By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

MINNEAPOLIS - Minneapolis area residents awoke to more than a rain-washed landscape Thursday morning.

A storm that blew through the area at approximately 4:40 a.m. Thursday brought with it destructive winds estimated to be in the 70-80 mph range, Kris Craven, meteorologist-in-charge of the National Weather Service office in Topeka, told Salina Post. 

The area had been put under a severe thunderstorm warning at 4:25 a.m.

"The storm moved through the Minneapolis area around 4:40 a.m., and caused a swath of tree, power line, and roof damage from around Second Street north to around 10th Street," Craven said.

Additionally, the storm dumped quite a bit of rain on Ottawa County. Rainfall totals within the county ranged from 1.42 inched reported 3.6 miles east-northeast of Culver to 2.55 inches 0.4 of a mile northeast of Minneapolis, according to 24-hour rainfall information from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail &amp; Snow Network.

Following are some additional photos provided to Salina Post by Dustin McCown.

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostMINNEAPOLIS - Minneapolis area residents awoke to more than a rain-washed landscape Thursday morning.A storm that blew through the area at approximately 4:40 a.m. Thursday brought with it destructive winds estimated to be in the 70-80 mph range, Kris Craven, meteorologist-in-charge of the National Weather Service office in Topeka, told Salina Post. The area had been put under a severe thunderstorm warning at 4:25 a.m."The storm moved through the Minneapolis area around 4:40 a.m., and caused a swath of tree, power line, and roof damage from around Second Street north to around 10th Street," Craven said.Additionally, the storm dumped quite a bit of rain on Ottawa County. Rainfall totals within the county ranged from 1.42 inched reported 3.6 miles east-northeast of Culver to 2.55 inches 0.4 of a mile northeast of Minneapolis, according to 24-hour rainfall information from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail &amp; Snow Network.Following are some additional photos provided to Salina Post by Dustin McCown.<figure>
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Thursday morning storm wallops north central Kansas

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Thursday passed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-2022-midterm-elections-biden-technology-business-7aa66d84e150a4c1d54831677075cee9">$280 billion package</a>&nbsp;to boost the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-congress-asia-economy-2868a5c494e99a2050a3f9495ba2b544">semiconductor industry</a>&nbsp;and scientific research in a bid to create more high-tech jobs in the United States and help it better compete with international rivals, namely China.

The House approved the bill by a solid margin of 243-187, sending the measure to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-technology-united-states-economy-c034db7e761cd99e621118aac9d4d1d0">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;to be signed into law and providing the White House with a major domestic policy victory. About two-dozen Republicans voted for the legislation.

"My plea is put politics aside. Get it done,” Biden said before the vote, adding it would give the U.S. “the ability not only to compete with China for the future, but to lead the world and win the economic competition of the 21st century.”

Republicans argued the government should not spend billions to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-technology-congress-government-and-politics-7993ca0bb5e31d0f2141d0c2b349f370">subsidize the semiconductor industry</a>&nbsp;and GOP leadership in the House recommended a vote against the bill, telling members the plan would provide enormous subsidies and tax credits "to a specific industry that does not need additional government handouts.”

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., said the way to help the industry would be through tax cuts and easing federal regulations, “not by picking winners and losers” with subsidies — an approach that Rep. Joseph Morelle, D-N.Y., said was too narrow.

“This affects every industry in the United States," Morelle said. “Take, for example, General Motors announcing they have 95,000 automobiles awaiting chips. So, you want to increase the supply of goods to people and help bring down inflation? This is about increasing the supply of goods all over the United States in every single industry.”

Some Republicans viewed passing the legislation as important for national security. Rep. Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said it was critical to protect semiconductor capacity in the U.S., which he said was too reliant on Taiwan for the most advanced chips. That could prove to be a major vulnerability should China try to take over the self-governing island that Beijing views as a breakaway province

“I've got a unique insight in this. I get the classified briefing. Not all these members do," McCaul said. “This is vitally important for our national security."

The bill provides more than $52 billion in grants and other incentives for the semiconductor industry as well as a 25% tax credit for those companies that invest in chip plants in the U.S. It calls for increased spending on various research programs that would total about $200 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-technology-health-climate-and-environment-c62a6ea7beb1b570fd510336212e49be">A late development in the Senate</a>&nbsp;— progress announced by Wednesday night by Democrats on a $739 billion health and climate change package — threatened to make it harder for supporters to get the semiconductor bill over the finish line, based on concerns about government spending.

Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., said he was “disgusted" by the turn of events on Capitol Hill.

Despite bipartisan support for the research initiatives, “regrettably, and it's more regrettably than you can possibly imagine, I will not be casting my vote for the chips and science act today."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1659038218236.png" alt="President Biden spoke virtually on Monday with business executives and labor leaders to discuss the Chips Act, a proposal to bolster domestic manufacturing-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President Biden spoke virtually on Monday with business executives and labor leaders to discuss the Chips Act, a proposal to bolster domestic manufacturing-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Thursday passed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-2022-midterm-elections-biden-technology-business-7aa66d84e150a4c1d54831677075cee9">$280 billion package</a>&nbsp;to boost the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-congress-asia-economy-2868a5c494e99a2050a3f9495ba2b544">semiconductor industry</a>&nbsp;and scientific research in a bid to create more high-tech jobs in the United States and help it better compete with international rivals, namely China.The House approved the bill by a solid margin of 243-187, sending the measure to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-technology-united-states-economy-c034db7e761cd99e621118aac9d4d1d0">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;to be signed into law and providing the White House with a major domestic policy victory. About two-dozen Republicans voted for the legislation."My plea is put politics aside. Get it done,” Biden said before the vote, adding it would give the U.S. “the ability not only to compete with China for the future, but to lead the world and win the economic competition of the 21st century.”Republicans argued the government should not spend billions to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-technology-congress-government-and-politics-7993ca0bb5e31d0f2141d0c2b349f370">subsidize the semiconductor industry</a>&nbsp;and GOP leadership in the House recommended a vote against the bill, telling members the plan would provide enormous subsidies and tax credits "to a specific industry that does not need additional government handouts.”Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., said the way to help the industry would be through tax cuts and easing federal regulations, “not by picking winners and losers” with subsidies — an approach that Rep. Joseph Morelle, D-N.Y., said was too narrow.“This affects every industry in the United States," Morelle said. “Take, for example, General Motors announcing they have 95,000 automobiles awaiting chips. So, you want to increase the supply of goods to people and help bring down inflation? This is about increasing the supply of goods all over the United States in every single industry.”Some Republicans viewed passing the legislation as important for national security. Rep. Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said it was critical to protect semiconductor capacity in the U.S., which he said was too reliant on Taiwan for the most advanced chips. That could prove to be a major vulnerability should China try to take over the self-governing island that Beijing views as a breakaway province“I've got a unique insight in this. I get the classified briefing. Not all these members do," McCaul said. “This is vitally important for our national security."The bill provides more than $52 billion in grants and other incentives for the semiconductor industry as well as a 25% tax credit for those companies that invest in chip plants in the U.S. It calls for increased spending on various research programs that would total about $200 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-technology-health-climate-and-environment-c62a6ea7beb1b570fd510336212e49be">A late development in the Senate</a>&nbsp;— progress announced by Wednesday night by Democrats on a $739 billion health and climate change package — threatened to make it harder for supporters to get the semiconductor bill over the finish line, based on concerns about government spending.Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., said he was “disgusted" by the turn of events on Capitol Hill.Despite bipartisan support for the research initiatives, “regrettably, and it's more regrettably than you can possibly imagine, I will not be casting my vote for the chips and science act today."___

Congress OKs bill to aid computer chip firms, counter China

By MARGARET MELLOTT <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/07/25/kansas-public-schools-sweep-national-policy-debate-titles-for-first-time/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA
 — Three Kansas public high schools won all four national policy debate 
championships this year, an unprecedented accomplishment in an arena 
dominated by private schools.

Policy debate has a rich history of 
being one of the most esteemed events in high school debate and 
forensics competitions. This is the first time Kansas schools have 
placed first at all four national tournaments.

“Kansas is lucky enough to have a lot
 of those top competitors in one place, where we can debate much more 
regionally and still challenge our students in a way that prepares them 
for the national stage,” said Tim Ellis, debate and forensics coach at 
Washburn Rural High School and president of the Kansas Speech 
Communication Association.

Policy debate is when a team of two 
supports a suggested policy change while the opposing team of two argues
 the opposite. An example topic from one of this year’s competitions: 
The U.S. federal government should substantially increase its protection
 of water resources.

To begin the national tournament 
season, Washburn Rural took home the National Debate Coaches Association
 title for policy debate in early April — a feat the school would repeat
 at the last tournament in June.

The first title happened in “a 
tournament that is attended by a lot of the large national programs that
 engage in debates,” Ellis said. “It’s designed for students to go on 
and debate in college.”

The two students who won the first title, Jiyoon Park and Zach Willingham, graduated from Washburn Rural in May.

Recent Lawrence Free State High School graduates John
 Marshall and Serena Rupp were also champions. Their coach, Kelly 
Thompson, said this was the first time a school from Kansas placed first
 in the policy debate event at the Tournament of Champions in late 
April.

“John and Serena are obviously 
incredibly talented, but they’re also really hard working,” Thompson 
said. “They committed themselves to each other and to their goals in a 
way that great teams have to do.”

Shawnee Mission South High School 
took the third policy debate title in late May at the National Catholic 
Forensic League Grand National Tournament.

“It was wild,” said Carolyn Cook, 
Shawnee Mission South High School debate coach. “It was very exciting. 
You don’t know (who won) until they’re up on stage.”

Cook said she’s thrilled for the two juniors who won, Clare Bradley and Brooklynn Hato, as they look forward to next season.

