BARBER COUNTY—A woman who died in fire at a home in Medicine Lodge has been identified as 51-year-old Cynthia M. Hull, according to the Lance Feyh with the Office of the State Fire Marshall.

Just after 6:30p.m. Thursday, police were asked to make a welfare check on a woman at a home at 745 North Elm, according to Police Chief John Defore.

Officers noticed smoke around a window. They gained entry into the residence and found the homeowner later identified as Hull deceased from apparent smoke inhalation.&nbsp; &nbsp;

First responders found there had been an interior fire that had self-extinguished due to lack of oxygen. Two state fire marshal investigators as well as the Sedgwick County Fire Department Canine Team responded to the scene to assist with this investigation and conduct interviews.

Investigators determined the fire originated and was contained to the master bedroom.&nbsp; The fire is classified as accidental due to careless smoking and or discarding of smoking material.&nbsp;&nbsp;

BARBER COUNTY—A woman who died in fire at a home in Medicine Lodge has been identified as 51-year-old Cynthia M. Hull, according to the Lance Feyh with the Office of the State Fire Marshall.Just after 6:30p.m. Thursday, police were asked to make a welfare check on a woman at a home at 745 North Elm, according to Police Chief John Defore.Officers noticed smoke around a window. They gained entry into the residence and found the homeowner later identified as Hull deceased from apparent smoke inhalation.&nbsp; &nbsp;First responders found there had been an interior fire that had self-extinguished due to lack of oxygen. Two state fire marshal investigators as well as the Sedgwick County Fire Department Canine Team responded to the scene to assist with this investigation and conduct interviews.Investigators determined the fire originated and was contained to the master bedroom.&nbsp; The fire is classified as accidental due to careless smoking and or discarding of smoking material.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Fire Marshal IDs woman found dead after fire at Kansas home

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Germany joined the United States on Friday in authorizing Ukraine to hit some targets on Russian soil with the long-range weapons they are supplying — a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/czechia-ukraine-russia-nato-blinken-441c9624d95f8193e99cf08effced44f">significant policy change</a>&nbsp;that comes as depleted Ukrainian troops are losing ground in the war.

On Thursday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;gave Ukraine the go-ahead to use American weaponry to strike&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">inside Russia</a>&nbsp;for the limited purpose of defending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-kharkiv-attacks-5023c3e67af30fc95b954a6f044112dc">Kharkiv,</a>&nbsp;according to three U.S. officials familiar with the matter.&nbsp;Since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Biden has been steadfast in his opposition to Ukraine's offensive use of American-made weaponry, concerned that the action could be seen as provocative and lead to Moscow widening the war.

Ukrainian officials have expressed frustration over restrictions on the use of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-russia-ukraine-war-zelenskyy-hungary-ae48c473927d54f5053f3cc276f5493e">Western weapons</a>&nbsp;— especially as the border region of Kharkiv has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-kharkiv-attacks-751d368a403127f2cc0e6e6e5fd43d15">endured a Russian onslaught</a>&nbsp;this month that has stretched Kyiv's outgunned and outmanned forces.

Both Germany and the U.S. specifically authorized defense of Kharkiv, whose capital city of the same name lies only 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Russia. Russian ballistic missiles slammed into an apartment building in the city overnight, killing at least four people.

Beyond offering Ukraine a chance of better protecting Kharkiv, it’s not clear what effect the easing of restrictions might have on the direction of the conflict in what is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-mobilization-kharkiv-599753d08518b46e22bf38d1360cce86">proving to be a critical period</a>.

The German government said Ukraine can use weapons it supplies against positions just over the border, from where Russia launches its attacks on Kharkiv. A day earlier, U.S. President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/czechia-ukraine-russia-nato-blinken-441c9624d95f8193e99cf08effced44f">gave Kyiv a green light</a>&nbsp;to strike back with American weapons at Russian military assets targeting the region, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

The German announcement brought a furious response from Moscow, where Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, said that “Ukraine and its NATO allies will receive such a devastating response that the alliance won’t be able to avoid entering the conflict” — an eventuality that Western governments have ruled out.

Western leaders have hesitated to ease the restrictions on their weapons because of the risk&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-nuclear-drills-b007cffdc4fc57922042a35fbe47907f">it would provoke</a>&nbsp;Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has repeatedly warned that the West’s direct involvement could put the world on a path to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-putin-nuclear-weapons-82ced2419d93ae733161b56fbd9b477d">nuclear conflict</a>.

But as Russia has recently gained the battlefield initiative in some parts of the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, some Western leaders&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-macron-weapons-e308755a31716ee0123b441bb9b548b0">have pushed</a>&nbsp;for a policy change allowing Kyiv to strike military bases inside Russia with sophisticated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-long-range-missiles-4d2254639eb5a503d8b0a291ed0680e9">long-range weapons</a>&nbsp;provided by its Western partners.

The Kremlin’s bigger and better-equipped army is exploiting Ukrainian shortages in troops and ammunition after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-mike-johnson-ukraine-israel-b72aed9b195818735d24363f2bc34ea4">lengthy delay in U.S. military aid</a>. Western Europe’s inadequate military production has also slowed crucial deliveries to Ukraine.

The German government statement noted that, in recent weeks, Russia has prepared, coordinated and carried out attacks on the Kharkiv region, in particular from areas just over the border in Russia.

“Together we are convinced that Ukraine has the right under international law to defend itself against these attacks,” the statement said. “For this, it can also use the weapons delivered for that purpose in accordance with its international legal commitments, including the ones delivered by us,” it added.

Biden’s decision allows for U.S.-supplied weapons to be used for “counterfire purposes in the Kharkiv region so Ukraine can hit back against Russian forces that are attacking them or preparing to attack them,” one official told The Associated Press.

But the officials, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, stressed that the U.S. policy calling on Ukraine not to use American-provided ATACMS or long-range missiles and other munitions to strike offensively inside Russia has not changed.

The question of whether to allow Ukraine to hit targets on Russian soil with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-russia-ukraine-war-zelenskyy-hungary-ae48c473927d54f5053f3cc276f5493e">Western-supplied weaponry</a>&nbsp;has been a delicate issue since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Friday he supported lifting the limits on Ukraine's use of Western weaponry, saying it's “a matter of upholding international law — Ukraine’s right to self-defense."

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström noted that his country had not restricted Ukraine's use of its weapons at all, while Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Rome won’t let Kyiv use Italian weapons outside its territory.

In Moscow, Medvedev repeated Russian warnings that the steps being taken could set NATO and Russia on the path to a nuclear conflict. “It’s not an attempt to scare or any sort of a nuclear bluff,” he said.

Russia’s newly appointed defense minister, Andrei Belousov, claimed Friday that Russian troops are “advancing in all tactical directions,” including in the Kharkiv region where he said they have pushed Ukrainian forces back by as much as 9 kilometers (5 miles). Russian forces captured 28 towns and villages over the past month, he said.

Overall since the start of the year, Russian forces have taken control of 880 square kilometers (340 square miles) of territory, he added.

It was not possible to verify his battlefield claims.

Overnight into Friday, Russia launched five ballistic missiles at Kharkiv, Ukraine’s air force said. One of them struck a residential building close to midnight and was followed by another missile 25 minutes later that hit first responders, according to regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov. At least 25 people were injured, he said.

Ukrainian officials have previously accused Russia of targeting rescue workers by hitting residential buildings with two consecutive missiles — the first one to draw emergency crews to the scene and the second one to wound or kill them. Russia used the method in Syria’s civil war.

Apart from Kharkiv, Moscow's troops are pressing in the Donetsk region further south and are assembling a force for an expected attack in the Sumy region further north, according to Ukrainian officials.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684686647430.png" alt="White House File photo&nbsp;Biden's directive allows for U.S.-supplied weapons to be used for "counterfire purposes in the Kharkiv region so Ukraine can hit back against Russian forces that are attacking them or preparing to attack them," one official said." />
 <figcaption>White House File photo&nbsp;Biden's directive allows for U.S.-supplied weapons to be used for "counterfire purposes in the Kharkiv region so Ukraine can hit back against Russian forces that are attacking them or preparing to attack them," one official said.</figcaption>
 </figure>KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Germany joined the United States on Friday in authorizing Ukraine to hit some targets on Russian soil with the long-range weapons they are supplying — a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/czechia-ukraine-russia-nato-blinken-441c9624d95f8193e99cf08effced44f">significant policy change</a>&nbsp;that comes as depleted Ukrainian troops are losing ground in the war.On Thursday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;gave Ukraine the go-ahead to use American weaponry to strike&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">inside Russia</a>&nbsp;for the limited purpose of defending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-kharkiv-attacks-5023c3e67af30fc95b954a6f044112dc">Kharkiv,</a>&nbsp;according to three U.S. officials familiar with the matter.&nbsp;Since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Biden has been steadfast in his opposition to Ukraine's offensive use of American-made weaponry, concerned that the action could be seen as provocative and lead to Moscow widening the war.Ukrainian officials have expressed frustration over restrictions on the use of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-russia-ukraine-war-zelenskyy-hungary-ae48c473927d54f5053f3cc276f5493e">Western weapons</a>&nbsp;— especially as the border region of Kharkiv has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-kharkiv-attacks-751d368a403127f2cc0e6e6e5fd43d15">endured a Russian onslaught</a>&nbsp;this month that has stretched Kyiv's outgunned and outmanned forces.Both Germany and the U.S. specifically authorized defense of Kharkiv, whose capital city of the same name lies only 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Russia. Russian ballistic missiles slammed into an apartment building in the city overnight, killing at least four people.Beyond offering Ukraine a chance of better protecting Kharkiv, it’s not clear what effect the easing of restrictions might have on the direction of the conflict in what is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-mobilization-kharkiv-599753d08518b46e22bf38d1360cce86">proving to be a critical period</a>.The German government said Ukraine can use weapons it supplies against positions just over the border, from where Russia launches its attacks on Kharkiv. A day earlier, U.S. President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/czechia-ukraine-russia-nato-blinken-441c9624d95f8193e99cf08effced44f">gave Kyiv a green light</a>&nbsp;to strike back with American weapons at Russian military assets targeting the region, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter.The German announcement brought a furious response from Moscow, where Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, said that “Ukraine and its NATO allies will receive such a devastating response that the alliance won’t be able to avoid entering the conflict” — an eventuality that Western governments have ruled out.Western leaders have hesitated to ease the restrictions on their weapons because of the risk&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-nuclear-drills-b007cffdc4fc57922042a35fbe47907f">it would provoke</a>&nbsp;Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has repeatedly warned that the West’s direct involvement could put the world on a path to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-putin-nuclear-weapons-82ced2419d93ae733161b56fbd9b477d">nuclear conflict</a>.But as Russia has recently gained the battlefield initiative in some parts of the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, some Western leaders&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-macron-weapons-e308755a31716ee0123b441bb9b548b0">have pushed</a>&nbsp;for a policy change allowing Kyiv to strike military bases inside Russia with sophisticated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-long-range-missiles-4d2254639eb5a503d8b0a291ed0680e9">long-range weapons</a>&nbsp;provided by its Western partners.The Kremlin’s bigger and better-equipped army is exploiting Ukrainian shortages in troops and ammunition after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-mike-johnson-ukraine-israel-b72aed9b195818735d24363f2bc34ea4">lengthy delay in U.S. military aid</a>. Western Europe’s inadequate military production has also slowed crucial deliveries to Ukraine.The German government statement noted that, in recent weeks, Russia has prepared, coordinated and carried out attacks on the Kharkiv region, in particular from areas just over the border in Russia.“Together we are convinced that Ukraine has the right under international law to defend itself against these attacks,” the statement said. “For this, it can also use the weapons delivered for that purpose in accordance with its international legal commitments, including the ones delivered by us,” it added.Biden’s decision allows for U.S.-supplied weapons to be used for “counterfire purposes in the Kharkiv region so Ukraine can hit back against Russian forces that are attacking them or preparing to attack them,” one official told The Associated Press.But the officials, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, stressed that the U.S. policy calling on Ukraine not to use American-provided ATACMS or long-range missiles and other munitions to strike offensively inside Russia has not changed.The question of whether to allow Ukraine to hit targets on Russian soil with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-russia-ukraine-war-zelenskyy-hungary-ae48c473927d54f5053f3cc276f5493e">Western-supplied weaponry</a>&nbsp;has been a delicate issue since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Friday he supported lifting the limits on Ukraine's use of Western weaponry, saying it's “a matter of upholding international law — Ukraine’s right to self-defense."Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström noted that his country had not restricted Ukraine's use of its weapons at all, while Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Rome won’t let Kyiv use Italian weapons outside its territory.In Moscow, Medvedev repeated Russian warnings that the steps being taken could set NATO and Russia on the path to a nuclear conflict. “It’s not an attempt to scare or any sort of a nuclear bluff,” he said.Russia’s newly appointed defense minister, Andrei Belousov, claimed Friday that Russian troops are “advancing in all tactical directions,” including in the Kharkiv region where he said they have pushed Ukrainian forces back by as much as 9 kilometers (5 miles). Russian forces captured 28 towns and villages over the past month, he said.Overall since the start of the year, Russian forces have taken control of 880 square kilometers (340 square miles) of territory, he added.It was not possible to verify his battlefield claims.Overnight into Friday, Russia launched five ballistic missiles at Kharkiv, Ukraine’s air force said. One of them struck a residential building close to midnight and was followed by another missile 25 minutes later that hit first responders, according to regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov. At least 25 people were injured, he said.Ukrainian officials have previously accused Russia of targeting rescue workers by hitting residential buildings with two consecutive missiles — the first one to draw emergency crews to the scene and the second one to wound or kill them. Russia used the method in Syria’s civil war.Apart from Kharkiv, Moscow's troops are pressing in the Donetsk region further south and are assembling a force for an expected attack in the Sumy region further north, according to Ukrainian officials.--------------------

