TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Health reported&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;2,574&nbsp; new coronavirus cases in Kansas from Wednesday Nov. 9, to Wednesday November 16, for a total of&nbsp;894,768 cases.&nbsp; The state reported 2,736 new cases the previous week.

On Wednesday, th<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1529/June-15-Case-Summary-PDF?bidId=">e state reported</a>&nbsp;26 additional COVID-19 deaths since the report on Nov. , for a total of 9,652.

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a>&nbsp;about the COVID-19 vaccine.

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.

Kansas is providing fewer updates of its data about COVID-19 now that Gov. Laura Kelly formally declared that the state is moving toward treating COVID-19 as a disease like the flu that spreads regularly and isn't considered a pandemic.&nbsp;The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.

The state continues to support access to free COVID-19 testing, works to ensure that vulnerable populations can get vaccinated, see that providers serve a broad population and give “comprehensive guidance” about the virus. She called the new phase “endemic normalcy.”

The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Health reported&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;2,574&nbsp; new coronavirus cases in Kansas from Wednesday Nov. 9, to Wednesday November 16, for a total of&nbsp;894,768 cases.&nbsp; The state reported 2,736 new cases the previous week.On Wednesday, th<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1529/June-15-Case-Summary-PDF?bidId=">e state reported</a>&nbsp;26 additional COVID-19 deaths since the report on Nov. , for a total of 9,652.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668621863049.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a>&nbsp;about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.Kansas is providing fewer updates of its data about COVID-19 now that Gov. Laura Kelly formally declared that the state is moving toward treating COVID-19 as a disease like the flu that spreads regularly and isn't considered a pandemic.&nbsp;The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.The state continues to support access to free COVID-19 testing, works to ensure that vulnerable populations can get vaccinated, see that providers serve a broad population and give “comprehensive guidance” about the virus. She called the new phase “endemic normalcy.”The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.

KDHE reports 26 additional COVID deaths

DOUGLAS COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating after two people died of gunshot wounds Wednesday morning at Oak Hill Cemetery,&nbsp;1605 Oak Hill Avenue in Lawrence, according to a statement from police

The initial call, about 8:45a.m., was a disturbance with weapons. 

Police found a man and woman with gunshot wounds. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;

DOUGLAS COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating after two people died of gunshot wounds Wednesday morning at Oak Hill Cemetery,&nbsp;1605 Oak Hill Avenue in Lawrence, according to a statement from policeThe initial call, about 8:45a.m., was a disturbance with weapons. Police found a man and woman with gunshot wounds. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;Police released no additional details.

Police: 2 found shot to death in Kansas cemetery

MANHATTAN —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a teen in connection with a incident at school in Manhattan.

Just after 12:30p.m. Tuesday, officers filed a report for aggravated battery at Manhattan High School in the 2100 block of Poyntz Avenue, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.

&nbsp;A 16-year-old suspect choked a 16-year-old girl with&nbsp;a phone cord. 

Police arrested Siley Thomas, 16, of Manhattan on a requested charge of aggravated battery.&nbsp; The teen was processed through juvenile intake and released to a guardian.

MANHATTAN —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a teen in connection with a incident at school in Manhattan.Just after 12:30p.m. Tuesday, officers filed a report for aggravated battery at Manhattan High School in the 2100 block of Poyntz Avenue, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.&nbsp;A 16-year-old suspect choked a 16-year-old girl with&nbsp;a phone cord. Police arrested Siley Thomas, 16, of Manhattan on a requested charge of aggravated battery.&nbsp; The teen was processed through juvenile intake and released to a guardian.

Kan. teen arrested for allegedly choking girl with phone cord

RENO&nbsp; COUNTY— Multiple pets died in a Kansas house fire on Tuesday in Reno County.

Just before 7p.m., crews responded to the fire in a home at 10006 North Plum, according to a media release.&nbsp; There was fire in the kitchen that extended into the entire attic space. 

Fire crews searched and accounted for all pets. They did not survive. There were no other injuries. Because fire crews had to truck in water, Plum was closed from 95th to 108th while fire operations were underway.&nbsp; Authorities released no additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668569630390.jpeg" alt="Photo Hutchinson Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Photo Hutchinson Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO&nbsp; COUNTY— Multiple pets died in a Kansas house fire on Tuesday in Reno County.Just before 7p.m., crews responded to the fire in a home at 10006 North Plum, according to a media release.&nbsp; There was fire in the kitchen that extended into the entire attic space. Fire crews searched and accounted for all pets. They did not survive. There were no other injuries. Because fire crews had to truck in water, Plum was closed from 95th to 108th while fire operations were underway.&nbsp; Authorities released no additional details.

Multiple pets die in Kansas house fire

PRZEWODOW, Poland (AP) — NATO member Poland and the head of the military alliance both said Wednesday that a missile strike in Polish farmland that killed two people did not appear to be intentional and was probably launched by air defenses in neighboring Ukraine. Russia had been bombarding Ukraine at the time in an attack that savaged its power grid.

(Click below to watch the President's comments)

“Ukraine’s defense was launching their missiles in various directions and it is highly probable that one of these missiles unfortunately fell on Polish territory," said Polish President Andrzej Duda. “There is nothing, absolutely nothing, to suggest that it was an intentional attack on Poland.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-nato-europe-poland-225dd98252e778bdc678f8596962833c?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=RelatedStories&amp;utm_campaign=position_02">a meeting of the 30-nation military</a>&nbsp;alliance in Brussels, echoed the preliminary Polish findings.

The initial assessments of Tuesday's deadly landing of the Soviet-era missile appeared to dial back the likelihood of the strike triggering another major escalation in the nearly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">9-month-old Russian invasion of Ukraine</a>. If Russia had deliberately targeted Poland, that could have risked drawing NATO into the conflict.

Still, Stoltenberg and others laid overall but not specific blame on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war.

“This is not Ukraine’s fault. Russia bears ultimate responsibility,” Stoltenberg said.

Before the Polish and NATO assessments, U.S. President Joe Biden had said it was “unlikely” that Russia fired the missile but added: “I’m going to make sure we find out exactly what happened.”

A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman in Moscow said no Russian strike Tuesday was closer than 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the Ukraine-Poland border. The Kremlin denounced Poland’s and other countries’ initial response and, in rare praise for a U.S. leader, hailed Biden’s “restrained, much more professional reaction.”

“We have witnessed another hysterical, frenzied, Russo-phobic reaction that was not based on any real data,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Three U.S. officials said preliminary assessments suggested it was fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian one. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly. That assessment and Biden’s comments at the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia contradicted information earlier Tuesday from a senior U.S. intelligence official who told The Associated Press that Russian missiles crossed into Poland.

The Polish president said the projectile was “most probably” a Russian-made S-300 missile dating from the Soviet era. Ukraine, once part of the Soviet Union, fields Soviet- and Russian-made weaponry, including air-defense missiles, and has also seized many more Russian weapons while beating back the Kremlin’s invasion forces.

