TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases* (see below) in Kansas increased by 2714 to a total of 337,350, the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;

The state reported 20 new COVID-19 deaths for a total of 5286.

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a> about the COVID-19 vaccine.

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.

As of August 1, 2021, in accordance with an&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">updated CDC/CSTE surveillance case definition</a>, a confirmed case is defined as a person who tested positive by molecular detection (e.g., PCR, NAA) or identification of SARS-CoV-2 through genetic sequencing. A probable case is defined as a person with: a) presumptive lab evidence (antigen) or b) no lab testing but meeting clinical case criteria and is epi-linked. A person will be counted as a new surveillance case (e.g. reinfection) if they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a diagnostic test (i.e., molecular, antigen) and it has been greater than 90 days since the previous positive diagnostic test. In addition, a person with sequencing results identifying different SARS-CoV-2 lineages regardless of the time since the previous specimen sequenced will be counted as a new surveillance case.&nbsp;

Cases occurring between&nbsp;September 1, 2020&nbsp;and July 29, 2021 were classified by&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">previous CDC/CSTE case definition,&nbsp;</a>and cases prior to September 1, 2020 were classified by the&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/case-definitions/coronavirus-disease-2019-2020/" target="_blank">original case definition</a>.

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases* (see below) in Kansas increased by 2714 to a total of 337,350, the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;The state reported 20 new COVID-19 deaths for a total of 5286.<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a> about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628105935204.png" alt="Wednesday August 4, 2021 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday August 4, 2021 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>As of August 1, 2021, in accordance with an&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">updated CDC/CSTE surveillance case definition</a>, a confirmed case is defined as a person who tested positive by molecular detection (e.g., PCR, NAA) or identification of SARS-CoV-2 through genetic sequencing. A probable case is defined as a person with: a) presumptive lab evidence (antigen) or b) no lab testing but meeting clinical case criteria and is epi-linked. A person will be counted as a new surveillance case (e.g. reinfection) if they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a diagnostic test (i.e., molecular, antigen) and it has been greater than 90 days since the previous positive diagnostic test. In addition, a person with sequencing results identifying different SARS-CoV-2 lineages regardless of the time since the previous specimen sequenced will be counted as a new surveillance case.&nbsp;Cases occurring between&nbsp;September 1, 2020&nbsp;and July 29, 2021 were classified by&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">previous CDC/CSTE case definition,&nbsp;</a>and cases prior to September 1, 2020 were classified by the&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/case-definitions/coronavirus-disease-2019-2020/" target="_blank">original case definition</a>.

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Christina Darling finally replaced her 2006 Chevrolet Equinox after it broke down several times while picking her children up from day care. But the 31-year-old mother of two was struggling to keep up with the car payments.

Brianne Walker desperately wanted to take her three children and two siblings camping for the first time but wasn’t sure how she could pay for it. After all, she was behind on her rent, and day care and grocery costs were adding up.

Then, the two women from New Hampshire got a surprise in their bank accounts&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/child-tax-credit-bank-accounts-0715-24023ed3ffba98e4a65dd6006518da7a">this month</a>. They qualified for the expanded child tax credit, part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. Families on average are getting $423 this month; the Treasury Department estimates that 35.2 million families received payments in July.

“The additional money does help alleviate the pressure,” said Walker, 29, who took custody of her two siblings last year after her mother overdosed. The $800 credit will help make up for losses she incurred after quitting a kitchen design job to care for the five youngsters, ages 3 to 19.

Biden increased the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-child-tax-credits-work-fa15590a2c60fc665ddc59ced78dacfe">amounts going to families&nbsp;</a>and expanded it to include those whose income is so little they don’t owe taxes. The benefits begin to phase out at incomes of $75,000 for individuals, $112,500 for heads of household and $150,000 for married couples. Families with incomes up to $200,000 for individuals and $400,000 for married couples can still receive the previous $2,000 credit.

In the past, eligible families got a credit after filing their taxes — either as a lump sum payment or a credit against taxes owed. But now six months of payments are being advanced monthly through the end of the year. A recipient receives the second half when they file their taxes. The credit is $3,600 annually for children under age 6 and $3,000 for children ages 6 to 17. Eligible families will receive $300 monthly for each child under 6 and $250 per older child.

Advocates argue the monthly payments make more sense for low-income families.

“One of the problems with the big check in a year, if your car broke six months before, that is a long time to wait,” said Michael Reinke, executive director of the Nashua Soup Kitchen &amp; Shelter, which serves many families making less than $26,000 a year.

“When people have money over a consistent period of time, it’s easier to make sure it’s going to the expenses you really need,” he said. “Sometimes, if you get it all at once, it’s hard to budget.”

Robin McKinney, co-founder and CEO of the CASH Campaign of Maryland, a Baltimore nonprofit organization that helps low-income residents file taxes, said the credit is providing people money in their pockets now, when they need it most.

“We know right now that peoples’ hours are down or they’re still struggling to get back to the same level of income that they had before, and this will create some stability for those families to know that over the next six months that they’re going to be getting this payment,” McKinney said.

If all the money goes out, the expectation is that could significantly reduce poverty — with&nbsp;<a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5743308460b5e922a25a6dc7/t/600f2123fdfa730101a4426a/1611604260458/Poverty-Reduction-Analysis-American-Family-Act-CPSP-2020.pdf" target="_blank">one study</a>&nbsp;estimating it could cut child poverty by 45%. And it comes at a time when unemployment benefits are being phased out and the federal eviction moratorium is set to expire Saturday.

The payments are also a test case of sorts. Biden ultimately would like to make them permanent — and the impact they have could go a long way to shaping that debate later this year.

“It infuses money into the family home,” said Suzanne Torregano, director of Family Services at Kingsley House in New Orleans, who estimated that 85%-90% of the parents the group serves are getting the monthly payments.

Still, some advocates argue the money may never reach the neediest because their incomes are so low they aren’t required to file a tax return, they don’t have a fixed address or bank account, or don’t have the internet savvy to apply.

“What we are finding is that homeless families … while many of them are eligible for the tax credit, they have significant barriers to obtaining it,” said Larry Seamans, president of FamilyAid Boston, which serves 900 families daily.

“We have some counter-intuitive struggles of families who may be unfamiliar with tax forms, tax laws and the fact that by filing a tax return, you can actually get money to support your family,” Seamans said.

“Many families ... are not on the tax rolls. They now have to find sufficient documentation to prove that they are eligible.”

Families who do receive the credit are mostly spending it on rent, child care and groceries, as well as catching up on cellphone and other bills. For Darling, the $550 she gets will go to car payments, more fresh produce and a babysitter so she can attend Nashua Board of Education meetings. She is running for a seat on the board. Eventually, she hopes to put money aside to save for a home with a yard.

“Every step closer we get to a livable wage is beneficial. That is money that gets turned around and spent on the betterment of my kids and myself,” said Darling, a housing resource coordinator who had been supplementing her $35,000-a-year salary with monthly visits to the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter’s food pantry.

McKinney, who is married with a 5-year-old son and qualifies for the tax credit, is getting $167 a month. She said it’s all going to help pay for child care, which costs $288 a week.

“Right now, it’s out-of-school time because it’s the summer, so people have to pay for camps and babysitting support so that the parents can go to work,” said McKinney, of Columbia, Maryland. “I know a lot of people who are like: ‘This money is coming at just the right time, because this summer is more expensive for me for child care.’”

Many families in higher-income brackets who receive less money are socking it away for things like a family trip, school supplies or Christmas gifts.

Carleigh Steele, who received several hundred dollars, said the money is giving her peace of mind a month after she moved into a house in Baltimore with the help of Habitat for Humanity.

“It’s sitting in my bank account for all the home-buying things that I need, and for the rainy day fund for my house — just to make sure that I can keep myself economically stable,” said Steele, who has a 6-year-old daughter.

Brianne Epps, a mother of four from Jackson, Mississippi, is using the money to pay bills but also to finance her dream of opening a soul food catering business. “It will help me, for one, to promote my catering business — to get that off the ground,” she said.

Molly Vigeant, of East Hartford, Connecticut, a 25-year-old single mother who works as a special needs paraprofessional in a high school, hopes to spend the money to repair or replace her car. But she’s had trouble accessing a portal aimed at helping applicants and hasn’t yet received anything.

“It doesn’t hurt yet,” she said of the delayed payment. “But, it’s a 20-year-old car with over 200,000 miles on it and I make 20 grand a year. A new one is not going to fall from the sky, when your debt-to-income ratio is garbage and you know you can’t finance a car.”

