SEDGWICK COUNTY —A woman who admitted responsibility for a fight that broke out in Sedgwick County Chief Judge Jeffrey Goering's courtroom will spend time in jail.

This week 49-year-old Janet Dees pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for disorderly conduct, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney. She was sentenced to five days in jail.

The fight occurred in April of&nbsp; 2022 &nbsp;during after a sentencing hearing for 19-year-old Te’Bryis Robinson had concluded, according to a statement from the Sedgwick County Sheriff's office.

Detectives with the sheriff's office presented their findings to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office for formal charging consideration against Robinson in connection with shooting at Towne East Mall.

The District Attorney originally charged Dees, 48, with one count of disorderly conduct under Kansas Statute 21-6203(a)(3), defined as using fighting words or engaging in noisy conduct likely to arouse alarm, anger or resentment in others.

In addition, Derrick E. Parker, Jr., 33; Trentasia Hutton, 24; Trentez Hutton, 21; Trentavies Hutton, 18; and a 16-year-old boy — all of Wichita — were each charged with one count of disorderly conduct under Kansas Statute 21-6203(a)(1), defined as brawling or fighting.

&nbsp;The incident prompted an immediate response from court security deputies to restore order to the courtroom.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758414191432.png" alt="Courtroom brawl image courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Courtroom brawl image courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A woman who admitted responsibility for a fight that broke out in Sedgwick County Chief Judge Jeffrey Goering's courtroom will spend time in jail.This week 49-year-old Janet Dees pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for disorderly conduct, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney. She was sentenced to five days in jail.The fight occurred in April of&nbsp; 2022 &nbsp;during after a sentencing hearing for 19-year-old Te’Bryis Robinson had concluded, according to a statement from the Sedgwick County Sheriff's office.Detectives with the sheriff's office presented their findings to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office for formal charging consideration against Robinson in connection with shooting at Towne East Mall.The District Attorney originally charged Dees, 48, with one count of disorderly conduct under Kansas Statute 21-6203(a)(3), defined as using fighting words or engaging in noisy conduct likely to arouse alarm, anger or resentment in others.In addition, Derrick E. Parker, Jr., 33; Trentasia Hutton, 24; Trentez Hutton, 21; Trentavies Hutton, 18; and a 16-year-old boy — all of Wichita — were each charged with one count of disorderly conduct under Kansas Statute 21-6203(a)(1), defined as brawling or fighting.&nbsp;The incident prompted an immediate response from court security deputies to restore order to the courtroom.

Woman gets jail time for fight in Kansas courtroom

BARTON COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a case of arson and vandalism at the St. Anne’s Catholic school in Olmitz have made an arrest.

Just after 5 p.m. on July 10, the Barton County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to St. Anne's Catholic School in the rural Barton County community of Olmitz, located approximately 17 miles northwest of Great Bend, for a report of vandalism, according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir.

Deputies found the school had been broken into. Unknown persons entered the building causing extensive damage to the interior of the building and other property inside the building.

 The Sheriff’s Office has been conducting investigation that involved out-of-state agencies as well as the Russell Kansas Police Department and Russell County Sheriff’s Office.

On September 17, 2025, the Russell County Sheriff’s office arrested 30-year-old Matthew Clampit on requested charges of criminal damage to property, arson and burglary of a non-dwelling for his involvement in the case. 

Clampit is being held in lieu of a $20,000 bond. Three more suspects have been developed, and arrest warrants are being sought by the Barton County Attorney’s office. Further arrests are expected in this case, according to Sheriff Bellendir

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758385564810.png" alt="Photos Barton Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photos Barton Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>BARTON COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a case of arson and vandalism at the St. Anne’s Catholic school in Olmitz have made an arrest.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758385524759.png" alt="Photo Barton Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo Barton Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 5 p.m. on July 10, the Barton County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to St. Anne's Catholic School in the rural Barton County community of Olmitz, located approximately 17 miles northwest of Great Bend, for a report of vandalism, according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758377443690.png" alt="Clampit photo Barton Co." />
 <figcaption>Clampit photo Barton Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Deputies found the school had been broken into. Unknown persons entered the building causing extensive damage to the interior of the building and other property inside the building.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758385725343.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure> The Sheriff’s Office has been conducting investigation that involved out-of-state agencies as well as the Russell Kansas Police Department and Russell County Sheriff’s Office.On September 17, 2025, the Russell County Sheriff’s office arrested 30-year-old Matthew Clampit on requested charges of criminal damage to property, arson and burglary of a non-dwelling for his involvement in the case. Clampit is being held in lieu of a $20,000 bond. Three more suspects have been developed, and arrest warrants are being sought by the Barton County Attorney’s office. Further arrests are expected in this case, according to Sheriff Bellendir

Suspect jailed for racist graffiti, vandalism at Kan. Catholic school

WASHINGTON (AP) — When it was all over,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;couldn’t believe it. “I could barely breathe,” she writes in her new book about learning she had lost the 2024&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2024/?office=P">presidential election</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>.

One of her aides peeled “Madame President” off celebratory cupcakes before serving them to crushed staffers. Harris kept asking, “My God, my God, what will happen to our country?”

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-donald-trump-election-ddeae9fb378530159201ef4196cba9b3">next morning</a>&nbsp;was no easier. “I was ashamed to realize I was in the denial and bargaining stages of grief, a very long way from acceptance,” she wrote.

It’s one of several raw admissions in Harris’ book, “107 Days,” that is scheduled for release Tuesday. The title refers to the length of the hyperspeed campaign that the former vice president launched against Trump after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drops-out-2024-election-ddffde72838370032bdcff946cfc2ce6">Joe Biden dropped out</a>&nbsp;of the race.

Although Harris earned a reputation as guarded and circumspect, the book has the tone of someone who is finished biting her tongue. She concedes mistakes, reveals frustrations and details some of the stranger moments from her race.

The book isn’t a winding memoir or a political treatise, and Harris doesn’t disclose any future plans. Instead, it reads like a ticking time bomb, with each chapter counting down to Election Day.

Harris insists in the book that she had no concerns about Biden’s ability to serve as president. “If I believed that, I would have said so.”

“But at eighty-one, Joe got tired,” Harris wrote. “That’s when his age showed in physical and verbal stumbles.”

Harris wrote that Biden’s inner circle “should have realized that any campaign was a bridge too far.” However, “it seemed that the worse things got, the more they pushed him.”

The tenuous situation unraveled when Biden and Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bidentrumppresidentialdebate-0e7577e9a354a69f50675494fea54ca9">faced off</a>&nbsp;with each other. “As soon as he walked onto the debate stage in Atlanta, I could see he wasn’t right,” Harris wrote.

Biden’s team appeared to be in denial. Afterward, they gave Harris talking points that said “JOE BIDEN WON.”

Harris wrote warmly of her partnership with Biden, but there were frosty moments too. As Biden faced calls to drop out of the race, he invited Harris to join him for a Fourth of July celebration at the White House.

First lady Jill Biden pulled Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff aside. “What’s going on?” she asked. “Are you supporting us?”

Later, in private, Emhoff erupted in anger. “They have to ask if we’re loyal?”

Another difficult episode came after Harris had replaced Biden at the top of the ticket and was preparing for her own debate with Trump.

Shortly before she took the stage, Biden called to say he heard from his brother that Harris had been badmouthing him, upsetting some power brokers in Philadelphia. Then he rambled about his own debate performances while Harris was “barely listening.”

“I just couldn’t understand why he would call me, right now, and make it all about himself,” she wrote.

Harris admits some mistakes of her own, particularly a damaging&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-stern-view-colbert-60-minutes-daddy-5a2af60ba0b1099e19cca151955c9855">appearance on “The View”</a>&nbsp;talk show. When one of the hosts asked what she would have done differently than Biden during the previous four years, Harris blanked on the talking points she had prepared and simply said, “There is not a thing that comes to mind.”

“I had no idea I’d just pulled the pin on a hand grenade,” Harris writes. Around the studio, “my staff were besides themselves” about how she had just given a “gift to the Trump campaign.”

Harris wrote that she didn’t want to criticize Biden or litigate any of the areas where they disagreed. But she also didn’t understand how much her association with the president was holding back her candidacy.

David Plouffe, a senior adviser, told Harris bluntly that “people hate Joe Biden.”

There’s plenty of grist in the book that could make the next Democratic convention a little more awkward.

Harris wrote that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pete-buttigieg">Pete Buttigieg</a>, Biden’s transportation secretary and a former mayor from Indiana, was her first choice to be her running mate. He’s also gay, and Harris thought it was “too big of a risk” to pick him while already asking voters to accept a Black woman as president.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was another possibility. But Harris “had a nagging concern that he would be unable to settle for a role as number two and that it would wear on our partnership.”

She ended up going with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-picks-tim-walz-running-mate-a64a91ae84953e880c8d086316d07c54">Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz</a>, but his debate performance against JD Vance left her yelling at the television screen. “You’re not there to make friends with the guy who is attacking your running mate,” she said.

There’s only one reference to California Gov. Gavin Newsom in the book. When Harris reached out to him after Biden ended his reelection campaign, he texted, “Hiking. Will call back,” but he never did.

Harris’ brother-in-law is Tony West, a former top Justice Department official and member of her inner circle of political advisers. While Harris was serving as vice president, West put together what was known as the “Red File,” a collection of plans in case something happened to Biden.

West argued that it would be foolish not to prepare. Harris writes that she “didn’t want to dwell on such an eventuality” and “I left it in his hands.”

