KANSAS CITY —A repeat offender in Kansas City is going back to prison for a long time.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2693/Brown-Otis-2416-CR04140-01-JT-Def-Sent-Judg-Rdctd">Otis W. Brown</a>, 49, was sentenced to 18.5 years in prison&nbsp; Unlawful Possession of a Firearm – Dangerous Felon, Property Damage, and Interference with the Legal Process, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.

On September 25, 2024,&nbsp; police arrested Brown. He reached into his waistband as he ran from police and officers later found a gun where he had run.

“When officers later attempted to obtain a court-ordered DNA sample to determine whether the firearm was his, Brown refused to comply and flipped chairs and a table inside the interview room, causing damage to the walls,” according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.

Brown was previously identified as a SAVE KC individual. SAVE KC is a focused deterrence program that focuses on those involved in or at-risk of becoming involved in violent crime and offers resources and support for them to prevent them living a life of crime, while making it clear that continued participation in crime will result in swift and certain consequences.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740759587497.png" alt="Brown photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Brown photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A repeat offender in Kansas City is going back to prison for a long time.<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2693/Brown-Otis-2416-CR04140-01-JT-Def-Sent-Judg-Rdctd">Otis W. Brown</a>, 49, was sentenced to 18.5 years in prison&nbsp; Unlawful Possession of a Firearm – Dangerous Felon, Property Damage, and Interference with the Legal Process, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.On September 25, 2024,&nbsp; police arrested Brown. He reached into his waistband as he ran from police and officers later found a gun where he had run.“When officers later attempted to obtain a court-ordered DNA sample to determine whether the firearm was his, Brown refused to comply and flipped chairs and a table inside the interview room, causing damage to the walls,” according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.Brown was previously identified as a SAVE KC individual. SAVE KC is a focused deterrence program that focuses on those involved in or at-risk of becoming involved in violent crime and offers resources and support for them to prevent them living a life of crime, while making it clear that continued participation in crime will result in swift and certain consequences.&nbsp;

Kansas City repeat offender refused court ordered DNA sample

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

A Hays man was sentenced Monday to more than six years in prison on drug-dealing and sex charges after an emotional morning in court where his victim discussed her turmoil and supporters testified the defendant was a changed man after pursuing recovery for drug addiction.

Jordan Bradley Burgess, 32, was sentenced to 78 months in prison on a charge of distribution of cocaine and 40 months in prison on a charge of possession of cocaine, with both sentences to run concurrently.

He also pleaded to three counts misdemeanor sexual battery through an Alford plea, as well as a DUI charge with those sentences to also run concurrently with his prison sentence on the cocaine charges.

He will also be required to register for life as a sex offender.

Burgess has a criminal record, including sex and drug charges going back to 2018. He had 19 convictions, which put his criminal records score for sentencing at an A, which is the highest level on the sentencing grid.

Based on the Burgess' criminal record and charges, state sentencing guidelines would require a prison sentence.&nbsp;Ellis County Attorney Aaron Cunningham requested 118 months in prison under the plea agreement.

However, Burgess' attorney, Kurt Kerns, filed a motion for a dispositional departure based on Burgess' participation in an intense drug recovery program.&nbsp;

Cunningham repeatedly referred to Burgess as a sexual predator as he cross-examined the six witnesses who were called to testify on Burgess' behalf.

However, before those witnesses took the stand, a victim of Burgess' alleged sexual abuse gave a statement.

She said she was haunted by Burgess' acts against her on May 29, 2021. She said the incident left her a "damaged shell of her former self," and said she was plagued by anxiety attacks and nightmares.

"That one night will last my lifetime," she told the judge, and urged him to do what was just, right and true.

Burgess was originally charged with rape, attempted aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated sexual battery, all felonies. Those charges were amended to misdemeanor sexual battery charges per the plea agreement.

In an Alford plea, a defendant maintains their innocence but acknowledges the prosecution has enough evidence to convict them.

In his address to the court before sentencing, Burgess did not discuss the sex charges or address the victim of his sexual crimes.

Those supporting Burgess testified to a dramatic transformation during the last year after he entered rehab in June 2024, which has included passionately trying to help others who are suffering from addiction and seeking a faith-driven life.

John Trembley, former Community Corrections director, testified he had never seen a more significant transformation than he has seen in Burgess.

Trembley said he regarded Burgess like a son.&nbsp;

"It's rare for someone to walk out of rehab and not use again," he said.

However, he said he believed Burgess was committed to his recovery and was not a threat to the community.

He said he was not attempting to excuse Burgess' behavior. Still, he thought he could be a contributing member of the community, and community corrections was the better alternative for Burgess.

"If we are here for 100% punishment for his past behavior, then there's nothing I can say," Trembley said.

He added, "I know the impact he has had on everybody. I know he is a changed man."

Cunningham asked&nbsp;Trembley if treatment for sex offenders was different from the treatment of substance abuse. Trembley said yes.

Cunningham also asked Trembley if he thought Burgess should have consequences for his crimes.

Trembley said, "Community corrections is not meant to be a cake walk. He is going to have a lot of consequences in his life.

"I have a daughter and granddaughter, and if I thought he was a risk, I wouldn't be here," he said.

Justin MacDonald, who leads a Bible study at the Family Worship Center, testified about Burgess' conversion and baptism.

"I think our city would be better if we had more men like Jordan," he said.

MacDonald said he had only known Burgess for 16 months and was not fully aware of his previous criminal history.

Several witnesses, who had participated in recovery programs with Burgess, also testified on his behalf.

Cade Gerhard said he had been struggling with alcoholism. He called Burgess out of desperation, and Burgess drove him to treatment.

Even after Gerhard relapsed, Burgess continued to call and encourage him in his road to recovery, he said.

Gerhard credited Burgess with saving his life.

"I think sending him to prison would be a disservice to the community," he said.

In his allocution to the court before sentencing, Burgess said he was a changed man. He said he wanted to be a father to his 11-year-old daughter.

He said he wanted to help people and to live as a "Godly man in service moving forward."

In his final statements to the court, Cunningham said Burgess had been given many chances on community corrections and had gone from using alcohol to marijuana to being a cocaine dealer.

"The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior," he said.

He said a prison sentence was not only warranted as punishment and a public deterrent, but also a matter of public safety and again referred to Burgess as a serial sex offender.

In 14 years, probation has not been helpful,&nbsp;Cunningham said.

Despite Burgess' plea to the sex charges, Burgess' attorney Kerns said the charges were based on false accusations.

Kerns said he had never had a client in more than 30 years who had attended recovery meetings every day for more than a year.

He asked the judge to give Burgess "a single opportunity to prove who he is."

Judge Curtis Brown said he was impressed by Burgess' dedication to his recovery and faith. He said deciding on Burgess' sentence was not easy.

However, he denied the defense's motion for a dispositional departure and probation.

"I think this is just, fair and true in regards to this matter," Brown said.

Brown encouraged Burgess to continue his mission to help others during his time incarcerated with the Department of Corrections.

Burgess spent two days in jail, for which he will be given credit toward his sentence, but he had been out on bond for the majority of the time since his arrest.&nbsp;

Burgess was remanded to begin his sentence with the Kansas Department of Corrections immediately.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754420697316.png" alt="Burgess -photo KBI offender registry" />
 <figcaption>Burgess -photo KBI offender registry</figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostA Hays man was sentenced Monday to more than six years in prison on drug-dealing and sex charges after an emotional morning in court where his victim discussed her turmoil and supporters testified the defendant was a changed man after pursuing recovery for drug addiction.Jordan Bradley Burgess, 32, was sentenced to 78 months in prison on a charge of distribution of cocaine and 40 months in prison on a charge of possession of cocaine, with both sentences to run concurrently.He also pleaded to three counts misdemeanor sexual battery through an Alford plea, as well as a DUI charge with those sentences to also run concurrently with his prison sentence on the cocaine charges.He will also be required to register for life as a sex offender.Burgess has a criminal record, including sex and drug charges going back to 2018. He had 19 convictions, which put his criminal records score for sentencing at an A, which is the highest level on the sentencing grid.Based on the Burgess' criminal record and charges, state sentencing guidelines would require a prison sentence.&nbsp;Ellis County Attorney Aaron Cunningham requested 118 months in prison under the plea agreement.However, Burgess' attorney, Kurt Kerns, filed a motion for a dispositional departure based on Burgess' participation in an intense drug recovery program.&nbsp;Cunningham repeatedly referred to Burgess as a sexual predator as he cross-examined the six witnesses who were called to testify on Burgess' behalf.However, before those witnesses took the stand, a victim of Burgess' alleged sexual abuse gave a statement.She said she was haunted by Burgess' acts against her on May 29, 2021. She said the incident left her a "damaged shell of her former self," and said she was plagued by anxiety attacks and nightmares."That one night will last my lifetime," she told the judge, and urged him to do what was just, right and true.Burgess was originally charged with rape, attempted aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated sexual battery, all felonies. Those charges were amended to misdemeanor sexual battery charges per the plea agreement.In an Alford plea, a defendant maintains their innocence but acknowledges the prosecution has enough evidence to convict them.In his address to the court before sentencing, Burgess did not discuss the sex charges or address the victim of his sexual crimes.Those supporting Burgess testified to a dramatic transformation during the last year after he entered rehab in June 2024, which has included passionately trying to help others who are suffering from addiction and seeking a faith-driven life.John Trembley, former Community Corrections director, testified he had never seen a more significant transformation than he has seen in Burgess.Trembley said he regarded Burgess like a son.&nbsp;"It's rare for someone to walk out of rehab and not use again," he said.However, he said he believed Burgess was committed to his recovery and was not a threat to the community.He said he was not attempting to excuse Burgess' behavior. Still, he thought he could be a contributing member of the community, and community corrections was the better alternative for Burgess."If we are here for 100% punishment for his past behavior, then there's nothing I can say," Trembley said.He added, "I know the impact he has had on everybody. I know he is a changed man."Cunningham asked&nbsp;Trembley if treatment for sex offenders was different from the treatment of substance abuse. Trembley said yes.Cunningham also asked Trembley if he thought Burgess should have consequences for his crimes.Trembley said, "Community corrections is not meant to be a cake walk. He is going to have a lot of consequences in his life."I have a daughter and granddaughter, and if I thought he was a risk, I wouldn't be here," he said.Justin MacDonald, who leads a Bible study at the Family Worship Center, testified about Burgess' conversion and baptism."I think our city would be better if we had more men like Jordan," he said.MacDonald said he had only known Burgess for 16 months and was not fully aware of his previous criminal history.Several witnesses, who had participated in recovery programs with Burgess, also testified on his behalf.Cade Gerhard said he had been struggling with alcoholism. He called Burgess out of desperation, and Burgess drove him to treatment.Even after Gerhard relapsed, Burgess continued to call and encourage him in his road to recovery, he said.Gerhard credited Burgess with saving his life."I think sending him to prison would be a disservice to the community," he said.In his allocution to the court before sentencing, Burgess said he was a changed man. He said he wanted to be a father to his 11-year-old daughter.He said he wanted to help people and to live as a "Godly man in service moving forward."In his final statements to the court, Cunningham said Burgess had been given many chances on community corrections and had gone from using alcohol to marijuana to being a cocaine dealer."The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior," he said.He said a prison sentence was not only warranted as punishment and a public deterrent, but also a matter of public safety and again referred to Burgess as a serial sex offender.In 14 years, probation has not been helpful,&nbsp;Cunningham said.Despite Burgess' plea to the sex charges, Burgess' attorney Kerns said the charges were based on false accusations.Kerns said he had never had a client in more than 30 years who had attended recovery meetings every day for more than a year.He asked the judge to give Burgess "a single opportunity to prove who he is."Judge Curtis Brown said he was impressed by Burgess' dedication to his recovery and faith. He said deciding on Burgess' sentence was not easy.However, he denied the defense's motion for a dispositional departure and probation."I think this is just, fair and true in regards to this matter," Brown said.Brown encouraged Burgess to continue his mission to help others during his time incarcerated with the Department of Corrections.Burgess spent two days in jail, for which he will be given credit toward his sentence, but he had been out on bond for the majority of the time since his arrest.&nbsp;Burgess was remanded to begin his sentence with the Kansas Department of Corrections immediately.

