New funding to provide services for 1,000 disabled Kansans will keep waiting lists from growing

By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/rmipro/">RACHEL MIPRO</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Republican lawmakers vowed to be “laser-focused” this session toward helping Kansans with disabilities receive state services but came up short of&nbsp; a disability rights group’s recommendations — even as they funded an opera house and a mission to the southwest border.

Finalized by lawmakers April 5, the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/ccrb_sb28_01_0000.pdf">state budget blueprint</a>&nbsp;sets aside $45.8 million, including $17.8 million from the state general fund, to&nbsp;fund services for 1,000 Kansans who are currently on the state’s waiting lists. The money would be evenly divided between people with intellectual and physical disabilities and those who have physical disabilities, and would be available for fiscal year 2025. The amount is double that&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/03/15/state-budget-blueprint-leaves-out-kansans-who-need-state-disability-services/">proposed by the governor</a>,&nbsp;but still short of an advocacy group’s recommended funding.

Sen. Rob Olson, R-Olathe, said he was disappointed by budget priorities. Olson pointed to an $1 million provision for restoration of an opera house in Manhattan, as an example of spending that should be curtailed until the wait times are fixed.

“These kids need that money,” Olson said in an April 5 debate. “They need to be a priority. They haven’t been in this building for a long time. We help take care of them, but we don’t get enough removed off the list. I would like to see us make a plan for the next three or four years to knock that list down to nothing. … We haven’t really made an effort to knock that list down. And we’re making a big effort to get this opera house done. That embarrasses me.”

Also included in the budget bill was a $2 million allocation set aside for an “pregnancy compassion awareness” program to encourage women to give birth, and another $15.7 million to finance the deployment of state resources to help with Texas border control efforts.

The disability wait times have become one of the more-debated issues this legislative session as numbers reach a crisis level.

The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kdads.ks.gov/docs/librariesprovider17/ltss/hcbs/waivers/participation-reports/2024/waiver-program-participation-report-3.15.24.pdf?sfvrsn=7c05f367_3">latest data shows</a>&nbsp;7,661 Kansans currently waiting for services, with 5,279 people on the intellectual and developmental disabilities waitlist and 2,382 people on the physical disability waitlist. The budget bill would place into law a provision forbidding the combined waiting lists from exceeding 6,800 people.

Kansans who need help can wait more than 10 years for crucial services, such as in-home care. The Kansas Reflector previously examined how these long wait times hurt thousands of disabled Kansans and their families through&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/10/17/typical-lip-service-as-medicaid-waitlists-grow-kansas-parents-see-no-path-forward/">a&nbsp;series of stories</a>.

If enrollment trends continue along the same lines as last year, when 561 new people enrolled in the intellectual disability waitlist, the proposed funding wouldn’t be enough to stop the list from growing.

In September, House Speaker Dan Hawkins and Senate President Ty Masterson released a statement promising to address the waiting lists.

“Republicans are laser focused on eliminating Medicaid waiting lists to ensure the truly needy get the services they so desperately need,” Hawkins and Masterson said in their statement.

During a news conference on their legislative plans before the session, the two again said the waitlists needed to be addressed.

“We’ve got 6,000 on the waiting list right now, and certainly before anything else happens, that needs to be taken care of,” Hawkins said. “Those are people who have been on the list for years.”

“We want to make sure everyone has the ability to get off the list,” Masterson added.

The Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities recommended reducing the waitlists by 20% in fiscal year 2025. To do so, lawmakers would need to allocate enough funding to get 1,100 people off the intellectual and developmental disability waivers as well as 500 off of the physical disability waiver waitlist.

“The waitlists for the Intellectual/Developmental Disability and the Physical Disability Home &amp; Community Based Services Medicaid Waiver programs have reached a crisis point,” reads the council’s statement. “Since KanCare launched in 2013, the IDD and PD Waitlists have gone from bad to worse to utterly out of control in Kansas.”

Sen. Rick Billinger, GOP chairman of a Senate committee, and one of the lawmakers tasked with shaping budget allocations, said he agreed with Olson, but said there was “only so much available.”

Billinger said the Legislature would look at addressing the lists again next year.

“We should have zero on the waitlist,” Billinger said. “Zero, that’s where it needs to be. I’ll guarantee you, I’ll do everything I can to take care of these kids. There’s only so much available there, but we need to do better.”

The state funding blueprint has been sent to the governor’s desk, where Gov. Laura Kelly will decide whether to approve or veto allocations in the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb28/">$25 billion budget bill</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713298675075.png" alt=" Sen. Rob Olson, R-Olathe, expressed disappointment in GOP leaders who said fixing long wait times for Kansas with disabilities would be a priority during the 2024 legislative session. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Sen. Rob Olson, R-Olathe, expressed disappointment in GOP leaders who said fixing long wait times for Kansas with disabilities would be a priority during the 2024 legislative session. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>New funding to provide services for 1,000 disabled Kansans will keep waiting lists from growing</h2>By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/rmipro/">RACHEL MIPRO</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Republican lawmakers vowed to be “laser-focused” this session toward helping Kansans with disabilities receive state services but came up short of&nbsp; a disability rights group’s recommendations — even as they funded an opera house and a mission to the southwest border.Finalized by lawmakers April 5, the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/ccrb_sb28_01_0000.pdf">state budget blueprint</a>&nbsp;sets aside $45.8 million, including $17.8 million from the state general fund, to&nbsp;fund services for 1,000 Kansans who are currently on the state’s waiting lists. The money would be evenly divided between people with intellectual and physical disabilities and those who have physical disabilities, and would be available for fiscal year 2025. The amount is double that&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/03/15/state-budget-blueprint-leaves-out-kansans-who-need-state-disability-services/">proposed by the governor</a>,&nbsp;but still short of an advocacy group’s recommended funding.Sen. Rob Olson, R-Olathe, said he was disappointed by budget priorities. Olson pointed to an $1 million provision for restoration of an opera house in Manhattan, as an example of spending that should be curtailed until the wait times are fixed.“These kids need that money,” Olson said in an April 5 debate. “They need to be a priority. They haven’t been in this building for a long time. We help take care of them, but we don’t get enough removed off the list. I would like to see us make a plan for the next three or four years to knock that list down to nothing. … We haven’t really made an effort to knock that list down. And we’re making a big effort to get this opera house done. That embarrasses me.”Also included in the budget bill was a $2 million allocation set aside for an “pregnancy compassion awareness” program to encourage women to give birth, and another $15.7 million to finance the deployment of state resources to help with Texas border control efforts.The disability wait times have become one of the more-debated issues this legislative session as numbers reach a crisis level.The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kdads.ks.gov/docs/librariesprovider17/ltss/hcbs/waivers/participation-reports/2024/waiver-program-participation-report-3.15.24.pdf?sfvrsn=7c05f367_3">latest data shows</a>&nbsp;7,661 Kansans currently waiting for services, with 5,279 people on the intellectual and developmental disabilities waitlist and 2,382 people on the physical disability waitlist. The budget bill would place into law a provision forbidding the combined waiting lists from exceeding 6,800 people.Kansans who need help can wait more than 10 years for crucial services, such as in-home care. The Kansas Reflector previously examined how these long wait times hurt thousands of disabled Kansans and their families through&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/10/17/typical-lip-service-as-medicaid-waitlists-grow-kansas-parents-see-no-path-forward/">a&nbsp;series of stories</a>.If enrollment trends continue along the same lines as last year, when 561 new people enrolled in the intellectual disability waitlist, the proposed funding wouldn’t be enough to stop the list from growing.In September, House Speaker Dan Hawkins and Senate President Ty Masterson released a statement promising to address the waiting lists.“Republicans are laser focused on eliminating Medicaid waiting lists to ensure the truly needy get the services they so desperately need,” Hawkins and Masterson said in their statement.During a news conference on their legislative plans before the session, the two again said the waitlists needed to be addressed.“We’ve got 6,000 on the waiting list right now, and certainly before anything else happens, that needs to be taken care of,” Hawkins said. “Those are people who have been on the list for years.”“We want to make sure everyone has the ability to get off the list,” Masterson added.The Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities recommended reducing the waitlists by 20% in fiscal year 2025. To do so, lawmakers would need to allocate enough funding to get 1,100 people off the intellectual and developmental disability waivers as well as 500 off of the physical disability waiver waitlist.“The waitlists for the Intellectual/Developmental Disability and the Physical Disability Home &amp; Community Based Services Medicaid Waiver programs have reached a crisis point,” reads the council’s statement. “Since KanCare launched in 2013, the IDD and PD Waitlists have gone from bad to worse to utterly out of control in Kansas.”Sen. Rick Billinger, GOP chairman of a Senate committee, and one of the lawmakers tasked with shaping budget allocations, said he agreed with Olson, but said there was “only so much available.”Billinger said the Legislature would look at addressing the lists again next year.“We should have zero on the waitlist,” Billinger said. “Zero, that’s where it needs to be. I’ll guarantee you, I’ll do everything I can to take care of these kids. There’s only so much available there, but we need to do better.”The state funding blueprint has been sent to the governor’s desk, where Gov. Laura Kelly will decide whether to approve or veto allocations in the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb28/">$25 billion budget bill</a>.

Kansas GOP leaders fail to deliver enough funding to reduce disability waiting lists

SEWARD COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged child sex crimes and asking the public for help to locate 33-year-old Adolfo Marcus Calleja, according to a statement from Liberal, Kansas Police.

Calleja is wanted through Seward County for several counts of sexual exploitation of a child, electronic solicitation and aggravated sexual battery. Police believe he left Liberal when he became aware of the criminal investigation.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts should call police. You may also <a href="https://www.usmarshals.gov/">click here to</a> submit tips to the US Marshals service.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713261053200.png" alt="Calleja photo Liberal Police" />
 <figcaption>Calleja photo Liberal Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SEWARD COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged child sex crimes and asking the public for help to locate 33-year-old Adolfo Marcus Calleja, according to a statement from Liberal, Kansas Police.Calleja is wanted through Seward County for several counts of sexual exploitation of a child, electronic solicitation and aggravated sexual battery. Police believe he left Liberal when he became aware of the criminal investigation.Anyone with information on his whereabouts should call police. You may also <a href="https://www.usmarshals.gov/">click here to</a> submit tips to the US Marshals service.

