WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday pardoned his siblings and their spouses, saying his family had been “subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics.”

“Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end,” he said. He issued a slew of pardons and commutations in the moments before leaving office, including for aides and allies that have been targeted by Donald Trump. None have been charged with any crimes.

Last month, he pardoned his son, Hunter for tax and gun crimes.

Biden issued blanket pardons for his brother James and his wife, Sara, his sister Valerie and her husband, John Owens, and his brother Francis.

“The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that they engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense,” he said in a statement.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737392290779.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday pardoned his siblings and their spouses, saying his family had been “subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics.”“Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end,” he said. He issued a slew of pardons and commutations in the moments before leaving office, including for aides and allies that have been targeted by Donald Trump. None have been charged with any crimes.Last month, he pardoned his son, Hunter for tax and gun crimes.Biden issued blanket pardons for his brother James and his wife, Sara, his sister Valerie and her husband, John Owens, and his brother Francis.“The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that they engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense,” he said in a statement.

Biden pardons family members in final minutes of presidency

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man accused in a June 4, homicide is scheduled made a court appearance for&nbsp;a preliminary hearing on Friday.

Judge Quentin Pittman ruled 23-year-old Jeremiah Walker will stand trial for second-degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. Walker is charged for the death of&nbsp;27-year-old Quentin Gordon.

Just after 9:30p.m. June 4, Sedgwick County Emergency Communications received a 911 call reporting a shooting in the 4800 block of East Funston.

Wichita Police, Wichita Fire, and Sedgwick County EMS responded to the scene and found Gordon suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

&nbsp;Preliminary findings suggest that Gordon was involved in an argument with another individual when the shooting occurred, indicating that this was not a random act of violence, according to Moses.

On June 6, police asked for help to locate Anjaliyah S. Orange and Jeremiah Z. Walker as they may have information about the homicide.&nbsp;

On June 12, Wichita Police Homicide investigators arrested Walker, according to Wichita Police Captain Aaron Moses.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718212493808.png" alt="Walker phot Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Walker phot Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man accused in a June 4, homicide is scheduled made a court appearance for&nbsp;a preliminary hearing on Friday.Judge Quentin Pittman ruled 23-year-old Jeremiah Walker will stand trial for second-degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. Walker is charged for the death of&nbsp;27-year-old Quentin Gordon.Just after 9:30p.m. June 4, Sedgwick County Emergency Communications received a 911 call reporting a shooting in the 4800 block of East Funston.Wichita Police, Wichita Fire, and Sedgwick County EMS responded to the scene and found Gordon suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;Preliminary findings suggest that Gordon was involved in an argument with another individual when the shooting occurred, indicating that this was not a random act of violence, according to Moses.On June 6, police asked for help to locate Anjaliyah S. Orange and Jeremiah Z. Walker as they may have information about the homicide.&nbsp;On June 12, Wichita Police Homicide investigators arrested Walker, according to Wichita Police Captain Aaron Moses.

Kan. suspect captured after 6-day search will stand trial for murder

BY&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/colleen-long">COLLEEN LONG</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/zeke-miller">ZEKE MILLER</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, in an extraordinary use of the powers of the presidency in his final hours to guard against potential “revenge” by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">the incoming Trump administration</a>.

<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2025/01/20/statement-from-president-joe-biden-15/">Click here to read </a>the statement from President Biden on the pardons

The decision by Biden comes after Donald Trump warned of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-enemies-from-within-5c4a34776469a55e71d3ba4d4e68cf62">an enemies list</a>&nbsp;filled with those who have crossed him politically or sought to hold him accountable for his attempt&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-2020-election-lies-debunked-4fc26546b07962fdbf9d66e739fbb50d">to overturn his 2020 election loss</a>&nbsp;and his role in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cabinet-hegseth-patel-bondi-gabbard-kennedy-0f6856a163b1e8eab517e80df28580a8">Trump has selected Cabinet nominees who backed his election lies</a>&nbsp;and who have pledged to punish those involved in efforts to investigate him.

“The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense,” Biden said in a statement. “Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.”

The pardons, announced with just hours left in Biden's presidency, have been the subject of heated debate for months at the highest levels of the White House. It’s customary for a president to grant clemency at the end of his term, but those acts of mercy are usually offered to Americans who have been convicted of crimes. Biden, a Democrat, has used the power in the broadest and most untested way possible: to pardon those who have not even been investigated. The decision lays the groundwork for an even more expansive use of pardons by Trump, a Republican, and future presidents.

While the Supreme Court last year ruled that presidents enjoy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/elections/2024/supreme-court-rules-ex-presidents-have-broad-immunity-dimming-chance-of-a-pre-election-trump-trial/">broad immunity from prosecution</a>&nbsp;for what could be considered official acts, the president's aides and allies enjoy no such shield. There is concern that future presidents could use the promise of a blanket pardon to encourage allies to take actions they might otherwise resist for fear of running afoul of the law.

Trump, who takes office at noon, has promised to swiftly pardon many of those involved in the violent and bloody Jan. 6, 2021, attack, which injured roughly 140 law enforcement officers. “Everybody in this very large arena will be very happy with my decision," he said at a Sunday rally.

It’s unclear whether those pardoned by Biden would need to apply for the clemency or accept the president's offer. Acceptance could be seen as a tacit admission of guilt or wrongdoing, validating years of attacks by Trump and his supporters, even though those who have been pardoned have not been formally accused of any crimes.

“These are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing,” Biden said, adding that “Even when individuals have done nothing wrong — and in fact have done the right thing — and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage reputations and finances.”

Fauci was director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health for nearly 40 years, including during Trump's term in office, and later served as Biden’s chief medical adviser until his retirement in 2022. He helped coordinate the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and raised Trump's ire when he resisted Trump's untested public health notions. Fauci has since become a target of intense hatred and vitriol from people on the right, who blame him for mask mandates and other policies they believe infringed on their rights, even as hundreds of thousands of people were dying.

Milley, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has called Trump a fascist and has detailed Trump’s conduct around the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection. He said he was grateful to Biden for a pardon.

“I do not wish to spend whatever remaining time the Lord grants me fighting those who unjustly might seek retribution for perceived slights," he said in a statement. “I do not want to put my family, my friends, and those with whom I served through the resulting distraction, expense, and anxiety.”

Biden also extended pardons to members and staff of the Jan. 6 committee that investigated the attack, as well as the U.S. Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers who testified before the House committee about their experiences that day, overrun by an angry, violent mob of Trump supporters.

The committee spent 18 months investigating Trump and the insurrection. It was led by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Rep. Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican who later pledged to vote for Democrat Kamala Harris and campaigned with her against Trump. The committee’s final report found that Trump criminally engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election and failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol.

“Rather than accept accountability," Biden said, “those who perpetrated the January 6th attack have taken every opportunity to undermine and intimidate those who participated in the Select Committee in an attempt to rewrite history, erase the stain of January 6th for partisan gain, and seek revenge, including by threatening criminal prosecutions.”

Biden’s statement did not list the scores of members and staff by name.

“These public servants have served our nation with honor and distinction and do not deserve to be the targets of unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions,” the president said.

Biden, an institutionalist, has promised a smooth transition to the next administration,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-farewell-address-oval-office-8bc6051c20adc1bc212cdd8be2578624">inviting Trump to the White House</a>&nbsp;and saying that the nation will be OK,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oligarchy-biden-zuckerburg-bezos-musk-altman-a44e281c6dbf2fd6cd174f13cdcdc1c5">even as he warned during his farewell address of a growing oligarchy</a>. He has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-capitol-siege-biden-congress-3dd8fd804c857c23f8e0fe2324c9d8a4">spent years warning that Trump’s ascension</a>&nbsp;to the presidency again would be a threat to democracy. His decision to break with political norms with the preemptive pardons was brought on by those concerns.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-commutes-2500-nonviolent-drug-offenders-83174cd0602a0bf5d491aa60184f3568">Biden has set the presidential record</a>&nbsp;for most individual pardons and commutations issued. He announced on Friday he would commuting the sentences of almost 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. He previously announced he was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/12/23/fact-sheet-president-biden-commutes-the-sentences-of-37-individuals-on-death-row/">commuting the sentences</a>&nbsp;of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office. In his first term, Trump presided over an unprecedented spate of executions, 13, in a protracted timeline during the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden is not the first to consider such preemptive pardons. Trump aides considered them for Trump and his supporters involved in his failed efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election that culminated in the violent riot at the Capitol. But Trump’s pardons never materialized before he left office four years ago.