Plea deal sends NW Kansas sex offender back to prison

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titan-submersible-titanic-implosion-stockton-rush-b2294353a00fa88688ddb8fba3aefcde">Titan submersible disaster</a>&nbsp;could have been prevented, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a report Tuesday that held OceanGate CEO&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oceangate-titanic-missing-submersibles-rush-deep-sea-83024b4c61c45c0270a4bd31deeb3d96">Stockton Rush</a>&nbsp;responsible for ignoring safety warnings, design flaws and crucial oversight which, had he survived, may have resulted in criminal charges.

Rush and four passengers were killed instantly deep below the North Atlantic in June 2023 when Titan suffered a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-shipwreck-titan-submersible-search-deepsea-atlantic-implosion-90b9c54c3887c99099170a5afded15bc">catastrophic implosion</a>&nbsp;as it descended to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-submersible-lost-james-cameron-5e6eeb0b66c2d669c89c6eba278b00d1">wreck of the Titanic</a>. A multiday search for survivors off Canada grabbed international headlines, and the tragedy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-submersible-disaster-implosion-lawsuit-ba3efaf4c4dcb766698761206676b655">led to lawsuits</a>&nbsp;and calls for tighter regulation of the burgeoning private deep sea expedition industry.

The Coast Guard determined that safety procedures at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/u-s-coast-guard-atlantic-ocean-charleston-robotics-national-0b71476c31ed45ed96a10ee3e2a861cb">OceanGate</a>, a private company based in Washington state, were “critically flawed” and found “glaring disparities” between safety protocols and actual practices.

Jason Neubauer of the Marine Board of Investigation said the findings will help avoid future tragedies.

“There is a need for stronger oversight and clear options for operators who are exploring new concepts outside of the existing regulatory framework,” he said in a statement.

Salvatore Mercogliano, a professor of maritime history at Campbell University in North Carolina, said OceanGate was able to exploit gray areas in maritime law that made it unclear who was responsible for enforcing regulations.

Now, he said, the Coast Guard and other international maritime agencies will be looking to improve coordination and implement clearer mechanisms for enforcement, especially for private submarines.

“Unfortunately almost all maritime regulation is written in blood, and something had to happen first,” Mercogliano said.

OceanGate suspended operations in July 2023. Spokesperson Christian Hammond said the company has been wound down and was fully cooperating with the investigation, and he offered condolences to the families of those who died and everyone affected.

Investigators pointed to a culture at OceanGate of downplaying, ignoring and even falsifying key safety information to improve its reputation and evade scrutiny from regulators.

The company ignored “red flags” and had a “toxic workplace culture,” with firings of senior staff and the looming threat of dismissal used to dissuade employees and contractors from expressing safety concerns.

Rush, a former flight test engineer for fighter jets, founded the company in 2009 after years of experience in aerospace and aviation.

The Marine Board concluded that Rush had an “escalating disregard for established safety protocols,” which contributed to the deaths. If Rush were alive, the board would have passed the case to the U.S. Department of Justice and he may have faced criminal charges, it said.

Rush bragged that he would ‘buy a congressman’ if challenged

The company reclassified submersible passengers as “mission specialists” to bypass regulations on small passenger vessels and claim its subs were oceanic research vessels. Former mission specialists and OceanGate employees said their participation was “purely for a ride in the submersible, not for scientific research,” the report said.

Rush and OceanGate received numerous warnings about Titan’s fraudulent classifications. In 2017, Rush was told by a Coast Guard Reserve officer hired by OceanGate that his planned Titanic dive would be illegal.

Rush said “he would buy a congressman” if ever confronted by regulators, the officer testified.

Over the years the company resorted to increasingly deceptive strategies, the report said. By 2021 an OceanGate attorney falsely told a Virginia federal court, which was presiding over Titan’s authorization to conduct dives, that the vessel was registered in the Bahamas.

To obtain his credentials, Rush submitted a fraudulent sea service letter signed by OceanGate’s chief operations officer to the Coast Guard’s National Maritime Center, the report said. In it Rush claimed past service as a crew member on Titan and misrepresented the size of the vessel, when in fact it had never been registered or admeasured.

Investigators found that the submersible’s design, certification, maintenance and inspection process were all inadequate. The vessel's carbon fiber hull design and construction introduced flaws that “weakened the overall structural integrity” of the hull, according to the report.

Mounting financial pressures in 2023 led to a decision by OceanGate to store the submersible outdoors in the Canadian winter, and the hull was exposed to temperature fluctuations that also compromised the vessel's integrity, the report said.

The implosion also killed French underwater explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, known as “Mr. Titanic”; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood.

Nargeolet's family filed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-submersible-disaster-implosion-lawsuit-ba3efaf4c4dcb766698761206676b655">$50 million lawsuit</a>&nbsp;last year alleging that the crew experienced “terror and mental anguish” before the disaster. The lawsuit accused OceanGate of gross negligence.

The vessel had been making voyages to the Titanic site since 2021. Its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titan-implosion-submersible-titanic-25a496d4e80c51009d43b8e220bb92d7">final dive</a>&nbsp;came the morning of June 18, 2023. The submersible&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/coast-guard-releases-recording-thought-to-be-the-sound-of-titanic-submersible-implosion-49d10213d99847dd922f5c9b4992963f">lost contact</a>&nbsp;with its support vessel about two hours later and was reported overdue that afternoon. Ships, planes and equipment were rushed to the scene about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John's, Newfoundland.

The Coast Guard-led team operated under the possibility that there could be survivors for several days. Wreckage was subsequently found on the ocean floor about 330 yards (300 meters) off the bow of the Titanic.

