Former President Donald Trump is “fine," according to his reelection campaign following an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Members of the Missouri and Kansas congressional delegations and other congressional leaders used social media to share their thoughts.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720910152197.png" alt="Photo courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>Photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Former President Donald Trump is “fine," according to his reelection campaign following an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday.</p><p>Members of the Missouri and Kansas congressional delegations and other congressional leaders used social media to share their thoughts.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The head of the Secret Service needs to testify under oath, in public</p>&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1812462696249356538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’m praying for President Trump and everyone who was in attendance at the rally, including the family and loved ones of the innocent attendee that was reportedly shot and killed. It is an absolutely horrific scene in Pennsylvania. Secret Service should be applauded for their…</p>&mdash; Senator Eric Schmitt (@SenEricSchmitt) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenEricSchmitt/status/1812272653606002932?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pray for President Trump and his family.</p>&mdash; Rep. Sam Graves (@RepSamGraves) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepSamGraves/status/1812255831313854482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Praying for President Trump, everyone who attended the rally and for our country.</p>&mdash; Senator Jerry Moran (@JerryMoran) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryMoran/status/1812255122983891186?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tonight, we watched in horror as an assassination attempt was made on President Trump. This attack has tragically claimed the life of an innocent American, and was centimeters away from taking the life of the 45th President. <a href="https://t.co/3wuwxf8zcT">pic.twitter.com/3wuwxf8zcT</a></p>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1812300717677269293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Audrey and I are praying for President Trump, the attendees at his PA rally, and our nation. Hate and violence are not the answer. <br><br>President Trump’s perseverance is second to none. God speed, Mr. President. We stand with you.</p>&mdash; Tracey Mann (@RepMann) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMann/status/1812257510063264216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Susan and I are praying for President Trump and rally attendees. There is no place for political violence in the United States.</p>&mdash; Rep. Ron Estes (@RepRonEstes) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepRonEstes/status/1812254907602186539?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Please join me in praying for President Trump, his family, and everyone at the rally today.</p>&mdash; Rep. Jake LaTurner (@RepLaTurner) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepLaTurner/status/1812270028441739627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kelly and I are praying for President Trump and all the attendees of the campaign rally today in Pennsylvania, and we send our gratitude to the law enforcement who responded at the scene.<br> <br>I have been briefed by law enforcement and am continuing to monitor the developments. This…</p>&mdash; Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1812266011359600746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Senate Homeland Security Committee must investigate this assassination attempt and attempted mass murder and get to the bottom of how it could have happened</p>&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1812282917730877547?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">After today Trump should win all 50 states.🇺🇸</p>&mdash; Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) <a href="https://twitter.com/Eric_Schmitt/status/1812282425302831351?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">As one whose family has been the victim of political violence, I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society. I thank God that former President Trump is safe.<br><br>As we learn more details about this horrifying incident, let us pray that all those…</p>&mdash; Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerPelosi/status/1812268746574020870?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe. Political violence has no place in our country.</p>&mdash; Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSchumer/status/1812262032668049421?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Missouri and Kan. lawmakers react to Trump rally shooting

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/kimlyons/">KIM LYONS</a>

The FBI said early Sunday it had identified the man who shot former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler on Saturday as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park.

The U.S. Secret Service said Saturday night that the shooter “fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue,” adding Secret Service personnel “neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased.”

Trump was pronounced safe shortly after the incident. A spectator at the rally were killed and two others were injured in the shooting. The victims’ identities have not yet been released by law enforcement.

“Tonight we had what we’re calling an assassination attempt on our former president, Donald Trump,”&nbsp;Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek of the FBI Pittsburgh field office said at a press conference late Saturday. “We do not currently have an identified motive.”

The site of the shooting at the Butler Farm Show Inc. about 40 minutes north of Pittsburgh, remained an active crime scene, although authorities said they did not believe there was any ongoing threat.

Anyone who attended the rally or has information is asked to call 1-800-call-fbi, or go to fbi.gov/butler.

The shooting began shortly after Trump took the stage at about 6 p.m. Saturday. Several loud pops could be heard and a bloodied Trump was whisked from the stage, but not before pumping his fist toward the crowd.

Trump confirmed he was shot in a&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112782066045321247" target="_blank">post to Truth Social</a>&nbsp;a few hours after the shooting.” I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” he wrote.

How the shooter was able to get so close to the former president was not clear. Rojek said it was “surprising,” and added “the Secret Service really needs to answer that question, they conduct the initial site survey, they do the initial security assessments and determine where the different security locations should be, and they’re the ones who are in charge of securing the scene.”

President Joe&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/briefs/biden-says-no-place-for-this-kind-of-violence-in-america-after-shooting-at-trump-rally/" target="_blank">Biden condemned the shooting</a>&nbsp;in a brief statement from Delaware Saturday night “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence,” Biden said.

Congressional Republicans, meanwhile, have initiated an investigation into the incident. U.S. Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, sent an email to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle requesting her to appear at a committee hearing July 22.

The Trump campaign said Saturday the former president, who was out of the hospital and at his golf&nbsp;<a href="https://abc7ny.com/post/trump-news-former-president-returns-bedminster-nj-after/15058104/" target="_blank">club in Bedminster, New Jersey</a>, would attend the Republican National Committee in Milwaukee this week as planned. He will receive the GOP’s formal nomination as its 2023 presidential candidate on Thursday.

This story was originally published by the&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/campaigns-elections/fbi-identifies-shooter-in-assassination-attempt-on-trump-at-butler-rally/" target="_blank">Pennsylvania Capital-Star</a>, a States Newsroom affiliate.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720953321409.png" alt="Photo courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>Photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/kimlyons/">KIM LYONS</a></p><p>The FBI said early Sunday it had identified the man who shot former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler on Saturday as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park.</p><p>The U.S. Secret Service said Saturday night that the shooter “fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue,” adding Secret Service personnel “neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased.”</p><p>Trump was pronounced safe shortly after the incident. A spectator at the rally were killed and two others were injured in the shooting. The victims’ identities have not yet been released by law enforcement.</p><p>“Tonight we had what we’re calling an assassination attempt on our former president, Donald Trump,”&nbsp;Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek of the FBI Pittsburgh field office said at a press conference late Saturday. “We do not currently have an identified motive.”</p><p>The site of the shooting at the Butler Farm Show Inc. about 40 minutes north of Pittsburgh, remained an active crime scene, although authorities said they did not believe there was any ongoing threat.</p><p>Anyone who attended the rally or has information is asked to call 1-800-call-fbi, or go to fbi.gov/butler.</p><p>The shooting began shortly after Trump took the stage at about 6 p.m. Saturday. Several loud pops could be heard and a bloodied Trump was whisked from the stage, but not before pumping his fist toward the crowd.</p><p>Trump confirmed he was shot in a&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112782066045321247" target="_blank">post to Truth Social</a>&nbsp;a few hours after the shooting.” I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” he wrote.</p><p>How the shooter was able to get so close to the former president was not clear. Rojek said it was “surprising,” and added “the Secret Service really needs to answer that question, they conduct the initial site survey, they do the initial security assessments and determine where the different security locations should be, and they’re the ones who are in charge of securing the scene.”</p><p>President Joe&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/briefs/biden-says-no-place-for-this-kind-of-violence-in-america-after-shooting-at-trump-rally/" target="_blank">Biden condemned the shooting</a>&nbsp;in a brief statement from Delaware Saturday night “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence,” Biden said.</p><p>Congressional Republicans, meanwhile, have initiated an investigation into the incident. U.S. Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, sent an email to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle requesting her to appear at a committee hearing July 22.</p><p>The Trump campaign said Saturday the former president, who was out of the hospital and at his golf&nbsp;<a href="https://abc7ny.com/post/trump-news-former-president-returns-bedminster-nj-after/15058104/" target="_blank">club in Bedminster, New Jersey</a>, would attend the Republican National Committee in Milwaukee this week as planned. He will receive the GOP’s formal nomination as its 2023 presidential candidate on Thursday.</p><p>This story was originally published by the&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/campaigns-elections/fbi-identifies-shooter-in-assassination-attempt-on-trump-at-butler-rally/" target="_blank">Pennsylvania Capital-Star</a>, a States Newsroom affiliate.&nbsp;</p>

FBI identifies shooter in assassination attempt on Trump at campaign rally

DOUGLAS COUNTY — Members of the Douglas County Underwater Search and Recovery Team recovered the body of a 23-year-old man at Clinton Lake Saturday evening, according to a media release.

Just before 7p.m. Saturday, deputies and first responders were called to the lake after a report that friends saw the victim struggling in the water.

