NEW YORK (AP) — The release of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-documents-prince-andrew-harvey-weinstein-1e20f426af0c610db7963cdaf85c209f">dozens of previously sealed court documents</a>&nbsp;from a lawsuit involving Jeffrey Epstein might disappoint online sleuths who anticipated explosive new information.

The nearly 200 documents released as of Friday largely mention figures whose names were already known, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-prince-andrew-bill-clinton-donald-trump-385ccf8d49d337ae4866022877aa9a90">high-profile friends</a>&nbsp;of Epstein’s and victims who have spoken publicly. In fact, the judge who made the call last month to release the information said she was doing so largely because much of it is already public.

<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4355835/giuffre-v-maxwell/?filed_after=&amp;filed_before=&amp;entry_gte=&amp;entry_lte=&amp;order_by=desc">Click here to read </a>the documents released 1/5/24 (caution Adult content)

The plan to release the documents had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-jeffrey-epstein-list-released-006487910615">prompted rumors</a>&nbsp;that they contained a list of “clients” or “co-conspirators,” and misinformation about their contents is continuing to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-court-documents-misinformation-3a1df03616ec6b58684be434398de4b7">run rampant</a>&nbsp;on social media.

Still, the records&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-court-records-e5a924b6e97413850517df9237715a44">do include fresh details</a>&nbsp;about the financier’s sexual abuse of teenage girls, and offer a reminder of how he leveraged his powerful connections to recruit his victims and help cover up his crimes.

The documents unsealed this week are the latest of thousands previously made public in lawsuits involving Epstein.

Here’s what we know about the documents released so far:

A millionaire known for associating with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and academic stars, Epstein became the subject of a police investigation in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2005 after he was accused of paying a 14-year-old girl for sex. He was arrested in 2006.

Dozens of other underage girls described similar sexual abuse, but prosecutors ultimately&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-florida-e2a4431f7319afd037023d9a586aa291">allowed the financier to plead guilty</a>&nbsp;in 2008 to a charge involving a single victim. He served 13 months in a jail work-release program.

Some famous acquaintances abandoned Epstein after his conviction, including former Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, but many did not. Epstein continued to mingle with the rich and famous for another decade, often through philanthropic work.

Reporting by the Miami Herald renewed interest in the scandal, and federal prosecutors in New York charged Epstein in 2019 with sex trafficking. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-suicide-department-of-justice-investigation-50c229b7953096f0301bfa1e7f0b7703">killed himself in jail</a>&nbsp;while awaiting trial.

The U.S. attorney in Manhattan then prosecuted Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell for helping recruit his underage victims. She was convicted in 2021 and is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-jeffrey-epstein-sentencing-aeac127f9cc3811d975ce8e10d171260">serving a 20-year prison term</a>.

The documents being unsealed are part of a 2015 lawsuit filed against Maxwell by one of Epstein’s victims,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-entertainment-lifestyle-virginia-prince-andrew-60348f70fd605c26c26615ffc5ed5f14">Virginia Giuffre</a>. She is one of the dozens of women who sued Epstein saying he had abused them at his homes in Florida, New York, the U.S. Virgin Islands and New Mexico.

Giuffre said the summer she turned 17, she was lured away from a job as a spa attendant at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club to become a “masseuse” for Epstein — a job that involved performing sexual acts.

Giuffre also claimed she was pressured into having sex with men in Epstein's social orbit, including Britain's Prince Andrew, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell and the billionaire Glenn Dubin, among others. All of those men said her accounts were fabricated.

Giuffre&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/prince-andrew-virginia-giuffre-lawsuit-settlement-8b04c775aa46f761d81c05ef12e3a94f">settled a lawsuit against Prince Andrew</a>&nbsp;in 2022. That same year, Giuffre withdrew an accusation she had made against Epstein's former attorney, the law professor Alan Dershowitz, saying she “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-new-york-lawsuits-prince-andrew-jeffrey-epstein-2a7202e552c38ed03c5fe39d6a29721b">may have made a mistake</a>&nbsp;” in identifying him as an abuser.

Giuffre’s lawsuit against Maxwell was settled in 2017, but the Miami Herald went to court to access court papers initially filed under seal, including transcripts of interviews the lawyers did with potential witnesses.

About 2,000 pages were unsealed by a court in 2019. Additional documents were released in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

The batch currently being released contains around 250 records with sections that were blacked out or were sealed entirely because of concerns about the privacy rights of Epstein’s victims and other people whose names had come up during the legal battle but weren’t complicit in his crimes.

Nearly 200 have been released as of Friday. The judge hasn’t set a target for when all the documents should be made public, but more are expected to come.

U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska, who evaluated the documents to decide what should be unsealed, said in her December order that she was ordering the records released because much of the information within them is already public.

Some records have been released, either in part or in full, in other court cases.

The people named in the records include many of Epstein's accusers, members of his staff who told their stories to tabloid newspapers, people who served as witnesses at Maxwell's trial, people who were mentioned in passing during depositions but aren't accused of anything salacious, and people who investigated Epstein, including prosecutors, a journalist and a police detective.

There are also boldface names of public figures known to have associated with Epstein over the years, but whose relationships with him have already been well documented elsewhere, the judge said.

One of them is Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent close to Epstein who was awaiting trial on charges that he raped underage girls when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-arts-and-entertainment-paris-jeffrey-epstein-edfbdb84c6cdd5f736ac7e1c2bac657b">killed himself in a Paris jail</a>&nbsp;in 2022. Giuffre was among the women who had accused Brunel of sexual abuse.

His name was peppered throughout the documents released Wednesday.

Clinton and Trump both factor in the court file, partly because Giuffre was questioned by Maxwell's lawyers about inaccuracies in newspaper stories about her time with Epstein. One story quoted her as saying she had ridden in a helicopter with Clinton and flirted with Trump. Giuffre said neither of those things actually happened. She hasn't accused either former president of wrongdoing.

The judge said a handful of names should remain blacked out in the documents because they would identify people who were sexually abused. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they decide to tell their stories publicly, as Giuffre has done.

WHAT MISINFORMATION IS SPREADING ABOUT THE DOCUMENTS?

In addition to false claims that the documents represent some kind of list identifying Epstein’s “clients,” the internet is rife with misinformation about exactly who is named in the records and what that means.

Ahead of the release, social media users wrongly claimed that late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s name might appear, spurred by a joke New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers made Tuesday on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”

Kimmel said in a response on X that he had never met Epstein and that Rodgers’ “reckless words put my family in danger.” His name did not appear in the documents released so far.

After the documents began emerging, social media users seized on names that appeared in passing, falsely suggesting it was proof of wrongdoing.

For instance, some suggested that the documents included allegations about Stephen Hawking, who died in 2018. In reality, the theoretical physicist's name appears, misspelled, in a 2015 email Epstein sent proposing a reward be paid to anyone who could debunk a baseless claim about Hawking.