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Christina Darling finally replaced her 2006 Chevrolet Equinox after it broke down several times while picking her children up from day care. But the 31-year-old mother of two was struggling to keep up with the car payments.Brianne Walker desperately wanted to take her three children and two siblings camping for the first time but wasn’t sure how she could pay for it. After all, she was behind on her rent, and day care and grocery costs were adding up.Then, the two women from New Hampshire got a surprise in their bank accounts&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/child-tax-credit-bank-accounts-0715-24023ed3ffba98e4a65dd6006518da7a">this month</a>. They qualified for the expanded child tax credit, part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. Families on average are getting $423 this month; the Treasury Department estimates that 35.2 million families received payments in July.“The additional money does help alleviate the pressure,” said Walker, 29, who took custody of her two siblings last year after her mother overdosed. The $800 credit will help make up for losses she incurred after quitting a kitchen design job to care for the five youngsters, ages 3 to 19.Biden increased the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-child-tax-credits-work-fa15590a2c60fc665ddc59ced78dacfe">amounts going to families&nbsp;</a>and expanded it to include those whose income is so little they don’t owe taxes. The benefits begin to phase out at incomes of $75,000 for individuals, $112,500 for heads of household and $150,000 for married couples. Families with incomes up to $200,000 for individuals and $400,000 for married couples can still receive the previous $2,000 credit.In the past, eligible families got a credit after filing their taxes — either as a lump sum payment or a credit against taxes owed. But now six months of payments are being advanced monthly through the end of the year. A recipient receives the second half when they file their taxes. The credit is $3,600 annually for children under age 6 and $3,000 for children ages 6 to 17. Eligible families will receive $300 monthly for each child under 6 and $250 per older child.Advocates argue the monthly payments make more sense for low-income families.“One of the problems with the big check in a year, if your car broke six months before, that is a long time to wait,” said Michael Reinke, executive director of the Nashua Soup Kitchen &amp; Shelter, which serves many families making less than $26,000 a year.“When people have money over a consistent period of time, it’s easier to make sure it’s going to the expenses you really need,” he said. “Sometimes, if you get it all at once, it’s hard to budget.”Robin McKinney, co-founder and CEO of the CASH Campaign of Maryland, a Baltimore nonprofit organization that helps low-income residents file taxes, said the credit is providing people money in their pockets now, when they need it most.“We know right now that peoples’ hours are down or they’re still struggling to get back to the same level of income that they had before, and this will create some stability for those families to know that over the next six months that they’re going to be getting this payment,” McKinney said.If all the money goes out, the expectation is that could significantly reduce poverty — with&nbsp;<a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5743308460b5e922a25a6dc7/t/600f2123fdfa730101a4426a/1611604260458/Poverty-Reduction-Analysis-American-Family-Act-CPSP-2020.pdf" target="_blank">one study</a>&nbsp;estimating it could cut child poverty by 45%. And it comes at a time when unemployment benefits are being phased out and the federal eviction moratorium is set to expire Saturday.The payments are also a test case of sorts. Biden ultimately would like to make them permanent — and the impact they have could go a long way to shaping that debate later this year.“It infuses money into the family home,” said Suzanne Torregano, director of Family Services at Kingsley House in New Orleans, who estimated that 85%-90% of the parents the group serves are getting the monthly payments.Still, some advocates argue the money may never reach the neediest because their incomes are so low they aren’t required to file a tax return, they don’t have a fixed address or bank account, or don’t have the internet savvy to apply.“What we are finding is that homeless families … while many of them are eligible for the tax credit, they have significant barriers to obtaining it,” said Larry Seamans, president of FamilyAid Boston, which serves 900 families daily.“We have some counter-intuitive struggles of families who may be unfamiliar with tax forms, tax laws and the fact that by filing a tax return, you can actually get money to support your family,” Seamans said.“Many families ... are not on the tax rolls. They now have to find sufficient documentation to prove that they are eligible.”Families who do receive the credit are mostly spending it on rent, child care and groceries, as well as catching up on cellphone and other bills. For Darling, the $550 she gets will go to car payments, more fresh produce and a babysitter so she can attend Nashua Board of Education meetings. She is running for a seat on the board. Eventually, she hopes to put money aside to save for a home with a yard.“Every step closer we get to a livable wage is beneficial. That is money that gets turned around and spent on the betterment of my kids and myself,” said Darling, a housing resource coordinator who had been supplementing her $35,000-a-year salary with monthly visits to the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter’s food pantry.McKinney, who is married with a 5-year-old son and qualifies for the tax credit, is getting $167 a month. She said it’s all going to help pay for child care, which costs $288 a week.“Right now, it’s out-of-school time because it’s the summer, so people have to pay for camps and babysitting support so that the parents can go to work,” said McKinney, of Columbia, Maryland. “I know a lot of people who are like: ‘This money is coming at just the right time, because this summer is more expensive for me for child care.’”Many families in higher-income brackets who receive less money are socking it away for things like a family trip, school supplies or Christmas gifts.Carleigh Steele, who received several hundred dollars, said the money is giving her peace of mind a month after she moved into a house in Baltimore with the help of Habitat for Humanity.“It’s sitting in my bank account for all the home-buying things that I need, and for the rainy day fund for my house — just to make sure that I can keep myself economically stable,” said Steele, who has a 6-year-old daughter.Brianne Epps, a mother of four from Jackson, Mississippi, is using the money to pay bills but also to finance her dream of opening a soul food catering business. “It will help me, for one, to promote my catering business — to get that off the ground,” she said.Molly Vigeant, of East Hartford, Connecticut, a 25-year-old single mother who works as a special needs paraprofessional in a high school, hopes to spend the money to repair or replace her car. But she’s had trouble accessing a portal aimed at helping applicants and hasn’t yet received anything.“It doesn’t hurt yet,” she said of the delayed payment. “But, it’s a 20-year-old car with over 200,000 miles on it and I make 20 grand a year. A new one is not going to fall from the sky, when your debt-to-income ratio is garbage and you know you can’t finance a car.”___

Families paying off rent, food, debts with child tax credit

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Partisan bickering among Kansas legislators over redistricting has intensified even before their first public hearings on how to redraw the state’s political boundaries.

Democrats are complaining that 14 town hall meetings across the state are scheduled over only five days, starting next Monday. Each is an hour and 15 minutes and 10 of the events are during the day. Democrats see an attempt to limit public input.

“The integrity of the redistricting process is compromised,” said House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat.

Republicans accused Democrats of politicizing the redistricting process.

House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., an Olathe Republican, said Tuesday that next week’s town halls are only the first step in redistricting and that a legislative committee also will have additional, virtual town hall meetings during the fall.

The Republican-controlled Legislature must redraw congressional, legislative and State Board of Education districts next year. Lawmakers are required to account for shifts in population since 2010 and make districts as equal in numbers of residents as possible. Partisan considerations often loom large in lawmakers’ discussions.

Redistricting debates grew so contentious in 2012 that lawmakers failed to pass any plans and a panel of federal judges drew new lines.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590523973873.png" alt="Kansas legislative districts" />
 <figcaption>Kansas legislative districts</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Partisan bickering among Kansas legislators over redistricting has intensified even before their first public hearings on how to redraw the state’s political boundaries.Democrats are complaining that 14 town hall meetings across the state are scheduled over only five days, starting next Monday. Each is an hour and 15 minutes and 10 of the events are during the day. Democrats see an attempt to limit public input.“The integrity of the redistricting process is compromised,” said House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat.Republicans accused Democrats of politicizing the redistricting process.House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., an Olathe Republican, said Tuesday that next week’s town halls are only the first step in redistricting and that a legislative committee also will have additional, virtual town hall meetings during the fall.The Republican-controlled Legislature must redraw congressional, legislative and State Board of Education districts next year. Lawmakers are required to account for shifts in population since 2010 and make districts as equal in numbers of residents as possible. Partisan considerations often loom large in lawmakers’ discussions.Redistricting debates grew so contentious in 2012 that lawmakers failed to pass any plans and a panel of federal judges drew new lines.

Partisan sniping marks Kansas redistricting before it starts

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

A south Salina store is checking its register keys to make sure all are accounted for after someone opened a register and took $1,700 worth of $20 bills Tuesday night.

Just after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, a subject went to the register in the electronics department at Walmart, 2900 S. Ninth Street, and removed 85 $20 bills, according to Salina Police Captain Gary Hanus.

The entry into the register was not forced.

Based on surveillance video, the suspect is described as a Black male wearing a light blue shirt, blue jeans, a black face mask, and a gray hat, Hanus said. The suspect is not believed to be employed at the store.

It is believed that the suspect left the Walmart parking lot in a white van, however, additional surveillance video is being reviewed to verify that, Hanus said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1580416483649.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostA south Salina store is checking its register keys to make sure all are accounted for after someone opened a register and took $1,700 worth of $20 bills Tuesday night.Just after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, a subject went to the register in the electronics department at Walmart, 2900 S. Ninth Street, and removed 85 $20 bills, according to Salina Police Captain Gary Hanus.The entry into the register was not forced.Based on surveillance video, the suspect is described as a Black male wearing a light blue shirt, blue jeans, a black face mask, and a gray hat, Hanus said. The suspect is not believed to be employed at the store.It is believed that the suspect left the Walmart parking lot in a white van, however, additional surveillance video is being reviewed to verify that, Hanus said.