President Gerald Ford granted a “full, free, and absolute pardon” in 1974 to his predecessor, Richard Nixon, over the Watergate scandal. He believed a potential trial would “cause prolonged and divisive debate over the propriety of exposing to further punishment and degradation a man who has already paid the unprecedented penalty of relinquishing the highest elective office of the United States,” as written in the pardon proclamation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1735817811864.png" alt="Congresswoman Liz Cheney and members of the House January 6 Committee -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Congresswoman Liz Cheney and members of the House January 6 Committee -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>BY&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/colleen-long">COLLEEN LONG</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/zeke-miller">ZEKE MILLER</a>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, in an extraordinary use of the powers of the presidency in his final hours to guard against potential “revenge” by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">the incoming Trump administration</a>.<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2025/01/20/statement-from-president-joe-biden-15/">Click here to read </a>the statement from President Biden on the pardonsThe decision by Biden comes after Donald Trump warned of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-enemies-from-within-5c4a34776469a55e71d3ba4d4e68cf62">an enemies list</a>&nbsp;filled with those who have crossed him politically or sought to hold him accountable for his attempt&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-2020-election-lies-debunked-4fc26546b07962fdbf9d66e739fbb50d">to overturn his 2020 election loss</a>&nbsp;and his role in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cabinet-hegseth-patel-bondi-gabbard-kennedy-0f6856a163b1e8eab517e80df28580a8">Trump has selected Cabinet nominees who backed his election lies</a>&nbsp;and who have pledged to punish those involved in efforts to investigate him.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600888542522.png" alt="Dr. Anthony Fauci photo White House" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Anthony Fauci photo White House</figcaption>
 </figure>“The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense,” Biden said in a statement. “Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.”The pardons, announced with just hours left in Biden's presidency, have been the subject of heated debate for months at the highest levels of the White House. It’s customary for a president to grant clemency at the end of his term, but those acts of mercy are usually offered to Americans who have been convicted of crimes. Biden, a Democrat, has used the power in the broadest and most untested way possible: to pardon those who have not even been investigated. The decision lays the groundwork for an even more expansive use of pardons by Trump, a Republican, and future presidents.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668685067328.png" alt="Mark Milley-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Mark Milley-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>While the Supreme Court last year ruled that presidents enjoy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/elections/2024/supreme-court-rules-ex-presidents-have-broad-immunity-dimming-chance-of-a-pre-election-trump-trial/">broad immunity from prosecution</a>&nbsp;for what could be considered official acts, the president's aides and allies enjoy no such shield. There is concern that future presidents could use the promise of a blanket pardon to encourage allies to take actions they might otherwise resist for fear of running afoul of the law.Trump, who takes office at noon, has promised to swiftly pardon many of those involved in the violent and bloody Jan. 6, 2021, attack, which injured roughly 140 law enforcement officers. “Everybody in this very large arena will be very happy with my decision," he said at a Sunday rally.It’s unclear whether those pardoned by Biden would need to apply for the clemency or accept the president's offer. Acceptance could be seen as a tacit admission of guilt or wrongdoing, validating years of attacks by Trump and his supporters, even though those who have been pardoned have not been formally accused of any crimes.“These are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing,” Biden said, adding that “Even when individuals have done nothing wrong — and in fact have done the right thing — and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage reputations and finances.”Fauci was director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health for nearly 40 years, including during Trump's term in office, and later served as Biden’s chief medical adviser until his retirement in 2022. He helped coordinate the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and raised Trump's ire when he resisted Trump's untested public health notions. Fauci has since become a target of intense hatred and vitriol from people on the right, who blame him for mask mandates and other policies they believe infringed on their rights, even as hundreds of thousands of people were dying.Milley, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has called Trump a fascist and has detailed Trump’s conduct around the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection. He said he was grateful to Biden for a pardon.“I do not wish to spend whatever remaining time the Lord grants me fighting those who unjustly might seek retribution for perceived slights," he said in a statement. “I do not want to put my family, my friends, and those with whom I served through the resulting distraction, expense, and anxiety.”Biden also extended pardons to members and staff of the Jan. 6 committee that investigated the attack, as well as the U.S. Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers who testified before the House committee about their experiences that day, overrun by an angry, violent mob of Trump supporters.The committee spent 18 months investigating Trump and the insurrection. It was led by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Rep. Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican who later pledged to vote for Democrat Kamala Harris and campaigned with her against Trump. The committee’s final report found that Trump criminally engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election and failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol.“Rather than accept accountability," Biden said, “those who perpetrated the January 6th attack have taken every opportunity to undermine and intimidate those who participated in the Select Committee in an attempt to rewrite history, erase the stain of January 6th for partisan gain, and seek revenge, including by threatening criminal prosecutions.”Biden’s statement did not list the scores of members and staff by name.“These public servants have served our nation with honor and distinction and do not deserve to be the targets of unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions,” the president said.Biden, an institutionalist, has promised a smooth transition to the next administration,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-farewell-address-oval-office-8bc6051c20adc1bc212cdd8be2578624">inviting Trump to the White House</a>&nbsp;and saying that the nation will be OK,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oligarchy-biden-zuckerburg-bezos-musk-altman-a44e281c6dbf2fd6cd174f13cdcdc1c5">even as he warned during his farewell address of a growing oligarchy</a>. He has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-capitol-siege-biden-congress-3dd8fd804c857c23f8e0fe2324c9d8a4">spent years warning that Trump’s ascension</a>&nbsp;to the presidency again would be a threat to democracy. His decision to break with political norms with the preemptive pardons was brought on by those concerns.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-commutes-2500-nonviolent-drug-offenders-83174cd0602a0bf5d491aa60184f3568">Biden has set the presidential record</a>&nbsp;for most individual pardons and commutations issued. He announced on Friday he would commuting the sentences of almost 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. He previously announced he was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/12/23/fact-sheet-president-biden-commutes-the-sentences-of-37-individuals-on-death-row/">commuting the sentences</a>&nbsp;of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office. In his first term, Trump presided over an unprecedented spate of executions, 13, in a protracted timeline during the coronavirus pandemic.Biden is not the first to consider such preemptive pardons. Trump aides considered them for Trump and his supporters involved in his failed efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election that culminated in the violent riot at the Capitol. But Trump’s pardons never materialized before he left office four years ago.President Gerald Ford granted a “full, free, and absolute pardon” in 1974 to his predecessor, Richard Nixon, over the Watergate scandal. He believed a potential trial would “cause prolonged and divisive debate over the propriety of exposing to further punishment and degradation a man who has already paid the unprecedented penalty of relinquishing the highest elective office of the United States,” as written in the pardon proclamation.

Biden preemptively pardons Fauci, Milley, Cheny to guard against ‘revenge’ by Trump

TOPEKA, Kan. –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation continues their investigation of an officer-involved shooting that occurred Friday night in Topeka.

At around 9 p.m., a Topeka police officer initiated contact with a man riding a bicycle in an alley near 21st&nbsp;St. and SW Buchanan St. The man was later identified as Joseph L. Pham-Gardner, 37, of Topeka.

Preliminary information indicates that when the officer returned to his patrol vehicle to check the man’s information, Pham-Gardner climbed on his bike and fled. The officer gave commands for him to stop and chased him on foot. The TPD officer caught up to Pham-Gardner and a struggle ensued. He fell off his bike. The man threatened to shoot the officer.

During the confrontation, the officer fired multiple times striking Pham-Gardner. After shots were fired, officers and deputies from multiple agencies responded to assist. A K-9 officer from the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office was deployed so officers could safely secure the handgun near Pham-Gardner and render aid to him. No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.

EMS transported Pham-Gardner to an area hospital. He was later transported to a Kansas City hospital for surgery. At this time his injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating after an officer-involved shooting Friday in Topeka.

Just before 9 p.m., police stopped an individual on a bicycle in the area of SW 21st Street and Buchanan Street in Topeka, according to a media release from Topeka Police.

The suspect initiated a foot pursuit and shortly after the suspect reportedly displayed a firearm. The officer then discharged their weapon striking the suspect. 

Investigators found a firearm at the scene. The suspect, an adult male, was transported to a hospital in critical condition. No police officers or other citizens were injured in this incident.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) will investigate the incident. Per policy, the involved Topeka police officer has been placed on administrative leave.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737202280820.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -Photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -Photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation continues their investigation of an officer-involved shooting that occurred Friday night in Topeka.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737253681009.png" alt="Pham-Gardner has previous convictions for theft, aggravated battery, aggravated endangering a child, interference with law enforcement and for drugs, according to the Kansas Dept. of Correction" />
 <figcaption>Pham-Gardner has previous convictions for theft, aggravated battery, aggravated endangering a child, interference with law enforcement and for drugs, according to the Kansas Dept. of Correction</figcaption>
 </figure>At around 9 p.m., a Topeka police officer initiated contact with a man riding a bicycle in an alley near 21st&nbsp;St. and SW Buchanan St. The man was later identified as Joseph L. Pham-Gardner, 37, of Topeka.Preliminary information indicates that when the officer returned to his patrol vehicle to check the man’s information, Pham-Gardner climbed on his bike and fled. The officer gave commands for him to stop and chased him on foot. The TPD officer caught up to Pham-Gardner and a struggle ensued. He fell off his bike. The man threatened to shoot the officer.During the confrontation, the officer fired multiple times striking Pham-Gardner. After shots were fired, officers and deputies from multiple agencies responded to assist. A K-9 officer from the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office was deployed so officers could safely secure the handgun near Pham-Gardner and render aid to him. No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.EMS transported Pham-Gardner to an area hospital. He was later transported to a Kansas City hospital for surgery. At this time his injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.----------SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating after an officer-involved shooting Friday in Topeka.Just before 9 p.m., police stopped an individual on a bicycle in the area of SW 21st Street and Buchanan Street in Topeka, according to a media release from Topeka Police.The suspect initiated a foot pursuit and shortly after the suspect reportedly displayed a firearm. The officer then discharged their weapon striking the suspect. Investigators found a firearm at the scene. The suspect, an adult male, was transported to a hospital in critical condition. No police officers or other citizens were injured in this incident.The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) will investigate the incident. Per policy, the involved Topeka police officer has been placed on administrative leave.

Man wounded in Kan. officer shooting had a history of crime

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President-elect Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;used a raucous rally Sunday on the eve of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/associated-press-inauguration-trump-biden-898f999243fc4a43170d6191fa355ea7">his inauguration</a>&nbsp;to promise swift Day 1 action remaking the federal government, shifting federal priorities at breakneck speed and ensuring that “the curtain closes on four long years of American decline.”

