WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands more firearms dealers across the United States will have to run background checks on buyers at gun shows or other places outside brick-and-mortar stores, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/gun-politics">a Biden administration rule</a>&nbsp;that will soon go into effect.

<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/04/11/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-action-to-implement-bipartisan-safer-communities-act-expanding-firearm-background-checks-to-fight-gun-crime/">The rule</a>&nbsp;aims to close a loophole that has allowed tens of thousands of guns to be sold every year by unlicensed dealers who do not perform background checks to ensure the potential buyer is not legally prohibited from having a firearm. Gun rights groups are expected to fight it in court.

It's the administration's latest effort to combat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/gun-violence">gun violence</a>. But in a contentious election year, it’s also an effort to show voters — especially younger ones for whom gun violence deeply resonates — that the White House is trying to stop the deaths.

“This is going to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and felons," President Joe Biden said in a statement. "And my administration is going to continue to do everything we possibly can to save lives. Congress needs to finish the job and pass universal background checks legislation now."

The rule, which was finalized this week, makes clear that anyone who sells firearms predominantly to earn a profit must be federally licensed and conduct background checks, regardless of whether they are selling on the internet, at a gun show or at a brick-and-mortar store, Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters.

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/gun-violence">Biden</a>&nbsp;has made curtailing gun violence a major part of his administration and reelection campaign, creating&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/ogvp/">the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention</a>&nbsp;overseen by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-guns-mass-shootings-kamala-harris-e4ae51704d1e065fef0fb656043d6cf0">Vice President Kamala Harris.</a>&nbsp;Biden also has urged Congress to ban so-called assault weapons — something Democrats shied from even just a few years ago.

The rule is likely to be challenged in court by gun rights activists who believe the Democratic president is unfairly targeting gun owners. The National Shooting Sports Foundation, an industry trade group, has warned of a court challenge if the rule was finalized as written.

Lawrence Keane, the group's senior vice president and general counsel, said Thursday that the regulation is under review after contending previously that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was overstepping its legal authority.

Biden administration officials said they are confident the rule, which drew more than 380,000 public comments, would withstand lawsuits.

The administration first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/firearms-dealers-biden-background-checks-gun-violence-d53441dc0242c515b6b1478ab27a5dac">proposed the rule in August</a>, after the passage of the most sweeping gun violence bill in decades, a bipartisan compromise in response to the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Uvalde,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/uvalde-school-shooting">Texas elementary school</a>.

That law expanded the definition of those who are “engaged in the business” of selling firearms, and are required to become licensed by the ATF and therefore run background checks. The rule, which implements the change in the law, will take effect 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register.

There are already roughly 80,000 federally licensed firearms dealers. Administration officials believe the new rule will impact more than 20,000 dealers who have gotten away with selling firearms without a license and performing background checks at places like gun shows and over the internet by claiming they aren't “engaged in the business” of firearm sales.

"Everybody can see that people are not following the law in significant numbers," ATF Director Steve Dettelbach said in an interview. "And it’s just wrong for public safety, it’s wrong for fairness when all these licensed dealers are out there following the rules, for people to think that they don’t have to all play by the same set of rules."

The rule makes clear there are instances when a license is not be needed, such people who occasionally resell firearms to a family member or liquidate their personal collection.

Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who were instrumental in the passage of the gun law, have started an effort to block the rule from going into effect. But that is unlikely to succeed because the president would have the final say.

It comes a week after the ATF released new data that shows&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/firearms-trafficking-atf-gun-straw-dealers-unlicensed-fd07592977bf4512e742513bb68aea7f">more than 68,000 illegally trafficked firearms</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. came through unlicensed dealers who aren’t required to perform background checks over a five-year period. The ATF report also showed that guns trafficked through unlicensed dealers were used in nearly 370 shootings between 2017 and 2021.

Gun control advocates who have long pushed to close the so-called gun show loophole praised the regulation as a big step toward their goal of universal background checks for gun buyers — a Democratic priority that has been blocked by Republicans in Congress.

“Expanding background checks and closing the gun seller loophole is a massive victory for safer communities — and it was made possible thanks to the tireless advocacy of our grassroots movement,” Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action, said in an emailed statement.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands more firearms dealers across the United States will have to run background checks on buyers at gun shows or other places outside brick-and-mortar stores, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/gun-politics">a Biden administration rule</a>&nbsp;that will soon go into effect.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">As the head of the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, I am proud to announce that all gun dealers must conduct background checks no matter where or how they sell. This will save lives and keep our communities safe. <a href="https://t.co/5fe3TmUerR">pic.twitter.com/5fe3TmUerR</a>&mdash; Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) <a href="https://twitter.com/VP/status/1778455677695844822?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/04/11/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-action-to-implement-bipartisan-safer-communities-act-expanding-firearm-background-checks-to-fight-gun-crime/">The rule</a>&nbsp;aims to close a loophole that has allowed tens of thousands of guns to be sold every year by unlicensed dealers who do not perform background checks to ensure the potential buyer is not legally prohibited from having a firearm. Gun rights groups are expected to fight it in court.It's the administration's latest effort to combat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/gun-violence">gun violence</a>. But in a contentious election year, it’s also an effort to show voters — especially younger ones for whom gun violence deeply resonates — that the White House is trying to stop the deaths.“This is going to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and felons," President Joe Biden said in a statement. "And my administration is going to continue to do everything we possibly can to save lives. Congress needs to finish the job and pass universal background checks legislation now."The rule, which was finalized this week, makes clear that anyone who sells firearms predominantly to earn a profit must be federally licensed and conduct background checks, regardless of whether they are selling on the internet, at a gun show or at a brick-and-mortar store, Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters.<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/gun-violence">Biden</a>&nbsp;has made curtailing gun violence a major part of his administration and reelection campaign, creating&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/ogvp/">the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention</a>&nbsp;overseen by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-guns-mass-shootings-kamala-harris-e4ae51704d1e065fef0fb656043d6cf0">Vice President Kamala Harris.</a>&nbsp;Biden also has urged Congress to ban so-called assault weapons — something Democrats shied from even just a few years ago.The rule is likely to be challenged in court by gun rights activists who believe the Democratic president is unfairly targeting gun owners. The National Shooting Sports Foundation, an industry trade group, has warned of a court challenge if the rule was finalized as written.Lawrence Keane, the group's senior vice president and general counsel, said Thursday that the regulation is under review after contending previously that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was overstepping its legal authority.Biden administration officials said they are confident the rule, which drew more than 380,000 public comments, would withstand lawsuits.The administration first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/firearms-dealers-biden-background-checks-gun-violence-d53441dc0242c515b6b1478ab27a5dac">proposed the rule in August</a>, after the passage of the most sweeping gun violence bill in decades, a bipartisan compromise in response to the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Uvalde,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/uvalde-school-shooting">Texas elementary school</a>.That law expanded the definition of those who are “engaged in the business” of selling firearms, and are required to become licensed by the ATF and therefore run background checks. The rule, which implements the change in the law, will take effect 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register.There are already roughly 80,000 federally licensed firearms dealers. Administration officials believe the new rule will impact more than 20,000 dealers who have gotten away with selling firearms without a license and performing background checks at places like gun shows and over the internet by claiming they aren't “engaged in the business” of firearm sales."Everybody can see that people are not following the law in significant numbers," ATF Director Steve Dettelbach said in an interview. "And it’s just wrong for public safety, it’s wrong for fairness when all these licensed dealers are out there following the rules, for people to think that they don’t have to all play by the same set of rules."The rule makes clear there are instances when a license is not be needed, such people who occasionally resell firearms to a family member or liquidate their personal collection.Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who were instrumental in the passage of the gun law, have started an effort to block the rule from going into effect. But that is unlikely to succeed because the president would have the final say.It comes a week after the ATF released new data that shows&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/firearms-trafficking-atf-gun-straw-dealers-unlicensed-fd07592977bf4512e742513bb68aea7f">more than 68,000 illegally trafficked firearms</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. came through unlicensed dealers who aren’t required to perform background checks over a five-year period. The ATF report also showed that guns trafficked through unlicensed dealers were used in nearly 370 shootings between 2017 and 2021.Gun control advocates who have long pushed to close the so-called gun show loophole praised the regulation as a big step toward their goal of universal background checks for gun buyers — a Democratic priority that has been blocked by Republicans in Congress.“Expanding background checks and closing the gun seller loophole is a massive victory for safer communities — and it was made possible thanks to the tireless advocacy of our grassroots movement,” Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action, said in an emailed statement.

🎥 Biden to close ‘gun-show loophole,' expand background checks for firearms

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT&nbsp;Hays Post

More than two years after Karen Schumacher was killed by her husband, the Ellis County Attorney's office reached an agreement in the case that sends her husband, Jay Schumacher, to prison for almost a decade.

However, her family said the plea agreement does not result in justice for Karen.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/99621faa-b187-4fff-9b17-16eef8488c0c">After the plea agreement was made public this week</a>, Schumacher’s only son, Jeremiah Schumacher, contacted the Hays Post to express his displeasure and disappointment with the entire process.

Jeremiah Schumacher said he wanted to see the case go to court because he “wanted the truth to come out. ... And this doesn’t get the truth out.”

He called the agreement a “slap in the face” and said it was “asinine.”

“He beat my mom for 40 years, and you're gonna give him this,” Jeremiah Schumacher said. “What he did was not accidental. What he did was quite deliberate. Did he snap? Maybe. Sure. But it wasn't manslaughter.”

Following several hours of mediation Friday, the Ellis County Attorney’s office and Jay Schumacher’s defense attorneys reached a plea agreement. According to the agreement, Jay Schumacher agreed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated battery and mistreatment of an adult.

All three charges are felony counts that carry a total maximum sentence of 148 months in prison if they are run consecutively. However, because of the Kansas sentencing rule,&nbsp;the most time Jay Schumacher can get behind bars is 142 months, 11 years, and 10 months.

