsp;during the debate — lapses that Biden and the debate moderators often failed to fact check from the stage — including about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters, immigration and the outcome of the 2020 election.“Whenever his mouth was moving, he was lying,” Warnock said of Trump.But concern simmered among some Democrats that Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee were not taking seriously enough the impact of the debate.Former Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, who served for more than two decades with Biden in the Senate, called the debate “a disaster from which Biden cannot recover.”Harkin suggested that Democratic senators in pivotal races and “maybe all incumbent Democratic Senators should pen a letter to Biden asking him to release his delegates and step aside so the convention can choose a new candidate,” according to an email to supporters that was obtained by The Associated Press. It was first referenced in Iowa journalist Julie Gammack’s column on Saturday, Iowa Potluck.“This is a perilous time, and is more important than the ego or desires of Joe Biden to stay as President,” Harkin concluded.Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., described “very honest, serious and rigorous conversations taking place at every level of our party ... about what to do.”But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bidendebatetrumpdnc-aa08cc2b556b315e728d1e9c2bf81be9">DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison and Biden’s campaign manager,</a>&nbsp;Julie Chavez Rodriguez, held a Saturday afternoon call with dozens of committee members across the country — a group of some of the most influential members of the party — where they offered a rosy assessment of the path forward and gave no opportunity for others on the call to respond with questions.Multiple committee members on the call, most granted anonymity to talk about the private discussion, described feeling like they were being asked to ignore a serious predicament.“There were a number of things that could have been said in addressing the situation. But we didn’t get that. We were being gaslit,” said Joe Salazar, an elected DNC member from Colorado, who was on the call.___

President Biden's family tells him to stay in the race

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a homicide&nbsp; are asking for the public’s help in locating 19-year-old Nassir Gill of Topeka, according to a media release from police.

 Gill is a person of interest in the homicide of Brian M. Wright Jr., 23, that occurred on June 21, in the 3100 block of SW Westover Road in Topeka.

Gill is described as 5-foot-6 and weighs approximately 160 pounds. He may no longer have blue/green hair, as seen in the photo released by police.

If you see or know where Gill may be, please call or email investigators at 785-368-9551 and telltpd@topeka.org. You can also report anonymously to Shawnee County Crime Stoppers at 785-234-0007 or online at www.p3tips.com/128.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719693545861.png" alt="Gill is described as 5-foot-6 and weighs approximately 160 pounds. He may no longer have blue/green hair, as seen in the photo released by police." />
 <figcaption>Gill is described as 5-foot-6 and weighs approximately 160 pounds. He may no longer have blue/green hair, as seen in the photo released by police.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a homicide&nbsp; are asking for the public’s help in locating 19-year-old Nassir Gill of Topeka, according to a media release from police. Gill is a person of interest in the homicide of Brian M. Wright Jr., 23, that occurred on June 21, in the 3100 block of SW Westover Road in Topeka.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719001082126.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>Gill is described as 5-foot-6 and weighs approximately 160 pounds. He may no longer have blue/green hair, as seen in the photo released by police.If you see or know where Gill may be, please call or email investigators at 785-368-9551 and telltpd@topeka.org. You can also report anonymously to Shawnee County Crime Stoppers at 785-234-0007 or online at www.p3tips.com/128.

Search continues for Kansas teen homicide suspect

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Boeing announced plans to acquire key supplier Spirit AeroSystems for $4.7 billion, a move that it says will improve plane quality and safety amid increasing scrutiny by Congress, airlines and the Department of Justice.

Boeing previously owned Spirit, and the purchase would reverse a longtime Boeing strategy of outsourcing key work on its passenger planes. That approach has been criticized as problems at Spirit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-supplier-slow-production-737-max-2525b4c5a27a7332b80b3016645918db">disrupted production</a>&nbsp;and delivery of popular Boeing jetliners including 737s and 787s.

