LYON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating after four&nbsp;dogs were found at the service center in Lyon County on the Kansas Turnpike, according to a social media report from the Lyon County Sheriff.

Two were left in a cage by the dumpster and two were running loose. Someone from out of state picked them up and tried to take them to the animal shelter.

The shelter was unable to take them in. They are being cared for by the Lyon County jail staff. Please contact the Lyone Sheriff's Office if you are interested in adoption or fostering.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736865052558.png" alt="Photos Lyon County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photos Lyon County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>LYON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating after four&nbsp;dogs were found at the service center in Lyon County on the Kansas Turnpike, according to a social media report from the Lyon County Sheriff.Two were left in a cage by the dumpster and two were running loose. Someone from out of state picked them up and tried to take them to the animal shelter.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736869091970.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The shelter was unable to take them in. They are being cared for by the Lyon County jail staff. Please contact the Lyone Sheriff's Office if you are interested in adoption or fostering.

Sheriff: 4 dogs dumped at service center on Kan. Turnpike

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;choice for defense secretary,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-allegations-defense-trump-194e39797595d87f621db641d0f35ff1">Pete Hegseth</a>, is heading into a potentially explosive confirmation hearing Tuesday as senators question whether the former combat veteran and TV news show host is fit to lead the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/military-and-defense">U.S. military</a>.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/event/senate-committee/defense-secretary-nominee-pete-hegseth-testifies-at-confirmation-hearing/429823">Click here to watch</a>&nbsp;

An ‘unconventional’ nomination as a boon, chairman contends

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker called Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Defense Department “unconventional” but equated the choice as fitting for President-elect Donald Trump.

“Admittedly, this nomination is unconventional. The nominee is unconventional,” Wicker said.

Hegseth, Wicker said, was an unorthodox political figure “just like that New York developer who rode down the escalator,” in 2015.

Hearing begins for Defense nominee Pete Hegseth as senators launch round of public vetting for Trump’s Cabinet picks

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to run the Department of Defense, entered the Senate hearing room alongside his entourage.

During Senate hearing, Hegseth will make overtures to female and Black troops

Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to be defense secretary, will make overtures to female and Black troops in his confirmation hearing Tuesday after questioning the capabilities of both groups.

In prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press, Hegseth says to “officers and enlisted, Black and white, young and old, men and women, all Americans, all warriors -- this hearing is for you. Thank you for figuratively, and literally, having my back. I pledge to do the same for you. All of you.”

That strikes a far different tone than he did in his published books, which include inflammatory passages questioning the capabilities of Black troops -- like a passage in “War on Warriors” that “we can assume that 17 percent of all Black officers in the Air Force are promoted simply because of how they look,” and questioning the value of women serving in combat.

Hegseth to say he would be a ‘change agent’ if confirmed

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary will tell senators he would be a “change agent” at the Pentagon if he’s confirmed.

Pete Hegseth will face questioning from the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday as Democrats have questioned whether the former combat veteran and TV news show host is fit to lead the U.S. military. In his prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press, Hegseth says “it’s true that I don’t have a similar biography to Defense Secretaries of the last 30 years” but “where has it gotten us?”

Hegseth said Trump believes, “and I humbly agree, that it’s time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm.”

Expect Hegseth to be grilled over his derogatory statements about women

Hegseth will have to answer for his derogatory comments about women in military service as two former female combat veterans, GOP Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-senate-confirmation-ernst-hegseth-dd15a8b031ca8cad2a99237ab99b53a8">Joni Ernst</a>&nbsp;of Iowa and Democrat Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, are among those grilling him from the dais.

“He can try to walk back his comments on women in combat all he wants, but we know what he thinks, right?” said Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran, who lost her legs and partial use of her right arm when the Blackhawk helicopter she was piloting in the Army National Guard was shot down.

Duckworth said she plans to ask Hegseth about his logistical experience, how many people he's commanded and about his diplomatic skills. Many senators have not yet met with Hegseth, and they have not been given access to his FBI background check.

“He’s the most unqualified person to ever be nominated for Secretary of Defense,” Duckworth said.

How military groups have reacted to Hegseth’s nomination

Hegseth has the support of some veterans’ groups that say his past indiscretions are not as important as getting in the job someone who will focus on improving military readiness to fight.

Four defense officials pointed to Hegseth’s acknowledged problems and said senior officers have expressed unease about having him at the helm because the defense secretary often sits in judgment of generals and admirals accused of bad behavior — including infidelity and refusal to obey orders.

Service members expect those holding them accountable to set an example and meet equally high standards, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to relay private discussions.

“Character is everything in an institution,” said former Defense Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/chuck-hagel">Chuck Hagel</a>, who served in the Obama administration and was a longtime Republican senator. “You can’t minimize how important character is in leadership.”

Hegseth could lead troops who’d face getting fired for actions he’s done in the past

If Pete Hegseth were still in uniform, his extramarital affairs and a decision to flatly ignore a combat commander’s directive would not just be drawing the attention of senators — they could have run afoul of military law.

That's raising questions among current and former defense leaders and veterans about whether he would be able to enforce discipline in the ranks if confirmed as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hegseth-defense-senate-confirmation-questions-c5209938f7ccf7afe6ade7818817ca07">President-elect Donald Trump’s defense secretary</a>. Hegseth would oversee more than 2 million troops who could be disciplined or kicked out of the service for the same behavior&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-background-defense-secretary-confirmation-hearing-e160e10c86385a8beff110d9190fb34e">he has acknowledged or been accused of</a>&nbsp;in the past.

Hegseth, a 44-year-old Army National Guard veteran and former Fox News Channel weekend host, has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hegseth-pentagon-desantis-senate-allegations-3cb8c7d7bb555ed075cbbb4e8dad0741">acknowledged having multiple extramarital affairs</a>&nbsp;— which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-assault-allegations-police-report-trump-e6ebec0a1a5c7fb51cb5e2198f5e12a5">occurred while he was in the military</a>, according to divorce records — and has said he told his troops to ignore commands about when to fire on potential enemies. Both violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice and can get troops court-martialed and dishonorably discharged.

He’s also facing questions over his past drinking — which, had it occurred in uniform, also could have led to disciplinary action.

Hegseth’s former experience in the Army National Guard is widely viewed as an asset for the job, but he also brings a jarring record of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-background-defense-secretary-confirmation-hearing-e160e10c86385a8beff110d9190fb34e">past statements and actions</a>, including allegations of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-assault-allegations-police-report-trump-e6ebec0a1a5c7fb51cb5e2198f5e12a5">sexual assault</a>, excessive drinking and derisive views about women in military combat roles, minorities and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-trump-diversity-pentagon-list-602477b6e80641b53f4f9b640a14f4ce">“woke” generals</a>. He has vowed to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hegseth-pentagon-desantis-senate-allegations-3cb8c7d7bb555ed075cbbb4e8dad0741">not drink alcohol</a>&nbsp;if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon.

He is among the most endangered of Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-staff-picks-stefanik-wiles-stephen-miller-tom-homan-243d73610b03a3ee18c4d5f68756af7c">Cabinet choices</a>, but GOP allies are determined to turn Hegseth into a cause célèbre for Trump’s governing approach amid the nation's culture wars. Outside groups, including those aligned with the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/project-2025-cabinet-nominees-heritage-foundation-hegseth-d770431b8022159dc3f6c53458bdcf0e">Heritage Foundation</a>, are running costly campaigns to prop up Hegseth's bid.

“He will be ripped, he will be demeaned. He will be talked about,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., at an event with former Navy SEALs, Army special forces and Marines supporting the nominee. “But we’re going to get him across the finish line.”

The hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee is the start of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cabinet-picks-senate-hearings-schedule-4ed7745df0eae49bad07d02d7b16805b">weeklong marathon</a>&nbsp;as senators begin scrutinizing Trump’s choices for more than a dozen top administrative positions. The Republican-led Senate is rushing to have some of Trump’s picks ready to be confirmed as soon as Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, despite potential opposition to some from both sides of the aisle.

“We’re going to grind them down,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said on Fox News.

Hegseth faces perhaps the most difficult path to confirmation. He will be forced to confront allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied, and his own comments that are far from the military mainstream, though he has the support of some veterans’ groups that say his past indiscretions are not as important as his focus on improving military readiness to fight.

And Hegseth will have to answer for his comments that women should “straight up” not be in combat roles in the military, a view he has softened following recent meetings with senators. Two former female combat veterans, Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-senate-confirmation-ernst-hegseth-dd15a8b031ca8cad2a99237ab99b53a8">Joni Ernst</a>&nbsp;of Iowa and Democrat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/tammy-duckworth">Tammy Duckworth</a>&nbsp;of Illinois, are among those grilling him from the dais.

“He can try to walk back his comments on women in combat all he wants, but we know what he thinks, right?” said Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran who lost her legs and partial use of her right arm when the Black Hawk helicopter she was piloting in the Army National Guard was shot down. “He’s the most unqualified person to ever be nominated for secretary of defense.”

Many senators have not yet met with Hegseth and most do not have access to his FBI background check, as only committee leaders are briefed on its findings. The background check on Hegseth did not appear to probe or produce new information beyond what's already in the public realm about him, according to a person familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss it.

