WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Democrats plan House votes next week on a budget resolution that could clear a path for future passage of a $3.5 trillion, 10-year social and environment package, suggesting a showdown ahead with rebellious party moderates.

Nine centrists have threatened to vote against their own party’s budget blueprint, enough to defeat it in the closely divided House. They want the chamber to first approve a separate $1 trillion bill financing highway, water supply and other infrastructure projects, their top priority.

House leaders made clear Tuesday that’s not their plan.

Instead, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said in a conference call among House Democrats that he’d like the chamber to approve the budget resolution next Tuesday, according to a participant in the call who spoke on condition of anonymity. The House returns the previous day for what lawmakers hope will be an abbreviated interruption of their August recess.

If all Republicans oppose the budget as expected, Democrats could lose no more than three of their own votes and prevail. The budget’s congressional approval would prevent Republicans from killing the subsequent $3.5 trillion bill, probably this fall, from bill-killing Senate filibusters.

“Remember the psychology of consensus. We are in this together, we have the leader of our party and we are pursuing the attainment” of our agenda, Hoyer said, according to the person on the call.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also made clear that a final vote on the public works bill would wait until the larger $3.5 trillion measure progresses. In a letter to fellow Democrats late Tuesday, she said the House must pass the budget blueprint “immediately” or endanger “the once-in-a-generation opportunity we face to enact initiatives that meet the needs of working families at this crucial time.”

Together, the two bills embody President Joe Biden’s and Democrats’ aspirations for bracing the economy, supporting families and combating climate change. Leaders hope moving both measures together — rather than quickly approving the infrastructure bill — would pressure moderates to also back the $3.5 trillion package, which they consider too expensive.

“These bills are critical for us maintaining our majority, and that must reign supreme,” said No. 3 House Democratic leader James Clyburn of South Carolina, a reference to next year’s congressional elections. “A lot of us need to hold hands, we need to be protecting each other and march together.”

In a statement, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., one of the maverick moderates, said Congress “cannot afford to wait months” to approve the infrastructure measure and added, “I’m confident we can sit down together and work this out.”

The House plans to vote Monday evening on a procedural measure setting up future debate for the budget resolution, the infrastructure legislation and another Democratic priority restoring federal authority over states’ voting procedures that were curbed by the Supreme Court.

“All three are critical elements of the president’s agenda, and we hope that every Democratic member supports this effort,” said White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates.

Hoyer said he also wants the House to approve the voting rights measure on Tuesday and wrap up business. That proposed schedule could pressure moderates to support the budget, since sticking to their planned opposition could extend the House’s stay in Washington until the standoff is resolved.

Some moderates hope the chaotic U.S. flight from Afghanistan might prompt Biden to seek a quick accomplishment by reversing course and asking the House to quickly send him the infrastructure legislation. The Senate approved the infrastructure measure last week in a bipartisan vote.

“I think more than ever, if the White House would play this smart, they would get a domestic win right now. And that is, bring up the bipartisan infrastructure bill,” Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, one of the nine unhappy moderates, said in an interview.

Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., a leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said a majority of its nearly 100 members have said in two surveys that they’d oppose the infrastructure measure if it came before the $3.5 trillion measure has progressed.

“Nobody’s budged,” she said. That suggests the moderates lack the votes to force Pelosi to change her plans.

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<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629238745296.png" alt="In a letter to fellow Democrats late Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House must pass the budget blueprint “immediately” or endanger “the once-in-a-generation opportunity we face to enact initiatives that meet the needs of working families at this crucial time.”&nbsp;Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at a ceremony for the American Rescue Plan in March-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>In a letter to fellow Democrats late Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House must pass the budget blueprint “immediately” or endanger “the once-in-a-generation opportunity we face to enact initiatives that meet the needs of working families at this crucial time.”&nbsp;Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at a ceremony for the American Rescue Plan in March-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Democrats plan House votes next week on a budget resolution that could clear a path for future passage of a $3.5 trillion, 10-year social and environment package, suggesting a showdown ahead with rebellious party moderates.Nine centrists have threatened to vote against their own party’s budget blueprint, enough to defeat it in the closely divided House. They want the chamber to first approve a separate $1 trillion bill financing highway, water supply and other infrastructure projects, their top priority.House leaders made clear Tuesday that’s not their plan.Instead, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said in a conference call among House Democrats that he’d like the chamber to approve the budget resolution next Tuesday, according to a participant in the call who spoke on condition of anonymity. The House returns the previous day for what lawmakers hope will be an abbreviated interruption of their August recess.If all Republicans oppose the budget as expected, Democrats could lose no more than three of their own votes and prevail. The budget’s congressional approval would prevent Republicans from killing the subsequent $3.5 trillion bill, probably this fall, from bill-killing Senate filibusters.“Remember the psychology of consensus. We are in this together, we have the leader of our party and we are pursuing the attainment” of our agenda, Hoyer said, according to the person on the call.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also made clear that a final vote on the public works bill would wait until the larger $3.5 trillion measure progresses. In a letter to fellow Democrats late Tuesday, she said the House must pass the budget blueprint “immediately” or endanger “the once-in-a-generation opportunity we face to enact initiatives that meet the needs of working families at this crucial time.”Together, the two bills embody President Joe Biden’s and Democrats’ aspirations for bracing the economy, supporting families and combating climate change. Leaders hope moving both measures together — rather than quickly approving the infrastructure bill — would pressure moderates to also back the $3.5 trillion package, which they consider too expensive.“These bills are critical for us maintaining our majority, and that must reign supreme,” said No. 3 House Democratic leader James Clyburn of South Carolina, a reference to next year’s congressional elections. “A lot of us need to hold hands, we need to be protecting each other and march together.”In a statement, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., one of the maverick moderates, said Congress “cannot afford to wait months” to approve the infrastructure measure and added, “I’m confident we can sit down together and work this out.”The House plans to vote Monday evening on a procedural measure setting up future debate for the budget resolution, the infrastructure legislation and another Democratic priority restoring federal authority over states’ voting procedures that were curbed by the Supreme Court.“All three are critical elements of the president’s agenda, and we hope that every Democratic member supports this effort,” said White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates.Hoyer said he also wants the House to approve the voting rights measure on Tuesday and wrap up business. That proposed schedule could pressure moderates to support the budget, since sticking to their planned opposition could extend the House’s stay in Washington until the standoff is resolved.Some moderates hope the chaotic U.S. flight from Afghanistan might prompt Biden to seek a quick accomplishment by reversing course and asking the House to quickly send him the infrastructure legislation. The Senate approved the infrastructure measure last week in a bipartisan vote.“I think more than ever, if the White House would play this smart, they would get a domestic win right now. And that is, bring up the bipartisan infrastructure bill,” Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, one of the nine unhappy moderates, said in an interview.Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., a leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said a majority of its nearly 100 members have said in two surveys that they’d oppose the infrastructure measure if it came before the $3.5 trillion measure has progressed.“Nobody’s budged,” she said. That suggests the moderates lack the votes to force Pelosi to change her plans.ADVERTISEMENTTrending on AP News<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-robbery-cb655df75d9904429f27ef7e65541772">84-year-old gets 21 years in prison for Arizona bank robbery</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-marriage-6babc1a99d6861e1b7221a279eb60468">Proposal to raise North Carolina marriage age to 16 gets OK</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-arizona-coronavirus-pandemic-f4c807150376d4a1dc1ea88b3aecce7c">Ducey blocks virus relief cash from schools mandating masks</a><a href="https://popup.taboola.com/en/?template=colorbox&amp;utm_source=associatedpress-apnews&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=organic-thumbnails-rr:Right%20Rail%20Thumbnails:" target="_blank">by Taboola</a>ADVERTISEMENT

House Dems have plan to pass $3.5 trillion budget deal

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a wanted Kansas man after a traffic stop.

Just after&nbsp;2:30a.m. Monday, a deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 near NW US 24 Highway and NW Stover Road, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

During the investigation, a Topeka Police Department K9 Unit assisted and illegal narcotics were located.

They arrested the driver 41-year-old Joshua D. Baker of Topeka and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges that include possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, expired registration, no vehicle liability insurance and expired driver’s license. Baker also had a narcotics warrant for his arrest, according to Christian.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629283481534.png" alt="Baker photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Baker photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a wanted Kansas man after a traffic stop.Just after&nbsp;2:30a.m. Monday, a deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 near NW US 24 Highway and NW Stover Road, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.During the investigation, a Topeka Police Department K9 Unit assisted and illegal narcotics were located.They arrested the driver 41-year-old Joshua D. Baker of Topeka and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges that include possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, expired registration, no vehicle liability insurance and expired driver’s license. Baker also had a narcotics warrant for his arrest, according to Christian.

Deputies catch wanted Kansas man after traffic stop

CAMDEN COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating the drowning death of a Kansas City man.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported 55-year-old James D. Jensen was last seen on August 15.

On Tuesday, troopers responded to report of a body floating in the water at the 9.5 mark of the main channel at lake of the Ozarks. Jensen was identified and pronounced dead.&nbsp;

It was the 9th drowning at the lake in 2021, according tot he MSHP. Authorities released no additional details.&nbsp;

CAMDEN COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating the drowning death of a Kansas City man.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported 55-year-old James D. Jensen was last seen on August 15.On Tuesday, troopers responded to report of a body floating in the water at the 9.5 mark of the main channel at lake of the Ozarks. Jensen was identified and pronounced dead.&nbsp;It was the 9th drowning at the lake in 2021, according tot he MSHP. Authorities released no additional details.&nbsp;

Body of Kansas City man found at Lake of the Ozarks

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police are investigating after the body of a man was found in a Wichita alley.