Russia's assault on power generation and transmission facilities Tuesday included Ukraine’s western region bordering Poland. Ukraine’s military said 77 of the more than 90 missiles fired were brought down by air defenses, along with 11 drones.

The countrywide bombardment by barrages of cruise missiles and exploding drones clouded the initial picture of what happened in Poland.

“It was a huge blast, the sound was terrifying." said Ewa Byra, the primary school director in the eastern village of Przewodow, where the missile struck. She said she knew both men who were killed — one was the husband of a school employee, the other the father of a former pupil.

Another resident, 24-year-old Kinga Kancir, said the men worked at a grain-drying facility.

“It is very hard to accept," she said. “Nothing was going on and, all of a sudden, there is a world sensation.”

Ukraine asked for immediate access to the site. Oleksiy Danilov, head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, advocated on Twitter for a “joint examination of the incident.”

In Europe, NATO members Germany and the U.K. laced calls for a thorough investigation with criticism of Moscow.

“This wouldn’t have happened without the Russian war against Ukraine, without the missiles that are now being fired at Ukrainian infrastructure intensively and on a large scale,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it “a very significant escalation." On the other end of the spectrum, China called for calm and restraint.

Swaths of Ukraine were without power after the aerial assault. Zelenskyy said about 10 million people lost electricity, but tweeted overnight that 8 million were subsequently reconnected, with repair crews laboring through the night. Previous strikes had already destroyed an estimated 40% of the country’s energy infrastructure.

Ukraine said the bombardment was the largest on its power grid so far. Pope Francis said it caused him “great pain and concern.”

A Washington-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, said Ukraine’s downing of so many Russian missiles Tuesday “illustrates the improvement in Ukrainian air defenses in the last month,” which are being bolstered with Western-supplied systems. Sweden said Wednesday that an air defense system with ammunition would form part of its latest and largest package of military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, worth $360 million.

The U.S. has been Ukraine's largest supporter, providing $18.6 billion in weapons and equipment. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said flows of U.S. weapons and assistance would continue “throughout the winter so that Ukraine can continue to consolidate gains and seize the initiative on the battlefield.”

Russian attacks in the previous 24 hours had killed at least six civilians and wounded another 17, a senior official, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said early Wednesday. Two civilian deaths were also reported in Kyiv and the Kyiv region.

The Russian bombardment followed days of euphoria in Ukraine sparked by one of its biggest military successes — the retaking last week of the southern city of Kherson.

It also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-moldova-power-outages-edfd0a2990ee1a151e970755657ee73b">affected neighboring Moldova,</a>&nbsp;which reported massive power outages after the strikes in Ukraine disconnected a power line to the small nation.

With its battlefield losses mounting, Russia has increasingly resorted to targeting Ukraine’s power grid, seemingly hoping to turn the approach of winter into a weapon by leaving people in the cold and dark.

The governor of the western Lviv province, Maksym Kozytskyy, said two of three Russian missile strikes there hit critical energy infrastructure. He said power had been restored to about 95% of the province, but only 30% of consumers can use electricity at the same time.

Power shortages caused extensive train delays that extended into Wednesday, the longest by seven hours,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-riding-the-rails-dd10ba7161eecbd902336fd4bed0fbdb">but there were no cancelations</a>, because diesel locomotives were pressed into service, the national rail network said.

Kyiv resident Margina Daria said Tuesday’s strikes knocked out cellphone services in her area, where she rode out the attack in a corridor.

“We have already adapted to life without light, because we have scheduled outages every day, but without communication it was quite disturbing,” she said. “There was no way to even tell our families that we were OK.”

PRZEWODOW, Poland (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden and other Western backers of Ukraine threw their weight Wednesday behind an investigation into why and how a missile that Poland said was Russian-made came down in Polish farmland, killing two people, when Russia was savaging the Ukrainian power grid with missiles and exploding drones.

Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/g-20-summit-nato-biden-andrzej-duda-25e615909ba0d871d5092f5b3aec21c8?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=RelatedStories&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">said it was “unlikely”</a>&nbsp;that Russia fired the missile but added, “we’ll see," and vowed: “I’m going to make sure we find out exactly what happened."

Polish President Andrzej Duda went further, saying there are no signs that the blast was a deliberate attack.

The missile came down Tuesday near Poland's border with Ukraine. Three U.S. officials said preliminary assessments suggested it was fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian one. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

That assessment and Biden’s comments at the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia contradicted information earlier Tuesday from a senior U.S. intelligence official who told The Associated Press that Russian missiles crossed into Poland.

The Kremlin on Wednesday denounced Poland’s and other countries’ reaction to the missile incident as “hysterical” and, in rare praise for a U.S. leader, hailed the “restrained and much more professional” reaction of the U.S.

“We have witnessed another hysterical, frenzied, Russophobic reaction that was not based on any real data,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday. He added that “immediately, all experts realized that it could not have been a missile linked to the Russian armed forces,” and pointed to a “restrained, much more professional reaction” of the U.S. and its president, Joe Biden.

In Brussels, NATO countries were coming together Wednesday for emergency talks. There was no immediate proof that Tuesday’s blast was a deliberate, hostile attack on NATO member Poland that could trigger the alliance’s provisions for a collective military response.

Russia denied any involvement. But Ukraine was under countrywide Russian bombardment Tuesday by barrages of cruise missiles and exploding drones, which clouded the picture of what exactly happened in Poland and why.

In Europe, NATO members Germany and the U.K. were among those stressing the need for a full investigation. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned against jumping to conclusions “in such a serious matter.”

Still, Scholz and others also laid overall but not specific blame on Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

“This wouldn’t have happened without the Russian war against Ukraine, without the missiles that are now being fired at Ukrainian infrastructure intensively and on a large scale,” Scholz said.

U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak echoed that assessment, saying: “This is the cruel and unrelenting reality of Putin’s war.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it “a very significant escalation." On the other end of the spectrum, China was among those calling for calm and restraint.

The Polish government said it was investigating and raising its level of military preparedness. On Twitter, Biden promised “full U.S support for and assistance with Poland’s investigation."

A statement from the Polish Foreign Ministry identified the weapon as being made in Russia. Duda, however, was more cautious, saying that it was “most probably” Russian-made but that its origins were still being verified.

“We are acting with calm," Duda said. “This is a difficult situation.”

Former Soviet-bloc country Ukraine maintains stocks of Soviet- and Russian-made weaponry, including air-defense missiles, and has also seized many more Russian weapons while beating back the Kremlin's invasion forces.

Ukrainian air defenses worked furiously against the Russian assault Tuesday on power generation and transmission facilities, including in Ukraine's western region that borders Poland. Ukraine's military said 77 of the more than 90 missiles fired were brought down, along with 11 drones.