In many ways, the Hegseth hearing is expected to follow the template set during Trump’s first term, when one of his choices for Supreme Court justice,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/brett-kavanaugh">Brett Kavanaugh</a>, came under intense scrutiny over allegations of sexual assault from his teens but recouped to win&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-ap-top-news-sexual-misconduct-supreme-courts-courts-8234f0b8a6194d8b89ff79f9b0c94f35">confirmation to the high court</a>.

Kavanaugh vigorously fought back during a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-judiciary-sexual-misconduct-north-america-0a8a314c8d27472781c65e45ef23b7b3">volcanic</a>&nbsp;2018 hearing, portraying the sexual assault allegations against him as a smear job by liberal lawmakers and outside groups opposed to his judicial record, turning the tables in a way that many senators credit setting a new benchmark for partisanship.

Asked about advice for Hegseth, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, referred to that earlier example.

“Go back and watch videos of the Kavanaugh hearings — give you a flavor,” he said.

Hegseth was largely unknown on Capitol Hill when Trump tapped him for the top Pentagon job.

A co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox &amp; Friends Weekend,” he had been a contributor with the network since 2014, and apparently caught the eye of the president-elect, who is an avid consumer of television and the news channel, in particular.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-pete-hegseth-trump-defense-secretary-2e2bdd16c8e90f5d037f763cfadbde94">Hegseth</a>, 44, attended Princeton and served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deploying to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011 and earning two Bronze Stars. But he lacks senior military and national security experience.

In 2017,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-assault-allegations-police-report-trump-e6ebec0a1a5c7fb51cb5e2198f5e12a5">a woman told police that Hegseth sexually assaulted her,</a>&nbsp;according to a detailed investigative report recently made public. Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing and told police at the time that the encounter at a Republican women's event in California was consensual. He later paid the woman a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-sexual-assault-allegations-trump-defense-secretary-677b2df5859a338feac4714c60ef369d">confidential settlement</a>&nbsp;to head off a potential lawsuit.

Hegseth also came under scrutiny amid reports of excessive drinking when he worked at a veterans' organization. But as he began meeting privately with GOP senators ahead of the hearing, he promised he would not drink if confirmed to the post.

If confirmed, Hegseth would take over a military juggling an array of crises on the global stage and domestic challenges in military recruitment, retention and ongoing funding.

In addition to being a key national security adviser to the president, the defense secretary oversees a massive organization, with nearly 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and a budget of roughly $850 billion.

He is responsible for tens of thousands of U.S. troops deployed overseas and at sea, including in combat zones where they face attacks, such as in Syria and Iraq and in the waters around Yemen. The secretary makes all final recommendations to the president on what units are deployed, where they go and how long they stay.

His main job is to make sure the U.S. military is ready, trained and equipped to meet any call to duty. But the secretary also must ensure that American troops are safe and secure at home, with proper housing, healthcare, pay and support for programs dealing with suicide, sexual assault and financial scams.

Pentagon chiefs also routinely travel across the world, meeting with international leaders on a vast range of security issues including U.S. military aid, counterterrorism support, troop presence and global coalition building. And they play a key role at NATO as a critical partner to allies across the region.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736865351790.png" alt="Image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;choice for defense secretary,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-allegations-defense-trump-194e39797595d87f621db641d0f35ff1">Pete Hegseth</a>, is heading into a potentially explosive confirmation hearing Tuesday as senators question whether the former combat veteran and TV news show host is fit to lead the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/military-and-defense">U.S. military</a>.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/event/senate-committee/defense-secretary-nominee-pete-hegseth-testifies-at-confirmation-hearing/429823">Click here to watch</a>&nbsp;Here's the latest:<h2>An ‘unconventional’ nomination as a boon, chairman contends</h2>Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker called Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Defense Department “unconventional” but equated the choice as fitting for President-elect Donald Trump.“Admittedly, this nomination is unconventional. The nominee is unconventional,” Wicker said.Hegseth, Wicker said, was an unorthodox political figure “just like that New York developer who rode down the escalator,” in 2015.<h2>Hearing begins for Defense nominee Pete Hegseth as senators launch round of public vetting for Trump’s Cabinet picks</h2>Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to run the Department of Defense, entered the Senate hearing room alongside his entourage.<h2>During Senate hearing, Hegseth will make overtures to female and Black troops</h2>Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to be defense secretary, will make overtures to female and Black troops in his confirmation hearing Tuesday after questioning the capabilities of both groups.In prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press, Hegseth says to “officers and enlisted, Black and white, young and old, men and women, all Americans, all warriors -- this hearing is for you. Thank you for figuratively, and literally, having my back. I pledge to do the same for you. All of you.”That strikes a far different tone than he did in his published books, which include inflammatory passages questioning the capabilities of Black troops -- like a passage in “War on Warriors” that “we can assume that 17 percent of all Black officers in the Air Force are promoted simply because of how they look,” and questioning the value of women serving in combat.<h2>Hegseth to say he would be a ‘change agent’ if confirmed</h2>President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary will tell senators he would be a “change agent” at the Pentagon if he’s confirmed.Pete Hegseth will face questioning from the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday as Democrats have questioned whether the former combat veteran and TV news show host is fit to lead the U.S. military. In his prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press, Hegseth says “it’s true that I don’t have a similar biography to Defense Secretaries of the last 30 years” but “where has it gotten us?”Hegseth said Trump believes, “and I humbly agree, that it’s time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm.”<h2>Expect Hegseth to be grilled over his derogatory statements about women</h2>Hegseth will have to answer for his derogatory comments about women in military service as two former female combat veterans, GOP Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-senate-confirmation-ernst-hegseth-dd15a8b031ca8cad2a99237ab99b53a8">Joni Ernst</a>&nbsp;of Iowa and Democrat Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, are among those grilling him from the dais.“He can try to walk back his comments on women in combat all he wants, but we know what he thinks, right?” said Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran, who lost her legs and partial use of her right arm when the Blackhawk helicopter she was piloting in the Army National Guard was shot down.Duckworth said she plans to ask Hegseth about his logistical experience, how many people he's commanded and about his diplomatic skills. Many senators have not yet met with Hegseth, and they have not been given access to his FBI background check.“He’s the most unqualified person to ever be nominated for Secretary of Defense,” Duckworth said.<h2>How military groups have reacted to Hegseth’s nomination</h2>Hegseth has the support of some veterans’ groups that say his past indiscretions are not as important as getting in the job someone who will focus on improving military readiness to fight.Four defense officials pointed to Hegseth’s acknowledged problems and said senior officers have expressed unease about having him at the helm because the defense secretary often sits in judgment of generals and admirals accused of bad behavior — including infidelity and refusal to obey orders.Service members expect those holding them accountable to set an example and meet equally high standards, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to relay private discussions.“Character is everything in an institution,” said former Defense Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/chuck-hagel">Chuck Hagel</a>, who served in the Obama administration and was a longtime Republican senator. “You can’t minimize how important character is in leadership.”<h2>Hegseth could lead troops who’d face getting fired for actions he’s done in the past</h2>If Pete Hegseth were still in uniform, his extramarital affairs and a decision to flatly ignore a combat commander’s directive would not just be drawing the attention of senators — they could have run afoul of military law.That's raising questions among current and former defense leaders and veterans about whether he would be able to enforce discipline in the ranks if confirmed as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hegseth-defense-senate-confirmation-questions-c5209938f7ccf7afe6ade7818817ca07">President-elect Donald Trump’s defense secretary</a>. Hegseth would oversee more than 2 million troops who could be disciplined or kicked out of the service for the same behavior&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-background-defense-secretary-confirmation-hearing-e160e10c86385a8beff110d9190fb34e">he has acknowledged or been accused of</a>&nbsp;in the past.Hegseth, a 44-year-old Army National Guard veteran and former Fox News Channel weekend host, has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hegseth-pentagon-desantis-senate-allegations-3cb8c7d7bb555ed075cbbb4e8dad0741">acknowledged having multiple extramarital affairs</a>&nbsp;— which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-assault-allegations-police-report-trump-e6ebec0a1a5c7fb51cb5e2198f5e12a5">occurred while he was in the military</a>, according to divorce records — and has said he told his troops to ignore commands about when to fire on potential enemies. Both violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice and can get troops court-martialed and dishonorably discharged.He’s also facing questions over his past drinking — which, had it occurred in uniform, also could have led to disciplinary action.-----------WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;choice for defense secretary,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-allegations-defense-trump-194e39797595d87f621db641d0f35ff1">Pete Hegseth</a>, is heading into a potentially explosive confirmation hearing Tuesday as senators question whether the former combat veteran and TV news show host is fit to lead the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/military-and-defense">U.S. military</a>.Hegseth’s former experience in the Army National Guard is widely viewed as an asset for the job, but he also brings a jarring record of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-background-defense-secretary-confirmation-hearing-e160e10c86385a8beff110d9190fb34e">past statements and actions</a>, including allegations of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-assault-allegations-police-report-trump-e6ebec0a1a5c7fb51cb5e2198f5e12a5">sexual assault</a>, excessive drinking and derisive views about women in military combat roles, minorities and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-trump-diversity-pentagon-list-602477b6e80641b53f4f9b640a14f4ce">“woke” generals</a>. He has vowed to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hegseth-pentagon-desantis-senate-allegations-3cb8c7d7bb555ed075cbbb4e8dad0741">not drink alcohol</a>&nbsp;if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon.He is among the most endangered of Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-staff-picks-stefanik-wiles-stephen-miller-tom-homan-243d73610b03a3ee18c4d5f68756af7c">Cabinet choices</a>, but GOP allies are determined to turn Hegseth into a cause célèbre for Trump’s governing approach amid the nation's culture wars. Outside groups, including those aligned with the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/project-2025-cabinet-nominees-heritage-foundation-hegseth-d770431b8022159dc3f6c53458bdcf0e">Heritage Foundation</a>, are running costly campaigns to prop up Hegseth's bid.“He will be ripped, he will be demeaned. He will be talked about,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., at an event with former Navy SEALs, Army special forces and Marines supporting the nominee. “But we’re going to get him across the finish line.”The hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee is the start of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cabinet-picks-senate-hearings-schedule-4ed7745df0eae49bad07d02d7b16805b">weeklong marathon</a>&nbsp;as senators begin scrutinizing Trump’s choices for more than a dozen top administrative positions. The Republican-led Senate is rushing to have some of Trump’s picks ready to be confirmed as soon as Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, despite potential opposition to some from both sides of the aisle.“We’re going to grind them down,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said on Fox News.Hegseth faces perhaps the most difficult path to confirmation. He will be forced to confront allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied, and his own comments that are far from the military mainstream, though he has the support of some veterans’ groups that say his past indiscretions are not as important as his focus on improving military readiness to fight.And Hegseth will have to answer for his comments that women should “straight up” not be in combat roles in the military, a view he has softened following recent meetings with senators. Two former female combat veterans, Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-senate-confirmation-ernst-hegseth-dd15a8b031ca8cad2a99237ab99b53a8">Joni Ernst</a>&nbsp;of Iowa and Democrat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/tammy-duckworth">Tammy Duckworth</a>&nbsp;of Illinois, are among those grilling him from the dais.“He can try to walk back his comments on women in combat all he wants, but we know what he thinks, right?” said Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran who lost her legs and partial use of her right arm when the Black Hawk helicopter she was piloting in the Army National Guard was shot down. “He’s the most unqualified person to ever be nominated for secretary of defense.”Many senators have not yet met with Hegseth and most do not have access to his FBI background check, as only committee leaders are briefed on its findings. The background check on Hegseth did not appear to probe or produce new information beyond what's already in the public realm about him, according to a person familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss it.In many ways, the Hegseth hearing is expected to follow the template set during Trump’s first term, when one of his choices for Supreme Court justice,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/brett-kavanaugh">Brett Kavanaugh</a>, came under intense scrutiny over allegations of sexual assault from his teens but recouped to win&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-ap-top-news-sexual-misconduct-supreme-courts-courts-8234f0b8a6194d8b89ff79f9b0c94f35">confirmation to the high court</a>.Kavanaugh vigorously fought back during a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-judiciary-sexual-misconduct-north-america-0a8a314c8d27472781c65e45ef23b7b3">volcanic</a>&nbsp;2018 hearing, portraying the sexual assault allegations against him as a smear job by liberal lawmakers and outside groups opposed to his judicial record, turning the tables in a way that many senators credit setting a new benchmark for partisanship.Asked about advice for Hegseth, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, referred to that earlier example.“Go back and watch videos of the Kavanaugh hearings — give you a flavor,” he said.Hegseth was largely unknown on Capitol Hill when Trump tapped him for the top Pentagon job.A co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox &amp; Friends Weekend,” he had been a contributor with the network since 2014, and apparently caught the eye of the president-elect, who is an avid consumer of television and the news channel, in particular.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-pete-hegseth-trump-defense-secretary-2e2bdd16c8e90f5d037f763cfadbde94">Hegseth</a>, 44, attended Princeton and served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deploying to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011 and earning two Bronze Stars. But he lacks senior military and national security experience.In 2017,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-assault-allegations-police-report-trump-e6ebec0a1a5c7fb51cb5e2198f5e12a5">a woman told police that Hegseth sexually assaulted her,</a>&nbsp;according to a detailed investigative report recently made public. Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing and told police at the time that the encounter at a Republican women's event in California was consensual. He later paid the woman a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-sexual-assault-allegations-trump-defense-secretary-677b2df5859a338feac4714c60ef369d">confidential settlement</a>&nbsp;to head off a potential lawsuit.Hegseth also came under scrutiny amid reports of excessive drinking when he worked at a veterans' organization. But as he began meeting privately with GOP senators ahead of the hearing, he promised he would not drink if confirmed to the post.If confirmed, Hegseth would take over a military juggling an array of crises on the global stage and domestic challenges in military recruitment, retention and ongoing funding.In addition to being a key national security adviser to the president, the defense secretary oversees a massive organization, with nearly 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and a budget of roughly $850 billion.He is responsible for tens of thousands of U.S. troops deployed overseas and at sea, including in combat zones where they face attacks, such as in Syria and Iraq and in the waters around Yemen. The secretary makes all final recommendations to the president on what units are deployed, where they go and how long they stay.His main job is to make sure the U.S. military is ready, trained and equipped to meet any call to duty. But the secretary also must ensure that American troops are safe and secure at home, with proper housing, healthcare, pay and support for programs dealing with suicide, sexual assault and financial scams.Pentagon chiefs also routinely travel across the world, meeting with international leaders on a vast range of security issues including U.S. military aid, counterterrorism support, troop presence and global coalition building. And they play a key role at NATO as a critical partner to allies across the region.

