SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities&nbsp; investigating the fatal shooting in May of 39-year-old Brandon M. Drew of Topeka have made an arrest.

On Tuesday, police arrested 32-year-old Sydney Slaughter of Kansas City, Kansas, according to Police Captain Jerry Monasmith.

Slaughter was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections and is being held on requested charges of Murder in the 1st Degree.

Just after 2 p.m. May 15, police responded to a shooting in the 3500 block of SW Kerry Avenue in Topeka.&nbsp;First responders found Drew with a life-threatening gunshot wound. He was taken to a local hospital to be treated for the injuries. He died later that day.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684231727746.png" alt="Police crime tape at the scene of the shooting in vestigation-photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Police crime tape at the scene of the shooting in vestigation-photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities&nbsp; investigating the fatal shooting in May of 39-year-old Brandon M. Drew of Topeka have made an arrest.On Tuesday, police arrested 32-year-old Sydney Slaughter of Kansas City, Kansas, according to Police Captain Jerry Monasmith.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694569725107.png" alt="Slaughter-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Slaughter-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Slaughter was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections and is being held on requested charges of Murder in the 1st Degree.Just after 2 p.m. May 15, police responded to a shooting in the 3500 block of SW Kerry Avenue in Topeka.&nbsp;First responders found Drew with a life-threatening gunshot wound. He was taken to a local hospital to be treated for the injuries. He died later that day.&nbsp;&nbsp;

After almost 4 months police capture Kansas murder suspect

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-biden-impeachment-shutdown-house-republicans-b187202be8814f7acbdd6e2e937e23d4">launching an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden</a>, yielding to mounting pressure from former President Donald Trump and his allies in what's shaping up as an election-year clash between Congress and the White House.

In a statement Tuesday, McCarthy said the House investigations into the Biden family this year have uncovered a “culture of corruption” that demands deeper review.

"These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption," McCarthy said.

McCarthy said he will direct the chairmen of the House Judiciary, Oversight and Ways and Means committees to lead the impeachment inquiry. The panels have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-irs-whistleblowers-oversight-joe-biden-1db3aadcdf7f544c16df681a25853827">working together</a>&nbsp;for months on various probes related to the Biden family and have yet to directly connect the president to any of it.

The White House called the effort “extreme politics at its worst.”

“House Republicans have been investigating the President for 9 months, and they’ve turned up no evidence of wrongdoing," Ian Sams, a White House spokesperson said in a statement. “His own Republican members have said so.”

Here's a look at what happens next as House Republicans inch closer to possible impeachment charges against Biden:

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXZQAPTyn1s">An impeachment inquiry</a>&nbsp;is an investigation of possible wrongdoing by a federal official, such as the president of the United States, Cabinet officials or judges. The process is written into the Constitution and is the most powerful check that Congress has on the executive branch.

While the House of Representatives wields the power to impeach a federal official, only the Senate has the ability to convict and remove an individual from office.

To date, no president has ever been forced from the White House through impeachment. But former Republican President Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 as the House was preparing to take a vote on impeachment articles against him.

WHY ARE REPUBLICANS PURSUING IT AGAINST BIDEN?

Since gaining the House majority in January, House Republicans have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-inflation-donald-trump-business-9af868065b776b21f81fa73e7bafb97d">aggressively investigated Biden and his son</a>, claiming without evidence that they engaged in an influence-peddling scheme. The allegations echo those that former President Donald Trump has made for years against Biden and his family.

Republicans have focused&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-fbi-congress-christopher-wray-comer-0492df31356ddb171dfeee2e4c324bdb">much attention on an unverified tip to the FBI</a>&nbsp;that alleged a bribery scheme involving Biden when he was vice president. The bribery claim, which emerged in 2019 and was part of Trump's first impeachment, relates to the allegation that Biden pressured Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor in order to stop an investigation into Burisma, the oil-and-gas company where Hunter Biden was on the board.

Democrats have reiterated that the Justice Department investigated the Burisma claim when Trump was president and closed the matter after eight months, finding “insufficient evidence” to pursue it further. Other countries were also pushing for the firing of the Ukrainian official, viewing him as corrupt. And a former business partner of Hunter Biden's has testified to Congress that the bribery allegation is untrue.

Nonetheless, three House committees have been pursuing lines of inquiry related to the president and his son, including the ways that Hunter used the “Biden brand” to advance his business with foreign clients. They've also delved deeply into the Justice Department investigation into the younger Biden,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-irs-justice-department-irs-congress-d242a84d4d6d8e90db68febab168fef7">citing whistleblower testimony</a>, to suggest that Hunter has received special treatment.

And while Republicans have sought to directly connect Hunter Biden's financial affairs to his father, they have failed to produce evidence that the president directly participated in his son's work, though he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-congress-oversight-republicans-devon-archer-4b706443a04e0c40a80c65e24d7d69dc">sometimes had dinner with Hunter Biden's clients or said hello</a>&nbsp;to them on calls.

DOES THIS MEAN THAT BIDEN WILL BE IMPEACHED?

Not necessarily. While all inquiries opened in recent history have resulted in the impeachment of a president, Republicans have been treading carefully around the term and its potential political implications.

To impeach Biden, the House would have to approve at least one impeachment charge against him, which requires a majority vote. An impeachment inquiry can also be closed without charges being brought.

McCarthy has said an impeachment inquiry is necessary to ensure Congress can use the full weight of its oversight authority to pursue its investigation of the Biden family.

“Everyone should understand, impeachment is not the goal,” Rep. Darrell Issa, a senior Republican on House Judiciary Committee, one of the panel's tasked with investigating Biden, told reporters recently. “Impeachment is a way of saying this is not a legislative oversight, but in fact an oversight of possible wrongdoing.”

Regardless, the inquiry will loom over Biden as the probe potentially drags into next year when the president, who is running for reelection, confronts a Republican field led by Trump, who was impeached twice.

House Republicans — led by Rep. James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee — have obtained thousands of pages of financial records from various members of the Biden family and their associates through subpoenas to the Treasury Department and various financial institutions.

Comer has repeatedly claimed — without substantial evidence — that there is enough in those documents to draw a clear line between Hunter Biden trading on his father's name and policy decisions Biden made while vice president. No such connection has been proven.

Comer also joined forces in June with the Republican chairmen of the Judiciary, and Ways and Means committees to launch a larger investigation into the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-plea-deal-congress-republicans-investigation-ad80b195c8c0f48241740881cf9b9bce">yearslong Justice Department probe of Hunter Biden</a>. The FBI and IRS have been investigating Hunter Biden for years and the case appeared headed toward a plea deal this summer until a judge rejected the terms of that agreement.

The breakdown happened after two IRS agents claimed in congressional testimony that the Justice Department improperly interfered in the case, which was first opened in 2018.

Attorney General Merrick Garland last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-investigation-justice-garland-ad1034e274570d65032f8e4f47c0c8f6">appointed</a>&nbsp;the prosecutor investigating Hunter Biden as a special counsel, likely extending the investigation further.

McCarthy said he's asked Comer to take the lead on the impeachment inquiry, working alongside House Judiciary chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo.

While McCarthy had previously said the House would hold a vote to launch the inquiry, he made no such promise on Tuesday.

The Constitution does not require a vote to start an impeachment inquiry, and neither do the rules governing the House. But authorizing resolutions have been passed in previous presidential impeachments.

It's not clear McCarthy would have enough votes in the House to approve an impeachment resolution. Some House Republicans are opposed to launching an inquiry, saying there is insufficient evidence against the president.

Once an impeachment inquiry is complete, the House has traditionally tasked the Judiciary Committee — the panel authorized to introduce articles of impeachment — to hold hearings and draft impeachment charges.

There are no rules to how long an impeachment inquiry can or must last. The probe into Biden could last as short as a few months or as long as a year, depending on what McCarthy and Republican leadership believe is the right time to conclude or move to articles of impeachment.

The only real deadline would be the end of this Congress, which is Jan. 2, 2025.

WHAT HAPPENS IF REPUBLICANS DO DECIDE TO IMPEACH?

If Republicans decide there is enough evidence of wrongdoing and abuse of power by Biden to move forward, the Judiciary Committee would likely mark up the articles of impeachment. If those articles are voted out of committee by a simple majority, it would come to the House floor where a majority vote would be required to impeach Biden.

Only three other presidents have been impeached: Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and Trump, who was impeached twice.

The impeachment charges would then move to the Senate, where Democratic leaders would likely have no choice but to hold a trial.

