KANSAS CITY —A woman was rescued from a storm drain Wednesday near the Ameristar Casino in Kansas City. Fire crews released additional details on the pipe.

Just before 7:30p.m., Kansas City Fire Department crews&nbsp;responded to a reported confined space rescue at 3250 N. Ameristar Drive, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.

On arrival crews reported a woman, in her forties, was stuck in a storm drain. She was trapped several hundred feet in the pipe.

KCFD's rescue division secured the scene and sent a team into the pipe to free and retrieve the victim.

After 90 minutes, at 9:30p.m. fire department crews were able to finally rescue the victim. The woman had been stuck for several hours and was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. 

On Friday,&nbsp; the Rescue Chief returned to the location and measured the length of the pipe to the rescue location, and it was significantly further than originally reported. The actual distance was 764 feet from the entrance to where the rescuer made contact with the victim.&nbsp;

Officials still do not have any information as to why she entered the pipe, according to Hopkins.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770288412885.png" alt="Photo courtesy KMBC&nbsp;" />
                        <figcaption>Photo courtesy KMBC&nbsp;</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY —A woman was rescued from a storm drain Wednesday near the Ameristar Casino in Kansas City. Fire crews released additional details on the pipe.</p><p>Just before 7:30p.m., Kansas City Fire Department crews&nbsp;responded to a reported confined space rescue at 3250 N. Ameristar Drive, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.</p><p>On arrival crews reported a woman, in her forties, was stuck in a storm drain. She was trapped several hundred feet in the pipe.</p><p>KCFD's rescue division secured the scene and sent a team into the pipe to free and retrieve the victim.</p><p>After 90 minutes, at 9:30p.m. fire department crews were able to finally rescue the victim. The woman had been stuck for several hours and was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. </p><p>On Friday,&nbsp; the Rescue Chief returned to the location and measured the length of the pipe to the rescue location, and it was significantly further than originally reported. The actual distance was 764 feet from the entrance to where the rescuer made contact with the victim.&nbsp;</p><p>Officials still do not have any information as to why she entered the pipe, according to Hopkins.</p>

New details on woman rescued from storm drain in Kansas City

WASHINGTON —President Donald Trump’s social media post featuring a video about election conspiracy theories and a racist depiction of former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-obama-racist-video-a48a6b8884a88f9ec30cd4913e352b51">primates in a jungle has been deleted</a>.

The Thursday night post was deleted Friday and blamed on a staffer after widespread backlash, from civil rights leaders to veteran Republican senators, for its treatment of the nation’s first Black president and first lady.

On his social media page, Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran was critical of the President's post.

The deletion of the post is a rare admission of a misstep by the White House and came hours after press secretary Karoline Leavitt said there was nothing offensive about the post. An Obama spokesperson said the former president, a Democrat, had no response.

The White House released audio of two statements from the Presdient on the controversy.

Trump said later Friday that he won’t apologize for the post. “I didn’t make a mistake,” he said.

-The Associated Press contributed to this report.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736438157279.png" alt="Former President Obama and President Trump at the memorial service for former President Jimmy Carter- image image courtesy CSPAN  video" />
                        <figcaption>Former President Obama and President Trump at the memorial service for former President Jimmy Carter- image image courtesy CSPAN  video</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON —President Donald Trump’s social media post featuring a video about election conspiracy theories and a racist depiction of former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-obama-racist-video-a48a6b8884a88f9ec30cd4913e352b51">primates in a jungle has been deleted</a>.</p><p>The Thursday night post was deleted Friday and blamed on a staffer after widespread backlash, from civil rights leaders to veteran Republican senators, for its treatment of the nation’s first Black president and first lady.</p><p>On his social media page, Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran was critical of the President's post.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The video has rightfully been removed from the President&#39;s social media. It should not have been posted in the first place. The content was racist and offensive and not who we are as a nation.</p>&mdash; Senator Jerry Moran (@JerryMoran) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryMoran/status/2019880479605059963?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The deletion of the post is a rare admission of a misstep by the White House and came hours after press secretary Karoline Leavitt said there was nothing offensive about the post. An Obama spokesperson said the former president, a Democrat, had no response.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;I just looked at the first part. It was about voter fraud...2020 voter fraud...and I didn&#39;t see the whole thing...then I gave it to [my] people. Generally, they&#39;d look at the whole thing, but I guess somebody didn&#39;t...We took it down as soon as we found out about it.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/jwl0QnH0EZ">pic.twitter.com/jwl0QnH0EZ</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2019966002042110064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The White House released audio of two statements from the Presdient on the controversy.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Reporter: The WH says a staffer sent that video. Are you going to fire the staffer? <br><br>Trump: No. I looked at it. I didn’t see the whole thing. I gave it to the people, they posted it. <br><br>Reporter: Are you going to apologize?<br><br>Trump: No, I didn’t make a mistake. <a href="https://t.co/VH1qmEOmb2">pic.twitter.com/VH1qmEOmb2</a></p>&mdash; Acyn (@Acyn) <a href="https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/2019934969146311081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trump: I’m the least racist president you’ve had in a long time. <a href="https://t.co/kG8ZrKSf6v">pic.twitter.com/kG8ZrKSf6v</a></p>&mdash; Acyn (@Acyn) <a href="https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/2019937352748265889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Trump said later Friday that he won’t apologize for the post. “I didn’t make a mistake,” he said.</p><p>-The Associated Press contributed to this report.</p>

🎧Kan. U.S. Senator critical of Trump's racist post about Obamas 

JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on multiple drug allegations.

Just after 10:30p.m. Feb. 8,&nbsp;&nbsp;a Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 2015 Dodge Journey for multiple alleged traffic violations on U.S. Highway 75 near 118th&nbsp;Road, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

&nbsp; The driver of the vehicle identified himself as Irving Dawayne Edwards, 26, of Topeka and the passenger was identified as Juantario Isia Roberts, 22, of Topeka.&nbsp;

During the course of the traffic stop, a Jackson County Sheriff’s K-9 (PSD) alerted to the presence of illegal drugs within the vehicle. A probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted and resulted in the discovery of illegal drugs and narcotics.

Edwards was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested&nbsp; charges of Distribute Certain Stimulant; &lt;3.5 grams, Distribute Marijuana; 25&nbsp;-&lt; 450 grams, Distribute or possess with intent to distribute drug paraphernalia for illegal use, Possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, Possession of Marijuana; 1 prior conviction, Possession of Drug paraphernalia, Taxation; Drugs; No drug tax stamp for marijuana or controlled substance, Driving while suspended, Driving without vehicle insurance and License plates; Unlawful display; material affecting visibility or reflectivity.

Juantario was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of Distribute Certain Stimulant; &lt;3.5 grams, Distribute Marijuana; 25&nbsp;-&lt; 450 grams, Distribute or possess with intent to distribute drug paraphernalia for illegal use, Possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, Possession of Marijuana; 1 prior conviction, Possession of Drug paraphernalia and taxation; Drugs; No drug tax stamp for marijuana or controlled substance

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770236906332.png" alt="Roberts photo Jackson County" />
                        <figcaption>Roberts photo Jackson County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on multiple drug allegations.</p><p>Just after 10:30p.m. Feb. 8,&nbsp;&nbsp;a Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 2015 Dodge Journey for multiple alleged traffic violations on U.S. Highway 75 near 118th&nbsp;Road, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.</p><p>&nbsp; The driver of the vehicle identified himself as Irving Dawayne Edwards, 26, of Topeka and the passenger was identified as Juantario Isia Roberts, 22, of Topeka.&nbsp;</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770236928763.png" alt="Edwards photo Jackson County" />
                        <figcaption>Edwards photo Jackson County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>During the course of the traffic stop, a Jackson County Sheriff’s K-9 (PSD) alerted to the presence of illegal drugs within the vehicle. A probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted and resulted in the discovery of illegal drugs and narcotics.</p><p>Edwards was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested&nbsp; charges of Distribute Certain Stimulant; &lt;3.5 grams, Distribute Marijuana; 25&nbsp;-&lt; 450 grams, Distribute or possess with intent to distribute drug paraphernalia for illegal use, Possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, Possession of Marijuana; 1 prior conviction, Possession of Drug paraphernalia, Taxation; Drugs; No drug tax stamp for marijuana or controlled substance, Driving while suspended, Driving without vehicle insurance and License plates; Unlawful display; material affecting visibility or reflectivity.</p><p>Juantario was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of Distribute Certain Stimulant; &lt;3.5 grams, Distribute Marijuana; 25&nbsp;-&lt; 450 grams, Distribute or possess with intent to distribute drug paraphernalia for illegal use, Possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, Possession of Marijuana; 1 prior conviction, Possession of Drug paraphernalia and taxation; Drugs; No drug tax stamp for marijuana or controlled substance</p>

Sheriff: 2 suspects accused of selling drugs in Kansas

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — “West Wing” and “Field of Dreams” actor Timothy Busfield has been indicted by a grand jury on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child under age 13, a New Mexico prosecutor announced Friday.

The allegations are tied to Busfield's work as a director on the set of the TV series “The Cleaning Lady” from 2022 to 2024.

Busfield has denied the allegations, initially filed in court by police, and a defense attorney on Friday said he would “fight these charges at every stage.”

Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman announced the indictment in a social media post.

Busfield had turned himself in to authorities in January on related charges by police and was released from jail by a judge who found no pattern of criminal conduct or similar allegations involving children in Busfield's past. The grand jury indictment allows the case against Busfield to proceed toward possible trial without a preliminary courtroom hearing on evidence.

Larry Stein, an attorney for Busfield, did not comment directly on the sexual contact charge in the indictment but said the grand jury declined to endorse grooming charges sought by prosecutors. Prosecutors declined to comment on what accusations it brought before the grand jury.