Riddle reported from Montgomery, Alabama. Associated Press writers Kimberlee Kruesi in Providence, Rhode Island, and Leah Willingham in Boston contributed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687279790385.png" alt="Debris from the Titan was located about 12,500 feet underwater and roughly 1,600 feet from the Titanic on the ocean floor-photo courtesy Oceangate" />
 <figcaption>Debris from the Titan was located about 12,500 feet underwater and roughly 1,600 feet from the Titanic on the ocean floor-photo courtesy Oceangate</figcaption>
 </figure>PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titan-submersible-titanic-implosion-stockton-rush-b2294353a00fa88688ddb8fba3aefcde">Titan submersible disaster</a>&nbsp;could have been prevented, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a report Tuesday that held OceanGate CEO&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oceangate-titanic-missing-submersibles-rush-deep-sea-83024b4c61c45c0270a4bd31deeb3d96">Stockton Rush</a>&nbsp;responsible for ignoring safety warnings, design flaws and crucial oversight which, had he survived, may have resulted in criminal charges.Rush and four passengers were killed instantly deep below the North Atlantic in June 2023 when Titan suffered a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-shipwreck-titan-submersible-search-deepsea-atlantic-implosion-90b9c54c3887c99099170a5afded15bc">catastrophic implosion</a>&nbsp;as it descended to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-submersible-lost-james-cameron-5e6eeb0b66c2d669c89c6eba278b00d1">wreck of the Titanic</a>. A multiday search for survivors off Canada grabbed international headlines, and the tragedy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-submersible-disaster-implosion-lawsuit-ba3efaf4c4dcb766698761206676b655">led to lawsuits</a>&nbsp;and calls for tighter regulation of the burgeoning private deep sea expedition industry.The Coast Guard determined that safety procedures at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/u-s-coast-guard-atlantic-ocean-charleston-robotics-national-0b71476c31ed45ed96a10ee3e2a861cb">OceanGate</a>, a private company based in Washington state, were “critically flawed” and found “glaring disparities” between safety protocols and actual practices.<h2>Preventing the next Titan disaster</h2>Jason Neubauer of the Marine Board of Investigation said the findings will help avoid future tragedies.“There is a need for stronger oversight and clear options for operators who are exploring new concepts outside of the existing regulatory framework,” he said in a statement.Salvatore Mercogliano, a professor of maritime history at Campbell University in North Carolina, said OceanGate was able to exploit gray areas in maritime law that made it unclear who was responsible for enforcing regulations.Now, he said, the Coast Guard and other international maritime agencies will be looking to improve coordination and implement clearer mechanisms for enforcement, especially for private submarines.“Unfortunately almost all maritime regulation is written in blood, and something had to happen first,” Mercogliano said.OceanGate suspended operations in July 2023. Spokesperson Christian Hammond said the company has been wound down and was fully cooperating with the investigation, and he offered condolences to the families of those who died and everyone affected.<h2>‘Red flags’ at OceanGate</h2>Investigators pointed to a culture at OceanGate of downplaying, ignoring and even falsifying key safety information to improve its reputation and evade scrutiny from regulators.The company ignored “red flags” and had a “toxic workplace culture,” with firings of senior staff and the looming threat of dismissal used to dissuade employees and contractors from expressing safety concerns.Rush, a former flight test engineer for fighter jets, founded the company in 2009 after years of experience in aerospace and aviation.The Marine Board concluded that Rush had an “escalating disregard for established safety protocols,” which contributed to the deaths. If Rush were alive, the board would have passed the case to the U.S. Department of Justice and he may have faced criminal charges, it said.<h2>Rush bragged that he would ‘buy a congressman’ if challenged</h2>The company reclassified submersible passengers as “mission specialists” to bypass regulations on small passenger vessels and claim its subs were oceanic research vessels. Former mission specialists and OceanGate employees said their participation was “purely for a ride in the submersible, not for scientific research,” the report said.Rush and OceanGate received numerous warnings about Titan’s fraudulent classifications. In 2017, Rush was told by a Coast Guard Reserve officer hired by OceanGate that his planned Titanic dive would be illegal.Rush said “he would buy a congressman” if ever confronted by regulators, the officer testified.Over the years the company resorted to increasingly deceptive strategies, the report said. By 2021 an OceanGate attorney falsely told a Virginia federal court, which was presiding over Titan’s authorization to conduct dives, that the vessel was registered in the Bahamas.To obtain his credentials, Rush submitted a fraudulent sea service letter signed by OceanGate’s chief operations officer to the Coast Guard’s National Maritime Center, the report said. In it Rush claimed past service as a crew member on Titan and misrepresented the size of the vessel, when in fact it had never been registered or admeasured.<h2>Titan's inadequacies</h2>Investigators found that the submersible’s design, certification, maintenance and inspection process were all inadequate. The vessel's carbon fiber hull design and construction introduced flaws that “weakened the overall structural integrity” of the hull, according to the report.Mounting financial pressures in 2023 led to a decision by OceanGate to store the submersible outdoors in the Canadian winter, and the hull was exposed to temperature fluctuations that also compromised the vessel's integrity, the report said.<h2>The victims</h2>The implosion also killed French underwater explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, known as “Mr. Titanic”; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood.Nargeolet's family filed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-submersible-disaster-implosion-lawsuit-ba3efaf4c4dcb766698761206676b655">$50 million lawsuit</a>&nbsp;last year alleging that the crew experienced “terror and mental anguish” before the disaster. The lawsuit accused OceanGate of gross negligence.<h2>Titan's final dive</h2>The vessel had been making voyages to the Titanic site since 2021. Its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titan-implosion-submersible-titanic-25a496d4e80c51009d43b8e220bb92d7">final dive</a>&nbsp;came the morning of June 18, 2023. The submersible&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/coast-guard-releases-recording-thought-to-be-the-sound-of-titanic-submersible-implosion-49d10213d99847dd922f5c9b4992963f">lost contact</a>&nbsp;with its support vessel about two hours later and was reported overdue that afternoon. Ships, planes and equipment were rushed to the scene about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John's, Newfoundland.The Coast Guard-led team operated under the possibility that there could be survivors for several days. Wreckage was subsequently found on the ocean floor about 330 yards (300 meters) off the bow of the Titanic.___Riddle reported from Montgomery, Alabama. Associated Press writers Kimberlee Kruesi in Providence, Rhode Island, and Leah Willingham in Boston contributed.

Final report released on submersible disaster that killed 5 on way to Titanic

WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-eric-don-jr-spac-manufacture-shell-company-86760765e1dc12a923d357d1cf448fcc">Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;day began typically enough, with a television interview and a call with Ukrainian President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russian-ukraine-war-corruption-law-graft-drone-02aaa100244f82f41fea68c6b727e6a8">Volodymyr Zelenskyy</a>. Then it took an unexpected and unusual turn when he appeared on the roof of the White House's West Wing.

Late Tuesday morning, Trump emerged from a door connected to the State Dining Room and stepped onto the roof above the press briefing room and west colonnade that walls the Rose Garden. He spent nearly 20 minutes surveying the rooftop and the grounds below, including a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/trump-rose-garden-paved-over-photo-gallery-732b9521b69c10c12ce448f12e27401c">newly paved makeover</a>&nbsp;of the Rose Garden.

Reporters, tipped off by the out-of-the-ordinary positioning of snipers above the Oval Office, shouted questions from below. One called out: “Sir, why are you on the roof?”

“Taking a little walk,” Trump shouted back. “It’s good for your health.”

Trump walked with a small group that included James McCrery, architect of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-house-trump-ballroom-ea5c645a45e8f8846ebc98d5b2976678">newly announced $200 million ballroom</a>&nbsp;project. They moved slowly, with Trump frequently gesturing and pointing at the roof and grounds. Several times, he wandered toward the corner nearest the press corps, waving and cupping his hands to shout responses to shouted questions.

At one point, he said he was looking at “another way to spend my money for this country.” Later, near the end of his appearance on the roof, Trump was asked what he was going to build. He quipped, “Nuclear missiles.”

The unexpected walk on the rooftop comes as Trump looks to leave a lasting footprint on what’s often referred to as “The People’s House.”

He has substantially redecorated the Oval Office through the addition of golden flourishes and cherubs, presidential portraits and other items and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-flagpoles-a0928efcdcb6d1362a0e1827e96d0344">installed massive flagpoles</a>&nbsp;on the north and south lawns to fly the American flag. And last week, his administration announced that construction on a massive ballroom will begin in September and be ready before Trump ’s term ends in early 2029.

While Trump appeared on the West Wing, the White House has said the ballroom will be where the “small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits.”

While rare, there have been times through the years where presidents ventured out onto — and even slept on — the White House roof.

To promote renewable energy, President Jimmy Carter installed 32 solar panels on the West Wing roof in the 1970s. The panels were removed during the Reagan administration.

In 1910, President William Howard Taft had a sleeping porch built on the roof to escape Washington’s hot summer nights.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754430889608.png" alt="Photo by Dan Scavino0Assistant to the President &amp; White House Deputy Chief of Staff." />
 <figcaption>Photo by Dan Scavino0Assistant to the President &amp; White House Deputy Chief of Staff.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-eric-don-jr-spac-manufacture-shell-company-86760765e1dc12a923d357d1cf448fcc">Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;day began typically enough, with a television interview and a call with Ukrainian President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russian-ukraine-war-corruption-law-graft-drone-02aaa100244f82f41fea68c6b727e6a8">Volodymyr Zelenskyy</a>. Then it took an unexpected and unusual turn when he appeared on the roof of the White House's West Wing.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">&quot;Sir, why are you are on the roof?&quot; &quot;Mr. President, what are you doing up there?&quot; &quot;Come down and talk to us!&quot; &quot;What are you building?&quot; &quot;Are you considering more renovations, sir?&quot; &quot;Are you going to building up there?&quot; &quot;Add another level?&quot; - White House press corps to Pres. Trump <a href="https://t.co/UvDdstF3dx">pic.twitter.com/UvDdstF3dx</a>&mdash; Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1952747492526731428?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> takes questions from the press while on the roof of the West Colonnade 🤣🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/nso4v3aFTA">pic.twitter.com/nso4v3aFTA</a>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1952745618658463758?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">REPORTER: &quot;Mr. President, what are you doing up there?&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;Taking a little look!&quot; 🤣🤣 <a href="https://t.co/C7FMZuaTVH">pic.twitter.com/C7FMZuaTVH</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1952748679833567243?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">&quot;President Trump is on the roof of the White House. He&#39;s taking questions.&quot; 🤣🤣 <a href="https://t.co/DjU0UMADgW">pic.twitter.com/DjU0UMADgW</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1952746454096773369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Late Tuesday morning, Trump emerged from a door connected to the State Dining Room and stepped onto the roof above the press briefing room and west colonnade that walls the Rose Garden. He spent nearly 20 minutes surveying the rooftop and the grounds below, including a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/trump-rose-garden-paved-over-photo-gallery-732b9521b69c10c12ce448f12e27401c">newly paved makeover</a>&nbsp;of the Rose Garden.Reporters, tipped off by the out-of-the-ordinary positioning of snipers above the Oval Office, shouted questions from below. One called out: “Sir, why are you on the roof?”“Taking a little walk,” Trump shouted back. “It’s good for your health.”Trump walked with a small group that included James McCrery, architect of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-house-trump-ballroom-ea5c645a45e8f8846ebc98d5b2976678">newly announced $200 million ballroom</a>&nbsp;project. They moved slowly, with Trump frequently gesturing and pointing at the roof and grounds. Several times, he wandered toward the corner nearest the press corps, waving and cupping his hands to shout responses to shouted questions.At one point, he said he was looking at “another way to spend my money for this country.” Later, near the end of his appearance on the roof, Trump was asked what he was going to build. He quipped, “Nuclear missiles.”The unexpected walk on the rooftop comes as Trump looks to leave a lasting footprint on what’s often referred to as “The People’s House.”He has substantially redecorated the Oval Office through the addition of golden flourishes and cherubs, presidential portraits and other items and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-flagpoles-a0928efcdcb6d1362a0e1827e96d0344">installed massive flagpoles</a>&nbsp;on the north and south lawns to fly the American flag. And last week, his administration announced that construction on a massive ballroom will begin in September and be ready before Trump ’s term ends in early 2029.While Trump appeared on the West Wing, the White House has said the ballroom will be where the “small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits.”While rare, there have been times through the years where presidents ventured out onto — and even slept on — the White House roof.To promote renewable energy, President Jimmy Carter installed 32 solar panels on the West Wing roof in the 1970s. The panels were removed during the Reagan administration.In 1910, President William Howard Taft had a sleeping porch built on the roof to escape Washington’s hot summer nights.