The trial is similar to what's seen in the legal system, with the senators acting as jurors and select House members acting as prosecutors, or impeachment managers. The chief justice of the Supreme Court presides over that process. If the Senate approves an article of impeachment with a two-thirds vote of “guilty,” the president is convicted and removed from office. If all the articles are rejected, the president is acquitted.

If Biden were convicted by the Senate, he would be the first president to ever be removed from office. But such an outcome seems far-fetched, given that Democrats have a 52-48 majority.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-biden-impeachment-shutdown-house-republicans-b187202be8814f7acbdd6e2e937e23d4">launching an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden</a>, yielding to mounting pressure from former President Donald Trump and his allies in what's shaping up as an election-year clash between Congress and the White House.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The Biden Crime Family has demonstrated a long history of corruption. We know when there&#39;s smoke, there&#39;s fire. The American people deserve to know if the president is compromised, &amp; I look forward to a full investigation and its findings in the House.&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1701714766387880383?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In a statement Tuesday, McCarthy said the House investigations into the Biden family this year have uncovered a “culture of corruption” that demands deeper review."These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption," McCarthy said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I am directing our House committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. Over the past several months, House Republicans have uncovered serious and credible allegations into President Biden’s conduct—a culture of corruption. <a href="https://t.co/3uoDlUB3Sy">https://t.co/3uoDlUB3Sy</a>&mdash; Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerMcCarthy/status/1701616470793547969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>McCarthy said he will direct the chairmen of the House Judiciary, Oversight and Ways and Means committees to lead the impeachment inquiry. The panels have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-irs-whistleblowers-oversight-joe-biden-1db3aadcdf7f544c16df681a25853827">working together</a>&nbsp;for months on various probes related to the Biden family and have yet to directly connect the president to any of it.The White House called the effort “extreme politics at its worst.”“House Republicans have been investigating the President for 9 months, and they’ve turned up no evidence of wrongdoing," Ian Sams, a White House spokesperson said in a statement. “His own Republican members have said so.”Here's a look at what happens next as House Republicans inch closer to possible impeachment charges against Biden:WHAT IS AN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY?<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXZQAPTyn1s">An impeachment inquiry</a>&nbsp;is an investigation of possible wrongdoing by a federal official, such as the president of the United States, Cabinet officials or judges. The process is written into the Constitution and is the most powerful check that Congress has on the executive branch.While the House of Representatives wields the power to impeach a federal official, only the Senate has the ability to convict and remove an individual from office.To date, no president has ever been forced from the White House through impeachment. But former Republican President Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 as the House was preparing to take a vote on impeachment articles against him.WHY ARE REPUBLICANS PURSUING IT AGAINST BIDEN?Since gaining the House majority in January, House Republicans have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-inflation-donald-trump-business-9af868065b776b21f81fa73e7bafb97d">aggressively investigated Biden and his son</a>, claiming without evidence that they engaged in an influence-peddling scheme. The allegations echo those that former President Donald Trump has made for years against Biden and his family.Republicans have focused&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-fbi-congress-christopher-wray-comer-0492df31356ddb171dfeee2e4c324bdb">much attention on an unverified tip to the FBI</a>&nbsp;that alleged a bribery scheme involving Biden when he was vice president. The bribery claim, which emerged in 2019 and was part of Trump's first impeachment, relates to the allegation that Biden pressured Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor in order to stop an investigation into Burisma, the oil-and-gas company where Hunter Biden was on the board.Democrats have reiterated that the Justice Department investigated the Burisma claim when Trump was president and closed the matter after eight months, finding “insufficient evidence” to pursue it further. Other countries were also pushing for the firing of the Ukrainian official, viewing him as corrupt. And a former business partner of Hunter Biden's has testified to Congress that the bribery allegation is untrue.Nonetheless, three House committees have been pursuing lines of inquiry related to the president and his son, including the ways that Hunter used the “Biden brand” to advance his business with foreign clients. They've also delved deeply into the Justice Department investigation into the younger Biden,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-irs-justice-department-irs-congress-d242a84d4d6d8e90db68febab168fef7">citing whistleblower testimony</a>, to suggest that Hunter has received special treatment.And while Republicans have sought to directly connect Hunter Biden's financial affairs to his father, they have failed to produce evidence that the president directly participated in his son's work, though he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-congress-oversight-republicans-devon-archer-4b706443a04e0c40a80c65e24d7d69dc">sometimes had dinner with Hunter Biden's clients or said hello</a>&nbsp;to them on calls.DOES THIS MEAN THAT BIDEN WILL BE IMPEACHED?Not necessarily. While all inquiries opened in recent history have resulted in the impeachment of a president, Republicans have been treading carefully around the term and its potential political implications.To impeach Biden, the House would have to approve at least one impeachment charge against him, which requires a majority vote. An impeachment inquiry can also be closed without charges being brought.McCarthy has said an impeachment inquiry is necessary to ensure Congress can use the full weight of its oversight authority to pursue its investigation of the Biden family.“Everyone should understand, impeachment is not the goal,” Rep. Darrell Issa, a senior Republican on House Judiciary Committee, one of the panel's tasked with investigating Biden, told reporters recently. “Impeachment is a way of saying this is not a legislative oversight, but in fact an oversight of possible wrongdoing.”Regardless, the inquiry will loom over Biden as the probe potentially drags into next year when the president, who is running for reelection, confronts a Republican field led by Trump, who was impeached twice.WHAT EVIDENCE DO THEY HAVE?House Republicans — led by Rep. James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee — have obtained thousands of pages of financial records from various members of the Biden family and their associates through subpoenas to the Treasury Department and various financial institutions.Comer has repeatedly claimed — without substantial evidence — that there is enough in those documents to draw a clear line between Hunter Biden trading on his father's name and policy decisions Biden made while vice president. No such connection has been proven.Comer also joined forces in June with the Republican chairmen of the Judiciary, and Ways and Means committees to launch a larger investigation into the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-plea-deal-congress-republicans-investigation-ad80b195c8c0f48241740881cf9b9bce">yearslong Justice Department probe of Hunter Biden</a>. The FBI and IRS have been investigating Hunter Biden for years and the case appeared headed toward a plea deal this summer until a judge rejected the terms of that agreement.The breakdown happened after two IRS agents claimed in congressional testimony that the Justice Department improperly interfered in the case, which was first opened in 2018.Attorney General Merrick Garland last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-investigation-justice-garland-ad1034e274570d65032f8e4f47c0c8f6">appointed</a>&nbsp;the prosecutor investigating Hunter Biden as a special counsel, likely extending the investigation further.HOW WILL THE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY WORK?McCarthy said he's asked Comer to take the lead on the impeachment inquiry, working alongside House Judiciary chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo.While McCarthy had previously said the House would hold a vote to launch the inquiry, he made no such promise on Tuesday.The Constitution does not require a vote to start an impeachment inquiry, and neither do the rules governing the House. But authorizing resolutions have been passed in previous presidential impeachments.It's not clear McCarthy would have enough votes in the House to approve an impeachment resolution. Some House Republicans are opposed to launching an inquiry, saying there is insufficient evidence against the president.Once an impeachment inquiry is complete, the House has traditionally tasked the Judiciary Committee — the panel authorized to introduce articles of impeachment — to hold hearings and draft impeachment charges.HOW LONG WILL THE INQUIRY TAKE?There are no rules to how long an impeachment inquiry can or must last. The probe into Biden could last as short as a few months or as long as a year, depending on what McCarthy and Republican leadership believe is the right time to conclude or move to articles of impeachment.The only real deadline would be the end of this Congress, which is Jan. 2, 2025.WHAT HAPPENS IF REPUBLICANS DO DECIDE TO IMPEACH?If Republicans decide there is enough evidence of wrongdoing and abuse of power by Biden to move forward, the Judiciary Committee would likely mark up the articles of impeachment. If those articles are voted out of committee by a simple majority, it would come to the House floor where a majority vote would be required to impeach Biden.Only three other presidents have been impeached: Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and Trump, who was impeached twice.The impeachment charges would then move to the Senate, where Democratic leaders would likely have no choice but to hold a trial.The trial is similar to what's seen in the legal system, with the senators acting as jurors and select House members acting as prosecutors, or impeachment managers. The chief justice of the Supreme Court presides over that process. If the Senate approves an article of impeachment with a two-thirds vote of “guilty,” the president is convicted and removed from office. If all the articles are rejected, the president is acquitted.If Biden were convicted by the Senate, he would be the first president to ever be removed from office. But such an outcome seems far-fetched, given that Democrats have a 52-48 majority.

