KANSAS CITY— Law enforcement authorities continue searching for 21-year-old Jae’veon Marquice Mitchell-Locke, a suspect in the April 5, shooting of three Kansas police officers during an undercover fentanyl trafficking investigation, according&nbsp; to the Platte County Sheriff's office.

Officials at the Platte County, Missouri Detention Center released him inadvertently on April 20.

Mitchell-Locke and two other suspects in the gunfight are charged in Wyandotte County with attempted murder, aggravated battery against law enforcement, criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied building or vehicle, aggravated endangering a child, aggravated assault of law enforcement officers and distribution or possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682111930463.png" alt="Mitchell-Locke-photo Platte County" />
 <figcaption>Mitchell-Locke-photo Platte County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY— Law enforcement authorities continue searching for 21-year-old Jae’veon Marquice Mitchell-Locke, a suspect in the April 5, shooting of three Kansas police officers during an undercover fentanyl trafficking investigation, according&nbsp; to the Platte County Sheriff's office.Officials at the Platte County, Missouri Detention Center released him inadvertently on April 20.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681993393030.png" alt="Scene of the shooting investigation on April 5 -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Scene of the shooting investigation on April 5 -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>Mitchell-Locke and two other suspects in the gunfight are charged in Wyandotte County with attempted murder, aggravated battery against law enforcement, criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied building or vehicle, aggravated endangering a child, aggravated assault of law enforcement officers and distribution or possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, according to online jail records.

Suspect in Kan. officer shooting released by mistake is still missing

KANSAS CITY —A&nbsp; judge sentenced a Lee's Summit man to 30 years in a prison after he pleaded guilty to fatally shooting his father last year at a Lee's Summit residence, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

The judge sentenced 24-year-old Michael E. Hamilton&nbsp; to 15 years in prison for pleading to Voluntary Manslaughter and 15 years in prison for Armed Criminal Action. The judge set the sentences to run consecutively.

According to court records, in September 2022, police were dispatched to the 1100 block of SW Arborfair Drive in Lee's Summit on a reported death. 

Officers found the victim, Robert Hamilton, on the kitchen floor. A family member was crying on top of him. A family member told police that the defendant had been living in the residence recently. She had driven to the residence and had found the victim inside on the floor in blood. 

She could not locate the defendant. Lee's Summit police pinged the defendant's phone. He was eventually located in Cooper County, Missouri. 

Officers took him into custody and found weapons, including a 9 mm handgun. The Kansas City Police Department's crime lab quickly concluded that a spent bullet recovered from the victim was fired from the 9 mm handgun recovered from the defendant.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662234543988.png" alt="Hamilton-photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Hamilton-photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A&nbsp; judge sentenced a Lee's Summit man to 30 years in a prison after he pleaded guilty to fatally shooting his father last year at a Lee's Summit residence, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.The judge sentenced 24-year-old Michael E. Hamilton&nbsp; to 15 years in prison for pleading to Voluntary Manslaughter and 15 years in prison for Armed Criminal Action. The judge set the sentences to run consecutively.According to court records, in September 2022, police were dispatched to the 1100 block of SW Arborfair Drive in Lee's Summit on a reported death. Officers found the victim, Robert Hamilton, on the kitchen floor. A family member was crying on top of him. A family member told police that the defendant had been living in the residence recently. She had driven to the residence and had found the victim inside on the floor in blood. She could not locate the defendant. Lee's Summit police pinged the defendant's phone. He was eventually located in Cooper County, Missouri. Officers took him into custody and found weapons, including a 9 mm handgun. The Kansas City Police Department's crime lab quickly concluded that a spent bullet recovered from the victim was fired from the 9 mm handgun recovered from the defendant.&nbsp;

Kansas City-area man sentenced for killing his father

LABETTE COUNTY —Three people died in an accident just after 11:30p.m. Friday in Labette County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup driven by Jimmy C. Bond, 81, Edna, Kansas, was eastbound on U.S. 166 six miles east of U.S. 169.

The vehicle struck&nbsp;a steer on the highway causing vehicle failure. The&nbsp; pickup then traveled into the westbound lane. A westbound 2020 Peterbilt semi driven by Dusty R.&nbsp;Elbrader, 42, Garden City, Missouri,&nbsp;attempted to avoid the crash.&nbsp; The vehicles collided head-on.

Bond and two passengers identified as 21-year-old Colton J. Bond and 79-year-old Barbara J. Bond both of Edna, Kansas, were pronounced dead at the scene. 

EMS transported Elbrader to&nbsp;Coffeyville Regional Medical Center. The occupants of the pickup were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

LABETTE COUNTY —Three people died in an accident just after 11:30p.m. Friday in Labette County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup driven by Jimmy C. Bond, 81, Edna, Kansas, was eastbound on U.S. 166 six miles east of U.S. 169.The vehicle struck&nbsp;a steer on the highway causing vehicle failure. The&nbsp; pickup then traveled into the westbound lane. A westbound 2020 Peterbilt semi driven by Dusty R.&nbsp;Elbrader, 42, Garden City, Missouri,&nbsp;attempted to avoid the crash.&nbsp; The vehicles collided head-on.Bond and two passengers identified as 21-year-old Colton J. Bond and 79-year-old Barbara J. Bond both of Edna, Kansas, were pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported Elbrader to&nbsp;Coffeyville Regional Medical Center. The occupants of the pickup were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

3 Kansans dead after, pickup strikes steer, collides head-on with semi

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court dealt a legal setback to the Biden administration on guns this week in a lawsuit challenging&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-national-rifle-association-us-republican-party-gun-politics-362e5d6dfc78c896b7a376e5368c770b">tighter regulations on stabilizing braces</a>, an accessory that has been used in several mass shootings in the U.S.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked the Biden administration's rule from going into effect for the gun owners and groups who filed the lawsuit. The order came shortly before a deadline that would have required people to register stabilizing braces and pay a fee, or remove the braces from their weapons.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-national-rifle-association-us-republican-party-gun-politics-362e5d6dfc78c896b7a376e5368c770b">finalized the rule</a>&nbsp;earlier this year after finding the accessories make pistols as dangerously powerful and easy to conceal as short-barreled rifles or sawed-off shotguns, weapons that have been highly regulated since the days of Al Capone.

The rule was quickly challenged by gun-rights groups that argued it violated Second Amendment protections by requiring millions of people to alter or register their weapons. They argued the ATF found a decade ago that the braces did not make pistols like short-barreled rifles.

The accessories, also known as pistol braces, let a shooter fire one handed by attaching to the back of a gun, lengthening the weapon and strapping to the arm. The were originally developed for disabled veterans, though gun-control groups say they became a loophole exploited by gunmakers to make weapons more deadly.

At least three million guns with stabilizing braces are in circulation in the U.S., according to the ATF. Other estimates place the number much higher.

The full impact of the decision wasn't immediately clear. The order applied only to the plaintiffs in the case: two gun owners, a company that makes pistols with stabilizing braces, and a gun-rights group. The appeals court did not say whether the rule was blocked for others, including people who buy the guns from the company, Maxim Defense Industries, and members of the Firearms Policy Coalition.

An attorney on the case, Erik Jaffe, said they were pleased with the ruling and looking forward to arguments in the case, which the Fifth Circuit also ordered be argued quickly.

The lawsuit came before the court after the Firearms Policy Coalition appealed a lower-court order from a Texas judge who declined to block enforcement of the rule as the case played out.

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;first announced the regulation in 2021, after a man using a stabilizing brace&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-colorado-74ad3bbbe6dea7e9122b946e22b1cef3">killed 10 people at a grocery store</a>&nbsp;in Boulder, Colorado. A stabilizing brace was also used in a shooting in Dayton, Ohio, that left nine people dead in 2019. In March, a shooter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nashville-school-shooting-covenant-school-5da45b469ccb6c9533bbddf20c1bfe16">who killed three students</a>&nbsp;and three staff members at a Christian school in Nashville also used one.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said when the rule was finalized that it would help keep communities safe from gun violence.

The ruling comes amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mississippi-state-government-delaware-california-massachusetts-3983cecfd1107c263d5309ec0d80a966">upheaval in the legal landscape</a>&nbsp;for guns after the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority set new standards for reviewing the nation’s firearm laws, requiring that they be “consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.”

