GRANT COUNTY —Law enforcement and officials with USD 214 Ulysses are investigating a gun at the middle school in Ulysses.

School district officials notified the Ulysses police department of a staff member in possession of a gun at Kepley Middle School, 113 N Colorado Street in Ulysses, according to Police Chief Ron Vagher.

Police responded to the school and worked with the cooperation of USD 214 officials to identify, interview and take a person of interest into custody.&nbsp; Police also recovered a firearm.&nbsp;&nbsp;

This incident is separate from a reported school threat on Thursday. Ulysses police are investigating both.&nbsp; Police will release the name of the person of interest after formal charges are filed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695436576691.png" alt="- Kepley Middle School-Google image" />
 <figcaption>- Kepley Middle School-Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>GRANT COUNTY —Law enforcement and officials with USD 214 Ulysses are investigating a gun at the middle school in Ulysses.School district officials notified the Ulysses police department of a staff member in possession of a gun at Kepley Middle School, 113 N Colorado Street in Ulysses, according to Police Chief Ron Vagher.Police responded to the school and worked with the cooperation of USD 214 officials to identify, interview and take a person of interest into custody.&nbsp; Police also recovered a firearm.&nbsp;&nbsp;This incident is separate from a reported school threat on Thursday. Ulysses police are investigating both.&nbsp; Police will release the name of the person of interest after formal charges are filed.

Police: Kan. middle school staff member had gun at school

KANSAS CITY – The owner of a Kansas City pawn shop was sentenced in federal court this week for engaging in a $744,000 scheme to fence more than 14,500 stolen items and sell them on eBay, according to the United State's Attorney.

Dennis G. Russell, 66, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 20 months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Russell to pay a $100,000 fine and to forfeit to the government $744,222, which represents the proceeds obtained from the conspiracy.

On March 24, 2023, Russell pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport stolen property across state lines. During the scheme, Russell was one of two members of the board of directors of Rison of KC, Inc., which does business as National Pawn at 6223 E. Truman Road in Kansas City, Mo. Rison of KC is also charged with the same offense but has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Russell admitted that he participated in a nearly five-year-long conspiracy from Jan. 1, 2017, to July 27, 2021, to purchase items he knew had been stolen from various retail locations in the Kansas City metropolitan area, then sell those items on eBay. Russell shipped approximately 14,672 stolen items across state lines, resulting in gross proceeds of approximately $744,222.

Multiple thieves, known as “boosters,” stole items from Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, CVS, Walgreens, and other retail locations. They sold such stolen items as robot vacuum cleaners, textbooks, Roku and Google Chromecast television streaming devices, and Crest Whitestrips to Russell at a fraction of their retail price. Russell then posted the stolen items for sale on eBay, using one of two accounts, and shipped them to purchasers in numerous other states.

According to court documents, Russell continued his scheme during the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, 2020 was his most profitable year, selling 7,089 stolen items on eBay and receiving $324,842 in gross proceeds. In one instance, from Feb. 20 to April 2, 2020, two boosters — who were working in tandem — provided him with 641 stolen items.

Russell only stopped his illegal conduct after a federal search warrant was executed at National Pawn and he was served with a target letter. On Oct. 21, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at National Pawn and seized 3,400 items, which Russell and National Pawn do not contest were stolen property and which have been forfeited to the government.

Rison of KC has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Under the terms of that agreement, the business admits to the criminal conspiracy and accepts responsibility for the acts of its officers and employees. The government will defer prosecution of Rison of KC for that conduct during the three-year term of the agreement and will not continue with prosecution if the business fully complies with its obligations under the agreement, which include:

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695258613507.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY – The owner of a Kansas City pawn shop was sentenced in federal court this week for engaging in a $744,000 scheme to fence more than 14,500 stolen items and sell them on eBay, according to the United State's Attorney.Dennis G. Russell, 66, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 20 months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Russell to pay a $100,000 fine and to forfeit to the government $744,222, which represents the proceeds obtained from the conspiracy.On March 24, 2023, Russell pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport stolen property across state lines. During the scheme, Russell was one of two members of the board of directors of Rison of KC, Inc., which does business as National Pawn at 6223 E. Truman Road in Kansas City, Mo. Rison of KC is also charged with the same offense but has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.Russell admitted that he participated in a nearly five-year-long conspiracy from Jan. 1, 2017, to July 27, 2021, to purchase items he knew had been stolen from various retail locations in the Kansas City metropolitan area, then sell those items on eBay. Russell shipped approximately 14,672 stolen items across state lines, resulting in gross proceeds of approximately $744,222.Multiple thieves, known as “boosters,” stole items from Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, CVS, Walgreens, and other retail locations. They sold such stolen items as robot vacuum cleaners, textbooks, Roku and Google Chromecast television streaming devices, and Crest Whitestrips to Russell at a fraction of their retail price. Russell then posted the stolen items for sale on eBay, using one of two accounts, and shipped them to purchasers in numerous other states.According to court documents, Russell continued his scheme during the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, 2020 was his most profitable year, selling 7,089 stolen items on eBay and receiving $324,842 in gross proceeds. In one instance, from Feb. 20 to April 2, 2020, two boosters — who were working in tandem — provided him with 641 stolen items.Russell only stopped his illegal conduct after a federal search warrant was executed at National Pawn and he was served with a target letter. On Oct. 21, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at National Pawn and seized 3,400 items, which Russell and National Pawn do not contest were stolen property and which have been forfeited to the government.Rison of KC has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Under the terms of that agreement, the business admits to the criminal conspiracy and accepts responsibility for the acts of its officers and employees. The government will defer prosecution of Rison of KC for that conduct during the three-year term of the agreement and will not continue with prosecution if the business fully complies with its obligations under the agreement, which include:<ul>
 <li>National Pawn must keep a current list of all employees, all financial accounts, and all auction websites it utilizes;</li><li>National Pawn must obtain and retain a verifiable third-party receipt for any new product purchased;</li><li>Russell must not work at or profit from National Pawn.</li>
 </ul>

KC pawn shop owner sold thousands of stolen items on eBay

KANSAS CITY (AP) —The United Auto Workers union expanded its strike against major carmakers Friday, walking out of 38 parts-distribution centers operated by General Motors and Jeep and Ram owner Stellantis in 20 states but sparing Ford from further shutdowns.

President Joe Biden said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he will visit Michigan on Tuesday “to join the picket line and stand in solidarity with the men and women of UAW as they fight for a fair share of the value they helped create.”

Ford avoided additional strikes because the company has met some of the union’s demands during negotiations over the past week, UAW President Shawn Fain said during an online presentation to union members.

“We’ve made some real progress at Ford,” Fain said. “We still have serious issues to work through, but we do want to recognize that Ford is showing that they are serious about reaching a deal. At GM and Stellantis, it’s a different story."

Fain said GM and Stellantis, the successor to Fiat Chrysler, have rejected the union’s proposals for cost-of-living increases, profit sharing and job security, and “are going to need some serious pushing.”

GM said it has presented five “historic” offers covering wages and job security.

“Today’s strike escalation by the UAW’s top leadership is unnecessary,” the company said in a statement. “The UAW leadership is manipulating the bargaining process for their own personal agendas.”

Stellantis said it made “a very competitive offer” Thursday that would pay all current full-time hourly employees between $80,000 and $96,000 within four years and seven months and allow “workforce stability” during that time. The company said the UAW has not responded.

Instead of targeting more production plants Friday, the UAW went after centers that distribute parts to car dealer service departments. That could quickly drag consumers into the middle of the fight, if dealers run short of parts.

The UAW said the new walkouts will affect 5,600 workers on top of the nearly 13,000 who began strikes last week at three Ford, GM and Stellantis assembly plants. Those original strikes will continue, the union said.

The UAW is continuing to avoid targeting plants that make Detroit’s bestsellers, such as the Ford F-150 and Stellantis’ Ram pickups, which represent outsize shares of the companies’ revenue and profit. That represents a union strategy to gradually increase the pain of a strike on the automakers. However, the industry’s supply chain is so integrated that even hitting lower-profile plants cuts into production.

Deutsche Bank analysts estimated Friday that GM, Ford and Stellantis have lost production of more than 16,000 vehicles since the strike started last week at a Ford assembly plant near Detroit, a GM factory in Wentzville, Missouri, and a Jeep plant run by Stellantis in Toledo, Ohio. Anderson Economic Group, a consulting firm in Michigan that tracks the industry, estimated Friday that the three big automakers have suffered economic losses of more than $1.6 billion.

The carmakers and some of their suppliers have laid off about 6,000 workers in moves they say are related to the strike. GM shut down a factory in Kansas that relies on parts stamped at the Wentzville plant.

Still, the impact is not yet being felt on car lots around the country — it will probably take a few weeks before the strike causes a significant shortage of new vehicles, according to analysts.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/car-prices-auto-workers-strike-98905c8e0fcf633d21a1f83183f9fd49">Prices could rise sooner</a>, however, if the prospect of a prolonged strike triggers panic buying.