Nuclear threats as Biden gives Ukraine ok to strike inside Russia with US weapons

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican lawmakers reacted with immediate fury on Thursday as a New York jury&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-deliberations-jury-testimony-verdict-85558c6d08efb434d05b694364470aa0">convicted former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on 34 counts of falsifying business records to influence the 2016 election, speaking out with near unanimity in questioning the legitimacy of the trial and how it was conducted.

House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;said it was a “shameful day in American history” and the charges were “purely political.” Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance said the verdict was a “disgrace to the judicial system.” And Louisiana Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/steve-scalise">Steve Scalise</a>, the No. 2 House Republican, said that the decision was “a defeat for Americans who believe in the critical legal tenet that justice is blind.”

Within minutes of the verdict being read, Republicans who have in the past been divided over support for their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-delegates-republican-nomination-haley-12e336deeb619602f8335f1c4ca1663e">presumptive GOP presidential nominee</a>&nbsp;found common ground in attacking — with few specifics — the judge, the jury and President Joe Biden, even though the conviction came on state charges in a Manhattan court. As the nation's top federal official, Biden has no say in what happens in the New York City courtroom.

The jury found that Trump falsified the records in a scheme to influence his presidential election through hush money payments to a porn actor who had said she had sex with Trump. Few Republicans mentioned the details of the case but many echoed his repeated assertions that it was a “rigged, disgraceful trial.” He is expected to quickly appeal.

The ferocity of the outcry was remarkable, tossing aside the usual restraints that lawmakers and political figures have observed in the past when refraining from criticism of judges and juries. A lone Republican voice, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, took that approach, saying ahead of the verdict that the public should “respect the verdict and the legal process.”

“At this dangerously divided moment in our history, all leaders — regardless of party — must not pour fuel on the fire with more toxic partisanship,” posted Hogan, who is running for the Senate in Maryland, before the verdict was announced. “We must reaffirm what has made this nation great: the rule of law.”

There is no evidence that the trial was rigged. Trump's defense has complained about a $15 donation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-criminal-case-judge-merchan-d0e54b546043e0497b5c04e78b505d6a">Judge Juan Manuel Merchan</a>&nbsp;made to Biden in 2020 and his daughter's job as a Democratic political consultant, but the judge rejected Trump's lawyers' request for a recusal and said he was certain of his “ability to be fair and impartial."

Still, Republicans have seized on Trump's attacks on the judge and the system in the New York trial and in three other cases — local and federal charges in Atlanta and Washington that he conspired to undo the 2020 election, and a federal indictment in Florida charging him with illegally holding on to top-secret records after his presidency. Many GOP lawmakers,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-speaker-mike-johnson-court-09aef3de395fa77843f2600f40da6ac3">including Johnson</a>, have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaetz-boebert-republicans-protest-trump-trial-congress-1427438aca521ae95ee6ae7b465f001c">visited the courthouse</a>&nbsp;in New York to support him.

“This verdict says more about the system than the allegations,” said South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has been one of Trump’s most frequent allies.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-conviction-what-to-know-a70941a7cd367f7b2aa3218ea91ad922">The verdict</a>&nbsp;made Trump the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes. And it comes as almost all GOP lawmakers in Congress have forcefully rallied behind him in this year's election.

“Congratulations, progressives,” posted Utah Sen. Mike Lee. “You’ve just guaranteed Trump’s election.”

Republicans shared their criticism, which came as Congress is out of Washington on a weeklong recess, in posts on X, formerly Twitter, in press releases and TV appearances. And the backlash was not only from Trump’s GOP friends but from some of his detractors, as well.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who had distanced himself from the former president after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack of Trump’s supporters, said “this verdict is a disgrace, and this trial should have never happened.”

“Now more than ever, we need to rally around @realdonaldtrump, take back the White House and Senate, and get this country back on track,” said Cornyn, who is running to replace Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell when he steps down from the post after the November election. “The real verdict will be Election Day.”

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican who is also running to be leader and has also been critical of Trump, said the case was “politically motivated from the beginning, and today’s verdict does nothing to absolve the partisan nature of this prosecution.”

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial after the Capitol attack, said he disagreed with the verdict but wasn’t surprised “given the way the defense was conducted, the trial was managed.”

McConnell, who has long had a tense relationship with Trump but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-endorsement-donald-trump-super-tuesday-422a2ec6f19917b46804b4cf6ee40371">recently endorsed</a>&nbsp;his 2024 campaign, refrained from attacking the judge or jury. But he said the charges “never should have been brought in the first place.”

“I expect the conviction to be overturned on appeal,” McConnell said in a post on X.

As expected, Democrats rejoiced — and tried to blunt the GOP attacks on the process.

