Matt Kleinmann, a Democrat from Wyandotte County, puts emphasis on unity and stability

BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/sherman-smith/">SHERMAN SMITH</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Matt Kleinmann remembers looking at his phone one day in July 2017 and watching former Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain vote to preserve the Affordable Care Act with his iconic thumbs-down gesture.

Kleinmann, a community developer in Wyandotte County who at the time was working on a park renovation project in Kansas City, Kansas, realized in that moment that it wasn’t enough to build parks, grocery stores and affordable housing if half of his community lost health insurance. He needed to take a more holistic approach.

“That was sort of a an epiphany for me that I needed to be more engaged politically,” Kleinmann said. “And as I started following a little closer and learning a little more, I started realizing that part of the role of Congress is to bring resources back to the community.”

On Monday, Kleinmann filed as a Democrat in the 2nd District race for the U.S. House.

He was born and raised in Overland Park and appeared in 70 games as a member of the University of Kansas basketball team from 2004-2009, a span that included a national championship. He studied architecture and worked at a firm in Kansas City before pivoting to the nonprofit sector.

Most recently, he was the director of community development for Vibrant Health, a nonprofit working to provide access to high-quality health care for those in Wyandotte County. He is taking a leave of absence to run for Congress.

So far, he is the only Democrat to file or announce a campaign for the 2nd District seat ahead of the June 3 deadline. Former Attorney General Derek Schmidt and former congressional staffer Jeff Kahrs are seeking the GOP nomination.

Kleinmann, who said he grew up a Republican but is now “a little terrified of a vision of America that wants to take the rights away from people,” identified a number of ways he believes he is different from his GOP rivals.

“I don’t believe the 2020 election was stolen,” Kleinmann said. “I believe climate change is real. I believe working families deserve a raise. I believe we need to take care of our children with better child care options, and I believe we need to take care of our seniors so that they can age in place with dignity.

“I believe that local issues we can find common ground on. I know the immigration system is broken, but I don’t believe Kansas is a border state. I believe we have things in our own backyard that we need to fix. And I think that working on what unites us is better than trying to divide us.”

He acknowledged that he faces long odds in a district that appears to be reliably Republican and supportive of former president Donald Trump — especially after the Legislature gerrymandered districts in 2022 in a failed effort to drive Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids out of office.

The new map split the northern half of Kansas City out of Davids’ 3rd District and placed it into the 2nd District, which now snakes from the Nebraska border in the northeast corner of the state to Marion in east-central Kansas and back down to the Oklahoma border in the southeast corner. Legislators preserved the Republican advantage by relocating Lawrence, where Kleinmann played basketball, into the 1st District, which covers the western third of the state and north-central Kansas.

But “there are basketball fans outside of Lawrence,” Kleinmann joked, and the odds are not insurmountable.

The seat is being vacated by incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner, who won reelection in 2022 with 57.6% of the vote.

Kleinmann hopes that his message appeals to rural voters as well as those in Kansas City.

“I think there are pockets of folks who just want to see normalcy,” Kleinmann said. “They want to see community building. They just want to have a sense of stability so they can go on about their lives. And I think that is true in Wyandotte, and it’s true in southeast Kansas, and it’s true in the Flint Hills, and it’s true in Atchison. You know, it’s not radical to say we can work together and build up our community. I think that is actually what every person should be saying.”

Kleinmann also pointed out the district’s voters rejected a constitutional amendment in August 2022 that would have taken away the right to terminate a pregnancy.

“I firmly believe in a woman’s right to choose,” he said. “I believe that health care is a human right. And like most Republicans, I believe in small government. I just believe that government should not be in the doctor’s room making decisions about a woman’s body. I’m also very concerned with the push among Republicans for a national abortion ban.”

“I believe that abortion access is critical because it is health care,” he added. “There are people who need abortions to survive. And I don’t believe as a Christian that we should allow people to die because they cannot have access to health care.”

Kleinmann said he has serious concerns about what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, attacked police officers and disrupted the counting of electoral votes.

He said “an extremist wing” of the Republican Party is trying to undermine democracy.

“The moment somebody loses an election and decides the right thing to do is to attack a police officer in the Capitol building, we’ve crossed a line,” Kleinmann said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716227266782.png" alt=" Matt Kleinmann finishes paperwork to file for office on May 20, 2024, at the Secretary of State’s Office. He is running as a Democrat in the 2nd District race for an open U.S. House seat. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Matt Kleinmann finishes paperwork to file for office on May 20, 2024, at the Secretary of State’s Office. He is running as a Democrat in the 2nd District race for an open U.S. House seat. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Matt Kleinmann, a Democrat from Wyandotte County, puts emphasis on unity and stability</h2>BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/sherman-smith/">SHERMAN SMITH</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Matt Kleinmann remembers looking at his phone one day in July 2017 and watching former Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain vote to preserve the Affordable Care Act with his iconic thumbs-down gesture.Kleinmann, a community developer in Wyandotte County who at the time was working on a park renovation project in Kansas City, Kansas, realized in that moment that it wasn’t enough to build parks, grocery stores and affordable housing if half of his community lost health insurance. He needed to take a more holistic approach.“That was sort of a an epiphany for me that I needed to be more engaged politically,” Kleinmann said. “And as I started following a little closer and learning a little more, I started realizing that part of the role of Congress is to bring resources back to the community.”On Monday, Kleinmann filed as a Democrat in the 2nd District race for the U.S. House.He was born and raised in Overland Park and appeared in 70 games as a member of the University of Kansas basketball team from 2004-2009, a span that included a national championship. He studied architecture and worked at a firm in Kansas City before pivoting to the nonprofit sector.Most recently, he was the director of community development for Vibrant Health, a nonprofit working to provide access to high-quality health care for those in Wyandotte County. He is taking a leave of absence to run for Congress.So far, he is the only Democrat to file or announce a campaign for the 2nd District seat ahead of the June 3 deadline. Former Attorney General Derek Schmidt and former congressional staffer Jeff Kahrs are seeking the GOP nomination.Kleinmann, who said he grew up a Republican but is now “a little terrified of a vision of America that wants to take the rights away from people,” identified a number of ways he believes he is different from his GOP rivals.“I don’t believe the 2020 election was stolen,” Kleinmann said. “I believe climate change is real. I believe working families deserve a raise. I believe we need to take care of our children with better child care options, and I believe we need to take care of our seniors so that they can age in place with dignity.“I believe that local issues we can find common ground on. I know the immigration system is broken, but I don’t believe Kansas is a border state. I believe we have things in our own backyard that we need to fix. And I think that working on what unites us is better than trying to divide us.”He acknowledged that he faces long odds in a district that appears to be reliably Republican and supportive of former president Donald Trump — especially after the Legislature gerrymandered districts in 2022 in a failed effort to drive Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids out of office.The new map split the northern half of Kansas City out of Davids’ 3rd District and placed it into the 2nd District, which now snakes from the Nebraska border in the northeast corner of the state to Marion in east-central Kansas and back down to the Oklahoma border in the southeast corner. Legislators preserved the Republican advantage by relocating Lawrence, where Kleinmann played basketball, into the 1st District, which covers the western third of the state and north-central Kansas.But “there are basketball fans outside of Lawrence,” Kleinmann joked, and the odds are not insurmountable.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716227204462.png" alt=" Matt Kleinmann kisses his wife, Sangeeta Shastry, after filing for office on May 20, 2024, at the Secretary of State’s Office. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Matt Kleinmann kisses his wife, Sangeeta Shastry, after filing for office on May 20, 2024, at the Secretary of State’s Office. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>The seat is being vacated by incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner, who won reelection in 2022 with 57.6% of the vote.Kleinmann hopes that his message appeals to rural voters as well as those in Kansas City.“I think there are pockets of folks who just want to see normalcy,” Kleinmann said. “They want to see community building. They just want to have a sense of stability so they can go on about their lives. And I think that is true in Wyandotte, and it’s true in southeast Kansas, and it’s true in the Flint Hills, and it’s true in Atchison. You know, it’s not radical to say we can work together and build up our community. I think that is actually what every person should be saying.”Kleinmann also pointed out the district’s voters rejected a constitutional amendment in August 2022 that would have taken away the right to terminate a pregnancy.“I firmly believe in a woman’s right to choose,” he said. “I believe that health care is a human right. And like most Republicans, I believe in small government. I just believe that government should not be in the doctor’s room making decisions about a woman’s body. I’m also very concerned with the push among Republicans for a national abortion ban.”“I believe that abortion access is critical because it is health care,” he added. “There are people who need abortions to survive. And I don’t believe as a Christian that we should allow people to die because they cannot have access to health care.”Kleinmann said he has serious concerns about what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, attacked police officers and disrupted the counting of electoral votes.He said “an extremist wing” of the Republican Party is trying to undermine democracy.“The moment somebody loses an election and decides the right thing to do is to attack a police officer in the Capitol building, we’ve crossed a line,” Kleinmann said.