 Police say officers were called Tuesday afternoon to the area in southeast Wichita after a person walking through the alley behind a business spotted the body. Police say the victim appeared to be a man in his late 20s or early 30s, although police Lt. Krys Henderson said it appeared the body “had been there longer than a day.” 

Investigators say the victim had suffered some type of trauma to his body. Police say a person was taken into custody, but did not say whether that person was considered a witness or a suspect.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629298439631.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation Tuesday afternoon-photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation Tuesday afternoon-photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police are investigating after the body of a man was found in a Wichita alley. Police say officers were called Tuesday afternoon to the area in southeast Wichita after a person walking through the alley behind a business spotted the body. Police say the victim appeared to be a man in his late 20s or early 30s, although police Lt. Krys Henderson said it appeared the body “had been there longer than a day.” Investigators say the victim had suffered some type of trauma to his body. Police say a person was taken into custody, but did not say whether that person was considered a witness or a suspect.

Police: Body of Kansas man found in alley 

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — President Joe Biden's administration filed notice this week that it is appealing a federal judge’s order that blocked Biden’s suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land and waters.

A Louisiana-based federal judge issued the ruling in June, siding with Louisiana’s attorney general and officials in 12 other states. Those states said the administration bypassed comment periods and other bureaucratic steps required before such delays can be undertaken and the moratorium would cost the states money and jobs.

In a statement on the appeal, the Interior Department said it will proceed with leasing, consistent with the judge's June ruling, while the appeal proceeds. However, the department also said it “will continue to exercise the authority and discretion provided under the law to conduct leasing in a manner that takes into account the program’s many deficiencies."

The statement reemphasized the administration position that the pause is needed because the federal oil and gas leasing programs are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions. The appeal is being filed with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

The moratorium was imposed after Biden signed executive orders on Jan. 27 to fight climate change. The suit was filed in March and U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in Lafayette issued his injunction June 15. The Interior Department had already canceled oil and gas lease sales from public lands through June — affecting Nevada, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and the bureau’s eastern region.

Biden’s orders included a call for Interior officials to review if the leasing program unfairly benefits companies at the expense of taxpayers, as well as the program’s impact on climate change.

Doughty cited what he called the administration's “omission of any rational explanation in cancelling the lease sales, and in enacting the Pause.” He sided with states' attorneys who argued that the delay of new leasing cost states revenue from rents and royalties.

Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia are the other plaintiff states.

In the statement announcing the appeal on the pause of oil and gas leases, the administration said it plans to officially announce this week plans to review the federal coal leasing program. The statement provided no details.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — President Joe Biden's administration filed notice this week that it is appealing a federal judge’s order that blocked Biden’s suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land and waters.A Louisiana-based federal judge issued the ruling in June, siding with Louisiana’s attorney general and officials in 12 other states. Those states said the administration bypassed comment periods and other bureaucratic steps required before such delays can be undertaken and the moratorium would cost the states money and jobs.In a statement on the appeal, the Interior Department said it will proceed with leasing, consistent with the judge's June ruling, while the appeal proceeds. However, the department also said it “will continue to exercise the authority and discretion provided under the law to conduct leasing in a manner that takes into account the program’s many deficiencies."The statement reemphasized the administration position that the pause is needed because the federal oil and gas leasing programs are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions. The appeal is being filed with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.The moratorium was imposed after Biden signed executive orders on Jan. 27 to fight climate change. The suit was filed in March and U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in Lafayette issued his injunction June 15. The Interior Department had already canceled oil and gas lease sales from public lands through June — affecting Nevada, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and the bureau’s eastern region.Biden’s orders included a call for Interior officials to review if the leasing program unfairly benefits companies at the expense of taxpayers, as well as the program’s impact on climate change.Doughty cited what he called the administration's “omission of any rational explanation in cancelling the lease sales, and in enacting the Pause.” He sided with states' attorneys who argued that the delay of new leasing cost states revenue from rents and royalties.Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia are the other plaintiff states.In the statement announcing the appeal on the pause of oil and gas leases, the administration said it plans to officially announce this week plans to review the federal coal leasing program. The statement provided no details.

Biden admin to appeal order blocking oil, gas lease pause

LYON COUNTY —&nbsp; Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas on man for alleged attempted murder after a standoff in Emporia.

Just before 7p.m. August 15,&nbsp;Lyon Co. Emergency Communications received a report of a domestic disturbance involving a gun at a home in the 900 block of Waverly Way, in Emporia, according to a media release from the Lyon County Sheriff.

When law enforcement arrived, they determined 43-year-old Ronald W. Schemm was alone in the house. First responders made&nbsp;several attempts throughout the evening and overnight to get him to surrender.

Schemm surrendered peacefully Monday morning once the Emporia Police Department’s Special Response Team arrived to the scene.

Schemm is being held on requested charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, criminal possession of a firearm and discharge of a firearm into an occupied dwelling, according to the release.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629201445677.png" alt="Schemm photo Lyon County" />
 <figcaption>Schemm photo Lyon County</figcaption>
 </figure>LYON COUNTY —&nbsp; Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas on man for alleged attempted murder after a standoff in Emporia.Just before 7p.m. August 15,&nbsp;Lyon Co. Emergency Communications received a report of a domestic disturbance involving a gun at a home in the 900 block of Waverly Way, in Emporia, according to a media release from the Lyon County Sheriff.When law enforcement arrived, they determined 43-year-old Ronald W. Schemm was alone in the house. First responders made&nbsp;several attempts throughout the evening and overnight to get him to surrender.Schemm surrendered peacefully Monday morning once the Emporia Police Department’s Special Response Team arrived to the scene.Schemm is being held on requested charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, criminal possession of a firearm and discharge of a firearm into an occupied dwelling, according to the release.

Kansas man jailed for alleged attempted- murder after standoff

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The parents of a 3-year-old Scott City boy who died after a dental procedure in Wichita have filed a wrongful death lawsuit. 

Angel Zapata and Nancy Valenzuela filed the lawsuit Tuesday, alleging their son Abiel did not receive proper care during a procedure to remove teeth on July 6. 

The suit names dentist Scott White, nurse-anesthetist Jeremy Salsbury, Tiny Teeth Dentistry and Special Anesthesia Services. The lawsuit says that shortly after the boy received  anesthetics, he showed signs of an irregular heart rhythm and inadequate patient ventilation. Emergency responders were called but the boy died at a hospital.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629237118698.png" alt="Abiel Angel Zapata courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Abiel Angel Zapata courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The parents of a 3-year-old Scott City boy who died after a dental procedure in Wichita have filed a wrongful death lawsuit. Angel Zapata and Nancy Valenzuela filed the lawsuit Tuesday, alleging their son Abiel did not receive proper care during a procedure to remove teeth on July 6. The suit names dentist Scott White, nurse-anesthetist Jeremy Salsbury, Tiny Teeth Dentistry and Special Anesthesia Services. The lawsuit says that shortly after the boy received anesthetics, he showed signs of an irregular heart rhythm and inadequate patient ventilation. Emergency responders were called but the boy died at a hospital.

Parents of 3-year-old Kan. boy who died at dentist office sue

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Top Republican legislators in Kansas are accusing Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration of illegally spending at least $86 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds by not getting their approval first.

Kelly’s office on Tuesday did not immediately respond to a letter from Senate President Ty Masterson, House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr. and the chairs of the House and Senate budget committees. In the letter sent Monday, the lawmakers threatened to “explore all necessary legal actions” if she does not seek approval from leaders of the GOP-controlled Legislature before state agencies spend relief dollars.

Their dispute centers on relief funds that agencies received before the state’s current 2022 budget year began July 1. The four Republicans contend that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-government-and-politics-e8945423300df4b4649416baaa2ee7ae">a budget measure&nbsp;</a>approved by lawmakers and signed by Kelly in May required an advisory committee’s review and legislative leaders’ consent for any spending starting July 1.

“Respect for the rule of law compels you to cease your attempt to circumvent the will of the people as expressed by the Legislature and approved by your own hand,” the Republican lawmakers wrote.

Kelly’s office contends the spending in question falls under a plan legislative leaders approved in June 2020, allocating $1.8 billion in federal relief funds. The disagreement was first reported by the Sunflower State Journal.

The GOP lawmakers said the June 2020 allocations allowed spending only through June 30. After that date, they said, Kelly’s administration illegally spent at least $82.7 million on aid to cities and counties with fewer than 50,000 residents, $2.3 million on public-service announcements by the state health department and $1.5 million on consulting services for the health department.

The Democratic governor and Republican lawmakers have sparred since early in the pandemic over the state’s response to COVID-19. Top Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-ks-state-wire-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-health-7302d46eef675734fe1343f2640236f9">ended a state of emergency</a>&nbsp;for the pandemic June 15 after Kelly argued for keeping it in place at least through this month.

Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-dwight-eisenhower-kansas-legislation-coronavirus-pandemic-87542690cbd10047f1e557f7eb5ff57f">running for governor</a>&nbsp;next year, provided a brief legal opinion last month that Masterson, an Andover Republican, and Ryckman, an Olathe Republican, are using to bolster their arguments about spending.

Schmidt said in a letter that the budget measure signed by Kelly in May set up a specific procedure for handling relief funds after July 1. A seven-member advisory board must review spending proposals, and the State Finance Council must approve them.

The Finance Council handles budget matters between the Legislature’s annual January-to-May sessions. The council is the governor and eight legislative leaders; six currently are Republicans, including the four signing the letter to Kelly.