He kept refreshing the document as people pressured Biden to drop out, which came in handy when Biden finally pulled the plug on his reelection campaign.

Harris writes that Biden was planning to wait a day before endorsing her as his successor, an idea that horrified her.

“If you want to put me in the strongest position, you have to endorse me now,” she recalled telling him. Harris prevailed, and the endorsement happened shortly after Biden announced that he was done.

Campaigns can be hallucinatory affairs, and this one was full of bizarre moments.

Harris writes that she warmed up for her convention speech with a professional voice coach who “wanted me to stand there and emit animal noises.” A little hesitant, Harris got her entire team to make “hums, grunts and trills” with her.

Harris also writes about talking with Trump after a second assassination attempt against him. Despite tearing into her on the campaign trail, Trump proceeded to flatter his opponent.

“How do I say bad things about you now?” he said. “I’m going to tone it down. I will. You’re going to see.” Then Trump said that his daughter Ivanka “is your big fan.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753984450634.png" alt="Kamala Harris courtesy image" />
 <figcaption>Kamala Harris courtesy image</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — When it was all over,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;couldn’t believe it. “I could barely breathe,” she writes in her new book about learning she had lost the 2024&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2024/?office=P">presidential election</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>.One of her aides peeled “Madame President” off celebratory cupcakes before serving them to crushed staffers. Harris kept asking, “My God, my God, what will happen to our country?”The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-donald-trump-election-ddeae9fb378530159201ef4196cba9b3">next morning</a>&nbsp;was no easier. “I was ashamed to realize I was in the denial and bargaining stages of grief, a very long way from acceptance,” she wrote.It’s one of several raw admissions in Harris’ book, “107 Days,” that is scheduled for release Tuesday. The title refers to the length of the hyperspeed campaign that the former vice president launched against Trump after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drops-out-2024-election-ddffde72838370032bdcff946cfc2ce6">Joe Biden dropped out</a>&nbsp;of the race.Although Harris earned a reputation as guarded and circumspect, the book has the tone of someone who is finished biting her tongue. She concedes mistakes, reveals frustrations and details some of the stranger moments from her race.The book isn’t a winding memoir or a political treatise, and Harris doesn’t disclose any future plans. Instead, it reads like a ticking time bomb, with each chapter counting down to Election Day.Here’s some memorable moments.<h2>‘Joe got tired’</h2>Harris insists in the book that she had no concerns about Biden’s ability to serve as president. “If I believed that, I would have said so.”“But at eighty-one, Joe got tired,” Harris wrote. “That’s when his age showed in physical and verbal stumbles.”Harris wrote that Biden’s inner circle “should have realized that any campaign was a bridge too far.” However, “it seemed that the worse things got, the more they pushed him.”The tenuous situation unraveled when Biden and Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bidentrumppresidentialdebate-0e7577e9a354a69f50675494fea54ca9">faced off</a>&nbsp;with each other. “As soon as he walked onto the debate stage in Atlanta, I could see he wasn’t right,” Harris wrote.Biden’s team appeared to be in denial. Afterward, they gave Harris talking points that said “JOE BIDEN WON.”<h2>Biden was a source of frustration</h2>Harris wrote warmly of her partnership with Biden, but there were frosty moments too. As Biden faced calls to drop out of the race, he invited Harris to join him for a Fourth of July celebration at the White House.First lady Jill Biden pulled Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff aside. “What’s going on?” she asked. “Are you supporting us?”Later, in private, Emhoff erupted in anger. “They have to ask if we’re loyal?”Another difficult episode came after Harris had replaced Biden at the top of the ticket and was preparing for her own debate with Trump.Shortly before she took the stage, Biden called to say he heard from his brother that Harris had been badmouthing him, upsetting some power brokers in Philadelphia. Then he rambled about his own debate performances while Harris was “barely listening.”“I just couldn’t understand why he would call me, right now, and make it all about himself,” she wrote.<h2>Hindsight is 20/20</h2>Harris admits some mistakes of her own, particularly a damaging&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-stern-view-colbert-60-minutes-daddy-5a2af60ba0b1099e19cca151955c9855">appearance on “The View”</a>&nbsp;talk show. When one of the hosts asked what she would have done differently than Biden during the previous four years, Harris blanked on the talking points she had prepared and simply said, “There is not a thing that comes to mind.”“I had no idea I’d just pulled the pin on a hand grenade,” Harris writes. Around the studio, “my staff were besides themselves” about how she had just given a “gift to the Trump campaign.”Harris wrote that she didn’t want to criticize Biden or litigate any of the areas where they disagreed. But she also didn’t understand how much her association with the president was holding back her candidacy.David Plouffe, a senior adviser, told Harris bluntly that “people hate Joe Biden.”<h2>The VP’s search for a VP</h2>There’s plenty of grist in the book that could make the next Democratic convention a little more awkward.Harris wrote that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pete-buttigieg">Pete Buttigieg</a>, Biden’s transportation secretary and a former mayor from Indiana, was her first choice to be her running mate. He’s also gay, and Harris thought it was “too big of a risk” to pick him while already asking voters to accept a Black woman as president.Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was another possibility. But Harris “had a nagging concern that he would be unable to settle for a role as number two and that it would wear on our partnership.”She ended up going with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-picks-tim-walz-running-mate-a64a91ae84953e880c8d086316d07c54">Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz</a>, but his debate performance against JD Vance left her yelling at the television screen. “You’re not there to make friends with the guy who is attacking your running mate,” she said.There’s only one reference to California Gov. Gavin Newsom in the book. When Harris reached out to him after Biden ended his reelection campaign, he texted, “Hiking. Will call back,” but he never did.<h2>Taking over the campaign</h2>Harris’ brother-in-law is Tony West, a former top Justice Department official and member of her inner circle of political advisers. While Harris was serving as vice president, West put together what was known as the “Red File,” a collection of plans in case something happened to Biden.West argued that it would be foolish not to prepare. Harris writes that she “didn’t want to dwell on such an eventuality” and “I left it in his hands.”He kept refreshing the document as people pressured Biden to drop out, which came in handy when Biden finally pulled the plug on his reelection campaign.Harris writes that Biden was planning to wait a day before endorsing her as his successor, an idea that horrified her.“If you want to put me in the strongest position, you have to endorse me now,” she recalled telling him. Harris prevailed, and the endorsement happened shortly after Biden announced that he was done.<h2>Things got weird sometimes</h2>Campaigns can be hallucinatory affairs, and this one was full of bizarre moments.Harris writes that she warmed up for her convention speech with a professional voice coach who “wanted me to stand there and emit animal noises.” A little hesitant, Harris got her entire team to make “hums, grunts and trills” with her.Harris also writes about talking with Trump after a second assassination attempt against him. Despite tearing into her on the campaign trail, Trump proceeded to flatter his opponent.“How do I say bad things about you now?” he said. “I’m going to tone it down. I will. You’re going to see.” Then Trump said that his daughter Ivanka “is your big fan.”

Kamala Harris reveals what Biden told her just before debate with Trump

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge has struck down a ballot summary for an anti-abortion amendment backed by Republican state lawmakers while concluding that it presented an unfair and insufficient description to voters.

Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green ruled Friday that the ballot summary must be rewritten, but he rejected a request by abortion-rights advocates to block the proposed constitutional amendment from going to voters.

The judge said the summary prepared by Republican lawmakers failed to inform voters that the new measure would repeal an abortion-rights amendment adopted by voters last year. He directed the secretary of state's office to write a new summary.

The ruling marks the latest in a series of twists and turns in Missouri’s abortion policies over the past three years.

When the U.S. Supreme Court ended a nationwide right to abortion by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturning Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;in 2022, that triggered a Missouri law to take effect banning abortions “except in cases of medical emergency.” But abortion-rights activists then gathered initiative petition signatures to put their own measure on the ballot.

Last November, Missouri voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing a right to abortion until fetal viability, generally considered&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-technology-science-health-birmingham-7fc806f3c06aeae94c5d6ed1b06a6461">sometime past 21 weeks of pregnancy</a>. That measure, known as Amendment 3, also allows later abortions to protect the life or health of pregnant women and creates a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom” that includes birth control, prenatal and postpartum care and “respectful birthing conditions.”

In May, the Republican-led Legislature shut down Democratic opposition and approved a new referendum that would repeal Amendment 3 and instead allow abortions only for a medical emergency or fetal anomaly, or in cases of rape or incest up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. That proposed amendment also would prohibit gender transition surgeries, hormone treatments and puberty blockers for minors, which already are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-nonbinary-hormone-puberty-missouri-lawmakers-5a8922430ffab9e43cf9b7ce254bff9f">barred under state law</a>.

Abortion-rights advocates had argued in a lawsuit that the entire measure should be stricken, alleging that the combination of abortion and transgender policies violated a constitutional requirement that amendments contain only one subject. But Green agreed with Republican lawmakers that both topics fit under the measure's title of “reproductive health care.”

The court order provided both sides an opportunity to claim victory.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway's office said in a statement that the court upheld “the central constitutional issues.”

Tori Schafer, director of policy and campaigns at the ACLU of Missouri, said abortion-rights advocates are “pleased that the judge saw through the legislature’s deceitful language” in the ballot summary.

Both the attorney general's office and Republican state Rep. Brian Seitz, who championed the latest measure, said they are confident in Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins' ability to revise the ballot summary.

If it’s a simple wording change, “I think we would be fine with that, because we do want the Missouri voters to know what they are voting on,” Seitz said Friday.