The plea agreement allows Jay Schumacher to request the sentence for the third charge, mistreatment of an adult, to be run at the same time as the first two charges for just 114 months or about nine and a half years in prison. He is also asking to be placed at the Larned State Correctional Facility instead of being placed in the Kansas Department of Corrections system.

Jeremiah Schumacher said he does not believe justice has been served, and that’s why he wanted the case to go to trial.

“Between a doctor that didn't do her job, the police department that didn't do their job in Victoria,” he said. “You know, there was, there's a lot of things I wanted to come out in this.

“I wanted to get some of these people on the stand to ask them directly why they didn't do their job,” Jeremiah Schumacher said. “There is so much to this story that we'll never see the light of day that it's hard to put into words.”

The sentencing in the case will be delayed so Jay Schumacher can go through an evaluation that could lead to his placement at the Larned State Correctional Facility. He was earlier found competent to stand trial.

Jeremiah Schumacher said he believes it's just another attempt to game the system.

“I don't think that my father has any mental issues other than the normal things of aging, as far as memory goes,” Jeremiah Schumacher said. “He has been a master manipulator the entire time I've been alive.

“Because nobody was able to put two and two together that he was doing this to me and my mom,” he said.

Ellis County Assistant Attorney Aaron Cunningham prosecuted the case for the state and said this week he was limited by what he could say publicly because the case is still pending and sentencing has not been held.

“I know that cases like these, in general, are very hard for these victims, and what everyone ultimately wants is impossible. We can’t bring Karen back,” Cunningham said. “I can appreciate the emotional difficulty of this.

“I think it's the state's responsibility to review and assess the strengths of the case, not only from a factual perspective but also to assess any potential legal arguments that could become problematic,” Cunningham said.

Cuningham added, “In reviewing this case, and knowing the potential factual disputes and the potential legal issues that could exist on a trial level or the appellate level, we believe that the resolution in this case avoids those issues.”

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT&nbsp;Hays PostMore than two years after Karen Schumacher was killed by her husband, the Ellis County Attorney's office reached an agreement in the case that sends her husband, Jay Schumacher, to prison for almost a decade.However, her family said the plea agreement does not result in justice for Karen.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/99621faa-b187-4fff-9b17-16eef8488c0c">After the plea agreement was made public this week</a>, Schumacher’s only son, Jeremiah Schumacher, contacted the Hays Post to express his displeasure and disappointment with the entire process.Jeremiah Schumacher said he wanted to see the case go to court because he “wanted the truth to come out. ... And this doesn’t get the truth out.”He called the agreement a “slap in the face” and said it was “asinine.”“He beat my mom for 40 years, and you're gonna give him this,” Jeremiah Schumacher said. “What he did was not accidental. What he did was quite deliberate. Did he snap? Maybe. Sure. But it wasn't manslaughter.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648054388575.jpeg" alt="Karen Schumacher&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Karen Schumacher&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Following several hours of mediation Friday, the Ellis County Attorney’s office and Jay Schumacher’s defense attorneys reached a plea agreement. According to the agreement, Jay Schumacher agreed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated battery and mistreatment of an adult.All three charges are felony counts that carry a total maximum sentence of 148 months in prison if they are run consecutively. However, because of the Kansas sentencing rule,&nbsp;the most time Jay Schumacher can get behind bars is 142 months, 11 years, and 10 months.The plea agreement allows Jay Schumacher to request the sentence for the third charge, mistreatment of an adult, to be run at the same time as the first two charges for just 114 months or about nine and a half years in prison. He is also asking to be placed at the Larned State Correctional Facility instead of being placed in the Kansas Department of Corrections system.Jeremiah Schumacher said he does not believe justice has been served, and that’s why he wanted the case to go to trial.“Between a doctor that didn't do her job, the police department that didn't do their job in Victoria,” he said. “You know, there was, there's a lot of things I wanted to come out in this.“I wanted to get some of these people on the stand to ask them directly why they didn't do their job,” Jeremiah Schumacher said. “There is so much to this story that we'll never see the light of day that it's hard to put into words.”The sentencing in the case will be delayed so Jay Schumacher can go through an evaluation that could lead to his placement at the Larned State Correctional Facility. He was earlier found competent to stand trial.Jeremiah Schumacher said he believes it's just another attempt to game the system.“I don't think that my father has any mental issues other than the normal things of aging, as far as memory goes,” Jeremiah Schumacher said. “He has been a master manipulator the entire time I've been alive.“Because nobody was able to put two and two together that he was doing this to me and my mom,” he said.Ellis County Assistant Attorney Aaron Cunningham prosecuted the case for the state and said this week he was limited by what he could say publicly because the case is still pending and sentencing has not been held.“I know that cases like these, in general, are very hard for these victims, and what everyone ultimately wants is impossible. We can’t bring Karen back,” Cunningham said. “I can appreciate the emotional difficulty of this.“I think it's the state's responsibility to review and assess the strengths of the case, not only from a factual perspective but also to assess any potential legal arguments that could become problematic,” Cunningham said.Cuningham added, “In reviewing this case, and knowing the potential factual disputes and the potential legal issues that could exist on a trial level or the appellate level, we believe that the resolution in this case avoids those issues.”

Son of Kan. women killed by her husband says plea agreement 'slap in face'

KANSAS CITY— A Kansas City Police officer shot during a traffic stop on Monday is now out of the hospital. He will continue to recover at home, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

Just after 10p.m. Monday, police conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle near 46th and Benton in Kansas City, according to Officer Jake Becchina. Officers were conducting an initial investigation regarding potential impairment on the part of the male driver.

 Additional officers responded to the scene to assist. The officers were in the process of placing the suspect into custody at which time the interaction escalated.

The suspect later identified as&nbsp;Dwayne A. Barnes was able to access a firearm and discharge it, striking one of the officers. Additional officers were able to get the suspect into custody and gain control of the firearm. 

The injured officer was transported to the hospital.&nbsp; Barnes is facing&nbsp;two counts of Assault in the 1st Degree, two counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, four counts of Armed Criminal Action and Resisting Arrest, according to the Jackson County Attorney's office.&nbsp; He is being held on a $200,00o bond.

KANSAS CITY— A Kansas City Police officer shot during a traffic stop on Monday is now out of the hospital. He will continue to recover at home, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.Just after 10p.m. Monday, police conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle near 46th and Benton in Kansas City, according to Officer Jake Becchina. Officers were conducting an initial investigation regarding potential impairment on the part of the male driver. Additional officers responded to the scene to assist. The officers were in the process of placing the suspect into custody at which time the interaction escalated.The suspect later identified as&nbsp;Dwayne A. Barnes was able to access a firearm and discharge it, striking one of the officers. Additional officers were able to get the suspect into custody and gain control of the firearm. The injured officer was transported to the hospital.&nbsp; Barnes is facing&nbsp;two counts of Assault in the 1st Degree, two counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, four counts of Armed Criminal Action and Resisting Arrest, according to the Jackson County Attorney's office.&nbsp; He is being held on a $200,00o bond.

KC Police officer shot during traffic stop is released from hospital

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly shooting in Topeka.

Just after 4:30 p.m. Thursday, police responded to a reported shooting Reser's Fine Foods, 3167 SE 10th Street in Topeka, according to police spokesperson Rosie Nichols.

First responders found an individual suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound, who was later pronounced deceased by medical personnel. 

Investigators believe this was an isolated incident that occurred in the parking lot and no other injuries have been reported.&nbsp; Police die not release the name of the victim or report an arrest.

Reser's is a family owned and operated prepared food business, according to the company web site. This is the third homicide investigation of 2024

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712883470826.png" alt="Photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly shooting in Topeka.Just after 4:30 p.m. Thursday, police responded to a reported shooting Reser's Fine Foods, 3167 SE 10th Street in Topeka, according to police spokesperson Rosie Nichols.First responders found an individual suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound, who was later pronounced deceased by medical personnel. Investigators believe this was an isolated incident that occurred in the parking lot and no other injuries have been reported.&nbsp; Police die not release the name of the victim or report an arrest.Reser's is a family owned and operated prepared food business, according to the company web site. This is the third homicide investigation of 2024

Police: One dead in shooting at Kansas food plant

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Four railroads have asked federal appeals courts to throw out a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/two-man-train-crew-railroad-rule-72393a8ad58584ba2c5cdda8f2361130">new rule</a>&nbsp;that would require two-person train crews in most circumstances, saying the mandate is arbitrary, capricious and an illegal abuse of discretion.

The identical challenges of the Federal Railroad Administration's rule were all filed this week in different appellate courts on behalf of Union Pacific, BNSF and two short line railroads — the Indiana Railroad and Florida East Coast Railway.

The new federal requirement, announced last week, was a milestone in organized labor’s long fight to preserve the practice and came amid increasing scrutiny into railroad safety, especially in the wake of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-pete-buttigieg-evacuations-ohio-explosions-64908a6416662b5866809387f210aee5">fiery February 2023 derailment</a>&nbsp;in eastern Ohio.

Most of those railroads didn't immediately offer additional explanation for why they don't like the rule, but the industry has long opposed such a regulation and the Association of American Railroads trade group said last week that the rule was unfounded and not supported by safety data. The Indiana Railroad — like many short lines across the country — already operates with one-person crews, but the major freight railroads all have two-person crews that their union contracts require.

Union Pacific said in a statement that “this rule, which lacks any data showing two people in a cab are safer than one, hinders our ability to compete in a world where technology is changing the transportation industry and prevents us from preparing our workforce for jobs of the future.”

BNSF deferred comment to AAR, and the two smaller railroads didn't immediately respond to messages Thursday morning.