Stein said in a statement that a detention hearing already “exposed fatal weaknesses in the state’s evidence — gaps that no amount of charging decisions can cure.”

“Mr. Busfield will fight these charges at every stage and looks forward to testing the State’s case in open court,” the statement said.

An investigator with the Albuquerque Police Department said a boy reported that Busfield touched his private areas over his clothing when he was 7 years old and again when he was 8, according to the initial criminal complaint from police. The boy’s twin told authorities he was also touched by Busfield, but he didn’t say anything right away because he didn’t want to get in trouble, the complaint said.

The indictment — filed Friday in state District Court — reiterates allegations that Busfield “touched or applied force to the intimate parts” of one of the boys on several occasions.

At a detention hearing last month, Busfield’s attorneys pointed out that the children initially said during interviews with police that Busfield didn’t touch them inappropriately. Busfield’s attorneys then accused the boys’ parents of coaching their children toward incriminating statements after the boys lost lucrative roles on the show.

But Assistant District Attorney Savannah Brandenburg-Koch has called evidence of abuse against Busfield strong and specific, with support from medical findings and the boys' therapist. She also said witnesses expressed fear about potential retaliation and professional harm.

Prosecutors have outlined what they said was grooming behavior and abuse of power by Busfield over three decades.

Each count in the indictment against Busfied carries a possible penalty of six years in prison that can be enhanced if it involves a sexual offense, according to prosecutors.

In freeing Busfield on Jan. 20, state District Court Judge David Murphy said that while the crimes Busfield is accused of inherently are dangerous and involve children, prosecutors didn’t prove the public wouldn’t be safe if he’s released.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1768347111074.png" alt="Busfield photo Albuquerque Metro Detention Facility" />
                        <figcaption>Busfield photo Albuquerque Metro Detention Facility</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — “West Wing” and “Field of Dreams” actor Timothy Busfield has been indicted by a grand jury on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child under age 13, a New Mexico prosecutor announced Friday.</p><p>The allegations are tied to Busfield's work as a director on the set of the TV series “The Cleaning Lady” from 2022 to 2024.</p><p>Busfield has denied the allegations, initially filed in court by police, and a defense attorney on Friday said he would “fight these charges at every stage.”</p><p>Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman announced the indictment in a social media post.</p><p>Busfield had turned himself in to authorities in January on related charges by police and was released from jail by a judge who found no pattern of criminal conduct or similar allegations involving children in Busfield's past. The grand jury indictment allows the case against Busfield to proceed toward possible trial without a preliminary courtroom hearing on evidence.</p><p>Larry Stein, an attorney for Busfield, did not comment directly on the sexual contact charge in the indictment but said the grand jury declined to endorse grooming charges sought by prosecutors. Prosecutors declined to comment on what accusations it brought before the grand jury.</p><p>Stein said in a statement that a detention hearing already “exposed fatal weaknesses in the state’s evidence — gaps that no amount of charging decisions can cure.”</p><p>“Mr. Busfield will fight these charges at every stage and looks forward to testing the State’s case in open court,” the statement said.</p><p>An investigator with the Albuquerque Police Department said a boy reported that Busfield touched his private areas over his clothing when he was 7 years old and again when he was 8, according to the initial criminal complaint from police. The boy’s twin told authorities he was also touched by Busfield, but he didn’t say anything right away because he didn’t want to get in trouble, the complaint said.</p><p>The indictment — filed Friday in state District Court — reiterates allegations that Busfield “touched or applied force to the intimate parts” of one of the boys on several occasions.</p><p>At a detention hearing last month, Busfield’s attorneys pointed out that the children initially said during interviews with police that Busfield didn’t touch them inappropriately. Busfield’s attorneys then accused the boys’ parents of coaching their children toward incriminating statements after the boys lost lucrative roles on the show.</p><p>But Assistant District Attorney Savannah Brandenburg-Koch has called evidence of abuse against Busfield strong and specific, with support from medical findings and the boys' therapist. She also said witnesses expressed fear about potential retaliation and professional harm.</p><p>Prosecutors have outlined what they said was grooming behavior and abuse of power by Busfield over three decades.</p><p>Each count in the indictment against Busfied carries a possible penalty of six years in prison that can be enhanced if it involves a sexual offense, according to prosecutors.</p><p>In freeing Busfield on Jan. 20, state District Court Judge David Murphy said that while the crimes Busfield is accused of inherently are dangerous and involve children, prosecutors didn’t prove the public wouldn’t be safe if he’s released.</p>

West Wing actor  indicted on 4 counts of sexual contact with a child

WASHINGTON (AP) — A key participant in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f3424346447545a1835453d82efc6de2">the deadly 2012 attack</a>&nbsp;on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans has been taken into custody and will be prosecuted in their deaths, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday

Bondi said in a news conference that Zubayr Al-Bakoush had landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at 3 a.m. on Friday.

“We have never stopped seeking justice for that crime against our nation,” Bondi said.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said that an eight-count indictment charged Al-Bakoush with crimes including the murders of Ambassador Chris Stevens and State Department employee Sean Smith. It was unclear if Al-Bakoush had an attorney representing him.

The 2012 attack on the U.S. compound immediately emerged as a divisive political issue as Republicans challenged President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on security at the facility, the military response to the violence and the administration’s changing narrative about who was responsible and why.

<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-congress-united-states-government-34c68bb91bbb41fdb2f8efa210c1d2b5">A final report</a>&nbsp;by a Republican-led congressional panel faulted the Obama administration for security deficiencies at the Libyan outpost and a slow response to the attacs. The report, however, found no wrongdoing by Clinton.

Clinton dismissed the report as an echo of previous probes with no new discoveries, saying it was “time to move on.” Other Democrats denounced the Republicans’ report as “a conspiracy theory on steroids."

On the night of Sept. 11, 2012, U.S. officials have said, at least 20 militants armed with AK-47s and grenade launchers breached the gate of the consulate compound and set buildings on fire.

The fire led to the deaths of Stevens and Smith. Other State Department personnel escaped to a nearby U.S. facility known as the annex.

A large group assembled for an attack on the annex. That attack, including a precision mortar barrage, resulted in the deaths of security officers Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.

A Libyan militant suspected of being a mastermind of the attacks,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cc953f1412f54cbab9b784ebecad5e9c">Ahmed Abu Khattala</a>, was captured by U.S. special forces in 2014 and was brought to Washington for prosecution. He was convicted and is serving a prison sentence. His attorneys argued that the evidence was inconclusive and that he was singled out because of his ultra-conservative Muslim beliefs.

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — A key participant in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f3424346447545a1835453d82efc6de2">the deadly 2012 attack</a>&nbsp;on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans has been taken into custody and will be prosecuted in their deaths, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBIDirectorKash</a> and I worked for months to get to this moment and we weren’t going to let the moment pass no matter what time Bakoush landed. <a href="https://t.co/EiAZHWD3Z9">pic.twitter.com/EiAZHWD3Z9</a></p>&mdash; US Attorney Pirro (@USAttyPirro) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAttyPirro/status/2019868183352717685?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Attorney General Pam Bondi (<a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a>): &quot;Today, I am proud to announce that the FBI has arrested one of the key participants behind the Benghazi attack.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/P20IIckG5H">pic.twitter.com/P20IIckG5H</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2019788530570961385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The world knows that if you kill an American citizen in an act of terrorism, <br><br>We will hunt you down. <a href="https://t.co/Is00giHrlo">pic.twitter.com/Is00giHrlo</a></p>&mdash; FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/2019795731444285775?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a> announces the arrest of Zubayr Al-Bakoush, one of the key participants behind the attack at the U.S. embassy in Benghazi:<br><br>&quot;Hillary Clinton famously once said about Benghazi, &#39;What difference, at this point, does it make?&#39; Well, it makes a difference to <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/BWdncrVSdD">pic.twitter.com/BWdncrVSdD</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2019798741784387961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Bondi said in a news conference that Zubayr Al-Bakoush had landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at 3 a.m. on Friday.</p><p>“We have never stopped seeking justice for that crime against our nation,” Bondi said.</p><p>U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said that an eight-count indictment charged Al-Bakoush with crimes including the murders of Ambassador Chris Stevens and State Department employee Sean Smith. It was unclear if Al-Bakoush had an attorney representing him.</p><p>The 2012 attack on the U.S. compound immediately emerged as a divisive political issue as Republicans challenged President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on security at the facility, the military response to the violence and the administration’s changing narrative about who was responsible and why.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-congress-united-states-government-34c68bb91bbb41fdb2f8efa210c1d2b5">A final report</a>&nbsp;by a Republican-led congressional panel faulted the Obama administration for security deficiencies at the Libyan outpost and a slow response to the attacs. The report, however, found no wrongdoing by Clinton.</p><p>Clinton dismissed the report as an echo of previous probes with no new discoveries, saying it was “time to move on.” Other Democrats denounced the Republicans’ report as “a conspiracy theory on steroids."</p><p>On the night of Sept. 11, 2012, U.S. officials have said, at least 20 militants armed with AK-47s and grenade launchers breached the gate of the consulate compound and set buildings on fire.</p><p>The fire led to the deaths of Stevens and Smith. Other State Department personnel escaped to a nearby U.S. facility known as the annex.</p><p>A large group assembled for an attack on the annex. That attack, including a precision mortar barrage, resulted in the deaths of security officers Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.</p><p>A Libyan militant suspected of being a mastermind of the attacks,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cc953f1412f54cbab9b784ebecad5e9c">Ahmed Abu Khattala</a>, was captured by U.S. special forces in 2014 and was brought to Washington for prosecution. He was convicted and is serving a prison sentence. His attorneys argued that the evidence was inconclusive and that he was singled out because of his ultra-conservative Muslim beliefs.</p>

🎥Militant is in custody for 2012 attack that killed U.S. Ambassador

ARLINGTON COUNTY, Virginia —On Thursday, the Arlington County, Virginia Police Department&nbsp; announced the arrest of a Maryland man following a month’s long criminal investigation, according to a media release from Arlington County police.