The proposed amendment will appear on the November 2026 ballot, unless Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe schedules the vote for sooner. The new measure is slated to be listed as Amendment 3 — the same number as the original abortion amendment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741103177243.png" alt="Photo (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Photo (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge has struck down a ballot summary for an anti-abortion amendment backed by Republican state lawmakers while concluding that it presented an unfair and insufficient description to voters.Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green ruled Friday that the ballot summary must be rewritten, but he rejected a request by abortion-rights advocates to block the proposed constitutional amendment from going to voters.The judge said the summary prepared by Republican lawmakers failed to inform voters that the new measure would repeal an abortion-rights amendment adopted by voters last year. He directed the secretary of state's office to write a new summary.The ruling marks the latest in a series of twists and turns in Missouri’s abortion policies over the past three years.When the U.S. Supreme Court ended a nationwide right to abortion by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturning Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;in 2022, that triggered a Missouri law to take effect banning abortions “except in cases of medical emergency.” But abortion-rights activists then gathered initiative petition signatures to put their own measure on the ballot.Last November, Missouri voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing a right to abortion until fetal viability, generally considered&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-technology-science-health-birmingham-7fc806f3c06aeae94c5d6ed1b06a6461">sometime past 21 weeks of pregnancy</a>. That measure, known as Amendment 3, also allows later abortions to protect the life or health of pregnant women and creates a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom” that includes birth control, prenatal and postpartum care and “respectful birthing conditions.”In May, the Republican-led Legislature shut down Democratic opposition and approved a new referendum that would repeal Amendment 3 and instead allow abortions only for a medical emergency or fetal anomaly, or in cases of rape or incest up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. That proposed amendment also would prohibit gender transition surgeries, hormone treatments and puberty blockers for minors, which already are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-nonbinary-hormone-puberty-missouri-lawmakers-5a8922430ffab9e43cf9b7ce254bff9f">barred under state law</a>.Abortion-rights advocates had argued in a lawsuit that the entire measure should be stricken, alleging that the combination of abortion and transgender policies violated a constitutional requirement that amendments contain only one subject. But Green agreed with Republican lawmakers that both topics fit under the measure's title of “reproductive health care.”The court order provided both sides an opportunity to claim victory.Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway's office said in a statement that the court upheld “the central constitutional issues.”Tori Schafer, director of policy and campaigns at the ACLU of Missouri, said abortion-rights advocates are “pleased that the judge saw through the legislature’s deceitful language” in the ballot summary.Both the attorney general's office and Republican state Rep. Brian Seitz, who championed the latest measure, said they are confident in Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins' ability to revise the ballot summary.If it’s a simple wording change, “I think we would be fine with that, because we do want the Missouri voters to know what they are voting on,” Seitz said Friday.The proposed amendment will appear on the November 2026 ballot, unless Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe schedules the vote for sooner. The new measure is slated to be listed as Amendment 3 — the same number as the original abortion amendment.

Mo. judge strikes down ballot summary for anti-abortion measure 

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a Labor Day weekend homicide have arrested a second teen suspect.

At 4:33 p.m., August 31, police were dispatched to the 2100 block of North Arkansas in Wichita for a reported shooting, according to a media release.

When officers arrived, they found two men inside a vehicle with gunshot wounds in the 600 block of W. 20th Street. Officers, Wichita Fire Department, and EMS personnel provided life-saving measures at the scene.

Both victims were transported to a local hospital in critical condition. At 4:58 p.m., 20-year-old Sebastian Williams was pronounced deceased. The second victim, a 20-year-old male remains hospitalized.

Police arrested a 16-year-old boy and booked him into the Juvenile Intake Assessment Center (JIAC) for felony murder. On Sept. 19, police reported the arrest of a 17-year-old in the case. He was&nbsp;booked in to Sedgwick Co. Juvenile Detention Facility for Felony Murder.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1756848053135.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a Labor Day weekend homicide have arrested a second teen suspect.At 4:33 p.m., August 31, police were dispatched to the 2100 block of North Arkansas in Wichita for a reported shooting, according to a media release.When officers arrived, they found two men inside a vehicle with gunshot wounds in the 600 block of W. 20th Street. Officers, Wichita Fire Department, and EMS personnel provided life-saving measures at the scene.Both victims were transported to a local hospital in critical condition. At 4:58 p.m., 20-year-old Sebastian Williams was pronounced deceased. The second victim, a 20-year-old male remains hospitalized.Police arrested a 16-year-old boy and booked him into the Juvenile Intake Assessment Center (JIAC) for felony murder. On Sept. 19, police reported the arrest of a 17-year-old in the case. He was&nbsp;booked in to Sedgwick Co. Juvenile Detention Facility for Felony Murder.

2nd Kansas teen accused in Labor Day weekend killing

ATCHISON COUNTY, Mo. —Just before noon on Saturday, the Missouri State Highway Patrol canceled the Amber Alert. Emily Harrington and Emma Hale were safely recovered in Indiana.

ATCHISON COUNTY, Mo. — The Missouri State Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert early Saturday for missing 12-year-old&nbsp; Emily Harrington and 12-year-old Emma Sue Hale.

They were last seen with a man named Alec or Alex and abducted just after 10:30p.m. Friday in the 600 Block of South Nebraska Street in Rock Port, Missouri.&nbsp;

The patrol indicated the suspect, identified as a white male, may be from California. The girls were seen with him at a football game at Rock Port High School.&nbsp; The Patrol released no additional details early Saturday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758368153102.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY, Mo. —Just before noon on Saturday, the Missouri State Highway Patrol canceled the Amber Alert. Emily Harrington and Emma Hale were safely recovered in Indiana.-----------ATCHISON COUNTY, Mo. — The Missouri State Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert early Saturday for missing 12-year-old&nbsp; Emily Harrington and 12-year-old Emma Sue Hale.They were last seen with a man named Alec or Alex and abducted just after 10:30p.m. Friday in the 600 Block of South Nebraska Street in Rock Port, Missouri.&nbsp;The patrol indicated the suspect, identified as a white male, may be from California. The girls were seen with him at a football game at Rock Port High School.&nbsp; The Patrol released no additional details early Saturday.

Patrol: Amber Alert canceled, two 12-year-old girls are safe

Sonny Curtis, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/songwriters-hall-nominees-2025-41a3b00e3bbd11d64dffae9eba70c6b8">vintage rock 'n' roller who wrote</a>&nbsp;the raw classic “I Fought the Law” and posed the enduring question “Who can turn the world on with her smile?” as the writer-crooner of the theme song to “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” has died at 88.

Curtis, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Crickets in 2012, died Friday, his wife of more than a half-century, Louise Curtis, confirmed to The Associated Press. His daughter, Sarah Curtis, wrote on his Facebook page that he had been suddenly ill.

Curtis wrote or co-wrote hundreds of songs, from Keith Whitley's country smash “I'm No Stranger to the Rain” to the Everly Brothers' “Walk Right Back,” a personal favorite Curtis completed while in Army basic training. Bing Crosby, Glen Campbell, Bruce Springsteen and the Grateful Dead were among other artists who covered his work.

Born during the Great Depression to cotton farmers outside of Meadow, Texas, Curtis was a childhood friend of Buddy Holly's and an active musician in the formative years of rock, whether jamming on guitar with Holly in the mid-1950s or opening for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/elvis-presley">Elvis Presley</a>&nbsp;when Elvis was still a regional act. Curtis' songwriting touch also soon emerged: Before he turned 20, he had written the hit “Someday” for Webb Pierce and “Rock Around With Ollie Vee” for Holly.

Curtis had left Holly's group, the Crickets, before Holly became a major star. But he returned after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-domestic-news-domestic-news-music-eb2e169f2eb84f9caf532fad36c8b524">Holly died in a plane crash</a>&nbsp;in 1959 and he was featured the following year on the album “In Style with the Crickets,” which included “I Fought the Law” (dashed off in a single afternoon, according to Curtis, who would say he had no direct inspiration for the song) and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/drummer-jerry-allison-dies-d744a807870b0f4b821c912d216be6f2">the Jerry Allison collaboration</a>&nbsp;“More Than I Can Say,” a hit for Bobby Vee, and later for Leo Sayer.

Meanwhile, it took until 1966 for “I Fought the Law” and its now-immortal refrain “I fought the law — and the law won” to catch on: The Texas-based Bobby Fuller Four made it a Top 10 song. Over the following decades, it was covered by dozens of artists, from punk (the Clash) to country (Johnny Cash, Nanci Griffith) to Springsteen, Tom Petty and other mainstream rock stars.

“It’s my most important copyright,” Curtis told The Tennessean in 2014.

Curtis' other signature song was as uplifting as “I Fought the Law” was resigned. In 1970, he was writing commercial jingles when he came up with the theme for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/fdd1427e301642dbb0c42f6e64ba18e5">a new CBS sitcom starring Moore</a>&nbsp;as a single woman hired as a TV producer in Minneapolis. He called the song “Love is All Around,” and used a smooth melody to eventually serve up lyrics as indelible as any in television history:

“Who can turn the world on with her smile? / Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile? / Well it's you girl, and you should know it / With each glance and every little movement you show it.”

The song's endurance was sealed by the images it was heard over, especially Moore's triumphant toss of her hat as Curtis proclaims, “You're going to make it after all.” In tribute, other artists began recording it, including Sammy Davis Jr., Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Minnesota's Hüsker Dü. A commercial release featuring Curtis came out in 1980 and was a modest success, peaking at No. 29 on Billboard's country chart.