Supporters filled nearly all of the 20,000-plus-seat Capital One Arena in downtown Washington for a “Make America Great” victory celebration, and cheered as Trump said he’d take quick action on everything from cracking down on the U.S.-Mexico border to promoting oil drilling, reining in the federal workforce and eradicating diversity programs.

“We’re going to give them the best first day, the biggest first week and the most extraordinary first 100 days of any presidency in American history,” said Trump, who also promised to roll back executive actions by his predecessor, outgoing President Joe Biden, “within hours.”

In an unusual move, Trump entered at the arena’s concourse level and deliberately made his way down the stairs before his speech, stopping frequently to pump his fist and pose for pictures with rallygoers. It was even more surreal after he finished speaking, when the Village People took the stage and the president-elect sang — and even briefly danced — along to “YMCA,” an unofficial anthem of his campaign.

Trump said he'd jump start his agenda with a series of unilateral actions from the White House, telling the crowd, “You’re going to see executive orders that are going to make you extremely happy. Lots of them.”

Sunday was Trump’s first full day back in Washington since his Election Day victory and gave him a chance to energize core supporters before the official pomp of Inauguration Day. Unlike when Trump helped spark a mob of his supporters to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">attack the Capitol</a>&nbsp;and tried&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-trump-election-certification-capitol-b8284b9b6b22f78ab7f23f8c8b3c3da3">to retain power</a>&nbsp;in 2021 after his loss to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Biden</a>, officials did not expect massive protests, unrest or violence.

Instead, jubilant crowds reveled in Trump’s coming second term and MAGA’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-elections-house-senate-harris-trump-9a38fb935f94ac1e3f5cdcef621a39ca">total control</a>&nbsp;of the Republican Party.

Yet even with a comfortable Electoral College victory and his party in full — albeit narrow — control of Congress, the incoming president is one of the most polarizing figures in U.S. history, with nearly as many fierce detractors as ardent supporters. That means it could be difficult for Trump to fulfill postelection&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-turning-point-speech-panama-canal-933065fd25f1847b0dc3210f8b2195f5">pledges</a>&nbsp;to promote bipartisanship while healing political differences.

Trump has nonetheless insisted that unity will be a theme of his inauguration speech Monday, along with strength and fairness — despite spending months as a candidate saying that if elected he would seek&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-violent-rhetoric-retribution-authoritarians-2024-39e090680a33c0869312e79bcef106e8">retribution against political enemies</a>.

That was the theme of much of his rally speech Sunday, when Trump returned to the greatest hits of his campaign — as if the race against Vice President Kamala Harris weren’t already long decided. Trump denounced “migrant crime” by evoking one of his favorite fictional characters, Hannibal Lecter, and promised to stamp out “woke” policies and oppose transgender rights.

“Tomorrow, at noon, the curtain closes on four long years of American decline, and we begin a brand new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity and pride,” Trump said, adding, “Once and for all, we’re going to end the reign of a failed and corrupt political establishment in Washington."

The event also featured a performance by Kid Rock, who performed “All Summer Long” despite a cold mix of rain and snow falling outside. Others taking the stage included singer Lee Greenwood, whose “God Bless the USA” is a Trump favorite.

Billionaire Tesla owner Elon Musk — who Trump has tasked with helping run a special commission to make the federal government more efficient — took the stage and said “we’re looking forward to making a lot of changes.” Jon Voight, an actor named by Trump as a special ambassador to Hollywood, declared the president-elect “our hero. A man who never gave up on the American people, and we the people never gave up on him.”

Stephen Miller, Trump’s pick to be deputy chief of staff and a key architect of the administration’s promised hard-line immigration polices, vowed that “justice is coming.”

“We are about to get our country back and our democracy back,” Miller said, adding “Donald J. Trump is about to save this country.”

With&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arctic-siberian-cold-chilly-trump-inauguration-7537abf637d19e681e9c517e1e82cb4b">frigid temperatures</a>&nbsp;expected Monday, Trump directed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-inauguration-capitol-rotunda-cold-weather-2e527b4f40309be7fd2b48a8173af390">most of Monday’s outdoor events to be moved indoors</a>, and officials held a rehearsal Sunday for his swearing-in in the U.S. Capitol's Rotunda, which holds only 600 people compared to the 250,000-plus guests who had tickets to view the inauguration from around the Capitol grounds.

Also Sunday, Trump had breakfast privately with Republican senators at&nbsp;<a href="https://2009-2017.state.gov/s/cpr/blair/index.htm">Blair House</a>, the president’s official guest residence, across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, and took to his social media site to comment on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-ceasefire-hostages-01-19-2025-437f7f1bf49c9d2936718cf78bdf272c">ceasefire between Israel and Hamas</a>&nbsp;and the U.S. ban on TikTok.

“Hostages starting to come out today!." Trump wrote.

Overnight, millions of U.S. users of TikTok lost the ability to watch videos on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-timeline-ban-biden-india-d3219a32de913f8083612e71ecf1f428">the social media platform</a>&nbsp;as a federal ban on the app took effect. Though the site later began working again for some users, the disruptions reflected a new law requiring its China-based parent company, ByteDance, to divest for national security reasons.

The company made a personal appeal to Trump to intervene, posting a message saying, “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office."

Trump subsequently posted, “I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark!" He promised to issue an executive order Monday "to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.” The president-elect also wrote that he was interested in the U.S. owning 50% of TikTok in a “joint venture” model, though he did not offer much detail on what that would look like.

Another stop for Trump on Sunday were snow-covered graves at Arlington National Cemetery, where he and Vice President-elect JD Vance — each wearing dark overcoats and red ties — walked together to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for a wreath-laying ceremony that included the playing of taps. Trump mouthed “thank you” after placing the wreath.

The pair later spent nearly half an hour in Section 60, the burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, talking with families of soldiers who died&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-france-evacuations-kabul-9e457201e5bbe75a4eb1901fedeee7a1">in the 2021 Kabul airport bombing</a>.