“Trump toadies are going to attack the jury and the court because they have a plan to dismantle our democracy and it relies on everyone believing the justice system is rigged,” posted Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. “It isn’t. Donald Trump committed a crime. He got caught. He got convicted. That’s the rule of law.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1717104142973.png" alt="“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” Trump told reporters after leaving the courtroom-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” Trump told reporters after leaving the courtroom-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican lawmakers reacted with immediate fury on Thursday as a New York jury&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-deliberations-jury-testimony-verdict-85558c6d08efb434d05b694364470aa0">convicted former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on 34 counts of falsifying business records to influence the 2016 election, speaking out with near unanimity in questioning the legitimacy of the trial and how it was conducted.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The political persecution of Donald Trump is the most egregious miscarriage of justice in our nation’s history. This happens in banana republics, under authoritarian regimes, not here in America. The true judge and jury will speak loudly in November, and Donald Trump will…&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1796287517274100008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Americans are not fooled by this overly political ruling. I am looking forward to President Trump&#39;s appeal. <a href="https://t.co/r6eqolTCac">https://t.co/r6eqolTCac</a>&mdash; Tracey Mann (@RepMann) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMann/status/1796298168570675286?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Not since the Alien and Sedition Acts in the 1790s has a president tried to CRIMINALIZE his political opposition. Congrats, Joe Biden. You’re the worst president ever&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1796293774613586327?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Soviet-style show trials have predictable results. What happened in New York today is no different. The American people will reject this unprecedented lawfare in November.&mdash; Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) <a href="https://twitter.com/Eric_Schmitt/status/1796287681636483116?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">(2/2) Whether someone supports or opposes Trump or his policies, the verdict today paints a sad state of affairs in this great nation, &amp; the relentless attacks against Trump for political gain are only further dividing the country &amp; sowing doubt about our federal institutions.&mdash; Rep. Ron Estes (@RepRonEstes) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepRonEstes/status/1796335760058020078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">&quot;Show me the man I&#39;ll show you the crime&quot; was coined by Stalin&#39;s Soviet Union and that mindset sadly lives on today in New York City. This is a dark day for the American justice system. This prosecution, in a state where the attorney general campaigned for office on a promise to…&mdash; Derek Schmidt (@DerekSchmidtKS) <a href="https://twitter.com/DerekSchmidtKS/status/1796296888716595593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;said it was a “shameful day in American history” and the charges were “purely political.” Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance said the verdict was a “disgrace to the judicial system.” And Louisiana Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/steve-scalise">Steve Scalise</a>, the No. 2 House Republican, said that the decision was “a defeat for Americans who believe in the critical legal tenet that justice is blind.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My statement on President Trump trial verdict: Today is a shameful day in American history. Democrats cheered as they convicted the leader of the opposing party on ridiculous charges, predicated on the testimony of a disbarred, convicted felon. This was a purely political…&mdash; Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1796288179944685719?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Within minutes of the verdict being read, Republicans who have in the past been divided over support for their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-delegates-republican-nomination-haley-12e336deeb619602f8335f1c4ca1663e">presumptive GOP presidential nominee</a>&nbsp;found common ground in attacking — with few specifics — the judge, the jury and President Joe Biden, even though the conviction came on state charges in a Manhattan court. As the nation's top federal official, Biden has no say in what happens in the New York City courtroom.The jury found that Trump falsified the records in a scheme to influence his presidential election through hush money payments to a porn actor who had said she had sex with Trump. Few Republicans mentioned the details of the case but many echoed his repeated assertions that it was a “rigged, disgraceful trial.” He is expected to quickly appeal.The ferocity of the outcry was remarkable, tossing aside the usual restraints that lawmakers and political figures have observed in the past when refraining from criticism of judges and juries. A lone Republican voice, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, took that approach, saying ahead of the verdict that the public should “respect the verdict and the legal process.”“At this dangerously divided moment in our history, all leaders — regardless of party — must not pour fuel on the fire with more toxic partisanship,” posted Hogan, who is running for the Senate in Maryland, before the verdict was announced. “We must reaffirm what has made this nation great: the rule of law.”There is no evidence that the trial was rigged. Trump's defense has complained about a $15 donation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-criminal-case-judge-merchan-d0e54b546043e0497b5c04e78b505d6a">Judge Juan Manuel Merchan</a>&nbsp;made to Biden in 2020 and his daughter's job as a Democratic political consultant, but the judge rejected Trump's lawyers' request for a recusal and said he was certain of his “ability to be fair and impartial."Still, Republicans have seized on Trump's attacks on the judge and the system in the New York trial and in three other cases — local and federal charges in Atlanta and Washington that he conspired to undo the 2020 election, and a federal indictment in Florida charging him with illegally holding on to top-secret records after his presidency. Many GOP lawmakers,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-speaker-mike-johnson-court-09aef3de395fa77843f2600f40da6ac3">including Johnson</a>, have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaetz-boebert-republicans-protest-trump-trial-congress-1427438aca521ae95ee6ae7b465f001c">visited the courthouse</a>&nbsp;in New York to support him.“This verdict says more about the system than the allegations,” said South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has been one of Trump’s most frequent allies.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-conviction-what-to-know-a70941a7cd367f7b2aa3218ea91ad922">The verdict</a>&nbsp;made Trump the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes. And it comes as almost all GOP lawmakers in Congress have forcefully rallied behind him in this year's election.“Congratulations, progressives,” posted Utah Sen. Mike Lee. “You’ve just guaranteed Trump’s election.”Republicans shared their criticism, which came as Congress is out of Washington on a weeklong recess, in posts on X, formerly Twitter, in press releases and TV appearances. And the backlash was not only from Trump’s GOP friends but from some of his detractors, as well.Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who had distanced himself from the former president after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack of Trump’s supporters, said “this verdict is a disgrace, and this trial should have never happened.”“Now more than ever, we need to rally around @realdonaldtrump, take back the White House and Senate, and get this country back on track,” said Cornyn, who is running to replace Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell when he steps down from the post after the November election. “The real verdict will be Election Day.”South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican who is also running to be leader and has also been critical of Trump, said the case was “politically motivated from the beginning, and today’s verdict does nothing to absolve the partisan nature of this prosecution.”Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial after the Capitol attack, said he disagreed with the verdict but wasn’t surprised “given the way the defense was conducted, the trial was managed.”McConnell, who has long had a tense relationship with Trump but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-endorsement-donald-trump-super-tuesday-422a2ec6f19917b46804b4cf6ee40371">recently endorsed</a>&nbsp;his 2024 campaign, refrained from attacking the judge or jury. But he said the charges “never should have been brought in the first place.”“I expect the conviction to be overturned on appeal,” McConnell said in a post on X.As expected, Democrats rejoiced — and tried to blunt the GOP attacks on the process.“Trump toadies are going to attack the jury and the court because they have a plan to dismantle our democracy and it relies on everyone believing the justice system is rigged,” posted Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. “It isn’t. Donald Trump committed a crime. He got caught. He got convicted. That’s the rule of law.”

Kan. lawmakers react with fury to Trump verdict and rally to his defense

KANSAS CITY —Police have released the name of a bicyclist involved in a crash on May 24 who died of his injuries as 61-year-old&nbsp; Timothy V. Osgood, according to&nbsp;Officer Alayna Gonzalez.

Early April 24, an electric bicycle ridden by Osgood crashed on the&nbsp;Rock Island Trail in the area of 9611 East 53rd Street, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

 A man out on his morning run found Osgood on the concrete trail. The exact time of the crash is unknown. EMS transported Osgood to an area hospital with life threatening injuries.

He was pronounced&nbsp; dead just before 10:30p.m. Friday, according to Becchina.&nbsp;&nbsp;

KANSAS CITY —Police have released the name of a bicyclist involved in a crash on May 24 who died of his injuries as 61-year-old&nbsp; Timothy V. Osgood, according to&nbsp;Officer Alayna Gonzalez.Early April 24, an electric bicycle ridden by Osgood crashed on the&nbsp;Rock Island Trail in the area of 9611 East 53rd Street, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina. A man out on his morning run found Osgood on the concrete trail. The exact time of the crash is unknown. EMS transported Osgood to an area hospital with life threatening injuries.He was pronounced&nbsp; dead just before 10:30p.m. Friday, according to Becchina.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Police ID victim injured in electric bicycle crash in Kansas City who died

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Bruhat Soma insisted he was nervous during the idle hours as he waited to take the Scripps National Spelling Bee stage, and he felt even more pressure to perform given that he hadn’t lost a spelling bee in eight months.

He never showed any nerves in front of the microphone, though, and when the bee abruptly went to a lightning-round tiebreaker known as a “spell-off,” he could not have been more comfortable.

The 12-year-old seventh-grader from Tampa, Florida, blitzed through 30 words in 90 seconds Thursday night, sounding more like an auctioneer than the best speller in the English language, and judges determined that he spelled 29 of them correctly — nine more than his competitor, Faizan Zaki. As the champion, Bruhat receives a trophy and more than $50,000 in cash and prizes.

He rehearsed the spell-off every day for six months.

“I was pretty confident that I had a chance at winning because I’ve been working so hard,” Bruhat said, explaining his rationale for spending so much time on a tiebreaker he might not even need. “And I really wanted to win. That’s why I practiced the spell-off so much.”

Had he known the way Scripps would conduct the final rounds, he might have spent even more time on his speed training. There was no doubt Bruhat was a worthy champion, but the conclusion left many observers disappointed and confused.

“I don’t think it was a good bee,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2023-spelling-bee-finals-updates-1b09d39ba7631d26f3a3c833f7aeefea">Dev Shah, last year’s champion</a>. “It’s not about spelling as many words as you can in 90 seconds. That’s not what the spelling bee is.”

The finals began with eight spellers, the fewest since 2010, and it was clear that Scripps was trying to fill the 2-hour broadcast window on Ion, a network owned by the Cincinnati-based media company. Frequent, lengthy commercial breaks allowed spellers to mill about at the side of the stage, chatting with their coaches, relatives and supporters.

And then bee officials announced it was time for the tiebreaker before Bruhat and Faizan were even given a chance to compete in a conventional round.

“I do wish that we would have gotten to see more of a duel between them,” said Charlotte Walsh, who finished runner-up to Dev in 2023.

The competition rules state that a spell-off is used in the interest of time, but Scripps still squeezed in another commercial break between the tiebreaker and the announcement of Bruhat’s victory.

“It felt so forced and manufactured,” Dev said.

Scripps said Bruhat’s winning word was “abseil,” defined as “descent in mountaineering by means of a rope looped over a projection above.” In the tiebreaker — which was used once before, when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-san-antonio-education-cf165d27b93b784ab7fb7c0f9e7ecbf0">Harini Logan won in 2022</a>&nbsp;— the winning word is the one that gives a speller one more correct word than their competitor.

Shortly after Bruhat was showered with confetti and handed the trophy, Faizan was in tears at the side of the stage, accepting hugs from other spellers. A few minutes earlier, he had embraced his good friend, Shrey Parikh, after Shrey was eliminated.

Faizan spelled his final word in the regular competition in walk-off fashion, dashing through “nicuri” without asking a single question and striding back to his seat, a moment that recalled&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS2ArgpV0fw">Shourav Dasari’s mic-drop spelling of “Mogollon”</a>&nbsp;in 2017.

But the 12-year-old sixth-grader from Allen, Texas, wasn’t given a chance to do it again.

“I definitely think they should have been given an opportunity to have some conventional spelling rounds before they defaulted to the spell-off,” said Scott Remer, one of four coaches who worked with Faizan.

Coming into the competition, Bruhat won the Words of Wisdom bee hosted by Remer, a former speller and study guide author. He won the SpellPundit bee organized by that study guide company. And he won the first-ever online bee emceed by Dev, last year’s Scripps champion.

“I always want to win. And this was, like, my main goal,” Bruhat said. “It didn’t matter if I won all those other bees. This is what I was aiming for. So I’m just really happy that I won this.”

His last loss was in September at the WishWin senior spelling bee. He misspelled “Gloucester,” a cheese named for the city in England. He said he knew the city but didn’t know it was also a cheese, and he guessed “glaucester.”

“After that, I guess I just went on a winning streak,” he said.

Bruhat said there was one word Thursday night he didn’t know: “tennesi,” a monetary unit of Turkmenistan. Ananya Prassanna got that one right during the most diabolical round of the bee, when every word had an unknown, obscure or nonexistent language of origin. The 13-year-old from Apex, North Carolina, finished in a tie for third.

Bruhat is the second straight champion from the Tampa Bay area, and his victory means 29 of the last 35 spelling champs have been Indian American. His parents immigrated from the southern Indian state of Telangana, a region that's well-represented among&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/spelling-bee-indian-americans-immigration-b14ba87533dfcd8af813de568ee5958f">the run of Indian American champions</a>&nbsp;and contenders that began in 1999.

Nupur Lala was the winner that year who inspired a generation, especially after her triumph was featured in the documentary “Spellbound.” Now a neuro-oncologist, Lala returned to the bee this year for the first time in a decade.

Bruhat’s victory was also a proud moment for a previously unknown former speller-turned-coach: 16-year-old Sam Evans, who worked with three of the top four finishers. He also tutored Faizan and Shrey, a 12-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga, California. Both are sixth-graders and have two years of eligibility left.

Evans was frequently astonished by Bruhat, saying his pupil could remember any word he saw and that once he missed a word, he'd never get it wrong again.