Other social media users are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-court-documents-misinformation-3a1df03616ec6b58684be434398de4b7">spreading fabricated images</a>&nbsp;made to look like documents that they claim show people making allegations against Hawking and Kimmel. The quotes in the images don't appear anywhere in the records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704330351229.png" alt="Jeffrey Epstein New York Sex Offender Registry" />
 <figcaption>Jeffrey Epstein New York Sex Offender Registry</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — The release of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-documents-prince-andrew-harvey-weinstein-1e20f426af0c610db7963cdaf85c209f">dozens of previously sealed court documents</a>&nbsp;from a lawsuit involving Jeffrey Epstein might disappoint online sleuths who anticipated explosive new information.The nearly 200 documents released as of Friday largely mention figures whose names were already known, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-prince-andrew-bill-clinton-donald-trump-385ccf8d49d337ae4866022877aa9a90">high-profile friends</a>&nbsp;of Epstein’s and victims who have spoken publicly. In fact, the judge who made the call last month to release the information said she was doing so largely because much of it is already public.<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4355835/giuffre-v-maxwell/?filed_after=&amp;filed_before=&amp;entry_gte=&amp;entry_lte=&amp;order_by=desc">Click here to read </a>the documents released 1/5/24 (caution Adult content)The plan to release the documents had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-jeffrey-epstein-list-released-006487910615">prompted rumors</a>&nbsp;that they contained a list of “clients” or “co-conspirators,” and misinformation about their contents is continuing to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-court-documents-misinformation-3a1df03616ec6b58684be434398de4b7">run rampant</a>&nbsp;on social media.Still, the records&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-court-records-e5a924b6e97413850517df9237715a44">do include fresh details</a>&nbsp;about the financier’s sexual abuse of teenage girls, and offer a reminder of how he leveraged his powerful connections to recruit his victims and help cover up his crimes.The documents unsealed this week are the latest of thousands previously made public in lawsuits involving Epstein.Here’s what we know about the documents released so far:WHO IS JEFFREY EPSTEIN?A millionaire known for associating with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and academic stars, Epstein became the subject of a police investigation in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2005 after he was accused of paying a 14-year-old girl for sex. He was arrested in 2006.Dozens of other underage girls described similar sexual abuse, but prosecutors ultimately&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-florida-e2a4431f7319afd037023d9a586aa291">allowed the financier to plead guilty</a>&nbsp;in 2008 to a charge involving a single victim. He served 13 months in a jail work-release program.Some famous acquaintances abandoned Epstein after his conviction, including former Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, but many did not. Epstein continued to mingle with the rich and famous for another decade, often through philanthropic work.Reporting by the Miami Herald renewed interest in the scandal, and federal prosecutors in New York charged Epstein in 2019 with sex trafficking. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-suicide-department-of-justice-investigation-50c229b7953096f0301bfa1e7f0b7703">killed himself in jail</a>&nbsp;while awaiting trial.The U.S. attorney in Manhattan then prosecuted Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell for helping recruit his underage victims. She was convicted in 2021 and is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-jeffrey-epstein-sentencing-aeac127f9cc3811d975ce8e10d171260">serving a 20-year prison term</a>.WHAT ARE THESE RECORDS ABOUT?The documents being unsealed are part of a 2015 lawsuit filed against Maxwell by one of Epstein’s victims,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-entertainment-lifestyle-virginia-prince-andrew-60348f70fd605c26c26615ffc5ed5f14">Virginia Giuffre</a>. She is one of the dozens of women who sued Epstein saying he had abused them at his homes in Florida, New York, the U.S. Virgin Islands and New Mexico.Giuffre said the summer she turned 17, she was lured away from a job as a spa attendant at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club to become a “masseuse” for Epstein — a job that involved performing sexual acts.Giuffre also claimed she was pressured into having sex with men in Epstein's social orbit, including Britain's Prince Andrew, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell and the billionaire Glenn Dubin, among others. All of those men said her accounts were fabricated.Giuffre&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/prince-andrew-virginia-giuffre-lawsuit-settlement-8b04c775aa46f761d81c05ef12e3a94f">settled a lawsuit against Prince Andrew</a>&nbsp;in 2022. That same year, Giuffre withdrew an accusation she had made against Epstein's former attorney, the law professor Alan Dershowitz, saying she “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-new-york-lawsuits-prince-andrew-jeffrey-epstein-2a7202e552c38ed03c5fe39d6a29721b">may have made a mistake</a>&nbsp;” in identifying him as an abuser.Giuffre’s lawsuit against Maxwell was settled in 2017, but the Miami Herald went to court to access court papers initially filed under seal, including transcripts of interviews the lawyers did with potential witnesses.About 2,000 pages were unsealed by a court in 2019. Additional documents were released in 2020, 2021 and 2022.The batch currently being released contains around 250 records with sections that were blacked out or were sealed entirely because of concerns about the privacy rights of Epstein’s victims and other people whose names had come up during the legal battle but weren’t complicit in his crimes.Nearly 200 have been released as of Friday. The judge hasn’t set a target for when all the documents should be made public, but more are expected to come.WHAT DO THE DOCUMENTS SHOW?U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska, who evaluated the documents to decide what should be unsealed, said in her December order that she was ordering the records released because much of the information within them is already public.Some records have been released, either in part or in full, in other court cases.The people named in the records include many of Epstein's accusers, members of his staff who told their stories to tabloid newspapers, people who served as witnesses at Maxwell's trial, people who were mentioned in passing during depositions but aren't accused of anything salacious, and people who investigated Epstein, including prosecutors, a journalist and a police detective.There are also boldface names of public figures known to have associated with Epstein over the years, but whose relationships with him have already been well documented elsewhere, the judge said.One of them is Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent close to Epstein who was awaiting trial on charges that he raped underage girls when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-arts-and-entertainment-paris-jeffrey-epstein-edfbdb84c6cdd5f736ac7e1c2bac657b">killed himself in a Paris jail</a>&nbsp;in 2022. Giuffre was among the women who had accused Brunel of sexual abuse.His name was peppered throughout the documents released Wednesday.Clinton and Trump both factor in the court file, partly because Giuffre was questioned by Maxwell's lawyers about inaccuracies in newspaper stories about her time with Epstein. One story quoted her as saying she had ridden in a helicopter with Clinton and flirted with Trump. Giuffre said neither of those things actually happened. She hasn't accused either former president of wrongdoing.The judge said a handful of names should remain blacked out in the documents because they would identify people who were sexually abused. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they decide to tell their stories publicly, as Giuffre has done.WHAT MISINFORMATION IS SPREADING ABOUT THE DOCUMENTS?In addition to false claims that the documents represent some kind of list identifying Epstein’s “clients,” the internet is rife with misinformation about exactly who is named in the records and what that means.Ahead of the release, social media users wrongly claimed that late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s name might appear, spurred by a joke New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers made Tuesday on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”Kimmel said in a response on X that he had never met Epstein and that Rodgers’ “reckless words put my family in danger.” His name did not appear in the documents released so far.After the documents began emerging, social media users seized on names that appeared in passing, falsely suggesting it was proof of wrongdoing.For instance, some suggested that the documents included allegations about Stephen Hawking, who died in 2018. In reality, the theoretical physicist's name appears, misspelled, in a 2015 email Epstein sent proposing a reward be paid to anyone who could debunk a baseless claim about Hawking.Other social media users are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-court-documents-misinformation-3a1df03616ec6b58684be434398de4b7">spreading fabricated images</a>&nbsp;made to look like documents that they claim show people making allegations against Hawking and Kimmel. The quotes in the images don't appear anywhere in the records.

Read 3rd batch of Epstein documents released Friday

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;said Friday it will decide whether former President Donald Trump can be kept off the ballot because of his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss, inserting the court squarely in the 2024 presidential campaign.

The justices acknowledged the need to reach a decision quickly, as voters will soon begin casting presidential primary ballots across the country. The court agreed to take up a case from Colorado stemming from Trump’s role in the events that culminated in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">the Jan. 6, 2021, attack</a>&nbsp;on the U.S. Capitol.

Arguments will be held in early February.

The court will be considering for the first time the meaning and reach of a provision of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-14th-amendment-insurrection-2024-election-ballot-9c5f79203109ba221b35a48e708ad725">the 14th Amendment</a>&nbsp;barring some people who “engaged in insurrection” from holding public office. The amendment was adopted in 1868, following the Civil War. It has been so rarely used that the nation's highest court had no previous occasion to interpret it.

Colorado's Supreme Court, by a 4-3 vote, ruled last month that Trump should not be on the Republican primary ballot. The decision was the first time the 14th Amendment was used to bar a presidential contender from the ballot.

Trump is separately appealing to state court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/maine-trump-presidential-ballot-election-insurrection-081fd38ce1f20be9b8423cb2f8c66dee">a ruling by Maine’s Democratic secretary of state</a>, Shenna Bellows, that he was ineligible to appear on that state’s ballot over his role in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">the Capitol attack</a>. Both the Colorado Supreme Court and the Maine secretary of state’s rulings are on hold until the appeals play out.

Three of the nine Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-14th-amendment-immunity-supreme-court-d3f001f66c5c3e85302b8772753ed769">justices were appointed by Trump</a>, though they have repeatedly ruled against him in 2020 election-related lawsuits, as well as his efforts to keep documents related to Jan. 6 and his tax returns from being turned over to congressional committees.

At the same time, Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh have been in the majority of conservative-driven decisions that overturned the five-decade-old&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">constitutional right to abortion</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mississippi-state-government-delaware-california-massachusetts-3983cecfd1107c263d5309ec0d80a966">expanded gun rights</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-affirmative-action-college-race-f83d6318017ec9b9029b12ee2256e744">struck down affirmative action in college admissions</a>.

Some Democratic lawmakers have called on another conservative justice, Clarence Thomas, to step aside from the case because of his wife's support for Trump’s effort to overturn the results of the election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Thomas is unlikely to agree. He has recused himself from only one other case related to the 2020 election, involving former law clerk John Eastman, and so far the people trying to disqualify Trump haven’t asked him to recuse.

The 4-3 Colorado decision cites a ruling by Gorsuch when he was a federal judge in that state. That Gorsuch decision upheld Colorado's move to strike a naturalized citizen from the state's presidential ballot because he was born in Guyana and didn't meet the constitutional requirements to run for office. The court found that Trump likewise doesn't meet the qualifications due to his role in the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021. That day, the Republican president had held a rally outside the White House and exhorted his supporters to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-capitol-siege-media-e79eb5164613d6718e9f4502eb471f27">“fight like hell”</a>&nbsp;before they walked to the Capitol.

The two-sentence provision in Section 3 of the 14th Amendment states that anyone who swore an oath to uphold the constitution and then “engaged in insurrection” against it is no longer eligible for state or federal office. After Congress passed an amnesty for most of the former confederates the measure targeted in 1872, the provision fell into disuse until dozens of suits were filed to keep Trump off the ballot this year. Only the one in Colorado was successful.

Trump had asked the court to overturn the Colorado ruling without even hearing arguments. “The Colorado Supreme Court decision would unconstitutionally disenfranchise millions of voters in Colorado and likely be used as a template to disenfranchise tens of millions of voters nationwide,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.

They argue that Trump should win on many grounds, including that the events of Jan. 6 did not constitute an insurrection. Even if it did, they wrote, Trump himself had not engaged in insurrection. They also contend that the insurrection clause does not apply to the president and that Congress must act, not individual states.

Critics of the former president who sued in Colorado agreed that the justices should step in now and resolve the issue, as do many election law experts.

“This case is of utmost national importance. And given the upcoming presidential primary schedule, there is no time to wait for the issues to percolate further. The Court should resolve this case on an expedited timetable, so that voters in Colorado and elsewhere will know whether Trump is indeed constitutionally ineligible when they cast their primary ballots,” lawyers for the Colorado plaintiffs told the Supreme Court.

