Minnetonka, Minnesota (AP) —UnitedHealth says files with personal information that could cover a “substantial portion of people in America” may have been taken in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/change-cyberattack-hospitals-pharmacy-alphv-unitedhealthcare-521347eb9e8490dad695a7824ed11c41">the cyberattack</a>&nbsp;earlier this year on its Change Healthcare business.

The company said Monday after markets closed that it sees no signs that doctor charts or full medical histories were released after the attack. But it may take several months of analysis before UnitedHealth can identify and notify people who were affected.

UnitedHealth did say that some screen shots containing protected health information or personally identifiable information were posted for about a week online on the dark web, which standard browsers can’t access.

The company is still monitoring the internet and dark web and said there has been no addition file publication. It has started&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/ns/health-data-breach.html">a website</a>&nbsp;to answer questions and a call center. But the company said it won’t be able to offer specifics on the impact to individual data.

The company also is offering free credit monitoring and identity theft protection for people affected by the attack.

UnitedHealth bought Change Healthcare in a roughly $8 billion deal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-health-business-minnesota-us-department-of-justice-55f01b05097e6e57716d6263275a5e3d">that closed in 2022</a>&nbsp;after surviving a challenge from federal regulators. The U.S. Department of Justice&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-health-us-department-of-justice-18499bf074c30f1d89fe0c26ca2e7b13">had sued earlier that year</a>&nbsp;to block the deal, arguing that it would hurt competition by putting too much information about health care claims in the hands of one company.

UnitedHealth said in February that a ransomware group had gained access to some of the systems of its Change Healthcare business, which provides technology used to submit and process insurance claims.

The attack disrupted payment and claims processing around the country, stressing doctor’s offices and health care systems.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/change-healthcare-cyberattack-federal-government-hhs-88ac99fc0c62e69dc60fc5c39682e859">Federal civil rights investigators</a>&nbsp;are already looking into whether protected health information was exposed in the attack.

UnitedHealth said Monday that it was still restoring services disrupted by the attack. It has been focused first on restoring those that affect patient access to care or medication.

The company said both pharmacy services and medical claims were back to near normal levels. It said payment process was back to about 86% of pre-attack levels.

UnitedHealth said last week when it reported&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealth-change-cyberattack-first-quarter-076a2bcbf0db3b5e6c4ffa27589c3692">first-quarter results</a>&nbsp;that the company has provided more than $6 billion in advance funding and interest-free loans to health care providers affected by the attack.

UnitedHealth took an $872 million hit from from the cyberattack in the first quarter, and company officials said that could grow beyond $1.5 billion for the year.

Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group Inc. runs one of the nation’s largest health insurers. It also runs one of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits management businesses, provides care and offers technology services.

Minnetonka, Minnesota (AP) —UnitedHealth says files with personal information that could cover a “substantial portion of people in America” may have been taken in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/change-cyberattack-hospitals-pharmacy-alphv-unitedhealthcare-521347eb9e8490dad695a7824ed11c41">the cyberattack</a>&nbsp;earlier this year on its Change Healthcare business.The company said Monday after markets closed that it sees no signs that doctor charts or full medical histories were released after the attack. But it may take several months of analysis before UnitedHealth can identify and notify people who were affected.UnitedHealth did say that some screen shots containing protected health information or personally identifiable information were posted for about a week online on the dark web, which standard browsers can’t access.The company is still monitoring the internet and dark web and said there has been no addition file publication. It has started&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/ns/health-data-breach.html">a website</a>&nbsp;to answer questions and a call center. But the company said it won’t be able to offer specifics on the impact to individual data.The company also is offering free credit monitoring and identity theft protection for people affected by the attack.UnitedHealth bought Change Healthcare in a roughly $8 billion deal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-health-business-minnesota-us-department-of-justice-55f01b05097e6e57716d6263275a5e3d">that closed in 2022</a>&nbsp;after surviving a challenge from federal regulators. The U.S. Department of Justice&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-health-us-department-of-justice-18499bf074c30f1d89fe0c26ca2e7b13">had sued earlier that year</a>&nbsp;to block the deal, arguing that it would hurt competition by putting too much information about health care claims in the hands of one company.UnitedHealth said in February that a ransomware group had gained access to some of the systems of its Change Healthcare business, which provides technology used to submit and process insurance claims.The attack disrupted payment and claims processing around the country, stressing doctor’s offices and health care systems.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/change-healthcare-cyberattack-federal-government-hhs-88ac99fc0c62e69dc60fc5c39682e859">Federal civil rights investigators</a>&nbsp;are already looking into whether protected health information was exposed in the attack.UnitedHealth said Monday that it was still restoring services disrupted by the attack. It has been focused first on restoring those that affect patient access to care or medication.The company said both pharmacy services and medical claims were back to near normal levels. It said payment process was back to about 86% of pre-attack levels.UnitedHealth said last week when it reported&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealth-change-cyberattack-first-quarter-076a2bcbf0db3b5e6c4ffa27589c3692">first-quarter results</a>&nbsp;that the company has provided more than $6 billion in advance funding and interest-free loans to health care providers affected by the attack.UnitedHealth took an $872 million hit from from the cyberattack in the first quarter, and company officials said that could grow beyond $1.5 billion for the year.Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group Inc. runs one of the nation’s largest health insurers. It also runs one of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits management businesses, provides care and offers technology services.

UnitedHealth paid ransom to bad actors; patient data compromised

WASHINGTON —Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fx.com%2fHawleyMO%2fstatus%2f1782445733071004133&amp;redir_log=060098234643287" target="_blank">mobilize the National Guard</a>&nbsp;to protect Jewish American students in response to anti-Israel, pro-terrorist demonstrations that have broken out on college campuses.

"On college campuses across the United States, Jewish Americans are at risk&nbsp;[...]&nbsp;In your statement on Passover, you stated that 'in recent days, we’ve seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant Antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous – and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country.' Now, you must take action to match those words,"&nbsp;wrote Senator Hawley.&nbsp;

"You must immediately mobilize the National Guard and any other authorities necessary to ensure the safety of Jewish American students and citizens,"&nbsp;Hawley continued.

Last October, the Senate unanimously&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2foutreach.senate.gov%2fiqextranet%2fiqClickTrk.aspx%3f%26cid%3dSenHawley%26crop%3d14502QQQ9087810QQQ7987650QQQ8019990%26report_id%3d%26redirect%3dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.hawley.senate.gov%252fsenate-passes-hawley-resolution-condemning-antisemitism-college-campuses%2523%253a%257e%253atext%253dSenate%252520Passes%252520Hawley%252520Resolution%252520Condemning%252520Antisemitism%252520on%252520College%252520Campuses%252c-Thursday%25252C%252520October%25252026%2526text%253dToday%252520the%252520U.S.%252520Senate%252520passed%252c7%252520terrorist%252520attack%252520against%252520Israel.%26redir_log%3d854300373832101&amp;redir_log=943543390563546" target="_blank">passed</a>&nbsp;Senator Hawley's&nbsp;resolution&nbsp;condemning Hamas and the antisemitic rhetoric emanating from campus student groups, which have continued to celebrate the Oct. 7 terrorist&nbsp;attack against Israel. The passage of Senator Hawley's resolution came after Democrats initially&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2foutreach.senate.gov%2fiqextranet%2fiqClickTrk.aspx%3f%26cid%3dSenHawley%26crop%3d14502QQQ9087810QQQ7987650QQQ8019990%26report_id%3d%26redirect%3dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.hawley.senate.gov%252fdemocrats-block-hawley-resolution-condemn-antisemitic-activities-college-campuses%26redir_log%3d591119202206791&amp;redir_log=235021319151988">blocked</a>&nbsp;the measure.