🎥Pete Hegseth, Trump's nominee for defense secretary confirmation hearing

The Office of the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Consumer Protection Division reminded residents Monday to be aware of a recent change in Kansas state law that may have an effect on daily spending habits.

 As of January 1, 2025, merchants can legally add a surcharge to credit card transactions, as long as clear notice is provided to the customer before the sale.

K.S.A. 16a-2-403 has been amended to allow any person or retailer offering sales, services or lease transactions to impose a surcharge on credit card payments, as long as the amount of the surcharge is disclosed through a “clear and conspicuous notice to the customer at the point of entry or the point of sale and in advance of such transaction.”

Before this change in the law, Kansas had what amounted to a ban on surcharges, allowing only for cash discounts on sales. In 2021, however, the ban was held to be unconstitutional in a federal case, finding it was a violation of the First Amendment.

Although debit cards are not mentioned in the body of the new Kansas statute, adding a debit card surcharge remains illegal in all 50 states under federal law, specifically the Durbin Amendment to the Dodd-Frank Reform and Consumer Protections Act. Similarly, because Kansas state law has no maximum surcharge, the maximum allowed in Kansas is capped by federal law at 4 percent.

The Office of the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Consumer Protection Division reminded residents Monday to be aware of a recent change in Kansas state law that may have an effect on daily spending habits. As of January 1, 2025, merchants can legally add a surcharge to credit card transactions, as long as clear notice is provided to the customer before the sale.K.S.A. 16a-2-403 has been amended to allow any person or retailer offering sales, services or lease transactions to impose a surcharge on credit card payments, as long as the amount of the surcharge is disclosed through a “clear and conspicuous notice to the customer at the point of entry or the point of sale and in advance of such transaction.”Before this change in the law, Kansas had what amounted to a ban on surcharges, allowing only for cash discounts on sales. In 2021, however, the ban was held to be unconstitutional in a federal case, finding it was a violation of the First Amendment.Although debit cards are not mentioned in the body of the new Kansas statute, adding a debit card surcharge remains illegal in all 50 states under federal law, specifically the Durbin Amendment to the Dodd-Frank Reform and Consumer Protections Act. Similarly, because Kansas state law has no maximum surcharge, the maximum allowed in Kansas is capped by federal law at 4 percent.

Why paying with credit card could now cost you more in Kansas

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a bank robbery in Topeka.

Just before 5p.m. Monday, a suspect, described as a black male, 5-foot-10 inches tall, approximately 200-215 pounds and wearing&nbsp; a black jacket with a hood, dark colored jeans, dark colored tennis shoes and a face covering,&nbsp; entered&nbsp;Equity Bank, 3825 SW 29th&nbsp;Street in Topeka,&nbsp;according to a media release from the FBI. 

The approached the teller and made a verbal demand for money and brandished a firearm.

The suspect fled the bank in an unknown direction with an undisclosed amount of money. There were no injuries.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736817291492.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a bank robbery in Topeka.Just before 5p.m. Monday, a suspect, described as a black male, 5-foot-10 inches tall, approximately 200-215 pounds and wearing&nbsp; a black jacket with a hood, dark colored jeans, dark colored tennis shoes and a face covering,&nbsp; entered&nbsp;Equity Bank, 3825 SW 29th&nbsp;Street in Topeka,&nbsp;according to a media release from the FBI. The approached the teller and made a verbal demand for money and brandished a firearm.The suspect fled the bank in an unknown direction with an undisclosed amount of money. There were no injuries.

FBI releases details on Kansas bank robbery suspect

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;said Monday that his stewardship of American foreign policy has left the U.S. safer and economically more secure, arguing that President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;will inherit a nation viewed as stronger and more reliable than it was four years ago.

Biden trumpeted his administration's work on expanding NATO, rallying allies to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-us-aid-weapons-trump-6f8eeb09dbc69d3ae2e097bb8eb10151">provide Ukraine with military aid</a>&nbsp;to fight Russia and bolstering&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ai-artificial-intelligence-chips-computer-trade-4495b5b4a48e856dc612e7abe3e47d20">American chip manufacturing</a>&nbsp;to better compete with China during a wide-ranging speech to reflect on his foreign policy legacy a week before ceding the White House to Trump.