Curtis would recall being commissioned by his friend Doug Gilmore, a music industry road manager who had heard the sitcom's developers were looking for an opening song.

“Naturally I said yes, and later that morning, he dropped off a four-page format — you know 'Girl from the Midwest, moves to Minneapolis, gets a job in a newsroom, can't afford her apartment etc.,' which gave me the flavor of what it was all about,” said Curtis, who soon met with show co-creator (and later Oscar-winning filmmaker)&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/jack-nicholson-movies-shirley-maclaine-james-l-brooks-26c0733cb77f4acd8c8758453cf1d049">James L. Brooks.</a>

“James L. Brooks came into this huge empty room, no furniture apart from a phone lying on the floor, and at first, I thought he was rather cold and sort of distant, and he said 'We're not at the stage of picking a song yet, but I'll listen anyway,'” Curtis recalled. “So I played the song, just me and my guitar, and next thing, he started phoning people, and the room filled up, and then he sent out for a tape recorder.”

Curtis would eventually write two versions: the first used in Season 1, the second and better known for the remaining six seasons. The original words were more tentative, opening with “How will you make it on your own?” and ending with “You might just make it after all.” By Season 2, the show was a hit and the lyrics were reworked. The producers had wanted Andy Williams to sing the theme song, but he turned it down and Curtis' easygoing baritone was heard instead.

Curtis made a handful of solo albums, including “Sonny Curtis” and “Spectrum,” and hit the country Top 20 with the 1981 single “Good Ol' Girls.” In later years, he continued to play with Allison and other members of the Crickets. The band released several albums, among them “The Crickets and Their Buddies,” featuring appearances by Eric Clapton, Graham Nash and Phil Everly. One of Curtis' more notable songs was “The Real Buddy Holly Story,” a rebuke to the 1978 biopic “The Buddy Holly Story,” which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gary-busey-sex-offense-horror-convention-new-jersey-491c5f5dbb41d40ec1dfa2bc5e51551f">starred Gary Busey.</a>

Curtis settled in Nashville in the mid-1970s and lived there with his wife, Louise. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1991 and, as part of the Crickets, into Nashville's Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2007. Five years later, he and the Crickets were inducted into the Rock Hall, praised as “the blueprint for rock and roll bands (that) inspired thousands of kids to start up garage bands around the world.”

Associated Press journalist Mallika Sen contributed reporting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758385969321.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>By HILLEL ITALIE AP National WriteSonny Curtis, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/songwriters-hall-nominees-2025-41a3b00e3bbd11d64dffae9eba70c6b8">vintage rock 'n' roller who wrote</a>&nbsp;the raw classic “I Fought the Law” and posed the enduring question “Who can turn the world on with her smile?” as the writer-crooner of the theme song to “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” has died at 88.Curtis, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Crickets in 2012, died Friday, his wife of more than a half-century, Louise Curtis, confirmed to The Associated Press. His daughter, Sarah Curtis, wrote on his Facebook page that he had been suddenly ill.Curtis wrote or co-wrote hundreds of songs, from Keith Whitley's country smash “I'm No Stranger to the Rain” to the Everly Brothers' “Walk Right Back,” a personal favorite Curtis completed while in Army basic training. Bing Crosby, Glen Campbell, Bruce Springsteen and the Grateful Dead were among other artists who covered his work.<h2>Early days with Buddy Holly</h2>Born during the Great Depression to cotton farmers outside of Meadow, Texas, Curtis was a childhood friend of Buddy Holly's and an active musician in the formative years of rock, whether jamming on guitar with Holly in the mid-1950s or opening for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/elvis-presley">Elvis Presley</a>&nbsp;when Elvis was still a regional act. Curtis' songwriting touch also soon emerged: Before he turned 20, he had written the hit “Someday” for Webb Pierce and “Rock Around With Ollie Vee” for Holly.Curtis had left Holly's group, the Crickets, before Holly became a major star. But he returned after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-domestic-news-domestic-news-music-eb2e169f2eb84f9caf532fad36c8b524">Holly died in a plane crash</a>&nbsp;in 1959 and he was featured the following year on the album “In Style with the Crickets,” which included “I Fought the Law” (dashed off in a single afternoon, according to Curtis, who would say he had no direct inspiration for the song) and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/drummer-jerry-allison-dies-d744a807870b0f4b821c912d216be6f2">the Jerry Allison collaboration</a>&nbsp;“More Than I Can Say,” a hit for Bobby Vee, and later for Leo Sayer.Meanwhile, it took until 1966 for “I Fought the Law” and its now-immortal refrain “I fought the law — and the law won” to catch on: The Texas-based Bobby Fuller Four made it a Top 10 song. Over the following decades, it was covered by dozens of artists, from punk (the Clash) to country (Johnny Cash, Nanci Griffith) to Springsteen, Tom Petty and other mainstream rock stars.“It’s my most important copyright,” Curtis told The Tennessean in 2014.<h2>‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’</h2>Curtis' other signature song was as uplifting as “I Fought the Law” was resigned. In 1970, he was writing commercial jingles when he came up with the theme for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/fdd1427e301642dbb0c42f6e64ba18e5">a new CBS sitcom starring Moore</a>&nbsp;as a single woman hired as a TV producer in Minneapolis. He called the song “Love is All Around,” and used a smooth melody to eventually serve up lyrics as indelible as any in television history:“Who can turn the world on with her smile? / Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile? / Well it's you girl, and you should know it / With each glance and every little movement you show it.”The song's endurance was sealed by the images it was heard over, especially Moore's triumphant toss of her hat as Curtis proclaims, “You're going to make it after all.” In tribute, other artists began recording it, including Sammy Davis Jr., Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Minnesota's Hüsker Dü. A commercial release featuring Curtis came out in 1980 and was a modest success, peaking at No. 29 on Billboard's country chart.Curtis would recall being commissioned by his friend Doug Gilmore, a music industry road manager who had heard the sitcom's developers were looking for an opening song.“Naturally I said yes, and later that morning, he dropped off a four-page format — you know 'Girl from the Midwest, moves to Minneapolis, gets a job in a newsroom, can't afford her apartment etc.,' which gave me the flavor of what it was all about,” said Curtis, who soon met with show co-creator (and later Oscar-winning filmmaker)&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/jack-nicholson-movies-shirley-maclaine-james-l-brooks-26c0733cb77f4acd8c8758453cf1d049">James L. Brooks.</a>“James L. Brooks came into this huge empty room, no furniture apart from a phone lying on the floor, and at first, I thought he was rather cold and sort of distant, and he said 'We're not at the stage of picking a song yet, but I'll listen anyway,'” Curtis recalled. “So I played the song, just me and my guitar, and next thing, he started phoning people, and the room filled up, and then he sent out for a tape recorder.”Curtis would eventually write two versions: the first used in Season 1, the second and better known for the remaining six seasons. The original words were more tentative, opening with “How will you make it on your own?” and ending with “You might just make it after all.” By Season 2, the show was a hit and the lyrics were reworked. The producers had wanted Andy Williams to sing the theme song, but he turned it down and Curtis' easygoing baritone was heard instead.<h2>Later life</h2>Curtis made a handful of solo albums, including “Sonny Curtis” and “Spectrum,” and hit the country Top 20 with the 1981 single “Good Ol' Girls.” In later years, he continued to play with Allison and other members of the Crickets. The band released several albums, among them “The Crickets and Their Buddies,” featuring appearances by Eric Clapton, Graham Nash and Phil Everly. One of Curtis' more notable songs was “The Real Buddy Holly Story,” a rebuke to the 1978 biopic “The Buddy Holly Story,” which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gary-busey-sex-offense-horror-convention-new-jersey-491c5f5dbb41d40ec1dfa2bc5e51551f">starred Gary Busey.</a>Curtis settled in Nashville in the mid-1970s and lived there with his wife, Louise. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1991 and, as part of the Crickets, into Nashville's Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2007. Five years later, he and the Crickets were inducted into the Rock Hall, praised as “the blueprint for rock and roll bands (that) inspired thousands of kids to start up garage bands around the world.”___Associated Press journalist Mallika Sen contributed reporting.

Sonny Curtis, Crickets member who penned ‘Mary Tyler Moore Show’ theme, dies 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Looking to reshape the U.S. visa system for highly skilled foreign workers and investors, President Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation that will require a new annual $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications and rolled out a $1 million “gold card” visa as a potential pathway to U.S. citizenship.

The moves face near-certain legal challenges and widespread criticism that Trump is going beyond presidential authority by sidestepping Congress. The actions, if they survive legal muster, will deliver staggering price increases for high-skilled and investor visas created by Congress in 1990.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the H-1B visa fee will be $100,000 per year and added that “all big companies” are on board.

H-1B visas are meant to bring the best and brightest foreigners for high-skilled jobs that tech companies find difficult to fill with qualified U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The program instead has turned into a pipeline for overseas workers who are often willing to work for as little as $60,000 annually. That is far less than $100,000-plus salaries typically paid to U.S. technology workers.

Trump on Friday insisted that the tech industry would not oppose the move. “I think they're going to be very happy,” he said.

Representatives for the biggest tech companies, including Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta, did not immediately respond to messages for comment on Friday. Microsoft declined to comment.

“So no longer will you put trainees on an H-1B visa,” Lutnick said on a call with reporters. “That it’s just not economic anymore. If you’re going to train people, you’re going to train Americans. ... If you have a very sophisticated engineer and you want to bring them in ... then you can pay $100,000 a year for your H-1B visa.”