“The nerdy high school debater I was 
(would think) like, ‘This is wild,’ ” Cook said. “Because if you would 
have told me it would be happening when I was younger … that Kansas 
would have the four titles, I would have thought you were being silly.”

Washburn Rural wrapped up the season 
of marquee victories by taking home the Richard B. Sodikow policy debate
 title for the National Speech and Debate Association.

“The policy debate division that we 
won is the oldest and most prestigious of (debate) events,” Ellis said. 
“They had to complete 15 rounds over the course of those five days in 
order to win nationals.”

Traditionally, Ellis said, debate is dominated by private schools. He attributes this to funding.

“You have to travel to tournaments 
that are in other states to compete against quality competition,” Ellis 
said. “It requires money to be able to go to those tournaments and fly 
around the country and debate against the top competition.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658852086370.png" alt="Washburn Rural High School seniors Zach Willingham, left, and Jiyoon Park, middle, hold their trophies with coach Tim Ellis in June after winning their second national title of the season. (National Debate and Speech Association)" />
 <figcaption>Washburn Rural High School seniors Zach Willingham, left, and Jiyoon Park, middle, hold their trophies with coach Tim Ellis in June after winning their second national title of the season. (National Debate and Speech Association)</figcaption>
 </figure>By MARGARET MELLOTT <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/07/25/kansas-public-schools-sweep-national-policy-debate-titles-for-first-time/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA
 — Three Kansas public high schools won all four national policy debate 
championships this year, an unprecedented accomplishment in an arena 
dominated by private schools.Policy debate has a rich history of 
being one of the most esteemed events in high school debate and 
forensics competitions. This is the first time Kansas schools have 
placed first at all four national tournaments.“Kansas is lucky enough to have a lot
 of those top competitors in one place, where we can debate much more 
regionally and still challenge our students in a way that prepares them 
for the national stage,” said Tim Ellis, debate and forensics coach at 
Washburn Rural High School and president of the Kansas Speech 
Communication Association.Policy debate is when a team of two 
supports a suggested policy change while the opposing team of two argues
 the opposite. An example topic from one of this year’s competitions: 
The U.S. federal government should substantially increase its protection
 of water resources.To begin the national tournament 
season, Washburn Rural took home the National Debate Coaches Association
 title for policy debate in early April — a feat the school would repeat
 at the last tournament in June.The first title happened in “a 
tournament that is attended by a lot of the large national programs that
 engage in debates,” Ellis said. “It’s designed for students to go on 
and debate in college.”The two students who won the first title, Jiyoon Park and Zach Willingham, graduated from Washburn Rural in May.Recent Lawrence Free State High School graduates John
 Marshall and Serena Rupp were also champions. Their coach, Kelly 
Thompson, said this was the first time a school from Kansas placed first
 in the policy debate event at the Tournament of Champions in late 
April.“John and Serena are obviously 
incredibly talented, but they’re also really hard working,” Thompson 
said. “They committed themselves to each other and to their goals in a 
way that great teams have to do.”Shawnee Mission South High School 
took the third policy debate title in late May at the National Catholic 
Forensic League Grand National Tournament.“It was wild,” said Carolyn Cook, 
Shawnee Mission South High School debate coach. “It was very exciting. 
You don’t know (who won) until they’re up on stage.”Cook said she’s thrilled for the two juniors who won, Clare Bradley and Brooklynn Hato, as they look forward to next season.“The nerdy high school debater I was 
(would think) like, ‘This is wild,’ ” Cook said. “Because if you would 
have told me it would be happening when I was younger … that Kansas 
would have the four titles, I would have thought you were being silly.”Washburn Rural wrapped up the season 
of marquee victories by taking home the Richard B. Sodikow policy debate
 title for the National Speech and Debate Association.“The policy debate division that we 
won is the oldest and most prestigious of (debate) events,” Ellis said. 
“They had to complete 15 rounds over the course of those five days in 
order to win nationals.”Traditionally, Ellis said, debate is dominated by private schools. He attributes this to funding.“You have to travel to tournaments 
that are in other states to compete against quality competition,” Ellis 
said. “It requires money to be able to go to those tournaments and fly 
around the country and debate against the top competition.”

Kan. public schools sweep national policy debate titles for first time

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nancy-pelosi">House Speaker Nancy Pelosi</a>&nbsp;launched her political career being tough on China -- a new congresswoman who dared to unfurl a pro-democracy banner in Beijing's Tiananmen Square during a 1991 visit with other U.S. lawmakers shortly after the student massacre.

More than 30 years later, her interest in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taiwan">traveling to Taiwan</a>&nbsp;presents a powerful diplomatic capstone. It has also contributed to tensions at the highest levels in Washington and Beijing among officials who worry a trip could prove provocative.

As the U.S. balances its high-stakes relations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/china">with China</a>, whether Pelosi will lead a delegation trip to Taiwan remains unknown. But what is certain is that Pelosi's decision will be a defining foreign policy and human rights moment for the U.S. and its highest-ranking lawmaker with a long tenure leading the House.

“This is part of who the speaker is,” said Samuel Chu, president of The Campaign for Hong Kong, a Washington-based advocacy organization.

“This is not a one-time, one-off publicity stunt,” said Chu, whose father was among those who met with Pelosi and the U.S. lawmakers three decades ago in Hong Kong. “Thirty years later, she's still connected.”

Pelosi declined to disclose Wednesday any update on her plans for Taiwan, reiterating that she does not discuss travel plans, as is the norm,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-nancy-pelosi-taiwan-government-and-politics-30bb4a00c7fd0e41c16b6791da6ad4a0">for security reasons</a>. The top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, confirmed that he was invited to be a part of Pelosi's bipartisan delegation but is unable to join, though his office said he believes the speaker and other Americans should be able to visit Taiwan.

Asked about planned military steps to protect Pelosi in the event of a visit, U.S. Gen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-china-indonesia-jakarta-joint-chiefs-of-staff-9d5172dafc703b7dccc4ac175a984c91">Mark Milley</a>, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that discussion of any specific travel is premature. But, he added, “if there’s a decision made that Speaker Pelosi or anyone else is going to travel and they asked for military support, we will do what is necessary to ensure a safe conduct of their visit. And I’ll just leave it at that.”

The Biden administration has declined to publicly weigh in on the rumored visit, though the military is making plans to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-nancy-pelosi-taiwan-government-and-politics-30bb4a00c7fd0e41c16b6791da6ad4a0">bolster its security forces in the region</a>&nbsp;to protect her potential travel against any reaction from China. While U.S. officials say they have little fear that Beijing would attack Pelosi's plane, they are aware that a mishap, misstep or misunderstanding could endanger her safety.

It all comes as President Joe Biden is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-beijing-xi-jinping-nancy-pelosi-11b64d29f469d509de6d133bbc8362d3">set to speak Thursday</a>&nbsp;with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for the first time in four months, and the potential Pelosi trip is looming over the conversation.

"There’s always issues of security," said John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, declining Wednesday to talk directly about the speaker's potential travel.

Not since Republican Newt Gingrich led a delegation to Taiwan 25 years ago has a U.S. House speaker, third in line to the presidency, visited the self-ruling region, which China claims as part of its own and has threatened to forcibly annex in a move the West would view unfavorably.

More than just a visit overseas, Pelosi's trip would signify a foreign policy thru-line to her long career in Congress as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/foreign-policy-donald-trump-nancy-pelosi-ap-top-news-international-news-7083d58ec18a4b7fa5011f8c95b64508">she has increasingly pointed the speaker's gavel outward</a>&nbsp;expanding her job description to include the role of U.S. emissary abroad.

Particularly during the Trump administration, when the former president challenged America's commitments to its allies, and now alongside Biden, the Democrat Pelosi has presented herself as a world leader on the global stage — visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Pope Francis at the Vatican, and heads of state around the world.

“She absolutely has to go,” Gingrich told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday about Pelosi's potential trip.

“She has always had a very tough position going back to Tiananmen Square. And this is one of those places where she and I actually sort of agreed,” Gingrich said. “I think for Nancy to back down would be an enormous blow to Taiwan, and it would be a very dangerous signal, trying to appease the Chinese Communists.”

Pelosi has indicated the value she sees in her potential visit leading a delegation of lawmakers from the U.S.

"It’s important for us to show support for Taiwan,” Pelosi told reporters at her news conference last week.

"None of us has ever said we're for independence, when it comes to Taiwan. That's up to Taiwan to decide.”

Pelosi was newly elected to Congress when the tanks rolled in to Tiananmen Square in 1989 against the pro-democracy student protests.

Two years later she joined more veteran lawmakers on the trip when they were briefly detained by police after unfurling the pro-democracy banner that read “To those who died for democracy in China,” trailed by news cameras.

“We've been told for two days now that there's freedom of speech in China,” she said in one video clip at the time.

The trip had a “deep and abiding” impact on Pelosi and became foundational to her style of leadership, Chu said.

Pelosi advocated for human rights in China by working against Beijing in 1993 as it eyed hosting the summer Olympics and she opposed its bid for the 2008 games. Pelosi sought over the years to link China's trade status with its human rights record, working to ensure China's entry to the World Trade Organization come with oversight.

Pelosi has often made physical gestures challenging China, including in 2009 when she hand-delivered a letter to then-President Hu Jintao calling for the release of political prisoners.

“China is a very important country,” she said upon her return days later recognizing the 20th anniversary of Tiananmen Square in a speech in Congress, and outlining the significance of the country's relationship “in every way” to the U.S.

"But the size of the economy, the size of the country, and the size of the relationship doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t speak out,” Pelosi said. “I have said that if we don’t speak out about our concerns regarding human rights in China and Tibet, then we lose all moral authority to discuss it about any other country in the world.”