The Doughals County Underwater Search and Recovery Team responded to the Bloomington Beach area.&nbsp; According to preliminary information, the victim and his friends, about 5p.m., were in the area recommended to be closed to swimmers&nbsp; due to flooding before he went missing.

Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical and game wardens with Kansas Wildlife and Parks also responded to the scene.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703204320774.png" alt="File photo Douglas Co. Sheriff's office" />
                        <figcaption>File photo Douglas Co. Sheriff's office</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>DOUGLAS COUNTY — Members of the Douglas County Underwater Search and Recovery Team recovered the body of a 23-year-old man at Clinton Lake Saturday evening, according to a media release.</p><p>Just before 7p.m. Saturday, deputies and first responders were called to the lake after a report that friends saw the victim struggling in the water.</p><p>The Doughals County Underwater Search and Recovery Team responded to the Bloomington Beach area.&nbsp; According to preliminary information, the victim and his friends, about 5p.m., were in the area recommended to be closed to swimmers&nbsp; due to flooding before he went missing.</p><p>Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical and game wardens with Kansas Wildlife and Parks also responded to the scene.</p>

Sheriff: Body of victim recovered from Kansas lake

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/johncole/">JOHN COLE</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/kimlyons/">KIM LYONS</a>

BUTLER, Penn. — Former President Donald Trump is recovering Saturday after a shooting at a campaign rally in Butler that left a rally-goer and the gunman dead, authorities said. Two people were critically injured in the incident, according to the U.S. Secret Service.

Shortly after Trump took the stage at about 6 p.m., several loud pops could be heard, and Secret Service agents whisked him off the stage, blood visible on his face. Trump briefly pumped his fist at the crowd before he left the stage.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5123735/shots-fired-trump-rally" target="_blank">Video from the incident appeared to show</a>&nbsp;Trump reacting to something hitting his ear.

Saturday’s event was to be Trump’s final campaign rally before he formally accepts the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination at next week’s&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/campaigns-elections/republican-national-convention-launches-monday-amid-some-grumbling-over-abortion-stance/" target="_blank">Republican National Convention.</a>

Trump posted to his&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112782066045321247" target="_blank">verified account on the Truth Social platform</a>&nbsp;at 8:42 p.m. and appeared to confirm he was shot.

“I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania. Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured,” Trump wrote. “It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Anthony Guglielmi, Chief of Communications for the U.S. Secret Service released a statement to reporters shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday:

“During Former President Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on the evening of July 13 at approximately 6:15 p.m., a suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue. U.S. Secret Service personnel neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased. U.S. Secret Service quickly responded with protective measures and Former President Trump is safe. One spectator was killed, and two spectators were critically injured. This incident is currently under investigation. and the Secret Service has notified the FBI.”

Butler County District Attorney&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/election-biden-trump-07-13-24#h_9d8cd81facc12ce5faa7d1cdab27e698" target="_blank">Richard Goldinger said on CNN</a>&nbsp;that he shooter was “outside of the grounds, so to speak. Quite frankly I don’t know how he would have gotten to the location he was … we’re gonna have to figure out how he got there.”

Authorities are investigating the incident as an assassination attempt,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-vp-vance-rubio-7c7ba6b99b5f38d2d840ed95b2fdc3e5" target="_blank">according to</a>&nbsp;the Associated Press.

President Joe&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/briefs/biden-says-no-place-for-this-kind-of-violence-in-america-after-shooting-at-trump-rally/" target="_blank">Biden condemned the shooting</a>&nbsp;in a brief statement from Delaware. “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence,” Biden said.

“It’s sick, it’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country,” he added. “We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this, we cannot condone this.” Biden said he had tried to contact Trump, and said that the former president was with his doctors and appeared to be doing well.

“FBI personnel are on the scene in Butler County, Pennsylvania and the FBI will continue to work jointly with the U.S. Secret Service as the investigation moves forward,” FBI Pittsburgh Public Affairs Officer Bradford Arick told the Capital-Star in an email.

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Bertha Cazy told the Capital-Star in an email “The Pennsylvania State Police has Troopers on scene assisting the Secret Service in various capacities. All other questions should be directed to the U.S. Secret Service, the agency handling the investigation.”

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told reporters Saturday “President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow.”

Gov. Josh Shapiro<a href="https://twitter.com/GovernorShapiro/status/1812257426793738316" target="_blank">&nbsp;said on social media</a>&nbsp;he had been briefed on the situation and that Pennsylvania State Police were on the scene working with federal and local partners. “Violence targeted at any political party or political leaders is absolutely unacceptable,” Shapiro wrote. “It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States.”

GOP U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick, who spoke at the rally before Trump, told Fox News there were a number of shots, and Secret Service agents attended to Trump. He said it was hard to tell where the shots came from, but that he heard seven or eight shots.

“And then, sadly, someone behind me, up in the bleachers was definitely wounded, and there was a lot of blood. And, you know, the police came in and helped carry that person out of the stands so they could get the care they needed. I’m not sure if others were injured or not, if at all, ” he said, describing the scene as “very chaotic.”

McCormick said he was sitting in the front row to Trump’s right as he was facing the crowd. “I couldn’t tell whether it was one gun or two, but there were seven or eight shots, just one right, one right after another.”

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey said he was monitoring the situation at the rally and had reached out to State Police to offer support. “Political violence is never acceptable and I am hoping former President Trump and all attendees are safe. Everyone in Butler should listen to law enforcement,” Casey&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SenBobCasey/status/1812257220215611733" target="_blank">posted to social media</a>.

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, who also spoke at the rally, called the shooting an “attack from the left,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/100057842691090/posts/pfbid02JjiGGCvn5CK7sHtfpA8tz5gdUYHxPXw19e1B5iVKxhV1zfYW2Wxox1ZQvctJLuLul/?app=fbl" target="_blank">in a Facebook post,</a>&nbsp;adding that he and his family were safe “and we are praying for Mr. Trump and everyone involved.”

Speakers at the event ahead of Trump included representatives from the oil and gas industries, the mayor of Slippery Rock, and Sean Parnell, a&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/briefs/trump-endorsed-u-s-senate-candidate-sean-parnell-loses-custody-battle/" target="_blank">former GOP candidate for U.S. Senate</a>&nbsp;who received Trump’s endorsement, but suspended his campaign in 2021 after his then-wife testified he had abused her and their children.

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser who took the stage to AC-DC’s “Thunderstruck” told the audience Trump “will deliver on his promises. Our border will be secure. He will end the gas backwards energy policy of the Biden administration and in Pennsylvania, natural gas will flow again. We will make manufacturing great again by being the most competitive place in the world to build things.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-16th District), whose district includes Butler, pointed to Biden’s debate performance as evidence that “the media has been lying to us” about the president’s health.

“Have you ever heard the term ‘playing through the whistle?’ Playing it through the whistle means you keep on playing, you keep on doing what you have to do to win,” Kelly said. “You keep on going to make sure you don’t lose. But I want to give you a different version: We’d better play it through the echo of the whistle. Playing through the whistle isn’t enough, not with this crew that we’re fighting against right now.”

GOP U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick, who is challenging three-term incumbent Bob Casey, reiterated his claims that Casey votes with Biden 98% of the time.&nbsp; “I like to say Punxsutawney, because it reminds me of Punxsutawney, Bob, Bob Casey, that is who only comes out of his hole once every six years,” McCormick said.

“The lack of leadership, lack of moral clarity, an economy where 60% of Pennsylvanians are living paycheck to paycheck, and prices are up by more than 20% and is the result of the terrible, flawed policies of Joe Biden, the spending Bob Casey supported it every step of the way,” he added.

McCormick repeated another familiar highlight of his campaign stump speech, pointing to the fentanyl crisis. “For those of you who are Vietnam vets, we lost 53,000 veterans in eight years of war. We had two Vietnams last year in the United States from fentanyl,” he said. “This is a war against us.”

McCormick also referenced Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in Russia in 2023, and Oakmont resident&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/dc-bureau/family-pleads-for-pa-teacher-imprisoned-in-russia-were-not-forgetting-my-brother/" target="_blank">Marc Fogel, a teacher detained in Russia in 2021</a>. Fogel’s mother said earlier in the week she was going to&nbsp;<a href="https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/mother-of-marc-fogel-requests-to-meet-with-donald-trump-to-free-son-from-russian-prison/" target="_blank">seek Trump’s help in securing her son’s release</a>.

“We need leadership that’s going to stand up and bring Pennsylvanian Mark Fogel home to Pennsylvania, home to America. That’s what leaders do. That’s what a commander in chief does,” McCormick said.