🎥Kan. Senator supports impeachment inquiry of President Biden

JEFFERSON COUNTY—A Kansas man jailed for an alleged violent attack on his father is facing additional charges.

According to Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Herrig, 59-year-old Michael J. West died Monday evening from injuries in a weekend attack.

Just after 8:30a.m. September 9, deputies responded to 6956 Shawnee Lane, Lake Ridge Estates in Ozawkie, according to a media release. The victim reported that he had been hit by a blunt object several times.

First responders found&nbsp; West with life-threatening injuries. EMS transported him to&nbsp;Stormont Vail Hospital&nbsp;in Topeka where he died.

Investigators later found the suspect identified as 30-year-old Michael T. West, the victim's son, in Leavenworth. 

Deputies arrested and booked him into the Jefferson County Jail on requested charges of attempted murder in the first degree. He his being held without bond, according to online jail records.

Sheriff Herrg, the murder weapon was not a golf club as some have speculated.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694482143536.png" alt="West-photo Jefferson Co." />
 <figcaption>West-photo Jefferson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JEFFERSON COUNTY—A Kansas man jailed for an alleged violent attack on his father is facing additional charges.According to Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Herrig, 59-year-old Michael J. West died Monday evening from injuries in a weekend attack.Just after 8:30a.m. September 9, deputies responded to 6956 Shawnee Lane, Lake Ridge Estates in Ozawkie, according to a media release. The victim reported that he had been hit by a blunt object several times.First responders found&nbsp; West with life-threatening injuries. EMS transported him to&nbsp;Stormont Vail Hospital&nbsp;in Topeka where he died.Investigators later found the suspect identified as 30-year-old Michael T. West, the victim's son, in Leavenworth. Deputies arrested and booked him into the Jefferson County Jail on requested charges of attempted murder in the first degree. He his being held without bond, according to online jail records.Sheriff Herrg, the murder weapon was not a golf club as some have speculated.

Kansas man now faces murder charge for attack on his father

PAWHUSKA, Okla. (AP) — The defense attorney for the BTK serial killer insisted Tuesday that his client was not involved in the 1976 disappearance of an Oklahoma teenager, even as the dispute between the sheriff and prosecutor over the investigation intensified.

Defense attorney Rob Ridenour said in a statement disputing Dennis Rader's involvement in Cynthia Kinney's disappearance that his client has already confessed to his crimes. He said Rader was already interviewed by the sheriff’s department about Kinney, a cheerleader from the northern Oklahoma city of Pawhuska, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/btk-serial-killer-investigation-bf9b2d69bdd3e696d7567608c1964593">was last seen at a laundromat.</a>

Rader, now 78, killed from 1974 to 1991,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5128807ebf924161b11fa833d1bdcf74">giving himself the nickname BTK</a>&nbsp;— for “bind, torture and kill.” He played a cat and mouse game with investigators and reporters for decades before he was caught in 2005. He is serving 10 life terms in the neighboring state of Kansas, one for each of the victims he confessed to killing.

Ridenour released the statement one day after Osage County, Oklahoma, District Attorney Mike Fisher raised questions about how Sheriff Eddie Virden was handling the investigation.

Osage County sheriff’s officials, including Undersheriff Gary Upton, have recently called Rader a “prime suspect” in Kinney’s disappearance and the death of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/47002f904b246b385b7342d42cf8b1e4">22-year-old Shawna Beth Garber</a>, whose body was discovered in December 1990 in McDonald County, Missouri.

In August, the sheriff’s office also released information from Rader’s journal entry in which he used the phrase “PJ-Bad Wash Day.” The entry&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ocso.net/dennis-rader-btk-journal-entry-pj-bad-wash-day/">said</a>&nbsp;laundry mats were a “good place to watch victims and dream.”

A bank was installing new alarms across the street from the laundromat where Kinney was last seen, Virden has said. Rader was a regional installer for security system company ADT at the time, but Virden wasn’t able to confirm that Rader installed the bank’s systems.

But Fisher said he hadn’t seen anything “that at this point arises to the level of even reasonable suspicion” and called his relationship with the sheriff “broken.” He added that he asked the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to open a formal investigation into Kinney’s disappearance because of the public interest in the revived cold case.

Virden said at a news conference Tuesday that he was “absolutely furious,” following up on a news release Monday in which his office accused Fisher of attempting to “derail the investigation” by contacting the prison where Rader was held in an attempt to halt further interviews.

The sheriff's office said a task force has been created to help with the investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692794360261.png" alt="Rader is being held in the El Dorado Correctional Facility" />
 <figcaption>Rader is being held in the El Dorado Correctional Facility</figcaption>
 </figure>PAWHUSKA, Okla. (AP) — The defense attorney for the BTK serial killer insisted Tuesday that his client was not involved in the 1976 disappearance of an Oklahoma teenager, even as the dispute between the sheriff and prosecutor over the investigation intensified.Defense attorney Rob Ridenour said in a statement disputing Dennis Rader's involvement in Cynthia Kinney's disappearance that his client has already confessed to his crimes. He said Rader was already interviewed by the sheriff’s department about Kinney, a cheerleader from the northern Oklahoma city of Pawhuska, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/btk-serial-killer-investigation-bf9b2d69bdd3e696d7567608c1964593">was last seen at a laundromat.</a>Rader, now 78, killed from 1974 to 1991,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5128807ebf924161b11fa833d1bdcf74">giving himself the nickname BTK</a>&nbsp;— for “bind, torture and kill.” He played a cat and mouse game with investigators and reporters for decades before he was caught in 2005. He is serving 10 life terms in the neighboring state of Kansas, one for each of the victims he confessed to killing.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694464353867.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Ridenour released the statement one day after Osage County, Oklahoma, District Attorney Mike Fisher raised questions about how Sheriff Eddie Virden was handling the investigation.Osage County sheriff’s officials, including Undersheriff Gary Upton, have recently called Rader a “prime suspect” in Kinney’s disappearance and the death of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/47002f904b246b385b7342d42cf8b1e4">22-year-old Shawna Beth Garber</a>, whose body was discovered in December 1990 in McDonald County, Missouri.In August, the sheriff’s office also released information from Rader’s journal entry in which he used the phrase “PJ-Bad Wash Day.” The entry&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ocso.net/dennis-rader-btk-journal-entry-pj-bad-wash-day/">said</a>&nbsp;laundry mats were a “good place to watch victims and dream.”A bank was installing new alarms across the street from the laundromat where Kinney was last seen, Virden has said. Rader was a regional installer for security system company ADT at the time, but Virden wasn’t able to confirm that Rader installed the bank’s systems.But Fisher said he hadn’t seen anything “that at this point arises to the level of even reasonable suspicion” and called his relationship with the sheriff “broken.” He added that he asked the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to open a formal investigation into Kinney’s disappearance because of the public interest in the revived cold case.Virden said at a news conference Tuesday that he was “absolutely furious,” following up on a news release Monday in which his office accused Fisher of attempting to “derail the investigation” by contacting the prison where Rader was held in an attempt to halt further interviews.The sheriff's office said a task force has been created to help with the investigation.

Defense attorney: Kan. serial killer isn't involved in teen's disappearance

TOPEKA –Governor Laura Kelly sent a letter to President Joe Biden through the Federal Emergency Management Agency requesting a major federal disaster declaration for the state due to damages sustained in multiple Kansas counties by several rounds of severe weather, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Emergency Management.