Community developer who played basketball at KU enters 2nd District race

NEW YORK (AP) —A former OpenAI leader who resigned from the company earlier this week said Friday that safety has “taken a backseat to shiny products” at the influential artificial intelligence company.

Jan Leike, who ran OpenAI’s “Superalignment” team alongside a company co-founder who also resigned this week, wrote in a series of posts on the social media platform X that he joined the San Francisco-based company because he thought it would be the best place to do AI research.

“However, I have been disagreeing with OpenAI leadership about the company’s core priorities for quite some time, until we finally reached a breaking point,” wrote Leike, whose last day was Thursday.

An AI researcher by training, Leike said he believes there should be more focus on preparing for the next generation of AI models, including on things like safety and analyzing the societal impacts of such technologies. He said building “smarter-than-human machines is an inherently dangerous endeavor” and that the company “is shouldering an enormous responsibility on behalf of all of humanity.”

“OpenAI must become a safety-first AGI company,” wrote Leike, using the abbreviated version of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/agi-artificial-general-intelligence-existential-risk-meta-openai-deepmind-science-ff5662a056d3cf3c5889a73e929e5a34">artificial general intelligence</a>, a futuristic vision of machines that are as broadly smart as humans or at least can do many things as well as people can.

Open AI CEO Sam Altman wrote in a reply to Leike’s posts that he was “super appreciative” of Leike’s contributions to the company was “very sad to see him leave.”

Leike is “right we have a lot more to do; we are committed to doing it,” Altman said, pledging to write a longer post on the subject in the coming days.

The company also confirmed Friday that it had disbanded Leike’s&nbsp;<a href="https://openai.com/index/introducing-superalignment/" target="_blank">Superalignment team</a>, which was launched last year to focus on AI risks, and is integrating the team’s members across its research efforts.

Leike’s resignation came after OpenAI co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever said Tuesday that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/openai-ilya-sutskever-leaving-chatgpt-cofounder-419276b50007ad41adfd27764da3188c">he was leaving the company</a>&nbsp;after nearly a decade. Sutskever was one of four board members last fall who voted to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/altman-ai-chatgpt-murati-893e4a460c10eb3a8f1afefa6156eca3">push out Altman</a>&nbsp;— only to quickly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/altman-openai-chatgpt-31187f7f6eca8ff9d0eef7585aac6ace">reinstate him</a>. It was Sutskever who told Altman last November that he was being fired, but he later said he regretted doing so.

Sutskever said he is working on a new project that’s meaningful to him without offering additional details. He will be replaced by&nbsp;<a href="https://openai.com/index/jakub-pachocki-announced-as-chief-scientist/" target="_blank">Jakub Pachocki&nbsp;</a>as chief scientist. Altman called Pachocki “also easily one of the greatest minds of our generation” and said he is “very confident he will lead us to make rapid and safe progress towards our mission of ensuring that AGI benefits everyone.”

On Monday, OpenAI showed off the latest update to its artificial intelligence model, which can mimic human cadences in its verbal responses and can even try to detect people’s moods.

NEW YORK (AP) —A former OpenAI leader who resigned from the company earlier this week said Friday that safety has “taken a backseat to shiny products” at the influential artificial intelligence company.Jan Leike, who ran OpenAI’s “Superalignment” team alongside a company co-founder who also resigned this week, wrote in a series of posts on the social media platform X that he joined the San Francisco-based company because he thought it would be the best place to do AI research.“However, I have been disagreeing with OpenAI leadership about the company’s core priorities for quite some time, until we finally reached a breaking point,” wrote Leike, whose last day was Thursday.An AI researcher by training, Leike said he believes there should be more focus on preparing for the next generation of AI models, including on things like safety and analyzing the societal impacts of such technologies. He said building “smarter-than-human machines is an inherently dangerous endeavor” and that the company “is shouldering an enormous responsibility on behalf of all of humanity.”“OpenAI must become a safety-first AGI company,” wrote Leike, using the abbreviated version of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/agi-artificial-general-intelligence-existential-risk-meta-openai-deepmind-science-ff5662a056d3cf3c5889a73e929e5a34">artificial general intelligence</a>, a futuristic vision of machines that are as broadly smart as humans or at least can do many things as well as people can.Open AI CEO Sam Altman wrote in a reply to Leike’s posts that he was “super appreciative” of Leike’s contributions to the company was “very sad to see him leave.”Leike is “right we have a lot more to do; we are committed to doing it,” Altman said, pledging to write a longer post on the subject in the coming days.The company also confirmed Friday that it had disbanded Leike’s&nbsp;<a href="https://openai.com/index/introducing-superalignment/" target="_blank">Superalignment team</a>, which was launched last year to focus on AI risks, and is integrating the team’s members across its research efforts.Leike’s resignation came after OpenAI co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever said Tuesday that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/openai-ilya-sutskever-leaving-chatgpt-cofounder-419276b50007ad41adfd27764da3188c">he was leaving the company</a>&nbsp;after nearly a decade. Sutskever was one of four board members last fall who voted to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/altman-ai-chatgpt-murati-893e4a460c10eb3a8f1afefa6156eca3">push out Altman</a>&nbsp;— only to quickly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/altman-openai-chatgpt-31187f7f6eca8ff9d0eef7585aac6ace">reinstate him</a>. It was Sutskever who told Altman last November that he was being fired, but he later said he regretted doing so.Sutskever said he is working on a new project that’s meaningful to him without offering additional details. He will be replaced by&nbsp;<a href="https://openai.com/index/jakub-pachocki-announced-as-chief-scientist/" target="_blank">Jakub Pachocki&nbsp;</a>as chief scientist. Altman called Pachocki “also easily one of the greatest minds of our generation” and said he is “very confident he will lead us to make rapid and safe progress towards our mission of ensuring that AGI benefits everyone.”On Monday, OpenAI showed off the latest update to its artificial intelligence model, which can mimic human cadences in its verbal responses and can even try to detect people’s moods.——

No safeguards: OpenAI disbands high-profile safety team

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused of shooting a teen in a Walmart parking lot made his first court appearance on Wednesday and is now out of jail.

Ruben Contreras, 47 of Wichita, is charged with attempted 1st&nbsp;degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp;He met the condition of a $300-thousand bond and is out of jail, according to online records. 

Just before 5p.m. May 11, officers were dispatched to a call involving a weapon at Walmart, 18631 W. Kellogg in Goddard, according to a statement from the Sedgwick County Sheriff's office. 

First responders located an 18-year-old in a vehicle&nbsp;suffering from a gunshot wound, in the Walmart parking lot.&nbsp; EMS transported the teen to the hospital in serious condition. He has since been upgraded to stable condition.&nbsp;

A suspect identified as&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=748186">Contreras,</a>&nbsp;remained on the scene when law enforcement arrived and was taken into custody.

Contreras was transported to Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Investigation to be interviewed. He was later booked into Sedgwick County Detention Facility.

&nbsp;His next court date is May 28, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715641692899.png" alt="Contreras-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Contreras-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused of shooting a teen in a Walmart parking lot made his first court appearance on Wednesday and is now out of jail.Ruben Contreras, 47 of Wichita, is charged with attempted 1st&nbsp;degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp;He met the condition of a $300-thousand bond and is out of jail, according to online records. Just before 5p.m. May 11, officers were dispatched to a call involving a weapon at Walmart, 18631 W. Kellogg in Goddard, according to a statement from the Sedgwick County Sheriff's office. First responders located an 18-year-old in a vehicle&nbsp;suffering from a gunshot wound, in the Walmart parking lot.&nbsp; EMS transported the teen to the hospital in serious condition. He has since been upgraded to stable condition.&nbsp;A suspect identified as&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=748186">Contreras,</a>&nbsp;remained on the scene when law enforcement arrived and was taken into custody. Contreras was transported to Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Investigation to be interviewed. He was later booked into Sedgwick County Detention Facility.&nbsp;His next court date is May 28, according to the district attorney's office.