In Congress, lawmakers of both parties have rallied around Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan, viewing the delegation's trip as an important diplomatic mission as well as an expression of a co-equal branch of the U.S. government.

“I understand all the sensitivities in the world, here's the one stark fact: If we allow the Chinese to basically tell us who can and cannot visit Taiwan, then Taiwan will be isolated," said Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “We can’t let the Chinese do that. Now, she’ll have to judge whether or not it makes the best sense at this time.”

SYDNEY (AP) — U.S. officials say they have little fear that China would attack Nancy Pelosi’s plane if she flies to Taiwan. But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nancy-pelosi">the U.S. House speaker</a>&nbsp;would be entering one of the world’s hottest spots, where a mishap, misstep or misunderstanding could endanger her safety. So&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-department-of-defense">the Pentagon</a>&nbsp;is developing plans for any contingency.

Officials told The Associated Press that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-pelosi-taiwan-visit-explainer-fd940b681b9a4165d2ace569bbfe33fb">if Pelosi goes to Taiwan</a>&nbsp;— still an uncertainty — the military would increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region. They declined to provide details, but said that fighter jets, ships, surveillance assets and other military systems would likely be used to provide overlapping rings of protection for her flight to Taiwan and any time on the ground there.

Any foreign travel by a senior U.S. leader requires additional security. But officials said this week that a visit to Taiwan by Pelosi — she would be the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to visit Taiwan since 1997 — would go beyond the usual safety precautions for trips to less risky destinations.

China considers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taiwan">self-ruling Taiwan</a>&nbsp;its own territory and has raised the prospect of annexing it by force. The U.S. maintains informal relations and defense ties with Taiwan even as it recognizes Beijing as the government of China.

The trip is being considered at a time when China has escalated what the U.S. and its allies in the Pacific describe as risky one-on-one confrontations with other militaries to assert its sweeping territorial claims. The incidents have included dangerously close fly-bys that force other pilots to swerve to avoid collisions, or harassment or obstruction of air and ship crews, including with blinding lasers or water cannon.

Dozens of such maneuvers have occurred this year alone, Ely Ratner, U.S. assistant defense secretary, said Tuesday at a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/south-china-sea">South China Sea</a>&nbsp;forum by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. China denies the incidents.

The U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues, described the need to create buffer zones around the speaker and her plane. The U.S. already has substantial forces spread across the region, so any increased security could largely be handled by assets already in place.

The military would also have to be prepared for any incident — even an accident either in the air or on the ground. They said the U.S. would need to have rescue capabilities nearby and suggested that could include helicopters on ships already in the area.

Pelosi, D-Calif., has not publicly confirmed any new plans for a trip to Taiwan. She was going to go in April, but she postponed the trip after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nancy-pelosi-tests-positive-covid-8443e72bb5258fc5b79918f726eb635a">testing positive for COVID-19</a>.

The White House on Monday declined to weigh in directly on the matter, noting she had not confirmed the trip. But President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;last week raised concerns about it, telling reporters that the military thinks her trip is “not a good idea right now.”

A Pelosi trip may well loom over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-beijing-china-nancy-pelosi-taiwan-1f3405756aeb58cbc78afb1082077068">a call planned for Thursday between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping</a>, their first conversation in four months. A U.S. official confirmed plans for the call to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity ahead of the formal announcement.

U.S. officials have said the administration doubts that China would take direct action against Pelosi herself or try to sabotage the visit. But they don’t rule out the possibility that China could escalate provocative overflights of military aircraft in or near Taiwanese airspace and naval patrols in the Taiwan Strait should the trip take place. And they don’t preclude Chinese actions elsewhere in the region as a show of strength.

Security analysts were divided Tuesday about the extent of any threat during a trip and the need for any additional military protection.

The biggest risk during Pelosi's trip is of some Chinese show of force “gone awry, or some type of accident that comes out of a demonstration of provocative action,” said Mark Cozad, acting associate director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the Rand Corp. “So it could be an air collision. It could be some sort of missile test, and, again, when you’re doing those types of things, you know, there is always the possibility that something could go wrong.”

Barry Pavel, director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, scoffed at U.S. officials' reported consideration of aircraft carriers and warplanes to secure the speaker's safety. “Obviously, the White House does not want the speaker to go and I think that's why you're getting some of these suggestions.”

“She's not going to go with an armada,” Pavel said.

They also said that a stepped-up U.S. military presence to safeguard Pelosi risked raising tensions.

“It is very possible that ... our attempts to deter actually send a much different signal than the one we intend to send,” Cozad said. “And so you get into ... some sort of an escalatory spiral, where our attempts to deter are actually seen as increasingly provocative and vice versa. And that can be a very dangerous dynamic.”

On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Beijing had repeatedly expressed its “solemn position” over a potential Pelosi visit. He told reporters that China is prepared to “take firm and strong measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Milley said this week that the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with U.S. and other partner forces has increased significantly over the past five years. He said Beijing’s military has become far more aggressive and dangerous, and that the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.

Those include reports of Chinese fighter jets flying so close to a Canadian air security patrol last month that the Canadian pilot had to swerve to avoid collision, and another close call with an Australian surveillance flight in late May in which the Chinese crew released a flurry of metal scraps that were sucked into the other plane’s engine.

U.S. officials say that the prospects of an intercept or show of force by Chinese aircraft near Pelosi’s flight raises concerns, prompting the need for American aircraft and other assets to be nearby.

The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group is currently operating in the western Pacific, and made a port call in Singapore over the weekend. The strike group involves at least two other Navy ships and Carrier Air Wing 5, which includes F/A-18 fighter jets, helicopters and surveillance aircraft.

