BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

WASHINGTON — The stunning ouster of U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday —&nbsp;the first time a speaker has been removed in Congress’ 234-year history —&nbsp;created a leadership vacuum in the chamber and left multiple questions about how legislative business would proceed.

North Carolina Republican Patrick McHenry ascended to the role of speaker pro tempore following the vote to unseat McCarthy. McHenry’s rise occurred under a House rule created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that allowed McCarthy to secretly choose a temporary successor in advance, in the event the speaker’s office was vacated.

The rule seems designed to keep the chamber running without an elected speaker, but in an institution governed largely by precedent, the unprecedented nature of the situation provoked a buzz of uncertainty, speculation and opinion in D.C. on the day after McCarthy’s unwilling exit.

“The only thing I’m certain about is that anyone who says that they have any certainty on this is lying,” said Josh Chafetz, a professor of law and politics at Georgetown Law. “There’s absolutely no precedents on any of this because this hasn’t happened before.”

Members were exasperated. “The House of Representatives is effectively frozen,” Rep. Garret Graves, a Louisiana Republican and McCarthy ally, told reporters Wednesday. “We’re not able to actually advance legislation. We can’t even refer bills to committee.”

McHenry has called for House members to vote on the next speaker on Oct. 11. Until then, the House is unlikely to try to conduct business —&nbsp;even as a government funding deadline approaches Nov. 17. But there’s also the possibility that the House won’t — or is unable to — choose a speaker for even longer.

Here are some questions about how the chamber moves forward in the absence of an elected speaker, with answers from legal and congressional experts.

Why does the role of speaker pro tempore exist in the U.S. House of Representatives, and what powers does that person hold?&nbsp;

Molly E. Reynolds, senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, said Wednesday during a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlhKzpLLLxQ">panel discussion</a>&nbsp;the role of speaker pro tempore was designed as a way to bolster continuity of government.

“The language of the rule itself isn’t entirely clear on what powers the speaker pro tem has — whether it’s all of the powers of the Office of the Speaker, or just authorities that allow him to effectuate a new election for speaker,” Reynolds said.

There are two schools of thought about how much power a speaker pro tempore holds, Reynolds said.

“I would put myself in the camp that the speaker pro tem, McHenry, has the full powers of the speakership with the possible exception of sitting in the line of succession.” Reynolds said.

“My logic there is that given how this rule was originally designed, which was to allow someone to act as speaker in the event of a real crisis, that you would not necessarily have wanted to develop a rule that would limit that person’s power in an actual emergency,” Reynolds said.

“The idea behind a pro tempore is: The person can act in the absence of a speaker,” Jason Roberts, a political science professor at the University of North Carolina, told States Newsroom. “So I interpret that to mean the speaker pro tempore can do basically whatever they choose to do.”

Nearly every move McHenry makes would become a precedent for future temporary speakers, Roberts said.

Tests to McHenry’s power could end up being settled by a majority of the House, experts said.

“The way that precedents in the House work when things are unprecedented is when someone does something, that becomes a precedent,” Roberts said. “If someone is unhappy with what they did, they can raise a point of order… And then the House would vote on that, and if they sustain the point of order then that would become the precedent.”

For the time being, McHenry is taking the more restrained approach to his authority as the temporary speaker of the House. He has not yet referred bills to committee or scheduled floor votes on any legislation, Reynolds said.

But that could change if Republicans cannot quickly elect another speaker.

“This is all pretty untested and it may well be the case that McHenry’s choice to act in this more limited way is a political one,” Reynolds said.

Because this has never happened before, anything McHenry does during the days or weeks to come could be used as precedent in the future if the House ever needs to lean on another speaker pro tempore, Reynolds said.

“In the kind of situation that this rule originally anticipated — a true catastrophic emergency — I think we would probably want the person acting as speaker pro tem to have more expansive powers than McHenry is at least planning at this moment to exercise,” Reynolds said.

Steven S. Smith, a professor at Arizona State University, said that if a leadership vacuum persists past next week, McHenry may have to consider a more robust approach.

“If no new speaker manages to get elected that quickly and he remains the speaker pro tem, then I’m guessing that he’ll have to start thinking about exercising the real powers of the speakership,” Smith said.

Though a temporary speaker could —&nbsp;possibly —&nbsp;use many of the official powers of the office, McHenry lacks some of the power speakers typically enjoy as the leader of the House.

McHenry would lack the power to appoint Rules Committee members, for example, which is what allows a speaker to control the House floor and makes the position as powerful as it is, Smith said.

“If McHenry ends up being, say, a medium-term speaker pro tem, it’s going to be somewhat awkward because none of the Rules Committee members owe their presence there to him,” Smith said. “And he’s not empowered to do anything about it under the conference rules.”

McHenry would also lack the power to appoint members to the steering committee, which makes appointments to every committee in the House, Smith said.

The official&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://rules.house.gov/sites/republicans.rules118.house.gov/files/documents/Rules%20and%20Resources/118-House-Rules-Clerk.pdf">rules of the House</a>&nbsp;detail what the chamber should do if the speaker becomes ill for a long period of time, or if the office is vacated.

Section 8(b)(3)(A) of Rule I states: “In the case of a vacancy in the Office of Speaker, the next Member on the list described in subdivision (B) shall act as Speaker pro tempore until the election of a Speaker or a Speaker pro tempore. Pending such election the Member acting as Speaker pro tempore may exercise such authorities of the Office of the Speaker as may be necessary and appropriate to that end.”

What is “necessary and appropriate to that end” is the part that leads to some debate among experts.

What can the House do without a speaker?&nbsp;

The speaker pro tempore position was intended to allow the House to continue to function as normal, even without an elected speaker.

In practice, though, at least in the short term, it’s a major disruption to House business.

Graves blasted Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican who led the challenge to McCarthy, saying he undermined conservative goals and stripped powers from the Republican office.

“You can’t offer subpoenas, you can’t go after Hunter Biden, you can’t go after any of the controversies that this administration has carried out,” Graves said.

Experts said it was unclear how subpoena power could be affected.

If McHenry becomes more assertive as an acting speaker during a prolonged period without an elected one, the House itself would ultimately decide the extent of that position’s power.

“The most fundamental thing about the House is a majority of the House can do anything the majority wants to do,” Roberts said.

Can House committees meet for hearings or to report bills to the floor?

Nothing but political considerations would prevent committees from meeting, Smith said.

Committees’ authorities, organized under a rules package approved at the beginning of this Congress and in effect even after McCarthy’s ouster, “don’t change at all,” Roberts said.

“I can’t think of any reason why committees couldn’t meet,” Chafetz said. “Committees don’t need the permission of the speaker to hold a meeting.”

Can the House change the rules that allowed for McCarthy’s ouster?

Yes. The House can change its rules at any time, through a majority vote on the floor, Smith said.

McCarthy agreed to a rule change allowing any single member to bring a motion to vacate, the procedure that Gaetz used to trigger the speaker’s fall.

With that in mind, McCarthy’s successor may seek to add a minimum number of members who must sign on to such a motion.

Though rules packages are usually only passed at the beginning of a two-year Congress, a majority can choose to change them at any time.

The House speaker is second in the line of succession to the presidency, behind only the vice president.

With that office vacant, the president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, currently Washington Democrat Patty Murray, would move up to second in line, Roberts said. Murray holds the position by virtue of being the most senior member of the Senate’s majority party.

While McHenry could exercise most of the speaker’s powers within the House, he is not technically the speaker for the purposes of succession.

“Officially, the speaker’s office is vacant,” Roberts said.

Does the vote to remove McCarthy as speaker increase the odds of a government shutdown or spending cuts?

Reynolds from Brookings said one of the challenges for the next GOP speaker will be when and how to make trade-offs with the hard-right members of the conference or the centrists, who are most at risk of losing reelection next year.

“If you try to pass an appropriations bill that is embraced by those on the right end of the conference, you’re going to lose votes from the left end of the conference,” Reynolds said.

“So it’s a much different political struggle to manage those differences in the conference,” Reynolds said. “And that’s not going to go away for whoever is the next speaker of the House and in some ways the stakes of all of this are going to get higher the longer we go into the fiscal year.”

A provision in the debt limit law that President Joe Biden and McCarthy brokered in May would institute a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/1-cut-federal-spending-debt-limit-law-its-complicated">1% across-the-board spending cut</a>&nbsp;to defense and domestic discretionary programs next year if Congress cannot pass all 12 of the annual spending bills before the spring.

That provision wouldn’t have any real-world effects until April 30, though if any of the bills aren’t law before then, all of the departments and agencies would be forced to cut spending.

The “Sword of Damocles” provision, as Reynolds called it, will likely galvanize defense hawks in the House and Senate to broker agreement on all the bills before that deadline.

“But one thing that we should take away from this episode, is that if we think what Kevin McCarthy did over the weekend was the right thing, that does not necessarily save him, or any future speaker, from punishment from a dissident faction of his own conference, even though ultimately it may be the right choice for the government and for the country,” Reynolds said.