From June 27 through August 8, Kansas was hit with multiple severe thunderstorms that included strong damaging winds, heavy rainfall, flooding, large hail, and tornadoes.&nbsp;

“Over that two-month period, many Kansas counties experienced some sort of severe weather,” Governor Kelly said. “The damages inflicted by these storms have severely affected the safety and livelihoods of Kansans across the state. I have ordered the adjutant general to activate the disaster response and recovery portions of the Kansas Response Plan and to use all available resources of the state to cope with the disaster, as necessary.”&nbsp;

The governor is seeking public assistance for the following counties to repair vital infrastructure: Allen, Barber, Barton, Chautauqua, Cheyenne, Clark, Comanche, Cowley, Edwards, Finney, Ford, Franklin, Graham, Gray, Greely, Jefferson, Jewell, Johnson, Kearney, Marshall, McPherson, Meade, Mitchell, Nemaha, Norton, Osborne, Pawnee, Phillips, Rawlins, Republic, Rice, Rush, Russell, Seward, Sherman, Stafford, Sumner, Thomas, Wallace, Washington, Wichita, Woodson, and Wyandotte.&nbsp;

Governor Kelly said the total federal expenditure is expected to meet or exceed $18,687,000.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683887984526.png" alt="The tornado damaged USD 242 Weskan, Kansas- Photo courtesy Wallace County Sheriff Marshall Unruh" />
 <figcaption>The tornado damaged USD 242 Weskan, Kansas- Photo courtesy Wallace County Sheriff Marshall Unruh</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA –Governor Laura Kelly sent a letter to President Joe Biden through the Federal Emergency Management Agency requesting a major federal disaster declaration for the state due to damages sustained in multiple Kansas counties by several rounds of severe weather, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Emergency Management.From June 27 through August 8, Kansas was hit with multiple severe thunderstorms that included strong damaging winds, heavy rainfall, flooding, large hail, and tornadoes.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694600149654.png" alt="The tornado damaged USD 242 Weskan, Kansas -Photo courtesy Wallace County Sheriff Marshall Unruh" />
 <figcaption>The tornado damaged USD 242 Weskan, Kansas -Photo courtesy Wallace County Sheriff Marshall Unruh</figcaption>
 </figure>“Over that two-month period, many Kansas counties experienced some sort of severe weather,” Governor Kelly said. “The damages inflicted by these storms have severely affected the safety and livelihoods of Kansans across the state. I have ordered the adjutant general to activate the disaster response and recovery portions of the Kansas Response Plan and to use all available resources of the state to cope with the disaster, as necessary.”&nbsp;The governor is seeking public assistance for the following counties to repair vital infrastructure: Allen, Barber, Barton, Chautauqua, Cheyenne, Clark, Comanche, Cowley, Edwards, Finney, Ford, Franklin, Graham, Gray, Greely, Jefferson, Jewell, Johnson, Kearney, Marshall, McPherson, Meade, Mitchell, Nemaha, Norton, Osborne, Pawnee, Phillips, Rawlins, Republic, Rice, Rush, Russell, Seward, Sherman, Stafford, Sumner, Thomas, Wallace, Washington, Wichita, Woodson, and Wyandotte.&nbsp;Governor Kelly said the total federal expenditure is expected to meet or exceed $18,687,000.

Gov. requests $18M in federal aid for Kansas due to severe weather 

SEDGWICK COUNTY&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred Tuesday afternoon involving a deputy from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.

Just after 2:30 p.m., deputies from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office initiated a car stop on a suspected stolen pickup truck near Andover. The driver of the white truck fled, prompting a vehicle pursuit.

Preliminary information indicates the pursuit ended at 159th&nbsp;Street and Bordeulac Street, near the Butler and Sedgwick county line, when the 21-year-old male driver wrecked the truck.

 He exited and fled on foot into a residential neighborhood. Multiple deputies pursued him on foot. The man then got into a large, white, unoccupied moving truck and attempted to drive southbound. The deputies approached the truck and a deputy deployed a taser with limited effect. He continued driving south a short distance in the direction of a deputy who fired one round, striking the subject. The shot was fired just before 3 p.m.

The truck continued forward crashing into a garage, and coming to rest on the front porch of a house. Deputies began life-saving measures. EMS responded and transported the man to a Wichita hospital with critical injuries. No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.

The KBI will conduct a thorough and independent investigation into this incident. Once the investigation concludes, the findings will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney for review.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694598739181.png" alt="Scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred Tuesday afternoon involving a deputy from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.Just after 2:30 p.m., deputies from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office initiated a car stop on a suspected stolen pickup truck near Andover. The driver of the white truck fled, prompting a vehicle pursuit.Preliminary information indicates the pursuit ended at 159th&nbsp;Street and Bordeulac Street, near the Butler and Sedgwick county line, when the 21-year-old male driver wrecked the truck. He exited and fled on foot into a residential neighborhood. Multiple deputies pursued him on foot. The man then got into a large, white, unoccupied moving truck and attempted to drive southbound. The deputies approached the truck and a deputy deployed a taser with limited effect. He continued driving south a short distance in the direction of a deputy who fired one round, striking the subject. The shot was fired just before 3 p.m.The truck continued forward crashing into a garage, and coming to rest on the front porch of a house. Deputies began life-saving measures. EMS responded and transported the man to a Wichita hospital with critical injuries. No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.The KBI will conduct a thorough and independent investigation into this incident. Once the investigation concludes, the findings will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney for review.

KBI: Police chase ends in Kansas officer shooting 

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Dariyland building on the Kansas State Fairgrounds is a place where Kansans can learn about where their milk comes from. Dairy farming is a growing part of animal agriculture in Kansas.&nbsp;

Kari Hamilton works as a mobile classroom instructor for Southwest Dairy Farm. She presents live cow milking demonstrations every day at the fair.&nbsp;

"It is so very important to let everyone know how good milk is for you and how well the animals are taken care of," said Hamilton. "Dairy cows are very happy, healthy animals and I just like to spread the awareness about how important milk is for us."

On Tuesday morning, Hamilton did a live milking demonstration of a Jersey dairy cow named Hazel Grace Blossom. She used a milking claw. The claw works by suctioning the milk out of a cow's udder.&nbsp;

Hamilton said Jersey cows are milked twice in the morning and evening, and can produce 6 gallons of milk per day.&nbsp;

She also talked to the crowd about why milk is an essential part of a daily diet, and the features of a dairy cow. Milk from Jersey cows is best used for butter, cheese and ice cream.

"When you are getting those 3-4 servings of dairy you are giving yourself healthy blood pressure," Hamilton said to the audience. "It's good for our body in so many ways, so remember to get those 3-4 or more servings of dairy every day."&nbsp;

More information about dairy cattle and Southwest Dairy Farmers is available at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.southwestdairyfarmers.com/">southwestdairyfarmers.com</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694596882304.jpeg" alt="Kari Hamilton teaches about cow milking on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at the Kansas State Fair-Photo by Emmie Boese" />
 <figcaption>Kari Hamilton teaches about cow milking on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at the Kansas State Fair-Photo by Emmie Boese</figcaption>
 </figure>EMMIE BOESEHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Dariyland building on the Kansas State Fairgrounds is a place where Kansans can learn about where their milk comes from. Dairy farming is a growing part of animal agriculture in Kansas.&nbsp;Kari Hamilton works as a mobile classroom instructor for Southwest Dairy Farm. She presents live cow milking demonstrations every day at the fair.&nbsp;"It is so very important to let everyone know how good milk is for you and how well the animals are taken care of," said Hamilton. "Dairy cows are very happy, healthy animals and I just like to spread the awareness about how important milk is for us."On Tuesday morning, Hamilton did a live milking demonstration of a Jersey dairy cow named Hazel Grace Blossom. She used a milking claw. The claw works by suctioning the milk out of a cow's udder.&nbsp;Hamilton said Jersey cows are milked twice in the morning and evening, and can produce 6 gallons of milk per day.&nbsp;She also talked to the crowd about why milk is an essential part of a daily diet, and the features of a dairy cow. Milk from Jersey cows is best used for butter, cheese and ice cream."When you are getting those 3-4 servings of dairy you are giving yourself healthy blood pressure," Hamilton said to the audience. "It's good for our body in so many ways, so remember to get those 3-4 or more servings of dairy every day."&nbsp;More information about dairy cattle and Southwest Dairy Farmers is available at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.southwestdairyfarmers.com/">southwestdairyfarmers.com</a>.

State Fair: Milking parlor teaches about growing Kansas industry

MONTGOMERY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with a shooting that critically injured a man.

Just before 8p.m. September 9th, 2023, at approximately 7:48pm, Montgomery County Dispatch received a 911 call of a subject who had been shot 210 E. Bell Street in rural Wayside, Kansas thirteen miles southwest of Independence on US 75 highway, according to Sheriff Ron Wade.

 Dispatch received information that the suspect had left the scene. 

 Independence City Fire and EMS along with Havana Rural Fire were also dispatched.  Upon Montgomery County Deputies arrival, they located a man later Identified as Nathaniel Rush of Caney, Kansas who had critical injuries and needed immediate medial attention. 

 Deputies started assisting with Rush’s injuries until Paramedics arrived on scene and took over.  Rush was life flighted to an area hospital to be treated for his injuries. 

 Detectives, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, and MGSO crime scene unit began processing the scene.  Deputies along with the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) were tasked to search for the suspect. 