🎥Why Trump took an unexpected walk on the White House roof

SALINE COUNTY—Saline County authorities are investigating a possible theft of a vehicle, after discovering the car had been abandoned, damaged and burned, according to Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan.

On Monday, the sheriff's office received a call about an abandoned 2016 Hyundai parked in the 4500 block of E. North Street with its doors open, damage to the windshield and a burnt interior.

The car's owner reported they left the car running in the street outside of the home they were visiting. When they came back outside, the car was gone and apparently was stolen, according to the sheriff's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754407185413.jpeg" alt="Abandoned 2016 Hyundai Sonata found in the 4500 block of E North Street; photo Saline County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Abandoned 2016 Hyundai Sonata found in the 4500 block of E North Street; photo Saline County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY—Saline County authorities are investigating a possible theft of a vehicle, after discovering the car had been abandoned, damaged and burned, according to Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754407731363.jpeg" alt="Burned interior of 2016 Hyundai Sonata; photo courtesy of Saline County Sheriff's Office.jpg" />
 <figcaption>Burned interior of 2016 Hyundai Sonata; photo courtesy of Saline County Sheriff's Office.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>On Monday, the sheriff's office received a call about an abandoned 2016 Hyundai parked in the 4500 block of E. North Street with its doors open, damage to the windshield and a burnt interior.The car's owner reported they left the car running in the street outside of the home they were visiting. When they came back outside, the car was gone and apparently was stolen, according to the sheriff's office.

Sheriff: Stolen vehicle found burned, abandoned on Kan. road 

HARVEY COUNTY – Samara Maple, 25, of Hutchinson, Kansas, pled guilty in Harvey County District Court on Tuesday to one count of Leaving the Scene of a Fatality Accident, according to the Harvey County Attorney's office.

The charge stems from a collision that occurred on April 8, 2024, when Laurie Oswald Robinson, of Newton, Kansas, was found deceased on the embankment beneath the SE 24th Street bridge over Interstate 135. 

Subsequent investigation determined that Ms. Robinson had been struck by a vehicle while walking across the bridge, and that the driver had left the scene without notifying authorities.

Following a thorough investigation by law enforcement, Maple was identified and charged in connection with the fatal hit-and-run.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 14, 2025, before District Judge Jason Lane in Harvey County District Court.

The Harvey County Attorney’s Office extends its appreciation to the Harvey County Sheriff’s Office and the Newton Police Department for their diligent work in bringing this case to resolution.

NEWTON, Kan. — Newton Police arrested a Hutchinson woman Monday evening in the fatal hit-and-run crash that killed a Newton woman Monday morning.

Samara Maple, 23, was booked into Harvey County Jail on preliminary charges of failure to stop at an accident resulting in death, which is a felony. She is being held without bond.

Laurie Robinson, 64, of Newton, died Monday morning after she was struck by a car while walking on Southeast 24th Street just east of I-135 in Newton. Police began searching for a white Honda or Acura with passenger-side damage. Maple’s white Honda was taken by police after her arrest.

NEWTON, Kan. —Police have located the vehicle and driver involved in fatal hit-and-run that occurred Monday morning in Newton, according to a social media report from Newton Police.

The City of Newton identified the victim as 64-year-old Laurie Robinson of Newton.&nbsp; She was killed in the hit-and-run on Southeast 24th Street just east of I-135 in Newton.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712698752314.png" alt="Maple photo Harvey County" />
 <figcaption>Maple photo Harvey County</figcaption>
 </figure>HARVEY COUNTY – Samara Maple, 25, of Hutchinson, Kansas, pled guilty in Harvey County District Court on Tuesday to one count of Leaving the Scene of a Fatality Accident, according to the Harvey County Attorney's office.The charge stems from a collision that occurred on April 8, 2024, when Laurie Oswald Robinson, of Newton, Kansas, was found deceased on the embankment beneath the SE 24th Street bridge over Interstate 135. Subsequent investigation determined that Ms. Robinson had been struck by a vehicle while walking across the bridge, and that the driver had left the scene without notifying authorities.Following a thorough investigation by law enforcement, Maple was identified and charged in connection with the fatal hit-and-run.Sentencing is scheduled for October 14, 2025, before District Judge Jason Lane in Harvey County District Court.The Harvey County Attorney’s Office extends its appreciation to the Harvey County Sheriff’s Office and the Newton Police Department for their diligent work in bringing this case to resolution.-----------------NEWTON, Kan. — Newton Police arrested a Hutchinson woman Monday evening in the fatal hit-and-run crash that killed a Newton woman Monday morning.Samara Maple, 23, was booked into Harvey County Jail on preliminary charges of failure to stop at an accident resulting in death, which is a felony. She is being held without bond.Laurie Robinson, 64, of Newton, died Monday morning after she was struck by a car while walking on Southeast 24th Street just east of I-135 in Newton. Police began searching for a white Honda or Acura with passenger-side damage. Maple’s white Honda was taken by police after her arrest.------------NEWTON, Kan. —Police have located the vehicle and driver involved in fatal hit-and-run that occurred Monday morning in Newton, according to a social media report from Newton Police.The City of Newton identified the victim as 64-year-old Laurie Robinson of Newton.&nbsp; She was killed in the hit-and-run on Southeast 24th Street just east of I-135 in Newton.

Driver enters plea for hit-and-run that killed Kansas woman

FINNEY COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a multi-vehicle crash involving a police car in Garden City.

Just before 5p.m. Monday, emergency crews responded to&nbsp;a multi-vehicle accident involving a police car near the intersection of Mary Street and Campus Drive in Garden City, according to a media release from Garden City Police.&nbsp;

EMS evaluated one of the drivers for minor injuries at the scene, and the Officer involved was not seriously injured. Police did not report if the officer was transported for an evaluation.

The accident caused damage to the traffic signal at Campus Drive and Mary Street, and the intersection was a four-way stop with flashing red lights for several hours.&nbsp; Police released no additional details including possible citations as a result of the incident.

FINNEY COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a multi-vehicle crash involving a police car in Garden City.Just before 5p.m. Monday, emergency crews responded to&nbsp;a multi-vehicle accident involving a police car near the intersection of Mary Street and Campus Drive in Garden City, according to a media release from Garden City Police.&nbsp;EMS evaluated one of the drivers for minor injuries at the scene, and the Officer involved was not seriously injured. Police did not report if the officer was transported for an evaluation.The accident caused damage to the traffic signal at Campus Drive and Mary Street, and the intersection was a four-way stop with flashing red lights for several hours.&nbsp; Police released no additional details including possible citations as a result of the incident.

Multi-vehicle crash involved police car in SW Kansas

LONDON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ozzy-osbourne">Ozzy Osbourne</a>&nbsp;died of a heart attack and had coronary artery disease in addition to suffering from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ozzy-osbourne-parkinsons-disease-black-sabbath-11e6d54599af7cf43b20bf5c29deb594">Parkinson's disease</a>&nbsp;for years, his death certificate said.

The singer had suffered from coronary artery disease as well as Parkinson's, according to the certificate filed at a register office in London and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/05/arts/music/ozzy-osbourne-cause-of-death.html">obtained by The New York Times</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday. Osbourne&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ozzy-osbourne-dies-adff88b55f1d3b0bace5705d58d3cdde">died on July 22 at 76</a>.

An email from The Associated Press requesting confirmation from the registry office in Hillingdon Council in northwest London, which covers the district where the Black Sabbath singer was reportedly officially pronounced dead, was not immediately returned. Osbourne's representatives didn't immediately return the AP's emailed requests for comment.

The document was submitted by Osbourne's daughter Aimée Osbourne the New York Times reported. Osbourne died of “(a) Out of hospital cardiac arrest (b) Acute myocardial infarction (c) Coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease with autonomic dysfunction (Joint Causes),” the certificate states.

Osbourne, also a somewhat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/osbournes-ozzy-legacy-television-8e40e317d051157b4893e40045fe3878">unexpected reality TV star,</a>&nbsp;announced in 2020 that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3225d3202dadb846cbae0a21fe62ba04">he had Parkinson’s disease</a>&nbsp;after suffering a fall. In announcing his death, his family asked for privacy and said that he was with relatives when he died.

Fans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/britain-ozzy-osbourne-fans-birmingham-59fb5b1de24b8dee9e3897113c42288c">came out in droves from across the country</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/ozzy-osbourne-dies-dc60176c9f5c5510ba1aed207033e67c">mourn his death</a>&nbsp;in his hometown of Birmingham last week. Osbourne&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ozzy-osbourne-black-sabbath-farewell-concert-5ad32c2e2457e5862d8f3eef646f5711">had his final show</a>&nbsp;there just weeks before his death, as admirers watched the heavy metal icon perform while seated on a black throne.

“I don’t know what to say, man, I’ve been laid up for like six years. You have no idea how I feel — thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Osbourne said during his performance. “You’re all … special. Let’s go crazy, come on.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753208493937.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>LONDON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ozzy-osbourne">Ozzy Osbourne</a>&nbsp;died of a heart attack and had coronary artery disease in addition to suffering from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ozzy-osbourne-parkinsons-disease-black-sabbath-11e6d54599af7cf43b20bf5c29deb594">Parkinson's disease</a>&nbsp;for years, his death certificate said.The singer had suffered from coronary artery disease as well as Parkinson's, according to the certificate filed at a register office in London and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/05/arts/music/ozzy-osbourne-cause-of-death.html">obtained by The New York Times</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday. Osbourne&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ozzy-osbourne-dies-adff88b55f1d3b0bace5705d58d3cdde">died on July 22 at 76</a>.An email from The Associated Press requesting confirmation from the registry office in Hillingdon Council in northwest London, which covers the district where the Black Sabbath singer was reportedly officially pronounced dead, was not immediately returned. Osbourne's representatives didn't immediately return the AP's emailed requests for comment.The document was submitted by Osbourne's daughter Aimée Osbourne the New York Times reported. Osbourne died of “(a) Out of hospital cardiac arrest (b) Acute myocardial infarction (c) Coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease with autonomic dysfunction (Joint Causes),” the certificate states.Osbourne, also a somewhat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/osbournes-ozzy-legacy-television-8e40e317d051157b4893e40045fe3878">unexpected reality TV star,</a>&nbsp;announced in 2020 that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3225d3202dadb846cbae0a21fe62ba04">he had Parkinson’s disease</a>&nbsp;after suffering a fall. In announcing his death, his family asked for privacy and said that he was with relatives when he died.Fans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/britain-ozzy-osbourne-fans-birmingham-59fb5b1de24b8dee9e3897113c42288c">came out in droves from across the country</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/ozzy-osbourne-dies-dc60176c9f5c5510ba1aed207033e67c">mourn his death</a>&nbsp;in his hometown of Birmingham last week. Osbourne&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ozzy-osbourne-black-sabbath-farewell-concert-5ad32c2e2457e5862d8f3eef646f5711">had his final show</a>&nbsp;there just weeks before his death, as admirers watched the heavy metal icon perform while seated on a black throne.“I don’t know what to say, man, I’ve been laid up for like six years. You have no idea how I feel — thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Osbourne said during his performance. “You’re all … special. Let’s go crazy, come on.”