Colin Demarco, 26, of Rockville, Maryland is charged with Attempted Murder, Criminal Solicitation to Commit Murder, Carrying a Concealed Weapon and Wearing a Mask in Public to Conceal Identity. He was taken into custody at his residence on January 16 and later extradited to the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.

At approximately 3:15 p.m. on August 10, 2025, Arlington County Police were dispatched to the 3800 block of 7th Street S. for the report of a suspicious person. 

A witness reported observing a suspect, who was wearing a surgical mask and rubber gloves, carrying a backpack and appeared to be concealing a firearm under his shirt, on the victim’s porch. 

The suspect subsequently approached the witness and inquired about the victim before leaving the scene. The witness then contacted police and responding officers established a perimeter and canvassed the area for the suspect with negative results. The incident was captured on home surveillance video and the suspect was subsequently identified.

During the course of the investigation, the Arlington County Police Department executed search warrants for digital records associated with the suspect. As a result of these search warrants, police recovered digital evidence that the suspect had obtained directions to the victim’s residence, confirmed in court records as the home of&nbsp;t  Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought. 

The suspect also had information detailing locations of firearms possessed by a relative and had a guide detailing tips to prevent criminal detection. 

Additionally, the suspect had posted online about the victim and had online discussions appearing to solicit others to murder the victim. Within days of these online solicitations, the August 10 incident occurred where the suspect arrived at the victim’s address wearing a mask and gloves, possibly concealing a firearm and inquired about the victim. As a result of the investigation, detectives obtained the criminal warrants for the suspect’s arrest.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770384166701.png" alt="Demarco photo Arlington County Police" />
                        <figcaption>Demarco photo Arlington County Police</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>ARLINGTON COUNTY, Virginia —On Thursday, the Arlington County, Virginia Police Department&nbsp; announced the arrest of a Maryland man following a month’s long criminal investigation, according to a media release from Arlington County police.</p><p>Colin Demarco, 26, of Rockville, Maryland is charged with Attempted Murder, Criminal Solicitation to Commit Murder, Carrying a Concealed Weapon and Wearing a Mask in Public to Conceal Identity. He was taken into custody at his residence on January 16 and later extradited to the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.</p><p>At approximately 3:15 p.m. on August 10, 2025, Arlington County Police were dispatched to the 3800 block of 7th Street S. for the report of a suspicious person. </p><p>A witness reported observing a suspect, who was wearing a surgical mask and rubber gloves, carrying a backpack and appeared to be concealing a firearm under his shirt, on the victim’s porch. </p><p>The suspect subsequently approached the witness and inquired about the victim before leaving the scene. The witness then contacted police and responding officers established a perimeter and canvassed the area for the suspect with negative results. The incident was captured on home surveillance video and the suspect was subsequently identified.</p><p>During the course of the investigation, the Arlington County Police Department executed search warrants for digital records associated with the suspect. As a result of these search warrants, police recovered digital evidence that the suspect had obtained directions to the victim’s residence, confirmed in court records as the home of&nbsp;t  Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought. </p><p>The suspect also had information detailing locations of firearms possessed by a relative and had a guide detailing tips to prevent criminal detection. </p><p>Additionally, the suspect had posted online about the victim and had online discussions appearing to solicit others to murder the victim. Within days of these online solicitations, the August 10 incident occurred where the suspect arrived at the victim’s address wearing a mask and gloves, possibly concealing a firearm and inquired about the victim. As a result of the investigation, detectives obtained the criminal warrants for the suspect’s arrest.</p>

Man accused of trying to kill member of President Trump's Cabinet

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market roared back on Friday, as technology stocks recovered much of their losses from earlier in the week and bitcoin halted its plunge, at least for now.

The S&amp;P 500 rallied 2% for its best day since May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 1,206 points, or 2.5%, and topped the 50,000 level for the first time, while the Nasdaq composite leaped 2.2%.

Chip companies helped drive the widespread rally, and Nvidia jumped 7.8% to trim its loss for the week, which came into the day at just over 10%. Broadcom climbed 7.1% and erased its drop for the week.

They were the two strongest forces lifting the S&amp;P 500, and they benefited from hopes for continued spending by customers diving into artificial-intelligence technology. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, for example, said late Thursday it expects to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amazon-earnings-fourth-quarter-f4cfda9dd8ee6e2cdfcfcd90265cf0bb">spend about $200 billion on investments</a>&nbsp;this year to take advantage of “seminal opportunities like AI, chips, robotics, and low earth orbit satellites.”

Such immense spending, similar to what&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-alphabet-fourth-quarter-results-73922dd5d0c2398e1d4f23ddfccd0277">Alphabet</a>&nbsp;announced a day earlier, is creating concerns of its own, though. The question is whether all those dollars will create big enough profits to make the investments worth it. With doubt remaining about that, Amazon’s stock dropped 5.6%.

Even with Friday’s surge, the S&amp;P 500 still fell to its third losing week in the last four. Besides worries about spending by Big Tech companies, which are Wall Street’s most influential stocks, concerns about AI potentially stealing customers from software companies also hurt the market. Software stocks got hit particularly hard after AI firm Anthropic released free tools to automate things like legal services.

Bitcoin, meanwhile, steadied following a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bitcoin-prices-falling-cryptocurrency-markets-investment-199a22ac65a675eb67bac89177ddf09b">weekslong plunge</a>&nbsp;that had sent it more than halfway below its record price set in October. It climbed back above $70,000 after briefly dropping close to $60,000 late Thursday.

Prices in the metals market also calmed a bit following their own wild swings. Gold rose 1.8% to settle at $4,979.80 per ounce, while silver added 0.2%.

Their prices suddenly ran out of momentum last week following jaw-dropping rallies, which were driven by investors clamoring for something safe to own amid worries about political turmoil, a U.S. stock market that critics called expensive and huge debt loads for governments worldwide. By January, prices for gold and silver were surging so quickly that critics called it unsustainable.

On Wall Street, the recovery for bitcoin helped stocks of companies enmeshed in the crypto economy. Robinhood Markets jumped 14% for the biggest gain in the S&amp;P 500. Crypto trading platform Coinbase Global rose 13%. Strategy, the company that’s made a business of buying and holding bitcoin, soared 26.1%.

Stocks of smaller U.S. companies also helped lead the market, along with companies whose profits depend on U.S. households spending more money. They benefited from potentially encouraging data on how U.S. consumers are feeling.

A preliminary report from the University of Michigan suggested sentiment among U.S. consumers is improving slightly, when economists were expecting to see a drop. The improvement was strongest among households that own stocks, which are benefiting from the S&amp;P 500 setting a record late last month.

To be sure, sentiment “remained at dismal levels for consumers without stock holdings,” according to Surveys of Consumers Director Joanne Hsu.

Airline stocks strengthened with hopes that more confidence among U.S. households will translate into more spending on trips. That included gains of 9.3% for United Airlines, 8% for Delta Air Lines and 7.6% for American Airlines.

The smaller stocks in the Russell 2000 index jumped 3.6%, well above the S&amp;P 500’s gain. Smaller companies’ profits can be more dependent on the strength of the U.S. economy than those for big, multinational rivals.

All told, the S&amp;P 500 jumped 133.90 points to 6,932.30. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 1,206.95 to 50,115.67, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 490.63 to 23,031.21.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose across much of Europe.

That was even though Stellantis, the auto giant whose stock trades in Italy, lost a quarter of its value after saying it would take a charge of 22 billion euros, or $26 billion, as it dials back its electric vehicle production. The automaker acknowledged “over-estimating the pace of the energy transition” and said it was resetting its business “to align the company with the real-world preferences of its customers.”

Stocks fell across much of Asia, but Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.8%. It benefited from a 2% climb for Toyota Motor, which said CEO Koji Sato will step down in April and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/toyota-automaker-japan-tariffs-earnings-kon-sato-c46c1afb10990bbe2695bb5addc7566d">will be replaced</a>&nbsp;by Chief Financial Officer Kenta Kon.