Damage from the aerial assault in Ukraine was extensive and swaths of the country were plunged into darkness. Zelenskyy said about 10 million people lost power but tweeted overnight that 8 million were subsequently reconnected, with repair crews laboring through the night. Previous Russian strikes had already destroyed an estimated 40% of the country’s energy infrastructure.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called the meeting in Brussels of the alliance’s envoys. The U.N. Security Council also planned to meet Wednesday for a previously scheduled briefing on the situation in Ukraine.

Poland’s statement didn't address whether the strike could have been a targeting error or if the missile could have been knocked off course by Ukrainian defenses.

Poland and NATO used language that suggested they weren't treating the missile blast as an intentional Russian attack, at least for now. A NATO statement called it a “tragic incident.”

If Russia had deliberately targeted Poland, it would risk drawing NATO into the conflict.

Polish media reported that the strike took place in an area where grain was drying in Przewodow, a village near the border with Ukraine.

Russia's Defense Ministry denied being behind “any strikes on targets near the Ukrainian-Polish border” and said in a statement that photos of purported damage “have nothing to do” with Russian weapons.

Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau summoned the Russian ambassador and “demanded immediate detailed explanations,” the government said.

The Russian bombardment also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-moldova-power-outages-edfd0a2990ee1a151e970755657ee73b">affected neighboring Moldova</a>. It reported massive power outages after the strikes in Ukraine disconnected a power line to the small nation.

The assault killed at least one person in a residential building in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. It followed days of euphoria in Ukraine sparked by one of its biggest military successes — the retaking last week of the southern city of Kherson.

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — President Joe Biden said Wednesday it was “unlikely” that a missile that killed two in NATO-ally Poland was fired from Russia, but he pledged support for Poland's investigation into what it had called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-zelenskyy-kherson-9202c032cf3a5c22761ee71b52ff9d52?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">a “Russian-made” missile.</a>

Biden spoke after he convened an “emergency” meeting of the Group of Seven and NATO leaders in Indonesia Wednesday morning for consultations on the attack that killed two people in the eastern part of Poland near the Ukraine border.

“There is preliminary information that contests that," Biden told reporters when asked if the missile had been fired from Russia. “It is unlikely in the lines of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia, but we’ll see.”

It was not immediately clear whether Biden was suggesting that the missile hadn't been fired by Russia at all. Ukraine still maintains stocks of former Soviet and Russian-made weaponry, including the S-300 air-defense missile system.

The president, who was awakened overnight by staff with the news of the missile explosion while in Indonesia for the Group of 20 summit, called Polish President Andrzej Duda early Wednesday to express his “deep condolences” for the loss of life. Biden promised on Twitter “full U.S support for and assistance with Poland’s investigation,” and “reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to NATO.”

Biden said that he briefed the allies on his conversations with Duda and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and that there was “Total unanimity among the folks at the table” to support Poland’s investigation into the attack.

“I’m going to make sure we find out exactly what happened," Biden said. "And then we’re going to collectively determine our next step as we investigate.”

Meeting at a large round table in a ballroom in his hotel, the U.S. president hosted the leaders of the G-7, which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the European Union, along with the president of the European Council and the prime ministers of NATO allies Spain and the Netherlands.

A statement from the Polish Foreign Ministry identified the missile as being made in Russia. But Poland's president, Duda, was more cautious about its origin, saying that officials did not know for sure who fired it or where it was made. He said it was “most probably” Russian-made, but that is being still verified. If confirmed, it would be the first time since the invasion of Ukraine that a Russian weapon came down on a NATO country.

The foundation of the NATO alliance is the principle that an attack against one member is an attack on them all, making the source of the missile launch critical for determining next steps.

Biden also said the leaders condemned “the latest series of Russian missile attacks,” referring to the confirmed Russian strikes in recent days that have targeted Ukraine's power grid and caused widespread blackouts.

“The moment when the world came together at the G-20 to urge de-escalation, Russia continues to escalate in Ukraine, while we’re meeting," Biden said. "There were scores and scores of missile attacks in western Ukraine.”

Biden and his allies had set out to isolate Russia at the G-20 summit and the group's final communique was expected to show that “most” of the nations in the G-20 condemn Russia's invasion.

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — President Joe Biden convened an “emergency” meeting of the Group of Seven and NATO leaders in Indonesia Wednesday morning for consultations after NATO-ally Poland&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-zelenskyy-kherson-9202c032cf3a5c22761ee71b52ff9d52?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">said a “Russian-made” missile</a>&nbsp;killed two people in the eastern part of its country near the Ukraine border.

Biden, who was awakened overnight by staff with the news of the missile explosion while in Indonesia&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/pronto/28ec9b6a9c0e7efd829e91d731fb4e21">for the Group of 20 summit</a>, called Polish President Andrzej Duda early Wednesday to express his “deep condolences” for the loss of life. Biden promised on Twitter “full U.S support for and assistance with Poland’s investigation,” and “reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to NATO.”

Biden replied “no” to reporters who asked if he would provide an update on the situation in Poland.

The foundation of the NATO alliance is the principle that an attack against one member is an attack on them all.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Poland said early Wednesday that a Russian-made missile fell in the eastern part of the country, killing two people in a blast that marked the first time in the war with Ukraine that Russian weapons came down on a NATO country.

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy decried the strike as “a very significant escalation” of the war.

The Polish government said in a statement that Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau summoned the Russian ambassador and “demanded immediate detailed explanations.”

Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller said some military units were put on alert while officials sought details.

Polish media reported that the strike took place in an area where grain was drying in Przewodów, a village near the border with Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry denied being behind “any strikes on targets near the Ukrainian-Polish border” and said in a statement that photos of purported damage “have nothing to do” with Russian weapons.

On Tuesday, Russia pounded Ukraine’s energy facilities with its biggest barrage of missiles yet, striking targets across the country and causing widespread blackouts.

The barrage also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-moldova-power-outages-edfd0a2990ee1a151e970755657ee73b">affected neighboring Moldova</a>. It reported massive power outages after the strikes knocked out a key power line that supplies the small nation, an official said.

The missile strikes plunged much of Ukraine into darkness and drew defiance from Zelenskyy, who shook his fist and declared: “We will survive everything.”

In his nightly address, the Ukrainian leader said the reported strikes in Poland offered proof that “terror is not limited by our state borders.”

"We need to put the terrorist in its place. The longer Russia feels impunity, the more threats there will be for everyone within the reach of Russian missiles,” Zelenskyy said.

🎥Poland now says deadly missile strike wasn't a Russian attack

JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a robbery and asking the public for help to identify two suspects.

The strong-arm robbery occurred just before 7p.m. November 12, in the 11300 Block of West 95th Street, according to Overland Park Police.&nbsp;

The suspects ripped merchandise from an elderly employees hands. The employee suffered a broken finger. The suspects fled the store in a white, newer Dodge Durango.&nbsp;

Anyone with information is asked to contact Overland Park Police.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668548175131.png" alt="Photo Overland Park Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Overland Park Police</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a robbery and asking the public for help to identify two suspects.The strong-arm robbery occurred just before 7p.m. November 12, in the 11300 Block of West 95th Street, according to Overland Park Police.&nbsp;The suspects ripped merchandise from an elderly employees hands. The employee suffered a broken finger. The suspects fled the store in a white, newer Dodge Durango.&nbsp;Anyone with information is asked to contact Overland Park Police.

