Intrigue centers on 2nd District: GOP’s Schmidt wins, Democrat race not settled

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Three incumbents representing Kansas in the U.S. House didn’t sweat outcome of the primary election Tuesday — two didn’t even have an opponent.

It was the 2nd congressional district that generated the most interest because U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner, a Topeka Republican, decided not to seek reelection. The opening attracted a field of five Republican candidates. It was a race highlighted by former Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who earned former President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Schmidt is seeking to rebound after losing the 2022 race for governor.

With more than 700 of 1,000 precincts reporting, the Associated Press and the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee declared Schmidt the primary winner. He built a comfortable lead with 50% of the vote and never relinquished it. Topekan Jeff Kahrs, endorsed by former Gov. Sam Brownback, and Council Grove feedlot owner Shawn Tiffany were far back at 20% each. The other candidates both had 5%.

“Derek’s time as a state senator and Kansas attorney general has prepared him well to fight for a secure border and to lower inflation,” said NRCC spokeswoman Delanie Bomar.

The Democratic Party’s primary in the 2nd District featured goat farmer and former U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda of rural Baldwin City and political newcomer and Kansas City community health advocate Matt Kleinmann, who played on the University of Kansas men’s basketball team.

Boyda had the congressional seat for one term from 2007-2008, which coincided with Kleinmann’s stint on KU’s national championship team. With 700 of 1,000 precincts reporting in the 2nd District, Kleinmann and Boyda both had 50% of the counted votes.

U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, a Republican in the 4th District drawn around Wichita, had no opponent. In November, he must go up against Sedgwick Democrat Esau Freeman.

Three-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, of the Kansas City area’s 3rd District, likewise had no primary challenger.

“I’m deeply grateful for the continued trust of the people of Kansas’ Third District,” Davids said. “As we move forward, my focus remains on addressing the real issues that matter to hardworking folks — lowering costs, improving access to affordable health care, combating extremism and protecting individual freedoms and reproductive rights.”

Davids, who is completing her third term in Congress, would face winner of the Republican primary between Prasanth Reddy and Karen Crnkovich. Based on preliminary returns from 600 of the 700 precincts, Reddy led Crnkovich 53% to 47%.

In the 1st District, which was transformed through redistricting into a bizarre mix of the Democratic enclave of Lawrence and the conservative Republican western portion of the state, U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann easily defeat GOP opponent Eric Bloom of Lawrence. Mann received about 85% of the vote.

The Democratic Party’s nominee in that congressional race is Paul Buskirk, a Lawrence educator, who had no competition in the primary.