Prior to pulling into port in Singapore, the strike group was operating in the South China Sea. In addition, another Navy ship, the USS Benfold, a destroyer, has been conducting freedom of navigation operations in the region, including a passage through the Taiwan Strait last week.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658917953546.png" alt="Officials told The Associated Press that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-pelosi-taiwan-visit-explainer-fd940b681b9a4165d2ace569bbfe33fb">if Pelosi goes to Taiwan</a>&nbsp;— still an uncertainty — the military would increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region.- Photo House Speaker's office" />
 <figcaption>Officials told The Associated Press that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-pelosi-taiwan-visit-explainer-fd940b681b9a4165d2ace569bbfe33fb">if Pelosi goes to Taiwan</a>&nbsp;— still an uncertainty — the military would increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region.- Photo House Speaker's office</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nancy-pelosi">House Speaker Nancy Pelosi</a>&nbsp;launched her political career being tough on China -- a new congresswoman who dared to unfurl a pro-democracy banner in Beijing's Tiananmen Square during a 1991 visit with other U.S. lawmakers shortly after the student massacre.More than 30 years later, her interest in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taiwan">traveling to Taiwan</a>&nbsp;presents a powerful diplomatic capstone. It has also contributed to tensions at the highest levels in Washington and Beijing among officials who worry a trip could prove provocative.As the U.S. balances its high-stakes relations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/china">with China</a>, whether Pelosi will lead a delegation trip to Taiwan remains unknown. But what is certain is that Pelosi's decision will be a defining foreign policy and human rights moment for the U.S. and its highest-ranking lawmaker with a long tenure leading the House.“This is part of who the speaker is,” said Samuel Chu, president of The Campaign for Hong Kong, a Washington-based advocacy organization.“This is not a one-time, one-off publicity stunt,” said Chu, whose father was among those who met with Pelosi and the U.S. lawmakers three decades ago in Hong Kong. “Thirty years later, she's still connected.”Pelosi declined to disclose Wednesday any update on her plans for Taiwan, reiterating that she does not discuss travel plans, as is the norm,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-nancy-pelosi-taiwan-government-and-politics-30bb4a00c7fd0e41c16b6791da6ad4a0">for security reasons</a>. The top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, confirmed that he was invited to be a part of Pelosi's bipartisan delegation but is unable to join, though his office said he believes the speaker and other Americans should be able to visit Taiwan.Asked about planned military steps to protect Pelosi in the event of a visit, U.S. Gen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-china-indonesia-jakarta-joint-chiefs-of-staff-9d5172dafc703b7dccc4ac175a984c91">Mark Milley</a>, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that discussion of any specific travel is premature. But, he added, “if there’s a decision made that Speaker Pelosi or anyone else is going to travel and they asked for military support, we will do what is necessary to ensure a safe conduct of their visit. And I’ll just leave it at that.”The Biden administration has declined to publicly weigh in on the rumored visit, though the military is making plans to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-nancy-pelosi-taiwan-government-and-politics-30bb4a00c7fd0e41c16b6791da6ad4a0">bolster its security forces in the region</a>&nbsp;to protect her potential travel against any reaction from China. While U.S. officials say they have little fear that Beijing would attack Pelosi's plane, they are aware that a mishap, misstep or misunderstanding could endanger her safety.It all comes as President Joe Biden is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-beijing-xi-jinping-nancy-pelosi-11b64d29f469d509de6d133bbc8362d3">set to speak Thursday</a>&nbsp;with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for the first time in four months, and the potential Pelosi trip is looming over the conversation."There’s always issues of security," said John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, declining Wednesday to talk directly about the speaker's potential travel.Not since Republican Newt Gingrich led a delegation to Taiwan 25 years ago has a U.S. House speaker, third in line to the presidency, visited the self-ruling region, which China claims as part of its own and has threatened to forcibly annex in a move the West would view unfavorably.More than just a visit overseas, Pelosi's trip would signify a foreign policy thru-line to her long career in Congress as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/foreign-policy-donald-trump-nancy-pelosi-ap-top-news-international-news-7083d58ec18a4b7fa5011f8c95b64508">she has increasingly pointed the speaker's gavel outward</a>&nbsp;expanding her job description to include the role of U.S. emissary abroad.Particularly during the Trump administration, when the former president challenged America's commitments to its allies, and now alongside Biden, the Democrat Pelosi has presented herself as a world leader on the global stage — visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Pope Francis at the Vatican, and heads of state around the world.“She absolutely has to go,” Gingrich told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday about Pelosi's potential trip.“She has always had a very tough position going back to Tiananmen Square. And this is one of those places where she and I actually sort of agreed,” Gingrich said. “I think for Nancy to back down would be an enormous blow to Taiwan, and it would be a very dangerous signal, trying to appease the Chinese Communists.”Pelosi has indicated the value she sees in her potential visit leading a delegation of lawmakers from the U.S."It’s important for us to show support for Taiwan,” Pelosi told reporters at her news conference last week."None of us has ever said we're for independence, when it comes to Taiwan. That's up to Taiwan to decide.”Pelosi was newly elected to Congress when the tanks rolled in to Tiananmen Square in 1989 against the pro-democracy student protests.Two years later she joined more veteran lawmakers on the trip when they were briefly detained by police after unfurling the pro-democracy banner that read “To those who died for democracy in China,” trailed by news cameras.“We've been told for two days now that there's freedom of speech in China,” she said in one video clip at the time.The trip had a “deep and abiding” impact on Pelosi and became foundational to her style of leadership, Chu said.Pelosi advocated for human rights in China by working against Beijing in 1993 as it eyed hosting the summer Olympics and she opposed its bid for the 2008 games. Pelosi sought over the years to link China's trade status with its human rights record, working to ensure China's entry to the World Trade Organization come with oversight.Pelosi has often made physical gestures challenging China, including in 2009 when she hand-delivered a letter to then-President Hu Jintao calling for the release of political prisoners.“China is a very important country,” she said upon her return days later recognizing the 20th anniversary of Tiananmen Square in a speech in Congress, and outlining the significance of the country's relationship “in every way” to the U.S."But the size of the economy, the size of the country, and the size of the relationship doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t speak out,” Pelosi said. “I have said that if we don’t speak out about our concerns regarding human rights in China and Tibet, then we lose all moral authority to discuss it about any other country in the world.”In Congress, lawmakers of both parties have rallied around Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan, viewing the delegation's trip as an important diplomatic mission as well as an expression of a co-equal branch of the U.S. government.“I understand all the sensitivities in the world, here's the one stark fact: If we allow the Chinese to basically tell us who can and cannot visit Taiwan, then Taiwan will be isolated," said Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “We can’t let the Chinese do that. Now, she’ll have to judge whether or not it makes the best sense at this time.”___SYDNEY (AP) — U.S. officials say they have little fear that China would attack Nancy Pelosi’s plane if she flies to Taiwan. But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nancy-pelosi">the U.S. House speaker</a>&nbsp;would be entering one of the world’s hottest spots, where a mishap, misstep or misunderstanding could endanger her safety. So&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-department-of-defense">the Pentagon</a>&nbsp;is developing plans for any contingency.Officials told The Associated Press that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-pelosi-taiwan-visit-explainer-fd940b681b9a4165d2ace569bbfe33fb">if Pelosi goes to Taiwan</a>&nbsp;— still an uncertainty — the military would increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region. They declined to provide details, but said that fighter jets, ships, surveillance assets and other military systems would likely be used to provide overlapping rings of protection for her flight to Taiwan and any time on the ground there.Any foreign travel by a senior U.S. leader requires additional security. But officials said this week that a visit to Taiwan by Pelosi — she would be the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to visit Taiwan since 1997 — would go beyond the usual safety precautions for trips to less risky destinations.Asked about planned military steps to protect Pelosi in the event of a visit, U.S. Gen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-china-indonesia-jakarta-joint-chiefs-of-staff-9d5172dafc703b7dccc4ac175a984c91">Mark Milley</a>, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that discussion of any specific travel is premature. But, he added, “if there’s a decision made that Speaker Pelosi or anyone else is going to travel and they asked for military support, we will do what is necessary to ensure a safe conduct of their visit. And I’ll just leave it at that.”China considers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taiwan">self-ruling Taiwan</a>&nbsp;its own territory and has raised the prospect of annexing it by force. The U.S. maintains informal relations and defense ties with Taiwan even as it recognizes Beijing as the government of China.The trip is being considered at a time when China has escalated what the U.S. and its allies in the Pacific describe as risky one-on-one confrontations with other militaries to assert its sweeping territorial claims. The incidents have included dangerously close fly-bys that force other pilots to swerve to avoid collisions, or harassment or obstruction of air and ship crews, including with blinding lasers or water cannon.Dozens of such maneuvers have occurred this year alone, Ely Ratner, U.S. assistant defense secretary, said Tuesday at a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/south-china-sea">South China Sea</a>&nbsp;forum by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. China denies the incidents.The U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues, described the need to create buffer zones around the speaker and her plane. The U.S. already has substantial forces spread across the region, so any increased security could largely be handled by assets already in place.The military would also have to be prepared for any incident — even an accident either in the air or on the ground. They said the U.S. would need to have rescue capabilities nearby and suggested that could include helicopters on ships already in the area.Pelosi, D-Calif., has not publicly confirmed any new plans for a trip to Taiwan. She was going to go in April, but she postponed the trip after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nancy-pelosi-tests-positive-covid-8443e72bb5258fc5b79918f726eb635a">testing positive for COVID-19</a>.The White House on Monday declined to weigh in directly on the matter, noting she had not confirmed the trip. But President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;last week raised concerns about it, telling reporters that the military thinks her trip is “not a good idea right now.”A Pelosi trip may well loom over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-beijing-china-nancy-pelosi-taiwan-1f3405756aeb58cbc78afb1082077068">a call planned for Thursday between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping</a>, their first conversation in four months. A U.S. official confirmed plans for the call to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity ahead of the formal announcement.U.S. officials have said the administration doubts that China would take direct action against Pelosi herself or try to sabotage the visit. But they don’t rule out the possibility that China could escalate provocative overflights of military aircraft in or near Taiwanese airspace and naval patrols in the Taiwan Strait should the trip take place. And they don’t preclude Chinese actions elsewhere in the region as a show of strength.Security analysts were divided Tuesday about the extent of any threat during a trip and the need for any additional military protection.The biggest risk during Pelosi's trip is of some Chinese show of force “gone awry, or some type of accident that comes out of a demonstration of provocative action,” said Mark Cozad, acting associate director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the Rand Corp. “So it could be an air collision. It could be some sort of missile test, and, again, when you’re doing those types of things, you know, there is always the possibility that something could go wrong.”Barry Pavel, director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, scoffed at U.S. officials' reported consideration of aircraft carriers and warplanes to secure the speaker's safety. “Obviously, the White House does not want the speaker to go and I think that's why you're getting some of these suggestions.”“She's not going to go with an armada,” Pavel said.They also said that a stepped-up U.S. military presence to safeguard Pelosi risked raising tensions.“It is very possible that ... our attempts to deter actually send a much different signal than the one we intend to send,” Cozad said. “And so you get into ... some sort of an escalatory spiral, where our attempts to deter are actually seen as increasingly provocative and vice versa. And that can be a very dangerous dynamic.”On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Beijing had repeatedly expressed its “solemn position” over a potential Pelosi visit. He told reporters that China is prepared to “take firm and strong measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”Milley said this week that the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with U.S. and other partner forces has increased significantly over the past five years. He said Beijing’s military has become far more aggressive and dangerous, and that the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.Those include reports of Chinese fighter jets flying so close to a Canadian air security patrol last month that the Canadian pilot had to swerve to avoid collision, and another close call with an Australian surveillance flight in late May in which the Chinese crew released a flurry of metal scraps that were sucked into the other plane’s engine.U.S. officials say that the prospects of an intercept or show of force by Chinese aircraft near Pelosi’s flight raises concerns, prompting the need for American aircraft and other assets to be nearby.The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group is currently operating in the western Pacific, and made a port call in Singapore over the weekend. The strike group involves at least two other Navy ships and Carrier Air Wing 5, which includes F/A-18 fighter jets, helicopters and surveillance aircraft.Prior to pulling into port in Singapore, the strike group was operating in the South China Sea. In addition, another Navy ship, the USS Benfold, a destroyer, has been conducting freedom of navigation operations in the region, including a passage through the Taiwan Strait last week.

US military making plans if Pelosi travels to Taiwan

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an aggravated robbery and asking the public for help to locate two suspects identified as&nbsp;Nicole R. A. Fox, 41, and London D. Pike, 20, both of Topeka.

Just after&nbsp;8p.m. July 16, sheriff's deputies were dispatched for an unknown problem in the 11,000 block of SW 29th Street in Shawnee County, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

&nbsp;A 27-year-old female victim was taken at gun point from Topeka to this location.

During this time, the victim was struck in the head with a firearm, threatened and stripped of her outer clothing. The victim’s black 2017 Chevrolet Malibu was stolen and she was left in the roadway. A citizen found her walking and called 911.

The victim received medical attention on scene by American Medical Response&nbsp;and was then transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Christian.

Throughout the investigation, two suspects have been identified as Fox and Pike. Anyone with information on them is asked to contact police or call 911.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1659024111950.png" alt="Pike-photo Shawnee Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Pike-photo Shawnee Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an aggravated robbery and asking the public for help to locate two suspects identified as&nbsp;Nicole R. A. Fox, 41, and London D. Pike, 20, both of Topeka.Just after&nbsp;8p.m. July 16, sheriff's deputies were dispatched for an unknown problem in the 11,000 block of SW 29th Street in Shawnee County, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.&nbsp;A 27-year-old female victim was taken at gun point from Topeka to this location.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1659024081286.png" alt="Fox photo Shawnee Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Fox photo Shawnee Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>During this time, the victim was struck in the head with a firearm, threatened and stripped of her outer clothing. The victim’s black 2017 Chevrolet Malibu was stolen and she was left in the roadway. A citizen found her walking and called 911.The victim received medical attention on scene by American Medical Response&nbsp;and was then transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Christian.Throughout the investigation, two suspects have been identified as Fox and Pike. Anyone with information on them is asked to contact police or call 911.