“We have reviewed further provisions of law and so far discovered none that authorizes a different procedure,” Schmidt wrote.

New COVID-19 cases have increased in Kansas since late June because of the faster-spreading delta variant, with delta cases confirmed in 90 of the state’s 105 counties as of Monday. The state health department reported an average of 1,170 new cases a day for the seven days ending Monday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday that 46.5% of the state’s 2.9 million residents were fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The national figure was 50.8%.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1627554979565.png" alt="Governor Laura Kelly’s office contends the spending in question falls under a plan legislative leaders approved in June 2020, allocating $1.8 billion in federal relief funds. " />
 <figcaption>Governor Laura Kelly’s office contends the spending in question falls under a plan legislative leaders approved in June 2020, allocating $1.8 billion in federal relief funds. </figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Top Republican legislators in Kansas are accusing Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration of illegally spending at least $86 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds by not getting their approval first.Kelly’s office on Tuesday did not immediately respond to a letter from Senate President Ty Masterson, House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr. and the chairs of the House and Senate budget committees. In the letter sent Monday, the lawmakers threatened to “explore all necessary legal actions” if she does not seek approval from leaders of the GOP-controlled Legislature before state agencies spend relief dollars.Their dispute centers on relief funds that agencies received before the state’s current 2022 budget year began July 1. The four Republicans contend that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-government-and-politics-e8945423300df4b4649416baaa2ee7ae">a budget measure&nbsp;</a>approved by lawmakers and signed by Kelly in May required an advisory committee’s review and legislative leaders’ consent for any spending starting July 1.“Respect for the rule of law compels you to cease your attempt to circumvent the will of the people as expressed by the Legislature and approved by your own hand,” the Republican lawmakers wrote.Kelly’s office contends the spending in question falls under a plan legislative leaders approved in June 2020, allocating $1.8 billion in federal relief funds. The disagreement was first reported by the Sunflower State Journal.The GOP lawmakers said the June 2020 allocations allowed spending only through June 30. After that date, they said, Kelly’s administration illegally spent at least $82.7 million on aid to cities and counties with fewer than 50,000 residents, $2.3 million on public-service announcements by the state health department and $1.5 million on consulting services for the health department.The Democratic governor and Republican lawmakers have sparred since early in the pandemic over the state’s response to COVID-19. Top Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-ks-state-wire-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-health-7302d46eef675734fe1343f2640236f9">ended a state of emergency</a>&nbsp;for the pandemic June 15 after Kelly argued for keeping it in place at least through this month.Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-dwight-eisenhower-kansas-legislation-coronavirus-pandemic-87542690cbd10047f1e557f7eb5ff57f">running for governor</a>&nbsp;next year, provided a brief legal opinion last month that Masterson, an Andover Republican, and Ryckman, an Olathe Republican, are using to bolster their arguments about spending.Schmidt said in a letter that the budget measure signed by Kelly in May set up a specific procedure for handling relief funds after July 1. A seven-member advisory board must review spending proposals, and the State Finance Council must approve them.The Finance Council handles budget matters between the Legislature’s annual January-to-May sessions. The council is the governor and eight legislative leaders; six currently are Republicans, including the four signing the letter to Kelly.“We have reviewed further provisions of law and so far discovered none that authorizes a different procedure,” Schmidt wrote.New COVID-19 cases have increased in Kansas since late June because of the faster-spreading delta variant, with delta cases confirmed in 90 of the state’s 105 counties as of Monday. The state health department reported an average of 1,170 new cases a day for the seven days ending Monday.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday that 46.5% of the state’s 2.9 million residents were fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The national figure was 50.8%.

GOP claims Kan. governor is spending COVID funds illegally

The University of Kansas Health System

The number of COVID patients at The 
University of Kansas Health System is steady today. 62 people with the 
active virus are being treated, down from 63 yesterday. Only 14 of those
 active patients are vaccinated, and all of them have underlying 
conditions such as solid organ transplants, immunosuppression, cancer, 
lung and heart disease and diabetes. They range in age from 19 to 99 
with the average age in the mid 50’s. 21 of the active patients are in 
the ICU, the same as yesterday. 14 patients are on ventilators, down 
from 16 yesterday. 23 other patients are still hospitalized because of 
COVID but are out of the acute infection phase, up from 22 yesterday. 
That’s a total of 85 patients, the same as yesterday. HaysMed has 10&nbsp; total patients, up from nine yesterday. 

On today’s 
Morning Medical Update, we heard more about the risk to immune 
compromised patients, plus when and how to get a booster 
vaccine.&nbsp;Joining the panel were Peter Jouras who is a bone marrow 
recipient, and Dr. Joseph McGuirk, Division Director, Hematologic 
Malignancies and Cellular Therapeutics and Medical Director, Blood and 
Marrow Transplant.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 

Dr. McGuirk discussed new CDC 
guidelines allowing a booster shot for immunocompromised patients. He 
says it really should not be considered a booster but a primary attempt 
at protecting that patient population, and he described the various 
conditions that make someone eligible. He warns that even a third dose 
might not be adequate for some of these patients, and they need to 
continue wearing a mask and avoiding crowds, something they did long 
before COVID. To show the level of vaccine resistance, he recounted what
 he calls a “deeply troubling” story of a 32-year-old nurse who 
contracted leukemia a year and a half ago. She underwent treatment and 
recovered, after almost dying in the ICU. She then had a bone marrow 
transplant and is in complete remission. She has been vaccinated, but 
her husband did not believe in the vaccine for himself or their four 
children. Now because of her low immunity, she’s now got COVID pneumonia
 and her husband is very ill with the virus. In Dr. McGuirk’s words, 
“It’s completely unacceptable and I’ll just be frank, it’s 
irresponsible.” He explained his staff is actively contacting patients 
to coordinate the third shot and suggests any immunocompromised patient 
get one at a pharmacy, even if they have not heard from their doctor. He
 implores everyone to get vaccinated and wear a mask, especially in a 
grocery store, both for themselves and those around them who may be 
immunocompromised. 

Peter Jouras is a bone marrow 
transplant recipient and Dr. McGuirk’s patient. He has no immunity, even
 with two doses of the COVID vaccine, but will be getting his third shot
 next week, in the hopes of mounting some response. He has three 
children in the house between 9 and 13 who spent last year doing online 
classes from home. This year they are all going back to the classrooms. 
He’s glad his children are in the Shawnee Mission School District, which
 requires masks, which should help, but Peter worries about what they 
might bring home. Right now, all of the kids hit the shower as soon as 
they come home, and their clothes go straight to the laundry. He says 
they don’t wear masks in the house, but thinks if the Delta variant 
continues to spread, he may become more isolated into a bedroom. He says
 very bluntly, “If we all tell the truth, it’s not vaccine that’s the 
problem. It’s not Delta that’s the problem. It’s not COVID that’s the 
problem. It’s disinformation that’s the problem.” He begs everyone to 
get vaccinated, saying, “Each day is very precious. And so everybody who
 gets vaccinated, basically I think about that adding one day to my 
life. And I’m very thankful for every single person I see who gets 
vaccinated.”

Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical 
director of Infection Prevention and Control at The University of Kansas
 Health System, thinks temperature screenings at building entrances 
offer little benefit for the amount of disease they detect because 
people can spread the virus without having any symptoms. The exception 
is healthcare settings, which still required them under federal 
regulations. He also discussed word that the Biden administration may 
announce additional dosing for the general population. In response to a 
question about how much our body can take of “all these preservatives 
and things” in the vaccine, he says there are no preservatives of any 
kind in them. He also says any boosters will not need to have their 
ingredients “tweaked” to cover the new variants as they still offer good
 protection. He adds that no one vaccine is better than another in 
offering protection for the virus. To those who want to believe the 
vaccine doesn’t work because a third dose may be needed, he reminds us 
we already have additional dosing for things like the flu and tetanus.