The regulators who announced the rule last Tuesday and the unions that have lobbied for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/588d6f7829c4836b9d2feff5c21a5097">the policy</a>&nbsp;for years all argue there are clear safety benefits to having two people in the cab of locomotives to help operate the train because they can keep each other alert and the conductor can respond immediately to any problems they encounter, including serving as the initial first-responder to a derailment.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has said the need to improve&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-safety-derailment-east-palestine-norfolk-southern-bef9b47b5200f033d2f045c850745e94">railroad safety</a>&nbsp;was made glaringly clear last year when a Norfolk Southern&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-pete-buttigieg-evacuations-ohio-explosions-64908a6416662b5866809387f210aee5">train derailed</a>&nbsp;on the outskirts of a town on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border and spilled an assortment of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-updates-bf5a60de2243cd6f7f730096aa33294c">hazardous chemicals</a>&nbsp;that caught fire. That East Palestine derailment inspired calls for reform that have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/east-palestine-train-derailment-safety-regulations-railroad-4db52c68daf68da05425b5b70363fb0a">stalled in Congress</a>.

But Buttigieg and the Federal Railroad Administration declined to comment Thursday on the legal challenges to the new rule that is set to take effect in early June.

Railroads have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d6ca21953111e4d7b457bac02e5b6813">long argued</a>&nbsp;that the size of train crews should be determined by contract talks, not regulators or lawmakers, because they maintain there isn’t enough data to show that two-person crews are safer. Current safety stats can't show how safe one-person crews are because all the major railroads have two-person crews now.

The new rule does include an exception that would allow short line railroads to continue operating with one-person crews if they have been doing it for more than two years and have a plan to ensure safety. But the rule would make it difficult for any railroads to cut their crews down to one person.

The railroads have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rail-safety-ohio-crew-size-derailment-lawsuit-429df55468cc112d7057d4dd1dcf5322">often challenged</a>&nbsp;states when they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroads-freight-safety-derailment-state-laws-42fa5ddae7486e44c7383def082d31a3">tried to require</a>&nbsp;two-person crews, so it's not a surprise that they went to court over this new federal rule.

The major freight railroads have argued that automatic braking systems that are designed to prevent collisions have made the second person in the locomotive cab unnecessary, and they believe a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/union-pacific-railroad-crews-kansas-2f87d473a41a8c999945043ecab597c1">conductor based in a truck</a>&nbsp;could adequately respond to any train problems. Plus, they say taking that conductor off of the train would improve their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-business-strikes-df14983a4b7b7623bf68390587beef94">quality of life</a>&nbsp;because he or she would no longer have to work unpredictable hours on the road.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697068882813.jpeg" alt="In October Kansas became the 10th state to require at least two railroad crew members in the lead locomotive." />
 <figcaption>In October Kansas became the 10th state to require at least two railroad crew members in the lead locomotive.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —Four railroads have asked federal appeals courts to throw out a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/two-man-train-crew-railroad-rule-72393a8ad58584ba2c5cdda8f2361130">new rule</a>&nbsp;that would require two-person train crews in most circumstances, saying the mandate is arbitrary, capricious and an illegal abuse of discretion.The identical challenges of the Federal Railroad Administration's rule were all filed this week in different appellate courts on behalf of Union Pacific, BNSF and two short line railroads — the Indiana Railroad and Florida East Coast Railway.The new federal requirement, announced last week, was a milestone in organized labor’s long fight to preserve the practice and came amid increasing scrutiny into railroad safety, especially in the wake of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-pete-buttigieg-evacuations-ohio-explosions-64908a6416662b5866809387f210aee5">fiery February 2023 derailment</a>&nbsp;in eastern Ohio.Most of those railroads didn't immediately offer additional explanation for why they don't like the rule, but the industry has long opposed such a regulation and the Association of American Railroads trade group said last week that the rule was unfounded and not supported by safety data. The Indiana Railroad — like many short lines across the country — already operates with one-person crews, but the major freight railroads all have two-person crews that their union contracts require.Union Pacific said in a statement that “this rule, which lacks any data showing two people in a cab are safer than one, hinders our ability to compete in a world where technology is changing the transportation industry and prevents us from preparing our workforce for jobs of the future.”BNSF deferred comment to AAR, and the two smaller railroads didn't immediately respond to messages Thursday morning.The regulators who announced the rule last Tuesday and the unions that have lobbied for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/588d6f7829c4836b9d2feff5c21a5097">the policy</a>&nbsp;for years all argue there are clear safety benefits to having two people in the cab of locomotives to help operate the train because they can keep each other alert and the conductor can respond immediately to any problems they encounter, including serving as the initial first-responder to a derailment.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has said the need to improve&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-safety-derailment-east-palestine-norfolk-southern-bef9b47b5200f033d2f045c850745e94">railroad safety</a>&nbsp;was made glaringly clear last year when a Norfolk Southern&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-pete-buttigieg-evacuations-ohio-explosions-64908a6416662b5866809387f210aee5">train derailed</a>&nbsp;on the outskirts of a town on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border and spilled an assortment of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-updates-bf5a60de2243cd6f7f730096aa33294c">hazardous chemicals</a>&nbsp;that caught fire. That East Palestine derailment inspired calls for reform that have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/east-palestine-train-derailment-safety-regulations-railroad-4db52c68daf68da05425b5b70363fb0a">stalled in Congress</a>.But Buttigieg and the Federal Railroad Administration declined to comment Thursday on the legal challenges to the new rule that is set to take effect in early June.Railroads have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d6ca21953111e4d7b457bac02e5b6813">long argued</a>&nbsp;that the size of train crews should be determined by contract talks, not regulators or lawmakers, because they maintain there isn’t enough data to show that two-person crews are safer. Current safety stats can't show how safe one-person crews are because all the major railroads have two-person crews now.The new rule does include an exception that would allow short line railroads to continue operating with one-person crews if they have been doing it for more than two years and have a plan to ensure safety. But the rule would make it difficult for any railroads to cut their crews down to one person.The railroads have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rail-safety-ohio-crew-size-derailment-lawsuit-429df55468cc112d7057d4dd1dcf5322">often challenged</a>&nbsp;states when they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroads-freight-safety-derailment-state-laws-42fa5ddae7486e44c7383def082d31a3">tried to require</a>&nbsp;two-person crews, so it's not a surprise that they went to court over this new federal rule.The major freight railroads have argued that automatic braking systems that are designed to prevent collisions have made the second person in the locomotive cab unnecessary, and they believe a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/union-pacific-railroad-crews-kansas-2f87d473a41a8c999945043ecab597c1">conductor based in a truck</a>&nbsp;could adequately respond to any train problems. Plus, they say taking that conductor off of the train would improve their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-business-strikes-df14983a4b7b7623bf68390587beef94">quality of life</a>&nbsp;because he or she would no longer have to work unpredictable hours on the road.

Freight railroads ask courts to throw out new rule requiring 2-person crews on trains

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — People who make physical or financial threats against others in Kansas to force them to get an abortion could spend a year in prison and be fined up to $10,000 under one of several proposals pushed through the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Abortion opponents in Kansas pursued the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/hb2436_enrolled.pdf">measure against abortion “coercion,”</a>&nbsp;increased reporting on abortion and aid to anti-abortion centers providing free counseling, supplies and other services to pregnant women and new mothers because of the state's unusual legal climate. While the Legislature has strong anti-abortion majorities, the state Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-3f479b218a6140719e1694fcfcdb8036">declared in 2019</a>&nbsp;that the state constitution protects abortion rights, and Kansas residents&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively affirmed that position</a>&nbsp;in a statewide August 2022 vote.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is a strong supporter of abortion rights, and many lawmakers expect her to veto all the anti-abortion measures reaching her desk. All the proposals appear to have or be close to having the two-thirds majorities necessary in both chambers to override a veto.

“The vast majority of Kansans agree that too many women feel abortion is their only choice,” Danielle Underwood, a spokesperson for Kansans for Life, the state’s most politically influential anti-abortion group, said in an email Tuesday.

Kelly has until Monday to act on the bill that would make coercing someone into an abortion a specific crime. She also faces a Monday deadline on a bill that would require abortion providers to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-kansas-reporting-patients-data-0bfd8740d247ce5c5d41a0f59252a242">ask their patients</a>&nbsp;why they want to terminate their pregnancies and then report the information to the state health department.

Anti-abortion groups and lawmakers have said they’re pushing for the state to collect the data to better guide state policy. Abortion rights supporters contend the measure is unnecessary and would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-kansas-reporting-patients-data-3025f009a076868f7c31dc2cd67860fe">violate patients’ privacy.</a>

Two other measures will arrive on Kelly's desk by Monday. One would grant up to $10 million a year in income tax credits for donors to anti-abortion counseling centers and exempt the centers from paying the state's 6.5% sales tax on what they buy. In addition, a provision in the next state budget would give those centers $2 million in direct aid, continuing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-united-states-government-kansas-health-c0c8a6cbe211ca4970e3a38b3aa7faf9">a policy enacted last year</a>&nbsp;over Kelly's veto.

Abortion opponents argue that such measures simply help vulnerable women. But Democrats have been frustrated with GOP lawmakers' push for new legislation and aid to the anti-abortion counseling centers, arguing that it breaks faith with voters' support for abortion rights.

“Abortion is a legal health service,” Democratic state Rep. Tom Sawyer, of Wichita, said when the House debated the tax breaks for the centers and their donors. “If you want to try to encourage people to not get abortions, it's your right to do it, but we should not be so generously funding them with state funds.”

Abortion opponents hope that lawmakers will approve one other bill they're backing, to ensure that prospective mothers can&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/embryos-ivf-abortion-personhood-laws-ffe4f4d326469a97fef999254ca86eea">seek child support</a>&nbsp;back to conception to cover expenses from a pregnancy. The House approved it before the Legislature adjourned early Saturday for a spring break, and the Senate could consider it after lawmakers reconvene April 25 to wrap up business for the year.

Abortion opponents portrayed the bill on coercion as something to help the state fight human trafficking and other crimes, such as the rape of a child. The bill's definition of coercion includes destroying or hiding someone's passport or immigration papers or threatening to harm or “physically restrain” them to force them into getting an abortion.

“This is something that flows from criminal activities," state Sen. Mike Thompson, a Kansas City-area Republican, said during the final debate on the bill.

The measure is similar to laws in Idaho, Indiana, Michigan and South Dakota.