In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury edged down to 4.20% from 4.21% late Thursday.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720472023257.jpg" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market roared back on Friday, as technology stocks recovered much of their losses from earlier in the week and bitcoin halted its plunge, at least for now.</p><p>The S&amp;P 500 rallied 2% for its best day since May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 1,206 points, or 2.5%, and topped the 50,000 level for the first time, while the Nasdaq composite leaped 2.2%.</p><p>Chip companies helped drive the widespread rally, and Nvidia jumped 7.8% to trim its loss for the week, which came into the day at just over 10%. Broadcom climbed 7.1% and erased its drop for the week.</p><p>They were the two strongest forces lifting the S&amp;P 500, and they benefited from hopes for continued spending by customers diving into artificial-intelligence technology. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, for example, said late Thursday it expects to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amazon-earnings-fourth-quarter-f4cfda9dd8ee6e2cdfcfcd90265cf0bb">spend about $200 billion on investments</a>&nbsp;this year to take advantage of “seminal opportunities like AI, chips, robotics, and low earth orbit satellites.”</p><p>Such immense spending, similar to what&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-alphabet-fourth-quarter-results-73922dd5d0c2398e1d4f23ddfccd0277">Alphabet</a>&nbsp;announced a day earlier, is creating concerns of its own, though. The question is whether all those dollars will create big enough profits to make the investments worth it. With doubt remaining about that, Amazon’s stock dropped 5.6%.</p><p>Even with Friday’s surge, the S&amp;P 500 still fell to its third losing week in the last four. Besides worries about spending by Big Tech companies, which are Wall Street’s most influential stocks, concerns about AI potentially stealing customers from software companies also hurt the market. Software stocks got hit particularly hard after AI firm Anthropic released free tools to automate things like legal services.</p><p>Bitcoin, meanwhile, steadied following a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bitcoin-prices-falling-cryptocurrency-markets-investment-199a22ac65a675eb67bac89177ddf09b">weekslong plunge</a>&nbsp;that had sent it more than halfway below its record price set in October. It climbed back above $70,000 after briefly dropping close to $60,000 late Thursday.</p><p>Prices in the metals market also calmed a bit following their own wild swings. Gold rose 1.8% to settle at $4,979.80 per ounce, while silver added 0.2%.</p><p>Their prices suddenly ran out of momentum last week following jaw-dropping rallies, which were driven by investors clamoring for something safe to own amid worries about political turmoil, a U.S. stock market that critics called expensive and huge debt loads for governments worldwide. By January, prices for gold and silver were surging so quickly that critics called it unsustainable.</p><p>On Wall Street, the recovery for bitcoin helped stocks of companies enmeshed in the crypto economy. Robinhood Markets jumped 14% for the biggest gain in the S&amp;P 500. Crypto trading platform Coinbase Global rose 13%. Strategy, the company that’s made a business of buying and holding bitcoin, soared 26.1%.</p><p>Stocks of smaller U.S. companies also helped lead the market, along with companies whose profits depend on U.S. households spending more money. They benefited from potentially encouraging data on how U.S. consumers are feeling.</p><p>A preliminary report from the University of Michigan suggested sentiment among U.S. consumers is improving slightly, when economists were expecting to see a drop. The improvement was strongest among households that own stocks, which are benefiting from the S&amp;P 500 setting a record late last month.</p><p>To be sure, sentiment “remained at dismal levels for consumers without stock holdings,” according to Surveys of Consumers Director Joanne Hsu.</p><p>Airline stocks strengthened with hopes that more confidence among U.S. households will translate into more spending on trips. That included gains of 9.3% for United Airlines, 8% for Delta Air Lines and 7.6% for American Airlines.</p><p>The smaller stocks in the Russell 2000 index jumped 3.6%, well above the S&amp;P 500’s gain. Smaller companies’ profits can be more dependent on the strength of the U.S. economy than those for big, multinational rivals.</p><p>All told, the S&amp;P 500 jumped 133.90 points to 6,932.30. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 1,206.95 to 50,115.67, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 490.63 to 23,031.21.</p><p>In stock markets abroad, indexes rose across much of Europe.</p><p>That was even though Stellantis, the auto giant whose stock trades in Italy, lost a quarter of its value after saying it would take a charge of 22 billion euros, or $26 billion, as it dials back its electric vehicle production. The automaker acknowledged “over-estimating the pace of the energy transition” and said it was resetting its business “to align the company with the real-world preferences of its customers.”</p><p>Stocks fell across much of Asia, but Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.8%. It benefited from a 2% climb for Toyota Motor, which said CEO Koji Sato will step down in April and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/toyota-automaker-japan-tariffs-earnings-kon-sato-c46c1afb10990bbe2695bb5addc7566d">will be replaced</a>&nbsp;by Chief Financial Officer Kenta Kon.</p><p>In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury edged down to 4.20% from 4.21% late Thursday.</p>

History: Dow tops 50,000; US stocks soar to best day since May 

Pete Felten, limestone sculptor from Hays, who has been carving Kansas limestone for nearly 70 years, died this week in Hays. He was 92.

Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran issued a statement on Felten's passing.

“I’m saddened to hear of the passing of Pete Felten, a native of Hays and a talented artist and sculptor whose work captured the beauty and spirit of Kansas. Pete devoted his life to Kansas art and history, and he served our country in the United States Navy before returning to Hays. To many, Pete was a symbol of Kansas, and he was even depicted as a character in the Western novel, ‘The Last Cattle Drive,’ by Robert Day.

“At 24, he first began to sculpt, a skill he would continue for nearly 70 years, creating landmarks, statues and monuments to honor our special way of life in Kansas. Today, his work can be found across our state: in the Kansas State Capitol, home to his statues of famous Kansans, near historic Fort Hays where his iconic “Monarch of the Plains” monument can be seen and in numerous other locations throughout Kansas. In my office in Washington, D.C., I have one of his pieces – a sculpture of a Kansas bison.

“Pete will forever be a part of Hays history, and his legacy will live on in the sculptures he crafted to represent the state he loved. My prayers are with his loved ones and friends in this difficult time as we mourn the passing of a great Kansan.”

On Monday, Governor Laura Kelly and&nbsp;the&nbsp;Kansas Arts Commission (KAC) at the&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;Department of Commerce announced Felten as a Legacy winner of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascommerce.gov/program/kansas-creative-arts-and-industries-commission-kcaic/governors-arts-awards/2026-governors-arts-award-recipients/">2026 Kansas Governor’s Arts Awards</a>&nbsp;at its&nbsp;annual&nbsp;ceremony at the Docking State Office&nbsp;Building in Topeka.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The governor's office described more about the amazing work of Pete Felten.

Felten first took hammer and chisel in hand in 1957 after serving in the U.S. Navy (1952-1956), where he visited art museums on the east and west coasts and Hawaii. After briefly attending an art league school in New York, he returned to Hays to pursue his career.&nbsp;

His most prominent work includes the eight-foot-tall, approximately 2,000-pound limestone portraits of Amelia Earhart, William Allen White, Arthur Capper, and Dwight Eisenhower that encircle the Kansas Capitol rotunda, installed in 1981. He won the competitive selection process by creating detailed models of each subject. He chose Silverdale limestone from southeastern Kansas for the Capitol work because he believed it to be “the finest Kansas limestone, uniform and excellent for statues.” Notably, he declined to sign the work, explaining “this is Kansas’ work, not mine.”&nbsp;

Ellis County alone contains more than 28 of his limestone sculptures, including well-known figures like Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody. His first large commissioned piece was a bust of Buffalo Bill Cody at the Hays Public Library (1961). The “Monarch of the Plains” buffalo sculpture at Fort Hays State Historic Site (completed 1967) stands 8 feet high and 10 feet long on an 8-foot base, starting from a 24-ton stone. In 2024, bronze plaques were finally added next to his capitol sculptures to credit him for the work.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770409830189.png" alt="Felten's“Monarch of the Plains” buffalo sculpture at Fort Hays State Historic Site google image" />
                        <figcaption>Felten's“Monarch of the Plains” buffalo sculpture at Fort Hays State Historic Site google image</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Pete Felten, limestone sculptor from Hays, who has been carving Kansas limestone for nearly 70 years, died this week in Hays. He was 92.</p><p>Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran issued a statement on Felten's passing.</p><p>“I’m saddened to hear of the passing of Pete Felten, a native of Hays and a talented artist and sculptor whose work captured the beauty and spirit of Kansas. Pete devoted his life to Kansas art and history, and he served our country in the United States Navy before returning to Hays. To many, Pete was a symbol of Kansas, and he was even depicted as a character in the Western novel, ‘The Last Cattle Drive,’ by Robert Day.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770137535772.jpeg" alt="Pete Felten courtesy photo" />
                        <figcaption>Pete Felten courtesy photo</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>“At 24, he first began to sculpt, a skill he would continue for nearly 70 years, creating landmarks, statues and monuments to honor our special way of life in Kansas. Today, his work can be found across our state: in the Kansas State Capitol, home to his statues of famous Kansans, near historic Fort Hays where his iconic “Monarch of the Plains” monument can be seen and in numerous other locations throughout Kansas. In my office in Washington, D.C., I have one of his pieces – a sculpture of a Kansas bison.</p><p>“Pete will forever be a part of Hays history, and his legacy will live on in the sculptures he crafted to represent the state he loved. My prayers are with his loved ones and friends in this difficult time as we mourn the passing of a great Kansan.”</p><p>On Monday, Governor Laura Kelly and&nbsp;the&nbsp;Kansas Arts Commission (KAC) at the&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;Department of Commerce announced Felten as a Legacy winner of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascommerce.gov/program/kansas-creative-arts-and-industries-commission-kcaic/governors-arts-awards/2026-governors-arts-award-recipients/">2026 Kansas Governor’s Arts Awards</a>&nbsp;at its&nbsp;annual&nbsp;ceremony at the Docking State Office&nbsp;Building in Topeka.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The governor's office described more about the amazing work of Pete Felten.</p><p>Felten first took hammer and chisel in hand in 1957 after serving in the U.S. Navy (1952-1956), where he visited art museums on the east and west coasts and Hawaii. After briefly attending an art league school in New York, he returned to Hays to pursue his career.&nbsp;</p><p>His most prominent work includes the eight-foot-tall, approximately 2,000-pound limestone portraits of Amelia Earhart, William Allen White, Arthur Capper, and Dwight Eisenhower that encircle the Kansas Capitol rotunda, installed in 1981. He won the competitive selection process by creating detailed models of each subject. He chose Silverdale limestone from southeastern Kansas for the Capitol work because he believed it to be “the finest Kansas limestone, uniform and excellent for statues.” Notably, he declined to sign the work, explaining “this is Kansas’ work, not mine.”&nbsp;</p><p>Ellis County alone contains more than 28 of his limestone sculptures, including well-known figures like Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody. His first large commissioned piece was a bust of Buffalo Bill Cody at the Hays Public Library (1961). The “Monarch of the Plains” buffalo sculpture at Fort Hays State Historic Site (completed 1967) stands 8 feet high and 10 feet long on an 8-foot base, starting from a 24-ton stone. In 2024, bronze plaques were finally added next to his capitol sculptures to credit him for the work.&nbsp;</p>

Senator Moran on the passing of Kan. artist, sculptor Pete Felten 

BOURBOUN COUNTY—Three people were injured in an accident just after 3:30p.m. Thursday in Bourbon County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2024 Sportsman 570 ATV driven by Gary M. Foster, 70, Fort Scott, entered Kansas 39 northbound from a field entrance at 1037 K39 Highway.&nbsp; The ATV continued north across the eastbound lane and traveled into the westbound lane. A 2024 Hyundia Elantra driven by Cheryl E. Anderson, 46, Winfield, and the ATV collided near the&nbsp;driveway of 1037 K39 Highway. 