Police: Suspect took 85 $20 bills from Kan. store register

NEW YORK (AP) — A long-awaited report&nbsp;issued Tuesday by New York Attorney General Letitia James&nbsp;into sexual harassment allegations against Gov. Andrew Cuomo detailed several accounts from accusers who have gone public.

<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21033681-cuomo-sexual-harassment-report">CLICK here </a>to read the full report from the NY Attorney General

But the report also revealed previously unknown accusations, including one by a state trooper assigned to Cuomo’s security detail.

Investigators hired specifically for this case said they corroborated the accounts of at least 11 women.

Cuomo denied many of the allegations, saying he never touched anyone inappropriately. Those he didn’t deny — like kissing women on their cheeks and calling them names like “sweetheart” — were innocent or overblown, he said.

Here’s a look at the women and their allegations, as described by the investigators, and Cuomo’s responses:

A state trooper whom Cuomo successfully sought to have assigned to his security detail said the governor kissed her cheek, touched her belly and back and made inappropriate, gender-based remarks to and about her, including asking her why she did not wear a dress. Several other troopers witnessed these acts and corroborated her allegations, according to the report. The trooper wasn’t identified by name in the report and has not told her story publicly.

A 26-page statement issued by Cuomo’s attorney, Rita Glavin, after the report’s release does not mention the trooper, whose account was not public before Tuesday.

A woman who worked in Cuomo’s office became visibly emotional watching a press conference early this year in which Cuomo denied ever touching anyone inappropriately, investigators wrote. She&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-albany-andrew-cuomo-coronavirus-pandemic-us-news-1f8f0668093fc3c27137923a06652e7c">told colleagues Cuomo had reached under her blouse and groped her breast in his office</a>&nbsp;at the governor’s mansion three months earlier. The governor’s staff later reported the allegations to Albany police.

The woman also told investigators Cuomo had, on various occasions since 2019, grabbed her buttocks, kissed her on the lips, hugged her inappropriately and pried into her personal life.

Cuomo says he never groped her, pointing to text messages the executive assistant sent to other staff on the day in question, indicating nothing was amiss, as evidence it didn’t happen. He told investigators she initiated their hugs, and that he was “more in the reciprocal business.” CHARLOTTE BENNETT

Bennett,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-andrew-cuomo-7fda294d42e92a2762fc7e7b9ee0cd57">a low-level aide to Cuomo,</a>&nbsp;said the governor asked her about her love life, including whether she ever had sex with older men, whether she had been with older men and whether she was monogamous. He also told her that he was “lonely” and “wanted to be touched,” according to the report.

When Bennett complained to administration officials that she felt like the governor was hitting on her, she was transferred to another job. The administration did not formally investigate or report the allegations to the governor’s Office of Employee Relations, the attorney general’s investigators determined.

Cuomo apologized to Bennett in a recorded video released in response to the attorney general’s report, saying that he had been trying to counsel her after she confided in him that she is a sexual assault survivor because someone in his family had suffered a similar experience.

A woman who worked for an entity affiliated with the state told investigators that Cuomo tapped and grabbed her butt while they posed for a photo at a 2019 event sponsored by her organization. She told friends about it at the time, the report states.

Cuomo’s statement does not mention this interaction.

Virginia Limmiatis, an energy company worker, said Cuomo ran his fingers on the lettering that ran across the chest of her shirt when they met in a rope line at a 2017 event. He then told her he was going to say there was a spider on her shoulder and proceeded to brush her chest with his hand, the report said.

Limmiatis immediately told other attendees what had happened, investigators found, but she didn’t come forward until seeing Cuomo’s press conference this year denying he’d touched anyone inappropriately.

The statement from Cuomo’s attorney does not mention this interaction.

The report found that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/andrew-cuomo-accused-sexual-harassment-daf35ae2ab9d3b0739c5fd4b802b9e44">Cuomo kissed, touched, and made inappropriate comments to Lindsey Boylan&nbsp;</a>while she served in various roles working closely with the governor. He commented on Boylan’s physical appearance and attractiveness, compared her to a former girlfriend and suggested they play strip poker, investigators found.

The attorney general’s report also says that “the Executive Chamber actively engaged in an effort to discredit her” after Boylan, the governor’s first accuser to go public,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-andrew-cuomo-manhattan-f1b386ac61a0a860960a231acf5b2942">reported the harassment in December 2020.</a>&nbsp;This included leaking records related to her departure from her job.

The statement released by Cuomo’s attorney delves into those details, saying Boylan was dismissed for bullying subordinates and suggesting she made up her sexual harassment claims to further her own political aspirations.

Cuomo made inappropriate comments&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-sexual-misconduct-albany-andrew-cuomo-coronavirus-pandemic-98eb7ecde8e826e39cce3691734e17e3">to another executive assistant, Alyssa McGrath,</a>&nbsp;including commenting on her neckline after staring down her loose shirt, regularly asking about her marital status and asking whether she would tell on Executive Assistant No. 1 if she were to cheat on her husband, the report says.

Cuomo’s attorney’s statement concedes he referred to McGrath and Executive Assistant No. 1 as “mingle mamas,” but only after they said they were “single and ready to mingle” ahead of a business trip.

Another woman, listed just as “Kaitlin” in the report, was hired to work for the governor after meeting him at a fundraising event in December 2016. Cuomo regularly made Kaitlin uncomfortable by commenting on her appearance and telling her she was not ready for work if she was not wearing makeup, and by calling her “sponge” — apparently a reference to his advice to soak up knowledge from others — which she told investigators she found embarrassing, condescending and demeaning.

Glavin’s statement says the governor frequently comments on staffers’ appearances, usually in a complimentary fashion. It also says he was frustrated with Kaitlin’s job performance.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-andrew-cuomo-58b44c3e15d120151f936c7e928ec095">Ana Liss worked as an aide in Cuomo’s office</a>&nbsp;from 2013 to 2015, and told investigators he kissed and touched her, addressed her almost exclusively as “sweetheart” or “darling,” made inquiries about her relationship status and made inappropriate remarks about her appearance. In the report, Liss explains that she did not immediately come forward about the harassment because, in the governor’s office, “the typical rules did not apply.”

Cuomo’s attorney’s statement notes that Liss tweeted favorably at and about Cuomo long after she left his office, suggesting that undercuts her account. The attorney’s statement also suggests the timing of Liss coming forward was politically motivated.

“The governor’s interactions with Alyssa McGrath, Ana Liss and Kaitlin were unremarkable,” Glavin’s statement says.

A doctor at the state health department told investigators Cuomo made a sexually suggestive comment just before she performed a COVID-19 nasal swab test on him during a televised press conference at the start of the pandemic.

“You make that gown look good,” Cuomo said after thanking her during the press conference.

She told investigators she found the comments demeaning and felt Cuomo wouldn’t have made them to a male doctor.

Glavin’s statement doesn’t address this allegation.

In September 2019,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cuomo-apology-blasted-charlotte-bennett-468ae8e2854ebb28f286355ba2f496ac">Anna Ruch met Cuomo at a wedding reception&nbsp;</a>for one of Cuomo’s staff members. She told investigators Cuomo touched her bare back and, after she removed his hand, grabbed her face and kissed her. Ruch said the governor remarked, “Wow, you’re aggressive.” Ruch’s friend photographed the encounter.

Cuomo says he commonly kisses people on the face, attributing it to his Italian heritage, and said he didn’t mean to make Ruch feel uncomfortable.

