SEDGWICK COUNTY — A Kansas felon accused in a double murder of a man and woman at Wichita motel made his first court appearance in the case Wednesday.&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=746460">John Aurthur Griffin</a>&nbsp;III, 20, Wichita, was charged with capital murder, criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, aggravated endangering a child, and two counts of aggravated battery, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

Just before 9:30a.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to a shooting call&nbsp; in the 7300 block of E. Kellogg, according to Officer Kris Gupilan.

First responders located two shooting victims in a motel room identified as&nbsp;35-year-old Christopher Harrell and 35-year-old Natisha Phillips both of Wichita.

EMS transported Harrell to a local area hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Phillips was pronounced deceased on the scene. 

Officers also located a young child at the scene, who was unharmed, and police are using resources to address any psychological or medical needs for the child.&nbsp;

Subsequent investigation led the arrest of Griffin. He had been in prison for portion of 2022 and 2023 after a conviction for Battery of a Juvenile Corrections Facility officer, Employer person confined, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. During his time his approximately 18 months in prison, Griffin had been disciplined nearly three dozen times for battery, theft, fighting and other crimes, according to the KDOC

His next court appearance is March 13. He is being held on a bond of six-million dollars.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708953115181.png" alt="Griffin-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Griffin-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — A Kansas felon accused in a double murder of a man and woman at Wichita motel made his first court appearance in the case Wednesday.&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=746460">John Aurthur Griffin</a>&nbsp;III, 20, Wichita, was charged with capital murder, criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, aggravated endangering a child, and two counts of aggravated battery, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708804201051.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>Just before 9:30a.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to a shooting call&nbsp; in the 7300 block of E. Kellogg, according to Officer Kris Gupilan.First responders located two shooting victims in a motel room identified as&nbsp;35-year-old Christopher Harrell and 35-year-old Natisha Phillips both of Wichita.EMS transported Harrell to a local area hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Phillips was pronounced deceased on the scene. Officers also located a young child at the scene, who was unharmed, and police are using resources to address any psychological or medical needs for the child.&nbsp;Subsequent investigation led the arrest of Griffin. He had been in prison for portion of 2022 and 2023 after a conviction for Battery of a Juvenile Corrections Facility officer, Employer person confined, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. During his time his approximately 18 months in prison, Griffin had been disciplined nearly three dozen times for battery, theft, fighting and other crimes, according to the KDOCHis next court appearance is March 13. He is being held on a bond of six-million dollars.

Violent felon charged with capital murder in Kan. motel killings

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mitch-mcconnell">Mitch McConnell</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/senators/majority-minority-leaders.htm">longest-serving Senate leader in history</a>&nbsp;who maintained his power in the face of dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party for almost two decades, will step down from that position in November.

Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley used social media to ask McConnell to speed up the process of stepping down.

McConnell, who turned 82 last week, announced his decision Wednesday in the well of the Senate, the chamber where he looked in awe from its back benches in 1985 when he arrived and where he grew increasingly comfortable in the front row seat afforded the party leaders.

“One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter,” he said. “So I stand before you today ... to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.”

His decision punctuates a powerful ideological transition underway in the Republican Party, from Ronald Reagan’s brand of traditional conservatism and strong international alliances, to the fiery, often isolationist populism of former President Donald Trump.

McConnell said he plans to serve out his Senate term, which ends in January 2027, “albeit from a different seat in the chamber.”

He spoke at times haltingly, his emotions evident, as he looked back on his career. Dozens of members of his staff lined up behind him on the back wall of the chamber, some wiping away tears, as family and friends looked down from the gallery above. Senators from both parties — most of them taken by surprise by the announcement — trickled into the chamber and exchanged hugs and handshakes.

President Joe Biden, who has had a productive working relationship with McConnell, said he was sorry to hear the news.

“I’ve trusted him and we have a great relationship,” the Democratic president said. “We fight like hell. But he has never, never, never misrepresented anything.”

Aides said McConnell’s announcement was unrelated to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-mitch-mcconnell-freeze-health-concussion-960af7f541b05754011171754acfe94f">his health</a>. The Kentucky senator had a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-fetterman-feinstein-absence-return-fall-d210f345020c9593ba2940edc71874ac">concussion</a>&nbsp;from a fall last year and two public episodes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-gop-leader-mcconnell-health-freeze-up-c5b43745251daa0bb63636ceff4edce2">where his face briefly froze</a>&nbsp;while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-freeze-senate-fall-republican-leader-f18008b314c5907ba0111f6891c9a0d3">he was speaking.</a>

“As I have been thinking about when I would deliver some news to the Senate, I always imagined a moment when I had total clarity and peace about the sunset of my work,” McConnell said. “A moment when I am certain I have helped preserve the ideals I so strongly believe. It arrived today.”

The senator had been under increasing pressure from the restive, and at times hostile wing of his party that has aligned firmly with Trump.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-trump-fed-lies-to-mob-36871d68df56a10be1c46ed364ad6de6">The two have been estranged</a>&nbsp;since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-gop-electoral-college-34fb478601b72b3e8049f12371670001">December 2020</a>, when McConnell refused to abide Trump’s lie that the election of Democrat Biden as president was the product of fraud.

But while McConnell's critics within the GOP conference had grown louder, their numbers had not grown appreciably larger, a marker of McConnell’s strategic and tactical skill and his ability to understand the needs of his fellow Republican senators.

McConnell gave no specific reason for the timing of his decision, which he has been contemplating for months, but he cited the recent death of his wife's youngest sister as a moment that prompted introspection. “The end of my contributions are closer than I’d prefer,” McConnell said.

But his remarks were also light at times as he talked about the arc of his Senate career.

He noted that when he arrived in the Senate, “I was just happy if anybody remembered my name.” During his campaign in 1984, when Reagan was visiting Kentucky, the president called him “Mitch O’Donnell.”

McConnell endorsed Reagan’s view of America’s role in the world and the senator has persisted in face of opposition, including from Trump, that Congress should include a foreign assistance package that includes $60 billion for Ukraine.

“I am unconflicted about the good within our country and the irreplaceable role we play as the leader of the free world," McConnell said.

Against long odds he managed to secure 22 Republican votes for the package now being considered by the House.

“Believe me, I know the politics within my party at this particular moment in time. I have many faults. Misunderstanding politics is not one of them," McConnell said. "That said, I believe more strongly than ever that America’s global leadership is essential to preserving the shining city on a hill that Ronald Reagan discussed. For as long as I am drawing breath on this earth I will defend American exceptionalism.”

After his speech, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, congratulated him in brief remarks, saying that she admired him “for stepping forward when it wasn't popular to do the right thing for our country and our world.”

Trump has pulled the party hard to the ideological right, questioning longtime military alliances such as NATO, international trade agreements and pushing for a severe crackdown on immigration, all the while clinging to the falsehood that the election was stolen from him in 2020.

McConnell and Trump had worked together during Trump's time in the White House, remaking the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary in a far more conservative image, and on tax legislation. But there was also friction from the start, with Trump frequently sniping at the senator.

Their relationship has essentially been over since Trump refused to accept the results of the Electoral College. But the rupture deepened dramatically after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. McConnell assigned blame and responsibility to Trump and said that he should be held to account through the criminal justice system for his actions.

McConnell’s critics insist he could have done more, including voting to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-impeachments-trump-impeachment-mitch-mcconnell-0a14d2e41e376331580b98a992f7d856#:~:text=Mitch%20McConnell%20delivered%20a%20scalding,face%20trial%20in%20the%20Senate.">McConnell did not</a>, arguing that since Trump was no longer in office, he could not be subject to impeachment.

Rather than fade from prominence after the Capitol riot, Trump continued to assert his control over the party, and finds himself on a clear glidepath to the Republican nomination. Other members of the Republican Senate leadership have endorsed Trump. McConnell has not, and that has drawn criticism from other Republican senators.

McConnell’s path to power was hardly linear, but from the day he walked onto the Senate floor in 1985 and took his seat as the most junior Republican senator, he set his sights on being the party leader. What set him apart was that so many other Senate leaders wanted to run for president. McConnell wanted to run the Senate. He lost races for lower party positions before steadily ascending, and finally became party leader in 2006 and has won nine straight elections.

He most recently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-mitch-mcconnell-congress-9f1be1d3635127dbb3e17a3fae1ac86d">beat back a challenge</a>&nbsp;led by Sen. Rick Scott of Florida last November.

McConnell built his power base by a combination of care and nurturing of his members, including understanding their political imperatives. After seeing the potential peril of a rising Tea Party, he also established a super political action committee, The Senate Leadership Fund, which has provided more than a billion dollars in support of Republican candidates.

He is not a popular figure nationally, even among Republicans. According to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnorc.org/projects/few-republicans-have-a-favorable-opinion-of-senate-minority-leader-mcconnell/">45% of Republicans have an unfavorable</a>&nbsp;view of McConnell. But he has reigned in the Senate.

“I love the Senate,” he said. “It has been my life. There may be more distinguished members of this body throughout our history, but I doubt there are any with more admiration for it.”

But, he added, "Father Time remains undefeated. I am no longer the young man sitting in the back, hoping colleagues would remember my name. It is time for the next generation of leadership.”

There would be a time to reminisce, he said, but not today.