Foster was thrown from the ATV as it rolled into the westbound ditch.

EMS transported Foster to Mercy Hospital in Joplin. EMS also transported&nbsp;Anderson and her 14-year-old female passenger to Freeman Hospital in Fort Scott.&nbsp; Foster was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

<p>BOURBOUN COUNTY—Three people were injured in an accident just after 3:30p.m. Thursday in Bourbon County.</p><p>The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2024 Sportsman 570 ATV driven by Gary M. Foster, 70, Fort Scott, entered Kansas 39 northbound from a field entrance at 1037 K39 Highway.&nbsp; The ATV continued north across the eastbound lane and traveled into the westbound lane. A 2024 Hyundia Elantra driven by Cheryl E. Anderson, 46, Winfield, and the ATV collided near the&nbsp;driveway of 1037 K39 Highway. </p><p>Foster was thrown from the ATV as it rolled into the westbound ditch.</p><p>EMS transported Foster to Mercy Hospital in Joplin. EMS also transported&nbsp;Anderson and her 14-year-old female passenger to Freeman Hospital in Fort Scott.&nbsp; Foster was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.</p>

Kansas man hospitalized after car, ATV crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s social media post featuring former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle was deleted after a backlash from both Republicans and Democrats who criticized the video as racist.

The Republican president’s Thursday night post was deleted Friday and blamed on a staffer after widespread backlash, from civil rights leaders to veteran Republican senators, for its treatment of the nation’s first Black president and first lady. The deletion, a rare admission of a misstep by the White House, came hours after press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed “fake outrage” over the post. After calls for its removal for being racist -- including by Republicans -- the White House said a staffer had posted the video erroneously and it had been taken down.

The post was part of a flurry of social media activity on Trump's Truth Social account that amplified his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, despite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-2020-election-lies-debunked-4fc26546b07962fdbf9d66e739fbb50d">courts around the country</a>&nbsp;and a Trump attorney general from his first term finding no evidence of fraud that could have affected the outcome.

An Obama spokeswoman said the former president, a Democrat, had no response.

Nearly all of the 62-second clip, which was among dozens of Truth Social posts from Trump overnight, appears to be from a conservative video alleging deliberate tampering with voting machines in battleground states as the 2020 presidential votes were tallied. At the 60-second mark is a quick scene of two primates, with the Obamas' smiling faces imposed on them.

Those frames were taken from a separate video, previously circulated by an influential conservative meme maker. It shows Trump as “King of the Jungle” and depicts a range of Democratic leaders as animals, including Joe Biden, who is white, as a jungle primate eating a banana.

“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,” Leavitt said by text, referring to Disney's 1994 feature film, which does not feature the range of jungle primates featured in the original video. “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”

By noon, the post had been taken down with responsibility placed on a Trump subordinate.

Trump did not comment on the video in the post, which comes in the first week of Black History Month and days after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/02/national-black-history-month-2026/">a presidential proclamation</a>&nbsp;that cited “the contributions of black Americans to our national greatness and their enduring commitment to the American principles of liberty, justice, and equality.”

Condemnation across the political spectrum

While it was still up, Trump's post drew condemnation from across the political and ideological spectrum.

The Rev. Bernice King, daughter of the assassinated civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., resurfaced her father's words: “Yes. I'm Black. I'm proud of it. I'm Black and beautiful.” She praised Black Americans as “diverse, innovative, industrious, inventive” and added, “We are beloved of God as postal workers and professors, as a former first lady and president. We are not apes.”

The U.S. Senate's lone Black Republican, Tim Scott of South Carolina, called on Trump to take down the post. “Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” Scott, who chairs Senate Republicans' midterm campaign arm, said on social media.

Another Republican, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, is white but represents the state with the largest percentage of Black residents. Wicker called the post “totally unacceptable” and said the president should apologize.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement, “Donald Trump’s video is blatantly racist, disgusting, and utterly despicable.”

Johnson asserted that Trump is trying anything to distract from economic conditions and attention on the Jeffrey Epstein case files.

“You know who isn’t in the Epstein files? Barack Obama,” Johnson said. "You know who actually improved the economy as president? Barack Obama.”

Trump and the official White House social media accounts frequently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ai-videos-trump-ice-artificial-intelligence-08d91fa44f3146ec1f8ee4d213cdad31">repost memes and artificial intelligence-generated videos</a>. As Leavitt did Friday, Trump aides typically dismiss critiques and cast the images as humorous.

There is a long history in the U.S. of powerful white figures associating Black people with animals, including apes, in demonstrably false and racist ways. The practice dates back to 18th century cultural racism and pseudo-scientific theories in which white people drew connections between Africans and monkeys to justify the enslavement of Black people in Europe and North America, and later to dehumanize freed Black people as an uncivilized threat to white people.

Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, wrote in his famous text “Notes on the State of Virginia” that Black women were the preferred sexual partners of orangutans. President Dwight Eisenhower, discussing the desegregation of public schools in the 1950s, once argued that white parents were concerned about their daughters being in classrooms with “big Black bucks.” Obama, as a candidate and president, was featured as a monkey or other primate on T-shirts and other merchandise.

Trump, for his part, has a record of intensely personal criticism of the Obamas and of using incendiary, sometimes racist, rhetoric.

In his 2024 campaign, Trump said immigrants were “poisoning the blood of our country,” language&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hitler-poison-blood-history-f8c3ff512edd120252596a4743324352">similar to what Adolf Hitler said</a>&nbsp;to dehumanize Jews in Nazi Germany.

During his first White House term, Trump referred to a swath of developing nations that are majority Black as “shithole countries.” He initially denied using the slur but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-slur-haiti-africa-immigration-28aa0785d6f3c68fd4d9e823b6397429">admitted in December 2025</a>&nbsp;that he did say it.

When Obama was in the White House, Trump advanced the false claims that the 44th president, who was born in Hawaii, was born in Kenya and was constitutionally ineligible to serve. Trump, in interviews that helped endear him to many conservative voters, repeatedly demanded that Obama produce birth records and prove he was a “natural-born citizen” as required to become president.