Death certificate reveals Ozzy Osbourne's cause of death

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Justice Department on Tuesday for files in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein">Jeffrey Epstein</a>&nbsp;sex trafficking investigation and is seeking depositions with the Clintons and former law enforcement officials, part of a congressional probe that lawmakers believe may show links to President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;and former top officials.

The Republican-controlled committee issued subpoenas for depositions with former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and eight former top law enforcement officials.

The committee’s actions showed how even with lawmakers away from Washington on a monthlong break, interest in the Epstein files is still running high. Trump has denied prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and claimed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-conspiracies-97200cfab77572a36bc9ab25841a8833">he cut off their relationship</a>&nbsp;long ago, and he has repeatedly tried to move past the Justice Department’s decision not to release&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-pam-bondi-03fbcd024f631440f7ed62b3c6927db3">a full accounting</a>&nbsp;of the investigation. But lawmakers from both major political parties, as well as many in the Republican president’s political base, have refused to let it go.

Rep. James Comer, the Republican chairman of the oversight committee, noted in letters to Attorney General Pam Bondi and the former officials that the cases of Epstein and his former girlfriend&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ghislaine-maxwell">Ghislaine Maxwell</a>&nbsp;“have received immense public interest and scrutiny.”

“While the Department undertakes efforts to uncover and publicly disclose additional information related to Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell’s cases, it is imperative that Congress conduct oversight of the federal government’s enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell,” Comer said.

Since Epstein’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-investigation-records-timeline-545c371ee3dd3142355a26d27829c188">2019 death in a New York jail cell</a>&nbsp;as he awaited trial for sex trafficking charges, conservative conspiracists have stoked theories about what information investigators gathered on Epstein — and who else knew about his sexual abuse of teenage girls. Republican lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee nodded to that line of questioning last month by initiating the subpoenas for the Clintons, both Democrats, as well as demanding all communications between President Joe Biden's Democratic administration and the Justice Department regarding Epstein.

Bill Clinton was among&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-prince-andrew-bill-clinton-donald-trump-385ccf8d49d337ae4866022877aa9a90">a number of luminaries acquainted with Epstein</a>, a wealthy financier, before the criminal investigation against him in Florida became public two decades ago. Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing by any of the women who say Epstein abused them.

One of Epstein’s victims,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-trump-maxwell-giuffre-stole-family-40d4318c2ab7987e93a4fc8484464ec8">Virginia Giuffre</a>, once gave a newspaper interview in which she described riding in a helicopter with Clinton and flirting with Trump, but she later said in a deposition that those things hadn’t actually happened and were mistakes by the reporter. Clinton has previously said through a spokesperson that while he traveled on Epstein’s jet he never visited his homes and had no knowledge of his crimes.

The committee is also demanding interviews under oath from former attorneys general spanning the last four presidential administrations: Merrick Garland, William Barr, Jeff Sessions, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder and Alberto Gonzales. Lawmakers also subpoenaed former FBI Directors James Comey and Robert Mueller.

However, it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-files-congress-democrats-subpoena-republicans-trump-5d17ea83f7ffeff5784159848b97f38e">Democrats who sparked the move to subpoena</a>&nbsp;the Justice Department for its files on Epstein. They were joined by some Republicans last month to successfully initiate the subpoena through a subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee.

“Today was an important step forward in our fight for transparency regarding the Epstein files and our dedication to seeking justice for the victims," said Democratic Reps. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, and Summer Lee, who initiated the subpoena, in a joint statement. “Now, we must continue putting pressure on the Department of Justice until we actually receive every document.”

The subpoenas give the Justice Department until Aug. 19 to hand over the requested records, though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-investigation-congress-subpoena-trump-ghislaine-maxwell-c575f6565945cfd0505c8a8146b16465">such requests are typically open to negotiation</a>&nbsp;and can be resisted by the Trump administration.

The committee is also asking the former officials to appear for the depositions throughout August, September and October, concluding with Hillary Clinton on Oct. 9 and Bill Clinton on Oct. 14.

Multiple former presidents have voluntarily testified before Congress, but none has been compelled to do so. That history was invoked by Trump in 2022, between his first and second terms, when he faced a subpoena by the House committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, riot by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">a mob of his supporters</a>&nbsp;at the U.S. Capitol.

Lawyers for Trump resisted the subpoena, citing decades of legal precedent they said shielded an ex-president from being ordered to appear before Congress. The committee ultimately withdrew its subpoena.

The committee had previously issued a subpoena for an interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-justice-department-prison-27d53cd22f8c53d9f2b5012cea32eb5e">Maxwell</a>, who had been serving a prison sentence in Florida for luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein but was recently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-justice-department-prison-27d53cd22f8c53d9f2b5012cea32eb5e">transferred to a Texas facility</a>.

However, Comer has indicated he is willing to delay that deposition until after the Supreme Court decides whether to hear an appeal to her conviction. She argues she was wrongfully prosecuted.

As the Justice Department has tried to appease demands for more disclosure, it has turned attention to Maxwell. Officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-maxwell-justice-department-interview-053ad2ae16f31b9d7300340d5f9349c5">interviewed her for 1 1/2 days</a>&nbsp;last month.

But Democrats stressed the importance of gaining direct access to the investigative files, rather than relying on Maxwell's words.

“We need these files now in order to corroborate any claims she makes,” Garcia and Lee said, adding, "This fight is not over.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704330351229.png" alt="Jeffrey Epstein photo NY Sex Offender Registry" />
 <figcaption>Jeffrey Epstein photo NY Sex Offender Registry</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Justice Department on Tuesday for files in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein">Jeffrey Epstein</a>&nbsp;sex trafficking investigation and is seeking depositions with the Clintons and former law enforcement officials, part of a congressional probe that lawmakers believe may show links to President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;and former top officials.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754412426325.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754412751686.png" alt="File image Hillary Clinton from the Aug. 2024 funeral for Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee-courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File image Hillary Clinton from the Aug. 2024 funeral for Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee-courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>The Republican-controlled committee issued subpoenas for depositions with former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and eight former top law enforcement officials.The committee’s actions showed how even with lawmakers away from Washington on a monthlong break, interest in the Epstein files is still running high. Trump has denied prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and claimed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-conspiracies-97200cfab77572a36bc9ab25841a8833">he cut off their relationship</a>&nbsp;long ago, and he has repeatedly tried to move past the Justice Department’s decision not to release&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-pam-bondi-03fbcd024f631440f7ed62b3c6927db3">a full accounting</a>&nbsp;of the investigation. But lawmakers from both major political parties, as well as many in the Republican president’s political base, have refused to let it go.Rep. James Comer, the Republican chairman of the oversight committee, noted in letters to Attorney General Pam Bondi and the former officials that the cases of Epstein and his former girlfriend&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ghislaine-maxwell">Ghislaine Maxwell</a>&nbsp;“have received immense public interest and scrutiny.”“While the Department undertakes efforts to uncover and publicly disclose additional information related to Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell’s cases, it is imperative that Congress conduct oversight of the federal government’s enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell,” Comer said.<h2>Epstein's circle</h2>Since Epstein’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-investigation-records-timeline-545c371ee3dd3142355a26d27829c188">2019 death in a New York jail cell</a>&nbsp;as he awaited trial for sex trafficking charges, conservative conspiracists have stoked theories about what information investigators gathered on Epstein — and who else knew about his sexual abuse of teenage girls. Republican lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee nodded to that line of questioning last month by initiating the subpoenas for the Clintons, both Democrats, as well as demanding all communications between President Joe Biden's Democratic administration and the Justice Department regarding Epstein.Bill Clinton was among&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-prince-andrew-bill-clinton-donald-trump-385ccf8d49d337ae4866022877aa9a90">a number of luminaries acquainted with Epstein</a>, a wealthy financier, before the criminal investigation against him in Florida became public two decades ago. Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing by any of the women who say Epstein abused them.One of Epstein’s victims,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-trump-maxwell-giuffre-stole-family-40d4318c2ab7987e93a4fc8484464ec8">Virginia Giuffre</a>, once gave a newspaper interview in which she described riding in a helicopter with Clinton and flirting with Trump, but she later said in a deposition that those things hadn’t actually happened and were mistakes by the reporter. Clinton has previously said through a spokesperson that while he traveled on Epstein’s jet he never visited his homes and had no knowledge of his crimes.The committee is also demanding interviews under oath from former attorneys general spanning the last four presidential administrations: Merrick Garland, William Barr, Jeff Sessions, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder and Alberto Gonzales. Lawmakers also subpoenaed former FBI Directors James Comey and Robert Mueller.However, it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-files-congress-democrats-subpoena-republicans-trump-5d17ea83f7ffeff5784159848b97f38e">Democrats who sparked the move to subpoena</a>&nbsp;the Justice Department for its files on Epstein. They were joined by some Republicans last month to successfully initiate the subpoena through a subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee.“Today was an important step forward in our fight for transparency regarding the Epstein files and our dedication to seeking justice for the victims," said Democratic Reps. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, and Summer Lee, who initiated the subpoena, in a joint statement. “Now, we must continue putting pressure on the Department of Justice until we actually receive every document.”<h2>Will the subpoenas be enforced?</h2>The subpoenas give the Justice Department until Aug. 19 to hand over the requested records, though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-investigation-congress-subpoena-trump-ghislaine-maxwell-c575f6565945cfd0505c8a8146b16465">such requests are typically open to negotiation</a>&nbsp;and can be resisted by the Trump administration.The committee is also asking the former officials to appear for the depositions throughout August, September and October, concluding with Hillary Clinton on Oct. 9 and Bill Clinton on Oct. 14.Multiple former presidents have voluntarily testified before Congress, but none has been compelled to do so. That history was invoked by Trump in 2022, between his first and second terms, when he faced a subpoena by the House committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, riot by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">a mob of his supporters</a>&nbsp;at the U.S. Capitol.Lawyers for Trump resisted the subpoena, citing decades of legal precedent they said shielded an ex-president from being ordered to appear before Congress. The committee ultimately withdrew its subpoena.The committee had previously issued a subpoena for an interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-justice-department-prison-27d53cd22f8c53d9f2b5012cea32eb5e">Maxwell</a>, who had been serving a prison sentence in Florida for luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein but was recently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-justice-department-prison-27d53cd22f8c53d9f2b5012cea32eb5e">transferred to a Texas facility</a>.However, Comer has indicated he is willing to delay that deposition until after the Supreme Court decides whether to hear an appeal to her conviction. She argues she was wrongfully prosecuted.As the Justice Department has tried to appease demands for more disclosure, it has turned attention to Maxwell. Officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-maxwell-justice-department-interview-053ad2ae16f31b9d7300340d5f9349c5">interviewed her for 1 1/2 days</a>&nbsp;last month.But Democrats stressed the importance of gaining direct access to the investigative files, rather than relying on Maxwell's words.“We need these files now in order to corroborate any claims she makes,” Garcia and Lee said, adding, "This fight is not over.”