In bargaining, the union is pointing to the carmakers' huge recent profits and high CEO pay as it seeks wage increases of about 36% over four years. The companies have offered a little over half that amount.

“We aren’t getting paid what we are supposed to. I feel like our CEO is getting all our money,” said Antione Turner, who walked off his job Friday at a GM customer-care center in Belleville, Michigan.

Turner said after working there 10 years, he makes $31 an hour. On the same picket line, Shelton Matthews, who started at GM three years ago, makes $20 an hour because the company’s tiered wage structure mean lower pay for new workers.

“Pay disparity is the key issue" in the strike, Matthews said. “You’re doing, if not harder work, the same work as the person next to you with significantly less pay.”

The companies say they can’t afford to meet the union’s demands because they need to invest profits in a costly transition&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/automakers-fast-charging-network-electric-vehicles-cbb6c0102345c0db38f2baf96db742da">from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles</a>. They have dismissed out of hand some of the demands, including 40 hours' pay for a 32-hour work week.

Fain said that Ford has agreed to some union proposals, including the restoration of cost-of-living wage increases that were dropped several years ago, better profit-sharing and improved job security.

A Ford spokesman, Daniel Barbossa, said the company “is working diligently with the UAW to reach a deal that rewards our workforce and enables Ford to invest in a vibrant and growing future."

“Although we are making progress in some areas, we still have significant gaps to close on the key economic issues,” he said.

Rather than bargain with one company and set a pattern for contracts at the other two, the UAW has been negotiating simultaneously with all three Detroit giants. By favoring Ford after a week of talks, the UAW moved closer to its traditional bargaining pattern: getting the best deal it can from one company, then expecting the others to match it.

Fain had promised all week to escalate the strike if there wasn't significant progress in negotiations. Targeting the parts-distributions centers could inflict quick pain on GM and Stellantis, said Daniel Ives, an analyst with Wedbush Securities.

“The UAW is going for the gut punch as this strike gets a lot nastier,” Ives said. He called it “a very strategic and risky poker move by the UAW.”

Other industry observers said that dragging current owners of GM and Stellantis vehicles into the fray will backfire on the union.

“People who have a car that they need to repair will not be sympathetic to the UAW when they can't get the car fixed and can't get to work,” said Eric Gordon, a business professor at the University of Michigan.

Even with Friday's expansion, the strikes involve only a little over 10% of the UAW's 146,000 members. That will make the union's $825 million strike fund last longer, as most members will keep working under the expired contract and pay into the fund. However, the longer the strike lasts, the greater the risk of dissension between workers who will keep collecting full paychecks and those getting $500 a week from the union.

Fain believes that most of the public is on the union's side. He invited anyone who supports the union — “all the way up to the president of the United States” — to join strikers on the picket lines.

Fain had previously seemed lukewarm at best about a Biden visit, saying that the strike was the union’s fight, not the president’s.

Biden's visit Tuesday would come one day before the leading contender for the Republican nomination, former President Donald Trump, plans to speak to union members in Detroit.

Associated Press journalists Christopher Megerian in Washington and Corey Williams in Belleville, Michigan, contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695067603080.png" alt="Striking auto workers in Missouri-photo UAW" />
 <figcaption>Striking auto workers in Missouri-photo UAW</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —The United Auto Workers union expanded its strike against major carmakers Friday, walking out of 38 parts-distribution centers operated by General Motors and Jeep and Ram owner Stellantis in 20 states but sparing Ford from further shutdowns.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Tuesday, I’ll go to Michigan to join the picket line and stand in solidarity with the men and women of UAW as they fight for a fair share of the value they helped create. It’s time for a win-win agreement that keeps American auto manufacturing thriving with well-paid UAW jobs.&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1705325183697932561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>President Joe Biden said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he will visit Michigan on Tuesday “to join the picket line and stand in solidarity with the men and women of UAW as they fight for a fair share of the value they helped create.”Ford avoided additional strikes because the company has met some of the union’s demands during negotiations over the past week, UAW President Shawn Fain said during an online presentation to union members.“We’ve made some real progress at Ford,” Fain said. “We still have serious issues to work through, but we do want to recognize that Ford is showing that they are serious about reaching a deal. At GM and Stellantis, it’s a different story."Fain said GM and Stellantis, the successor to Fiat Chrysler, have rejected the union’s proposals for cost-of-living increases, profit sharing and job security, and “are going to need some serious pushing.”GM said it has presented five “historic” offers covering wages and job security.“Today’s strike escalation by the UAW’s top leadership is unnecessary,” the company said in a statement. “The UAW leadership is manipulating the bargaining process for their own personal agendas.”Stellantis said it made “a very competitive offer” Thursday that would pay all current full-time hourly employees between $80,000 and $96,000 within four years and seven months and allow “workforce stability” during that time. The company said the UAW has not responded.Instead of targeting more production plants Friday, the UAW went after centers that distribute parts to car dealer service departments. That could quickly drag consumers into the middle of the fight, if dealers run short of parts.The UAW said the new walkouts will affect 5,600 workers on top of the nearly 13,000 who began strikes last week at three Ford, GM and Stellantis assembly plants. Those original strikes will continue, the union said.The UAW is continuing to avoid targeting plants that make Detroit’s bestsellers, such as the Ford F-150 and Stellantis’ Ram pickups, which represent outsize shares of the companies’ revenue and profit. That represents a union strategy to gradually increase the pain of a strike on the automakers. However, the industry’s supply chain is so integrated that even hitting lower-profile plants cuts into production.Deutsche Bank analysts estimated Friday that GM, Ford and Stellantis have lost production of more than 16,000 vehicles since the strike started last week at a Ford assembly plant near Detroit, a GM factory in Wentzville, Missouri, and a Jeep plant run by Stellantis in Toledo, Ohio. Anderson Economic Group, a consulting firm in Michigan that tracks the industry, estimated Friday that the three big automakers have suffered economic losses of more than $1.6 billion.The carmakers and some of their suppliers have laid off about 6,000 workers in moves they say are related to the strike. GM shut down a factory in Kansas that relies on parts stamped at the Wentzville plant.Still, the impact is not yet being felt on car lots around the country — it will probably take a few weeks before the strike causes a significant shortage of new vehicles, according to analysts.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/car-prices-auto-workers-strike-98905c8e0fcf633d21a1f83183f9fd49">Prices could rise sooner</a>, however, if the prospect of a prolonged strike triggers panic buying.In bargaining, the union is pointing to the carmakers' huge recent profits and high CEO pay as it seeks wage increases of about 36% over four years. The companies have offered a little over half that amount.“We aren’t getting paid what we are supposed to. I feel like our CEO is getting all our money,” said Antione Turner, who walked off his job Friday at a GM customer-care center in Belleville, Michigan.Turner said after working there 10 years, he makes $31 an hour. On the same picket line, Shelton Matthews, who started at GM three years ago, makes $20 an hour because the company’s tiered wage structure mean lower pay for new workers.“Pay disparity is the key issue" in the strike, Matthews said. “You’re doing, if not harder work, the same work as the person next to you with significantly less pay.”The companies say they can’t afford to meet the union’s demands because they need to invest profits in a costly transition&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/automakers-fast-charging-network-electric-vehicles-cbb6c0102345c0db38f2baf96db742da">from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles</a>. They have dismissed out of hand some of the demands, including 40 hours' pay for a 32-hour work week.Fain said that Ford has agreed to some union proposals, including the restoration of cost-of-living wage increases that were dropped several years ago, better profit-sharing and improved job security.A Ford spokesman, Daniel Barbossa, said the company “is working diligently with the UAW to reach a deal that rewards our workforce and enables Ford to invest in a vibrant and growing future."“Although we are making progress in some areas, we still have significant gaps to close on the key economic issues,” he said.Rather than bargain with one company and set a pattern for contracts at the other two, the UAW has been negotiating simultaneously with all three Detroit giants. By favoring Ford after a week of talks, the UAW moved closer to its traditional bargaining pattern: getting the best deal it can from one company, then expecting the others to match it.Fain had promised all week to escalate the strike if there wasn't significant progress in negotiations. Targeting the parts-distributions centers could inflict quick pain on GM and Stellantis, said Daniel Ives, an analyst with Wedbush Securities.“The UAW is going for the gut punch as this strike gets a lot nastier,” Ives said. He called it “a very strategic and risky poker move by the UAW.”Other industry observers said that dragging current owners of GM and Stellantis vehicles into the fray will backfire on the union.“People who have a car that they need to repair will not be sympathetic to the UAW when they can't get the car fixed and can't get to work,” said Eric Gordon, a business professor at the University of Michigan.Even with Friday's expansion, the strikes involve only a little over 10% of the UAW's 146,000 members. That will make the union's $825 million strike fund last longer, as most members will keep working under the expired contract and pay into the fund. However, the longer the strike lasts, the greater the risk of dissension between workers who will keep collecting full paychecks and those getting $500 a week from the union.Fain believes that most of the public is on the union's side. He invited anyone who supports the union — “all the way up to the president of the United States” — to join strikers on the picket lines.Fain had previously seemed lukewarm at best about a Biden visit, saying that the strike was the union’s fight, not the president’s.Biden's visit Tuesday would come one day before the leading contender for the Republican nomination, former President Donald Trump, plans to speak to union members in Detroit.___Associated Press journalists Christopher Megerian in Washington and Corey Williams in Belleville, Michigan, contributed to this report.