Obama eventually released his Hawaii records. Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-presidential-election-general-news-events-61f7085d848248cd98410027d33f2101">finally acknowledged</a>&nbsp;during his 2016 campaign, after having won the Republican nomination, that Obama was born in Hawaii. But he immediately said, falsely, that his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton started those birtherism attacks on Obama.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736438157279.png" alt="Former President Obama and President Trump at the memorial service for former President Jimmy Carter- image image courtesy CSPAN video" />
                        <figcaption>Former President Obama and President Trump at the memorial service for former President Jimmy Carter- image image courtesy CSPAN video</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s social media post featuring former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle was deleted after a backlash from both Republicans and Democrats who criticized the video as racist.</p><p>The Republican president’s Thursday night post was deleted Friday and blamed on a staffer after widespread backlash, from civil rights leaders to veteran Republican senators, for its treatment of the nation’s first Black president and first lady. The deletion, a rare admission of a misstep by the White House, came hours after press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed “fake outrage” over the post. After calls for its removal for being racist -- including by Republicans -- the White House said a staffer had posted the video erroneously and it had been taken down.</p><p>The post was part of a flurry of social media activity on Trump's Truth Social account that amplified his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, despite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-2020-election-lies-debunked-4fc26546b07962fdbf9d66e739fbb50d">courts around the country</a>&nbsp;and a Trump attorney general from his first term finding no evidence of fraud that could have affected the outcome.</p><p>An Obama spokeswoman said the former president, a Democrat, had no response.</p><p>Nearly all of the 62-second clip, which was among dozens of Truth Social posts from Trump overnight, appears to be from a conservative video alleging deliberate tampering with voting machines in battleground states as the 2020 presidential votes were tallied. At the 60-second mark is a quick scene of two primates, with the Obamas' smiling faces imposed on them.</p><h2>‘An internet meme’</h2><p>Those frames were taken from a separate video, previously circulated by an influential conservative meme maker. It shows Trump as “King of the Jungle” and depicts a range of Democratic leaders as animals, including Joe Biden, who is white, as a jungle primate eating a banana.</p><p>“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,” Leavitt said by text, referring to Disney's 1994 feature film, which does not feature the range of jungle primates featured in the original video. “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”</p><p>By noon, the post had been taken down with responsibility placed on a Trump subordinate.</p><p>Trump did not comment on the video in the post, which comes in the first week of Black History Month and days after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/02/national-black-history-month-2026/">a presidential proclamation</a>&nbsp;that cited “the contributions of black Americans to our national greatness and their enduring commitment to the American principles of liberty, justice, and equality.”</p><h2>Condemnation across the political spectrum</h2><p>While it was still up, Trump's post drew condemnation from across the political and ideological spectrum.</p><p>The Rev. Bernice King, daughter of the assassinated civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., resurfaced her father's words: “Yes. I'm Black. I'm proud of it. I'm Black and beautiful.” She praised Black Americans as “diverse, innovative, industrious, inventive” and added, “We are beloved of God as postal workers and professors, as a former first lady and president. We are not apes.”</p><p>The U.S. Senate's lone Black Republican, Tim Scott of South Carolina, called on Trump to take down the post. “Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” Scott, who chairs Senate Republicans' midterm campaign arm, said on social media.</p><p>Another Republican, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, is white but represents the state with the largest percentage of Black residents. Wicker called the post “totally unacceptable” and said the president should apologize.</p><p>NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement, “Donald Trump’s video is blatantly racist, disgusting, and utterly despicable.”</p><p>Johnson asserted that Trump is trying anything to distract from economic conditions and attention on the Jeffrey Epstein case files.</p><p>“You know who isn’t in the Epstein files? Barack Obama,” Johnson said. "You know who actually improved the economy as president? Barack Obama.”</p><p>Trump and the official White House social media accounts frequently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ai-videos-trump-ice-artificial-intelligence-08d91fa44f3146ec1f8ee4d213cdad31">repost memes and artificial intelligence-generated videos</a>. As Leavitt did Friday, Trump aides typically dismiss critiques and cast the images as humorous.</p><h2>A long history of racism</h2><p>There is a long history in the U.S. of powerful white figures associating Black people with animals, including apes, in demonstrably false and racist ways. The practice dates back to 18th century cultural racism and pseudo-scientific theories in which white people drew connections between Africans and monkeys to justify the enslavement of Black people in Europe and North America, and later to dehumanize freed Black people as an uncivilized threat to white people.</p><p>Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, wrote in his famous text “Notes on the State of Virginia” that Black women were the preferred sexual partners of orangutans. President Dwight Eisenhower, discussing the desegregation of public schools in the 1950s, once argued that white parents were concerned about their daughters being in classrooms with “big Black bucks.” Obama, as a candidate and president, was featured as a monkey or other primate on T-shirts and other merchandise.</p><p>Trump, for his part, has a record of intensely personal criticism of the Obamas and of using incendiary, sometimes racist, rhetoric.</p><p>In his 2024 campaign, Trump said immigrants were “poisoning the blood of our country,” language&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hitler-poison-blood-history-f8c3ff512edd120252596a4743324352">similar to what Adolf Hitler said</a>&nbsp;to dehumanize Jews in Nazi Germany.</p><p>During his first White House term, Trump referred to a swath of developing nations that are majority Black as “shithole countries.” He initially denied using the slur but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-slur-haiti-africa-immigration-28aa0785d6f3c68fd4d9e823b6397429">admitted in December 2025</a>&nbsp;that he did say it.</p><p>When Obama was in the White House, Trump advanced the false claims that the 44th president, who was born in Hawaii, was born in Kenya and was constitutionally ineligible to serve. Trump, in interviews that helped endear him to many conservative voters, repeatedly demanded that Obama produce birth records and prove he was a “natural-born citizen” as required to become president.</p><p>Obama eventually released his Hawaii records. Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-presidential-election-general-news-events-61f7085d848248cd98410027d33f2101">finally acknowledged</a>&nbsp;during his 2016 campaign, after having won the Republican nomination, that Obama was born in Hawaii. But he immediately said, falsely, that his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton started those birtherism attacks on Obama.</p><p>___ Barrow reported from Atlanta.</p>

White House explains now deleted Trump 'racist' post about Obamas

<i>U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement</i>

The sale and trafficking of counterfeit goods is a multimillion-dollar criminal industry.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.iprcenter.gov/opteamplayer" target="_blank">Operation Team Player</a>&nbsp;is a year-round initiative led by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.iprcenter.gov/" target="_blank">National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Center</a>&nbsp;in collaboration with all major U.S. sports leagues to prevent counterfeit sports merchandise and apparel from reaching fans ahead of high-profile sporting events.

<a href="https://www.iprcenter.gov/opteamplayer">Click here to learn more</a>

Together with major sports leagues, the IPR Center:

Buying fake merchandise may seem harmless, but it has serious consequences. Whether it’s a fan losing hard-earned money on a fake jersey they were led to believe was authentic, or small businesses that purchased an expensive vendor license losing vital sales, intellectual property theft is a real crime with real victims and real negative financial impacts. This may sound absurd when talking about sports merchandise, but has real consequences for medications, cosmetics, electronics and other types of counterfeit or unlicensed goods and merchandise.

Counterfeit jerseys, hats, rings and other sports merchandise may look like the licensed version, but you could be scammed out of your hard-earned money thinking you are spending money on licensed gear. Counterfeit and unlicensed merchandise is often cheaply made with inferior stitching, dyes and other dangerous materials that can affect consumers’ health. It may not hold up to wear and tear like licensed gear.

Counterfeiting is a worldwide issue and combating it requires a united front. By working together — law enforcement, industry leaders and everyday consumers — we can make a significant impact.

Many people don’t think twice about counterfeit goods — until they personally experience the consequences. Whether it's being scammed, suffering harm, or having their intellectual property stolen, counterfeiting has real-world effects.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770394342867.png" alt="Photo courtesy Operation Team Player" />
                        <figcaption>Photo courtesy Operation Team Player</figcaption>
                    </figure><p><i>U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement</i></p><p>The sale and trafficking of counterfeit goods is a multimillion-dollar criminal industry.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.iprcenter.gov/opteamplayer" target="_blank">Operation Team Player</a>&nbsp;is a year-round initiative led by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.iprcenter.gov/" target="_blank">National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Center</a>&nbsp;in collaboration with all major U.S. sports leagues to prevent counterfeit sports merchandise and apparel from reaching fans ahead of high-profile sporting events.</p><p><a href="https://www.iprcenter.gov/opteamplayer">Click here to learn more</a></p><p>The goal is twofold:</p><ol>
                        <li>Launch successful criminal investigations to prevent the illegal manufacture, distribution, and sale of fake sports related merchandise.</li><li>Provide consumers with tips so they can make informed choices when shopping for their favorite team’s sports gear.</li>
                    </ol><p>Together with major sports leagues, the IPR Center:</p><ul>
                        <li>Tracks and intercepts counterfeit goods, including identifying international shipments, monitoring online marketplaces and e-commerce platforms and investigating markets and retail outlets engaged in selling fake merchandise.</li><li>Identifies warehouses, stores, flea markets, online vendors and street sellers trafficking counterfeit sports merchandise, apparel, souvenirs and collectibles.</li><li>Raises awareness to educate consumers to be able to make informed purchasing choices, spot counterfeit goods and understand the impact of intellectual property theft.</li>
                    </ul><h2>Become an Informed Consumer</h2><p>Buying fake merchandise may seem harmless, but it has serious consequences. Whether it’s a fan losing hard-earned money on a fake jersey they were led to believe was authentic, or small businesses that purchased an expensive vendor license losing vital sales, intellectual property theft is a real crime with real victims and real negative financial impacts. This may sound absurd when talking about sports merchandise, but has real consequences for medications, cosmetics, electronics and other types of counterfeit or unlicensed goods and merchandise.</p><p>Counterfeit jerseys, hats, rings and other sports merchandise may look like the licensed version, but you could be scammed out of your hard-earned money thinking you are spending money on licensed gear. Counterfeit and unlicensed merchandise is often cheaply made with inferior stitching, dyes and other dangerous materials that can affect consumers’ health. It may not hold up to wear and tear like licensed gear.</p><h2>Why It Matters</h2><p>Counterfeiting is a worldwide issue and combating it requires a united front. By working together — law enforcement, industry leaders and everyday consumers — we can make a significant impact.</p><ul>
                        <li>What Does Intellectual Property Theft Mean?Intellectual property theft is the unauthorized use, exploitation or outright theft of creative works, ideas, trade secrets and proprietary information otherwise protected under intellectual property laws. IP theft covers a wide range of cases, including trademark violations, copyright infringement and patent infringement.</li>
                    </ul><p>Many people don’t think twice about counterfeit goods — until they personally experience the consequences. Whether it's being scammed, suffering harm, or having their intellectual property stolen, counterfeiting has real-world effects.</p>

As the Super Bowl approaches officials warn of fake sports gear

SEDGWICK COUNTY&nbsp;— A suspect accused in the deadly shooting of a Dodge City man is due back in court on Friday.

&nbsp;Ricardo Talavera, 41, will appear in Judge Kathleen Watson's courtroom for a preliminary hearing, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

Talavera is charged with involuntary manslaughter and interference with a law enforcement office in the death of 49-year-old Ruben Parga-Quintanar.

Judge could decide today if there is enough evidence for the case to move forward and set a date for his arraignment.

Just before 9a.m. August 1, officers and Wichita Fire Department crews responded to a report of a man down near the entrance to an alley in the 2400 block of North Jeanette in Wichita, according to a media release. When fire personnel arrived, they found Parga-Quintanar with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:53 a.m.

Early findings in the investigation suggested Parga-Quintanar was shot elsewhere and collapsed after fleeing on a bicycle. As the case progressed, detectives determined he was shot in the alley and then collapsed nearby.