“I still have enough gas in the tank to thoroughly disappoint my critics and I intend to do so with all the enthusiasm which they have become accustomed.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1709141849215.png" alt="Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell during his resignation announcement Wednesday-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell during his resignation announcement Wednesday-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mitch-mcconnell">Mitch McConnell</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/senators/majority-minority-leaders.htm">longest-serving Senate leader in history</a>&nbsp;who maintained his power in the face of dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party for almost two decades, will step down from that position in November.Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley used social media to ask McConnell to speed up the process of stepping down.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I called on McConnell to step down over a year ago. This is good news. But why wait so long - we need new leadership now <a href="https://t.co/IG7wgaNI6Z">https://t.co/IG7wgaNI6Z</a>&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1762893400955593135?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Reporters have been asking what I want to see in McConnell’s replacement. Well, for one, somebody who will put the people of Missouri and this nation ahead of defense contractors, corporate interests, and big money donors&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1762991865077313934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>McConnell, who turned 82 last week, announced his decision Wednesday in the well of the Senate, the chamber where he looked in awe from its back benches in 1985 when he arrived and where he grew increasingly comfortable in the front row seat afforded the party leaders.“One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter,” he said. “So I stand before you today ... to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.”His decision punctuates a powerful ideological transition underway in the Republican Party, from Ronald Reagan’s brand of traditional conservatism and strong international alliances, to the fiery, often isolationist populism of former President Donald Trump.McConnell said he plans to serve out his Senate term, which ends in January 2027, “albeit from a different seat in the chamber.”He spoke at times haltingly, his emotions evident, as he looked back on his career. Dozens of members of his staff lined up behind him on the back wall of the chamber, some wiping away tears, as family and friends looked down from the gallery above. Senators from both parties — most of them taken by surprise by the announcement — trickled into the chamber and exchanged hugs and handshakes.President Joe Biden, who has had a productive working relationship with McConnell, said he was sorry to hear the news.“I’ve trusted him and we have a great relationship,” the Democratic president said. “We fight like hell. But he has never, never, never misrepresented anything.”Aides said McConnell’s announcement was unrelated to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-mitch-mcconnell-freeze-health-concussion-960af7f541b05754011171754acfe94f">his health</a>. The Kentucky senator had a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-fetterman-feinstein-absence-return-fall-d210f345020c9593ba2940edc71874ac">concussion</a>&nbsp;from a fall last year and two public episodes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-gop-leader-mcconnell-health-freeze-up-c5b43745251daa0bb63636ceff4edce2">where his face briefly froze</a>&nbsp;while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-freeze-senate-fall-republican-leader-f18008b314c5907ba0111f6891c9a0d3">he was speaking.</a>“As I have been thinking about when I would deliver some news to the Senate, I always imagined a moment when I had total clarity and peace about the sunset of my work,” McConnell said. “A moment when I am certain I have helped preserve the ideals I so strongly believe. It arrived today.”The senator had been under increasing pressure from the restive, and at times hostile wing of his party that has aligned firmly with Trump.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-trump-fed-lies-to-mob-36871d68df56a10be1c46ed364ad6de6">The two have been estranged</a>&nbsp;since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-gop-electoral-college-34fb478601b72b3e8049f12371670001">December 2020</a>, when McConnell refused to abide Trump’s lie that the election of Democrat Biden as president was the product of fraud.But while McConnell's critics within the GOP conference had grown louder, their numbers had not grown appreciably larger, a marker of McConnell’s strategic and tactical skill and his ability to understand the needs of his fellow Republican senators.McConnell gave no specific reason for the timing of his decision, which he has been contemplating for months, but he cited the recent death of his wife's youngest sister as a moment that prompted introspection. “The end of my contributions are closer than I’d prefer,” McConnell said.But his remarks were also light at times as he talked about the arc of his Senate career.He noted that when he arrived in the Senate, “I was just happy if anybody remembered my name.” During his campaign in 1984, when Reagan was visiting Kentucky, the president called him “Mitch O’Donnell.”McConnell endorsed Reagan’s view of America’s role in the world and the senator has persisted in face of opposition, including from Trump, that Congress should include a foreign assistance package that includes $60 billion for Ukraine.“I am unconflicted about the good within our country and the irreplaceable role we play as the leader of the free world," McConnell said.Against long odds he managed to secure 22 Republican votes for the package now being considered by the House.“Believe me, I know the politics within my party at this particular moment in time. I have many faults. Misunderstanding politics is not one of them," McConnell said. "That said, I believe more strongly than ever that America’s global leadership is essential to preserving the shining city on a hill that Ronald Reagan discussed. For as long as I am drawing breath on this earth I will defend American exceptionalism.”After his speech, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, congratulated him in brief remarks, saying that she admired him “for stepping forward when it wasn't popular to do the right thing for our country and our world.”Trump has pulled the party hard to the ideological right, questioning longtime military alliances such as NATO, international trade agreements and pushing for a severe crackdown on immigration, all the while clinging to the falsehood that the election was stolen from him in 2020.McConnell and Trump had worked together during Trump's time in the White House, remaking the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary in a far more conservative image, and on tax legislation. But there was also friction from the start, with Trump frequently sniping at the senator.Their relationship has essentially been over since Trump refused to accept the results of the Electoral College. But the rupture deepened dramatically after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. McConnell assigned blame and responsibility to Trump and said that he should be held to account through the criminal justice system for his actions.McConnell’s critics insist he could have done more, including voting to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-impeachments-trump-impeachment-mitch-mcconnell-0a14d2e41e376331580b98a992f7d856#:~:text=Mitch%20McConnell%20delivered%20a%20scalding,face%20trial%20in%20the%20Senate.">McConnell did not</a>, arguing that since Trump was no longer in office, he could not be subject to impeachment.Rather than fade from prominence after the Capitol riot, Trump continued to assert his control over the party, and finds himself on a clear glidepath to the Republican nomination. Other members of the Republican Senate leadership have endorsed Trump. McConnell has not, and that has drawn criticism from other Republican senators.McConnell’s path to power was hardly linear, but from the day he walked onto the Senate floor in 1985 and took his seat as the most junior Republican senator, he set his sights on being the party leader. What set him apart was that so many other Senate leaders wanted to run for president. McConnell wanted to run the Senate. He lost races for lower party positions before steadily ascending, and finally became party leader in 2006 and has won nine straight elections.He most recently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-mitch-mcconnell-congress-9f1be1d3635127dbb3e17a3fae1ac86d">beat back a challenge</a>&nbsp;led by Sen. Rick Scott of Florida last November.McConnell built his power base by a combination of care and nurturing of his members, including understanding their political imperatives. After seeing the potential peril of a rising Tea Party, he also established a super political action committee, The Senate Leadership Fund, which has provided more than a billion dollars in support of Republican candidates.He is not a popular figure nationally, even among Republicans. According to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnorc.org/projects/few-republicans-have-a-favorable-opinion-of-senate-minority-leader-mcconnell/">45% of Republicans have an unfavorable</a>&nbsp;view of McConnell. But he has reigned in the Senate.“I love the Senate,” he said. “It has been my life. There may be more distinguished members of this body throughout our history, but I doubt there are any with more admiration for it.”But, he added, "Father Time remains undefeated. I am no longer the young man sitting in the back, hoping colleagues would remember my name. It is time for the next generation of leadership.”There would be a time to reminisce, he said, but not today.“I still have enough gas in the tank to thoroughly disappoint my critics and I intend to do so with all the enthusiasm which they have become accustomed.”

Mo. U.S. Senator wants Senate GOP leader to step down now, not November

FORD COUNTY —It's been a busy week for fire crews in Kansas. According to a social media report from Ford County Fire and EMS, they sent a truck, on Tuesday, along with the SW Kansas Wildland Taskforce to Harper County Oklahoma to help with a very large grass fire.

Just before noon Wednesday, Ford County crews were dispatched to a grass fire northeast of Bucklin.  While heading to that fire another fire was reported by the small rural Ford County community of Wilroads Garden. 

The initial report was for a grass fire with multiple structures being threatened.  Some trucks were diverted from the first fire and additional resources were requested at the second fire. 

There were no houses lost but there were some out buildings, vehicles and livestock losses. Fire crews continue to monitor for hot spots at this time.&nbsp;

Departments from&nbsp;Dodge City Fire Department&nbsp;, Jetmore,&nbsp;Fowler Fire Department&nbsp;,&nbsp;Minneola Fire Department&nbsp;,&nbsp;Ashland Kansas Fire Department&nbsp;, Ford County Road &amp; Bridge,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064581137044&amp;__cft__[0]=AZWzgFNJrJJJ7RtWhHGNUWVekvhiu9q0hQfUv0PB_g4Jmsk-Giko63VJ69dT_V7LogjslJRq39DS8sHpSg7TFNv9uIvyGwzQFEI1jfRJHSVjh8ay_nhRfudRTik0XIzt6L32nA-URjRD7QiEFuZfMwdLZsyRlMgPG8TIWBPLOvwDqDq3lGKS2dCN234oI21dp5M&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Ford County Sheriff's Office</a>&nbsp;, Pride Ag and&nbsp; and Victory Electric assisted with this fire.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1709211368458.png" alt="Photo courtesy Ford County Fire and EMS" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Ford County Fire and EMS</figcaption>
 </figure>FORD COUNTY —It's been a busy week for fire crews in Kansas. According to a social media report from Ford County Fire and EMS, they sent a truck, on Tuesday, along with the SW Kansas Wildland Taskforce to Harper County Oklahoma to help with a very large grass fire.Just before noon Wednesday, Ford County crews were dispatched to a grass fire northeast of Bucklin. While heading to that fire another fire was reported by the small rural Ford County community of Wilroads Garden. The initial report was for a grass fire with multiple structures being threatened. Some trucks were diverted from the first fire and additional resources were requested at the second fire. There were no houses lost but there were some out buildings, vehicles and livestock losses. Fire crews continue to monitor for hot spots at this time.&nbsp;Departments from&nbsp;Dodge City Fire Department&nbsp;, Jetmore,&nbsp;Fowler Fire Department&nbsp;,&nbsp;Minneola Fire Department&nbsp;,&nbsp;Ashland Kansas Fire Department&nbsp;, Ford County Road &amp; Bridge,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064581137044&amp;__cft__[0]=AZWzgFNJrJJJ7RtWhHGNUWVekvhiu9q0hQfUv0PB_g4Jmsk-Giko63VJ69dT_V7LogjslJRq39DS8sHpSg7TFNv9uIvyGwzQFEI1jfRJHSVjh8ay_nhRfudRTik0XIzt6L32nA-URjRD7QiEFuZfMwdLZsyRlMgPG8TIWBPLOvwDqDq3lGKS2dCN234oI21dp5M&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Ford County Sheriff's Office</a>&nbsp;, Pride Ag and&nbsp; and Victory Electric assisted with this fire.