The Fifth Circuit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mississippi-state-government-delaware-california-massachusetts-3983cecfd1107c263d5309ec0d80a966">also ruled in February</a>&nbsp;that the government can’t stop people who have domestic violence restraining orders against them from owning guns.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court dealt a legal setback to the Biden administration on guns this week in a lawsuit challenging&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-national-rifle-association-us-republican-party-gun-politics-362e5d6dfc78c896b7a376e5368c770b">tighter regulations on stabilizing braces</a>, an accessory that has been used in several mass shootings in the U.S.The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked the Biden administration's rule from going into effect for the gun owners and groups who filed the lawsuit. The order came shortly before a deadline that would have required people to register stabilizing braces and pay a fee, or remove the braces from their weapons.The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-national-rifle-association-us-republican-party-gun-politics-362e5d6dfc78c896b7a376e5368c770b">finalized the rule</a>&nbsp;earlier this year after finding the accessories make pistols as dangerously powerful and easy to conceal as short-barreled rifles or sawed-off shotguns, weapons that have been highly regulated since the days of Al Capone.The rule was quickly challenged by gun-rights groups that argued it violated Second Amendment protections by requiring millions of people to alter or register their weapons. They argued the ATF found a decade ago that the braces did not make pistols like short-barreled rifles.The accessories, also known as pistol braces, let a shooter fire one handed by attaching to the back of a gun, lengthening the weapon and strapping to the arm. The were originally developed for disabled veterans, though gun-control groups say they became a loophole exploited by gunmakers to make weapons more deadly.At least three million guns with stabilizing braces are in circulation in the U.S., according to the ATF. Other estimates place the number much higher.The full impact of the decision wasn't immediately clear. The order applied only to the plaintiffs in the case: two gun owners, a company that makes pistols with stabilizing braces, and a gun-rights group. The appeals court did not say whether the rule was blocked for others, including people who buy the guns from the company, Maxim Defense Industries, and members of the Firearms Policy Coalition.An attorney on the case, Erik Jaffe, said they were pleased with the ruling and looking forward to arguments in the case, which the Fifth Circuit also ordered be argued quickly.The lawsuit came before the court after the Firearms Policy Coalition appealed a lower-court order from a Texas judge who declined to block enforcement of the rule as the case played out.<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;first announced the regulation in 2021, after a man using a stabilizing brace&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-colorado-74ad3bbbe6dea7e9122b946e22b1cef3">killed 10 people at a grocery store</a>&nbsp;in Boulder, Colorado. A stabilizing brace was also used in a shooting in Dayton, Ohio, that left nine people dead in 2019. In March, a shooter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nashville-school-shooting-covenant-school-5da45b469ccb6c9533bbddf20c1bfe16">who killed three students</a>&nbsp;and three staff members at a Christian school in Nashville also used one.Attorney General Merrick Garland said when the rule was finalized that it would help keep communities safe from gun violence.The ruling comes amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mississippi-state-government-delaware-california-massachusetts-3983cecfd1107c263d5309ec0d80a966">upheaval in the legal landscape</a>&nbsp;for guns after the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority set new standards for reviewing the nation’s firearm laws, requiring that they be “consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.”The Fifth Circuit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mississippi-state-government-delaware-california-massachusetts-3983cecfd1107c263d5309ec0d80a966">also ruled in February</a>&nbsp;that the government can’t stop people who have domestic violence restraining orders against them from owning guns.

Appeals court ruling deals setback to Biden in gun stabilizing brace case

WEST GLACIER, Mont.&nbsp; – Glacier National Park has released the identity of the victim of Monday’s Avalanche Creek drowning as University of Kansas student 28-year-old Atheer Abdulrahman S. Alquahtani from Saudi Arabia and current resident of Lawrence, according to a statement from the park service. On Monday afternoon, Alquahtani fell off a rocky overhang into Avalanche Creek and was swept into the gorge. She was spotted in the creek passing under the bridge of Trail of the Cedars by bystanders who waded into the water to pull her out. They immediately began CPR and sent people to notify rangers and call 911. Flathead County Dispatch received and diverted the call to Glacier National Park Dispatch. NPS staff, ALERT and Three Rivers Ambulance mobilized after learning about the incident. Alquahtani was declared deceased by ALERT personnel at the side of the creek. Rangers litter carried her out to Avalanche Lake Trailhead where she was then transferred to funeral services. According to friends traveling with Alquahtani, she had just finished her first year of her master’s degree at University of Kansas and was on a road trip tour of national parks to celebrate. Friends described her as a risk taker who loved getting in and being near water. Law enforcement investigators say there are no indications of foul play. The area where this incident occurred is off-trail and many visitors take the same risk. Water related incidents like this are the number one cause of death at Glacier National Park. Visitors are asked to take extra precautions when approaching areas with water, especially during spring runoff.

WEST GLACIER, Mont.&nbsp; – Glacier National Park has released the identity of the victim of Monday’s Avalanche Creek drowning as University of Kansas student 28-year-old Atheer Abdulrahman S. Alquahtani from Saudi Arabia and current resident of Lawrence, according to a statement from the park service. On Monday afternoon, Alquahtani fell off a rocky overhang into Avalanche Creek and was swept into the gorge. She was spotted in the creek passing under the bridge of Trail of the Cedars by bystanders who waded into the water to pull her out. They immediately began CPR and sent people to notify rangers and call 911. Flathead County Dispatch received and diverted the call to Glacier National Park Dispatch. NPS staff, ALERT and Three Rivers Ambulance mobilized after learning about the incident. Alquahtani was declared deceased by ALERT personnel at the side of the creek. Rangers litter carried her out to Avalanche Lake Trailhead where she was then transferred to funeral services. According to friends traveling with Alquahtani, she had just finished her first year of her master’s degree at University of Kansas and was on a road trip tour of national parks to celebrate. Friends described her as a risk taker who loved getting in and being near water. Law enforcement investigators say there are no indications of foul play. The area where this incident occurred is off-trail and many visitors take the same risk. Water related incidents like this are the number one cause of death at Glacier National Park. Visitors are asked to take extra precautions when approaching areas with water, especially during spring runoff.

Woman who died after fall at Glacier National Park was KU student

By ASHLEY MURRAY <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers in the U.S. House passed bipartisan legislation Thursday in an effort to curb staggering overdose deaths from illegal fentanyl substances that are illicitly produced and up to 50 times stronger than heroin.

The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/467/text?s=5&amp;r=3&amp;q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.R.+467%22%5D%7D">HALT Fentanyl Act</a>, passed on a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023237">289-133</a>&nbsp;vote with 74 Democratic votes and support from the Biden administration, would permanently categorize lab-made substances with&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_chem_info/frs.pdf">similar chemical structures</a>&nbsp;to fentanyl among the most strictly regulated drugs under U.S. law.

The Drug Enforcement Administration in 2015&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/LSB/LSB10404">temporarily</a>&nbsp;defined 17 fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I — the category carrying the most severe criminal penalties. Congress has since extended the temporary scheduling multiple times.

While proponents who point to record-breaking overdose deaths say the legislation would hold traffickers accountable, numerous advocacy groups argue the bill is under researched and risks criminal charges for those in possession of small amounts of “harmless and inert substances,” according to a letter signed by 150 organizations.

Drug overdose rates in the U.S. have risen fivefold in the past two decades, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db457.htm#:~:text=Drug%20overdose%20deaths%20have%20risen,increased%20from%2017.1%20to%2019.6.">study</a>&nbsp;published in December.

The study shows that deaths attributed to synthetic opioids, including fentanyl and its many analogues, have been steadily on the rise, with a staggering jump in recent years.

The CDC&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/nchs_press_releases/2022/202205.htm">tracked</a>&nbsp;a record 107,622 overdose deaths in 2021 — 71,238 of them due to manmade, illegal fentanyl substances.

The DEA&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.dea.gov/fentanylawareness">attributes</a>&nbsp;more deaths to illegal fentanyl among Americans under 50 than any cause of death, including heart disease, cancer, homicide, suicide and other accidents.

Of particular concern is that illicit fentanyl substances are often cut into other recreational drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin, with users unaware of its presence.

“The HALT Fentanyl Act would ban fentanyl analogues and strip the drug cartels and other criminals of the incentive to create new versions of fentanyl to skirt around the law,” GOP Rep. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky said on the House floor late Wednesday. “This bill is a key step to help get these poisons off our streets and give law enforcement the tools they need to crack down on illicit fentanyl traffic trafficking.”

Sunday will mark nine months since Deb and Ray Cullen, of Shippingport, Pennsylvania, lost their 23-year-old son Zachary to a drug overdose.

The Shippensburg University student had traveled with two friends to Harrisburg for a birthday weekend trip.

“They were having dinner, having drinks, enjoying themselves. And then at some point, the detective told us that he thinks that they were targeted by a dealer. He doesn’t think they were looking for anything but thinks somebody came up to them and offered, and they made the choice to purchase some cocaine. And the cocaine was laced with fentanyl,” Deb said.

The morning they received the news, Ray and Deb say, they turned on Zachary’s laptop to find that he had left open study materials for his university course in managerial economics.

“He passed away. His friend survived, but with some physical issues. So we’re here trying to just make a difference so that other families don’t have to go through this,” she said Thursday shortly after the vote while sitting in the office of GOP Rep. John Joyce, her representative and a co-sponsor of the bill.

The parents said they hope to see more awareness and an end to the stigma around those with substance use disorder and those who experiment with drugs that they are unaware are laced with illicit fentanyl.

“There’s a lot of recreational cocaine and drug use. There was (someone yesterday) who said that had (the users) not done something illegal, that they would still be here,” Ray said. “I’m like, ‘Well, there’s a lot of things that get done illegally that you don’t die from.’”

“I think people that are dealing this drug, they need to be held accountable,” Deb added.

Joyce said he has been following up with the family since they emailed his office shortly after their son’s death.

“I went over to Speaker McCarthy (today) and said ‘Up there in the gallery, there are parents who have lost their son, and they’re courageous and they continue to work to spread this message and have taken time out of their busy lives to come to Washington and drive down here for this vote,’” Joyce said.

“This is an initial step. We need to take additional steps to (go after) the active ingredients which are shipped from China, to Mexico to the cartels, formulated and brought through our borders to kill our family or neighbors or friends,” Joyce continued.

Unlike legal fentanyl that doctors prescribe after surgery or for advanced stage cancer patients, illicit fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances are produced in underground labs by&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10890">transnational criminal organizations</a>.

More than 150 harm reduction, criminal justice and civil liberties organizations have come out against the bill, which was introduced this Congress by GOP Reps. Morgan Griffith of Virginia and Robert Latta of Ohio.

In a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/05/23/more-150-groups-urge-congress-vote-no-halt-fentanyl-act">letter</a>&nbsp;Wednesday to House leadership, groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch urged lawmakers to vote against the legislation.