Trump also announced he will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-gold-card-visa-million-investors-1aa4585dc053e21c7d887f1fdb9eec13">start selling a “gold card” visa</a>&nbsp;with a potential pathway to U.S. citizenship. The “Trump Gold Card” will be available for a processing fee and a $1 million contribution after vetting. For companies, it will cost $2 million. The “Trump Platinum Card,” meanwhile, will be available for a $5 million contribution and will allow foreigners to spend up to 270 days in the U.S. without being subject to U.S. taxes on non-U.S. income. Trump announced a $5 million gold card in February to replace an existing investor visa — this is now the platinum card. Applicants can sign up now for a waitlist for the platinum card, but it still needs to be approved by Congress.

First lady Melania Trump, the former Melania Knauss, was granted an H-1B work visa in October 1996 to work as a model. She was born in Slovenia.

The H-1B program was created in 1990 for people with a bachelor’s degree or higher in fields where jobs are deemed hard to fill, especially science, technology, engineering and math. Critics say they allow companies to pay lower wages with fewer labor protections.

Historically, these visas — 85,000 per year — have been doled out through a lottery system. This year, Amazon was by far the top recipient of H-1B visas with more than 10,000 awarded, followed by Tata Consultancy, Microsoft, Apple and Google. Geographically, California has the highest number of H-1B workers, according to UCIS.

Critics say H-1B spots often go to entry-level jobs, rather than senior positions with unique skill requirements. And while the program isn’t supposed to undercut U.S. wages or displace U.S. workers, critics say companies can pay less by classifying jobs at the lowest skill levels, even if the specific workers hired have more experience.

As a result, many U.S. companies find it cheaper simply to contract out help desks, programming and other basic tasks to consulting companies such as Wipro, Infosys, HCL Technologies and Tata in India and IBM and Cognizant in the U.S. These consulting companies hire foreign workers, often from India, and contract them out to U.S. employers looking to save money.

Doug Rand, who served as the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services during the Biden administration, said this amounts to a “split personality disorder” for the program, with only about half of the visas each year going to traditional companies that offer long-term employment and can put immigrants on a track to citizenship. The other half go to staffing or consulting firms — and while many are established and well-known companies, others are just one-person operations that wouldn’t exist without the H-1B program.

“They’re basically entering the lottery so they can hire people that they then rent out to other larger companies doing actual work,” Rand said. “And so there’s a lot of misbehavior and chicanery in this part of the system.”

In 2024, lottery bids for the visas plunged nearly 40%, which authorities said was due to success against people who were “gaming the system” by submitting multiple, sometimes dubious, applications to unfairly increase chances of being selected.

Major technology companies that use H-1B visas sought changes after massive increases in bids left their employees and prospective hires with slimmer chances of winning the random lottery. Facing what it acknowledged was likely fraud and abuse, USCIS this year said each employee had only one shot at the lottery, whether the person had one job offer or 50.

Critics welcomed the change but said more needs to be done. The AFL-CIO wrote last year that while changes to the lottery “included some steps in the right direction,” it fell short of needed reforms. The labor group wants visas awarded to companies that pay the highest wages instead of by random lottery, a change that Trump sought during his first term in the White House.

After the announcements Friday, Rand, the former USCIS official, said this “is going to be a really lousy weekend for litigators who just had their Friday night dinners interrupted by a ludicrously lawless presidential proclamation, set to go into effect on Sunday morning at 12:01am.”

“This isn’t real policy -- it’s fan service for immigration restrictionists,” Rand said. “Trump gets his headlines, and inflicts a jolt of panic, and doesn’t care whether this survives first contact with the courts.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Looking to reshape the U.S. visa system for highly skilled foreign workers and investors, President Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation that will require a new annual $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications and rolled out a $1 million “gold card” visa as a potential pathway to U.S. citizenship.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> signs a Proclamation to restrict the entry of certain H-1B aliens into the U.S. as nonimmigrant workers, requiring a $100,000 payment to accompany or supplement H-1B petitions for new applications. AMERICA FIRST! <a href="https://t.co/AzAUJzXawV">pic.twitter.com/AzAUJzXawV</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1969155493701571049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The moves face near-certain legal challenges and widespread criticism that Trump is going beyond presidential authority by sidestepping Congress. The actions, if they survive legal muster, will deliver staggering price increases for high-skilled and investor visas created by Congress in 1990.Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the H-1B visa fee will be $100,000 per year and added that “all big companies” are on board.H-1B visas are meant to bring the best and brightest foreigners for high-skilled jobs that tech companies find difficult to fill with qualified U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The program instead has turned into a pipeline for overseas workers who are often willing to work for as little as $60,000 annually. That is far less than $100,000-plus salaries typically paid to U.S. technology workers.Trump on Friday insisted that the tech industry would not oppose the move. “I think they're going to be very happy,” he said.Representatives for the biggest tech companies, including Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta, did not immediately respond to messages for comment on Friday. Microsoft declined to comment.“So no longer will you put trainees on an H-1B visa,” Lutnick said on a call with reporters. “That it’s just not economic anymore. If you’re going to train people, you’re going to train Americans. ... If you have a very sophisticated engineer and you want to bring them in ... then you can pay $100,000 a year for your H-1B visa.”Trump also announced he will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-gold-card-visa-million-investors-1aa4585dc053e21c7d887f1fdb9eec13">start selling a “gold card” visa</a>&nbsp;with a potential pathway to U.S. citizenship. The “Trump Gold Card” will be available for a processing fee and a $1 million contribution after vetting. For companies, it will cost $2 million. The “Trump Platinum Card,” meanwhile, will be available for a $5 million contribution and will allow foreigners to spend up to 270 days in the U.S. without being subject to U.S. taxes on non-U.S. income. Trump announced a $5 million gold card in February to replace an existing investor visa — this is now the platinum card. Applicants can sign up now for a waitlist for the platinum card, but it still needs to be approved by Congress.First lady Melania Trump, the former Melania Knauss, was granted an H-1B work visa in October 1996 to work as a model. She was born in Slovenia.The H-1B program was created in 1990 for people with a bachelor’s degree or higher in fields where jobs are deemed hard to fill, especially science, technology, engineering and math. Critics say they allow companies to pay lower wages with fewer labor protections.Historically, these visas — 85,000 per year — have been doled out through a lottery system. This year, Amazon was by far the top recipient of H-1B visas with more than 10,000 awarded, followed by Tata Consultancy, Microsoft, Apple and Google. Geographically, California has the highest number of H-1B workers, according to UCIS.Critics say H-1B spots often go to entry-level jobs, rather than senior positions with unique skill requirements. And while the program isn’t supposed to undercut U.S. wages or displace U.S. workers, critics say companies can pay less by classifying jobs at the lowest skill levels, even if the specific workers hired have more experience.As a result, many U.S. companies find it cheaper simply to contract out help desks, programming and other basic tasks to consulting companies such as Wipro, Infosys, HCL Technologies and Tata in India and IBM and Cognizant in the U.S. These consulting companies hire foreign workers, often from India, and contract them out to U.S. employers looking to save money.Doug Rand, who served as the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services during the Biden administration, said this amounts to a “split personality disorder” for the program, with only about half of the visas each year going to traditional companies that offer long-term employment and can put immigrants on a track to citizenship. The other half go to staffing or consulting firms — and while many are established and well-known companies, others are just one-person operations that wouldn’t exist without the H-1B program.“They’re basically entering the lottery so they can hire people that they then rent out to other larger companies doing actual work,” Rand said. “And so there’s a lot of misbehavior and chicanery in this part of the system.”In 2024, lottery bids for the visas plunged nearly 40%, which authorities said was due to success against people who were “gaming the system” by submitting multiple, sometimes dubious, applications to unfairly increase chances of being selected.Major technology companies that use H-1B visas sought changes after massive increases in bids left their employees and prospective hires with slimmer chances of winning the random lottery. Facing what it acknowledged was likely fraud and abuse, USCIS this year said each employee had only one shot at the lottery, whether the person had one job offer or 50.Critics welcomed the change but said more needs to be done. The AFL-CIO wrote last year that while changes to the lottery “included some steps in the right direction,” it fell short of needed reforms. The labor group wants visas awarded to companies that pay the highest wages instead of by random lottery, a change that Trump sought during his first term in the White House.After the announcements Friday, Rand, the former USCIS official, said this “is going to be a really lousy weekend for litigators who just had their Friday night dinners interrupted by a ludicrously lawless presidential proclamation, set to go into effect on Sunday morning at 12:01am.”“This isn’t real policy -- it’s fan service for immigration restrictionists,” Rand said. “Trump gets his headlines, and inflicts a jolt of panic, and doesn’t care whether this survives first contact with the courts.”___

🎥Dramatic new changes Trump made on H-1B visa program

KANSAS CITY —Homicide detectives are investigating at the scene of a fatal fire in Kansas City.

Just before 1a.m. Friday, the Kansas City Fire Department was dispatched to an apartment fire in the 4400 Block of Independence in Kansas City, Missouri, according to Battalion Chief Riley Nolan.

Crews discovered a victim and removed them from the apartment. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;

Fire crews notified Kansas City, Missouri police of the death. Detectives from Violent Crimes Division and Bomb and Arson then responded to the scene for a death investigation, according to KCPD Sergeant Jake Becchina.

&nbsp;Based on some of the evidence located at the scene the, medical examiner and detectives determined that the death may not have been the result of natural causes or fire.

Homicide detectives responded to the scene and took over the investigation. Crime scene investigators are processing the scene as well for evidence. Detectives will also be working to identify the deceased victim which will give detectives a better idea of what led up to his death, as well as the subsequent fire.