“He always says he's nervous, but he doesn't look nervous, like most of them look nervous,” Evans said. “I can't explain that. I don't know how he does it.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1717122085411.png" alt="Bruhat Soma courtesy photo&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Bruhat Soma courtesy photo&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Bruhat Soma insisted he was nervous during the idle hours as he waited to take the Scripps National Spelling Bee stage, and he felt even more pressure to perform given that he hadn’t lost a spelling bee in eight months.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fscrippsnationalspellingbee%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0i3AU93DDE2eBvUGhSScNNVwj2fwzCX8bS24thibWS71uPP4gz6ZbGxxnkG3pDhxZl&show_text=true&width=500&is_preview=true" width="500" height="250" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>He never showed any nerves in front of the microphone, though, and when the bee abruptly went to a lightning-round tiebreaker known as a “spell-off,” he could not have been more comfortable.The 12-year-old seventh-grader from Tampa, Florida, blitzed through 30 words in 90 seconds Thursday night, sounding more like an auctioneer than the best speller in the English language, and judges determined that he spelled 29 of them correctly — nine more than his competitor, Faizan Zaki. As the champion, Bruhat receives a trophy and more than $50,000 in cash and prizes.He rehearsed the spell-off every day for six months.“I was pretty confident that I had a chance at winning because I’ve been working so hard,” Bruhat said, explaining his rationale for spending so much time on a tiebreaker he might not even need. “And I really wanted to win. That’s why I practiced the spell-off so much.”Had he known the way Scripps would conduct the final rounds, he might have spent even more time on his speed training. There was no doubt Bruhat was a worthy champion, but the conclusion left many observers disappointed and confused.“I don’t think it was a good bee,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2023-spelling-bee-finals-updates-1b09d39ba7631d26f3a3c833f7aeefea">Dev Shah, last year’s champion</a>. “It’s not about spelling as many words as you can in 90 seconds. That’s not what the spelling bee is.”The finals began with eight spellers, the fewest since 2010, and it was clear that Scripps was trying to fill the 2-hour broadcast window on Ion, a network owned by the Cincinnati-based media company. Frequent, lengthy commercial breaks allowed spellers to mill about at the side of the stage, chatting with their coaches, relatives and supporters.And then bee officials announced it was time for the tiebreaker before Bruhat and Faizan were even given a chance to compete in a conventional round.“I do wish that we would have gotten to see more of a duel between them,” said Charlotte Walsh, who finished runner-up to Dev in 2023.The competition rules state that a spell-off is used in the interest of time, but Scripps still squeezed in another commercial break between the tiebreaker and the announcement of Bruhat’s victory.“It felt so forced and manufactured,” Dev said.Scripps said Bruhat’s winning word was “abseil,” defined as “descent in mountaineering by means of a rope looped over a projection above.” In the tiebreaker — which was used once before, when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-san-antonio-education-cf165d27b93b784ab7fb7c0f9e7ecbf0">Harini Logan won in 2022</a>&nbsp;— the winning word is the one that gives a speller one more correct word than their competitor.Shortly after Bruhat was showered with confetti and handed the trophy, Faizan was in tears at the side of the stage, accepting hugs from other spellers. A few minutes earlier, he had embraced his good friend, Shrey Parikh, after Shrey was eliminated.Faizan spelled his final word in the regular competition in walk-off fashion, dashing through “nicuri” without asking a single question and striding back to his seat, a moment that recalled&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS2ArgpV0fw">Shourav Dasari’s mic-drop spelling of “Mogollon”</a>&nbsp;in 2017.But the 12-year-old sixth-grader from Allen, Texas, wasn’t given a chance to do it again.“I definitely think they should have been given an opportunity to have some conventional spelling rounds before they defaulted to the spell-off,” said Scott Remer, one of four coaches who worked with Faizan.Coming into the competition, Bruhat won the Words of Wisdom bee hosted by Remer, a former speller and study guide author. He won the SpellPundit bee organized by that study guide company. And he won the first-ever online bee emceed by Dev, last year’s Scripps champion.“I always want to win. And this was, like, my main goal,” Bruhat said. “It didn’t matter if I won all those other bees. This is what I was aiming for. So I’m just really happy that I won this.”His last loss was in September at the WishWin senior spelling bee. He misspelled “Gloucester,” a cheese named for the city in England. He said he knew the city but didn’t know it was also a cheese, and he guessed “glaucester.”“After that, I guess I just went on a winning streak,” he said.Bruhat said there was one word Thursday night he didn’t know: “tennesi,” a monetary unit of Turkmenistan. Ananya Prassanna got that one right during the most diabolical round of the bee, when every word had an unknown, obscure or nonexistent language of origin. The 13-year-old from Apex, North Carolina, finished in a tie for third.Bruhat is the second straight champion from the Tampa Bay area, and his victory means 29 of the last 35 spelling champs have been Indian American. His parents immigrated from the southern Indian state of Telangana, a region that's well-represented among&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/spelling-bee-indian-americans-immigration-b14ba87533dfcd8af813de568ee5958f">the run of Indian American champions</a>&nbsp;and contenders that began in 1999.Nupur Lala was the winner that year who inspired a generation, especially after her triumph was featured in the documentary “Spellbound.” Now a neuro-oncologist, Lala returned to the bee this year for the first time in a decade.Bruhat’s victory was also a proud moment for a previously unknown former speller-turned-coach: 16-year-old Sam Evans, who worked with three of the top four finishers. He also tutored Faizan and Shrey, a 12-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga, California. Both are sixth-graders and have two years of eligibility left.Evans was frequently astonished by Bruhat, saying his pupil could remember any word he saw and that once he missed a word, he'd never get it wrong again.“He always says he's nervous, but he doesn't look nervous, like most of them look nervous,” Evans said. “I can't explain that. I don't know how he does it.”

12-year-old wins tiebreaker to take Scripps National Spelling Bee title

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Joint British-U.S. airstrikes targeting Yemen's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/houthis">Houthi rebels</a>&nbsp;killed at least 16 people and wounded 35 others, the rebels said Friday, the highest publicly acknowledged death toll from the multiple rounds of strikes carried out over the rebels' attacks on shipping.

Three U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe a then-ongoing attack, described the strikes Thursday as hitting a wide range of underground facilities, missile launchers, command and control sites, a Houthi vessel and other facilities. They called it a response to a recent surge in attacks by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-red-sea-attacks-iran-503de70230fba0cd7c992558e2d1b83a">Iran-backed militia group</a>&nbsp;on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over the Israel-Hamas war.

The U.S. F/A-18 fighter jets involved in the strikes took off from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier in the Red Sea, officials said. Other U.S. warships in the region also participated.

But the Houthis focused Friday morning on just one of the strikes, which they said struck a building housing Hodeida Radio and civilian homes in the port city on the Red Sea. Their Al Masirah satellite news channel aired images of one bloodied man being carried down stairs and others in the hospital, receiving aid.

The Houthis described all those killed and hurt in Hodeida as civilians, something The Associated Press couldn't immediately confirm. The rebel force that's held Yemen's capital, Sanaa, since 2014 includes fighters who often aren't in uniform.

Other strikes hit outside of Sanaa near its airport, and communication equipment in Taiz, the broadcaster said. Little other information was released on those sites — likely signaling that Houthi military sites had been struck.

“We confirm this brutal aggression against Yemen as punishment for its position in support of Gaza, in support of Israel to continue its crimes of genocide against the wounded, besieged and steadfast Gaza Strip,” Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam posted on X.

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a Houthi official, threatened both the U.S. and U.K. with further retaliation.

“We will meet escalation with escalation,” he wrote on X.

In the United Kingdom, the country's Defense Ministry said that Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s conducted strikes on both Hodeida and further south in Ghulayfiqah. It described its targets as “buildings identified as housing drone ground control facilities and providing storage for very long-range drones, as well as surface-to-air weapons.”

“The strikes were taken in self-defense in the face of an ongoing threat that the Houthis pose,” U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said. “There's an ongoing threat that the Houthis pose.”

The U.S. and the U.K. have launched strikes against the Houthis since January, with the U.S. regularly carrying out its own in the time since as well. Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the Houthis’ secretive supreme leader, offered an overall death toll for the strikes up to that point as 40 people killed and 35 others wounded. He didn't offer a breakdown between civilian and combatant casualties at the time.

The Houthis have stepped up attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, demanding that Israel end the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians there. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">war began after Hamas-led militants</a>&nbsp;attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/houthis">Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks</a>&nbsp;on shipping, killed three sailors, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration. This week, they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-red-sea-attacks-iran-503de70230fba0cd7c992558e2d1b83a">attacked a ship carrying grain to Iran</a>, the rebels' main benefactor.

On Wednesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/FFEAU_ALINDIEN/status/1795837694960189920">another U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone</a>&nbsp;apparently crashed in Yemen, with the Houthis claiming they fired a surface-to-air missile at it. The U.S. Air Force didn’t report any aircraft missing, leading to suspicion that the drone may have been piloted by the CIA. As many as three may have been lost in May alone.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708813391502.png" alt="File photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>File photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Joint British-U.S. airstrikes targeting Yemen's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/houthis">Houthi rebels</a>&nbsp;killed at least 16 people and wounded 35 others, the rebels said Friday, the highest publicly acknowledged death toll from the multiple rounds of strikes carried out over the rebels' attacks on shipping.Three U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe a then-ongoing attack, described the strikes Thursday as hitting a wide range of underground facilities, missile launchers, command and control sites, a Houthi vessel and other facilities. They called it a response to a recent surge in attacks by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-red-sea-attacks-iran-503de70230fba0cd7c992558e2d1b83a">Iran-backed militia group</a>&nbsp;on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over the Israel-Hamas war.The U.S. F/A-18 fighter jets involved in the strikes took off from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier in the Red Sea, officials said. Other U.S. warships in the region also participated.But the Houthis focused Friday morning on just one of the strikes, which they said struck a building housing Hodeida Radio and civilian homes in the port city on the Red Sea. Their Al Masirah satellite news channel aired images of one bloodied man being carried down stairs and others in the hospital, receiving aid.The Houthis described all those killed and hurt in Hodeida as civilians, something The Associated Press couldn't immediately confirm. The rebel force that's held Yemen's capital, Sanaa, since 2014 includes fighters who often aren't in uniform.Other strikes hit outside of Sanaa near its airport, and communication equipment in Taiz, the broadcaster said. Little other information was released on those sites — likely signaling that Houthi military sites had been struck.“We confirm this brutal aggression against Yemen as punishment for its position in support of Gaza, in support of Israel to continue its crimes of genocide against the wounded, besieged and steadfast Gaza Strip,” Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam posted on X.Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a Houthi official, threatened both the U.S. and U.K. with further retaliation.“We will meet escalation with escalation,” he wrote on X.In the United Kingdom, the country's Defense Ministry said that Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s conducted strikes on both Hodeida and further south in Ghulayfiqah. It described its targets as “buildings identified as housing drone ground control facilities and providing storage for very long-range drones, as well as surface-to-air weapons.”“The strikes were taken in self-defense in the face of an ongoing threat that the Houthis pose,” U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said. “There's an ongoing threat that the Houthis pose.”The U.S. and the U.K. have launched strikes against the Houthis since January, with the U.S. regularly carrying out its own in the time since as well. Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the Houthis’ secretive supreme leader, offered an overall death toll for the strikes up to that point as 40 people killed and 35 others wounded. He didn't offer a breakdown between civilian and combatant casualties at the time.The Houthis have stepped up attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, demanding that Israel end the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians there. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">war began after Hamas-led militants</a>&nbsp;attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/houthis">Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks</a>&nbsp;on shipping, killed three sailors, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration. This week, they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-red-sea-attacks-iran-503de70230fba0cd7c992558e2d1b83a">attacked a ship carrying grain to Iran</a>, the rebels' main benefactor.On Wednesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/FFEAU_ALINDIEN/status/1795837694960189920">another U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone</a>&nbsp;apparently crashed in Yemen, with the Houthis claiming they fired a surface-to-air missile at it. The U.S. Air Force didn’t report any aircraft missing, leading to suspicion that the drone may have been piloted by the CIA. As many as three may have been lost in May alone.