Search continues for alleged Kansas sex crime suspect

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned whether federal prosecutors went too far in bringing obstruction charges against hundreds of participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/search?q=trump#nt=navsearch">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;faces the same charge for his efforts to overturn his election loss in 2020.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2023/23-5572">Click here to listen</a> to the oral arguments

The justices heard arguments over the charge of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-riot-jan-6-obstruction-charges-challenge-2c6205622672c65a4ce81b2ba4c8303c">obstruction of an official proceeding</a>&nbsp;in the case of Joseph Fischer, a former Pennsylvania police officer who has been indicted for his role in disrupting Congress’ certification of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory</a>&nbsp;over Trump. Fischer is one of 330 people facing that charge, which stems from a law passed in the aftermath of the Enron financial scandal more than two decades ago.

It was not clear after more than 90 minutes of arguments precisely where the court would land, although conservative justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch appeared most likely to side with Fischer, while liberal Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor seemed more favorable to the Justice Department's position.

The former president and presumptive nominee for the 2024 Republican nomination is facing two charges in a separate case brought by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">special counsel Jack Smith</a>&nbsp;in Washington that could be knocked out with a favorable ruling from the nation’s highest court. Next week, the justices will hear arguments over whether Trump has “absolute immunity” from prosecution in that case, a proposition that has so far been rejected by two lower courts.

Smith has argued separately in the immunity case that the obstruction charges against Trump are valid no matter how the court decides Fischer's case. The first former U.S. president under indictment, Trump is on trial on hush money charges in New York and also has been charged with election interference in Georgia and with mishandling classified documents in Florida.

On Tuesday, some of the conservative justices said the law was so broad that it could be used against even peaceful protests and also questioned why the Justice Department has not brought charges under the provision in other violent protests.

Gorsuch appeared to be drawing on actual events when he asked Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar whether people could be charged with obstructing an official proceeding if they rose in protest inside the courtroom, heckled the president at the State of the Union or pulled a fire alarm in the Capitol complex to delay a vote in Congress.

Alito, suggesting the government's reading of the law is too broad, asked whether the charge could be applied to people who disrupted the day's court session by shouting “Keep the January 6 insurrectionists in jail or ”Free the January 6 patriots."

He hastened to add, “What happened on Jan. 6 was very, very serious and I'm not equating this with that.”

The high court case focuses on whether the anti-obstruction provision of a law that was enacted in 2002 in response to the financial scandal that brought down Enron Corp. can be used against Jan. 6 defendants.

Lawyers for Fischer, the former North Cornwall Township police officer, argue that the provision was meant to close a loophole in criminal law and discourage the destruction of records in response to an investigation. Until the Capitol riot, lawyer Jeffrey Green told the court on Fischer's behalf, the provision “had never been used to prosecute anything other than evidence tampering.”

But Prelogar, the administration's top Supreme Court lawyer, said the other side is reading the law too narrowly, arguing it serves as a “classic catchall” designed to deal with the obstruction of an official proceeding. She said Fischer joined a “violent mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol to prevent the peaceful transition of power.”

The obstruction charge is among the most widely used felony charges brought in the massive federal prosecution following the violent insurrection. It carries a maximum prison term of 20 years, but Prelogar said the average term imposed so far is about two years.

Roughly 170 Jan. 6 defendants have been convicted of obstructing or conspiring to obstruct the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress, including the leaders of two far-right extremist groups, the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. A number of defendants have had their sentencings delayed until after the justices rule on the matter.

Some rioters have even won early release from prison while the appeal is pending over concerns that they might end up serving longer than they should have if the Supreme Court rules against the Justice Department. They include&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-delaware-prisons-6057e74630701e1f77cf84aacbb3caaf">Kevin Seefried, a Delaware man who threatened a Black police officer</a>&nbsp;with a pole attached to a Confederate battle flag as he stormed the Capitol. Seefried was sentenced last year to three years behind bars, but a judge recently ordered that he be released one year into his prison term while awaiting the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Most lower court judges who have weighed in have allowed the charge to stand. Among them, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, a Trump appointee, wrote that “statutes often reach beyond the principal evil that animated them.”

But U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, another Trump appointee, dismissed the charge against Fischer and two other defendants, writing that prosecutors went too far. A divided panel of the federal appeals court in Washington reinstated the charge before the Supreme Court agreed to take up the case.

While it’s not important to the Supreme Court case, the two sides present starkly differing accounts of Fischer’s actions on Jan. 6. Fischer's lawyers say he “was not part of the mob” that forced lawmakers to flee the House and Senate chambers, noting that he entered the Capitol after Congress had recessed. The weight of the crowd pushed Fischer into a line of police inside, they said in a court filing.

Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Matt Gaetz of Florida and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia are among 23 Republican members of Congress who say the administration's use of the obstruction charge “presents an intolerable risk of politicized prosecutions. Only a clear rebuke from this Court will stop the madness.”

The Justice Department says Fischer can be heard on a video yelling “Charge!” before he pushed through a crowd and “crashed into the police line.” Prosecutors also cite text messages Fischer sent before Jan. 6 saying things might turn violent and social media posts after the riot in which he wrote, “we pushed police back about 25 feet.”

More than 1,350 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. Approximately 1,000 of them have pleaded guilty or been convicted by a jury or judge after a trial.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday is taking up the first of two cases that could affect the criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump for his efforts to overturn his election loss in 2020. Hundreds of charges stemming from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">Capitol riot</a>&nbsp;also are at stake.

The justices are hearing arguments over the charge of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-riot-jan-6-obstruction-charges-challenge-2c6205622672c65a4ce81b2ba4c8303c">obstruction of an official proceeding</a>. That charge, stemming from a law passed in the aftermath of the Enron financial scandal more than two decades ago, has been brought against 330 people, according to the Justice Department. The court will consider whether it can be used against those who disrupted Congress’ certification of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory</a>&nbsp;over Trump.

The former president and presumptive nominee for the 2024 Republican nomination is facing two charges in the case brought by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">special counsel Jack Smith</a>&nbsp;in Washington that could be knocked out with a favorable ruling from the nation's highest court. Next week, the justices will hear arguments over whether Trump has “absolute immunity” from prosecution in the case, a proposition that has so far been rejected by two lower courts.

The first former U.S. president under indictment, Trump is on trial on hush money charges in New York and also has been charged with election interference in Georgia and with mishandling classified documents in Florida.

In Tuesday's case, the court is hearing an appeal from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-pennsylvania-lebanon-elections-6d2ee8d62956fbefb167e0c079192d9b">Joseph Fischer</a>, a former Pennsylvania police officer who has been indicted on seven counts, including obstruction, for his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">a mob of Trump supporters</a>&nbsp;stormed the Capitol in a bid to keep Biden, a Democrat, from taking the White House. Lawyers for Fischer argue that the charge doesn't cover his conduct.

The obstruction charge, which carries up to 20 years behind bars, is among the most widely used felony charges brought in the massive federal prosecution following the deadly insurrection.

Some rioters have even won early release from prison while the appeal is pending over concerns that they might end up serving longer than they should have if the Supreme Court rules against the Justice Department. That includes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-delaware-prisons-6057e74630701e1f77cf84aacbb3caaf">Kevin Seefried, a Delaware man who threatened a Black police officer</a>&nbsp;with a pole attached to a Confederate battle flag as he stormed the Capitol. Seefried was sentenced last year to three years behind bars, but a judge recently ordered that he be released one year into his prison term while awaiting the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Fischer's lawyers argue that the provision was meant to close a loophole in criminal law and discourage the destruction of records in response to an investigation. Until the Capitol riot, they told the court, every criminal case using the provision had involved allegations of destroying or otherwise manipulating records.

But the administration says the other side is reading the law too narrowly, arguing it serves “as a catchall offense designed to ensure complete coverage of all forms of corrupt obstruction of an official proceeding,” including Fischer's “alleged conduct in joining a violent riot to disrupt the joint session of Congress certifying the presidential election results.”