President Biden says he will join auto workers on the picket line 

LYON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal Kansas house fire.

Just before 4 a.m. Friday, Lyon County Emergency Communications received a report of house fire at 1993 Road G, according to Sheriff Jeff Cope.

First responders found the one-story home engulfed in flames.&nbsp;

The bodies of an unidentified man and woman were discovered deceased in the residence. The joint investigation into the cause of the fire and the identification of the deceased in being conducted by the Emporia Fire Department, Kansas State Fire Marshalls office and the Lyon County Sheriffs office.

 The Lyon County Highway Department assisted with debris removal to facilitate the safe recovery of the bodies. The structure was a total loss.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695410567169.png" alt="Photo by Chuck Samples photo courtesy KVOE" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Chuck Samples photo courtesy KVOE</figcaption>
 </figure>LYON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal Kansas house fire.Just before 4 a.m. Friday, Lyon County Emergency Communications received a report of house fire at 1993 Road G, according to Sheriff Jeff Cope.First responders found the one-story home engulfed in flames.&nbsp;The bodies of an unidentified man and woman were discovered deceased in the residence. The joint investigation into the cause of the fire and the identification of the deceased in being conducted by the Emporia Fire Department, Kansas State Fire Marshalls office and the Lyon County Sheriffs office. The Lyon County Highway Department assisted with debris removal to facilitate the safe recovery of the bodies. The structure was a total loss.

Sheriff: Man and woman dead in Kansas house fire

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating the deadly shooting of a 48-year-old Kansas woman and have made an arrest.

Just before 11:30p.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to a reported shooting in the area of 800 S. Mission in Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.

First responders located two shooting victims including 48-year-old Adraine Kenney of Wichita who was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported a 22-year-old woman&nbsp;to a local hospital with critical injuries.

Investigators and officers identified and apprehended the 30-year-old male suspect without incident following a brief standoff in the 600 block of S. Mission. 

Preliminary investigation revealed that all three individuals were involved in a disturbance which led to the suspect shooting the two victims. All parties involved in this incident are acquainted with each other and there are no outstanding suspects.

The suspect faces charges of 1st Degree Murder, Attempted 1st Degree Murder, Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Burglary , and Kidnapping, according to Rebolledo.

This case will be presented to the District Attorney’s office. Police will identify the suspect when&nbsp;formal charges are filed, according to Rebolledo.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695400801814.png" alt="First responders at the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>First responders at the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating the deadly shooting of a 48-year-old Kansas woman and have made an arrest.Just before 11:30p.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to a reported shooting in the area of 800 S. Mission in Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.First responders located two shooting victims including 48-year-old Adraine Kenney of Wichita who was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported a 22-year-old woman&nbsp;to a local hospital with critical injuries.Investigators and officers identified and apprehended the 30-year-old male suspect without incident following a brief standoff in the 600 block of S. Mission. Preliminary investigation revealed that all three individuals were involved in a disturbance which led to the suspect shooting the two victims. All parties involved in this incident are acquainted with each other and there are no outstanding suspects.The suspect faces charges of 1st Degree Murder, Attempted 1st Degree Murder, Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Burglary , and Kidnapping, according to Rebolledo.This case will be presented to the District Attorney’s office. Police will identify the suspect when&nbsp;formal charges are filed, according to Rebolledo.

48-year-old Kansas woman dead, another injured in shooting

JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — A group of migrants from China surrendered to a Border Patrol agent in remote Southern California as gusts of wind drowned the hum of high-voltage power lines, joining others from Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia and elsewhere in a desert campsite with shelters made from tree branches.

Their arrival Wednesday was another sign that agents have become overwhelmed in recent days by asylum-seekers on parts of the U.S. border with Mexico. In tiny Eagle Pass, Texas, nearly 6,000 migrants crossed from Mexico in to the U.S. in two days, prompting authorities to close one of the town's two official border crossings so those agents could instead help with the influx. Border crossings have closed recently for similar reasons in San Diego and El Paso, Texas.

After a dip in illegal crossings that followed new asylum restrictions in May, President Joe Biden's administration is again on its heels. Democratic mayors and governors are seeking more relief for hosting asylum-seekers and Republicans are seizing on the issue ahead of 2024 elections.

The Homeland Security Department said Wednesday it would grant Temporary Protected Status to an estimated 472,000 Venezuelans who were in the U.S. on July 31, easing paths to work authorization. That's in addition to 242,700 Venezuelans who already had qualified for temporary status.

The administration is also sending 800 active-duty military troops to the border, adding to 2,500 National Guard members there. It's expanding border holding facilities by 3,250 people to nearly 23,000, and extending home surveillance nationwide for families awaiting initial asylum screenings.

The administration renewed pressure — and blame — on Congress, which has long failed to agree on comprehensive changes to the nation's immigration system. The Biden administration is now asking Congress for $4 billion in emergency funding.

Homeland Security said in a statement that it was "using the limited tools it has available to secure the border and build a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system."

Theresa Cardinal Brown, the Bipartisan Policy Center's senior advisor for immigration and border policy, said it's normal to see a dip in illegal crossings after changes like those imposed in May, but that is usually short-lived once migrants see how things play out.

"People see what happened to the last group of people that tried and they're like, 'Oh, well maybe it's not as harsh as they say,'" Brown said.

An increase in families arriving at the border led to unacceptable conditions in two of the busiest Border Patrol sector, a court-appointed monitor reported to a federal court last week. Dr. Paul H. Wise said children as young as 8 years old were separated from parents during processing in South Texas, a practice that has been mainly used for boys 13 to 17.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it was reviewing Wise's report, noting limited, temporary separations may occur during processing for safety reasons but they are nothing like the long-term separations under former President Donald Trump. Wise said even short-term separation can have "lasting, harmful effects."

In Eagle Pass, a town of 28,000 people, about 2,700 migrants crossed Tuesday and 3,000 Wednesday, according to Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber. Mayor Rolando Salinas declared the city a disaster area on Tuesday.

U.S. authorities closed a bridge and international railway in Eagle Pass on Wednesday to redirect staff. Union Pacific Railroad Co. said Thursday that thousands of rail cars cross the border there daily.

CBP told business leaders they have no estimate of when rail traffic would resume in Eagle Pass or when U.S.-bound commercial truck traffic would reopen at a bridge in El Paso. Traffic slowed at other border crossings.

"All along the border, we're experiencing large numbers of migrants, so you will see slowdowns and disruptions" at border crossings, said Dennis McKenzie, CBP deputy director for cargo and conveyance security. "It's all hands on deck."

In San Diego, a pedestrian crossing has been closed since Sept. 14 to direct staff to an area where migrants from Cameroon to Colombia are waiting between a double-layer border wall in San Diego. Volunteers are handing the migrants food and bottled water while they wait to be processed.

Near Jacumba Hot Springs, a town of less than 1,000 people with a small hotel and general store amid boulder-strewn mountains an hour's drive east of San Diego, migrants camps began forming last week for the first time since May.

Smugglers drive migrants to a spot in Mexico where the border wall ends. One of three camps in the Jacumba Valley is about a half-hour walk on a gravel road used almost exclusively by border agents. On Wednesday, none had stayed longer than one night, occupying tents that were left behind by others.

The Border Patrol gives migrants colored wristbands marking their arrival date to determine who gets shuttled first to a processing location. Campfires and juniper shrub shield migrants from evening chills. Some climbed atop boulders hoping to get a cellphone signal.

Angel Sisa, 40, left Ecuador's coastal region with his wife and two children, ages 15 and 13, selling his general store to escape death threats from criminals demanding monthly payments. The Sisa family paid smugglers to take them by plane and bus until they reached a hotel in Tecate, the nearest town in Mexico from the roadside drop where they crossed. They hope to settle in Minneapolis with family members who left Ecuador about a year ago.

Carlos Andres Vasquez, 37, flew from his home country of Colombia to Mexico City as a tourist and paid a smuggler $800 to be driven from Tijuana on a road filled with bumps and potholes before arriving near where they would cross into the U.S.

"They treated like cattle, like animals," Vasquez said. "They put 20, 18 of us in a van, women and children in front and we went in back."