The scene was far different than in August, when two Trump campaign staff members&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-arlington-cemetery-altercation-afghanistan-3f0331e9209336a9b696ec164be7eb1c">reportedly</a>&nbsp;verbally “abused and pushed” aside a cemetery official who tried to stop them from filming and photographing in Section 60.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737332211025.png" alt="During the Sunday Victory Rally, the Village People took the stage and the president-elect sang — and even briefly danced — along to “YMCA,” an unofficial anthem of his campaign. Image courtesy Margo Martin, Deputy Director of Communications, Donald J. Trump for President" />
 <figcaption>During the Sunday Victory Rally, the Village People took the stage and the president-elect sang — and even briefly danced — along to “YMCA,” an unofficial anthem of his campaign. Image courtesy Margo Martin, Deputy Director of Communications, Donald J. Trump for President</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President-elect Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;used a raucous rally Sunday on the eve of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/associated-press-inauguration-trump-biden-898f999243fc4a43170d6191fa355ea7">his inauguration</a>&nbsp;to promise swift Day 1 action remaking the federal government, shifting federal priorities at breakneck speed and ensuring that “the curtain closes on four long years of American decline.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President-elect Trump: &quot;In the coming days, we are going to make public remaining records relating to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert Kennedy as well as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...&quot; <a href="https://t.co/EyBXDJvlx5">pic.twitter.com/EyBXDJvlx5</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1881117719778525486?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Supporters filled nearly all of the 20,000-plus-seat Capital One Arena in downtown Washington for a “Make America Great” victory celebration, and cheered as Trump said he’d take quick action on everything from cracking down on the U.S.-Mexico border to promoting oil drilling, reining in the federal workforce and eradicating diversity programs.“We’re going to give them the best first day, the biggest first week and the most extraordinary first 100 days of any presidency in American history,” said Trump, who also promised to roll back executive actions by his predecessor, outgoing President Joe Biden, “within hours.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Epic entrance into Capital One Arena by President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>! 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/WtZrLaqNeP">pic.twitter.com/WtZrLaqNeP</a>&mdash; Margo Martin (@margomartin) <a href="https://twitter.com/margomartin/status/1881107755433644190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In an unusual move, Trump entered at the arena’s concourse level and deliberately made his way down the stairs before his speech, stopping frequently to pump his fist and pose for pictures with rallygoers. It was even more surreal after he finished speaking, when the Village People took the stage and the president-elect sang — and even briefly danced — along to “YMCA,” an unofficial anthem of his campaign.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> dancing to YMCA on Inauguration Eve 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/7RWt66TndQ">pic.twitter.com/7RWt66TndQ</a>&mdash; Margo Martin (@margomartin) <a href="https://twitter.com/margomartin/status/1881121771761647737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump said he'd jump start his agenda with a series of unilateral actions from the White House, telling the crowd, “You’re going to see executive orders that are going to make you extremely happy. Lots of them.”Sunday was Trump’s first full day back in Washington since his Election Day victory and gave him a chance to energize core supporters before the official pomp of Inauguration Day. Unlike when Trump helped spark a mob of his supporters to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">attack the Capitol</a>&nbsp;and tried&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-trump-election-certification-capitol-b8284b9b6b22f78ab7f23f8c8b3c3da3">to retain power</a>&nbsp;in 2021 after his loss to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Biden</a>, officials did not expect massive protests, unrest or violence.Instead, jubilant crowds reveled in Trump’s coming second term and MAGA’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-elections-house-senate-harris-trump-9a38fb935f94ac1e3f5cdcef621a39ca">total control</a>&nbsp;of the Republican Party.Yet even with a comfortable Electoral College victory and his party in full — albeit narrow — control of Congress, the incoming president is one of the most polarizing figures in U.S. history, with nearly as many fierce detractors as ardent supporters. That means it could be difficult for Trump to fulfill postelection&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-turning-point-speech-panama-canal-933065fd25f1847b0dc3210f8b2195f5">pledges</a>&nbsp;to promote bipartisanship while healing political differences.Trump has nonetheless insisted that unity will be a theme of his inauguration speech Monday, along with strength and fairness — despite spending months as a candidate saying that if elected he would seek&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-violent-rhetoric-retribution-authoritarians-2024-39e090680a33c0869312e79bcef106e8">retribution against political enemies</a>.That was the theme of much of his rally speech Sunday, when Trump returned to the greatest hits of his campaign — as if the race against Vice President Kamala Harris weren’t already long decided. Trump denounced “migrant crime” by evoking one of his favorite fictional characters, Hannibal Lecter, and promised to stamp out “woke” policies and oppose transgender rights.“Tomorrow, at noon, the curtain closes on four long years of American decline, and we begin a brand new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity and pride,” Trump said, adding, “Once and for all, we’re going to end the reign of a failed and corrupt political establishment in Washington."The event also featured a performance by Kid Rock, who performed “All Summer Long” despite a cold mix of rain and snow falling outside. Others taking the stage included singer Lee Greenwood, whose “God Bless the USA” is a Trump favorite.Billionaire Tesla owner Elon Musk — who Trump has tasked with helping run a special commission to make the federal government more efficient — took the stage and said “we’re looking forward to making a lot of changes.” Jon Voight, an actor named by Trump as a special ambassador to Hollywood, declared the president-elect “our hero. A man who never gave up on the American people, and we the people never gave up on him.”Stephen Miller, Trump’s pick to be deputy chief of staff and a key architect of the administration’s promised hard-line immigration polices, vowed that “justice is coming.”“We are about to get our country back and our democracy back,” Miller said, adding “Donald J. Trump is about to save this country.”With&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arctic-siberian-cold-chilly-trump-inauguration-7537abf637d19e681e9c517e1e82cb4b">frigid temperatures</a>&nbsp;expected Monday, Trump directed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-inauguration-capitol-rotunda-cold-weather-2e527b4f40309be7fd2b48a8173af390">most of Monday’s outdoor events to be moved indoors</a>, and officials held a rehearsal Sunday for his swearing-in in the U.S. Capitol's Rotunda, which holds only 600 people compared to the 250,000-plus guests who had tickets to view the inauguration from around the Capitol grounds.Also Sunday, Trump had breakfast privately with Republican senators at&nbsp;<a href="https://2009-2017.state.gov/s/cpr/blair/index.htm">Blair House</a>, the president’s official guest residence, across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, and took to his social media site to comment on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-ceasefire-hostages-01-19-2025-437f7f1bf49c9d2936718cf78bdf272c">ceasefire between Israel and Hamas</a>&nbsp;and the U.S. ban on TikTok.“Hostages starting to come out today!." Trump wrote.Overnight, millions of U.S. users of TikTok lost the ability to watch videos on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-timeline-ban-biden-india-d3219a32de913f8083612e71ecf1f428">the social media platform</a>&nbsp;as a federal ban on the app took effect. Though the site later began working again for some users, the disruptions reflected a new law requiring its China-based parent company, ByteDance, to divest for national security reasons.The company made a personal appeal to Trump to intervene, posting a message saying, “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office."Trump subsequently posted, “I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark!" He promised to issue an executive order Monday "to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.” The president-elect also wrote that he was interested in the U.S. owning 50% of TikTok in a “joint venture” model, though he did not offer much detail on what that would look like.Another stop for Trump on Sunday were snow-covered graves at Arlington National Cemetery, where he and Vice President-elect JD Vance — each wearing dark overcoats and red ties — walked together to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for a wreath-laying ceremony that included the playing of taps. Trump mouthed “thank you” after placing the wreath.The pair later spent nearly half an hour in Section 60, the burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, talking with families of soldiers who died&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-france-evacuations-kabul-9e457201e5bbe75a4eb1901fedeee7a1">in the 2021 Kabul airport bombing</a>.The scene was far different than in August, when two Trump campaign staff members&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-arlington-cemetery-altercation-afghanistan-3f0331e9209336a9b696ec164be7eb1c">reportedly</a>&nbsp;verbally “abused and pushed” aside a cemetery official who tried to stop them from filming and photographing in Section 60.

🎥Trump pledges a series of Day 1 executive actions 

DOUGLAS COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 7a.m. Saturday after crash into a building.

The Douglas County Sheriff reported a vehicle was westbound in the 1500 Block of East 23rd Street in Lawrence. The driver fell asleep. The car struck the north curb and he overcorrected his steering. The car struck a storage facility.

The driver was transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The sheriff's office released no additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737373270875.png" alt="Photo Douglas County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo Douglas County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 7a.m. Saturday after crash into a building.The Douglas County Sheriff reported a vehicle was westbound in the 1500 Block of East 23rd Street in Lawrence. The driver fell asleep. The car struck the north curb and he overcorrected his steering. The car struck a storage facility.The driver was transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The sheriff's office released no additional details.

Sheriff: Kansas driver fell asleep before crash into building

KANSAS CITY —One person was injured in a house fire Friday in Kansas City.

Just after 7:30a.m., crews responded to a report of a house fire in the 7400 block of E 49th, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.

Crews reported heavy smoke and fire from a single-story home.&nbsp; Two occupants and a family pet were able to escape prior to the arrival of fire crews. One occupant was evaluated on scene and refused additional medical treatment. One occupant was transported in stable condition for evaluation of smoke inhalation and minor burns. 

The Red Cross is assisting two adults and one dog.&nbsp; No firefighter injuries were reported at this incident. The cause of the fire is remains under investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737331474939.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —One person was injured in a house fire Friday in Kansas City.Just after 7:30a.m., crews responded to a report of a house fire in the 7400 block of E 49th, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.Crews reported heavy smoke and fire from a single-story home.&nbsp; Two occupants and a family pet were able to escape prior to the arrival of fire crews. One occupant was evaluated on scene and refused additional medical treatment. One occupant was transported in stable condition for evaluation of smoke inhalation and minor burns. The Red Cross is assisting two adults and one dog.&nbsp; No firefighter injuries were reported at this incident. The cause of the fire is remains under investigation.

One hospitalized after fire at home in Kansas City

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspects in connection with a shooting at a hotel.

On December 18, police responded to a shooting at the Meadow Acres Inn, 2950 SW Topeka Blvd, according to police spokesperson Rosie Nichols. Shots were reportedly fired into a hotel room occupied by two adults. 

Upon arrival, officers observed property damage to the room and found a person in another room who was transported to a local hospital for life-threatening injuries.

Just before 8p.m. January 15, police located Michael H. Howey, 31, of Topeka, in the 700 block of SE 34th St. As a result of the investigation, Howey was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Battery; aggravated Criminal discharge of firearm; Occupied dwelling w great bodily harm, Criminal discharge of firearm; Unoccupied dwelling, Criminal damage to property; To injure or defraud value $1000 to $25000 and&nbsp;&nbsp;Unlawful discharge of firearm in city limits, Assault; aggravated, Use/possess w/intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body, Possession of marijuana and Interference with LEO; obstruct/resist/oppose felony warrant service or execution

On January 16, federal partners located Leonard Madison III, 29, of Topeka, in the 5800 block of SW Topeka Blvd. As a result of the investigation, Madison was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Criminal possession of a weapon by felon; less than 8 years since sentence/diversion, Battery; aggravated, Criminal discharge of firearm; Occupied dwelling w great bodily harm, Criminal discharge of firearm; Unoccupied dwelling, Criminal damage to property; To injure or defraud value $1000 to $25000, Unlawful discharge of firearm in city limits and Assault; aggravated.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737152240415.png" alt="Howey-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Howey-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspects in connection with a shooting at a hotel.On December 18, police responded to a shooting at the Meadow Acres Inn, 2950 SW Topeka Blvd, according to police spokesperson Rosie Nichols. Shots were reportedly fired into a hotel room occupied by two adults. Upon arrival, officers observed property damage to the room and found a person in another room who was transported to a local hospital for life-threatening injuries.Just before 8p.m. January 15, police located Michael H. Howey, 31, of Topeka, in the 700 block of SE 34th St. As a result of the investigation, Howey was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Battery; aggravated Criminal discharge of firearm; Occupied dwelling w great bodily harm, Criminal discharge of firearm; Unoccupied dwelling, Criminal damage to property; To injure or defraud value $1000 to $25000 and&nbsp;&nbsp;Unlawful discharge of firearm in city limits, Assault; aggravated, Use/possess w/intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body, Possession of marijuana and Interference with LEO; obstruct/resist/oppose felony warrant service or execution<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737152384650.png" alt="Madison-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Madison-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>On January 16, federal partners located Leonard Madison III, 29, of Topeka, in the 5800 block of SW Topeka Blvd. As a result of the investigation, Madison was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Criminal possession of a weapon by felon; less than 8 years since sentence/diversion, Battery; aggravated, Criminal discharge of firearm; Occupied dwelling w great bodily harm, Criminal discharge of firearm; Unoccupied dwelling, Criminal damage to property; To injure or defraud value $1000 to $25000, Unlawful discharge of firearm in city limits and Assault; aggravated.