Biden’s case for his achievements will be shadowed and shaped, at least in the near term, by the messy counterfactual that American voters once again turned to Trump and his protectionist worldview. And he will leave office at a turbulent moment for the globe, with a series of conflicts raging.

“Thanks to our administration, the United States is winning the worldwide competition compared to four years ago,” Biden said in his address at the State Department. “America is stronger. Our alliances are stronger. Our adversaries and competitors are weaker. We have not gone to war to make these things happen.”

The one-term Democrat took office in the throes of the worst&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-covid19-coronavirus-national-emergency-e3a52722b57a6b4f24187426c27b3b39">global pandemic</a>&nbsp;in a century, and his plans to repair alliances strained by four years of Trump’s “America First” worldview were quickly stress-tested by international crises:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-e10e038baea732dae879c11234507f81">the chaotic U.S. withdrawal</a>&nbsp;from Afghanistan,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine</a>, and Hamas' brutal 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mideast-wars">war in the Middle East</a>.

Biden argued that he provided a steady hand when the world needed it most. He was tested by war, calamity and miscalculation.

“My administration is leaving the next administration with a very strong hand to play,” Biden said. “America is once again leading."

Chaotic US exit from Afghanistan was an early setback for Biden

With the U.S. completing its 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, Biden fulfilled a campaign promise to wind down&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-dd43bcc58bd17668b1cf4ae79997142b">America’s longest war</a>.

But the 20-year conflict ended in disquieting fashion: The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-kabul-bagram-e1ed33fe0c665ee67ba132c51b8e32a5">U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed</a>, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-withdrawal-abbey-gate-28dcaccf6f946bc171a2133ddbb123de">grisly bombing</a>&nbsp;killed 13 U.S. troops and 170 others, and thousands of desperate Afghans descended on Kabul’s airport in search of a way out before the final U.S. aircraft departed over the Hindu Kush.

The Afghanistan debacle was a major setback just eight months into Biden's presidency that he struggled to recover from.

“Ending the war was the right thing to do, and I believe history will reflect that," Biden said. "Critics said if we ended the war, it would damage our alliances and create threats to our homeland from foreign-directed terrorism out of a safe haven in Afghanistan — neither has occurred.”

Biden's Republican detractors, including Trump, cast it as a signal moment in a failed presidency.

“I’ll tell you what happened, he was so bad with Afghanistan, it was such a horrible embarrassment, most embarrassing moment in the history of our country,” Trump said in his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-panic-performance-democrats-debate-trump-cnn-fe6546f2c9762e80e6067ba10abedea8">lone 2024 presidential debate with Biden</a>, just weeks before the Democrat announced he was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drops-out-2024-election-ddffde72838370032bdcff946cfc2ce6">ending his reelection campaign.</a>

Biden's legacy in Ukraine may hinge on Trump's approach going forward

With Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Biden rallied allies in Europe and beyond to provide Ukraine with billions in military and economic assistance — including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cfr.org/article/how-much-us-aid-going-ukraine">more than $100 billion</a>&nbsp;from the U.S. alone. That allowed Kyiv to stay in the fight with Russian President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/vladimir-putin">Vladimir Putin's</a>&nbsp;vastly bigger and better-equipped military.

Biden's team also coordinated with allies to hit Russia with a steady stream of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-sanctions-energy-ukraine-war-biden-trump-bebf8f798e6212ee53b80e2eaea6e712">sanctions</a>&nbsp;aimed at isolating the Kremlin and making Moscow pay an economic price for prosecuting its war.

Biden on Monday marveled that at the start of the war Putin thought Russian forces would easily defeat Ukraine in a matter of days. It was an assessment U.S. and European intelligence officials shared.

Instead, Biden said his administration and its allies have “laid the foundation” for the Trump administration to help Ukraine eventually arrive at a moment where it can negotiate a just end to the nearly three-year old conflict.

“Today, Ukraine is still a free and independent country with the potential for a bright future," Biden said.

Trump has criticized the cost of the war to U.S. taxpayers and has vowed to bring the conflict to a quick end.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan made the case that Trump, a billionaire real estate developer, should consider the backing of Ukraine through the prism of a dealmaker.

“Donald Trump has built his identity around making deals, and the way you make a good deal is with leverage,” Sullivan said in an interview. “Our case publicly and privately to the incoming team is build the leverage, show the staying power, back Ukraine, and it is down that path that lies a good deal."

Biden's Mideast diplomacy shadowed by devastation of Gaza

In the Middle East, Biden has stood by Israel as it has worked to root out Hamas from Gaza. That war spawned another in Lebanon, where Israel has mauled Iran’s most powerful ally,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hezbollah-israel-hamas-lebanon-gaza-62d6eb8831fbd871f862146add7970d9">Hezbollah,</a>&nbsp;even as Israel has launched&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2024/israels-strikes-are-shifting-the-power-balance-in-the-middle-east-with-us-support/">successful airstrikes</a>&nbsp;openly inside of Iran for the first time.

The degradation of Hezbollah in turn played a role when Islamist-led rebels last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/syria-war-assad-russia-news-16-december-2024-72a8e44f762da2ff78434ff76faeb633">ousted longtime Syrian leader Bashar Assad</a>, a brutal fixture of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance."

“Iran is weaker than it’s been in decades," Biden said.

Biden's relationship with Israel's conservative leader Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been strained by the enormous Palestinian death toll in the fighting —now standing at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-01-09-2025-ffae654d619e8e848e2ceda8576e8fe5">more than 46,000 dead</a>&nbsp;— and Israel's blockade of the territory, which has left much of Gaza a hellscape where access to food and basic health care is severely limited.

Pro-Palestinian activists have demanded an arms embargo against Israel, but U.S. policy has largely remained unchanged. The State Department in recent days informed Congress of a planned&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-arms-sale-gaza-biden-congress-f6a8f788773ad12a34ad8fb6f7966026">$8 billion weapons sale to Israel.</a>

Aaron David Miller, a former State Department Middle East negotiator, said the approach has put Iran on its heels, but Biden will pay a reputational cost for the devastation of Gaza.

“The administration was either unable or unwilling to create any sort of restraint that normal humans would regard as significant pressure,” Miller said. “It was beyond Joe Biden’s emotional and political bandwidth to impose the kinds of sustained or significant pressures that might have led to a change in Israeli tactics.”

More than 15 months after the Hamas-led attack that prompted the war, around 98 hostages remain in Gaza. More than a third of those are presumed dead by Israeli authorities.

Biden's Middle East adviser Brett McGurk is in the Middle East, looking to complete an elusive hostage and ceasefire deal as time runs out in the presidency.

“We are on the brink of a proposal that I laid out in detail months ago finally coming to fruition,” Biden said.

Trump, for his part, is warning that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-press-conference-takeaways-imperialism-agenda-c91f3423cab5f8f49e4db983ecb7daa9">“all hell” will be unleashed on Hamas</a>&nbsp;if the hostages aren't freed by Inauguration Day.

Sullivan declined to comment on Trump's threats to Hamas, but offered that the two sides are in agreement about the most important thing: getting a deal done.

“Having alignment of the outgoing and incoming administration that a hostage deal at the earliest possible opportunity is in the American national interest,” he said. “Having unity of message on that is a good thing, and we have closely coordinated with the incoming team to this effect.”