Matthew Green, professor of politics at Catholic University of America, said the next Republican speaker will likely have a brief time to broker bipartisan agreements without facing the same motion to vacate that McCarthy did.

“I think there is probably a small window for the next speaker to be able to get things through, even if that requires cooperating with the Democrats and the president — which it almost certainly will — that it won’t necessarily end their speakership,” Green said.

Another challenge for House Republicans is that dealing with the speakership race eats up precious time they need to pass spending bills, Smith said. A new speaker won’t take office until Oct. 11 at the earliest.

“Taking out about 25% of the remaining days before the CR expires is going to put Republicans in a pinch,” Smith said, referring to the continuing resolution that funds the government through Nov. 17.

How did the House Republican Conference get here, and what does it mean for the future?

Green, of Catholic University of America, said that changes in the GOP’s goals over time have partially led to what happened this week when eight members were able to oust a speaker who was backed by more than 210 of his Republican colleagues.

The trend can be traced back to former Speaker Newt Gingrich, and leaders before him, who Green said began shifting the goals to having power, having a majority and communicating. The central goal, he said, wasn’t always legislating.

“That objective and that way of viewing one’s political career gets certain folks elected, who may have genuine views and beliefs and political preferences — but they also don’t see Congress as a place to solve problems and legislate,” Green said. “And that’s in many ways why we are where we are today.”

Philip Wallach, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said sometimes House Republicans “get distracted from the fact that they are members of a legislature that ultimately has to pass laws with majorities of two chambers and get the signature of the president.”

How does kicking McCarthy out as speaker affect House Republicans’ fundraising prospects heading into the 2024 elections?

Kevin R. Kosar, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said that the eight Republicans who voted to remove McCarthy might have created long-lasting problems for House GOP fundraising efforts.

“He was a tremendous fundraiser. He raised gobs and gobs of money for his party, just as Pelosi had done. That’s one of the duties of the modern speaker, is to be this sort of a cash cow,” Kosar said.

“The GOP dissidents just killed that cash cow,” Kosar added. “And I wonder inside the GOP conference, how many members are seething about that because many of them are heavily reliant on the speaker to raise money for them.”

&nbsp;Ariana Figueroa contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696366148194.png" alt="A view of the House chamber during the historic vote on Tuesday-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>A view of the House chamber during the historic vote on Tuesday-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>WASHINGTON — The stunning ouster of U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday —&nbsp;the first time a speaker has been removed in Congress’ 234-year history —&nbsp;created a leadership vacuum in the chamber and left multiple questions about how legislative business would proceed.North Carolina Republican Patrick McHenry ascended to the role of speaker pro tempore following the vote to unseat McCarthy. McHenry’s rise occurred under a House rule created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that allowed McCarthy to secretly choose a temporary successor in advance, in the event the speaker’s office was vacated.The rule seems designed to keep the chamber running without an elected speaker, but in an institution governed largely by precedent, the unprecedented nature of the situation provoked a buzz of uncertainty, speculation and opinion in D.C. on the day after McCarthy’s unwilling exit.“The only thing I’m certain about is that anyone who says that they have any certainty on this is lying,” said Josh Chafetz, a professor of law and politics at Georgetown Law. “There’s absolutely no precedents on any of this because this hasn’t happened before.”Members were exasperated. “The House of Representatives is effectively frozen,” Rep. Garret Graves, a Louisiana Republican and McCarthy ally, told reporters Wednesday. “We’re not able to actually advance legislation. We can’t even refer bills to committee.”McHenry has called for House members to vote on the next speaker on Oct. 11. Until then, the House is unlikely to try to conduct business —&nbsp;even as a government funding deadline approaches Nov. 17. But there’s also the possibility that the House won’t — or is unable to — choose a speaker for even longer.Here are some questions about how the chamber moves forward in the absence of an elected speaker, with answers from legal and congressional experts.Why does the role of speaker pro tempore exist in the U.S. House of Representatives, and what powers does that person hold?&nbsp;Molly E. Reynolds, senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, said Wednesday during a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlhKzpLLLxQ">panel discussion</a>&nbsp;the role of speaker pro tempore was designed as a way to bolster continuity of government.“The language of the rule itself isn’t entirely clear on what powers the speaker pro tem has — whether it’s all of the powers of the Office of the Speaker, or just authorities that allow him to effectuate a new election for speaker,” Reynolds said.There are two schools of thought about how much power a speaker pro tempore holds, Reynolds said.“I would put myself in the camp that the speaker pro tem, McHenry, has the full powers of the speakership with the possible exception of sitting in the line of succession.” Reynolds said.“My logic there is that given how this rule was originally designed, which was to allow someone to act as speaker in the event of a real crisis, that you would not necessarily have wanted to develop a rule that would limit that person’s power in an actual emergency,” Reynolds said.Other experts agreed with that view.“The idea behind a pro tempore is: The person can act in the absence of a speaker,” Jason Roberts, a political science professor at the University of North Carolina, told States Newsroom. “So I interpret that to mean the speaker pro tempore can do basically whatever they choose to do.”Nearly every move McHenry makes would become a precedent for future temporary speakers, Roberts said.Tests to McHenry’s power could end up being settled by a majority of the House, experts said.“The way that precedents in the House work when things are unprecedented is when someone does something, that becomes a precedent,” Roberts said. “If someone is unhappy with what they did, they can raise a point of order… And then the House would vote on that, and if they sustain the point of order then that would become the precedent.”How is McHenry approaching the job?For the time being, McHenry is taking the more restrained approach to his authority as the temporary speaker of the House. He has not yet referred bills to committee or scheduled floor votes on any legislation, Reynolds said.But that could change if Republicans cannot quickly elect another speaker.“This is all pretty untested and it may well be the case that McHenry’s choice to act in this more limited way is a political one,” Reynolds said.Because this has never happened before, anything McHenry does during the days or weeks to come could be used as precedent in the future if the House ever needs to lean on another speaker pro tempore, Reynolds said.“In the kind of situation that this rule originally anticipated — a true catastrophic emergency — I think we would probably want the person acting as speaker pro tem to have more expansive powers than McHenry is at least planning at this moment to exercise,” Reynolds said.Steven S. Smith, a professor at Arizona State University, said that if a leadership vacuum persists past next week, McHenry may have to consider a more robust approach.“If no new speaker manages to get elected that quickly and he remains the speaker pro tem, then I’m guessing that he’ll have to start thinking about exercising the real powers of the speakership,” Smith said.Though a temporary speaker could —&nbsp;possibly —&nbsp;use many of the official powers of the office, McHenry lacks some of the power speakers typically enjoy as the leader of the House.McHenry would lack the power to appoint Rules Committee members, for example, which is what allows a speaker to control the House floor and makes the position as powerful as it is, Smith said.“If McHenry ends up being, say, a medium-term speaker pro tem, it’s going to be somewhat awkward because none of the Rules Committee members owe their presence there to him,” Smith said. “And he’s not empowered to do anything about it under the conference rules.”McHenry would also lack the power to appoint members to the steering committee, which makes appointments to every committee in the House, Smith said.What exactly does the rule say?The official&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://rules.house.gov/sites/republicans.rules118.house.gov/files/documents/Rules%20and%20Resources/118-House-Rules-Clerk.pdf">rules of the House</a>&nbsp;detail what the chamber should do if the speaker becomes ill for a long period of time, or if the office is vacated.Section 8(b)(3)(A) of Rule I states: “In the case of a vacancy in the Office of Speaker, the next Member on the list described in subdivision (B) shall act as Speaker pro tempore until the election of a Speaker or a Speaker pro tempore. Pending such election the Member acting as Speaker pro tempore may exercise such authorities of the Office of the Speaker as may be necessary and appropriate to that end.”What is “necessary and appropriate to that end” is the part that leads to some debate among experts.What can the House do without a speaker?&nbsp;The speaker pro tempore position was intended to allow the House to continue to function as normal, even without an elected speaker.In practice, though, at least in the short term, it’s a major disruption to House business.Graves blasted Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican who led the challenge to McCarthy, saying he undermined conservative goals and stripped powers from the Republican office.“You can’t offer subpoenas, you can’t go after Hunter Biden, you can’t go after any of the controversies that this administration has carried out,” Graves said.Experts said it was unclear how subpoena power could be affected.If McHenry becomes more assertive as an acting speaker during a prolonged period without an elected one, the House itself would ultimately decide the extent of that position’s power.“The most fundamental thing about the House is a majority of the House can do anything the majority wants to do,” Roberts said.Can House committees meet for hearings or to report bills to the floor?Nothing but political considerations would prevent committees from meeting, Smith said.Committees’ authorities, organized under a rules package approved at the beginning of this Congress and in effect even after McCarthy’s ouster, “don’t change at all,” Roberts said.“I can’t think of any reason why committees couldn’t meet,” Chafetz said. “Committees don’t need the permission of the speaker to hold a meeting.”Can the House change the rules that allowed for McCarthy’s ouster?Yes. The House can change its rules at any time, through a majority vote on the floor, Smith said.McCarthy agreed to a rule change allowing any single member to bring a motion to vacate, the procedure that Gaetz used to trigger the speaker’s fall.With that in mind, McCarthy’s successor may seek to add a minimum number of members who must sign on to such a motion.Though rules packages are usually only passed at the beginning of a two-year Congress, a majority can choose to change them at any time.What about the line of succession?The House speaker is second in the line of succession to the presidency, behind only the vice president.With that office vacant, the president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, currently Washington Democrat Patty Murray, would move up to second in line, Roberts said. Murray holds the position by virtue of being the most senior member of the Senate’s majority party.While McHenry could exercise most of the speaker’s powers within the House, he is not technically the speaker for the purposes of succession.“Officially, the speaker’s office is vacant,” Roberts said.Does the vote to remove McCarthy as speaker increase the odds of a government shutdown or spending cuts?Reynolds from Brookings said one of the challenges for the next GOP speaker will be when and how to make trade-offs with the hard-right members of the conference or the centrists, who are most at risk of losing reelection next year.“If you try to pass an appropriations bill that is embraced by those on the right end of the conference, you’re going to lose votes from the left end of the conference,” Reynolds said.“So it’s a much different political struggle to manage those differences in the conference,” Reynolds said. “And that’s not going to go away for whoever is the next speaker of the House and in some ways the stakes of all of this are going to get higher the longer we go into the fiscal year.”A provision in the debt limit law that President Joe Biden and McCarthy brokered in May would institute a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/1-cut-federal-spending-debt-limit-law-its-complicated">1% across-the-board spending cut</a>&nbsp;to defense and domestic discretionary programs next year if Congress cannot pass all 12 of the annual spending bills before the spring.That provision wouldn’t have any real-world effects until April 30, though if any of the bills aren’t law before then, all of the departments and agencies would be forced to cut spending.The “Sword of Damocles” provision, as Reynolds called it, will likely galvanize defense hawks in the House and Senate to broker agreement on all the bills before that deadline.“But one thing that we should take away from this episode, is that if we think what Kevin McCarthy did over the weekend was the right thing, that does not necessarily save him, or any future speaker, from punishment from a dissident faction of his own conference, even though ultimately it may be the right choice for the government and for the country,” Reynolds said.Matthew Green, professor of politics at Catholic University of America, said the next Republican speaker will likely have a brief time to broker bipartisan agreements without facing the same motion to vacate that McCarthy did.“I think there is probably a small window for the next speaker to be able to get things through, even if that requires cooperating with the Democrats and the president — which it almost certainly will — that it won’t necessarily end their speakership,” Green said.Another challenge for House Republicans is that dealing with the speakership race eats up precious time they need to pass spending bills, Smith said. A new speaker won’t take office until Oct. 11 at the earliest.“Taking out about 25% of the remaining days before the CR expires is going to put Republicans in a pinch,” Smith said, referring to the continuing resolution that funds the government through Nov. 17.How did the House Republican Conference get here, and what does it mean for the future?Green, of Catholic University of America, said that changes in the GOP’s goals over time have partially led to what happened this week when eight members were able to oust a speaker who was backed by more than 210 of his Republican colleagues.The trend can be traced back to former Speaker Newt Gingrich, and leaders before him, who Green said began shifting the goals to having power, having a majority and communicating. The central goal, he said, wasn’t always legislating.“That objective and that way of viewing one’s political career gets certain folks elected, who may have genuine views and beliefs and political preferences — but they also don’t see Congress as a place to solve problems and legislate,” Green said. “And that’s in many ways why we are where we are today.”Philip Wallach, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said sometimes House Republicans “get distracted from the fact that they are members of a legislature that ultimately has to pass laws with majorities of two chambers and get the signature of the president.”How does kicking McCarthy out as speaker affect House Republicans’ fundraising prospects heading into the 2024 elections?Kevin R. Kosar, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said that the eight Republicans who voted to remove McCarthy might have created long-lasting problems for House GOP fundraising efforts.“He was a tremendous fundraiser. He raised gobs and gobs of money for his party, just as Pelosi had done. That’s one of the duties of the modern speaker, is to be this sort of a cash cow,” Kosar said.“The GOP dissidents just killed that cash cow,” Kosar added. “And I wonder inside the GOP conference, how many members are seething about that because many of them are heavily reliant on the speaker to raise money for them.”&nbsp;Ariana Figueroa contributed to this report.