Smith has argued separately in the immunity case that the obstruction charges against Trump are valid, no matter the outcome of Fischer's case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1614042711157.png" alt="Photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned whether federal prosecutors went too far in bringing obstruction charges against hundreds of participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/search?q=trump#nt=navsearch">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;faces the same charge for his efforts to overturn his election loss in 2020.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2023/23-5572">Click here to listen</a> to the oral argumentsThe justices heard arguments over the charge of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-riot-jan-6-obstruction-charges-challenge-2c6205622672c65a4ce81b2ba4c8303c">obstruction of an official proceeding</a>&nbsp;in the case of Joseph Fischer, a former Pennsylvania police officer who has been indicted for his role in disrupting Congress’ certification of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory</a>&nbsp;over Trump. Fischer is one of 330 people facing that charge, which stems from a law passed in the aftermath of the Enron financial scandal more than two decades ago.It was not clear after more than 90 minutes of arguments precisely where the court would land, although conservative justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch appeared most likely to side with Fischer, while liberal Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor seemed more favorable to the Justice Department's position.The former president and presumptive nominee for the 2024 Republican nomination is facing two charges in a separate case brought by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">special counsel Jack Smith</a>&nbsp;in Washington that could be knocked out with a favorable ruling from the nation’s highest court. Next week, the justices will hear arguments over whether Trump has “absolute immunity” from prosecution in that case, a proposition that has so far been rejected by two lower courts.Smith has argued separately in the immunity case that the obstruction charges against Trump are valid no matter how the court decides Fischer's case. The first former U.S. president under indictment, Trump is on trial on hush money charges in New York and also has been charged with election interference in Georgia and with mishandling classified documents in Florida.On Tuesday, some of the conservative justices said the law was so broad that it could be used against even peaceful protests and also questioned why the Justice Department has not brought charges under the provision in other violent protests.Gorsuch appeared to be drawing on actual events when he asked Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar whether people could be charged with obstructing an official proceeding if they rose in protest inside the courtroom, heckled the president at the State of the Union or pulled a fire alarm in the Capitol complex to delay a vote in Congress.Alito, suggesting the government's reading of the law is too broad, asked whether the charge could be applied to people who disrupted the day's court session by shouting “Keep the January 6 insurrectionists in jail or ”Free the January 6 patriots."He hastened to add, “What happened on Jan. 6 was very, very serious and I'm not equating this with that.”The high court case focuses on whether the anti-obstruction provision of a law that was enacted in 2002 in response to the financial scandal that brought down Enron Corp. can be used against Jan. 6 defendants.Lawyers for Fischer, the former North Cornwall Township police officer, argue that the provision was meant to close a loophole in criminal law and discourage the destruction of records in response to an investigation. Until the Capitol riot, lawyer Jeffrey Green told the court on Fischer's behalf, the provision “had never been used to prosecute anything other than evidence tampering.”But Prelogar, the administration's top Supreme Court lawyer, said the other side is reading the law too narrowly, arguing it serves as a “classic catchall” designed to deal with the obstruction of an official proceeding. She said Fischer joined a “violent mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol to prevent the peaceful transition of power.”The obstruction charge is among the most widely used felony charges brought in the massive federal prosecution following the violent insurrection. It carries a maximum prison term of 20 years, but Prelogar said the average term imposed so far is about two years.Roughly 170 Jan. 6 defendants have been convicted of obstructing or conspiring to obstruct the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress, including the leaders of two far-right extremist groups, the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. A number of defendants have had their sentencings delayed until after the justices rule on the matter.Some rioters have even won early release from prison while the appeal is pending over concerns that they might end up serving longer than they should have if the Supreme Court rules against the Justice Department. They include&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-delaware-prisons-6057e74630701e1f77cf84aacbb3caaf">Kevin Seefried, a Delaware man who threatened a Black police officer</a>&nbsp;with a pole attached to a Confederate battle flag as he stormed the Capitol. Seefried was sentenced last year to three years behind bars, but a judge recently ordered that he be released one year into his prison term while awaiting the Supreme Court’s ruling.Most lower court judges who have weighed in have allowed the charge to stand. Among them, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, a Trump appointee, wrote that “statutes often reach beyond the principal evil that animated them.”But U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, another Trump appointee, dismissed the charge against Fischer and two other defendants, writing that prosecutors went too far. A divided panel of the federal appeals court in Washington reinstated the charge before the Supreme Court agreed to take up the case.While it’s not important to the Supreme Court case, the two sides present starkly differing accounts of Fischer’s actions on Jan. 6. Fischer's lawyers say he “was not part of the mob” that forced lawmakers to flee the House and Senate chambers, noting that he entered the Capitol after Congress had recessed. The weight of the crowd pushed Fischer into a line of police inside, they said in a court filing.Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Matt Gaetz of Florida and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia are among 23 Republican members of Congress who say the administration's use of the obstruction charge “presents an intolerable risk of politicized prosecutions. Only a clear rebuke from this Court will stop the madness.”The Justice Department says Fischer can be heard on a video yelling “Charge!” before he pushed through a crowd and “crashed into the police line.” Prosecutors also cite text messages Fischer sent before Jan. 6 saying things might turn violent and social media posts after the riot in which he wrote, “we pushed police back about 25 feet.”More than 1,350 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. Approximately 1,000 of them have pleaded guilty or been convicted by a jury or judge after a trial.-----------------WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday is taking up the first of two cases that could affect the criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump for his efforts to overturn his election loss in 2020. Hundreds of charges stemming from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">Capitol riot</a>&nbsp;also are at stake.The justices are hearing arguments over the charge of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-riot-jan-6-obstruction-charges-challenge-2c6205622672c65a4ce81b2ba4c8303c">obstruction of an official proceeding</a>. That charge, stemming from a law passed in the aftermath of the Enron financial scandal more than two decades ago, has been brought against 330 people, according to the Justice Department. The court will consider whether it can be used against those who disrupted Congress’ certification of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory</a>&nbsp;over Trump.The former president and presumptive nominee for the 2024 Republican nomination is facing two charges in the case brought by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">special counsel Jack Smith</a>&nbsp;in Washington that could be knocked out with a favorable ruling from the nation's highest court. Next week, the justices will hear arguments over whether Trump has “absolute immunity” from prosecution in the case, a proposition that has so far been rejected by two lower courts.The first former U.S. president under indictment, Trump is on trial on hush money charges in New York and also has been charged with election interference in Georgia and with mishandling classified documents in Florida.In Tuesday's case, the court is hearing an appeal from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-pennsylvania-lebanon-elections-6d2ee8d62956fbefb167e0c079192d9b">Joseph Fischer</a>, a former Pennsylvania police officer who has been indicted on seven counts, including obstruction, for his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">a mob of Trump supporters</a>&nbsp;stormed the Capitol in a bid to keep Biden, a Democrat, from taking the White House. Lawyers for Fischer argue that the charge doesn't cover his conduct.The obstruction charge, which carries up to 20 years behind bars, is among the most widely used felony charges brought in the massive federal prosecution following the deadly insurrection.Roughly 170 Jan. 6 defendants have been convicted of obstructing or conspiring to obstruct the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress, including the leaders of two far-right extremist groups, the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. A number of defendants have had their sentencings delayed until after the justices rule on the matter.Some rioters have even won early release from prison while the appeal is pending over concerns that they might end up serving longer than they should have if the Supreme Court rules against the Justice Department. That includes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-delaware-prisons-6057e74630701e1f77cf84aacbb3caaf">Kevin Seefried, a Delaware man who threatened a Black police officer</a>&nbsp;with a pole attached to a Confederate battle flag as he stormed the Capitol. Seefried was sentenced last year to three years behind bars, but a judge recently ordered that he be released one year into his prison term while awaiting the Supreme Court’s ruling.The high court case focuses on whether the anti-obstruction provision of a law that was enacted in 2002 in response to the financial scandal that brought down Enron Corp. can be used against Jan. 6 defendants.Fischer's lawyers argue that the provision was meant to close a loophole in criminal law and discourage the destruction of records in response to an investigation. Until the Capitol riot, they told the court, every criminal case using the provision had involved allegations of destroying or otherwise manipulating records.But the administration says the other side is reading the law too narrowly, arguing it serves “as a catchall offense designed to ensure complete coverage of all forms of corrupt obstruction of an official proceeding,” including Fischer's “alleged conduct in joining a violent riot to disrupt the joint session of Congress certifying the presidential election results.”Smith has argued separately in the immunity case that the obstruction charges against Trump are valid, no matter the outcome of Fischer's case.Most lower court judges who have weighed in have allowed the charge to stand. Among them, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, a Trump appointee, wrote that “statutes often reach beyond the principal evil that animated them.”But U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, another Trump appointee, dismissed the charge against Fischer and two other defendants, writing that prosecutors went too far. A divided panel of the federal appeals court in Washington reinstated the charge before the Supreme Court agreed to take up the case.While it’s not important to the Supreme Court case, the two sides present starkly differing accounts of Fischer’s actions on Jan. 6. Fischer's lawyers say he “was not part of the mob” that forced lawmakers to flee the House and Senate chambers, noting that he entered the Capitol after Congress had recessed. The weight of the crowd pushed Fischer into a line of police inside, they said in a court filing.Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Matt Gaetz of Florida and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia are among 23 Republican members of Congress who say the administration's use of the obstruction charge “presents an intolerable risk of politicized prosecutions. Only a clear rebuke from this Court will stop the madness.”The Justice Department says Fischer can be heard on a video yelling “Charge!” before he pushed through a crowd and “crashed into the police line.” Prosecutors also cite text messages Fischer sent before Jan. 6 saying things might turn violent and social media posts after the riot in which he wrote, “we pushed police back about 25 feet.”More than 1,350 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. Approximately 1,000 of them have pleaded guilty or been convicted by a jury or judge after a trial.

🎧 Supreme Court divided over Jan. 6 charges; implications for Trump

KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just after 1:30a.m. Tuesday in Kansas City.

A pedestrian was crossing east to west all lanes of northbound Interstate 435 at Winner, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez. 

A northbound GMC Yukon Denali struck the pedestrian in the #1 lane of travel. The pedestrian was declared deceased at the scene. The driver of the GMC stopped immediately and was not injured in the collision.&nbsp;

All lanes of northbound I-435 were closed to traffic at Truman Road for approximately three hours.&nbsp; Police did not release the name of the victim.

This is fatality #34 in Kansas City, Missouri, compared to #20 at this time last year, according to Gonzaalez.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713318130119.png" alt="Image KC Scout traffic camers" />
 <figcaption>Image KC Scout traffic camers</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just after 1:30a.m. Tuesday in Kansas City.A pedestrian was crossing east to west all lanes of northbound Interstate 435 at Winner, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez. A northbound GMC Yukon Denali struck the pedestrian in the #1 lane of travel. The pedestrian was declared deceased at the scene. The driver of the GMC stopped immediately and was not injured in the collision.&nbsp;All lanes of northbound I-435 were closed to traffic at Truman Road for approximately three hours.&nbsp; Police did not release the name of the victim.This is fatality #34 in Kansas City, Missouri, compared to #20 at this time last year, according to Gonzaalez.

Pedestrian struck by SUV in Kansas  City died

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A sex offender has been sentenced to prison after sexually assaulting two runaway girls, according to the Sedgwick County&nbsp; District Attorney's office. 

Judge Dave Dahl sentenced Donald L. Baker, 57 of Wichita, to 274 months in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

On May 22, 2020, Baker picked up two 14 year old girls who had run away from a state placement facility in north Wichita. Baker told the girls he would take care of them and purchased drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. The girls were later sexually assaulted by Baker at his home.

A bench trial was held before Judge Dahl on December 22. The Judge found Baker guilty of two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, criminal sodomy, and providing alcohol to a minor.