 Later KHP located the suspect vehicle at a residence in Independence, Kansas. Troopers and sheriff's deputies located the suspect later identified as 53-year-old Robert Darrow of Wayside, Kansas and took him into custody. 

Darrow is being held on requested charges of second degree attempted murder.&nbsp; Rush remained hospitalized Tuesday but is improving, according to Wade.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694541148406.png" alt="Darrow-photo Montgomery Co." />
 <figcaption>Darrow-photo Montgomery Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>MONTGOMERY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with a shooting that critically injured a man.Just before 8p.m. September 9th, 2023, at approximately 7:48pm, Montgomery County Dispatch received a 911 call of a subject who had been shot 210 E. Bell Street in rural Wayside, Kansas thirteen miles southwest of Independence on US 75 highway, according to Sheriff Ron Wade. Dispatch received information that the suspect had left the scene. Independence City Fire and EMS along with Havana Rural Fire were also dispatched. Upon Montgomery County Deputies arrival, they located a man later Identified as Nathaniel Rush of Caney, Kansas who had critical injuries and needed immediate medial attention. Deputies started assisting with Rush’s injuries until Paramedics arrived on scene and took over. Rush was life flighted to an area hospital to be treated for his injuries. Detectives, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, and MGSO crime scene unit began processing the scene. Deputies along with the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) were tasked to search for the suspect. Later KHP located the suspect vehicle at a residence in Independence, Kansas. Troopers and sheriff's deputies located the suspect later identified as 53-year-old Robert Darrow of Wayside, Kansas and took him into custody. Darrow is being held on requested charges of second degree attempted murder.&nbsp; Rush remained hospitalized Tuesday but is improving, according to Wade.

Deputies, KHP track down Kansas shooting suspect

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

Just after 9 p.m. Sept. 9, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on U.S.75 Highway, near Carbondale for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells. During the stop, illegal narcotics were located.

The driver of the vehicle, Mickey J. R. Mullican, 19, of Topeka, was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of Possession of cocaine, Minor in possession of alcohol andFail to appear arrest warrant

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694395720208.png" alt="Mullican-photo Osage Co." />
 <figcaption>Mullican-photo Osage Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.Just after 9 p.m. Sept. 9, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on U.S.75 Highway, near Carbondale for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells. During the stop, illegal narcotics were located.The driver of the vehicle, Mickey J. R. Mullican, 19, of Topeka, was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of Possession of cocaine, Minor in possession of alcohol andFail to appear arrest warrant

Sheriff: Kansas teen was driving with alcohol and cocaine

OTOE COUNTY —The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating a crash that involved a school bus on Tuesday morning on Highway 2 east of Palmyra, according to a media release from the patrol. Several students were injured in the crash.

At approximately 7:35 a.m. Tuesday, the patrol received a report of a crash involving a school bus approximately one mile east of Palmyra. Troopers, Otoe County Sheriff’s Deputies, and rescue crews from Palmyra, Douglas, Syracuse, and Nebraska City all responded.

Upon arrival, several students were found with mostly minor injuries. All nine students aboard the bus were transported to Bryan Health Center West Campus with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries. 

The students were all between ages 5 and 14. Parents were reunited with their kids at the hospital. Both drivers involved were also transported with non-life-threatening injuries.

Preliminary investigation shows that the bus was westbound on Highway 2 when it was slowing to turn onto a driveway. A westbound Ford F-150 then failed to slow down and rear-ended the bus causing it to roll onto its side.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694549876083.png" alt="Photo courtesy KWCH TV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KWCH TV</figcaption>
 </figure>OTOE COUNTY —The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating a crash that involved a school bus on Tuesday morning on Highway 2 east of Palmyra, according to a media release from the patrol. Several students were injured in the crash.At approximately 7:35 a.m. Tuesday, the patrol received a report of a crash involving a school bus approximately one mile east of Palmyra. Troopers, Otoe County Sheriff’s Deputies, and rescue crews from Palmyra, Douglas, Syracuse, and Nebraska City all responded.Upon arrival, several students were found with mostly minor injuries. All nine students aboard the bus were transported to Bryan Health Center West Campus with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries. The students were all between ages 5 and 14. Parents were reunited with their kids at the hospital. Both drivers involved were also transported with non-life-threatening injuries.Preliminary investigation shows that the bus was westbound on Highway 2 when it was slowing to turn onto a driveway. A westbound Ford F-150 then failed to slow down and rear-ended the bus causing it to roll onto its side.&nbsp;

Students injured after pickup, Nebraska school bus crash 

BUTLER COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal pedestrian accident and asking the public for help to identify the victim.

Just after 9p.m. Monday, Butler County emergency crews responded to the report of a vehicle vs pedestrian accident on U.S. 54&nbsp;between SW Indianola Road and SW Tawakoni Road east of Andover, according to Undersheriff Daimon Cundiff.

&nbsp;The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigation of the crash scene indicates that a westbound 2015 Honda According struck the pedestrian who was walking in the outside westbound lane of traffic of U.S. 54 

&nbsp;Driver impairment is not believed to be a factor but it will take time for test results for the pedestrian. 

The Sheriff’s Office has been unable to identify the pedestrian. He is described as a white or hispanic male believed to be in his twenties, with short black hair, a short beard, numerous tattoos and was dressed in black jeans and a gray tank top. 

The Butler County Sheriff’s Office is asking for anyone who may have seen this person, or may have any information as to his identity, to please contact our office at 316-322-4254.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694546710445.png" alt="First responders at the scene of the fatal pedestrian accident-photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>First responders at the scene of the fatal pedestrian accident-photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>BUTLER COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal pedestrian accident and asking the public for help to identify the victim.Just after 9p.m. Monday, Butler County emergency crews responded to the report of a vehicle vs pedestrian accident on U.S. 54&nbsp;between SW Indianola Road and SW Tawakoni Road east of Andover, according to Undersheriff Daimon Cundiff.&nbsp;The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene.Investigation of the crash scene indicates that a westbound 2015 Honda According struck the pedestrian who was walking in the outside westbound lane of traffic of U.S. 54 &nbsp;Driver impairment is not believed to be a factor but it will take time for test results for the pedestrian. The Sheriff’s Office has been unable to identify the pedestrian. He is described as a white or hispanic male believed to be in his twenties, with short black hair, a short beard, numerous tattoos and was dressed in black jeans and a gray tank top. The Butler County Sheriff’s Office is asking for anyone who may have seen this person, or may have any information as to his identity, to please contact our office at 316-322-4254.

Sheriff asks for help to ID victim in fatal Kan. pedestrian accident

By JENNIFER SHUTT&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice asked the Supreme Court to decide whether the abortion pill should remain on the market after two lower courts issued differing opinions about its use.

The case, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will likely be the second time the conservative-leaning Supreme Court rules on access to abortion since former President Donald Trump nominated three new justices, shifting the balance of power.

“The loss of access to mifepristone would be damaging for women and healthcare providers around the Nation,” the DOJ wrote in the 42-page document. “For many patients, mifepristone is the best method to lawfully terminate their early pregnancies. They may choose mifepristone over surgical abortion because of medical necessity, a desire for privacy, or past trauma.”

“Surgical abortion is an invasive medical procedure that can have greater health risks for some patients, such as those who are allergic to anesthesia,” DOJ added.

The DOJ called on the Supreme Court to take up the case by arguing that lower courts erred in several ways, including by making “serious legal errors.”

“The court scarcely acknowledged FDA’s detailed analysis of the available scientific evidence,” DOJ wrote. “Instead, it faulted FDA for failing to cite studies that do not exist and for failing to explicitly respond to unfounded objections that were not raised during the administrative process.”

Alliance Defending Freedom, an anti-abortion legal organization,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-judge-could-decide-soon-february-yank-abortion-pill-nationwide">filed the lawsuit in November</a>&nbsp;on behalf of four anti-abortion medical organizations and four anti-abortion doctors.

The case argued the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas should overturn the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 2000 approval of mifepristone, the first of two drugs used in medication abortion.

The original filing in the case said that if the judge didn’t end legal access to mifepristone, the court should revert prescribing and dosage to what was approved before 2016.

District Court Judge Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-administration-appeals-judges-ruling-ordering-abortion-pill-us-market">issued a ruling in April</a>&nbsp;that essentially overturned the FDA’s 2000 approval of mifepristone, which is also commonly used in miscarriage treatment.

The U.S. Supreme Court later&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-supreme-court-preserves-access-abortion-pill-lawsuit-continues">issued a temporary stay of that ruling,</a>&nbsp;keeping mifepristone on the market until the justices decide whether to take up the case as part of the appeals process.