Police track down 2 for shooting at Kan. motel that critically injured victim

FINNEY COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating three suspects on drug allegations.

On January 15,&nbsp;the Finney County Sheriff’s Office / Garden City Police Department Joint Drug Task Force and Holcomb Police Department served a search warrant at 401 Emmanuel Drive Apt. 3 in Holcomb, according to a media release.

This search warrant stemmed from an ongoing investigation into the activities of the residents of the apartment. The search of the residence resulted in the seizure of Methamphetamine and multiple items associated with the illegal distribution of controlled substances. The following people were arrested and lodged in the Finney County Jail as a result of the search warrant.

Danyl Rodriguez, 39,&nbsp; Holcomb, arrested on requested charges that include Distribute stimulants; 3.5-100 grams within 1000’ of a school zone; Possession of drug paraphernalia for distribution; Unlawful to acquire proceeds from drug transactions; Use of communication device to facilitate felony drug violation; Possession of drug paraphernalia for use; Felony interference with law enforcement and for destroying evidence.

Larry Briscoe Jr., 45, Holcomb, was arrested on requested charges that includ Possession of a Stimulant with 1 prior convictionand Possession of drug paraphernalia.

Zuleyca Beatriz Perez-Gomez, 30, Dodge City, was arrested on requested charges of&nbsp; Interference with a law enforcement officer and obstruct/resist/oppose felony warrant service or execution.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737126059592.png" alt="Briscoe-photo Finney County" />
 <figcaption>Briscoe-photo Finney County</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating three suspects on drug allegations.On January 15,&nbsp;the Finney County Sheriff’s Office / Garden City Police Department Joint Drug Task Force and Holcomb Police Department served a search warrant at 401 Emmanuel Drive Apt. 3 in Holcomb, according to a media release.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737217611476.png" alt="Perez-Gomez-photo Finney County" />
 <figcaption>Perez-Gomez-photo Finney County</figcaption>
 </figure>This search warrant stemmed from an ongoing investigation into the activities of the residents of the apartment. The search of the residence resulted in the seizure of Methamphetamine and multiple items associated with the illegal distribution of controlled substances. The following people were arrested and lodged in the Finney County Jail as a result of the search warrant.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737126123906.png" alt="Rodriguez-photo Finney Co." />
 <figcaption>Rodriguez-photo Finney Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Danyl Rodriguez, 39,&nbsp; Holcomb, arrested on requested charges that include Distribute stimulants; 3.5-100 grams within 1000’ of a school zone; Possession of drug paraphernalia for distribution; Unlawful to acquire proceeds from drug transactions; Use of communication device to facilitate felony drug violation; Possession of drug paraphernalia for use; Felony interference with law enforcement and for destroying evidence.Larry Briscoe Jr., 45, Holcomb, was arrested on requested charges that includ Possession of a Stimulant with 1 prior convictionand Possession of drug paraphernalia.Zuleyca Beatriz Perez-Gomez, 30, Dodge City, was arrested on requested charges of&nbsp; Interference with a law enforcement officer and obstruct/resist/oppose felony warrant service or execution.

Three accused in southwest Kansas drug sale operation

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump spent the eve of his inauguration in a series of Washington events that celebrate his return to power as he prepares to move back into the White House at a time of deep national political divisions.

Trump appeared solemn as he placed a wreath on an easel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Moments later, Vance did the same.

After he placing the wreaths, Trump, Vance and their wives met with families of soldiers buried at Section 60 in Arlington National Cemetery, a burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Trump greeted each family individually at the gravestones of their loved ones and appeared to place challenge coins on their headstones.

Trump family members,&nbsp;Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Tiffany Trump, Ivanka Trump and his picks for several Cabinet positions were also at Arlington National Cemetery including Pete Hegseth, his pick for defense secretary, Marco Rubio, his pick for secretary of state, Tulsi Gabbard, his pick for director of national intelligence and Elise Stefanik, his pick for United Nations ambassador. JD Vance’s spouse, Usha Vance, was also in attendance.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737312137074.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump spent the eve of his inauguration in a series of Washington events that celebrate his return to power as he prepares to move back into the White House at a time of deep national political divisions.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">President-Elect Trump Participates in Wreath-Laying Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery - LIVE on C-SPAN <a href="https://t.co/ZcvIfDNfXB">https://t.co/ZcvIfDNfXB</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1881047349553963293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump appeared solemn as he placed a wreath on an easel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Moments later, Vance did the same.After he placing the wreaths, Trump, Vance and their wives met with families of soldiers buried at Section 60 in Arlington National Cemetery, a burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737312296523.png" alt="Photo courtesy Margo Martin, Deputy Director of Communications, Donald J. Trump for President" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Margo Martin, Deputy Director of Communications, Donald J. Trump for President</figcaption>
 </figure>Trump greeted each family individually at the gravestones of their loved ones and appeared to place challenge coins on their headstones.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737319892231.png" alt="Photo courtesy Margo Martin, Deputy Director of Communications, Donald J. Trump for President" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Margo Martin, Deputy Director of Communications, Donald J. Trump for President</figcaption>
 </figure>Trump family members,&nbsp;Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Tiffany Trump, Ivanka Trump and his picks for several Cabinet positions were also at Arlington National Cemetery including Pete Hegseth, his pick for defense secretary, Marco Rubio, his pick for secretary of state, Tulsi Gabbard, his pick for director of national intelligence and Elise Stefanik, his pick for United Nations ambassador. JD Vance’s spouse, Usha Vance, was also in attendance.

🎥Trump and wounded warrior lay wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery

Kanakuk Ministries and its insurer are released from claims of fraud, with statute of limitations impacting sexual abuse survivor’s right to sue

BY:&nbsp;ANNELISE HANSHAW <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>

Christian summer camp Kanakuk Ministries and its insurer are not liable after allegedly concealing knowledge of sexual misconduct at its camp, a judge in Christian County Circuit Court ruled Friday.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/11/22/former-camper-suing-missouri-based-kanakuk-kamps-claiming-fraudulent-abuse-settlement/">case was brought by Logan Yandell, a survivor</a>&nbsp;of sexual abuse by Kanakuk Ministries’ former camp director Pete Newman. Yandell alleged the camp’s CEO lied to his parents, which influenced them to sign a settlement and non-disclosure agreement for $250,000 that they otherwise would have continued to fight.

Yandell says his family relied on statements made by camp CEO Joe White on a phone call that “nothing has been on (the camp’s) radar with (Newman)” when settling in 2010.

Yandell’s&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/18/judge-weighs-whether-missouri-based-kanakuk-defrauded-abuse-survivors-family/">attorney Reed Martens argued</a>&nbsp;in a November proceeding that the camp’s insurer, ACE American Insurance Co., influenced White to cover up his knowledge, saying White was acting as an agent of the insurance company during the phone conversation.

Judge Raymond Gross, who typically serves in Ozark County but was brought in to oversee the case, dismissed Yandell’s claims of fraud, saying he lacked the “right to rely” on a misstatement by White after newspapers reported that Kanakuk “knew of inappropriate behavior since 2003” and a public sentencing referenced the camp’s knowledge.

Yandell said he didn’t realize White had not told the truth until 2021, but Gross ruled that there were occasions he should have learned of the camp’s negligence years prior.

The statute of limitations in Missouri restricts fraud claims to five years after the fraud is discovered. Yandell should have known about the misstatement more than five years before he filed his claim, Gross wrote, making him ineligible to bring the claim.

Gross also rejected ACE Insurance as responsible for White’s statement, writing: “There is no evidence that ACE vested White with any power to speak or act on its behalf.”

The ruling did not mention a letter that the camp drafted to send to families that ACE “strongly recommended not to send.” This occurred after the phone call with the misstatement.

Gross wrote that there was no evidence of ACE pressuring White “prior to or during the phone call.”

The trial scheduled for July is now canceled. Attorneys for Yandell could not be immediately reached for comment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732026482190.png" alt="&nbsp;The Christian County Justice Center, as photographed Nov. 18, 2024 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;The Christian County Justice Center, as photographed Nov. 18, 2024 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Kanakuk Ministries and its insurer are released from claims of fraud, with statute of limitations impacting sexual abuse survivor’s right to sue</h2>BY:&nbsp;ANNELISE HANSHAW <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>Christian summer camp Kanakuk Ministries and its insurer are not liable after allegedly concealing knowledge of sexual misconduct at its camp, a judge in Christian County Circuit Court ruled Friday.The&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/11/22/former-camper-suing-missouri-based-kanakuk-kamps-claiming-fraudulent-abuse-settlement/">case was brought by Logan Yandell, a survivor</a>&nbsp;of sexual abuse by Kanakuk Ministries’ former camp director Pete Newman. Yandell alleged the camp’s CEO lied to his parents, which influenced them to sign a settlement and non-disclosure agreement for $250,000 that they otherwise would have continued to fight.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732026447363.png" alt="Logan Yandell in 2003, the year he began attending Kanakuk summer camp (photo submitted)." />
 <figcaption>Logan Yandell in 2003, the year he began attending Kanakuk summer camp (photo submitted).</figcaption>
 </figure>Yandell says his family relied on statements made by camp CEO Joe White on a phone call that “nothing has been on (the camp’s) radar with (Newman)” when settling in 2010.Yandell’s&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/18/judge-weighs-whether-missouri-based-kanakuk-defrauded-abuse-survivors-family/">attorney Reed Martens argued</a>&nbsp;in a November proceeding that the camp’s insurer, ACE American Insurance Co., influenced White to cover up his knowledge, saying White was acting as an agent of the insurance company during the phone conversation.Judge Raymond Gross, who typically serves in Ozark County but was brought in to oversee the case, dismissed Yandell’s claims of fraud, saying he lacked the “right to rely” on a misstatement by White after newspapers reported that Kanakuk “knew of inappropriate behavior since 2003” and a public sentencing referenced the camp’s knowledge.Yandell said he didn’t realize White had not told the truth until 2021, but Gross ruled that there were occasions he should have learned of the camp’s negligence years prior.The statute of limitations in Missouri restricts fraud claims to five years after the fraud is discovered. Yandell should have known about the misstatement more than five years before he filed his claim, Gross wrote, making him ineligible to bring the claim.Gross also rejected ACE Insurance as responsible for White’s statement, writing: “There is no evidence that ACE vested White with any power to speak or act on its behalf.”The ruling did not mention a letter that the camp drafted to send to families that ACE “strongly recommended not to send.” This occurred after the phone call with the misstatement.Gross wrote that there was no evidence of ACE pressuring White “prior to or during the phone call.”The trial scheduled for July is now canceled. Attorneys for Yandell could not be immediately reached for comment.

