<b>By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT<br></b><i>Hays Post</i>

The parents of a young child killed as a result of child abuse in May 2015 in Hays will both serve a year of probation.

According to court documents, the 4-month-old child of Ahmed Keita and Kassie Day was hospitalized on May 16, 2015, with retinal hemorrhages and bruises on her cheek. The child was pronounced brain dead two days later and died at a Wichita hospital.

The Sedgwick County district coroner performed an autopsy and ruled the death a homicide.

Court documents showed the coroner’s report found bruising, hemorrhaging and damage to the spinal cord.

The case then lay dormant until Ellis County Attorney Robert Anderson convened a grand jury in August 2023.

Fourteen of the 15 members of the grand jury returned an indictment charging both Keita and Day with felony first-degree murder.

During pretrial negotiations, Day told the prosecutor that she believed Keita was responsible for the child’s death and agreed to testify against him.

Day recalled an incident in which she believed that Keita was shaking the baby when she entered the room. Another time, the child was left alone with Keita. When Day returned, she said the child was experiencing unusual behavior. Keita also tried to stop Day from taking the child to the emergency room after the incident.

Finally, according to court documents, when the couple learned of the baby’s death from abuse, Day claimed Keita did not show the same emotions she did.

As a result of her plea agreement, Day agreed to testify against Keita, and she pled no contest to aggravated endangering a child, a level nine person felony and interference with law enforcement — falsely reporting information, a severity level nine nonperson felony on Oct. 24, 2023. A conviction on both charges carries a sentence of presumptive probation.

In May 2024, Keita entered into a plea agreement with the Ellis County Attorney’s office.

He pled to two misdemeanors, including endangerment, a misdemeanor and interference with law enforcement, a misdemeanor.

Both charges were not as serious as the ones that Day pled no contest to.

Keita was sentenced to 12 months unsupervised probation with an underlying sentence of 10 months on May 3, 2024.

Day, according to court documents, was upset with the Keita plea deal and wanted to testify against Keita at trial, “holding him (Keita) accountable for what he had done to their daughter.”

She initially asked for her pleas to be withdrawn and requested that the state drop the charges. When that did not happen, she accepted the same plea agreement that Keita had received, which included misdemeanor charges of endangerment and interference.

The judge in the case accepted Day’s motion to withdraw her initial plea and accepted a guilty plea at a hearing on Aug. 30. Day was sentenced to a year of unsupervised probation with an underlying prison sentence of 10 months.

According to court documents, Day continues to maintain her innocence in the case. She accepted the misdemeanor plea because “she does not want to risk a conviction and a lifetime in prison.”

In documents filed in Ellis County District Court, Attorney Robert Anderson said he believed that Keita was responsible for the child’s death, but the primary investigator in the case believed Day was the responsible party.

Anderson, who did not offer comment on the case, said in court filings, “During the pendency of both cases, the Ellis County Attorney struggled with competing interests.”

"Ultimately, the undersigned counsel could not have in good conscience stood in front of a jury and asked them to find, based upon the evidence and beyond a reasonable doubt, that either or both of these parents were guilty of 'felony murder.'"

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1693090448638.png" alt="Day photo Ellis Co." />
                        <figcaption>Day photo Ellis Co.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p><b>By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT<br></b><i>Hays Post</i></p><p>The parents of a young child killed as a result of child abuse in May 2015 in Hays will both serve a year of probation.</p><p>According to court documents, the 4-month-old child of Ahmed Keita and Kassie Day was hospitalized on May 16, 2015, with retinal hemorrhages and bruises on her cheek. The child was pronounced brain dead two days later and died at a Wichita hospital.</p><p>The Sedgwick County district coroner performed an autopsy and ruled the death a homicide.</p><p>Court documents showed the coroner’s report found bruising, hemorrhaging and damage to the spinal cord.</p><p>The case then lay dormant until Ellis County Attorney Robert Anderson convened a grand jury in August 2023.</p><p>Fourteen of the 15 members of the grand jury returned an indictment charging both Keita and Day with felony first-degree murder.</p><p>During pretrial negotiations, Day told the prosecutor that she believed Keita was responsible for the child’s death and agreed to testify against him.</p><p>Day recalled an incident in which she believed that Keita was shaking the baby when she entered the room. Another time, the child was left alone with Keita. When Day returned, she said the child was experiencing unusual behavior. Keita also tried to stop Day from taking the child to the emergency room after the incident.</p><p>Finally, according to court documents, when the couple learned of the baby’s death from abuse, Day claimed Keita did not show the same emotions she did.</p><p>As a result of her plea agreement, Day agreed to testify against Keita, and she pled no contest to aggravated endangering a child, a level nine person felony and interference with law enforcement — falsely reporting information, a severity level nine nonperson felony on Oct. 24, 2023. A conviction on both charges carries a sentence of presumptive probation.</p><p>In May 2024, Keita entered into a plea agreement with the Ellis County Attorney’s office.</p><p>He pled to two misdemeanors, including endangerment, a misdemeanor and interference with law enforcement, a misdemeanor.</p><p>Both charges were not as serious as the ones that Day pled no contest to.</p><p>Keita was sentenced to 12 months unsupervised probation with an underlying sentence of 10 months on May 3, 2024.</p><p>Day, according to court documents, was upset with the Keita plea deal and wanted to testify against Keita at trial, “holding him (Keita) accountable for what he had done to their daughter.”</p><p>She initially asked for her pleas to be withdrawn and requested that the state drop the charges. When that did not happen, she accepted the same plea agreement that Keita had received, which included misdemeanor charges of endangerment and interference.</p><p>The judge in the case accepted Day’s motion to withdraw her initial plea and accepted a guilty plea at a hearing on Aug. 30. Day was sentenced to a year of unsupervised probation with an underlying prison sentence of 10 months.</p><p>According to court documents, Day continues to maintain her innocence in the case. She accepted the misdemeanor plea because “she does not want to risk a conviction and a lifetime in prison.”</p><p>In documents filed in Ellis County District Court, Attorney Robert Anderson said he believed that Keita was responsible for the child’s death, but the primary investigator in the case believed Day was the responsible party.</p><p>Anderson, who did not offer comment on the case, said in court filings, “During the pendency of both cases, the Ellis County Attorney struggled with competing interests.”</p><p>"Ultimately, the undersigned counsel could not have in good conscience stood in front of a jury and asked them to find, based upon the evidence and beyond a reasonable doubt, that either or both of these parents were guilty of 'felony murder.'"</p>

NW Kansas couple get plea deal in death of 4-month-old

MARSHALL COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before noon Wednesday in Marshall County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Jeep Cherokee driven by&nbsp; Emily Jay Larson, 23, Breman, was westbound on U.S. 36 just east of West River Road.

The jeep crossed the center line and struck an eastbound 2020 Buick Enclave driven by Bernice Marie&nbsp;Nietfeld, 89, Marysville.

&nbsp;Larson was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Kinsley Mortuary. EMS transported&nbsp;Nietfeld to&nbsp;Bryan West Medical Center, Lincoln, Nebraska. Both drivers were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

<p>MARSHALL COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before noon Wednesday in Marshall County.</p><p>The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Jeep Cherokee driven by&nbsp; Emily Jay Larson, 23, Breman, was westbound on U.S. 36 just east of West River Road.</p><p>The jeep crossed the center line and struck an eastbound 2020 Buick Enclave driven by Bernice Marie&nbsp;Nietfeld, 89, Marysville.</p><p>&nbsp;Larson was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Kinsley Mortuary. EMS transported&nbsp;Nietfeld to&nbsp;Bryan West Medical Center, Lincoln, Nebraska. Both drivers were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.</p>

Kansas woman dies after 2 SUVs collide

<i>Clarification: An earlier headline on this story mentioned a weapon. The charges as filed by the Brown County Attorney do not include a gun charge.</i>

BROWN COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on drug allegations.

Just before 2a.m. Tuesday, based on an investigation, the Brown County Sheriff's Office Drug Task Force initiated a search warrant at 310 N. 8th in the city of Hiawatha, according to Sheriff John Merchant.

&nbsp; Upon completion of the warrant, Joshua Kasemeyer, 46, Osceola, Missouri was arrested on requested charges of Possession of Meth, Possession of Hallucinogenic Drug, Possession of Marijuana With Intent to Distribute, No Drug Tax Stamp and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.&nbsp;

 Taylor Garcia 30, Hiawatha was arrested on requested charges of Possession of Hallucinogenic, Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725996133339.png" alt="Kasemeyer photo Brown Co." />
                        <figcaption>Kasemeyer photo Brown Co.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p><i>Clarification: An earlier headline on this story mentioned a weapon. The charges as filed by the Brown County Attorney do not include a gun charge.</i></p><p>BROWN COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on drug allegations.</p><p>Just before 2a.m. Tuesday, based on an investigation, the Brown County Sheriff's Office Drug Task Force initiated a search warrant at 310 N. 8th in the city of Hiawatha, according to Sheriff John Merchant.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725996107320.png" alt="Garcia photo Brown Co." />
                        <figcaption>Garcia photo Brown Co.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>&nbsp; Upon completion of the warrant, Joshua Kasemeyer, 46, Osceola, Missouri was arrested on requested charges of Possession of Meth, Possession of Hallucinogenic Drug, Possession of Marijuana With Intent to Distribute, No Drug Tax Stamp and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.&nbsp;</p><p> Taylor Garcia 30, Hiawatha was arrested on requested charges of Possession of Hallucinogenic, Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.</p>

Sheriff: Two arrested on drug charges

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said Wednesday he will not endorse either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, even as the former president continued to call Mahomes' wife, Brittany, a supporter of his campaign.

“I don't want my place and my platform to be used to endorse a candidate or do whatever, either way," Mahomes said before heading out to practice for Sunday's game against Cincinnati. "I think my place is to inform people to get registered to vote. It's to inform people to do their own research and then make the best decision for them and their family.”

The comments from the three-time Super Bowl champion came less than a day after Taylor Swift,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ravens-chiefs-taylor-swift-nfl-9f78a6dad40ff62993c2462e9c653964">who is dating his Chiefs teammate Travis Kelce</a>&nbsp;and has become friends with the Mahomes family, endorsed Harris for the presidency.

Swift's endorsement led Trump to say in a phone interview with Fox News on Wednesday: "I actually like Mrs. Mahomes much better, if you want to know the truth. She's a big Trump fan. I like Brittany. I think Brittany is great.”