The companies also announced an agreement with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/airbus-se">Airbus</a>&nbsp;to negotiate the purchase of Spirit assets involved with programs operated by the European aerospace firm. The Airbus agreement is set to commence when Boeing's acquisition of Spirit is completed, the two U.S. companies said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1580497975886.jpeg" alt="Photo by Elaine Thompson/AP/NPR" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Elaine Thompson/AP/NPR</figcaption>
 </figure>ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Boeing announced plans to acquire key supplier Spirit AeroSystems for $4.7 billion, a move that it says will improve plane quality and safety amid increasing scrutiny by Congress, airlines and the Department of Justice.Boeing previously owned Spirit, and the purchase would reverse a longtime Boeing strategy of outsourcing key work on its passenger planes. That approach has been criticized as problems at Spirit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-supplier-slow-production-737-max-2525b4c5a27a7332b80b3016645918db">disrupted production</a>&nbsp;and delivery of popular Boeing jetliners including 737s and 787s.“We believe this deal is in the best interest of the flying public, our airline customers, the employees of Spirit and Boeing, our shareholders and the country more broadly,” Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun said in a statement late Sunday.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-emergency-landing-alaska-airlines-79bc1ea98ee7fbc6edf46aff9319775b">Concerns about safety</a>&nbsp;came to a head after the Jan. 5 blowout of a panel on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 at 16,000 feet (4,876 meters) over Oregon. The Federal Aviation Administration soon after announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-investigation-faa-panel-blowout-monitoring-06b098e57a8c65bdb0ba377f99290d32">increased oversight</a>&nbsp;of Boeing and Spirit, which supplied the fuselage for the plane.No one was seriously injured in the Alaska Airlines door incident, which terrified passengers, but Boeing is under pressure from the U.S. Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-criminal-charges-plea-deal-861175435e04039112fde0ac6bdbf75a">to plead guilty</a>&nbsp;to criminal fraud in connection with two deadly plane crashes involving its 737 Max jetliners more than five years ago.Boeing has until the end of the week to accept or reject the offer, which includes the giant aerospace company agreeing to an independent monitor who would oversee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-ceo-calhoun-safety-senate-investigations-de6a273e5ad69764f4e666cc4afda2c1">its compliance</a>&nbsp;with anti-fraud laws, according to several people who heard federal prosecutors detail a proposed offer Sunday.The Justice Department said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-violated-settlement-max-crashes-25cde72e154f60adae54177ce35c9176">May court filing</a>&nbsp;that Boeing violated terms of a 2021 settlement allowing the company to avoid prosecution for actions leading up to the crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-plane-crashes-737-max-justice-department-da2977c487811e873be2d118b3c5e529">which killed 346 people</a>.Those crashes were blamed on a faulty sensor in a flight-control system and the investigation is separate from the probe of the more recent Alaska Airlines blowout, which involved Spirit.Boeing spun off Spirit, which is based in Wichita, Kansas, and not related to Spirit Airlines, in 2005. In recent years, quality problems have mounted, including fuselage panels that didn’t fit together precisely enough and holes that were improperly drilled.Spirit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spirit-aerosystems-announces-leadership-transition-301944352.html">removed its CEO</a>&nbsp;in October and replaced him with Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive who served as acting defense secretary in the Trump administration.Things seemed to be going more smoothly until the Alaska Airlines incident. Investigators said a panel used in place of an extra emergency door had been removed at a Boeing factory to let Spirit workers fix damaged rivets, and bolts that help hold the panel in place&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-emergency-landing-report-alaska-airlines-8543c90b68b4d932a700cf57ff8f1b8e">were missing</a>&nbsp;after the repair job. It is not clear who removed the bolts and failed to put them back.Spirit said in May that it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-spirit-aerosystems-737-layoffs-c8da0ea0a2f4694cc9f22d7d63595ba7">laying off about 450</a>&nbsp;workers at its Wichita plant because of a production slowdown since the January incident. Its total workforce was just over 13,000 people.“Bringing Spirit and Boeing together will enable greater integration of both companies’ manufacturing and engineering capabilities, including safety and quality systems,” Shanahan said.The acquisition's equity value of $4.7 billion is $37.25 per share, while the total value of the deal is around $8.3 billion, which includes Spirit’s last reported net debt, the aerospace company said.Boeing common stock will be exchanged for Spirit shares according to a variable formula that depends on a weighted average of the share price over a 15-trading-day period ending on the second day before the deal closes, Boeing said.The companies also announced an agreement with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/airbus-se">Airbus</a>&nbsp;to negotiate the purchase of Spirit assets involved with programs operated by the European aerospace firm. The Airbus agreement is set to commence when Boeing's acquisition of Spirit is completed, the two U.S. companies said.