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=http%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fsites%2fdefault%2ffiles%2f2024-04%2fHawley-Letter-to-Biden-re-Columbia_0.pdf&amp;redir_log=471072155468652" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;to read the full letter from the Senator.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713893853332.jpeg" alt="The New School students and pro-Palestinian supporters rally outside The New School University Center building, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)" />
 <figcaption>The New School students and pro-Palestinian supporters rally outside The New School University Center building, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fx.com%2fHawleyMO%2fstatus%2f1782445733071004133&amp;redir_log=060098234643287" target="_blank">mobilize the National Guard</a>&nbsp;to protect Jewish American students in response to anti-Israel, pro-terrorist demonstrations that have broken out on college campuses.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713894040483.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>"On college campuses across the United States, Jewish Americans are at risk&nbsp;[...]&nbsp;In your statement on Passover, you stated that 'in recent days, we’ve seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant Antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous – and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country.' Now, you must take action to match those words,"&nbsp;wrote Senator Hawley.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Eisenhower sent the 101st to Little Rock. It’s time for Biden to call out the National Guard at our universities to protect Jewish Americans&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1782400528988664103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>"You must immediately mobilize the National Guard and any other authorities necessary to ensure the safety of Jewish American students and citizens,"&nbsp;Hawley continued.Last October, the Senate unanimously&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2foutreach.senate.gov%2fiqextranet%2fiqClickTrk.aspx%3f%26cid%3dSenHawley%26crop%3d14502QQQ9087810QQQ7987650QQQ8019990%26report_id%3d%26redirect%3dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.hawley.senate.gov%252fsenate-passes-hawley-resolution-condemning-antisemitism-college-campuses%2523%253a%257e%253atext%253dSenate%252520Passes%252520Hawley%252520Resolution%252520Condemning%252520Antisemitism%252520on%252520College%252520Campuses%252c-Thursday%25252C%252520October%25252026%2526text%253dToday%252520the%252520U.S.%252520Senate%252520passed%252c7%252520terrorist%252520attack%252520against%252520Israel.%26redir_log%3d854300373832101&amp;redir_log=943543390563546" target="_blank">passed</a>&nbsp;Senator Hawley's&nbsp;resolution&nbsp;condemning Hamas and the antisemitic rhetoric emanating from campus student groups, which have continued to celebrate the Oct. 7 terrorist&nbsp;attack against Israel. The passage of Senator Hawley's resolution came after Democrats initially&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2foutreach.senate.gov%2fiqextranet%2fiqClickTrk.aspx%3f%26cid%3dSenHawley%26crop%3d14502QQQ9087810QQQ7987650QQQ8019990%26report_id%3d%26redirect%3dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.hawley.senate.gov%252fdemocrats-block-hawley-resolution-condemn-antisemitic-activities-college-campuses%26redir_log%3d591119202206791&amp;redir_log=235021319151988">blocked</a>&nbsp;the measure.Click&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=http%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fsites%2fdefault%2ffiles%2f2024-04%2fHawley-Letter-to-Biden-re-Columbia_0.pdf&amp;redir_log=471072155468652" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;to read the full letter from the Senator.

Senator demands Biden use National Guard to protect Jewish students 

Eds: CORRECTS: This story was first published on April 19, 2024. It was updated on April 23, 2024 to correct details in the 20th paragraph about one of the election bills vetoed by the governor. That bill would require county election officials to track how many ballots an individual delivers for other voters, as the state limits the delivery of 10 ballots per person. It does not eliminate the extra three days a voter has after Election Day to return a mail ballot.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' Democratic governor on Friday vetoed proposed tax breaks for anti-abortion counseling centers while allowing restrictions on college diversity initiatives approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature to become law without her signature.

Gov. Laura Kelly also vetoed a bill with bipartisan support to increase the penalties for killing a law enforcement dog or horse, a move that the GOP leader who pushed it called “political pettiness.” In addition, she rejected two elections measures fueled at least in part by the influence of people promoting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-technology-health-arizona-e1b49d2311bf900f44fa5c6dac406762">baseless</a>&nbsp;election conspiracies&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-kansas-state-government-ba265d04c9ac03870352ce4399b99755">among Republicans.</a>

Kelly's action on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/hb2105_enrolled.pdf">the bill</a>&nbsp;dealing with diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives stood out because it broke with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/culture-war-kansas-abortion-diversity-eb8c355ac54b19c5efc80090accb9ce9">her vetoes last year</a>&nbsp;of anti-DEI measure from the current state budget.

The new law, taking effect July 1, prohibits state universities, community colleges and technical schools from requiring prospective students or applicants for jobs or promotions to make statements on their views about diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Kelly let it become law only two days after the state's higher education board&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/diversity-equity-inclusion-universities-kansas-fb98a63434394dbd9b675983244ec757">adopted its own, narrower ban</a>&nbsp;on the same practices.

“While I have concerns about this legislation, I don’t believe that the conduct targeted in this legislation occurs in our universities," Kelly said in her message on the bill, contradicting statements made by GOP legislators.

Legislators are scheduled to return Thursday from a spring break and wrap up their work for the year in six days. Top Republicans immediately pledged to try to override Friday’s vetoes.

Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dei-state-legislation-diversity-4d80ec7e9d372e74b129efc402ac0b76">in about two dozen states</a>&nbsp;have sought to limit DEI initiatives, arguing that they are discriminatory and enforce a liberal political orthodoxy.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-legislature-dei-2a4d677d7488d45b0188e0d2f6aa6029">Alabama</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/utah-government-college-university-dei-cox-efdf4862d8a2b96d28606dcb8ce30ca8">Utah</a>&nbsp;enacted new anti-DEI laws this year, and a ban enacted in Texas last year has led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dei-texas-university-job-cuts-939b334d85108e498c0f85d2ad44ebc2">more than 100 job cuts</a>&nbsp;on University of Texas campuses.

The new policy from the Kansas Board of Regents applies only to state universities and does not specify any penalties, while the new law will allow a fine of up to $10,000 for each violation.

Backers of DEI programs say they are being misrepresented. The American Psychological Association defines&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apa.org/topics/equity-diversity-inclusion">diversity, equity and inclusion</a>&nbsp;as a framework to guide “fair treatment and full participation of all people,” especially those in minority groups.

“We need to move forward and focus our efforts on making college more affordable and providing students from all backgrounds with the tools they need to succeed,” Kelly said in her message on the bill.

With the bill helping the state's nearly 60 anti-abortion centers, Kelly's veto was expected because she is a strong supporter of abortion rights. She already&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-care-abortion-pornography-kansas-7b4141984334258017da842a3542570c">has vetoed</a>&nbsp;two other measures championed by abortion opponents this year.

But GOP lawmakers in Kansas have had increasing success in overriding Kelly’s actions. Republican leaders appear to have the two-thirds majorities necessary in both chambers on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-restrictions-born-alive-kansas-3bf5b23d13f5dc41d6d799c64ccafc33">abortion issues</a>&nbsp;and appeared close on the DEI bill.

The latest abortion measure would exempt anti-abortion centers that provide free services to prospective mothers and new parents from paying the state's 6.5% sales tax on what they buy and give donors to them income tax credits totaling up to $10 million a year.

Kelly said in her veto message that it is not appropriate for the state to “divert taxpayer dollars to largely unregulated crisis pregnancy centers.”

<a href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/ccrb_hb2465_02_04042024_tax1.pdf">The bill</a>&nbsp;also includes provisions designed to financially help parents who adopt or want to adopt children.

“Governor Kelly has shown once again that her only allegiance is to the profit-driven abortion industry, and not to vulnerable Kansas women, children, and families,” Jeanne Gawdun, a lobbyist for Kansans for Life, the state's most influential anti-abortion group, said in a statement.

Abortion opponents in Kansas are blocked from pursuing the same kind of severe restrictions or bans on abortion imposed in neighboring states, including Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-3f479b218a6140719e1694fcfcdb8036">A Kansas Supreme Court decision</a>&nbsp;in 2019 declared that access to abortion is a fundamental right under the state constitution, and a statewide vote in August 2022&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively affirmed</a>&nbsp;that position.

“This bill goes against the wishes of Kansans,” Kelly said in her veto message.

Kelly also has clashed repeatedly with Republicans on voting rights issues.

One of the elections bills she vetoed would require county election officials to track how many ballots an individual delivers for other voters, as the state limits the delivery of 10 ballots per person. Legislators set that limit in 2021, but many Republicans argue that the state hasn't been able to adequately enforce it. GOP lawmakers contend the limit prevents fraud and lost ballots, though there was no evidence of such problems.