Trump began referencing Brittany Mahomes last month, after she had liked — and then unliked — an Instagram post by the Republican presidential nominee outlining the “2024 GOP platform.” Trump posted soon afterward on Truth Social: “I want to thank beautiful Brittany Mahomes for so strongly defending me.”

Brittany Mahomes has since stayed out of the political spotlight except to respond to critics on social media, saying in a post: “To be a hater as an adult, you have to have some deep rooted issues you refuse to heal from childhood.”

Patrick Mahomes sidestepped a question Wednesday specifically about Trump's references to his wife, saying instead that “at the end of the day, it's about me and my family and how we treat other people.”

“I think you see Brittany does a lot in the community. I do a lot in the community to help bring people up, and give people an opportunity to use their voice,” he said. “In political times people are going to use stuff here and there, but I can't let that affect how I go about my business every single day of my life, and trying to live it to the best of my ability.”

Swift became close with the Mahomes family last year, when she began to date Kelce, often sharing the same suite during games at Arrowhead Stadium. Some thought a rift had developed between them when they were not seen together during the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ravens-chiefs-taylor-swift-nfl-9f78a6dad40ff62993c2462e9c653964">Chiefs' season-opening win over the Ravens</a>&nbsp;last week, but they showed up together in New York last weekend&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-open-taylor-swift-4f92f1af167f695f0a196bb61b7ddf52">to watch the U.S. Open.</a>

“Whenever I'm hanging out with whoever, I'm not thinking about their political views or anything like that,” Patrick Mahomes said. “I'm thinking about the people and how they treat other people, and I was with a lot of great people this week.”

Swift offered her support to Harris shortly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=apnews+debate&amp;rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS1085US1085&amp;oq=apnews+debate&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBggAEEUYOzIGCAAQRRg7MgkIARAAGAoYgAQyCggCEAAYChgWGB4yDQgDEAAYhgMYgAQYigUyCggEEAAYgAQYogQyCggFEAAYgAQYogQyCggGEAAYgAQYogQyBggHEEUYQNIBCTI2MTFqMGoxNagCCLACAQ&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8">after the presidential debate ended</a>&nbsp;Tuesday night, a potentially significant coup for the Democratic nominee given Swift's dedicated following among young women, an important demographic for the November election. The endorsement also came after Trump's campaign&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112984762512136574">shared a collage</a>&nbsp;of AI-generated images purporting to show Swift fans supporting him.

“I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” Swift wrote in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_wtAOKOW1z/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D">an Instagram post</a>, which had been liked more than 9 million times by Wednesday afternoon.

Trump’s posts “brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” Swift wrote. She added that “I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice.”

Mahomes declined to speak specifically about his own political beliefs, instead talking more broadly about national unity.

“You've seen my history. I've come up with people from every aspect of life, from every background,” the Chiefs quarterback said, “and the best thing about football locker rooms and kind of how I've grown up in baseball locker rooms is people can come together and achieve something, and achieve a common goal. We talked about it a while back. If we can do that as a nation, we can get the best out of each other, so that's something I do every single day.”

<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><p>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said Wednesday he will not endorse either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, even as the former president continued to call Mahomes' wife, Brittany, a supporter of his campaign.</p><p>“I don't want my place and my platform to be used to endorse a candidate or do whatever, either way," Mahomes said before heading out to practice for Sunday's game against Cincinnati. "I think my place is to inform people to get registered to vote. It's to inform people to do their own research and then make the best decision for them and their family.”</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724460634025.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>The comments from the three-time Super Bowl champion came less than a day after Taylor Swift,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ravens-chiefs-taylor-swift-nfl-9f78a6dad40ff62993c2462e9c653964">who is dating his Chiefs teammate Travis Kelce</a>&nbsp;and has become friends with the Mahomes family, endorsed Harris for the presidency.</p><p>Swift's endorsement led Trump to say in a phone interview with Fox News on Wednesday: "I actually like Mrs. Mahomes much better, if you want to know the truth. She's a big Trump fan. I like Brittany. I think Brittany is great.”</p><p>Trump began referencing Brittany Mahomes last month, after she had liked — and then unliked — an Instagram post by the Republican presidential nominee outlining the “2024 GOP platform.” Trump posted soon afterward on Truth Social: “I want to thank beautiful Brittany Mahomes for so strongly defending me.”</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724460661858.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Brittany Mahomes has since stayed out of the political spotlight except to respond to critics on social media, saying in a post: “To be a hater as an adult, you have to have some deep rooted issues you refuse to heal from childhood.”</p><p>Patrick Mahomes sidestepped a question Wednesday specifically about Trump's references to his wife, saying instead that “at the end of the day, it's about me and my family and how we treat other people.”</p><p>“I think you see Brittany does a lot in the community. I do a lot in the community to help bring people up, and give people an opportunity to use their voice,” he said. “In political times people are going to use stuff here and there, but I can't let that affect how I go about my business every single day of my life, and trying to live it to the best of my ability.”</p><p>Swift became close with the Mahomes family last year, when she began to date Kelce, often sharing the same suite during games at Arrowhead Stadium. Some thought a rift had developed between them when they were not seen together during the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ravens-chiefs-taylor-swift-nfl-9f78a6dad40ff62993c2462e9c653964">Chiefs' season-opening win over the Ravens</a>&nbsp;last week, but they showed up together in New York last weekend&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-open-taylor-swift-4f92f1af167f695f0a196bb61b7ddf52">to watch the U.S. Open.</a></p><p>“Whenever I'm hanging out with whoever, I'm not thinking about their political views or anything like that,” Patrick Mahomes said. “I'm thinking about the people and how they treat other people, and I was with a lot of great people this week.”</p><p>Swift offered her support to Harris shortly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=apnews+debate&amp;rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS1085US1085&amp;oq=apnews+debate&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBggAEEUYOzIGCAAQRRg7MgkIARAAGAoYgAQyCggCEAAYChgWGB4yDQgDEAAYhgMYgAQYigUyCggEEAAYgAQYogQyCggFEAAYgAQYogQyCggGEAAYgAQYogQyBggHEEUYQNIBCTI2MTFqMGoxNagCCLACAQ&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8">after the presidential debate ended</a>&nbsp;Tuesday night, a potentially significant coup for the Democratic nominee given Swift's dedicated following among young women, an important demographic for the November election. The endorsement also came after Trump's campaign&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112984762512136574">shared a collage</a>&nbsp;of AI-generated images purporting to show Swift fans supporting him.</p><p>“I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” Swift wrote in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_wtAOKOW1z/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D">an Instagram post</a>, which had been liked more than 9 million times by Wednesday afternoon.</p><p>Trump’s posts “brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” Swift wrote. She added that “I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice.”</p><p>Mahomes declined to speak specifically about his own political beliefs, instead talking more broadly about national unity.</p><p>“You've seen my history. I've come up with people from every aspect of life, from every background,” the Chiefs quarterback said, “and the best thing about football locker rooms and kind of how I've grown up in baseball locker rooms is people can come together and achieve something, and achieve a common goal. We talked about it a while back. If we can do that as a nation, we can get the best out of each other, so that's something I do every single day.”</p>

Patrick Mahomes comments on the 2024 race for President

WILSON COUNTY —Two people died in an accident just after 6:30a.m. Wednesday in Wilson County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis driven by Donald J.&nbsp; Christeson, 76, Liberty, Kansas, was westbound on U.S. 400 a mile and one half south of Kansas 47 highway.

The car struck the trailer axel on a southbound 2000 Freightliner semi driven by 74-year-old Carl J.  Studebaker of Fredonia, who made a left turn onto eastbound U.S. 400 from Jewell Road and failed to yield, according to the KHP.

&nbsp;Christeson and a passenger in the car identified as Teresa J.&nbsp;Mansfield, 61, Independence, Kansas, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Studebaker was not injured. All three were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

<p>WILSON COUNTY —Two people died in an accident just after 6:30a.m. Wednesday in Wilson County.</p><p>The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis driven by Donald J.&nbsp; Christeson, 76, Liberty, Kansas, was westbound on U.S. 400 a mile and one half south of Kansas 47 highway.</p><p>The car struck the trailer axel on a southbound 2000 Freightliner semi driven by 74-year-old Carl J.  Studebaker of Fredonia, who made a left turn onto eastbound U.S. 400 from Jewell Road and failed to yield, according to the KHP.</p><p>&nbsp;Christeson and a passenger in the car identified as Teresa J.&nbsp;Mansfield, 61, Independence, Kansas, were pronounced dead at the scene.</p><p>Studebaker was not injured. All three were properly restrained, according to the KHP.</p>

Kansas man and woman dead after car, semi crash

By BRENT MARTIN<br><i>St. Joseph Post</i>

A Savannah, Missouri police officer has been fired in wake of being charged in the death of Savannah K-9 Officer Horus.

Savannah Police Lt. Daniel Zeigler has been charged with a misdemeanor in the death of Horus, left in a hot patrol car June 20th. An investigation by the Missouri State Highway Patrol determined Horus died of heat exhaustion. The report also found a safety measure in the car that could have prevented the death had been disabled.

The Savannah Board of Alderman voted to terminate Zeigler’s employment Tuesday.

The misdemeanor charge carries a punishment of up to one year in jail and a fine of $2,000.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720202220440.png" alt="Horus courtesy photo" />
                        <figcaption>Horus courtesy photo</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By BRENT MARTIN<br><i>St. Joseph Post</i></p><p>A Savannah, Missouri police officer has been fired in wake of being charged in the death of Savannah K-9 Officer Horus.</p><p>Savannah Police Lt. Daniel Zeigler has been charged with a misdemeanor in the death of Horus, left in a hot patrol car June 20th. An investigation by the Missouri State Highway Patrol determined Horus died of heat exhaustion. The report also found a safety measure in the car that could have prevented the death had been disabled.</p><p>The Savannah Board of Alderman voted to terminate Zeigler’s employment Tuesday.</p><p>The misdemeanor charge carries a punishment of up to one year in jail and a fine of $2,000.</p>

Officer fired after charges filed for police dog's hot car death

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — More details were released Wednesday afternoon on the incident at the Kansas State Fairgrounds.

&nbsp;Just after 6p.m. Tuesday, Hutchinson Fire Department was dispatched to the report of a fire at the “Fry Shack”, located at 500 20th Avenue on the Kansas State Fairgrounds.

&nbsp;Crews arrived to find the concession trailer owned by D Dusek Concessions that appeared to have had a small explosion.&nbsp;&nbsp;The State Fire Marshal responded on scene with four agents to assist the Hutchinson Fire Department who had one truck, one fire engine, and three Staff Chiefs on scene.