<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qT7iRrMylaQ"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The University of Kansas Health SystemThe number of COVID patients at The 
University of Kansas Health System is steady today. 62 people with the 
active virus are being treated, down from 63 yesterday. Only 14 of those
 active patients are vaccinated, and all of them have underlying 
conditions such as solid organ transplants, immunosuppression, cancer, 
lung and heart disease and diabetes. They range in age from 19 to 99 
with the average age in the mid 50’s. 21 of the active patients are in 
the ICU, the same as yesterday. 14 patients are on ventilators, down 
from 16 yesterday. 23 other patients are still hospitalized because of 
COVID but are out of the acute infection phase, up from 22 yesterday. 
That’s a total of 85 patients, the same as yesterday. HaysMed has 10&nbsp; total patients, up from nine yesterday. On today’s 
Morning Medical Update, we heard more about the risk to immune 
compromised patients, plus when and how to get a booster 
vaccine.&nbsp;Joining the panel were Peter Jouras who is a bone marrow 
recipient, and Dr. Joseph McGuirk, Division Director, Hematologic 
Malignancies and Cellular Therapeutics and Medical Director, Blood and 
Marrow Transplant.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629227215027.png" alt="Peter Jouras, bone marrow recipient" />
 <figcaption>Peter Jouras, bone marrow recipient</figcaption>
 </figure>Dr. McGuirk discussed new CDC 
guidelines allowing a booster shot for immunocompromised patients. He 
says it really should not be considered a booster but a primary attempt 
at protecting that patient population, and he described the various 
conditions that make someone eligible. He warns that even a third dose 
might not be adequate for some of these patients, and they need to 
continue wearing a mask and avoiding crowds, something they did long 
before COVID. To show the level of vaccine resistance, he recounted what
 he calls a “deeply troubling” story of a 32-year-old nurse who 
contracted leukemia a year and a half ago. She underwent treatment and 
recovered, after almost dying in the ICU. She then had a bone marrow 
transplant and is in complete remission. She has been vaccinated, but 
her husband did not believe in the vaccine for himself or their four 
children. Now because of her low immunity, she’s now got COVID pneumonia
 and her husband is very ill with the virus. In Dr. McGuirk’s words, 
“It’s completely unacceptable and I’ll just be frank, it’s 
irresponsible.” He explained his staff is actively contacting patients 
to coordinate the third shot and suggests any immunocompromised patient 
get one at a pharmacy, even if they have not heard from their doctor. He
 implores everyone to get vaccinated and wear a mask, especially in a 
grocery store, both for themselves and those around them who may be 
immunocompromised. Peter Jouras is a bone marrow 
transplant recipient and Dr. McGuirk’s patient. He has no immunity, even
 with two doses of the COVID vaccine, but will be getting his third shot
 next week, in the hopes of mounting some response. He has three 
children in the house between 9 and 13 who spent last year doing online 
classes from home. This year they are all going back to the classrooms. 
He’s glad his children are in the Shawnee Mission School District, which
 requires masks, which should help, but Peter worries about what they 
might bring home. Right now, all of the kids hit the shower as soon as 
they come home, and their clothes go straight to the laundry. He says 
they don’t wear masks in the house, but thinks if the Delta variant 
continues to spread, he may become more isolated into a bedroom. He says
 very bluntly, “If we all tell the truth, it’s not vaccine that’s the 
problem. It’s not Delta that’s the problem. It’s not COVID that’s the 
problem. It’s disinformation that’s the problem.” He begs everyone to 
get vaccinated, saying, “Each day is very precious. And so everybody who
 gets vaccinated, basically I think about that adding one day to my 
life. And I’m very thankful for every single person I see who gets 
vaccinated.”Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical 
director of Infection Prevention and Control at The University of Kansas
 Health System, thinks temperature screenings at building entrances 
offer little benefit for the amount of disease they detect because 
people can spread the virus without having any symptoms. The exception 
is healthcare settings, which still required them under federal 
regulations. He also discussed word that the Biden administration may 
announce additional dosing for the general population. In response to a 
question about how much our body can take of “all these preservatives 
and things” in the vaccine, he says there are no preservatives of any 
kind in them. He also says any boosters will not need to have their 
ingredients “tweaked” to cover the new variants as they still offer good
 protection. He adds that no one vaccine is better than another in 
offering protection for the virus. To those who want to believe the 
vaccine doesn’t work because a third dose may be needed, he reminds us 
we already have additional dosing for things like the flu and tetanus.

🎥 Doctors talk COVID boosters and the immune-compromised

By ALLISON KITE and TESSA WEINBERG <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/08/16/aarp-calls-for-vaccine-mandates-as-covid-reenters-kansas-missouri-nursing-homes/">Kansas Reflector</a>

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With cases on the rise among both residents and 
staff, the nation’s leading advocacy group for the retirees is <a target="_blank" href="https://press.aarp.org/2021-8-12-New-AARP-Analysis-Shows-Nursing-Homes-Vaccination-Rates-Still-Well-Short-of-Benchmark-as-COVID-Cases-Trend-Upwards">calling on nursing homes to mandate COVID-19 vaccines</a>.

The number of COVID-19 cases reported each week in Kansas and 
Missouri nursing homes is rising again for the first time in months.

Missouri, where weekly cases averaged in the teens and 20s this 
spring after most residents received their COVID vaccines, reported 123 
cases among nursing home residents during the last week of July, the 
most recent figure published by federal healthcare officials.

The same week, 193 cases were confirmed among staff.

In Kansas, weekly cases dipped into the single digits after the 
vaccine rollout, but its most recent data showed 32 cases among 
residents and 63 staff cases.

Two dozen nursing home residents died of COVID during the last week of July between the two states.

“The high COVID death rates of residents and staff in nursing homes 
have been a national disgrace. As the new variants are emerging, 
facilities cannot let preventable problems be repeated. The key is to 
increase vaccinations, and do it now,” said Nancy A. LeaMond, AARP’s 
executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer, in a
 statement Thursday.

<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/08/09/as-threat-of-delta-variant-looms-44-of-kansas-nursing-home-staff-are-unvaccinated/">Kansas Reflector reported last week</a>
 that Missouri had the 3rd-lowest vaccination rate for nursing homes 
staff out of all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Guam and Puerto Rico, 
according to data compiled by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 
Services. Only Florida and Louisiana trail Missouri.

As of Aug. 1, 47.7% of nursing home staff have been fully vaccinated 
in Missouri, and 57% have been vaccinated in Kansas. Meanwhile, over 80%
 of residents have received a COVID-19 shot in both states. The figures 
reflect only facilities that are licensed by CMS. Both Kansas and 
Missouri license long-term care facilities, like assisted living 
centers, and do not track vaccination rates among them.

“We know that variants are coming out that are more contagious and 
we're not sure what those are going to look like but ... vaccinating 
everyone possible in those settings will prevent sickness and death of 
nursing home staff and residents,” said Ernest Kutzley, advocacy 
director for AARP Kansas.

Both Kansas and Missouri’s nursing associations have affirmed their 
support for workplaces mandating the vaccine for healthcare workers and 
said nurses have an ethical duty to the patients they serve.

The Missouri Nurses Association does not represent certified nursing 
assistants or licensed practical nurses, who often work in long-term 
care facilities. Heidi Lucas, the organization’s state director, said 
she thinks it may take workplaces’ mandating the vaccine, especially for
 healthcare workers, for numbers to boost significantly.

“Asking nicely hasn't been working and you see the mess we're in 
currently,” Lucas said. “I don't like the government telling me what to 
do more than the next person. I don't like my workplace telling me what 
to do more than the next person, but this is something that is for the 
greater good.”

Some nursing home chains already have, with Good Samaritan Society, a
 chain of nursing homes with a dozen locations in Kansas, last month 
requiring the vaccine for its workers. States have begun to issue 
mandates of their own, with Massachusetts believed to be the first to do
 so earlier this month and ordered most nursing home workers to be 
vaccinated by Oct. 10.

Nikki Strong, the executive director of the Missouri Health Care 
Association, which represents over 65% of Missouri's licensed skilled 
nursing care facilities, said she was encouraged by high vaccination 
rates among residents, and has heard from facilities that vaccinated 
residents who do contract COVID are not seeing as severe illness.

But she fears mandates may drive away workers in a time of a staffing shortage.

“I think we need to let each employer make the best decision for 
their specific circumstance,” Strong said, later adding: “At this point,
 given the workforce challenges that our long-term care providers face, 
the vaccination mandates would probably further challenge them, and make
 it difficult for them not only to keep their staff and retain the 
staff, but also recruit staff.”

According to a June survey published by the American Health Care 
Association and National Center for Assisted Living of over 600 nursing 
homes and 120 assisted living communities nationwide, 94% of nursing 
homes and 81% of assisted living facilities surveyed reported facing a 
recent shortage of staff, like needing employees to work overtime to 
fill shifts.

If staff choose to leave, then nursing homes can’t accomplish their 
ultimate goal of caring for residents, Strong said. While she would like
 to see staff choose to take the vaccine — which she said are safe and 
effective and the best tool for the pandemic to end — each time a new 
employee joins a facility administrators must work with them to address 
their personal concerns around whether to take the vaccine.

“We aren't like a restaurant or somebody else who can curb their 
hours to make up for staffing shortages,” Strong said. “We can't do 
that. We have to be there 24-7.”

Kelly Sommers, executive director of the Kansas State Nurses 
Association, said it’s important for nursing home staff members, who are
 working with “extremely high risk individuals” to get vaccinated. She 
pointed to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s data 
showing that following spring lows, nursing homes are now the leading 
source of COVID-19 clusters in the state.

“We can’t go through what we went through before,” she said.