Woman stripped at gunpoint, left on rural Kan. road after robbery

A Saline County roofer and his business have been temporarily banned from performing roofing services in Kansas and ordered to pay $40,000 in penalties after being found in violation of consumer protection laws, according to&nbsp; Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.

Shaun Costello, of Salina, and Low Overhead Exterior LLC, are enjoined from operating as roofing contractors in Kansas until such time as they obtain a roofing contractor registration certificate from the attorney general, as required by Kansas law. Saline County District Court Judge Paul J. Hickman this week entered default judgment after Costello and Low Overhead Exterior LLC failed to respond to a lawsuit filed in June. The court also ordered the defendants to pay a $40,000 civil penalty.

Schmidt had alleged that the defendants accepted payment from a consumer for roofing services while not holding a valid roofing registration certificate. The defendants also filed a mechanic’s lien against the consumer’s property as a roofing contractor while not holding a valid roofing registration certificate. The defendant was found in violation of both the Kansas Roofing Registration Act and the Kansas Consumer Protection Act. A copy of the judgment is available at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ag.ks.gov/roofer-enforcement" target="_blank">www.ag.ks.gov/roofer-enforcement</a>.

A Saline County roofer and his business have been temporarily banned from performing roofing services in Kansas and ordered to pay $40,000 in penalties after being found in violation of consumer protection laws, according to&nbsp; Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.Shaun Costello, of Salina, and Low Overhead Exterior LLC, are enjoined from operating as roofing contractors in Kansas until such time as they obtain a roofing contractor registration certificate from the attorney general, as required by Kansas law. Saline County District Court Judge Paul J. Hickman this week entered default judgment after Costello and Low Overhead Exterior LLC failed to respond to a lawsuit filed in June. The court also ordered the defendants to pay a $40,000 civil penalty.Schmidt had alleged that the defendants accepted payment from a consumer for roofing services while not holding a valid roofing registration certificate. The defendants also filed a mechanic’s lien against the consumer’s property as a roofing contractor while not holding a valid roofing registration certificate. The defendant was found in violation of both the Kansas Roofing Registration Act and the Kansas Consumer Protection Act. A copy of the judgment is available at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ag.ks.gov/roofer-enforcement" target="_blank">www.ag.ks.gov/roofer-enforcement</a>.

Saline County roofing company temporarily banned, fined

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy shrank from April through June for a second straight quarter, contracting at a 0.9% annual pace and raising fears that the nation may be approaching a recession.

The decline that the Commerce Department reported Thursday in the gross domestic product — the broadest gauge of the economy — followed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-gross-domestic-product-3edd62d07a01d974971155506f235c59">a 1.6% annual drop from January through March</a>. Consecutive quarters of falling GDP constitute one informal, though not definitive, indicator of a recession.

The GDP report for last quarter pointed to weakness across the economy. Consumer spending slowed as Americans bought fewer goods. Business investment fell. Inventories tumbled as businesses slowed their restocking of shelves, shedding 2 percentage points from GDP.

Higher interest rates, a consequence of the Federal Reserve's series of rate hikes, clobbered home construction, which shrank at a 14% annual rate. Government spending dropped, too.

The report comes at a critical time. Consumers and businesses have been struggling under the weight of punishing inflation and higher borrowing costs. On Wednesday, the Fed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-interest-rate-hike-live-updates-6dab38b8235bc62bdf69b4710c6b84f5">raised its benchmark interest rate</a>&nbsp;by a sizable three-quarters of a point for a second straight time in its push to conquer the worst inflation outbreak in four decades.

The Fed is hoping to achieve a notoriously difficult “soft landing”: An economic slowdown that manages to rein in rocketing prices without triggering a recession.

Apart from the United States, the global economy as a whole is also grappling with high inflation and weakening growth, especially after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent energy and food prices soaring. Europe, highly dependent on Russian natural gas, appears especially vulnerable to a recession.

In the United States, the inflation surge and fear of a recession have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-consumer-confidence-540a7e866b29e504f67e1aec2e0ee547">eroded consumer confidence</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-inflation-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-economy-8702782d77505f711272f5f9d988d73f">stirred public anxiety about the economy</a>, which is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-economy-vital-signs-cec67f96f44d67d78edfd35f1dbd2522">sending frustratingly mixed signals</a>. And with the November midterm elections nearing, Americans’ discontent has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-russia-ukraine-biden-covid-health-b6d1751b2554555f7246f9e914b87c59">diminished President Joe Biden’s public approval ratings</a>&nbsp;and could increase the likelihood that the Democrats will lose control of the House and Senate.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell and many economists have said that while the economy is showing some weakening, they doubt it’s in recession. Many of them point, in particular, to a still-robust labor market, with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-a8caceae5905d592eacf27e9972df7e1">11 million job openings</a>&nbsp;and an uncommonly low&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-jobs-report-signs-of-economic-resilience-e83d996c4a6320b5785dde94d6c2f125">3.6% unemployment rate</a>, to suggest that a recession, if one does occur, is still a ways off.

“The back-to-back contraction of GDP will feed the debate about whether the U.S. is in, or soon headed for, a recession," said Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets. “The fact that the economy created 2.7 million payrolls in the first half of the year would seem to argue against an official recession call for now."

Still, Guatieri said, “the economy has quickly lost steam in the face of four-decade high inflation, rapidly rising borrowing costs and a general tightening in financial conditions.”

In the meantime, Congress may be moving toward approving action to fight inflation under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-manchin-budget-agreement-7b0ee6e3e0b70357288fd69f44473b9b">an agreement announced Wednesday</a>&nbsp;by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat. Among other things,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-biden-health-climate-and-environment-7a267eeea21af0f44318e6b9d888c36c">the measure would allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices</a>&nbsp;with pharmaceutical companies, and the new revenue would be used to lower costs for seniors on medications. The measure would also extend subsidies that were provided early in the pandemic to help some Americans who buy health insurance on their own.

In the wake of Thursday’s second straight negative GDP report, Biden downplayed the news, pointing to continued low unemployment and strong hiring.

“Coming off of last year’s historic economic growth — and regaining all the private sector jobs lost during the pandemic crisis — it’s no surprise that the economy is slowing down as the Federal Reserve acts to bring down inflation," the president said in a statement. “But even as we face historic global challenges, we are on the right path and we will come through this transition stronger and more secure.’’

The government’s first of three estimates of GDP for the April-June quarter marks a drastic weakening from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-gross-domestic-product-fde10414fcf4fcd4994a88e6addc8dbd">5.7% growth the economy achieved last year</a>. That was the fastest calendar-year expansion since 1984, reflecting how vigorously the economy roared back from the brief but brutal pandemic recession of 2020.

But since then, the combination of mounting prices and higher borrowing costs have taken a toll. The Labor Department’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bls.gov/cpi/#:~:text=The%20Consumer%20Price%20Index%20(CPI,U.S.%20and%20various%20geographic%20areas.">consumer price index skyrocketed 9.1%</a>&nbsp;in June from a year earlier, a pace not matched since 1981. And despite widespread pay raises, prices are surging faster than wages. In June, average hourly earnings, after adjusting for inflation, slid 3.6% from a year earlier, the 15th straight year-over-year drop.

Americans are still spending, though more tepidly. Thursday's report showed that consumer spending rose at a 1% annual pace from April through June, down from 1.8% in the first quarter and 2.5% in the final three months of 2021.

Spending on goods like appliances and furniture, which had soared while Americans were sheltering at home early in the pandemic, dropped at a 4.4% rate last quarter. Bit spending on services like airline trips and dinners out rose at a 4.1% rate, indicating that millions of consumers are venturing out more.

Before accounting for surging prices, the economy actually grew at a 7.8% annual pace in the April-June quarter. But inflation wiped out that gain and then some and produced a negative GDP number.

Against that backdrop, Americans are losing confidence. Their assessment of economic conditions six months from now has reached its lowest point since 2013, according to the Conference Board, a research group.

Recession risks have been growing as the Fed’s policymakers have pursued a campaign of rate hikes that will likely extend into 2023. The Fed’s hikes have already led to higher rates on credit cards and auto loans and to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-mortgages-mortgage-rates-195888d890ceb97524eb6fd1d766bd8e">a doubling of the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage</a>&nbsp;in the past year, to 5.5.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/home-sales-prices-mortgages-05b7ad48a6c13727ed160bae415d3baa">Home sales, which are especially sensitive to interest rate changes, have tumbled</a>.

Even with the economy recording a second straight quarter of negative GDP, many economists do not regard it as constituting a recession. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-covid-health-gross-domestic-product-economy-89cbfc145ad34a91679ffa43e617c896">definition of recession that is most widely accepted</a>&nbsp;is the one determined by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a group of economists whose&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nber.org/news/business-cycle-dating-committee-announcement-july-19-2021">Business Cycle Dating Committee</a>&nbsp;defines a recession as “a significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and lasts more than a few months.”

The committee assesses a range of factors before publicly declaring the death of an economic expansion and the birth of a recession — and it often does so well after the fact.

“If we aren’t yet in a recession, we soon will be,'' said Joshua Shapiro, chief U.S. economist for the economic consulting firm Maria Fiorini Ramirez Inc. “An economy rapidly losing momentum combined with aggressive monetary tightening is not a recipe for a soft landing or any other type of happy ending.''