Upon conclusion of the investigation, it was determined that the cause of the incident was an overpressure of a canned food product which had been stored in the vicinity of a food warmer. The canned food item got too hot, causing the small explosion.

Reno County EMS responded to six injured people. Three declined medical assistance and one declined medical evaluation. Two were transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center where they were treated for lacerations and discharged that same evening.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726018316320.jpeg" alt="A food trailer was damaged in what firefighters called a 'small explosion' at the Kansas State Fairgrounds on Tuesday, Sept. 10. Submitted Photo." />
                        <figcaption>A food trailer was damaged in what firefighters called a 'small explosion' at the Kansas State Fairgrounds on Tuesday, Sept. 10. Submitted Photo.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — More details were released Wednesday afternoon on the incident at the Kansas State Fairgrounds.</p><p>&nbsp;Just after 6p.m. Tuesday, Hutchinson Fire Department was dispatched to the report of a fire at the “Fry Shack”, located at 500 20th Avenue on the Kansas State Fairgrounds.</p><p>&nbsp;Crews arrived to find the concession trailer owned by D Dusek Concessions that appeared to have had a small explosion.&nbsp;&nbsp;The State Fire Marshal responded on scene with four agents to assist the Hutchinson Fire Department who had one truck, one fire engine, and three Staff Chiefs on scene.</p><p>Upon conclusion of the investigation, it was determined that the cause of the incident was an overpressure of a canned food product which had been stored in the vicinity of a food warmer. The canned food item got too hot, causing the small explosion.</p><p>Reno County EMS responded to six injured people. Three declined medical assistance and one declined medical evaluation. Two were transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center where they were treated for lacerations and discharged that same evening.</p>

Fire Marshal determines cause of explosion at State Fair food trailer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Taylor Swift, one of the music industry's biggest stars, endorsed Kamala Harris for president shortly&nbsp;after the presidential debate ended.

“I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” Swift wrote late Tuesday in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_wtAOKOW1z/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D">an Instagram post</a>, which included a link to a voter registration website.

Swift has a dedicated following among young women, a key demographic in the November election, and her latest tour has generated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-eras-tour-billion-dollar-record-52945111233438b1f2166aa19eee365f">more than $1 billion</a>&nbsp;in ticket sales. In a half hour, the post received more than 2.3 million likes.

She included a picture of herself holding her cat Benjamin Button, and she signed the message “Childless Cat Lady.” The remark is a reference to three-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jd-vance-kamala-harris-childless-trump-0a37e991097b66c52bff5bf7ecf8de7b">comments made by JD Vance</a>, Donald Trump's running mate, about women without children not having an equal stake in the country's future.

A Harris senior campaign official said the endorsement was not coordinated with the campaign. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, appeared to learn about the endorsement in the middle of a live interview on MSNBC. As Rachel Maddow read the text, Walz broke into a smile and patted his chest.

“That was eloquent. And it was clear," Walz said. "And that’s the kind of courage we need in America to stand up.”

Swift wrote that her endorsement was partially prompted by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-taylor-swift-fake-endorsement-ai-fec99c412d960932839e3eab8d49fd5f">Trump’s decision to post artificial intelligence-generated pictures</a>&nbsp;suggesting that she had endorsed him. One showed Swift dressed as Uncle Sam, and the text said “Taylor wants YOU to VOTE for DONALD TRUMP.”

Trump's posts “brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” Swift wrote. She added that "I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice."

Trump said Wednesday that Swift's move “was just a question of time.” He told “Fox &amp; Friends” that Swift is “a very liberal person” who “seems to always endorse a Democrat and she'll probably pay a price in the marketplace.”

In 2020, she&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/taylorswift13/status/1313938080290803715?s=20">supported Democrat Joe Biden</a>, and she cheered for Harris in her debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence. She also was openly critical of Trump, saying he had stoked “the fires of white supremacy and racism.”

Swift is a popular figure nationwide, but especially among Democrats. An October 2023 Fox News poll found that 55% of voters overall, including 68% of Democrats, said they had a favorable view of Swift. Republicans were divided, with 43% having a favorable opinion and 45% an unfavorable one.

AP VoteCast suggests that a partisan divide on Swift was apparent as early as 2018. That’s the year Swift made her first political endorsement, supporting Tennessee Democrat Phil Bredesen for Senate over Republican Marsha Blackburn.

VoteCast found that among Tennessee voters that year, 55% of Democrats and just 19% of Republicans said they had a favorable opinion of Swift. Blackburn won by a comfortable margin in the deep red state.

Swift is the leading nominee at Wednesday’s MTV Video Music Awards. While it’s unclear whether Swift will attend the show in New York, she could use any acceptance speeches to elaborate on her support of Harris.

The event was shifted a day later to accommodate Tuesday’s debate. MTV has a long history of encouraging voter participation.

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Taylor Swift, one of the music industry's biggest stars, endorsed Kamala Harris for president shortly&nbsp;after the presidential debate ended.</p><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_wtAOKOW1z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_wtAOKOW1z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_wtAOKOW1z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div><p>“I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” Swift wrote late Tuesday in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_wtAOKOW1z/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D">an Instagram post</a>, which included a link to a voter registration website.</p><p>Swift has a dedicated following among young women, a key demographic in the November election, and her latest tour has generated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-eras-tour-billion-dollar-record-52945111233438b1f2166aa19eee365f">more than $1 billion</a>&nbsp;in ticket sales. In a half hour, the post received more than 2.3 million likes.</p><p>She included a picture of herself holding her cat Benjamin Button, and she signed the message “Childless Cat Lady.” The remark is a reference to three-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jd-vance-kamala-harris-childless-trump-0a37e991097b66c52bff5bf7ecf8de7b">comments made by JD Vance</a>, Donald Trump's running mate, about women without children not having an equal stake in the country's future.</p><p>A Harris senior campaign official said the endorsement was not coordinated with the campaign. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, appeared to learn about the endorsement in the middle of a live interview on MSNBC. As Rachel Maddow read the text, Walz broke into a smile and patted his chest.</p><p>“That was eloquent. And it was clear," Walz said. "And that’s the kind of courage we need in America to stand up.”</p><p>Swift wrote that her endorsement was partially prompted by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-taylor-swift-fake-endorsement-ai-fec99c412d960932839e3eab8d49fd5f">Trump’s decision to post artificial intelligence-generated pictures</a>&nbsp;suggesting that she had endorsed him. One showed Swift dressed as Uncle Sam, and the text said “Taylor wants YOU to VOTE for DONALD TRUMP.”</p><p>Trump's posts “brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” Swift wrote. She added that "I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice."</p><p>Trump said Wednesday that Swift's move “was just a question of time.” He told “Fox &amp; Friends” that Swift is “a very liberal person” who “seems to always endorse a Democrat and she'll probably pay a price in the marketplace.”</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726077918382.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>In 2020, she&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/taylorswift13/status/1313938080290803715?s=20">supported Democrat Joe Biden</a>, and she cheered for Harris in her debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence. She also was openly critical of Trump, saying he had stoked “the fires of white supremacy and racism.”</p><p>Swift is a popular figure nationwide, but especially among Democrats. An October 2023 Fox News poll found that 55% of voters overall, including 68% of Democrats, said they had a favorable view of Swift. Republicans were divided, with 43% having a favorable opinion and 45% an unfavorable one.</p><p>AP VoteCast suggests that a partisan divide on Swift was apparent as early as 2018. That’s the year Swift made her first political endorsement, supporting Tennessee Democrat Phil Bredesen for Senate over Republican Marsha Blackburn.</p><p>VoteCast found that among Tennessee voters that year, 55% of Democrats and just 19% of Republicans said they had a favorable opinion of Swift. Blackburn won by a comfortable margin in the deep red state.</p><p>Swift is the leading nominee at Wednesday’s MTV Video Music Awards. While it’s unclear whether Swift will attend the show in New York, she could use any acceptance speeches to elaborate on her support of Harris.</p><p>The event was shifted a day later to accommodate Tuesday’s debate. MTV has a long history of encouraging voter participation.</p><p>___</p>

Trump responds to Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris

SALINE COUNTY —USD 305 Salina is actively investigating a report of a student injury that occurred during class in a weight room within Salina Public Schools, according to a statement from the school district.

&nbsp;"The safety and well-being of our students remain our top priority. In accordance with district procedures, the teacher involved has been placed on administrative leave. We are committed to conducting a thorough review," the district wrote in a statement on the incident.

&nbsp;The student received medical care under the supervision of parents/guardians

Due to the investigation, USD 305 said it was unable to provide further details including the name of the teacher or the injury to the student.l.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694639848087.jpeg" alt="USD 305 Salina Public Schools District Office&nbsp;" />
                        <figcaption>USD 305 Salina Public Schools District Office&nbsp;</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SALINE COUNTY —USD 305 Salina is actively investigating a report of a student injury that occurred during class in a weight room within Salina Public Schools, according to a statement from the school district.</p><p>&nbsp;"The safety and well-being of our students remain our top priority. In accordance with district procedures, the teacher involved has been placed on administrative leave. We are committed to conducting a thorough review," the district wrote in a statement on the incident.</p><p>&nbsp;The student received medical care under the supervision of parents/guardians</p><p>Due to the investigation, USD 305 said it was unable to provide further details including the name of the teacher or the injury to the student.l.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Check the Post for additional details as they become available.</p>

Kan. teacher placed on leave after student injured in weight room

WASHINGTON (AP) — The post-pandemic spike in U.S. inflation eased further last month as year-over-year price increases reached a three-year low, clearing the way for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates and likely shaping the economic debate in the final weeks of the presidential race.

Wednesday’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cpi.pdf">report</a>&nbsp;from the Labor Department showed that consumer prices rose 2.5% in August from a year earlier, down from 2.9% in July. It was the fifth straight annual drop and the smallest since February 2021. From July to August, prices rose just 0.2%.

Excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called core prices rose 3.2% in August from a year ago, the same as in July. On a month-to-month basis, core prices rose 0.3%, a slight pickup from July's 0.2% increase. Economists closely watch core prices, which typically provide a better read of future inflation trends.

“Today’s report will add to confidence within the Fed that inflation is indeed on a sustainable path towards 2%,” the Fed's target level, Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, wrote in a note to clients.

For months, cooling inflation has provided gradual relief to America’s consumers, who were stung by the price surges that erupted three years ago, particularly for food, gas, rent and other necessities. Inflation peaked in mid-2022 at 9.1%, the highest rate in four decades.