How does a ‘frozen’ U.S. House function without a speaker?

KANSAS CITY. – A Kansas City man has been charged with three fentanyl overdose deaths in Belton, Mo., alongside six other metropolitan area residents indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a drug-trafficking conspiracy that included illegal firearms and money laundering, according to the United State's Attorney.

Tiger Dean Draggoo, 23, his brother, Colt Justin Draggoo, 20, Jose Amparan, also known as “Lil Mex” and “Jose Garcia,” 20, Luis Manuel Morales, also known as “Trulu,” “Lulu,” “Luis,” and “Luis Mor,” 23, all of Kansas City, Mo.; Andrew R.A. Williams, also known as “DrewB Grittin,” 22, of Grandview, Mo.; Alexander D. Barnett, also known as “Alex” and “Cobra,” 22, of Lee’s Summit, Mo.; and Javier Armanmdo Alvarez, also known as “Mexxican,” Gomi,” and “Gummi,” 21, of Kansas City, Kan., were charged in a 13-count superseding indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, Sept. 27. That indictment was unsealed and made public today upon the arrest and initial court appearances of Barnett and Morales. Colt Draggoo also was arrested today and will have an initial court appearance tomorrow.

The superseding indictment replaces the original indictment returned on Feb. 7, 2023, which only charged Tiger Draggoo, and includes additional charges and defendants.

The federal indictment charges Tiger Draggoo with three counts of distributing fentanyl resulting in death. Tiger Draggoo allegedly distributed fentanyl on Sept. 3, 2022, the use of which caused the death of another person. Tiger Draggoo allegedly distributed fentanyl between Aug. 22 and Sept. 13, 2022, the use of which caused the death of another person. Tiger Draggoo allegedly distributed fentanyl between Dec. 7 and 20, 2022, the use of which caused the death of another person.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint that was filed against Draggoo on Jan. 23, 2023, three Belton teenagers who were associated with Draggoo died from acute fentanyl intoxication. On at least three more occasions, the affidavit says, Belton police officers were called because a juvenile was under the influence of fentanyl (one of those juveniles, who turned 18 after being contacted by police officers, is among the three fentanyl deaths).

The indictment alleges that all seven defendants participated in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl from Dec. 1, 2021, to May 3, 2023. The indictment also alleges that Tiger Draggoo, Alvarez, Amparan, Morales and Williams participated in a money-laundering conspiracy.

Tiger Draggoo is also charged with one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of possessing an unregistered firearm. According to the indictment, Draggoo was in possession of a Jimenez Arms .380-caliber pistol, an Armscor .45-caliber pistol, a Taurus .357-caliber revolver, a Palmetto State Armory multi-caliber rifle, and a short-barreled Savage 12-gauge on Jan. 20, 2023. Those charges are related to Draggoo’s arrest on the federal complaint. Officers seized the fentanyl and firearms from Draggoo’s residence and vehicle when he was taken into custody.

Additionally, Tiger Dragoo is charged with one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of illegally possessing machine guns. Those charges were basis of the original criminal complaint filed against Draggoo.

According to an affidavit filed in support of that complaint, police officers were conducting surveillance at an apartment complex on Sept. 22, 2022, when Tiger and Colt Draggoo left the apartment and got into a Jeep Renegade. Officers followed the Jeep and saw it commit numerous traffic violations while displaying erratic driving. A Jackson County sheriff’s deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled from the deputy.

A few minutes later, the Jeep returned to the apartment complex and Tiger and Colt Draggoo entered the apartment. Tiger Draggoo carried a large laundry bag from the apartment and placed it in the backseat of the Jeep. When a Jackson County, Mo., sheriff’s deputy drove into the parking lot, Tiger Draggoo ran back into the apartment building. When officers knocked on the door of Tiger Draggoo’s apartment, the affidavit says, his girlfriend initially told them he wasn’t there. After she allowed officers to enter the apartment, she admitted that Tiger Draggoo had run into the apartment and out the back door.