The other elections bill would prohibit state agencies and local officials from using federal funds in administering elections or promoting voting without the Legislature's express permission. Republicans see spending by the Biden administration as an attempt to improperly boost Democratic turnout.

But Kelly chided lawmakers for “focusing on problems that do not exist."

“I would urge the Legislature to focus on real issues impacting Kansans,” Kelly said in her veto message on the second bill.

The veto of the bill on police dogs was perhaps Kelly's most surprising action. Increased penalties have had bipartisan support&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/police-dogs-kansas-racial-disparties-policing-8e47eddc6193557b762e8245a55815f1">across the U.S.,</a>&nbsp;and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis this week signed&nbsp;<a href="https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2024A/bills/2024a_1074_enr.pdf">a measure</a>&nbsp;this week.

The Kansas measure was inspired by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/police-dog-strangled-memorial-kansas-833d090ca3d030f3e0b83a321ec5fd29">the November death</a>&nbsp;of Bane, an 8-year-old Wichita police dog, who authorities say was strangled by a suspect in a domestic violence case. It would allow a first-time offender to be sentenced to up to five years and fined up to $10,000.

Kelly said the issue needed more study, saying the new penalties for killing a police dog would be out of line with other, more severe crimes, “without justification."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713015977836.png" alt="&nbsp;Photo Sherman Smith" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Photo Sherman Smith</figcaption>
 </figure>Eds: CORRECTS: This story was first published on April 19, 2024. It was updated on April 23, 2024 to correct details in the 20th paragraph about one of the election bills vetoed by the governor. That bill would require county election officials to track how many ballots an individual delivers for other voters, as the state limits the delivery of 10 ballots per person. It does not eliminate the extra three days a voter has after Election Day to return a mail ballot.---------By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' Democratic governor on Friday vetoed proposed tax breaks for anti-abortion counseling centers while allowing restrictions on college diversity initiatives approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature to become law without her signature.Gov. Laura Kelly also vetoed a bill with bipartisan support to increase the penalties for killing a law enforcement dog or horse, a move that the GOP leader who pushed it called “political pettiness.” In addition, she rejected two elections measures fueled at least in part by the influence of people promoting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-technology-health-arizona-e1b49d2311bf900f44fa5c6dac406762">baseless</a>&nbsp;election conspiracies&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-kansas-state-government-ba265d04c9ac03870352ce4399b99755">among Republicans.</a>Kelly's action on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/hb2105_enrolled.pdf">the bill</a>&nbsp;dealing with diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives stood out because it broke with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/culture-war-kansas-abortion-diversity-eb8c355ac54b19c5efc80090accb9ce9">her vetoes last year</a>&nbsp;of anti-DEI measure from the current state budget.The new law, taking effect July 1, prohibits state universities, community colleges and technical schools from requiring prospective students or applicants for jobs or promotions to make statements on their views about diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Kelly let it become law only two days after the state's higher education board&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/diversity-equity-inclusion-universities-kansas-fb98a63434394dbd9b675983244ec757">adopted its own, narrower ban</a>&nbsp;on the same practices.“While I have concerns about this legislation, I don’t believe that the conduct targeted in this legislation occurs in our universities," Kelly said in her message on the bill, contradicting statements made by GOP legislators.Legislators are scheduled to return Thursday from a spring break and wrap up their work for the year in six days. Top Republicans immediately pledged to try to override Friday’s vetoes.Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dei-state-legislation-diversity-4d80ec7e9d372e74b129efc402ac0b76">in about two dozen states</a>&nbsp;have sought to limit DEI initiatives, arguing that they are discriminatory and enforce a liberal political orthodoxy.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-legislature-dei-2a4d677d7488d45b0188e0d2f6aa6029">Alabama</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/utah-government-college-university-dei-cox-efdf4862d8a2b96d28606dcb8ce30ca8">Utah</a>&nbsp;enacted new anti-DEI laws this year, and a ban enacted in Texas last year has led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dei-texas-university-job-cuts-939b334d85108e498c0f85d2ad44ebc2">more than 100 job cuts</a>&nbsp;on University of Texas campuses.The new policy from the Kansas Board of Regents applies only to state universities and does not specify any penalties, while the new law will allow a fine of up to $10,000 for each violation.Backers of DEI programs say they are being misrepresented. The American Psychological Association defines&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apa.org/topics/equity-diversity-inclusion">diversity, equity and inclusion</a>&nbsp;as a framework to guide “fair treatment and full participation of all people,” especially those in minority groups.“We need to move forward and focus our efforts on making college more affordable and providing students from all backgrounds with the tools they need to succeed,” Kelly said in her message on the bill.With the bill helping the state's nearly 60 anti-abortion centers, Kelly's veto was expected because she is a strong supporter of abortion rights. She already&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-care-abortion-pornography-kansas-7b4141984334258017da842a3542570c">has vetoed</a>&nbsp;two other measures championed by abortion opponents this year.But GOP lawmakers in Kansas have had increasing success in overriding Kelly’s actions. Republican leaders appear to have the two-thirds majorities necessary in both chambers on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-restrictions-born-alive-kansas-3bf5b23d13f5dc41d6d799c64ccafc33">abortion issues</a>&nbsp;and appeared close on the DEI bill.The latest abortion measure would exempt anti-abortion centers that provide free services to prospective mothers and new parents from paying the state's 6.5% sales tax on what they buy and give donors to them income tax credits totaling up to $10 million a year.Kelly said in her veto message that it is not appropriate for the state to “divert taxpayer dollars to largely unregulated crisis pregnancy centers.”<a href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/ccrb_hb2465_02_04042024_tax1.pdf">The bill</a>&nbsp;also includes provisions designed to financially help parents who adopt or want to adopt children.“Governor Kelly has shown once again that her only allegiance is to the profit-driven abortion industry, and not to vulnerable Kansas women, children, and families,” Jeanne Gawdun, a lobbyist for Kansans for Life, the state's most influential anti-abortion group, said in a statement.Abortion opponents in Kansas are blocked from pursuing the same kind of severe restrictions or bans on abortion imposed in neighboring states, including Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-3f479b218a6140719e1694fcfcdb8036">A Kansas Supreme Court decision</a>&nbsp;in 2019 declared that access to abortion is a fundamental right under the state constitution, and a statewide vote in August 2022&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively affirmed</a>&nbsp;that position.“This bill goes against the wishes of Kansans,” Kelly said in her veto message.Kelly also has clashed repeatedly with Republicans on voting rights issues.One of the elections bills she vetoed would require county election officials to track how many ballots an individual delivers for other voters, as the state limits the delivery of 10 ballots per person. Legislators set that limit in 2021, but many Republicans argue that the state hasn't been able to adequately enforce it. GOP lawmakers contend the limit prevents fraud and lost ballots, though there was no evidence of such problems.The other elections bill would prohibit state agencies and local officials from using federal funds in administering elections or promoting voting without the Legislature's express permission. Republicans see spending by the Biden administration as an attempt to improperly boost Democratic turnout.But Kelly chided lawmakers for “focusing on problems that do not exist."“I would urge the Legislature to focus on real issues impacting Kansans,” Kelly said in her veto message on the second bill.The veto of the bill on police dogs was perhaps Kelly's most surprising action. Increased penalties have had bipartisan support&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/police-dogs-kansas-racial-disparties-policing-8e47eddc6193557b762e8245a55815f1">across the U.S.,</a>&nbsp;and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis this week signed&nbsp;<a href="https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2024A/bills/2024a_1074_enr.pdf">a measure</a>&nbsp;this week.The Kansas measure was inspired by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/police-dog-strangled-memorial-kansas-833d090ca3d030f3e0b83a321ec5fd29">the November death</a>&nbsp;of Bane, an 8-year-old Wichita police dog, who authorities say was strangled by a suspect in a domestic violence case. It would allow a first-time offender to be sentenced to up to five years and fined up to $10,000.Kelly said the issue needed more study, saying the new penalties for killing a police dog would be out of line with other, more severe crimes, “without justification."