And Americans’ paychecks have risen steadily for the past three years. Overall incomes have even outpaced inflation for roughly the past 18 months, helping more households handle elevated prices. On Tuesday, the Census Bureau&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/income-inflation-prices-pay-economy-poverty-4407a4a4b631f990f91cb0a0990eb710">reported</a>&nbsp;that the median inflation-adjusted household income rose 4% last year to above $80,000, essentially matching the 2019 peak.

Wednesday's inflation figures followed a presidential debate Tuesday night in which former President Donald Trump attacked Vice President Kamala Harris for the price spikes that began a few months after the Biden-Harris administration took office, when global supply chains seized up and caused severe shortages of parts and labor.

During the debate, Trump falsely characterized the scope of the inflation surge when he claimed, “They had the highest inflation perhaps in the history of our country.” In 1980, inflation reached 14.6% — much higher than the 2022 peak.

A key reason for last month's drop in overall inflation was the third drop in gas prices in the past four months: Average gas prices fell 0.6% from July to August and are down 10.6% from a year ago. And used cars fell 1% last month. Measured from a year earlier, used car prices have tumbled 10.4%.

Grocery prices were unchanged from July to August, extending a cool-down in food costs even though they remain much higher than they were three years ago. Over the past year, grocery prices have ticked up just 0.9%, similar to the pace of pre-pandemic food inflation.

Still, many Americans are taking steps to try to stretch their budgets. Kelsey Aubrey, who lives in North Palm Beach, Florida, and was shopping at the discount grocer Aldi on Tuesday, said she typically visits up to four or five stores in her search for the lowest grocery prices.

“We hop from store to store, trying to save where we can,” she said. “Our bills are still pretty high. And we’re working a ton to pay the bills.”

The tick-up in core inflation from July to August reflected an acceleration in housing costs and some spikes in the prices of air fares and hotel rooms, which are likely to prove temporary. Airline fares jumped 3.9% just from July to August after having dropped the previous five months. Hotel room prices climbed 1.8% last month; they had fallen in two of the previous three months.

Fed officials, who are watching housing costs closely, expect them to cool more consistently. According to the real estate brokerage Redfin, the median rent for a new lease rose just 0.9% in August from a year earlier, to $1,645 a month. But the government’s measure includes all rents, including those for people who have been in their apartments for years. It takes time for the slowdown in new rents to show up in the government’s data. Last month, rental costs rose 5.2% from a year ago, according to the government’s consumer price index.

The Fed's policymakers have signaled that they’re increasingly confident that inflation is falling back to their 2% target and are now shifting their focus to supporting the job market, which is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-hiring-federal-reserve-inflation-unemployment-economy-bac1b453d3873d5f23f2061344d28fd9">steadily cooling</a>. As a result, they are poised to begin cutting their benchmark interest rate next week from its 23-year high in hopes of bolstering growth and hiring.

A modest quarter-point cut is widely expected. The pickup in core inflation makes it unlikely that the Fed would consider cutting its key rate by a larger-than-usual half-point next week, as some Wall Street traders had hoped.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stock-markets-economy-fed-rates-fb258e6f83db5796c442f48463c6bfdf">Stock prices slid</a>&nbsp;as a result, with the broad S&amp;P 500 index falling about 1.6% in mid-morning trading.

Still, over time, a series of Fed rate cuts should reduce the cost of borrowing across the economy, including for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards.

During the presidential campaign, Harris has proposed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-economy-taxes-homes-food-prices-insurance-e1ad3f26f2ce8e6cb365a4ffe2ca3e6b">subsidies for home buyers</a>&nbsp;and builders in an effort to ease housing costs. She also backs a federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-price-gouging-ban-inflation-65dc8844bb41159d76886f752b6cab28">ban on price-gouging</a>&nbsp;for groceries. Trump has said he would boost energy production to try to reduce overall inflation.

A number of trends suggest that inflation will keep slowing. Those signs include a drop in oil prices to roughly $67 a barrel early Wednesday, down from a high of $80 last month.

Americans’ paychecks are also growing more slowly — an average of about 3.5% annually, still a solid pace — which reduces inflationary pressures. Two years ago, wage growth was topping 5%, a level that can force businesses to sharply raise prices to cover their higher labor costs.

In a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/interest-rates-prices-inflation-federal-reserve-economy-2cd182eb34a7d6772ff573bec0bcf64d">high-profile speech</a>&nbsp;last month, Fed Chair Jerome Powell noted that inflation was coming under control and suggested that the job market was unlikely to be a source of inflationary pressure.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642689710083.jpeg" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) — The post-pandemic spike in U.S. inflation eased further last month as year-over-year price increases reached a three-year low, clearing the way for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates and likely shaping the economic debate in the final weeks of the presidential race.</p><p>Wednesday’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cpi.pdf">report</a>&nbsp;from the Labor Department showed that consumer prices rose 2.5% in August from a year earlier, down from 2.9% in July. It was the fifth straight annual drop and the smallest since February 2021. From July to August, prices rose just 0.2%.</p><p>Excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called core prices rose 3.2% in August from a year ago, the same as in July. On a month-to-month basis, core prices rose 0.3%, a slight pickup from July's 0.2% increase. Economists closely watch core prices, which typically provide a better read of future inflation trends.</p><p>“Today’s report will add to confidence within the Fed that inflation is indeed on a sustainable path towards 2%,” the Fed's target level, Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, wrote in a note to clients.</p><p>For months, cooling inflation has provided gradual relief to America’s consumers, who were stung by the price surges that erupted three years ago, particularly for food, gas, rent and other necessities. Inflation peaked in mid-2022 at 9.1%, the highest rate in four decades.</p><p>And Americans’ paychecks have risen steadily for the past three years. Overall incomes have even outpaced inflation for roughly the past 18 months, helping more households handle elevated prices. On Tuesday, the Census Bureau&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/income-inflation-prices-pay-economy-poverty-4407a4a4b631f990f91cb0a0990eb710">reported</a>&nbsp;that the median inflation-adjusted household income rose 4% last year to above $80,000, essentially matching the 2019 peak.</p><p>Wednesday's inflation figures followed a presidential debate Tuesday night in which former President Donald Trump attacked Vice President Kamala Harris for the price spikes that began a few months after the Biden-Harris administration took office, when global supply chains seized up and caused severe shortages of parts and labor.</p><p>During the debate, Trump falsely characterized the scope of the inflation surge when he claimed, “They had the highest inflation perhaps in the history of our country.” In 1980, inflation reached 14.6% — much higher than the 2022 peak.</p><p>A key reason for last month's drop in overall inflation was the third drop in gas prices in the past four months: Average gas prices fell 0.6% from July to August and are down 10.6% from a year ago. And used cars fell 1% last month. Measured from a year earlier, used car prices have tumbled 10.4%.</p><p>Grocery prices were unchanged from July to August, extending a cool-down in food costs even though they remain much higher than they were three years ago. Over the past year, grocery prices have ticked up just 0.9%, similar to the pace of pre-pandemic food inflation.</p><p>Still, many Americans are taking steps to try to stretch their budgets. Kelsey Aubrey, who lives in North Palm Beach, Florida, and was shopping at the discount grocer Aldi on Tuesday, said she typically visits up to four or five stores in her search for the lowest grocery prices.</p><p>“We hop from store to store, trying to save where we can,” she said. “Our bills are still pretty high. And we’re working a ton to pay the bills.”</p><p>The tick-up in core inflation from July to August reflected an acceleration in housing costs and some spikes in the prices of air fares and hotel rooms, which are likely to prove temporary. Airline fares jumped 3.9% just from July to August after having dropped the previous five months. Hotel room prices climbed 1.8% last month; they had fallen in two of the previous three months.</p><p>Fed officials, who are watching housing costs closely, expect them to cool more consistently. According to the real estate brokerage Redfin, the median rent for a new lease rose just 0.9% in August from a year earlier, to $1,645 a month. But the government’s measure includes all rents, including those for people who have been in their apartments for years. It takes time for the slowdown in new rents to show up in the government’s data. Last month, rental costs rose 5.2% from a year ago, according to the government’s consumer price index.</p><p>The Fed's policymakers have signaled that they’re increasingly confident that inflation is falling back to their 2% target and are now shifting their focus to supporting the job market, which is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-hiring-federal-reserve-inflation-unemployment-economy-bac1b453d3873d5f23f2061344d28fd9">steadily cooling</a>. As a result, they are poised to begin cutting their benchmark interest rate next week from its 23-year high in hopes of bolstering growth and hiring.</p><p>A modest quarter-point cut is widely expected. The pickup in core inflation makes it unlikely that the Fed would consider cutting its key rate by a larger-than-usual half-point next week, as some Wall Street traders had hoped.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stock-markets-economy-fed-rates-fb258e6f83db5796c442f48463c6bfdf">Stock prices slid</a>&nbsp;as a result, with the broad S&amp;P 500 index falling about 1.6% in mid-morning trading.</p><p>Still, over time, a series of Fed rate cuts should reduce the cost of borrowing across the economy, including for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards.</p><p>During the presidential campaign, Harris has proposed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-economy-taxes-homes-food-prices-insurance-e1ad3f26f2ce8e6cb365a4ffe2ca3e6b">subsidies for home buyers</a>&nbsp;and builders in an effort to ease housing costs. She also backs a federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-price-gouging-ban-inflation-65dc8844bb41159d76886f752b6cab28">ban on price-gouging</a>&nbsp;for groceries. Trump has said he would boost energy production to try to reduce overall inflation.</p><p>A number of trends suggest that inflation will keep slowing. Those signs include a drop in oil prices to roughly $67 a barrel early Wednesday, down from a high of $80 last month.</p><p>Americans’ paychecks are also growing more slowly — an average of about 3.5% annually, still a solid pace — which reduces inflationary pressures. Two years ago, wage growth was topping 5%, a level that can force businesses to sharply raise prices to cover their higher labor costs.</p><p>In a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/interest-rates-prices-inflation-federal-reserve-economy-2cd182eb34a7d6772ff573bec0bcf64d">high-profile speech</a>&nbsp;last month, Fed Chair Jerome Powell noted that inflation was coming under control and suggested that the job market was unlikely to be a source of inflationary pressure.</p>

US inflation reaches a 3-year low as Fed prepares to cut interest rates

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a detention deputy after a weekend arrest.

On Saturday, Maize Police arrested&nbsp;Off-duty Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office Detention Deputy 28-year-old Nieka Rasberry on on a requested charge of of Domestic Battery, according to a statement from the Sedgwick County Sheriff's office.

Rasberry has been employed by the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office since October 2023 as a detention deputy.&nbsp;&nbsp;Rasberry is currently suspended from duty, pending the outcome of the criminal case and an internal investigation.