Officers searched the apartment and found 17 firearms, including two machine guns, ammunition of various calibers, $246,769 in cash, a ballistic vest with plates, a money counter, numerous pills that contained fentanyl, eight suspected LSD tabs, and marijuana. The 17 firearms included a Del-Ton 5.56-caliber rifle (converted into a machine gun), a Glock switch (used to convert a Glock pistol into a machine gun), three Marlin .22-caliber rifles, a Norinco 7.62-caliber rifle, a Mosin-Nagant rifle, an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 .223-caliber rifle, a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, an Armscorp USA .308-caliber rifle, a Century Arms 7.62-caliber rifle, a Herbert Schmidt .22-caliber revolver, a New England Firearms .22-caliber revolver, a Kimber 9mm pistol, a Glock 9mm pistol, a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol, and a Metro Arms .45-caliber pistol.

Williams is also charged with one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Williams allegedly was in possession of a Springfield Armory 9mm semi-automatic handgun and a Girsan .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun on April 19, 2023.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1696014760468.png" alt="Draggoo-photo Lee's Summit PD" />
 <figcaption>Draggoo-photo Lee's Summit PD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY. – A Kansas City man has been charged with three fentanyl overdose deaths in Belton, Mo., alongside six other metropolitan area residents indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a drug-trafficking conspiracy that included illegal firearms and money laundering, according to the United State's Attorney.Tiger Dean Draggoo, 23, his brother, Colt Justin Draggoo, 20, Jose Amparan, also known as “Lil Mex” and “Jose Garcia,” 20, Luis Manuel Morales, also known as “Trulu,” “Lulu,” “Luis,” and “Luis Mor,” 23, all of Kansas City, Mo.; Andrew R.A. Williams, also known as “DrewB Grittin,” 22, of Grandview, Mo.; Alexander D. Barnett, also known as “Alex” and “Cobra,” 22, of Lee’s Summit, Mo.; and Javier Armanmdo Alvarez, also known as “Mexxican,” Gomi,” and “Gummi,” 21, of Kansas City, Kan., were charged in a 13-count superseding indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, Sept. 27. That indictment was unsealed and made public today upon the arrest and initial court appearances of Barnett and Morales. Colt Draggoo also was arrested today and will have an initial court appearance tomorrow.The superseding indictment replaces the original indictment returned on Feb. 7, 2023, which only charged Tiger Draggoo, and includes additional charges and defendants.The federal indictment charges Tiger Draggoo with three counts of distributing fentanyl resulting in death. Tiger Draggoo allegedly distributed fentanyl on Sept. 3, 2022, the use of which caused the death of another person. Tiger Draggoo allegedly distributed fentanyl between Aug. 22 and Sept. 13, 2022, the use of which caused the death of another person. Tiger Draggoo allegedly distributed fentanyl between Dec. 7 and 20, 2022, the use of which caused the death of another person.According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint that was filed against Draggoo on Jan. 23, 2023, three Belton teenagers who were associated with Draggoo died from acute fentanyl intoxication. On at least three more occasions, the affidavit says, Belton police officers were called because a juvenile was under the influence of fentanyl (one of those juveniles, who turned 18 after being contacted by police officers, is among the three fentanyl deaths).The indictment alleges that all seven defendants participated in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl from Dec. 1, 2021, to May 3, 2023. The indictment also alleges that Tiger Draggoo, Alvarez, Amparan, Morales and Williams participated in a money-laundering conspiracy.Tiger Draggoo is also charged with one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of possessing an unregistered firearm. According to the indictment, Draggoo was in possession of a Jimenez Arms .380-caliber pistol, an Armscor .45-caliber pistol, a Taurus .357-caliber revolver, a Palmetto State Armory multi-caliber rifle, and a short-barreled Savage 12-gauge on Jan. 20, 2023. Those charges are related to Draggoo’s arrest on the federal complaint. Officers seized the fentanyl and firearms from Draggoo’s residence and vehicle when he was taken into custody.Additionally, Tiger Dragoo is charged with one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of illegally possessing machine guns. Those charges were basis of the original criminal complaint filed against Draggoo.According to an affidavit filed in support of that complaint, police officers were conducting surveillance at an apartment complex on Sept. 22, 2022, when Tiger and Colt Draggoo left the apartment and got into a Jeep Renegade. Officers followed the Jeep and saw it commit numerous traffic violations while displaying erratic driving. A Jackson County sheriff’s deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled from the deputy.A few minutes later, the Jeep returned to the apartment complex and Tiger and Colt Draggoo entered the apartment. Tiger Draggoo carried a large laundry bag from the apartment and placed it in the backseat of the Jeep. When a Jackson County, Mo., sheriff’s deputy drove into the parking lot, Tiger Draggoo ran back into the apartment building. When officers knocked on the door of Tiger Draggoo’s apartment, the affidavit says, his girlfriend initially told them he wasn’t there. After she allowed officers to enter the apartment, she admitted that Tiger Draggoo had run into the apartment and out the back door.Officers searched the apartment and found 17 firearms, including two machine guns, ammunition of various calibers, $246,769 in cash, a ballistic vest with plates, a money counter, numerous pills that contained fentanyl, eight suspected LSD tabs, and marijuana. The 17 firearms included a Del-Ton 5.56-caliber rifle (converted into a machine gun), a Glock switch (used to convert a Glock pistol into a machine gun), three Marlin .22-caliber rifles, a Norinco 7.62-caliber rifle, a Mosin-Nagant rifle, an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 .223-caliber rifle, a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, an Armscorp USA .308-caliber rifle, a Century Arms 7.62-caliber rifle, a Herbert Schmidt .22-caliber revolver, a New England Firearms .22-caliber revolver, a Kimber 9mm pistol, a Glock 9mm pistol, a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol, and a Metro Arms .45-caliber pistol.Williams is also charged with one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Williams allegedly was in possession of a Springfield Armory 9mm semi-automatic handgun and a Girsan .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun on April 19, 2023.The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

KC-area brothers charged with  fentanyl deaths

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man has been sentenced&nbsp;to prison for the shooting death of a 16-year-old boy in 2021.&nbsp;

Last week, a judge sentenced 22-year-old Tyler Kelly to 25 years to life for first-degree murder, 43 months for aggravated burglary, and 13 months for aggravated assault, according to the Sedgwick County the District Attorney's office. Kelly is required to serve 25 years plus 56 months before being considered for parole.&nbsp; &nbsp;A jury convicted him of the murder in July of 2023.

In July of 2021, police responded to a shooting in&nbsp;the 2600 block of North Piatt Street in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson. First responders found 16-year-old&nbsp;Joseph Florence&nbsp;with a gunshot wound. EMS transported the teen to an area hospital where the boy died.

Kelly, another teen suspect and Florence knew each other and that the shooting was the result of an argument, according to police.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695982338830.png" alt="Kelly-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Kelly-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man has been sentenced&nbsp;to prison for the shooting death of a 16-year-old boy in 2021.&nbsp;Last week, a judge sentenced 22-year-old Tyler Kelly to 25 years to life for first-degree murder, 43 months for aggravated burglary, and 13 months for aggravated assault, according to the Sedgwick County the District Attorney's office. Kelly is required to serve 25 years plus 56 months before being considered for parole.&nbsp; &nbsp;A jury convicted him of the murder in July of 2023.In July of 2021, police responded to a shooting in&nbsp;the 2600 block of North Piatt Street in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson. First responders found 16-year-old&nbsp;Joseph Florence&nbsp;with a gunshot wound. EMS transported the teen to an area hospital where the boy died.Kelly, another teen suspect and Florence knew each other and that the shooting was the result of an argument, according to police.

Man killed 16-year-old Kansas boy during argument 

OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.

Just before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, investigators and deputies with the Osage County Sheriff’s Office conducted a narcotics search warrant in the 500 block of North 4th Street in Osage City, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.

A resident of the address, Patrick D. Berner, 42, was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine, Distribution of marijuana and Possession of drug paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696594965748.png" alt="Berner-photo Osage Co." />
 <figcaption>Berner-photo Osage Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.Just before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, investigators and deputies with the Osage County Sheriff’s Office conducted a narcotics search warrant in the 500 block of North 4th Street in Osage City, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.A resident of the address, Patrick D. Berner, 42, was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine, Distribution of marijuana and Possession of drug paraphernalia.

 Kan. man had meth, allegedly sold marijuana from his home

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a officer-shooting that took place at Prairie View at Village West apartments near the Legends Outlet and Kansas Speedway after an unknown suspect shot an off duty Wyandotte County Sheriff Deputy.

Just before 5:30 a.m. Friday, police were dispatched to the Prairie View apartments,&nbsp;11200 Delaware Parkway, after an off duty deputy called 911 and stated they were shot, according to a media release from police.

The deputy witnessed a burglary to a vehicle that was in progress. When the deputy confronted the suspect, the suspect fired a weapon towards the deputy striking them.