“The classwide scheduling policy expands the application of existing severe mandatory minimum sentencing laws enacted by Congress in the 1980s to a newly scheduled class of fentanyl-related compounds,” the letter said. “For example, just a trace amount of a fentanyl analogue in a mixture with a combined weight of 10 grams — 10 paper clips — can translate into a five-year mandatory minimum with no evidence needed that the seller even knew it contained fentanyl.”

Other advocacy groups who co-signed the letter included the Association of Black Social Workers in Virginia, the Florida Harm Reduction Collective, Progressive Maryland and HEAL Ohio.

Though the bill outlines registration processes for researchers to continue to test the fentanyl-related substances, the advocacy groups say that lawmakers are classifying chemical compounds before their effects are known.

“… the HALT Fentanyl Act does not include an offramp to reschedule or remove (fentanyl related substances) that research has proven to be pharmacologically inactive or do not meet schedule I criteria,” the letter continues.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/">Criteria</a>&nbsp;used by the Department of Justice to classify Schedule I drugs include high abuse potential and “no currently accepted medical use in the United States.”

Marijuana, LSD, ecstasy and peyote are listed as Schedule I.

“In committee, Democrats offered amendments to improve the (bill),” Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey said on the House floor Wednesday. “We asked that Republicans consider additions to the bill that reflect the Biden administration’s commonsense interagency proposal.”

Pallone, ranking member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Committee, which marked up the bill, said the amendments rejected by GOP leadership would have promised “a scientific and equitable approach.”

Despite the opposition from many Democrats, 74 of the party members voted in favor of the HALT Fentanyl Act.

“To stop this effort now is just not right. Fentanyl related substances are highly toxic and we should treat them as such with blanket permanent scheduling,” said Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire.

Pappas is the sponsor of a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/568/text?s=9&amp;r=3&amp;q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22fentanyl+pappas%22%5D%7D">bill</a>&nbsp;that permanently schedules fentanyl related substances but also adjusts criminal penalties and establishes a process to declassify compounds found to be safe.

“This is the beginning of the legislative process. This bill … would likely come back to the House after the Senate puts its mark on it. So we’re gonna continue to advocate for those commonsense provisions,” Pappas said.

The Biden administration issued a statement earlier this week supporting the HALT Fentanyl Act but said that its other recommendations to lawmakers included compelling agencies to root out which substances do not pose high potential for abuse and to study the effects of the blanket scheduling.

“The Administration calls on Congress to pass all of these critical measures to improve public safety and save lives,” the statement said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685113794321.png" alt=" Deb and Ray Cullen, of Shippingport, Pa., center and right, show a photo of their son, Zachary, in the office of their congressman, GOP Rep. John Joyce, left. Zachary died nine months ago at 23 of a drug overdose involving cocaine laced with illicit fentanyl. The Cullens traveled to the U.S. Capitol Thursday, May 25 to watch the House vote on the HALT Fentanyl Act (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)." />
 <figcaption> Deb and Ray Cullen, of Shippingport, Pa., center and right, show a photo of their son, Zachary, in the office of their congressman, GOP Rep. John Joyce, left. Zachary died nine months ago at 23 of a drug overdose involving cocaine laced with illicit fentanyl. The Cullens traveled to the U.S. Capitol Thursday, May 25 to watch the House vote on the HALT Fentanyl Act (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom).</figcaption>
 </figure>By ASHLEY MURRAY <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — Lawmakers in the U.S. House passed bipartisan legislation Thursday in an effort to curb staggering overdose deaths from illegal fentanyl substances that are illicitly produced and up to 50 times stronger than heroin.The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/467/text?s=5&amp;r=3&amp;q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.R.+467%22%5D%7D">HALT Fentanyl Act</a>, passed on a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023237">289-133</a>&nbsp;vote with 74 Democratic votes and support from the Biden administration, would permanently categorize lab-made substances with&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_chem_info/frs.pdf">similar chemical structures</a>&nbsp;to fentanyl among the most strictly regulated drugs under U.S. law.The Drug Enforcement Administration in 2015&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/LSB/LSB10404">temporarily</a>&nbsp;defined 17 fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I — the category carrying the most severe criminal penalties. Congress has since extended the temporary scheduling multiple times.While proponents who point to record-breaking overdose deaths say the legislation would hold traffickers accountable, numerous advocacy groups argue the bill is under researched and risks criminal charges for those in possession of small amounts of “harmless and inert substances,” according to a letter signed by 150 organizations.Drug overdose rates in the U.S. have risen fivefold in the past two decades, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db457.htm#:~:text=Drug%20overdose%20deaths%20have%20risen,increased%20from%2017.1%20to%2019.6.">study</a>&nbsp;published in December.The study shows that deaths attributed to synthetic opioids, including fentanyl and its many analogues, have been steadily on the rise, with a staggering jump in recent years.The CDC&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/nchs_press_releases/2022/202205.htm">tracked</a>&nbsp;a record 107,622 overdose deaths in 2021 — 71,238 of them due to manmade, illegal fentanyl substances.The DEA&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.dea.gov/fentanylawareness">attributes</a>&nbsp;more deaths to illegal fentanyl among Americans under 50 than any cause of death, including heart disease, cancer, homicide, suicide and other accidents.Of particular concern is that illicit fentanyl substances are often cut into other recreational drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin, with users unaware of its presence.“The HALT Fentanyl Act would ban fentanyl analogues and strip the drug cartels and other criminals of the incentive to create new versions of fentanyl to skirt around the law,” GOP Rep. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky said on the House floor late Wednesday. “This bill is a key step to help get these poisons off our streets and give law enforcement the tools they need to crack down on illicit fentanyl traffic trafficking.”<h2>Effect on loved ones</h2>Sunday will mark nine months since Deb and Ray Cullen, of Shippingport, Pennsylvania, lost their 23-year-old son Zachary to a drug overdose.The Shippensburg University student had traveled with two friends to Harrisburg for a birthday weekend trip.“They were having dinner, having drinks, enjoying themselves. And then at some point, the detective told us that he thinks that they were targeted by a dealer. He doesn’t think they were looking for anything but thinks somebody came up to them and offered, and they made the choice to purchase some cocaine. And the cocaine was laced with fentanyl,” Deb said.The morning they received the news, Ray and Deb say, they turned on Zachary’s laptop to find that he had left open study materials for his university course in managerial economics.“He passed away. His friend survived, but with some physical issues. So we’re here trying to just make a difference so that other families don’t have to go through this,” she said Thursday shortly after the vote while sitting in the office of GOP Rep. John Joyce, her representative and a co-sponsor of the bill.The parents said they hope to see more awareness and an end to the stigma around those with substance use disorder and those who experiment with drugs that they are unaware are laced with illicit fentanyl.“There’s a lot of recreational cocaine and drug use. There was (someone yesterday) who said that had (the users) not done something illegal, that they would still be here,” Ray said. “I’m like, ‘Well, there’s a lot of things that get done illegally that you don’t die from.’”“I think people that are dealing this drug, they need to be held accountable,” Deb added.Joyce said he has been following up with the family since they emailed his office shortly after their son’s death.“I went over to Speaker McCarthy (today) and said ‘Up there in the gallery, there are parents who have lost their son, and they’re courageous and they continue to work to spread this message and have taken time out of their busy lives to come to Washington and drive down here for this vote,’” Joyce said.“This is an initial step. We need to take additional steps to (go after) the active ingredients which are shipped from China, to Mexico to the cartels, formulated and brought through our borders to kill our family or neighbors or friends,” Joyce continued.Unlike legal fentanyl that doctors prescribe after surgery or for advanced stage cancer patients, illicit fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances are produced in underground labs by&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10890">transnational criminal organizations</a>.<h2>Concerns over mandatory minimums</h2>More than 150 harm reduction, criminal justice and civil liberties organizations have come out against the bill, which was introduced this Congress by GOP Reps. Morgan Griffith of Virginia and Robert Latta of Ohio.In a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/05/23/more-150-groups-urge-congress-vote-no-halt-fentanyl-act">letter</a>&nbsp;Wednesday to House leadership, groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch urged lawmakers to vote against the legislation.“The classwide scheduling policy expands the application of existing severe mandatory minimum sentencing laws enacted by Congress in the 1980s to a newly scheduled class of fentanyl-related compounds,” the letter said. “For example, just a trace amount of a fentanyl analogue in a mixture with a combined weight of 10 grams — 10 paper clips — can translate into a five-year mandatory minimum with no evidence needed that the seller even knew it contained fentanyl.”Other advocacy groups who co-signed the letter included the Association of Black Social Workers in Virginia, the Florida Harm Reduction Collective, Progressive Maryland and HEAL Ohio.Though the bill outlines registration processes for researchers to continue to test the fentanyl-related substances, the advocacy groups say that lawmakers are classifying chemical compounds before their effects are known.“… the HALT Fentanyl Act does not include an offramp to reschedule or remove (fentanyl related substances) that research has proven to be pharmacologically inactive or do not meet schedule I criteria,” the letter continues.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/">Criteria</a>&nbsp;used by the Department of Justice to classify Schedule I drugs include high abuse potential and “no currently accepted medical use in the United States.”Marijuana, LSD, ecstasy and peyote are listed as Schedule I.“In committee, Democrats offered amendments to improve the (bill),” Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey said on the House floor Wednesday. “We asked that Republicans consider additions to the bill that reflect the Biden administration’s commonsense interagency proposal.”Pallone, ranking member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Committee, which marked up the bill, said the amendments rejected by GOP leadership would have promised “a scientific and equitable approach.”<h2>Support from across the aisle</h2>Despite the opposition from many Democrats, 74 of the party members voted in favor of the HALT Fentanyl Act.“To stop this effort now is just not right. Fentanyl related substances are highly toxic and we should treat them as such with blanket permanent scheduling,” said Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire.Pappas is the sponsor of a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/568/text?s=9&amp;r=3&amp;q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22fentanyl+pappas%22%5D%7D">bill</a>&nbsp;that permanently schedules fentanyl related substances but also adjusts criminal penalties and establishes a process to declassify compounds found to be safe.“This is the beginning of the legislative process. This bill … would likely come back to the House after the Senate puts its mark on it. So we’re gonna continue to advocate for those commonsense provisions,” Pappas said.The Biden administration issued a statement earlier this week supporting the HALT Fentanyl Act but said that its other recommendations to lawmakers included compelling agencies to root out which substances do not pose high potential for abuse and to study the effects of the blanket scheduling.“The Administration calls on Congress to pass all of these critical measures to improve public safety and save lives,” the statement said.