He said he and other South Americans walked to the campsite Tuesday under a "very pleasant" Border Patrol agent's watch. Vasquez, whose father was killed and who left Colombia because of death threats, plans to settle with a friend in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and save money for his wife and children, ages 7 and 2, to join him.

Associated Press writers Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas, Colleen Long in Washington and Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695343466970.png" alt="Photo Texas Department of Public Safety" />
 <figcaption>Photo Texas Department of Public Safety</figcaption>
 </figure>By ELLIOT SPAGAT&nbsp;JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — A group of migrants from China surrendered to a Border Patrol agent in remote Southern California as gusts of wind drowned the hum of high-voltage power lines, joining others from Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia and elsewhere in a desert campsite with shelters made from tree branches.Their arrival Wednesday was another sign that agents have become overwhelmed in recent days by asylum-seekers on parts of the U.S. border with Mexico. In tiny Eagle Pass, Texas, nearly 6,000 migrants crossed from Mexico in to the U.S. in two days, prompting authorities to close one of the town's two official border crossings so those agents could instead help with the influx. Border crossings have closed recently for similar reasons in San Diego and El Paso, Texas.After a dip in illegal crossings that followed new asylum restrictions in May, President Joe Biden's administration is again on its heels. Democratic mayors and governors are seeking more relief for hosting asylum-seekers and Republicans are seizing on the issue ahead of 2024 elections.The Homeland Security Department said Wednesday it would grant Temporary Protected Status to an estimated 472,000 Venezuelans who were in the U.S. on July 31, easing paths to work authorization. That's in addition to 242,700 Venezuelans who already had qualified for temporary status.The administration is also sending 800 active-duty military troops to the border, adding to 2,500 National Guard members there. It's expanding border holding facilities by 3,250 people to nearly 23,000, and extending home surveillance nationwide for families awaiting initial asylum screenings.The administration renewed pressure — and blame — on Congress, which has long failed to agree on comprehensive changes to the nation's immigration system. The Biden administration is now asking Congress for $4 billion in emergency funding.Homeland Security said in a statement that it was "using the limited tools it has available to secure the border and build a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system."Theresa Cardinal Brown, the Bipartisan Policy Center's senior advisor for immigration and border policy, said it's normal to see a dip in illegal crossings after changes like those imposed in May, but that is usually short-lived once migrants see how things play out."People see what happened to the last group of people that tried and they're like, 'Oh, well maybe it's not as harsh as they say,'" Brown said.An increase in families arriving at the border led to unacceptable conditions in two of the busiest Border Patrol sector, a court-appointed monitor reported to a federal court last week. Dr. Paul H. Wise said children as young as 8 years old were separated from parents during processing in South Texas, a practice that has been mainly used for boys 13 to 17.U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it was reviewing Wise's report, noting limited, temporary separations may occur during processing for safety reasons but they are nothing like the long-term separations under former President Donald Trump. Wise said even short-term separation can have "lasting, harmful effects."In Eagle Pass, a town of 28,000 people, about 2,700 migrants crossed Tuesday and 3,000 Wednesday, according to Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber. Mayor Rolando Salinas declared the city a disaster area on Tuesday.U.S. authorities closed a bridge and international railway in Eagle Pass on Wednesday to redirect staff. Union Pacific Railroad Co. said Thursday that thousands of rail cars cross the border there daily.CBP told business leaders they have no estimate of when rail traffic would resume in Eagle Pass or when U.S.-bound commercial truck traffic would reopen at a bridge in El Paso. Traffic slowed at other border crossings."All along the border, we're experiencing large numbers of migrants, so you will see slowdowns and disruptions" at border crossings, said Dennis McKenzie, CBP deputy director for cargo and conveyance security. "It's all hands on deck."In San Diego, a pedestrian crossing has been closed since Sept. 14 to direct staff to an area where migrants from Cameroon to Colombia are waiting between a double-layer border wall in San Diego. Volunteers are handing the migrants food and bottled water while they wait to be processed.Near Jacumba Hot Springs, a town of less than 1,000 people with a small hotel and general store amid boulder-strewn mountains an hour's drive east of San Diego, migrants camps began forming last week for the first time since May.Smugglers drive migrants to a spot in Mexico where the border wall ends. One of three camps in the Jacumba Valley is about a half-hour walk on a gravel road used almost exclusively by border agents. On Wednesday, none had stayed longer than one night, occupying tents that were left behind by others.The Border Patrol gives migrants colored wristbands marking their arrival date to determine who gets shuttled first to a processing location. Campfires and juniper shrub shield migrants from evening chills. Some climbed atop boulders hoping to get a cellphone signal.Angel Sisa, 40, left Ecuador's coastal region with his wife and two children, ages 15 and 13, selling his general store to escape death threats from criminals demanding monthly payments. The Sisa family paid smugglers to take them by plane and bus until they reached a hotel in Tecate, the nearest town in Mexico from the roadside drop where they crossed. They hope to settle in Minneapolis with family members who left Ecuador about a year ago.Carlos Andres Vasquez, 37, flew from his home country of Colombia to Mexico City as a tourist and paid a smuggler $800 to be driven from Tijuana on a road filled with bumps and potholes before arriving near where they would cross into the U.S."They treated like cattle, like animals," Vasquez said. "They put 20, 18 of us in a van, women and children in front and we went in back."He said he and other South Americans walked to the campsite Tuesday under a "very pleasant" Border Patrol agent's watch. Vasquez, whose father was killed and who left Colombia because of death threats, plans to settle with a friend in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and save money for his wife and children, ages 7 and 2, to join him.___Associated Press writers Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas, Colleen Long in Washington and Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed.

Migrant crisis: More U.S. military going to the US-Mexico border

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a homicide that took place at the O’Reilly’s Auto Parts in 4700 Block of Parallel Parkway in Kansas City, Kansas&nbsp; have identified the victim as 23-year-old Diamond Steen, according to a media release from police.&nbsp;

On Thursday evening,&nbsp; the Wyandotte County District attorney announced charges of&nbsp;Murder in the 2nd degree; Unintentional but reckless against the store manager 39-year-old Carl Ryan Kemppainen. He remains jailed in Wyandotte County, according to online jail records.

Just before 6:30p.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to a disturbance at the store.

Dispatch advised officers that two adult men entered the store and began shoplifting. A physical altercation ensued between the shoplifters and employees outside of the store that resulted in one of the shoplifters later identified as Steen being killed. His cause of death was determined to be strangulation, according to Dupree.

&nbsp;The other shoplifter had minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital for treatment. All employees involved in the physical altercation were taken into police custody.&nbsp; The others involved could also face charges, according to Dupree.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695336958473.png" alt="Kemppainen-photo Wyandotte County" />
 <figcaption>Kemppainen-photo Wyandotte County</figcaption>
 </figure>WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a homicide that took place at the O’Reilly’s Auto Parts in 4700 Block of Parallel Parkway in Kansas City, Kansas&nbsp; have identified the victim as 23-year-old Diamond Steen, according to a media release from police.&nbsp;On Thursday evening,&nbsp; the Wyandotte County District attorney announced charges of&nbsp;Murder in the 2nd degree; Unintentional but reckless against the store manager 39-year-old Carl Ryan Kemppainen. He remains jailed in Wyandotte County, according to online jail records.Just before 6:30p.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to a disturbance at the store.Dispatch advised officers that two adult men entered the store and began shoplifting. A physical altercation ensued between the shoplifters and employees outside of the store that resulted in one of the shoplifters later identified as Steen being killed. His cause of death was determined to be strangulation, according to Dupree.&nbsp;The other shoplifter had minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital for treatment. All employees involved in the physical altercation were taken into police custody.&nbsp; The others involved could also face charges, according to Dupree.

Kan. auto parts store employee charged with killing shoplifter

KANSAS CITY (AP) —The United Auto Workers expanded its strike against major automakers Friday, walking out of 38 General Motors and Stellantis parts distribution centers in 20 states.

(Click below to watch the Friday announcement from UAW President)

Another 5,600 additional workers joined the strike on top of the 13,000 of the 146,000 members that began the strike one week ago.

Ford was spared additional strikes because the company has met some of the union’s demands during negotiations over the past week, said UAW President Shawn Fain.

“We’ve made some real progress at Ford,” Fain said during an online presentation to union members. “We still have serious issues to work through, but we do want to recognize that Ford is showing that they are serious about reaching a deal.”

“At GM and Stellantis, it’s a different story,” he said. Those companies, he said, have rejected the union’s proposals for cost-of-living increases, profit sharing and job security.

The union is pointing to the companies’ huge recent profits as it seeks wage increases of 36% over four years. The companies have offered a little over half that amount. The UAW has other demands, including a 32-hour work week for 40 hours of pay and a restoration of traditional pension plans for newer workers.

The companies say they can’t afford to meet the union’s demands because they need to invest profits in a costly transition&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/automakers-fast-charging-network-electric-vehicles-cbb6c0102345c0db38f2baf96db742da">from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles</a>.