EMS transported the deputy to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.&nbsp; Police have not reported an arrest.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696620064677.png" alt="A view of the apartment complex near Legends Outlet and and Kansas Speedway where the shooting occurred -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>A view of the apartment complex near Legends Outlet and and Kansas Speedway where the shooting occurred -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a officer-shooting that took place at Prairie View at Village West apartments near the Legends Outlet and Kansas Speedway after an unknown suspect shot an off duty Wyandotte County Sheriff Deputy.Just before 5:30 a.m. Friday, police were dispatched to the Prairie View apartments,&nbsp;11200 Delaware Parkway, after an off duty deputy called 911 and stated they were shot, according to a media release from police.The deputy witnessed a burglary to a vehicle that was in progress. When the deputy confronted the suspect, the suspect fired a weapon towards the deputy striking them.EMS transported the deputy to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.&nbsp; Police have not reported an arrest.

Off-duty Kansas deputy shot by vehicle burglary suspect

Future adjustments would reflect 3-year rolling average of increase in Kansas wages

By TIM CARPENTER&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/09/21/kansas-board-of-regents-sculpts-plan-for-boosting-state-aid-to-public-higher-education/?emci=78717300-c858-ee11-9937-00224832eb73&amp;emdi=fc107f78-2659-ee11-9937-00224832eb73&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — A bipartisan commission led by former state lawmakers Thursday endorsed recommendations raising the base salary of House and Senate members to $43,000 per year and establishing a method of indexing annual adjustments linked to a three-year rolling average of growth in overall Kansas wages.

The commission was given authority by the 2023 Legislature to study compensation provided the state’s 165 lawmakers. The group’s proposal will be subject to public comment prior to a final vote of the commission Oct. 19 at the Capitol. Approval would forward the report to the 2024 Legislature, which could vote to block the plan or allow it to be implemented. Unlike a regular bill, Gov. Laura Kelly has no role in the decision.

“This gets the Legislature on a better course,” said former Rep. Mark Kahrs, a Republican. “We’ve reached a very good product. I’m really proud of the work we’ve done here. We represent a pretty broad political spectrum, yet we’ve worked well together.”

Former Democratic Rep. Ed McKechnie said the package forged by the commission was the product of efficient deliberations.

“Almost gives myself goose bumps,” McKechnie said. “This is how the republic was supposed to work. Commission is formed. We come in. We do our work. We go home.”

Former GOP Rep. Mark Hutton, who chaired the commission, said the core of the proposal was the move to set a base annual salary for each legislator at $43,000. It would be equivalent to one-fourth of the salary paid a member of the U.S. Congress, but would represent a 50% raise for Kansas legislators.

Hutton said the proposed salary figure was drawn from a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report of average annual wages among Kansans employed in the private and public sectors. It assumed a legislator was dedicated to the job 100% of the time for five months during the legislative session from January to May. It also assumed legislators were committed to state government duties 50% of the time in the other seven months.

The workload equivalent to 8.5 months, accounting for roughly 70% of the year, helped establish the $43,000 base salary.

Hutton suggested the commission tie annual adjustments in legislator salary to the latest yearly percentage increase or decrease in wages earned among Kansas workers. Several commissioners sought to avoid situations in which legislator pay suddenly surged or had to be cut due to economic forces.

“If the rest of Kansas takes a hit,” Hutton argued, “I don’t see any reason that a legislator shouldn’t take a hit.”

Instead, the commission decided to rely on a three-year rolling average of the statewide increase in wages reported by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. For example, the average salary earned by Kansans in 2021, 2022 and 2023 would be the basis for determining the percentage raise for legislators in 2025.

The commission said the per diem daily allowance paid legislators for lodging, meals and incidental expenditures should be unchanged at $157 per day. The per diem is available to legislators during the annual session, on special session days and for interim committee meetings.

Former Sen. Tom Hawk, a Democrat, said it was important to set a salary and calculate raises in a way viewed as fair by legislators and taxpayers.

“One of our side tasks is making sure the public thinks we did a solid job of looking at this,” Hawk said.

Commissioners included a strategy for providing salary premiums to legislative leaders of the House and Senate. The base salary of the House speaker and Senate president would be bumped 64% to $68,680. Legislators in 10 other leadership posts would earn premiums ranging from 33% to 58% of base salary.

The commission recommended members of the Legislature not receive a windfall from annual raises in salary when determining benefits for those enrolled in the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System.

A plan to create a stipend for legislators with large geographic districts was discarded, despite wide variation in square miles served by House and Senate members. The idea was to provide 22% of representatives and 35% of senators a boost in annual compensation ranging from as little as $15 to as much as $3,750 per year. Overall, the provision rejected by the commission would have cost the state about $33,000 each year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696616153812.png" alt=" A special commission created by the Kansas Legislature approved a draft plan Thursday that would raise the base salary of state legislators to $43,000 and link annual raises to the three-year rolling average of increases in wages earned by Kansans in the private and public sectors. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> A special commission created by the Kansas Legislature approved a draft plan Thursday that would raise the base salary of state legislators to $43,000 and link annual raises to the three-year rolling average of increases in wages earned by Kansans in the private and public sectors. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Future adjustments would reflect 3-year rolling average of increase in Kansas wages</h2>By TIM CARPENTER&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/09/21/kansas-board-of-regents-sculpts-plan-for-boosting-state-aid-to-public-higher-education/?emci=78717300-c858-ee11-9937-00224832eb73&amp;emdi=fc107f78-2659-ee11-9937-00224832eb73&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A bipartisan commission led by former state lawmakers Thursday endorsed recommendations raising the base salary of House and Senate members to $43,000 per year and establishing a method of indexing annual adjustments linked to a three-year rolling average of growth in overall Kansas wages.The commission was given authority by the 2023 Legislature to study compensation provided the state’s 165 lawmakers. The group’s proposal will be subject to public comment prior to a final vote of the commission Oct. 19 at the Capitol. Approval would forward the report to the 2024 Legislature, which could vote to block the plan or allow it to be implemented. Unlike a regular bill, Gov. Laura Kelly has no role in the decision.“This gets the Legislature on a better course,” said former Rep. Mark Kahrs, a Republican. “We’ve reached a very good product. I’m really proud of the work we’ve done here. We represent a pretty broad political spectrum, yet we’ve worked well together.”Former Democratic Rep. Ed McKechnie said the package forged by the commission was the product of efficient deliberations.“Almost gives myself goose bumps,” McKechnie said. “This is how the republic was supposed to work. Commission is formed. We come in. We do our work. We go home.”Former GOP Rep. Mark Hutton, who chaired the commission, said the core of the proposal was the move to set a base annual salary for each legislator at $43,000. It would be equivalent to one-fourth of the salary paid a member of the U.S. Congress, but would represent a 50% raise for Kansas legislators.Hutton said the proposed salary figure was drawn from a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report of average annual wages among Kansans employed in the private and public sectors. It assumed a legislator was dedicated to the job 100% of the time for five months during the legislative session from January to May. It also assumed legislators were committed to state government duties 50% of the time in the other seven months.The workload equivalent to 8.5 months, accounting for roughly 70% of the year, helped establish the $43,000 base salary.Hutton suggested the commission tie annual adjustments in legislator salary to the latest yearly percentage increase or decrease in wages earned among Kansas workers. Several commissioners sought to avoid situations in which legislator pay suddenly surged or had to be cut due to economic forces.“If the rest of Kansas takes a hit,” Hutton argued, “I don’t see any reason that a legislator shouldn’t take a hit.”Instead, the commission decided to rely on a three-year rolling average of the statewide increase in wages reported by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. For example, the average salary earned by Kansans in 2021, 2022 and 2023 would be the basis for determining the percentage raise for legislators in 2025.The commission said the per diem daily allowance paid legislators for lodging, meals and incidental expenditures should be unchanged at $157 per day. The per diem is available to legislators during the annual session, on special session days and for interim committee meetings.Former Sen. Tom Hawk, a Democrat, said it was important to set a salary and calculate raises in a way viewed as fair by legislators and taxpayers.“One of our side tasks is making sure the public thinks we did a solid job of looking at this,” Hawk said.Commissioners included a strategy for providing salary premiums to legislative leaders of the House and Senate. The base salary of the House speaker and Senate president would be bumped 64% to $68,680. Legislators in 10 other leadership posts would earn premiums ranging from 33% to 58% of base salary.The commission recommended members of the Legislature not receive a windfall from annual raises in salary when determining benefits for those enrolled in the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System.A plan to create a stipend for legislators with large geographic districts was discarded, despite wide variation in square miles served by House and Senate members. The idea was to provide 22% of representatives and 35% of senators a boost in annual compensation ranging from as little as $15 to as much as $3,750 per year. Overall, the provision rejected by the commission would have cost the state about $33,000 each year.

Kansas commission recommends raising annual base salary of state legislators 

DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union said Friday it will not expand&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/auto-workers-strike-negotiations-progress-gm-stellantis-ford-4dc51e9f463022bc3794e9615d8a705b">its strikes</a>&nbsp;against Detroit's three automakers after General Motors made a breakthrough concession on unionizing electric vehicle battery plants.

Union President Shawn Fain told workers in a video appearance that additional plants could be added to the strikes later.