Man charged in Kan. Walmart parking lot shooting is out of jail

TOPEKA —Governor Laura Kelly issued a verbal state of disaster emergency proclamation Monday due to severe weather that impacted the state during the day on Sunday and overnight into Monday, according to a media release from the Kansas Adjutant General's office.

This declaration activates the Kansas Response Plan and the ability to expedite state agency assistance to communities in need.

The spring thunderstorms brought flooding rain, large hail and extreme winds Sunday afternoon and evening across Kansas. There are no injuries reported.

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management is coordinating requests for support from impact counties. &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716159390070.jpeg" alt="Halstead and Pleasent Hill Road Outside Salina looking west at 5:35 p.m. on May 19, 2024. " />
 <figcaption>Halstead and Pleasent Hill Road Outside Salina looking west at 5:35 p.m. on May 19, 2024. </figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA —Governor Laura Kelly issued a verbal state of disaster emergency proclamation Monday due to severe weather that impacted the state during the day on Sunday and overnight into Monday, according to a media release from the Kansas Adjutant General's office.This declaration activates the Kansas Response Plan and the ability to expedite state agency assistance to communities in need.The spring thunderstorms brought flooding rain, large hail and extreme winds Sunday afternoon and evening across Kansas. There are no injuries reported.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716198838451.png" alt="Storm damage photo Harvey County Emergency Management" />
 <figcaption>Storm damage photo Harvey County Emergency Management</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Division of Emergency Management is coordinating requests for support from impact counties. &nbsp;

Gov. issues disaster declaration for storm on Sunday, Monday

GOODHOPE, Mo. (AP) — Four people in rural Missouri died when an explosion that could be heard 10 miles away occurred at a house.

The explosion happened Saturday night near the unincorporated town of Goodhope. Douglas County Sheriff Chris Degase said the home was undergoing renovations and a propane leak was found. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Missouri Fire Marshal's Office and local officials continue investigating.

Names of those killed have not been released.

Degase said the explosion was unusual because it didn't cause a fire,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ky3.com/2024/05/19/propane-leak-causes-explosion-killing-four-douglas-county-house/">KYTV-TV</a>&nbsp;reported. An official with the fire marshal's office described it as a “flash” that happened so quickly the house didn't burn.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716217028482.png" alt="Photo courtesy KYTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KYTV</figcaption>
 </figure>GOODHOPE, Mo. (AP) — Four people in rural Missouri died when an explosion that could be heard 10 miles away occurred at a house.The explosion happened Saturday night near the unincorporated town of Goodhope. Douglas County Sheriff Chris Degase said the home was undergoing renovations and a propane leak was found. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Missouri Fire Marshal's Office and local officials continue investigating.Names of those killed have not been released.Degase said the explosion was unusual because it didn't cause a fire,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ky3.com/2024/05/19/propane-leak-causes-explosion-killing-four-douglas-county-house/">KYTV-TV</a>&nbsp;reported. An official with the fire marshal's office described it as a “flash” that happened so quickly the house didn't burn.

Four killed in southwest Missouri house explosion 

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">ARIANA FIGUEROA</a>

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Agriculture Committee Friday released the draft bill text of the long-awaited $1.5 trillion farm bill, which is likely to face opposition in the Senate from Democrats because of disagreements over federal anti-hunger programs and climate change requirements.

The chair of the committee, GOP Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson of Pennsylvania, said in a statement that the bill, which will set farm, nutrition, commodity and conservation policy for the next five years, is a “product of extensive feedback from stakeholders and all Members of the House, and is responsive to the needs of farm country through the incorporation of hundreds of bipartisan policies.”

The legislation funds programs across 12 titles for five years.

It would boost rural farming, promote a new global market for farmers to sell their products abroad, require new reporting requirements for the foreign purchase of farmland, increase funding for specialty crops and expand eligibility for disaster assistance, among other initiatives.

“The markup is one step in a greater House process, that should not be compromised by misleading arguments, false narratives, or edicts from the Senate,” Thompson said.

The House Agriculture Committee plans to mark up the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://agriculture.house.gov/uploadedfiles/discussion_draft_ffns.pdf">942-page bill</a>&nbsp;on Thursday. It is expected to cost $1.5 trillion over 10 years. A title-by-title summary can be found&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://agriculture.house.gov/uploadedfiles/detailed_summary_final.pdf">here</a>.

In a statement, the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. David Scott of Georgia, slammed the draft bill for “taking food out of the mouths of America’s hungry children, restricting farmers from receiving the climate-smart conservation funding they so desperately need, and barring the USDA from providing financial assistance to farmers in times of crisis.”

Scott warned that the current draft bill is unlikely to pass the House. Although Republicans have a slim majority, any piece of legislation will have to be bipartisan in order to make it through the Senate, which Democrats control.

The current farm bill extension expires Sept. 30.

On the Senate side, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat who leads the Committee on Agriculture, released Democrats’&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/newsroom/dem/press/release/chairwoman-stabenow-unveils-the-rural-prosperity-and-food-security-act">own proposal</a>&nbsp;in early May. Among other things, it would boost eligibility for nutrition programs for low-income people like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Stabenow made public a summary of the bill, but not legislative text.

Scott and Stabenow released a joint statement Tuesday following a meeting with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democrats on the House Agriculture committee. They advocated for Republicans to craft a bipartisan farm bill.

“House Republicans are undermining this goal by proposing policies that split the broad, bipartisan coalition that has always been the foundation of a successful farm bill,” they wrote.

“We need a farm bill that holds the coalition together and upholds the historic tradition of providing food assistance to our most vulnerable Americans while keeping our commitment to our farmers battling the effects of the climate crisis every day,” they continued.

The House bill has a few provisions that Democrats oppose.

One would remove climate-smart policy requirements for about $13 billion in conservation projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. Another&nbsp; would limit future updates to the Thrifty Food Plan, the formula that calculates benefits for SNAP. “The economic impact of the SNAP cuts alone would be staggering,” Scott said.

A freeze in the Thrifty Food Plan would result in a roughly $30 billion SNAP cut over the next decade,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/chair-thompsons-plan-would-cut-snap-benefits-and-ignore-scientific">according</a>&nbsp;to the liberal-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. There are more than 41 million people who use SNAP benefits,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/key-statistics-and-research/#:~:text=The%20Supplemental%20Nutrition%20Assistance%20Program,fiscal%20year%20(FY)%202022.&amp;text=Download%20chart%20data%20in%20Excel,41.2%20million%20participants%20per%20month.">according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.&nbsp;</a>

However, the House farm bill would remove the ban on low-income Americans who have a drug conviction felony from obtaining SNAP benefits.

Environmental groups are also opposing the draft of the farm bill, raising concerns about reallocating IRA money and including a bill relating to how states regulate animal practices.

A watchdog group that focuses on government and corporate accountability in water, food and corporate overreach, Food &amp; Water Watch Managing Director of Policy and Litigation Mitch Jones said in a statement that the draft bill would gut important climate-smart provisions.