The issue of whether Trump can be on the ballot is not the only matter related to the former president or Jan. 6 that has reached the high court. The justices last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-january-6-justice-department-90b93eeb663ebaf67a2e0bc266390fa0">declined a request from special counsel Jack Smith</a>&nbsp;to swiftly take up and rule on Trump’s claims that he is immune from prosecution in a case charging him with plotting to overturn the 2020 presidential election, though the issue could be back before the court soon depending on the ruling of a Washington-based appeals court.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;said Friday it will decide whether former President Donald Trump can be kept off the ballot because of his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss, inserting the court squarely in the 2024 presidential campaign.The justices acknowledged the need to reach a decision quickly, as voters will soon begin casting presidential primary ballots across the country. The court agreed to take up a case from Colorado stemming from Trump’s role in the events that culminated in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">the Jan. 6, 2021, attack</a>&nbsp;on the U.S. Capitol.Arguments will be held in early February.The court will be considering for the first time the meaning and reach of a provision of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-14th-amendment-insurrection-2024-election-ballot-9c5f79203109ba221b35a48e708ad725">the 14th Amendment</a>&nbsp;barring some people who “engaged in insurrection” from holding public office. The amendment was adopted in 1868, following the Civil War. It has been so rarely used that the nation's highest court had no previous occasion to interpret it.Colorado's Supreme Court, by a 4-3 vote, ruled last month that Trump should not be on the Republican primary ballot. The decision was the first time the 14th Amendment was used to bar a presidential contender from the ballot.Trump is separately appealing to state court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/maine-trump-presidential-ballot-election-insurrection-081fd38ce1f20be9b8423cb2f8c66dee">a ruling by Maine’s Democratic secretary of state</a>, Shenna Bellows, that he was ineligible to appear on that state’s ballot over his role in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">the Capitol attack</a>. Both the Colorado Supreme Court and the Maine secretary of state’s rulings are on hold until the appeals play out.Three of the nine Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-14th-amendment-immunity-supreme-court-d3f001f66c5c3e85302b8772753ed769">justices were appointed by Trump</a>, though they have repeatedly ruled against him in 2020 election-related lawsuits, as well as his efforts to keep documents related to Jan. 6 and his tax returns from being turned over to congressional committees.At the same time, Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh have been in the majority of conservative-driven decisions that overturned the five-decade-old&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">constitutional right to abortion</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mississippi-state-government-delaware-california-massachusetts-3983cecfd1107c263d5309ec0d80a966">expanded gun rights</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-affirmative-action-college-race-f83d6318017ec9b9029b12ee2256e744">struck down affirmative action in college admissions</a>.Some Democratic lawmakers have called on another conservative justice, Clarence Thomas, to step aside from the case because of his wife's support for Trump’s effort to overturn the results of the election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Thomas is unlikely to agree. He has recused himself from only one other case related to the 2020 election, involving former law clerk John Eastman, and so far the people trying to disqualify Trump haven’t asked him to recuse.The 4-3 Colorado decision cites a ruling by Gorsuch when he was a federal judge in that state. That Gorsuch decision upheld Colorado's move to strike a naturalized citizen from the state's presidential ballot because he was born in Guyana and didn't meet the constitutional requirements to run for office. The court found that Trump likewise doesn't meet the qualifications due to his role in the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021. That day, the Republican president had held a rally outside the White House and exhorted his supporters to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-capitol-siege-media-e79eb5164613d6718e9f4502eb471f27">“fight like hell”</a>&nbsp;before they walked to the Capitol.The two-sentence provision in Section 3 of the 14th Amendment states that anyone who swore an oath to uphold the constitution and then “engaged in insurrection” against it is no longer eligible for state or federal office. After Congress passed an amnesty for most of the former confederates the measure targeted in 1872, the provision fell into disuse until dozens of suits were filed to keep Trump off the ballot this year. Only the one in Colorado was successful.Trump had asked the court to overturn the Colorado ruling without even hearing arguments. “The Colorado Supreme Court decision would unconstitutionally disenfranchise millions of voters in Colorado and likely be used as a template to disenfranchise tens of millions of voters nationwide,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.They argue that Trump should win on many grounds, including that the events of Jan. 6 did not constitute an insurrection. Even if it did, they wrote, Trump himself had not engaged in insurrection. They also contend that the insurrection clause does not apply to the president and that Congress must act, not individual states.Critics of the former president who sued in Colorado agreed that the justices should step in now and resolve the issue, as do many election law experts.“This case is of utmost national importance. And given the upcoming presidential primary schedule, there is no time to wait for the issues to percolate further. The Court should resolve this case on an expedited timetable, so that voters in Colorado and elsewhere will know whether Trump is indeed constitutionally ineligible when they cast their primary ballots,” lawyers for the Colorado plaintiffs told the Supreme Court.The issue of whether Trump can be on the ballot is not the only matter related to the former president or Jan. 6 that has reached the high court. The justices last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-january-6-justice-department-90b93eeb663ebaf67a2e0bc266390fa0">declined a request from special counsel Jack Smith</a>&nbsp;to swiftly take up and rule on Trump’s claims that he is immune from prosecution in a case charging him with plotting to overturn the 2020 presidential election, though the issue could be back before the court soon depending on the ruling of a Washington-based appeals court.

History: Supreme Court will decide if Trump can be kept off ballots

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A federal jury convicted a Kansas man for taking part in a retaliatory shooting that injured two people, including a federal task force officer.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, 24-year-old G’Ante Butler of Kansas City, Kansas, was found guilty of one count of forcible assault on a federal law enforcement officer and one count of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

On August 3, 2020, Kansas City, Kansas police officers responded to a “shots fired” call on Farrow Avenue, where the defendant’s parents lived. Later that evening, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,

Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Special Agents and federally deputized Task Force Officers (TFOs) went to North Allis Street and arrested one of the individuals responsible for the earlier Farrow Avenue residence shooting. 

After executing a search warrant at the North Allis Street residence, and as the officers were returning to their vehicles, multiple shooters began firing at them. The officers tried to immediately take cover, however, not before an officer and a civilian bystander were struck by gunfire.

Based on evidence gathered during the subsequent investigation, ATF agents learned the shooting was orchestrated by G’Ante Butler and other individuals in retaliation for the earlier incident on Farrow Avenue. Their plan was to shoot at the North Allis Street home and any individuals they encountered there. Officers later recovered approximately 101 casings and two live rounds (including 9mm, .40 caliber, .45 caliber, 5.56 caliber, and 7.62 caliber casings) from an alley west of the targeted North Allis Street home.

Co-defendants Nadarius Barnes, 24, Chase Lewis, 23, and Donnell L. Hall, 28, all of Kansas City, Kansas, each pleaded guilty to one count of forcible assault on a federal law enforcement officer and one count of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

A fifth defendant is scheduled to stand trial in February 2024.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704406464075.png" alt="Butler-photo Wyandotte County&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Butler-photo Wyandotte County&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A federal jury convicted a Kansas man for taking part in a retaliatory shooting that injured two people, including a federal task force officer.According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, 24-year-old G’Ante Butler of Kansas City, Kansas, was found guilty of one count of forcible assault on a federal law enforcement officer and one count of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.On August 3, 2020, Kansas City, Kansas police officers responded to a “shots fired” call on Farrow Avenue, where the defendant’s parents lived. Later that evening, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Special Agents and federally deputized Task Force Officers (TFOs) went to North Allis Street and arrested one of the individuals responsible for the earlier Farrow Avenue residence shooting. After executing a search warrant at the North Allis Street residence, and as the officers were returning to their vehicles, multiple shooters began firing at them. The officers tried to immediately take cover, however, not before an officer and a civilian bystander were struck by gunfire.Based on evidence gathered during the subsequent investigation, ATF agents learned the shooting was orchestrated by G’Ante Butler and other individuals in retaliation for the earlier incident on Farrow Avenue. Their plan was to shoot at the North Allis Street home and any individuals they encountered there. Officers later recovered approximately 101 casings and two live rounds (including 9mm, .40 caliber, .45 caliber, 5.56 caliber, and 7.62 caliber casings) from an alley west of the targeted North Allis Street home.Co-defendants Nadarius Barnes, 24, Chase Lewis, 23, and Donnell L. Hall, 28, all of Kansas City, Kansas, each pleaded guilty to one count of forcible assault on a federal law enforcement officer and one count of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.A fifth defendant is scheduled to stand trial in February 2024.

Kan. man orchestrated retaliation shooting at law enforcement

By TOMMY REZAC,&nbsp;St. Joseph Post

The Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals announced Friday their commitment to remain in Jackson County if Jackson County voters approve an extension of the 3/8-cent sales tax on a ballot initiative this April.

As part of the proposed agreement, the teams have agreed to provide more than $200 million in new economic benefits to Jackson County over 40 years in a new lease agreement, alleviating the county's obligation to pay stadium insurance premiums as well as the park levy to the teams.

Under this agreement, the Chiefs will conduct an extensive renovation to Arrowhead Stadium and the Royals will build a new downtown stadium and privately fund a $1 billion ballpark district.

The clubs also pledged to give the county flexibility of up to $140 million from each team’s share of existing park property taxes.

The teams have not sought any increase in the existing sales tax. The teams will attempt to finalize a spot on the April ballot in a Jackson County legislative meeting on Monday. The deadline to get on the ballot is January 23.

Both Kaufmann and Arrowhead opened in the early 1970s.

By TOMMY REZAC,&nbsp;St. Joseph PostThe Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals announced Friday their commitment to remain in Jackson County if Jackson County voters approve an extension of the 3/8-cent sales tax on a ballot initiative this April.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FRoyals%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0r5ByY5U2RrVC2vwSvt4Aoqr6KcT9jYvbVZG29HuZHHPdBzBphHRugttre3QARZMWl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="367" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>As part of the proposed agreement, the teams have agreed to provide more than $200 million in new economic benefits to Jackson County over 40 years in a new lease agreement, alleviating the county's obligation to pay stadium insurance premiums as well as the park levy to the teams.Under this agreement, the Chiefs will conduct an extensive renovation to Arrowhead Stadium and the Royals will build a new downtown stadium and privately fund a $1 billion ballpark district.The clubs also pledged to give the county flexibility of up to $140 million from each team’s share of existing park property taxes.The teams have not sought any increase in the existing sales tax. The teams will attempt to finalize a spot on the April ballot in a Jackson County legislative meeting on Monday. The deadline to get on the ballot is January 23.Both Kaufmann and Arrowhead opened in the early 1970s.

Chiefs, Royals commit to Jackson County if sales tax approved

VALLEY FORGE, Pa. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;warned Friday that Donald Trump's efforts to retake the White House in 2024 pose a grave threat to the country, the day before the third anniversary of the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol by then-President Trump’s supporters aiming to keep him in power.