After meeting the requirement of bond, she is no longer in custody, according to online jail records.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726002792299.png" alt="Rasberry photo Sedgwick County" />
                        <figcaption>Rasberry photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a detention deputy after a weekend arrest.</p><p>On Saturday, Maize Police arrested&nbsp;Off-duty Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office Detention Deputy 28-year-old Nieka Rasberry on on a requested charge of of Domestic Battery, according to a statement from the Sedgwick County Sheriff's office.</p><p>Rasberry has been employed by the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office since October 2023 as a detention deputy.&nbsp;&nbsp;Rasberry is currently suspended from duty, pending the outcome of the criminal case and an internal investigation.</p><p>After meeting the requirement of bond, she is no longer in custody, according to online jail records.</p>

Kansas jail deputy held in jail where she worked

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. is remembering the lives taken and those reshaped by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/9-11-a-world-changed">9/11</a>, marking an anniversary laced with presidential campaign politics as President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris stood together in the plaza where the twin towers once stood.

Sept. 11 — the date when hijacked plane attacks killed nearly 3,000 people in 2001 — falls in the thick of the presidential election season every four years, and it comes at an especially pointed moment this time.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-trump-debate-tuesday-6ad8c03f6bf1ae88870b7db26276236e">Fresh off their first-ever debate</a>&nbsp;Tuesday night,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Harris</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump</a>&nbsp;met again at the 9/11 observances at the World Trade Center in New York and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania.

Trump and running mate Sen. JD Vance arrived at the trade center site around 8 a.m. and posed for photographs with some in the audience. Harris arrived with Biden about a half-hour later, to cheers of “Kamala!” from some audience members.

Biden and Trump shook hands, and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg appeared to facilitate a handshake between Harris and Trump. Then the Democratic and Republican nominees stood only a few feet apart, with Biden and Bloomberg between them.

But the political backdrop wasn't top-of-mind for victims' relatives such as Cathy Naughton, who came to the ceremony to honor her cousin Michael Roberts, one of hundreds of firefighters killed in the attack.

Twenty-three years later, “it’s just so raw,” she said. “We want to make sure people remember always, and say the names always and never forget.”

“Every year, it just doesn’t get easier,” she added.

Regardless of the campaign calendar, organizers of anniversary ceremonies have long taken pains to try to keep the focus on victims. For years, politicians have been only observers at ground zero observances, with the microphone going instead to relatives who read victims’ names aloud.

If politicians “care about what's actually going on, great. Be here,” Korryn Bishop, who lost her cousin John F. McDowell Jr., said on her way into the ceremony. “If they're just here for political clout, that upsets me.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Biden</a>, on the last Sept. 11 of his term and likely his half-century political career, was headed with Harris later to ceremonies in Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon, the three sites where commercial jets crashed after al-Qaida operatives took them over on Sept. 11, 2001. Trump also was due at the Flight 93 National Memorial near rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Officials later concluded that the aircraft that crashed there was headed toward Washington. It went down after crew members and passengers tried to wrest control from the hijackers.

The attacks killed 2,977 people and left thousands of bereaved relatives and scarred survivors. The planes carved a gash in the Pentagon, the U.S. military headquarters, and brought down the trade center's twin towers, which were among the world's tallest buildings.

The catastrophe also altered U.S. foreign policy, domestic security practices and the mindset of many Americans who had not previously felt vulnerable to attacks by foreign extremists.

Effects rippled around the world and through generations as the U.S. responded by leading a “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/077ff9b545584e4d8936e12cde859192">Global War on Terrorism</a>,” which included invasions of Afghanistan and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iraq-anniversary-refugee-asylum-debf2c74a9f5acc5d6562647d2bef94f">Iraq</a>. Those operations killed hundreds of thousands of Afghans and Iraqis and thousands of American troops, and Afghanistan became the site of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-e10e038baea732dae879c11234507f81">the United States' longest war</a>.

As the complex legacy of 9/11 continues to evolve, communities around the country have developed remembrance traditions that range from laying wreaths to displaying flags, from marches to police radio messages. Volunteer projects also mark the anniversary, which Congress has titled both Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

At ground zero, presidents and other officeholders read poems, parts of the Declaration of Independence and other texts during the first several anniversaries.

But that ended after the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum decided in 2012 to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/sep/10/at-ground-zero-can-there-be-a-politics-free-911/">limit the ceremony to relatives reading</a>&nbsp;victims’ names. Bloomberg was board chairman at the time and still is.

Politicians and candidates still have been able to attend the event. Many do, especially New Yorkers who held office during the attacks, such as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was then a U.S. senator.

She and Trump overlapped at the ground zero 9/11 remembrance in 2016, and it became a fraught chapter in the narrative of that year's presidential campaign.

Clinton, then the Democratic nominee,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/1ddcfcb398d54f498bc4f5dd6fabca93">abruptly left the ceremony</a>, stumbled while awaiting her motorcade and later disclosed that she had been diagnosed with pneumonia a couple of days earlier. The episode&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/ec708cee5b7346cdba628d32c7739fd7">stirred fresh attention</a>&nbsp;to her health, which Trump had been questioning for months.

In 2008, then-senators and presidential campaign rivals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/john-mccain">John McCain</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/barack-obama">Barack Obama</a>&nbsp;made a visible effort to put politics aside on the anniversary. They visited ground zero together to pay their respects and lay flowers in a reflecting pool at what was then still a pit.

To be sure, victims' family members occasionally send their own political messages at the ceremony, where readers generally make brief remarks after finishing their assigned set of names.

Some relatives have used the forum to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-government-and-politics-c5e1bcbcf3327938bb3c1a34e4807a5d">bemoan Americans' divisions</a>, exhort leaders to prioritize national security, acknowledge the casualties of the war on terror,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-pa-state-wire-north-america-96061fe9fea44e5389a431458b46955f">complain that officials are politicizing 9/11</a>&nbsp;and even&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-pa-state-wire-michael-pence-11da60ef711f4c52bb766a8f83fa1bd1">criticize individual officeholders</a>.

But most readers stick to tributes and personal reflections. Increasingly they come from children and young adults who were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sept-11-anniversary-ceremony-children-reading-names-ed7dcd42524dca1c5098b6b3364aca91">born after the attacks</a>&nbsp;killed a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle.

“Even though I never got to meet you, I feel like I’ve known you forever,” Annabella Sanchez said last year of her grandfather, Edward Joseph Papa. “We will always remember and honor you, every day.

Then-senators and presidential campaign rivals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/john-mccain">John McCain</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/barack-obama">Barack Obama</a>&nbsp;made a visible effort to put politics aside on the 2008 anniversary. They visited ground zero together to pay their respects and lay flowers in a reflecting pool at what was then still a pit.

It’s not yet clear whether Harris and Trump even will cross paths. If they do, it would be an extraordinary encounter at a somber ceremony hours after they faced off on the debate stage.

“You’re around the people that are feeling the grief, feeling proud or sad — what it’s all about that day, and what these loved ones meant to you. It’s not political,” said Melissa Tarasiewicz, who lost her father, New York City firefighter Allan Tarasiewicz.

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>, on the last Sept. 11 of his term and likely his half-century political career, was headed with Harris to the ceremonies in New York, in Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon, the three sites where commercial jets crashed after al-Qaida operatives took them over on Sept. 11, 2001.

Officials later concluded that the aircraft that crashed near rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania, was headed toward Washington. It went down after crew members and passengers tried to wrest control from the hijackers.