The announcement of the pause in expanding the strikes came shortly after GM agreed to bring electric vehicle battery plants into the UAW's national contract, essentially assuring that they will be unionized.

Fain said GM's move will change the future of the union and the auto industry.

He said GM made the change after the union threatened to strike at a plant in Arlington, Texas, that makes highly profitable large SUVs.

“Today, under the threat of a major financial hit, they leapfrogged the pack in terms of a just transition” from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-electric-cars-uaw-strike-d73f259bf5e9242340e912ad1e9b4aa9">combustion engines to electric vehicles</a>, he said. “Our strike is working, but we’re not there yet.”

In addition to large general pay raises, cost of living pay, restoration of pensions for new hires and other items, the union wanted to represent 10 battery factories proposed by the companies.

The companies have said the plants, mostly joint ventures with South Korean battery makers, had to be bargained separately.

Friday's change means the the four U.S. GM battery plants would now be covered under the union's master agreement and GM would bargain with the union' “which I think is a monumental development,” said Marick Masters, a business professor at Wayne State University in Detroit.

He said the details of GM's offer, made in writing, will have to be scrutinized.

DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union said Friday it will not expand&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/auto-workers-strike-negotiations-progress-gm-stellantis-ford-4dc51e9f463022bc3794e9615d8a705b">its strikes</a>&nbsp;against Detroit's three automakers after General Motors made a breakthrough concession on unionizing electric vehicle battery plants.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">BREAKING: <a href="https://twitter.com/GM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GM</a> has agreed in writing to place their electric battery manufacturing under the UAW&#39;s National Master Agreement. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StandUpUAW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StandUpUAW</a> <a href="https://t.co/FZcR6TV0wp">pic.twitter.com/FZcR6TV0wp</a>&mdash; AFL-CIO ✊ (@AFLCIO) <a href="https://twitter.com/AFLCIO/status/1710359460521062858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Union President Shawn Fain told workers in a video appearance that additional plants could be added to the strikes later.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fuaw.union%2Fposts%2Fpfbid021vJoPoyF3x6ScSAQhxKLbscwJJP5cC1j6rCzLMrzm19WQ2maWyfoo24rEMsjqhb9l&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="298" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>The announcement of the pause in expanding the strikes came shortly after GM agreed to bring electric vehicle battery plants into the UAW's national contract, essentially assuring that they will be unionized.Fain said GM's move will change the future of the union and the auto industry.He said GM made the change after the union threatened to strike at a plant in Arlington, Texas, that makes highly profitable large SUVs.“Today, under the threat of a major financial hit, they leapfrogged the pack in terms of a just transition” from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-electric-cars-uaw-strike-d73f259bf5e9242340e912ad1e9b4aa9">combustion engines to electric vehicles</a>, he said. “Our strike is working, but we’re not there yet.”In addition to large general pay raises, cost of living pay, restoration of pensions for new hires and other items, the union wanted to represent 10 battery factories proposed by the companies.The companies have said the plants, mostly joint ventures with South Korean battery makers, had to be bargained separately.Friday's change means the the four U.S. GM battery plants would now be covered under the union's master agreement and GM would bargain with the union' “which I think is a monumental development,” said Marick Masters, a business professor at Wayne State University in Detroit.He said the details of GM's offer, made in writing, will have to be scrutinized.

🎥 Auto workers stop expanding strikes; GM makes battery plant concession

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal crash involving a bicyclist and a sport utility vehicle in Johnson County have identified the man who died as 28-year-old Eduardo Loredo-Martinez of Olathe, Kansas, according to Police Sergeant John Moncayo.

Just after 6a.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to the crash scene in the area of South Lone Elm Road and West 159th Street, according to Olathe Police. 

First responders found the bicyclist&nbsp;Loredo-Martinez .He was pronounced deceased on scene. The driver of the SUV, a 64-year-old woman, remained on scene and is cooperating with the investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696515388372.png" alt="First responders on the scene of the fatal crash -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>First responders on the scene of the fatal crash -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal crash involving a bicyclist and a sport utility vehicle in Johnson County have identified the man who died as 28-year-old Eduardo Loredo-Martinez of Olathe, Kansas, according to Police Sergeant John Moncayo.Just after 6a.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to the crash scene in the area of South Lone Elm Road and West 159th Street, according to Olathe Police. First responders found the bicyclist&nbsp;Loredo-Martinez .He was pronounced deceased on scene. The driver of the SUV, a 64-year-old woman, remained on scene and is cooperating with the investigation.

Police ID Kansas bicyclist killed after struck by SUV

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas State Fair General Manager Bryan Schulz is willing to listen to race promotion proposals from outside entities, but he made one thing clear, those folks will have to take on the burden.

"To become a race promoter, that's not something that we are interested in doing," Schulz said Friday. "From a staffing point, we just don't have enough staff. We are mandated by the Kansas Legislature how many people we can have. When you start looking at running these major events, you're going to have to have quite a few more people on staff and we just don't have those allocations."

There are no written proposals thus far, with a deadline for those by the end of the month.

"We've had one person that has shown some interest, but we haven't seen anything in writing," Schulz said. "That's what we need is we need a full on proposal from whoever is interested in doing it, before the end of this month, postmarked or delivered by the 31st. That will give our board at least two weeks to be looking it over. Then, on the 14th of November, the board will get together, they will review the proposals and then there will be a small public input session. Location and time are all still pending, we'll be meeting this Tuesday coming up, to make all those decisions."

When Schulz was in North Dakota at the Red River Valley Fair, the track up there was nearly closed.

"We had the fastest half mile track in the Upper Midwest," Schulz said. "That was from the World of Outlaws. That, too, was an area where, we were a non-profit. It ran most Fridays, but we were running it as our staff. People weren't attending. Our car counts were down. After my first year there, the board said to do an analysis of it. We did. We were still losing a lot of money. We decided to close it down or try finding a promoter. The Schatz family, if you follow World of Outlaws, the Schatz family is very big. They took it over, ran it for three years. They said, there's no money to be made here. They backed out. They invested over $1.5 million into it. They backed out. We put it back out for people to run it, promote it. It sat empty for two years. We had a promoter that came in and started running it. I think they are still there today, but the numbers are still touch and go."

According to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fargomoorhead.org/what-to-do/red-river-valley-speedway/">fargomoorhead.org</a>, even when the Schatz family put the money in, the track was reconfigured. "RRVS was reconfigured from the original 1/2 mile to a smaller 3/8 of a mile track in the spring of 2010," according to the site. "Also during that time the track switched from Friday nights to Wednesday nights. In 2012, RRVS ran it's final race on August 25th until it was re-opened again in 2016. Racing once again returned to Friday nights."

It remains to be seen what proposals from the potential promoters look like and how much money they would be willing to contribute to save the track.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632137556905.jpeg" alt="KSF Grandstand Racetrack-Photo by Nick Gosnell" />
 <figcaption>KSF Grandstand Racetrack-Photo by Nick Gosnell</figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL&nbsp;Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas State Fair General Manager Bryan Schulz is willing to listen to race promotion proposals from outside entities, but he made one thing clear, those folks will have to take on the burden."To become a race promoter, that's not something that we are interested in doing," Schulz said Friday. "From a staffing point, we just don't have enough staff. We are mandated by the Kansas Legislature how many people we can have. When you start looking at running these major events, you're going to have to have quite a few more people on staff and we just don't have those allocations."There are no written proposals thus far, with a deadline for those by the end of the month."We've had one person that has shown some interest, but we haven't seen anything in writing," Schulz said. "That's what we need is we need a full on proposal from whoever is interested in doing it, before the end of this month, postmarked or delivered by the 31st. That will give our board at least two weeks to be looking it over. Then, on the 14th of November, the board will get together, they will review the proposals and then there will be a small public input session. Location and time are all still pending, we'll be meeting this Tuesday coming up, to make all those decisions."When Schulz was in North Dakota at the Red River Valley Fair, the track up there was nearly closed."We had the fastest half mile track in the Upper Midwest," Schulz said. "That was from the World of Outlaws. That, too, was an area where, we were a non-profit. It ran most Fridays, but we were running it as our staff. People weren't attending. Our car counts were down. After my first year there, the board said to do an analysis of it. We did. We were still losing a lot of money. We decided to close it down or try finding a promoter. The Schatz family, if you follow World of Outlaws, the Schatz family is very big. They took it over, ran it for three years. They said, there's no money to be made here. They backed out. They invested over $1.5 million into it. They backed out. We put it back out for people to run it, promote it. It sat empty for two years. We had a promoter that came in and started running it. I think they are still there today, but the numbers are still touch and go."According to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fargomoorhead.org/what-to-do/red-river-valley-speedway/">fargomoorhead.org</a>, even when the Schatz family put the money in, the track was reconfigured. "RRVS was reconfigured from the original 1/2 mile to a smaller 3/8 of a mile track in the spring of 2010," according to the site. "Also during that time the track switched from Friday nights to Wednesday nights. In 2012, RRVS ran it's final race on August 25th until it was re-opened again in 2016. Racing once again returned to Friday nights."It remains to be seen what proposals from the potential promoters look like and how much money they would be willing to contribute to save the track.