“As I have been traveling across the 60 counties in the Kansas 1st District since February, I have met extraordinary Kansans from all walks of life and from all backgrounds,” Buskirk said. “The one absolute common frustration — from Republicans, Democrats and independents alike — Washington spends all of its time fussing and bickering about ideology and party affiliations. Our representatives — elected and appointed — have lost sight of what serving the needs of their constituents truly means.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722997543598.png" alt="First District Rep. Tracey Mann from his Facebook page on election day" />
 <figcaption>First District Rep. Tracey Mann from his Facebook page on election day</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Intrigue centers on 2nd District: GOP’s Schmidt wins, Democrat race not settled</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Three incumbents representing Kansas in the U.S. House didn’t sweat outcome of the primary election Tuesday — two didn’t even have an opponent.It was the 2nd congressional district that generated the most interest because U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner, a Topeka Republican, decided not to seek reelection. The opening attracted a field of five Republican candidates. It was a race highlighted by former Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who earned former President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Schmidt is seeking to rebound after losing the 2022 race for governor.With more than 700 of 1,000 precincts reporting, the Associated Press and the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee declared Schmidt the primary winner. He built a comfortable lead with 50% of the vote and never relinquished it. Topekan Jeff Kahrs, endorsed by former Gov. Sam Brownback, and Council Grove feedlot owner Shawn Tiffany were far back at 20% each. The other candidates both had 5%.“Derek’s time as a state senator and Kansas attorney general has prepared him well to fight for a secure border and to lower inflation,” said NRCC spokeswoman Delanie Bomar.The Democratic Party’s primary in the 2nd District featured goat farmer and former U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda of rural Baldwin City and political newcomer and Kansas City community health advocate Matt Kleinmann, who played on the University of Kansas men’s basketball team.Boyda had the congressional seat for one term from 2007-2008, which coincided with Kleinmann’s stint on KU’s national championship team. With 700 of 1,000 precincts reporting in the 2nd District, Kleinmann and Boyda both had 50% of the counted votes.U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, a Republican in the 4th District drawn around Wichita, had no opponent. In November, he must go up against Sedgwick Democrat Esau Freeman.Three-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, of the Kansas City area’s 3rd District, likewise had no primary challenger.“I’m deeply grateful for the continued trust of the people of Kansas’ Third District,” Davids said. “As we move forward, my focus remains on addressing the real issues that matter to hardworking folks — lowering costs, improving access to affordable health care, combating extremism and protecting individual freedoms and reproductive rights.”Davids, who is completing her third term in Congress, would face winner of the Republican primary between Prasanth Reddy and Karen Crnkovich. Based on preliminary returns from 600 of the 700 precincts, Reddy led Crnkovich 53% to 47%.In the 1st District, which was transformed through redistricting into a bizarre mix of the Democratic enclave of Lawrence and the conservative Republican western portion of the state, U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann easily defeat GOP opponent Eric Bloom of Lawrence. Mann received about 85% of the vote.The Democratic Party’s nominee in that congressional race is Paul Buskirk, a Lawrence educator, who had no competition in the primary.“As I have been traveling across the 60 counties in the Kansas 1st District since February, I have met extraordinary Kansans from all walks of life and from all backgrounds,” Buskirk said. “The one absolute common frustration — from Republicans, Democrats and independents alike — Washington spends all of its time fussing and bickering about ideology and party affiliations. Our representatives — elected and appointed — have lost sight of what serving the needs of their constituents truly means.”

Kan. congressional incumbents Davids, Mann and Estes coast to primary election victory

SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a Wichita Police Department officer involved shooting&nbsp;

Just before 11:30 p.m. on July 31, Wichita Police Department Officers, riding as a two-officer vehicle, observed a black Chevy Impala leaving the area of a drug trafficking complaint, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter.

The officers observed the Impala had an altered and expired registration tag. A traffic stop was conducted, and the vehicle pulled into the McDonalds parking lot located at 545 North Hillside.

The Officers approached the vehicle and observed three occupants. The occupant located in the back seat later identified as 29-year-old Brennan Russell was making furtive movements and was observed stuffing an object under the seat.

The officer&nbsp; ordered Russell out of the vehicle advising him he was under arrest. Russell refused to comply and resisted arrest. Officers requested backup and were placed out in trouble. 

The officer who ordered Russel out of the vehicle deployed his Taser through the open passenger side rear door, the deployment did not result in Russel complying with commands.

&nbsp;Russell drew a firearm from his waistband and pointed it towards officer the officer. 

A second officer&nbsp; had moved to the rear of the vehicle and through the rear window observed&nbsp; Russell point a firearm at at the officer who had deployed the Taser.

This second officer then observed Russell point the firearm at his own head and fired. After the gun shot fired by Russell. The officer&nbsp; who had fired the Taser also discharged his firearm.

Additional officers arrived on the scene and performed CPR until EMS arrived and pronounced Russell deceased at the scene.

No officers were injured during this incident.