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1586444648763.png" alt="The report comes at a critical time. Consumers and businesses have been struggling under the weight of punishing inflation and higher borrowing costs." />
 <figcaption>The report comes at a critical time. Consumers and businesses have been struggling under the weight of punishing inflation and higher borrowing costs.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy shrank from April through June for a second straight quarter, contracting at a 0.9% annual pace and raising fears that the nation may be approaching a recession.The decline that the Commerce Department reported Thursday in the gross domestic product — the broadest gauge of the economy — followed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-gross-domestic-product-3edd62d07a01d974971155506f235c59">a 1.6% annual drop from January through March</a>. Consecutive quarters of falling GDP constitute one informal, though not definitive, indicator of a recession.The GDP report for last quarter pointed to weakness across the economy. Consumer spending slowed as Americans bought fewer goods. Business investment fell. Inventories tumbled as businesses slowed their restocking of shelves, shedding 2 percentage points from GDP.Higher interest rates, a consequence of the Federal Reserve's series of rate hikes, clobbered home construction, which shrank at a 14% annual rate. Government spending dropped, too.The report comes at a critical time. Consumers and businesses have been struggling under the weight of punishing inflation and higher borrowing costs. On Wednesday, the Fed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-interest-rate-hike-live-updates-6dab38b8235bc62bdf69b4710c6b84f5">raised its benchmark interest rate</a>&nbsp;by a sizable three-quarters of a point for a second straight time in its push to conquer the worst inflation outbreak in four decades.The Fed is hoping to achieve a notoriously difficult “soft landing”: An economic slowdown that manages to rein in rocketing prices without triggering a recession.Apart from the United States, the global economy as a whole is also grappling with high inflation and weakening growth, especially after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent energy and food prices soaring. Europe, highly dependent on Russian natural gas, appears especially vulnerable to a recession.In the United States, the inflation surge and fear of a recession have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-consumer-confidence-540a7e866b29e504f67e1aec2e0ee547">eroded consumer confidence</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-inflation-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-economy-8702782d77505f711272f5f9d988d73f">stirred public anxiety about the economy</a>, which is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-economy-vital-signs-cec67f96f44d67d78edfd35f1dbd2522">sending frustratingly mixed signals</a>. And with the November midterm elections nearing, Americans’ discontent has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-russia-ukraine-biden-covid-health-b6d1751b2554555f7246f9e914b87c59">diminished President Joe Biden’s public approval ratings</a>&nbsp;and could increase the likelihood that the Democrats will lose control of the House and Senate.Fed Chair Jerome Powell and many economists have said that while the economy is showing some weakening, they doubt it’s in recession. Many of them point, in particular, to a still-robust labor market, with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-a8caceae5905d592eacf27e9972df7e1">11 million job openings</a>&nbsp;and an uncommonly low&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-jobs-report-signs-of-economic-resilience-e83d996c4a6320b5785dde94d6c2f125">3.6% unemployment rate</a>, to suggest that a recession, if one does occur, is still a ways off.“The back-to-back contraction of GDP will feed the debate about whether the U.S. is in, or soon headed for, a recession," said Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets. “The fact that the economy created 2.7 million payrolls in the first half of the year would seem to argue against an official recession call for now."Still, Guatieri said, “the economy has quickly lost steam in the face of four-decade high inflation, rapidly rising borrowing costs and a general tightening in financial conditions.”In the meantime, Congress may be moving toward approving action to fight inflation under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-manchin-budget-agreement-7b0ee6e3e0b70357288fd69f44473b9b">an agreement announced Wednesday</a>&nbsp;by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat. Among other things,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-biden-health-climate-and-environment-7a267eeea21af0f44318e6b9d888c36c">the measure would allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices</a>&nbsp;with pharmaceutical companies, and the new revenue would be used to lower costs for seniors on medications. The measure would also extend subsidies that were provided early in the pandemic to help some Americans who buy health insurance on their own.In the wake of Thursday’s second straight negative GDP report, Biden downplayed the news, pointing to continued low unemployment and strong hiring.“Coming off of last year’s historic economic growth — and regaining all the private sector jobs lost during the pandemic crisis — it’s no surprise that the economy is slowing down as the Federal Reserve acts to bring down inflation," the president said in a statement. “But even as we face historic global challenges, we are on the right path and we will come through this transition stronger and more secure.’’The government’s first of three estimates of GDP for the April-June quarter marks a drastic weakening from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-gross-domestic-product-fde10414fcf4fcd4994a88e6addc8dbd">5.7% growth the economy achieved last year</a>. That was the fastest calendar-year expansion since 1984, reflecting how vigorously the economy roared back from the brief but brutal pandemic recession of 2020.But since then, the combination of mounting prices and higher borrowing costs have taken a toll. The Labor Department’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bls.gov/cpi/#:~:text=The%20Consumer%20Price%20Index%20(CPI,U.S.%20and%20various%20geographic%20areas.">consumer price index skyrocketed 9.1%</a>&nbsp;in June from a year earlier, a pace not matched since 1981. And despite widespread pay raises, prices are surging faster than wages. In June, average hourly earnings, after adjusting for inflation, slid 3.6% from a year earlier, the 15th straight year-over-year drop.Americans are still spending, though more tepidly. Thursday's report showed that consumer spending rose at a 1% annual pace from April through June, down from 1.8% in the first quarter and 2.5% in the final three months of 2021.Spending on goods like appliances and furniture, which had soared while Americans were sheltering at home early in the pandemic, dropped at a 4.4% rate last quarter. Bit spending on services like airline trips and dinners out rose at a 4.1% rate, indicating that millions of consumers are venturing out more.Before accounting for surging prices, the economy actually grew at a 7.8% annual pace in the April-June quarter. But inflation wiped out that gain and then some and produced a negative GDP number.Against that backdrop, Americans are losing confidence. Their assessment of economic conditions six months from now has reached its lowest point since 2013, according to the Conference Board, a research group.Recession risks have been growing as the Fed’s policymakers have pursued a campaign of rate hikes that will likely extend into 2023. The Fed’s hikes have already led to higher rates on credit cards and auto loans and to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-mortgages-mortgage-rates-195888d890ceb97524eb6fd1d766bd8e">a doubling of the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage</a>&nbsp;in the past year, to 5.5.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/home-sales-prices-mortgages-05b7ad48a6c13727ed160bae415d3baa">Home sales, which are especially sensitive to interest rate changes, have tumbled</a>.Even with the economy recording a second straight quarter of negative GDP, many economists do not regard it as constituting a recession. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-covid-health-gross-domestic-product-economy-89cbfc145ad34a91679ffa43e617c896">definition of recession that is most widely accepted</a>&nbsp;is the one determined by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a group of economists whose&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nber.org/news/business-cycle-dating-committee-announcement-july-19-2021">Business Cycle Dating Committee</a>&nbsp;defines a recession as “a significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and lasts more than a few months.”The committee assesses a range of factors before publicly declaring the death of an economic expansion and the birth of a recession — and it often does so well after the fact.“If we aren’t yet in a recession, we soon will be,'' said Joshua Shapiro, chief U.S. economist for the economic consulting firm Maria Fiorini Ramirez Inc. “An economy rapidly losing momentum combined with aggressive monetary tightening is not a recipe for a soft landing or any other type of happy ending.''

Recession fear: US economy shrinks for a 2nd straight quarter

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — More than 20 Republican attorneys general including Derek Schmidt of Kansas filed a lawsuit Tuesday against President Joe Biden's administration over a Department of Agriculture school meal program that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The challenge, led by Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery, claims that the federal government is attempting to force states and schools to follow antidiscrimination requirements that “misconstrue the law.”

The coalition of attorneys general are hoping for a similar result to a separate challenge from earlier this month when a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-sports-donald-trump-discrimination-gender-identity-bc841e715c2d93b2c2da2e10470aba13">Tennessee judge temporarily barred two federal agencies</a>&nbsp;from enforcing directives issued by Biden's administration that extended protections for LGBTQ people in schools and workplaces.

The judge sided with the attorneys general, ruling that the directives infringed on states’ right to enact laws, such as banning students from participating in sports based on their gender identity or requiring schools and businesses to provide bathrooms and showers to accommodate transgender people.

“This case is, yet again, about a federal agency trying to change law, which is Congress’ exclusive prerogative,” Slatery said in a statement. “The USDA simply does not have that authority. We have successfully challenged the Biden Administration’s other attempts to rewrite law and we will challenge this as well.”

In May, the USDA announced that it would include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity as a violation of Title IX, the sweeping 1972 law that guarantees equity between the sexes in “any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” The directive requires states to review allegations of discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, as well as update their policies and signage.

The agency warned that states and schools that receive federal funds, which include the national school lunch program overseen by the USDA, have agreed to follow civil rights laws. Although the agency says it wants voluntary compliance, it also has promised to refer violations to the Department of Justice. It is not clear whether the federal government would hold back funding for school meal programs as part of its enforcement.

The directive followed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/courts-supreme-courts-mi-state-wire-neil-gorsuch-ap-top-news-5a7b0e41a47a3c571dda69194758e7b1">landmark civil rights decision</a>&nbsp;by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2020 that, under a provision called Title VII, protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in the workplace.

According to the lawsuit, the attorneys general allege that the USDA's new directive is based on a “misreading” of the Supreme Court's ruling and did not provide states and other groups the opportunity to provide public comment.