The name of the victim has not been released.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758311035022.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Homicide detectives are investigating at the scene of a fatal fire in Kansas City.Just before 1a.m. Friday, the Kansas City Fire Department was dispatched to an apartment fire in the 4400 Block of Independence in Kansas City, Missouri, according to Battalion Chief Riley Nolan.Crews discovered a victim and removed them from the apartment. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;Fire crews notified Kansas City, Missouri police of the death. Detectives from Violent Crimes Division and Bomb and Arson then responded to the scene for a death investigation, according to KCPD Sergeant Jake Becchina.&nbsp;Based on some of the evidence located at the scene the, medical examiner and detectives determined that the death may not have been the result of natural causes or fire.Homicide detectives responded to the scene and took over the investigation. Crime scene investigators are processing the scene as well for evidence. Detectives will also be working to identify the deceased victim which will give detectives a better idea of what led up to his death, as well as the subsequent fire.The name of the victim has not been released.

Homicide: Man's body found in burning KC apartment

ATLANTA (AP) — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cdc-vaccines-acip-hepatitis-b-chickenpox-21623ff8ead38ae1b21db488ee82a1f8">new vaccine advisers</a>&nbsp;added confusion Friday to this fall’s COVID-19 vaccinations — declining to recommend them for anyone and leaving the choice up to those who want a shot.

Until now, the vaccinations had been recommended as a routine step in the fall for nearly all Americans who wanted them — just like a yearly flu vaccine.

The Food and Drug Administration already had placed new restrictions on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vaccines-covid-shots-fda-kennedy-pfizer-children-9ce19908ae7afb354732aa162fd28532">this year’s shots</a>&nbsp;from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax, reserving them for people over 65 or younger ones who are deemed at higher risk from the virus.

In a series of votes Friday, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention took the unprecedented step of not recommending them even for high-risk populations like seniors — instead deciding that people could make individual decisions.

The panel also urged the CDC to adopt stronger language around claims of vaccine risks, despite pushback from outside medical groups who said the shots had a proven safety record from the billions of doses administered worldwide.

The divided panel narrowly avoided urging states to require a prescription for the shot.

Dr. Sean O’Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics said the panel's daylong debate involved clear efforts to “sow distrust” about vaccines and would have “real-time impacts on American children.”

But he expressed relief that people could instead follow guidelines from his and other medical groups that still recommend the vaccines be available like in prior years.

“It was a very, very strange meeting,” O’Leary said.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccine-order-states-45cb1439f260c9f6b2ccd1fb7a99ca1f">Several states</a>&nbsp;have announced policies to try to assure that access, worried about Friday’s decision. And a group representing most health insurers, America’s Health Insurance Plans, said earlier this week that its members will continuing covering the shots through 2026.

The COVID-19 vaccines are not perfect, but CDC data shows they provide the strongest protection against severe infection and death, even if people still become infected. Likewise, people can get COVID-19 repeatedly as the virus continues to evolve.

Like flu vaccines, COVID-19 shots now are being updated yearly, but only about 44% of seniors and 13% of children were up-to-date on the coronavirus vaccinations last year, the CDC said.

Among many unproven questions about risks that the panel raised Friday was one rare side effect that people already are warned about:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccines-heart-myocarditis-warning-07103a53236cb715400aac0608e27dab">a kind of heart inflammation called myocarditis</a>, mostly in young men, that was discovered in the early days of vaccination in 2021. A scientist studying whether people with certain genes are uniquely susceptible to that risk told the panel the Trump administration had canceled his grant before the research could be finished.

The panel took up COVID-19 vaccinations as the virus remains a public health threat. CDC data released in June shows the virus resulted in 32,000 to 51,000 U.S. deaths and more than 250,000 hospitalizations last fall and winter. Most at risk for hospitalization are seniors and young children — especially those who were unvaccinated.

The panel opened the second day of its meeting with continued confusion over a question it left hanging Thursday: whether to end a longstanding CDC recommendation that all newborns be vaccinated at birth against a liver virus, hepatitis B.

The panel had been considering whether to recommend delaying that initial vaccination — something doctors and parents already can choose to do. But amid criticism from independent pediatric and infectious disease specialists who say the vaccine is safe and has helped infant infections drop sharply, the advisers decided Friday to postpone that decision.

On Thursday, the panel recommended a new restriction on another childhood vaccine.

They recommended that for children under 4, their first dose of protection against MMR — measles, mumps and rubella — and chickenpox should be in separate shots, not a combination version known as MMRV. Since 2009, the CDC has said it prefers separate shots for initial doses of those vaccines and 85% of toddlers already do.

On Friday, the committee also recommended that the government’s Vaccines for Children program — which covers vaccine costs for about half of U.S. kids — align its guidance with that narrower MMRV usage.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756320895304.png" alt="Photo courtesy Pfizer" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Pfizer</figcaption>
 </figure>ATLANTA (AP) — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cdc-vaccines-acip-hepatitis-b-chickenpox-21623ff8ead38ae1b21db488ee82a1f8">new vaccine advisers</a>&nbsp;added confusion Friday to this fall’s COVID-19 vaccinations — declining to recommend them for anyone and leaving the choice up to those who want a shot.Until now, the vaccinations had been recommended as a routine step in the fall for nearly all Americans who wanted them — just like a yearly flu vaccine.The Food and Drug Administration already had placed new restrictions on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vaccines-covid-shots-fda-kennedy-pfizer-children-9ce19908ae7afb354732aa162fd28532">this year’s shots</a>&nbsp;from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax, reserving them for people over 65 or younger ones who are deemed at higher risk from the virus.In a series of votes Friday, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention took the unprecedented step of not recommending them even for high-risk populations like seniors — instead deciding that people could make individual decisions.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">ACIP member Robert W. Malone, MD: “There is no established correlative protection for COVID. Period. Full stop. And stop saying otherwise.” <a href="https://t.co/VNp9drekrU">pic.twitter.com/VNp9drekrU</a>&mdash; CDC (@CDCgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/CDCgov/status/1969085408538509799?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The panel also urged the CDC to adopt stronger language around claims of vaccine risks, despite pushback from outside medical groups who said the shots had a proven safety record from the billions of doses administered worldwide.The divided panel narrowly avoided urging states to require a prescription for the shot.Dr. Sean O’Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics said the panel's daylong debate involved clear efforts to “sow distrust” about vaccines and would have “real-time impacts on American children.”But he expressed relief that people could instead follow guidelines from his and other medical groups that still recommend the vaccines be available like in prior years.“It was a very, very strange meeting,” O’Leary said.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccine-order-states-45cb1439f260c9f6b2ccd1fb7a99ca1f">Several states</a>&nbsp;have announced policies to try to assure that access, worried about Friday’s decision. And a group representing most health insurers, America’s Health Insurance Plans, said earlier this week that its members will continuing covering the shots through 2026.The COVID-19 vaccines are not perfect, but CDC data shows they provide the strongest protection against severe infection and death, even if people still become infected. Likewise, people can get COVID-19 repeatedly as the virus continues to evolve.Like flu vaccines, COVID-19 shots now are being updated yearly, but only about 44% of seniors and 13% of children were up-to-date on the coronavirus vaccinations last year, the CDC said.Among many unproven questions about risks that the panel raised Friday was one rare side effect that people already are warned about:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccines-heart-myocarditis-warning-07103a53236cb715400aac0608e27dab">a kind of heart inflammation called myocarditis</a>, mostly in young men, that was discovered in the early days of vaccination in 2021. A scientist studying whether people with certain genes are uniquely susceptible to that risk told the panel the Trump administration had canceled his grant before the research could be finished.The panel took up COVID-19 vaccinations as the virus remains a public health threat. CDC data released in June shows the virus resulted in 32,000 to 51,000 U.S. deaths and more than 250,000 hospitalizations last fall and winter. Most at risk for hospitalization are seniors and young children — especially those who were unvaccinated.The panel opened the second day of its meeting with continued confusion over a question it left hanging Thursday: whether to end a longstanding CDC recommendation that all newborns be vaccinated at birth against a liver virus, hepatitis B.The panel had been considering whether to recommend delaying that initial vaccination — something doctors and parents already can choose to do. But amid criticism from independent pediatric and infectious disease specialists who say the vaccine is safe and has helped infant infections drop sharply, the advisers decided Friday to postpone that decision.On Thursday, the panel recommended a new restriction on another childhood vaccine.They recommended that for children under 4, their first dose of protection against MMR — measles, mumps and rubella — and chickenpox should be in separate shots, not a combination version known as MMRV. Since 2009, the CDC has said it prefers separate shots for initial doses of those vaccines and 85% of toddlers already do.On Friday, the committee also recommended that the government’s Vaccines for Children program — which covers vaccine costs for about half of U.S. kids — align its guidance with that narrower MMRV usage.___

Kennedy’s vaccine advisers make major change to COVID shot guidance

BRUSSELS (AP) — A cyberattack targeting check-in and boarding systems disrupted air traffic and caused delays at several of Europe’s major airports on Saturday, officials said, though the initial impact appeared to be limited.

The disruptions to electronic systems initially reported at Brussels, Berlin’s Brandenburg and London’s Heathrow airports meant that only manual check-in and boarding was possible. Many other European airports said their operations were unaffected.

“There was a cyberattack on Friday night 19 September against the service provider for the check-in and boarding systems affecting several European airports including Brussels Airport,” said Brussels Airport in a statement, initially reporting a “large impact” on flight schedules.