Once the investigation is complete, it will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney for review.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722962046081.png" alt="Police body camera image provided by the Sedgwick County Sheriff's office" />
 <figcaption>Police body camera image provided by the Sedgwick County Sheriff's office</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a Wichita Police Department officer involved shooting&nbsp;Just before 11:30 p.m. on July 31, Wichita Police Department Officers, riding as a two-officer vehicle, observed a black Chevy Impala leaving the area of a drug trafficking complaint, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter.The officers observed the Impala had an altered and expired registration tag. A traffic stop was conducted, and the vehicle pulled into the McDonalds parking lot located at 545 North Hillside.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722508150709.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The Officers approached the vehicle and observed three occupants. The occupant located in the back seat later identified as 29-year-old Brennan Russell was making furtive movements and was observed stuffing an object under the seat.The officer&nbsp; ordered Russell out of the vehicle advising him he was under arrest. Russell refused to comply and resisted arrest. Officers requested backup and were placed out in trouble. The officer who ordered Russel out of the vehicle deployed his Taser through the open passenger side rear door, the deployment did not result in Russel complying with commands.&nbsp;Russell drew a firearm from his waistband and pointed it towards officer the officer. A second officer&nbsp; had moved to the rear of the vehicle and through the rear window observed&nbsp; Russell point a firearm at at the officer who had deployed the Taser.This second officer then observed Russell point the firearm at his own head and fired. After the gun shot fired by Russell. The officer&nbsp; who had fired the Taser also discharged his firearm.Additional officers arrived on the scene and performed CPR until EMS arrived and pronounced Russell deceased at the scene.No officers were injured during this incident.Once the investigation is complete, it will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney for review.

Sheriff: Victim in reported Kan. officer shooting shot himself

CHARLOTTESVILLE&nbsp; – A Winchester, Virginia man, who made online threats against the Vice President and&nbsp;thousands of posts and replies in online forums targeting the President of the United States, FBI Director, and other public officials, was arrested on federal charges, according to the United State's Attorney

<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vawd.132230/gov.uscourts.vawd.132230.1.1.pdf">Click here to read </a>the criminal complaint

Frank Lucio Carillo, 66, made his initial court appearance this morning in U.S. District Court in Roanoke, Virginia after being arrested last week at his home in Winchester. Carillo is charged in a federal criminal complaint with one count of making threats against the Vice President of the United States.

“Open political discourse is a cornerstone of our American experience. We can disagree. We can argue and we can debate. However, when those disagreements cross the line to threats of violence, &nbsp;law enforcement must step in,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia said today.

“The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people. We take all threats of violence seriously, and we will investigate them to the fullest and hold those responsible accountable,” Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador of the FBI’s Richmond Division said today.

According to court documents, on July 27, 2024, the Maricopa County, Arizona, Recorder’s Office notified the FBI’s Phoenix Office of potential threats being made on the social media platform GETTR. The threats were being made by a user with the name “joemadarats1.”

FBI searched the “joemadarats1” user account and discovered approximately 4,359 posts and replies made by the user targeting various public officials including, but not limited to, President Joseph Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Vice President Harris was mentioned 19 times by “joemadarats1,” including numerous threats of violence.

In a February 2024 post, “joemadarats1” said he had his “AR-15 LOCKED AND LOADED.”

Authorities used GETTR subscriber information and other investigative methods to match the &nbsp;“joemadarats1” username with Carillo and to locate his physical location in Winchester, Virginia.

On August 2, 2024, authorities at the FBI Richmond executed a search warrant at Carillo’s home and seized a 9 mm pistol, an AR-15 rifle and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