The Democratic National Committee rolled out a billboard in Butler to greet Trump on Saturday that jabs at the former president’s economic record. The billboard, with the words “Donald Trump was a disaster for Pennsylvania,” will be located at the end of the Pullman Viaduct, about 10 minutes away from the Butler Farm Show.

“Pennsylvania voters remember Trump’s failures and know exactly how much is at stake in November,” DNC spokesperson Addy Toevs said in a statement. “That’s why they’ll reject Trump and his Project 2025 agenda, and once again send President Biden to the White House.”<i></i>

As Trump rallied in western Pennsylvania on Saturday, first lady&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/briefs/jill-biden-coming-to-pittsburgh-on-saturday-to-attend-italian-sons-and-daughters-of-america-dinner/" target="_blank">Jill Biden was also in the region</a>&nbsp;to attend an Italian Sons and Daughters of America dinner in Pittsburgh.

And in the eastern half of the commonwealth, Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/harris-philadelphia-speech-president-biden-asian-pacific-20240709.html" target="_blank">Kamala Harris was in Philadelphia</a>&nbsp;to deliver the keynote address at the Asian Pacific Islander American Vote Presidential Town Hall on Saturday.

Saturday’s appearance in the Keystone State is Trump’s fifth visit to Pennsylvania this year, but his first in the western half of the commonwealth. Trump has made two 2024 appearances in Philadelphia,&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/election-2024/trump-rallies-in-philadelphia-as-2024-campaign-heats-up/" target="_blank">once for a rally</a>&nbsp;on Temple University’s campus, and to deliver brief remarks at&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/campaigns-elections/trump-makes-surprise-appearance-at-sneaker-con-in-philadelphia/" target="_blank">Sneaker Con</a>&nbsp;in February. He also held a rally in the&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/election-2024/trump-returns-to-pennsylvania-with-rally-in-pivotal-lehigh-valley/" target="_blank">Lehigh Valley</a>&nbsp;in April, and delivered a keynote address to a National Rifle Association gathering in&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/campaigns-elections/trump-tells-nra-faithful-in-harrisburg-no-one-will-lay-a-finger-on-your-firearms/" target="_blank">Harrisburg</a>&nbsp;in February.

“Donald Trump can take his twice-impeached, 34-time convicted, vowed-to-be-dictator-on-day-one, consumed by revenge, serial liar, Project 2025 self out of Pennsylvania and go back to his Mar-a-Lago golf course,” Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis said in a statement Saturday. “After he destroyed our economy, screwed over workers, and called for the ‘termination’ of the Constitution written in our state, Pennsylvania voters will send him packing in November. Again.”

Butler is a reliably red county where Trump won by double digits in the 2016 and 2020 general elections. Trump’s rally in Butler a few days before the 2020 presidential election was well-attended, although there&nbsp;<a href="https://triblive.com/local/regional/aftermath-of-trump-rally-in-butler-was-nothing-like-omaha-owner-of-bus-company-says/" target="_blank">were transportation issues for those attempting to exit the rally</a>.

President Joe Biden has also been no stranger to Pennsylvania, making ten appearances the state so far, mostly in the southeast.&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/election-2024/biden-returns-to-battleground-pennsylvania-for-campaign-events-in-philadelphia-and-harrisburg/" target="_blank">Biden campaigned</a>&nbsp;through the state last Sunday, appearing at a traditionally Black church in Northwest Philadelphia, and speaking to supporters in Philadelphia and Harrisburg.

As of Saturday morning, 18 Democrats serving in the U.S. House and one serving in the U.S. Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/joe-biden-2024-race-democrats-who-want-him-to-step-aside/" target="_blank">have called on Biden to not seek</a>&nbsp;the Democratic Party nomination, following his poor debate performance in late June, amid questions about whether he can beat Trump in November.

Biden has repeatedly said he does not plan to drop out of the race, reiterating his position at a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/president-joe-biden-donald-trump-michigan-debate-e0f71b95bc8761b1a39083b1b9af6e1f" target="_blank">rally in Michigan on Friday</a>, where he was greeted with chants of “don’t you quit” and “we got your back,” from a crowd at Renaissance High School in Detroit.

“You made me the nominee, no one else — not the press, not the pundits, not the insiders, not donors,” Biden told the audience. “You, the voters. You decided. No one else. And I’m not going anywhere.”

Pennsylvania Democrats have largely remained behind the Scranton native. Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has been mentioned as a potential candidate for president or vice president should Biden step aside, has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/josh-shapiro-joe-biden-campaign-20240711.html?cx_testId=13&amp;cx_testVariant=cx_1&amp;cx_artPos=1&amp;cx_experienceId=EXTE1CRHS6Q4&amp;cx_experienceActionId=showRecommendationsGSGLLTF5DXM2DAT#cxrecs_s" target="_blank">remained committed to Biden’s 2024 bid</a>. U.S. Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/john-fetterman-defending-joe-biden-20240711.html?oref=cspa_firstread_nl&amp;utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=First%20Read%20PA%20-%20July%2012%2C%202024&amp;utm_term=newsletter_cspa_firstread#loaded" target="_blank">John Fetterman</a>&nbsp;(D-Pa.) has also emerged as a key campaign surrogate for Biden.

<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/bob-casey-biden-battleground-senate-democrats-pennsylvania-rcna160748" target="_blank">U.S. Sen. Bob Casey</a>&nbsp;(D-Pa.), who is seeking a fourth term in office, has also stood by Biden’s side, while other Democrats in battleground states have distanced themselves from him. On Friday, speaking to reporters after an event in Darlington Township, Beaver County, Casey reiterated his support for Biden, saying it had not changed.

“I think we’re going to have a unified party between now and November,” Casey said. “This is a difficult period, but we’ll get there. But you know where I stand.”

McCormick has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pennlive.com/news/2024/07/dave-mccormick-ramps-up-attacks-says-no-doubt-sen-casey-saw-bidens-decline.html" target="_blank">blasted the three-term senator for continuing to support Biden</a>. His campaign put up billboards in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Scranton this week reading “Same old tired ideas,” with photos of the two Democrats.

In response to a question about whether he was worried about Biden being a potential drag on his Senate race and other down ballot races on Friday, Casey answered with a firm “no.”

Pennsylvania U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-17th District) who also spoke at the event in Darlington with Casey, urged people to “Google Project 2025, and what Donald Trump expects to do if he becomes president, again. It is dangerous,” he said. “It is threatening to our freedom and the fundamentals of our rule of law in this country. “

Deluzio added that he thinks Democrats will unite to “make sure Trump is never the president of this country again.”

However, U.S. Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/briefs/susan-wild-pennsylvania-expressed-concern-biden-electability-during-call-house-democrats/" target="_blank">Susan Wild (D-7th District) has expressed concern</a>&nbsp;about Biden’s “electability” and U.S. Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wesa.fm/politics-government/2024-07-03/summer-lee-biden-kamala-harris-fallback" target="_blank">Summer Lee (D-12th District) has said Biden needs to show</a>&nbsp;“that he’s up for the task” of staying in the race.

Lee, who was scheduled to attend a Pittsburgh rally for Biden with Allegheny County Democrats on Friday but did not appear due to a schedule conflict, did not answer questions about Biden at an event in Pittsburgh with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. Lee said she would not answer a political question while at an event where she was appearing in her capacity as a member of Congress,&nbsp;<a href="https://triblive.com/news/politics-election/becerra-defends-biden-during-pittsburgh-visit-summer-lee-dodges-question-on-presidents-fitness/" target="_blank">TribLive reported.</a>

Trump, who was convicted of 34 felony counts in a New York courtroom in May, largely has united the Pennsylvania Republican Party behind his candidacy. With the exception of U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-1st District), every GOP member of the state’s congressional delegation has endorsed Trump;&nbsp; Fitzpatrick has not announced who he will be voting for in November. The only Republican in Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation to represent a district Biden won in 2020, Fitzpatrick said he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/politics/presidential/Trumps-turbulent-two-weeks-exhausting-PA-NJ-Republicans-threatening-agenda.html" target="_blank">wrote in Mike Pence</a>&nbsp;for president in 2016, but&nbsp;<a href="https://levittownnow.com/2020/12/12/congressman-largely-silent-on-election-outcome/" target="_blank">voted for Trump in 2020</a>.

Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes are critical to the candidates’ chances of winning in November. Biden campaign chair&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/biden-campaign-names-wisconsin-pennsylvania-and-michigan-as-clearest-pathway-to-white-house" target="_blank">Jen O’Malley Dillon sent a memo to supporters</a>&nbsp;listing Pennsylvania as one of the three “blue wall” states that provide the campaign the “clearest pathway” to reelection.