But that ended after the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum decided in 2012 to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/sep/10/at-ground-zero-can-there-be-a-politics-free-911/">limit the ceremony to relatives reading</a>&nbsp;victims’ names. Then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg was board chairman at the time and still is.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726058811220.png" alt="Vice President Kamala Harris, President Biden and Former President Trump in New York Wednesday morning Image courtesy CSPAN video" />
                        <figcaption>Vice President Kamala Harris, President Biden and Former President Trump in New York Wednesday morning Image courtesy CSPAN video</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. is remembering the lives taken and those reshaped by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/9-11-a-world-changed">9/11</a>, marking an anniversary laced with presidential campaign politics as President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris stood together in the plaza where the twin towers once stood.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Biden, Vice President Harris, former President Trump, Sen. JD Vance and Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg at 9/11 Ceremony in New York. <a href="https://t.co/nK19YKABjB">pic.twitter.com/nK19YKABjB</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833848762579751392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Sept. 11 — the date when hijacked plane attacks killed nearly 3,000 people in 2001 — falls in the thick of the presidential election season every four years, and it comes at an especially pointed moment this time.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-trump-debate-tuesday-6ad8c03f6bf1ae88870b7db26276236e">Fresh off their first-ever debate</a>&nbsp;Tuesday night,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Harris</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump</a>&nbsp;met again at the 9/11 observances at the World Trade Center in New York and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania.</p><p>Trump and running mate Sen. JD Vance arrived at the trade center site around 8 a.m. and posed for photographs with some in the audience. Harris arrived with Biden about a half-hour later, to cheers of “Kamala!” from some audience members.</p><p>Biden and Trump shook hands, and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg appeared to facilitate a handshake between Harris and Trump. Then the Democratic and Republican nominees stood only a few feet apart, with Biden and Bloomberg between them.</p><p>But the political backdrop wasn't top-of-mind for victims' relatives such as Cathy Naughton, who came to the ceremony to honor her cousin Michael Roberts, one of hundreds of firefighters killed in the attack.</p><p>Twenty-three years later, “it’s just so raw,” she said. “We want to make sure people remember always, and say the names always and never forget.”</p><p>“Every year, it just doesn’t get easier,” she added.</p><p>Regardless of the campaign calendar, organizers of anniversary ceremonies have long taken pains to try to keep the focus on victims. For years, politicians have been only observers at ground zero observances, with the microphone going instead to relatives who read victims’ names aloud.</p><p>If politicians “care about what's actually going on, great. Be here,” Korryn Bishop, who lost her cousin John F. McDowell Jr., said on her way into the ceremony. “If they're just here for political clout, that upsets me.”</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Biden</a>, on the last Sept. 11 of his term and likely his half-century political career, was headed with Harris later to ceremonies in Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon, the three sites where commercial jets crashed after al-Qaida operatives took them over on Sept. 11, 2001. Trump also was due at the Flight 93 National Memorial near rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">American flag unfurled at the Pentagon. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/September11?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#September11</a> <a href="https://t.co/2l1Gb0vCdQ">pic.twitter.com/2l1Gb0vCdQ</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833822662818238486?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Officials later concluded that the aircraft that crashed there was headed toward Washington. It went down after crew members and passengers tried to wrest control from the hijackers.</p><p>The attacks killed 2,977 people and left thousands of bereaved relatives and scarred survivors. The planes carved a gash in the Pentagon, the U.S. military headquarters, and brought down the trade center's twin towers, which were among the world's tallest buildings.</p><p>The catastrophe also altered U.S. foreign policy, domestic security practices and the mindset of many Americans who had not previously felt vulnerable to attacks by foreign extremists.</p><p>Effects rippled around the world and through generations as the U.S. responded by leading a “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/077ff9b545584e4d8936e12cde859192">Global War on Terrorism</a>,” which included invasions of Afghanistan and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iraq-anniversary-refugee-asylum-debf2c74a9f5acc5d6562647d2bef94f">Iraq</a>. Those operations killed hundreds of thousands of Afghans and Iraqis and thousands of American troops, and Afghanistan became the site of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-e10e038baea732dae879c11234507f81">the United States' longest war</a>.</p><p>As the complex legacy of 9/11 continues to evolve, communities around the country have developed remembrance traditions that range from laying wreaths to displaying flags, from marches to police radio messages. Volunteer projects also mark the anniversary, which Congress has titled both Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance.</p><p>At ground zero, presidents and other officeholders read poems, parts of the Declaration of Independence and other texts during the first several anniversaries.</p><p>But that ended after the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum decided in 2012 to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/sep/10/at-ground-zero-can-there-be-a-politics-free-911/">limit the ceremony to relatives reading</a>&nbsp;victims’ names. Bloomberg was board chairman at the time and still is.</p><p>Politicians and candidates still have been able to attend the event. Many do, especially New Yorkers who held office during the attacks, such as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was then a U.S. senator.</p><p>She and Trump overlapped at the ground zero 9/11 remembrance in 2016, and it became a fraught chapter in the narrative of that year's presidential campaign.</p><p>Clinton, then the Democratic nominee,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/1ddcfcb398d54f498bc4f5dd6fabca93">abruptly left the ceremony</a>, stumbled while awaiting her motorcade and later disclosed that she had been diagnosed with pneumonia a couple of days earlier. The episode&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/ec708cee5b7346cdba628d32c7739fd7">stirred fresh attention</a>&nbsp;to her health, which Trump had been questioning for months.</p><p>In 2008, then-senators and presidential campaign rivals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/john-mccain">John McCain</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/barack-obama">Barack Obama</a>&nbsp;made a visible effort to put politics aside on the anniversary. They visited ground zero together to pay their respects and lay flowers in a reflecting pool at what was then still a pit.</p><p>To be sure, victims' family members occasionally send their own political messages at the ceremony, where readers generally make brief remarks after finishing their assigned set of names.</p><p>Some relatives have used the forum to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-government-and-politics-c5e1bcbcf3327938bb3c1a34e4807a5d">bemoan Americans' divisions</a>, exhort leaders to prioritize national security, acknowledge the casualties of the war on terror,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-pa-state-wire-north-america-96061fe9fea44e5389a431458b46955f">complain that officials are politicizing 9/11</a>&nbsp;and even&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-pa-state-wire-michael-pence-11da60ef711f4c52bb766a8f83fa1bd1">criticize individual officeholders</a>.</p><p>But most readers stick to tributes and personal reflections. Increasingly they come from children and young adults who were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sept-11-anniversary-ceremony-children-reading-names-ed7dcd42524dca1c5098b6b3364aca91">born after the attacks</a>&nbsp;killed a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle.</p><p>“Even though I never got to meet you, I feel like I’ve known you forever,” Annabella Sanchez said last year of her grandfather, Edward Joseph Papa. “We will always remember and honor you, every day.</p><p>“We love you, Grandpa Eddie.”</p><p>___</p><p>Then-senators and presidential campaign rivals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/john-mccain">John McCain</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/barack-obama">Barack Obama</a>&nbsp;made a visible effort to put politics aside on the 2008 anniversary. They visited ground zero together to pay their respects and lay flowers in a reflecting pool at what was then still a pit.</p><p>It’s not yet clear whether Harris and Trump even will cross paths. If they do, it would be an extraordinary encounter at a somber ceremony hours after they faced off on the debate stage.</p><p>Regardless of the campaign calendar, organizers of anniversary ceremonies have long taken pains to try to keep the focus on victims. For years, politicians have been only observers at ground zero observances, with the microphone going instead to relatives who read victims’ names aloud.</p><p>“You’re around the people that are feeling the grief, feeling proud or sad — what it’s all about that day, and what these loved ones meant to you. It’s not political,” said Melissa Tarasiewicz, who lost her father, New York City firefighter Allan Tarasiewicz.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>, on the last Sept. 11 of his term and likely his half-century political career, was headed with Harris to the ceremonies in New York, in Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon, the three sites where commercial jets crashed after al-Qaida operatives took them over on Sept. 11, 2001.</p><p>Officials later concluded that the aircraft that crashed near rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania, was headed toward Washington. It went down after crew members and passengers tried to wrest control from the hijackers.</p><p>The attacks killed 2,977 people and left thousands of bereaved relatives and scarred survivors. The planes carved a gash in the Pentagon, the U.S. military headquarters, and brought down the trade center's twin towers, which were among the world's tallest buildings.</p><p>The catastrophe also altered U.S. foreign policy, domestic security practices and the mindset of many Americans who had not previously felt vulnerable to attacks by foreign extremists.</p><p>Effects rippled around the world and through generations as the U.S. responded by leading a “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/077ff9b545584e4d8936e12cde859192">Global War on Terrorism</a>,” which included invasions of Afghanistan and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iraq-anniversary-refugee-asylum-debf2c74a9f5acc5d6562647d2bef94f">Iraq</a>. Those operations killed hundreds of thousands of Afghans and Iraqis and thousands of American troops, and Afghanistan became the site of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-e10e038baea732dae879c11234507f81">the United States' longest war</a>.</p><p>As the complex legacy of 9/11 continues to evolve, communities around the country have developed remembrance traditions that range from laying wreaths to displaying flags, from marches to police radio messages. Volunteer projects also mark the anniversary, which Congress has titled both Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance.</p><p>At ground zero, presidents and other officeholders read poems, parts of the Declaration of Independence and other texts during the first several anniversaries.</p><p>But that ended after the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum decided in 2012 to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/sep/10/at-ground-zero-can-there-be-a-politics-free-911/">limit the ceremony to relatives reading</a>&nbsp;victims’ names. Then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg was board chairman at the time and still is.</p><p>Politicians and candidates still have been able to attend the event. Many do, especially New Yorkers who held office during the attacks, such as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was then a U.S. senator.</p><p>She and Trump overlapped at the ground zero 9/11 remembrance in 2016, and it became a fraught chapter in the narrative of that year's presidential campaign.</p><p>Clinton, then the Democratic nominee,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/1ddcfcb398d54f498bc4f5dd6fabca93">abruptly left the ceremony</a>, stumbled while awaiting her motorcade and later disclosed that she had been diagnosed with pneumonia a couple of days earlier. The episode&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/ec708cee5b7346cdba628d32c7739fd7">stirred fresh attention</a>&nbsp;to her health, which Trump had been questioning for months.</p><p>To be sure, victims' family members occasionally send their own political messages at the ceremony, where readers generally make brief remarks after finishing their assigned set of names.</p><p>Some relatives have used the forum to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-government-and-politics-c5e1bcbcf3327938bb3c1a34e4807a5d">bemoan Americans' divisions</a>, exhort leaders to prioritize national security, acknowledge the casualties of the war on terror,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-pa-state-wire-north-america-96061fe9fea44e5389a431458b46955f">complain that officials are politicizing 9/11</a>&nbsp;and even&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-pa-state-wire-michael-pence-11da60ef711f4c52bb766a8f83fa1bd1">criticize individual officeholders</a>.</p><p>But most readers stick to tributes and personal reflections. Increasingly they come from children and young adults who were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sept-11-anniversary-ceremony-children-reading-names-ed7dcd42524dca1c5098b6b3364aca91">born after the attacks</a>&nbsp;killed a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle.</p><p>“Even though I never got to meet you, I feel like I’ve known you forever,” Annabella Sanchez said last year of her grandfather, Edward Joseph Papa. “We will always remember and honor you, every day.</p><p>“We love you, Grandpa Eddie.”</p>

🎥Morning after: Harris, Trump meet at 9/11 Ceremony in New York

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating an alleged school threat in a Kansas City area school district have made an arrest.

&nbsp;On Monday,&nbsp; police in Lee's Summit were made aware of a threatening post on social media that contained a detailed threat towards the East Trails Middle School,&nbsp;1001 SE Bailey Road, in Lee’s Summit, according to a media release.

  Investigators from the Police Department worked into the evening and located a juvenile suspect in the case. Contact was made with the suspect and a parent. Police took a juvenile suspect into custody. 

 The Police Department is thankful for the assistance given by partners with the FBI as well as our partnership with the R-7 School District to work quickly to identify and arrest a suspect in the case and keep the schools safe and free from violence.

Following the arrest, Superintendent&nbsp;Dr. David Buck sent a letter to parents.

Yesterday evening, East Trails Middle School&nbsp;and district administration, the Lee’s Summit Police Department and the FBI swiftly responded to a threatening message posted on TikTok referencing that school.

LSPD officers have since identified and made contact with a student connected to the post. That student was taken into police custody and is not in school today thanks to this quick action.

Earlier this week, we communicated to four school buildings about a vague social media threat that police were unable to corroborate. Threats like the ones we have responded to this week disrupt the learning environment for students and consume staff resources. Please help us emphasize to all students that making a threat against a public school, even as a joke, has serious legal and disciplinary consequences. We are processing this incident in full accordance with school policy and in partnership with our police partners.

These situations reinforce the importance of each and every member of our school community always reporting any threatening post or communication to our school staff and police. We will continue to encourage an environment where students, staff, and families feel empowered to report anything that might be suspicious or out of the ordinary; prompt reporting is important in enabling us to be proactive in maintaining a safe school environment. We’re grateful to the students and parents who exhibited this quick thinking this week.

Finally, if you see a social media threat, please don’t forward or repost it. Instead, take a screenshot and share it with our school administrators and police. Sharing the post makes it harder to find out who started it and slows down the investigation. Our SafeSchool hotlines, accessible on our school websites, are another way to confidentially share information with our leaders.