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;said Monday that his stewardship of American foreign policy has left the U.S. safer and economically more secure, arguing that President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;will inherit a nation viewed as stronger and more reliable than it was four years ago.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F1407032123603207%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=1025" 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>Biden trumpeted his administration's work on expanding NATO, rallying allies to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-us-aid-weapons-trump-6f8eeb09dbc69d3ae2e097bb8eb10151">provide Ukraine with military aid</a>&nbsp;to fight Russia and bolstering&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ai-artificial-intelligence-chips-computer-trade-4495b5b4a48e856dc612e7abe3e47d20">American chip manufacturing</a>&nbsp;to better compete with China during a wide-ranging speech to reflect on his foreign policy legacy a week before ceding the White House to Trump.Biden’s case for his achievements will be shadowed and shaped, at least in the near term, by the messy counterfactual that American voters once again turned to Trump and his protectionist worldview. And he will leave office at a turbulent moment for the globe, with a series of conflicts raging.“Thanks to our administration, the United States is winning the worldwide competition compared to four years ago,” Biden said in his address at the State Department. “America is stronger. Our alliances are stronger. Our adversaries and competitors are weaker. We have not gone to war to make these things happen.”The one-term Democrat took office in the throes of the worst&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-covid19-coronavirus-national-emergency-e3a52722b57a6b4f24187426c27b3b39">global pandemic</a>&nbsp;in a century, and his plans to repair alliances strained by four years of Trump’s “America First” worldview were quickly stress-tested by international crises:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-e10e038baea732dae879c11234507f81">the chaotic U.S. withdrawal</a>&nbsp;from Afghanistan,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine</a>, and Hamas' brutal 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mideast-wars">war in the Middle East</a>.Biden argued that he provided a steady hand when the world needed it most. He was tested by war, calamity and miscalculation.“My administration is leaving the next administration with a very strong hand to play,” Biden said. “America is once again leading."<h2>Chaotic US exit from Afghanistan was an early setback for Biden</h2><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">President Biden on Afghanistan: &quot;Ending the war was the right thing to do and I believe history will reflect that.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/mKH9VRdCll">pic.twitter.com/mKH9VRdCll</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1878893129895457024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>With the U.S. completing its 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, Biden fulfilled a campaign promise to wind down&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-dd43bcc58bd17668b1cf4ae79997142b">America’s longest war</a>.But the 20-year conflict ended in disquieting fashion: The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-kabul-bagram-e1ed33fe0c665ee67ba132c51b8e32a5">U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed</a>, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-withdrawal-abbey-gate-28dcaccf6f946bc171a2133ddbb123de">grisly bombing</a>&nbsp;killed 13 U.S. troops and 170 others, and thousands of desperate Afghans descended on Kabul’s airport in search of a way out before the final U.S. aircraft departed over the Hindu Kush.The Afghanistan debacle was a major setback just eight months into Biden's presidency that he struggled to recover from.“Ending the war was the right thing to do, and I believe history will reflect that," Biden said. "Critics said if we ended the war, it would damage our alliances and create threats to our homeland from foreign-directed terrorism out of a safe haven in Afghanistan — neither has occurred.”Biden's Republican detractors, including Trump, cast it as a signal moment in a failed presidency.“I’ll tell you what happened, he was so bad with Afghanistan, it was such a horrible embarrassment, most embarrassing moment in the history of our country,” Trump said in his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-panic-performance-democrats-debate-trump-cnn-fe6546f2c9762e80e6067ba10abedea8">lone 2024 presidential debate with Biden</a>, just weeks before the Democrat announced he was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drops-out-2024-election-ddffde72838370032bdcff946cfc2ce6">ending his reelection campaign.</a><h2>Biden's legacy in Ukraine may hinge on Trump's approach going forward</h2><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">President Biden: &quot;When Putin invaded Ukraine he thought he&#39;d conquer Kyiv in a matter of days. But the truth is since that war began, I’m the only one that&#39;s stood in the center of Kyiv, not him. Putin never has.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/R7LrpoxC5d">pic.twitter.com/R7LrpoxC5d</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1878889675563188260?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>With Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Biden rallied allies in Europe and beyond to provide Ukraine with billions in military and economic assistance — including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cfr.org/article/how-much-us-aid-going-ukraine">more than $100 billion</a>&nbsp;from the U.S. alone. That allowed Kyiv to stay in the fight with Russian President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/vladimir-putin">Vladimir Putin's</a>&nbsp;vastly bigger and better-equipped military.Biden's team also coordinated with allies to hit Russia with a steady stream of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-sanctions-energy-ukraine-war-biden-trump-bebf8f798e6212ee53b80e2eaea6e712">sanctions</a>&nbsp;aimed at isolating the Kremlin and making Moscow pay an economic price for prosecuting its war.Biden on Monday marveled that at the start of the war Putin thought Russian forces would easily defeat Ukraine in a matter of days. It was an assessment U.S. and European intelligence officials shared.Instead, Biden said his administration and its allies have “laid the foundation” for the Trump administration to help Ukraine eventually arrive at a moment where it can negotiate a just end to the nearly three-year old conflict.“Today, Ukraine is still a free and independent country with the potential for a bright future," Biden said.Trump has criticized the cost of the war to U.S. taxpayers and has vowed to bring the conflict to a quick end.White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan made the case that Trump, a billionaire real estate developer, should consider the backing of Ukraine through the prism of a dealmaker.“Donald Trump has built his identity around making deals, and the way you make a good deal is with leverage,” Sullivan said in an interview. “Our case publicly and privately to the incoming team is build the leverage, show the staying power, back Ukraine, and it is down that path that lies a good deal."<h2>Biden's Mideast diplomacy shadowed by devastation of Gaza</h2>In the Middle East, Biden has stood by Israel as it has worked to root out Hamas from Gaza. That war spawned another in Lebanon, where Israel has mauled Iran’s most powerful ally,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hezbollah-israel-hamas-lebanon-gaza-62d6eb8831fbd871f862146add7970d9">Hezbollah,</a>&nbsp;even as Israel has launched&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2024/israels-strikes-are-shifting-the-power-balance-in-the-middle-east-with-us-support/">successful airstrikes</a>&nbsp;openly inside of Iran for the first time.The degradation of Hezbollah in turn played a role when Islamist-led rebels last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/syria-war-assad-russia-news-16-december-2024-72a8e44f762da2ff78434ff76faeb633">ousted longtime Syrian leader Bashar Assad</a>, a brutal fixture of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance."“Iran is weaker than it’s been in decades," Biden said.Biden's relationship with Israel's conservative leader Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been strained by the enormous Palestinian death toll in the fighting —now standing at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-01-09-2025-ffae654d619e8e848e2ceda8576e8fe5">more than 46,000 dead</a>&nbsp;— and Israel's blockade of the territory, which has left much of Gaza a hellscape where access to food and basic health care is severely limited.Pro-Palestinian activists have demanded an arms embargo against Israel, but U.S. policy has largely remained unchanged. The State Department in recent days informed Congress of a planned&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-arms-sale-gaza-biden-congress-f6a8f788773ad12a34ad8fb6f7966026">$8 billion weapons sale to Israel.</a>Aaron David Miller, a former State Department Middle East negotiator, said the approach has put Iran on its heels, but Biden will pay a reputational cost for the devastation of Gaza.“The administration was either unable or unwilling to create any sort of restraint that normal humans would regard as significant pressure,” Miller said. “It was beyond Joe Biden’s emotional and political bandwidth to impose the kinds of sustained or significant pressures that might have led to a change in Israeli tactics.”More than 15 months after the Hamas-led attack that prompted the war, around 98 hostages remain in Gaza. More than a third of those are presumed dead by Israeli authorities.Biden's Middle East adviser Brett McGurk is in the Middle East, looking to complete an elusive hostage and ceasefire deal as time runs out in the presidency.“We are on the brink of a proposal that I laid out in detail months ago finally coming to fruition,” Biden said.Trump, for his part, is warning that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-press-conference-takeaways-imperialism-agenda-c91f3423cab5f8f49e4db983ecb7daa9">“all hell” will be unleashed on Hamas</a>&nbsp;if the hostages aren't freed by Inauguration Day.Sullivan declined to comment on Trump's threats to Hamas, but offered that the two sides are in agreement about the most important thing: getting a deal done.“Having alignment of the outgoing and incoming administration that a hostage deal at the earliest possible opportunity is in the American national interest,” he said. “Having unity of message on that is a good thing, and we have closely coordinated with the incoming team to this effect.”

🎥 From Ukraine to Gaza: Biden hands off foreign policy to Trump

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22JEFF%20MARTIN%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By JEFF MARTIN Associated Press</a>

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weather.gov/lox/">National Weather Service's Los Angeles page</a>&nbsp;screams “Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS)” in hot pink letters against a gray background.

It's a rare warning aimed at seizing attention ahead of extreme wildfire risk that's predicted to start in southern California at 4 a.m. (1200GMT) Tuesday.

PDS warnings were first used to warn of tornado outbreaks in the Midwest. More than a decade ago, three meteorologists proposed expanding their use to disasters such as ice storms, floods, hurricanes, and now wildfires.

"It catches the attention, it really heightens that awareness and the need to really act at that point," said one of those scientists, Jonathan Howell.

The hope was that the phrase would “become synonymous with extreme weather events” and also could be used for emergencies such as hurricanes and snowstorms, Howell and two colleagues wrote for a presentation at a 2011 conference of the American Meteorological Society.

“I definitely think this has made an impact and has saved lives over the years," said Howell, who is the science and operations officer at the weather service’s Mobile, Alabama office.

The weather service's Storm Prediction Center — whose mission is to provide "forecasts and watches for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes” — says that the term was first used on April 2, 1982 by forecaster Robert H. Johns, in conjunction with a tornado watch.

That came after a “failed attempt in the late 1970s," Johns said in an interview in the Electronic Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology. Meteorologists had alerted the public to a “big next day,” only to see no severe weather, he said.

Today, meteorologists have better tools to predict catastrophic weather outbreaks than they had in the 1970s and 1980s and forecasters can more reliably issue severe warnings, Howell said.

The PDS term appeared in newspaper articles such as an April, 1, 1983 Associated Press story about a widespread storm system that caused a blinding dust storm in west Texas.

During the first week of November last year, as Santa Ana winds fueled&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-winds-36ff3257749a0e5bbc870863a9da68a5">the Mountain Fire</a>&nbsp;northwest of Los Angeles, the National Weather Service issued a PDS warning. Forecasters called the threat “extreme and life-threatening.”