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628092754500.png" alt="" />
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 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — A long-awaited report&nbsp;issued Tuesday by New York Attorney General Letitia James&nbsp;into sexual harassment allegations against Gov. Andrew Cuomo detailed several accounts from accusers who have gone public.<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21033681-cuomo-sexual-harassment-report">CLICK here </a>to read the full report from the NY Attorney GeneralBut the report also revealed previously unknown accusations, including one by a state trooper assigned to Cuomo’s security detail.Investigators hired specifically for this case said they corroborated the accounts of at least 11 women.Cuomo denied many of the allegations, saying he never touched anyone inappropriately. Those he didn’t deny — like kissing women on their cheeks and calling them names like “sweetheart” — were innocent or overblown, he said.Here’s a look at the women and their allegations, as described by the investigators, and Cuomo’s responses:___TROOPER NO. 1A state trooper whom Cuomo successfully sought to have assigned to his security detail said the governor kissed her cheek, touched her belly and back and made inappropriate, gender-based remarks to and about her, including asking her why she did not wear a dress. Several other troopers witnessed these acts and corroborated her allegations, according to the report. The trooper wasn’t identified by name in the report and has not told her story publicly.A 26-page statement issued by Cuomo’s attorney, Rita Glavin, after the report’s release does not mention the trooper, whose account was not public before Tuesday.EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT NO. 1A woman who worked in Cuomo’s office became visibly emotional watching a press conference early this year in which Cuomo denied ever touching anyone inappropriately, investigators wrote. She&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-albany-andrew-cuomo-coronavirus-pandemic-us-news-1f8f0668093fc3c27137923a06652e7c">told colleagues Cuomo had reached under her blouse and groped her breast in his office</a>&nbsp;at the governor’s mansion three months earlier. The governor’s staff later reported the allegations to Albany police.The woman also told investigators Cuomo had, on various occasions since 2019, grabbed her buttocks, kissed her on the lips, hugged her inappropriately and pried into her personal life.Cuomo says he never groped her, pointing to text messages the executive assistant sent to other staff on the day in question, indicating nothing was amiss, as evidence it didn’t happen. He told investigators she initiated their hugs, and that he was “more in the reciprocal business.” CHARLOTTE BENNETTBennett,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-andrew-cuomo-7fda294d42e92a2762fc7e7b9ee0cd57">a low-level aide to Cuomo,</a>&nbsp;said the governor asked her about her love life, including whether she ever had sex with older men, whether she had been with older men and whether she was monogamous. He also told her that he was “lonely” and “wanted to be touched,” according to the report.When Bennett complained to administration officials that she felt like the governor was hitting on her, she was transferred to another job. The administration did not formally investigate or report the allegations to the governor’s Office of Employee Relations, the attorney general’s investigators determined.Cuomo apologized to Bennett in a recorded video released in response to the attorney general’s report, saying that he had been trying to counsel her after she confided in him that she is a sexual assault survivor because someone in his family had suffered a similar experience.STATE ENTITY EMPLOYEE NO. 1A woman who worked for an entity affiliated with the state told investigators that Cuomo tapped and grabbed her butt while they posed for a photo at a 2019 event sponsored by her organization. She told friends about it at the time, the report states.Cuomo’s statement does not mention this interaction.VIRGINIA LIMMIATISVirginia Limmiatis, an energy company worker, said Cuomo ran his fingers on the lettering that ran across the chest of her shirt when they met in a rope line at a 2017 event. He then told her he was going to say there was a spider on her shoulder and proceeded to brush her chest with his hand, the report said.Limmiatis immediately told other attendees what had happened, investigators found, but she didn’t come forward until seeing Cuomo’s press conference this year denying he’d touched anyone inappropriately.The statement from Cuomo’s attorney does not mention this interaction.LINDSEY BOYLANThe report found that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/andrew-cuomo-accused-sexual-harassment-daf35ae2ab9d3b0739c5fd4b802b9e44">Cuomo kissed, touched, and made inappropriate comments to Lindsey Boylan&nbsp;</a>while she served in various roles working closely with the governor. He commented on Boylan’s physical appearance and attractiveness, compared her to a former girlfriend and suggested they play strip poker, investigators found.The attorney general’s report also says that “the Executive Chamber actively engaged in an effort to discredit her” after Boylan, the governor’s first accuser to go public,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-andrew-cuomo-manhattan-f1b386ac61a0a860960a231acf5b2942">reported the harassment in December 2020.</a>&nbsp;This included leaking records related to her departure from her job.The statement released by Cuomo’s attorney delves into those details, saying Boylan was dismissed for bullying subordinates and suggesting she made up her sexual harassment claims to further her own political aspirations.ALYSSA McGRATHCuomo made inappropriate comments&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-sexual-misconduct-albany-andrew-cuomo-coronavirus-pandemic-98eb7ecde8e826e39cce3691734e17e3">to another executive assistant, Alyssa McGrath,</a>&nbsp;including commenting on her neckline after staring down her loose shirt, regularly asking about her marital status and asking whether she would tell on Executive Assistant No. 1 if she were to cheat on her husband, the report says.Cuomo’s attorney’s statement concedes he referred to McGrath and Executive Assistant No. 1 as “mingle mamas,” but only after they said they were “single and ready to mingle” ahead of a business trip.KAITLINAnother woman, listed just as “Kaitlin” in the report, was hired to work for the governor after meeting him at a fundraising event in December 2016. Cuomo regularly made Kaitlin uncomfortable by commenting on her appearance and telling her she was not ready for work if she was not wearing makeup, and by calling her “sponge” — apparently a reference to his advice to soak up knowledge from others — which she told investigators she found embarrassing, condescending and demeaning.Glavin’s statement says the governor frequently comments on staffers’ appearances, usually in a complimentary fashion. It also says he was frustrated with Kaitlin’s job performance.ANA LISS<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-andrew-cuomo-58b44c3e15d120151f936c7e928ec095">Ana Liss worked as an aide in Cuomo’s office</a>&nbsp;from 2013 to 2015, and told investigators he kissed and touched her, addressed her almost exclusively as “sweetheart” or “darling,” made inquiries about her relationship status and made inappropriate remarks about her appearance. In the report, Liss explains that she did not immediately come forward about the harassment because, in the governor’s office, “the typical rules did not apply.”Cuomo’s attorney’s statement notes that Liss tweeted favorably at and about Cuomo long after she left his office, suggesting that undercuts her account. The attorney’s statement also suggests the timing of Liss coming forward was politically motivated.“The governor’s interactions with Alyssa McGrath, Ana Liss and Kaitlin were unremarkable,” Glavin’s statement says.STATE ENTITY EMPLOYEE NO. 2A doctor at the state health department told investigators Cuomo made a sexually suggestive comment just before she performed a COVID-19 nasal swab test on him during a televised press conference at the start of the pandemic.“You make that gown look good,” Cuomo said after thanking her during the press conference.She told investigators she found the comments demeaning and felt Cuomo wouldn’t have made them to a male doctor.Glavin’s statement doesn’t address this allegation.ANNA RUCHIn September 2019,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cuomo-apology-blasted-charlotte-bennett-468ae8e2854ebb28f286355ba2f496ac">Anna Ruch met Cuomo at a wedding reception&nbsp;</a>for one of Cuomo’s staff members. She told investigators Cuomo touched her bare back and, after she removed his hand, grabbed her face and kissed her. Ruch said the governor remarked, “Wow, you’re aggressive.” Ruch’s friend photographed the encounter.Cuomo says he commonly kisses people on the face, attributing it to his Italian heritage, and said he didn’t mean to make Ruch feel uncomfortable.

Read the harassment claims against Gov. Andrew Cuomo

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Police say an Olathe man who was hit by a vehicle in the Kansas City, Kansas, suburb over the weekend has died from his injuries. 

Television station KCTV reports that 62-year-old Joseph Miller was hit around 9:40 a.m. Saturday near Old 56 Highway and Parker Street. 

Paramedics rushed Miller to an area hospital with critical injuries. Police said Tuesday that Miller had died from his injuries. 

Investigators say the driver involved in the crash stayed on the scene and is cooperating with the investigation. No charges have been filed in Miller's death.

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Police say an Olathe man who was hit by a vehicle in the Kansas City, Kansas, suburb over the weekend has died from his injuries. Television station KCTV reports that 62-year-old Joseph Miller was hit around 9:40 a.m. Saturday near Old 56 Highway and Parker Street. Paramedics rushed Miller to an area hospital with critical injuries. Police said Tuesday that Miller had died from his injuries. Investigators say the driver involved in the crash stayed on the scene and is cooperating with the investigation. No charges have been filed in Miller's death.

Police: Kan. man hit by vehicle Saturday has died

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday called on resistant Republican governors to “get out of the way” of vaccine rules aimed at containing the more transmissible and dangerous COVID-19 variant. He backed city and private mandates requiring people to be vaccinated to go about some daily activities.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?513896-1/president-biden-calls-governor-cuomo-resign">Click here to watch </a>the President's comments

Speaking from the White House, Biden sharply criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other officials who have moved to block the reimposition of mask mandates to slow the delta strain of the virus. The strain is surging in their states and other parts of the country that have large numbers of unvaccinated people.

“If you’re not going to help, at least get out of the way of people trying to do the right thing,” Biden said.

Biden endorsed New York City’s move to require vaccinations to dine indoors or go to the gym, as well as corporate moves to require vaccines to return to work, and said more localities and businesses should follow suit. Such policies have been barred to varying degrees in at least seven GOP-led states.

A rise in infections in the U.S., fueled by the highly contagious delta strain of the virus, led U.S. public health officials last week to recommend that even people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 resume wearing face coverings in some public indoor settings.

After months of dangling carrots of incentive to Americans to get vaccinated — including million- dollar cash lotteries and opportunities to earn free college tuition — the Biden administration is looking to wield a stick by making it harder for people to remain unvaccinated without seeing their daily lives disrupted.