Correction: Kan. governor vetoes bills on abortion and even police dogs

BARTON COUNTY —With zero to low visibility, a&nbsp;Russell USD 407  activity bus was involved in an accident Tuesday morning, according to Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir.

 The bus was transporting the Russell/Victoria baseball team to Liberal for a doubleheader.

The accident occurred on Northwest 30 Avenue, north Northwest 50 Road, in Barton County. Law enforcement blocked off Northwest 30 Avenue from Northwest 50 Road and north. No injuries have been reported.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713889135840.jpeg" alt="Photo by Mike Courson, Great Bend Post" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Mike Courson, Great Bend Post</figcaption>
 </figure>BARTON COUNTY —With zero to low visibility, a&nbsp;Russell USD 407 activity bus was involved in an accident Tuesday morning, according to Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir. The bus was transporting the Russell/Victoria baseball team to Liberal for a doubleheader.The accident occurred on Northwest 30 Avenue, north Northwest 50 Road, in Barton County. Law enforcement blocked off Northwest 30 Avenue from Northwest 50 Road and north. No injuries have been reported.

Kansas school bus with baseball team involved in crash

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a homicide in Kansas City, Kansas.

Just before 7:30 p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 6000 block of Leavenworth Road, according to a media release. 

First responders discovered a man in the parking lot of a business. He was pronounced deceased on scene. 

This incident is under investigation by the KCKPD Major Case Unit. Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to call the Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. 

&nbsp;This is the seventh homicide of the year in Kansas City, Kansas.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a homicide in Kansas City, Kansas.Just before 7:30 p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 6000 block of Leavenworth Road, according to a media release. First responders discovered a man in the parking lot of a business. He was pronounced deceased on scene. This incident is under investigation by the KCKPD Major Case Unit. Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to call the Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. &nbsp;This is the seventh homicide of the year in Kansas City, Kansas.

Homicide: Man found dead in parking lot of Kansas business

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The picture for tax cuts in Kansas and the next state budget remained stable with the release of a new fiscal forecast that reinforced the dynamics of a conflict over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-tax-cuts-budget-036b39b7ccc52eeb8e4f460901aee56c">proposed tax cuts</a>&nbsp;between Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and the Republican-controlled Legislature.

<a href="https://budget.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/Short_Memo_04-19-2024.pdf">The new forecast</a>&nbsp;from state officials and legislative researchers came with lawmakers scheduled to reconvene Thursday after a spring break for the final six days of their annual session. Kelly has until Thursday to act on a bill cutting income, sales and property taxes and another measure containing the bulk of the next state budget.

The new forecast replaces projections made in November for tax collections through the end of June 2025. It trims the previous estimates by about 1.2% or $119 million for the current budget year, which ends June 30. But it boosts them by $80 million for the budget year that begins July while projecting that the state also will earn more interest than previously expected on its idle funds.

In both budget years, the state's annual tax collections are expected to exceed $10 billion, and a new profile of the state's finances by legislative researchers projects that Kansas will have more than $3.7 billion in surplus funds at the end of June 2025, even with the tax cuts approved by lawmakers.

“Everything is relatively stable at this point,” Shirley Morrow, the acting director of the Legislature's research staff, said during a Statehouse news conference.

The tax bill on Kelly's desk would cut taxes by a total of more than $1.5 billion over the next three years. Kelly's chief of staff has described it as larger than Kelly deems affordable over the long term, and the governor said Tuesday that she wanted to see the new fiscal forecast before making any decision.

House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said in a statement that the new forecast should make signing the tax bill "an easy ‘yes’ for the governor.”

The bill would move Kansas from three individual income tax rates to two, with the top rate dropping to 5.55% from the current 5.7%. Republican leaders wanted to go to a single rate, but Kelly views that idea as helping “the super wealthy.” She has told fellow Democrats that she opposes going to two rates.

The measure also would eliminate income taxes on Social Security benefits, which kick in when a retiree earns $75,000 a year. It would reduce the state’s property taxes for public schools and eliminate an already-set-to-expire 2% sales tax on groceries six months early, on July 1.

The plan split Kelly's fellow Democrats. Those in the Senate largely opposed it and echoed Kelly's concerns. The House approved it without any opposing votes — and many Democrats there praised it as providing tax relief for all classes of Kansas residents.

The same unity among House Democrats isn't likely during a vote to override Kelly's veto because some will want to support Kelly. But House Minority Leader Vic Miller, a Topeka Democrat, said he can't in good conscience ask Democrats to back a veto if he can't be sure a better plan is possible.

"I’m very happy with the product that we ended up with,” he told reporters Tuesday. “I don’t know that there’s anything out there that would be better than this one.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704387739420.jpeg" alt="Photo Kansas Historical Society" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas Historical Society</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The picture for tax cuts in Kansas and the next state budget remained stable with the release of a new fiscal forecast that reinforced the dynamics of a conflict over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-tax-cuts-budget-036b39b7ccc52eeb8e4f460901aee56c">proposed tax cuts</a>&nbsp;between Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and the Republican-controlled Legislature.<a href="https://budget.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/Short_Memo_04-19-2024.pdf">The new forecast</a>&nbsp;from state officials and legislative researchers came with lawmakers scheduled to reconvene Thursday after a spring break for the final six days of their annual session. Kelly has until Thursday to act on a bill cutting income, sales and property taxes and another measure containing the bulk of the next state budget.The new forecast replaces projections made in November for tax collections through the end of June 2025. It trims the previous estimates by about 1.2% or $119 million for the current budget year, which ends June 30. But it boosts them by $80 million for the budget year that begins July while projecting that the state also will earn more interest than previously expected on its idle funds.In both budget years, the state's annual tax collections are expected to exceed $10 billion, and a new profile of the state's finances by legislative researchers projects that Kansas will have more than $3.7 billion in surplus funds at the end of June 2025, even with the tax cuts approved by lawmakers.“Everything is relatively stable at this point,” Shirley Morrow, the acting director of the Legislature's research staff, said during a Statehouse news conference.The tax bill on Kelly's desk would cut taxes by a total of more than $1.5 billion over the next three years. Kelly's chief of staff has described it as larger than Kelly deems affordable over the long term, and the governor said Tuesday that she wanted to see the new fiscal forecast before making any decision.House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said in a statement that the new forecast should make signing the tax bill "an easy ‘yes’ for the governor.”The bill would move Kansas from three individual income tax rates to two, with the top rate dropping to 5.55% from the current 5.7%. Republican leaders wanted to go to a single rate, but Kelly views that idea as helping “the super wealthy.” She has told fellow Democrats that she opposes going to two rates.The measure also would eliminate income taxes on Social Security benefits, which kick in when a retiree earns $75,000 a year. It would reduce the state’s property taxes for public schools and eliminate an already-set-to-expire 2% sales tax on groceries six months early, on July 1.The plan split Kelly's fellow Democrats. Those in the Senate largely opposed it and echoed Kelly's concerns. The House approved it without any opposing votes — and many Democrats there praised it as providing tax relief for all classes of Kansas residents.The same unity among House Democrats isn't likely during a vote to override Kelly's veto because some will want to support Kelly. But House Minority Leader Vic Miller, a Topeka Democrat, said he can't in good conscience ask Democrats to back a veto if he can't be sure a better plan is possible."I’m very happy with the product that we ended up with,” he told reporters Tuesday. “I don’t know that there’s anything out there that would be better than this one.”

New fiscal forecast for Kansas reinforces the dynamics of debate over tax cuts

BUTLER COUNTY —Investigators are working to determine the cause of a fatal weekend fire in Butler County.

Just after 3a.m. Sunday, crews responded to the fire at a home near the&nbsp;15000 Block of SW County Line Road, according to Butler County Undersheriff Daimon Cundiff.&nbsp; When the first units arrived on scene the home was fully involved.

Firefighters removed a woman from the residence via a window and she was transported to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead. Two other people also died in the fire, according to Cundiff.

Sheriff's office investigators are working to ID&nbsp;of all the victims.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713807731459.png" alt="Photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>BUTLER COUNTY —Investigators are working to determine the cause of a fatal weekend fire in Butler County.Just after 3a.m. Sunday, crews responded to the fire at a home near the&nbsp;15000 Block of SW County Line Road, according to Butler County Undersheriff Daimon Cundiff.&nbsp; When the first units arrived on scene the home was fully involved.Firefighters removed a woman from the residence via a window and she was transported to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead. Two other people also died in the fire, according to Cundiff.Sheriff's office investigators are working to ID&nbsp;of all the victims.