The UAW’s contract with the automakers expired at midnight on Sept. 14, and workers walked out of a Ford assembly plant near Detroit, a GM factory in Wentzville, Missouri, and a Jeep plant run by Stellantis in Toledo, Ohio.

Fain said earlier this week he would call on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/strike-auto-workers-ford-gm-stellantis-f948704cce3d6dc9ca484142c5d0d98e">workers at more plants to strike</a>&nbsp;unless there was significant progress in contract negotiations with the carmakers. Bargaining continued Thursday, although neither side reported any breakthroughs, and they remained far apart on wage increases.

The companies have laid off a thousands of workers, saying some factories are running short on parts because of the strike.

Still, the impact is not yet being felt on car lots around the country – it will probably take a few weeks before the strike causes a significant shortage of new vehicles, according to analysts.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/car-prices-auto-workers-strike-98905c8e0fcf633d21a1f83183f9fd49">Prices could rise even sooner</a>, however, if the prospect of a prolonged strike triggers panic buying.

The union is seeking pay raises of 36% over four years, an end to lower pay scales for new workers, and most boldly, a 32-hour work week for 40 hours of pay. The car companies say they can’t afford the union’s demands despite huge profits because they need to invest in the transformation to electric vehicles.

One week ago, workers went on strike a week ago at three assembly plants — a Ford factory near Detroit, a GM plant outside St. Louis, and a Jeep plant owned by Stellantis in Toledo, Ohio.

The Detroit News&nbsp;<a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/2023/09/21/howes-uaw-seeks-reputations-damage-operational-chaos-of-automakers/70913694007/">reported</a>&nbsp;Thursday that a spokesman for Fain wrote on a private group chat on X, formerly Twitter, that union negotiators aimed to inflict “recurring reputations damage and operational chaos” on the carmakers, and “if we can keep them wounded for months they don’t know what to do.”

Ford and GM seized on the messages as a sign of bad faith by the UAW.

“It’s now clear that the UAW leadership has always intended to cause months-long disruption, regardless of the harm it causes to its members and their communities,” GM said in a statement.

Ford spokesman Mark Truby called the messages “disappointing, to say the least, given what is at stake for our employees, the companies and this region.”

The UAW spokesman, Jonah Furman, did not confirm writing the messages, which were linked to the same picture as his X account, and called them “private messages” that “you shouldn’t have,” the newspaper reported.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695120321769.png" alt="The UAW’s contract with the automakers expired at midnight on Sept. 14.-UAW photo" />
 <figcaption>The UAW’s contract with the automakers expired at midnight on Sept. 14.-UAW photo</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —The United Auto Workers expanded its strike against major automakers Friday, walking out of 38 General Motors and Stellantis parts distribution centers in 20 states.(Click below to watch the Friday announcement from UAW President)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fuaw.union%2Fvideos%2F2065835110423564%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=502" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Another 5,600 additional workers joined the strike on top of the 13,000 of the 146,000 members that began the strike one week ago.Ford was spared additional strikes because the company has met some of the union’s demands during negotiations over the past week, said UAW President Shawn Fain.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UAW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UAW</a> stand up strike expands at noon today.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StandUpUAW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StandUpUAW</a> <a href="https://t.co/kBNIL9M8bW">pic.twitter.com/kBNIL9M8bW</a>&mdash; UAW (@UAW) <a href="https://twitter.com/UAW/status/1705239662296473785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“We’ve made some real progress at Ford,” Fain said during an online presentation to union members. “We still have serious issues to work through, but we do want to recognize that Ford is showing that they are serious about reaching a deal.”“At GM and Stellantis, it’s a different story,” he said. Those companies, he said, have rejected the union’s proposals for cost-of-living increases, profit sharing and job security.The union is pointing to the companies’ huge recent profits as it seeks wage increases of 36% over four years. The companies have offered a little over half that amount. The UAW has other demands, including a 32-hour work week for 40 hours of pay and a restoration of traditional pension plans for newer workers.The companies say they can’t afford to meet the union’s demands because they need to invest profits in a costly transition&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/automakers-fast-charging-network-electric-vehicles-cbb6c0102345c0db38f2baf96db742da">from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles</a>.The UAW’s contract with the automakers expired at midnight on Sept. 14, and workers walked out of a Ford assembly plant near Detroit, a GM factory in Wentzville, Missouri, and a Jeep plant run by Stellantis in Toledo, Ohio.Fain said earlier this week he would call on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/strike-auto-workers-ford-gm-stellantis-f948704cce3d6dc9ca484142c5d0d98e">workers at more plants to strike</a>&nbsp;unless there was significant progress in contract negotiations with the carmakers. Bargaining continued Thursday, although neither side reported any breakthroughs, and they remained far apart on wage increases.The companies have laid off a thousands of workers, saying some factories are running short on parts because of the strike.Still, the impact is not yet being felt on car lots around the country – it will probably take a few weeks before the strike causes a significant shortage of new vehicles, according to analysts.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/car-prices-auto-workers-strike-98905c8e0fcf633d21a1f83183f9fd49">Prices could rise even sooner</a>, however, if the prospect of a prolonged strike triggers panic buying.The union is seeking pay raises of 36% over four years, an end to lower pay scales for new workers, and most boldly, a 32-hour work week for 40 hours of pay. The car companies say they can’t afford the union’s demands despite huge profits because they need to invest in the transformation to electric vehicles.One week ago, workers went on strike a week ago at three assembly plants — a Ford factory near Detroit, a GM plant outside St. Louis, and a Jeep plant owned by Stellantis in Toledo, Ohio.The Detroit News&nbsp;<a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/2023/09/21/howes-uaw-seeks-reputations-damage-operational-chaos-of-automakers/70913694007/">reported</a>&nbsp;Thursday that a spokesman for Fain wrote on a private group chat on X, formerly Twitter, that union negotiators aimed to inflict “recurring reputations damage and operational chaos” on the carmakers, and “if we can keep them wounded for months they don’t know what to do.”Ford and GM seized on the messages as a sign of bad faith by the UAW.“It’s now clear that the UAW leadership has always intended to cause months-long disruption, regardless of the harm it causes to its members and their communities,” GM said in a statement.Ford spokesman Mark Truby called the messages “disappointing, to say the least, given what is at stake for our employees, the companies and this region.”The UAW spokesman, Jonah Furman, did not confirm writing the messages, which were linked to the same picture as his X account, and called them “private messages” that “you shouldn’t have,” the newspaper reported.

🎥Strike against U.S. automakers spreads nationwide

SHAWNEE COUNTY —One person was injured in a fire at a home on Wednesday in Topeka.

Just after 4:30 p.m., fire crews&nbsp;responded to a medical emergency that resulted from a small fire inside a duplex at 3354 SW Brendan Avenue in Topeka, according to city spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.

Upon arrival, the small fire had already been extinguished and first responder located a woman who was injured due to smoking and being on home oxygen. 

Crews provided medical care and American Medical Response transported her to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.

After a preliminary investigation the fire cause remains accidental. The total estimated dollar loss from this incident is $200, all of which is associated with content loss. The home did not have working smoke detectors.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —One person was injured in a fire at a home on Wednesday in Topeka.Just after 4:30 p.m., fire crews&nbsp;responded to a medical emergency that resulted from a small fire inside a duplex at 3354 SW Brendan Avenue in Topeka, according to city spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.Upon arrival, the small fire had already been extinguished and first responder located a woman who was injured due to smoking and being on home oxygen. Crews provided medical care and American Medical Response transported her to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.After a preliminary investigation the fire cause remains accidental. The total estimated dollar loss from this incident is $200, all of which is associated with content loss. The home did not have working smoke detectors.

Kan. woman smoking while on home oxygen critically injured

BY:&nbsp;ARIANA FIGUEROA&nbsp;AND&nbsp;SAMANTHA DIETEL&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers to reiterate the need for continued aid to support his country’s fight against the Russian invasion, even as the U.S. faces a partial government shutdown as soon as the end of the month.

“If we don’t get the aid, we will lose the war,” Zelenskyy said to senators, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

There’s bipartisan support in the Senate to approve the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-asks-congress-40b-ukraine-aid-us-disaster-response-border-security">White House request of $24 billion in supplemental aid to Ukraine</a>, including from top Senate appropriators. However, some Republican senators are lukewarm and others are firmly opposed. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has not openly expressed support&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.azmirror.com/2023/09/21/shutdown-inches-closer-as-u-s-house-gop-fails-to-pass-defense-bill-lawmakers-exit-d-c/">as he grapples with gaining enough votes</a>&nbsp;from his party to avoid a shutdown.

“It is very clear that if we were to have a government shutdown, or pass a CR without Ukrainian aid, the damage that would occur on Ukraine’s campaign would be devastating,” Schumer, a New York Democrat, said.