Livestock lost in southwest Kansas wildfires

KANSAS CITY —A family is very thankful a Kansas City police detective was in the right place at the right time earlier this month.

Detective Lauren Montgomery and Officer Brett Ussary were leaving University Health after conducting interviews when they encountered a family that needed immediate help.

On Tuesday KCPD released a video showing Montgomery (gray jacket) administer back blows to the baby who was choking and not breathing. "The parents were frantic." Officer Brett Ussary, meanwhile, rushed into University Health for help. 

"While he was doing so Montgomery dislodged an object from the baby’s airway, who began gasping for air and crying."

"Great job, Detective Montgomery and Officer Ussary!" KCPD wrote in their post on the department's social media page.

KANSAS CITY —A family is very thankful a Kansas City police detective was in the right place at the right time earlier this month.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Baby saved! In this video, you see Detective Lauren Montgomery (gray jacket) administer back blows to a baby that was choking and not breathing. The parents were frantic. Officer Brett Ussary, meanwhile, rushed into University Health for help. While he was doing so… 1/2 <a href="https://t.co/6mwi9Wgfqw">pic.twitter.com/6mwi9Wgfqw</a>&mdash; kcpolice (@kcpolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/kcpolice/status/1762527635861623269?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Detective Lauren Montgomery and Officer Brett Ussary were leaving University Health after conducting interviews when they encountered a family that needed immediate help.On Tuesday KCPD released a video showing Montgomery (gray jacket) administer back blows to the baby who was choking and not breathing. "The parents were frantic." Officer Brett Ussary, meanwhile, rushed into University Health for help. "While he was doing so Montgomery dislodged an object from the baby’s airway, who began gasping for air and crying.""Great job, Detective Montgomery and Officer Ussary!" KCPD wrote in their post on the department's social media page.

🎥 Kansas City police detective saves life of choking baby

NEW YORK (AP) — Leap year. It's a delight for the calendar and math nerds among us. So how did it all begin and why?

Have a look at some of the numbers, history and lore behind the (not quite) every four year phenom that adds a 29th day to February.

The math is mind-boggling in a layperson sort of way and down to fractions of days and minutes. There's even a leap second occasionally, but there's no hullabaloo when that happens.

The thing to know is that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/news/2020/2/21/doing-the-math-on-why-we-have-leap-day/">leap year exists,</a>&nbsp;in large part, to keep the months in sync with annual events, including equinoxes and solstices, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology.

It's a correction to counter the fact that Earth's orbit isn't precisely 365 days a year.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/Numbers/Math/Mathematical_Thinking/calendar_calculations.htm">The trip takes about six hours longer than that, NASA says.</a>

Contrary to what some might believe, however, not every four years is a leaper. Adding a leap day every four years would make the calendar longer by more than 44 minutes, according to the National Air &amp; Space Museum.

Later, on a calendar yet to come (we'll get to it), it was decreed that years divisible by 100 not follow the four-year leap day rule unless they are also divisible by 400, the JPL notes. In the past 500 years, there was no leap day in 1700, 1800 and 1900, but 2000 had one. In the next 500 years, if the practice is followed, there will be no leap day in 2100, 2200, 2300 and 2500.

The next leap years are 2028, 2032 and 2036.

Eventually, nothing good in terms of when major events fall, when farmers plant and how seasons align with the sun and the moon.

“Without the leap years, after a few hundred years we will have summer in November,” said Younas Khan, a physics instructor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “Christmas will be in summer. There will be no snow. There will be no feeling of Christmas.”

Ancient civilizations used the cosmos to plan their lives, and there are calendars dating back to the Bronze Age. They were based on either the phases of the moon or the sun, as various calendars are today. Usually they were “lunisolar,” using both.

Now hop on over to the Roman Empire and Julius Caesar. He was dealing with major seasonal drift on calendars used in his neck of the woods. They dealt badly with drift by adding months. He was also navigating a vast array of calendars starting in a vast array of ways in the vast Roman Empire.

He introduced his Julian calendar in 46 BCE. It was purely solar and counted a year at 365.25 days, so once every four years an extra day was added. Before that, the Romans counted a year at 355 days, at least for a time.

But still, under Julius, there was drift. There were too many leap years! The solar year isn't precisely 365.25 days! It's 365.242 days, said Nick Eakes, an astronomy educator at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Thomas Palaima, a classics professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said adding periods of time to a year to reflect variations in the lunar and solar cycles was done by the ancients. The Athenian calendar, he said, was used in the fourth, fifth and sixth centuries with 12 lunar months.

That didn't work for seasonal religious rites. The drift problem led to “intercalating” an extra month periodically to realign with lunar and solar cycles, Palaima said.

The Julian calendar was 0.0078 days (11 minutes and 14 seconds) longer than the tropical year, so errors in timekeeping still gradually accumulated, according to NASA. But stability increased, Palaima said.

The Julian calendar was the model used by the Western world for hundreds of years. Enter Pope Gregory XIII, who calibrated further. His Gregorian calendar took effect in the late 16th century. It remains in use today and, clearly, isn't perfect or there would be no need for leap year. But it was a big improvement, reducing drift to mere seconds.

Why did he step in? Well, Easter. It was coming later in the year over time, and he fretted that events related to Easter like the Pentecost might bump up against pagan festivals. The pope wanted Easter to remain in the spring.

He eliminated some extra days accumulated on the Julian calendar and tweaked the rules on leap day. It's Pope Gregory and his advisers who came up with the really gnarly math on when there should or shouldn't be a leap year.

“If the solar year was a perfect 365.25 then we wouldn’t have to worry about the tricky math involved,” Eakes said.

WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH LEAP YEAR AND MARRIAGE?

Bizarrely, leap day comes with lore about women popping the marriage question to men. It was mostly benign fun, but it came with a bite that reinforced gender roles.

There’s distant European folklore. One story places the idea of women proposing in fifth century Ireland, with St. Bridget appealing to St. Patrick to offer women the chance to ask men to marry them, according to historian Katherine Parkin in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/audio/2012/02/29/leap-year-marriage-proposals">2012 paper in the Journal of Family History.</a>

In 1904, syndicated columnist Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmer, aka Dorothy Dix, summed up the tradition this way: “Of course people will say ... that a woman’s leap year prerogative, like most of her liberties, is merely a glittering mockery.”

The pre-Sadie Hawkins tradition, however serious or tongue-in-cheek, could have empowered women but merely perpetuated stereotypes. The proposals were to happen via postcard, but many such cards turned the tables and poked fun at women instead.

Advertising perpetuated the leap year marriage game. A 1916 ad by the American Industrial Bank and Trust Co. read thusly: “This being Leap Year day, we suggest to every girl that she propose to her father to open a savings account in her name in our own bank.”

There was no breath of independence for women due to leap day.

Being born in a leap year on a leap day certainly is a talking point. But it can be kind of a pain from a paperwork perspective. Some governments and others requiring forms to be filled out and birthdays to be stated stepped in to declare what date was used by leaplings for such things as drivers licenses, whether Feb. 28 or March 1.

Technology has made it far easier for leap babies to jot down their Feb. 29 milestones, though there can be glitches in terms of health systems, insurance policies and with other businesses and organization that don't have that date built in.

There are about 5 million people worldwide who share the leap birthday out of about 8 billion people on the planet. Shelley Dean, 23, in Seattle, Washington, chooses a rosy attitude about being a leapling. Growing up, she had normal birthday parties each year, but an extra special one when leap years rolled around. Since, as an adult, she marks that non-leap period between Feb. 28 and March 1 with a low-key “whew.”