As he seeks to drive up vaccinations at home, Biden is also spotlighting his administration’s progress in sharing shots with the rest of the world — an initiative helped in part by the slowed pace of domestic vaccination that has increased the nation’s stockpile of doses. Roughly 90 million eligible Americans aged 12 and over have yet to receive one dose of vaccine.

Biden announced that the U.S. has donated and shipped more than 110 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 60 countries, ranging from Afghanistan to Zambia.

“Vaccinate America and help vaccinate the world,” Biden said, “That’s how we’re going to beat this thing.”

Biden has promised that the U.S. will be the “arsenal of vaccines” for the world, but while notable, the 110 million doses the U.S. has donated largely through a global vaccine program known as COVAX&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/africa-europe-coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-926c80134a8543efef16e2c7ca4d43c2">represent a fraction of what is needed</a>&nbsp;worldwide.

The White House said in a statement Tuesday that U.S. at the end of August will begin shipping 500 million doses of Pfizer vaccine that it has pledged to 100 low-income countries by June 2022.

Biden had pledged to ship more than 80 million doses overseas by the end of June, but had only been able to share a fraction of that due to logistical and regulatory hurdles in recipient countries.

The pace of shipments picked up significantly through July.

Under Biden’s sharing plan, about 75% of U.S. doses are shared through COVAX, which aims to help lower- and middle-income nations, with the balance being sent to U.S. partners and allies.

The White House insists that nothing is being sought in return for the shots, contrasting its approach to Russia and China, which it alleges have used access to their domestically produced vaccines as a tool of geopolitical leverage.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628082052605.png" alt="“If you’re not going to help, at least get out of the way of people trying to do the right thing,” Biden said. -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>“If you’re not going to help, at least get out of the way of people trying to do the right thing,” Biden said. -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday called on resistant Republican governors to “get out of the way” of vaccine rules aimed at containing the more transmissible and dangerous COVID-19 variant. He backed city and private mandates requiring people to be vaccinated to go about some daily activities.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?513896-1/president-biden-calls-governor-cuomo-resign">Click here to watch </a>the President's commentsSpeaking from the White House, Biden sharply criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other officials who have moved to block the reimposition of mask mandates to slow the delta strain of the virus. The strain is surging in their states and other parts of the country that have large numbers of unvaccinated people.“If you’re not going to help, at least get out of the way of people trying to do the right thing,” Biden said.Biden endorsed New York City’s move to require vaccinations to dine indoors or go to the gym, as well as corporate moves to require vaccines to return to work, and said more localities and businesses should follow suit. Such policies have been barred to varying degrees in at least seven GOP-led states.A rise in infections in the U.S., fueled by the highly contagious delta strain of the virus, led U.S. public health officials last week to recommend that even people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 resume wearing face coverings in some public indoor settings.After months of dangling carrots of incentive to Americans to get vaccinated — including million- dollar cash lotteries and opportunities to earn free college tuition — the Biden administration is looking to wield a stick by making it harder for people to remain unvaccinated without seeing their daily lives disrupted.As he seeks to drive up vaccinations at home, Biden is also spotlighting his administration’s progress in sharing shots with the rest of the world — an initiative helped in part by the slowed pace of domestic vaccination that has increased the nation’s stockpile of doses. Roughly 90 million eligible Americans aged 12 and over have yet to receive one dose of vaccine.Biden announced that the U.S. has donated and shipped more than 110 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 60 countries, ranging from Afghanistan to Zambia.“Vaccinate America and help vaccinate the world,” Biden said, “That’s how we’re going to beat this thing.”Biden has promised that the U.S. will be the “arsenal of vaccines” for the world, but while notable, the 110 million doses the U.S. has donated largely through a global vaccine program known as COVAX&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/africa-europe-coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-926c80134a8543efef16e2c7ca4d43c2">represent a fraction of what is needed</a>&nbsp;worldwide.The White House said in a statement Tuesday that U.S. at the end of August will begin shipping 500 million doses of Pfizer vaccine that it has pledged to 100 low-income countries by June 2022.Biden had pledged to ship more than 80 million doses overseas by the end of June, but had only been able to share a fraction of that due to logistical and regulatory hurdles in recipient countries.The pace of shipments picked up significantly through July.Under Biden’s sharing plan, about 75% of U.S. doses are shared through COVAX, which aims to help lower- and middle-income nations, with the balance being sent to U.S. partners and allies.The White House insists that nothing is being sought in return for the shots, contrasting its approach to Russia and China, which it alleges have used access to their domestically produced vaccines as a tool of geopolitical leverage.—

🎥  Biden to governors: Get out of the way of vaccine rules 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt is taking his fight to curb the power of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and local officials to impose COVID-19 restrictions in Kansas to the state’s highest court.

Schmidt announced Tuesday that he has asked the Kansas Supreme Court to keep in place a law that limits Kelly’s power and local officials’ authority even though a Johnson County trial-court judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-government-and-politics-coronavirus-pandemic-kansas-2817bd3686e752155c9667d5013c809a">struck it down</a>&nbsp;last month. Schmidt is appealing District Judge David Hauber’s ruling and wants the decision put on hold in the meantime.

The Republican-controlled Legislature enacted&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/summary_sb_40_2021" target="_blank">the law</a>&nbsp;earlier this year to prevent Kelly from closing businesses or schools, limiting public gatherings or imposing a statewide mask mandate. The law curbed the power of county health officers, leaving decisions about pandemic restrictions to elected county commissions. It allowed people to sue over restrictions and required court decisions within 10 days.

Hauber ruled that the law violated the state constitution by infringing upon the power of the courts and by denying state and local officials due legal process.

Schmidt has defended the law as valid and contends Hauber’s decision has created confusion about what power Kelly and local officials now have. Schmidt is running for governor next year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619470475529.png" alt="Laura Kelly" />
 <figcaption>Laura Kelly</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt is taking his fight to curb the power of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and local officials to impose COVID-19 restrictions in Kansas to the state’s highest court.Schmidt announced Tuesday that he has asked the Kansas Supreme Court to keep in place a law that limits Kelly’s power and local officials’ authority even though a Johnson County trial-court judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-government-and-politics-coronavirus-pandemic-kansas-2817bd3686e752155c9667d5013c809a">struck it down</a>&nbsp;last month. Schmidt is appealing District Judge David Hauber’s ruling and wants the decision put on hold in the meantime.The Republican-controlled Legislature enacted&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/summary_sb_40_2021" target="_blank">the law</a>&nbsp;earlier this year to prevent Kelly from closing businesses or schools, limiting public gatherings or imposing a statewide mask mandate. The law curbed the power of county health officers, leaving decisions about pandemic restrictions to elected county commissions. It allowed people to sue over restrictions and required court decisions within 10 days.Hauber ruled that the law violated the state constitution by infringing upon the power of the courts and by denying state and local officials due legal process.Schmidt has defended the law as valid and contends Hauber’s decision has created confusion about what power Kelly and local officials now have. Schmidt is running for governor next year.

High Court may rule on governor's COVID-19 powers 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new eviction moratorium that would last until Oct. 3, as the Biden administration sought to quell intensifying criticism from progressives that it was allowing vulnerable renters to lose their homes during a pandemic.

The ban announced Tuesday could help keep millions in their homes as the coronavirus’ delta variant has spread and states have been slow to release federal rental aid. It would temporarily halt evictions in counties with “substantial and high levels” of virus transmissions and would cover areas where 90% of the U.S. population lives.

The announcement was a reversal for the Biden administration, which allowed an earlier moratorium to lapse over the weekend after saying a Supreme Court ruling prevented an extension. That ripped open a dramatic split between the White House and progressive Democrats who insisted the administration do more to prevent some 3.6 million Americans from losing their homes during the COVID-19 crisis.

Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Biden said he pushed the CDC to again consider its options. But he still seemed hesitant as to whether the new moratorium could withstand lawsuits about its constitutionality, saying he has sought the opinions of experts as to whether the Supreme Court would approve the measure.

“The bulk of the constitutional scholarship says that it’s not likely to pass constitutional muster,” Biden said. “But there are several key scholars who think that it may and it’s worth the effort.”

The president added that the moratorium — even if it gets challenged in court — “will probably give some additional time” for states and city to release billions of dollars in federal relief to renters.

Politically, the extension could help heal a rift with liberal Democratic lawmakers who were calling on the president to take executive action to keep renters in their homes. The administration had spent the past several days scrambling to reassure Democrats and the country that it could find a way to limit the damage from potential evictions through the use of federal aid.

But pressure mounted as key lawmakers said it was not enough.

Top Democratic leaders joined Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., who has been camped outside the U.S. Capitol for several days. Overnight Monday Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., and others gave her a brief reprieve so she could rest indoors. The freshman congresswoman once lived in her car as a young mother and pointed to that experience to urge the White House to prevent widespread evictions.

As she wiped her eyes before a crowd at the Capitol after the CDC’s announcement, Bush said she was shedding “joyful tears.”