Along with Baker’s prison sentence, Judge Dahl ordered lifetime post release and lifetime registration as a sex offender.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713226481482.png" alt="Baker-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Baker-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A sex offender has been sentenced to prison after sexually assaulting two runaway girls, according to the Sedgwick County&nbsp; District Attorney's office. Judge Dave Dahl sentenced Donald L. Baker, 57 of Wichita, to 274 months in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.On May 22, 2020, Baker picked up two 14 year old girls who had run away from a state placement facility in north Wichita. Baker told the girls he would take care of them and purchased drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. The girls were later sexually assaulted by Baker at his home.A bench trial was held before Judge Dahl on December 22. The Judge found Baker guilty of two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, criminal sodomy, and providing alcohol to a minor.Along with Baker’s prison sentence, Judge Dahl ordered lifetime post release and lifetime registration as a sex offender.

Kansas sex offender picked up, assaulted 2 runaway girls

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a double-homicide at a park in the Kansas City area have identified the victims&nbsp; as&nbsp; LaDronal Hamilton Jr., 19,&nbsp; Kansas City, Missouri and Karmello Matlock, 20,&nbsp; Blue Springs, Missouri.&nbsp; Matlock&nbsp;

Just after 10:30p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to a shooting at Wilbur Young Park, 1100 SE Adams Dairy Parkway in Blue Springs, according to a media release from police.

Hamilton, Jr., and Matlock were both shot and EMS transported them to local hospitals where both&nbsp; were later declared deceased. 

&nbsp;A 17-year-old boy was also shot and received non-life-threatening injuries. Police have no suspect is in custody and have not reported any suspect information.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713133027789.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a double-homicide at a park in the Kansas City area have identified the victims&nbsp; as&nbsp; LaDronal Hamilton Jr., 19,&nbsp; Kansas City, Missouri and Karmello Matlock, 20,&nbsp; Blue Springs, Missouri.&nbsp; Matlock&nbsp;Just after 10:30p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to a shooting at Wilbur Young Park, 1100 SE Adams Dairy Parkway in Blue Springs, according to a media release from police.Hamilton, Jr., and Matlock were both shot and EMS transported them to local hospitals where both&nbsp; were later declared deceased. &nbsp;A 17-year-old boy was also shot and received non-life-threatening injuries. Police have no suspect is in custody and have not reported any suspect information.

Police ID two young adults who died in KC park shooting

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House sent two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/alejandro-mayorkas">Alejandro Mayorkas</a>&nbsp;to the Senate on Tuesday, forcing a trial on allegations that he has “willfully and systematically” refused to enforce immigration laws.

<a href="https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2024/01/Articles-of-Impeachment.pdf">Click here to read full</a> articles of impeachment against Sec. Mayorkas

While the Senate is obligated to hold a trial under the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mayorkas-impeachment-senate-border-a3db11783bbcb197e3e30a3ebad26ed6">rules of impeachment</a>&nbsp;once the charges are walked across the Capitol, the proceedings may not last long. Democrats are expected to try to dismiss or table the charges later this week before the full arguments get underway.

After delivering the articles, the Republican prosecutors appointed by House Speaker Mike Johnson stood in the well of the Senate. The Senate sergeant-at-arms, the chamber’s top security official, called the session to order with a “hear ye! hear ye!” and a notice that “all persons are commanded to keep silence, on pain of imprisonment.”

The House Homeland Security Committee chairman, Mark Green, a Tennessee Republican who is one of the impeachment managers, read the articles aloud as most senators sat in their seats, following along with their own paper copies.

Republicans have argued there should be a full trial. As Johnson signed the articles Monday in preparation for sending them across the Capitol, he said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer should convene a trial to “hold those who engineered this crisis to full account.”

Schumer “is the only impediment to delivering accountability for the American people,” Johnson said. “Pursuant to the Constitution, the House demands a trial.”

After Tuesday's ceremonial procession and presentation of the articles, the proceedings will not begin until Wednesday. Senators will be sworn in as jurors, turning the chamber into the court of impeachment. The Senate will then issue a summons to Mayorkas to inform him of the charges and ask for a written answer. He will not have to appear.

The entire process could be done within hours on Wednesday. Majority Democrats have said the GOP case against Mayorkas doesn’t rise to the “high crimes and misdemeanors” laid out as a bar for impeachment in the Constitution, and Schumer probably has enough votes to end the trial immediately if he decides to do so.

Schumer has said he wants to “address this issue as expeditiously as possible.”

“Impeachment should never be used to settle a policy disagreement,” Schumer said. “That would set a horrible precedent for the Congress.”

The House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-mayorkas-impeachment-vote-border-security-80cbd5bbb8f512c6814f155f825a1214">narrowly voted</a>&nbsp;in February to impeach Mayorkas for his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. House Republicans charged in two articles of impeachment that Mayorkas has not only refused to enforce existing law but also breached the public trust by lying to Congress and saying the border was secure. It was the first time in nearly 150 years a Cabinet secretary was impeached.

Since then, Johnson has delayed sending the articles to the Senate for weeks while both chambers finished work on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-shutdown-budget-speaker-johnson-85dc1e93f6c49c154c02a166d0e8e784">government funding</a>&nbsp;legislation and took a two-week recess. Johnson had said he would send them to the Senate last week, but he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mayorkas-impeachment-house-speaker-johnson-border-534cbf59e92c9cf141bba1ff38dc01cf">punted again</a>&nbsp;after Senate Republicans said they wanted more time to prepare.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the Senate's No. 2 Republican, has said the Senate needs to hold a full trial at which it can examine the evidence against Mayorkas and come to a conclusion.

“This is an absolute debacle at the southern border," Thune said. “It is a national security crisis. There needs to be accountability.”

House impeachment managers previewed some of their arguments at a hearing with Mayorkas on Tuesday morning on President Joe Biden's budget request for the department.

Green, the chairman of the House Homeland Security panel, told the secretary that he has a duty under the law to control and guard U.S. borders, and “during your three years as secretary, you have failed to fulfill this oath. You have refused to comply with the laws passed by Congress, and you have breached the public trust.”

Mayorkas defended the department's efforts but said the nation's immigration system is “fundamentally broken, and only Congress can fix it."

Other impeachment managers are Michael McCaul of Texas, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ben Cline of Virginia, Andrew Garbarino of New York, Michael Guest of Mississippi, Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Laurel Lee of Florida, August Plfuger of Texas and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

At a press conference with a group of Republican senators after the articles were delivered, the impeachment managers demanded that Schumer move forward with their case.

“The voice of the people is very clear,” said Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “Secure the border and impeach this man, this criminal.”

Exactly how Democrats will proceed on Wednesday is still unclear. Impeachment rules generally allow the Senate majority to decide how to manage the trial, and Schumer has not said exactly what he will do.

After the jurors are sworn in, Senate Republicans are likely to try to raise a series of objections if Schumer calls a vote to dismiss or table. But ultimately they cannot block a dismissal if majority Democrats have the votes.

Some Republicans have said they would like time to debate whether Mayorkas should be impeached, even though debate time is usually not included in impeachment proceedings. Negotiations were underway between the two parties over whether Schumer may allow that time and give senators in both parties a chance to discuss the impeachment before it is dismissed.

While most Republicans oppose quick dismissal, some have hinted they could vote with Democrats.

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said last week he wasn't sure what he would do if there were a move to dismiss the trial. “I think it’s virtually certain that there will not be the conviction of someone when the constitutional test has not been met,” he said.

At the same time, Romney said he wants to at least express his view that “Mayorkas has done a terrible job, but he’s following the direction of the president and has not met the constitutional test of a high crime or misdemeanor.”

In any case, Republicans would not be able to win the support of the two-thirds of the Senate that is needed to convict and remove Mayorkas from office. Democrats control the Senate, 51-49, and they appear to be united against the impeachment effort. Not one House Democrat supported it, either.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who is facing a tough reelection bid in Ohio, called the impeachment trial a “distraction," arguing that Republicans should instead support a bipartisan border compromise they scuttled earlier this year.

If Democrats are unable to dismiss or table the articles, they could follow the precedent of several impeachment trials for federal judges over the last century and hold a vote to create a trial committee that would investigate the charges. While there is sufficient precedent for this approach, Democrats may prefer to end the process completely, especially in a presidential election year when immigration and border security are top issues.

If the Senate were to proceed to an impeachment trial, it would be the third in five years. Democrats impeached President Donald Trump twice, once over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-elections-politics-election-2020-d78192d45b176f73ad435ae9fb926ed3">his dealings with Ukraine</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-vote-capitol-siege-0a6f2a348a6e43f27d5e1dc486027860">a second time</a>&nbsp;in the days after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2021-united-states-capitol-riot">the Jan. 6, 2021, attack</a>&nbsp;on the Capitol.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-ut-state-wire-acquittals-politics-93c85dcfb0e6b2185391965e77ebea51">Trump was acquitted</a>&nbsp;by the Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-trials-impeachments-b245b52fd7d4a079ae199c954baba452">both times</a>.