(Click below to watch President Biden's speech)

Speaking&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-2024-democracy-threat-national-traumas-66167f70a167592c23067180fbe55910">near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania</a>, where George Washington and the Continental Army spent a bleak winter nearly 250 years ago, Biden said that Jan. 6 2021, marked a moment where “we nearly lost America — lost it all.” He said the presidential race — a likely rematch with Trump, who is the far and away GOP frontrunner — is “all about” whether American democracy will survive.

The speech, the president's first political event of the election year, was intended to clarify the expected choice for voters this fall. Biden, who reentered political life because he felt he was best capable of defeating Trump in 2020, believes focusing on defending democracy to be central for persuading voters to reject Trump once again.

“We all know who Donald Trump is,” Biden said. “The question we have to answer is who are we?”

Biden, laid out Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-committee-final-report-trump-bcfea6162fe9cfa0d120e86d069af0e4">role in the Capitol attack</a>, as a mob of the Republican’s supporters overran the building while lawmakers were counting Electoral College votes that certified Democrat Biden's win. More than 100 police officers were bloodied, beaten and attacked by the rioters who overwhelmed authorities to break into the building.

“What’s Trump done? He’s called these insurrectionists ‘patriots,’” Biden said, “and he promised to pardon them if he returns to office.” He excoriated Trump for “glorifying” rather than condemning political violence

At least nine people who were at the Capitol that day&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-crime-riots-donald-trump-capitol-siege-f7f8dead93998991cfc728e83ea31602">died during or after the rioting</a>, including several officers who died of suicide, a woman who was shot and killed by police as she tried to break into the House chamber, and three other Trump supporters who authorities said suffered medical emergencies.

Biden said that by “trying to rewrite the facts of Jan. 6, Trump is trying to steal history the same way he tried to steal the election."

Trump, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-investigations-other-charges-b8b064a00caad4306fb54d2f6a320468">faces 91 criminal charges</a>&nbsp;stemming from his efforts to overturn his loss to Biden and three other felony cases,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-democracy-election-2024-f2f824f056ae9f81f4e688fe590f41b4">argues that Biden and top Democrats</a>&nbsp;are themselves seeking to undermine democracy by using the legal system to thwart the campaign of his chief rival.

“The only reason Biden is at Valley Forge abusing George Washington’s legacy to slander 75 million Americans is that he knows he can’t show his face at the Southwest Border, or in East Palestine, Ohio, or at the autoworkers’ factories in Michigan where he is destroying hundreds of thousands of jobs,” Trump was to say at a campaign event in Sioux Center, Iowa on Friday according to prepared remarks released by his campaign.

Biden, in his remarks, seized on Trump's grievances and his pledges to get retribution on his political enemies.

“Donald Trump’s campaign is about him," Biden said. "Not America. Not you. Donald Trump’s campaign is obsessed with the past, not the future.”

He added: “There’s no confusion about who Trump is or what he intends to do.”

Before his remarks, Biden, joined by his wife Jill, participated in a wreath laying ceremony at Valley Forge National Arch, which honors the troops who camped there from December 1777 to June 1778. He also toured the home that served as Washington’s headquarters.

Biden invoked Washington’s decision to resign his commission as the leader of the Continental Army after American independence was won — and the painting commemorating that moment that resides in the Capitol Rotunda — to cast Trump as unworthy of Washington’s legacy.

“He could have held onto that power as long as he wanted,” Biden said of Washington. “But that wasn’t the America he and the American troops of Valley Forge had fought for. In America, our leaders don’t hold on to power relentlessly. Our leaders return power to the people – willingly.”

Although the chaos of Jan. 6 came down on members of both political parties, it is being remembered in a largely polarized fashion now, like other aspects of political life in a divided country.

In the days after the attack, 52% of U.S. adults said Trump bore a lot of responsibility for Jan. 6, according to the Pew Research Center. By early 2022, that had declined to 43%. The number of Americans who said Trump bore no responsibility increased from 24% in 2021 to 32% in 2022.

A Washington Post-University of Maryland poll released this week found that about 7 in 10 Republicans say too much is being made of the attack. Just 18% of GOP supporters say that protesters who entered the Capitol were “mostly violent,” down from 26% in 2021, while 77% of Democrats and 54% of independents say the protesters were mostly violent, essentially unchanged from 2021.

Biden said that “politics, fear, money” have led many Republicans to abandon their criticism of Trump after the Jan. 6 attack.

"These MAGA voices who know the truth about Trump and Jan. 6th have abandoned the truth and abandoned democracy,” Biden said. “They’ve made their choice. Now the rest of us – Democrats, Independents, mainstream Republicans – we have to make our choice. I know mine. And I believe I know America’s.”

Biden has frequently invoked the dangers of Jan. 6 since his 2021 inauguration on the same Capitol steps where police officers were struggling to battle back rioters just two weeks earlier. On the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack, Biden had stood in the Capitol's Statuary Hall, a historic spot where the House of Representatives used to meet before the Civil War. On Jan. 6, rioters filled the area, some looking for lawmakers who had run for cover.

“They weren’t looking to uphold the will of the people,” Biden said of the rioters. “They were looking to deny the will of the people.”

On the second anniversary,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan6-capitol-riots-second-anniversary-8014969520b61bf7f4d86689fc16e7f7">Biden presented the nation's second highest civilian award</a>&nbsp;to 12 people who were involved in defending the Capitol during the attack.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704488620969.png" alt="Biden's kicking off 2024 by delving into some of the country’s darkest moments-image from the campaign video" />
 <figcaption>Biden's kicking off 2024 by delving into some of the country’s darkest moments-image from the campaign video</figcaption>
 </figure>VALLEY FORGE, Pa. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;warned Friday that Donald Trump's efforts to retake the White House in 2024 pose a grave threat to the country, the day before the third anniversary of the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol by then-President Trump’s supporters aiming to keep him in power.(Click below to watch President Biden's speech)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjoebiden%2Fvideos%2F893835879104758%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=202" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Speaking&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-2024-democracy-threat-national-traumas-66167f70a167592c23067180fbe55910">near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania</a>, where George Washington and the Continental Army spent a bleak winter nearly 250 years ago, Biden said that Jan. 6 2021, marked a moment where “we nearly lost America — lost it all.” He said the presidential race — a likely rematch with Trump, who is the far and away GOP frontrunner — is “all about” whether American democracy will survive.The speech, the president's first political event of the election year, was intended to clarify the expected choice for voters this fall. Biden, who reentered political life because he felt he was best capable of defeating Trump in 2020, believes focusing on defending democracy to be central for persuading voters to reject Trump once again.“We all know who Donald Trump is,” Biden said. “The question we have to answer is who are we?”Biden, laid out Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-committee-final-report-trump-bcfea6162fe9cfa0d120e86d069af0e4">role in the Capitol attack</a>, as a mob of the Republican’s supporters overran the building while lawmakers were counting Electoral College votes that certified Democrat Biden's win. More than 100 police officers were bloodied, beaten and attacked by the rioters who overwhelmed authorities to break into the building.“What’s Trump done? He’s called these insurrectionists ‘patriots,’” Biden said, “and he promised to pardon them if he returns to office.” He excoriated Trump for “glorifying” rather than condemning political violenceAt least nine people who were at the Capitol that day&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-crime-riots-donald-trump-capitol-siege-f7f8dead93998991cfc728e83ea31602">died during or after the rioting</a>, including several officers who died of suicide, a woman who was shot and killed by police as she tried to break into the House chamber, and three other Trump supporters who authorities said suffered medical emergencies.Biden said that by “trying to rewrite the facts of Jan. 6, Trump is trying to steal history the same way he tried to steal the election."Trump, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-investigations-other-charges-b8b064a00caad4306fb54d2f6a320468">faces 91 criminal charges</a>&nbsp;stemming from his efforts to overturn his loss to Biden and three other felony cases,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-democracy-election-2024-f2f824f056ae9f81f4e688fe590f41b4">argues that Biden and top Democrats</a>&nbsp;are themselves seeking to undermine democracy by using the legal system to thwart the campaign of his chief rival.“The only reason Biden is at Valley Forge abusing George Washington’s legacy to slander 75 million Americans is that he knows he can’t show his face at the Southwest Border, or in East Palestine, Ohio, or at the autoworkers’ factories in Michigan where he is destroying hundreds of thousands of jobs,” Trump was to say at a campaign event in Sioux Center, Iowa on Friday according to prepared remarks released by his campaign.Biden, in his remarks, seized on Trump's grievances and his pledges to get retribution on his political enemies.“Donald Trump’s campaign is about him," Biden said. "Not America. Not you. Donald Trump’s campaign is obsessed with the past, not the future.”He added: “There’s no confusion about who Trump is or what he intends to do.”Before his remarks, Biden, joined by his wife Jill, participated in a wreath laying ceremony at Valley Forge National Arch, which honors the troops who camped there from December 1777 to June 1778. He also toured the home that served as Washington’s headquarters.Biden invoked Washington’s decision to resign his commission as the leader of the Continental Army after American independence was won — and the painting commemorating that moment that resides in the Capitol Rotunda — to cast Trump as unworthy of Washington’s legacy.“He could have held onto that power as long as he wanted,” Biden said of Washington. “But that wasn’t the America he and the American troops of Valley Forge had fought for. In America, our leaders don’t hold on to power relentlessly. Our leaders return power to the people – willingly.”Although the chaos of Jan. 6 came down on members of both political parties, it is being remembered in a largely polarized fashion now, like other aspects of political life in a divided country.In the days after the attack, 52% of U.S. adults said Trump bore a lot of responsibility for Jan. 6, according to the Pew Research Center. By early 2022, that had declined to 43%. The number of Americans who said Trump bore no responsibility increased from 24% in 2021 to 32% in 2022.A Washington Post-University of Maryland poll released this week found that about 7 in 10 Republicans say too much is being made of the attack. Just 18% of GOP supporters say that protesters who entered the Capitol were “mostly violent,” down from 26% in 2021, while 77% of Democrats and 54% of independents say the protesters were mostly violent, essentially unchanged from 2021.Biden said that “politics, fear, money” have led many Republicans to abandon their criticism of Trump after the Jan. 6 attack."These MAGA voices who know the truth about Trump and Jan. 6th have abandoned the truth and abandoned democracy,” Biden said. “They’ve made their choice. Now the rest of us – Democrats, Independents, mainstream Republicans – we have to make our choice. I know mine. And I believe I know America’s.”Biden has frequently invoked the dangers of Jan. 6 since his 2021 inauguration on the same Capitol steps where police officers were struggling to battle back rioters just two weeks earlier. On the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack, Biden had stood in the Capitol's Statuary Hall, a historic spot where the House of Representatives used to meet before the Civil War. On Jan. 6, rioters filled the area, some looking for lawmakers who had run for cover.“They weren’t looking to uphold the will of the people,” Biden said of the rioters. “They were looking to deny the will of the people.”On the second anniversary,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan6-capitol-riots-second-anniversary-8014969520b61bf7f4d86689fc16e7f7">Biden presented the nation's second highest civilian award</a>&nbsp;to 12 people who were involved in defending the Capitol during the attack.