Boeing agrees to buy Kan. aircraft parts maker for $4.7 billion

SHERIDAN COUNTY —Two people died in a small plane crash just after 6p.m. Sunday in Sheridan County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a&nbsp;YKC Fixed Wing Single-Engine Airplane piloted by David K.&nbsp;Allen, 78, Elbert, Colorado, was northbound&nbsp; and crashed in a field 10 miles north of Hoxie near Kansas 23 and one mile West on County Road 10.

Allen and a passenger Jeanne M.&nbsp;Allen, 79, Elbert, Colorado, were pronounced dead at the scene. The FAA and NTSB are in charge of the investigation.

SHERIDAN COUNTY —Two people died in a small plane crash just after 6p.m. Sunday in Sheridan County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a&nbsp;YKC Fixed Wing Single-Engine Airplane piloted by David K.&nbsp;Allen, 78, Elbert, Colorado, was northbound&nbsp; and crashed in a field 10 miles north of Hoxie near Kansas 23 and one mile West on County Road 10.Allen and a passenger Jeanne M.&nbsp;Allen, 79, Elbert, Colorado, were pronounced dead at the scene. The FAA and NTSB are in charge of the investigation.

2 dead after small plane crash in NW Kansas

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Detectives investigating a fatal shooting have identified the victim as 17-year-old Michael Welch of Kansas City, Kansas.

On Wednesday evening, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 4900 block of Steele Road, according to a media release.

First responders discovered Welch outside a home, the victim of apparent gunshot wounds. He was pronounced deceased on scene. Two adult victims were transported to an area hospital with serious, but non-life threatening injuries, not caused by gunfire.

This incident is under investigation by the KCKPD Major Case Unit.&nbsp;This is the 13th homicide of the year in Kansas City, Kansas.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Detectives investigating a fatal shooting have identified the victim as 17-year-old Michael Welch of Kansas City, Kansas.On Wednesday evening, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 4900 block of Steele Road, according to a media release.First responders discovered Welch outside a home, the victim of apparent gunshot wounds. He was pronounced deceased on scene. Two adult victims were transported to an area hospital with serious, but non-life threatening injuries, not caused by gunfire.This incident is under investigation by the KCKPD Major Case Unit.&nbsp;This is the 13th homicide of the year in Kansas City, Kansas.

Police: 17-year-old identified as victim in Kansas shooting

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement found a live deer in a home during a drug bust near Kansas City.

Just afater 11:00 a.m., June 27, Deputies with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Apprehension Unit served a search warrant near Hamilton Lane and West South Avenue in Belton, according to a media release.

This search warrant was the result of an extensive investigation into narcotics distribution. Deputies seized several items of evidence including suspected methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and money. 

In conjunction with this operation, deputies took two suspects into custody on felony warrants. 

Hannah Graham, 42, of Belton was arrested on a Felony Parole Violation through the State of Kansas with no bond allowed.

Christopher McGolgin, 39,&nbsp; of Belton was arrested on felony warrants from Cass County with requested charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance and Unlawful Use of a Weapon.&nbsp;

 Two additional suspects, man and woman were taken into custody pending felony charges. 

&nbsp;The Drug Enforcement Administration assisted our Office with this investigation. During the search, a young live deer was located inside the residence. The Missouri Department of Conservation recovered the deer.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719665932482.png" alt="photo Cass Co." />
 <figcaption>photo Cass Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement found a live deer in a home during a drug bust near Kansas City.Just afater 11:00 a.m., June 27, Deputies with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Apprehension Unit served a search warrant near Hamilton Lane and West South Avenue in Belton, according to a media release.This search warrant was the result of an extensive investigation into narcotics distribution. Deputies seized several items of evidence including suspected methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and money. In conjunction with this operation, deputies took two suspects into custody on felony warrants. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719665968723.png" alt="Graham-photo Cass Co." />
 <figcaption>Graham-photo Cass Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Hannah Graham, 42, of Belton was arrested on a Felony Parole Violation through the State of Kansas with no bond allowed.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719666003508.png" alt="McGolgin-photo Cass Co." />
 <figcaption>McGolgin-photo Cass Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Christopher McGolgin, 39,&nbsp; of Belton was arrested on felony warrants from Cass County with requested charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance and Unlawful Use of a Weapon.&nbsp; Two additional suspects, man and woman were taken into custody pending felony charges. &nbsp;The Drug Enforcement Administration assisted our Office with this investigation. During the search, a young live deer was located inside the residence. The Missouri Department of Conservation recovered the deer.