At a trial, senators would be forced to sit in their seats for the duration, maybe weeks, while the House impeachment managers and lawyers representing Mayorkas make their cases. The Senate is allowed to call witnesses, as well, if it so decides, and it can ask questions of both sides after the opening arguments are finished.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713313631127.png" alt="Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (left aisle) watches as the articles of impeachment arrive in the Senate Tuesday-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (left aisle) watches as the articles of impeachment arrive in the Senate Tuesday-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The House sent two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/alejandro-mayorkas">Alejandro Mayorkas</a>&nbsp;to the Senate on Tuesday, forcing a trial on allegations that he has “willfully and systematically” refused to enforce immigration laws.<a href="https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2024/01/Articles-of-Impeachment.pdf">Click here to read full</a> articles of impeachment against Sec. Mayorkas<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">WATCH: House impeachment managers deliver articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the U.S. Senate. <a href="https://t.co/dNCsJ3Qgeu">pic.twitter.com/dNCsJ3Qgeu</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1780306614072783343?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>While the Senate is obligated to hold a trial under the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mayorkas-impeachment-senate-border-a3db11783bbcb197e3e30a3ebad26ed6">rules of impeachment</a>&nbsp;once the charges are walked across the Capitol, the proceedings may not last long. Democrats are expected to try to dismiss or table the charges later this week before the full arguments get underway.After delivering the articles, the Republican prosecutors appointed by House Speaker Mike Johnson stood in the well of the Senate. The Senate sergeant-at-arms, the chamber’s top security official, called the session to order with a “hear ye! hear ye!” and a notice that “all persons are commanded to keep silence, on pain of imprisonment.”The House Homeland Security Committee chairman, Mark Green, a Tennessee Republican who is one of the impeachment managers, read the articles aloud as most senators sat in their seats, following along with their own paper copies.Republicans have argued there should be a full trial. As Johnson signed the articles Monday in preparation for sending them across the Capitol, he said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer should convene a trial to “hold those who engineered this crisis to full account.”Schumer “is the only impediment to delivering accountability for the American people,” Johnson said. “Pursuant to the Constitution, the House demands a trial.”After Tuesday's ceremonial procession and presentation of the articles, the proceedings will not begin until Wednesday. Senators will be sworn in as jurors, turning the chamber into the court of impeachment. The Senate will then issue a summons to Mayorkas to inform him of the charges and ask for a written answer. He will not have to appear.The entire process could be done within hours on Wednesday. Majority Democrats have said the GOP case against Mayorkas doesn’t rise to the “high crimes and misdemeanors” laid out as a bar for impeachment in the Constitution, and Schumer probably has enough votes to end the trial immediately if he decides to do so.Schumer has said he wants to “address this issue as expeditiously as possible.”“Impeachment should never be used to settle a policy disagreement,” Schumer said. “That would set a horrible precedent for the Congress.”The House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-mayorkas-impeachment-vote-border-security-80cbd5bbb8f512c6814f155f825a1214">narrowly voted</a>&nbsp;in February to impeach Mayorkas for his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. House Republicans charged in two articles of impeachment that Mayorkas has not only refused to enforce existing law but also breached the public trust by lying to Congress and saying the border was secure. It was the first time in nearly 150 years a Cabinet secretary was impeached.Since then, Johnson has delayed sending the articles to the Senate for weeks while both chambers finished work on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-shutdown-budget-speaker-johnson-85dc1e93f6c49c154c02a166d0e8e784">government funding</a>&nbsp;legislation and took a two-week recess. Johnson had said he would send them to the Senate last week, but he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mayorkas-impeachment-house-speaker-johnson-border-534cbf59e92c9cf141bba1ff38dc01cf">punted again</a>&nbsp;after Senate Republicans said they wanted more time to prepare.South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the Senate's No. 2 Republican, has said the Senate needs to hold a full trial at which it can examine the evidence against Mayorkas and come to a conclusion.“This is an absolute debacle at the southern border," Thune said. “It is a national security crisis. There needs to be accountability.”House impeachment managers previewed some of their arguments at a hearing with Mayorkas on Tuesday morning on President Joe Biden's budget request for the department.Green, the chairman of the House Homeland Security panel, told the secretary that he has a duty under the law to control and guard U.S. borders, and “during your three years as secretary, you have failed to fulfill this oath. You have refused to comply with the laws passed by Congress, and you have breached the public trust.”Mayorkas defended the department's efforts but said the nation's immigration system is “fundamentally broken, and only Congress can fix it."Other impeachment managers are Michael McCaul of Texas, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ben Cline of Virginia, Andrew Garbarino of New York, Michael Guest of Mississippi, Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Laurel Lee of Florida, August Plfuger of Texas and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.At a press conference with a group of Republican senators after the articles were delivered, the impeachment managers demanded that Schumer move forward with their case.“The voice of the people is very clear,” said Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “Secure the border and impeach this man, this criminal.”Exactly how Democrats will proceed on Wednesday is still unclear. Impeachment rules generally allow the Senate majority to decide how to manage the trial, and Schumer has not said exactly what he will do.After the jurors are sworn in, Senate Republicans are likely to try to raise a series of objections if Schumer calls a vote to dismiss or table. But ultimately they cannot block a dismissal if majority Democrats have the votes.Some Republicans have said they would like time to debate whether Mayorkas should be impeached, even though debate time is usually not included in impeachment proceedings. Negotiations were underway between the two parties over whether Schumer may allow that time and give senators in both parties a chance to discuss the impeachment before it is dismissed.While most Republicans oppose quick dismissal, some have hinted they could vote with Democrats.Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said last week he wasn't sure what he would do if there were a move to dismiss the trial. “I think it’s virtually certain that there will not be the conviction of someone when the constitutional test has not been met,” he said.At the same time, Romney said he wants to at least express his view that “Mayorkas has done a terrible job, but he’s following the direction of the president and has not met the constitutional test of a high crime or misdemeanor.”In any case, Republicans would not be able to win the support of the two-thirds of the Senate that is needed to convict and remove Mayorkas from office. Democrats control the Senate, 51-49, and they appear to be united against the impeachment effort. Not one House Democrat supported it, either.Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who is facing a tough reelection bid in Ohio, called the impeachment trial a “distraction," arguing that Republicans should instead support a bipartisan border compromise they scuttled earlier this year.If Democrats are unable to dismiss or table the articles, they could follow the precedent of several impeachment trials for federal judges over the last century and hold a vote to create a trial committee that would investigate the charges. While there is sufficient precedent for this approach, Democrats may prefer to end the process completely, especially in a presidential election year when immigration and border security are top issues.If the Senate were to proceed to an impeachment trial, it would be the third in five years. Democrats impeached President Donald Trump twice, once over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-elections-politics-election-2020-d78192d45b176f73ad435ae9fb926ed3">his dealings with Ukraine</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-vote-capitol-siege-0a6f2a348a6e43f27d5e1dc486027860">a second time</a>&nbsp;in the days after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2021-united-states-capitol-riot">the Jan. 6, 2021, attack</a>&nbsp;on the Capitol.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-ut-state-wire-acquittals-politics-93c85dcfb0e6b2185391965e77ebea51">Trump was acquitted</a>&nbsp;by the Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-trials-impeachments-b245b52fd7d4a079ae199c954baba452">both times</a>.At a trial, senators would be forced to sit in their seats for the duration, maybe weeks, while the House impeachment managers and lawyers representing Mayorkas make their cases. The Senate is allowed to call witnesses, as well, if it so decides, and it can ask questions of both sides after the opening arguments are finished.

Read the Mayorkas impeachment articles delivered to the U.S. Senate

TEXAS COUNTY, Oklahoma —On Tuesday, the Office of the Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner positively identified the two deceased persons from Texas County as 27-year-old Veronica Butler and 39-year-old Jilian Kelley, according to a statement from Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Butler and Kelley of Hugoton, Kansas, had arranged with the grandmother of Butler’s two children to meet at a highway intersection on the morning of March 30 and pick up the 6- and 8-year-old.

“This case did not end the way we had hoped. It’s certainly been a tragedy for everyone involved,” Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Director Aungela Spurlock said.

The four people arrested Saturday on charges of kidnapping and first-degree murder are the grandmother, Tifany Adams, 54; her boyfriend Tad Cullum, 43; Cora Twombly, 44; and her husband Cole Twombly, 50. All meet regularly with several others in a group they call “God’s Misfits,” their arrest affidavits said. Relatives of Tad Cullum and the Twomblys did not immediately return phone messages seeking comment. Tifany Adams’ stepmother, Elise Adams, said she had no information on the case.

Butler’s family found the vehicle just a few miles from the meet-up spot after the women missed the party in Kansas. It was a gruesome scene.

“Blood was found on the roadway and the edge of the roadway. Butler’s glasses were also found in the roadway south of the vehicle, near a broken hammer. A pistol magazine was found inside Kelley’s purse at the scene, but no pistol was found,” the affidavits said.

Investigators gathered evidence that the killings were planned, with Adams buying pre-paid “burner” cellphones to communicate and five stun guns at a nearby store. Her internet searches included asking about pain levels using the weapons, the affidavits said.

A teenage witness told authorities that Cora Twombly said that at one point, “the plan was to throw an anvil through Butler’s windshield while driving, making it look like an accident because anvils regularly fall off of work vehicles.”

The affidavits said Butler and Adams were in a “problematic custody battle.” Adams’ son was in a rehabilitation facility hours away in Oklahoma City, and Butler was allowed only supervised visits each Saturday. Kelley, the wife of a pastor in Hugoton, was Butler’s court-authorized choice to supervise visitations.

The Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals had directed a trial judge in 2022 to give the children’s parents shared custody. The ruling described them as “very young and immature parents” who accused each other of “inappropriate behavior and choices,” but said “the children are nurtured and comforted by Mother” and ”happy and excited to be with Father.”

Butler's request for more time with her children and unsupervised visitation was likely to be granted at a hearing in April, Butler’s attorney told investigators.

On March 23, with a court date looming, Adams bought the stun guns. On March 29, Cullum used heavy equipment to dig a hole in a pasture he rented, not far from the meet-up site, the affidavits said.

Authorities wouldn’t say at Monday’s news conference where the bodies were found, but the affidavits said some of the “burner phones” stopped transmitting that morning in the vicinity of the pasture, where “a hole had been dug and filled back in and then covered with hay.”

It wasn’t entirely clear where the children were during the search. Adams told investigators that she had left them in the care of another couple on March 29 and 30; the affidavits said that couple regularly hosted the “God’s Misfits” meetings.

Authorities said the affidavits weren’t unsealed until after the children’s safety was assured. “We were successful. No shots were fired and the children were kept out of harm’s way," said District Attorney George Leach III.

The four people charged are being held without bond in the Texas County Jail pending court appearances Wednesday, said Texas County Court Clerk Renee Ellis. Court records don’t indicate whether any have an attorney speak on their behalf.

“I don’t know a thing about her business,” Elise Adams said when asked about Tifany Adams. “All I can tell you about her is she was a wonderful step-daughter to me.”