“It will be the first birthday that I’m going to celebrate with my family in eight years, which is super exciting, because the last leap day I was on the other side of the country in New York for college,” she said. “It's a very big year.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1709168477060.png" alt="Leap years were created to keep the human calendar in line with Earth's rotation around the sun. (AP Digital Embed)" />
 <figcaption>Leap years were created to keep the human calendar in line with Earth's rotation around the sun. (AP Digital Embed)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Leap year. It's a delight for the calendar and math nerds among us. So how did it all begin and why?<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708881735016.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Have a look at some of the numbers, history and lore behind the (not quite) every four year phenom that adds a 29th day to February.BY THE NUMBERSThe math is mind-boggling in a layperson sort of way and down to fractions of days and minutes. There's even a leap second occasionally, but there's no hullabaloo when that happens.The thing to know is that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/news/2020/2/21/doing-the-math-on-why-we-have-leap-day/">leap year exists,</a>&nbsp;in large part, to keep the months in sync with annual events, including equinoxes and solstices, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology.It's a correction to counter the fact that Earth's orbit isn't precisely 365 days a year.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/Numbers/Math/Mathematical_Thinking/calendar_calculations.htm">The trip takes about six hours longer than that, NASA says.</a>Contrary to what some might believe, however, not every four years is a leaper. Adding a leap day every four years would make the calendar longer by more than 44 minutes, according to the National Air &amp; Space Museum.Later, on a calendar yet to come (we'll get to it), it was decreed that years divisible by 100 not follow the four-year leap day rule unless they are also divisible by 400, the JPL notes. In the past 500 years, there was no leap day in 1700, 1800 and 1900, but 2000 had one. In the next 500 years, if the practice is followed, there will be no leap day in 2100, 2200, 2300 and 2500.Still with us?The next leap years are 2028, 2032 and 2036.WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WITHOUT A LEAP DAY?Eventually, nothing good in terms of when major events fall, when farmers plant and how seasons align with the sun and the moon.“Without the leap years, after a few hundred years we will have summer in November,” said Younas Khan, a physics instructor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “Christmas will be in summer. There will be no snow. There will be no feeling of Christmas.”WHO CAME UP WITH LEAP YEAR?The short answer: It evolved.Ancient civilizations used the cosmos to plan their lives, and there are calendars dating back to the Bronze Age. They were based on either the phases of the moon or the sun, as various calendars are today. Usually they were “lunisolar,” using both.Now hop on over to the Roman Empire and Julius Caesar. He was dealing with major seasonal drift on calendars used in his neck of the woods. They dealt badly with drift by adding months. He was also navigating a vast array of calendars starting in a vast array of ways in the vast Roman Empire.He introduced his Julian calendar in 46 BCE. It was purely solar and counted a year at 365.25 days, so once every four years an extra day was added. Before that, the Romans counted a year at 355 days, at least for a time.But still, under Julius, there was drift. There were too many leap years! The solar year isn't precisely 365.25 days! It's 365.242 days, said Nick Eakes, an astronomy educator at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.Thomas Palaima, a classics professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said adding periods of time to a year to reflect variations in the lunar and solar cycles was done by the ancients. The Athenian calendar, he said, was used in the fourth, fifth and sixth centuries with 12 lunar months.That didn't work for seasonal religious rites. The drift problem led to “intercalating” an extra month periodically to realign with lunar and solar cycles, Palaima said.The Julian calendar was 0.0078 days (11 minutes and 14 seconds) longer than the tropical year, so errors in timekeeping still gradually accumulated, according to NASA. But stability increased, Palaima said.The Julian calendar was the model used by the Western world for hundreds of years. Enter Pope Gregory XIII, who calibrated further. His Gregorian calendar took effect in the late 16th century. It remains in use today and, clearly, isn't perfect or there would be no need for leap year. But it was a big improvement, reducing drift to mere seconds.Why did he step in? Well, Easter. It was coming later in the year over time, and he fretted that events related to Easter like the Pentecost might bump up against pagan festivals. The pope wanted Easter to remain in the spring.He eliminated some extra days accumulated on the Julian calendar and tweaked the rules on leap day. It's Pope Gregory and his advisers who came up with the really gnarly math on when there should or shouldn't be a leap year.“If the solar year was a perfect 365.25 then we wouldn’t have to worry about the tricky math involved,” Eakes said.WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH LEAP YEAR AND MARRIAGE?Bizarrely, leap day comes with lore about women popping the marriage question to men. It was mostly benign fun, but it came with a bite that reinforced gender roles.There’s distant European folklore. One story places the idea of women proposing in fifth century Ireland, with St. Bridget appealing to St. Patrick to offer women the chance to ask men to marry them, according to historian Katherine Parkin in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/audio/2012/02/29/leap-year-marriage-proposals">2012 paper in the Journal of Family History.</a>Nobody really knows where it all began.In 1904, syndicated columnist Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmer, aka Dorothy Dix, summed up the tradition this way: “Of course people will say ... that a woman’s leap year prerogative, like most of her liberties, is merely a glittering mockery.”The pre-Sadie Hawkins tradition, however serious or tongue-in-cheek, could have empowered women but merely perpetuated stereotypes. The proposals were to happen via postcard, but many such cards turned the tables and poked fun at women instead.Advertising perpetuated the leap year marriage game. A 1916 ad by the American Industrial Bank and Trust Co. read thusly: “This being Leap Year day, we suggest to every girl that she propose to her father to open a savings account in her name in our own bank.”There was no breath of independence for women due to leap day.SHOULD WE PITY THE LEAPLINGS?Being born in a leap year on a leap day certainly is a talking point. But it can be kind of a pain from a paperwork perspective. Some governments and others requiring forms to be filled out and birthdays to be stated stepped in to declare what date was used by leaplings for such things as drivers licenses, whether Feb. 28 or March 1.Technology has made it far easier for leap babies to jot down their Feb. 29 milestones, though there can be glitches in terms of health systems, insurance policies and with other businesses and organization that don't have that date built in.There are about 5 million people worldwide who share the leap birthday out of about 8 billion people on the planet. Shelley Dean, 23, in Seattle, Washington, chooses a rosy attitude about being a leapling. Growing up, she had normal birthday parties each year, but an extra special one when leap years rolled around. Since, as an adult, she marks that non-leap period between Feb. 28 and March 1 with a low-key “whew.”This year is different.“It will be the first birthday that I’m going to celebrate with my family in eight years, which is super exciting, because the last leap day I was on the other side of the country in New York for college,” she said. “It's a very big year.”

The 'why' behind leap year

KANSAS CITY —The Kansas City Fire Department is investigating the cause of a fire at a homeless camp that sent two to the hospital.

Just after 11a.m. Wednesday, crews&nbsp;initially responded to a reported building fire in the area of 20th and Troost, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.

&nbsp;A passerby reported smoke from the building.&nbsp; Crews identified that the smoke was actually from a homeless camp at the rear of the building under the bridge near the railroad tracks. 

Additional responding units diverted to 20th and Forest for better access and were able to extinguish the large fire. Initial reports indicated possibly 8 to 10 homeless individuals injured, which triggered the large ambulance response. 

EMS transported only two patients from the incident, one in critical condition and one in serious condition. The Troost bridge at 20th street is being inspected by public works for damage and is currently closed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1709154395283.png" alt="The Troost bridge at 20th street is being inspected by public works for damage and is currently closed.- Photo courtesy KMBC" />
 <figcaption>The Troost bridge at 20th street is being inspected by public works for damage and is currently closed.- Photo courtesy KMBC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —The Kansas City Fire Department is investigating the cause of a fire at a homeless camp that sent two to the hospital.Just after 11a.m. Wednesday, crews&nbsp;initially responded to a reported building fire in the area of 20th and Troost, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.&nbsp;A passerby reported smoke from the building.&nbsp; Crews identified that the smoke was actually from a homeless camp at the rear of the building under the bridge near the railroad tracks. Additional responding units diverted to 20th and Forest for better access and were able to extinguish the large fire. Initial reports indicated possibly 8 to 10 homeless individuals injured, which triggered the large ambulance response. EMS transported only two patients from the incident, one in critical condition and one in serious condition. The Troost bridge at 20th street is being inspected by public works for damage and is currently closed.

2 hospitalized after fire at Kansas City homeless camp 

BUTLER COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas teen for alleged child sex crimes.

&nbsp;A tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children prompted an investigation by El Dorado Police and the Kansas ICAC Task Force in Wichita alleging the sexual exploitation of children through the use of electronic devices.&nbsp; Investigators then arrested 18-year-old Lillian Bagley of El Dorado.

She is being held on requested charges of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, sexual exploitation of a child and aggravated internet trading in child pornography.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1709080587675.png" alt="Bagley photo Butler Co." />
 <figcaption>Bagley photo Butler Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>BUTLER COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas teen for alleged child sex crimes.&nbsp;A tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children prompted an investigation by El Dorado Police and the Kansas ICAC Task Force in Wichita alleging the sexual exploitation of children through the use of electronic devices.&nbsp; Investigators then arrested 18-year-old Lillian Bagley of El Dorado.She is being held on requested charges of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, sexual exploitation of a child and aggravated internet trading in child pornography.

Kansas teen accused of internet trading in child pornography

ST. LOUIS (AP) —Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch has reached a contract agreement with the Teamsters union that avoids a strike at its U.S. plants.

The union had threatened a strike at the brewer’s 12 U.S. plants if an agreement on a new five-year contract wasn’t reached by 11:59 p.m. EST Thursday. The Teamsters union represents 5,000 Anheuser-Busch workers who brew and package beer and even take care of the company’s legendary Clydesdale horses.

But the two sides said late Wednesday they had reached a tentative agreement that boosts wages and increases vacation days and pension contributions.

“Teamsters make the beer, Teamsters make Anheuser-Busch successful and our members deserve the best contract. That is what we fought for and won today,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement.

Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said the contract also makes significant job security commitments.

"Our people are our greatest strength, and we are incredibly pleased to have reached a tentative agreement that continues to recognize the talent, dedication, and hard work of our teams, while also positioning the company for long-term success,” Whitworth said in a statement.

The union said the full tentative agreement will be shared with workers prior to a ratification vote, which is expected to happen next week.

The strike would have been the first in the U.S. against Anheuser-Busch since 1976.

The union said earlier this month it was angered by a company proposal that would close breweries and lay off workers.

But Anheuser-Busch is facing declining beer sales in the U.S., where drinkers are increasingly opting for spirits, hard seltzers and alcohol-free beverages.

It’s also trying to win back consumers. Bud Light, its best-selling brand, faced a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bud-light-anheuser-busch-inbev-earnings-46b6412f84b5e8884caea941fc069d2f">conservative backlash</a>&nbsp;last year after it sent a commemorative can to transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney. Transgender rights supporters also deserted the brand, saying it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bud-light-transgender-dylan-mulvaney-442d6d4c3f41d706586de8edd01ac13d">didn't do enough</a>&nbsp;to support Mulvaney.