The attorneys general involved in the lawsuit filed Tuesday are from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

A spokesperson for the USDA did not immediately return a request for comment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654711684391.png" alt="Attorney General Derek Schmidt -photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector" />
 <figcaption>Attorney General Derek Schmidt -photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector</figcaption>
 </figure>NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — More than 20 Republican attorneys general including Derek Schmidt of Kansas filed a lawsuit Tuesday against President Joe Biden's administration over a Department of Agriculture school meal program that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.The challenge, led by Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery, claims that the federal government is attempting to force states and schools to follow antidiscrimination requirements that “misconstrue the law.”The coalition of attorneys general are hoping for a similar result to a separate challenge from earlier this month when a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-sports-donald-trump-discrimination-gender-identity-bc841e715c2d93b2c2da2e10470aba13">Tennessee judge temporarily barred two federal agencies</a>&nbsp;from enforcing directives issued by Biden's administration that extended protections for LGBTQ people in schools and workplaces.The judge sided with the attorneys general, ruling that the directives infringed on states’ right to enact laws, such as banning students from participating in sports based on their gender identity or requiring schools and businesses to provide bathrooms and showers to accommodate transgender people.“This case is, yet again, about a federal agency trying to change law, which is Congress’ exclusive prerogative,” Slatery said in a statement. “The USDA simply does not have that authority. We have successfully challenged the Biden Administration’s other attempts to rewrite law and we will challenge this as well.”In May, the USDA announced that it would include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity as a violation of Title IX, the sweeping 1972 law that guarantees equity between the sexes in “any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” The directive requires states to review allegations of discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, as well as update their policies and signage.The agency warned that states and schools that receive federal funds, which include the national school lunch program overseen by the USDA, have agreed to follow civil rights laws. Although the agency says it wants voluntary compliance, it also has promised to refer violations to the Department of Justice. It is not clear whether the federal government would hold back funding for school meal programs as part of its enforcement.The directive followed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/courts-supreme-courts-mi-state-wire-neil-gorsuch-ap-top-news-5a7b0e41a47a3c571dda69194758e7b1">landmark civil rights decision</a>&nbsp;by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2020 that, under a provision called Title VII, protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in the workplace.According to the lawsuit, the attorneys general allege that the USDA's new directive is based on a “misreading” of the Supreme Court's ruling and did not provide states and other groups the opportunity to provide public comment.The attorneys general involved in the lawsuit filed Tuesday are from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.A spokesperson for the USDA did not immediately return a request for comment.

Kansas joins 19 other states in lawsuit over LGBTQ school guidance

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a vehicle theft, kidnapping and have four juveniles in custody.

Just after 5p.m. Wednesday, police were dispatched to a disturbance with a gun in the 4500 block of N. Hoover in Wichita, according to Officer Chad Ditch.

 When Officers arrived they learned a man and woman&nbsp; who lived in the 4500 block of N. Hoover had their 3-year-old and 1-year-old in their GMC Acadia parked in the driveway.&nbsp; Both parents went inside briefly and when they came back the vehicle was gone.

The father immediately left in another vehicle looking for the stolen SUV.&nbsp; He found the vehicle in the area and was able to stop the SUV, according to Ditch.

Several suspects ran from the vehicle and the 3-year-old and 1-year-old were not in the SUV.&nbsp; Officers later located the children by the side of the street unharmed in the neighborhood. 

Police located the suspects identified as a 16-year-old girl, a 14-year-old boy and two 12-year-old boys and took them into custody.&nbsp; The suspects were all confirmed runaways from St. Francis placement, according to Ditch.

The 3-year-old and 1-year-old were reunited with their parents.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658976513422.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation Wednesday evening-photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation Wednesday evening-photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a vehicle theft, kidnapping and have four juveniles in custody.Just after 5p.m. Wednesday, police were dispatched to a disturbance with a gun in the 4500 block of N. Hoover in Wichita, according to Officer Chad Ditch. When Officers arrived they learned a man and woman&nbsp; who lived in the 4500 block of N. Hoover had their 3-year-old and 1-year-old in their GMC Acadia parked in the driveway.&nbsp; Both parents went inside briefly and when they came back the vehicle was gone.The father immediately left in another vehicle looking for the stolen SUV.&nbsp; He found the vehicle in the area and was able to stop the SUV, according to Ditch.Several suspects ran from the vehicle and the 3-year-old and 1-year-old were not in the SUV.&nbsp; Officers later located the children by the side of the street unharmed in the neighborhood. Police located the suspects identified as a 16-year-old girl, a 14-year-old boy and two 12-year-old boys and took them into custody.&nbsp; The suspects were all confirmed runaways from St. Francis placement, according to Ditch.The 3-year-old and 1-year-old were reunited with their parents.

Kan. teens arrested after SUV stolen with small children inside

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned he’s ready to use his nuclear weapons in potential military conflicts with the United States and South Korea, state media said Thursday, as he unleashed fiery rhetoric against rivals he says are pushing the Korean Peninsula to the brink of war.

Kim’s speech to war veterans on the 69th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War was apparently meant to boost internal unity in the impoverished country amid pandemic-related economic difficulties. While Kim has increasingly threatened his rivals with nuclear weapons, it’s unlikely that he would use them first against the superior militaries of the U.S. and its allies, observers say.

“Our armed forces are completely prepared to respond to any crisis, and our country’s nuclear war deterrent is also ready to mobilize its absolute power dutifully, exactly and swiftly in accordance with its mission,” Kim said in Wednesday's speech, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

He accused the United States of “demonizing” North Korea to justify its hostile policies. Kim said regular U.S.-South Korea military drills that he claimed target the North highlight U.S. “double standards” and “gangster-like” aspects because it brands North Korea’s routine military activities — an apparent reference to its missile tests — as provocations or threats.

Kim also alleged the new South Korean government of President Yoon Suk Yeol is led by “confrontation maniacs” and “gangsters” who have gone further than previous South Korean conservative governments. Since taking office in May, the Yoon government has moved to strengthen Seoul’s military alliance with the United States and bolster its own capacity to neutralize North Korean nuclear threats including a preemptive strike capability.

“Talking about military action against our nation, which possesses absolute weapons that they fear the most, is preposterous and is very dangerous suicidal action,” Kim said. “Such a dangerous attempt will be immediately punished by our powerful strength and the Yoon Suk Yeol government and his military will be annihilated.”

South Korea expressed “deep regret” over Kim’s threat and said it maintains a readiness to cope with any provocation by North Korea in “a powerful, effective manner.”

In a statement read by spokesperson Kang In-sun, Yoon’s presidential national security office said South Korea will safeguard its national security and citizens’ safety based on a solid alliance with the United States. It urged North Korea to return to talks to take steps toward denuclearization.

Earlier Thursday, South Korea's Defense Ministry repeated its earlier position that it's been boosting its military capacity and joint defense posture with the United States to cope with escalating North Korean nuclear threats.

In April, Kim said North Korea could preemptively use nuclear weapons if threatened, saying they would “never be confined to the single mission of war deterrent.” Kim’s military has also test-launched nuclear-capable missiles that place both the U.S. mainland and South Korea within striking distance. U.S. and South Korean officials have repeatedly said in the past few months that North Korea is ready to conduct its first nuclear test in five years.

Kim is seeking greater public support as his country’s economy has been battered by pandemic-related border shutdowns, U.S.-led sanctions and his own mismanagement. In May, North Korea also admitted to its first COVID-19 outbreak, though the scale of illness and death is widely disputed in a country that lacks the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-south-korea-north-herbal-medicine-4d852893a81b60c4bf759e52a5d27615">modern medical capacity</a>&nbsp;to handle it.

“Kim’s rhetoric inflates external threats to justify his militarily focused and economically struggling regime,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. “North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs are in violation of international law, but Kim tries to depict his destabilizing arms buildup as a righteous effort at self-defense.”

Experts say North Korea will likely intensify its threats against the U.S. and South Korea as the allies prepare to expand summertime exercises. In recent years, the South Korean and U.S. militaries have canceled or downsized some of their regular exercises due to concerns about COVID-19 and to support now-stalled U.S.-led diplomacy aimed at convincing North Korea to give up its nuclear program in return for economic and political benefits.

During Wednesday’s speech, Kim said his government recently set tasks to improve its military capability more speedily to respond to military pressure campaigns by its enemies, suggesting that he intends to go ahead with an expected nuclear test.

But Cheong Seong-Chang at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea said North Korea won’t likely conduct its nuclear test before China, its major ally and biggest aid benefactor, holds its Communist Party convention in the autumn. He said China worries that a North Korean nuclear test could give the United States a justification to boost its security partnerships with its allies that it could use to check Chinese influence in the region.

North Korea recently said it is moving to overcome the COVID-19 outbreak amid plummeting fever cases, but experts say it’s unclear if the country can lift its strict restrictions soon because it could face a viral resurgence later this year. During Wednesday’s event, Kim, veterans and others didn’t wear masks, state media photos showed. On Thursday, North Korea reported 11 fever cases, a huge drop from the peak of about 400,000 a day in May.