The district court ruling from Kacsmaryk was appealed to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/three-judge-panel-us-appeals-court-hears-arguments-abortion-pill-case">heard oral arguments&nbsp;</a>in May and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/abortion-pill-stay-market-until-us-supreme-court-ruling-after-appeals-court-order-0">issued its ruling&nbsp;</a>in August.

The three-judge panel, made up of Republican-nominated judges, rejected the district judge’s decision to overturn the FDA’s 2000 approval of mifepristone. But the appeals court ruled the FDA should revert prescribing and dosage to what was in place before 2016.

The 5th Circuit wrote in its opinion that in “loosening mifepristone’s safety restrictions, FDA failed to address several important concerns about whether the drug would be safe for the women who use it.”

“It failed to consider the cumulative effect of removing several important safeguards at the same time. It failed to consider whether those ‘major’ and ‘interrelated’ changes might alter the risk profile, such that the agency should continue to mandate reporting of non-fatal adverse events,” the appeals judges wrote. “And it failed to gather evidence that affirmatively showed that mifepristone could be used safely without being prescribed and dispensed in person.”

That ruling remains on hold until the Supreme Court issues its own opinion, or refuses to hear the case. That means mifepristone remains an FDA-approved drug that health care providers can continue prescribing in line with current standards.

If the Supreme Court orders the FDA to revert to pre-2016 use and dosage of mifepristone, it would lead to several changes.

Mifepristone could only be used to end a pregnancy in patients up to seven weeks gestation, not the current 10-week benchmark.

Only doctors, not other healthcare providers with the authority to prescribe medications, would be able to administer mifepristone.

Patients would need to attend three in-person doctor’s office visits, removing the option to prescribe the drug via telehealth and send it to patients through the mail.

The dosage of mifepristone would revert to what was used before 2016, as would the timing of when patients take a second medication known as misoprostol.

A Department of Justice spokesperson said following the appeals court’s ruling in August that the “Department strongly disagrees with the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA and will be seeking Supreme Court review of that decision.”

In the writ of certiorari the Department of Justice sent to the Supreme Court on Friday asking the justices to hear the case, its attorneys argued that the 5th Circuit decision could have “especially disruptive implications for the pharmaceutical industry and those who depend upon the drugs it supplies.”

“Indeed, a wide range of industry participants have warned that the lower courts’ approach would ‘result in a seismic shift in the clinical development and drug approval processes, erecting unnecessary and unscientific barriers to the approval of lifesaving medicines, chilling drug development and investment, threatening patient access, and destabilizing the rigorous, well-established, and long-standing drug approval process.’”

The Department of Justice lawyers also wrote the 5th Circuit decision “did not conclude that mifepristone is unsafe.”

“Instead, the court held that FDA did not adequately explain its 2016 and 2021 actions,” DOJ attorneys wrote. “Even if that were true, those asserted failures of explanation would at most have justified a direction to FDA to further consider the relevant issues, without additional relief that would bar distribution of mifepristone as presently approved.”

If the U.S. Supreme Court decides to take up the case, the justices could issue a ruling as soon as next summer, just months before the 2024 presidential election.

The Supreme Court&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-supreme-court-overturns-right-abortion-landmark-decision-16">ruled in June 2022</a>&nbsp;that Americans no longer had the constitutional right to abortion that was established nearly 50 years before in the landmark Roe v. Wade case.

The Supreme Court&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/19-1392_6j37.pdf">wrote</a>&nbsp;that “the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680967457500.png" alt="In 23 years, the FDA has reported out of more than 5 million medication-abortion patients, 28 deaths, but not all necessarily because of mifepristone. -AP photo" />
 <figcaption>In 23 years, the FDA has reported out of more than 5 million medication-abortion patients, 28 deaths, but not all necessarily because of mifepristone. -AP photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By JENNIFER SHUTT&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice asked the Supreme Court to decide whether the abortion pill should remain on the market after two lower courts issued differing opinions about its use.The case, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will likely be the second time the conservative-leaning Supreme Court rules on access to abortion since former President Donald Trump nominated three new justices, shifting the balance of power.“The loss of access to mifepristone would be damaging for women and healthcare providers around the Nation,” the DOJ wrote in the 42-page document. “For many patients, mifepristone is the best method to lawfully terminate their early pregnancies. They may choose mifepristone over surgical abortion because of medical necessity, a desire for privacy, or past trauma.”“Surgical abortion is an invasive medical procedure that can have greater health risks for some patients, such as those who are allergic to anesthesia,” DOJ added.The DOJ called on the Supreme Court to take up the case by arguing that lower courts erred in several ways, including by making “serious legal errors.”“The court scarcely acknowledged FDA’s detailed analysis of the available scientific evidence,” DOJ wrote. “Instead, it faulted FDA for failing to cite studies that do not exist and for failing to explicitly respond to unfounded objections that were not raised during the administrative process.”Alliance Defending Freedom, an anti-abortion legal organization,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-judge-could-decide-soon-february-yank-abortion-pill-nationwide">filed the lawsuit in November</a>&nbsp;on behalf of four anti-abortion medical organizations and four anti-abortion doctors.The case argued the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas should overturn the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 2000 approval of mifepristone, the first of two drugs used in medication abortion.The original filing in the case said that if the judge didn’t end legal access to mifepristone, the court should revert prescribing and dosage to what was approved before 2016.District Court Judge Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-administration-appeals-judges-ruling-ordering-abortion-pill-us-market">issued a ruling in April</a>&nbsp;that essentially overturned the FDA’s 2000 approval of mifepristone, which is also commonly used in miscarriage treatment.The U.S. Supreme Court later&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-supreme-court-preserves-access-abortion-pill-lawsuit-continues">issued a temporary stay of that ruling,</a>&nbsp;keeping mifepristone on the market until the justices decide whether to take up the case as part of the appeals process.The district court ruling from Kacsmaryk was appealed to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/three-judge-panel-us-appeals-court-hears-arguments-abortion-pill-case">heard oral arguments&nbsp;</a>in May and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/abortion-pill-stay-market-until-us-supreme-court-ruling-after-appeals-court-order-0">issued its ruling&nbsp;</a>in August.The three-judge panel, made up of Republican-nominated judges, rejected the district judge’s decision to overturn the FDA’s 2000 approval of mifepristone. But the appeals court ruled the FDA should revert prescribing and dosage to what was in place before 2016.The 5th Circuit wrote in its opinion that in “loosening mifepristone’s safety restrictions, FDA failed to address several important concerns about whether the drug would be safe for the women who use it.”“It failed to consider the cumulative effect of removing several important safeguards at the same time. It failed to consider whether those ‘major’ and ‘interrelated’ changes might alter the risk profile, such that the agency should continue to mandate reporting of non-fatal adverse events,” the appeals judges wrote. “And it failed to gather evidence that affirmatively showed that mifepristone could be used safely without being prescribed and dispensed in person.”That ruling remains on hold until the Supreme Court issues its own opinion, or refuses to hear the case. That means mifepristone remains an FDA-approved drug that health care providers can continue prescribing in line with current standards.If the Supreme Court orders the FDA to revert to pre-2016 use and dosage of mifepristone, it would lead to several changes.Mifepristone could only be used to end a pregnancy in patients up to seven weeks gestation, not the current 10-week benchmark.Only doctors, not other healthcare providers with the authority to prescribe medications, would be able to administer mifepristone.Patients would need to attend three in-person doctor’s office visits, removing the option to prescribe the drug via telehealth and send it to patients through the mail.The dosage of mifepristone would revert to what was used before 2016, as would the timing of when patients take a second medication known as misoprostol.A Department of Justice spokesperson said following the appeals court’s ruling in August that the “Department strongly disagrees with the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA and will be seeking Supreme Court review of that decision.”In the writ of certiorari the Department of Justice sent to the Supreme Court on Friday asking the justices to hear the case, its attorneys argued that the 5th Circuit decision could have “especially disruptive implications for the pharmaceutical industry and those who depend upon the drugs it supplies.”“Indeed, a wide range of industry participants have warned that the lower courts’ approach would ‘result in a seismic shift in the clinical development and drug approval processes, erecting unnecessary and unscientific barriers to the approval of lifesaving medicines, chilling drug development and investment, threatening patient access, and destabilizing the rigorous, well-established, and long-standing drug approval process.’”The Department of Justice lawyers also wrote the 5th Circuit decision “did not conclude that mifepristone is unsafe.”“Instead, the court held that FDA did not adequately explain its 2016 and 2021 actions,” DOJ attorneys wrote. “Even if that were true, those asserted failures of explanation would at most have justified a direction to FDA to further consider the relevant issues, without additional relief that would bar distribution of mifepristone as presently approved.”If the U.S. Supreme Court decides to take up the case, the justices could issue a ruling as soon as next summer, just months before the 2024 presidential election.The Supreme Court&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-supreme-court-overturns-right-abortion-landmark-decision-16">ruled in June 2022</a>&nbsp;that Americans no longer had the constitutional right to abortion that was established nearly 50 years before in the landmark Roe v. Wade case.The Supreme Court&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/19-1392_6j37.pdf">wrote</a>&nbsp;that “the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.”<figure>
 <img src="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/plugins/states-newsroom/republisher/assets/img/ccwhite.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Justice Department wants Supreme Court to take up abortion pill case

SALINA —Federal authorities seized property of a Salina Speedway promoter who allegedly used false information to obtain funding from a federal pandemic relief program.