Airports said the issue centered around a provider of check-in and boarding systems — not airlines or the airports themselves.

Collins Aerospace, whose systems help passengers check themselves in, print boarding passes and bag tags and dispatch their luggage from a kiosk, cited a “cyber-related disruption” to its MUSE (Multi-User System Environment) software at “select airports.”

As the day wore on, the fallout appeared to be contained.

Brussels Airport spokesperson Ihsane Chioua Lekhli told broadcaster VTM that by mid-morning, nine flights had been canceled, four were redirected to another airport and 15 faced delays of an hour or more. She said it wasn’t immediately clear how long the disruptions might last.

Axel Schmidt, head of communications at the Brandenburg airport, said that by late morning, “we don’t have any flights canceled due to this specific reason, but that could change.” The Berlin airport said operators had cut off connections to affected systems.

Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, said the disruption has been “minimal” with no flight cancellations directly linked to the problems afflicting Collins. A spokesperson would not provide details as to how many flights have been delayed as a result of the cyberattack.

The airports advised travelers to check their flight status and apologized for any inconvenience.

Collins, an aviation and defense technology company that is a subsidiary of RTX Corp., formerly Raytheon Technologies, said it was “actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality to our customers as quickly as possible.”

“The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations,” it said in a statement.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758366596630.jpg" alt="Image Pixaby" />
 <figcaption>Image Pixaby</figcaption>
 </figure>BRUSSELS (AP) — A cyberattack targeting check-in and boarding systems disrupted air traffic and caused delays at several of Europe’s major airports on Saturday, officials said, though the initial impact appeared to be limited.The disruptions to electronic systems initially reported at Brussels, Berlin’s Brandenburg and London’s Heathrow airports meant that only manual check-in and boarding was possible. Many other European airports said their operations were unaffected.“There was a cyberattack on Friday night 19 September against the service provider for the check-in and boarding systems affecting several European airports including Brussels Airport,” said Brussels Airport in a statement, initially reporting a “large impact” on flight schedules.Airports said the issue centered around a provider of check-in and boarding systems — not airlines or the airports themselves.Collins Aerospace, whose systems help passengers check themselves in, print boarding passes and bag tags and dispatch their luggage from a kiosk, cited a “cyber-related disruption” to its MUSE (Multi-User System Environment) software at “select airports.”As the day wore on, the fallout appeared to be contained.Brussels Airport spokesperson Ihsane Chioua Lekhli told broadcaster VTM that by mid-morning, nine flights had been canceled, four were redirected to another airport and 15 faced delays of an hour or more. She said it wasn’t immediately clear how long the disruptions might last.Axel Schmidt, head of communications at the Brandenburg airport, said that by late morning, “we don’t have any flights canceled due to this specific reason, but that could change.” The Berlin airport said operators had cut off connections to affected systems.Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, said the disruption has been “minimal” with no flight cancellations directly linked to the problems afflicting Collins. A spokesperson would not provide details as to how many flights have been delayed as a result of the cyberattack.The airports advised travelers to check their flight status and apologized for any inconvenience.Collins, an aviation and defense technology company that is a subsidiary of RTX Corp., formerly Raytheon Technologies, said it was “actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality to our customers as quickly as possible.”“The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations,” it said in a statement.

Cyberattack disrupts check-in systems at major European airports

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday the U.S. military has carried out its third fatal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-military-strike-venezuela-drug-cartels-congress-4163da47013db5d188944f7d29e68b56">strike against an alleged drug smuggling vessel</a>&nbsp;this month.

Trump in a social media posting said the strike killed three and was carried out against a vessel “affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility.” He did not provide more precise details about the location of the strike.

The Pentagon deferred questions about the strike to the White House, which did not respond to a request for clarity about the origins of the vessel.

“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics, and was transiting along a known narcotrafficking passage enroute to poison Americans,” Trump said in the post.

Trump also posted a video of the latest strike that shows a vessel speeding through waters before it appears to be struck by a pair of missiles from overhead and sink in a fiery explosion.

“It was at this moment, the narcoterrorists knew they screwed up,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said on X in a posting with the video.

Trump on Monday announced the U.S. military had carried out&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-drug-cartels-05c5b0de282178419d46a3e93fbd2521">a strike on a boat</a>&nbsp;allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela. That strike also killed three on board.

That followed a Sept. 2&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-strike-rubio-trump-0f901b2a30ee20e314bcab1385ffb0c0">military strike</a>&nbsp;on what the Trump administration said was a drug-carrying speedboat that killed 11. Trump claimed the boat was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, which was listed by the U.S. as foreign terrorist organization earlier this year.

The Trump administration has justified the military action as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States.

But several senators, Democrats and some Republicans, as well as human rights groups have questioned the legality of Trump’s action. They view it as a potential overreach of executive authority in part because the military was used for law enforcement purposes.

The Trump administration has yet to explain how the military assessed the boat’s cargo and determined the passengers’ alleged gang affiliation before the attacks on the vessels. National security officials told members of Congress that the first boat taken out was fired on multiple times after it had changed course and appeared headed back to shore.

The strikes follow a buildup of U.S. maritime forces in the Caribbean.

It marks a dramatic shift in how the U.S. is willing to combat drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere.

In Venezuela,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-maduro-strike-caribbean-drug-trafficking-trump-1061debe2f983ef7bc9666d3f002b3a0">some are speculating</a>&nbsp;whether the strikes are part of a plan to try to topple&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nicolas-maduro">President Nicolás Maduro</a>, a notion that the Venezuelan leader has echoed.

Maduro claimed after the first strike that a U.S. video released by Trump was created with artificial intelligence and that a boat of that size cannot venture into the high seas.

But earlier this week Maduro lashed out at the U.S., accusing the Trump administration of using drug trafficking accusations as an excuse for a military operation whose intentions are “to intimidate and seek regime change” in the South American country.

AP writers Regina Garcia Cano in Güiria, Venezuela, and Konstatin Toropin contributed reporting.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday the U.S. military has carried out its third fatal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-military-strike-venezuela-drug-cartels-congress-4163da47013db5d188944f7d29e68b56">strike against an alleged drug smuggling vessel</a>&nbsp;this month.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/HqmUByvzgD">pic.twitter.com/HqmUByvzgD</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1969184320288878719?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>🎥🎥</div>Trump in a social media posting said the strike killed three and was carried out against a vessel “affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility.” He did not provide more precise details about the location of the strike.The Pentagon deferred questions about the strike to the White House, which did not respond to a request for clarity about the origins of the vessel.“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics, and was transiting along a known narcotrafficking passage enroute to poison Americans,” Trump said in the post.Trump also posted a video of the latest strike that shows a vessel speeding through waters before it appears to be struck by a pair of missiles from overhead and sink in a fiery explosion.“It was at this moment, the narcoterrorists knew they screwed up,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said on X in a posting with the video.Trump on Monday announced the U.S. military had carried out&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-drug-cartels-05c5b0de282178419d46a3e93fbd2521">a strike on a boat</a>&nbsp;allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela. That strike also killed three on board.That followed a Sept. 2&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-strike-rubio-trump-0f901b2a30ee20e314bcab1385ffb0c0">military strike</a>&nbsp;on what the Trump administration said was a drug-carrying speedboat that killed 11. Trump claimed the boat was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, which was listed by the U.S. as foreign terrorist organization earlier this year.The Trump administration has justified the military action as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States.But several senators, Democrats and some Republicans, as well as human rights groups have questioned the legality of Trump’s action. They view it as a potential overreach of executive authority in part because the military was used for law enforcement purposes.The Trump administration has yet to explain how the military assessed the boat’s cargo and determined the passengers’ alleged gang affiliation before the attacks on the vessels. National security officials told members of Congress that the first boat taken out was fired on multiple times after it had changed course and appeared headed back to shore.The strikes follow a buildup of U.S. maritime forces in the Caribbean.It marks a dramatic shift in how the U.S. is willing to combat drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere.In Venezuela,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-maduro-strike-caribbean-drug-trafficking-trump-1061debe2f983ef7bc9666d3f002b3a0">some are speculating</a>&nbsp;whether the strikes are part of a plan to try to topple&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nicolas-maduro">President Nicolás Maduro</a>, a notion that the Venezuelan leader has echoed.Maduro claimed after the first strike that a U.S. video released by Trump was created with artificial intelligence and that a boat of that size cannot venture into the high seas.But earlier this week Maduro lashed out at the U.S., accusing the Trump administration of using drug trafficking accusations as an excuse for a military operation whose intentions are “to intimidate and seek regime change” in the South American country.—AP writers Regina Garcia Cano in Güiria, Venezuela, and Konstatin Toropin contributed reporting.

🎥US carries out another fatal strike targeting alleged drug-smuggling boat

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Missouri man was charged with nine counts of attempted production of child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney

David Lee Maddox, 59, Callaway County, was charged by indictment with nine counts of attempted production of child pornography on Aug. 5, 2025. The charges were made public this week following the arrest and first appearance in court by Maddox.