Allison Kite is a data reporter for The Missouri Independent and Kansas Reflector, with a focus on the environment and agriculture.&nbsp;Tessa Weinberg covers education, health care and the legislature for the Missouri Independent.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629131757611.png" alt="Regina Murdock, a registered nurse with D&amp;H Drugstore, administers a dose of the Pfizer vaccine to Kali Lindsay, a dietary aide, on Aug. 6, 2021 at clinic at the Neighborhoods by TigerPlace in Columbia, Missouri. (Tessa Weinberg/Missouri Independent)" />
 <figcaption>Regina Murdock, a registered nurse with D&amp;H Drugstore, administers a dose of the Pfizer vaccine to Kali Lindsay, a dietary aide, on Aug. 6, 2021 at clinic at the Neighborhoods by TigerPlace in Columbia, Missouri. (Tessa Weinberg/Missouri Independent)</figcaption>
 </figure>By ALLISON KITE and TESSA WEINBERG <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/08/16/aarp-calls-for-vaccine-mandates-as-covid-reenters-kansas-missouri-nursing-homes/">Kansas Reflector</a>KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With cases on the rise among both residents and 
staff, the nation’s leading advocacy group for the retirees is <a target="_blank" href="https://press.aarp.org/2021-8-12-New-AARP-Analysis-Shows-Nursing-Homes-Vaccination-Rates-Still-Well-Short-of-Benchmark-as-COVID-Cases-Trend-Upwards">calling on nursing homes to mandate COVID-19 vaccines</a>.The number of COVID-19 cases reported each week in Kansas and 
Missouri nursing homes is rising again for the first time in months.Missouri, where weekly cases averaged in the teens and 20s this 
spring after most residents received their COVID vaccines, reported 123 
cases among nursing home residents during the last week of July, the 
most recent figure published by federal healthcare officials.The same week, 193 cases were confirmed among staff.In Kansas, weekly cases dipped into the single digits after the 
vaccine rollout, but its most recent data showed 32 cases among 
residents and 63 staff cases.Two dozen nursing home residents died of COVID during the last week of July between the two states.“The high COVID death rates of residents and staff in nursing homes 
have been a national disgrace. As the new variants are emerging, 
facilities cannot let preventable problems be repeated. The key is to 
increase vaccinations, and do it now,” said Nancy A. LeaMond, AARP’s 
executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer, in a
 statement Thursday.<div><iframe title="Vaccination rates for nursing home staff" aria-label="Map" id="datawrapper-chart-4UTNp" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/4UTNp/3/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="536"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(e){if(void 0!==e.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var a in e.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<t.length;r++){if(t[r].contentWindow===e.source)t[r].style.height=e.data["datawrapper-height"][a]+"px"}}}))}();</script></div><a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/08/09/as-threat-of-delta-variant-looms-44-of-kansas-nursing-home-staff-are-unvaccinated/">Kansas Reflector reported last week</a>
 that Missouri had the 3rd-lowest vaccination rate for nursing homes 
staff out of all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Guam and Puerto Rico, 
according to data compiled by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 
Services. Only Florida and Louisiana trail Missouri.As of Aug. 1, 47.7% of nursing home staff have been fully vaccinated 
in Missouri, and 57% have been vaccinated in Kansas. Meanwhile, over 80%
 of residents have received a COVID-19 shot in both states. The figures 
reflect only facilities that are licensed by CMS. Both Kansas and 
Missouri license long-term care facilities, like assisted living 
centers, and do not track vaccination rates among them.“We know that variants are coming out that are more contagious and 
we're not sure what those are going to look like but ... vaccinating 
everyone possible in those settings will prevent sickness and death of 
nursing home staff and residents,” said Ernest Kutzley, advocacy 
director for AARP Kansas.Both Kansas and Missouri’s nursing associations have affirmed their 
support for workplaces mandating the vaccine for healthcare workers and 
said nurses have an ethical duty to the patients they serve.<div><iframe title="COVID in Kansas Nursing Homes" aria-label="Grouped Column Chart" id="datawrapper-chart-rdLan" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/rdLan/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="600"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(e){if(void 0!==e.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var a in e.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<t.length;r++){if(t[r].contentWindow===e.source)t[r].style.height=e.data["datawrapper-height"][a]+"px"}}}))}();</script></div>The Missouri Nurses Association does not represent certified nursing 
assistants or licensed practical nurses, who often work in long-term 
care facilities. Heidi Lucas, the organization’s state director, said 
she thinks it may take workplaces’ mandating the vaccine, especially for
 healthcare workers, for numbers to boost significantly.“Asking nicely hasn't been working and you see the mess we're in 
currently,” Lucas said. “I don't like the government telling me what to 
do more than the next person. I don't like my workplace telling me what 
to do more than the next person, but this is something that is for the 
greater good.”Some nursing home chains already have, with Good Samaritan Society, a
 chain of nursing homes with a dozen locations in Kansas, last month 
requiring the vaccine for its workers. States have begun to issue 
mandates of their own, with Massachusetts believed to be the first to do
 so earlier this month and ordered most nursing home workers to be 
vaccinated by Oct. 10.Nikki Strong, the executive director of the Missouri Health Care 
Association, which represents over 65% of Missouri's licensed skilled 
nursing care facilities, said she was encouraged by high vaccination 
rates among residents, and has heard from facilities that vaccinated 
residents who do contract COVID are not seeing as severe illness.But she fears mandates may drive away workers in a time of a staffing shortage.“I think we need to let each employer make the best decision for 
their specific circumstance,” Strong said, later adding: “At this point,
 given the workforce challenges that our long-term care providers face, 
the vaccination mandates would probably further challenge them, and make
 it difficult for them not only to keep their staff and retain the 
staff, but also recruit staff.”<div><iframe title="COVID in Missouri Nursing Homes" aria-label="Grouped Column Chart" id="datawrapper-chart-HXBNe" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/HXBNe/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="600"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(e){if(void 0!==e.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var a in e.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<t.length;r++){if(t[r].contentWindow===e.source)t[r].style.height=e.data["datawrapper-height"][a]+"px"}}}))}();</script></div>According to a June survey published by the American Health Care 
Association and National Center for Assisted Living of over 600 nursing 
homes and 120 assisted living communities nationwide, 94% of nursing 
homes and 81% of assisted living facilities surveyed reported facing a 
recent shortage of staff, like needing employees to work overtime to 
fill shifts.If staff choose to leave, then nursing homes can’t accomplish their 
ultimate goal of caring for residents, Strong said. While she would like
 to see staff choose to take the vaccine — which she said are safe and 
effective and the best tool for the pandemic to end — each time a new 
employee joins a facility administrators must work with them to address 
their personal concerns around whether to take the vaccine.“We aren't like a restaurant or somebody else who can curb their 
hours to make up for staffing shortages,” Strong said. “We can't do 
that. We have to be there 24-7.”Kelly Sommers, executive director of the Kansas State Nurses 
Association, said it’s important for nursing home staff members, who are
 working with “extremely high risk individuals” to get vaccinated. She 
pointed to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s data 
showing that following spring lows, nursing homes are now the leading 
source of COVID-19 clusters in the state.“We can’t go through what we went through before,” she said.Allison Kite is a data reporter for The Missouri Independent and Kansas Reflector, with a focus on the environment and agriculture.&nbsp;Tessa Weinberg covers education, health care and the legislature for the Missouri Independent.

AARP calls for vaccine mandates as COVID reenters Kan., Mo. nursing homes

By NICK GOSNELL Hutch Post

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The City of Hutchinson issued a proclamation to a nurse, Lacey Hardin, who rendered aid following an accident last month in Hutchinson.

"July 20th, I was riding my bicycle on Hendricks," said John Fairbanks. "I ride with a group of guys and we've probably ridden together for 20 years and I got hit from behind by a motorcycle. It happened to be in her driveway, basically at the end of her driveway. She's a nurse. She came out to the road. She started to render aid. She had a bag and she got my cycling buddies engaged in trying to fix my wounds and waited for the ambulance and all that kind of stuff. I feel like she should be recognized, which is why I got in touch with Mayor Garza. She went above and beyond and I will forever be indebted to her."

"I just did what I had to do," Hardin said. "It's just in my nature as a registered nurse. Even if I wasn't a nurse, I feel like I would have been out there to help John. I work in long term care. I work in hospice care, so the emergency part of it is not really anything that I've ever done in my nursing career. I've been in nursing since 2003. It was a little adrenaline rush, but I knew what I had to do and I just wanted to make sure that he was okay."

Mayor Garza proclaimed July 20th as Lacey Hardin Day at Tuesday's City Council meeting. Fairbanks serves on the South Hutchinson City Council.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629213883658.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The City of Hutchinson issued a proclamation to a nurse, Lacey Hardin, who rendered aid following an accident last month in Hutchinson."July 20th, I was riding my bicycle on Hendricks," said John Fairbanks. "I ride with a group of guys and we've probably ridden together for 20 years and I got hit from behind by a motorcycle. It happened to be in her driveway, basically at the end of her driveway. She's a nurse. She came out to the road. She started to render aid. She had a bag and she got my cycling buddies engaged in trying to fix my wounds and waited for the ambulance and all that kind of stuff. I feel like she should be recognized, which is why I got in touch with Mayor Garza. She went above and beyond and I will forever be indebted to her."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629213993120.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Hardin, for her part, was glad to help."I just did what I had to do," Hardin said. "It's just in my nature as a registered nurse. Even if I wasn't a nurse, I feel like I would have been out there to help John. I work in long term care. I work in hospice care, so the emergency part of it is not really anything that I've ever done in my nursing career. I've been in nursing since 2003. It was a little adrenaline rush, but I knew what I had to do and I just wanted to make sure that he was okay."Mayor Garza proclaimed July 20th as Lacey Hardin Day at Tuesday's City Council meeting. Fairbanks serves on the South Hutchinson City Council.

Nurse who helped injured bicyclist honored by city of Hutchinson

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A Democrat who has announced that he’s stepping down from the Kansas House will serve as state policy director for a national group that defends the rights of atheists and fights to keep religion out of government. 

American Atheists on Monday announced the appointment of Democratic state Rep. Brett Parker, of Overland Park. Parker announced in May that he would resign from the Legislature after helping to found the liberal nonprofit advocacy group Prairie Roots. 

His resignation from the House is effective Aug. 29. American Atheists said that as its state policy director, Parker will manage its communications with state lawmakers and how it engages grassroots supporters.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629149777823.png" alt="Rep. Parker announced his in May he would step down from the Kansas House." />
 <figcaption>Rep. Parker announced his in May he would step down from the Kansas House.</figcaption>
 </figure>OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A Democrat who has announced that he’s stepping down from the Kansas House will serve as state policy director for a national group that defends the rights of atheists and fights to keep religion out of government. American Atheists on Monday announced the appointment of Democratic state Rep. Brett Parker, of Overland Park. Parker announced in May that he would resign from the Legislature after helping to found the liberal nonprofit advocacy group Prairie Roots. His resignation from the House is effective Aug. 29. American Atheists said that as its state policy director, Parker will manage its communications with state lawmakers and how it engages grassroots supporters.