Suspect broke employee's finger during Kansas robbery

WASHINGTON—By a bipartisan vote of 62-36, the U.S Senate passed U.S. Senator Roger Marshall’s resolution to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/republicans-to-force-vote-on-ending-covid-19-emergency-declaration-11663860630?mod=e2twp" target="_blank">end the COVID-19 national state of emergency</a>&nbsp;currently in effect under the National Emergencies Act (NEA).

Senator Marshall’s resolution followed President Joe Biden’s comments that the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-covid-pandemic-over/" target="_blank">coronavirus pandemic is over</a>, yet the national emergency for COVID-19 has yet to be terminated by the White House. Immediately after Senator Marshall’s resolution passed the Senate,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SAP-SJRes63.docx.pdf" target="_blank">the White House threatened to veto the measure</a>.

Senator Marshall spoke on the Senate floor this evening to force a vote on his legislation. While you may click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWBJuBY2aO8" target="_blank">HERE</a>&nbsp;or on the image below to watch Senator Marshall’s speech, he said in part,

Just two months ago, the President stated the coronavirus pandemic was “over” in a 60 Minutes interview. 

Yet, despite all the advances we’ve made in our fight against the virus and the victorious declaration by our Chief Executive, this administration insists the national emergency declaration remain in place, it was this government imposed state of emergency that justified their continued lockdowns of small businesses and schools that justified their mask and vaccine mandates, including a military vaccine mandate that has resulted in the removal of more than 8,000 active-duty troops, that justified President Biden and Congressional Democrats spending binge, increasing the total amount of government spending by more than $9 trillion since February 2021 and lighting the fire for record inflation that the President has used as justification to extend the payment pause and cancel up to $10,000 in outstanding federally held student loan balances, and even a more generous $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients.

 Congress must take the responsible action of reigning in this massive expansion of government and restore Americans fundamental rights by terminating the COVID-19 national emergency declaration…”

WASHINGTON—By a bipartisan vote of 62-36, the U.S Senate passed U.S. Senator Roger Marshall’s resolution to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/republicans-to-force-vote-on-ending-covid-19-emergency-declaration-11663860630?mod=e2twp" target="_blank">end the COVID-19 national state of emergency</a>&nbsp;currently in effect under the National Emergencies Act (NEA). <div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FWBJuBY2aO8?start=1" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Senator Marshall’s resolution followed President Joe Biden’s comments that the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-covid-pandemic-over/" target="_blank">coronavirus pandemic is over</a>, yet the national emergency for COVID-19 has yet to be terminated by the White House. Immediately after Senator Marshall’s resolution passed the Senate,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SAP-SJRes63.docx.pdf" target="_blank">the White House threatened to veto the measure</a>.Senator Marshall spoke on the Senate floor this evening to force a vote on his legislation. While you may click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWBJuBY2aO8" target="_blank">HERE</a>&nbsp;or on the image below to watch Senator Marshall’s speech, he said in part,Just two months ago, the President stated the coronavirus pandemic was “over” in a 60 Minutes interview. Yet, despite all the advances we’ve made in our fight against the virus and the victorious declaration by our Chief Executive, this administration insists the national emergency declaration remain in place, it was this government imposed state of emergency that justified their continued lockdowns of small businesses and schools that justified their mask and vaccine mandates, including a military vaccine mandate that has resulted in the removal of more than 8,000 active-duty troops, that justified President Biden and Congressional Democrats spending binge, increasing the total amount of government spending by more than $9 trillion since February 2021 and lighting the fire for record inflation that the President has used as justification to extend the payment pause and cancel up to $10,000 in outstanding federally held student loan balances, and even a more generous $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LFs8e1Jsd-U" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> Congress must take the responsible action of reigning in this massive expansion of government and restore Americans fundamental rights by terminating the COVID-19 national emergency declaration…”

🎥 Marshall’s resolution to end COVID national emergency passes Senate

Bentonville, Arkansas, (AP) —Walmart proposed a $3.1 billion legal settlement on Tuesday over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/opioids">the toll of powerful prescription opioids sold at its pharmacies</a>, becoming the latest major drug industry player to promise major support to state, local and tribal governments still grappling with a crisis in overdose deaths.

The retail giant's announcement follows similar proposals on Nov. 2 from the two largest U.S. pharmacy chains,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-business-lawsuits-rhode-island-epidemics-50f3aa9cbe82b775cd3d7520c286ef25">CVS Health and Walgreen Co</a>., which each said they would pay about $5 billion.

Most of the drugmakers that produced the most opioids and the biggest drug distribution companies have already reached&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-opioids-camden-dec0982c4c40ad08b2b30b725471e000">settlements</a>. With the largest pharmacies now settling, it represents a shift in the opioid litigation saga. For years, the question was whether companies would be held accountable for an overdose crisis that a flood of prescription drugs helped spark.

With the crisis still raging, the focus now is on how the settlement dollars —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-ohio-lawsuits-covid-philanthropy-5e7a9cb18bd5a37061a6802059f9b15f">now totaling more than $50 billion</a>&nbsp;— will be used and whether they will help curtail record numbers of overdose deaths, even as prescription drugs have become a relatively small portion of the epidemic.

Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart said in a statement that it “strongly disputes" allegations in lawsuits from state and local governments that its pharmacies improperly filled prescriptions for the powerful prescription painkillers. The company does not admit liability with the settlement, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/earnings-2a4e7ee7cec82cf5e4a3ab1d02cb7d5d">would represent about 2% of its quarterly revenue</a>.

“Walmart believes the settlement framework is in the best interest of all parties and will provide significant aid to communities across the country in the fight against the opioid crisis, with aid reaching state and local governments faster than any other nationwide opioid settlement to date,” the company said in a statement.

Lawyers representing local governments said the company would pay most of the settlement over the next year if it is finalized.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a release that the company would have to comply with oversight measures, prevent fraudulent prescriptions and flag suspicious ones.

Some government lawyers suggested Walmart has acted more responsibly than other pharmacies when it came to opioids.

“Although Walmart filled significantly fewer prescriptions for opioids then CVS or Walgreens, since 2018 Walmart has been the most proactive in trying to monitor and control prescription opioid diversion attempted through its pharmacies,” Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson said in a statement.

The deals are the product of negotiations with a group of state attorneys general, but they are not final. The CVS and Walgreens deals would have to be accepted first by a critical mass of state and local governments before they are completed.

Walmart's plan would have to be approved by 43 states by Dec. 15, and local governments could sign on by March 31, 2023. Each state's allocation depends partly on how many local governments agree.