“Some of leadership’s more dangerous proposals would take us backwards on animal welfare, and climate-smart agriculture,” Jones said. “It’s time Congress put the culture wars aside and got back to work on a Farm Bill that puts consumers, farmers, and the environment above politicking and Big Ag handouts.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716210763832.png" alt=" Doug Goyings, a fifth-generation farmer in northwestern Ohio, received a USDA Rural Energy for America Program grant in 2023 to install a 288-panel solar array (seen at left) at his family grain farm, meeting 100 percent of the farm’s energy needs and saving money that he can re-invest back into the operation. (Mark McCann/USDA)" />
 <figcaption> Doug Goyings, a fifth-generation farmer in northwestern Ohio, received a USDA Rural Energy for America Program grant in 2023 to install a 288-panel solar array (seen at left) at his family grain farm, meeting 100 percent of the farm’s energy needs and saving money that he can re-invest back into the operation. (Mark McCann/USDA)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">ARIANA FIGUEROA</a>WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Agriculture Committee Friday released the draft bill text of the long-awaited $1.5 trillion farm bill, which is likely to face opposition in the Senate from Democrats because of disagreements over federal anti-hunger programs and climate change requirements.The chair of the committee, GOP Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson of Pennsylvania, said in a statement that the bill, which will set farm, nutrition, commodity and conservation policy for the next five years, is a “product of extensive feedback from stakeholders and all Members of the House, and is responsive to the needs of farm country through the incorporation of hundreds of bipartisan policies.”The legislation funds programs across 12 titles for five years.It would boost rural farming, promote a new global market for farmers to sell their products abroad, require new reporting requirements for the foreign purchase of farmland, increase funding for specialty crops and expand eligibility for disaster assistance, among other initiatives.“The markup is one step in a greater House process, that should not be compromised by misleading arguments, false narratives, or edicts from the Senate,” Thompson said.The House Agriculture Committee plans to mark up the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://agriculture.house.gov/uploadedfiles/discussion_draft_ffns.pdf">942-page bill</a>&nbsp;on Thursday. It is expected to cost $1.5 trillion over 10 years. A title-by-title summary can be found&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://agriculture.house.gov/uploadedfiles/detailed_summary_final.pdf">here</a>.In a statement, the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. David Scott of Georgia, slammed the draft bill for “taking food out of the mouths of America’s hungry children, restricting farmers from receiving the climate-smart conservation funding they so desperately need, and barring the USDA from providing financial assistance to farmers in times of crisis.”Scott warned that the current draft bill is unlikely to pass the House. Although Republicans have a slim majority, any piece of legislation will have to be bipartisan in order to make it through the Senate, which Democrats control.The current farm bill extension expires Sept. 30.On the Senate side, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat who leads the Committee on Agriculture, released Democrats’&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/newsroom/dem/press/release/chairwoman-stabenow-unveils-the-rural-prosperity-and-food-security-act">own proposal</a>&nbsp;in early May. Among other things, it would boost eligibility for nutrition programs for low-income people like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Stabenow made public a summary of the bill, but not legislative text.Scott and Stabenow released a joint statement Tuesday following a meeting with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democrats on the House Agriculture committee. They advocated for Republicans to craft a bipartisan farm bill.“House Republicans are undermining this goal by proposing policies that split the broad, bipartisan coalition that has always been the foundation of a successful farm bill,” they wrote.“We need a farm bill that holds the coalition together and upholds the historic tradition of providing food assistance to our most vulnerable Americans while keeping our commitment to our farmers battling the effects of the climate crisis every day,” they continued.The House bill has a few provisions that Democrats oppose.One would remove climate-smart policy requirements for about $13 billion in conservation projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. Another&nbsp; would limit future updates to the Thrifty Food Plan, the formula that calculates benefits for SNAP. “The economic impact of the SNAP cuts alone would be staggering,” Scott said.A freeze in the Thrifty Food Plan would result in a roughly $30 billion SNAP cut over the next decade,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/chair-thompsons-plan-would-cut-snap-benefits-and-ignore-scientific">according</a>&nbsp;to the liberal-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. There are more than 41 million people who use SNAP benefits,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/key-statistics-and-research/#:~:text=The%20Supplemental%20Nutrition%20Assistance%20Program,fiscal%20year%20(FY)%202022.&amp;text=Download%20chart%20data%20in%20Excel,41.2%20million%20participants%20per%20month.">according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.&nbsp;</a>However, the House farm bill would remove the ban on low-income Americans who have a drug conviction felony from obtaining SNAP benefits.Environmental groups are also opposing the draft of the farm bill, raising concerns about reallocating IRA money and including a bill relating to how states regulate animal practices.A watchdog group that focuses on government and corporate accountability in water, food and corporate overreach, Food &amp; Water Watch Managing Director of Policy and Litigation Mitch Jones said in a statement that the draft bill would gut important climate-smart provisions.“Some of leadership’s more dangerous proposals would take us backwards on animal welfare, and climate-smart agriculture,” Jones said. “It’s time Congress put the culture wars aside and got back to work on a Farm Bill that puts consumers, farmers, and the environment above politicking and Big Ag handouts.”

Farm bill text released in U.S. House, setting up fight with Senate

SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation after two bodies were located near the 300 Block of River Road in rural Sumner County, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff's Lt. Nathan Gibbs.&nbsp; &nbsp;The Sheriff’s Office has identified several suspects in the case. Authorities have not reported an arrest.

 One of the bodies was located on May 10,&nbsp; the other on May 13.&nbsp; Both bodies were transported to the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center for further testing and examination. &nbsp;

On Friday, the sheriff's office received confirmation through DNA testing on the identities of the two deceased individuals as 30-year-old Monica R. Williams and 24-year-old Kevin M. Ledesma. Both had been reporteed missing and were last seen&nbsp;at a residence in the 9500 block South Hydraulic in Wichita on January 1, 2024. The sheriff's office also reported there were homicide victims.

The circumstances in which Williams and Ledesma were killed remains under investigation by the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715979738614.png" alt="Williams photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Williams photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation after two bodies were located near the 300 Block of River Road in rural Sumner County, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff's Lt. Nathan Gibbs.&nbsp; &nbsp;The Sheriff’s Office has identified several suspects in the case. Authorities have not reported an arrest. One of the bodies was located on May 10,&nbsp; the other on May 13.&nbsp; Both bodies were transported to the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center for further testing and examination. &nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715980197399.png" alt="Kevin Ledesma-photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Kevin Ledesma-photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>On Friday, the sheriff's office received confirmation through DNA testing on the identities of the two deceased individuals as 30-year-old Monica R. Williams and 24-year-old Kevin M. Ledesma. Both had been reporteed missing and were last seen&nbsp;at a residence in the 9500 block South Hydraulic in Wichita on January 1, 2024. The sheriff's office also reported there were homicide victims.The circumstances in which Williams and Ledesma were killed remains under investigation by the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office.

Police ID suspects after 2 bodies found in rural Kansas homicide

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection days after shuttering dozens of restaurants.

The seafood chain has been struggling with rising lease and labor costs in recent years and also promotions like its iconic all-you-can-eat shrimp deal that backfired.

Demand for one such recent promotion overwhelmed restaurants,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2023/11/27/red-lobster-endless-shrimp-earnings-report/71723659007/">reportedly</a>&nbsp;contributing to millions in losses.

The seafood restaurant chain said in a court filing late Sunday that it has more than 100,000 creditors and estimated assets between $1 billion and $10 billion. The company's estimated liabilities are between $1 billion and $10 billion.

The bankruptcy petition is signed by CEO Jonathan Tibus, a corporate restructuring specialist who took the top post at Red Lobster in March.

Restaurant liquidator TAGeX Brands announced last week that it would be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-lobster-closures-endless-shrimp-bankruptcy-c0cad9fde7d39e479674ea497ac9a36f">auctioning</a>&nbsp;off the equipment of over 50 Red Lobster locations that were recently closed. The store closures span across more than 20 states — reducing Red Lobster’s presence in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tagexbrands.com/red-lobster/">cities like</a>&nbsp;Denver, San Antonio, Indianapolis and Sacramento, California.

Maintaining stability at the Florida chain has been problematic due to multiple ownership changes over its 56-year history. Earlier this year, Red Lobster co-owner Thai Union Group, one of the world’s largest seafood suppliers, announced its intention to exit its minority investment in the dining chain.

Thai Union first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-6e252dbd4ff84eb1b44ba97809ca49ee">invested in Red Lobster in 2016</a>&nbsp;and upped its stake in 2020. At the time of the January announcement on its plans to divest, CEO Thiraphong Chansiri said the COVID-19 pandemic, industry headwinds and rising operating costs had hit the dining chain hard and caused “prolonged negative financial contributions to Thai Union and its shareholders.”

For the first nine months of 2023, the Thailand company reported a $19 million share of loss from Red Lobster.