Will anyone save the dirt track at Kansas State Fairgrounds?

BOURBON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident involving a school bus taking students home from an after school program just before 5:30p.m. Thursday in Bourbon County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Chevy Monte Carlo driven by Andrew S. Callahan, 23, Fort Scott, was westbound on Maple Road at 145th Street one mile south of U.S. 54.

The car struck the side of a southbound USD 235 Uniontown school bus driven by 77-year-old Johnny K. Speer of Redfield as the bus entered the intersection.&nbsp;&nbsp;

EMS treated Callahan at the scene for minor injuries.&nbsp; Speer and multiple students who participate in the school district's after school program were on their way home, according to the district office. They were not injured.

BOURBON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident involving a school bus taking students home from an after school program just before 5:30p.m. Thursday in Bourbon County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Chevy Monte Carlo driven by Andrew S. Callahan, 23, Fort Scott, was westbound on Maple Road at 145th Street one mile south of U.S. 54.The car struck the side of a southbound USD 235 Uniontown school bus driven by 77-year-old Johnny K. Speer of Redfield as the bus entered the intersection.&nbsp;&nbsp;EMS treated Callahan at the scene for minor injuries.&nbsp; Speer and multiple students who participate in the school district's after school program were on their way home, according to the district office. They were not injured.

Students in after school program involved in Kan. bus crash

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A 25-year-old homeless man was charged Thursday in the rape and killing of a 5-year-old Kansas girl who died despite firefighters' efforts to save her life in a gas station parking lot.

Mickel Cherry faces one count of capital murder — which would allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty — and one count each of first-degree murder and rape in the death of Zoey Felix on Monday. He was jailed in Topeka on a $2 million bond, and his next court appearance has not yet been determined.

Shawnee County District Attorney Michael Kagay told reporters that a decision about seeking a death sentence won't be made until after a preliminary hearing to determine whether Cherry stands trial. That is standard in capital cases.

Mark Manna, of the Kansas Death Penalty Defense Unit, said his office would represent Cherry, but that he had no further comment. Cherry’s family didn’t respond to messages.

Authorities have released no details about the cause of Zoey’s death, but former neighbors of the girl and her family believe she, her father and Cherry had lived the past few weeks in a grove of trees on a wooded lot near the gas station, just blocks from the home where her mother lived. They believed she was carried from the wooded lot to the gas station, but police have not confirmed any of those details.

Kagay said in a news release that Topeka police rushed to a gas station where fire crews were attempting to save Zoey’s life. She was later pronounced dead. A medical examination at the hospital revealed injuries consistent with sexual assault.

“I think the investigation into the murder and rape of this 5-year-old girl is fairly complete,” Kagay told reporters during a brief news conference.

Asked about potentially charging other people, Kagay said, “I’m willing to consider any actionable investigations brought to me,” but when he was asked whether he is aware of any other investigations, he said, “I’m not.”

Timothy Phelps, deputy director of the Shawnee County Department of Corrections, confirmed that Cherry used to live at the same address as Zoey, but at the time of his arrest, Cherry was homeless.

Cherry has no criminal record in Kansas, but he does have a misdemeanor criminal trespass conviction in Amarillo, Texas.

Neighbors said they had raised concerns that Zoey's family home had no electricity and that they called the police and child welfare.

“She just had a good spirit to her. Honestly, very outgoing, smart. She was curious about everything. She’d ask you a 1,001 questions, and she demanded answers for those too,” said Shaniqua Bradley, a neighbor.

Topeka police confirmed Thursday that they made three visits to the home in September: one on Sept. 5 for a welfare check following a report that the home had no electricity; and two domestic disturbance calls in the afternoon and evening of Sept. 19, a little more than an hour apart. Police did not provide details about those two calls.

City spokeswoman Gretchen Spiker said in an email that during the first call officers confirmed there was no electricity and that they were told the child wasn't staying there. Police met with the child, saw she was in “good spirits” but still made a report to child welfare and property officials, Spiker said.

The city moved to condemn the house but backed off when the utilities were turned back on. Neighbors said that everyone but the mother had moved out by then.

One tent and a tarp were set up in the woods a few blocks away from the home, in an area about a football field away from the pumps at a Dillons grocery store where fire crews tried to resuscitate Zoey.

Her dad worked at the gas station; a coworker said Wednesday that he was taking time off and the company hasn't responded to an email from The Associated Press.

A makeshift memorial of flowers, balloons and toys sat nearby.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696600819324.png" alt="Zoey Felix <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/zoey-felix-funeral-expenses">photo GoFundMe</a>" />
 <figcaption>Zoey Felix <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/zoey-felix-funeral-expenses">photo GoFundMe</a></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A 25-year-old homeless man was charged Thursday in the rape and killing of a 5-year-old Kansas girl who died despite firefighters' efforts to save her life in a gas station parking lot.Mickel Cherry faces one count of capital murder — which would allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty — and one count each of first-degree murder and rape in the death of Zoey Felix on Monday. He was jailed in Topeka on a $2 million bond, and his next court appearance has not yet been determined.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696342029742.png" alt="Cherryp-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Cherryp-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Shawnee County District Attorney Michael Kagay told reporters that a decision about seeking a death sentence won't be made until after a preliminary hearing to determine whether Cherry stands trial. That is standard in capital cases.Mark Manna, of the Kansas Death Penalty Defense Unit, said his office would represent Cherry, but that he had no further comment. Cherry’s family didn’t respond to messages.Authorities have released no details about the cause of Zoey’s death, but former neighbors of the girl and her family believe she, her father and Cherry had lived the past few weeks in a grove of trees on a wooded lot near the gas station, just blocks from the home where her mother lived. They believed she was carried from the wooded lot to the gas station, but police have not confirmed any of those details.Kagay said in a news release that Topeka police rushed to a gas station where fire crews were attempting to save Zoey’s life. She was later pronounced dead. A medical examination at the hospital revealed injuries consistent with sexual assault.“I think the investigation into the murder and rape of this 5-year-old girl is fairly complete,” Kagay told reporters during a brief news conference.Asked about potentially charging other people, Kagay said, “I’m willing to consider any actionable investigations brought to me,” but when he was asked whether he is aware of any other investigations, he said, “I’m not.”Timothy Phelps, deputy director of the Shawnee County Department of Corrections, confirmed that Cherry used to live at the same address as Zoey, but at the time of his arrest, Cherry was homeless.Cherry has no criminal record in Kansas, but he does have a misdemeanor criminal trespass conviction in Amarillo, Texas.Neighbors said they had raised concerns that Zoey's family home had no electricity and that they called the police and child welfare.“She just had a good spirit to her. Honestly, very outgoing, smart. She was curious about everything. She’d ask you a 1,001 questions, and she demanded answers for those too,” said Shaniqua Bradley, a neighbor.Topeka police confirmed Thursday that they made three visits to the home in September: one on Sept. 5 for a welfare check following a report that the home had no electricity; and two domestic disturbance calls in the afternoon and evening of Sept. 19, a little more than an hour apart. Police did not provide details about those two calls.City spokeswoman Gretchen Spiker said in an email that during the first call officers confirmed there was no electricity and that they were told the child wasn't staying there. Police met with the child, saw she was in “good spirits” but still made a report to child welfare and property officials, Spiker said.The city moved to condemn the house but backed off when the utilities were turned back on. Neighbors said that everyone but the mother had moved out by then.One tent and a tarp were set up in the woods a few blocks away from the home, in an area about a football field away from the pumps at a Dillons grocery store where fire crews tried to resuscitate Zoey.Her dad worked at the gas station; a coworker said Wednesday that he was taking time off and the company hasn't responded to an email from The Associated Press.A makeshift memorial of flowers, balloons and toys sat nearby.

Man could face death penalty for murder of 5-year-old Kan. girl

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Biden administration will resume deporting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-tps-border-asylum-venezuela-temporary-status-2fa052ceacb020b861bb82332912bc92">Venezuelan migrants</a>, the largest single group encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border last month, back to their economically troubled country as their arrivals continue to grow.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, speaking in Mexico City Thursday, cited the new measure as one of the “strict consequences” the Biden administration is pairing with the expansion of legal pathways for asylum seekers.

“Our two countries are being challenged by an unprecedented level of migration throughout our hemisphere,” Mayorkas said, referring to Mexico.

The repatriation flights are expected to begin shortly, said two U.S. officials, though they did not provide specific details on when the flights would begin taking off. The officials were not authorized to disclose details of the government’s plan and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-immigration-border-migrant-venezuela-b914be14aaeef14eb01bd10ee23067f4">The resumption of deportation flights comes not long after the administration increased protected status</a>&nbsp;for thousands of Venezuelans who had previously arrived to the U.S., they must have entered the country before July 31 of this year to be eligible for temporary protected status.