Judge rules summer camp not liable for CEO statements about sexual misconduct

GRAY COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 6a.m. Sunday in Gray County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 driven by Edgar Adolfo&nbsp;Rios-Meraz, 22, Satanta, was eastbound on Kansas 144 four miles east of Copeland.

The driver failed to stop at the stop sign at the intersection at U.S. 56 and struck a KDOT post.

The truck crossed U.S. 56, entered into the south ditch and rolled. The driver and passenger identified as 18-year-old Yensin Mabel&nbsp;Servin-Shavez were ejected.

Rios-Meraz was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported Servin-Shavez to&nbsp;Wesley Trauma Center. They were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.&nbsp; The report did not include Servin-Shavez's hometown.

GRAY COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 6a.m. Sunday in Gray County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 driven by Edgar Adolfo&nbsp;Rios-Meraz, 22, Satanta, was eastbound on Kansas 144 four miles east of Copeland.The driver failed to stop at the stop sign at the intersection at U.S. 56 and struck a KDOT post.The truck crossed U.S. 56, entered into the south ditch and rolled. The driver and passenger identified as 18-year-old Yensin Mabel&nbsp;Servin-Shavez were ejected.Rios-Meraz was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported Servin-Shavez to&nbsp;Wesley Trauma Center. They were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.&nbsp; The report did not include Servin-Shavez's hometown.

Kansas man dead after ejected in pickup rollover crash

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22HALELUYA%20HADERO%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By HALELUYA HADERO Associated Press</a>

TikTok said Sunday it was restoring service to users in the United States after the popular video-sharing platform went dark in response to a federal ban that President-elect Donald Trump said he would try to pause by executive order on his first day in office.

Trump said he planned to issue the order to give TikTok’s China-based parent company&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-us-ban-trump-extension-a3936a93f174d176d3633a67554d771b">more time</a>&nbsp;to find an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-buyers-divestment-ban-8429dfb422c4cefb6b0807aeb2c5cd56">approved buyer</a>&nbsp;before the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-trump-supreme-court-36c3c3b42f743a35c69e1c74341f1f30">popular video-sharing platform</a>&nbsp;is subject to a permanent U.S.ban. He announced the move on his Truth Social account as millions of U.S. TikTok users awoke to discover they could&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-tiktok-china-security-speech-166f7c794ee587d3385190f893e52777">no longer access</a>&nbsp;the TikTok app or platform.

Google and Apple removed the app from their digital stores to comply with the law, which required them to do so if TikTok parent company ByteDance didn’t sell its U.S. operation by Sunday. The law, which passed with wide bipartisan support in April, allowed for steep fines for non-compliance.

The company that runs TikTok said in a post on X that Trump's post had provided “the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans.”

Some users reported soon after TikTok's statement that the app was working again, and TikTok’s website appeared to be functioning for at least some users. Even as TikTok was flickering back on, it remained unavailable for download in Apple and Google’s app stores.

The law that took effect Sunday required ByteDance to cut ties with the platform’s U.S. operations due to national security concerns posed by the app’s Chinese roots. However, the statute gave the sitting president authority to grant a 90-day extension if a viable sale is underway.

Although investors made a few offers, ByteDance previously said it would not sell. In his post on Sunday, Trump said he “would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture,” but it was not immediately clear if he was referring to the government or an American company.

Trump said his order would “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect” and "confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.

“Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations,” Trump wrote.

The on-and-off availability of TikTok came after the U.S. Supreme Court held in a unanimous ruling Friday that the risk to national security posed by TikTok’s ties to China outweighed concerns about limiting speech by the app or its millions of users in the United States.

When TikTok users in the U.S. tried to watch or post videos on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-timeline-ban-biden-india-d3219a32de913f8083612e71ecf1f428">the platform</a>&nbsp;as of Saturday night, they saw a pop-up message under the headline, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now.”

“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S.,” a pop-up message informed users who opened the TikTok app and tried to scroll through videos on Saturday night. “Unfortunately that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”

The service interruption TikTok instituted hours early caught most users by surprise. Experts had said the law as written did not require TikTok to take down its platform, only for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-alternative-social-media-platforms-ban-49af1bfd2a1543a09b327544c380f217">app stores</a>&nbsp;to remove it. Current users had been expected to continue to have access to videos until the app stopped working due to a lack of updates.

“The community on TikTok is like nothing else, so it’s weird to not have that anymore,” content creator Tiffany Watson, 20, said Sunday.

Watson said she had been in denial about the looming shutdown and with the space time on her hands plans to focus on bolstering her presence on Instagram and YouTube.

“There are still people out there who want beauty content,” Watson said.

The company’s app also was removed late Saturday from prominent app stores, including the ones operated by Apple and Google. Apple told customers with its devices that it also took down other apps developed by TikTok’s China-based parent company, including one that some social media influencers had promoted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lemon8-tiktok-ban-alternative-creators-4d9328b4312681cc4f6dcb5d81a5e464">as an alternative</a>.

“Apple is obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates,” the company said.

Trump's plan to issue an executive order to spare TikTok on his first day in office reflected the ban's coincidental timing and the unusual mix of political considerations surrounding a social media platform that first gained popularity with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-biden-timeline-india-119969bfc584e92d47baa189a3e1c4fc">often silly videos</a>&nbsp;featuring dances and music clips.

During his first term in the White House, Trump issued executive orders in 2020 banning TikTok and the Chinese messaging app WeChat, moves that courts subsequently blocked. When momentum for a ban emerged in Congress last year, however, he opposed the legislation. Trump has since credited TikTok with helping him win support from young voters in last year's presidential election.

Despite its own part in getting the nationwide ban enacted, the Biden administration stressed in recent days that it did not intend to implement or enforce the ban before Trump takes office on Monday.

In the nine months since Congress passed the sale-or-ban law,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/divesting-tiktok-buyer-330c3a10d80aa9223facbfba0296a608">no clear buyers</a>&nbsp;emerged, and ByteDance publicly insisted it would not sell TikTok. But Trump said he hoped his administration could facilitate a deal to “save” the app.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew is expected to attend&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump’s</a>&nbsp;inauguration with a prime seating location.

Chew posted a video late Saturday thanking Trump for his commitment to work with the company to keep the app available in the U.S. and taking a “strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.”

Trump's choice for national security adviser, Michael Waltz, told CBS News on Sunday that the president-elect discussed TikTok going dark in the U.S. during a weekend call with Chinese President Xi Jinping “and they agreed to work together on this.”

On Saturday, artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI submitted a proposal to ByteDance to create a new entity that merges Perplexity with TikTok's U.S. business, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Perplexity is not asking to purchase the ByteDance algorithm that feeds TikTok user’s videos based on their interests and has made the platform such a phenomenon.

Other investors also eyed TikTok. “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary recently said a consortium of investors that he and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-mccourt-sale-bytedance-843d24334321f90bebeeac4b32896a9a">billionaire Frank McCourt</a>&nbsp;offered ByteDance $20 billion in cash. Trump’s former treasury secretary,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-mnuchin-house-senate-ffdf37776e63a09bb6966d741df7093b">Steven Mnuchin</a>, also said last year that he was putting together an investor group to buy TikTok.

In Washington, lawmakers and administration officials have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-unitedstates-tiktok-chew-2d851c716d6454d7c87762a056604c7a">long raised concerns</a>&nbsp;about TikTok, warning the algorithm that fuels what users see is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities. But to date, the U.S. has not publicly provided evidence of TikTok handing user data to Chinese authorities or tinkering with its algorithm to benefit Chinese interests.