Red Lobster’s roots date back to 1968, when the first restaurant <a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-9b65b21164c445ac89e134f2165efecf">opened</a>&nbsp;in Lakeland, Florida. The chain expanded rapidly since then and runs more than 700 locations worldwide.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715638363133.jpeg" alt="Sign on the entrance to the Red Lobster Restaurant in Salina, Kansas-photo by Nathan King" />
 <figcaption>Sign on the entrance to the Red Lobster Restaurant in Salina, Kansas-photo by Nathan King</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection days after shuttering dozens of restaurants.The seafood chain has been struggling with rising lease and labor costs in recent years and also promotions like its iconic all-you-can-eat shrimp deal that backfired.Demand for one such recent promotion overwhelmed restaurants,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2023/11/27/red-lobster-endless-shrimp-earnings-report/71723659007/">reportedly</a>&nbsp;contributing to millions in losses.The seafood restaurant chain said in a court filing late Sunday that it has more than 100,000 creditors and estimated assets between $1 billion and $10 billion. The company's estimated liabilities are between $1 billion and $10 billion.The bankruptcy petition is signed by CEO Jonathan Tibus, a corporate restructuring specialist who took the top post at Red Lobster in March.Restaurant liquidator TAGeX Brands announced last week that it would be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-lobster-closures-endless-shrimp-bankruptcy-c0cad9fde7d39e479674ea497ac9a36f">auctioning</a>&nbsp;off the equipment of over 50 Red Lobster locations that were recently closed. The store closures span across more than 20 states — reducing Red Lobster’s presence in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tagexbrands.com/red-lobster/">cities like</a>&nbsp;Denver, San Antonio, Indianapolis and Sacramento, California.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715638338504.jpeg" alt="Red Lobster in Salina, Kansas -photo by Nathan King" />
 <figcaption>Red Lobster in Salina, Kansas -photo by Nathan King</figcaption>
 </figure>Maintaining stability at the Florida chain has been problematic due to multiple ownership changes over its 56-year history. Earlier this year, Red Lobster co-owner Thai Union Group, one of the world’s largest seafood suppliers, announced its intention to exit its minority investment in the dining chain.Thai Union first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-6e252dbd4ff84eb1b44ba97809ca49ee">invested in Red Lobster in 2016</a>&nbsp;and upped its stake in 2020. At the time of the January announcement on its plans to divest, CEO Thiraphong Chansiri said the COVID-19 pandemic, industry headwinds and rising operating costs had hit the dining chain hard and caused “prolonged negative financial contributions to Thai Union and its shareholders.”For the first nine months of 2023, the Thailand company reported a $19 million share of loss from Red Lobster.Red Lobster’s roots date back to 1968, when the first restaurant <a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-9b65b21164c445ac89e134f2165efecf">opened</a>&nbsp;in Lakeland, Florida. The chain expanded rapidly since then and runs more than 700 locations worldwide.

Red Lobster files for bankruptcy days after unlimited shrimp deal

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.

Just before 2p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to 34th and Wyoming on a recovered stolen auto, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.

  Call was later upgraded to a shooting. First responders found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Three subjects were questioned.&nbsp;

Police indicated that a preliminary investigation found a fight broke out among multiple individuals. Several individuals fired shots before the victim was hit. Three suspects were taken into custody.

Detectives and crime scene investigators said they continue to speak with witnesses as they continue to process the scene. Anyone with information about the incident should report it to KCPD at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716088530027.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.Just before 2p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to 34th and Wyoming on a recovered stolen auto, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'. Call was later upgraded to a shooting. First responders found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Three subjects were questioned.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716119122322.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Police indicated that a preliminary investigation found a fight broke out among multiple individuals. Several individuals fired shots before the victim was hit. Three suspects were taken into custody.Detectives and crime scene investigators said they continue to speak with witnesses as they continue to process the scene. Anyone with information about the incident should report it to KCPD at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

Police investigate deadly shooting at KC apartment complex

RUSSELL COUNTY — Spring thunderstorms brought flooding rain, large hail and extreme winds Sunday afternoon and evening across Kansas. There are no injuries reported.

The storms started tracking across the state just after 2p.m. and prompted numerous watches and tornado warnings.

Just before 5p.m. the Salina Airport recorded winds of of 100 miles per hour. Heavy rain caused flooding over Highway 14 in Ellsworth County.

The storms in Harvey and Sedgwick counties produced 80-90mph winds that caused structural damage, downed power lines, and turned over semis, according to the National Weather Service.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Russell experienced golf ball-sized hail and 82 mph wind gusts as a tornado-warned storm passed through the area causing significant damage across the community.&nbsp; Power was out in most of the community and at least three structures were leveled, according to a report on the city's social media page. Power lines are down and trees are blocking roadways in Russell and many communities across the region.

Newton USD 373 canceled school for Monday at Chisholm Middle School due to weather damage.&nbsp;Unified School District 407, Russell also cancelled classes due to weather related issues.

There were over 18,000 residents in Hutchinson without power Sunday night according to the Evergy outage map, after a severe thunderstorm with 86 mile per hour winds, measured at 7:40p.m. at the Hutchinson Airport.

The storm caused significant damage in Burrton, with Highway 50 shut down between Yoder Road and the Harvey County line Sunday night due to a chemical leak. Haven Road was also closed due to power poles down east of town.&nbsp;Burrton residents were temporarily asked to shelter in place due to a the possible chemical leak at the damaged oil facility west of the city. The alert was issued just after 9 p.m and lifted at approximately 11 p.m. 

Several damaged buildings were reported throughout Harvey county.

Other roadways in Harvey were closed as of Sunday night due to flooding, tree damage or power line damage include:

· North Burmac Road from U.S. 50 to Northwest 24th Street

· Southwest 36th Street between Halstead Road and Old Settlers Road

· North Spring Lake Road from U.S. 50 to West First Street

· North Golden Prairie Road from U.S. 50 to Northwest 24th Street

· North River Park Road from U.S. 50 to West First Street

Power outages were numerous throughout Harvey county. Evergy reported more than 10,000 customers affected in Harvey County, and Butler Electric reported 98 customers without power.

Harvey County issued a verbal disaster declaration due to the weather damage. Disaster declarations aid with coordination of resources if needed.

Haven Police reported that there is damage to various structures throughout that city. The Senior Center is open for those who need power as of Sunday night, but if you don't have to get out, travel is not recommended until at least sunrise.

According to the Evergy&nbsp;<a href="https://outagemap.evergy.com/" target="_blank">outage map</a>, at least 20,000 people living in and around Overland Park, Kansas, had experienced a power outage. About 20,000 people in and around Kansas City, Missouri, also were without power.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716159390070.jpeg" alt="Halstead and Pleasent Hill Road Outside Salina looking west at 5:35 p.m. on Sunday May 19." />
 <figcaption>Halstead and Pleasent Hill Road Outside Salina looking west at 5:35 p.m. on Sunday May 19.</figcaption>
 </figure>RUSSELL COUNTY — Spring thunderstorms brought flooding rain, large hail and extreme winds Sunday afternoon and evening across Kansas. There are no injuries reported.The storms started tracking across the state just after 2p.m. and prompted numerous watches and tornado warnings.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716165740455.png" alt="Photo city of Russell" />
 <figcaption>Photo city of Russell</figcaption>
 </figure>Just before 5p.m. the Salina Airport recorded winds of of 100 miles per hour. Heavy rain caused flooding over Highway 14 in Ellsworth County.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">At 5:55PM, quarter to golf ball sized hail was reported in Salina. A 100 mph measured wind gust was just reported at Salina Airport at 6PM. Get into shelter now if you are in Salina! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kswx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kswx</a>&mdash; NWS Wichita (@NWSWichita) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSWichita/status/1792331022694338766?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716162978638.png" alt="Drivers parking under the overpass at I-70 and I-135 in Salina during the storm-image KanDrive camera" />
 <figcaption>Drivers parking under the overpass at I-70 and I-135 in Salina during the storm-image KanDrive camera</figcaption>
 </figure>The storms in Harvey and Sedgwick counties produced 80-90mph winds that caused structural damage, downed power lines, and turned over semis, according to the National Weather Service.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716168322617.png" alt="Storm damage photo city of Russell" />
 <figcaption>Storm damage photo city of Russell</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;Russell experienced golf ball-sized hail and 82 mph wind gusts as a tornado-warned storm passed through the area causing significant damage across the community.&nbsp; Power was out in most of the community and at least three structures were leveled, according to a report on the city's social media page. Power lines are down and trees are blocking roadways in Russell and many communities across the region.Newton USD 373 canceled school for Monday at Chisholm Middle School due to weather damage.&nbsp;Unified School District 407, Russell also cancelled classes due to weather related issues.There were over 18,000 residents in Hutchinson without power Sunday night according to the Evergy outage map, after a severe thunderstorm with 86 mile per hour winds, measured at 7:40p.m. at the Hutchinson Airport.The storm caused significant damage in Burrton, with Highway 50 shut down between Yoder Road and the Harvey County line Sunday night due to a chemical leak. Haven Road was also closed due to power poles down east of town.&nbsp;Burrton residents were temporarily asked to shelter in place due to a the possible chemical leak at the damaged oil facility west of the city. The alert was issued just after 9 p.m and lifted at approximately 11 p.m. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716198838451.png" alt="Photo Harvey County Emergency Management" />
 <figcaption>Photo Harvey County Emergency Management</figcaption>
 </figure>Several damaged buildings were reported throughout Harvey county.Other roadways in Harvey were closed as of Sunday night due to flooding, tree damage or power line damage include:· North Burmac Road from U.S. 50 to Northwest 24th Street· Southwest 36th Street between Halstead Road and Old Settlers Road· North Spring Lake Road from U.S. 50 to West First Street· North Golden Prairie Road from U.S. 50 to Northwest 24th Street· North River Park Road from U.S. 50 to West First StreetPower outages were numerous throughout Harvey county. Evergy reported more than 10,000 customers affected in Harvey County, and Butler Electric reported 98 customers without power.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716202728350.png" alt="-Photo Harvey County Emergency Management" />
 <figcaption>-Photo Harvey County Emergency Management</figcaption>
 </figure>Harvey County issued a verbal disaster declaration due to the weather damage. Disaster declarations aid with coordination of resources if needed.Haven Police reported that there is damage to various structures throughout that city. The Senior Center is open for those who need power as of Sunday night, but if you don't have to get out, travel is not recommended until at least sunrise.According to the Evergy&nbsp;<a href="https://outagemap.evergy.com/" target="_blank">outage map</a>, at least 20,000 people living in and around Overland Park, Kansas, had experienced a power outage. About 20,000 people in and around Kansas City, Missouri, also were without power.