Investigators identified Talavera as a suspect and served a search warrant at his home.&nbsp; On August 6, police arrested him and booked him into the Sedgwick County Jail.&nbsp; He remains jailed on a&nbsp;$1,000,000.00 bond, according to online jail records.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754486168417.png" alt="Talavera photo Sedgwick County" />
                        <figcaption>Talavera photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SEDGWICK COUNTY&nbsp;— A suspect accused in the deadly shooting of a Dodge City man is due back in court on Friday.</p><p>&nbsp;Ricardo Talavera, 41, will appear in Judge Kathleen Watson's courtroom for a preliminary hearing, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.</p><p>Talavera is charged with involuntary manslaughter and interference with a law enforcement office in the death of 49-year-old Ruben Parga-Quintanar.</p><p>Judge could decide today if there is enough evidence for the case to move forward and set a date for his arraignment.</p><p>Just before 9a.m. August 1, officers and Wichita Fire Department crews responded to a report of a man down near the entrance to an alley in the 2400 block of North Jeanette in Wichita, according to a media release. When fire personnel arrived, they found Parga-Quintanar with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:53 a.m.</p><p>Early findings in the investigation suggested Parga-Quintanar was shot elsewhere and collapsed after fleeing on a bicycle. As the case progressed, detectives determined he was shot in the alley and then collapsed nearby.</p><p>Investigators identified Talavera as a suspect and served a search warrant at his home.&nbsp; On August 6, police arrested him and booked him into the Sedgwick County Jail.&nbsp; He remains jailed on a&nbsp;$1,000,000.00 bond, according to online jail records.</p>

Preliminary hearing for suspect in murder of SW Kansas man

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ghills/">GRACE HILLS</a><br><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The Kansas bill that would have&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/02/02/kansas-bill-would-require-kindergarteners-to-be-potty-trained-before-starting-school/">required kindergarteners to be potty trained</a>&nbsp;before starting school stalled in committee.

House Education Committee chairwoman Rep. Susan Estes, a Republican from Wichita, declined to bring the bill up for debate Wednesday. She said she wanted to give school districts more time to find a solution.&nbsp;

“I do think there are some very legitimate concerns,” Estes said. “Parents needing support if they are going through this. But also, how do we make sure that everything is being done in a way that is safe for the educator as well as the student?”&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2486/" target="_blank">House Bill 2486</a>&nbsp;garnered double the amount of opponents compared to proponents. Critics worried the bill would leave vulnerable children behind by excluding them from school and urged legislators to leave the decision up to local districts.&nbsp;

Rep. Sherri Brantley, a Republican from Great Bend, introduced the bill to help educators mitigate distractions. It would have required parents to confirm in writing that their child is potty trained before enrolling in school.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770385950352.png" alt=" Rep. Susan Estes, R-Wichita, appears on the House floor on March 19, 2025, in Topeka, Kansas. She is the chairwoman of the 2026 House Education Committee, where she halted a bill that proposed requiring potty training as a condition of kindergarten admissions. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
                        <figcaption> Rep. Susan Estes, R-Wichita, appears on the House floor on March 19, 2025, in Topeka, Kansas. She is the chairwoman of the 2026 House Education Committee, where she halted a bill that proposed requiring potty training as a condition of kindergarten admissions. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ghills/">GRACE HILLS</a><br><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a></p><p>TOPEKA — The Kansas bill that would have&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/02/02/kansas-bill-would-require-kindergarteners-to-be-potty-trained-before-starting-school/">required kindergarteners to be potty trained</a>&nbsp;before starting school stalled in committee.</p><p>House Education Committee chairwoman Rep. Susan Estes, a Republican from Wichita, declined to bring the bill up for debate Wednesday. She said she wanted to give school districts more time to find a solution.&nbsp;</p><p>“I do think there are some very legitimate concerns,” Estes said. “Parents needing support if they are going through this. But also, how do we make sure that everything is being done in a way that is safe for the educator as well as the student?”&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2486/" target="_blank">House Bill 2486</a>&nbsp;garnered double the amount of opponents compared to proponents. Critics worried the bill would leave vulnerable children behind by excluding them from school and urged legislators to leave the decision up to local districts.&nbsp;</p><p>Rep. Sherri Brantley, a Republican from Great Bend, introduced the bill to help educators mitigate distractions. It would have required parents to confirm in writing that their child is potty trained before enrolling in school.</p>

Kansas lawmakers hold back school potty training bill to allow time for solutions

PAWNEE COUNTY- Michael EG Reynolds, 69 of Larned, appeared Thursday afternoon before Senior District Judge Nancy Parrish of Topeka, Kansas, to determine whether he is competent to stand trial, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett. The hearing was conducted via video teleconferencing.

After hearing the testimony of the court-assigned forensic evaluator and arguments of counsel, Judge Parrish found Reynolds not competent to stand trial. Based on this finding, the Court then entered an order directing the Defendant to be committed to the Secretary of the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) for up to ninety (90) days for competency restoration treatment.

A five-day Jury Trial was scheduled to commence February 23, 2026. The matter is now stayed until such time as the Court finds the defendant has regained competency.

Under Kansas law, a person is “incompetent to stand trial” when such person is charged with a crime and, because of mental illness or defect is unable: (1) To understand the nature and purpose of the proceedings against such person; or (2) to make or assist in making such person's defense.

Reynolds is charged with one count of Intentional Murder in the Second Degree, one count of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and one count of Criminal Possession of a Firearm. The charges stem from a joint investigation by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and Coroner Dr. Lyle Noordhoek into the shooting death of Dr. Tomas Garza, 52 of Larned, on March 30, 2024. Reynolds was taken into custody at the scene without incident at the time of the alleged incident.

Rather than the State Security Hospital, which is on the campus of Larned State Hospital, the State anticipates Reynolds will be transferred to Osawatomie State Hospital to receive the court ordered treatment. At the time of his death, Dr. Garza served as the medical supervisor for Larned State Hospital.

Following the hearing, Judge Parrish denied the defendant’s request to reduce the bond finding Reynolds currently poses a danger to himself or others if released. The defendant will remain in the custody of the Pawnee County Sheriff pending his transfer to a psychiatric facility.

Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett represented the State at the hearing. Reynolds was represented by David McDonald of Platte City, Missouri.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712009351520.png" alt="Reynolds photo Pawnee Co." />
                        <figcaption>Reynolds photo Pawnee Co.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>PAWNEE COUNTY- Michael EG Reynolds, 69 of Larned, appeared Thursday afternoon before Senior District Judge Nancy Parrish of Topeka, Kansas, to determine whether he is competent to stand trial, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett. The hearing was conducted via video teleconferencing.</p><p>After hearing the testimony of the court-assigned forensic evaluator and arguments of counsel, Judge Parrish found Reynolds not competent to stand trial. Based on this finding, the Court then entered an order directing the Defendant to be committed to the Secretary of the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) for up to ninety (90) days for competency restoration treatment.</p><p>A five-day Jury Trial was scheduled to commence February 23, 2026. The matter is now stayed until such time as the Court finds the defendant has regained competency.</p><p>Under Kansas law, a person is “incompetent to stand trial” when such person is charged with a crime and, because of mental illness or defect is unable: (1) To understand the nature and purpose of the proceedings against such person; or (2) to make or assist in making such person's defense.</p><p>Reynolds is charged with one count of Intentional Murder in the Second Degree, one count of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and one count of Criminal Possession of a Firearm. The charges stem from a joint investigation by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and Coroner Dr. Lyle Noordhoek into the shooting death of Dr. Tomas Garza, 52 of Larned, on March 30, 2024. Reynolds was taken into custody at the scene without incident at the time of the alleged incident.</p><p>Rather than the State Security Hospital, which is on the campus of Larned State Hospital, the State anticipates Reynolds will be transferred to Osawatomie State Hospital to receive the court ordered treatment. At the time of his death, Dr. Garza served as the medical supervisor for Larned State Hospital.</p><p>Following the hearing, Judge Parrish denied the defendant’s request to reduce the bond finding Reynolds currently poses a danger to himself or others if released. The defendant will remain in the custody of the Pawnee County Sheriff pending his transfer to a psychiatric facility.</p><p>Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett represented the State at the hearing. Reynolds was represented by David McDonald of Platte City, Missouri.</p>

Judge rules on competency of suspect in murder of Kansas doctor

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.

Just before 9:30p.m. Wednesday, officers were dispatched to a shooting in the 1800 block of East Front Street, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

Upon arrival officers located a victim in the parking lot of Bally's KC Casino identified as 18-year-old&nbsp;Aundre Harris Jr. suffering from gunshot wounds. They began performing lifesaving measures and ordered KCFD EMS to the scene. Medics transported Harris to a local hospital, where he died a short time later.&nbsp;

This is being investigated as a homicide. A subject of interest was taken into custody on scene pending further investigation. The preliminary information revealed there was a disturbance between multiple individuals inside the casino. That disturbance subsequently led to an altercation in the parking lot where shots were fired and Harris was struck. Detectives and crime scene personnel canvassed the scene for physical evidence, witnesses, and surveillance footage.&nbsp;

If anyone was in the area and heard or saw anything or has any information they are asked to contact Homicide detectives directly at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS. There is a reward of up to $25,000 for information submitted anonymously to the TIPS hotline.

<p>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.</p><p>Just before 9:30p.m. Wednesday, officers were dispatched to a shooting in the 1800 block of East Front Street, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.</p><p>Upon arrival officers located a victim in the parking lot of Bally's KC Casino identified as 18-year-old&nbsp;Aundre Harris Jr. suffering from gunshot wounds. They began performing lifesaving measures and ordered KCFD EMS to the scene. Medics transported Harris to a local hospital, where he died a short time later.&nbsp;</p><p>This is being investigated as a homicide. A subject of interest was taken into custody on scene pending further investigation. The preliminary information revealed there was a disturbance between multiple individuals inside the casino. That disturbance subsequently led to an altercation in the parking lot where shots were fired and Harris was struck. Detectives and crime scene personnel canvassed the scene for physical evidence, witnesses, and surveillance footage.&nbsp;</p><p>If anyone was in the area and heard or saw anything or has any information they are asked to contact Homicide detectives directly at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS. There is a reward of up to $25,000 for information submitted anonymously to the TIPS hotline.</p>

Police: Teen killed after fight inside KC area casino

JOHNSON COUNTY—Police are asking for the public's help to identify jewelry theft suspect.

According to Overland Park Police, two individuals are suspected of committing felony theft from a jewelry kiosk at the Oak Park Mall.