OSBI spokesman Hunter McKee said the bodies' identities and causes of death are pending a medical examiner’s report.

“This case is tragic,” McKee said. “You have two people who are dead and four people who committed an absolutely brutal crime.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712053989356.png" alt="Jilian Kelley and Veronica Butler-photo OSBI" />
 <figcaption>Jilian Kelley and Veronica Butler-photo OSBI</figcaption>
 </figure>TEXAS COUNTY, Oklahoma —On Tuesday, the Office of the Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner positively identified the two deceased persons from Texas County as 27-year-old Veronica Butler and 39-year-old Jilian Kelley, according to a statement from Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.Butler and Kelley of Hugoton, Kansas, had arranged with the grandmother of Butler’s two children to meet at a highway intersection on the morning of March 30 and pick up the 6- and 8-year-old.“This case did not end the way we had hoped. It’s certainly been a tragedy for everyone involved,” Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Director Aungela Spurlock said.The four people arrested Saturday on charges of kidnapping and first-degree murder are the grandmother, Tifany Adams, 54; her boyfriend Tad Cullum, 43; Cora Twombly, 44; and her husband Cole Twombly, 50. All meet regularly with several others in a group they call “God’s Misfits,” their arrest affidavits said. Relatives of Tad Cullum and the Twomblys did not immediately return phone messages seeking comment. Tifany Adams’ stepmother, Elise Adams, said she had no information on the case.Butler’s family found the vehicle just a few miles from the meet-up spot after the women missed the party in Kansas. It was a gruesome scene.“Blood was found on the roadway and the edge of the roadway. Butler’s glasses were also found in the roadway south of the vehicle, near a broken hammer. A pistol magazine was found inside Kelley’s purse at the scene, but no pistol was found,” the affidavits said.Investigators gathered evidence that the killings were planned, with Adams buying pre-paid “burner” cellphones to communicate and five stun guns at a nearby store. Her internet searches included asking about pain levels using the weapons, the affidavits said.A teenage witness told authorities that Cora Twombly said that at one point, “the plan was to throw an anvil through Butler’s windshield while driving, making it look like an accident because anvils regularly fall off of work vehicles.”The affidavits said Butler and Adams were in a “problematic custody battle.” Adams’ son was in a rehabilitation facility hours away in Oklahoma City, and Butler was allowed only supervised visits each Saturday. Kelley, the wife of a pastor in Hugoton, was Butler’s court-authorized choice to supervise visitations.The Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals had directed a trial judge in 2022 to give the children’s parents shared custody. The ruling described them as “very young and immature parents” who accused each other of “inappropriate behavior and choices,” but said “the children are nurtured and comforted by Mother” and ”happy and excited to be with Father.”Butler's request for more time with her children and unsupervised visitation was likely to be granted at a hearing in April, Butler’s attorney told investigators.On March 23, with a court date looming, Adams bought the stun guns. On March 29, Cullum used heavy equipment to dig a hole in a pasture he rented, not far from the meet-up site, the affidavits said.Authorities wouldn’t say at Monday’s news conference where the bodies were found, but the affidavits said some of the “burner phones” stopped transmitting that morning in the vicinity of the pasture, where “a hole had been dug and filled back in and then covered with hay.”It wasn’t entirely clear where the children were during the search. Adams told investigators that she had left them in the care of another couple on March 29 and 30; the affidavits said that couple regularly hosted the “God’s Misfits” meetings.Authorities said the affidavits weren’t unsealed until after the children’s safety was assured. “We were successful. No shots were fired and the children were kept out of harm’s way," said District Attorney George Leach III.The four people charged are being held without bond in the Texas County Jail pending court appearances Wednesday, said Texas County Court Clerk Renee Ellis. Court records don’t indicate whether any have an attorney speak on their behalf.“I don’t know a thing about her business,” Elise Adams said when asked about Tifany Adams. “All I can tell you about her is she was a wonderful step-daughter to me.”OSBI spokesman Hunter McKee said the bodies' identities and causes of death are pending a medical examiner’s report.“This case is tragic,” McKee said. “You have two people who are dead and four people who committed an absolutely brutal crime.”

Medical examiner positively IDs bodies as SW Kansas moms

RENO COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating after sheriff's deputies responded to a residence in Nickerson on April 11 to check the welfare of animals.

Deputies found the home had several cats, dogs and other animals inside the house, according to a media release from the Hutchinson Animal Shelter.&nbsp; Deputies were unable to to contact someone at the home. Deputies contacted other family members to find the residents.

On April 12, deputies began working with the Reno County Attorney's office, the Human Society of the United States and several other animal shelters in an attempt to find&nbsp; placement for the animals when the time was necessary.

Ultimately a resident exited the home to talk with deputies. A search warrant was served and with assistance of the Hutchinson Animal Shelter, 49 animals were removed from the home.&nbsp; The animals are being treated for upper respiratory sickness and evaluated for other illness.

&nbsp;Some animals were microchipped and their owners will be contacted.

The sheriff asks anyone with missing pets to contact the Hutchinson Animal Shelter, 1 dog, 20 cats; Kingman Animal Shelter, 4 dogs, 2 chinchillas, and 1 rabbit; Golden Belt Humane Society Great Bend, 13 cats and Pratt Area Humane Society 8 cats. Photos of your pet are required to confirm identity.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660059518192.jpg" alt="File photo" />
 <figcaption>File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating after sheriff's deputies responded to a residence in Nickerson on April 11 to check the welfare of animals.Deputies found the home had several cats, dogs and other animals inside the house, according to a media release from the Hutchinson Animal Shelter.&nbsp; Deputies were unable to to contact someone at the home. Deputies contacted other family members to find the residents.On April 12, deputies began working with the Reno County Attorney's office, the Human Society of the United States and several other animal shelters in an attempt to find&nbsp; placement for the animals when the time was necessary.Ultimately a resident exited the home to talk with deputies. A search warrant was served and with assistance of the Hutchinson Animal Shelter, 49 animals were removed from the home.&nbsp; The animals are being treated for upper respiratory sickness and evaluated for other illness.&nbsp;Some animals were microchipped and their owners will be contacted.The sheriff asks anyone with missing pets to contact the Hutchinson Animal Shelter, 1 dog, 20 cats; Kingman Animal Shelter, 4 dogs, 2 chinchillas, and 1 rabbit; Golden Belt Humane Society Great Bend, 13 cats and Pratt Area Humane Society 8 cats. Photos of your pet are required to confirm identity.

49 animals confiscated from Kansas home

SMITH COUNTY —There were two confirmed tornado touchdowns early Tuesday in north-central Kansas and south-central Nebraska, according to a preliminary damage report from the National Weather Service in Hastings Nebraska.

One tornado touched down from 1:53 -2a.m. in Smith County. The tornado moved across rural areas of northern Smith County, north of Athol. It had a width of 35 yard and was on the ground for 6.9 miles, according to the National Weather Service. It damaged some trees near its starting point and turned over a small mobile building along its way north. The tornado also passed near a local limestone quarry.&nbsp; The tornado rated EF-0 with estimated maximum winds of 65mph.

The other tornado was reported at 2:28 a.m. in Webster County Nebraska, near Cowles. It was also rated EF-0 with estimated maximum winds of 65mph and was on the ground less than one mile in open country before crossing U.S. 281 a couple of miles northwest of Cowles. The tornado caused minor damage to some trees and a corn field. There were no injuries in either tornado.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713300481416.png" alt="Path of the Smith County tornado -image NWS Hastings" />
 <figcaption>Path of the Smith County tornado -image NWS Hastings</figcaption>
 </figure>SMITH COUNTY —There were two confirmed tornado touchdowns early Tuesday in north-central Kansas and south-central Nebraska, according to a preliminary damage report from the National Weather Service in Hastings Nebraska.One tornado touched down from 1:53 -2a.m. in Smith County. The tornado moved across rural areas of northern Smith County, north of Athol. It had a width of 35 yard and was on the ground for 6.9 miles, according to the National Weather Service. It damaged some trees near its starting point and turned over a small mobile building along its way north. The tornado also passed near a local limestone quarry.&nbsp; The tornado rated EF-0 with estimated maximum winds of 65mph.The other tornado was reported at 2:28 a.m. in Webster County Nebraska, near Cowles. It was also rated EF-0 with estimated maximum winds of 65mph and was on the ground less than one mile in open country before crossing U.S. 281 a couple of miles northwest of Cowles. The tornado caused minor damage to some trees and a corn field. There were no injuries in either tornado.

NWS updates damage from north-central Kansas tornado

WARREN COUNTY —Conservation Agent&nbsp;Ashton Crance recently rescued an eagle found with a broken wing in rural Warren County, according to a social media report from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

 The bird was likely hit by a car while scavenging a roadkill opossum. 

Officials with the <a href="https://www.worldbirdsanctuary.org/">World Bird Sanctuary</a> are caring for the eagle and it's expected to make a full recovery.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713197446958.png" alt="Photo Missouri Dept. of Conservation" />
 <figcaption>Photo Missouri Dept. of Conservation</figcaption>
 </figure>WARREN COUNTY —Conservation Agent&nbsp;Ashton Crance recently rescued an eagle found with a broken wing in rural Warren County, according to a social media report from the Missouri Department of Conservation. The bird was likely hit by a car while scavenging a roadkill opossum. Officials with the <a href="https://www.worldbirdsanctuary.org/">World Bird Sanctuary</a> are caring for the eagle and it's expected to make a full recovery.

Conservation agent rescues eagle found with a broken wing 

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a bank robbery in Kansas City.

Just after 10:30a.m.&nbsp; Monday, police responded to a robbery that had just occurred at the the Summit Ridge Credit Union at 3485 NE Ralph Powell Road in Lee's Summit.

 Initial investigation indicates that two black male suspects entered the bank and demanded money before fleeing in a vehicle with an undisclosed amount of currency. 