Sunday storms brought hail, flooding rain and 100mph winds

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Joe Biden's national security adviser met early Sunday with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss what the kingdom described as the “semi-final” version of a wide-ranging security agreement between the countries.

The announcement by the state-run Saudi Press Agency comes as the strategic deal had been upended after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel</a>&nbsp;that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage back to the Gaza Strip.

In the time since, a punishing Israeli airstrike campaign and ground offensive there has killed over 35,000 Palestinians, endangering the security deal that had included Saudi Arabia diplomatically recognizing Israel for the first time since its founding in 1948.

Saudi state media released no images of Jake Sullivan and Prince Mohammed meeting in Dhahran, a city in the kingdom's far east that's home to its state-run oil giant, the Saudi Arabian Oil Co. known as Saudi Aramco.

“The semi-final version of the draft strategic agreements between the kingdom and the United States of America, which are almost being finalized — and what is being worked on between the two sides in the Palestinian issue to find a credible path — were discussed,” the statement released after the talks said.

That included “a two-state solution that meets the aspirations and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people” and “the situation in Gaza and the need to stop the war there and facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid,” the statement added.

Saudi Arabia has long called for an independent Palestinian state to be created along Israel's 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital. However, that likely may be untenable for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government hinges on support from hard-liners who oppose a two-state solution and support Israeli settlements on lands Palestinians want for that state.

The White House issued a statement early Monday after Sullivan traveled to Israel and met with Netanyahu, saying the Saudi talks “focused on a comprehensive vision for an integrated Middle East region.” The statement did not elaborate, other than to call the talks “constructive.”

Saudi Arabia has long relied — like other Gulf Arab nations — on the U.S. to be the security guarantor for the wider Middle East as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-tanker-seizures-us-uk-navy-revolutionary-guard-a8996a3dccccc82f8fa8d8bf263c9cfb">tensions over Iran’s nuclear program in recent years have spilled over into a series of attacks.</a>&nbsp;The proposal now being discussed likely would deepen that, and also reportedly includes access to advanced weapons and possibly trade deals as well.

Saudi Arabia has also pushed for nuclear cooperation in the deal that includes America allowing it to enrich uranium in the kingdom — something that worries nonproliferation experts, as spinning centrifuges opens the door to a possible weapons program. Prince Mohammed has said the kingdom would pursue a nuclear weapon if Iran had one.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-iaea-nuclear-program-143e3e3c015dbf9c17316ad60ff989da">Iran in recent weeks has increasingly threatened it could do so</a>.

Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York meanwhile confirmed that Tehran held indirect talks with U.S. officials in Oman last week. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency quoted the mission as describing the talks as “an ongoing process.”

“The negotiations have not been the first and will not be the last of their kind,” the mission said, according to IRNA.

Oman, a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has been the site of U.S.-Iran talks in the past, including under Biden despite the tensions between the two nations.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716170126757.png" alt="File photo Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from a meeting with Sec. of State Blinken in 2023-photo U.S. Dept. of State" />
 <figcaption>File photo Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from a meeting with Sec. of State Blinken in 2023-photo U.S. Dept. of State</figcaption>
 </figure>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Joe Biden's national security adviser met early Sunday with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss what the kingdom described as the “semi-final” version of a wide-ranging security agreement between the countries.The announcement by the state-run Saudi Press Agency comes as the strategic deal had been upended after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel</a>&nbsp;that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage back to the Gaza Strip.In the time since, a punishing Israeli airstrike campaign and ground offensive there has killed over 35,000 Palestinians, endangering the security deal that had included Saudi Arabia diplomatically recognizing Israel for the first time since its founding in 1948.Saudi state media released no images of Jake Sullivan and Prince Mohammed meeting in Dhahran, a city in the kingdom's far east that's home to its state-run oil giant, the Saudi Arabian Oil Co. known as Saudi Aramco.“The semi-final version of the draft strategic agreements between the kingdom and the United States of America, which are almost being finalized — and what is being worked on between the two sides in the Palestinian issue to find a credible path — were discussed,” the statement released after the talks said.That included “a two-state solution that meets the aspirations and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people” and “the situation in Gaza and the need to stop the war there and facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid,” the statement added.Saudi Arabia has long called for an independent Palestinian state to be created along Israel's 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital. However, that likely may be untenable for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government hinges on support from hard-liners who oppose a two-state solution and support Israeli settlements on lands Palestinians want for that state.The White House issued a statement early Monday after Sullivan traveled to Israel and met with Netanyahu, saying the Saudi talks “focused on a comprehensive vision for an integrated Middle East region.” The statement did not elaborate, other than to call the talks “constructive.”Saudi Arabia has long relied — like other Gulf Arab nations — on the U.S. to be the security guarantor for the wider Middle East as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-tanker-seizures-us-uk-navy-revolutionary-guard-a8996a3dccccc82f8fa8d8bf263c9cfb">tensions over Iran’s nuclear program in recent years have spilled over into a series of attacks.</a>&nbsp;The proposal now being discussed likely would deepen that, and also reportedly includes access to advanced weapons and possibly trade deals as well.Saudi Arabia has also pushed for nuclear cooperation in the deal that includes America allowing it to enrich uranium in the kingdom — something that worries nonproliferation experts, as spinning centrifuges opens the door to a possible weapons program. Prince Mohammed has said the kingdom would pursue a nuclear weapon if Iran had one.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-iaea-nuclear-program-143e3e3c015dbf9c17316ad60ff989da">Iran in recent weeks has increasingly threatened it could do so</a>.Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York meanwhile confirmed that Tehran held indirect talks with U.S. officials in Oman last week. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency quoted the mission as describing the talks as “an ongoing process.”“The negotiations have not been the first and will not be the last of their kind,” the mission said, according to IRNA.Oman, a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has been the site of U.S.-Iran talks in the past, including under Biden despite the tensions between the two nations.

US meets with Saudi Crown Prince to discuss peace in Middle East 

WOODSON COUNTY—A woman is recovering after an apparent accident in Woodson County.

Just before 3a.m. May 17, a 65-year-old woman fell into the water at the Eastside Spillway of the Toronto Lake Dam, according to the Woodson County Sheriff's office.

Multiple 911 calls were made to the Woodson and Wilson County dispatch centers, prompting a large-scale rescue operation.

Just after 4p.m., rescue crews found the woman alive one mile into Wilson County on Decatur Road. She was transported to the incident command center near the Toronto Dam for initial medical assessment by Woodson County EMS and then taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluation.