The alleged theft occurred just after 7:30p.m. January 8. Two suspects entered a retail kiosk located at the Oak Park Mall,&nbsp; W.95th and Nieman after regular business hours. 

Once inside the kiosk, the suspects selected a significant number of necklaces before leaving the scene on foot.

 Both suspects are described as Hispanic males in their twenties. Police have no suspect vehicle information.

Anyone with information pertaining to the identity of these two individuals is urged to contact the Overland Park Police Department at 913-344-8729 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.Public Information Officer J. Lacy #653

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770325402937.png" alt="Photo Overland Park Police" />
                        <figcaption>Photo Overland Park Police</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>JOHNSON COUNTY—Police are asking for the public's help to identify jewelry theft suspect.</p><p>According to Overland Park Police, two individuals are suspected of committing felony theft from a jewelry kiosk at the Oak Park Mall.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770325381671.png" alt="Photo Overland Park Police" />
                        <figcaption>Photo Overland Park Police</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>The alleged theft occurred just after 7:30p.m. January 8. Two suspects entered a retail kiosk located at the Oak Park Mall,&nbsp; W.95th and Nieman after regular business hours. </p><p>Once inside the kiosk, the suspects selected a significant number of necklaces before leaving the scene on foot.</p><p> Both suspects are described as Hispanic males in their twenties. Police have no suspect vehicle information.</p><p>Anyone with information pertaining to the identity of these two individuals is urged to contact the Overland Park Police Department at 913-344-8729 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.Public Information Officer J. Lacy #653</p>

Police working to ID Kansas jewelry theft suspects

By SEJAL GOVINDARAO, JACQUES BILLEAUD and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — “Today” show host&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/savannah-guthrie">Savannah Guthrie's</a>&nbsp;brother on Thursday renewed the family's plea for their mother's kidnapper to contact them, hours after an Arizona sheriff said investigators don't have proof&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-nancy-042abd04a6d87e14eecb22f0bc2893d1">Nancy Guthrie</a>&nbsp;is alive but believe “she's still out there.”

“Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly,” Camron Guthrie said in a video posted on social media.

“We need you to reach out and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward,” but first the family needs to know the kidnapper has their mother, he said, echoing a statement his famous sister read the day before.

Five days into the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-arizona-tucson-0d6b55fd24f54b2526fd5f8894a52ff2">desperate search</a>&nbsp;for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, authorities have not identified any suspects or persons of interest, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.

Authorities think she was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-arizona-tucson-6c7b78d17d7b647c64f71f64ecaecf8b">taken against her will</a>&nbsp;from her home in Tucson over the weekend. DNA tests showed blood found on Guthrie’s front porch was a match to her, the sheriff said.

“Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home,” Nanos said at a news conference earlier Thursday. He acknowledged, however, that authorities have no evidence she’s OK.

Investigators said they are taking seriously notes seeking ransom that were sent to some media outlets.

It's unclear if all of the notes were identical. Heith Janke, the FBI chief in Phoenix, said details included a demand for money with a Thursday evening deadline and a second deadline for Monday if the first one wasn't met. At least one note mentioned a floodlight at Guthrie's home and an Apple watch, Janke said.

“To anyone who may be involved, do the right thing. This is an 84-year-old grandma,” Janke said.

At least three media organizations reported receiving purported ransom notes, which they handed over to investigators. Authorities made an arrest after one ransom note turned out to be fake, the sheriff said.

A note e-mailed Monday to the KOLD-TV newsroom in Tucson included information that only the abductor would know, anchor Mary Coleman told CNN.

“When we saw some of those details, it was clear after a couple of sentences that this might not be a hoax,” she said.

The sheriff said it’s possible Nancy Guthrie was targeted, but if she was, investigators don’t know if that’s because her daughter is one of television’s most visible anchors.

Authorities say any decision on whether to fulfill ransom demands ultimately is up to the family.

A day earlier, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings released a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-nancy-guthrie-mom-missing-88e8731270d05e6e667730d2ed8633d3">message to her mother’s kidnapper</a>, saying they are ready to talk but want proof their mom is still alive. There's been no response to their pleas so far.

<p>By SEJAL GOVINDARAO, JACQUES BILLEAUD and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press</p><p>TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — “Today” show host&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/savannah-guthrie">Savannah Guthrie's</a>&nbsp;brother on Thursday renewed the family's plea for their mother's kidnapper to contact them, hours after an Arizona sheriff said investigators don't have proof&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-nancy-042abd04a6d87e14eecb22f0bc2893d1">Nancy Guthrie</a>&nbsp;is alive but believe “she's still out there.”</p><p>“Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly,” Camron Guthrie said in a video posted on social media.</p><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUZULrXkqXb/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUZULrXkqXb/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; 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<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div><p>“We need you to reach out and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward,” but first the family needs to know the kidnapper has their mother, he said, echoing a statement his famous sister read the day before.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Statement from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department: <a href="https://t.co/fHMq1Jx9Tw">pic.twitter.com/fHMq1Jx9Tw</a></p>&mdash; Pima County Sheriff&#39;s Department (@PimaSheriff) <a href="https://twitter.com/PimaSheriff/status/2019538101279027629?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Five days into the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-arizona-tucson-0d6b55fd24f54b2526fd5f8894a52ff2">desperate search</a>&nbsp;for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, authorities have not identified any suspects or persons of interest, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.</p><p>Authorities think she was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-arizona-tucson-6c7b78d17d7b647c64f71f64ecaecf8b">taken against her will</a>&nbsp;from her home in Tucson over the weekend. DNA tests showed blood found on Guthrie’s front porch was a match to her, the sheriff said.</p><p>“Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home,” Nanos said at a news conference earlier Thursday. He acknowledged, however, that authorities have no evidence she’s OK.</p><h2>Demands for ransom</h2><p>Investigators said they are taking seriously notes seeking ransom that were sent to some media outlets.</p><p>It's unclear if all of the notes were identical. Heith Janke, the FBI chief in Phoenix, said details included a demand for money with a Thursday evening deadline and a second deadline for Monday if the first one wasn't met. At least one note mentioned a floodlight at Guthrie's home and an Apple watch, Janke said.</p><p>“To anyone who may be involved, do the right thing. This is an 84-year-old grandma,” Janke said.</p><p>At least three media organizations reported receiving purported ransom notes, which they handed over to investigators. Authorities made an arrest after one ransom note turned out to be fake, the sheriff said.</p><p>A note e-mailed Monday to the KOLD-TV newsroom in Tucson included information that only the abductor would know, anchor Mary Coleman told CNN.</p><p>“When we saw some of those details, it was clear after a couple of sentences that this might not be a hoax,” she said.</p><p>The sheriff said it’s possible Nancy Guthrie was targeted, but if she was, investigators don’t know if that’s because her daughter is one of television’s most visible anchors.</p><p>Authorities say any decision on whether to fulfill ransom demands ultimately is up to the family.</p><p>A day earlier, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings released a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-nancy-guthrie-mom-missing-88e8731270d05e6e667730d2ed8633d3">message to her mother’s kidnapper</a>, saying they are ready to talk but want proof their mom is still alive. There's been no response to their pleas so far.</p><h2>New timeline of Guthrie's disappearance</h2><p>Investigators gave a more&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-nancy-adaa8af43efe04c252a52616d9037a05">detailed timeline</a>&nbsp;from the hours after Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday night. She was eating dinner and playing games with family members before one of them dropped her off at her home in a upscale neighborhood that sits on hilly, desert terrain, the sheriff said.</p><p>About four hours later, just before 2 a.m. Sunday, the home’s doorbell camera was disconnected, Nanos said. But Guthrie did not have an active subscription, so the doorbell company was unable to recover any footage.</p><p>Software data recorded movement at the home minutes later, the sheriff said, acknowledging that the motion could have come from an animal.</p><p>Then at 2:28 a.m. the app on Guthrie’s pacemaker was disconnected from her phone.</p><h2>Search enters a fifth day</h2><p>Guthrie&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-arizona-tucson-74d845b070fefe2d94cb92d655308e91">was reported missing</a>&nbsp;shortly before noon Sunday after she didn’t show up at a church.</p><p>While she is able to drive and her mind is sharp, the sheriff said she has difficulty walking even short distances. She also requires daily medicine that's vital to her health, he has said.</p><p>A sheriff’s dispatcher said during the search Sunday that Guthrie has high blood pressure, a pacemaker and heart issues, according to audio from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.broadcastify.com/">broadcastify.com</a>.</p><p>Investigators searched in and around Guthrie’s home again for several hours Wednesday.</p><p>Authorities are bringing more resources and people into the investigation, and the FBI announced Thursday it was offering up to $50,000 for information. A day earlier, President Donald Trump posted on social media that he was directing federal authorities to help where they can.</p><h2>Savannah Guthrie's emotional plea</h2><p>Savannah Guthrie has hosted “Today” — NBC’s flagship morning show — for more than a decade and had been set to co-anchor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-olympics-host-nbc-mary-carillo-94c13d18ac30129cc37e6990ac2c31f1">the network’s coverage</a>&nbsp;of Friday’s opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics. For now, she's staying close to her mother's home.</p><p>She joined her two siblings in an emotional plea on social media Wednesday to say they're ready to talk to whoever sent the ransom notes.</p><p>“We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us,” she said while fighting off tears.</p><p>With her voice cracking, she addressed her mother directly, saying the family was praying for her and that people were looking for her. She was flanked by Camron and their sister, Annie.</p><p>“Mamma, If you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you,” Annie Guthrie said.</p><p>___</p><p>This story has been corrected to show that the sheriff said it’s possible Nancy Guthrie was targeted, not that investigators have believed from the beginning that she was targeted.</p><p>___</p><p>Billeaud reported from Phoenix and Seewer from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed.</p>