Then, on Dec. 9, residents of Los Angeles and Ventura counties were again warned of a “particularly dangerous situation” as Santa Ana winds&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-weather-winds-5a3cff526465877782c4ed0c531b6091">roared through the mountains</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736724211560.png" alt="Image California National Guard" />
 <figcaption>Image California National Guard</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22JEFF%20MARTIN%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By JEFF MARTIN Associated Press</a>The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weather.gov/lox/">National Weather Service's Los Angeles page</a>&nbsp;screams “Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS)” in hot pink letters against a gray background.It's a rare warning aimed at seizing attention ahead of extreme wildfire risk that's predicted to start in southern California at 4 a.m. (1200GMT) Tuesday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Extreme fire danger will continue thru Wed. PDS Red Flag Warnings are for the extreme of the extreme fire weather scenarios. In other words, this setup is about as bad as it gets. Stay aware of your surroundings. Be prepared to evacuate. Avoid anything that can spark a fire.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cawx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cawx</a> <a href="https://t.co/JedMNHvygB">pic.twitter.com/JedMNHvygB</a>&mdash; NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSLosAngeles/status/1878882840492044401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>PDS warnings were first used to warn of tornado outbreaks in the Midwest. More than a decade ago, three meteorologists proposed expanding their use to disasters such as ice storms, floods, hurricanes, and now wildfires.<h2>Grabbing attention</h2>"It catches the attention, it really heightens that awareness and the need to really act at that point," said one of those scientists, Jonathan Howell.The hope was that the phrase would “become synonymous with extreme weather events” and also could be used for emergencies such as hurricanes and snowstorms, Howell and two colleagues wrote for a presentation at a 2011 conference of the American Meteorological Society.“I definitely think this has made an impact and has saved lives over the years," said Howell, who is the science and operations officer at the weather service’s Mobile, Alabama office.<h2>Past warnings</h2>The weather service's Storm Prediction Center — whose mission is to provide "forecasts and watches for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes” — says that the term was first used on April 2, 1982 by forecaster Robert H. Johns, in conjunction with a tornado watch.That came after a “failed attempt in the late 1970s," Johns said in an interview in the Electronic Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology. Meteorologists had alerted the public to a “big next day,” only to see no severe weather, he said.Today, meteorologists have better tools to predict catastrophic weather outbreaks than they had in the 1970s and 1980s and forecasters can more reliably issue severe warnings, Howell said.The PDS term appeared in newspaper articles such as an April, 1, 1983 Associated Press story about a widespread storm system that caused a blinding dust storm in west Texas.<h2>PDS warnings for wildfires</h2>During the first week of November last year, as Santa Ana winds fueled&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-winds-36ff3257749a0e5bbc870863a9da68a5">the Mountain Fire</a>&nbsp;northwest of Los Angeles, the National Weather Service issued a PDS warning. Forecasters called the threat “extreme and life-threatening.”Then, on Dec. 9, residents of Los Angeles and Ventura counties were again warned of a “particularly dangerous situation” as Santa Ana winds&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-weather-winds-5a3cff526465877782c4ed0c531b6091">roared through the mountains</a>.

'PDS' warnings were made to grab attention in tornadoes and now wildfires

KANSAS CITY —Police have released the names of two women&nbsp; who died in an accident just after 3a.m. Friday in Kansas City.

A preliminary investigation revealed a Honda SUV driven by 24-year-old&nbsp; Breanna Bullington was westbound on Interstate 435 too fast for weather conditions on the snow covered highway, according KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

Just east of 103rd Street, the Honda traveled off the roadway to the right, up and over the snowbank that was lining the north side of the highway.&nbsp; The Honda then vaulted off the bridge, falling approximately 100 feet and landing in the Blue River.

Bullington and the rear seat passenger of the Honda identified as her sister 22-year-old Alexis Bullington were both declared deceased at the scene.

EMS transported the male front seat passenger of the Honda to a local hospital for treatment of critical injuries according to Becchina.

Two lanes of westbound Interstate 435 were closed to traffic as recovery efforts of the Honda and the deceased subjects was made.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736593685157.png" alt="-First responders at the scene early Friday-image from KC Scout" />
 <figcaption>-First responders at the scene early Friday-image from KC Scout</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Police have released the names of two women&nbsp; who died in an accident just after 3a.m. Friday in Kansas City.A preliminary investigation revealed a Honda SUV driven by 24-year-old&nbsp; Breanna Bullington was westbound on Interstate 435 too fast for weather conditions on the snow covered highway, according KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.Just east of 103rd Street, the Honda traveled off the roadway to the right, up and over the snowbank that was lining the north side of the highway.&nbsp; The Honda then vaulted off the bridge, falling approximately 100 feet and landing in the Blue River.Bullington and the rear seat passenger of the Honda identified as her sister 22-year-old Alexis Bullington were both declared deceased at the scene.EMS transported the male front seat passenger of the Honda to a local hospital for treatment of critical injuries according to Becchina.Two lanes of westbound Interstate 435 were closed to traffic as recovery efforts of the Honda and the deceased subjects was made.&nbsp;

KCPD IDs sisters who died after SUV slid on snow into river

Authorities in Indianapolis have charged a 55-year-old Texas man with felony stalking of Indiana Fever star and WNBA rookie of the year Caitlin Clark.

Michael Thomas Lewis is accused of repeated and continued harassment of the 22-year-old Clark beginning on Dec. 16, the Marion County prosecutor's office wrote in a court filing Saturday. Jail records show Lewis is due in court on Tuesday.

Lewis posted numerous messages on Clark's X account, according to an affidavit from a Marion County sheriff's lieutenant.

In one, he said he had been driving by the Gainbridge Fieldhouse — one of the arenas where the Fever plays home games — three times day, and in another he said he had “one foot on a banana peel and the other on a stalking charge.” Other messages directed at Clark were sexually explicit.

The posts “actually caused Caitlin Clark to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, or threatened” and an implicit or explicit threat also was made “with the intent to place Caitlin Clark in reasonable fear of sexual battery,” prosecutors wrote in the Marion County Superior Court filing.

The FBI learned that the X account belonged to Lewis and that the messages were sent from IP addresses associated with an Indianapolis hotel and downtown public library.

Indianapolis police spoke with Lewis on Jan. 8 at his hotel room. He told officers he was in Indianapolis on vacation. When asked why he was making so many posts about Clark, Lewis replied: “Just the same reason everybody makes posts,” according to court documents.

He told police that he didn't mean any harm and that he fantasized about being in a relationship with Clark.

“It’s an imagination, fantasy type thing and it’s a joke, and it’s nothing to do with threatening,” he told police, according to the court documents.

In asking the court for a higher than standard bond, the prosecutor's office said Lewis traveled from his home in Texas to Indianapolis “with the intent to be in close proximity to the victim."

The prosecutor's office also sought a stay-away order as a specific condition if Lewis is released from jail ahead of trial. Prosecutors requested that Lewis be ordered to stay away from the Gainbridge and Hinkle fieldhouses where the Fever play home games.

The Associated Press was unable to determine Monday if Lewis has a lawyer who can comment on his behalf.

Fever officials have not responded to an Associated Press request for comment.

The Associated Press named Clark the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-female-athlete-of-year-clark-7e5aa066120ee2b1f85b6ab1098b7a8d">Female Athlete of the Year</a>&nbsp;for 2024. After leading Iowa to last year's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-iowa-south-carolina-ratings-fe3c29aabbea557d83a911afb4ebf637">national championship game</a>, she was the top pick in the WNBA draft and went on to win&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/caitlin-clark-rookie-year-wnba-ecfc3070241f5c659402e0843c433808">rookie of the year</a>&nbsp;honors in the league.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728043885875.png" alt="Rile photo -Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22)&nbsp; (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)" />
 <figcaption>Rile photo -Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22)&nbsp; (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)</figcaption>
 </figure>By COREY WILLIAMS Associated PressAuthorities in Indianapolis have charged a 55-year-old Texas man with felony stalking of Indiana Fever star and WNBA rookie of the year Caitlin Clark.Michael Thomas Lewis is accused of repeated and continued harassment of the 22-year-old Clark beginning on Dec. 16, the Marion County prosecutor's office wrote in a court filing Saturday. Jail records show Lewis is due in court on Tuesday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736813656061.png" alt="Lewis photo Marion County Jail" />
 <figcaption>Lewis photo Marion County Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>Lewis posted numerous messages on Clark's X account, according to an affidavit from a Marion County sheriff's lieutenant.In one, he said he had been driving by the Gainbridge Fieldhouse — one of the arenas where the Fever plays home games — three times day, and in another he said he had “one foot on a banana peel and the other on a stalking charge.” Other messages directed at Clark were sexually explicit.The posts “actually caused Caitlin Clark to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, or threatened” and an implicit or explicit threat also was made “with the intent to place Caitlin Clark in reasonable fear of sexual battery,” prosecutors wrote in the Marion County Superior Court filing.The FBI learned that the X account belonged to Lewis and that the messages were sent from IP addresses associated with an Indianapolis hotel and downtown public library.Indianapolis police spoke with Lewis on Jan. 8 at his hotel room. He told officers he was in Indianapolis on vacation. When asked why he was making so many posts about Clark, Lewis replied: “Just the same reason everybody makes posts,” according to court documents.He told police that he didn't mean any harm and that he fantasized about being in a relationship with Clark.“It’s an imagination, fantasy type thing and it’s a joke, and it’s nothing to do with threatening,” he told police, according to the court documents.In asking the court for a higher than standard bond, the prosecutor's office said Lewis traveled from his home in Texas to Indianapolis “with the intent to be in close proximity to the victim."The prosecutor's office also sought a stay-away order as a specific condition if Lewis is released from jail ahead of trial. Prosecutors requested that Lewis be ordered to stay away from the Gainbridge and Hinkle fieldhouses where the Fever play home games.The Associated Press was unable to determine Monday if Lewis has a lawyer who can comment on his behalf.Fever officials have not responded to an Associated Press request for comment.The Associated Press named Clark the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-female-athlete-of-year-clark-7e5aa066120ee2b1f85b6ab1098b7a8d">Female Athlete of the Year</a>&nbsp;for 2024. After leading Iowa to last year's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-iowa-south-carolina-ratings-fe3c29aabbea557d83a911afb4ebf637">national championship game</a>, she was the top pick in the WNBA draft and went on to win&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/caitlin-clark-rookie-year-wnba-ecfc3070241f5c659402e0843c433808">rookie of the year</a>&nbsp;honors in the league.