The FBI in both Richmond, Virginia and Phoenix, Arizona, and the United States Secret Service are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Welsh is prosecuting the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722966189254.png" alt="Carillo-photo Roanoke City Jail" />
 <figcaption>Carillo-photo Roanoke City Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>CHARLOTTESVILLE&nbsp; – A Winchester, Virginia man, who made online threats against the Vice President and&nbsp;thousands of posts and replies in online forums targeting the President of the United States, FBI Director, and other public officials, was arrested on federal charges, according to the United State's Attorney<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vawd.132230/gov.uscourts.vawd.132230.1.1.pdf">Click here to read </a>the criminal complaintFrank Lucio Carillo, 66, made his initial court appearance this morning in U.S. District Court in Roanoke, Virginia after being arrested last week at his home in Winchester. Carillo is charged in a federal criminal complaint with one count of making threats against the Vice President of the United States.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722966333633.png" alt="A portion of the criminal complaint -Western District of Virginia&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>A portion of the criminal complaint -Western District of Virginia&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>“Open political discourse is a cornerstone of our American experience. We can disagree. We can argue and we can debate. However, when those disagreements cross the line to threats of violence, &nbsp;law enforcement must step in,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia said today.“The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people. We take all threats of violence seriously, and we will investigate them to the fullest and hold those responsible accountable,” Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador of the FBI’s Richmond Division said today.According to court documents, on July 27, 2024, the Maricopa County, Arizona, Recorder’s Office notified the FBI’s Phoenix Office of potential threats being made on the social media platform GETTR. The threats were being made by a user with the name “joemadarats1.”FBI searched the “joemadarats1” user account and discovered approximately 4,359 posts and replies made by the user targeting various public officials including, but not limited to, President Joseph Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and FBI Director Christopher Wray.Vice President Harris was mentioned 19 times by “joemadarats1,” including numerous threats of violence.In a February 2024 post, “joemadarats1” said he had his “AR-15 LOCKED AND LOADED.”Authorities used GETTR subscriber information and other investigative methods to match the &nbsp;“joemadarats1” username with Carillo and to locate his physical location in Winchester, Virginia.On August 2, 2024, authorities at the FBI Richmond executed a search warrant at Carillo’s home and seized a 9 mm pistol, an AR-15 rifle and thousands of rounds of ammunition.The FBI in both Richmond, Virginia and Phoenix, Arizona, and the United States Secret Service are investigating the case.Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Welsh is prosecuting the case.

Read charging docs: Man made online threat to kill Kamala Harris

ARNOLD, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri police dog died when the air conditioner failed in the patrol vehicle he had been left in, police said.

Vader, a 4-year-old K-9 for the Arnold Police Department in suburban St. Louis, died Wednesday. Temperatures this week have been in the 90s, with high humidity.

A Facebook posting from Arnold police said Vader's handler left the dog in the running, air-conditioned vehicle while the officer tended to other duties, a practice that police said “is necessary and common practice when the K-9 partner is not actively engaged in police work.”

But when the handler returned to the vehicle, it was discovered that the air conditioning system malfunctioned, police said. The dog was taken to a veterinarian clinic and initially showed signs of improvement but later died.

Police said the department's vehicles for use with police dogs include a system that notifies the handler by phone, activates a cooling fan, even rolls down the windows if the temperature reaches a certain level. “In this instance, the heat alarm system failed to activate,” police said.

It was the second hot-car death involving a Missouri police dog this year. In June, a dog named Horus died in a hot car in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-courts/police-dog-was-left-in-a-hot-vehicle-and-died-residents-of-missouri-town-are/article_feb6c482-3ad7-11ef-a110-ff95ff48fbd9.html">Savannah, Missouri</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722609528866.png" alt="Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>ARNOLD, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri police dog died when the air conditioner failed in the patrol vehicle he had been left in, police said.Vader, a 4-year-old K-9 for the Arnold Police Department in suburban St. Louis, died Wednesday. Temperatures this week have been in the 90s, with high humidity.A Facebook posting from Arnold police said Vader's handler left the dog in the running, air-conditioned vehicle while the officer tended to other duties, a practice that police said “is necessary and common practice when the K-9 partner is not actively engaged in police work.”But when the handler returned to the vehicle, it was discovered that the air conditioning system malfunctioned, police said. The dog was taken to a veterinarian clinic and initially showed signs of improvement but later died.Police said the department's vehicles for use with police dogs include a system that notifies the handler by phone, activates a cooling fan, even rolls down the windows if the temperature reaches a certain level. “In this instance, the heat alarm system failed to activate,” police said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720202220440.png" alt="K9 officer Horus&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>K9 officer Horus&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>It was the second hot-car death involving a Missouri police dog this year. In June, a dog named Horus died in a hot car in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-courts/police-dog-was-left-in-a-hot-vehicle-and-died-residents-of-missouri-town-are/article_feb6c482-3ad7-11ef-a110-ff95ff48fbd9.html">Savannah, Missouri</a>.