House committee issues subpoenas for Epstein files, depositions with the Clintons

PAWNEE COUNTY —On Aug. 1, the Kansas Court of Appeals issued a 33 page memorandum opinion upholding the felony convictions and sentence of Justin W. Hammond, 41 of Larned, according to a statement from Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.

In March of 2023, a Pawnee County Jury found Hammond Guilty of four counts of Aggravated Indecent Liberty with a Child, to wit: sexual intercourse with a child 14 or 15 years of age, and one count of Indecent Liberties with a Child, to wit: lewd fondling of child 14 or 15 years of age, following a five-day trial.

The crimes were alleged to have occurred in Pawnee County between July 8, 2018, and December 15, 2018. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation handled the investigation following a referral by the Pawnee County Sheriff.

At the sentencing held June 30, 2023, Judge Bruce Gatterman denied a defense request for probation and sentenced Hammond on the primary offense to the standard sentence of 59 months with an additional 37 month consecutive sentence on the additional counts for a total sentence of 96 months in the department of corrections. Hammond is also subject to lifetime post-release supervision and lifetime offender registration as a sex offender.

Hammond is currently incarcerated at the Lansing Correctional Facility.

On May 20, 2025, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals heard appellate oral arguments. On appeal, the defendant argued the District Court errored when it failed to grant a mistrial when an alternate juror was released on the fourth day of the jury trial due to a family emergency. The defendant also argued that the District Court errored when it failed to grant probation and by sentencing him to lifetime post-release supervision.

Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett presented the State’s case at trial. The Kansas Solicitor General’s Office represented the State on Appeal. Hammond was represented by Jonathon McConnell of Wichita, Kansas at trial and Jonathan Laurans of Kansas City on Appeal.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1688158843330.png" alt="Hammond from his arrest in Pawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Hammond from his arrest in Pawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>PAWNEE COUNTY —On Aug. 1, the Kansas Court of Appeals issued a 33 page memorandum opinion upholding the felony convictions and sentence of Justin W. Hammond, 41 of Larned, according to a statement from Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.In March of 2023, a Pawnee County Jury found Hammond Guilty of four counts of Aggravated Indecent Liberty with a Child, to wit: sexual intercourse with a child 14 or 15 years of age, and one count of Indecent Liberties with a Child, to wit: lewd fondling of child 14 or 15 years of age, following a five-day trial.The crimes were alleged to have occurred in Pawnee County between July 8, 2018, and December 15, 2018. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation handled the investigation following a referral by the Pawnee County Sheriff.At the sentencing held June 30, 2023, Judge Bruce Gatterman denied a defense request for probation and sentenced Hammond on the primary offense to the standard sentence of 59 months with an additional 37 month consecutive sentence on the additional counts for a total sentence of 96 months in the department of corrections. Hammond is also subject to lifetime post-release supervision and lifetime offender registration as a sex offender.Hammond is currently incarcerated at the Lansing Correctional Facility.On May 20, 2025, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals heard appellate oral arguments. On appeal, the defendant argued the District Court errored when it failed to grant a mistrial when an alternate juror was released on the fourth day of the jury trial due to a family emergency. The defendant also argued that the District Court errored when it failed to grant probation and by sentencing him to lifetime post-release supervision.Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett presented the State’s case at trial. The Kansas Solicitor General’s Office represented the State on Appeal. Hammond was represented by Jonathon McConnell of Wichita, Kansas at trial and Jonathan Laurans of Kansas City on Appeal.

Court upholds conviction and sentence of Kan. child sex offender

SALINE COUNTY—Authorities are working to determine the cause of a fire that destroyed a home and barn in rural Saline County.

On Monday, Rural Fire District 5 responded to report of the fire at 3008 N. Gypsum Valley, according to the Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan. A neighbor called to report the house and barn were on fire.

The barn was owned by 67-year old Billy Jeffrey. He was not present when the fire happened.&nbsp; There were no injuries reported. Authorities did not release a damage estimate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754406887419.jpeg" alt="Barn completely consumed after fire on 3008 N Gypsum Valley; photo&nbsp; Saline County Sheriff's Office." />
 <figcaption>Barn completely consumed after fire on 3008 N Gypsum Valley; photo&nbsp; Saline County Sheriff's Office.</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY—Authorities are working to determine the cause of a fire that destroyed a home and barn in rural Saline County.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754408117778.png" alt="Photo Saline Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo Saline Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>On Monday, Rural Fire District 5 responded to report of the fire at 3008 N. Gypsum Valley, according to the Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan. A neighbor called to report the house and barn were on fire.The barn was owned by 67-year old Billy Jeffrey. He was not present when the fire happened.&nbsp; There were no injuries reported. Authorities did not release a damage estimate.

Home, barn destroyed in rural Kansas fire

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pam-bondi">Attorney General Pam Bondi</a>&nbsp;has directed that the Justice Department move forward with a probe into the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gabbard-russia-2016-steele-dossier-0452e1079506daa86d75fa0a2f22fc60">following the recent release of documents aimed at undermining the legitimacy of the inquiry</a>&nbsp;that established that Moscow interfered on the Republican’s behalf in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Bondi has directed a prosecutor to present evidence to a grand jury after referrals from the Trump administration’s top intelligence official, a person familiar with the matter said Monday. That person was not authorized to discuss it by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. Fox News first reported the development.

It was not clear which former officials might be the target of any grand jury activity, where the grand jury that might ultimately hear evidence will be located or which prosecutors — whether career employees or political appointees — might be involved in pursuing the investigation. It was also not clear what precise claims of misconduct Trump administration officials believe could form the basis of criminal charges, which a grand jury would have to sign off on for an indictment to be issued.

The development is likely to heighten concerns that the Justice Department is being used to achieve political ends given longstanding grievances over the Russia investigation voiced by President Donald Trump, who has called for the jailing of perceived political adversaries, and because any criminal investigation would revisit one of the most dissected chapters of modern American political history. It is also surfacing at a time when the Trump administration is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-pam-bondi-03fbcd024f631440f7ed62b3c6927db3">being buffeted by criticism over its handling of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation.</a>

The initial, years-old investigation into Russian election interference&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-politics-russia-48f9d5132d7a4e2d823edad8fc407979">resulted in the appointment of a special counsel,</a>&nbsp;Robert Mueller, who secured multiple convictions against Trump aides and allies but did not establish proof of a criminal conspiracy between Moscow and the Trump campaign.

The inquiry shadowed much of Trump’s first term in office and he has long focused his ire on senior officials from the intelligence and law enforcement community, including former FBI Director James Comey, whom he fired in May 2017, and former CIA Director John Brennan.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-russia-fbi-new-investigation-comey-brennan-33f52dec786e45b019d7d021e6d99c02">The Justice Department appeared to confirm an investigation into both men in an unusual statement</a>&nbsp;last month but offered no details.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/durham-report-fbi-trump-clinton-2016-campaign-f3039e651eeb35a09091c363419e6766">Multiple special counsels</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-international-news-elections-politics-campaigns-5e833a62e9492f6a66624b7920cc846a">congressional committees</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/fbi-was-justified-in-probing-trump-russia-fed-watchdog-says-a734c40d142c8950f57ad4c8f8af565c">the Justice Department’s own inspector general</a>&nbsp;have studied and documented a multi-pronged effort by Russia to interfere in the 2016 presidential election on Trump’s behalf, including through a hack-and-leak dump of Democratic emails and a covert social media operation aimed at sowing discord and swaying public opinion.

But that conclusion has been aggressively challenged in recent weeks as Trump’s director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and other allies have released previously classified records that they hope will cast doubt on the extent of Russian interference and establish an Obama administration effort to falsely link Trump to Russia.

In one batch of documents released last month, Gabbard&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gabbard-trump-russia-investigation-2bba6373255a37f96fb7cbfa92156b2c">disclosed emails showing that senior Obama administration officials were aware</a>&nbsp;in 2016 that Russians had not hacked state election systems to manipulate the votes in Trump’s favor. But President Barack Obama’s administration never alleged that votes were tampered with and had instead detailed other forms of election interference and foreign influence.

A new outcry surfaced last week when Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released a set of emails that FBI Director Kash Patel claimed on social media proved that the “Clinton campaign plotted to frame President Trump and fabricate the Russia collusion hoax.”

The emails were part of a classified annex of a report issued in 2023 by John Durham,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/75e5c4efd5c74e6e9aa1ba0237a0e651">the special counsel who was appointed during the first Trump administration</a>&nbsp;to hunt for any government misconduct during the Russia investigation.