Anheuser-Busch shipments to U.S. wholesalers dropped 13.8% last year, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights. Overall, U.S. beer shipments were down 5%.

The company, part of Belgium-based Anheuser-Busch InBev, brews more than a dozen brands at its U.S. plants, including Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra and Stella Artois.

ST. LOUIS (AP) —Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch has reached a contract agreement with the Teamsters union that avoids a strike at its U.S. plants.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">TEAMSTERS REACH MAJOR NEW AGREEMENT WITH ANHEUSER-BUSCH, BOOSTING WAGES, PROTECTING JOBS Today, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters reached a five-year tentative agreement significantly raising pay, improving health care and retirement benefits, and providing critical job… <a href="https://t.co/9jlVAdxxfU">pic.twitter.com/9jlVAdxxfU</a>&mdash; Teamsters (@Teamsters) <a href="https://twitter.com/Teamsters/status/1762980659478352118?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The union had threatened a strike at the brewer’s 12 U.S. plants if an agreement on a new five-year contract wasn’t reached by 11:59 p.m. EST Thursday. The Teamsters union represents 5,000 Anheuser-Busch workers who brew and package beer and even take care of the company’s legendary Clydesdale horses.But the two sides said late Wednesday they had reached a tentative agreement that boosts wages and increases vacation days and pension contributions.“Teamsters make the beer, Teamsters make Anheuser-Busch successful and our members deserve the best contract. That is what we fought for and won today,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement.Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said the contract also makes significant job security commitments."Our people are our greatest strength, and we are incredibly pleased to have reached a tentative agreement that continues to recognize the talent, dedication, and hard work of our teams, while also positioning the company for long-term success,” Whitworth said in a statement.The union said the full tentative agreement will be shared with workers prior to a ratification vote, which is expected to happen next week.The strike would have been the first in the U.S. against Anheuser-Busch since 1976.The union said earlier this month it was angered by a company proposal that would close breweries and lay off workers.But Anheuser-Busch is facing declining beer sales in the U.S., where drinkers are increasingly opting for spirits, hard seltzers and alcohol-free beverages.It’s also trying to win back consumers. Bud Light, its best-selling brand, faced a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bud-light-anheuser-busch-inbev-earnings-46b6412f84b5e8884caea941fc069d2f">conservative backlash</a>&nbsp;last year after it sent a commemorative can to transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney. Transgender rights supporters also deserted the brand, saying it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bud-light-transgender-dylan-mulvaney-442d6d4c3f41d706586de8edd01ac13d">didn't do enough</a>&nbsp;to support Mulvaney.Anheuser-Busch shipments to U.S. wholesalers dropped 13.8% last year, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights. Overall, U.S. beer shipments were down 5%.The company, part of Belgium-based Anheuser-Busch InBev, brews more than a dozen brands at its U.S. plants, including Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra and Stella Artois.

Anheuser-Busch, Teamsters reach agreement that avoids US strike

JOHNSON COUNTY —A man accused in a deadly Kansas crash has entered a plea in the case.

On Jan. 16, Alexander G. Kohrs, 25, pleaded guilty to reckless second degree murder in the October 2022 automobile crash that killed 62-year-old Karla O'Malley, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.

"On the night of the crash, Karla had dinner with her daughter and granddaughters – the two little lights of her life," according to her obituary.&nbsp;

She helped with bath, playtime and bed before heading home, only to be hit from behind by a drunk driver on a residential street near her home, near 95th Street and Moody Park Drive in Overland Park.

"In an instant she went from being a vibrant, healthy woman to enduring severe full-body injuries. Her medical team at Research Medical Center took heroic measures to save her life and heal her body. She fought courageously for nearly 40 days to survive for her family, but she never again regained consciousness. "

Kohrs is scheduled for sentencing April 16, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708530349576.png" alt="Kohrs-photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Kohrs-photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —A man accused in a deadly Kansas crash has entered a plea in the case.On Jan. 16, Alexander G. Kohrs, 25, pleaded guilty to reckless second degree murder in the October 2022 automobile crash that killed 62-year-old Karla O'Malley, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office."On the night of the crash, Karla had dinner with her daughter and granddaughters – the two little lights of her life," according to her obituary.&nbsp;She helped with bath, playtime and bed before heading home, only to be hit from behind by a drunk driver on a residential street near her home, near 95th Street and Moody Park Drive in Overland Park."In an instant she went from being a vibrant, healthy woman to enduring severe full-body injuries. Her medical team at Research Medical Center took heroic measures to save her life and heal her body. She fought courageously for nearly 40 days to survive for her family, but she never again regained consciousness. "Kohrs is scheduled for sentencing April 16, according to the district attorney's office.

Man admits role in crash that killed Kansas grandmother

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-superfan-accused-bank-robberies-kansas-city-f7b764389a54a9e0812ac50eceafa033">Kansas City Chiefs superfan</a>&nbsp;known as “ChiefsAholic” pleaded guilty Wednesday to a string of robberies and attempted robberies of banks and credit unions in multiple states.

Xaviar Michael Babudar, 29, pleaded guilty in federal court in Kansas City, Missouri, to one count each of money laundering, transporting stolen property across state lines, and bank robbery. Sentencing was scheduled for July 10.

“His violent crime spree across the Midwest and beyond traumatized bank employees and victimized financial institutions in seven states,” U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said in a news release.

Federal prosecutors said Babudar admitted to a string of robberies or attempted robberies in 2022 and 2023. Much of the stolen money was laundered through casinos and online gambling, prosecutors said.

As part of the plea agreement, Babudar must pay at least $532,675 in restitution. He also must forfeit property — including an autographed painting of Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes that was recovered by the FBI.

Prior to his arrest, Babudar was a well-known figure on social media for his rabid support of the Chiefs. He attended several games dressed as a wolf in Chiefs’ clothing.

Prosecutors said the robberies and attempted robberies occurred in Iowa, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Tennessee, Minnesota, Nevada and California.

Babudar has taken responsibility for his crimes, his attorney, Matthew Merryman, said in an emailed statement to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article286028366.html">Kansas City Star</a>.

“Today Xaviar stood humble and repentant before the eyes of the Court and the eyes of the Chiefs Kingdom,” Merryman said. “Xaviar loves the Chiefs Kingdom, he loves his family, and he loves Kansas City. He only hopes that you will all rally to his support.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689010403536.png" alt="Babudar from an earlier arrest in Tulsa County" />
 <figcaption>Babudar from an earlier arrest in Tulsa County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-superfan-accused-bank-robberies-kansas-city-f7b764389a54a9e0812ac50eceafa033">Kansas City Chiefs superfan</a>&nbsp;known as “ChiefsAholic” pleaded guilty Wednesday to a string of robberies and attempted robberies of banks and credit unions in multiple states.Xaviar Michael Babudar, 29, pleaded guilty in federal court in Kansas City, Missouri, to one count each of money laundering, transporting stolen property across state lines, and bank robbery. Sentencing was scheduled for July 10.“His violent crime spree across the Midwest and beyond traumatized bank employees and victimized financial institutions in seven states,” U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said in a news release.Federal prosecutors said Babudar admitted to a string of robberies or attempted robberies in 2022 and 2023. Much of the stolen money was laundered through casinos and online gambling, prosecutors said.As part of the plea agreement, Babudar must pay at least $532,675 in restitution. He also must forfeit property — including an autographed painting of Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes that was recovered by the FBI.Prior to his arrest, Babudar was a well-known figure on social media for his rabid support of the Chiefs. He attended several games dressed as a wolf in Chiefs’ clothing.Prosecutors said the robberies and attempted robberies occurred in Iowa, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Tennessee, Minnesota, Nevada and California.Babudar has taken responsibility for his crimes, his attorney, Matthew Merryman, said in an emailed statement to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article286028366.html">Kansas City Star</a>.“Today Xaviar stood humble and repentant before the eyes of the Court and the eyes of the Chiefs Kingdom,” Merryman said. “Xaviar loves the Chiefs Kingdom, he loves his family, and he loves Kansas City. He only hopes that you will all rally to his support.”

Chiefs superfan 'ChiefsAholic' pleads guilty to bank robberies

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday agreed to decide whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">charges he interfered with the 2020 election</a>&nbsp;and set a course for a quick resolution.

The justices’ order maintains a hold on preparations for a trial focused on Trump’s efforts to overturn his election loss. The court will hear arguments in late April, with a decision likely no later than the end of June.

The court said in an unsigned statement that it will consider “whether and if so to what extent does a former President enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office.”

The Supreme Court has previously held that presidents are immune from civil liability for official acts, and Trump’s lawyers have for months argued that that protection should be extended to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jan-6-special-counsel-immunity-appeal-64eec975e6a602949eb4b90315239318">criminal prosecution</a>&nbsp;as well.

Lower&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jan-6-special-counsel-immunity-appeal-64eec975e6a602949eb4b90315239318">courts have so far rejected</a>&nbsp;Trump’s novel claim that former presidents enjoy absolute immunity for actions that fall within their official job duties. A panel of appellate judges in Washington ruled earlier in February that U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who would preside over the election interference trial, was right to say that the case could proceed and that Trump can be prosecuted for actions undertaken while in the White House and in the run-up to Jan. 6, 2021, when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">a mob of his supporters</a>&nbsp;stormed the U.S. Capitol.

The case is separate from the high court’s consideration of Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-insurrection-trump-2024-election-397a481d2886b64bba06b24ff3d03f37">appeal to remain on the presidential ballot</a>&nbsp;despite attempts to kick him off because of his efforts following his election loss in 2020. During arguments on Feb. 8, the court seemed likely to side with Trump. A decision could come any time.