Thank you for your cooperation, support and patience as we make decisions to keep our students and staff safe. Please also help us thank our law enforcement partners who partner with us each and every day to support safe learning environments in LSR7.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697128767642.png" alt="School threat" />
                        <figcaption>School threat</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating an alleged school threat in a Kansas City area school district have made an arrest.</p><p>&nbsp;On Monday,&nbsp; police in Lee's Summit were made aware of a threatening post on social media that contained a detailed threat towards the East Trails Middle School,&nbsp;1001 SE Bailey Road, in Lee’s Summit, according to a media release.</p><p>  Investigators from the Police Department worked into the evening and located a juvenile suspect in the case. Contact was made with the suspect and a parent. Police took a juvenile suspect into custody. </p><p> The Police Department is thankful for the assistance given by partners with the FBI as well as our partnership with the R-7 School District to work quickly to identify and arrest a suspect in the case and keep the schools safe and free from violence.</p><p>Following the arrest, Superintendent&nbsp;Dr. David Buck sent a letter to parents.</p><p>Dear LSR7 Families &amp; Staff:</p><p>Yesterday evening, East Trails Middle School&nbsp;and district administration, the Lee’s Summit Police Department and the FBI swiftly responded to a threatening message posted on TikTok referencing that school.</p><p>LSPD officers have since identified and made contact with a student connected to the post. That student was taken into police custody and is not in school today thanks to this quick action.</p><p>Earlier this week, we communicated to four school buildings about a vague social media threat that police were unable to corroborate. Threats like the ones we have responded to this week disrupt the learning environment for students and consume staff resources. Please help us emphasize to all students that making a threat against a public school, even as a joke, has serious legal and disciplinary consequences. We are processing this incident in full accordance with school policy and in partnership with our police partners.</p><p>These situations reinforce the importance of each and every member of our school community always reporting any threatening post or communication to our school staff and police. We will continue to encourage an environment where students, staff, and families feel empowered to report anything that might be suspicious or out of the ordinary; prompt reporting is important in enabling us to be proactive in maintaining a safe school environment. We’re grateful to the students and parents who exhibited this quick thinking this week.</p><p>Finally, if you see a social media threat, please don’t forward or repost it. Instead, take a screenshot and share it with our school administrators and police. Sharing the post makes it harder to find out who started it and slows down the investigation. Our SafeSchool hotlines, accessible on our school websites, are another way to confidentially share information with our leaders.</p><p>Thank you for your cooperation, support and patience as we make decisions to keep our students and staff safe. Please also help us thank our law enforcement partners who partner with us each and every day to support safe learning environments in LSR7.</p>

Police, FBI make arrest after threat toward KC area middle school

BROWN&nbsp; COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a new&nbsp;scam circulating in Kansas.&nbsp; 

According to Brown County Sheriff John Merchant, residents are being threatened&nbsp; through an e-mail on their smartphone&nbsp; by someone who is telling the resident that they have installed spyware called Pegasus on their device&nbsp; and are watching them remotely. 

The phone owner is being accused of illegal activity in their private life and are advised to send $2000 through Bitcoin and&nbsp; the scammer will erase any and all information.

 If the phone owner does not pay, the scammer states they will send all of the images and videos they have taken of the&nbsp; them to their&nbsp; contact list which would cause great humiliation.&nbsp;&nbsp;

 The scammer also adds that he has access to all other&nbsp; info on the phone.&nbsp; "This is an attempt to extort money from you, according to Sheriff Merchant.&nbsp; "If you receive such a message, do not reply. "

"Scammers are getting more and more devious on the ways to obtain financial support from unsuspecting victims.&nbsp; This scam is particularly concerning as it appears very cleverly written in order to extort money from you."

Remember, never give out person information over your phone or computer.&nbsp; If you feel you have been made a victim of this or any other&nbsp; scam, contact your local law enforcement at once

Sheriff Merchant is forwarding this information to the Kansas Attorney's General's office for their review.

<p>BROWN&nbsp; COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a new&nbsp;scam circulating in Kansas.&nbsp; </p><p>According to Brown County Sheriff John Merchant, residents are being threatened&nbsp; through an e-mail on their smartphone&nbsp; by someone who is telling the resident that they have installed spyware called Pegasus on their device&nbsp; and are watching them remotely. </p><p>The phone owner is being accused of illegal activity in their private life and are advised to send $2000 through Bitcoin and&nbsp; the scammer will erase any and all information.</p><p> If the phone owner does not pay, the scammer states they will send all of the images and videos they have taken of the&nbsp; them to their&nbsp; contact list which would cause great humiliation.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p> The scammer also adds that he has access to all other&nbsp; info on the phone.&nbsp; "This is an attempt to extort money from you, according to Sheriff Merchant.&nbsp; "If you receive such a message, do not reply. "</p><p>"Scammers are getting more and more devious on the ways to obtain financial support from unsuspecting victims.&nbsp; This scam is particularly concerning as it appears very cleverly written in order to extort money from you."</p><p>Remember, never give out person information over your phone or computer.&nbsp; If you feel you have been made a victim of this or any other&nbsp; scam, contact your local law enforcement at once</p><p>Sheriff Merchant is forwarding this information to the Kansas Attorney's General's office for their review.</p>

Sheriff: New extortion phone scam reported in Kansas

PHILADELPHIA (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;pressed a forceful case against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday in their first and perhaps only debate before the presidential election, repeatedly goading him in an event that showcased their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-issue-positions-worlds-apart-3f80a342c790da64e3de92a4f5760991">starkly different visions</a>&nbsp;for the country on abortion, immigration and American democracy.

The Democratic vice president provoked Trump with reminders about the 2020 election loss that he still denies, delivered derisive asides at his false claims and sought to underscore the Republican former president's role in the Supreme Court's overturning of a national right to abortion two years ago. Trump tore into Harris as too liberal and a continuation of Biden's unpopular administration, as he launched into the sort of freewheeling personal attacks and digressions from which his advisers and supporters have tried to steer him away.

Less than two months from Election Day and hours before the first early ballots will begin to be mailed Wednesday in Alabama, the debate offered the clearest look yet at a presidential race that has been repeatedly upended.

Harris’ performance by nearly every measure seemed to be the opposite of President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden’s</a>&nbsp;in June, with sharp, focused answers designed to showcase the contrast between her and Trump, whereas Biden at times was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bidentrumppresidentialdebate-0e7577e9a354a69f50675494fea54ca9">muddled, halting and incoherent</a>. Harris used her body language and facial expressions to confront Trump and express that she found his answers ridiculous, amusing or both — a pronounced change from Biden's slack-jawed expression when Trump attacked him.

Harris appeared intent on casting herself as a relief for voters seeking a break from Trump’s acerbic politics — a contrast highlighted as Trump appeared to be set on his back foot by her needling.

In one moment, Harris turned to Trump and said that as vice president, she had spoken to foreign leaders who “are laughing at Donald Trump,” and said she had spoken to military leaders, “and they say you’re a disgrace.”

As Trump, 78, again questioned her racial identity, the 59-year-old Harris, the first woman, Black person and person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president, pointedly gestured to Trump and responded, “I think the American people want better than that, want better than this.”

Trump in turn tried to link Harris to the still-unpopular Biden, questioning why she hadn’t acted on her proposed ideas while serving as vice president. Trump also focused his attacks on Harris over her assignment by Biden to deal with the root causes of illegal migration.

“Why hasn’t she done it? She’s been there for three and a half years,” he said.

Harris promised tax cuts aimed at the middle class and said she would push to restore a federally guaranteed right to abortion overturned by the Supreme Court two years ago. Trump said his proposed tariffs would help the U.S. stop being cheated by allies on trade and said he would work to swiftly end the Russia-Ukraine war — though he twice refused to say he believed it was in America's interest for Ukraine, which bipartisan majorities in Congress have backed, to win the war.

Trump again denied that he lost to Biden four years ago, when a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to try to stop the certification of his loss based on false or unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud. He tried to reverse the question of threats to American democracy and suggested criticism of him could be linked to the assassination attempt he survived in July.

“I probably took a bullet to the head because of the things that they say about me,” he said. “They talk about democracy, I’m a threat to democracy. They’re the threat to democracy.”

Trump has in recent days ramped up his threats of retribution if he returns to the White House, saying he would prosecute lawyers, donors, and other officials whom he deems to “cheat” in the election.

“Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people," Harris said, "So let’s be clear about that. And clearly he is having a very difficult time processing that.”

Her campaign ended the debate by expressing openness to another meeting in October — and welcomed an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-endorse-kamala-harris-president-3a36b6f9695c20153891bba35c47f21d">endorsement</a>&nbsp;from megastar&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taylor-swift">Taylor Swift</a>, who labeled herself a “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jd-vance-kamala-harris-childless-trump-0a37e991097b66c52bff5bf7ecf8de7b">childless cat lady</a>&nbsp;” in a dig at Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jd-vance">JD Vance</a>, as she encouraged her fans to vote.