Second hot-car death involving a police K9 this summer

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a suspicious death have identified the victim as a 15-year-old boy from Topeka, according to&nbsp; Topeka P olice Captain Jerry Monasmith.

Just after 3p.m.&nbsp; Monday, police responded to a shooting in the 2400 Block of SE Bellview Avenue in Topeka. First responders&nbsp; found the boy suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Police released no additional details including the victim's name.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722975988864.png" alt="Neighborhood where the shooting occurred -image courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Neighborhood where the shooting occurred -image courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a suspicious death have identified the victim as a 15-year-old boy from Topeka, according to&nbsp; Topeka P olice Captain Jerry Monasmith.Just after 3p.m.&nbsp; Monday, police responded to a shooting in the 2400 Block of SE Bellview Avenue in Topeka. First responders&nbsp; found the boy suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.Police released no additional details including the victim's name.

Police: 15-year-old identified as Kansas shooting victim

NEW YORK (AP) — A rising tide swept stocks higher, and calm returned to Wall Street after Japan’s market soared earlier Tuesday to claw back much of the losses from its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-stocks-nikkei-markets-yen-9fc2c2d7b2f85be89e8dd2db4054b9c5">worst day since 1987</a>.

The S&amp;P 500 climbed 1% to break a brutal three-day&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-yen-inflation-20ce445cdd86be98fb3682a33e88442b">losing streak</a>. It had tumbled a bit more than 6% on a raft of concerns, including worries the Federal Reserve had pressed the brakes too hard for too long on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-recession-jobs-unemployment-c7f1985b1ab3a7b781920c2693cd0438">U.S. economy</a>&nbsp;through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-federal-reserve-interest-rates-04d2877f47f3913acc2f992d8ef1581b">high interest rates</a>&nbsp;in order to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-election-federal-reserve-rates-economy-d8d44ca753aace952831a8f0cb42b97c">beat inflation</a>.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 294 points, or 0.8%, while the Nasdaq composite gained 1%. Stocks of all kinds climbed in a mirror opposite of the day before, from smaller companies that need U.S. households to keep spending to huge multinationals more dependent on the global economy.

Stronger-than-expected profit reports from several big U.S. companies helped drive the market. Kenvue, the company behind Tylenol and Band-Aids, jumped 14.7% after reporting stronger profit than expected thanks in part to higher prices for its products. Uber rolled 10.9% higher after easily topping profit forecasts for the latest quarter.

Caterpillar climbed 3% after the maker of heavy machinery reported stronger earnings than expected.

The whiplash moves for financial markets globally have been the result of several technical factors, not just worries ignited by several&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-jobs-unemployment-federal-reserve-inflation-22095766804d9c1532b4fcc29565be49">weaker-than-expected</a>&nbsp;reports on the U.S. economy, in what strategists at Barclays called “a perfect storm” for causing extreme market moves. One is centered in Tokyo, where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-carry-japan-currency-9611229d14e547e11f7e0299f2a6d00a">a favorite trade for hedge funds</a>&nbsp;and other investors began unraveling last week after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-economy-rates-boj-yen-e00919b053412fabf7a800ed78a9ad7a">Bank of Japan</a>&nbsp;made borrowing more expensive by raising interest rates above virtually zero.