<a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/pennsylvania/" target="_blank">Recent polling</a>&nbsp;indicates that Biden and Trump are engaged in a close race for Pennsylvania, although Trump holds a narrow edge. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/presidential-race-ratings" target="_blank">Cook Political Report</a>&nbsp;ranks Pennsylvania in the toss-up category. It has the largest number of electoral votes of any battleground state.

This story was originally published by the&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/campaigns-elections/trump-campaigns-in-western-pennsylvania-with-rally-in-butler-county/" target="_blank">Pennsylvania Capital-Star</a>, a States Newsroom affiliate.&nbsp;

Two days before the start of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org//series/?">Republican National Convention</a>&nbsp;in Wisconsin, former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was speaking at a campaigns rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.&nbsp; Secret Service rushed him off stage after shots were&nbsp; fired.

A prosecutor in Butler County said the suspected gunman and at least one attendee are dead.

“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act,” spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement. “He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow.”

The Secret Service said in a statement that “the former President is safe.”

🎥 Trump ‘safe’ after shooting at rally; 1 spectator and suspected gunman killed

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720910152197.png" alt="Image courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>Image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720915939919.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Biden Statement Following Shooting at Trump Rally: &quot;I have tried to get a hold of Donald. He&#39;s with his doctors. Apparently he is doing well. I plan on talking to him shortly, I hope...There&#39;s no place in America for this kind of violence. It&#39;s sick.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/nDCoXiA8Cj">pic.twitter.com/nDCoXiA8Cj</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1812282482881941750?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Biden comments on apparent assassination attempt of Trump

Case launched by Trump-era prosecutors based on bogus claims of spying for China

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The U.S. District Court of Appeals reversed Friday the false-statement conviction of a former University of Kansas tenured professor and brought to an end deconstruction of the federal government’s prosecution of the chemical engineering researcher who concealed his relationship with Fuzhou University in China.

Feng Tao, who was involved with federally funded research, was originally charged in 2019 with 10 crimes by the U.S. Department of Justice. The case was brought under the President Donald Trump administration’s now-defunct “China Initiative” in which alleged spies in U.S. research and industry fields were accused of espionage. It was launched in 2018, but terminated in 2022 due to assertions it operated on false evidence provided by the FBI and amounted to racial profiling of Chinese American citizens and people with Chinese ancestry.

In Tao’s case, he was accused of failing to disclose on a KU form his association with the Chinese university. In 2022, a jury found him guilty on three wire-fraud counts and one false-statement count, but acquitted him on four counts.

A U.S. District Court judge decided after the trial to acquit Tao on the wire-fraud charges, leaving only the false-statement conviction. The judge said the government failed to prove Tao engaged in a fraudulent scheme to deprive KU, the National Science Foundation or the U.S. Department of Energy of money or property.

In 2023, Tao was sentenced to time served. On the remaining false-statement verdict, Tao appealed. The three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals reversed that conviction and ordered the district court to enter a judgment of acquittal.

U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Nancy Moritz, who is a former member of the Kansas Supreme Court, wrote in the majority opinion that the government didn’t prove Tao’s false statement was material to any decision by the Department of Energy or the National Science Foundation.

The court’s 2-1 majority said research funding decisions by these agencies were made prior to Tao’s presentation of the form concealing his ties to the Chinese university. Additionally, the appellate court found no evidence Tao’s relationship with Fuzhou University created a disclosable financial interest under NSF policy.

“We agree with Tao that the government offered insufficient evidence for a rational jury to find that his statement to his employer was material to any DOE or NSF decisions,” Moritz said. “We reverse Tao’s conviction.”

In 2019, the Justice Department had relied on information provided by one of Tao’s former colleagues — a visiting scholar at KU angry with Tao amid an authorship dispute. The colleague had demanded $300,000 from Tao or she would tell the FBI that Tao was a spy.

Rebuffed by Tao, the Court of Appeals decision says, the former colleague submitted an anonymous tip to the FBI accusing Tao of espionage. The same person later impersonated others to make additional allegations, the document said.

The FBI investigation found no evidence of espionage involving Tao. However, the FBI concluded Tao had potentially accepted a second full-time job at Fuzhou University and hid that information from KU. He was charged with making false statements and wire fraud based on contents of email traffic related to the possibility he would conduct research and teach in China. KU promptly banned Tao from campus in Lawrence.

U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Mary Beck Briscoe, who had served on the Kansas Court of Appeals and graduated from KU’s law school, dissented from the majority opinion. She said Tao’s failure to disclose the possibly he would contract with the Chinese university was significant even though federal research funding decisions linked to the case were made before he failed in 2018 to inform KU in writing of the association.

“This form not only required Tao to certify that his answers were ‘true, correct and complete,’ but also to report any changes to the form as soon as they became known to him,” Briscoe wrote. “I would also reject Tao’s remaining arguments for reversing his conviction or remanding for a new trial and would affirm his conviction.”

Tao was born in China and earned an undergraduate degree at Chongqing Normal University. His doctorate in physical chemistry was completed at Princeton University. He conducted postdoctoral research at University of California at Berkeley.

He was a Miller associate professor in KU’s department of chemical and petroleum engineer from 2014 to 2019. He worked on energy chemistry, nanoscience, surface science and catalysis. He published more than 180 papers in international journals.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720889489293.png" alt=" Feng Tao, a former professor at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, had his final conviction overturned by the U.S. District Court of Appeals. He was prosecuted in 2019 by the U.S. Department of Justice under a Trump-era program, now disbanded, that sought to charge alleged spies with ties to China. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
                        <figcaption> Feng Tao, a former professor at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, had his final conviction overturned by the U.S. District Court of Appeals. He was prosecuted in 2019 by the U.S. Department of Justice under a Trump-era program, now disbanded, that sought to charge alleged spies with ties to China. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
                    </figure><h2>Case launched by Trump-era prosecutors based on bogus claims of spying for China</h2><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a></p><p>TOPEKA — The U.S. District Court of Appeals reversed Friday the false-statement conviction of a former University of Kansas tenured professor and brought to an end deconstruction of the federal government’s prosecution of the chemical engineering researcher who concealed his relationship with Fuzhou University in China.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/8/1566425403152.png" alt="Feng Tao photo University of Kansas" />
                        <figcaption>Feng Tao photo University of Kansas</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Feng Tao, who was involved with federally funded research, was originally charged in 2019 with 10 crimes by the U.S. Department of Justice. The case was brought under the President Donald Trump administration’s now-defunct “China Initiative” in which alleged spies in U.S. research and industry fields were accused of espionage. It was launched in 2018, but terminated in 2022 due to assertions it operated on false evidence provided by the FBI and amounted to racial profiling of Chinese American citizens and people with Chinese ancestry.</p><p>In Tao’s case, he was accused of failing to disclose on a KU form his association with the Chinese university. In 2022, a jury found him guilty on three wire-fraud counts and one false-statement count, but acquitted him on four counts.</p><p>A U.S. District Court judge decided after the trial to acquit Tao on the wire-fraud charges, leaving only the false-statement conviction. The judge said the government failed to prove Tao engaged in a fraudulent scheme to deprive KU, the National Science Foundation or the U.S. Department of Energy of money or property.</p><p>In 2023, Tao was sentenced to time served. On the remaining false-statement verdict, Tao appealed. The three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals reversed that conviction and ordered the district court to enter a judgment of acquittal.</p><p>U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Nancy Moritz, who is a former member of the Kansas Supreme Court, wrote in the majority opinion that the government didn’t prove Tao’s false statement was material to any decision by the Department of Energy or the National Science Foundation.</p><p>The court’s 2-1 majority said research funding decisions by these agencies were made prior to Tao’s presentation of the form concealing his ties to the Chinese university. Additionally, the appellate court found no evidence Tao’s relationship with Fuzhou University created a disclosable financial interest under NSF policy.</p><p>“We agree with Tao that the government offered insufficient evidence for a rational jury to find that his statement to his employer was material to any DOE or NSF decisions,” Moritz said. “We reverse Tao’s conviction.”</p><p>In 2019, the Justice Department had relied on information provided by one of Tao’s former colleagues — a visiting scholar at KU angry with Tao amid an authorship dispute. The colleague had demanded $300,000 from Tao or she would tell the FBI that Tao was a spy.</p><p>Rebuffed by Tao, the Court of Appeals decision says, the former colleague submitted an anonymous tip to the FBI accusing Tao of espionage. The same person later impersonated others to make additional allegations, the document said.</p><p>The FBI investigation found no evidence of espionage involving Tao. However, the FBI concluded Tao had potentially accepted a second full-time job at Fuzhou University and hid that information from KU. He was charged with making false statements and wire fraud based on contents of email traffic related to the possibility he would conduct research and teach in China. KU promptly banned Tao from campus in Lawrence.</p><p>U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Mary Beck Briscoe, who had served on the Kansas Court of Appeals and graduated from KU’s law school, dissented from the majority opinion. She said Tao’s failure to disclose the possibly he would contract with the Chinese university was significant even though federal research funding decisions linked to the case were made before he failed in 2018 to inform KU in writing of the association.</p><p>“This form not only required Tao to certify that his answers were ‘true, correct and complete,’ but also to report any changes to the form as soon as they became known to him,” Briscoe wrote. “I would also reject Tao’s remaining arguments for reversing his conviction or remanding for a new trial and would affirm his conviction.”</p><p>Tao was born in China and earned an undergraduate degree at Chongqing Normal University. His doctorate in physical chemistry was completed at Princeton University. He conducted postdoctoral research at University of California at Berkeley.</p><p>He was a Miller associate professor in KU’s department of chemical and petroleum engineer from 2014 to 2019. He worked on energy chemistry, nanoscience, surface science and catalysis. He published more than 180 papers in international journals.</p>