Man jailed for allegedly stalking WNBA star Caitlin Clark

JOHNSON COUNTY —A&nbsp;man found guilty for shooting a Kansas City, Kansas, police officer is going to prison.

Jesse J. Flaugher, 37, was sentenced last week to more than 20 years in prison, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.

On December 15, 2020, an exchange of gunfire occurred between Flaugher and Officer Daniel Vance who had contacted him in Overland Park, Kansas. The officer was struck by gunfire in the arm and ballistic vest.

Flaugher originally refused to stop for officers who attempted to pull him over in Kansas City, Kansas, when he was seen driving without a seatbelt on. Instead, he ran a stop sign but was hit by another vehicle. Despite the crash Flaugher continued to speed away.

A short time later, police saw Flaugher’s vehicle in a cul-de-sac near W. 47th and Conser Street in Overland Park. As law enforcement officials stopped to observe the vehicle, Flaugher opened fire and shot Officer Vance in the forearm and chest.

Flaugher drove through a yard and fence as he sped away from the scene of the shooting. The vehicle was later found to be stolen. Officer Vance was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Flaugher's sentence is set to begin after he serves a sentence in Oklahoma.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608730975884.png" alt="Jesse James Flaugher-photo Miami County" />
 <figcaption>Jesse James Flaugher-photo Miami County</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —A&nbsp;man found guilty for shooting a Kansas City, Kansas, police officer is going to prison.Jesse J. Flaugher, 37, was sentenced last week to more than 20 years in prison, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.On December 15, 2020, an exchange of gunfire occurred between Flaugher and Officer Daniel Vance who had contacted him in Overland Park, Kansas. The officer was struck by gunfire in the arm and ballistic vest.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608120251326.png" alt="Police on the scene of the shooting investigation KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the shooting investigation KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>Flaugher originally refused to stop for officers who attempted to pull him over in Kansas City, Kansas, when he was seen driving without a seatbelt on. Instead, he ran a stop sign but was hit by another vehicle. Despite the crash Flaugher continued to speed away.A short time later, police saw Flaugher’s vehicle in a cul-de-sac near W. 47th and Conser Street in Overland Park. As law enforcement officials stopped to observe the vehicle, Flaugher opened fire and shot Officer Vance in the forearm and chest.Flaugher drove through a yard and fence as he sped away from the scene of the shooting. The vehicle was later found to be stolen. Officer Vance was treated for non-life threatening injuries.Flaugher's sentence is set to begin after he serves a sentence in Oklahoma.----------

Man who survived gunfight with police in Kan. is going to prison

WASHINGTON (AP) — The criminal charges against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden">Hunter Biden</a>&nbsp;“were the culmination of thorough, impartial investigations, not partisan politics,” the prosecutor who led the probes said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25486004-report-of-special-counsel-weiss-january-2025/">report released Monday</a>&nbsp;that sharply criticized&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-son-hunter-charges-pardon-pledge-24f3007c2d2f467fa48e21bbc7262525">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;for having maligned the Justice Department when he pardoned his son.

<a href="https://www.justice.gov/storage/Report-of-Special-Counsel-Weiss-January-2025.pdf">Click here to read</a> the final repor

“Other presidents have pardoned family members, but in doing so, none have taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the public servants at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations,” said the report from special counsel David Weiss, whose team filed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-gun-trial-federal-charges-delaware-5dd8a9380235c6360a1ddb691ef24a06">gun and tax charges</a>&nbsp;against the younger Biden that resulted in felony convictions that were subsequently wiped away by a presidential pardon.

The report is the culmination of years-long investigations that predated the arrival of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/merrick-garland">Attorney General Merrick Garland</a>&nbsp;but became among the most politically explosive inquiries of his entire tenure, capturing Republican fascination on Capitol Hill and ultimately producing a fissure between the Justice Department and the White House over the treatment of the president's son.

The document, as is customary for reports prepared by Justice Department special counsels, provides a recap of the investigative findings. But it is most notable for its steadfast defense of the team's work and for its open criticism of the president over a written statement he issued when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-son-hunter-charges-pardon-pledge-24f3007c2d2f467fa48e21bbc7262525">pardoning his son last month.</a>

Biden had repeatedly pledged that he would not pardon his son but reversed course on Dec. 1, saying that such an action was warranted because of what he called a “miscarriage of justice” and a selective prosecution. He said he believed that his son had been treated "differently" on account of his last name and that “raw politics” had infected the decision making of the Justice Department.

“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son — and that is wrong,” Biden said.

Weiss, who served as U.S. attorney for Delaware during the Trump administration and was kept in his position by Garland before being named to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-david-weiss-congress-republicans-aed25541b709a57371cdfe1582be0c5a">role of special counsel in 2023</a>, took exception to those comments and noted that judges had rejected that assessment as well.

“The president’s characterizations are incorrect based on the facts in this case, and, on a more fundamental level, they are wrong,” Weiss wrote. Such remarks undermine the public's confidence in the justice system, Weiss said.

Calling judges' rulings "into question and injecting partisanship into the independent administration of the law undermines the very foundation of what makes America’s justice system fair and equitable," Weiss wrote. “It erodes public confidence in an institution that is essential to preserving the rule of law.”

Hunter Biden’s lawyer criticized the report, saying Weiss failed to explain why prosecutors “pursued wild — and debunked — conspiracies” about the president’s son that prolonged the investigation.

“What is clear from this report is that the investigation into Hunter Biden is a cautionary tale of the abuse of prosecutorial power,” defense attorney Abbe Lowell said in a statement.

The investigations, which Hunter Biden himself revealed in 2020 when he disclosed that prosecutors were examining his taxes, took a tortured path toward resolution across Justice Department leaders of both political parties.

Hunter Biden was supposed to plead guilty in 2023 to misdemeanor tax charges,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-plea-deal-taxes-gun-drugs-690d38f1ffae4dfce2c171d21e7d3594">but the deal fell apart in spectacular fashion</a>&nbsp;among a last-minute disagreement between his lawyers and federal prosecutors. He went to trial in Delaware last year and was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-gun-trial-federal-charges-delaware-5dd8a9380235c6360a1ddb691ef24a06">convicted of three federal felonies</a>&nbsp;that accused him of having lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.

Describing the younger Biden as a “Yale-educated lawyer and businessperson,” Weiss said the president's son understood that he was lying when he filled out the federal form when he bought his gun in 2018 and marked that he wasn’t a drug user.

“But he did it anyway, because he wanted to own a gun, even though he was actively using crack cocaine,” Weiss wrote.

Hunter Biden subsequently entered a surprise guilty plea last September to federal tax charges, averting a trial that would have showcased potentially lurid evidence on top of the salacious and unflattering details about his personal life aired during his earlier trial in Delaware.

Weiss said Hunter “consciously and willfully chose” not to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes over four years.

The president's claims that Hunter Biden was mistreated by the criminal justice system echoed in some ways arguments from the younger Biden's legal team, who had asserted that prosecutors bowed to political pressure to indict Hunter after the collapse of what Donald Trump and other Republicans called a “sweetheart” plea deal.

“Far from selective, these prosecutions were the embodiment of the equal application of justice — no matter who you are, or what your last name is, you are subject to the same laws as everyone else in the United States,” Weiss said.

Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Colleen Long and Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736822422724.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The criminal charges against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden">Hunter Biden</a>&nbsp;“were the culmination of thorough, impartial investigations, not partisan politics,” the prosecutor who led the probes said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25486004-report-of-special-counsel-weiss-january-2025/">report released Monday</a>&nbsp;that sharply criticized&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-son-hunter-charges-pardon-pledge-24f3007c2d2f467fa48e21bbc7262525">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;for having maligned the Justice Department when he pardoned his son.<a href="https://www.justice.gov/storage/Report-of-Special-Counsel-Weiss-January-2025.pdf">Click here to read</a> the final repor<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1733169375710.png" alt="FILE - President Joe Biden, wearing a Team USA jacket and walking with his son Hunter Biden, heads toward Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - President Joe Biden, wearing a Team USA jacket and walking with his son Hunter Biden, heads toward Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>“Other presidents have pardoned family members, but in doing so, none have taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the public servants at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations,” said the report from special counsel David Weiss, whose team filed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-gun-trial-federal-charges-delaware-5dd8a9380235c6360a1ddb691ef24a06">gun and tax charges</a>&nbsp;against the younger Biden that resulted in felony convictions that were subsequently wiped away by a presidential pardon.The report is the culmination of years-long investigations that predated the arrival of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/merrick-garland">Attorney General Merrick Garland</a>&nbsp;but became among the most politically explosive inquiries of his entire tenure, capturing Republican fascination on Capitol Hill and ultimately producing a fissure between the Justice Department and the White House over the treatment of the president's son.The document, as is customary for reports prepared by Justice Department special counsels, provides a recap of the investigative findings. But it is most notable for its steadfast defense of the team's work and for its open criticism of the president over a written statement he issued when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-son-hunter-charges-pardon-pledge-24f3007c2d2f467fa48e21bbc7262525">pardoning his son last month.</a>Biden had repeatedly pledged that he would not pardon his son but reversed course on Dec. 1, saying that such an action was warranted because of what he called a “miscarriage of justice” and a selective prosecution. He said he believed that his son had been treated "differently" on account of his last name and that “raw politics” had infected the decision making of the Justice Department.“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son — and that is wrong,” Biden said.Weiss, who served as U.S. attorney for Delaware during the Trump administration and was kept in his position by Garland before being named to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-david-weiss-congress-republicans-aed25541b709a57371cdfe1582be0c5a">role of special counsel in 2023</a>, took exception to those comments and noted that judges had rejected that assessment as well.“The president’s characterizations are incorrect based on the facts in this case, and, on a more fundamental level, they are wrong,” Weiss wrote. Such remarks undermine the public's confidence in the justice system, Weiss said.Calling judges' rulings "into question and injecting partisanship into the independent administration of the law undermines the very foundation of what makes America’s justice system fair and equitable," Weiss wrote. “It erodes public confidence in an institution that is essential to preserving the rule of law.”Hunter Biden’s lawyer criticized the report, saying Weiss failed to explain why prosecutors “pursued wild — and debunked — conspiracies” about the president’s son that prolonged the investigation.“What is clear from this report is that the investigation into Hunter Biden is a cautionary tale of the abuse of prosecutorial power,” defense attorney Abbe Lowell said in a statement.The investigations, which Hunter Biden himself revealed in 2020 when he disclosed that prosecutors were examining his taxes, took a tortured path toward resolution across Justice Department leaders of both political parties.Hunter Biden was supposed to plead guilty in 2023 to misdemeanor tax charges,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-plea-deal-taxes-gun-drugs-690d38f1ffae4dfce2c171d21e7d3594">but the deal fell apart in spectacular fashion</a>&nbsp;among a last-minute disagreement between his lawyers and federal prosecutors. He went to trial in Delaware last year and was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-gun-trial-federal-charges-delaware-5dd8a9380235c6360a1ddb691ef24a06">convicted of three federal felonies</a>&nbsp;that accused him of having lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.Describing the younger Biden as a “Yale-educated lawyer and businessperson,” Weiss said the president's son understood that he was lying when he filled out the federal form when he bought his gun in 2018 and marked that he wasn’t a drug user.“But he did it anyway, because he wanted to own a gun, even though he was actively using crack cocaine,” Weiss wrote.Hunter Biden subsequently entered a surprise guilty plea last September to federal tax charges, averting a trial that would have showcased potentially lurid evidence on top of the salacious and unflattering details about his personal life aired during his earlier trial in Delaware.Weiss said Hunter “consciously and willfully chose” not to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes over four years.The president's claims that Hunter Biden was mistreated by the criminal justice system echoed in some ways arguments from the younger Biden's legal team, who had asserted that prosecutors bowed to political pressure to indict Hunter after the collapse of what Donald Trump and other Republicans called a “sweetheart” plea deal.Not so, said Weiss.“Far from selective, these prosecutions were the embodiment of the equal application of justice — no matter who you are, or what your last name is, you are subject to the same laws as everyone else in the United States,” Weiss said.____Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Colleen Long and Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report.

Read Special Counsel's final report on Hunter Biden

FINNEY COUNTY —Law enforcement in southwest Kansas are investigating a surge in fentanyl crimes.

Over the weekend, police in Garden City reported First Responders have responded to several suspected fentanyl-related overdoses in the community over a 24-hour period, according to a social media report.

"While none of these overdoses resulted in death, fentanyl continues to drive the overdose epidemic and is the #1 cause of death for Americans ages 18-45." 

"Fentanyl is being used to make fake prescription pills or mixed with other types of street drugs, in powder and pill form, to drive addiction." The police department reminded the public, "talk to your friends and family about fentanyl. No drug is worth your life.The GCPD is investigating these incidents and continues efforts to stop the flow of drugs."

We encourage the community to report illegal drug activity by calling us at (620) 276-1300. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers at (620) 275-7807, or text your tip to Garden City PD, text GCTIP, and your information to Tip411 (847411)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664309962436.png" alt="File photo Fentanyl " />
 <figcaption>File photo Fentanyl </figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY —Law enforcement in southwest Kansas are investigating a surge in fentanyl crimes.Over the weekend, police in Garden City reported First Responders have responded to several suspected fentanyl-related overdoses in the community over a 24-hour period, according to a social media report."While none of these overdoses resulted in death, fentanyl continues to drive the overdose epidemic and is the #1 cause of death for Americans ages 18-45." "Fentanyl is being used to make fake prescription pills or mixed with other types of street drugs, in powder and pill form, to drive addiction." The police department reminded the public, "talk to your friends and family about fentanyl. No drug is worth your life.The GCPD is investigating these incidents and continues efforts to stop the flow of drugs."We encourage the community to report illegal drug activity by calling us at (620) 276-1300. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers at (620) 275-7807, or text your tip to Garden City PD, text GCTIP, and your information to Tip411 (847411)

Police: Surge in suspected fentanyl-related overdoses in SW Kansas

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes is already having a golden playoffs and the Chiefs haven't even played yet.

The two-time NFL MVP quarterback and his wife, Brittany,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DExu1ETx-0Q/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">announced Monday the birth of their third child</a>, a daughter that they named Golden Raye. She was born on Sunday while Kansas City was waiting to learn its divisional-round opponent.

The Chiefs, who are chasing an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-nfl-playoffs-6f7dbffff1f69e7b31277850fa6626b3">unprecedented third consecutive Lombardi Trophy</a>, had the weekend off as the No. 1 seed. They will play the Houston Texans on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in a rematch of a game won by Kansas City last month.

The Mahomes' have a daughter, 3-year-old Sterling, and a 2-year-old son named Bronze.

“I always wanted to have kids young,” Mahomes, whose father Patrick Mahomes Sr. spent 11 years pitching in the big leagues, said during an interview last year. “I got to grow up in the locker room. I mean, I’ve talked about it before, and it made such an impact in my life. And so I wanted to have kids young, and we’re having our third kid now to join the family.”

Patrick Mahomes said during an interview last month that he hoped the timing would work out so that their latest child would arrive during their bye week. Mahomes announced in a social media posting with his wife in July that they were expecting their third child, and about a week later they revealed that they were having another girl.

Patrick and Brittany Mahomes have been together since high school. He went on to play quarterback at Texas Tech before the Chiefs made him a first-round pick in the 2017 draft, while she played soccer at the University of Texas-Tyler before a stint as a professional in Iceland. The couple wed in Hawaii in March 2022.

As for a fourth child? Well,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/patrick-mahomes-kansas-city-chiefs-623b76507d9375f2e19ecfd78e8ede24">the two-time NFL MVP put the thought to rest</a>&nbsp;ahead of training camp last July.

“I'm done. I'll say that,” Mahomes said with a grin. “I did three and I'm done.”

KANSAS CITY— Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and wife Brittany are now a family of five.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724461026275.png" alt="-File photo Brittany Mahomes (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)" />
 <figcaption>-File photo Brittany Mahomes (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes is already having a golden playoffs and the Chiefs haven't even played yet.The two-time NFL MVP quarterback and his wife, Brittany,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DExu1ETx-0Q/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">announced Monday the birth of their third child</a>, a daughter that they named Golden Raye. She was born on Sunday while Kansas City was waiting to learn its divisional-round opponent.The Chiefs, who are chasing an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-nfl-playoffs-6f7dbffff1f69e7b31277850fa6626b3">unprecedented third consecutive Lombardi Trophy</a>, had the weekend off as the No. 1 seed. They will play the Houston Texans on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in a rematch of a game won by Kansas City last month.The Mahomes' have a daughter, 3-year-old Sterling, and a 2-year-old son named Bronze.“I always wanted to have kids young,” Mahomes, whose father Patrick Mahomes Sr. spent 11 years pitching in the big leagues, said during an interview last year. “I got to grow up in the locker room. I mean, I’ve talked about it before, and it made such an impact in my life. And so I wanted to have kids young, and we’re having our third kid now to join the family.”Patrick Mahomes said during an interview last month that he hoped the timing would work out so that their latest child would arrive during their bye week. Mahomes announced in a social media posting with his wife in July that they were expecting their third child, and about a week later they revealed that they were having another girl.Patrick and Brittany Mahomes have been together since high school. He went on to play quarterback at Texas Tech before the Chiefs made him a first-round pick in the 2017 draft, while she played soccer at the University of Texas-Tyler before a stint as a professional in Iceland. The couple wed in Hawaii in March 2022.As for a fourth child? Well,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/patrick-mahomes-kansas-city-chiefs-623b76507d9375f2e19ecfd78e8ede24">the two-time NFL MVP put the thought to rest</a>&nbsp;ahead of training camp last July.“I'm done. I'll say that,” Mahomes said with a grin. “I did three and I'm done.”___KANSAS CITY— Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and wife Brittany are now a family of five.On&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DExu1ETx-0Q/" target="_blank">Instagram </a>Monday afternoon, Brittany Mahomes announced the birth of the couples third child, Golden Raye Mahomes. According to the Instagram post, the baby girl was born on Sunday.