Fentanyl drugs permanently made criminal under bill passed by U.S. House

PHOENIX (AP) — Attorneys general across the U.S. joined in a lawsuit against a telecommunications company accused of making more than 7.5 billion robocalls to people on the national Do Not Call Registry.

The 141-page lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Phoenix against Avid Telecom, its owner Michael D. Lansky and company vice president Stacey S. Reeves. It seeks a jury trial to determine damages.

The lawsuit arises from the nationwide, bipartisan Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force of 51 attorneys general and the District of Columbia. It was formed last year to investigate and take legal action against telecommunications companies routing volumes of robocall traffic.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said nearly 197 million of the robocalls were made to Arizona phone numbers between December 2018 and January 2023.

“Every day, countless Arizona consumers are harassed and annoyed by a relentless barrage of unwanted robocalls — and in some instances these illegal calls threaten consumers with lawsuits and arrest,” Mayes said in a statement. “More disturbingly, many of these calls are scams designed to pressure frightened consumers, often senior citizens, into handing over their hard-earned money.”

The lawsuit said Avid Telecom used spoofed or invalid caller ID numbers, including more than 8.4 million calls that appeared to be coming from government and law enforcement agencies as well as private companies.

The company also allegedly sent or transmitted scam calls about the Social Security Administration, Medicare, Amazon and DirecTV, as well as auto warranties, employment and credit card interest rate reductions.

“Americans are sick and tired of their phones ringing off the hook with fraudulent robocalls,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “Seniors and vulnerable consumers have been scammed out of millions because of these illegal robocalls.”

The lawsuit alleges Lansky and Reeves violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule and other federal and state telemarketing and consumer laws.

“Contrary to the allegations in the complaint, Avid Telecom operates in a manner that is compliant with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations,” said Neil Ende, the company’s outside legal counsel. “The company has never been found by any court or regulatory authority to have transmitted unlawful traffic and it is prepared to meet with the attorneys general, as it has on many occasions in the past, to further demonstrate its good faith and lawful conduct.

“In this context, the company is disappointed that the attorneys’ general chose not to communicate their concerns directly before filing the lawsuit," Ende added. “While the company always prefers to work with regulators and law enforcement to address issues of concern, as necessary, the company will defend itself vigorously and vindicate its rights and reputation through the legal process.”

Robocalls have also been an issue during elections in recent years. During the 2020 election, voters across the U.S. received anonymous robocalls in the weeks leading up to Election Day telling them to “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-investigates-robocalls-warning-voter-b93c02e5dbec291bf04566e02e87c8be">stay safe and stay home</a>.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-michigan-ohio-cleveland-california-9fd2a1c998ff26412fd53c83cb3efc09">Two conservative hoaxers</a>&nbsp;were convicted of fraud for making over 85,000 robocalls to Black voters in five states.

The calls falsely stated giving information in mail-in ballots could lead to arrest, debt collection or forced vaccination. Their sentence included spending 500 hours registering voters in low-income neighborhoods of Washington, D.C.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684936669199.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>PHOENIX (AP) — Attorneys general across the U.S. joined in a lawsuit against a telecommunications company accused of making more than 7.5 billion robocalls to people on the national Do Not Call Registry.The 141-page lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Phoenix against Avid Telecom, its owner Michael D. Lansky and company vice president Stacey S. Reeves. It seeks a jury trial to determine damages.The lawsuit arises from the nationwide, bipartisan Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force of 51 attorneys general and the District of Columbia. It was formed last year to investigate and take legal action against telecommunications companies routing volumes of robocall traffic.Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said nearly 197 million of the robocalls were made to Arizona phone numbers between December 2018 and January 2023.“Every day, countless Arizona consumers are harassed and annoyed by a relentless barrage of unwanted robocalls — and in some instances these illegal calls threaten consumers with lawsuits and arrest,” Mayes said in a statement. “More disturbingly, many of these calls are scams designed to pressure frightened consumers, often senior citizens, into handing over their hard-earned money.”The lawsuit said Avid Telecom used spoofed or invalid caller ID numbers, including more than 8.4 million calls that appeared to be coming from government and law enforcement agencies as well as private companies.The company also allegedly sent or transmitted scam calls about the Social Security Administration, Medicare, Amazon and DirecTV, as well as auto warranties, employment and credit card interest rate reductions.“Americans are sick and tired of their phones ringing off the hook with fraudulent robocalls,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “Seniors and vulnerable consumers have been scammed out of millions because of these illegal robocalls.”The lawsuit alleges Lansky and Reeves violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule and other federal and state telemarketing and consumer laws.“Contrary to the allegations in the complaint, Avid Telecom operates in a manner that is compliant with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations,” said Neil Ende, the company’s outside legal counsel. “The company has never been found by any court or regulatory authority to have transmitted unlawful traffic and it is prepared to meet with the attorneys general, as it has on many occasions in the past, to further demonstrate its good faith and lawful conduct.“In this context, the company is disappointed that the attorneys’ general chose not to communicate their concerns directly before filing the lawsuit," Ende added. “While the company always prefers to work with regulators and law enforcement to address issues of concern, as necessary, the company will defend itself vigorously and vindicate its rights and reputation through the legal process.”Robocalls have also been an issue during elections in recent years. During the 2020 election, voters across the U.S. received anonymous robocalls in the weeks leading up to Election Day telling them to “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-investigates-robocalls-warning-voter-b93c02e5dbec291bf04566e02e87c8be">stay safe and stay home</a>.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-michigan-ohio-cleveland-california-9fd2a1c998ff26412fd53c83cb3efc09">Two conservative hoaxers</a>&nbsp;were convicted of fraud for making over 85,000 robocalls to Black voters in five states.The calls falsely stated giving information in mail-in ballots could lead to arrest, debt collection or forced vaccination. Their sentence included spending 500 hours registering voters in low-income neighborhoods of Washington, D.C.

Do not call: Mo., Kan. join lawsuit over billions of robocalls

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said a deal to resolve the government's debt ceiling crisis seemed “very close” late Friday, even as the deadline for a potentially catastrophic default was pushed back four days until a week from Monday.

The later “X-date” threatened to open another week of frustrating negotiation between House Republicans and the White House over the risk of a default that could throw the U.S. economy into chaos and sap world confidence in the nation's lleadership.

Yet President Joe Biden was upbeat as he left for the Memorial Day weekend at Camp David, declaring, “It's very close, and I'm optimistic.”

With Republican at the Capitol talking with Biden's team at the White House, the president said, “There’s a negotiation going on. I’m hopeful we’ll know by tonight whether we’re going to be able to have a deal.”

The new date, set out in a letter from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, came with Americans and the world concerned about U.S. brinkmanship.

In a blunt warning, Yellen said failure to act by the new date would “cause severe hardship to American families, harm our global leadership position and raise questions about our ability to defend our national security interests.” Anxious retirees were already making contingency plans for missed checks, with the next Social Security payments due next week.

The new deadline, a week from Monday, is four days later than earlier expected. Yellen said all “extraordinary measures” Treasury has resorted to would be exhausted.

Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have seemed to be narrowing on a two-year budget-slashing deal that would also extend the debt limit past the next presidential election. After frustrating rounds of closed-door talks, a compromise had appeared to be nearing on Friday.

Republicans have made some headway in their drive for steep spending cuts that Democrats oppose. However, the sides are particularly “dug in” over McCarthy's demands for tougher work requirements on government food stamp recipients that Democrats say is a nonstarter.

Earlier Friday, McCarthy said his Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-ceiling-biden-mccarthy-default-negotiations-cb0646c6301f1df97211896897df3723">debt negotiators</a>&nbsp;and the White House had hit “crunch” time, straining to wrap up an agreement with Biden as lawmakers broke for the long Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Any deal would need to be a political compromise, with support from both Democrats and Republicans to pass the divided Congress. Failure to lift the borrowing limit, now $31 trillion, to pay the nation's incurred bills, would send shockwaves through the U.S. and global economy.

But many of the hard-right Trump-aligned Republicans in Congress have long been skeptical of Treasury's projections, and they are pressing McCarthy to hold out.

The deal's within reach, it just has to be agreed to," said Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., one of the negotiators.

In remarks optimistic comments earlier at the White House before Yellen's letter was released, Biden gave a shoutout to one of this&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-kevin-mccarthy-debt-limit-graves-6e39e70b683616a4b73e6bbe9e72cd08">top negotiators</a>&nbsp;saying she's “putting together a deal, hopefully.”