Durham did identify significant flaws in the investigation but uncovered no bombshells to disprove the existence of Russian election interference. His sprawling probe produced three criminal cases; two resulted in acquittals by a jury and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-b9b3c7ef398d00d5dfee9170d66cefec">third was a guilty plea from a little-known FBI lawyer to a charge of making a false statement.</a>

Republicans seized on a July 27, 2016, email in Durham’s newly declassified annex that claimed that Hillary Clinton, then the Democratic candidate for president, had approved a plan during the heat of the campaign to link Trump with Russia.

But the purported author of the email, a senior official at a philanthropic organization founded by billionaire investor George Soros, told Durham’s team he had never sent the email and the alleged recipient said she never recalled receiving it.

Durham’s own report took pain to note that investigators had not corroborated the communications as authentic and said the best assessment was that the message was “a composites of several emails” the Russians had obtained from hacking — raising the likelihood that it was a product of Russian disinformation.

The FBI’s Russia investigation was opened on July 31, 2016, following a tip that a Trump campaign adviser,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/270300c4ced8471a975303ffad27cad6">George Papadopoulos</a>, had told an Australian diplomat that he had learned that Russia was in possession of dirt on Clinton.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1738022793205.png" alt="File -Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran during a meeting with Bondi in December-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>File -Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran during a meeting with Bondi in December-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pam-bondi">Attorney General Pam Bondi</a>&nbsp;has directed that the Justice Department move forward with a probe into the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gabbard-russia-2016-steele-dossier-0452e1079506daa86d75fa0a2f22fc60">following the recent release of documents aimed at undermining the legitimacy of the inquiry</a>&nbsp;that established that Moscow interfered on the Republican’s behalf in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.Bondi has directed a prosecutor to present evidence to a grand jury after referrals from the Trump administration’s top intelligence official, a person familiar with the matter said Monday. That person was not authorized to discuss it by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. Fox News first reported the development.It was not clear which former officials might be the target of any grand jury activity, where the grand jury that might ultimately hear evidence will be located or which prosecutors — whether career employees or political appointees — might be involved in pursuing the investigation. It was also not clear what precise claims of misconduct Trump administration officials believe could form the basis of criminal charges, which a grand jury would have to sign off on for an indictment to be issued.The development is likely to heighten concerns that the Justice Department is being used to achieve political ends given longstanding grievances over the Russia investigation voiced by President Donald Trump, who has called for the jailing of perceived political adversaries, and because any criminal investigation would revisit one of the most dissected chapters of modern American political history. It is also surfacing at a time when the Trump administration is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-pam-bondi-03fbcd024f631440f7ed62b3c6927db3">being buffeted by criticism over its handling of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation.</a>The initial, years-old investigation into Russian election interference&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-politics-russia-48f9d5132d7a4e2d823edad8fc407979">resulted in the appointment of a special counsel,</a>&nbsp;Robert Mueller, who secured multiple convictions against Trump aides and allies but did not establish proof of a criminal conspiracy between Moscow and the Trump campaign.The inquiry shadowed much of Trump’s first term in office and he has long focused his ire on senior officials from the intelligence and law enforcement community, including former FBI Director James Comey, whom he fired in May 2017, and former CIA Director John Brennan.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-russia-fbi-new-investigation-comey-brennan-33f52dec786e45b019d7d021e6d99c02">The Justice Department appeared to confirm an investigation into both men in an unusual statement</a>&nbsp;last month but offered no details.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/durham-report-fbi-trump-clinton-2016-campaign-f3039e651eeb35a09091c363419e6766">Multiple special counsels</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-international-news-elections-politics-campaigns-5e833a62e9492f6a66624b7920cc846a">congressional committees</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/fbi-was-justified-in-probing-trump-russia-fed-watchdog-says-a734c40d142c8950f57ad4c8f8af565c">the Justice Department’s own inspector general</a>&nbsp;have studied and documented a multi-pronged effort by Russia to interfere in the 2016 presidential election on Trump’s behalf, including through a hack-and-leak dump of Democratic emails and a covert social media operation aimed at sowing discord and swaying public opinion.But that conclusion has been aggressively challenged in recent weeks as Trump’s director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and other allies have released previously classified records that they hope will cast doubt on the extent of Russian interference and establish an Obama administration effort to falsely link Trump to Russia.In one batch of documents released last month, Gabbard&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gabbard-trump-russia-investigation-2bba6373255a37f96fb7cbfa92156b2c">disclosed emails showing that senior Obama administration officials were aware</a>&nbsp;in 2016 that Russians had not hacked state election systems to manipulate the votes in Trump’s favor. But President Barack Obama’s administration never alleged that votes were tampered with and had instead detailed other forms of election interference and foreign influence.A new outcry surfaced last week when Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released a set of emails that FBI Director Kash Patel claimed on social media proved that the “Clinton campaign plotted to frame President Trump and fabricate the Russia collusion hoax.”The emails were part of a classified annex of a report issued in 2023 by John Durham,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/75e5c4efd5c74e6e9aa1ba0237a0e651">the special counsel who was appointed during the first Trump administration</a>&nbsp;to hunt for any government misconduct during the Russia investigation.Durham did identify significant flaws in the investigation but uncovered no bombshells to disprove the existence of Russian election interference. His sprawling probe produced three criminal cases; two resulted in acquittals by a jury and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-b9b3c7ef398d00d5dfee9170d66cefec">third was a guilty plea from a little-known FBI lawyer to a charge of making a false statement.</a>Republicans seized on a July 27, 2016, email in Durham’s newly declassified annex that claimed that Hillary Clinton, then the Democratic candidate for president, had approved a plan during the heat of the campaign to link Trump with Russia.But the purported author of the email, a senior official at a philanthropic organization founded by billionaire investor George Soros, told Durham’s team he had never sent the email and the alleged recipient said she never recalled receiving it.Durham’s own report took pain to note that investigators had not corroborated the communications as authentic and said the best assessment was that the message was “a composites of several emails” the Russians had obtained from hacking — raising the likelihood that it was a product of Russian disinformation.The FBI’s Russia investigation was opened on July 31, 2016, following a tip that a Trump campaign adviser,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/270300c4ced8471a975303ffad27cad6">George Papadopoulos</a>, had told an Australian diplomat that he had learned that Russia was in possession of dirt on Clinton.

AG orders grand jury review of Obama-era origins of Trump-Russia hoax

HORRY COUNTY, So. Carolina—Law enforcement investigating a fatal hit-and-run incident have identified the victim as 26-year-old Dezhon Overton of Kansas City, Kansas, according to the Horry County South Carolina Coroner's office.

Just after 12:30 a.m. Sunday, police responded to a call for service related to a leaving the scene of a traffic collision with injuries at 21st Avenue South and Kings Highway, according to a statement from Myrtle Beach Police. 

First responders determined that two pedestrians were struck by the vehicle and the suspect vehicle had fled. The victims including Overton&nbsp; were immediately transported to Grand Strand Medical Center for treatment of their injuries. Overton was pronounced deceased a short time later. He was on vacation at the time of the incident, according to police.

The Myrtle Beach Police Real Time Crime Unit along with assisting units had already started investigating which led them to the location of the suspect vehicle. The driver of the vehicle has been arrested.&nbsp;

HORRY COUNTY, So. Carolina—Law enforcement investigating a fatal hit-and-run incident have identified the victim as 26-year-old Dezhon Overton of Kansas City, Kansas, according to the Horry County South Carolina Coroner's office.Just after 12:30 a.m. Sunday, police responded to a call for service related to a leaving the scene of a traffic collision with injuries at 21st Avenue South and Kings Highway, according to a statement from Myrtle Beach Police. First responders determined that two pedestrians were struck by the vehicle and the suspect vehicle had fled. The victims including Overton&nbsp; were immediately transported to Grand Strand Medical Center for treatment of their injuries. Overton was pronounced deceased a short time later. He was on vacation at the time of the incident, according to police.The Myrtle Beach Police Real Time Crime Unit along with assisting units had already started investigating which led them to the location of the suspect vehicle. The driver of the vehicle has been arrested.&nbsp;

Police: Kansas man on vacation dies after hit-and-run incident

Leader of UnidosUS decries the humanitarian and economic damage of Trump administration’s immigration raids. ‘This is about our civil rights being destroyed’

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/marysanchez/">Mary Sanchez</a>&nbsp;

The economic power of the Latino population in the United States is as massive as it is misunderstood.

Latinos contribute more than&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/us-latino-gdp-skyrockets-to-record-37-trillion-dollars" target="_blank">$3.7 trillion</a>&nbsp;annually to the economy, more than the gross domestic product of all but four countries in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldometers.info/gdp/gdp-by-country/" target="_blank">the world</a>.

Latinos are the nation’s largest minority group with 64 million people.

The vast majority, eight out of 10, are U.S. citizens.