US-British airstrikes hit several strategic sites across Yemen

BUTLER COUNTY —In July 1997, Butler County Sheriff's Office took a missing person report from Franklin "Punkie" Harrod's then-wife, Kelly Harrod. 

Investigation into "Punkie" Harrod's disappearance confirmed him to have been killed in Butler County, but his remains have not been located, according to a social media report from the Butler County Sheriff's office.

 All three individuals involved in the murder of "Punkie" Harrod were arrested and found guilty, only one remains in prison.

 In 2023, Butler County Sheriff Monty Hughey directed detectives to investigate further into finding the location of Harrod's remains. It was during this investigation detectives discovered a second individual by the name of Ricky L. Nelms was also alleged to be buried in Butler County.

 A missing person came for Nelms, originally from Moulton, Alabama, and was discovered in Sedgwick County, Kansas dating back to 1988.

 In December 2023, the Butler County Sheriff's Office released to the public, the victim's names and photos asking for help locating the two burial locations of "Punkie" Harrod and Ricky Nelms.

 Tips were given and follow-up continues, but the exact location of the remains has yet to be discovered. 

On Thursday, Sheriff Hughey offered a substantial reward for any information leading investigators to the location of either of these two victims.&nbsp; Sheriff Hughey believes it's his duty to get the victims located and their remains returned to their families. 

Anyone with information regarding these cases can contact the Butler County Sheriff's Office by Facebook messenger or the following telephone numbers to remain anonymous. Butler County Sheriff's Office Tip LinesEmail crime tips: crimetips@bucoks.comCrime tip number: (316) 322-8817 or 866-484-5924Media: Butler County Sheriff's Office, Kansas Facebook (Messenger)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1717095317467.png" alt="Harrod photo Butler Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Harrod photo Butler Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>BUTLER COUNTY —In July 1997, Butler County Sheriff's Office took a missing person report from Franklin "Punkie" Harrod's then-wife, Kelly Harrod. Investigation into "Punkie" Harrod's disappearance confirmed him to have been killed in Butler County, but his remains have not been located, according to a social media report from the Butler County Sheriff's office. All three individuals involved in the murder of "Punkie" Harrod were arrested and found guilty, only one remains in prison. In 2023, Butler County Sheriff Monty Hughey directed detectives to investigate further into finding the location of Harrod's remains. It was during this investigation detectives discovered a second individual by the name of Ricky L. Nelms was also alleged to be buried in Butler County.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1717095562656.png" alt="Nelms photo Butler Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Nelms photo Butler Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure> A missing person came for Nelms, originally from Moulton, Alabama, and was discovered in Sedgwick County, Kansas dating back to 1988. In December 2023, the Butler County Sheriff's Office released to the public, the victim's names and photos asking for help locating the two burial locations of "Punkie" Harrod and Ricky Nelms. Tips were given and follow-up continues, but the exact location of the remains has yet to be discovered. On Thursday, Sheriff Hughey offered a substantial reward for any information leading investigators to the location of either of these two victims.&nbsp; Sheriff Hughey believes it's his duty to get the victims located and their remains returned to their families. Anyone with information regarding these cases can contact the Butler County Sheriff's Office by Facebook messenger or the following telephone numbers to remain anonymous. Butler County Sheriff's Office Tip LinesEmail crime tips: crimetips@bucoks.comCrime tip number: (316) 322-8817 or 866-484-5924Media: Butler County Sheriff's Office, Kansas Facebook (Messenger)

Reward for information on location of murdered Kan. men

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.

The Biden-Harris campaign issued a statement on the verdict.

Trump sat stone-faced while the verdict was read as cheering from the street below could be heard in the hallway on the courthouse's 15th floor where the decision was revealed after more than nine hours of deliberations.

“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” an angry Trump told reporters after leaving the courtroom. “The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people. They know what happened, and everyone knows what happened here.”

Judge Juan Merchan set sentencing for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where GOP leaders, who remained resolute in their support in the immediate aftermath of the verdict, are expected to formally make him their nominee.

The verdict is a stunning legal reckoning for Trump and exposes him to potential prison time in the city where his manipulations of the tabloid press helped catapult him from a real estate tycoon to reality television star and ultimately president. As he seeks to reclaim the White House in this year’s election, the judgment presents voters with another test of their willingness to accept Trump’s boundary-breaking behavior.

Trump is expected to quickly appeal the verdict and will face an awkward dynamic as he returns to the campaign trail with felony convictions. There are no campaign rallies on the calendar for now, though he’s expected to hold fundraisers next week.

The falsifying business records charges carry up to four years behind bars, though Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg would not say Thursday if prosecutors intend to seek imprisonment, and it is not clear whether the judge —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-trial-gag-order-fae616037d3606cc60abbffb0e91f7ee">who earlier in the trial warned of jail time for gag order violations</a>&nbsp;— would impose that punishment even if asked.

The conviction, and even imprisonment, will not bar Trump from continuing his pursuit of the White House.

Trump faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/">three other felony indictments</a>, but the New York case may be the only one to reach a conclusion before the November election, adding to the significance of the outcome. Though the legal and historical implications of the verdict are readily apparent, the political consequences are less so given its potential to reinforce rather than reshape already-hardened opinions about Trump.

Ahead of the verdict, Trump’s campaign had argued that, no matter what the jury decided, the outcome was unlikely to sway voters — and that the election would instead be decided by issues such as inflation.

For another candidate in another time, a criminal conviction might doom a presidential run, but Trump’s political career has endured through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-trials-impeachments-b245b52fd7d4a079ae199c954baba452">two impeachments</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rape-carroll-trial-fe68259a4b98bb3947d42af9ec83d7db">allegations of sexual abuse</a>, investigations into everything from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ac945e1c9ff24e5eb745eb76c5bd8a2a">potential ties to Russia</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">plotting to overturn an election</a>, and personally salacious storylines&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-access-hollywood-hush-money-new-york-2c52279a45ede2a111ff1fe447d2fdac">including the emergence of a recording in which he boasted about grabbing women’s genitals</a>.

In addition, the general allegations of the case have been known to voters for years and, while tawdry, are widely seen as less grievous than the allegations he faces in three other cases that charge him with subverting American democracy and mishandling national security secrets.

Even so, the verdict is likely to give President Joe Biden and fellow Democrats space to sharpen arguments that Trump is unfit for office, though for now the White House offered only a muted statement saying that it respected the rule of law. On the other hand, the decision will also provide fodder for the presumptive Republican nominee to advance his unsupported claims that he is victimized by a criminal justice system he insists is politically motivated against him.

Trump maintained throughout the trial that he had done nothing wrong and that the case should never have been brought, railing against the proceedings from inside the courthouse —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-speaker-mike-johnson-court-09aef3de395fa77843f2600f40da6ac3">where he was joined by a parade of high-profile Republican allies</a>&nbsp;— and racking up fines for violating a gag order with inflammatory out-of-court comments about witnesses.

Republicans showed no sign of loosening their embrace of the party leader, with House Speaker Mike Johnson releasing a statement lamenting what he called “a shameful day in American history.” He called the case "a purely political exercise, not a legal one.”

The first criminal trial of a former American president always presented a unique test of the court system, not only because of Trump’s prominence but also because of his relentless verbal attacks on the foundation of the case and its participants. But the verdict from the 12-person jury marked a repudiation of Trump’s efforts to undermine confidence in the proceedings or to potentially impress the panel with a show of GOP support.

“While this defendant may be unlike any other in American history, we arrived at this trial and ultimately today in this verdict in the same manner as every other case that comes through the courtroom doors, by following the facts and the law and doing so without fear or favor,” Bragg told reporters after the verdict.

The trial involved charges that Trump falsified business records to cover up hush money payments to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-gag-order-d853768fff5fafbdee55623579889140">Stormy Daniels</a>, the porn actor who said she had sex with the married Trump in 2006.

The $130,000 payment was made by Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-cohen-hush-money-stormy-daniels-735aadfd1ce015e05ba955c203a96f1b">Michael Cohen</a>&nbsp;to buy Daniels’ silence during the final weeks of the 2016 race in what prosecutors allege was an effort to interfere in the election. When Cohen was reimbursed, the payments were recorded as legal expenses, which prosecutors said was an unlawful attempt to mask the true purpose of the transaction. Trump’s lawyers contend they were legitimate payments for legal services.

Trump has denied the sexual encounter, and his lawyers argued during the trial that his celebrity status, particularly during the 2016 campaign,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-stormy-daniels-cohen-9be06e3d33c25af7060552a44001cc1a">made him a target for extortion</a>. They’ve said hush money deals to bury negative stories about Trump were motivated by personal considerations such as the impact on his family and brand as a businessman, not political ones. They also sought to undermine the credibility of Cohen,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-michael-cohen-74aaf72511d64fceb1d64529207bde64">the star prosecution witness who pleaded guilty in 2018</a>&nbsp;to federal charges related to the payments, as driven by personal animus toward Trump as well as fame and money.

The trial featured more than four weeks of occasionally riveting testimony that revisited an already well-documented chapter from Trump’s past, when his 2016 campaign was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-access-hollywood-hush-money-new-york-2c52279a45ede2a111ff1fe447d2fdac">threatened by the disclosure of an “Access Hollywood”</a>&nbsp;recording that captured him talking about grabbing women sexually without their permission and the prospect of other stories about Trump and sex surfacing that would be harmful to his candidacy.

Trump himself did not testify, but jurors heard his voice through a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hush-money-trial-new-fines-testimony-trump-fe6995afbc96650b67f46d813ab05f06">secret recording of a conversation</a>&nbsp;with Cohen in which he and the lawyer discussed a $150,000 hush money deal involving a Playboy model, Karen McDougal, who has said she had an affair with Trump: “What do we got to pay for this? One-fifty?” Trump was heard saying on the recording made by Cohen.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-stormy-daniels-c69d54c51e2fccbbc0b19e2220222b0e">Daniels herself testified</a>, offering at times a graphic recounting of the sexual encounter she says they had in a hotel suite during a Lake Tahoe golf tournament. The former publisher of the National Enquirer,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-trial-national-enquirer-1dd3c3111febf219bdf1d8627504a3c5">David Pecker,</a>&nbsp;testified about how he worked to keep stories harmful to the Trump campaign from becoming public at all, including by having his company buy McDougal’s story.

Jurors also heard from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hush-money-trial-new-fines-testimony-trump-fe6995afbc96650b67f46d813ab05f06">Keith Davidson</a>, the lawyer who negotiated the hush money payments on behalf of Daniels and McDougal.