Federal appellate court tosses final conviction in case against former KU professor

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge in Kansas has refused to block the nationwide enforcement of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-administration-background-checks-atf-rule-70261cc0512eea8d52ef9585a9a48ab2">a Biden administration rule</a>&nbsp;requiring firearms dealers to do background checks of buyers at gun shows, leaving Texas as the only state so far where a legal challenge has succeeded.

U.S. District Judge Toby Crouse's ruling this week came in a lawsuit brought by Kansas and 19 other states, three individual gun collectors and a Wichita, Kansas-based association for collectors. They sought an order preventing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from enforcing the rule that took effect in May through the trial of their lawsuit.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-gun-show-background-checks-lawsuit-25b1d7eb7711939e73bee89838f4c318">Twenty-six states</a>&nbsp;with Republican attorneys general, gun owner groups and individual gun collectors filed three federal lawsuits in May against the Biden administration. The rule is an attempt to close a loophole allowing tens of thousands of guns to be sold every year by unlicensed dealers without checks to see whether buyers are legally prohibited from having firearms. It applies not only to gun shows but also to other places outside brick-and-mortar firearms stores.

Critics contend the new rule violates gun rights protected by the Second Amendment and that Democratic President Joe Biden's administration doesn't have the legal authority to issue it. They also argue that the rule will depress gun sales, making firearms less available to collectors and costing states tax revenues.

But Crouse, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, said in his ruling Wednesday that predictions of harm to the states, gun collectors and groups are too speculative and create doubts that they actually have grounds to sue. He said such doubts undermine their argument that they are likely to win their lawsuit — a key question for the courts in deciding whether to block a rule or law ahead of a trial.

“While they may ultimately succeed on the merits, they have failed to make a strong showing that they are substantially likely to do so,” Crouse wrote.

Crouse's ruling contrasts one from another Trump appointee in Texas before the rule took effect.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/matthew-kacsmaryk">U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk</a>&nbsp;blocked its enforcement in that state and against members of four groups, including Gun Owners of America. But Kacsmaryk didn't block it in three other states that joined Texas in its lawsuit — Louisiana, Mississippi and Utah.

Florida filed a lawsuit in federal court there, but a judge has yet to rule.

The states also sued U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, the U.S. Department of Justice and the ATF's director. The DOJ declined to comment Friday on Crouse's ruling.

Phil Journey, one of the gun collectors involved in the Kansas case, said he doesn’t know whether Crouse’s ruling will be appealed.

“I am confident the rule and perhaps the underlying statute will ultimately be voided,” Journey, a former Kansas state senator who’s now a state district court judge in Wichita, said in a text.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach also said in a statement that he expects the rule ultimately to be struck down.

“This is a very early stage in a case that is likely to continue for a long time unless President Trump is elected and immediately rescinds the rule,” Kobach said.

In the lawsuit before Crouse, Kansas was joined by Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

The lawsuit originally was filed in federal court in Arkansas, with that state also suing. But in ruling just days after the rule took effect, U.S. District Judge James Moody Jr., an appointee of former President Barack Obama, said Arkansas had no standing to sue because its argument that it could lose tax revenue was too speculative. Moody then transferred the case to Kansas.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715730270249.png" alt="File photo -Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said in a statement that he expects the rule ultimately to be struck down." />
                        <figcaption>File photo -Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said in a statement that he expects the rule ultimately to be struck down.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;</p><p>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge in Kansas has refused to block the nationwide enforcement of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-administration-background-checks-atf-rule-70261cc0512eea8d52ef9585a9a48ab2">a Biden administration rule</a>&nbsp;requiring firearms dealers to do background checks of buyers at gun shows, leaving Texas as the only state so far where a legal challenge has succeeded.</p><p>U.S. District Judge Toby Crouse's ruling this week came in a lawsuit brought by Kansas and 19 other states, three individual gun collectors and a Wichita, Kansas-based association for collectors. They sought an order preventing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from enforcing the rule that took effect in May through the trial of their lawsuit.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-gun-show-background-checks-lawsuit-25b1d7eb7711939e73bee89838f4c318">Twenty-six states</a>&nbsp;with Republican attorneys general, gun owner groups and individual gun collectors filed three federal lawsuits in May against the Biden administration. The rule is an attempt to close a loophole allowing tens of thousands of guns to be sold every year by unlicensed dealers without checks to see whether buyers are legally prohibited from having firearms. It applies not only to gun shows but also to other places outside brick-and-mortar firearms stores.</p><p>Critics contend the new rule violates gun rights protected by the Second Amendment and that Democratic President Joe Biden's administration doesn't have the legal authority to issue it. They also argue that the rule will depress gun sales, making firearms less available to collectors and costing states tax revenues.</p><p>But Crouse, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, said in his ruling Wednesday that predictions of harm to the states, gun collectors and groups are too speculative and create doubts that they actually have grounds to sue. He said such doubts undermine their argument that they are likely to win their lawsuit — a key question for the courts in deciding whether to block a rule or law ahead of a trial.</p><p>“While they may ultimately succeed on the merits, they have failed to make a strong showing that they are substantially likely to do so,” Crouse wrote.</p><p>Crouse's ruling contrasts one from another Trump appointee in Texas before the rule took effect.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/matthew-kacsmaryk">U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk</a>&nbsp;blocked its enforcement in that state and against members of four groups, including Gun Owners of America. But Kacsmaryk didn't block it in three other states that joined Texas in its lawsuit — Louisiana, Mississippi and Utah.</p><p>Florida filed a lawsuit in federal court there, but a judge has yet to rule.</p><p>The states also sued U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, the U.S. Department of Justice and the ATF's director. The DOJ declined to comment Friday on Crouse's ruling.</p><p>Phil Journey, one of the gun collectors involved in the Kansas case, said he doesn’t know whether Crouse’s ruling will be appealed.</p><p>“I am confident the rule and perhaps the underlying statute will ultimately be voided,” Journey, a former Kansas state senator who’s now a state district court judge in Wichita, said in a text.</p><p>Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach also said in a statement that he expects the rule ultimately to be struck down.</p><p>“This is a very early stage in a case that is likely to continue for a long time unless President Trump is elected and immediately rescinds the rule,” Kobach said.</p><p>In the lawsuit before Crouse, Kansas was joined by Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.</p><p>The lawsuit originally was filed in federal court in Arkansas, with that state also suing. But in ruling just days after the rule took effect, U.S. District Judge James Moody Jr., an appointee of former President Barack Obama, said Arkansas had no standing to sue because its argument that it could lose tax revenue was too speculative. Moody then transferred the case to Kansas.</p>

Judge refuses to block Biden admin. rule on gun sales in Kansas

KANSAS CITY— The owner of an Olathe, Kansas, business pleaded guilty in federal court this week to her role in a money-laundering conspiracy to transfer the proceeds of heroin and methamphetamine trafficking to Mexico. A Kansas City, Mo., woman also pleaded guilty to her role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy, according to the United State's Attorneh.

Ana Lilia Leal-Martinez, 48, a citizen of Mexico residing in Overland Park, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to participating in a conspiracy to commit money laundering from May 23, 2020, to Sept. 20, 2022.

Leal-Martinez is the owner of Imagen Leal in Olathe, Kan., which offers money transfer services. By pleading guilty today, Leal-Martinez admitted that she accepted drug proceeds from co-conspirators, including Jose Jesus Sanchez-Mendez, also known as “Michoacano,” 41, a Mexican national. Those drug proceeds were then sent by wire transfer to individuals in Michoacan, Mexico.

Between Jan. 1, 2022, and June 8, 2022, Leal-Martinez sent wires totaling $83,850 to Mexico from her business in furtherance of the money-laundering conspiracy. These transfers were structured and sent under assumed names in order to avoid suspicion and detection.