The high court also will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-capitol-riot-obstruction-charge-trump-5cf0db4a71766f0b40ec199dd0d5a1ab">hear an appeal</a>&nbsp;in April from one of the more than 1,200 people charged in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">the Capitol riot</a>. The case could upend a charge prosecutors have brought against more than 300 people, including Trump.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1690926987746.png" alt="File photo- President Trump on Jan. 6, 2021 addressed supporters&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>File photo- President Trump on Jan. 6, 2021 addressed supporters&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday agreed to decide whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">charges he interfered with the 2020 election</a>&nbsp;and set a course for a quick resolution.The justices’ order maintains a hold on preparations for a trial focused on Trump’s efforts to overturn his election loss. The court will hear arguments in late April, with a decision likely no later than the end of June.The court said in an unsigned statement that it will consider “whether and if so to what extent does a former President enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office.”The Supreme Court has previously held that presidents are immune from civil liability for official acts, and Trump’s lawyers have for months argued that that protection should be extended to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jan-6-special-counsel-immunity-appeal-64eec975e6a602949eb4b90315239318">criminal prosecution</a>&nbsp;as well.Lower&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jan-6-special-counsel-immunity-appeal-64eec975e6a602949eb4b90315239318">courts have so far rejected</a>&nbsp;Trump’s novel claim that former presidents enjoy absolute immunity for actions that fall within their official job duties. A panel of appellate judges in Washington ruled earlier in February that U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who would preside over the election interference trial, was right to say that the case could proceed and that Trump can be prosecuted for actions undertaken while in the White House and in the run-up to Jan. 6, 2021, when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">a mob of his supporters</a>&nbsp;stormed the U.S. Capitol.The case is separate from the high court’s consideration of Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-insurrection-trump-2024-election-397a481d2886b64bba06b24ff3d03f37">appeal to remain on the presidential ballot</a>&nbsp;despite attempts to kick him off because of his efforts following his election loss in 2020. During arguments on Feb. 8, the court seemed likely to side with Trump. A decision could come any time.The high court also will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-capitol-riot-obstruction-charge-trump-5cf0db4a71766f0b40ec199dd0d5a1ab">hear an appeal</a>&nbsp;in April from one of the more than 1,200 people charged in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">the Capitol riot</a>. The case could upend a charge prosecutors have brought against more than 300 people, including Trump.

Supreme Court agrees to hear argument in Trump immunity case

NEW YORK (AP) — Richard Lewis, an acclaimed comedian known for exploring his neuroses in frantic, stream-of-consciousness diatribes while dressed in all-black, leading to his nickname “The Prince of Pain,” has died. He was 76.

Lewis, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/richard-lewis-parkinsons-b61b2a314bc230d933903ff67ca1cbff">revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease</a>&nbsp;in 2023, died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday night after suffering a heart attack, according to his publicist Jeff Abraham.

A regular performer in clubs and on late-night TV for decades, Lewis also played Marty Gold, the romantic co-lead opposite Jamie Lee Curtis, in the ABC series “Anything But Love” and the reliably neurotic Prince John in “Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men In Tights.” He re-introduced himself to a new generation opposite Larry David in HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” kvetching regularly.

“I'm paranoid about everything in my life. Even at home. On my stationary bike, I have a rear-view mirror, which I'm not thrilled about,” he once joked onstage. To Jimmy Kimmel he said: “This morning, I tried to go to bed. I couldn't sleep. I counted sheep but I only had six of them and they all had hip replacements.”

Comedy Central named Lewis one of the top 50 stand-up comedians of all time and he earned a berth in GQ magazine’s list of the “20th Century’s Most Influential Humorists.” He lent his humor for charity causes, including Comic Relief and Comedy Gives Back.

“Watching his stand-up is like sitting in on a very funny and often dark therapy session,” the Los Angeles Times said in 2014. The Philadelphia’s City Paper called him “the Jimi Hendrix of monologists.” Mel Brooks once said he "may just be the Franz Kafka of modern-day comedy.”

Comedians took to social media Wednesday to share their thoughts, including Albert Books who called Lewis “a brilliantly funny man who will missed by all. The world needed him now more than ever” on X, formerly Twitter. Other tributes came from Bette Midler, Michael McKean and Paul Feig, who called Lewis "one of the funniest people on the planet."

Following his graduation from The Ohio State University in 1969, the New York-born Lewis began a stand-up career, honing his craft on the circuit with other contemporaries also just starting out like Jay Leno, Freddie Prinze and Billy Crystal.

He recalled Rodney Dangerfield hiring him for $75 to fill in at his New York club, Dangerfield’s. “I had a lot of great friends early on who believed in me, and I met pretty iconic people who really helped me, told me to keep working on my material. And I never looked back,” he told The Gazette of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2010.

Unlike contemporary Robin Williams, Lewis allowed audiences into his world and melancholy, pouring his torment and pain onto the stage. Fans favorably compared him to the ground-breaking comedian Lenny Bruce.

“I take great pains not to be mean-spirited,” Lewis told The Palm Beach Post in 2007. “I don’t like to take real handicaps that people have to overcome with no hope in sight. I steer clear of that. That’s not funny to me. Tragedy is funny to other humorists, but it’s not to me, unless you can make a point that’s helpful.”

Singer Billy Joel has said he was referring to Lewis when he sang in “My Life” of an old friend who “bought a ticket to the West Coast/Now he gives them a stand-up routine in L.A.”

In 1989 at Carnegie Hall, he appeared with six feet of yellow legal sheets filled with material and taped together for a 2½-hour set that led to two standing ovations. The night was “the highlight of my career,” he told The Washington Post in 2020.

Lewis told GQ his signature look came incidentally, saying his obsession with dressing in black came from watching the television Western “Have Gun – Will Travel,” with a cowboy in all-black, when he was a kid. He also popularized the term “from hell” — as in “the date from hell” or “the job from hell.”

“That just came out of my brain one day and I kept repeating it a lot for some reason. Same thing with the black clothes. I just felt really comfortable from the early ’80s on and I never wore anything else. I never looked back.”

After getting sober from drugs and alcohol in 1994, Lewis put out his 2008 memoir, “The Other Great Depression” — a collection of fearless, essay style riffs on his life — and “Reflections from Hell.”

Lewis was the youngest of three siblings — his brother was older than him by six years, and his sister by nine. His father died young and his mother had emotional problems. “She didn’t get me at all. I owe my career to my mother. I should have given her my agent’s commission,” he told The Washington Post in 2020.

“Looking back on it now, as a full-blown, middle-aged, functioning anxiety collector, I can admit without cringing that my parents had their fair share of tremendous qualities, yet, being human much of the day, had more than just a handful of flaws as well,” he wrote in his memoir.

Lewis quickly found a new family performing at New York’s Improv. “I was 23, and all sorts of people were coming in and out and watching me, like Steve Allen and Bette Midler. David Brenner certainly took me under his wing. To drive home to my little dump in New Jersey often knowing that Steve Allen said, ‘You got it,’ that validation kept me going in a big, big way.”

He had a cameo in “Leaving Las Vegas,” which led to his first major dramatic role as Jimmy Epstein, an addict fighting for his life in the indie film, “Drunks.” He played Don Rickles’ son on one season of “Daddy Dearest” and a rabbi on “7th Heaven.”

Lewis’ recurring role on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” can be credited directly to his friendship with fellow comedian, producer and series star Larry David. Both native Brooklynites — born in the same Brooklyn hospital — they first met and became friends as rivals while attending the same summer camp at age 13. He was cast from the beginning, bickering with David on unpaid bills and common courtesies.