He detailed the tense negotiations to get both women compensated for their silence but also faced an aggressive round of questioning from a Trump attorney who noted that Davidson had helped broker similar hush money deals in cases involving other prominent figures.

But the most pivotal witness, by far, was Cohen, who spent days on the stand and gave jurors an insider’s view of the hush money scheme and what he said was Trump’s detailed knowledge of it.

“Just take care of it,” he quoted Trump as saying at one point.

He offered jurors the most direct link between Trump and the heart of the charges, recounting a meeting in which they and the then-chief financial officer of Trump Organization described a plan to have Cohen reimbursed in monthly installments for legal services.

And he emotionally described his dramatic break with Trump in 2018, when he decided to cooperate with prosecutors after a decade-long career as the then-president’s personal fixer.

“To keep the loyalty and to do the things that he had asked me to do, I violated my moral compass, and I suffered the penalty, as has my family,” Cohen told the jury.

The hush money case, though criticized by some legal experts who called it the weakest of the four prosecutions against Trump, took on added importance not only because it proceeded to trial first but also because it could be the only one of the cases to reach a jury before the election.

The other three — local and federal cases in Atlanta and Washington that he conspired to undo the 2020 election, as well as a federal indictment in Florida charging him with illegally hoarding top-secret records — are bogged down by delays or appeals.

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.The Biden-Harris campaign issued a statement on the verdict.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1717113294540.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Trump sat stone-faced while the verdict was read as cheering from the street below could be heard in the hallway on the courthouse's 15th floor where the decision was revealed after more than nine hours of deliberations.“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” an angry Trump told reporters after leaving the courtroom. “The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people. They know what happened, and everyone knows what happened here.”Judge Juan Merchan set sentencing for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where GOP leaders, who remained resolute in their support in the immediate aftermath of the verdict, are expected to formally make him their nominee.The verdict is a stunning legal reckoning for Trump and exposes him to potential prison time in the city where his manipulations of the tabloid press helped catapult him from a real estate tycoon to reality television star and ultimately president. As he seeks to reclaim the White House in this year’s election, the judgment presents voters with another test of their willingness to accept Trump’s boundary-breaking behavior.Trump is expected to quickly appeal the verdict and will face an awkward dynamic as he returns to the campaign trail with felony convictions. There are no campaign rallies on the calendar for now, though he’s expected to hold fundraisers next week.The falsifying business records charges carry up to four years behind bars, though Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg would not say Thursday if prosecutors intend to seek imprisonment, and it is not clear whether the judge —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-trial-gag-order-fae616037d3606cc60abbffb0e91f7ee">who earlier in the trial warned of jail time for gag order violations</a>&nbsp;— would impose that punishment even if asked.The conviction, and even imprisonment, will not bar Trump from continuing his pursuit of the White House.Trump faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/">three other felony indictments</a>, but the New York case may be the only one to reach a conclusion before the November election, adding to the significance of the outcome. Though the legal and historical implications of the verdict are readily apparent, the political consequences are less so given its potential to reinforce rather than reshape already-hardened opinions about Trump.Ahead of the verdict, Trump’s campaign had argued that, no matter what the jury decided, the outcome was unlikely to sway voters — and that the election would instead be decided by issues such as inflation.For another candidate in another time, a criminal conviction might doom a presidential run, but Trump’s political career has endured through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-trials-impeachments-b245b52fd7d4a079ae199c954baba452">two impeachments</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rape-carroll-trial-fe68259a4b98bb3947d42af9ec83d7db">allegations of sexual abuse</a>, investigations into everything from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ac945e1c9ff24e5eb745eb76c5bd8a2a">potential ties to Russia</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">plotting to overturn an election</a>, and personally salacious storylines&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-access-hollywood-hush-money-new-york-2c52279a45ede2a111ff1fe447d2fdac">including the emergence of a recording in which he boasted about grabbing women’s genitals</a>.In addition, the general allegations of the case have been known to voters for years and, while tawdry, are widely seen as less grievous than the allegations he faces in three other cases that charge him with subverting American democracy and mishandling national security secrets.Even so, the verdict is likely to give President Joe Biden and fellow Democrats space to sharpen arguments that Trump is unfit for office, though for now the White House offered only a muted statement saying that it respected the rule of law. On the other hand, the decision will also provide fodder for the presumptive Republican nominee to advance his unsupported claims that he is victimized by a criminal justice system he insists is politically motivated against him.Trump maintained throughout the trial that he had done nothing wrong and that the case should never have been brought, railing against the proceedings from inside the courthouse —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-speaker-mike-johnson-court-09aef3de395fa77843f2600f40da6ac3">where he was joined by a parade of high-profile Republican allies</a>&nbsp;— and racking up fines for violating a gag order with inflammatory out-of-court comments about witnesses.Republicans showed no sign of loosening their embrace of the party leader, with House Speaker Mike Johnson releasing a statement lamenting what he called “a shameful day in American history.” He called the case "a purely political exercise, not a legal one.”The first criminal trial of a former American president always presented a unique test of the court system, not only because of Trump’s prominence but also because of his relentless verbal attacks on the foundation of the case and its participants. But the verdict from the 12-person jury marked a repudiation of Trump’s efforts to undermine confidence in the proceedings or to potentially impress the panel with a show of GOP support.“While this defendant may be unlike any other in American history, we arrived at this trial and ultimately today in this verdict in the same manner as every other case that comes through the courtroom doors, by following the facts and the law and doing so without fear or favor,” Bragg told reporters after the verdict.The trial involved charges that Trump falsified business records to cover up hush money payments to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-gag-order-d853768fff5fafbdee55623579889140">Stormy Daniels</a>, the porn actor who said she had sex with the married Trump in 2006.The $130,000 payment was made by Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-cohen-hush-money-stormy-daniels-735aadfd1ce015e05ba955c203a96f1b">Michael Cohen</a>&nbsp;to buy Daniels’ silence during the final weeks of the 2016 race in what prosecutors allege was an effort to interfere in the election. When Cohen was reimbursed, the payments were recorded as legal expenses, which prosecutors said was an unlawful attempt to mask the true purpose of the transaction. Trump’s lawyers contend they were legitimate payments for legal services.Trump has denied the sexual encounter, and his lawyers argued during the trial that his celebrity status, particularly during the 2016 campaign,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-stormy-daniels-cohen-9be06e3d33c25af7060552a44001cc1a">made him a target for extortion</a>. They’ve said hush money deals to bury negative stories about Trump were motivated by personal considerations such as the impact on his family and brand as a businessman, not political ones. They also sought to undermine the credibility of Cohen,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-michael-cohen-74aaf72511d64fceb1d64529207bde64">the star prosecution witness who pleaded guilty in 2018</a>&nbsp;to federal charges related to the payments, as driven by personal animus toward Trump as well as fame and money.The trial featured more than four weeks of occasionally riveting testimony that revisited an already well-documented chapter from Trump’s past, when his 2016 campaign was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-access-hollywood-hush-money-new-york-2c52279a45ede2a111ff1fe447d2fdac">threatened by the disclosure of an “Access Hollywood”</a>&nbsp;recording that captured him talking about grabbing women sexually without their permission and the prospect of other stories about Trump and sex surfacing that would be harmful to his candidacy.Trump himself did not testify, but jurors heard his voice through a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hush-money-trial-new-fines-testimony-trump-fe6995afbc96650b67f46d813ab05f06">secret recording of a conversation</a>&nbsp;with Cohen in which he and the lawyer discussed a $150,000 hush money deal involving a Playboy model, Karen McDougal, who has said she had an affair with Trump: “What do we got to pay for this? One-fifty?” Trump was heard saying on the recording made by Cohen.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-stormy-daniels-c69d54c51e2fccbbc0b19e2220222b0e">Daniels herself testified</a>, offering at times a graphic recounting of the sexual encounter she says they had in a hotel suite during a Lake Tahoe golf tournament. The former publisher of the National Enquirer,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-trial-national-enquirer-1dd3c3111febf219bdf1d8627504a3c5">David Pecker,</a>&nbsp;testified about how he worked to keep stories harmful to the Trump campaign from becoming public at all, including by having his company buy McDougal’s story.Jurors also heard from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hush-money-trial-new-fines-testimony-trump-fe6995afbc96650b67f46d813ab05f06">Keith Davidson</a>, the lawyer who negotiated the hush money payments on behalf of Daniels and McDougal.He detailed the tense negotiations to get both women compensated for their silence but also faced an aggressive round of questioning from a Trump attorney who noted that Davidson had helped broker similar hush money deals in cases involving other prominent figures.But the most pivotal witness, by far, was Cohen, who spent days on the stand and gave jurors an insider’s view of the hush money scheme and what he said was Trump’s detailed knowledge of it.“Just take care of it,” he quoted Trump as saying at one point.He offered jurors the most direct link between Trump and the heart of the charges, recounting a meeting in which they and the then-chief financial officer of Trump Organization described a plan to have Cohen reimbursed in monthly installments for legal services.And he emotionally described his dramatic break with Trump in 2018, when he decided to cooperate with prosecutors after a decade-long career as the then-president’s personal fixer.“To keep the loyalty and to do the things that he had asked me to do, I violated my moral compass, and I suffered the penalty, as has my family,” Cohen told the jury.The hush money case, though criticized by some legal experts who called it the weakest of the four prosecutions against Trump, took on added importance not only because it proceeded to trial first but also because it could be the only one of the cases to reach a jury before the election.The other three — local and federal cases in Atlanta and Washington that he conspired to undo the 2020 election, as well as a federal indictment in Florida charging him with illegally hoarding top-secret records — are bogged down by delays or appeals.

Read Biden campaign statement on Trump guilty verdict

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;became the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments to a porn actor who said the two had sex.

Jurors deliberated for 9.5 hours over two days before convicting Trump of all 34 counts he faced. Trump sat stone-faced while the verdict was read as cheering from the street below — where supporters and detractors of the former president were gathered — could be heard in the hallway on courthouse's 15th floor where the decision was revealed.

“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” Trump told reporters after leaving the courtroom. “The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people. They know what happened, and everyone knows what happened here.”

Trump is expected to quickly appeal the verdict and will face an awkward dynamic as he returns to the campaign trail as a convicted felon. There are no campaign rallies on the calendar for now, though he’s expected to hold fundraisers next week. Judge Juan Merchan set sentencing for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Republican leaders who remained resolute in their support in the immediate aftermath of the verdict are expected to formally make him their nominee.

The falsifying business records charges carry up to four years behind bars, though prosecutors have not said whether they intend to seek imprisonment, and it is not clear whether the judge —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-trial-gag-order-fae616037d3606cc60abbffb0e91f7ee">who earlier in the trial warned of jail time for gag order violations</a>&nbsp;— would impose that punishment even if asked. The conviction, and even imprisonment, will not bar Trump from continuing his pursuit of the White House.