“Companies like Walmart need to step up and help by ensuring Pennsylvanians get the treatment and recovery resources they need,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who last week was elected governor of his state, said in a statement. “This deal with Walmart adds to the important progress we’ve already achieved through our settlements with the opioid manufacturers and distributors – and we’re not done yet.”

The share of Walmart's proposed settlement going to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-native-americans-epidemics-opioids-9e609e2294824db5101cfffeaff455db">Native American tribes</a>&nbsp;is $78 million, to be divided among all the federally recognized tribes, said Robins Kaplan, a law firm representing tribes.

After governments used funds from tobacco settlements in the 1990s for purposes unrelated to public health, the opioid settlements have been crafted to ensure most of the money goes to fighting the crisis.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-ohio-lawsuits-covid-philanthropy-5e7a9cb18bd5a37061a6802059f9b15f">State and local governments</a>&nbsp;are devising spending plans now.

Opioids of all kinds have been linked to more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. over the past two decades.

In the 2000s, most fatal opioid overdoses involved prescription drugs such as OxyContin and generic oxycodone. After governments, doctors and companies took steps to make them harder to obtain, people addicted to the drugs increasingly turned to heroin, which proved more deadly.

In recent years, opioid deaths have soared to record levels, around 80,000 a year. Most of those deaths involve illicitly produced version of the powerful lab-made drug&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-opioids-synthetic-government-and-politics-8f64b776b82d6e8bc2e324b732e4b6e2">fentanyl</a>, which is appearing throughout the U.S. supply of illegal drugs.

Bentonville, Arkansas, (AP) —Walmart proposed a $3.1 billion legal settlement on Tuesday over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/opioids">the toll of powerful prescription opioids sold at its pharmacies</a>, becoming the latest major drug industry player to promise major support to state, local and tribal governments still grappling with a crisis in overdose deaths.The retail giant's announcement follows similar proposals on Nov. 2 from the two largest U.S. pharmacy chains,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-business-lawsuits-rhode-island-epidemics-50f3aa9cbe82b775cd3d7520c286ef25">CVS Health and Walgreen Co</a>., which each said they would pay about $5 billion.Most of the drugmakers that produced the most opioids and the biggest drug distribution companies have already reached&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-opioids-camden-dec0982c4c40ad08b2b30b725471e000">settlements</a>. With the largest pharmacies now settling, it represents a shift in the opioid litigation saga. For years, the question was whether companies would be held accountable for an overdose crisis that a flood of prescription drugs helped spark.With the crisis still raging, the focus now is on how the settlement dollars —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-ohio-lawsuits-covid-philanthropy-5e7a9cb18bd5a37061a6802059f9b15f">now totaling more than $50 billion</a>&nbsp;— will be used and whether they will help curtail record numbers of overdose deaths, even as prescription drugs have become a relatively small portion of the epidemic.Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart said in a statement that it “strongly disputes" allegations in lawsuits from state and local governments that its pharmacies improperly filled prescriptions for the powerful prescription painkillers. The company does not admit liability with the settlement, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/earnings-2a4e7ee7cec82cf5e4a3ab1d02cb7d5d">would represent about 2% of its quarterly revenue</a>.“Walmart believes the settlement framework is in the best interest of all parties and will provide significant aid to communities across the country in the fight against the opioid crisis, with aid reaching state and local governments faster than any other nationwide opioid settlement to date,” the company said in a statement.Lawyers representing local governments said the company would pay most of the settlement over the next year if it is finalized.New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a release that the company would have to comply with oversight measures, prevent fraudulent prescriptions and flag suspicious ones.Some government lawyers suggested Walmart has acted more responsibly than other pharmacies when it came to opioids.“Although Walmart filled significantly fewer prescriptions for opioids then CVS or Walgreens, since 2018 Walmart has been the most proactive in trying to monitor and control prescription opioid diversion attempted through its pharmacies,” Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson said in a statement.The deals are the product of negotiations with a group of state attorneys general, but they are not final. The CVS and Walgreens deals would have to be accepted first by a critical mass of state and local governments before they are completed.Walmart's plan would have to be approved by 43 states by Dec. 15, and local governments could sign on by March 31, 2023. Each state's allocation depends partly on how many local governments agree.“Companies like Walmart need to step up and help by ensuring Pennsylvanians get the treatment and recovery resources they need,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who last week was elected governor of his state, said in a statement. “This deal with Walmart adds to the important progress we’ve already achieved through our settlements with the opioid manufacturers and distributors – and we’re not done yet.”The share of Walmart's proposed settlement going to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-native-americans-epidemics-opioids-9e609e2294824db5101cfffeaff455db">Native American tribes</a>&nbsp;is $78 million, to be divided among all the federally recognized tribes, said Robins Kaplan, a law firm representing tribes.After governments used funds from tobacco settlements in the 1990s for purposes unrelated to public health, the opioid settlements have been crafted to ensure most of the money goes to fighting the crisis.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-ohio-lawsuits-covid-philanthropy-5e7a9cb18bd5a37061a6802059f9b15f">State and local governments</a>&nbsp;are devising spending plans now.Opioids of all kinds have been linked to more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. over the past two decades.In the 2000s, most fatal opioid overdoses involved prescription drugs such as OxyContin and generic oxycodone. After governments, doctors and companies took steps to make them harder to obtain, people addicted to the drugs increasingly turned to heroin, which proved more deadly.In recent years, opioid deaths have soared to record levels, around 80,000 a year. Most of those deaths involve illicitly produced version of the powerful lab-made drug&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-opioids-synthetic-government-and-politics-8f64b776b82d6e8bc2e324b732e4b6e2">fentanyl</a>, which is appearing throughout the U.S. supply of illegal drugs.

Walmart offers to pay $3.1 billion to settle opioid lawsuits

JACKSON COUNTY, Mo.—A Missouri woman died in an accident just before 7a.m. Tuesday in Jackson County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Ford F150 driven by Daniel E. Speckman, 46, Greenwood, was eastbound on MO 150 just west of MO 7.

The pickup began to slide, crossed the center of the road and struck a westbound 2013 Ford Focus driven by Kyliah R. Sharkey, 27, Pleasant Hill, head-on. After impact the car traveled off the road, struck an embankment and utility pole.

Sharkley was pronounced dead at the scene. Speckman was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

JACKSON COUNTY, Mo.—A Missouri woman died in an accident just before 7a.m. Tuesday in Jackson County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Ford F150 driven by Daniel E. Speckman, 46, Greenwood, was eastbound on MO 150 just west of MO 7.The pickup began to slide, crossed the center of the road and struck a westbound 2013 Ford Focus driven by Kyliah R. Sharkey, 27, Pleasant Hill, head-on. After impact the car traveled off the road, struck an embankment and utility pole.Sharkley was pronounced dead at the scene. Speckman was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

Missouri woman dies after head-on crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — Staring down&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-house-control-nov15-0608a0c22be510cec983f605e6a305b3">the prospect of divided government</a>&nbsp;in the next Congress, Senate Democrats are moving forward with legislation this week to protect same sex and interracial marriages. It’s a vote that’s “as personal as it gets,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.