CR refers to a continuing resolution, the name for the short-term government funding bill that lawmakers must pass to give themselves more time to pass the full-year spending bills.

U.S. House Republicans are currently struggling to produce and pass a short-term plan to fund the government past the end of the month. If a stopgap spending bill is not passed by the Sept. 30 deadline, then&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/disaster-nears-millions-federal-workers-paychecks-would-be-hold-shutdown">a partial shutdown will commence.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</a>

Congress was not Zelenskyy’s only stop while in Washington. He met with President Joe Biden and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin.

Biden said his administration was “supporting a just and lasting peace, one that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” according to a pool report.

Zelenskyy said he appreciated the “vital assistance provided by the United States to Ukraine to combat Russia terrorism” and described his meetings with members of both parties in Congress as “frank, constructive dialogue.”

Following a meeting with Zelenskyy, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, said during a press conference that Congress should specify the specific weapons that Zelenskyy asked for in the $24 billion supplemental funding bill, such as F-16 jets and long-range artillery.

“This man has moral courage and moral clarity,” McCaul said of Zelenskyy. “The will of the Ukrainian people is far stronger than the will of the Russians.”

McCaul said that McCarthy is supportive of sending aid to Ukraine. McCaul said he believes McCarthy can get more Republicans on board.

After a Wednesday closed-door Senate briefing about Ukraine, more than two dozen Republican lawmakers sent a letter to the White House opposing any more funding.

Ohio GOP Sen. J.D. Vance posted the letter&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1704836926212022346/photo/1">to X</a>, formerly known as Twitter, that was signed by 28 Republicans.

“Yesterday at a classified briefing over Ukraine, it became clear that America is being asked to fund an indefinite conflict with unlimited resources. Enough is enough. To these and future requests, my colleagues and I say: NO,” according to the letter.

Those GOP senators who signed onto the letter include Vance, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Mike Lee of Utah and Roger Marshall of Kansas.

House GOP members who signed onto the letter include Reps. Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs and Eli Crane of Arizona; Dan Bishop of North Carolina; Bill Posey, Anna Paulina Luna, Greg Steube and Byron Donalds of Florida; Chip Roy, Michael Cloud, Lance Gooden, Beth Van Duyne, and Roger Williams of Texas; Clay Higgins of Louisiana; Harriet Hageman of Wyoming; Bob Good of Virginia; Warren Davidson of Ohio; Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma; Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Russell Fry and Jeff Duncan of South Carolina; and Mary Miller of Illinois.

House Republicans and a handful of Senate Republicans who did not sign the letter have also been critical about overall government spending and providing additional support for Ukraine.

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, said he is opposed to approving aid to Ukraine because he doesn’t see Ukraine defeating Russia anytime soon.

“It sounds to me like this is a stalemate,” he said. “What’s our plan? What are we going to do? Are we just going to spend hundreds of billions indefinitely? What is the plan here? I just don’t know.”

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, was not moved.

“What you’d expect,” he said. “It’s the same points being made, there’s nothing particularly new.”

However, U.S. Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota said that Zelenskyy “struck a very bipartisan note.”

“His main message was one of gratitude for the help that the United States (has) provided to Ukraine and … ask that we continue that support so that Russia doesn’t overrun Ukraine,” Smith said.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-asks-congress-40b-ukraine-aid-us-disaster-response-border-security">The White House is asking for Congress to approve $24 billion</a>&nbsp;for several types of aid to Ukraine.

The request asks Congress to provide $13.1 billion for the Defense Department, $8.5 billion for the&nbsp;State Department and USAID, $2.3 billion for the Treasury Department, $100 million for the Department of Health and Human Services and $68 million for the Energy Department.

Top Senate appropriators Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, and Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, both said they believe Ukraine should receive aid.

Collins said she asked Zelenskyy what would be the impact if Ukraine only received military aid rather than economic and humanitarian aid.

“He explained that all of their budget is going to aid their soldiers and sailors and that if they did not get the humanitarian and economic aid, they would lose their school teachers, their health care professionals would leave, and … additional people would literally die,” Collins said.

In a statement, Murray said that Ukraine’s defense against Russia is at a critical point.

“[I]t’s so important that Congress continues our strong and bipartisan support for Ukraine, so they have the resources and weapons they need to defend themselves against Putin’s invasion,” she said.

Congress has approved four aid packages for Ukraine since the war began in February of last year, totaling $110 billion.

The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/congress-reaches-deal-massive-spending-package-billions-covid-aid-ukraine">first aid package</a>&nbsp;was approved in March 2022 and included $13.6 billion. The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/congress-clears-40b-ukraine-aid-bidens-signature-some-gop-balk">second assistance package</a>&nbsp;was approved in May 2022 and provided $40 billion, and the<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/hours-ahead-shutdown-deadline-us-house-sends-biden-stopgap-spending-bill">&nbsp;third relief package</a>&nbsp;was approved in September 2022 for more than $12 billion. A&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-approves-17-trillion-funding-package-and-sends-it-biden">fourth supplemental package</a>&nbsp;was approved in December 2022 for $45 billion.

McConnell: ‘Support for Ukraine is not charity’

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, has pressed for additional military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine to help bolster democracy in Eastern Europe.

“At the risk of repeating myself, American support for Ukraine is not charity,” McConnell said in a statement. “It’s an investment in our own direct interests — not least because degrading Russia’s military power helps to deter our primary strategic adversary, China.”

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a senior GOP member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said that Zelenskyy laid out to senators what would happen if U.S. support were to vanish.

“Russia would make very substantial gains,” he said.

U.S. Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Ron Wyden of Oregon said Zelenskyy’s meeting showed how this is a pivotal moment.

“He did a very, very good job of explaining what the stakes are for Ukraine, for Europe, and for the democracies of the world if you allow an authoritarian to get away with it,” Kaine said.&nbsp; “He also pointed out that actually giving into Putin is the thing that creates the forever war.”

U.S. Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said Zelenskyy made a “very urgent case for the United States to stay engaged and to continue with support.”

Pentagon spokesman Brigadier Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Thursday that the Defense Department will continue to seek bipartisan support for Ukraine aid in Congress.

“It’s important, again, to re-emphasize why Ukraine matters,” he said. “In addition to helping our Ukrainian partners to defend themselves from unprovoked aggression, the implications, not only on European security, but also on U.S. and international security are very stark … If Russia were to succeed in eliminating Ukraine as a nation, they won’t stop there.”

Making school bomb shelters more comfortable

Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska was also in Washington, where she visited students, faculty and staff at Georgetown University.

She spoke about the ways education has been affected by the conflict, with young children spending their first day of school learning in bomb shelters.

“I’m looking at you and I can see our students,” Zelenska said. “I don’t think you are that different. And you have one particular trait in common, that’s caring and empathy and wanting to change things for the better.”

She said that her foundation in Ukraine has three priority areas: humanitarian assistance, support for education and support for health care. One of the foundation’s projects is aimed at making bomb shelters for schools in Ukraine more comfortable. So far, eight schools are part of the program.

“If there is no bomb shelter in a school, children cannot attend it, school will just not open, so a lot of children do distance learning,” Zelenska said.

Zelenska was presented with the Hillary Clinton Award for advancing women, peace and security. She was awarded this recognition virtually last year.

Zelenska stressed that if her country were to be defeated, it would not just impact Ukraine and its people, but threaten everyone.

“If you have power, if you have opportunities and resources, you can do anything you want,” Zelenska said. “You can be a tyrant, you can seize other countries, other territories, and then these situations mean that no one is safe in this world.”

“To turn a blind eye means to turn your back to your own future,” she said.