There were no injuries reported in the incident. The Police Department is working alongside the FBI on the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713226999316.png" alt="The Police Department is working alongside the FBI on the case.-Google image" />
 <figcaption>The Police Department is working alongside the FBI on the case.-Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a bank robbery in Kansas City.Just after 10:30a.m.&nbsp; Monday, police responded to a robbery that had just occurred at the the Summit Ridge Credit Union at 3485 NE Ralph Powell Road in Lee's Summit. Initial investigation indicates that two black male suspects entered the bank and demanded money before fleeing in a vehicle with an undisclosed amount of currency. There were no injuries reported in the incident. The Police Department is working alongside the FBI on the case.

Search underway for 2 Kansas City area bank robbery suspects

By SEAN MURPHY and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH&nbsp;

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Two Kansas women who vanished as they tried to pick up children for a birthday party two weeks ago were killed over a custody dispute involving a group of anti-government Oklahomans calling themselves “God’s Misfits,” authorities said Monday.

Their vehicle was found March 30 along a rural Oklahoma highway with ample evidence of a bloody confrontation, setting off a multi-agency effort to secure the children’s safety while searching for the women and avoiding more violence.

Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, of Hugoton, Kansas, had arranged with the grandmother of Butler’s two children to meet at a highway intersection on the morning of March 30 and pick up the 6- and 8-year-old.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713056452999.png" alt="Counterclockwise from top-43-year-old Tad Bert Cullum; 54-year-old Tifany Machel Adams, 50-year-old Cole Earl Twombly, and 44-year-old Cora Twombly -photos Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation" />
 <figcaption>Counterclockwise from top-43-year-old Tad Bert Cullum; 54-year-old Tifany Machel Adams, 50-year-old Cole Earl Twombly, and 44-year-old Cora Twombly -photos Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation</figcaption>
 </figure>By SEAN MURPHY and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH&nbsp;OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Two Kansas women who vanished as they tried to pick up children for a birthday party two weeks ago were killed over a custody dispute involving a group of anti-government Oklahomans calling themselves “God’s Misfits,” authorities said Monday.Their vehicle was found March 30 along a rural Oklahoma highway with ample evidence of a bloody confrontation, setting off a multi-agency effort to secure the children’s safety while searching for the women and avoiding more violence.Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, of Hugoton, Kansas, had arranged with the grandmother of Butler’s two children to meet at a highway intersection on the morning of March 30 and pick up the 6- and 8-year-old.“This case did not end the way we had hoped. It’s certainly been a tragedy for everyone involved,” Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Director Aungela Spurlock said.The four people arrested Saturday on charges of kidnapping and first-degree murder are the grandmother, Tifany Adams, 54; her boyfriend Tad Cullum, 43; Cora Twombly, 44; and her husband Cole Twombly, 50. All meet regularly with several others in a group they call “God’s Misfits,” their arrest affidavits said. Relatives of Tad Cullum and the Twomblys did not immediately return phone messages seeking comment. Tifany Adams’ stepmother, Elise Adams, said she had no information on the case.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712053989356.png" alt="Jilian Kelley and Veronica Butler-photo OSBI" />
 <figcaption>Jilian Kelley and Veronica Butler-photo OSBI</figcaption>
 </figure>Butler’s family found the vehicle just a few miles from the meet-up spot after the women missed the party in Kansas. It was a gruesome scene.“Blood was found on the roadway and the edge of the roadway. Butler’s glasses were also found in the roadway south of the vehicle, near a broken hammer. A pistol magazine was found inside Kelley’s purse at the scene, but no pistol was found,” the affidavits said.Investigators gathered evidence that the killings were planned, with Adams buying pre-paid “burner” cellphones to communicate and five stun guns at a nearby store. Her internet searches included asking about pain levels using the weapons, the affidavits said.A teenage witness told authorities that Cora Twombly said that at one point, “the plan was to throw an anvil through Butler’s windshield while driving, making it look like an accident because anvils regularly fall off of work vehicles.”The affidavits said Butler and Adams were in a “problematic custody battle.” Adams’ son was in a rehabilitation facility hours away in Oklahoma City, and Butler was allowed only supervised visits each Saturday. Kelley, the wife of a pastor in Hugoton, was Butler’s court-authorized choice to supervise visitations.The Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals had directed a trial judge in 2022 to give the children’s parents shared custody. The ruling described them as “very young and immature parents” who accused each other of “inappropriate behavior and choices,” but said “the children are nurtured and comforted by Mother” and ”happy and excited to be with Father.”Butler's request for more time with her children and unsupervised visitation was likely to be granted at a hearing in April, Butler’s attorney told investigators.On March 23, with a court date looming, Adams bought the stun guns. On March 29, Cullum used heavy equipment to dig a hole in a pasture he rented, not far from the meet-up site, the affidavits said.Authorities wouldn’t say at Monday’s news conference where the bodies were found, but the affidavits said some of the “burner phones” stopped transmitting that morning in the vicinity of the pasture, where “a hole had been dug and filled back in and then covered with hay.”It wasn’t entirely clear where the children were during the search. Adams told investigators that she had left them in the care of another couple on March 29 and 30; the affidavits said that couple regularly hosted the “God’s Misfits” meetings.Authorities said the affidavits weren’t unsealed until after the children’s safety was assured. “We were successful. No shots were fired and the children were kept out of harm’s way," said District Attorney George Leach III.The four people charged are being held without bond in the Texas County Jail pending court appearances Wednesday, said Texas County Court Clerk Renee Ellis. Court records don’t indicate whether any have an attorney speak on their behalf.“I don’t know a thing about her business,” Elise Adams said when asked about Tifany Adams. “All I can tell you about her is she was a wonderful step-daughter to me.”OSBI spokesman Hunter McKee said the bodies' identities and causes of death are pending a medical examiner’s report.“This case is tragic,” McKee said. “You have two people who are dead and four people who committed an absolutely brutal crime.”___

Group known as ‘God’s Misfits’ accused in killing of 2 Kan. women

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defiant and determined, House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;pushed back Tuesday against mounting Republican anger over his proposed U.S. aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other allies, and rejected a call to step aside or risk a vote to oust him from office.

“I am not resigning,” Johnson said after a testy morning meeting of fellow House Republicans at the Capitol

Johnson referred to himself as a “wartime speaker” of the House and indicated in his strongest self-defense yet he would press forward with a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-ukraine-house-speaker-42a2f281a5437beaa8af4c3345987637">U.S. national security aid package</a>, a situation that would force him to rely on Democrats to help pass it, over objections from his weakened majority.

“We are simply here trying to do our jobs,” Johnson said, calling the motion to oust him “absurd ... not helpful.”

Tuesday brought a definitive shift in tone from both the House Republicans and the speaker himself at a pivotal moment as the embattled leader tries, against the wishes of his majority, to marshal the votes needed to send the stalled national security aid for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-iran-hamas-latest-04-16-2024-2d556f46e9dd08b68930f86777524b21">Israel</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-conscription-law-a8ccc48e6c15276c5b5035288ed016ee">Ukraine</a>&nbsp;and other overseas allies to passage.

Johnson appeared emboldened by his meeting late last week with Donald Trump when the Republican former president threw him a political lifeline with a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-speaker-johnson-maralago-congress-c6eaace204882df054795cf70a5fe60a">nod of support</a>&nbsp;after their private talk at Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida. At his own press conference Tuesday, Johnson spoke of the importance of ensuring Trump, who is now at his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/trump-trial-hush-money-updates-april-16">criminal trial</a>&nbsp;in New York, is re-elected to the White House.

Johnson also spoke over the weekend with President Joe Biden as well as other congressional leaders about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-ukraine-aid-house-speaker-johnson-912a7419b00749fbc2f472df93f67bb1">emerging U.S. aid package</a>, which the speaker plans to move in separate votes for each section — with bills for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific region. He spoke about it with Biden again late Monday.

It's a complicated approach that breaks apart the Senate's $95 billion aid package for separate votes, and then stitches it back together for the president's signature.

The approach will require the speaker to cobble together bipartisan majorities with different factions of House Republicans and Democrats on each measure. Additionally, Johnson is preparing a fourth measure that would include various Republican-preferred national security priorities, such as a plan to seize some Russian assets in U.S. banks to help fund Ukraine and another to turn the economic aid for Ukraine into loans.

The plan is not an automatic deal-breaker for Democrats in the House and Senate, with leaders refraining from comment until they see the actual text of the measure, due out later Tuesday.

House Republicans, however, were livid that Johnson will be leaving their top priority — efforts to impose more security at the U.S.-Mexico border — on the sidelines. Some predicted Johnson will not be able to push ahead with voting on the package this week, as planned..

Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., called the morning meeting an “argument fest.”

She said Johnson was "most definitely'' losing support for the plan, but he seemed undeterred in trying to move forward despite “what the majority of the Conference” of Republicans wanted.

When the speaker said the House GOP's priority border security bill H.R. 2 would not be considered germane to the package, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a chief sponsor, said it's for the House to determine which provisions and amendments are relevant.

“Things are very unresolved,” Roy said.

Roy said said Republicans want “to be united. They just have to be able to figure out how to do it.”

The speaker faces a threat of ouster from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., the top Trump ally who has filed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/speaker-johnson-motion-vacate-marjorie-taylor-greene-3461bd8b95e718e178132ac16f36562a">motion to vacate the speaker</a>&nbsp;from office in a snap vote — much the way Republicans ousted their former speaker, Kevin McCarthy, last fall..

While Greene has not said if or when she will force the issue, and has not found much support for her plan after last year's turmoil over McCarthy's exit, she drew at least one key supporter Tuesday.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., rose in the meeting and suggested Johnson should step aside, pointing to the example of John Boehner, an even earlier House speaker who announced an early resignation in 2015 rather than risk a vote to oust him, according to Republicans in the room.

“Speaker Johnson must announce a resignation date and allow Republicans to elect a new Speaker to put America First and pass a Republican agenda,” Greene wrote on social media, thanking Massie for his support for her motion to vacate.

Johnson did not respond, according to Republicans in the room, but told the lawmakers they have a "binary" choice" before them.