Schumer is holding a test vote on the bill Wednesday, betting that at least 10 Republicans will vote with all 50 Democrats to move forward with the legislation to ensure that same-sex and interracial marriages are legally recognized nationwide. The bill has gained steady momentum since the Supreme Court’s June decision that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and the federal right to an abortion. An opinion at that time from Justice Clarence Thomas suggested that an earlier high court decision protecting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-marriage-71af5f7862f8008299702f7b1a4147b5">same-sex marriage</a>&nbsp;could also come under threat.

If the Senate votes to move forward with the legislation, a final vote could come as soon as this week, or by the end of the month, while Democrats still control the House. Republicans are on the verge of winning the House majority and would be unlikely to take up the issue next year.

“I firmly believe that passing bipartisan marriage protections would be one of the more significant accomplishments in what’s already been a significantly productive Congress,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “It will do so much good for so many people who want nothing more than to live their lives without the fear of discrimination.”

Congress has been moving to protect same-sex marriage as support from the general public — and from Republicans in particular — has sharply grown in recent years, as the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalized gay marriage nationwide. Recent polling has found more than two-thirds of the public supports same-sex unions.

Still, it’s not yet certain whether Democrats have the 10 votes they need to overcome a filibuster on Wednesday and get a bill through the 50-50 Senate. So far, at least three Republicans have said they will vote for the legislation and are working with Democrats to pass it: Maine Sen. Susan Collins, North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman.

Most Republicans have stayed quiet on whether they will support it, but those pushing the bill say they believe the 10 GOP votes are there. Democrats&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-us-supreme-court-race-and-ethnicity-religion-4952c4766a6d48a1cc64c5876fd38eaa">delayed consideration of the legislation</a>&nbsp;until after the midterm elections, hoping that would relieve political pressure for some Republicans who might be wavering on the bill.

And a proposed amendment to the legislation, negotiated by supporters to bring more Republicans on board, would clarify that it does not affect the rights of private individuals or businesses — rights that are already enshrined in law. Another tweak would make clear that a marriage is between two people, an effort to ward off some far-right criticism that the legislation could endorse polygamy.

The legislation would repeal the Clinton-era Defense of Marriage Act and require states to recognize all marriages that were legal where they were performed. The new Respect for Marriage Act would also protect interracial marriages by requiring states to recognize legal marriages regardless of “sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin."

Some Republicans say the changes are not enough. Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-wisconsin-gay-rights-marriage-congress-7cde68abdcb3c7c387cb98e9150a07b0">hinted that he might support it</a>&nbsp;before he won reelection last week, said this week that he would not, citing concerns about religious liberty.

Still, the growing GOP support for the issue is a sharp contrast from even a decade ago, when many Republicans vocally opposed same-sex marriages. The legislation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-race-and-ethnicity-gay-rights-marriage-social-issues-77ec6e2a60b5990ceaf7c396fee42016">passed the House</a>&nbsp;in a July vote with the support of 47 Republicans — a larger-than-expected number that gave the measure a boost in the Senate.

On Tuesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-relationships-gay-rights-utah-07847f4b7e3e96d81c10a298a199b860">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a>&nbsp;became the most recent conservative-leaning group to back the legislation. In a statement, the Utah-based faith said church doctrine would continue to consider same-sex relationships to be against God’s commandments, but that it would support rights for same-sex couples as long as they didn’t infringe upon religious groups’ right to believe as they choose.

Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat who is the first openly gay senator and has been working on gay rights issues for almost four decades, says the newfound openness from many Republicans on the subject reminds her “of the arc of the LBGTQ movement to begin with, in the early days when people weren’t out and people knew gay people by myths and stereotypes.”

Baldwin says that as more individuals and families have become visible, hearts and minds have changed.

“And slowly laws have followed,” she said. “It is history.”

Schumer said the issue is personal to him, as well.

“Passing the Respect for Marriage Act is as personal as it gets for many senators and their staffs, myself included,” Schumer said. “My daughter and her wife are actually expecting a little baby in February. So it matters a lot to so many of us to get this done.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Staring down&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-house-control-nov15-0608a0c22be510cec983f605e6a305b3">the prospect of divided government</a>&nbsp;in the next Congress, Senate Democrats are moving forward with legislation this week to protect same sex and interracial marriages. It’s a vote that’s “as personal as it gets,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.Schumer is holding a test vote on the bill Wednesday, betting that at least 10 Republicans will vote with all 50 Democrats to move forward with the legislation to ensure that same-sex and interracial marriages are legally recognized nationwide. The bill has gained steady momentum since the Supreme Court’s June decision that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and the federal right to an abortion. An opinion at that time from Justice Clarence Thomas suggested that an earlier high court decision protecting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-marriage-71af5f7862f8008299702f7b1a4147b5">same-sex marriage</a>&nbsp;could also come under threat.If the Senate votes to move forward with the legislation, a final vote could come as soon as this week, or by the end of the month, while Democrats still control the House. Republicans are on the verge of winning the House majority and would be unlikely to take up the issue next year.“I firmly believe that passing bipartisan marriage protections would be one of the more significant accomplishments in what’s already been a significantly productive Congress,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “It will do so much good for so many people who want nothing more than to live their lives without the fear of discrimination.”Congress has been moving to protect same-sex marriage as support from the general public — and from Republicans in particular — has sharply grown in recent years, as the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalized gay marriage nationwide. Recent polling has found more than two-thirds of the public supports same-sex unions.Still, it’s not yet certain whether Democrats have the 10 votes they need to overcome a filibuster on Wednesday and get a bill through the 50-50 Senate. So far, at least three Republicans have said they will vote for the legislation and are working with Democrats to pass it: Maine Sen. Susan Collins, North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman.Most Republicans have stayed quiet on whether they will support it, but those pushing the bill say they believe the 10 GOP votes are there. Democrats&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-us-supreme-court-race-and-ethnicity-religion-4952c4766a6d48a1cc64c5876fd38eaa">delayed consideration of the legislation</a>&nbsp;until after the midterm elections, hoping that would relieve political pressure for some Republicans who might be wavering on the bill.And a proposed amendment to the legislation, negotiated by supporters to bring more Republicans on board, would clarify that it does not affect the rights of private individuals or businesses — rights that are already enshrined in law. Another tweak would make clear that a marriage is between two people, an effort to ward off some far-right criticism that the legislation could endorse polygamy.The legislation would repeal the Clinton-era Defense of Marriage Act and require states to recognize all marriages that were legal where they were performed. The new Respect for Marriage Act would also protect interracial marriages by requiring states to recognize legal marriages regardless of “sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin."Some Republicans say the changes are not enough. Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-wisconsin-gay-rights-marriage-congress-7cde68abdcb3c7c387cb98e9150a07b0">hinted that he might support it</a>&nbsp;before he won reelection last week, said this week that he would not, citing concerns about religious liberty.Still, the growing GOP support for the issue is a sharp contrast from even a decade ago, when many Republicans vocally opposed same-sex marriages. The legislation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-race-and-ethnicity-gay-rights-marriage-social-issues-77ec6e2a60b5990ceaf7c396fee42016">passed the House</a>&nbsp;in a July vote with the support of 47 Republicans — a larger-than-expected number that gave the measure a boost in the Senate.On Tuesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-relationships-gay-rights-utah-07847f4b7e3e96d81c10a298a199b860">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a>&nbsp;became the most recent conservative-leaning group to back the legislation. In a statement, the Utah-based faith said church doctrine would continue to consider same-sex relationships to be against God’s commandments, but that it would support rights for same-sex couples as long as they didn’t infringe upon religious groups’ right to believe as they choose.Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat who is the first openly gay senator and has been working on gay rights issues for almost four decades, says the newfound openness from many Republicans on the subject reminds her “of the arc of the LBGTQ movement to begin with, in the early days when people weren’t out and people knew gay people by myths and stereotypes.”Baldwin says that as more individuals and families have become visible, hearts and minds have changed.“And slowly laws have followed,” she said. “It is history.”Schumer said the issue is personal to him, as well.“Passing the Respect for Marriage Act is as personal as it gets for many senators and their staffs, myself included,” Schumer said. “My daughter and her wife are actually expecting a little baby in February. So it matters a lot to so many of us to get this done.”___