He was referring to Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young who attended a salute to the Louisiana State women's national basketball champions.

While the contours of the deal have been taking shape to cut spending for 2024 and impose a 1% cap on spending growth for 2025, the two sides remain stuck on various provisions. The debt ceiling, now at $31 trillion, would be lifted for two years to pay the nation’s incurred bills.

A person familiar with the talks said the two sides were “dug in” on whether or not to agree to Republican demands to impose stiffer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-work-requirements-snap-medicaid-biden-66270829cfc0009ddb5f59eb12a6ba7a">work requirements</a>&nbsp;on people who receive government food stamps, cash assistance and health care aid.

House Democrats have called such requirements for health care and food aid a nonstarter.

Asked if Republicans would relent on work requirements Graves, fumed: “Hell no, not a chance."

House Republicans had pushed the issue to the brink, displaying risky political bravado in leaving town for the Memorial Day holiday. Lawmakers are tentatively not expected back at work until Tuesday, but now their return is uncertain.

“The world is watching,” said International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva after meeting Friday with Yellen. “Let’s remember we are now in the 12th hour.”

Weeks of negotiations between Republicans and the White House have failed to produce a deal — in part because the Biden administration resisted negotiating with McCarthy over the debt limit, arguing that the country's full faith and credit should not be used as leverage to extract other partisan priorities.

“We have to spend less than we spent last year. That is the starting point,” said McCarthy.

One idea is to set the topline budget numbers but then add a “snap-back” provision to enforce cuts if Congress is unable during its annual appropriations process to meet the new goals.

On work requirements for aid recipients, the White House is particularly resisting measures that could drive more people into poverty or take their health care, said the person familiar with the talks, who was granted anonymity to describe behind-closed-door discussions.

Over the Republican demand to rescind money for the Internal Revenue Service, it's still an “open issue” whether the sides will compromise by allowing the funding to be pushed into other domestic programs, the person said.

In one potential development, Republicans may be easing their demand to boost defense spending beyond what Biden had proposed in his budget, instead offering to keep it at his proposed levels, according to another person familiar with the talks.

The teams are also eyeing a proposal to boost energy transmission line development from Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., to facilitate the buildout of an interregional power grid.

Meanwhile, McCarthy is feeling pressure from the House's right flank not to give in to any deal, even if it means blowing past the Treasury deadline.

McCarthy said Donald Trump, the former president who is again running for office, told him, “Make sure you get a good agreement.”

Watchful Democrats, though, are also pressing Biden. The top three House Democratic leaders led by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries spoke late Thursday with the White House.

McCarthy has promised lawmakers he will abide by the rule to post any bill for 72 hours before voting. The Democratic-held Senate has vowed to move quickly to send the package to Biden’s desk, right before next Thursday's possible deadline.

Meanwhile, Fitch Ratings agency placed the United States’ AAA credit on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-credit-rating-downgrade-warning-default-b906c014ed2b8124917f4a107a543964">“ratings watch negative,”</a>&nbsp;warning of a possible downgrade.

The White House has continued to argue that deficits can be reduced by ending tax breaks for wealthier households and some corporations, but McCarthy said he told the president as early as their February meeting that raising revenue from tax hikes was off the table.

While Biden has ruled out, for now,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/14th-amendment-biden-debt-ceiling-explained-92ebc0db703d49eab2c91d4d4a354cdf">invoking the 14th Amendment</a>&nbsp;to raise the debt limit on his own, Democrats in the House announced they have all signed on to a legislative “discharge” process that would force a debt ceiling vote. But they need five Republicans to break with their party and tip the majority to set the plan forward.

They are all but certain to claw back some $30 billion in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-coronavirus-relief-funds-9c60de5ad51a922bae1c2cf2fa284be3">unspent COVID-19 funds</a>&nbsp;now that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-covid19-coronavirus-national-emergency-e3a52722b57a6b4f24187426c27b3b39">pandemic emergency has officially been lifted</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685187420073.png" alt="U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, speaks with reporters about debt limit and government spending negations inside the Capitol this week photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, speaks with reporters about debt limit and government spending negations inside the Capitol this week photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said a deal to resolve the government's debt ceiling crisis seemed “very close” late Friday, even as the deadline for a potentially catastrophic default was pushed back four days until a week from Monday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685154260391.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The later “X-date” threatened to open another week of frustrating negotiation between House Republicans and the White House over the risk of a default that could throw the U.S. economy into chaos and sap world confidence in the nation's lleadership.Yet President Joe Biden was upbeat as he left for the Memorial Day weekend at Camp David, declaring, “It's very close, and I'm optimistic.”With Republican at the Capitol talking with Biden's team at the White House, the president said, “There’s a negotiation going on. I’m hopeful we’ll know by tonight whether we’re going to be able to have a deal.”The new date, set out in a letter from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, came with Americans and the world concerned about U.S. brinkmanship.In a blunt warning, Yellen said failure to act by the new date would “cause severe hardship to American families, harm our global leadership position and raise questions about our ability to defend our national security interests.” Anxious retirees were already making contingency plans for missed checks, with the next Social Security payments due next week.The new deadline, a week from Monday, is four days later than earlier expected. Yellen said all “extraordinary measures” Treasury has resorted to would be exhausted.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden thinks we should raise taxes when the federal government has more money coming in than at any point in American history. I’ve made it perfectly clear—Washington has a spending problem, NOT a revenue problem.&mdash; Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerMcCarthy/status/1662216992710103040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have seemed to be narrowing on a two-year budget-slashing deal that would also extend the debt limit past the next presidential election. After frustrating rounds of closed-door talks, a compromise had appeared to be nearing on Friday.Republicans have made some headway in their drive for steep spending cuts that Democrats oppose. However, the sides are particularly “dug in” over McCarthy's demands for tougher work requirements on government food stamp recipients that Democrats say is a nonstarter.Earlier Friday, McCarthy said his Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-ceiling-biden-mccarthy-default-negotiations-cb0646c6301f1df97211896897df3723">debt negotiators</a>&nbsp;and the White House had hit “crunch” time, straining to wrap up an agreement with Biden as lawmakers broke for the long Memorial Day holiday weekend.Any deal would need to be a political compromise, with support from both Democrats and Republicans to pass the divided Congress. Failure to lift the borrowing limit, now $31 trillion, to pay the nation's incurred bills, would send shockwaves through the U.S. and global economy.But many of the hard-right Trump-aligned Republicans in Congress have long been skeptical of Treasury's projections, and they are pressing McCarthy to hold out.The deal's within reach, it just has to be agreed to," said Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., one of the negotiators.In remarks optimistic comments earlier at the White House before Yellen's letter was released, Biden gave a shoutout to one of this&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-kevin-mccarthy-debt-limit-graves-6e39e70b683616a4b73e6bbe9e72cd08">top negotiators</a>&nbsp;saying she's “putting together a deal, hopefully.”He was referring to Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young who attended a salute to the Louisiana State women's national basketball champions.While the contours of the deal have been taking shape to cut spending for 2024 and impose a 1% cap on spending growth for 2025, the two sides remain stuck on various provisions. The debt ceiling, now at $31 trillion, would be lifted for two years to pay the nation’s incurred bills.A person familiar with the talks said the two sides were “dug in” on whether or not to agree to Republican demands to impose stiffer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-work-requirements-snap-medicaid-biden-66270829cfc0009ddb5f59eb12a6ba7a">work requirements</a>&nbsp;on people who receive government food stamps, cash assistance and health care aid.House Democrats have called such requirements for health care and food aid a nonstarter.Asked if Republicans would relent on work requirements Graves, fumed: “Hell no, not a chance."House Republicans had pushed the issue to the brink, displaying risky political bravado in leaving town for the Memorial Day holiday. Lawmakers are tentatively not expected back at work until Tuesday, but now their return is uncertain.“The world is watching,” said International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva after meeting Friday with Yellen. “Let’s remember we are now in the 12th hour.”Weeks of negotiations between Republicans and the White House have failed to produce a deal — in part because the Biden administration resisted negotiating with McCarthy over the debt limit, arguing that the country's full faith and credit should not be used as leverage to extract other partisan priorities.“We have to spend less than we spent last year. That is the starting point,” said McCarthy.One idea is to set the topline budget numbers but then add a “snap-back” provision to enforce cuts if Congress is unable during its annual appropriations process to meet the new goals.On work requirements for aid recipients, the White House is particularly resisting measures that could drive more people into poverty or take their health care, said the person familiar with the talks, who was granted anonymity to describe behind-closed-door discussions.Over the Republican demand to rescind money for the Internal Revenue Service, it's still an “open issue” whether the sides will compromise by allowing the funding to be pushed into other domestic programs, the person said.In one potential development, Republicans may be easing their demand to boost defense spending beyond what Biden had proposed in his budget, instead offering to keep it at his proposed levels, according to another person familiar with the talks.The teams are also eyeing a proposal to boost energy transmission line development from Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., to facilitate the buildout of an interregional power grid.Meanwhile, McCarthy is feeling pressure from the House's right flank not to give in to any deal, even if it means blowing past the Treasury deadline.McCarthy said Donald Trump, the former president who is again running for office, told him, “Make sure you get a good agreement.”Watchful Democrats, though, are also pressing Biden. The top three House Democratic leaders led by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries spoke late Thursday with the White House.McCarthy has promised lawmakers he will abide by the rule to post any bill for 72 hours before voting. The Democratic-held Senate has vowed to move quickly to send the package to Biden’s desk, right before next Thursday's possible deadline.Meanwhile, Fitch Ratings agency placed the United States’ AAA credit on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-credit-rating-downgrade-warning-default-b906c014ed2b8124917f4a107a543964">“ratings watch negative,”</a>&nbsp;warning of a possible downgrade.The White House has continued to argue that deficits can be reduced by ending tax breaks for wealthier households and some corporations, but McCarthy said he told the president as early as their February meeting that raising revenue from tax hikes was off the table.While Biden has ruled out, for now,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/14th-amendment-biden-debt-ceiling-explained-92ebc0db703d49eab2c91d4d4a354cdf">invoking the 14th Amendment</a>&nbsp;to raise the debt limit on his own, Democrats in the House announced they have all signed on to a legislative “discharge” process that would force a debt ceiling vote. But they need five Republicans to break with their party and tip the majority to set the plan forward.They are all but certain to claw back some $30 billion in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-coronavirus-relief-funds-9c60de5ad51a922bae1c2cf2fa284be3">unspent COVID-19 funds</a>&nbsp;now that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-covid19-coronavirus-national-emergency-e3a52722b57a6b4f24187426c27b3b39">pandemic emergency has officially been lifted</a>.