WOODSON COUNTY—A woman is recovering after an apparent accident in Woodson County.Just before 3a.m. May 17, a 65-year-old woman fell into the water at the Eastside Spillway of the Toronto Lake Dam, according to the Woodson County Sheriff's office.Multiple 911 calls were made to the Woodson and Wilson County dispatch centers, prompting a large-scale rescue operation.Just after 4p.m., rescue crews found the woman alive one mile into Wilson County on Decatur Road. She was transported to the incident command center near the Toronto Dam for initial medical assessment by Woodson County EMS and then taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluation.

 Woman rescued after falling into Kansas lake spillway

TOPEKA– A Kansas woman was sentenced to&nbsp; 20 years in prison after being found guilty of multiple charges related to drug trafficking, according to the United State's Attorney.

According to court documents, a federal jury convicted Theresa Hight, 60, of Topeka, of one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, and two counts of distribution of a controlled substance. 

The jury found Hight not guilty of one count of distribution and posses with the intent to distribute controlled substances.

Three additional co-defendants pled guilty in the case. Shelli Lynn Zarazua, 59, of Topeka pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances. On May 1, 2024, Zarazua was sentenced to 120 months in prison.

Anabell Madrigal, 58, of Chula Vista, California, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and on April 24, 2024, was sentenced to 24 months in prison.

Allen Joseph Baker, 45, of Topeka pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and on May 1, 2024, was sentenced to 105 months in prison.

In March 2021, law enforcement officers received information that a courier was scheduled to drop off illegal narcotics at Hight’s residence in Topeka. While conducting surveillance, officers observed Madrigal arrive at the house. After a short time inside, Madrigal, Zarazua, Hight, and Baker all left in separate vehicles. Officers conducted traffic stops on each of the suspects. They found a pound of methamphetamine on Baker’s person as well as 17 bundles of methamphetamine in his vehicle. Hight had an ounce of methamphetamine and digital scales. 

Officers discovered three bundles of cash concealed in the panels of Madrigal’s vehicle. The total weight delivered on this occasion was approximately 20 pounds. Officers learned this was the second delivery which occurred at Hight’s residence.

The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigated the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715891161331.png" alt="Hight has a dozen previous convictions that include forgery, ID theft and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections-" />
 <figcaption>Hight has a dozen previous convictions that include forgery, ID theft and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections-</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA– A Kansas woman was sentenced to&nbsp; 20 years in prison after being found guilty of multiple charges related to drug trafficking, according to the United State's Attorney.According to court documents, a federal jury convicted Theresa Hight, 60, of Topeka, of one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, and two counts of distribution of a controlled substance. The jury found Hight not guilty of one count of distribution and posses with the intent to distribute controlled substances.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715891543438.png" alt="Zarazua-from a previous arrest in Chase Co." />
 <figcaption>Zarazua-from a previous arrest in Chase Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Three additional co-defendants pled guilty in the case. Shelli Lynn Zarazua, 59, of Topeka pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances. On May 1, 2024, Zarazua was sentenced to 120 months in prison.Anabell Madrigal, 58, of Chula Vista, California, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and on April 24, 2024, was sentenced to 24 months in prison.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715891328064.png" alt="Baker photo KDOC" />
 <figcaption>Baker photo KDOC</figcaption>
 </figure>Allen Joseph Baker, 45, of Topeka pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and on May 1, 2024, was sentenced to 105 months in prison.In March 2021, law enforcement officers received information that a courier was scheduled to drop off illegal narcotics at Hight’s residence in Topeka. While conducting surveillance, officers observed Madrigal arrive at the house. After a short time inside, Madrigal, Zarazua, Hight, and Baker all left in separate vehicles. Officers conducted traffic stops on each of the suspects. They found a pound of methamphetamine on Baker’s person as well as 17 bundles of methamphetamine in his vehicle. Hight had an ounce of methamphetamine and digital scales. Officers discovered three bundles of cash concealed in the panels of Madrigal’s vehicle. The total weight delivered on this occasion was approximately 20 pounds. Officers learned this was the second delivery which occurred at Hight’s residence.The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigated the case.

Prison for members of Kansas meth sales ring

SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged road rage and have a suspect in custody.

Just after 10 p.m. Friday, police responded to a call of possible shots fired in the area Santa Fe Avenue and Crawford Street in Salina, according to a media release.

A 47-year-old man reported he was driving south on Santa Fe when a white Dodge truck nearly struck his vehicle.

The 47-year-old male subject stopped behind the Dodge truck at the stop light of Santa Fe and Crawford. The subject exited his vehicle and approached the Dodge truck to confront the driver.&nbsp;

The driver of the Dodge truck then fired three gunshots in the direction of the subject. The subject was not struck. The Dodge truck left the area and shell casings were located in the area.

At approximately 11:40 p.m., officers responded to the Saline County Jail, where contact was made with 23-year-old Connor Schmeck of Salina. Schmeck had been brought to the jail by family to turn himself in for the “road rage” incident.&nbsp; A handgun was recovered.

Schmeck was is being held on one count of Aggravated Assault and Criminal Discharge of a Weapon.

The Salina Police Department wants to remind everyone to treat others with respect and compassion not only on the roadways but in general. It is important to understand “road rage” events can escalate v ery quickly. Please think before we act and consider the consequences of our actions. Do not take the law into your own hands.

If you believe someone has committed a crime or traffic infraction contact your local police department so it can be investigated and handled lawfully.

Those who take the law into their own hands face legal ramifications to include incarceration. Friday's incident is a reminder how quickly confronting others can turn into life threatening situation not only for those directly involved but also innocent bystanders. Fortunately no one was injured.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716034592765.jpeg" alt="Schmeck photo Saline Co." />
 <figcaption>Schmeck photo Saline Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged road rage and have a suspect in custody.Just after 10 p.m. Friday, police responded to a call of possible shots fired in the area Santa Fe Avenue and Crawford Street in Salina, according to a media release.A 47-year-old man reported he was driving south on Santa Fe when a white Dodge truck nearly struck his vehicle.The 47-year-old male subject stopped behind the Dodge truck at the stop light of Santa Fe and Crawford. The subject exited his vehicle and approached the Dodge truck to confront the driver.&nbsp;The driver of the Dodge truck then fired three gunshots in the direction of the subject. The subject was not struck. The Dodge truck left the area and shell casings were located in the area.At approximately 11:40 p.m., officers responded to the Saline County Jail, where contact was made with 23-year-old Connor Schmeck of Salina. Schmeck had been brought to the jail by family to turn himself in for the “road rage” incident.&nbsp; A handgun was recovered.Schmeck was is being held on one count of Aggravated Assault and Criminal Discharge of a Weapon.The Salina Police Department wants to remind everyone to treat others with respect and compassion not only on the roadways but in general. It is important to understand “road rage” events can escalate v ery quickly. Please think before we act and consider the consequences of our actions. Do not take the law into your own hands.If you believe someone has committed a crime or traffic infraction contact your local police department so it can be investigated and handled lawfully.Those who take the law into their own hands face legal ramifications to include incarceration. Friday's incident is a reminder how quickly confronting others can turn into life threatening situation not only for those directly involved but also innocent bystanders. Fortunately no one was injured.

Road rage: Kan. man turned himself in for shooting at driver 

KANSAS CITY – A Kansas City father and son have been indicted by a federal grand jury for selling firearms without a license, illegally possessing firearms, and drug trafficking, according to the United State's Attorney.

Nathan Caldwell, Sr., also known as “Prince Bossalinie,” 52, and Nathan Caldwell, Jr., 32, were charged in a 29-count indictment that was returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, May 7. That indictment was unsealed and made public upon their arrest and initial court appearances.

The federal indictment alleges the Caldwells have aided and abetted each other to engage in the business of dealing in firearms, although they are not licensed dealers, since Dec. 20, 2023.

Nathan Caldwell, Sr., is also charged with 10 counts of being a felon in possession of firearms, eight counts of distributing methamphetamine, one count of distributing cocaine, one count of distributing marijuana, and two counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Nathan Caldwell, Jr., is also charged with three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and three counts of distributing marijuana.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition.

Nathan Caldwell, Sr., has two prior felony convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm and prior felony convictions for aiding a felon, attempted aggravated assault, attempted possession of cocaine, conspiracy to commit robbery, and possessing cocaine.