The investigation began on Aug. 8, 2023, when the St. Louis Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office received a referral from HSI Portland, Maine, pertaining to the defendant’s apparent communication via Microsoft Skype with known traffickers/sellers of live and recorded child sexual abuse videos operating in the Philippines.&nbsp; 

The investigation showed defendant used Skype to receive “shows” from minor victims in the Philippines and paid for the shows by sending money via money transmittal services.&nbsp; From on or about Sept. 20, 2021, through Dec. 23, 2023, the defendant received “shows” depicting underage females on approximately 20 occasions.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Under federal statutes, if convicted, Maddox faces a federal prison sentence of up to 30 years on each count to be served without parole.&nbsp; The maximum statutory sentence is provided by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.&nbsp;A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Turner. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from Holts Summit, MO Police department and Missouri State Technical Assistance Team (STAT).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758315051314.png" alt="Maddox photo Cole County" />
 <figcaption>Maddox photo Cole County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Missouri man was charged with nine counts of attempted production of child pornography, according to the United State's AttorneyDavid Lee Maddox, 59, Callaway County, was charged by indictment with nine counts of attempted production of child pornography on Aug. 5, 2025. The charges were made public this week following the arrest and first appearance in court by Maddox.The investigation began on Aug. 8, 2023, when the St. Louis Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office received a referral from HSI Portland, Maine, pertaining to the defendant’s apparent communication via Microsoft Skype with known traffickers/sellers of live and recorded child sexual abuse videos operating in the Philippines.&nbsp; The investigation showed defendant used Skype to receive “shows” from minor victims in the Philippines and paid for the shows by sending money via money transmittal services.&nbsp; From on or about Sept. 20, 2021, through Dec. 23, 2023, the defendant received “shows” depicting underage females on approximately 20 occasions.&nbsp;&nbsp;Under federal statutes, if convicted, Maddox faces a federal prison sentence of up to 30 years on each count to be served without parole.&nbsp; The maximum statutory sentence is provided by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.&nbsp;A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Turner. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from Holts Summit, MO Police department and Missouri State Technical Assistance Team (STAT).

Indictment: Man paid for “live child sex abuse videos” in the Philippines 

WASHINGTON, D.C. –&nbsp;Today, Congressman Jimmy Patronis introduced a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives in conjunction with Senator Rick Scott, who filed a similar resolution in the U.S. Senate, to honor the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk.

 The resolution supports the designation of a “National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk” on Oct. 14 and recognizes Charlie Kirk for his contributions to civic education and public service.&nbsp;The House adopted H. Res. 719 by a vote of 310-58, with 38 voting present. Kansas Democrat Congresswoman Sharice Davids voted with the majority along with Kansas GOP Representatives.

Original Co-Sponsors include Representatives Greg Steube, Mark Alford, Anna Paulina Luna, Cory Mills, Gus Bilirakis, Barry Moore, Maria Salazar, Aaron Bean, Mike Collins, Carlos Gimenez, Austin Scott, and Derrick Van Orden.

Congressman Jimmy Patronis&nbsp;said, “Charlie Kirk was more than a conservative thought leader. He was a fearless warrior of free speech, faith, and the principles that make America the greatest country in the world. He empowered young people to find their voice, defend their values, and embrace their role in shaping the future of our nation. Charlie willingly braved the public square of colleges and universities to remind us all what makes free speech so important and how best we can come together as a nation: through the peaceful and respectful sharing of ideas. By honoring is life with a National Day of Remembrance, we ensure that Charlie’s legacy lives on, inspiring future generations to stand boldly for freedom and the Constitution.”

Senator Rick Scott&nbsp;said, “Charlie was a magnetic leader, a loving father and husband, and a friend and inspiration to so many. His loss is devastating, I’ll always cherish the friendship I had with him. Charlie loved our nation and its founding principles, and believed deeply in his faith, in his family, and in beauty of ideas and discussion. He lived with purpose and conviction, never shying away from hard truths and hard conversations, and always believing that the strength of our ideas and our faith could bring people together. Charlie worked to make our nation a better place in his 31 years before he was lost in an evil act of political violence, and will leave a lasting legacy on our nation. We know what Charlie would want us to do: he’d want us to stand strong by the ideas we believe in, have discussions, carry on with hope, strength and courage, and look to God for guidance. I am proud to lead a resolution honoring Charlie’s legacy as an American patriot by designating October 14th, what would have been his 32nd birthday, as National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk – a day to come together, pray, and celebrate Charlie’s impact on the nation.”

Expressing support of the House of Representatives that October 14, 2025, be designated as a “National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk.”&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757541376269.png" alt="Charlie Kirk photo courtesy CSPAN&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Charlie Kirk photo courtesy CSPAN&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON, D.C. –&nbsp;Today, Congressman Jimmy Patronis introduced a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives in conjunction with Senator Rick Scott, who filed a similar resolution in the U.S. Senate, to honor the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk. The resolution supports the designation of a “National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk” on Oct. 14 and recognizes Charlie Kirk for his contributions to civic education and public service.&nbsp;The House adopted H. Res. 719 by a vote of 310-58, with 38 voting present. Kansas Democrat Congresswoman Sharice Davids voted with the majority along with Kansas GOP Representatives.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">BREAKING: AOC just took to the House floor to defend her No vote on the Resolution honoring the life of Charlie Kirk. This is going to make your blood boil. AOC: &quot;We should be clear about who Charlie Kirk was... His rhetoric and beliefs were ignorant, uneducated, and sought to… <a href="https://t.co/MMjecCmyk5">pic.twitter.com/MMjecCmyk5</a>&mdash; Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) <a href="https://twitter.com/GuntherEagleman/status/1969061502624653528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepAOC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepAOC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AOC</a> on House-passed resolution honoring the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk: &quot;Instead of uniting Congress in this tragedy with one of the many bipartisan options to condemn political violence and Kirk&#39;s murder, as we did with the late Melissa Hortman, instead the… <a href="https://t.co/lkx3JGO1gN">pic.twitter.com/lkx3JGO1gN</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1969067634399629430?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;House Democrats voted against condemning the political assassination of Charlie Kirk. Who could vote against that? All they&#39;re saying is please condemn the assassination of a human being and they said, &#39;No, we&#39;re not going to do that.&#39;&quot; <a href="https://t.co/LqqwdqlkFA">pic.twitter.com/LqqwdqlkFA</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1969142783022632972?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Original Co-Sponsors include Representatives Greg Steube, Mark Alford, Anna Paulina Luna, Cory Mills, Gus Bilirakis, Barry Moore, Maria Salazar, Aaron Bean, Mike Collins, Carlos Gimenez, Austin Scott, and Derrick Van Orden.Congressman Jimmy Patronis&nbsp;said, “Charlie Kirk was more than a conservative thought leader. He was a fearless warrior of free speech, faith, and the principles that make America the greatest country in the world. He empowered young people to find their voice, defend their values, and embrace their role in shaping the future of our nation. Charlie willingly braved the public square of colleges and universities to remind us all what makes free speech so important and how best we can come together as a nation: through the peaceful and respectful sharing of ideas. By honoring is life with a National Day of Remembrance, we ensure that Charlie’s legacy lives on, inspiring future generations to stand boldly for freedom and the Constitution.”Senator Rick Scott&nbsp;said, “Charlie was a magnetic leader, a loving father and husband, and a friend and inspiration to so many. His loss is devastating, I’ll always cherish the friendship I had with him. Charlie loved our nation and its founding principles, and believed deeply in his faith, in his family, and in beauty of ideas and discussion. He lived with purpose and conviction, never shying away from hard truths and hard conversations, and always believing that the strength of our ideas and our faith could bring people together. Charlie worked to make our nation a better place in his 31 years before he was lost in an evil act of political violence, and will leave a lasting legacy on our nation. We know what Charlie would want us to do: he’d want us to stand strong by the ideas we believe in, have discussions, carry on with hope, strength and courage, and look to God for guidance. I am proud to lead a resolution honoring Charlie’s legacy as an American patriot by designating October 14th, what would have been his 32nd birthday, as National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk – a day to come together, pray, and celebrate Charlie’s impact on the nation.”RESOLUTIONExpressing support of the House of Representatives that October 14, 2025, be designated as a “National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk.”&nbsp;WHEREAS&nbsp;Charlie Kirk was a champion of free speech, civil dialogue, and faith;WHEREAS&nbsp;Mr. Kirk consistently promoted the values of individual liberty, open debate, the importance of civic engagement, and the defense of constitutional principles;WHEREAS&nbsp;Charlie Kirk was recognized as one of the leading voices among young leaders in the United States, creating opportunities for civic education, fostering youth leadership, and promoting principles of liberty and democracy across the United States;WHEREAS&nbsp;Charlie Kirk was the founder and executive director of Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization of thousands of chapters across the United States dedicated to educating students about the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government;WHEREAS&nbsp;Charlie Kirk authored multiple national bestselling books, that engage readers in critical conversations about civics, culture, and the future of the United States;&nbsp;WHEREAS, through Mr. Kirk’s writing, public speaking, and media presence, Charlie Kirk reached millions of United States citizens, inspiring the next generation to become active participants in civic life;&nbsp;WHEREAS&nbsp;Mr. Kirk’s life’s work has contributed to strengthening public discourse, defending constitutional principles, and fostering active citizenship; andWHEREAS&nbsp;Mr. Kirk’s life’s work, especially his efforts to bring these American ideals to life on our college campuses, cost him his life by means of an assassin’s bullet on September 10, 2025: Now, therefore, be itRESOLVED, That the House of Representatives—&nbsp;<ol>
 <li>supports the designation of a “National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk”;</li><li>recognizes Charlie Kirk for his contributions to civic education and public service; and</li><li>encourages educational institutions, civic organizations, and citizens across the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs, activities, prayers, and ceremonies that promote civic engagement and the principles of faith, liberty, and democracy that Charlie Kirk championed.</li>
 </ol>