Leal-Martinez, one of 44 defendants indicted in this case, was identified in 2022 after Homeland Security Investigations initiated the investigation of a drug-trafficking organization that distributed more than 335 kilograms of methamphetamine, 22 kilograms of heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl, among other drugs, sourced from Mexico in the Kansas City area. Investigators identified numerous bulk cash smugglers and drug traffickers working for the drug-trafficking organization as part of the $4.7 million conspiracy.

Co-defendant Flor Gonzalez-Celestine, 54, of Kansas City, Mo., also pleaded guilty today to participating in a $4.7 million conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin from Feb. 28, 2020, to Sept. 20, 2022. Gonzalez-Celestine participated in four controlled drug buys that were monitored by law enforcement. She sold more than a kilogram of methamphetamine to a confidential informant and was observed in possession of approximately 2.2 additional kilograms of methamphetamine.

Sanchez-Mendez has pleaded guilty to his role in a continuing criminal enterprise, to his role in the drug-trafficking and money-laundering conspiracies, and to illegally reentering the United States. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Under federal statutes, Leal-Martinez is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. Gonzalez-Celestine is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.

<p>KANSAS CITY— The owner of an Olathe, Kansas, business pleaded guilty in federal court this week to her role in a money-laundering conspiracy to transfer the proceeds of heroin and methamphetamine trafficking to Mexico. A Kansas City, Mo., woman also pleaded guilty to her role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy, according to the United State's Attorneh.</p><p>Ana Lilia Leal-Martinez, 48, a citizen of Mexico residing in Overland Park, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to participating in a conspiracy to commit money laundering from May 23, 2020, to Sept. 20, 2022.</p><p>Leal-Martinez is the owner of Imagen Leal in Olathe, Kan., which offers money transfer services. By pleading guilty today, Leal-Martinez admitted that she accepted drug proceeds from co-conspirators, including Jose Jesus Sanchez-Mendez, also known as “Michoacano,” 41, a Mexican national. Those drug proceeds were then sent by wire transfer to individuals in Michoacan, Mexico.</p><p>Between Jan. 1, 2022, and June 8, 2022, Leal-Martinez sent wires totaling $83,850 to Mexico from her business in furtherance of the money-laundering conspiracy. These transfers were structured and sent under assumed names in order to avoid suspicion and detection.</p><p>Leal-Martinez, one of 44 defendants indicted in this case, was identified in 2022 after Homeland Security Investigations initiated the investigation of a drug-trafficking organization that distributed more than 335 kilograms of methamphetamine, 22 kilograms of heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl, among other drugs, sourced from Mexico in the Kansas City area. Investigators identified numerous bulk cash smugglers and drug traffickers working for the drug-trafficking organization as part of the $4.7 million conspiracy.</p><p>Co-defendant Flor Gonzalez-Celestine, 54, of Kansas City, Mo., also pleaded guilty today to participating in a $4.7 million conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin from Feb. 28, 2020, to Sept. 20, 2022. Gonzalez-Celestine participated in four controlled drug buys that were monitored by law enforcement. She sold more than a kilogram of methamphetamine to a confidential informant and was observed in possession of approximately 2.2 additional kilograms of methamphetamine.</p><p>Sanchez-Mendez has pleaded guilty to his role in a continuing criminal enterprise, to his role in the drug-trafficking and money-laundering conspiracies, and to illegally reentering the United States. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.</p><p>Under federal statutes, Leal-Martinez is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. Gonzalez-Celestine is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.</p>

Owner of business in Kan. admits wiring drug sales cash to Mexico

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly shooting in Wichita.

Just before 6p.m. Friday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 4800 block of South Gordon in Wichita, according to police spokesman Andrew Ford.

Just after 6p.m, another 911 call reported three additional shooting victims. While en route, officers encountered an unknown man with a gunshot wound at 47th and Seneca.

Upon arrival at the 4800 block of South Gordon, officers found one victim deceased from an apparent gunshot wound and three other victims suffering from gunshot wounds, according to Ford.

 All four victims were transported to St. Francis Hospital; one with non-life-threatening injuries and three with serious injuries.

Investigators are working to determine the circumstances leading to this incident. Police were questioning one of the victims as a person on interest in the case. He is also being treated for his injuries. There was no threat to the community, and the parties involved are known to each other.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720833197351.png" alt="Police on the scene of the fatal shooting investigation -photo courtesy KWCH" />
                        <figcaption>Police on the scene of the fatal shooting investigation -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly shooting in Wichita.</p><p>Just before 6p.m. Friday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 4800 block of South Gordon in Wichita, according to police spokesman Andrew Ford.</p><p>Just after 6p.m, another 911 call reported three additional shooting victims. While en route, officers encountered an unknown man with a gunshot wound at 47th and Seneca.</p><p>Upon arrival at the 4800 block of South Gordon, officers found one victim deceased from an apparent gunshot wound and three other victims suffering from gunshot wounds, according to Ford.</p><p> All four victims were transported to St. Francis Hospital; one with non-life-threatening injuries and three with serious injuries.</p><p>Investigators are working to determine the circumstances leading to this incident. Police were questioning one of the victims as a person on interest in the case. He is also being treated for his injuries. There was no threat to the community, and the parties involved are known to each other.&nbsp;</p>

Police: 1 dead, four injured in Kansas shooting

TOPEKA — The Kansas State Board of Education plans to finalize in August parameters of a 30-member task force that would be formed to develop policy recommendations on non-academic use of cellular telephones by prekindergarten through 12th-grade students while at school.

In public and private districts across the United States, officials are limiting or banning smartphones in classrooms to minimize distractions from academic obligations and to lower stress and anxiety among students. Some schools forbid students from accessing phones throughout the day, while others deprive students of devices during class time.

“It’s going to take a concerted effort to address the amount of time our children spend on their own devices during instructional time,” said state Board of Education chair Melanie Haas of Overland Park. “We as parents and elected officials need to help our children use technology and social media in safer, more beneficial ways.”

Randy Watson, the state commissioner of education, was given the task of forming a task force that included least two state school board members, students, classroom teachers, administrators and other education representatives. He suggested the co-chairs could be a student and a principal.

He anticipated the state Board of Education would ask the task force to provide a framework for state policy or guidance for school districts to address the issue. State board members plan to determine at their August meeting boundaries for the task force. The report would be due in late 2024.

“Then I would like the task force to present their recommendations to the board by November, no later than December,” Watson said. “In addition to addressing how our children are using their digital devices for non-academic purposes while they’re in the classroom, we also need to take a hard look at the impact social media is having on children’s mental health.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720819629981.png" alt=" Melanie Haas, chair of the Kansas State Board of Education, says a task force will consider whether to recommend boundaries on non-academic use of cellphones by students in the classroom. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
                        <figcaption> Melanie Haas, chair of the Kansas State Board of Education, says a task force will consider whether to recommend boundaries on non-academic use of cellphones by students in the classroom. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a></p><p>TOPEKA — The Kansas State Board of Education plans to finalize in August parameters of a 30-member task force that would be formed to develop policy recommendations on non-academic use of cellular telephones by prekindergarten through 12th-grade students while at school.</p><p>In public and private districts across the United States, officials are limiting or banning smartphones in classrooms to minimize distractions from academic obligations and to lower stress and anxiety among students. Some schools forbid students from accessing phones throughout the day, while others deprive students of devices during class time.</p><p>“It’s going to take a concerted effort to address the amount of time our children spend on their own devices during instructional time,” said state Board of Education chair Melanie Haas of Overland Park. “We as parents and elected officials need to help our children use technology and social media in safer, more beneficial ways.”</p><p>Randy Watson, the state commissioner of education, was given the task of forming a task force that included least two state school board members, students, classroom teachers, administrators and other education representatives. He suggested the co-chairs could be a student and a principal.</p><p>He anticipated the state Board of Education would ask the task force to provide a framework for state policy or guidance for school districts to address the issue. State board members plan to determine at their August meeting boundaries for the task force. The report would be due in late 2024.</p><p>“Then I would like the task force to present their recommendations to the board by November, no later than December,” Watson said. “In addition to addressing how our children are using their digital devices for non-academic purposes while they’re in the classroom, we also need to take a hard look at the impact social media is having on children’s mental health.”</p>

Kan. Board of Education to study limitations on cellphone use in classrooms

COWLEY COUNTY —A small plane was damaged in a mishap just before 2:30p.m. Friday in Cowley County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Kitfox 7 piloted by&nbsp;John Gaston&nbsp;Swofford, 60, Fort Worth, Texas, was enroute from Stol Creek Aviation in Whitewater, Kansas to a final destination at the airport in Fort Worth, Texas.