He is survived by his wife, Joyce Lapinsky.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1709156751673.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Richard Lewis, an acclaimed comedian known for exploring his neuroses in frantic, stream-of-consciousness diatribes while dressed in all-black, leading to his nickname “The Prince of Pain,” has died. He was 76.Lewis, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/richard-lewis-parkinsons-b61b2a314bc230d933903ff67ca1cbff">revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease</a>&nbsp;in 2023, died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday night after suffering a heart attack, according to his publicist Jeff Abraham.A regular performer in clubs and on late-night TV for decades, Lewis also played Marty Gold, the romantic co-lead opposite Jamie Lee Curtis, in the ABC series “Anything But Love” and the reliably neurotic Prince John in “Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men In Tights.” He re-introduced himself to a new generation opposite Larry David in HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” kvetching regularly.“I'm paranoid about everything in my life. Even at home. On my stationary bike, I have a rear-view mirror, which I'm not thrilled about,” he once joked onstage. To Jimmy Kimmel he said: “This morning, I tried to go to bed. I couldn't sleep. I counted sheep but I only had six of them and they all had hip replacements.”Comedy Central named Lewis one of the top 50 stand-up comedians of all time and he earned a berth in GQ magazine’s list of the “20th Century’s Most Influential Humorists.” He lent his humor for charity causes, including Comic Relief and Comedy Gives Back.“Watching his stand-up is like sitting in on a very funny and often dark therapy session,” the Los Angeles Times said in 2014. The Philadelphia’s City Paper called him “the Jimi Hendrix of monologists.” Mel Brooks once said he "may just be the Franz Kafka of modern-day comedy.”Comedians took to social media Wednesday to share their thoughts, including Albert Books who called Lewis “a brilliantly funny man who will missed by all. The world needed him now more than ever” on X, formerly Twitter. Other tributes came from Bette Midler, Michael McKean and Paul Feig, who called Lewis "one of the funniest people on the planet."Following his graduation from The Ohio State University in 1969, the New York-born Lewis began a stand-up career, honing his craft on the circuit with other contemporaries also just starting out like Jay Leno, Freddie Prinze and Billy Crystal.He recalled Rodney Dangerfield hiring him for $75 to fill in at his New York club, Dangerfield’s. “I had a lot of great friends early on who believed in me, and I met pretty iconic people who really helped me, told me to keep working on my material. And I never looked back,” he told The Gazette of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2010.Unlike contemporary Robin Williams, Lewis allowed audiences into his world and melancholy, pouring his torment and pain onto the stage. Fans favorably compared him to the ground-breaking comedian Lenny Bruce.“I take great pains not to be mean-spirited,” Lewis told The Palm Beach Post in 2007. “I don’t like to take real handicaps that people have to overcome with no hope in sight. I steer clear of that. That’s not funny to me. Tragedy is funny to other humorists, but it’s not to me, unless you can make a point that’s helpful.”Singer Billy Joel has said he was referring to Lewis when he sang in “My Life” of an old friend who “bought a ticket to the West Coast/Now he gives them a stand-up routine in L.A.”In 1989 at Carnegie Hall, he appeared with six feet of yellow legal sheets filled with material and taped together for a 2½-hour set that led to two standing ovations. The night was “the highlight of my career,” he told The Washington Post in 2020.Lewis told GQ his signature look came incidentally, saying his obsession with dressing in black came from watching the television Western “Have Gun – Will Travel,” with a cowboy in all-black, when he was a kid. He also popularized the term “from hell” — as in “the date from hell” or “the job from hell.”“That just came out of my brain one day and I kept repeating it a lot for some reason. Same thing with the black clothes. I just felt really comfortable from the early ’80s on and I never wore anything else. I never looked back.”After getting sober from drugs and alcohol in 1994, Lewis put out his 2008 memoir, “The Other Great Depression” — a collection of fearless, essay style riffs on his life — and “Reflections from Hell.”Lewis was the youngest of three siblings — his brother was older than him by six years, and his sister by nine. His father died young and his mother had emotional problems. “She didn’t get me at all. I owe my career to my mother. I should have given her my agent’s commission,” he told The Washington Post in 2020.“Looking back on it now, as a full-blown, middle-aged, functioning anxiety collector, I can admit without cringing that my parents had their fair share of tremendous qualities, yet, being human much of the day, had more than just a handful of flaws as well,” he wrote in his memoir.Lewis quickly found a new family performing at New York’s Improv. “I was 23, and all sorts of people were coming in and out and watching me, like Steve Allen and Bette Midler. David Brenner certainly took me under his wing. To drive home to my little dump in New Jersey often knowing that Steve Allen said, ‘You got it,’ that validation kept me going in a big, big way.”He had a cameo in “Leaving Las Vegas,” which led to his first major dramatic role as Jimmy Epstein, an addict fighting for his life in the indie film, “Drunks.” He played Don Rickles’ son on one season of “Daddy Dearest” and a rabbi on “7th Heaven.”Lewis’ recurring role on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” can be credited directly to his friendship with fellow comedian, producer and series star Larry David. Both native Brooklynites — born in the same Brooklyn hospital — they first met and became friends as rivals while attending the same summer camp at age 13. He was cast from the beginning, bickering with David on unpaid bills and common courtesies.He is survived by his wife, Joyce Lapinsky.

Richard Lewis, comedian and ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ star, dies at 76

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities investigating another deadly shooting in Kansas City have identified the victim as 29-year-old&nbsp;Mauliek Taylor of Kansas City.

&nbsp;Just before 7pm Monday, police were dispatched to the 5100 block of Hickory in Kansas City on a sound of gunshots call. 

First responders were directed to a parking lot outside one of the apartment buildings there. They located the Taylor unresponsive next to a vehicle. Officers called in EMS who declared hiim deceased at the scene.

Preliminary investigation indicates that Taylor had an interaction in the parking lot with one or more suspects that led to gunfire, and the victim was struck.

Detectives talked to people who were at the scene when officers arrived. They also canvassed for witnesses. Crime scene investigators processed the scene for evidence to get a better idea of what led up to the shooting.

This is a large apartment complex, with many residents, detectives are hopeful that someone may have information.&nbsp; Police have not released the name of the victim.

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities investigating another deadly shooting in Kansas City have identified the victim as 29-year-old&nbsp;Mauliek Taylor of Kansas City.&nbsp;Just before 7pm Monday, police were dispatched to the 5100 block of Hickory in Kansas City on a sound of gunshots call. First responders were directed to a parking lot outside one of the apartment buildings there. They located the Taylor unresponsive next to a vehicle. Officers called in EMS who declared hiim deceased at the scene.Preliminary investigation indicates that Taylor had an interaction in the parking lot with one or more suspects that led to gunfire, and the victim was struck.Detectives talked to people who were at the scene when officers arrived. They also canvassed for witnesses. Crime scene investigators processed the scene for evidence to get a better idea of what led up to the shooting.This is a large apartment complex, with many residents, detectives are hopeful that someone may have information.&nbsp; Police have not released the name of the victim.

Homicide: Police ID victim found in parking lot of KC apartment

KANSAS&nbsp; CITY (AP) — Missouri's Republican lawmakers are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-missouri-funding-planned-parenthood-530ec36d6e079f9ee3d25b3d7d95c449?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">once again</a>&nbsp;trying to block federal health care dollars from going to the state's Planned Parenthood clinics, this time weeks after the Missouri Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-medicaid-planned-parenthood-5e343d00de4cc4b3e3a7bcbe5f56d2d6">thwarted</a>&nbsp;a previous attempt to end that funding.

The Republican-led House on Wednesday gave initial approval to a bill that would bar Medicaid funding from going to Planned Parenthood, which is already banned by state law from providing abortions in almost all circumstances.

Republican lawmakers argued no public funding should go to the organization, which offers abortions in other states.

“When you do business with an entity like a Planned Parenthood, you’re ultimately subsidizing those abortion services, even if they are in other states,” bill sponsor Rep. Cody Smith said during Wednesday floor debate.

House Democrats said the ban will limit low-income residents’ choice in where they go for health care such as cancer screenings and birth control. In some areas of the state, Democratic Rep. Patty Lewis said it could mean blocking access to those services altogether.

“In the state of Missouri, defunding Planned Parenthood services is defunding affordable access for our constituents,” Lewis said.

The measure needs another vote of approval in the House before it can move to the Senate.

A similar effort to block Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood stalled in the GOP-led Senate earlier this month after a Democrat attempted to amend the bill to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/budget-planned-parenthood-abortions-medicaid-missouri-16c03cfa5e4bc80654723220c47abbeb">allow exceptions for rape and incest</a>&nbsp;under the state’s current ban on almost all abortions. Missouri in 2022 banned abortion except in cases of medical emergencies.

Lawmakers previously were able to stop money from going to Planned Parenthood in the 2019 fiscal year by forgoing some federal funding to avoid requirements that the clinics be reimbursed if low-income patients go there for birth control, cancer screenings and other preventative care. Missouri instead used state money to pay for those services.

But the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-f7b65c6c22d2def4f87962775022ad56?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">Missouri Supreme Court in 2020</a>&nbsp;ruled lawmakers violated the state constitution by making the policy change through the state budget instead of a separate bill, forcing the state to reimburse Planned Parenthood for health care provided to Medicaid patients.

Republican lawmakers are acting with increased urgency this year after the Missouri Supreme Court earlier this month rejected yet another attempt by Republican state officials to block taxpayer dollars from going to Planned Parenthood, citing a failure in the state’s legal appeal.

The high court’s decision upheld a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-missouri-planned-parenthood-st-louis-1e54f2e9087e72e7ad65c8b1862e06c4?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">ruling by a trial judge</a>, who found that a 2022 funding bill violated the state constitution. The Supreme Court said Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office failed to appeal a claim that the law violated equal protection rights, and it thus must stand.

Also pending is an effort to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-missouri-constitutional-amendment-viability-37e28b7609607ae762626206ea1a72c1">amend the state constitution</a>&nbsp;to protect abortion rights. Supporters now are working to gather more than 170,000 voter signatures by May 5 to get on the November ballot.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665657486023.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS&nbsp; CITY (AP) — Missouri's Republican lawmakers are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-missouri-funding-planned-parenthood-530ec36d6e079f9ee3d25b3d7d95c449?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">once again</a>&nbsp;trying to block federal health care dollars from going to the state's Planned Parenthood clinics, this time weeks after the Missouri Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-medicaid-planned-parenthood-5e343d00de4cc4b3e3a7bcbe5f56d2d6">thwarted</a>&nbsp;a previous attempt to end that funding.The Republican-led House on Wednesday gave initial approval to a bill that would bar Medicaid funding from going to Planned Parenthood, which is already banned by state law from providing abortions in almost all circumstances.Republican lawmakers argued no public funding should go to the organization, which offers abortions in other states.“When you do business with an entity like a Planned Parenthood, you’re ultimately subsidizing those abortion services, even if they are in other states,” bill sponsor Rep. Cody Smith said during Wednesday floor debate.House Democrats said the ban will limit low-income residents’ choice in where they go for health care such as cancer screenings and birth control. In some areas of the state, Democratic Rep. Patty Lewis said it could mean blocking access to those services altogether.“In the state of Missouri, defunding Planned Parenthood services is defunding affordable access for our constituents,” Lewis said.The measure needs another vote of approval in the House before it can move to the Senate.A similar effort to block Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood stalled in the GOP-led Senate earlier this month after a Democrat attempted to amend the bill to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/budget-planned-parenthood-abortions-medicaid-missouri-16c03cfa5e4bc80654723220c47abbeb">allow exceptions for rape and incest</a>&nbsp;under the state’s current ban on almost all abortions. Missouri in 2022 banned abortion except in cases of medical emergencies.Lawmakers previously were able to stop money from going to Planned Parenthood in the 2019 fiscal year by forgoing some federal funding to avoid requirements that the clinics be reimbursed if low-income patients go there for birth control, cancer screenings and other preventative care. Missouri instead used state money to pay for those services.But the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-f7b65c6c22d2def4f87962775022ad56?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">Missouri Supreme Court in 2020</a>&nbsp;ruled lawmakers violated the state constitution by making the policy change through the state budget instead of a separate bill, forcing the state to reimburse Planned Parenthood for health care provided to Medicaid patients.Republican lawmakers are acting with increased urgency this year after the Missouri Supreme Court earlier this month rejected yet another attempt by Republican state officials to block taxpayer dollars from going to Planned Parenthood, citing a failure in the state’s legal appeal.The high court’s decision upheld a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-missouri-planned-parenthood-st-louis-1e54f2e9087e72e7ad65c8b1862e06c4?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">ruling by a trial judge</a>, who found that a 2022 funding bill violated the state constitution. The Supreme Court said Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office failed to appeal a claim that the law violated equal protection rights, and it thus must stand.Also pending is an effort to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-missouri-constitutional-amendment-viability-37e28b7609607ae762626206ea1a72c1">amend the state constitution</a>&nbsp;to protect abortion rights. Supporters now are working to gather more than 170,000 voter signatures by May 5 to get on the November ballot.