Jennifer Shutt and Jacob Fischler contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695327171658.png" alt="President Biden and the first lady welcomed Zelenskyy to the White House Thursday afternoon-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President Biden and the first lady welcomed Zelenskyy to the White House Thursday afternoon-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;ARIANA FIGUEROA&nbsp;AND&nbsp;SAMANTHA DIETEL&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers to reiterate the need for continued aid to support his country’s fight against the Russian invasion, even as the U.S. faces a partial government shutdown as soon as the end of the month.“If we don’t get the aid, we will lose the war,” Zelenskyy said to senators, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.There’s bipartisan support in the Senate to approve the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-asks-congress-40b-ukraine-aid-us-disaster-response-border-security">White House request of $24 billion in supplemental aid to Ukraine</a>, including from top Senate appropriators. However, some Republican senators are lukewarm and others are firmly opposed. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has not openly expressed support&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.azmirror.com/2023/09/21/shutdown-inches-closer-as-u-s-house-gop-fails-to-pass-defense-bill-lawmakers-exit-d-c/">as he grapples with gaining enough votes</a>&nbsp;from his party to avoid a shutdown.“It is very clear that if we were to have a government shutdown, or pass a CR without Ukrainian aid, the damage that would occur on Ukraine’s campaign would be devastating,” Schumer, a New York Democrat, said.CR refers to a continuing resolution, the name for the short-term government funding bill that lawmakers must pass to give themselves more time to pass the full-year spending bills.U.S. House Republicans are currently struggling to produce and pass a short-term plan to fund the government past the end of the month. If a stopgap spending bill is not passed by the Sept. 30 deadline, then&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/disaster-nears-millions-federal-workers-paychecks-would-be-hold-shutdown">a partial shutdown will commence.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</a>Congress was not Zelenskyy’s only stop while in Washington. He met with President Joe Biden and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin.Biden said his administration was “supporting a just and lasting peace, one that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” according to a pool report.Zelenskyy said he appreciated the “vital assistance provided by the United States to Ukraine to combat Russia terrorism” and described his meetings with members of both parties in Congress as “frank, constructive dialogue.”Following a meeting with Zelenskyy, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, said during a press conference that Congress should specify the specific weapons that Zelenskyy asked for in the $24 billion supplemental funding bill, such as F-16 jets and long-range artillery.“This man has moral courage and moral clarity,” McCaul said of Zelenskyy. “The will of the Ukrainian people is far stronger than the will of the Russians.”McCaul said that McCarthy is supportive of sending aid to Ukraine. McCaul said he believes McCarthy can get more Republicans on board.<h2>Vance leads letter of opposition</h2>After a Wednesday closed-door Senate briefing about Ukraine, more than two dozen Republican lawmakers sent a letter to the White House opposing any more funding.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Yesterday at a classified briefing over Ukraine, it became clear that America is being asked to fund an indefinite conflict with unlimited resources. Enough is enough. To these and future requests, my colleagues and I say: NO. <a href="https://t.co/mCMh604UGp">pic.twitter.com/mCMh604UGp</a>&mdash; J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1704836926212022346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Ohio GOP Sen. J.D. Vance posted the letter&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1704836926212022346/photo/1">to X</a>, formerly known as Twitter, that was signed by 28 Republicans.“Yesterday at a classified briefing over Ukraine, it became clear that America is being asked to fund an indefinite conflict with unlimited resources. Enough is enough. To these and future requests, my colleagues and I say: NO,” according to the letter.Those GOP senators who signed onto the letter include Vance, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Mike Lee of Utah and Roger Marshall of Kansas.House GOP members who signed onto the letter include Reps. Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs and Eli Crane of Arizona; Dan Bishop of North Carolina; Bill Posey, Anna Paulina Luna, Greg Steube and Byron Donalds of Florida; Chip Roy, Michael Cloud, Lance Gooden, Beth Van Duyne, and Roger Williams of Texas; Clay Higgins of Louisiana; Harriet Hageman of Wyoming; Bob Good of Virginia; Warren Davidson of Ohio; Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma; Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Russell Fry and Jeff Duncan of South Carolina; and Mary Miller of Illinois.House Republicans and a handful of Senate Republicans who did not sign the letter have also been critical about overall government spending and providing additional support for Ukraine.U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, said he is opposed to approving aid to Ukraine because he doesn’t see Ukraine defeating Russia anytime soon.“It sounds to me like this is a stalemate,” he said. “What’s our plan? What are we going to do? Are we just going to spend hundreds of billions indefinitely? What is the plan here? I just don’t know.”U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, was not moved.“What you’d expect,” he said. “It’s the same points being made, there’s nothing particularly new.”However, U.S. Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota said that Zelenskyy “struck a very bipartisan note.”“His main message was one of gratitude for the help that the United States (has) provided to Ukraine and … ask that we continue that support so that Russia doesn’t overrun Ukraine,” Smith said.<h2>$24 billion request</h2><a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-asks-congress-40b-ukraine-aid-us-disaster-response-border-security">The White House is asking for Congress to approve $24 billion</a>&nbsp;for several types of aid to Ukraine.The request asks Congress to provide $13.1 billion for the Defense Department, $8.5 billion for the&nbsp;State Department and USAID, $2.3 billion for the Treasury Department, $100 million for the Department of Health and Human Services and $68 million for the Energy Department.Top Senate appropriators Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, and Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, both said they believe Ukraine should receive aid.Collins said she asked Zelenskyy what would be the impact if Ukraine only received military aid rather than economic and humanitarian aid.“He explained that all of their budget is going to aid their soldiers and sailors and that if they did not get the humanitarian and economic aid, they would lose their school teachers, their health care professionals would leave, and … additional people would literally die,” Collins said.In a statement, Murray said that Ukraine’s defense against Russia is at a critical point.“[I]t’s so important that Congress continues our strong and bipartisan support for Ukraine, so they have the resources and weapons they need to defend themselves against Putin’s invasion,” she said.Congress has approved four aid packages for Ukraine since the war began in February of last year, totaling $110 billion.The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/congress-reaches-deal-massive-spending-package-billions-covid-aid-ukraine">first aid package</a>&nbsp;was approved in March 2022 and included $13.6 billion. The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/congress-clears-40b-ukraine-aid-bidens-signature-some-gop-balk">second assistance package</a>&nbsp;was approved in May 2022 and provided $40 billion, and the<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/hours-ahead-shutdown-deadline-us-house-sends-biden-stopgap-spending-bill">&nbsp;third relief package</a>&nbsp;was approved in September 2022 for more than $12 billion. A&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-approves-17-trillion-funding-package-and-sends-it-biden">fourth supplemental package</a>&nbsp;was approved in December 2022 for $45 billion.<h2>McConnell: ‘Support for Ukraine is not charity’</h2>Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, has pressed for additional military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine to help bolster democracy in Eastern Europe.“At the risk of repeating myself, American support for Ukraine is not charity,” McConnell said in a statement. “It’s an investment in our own direct interests — not least because degrading Russia’s military power helps to deter our primary strategic adversary, China.”Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a senior GOP member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said that Zelenskyy laid out to senators what would happen if U.S. support were to vanish.“Russia would make very substantial gains,” he said.U.S. Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Ron Wyden of Oregon said Zelenskyy’s meeting showed how this is a pivotal moment.“He did a very, very good job of explaining what the stakes are for Ukraine, for Europe, and for the democracies of the world if you allow an authoritarian to get away with it,” Kaine said.&nbsp; “He also pointed out that actually giving into Putin is the thing that creates the forever war.”U.S. Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said Zelenskyy made a “very urgent case for the United States to stay engaged and to continue with support.”Pentagon spokesman Brigadier Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Thursday that the Defense Department will continue to seek bipartisan support for Ukraine aid in Congress.“It’s important, again, to re-emphasize why Ukraine matters,” he said. “In addition to helping our Ukrainian partners to defend themselves from unprovoked aggression, the implications, not only on European security, but also on U.S. and international security are very stark … If Russia were to succeed in eliminating Ukraine as a nation, they won’t stop there.”<h2>Making school bomb shelters more comfortable</h2>Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska was also in Washington, where she visited students, faculty and staff at Georgetown University.She spoke about the ways education has been affected by the conflict, with young children spending their first day of school learning in bomb shelters.“I’m looking at you and I can see our students,” Zelenska said. “I don’t think you are that different. And you have one particular trait in common, that’s caring and empathy and wanting to change things for the better.”She said that her foundation in Ukraine has three priority areas: humanitarian assistance, support for education and support for health care. One of the foundation’s projects is aimed at making bomb shelters for schools in Ukraine more comfortable. So far, eight schools are part of the program.“If there is no bomb shelter in a school, children cannot attend it, school will just not open, so a lot of children do distance learning,” Zelenska said.Zelenska was presented with the Hillary Clinton Award for advancing women, peace and security. She was awarded this recognition virtually last year.Zelenska stressed that if her country were to be defeated, it would not just impact Ukraine and its people, but threaten everyone.“If you have power, if you have opportunities and resources, you can do anything you want,” Zelenska said. “You can be a tyrant, you can seize other countries, other territories, and then these situations mean that no one is safe in this world.”“To turn a blind eye means to turn your back to your own future,” she said.Jennifer Shutt and Jacob Fischler contributed to this report.

Zelenskyy ‘If we don’t get the aid, we will lose the war

NORTON COUNTY —Some area of northwest Kansas were under a&nbsp; tornado warning Thursday evening. The sheriff's office in Norton said there are no reports of damage and no confirmed tornado in the county.

Norton county did have winds over 50 miles per hour, large hail and over two inches of rain from the storm. The National Weather Service also issued a flash flood warning for&nbsp;Norton, Almena and  Dellvale.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695386274193.png" alt="NWS image" />
 <figcaption>NWS image</figcaption>
 </figure>NORTON COUNTY —Some area of northwest Kansas were under a&nbsp; tornado warning Thursday evening. The sheriff's office in Norton said there are no reports of damage and no confirmed tornado in the county.Norton county did have winds over 50 miles per hour, large hail and over two inches of rain from the storm. The National Weather Service also issued a flash flood warning for&nbsp;Norton, Almena and Dellvale.