Critics said the Kansas bill is written broadly enough that a doctor who is seen as too aggressive in arguing that an abortion is necessary could fall under it. So, too, they said, could a husband who threatens divorce or a live-in boyfriend who threatens to leave if a woman decides to have a child.

“I just see how this could turn into a real, real sticky situation for a lot of young people,” Rep. Ford Carr, another Wichita Democrat, said during his debate.

By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — People who make physical or financial threats against others in Kansas to force them to get an abortion could spend a year in prison and be fined up to $10,000 under one of several proposals pushed through the Republican-controlled Legislature.Abortion opponents in Kansas pursued the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/hb2436_enrolled.pdf">measure against abortion “coercion,”</a>&nbsp;increased reporting on abortion and aid to anti-abortion centers providing free counseling, supplies and other services to pregnant women and new mothers because of the state's unusual legal climate. While the Legislature has strong anti-abortion majorities, the state Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-3f479b218a6140719e1694fcfcdb8036">declared in 2019</a>&nbsp;that the state constitution protects abortion rights, and Kansas residents&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively affirmed that position</a>&nbsp;in a statewide August 2022 vote.Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is a strong supporter of abortion rights, and many lawmakers expect her to veto all the anti-abortion measures reaching her desk. All the proposals appear to have or be close to having the two-thirds majorities necessary in both chambers to override a veto.“The vast majority of Kansans agree that too many women feel abortion is their only choice,” Danielle Underwood, a spokesperson for Kansans for Life, the state’s most politically influential anti-abortion group, said in an email Tuesday.Kelly has until Monday to act on the bill that would make coercing someone into an abortion a specific crime. She also faces a Monday deadline on a bill that would require abortion providers to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-kansas-reporting-patients-data-0bfd8740d247ce5c5d41a0f59252a242">ask their patients</a>&nbsp;why they want to terminate their pregnancies and then report the information to the state health department.Anti-abortion groups and lawmakers have said they’re pushing for the state to collect the data to better guide state policy. Abortion rights supporters contend the measure is unnecessary and would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-kansas-reporting-patients-data-3025f009a076868f7c31dc2cd67860fe">violate patients’ privacy.</a>Two other measures will arrive on Kelly's desk by Monday. One would grant up to $10 million a year in income tax credits for donors to anti-abortion counseling centers and exempt the centers from paying the state's 6.5% sales tax on what they buy. In addition, a provision in the next state budget would give those centers $2 million in direct aid, continuing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-united-states-government-kansas-health-c0c8a6cbe211ca4970e3a38b3aa7faf9">a policy enacted last year</a>&nbsp;over Kelly's veto.Abortion opponents argue that such measures simply help vulnerable women. But Democrats have been frustrated with GOP lawmakers' push for new legislation and aid to the anti-abortion counseling centers, arguing that it breaks faith with voters' support for abortion rights.“Abortion is a legal health service,” Democratic state Rep. Tom Sawyer, of Wichita, said when the House debated the tax breaks for the centers and their donors. “If you want to try to encourage people to not get abortions, it's your right to do it, but we should not be so generously funding them with state funds.”Abortion opponents hope that lawmakers will approve one other bill they're backing, to ensure that prospective mothers can&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/embryos-ivf-abortion-personhood-laws-ffe4f4d326469a97fef999254ca86eea">seek child support</a>&nbsp;back to conception to cover expenses from a pregnancy. The House approved it before the Legislature adjourned early Saturday for a spring break, and the Senate could consider it after lawmakers reconvene April 25 to wrap up business for the year.Abortion opponents portrayed the bill on coercion as something to help the state fight human trafficking and other crimes, such as the rape of a child. The bill's definition of coercion includes destroying or hiding someone's passport or immigration papers or threatening to harm or “physically restrain” them to force them into getting an abortion.“This is something that flows from criminal activities," state Sen. Mike Thompson, a Kansas City-area Republican, said during the final debate on the bill.The measure is similar to laws in Idaho, Indiana, Michigan and South Dakota.Critics said the Kansas bill is written broadly enough that a doctor who is seen as too aggressive in arguing that an abortion is necessary could fall under it. So, too, they said, could a husband who threatens divorce or a live-in boyfriend who threatens to leave if a woman decides to have a child.“I just see how this could turn into a real, real sticky situation for a lot of young people,” Rep. Ford Carr, another Wichita Democrat, said during his debate.

 Bill in Kansas makes it a crime to coerce someone into an abortion

LAS VEGAS (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/oj-simpson">O.J. Simpson</a>, the decorated football superstar and Hollywood actor who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend but later found liable in a separate civil trial, has died. He was 76.

The family announced on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealOJ32/status/1778430029350707380?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet">Simpson's official X account</a>&nbsp;that he died Wednesday of prostate cancer. He died in Las Vegas, officials there said Thursday.

On the last video posted to his social media account February 11, Simpson said he was rooting for one of his former teams, the 49ers to win the Super Bowl.

Simpson earned fame, fortune and adulation through football and show business, but his legacy was forever changed by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/celebrity-arts-and-entertainment-general-news-2eae78a5e56f4f74a6759287525d1487">the June 1994 knife slayings</a>&nbsp;of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles. He was later found liable for the deaths in a separate civil case, and then served nine years in prison on unrelated charges.

Live TV coverage of his arrest after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-6717fd3901034165bdf6aee0618b4885">famous slow-speed chase</a>&nbsp;marked a stunning&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-045d03621cb94cd69944d9955c9bf82e">fall from grace</a>.

He had seemed to transcend racial barriers as the star Trojans tailback for college football's powerful University of Southern California in the late 1960s, as a rental car ad pitchman rushing through airports in the late 1970s, and as the husband of a blond and blue-eyed high school homecoming queen in the 1980s.

“I’m not Black, I’m O.J.,” he liked to tell friends.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/38915cfde46d4d76a993db9680924bae/1000">His “trial of the century”</a>&nbsp;captured America's attention on live TV. The case sparked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5435457473e847ae845dafca986f35e2">debates on race,</a>&nbsp;gender,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-c85957bb9c764313a88659b5837f5245">domestic abuse,</a>&nbsp;celebrity justice and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-crime-los-angeles-forensics-oj-simpson-bd104049096d41d2ad4b0c6de6a8e742">police misconduct</a>.

Evidence found at the scene seemed overwhelmingly against Simpson. Blood drops, bloody footprints and a glove were there. Another glove, smeared with blood, was found at his home.

Simpson didn't testify, but the prosecution asked him to try on the gloves in court. He struggled to squeeze them onto his hands and spoke his only three words of the trial: “They're too small.”

His attorney Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. told the jurors, “If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.”

The jury&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/21978eae36174fb69adafded48f58865/ap-was-there-20-years-ago-oj-simpson-receives-acquittal">found him not guilty</a>&nbsp;of murder in 1995, but a separate civil trial jury found him liable in 1997 for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to family members of Brown&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-arts-and-entertainment-celebrity-d7967e246ac84b6c9f76acb4384dc165">and Goldman.</a>

A decade later, still shadowed by the California wrongful death judgment, Simpson led five men he barely knew into a confrontation with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-television-1382c2fbfd364cba82c9dfa5e0bcb2c5">two sports memorabilia dealers</a>&nbsp;in a cramped Las Vegas hotel room. Two men with Simpson had guns. A jury convicted Simpson of armed robbery and other felonies.

Imprisoned at age 61,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-0e3b4ef662904c4395abd045dff93ffe">he served nine years</a>&nbsp;in a remote northern Nevada prison, including a stint as a gym janitor. He was not contrite when he was released on parole in October 2017. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/oj-simpson-parole-hearing">parole board heard him</a>&nbsp;insist yet again that he was only trying to retrieve sports memorabilia and heirlooms stolen from him after his criminal trial in Los Angeles.

“I’ve basically spent a conflict-free life, you know,” said Simpson, whose parole&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-entertainment-business-arts-and-entertainment-110d82684a8599f35deb0dd8529d6acb">ended in late 2021</a>.

Public fascination with Simpson&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/celebrity-general-news-arts-and-entertainment-28d281d57bf04f32b48f6f6860845e44">never faded.</a>&nbsp;Many debated whether he had been punished in Las Vegas for his acquittal in Los Angeles. In 2016, he was the subject of both an FX miniseries and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-television-a0c8e6fc0f334d4ca5345171f80d5fc3">five-part ESPN documentary.</a>

“I don’t think most of America believes I did it,” Simpson told The New York Times in 1995, a week after a jury determined he did not kill Brown and Goldman. “I’ve gotten thousands of letters and telegrams from people supporting me.”

Twelve years later, following an outpouring of public outrage, Rupert Murdoch canceled a planned book by the News Corp.-owned HarperCollins in which Simpson offered his hypothetical account of the killings. It was to be titled “If I Did It.”

Goldman’s family, still&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-30635dd27ca3e8538aeaed407d6e9843">doggedly pursuing</a>&nbsp;the multimillion-dollar wrongful death judgment, won control of the manuscript. They retitled the book “If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer.”

“It’s all blood money, and unfortunately I had to join the jackals,” Simpson told The Associated Press at the time. He collected $880,000 in advance money for the book, paid through a third party.

“It helped me get out of debt and secure my homestead,” he said.

Less than two months after losing the rights to the book,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-us-news-ap-top-news-las-vegas-nv-state-wire-91190b409d6c46b2b6a2b0a8827889d5">Simpson was arrested</a>&nbsp;in Las Vegas.

David Cook, an attorney who has been seeking since 2008 to collect the civil judgment in the Goldman case, said he'd spoken with Ron's father, Fred, on Thursday about Simpson’s death. Cook declined to say what Fred Goldman said or where he was.

“He died without penance,” Cook said of Simpson. “We don’t know what he has, where it is or who is in control. We will pick up where we are and keep going with it.”