Missouri lawmakers try again to block Medicaid money going to Planned Parenthood

McConnell, who turned 82 last week, was set to announce his decision Wednesday in the well of the Senate, a place where he looked in awe from its back benches in 1985 when he arrived and where he grew increasingly comfortable in the front row seat afforded the party leaders.

“One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter,” he said in prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press. “So I stand before you today ... to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.”

McConnell said he plans to serve out his Senate term, which ends in January 2027, “albeit from a different seat in the chamber.” Aides said McConnell’s announcement about the leadership post was unrelated to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-mitch-mcconnell-freeze-health-concussion-960af7f541b05754011171754acfe94f">his health</a>. The Kentucky senator had a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-fetterman-feinstein-absence-return-fall-d210f345020c9593ba2940edc71874ac">concussion</a>&nbsp;from a fall last year and two public episodes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-gop-leader-mcconnell-health-freeze-up-c5b43745251daa0bb63636ceff4edce2">where his face briefly froze</a>&nbsp;while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-freeze-senate-fall-republican-leader-f18008b314c5907ba0111f6891c9a0d3">he was speaking.</a>

“As I have been thinking about when I would deliver some news to the Senate, I always imagined a moment when I had total clarity and peace about the sunset of my work,” McConnell said in his prepared remarks. “A moment when I am certain I have helped preserve the ideals I so strongly believe. It arrived today.”

The senator had been under increasing pressure from the restive, and at times hostile wing of his party that has aligned firmly with Trump.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-trump-fed-lies-to-mob-36871d68df56a10be1c46ed364ad6de6">The two have been estranged</a>&nbsp;since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-gop-electoral-college-34fb478601b72b3e8049f12371670001">December 2020</a>, when McConnell refused to abide Trump’s lie that the election of Democrat Joe Biden as president was the product of fraud.

McConnell and Trump had worked together in Trump’s first term, remaking the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary in a far more conservative image, and on tax legislation. But there was also friction from the start, with Trump frequently sniping at the senator.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1709141686980.png" alt="Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell during his resignation announcement Wednesday -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell during his resignation announcement Wednesday -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mitch-mcconnell">Mitch McConnell</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/senators/majority-minority-leaders.htm">longest-serving Senate leader in history</a>&nbsp;who maintained his power in the face of dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party for almost two decades, will step down from that position in November.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/LeaderMcConnell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LeaderMcConnell</a>: &quot;I always imagined a moment when I had total clarity and peace&quot; about the sunset of my work. A moment when he is certain he has helped preserve the ideals he so strongly believe. That day arrived today.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/i7WHBKrevg">pic.twitter.com/i7WHBKrevg</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1762896662136070491?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>McConnell, who turned 82 last week, was set to announce his decision Wednesday in the well of the Senate, a place where he looked in awe from its back benches in 1985 when he arrived and where he grew increasingly comfortable in the front row seat afforded the party leaders.“One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter,” he said in prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press. “So I stand before you today ... to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.”His decision punctuates a powerful ideological transition underway in the Republican Party, from Ronald Reagan’s brand of traditional conservatism and strong international alliances, to the fiery, often isolationist populism of former President Donald Trump.McConnell said he plans to serve out his Senate term, which ends in January 2027, “albeit from a different seat in the chamber.” Aides said McConnell’s announcement about the leadership post was unrelated to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-mitch-mcconnell-freeze-health-concussion-960af7f541b05754011171754acfe94f">his health</a>. The Kentucky senator had a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-fetterman-feinstein-absence-return-fall-d210f345020c9593ba2940edc71874ac">concussion</a>&nbsp;from a fall last year and two public episodes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-gop-leader-mcconnell-health-freeze-up-c5b43745251daa0bb63636ceff4edce2">where his face briefly froze</a>&nbsp;while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-freeze-senate-fall-republican-leader-f18008b314c5907ba0111f6891c9a0d3">he was speaking.</a>“As I have been thinking about when I would deliver some news to the Senate, I always imagined a moment when I had total clarity and peace about the sunset of my work,” McConnell said in his prepared remarks. “A moment when I am certain I have helped preserve the ideals I so strongly believe. It arrived today.”The senator had been under increasing pressure from the restive, and at times hostile wing of his party that has aligned firmly with Trump.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-trump-fed-lies-to-mob-36871d68df56a10be1c46ed364ad6de6">The two have been estranged</a>&nbsp;since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-gop-electoral-college-34fb478601b72b3e8049f12371670001">December 2020</a>, when McConnell refused to abide Trump’s lie that the election of Democrat Joe Biden as president was the product of fraud.But while McConnell's critics within the GOP conference had grown louder, their numbers had not grown appreciably larger, a marker of McConnell’s strategic and tactical skill and his ability to understand the needs of his fellow Republican senators.McConnell gave no specific reason for the timing of his decision, which he has been contemplating for months, but he cited the recent death of his wife's youngest sister as a moment that prompted introspection. “The end of my contributions are closer than I’d prefer,” McConnell said.But his remarks were also light at times as he talked about the arc of his Senate career.He noted that when he arrived in the Senate, “I was just happy if anybody remembered my name.” During his campaign in 1984, when Reagan was visiting Kentucky, the president called him “Mitch O’Donnell.”McConnell endorsed Reagan’s view of America’s role in the world and the senator has persisted in face of opposition, including from Trump, that Congress should include a foreign assistance package that includes $60 billion for Ukraine.“I am unconflicted about the good within our country and the irreplaceable role we play as the leader of the free world," McConnell said.Against long odds he managed to secure 22 Republican votes for the package now being considered by the House.“Believe me, I know the politics within my party at this particular moment in time. I have many faults. Misunderstanding politics is not one of them," McConnell said. "That said, I believe more strongly than ever that America’s global leadership is essential to preserving the shining city on a hill that Ronald Reagan discussed. For as long as I am drawing breath on this earth I will defend American exceptionalism.”Trump has pulled the party hard to the ideological right, questioning longtime military alliances such as NATO, international trade agreements and pushing for a severe crackdown on immigration, all the while clinging to the falsehood that the election was stolen from him in 2020.McConnell and Trump had worked together in Trump’s first term, remaking the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary in a far more conservative image, and on tax legislation. But there was also friction from the start, with Trump frequently sniping at the senator.Their relationship has essentially been over since Trump refused to accept the results of the Electoral College. But the rupture deepened dramatically after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. McConnell assigned blame and responsibility to Trump and said that he should be held to account through the criminal justice system for his actions.McConnell’s critics insist he could have done more, including voting to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-impeachments-trump-impeachment-mitch-mcconnell-0a14d2e41e376331580b98a992f7d856#:~:text=Mitch%20McConnell%20delivered%20a%20scalding,face%20trial%20in%20the%20Senate.">McConnell did not</a>, arguing that since Trump was no longer in office, he could not be subject to impeachment.Rather than fade from prominence after the Capitol riot, Trump continued to assert his control over the party, and finds himself on a clear glidepath to the Republican nomination. Other members of the Republican Senate leadership have endorsed Trump. McConnell has not, and that has drawn criticism from other Republican senators.McConnell’s path to power was hardly linear, but from the day he walked onto the Senate floor in 1985 and took his seat as the most junior Republican senator, he set his sights on being the party leader. What set him apart was that so many other Senate leaders wanted to run for president. McConnell wanted to run the Senate. He lost races for lower party positions before steadily ascending, and finally became party leader in 2006 and has won nine straight elections.He most recently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-mitch-mcconnell-congress-9f1be1d3635127dbb3e17a3fae1ac86d">beat back a challenge</a>&nbsp;led by Sen. Rick Scott of Florida last November.McConnell built his power base by a combination of care and nurturing of his members, including understanding their political imperatives. After seeing the potential peril of a rising Tea Party, he also established a super political action committee, The Senate Leadership Fund, which has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in support of Republican candidates.Despite the concerns about his health, colleagues have said in recent months that they believe he has recovered. McConnell was not impaired cognitively, but did have some additional physical limitations.“I love the Senate,” he said in his prepared remarks. “It has been my life. There may be more distinguished members of this body throughout our history, but I doubt there are any with more admiration for it.”But, he added, "Father Time remains undefeated. I am no longer the young man sitting in the back, hoping colleagues would remember my name. It is time for the next generation of leadership.”There would be a time to reminisce, he said, but not today.“I still have enough gas in the tank to thoroughly disappoint my critics and I intend to do so with all the enthusiasm which they have become accustomed.”