Treasury secretary pinpoints new date for U.S. debt default

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a&nbsp; shooting that sent a 19-year-old from Wichita to the hospital where she died Wednesday afternoon, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.

Officers continue the search for a suspect identified as&nbsp; 19-year-old La’Niha Banks who is considered armed and dangerous.

Just after 11 p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1000 block of E 1st Street N in Wichita.

First responders located a woman with two gunshot wounds to her upper body. The victim was transported to an area hospital in critical condition and with life-threatening injuries.

The investigation revealed that the victim was trying to break up a physical altercation between an acquaintance of hers and Banks in a parking lot. 

After the victim managed to stop the fight, she started to drive away, but&nbsp; Banks produced a handgun and started to shoot into the occupied vehicle.

During the investigation, detectives were able to confirm Banks as the suspect. She was last seen fleeing in a red 2014 Buick Lacrosse with a paper 60-day tag. The police have located the car.

&nbsp;Banks is wanted on requested charges of aggravated battery, five counts of Aggravated Assault, two counts of discharge of a firearm into an occupied vehicle, and one count of&nbsp; murder.&nbsp; If you see Banks or know where she is, call 911.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684684649459.png" alt="Banks-photo Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Banks-photo Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a&nbsp; shooting that sent a 19-year-old from Wichita to the hospital where she died Wednesday afternoon, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.Officers continue the search for a suspect identified as&nbsp; 19-year-old La’Niha Banks who is considered armed and dangerous.Just after 11 p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1000 block of E 1st Street N in Wichita.First responders located a woman with two gunshot wounds to her upper body. The victim was transported to an area hospital in critical condition and with life-threatening injuries.The investigation revealed that the victim was trying to break up a physical altercation between an acquaintance of hers and Banks in a parking lot. After the victim managed to stop the fight, she started to drive away, but&nbsp; Banks produced a handgun and started to shoot into the occupied vehicle.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684688157483.png" alt="Police reported Tuesday they had recovered Banks' car -photo Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Police reported Tuesday they had recovered Banks' car -photo Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>During the investigation, detectives were able to confirm Banks as the suspect. She was last seen fleeing in a red 2014 Buick Lacrosse with a paper 60-day tag. The police have located the car.&nbsp;Banks is wanted on requested charges of aggravated battery, five counts of Aggravated Assault, two counts of discharge of a firearm into an occupied vehicle, and one count of&nbsp; murder.&nbsp; If you see Banks or know where she is, call 911.

Police: Armed, dangerous Kan. murder suspect still at large

KANSAS CITY—A suicidal teen asked for his School Resource Deputy Wednesday night, who was able to talk him safely down from the Worlds of Fun water tower.

Kansas City Missouri Police responded to a call of a teen who ran away just after 9:30p.m, according to a media release from the Clay County Sheriff.

Deputies located him actively climbing the water tower at 5016 N. Bristol. He ascended close to the top, an estimated 115 feet off the ground. The teen said he wanted to speak only with Deputy Jonathan Bransfield, the School Resource Deputy at his middle school. 

Kansas City Police called Deputy Bransfield, who arrived about 10:15 p.m.

The teen told Deputy Bransfield he wanted him to come so he could say good-bye and thank him for all he’d done for him. Deputy Bransfield engaged him in conversation about his struggles, and after about 40 minutes, he was able to convince the boy to climb down safely. An ambulance then transported the teen for mental health treatment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685044709083.png" alt="Photo Clay Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo Clay Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—A suicidal teen asked for his School Resource Deputy Wednesday night, who was able to talk him safely down from the Worlds of Fun water tower.Kansas City Missouri Police responded to a call of a teen who ran away just after 9:30p.m, according to a media release from the Clay County Sheriff.Deputies located him actively climbing the water tower at 5016 N. Bristol. He ascended close to the top, an estimated 115 feet off the ground. The teen said he wanted to speak only with Deputy Jonathan Bransfield, the School Resource Deputy at his middle school. Kansas City Police called Deputy Bransfield, who arrived about 10:15 p.m.The teen told Deputy Bransfield he wanted him to come so he could say good-bye and thank him for all he’d done for him. Deputy Bransfield engaged him in conversation about his struggles, and after about 40 minutes, he was able to convince the boy to climb down safely. An ambulance then transported the teen for mental health treatment.

School resource deputy talks teen down from Worlds of Fun water tower

DOUGLAS COUNTY — Lawrence police spent Wednesday searching for a homeless man accused of a violent attack downtown in the 1000 block of Massachusetts Street, according to police spokesperson Laura McCabe.

(Click below to watch security camera video of the attack)

Just after 9:30p.m. first responders found a man and a woman with head injuries following an encounter with a suspect. The two victims were walking on the sidewalk when the suspect approached them and, without warning, began striking them with his fists before he left the area.

Just before 8a.m. Thursday officers were called to 12th and Pennsylvania Street about a man armed with a knife who matched the description of the Wednesday night suspect. Officers arrested&nbsp;34-year-old Deonte Darrell Jackson in a nearby backyard and took him to the Douglas County Correctional Facility, where he was booked on requested charges of aggravated battery, criminal damage, and disorderly conduct.

After concerns about downtown were raised last fall, Chief Rich Lockhart directed officers to conduct foot patrols beginning in November, and in light of the recent event is committed to increasing efforts to keep the downtown Lawrence safe and secure. “Our department is outraged by this event. As an agency and a city, we cannot tolerate this type of behavior," said&nbsp; Lockhart.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685051396261.png" alt="Image of the attack in a video released by Lawrence Police" />
 <figcaption>Image of the attack in a video released by Lawrence Police</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY — Lawrence police spent Wednesday searching for a homeless man accused of a violent attack downtown in the 1000 block of Massachusetts Street, according to police spokesperson Laura McCabe.(Click below to watch security camera video of the attack)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FLawrenceKansasPolice%2Fvideos%2F195898716730187%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=9" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Just after 9:30p.m. first responders found a man and a woman with head injuries following an encounter with a suspect. The two victims were walking on the sidewalk when the suspect approached them and, without warning, began striking them with his fists before he left the area.Just before 8a.m. Thursday officers were called to 12th and Pennsylvania Street about a man armed with a knife who matched the description of the Wednesday night suspect. Officers arrested&nbsp;34-year-old Deonte Darrell Jackson in a nearby backyard and took him to the Douglas County Correctional Facility, where he was booked on requested charges of aggravated battery, criminal damage, and disorderly conduct.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685051382759.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>After concerns about downtown were raised last fall, Chief Rich Lockhart directed officers to conduct foot patrols beginning in November, and in light of the recent event is committed to increasing efforts to keep the downtown Lawrence safe and secure. “Our department is outraged by this event. As an agency and a city, we cannot tolerate this type of behavior," said&nbsp; Lockhart.

🎥Homeless man jailed after violence in downtown Lawrence

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting that critically injured a 16-year-old boy from Texas.

Just after 9:30 pm, Thursday, police were dispatched to a shooting call in the 2400 block of North Market Street in Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.&nbsp;

First responders located the victim outside a home. He had several gunshot wounds to his upper body. EMS transported the 16- year-old victim to a local hospital with critical but non-life-threatening injuries.

Police released no additional details Friday afternoon.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685130814524.png" alt="First responders on the scene of the shooting investigation -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>First responders on the scene of the shooting investigation -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting that critically injured a 16-year-old boy from Texas.Just after 9:30 pm, Thursday, police were dispatched to a shooting call in the 2400 block of North Market Street in Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.&nbsp;First responders located the victim outside a home. He had several gunshot wounds to his upper body. EMS transported the 16- year-old victim to a local hospital with critical but non-life-threatening injuries.Police released no additional details Friday afternoon.

16-year-old injured in shooting outside Kansas home

LYON COUNTY—A Kansas man died in an accident just after 11:30a.m. Friday in Lyon County.

Deputies were dispatched to the 100 Block of Road U in Lyon County for a bicycle accident involving one rider, according to Deputy Chuck Moore. First responders found 82-year-old Michael Welch of McPherson, unresponsive.&nbsp; CPR was started and he was declared deceased at the scene.&nbsp;

The sheriff's office said Welch was traveling downhill and entered a ditch. He was participating in the <a href="https://www.unboundgravel.com/about/">Unbound Gravel event </a>in Lyon County. There were no other vehicles involved.