Democrat leaving Kan. House joins national atheists group

JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a child sex crime suspect after a nearly ten hour search.

Sheriff Tim Morse reports that a Topeka man is now in custody following the report of a sex crime alleged to have occurred at Banner Lake early this morning. 

Just after 2 a.m. Monday the Jackson County Sheriff's office responded to report of an incident involving a minor child at Banner Lake, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

The suspect identified as&nbsp;Tanner Allen Daugherty, 19, of Topeka, fled the area on foot prior to law enforcements arrival. 

 Deputies were unable to locate the suspect in the immediate area. 

 Shortly after 8 a.m., deputies received a tip that Daugherty may be in the 16,000 block of I Road and fled into a large wooded area west of the location. 

Deputies, detectives, and K-9 units soon arrived.  Additional help from KHP and Prairie Band Pottawatomie Nation Police arrived and formed a perimeter. 

A KHP helicopter and the JASO Drone searched the area.  A K-9 team located the suspect south of 166th Road east of H. Road in a corn field. 

 The suspect surrendered to law enforcement without incident at 11:50 a.m. 

Deputies booked Daugherty into the Jackson County Jail where he will be booked on a Jackson County District Court warrant on requested charges of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.&nbsp; Daugherty is believed to have been staying in the Banner Creek Reservoir campground west of Holton, according to Morse.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629142752424.png" alt="Daugherty" />
 <figcaption>Daugherty</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a child sex crime suspect after a nearly ten hour search.Sheriff Tim Morse reports that a Topeka man is now in custody following the report of a sex crime alleged to have occurred at Banner Lake early this morning. Just after 2 a.m. Monday the Jackson County Sheriff's office responded to report of an incident involving a minor child at Banner Lake, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.The suspect identified as&nbsp;Tanner Allen Daugherty, 19, of Topeka, fled the area on foot prior to law enforcements arrival. Deputies were unable to locate the suspect in the immediate area. Shortly after 8 a.m., deputies received a tip that Daugherty may be in the 16,000 block of I Road and fled into a large wooded area west of the location. Deputies, detectives, and K-9 units soon arrived. Additional help from KHP and Prairie Band Pottawatomie Nation Police arrived and formed a perimeter. A KHP helicopter and the JASO Drone searched the area. A K-9 team located the suspect south of 166th Road east of H. Road in a corn field. The suspect surrendered to law enforcement without incident at 11:50 a.m. Deputies booked Daugherty into the Jackson County Jail where he will be booked on a Jackson County District Court warrant on requested charges of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.&nbsp; Daugherty is believed to have been staying in the Banner Creek Reservoir campground west of Holton, according to Morse.

Sex crime suspect found hiding in Kan. corn field

WASHINGTON — With identity thieves continuing to target the tax community, Internal Revenue Service <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/security-summit">Security Summit</a> partners today urged tax professionals to learn the signs of data theft so they can react quickly to protect clients.

The IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry – working together 
as the Security Summit – reminded tax professionals that they should 
contact the IRS immediately when there's an identity theft issue while 
also contacting insurance or cybersecurity experts to assist them with 
determining the cause and extent of the loss.

"There are tell-tale signs of identity theft that tax pros can easily
 miss," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "Identity thieves continue 
to look for ways to slip into the systems of tax pros to steal data. We 
urge practitioners to take simple steps and remain on the lookout for 
signs of data and identity theft. They are a critical first line of 
defense against identity theft."

Knowing the signs of identity theft is the final part of a five-part 
series sponsored by the Summit partners to highlight critical steps tax 
professionals can take to protect client data. This year's theme "<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/boost-security-immunity-fight-against-identity-theft">Boost Security Immunity: Fight Against Identity Theft</a>,"
 focused on urging tax professionals to try harder to secure their 
systems and protect client data during this pandemic and its aftermath.

This summer-time Summit series, now in its sixth year, highlighted 
the protections offered by multi-factor authentication and key security 
steps, the use of the Identity Protection PIN for clients, scams to 
steal unemployment benefits and the dangers of phishing email/text 
scams.

One common refrain the IRS hears from tax professionals reporting 
data thefts is that they did not immediately recognize its signs.

Summit partners urged tax professionals to watch out for these critical signs:

Tax professionals should also watch for warning signs when clients report they've received:

These are just a few common examples. Tax pros should ensure 
they have the highest security possible and contact these sources if 
they sense or see something amiss.

If you or your firm are the victim of data theft,&nbsp;immediately:

Find more information at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/data-theft-information-for-tax-professionals">Data Theft Information for Tax Professionals</a>.

Tax professionals can also get help with security recommendations by reviewing the recently revised IRS&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4557.pdf">Publication 4557, Safeguarding Taxpayer Data&nbsp;PDF</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/ir/2016/NIST.IR.7621r1.pdf">Small Business Information Security: The Fundamentals&nbsp;PDF</a>&nbsp;by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-central">Identity Theft Central</a> pages for tax pros, individuals and businesses have important details as well.

<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5293.pdf">Publication 5293, Data Security Resource Guide for Tax Professionals&nbsp;PDF</a>,
 provides a compilation of data theft information available on IRS.gov. 
Also, tax professionals should stay connected to the IRS through 
subscriptions to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/e-file-providers/join-e-news-for-tax-professionals">e-News for Tax Professionals</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-new-media-1">Social Media</a>.

For more information, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/boost-security-immunity-fight-against-identity-theft">Boost Security Immunity: Fight Against Identity Theft.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — With identity thieves continuing to target the tax community, Internal Revenue Service <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/security-summit">Security Summit</a> partners today urged tax professionals to learn the signs of data theft so they can react quickly to protect clients.The IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry – working together 
as the Security Summit – reminded tax professionals that they should 
contact the IRS immediately when there's an identity theft issue while 
also contacting insurance or cybersecurity experts to assist them with 
determining the cause and extent of the loss."There are tell-tale signs of identity theft that tax pros can easily
 miss," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "Identity thieves continue 
to look for ways to slip into the systems of tax pros to steal data. We 
urge practitioners to take simple steps and remain on the lookout for 
signs of data and identity theft. They are a critical first line of 
defense against identity theft."Knowing the signs of identity theft is the final part of a five-part 
series sponsored by the Summit partners to highlight critical steps tax 
professionals can take to protect client data. This year's theme "<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/boost-security-immunity-fight-against-identity-theft">Boost Security Immunity: Fight Against Identity Theft</a>,"
 focused on urging tax professionals to try harder to secure their 
systems and protect client data during this pandemic and its aftermath.This summer-time Summit series, now in its sixth year, highlighted 
the protections offered by multi-factor authentication and key security 
steps, the use of the Identity Protection PIN for clients, scams to 
steal unemployment benefits and the dangers of phishing email/text 
scams.One common refrain the IRS hears from tax professionals reporting 
data thefts is that they did not immediately recognize its signs.<h2>Summit partners urged tax professionals to watch out for these critical signs:</h2><ul>
 <li>Client e-filed returns rejected because client's Social Security number was already used on another return.</li><li>More e-file acknowledgements received than returns the tax pro filed.</li><li>Clients responded to emails the tax pro didn't send.</li><li>Slow or unexpected computer or network responsiveness such as:
	Software or actions take longer to process than usual,Computer cursor moves or changes numbers without touching the mouse or keyboard,Unexpectedly locked out of a network or computer.</li><li>Software or actions take longer to process than usual,</li><li>Computer cursor moves or changes numbers without touching the mouse or keyboard,</li><li>Unexpectedly locked out of a network or computer.</li>
 </ul><h2>Tax professionals should also watch for warning signs when clients report they've received:</h2><ul>
 <li>IRS Authentication letters (5071C, 4883C, 5747C) even though they haven't filed a return.</li><li>A refund even though they haven't filed a return.</li><li>A tax transcript they didn't request.</li><li>Emails or calls from the tax pro that they didn't initiate.</li><li>A notice that someone created an IRS online account for the taxpayer without their consent.</li><li>A notice the taxpayer wasn't expecting that:
	Someone accessed their IRS online account,The IRS disabled their online account.</li><li>Someone accessed their IRS online account,</li><li>The IRS disabled their online account.</li>
 </ul>These are just a few common examples. Tax pros should ensure 
they have the highest security possible and contact these sources if 
they sense or see something amiss.If you or your firm are the victim of data theft,&nbsp;immediately:<ul>
 <li>Report it to your&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/stakeholder-liaison-local-contacts">local IRS Stakeholder Liaison</a>Liaisons will notify IRS Criminal Investigation and others within 
the agency on the practitioner's behalf. Speed is critical. If reported 
quickly, the IRS can take steps to block fraudulent returns in the 
clients' names and will assist tax pros through the process.
	</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Email the Federation of Tax Administrators at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:statealert@taxadmin.org">statealert@taxadmin.org</a>Get information on how to report victim information to the states. 
Most states require that the state attorney general be notified of data 
breaches. This notification process may involve multiple offices.
	</li>
 </ul>Find more information at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/data-theft-information-for-tax-professionals">Data Theft Information for Tax Professionals</a>.<h2>Additional resources</h2>Tax professionals can also get help with security recommendations by reviewing the recently revised IRS&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4557.pdf">Publication 4557, Safeguarding Taxpayer Data&nbsp;PDF</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/ir/2016/NIST.IR.7621r1.pdf">Small Business Information Security: The Fundamentals&nbsp;PDF</a>&nbsp;by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-central">Identity Theft Central</a> pages for tax pros, individuals and businesses have important details as well.<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5293.pdf">Publication 5293, Data Security Resource Guide for Tax Professionals&nbsp;PDF</a>,
 provides a compilation of data theft information available on IRS.gov. 
Also, tax professionals should stay connected to the IRS through 
subscriptions to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/e-file-providers/join-e-news-for-tax-professionals">e-News for Tax Professionals</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-new-media-1">Social Media</a>.For more information, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/boost-security-immunity-fight-against-identity-theft">Boost Security Immunity: Fight Against Identity Theft.</a>

IRS Security Summit: Tell-tale signs of identity theft

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Joe Biden announced he would stick to his predecessor’s plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, Republican reaction was mixed and largely muted. Foreign policy had become so contentious that the party’s own leaders had no single position on the end of the nation’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-business-afghanistan-43d8f53b35e80ec18c130cd683e1a38f">longest war</a>.&nbsp; Most members of the Kansas congressional delegation were critical of the President.