Same-sex marriage faces test vote in the Senate 

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?524197-1/fmr-president-trump-makes-campaign-announcement-mar-lago&amp;live">Click here to</a> watch the announcement

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;said Tuesday that he will mount a third White House campaign, launching an early start to the 2024 contest. The announcement comes just a week after an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-00c770068d8b82f165a9f4871eee983b">underwhelming midterm showing for Republicans</a>&nbsp;and will force the party to decide whether to embrace a candidate whose refusal to accept defeat in 2020&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">pushed American democracy to the brink.</a>

“I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump said to an audience of several hundred supporters, club members and gathered press in a chandeliered ballroom at his Mar-a-Lago club, where he stood flanked by more than 30 American flags and banners that read, “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Trump enters the race in a moment of political vulnerability. He hoped to launch his campaign in the wake of resounding GOP midterm victories, fueled by candidates he elevated during this year’s primaries. Instead, many of those candidates lost, allowing Democrats to keep the Senate and leaving the GOP with a path to only a bare majority in the House.

Far from the undisputed leader of the party, Trump is now facing criticism from some of his own allies, who say it’s time for Republicans to look to the future, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis emerging as an early favorite White House contender.

The former president is still popular with the GOP base. But other Republicans, including former Vice President Mike Pence, are taking increasingly public steps toward campaigns of their own, raising the prospect that Trump will have to navigate a competitive GOP primary.

He’s launching his candidacy amid a series of escalating criminal investigations, including several that could lead to indictments. They include the probe into dozens of documents with classified markings that were seized by the FBI from Mar-a-Lago and ongoing state and federal inquiries into his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Another campaign is a remarkable turn for any former president, much less one who made history as the first to be impeached twice and whose term ended with his supporters violently storming the Capitol in a deadly bid to halt the peaceful transition of power on Jan. 6, 2021.

But Trump, according to people close to him, has been eager to return to politics and try to halt the rise of other potential challengers. Aides have spent the last months readying paperwork, identifying potential staff and sketching out the contours of a campaign that is being modeled on his 2016 operation, when a small clutch of aides zipping between rallies on his private jet defied the odds and defeated far better-funded and more experienced rivals by tapping into deep political fault lines and using shocking statements to drive relentless media attention.

Even after GOP losses, Trump remains the most powerful force in his party. For years he has consistently topped his fellow Republican contenders by wide margins in hypothetical head-to-head matchups. And even out of office, he consistently attracts thousands to his rallies and remains his party’s most prolific fundraiser, raising hundreds of millions of dollars.

But Trump is also a deeply polarizing figure. Fifty-four percent of voters in last week’s midterm elections viewed him very or somewhat unfavorably, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 94,000 voters nationwide. And an October AP-NORC poll found even Republicans have their reservations about him remaining the party’s standard-bearer, with 43% saying they don’t want to see him run for president in 2024.

Trump’s candidacy poses profound questions about America’s democratic future. The final days of his presidency were consumed by a desperate effort to stay in power, undermining the centuries-old tradition of a peaceful transfer. And in the two years since he lost, Trump’s persistent — and baseless — lies about widespread election fraud have eroded confidence in the nation’s political process. By late January 2021, about two-thirds of Republicans said they did not believe President Joe Biden was legitimately elected in 2020, an AP-NORC poll found.

VoteCast showed roughly as many Republican voters in the midterm elections continued to hold that belief.

Federal and state election officials and Trump’s own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the 2020 election was tainted. The former president’s allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by numerous courts, including by judges Trump appointed.

But that didn’t stop hundreds of midterm candidates from parroting his lies as they sought to win over his loyal base and score his coveted endorsement. In the end, many of those candidates went on to lose their races in a sign that voters rejected such extreme rhetoric.

While some Republicans with presidential ambitions, like former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, have long ruled out running against Trump, others have said he would not figure into their decisions, even before his midterm losses.

They include Pence, who released a book Tuesday, and Trump’s former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, as well as former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who ran against Trump in 2016. Other potential candidates include Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Trump is also likely to face challenges from members of the anti-Trump wing of the party like Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, vice chair of the House committee that has been investigating Jan. 6.

But the person who has most occupied Trump and his allies in recent months is DeSantis, whose commanding reelection as governor last week was a bright spot for Republicans this cycle. The former congressman, who became a popular national figure among conservatives during the pandemic as he pushed back on COVID-19 restrictions, shares Trump’s pugilistic instincts and has embraced fights over social issues with similar zeal.

Even some enthusiastic Trump supporters say they are eager for DeSantis to run, seeing him as a natural successor to Trump but without the former president’s considerable baggage.

Trump has already begun to lash out at DeSantis publicly. On Tuesday, the Florida governor shot back.

“At the end of the day, I would just tell people to go check out the scoreboard from last Tuesday night,” DeSantis told reporters.

A crowded field of GOP rivals could ultimately play to Trump’s advantage, as it did in 2016, when he prevailed over more than a dozen other candidates who splintered the anti-Trump vote.

Trump’s decision paves the way for a potential rematch with Biden, who has said he intends to run for reelection despite concerns from some in his party over his age and low approval ratings. The two men were already the oldest presidential nominees ever when they ran in 2020. Trump, who is 76, would be 82 at the end of a second term in 2029. Biden, who is about to turn 80, would be 86.

If he is ultimately successful, Trump would be just the second U.S. president in history to serve two nonconsecutive terms, following Grover Cleveland’s wins in 1884 and 1892.