 Following a 3-point landing at Strother Field 22193 Tupper Street in Winfield, a gust of wind caused the pilot to lose control of the aircraft.&nbsp; The pilot was unable to correct the aircraft and it came to a rest on the grass embankment east of the taxiway. Aircraft sustained major damage to prop and left wing.

Swofford was not injured. The NTSB and FAA will investigate.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720834377356.png" alt="Strother Field 22193 Tupper Street in Winfield-Google map" />
                        <figcaption>Strother Field 22193 Tupper Street in Winfield-Google map</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>COWLEY COUNTY —A small plane was damaged in a mishap just before 2:30p.m. Friday in Cowley County.</p><p>The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Kitfox 7 piloted by&nbsp;John Gaston&nbsp;Swofford, 60, Fort Worth, Texas, was enroute from Stol Creek Aviation in Whitewater, Kansas to a final destination at the airport in Fort Worth, Texas.</p><p> Following a 3-point landing at Strother Field 22193 Tupper Street in Winfield, a gust of wind caused the pilot to lose control of the aircraft.&nbsp; The pilot was unable to correct the aircraft and it came to a rest on the grass embankment east of the taxiway. Aircraft sustained major damage to prop and left wing.</p><p>Swofford was not injured. The NTSB and FAA will investigate.</p>

Small plane suffers major damage after mishap at Kan. airport

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man accused in a deadly shooting in Wichita made his first court appearance in the case last week.<br>

Peter McKinney, 22 of Wichita, is charged with 2nd&nbsp;degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

Police also arrested McKinney's father at the scene on a requested charge of Criminal Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.&nbsp;&nbsp;More investigation is needed before further charges are filed against him, according to the district attorney's office.

Just after 11a.m. July 1, Sedgwick County Emergency Communications received a call reporting a shooting at the&nbsp;Rockborough apartment complex, 202 N Rock Road in Wichita, according to police spokesman Andrew Ford.

First responders located 25-year-old Sebastian Crawford of Wichita with a single gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased on the scene.

Multiple other individuals, including two juveniles, were located inside the apartment. EMS transported a woman to an area hospital to be evaluated for a condition apparently unrelated to the shooting.&nbsp;No other injuries were reported.

Homicide investigators responded to the scene and worked with patrol officers to understand what led up to the shooting. According to Sedgwick County booking records, police arrested 22-year-old Peter McKinney and 50-year-old Jeffrey McKinney.

At this time, police believe that Crawford and Peter McKinney knew each other and were involved in an argument before the shooting.

Peter McKinney remains jailed on a half-million dollar bond. His next court hearing is July 15, according to the district attorney's office.&nbsp; His father remains jailed on a $50,000 bond, according to online jail records.

&nbsp;This is the 18th criminal homicide in Wichita this year, according to Ford.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1719921077048.png" alt="Peter McKinney-photo Sedgwick Co." />
                        <figcaption>Peter McKinney-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man accused in a deadly shooting in Wichita made his first court appearance in the case last week.<br></p><p>Peter McKinney, 22 of Wichita, is charged with 2nd&nbsp;degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.</p><p>Police also arrested McKinney's father at the scene on a requested charge of Criminal Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.&nbsp;&nbsp;More investigation is needed before further charges are filed against him, according to the district attorney's office.</p><p>Just after 11a.m. July 1, Sedgwick County Emergency Communications received a call reporting a shooting at the&nbsp;Rockborough apartment complex, 202 N Rock Road in Wichita, according to police spokesman Andrew Ford.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1719885319829.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH" />
                        <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>First responders located 25-year-old Sebastian Crawford of Wichita with a single gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased on the scene.</p><p>Multiple other individuals, including two juveniles, were located inside the apartment. EMS transported a woman to an area hospital to be evaluated for a condition apparently unrelated to the shooting.&nbsp;No other injuries were reported.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1719921323757.png" alt="Jeffrey McKinney-photo Sedgwick Co." />
                        <figcaption>Jeffrey McKinney-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Homicide investigators responded to the scene and worked with patrol officers to understand what led up to the shooting. According to Sedgwick County booking records, police arrested 22-year-old Peter McKinney and 50-year-old Jeffrey McKinney.</p><p>At this time, police believe that Crawford and Peter McKinney knew each other and were involved in an argument before the shooting.</p><p>Peter McKinney remains jailed on a half-million dollar bond. His next court hearing is July 15, according to the district attorney's office.&nbsp; His father remains jailed on a $50,000 bond, according to online jail records.</p><p>&nbsp;This is the 18th criminal homicide in Wichita this year, according to Ford.</p>

Father, son remain jailed after Kan. apartment complex killing

MCPHERSON COUNTY —The Marion/USD 408 activity bus caught fire returning from the Kansas Wesleyan Football Camp, just south of the rest area north of McPherson on Friday, according to a social media report from the school district.

All coaches, players and the bus driver are safe and unharmed.

USD 408 Superintendent Justin Wasmuth was traveling to pick up the team and bring them home safely. 

The district said they would&nbsp;provide more updates as soon as possible and thanked parents "for your patience and understanding."

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720817182557.png" alt="Photo courtesy Kyla Johnson" />
                        <figcaption>Photo courtesy Kyla Johnson</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>MCPHERSON COUNTY —The Marion/USD 408 activity bus caught fire returning from the Kansas Wesleyan Football Camp, just south of the rest area north of McPherson on Friday, according to a social media report from the school district.</p><p>All coaches, players and the bus driver are safe and unharmed.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720817619478.png" alt="The Marion football team waiting for new transportation on a hot Friday afternoon -photo courtesy Kyla Johnson" />
                        <figcaption>The Marion football team waiting for new transportation on a hot Friday afternoon -photo courtesy Kyla Johnson</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>USD 408 Superintendent Justin Wasmuth was traveling to pick up the team and bring them home safely. </p><p>The district said they would&nbsp;provide more updates as soon as possible and thanked parents "for your patience and understanding."</p>

Bus fire left Kansas high school football team stranded

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement continue working to identify the body of a man found in the Arkansas River on Thursday.

Just after 4p.m., first responders were called to a location on the river near Pawnee and Broadway in south Wichita. The victim, described as possibly in his 30s, was pulled from the water and pronounced deceased.

On Friday afternoon, police investigators were still working with the Sedgwick County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death and learn his identity, according to Wichita Police spokesman Andrew Ford.

Check the Post for more information as it becomes available.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720813873343.png" alt="Firs responders on the scene Thursday along the Arkansas River-photo courtesy KWCH" />
                        <figcaption>Firs responders on the scene Thursday along the Arkansas River-photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement continue working to identify the body of a man found in the Arkansas River on Thursday.</p><p>Just after 4p.m., first responders were called to a location on the river near Pawnee and Broadway in south Wichita. The victim, described as possibly in his 30s, was pulled from the water and pronounced deceased.</p><p>On Friday afternoon, police investigators were still working with the Sedgwick County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death and learn his identity, according to Wichita Police spokesman Andrew Ford.</p><p>Check the Post for more information as it becomes available.</p>

Investigators working to ID body found in river in Kansas

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a>&nbsp;

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Thursday passed&nbsp;a measure to reverse an Education Department rule seeking to extend federal discrimination protections for LGBTQ students, though President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the legislation should it land on his desk.

House passage of the resolution on a party-line vote,&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024354?Page=2" target="_blank">210-205</a>, is part of a barrage of GOP pushback at the state and federal levels to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/house-speaker-johnson-betsy-devos-lead-attack-title-ix-rule-protects-lgbtq-kids" target="_blank">Biden administration’s final rule for Title IX</a>&nbsp;since its April release. For all schools that receive federal funding, the rule protects against discrimination for students based on “sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.”

Twenty-six states with GOP attorneys general have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/more-half-states-sue-block-biden-title-ix-rule-protecting-lgbtq-students" target="_blank">sued to block</a>&nbsp;the rule, and courts have temporarily blocked it from going into effect in 14 states on August 1.

The 14 states with temporary blocks are: Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Illinois GOP Rep. Mary Miller&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-title-ix-regulation-targeted-republicans-congress" target="_blank">introduced the legislation</a>&nbsp;in early June. A week later, the Republican-controlled House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved it. Miller’s resolution seeks to reverse the rule through the&nbsp;<a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10023" target="_blank">Congressional Review Act</a>, a procedural tool Congress can use to overturn certain actions from federal agencies.

In the Senate, Mississippi Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/96" target="_blank">also introduced legislation</a>&nbsp;in June to try to block the final rule under the same tool. The Senate version has gathered over 30 Republican cosponsors.

Rep. Virginia Foxx — chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and a fierce opponent of the administration’s final rule — said during the floor debate Wednesday that she wanted to preserve Title IX, which helped equalize funding for women’s sports and education programs beginning in 1972.