“My God, I don’t believe we did this,” she said. “We just did the work, just by loving folks to keep millions in their homes.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it was a day of “extraordinary relief.”

“The imminent fear of eviction and being put out on the street has been lifted for countless families across America. Help is Here!” Pelosi said in a statement.

Administration officials had previously said a Supreme Court ruling stopped them from setting up a new moratorium without congressional backing. When the court allowed the eviction ban to remain in place through the end of July by a 5-4 vote, one justice in the majority, Brett Kavanaugh, wrote that Congress would have to act to extend it further.

But on Tuesday, the CDC cited the slow pace of state and local governments disbursing housing aid as justification for the new moratorium.

Aside from the moratorium, Biden has insisted that federal money is available — some $47 billion previously approved during the pandemic — that needs to get out the door to help renters and landlords.

The White House has said state and local governments have been slow to push out that federal money and is pressing them to do so swiftly.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen briefed House Democrats Tuesday about the work underway to ensure the federal housing aid makes it to renters and landlords. She provided data so that lawmakers could see how their districts and states are performing with distributing the relief, according to a person on the call.

The treasury secretary tried to encourage Democrats to work together, even as lawmakers said Biden should act on his own to extend the eviction moratorium, according to someone on the private call who insisted on anonymity to discuss its contents.

Yellen said on the call, according to this person, that she agrees “we need to bring every resource to bear” and that she appreciated the Democrats’ efforts and wants “to leave no stone unturned.”

The CDC put the initial eviction ban in place as part of the COVID-19 response when jobs shifted and many workers lost income. The ban was intended to hold back the spread of the virus among people put out on the streets and into shelters, but it also penalized landlords who lost income as a result.

National Apartment Association president and CEO Bob Pinnegar said the organization “has always held the same position -- the eviction moratorium is an unfunded government mandate that forces housing providers to deliver a costly service without compensation and saddles renters with insurmountable debt.”

Democratic lawmakers said they were caught by surprise by Biden’s initial decision to end the moratorium even though the CDC indicated in late June that it probably wouldn’t extend the eviction ban beyond the end of July.

Rep. Maxine Waters, the powerful chair of the Financial Services Committee, has been talking privately for days with Yellen and urged the treasury secretary to use her influence to prod states to push the money out the door. But Waters also called on the CDC to act on its own.

After the CDC’s announcement Tuesday, Waters released a statement thanking Biden “for listening and for encouraging the CDC to act! This extension of the moratorium is the lifeline that millions of families have been waiting for.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628034052731.png" alt="Protesters at the U.S. Capitol as the eviction moratorium expired over the weekend. The new moratorium could help keep millions in their homes as the coronavirus’ delta variant has spread and states have been slow to release federal rental aid.-photo courtesy Sen. Cori Bush" />
 <figcaption>Protesters at the U.S. Capitol as the eviction moratorium expired over the weekend. The new moratorium could help keep millions in their homes as the coronavirus’ delta variant has spread and states have been slow to release federal rental aid.-photo courtesy Sen. Cori Bush</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new eviction moratorium that would last until Oct. 3, as the Biden administration sought to quell intensifying criticism from progressives that it was allowing vulnerable renters to lose their homes during a pandemic.The ban announced Tuesday could help keep millions in their homes as the coronavirus’ delta variant has spread and states have been slow to release federal rental aid. It would temporarily halt evictions in counties with “substantial and high levels” of virus transmissions and would cover areas where 90% of the U.S. population lives.The announcement was a reversal for the Biden administration, which allowed an earlier moratorium to lapse over the weekend after saying a Supreme Court ruling prevented an extension. That ripped open a dramatic split between the White House and progressive Democrats who insisted the administration do more to prevent some 3.6 million Americans from losing their homes during the COVID-19 crisis.Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Biden said he pushed the CDC to again consider its options. But he still seemed hesitant as to whether the new moratorium could withstand lawsuits about its constitutionality, saying he has sought the opinions of experts as to whether the Supreme Court would approve the measure.“The bulk of the constitutional scholarship says that it’s not likely to pass constitutional muster,” Biden said. “But there are several key scholars who think that it may and it’s worth the effort.”The president added that the moratorium — even if it gets challenged in court — “will probably give some additional time” for states and city to release billions of dollars in federal relief to renters.Politically, the extension could help heal a rift with liberal Democratic lawmakers who were calling on the president to take executive action to keep renters in their homes. The administration had spent the past several days scrambling to reassure Democrats and the country that it could find a way to limit the damage from potential evictions through the use of federal aid.But pressure mounted as key lawmakers said it was not enough.Top Democratic leaders joined Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., who has been camped outside the U.S. Capitol for several days. Overnight Monday Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., and others gave her a brief reprieve so she could rest indoors. The freshman congresswoman once lived in her car as a young mother and pointed to that experience to urge the White House to prevent widespread evictions.As she wiped her eyes before a crowd at the Capitol after the CDC’s announcement, Bush said she was shedding “joyful tears.”“My God, I don’t believe we did this,” she said. “We just did the work, just by loving folks to keep millions in their homes.”House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it was a day of “extraordinary relief.”“The imminent fear of eviction and being put out on the street has been lifted for countless families across America. Help is Here!” Pelosi said in a statement.Administration officials had previously said a Supreme Court ruling stopped them from setting up a new moratorium without congressional backing. When the court allowed the eviction ban to remain in place through the end of July by a 5-4 vote, one justice in the majority, Brett Kavanaugh, wrote that Congress would have to act to extend it further.But on Tuesday, the CDC cited the slow pace of state and local governments disbursing housing aid as justification for the new moratorium.Aside from the moratorium, Biden has insisted that federal money is available — some $47 billion previously approved during the pandemic — that needs to get out the door to help renters and landlords.“The money is there,” Biden said.The White House has said state and local governments have been slow to push out that federal money and is pressing them to do so swiftly.Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen briefed House Democrats Tuesday about the work underway to ensure the federal housing aid makes it to renters and landlords. She provided data so that lawmakers could see how their districts and states are performing with distributing the relief, according to a person on the call.The treasury secretary tried to encourage Democrats to work together, even as lawmakers said Biden should act on his own to extend the eviction moratorium, according to someone on the private call who insisted on anonymity to discuss its contents.Yellen said on the call, according to this person, that she agrees “we need to bring every resource to bear” and that she appreciated the Democrats’ efforts and wants “to leave no stone unturned.”The CDC put the initial eviction ban in place as part of the COVID-19 response when jobs shifted and many workers lost income. The ban was intended to hold back the spread of the virus among people put out on the streets and into shelters, but it also penalized landlords who lost income as a result.National Apartment Association president and CEO Bob Pinnegar said the organization “has always held the same position -- the eviction moratorium is an unfunded government mandate that forces housing providers to deliver a costly service without compensation and saddles renters with insurmountable debt.”Democratic lawmakers said they were caught by surprise by Biden’s initial decision to end the moratorium even though the CDC indicated in late June that it probably wouldn’t extend the eviction ban beyond the end of July.Rep. Maxine Waters, the powerful chair of the Financial Services Committee, has been talking privately for days with Yellen and urged the treasury secretary to use her influence to prod states to push the money out the door. But Waters also called on the CDC to act on its own.After the CDC’s announcement Tuesday, Waters released a statement thanking Biden “for listening and for encouraging the CDC to act! This extension of the moratorium is the lifeline that millions of families have been waiting for.”___

Eviction ban: CDC issues new moratorium 

CASS COUNTY, MO., —A fifth person and fourth from Kansas had died as a result of Monday's violent crash in Cass County, Misssouri.

Dakota Engel, 29, Junction City, who was transported to Research Medical Center with serious injuries died Tuesday, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The agency&nbsp; reported a 2000 Peterbilt semi driven by Everett E. Ashley, Lowry City, Missouri, was southbound on MO 7 at Route Z.

The driver lost control of the semi. It traveled down an embankment and crossed the median into the northbound lanes of MO 7.&nbsp;

The semi struck a northbound Nissan SUV driven by Stephen W. Bennett, 61, Junction City, head-on.

Ashley and three passengers in the SUV including Gerald R. Dittman, 68, Hope, Kansas and Jean M. Pariseau, 71 Herington, Kansas were pronounced dead at the scene.