That scrambled trades where investors had borrowed Japanese yen at low cost and invested the cash elsewhere around the world. The resulting exits from those investments may have helped accelerate the declines for markets around the world.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 10.2% Tuesday to claw back much of its 12.4% sell-off the day before, which was its worst since the Black Monday crash of 1987. Stocks in Tokyo rebounded as the value of the Japanese yen stabilized against the U.S. dollar following several days of sharp gains.

“The speed, the magnitude and the shock factor clearly demonstrate” how much of the moves were driven by how traders were positioned, according to the strategists at Barclays led by Stefano Pascale and Anshul Gupta.

Still, some voices along Wall Street are continuing to urge caution.

Barry Bannister, chief equity strategist at Stifel, is warning more drops could be ahead because of a slowing U.S. economy and sticky inflation. He’s forecasting both will be worse in the second half of this year than what much of Wall Street expects, while saying a measure of how expensive the U.S. stock market is still looks “frothy” when compared with bond yields and other financial conditions.

The stock market’s “dip is not a blip,” he warned in a report, and called it “too soon to jump back in.”

He had been predicting a coming “correction” in U.S. stock prices for a while, including an acknowledgement in July that his initial call was early. That was a couple days before the S&amp;P 500 set its latest all-time high and then began sinking.

While fears are rising about a slowing U.S. economy, it is still growing, and many economists see a recession in the next year or so as unlikely. The U.S. stock market is also still up a healthy amount for the year so far, and the Federal Reserve says it has ample room to cut interest rates to help the economy if the job market weakens significantly.

The S&amp;P 500 has romped to dozens of all-time highs this year and is still up nearly 10% this year so far, in part due to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nvidia-chip-ai-apple-microsoft-51cc2b56e5871111907de6ad9cab59ae">frenzy around artificial-intelligence</a>&nbsp;technology. Critics have been saying that euphoria has sent stock prices too high in many cases.

They’ve pointed in particular to Nvidia, Apple and the other handful of Big Tech stocks in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wall-street-stocks-magnificent-seven-a6e1da1a8c85c0a56f9e9c85e001ebff">“Magnificent Seven”</a>&nbsp;that were the main reason the S&amp;P 500 set so may records this year. They helped overshadow weakness across other areas of the stock market, which were struggling under the weight of high interest rates.

A set of underwhelming profit reports recently, kicked off by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tesla-earnings-second-quarter-sales-decline-8bdd0d655cddde90f534b41fd87edc4a">Tesla</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-alphabet-second-quarter-earnings-artificial-intelligence-37db791b506a5223703e8fb7e8bebddf">Alphabet</a>, added to the pessimism and dragged Big Tech stocks lower.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nvidia-artificial-intelligence-ai-gaming-1acc94ebbe6a59f728742ca20b3532cf">Nvidia</a>&nbsp;dropped nearly 19% from the start of July through Monday on such concerns, but it rose 3.8% Tuesday and was one of the strongest forces pushing upward on the market.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/warren-buffett-berkshire-hathaway-profit-earnings-7af22b7ad654ba012d8e8803ed694aea">Apple</a>, though, slipped another 1% and was the heaviest weight on the market.

All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 53.70 points to 5,240.03. The Dow added 294.39 to 38,997.66, and the Nasdaq gained 166.77 to 16,366.85.

In the bond market, Treasury yields climbed to claw back some of their sharp drops since April, which were driven by rising expectations for coming cuts to interest rates by the Federal Reserve.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 3.88% from 3.78% late Monday. It had briefly dropped below 3.70% during Monday when fear in the market was spiking and investors were speculating the Federal Reserve could even have to call an emergency meeting to cut interest rates quickly.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are bouncing back, and calm is returning to Wall Street after Japan’s market soared earlier Tuesday to claw back much of the losses from its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-stocks-nikkei-markets-yen-9fc2c2d7b2f85be89e8dd2db4054b9c5">worst day since 1987</a>.