🎥Biden kicks off 2024 campaign in Valley Forge, rips MAGA

NEW YORK (AP) — The longtime head of the National Rifle Association said Friday he is resigning, just days before the start of a civil trial over allegations he diverted millions of dollars from the powerful gun rights organization to pay for personal travel and other lavish perks.

Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice president and chief executive officer, said his departure is effective Jan. 31. The trial in New York Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit against him, the NRA and others who have served as organization executives is scheduled to start on Monday. LaPierre and ex-NRA President Oliver North are among the witnesses expected to testify.

LaPierre, 74, has led&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/national-rifle-association">the NRA</a>&nbsp;’s day-to-day operations since 1991, acting as the face and vehement voice of its gun rights agenda. He once warned of “jack-booted government thugs” seizing guns, called for armed guards in every school after a spate of shootings, and condemned foes backing gun control measures as “opportunists” who “exploit tragedy for gain.”

In recent years though, the NRA has been beset by dwindling membership and financial troubles, along with lingering questions about LaPierre's leadership and spending. One of LaPierre’s top lieutenants, Andrew Arulanandam, will assume his roles on an interim basis, the organization said.

Phillip Journey, a former NRA board member who is set to testify at the upcoming trial in New York, said LaPierre’s resignation doesn’t resolve the open questions before the court nor remedy what he sees as persistent rot within the gun lobbying group. “Honestly, the grifters are a snake with many heads and this is just one,” said Journey, a Kansas judge who’s running to retake a seat on the NRA’s board.

Journey also testified at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nra-bankruptcy-dismissed-a281b888b64d391374f24539a820d60f">NRA’s bankruptcy trial in Texas</a>&nbsp;and said he anticipates there is enough evidence for the New York attorney general to prove her case. “It’s a tragic end to a career that had many high points,” Journey said of LaPierre stepping down. “It’s one of his own making.”

“With pride in all that we have accomplished, I am announcing my resignation from the NRA,” LaPierre said in a statement released by the organization. “I’ve been a card-carrying member of this organization for most of my adult life, and I will never stop supporting the NRA and its fight to defend Second Amendment freedom. My passion for our cause burns as deeply as ever.”

James, a Democrat, accuses LaPierre and other executives of illegally diverting tens of millions of dollars from the NRA and spending organization funds on personal trips, no-show contracts and other questionable expenditures. LaPierre is accused in the lawsuit of spending millions on private jet flights and personal security and accepting expensive gifts — such as African safaris and use of a 107-foot (32-meter) yacht — from vendors.

He is also accused of setting himself up with a $17 million contract with the NRA if he were to exit the organization, spending NRA money on travel consultants, luxury car services, and private jet flights for himself and his family — including more than $500,000 on eight trips to the Bahamas over a three-year span.

James is seeking to ban LaPierre and the other executives from serving in leadership positions of any not-for-profit or charitable organization conducting business in New York, which would effectively remove them from any involvement with the NRA.

Some of the NRA’s excess spending was kept secret, the lawsuit said, under an arrangement with the organization’s former advertising agency, Ackerman McQueen. The advertising firm would pick up the tab for expenses for LaPierre and other NRA executives and then send a lump sum bill to the organization for “out-of-pocket expenses,” the lawsuit said.

LaPierre has defended himself, saying in previous testimony that cruising&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-dallas-parkland-florida-school-shooting-gun-politics-school-shootings-727d30a8cfa50c937012e9de29aa5127">the Bahamas on a yacht was a “security retreat”</a>&nbsp;because he was facing threats after mass shootings. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-dallas-trials-bahamas-gun-politics-6961ee94222eb28e788030d4f9461f61">conceded not reporting the trips</a>&nbsp;on conflict-of-interest forms, testifying: “It’s one of the mistakes I’ve made.”

“He’s been the leading political force of the NRA for over 30 years,” said Robert Spitzer, a political science professor at the State University of New York-Cortland and author several books on gun politics. “He has been the leading edge of the very sharp political voice of the organization.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704484548498.png" alt="Wayne LaPierre during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in March-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Wayne LaPierre during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in March-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — The longtime head of the National Rifle Association said Friday he is resigning, just days before the start of a civil trial over allegations he diverted millions of dollars from the powerful gun rights organization to pay for personal travel and other lavish perks.Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice president and chief executive officer, said his departure is effective Jan. 31. The trial in New York Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit against him, the NRA and others who have served as organization executives is scheduled to start on Monday. LaPierre and ex-NRA President Oliver North are among the witnesses expected to testify.LaPierre, 74, has led&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/national-rifle-association">the NRA</a>&nbsp;’s day-to-day operations since 1991, acting as the face and vehement voice of its gun rights agenda. He once warned of “jack-booted government thugs” seizing guns, called for armed guards in every school after a spate of shootings, and condemned foes backing gun control measures as “opportunists” who “exploit tragedy for gain.”In recent years though, the NRA has been beset by dwindling membership and financial troubles, along with lingering questions about LaPierre's leadership and spending. One of LaPierre’s top lieutenants, Andrew Arulanandam, will assume his roles on an interim basis, the organization said.Phillip Journey, a former NRA board member who is set to testify at the upcoming trial in New York, said LaPierre’s resignation doesn’t resolve the open questions before the court nor remedy what he sees as persistent rot within the gun lobbying group. “Honestly, the grifters are a snake with many heads and this is just one,” said Journey, a Kansas judge who’s running to retake a seat on the NRA’s board.Journey also testified at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nra-bankruptcy-dismissed-a281b888b64d391374f24539a820d60f">NRA’s bankruptcy trial in Texas</a>&nbsp;and said he anticipates there is enough evidence for the New York attorney general to prove her case. “It’s a tragic end to a career that had many high points,” Journey said of LaPierre stepping down. “It’s one of his own making.”“With pride in all that we have accomplished, I am announcing my resignation from the NRA,” LaPierre said in a statement released by the organization. “I’ve been a card-carrying member of this organization for most of my adult life, and I will never stop supporting the NRA and its fight to defend Second Amendment freedom. My passion for our cause burns as deeply as ever.”James, a Democrat, accuses LaPierre and other executives of illegally diverting tens of millions of dollars from the NRA and spending organization funds on personal trips, no-show contracts and other questionable expenditures. LaPierre is accused in the lawsuit of spending millions on private jet flights and personal security and accepting expensive gifts — such as African safaris and use of a 107-foot (32-meter) yacht — from vendors.He is also accused of setting himself up with a $17 million contract with the NRA if he were to exit the organization, spending NRA money on travel consultants, luxury car services, and private jet flights for himself and his family — including more than $500,000 on eight trips to the Bahamas over a three-year span.James is seeking to ban LaPierre and the other executives from serving in leadership positions of any not-for-profit or charitable organization conducting business in New York, which would effectively remove them from any involvement with the NRA.Some of the NRA’s excess spending was kept secret, the lawsuit said, under an arrangement with the organization’s former advertising agency, Ackerman McQueen. The advertising firm would pick up the tab for expenses for LaPierre and other NRA executives and then send a lump sum bill to the organization for “out-of-pocket expenses,” the lawsuit said.LaPierre has defended himself, saying in previous testimony that cruising&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-dallas-parkland-florida-school-shooting-gun-politics-school-shootings-727d30a8cfa50c937012e9de29aa5127">the Bahamas on a yacht was a “security retreat”</a>&nbsp;because he was facing threats after mass shootings. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-dallas-trials-bahamas-gun-politics-6961ee94222eb28e788030d4f9461f61">conceded not reporting the trips</a>&nbsp;on conflict-of-interest forms, testifying: “It’s one of the mistakes I’ve made.”“He’s been the leading political force of the NRA for over 30 years,” said Robert Spitzer, a political science professor at the State University of New York-Cortland and author several books on gun politics. “He has been the leading edge of the very sharp political voice of the organization.”

NRA chief resigning days before trial scrutinizing his leadership, spending

JERUSALEM (AP) — A community that was attacked during Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault into southern Israel says one of its residents, who was taken hostage, has died in captivity.

The Kibbutz Nir Oz community did not give a cause of death Friday for Tamir Adar, 38. Of some 250 people captured during Hamas' attack,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-hostages-0c14750240138853a70e38b0c09ef157">around 80 were taken from Nir Oz alone</a>, out of a population of around 400.

Tamir's grandmother, 85-year-old Yaffa Adar, was also abducted by militants that day. She was among more than 100&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-11-25-2023-7d83895eb736c09fab3eada4c31524b0">hostages released during a weeklong cease-fire</a>&nbsp;in November.

The Israeli government says militants are still holding 113 hostages, including 19 women and two children under the age of 5, as well as the bodies of 24 others.