LYON COUNTY—A Kansas man died in an accident just after 11:30a.m. Friday in Lyon County.Deputies were dispatched to the 100 Block of Road U in Lyon County for a bicycle accident involving one rider, according to Deputy Chuck Moore. First responders found 82-year-old Michael Welch of McPherson, unresponsive.&nbsp; CPR was started and he was declared deceased at the scene.&nbsp;The sheriff's office said Welch was traveling downhill and entered a ditch. He was participating in the <a href="https://www.unboundgravel.com/about/">Unbound Gravel event </a>in Lyon County. There were no other vehicles involved.

Kansas man dies in bicycle accident

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Army veterans who stormed the U.S. Capitol in a military-style formation with fellow members of the Oath Keepers were sentenced Friday to prison terms, a day after the far-right extremist group's founder received&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stewart-rhodes-oath-keepers-seditious-conspiracy-sentencing-b3ed4556a3dec577539c4181639f666c">a record-setting 18-years behind bars</a>&nbsp;in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta sentenced Jessica Watkins, of Woodstock, Ohio, to eight years and six months behind bars and sentenced Kenneth Harrelson, of Titusville, Florida, to four years in prison.

A federal jury acquitted Watkins and Harrelson of the seditious conspiracy charge that Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oath-keepers-founder-guilty-of-seditious-conspiracy-42affe1614425c6820f7cbe8fd18ba96">found guilty of in November</a>. But jurors convicted Watkins and Harrelson of other Jan. 6 charges, including obstructing Congress’ certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.

Rhodes' 18-year term is the longest prison sentence that has been handed down so far in the hundreds of Capitol riot cases. The charges against leaders of the Oath Keepers and another extremist group, the Proud Boys, are among the most serious brought in the Justice Department's massive investigation of the riot.

Mehta agreed with the Justice Department that Rhodes and the other Oath Keepers' actions could be punished as “terrorism,” increasing the recommended sentence under federal guidelines.

But the judge ultimately gave Watkins and Harrelson far less time than prosecutors were seeking. The Justice Department had requested 18 years for Watkins and 15 for Harrelson.

Watkins and Harrelson marched toward the Capitol with other Oath Keepers members in “stack” formations as a mob of Trump supporters clashed with outnumbered police officers. Harrelson was the group’s “ground team lead” on Jan. 6. Watkins, who formed a separate Ohio-based militia group, recruited others to join the Oath Keepers in Washington that day.

Mehta said that while Watkins was not a top leader, like Rhodes, she was more than just a "foot soldier,” noting that at least three others charged in the riot wouldn’t have been there if she hadn’t recruited them to join.

“Your role that day was more aggressive, more assaultive, more purposeful than perhaps others," he told her.

Watkins tearfully apologized for her actions before the judge handed down her sentence. She condemned the violence by rioters who assaulted police, but conceded that her presence at the Capitol “probably inspired those people to a degree." She described herself as “just another idiot running around the Capitol” on Jan. 6.

“And today you’re going to hold this idiot responsible,” she told the judge.

The judge said Watkins' personal story of struggling for years to come to terms with her identity as a transgender woman made it especially difficult for him to understand why she has shown “a lack of empathy for those who suffered” on Jan. 6. Watkins&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-ohio-veterans-government-and-politics-20f5b6007d9363bcf70ecf3e78bd7fd4">testified at trial</a>&nbsp;about hiding her identity from her parents during a strict Christian upbringing and going AWOL in the Army after a fellow soldier found evidence of her contact with a support group for transgender people.

Harrelson told the judge he went to Washington after another Oath Keeper offered him a “security job," but said he has never voted for a president in his life and doesn’t care about politics. Some of the Oath Keepers provided security for Trump ally Roger Stone and other right-wing figures at events before the riot.

“I have totally demolished my life,” he said as he broke down in tears. “I am responsible, and my foolish actions have caused immense pain to my wife and our children.”

Mehta said he doesn’t agree with the government’s portrayal of Harrelson as a “mid-level organizer” for the Oath Keepers. Unlike many other group members charged in the attack, Harrelson didn’t send any messages “that anyone would consider extremist,” the judge said.

But the judge said he was struck by an image of Harrelson patting down a police officer on his way out of the Capitol.

“You weren’t just there that day because you got swept in,” the judge told him.

During a nearly two-month trial in Washington's federal court, lawyers for Watkins and the other Oath Keepers argued there was no plan to attack the Capitol. On the witness stand, Watkins told jurors she never intended to interfere with the certification and never heard any commands for her and other Oath Keepers to enter the building.

Evidence shown to jurors showed Watkins after the 2020 election messaging with people who expressed interest in joining her Ohio militia group about “military-style basic” training. She told one recruit, “I need you fighting fit” by the inauguration, which was Jan. 20, 2021.

On Jan. 6, Watkins and other Oath Keepers wearing helmets and other paramilitary gear were seen shouldering their way through the crowd and up the Capitol stairs in military-style stack formation. She communicated with others during the riot over a channel called “Stop the Steal J6" on the walkie-talkie app Zello, declaring, “We are in the main dome right now.”

Harrelson screamed “Treason!” — an epithet directed at members of Congress — as he entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, a prosecutor said.

One of their other co-defendants, Florida chapter leader Kelly Meggs, was sentenced Thursday to 12 years behind bars for seditious conspiracy and other charges.

Rhodes, 58, of Granbury, Texas, was the first Jan. 6 defendant convicted of seditious conspiracy to receive his punishment for what prosecutors said was a weekslong plot to forcibly block the transfer of power from former President Donald Trump to Biden.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oath-keepers-seditious-conspiracy-conviction-2b9fb724c9839524d00ee389959e0e62">Four other Oath Keepers convicted</a>&nbsp;of the sedition charge during a second trial in January will be sentenced next week.

During his sentencing Thursday, Rhodes defiantly claimed to be a “political prisoner,” criticized prosecutors and the Biden administration and tried to play down his actions on Jan. 6. The judge described Rhodes as a continued threat to the United States who clearly “wants democracy in this country to devolve into violence.”

The Oath Keepers' sentences this week could serve as a guide for prosecutors in a separate Jan. 6 case against leaders of the Proud Boys. Earlier this month,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-enrique-tarrio-seditious-conspiracy-trial-f8738f17552cda21eef6d89504da2a0e">a different jury convicted former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio</a>&nbsp;and three other group leaders of seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors said was another plot to keep Trump in the White House.

Before Thursday, the longest sentence in the more than 1,000 Capitol riot cases was 14 years and two months for a man with a long criminal record who attacked police officers with pepper spray and a chair as he stormed the Capitol.&nbsp;<a href="https://interactives.ap.org/jan-6-prosecutions/">Just over 500 of the defendants have been sentenced, with more than half receiving prison time.</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Army veteran who stormed the U.S. Capitol in a military-style formation with fellow members of the Oath Keepers was sentenced Friday to more than eight years in prison, a day after the far-right extremist group's founder received&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stewart-rhodes-oath-keepers-seditious-conspiracy-sentencing-b3ed4556a3dec577539c4181639f666c">an 18-year prison term</a>&nbsp;in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack.

Jessica Watkins, of Woodstock, Ohio, was acquitted of the seditious conspiracy charge that Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oath-keepers-founder-guilty-of-seditious-conspiracy-42affe1614425c6820f7cbe8fd18ba96">found guilty of in November</a>, but jurors convicted her of obstruction and conspiracy to impede Congress' certification of President Joe Biden's victory.

She is the third member of the antigovernment group to receive her punishment this week in one of the most serious cases the Justice Department has brought in the riot. 

Rhodes' 18 year-term is the longest sentence that has been handed down so far in the hundreds of Capitol riot cases.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta said that while Watkins was not a top leader, like Rhodes, she was more than “just foot soldier,” noting that at least three others charged in the riot wouldn’t have been there if she hadn’t recruited them to join. He sentenced her to 8 1/2 years behind bars.

Watkins tearfully apologized for her actions before the judge handed down her sentence. She condemned the violence by rioters who assaulted police, but said she knows her presence at the Capitol “probably inspired those people to a degree." She described herself as “just another idiot running around the Capitol” on Jan. 6.