By 2030, one out of every three people entering the workforce will be Latino.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754330127440.png" alt="Kansas state Rep. Susan Ruiz, a Democrat, addressed a crowd that gathered outside the Lenexa El Toro Loco Mexican Bar and Grill on July 30 after some of the employees were arrested earlier in the day by agents with Homeland Security (Mary Sanchez/The Beacon)." />
 <figcaption>Kansas state Rep. Susan Ruiz, a Democrat, addressed a crowd that gathered outside the Lenexa El Toro Loco Mexican Bar and Grill on July 30 after some of the employees were arrested earlier in the day by agents with Homeland Security (Mary Sanchez/The Beacon).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Leader of UnidosUS decries the humanitarian and economic damage of Trump administration’s immigration raids. ‘This is about our civil rights being destroyed’</h2>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/marysanchez/">Mary Sanchez</a>&nbsp;The economic power of the Latino population in the United States is as massive as it is misunderstood.Latinos contribute more than&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/us-latino-gdp-skyrockets-to-record-37-trillion-dollars" target="_blank">$3.7 trillion</a>&nbsp;annually to the economy, more than the gross domestic product of all but four countries in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldometers.info/gdp/gdp-by-country/" target="_blank">the world</a>.Latinos are the nation’s largest minority group with 64 million people.The vast majority, eight out of 10, are U.S. citizens.By 2030, one out of every three people entering the workforce will be Latino.But acknowledgement of&nbsp;<a href="https://unidosus.org/" target="_blank">those facts</a>&nbsp;is lacking,&nbsp;<a href="https://unidosus.org/publications/analyzing-inclusion-of-latino-contributions-in-us-history-curricula-for-high-school/" target="_blank">studies show</a>, especially among policymakers and politicians.The vacuum leaves space for false narratives to flourish.One example for the leader of the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization is the Trump administration’s inaccurate labeling of Latinos as criminals and outsiders who don’t contribute to the nation.“If we’re going to have an economy that really moves the country forward and sustains all of us, it has to include the Latino community from a demographics perspective,” said Janet Murguía.Murguía, a native of Kansas City, Kansas, is president and CEO of&nbsp;<a href="https://unidosus.org/" target="_blank">UnidosUS,</a>&nbsp;which is holding its annual conference in Kansas City Aug. 4-7.The conference opens days after nearly a dozen people were taken from their jobs at two Kansas El Toro Loco Mexican Bar and Grill locations in morning raids by Homeland Security Investigations, a unit of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.The detentions of the employees were filmed and witnessed by community members and sparked a protest later in the day.Videos show the employees as they were being taken from the restaurants in handcuffs and with chains around their waists. Food was left cooking at the Lenexa location and a handwritten note “Closed” was taped to the front door, which was left unlocked.Murguía is critical of some tactics that Homeland Security is using in its efforts to meet the administration’s goal of removing 3,000 undocumented immigrants daily.Increasingly, she said, what’s happening is unlawful and unconstitutional.“This is not about immigration,” Murguía said. “It’s about civil rights.”Negative narratives about Latinos that are unsubstantiated by data are being used to justify the actions, including some actions that shred due process, she said.UnidosUS is the umbrella organization for more than 300 affiliates spread across virtually every state. Three are in the Greater Kansas City area:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.elcentroinc.com/" target="_blank">El Centro</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://guadalupecenters.org/" target="_blank">Guadalupe Centers</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://mattierhodes.org/" target="_blank">Mattie Rhodes Center</a>.The nearly 60-year-old organization’s current strategy is three-pronged — to protect, defend and advance the Latino community.Murguía served in former President Bill Clinton’s administration and also once served as an executive vice chancellor at the University of Kansas.She said abuse of power and government overreach in immigration enforcement must be challenged.“We intend to do everything we can to provide the advocacy to push back against this and demand accountability in the courts and through the administration and in Congress,” Murguia said.Partnerships with&nbsp;<a href="https://unidosus.org/press-releases/national-latino-and-civil-rights-groups-denounce-federal-overreach-in-los-angeles-raids/" target="_blank">other civil rights organizations</a>&nbsp;will be key, she said, noting deep connections with the leadership of the National Urban League, the National Action Network and the Legal Defense Fund.“This is about our civil rights being destroyed,” she said. “Partners and allies can be really critically important in communicating that to the broader public and understanding that we’re all threatened in this country when actions happen.”<h2>‘There is no American agenda without a Latino agenda’&nbsp;</h2>UnidosUS is linking with some of the leading researchers in the nation.Documenting the social and economic impact of mass deportation will be crucial.<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/04/03/kansas-man-deported-after-visiting-grandfathers-grave-in-mexico/" target="_blank">Some immigrant families are of mixed status</a>, with at least one family member who might be undocumented and others who are not.Approximately&nbsp;<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/233150241700500101" target="_blank">6.6 million American citizens</a>, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fwd.us/news/mixed-status-families-1/" target="_blank">5.5 million U.S. children</a>&nbsp;— over 8% of all children in the U.S. — live in a household with at least one undocumented family member.A&nbsp;<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/233150241700500101" target="_blank">2017 study</a>&nbsp;predicted that removing one family member from every mixed-status household through deportation would drop the median income of those households by nearly 50%.The report was written with data compiled by the Center for Migration Studies of New York and published by the Journal on Migration and Human Security.“Removing undocumented residents from mixed-status households would reduce median household income from $41,300 to $22,000, a drop of $19,300, or 47%, which would plunge millions of US families into poverty,” the report noted.The ramifications on homeownership, businesses and taxes paid could be dramatic.If the U.S. removed all of its undocumented residents, “gross domestic product (GDP) would be reduced by 1.4% in the first year, and cumulative GDP would be reduced by $4.7 trillion over 10 years,” the report said.Updated data will be key to track not only the outcomes of current immigration policy but also the Trump administration’s recently approved budget bill. UnidosUS called it&nbsp;<a href="https://unidosus.org/press-releases/unidosus-statement-on-us-house-passage-of-harmful-federal-budget-bill/" target="_blank">“a stunning betrayal to working families, vulnerable communities and the American electorate who entrusted them with their votes”</a>&nbsp;due to its cuts to health programs and food assistance.Studies can also inform&nbsp;<a href="https://unidosus.org/events/understanding-systemic-racism-and-resulting-inequity-in-latino-communities/" target="_blank">a wide range of initiatives</a>&nbsp;that have long been the focus of UnidosUS: homeownership, educational attainment, health, voting rights and political empowerment.<h2>Data to support policy, based on understanding Latino history</h2>UnidosUS has partnered with the&nbsp;<a href="https://latino.ucla.edu/about/" target="_blank">Latino Politics &amp; Policy Institute</a>) at the University of California Los Angeles.The institute’s motto is “there is no American agenda without a Latino agenda,” a statement that underscores the relevance of Latinos historically, by population, economic output and future projections as a young demographic.Latinos are contributing nearly $4 trillion annually to the economy, said Rodrigo Domínguez-Villegas, director of research at the UCLA institute.Yet Latinos hold only 12% of the nation’s household wealth while comprising nearly 20% of the population, he said.“There’s a disconnect that reveals a system where Latino labor and entrepreneurship are fueling economic growth in the country, but the wealth that’s generated through Latino labor and entrepreneurship is held elsewhere,” he said.Domínguez-Villegas is leading a project to find out why.In a partnership with UnidosUS, the institute is completing an analysis of how public policy has shaped Latino wealth.The economic mobility study will be released in October.“We are telling the story of Latino communities across the country and what Latinos contribute, and also how Latinos struggle because of systemic and historical disadvantages,” he said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754330083724.png" alt="A map of 304 UnidosUS affiliates in the United States. (Courtesy/UnidosUS)" />
 <figcaption>A map of 304 UnidosUS affiliates in the United States. (Courtesy/UnidosUS)</figcaption>
 </figure>Mattie Rhodes, one of the Kansas City-based UnidosUS affiliates, will release the Hispanic/Latino Equity Index for the Kansas City area’s Latino population during the convention on Aug. 4.The report was developed with the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Center for Economic Information and the Urban League of Greater Kansas City.It will highlight disparities in economic opportunity, health, education, social justice and civic engagement.Similar local reports can be aided by another initiative at the UCLA institute, the&nbsp;<a href="https://latinodatahub.org/" target="_blank">Latino Data Hub.</a>It’s an interactive platform to analyze conditions affecting Latinos nationwide, drawing from the 2023 American Community Survey of the U.S. Census.An updated hub was released in mid-July. And tutorials on how to use the hub are ongoing.“We have tried to build it in a way that is as intuitive as possible,” said Domínguez-Villegas, who will be attending the UnidosUs conference. “Our target audiences are, of course, policymakers, but also community-based organizations and the media.”Information can be broken down nationally, by state or county and soon, by congressional districts.Built into the platform are 130 indicators, with filters for people to search for detailed information such as homeownership, health care access and educational attainment. The information can be searched in English or Spanish.The Latino Data Hub grew out of the COVID pandemic, when Latino communities were disproportionately impacted in terms of hospitalizations and deaths.Policymakers were surprised and slow to react, said Domínguez-Villegas, because they hadn’t understood Latino health disparities and access to health care that predated the pandemic.“Policymakers were like, ‘Oh, we didn’t have this data, so we didn’t understand really, how to incorporate that into the response,’” said Domínguez-Villegas.Researchers, he said, vowed “never again.”Strong data can help tell the stories of Latinos and build understanding of past struggles that have led to current inequities, while also addressing the demographic’s contributions. The goal is a more nuanced telling of the nation’s extremely diverse Latino communities.<h2>Sharing the American Dream</h2>Previous work between UnidosUS and the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy found deep gaps in the inclusion of Latinos in U.S. history curriculum.The lack of accurate information undercuts awareness.The buying power of the Hispanic market can be shown in telling stories of entrepreneurship and those who find prosperity by catering to the demographic, in all of its vast diversity.A prime local example is the success of the El Mercado Fresco supermarkets, which began catering primarily to the Latino immigrant communities in northeast Kansas City about a decade ago.The company’s ninth store opened July 17 in a former Big Lots at 7533 State Ave. in Kansas City, Kansas.Hundreds of people, many of them Latino, gathered in the parking lot for the ribbon cutting and then formed a long line, patiently waiting to file into the store to shop as a mariachi band serenaded.Carlos Gomez, president/CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City, helped with the honors.Gomez said the El Mercado groceries are successful, in part, because of the owner’s respectful relationship with the Latino community, giving back philanthropically and through hiring.The owner, Eddie Musallet, said he sources products through a wide range of vendors to cater to the culinary preferences of many ethnicities, including Asian and African people.Musallet said he’s conscientious of people’s budgets and tries to use local farmers for some products.Packages of 30 eggs, locally sourced, were marked $6.99 at the State Avenue opening.Soon, a group of leaders gathered outside the store, chatting as friends found one another&nbsp; in the crowd.David Carranza, economic development director for the city of Grandview, Missouri, said that Latinos know how to “make something from nothing,” guided by entrepreneurial efforts and often working not only one, but two jobs.“We’re survivors,” Carranza said.Murguia echoed the sentiments of local leadership in her resolve to advocate and organize through current political and policy challenges.Latinos, she said, are known for optimism and resilience, holding a deep belief in the promise of the nation and its ability to allow people to carve out their American Dream.“If you fundamentally believe that about this country, you’re not going to give up, even in the most daunting times,” Murguia said. “We’re leaning into every bit of resilience and optimism in this moment.”This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/08/04/mass-deportation-latino-civil-rights-kansas-city-unidosus/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Kansas City</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.