Even so, the verdict is likely to give President Joe Biden and fellow Democrats space to sharpen arguments that Trump is unfit for office, even as it provides fodder for the presumptive Republican nominee to advance his unsupported claims that he is victimized by a criminal justice system he insists is politically motivated against him.

The outcome provides a degree of vindication for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-manhattan-da-bragg-hush-money-trial-a164881f43b1d5064a528b36eada937e">Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg</a>, who had characterized the case as being about election interference rather than hush money and defended it against criticism from legal experts who called it the weakest of the four prosecutions against Trump.

But it took on added importance not only because it proceeded to trial first but also because it could be the only one of the cases to reach a jury before the election.

The other three cases — local and federal charges in Atlanta and Washington that he conspired to undo the 2020 election, as well as a federal indictment in Florida charging him with illegally hoarding top-secret records — are bogged down by delays or appeals.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1717105639201.png" alt="“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” Trump told reporters after leaving the courtroom-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” Trump told reporters after leaving the courtroom-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;became the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments to a porn actor who said the two had sex.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former President Trump reacts to being found guilty on 34 felony counts in hush money case: &quot;This was a rigged, disgraceful trial. The real verdict is going to be November 5th by the people.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/AA7F4zFNCf">pic.twitter.com/AA7F4zFNCf</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1796298500264603989?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1717106964399.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Jurors deliberated for 9.5 hours over two days before convicting Trump of all 34 counts he faced. Trump sat stone-faced while the verdict was read as cheering from the street below — where supporters and detractors of the former president were gathered — could be heard in the hallway on courthouse's 15th floor where the decision was revealed.“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” Trump told reporters after leaving the courtroom. “The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people. They know what happened, and everyone knows what happened here.”The verdict is a stunning legal reckoning for Trump and exposes him to potential prison time in the city where his manipulations of the tabloid press helped catapult him from a real estate tycoon to reality television star and ultimately president. As he seeks to reclaim the White House in this year’s election, the judgment presents voters with another test of their willingness to accept Trump’s boundary-breaking behavior.Trump is expected to quickly appeal the verdict and will face an awkward dynamic as he returns to the campaign trail as a convicted felon. There are no campaign rallies on the calendar for now, though he’s expected to hold fundraisers next week. Judge Juan Merchan set sentencing for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Republican leaders who remained resolute in their support in the immediate aftermath of the verdict are expected to formally make him their nominee.The falsifying business records charges carry up to four years behind bars, though prosecutors have not said whether they intend to seek imprisonment, and it is not clear whether the judge —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-trial-gag-order-fae616037d3606cc60abbffb0e91f7ee">who earlier in the trial warned of jail time for gag order violations</a>&nbsp;— would impose that punishment even if asked. The conviction, and even imprisonment, will not bar Trump from continuing his pursuit of the White House.Trump faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/">three other felony indictments</a>, but the New York case may be the only one to reach a conclusion before the November election, adding to the significance of the outcome. Though the legal and historical implications of the verdict are readily apparent, the political consequences are less so given its potential to reinforce rather than reshape already-hardened opinions about Trump.For another candidate in another time, a criminal conviction might doom a presidential run, but Trump’s political career has endured through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-trials-impeachments-b245b52fd7d4a079ae199c954baba452">two impeachments</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rape-carroll-trial-fe68259a4b98bb3947d42af9ec83d7db">allegations of sexual abuse</a>, investigations into everything from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ac945e1c9ff24e5eb745eb76c5bd8a2a">potential ties to Russia</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">plotting to overturn an election</a>, and personally salacious storylines&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-access-hollywood-hush-money-new-york-2c52279a45ede2a111ff1fe447d2fdac">including the emergence of a recording in which he boasted about grabbing women’s genitals</a>.In addition, the general allegations of the case have been known to voters for years and, while tawdry, are widely seen as less grievous than the allegations he faces in three other cases that charge him with subverting American democracy and mishandling national security secrets.Even so, the verdict is likely to give President Joe Biden and fellow Democrats space to sharpen arguments that Trump is unfit for office, even as it provides fodder for the presumptive Republican nominee to advance his unsupported claims that he is victimized by a criminal justice system he insists is politically motivated against him.Trump maintained throughout the trial that he had done nothing wrong and that the case should never have been brought, railing against the proceedings from inside the courthouse —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-speaker-mike-johnson-court-09aef3de395fa77843f2600f40da6ac3">where he was joined by a parade of high-profile Republican allies</a>&nbsp;— and racking up fines for violating a gag order with inflammatory out-of-court comments about witnesses.Republicans showed no sign of loosening their embrace of the party leader, with House Speaker Mike Johnson releasing a statement lamenting what he called “a shameful day in American history.” He called the case "a purely political exercise, not a legal one.”The first criminal trial of a former American president always presented a unique test of the court system, not only because of Trump’s prominence but also because of his relentless verbal attacks on the foundation of the case and its participants. But the verdict from the 12-person jury marked a repudiation of Trump’s efforts to undermine confidence in the proceedings or to potentially impress the panel with a show of GOP support.The trial involved charges that Trump falsified business records to cover up hush money payments to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-gag-order-d853768fff5fafbdee55623579889140">Stormy Daniels</a>, the porn actor who said she had sex with the married Trump in 2006.The $130,000 payment was made by Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-cohen-hush-money-stormy-daniels-735aadfd1ce015e05ba955c203a96f1b">Michael Cohen</a>&nbsp;to buy Daniels’ silence during the final weeks of the 2016 race in what prosecutors allege was an effort to interfere in the election. When Cohen was reimbursed, the payments were recorded as legal expenses, which prosecutors said was an unlawful attempt to mask the true purpose of the transaction. Trump’s lawyers contend they were legitimate payments for legal services.Trump has denied the sexual encounter, and his lawyers argued during the trial that his celebrity status, particularly during the 2016 campaign,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-stormy-daniels-cohen-9be06e3d33c25af7060552a44001cc1a">made him a target for extortion</a>. They’ve said hush money deals to bury negative stories about Trump were motivated by personal considerations such as the impact on his family and brand as a businessman, not political ones. They also sought to undermine the credibility of Cohen,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-michael-cohen-74aaf72511d64fceb1d64529207bde64">the star prosecution witness who pleaded guilty in 2018</a>&nbsp;to federal charges related to the payments, as driven by personal animus toward Trump as well as fame and money.The trial featured more than four weeks of occasionally riveting testimony that revisited an already well-documented chapter from Trump’s past, when his 2016 campaign was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-access-hollywood-hush-money-new-york-2c52279a45ede2a111ff1fe447d2fdac">threatened by the disclosure of an “Access Hollywood”</a>&nbsp;recording that captured him talking about grabbing women sexually without their permission and the prospect of other stories about Trump and sex surfacing that would be harmful to his candidacy.Trump himself did not testify, but jurors heard his voice through a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hush-money-trial-new-fines-testimony-trump-fe6995afbc96650b67f46d813ab05f06">secret recording of a conversation</a>&nbsp;with Cohen in which he and the lawyer discussed a $150,000 hush money deal involving a Playboy model, Karen McDougal, who has said she had an affair with Trump: “What do we got to pay for this? One-fifty?” Trump was heard saying on the recording made by Cohen.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-stormy-daniels-c69d54c51e2fccbbc0b19e2220222b0e">Daniels herself testified</a>, offering at times a graphic recounting of the sexual encounter she says they had in a hotel suite during a Lake Tahoe golf tournament. The former publisher of the National Enquirer,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-trial-national-enquirer-1dd3c3111febf219bdf1d8627504a3c5">David Pecker,</a>&nbsp;testified about how he worked to keep stories harmful to the Trump campaign from becoming public at all, including by having his company buy McDougal’s story.Jurors also heard from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hush-money-trial-new-fines-testimony-trump-fe6995afbc96650b67f46d813ab05f06">Keith Davidson</a>, the lawyer who negotiated the hush money payments on behalf of Daniels and McDougal.He detailed the tense negotiations to get both women compensated for their silence but also faced an aggressive round of questioning from a Trump attorney who noted that Davidson had helped broker similar hush money deals in cases involving other prominent figures.But the most pivotal witness, by far, was Cohen, who spent days on the stand and gave jurors an insider’s view of the hush money scheme and what he said was Trump’s detailed knowledge of it.“Just take care of it,” he quoted Trump as saying at one point.He offered jurors the most direct link between Trump and the heart of the charges, recounting a meeting in which they and the then-chief financial officer of Trump Organization described a plan to have Cohen reimbursed in monthly installments for legal services.And he emotionally described his dramatic break with Trump in 2018, when he decided to cooperate with prosecutors after a decade-long career as the then-president’s personal fixer.“To keep the loyalty and to do the things that he had asked me to do, I violated my moral compass, and I suffered the penalty, as has my family,” Cohen told the jury.The outcome provides a degree of vindication for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-manhattan-da-bragg-hush-money-trial-a164881f43b1d5064a528b36eada937e">Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg</a>, who had characterized the case as being about election interference rather than hush money and defended it against criticism from legal experts who called it the weakest of the four prosecutions against Trump.But it took on added importance not only because it proceeded to trial first but also because it could be the only one of the cases to reach a jury before the election.The other three cases — local and federal charges in Atlanta and Washington that he conspired to undo the 2020 election, as well as a federal indictment in Florida charging him with illegally hoarding top-secret records — are bogged down by delays or appeals.

🎥 Former President Trump reacts to being found guilty on 34 felony counts

Jurors convicted Trump on all 34 counts after deliberating for 9.5 hours. As the verdict was read, he sat stone-faced in court, looking down.

The verdict is a stunning legal reckoning for Trump and exposes him to potential prison time in the city where his manipulations of the tabloid press helped catapult him from a real estate tycoon to reality television star and ultimately president. As he seeks a return to the White House in this year’s election, the judgment presents voters with another test of their willingness to accept Trump’s boundary-breaking behavior.

Trump is expected to quickly appeal the verdict and will face an awkward dynamic as he seeks to return to the campaign trail as a convicted felon. There are no campaign rallies on the calendar for now, though he’s expected to hold fundraisers next week. It will likely take several months for Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the case, to decide whether to sentence Trump to prison.

Guilty: Trump is first former U.S. president convicted of felony crimes

SALINE COUNTY —A Kansas man remains in jail after a series of crimes in Salina.

Just before 3p.m. May 27, a 36-year-old Salina man reported that someone stole his 2000 Ford Mustang from the storefront of Cave Divers Liquor at 1103 West Crawford Street in Salina, according to Salina Police Captain James Feldman.

The victim reported that he left the car running while he went into the store to shop.

While the victim was in the store, a subject, later identified as Marcellius Garner, 31, Salina, was in the store. Employees told police that Garner was walking around the store and indicated that he did not have any money and was hoping someone would purchase alcohol for him, according to Feldman.&nbsp; Employees did observe him picking up a bottle of tequila, valued at $29, and then just walk out.

Garner then got into the Mustang and drove away. Feldman said later the same day, an officer located the Mustang at 409 South Broadway Boulevard, just a few blocks north of the liquor store.