The speaker explained they either try to pass the package as he is proposing or risk facing a discharge petition from Democrats that would force a vote on their preferred package — the Senate approved measure. But that would leave behind the extra Republican priorities.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defiant and determined, House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;pushed back Tuesday against mounting Republican anger over his proposed U.S. aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other allies, and rejected a call to step aside or risk a vote to oust him from office.“I am not resigning,” Johnson said after a testy morning meeting of fellow House Republicans at the Capitol<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerJohnson</a> on calls for his resignation and possible motion to vacate the chair: &quot;I am not resigning and it is in my view an absurd notion that someone would bring a vacate motion when we are simply here trying to do our jobs.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/R0fR3re7JQ">pic.twitter.com/R0fR3re7JQ</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1780248122024702030?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Johnson referred to himself as a “wartime speaker” of the House and indicated in his strongest self-defense yet he would press forward with a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-ukraine-house-speaker-42a2f281a5437beaa8af4c3345987637">U.S. national security aid package</a>, a situation that would force him to rely on Democrats to help pass it, over objections from his weakened majority.“We are simply here trying to do our jobs,” Johnson said, calling the motion to oust him “absurd ... not helpful.”Tuesday brought a definitive shift in tone from both the House Republicans and the speaker himself at a pivotal moment as the embattled leader tries, against the wishes of his majority, to marshal the votes needed to send the stalled national security aid for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-iran-hamas-latest-04-16-2024-2d556f46e9dd08b68930f86777524b21">Israel</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-conscription-law-a8ccc48e6c15276c5b5035288ed016ee">Ukraine</a>&nbsp;and other overseas allies to passage.Johnson appeared emboldened by his meeting late last week with Donald Trump when the Republican former president threw him a political lifeline with a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-speaker-johnson-maralago-congress-c6eaace204882df054795cf70a5fe60a">nod of support</a>&nbsp;after their private talk at Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida. At his own press conference Tuesday, Johnson spoke of the importance of ensuring Trump, who is now at his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/trump-trial-hush-money-updates-april-16">criminal trial</a>&nbsp;in New York, is re-elected to the White House.Johnson also spoke over the weekend with President Joe Biden as well as other congressional leaders about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-ukraine-aid-house-speaker-johnson-912a7419b00749fbc2f472df93f67bb1">emerging U.S. aid package</a>, which the speaker plans to move in separate votes for each section — with bills for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific region. He spoke about it with Biden again late Monday.It's a complicated approach that breaks apart the Senate's $95 billion aid package for separate votes, and then stitches it back together for the president's signature.The approach will require the speaker to cobble together bipartisan majorities with different factions of House Republicans and Democrats on each measure. Additionally, Johnson is preparing a fourth measure that would include various Republican-preferred national security priorities, such as a plan to seize some Russian assets in U.S. banks to help fund Ukraine and another to turn the economic aid for Ukraine into loans.The plan is not an automatic deal-breaker for Democrats in the House and Senate, with leaders refraining from comment until they see the actual text of the measure, due out later Tuesday.House Republicans, however, were livid that Johnson will be leaving their top priority — efforts to impose more security at the U.S.-Mexico border — on the sidelines. Some predicted Johnson will not be able to push ahead with voting on the package this week, as planned..Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., called the morning meeting an “argument fest.”She said Johnson was "most definitely'' losing support for the plan, but he seemed undeterred in trying to move forward despite “what the majority of the Conference” of Republicans wanted.When the speaker said the House GOP's priority border security bill H.R. 2 would not be considered germane to the package, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a chief sponsor, said it's for the House to determine which provisions and amendments are relevant.“Things are very unresolved,” Roy said.Roy said said Republicans want “to be united. They just have to be able to figure out how to do it.”The speaker faces a threat of ouster from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., the top Trump ally who has filed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/speaker-johnson-motion-vacate-marjorie-taylor-greene-3461bd8b95e718e178132ac16f36562a">motion to vacate the speaker</a>&nbsp;from office in a snap vote — much the way Republicans ousted their former speaker, Kevin McCarthy, last fall..While Greene has not said if or when she will force the issue, and has not found much support for her plan after last year's turmoil over McCarthy's exit, she drew at least one key supporter Tuesday.Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., rose in the meeting and suggested Johnson should step aside, pointing to the example of John Boehner, an even earlier House speaker who announced an early resignation in 2015 rather than risk a vote to oust him, according to Republicans in the room.“Speaker Johnson must announce a resignation date and allow Republicans to elect a new Speaker to put America First and pass a Republican agenda,” Greene wrote on social media, thanking Massie for his support for her motion to vacate.Johnson did not respond, according to Republicans in the room, but told the lawmakers they have a "binary" choice" before them.The speaker explained they either try to pass the package as he is proposing or risk facing a discharge petition from Democrats that would force a vote on their preferred package — the Senate approved measure. But that would leave behind the extra Republican priorities.

🎥 House Speaker won't resign, wants a vote on aid for Ukraine, Israel

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

Just after 10:30 pm April 12, officers were dispatched to a shooting in the 1800 block of Hardesty in Kansas City according to Police Captain Jake Becchins. Officers located a man later identified as&nbsp; 38-year-old Pablo Rodriguez inside a vehicle there, unresponsive.

EMS responded transported him to the hospital with life threatening injuries. Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators processed the scene for evidence and canvassed for witnesses that night.

Preliminary investigation indicates that the shooting took place at that location when the victim had an interaction with one or more suspects that escalated into shots being fired, and the victim being struck.

On Monday detectives were notified Rodriguez died from his injuries.&nbsp;

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.Just after 10:30 pm April 12, officers were dispatched to a shooting in the 1800 block of Hardesty in Kansas City according to Police Captain Jake Becchins. Officers located a man later identified as&nbsp; 38-year-old Pablo Rodriguez inside a vehicle there, unresponsive.EMS responded transported him to the hospital with life threatening injuries. Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators processed the scene for evidence and canvassed for witnesses that night.Preliminary investigation indicates that the shooting took place at that location when the victim had an interaction with one or more suspects that escalated into shots being fired, and the victim being struck.On Monday detectives were notified Rodriguez died from his injuries.&nbsp;

Police: Man dies three days after shooting in Kansas City

State appealing federal judge’s injunction to end KHP’s improper vehicle searches

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

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1586208701830.png" alt="" />
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 </figure><h2>State appealing federal judge’s injunction to end KHP’s improper vehicle searches</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A U.S. District Court judge ordered the Kansas Highway Patrol to pay $2.34 million in attorney fees and other costs following a successful challenge to constitutionality of the state law enforcement agency’s practice of detaining motorists and searching vehicles without establishing reasonable suspicion.The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, the national ACLU and the Spencer Fane law firm went to court in 2020 to assert KHP’s policy guiding traffic stops violated the 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution because troopers engaged in unreasonable searches and seizures of cars and trucks in the quest to deter drug trafficking on major highways.On Friday, Vratil issued the financial award in response to a request submitted by plaintiffs in March for more than $3 million in compensation from KHP.“This was an incredibly resource-intensive case, and we are extremely gratified that the district court recognized the value of the tremendous amount of hard work that our entire team of dedicated attorneys and legal staff poured into this case over the past four years,” said Esmie Tseng, spokesperson for ACLU of Kansas. “We believe that such an award serves not only to vindicate our clients’ pursuit for justice, but also to send a message to recalcitrant government agencies that willfully disregard the constitution’s fundamental protections of our civil rights.”Under the KHP’s two-step method, troopers pulled over a motorist for an alleged traffic infraction, completed that interaction and took a few steps away from the vehicle before turning around to ask if the driver would voluntarily answer unrelated questions that might reveal information a trooper could use to order a roadside search of the vehicle. KHP attorneys argued detaining motorists with the “two-step” maneuver was a legal and appropriate action in the war on illegal drugs.U.S. District Court Judge Kathryn Vratil, following jury trials in which verdicts were returned against KHP, issued a permanent injunction in November forbidding the agency from continuing to rely on policies that unconstitutionally transformed basic traffic stops into lengthy vehicle searches by drug-sniffing dogs.“As wars go, this one is relatively easy,” Vratil said. “It’s simple and cheap, and for motorists, it’s not a fair fight. The war is basically a question of numbers: Stop enough cars and you’re bound to discover drugs. And, what’s the harm if a few constitutional rights are trampled along the way?”The federal judge said KHP’s two-step theory on detention of motorists was based on an insufficient grasp of reasonable suspicion and invoked without the “knowing, intelligent and voluntary consent” of people targeted by troopers.Vratil directed KHP to inform motorists when a traffic stop had ended and to tell motorists they were free to leave without consenting to inquiries unrelated to a traffic infraction. She directed troopers to notify drivers they had the right to revoke consent for a vehicle search at any time.Her injunction placed KHP under court supervision for&nbsp;two&nbsp;to four years, mandated instruction of troopers on the difference between reasonable suspicion and mere speculation as it related to traffic stops and imposed requirements for documenting traffic stops, detention of motorists and permission to search a vehicle.An appeal of Vratil’s order filed with the 10th Circuit of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of KHP Col. Erik Smith would seek to preserve the “two-step” approach to gaining access to vehicles that troopers suspected contained illegal drugs. In response, the Court of Appeals stayed enforcement of Vratil’s injunction applicable to KHP’s method of conducting traffic stops.After Vratil declared KHP policy to be unconstitutional in July, the agency’s superintendent said KHP would “endeavor to ensure that our enforcement operations respect constitutional rights and comply with the law as we carry out our mission of service, courtesy and protection.”A spokeswoman for KHP, Candice Breshears, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the financial judgment.One of the ACLU’s plaintiff’s, Joshua Bosire, was awarded $40,000 in 2023 for misconduct by KHP troopers during a traffic stop in 2019.“These practices turn something minor like a traffic violation into a degrading and lengthy roadside detention,” said Sharon Brett, who stepped down as legal director of ACLU of Kansas in March. “When we give police the power to conduct these pretextual stops, assume people to be drug traffickers, and use flimsy justifications to get inside their vehicles to prolong traffic stops, we turn what should be a simple ticket-release scenario into something longer, fraught and complicated.”