Simpson played 11 NFL seasons, nine of them with the Buffalo Bills, where he became known as “The Juice” and ran behind an offensive line known as “The Electric Company.” He won four NFL rushing titles, rushed for 11,236 yards in his career, scored 76 touchdowns and played in five Pro Bowls. His best season was 1973, when he ran for 2,003 yards — the first running back to break the 2,000-yard rushing mark.

“I was part of the history of the game,” he said years later. “If I did nothing else in my life, I’d made my mark.”

Simpson’s rise in football happened simultaneously with a career in television. He signed a contract with ABC Sports the night he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/84f2d5b4cc2347e481962ce074f2b7e9">won the Heisman Trophy</a>&nbsp;in 1968. That same year, he appeared on the NBC series “Dragnet” and “Ironside.” During his pro career, Simpson was a color commentator for a decade on ABC followed by a stint on NBC. In 1983, he joined ABC’s “Monday Night Football.”

Simpson quickly became a charismatic pitchman. In 1975, Hertz made him the first Black man hired for a corporate national ad campaign. The commercials, featuring Simpson running through airports toward the Hertz desk and young girls chanting “Go, O.J., go!” were ubiquitous for years.

Simpson made his big-screen debut in 1974 in “The Klansman,” an exploitation film in which he starred alongside Lee Marvin and Richard Burton. The film was a flop but Simpson would go on to appear in several dozen films and TV series, including 1974’s “The Towering Inferno,” 1976’s “The Cassandra Crossing,” 1977’s “Roots” and 1977’s “Capricorn One.”

Most notable, perhaps, was his performance in 1988’s “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad” and its two sequels. Simpson played Detective Nordberg in the slapstick films opposite Leslie Nielsen.

Of course, Simpson went on to other fame.

One of the artifacts of his murder trial, the carefully tailored tan suit he wore when acquitted, was later donated and placed on display at the Newseum in Washington. Simpson had been told the suit would be in the hotel room in Las Vegas, but it turned out it wasn’t there.

Orenthal James Simpson was born July 9, 1947, in San Francisco, where he grew up in government-subsidized housing projects.

After graduating from high school, he enrolled at City College of San Francisco for a year and a half before transferring to the University of Southern California for the spring 1967 semester.

He married his first wife, Marguerite Whitley, on June 24, 1967, moving her to Los Angeles the next day so he could begin preparing for his first season with USC — which, in large part because of Simpson, won that year’s national championship.

On the day he accepted the Heisman Trophy, his first child, Arnelle, was born.

He had two sons, Jason and Aaren, with his first wife; one of those boys, Aaren, drowned as a toddler in a swimming pool accident in 1979, the same year he and Whitley divorced.

Simpson and Brown were married in 1985. They had two children,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-7755fa52fc054f2e91cea13cb624d139">Justin and Sydney,</a>&nbsp;and divorced in 1992. Two years later, Nicole Brown Simpson was found murdered.

“We don’t need to go back and relive the worst day of our lives,” he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0fea103ed1014714a966bd75c475880d">told the AP 25 years after the double slayings.</a>&nbsp;“The subject of the moment is the subject I will never revisit again. My family and I have moved on to what we call the ‘no negative zone.’ We focus on the positives.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639516831265.png" alt="Simpson photo from his 2016 booking by the Nevada Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Simpson photo from his 2016 booking by the Nevada Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>LAS VEGAS (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/oj-simpson">O.J. Simpson</a>, the decorated football superstar and Hollywood actor who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend but later found liable in a separate civil trial, has died. He was 76.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace. -The Simpson Family&mdash; O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealOJ32/status/1778430029350707380?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The family announced on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealOJ32/status/1778430029350707380?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet">Simpson's official X account</a>&nbsp;that he died Wednesday of prostate cancer. He died in Las Vegas, officials there said Thursday.On the last video posted to his social media account February 11, Simpson said he was rooting for one of his former teams, the 49ers to win the Super Bowl.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I’m from the Bay and I’m going with Bay!!! Lets go <a href="https://twitter.com/49ers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@49ers</a> <a href="https://t.co/MoO9TELc8B">pic.twitter.com/MoO9TELc8B</a>&mdash; O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealOJ32/status/1756741554788778074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Simpson earned fame, fortune and adulation through football and show business, but his legacy was forever changed by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/celebrity-arts-and-entertainment-general-news-2eae78a5e56f4f74a6759287525d1487">the June 1994 knife slayings</a>&nbsp;of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles. He was later found liable for the deaths in a separate civil case, and then served nine years in prison on unrelated charges.Live TV coverage of his arrest after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-6717fd3901034165bdf6aee0618b4885">famous slow-speed chase</a>&nbsp;marked a stunning&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-045d03621cb94cd69944d9955c9bf82e">fall from grace</a>.He had seemed to transcend racial barriers as the star Trojans tailback for college football's powerful University of Southern California in the late 1960s, as a rental car ad pitchman rushing through airports in the late 1970s, and as the husband of a blond and blue-eyed high school homecoming queen in the 1980s.“I’m not Black, I’m O.J.,” he liked to tell friends.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/dqUVjoihLt">pic.twitter.com/dqUVjoihLt</a>&mdash; The Heisman Trophy (@HeismanTrophy) <a href="https://twitter.com/HeismanTrophy/status/1778441403594366996?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/38915cfde46d4d76a993db9680924bae/1000">His “trial of the century”</a>&nbsp;captured America's attention on live TV. The case sparked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5435457473e847ae845dafca986f35e2">debates on race,</a>&nbsp;gender,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-c85957bb9c764313a88659b5837f5245">domestic abuse,</a>&nbsp;celebrity justice and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-crime-los-angeles-forensics-oj-simpson-bd104049096d41d2ad4b0c6de6a8e742">police misconduct</a>.Evidence found at the scene seemed overwhelmingly against Simpson. Blood drops, bloody footprints and a glove were there. Another glove, smeared with blood, was found at his home.Simpson didn't testify, but the prosecution asked him to try on the gloves in court. He struggled to squeeze them onto his hands and spoke his only three words of the trial: “They're too small.”His attorney Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. told the jurors, “If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.”The jury&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/21978eae36174fb69adafded48f58865/ap-was-there-20-years-ago-oj-simpson-receives-acquittal">found him not guilty</a>&nbsp;of murder in 1995, but a separate civil trial jury found him liable in 1997 for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to family members of Brown&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-arts-and-entertainment-celebrity-d7967e246ac84b6c9f76acb4384dc165">and Goldman.</a>A decade later, still shadowed by the California wrongful death judgment, Simpson led five men he barely knew into a confrontation with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-television-1382c2fbfd364cba82c9dfa5e0bcb2c5">two sports memorabilia dealers</a>&nbsp;in a cramped Las Vegas hotel room. Two men with Simpson had guns. A jury convicted Simpson of armed robbery and other felonies.Imprisoned at age 61,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-0e3b4ef662904c4395abd045dff93ffe">he served nine years</a>&nbsp;in a remote northern Nevada prison, including a stint as a gym janitor. He was not contrite when he was released on parole in October 2017. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/oj-simpson-parole-hearing">parole board heard him</a>&nbsp;insist yet again that he was only trying to retrieve sports memorabilia and heirlooms stolen from him after his criminal trial in Los Angeles.“I’ve basically spent a conflict-free life, you know,” said Simpson, whose parole&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-entertainment-business-arts-and-entertainment-110d82684a8599f35deb0dd8529d6acb">ended in late 2021</a>.Public fascination with Simpson&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/celebrity-general-news-arts-and-entertainment-28d281d57bf04f32b48f6f6860845e44">never faded.</a>&nbsp;Many debated whether he had been punished in Las Vegas for his acquittal in Los Angeles. In 2016, he was the subject of both an FX miniseries and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-television-a0c8e6fc0f334d4ca5345171f80d5fc3">five-part ESPN documentary.</a>“I don’t think most of America believes I did it,” Simpson told The New York Times in 1995, a week after a jury determined he did not kill Brown and Goldman. “I’ve gotten thousands of letters and telegrams from people supporting me.”Twelve years later, following an outpouring of public outrage, Rupert Murdoch canceled a planned book by the News Corp.-owned HarperCollins in which Simpson offered his hypothetical account of the killings. It was to be titled “If I Did It.”Goldman’s family, still&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-30635dd27ca3e8538aeaed407d6e9843">doggedly pursuing</a>&nbsp;the multimillion-dollar wrongful death judgment, won control of the manuscript. They retitled the book “If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer.”“It’s all blood money, and unfortunately I had to join the jackals,” Simpson told The Associated Press at the time. He collected $880,000 in advance money for the book, paid through a third party.“It helped me get out of debt and secure my homestead,” he said.Less than two months after losing the rights to the book,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-us-news-ap-top-news-las-vegas-nv-state-wire-91190b409d6c46b2b6a2b0a8827889d5">Simpson was arrested</a>&nbsp;in Las Vegas.David Cook, an attorney who has been seeking since 2008 to collect the civil judgment in the Goldman case, said he'd spoken with Ron's father, Fred, on Thursday about Simpson’s death. Cook declined to say what Fred Goldman said or where he was.“He died without penance,” Cook said of Simpson. “We don’t know what he has, where it is or who is in control. We will pick up where we are and keep going with it.”Simpson played 11 NFL seasons, nine of them with the Buffalo Bills, where he became known as “The Juice” and ran behind an offensive line known as “The Electric Company.” He won four NFL rushing titles, rushed for 11,236 yards in his career, scored 76 touchdowns and played in five Pro Bowls. His best season was 1973, when he ran for 2,003 yards — the first running back to break the 2,000-yard rushing mark.“I was part of the history of the game,” he said years later. “If I did nothing else in my life, I’d made my mark.”Simpson’s rise in football happened simultaneously with a career in television. He signed a contract with ABC Sports the night he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/84f2d5b4cc2347e481962ce074f2b7e9">won the Heisman Trophy</a>&nbsp;in 1968. That same year, he appeared on the NBC series “Dragnet” and “Ironside.” During his pro career, Simpson was a color commentator for a decade on ABC followed by a stint on NBC. In 1983, he joined ABC’s “Monday Night Football.”Simpson quickly became a charismatic pitchman. In 1975, Hertz made him the first Black man hired for a corporate national ad campaign. The commercials, featuring Simpson running through airports toward the Hertz desk and young girls chanting “Go, O.J., go!” were ubiquitous for years.Simpson made his big-screen debut in 1974 in “The Klansman,” an exploitation film in which he starred alongside Lee Marvin and Richard Burton. The film was a flop but Simpson would go on to appear in several dozen films and TV series, including 1974’s “The Towering Inferno,” 1976’s “The Cassandra Crossing,” 1977’s “Roots” and 1977’s “Capricorn One.”Most notable, perhaps, was his performance in 1988’s “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad” and its two sequels. Simpson played Detective Nordberg in the slapstick films opposite Leslie Nielsen.Of course, Simpson went on to other fame.One of the artifacts of his murder trial, the carefully tailored tan suit he wore when acquitted, was later donated and placed on display at the Newseum in Washington. Simpson had been told the suit would be in the hotel room in Las Vegas, but it turned out it wasn’t there.Orenthal James Simpson was born July 9, 1947, in San Francisco, where he grew up in government-subsidized housing projects.After graduating from high school, he enrolled at City College of San Francisco for a year and a half before transferring to the University of Southern California for the spring 1967 semester.He married his first wife, Marguerite Whitley, on June 24, 1967, moving her to Los Angeles the next day so he could begin preparing for his first season with USC — which, in large part because of Simpson, won that year’s national championship.On the day he accepted the Heisman Trophy, his first child, Arnelle, was born.He had two sons, Jason and Aaren, with his first wife; one of those boys, Aaren, drowned as a toddler in a swimming pool accident in 1979, the same year he and Whitley divorced.Simpson and Brown were married in 1985. They had two children,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-7755fa52fc054f2e91cea13cb624d139">Justin and Sydney,</a>&nbsp;and divorced in 1992. Two years later, Nicole Brown Simpson was found murdered.“We don’t need to go back and relive the worst day of our lives,” he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0fea103ed1014714a966bd75c475880d">told the AP 25 years after the double slayings.</a>&nbsp;“The subject of the moment is the subject I will never revisit again. My family and I have moved on to what we call the ‘no negative zone.’ We focus on the positives.”