But the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-784681c4400b097cf73b93cec34c5c61">fall of the Afghan government and the Taliban’s swift return to power</a>&nbsp;have, at least for now, reunited Republicans in criticism of Biden. Longtime opponents of a withdrawal argued Monday that the president should have seen the disaster coming. Even those who cheered his decision to pull out troops turned to slamming him for doing it badly.

“An embarrassing spectacle, a diplomatic humiliation and a national security catastrophe,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

It was a rare moment of cohesion for a party that has been divided between an old guard that long pushed for U.S. military aggression and supporters of former President Donald Trump who prioritized “America First.” As Republicans moved Monday to turn the chaos into a political opportunity, it was unclear how long they’d be able to paper over that split.

“If they’re smart and say, ’Look, I wanted us out of Afghanistan, but not this way,‘” Glen Bolger, a veteran GOP pollster who’s worked on numerous congressional campaigns, said of Republicans potentially staying on the political offensive. “Not in a total surrender and not letting the Taliban just waltz in and take over everything, hurting women and taking the clock back to the 1400s.’”

The Taliban’s entering Kabul doesn’t change the fact that Republicans have essentially attempted a U-turn on foreign policy — the kind of about-face that likely muddles any case they can make for blaming Biden without drawing some political blowback themselves.

The party has moved sharply away from the hawkish days just after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when President George W. Bush first led the invasion of Afghanistan and spent years pushing nation-building and aggressive military intervention abroad. The Trump administration agreed late in its term to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan this past May, with the then-president saying last year, “Now it’s time for somebody else to do that work.”

“You know it’s been 19 years and even they are tired of fighting,” Trump said, though he added, “If bad things happen, we’ll go back.”

That agreement — it also entailed the Afghan government releasing 5,000 prisoners, some of whom may have joined the latest Taliban offensive — was supported by many Republicans. That endorsement didn’t waver, even when Biden delayed sending home the roughly 2,500 U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan until Sept. 11, so their departure would mark the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

Cruz was among those who welcomed that decision. He said in April he was “glad” troops were coming home.

“U.S. efforts at nation building actually makes things worse, not better,” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., a close ally of Trump, said on his podcast this week.

Biden returned to the White House from Camp David and tried to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-afghanistan-taliban-5abab9d1a552dc93b10a76973a8b3d25">refocus the debate</a>&nbsp;on whether the U.S. still belonged in Afghanistan, not how it exited.

“I’m now the fourth American president to preside over war in Afghanistan,” he said. “I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth.”

Asked, meanwhile, if negotiating with the Taliban lent legitimacy to terrorists, Mike Pompeo, Trump’s former secretary of state and a key architect of the Afghanistan peace agreements, insisted on “Fox News Sunday” that “we never trusted the Taliban.”

Still, some of Pompeo’s fellow Republicans say Trump shares the blame for what is now unfolding.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., who served in the Air Force in Afghanistan, faulted “Donald Trump’s terrible deal he negotiated” but also Biden’s “terrible execution of a deal he never should have followed through on.”

“At this moment, people are super excited about, or super focused on, how can they blame the other side. How can they win this political back and forth,” Kinzinger said. “I think Donald Trump bears huge blame and Joe Biden will ultimately bear the ultimate blame.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told reporters in Anchorage that she was among those who didn’t anticipate U.S. troops would be or should be in Afghanistan forever. But, she said, “what we have seen play out, I think, is troubling at such a degree and such a level.”

Murkowski added: “I think there’s going to be a lot of review about how we came to be at this place at this moment.”

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., whose father helped shape Bush’s foreign policy as his vice president and who herself is one of Trump’s fiercest GOP critics, tweeted that the “calamity” in Afghanistan began “with the Trump administration negotiating with terrorists and pretending they were partners for peace.”

Cheney added that it is “ending with American surrender as Biden abandons the country to our terrorist enemies.”

Other Republicans have been more eager to paint what’s unfolded as a Biden problem. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called the events in Afghanistan an “unmitigated disaster” and said that the Biden administration “looks to me like it couldn’t organize a two-car funeral.”

“Simply the fact that President Trump announced we were going to leave in May didn’t mean President Biden had to do that,” McConnell said of withdrawing U.S. forces.

The National Republican Congressional Committee launched online attacks against Democrats looking at tough House reelection battles during next year’s midterms for their past support of Biden’s Afghanistan policy.

Others have gone further. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, lumped the Afghanistan developments with what he called the president’s failure to address rising inflation or secure the U.S.-Mexico border and wondered in a tweet, “Has time come to exercise the provisions of the 25th Amendment?” Those provisions could remove Biden from office.

“Democrats control the House, Senate &amp; @WhiteHouse,” tweeted Scott, who was traveling Monday and unavailable for further comment. “What in the world is Joe Biden doing?”

But Kinzinger countered that he thinks “both parties failed the American people.”

“They were so eager to go out and just make make statements that get applause at a rally like ‘bring all the troops home,’ without the adequate reality that leaders have got to lead and explain to the American people why the troops are there and why they’re important,” Kinzinger said. “Instead, we just get focused on the next election. This is the result of that.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629144618362.png" alt="President Joe Biden called the violent chaos at Kabul's airport “gut-wrenching,” but he's standing by America's withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden spoke from the White House on Monday in his first in-person remarks since the Taliban over the weekend rolled over an Afghan military and government that American forces had spent two decades building-photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>President Joe Biden called the violent chaos at Kabul's airport “gut-wrenching,” but he's standing by America's withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden spoke from the White House on Monday in his first in-person remarks since the Taliban over the weekend rolled over an Afghan military and government that American forces had spent two decades building-photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Joe Biden announced he would stick to his predecessor’s plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, Republican reaction was mixed and largely muted. Foreign policy had become so contentious that the party’s own leaders had no single position on the end of the nation’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-business-afghanistan-43d8f53b35e80ec18c130cd683e1a38f">longest war</a>.&nbsp; Most members of the Kansas congressional delegation were critical of the President.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The chaos we are seeing in Kabul was preventable. The Biden administration’s unorganized and haphazard withdrawal process will make our country and the world less secure.&mdash; Senator Jerry Moran (@JerryMoran) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryMoran/status/1427351106343129092?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Rather than taking responsibility for his actions, which have had catastrophic repercussions, President Biden played the blame game. America deserves a leader who puts our safety first. <a href="https://t.co/cqIlVM9C5s">https://t.co/cqIlVM9C5s</a>”&mdash; Tracey Mann (@RepMann) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMann/status/1427388318854025217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>’ speech insulted our Afghan allies &amp; deflected responsibility for a disaster he created. It’s the kind of response that continues to show weakness to enemies —that weakness is not something that should ever be projected from the Commander in Chief of our great nation. 2/3&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1427475041827045376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My statement on the turmoil in Afghanistan. <a href="https://t.co/FtZgiLEray">pic.twitter.com/FtZgiLEray</a>&mdash; Rep. Ron Estes (@RepRonEstes) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepRonEstes/status/1427367409531379714?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>But the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-784681c4400b097cf73b93cec34c5c61">fall of the Afghan government and the Taliban’s swift return to power</a>&nbsp;have, at least for now, reunited Republicans in criticism of Biden. Longtime opponents of a withdrawal argued Monday that the president should have seen the disaster coming. Even those who cheered his decision to pull out troops turned to slamming him for doing it badly.“An embarrassing spectacle, a diplomatic humiliation and a national security catastrophe,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.It was a rare moment of cohesion for a party that has been divided between an old guard that long pushed for U.S. military aggression and supporters of former President Donald Trump who prioritized “America First.” As Republicans moved Monday to turn the chaos into a political opportunity, it was unclear how long they’d be able to paper over that split.“If they’re smart and say, ’Look, I wanted us out of Afghanistan, but not this way,‘” Glen Bolger, a veteran GOP pollster who’s worked on numerous congressional campaigns, said of Republicans potentially staying on the political offensive. “Not in a total surrender and not letting the Taliban just waltz in and take over everything, hurting women and taking the clock back to the 1400s.’”The Taliban’s entering Kabul doesn’t change the fact that Republicans have essentially attempted a U-turn on foreign policy — the kind of about-face that likely muddles any case they can make for blaming Biden without drawing some political blowback themselves.The party has moved sharply away from the hawkish days just after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when President George W. Bush first led the invasion of Afghanistan and spent years pushing nation-building and aggressive military intervention abroad. The Trump administration agreed late in its term to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan this past May, with the then-president saying last year, “Now it’s time for somebody else to do that work.”“You know it’s been 19 years and even they are tired of fighting,” Trump said, though he added, “If bad things happen, we’ll go back.”That agreement — it also entailed the Afghan government releasing 5,000 prisoners, some of whom may have joined the latest Taliban offensive — was supported by many Republicans. That endorsement didn’t waver, even when Biden delayed sending home the roughly 2,500 U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan until Sept. 11, so their departure would mark the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.Cruz was among those who welcomed that decision. He said in April he was “glad” troops were coming home.“U.S. efforts at nation building actually makes things worse, not better,” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., a close ally of Trump, said on his podcast this week.Biden returned to the White House from Camp David and tried to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-afghanistan-taliban-5abab9d1a552dc93b10a76973a8b3d25">refocus the debate</a>&nbsp;on whether the U.S. still belonged in Afghanistan, not how it exited.“I’m now the fourth American president to preside over war in Afghanistan,” he said. “I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth.”Asked, meanwhile, if negotiating with the Taliban lent legitimacy to terrorists, Mike Pompeo, Trump’s former secretary of state and a key architect of the Afghanistan peace agreements, insisted on “Fox News Sunday” that “we never trusted the Taliban.”Still, some of Pompeo’s fellow Republicans say Trump shares the blame for what is now unfolding.Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., who served in the Air Force in Afghanistan, faulted “Donald Trump’s terrible deal he negotiated” but also Biden’s “terrible execution of a deal he never should have followed through on.”“At this moment, people are super excited about, or super focused on, how can they blame the other side. How can they win this political back and forth,” Kinzinger said. “I think Donald Trump bears huge blame and Joe Biden will ultimately bear the ultimate blame.”Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told reporters in Anchorage that she was among those who didn’t anticipate U.S. troops would be or should be in Afghanistan forever. But, she said, “what we have seen play out, I think, is troubling at such a degree and such a level.”Murkowski added: “I think there’s going to be a lot of review about how we came to be at this place at this moment.”Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., whose father helped shape Bush’s foreign policy as his vice president and who herself is one of Trump’s fiercest GOP critics, tweeted that the “calamity” in Afghanistan began “with the Trump administration negotiating with terrorists and pretending they were partners for peace.”Cheney added that it is “ending with American surrender as Biden abandons the country to our terrorist enemies.”Other Republicans have been more eager to paint what’s unfolded as a Biden problem. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called the events in Afghanistan an “unmitigated disaster” and said that the Biden administration “looks to me like it couldn’t organize a two-car funeral.”“Simply the fact that President Trump announced we were going to leave in May didn’t mean President Biden had to do that,” McConnell said of withdrawing U.S. forces.The National Republican Congressional Committee launched online attacks against Democrats looking at tough House reelection battles during next year’s midterms for their past support of Biden’s Afghanistan policy.Others have gone further. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, lumped the Afghanistan developments with what he called the president’s failure to address rising inflation or secure the U.S.-Mexico border and wondered in a tweet, “Has time come to exercise the provisions of the 25th Amendment?” Those provisions could remove Biden from office.“Democrats control the House, Senate &amp; @WhiteHouse,” tweeted Scott, who was traveling Monday and unavailable for further comment. “What in the world is Joe Biden doing?”But Kinzinger countered that he thinks “both parties failed the American people.”“They were so eager to go out and just make make statements that get applause at a rally like ‘bring all the troops home,’ without the adequate reality that leaders have got to lead and explain to the American people why the troops are there and why they’re important,” Kinzinger said. “Instead, we just get focused on the next election. This is the result of that.”___