Sheriff working to ID 3 victims in deadly Kan. house fire

NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia canceled in-person classes, dozens of protesters were arrested at New York University and Yale, and the gates to Harvard Yard were closed to the public on Monday as some of the most prestigious U.S. universities sought to defuse campus tensions over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-04-22-2024-85da1c989f71f8c3bf00d8b45a0ed7f1">Israel's war with Hamas</a>.

The various actions followed the arrest last week of more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had camped out on Columbia's green, as schools struggle with where to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/campus-free-speech-young-generation-tension-b931b0dd41aacaac5c50710de9549b09">draw the line</a>&nbsp;between allowing free expression while maintaining a safe and inclusive campus.

In addition to the demonstrations at the Ivy League schools, pro-Palestinian encampments have sprouted up on other campuses, including at the University of Michigan, New York University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In a statement on Instagram on Monday, New York University officials warned protesters to clear the plaza by 4 p.m. or face consequences. Mass arrests began around 8:30 p.m.

The protests have pitted students against one another, with pro-Palestinian students demanding that their schools condemn Israel's assault on Gaza and divest from companies that sell weapons to Israel. Some Jewish students, meanwhile, say much of the criticism of Israel has veered into antisemitism and made them feel unsafe, and they point out that Hamas is still holding hostages taken during the group's Oct. 7 invasion.

Tensions remained high Monday at Columbia in New York City, where the campus gates were locked to anyone without a school ID and where protests broke out both on campus and outside.

U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning, a Democrat from North Carolina who was visiting Columbia with three other Jewish members of Congress, told reporters after meeting with students from the Jewish Law Students Association that there was “an enormous encampment of people” who had taken up about a third of the green.

“We saw signs indicating that Israel should be destroyed,” she said after leaving the Morningside Heights campus.

A woman inside the campus gates led about two dozen protesters on the street outside in a chant of, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” — a charged phrase that can mean&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/river-sea-israel-gaza-hamas-protests-d7abbd756f481fe50b6fa5c0b907cd49">vastly different things</a>&nbsp;to different groups. Meanwhile, a small group of pro-Israel counter demonstrators protested nearby.

University President Minouche Shafik said in a message to the school community Monday that she was “deeply saddened” by what was happening on campus.

“To deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps, I am announcing that all classes will be held virtually on Monday,” Shafik wrote, noting that students who don’t live on campus should stay away.

Robert Kraft, who owns the New England Patriots football team and funded the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life across from Columbia’s campus, said he was suspending donations to the university.

“I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken,” he said in a statement.

Protests have roiled many college campuses since Hamas’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-gaza-war-oct-7-327bfeb7bfce5cb0de1568bf41a0ff06">deadly attack</a>&nbsp;on southern Israel, when militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. During the ensuing war, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and non-combatants but says at least&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-aqsa-martyrs-hospital-health-care-israel-7c7a6117efae29e22a61e82151144613">two-thirds of the dead are children and women</a>.

Prahlad Iyengar, an MIT graduate student studying electrical engineering, was among about two dozen students who set up a tent encampment on the school's Cambridge, Massachusetts, campus Sunday evening. They are calling for a cease-fire and are protesting what they describe as MIT’s “complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza," he said.

“MIT has not even called for a cease-fire, and that’s a demand we have for sure,” Iyengar said.

He also said MIT has been sending out confusing rules about protests.

“We’re out here to demonstrate that we reserve the right to protest. It’s an essential part of living on a college campus,” Iyengar said.

On Sunday, Elie Buechler, a rabbi for the Orthodox Union’s Jewish Learning Initiative at Columbia, sent a WhatsApp message to nearly 300 Jewish students recommending they go home until it’s safer for them on campus.

The latest developments came ahead of the Monday evening start of the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Nicholas Baum, a 19-year-old Jewish freshman who lives in a Jewish theological seminary building two blocks from Columbia's campus, said protesters over the weekend were "calling for Hamas to blow away Tel Aviv and Israel.” He said some of the protesters shouting antisemitic slurs were not students.

“Jews are scared at Columbia. It’s as simple as that. There’s been so much vilification of Zionism, and it has spilled over into the vilification of Judaism,” he said.

The protest encampment sprung up at Columbia on Wednesday, the same day that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/columbia-president-congress-israel-hamas-antisemitism-3255357b4443c1fb4bae8b8ea5774ee5">Shafik faced bruising criticism</a>&nbsp;at a congressional hearing from Republicans who said she hadn't done enough to fight antisemitism. Two other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/columbia-president-congress-israel-hamas-antisemitism-3255357b4443c1fb4bae8b8ea5774ee5">Ivy League presidents resigned</a>&nbsp;months ago following widely criticized testimony they gave to the same committee.

In her statement Monday, Shafik said the Middle East conflict is terrible and that she understands that many are experiencing deep moral distress.

“But we cannot have one group dictate terms and attempt to disrupt important milestones like graduation to advance their point of view,” Shafik wrote.

Over the coming days, a working group of deans, school administrators and faculty will try to find a resolution to the university crisis, noted Shafik, who didn't say when in-person classes would resume.

U.S. House Republicans from New York urged Shafik to resign, saying in a&nbsp;<a href="https://files.constantcontact.com/81b76c35801/10181832-52e2-49dd-97db-124433534f8d.pdf?rdr=true">letter</a>&nbsp;Monday that she had failed to provide a safe learning environment in recent days as “anarchy has engulfed the campus.”

In Massachusetts, a sign said Harvard Yard was closed to the public Monday. It said structures, including tents and tables, were only allowed into the yard with prior permission. “Students violating these policies are subject to disciplinary action,” the sign said. Security guards were checking people for school IDs.

At Yale, police officers arrested about 45 protesters and charged them with misdemeanor trespassing, said Officer Christian Bruckhart, a New Haven police spokesperson. All were being released on promises to appear in court later, he said.

Protesters set up tents on Beinecke Plaza on Friday and demonstrated over the weekend, calling on Yale to end any investments in defense companies that do business with Israel.

Nadine Cubeisy, a Yale student and one of the protest's organizers, said it was disturbing that “this university that I’m going to, that I contribute to and that my friends give money to is using that money to fund violence.”

In a statement to the campus community on Sunday, Yale President Peter Salovey said university officials had spoken to the student protesters multiple times about the school’s policies and guidelines, including those regarding speech and allowing access to campus spaces.

School officials said they spoke with protesters over several hours and gave them until the end of the weekend to leave Beinecke Plaza. The said they again warned protesters Monday morning and told them that they could face arrest and discipline, including suspension, before police moved in.

A large group of demonstrators regathered after Monday's arrests at Yale and blocked a street near campus, said Bruckhart. There were no reports of any violence or injuries.

Last week, the University of Southern California took the unusual step of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/usc-muslim-valedictorian-speech-canceled-palestinians-israel-7b481db2d4e0db040b091bf8457f0b3f">canceling a planned commencement speech</a>&nbsp;by its 2024 valedictorian, who had publicly supported Palestinians. The university cited security concerns in a decision that was praised by some pro-Israel groups but criticized by free-speech advocates.