In making the recent expansion of protections official, President Joe Biden's administration said just this week that it had determined that “extraordinary and temporary conditions continue to prevent Venezuelan nationals from returning in safety.”

Mayorkas on Thursday addressed the contrast with the announcement just days later of more deportations, saying “we have made a determination it is safe to return Venezuelan nationals who arrived in the United States subsequent to July 31 and do not have a legal basis to remain here.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who led a U.S. delegation to Mexico, added that “we have an ironclad commitment to provide protection for those who qualify. That remains paramount in everything we’re doing.”

The Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service criticized the move to resume deportations noting the apparent contradiction with the expansion of temporary protected status.

“Returning thousands of Venezuelans to the same unimaginably dangerous conditions they just fled is a profoundly problematic policy for the world’s humanitarian leader to adopt,” the organization’s CEO Krish O’Mara Vignarajah said in a statement.

Administration officials would not discuss details about how frequently deportation flights would be going to Venezuela or describe how Venezuela agreed to accept back their citizens except to say that, like other countries around the world, the U.S. has long encouraged Venezuela to accept back its nationals. Cuba, another U.S. adversary, announced earlier this year that it would begin accepting Cuban deportees but there has only been one flight a month.

The U.S. had been returning some Venezuelans via commercial flights, but in relatively small numbers and through third countries.

In Venezuela, the government said it had reached an agreement with U.S. officials for a safe and orderly repatriation.

“Venezuelan migration in recent years is a direct result of the application of unilateral coercive measures and a blockade of our economy,” Venezuela's foreign ministry said via X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. It said the government would support repatriated Venezuelans.

The U.S. move is the latest effort to deal with swelling numbers of migrants as the administration comes under increasing pressure from Republicans and mayors from the president’s own party to do more to slow arrivals.

The announcement came as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/antony-blinken">Blinken</a>&nbsp;and other top Biden administration officials met with their counterparts in Mexico City on security issues.

Blinken discussed migration flows with Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Alicia Bárcena, as well as foreign ministers from Panama and Colombia, Wednesday. Talks continued Thursday, including meetings by Blinken and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland with López Obrador.

Bárcena said Thursday that some 10,000 migrant encounters were registered at the U.S.-Mexico border on Wednesday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632317742720.png" alt="The U.S. move is the latest effort to deal with swelling numbers of migrants as the administration comes under increasing pressure from Republicans and mayors from the president’s own party to do more to slow arrivals.- Photo Rep. Tony Gonzales" />
 <figcaption>The U.S. move is the latest effort to deal with swelling numbers of migrants as the administration comes under increasing pressure from Republicans and mayors from the president’s own party to do more to slow arrivals.- Photo Rep. Tony Gonzales</figcaption>
 </figure>MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Biden administration will resume deporting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-tps-border-asylum-venezuela-temporary-status-2fa052ceacb020b861bb82332912bc92">Venezuelan migrants</a>, the largest single group encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border last month, back to their economically troubled country as their arrivals continue to grow.U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, speaking in Mexico City Thursday, cited the new measure as one of the “strict consequences” the Biden administration is pairing with the expansion of legal pathways for asylum seekers.“Our two countries are being challenged by an unprecedented level of migration throughout our hemisphere,” Mayorkas said, referring to Mexico.The repatriation flights are expected to begin shortly, said two U.S. officials, though they did not provide specific details on when the flights would begin taking off. The officials were not authorized to disclose details of the government’s plan and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-immigration-border-migrant-venezuela-b914be14aaeef14eb01bd10ee23067f4">The resumption of deportation flights comes not long after the administration increased protected status</a>&nbsp;for thousands of Venezuelans who had previously arrived to the U.S., they must have entered the country before July 31 of this year to be eligible for temporary protected status.In making the recent expansion of protections official, President Joe Biden's administration said just this week that it had determined that “extraordinary and temporary conditions continue to prevent Venezuelan nationals from returning in safety.”Mayorkas on Thursday addressed the contrast with the announcement just days later of more deportations, saying “we have made a determination it is safe to return Venezuelan nationals who arrived in the United States subsequent to July 31 and do not have a legal basis to remain here.”U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who led a U.S. delegation to Mexico, added that “we have an ironclad commitment to provide protection for those who qualify. That remains paramount in everything we’re doing.”The Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service criticized the move to resume deportations noting the apparent contradiction with the expansion of temporary protected status.“Returning thousands of Venezuelans to the same unimaginably dangerous conditions they just fled is a profoundly problematic policy for the world’s humanitarian leader to adopt,” the organization’s CEO Krish O’Mara Vignarajah said in a statement.Administration officials would not discuss details about how frequently deportation flights would be going to Venezuela or describe how Venezuela agreed to accept back their citizens except to say that, like other countries around the world, the U.S. has long encouraged Venezuela to accept back its nationals. Cuba, another U.S. adversary, announced earlier this year that it would begin accepting Cuban deportees but there has only been one flight a month.The U.S. had been returning some Venezuelans via commercial flights, but in relatively small numbers and through third countries.In Venezuela, the government said it had reached an agreement with U.S. officials for a safe and orderly repatriation.“Venezuelan migration in recent years is a direct result of the application of unilateral coercive measures and a blockade of our economy,” Venezuela's foreign ministry said via X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. It said the government would support repatriated Venezuelans.The U.S. move is the latest effort to deal with swelling numbers of migrants as the administration comes under increasing pressure from Republicans and mayors from the president’s own party to do more to slow arrivals.The announcement came as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/antony-blinken">Blinken</a>&nbsp;and other top Biden administration officials met with their counterparts in Mexico City on security issues.Blinken discussed migration flows with Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Alicia Bárcena, as well as foreign ministers from Panama and Colombia, Wednesday. Talks continued Thursday, including meetings by Blinken and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland with López Obrador.Bárcena said Thursday that some 10,000 migrant encounters were registered at the U.S.-Mexico border on Wednesday.“We are going to continue taking forceful actions, including continuing some efforts we already have in relation to assisted returns, coordinating the dismantling of trafficking networks and human trafficking,” Bárcena said.Blinken said the U.S. government is working to support those efforts.“We're taking steps to aid the most vulnerable, those most vulnerable to organized crime, training nearly 200 Mexican immigration officials to better screen, identify and assist potential human trafficking victims,” Blinken said.“The scale of this challenge demands that we redouble our efforts, that we do more to increase legal migration ... more to address root causes and more to deter irregular migration humanely,” Blinken said.López Obrador said Thursday during his daily news briefing that Mexico has reiterated in talks its position that there should be investment to spur development in the countries that migrants leave.“The people don't abandon their towns because they want to, but rather out of necessity,” the president said. He also criticized the Biden administration's announcement Wednesday that it waived 26 federal laws in South Texas to allow border wall construction. López Obrador had previously praised Biden for not building more&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-us-mexico-border-wall-immigration-texas-f99fd10257292a898618236df3613979">border wall</a>&nbsp;during his presidency.In August, the U.S. Border Patrol made 181,509 arrests at the Mexican border, up 37% from July but little changed from August 2022 and well below the more than 220,000 in December, according to figures released in September.The U.S. has tried to get Mexico and countries farther south to do more. In April, the U.S., Panama and Colombia announced a campaign to slow migration through the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/darien-gap-panama-colombia-us-migrants-cf0cd1e9de2119208c9af186e53e09b7">treacherous Darien Gap dividing Colombia and Panama</a>. But migration through the jungle has only accelerated and is expected to approach some 500,000 people this year - the vast majority from Venezuela.Venezuelans were stopped 25,777 times the first 17 days of September, up 63% from the same period a month earlier, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection figures released by López Obrador. Those included some people admitted for scheduled asylum appointments, but the vast majority were illegal entries.Venezuela plunged into a political, economic and humanitarian crisis over the last decade, pushing at least 7.3 million people to migrate and making food and other necessities unaffordable for those who remain.The vast majority who fled settled in neighboring countries in Latin America, but many began coming to the United States in the last three years.Deportation flights had been paused in part because the U.S. has few diplomatic relations with the nation.U.S. and Mexican officials also discussed efforts aimed at combating the trafficking of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl.Mexican officials continued to explain with some difficulty López Obrador’s blanket assertion — false according to available evidence and the U.S. government — that Mexico does not produce fentanyl.Bárcena, the foreign relations secretary, said “there is no contradiction, chemical precursors are not produced in Mexico.” It was tacit admission that Mexican cartels import precursors, mainly from China, and process them chemically into fentanyl. But since the entire chemical process is not carried out in Mexico the government maintains that fentanyl is not produced here.U.S. officials highlighted the recent extradition of Ovidio Guzmán López, a son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, to the U.S. on drug trafficking charges as a sign of cooperation between the two governments.__