Harrisonville EMS transported Bennett to Cass Regional Medical Center where he died. Life Flight transported a third passenger in the SUV identified as Dakota M. Engel, 29, Junction City, to Research Medical Center for treatment where he died.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1627935855599.png" alt="First responders on the scene of the head-on crash-photo courtesy KMBC TV" />
 <figcaption>First responders on the scene of the head-on crash-photo courtesy KMBC TV</figcaption>
 </figure>CASS COUNTY, MO., —A fifth person and fourth from Kansas had died as a result of Monday's violent crash in Cass County, Misssouri.Dakota Engel, 29, Junction City, who was transported to Research Medical Center with serious injuries died Tuesday, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.The agency&nbsp; reported a 2000 Peterbilt semi driven by Everett E. Ashley, Lowry City, Missouri, was southbound on MO 7 at Route Z.The driver lost control of the semi. It traveled down an embankment and crossed the median into the northbound lanes of MO 7.&nbsp;The semi struck a northbound Nissan SUV driven by Stephen W. Bennett, 61, Junction City, head-on.Ashley and three passengers in the SUV including Gerald R. Dittman, 68, Hope, Kansas and Jean M. Pariseau, 71 Herington, Kansas were pronounced dead at the scene.Harrisonville EMS transported Bennett to Cass Regional Medical Center where he died. Life Flight transported a third passenger in the SUV identified as Dakota M. Engel, 29, Junction City, to Research Medical Center for treatment where he died.

Fourth Kansan has died from injuries in head-on crash

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas woman has been charged with murder for a car crash that killed a toddler. 

KSNT-TV reported Jhanae Alexus Tate was charged with crimes including first-degree murder and driving under the influence for the May 9 Topeka crash. 

Police say Tate veered off the road and hit a mailbox. She overcorrected and drove into oncoming traffic, hitting another vehicle head-on. An 18-month-old child in Tate's car died.

Two adults and two children in the other car were hospitalized. Tate's jailed on a $1 million bond. Her lawyer didn't immediately return Associated Press requests for comment Tuesday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628021539783.png" alt="Scene of the fatal May 9 crash -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Scene of the fatal May 9 crash -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas woman has been charged with murder for a car crash that killed a toddler. KSNT-TV reported Jhanae Alexus Tate was charged with crimes including first-degree murder and driving under the influence for the May 9 Topeka crash. Police say Tate veered off the road and hit a mailbox. She overcorrected and drove into oncoming traffic, hitting another vehicle head-on. An 18-month-old child in Tate's car died.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628021515770.png" alt="Tate photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Tate photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>Two adults and two children in the other car were hospitalized. Tate's jailed on a $1 million bond. Her lawyer didn't immediately return Associated Press requests for comment Tuesday.

Kan. woman charged for crash that killed toddler

FINNEY COUNTY –&nbsp;The Garden City Police Department reported that Virginia Green was located deceased Tuesday evening in a remote area in Finney County, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

The Finney County Sheriff’s Office will conduct an investigation into the circumstances of Green’s death.&nbsp;

FINNEY COUNTY –The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Garden City woman, according to a media release from the agency.&nbsp;

The whereabouts of Virginia Rae Green, 76, are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate her.

Green is a 76-year-old white female, around 5 ft. tall, and weighing 150 lbs. She has gray hair and hazel eyes. She also wears glasses and has a scar on the side of her eyebrow near her right temple. She has dementia.

Green was last seen at her residence at 1717 Mikes Dr. in Garden City on Sunday, Aug. 1. She is likely driving a 2014 red Ford Escape with Kansas tag 494KVD. Her direction of travel is unknown.

If you see Virginia Green, or have information about her whereabouts, please immediately contact 911, or the Garden City Police Department at&nbsp;(620) 276-1300.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1627922869484.png" alt="Green photo Garden City Police" />
 <figcaption>Green photo Garden City Police</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY –&nbsp;The Garden City Police Department reported that Virginia Green was located deceased Tuesday evening in a remote area in Finney County, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.The Finney County Sheriff’s Office will conduct an investigation into the circumstances of Green’s death.&nbsp;------------FINNEY COUNTY –The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Garden City woman, according to a media release from the agency.&nbsp;The whereabouts of Virginia Rae Green, 76, are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate her.Green is a 76-year-old white female, around 5 ft. tall, and weighing 150 lbs. She has gray hair and hazel eyes. She also wears glasses and has a scar on the side of her eyebrow near her right temple. She has dementia.Green was last seen at her residence at 1717 Mikes Dr. in Garden City on Sunday, Aug. 1. She is likely driving a 2014 red Ford Escape with Kansas tag 494KVD. Her direction of travel is unknown.If you see Virginia Green, or have information about her whereabouts, please immediately contact 911, or the Garden City Police Department at&nbsp;(620) 276-1300.

Sheriff: SW Kan. woman in Silver Alert found deceased

KANSAS CITY, Kan.—Law enforcement authorities investigating the death of a man and woman at a Kansas City, Kansas apartment complex say it is now a homicide investigation.

On July 29, police conducted a welfare check&nbsp;at the Cambridge at River Oaks Apartments, N. 70th and Riverview at the request of family members, according to a media release.

Detectives found both 22-year-old Heather Miller and 24-year-old Jordan Horton both Kansas City, Kansas residents dead inside an apartment at the complex. The initial investigation determined both had been dead for several days.

Police have not made an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to contact police and all tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify to earn up to a $25,000 reward.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628014794956.png" alt="Detectives on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Detectives on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Kan.—Law enforcement authorities investigating the death of a man and woman at a Kansas City, Kansas apartment complex say it is now a homicide investigation.On July 29, police conducted a welfare check&nbsp;at the Cambridge at River Oaks Apartments, N. 70th and Riverview at the request of family members, according to a media release.Detectives found both 22-year-old Heather Miller and 24-year-old Jordan Horton both Kansas City, Kansas residents dead inside an apartment at the complex. The initial investigation determined both had been dead for several days.Police have not made an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to contact police and all tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify to earn up to a $25,000 reward.

Homicide: Man, woman found dead in Kan. apartment

JACKSON COUNTY —Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt Tuesday filed a lawsuit to halt the recently imposed mask mandate in Kansas City. 

The suit, which was filed in Jackson County, argues that the mask mandate imposed is unreasonable, unconstitutional, and arbitrary and capricious, according to a media release from Schmitt's office.

The suit names Mayor Quinton Lucas, the Kansas City, Missouri Health Department, and the Director of the Kansas City, Missouri Regulated Industries Division Jim Ready.&nbsp;