Kansas Republicans criticize Biden over Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. experts are expected to recommend COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second dose of the shot, to ensure lasting protection against the coronavirus as the delta variant spreads across the country.

Federal health officials have been actively looking at whether extra shots for the vaccinated would be needed as early as this fall, reviewing case numbers in the U.S. as well as the situation in other countries such as Israel, where preliminary studies suggest the vaccine’s protection against serious illness dropped among those vaccinated in January.

An announcement on the U.S. booster recommendation was expected as soon as this week, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Doses would only begin to be administered widely once the Food and Drug Administration formally approves the vaccines. That action is expected for the Pfizer shot in the coming weeks.

Last week, U.S. health officials recommended boosters for some with weakened immune systems, citing their higher risk of catching the virus and evidence that the vaccines’ effectiveness waned over time.

The director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins, said Sunday the U.S. could decide in the next couple weeks whether to offer coronavirus booster shots to Americans this fall.

Among the first to receive them could be health care workers, nursing home residents and other older Americans, who were some of the first Americans to be vaccinated once the shots received emergency use authorization last December.

Since then, more than 198 million Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with more than 168 million fully vaccinated. Still, the country is experiencing a fourth surge of virus cases due to the more transmissible delta variant, which is spreading aggressively through unvaccinated communities but is also responsible for an increasing number of so-called “breakthrough infections” of fully vaccinated people.

Israel, which exclusively administered the Pfizer shot, has been offering a coronavirus booster to people over 60 who were already vaccinated more than five months ago in an effort to control its own surge in cases from the delta variant.

For months, officials had said data still indicated that people remain highly protected from COVID-19, including the delta variant, after receiving the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna regimen or the one-shot Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine. But U.S. health officials made clear Sunday they are preparing for the possibility that the time for boosters may come sooner than later.

“There is a concern that the vaccine may start to wane in its effectiveness,” Collins said. “And delta is a nasty one for us to try to deal with. The combination of those two means we may need boosters, maybe beginning first with health care providers, as well as people in nursing homes, and then gradually moving forward” with others, such as older Americans who were among the first to get vaccinations.

He said because the delta variant only started hitting the U.S. hard in July, the “next couple of weeks” of case data will help the U.S. make a decision.

Officials were continuing to collect information as well about the J&amp;J vaccine, which was only approved in the U.S. in late February, to determine when to recommend boosters, one of the officials said.

The White House has said that even though the U.S. has begun sharing more than 110 million vaccine doses with the world, the nation has enough domestic supply to deliver boosters to Americans should they be recommended by health officials.

Global health officials, including the World Health Organization, have called on wealthier and more-vaccinated countries to hold off on booster shots to ensure the supply of first doses for people in the developing world.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. experts are expected to recommend COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second dose of the shot, to ensure lasting protection against the coronavirus as the delta variant spreads across the country.Federal health officials have been actively looking at whether extra shots for the vaccinated would be needed as early as this fall, reviewing case numbers in the U.S. as well as the situation in other countries such as Israel, where preliminary studies suggest the vaccine’s protection against serious illness dropped among those vaccinated in January.An announcement on the U.S. booster recommendation was expected as soon as this week, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.Doses would only begin to be administered widely once the Food and Drug Administration formally approves the vaccines. That action is expected for the Pfizer shot in the coming weeks.Last week, U.S. health officials recommended boosters for some with weakened immune systems, citing their higher risk of catching the virus and evidence that the vaccines’ effectiveness waned over time.The director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins, said Sunday the U.S. could decide in the next couple weeks whether to offer coronavirus booster shots to Americans this fall.Among the first to receive them could be health care workers, nursing home residents and other older Americans, who were some of the first Americans to be vaccinated once the shots received emergency use authorization last December.Since then, more than 198 million Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with more than 168 million fully vaccinated. Still, the country is experiencing a fourth surge of virus cases due to the more transmissible delta variant, which is spreading aggressively through unvaccinated communities but is also responsible for an increasing number of so-called “breakthrough infections” of fully vaccinated people.Israel, which exclusively administered the Pfizer shot, has been offering a coronavirus booster to people over 60 who were already vaccinated more than five months ago in an effort to control its own surge in cases from the delta variant.For months, officials had said data still indicated that people remain highly protected from COVID-19, including the delta variant, after receiving the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna regimen or the one-shot Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine. But U.S. health officials made clear Sunday they are preparing for the possibility that the time for boosters may come sooner than later.“There is a concern that the vaccine may start to wane in its effectiveness,” Collins said. “And delta is a nasty one for us to try to deal with. The combination of those two means we may need boosters, maybe beginning first with health care providers, as well as people in nursing homes, and then gradually moving forward” with others, such as older Americans who were among the first to get vaccinations.He said because the delta variant only started hitting the U.S. hard in July, the “next couple of weeks” of case data will help the U.S. make a decision.Officials were continuing to collect information as well about the J&amp;J vaccine, which was only approved in the U.S. in late February, to determine when to recommend boosters, one of the officials said.The White House has said that even though the U.S. has begun sharing more than 110 million vaccine doses with the world, the nation has enough domestic supply to deliver boosters to Americans should they be recommended by health officials.Global health officials, including the World Health Organization, have called on wealthier and more-vaccinated countries to hold off on booster shots to ensure the supply of first doses for people in the developing world.

US to recommend COVID vaccine boosters for all 

ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for alleged child sex crimes.

On Friday, police conducted an investigation involving a female victim under the age of 14 and crimes committed when the victim was under the age of 16, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

Police arrested&nbsp;CJ Lonnie McPhie, 36, Atchison, on requested charges of rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated indecent liberties with a child, indecent liberties with a child, criminal sodomy, and electronic solicitation, according to Wilson. McPhie is being held on a $100,000 bond.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629123322798.png" alt="McPhie photo Atchison Co." />
 <figcaption>McPhie photo Atchison Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for alleged child sex crimes.On Friday, police conducted an investigation involving a female victim under the age of 14 and crimes committed when the victim was under the age of 16, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.Police arrested&nbsp;CJ Lonnie McPhie, 36, Atchison, on requested charges of rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated indecent liberties with a child, indecent liberties with a child, criminal sodomy, and electronic solicitation, according to Wilson. McPhie is being held on a $100,000 bond.