OJ Simpson, football hero acquitted of murder in 'trial of the century,' has died

KANSAS CITY —A 15-year-old KC-area boy stole a car and almost struck a deputy on an unrelated traffic stop and then struck an occupied parked vehicle, knocked down live power lines and crashed into a house&nbsp; before being taken into custody, according to a media release from the Clay County Sheriff.

Just after 3a.m. April 7, deputies first tried to stop the Dodge Challenger&nbsp; at NE Great Midwest Drive and NE Parvin Road. It had passed a deputy at a high rate of speed and had no working taillights. 

The driver lost control of the car near 210 Highway, and deputies did not pursue it. A few minutes later, the Challenger almost struck the patrol car of another deputy on an unrelated traffic stop at 210 Highway and NE Chouteau before speeding away. Deputies again did not pursue it due to its reckless driving.

About 15 minutes after that, deputies patrolling near the Liberty Square saw the vehicle again. It was traveling more than 60 mph and driving through red lights, even though no one was pursuing it. Deputies knew the driver was going to continue to present a danger to public safety, so they moved into the area to try to stop it. They eventually located it again going southbound on 291 Highway at Birmingham Road.

When a deputy tried to stop the car, it fled. Deputies pursued the vehicle until it crashed near 291 and S. Main Street. The vehicle sheared an electrical poll and knocked down live wires that started a small fire. It also hit an occupied parked car, a gas line, a mailbox, a treehouse, and finally stopped after striking a house in the 10 block of S. Village Drive. The driver then got out and ran.

A Sheriff’s Office K9 team located the driver a short time later near a creek in a wooded area. The suspect complied with deputies at that time and was not bitten by the dog. That’s when deputies learned the suspect was 15 years old and had recently stolen the Challenger from Gladstone. After being checked out at a local hospital, he was transported to the juvenile detention center.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712699716356.png" alt="Photos Clay Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photos Clay Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A 15-year-old KC-area boy stole a car and almost struck a deputy on an unrelated traffic stop and then struck an occupied parked vehicle, knocked down live power lines and crashed into a house&nbsp; before being taken into custody, according to a media release from the Clay County Sheriff.Just after 3a.m. April 7, deputies first tried to stop the Dodge Challenger&nbsp; at NE Great Midwest Drive and NE Parvin Road. It had passed a deputy at a high rate of speed and had no working taillights. The driver lost control of the car near 210 Highway, and deputies did not pursue it. A few minutes later, the Challenger almost struck the patrol car of another deputy on an unrelated traffic stop at 210 Highway and NE Chouteau before speeding away. Deputies again did not pursue it due to its reckless driving.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712699785655.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>About 15 minutes after that, deputies patrolling near the Liberty Square saw the vehicle again. It was traveling more than 60 mph and driving through red lights, even though no one was pursuing it. Deputies knew the driver was going to continue to present a danger to public safety, so they moved into the area to try to stop it. They eventually located it again going southbound on 291 Highway at Birmingham Road.When a deputy tried to stop the car, it fled. Deputies pursued the vehicle until it crashed near 291 and S. Main Street. The vehicle sheared an electrical poll and knocked down live wires that started a small fire. It also hit an occupied parked car, a gas line, a mailbox, a treehouse, and finally stopped after striking a house in the 10 block of S. Village Drive. The driver then got out and ran.A Sheriff’s Office K9 team located the driver a short time later near a creek in a wooded area. The suspect complied with deputies at that time and was not bitten by the dog. That’s when deputies learned the suspect was 15 years old and had recently stolen the Challenger from Gladstone. After being checked out at a local hospital, he was transported to the juvenile detention center.

15-year-old stole car, almost ran over KC area deputy and crashed into house

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly shooting at a Kansas City home.

Just before 10p.m. Wednesday police were dispatched to the 3300 block of Flora in Kansas City on a sound of shots call, according to KDPC Captain Jake Becchina.

While officers were on the way the call was upgraded to a shooting with a victim inside a residence at the address.

Officers were led inside a home where they located a juvenile girl, over the age of 10, unresponsive. Officers rendered aid and called for EMS who responded and took over treatment of the victim. 

EMS transported her to the hospital where she was declared deceased a short time later, according to Becchina.

Detectives spoke with people who were at the scene when officers arrived and canvassed for witnesses. Crime scene investigators processed the scene for evidence to hopefully give detectives an idea of what led up to the shooting. Police released no addition details early Thursday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712842653447.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly shooting at a Kansas City home.Just before 10p.m. Wednesday police were dispatched to the 3300 block of Flora in Kansas City on a sound of shots call, according to KDPC Captain Jake Becchina.While officers were on the way the call was upgraded to a shooting with a victim inside a residence at the address.Officers were led inside a home where they located a juvenile girl, over the age of 10, unresponsive. Officers rendered aid and called for EMS who responded and took over treatment of the victim. EMS transported her to the hospital where she was declared deceased a short time later, according to Becchina.Detectives spoke with people who were at the scene when officers arrived and canvassed for witnesses. Crime scene investigators processed the scene for evidence to hopefully give detectives an idea of what led up to the shooting. Police released no addition details early Thursday.

KCPD: Young girl dies after shooting at Kansas City home

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bill that would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-surveillance-section-702-c69db6741ca9f4c26f24ebf5941a5cb0">reauthorize a crucial national security surveillance program</a>&nbsp;was blocked Wednesday by a conservative revolt, pushing the prospects of final passage into uncertainty amid a looming deadline. The legislative impasse follows an edict earlier in the day from former President Donald Trump to “kill" the measure.

The breakdown comes months after a similar process to reform and reauthorize the surveillance program fell apart before it even reached the House floor. Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">Mike Johnson</a>, R-La., has called the program “critically important” but has struggled to find a path forward on the issue, which has been plagued by partisan bickering for years. The procedural vote to bring up the bill Wednesday failed 193-228, with nearly 20 Republicans voting no including&nbsp; Crane, Biggs and Gosar of Arizona; Bishop of North Carolina; Boebert of Colorado; Burchett and Ogles of Tennessee; Cloud and Roy of Texas; Gaetz of Florida; Good of Virginia; Higgins of Louisiana; Luna, Mills and Steube of Florida; Mace and Norman of South Carolina; Perry of Pennsylvania and Rosendale of Montana. All members of the Missouri House delegation voted with the minority.

It marks the latest blow to Johnson's leadership as he faces being&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-johnson-marjorie-taylor-greene-e0f0271f8244598841c56502f12f38a0">ousted from his job</a>&nbsp;in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555">same stunning fashion</a>&nbsp;as his predecessor. Hours before the vote, the Republican leader made a final push urging for passage, saying Congress must “address these abuses” without cutting off the surveillance program entirely.

“It’s a critically important piece of our intelligence and law enforcement in this country,” he said in a press conference.

The bill in question would renew Section 702 of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-surveillance-section-702-c69db6741ca9f4c26f24ebf5941a5cb0">Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act</a>, which permits the U.S. government to collect without a warrant the communications of non-Americans located outside the country to gather foreign intelligence. The reauthorization is currently tied to a series of reforms aimed at satisfying critics who complained of civil liberties violations against Americans.

But Republican opponents have complained that those changes did not go far enough. Among the detractors are some of Johnson’s harshest critics, members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, who have railed against the speaker for reaching across the aisle several times since taking the gavel in October to carry out the basic functions of the government.

It remains unclear now if the proposal, backed by the Biden administration and Johnson, would eventually have enough votes to advance.

“I’m just bewildered that a small number of members decided to take down the rule,” Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters on Wednesday evening.

The panel's Republican chairman, Mike Turner of Ohio, also lamented that the bill had faltered, especially since he said it had unanimous support from a special working group.

“There's a great deal of misinformation about FISA,” Turner said. “It is not spying on Americans — in fact, that is absolutely prohibited.”