Harris defends shifts to the center, puts abortion front and center

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726016863083.png" alt="Image courtesy ABC via CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>Image courtesy ABC via CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>PHILADELPHIA (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;pressed a forceful case against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday in their first and perhaps only debate before the presidential election, repeatedly goading him in an event that showcased their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-issue-positions-worlds-apart-3f80a342c790da64e3de92a4f5760991">starkly different visions</a>&nbsp;for the country on abortion, immigration and American democracy.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">LIVE --&gt; ABC Presidential Debate Simulcast <a href="https://t.co/hNTcMAdx1e">https://t.co/hNTcMAdx1e</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833656962824978933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Handshake between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump as the ABC News Presidential Debate begins. <a href="https://t.co/p0UO3sZUds">pic.twitter.com/p0UO3sZUds</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833673429964247202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Former President Trump: &quot;She has no policy. Everything that she believed...is out the window. She&#39;s going to my philosophy now. In fact I was going to send her a MAGA hat...If she ever got elected she&#39;d change it...She&#39;s a Marxist. Everyone knows she&#39;s s Marxist.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/PnSmAkOxJH">pic.twitter.com/PnSmAkOxJH</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833677387348709584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">CLIP: Former President Trump and VP Harris on abortion and IVF at ABC News Presidential Debate. <a href="https://t.co/jKFFf0oPBf">pic.twitter.com/jKFFf0oPBf</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833681436898992364?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">VP Harris: &quot;People start leaving his rallies early out of exhausting and boredom.&quot;<br><br>Former President Trump: &quot;People don&#39;t go to her rallies...people don&#39;t leave my rallies. We have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/MbUWFmTA21">pic.twitter.com/MbUWFmTA21</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833681793255436767?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">VP Kamala Harris on endorsements from Republicans: &quot;If you want to really know the inside track on who the former president is...just ask people who have worked with him...&quot;<br><br>Former President Trump: &quot;I fired most of those people.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/nIEAKl5ReN">pic.twitter.com/nIEAKl5ReN</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833683283323855317?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Former President Trump to Vice President Harris: &quot;Wait a minute. I&#39;m talking now. If you don&#39;t mind. Please. Does that sound familiar?&quot; <a href="https://t.co/0muInrNeT9">pic.twitter.com/0muInrNeT9</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833684182305759366?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Former President Trump on January 6th: &quot;I had nothing to do with that, other than they asked me to make a speech.&quot;<br><br>VP Harris: &quot;On that day the president of the United States incited a violent mob...the former president has been indicted and impeached exactly for that reason.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/TlOOP1CSAK">pic.twitter.com/TlOOP1CSAK</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833687269271568768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Former President Trump: &quot;She hates Israel. If she&#39;s president I believe that Israel will not exist within two years from now.<br><br>VP Harris: &quot;He&#39;s trying to again divide and distract from the reality...he admire dictators, wants to be a dictator on day one according to himself.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/BdpYpM6V7v">pic.twitter.com/BdpYpM6V7v</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833690931477852379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">David Muir: &quot;Do you want Ukraine to win this war?<br><br>Former President Trump: &quot;I want this war to stop. I want to save lives...&quot; <a href="https://t.co/rcM8DOGICi">pic.twitter.com/rcM8DOGICi</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833692540551274992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Vice President Harris: &quot;You&#39;re not running against Joe Biden. You&#39;re running against me...If Donald Trump were president right not, Putin would be sitting in Kiev right now.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/aX3WdHTToh">pic.twitter.com/aX3WdHTToh</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833692662873890842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Q: &quot;You said she went to went to negotiate with Vladimir Putin. Vice President Harris have you ever met Vladimir Putin? Can you clarify?&quot;<br><br>VP Harris: &quot;I said at the beginning of this debate, you&#39;re going to hear a bunch of lies coming from this fella, and that is another one.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/gttiose1qR">pic.twitter.com/gttiose1qR</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833693206476939641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Vice President Kamala Harris: &quot;This business about taking everyone&#39;s guns away; Tim Walz and I are both gun owners. We&#39;re not taking anybody&#39;s guns away so stop with the continuous lying about this stuff.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/I7Kc1KIdZR">pic.twitter.com/I7Kc1KIdZR</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833696590701162496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The Democratic vice president provoked Trump with reminders about the 2020 election loss that he still denies, delivered derisive asides at his false claims and sought to underscore the Republican former president's role in the Supreme Court's overturning of a national right to abortion two years ago. Trump tore into Harris as too liberal and a continuation of Biden's unpopular administration, as he launched into the sort of freewheeling personal attacks and digressions from which his advisers and supporters have tried to steer him away.</p><p>Less than two months from Election Day and hours before the first early ballots will begin to be mailed Wednesday in Alabama, the debate offered the clearest look yet at a presidential race that has been repeatedly upended.</p><p>Harris’ performance by nearly every measure seemed to be the opposite of President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden’s</a>&nbsp;in June, with sharp, focused answers designed to showcase the contrast between her and Trump, whereas Biden at times was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bidentrumppresidentialdebate-0e7577e9a354a69f50675494fea54ca9">muddled, halting and incoherent</a>. Harris used her body language and facial expressions to confront Trump and express that she found his answers ridiculous, amusing or both — a pronounced change from Biden's slack-jawed expression when Trump attacked him.</p><p>Harris appeared intent on casting herself as a relief for voters seeking a break from Trump’s acerbic politics — a contrast highlighted as Trump appeared to be set on his back foot by her needling.</p><p>In one moment, Harris turned to Trump and said that as vice president, she had spoken to foreign leaders who “are laughing at Donald Trump,” and said she had spoken to military leaders, “and they say you’re a disgrace.”</p><p>As Trump, 78, again questioned her racial identity, the 59-year-old Harris, the first woman, Black person and person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president, pointedly gestured to Trump and responded, “I think the American people want better than that, want better than this.”</p><p>Trump in turn tried to link Harris to the still-unpopular Biden, questioning why she hadn’t acted on her proposed ideas while serving as vice president. Trump also focused his attacks on Harris over her assignment by Biden to deal with the root causes of illegal migration.</p><p>“Why hasn’t she done it? She’s been there for three and a half years,” he said.</p><p>Harris promised tax cuts aimed at the middle class and said she would push to restore a federally guaranteed right to abortion overturned by the Supreme Court two years ago. Trump said his proposed tariffs would help the U.S. stop being cheated by allies on trade and said he would work to swiftly end the Russia-Ukraine war — though he twice refused to say he believed it was in America's interest for Ukraine, which bipartisan majorities in Congress have backed, to win the war.</p><p>Trump again denied that he lost to Biden four years ago, when a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to try to stop the certification of his loss based on false or unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud. He tried to reverse the question of threats to American democracy and suggested criticism of him could be linked to the assassination attempt he survived in July.</p><p>“I probably took a bullet to the head because of the things that they say about me,” he said. “They talk about democracy, I’m a threat to democracy. They’re the threat to democracy.”</p><p>Trump has in recent days ramped up his threats of retribution if he returns to the White House, saying he would prosecute lawyers, donors, and other officials whom he deems to “cheat” in the election.</p><p>“Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people," Harris said, "So let’s be clear about that. And clearly he is having a very difficult time processing that.”</p><p>Her campaign ended the debate by expressing openness to another meeting in October — and welcomed an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-endorse-kamala-harris-president-3a36b6f9695c20153891bba35c47f21d">endorsement</a>&nbsp;from megastar&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taylor-swift">Taylor Swift</a>, who labeled herself a “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jd-vance-kamala-harris-childless-trump-0a37e991097b66c52bff5bf7ecf8de7b">childless cat lady</a>&nbsp;” in a dig at Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jd-vance">JD Vance</a>, as she encouraged her fans to vote.</p><h2>Harris defends shifts to the center, puts abortion front and center</h2><p>Harris sought to defend her shifts away from liberal causes to more moderate stances on fracking, expanding Medicare for all and mandatory gun buyback programs — and even backing away from her position that plastic straws should be banned — as pragmatism.</p><p>Asked about her changing positions on a number of issues, she twice repeated a phrase she has used to try to explain it away, saying, “My values have not changed.”</p><p>Trump, meanwhile, quickly went after Harris for abandoning some of her past liberal positions and said: “She’s going to my philosophy now. In fact, I was going to send her a MAGA hat.” Harris smiled broadly and laughed.</p><p>Harris, in zeroing in on one of Trump’s biggest electoral vulnerabilities, laid the end of a federally guaranteed right to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abortion">abortion</a>&nbsp;at Trump’s feet for his role in appointing three U.S. Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, leaving more than 20 states in the country with what she called “Trump abortion bans.”</p><p>Harris gave one of her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-debate-kamala-harris-donald-trump-35078cdb5bb939eec323c7aa56434cad">most impassioned answers</a>&nbsp;as she described the ways women have been denied abortion care and other emergency care since that ruling, and said Trump would sign a national abortion ban if he wins.</p><p>Trump declared it “a lie,” and said, “I’m not signing a ban and there’s no reason to sign a ban.”</p><p>The Republican has said he wants the issue left to the states.</p><p>Trump, who is trying to paint the vice president as an out-of-touch liberal while trying to win over voters skeptical he should return to the White House, continued to call Harris a “Marxist” and said, “Everyone knows she’s a Marxist.”</p><p>Harris’ eyebrows shot up and she made an amused face, bringing her hand to her chin and staring at him.</p><h2>Trump leaned on familiar falsehoods and signaled a shift on Ukraine</h2><p>Trump attacked Harris for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/inflation">inflation</a>&nbsp;seen under the Biden-Harris administration, a major liability for the vice president. He quickly turned his answer to warning about immigrants coming into the country — one of the subjects he’s focused on most heavily in his campaign.</p><p>He called his proposed tariffs a straightforward way to make other countries pay up for what he has long argued is an imbalance that hurts the U.S. Harris called the tariffs an effective national sales tax. Trump reacted swiftly and called that “an incorrect statement.”</p><p>Throughout his campaign, Trump has leaned on illegal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/immigration">immigration</a>, an issue that has bedeviled Biden and Harris with rising numbers of illegal border crossings and the arrivals of thousands of people needing shelter in Democratic-led cities. He accused Democrats of abetting large numbers of unauthorized crossings — though they have dropped in recent months in part due to new asylum restrictions by the Biden administration.</p><p>But as he often does in his rallies and on his social media account, Trump reeled off a series of falsehoods or unproven claims about migrants. One of those claims was a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debate-harris-trump-fact-focus-abortion-crime-0e368102d38d87d708a8a497a38f4fb2">debunked rumor</a>&nbsp;that Trump and his allies have spread online in recent days, alleging Haitian immigrants in an Ohio town are hunting and eating pets. Officials in Springfield, Ohio, say they have no evidence of that happening.</p><p>“Talk about extreme,” Harris said after Trump talked about dogs and cats being eaten.</p><h2>Harris' expressions filled their split-screen</h2><p>As the debate opened, Harris walked up to Trump’s lectern to introduce herself, marking the first time the two had ever met, since Trump skipped her 2021 inauguration. “Kamala Harris,” she said, extending her hand to Trump, who received it in a handshake — the first presidential debate handshake since the 2016 campaign.</p><p>Trump has at times resorted to invoking racial and gender stereotypes and falsely claiming that Harris, who attended a historically Black university, hid her race during her career.</p><p>“I read where she was not Black,” Trump said when asked about comments questioning Harris' race, adding a minute later, “and then I read that she was Black.” He seemed to suggest her race was a choice, saying twice, “That’s up to her.”</p><p>“I think it’s a tragedy that we have someone who wants to be president who has consistently over the course of his career attempted to use race to divide the American people,” Harris responded.</p><p>While Tuesday’s meeting might be the last time the candidates cross paths on the debate stage, they may cross paths again Wednesday when they both mark the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Harris, Trump and Biden plan to all be at ground zero in lower Manhattan and the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday. Harris and Biden will also visit the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, later in the day for a ceremony there.</p><p>Trump at one point launched into an attack on Biden, questioning his mental acuity by making the claim that Biden “doesn’t even know he’s alive.”</p><p>Harris quickly tried to turn it around to make Trump look less than sharp.</p><p>“First of all, I think it’s important to remind the former president, you’re not running against Joe Biden. You’re running against me,” she said.</p>