“Today, I filed suit against Kansas City to stop the imposition of a mask mandate on the people of the Kansas City region. This continued unconstitutional and unreasonable government overreach must stop, especially in the face of a widely available vaccine. Requiring schoolchildren to mask all day while in school is not based in science and is completely ridiculous,” said&nbsp;Attorney General Schmitt. “I will always stand up for the liberties of the people of Kansas City and Missouri.” The lawsuit incorporates seven counts, and asks the court to invalidate the mask mandate and issue injunctive or other appropriate relief. The lawsuit argues that the Kansas City mayor, on July 25, 2021, previously stated that no mask mandate was needed, but then reversed course and in a July 27, 2021 tweet and a July 28, 2021 press release announced that Kansas City would be imposing a mask mandate. The lawsuit notes that in that two-day interim, there were no major changes in data for Kansas City, and no material change in any of the reasons listed by Kansas City for imposing a mask mandate, underscoring the lack of justification for the reversal and imposition of the mandate. In its first count, the lawsuit argues that the mask mandate should be subject to the requirements of § 67.265, RSMo, which was put into place by recently passed and signed House Bill 270, placing limits on the power of health authorities to impose health orders. The second and third counts relate to the imposition of a mask mandate on schoolchildren, stating that those requirements are unlawful and arbitrary and capricious. As the lawsuit notes, the risk of severe illness due to COVID-19 and transmission in schoolchildren is low, and requiring schoolchildren to wear masks is in fact harmful as it could hinder “verbal and non-verbal” communication and development. The fourth count argues that the mask mandate is arbitrary and capricious, stating, “The Mask Mandate is arbitrary and capricious because it requires vaccinated individuals to wear masks, unless they know all persons present are fully vaccinated.” The fifth count argues that the mask mandate is unlawful, stating, “the Mask Mandate is not an appropriate disease control measure and is not adequate to prevent the spread of COVID-19.” The sixth count states that the mask mandate should be declared unconstitutional due to the vagueness of the order itself. Lastly, the seventh count argues that Mayor Quinton Lucas, who issued the order, does not have the authority to do so under the regulation that authorizes public health orders since only the local health authority may issue public health orders. For this reason, the lawsuit contends that “the Mask Mandate was not issued by a person authorized to issue such orders, and it is therefore invalid and unlawful.” The full lawsuit can be found here:&nbsp;<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ago.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=55bd24fd8f5e7d3dc227d1072&amp;id=91b23a950f&amp;e=9a8c31b236__;!!EErPFA7f--AJOw!WrNtd2LGflapHRp4xkZx5VRUcBKDOQF-l_P4tVfqZQKx-lftFdLsxe3fjpCknWU_yYNaBA$">https://ago.mo.gov/docs/default-source/press-releases/kc-mask-petition---final.pdf?sfvrsn=7ecf0e57_2</a> The Missouri Attorney General’s Office also recently sued St. Louis City and County over their mask mandates. Earlier today, a St. Louis County judge entered the temporary restraining order sought by the Office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1627763047039.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY —Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt Tuesday filed a lawsuit to halt the recently imposed mask mandate in Kansas City. The suit, which was filed in Jackson County, argues that the mask mandate imposed is unreasonable, unconstitutional, and arbitrary and capricious, according to a media release from Schmitt's office.The suit names Mayor Quinton Lucas, the Kansas City, Missouri Health Department, and the Director of the Kansas City, Missouri Regulated Industries Division Jim Ready.&nbsp; “Today, I filed suit against Kansas City to stop the imposition of a mask mandate on the people of the Kansas City region. This continued unconstitutional and unreasonable government overreach must stop, especially in the face of a widely available vaccine. Requiring schoolchildren to mask all day while in school is not based in science and is completely ridiculous,” said&nbsp;Attorney General Schmitt. “I will always stand up for the liberties of the people of Kansas City and Missouri.” The lawsuit incorporates seven counts, and asks the court to invalidate the mask mandate and issue injunctive or other appropriate relief. The lawsuit argues that the Kansas City mayor, on July 25, 2021, previously stated that no mask mandate was needed, but then reversed course and in a July 27, 2021 tweet and a July 28, 2021 press release announced that Kansas City would be imposing a mask mandate. The lawsuit notes that in that two-day interim, there were no major changes in data for Kansas City, and no material change in any of the reasons listed by Kansas City for imposing a mask mandate, underscoring the lack of justification for the reversal and imposition of the mandate. In its first count, the lawsuit argues that the mask mandate should be subject to the requirements of § 67.265, RSMo, which was put into place by recently passed and signed House Bill 270, placing limits on the power of health authorities to impose health orders. The second and third counts relate to the imposition of a mask mandate on schoolchildren, stating that those requirements are unlawful and arbitrary and capricious. As the lawsuit notes, the risk of severe illness due to COVID-19 and transmission in schoolchildren is low, and requiring schoolchildren to wear masks is in fact harmful as it could hinder “verbal and non-verbal” communication and development. The fourth count argues that the mask mandate is arbitrary and capricious, stating, “The Mask Mandate is arbitrary and capricious because it requires vaccinated individuals to wear masks, unless they know all persons present are fully vaccinated.” The fifth count argues that the mask mandate is unlawful, stating, “the Mask Mandate is not an appropriate disease control measure and is not adequate to prevent the spread of COVID-19.” The sixth count states that the mask mandate should be declared unconstitutional due to the vagueness of the order itself. Lastly, the seventh count argues that Mayor Quinton Lucas, who issued the order, does not have the authority to do so under the regulation that authorizes public health orders since only the local health authority may issue public health orders. For this reason, the lawsuit contends that “the Mask Mandate was not issued by a person authorized to issue such orders, and it is therefore invalid and unlawful.” The full lawsuit can be found here:&nbsp;<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ago.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=55bd24fd8f5e7d3dc227d1072&amp;id=91b23a950f&amp;e=9a8c31b236__;!!EErPFA7f--AJOw!WrNtd2LGflapHRp4xkZx5VRUcBKDOQF-l_P4tVfqZQKx-lftFdLsxe3fjpCknWU_yYNaBA$">https://ago.mo.gov/docs/default-source/press-releases/kc-mask-petition---final.pdf?sfvrsn=7ecf0e57_2</a> The Missouri Attorney General’s Office also recently sued St. Louis City and County over their mask mandates. Earlier today, a St. Louis County judge entered the temporary restraining order sought by the Office.

Attorney General sues Kansas City over mask mandate

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a stabbing and asking the public for help to locate a suspect.

Just before 8:00 a.m. Tuesday police&nbsp; responded to the 900 block of SW 10th Avenue on a report of a stabbing that had just occurred., according to police spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.

At the scene, officers located the victim, an adult male, suffering from injuries believed to be life-threatening. The victim was transported to a local hospital by American Medical Response for treatment of his injuries.

Police identified 29-year-old Clinton P. Osborne as person of interest in this investigation and asked the public for help to locate him.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628017248289.png" alt="Osborne photo Topeka Police" />
 <figcaption>Osborne photo Topeka Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a stabbing and asking the public for help to locate a suspect.Just before 8:00 a.m. Tuesday police&nbsp; responded to the 900 block of SW 10th Avenue on a report of a stabbing that had just occurred., according to police spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.At the scene, officers located the victim, an adult male, suffering from injuries believed to be life-threatening. The victim was transported to a local hospital by American Medical Response for treatment of his injuries.Police identified 29-year-old Clinton P. Osborne as person of interest in this investigation and asked the public for help to locate him.

Police ask for help to locate suspect in Kan. knife attack 

Zoom will pay $85 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that weak privacy controls opened too many peepholes into the personal information of users and that it was too easy for outsiders to disrupt video meetings during the early stages of the pandemic.

The proposed agreement must still be approved by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh. A hearing on the settlement is scheduled for Oct. 21 in San Jose, California.

Millions of people in the U.S. who have used Zoom since March 31, 2020 could be eligible for a slice of the settlement that was reached over the weekend. The payment amounts are expected to average $34 or $35 for those who subscribed to Zoom’s paid version, and $11 or $12 for the overwhelming majority who used the free version, based on estimates in court documents.

Zoom was bedeviled by security issues early last year after stay-at-home orders transformed the company’s videoconferencing service from a niche product into a cultural phenomenon. Almost overnight it became the go-to venue for business meetings, schools, social gatherings and, in a deadly global pandemic, funerals.

The lawsuit alleged that the Silicon Valley company violated the trust of millions of people by sharing the personal information of users with platforms like Facebook, Google and Microsoft-owned LinkedIn. The case, which consolidated 14 different lawsuits filed since March 2020, also targeted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-ca-state-wire-telecommunications-virus-outbreak-94f4446acae487e1eb7cc85e2c176908">the disruptive practice of “Zoombombing”</a>&nbsp;— a term coined to describe hackers who broke into videoconferencing meetings being held by others.

The company in a prepared statement Monday said that it acted quickly to tighten security after reports of Zoombombing began to surface.

“We are proud of the advancements we have made to our platform, and look forward to continuing to innovate with privacy and security at the forefront,” Zoom said Monday. The company didn’t acknowledged any wrongdoing in the settlement.

Security concerns did not prevent Zoom from permeating the daily lives of millions during the pandemic.

The Zoom’s annual revenue quadrupled last year to nearly $2.7 billion and it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-technology-business-8e6c5201e09a9467e1b6750629be81b0">ended April&nbsp;</a>with 497,000 customers that employed at least 10 workers and subscribed to the premium version of its service, up from 81,900 customers before the pandemic hit the U.S. Its stock price has tripled and traded close to $380 Monday.

Zoom will pay $85 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that weak privacy controls opened too many peepholes into the personal information of users and that it was too easy for outsiders to disrupt video meetings during the early stages of the pandemic.The proposed agreement must still be approved by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh. A hearing on the settlement is scheduled for Oct. 21 in San Jose, California.Millions of people in the U.S. who have used Zoom since March 31, 2020 could be eligible for a slice of the settlement that was reached over the weekend. The payment amounts are expected to average $34 or $35 for those who subscribed to Zoom’s paid version, and $11 or $12 for the overwhelming majority who used the free version, based on estimates in court documents.Zoom was bedeviled by security issues early last year after stay-at-home orders transformed the company’s videoconferencing service from a niche product into a cultural phenomenon. Almost overnight it became the go-to venue for business meetings, schools, social gatherings and, in a deadly global pandemic, funerals.The lawsuit alleged that the Silicon Valley company violated the trust of millions of people by sharing the personal information of users with platforms like Facebook, Google and Microsoft-owned LinkedIn. The case, which consolidated 14 different lawsuits filed since March 2020, also targeted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-ca-state-wire-telecommunications-virus-outbreak-94f4446acae487e1eb7cc85e2c176908">the disruptive practice of “Zoombombing”</a>&nbsp;— a term coined to describe hackers who broke into videoconferencing meetings being held by others.The company in a prepared statement Monday said that it acted quickly to tighten security after reports of Zoombombing began to surface.“We are proud of the advancements we have made to our platform, and look forward to continuing to innovate with privacy and security at the forefront,” Zoom said Monday. The company didn’t acknowledged any wrongdoing in the settlement.Security concerns did not prevent Zoom from permeating the daily lives of millions during the pandemic.The Zoom’s annual revenue quadrupled last year to nearly $2.7 billion and it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-technology-business-8e6c5201e09a9467e1b6750629be81b0">ended April&nbsp;</a>with 497,000 customers that employed at least 10 workers and subscribed to the premium version of its service, up from 81,900 customers before the pandemic hit the U.S. Its stock price has tripled and traded close to $380 Monday.The lawyers that pursued the case are seeking $21.25 million, or 25% of the $85 million settlement fund.