Hamas has said it will not release any more hostages until Israel ends its military offensive and withdraws from Gaza. Israel has vowed to crush the militant group and return all the captives.

Meanwhile, at least six people were killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike on a home in the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/palestinians-israel-hamas-gaza-2f3d8a95f8b8324d1b002048ff3eb34b">crammed into Rafah</a>, one of the areas where Israel has told people to seek refuge. But Israeli forces continue to strike all parts of the besieged territory.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says several thousand Hamas fighters remain in northern Gaza, where entire neighborhoods have been blasted into rubble. Heavy fighting is also underway in central Gaza and the southern city of Khan Younis, where Israeli officials say Hamas’ military structure is still largely intact.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2">Hamas' Oct. 7 attack</a>&nbsp;from Gaza into southern Israel killed around 1,200 people, and some 250 others were taken hostage. Israel’s air, ground and sea assault in Gaza has killed more than 22,400 people, two-thirds of them women and children, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory</a>. The count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704457372603.png" alt="Tamir Adar photo&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.bringthemhomenow.net/">Hostages and Missing Families Forum</a>" />
 <figcaption>Tamir Adar photo&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.bringthemhomenow.net/">Hostages and Missing Families Forum</a></figcaption>
 </figure>JERUSALEM (AP) — A community that was attacked during Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault into southern Israel says one of its residents, who was taken hostage, has died in captivity.The Kibbutz Nir Oz community did not give a cause of death Friday for Tamir Adar, 38. Of some 250 people captured during Hamas' attack,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-hostages-0c14750240138853a70e38b0c09ef157">around 80 were taken from Nir Oz alone</a>, out of a population of around 400.Tamir's grandmother, 85-year-old Yaffa Adar, was also abducted by militants that day. She was among more than 100&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-11-25-2023-7d83895eb736c09fab3eada4c31524b0">hostages released during a weeklong cease-fire</a>&nbsp;in November.The Israeli government says militants are still holding 113 hostages, including 19 women and two children under the age of 5, as well as the bodies of 24 others.Hamas has said it will not release any more hostages until Israel ends its military offensive and withdraws from Gaza. Israel has vowed to crush the militant group and return all the captives.Meanwhile, at least six people were killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike on a home in the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/palestinians-israel-hamas-gaza-2f3d8a95f8b8324d1b002048ff3eb34b">crammed into Rafah</a>, one of the areas where Israel has told people to seek refuge. But Israeli forces continue to strike all parts of the besieged territory.Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says several thousand Hamas fighters remain in northern Gaza, where entire neighborhoods have been blasted into rubble. Heavy fighting is also underway in central Gaza and the southern city of Khan Younis, where Israeli officials say Hamas’ military structure is still largely intact.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2">Hamas' Oct. 7 attack</a>&nbsp;from Gaza into southern Israel killed around 1,200 people, and some 250 others were taken hostage. Israel’s air, ground and sea assault in Gaza has killed more than 22,400 people, two-thirds of them women and children, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory</a>. The count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Another hostage reported dead in Gaza 

By OLIVIA BERGMEIERSalina Post

Late Thursday night, Salina Police officers arrested Darryl Jones Jr., a 50-year-old Salina resident, for allegedly battering a 39-year-old victim.

According to SPD Capt. James Feldman, officers arrived around 10 p.m. at the 400 block of South Connecticut Avenue after a neighborhood resident called SPD and reported a disturbance.

"During the investigations, officers determined Mr. Jones had battered a 39-year-old female," Feldman said. "During that, he had strangled her, threatened her life and then also battered her regularly."

Once officers determined that Jones had allegedly battered the victim, they arrested him without incident.

SPD officers requested charges for aggravated domestic battery, domestic battery and criminal threat.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704465482811.jpeg" alt="Jones photo Saline Co." />
 <figcaption>Jones photo Saline Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>By OLIVIA BERGMEIERSalina PostLate Thursday night, Salina Police officers arrested Darryl Jones Jr., a 50-year-old Salina resident, for allegedly battering a 39-year-old victim.According to SPD Capt. James Feldman, officers arrived around 10 p.m. at the 400 block of South Connecticut Avenue after a neighborhood resident called SPD and reported a disturbance."During the investigations, officers determined Mr. Jones had battered a 39-year-old female," Feldman said. "During that, he had strangled her, threatened her life and then also battered her regularly."Once officers determined that Jones had allegedly battered the victim, they arrested him without incident.SPD officers requested charges for aggravated domestic battery, domestic battery and criminal threat.

Kansas man jailed for alleged violent attack on a woman

LONDON (AP) — Actor-singer David Soul, a 1970s heartthrob who co-starred as the blond half of the crime-fighting duo “Starsky &amp; Hutch” and topped the music charts with the ballad “Don't Give Up on Us," has died at the age of 80.

His wife, Helen Snell, said Friday that “David Soul – beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother – died yesterday after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family."

“He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend," Snell said in a statement. “His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”

Born David Solberg, Soul was a Chicago native whose acting career dated back to the 1960s, when he joined the avant-garde Firehouse Theater in Minnesota. He continued to appear on stage and screen well into the 20th century, but he was best known for his work in the 1970s.

Soul portrayed detective Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson alongside dark-haired Paul Michael Glaser as detective David Starsky in “Starsky &amp; Hutch, which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1979 and grew so popular it spawned a line of children's toys.

He also had success as a singer, starting in 1976 with “Don’t Give Up on Us" and following with such hits as “Going in With My Eyes Open” and “Silver Lady.”

Soul first gained national fame in the 1960s appearing on "The Merv Griffin Show” as “The Covered Man,” a singer disguised in a stocking cap who shouted out lyrics such as “That is why I hide my face, because a man has to be free.”

His other TV credits included early appearances on “Star Trek,” “All in the Family” and “”I Dream of Jeannie," the miniseries “Salem's Lot” and a short-lived version of the film classic “Casablanca,” in which Soul took on Humphrey Bogart's role as nightclub owner Rock Blaine.

Soul's movies included “Magnum Force,” “The Hanoi Hilton” and a cameo with Glaser in the 2004 big-screen remake of “Starsky &amp; Hutch,” starring Ben Stiller as Starsky and Owen Wilson as Hutch.

By the 1990s, Soul had moved to Britain, where he performed several stage roles. In 2001, he won a libel case against a journalist who called “The Dead Monkey,” a play that Soul was in, the worst production he had ever seen - without having seen it. He also played the titular talk-show host in “Jerry Springer - The Opera" in London's West End.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704472879249.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>LONDON (AP) — Actor-singer David Soul, a 1970s heartthrob who co-starred as the blond half of the crime-fighting duo “Starsky &amp; Hutch” and topped the music charts with the ballad “Don't Give Up on Us," has died at the age of 80.His wife, Helen Snell, said Friday that “David Soul – beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother – died yesterday after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family."“He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend," Snell said in a statement. “His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”Born David Solberg, Soul was a Chicago native whose acting career dated back to the 1960s, when he joined the avant-garde Firehouse Theater in Minnesota. He continued to appear on stage and screen well into the 20th century, but he was best known for his work in the 1970s.Soul portrayed detective Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson alongside dark-haired Paul Michael Glaser as detective David Starsky in “Starsky &amp; Hutch, which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1979 and grew so popular it spawned a line of children's toys.He also had success as a singer, starting in 1976 with “Don’t Give Up on Us" and following with such hits as “Going in With My Eyes Open” and “Silver Lady.”Soul first gained national fame in the 1960s appearing on "The Merv Griffin Show” as “The Covered Man,” a singer disguised in a stocking cap who shouted out lyrics such as “That is why I hide my face, because a man has to be free.”His other TV credits included early appearances on “Star Trek,” “All in the Family” and “”I Dream of Jeannie," the miniseries “Salem's Lot” and a short-lived version of the film classic “Casablanca,” in which Soul took on Humphrey Bogart's role as nightclub owner Rock Blaine.Soul's movies included “Magnum Force,” “The Hanoi Hilton” and a cameo with Glaser in the 2004 big-screen remake of “Starsky &amp; Hutch,” starring Ben Stiller as Starsky and Owen Wilson as Hutch.By the 1990s, Soul had moved to Britain, where he performed several stage roles. In 2001, he won a libel case against a journalist who called “The Dead Monkey,” a play that Soul was in, the worst production he had ever seen - without having seen it. He also played the titular talk-show host in “Jerry Springer - The Opera" in London's West End.

David Soul: Singer, Starsky and Hutch actor dies at 80

PERRY, Iowa (AP) — A teen armed with a shotgun and a handgun unleashed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/perry-high-school-shooting-iowa-1defc6260e074362240a31a7f30cf1b9">terror at an Iowa high school</a>&nbsp;on the first day of classes in the new year, authorities said, killing a sixth grader and wounding five others as people hunkered down in classrooms, barricaded offices and fled the barrage of bullets.

The suspect, a 17-year-old student at the school in Perry, died of what investigators believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound, an Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation official said. An administrator, later identified by his alma mater as Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger, was among those wounded Thursday as students returned from winter break.

Authorities identified the shooter as Dylan Butler but provided no information about a possible motive. Two friends and their mother who spoke with The Associated Press said Butler was a quiet person who had been bullied for years.

Authorities said Butler had a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun. Mitch Mortvedt, the state investigation division's assistant director, said during a news conference that authorities also found a “pretty rudimentary” improvised explosive device and rendered it safe.

A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation said federal and state investigators were interviewing Butler’s friends and analyzing Butler’s social media profiles, including posts on TikTok and Reddit.

Shortly before Thursday’s shooting, Butler posted a photo on TikTok inside the bathroom of Perry High School, the official said. The photo was captioned “now we wait” and the song “Stray Bullet” by the German band KMFDM accompanied it. Investigators have also found other photos Butler posted posing with firearms, according to the official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

Sisters Yesenia Roeder and Khamya Hall, both 17, said alongside their mother, Alita, that Butler was bullied relentlessly since elementary school, but it escalated recently when his younger sister started getting picked on, too.