Several students at Columbia and its sister school, Barnard College, said they were suspended for taking part in last week’s protests, including Barnard student&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/israhirsi/status/1780980484203327780">Isra Hirsi</a>, the daughter of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar. ___

Perry reported from Meredith, New Hampshire, and Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Associated Press writers Steve LeBlanc in Boston and Susan Haigh in Hartford contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713832443649.png" alt="Pro-Palestine protests at Columbia-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Pro-Palestine protests at Columbia-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia canceled in-person classes, dozens of protesters were arrested at New York University and Yale, and the gates to Harvard Yard were closed to the public on Monday as some of the most prestigious U.S. universities sought to defuse campus tensions over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-04-22-2024-85da1c989f71f8c3bf00d8b45a0ed7f1">Israel's war with Hamas</a>.The various actions followed the arrest last week of more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had camped out on Columbia's green, as schools struggle with where to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/campus-free-speech-young-generation-tension-b931b0dd41aacaac5c50710de9549b09">draw the line</a>&nbsp;between allowing free expression while maintaining a safe and inclusive campus.In addition to the demonstrations at the Ivy League schools, pro-Palestinian encampments have sprouted up on other campuses, including at the University of Michigan, New York University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.In a statement on Instagram on Monday, New York University officials warned protesters to clear the plaza by 4 p.m. or face consequences. Mass arrests began around 8:30 p.m.The protests have pitted students against one another, with pro-Palestinian students demanding that their schools condemn Israel's assault on Gaza and divest from companies that sell weapons to Israel. Some Jewish students, meanwhile, say much of the criticism of Israel has veered into antisemitism and made them feel unsafe, and they point out that Hamas is still holding hostages taken during the group's Oct. 7 invasion.Tensions remained high Monday at Columbia in New York City, where the campus gates were locked to anyone without a school ID and where protests broke out both on campus and outside.U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning, a Democrat from North Carolina who was visiting Columbia with three other Jewish members of Congress, told reporters after meeting with students from the Jewish Law Students Association that there was “an enormous encampment of people” who had taken up about a third of the green.“We saw signs indicating that Israel should be destroyed,” she said after leaving the Morningside Heights campus.A woman inside the campus gates led about two dozen protesters on the street outside in a chant of, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” — a charged phrase that can mean&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/river-sea-israel-gaza-hamas-protests-d7abbd756f481fe50b6fa5c0b907cd49">vastly different things</a>&nbsp;to different groups. Meanwhile, a small group of pro-Israel counter demonstrators protested nearby.University President Minouche Shafik said in a message to the school community Monday that she was “deeply saddened” by what was happening on campus.“To deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps, I am announcing that all classes will be held virtually on Monday,” Shafik wrote, noting that students who don’t live on campus should stay away.Robert Kraft, who owns the New England Patriots football team and funded the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life across from Columbia’s campus, said he was suspending donations to the university.“I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken,” he said in a statement.Protests have roiled many college campuses since Hamas’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-gaza-war-oct-7-327bfeb7bfce5cb0de1568bf41a0ff06">deadly attack</a>&nbsp;on southern Israel, when militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. During the ensuing war, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and non-combatants but says at least&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-aqsa-martyrs-hospital-health-care-israel-7c7a6117efae29e22a61e82151144613">two-thirds of the dead are children and women</a>.Prahlad Iyengar, an MIT graduate student studying electrical engineering, was among about two dozen students who set up a tent encampment on the school's Cambridge, Massachusetts, campus Sunday evening. They are calling for a cease-fire and are protesting what they describe as MIT’s “complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza," he said.“MIT has not even called for a cease-fire, and that’s a demand we have for sure,” Iyengar said.He also said MIT has been sending out confusing rules about protests.“We’re out here to demonstrate that we reserve the right to protest. It’s an essential part of living on a college campus,” Iyengar said.On Sunday, Elie Buechler, a rabbi for the Orthodox Union’s Jewish Learning Initiative at Columbia, sent a WhatsApp message to nearly 300 Jewish students recommending they go home until it’s safer for them on campus.The latest developments came ahead of the Monday evening start of the Jewish holiday of Passover.Nicholas Baum, a 19-year-old Jewish freshman who lives in a Jewish theological seminary building two blocks from Columbia's campus, said protesters over the weekend were "calling for Hamas to blow away Tel Aviv and Israel.” He said some of the protesters shouting antisemitic slurs were not students.“Jews are scared at Columbia. It’s as simple as that. There’s been so much vilification of Zionism, and it has spilled over into the vilification of Judaism,” he said.The protest encampment sprung up at Columbia on Wednesday, the same day that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/columbia-president-congress-israel-hamas-antisemitism-3255357b4443c1fb4bae8b8ea5774ee5">Shafik faced bruising criticism</a>&nbsp;at a congressional hearing from Republicans who said she hadn't done enough to fight antisemitism. Two other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/columbia-president-congress-israel-hamas-antisemitism-3255357b4443c1fb4bae8b8ea5774ee5">Ivy League presidents resigned</a>&nbsp;months ago following widely criticized testimony they gave to the same committee.In her statement Monday, Shafik said the Middle East conflict is terrible and that she understands that many are experiencing deep moral distress.“But we cannot have one group dictate terms and attempt to disrupt important milestones like graduation to advance their point of view,” Shafik wrote.Over the coming days, a working group of deans, school administrators and faculty will try to find a resolution to the university crisis, noted Shafik, who didn't say when in-person classes would resume.U.S. House Republicans from New York urged Shafik to resign, saying in a&nbsp;<a href="https://files.constantcontact.com/81b76c35801/10181832-52e2-49dd-97db-124433534f8d.pdf?rdr=true">letter</a>&nbsp;Monday that she had failed to provide a safe learning environment in recent days as “anarchy has engulfed the campus.”In Massachusetts, a sign said Harvard Yard was closed to the public Monday. It said structures, including tents and tables, were only allowed into the yard with prior permission. “Students violating these policies are subject to disciplinary action,” the sign said. Security guards were checking people for school IDs.At Yale, police officers arrested about 45 protesters and charged them with misdemeanor trespassing, said Officer Christian Bruckhart, a New Haven police spokesperson. All were being released on promises to appear in court later, he said.Protesters set up tents on Beinecke Plaza on Friday and demonstrated over the weekend, calling on Yale to end any investments in defense companies that do business with Israel.Nadine Cubeisy, a Yale student and one of the protest's organizers, said it was disturbing that “this university that I’m going to, that I contribute to and that my friends give money to is using that money to fund violence.”In a statement to the campus community on Sunday, Yale President Peter Salovey said university officials had spoken to the student protesters multiple times about the school’s policies and guidelines, including those regarding speech and allowing access to campus spaces.School officials said they spoke with protesters over several hours and gave them until the end of the weekend to leave Beinecke Plaza. The said they again warned protesters Monday morning and told them that they could face arrest and discipline, including suspension, before police moved in.A large group of demonstrators regathered after Monday's arrests at Yale and blocked a street near campus, said Bruckhart. There were no reports of any violence or injuries.Last week, the University of Southern California took the unusual step of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/usc-muslim-valedictorian-speech-canceled-palestinians-israel-7b481db2d4e0db040b091bf8457f0b3f">canceling a planned commencement speech</a>&nbsp;by its 2024 valedictorian, who had publicly supported Palestinians. The university cited security concerns in a decision that was praised by some pro-Israel groups but criticized by free-speech advocates.Several students at Columbia and its sister school, Barnard College, said they were suspended for taking part in last week’s protests, including Barnard student&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/israhirsi/status/1780980484203327780">Isra Hirsi</a>, the daughter of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar. ___Perry reported from Meredith, New Hampshire, and Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Associated Press writers Steve LeBlanc in Boston and Susan Haigh in Hartford contributed to this report.--------------

Pro-Palestinian protests sweep US college campuses following mass arrests at Columbia

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal crash in Kansas City have identified the driver as 40-year-old Richard T. Buford.

Just before 8a.m. Friday, a Jaguar S-type driven by Buford was northbound on Holmes at 133rd where it traveled around the lowered train warning arms, ignoring the warning lights and audible signals, according to KCPD&nbsp;Officer Alayna Gonzalez.

The Jaguar then attempted to cross a second train crossing. The front engine of the approaching train struck the car. 

Buford pronounced deceased at the scene. The train crew, engineer and conductor, were not injured in the collision.&nbsp; Buford was not wearing a seat belt, according to Gonzalez.

This is fatality #35 compared to #22 at this time last year, according to Gonzalez.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713619602997.png" alt="Photo courtesy KMBC TV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KMBC TV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal crash in Kansas City have identified the driver as 40-year-old Richard T. Buford.Just before 8a.m. Friday, a Jaguar S-type driven by Buford was northbound on Holmes at 133rd where it traveled around the lowered train warning arms, ignoring the warning lights and audible signals, according to KCPD&nbsp;Officer Alayna Gonzalez.The Jaguar then attempted to cross a second train crossing. The front engine of the approaching train struck the car. Buford pronounced deceased at the scene. The train crew, engineer and conductor, were not injured in the collision.&nbsp; Buford was not wearing a seat belt, according to Gonzalez.This is fatality #35 compared to #22 at this time last year, according to Gonzalez.