Around 7 p.m., someone called&nbsp; from the Ambassy Hotel at 217 South Broadway Boulevard in Salina and reported a man running around naked outside the local hotel.

Once officers arrived, they located and identified Garner from the car theft at Cave Divers Liquor. Garner initially retreated back to his room and allegedly slammed the door barring entry.

Officers were able to get him to answer and he gave consent to his room where police observed the same clothing in the room that Garner had been wearing at the liquor store and the bottle of tequila.

Officers arrested Garner on charges for felony theft, misdemeanor theft and lewd and lascivious exposure.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1717066636275.png" alt="Garner photo Saline Co." />
 <figcaption>Garner photo Saline Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —A Kansas man remains in jail after a series of crimes in Salina.Just before 3p.m. May 27, a 36-year-old Salina man reported that someone stole his 2000 Ford Mustang from the storefront of Cave Divers Liquor at 1103 West Crawford Street in Salina, according to Salina Police Captain James Feldman.The victim reported that he left the car running while he went into the store to shop.While the victim was in the store, a subject, later identified as Marcellius Garner, 31, Salina, was in the store. Employees told police that Garner was walking around the store and indicated that he did not have any money and was hoping someone would purchase alcohol for him, according to Feldman.&nbsp; Employees did observe him picking up a bottle of tequila, valued at $29, and then just walk out.Garner then got into the Mustang and drove away. Feldman said later the same day, an officer located the Mustang at 409 South Broadway Boulevard, just a few blocks north of the liquor store.Around 7 p.m., someone called&nbsp; from the Ambassy Hotel at 217 South Broadway Boulevard in Salina and reported a man running around naked outside the local hotel.Once officers arrived, they located and identified Garner from the car theft at Cave Divers Liquor. Garner initially retreated back to his room and allegedly slammed the door barring entry.Officers were able to get him to answer and he gave consent to his room where police observed the same clothing in the room that Garner had been wearing at the liquor store and the bottle of tequila.Officers arrested Garner on charges for felony theft, misdemeanor theft and lewd and lascivious exposure.

Police: Kansas man went on naked run after alleged car theft

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs turned himself in to the Tuscaloosa County Jail on Thursday on misdemeanor animal cruelty charges.

Buggs was later released on $600 bond for two counts of cruelty to dogs in the second degree.

The Tuscaloosa Police Department found two dogs that were “seriously malnourished” and “emaciated” March 28 on the back porch of a house that Buggs had rented, according to court documents. The court filings reported that a neighbor said a pitbull and a Rotweiler mix had been left there for at least 10 days and had no access to food or water.

The pitbull was eventually euthanized. Witnesses said Buggs had moved out of the house on or about March 19.

A Chiefs spokesman said the team was aware of the situation, but declined to comment.

Buggs' agent, Trey Robinson, issued a statement this week saying that the player “vehemently denies” the allegations and that the dogs didn't belong to him.

“Under no circumstances does Mr. Buggs condone the mistreatment of any animal,” Robinson said, declining to answer further questions.

Robinson said Buggs didn't know they were still on the property and is the target of a “subversive campaign” to shut down a hookah lounge he owns.

The 27-year-old Buggs is a former Alabama player who spent three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and two with the Detroit Lions. He joined the Super Bowl champion Chiefs in January as a practice squad player and received a futures contract in February.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1717105214112.png" alt="Isaiah Buggs-photo courtesy KC Chiefs" />
 <figcaption>Isaiah Buggs-photo courtesy KC Chiefs</figcaption>
 </figure>TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs turned himself in to the Tuscaloosa County Jail on Thursday on misdemeanor animal cruelty charges.Buggs was later released on $600 bond for two counts of cruelty to dogs in the second degree.The Tuscaloosa Police Department found two dogs that were “seriously malnourished” and “emaciated” March 28 on the back porch of a house that Buggs had rented, according to court documents. The court filings reported that a neighbor said a pitbull and a Rotweiler mix had been left there for at least 10 days and had no access to food or water.The pitbull was eventually euthanized. Witnesses said Buggs had moved out of the house on or about March 19.A Chiefs spokesman said the team was aware of the situation, but declined to comment.Buggs' agent, Trey Robinson, issued a statement this week saying that the player “vehemently denies” the allegations and that the dogs didn't belong to him.“Under no circumstances does Mr. Buggs condone the mistreatment of any animal,” Robinson said, declining to answer further questions.Robinson said Buggs didn't know they were still on the property and is the target of a “subversive campaign” to shut down a hookah lounge he owns.The 27-year-old Buggs is a former Alabama player who spent three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and two with the Detroit Lions. He joined the Super Bowl champion Chiefs in January as a practice squad player and received a futures contract in February.___

Chiefs lineman turns self in on cruelty to animal charges in Alabama

SEWARD COUNTY —A man injured in an accident just before 11a.m. Wednesday in Liberal has died.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a Polaris UTV driven by Tucker J. Smith, 26, Kismet, was northbound in 1800 Block of Frontage Road, 50-feet north of the Cosmetology Building at Seward County Community College.

The driver accelerated as the UTV turned the corner to travel east. An occupant in the bed of the UTV identified as Jacob G. Still, 29, Tyrone, Oklahoma, lost his balance and fell out.

EMS transported&nbsp;Still to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita for treatment of a serious injury. He was pronounced deceased just before 11:30p.m. Wednesday.

Smith and another passenger were not injured.&nbsp;

SEWARD COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 11a.m. Wednesday in Liberal.

EMS transported&nbsp;Still to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita for treatment of a serious injury. Smith and another passenger were not injured.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1717029313292.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>SEWARD COUNTY —A man injured in an accident just before 11a.m. Wednesday in Liberal has died.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a Polaris UTV driven by Tucker J. Smith, 26, Kismet, was northbound in 1800 Block of Frontage Road, 50-feet north of the Cosmetology Building at Seward County Community College.The driver accelerated as the UTV turned the corner to travel east. An occupant in the bed of the UTV identified as Jacob G. Still, 29, Tyrone, Oklahoma, lost his balance and fell out.EMS transported&nbsp;Still to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita for treatment of a serious injury. He was pronounced deceased just before 11:30p.m. Wednesday.Smith and another passenger were not injured.&nbsp;--------------SEWARD COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 11a.m. Wednesday in Liberal.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a Polaris UTV driven by Tucker J. Smith, 26, Kismet, was northbound in 1800 Block of Frontage Road, 50-feet north of the Cosmetology Building at Seward County Community College.The driver accelerated as the UTV turned the corner to travel east. An occupant in the bed of the UTV identified as Jacob G. Still, 29, Tyrone, Oklahoma, lost his balance and fell out.EMS transported&nbsp;Still to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita for treatment of a serious injury. Smith and another passenger were not injured.&nbsp;

Man injured after fall from UTV at SW Kan. college has died

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>&nbsp; State's Newsroom

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators will go on record next month with whether they support legislation from Democrats that would guarantee access to contraception — a right currently upheld by two Supreme Court cases, but one that has been singled out by a conservative justice.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657750242184.jpg" alt="Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on Wednesday that&nbsp;the Senate will vote in June on legislation guaranteeing the right to access contraception " />
 <figcaption>Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on Wednesday that&nbsp;the Senate will vote in June on legislation guaranteeing the right to access contraception </figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>&nbsp; State's NewsroomWASHINGTON — U.S. senators will go on record next month with whether they support legislation from Democrats that would guarantee access to contraception — a right currently upheld by two Supreme Court cases, but one that has been singled out by a conservative justice.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, announced last week the chamber would vote on the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/4381/text?s=6&amp;r=1">bill</a>&nbsp;in June, saying it would help to bolster women’s reproductive rights at a crucial time. Sixty votes will be needed for the bill to advance.“Now, more than ever, contraception is a critical piece of protecting women’s reproductive freedoms,” Schumer said.The move to hold a procedural vote on the legislation, which has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/4381/cosponsors?s=6&amp;r=1">49 co-sponsors</a>, came just one day after Donald Trump, the Republican presumptive nominee for president, said that his campaign&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-signals-hes-open-state-limits-contraceptive-access-then-insists-hes-not">would be releasing a policy on contraception</a>&nbsp;in the next week.Trump seemed to be open to state restrictions on contraception, though he later backtracked in social media comments.“We’re looking at that and I’m going to have a policy on that very shortly and I think it’s something that you’ll find interesting,” Trump said on KDKA in Pittsburgh. “It’s another issue that’s very interesting. But you will find it very smart. I think it’s a smart decision, but we’ll be releasing it very soon.”Trump had been asked if he supports “any restrictions on a person’s right to contraception.”Trump later said that “things really do have a lot to do with the states. And some states are going to have different policies than others.” That comment came after Trump was asked if he “may want to support some restrictions, like the morning-after pill or something?”<h2>In Congress</h2>The House&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-passes-bill-guaranteeing-contraception-access-eight-gop-votes">approved a bill&nbsp;</a>similar to the Senate legislation in July 2022 that was sponsored by North Carolina Democratic Rep. Kathy Manning. The chamber at the time was controlled by Democrats.That measure defined contraception as “an action taken to prevent pregnancy, including the use of contraceptives or fertility-awareness based methods, and sterilization procedures.”Senate Democrats&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/bill-guaranteeing-right-birth-control-blocked-us-senate-republicans">tried to pass</a>&nbsp;their version of the so-called Right to Contraception Act the same month, but Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst blocked the unanimous consent request.Unanimous consent is the fastest way to approve legislation in the Senate, but it allows any one lawmaker to block passage. There is no recorded vote during that process, but there will be next month when Schumer holds the procedural vote.If the legislation gains 60 votes, it would move on to a simple majority vote.Democrats were attempting to enact statutory protections for contraception two years ago following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling by the Supreme Court that ended the constitutional right to abortion. That right was established in the 1973 Roe v. Wade case and affirmed in the 1992 Casey v. Planned Parenthood ruling.In a dissenting&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/19-1392_6j37.pdf">opinion</a>&nbsp;in Dobbs, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the justices should “reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents” that relied on the same right to privacy legal thinking that justices had cited in Roe and Casey.Thomas specifically mentioned the Griswold v. Connecticut, Obergefell v. Hodges and Lawrence v. Texas cases.Griswold was the 1965&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/381/479/">case</a>&nbsp;where the Supreme Court struck down a Connecticut state law that had prevented married couples from using contraception.The Supreme Court held that a “right to privacy can be inferred from several amendments in the Bill of Rights, and this right prevents states from making the use of contraception by married couples illegal.”Those rights were extended to unmarried people in the 1972 Eisenstadt v. Baird&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/405/438/">ruling</a>.Polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/poll-finding/kff-health-tracking-poll-march-2024-abortion-in-the-2024-election-and-beyond/">released</a>&nbsp;in March, shows that 45% of adults said they believe access to contraception is “a secure right likely to remain in place.”An additional 21% responded that they believe it is “a threatened right likely to be overturned.” A total of 34% of respondents said they were not sure.