“He was hurting. He got tired. He got tired of the bullying. He got tired of the harassment," Yesenia Roeder Hall said. "Was it a smart idea to shoot up the school? No. God, no.”

Calls to Perry Community Schools' Superintendent Clark Wicks, as well as school board members, were unanswered Thursday, and an emailed request for comment was not immediately returned.

Police arrived within minutes after an active shooter was reported at 7:37 a.m. Thursday, authorities said.

Perry High School senior Ava Augustus was awaiting a counselor in a school office when she heard three shots. Unable to flee through a small window, she and others barricaded the door and were ready to throw things if necessary.

“And then we hear ‘He’s down. You can go out,’” Augustus said through tears. ”And I run and you can just see glass everywhere, blood on the floor. I get to my car and they’re taking a girl out of the auditorium who had been shot in her leg.”

Three gunshot victims were treated at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, a spokesperson said. Others were taken to a second hospital, a spokesperson for MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center confirmed.

Mortvedt said one person was in critical condition but the injuries didn't appear to be life-threatening, and the others were stable.

In a Facebook post, Marburger's daughter said he was in “surgery all day, and is currently stable.”

Claire Marburger called her father a “gentle giant” who would want more attention on the other victims and their families, and less on himself.

On Thursday night, hundreds of people gathered for a candlelight prayer vigil at a park where hours earlier, students had been brought to reunite with their families after the shooting. Bundled up against freezing temperatures, they listened to clergy from many faiths and heard a message of hope in both English and Spanish.

A post on the high school's Facebook page said it would be closed Friday and counseling services would be available for students, faculty and others in the community.

“This senseless tragedy has shaken our entire state to its core,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said.

In Washington, President Joe Biden and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland were briefed on the shooting.

Mass shootings across the U.S. have long brought calls for stricter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/gun-politics">gun laws</a>&nbsp;from gun safety advocates, and Thursday's did within hours. But the idea has been a non-starter for many Republicans, particularly in rural, GOP-leaning states like Iowa, which will hold its first-in-the-nation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-iowa-caucus-works-2024-democrats-republicans-592ab40b9b9b948c0540f2cf132bab5c">presidential caucuses</a>&nbsp;Jan. 15.

As of July 2021, Iowa&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ia-state-wire-iowa-gun-politics-business-laws-656a5ba4382a64f2d93790f56050ce3c">does not require a permit</a>&nbsp;to purchase a handgun or carry a firearm in public, but it does mandate a background check for anyone buying a handgun without a permit.

Perry has about 8,000 residents and is about 40 miles (65 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines, on the edge of the state capital’s metropolitan area. It is home to a large pork-processing plant and low-slung, single-story homes spread among trees now shorn of their leaves by winter. The high school and middle school are connected, sitting on the east edge of town.

The high school is part of the 1,785-student Perry Community School District. Perry is more diverse than Iowa as a whole. Census figures show 31% of its residents are Hispanic, compared with less than 7% statewide. Those figures also show nearly 19% of the town’s residents were born outside the U.S.

Zander Shelley, 15, was in a hallway when he heard shots and dashed into a classroom, according to his father, Kevin Shelley. Zander was grazed twice and hid in the classroom before texting his father.

Kevin Shelley, who drives a garbage truck, told his boss he had to run. “It was the most scared I’ve been in my entire life,” he said.

He later posted a photo on Facebook of his son being treated at the Methodist Medical Center and said the boy was feeling fine.

“I am still shaking,” he added, “and tho I dont show it I’m not OK.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704470490447.png" alt="&nbsp;hundreds of people gathered for a candlelight prayer vigil at a park where hours earlier, students had been brought to reunite with their families-photo courtesy KCCI TF" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;hundreds of people gathered for a candlelight prayer vigil at a park where hours earlier, students had been brought to reunite with their families-photo courtesy KCCI TF</figcaption>
 </figure>PERRY, Iowa (AP) — A teen armed with a shotgun and a handgun unleashed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/perry-high-school-shooting-iowa-1defc6260e074362240a31a7f30cf1b9">terror at an Iowa high school</a>&nbsp;on the first day of classes in the new year, authorities said, killing a sixth grader and wounding five others as people hunkered down in classrooms, barricaded offices and fled the barrage of bullets.The suspect, a 17-year-old student at the school in Perry, died of what investigators believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound, an Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation official said. An administrator, later identified by his alma mater as Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger, was among those wounded Thursday as students returned from winter break.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704402515704.png" alt="First responders at the high school Thursday -photo courtesy KCCI TV" />
 <figcaption>First responders at the high school Thursday -photo courtesy KCCI TV</figcaption>
 </figure>Authorities identified the shooter as Dylan Butler but provided no information about a possible motive. Two friends and their mother who spoke with The Associated Press said Butler was a quiet person who had been bullied for years.Authorities said Butler had a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun. Mitch Mortvedt, the state investigation division's assistant director, said during a news conference that authorities also found a “pretty rudimentary” improvised explosive device and rendered it safe.A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation said federal and state investigators were interviewing Butler’s friends and analyzing Butler’s social media profiles, including posts on TikTok and Reddit.Shortly before Thursday’s shooting, Butler posted a photo on TikTok inside the bathroom of Perry High School, the official said. The photo was captioned “now we wait” and the song “Stray Bullet” by the German band KMFDM accompanied it. Investigators have also found other photos Butler posted posing with firearms, according to the official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.Sisters Yesenia Roeder and Khamya Hall, both 17, said alongside their mother, Alita, that Butler was bullied relentlessly since elementary school, but it escalated recently when his younger sister started getting picked on, too.“He was hurting. He got tired. He got tired of the bullying. He got tired of the harassment," Yesenia Roeder Hall said. "Was it a smart idea to shoot up the school? No. God, no.”Calls to Perry Community Schools' Superintendent Clark Wicks, as well as school board members, were unanswered Thursday, and an emailed request for comment was not immediately returned.Police arrived within minutes after an active shooter was reported at 7:37 a.m. Thursday, authorities said.Perry High School senior Ava Augustus was awaiting a counselor in a school office when she heard three shots. Unable to flee through a small window, she and others barricaded the door and were ready to throw things if necessary.“And then we hear ‘He’s down. You can go out,’” Augustus said through tears. ”And I run and you can just see glass everywhere, blood on the floor. I get to my car and they’re taking a girl out of the auditorium who had been shot in her leg.”Three gunshot victims were treated at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, a spokesperson said. Others were taken to a second hospital, a spokesperson for MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center confirmed.Mortvedt said one person was in critical condition but the injuries didn't appear to be life-threatening, and the others were stable.In a Facebook post, Marburger's daughter said he was in “surgery all day, and is currently stable.”Claire Marburger called her father a “gentle giant” who would want more attention on the other victims and their families, and less on himself.On Thursday night, hundreds of people gathered for a candlelight prayer vigil at a park where hours earlier, students had been brought to reunite with their families after the shooting. Bundled up against freezing temperatures, they listened to clergy from many faiths and heard a message of hope in both English and Spanish.A post on the high school's Facebook page said it would be closed Friday and counseling services would be available for students, faculty and others in the community.“This senseless tragedy has shaken our entire state to its core,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said.In Washington, President Joe Biden and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland were briefed on the shooting.Mass shootings across the U.S. have long brought calls for stricter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/gun-politics">gun laws</a>&nbsp;from gun safety advocates, and Thursday's did within hours. But the idea has been a non-starter for many Republicans, particularly in rural, GOP-leaning states like Iowa, which will hold its first-in-the-nation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-iowa-caucus-works-2024-democrats-republicans-592ab40b9b9b948c0540f2cf132bab5c">presidential caucuses</a>&nbsp;Jan. 15.As of July 2021, Iowa&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ia-state-wire-iowa-gun-politics-business-laws-656a5ba4382a64f2d93790f56050ce3c">does not require a permit</a>&nbsp;to purchase a handgun or carry a firearm in public, but it does mandate a background check for anyone buying a handgun without a permit.Perry has about 8,000 residents and is about 40 miles (65 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines, on the edge of the state capital’s metropolitan area. It is home to a large pork-processing plant and low-slung, single-story homes spread among trees now shorn of their leaves by winter. The high school and middle school are connected, sitting on the east edge of town.The high school is part of the 1,785-student Perry Community School District. Perry is more diverse than Iowa as a whole. Census figures show 31% of its residents are Hispanic, compared with less than 7% statewide. Those figures also show nearly 19% of the town’s residents were born outside the U.S.Zander Shelley, 15, was in a hallway when he heard shots and dashed into a classroom, according to his father, Kevin Shelley. Zander was grazed twice and hid in the classroom before texting his father.Kevin Shelley, who drives a garbage truck, told his boss he had to run. “It was the most scared I’ve been in my entire life,” he said.He later posted a photo on Facebook of his son being treated at the Methodist Medical Center and said the boy was feeling fine.“I am still shaking,” he added, “and tho I dont show it I’m not OK.”

Candlelight prayer vigil held for victims in Iowa school shooting

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Harlan Red Tailed Hawk known as Harley, Jr., used for educational programming that escaped his enclosure in early December has been found but not captured, yet.

On Thursday, the  Midwest Avian Foundation reported "folks we have eyes on Harley Jr. He is alive and well and we will be retrieving ￼him soon."

"We thank all of you who have sent in tips and sightings of Harley Jr."

"Harley is also quite feisty. We chased him several places today (Thursday) he has settled in for the night we know where he is perched and he will not move at night."