Police ID driver who ignored crossing arm, struck and killed by train

DOUGLAS COUNTY —A Kansas man accused of child sex crimes is facing prison time.

Last week, Cooper Wayne Lyle, 29, of Lawrence pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and internet trading in child pornography, according to&nbsp;Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez.

The charges stemmed from a cyber tip received by the National Center for Missing &amp; Exploited Children in February 2022 when Lawrence Police were advised that Lyle electronically uploaded child sexual abuse material.

“Alongside our law enforcement partners, we are committed to aggressively prosecuting offenders who seek to prey upon our youngest and most vulnerable,” District Attorney Valdez said.&nbsp; A sentencing date has not been announced.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713491798910.png" alt="Lyle-KBI offender registry" />
 <figcaption>Lyle-KBI offender registry</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY —A Kansas man accused of child sex crimes is facing prison time.Last week, Cooper Wayne Lyle, 29, of Lawrence pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and internet trading in child pornography, according to&nbsp;Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez.The charges stemmed from a cyber tip received by the National Center for Missing &amp; Exploited Children in February 2022 when Lawrence Police were advised that Lyle electronically uploaded child sexual abuse material.“Alongside our law enforcement partners, we are committed to aggressively prosecuting offenders who seek to prey upon our youngest and most vulnerable,” District Attorney Valdez said.&nbsp; A sentencing date has not been announced.

Kansas man admits trading child porn online

DOUGLAS COUNTY—A man from Alabama is going to prison for his role in a humiliating sex crime.

Last week, Devaris L. Howard, 21, of Gadsden, Ala., was sentenced to 41 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections for the sexual extortion of a then 19-year-old University of Kansas student in 2022, according to&nbsp;Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez.

“This sentence sends the message that our community will not tolerate predators who try to terrorize us for their own depraved pleasure,” District Attorney Valdez said. 

“No one is alone. Our law enforcement partners and the District Attorney’s Office will aggressively pursue these predators to bring them to justice.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713491456942.png" alt="Howard-photo Douglas County" />
 <figcaption>Howard-photo Douglas County</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY—A man from Alabama is going to prison for his role in a humiliating sex crime.Last week, Devaris L. Howard, 21, of Gadsden, Ala., was sentenced to 41 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections for the sexual extortion of a then 19-year-old University of Kansas student in 2022, according to&nbsp;Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez.“This sentence sends the message that our community will not tolerate predators who try to terrorize us for their own depraved pleasure,” District Attorney Valdez said. “No one is alone. Our law enforcement partners and the District Attorney’s Office will aggressively pursue these predators to bring them to justice.”

Prison for man in sextortion scheme against KU student

NEW YORK (AP) — Monday's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-opening-stormy-daniels-6beee9b99114898ee0dd60185d43bac5">opening statements in the first criminal trial</a>&nbsp;of a former American president provided a clear roadmap of how prosecutors will try to make the case that Donald Trump broke the law, and how the defense plans to fight the charges on multiple fronts.

Lawyers presented dueling narratives as jurors got their first glimpse into the prosecution accusing Trump of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">falsifying business records</a>&nbsp;as part of a scheme to squelch negative stories about him during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Still to come are weeks of what's likely to be dramatic and embarrassing testimony about the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's personal life as he simultaneously campaigns to return to the White House in November.

Here's a look at some key takeaways from opening statements:

ELECTION FRAUD VS. ‘BOOKKEEPING’ CASE

Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying internal Trump Organization business records. But prosecutors made clear they do not want jurors to view this as a routine paper case. Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said the heart of the case is a scheme to “corrupt” the 2016 election by silencing people who were about to come forward with embarrassing stories Trump feared would hurt his campaign.

“No politician wants bad press," Colangelo said. “But the evidence at trial will show that this was not spin or communications strategy. This was a planned, long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016 election, to help Donald Trump get elected through illegal expenditures to silence people who had something bad to say about his behavior.” He added: “It was election fraud, pure and simple.”

The business records charges stem from things like invoices and checks that were deemed legal expenses in Trump Organization records when prosecutors say they were really reimbursements to former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen for a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels. Daniels was threatening to go public with claims she had an extramarital sexual encounter with Trump. He says it never happened.

Prosecutors' characterizations appear designed to combat suggestions by some pundits that the case — perhaps the only one that will go to trial before the November election — isn't as serious as the&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/index.html">other three prosecutions</a>&nbsp;he's facing. Those cases accuse Trump of trying to overturn&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">the 2020 election he lost to President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-delay-trial-election-83be6fb5362e7bb2b7aaf6371a9acabf">illegally retaining classified documents</a>&nbsp;after he left the White House.

Trump, meanwhile, sought to downplay the accusations while leaving the courtroom on Monday, calling it all a “bookkeeping" case and “a very minor thing.” But he, too, has said it’s all about an election — the one this November. Trump has repeatedly claimed that the case is part of a sweeping Democratic attempt to harm his chances at reclaiming the presidency.

Trump’s attorney used his opening statement to attack the case as baseless, saying the former president did nothing illegal.

The attorney, Todd Blanche, challenged prosecutors’ claim that Trump agreed to pay Daniels to aid his campaign, saying Trump was trying to “protect his family, his reputation and his brand."

Blanche indicated the defense will argue that after all the very point of a presidential campaign is to try to influence an election.

"It’s called democracy,” Blanche told jurors. “They put something sinister on this idea, as if it’s a crime. You’ll learn it’s not.”

Blanche also portrayed the ledger entries at issue in the case as pro forma actions performed by a Trump Organization employee. Trump “had nothing to do with” the allegedly false business records, “except that he signed the checks, in the White House, while he was running the country,” Blanche said. And he argued that the records’ references to legal expenses weren’t false, since Cohen was Trump’s personal lawyer at the time.

PROSECUTORS AIM TO PUT TRUMP AT THE CENTER

The 34 counts in the indictment are related to the payment to Daniels. But prosecutors plan to introduce evidence about a payoff to another woman — former Playboy model&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d8f22980841e44939399ae7179a4d583">Karen McDougal</a>&nbsp;— who claimed a sexual encounter with Trump, as well as to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-united-states-government-f37ecfc4710b468db6a103a245146172">Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story</a>&nbsp;about Trump having a child out of wedlock. Trump says they were all lies.

Prosecutors said they will show Trump was at the center of the scheme to silence the women, telling jurors they will hear Trump in his voice talking about the plan to pay McDougal. Cohen arranged for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1beb4bf23d0043eab87396ec56054814">publisher of the National Enquirer supermarket tabloid</a>&nbsp;to pay McDougal $150,000 but not print the story in a practice known as “catch-and-kill.”

Colangelo told jurors that prosecutors will play for them a recording Cohen secretly made during a meeting with Trump weeks before the 2016 election. In the recording, which first became public in 2018, Trump is heard saying: “What do we got to pay for this? One-fifty?”

Trump “desperately did not want this information about Karen McDougal to become public because he was worried about its effect on the election," Colangelo said.

The defense's opening statement previewed what will be a key strategy of the defense: trying to discredit Cohen, a Trump loyalist turned critic and expected star witness for the prosecution. Cohen pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the hush money payments in 2018 and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/8b9d39ea54374ae296a9a8401bf58cb8">and served prison time</a>.

Whether jurors believe Cohen, who says he arranged the payments to the women at Trump's direction, could make or break the case for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-manhattan-da-bragg-hush-money-trial-a164881f43b1d5064a528b36eada937e">Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office.</a>

Trump's lawyer highlighted Cohen's criminal record, describing him as a serial liar who turned against Trump after he was not given a job in the administration and found himself in legal trouble. Blanche said Cohen's “entire financial livelihood depends on President Trump’s destruction,” noting he hosts podcasts and has written books bashing his ex-boss.