During the nearly two-month trial in Washington's federal court, lawyers for Watkins and the other Oath Keepers argued there was no plan to attack the Capitol. On the witness stand, Watkins testified she never intended to interfere with the certification and never heard any commands for her and other Oath Keepers to enter the building.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685119740032.png" alt="Watkins (Left) as seen on Jan. 6-photo U.S. Dept. of Justice" />
 <figcaption>Watkins (Left) as seen on Jan. 6-photo U.S. Dept. of Justice</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Army veterans who stormed the U.S. Capitol in a military-style formation with fellow members of the Oath Keepers were sentenced Friday to prison terms, a day after the far-right extremist group's founder received&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stewart-rhodes-oath-keepers-seditious-conspiracy-sentencing-b3ed4556a3dec577539c4181639f666c">a record-setting 18-years behind bars</a>&nbsp;in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685119703731.png" alt="Watkins-photo Montgomery Co." />
 <figcaption>Watkins-photo Montgomery Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta sentenced Jessica Watkins, of Woodstock, Ohio, to eight years and six months behind bars and sentenced Kenneth Harrelson, of Titusville, Florida, to four years in prison.A federal jury acquitted Watkins and Harrelson of the seditious conspiracy charge that Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oath-keepers-founder-guilty-of-seditious-conspiracy-42affe1614425c6820f7cbe8fd18ba96">found guilty of in November</a>. But jurors convicted Watkins and Harrelson of other Jan. 6 charges, including obstructing Congress’ certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669760612209.png" alt="-Rhodes from his Jan. 2022 arrest-photo Collin County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>-Rhodes from his Jan. 2022 arrest-photo Collin County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>Rhodes' 18-year term is the longest prison sentence that has been handed down so far in the hundreds of Capitol riot cases. The charges against leaders of the Oath Keepers and another extremist group, the Proud Boys, are among the most serious brought in the Justice Department's massive investigation of the riot.Mehta agreed with the Justice Department that Rhodes and the other Oath Keepers' actions could be punished as “terrorism,” increasing the recommended sentence under federal guidelines.But the judge ultimately gave Watkins and Harrelson far less time than prosecutors were seeking. The Justice Department had requested 18 years for Watkins and 15 for Harrelson.Watkins and Harrelson marched toward the Capitol with other Oath Keepers members in “stack” formations as a mob of Trump supporters clashed with outnumbered police officers. Harrelson was the group’s “ground team lead” on Jan. 6. Watkins, who formed a separate Ohio-based militia group, recruited others to join the Oath Keepers in Washington that day.Mehta said that while Watkins was not a top leader, like Rhodes, she was more than just a "foot soldier,” noting that at least three others charged in the riot wouldn’t have been there if she hadn’t recruited them to join.“Your role that day was more aggressive, more assaultive, more purposeful than perhaps others," he told her.Watkins tearfully apologized for her actions before the judge handed down her sentence. She condemned the violence by rioters who assaulted police, but conceded that her presence at the Capitol “probably inspired those people to a degree." She described herself as “just another idiot running around the Capitol” on Jan. 6.“And today you’re going to hold this idiot responsible,” she told the judge.The judge said Watkins' personal story of struggling for years to come to terms with her identity as a transgender woman made it especially difficult for him to understand why she has shown “a lack of empathy for those who suffered” on Jan. 6. Watkins&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-ohio-veterans-government-and-politics-20f5b6007d9363bcf70ecf3e78bd7fd4">testified at trial</a>&nbsp;about hiding her identity from her parents during a strict Christian upbringing and going AWOL in the Army after a fellow soldier found evidence of her contact with a support group for transgender people.Harrelson told the judge he went to Washington after another Oath Keeper offered him a “security job," but said he has never voted for a president in his life and doesn’t care about politics. Some of the Oath Keepers provided security for Trump ally Roger Stone and other right-wing figures at events before the riot.“I have totally demolished my life,” he said as he broke down in tears. “I am responsible, and my foolish actions have caused immense pain to my wife and our children.”Mehta said he doesn’t agree with the government’s portrayal of Harrelson as a “mid-level organizer” for the Oath Keepers. Unlike many other group members charged in the attack, Harrelson didn’t send any messages “that anyone would consider extremist,” the judge said.But the judge said he was struck by an image of Harrelson patting down a police officer on his way out of the Capitol.“You weren’t just there that day because you got swept in,” the judge told him.During a nearly two-month trial in Washington's federal court, lawyers for Watkins and the other Oath Keepers argued there was no plan to attack the Capitol. On the witness stand, Watkins told jurors she never intended to interfere with the certification and never heard any commands for her and other Oath Keepers to enter the building.Evidence shown to jurors showed Watkins after the 2020 election messaging with people who expressed interest in joining her Ohio militia group about “military-style basic” training. She told one recruit, “I need you fighting fit” by the inauguration, which was Jan. 20, 2021.On Jan. 6, Watkins and other Oath Keepers wearing helmets and other paramilitary gear were seen shouldering their way through the crowd and up the Capitol stairs in military-style stack formation. She communicated with others during the riot over a channel called “Stop the Steal J6" on the walkie-talkie app Zello, declaring, “We are in the main dome right now.”Harrelson screamed “Treason!” — an epithet directed at members of Congress — as he entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, a prosecutor said.One of their other co-defendants, Florida chapter leader Kelly Meggs, was sentenced Thursday to 12 years behind bars for seditious conspiracy and other charges.Rhodes, 58, of Granbury, Texas, was the first Jan. 6 defendant convicted of seditious conspiracy to receive his punishment for what prosecutors said was a weekslong plot to forcibly block the transfer of power from former President Donald Trump to Biden.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oath-keepers-seditious-conspiracy-conviction-2b9fb724c9839524d00ee389959e0e62">Four other Oath Keepers convicted</a>&nbsp;of the sedition charge during a second trial in January will be sentenced next week.During his sentencing Thursday, Rhodes defiantly claimed to be a “political prisoner,” criticized prosecutors and the Biden administration and tried to play down his actions on Jan. 6. The judge described Rhodes as a continued threat to the United States who clearly “wants democracy in this country to devolve into violence.”The Oath Keepers' sentences this week could serve as a guide for prosecutors in a separate Jan. 6 case against leaders of the Proud Boys. Earlier this month,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-enrique-tarrio-seditious-conspiracy-trial-f8738f17552cda21eef6d89504da2a0e">a different jury convicted former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio</a>&nbsp;and three other group leaders of seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors said was another plot to keep Trump in the White House.Before Thursday, the longest sentence in the more than 1,000 Capitol riot cases was 14 years and two months for a man with a long criminal record who attacked police officers with pepper spray and a chair as he stormed the Capitol.&nbsp;<a href="https://interactives.ap.org/jan-6-prosecutions/">Just over 500 of the defendants have been sentenced, with more than half receiving prison time.</a>---------------WASHINGTON (AP) — An Army veteran who stormed the U.S. Capitol in a military-style formation with fellow members of the Oath Keepers was sentenced Friday to more than eight years in prison, a day after the far-right extremist group's founder received&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stewart-rhodes-oath-keepers-seditious-conspiracy-sentencing-b3ed4556a3dec577539c4181639f666c">an 18-year prison term</a>&nbsp;in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack.Jessica Watkins, of Woodstock, Ohio, was acquitted of the seditious conspiracy charge that Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oath-keepers-founder-guilty-of-seditious-conspiracy-42affe1614425c6820f7cbe8fd18ba96">found guilty of in November</a>, but jurors convicted her of obstruction and conspiracy to impede Congress' certification of President Joe Biden's victory.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685119703731.png" alt="Watkins photo Montgomery County Jail" />
 <figcaption>Watkins photo Montgomery County Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>She is the third member of the antigovernment group to receive her punishment this week in one of the most serious cases the Justice Department has brought in the riot. Rhodes' 18 year-term is the longest sentence that has been handed down so far in the hundreds of Capitol riot cases.U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta said that while Watkins was not a top leader, like Rhodes, she was more than “just foot soldier,” noting that at least three others charged in the riot wouldn’t have been there if she hadn’t recruited them to join. He sentenced her to 8 1/2 years behind bars.“Your role that day was more aggressive, more assaultive, more purposeful than perhaps others," he told her.Watkins tearfully apologized for her actions before the judge handed down her sentence. She condemned the violence by rioters who assaulted police, but said she knows her presence at the Capitol “probably inspired those people to a degree." She described herself as “just another idiot running around the Capitol” on Jan. 6.“And today you’re going to hold this idiot responsible,” she told the judge.During the nearly two-month trial in Washington's federal court, lawyers for Watkins and the other Oath Keepers argued there was no plan to attack the Capitol. On the witness stand, Watkins testified she never intended to interfere with the certification and never heard any commands for her and other Oath Keepers to enter the building.Evidence shown to jurors showed Watkins after the 2020 election messaging with people who expressed interest in joining her Ohio militia group about “military-style basic” training. She told one recruit: “I need you fighting fit” by the inauguration, which was Jan. 20, 2021.On Jan. 6, Watkins and other Oath Keepers wearing helmets and other paramilitary gear were seen shouldering their way through the crowd and up the Capitol stairs in military-style “stack” formation. She communicated with others during the riot over a channel called “Stop the Steal J6" on the walkie-talkie app Zello, declaring “we are in the main dome right now.”Another Oath Keeper and fellow Army veteran — Kenneth Harrelson — will be sentenced later Friday. One of their other co-defendants, Florida chapter leader Kelly Meggs, was sentenced Thursday to 12 years behind bars for seditious conspiracy and other charges.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669760612209.png" alt="-Rhodes from his Jan. 2022 arrest-photo Collin County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>-Rhodes from his Jan. 2022 arrest-photo Collin County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>Rhodes, 58, of Granbury, Texas, was the first Jan. 6 defendant convicted of seditious conspiracy to receive his punishment for what prosecutors said was a weekslong plot to forcibly block the transfer of power from former President Donald Trump to Biden.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oath-keepers-seditious-conspiracy-conviction-2b9fb724c9839524d00ee389959e0e62">Four other Oath Keepers convicted</a>&nbsp;of the sedition charge during a second trial in January will be sentenced next week.During his sentencing Thursday, Rhodes defiantly claimed to be a “political prisoner,” criticized prosecutors and the Biden administration and tried to play down his actions on Jan. 6. The judge described Rhodes as a continued threat to the United States who clearly “wants democracy in this country to devolve into violence.”The Oath Keepers' sentences this week could serve as a guide for prosecutors in a separate Jan. 6 case against leaders of the Proud Boys extremist group. Earlier this month,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-enrique-tarrio-seditious-conspiracy-trial-f8738f17552cda21eef6d89504da2a0e">a different jury convicted former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio</a>&nbsp;and three other group leaders of seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors said was another plot to keep Trump in the White House.Before Thursday, the longest sentence in the more than 1,000 Capitol riot cases was 14 years and two months for a man with a long criminal record who attacked police officers with pepper spray and a chair as he stormed the Capitol.&nbsp;<a href="https://interactives.ap.org/jan-6-prosecutions/">Just over 500 of the defendants have been sentenced, with more than half receiving prison time.</a>