Nathan Caldwell, Jr., has a prior felony conviction for assault.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716153098128.png" alt="Nathan Caldwell, Jr. -Photo Wyandotte Co." />
 <figcaption>Nathan Caldwell, Jr. -Photo Wyandotte Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY – A Kansas City father and son have been indicted by a federal grand jury for selling firearms without a license, illegally possessing firearms, and drug trafficking, according to the United State's Attorney.Nathan Caldwell, Sr., also known as “Prince Bossalinie,” 52, and Nathan Caldwell, Jr., 32, were charged in a 29-count indictment that was returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, May 7. That indictment was unsealed and made public upon their arrest and initial court appearances.The federal indictment alleges the Caldwells have aided and abetted each other to engage in the business of dealing in firearms, although they are not licensed dealers, since Dec. 20, 2023.Nathan Caldwell, Sr., is also charged with 10 counts of being a felon in possession of firearms, eight counts of distributing methamphetamine, one count of distributing cocaine, one count of distributing marijuana, and two counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.Nathan Caldwell, Jr., is also charged with three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and three counts of distributing marijuana.Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition.Nathan Caldwell, Sr., has two prior felony convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm and prior felony convictions for aiding a felon, attempted aggravated assault, attempted possession of cocaine, conspiracy to commit robbery, and possessing cocaine.Nathan Caldwell, Jr., has a prior felony conviction for assault.The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

Kansas City father and son accused of illegally selling guns

Kansas Republican Jerry Moran among top 10 bipartisan senators

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>&nbsp; State's Newsroom

WASHINGTON — Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick were the most bipartisan members of Congress last year, according to a newly released analysis from the Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.

The least bipartisan House lawmaker was Ohio Republican Jim Jordan, while Alabama’s Katie Britt, a Republican freshman, placed last among senators.

The latest&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.thelugarcenter.org/ourwork-Bipartisan-Index.html">ranking</a>&nbsp;of the most bipartisan lawmakers comes amid one of the least productive Congresses in the nation’s history and just months before nearly all House lawmakers and about one-third of the Senate face voters at the polls in November.

Maria Cancian, dean of the McCourt School of Public Policy, wrote in a statement announcing the new rankings that “while there is much room for improvement, I am encouraged to see some progress on cross-party collaboration.”

“In these deeply divided times, and with an increasing amount of misleading information online, we need tools like the Bipartisan Index more than ever — an evidence-based and nonpartisan approach for measuring how well policymakers work across the aisle to get things done,” Cancian wrote.

Lugar Center Policy Director Dan Diller wrote that it was “especially disheartening that all eight new Senators who took office in January 2023 ranked in the bottom 30 percent of Senate scores.”

“Bipartisan cooperation on legislation in 2023 was deficient by historical standards, though there were some marginal improvements in scores from the previous Congress,” Diller wrote.

The website with the rankings states that the “Bipartisan Index is intended to fill a hole in the information available to the public about the performance of Members of Congress.”

The Lugar Center, founded by the late U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, a Republican from Indiana, “is a platform for informed debate and analysis of global issues, including nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, global food security, foreign assistance effectiveness and global development, energy security, and enhancing bipartisan governance,” according to its website.

The rankings take into consideration “the frequency with which a member of Congress sponsors bills that are co-sponsored by at least one member of the opposing party” and “the frequency with which a member co-sponsors bills introduced by members of the opposite Party.”

The Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University wrote on their website that their “aim in publishing this Index is not to promote a specific legislative agenda, as is the case for many indexes, but solely the promotion of a bipartisan approach to governance.”

“The credibility of the Index is derived from the objectivity of its methodology; Index scores are computed formulaically from publically available data,” it states. “The Index requires no subjective assessment of specific legislative items.”

The least bipartisan House lawmakers following Jordan were New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Missouri Democrat Cori Bush, New York Democrat Jamaal Bowman and Missouri Republican Eric Burlison.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, ranked 423, but will likely be excluded from future scores since he has now occupied one of the top two leadership posts for at least six months.

The least bipartisan senators following Britt were Missouri Republican Eric Schmitt, Washington state Democrat Patty Murray, Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson and Arkansas Republican Tom Cotton.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716140421905.png" alt="-Senator Moran questioning Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo on May 15" />
 <figcaption>-Senator Moran questioning Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo on May 15</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Kansas Republican Jerry Moran among top 10 bipartisan senators</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>&nbsp; State's NewsroomWASHINGTON — Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick were the most bipartisan members of Congress last year, according to a newly released analysis from the Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.The least bipartisan House lawmaker was Ohio Republican Jim Jordan, while Alabama’s Katie Britt, a Republican freshman, placed last among senators.The latest&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.thelugarcenter.org/ourwork-Bipartisan-Index.html">ranking</a>&nbsp;of the most bipartisan lawmakers comes amid one of the least productive Congresses in the nation’s history and just months before nearly all House lawmakers and about one-third of the Senate face voters at the polls in November.Maria Cancian, dean of the McCourt School of Public Policy, wrote in a statement announcing the new rankings that “while there is much room for improvement, I am encouraged to see some progress on cross-party collaboration.”“In these deeply divided times, and with an increasing amount of misleading information online, we need tools like the Bipartisan Index more than ever — an evidence-based and nonpartisan approach for measuring how well policymakers work across the aisle to get things done,” Cancian wrote.Lugar Center Policy Director Dan Diller wrote that it was “especially disheartening that all eight new Senators who took office in January 2023 ranked in the bottom 30 percent of Senate scores.”“Bipartisan cooperation on legislation in 2023 was deficient by historical standards, though there were some marginal improvements in scores from the previous Congress,” Diller wrote.The website with the rankings states that the “Bipartisan Index is intended to fill a hole in the information available to the public about the performance of Members of Congress.”The Lugar Center, founded by the late U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, a Republican from Indiana, “is a platform for informed debate and analysis of global issues, including nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, global food security, foreign assistance effectiveness and global development, energy security, and enhancing bipartisan governance,” according to its website.The rankings take into consideration “the frequency with which a member of Congress sponsors bills that are co-sponsored by at least one member of the opposing party” and “the frequency with which a member co-sponsors bills introduced by members of the opposite Party.”<h2>Who is the most bipartisan?</h2>The top 10 senators were:<ul>
 <li>Collins</li><li>Michigan Democrat Gary Peters</li><li>New Hampshire Democrat Maggie Hassan</li><li>West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin</li><li>Texas Republican John Cornyn</li><li>Nevada Democrat Jacky Rosen</li><li>Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski</li><li>Kansas Republican Jerry Moran</li><li>Indiana Republican Todd Young</li><li>Montana Democrat Jon Tester</li>
 </ul>The top 10 House lawmakers were:<ul>
 <li>Fitzpatrick</li><li>New York Republican Marcus Molinaro</li><li>New Hampshire Democrat Chris Pappas</li><li>New York Republican Mike Lawler</li><li>North Carolina Democrat Don Davis</li><li>Puerto Rico Republican Delegate Jenniffer González-Colón</li><li>Nevada Democrat Susie Lee</li><li>Nebraska Republican Don Bacon</li><li>New Jersey Democrat Josh Gottheimer</li><li>Iowa Republican Zach Nunn</li>
 </ul>The Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University wrote on their website that their “aim in publishing this Index is not to promote a specific legislative agenda, as is the case for many indexes, but solely the promotion of a bipartisan approach to governance.”“The credibility of the Index is derived from the objectivity of its methodology; Index scores are computed formulaically from publically available data,” it states. “The Index requires no subjective assessment of specific legislative items.”The least bipartisan House lawmakers following Jordan were New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Missouri Democrat Cori Bush, New York Democrat Jamaal Bowman and Missouri Republican Eric Burlison.House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, ranked 423, but will likely be excluded from future scores since he has now occupied one of the top two leadership posts for at least six months.The least bipartisan senators following Britt were Missouri Republican Eric Schmitt, Washington state Democrat Patty Murray, Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson and Arkansas Republican Tom Cotton.Sean Ross, spokesperson for Britt, wrote in a statement that the ranking is “absurd.”“Senator Britt has cosponsored 68 pieces of legislation sponsored by Democrats, as well as dozens and dozens of bipartisan pieces of legislation led by Republican sponsors,” Ross wrote.“The bipartisan efforts she is helping lead span a wide range of important topics to Alabamians, including maternal mortality research and maternal care; youth mental health and social media usage; the fentanyl crisis; affordable insulin access; affordable rural housing; telehealth services; agriculture; domestic manufacturing and supply chains; fair trade; work force development; wildlife conservation; supporting law enforcement; and consumer protections.”