North Korea has rejected U.S. and South Korean offers for medical relief items. It has also said it won’t return to talks with the United States unless it first abandons its hostile polices on the North, in an apparent reference to U.S.-led sanctions and U.S.-South Korean military drills.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/8/1565180589720.png" alt="Former Kansas Congressman and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang in 2018 part of an efforts to reinvigorate nuclear talks between the two countries-photo U.S. State Department" />
 <figcaption>Former Kansas Congressman and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang in 2018 part of an efforts to reinvigorate nuclear talks between the two countries-photo U.S. State Department</figcaption>
 </figure>SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned he’s ready to use his nuclear weapons in potential military conflicts with the United States and South Korea, state media said Thursday, as he unleashed fiery rhetoric against rivals he says are pushing the Korean Peninsula to the brink of war.Kim’s speech to war veterans on the 69th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War was apparently meant to boost internal unity in the impoverished country amid pandemic-related economic difficulties. While Kim has increasingly threatened his rivals with nuclear weapons, it’s unlikely that he would use them first against the superior militaries of the U.S. and its allies, observers say.“Our armed forces are completely prepared to respond to any crisis, and our country’s nuclear war deterrent is also ready to mobilize its absolute power dutifully, exactly and swiftly in accordance with its mission,” Kim said in Wednesday's speech, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.He accused the United States of “demonizing” North Korea to justify its hostile policies. Kim said regular U.S.-South Korea military drills that he claimed target the North highlight U.S. “double standards” and “gangster-like” aspects because it brands North Korea’s routine military activities — an apparent reference to its missile tests — as provocations or threats.Kim also alleged the new South Korean government of President Yoon Suk Yeol is led by “confrontation maniacs” and “gangsters” who have gone further than previous South Korean conservative governments. Since taking office in May, the Yoon government has moved to strengthen Seoul’s military alliance with the United States and bolster its own capacity to neutralize North Korean nuclear threats including a preemptive strike capability.“Talking about military action against our nation, which possesses absolute weapons that they fear the most, is preposterous and is very dangerous suicidal action,” Kim said. “Such a dangerous attempt will be immediately punished by our powerful strength and the Yoon Suk Yeol government and his military will be annihilated.”South Korea expressed “deep regret” over Kim’s threat and said it maintains a readiness to cope with any provocation by North Korea in “a powerful, effective manner.”In a statement read by spokesperson Kang In-sun, Yoon’s presidential national security office said South Korea will safeguard its national security and citizens’ safety based on a solid alliance with the United States. It urged North Korea to return to talks to take steps toward denuclearization.Earlier Thursday, South Korea's Defense Ministry repeated its earlier position that it's been boosting its military capacity and joint defense posture with the United States to cope with escalating North Korean nuclear threats.In April, Kim said North Korea could preemptively use nuclear weapons if threatened, saying they would “never be confined to the single mission of war deterrent.” Kim’s military has also test-launched nuclear-capable missiles that place both the U.S. mainland and South Korea within striking distance. U.S. and South Korean officials have repeatedly said in the past few months that North Korea is ready to conduct its first nuclear test in five years.Kim is seeking greater public support as his country’s economy has been battered by pandemic-related border shutdowns, U.S.-led sanctions and his own mismanagement. In May, North Korea also admitted to its first COVID-19 outbreak, though the scale of illness and death is widely disputed in a country that lacks the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-south-korea-north-herbal-medicine-4d852893a81b60c4bf759e52a5d27615">modern medical capacity</a>&nbsp;to handle it.“Kim’s rhetoric inflates external threats to justify his militarily focused and economically struggling regime,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. “North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs are in violation of international law, but Kim tries to depict his destabilizing arms buildup as a righteous effort at self-defense.”Experts say North Korea will likely intensify its threats against the U.S. and South Korea as the allies prepare to expand summertime exercises. In recent years, the South Korean and U.S. militaries have canceled or downsized some of their regular exercises due to concerns about COVID-19 and to support now-stalled U.S.-led diplomacy aimed at convincing North Korea to give up its nuclear program in return for economic and political benefits.During Wednesday’s speech, Kim said his government recently set tasks to improve its military capability more speedily to respond to military pressure campaigns by its enemies, suggesting that he intends to go ahead with an expected nuclear test.But Cheong Seong-Chang at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea said North Korea won’t likely conduct its nuclear test before China, its major ally and biggest aid benefactor, holds its Communist Party convention in the autumn. He said China worries that a North Korean nuclear test could give the United States a justification to boost its security partnerships with its allies that it could use to check Chinese influence in the region.North Korea recently said it is moving to overcome the COVID-19 outbreak amid plummeting fever cases, but experts say it’s unclear if the country can lift its strict restrictions soon because it could face a viral resurgence later this year. During Wednesday’s event, Kim, veterans and others didn’t wear masks, state media photos showed. On Thursday, North Korea reported 11 fever cases, a huge drop from the peak of about 400,000 a day in May.North Korea has rejected U.S. and South Korean offers for medical relief items. It has also said it won’t return to talks with the United States unless it first abandons its hostile polices on the North, in an apparent reference to U.S.-led sanctions and U.S.-South Korean military drills.

Kim threatens to use nukes amid tensions with US, S. Korea

NEOSHO COUNTY— A Kansas boy was injured in an accident just after 12:30p.m. Wednesday in Neosho County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a&nbsp; 2013 Ford Taurus driven by Lorene Haynes, 75, Chanute, was southbound on Lincoln Street one block south of 4th Street in Chanute.

The car struck 7-year-old Josiah Kellogg of Chanute who entered the roadway.&nbsp;

EMS transported the boy to Children's Mercy.

NEOSHO COUNTY— A Kansas boy was injured in an accident just after 12:30p.m. Wednesday in Neosho County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a&nbsp; 2013 Ford Taurus driven by Lorene Haynes, 75, Chanute, was southbound on Lincoln Street one block south of 4th Street in Chanute.The car struck 7-year-old Josiah Kellogg of Chanute who entered the roadway.&nbsp;EMS transported the boy to Children's Mercy.

7-year-old Kansas boy hospitalized after struck by car

GEARY COUNTY —One person died in a fire on Wednesday in Junction City. Fire crews were called out to the 500 block of 7th Street in Junction City on Wednesday night to the report of a house fire.&nbsp;

After the fire had been extinguished and upon initial search of the structure, crews found one man deceased.&nbsp;

Crews from Junction City Fire, Geary County Rural Fire, Junction City Police Department, Geary County Sheriff’s Office all responded to the scene. Kansas Fire Marshal arrived on scene to assist with the investigation.&nbsp; The street will remain closed as the investigation is completed.

This is a developing story. Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658978763808.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By Becky GoffLittle Apple PostGEARY COUNTY —One person died in a fire on Wednesday in Junction City. Fire crews were called out to the 500 block of 7th Street in Junction City on Wednesday night to the report of a house fire.&nbsp;After the fire had been extinguished and upon initial search of the structure, crews found one man deceased.&nbsp;Crews from Junction City Fire, Geary County Rural Fire, Junction City Police Department, Geary County Sheriff’s Office all responded to the scene. Kansas Fire Marshal arrived on scene to assist with the investigation.&nbsp; The street will remain closed as the investigation is completed.This is a developing story. Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

Man found dead after fire at Kansas home

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a double shooting in the Gateway Plaza neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas that left one person dead and another seriously injured have made an arrest.

Just before 11:30p.m. July 17, police were dispatched to a shooting call in the 1400 Block of North 5th Street. First responders found two adult men outside, the victims of apparent gunfire.&nbsp; One victim later identified as 45-year-old Printara Jackson was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported a second victim to an area hospital with life threatening injuries.

On Tuesday, police arrested 27-year-old Tenesha Marie Horton on requested charges of second degree murder in the death of Jackson and attempted second degree murder. She is being held on a $250,000 bond.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658880439671.png" alt="Horton-photo Wyandotte County" />
 <figcaption>Horton-photo Wyandotte County</figcaption>
 </figure>WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a double shooting in the Gateway Plaza neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas that left one person dead and another seriously injured have made an arrest.Just before 11:30p.m. July 17, police were dispatched to a shooting call in the 1400 Block of North 5th Street. First responders found two adult men outside, the victims of apparent gunfire.&nbsp; One victim later identified as 45-year-old Printara Jackson was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported a second victim to an area hospital with life threatening injuries.On Tuesday, police arrested 27-year-old Tenesha Marie Horton on requested charges of second degree murder in the death of Jackson and attempted second degree murder. She is being held on a $250,000 bond.

Police arrest Kansas woman for deadly double shooting

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities reported making a large meth bust in the Kansas City-area last week.

Just before 1p.m. July 21, a trooper stopped a westbound Dodge minivan for an alleged traffic violation on Interstate 70 in Lafayette County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol in a social media report Wednesday.

During the stop the patrol's K9 Zsolti alerted troopers and after further investigation, they located 90 pounds of meth in a false compartment.

The patrol did not release the suspect's name or possible charges in the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658948014552.png" alt="Photos Missouri State Highway Patrol" />
 <figcaption>Photos Missouri State Highway Patrol</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities reported making a large meth bust in the Kansas City-area last week.Just before 1p.m. July 21, a trooper stopped a westbound Dodge minivan for an alleged traffic violation on Interstate 70 in Lafayette County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol in a social media report Wednesday.During the stop the patrol's K9 Zsolti alerted troopers and after further investigation, they located 90 pounds of meth in a false compartment.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658947884089.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The patrol did not release the suspect's name or possible charges in the case.

Troopers make large meth bust on I-70

MANHATTAN —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a hit-and-run accident and have a suspect in custody.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658941135145.png" alt="Gilbert-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Gilbert-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a hit-and-run accident and have a suspect in custody.Just before 7:30p.m. Saturday, police in Wichita arrested 25-year old Hunter Lee Gilbert on a warrant out of Manhattan, according to the Sedgwick County booking report.The warrant is in connection to a January 24, 2022 hit-and-run crash, where Gilbert allegedly rear-ended two vehicles at the intersection of Fort Riley Boulevard and Richards Drive and and left the scene.In Wichita, police also arrested Gilbert for alleged interference with law enforcement, falsely reporting a crime and possession of a controlled substance.In Riley County, he faces requested charges that include "Duty of driver to report accident with an unattended vehicle/property; 1st conv; Vehicle liability insurance; Liability coverage required; Vehicles; Unlawful Acts; e.g., registration; Improper driving on laned roadway; Ignition interlock device; Tamper to render it inaccurate or inoperative and a probation violation, according to the Riley County Police Department arrest report. He no longer in custody.