“Title IX ushered in a golden era for women’s competition and education,” the North Carolina Republican said. “There is sanctity in the community and tradition of these memories, these spaces and these opportunities for young girls.”

Regardless of whether the attempt to roll back the measure is successful in the Democratic-controlled Senate,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SAP-HJRes-165.pdf" target="_blank">Biden</a>’s veto threat leaves virtually no possibility it could be adopted this year.

Democrats, LGBTQ advocates in opposition&nbsp;

Democrats and LGBTQ advocates have described the effort to overturn the rule as motivated by misinformation and fear.

“Unfortunately, this resolution has been clouded by misinformation, unfounded fears and with some, just hatred of transgender individuals,” said Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat and ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, during the debate.

Oregon’s Rep. Suzanne Bonamici — ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education — said the resolution was “another attempt to undercut this administration’s efforts to empower survivors and protect all Americans from discrimination.”

“If Republicans truly cared about protecting women and children, they would stop this prejudiced rhetoric and take action on bills that would actually protect women from discrimination and harassment and defend women’s reproductive health care, make child care more affordable, preserve opportunities in workplaces for all parents, especially women,” Bonamici said.

Scott called on the House to “reject these narratives and focus on real issues of safety and equity.”

Meanwhile, challenges to the rule are playing out in a handful of federal courts.

Last week, Judge John Broomes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas temporarily blocked the measure from taking effect in the Sunflower State, along with Alaska, Utah and Wyoming.

Broomes also halted the rule from taking effect in “the schools attended by the members of Young America’s Foundation or Female Athletes United, as well as the schools attended by the children of the members of Moms for Liberty,” all groups that sued alongside the four states, per the&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561.53.0.pdf" target="_blank">order</a>.

Under Broomes’ order, the rule is also halted in an Oklahoma public school attended by a minor who is one of the plaintiffs.

In June, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of Louisiana&nbsp;<a href="https://lailluminator.com/2024/06/13/title-ix-transgender/" target="_blank">issued a temporary injunction</a>&nbsp;barring the final rule from taking effect there, along with Idaho, Mississippi and Montana.

In Kentucky federal court, Chief Judge Danny Reeves&nbsp;<a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2024/06/17/us-judge-in-kentucky-blocks-biden-title-ix-rules-says-sex-gender-identity-not-the-same-thing/" target="_blank">temporarily blocked the final rule</a>&nbsp;in the Bluegrass State, plus Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and Virginia. Reeves rejected the department’s request for a partial stay of the injunction while its appeal plays out, per a&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.kyed.104801/gov.uscourts.kyed.104801.117.0.pdf" target="_blank">Wednesday court filing</a>.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720781223271.png" alt=" The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)." />
                        <figcaption> The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom).</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a>&nbsp;</p><p>WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Thursday passed&nbsp;a measure to reverse an Education Department rule seeking to extend federal discrimination protections for LGBTQ students, though President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the legislation should it land on his desk.</p><p>House passage of the resolution on a party-line vote,&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024354?Page=2" target="_blank">210-205</a>, is part of a barrage of GOP pushback at the state and federal levels to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/house-speaker-johnson-betsy-devos-lead-attack-title-ix-rule-protects-lgbtq-kids" target="_blank">Biden administration’s final rule for Title IX</a>&nbsp;since its April release. For all schools that receive federal funding, the rule protects against discrimination for students based on “sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.”</p><p>Twenty-six states with GOP attorneys general have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/more-half-states-sue-block-biden-title-ix-rule-protecting-lgbtq-students" target="_blank">sued to block</a>&nbsp;the rule, and courts have temporarily blocked it from going into effect in 14 states on August 1.</p><p>The 14 states with temporary blocks are: Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.</p><p>Illinois GOP Rep. Mary Miller&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-title-ix-regulation-targeted-republicans-congress" target="_blank">introduced the legislation</a>&nbsp;in early June. A week later, the Republican-controlled House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved it. Miller’s resolution seeks to reverse the rule through the&nbsp;<a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10023" target="_blank">Congressional Review Act</a>, a procedural tool Congress can use to overturn certain actions from federal agencies.</p><p>In the Senate, Mississippi Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/96" target="_blank">also introduced legislation</a>&nbsp;in June to try to block the final rule under the same tool. The Senate version has gathered over 30 Republican cosponsors.</p><p>Rep. Virginia Foxx — chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and a fierce opponent of the administration’s final rule — said during the floor debate Wednesday that she wanted to preserve Title IX, which helped equalize funding for women’s sports and education programs beginning in 1972.</p><p>“Title IX ushered in a golden era for women’s competition and education,” the North Carolina Republican said. “There is sanctity in the community and tradition of these memories, these spaces and these opportunities for young girls.”</p><p>Regardless of whether the attempt to roll back the measure is successful in the Democratic-controlled Senate,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SAP-HJRes-165.pdf" target="_blank">Biden</a>’s veto threat leaves virtually no possibility it could be adopted this year.</p><h2>Democrats, LGBTQ advocates in opposition&nbsp;</h2><p>Democrats and LGBTQ advocates have described the effort to overturn the rule as motivated by misinformation and fear.</p><p>“Unfortunately, this resolution has been clouded by misinformation, unfounded fears and with some, just hatred of transgender individuals,” said Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat and ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, during the debate.</p><p>Oregon’s Rep. Suzanne Bonamici — ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education — said the resolution was “another attempt to undercut this administration’s efforts to empower survivors and protect all Americans from discrimination.”</p><p>“If Republicans truly cared about protecting women and children, they would stop this prejudiced rhetoric and take action on bills that would actually protect women from discrimination and harassment and defend women’s reproductive health care, make child care more affordable, preserve opportunities in workplaces for all parents, especially women,” Bonamici said.</p><p>Scott called on the House to “reject these narratives and focus on real issues of safety and equity.”</p><h2>Final rule blocked in more states&nbsp;</h2><p>Meanwhile, challenges to the rule are playing out in a handful of federal courts.</p><p>Last week, Judge John Broomes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas temporarily blocked the measure from taking effect in the Sunflower State, along with Alaska, Utah and Wyoming.</p><p>Broomes also halted the rule from taking effect in “the schools attended by the members of Young America’s Foundation or Female Athletes United, as well as the schools attended by the children of the members of Moms for Liberty,” all groups that sued alongside the four states, per the&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561.53.0.pdf" target="_blank">order</a>.</p><p>Under Broomes’ order, the rule is also halted in an Oklahoma public school attended by a minor who is one of the plaintiffs.</p><p>In June, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of Louisiana&nbsp;<a href="https://lailluminator.com/2024/06/13/title-ix-transgender/" target="_blank">issued a temporary injunction</a>&nbsp;barring the final rule from taking effect there, along with Idaho, Mississippi and Montana.</p><p>In Kentucky federal court, Chief Judge Danny Reeves&nbsp;<a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2024/06/17/us-judge-in-kentucky-blocks-biden-title-ix-rules-says-sex-gender-identity-not-the-same-thing/" target="_blank">temporarily blocked the final rule</a>&nbsp;in the Bluegrass State, plus Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and Virginia. Reeves rejected the department’s request for a partial stay of the injunction while its appeal plays out, per a&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.kyed.104801/gov.uscourts.kyed.104801.117.0.pdf" target="_blank">Wednesday court filing</a>.</p><p>The Education Department has confirmed it is appealing the other two rulings but did not have an update Wednesday on whether it is filing a notice of appeal on the most recent ruling in the Kansas federal court.</p><p>The spokesperson reiterated earlier this week that the agency has “asked the trial courts to allow the bulk of the final rule to take effect in these states as scheduled, on August 1, while the appeals are pending.”</p><h2>LGBTQ advocacy groups push back on GOP effort</h2><p>Allen Morris, policy director for the advocacy group National LGBTQ Task Force, said the vote was part of a pattern of anti-LGBTQ policy measures.</p><p>“When you look at the rise in hatred and the rise in violence and the rise of young LGBTQ individuals not having the support that they need, where suicide rates are high, it is disappointing to see our opposition go against us with such a high level of intention,” he said.</p><p>Morris told States Newsroom that “a lot of what is happening with this extremism is not founded in truth.”</p><p>“It is founded in ways to spew hate and to spew fear. It is a lot of fear mongering, and it’s anything to make people feel like their backs are up against the wall, or as if they don’t have the power,” he said.</p><p>Echoing a previous statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Education said it “does not comment on pending legislation” and emphasized that all schools receiving federal funding are obligated to comply with the new regulations as a condition of receiving those funds.</p><p>The department has yet to finalize a separate rule establishing new criteria for transgender athletes.</p>