Strong winds, hail but no confirmed tornado in NW Kansas

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a road rage shooting and have made an arrest.

Just before 7p.m. Tuesday, police&nbsp;were dispatched to a residence in Olathe where they found a 42-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his arm, according to a media release.

The injury occurred during a road rage incident on southbound Interstate 35 Highway, south of 119th&nbsp;Street.

EMS transported the victim to an area hospital with a non-life-threatening injury. Police located the suspect who was taken into custody on a requested charge of attempted murder.

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a road rage shooting and have made an arrest.Just before 7p.m. Tuesday, police&nbsp;were dispatched to a residence in Olathe where they found a 42-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his arm, according to a media release.The injury occurred during a road rage incident on southbound Interstate 35 Highway, south of 119th&nbsp;Street.EMS transported the victim to an area hospital with a non-life-threatening injury. Police located the suspect who was taken into custody on a requested charge of attempted murder.

Police make arrest in Kansas road-rage shooting

WASHINGTON (AP) — With House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kevin-mccarthy">Kevin McCarthy's</a>&nbsp;latest funding plan in ruins and lawmakers leaving town for the weekend, there's no endgame in sight as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-government-shutdown-house-republicans-congress-543f93b6ad6a3f23ee3f5275e19293f9">hard-right Republicans</a>&nbsp;push dangerously closer to a disruptive&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-government-shutdown-spending-house-right-wing-5c8af4f0a5ea3a9d93f54e6566d50aeb">federal shutdown</a>.

The White House will tell federal agencies on Friday to prepare for a shutdown, according to an official with the Office of Management and Budget who insisted on anonymity to discuss the upcoming instructions. That's standard seven days out from a federal disruption.

The Republican McCarthy has repeatedly tried to appease his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/speaker-mccarthy-profanity-shutdown-biden-impeachment-3ec12e37d00004b1e84b3d3db3237863">hard-right flank</a>&nbsp;by agreeing to the steep spending cuts they are demanding to keep government open. But cheered on by Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner for president in 2024, the conservatives have all but seized control in dramatic fashion.

In a crushing defeat Thursday, a handful of Republican hardliners blocked a typically popular defense bill from advancing — the second time this week it was set back, an unheard-of loss for a House speaker.

Even a stopgap bill to keep government funding past the Sept. 30 deadline, called a continuing resolution or CR, is a non-starter for some on the right flank who have essentially seized control of the House.

“This is a whole new concept of individuals who just want to burn the whole place down,” McCarthy said after Thursday's vote, acknowledging he was frustrated. “It doesn’t work.”

The open revolt was further evidence that McCarthy’s strategy of repeatedly giving in to the conservatives is seemingly only emboldening them, allowing them to run roughshod over their own House majority. Their conservative bills have almost no chances in the Senate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695341819135.png" alt="A view of the House floor prior to taking a four day weekend Thursday afternoon-image&nbsp; CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>A view of the House floor prior to taking a four day weekend Thursday afternoon-image&nbsp; CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — With House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kevin-mccarthy">Kevin McCarthy's</a>&nbsp;latest funding plan in ruins and lawmakers leaving town for the weekend, there's no endgame in sight as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-government-shutdown-house-republicans-congress-543f93b6ad6a3f23ee3f5275e19293f9">hard-right Republicans</a>&nbsp;push dangerously closer to a disruptive&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-government-shutdown-spending-house-right-wing-5c8af4f0a5ea3a9d93f54e6566d50aeb">federal shutdown</a>.The White House will tell federal agencies on Friday to prepare for a shutdown, according to an official with the Office of Management and Budget who insisted on anonymity to discuss the upcoming instructions. That's standard seven days out from a federal disruption.The Republican McCarthy has repeatedly tried to appease his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/speaker-mccarthy-profanity-shutdown-biden-impeachment-3ec12e37d00004b1e84b3d3db3237863">hard-right flank</a>&nbsp;by agreeing to the steep spending cuts they are demanding to keep government open. But cheered on by Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner for president in 2024, the conservatives have all but seized control in dramatic fashion.In a crushing defeat Thursday, a handful of Republican hardliners blocked a typically popular defense bill from advancing — the second time this week it was set back, an unheard-of loss for a House speaker.Even a stopgap bill to keep government funding past the Sept. 30 deadline, called a continuing resolution or CR, is a non-starter for some on the right flank who have essentially seized control of the House.“This is a whole new concept of individuals who just want to burn the whole place down,” McCarthy said after Thursday's vote, acknowledging he was frustrated. “It doesn’t work.”The open revolt was further evidence that McCarthy’s strategy of repeatedly giving in to the conservatives is seemingly only emboldening them, allowing them to run roughshod over their own House majority. Their conservative bills have almost no chances in the Senate.Trump urged the conservatives to hold the line against the higher funding levels&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-deal-biden-mccarthy-default-01657c829be119850cd65ab9ffb0626a#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20With%20days,measure%20in%20the%20coming%20week.">McCarthy had agreed to with President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;earlier this year and to end the federal criminal indictments against him.“This is also the last chance to defund these political prosecutions against me and other Patriots,” Trump wrote on social media.“They failed on the debt limit, but they must not fail now. Use the power of the purse and defend the Country!” the former president wrote.The White House and Democrats, along with some Republicans, warn that a shutdown would be devastating for people who rely on their government for everyday services and would undermine America’s standing in the world.“We need the extreme MAGA Republicans to get their act together,” said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.“End the civil war,” Jeffries urged the Republicans. “Get your act together.”But one of Trump's top allies, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who is leading the hard-right flank, said the House Republicans now have almost no choices left but to spend the time it takes to pass each of the 12 spending bills needed to fund the government —- typically a laborious process — even if it means going into a shutdown.Or they can join with Democrats to pass a CR, which is sure to put McCarthy's job at risk.What Gaetz said he, and several others, would not do is vote for a continuing resolution that fails to slash spending.“I’m giving a eulogy for the CR right now,” Gaetz told reporters after a late afternoon meeting at the Capitol.“I represent Florida’s first congressional district, where during the shutdown tens of thousands of people will go without a paycheck, and so I know the impact of a shutdown,” Gaetz said. “So it may get worse before it gets better, and I have little to offer but blood, sweat, toil and tears, but that may be what it takes.”A government closure is increasingly likely as time runs out for Congress to act.McCarthy's bid to move ahead with a traditionally popular defense funding bill as a first step toward keeping the government running was shattered, on a vote of 212-216. Five Republicans refused to vote with the increasingly endangered speaker. A sixth Republican voted no on procedural grounds so the bill could be reconsidered.Moving forward with the defense bill was supposed to be a way for McCarthy to build goodwill among the GOP House majority as he tries to pass a temporary measure just to keep government running for another month. It, too, had catered to other hard-right priorities, such as slashing spending by 8% from many services and bolstering security at the U.S.-Mexico border.Many on the right flank opposed the deal McCarthy struck with Biden this year over the spending levels and are trying to dismantle it now. They want to see progress on the individual appropriations bills that would fund the various federal departments at the lower levels these lawmakers are demanding.The morning test vote shattered a McCarthy strategy that had emerged just the night before. Republicans had appeared on track, in a tight roll call, to advancing the measure Thursday. Then the Democrats who had not yet voted began rushing into the chamber.New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and fellow Democrats yelled out to hold open the vote. She was a “no." A few others came in behind her and tipped the tally toward defeat.The Democrats oppose the military bill on many fronts, including Republican provisions that would gut diversity programs at the Pentagon.As passage appeared doomed, attention turned to the five Republican holdouts to switch their votes.GOP leaders spent more than an hour on the floor trying to recruit one of them, Rep. Dan Bishop. R-N.C., to vote “yes.”“Every time there’s the slightest relief of the pressure, the movement goes away from completing the work,” Bishop said.When asked what it would take to gain his vote, Bishop said, “I think a schedule of appropriations bills over Kevin McCarthy signature would be meaningful to you to me.”Others were dug in, including some who had supported advancing the defense bill just two days ago when it first failed.Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a chief opponent of more aid for Ukraine in the war against Russia, said she voted against the defense bill this time because her party's leadership refused to separate out the war money. Her stand came as Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was at the Capitol during a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-biden-washington-visit-congress-ukraine-war-1d20574fb3ea4fb5efcc7db5458a33a3">high-profile visit to Washington.</a>McCarthy had pledged to keep lawmakers in session this weekend for as long as it took to finish their work. But they were sent home, told they could be called back on ample notice.Many Republicans were starting to speak up more forcefully against their hard-right colleagues.New York Rep. Mike Lawler, who represents a swing district, said he would not “be party to a shutdown.”“There needs to be a realization that you’re not going to get everything you want,” he said. “Just throwing a temper tantrum and stomping your feet — frankly, not only is it wrong — it’s just pathetic.”___