The S&amp;P 500 was rallying by 1.6% in midday trading and on track to break a brutal three-day&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-yen-inflation-20ce445cdd86be98fb3682a33e88442b">losing streak</a>. It had tumbled a bit more than 6% after several&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-jobs-unemployment-federal-reserve-inflation-22095766804d9c1532b4fcc29565be49">weaker-than-expected</a>&nbsp;reports raised worries the Federal Reserve had pressed the brakes too hard for too long on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-recession-jobs-unemployment-c7f1985b1ab3a7b781920c2693cd0438">U.S. economy</a>&nbsp;through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-federal-reserve-interest-rates-04d2877f47f3913acc2f992d8ef1581b">high interest rates</a>&nbsp;in order to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-election-federal-reserve-rates-economy-d8d44ca753aace952831a8f0cb42b97c">beat inflation</a>.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 480 points, or 1.2%, as of 11 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.7% higher. The vast majority of stocks were climbing in a mirror opposite of the day before, from smaller companies that need U.S. households to keep spending to huge multinationals more dependent on the global economy.

Stronger-than-expected profit reports from several big U.S. companies helped drive the market. Kenvue, the company behind Tylenol and Band-Aids, jumped 12.7% after reporting stronger profit than expected thanks in part to higher prices for its products. Uber rolled 7.9% higher after easily topping profit forecasts for the latest quarter.

Caterpillar veered from an early loss to a gain of 3.8% after reporting stronger earnings than expected but weaker revenue.

Several technical factors may have accelerated the recent swoon for markets, beyond weak U.S. hiring data and other dispiriting U.S. economic reports, in what strategists at Barclays called “a perfect storm” for causing extreme market moves. One is centered in Tokyo, where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-carry-japan-currency-9611229d14e547e11f7e0299f2a6d00a">a favorite trade for hedge funds</a>&nbsp;and other investors began unraveling last week after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-economy-rates-boj-yen-e00919b053412fabf7a800ed78a9ad7a">Bank of Japan</a>&nbsp;made borrowing more expensive by raising interest rates above virtually zero.

That scrambled trades where investors had borrowed Japanese yen at low cost and invested it elsewhere around the world. The resulting exits from those investments may have helped accelerate the declines for markets around the world.

“The speed, the magnitude and the shock factor clearly demonstrate” how much of the moves were driven by how traders were positioned, according to the strategists at Barclays led by Stefano Pascale and Anshul Gupta. That could indicate it wasn't just worries about the U.S. economy.

Barry Bannister, chief equity strategist at Stifel, is warning more drops could be ahead because of a slowing U.S. economy and sticky inflation. He's forecasting both will be worse in the second half of this year than what much of Wall Street expects, while saying a measure of how expensive the U.S. stock market is still looks “frothy” when compared with bond yields and other financial conditions.

The stock market's “dip is not a blip,” he warned in a report, and called it “too soon to jump back in.”

While fears are rising about a slowing U.S. economy, it is still growing, and a recession is far from a certainty. The U.S. stock market is also still up a healthy amount for the year so far, and the Federal Reserve says it has ample room to cut interest rates to help the economy if the job market weakens significantly.

The S&amp;P 500 has romped to dozens of all-time highs this year, in part due to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nvidia-chip-ai-apple-microsoft-51cc2b56e5871111907de6ad9cab59ae">frenzy around artificial-intelligence</a>&nbsp;technology, and critics have been saying that's sent stock prices too high in many cases.

They've pointed in particular to Nvidia, Apple and the other handful of Big Tech stocks in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wall-street-stocks-magnificent-seven-a6e1da1a8c85c0a56f9e9c85e001ebff">“Magnificent Seven”</a>&nbsp;that were the main reason the S&amp;P 500 set so may records this year. Propelled in part by the mania around AI, they helped overshadow weakness across other areas of the stock market, which were struggling under the weight of high interest rates.