Though the program would technically expire on April 19, the Biden administration has said it expects its authority to collect intelligence to remain operational for at least another year, thanks to an opinion earlier this month from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which receives surveillance applications. But administration officials also say that if the program lapses, some telecommunications companies could reduce or stop cooperation with the government or challenge its authority.

U.S. officials have said the tool, first authorized in 2008 and renewed several times since then, is crucial in disrupting terror attacks, cyber intrusions and foreign espionage and has also produced intelligence that the U.S. has relied on for specific operations.

But the administration’s efforts to secure reauthorization of the program have encountered fierce, and bipartisan, pushback, with Democrats like Sen. Ron Wyden who have long championed civil liberties aligning with Republican supporters of Trump, who in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday stated incorrectly that Section 702 had been used to spy on his presidential campaign.

“Kill FISA," Trump wrote in all capital letters. “It was illegally used against me, and many others. They spied on my campaign.” A former adviser to his 2016 presidential campaign was targeted for surveillance over potential ties to Russia under a different section of the law.

A specific area of concern for lawmakers has centered on the FBI’s use of the vast intelligence repository to search for information about Americans and others in the U.S. Though the surveillance program only targets non-Americans in other countries, it also collects communications of Americans when they are in contact with those targeted foreigners.

In the past year, U.S. officials have revealed a series of abuses and mistakes by FBI analysts in improperly querying the intelligence repository for information about Americans or others in the U.S, including about a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fisa-foreign-surveillance-fbi-3f7d4cc0ef413cdf20bc0b70548cde84">member of Congress</a>&nbsp;and participants in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-fbi-surveillance-75c466a64e838ab12eaef96f6335f3cd">racial justice protests of 2020</a>&nbsp;and the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Those violations have led to demands for the FBI to have a warrant before conducting database queries on Americans, which FBI director&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/christopher-wray">Chris Wray</a>&nbsp;has warned would effectively gut the effectiveness of the program and would also be legally unnecessary given that the information in the database has already been lawfully collected.

“While it is imperative that we ensure this critical authority of 702 does not lapse, we also must not undercut the effectiveness of this essential tool with a warrant requirement or some similar restriction, paralyzing our ability to tackle fast-moving threats,” Wray said in a speech Tuesday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712802529718.png" alt="&nbsp;Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill Wednesday, -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill Wednesday, -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A bill that would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-surveillance-section-702-c69db6741ca9f4c26f24ebf5941a5cb0">reauthorize a crucial national security surveillance program</a>&nbsp;was blocked Wednesday by a conservative revolt, pushing the prospects of final passage into uncertainty amid a looming deadline. The legislative impasse follows an edict earlier in the day from former President Donald Trump to “kill" the measure.The breakdown comes months after a similar process to reform and reauthorize the surveillance program fell apart before it even reached the House floor. Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">Mike Johnson</a>, R-La., has called the program “critically important” but has struggled to find a path forward on the issue, which has been plagued by partisan bickering for years. The procedural vote to bring up the bill Wednesday failed 193-228, with nearly 20 Republicans voting no including&nbsp; Crane, Biggs and Gosar of Arizona; Bishop of North Carolina; Boebert of Colorado; Burchett and Ogles of Tennessee; Cloud and Roy of Texas; Gaetz of Florida; Good of Virginia; Higgins of Louisiana; Luna, Mills and Steube of Florida; Mace and Norman of South Carolina; Perry of Pennsylvania and Rosendale of Montana. All members of the Missouri House delegation voted with the minority.It marks the latest blow to Johnson's leadership as he faces being&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-johnson-marjorie-taylor-greene-e0f0271f8244598841c56502f12f38a0">ousted from his job</a>&nbsp;in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555">same stunning fashion</a>&nbsp;as his predecessor. Hours before the vote, the Republican leader made a final push urging for passage, saying Congress must “address these abuses” without cutting off the surveillance program entirely.“It’s a critically important piece of our intelligence and law enforcement in this country,” he said in a press conference.The bill in question would renew Section 702 of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-surveillance-section-702-c69db6741ca9f4c26f24ebf5941a5cb0">Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act</a>, which permits the U.S. government to collect without a warrant the communications of non-Americans located outside the country to gather foreign intelligence. The reauthorization is currently tied to a series of reforms aimed at satisfying critics who complained of civil liberties violations against Americans.But Republican opponents have complained that those changes did not go far enough. Among the detractors are some of Johnson’s harshest critics, members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, who have railed against the speaker for reaching across the aisle several times since taking the gavel in October to carry out the basic functions of the government.It remains unclear now if the proposal, backed by the Biden administration and Johnson, would eventually have enough votes to advance.“I’m just bewildered that a small number of members decided to take down the rule,” Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters on Wednesday evening.The panel's Republican chairman, Mike Turner of Ohio, also lamented that the bill had faltered, especially since he said it had unanimous support from a special working group.“There's a great deal of misinformation about FISA,” Turner said. “It is not spying on Americans — in fact, that is absolutely prohibited.”Though the program would technically expire on April 19, the Biden administration has said it expects its authority to collect intelligence to remain operational for at least another year, thanks to an opinion earlier this month from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which receives surveillance applications. But administration officials also say that if the program lapses, some telecommunications companies could reduce or stop cooperation with the government or challenge its authority.U.S. officials have said the tool, first authorized in 2008 and renewed several times since then, is crucial in disrupting terror attacks, cyber intrusions and foreign espionage and has also produced intelligence that the U.S. has relied on for specific operations.But the administration’s efforts to secure reauthorization of the program have encountered fierce, and bipartisan, pushback, with Democrats like Sen. Ron Wyden who have long championed civil liberties aligning with Republican supporters of Trump, who in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday stated incorrectly that Section 702 had been used to spy on his presidential campaign.“Kill FISA," Trump wrote in all capital letters. “It was illegally used against me, and many others. They spied on my campaign.” A former adviser to his 2016 presidential campaign was targeted for surveillance over potential ties to Russia under a different section of the law.A specific area of concern for lawmakers has centered on the FBI’s use of the vast intelligence repository to search for information about Americans and others in the U.S. Though the surveillance program only targets non-Americans in other countries, it also collects communications of Americans when they are in contact with those targeted foreigners.In the past year, U.S. officials have revealed a series of abuses and mistakes by FBI analysts in improperly querying the intelligence repository for information about Americans or others in the U.S, including about a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fisa-foreign-surveillance-fbi-3f7d4cc0ef413cdf20bc0b70548cde84">member of Congress</a>&nbsp;and participants in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-fbi-surveillance-75c466a64e838ab12eaef96f6335f3cd">racial justice protests of 2020</a>&nbsp;and the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.Those violations have led to demands for the FBI to have a warrant before conducting database queries on Americans, which FBI director&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/christopher-wray">Chris Wray</a>&nbsp;has warned would effectively gut the effectiveness of the program and would also be legally unnecessary given that the information in the database has already been lawfully collected.“While it is imperative that we ensure this critical authority of 702 does not lapse, we also must not undercut the effectiveness of this essential tool with a warrant requirement or some similar restriction, paralyzing our ability to tackle fast-moving threats,” Wray said in a speech Tuesday.

Mo. reps votes yes but House conservatives block spy powers bill

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a bank robbery in Wichita have identified the suspect and he was arrested in Meade County, Wichita Police Spokesman Andrew Ford reported Thursday morning. Police have not released his name.

Just before 11:30a.m. Wednesday, a suspect entered the Wells Fargo Bank, 455 South West Street in Wichita, according to Ford. The suspect, described as a white male between 50 and 60-years-old with long gray hair and a black and white beard, announced the robbery to a teller and demanded money.&nbsp;

The teller gave the suspect an undisclosed amount of cash and he fled the business in an unknown direction. The suspect indicated he had a weapon, but one was not displayed. The suspect was wearing black sunglasses and a blue jean jacket.&nbsp; &nbsp;.

The Wichita Police crime lab collected evidence and the FBI is in charge of the investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712837540615.png" alt="Photo Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a bank robbery in Wichita have identified the suspect and he was arrested in Meade County, Wichita Police Spokesman Andrew Ford reported Thursday morning. Police have not released his name.Just before 11:30a.m. Wednesday, a suspect entered the Wells Fargo Bank, 455 South West Street in Wichita, according to Ford. The suspect, described as a white male between 50 and 60-years-old with long gray hair and a black and white beard, announced the robbery to a teller and demanded money.&nbsp;The teller gave the suspect an undisclosed amount of cash and he fled the business in an unknown direction. The suspect indicated he had a weapon, but one was not displayed. The suspect was wearing black sunglasses and a blue jean jacket.&nbsp; &nbsp;.The Wichita Police crime lab collected evidence and the FBI is in charge of the investigation.

Police: Bank robbery suspect captured in SW Kansas

KANSAS CITY —A juvenile was injured in an accident that occurred just before 4p.m. Wednesday near the Zona Rosa shopping center in Kansas City.

Investigators determined the boy was running on the sidewalk north to south on N. Congress, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

He&nbsp; was in the crosswalk when he was struck by a Lexus RX450 that was traveling westbound on the entrance ramp to westbound 152 Highway. 

EMS transported the boy to a local hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the Lexus was uninjured in the collision and remained at the scene. The boy was reported in stable condition late Wednesday, according to Becchina.

KANSAS CITY —A juvenile was injured in an accident that occurred just before 4p.m. Wednesday near the Zona Rosa shopping center in Kansas City.Investigators determined the boy was running on the sidewalk north to south on N. Congress, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.He&nbsp; was in the crosswalk when he was struck by a Lexus RX450 that was traveling westbound on the entrance ramp to westbound 152 Highway. EMS transported the boy to a local hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the Lexus was uninjured in the collision and remained at the scene. The boy was reported in stable condition late Wednesday, according to Becchina.

Boy in crosswalk struck by car near KC shopping area

TEXAS COUNTY, Okla.&nbsp; —The search continues for two Kansas women&nbsp; whose vehicle was found abandoned in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Authorities have released no new details in the case.

Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, of Hugoton, Kansas, were driving to Oklahoma to pick up Butler’s children to attend a March 30 birthday party in Kansas but never showed up.&nbsp;

Hunter McKee, an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokesperson, said investigators believe foul play led to women's disappearance based on what was found their vehicle.

McKee declined to say what evidence was found in the vehicle, citing the continuing investigation.

McKee said the abandoned vehicle was found by Texas County deputies and referred additional questions to Texas County Sheriff Matt Boley, who did not immediately return a phone call for comment.

The sheriff's office has turned the investigation over to the OSBI.

“We’re still looking into where and when they were last seen,” McKee said. McKee said no children are missing.

Investigators were searching the area in Texas County around where the vehicle was found, according to McKee, about 11 miles south of Elkhart, Kansas, on the Oklahoma-Kansas state line.

The area is about 260 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1711967700182.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TEXAS COUNTY, Okla.&nbsp; —The search continues for two Kansas women&nbsp; whose vehicle was found abandoned in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Authorities have released no new details in the case.Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, of Hugoton, Kansas, were driving to Oklahoma to pick up Butler’s children to attend a March 30 birthday party in Kansas but never showed up.&nbsp;Hunter McKee, an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokesperson, said investigators believe foul play led to women's disappearance based on what was found their vehicle.McKee declined to say what evidence was found in the vehicle, citing the continuing investigation.McKee said the abandoned vehicle was found by Texas County deputies and referred additional questions to Texas County Sheriff Matt Boley, who did not immediately return a phone call for comment.The sheriff's office has turned the investigation over to the OSBI.“We’re still looking into where and when they were last seen,” McKee said. McKee said no children are missing.Investigators were searching the area in Texas County around where the vehicle was found, according to McKee, about 11 miles south of Elkhart, Kansas, on the Oklahoma-Kansas state line.The area is about 260 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.

Search continues for 2 Kan. women missing since March 30

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Legislature devolved into shouts of “Shame! Shame!” on Wednesday as Republican lawmakers quickly shut down discussion on a proposed repeal of the state's newly revived 1864 law that criminalizes abortion throughout pregnancy unless a woman’s life is at risk.

The state Supreme Court cleared the way on Tuesday for enforcement of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-abortion-ban-what-to-know-797a4bbbc738497fe2284d6870c5be24">pre-statehood law</a>. Arizona abortion providers vowed Wednesday to continue service until they're forced to stop, possibly within weeks.

State legislators convened as pressure mounted from Democrats and some Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, for them to intervene.

House Democrats and at least one Republican tried to open discussion on a repeal of the 1864 abortion ban, which holds no exceptions for rape or incest. GOP leaders, who command the majority, cut it off twice and quickly adjourned for the week. Outraged Democrats erupted in finger-waving chants of “Shame! Shame!”

Republican state Rep. Teresa Martinez, of Casa Grande, said there was no reason to rush the debate. She accused Democrats of “screaming at us and engaging in extremist and insurrectionist behavior on the House floor.” The GOP-led Senate briefly convened without debate on abortion.

“We are navigating an extremely complex, emotional and important area of law and policy," said Martinez, the GOP House whip. "In my opinion, removing healthy babies from healthy mothers is not health care nor reproductive care. Pregnancy is not an illness. It should be celebrated. It is an abortion that terminates life.”

Democratic legislators seized on national interest in the state's abortion ban.

“We’ve got the eyes of the world watching Arizona right now,” said Democratic state Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, of Tucson. “We know that the Supreme Court decision yesterday is extreme. And we know that should the 1864 ban on abortion remain a law in Arizona, people will die.”

Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs called inaction on the proposed repeal unconscionable.

“Radical legislators protected a Civil War-era total abortion ban that jails doctors, strips women of our bodily autonomy and puts our lives at risk,” she said.

Three Republican legislators openly oppose the ban, including state Rep. Matt Gress, of Phoenix, who made a motion Wednesday to repeal the law. In a statement, he said the near-total ban “is not reflective of the values of the vast majority of our electorate, regardless of political affiliation. ... This issue transcends all.”

According to AP VoteCast, 6 out of 10 Arizona voters in the 2022 midterm elections said they would favor guaranteeing legal abortion nationwide. The state recorded 11,530 abortions in 2022, the last data available, according to the Department of Health Services.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712795455527.png" alt="Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (left center) said no woman or doctor would be prosecuted under the new "draconian" law.&nbsp;Photo office of Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes " />
 <figcaption>Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (left center) said no woman or doctor would be prosecuted under the new "draconian" law.&nbsp;Photo office of Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes </figcaption>
 </figure>PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Legislature devolved into shouts of “Shame! Shame!” on Wednesday as Republican lawmakers quickly shut down discussion on a proposed repeal of the state's newly revived 1864 law that criminalizes abortion throughout pregnancy unless a woman’s life is at risk.The state Supreme Court cleared the way on Tuesday for enforcement of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-abortion-ban-what-to-know-797a4bbbc738497fe2284d6870c5be24">pre-statehood law</a>. Arizona abortion providers vowed Wednesday to continue service until they're forced to stop, possibly within weeks.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Q: &quot;Did Arizona go too far?&quot; Former President Trump: &quot;Yeah, they did. That&#39;ll be straightened out. As you know it&#39;s all about state&#39;s rights. It&#39;ll be straightened out. I&#39;m sure that the governor and everybody else are going bring it back to within reason...&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Dc9qluxemc">pic.twitter.com/Dc9qluxemc</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1778092841484333298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>State legislators convened as pressure mounted from Democrats and some Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, for them to intervene.House Democrats and at least one Republican tried to open discussion on a repeal of the 1864 abortion ban, which holds no exceptions for rape or incest. GOP leaders, who command the majority, cut it off twice and quickly adjourned for the week. Outraged Democrats erupted in finger-waving chants of “Shame! Shame!”Republican state Rep. Teresa Martinez, of Casa Grande, said there was no reason to rush the debate. She accused Democrats of “screaming at us and engaging in extremist and insurrectionist behavior on the House floor.” The GOP-led Senate briefly convened without debate on abortion.“We are navigating an extremely complex, emotional and important area of law and policy," said Martinez, the GOP House whip. "In my opinion, removing healthy babies from healthy mothers is not health care nor reproductive care. Pregnancy is not an illness. It should be celebrated. It is an abortion that terminates life.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712795710185.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Democratic legislators seized on national interest in the state's abortion ban.“We’ve got the eyes of the world watching Arizona right now,” said Democratic state Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, of Tucson. “We know that the Supreme Court decision yesterday is extreme. And we know that should the 1864 ban on abortion remain a law in Arizona, people will die.”Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs called inaction on the proposed repeal unconscionable.“Radical legislators protected a Civil War-era total abortion ban that jails doctors, strips women of our bodily autonomy and puts our lives at risk,” she said.Three Republican legislators openly oppose the ban, including state Rep. Matt Gress, of Phoenix, who made a motion Wednesday to repeal the law. In a statement, he said the near-total ban “is not reflective of the values of the vast majority of our electorate, regardless of political affiliation. ... This issue transcends all.”According to AP VoteCast, 6 out of 10 Arizona voters in the 2022 midterm elections said they would favor guaranteeing legal abortion nationwide. The state recorded 11,530 abortions in 2022, the last data available, according to the Department of Health Services.At Camelback Family Planning in Phoenix, where about one-fourth of Arizona abortions are performed, registered nurse Ashleigh Feiring said abortion services were still available and that staff hope emergency legislation will avoid interruptions or closure.“Our plan is to stay open as long as possible,” Feiring said. “Our clinic has been shut down twice in the last four years, but we’ve always resumed service.”At the same time, anti-abortion groups including SBA Pro-Life America urged Arizona residents to oppose a proposed ballot initiative aimed at placing abortion rights in Arizona’s state constitution.“They would wipe away all pro-life laws put in place by the Legislature, reflective of the will of the people," SBA President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement.Hobbs, however, predicted that outrage will motivate voters to enshrine abortion rights directly in state law.“The fight is not over, for sure” she said.Grace Harders drove around metro Phoenix on Wednesday looking for an opportunity to sign an abortion rights petition. She said she wouldn’t know what to do if she had an unplanned pregnancy but knew she’d be scared.“I’m a pro-choice person, and I want to ensure the right for all women,” Harders said.Abortion rights advocates said they’ve gathered more than 500,000 signatures for the petition from the Arizona for Abortion Access campaign — far above what they need to add a ballot question asking voters to approve a constitutional amendment protecting the right to abortion until viability, when a fetus could survive outside the womb.Arriving for a campaign fundraiser in Atlanta, Trump said the Arizona court decision went too far and called on state lawmakers to change it even as he defended the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 ruling&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturning of Roe v. Wade</a>.“It’s all about states’ rights,” the former president told supporters and journalists. “It’ll be straightened out.”Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, most Republican-controlled states have started enforcing new bans or restrictions, and most Democratic-dominated ones have sought to protect abortion access. Additionally, voters have sided with abortion rights supporters on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ban-ballot-arkansas-rights-43594a834f01473b1bd13562ecaec555">statewide ballot measures</a>&nbsp;in California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio and Vermont.The Arizona ruling suggests doctors can be prosecuted for performing the procedure. The 1864 law carries a sentence of two to five years in prison for doctors or anyone else who assists in an abortion.“Physicians are now on notice that all abortions, except those necessary to save a woman’s life, are illegal,” the Arizona Supreme Court said in its decision, adding that additional criminal and regulatory sanctions may apply to abortions performed after 15 weeks, the state's previous time limit for the procedure.Beyond that, the court ruling also ignited concern that enforcement might interfere with handling miscarriages.Enforcing the 1864 law won’t begin for at least two weeks. However, plaintiffs in the case — including Planned Parenthood — said the delay could last up to two months, based on an agreement reached in a related case.Planned Parenthood has said it will offer abortion services up to 15 weeks of pregnancy for at least two more months, in line with an agreement in the related case.