According to a criminal complaint filed in August and a supporting&nbsp; affidavit,&nbsp; Tommy D. Hendrickson, whose LinkedIn profile lists him as a promoter of the Salina Speedway and was employed as a paramedic at Life Touch EMS, an ambulance service in Salina, Kansas and Bill R. Nissen a resident of Douglas County, Kansas worked together to apply for and receive over $230,000 in a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan.

According to an FBI agent statement in the affidavit,&nbsp;"I have probable cause to believe that Hendrickson and Nissen, personally and through, two companies they formed including SSW Promotions, 2841 South Burma Road, Salina and Offender Monitoring Services, created and implemented a scheme to defraud the United States Government and SBA of approximately $237, 897 or wire fraud.

"Further, the agent wrote in the affidavit, "I have probable cause to believe that by transferring and withdrawing funds in transactions greater than $10,000.00 that contained the proceeds of wire fraud, Hendrickson engaged in financial transactions that were in violation of 18 U.S.C. $ 1957(a) or money laundering."

In the loan application, Nissen stated the purpose of the loan was to fund payroll, utilities, and covered operations expenditures.&nbsp;

The Kansas Department of Labor and did not report any wages for any employee of the two organizations for 2017 -2020, according to affidavit.

The funds derived from the wire fraud offenses, according to the affidavit were used to purchase a $48,000 John Deere motor grader and a new $19,000 Polaris.

Nissen, according to affidavit, also completed and submitted, electronically, a PPP Loan Forgiveness Application. As part of the submission of the application, Nissen certified the two companies had complied with all requirements in the PPP Rules, including rules related to eligible uses of PPP loan proceeds.

In August of 2021, the SBA loan was forgiven in its entirety.

After an investigation, in June 2023, the FBI&nbsp; seized the John Deere motor grader and the Polaris in Salina.

The U.S. Small Business Administration inspector general's report in June indicated more than $200 billion may have been stolen nationwide from two large COVID-19 relief initiatives, according to new estimates from a federal watchdog investigating federally funded programs that helped small businesses survive the&nbsp;worst public health crisis in more than a hundred years.

<a href="https://www.sba.gov/document/report-23-09-covid-19-pandemic-eidl-ppp-loan-fraud-landscape">The numbers issued </a>by the U.S. Small Business Administration inspector general are much greater than the office's previous projections and underscore how vulnerable the Paycheck Protection and COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs were to fraudsters, particularly during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.

Federal officials continue to investigate&nbsp;Hendrickson and Nissen.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1588075781384.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SALINA —Federal authorities seized property of a Salina Speedway promoter who allegedly used false information to obtain funding from a federal pandemic relief program.According to a criminal complaint filed in August and a supporting&nbsp; affidavit,&nbsp; Tommy D. Hendrickson, whose LinkedIn profile lists him as a promoter of the Salina Speedway and was employed as a paramedic at Life Touch EMS, an ambulance service in Salina, Kansas and Bill R. Nissen a resident of Douglas County, Kansas worked together to apply for and receive over $230,000 in a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan.According to an FBI agent statement in the affidavit,&nbsp;"I have probable cause to believe that Hendrickson and Nissen, personally and through, two companies they formed including SSW Promotions, 2841 South Burma Road, Salina and Offender Monitoring Services, created and implemented a scheme to defraud the United States Government and SBA of approximately $237, 897 or wire fraud."Further, the agent wrote in the affidavit, "I have probable cause to believe that by transferring and withdrawing funds in transactions greater than $10,000.00 that contained the proceeds of wire fraud, Hendrickson engaged in financial transactions that were in violation of 18 U.S.C. $ 1957(a) or money laundering."In the loan application, Nissen stated the purpose of the loan was to fund payroll, utilities, and covered operations expenditures.&nbsp;The Kansas Department of Labor and did not report any wages for any employee of the two organizations for 2017 -2020, according to affidavit.The funds derived from the wire fraud offenses, according to the affidavit were used to purchase a $48,000 John Deere motor grader and a new $19,000 Polaris.Nissen, according to affidavit, also completed and submitted, electronically, a PPP Loan Forgiveness Application. As part of the submission of the application, Nissen certified the two companies had complied with all requirements in the PPP Rules, including rules related to eligible uses of PPP loan proceeds.In August of 2021, the SBA loan was forgiven in its entirety.After an investigation, in June 2023, the FBI&nbsp; seized the John Deere motor grader and the Polaris in Salina.The U.S. Small Business Administration inspector general's report in June indicated more than $200 billion may have been stolen nationwide from two large COVID-19 relief initiatives, according to new estimates from a federal watchdog investigating federally funded programs that helped small businesses survive the&nbsp;worst public health crisis in more than a hundred years.<a href="https://www.sba.gov/document/report-23-09-covid-19-pandemic-eidl-ppp-loan-fraud-landscape">The numbers issued </a>by the U.S. Small Business Administration inspector general are much greater than the office's previous projections and underscore how vulnerable the Paycheck Protection and COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs were to fraudsters, particularly during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.Federal officials continue to investigate&nbsp;Hendrickson and Nissen.

Feds accuse Salina man in COVID relief fraud scheme

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kevin-mccarthy">Kevin McCarthy</a>&nbsp;said Tuesday he is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-speaker-biden-impeachment-republicans-shutdown-4d8c314763252429a6f87e7d13ad2b43">directing a House committee</a>&nbsp;to open an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden over his family's business dealings, launching historic proceedings ahead of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-2024-poll-old-corrupt-12b806876e2072790f9a67793761c688">2024 election.</a>

McCarthy said the House Oversight Committee's investigation so far has found a “culture of corruption” around the Biden family as Republicans probe the business dealings of Biden's son,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden">Hunter Biden</a>, from before the Democratic president took office.

“These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption, and they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives,” McCarthy, R-Calif., said outside the speaker's office at the Capitol. "That’s why today I am directing our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.”

The announcement comes as the Republican leader faces mounting pressure from his right flank to take action against Biden while he also is struggling to pass legislation needed to avoid a federal government shutdown at the end of the month.

An inquiry is step toward impeachment, and McCarthy essentially outlined potential charges. He is is planning to convene lawmakers behind closed doors multiple times this week, including for a meeting to discuss the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Biden</a>&nbsp;impeachment.

The Republican leader is once again at a political crossroads — trying to keep his most conservative lawmakers satisfied and prevent his own ouster. It’s a familiar political bind for McCarthy,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">who is juggling</a>&nbsp;the impeachment inquiry and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-impeachment-congress-funding-048dee639bb0dcb6604f05ba2f0782a8">government shutdown threat</a>&nbsp;with no clear end game.

Government funding is to run out on Sept. 30, which is the end of the federal fiscal year, and Congress must pass new funding bills or risk a shutdown and the interruption of government services.

Biden’s White House has dismissed the impeachment push as politically motivated.

“Speaker McCarthy shouldn’t cave to the extreme, far-right members who are threatening to shut down the government unless they get a baseless, evidence-free impeachment of President Biden. The consequences for the American people are too serious,” White House spokesman Ian Sams has said.

The impeachment push comes as Trump, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-vote-capitol-siege-0a6f2a348a6e43f27d5e1dc486027860">twice impeached</a>&nbsp;by the House but acquitted by the Senate, faces more serious charges in court. Trump has been indicted four times this year, including for trying to overturn the 2020 election Biden won.

"This is a transparent effort to boost Donald Trump’s campaign by establishing a false moral equivalency between Trump — the four time-indicted former president" and Biden, who faces “zero evidence of wrongdoing whatsoever,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.