“He has a goal and an obsession with getting Trump,” Blanche said. “I submit to you that he cannot be trusted.”

Anticipating the defense attacks on Cohen, the prosecution promised to be upfront about the “mistakes” the former Trump attorney has made. But Colangelo said “you can credit Michael Cohen's testimony" despite his past.

“I suspect the defense will go to great lengths to get you to reject his testimony precisely because it is so damning,” the prosecutor said.

Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker is the first witness for prosecutors, who say that Trump’s alleged scheme to conceal potentially damaging information from voters began with a 2015 Trump Tower meeting among the then-candidate, Pecker and Cohen. Pecker took the witness stand Monday before court broke for the day and his testimony is expected to continue Tuesday.

At the meeting, Pecker — a longtime Trump friend — agreed to aid Trump’s campaign by running favorable pieces about him, smearing his opponents, scouting unflattering stories about him and flagging them to Cohen for “catch-and-kill” deals. Those included the claims made by Daniels, McDougal and the former Trump Tower doorman, Dino Sajudin, prosecutors say. Trump says all were false.

Pecker will likely be asked about all the alleged efforts made by the Enquirer’s then-owner, American Media Inc., on Trump’s behalf. Federal prosecutors agreed in 2018&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1beb4bf23d0043eab87396ec56054814">not to prosecute American Media</a>&nbsp;in exchange for its cooperation in a campaign finance investigation that led to Cohen’s guilty plea, and the Federal Election Commission fined the company $187,500, calling the McDougal deal a “prohibited corporate in-kind contribution.”

Pecker’s brief turn on the stand Monday was mainly just about his background and other basic facts, though he did say the Enquirer practiced “checkbook journalism” — paying for stories — and that he had the final say on any story about a famous person.

'THE DEFENDANT’ OR ’PRESIDENT TRUMP'?

The prosecutor referred to Trump during his opening statement as “the defendant.” Trump's lawyer took a different tack, calling him “President Trump.”

“We will call him President Trump, out of respect for the office that he held,” Blanche said. At the same time, Trump's lawyer sought to portray Trump as an everyman, describing him as a husband, father and fellow New Yorker.

“He’s, in some ways, larger than life. But he’s also here in this courtroom, doing what any of us would do: defending himself,” Blanche said.

Trump sat quietly while listening to opening statements, occasionally passing notes to his lawyers and whispering in their ears. But outside of the courtroom, he continued his pattern of trying to capitalize politically on the case that will require him to spend his days in a courtroom rather than on the campaign trail.

“This is what they’re trying to take me off the trail for. Checks being paid to a lawyer,” Trump said

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;tried to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election by preventing damaging stories about his personal life from becoming public, a prosecutor told jurors Monday at the start of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-manhattan-stormy-daniels-michael-cohen-b514cb52bb31a82579cb827c40166173">former president's historic hush money trial.</a>

"This was a planned, long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016 election, to help Donald Trump get elected through illegal expenditures to silence people who had something bad to say about his behavior,” prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said. “It was election fraud, pure and simple.”

A defense lawyer countered by assailing the case as baseless and attacking the integrity of the onetime Trump confidant who's now the government's star witness.

“President Trump is innocent. President Trump did not commit any crimes. The Manhattan district attorney’s office should never have brought this case,” attorney Todd Blanche said.

The opening statements offered the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-jury-selection-24147c3774c8a411044c530cafcab292">12-person jury</a>&nbsp;— and the voting public — radically divergent roadmaps for a case that will unfold against the backdrop of a closely contested White House race in which Trump is not only the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-primary-georgia-washington-mississippi-hawaii-15bb0084ad656903ffef14cfae822abd">presumptive Republican nominee</a>&nbsp;but also a criminal defendant facing the prospect of a felony conviction and prison.

It is the first criminal trial of a former American president and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/">first of four prosecutions of Trump</a>&nbsp;to reach a jury. Befitting that history, prosecutors sought from the outset to elevate the gravity of the case, which they said was chiefly about election interference as reflected by the hush money payments to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stormy-daniels-donald-trump-d3dce88566bafb714dbb5c1acd3e4a83">porn actor who said she had a sexual encounter</a>&nbsp;with Trump.

“The defendant, Donald Trump, orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election. Then he covered up that criminal conspiracy by lying in his New York business records over and over and over again,” Colangelo said.

The trial, which could last up to two months, will require Trump to spend his days in a courtroom rather than on the campaign trail, a reality he complained about Monday when he lamented to reporters after leaving the courtroom: “I’m the leading candidate ... and this is what they’re trying to take me off the trail for. Checks being paid to a lawyer."

Trump has nonetheless sought to turn his criminal defendant status into an asset for his campaign, fundraising off his legal jeopardy and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-harlem-trial-bodega-909f0abee3f1951a2ffdabc8072d61a7">repeatedly railing against a justice system</a>&nbsp;that he has for years claimed is weaponized against him. In the weeks ahead, the case will test the jury's ability to judge him impartially but also Trump's ability to comply with courtroom protocol, including a gag order barring him from attacking witnesses, jurors, trial prosecutors and some others.

Trump faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">34 felony counts of falsifying business records</a>&nbsp;— a charge punishable by up to four years in prison — though it’s not clear if the judge would seek to put him behind bars. A conviction would not preclude Trump from becoming president again, but because it is a state case, he would not be able to pardon himself if found guilty. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

The case brought by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-manhattan-da-bragg-hush-money-trial-a164881f43b1d5064a528b36eada937e">Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg</a>&nbsp;revisits a years-old chapter from Trump’s biography when his celebrity past collided with his political ambitions and, prosecutors say, he scrambled to stifle stories that he feared could torpedo his campaign.

The opening statements served as an introduction to the colorful cast of characters that feature prominently in that tawdry saga, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-manhattan-stormy-daniels-michael-cohen-b514cb52bb31a82579cb827c40166173">Stormy Daniels, the porn actor who says she received the hush money</a>; Michael Cohen, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/michael-cohen">lawyer who prosecutors say paid her;</a>&nbsp;and David Pecker, the tabloid publisher who agreed to function as the campaign’s “eyes and ears" and who served as the prosecution's first witness on Monday.

Pecker is due back on the stand Tuesday, when the court will also hear arguments on whether Trump violated Judge Juan Merchan's gag order with a series of Truth Social posts about witnesses over the last week.

In his opening statement, Colangelo outlined a comprehensive effort by Trump his allies to prevent three separate stories — two from women alleging prior sexual encounters — from surfacing during the 2016 presidential campaign. That undertaking was especially urgent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-access-hollywood-hush-money-new-york-2c52279a45ede2a111ff1fe447d2fdac">following the emergence late in the race of a 2005 “Access Hollywood” recording</a>&nbsp;in which Trump could be heard boasting about grabbing women sexually without their permission.

Colangelo recited Trump’s now-infamous remarks as Trump looked on, stone-faced.

“The impact of that tape on the campaign was immediate and explosive,” Colangelo said.

Within days of the “Access Hollywood” tape becoming public, Colangelo told jurors that the National Enquirer alerted Cohen that Stormy Daniels was agitating to go public with her claims of a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006.

“At Trump’s direction, Cohen negotiated a deal to buy Ms. Daniels’ story to prevent American voters from hearing that story before Election Day,” Colangelo told jurors.

But, the prosecutor noted, “neither Trump nor the Trump Organization could just write a check to Cohen with a memo line that said ‘reimbursement for porn star payoff.'" So, he added, "they agreed to cook the books and make it look like the payment was actually income, payment for services rendered.”

Those alleged falsified records form the backbone of the 34-count indictment against Trump. Trump has denied a sexual encounter with Daniels.

Blanche, the defense lawyer, sought to preemptively undermine the credibility of Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal charges related to his role in the hush money scheme, as someone with an “obsession” with Trump who cannot be trusted. He said Trump had done nothing illegal when his company recorded the checks to Cohen as legal expenses.

“There’s nothing wrong with trying to influence an election. It is called democracy,” not a crime, Blanche said.

Blanche challenged the notion that Trump agreed to the Daniels payout to safeguard his campaign. Instead, he characterized the transaction as an attempt to squelch a “sinister” effort to embarrass Trump and his loved ones.