Kanis Leung in Hong Kong and Charlotte Kramon in Atlanta contributed to this story.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737312697501.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22HALELUYA%20HADERO%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By HALELUYA HADERO Associated Press</a>TikTok said Sunday it was restoring service to users in the United States after the popular video-sharing platform went dark in response to a federal ban that President-elect Donald Trump said he would try to pause by executive order on his first day in office.Trump said he planned to issue the order to give TikTok’s China-based parent company&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-us-ban-trump-extension-a3936a93f174d176d3633a67554d771b">more time</a>&nbsp;to find an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-buyers-divestment-ban-8429dfb422c4cefb6b0807aeb2c5cd56">approved buyer</a>&nbsp;before the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-trump-supreme-court-36c3c3b42f743a35c69e1c74341f1f30">popular video-sharing platform</a>&nbsp;is subject to a permanent U.S.ban. He announced the move on his Truth Social account as millions of U.S. TikTok users awoke to discover they could&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-tiktok-china-security-speech-166f7c794ee587d3385190f893e52777">no longer access</a>&nbsp;the TikTok app or platform.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737257873247.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Google and Apple removed the app from their digital stores to comply with the law, which required them to do so if TikTok parent company ByteDance didn’t sell its U.S. operation by Sunday. The law, which passed with wide bipartisan support in April, allowed for steep fines for non-compliance.The company that runs TikTok said in a post on X that Trump's post had provided “the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans.”Some users reported soon after TikTok's statement that the app was working again, and TikTok’s website appeared to be functioning for at least some users. Even as TikTok was flickering back on, it remained unavailable for download in Apple and Google’s app stores.The law that took effect Sunday required ByteDance to cut ties with the platform’s U.S. operations due to national security concerns posed by the app’s Chinese roots. However, the statute gave the sitting president authority to grant a 90-day extension if a viable sale is underway.Although investors made a few offers, ByteDance previously said it would not sell. In his post on Sunday, Trump said he “would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture,” but it was not immediately clear if he was referring to the government or an American company.Trump said his order would “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect” and "confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.“Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations,” Trump wrote.The on-and-off availability of TikTok came after the U.S. Supreme Court held in a unanimous ruling Friday that the risk to national security posed by TikTok’s ties to China outweighed concerns about limiting speech by the app or its millions of users in the United States.When TikTok users in the U.S. tried to watch or post videos on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-timeline-ban-biden-india-d3219a32de913f8083612e71ecf1f428">the platform</a>&nbsp;as of Saturday night, they saw a pop-up message under the headline, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now.”“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S.,” a pop-up message informed users who opened the TikTok app and tried to scroll through videos on Saturday night. “Unfortunately that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”The service interruption TikTok instituted hours early caught most users by surprise. Experts had said the law as written did not require TikTok to take down its platform, only for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-alternative-social-media-platforms-ban-49af1bfd2a1543a09b327544c380f217">app stores</a>&nbsp;to remove it. Current users had been expected to continue to have access to videos until the app stopped working due to a lack of updates.“The community on TikTok is like nothing else, so it’s weird to not have that anymore,” content creator Tiffany Watson, 20, said Sunday.Watson said she had been in denial about the looming shutdown and with the space time on her hands plans to focus on bolstering her presence on Instagram and YouTube.“There are still people out there who want beauty content,” Watson said.The company’s app also was removed late Saturday from prominent app stores, including the ones operated by Apple and Google. Apple told customers with its devices that it also took down other apps developed by TikTok’s China-based parent company, including one that some social media influencers had promoted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lemon8-tiktok-ban-alternative-creators-4d9328b4312681cc4f6dcb5d81a5e464">as an alternative</a>.“Apple is obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates,” the company said.Trump's plan to issue an executive order to spare TikTok on his first day in office reflected the ban's coincidental timing and the unusual mix of political considerations surrounding a social media platform that first gained popularity with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-biden-timeline-india-119969bfc584e92d47baa189a3e1c4fc">often silly videos</a>&nbsp;featuring dances and music clips.During his first term in the White House, Trump issued executive orders in 2020 banning TikTok and the Chinese messaging app WeChat, moves that courts subsequently blocked. When momentum for a ban emerged in Congress last year, however, he opposed the legislation. Trump has since credited TikTok with helping him win support from young voters in last year's presidential election.Despite its own part in getting the nationwide ban enacted, the Biden administration stressed in recent days that it did not intend to implement or enforce the ban before Trump takes office on Monday.In the nine months since Congress passed the sale-or-ban law,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/divesting-tiktok-buyer-330c3a10d80aa9223facbfba0296a608">no clear buyers</a>&nbsp;emerged, and ByteDance publicly insisted it would not sell TikTok. But Trump said he hoped his administration could facilitate a deal to “save” the app.TikTok CEO Shou Chew is expected to attend&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump’s</a>&nbsp;inauguration with a prime seating location.Chew posted a video late Saturday thanking Trump for his commitment to work with the company to keep the app available in the U.S. and taking a “strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.”Trump's choice for national security adviser, Michael Waltz, told CBS News on Sunday that the president-elect discussed TikTok going dark in the U.S. during a weekend call with Chinese President Xi Jinping “and they agreed to work together on this.”On Saturday, artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI submitted a proposal to ByteDance to create a new entity that merges Perplexity with TikTok's U.S. business, according to a person familiar with the matter.Perplexity is not asking to purchase the ByteDance algorithm that feeds TikTok user’s videos based on their interests and has made the platform such a phenomenon.Other investors also eyed TikTok. “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary recently said a consortium of investors that he and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-mccourt-sale-bytedance-843d24334321f90bebeeac4b32896a9a">billionaire Frank McCourt</a>&nbsp;offered ByteDance $20 billion in cash. Trump’s former treasury secretary,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-mnuchin-house-senate-ffdf37776e63a09bb6966d741df7093b">Steven Mnuchin</a>, also said last year that he was putting together an investor group to buy TikTok.In Washington, lawmakers and administration officials have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-unitedstates-tiktok-chew-2d851c716d6454d7c87762a056604c7a">long raised concerns</a>&nbsp;about TikTok, warning the algorithm that fuels what users see is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities. But to date, the U.S. has not publicly provided evidence of TikTok handing user data to Chinese authorities or tinkering with its algorithm to benefit Chinese interests.___Kanis Leung in Hong Kong and Charlotte Kramon in Atlanta contributed to this story.

TikTok coming back online after Trump vowed to halt ban

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22WAFAA%20SHURAFA,%20SAMY%20MAGDY%20and%20TIA%20GOLDENBERG%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY and TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press</a>

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The first three hostages released from Gaza have arrived in Israel, the military announced Sunday, hours after the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold. Their mothers were waiting to meet them.

Israeli media, carrying live footage from Qatar-based Al Jazeera, showed the three women walking to Red Cross vehicles as their convoy moved through Gaza City. The vehicles were accompanied by armed men who wore green Hamas headbands and struggled to guard the cars from an unruly crowd that swelled into the thousands.

No further glimpses of the three were immediately expected as they will be taken for medical assessment. “They appear to be in good health,” President Joe Biden said in brief remarks as they were arriving in Israel.

In Tel Aviv, thousands of people gathered to watch the news on large screens erupted in cheers. For months, many had gathered in the square to demand a ceasefire deal.

The ceasefire ushers in an initial six-week period of calm and raises hopes for the release of dozens of militant-held hostages and an end to the devastating 15-month war. A last-minute delay by Hamas put off the truce's start by nearly three hours and highlighted its fragility.

Even before the ceasefire took effect, celebrations broke out across the territory and some Palestinians began returning to their homes.

Next up is the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners later Sunday. In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, families and friends gathered excitedly as cars honked and people waved the Palestinian flag.

The truce, which started at 11:15 a.m. local time,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-ceasefire-draft-terms-hostages-3df21b67620fdc8f62aa1d1e96487880">is the first step</a>&nbsp;toward ultimately ending the conflict and returning nearly 100 hostages abducted in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack.

Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were released. Gonen was abducted from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-music-festival-survivors-89d5785b3caed4e5796b8750010877f9">the Nova music festival</a>, while the others were kidnapped from Kibbutz&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-war-kibbutz-attack-anniversary-344b289751d8ee80d4909f15864f508c">Kfar Aza</a>. Damari is an Israeli-British dual citizen.

In the interim between 8:30 a.m. and when the ceasefire took hold, Israeli fire killed at least 26 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It did not say whether they were civilians or fighters. The military has warned people to stay away from Israeli forces as they retreat to a buffer zone inside Gaza.

Israel’s hard-line national security minister, meanwhile, said his Jewish Power faction was quitting the government in protest over the ceasefire agreement.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/itamar-bengvir-resigns-gaza-ceasefire-netanyahu-d63bc4ac1e4f741cafa6fab4d932f891">Itamar Ben-Gvir’s departure</a>&nbsp;weakens Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition but will not affect the truce.

In a separate development, Israel announced it had recovered the body of Oron Shaul, a soldier killed in the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, in a special operation in Gaza. The bodies of Shaul and another soldier, Hadar Goldin, remained there after the 2014 war and had not been returned.

The ceasefire deal was announced last week after a year of mediation by the United States, Qatar and Egypt. The outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump's team&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-ceasefire-trump-biden-israel-hamas-0e6c324ba0e3e9413bafe740fdefebc6">had both pressed for an agreement</a>&nbsp;to be reached before the inauguration on Monday.

Netanyahu on Saturday warned that he had Trump's backing to continue fighting if necessary.

The 42-day&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-ceasefire-draft-terms-hostages-3df21b67620fdc8f62aa1d1e96487880">first phase of the ceasefire</a>&nbsp;should see 33 hostages returned from Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees released. Many displaced Palestinians should be able to return home.

There is also supposed to be a surge of humanitarian aid, with hundreds of trucks entering Gaza daily,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-aid-hamas-unrwa-biden-bcf8489c338a2f33cb4d6f0a4f7138b5">far more than Israel allowed before</a>. The United Nations' World Food Program said trucks started entering through two crossings after the ceasefire took hold.