House Republicans are probing the business dealings of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden">Hunter Biden</a>&nbsp;but so far have not produced hard evidence linking them and the president. They have shown a few instances largely during the time the elder Biden was Barack Obama's vice president when he spoke by phone with his son and stopped by dinners his son was hosting with business partners.

An impeachment inquiry would provide more heft to the House investigation, especially as it battles in court for access to Biden family financial records.

Republicans contend the Justice Department has not fully probed the allegations against Hunter Biden, and say he received preferential treatment in what they call a sweetheart plea deal that recently collapsed. The Department of Justice has appointed a special prosecutor in that probe.

"We will go wherever the evidence takes us,” McCarthy said.

The White House has insisted Biden was not involved in his son’s business dealings. And Democrats on the Oversight Committee are stepping up to fight against what they view as unfounded claims against him ahead of the 2024 election.

Rep. James Comer, the Republican chairman leading the Oversight Committee, is digging into the Biden family finances and is expected to seek banking records for Hunter Biden as the panel tries to follow the flow of money.

On Tuesday, Comer demanded the State Department produce documents about the work Biden did as vice president during the Obama administration to clean up corruption in Ukraine. Comer wants to understand the State Department's views of former Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin, whom Biden and many Western allies wanted removed from office because of allegations of corruption.

This comes as federal government funding is set to run out on Sept. 30, which is the end of the federal fiscal year, and Congress must pass new funding bills or risk a shutdown and the interruption of government services.

Conservatives who power McCarty's majority want to slash spending, and the hard right is unwilling to approve spending levels the speaker negotiated with Biden earlier this year.

McCarthy is trying to float a 30-day stopgap measure to keep government running to Nov. 1, but conservatives are balking at what's called a continuing resolution, or CR, as they pursue cuts.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said late Monday exiting McCarthy's office she has “red lines" against any new money being spent for COVID-19 vaccines or mandates or Russia's war in Ukraine.

Another Republican, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a top Trump ally, is warning that McCarthy could face blowback from conservatives if he does not push hard for spending cuts.

At the start of the year, Gaetz and other Republicans secured agreements from McCarthy as he struggled to win their votes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-house-of-representatives-kevin-mccarthy-us-republican-party-0938c7358f41c83759246f8949ac7c15">become House speaker</a>.

Under the House rules, McCarthy's opponents are able to call a vote at any time to try to oust the speaker from office.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kevin-mccarthy">Kevin McCarthy</a>&nbsp;said Tuesday he is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-speaker-biden-impeachment-republicans-shutdown-4d8c314763252429a6f87e7d13ad2b43">directing a House committee</a>&nbsp;to open an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden over his family's business dealings, launching historic proceedings ahead of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-2024-poll-old-corrupt-12b806876e2072790f9a67793761c688">2024 election.</a><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">House Speaker McCarthy: &quot;I am directing our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ynjJXEZ5fT">pic.twitter.com/ynjJXEZ5fT</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1701626243404157141?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>McCarthy said the House Oversight Committee's investigation so far has found a “culture of corruption” around the Biden family as Republicans probe the business dealings of Biden's son,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden">Hunter Biden</a>, from before the Democratic president took office.“These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption, and they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives,” McCarthy, R-Calif., said outside the speaker's office at the Capitol. "That’s why today I am directing our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Biden Crime Family, LLC.&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1701661375754322261?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The announcement comes as the Republican leader faces mounting pressure from his right flank to take action against Biden while he also is struggling to pass legislation needed to avoid a federal government shutdown at the end of the month.An inquiry is step toward impeachment, and McCarthy essentially outlined potential charges. He is is planning to convene lawmakers behind closed doors multiple times this week, including for a meeting to discuss the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Biden</a>&nbsp;impeachment.The Republican leader is once again at a political crossroads — trying to keep his most conservative lawmakers satisfied and prevent his own ouster. It’s a familiar political bind for McCarthy,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">who is juggling</a>&nbsp;the impeachment inquiry and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-impeachment-congress-funding-048dee639bb0dcb6604f05ba2f0782a8">government shutdown threat</a>&nbsp;with no clear end game.Government funding is to run out on Sept. 30, which is the end of the federal fiscal year, and Congress must pass new funding bills or risk a shutdown and the interruption of government services.Biden’s White House has dismissed the impeachment push as politically motivated.“Speaker McCarthy shouldn’t cave to the extreme, far-right members who are threatening to shut down the government unless they get a baseless, evidence-free impeachment of President Biden. The consequences for the American people are too serious,” White House spokesman Ian Sams has said.The impeachment push comes as Trump, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-vote-capitol-siege-0a6f2a348a6e43f27d5e1dc486027860">twice impeached</a>&nbsp;by the House but acquitted by the Senate, faces more serious charges in court. Trump has been indicted four times this year, including for trying to overturn the 2020 election Biden won."This is a transparent effort to boost Donald Trump’s campaign by establishing a false moral equivalency between Trump — the four time-indicted former president" and Biden, who faces “zero evidence of wrongdoing whatsoever,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.House Republicans are probing the business dealings of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden">Hunter Biden</a>&nbsp;but so far have not produced hard evidence linking them and the president. They have shown a few instances largely during the time the elder Biden was Barack Obama's vice president when he spoke by phone with his son and stopped by dinners his son was hosting with business partners.An impeachment inquiry would provide more heft to the House investigation, especially as it battles in court for access to Biden family financial records.Republicans contend the Justice Department has not fully probed the allegations against Hunter Biden, and say he received preferential treatment in what they call a sweetheart plea deal that recently collapsed. The Department of Justice has appointed a special prosecutor in that probe."We will go wherever the evidence takes us,” McCarthy said.The White House has insisted Biden was not involved in his son’s business dealings. And Democrats on the Oversight Committee are stepping up to fight against what they view as unfounded claims against him ahead of the 2024 election.Rep. James Comer, the Republican chairman leading the Oversight Committee, is digging into the Biden family finances and is expected to seek banking records for Hunter Biden as the panel tries to follow the flow of money.On Tuesday, Comer demanded the State Department produce documents about the work Biden did as vice president during the Obama administration to clean up corruption in Ukraine. Comer wants to understand the State Department's views of former Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin, whom Biden and many Western allies wanted removed from office because of allegations of corruption.This comes as federal government funding is set to run out on Sept. 30, which is the end of the federal fiscal year, and Congress must pass new funding bills or risk a shutdown and the interruption of government services.Conservatives who power McCarty's majority want to slash spending, and the hard right is unwilling to approve spending levels the speaker negotiated with Biden earlier this year.McCarthy is trying to float a 30-day stopgap measure to keep government running to Nov. 1, but conservatives are balking at what's called a continuing resolution, or CR, as they pursue cuts.Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said late Monday exiting McCarthy's office she has “red lines" against any new money being spent for COVID-19 vaccines or mandates or Russia's war in Ukraine.Another Republican, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a top Trump ally, is warning that McCarthy could face blowback from conservatives if he does not push hard for spending cuts.At the start of the year, Gaetz and other Republicans secured agreements from McCarthy as he struggled to win their votes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-house-of-representatives-kevin-mccarthy-us-republican-party-0938c7358f41c83759246f8949ac7c15">become House speaker</a>.Under the House rules, McCarthy's opponents are able to call a vote at any time to try to oust the speaker from office.

🎥House panel to open impeachment inquiry of President Biden

NESS COUNTY —A Ransom man faces life in prison after a jury found him guilty of sexually assaulting a child in 2015.

An Ellis County jury deliberated for five hours last week before finding 54-year-old Robert Wayne Evel of Ransom guilty on all four counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, attempted rape, aggravated indecent liberties with a child and criminal threat.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694529800148.png" alt="Evel-photo Ellis Co." />
 <figcaption>Evel-photo Ellis Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>NESS COUNTY —A Ransom man faces life in prison after a jury found him guilty of sexually assaulting a child in 2015.An Ellis County jury deliberated for five hours last week before finding 54-year-old Robert Wayne Evel of Ransom guilty on all four counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, attempted rape, aggravated indecent liberties with a child and criminal threat.According to court documents, all four crimes occurred between June 1, 2015, and August 31, 2015. All four crimes also involved a child who was 10 years old at the time of the assault.According to Ellis County Attorney Robert Anderson, Kansas sentencing statutes require Evel to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for a 25-years on three of the four charges. Sentencing is scheduled for Monday, November 20, at 10:30 a.m.