But Trump enters the race facing enormous challenges beyond his party’s growing trepidations. The former president is the subject of numerous investigations, including the monthslong probe into the hundreds of documents with classified markings found in boxes at Mar-a-Lago.

Meanwhile, Trump is facing Justice Department scrutiny over efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. In Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is investigating what she alleges was “a multi-state, coordinated plan by the Trump Campaign” to influence the 2020 results.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668564486692.png" alt="Trump made the announcement in from of several hundred supporters, club members and gathered press in a chandeliered ballroom at his Mar-a-Lago club-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Trump made the announcement in from of several hundred supporters, club members and gathered press in a chandeliered ballroom at his Mar-a-Lago club-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?524197-1/fmr-president-trump-makes-campaign-announcement-mar-lago&amp;live">Click here to</a> watch the announcementPALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;said Tuesday that he will mount a third White House campaign, launching an early start to the 2024 contest. The announcement comes just a week after an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-00c770068d8b82f165a9f4871eee983b">underwhelming midterm showing for Republicans</a>&nbsp;and will force the party to decide whether to embrace a candidate whose refusal to accept defeat in 2020&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">pushed American democracy to the brink.</a>“I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump said to an audience of several hundred supporters, club members and gathered press in a chandeliered ballroom at his Mar-a-Lago club, where he stood flanked by more than 30 American flags and banners that read, “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”<figure>
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 </figure>Trump enters the race in a moment of political vulnerability. He hoped to launch his campaign in the wake of resounding GOP midterm victories, fueled by candidates he elevated during this year’s primaries. Instead, many of those candidates lost, allowing Democrats to keep the Senate and leaving the GOP with a path to only a bare majority in the House.Far from the undisputed leader of the party, Trump is now facing criticism from some of his own allies, who say it’s time for Republicans to look to the future, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis emerging as an early favorite White House contender.The former president is still popular with the GOP base. But other Republicans, including former Vice President Mike Pence, are taking increasingly public steps toward campaigns of their own, raising the prospect that Trump will have to navigate a competitive GOP primary.He’s launching his candidacy amid a series of escalating criminal investigations, including several that could lead to indictments. They include the probe into dozens of documents with classified markings that were seized by the FBI from Mar-a-Lago and ongoing state and federal inquiries into his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.Another campaign is a remarkable turn for any former president, much less one who made history as the first to be impeached twice and whose term ended with his supporters violently storming the Capitol in a deadly bid to halt the peaceful transition of power on Jan. 6, 2021.But Trump, according to people close to him, has been eager to return to politics and try to halt the rise of other potential challengers. Aides have spent the last months readying paperwork, identifying potential staff and sketching out the contours of a campaign that is being modeled on his 2016 operation, when a small clutch of aides zipping between rallies on his private jet defied the odds and defeated far better-funded and more experienced rivals by tapping into deep political fault lines and using shocking statements to drive relentless media attention.Even after GOP losses, Trump remains the most powerful force in his party. For years he has consistently topped his fellow Republican contenders by wide margins in hypothetical head-to-head matchups. And even out of office, he consistently attracts thousands to his rallies and remains his party’s most prolific fundraiser, raising hundreds of millions of dollars.But Trump is also a deeply polarizing figure. Fifty-four percent of voters in last week’s midterm elections viewed him very or somewhat unfavorably, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 94,000 voters nationwide. And an October AP-NORC poll found even Republicans have their reservations about him remaining the party’s standard-bearer, with 43% saying they don’t want to see him run for president in 2024.Trump’s candidacy poses profound questions about America’s democratic future. The final days of his presidency were consumed by a desperate effort to stay in power, undermining the centuries-old tradition of a peaceful transfer. And in the two years since he lost, Trump’s persistent — and baseless — lies about widespread election fraud have eroded confidence in the nation’s political process. By late January 2021, about two-thirds of Republicans said they did not believe President Joe Biden was legitimately elected in 2020, an AP-NORC poll found.VoteCast showed roughly as many Republican voters in the midterm elections continued to hold that belief.Federal and state election officials and Trump’s own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the 2020 election was tainted. The former president’s allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by numerous courts, including by judges Trump appointed.But that didn’t stop hundreds of midterm candidates from parroting his lies as they sought to win over his loyal base and score his coveted endorsement. In the end, many of those candidates went on to lose their races in a sign that voters rejected such extreme rhetoric.While some Republicans with presidential ambitions, like former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, have long ruled out running against Trump, others have said he would not figure into their decisions, even before his midterm losses.They include Pence, who released a book Tuesday, and Trump’s former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, as well as former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who ran against Trump in 2016. Other potential candidates include Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Trump is also likely to face challenges from members of the anti-Trump wing of the party like Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, vice chair of the House committee that has been investigating Jan. 6.But the person who has most occupied Trump and his allies in recent months is DeSantis, whose commanding reelection as governor last week was a bright spot for Republicans this cycle. The former congressman, who became a popular national figure among conservatives during the pandemic as he pushed back on COVID-19 restrictions, shares Trump’s pugilistic instincts and has embraced fights over social issues with similar zeal.Even some enthusiastic Trump supporters say they are eager for DeSantis to run, seeing him as a natural successor to Trump but without the former president’s considerable baggage.Trump has already begun to lash out at DeSantis publicly. On Tuesday, the Florida governor shot back.“At the end of the day, I would just tell people to go check out the scoreboard from last Tuesday night,” DeSantis told reporters.A crowded field of GOP rivals could ultimately play to Trump’s advantage, as it did in 2016, when he prevailed over more than a dozen other candidates who splintered the anti-Trump vote.Trump’s decision paves the way for a potential rematch with Biden, who has said he intends to run for reelection despite concerns from some in his party over his age and low approval ratings. The two men were already the oldest presidential nominees ever when they ran in 2020. Trump, who is 76, would be 82 at the end of a second term in 2029. Biden, who is about to turn 80, would be 86.If he is ultimately successful, Trump would be just the second U.S. president in history to serve two nonconsecutive terms, following Grover Cleveland’s wins in 1884 and 1892.But Trump enters the race facing enormous challenges beyond his party’s growing trepidations. The former president is the subject of numerous investigations, including the monthslong probe into the hundreds of documents with classified markings found in boxes at Mar-a-Lago.Meanwhile, Trump is facing Justice Department scrutiny over efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. In Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is investigating what she alleges was “a multi-state, coordinated plan by the Trump Campaign” to influence the 2020 results.And in New York, Attorney General Letitia James has sued Trump, alleging his namesake company engaged in decades’ worth of fraudulent bookkeeping by misleading banks about the value of his assets. The Trump Organization is also now on trial, facing criminal tax fraud charges.Some in Trump’s orbit believe that running will help shield him against potential indictment, but there is no legal statute that would prevent the Justice Department from moving forward — or prevent Trump from continuing to run if he is charged.It wasn’t any secret what he had been planning.At a White House Christmas party in December 2020, Trump told guests it had “been an amazing four years.”“We are trying to do another four years,” he said. “Otherwise, I’ll see you in four years.”___