This is just the second ceasefire in the war, longer and more consequential than a weeklong pause in November 2023, with the potential to end the fighting for good.

Negotiations on the far more difficult second phase of this ceasefire should begin in just over two weeks. Major questions remain, including whether the war will resume after the first phase and how the rest of the hostages in Gaza will be freed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737298450699.png" alt="Doron Steinbrecher -Photos Hostages and Missing Families Forum" />
 <figcaption>Doron Steinbrecher -Photos Hostages and Missing Families Forum</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22WAFAA%20SHURAFA,%20SAMY%20MAGDY%20and%20TIA%20GOLDENBERG%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY and TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press</a>DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The first three hostages released from Gaza have arrived in Israel, the military announced Sunday, hours after the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold. Their mothers were waiting to meet them.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737298581042.png" alt="Emily Damari-Photos Hostages and Missing Families Forum" />
 <figcaption>Emily Damari-Photos Hostages and Missing Families Forum</figcaption>
 </figure>Israeli media, carrying live footage from Qatar-based Al Jazeera, showed the three women walking to Red Cross vehicles as their convoy moved through Gaza City. The vehicles were accompanied by armed men who wore green Hamas headbands and struggled to guard the cars from an unruly crowd that swelled into the thousands.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden on ceasefire in Gaza: &quot;After so much pain, destruction and loss of life, today the guns in Gaza have gone silent.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/QLm8jmXNyJ">pic.twitter.com/QLm8jmXNyJ</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1881021050575831514?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>No further glimpses of the three were immediately expected as they will be taken for medical assessment. “They appear to be in good health,” President Joe Biden said in brief remarks as they were arriving in Israel.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737298203464.png" alt="Romi Gonen-Photos Hostages and Missing Families Forum" />
 <figcaption>Romi Gonen-Photos Hostages and Missing Families Forum</figcaption>
 </figure>In Tel Aviv, thousands of people gathered to watch the news on large screens erupted in cheers. For months, many had gathered in the square to demand a ceasefire deal.The ceasefire ushers in an initial six-week period of calm and raises hopes for the release of dozens of militant-held hostages and an end to the devastating 15-month war. A last-minute delay by Hamas put off the truce's start by nearly three hours and highlighted its fragility.Even before the ceasefire took effect, celebrations broke out across the territory and some Palestinians began returning to their homes.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">They’re home. 💛 <a href="https://t.co/PHkJ3yZLrV">pic.twitter.com/PHkJ3yZLrV</a>&mdash; Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) <a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1881008620990840990?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Next up is the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners later Sunday. In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, families and friends gathered excitedly as cars honked and people waved the Palestinian flag.The truce, which started at 11:15 a.m. local time,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-ceasefire-draft-terms-hostages-3df21b67620fdc8f62aa1d1e96487880">is the first step</a>&nbsp;toward ultimately ending the conflict and returning nearly 100 hostages abducted in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack.Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were released. Gonen was abducted from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-music-festival-survivors-89d5785b3caed4e5796b8750010877f9">the Nova music festival</a>, while the others were kidnapped from Kibbutz&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-war-kibbutz-attack-anniversary-344b289751d8ee80d4909f15864f508c">Kfar Aza</a>. Damari is an Israeli-British dual citizen.In the interim between 8:30 a.m. and when the ceasefire took hold, Israeli fire killed at least 26 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It did not say whether they were civilians or fighters. The military has warned people to stay away from Israeli forces as they retreat to a buffer zone inside Gaza.Israel’s hard-line national security minister, meanwhile, said his Jewish Power faction was quitting the government in protest over the ceasefire agreement.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/itamar-bengvir-resigns-gaza-ceasefire-netanyahu-d63bc4ac1e4f741cafa6fab4d932f891">Itamar Ben-Gvir’s departure</a>&nbsp;weakens Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition but will not affect the truce.In a separate development, Israel announced it had recovered the body of Oron Shaul, a soldier killed in the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, in a special operation in Gaza. The bodies of Shaul and another soldier, Hadar Goldin, remained there after the 2014 war and had not been returned.<h2>Fragile agreement</h2>The ceasefire deal was announced last week after a year of mediation by the United States, Qatar and Egypt. The outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump's team&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-ceasefire-trump-biden-israel-hamas-0e6c324ba0e3e9413bafe740fdefebc6">had both pressed for an agreement</a>&nbsp;to be reached before the inauguration on Monday.Netanyahu on Saturday warned that he had Trump's backing to continue fighting if necessary.The 42-day&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-ceasefire-draft-terms-hostages-3df21b67620fdc8f62aa1d1e96487880">first phase of the ceasefire</a>&nbsp;should see 33 hostages returned from Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees released. Many displaced Palestinians should be able to return home.There is also supposed to be a surge of humanitarian aid, with hundreds of trucks entering Gaza daily,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-aid-hamas-unrwa-biden-bcf8489c338a2f33cb4d6f0a4f7138b5">far more than Israel allowed before</a>. The United Nations' World Food Program said trucks started entering through two crossings after the ceasefire took hold.This is just the second ceasefire in the war, longer and more consequential than a weeklong pause in November 2023, with the potential to end the fighting for good.Negotiations on the far more difficult second phase of this ceasefire should begin in just over two weeks. Major questions remain, including whether the war will resume after the first phase and how the rest of the hostages in Gaza will be freed.

Three Israeli hostages released as fragile ceasefire passes first hurdle

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Sunday posthumously&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2025/01/19/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-clemency-actions-3/" target="_blank">pardoned</a>&nbsp;Black nationalist&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/individuals/marcus-garvey" target="_blank">Marcus Garvey</a>, who influenced Malcolm X and was convicted of mail fraud in the 1920s. Biden also pardoned immigrant rights activist Ravi Ragbir and criminal justice reform advocate Kemba Smith Pradia. <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2025/01/19/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-clemency-actions-3/">Click here to see</a> the new list&nbsp;

Congressional leaders had pushed for Biden to pardon Garvey. Supporters long argued that Garvey’s conviction was politically motivated and an effort to silence the increasingly popular leader who spoke of racial pride.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c8bd2f796e4f4198ad4038b509255fb5">Ragbir was convicted of a nonviolent offence in 2001</a>&nbsp;and was sentenced to two years in prison. Smith Pradia is an advocate convicted of a drug offense in 1994 when she was sentenced to 24 years behind bars. President Bill Clinton commuted her sentence in 2000.

It’s still not clear whether Biden will use his last day in office to give pardons to people who have been criticized or threatened by President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-pardons-trump-f36ead0eb92ea30e47cbfddfaf326f20">Issuing preemptive pardons</a>&nbsp;— for actual or imagined offenses by Trump’s critics that could be investigated or prosecuted by the incoming administration — would stretch the powers of the presidency in untested ways.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Sunday posthumously&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2025/01/19/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-clemency-actions-3/" target="_blank">pardoned</a>&nbsp;Black nationalist&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/individuals/marcus-garvey" target="_blank">Marcus Garvey</a>, who influenced Malcolm X and was convicted of mail fraud in the 1920s. Biden also pardoned immigrant rights activist Ravi Ragbir and criminal justice reform advocate Kemba Smith Pradia. <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2025/01/19/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-clemency-actions-3/">Click here to see</a> the new list&nbsp;Congressional leaders had pushed for Biden to pardon Garvey. Supporters long argued that Garvey’s conviction was politically motivated and an effort to silence the increasingly popular leader who spoke of racial pride.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c8bd2f796e4f4198ad4038b509255fb5">Ragbir was convicted of a nonviolent offence in 2001</a>&nbsp;and was sentenced to two years in prison. Smith Pradia is an advocate convicted of a drug offense in 1994 when she was sentenced to 24 years behind bars. President Bill Clinton commuted her sentence in 2000.It’s still not clear whether Biden will use his last day in office to give pardons to people who have been criticized or threatened by President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-pardons-trump-f36ead0eb92ea30e47cbfddfaf326f20">Issuing preemptive pardons</a>&nbsp;— for actual or imagined offenses by Trump’s critics that could be investigated or prosecuted by the incoming administration — would stretch the powers of the presidency in untested ways.

See the list: Biden issues more pardons on final full day in office 

OSAGE COUNTY —The Osage County Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks are investigating a drowning incident. 

&nbsp;Just after 3:30 p.m. Saturday, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a person who had fallen out of a boat on Melvern Lake, according to Sheriff Chris Wells. Emergency crews responded to the scene.

After a lengthy search by land, air, and water, a subject was located. The subject was rescued from the water and life-saving measures were performed. The victim was transported to a local hospital, where they were later pronounced deceased.

The sheriff's office did not release the name of the victim or additional details.

The Osage County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Osage County Fire District #2 – Osage City, Osage County Fire District #3 – Melvern, Reading Fire Department, LifeSave air ambulance out of Emporia, and Osage County EMS participated in the search.&nbsp;

OSAGE COUNTY —The Osage County Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks are investigating a drowning incident. &nbsp;Just after 3:30 p.m. Saturday, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a person who had fallen out of a boat on Melvern Lake, according to Sheriff Chris Wells. Emergency crews responded to the scene.After a lengthy search by land, air, and water, a subject was located. The subject was rescued from the water and life-saving measures were performed. The victim was transported to a local hospital, where they were later pronounced deceased.The sheriff's office did not release the name of the victim or additional details.The Osage County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Osage County Fire District #2 – Osage City, Osage County Fire District #3 – Melvern, Reading Fire Department, LifeSave air ambulance out of Emporia, and Osage County EMS participated in the search.&nbsp;