"We will resume trying to recapture him Friday. We have an entire&nbsp;crew that will be looking for him, and we do know where he is and he will be recaptured soon.&nbsp; He is currently in a tree in the 8100 block of Mount Vernon in Wichita. Harley is alive and well and still playing Houdini."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702038276081.png" alt="<a href="https://www.facebook.com/midwestavianfoundation?comment_id=Y29tbWVudDoyMTQwNzc5Mzg0MjcwNjJfMjgyOTI1NTg3NzQwNDE2&amp;__cft__[0]=AZVkf7OLbi_h8AgQwLTrxO8cI7dI6Oa9N8h3yU-XWhqobdEt8Gw2_SHQwuZSxJs1-pH7X-xaV_tIxDaUjN-tT5ciYviLsJbjUi2FH1D2ctRNpQHn3yiK6eR91o6lX2qmLSmG8SLv4Z7dT9ieQUCa5Bscf_hEZD6i-dMYwYEFyx8fbw&amp;__tn__=R]-R">Midwest Avian Foundation</a>" />
 <figcaption><a href="https://www.facebook.com/midwestavianfoundation?comment_id=Y29tbWVudDoyMTQwNzc5Mzg0MjcwNjJfMjgyOTI1NTg3NzQwNDE2&amp;__cft__[0]=AZVkf7OLbi_h8AgQwLTrxO8cI7dI6Oa9N8h3yU-XWhqobdEt8Gw2_SHQwuZSxJs1-pH7X-xaV_tIxDaUjN-tT5ciYviLsJbjUi2FH1D2ctRNpQHn3yiK6eR91o6lX2qmLSmG8SLv4Z7dT9ieQUCa5Bscf_hEZD6i-dMYwYEFyx8fbw&amp;__tn__=R]-R">Midwest Avian Foundation</a></figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Harlan Red Tailed Hawk known as Harley, Jr., used for educational programming that escaped his enclosure in early December has been found but not captured, yet.On Thursday, the Midwest Avian Foundation reported "folks we have eyes on Harley Jr. He is alive and well and we will be retrieving ￼him soon.""We thank all of you who have sent in tips and sightings of Harley Jr.""Harley is also quite feisty. We chased him several places today (Thursday) he has settled in for the night we know where he is perched and he will not move at night.""We will resume trying to recapture him Friday. We have an entire&nbsp;crew that will be looking for him, and we do know where he is and he will be recaptured soon.&nbsp; He is currently in a tree in the 8100 block of Mount Vernon in Wichita. Harley is alive and well and still playing Houdini."---------------

Lost hawk used for education programs in Kansas is found

KANSAS CITY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a fire at a Kansas City-area apartment complex.

Just before 7p.m. Thursday, crews responded to the report of an apartment fire in the 4100 block of NE Davidson Road, according to&nbsp;Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.

First responders found smoke showing from a three-story apartment building. Occupants were evacuating on arrival.&nbsp; The fire was placed under control just after 9p.m.&nbsp;

The KCMO Fire Department has requested Bomb and Arson to assist in the investigation. Two units on the third floor were displaced. Red Coss has been ordered for two adults in one unit, and one adult and one child for the second unit.&nbsp;No injuries were reported at this incident.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704452197828.png" alt="Photo KCMO Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Photo KCMO Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a fire at a Kansas City-area apartment complex.Just before 7p.m. Thursday, crews responded to the report of an apartment fire in the 4100 block of NE Davidson Road, according to&nbsp;Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.First responders found smoke showing from a three-story apartment building. Occupants were evacuating on arrival.&nbsp; The fire was placed under control just after 9p.m.&nbsp;The KCMO Fire Department has requested Bomb and Arson to assist in the investigation. Two units on the third floor were displaced. Red Coss has been ordered for two adults in one unit, and one adult and one child for the second unit.&nbsp;No injuries were reported at this incident.

Bomb, arson assisting with investigation of KC apartment fire

By&nbsp;C. Todd Lopez, Department of Defense&nbsp;&nbsp;

U.S. forces in Iraq Thursday conducted a self-defense strike which killed Mushtaq Jawad Kazim al-Jawari, a leader of the Iran-backed Harakat al-Nujaba terrorist group that is operating both in Iraq and Syria, said the Pentagon press secretary.

<a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3631953/pentagon-press-secretary-maj-gen-pat-ryder-holds-a-press-briefing/">Click here to read </a>a transcript of the briefing

Al-Jawari, also known as Abu Taqwa, was actively involved in planning and carrying out attacks against American personnel. Abu Taqwa, along with another member of Harakat al-Nujaba, were both killed in a strike that took place around noon, Jan. 4, in Iraq, said Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder during a briefing today.&nbsp;

"It is important to note that the strike was taken in self-defense, that no civilians were harmed, and that no infrastructure or facilities were struck," Ryder said.&nbsp;

The U.S. currently has a military presence in Iraq as part of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve. The CJTF-OIR mission is to advise, assist and enable partnered forces in the defeat of ISIS within designated areas of Iraq and Syria. Inside Iraq, the U.S. works in partnership with both the Iraqi Security Forces and the Kurdish Security Forces to carry out that mission.&nbsp;

"U.S. forces are in Iraq at the invitation of the government of Iraq," Ryder said. "They're there for one reason, which is to support the defeat-ISIS mission. We'll continue to work very closely with our Iraqi partners when it comes to the safety and security of our forces. When those forces are threatened, just like we would anywhere else in the world, we will maintain the inherent right of self-defense to protect our forces."

The mission to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria has been ongoing for nearly a decade, and Ryder said the successes of CJTF-OIR are worth maintaining.&nbsp;

"It was 10 years ago this coming summer that ISIS was approximately 24 kilometers outside of Baghdad, when we kicked off the counter-ISIS mission after they had subsumed large swaths of Syria and Iraq," Ryder said. "No one wants to see a return of ISIS ... our focus is going to continue to remain on the defeat-ISIS mission. But again, we're not going to hesitate to protect our forces if they're threatened."&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Friday condemned the United States' strike in central Baghdad that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iraq-iran-militia-pmf-airstrike-baghdad-e6cd1c3c7ad16c953495e1d625a1154a">killed a high-ranking militia commander</a>&nbsp;as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. He reiterated recent calls for withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country.

A U.S. defense official confirmed Thursday that U.S. forces carried out the strike, saying that Abu Taqwa was targeted because he was actively involved in attacks on U.S. personnel. Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, a group of Iranian-backed militias calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has carried out more than 100 attacks on bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. The group has said the attacks are in retaliation for Washington’s support of Israel and that they aim to push U.S. forces out of Iraq.

Sudani said Friday that the U.S. had bypassed the Iraqi government, which is “the body authorized to impose the law.” He added that the Popular Mobilization Force “represent an official presence affiliated with the state … and an integral part of our armed forces” and that “attacks targeting our security forces go beyond the spirit and letter of the mandate that created the international coalition,” referring to a U.S.-led coalition that assisted in the fight against the Islamic State militant group and maintains forces in Iraq.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704418635503.png" alt="Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder answers questions during a briefing Thursday" />
 <figcaption>Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder answers questions during a briefing Thursday</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;C. Todd Lopez, Department of Defense&nbsp;&nbsp;U.S. forces in Iraq Thursday conducted a self-defense strike which killed Mushtaq Jawad Kazim al-Jawari, a leader of the Iran-backed Harakat al-Nujaba terrorist group that is operating both in Iraq and Syria, said the Pentagon press secretary.<a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3631953/pentagon-press-secretary-maj-gen-pat-ryder-holds-a-press-briefing/">Click here to read </a>a transcript of the briefingAl-Jawari, also known as Abu Taqwa, was actively involved in planning and carrying out attacks against American personnel. Abu Taqwa, along with another member of Harakat al-Nujaba, were both killed in a strike that took place around noon, Jan. 4, in Iraq, said Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder during a briefing today.&nbsp;"It is important to note that the strike was taken in self-defense, that no civilians were harmed, and that no infrastructure or facilities were struck," Ryder said.&nbsp;The U.S. currently has a military presence in Iraq as part of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve. The CJTF-OIR mission is to advise, assist and enable partnered forces in the defeat of ISIS within designated areas of Iraq and Syria. Inside Iraq, the U.S. works in partnership with both the Iraqi Security Forces and the Kurdish Security Forces to carry out that mission.&nbsp;"U.S. forces are in Iraq at the invitation of the government of Iraq," Ryder said. "They're there for one reason, which is to support the defeat-ISIS mission. We'll continue to work very closely with our Iraqi partners when it comes to the safety and security of our forces. When those forces are threatened, just like we would anywhere else in the world, we will maintain the inherent right of self-defense to protect our forces."The mission to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria has been ongoing for nearly a decade, and Ryder said the successes of CJTF-OIR are worth maintaining.&nbsp;"It was 10 years ago this coming summer that ISIS was approximately 24 kilometers outside of Baghdad, when we kicked off the counter-ISIS mission after they had subsumed large swaths of Syria and Iraq," Ryder said. "No one wants to see a return of ISIS ... our focus is going to continue to remain on the defeat-ISIS mission. But again, we're not going to hesitate to protect our forces if they're threatened."&nbsp;Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Friday condemned the United States' strike in central Baghdad that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iraq-iran-militia-pmf-airstrike-baghdad-e6cd1c3c7ad16c953495e1d625a1154a">killed a high-ranking militia commander</a>&nbsp;as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. He reiterated recent calls for withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country.A U.S. defense official confirmed Thursday that U.S. forces carried out the strike, saying that Abu Taqwa was targeted because he was actively involved in attacks on U.S. personnel. Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, a group of Iranian-backed militias calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has carried out more than 100 attacks on bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. The group has said the attacks are in retaliation for Washington’s support of Israel and that they aim to push U.S. forces out of Iraq.Sudani said Friday that the U.S. had bypassed the Iraqi government, which is “the body authorized to impose the law.” He added that the Popular Mobilization Force “represent an official presence affiliated with the state … and an integral part of our armed forces” and that “attacks targeting our security forces go beyond the spirit and letter of the mandate that created the international coalition,” referring to a U.S.-led coalition that assisted in the fight against the Islamic State militant group and maintains forces in Iraq.He said his government is following up on procedures that would end in the coalition’s withdrawal from Iraq.