A set of underwhelming profit reports recently, kicked off by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tesla-earnings-second-quarter-sales-decline-8bdd0d655cddde90f534b41fd87edc4a">Tesla</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-alphabet-second-quarter-earnings-artificial-intelligence-37db791b506a5223703e8fb7e8bebddf">Alphabet</a>, added to the pessimism and dragged Big Tech stocks lower.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nvidia-artificial-intelligence-ai-gaming-1acc94ebbe6a59f728742ca20b3532cf">Nvidia</a>&nbsp;dropped nearly 19% from the start of July through Monday on such concerns, but it rose 4.8% Tuesday and was one of the strongest forces pushing upward on the market.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/warren-buffett-berkshire-hathaway-profit-earnings-7af22b7ad654ba012d8e8803ed694aea">Apple</a>, though, fell another 0.8% and was the heaviest weight on the S&amp;P 500.

In the bond market, Treasury yields were ticking higher to claw back some of their sharp drops since April, driven by rising expectations for coming cuts to interest rates by the Federal Reserve.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 3.86% from 3.78% late Monday. It had briefly dropped below 3.70% during Monday when fear in the market was spiking and investors were speculating the Federal Reserve could even have to call an emergency meeting to cut interest rates quickly.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722962507580.png" alt="Specialist Patrick King, left, works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.(AP Photo/Richard Drew)" />
 <figcaption>Specialist Patrick King, left, works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.(AP Photo/Richard Drew)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — A rising tide swept stocks higher, and calm returned to Wall Street after Japan’s market soared earlier Tuesday to claw back much of the losses from its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-stocks-nikkei-markets-yen-9fc2c2d7b2f85be89e8dd2db4054b9c5">worst day since 1987</a>.The S&amp;P 500 climbed 1% to break a brutal three-day&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-yen-inflation-20ce445cdd86be98fb3682a33e88442b">losing streak</a>. It had tumbled a bit more than 6% on a raft of concerns, including worries the Federal Reserve had pressed the brakes too hard for too long on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-recession-jobs-unemployment-c7f1985b1ab3a7b781920c2693cd0438">U.S. economy</a>&nbsp;through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-federal-reserve-interest-rates-04d2877f47f3913acc2f992d8ef1581b">high interest rates</a>&nbsp;in order to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-election-federal-reserve-rates-economy-d8d44ca753aace952831a8f0cb42b97c">beat inflation</a>.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 294 points, or 0.8%, while the Nasdaq composite gained 1%. Stocks of all kinds climbed in a mirror opposite of the day before, from smaller companies that need U.S. households to keep spending to huge multinationals more dependent on the global economy.Stronger-than-expected profit reports from several big U.S. companies helped drive the market. Kenvue, the company behind Tylenol and Band-Aids, jumped 14.7% after reporting stronger profit than expected thanks in part to higher prices for its products. Uber rolled 10.9% higher after easily topping profit forecasts for the latest quarter.Caterpillar climbed 3% after the maker of heavy machinery reported stronger earnings than expected.The whiplash moves for financial markets globally have been the result of several technical factors, not just worries ignited by several&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-jobs-unemployment-federal-reserve-inflation-22095766804d9c1532b4fcc29565be49">weaker-than-expected</a>&nbsp;reports on the U.S. economy, in what strategists at Barclays called “a perfect storm” for causing extreme market moves. One is centered in Tokyo, where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-carry-japan-currency-9611229d14e547e11f7e0299f2a6d00a">a favorite trade for hedge funds</a>&nbsp;and other investors began unraveling last week after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-economy-rates-boj-yen-e00919b053412fabf7a800ed78a9ad7a">Bank of Japan</a>&nbsp;made borrowing more expensive by raising interest rates above virtually zero.That scrambled trades where investors had borrowed Japanese yen at low cost and invested the cash elsewhere around the world. The resulting exits from those investments may have helped accelerate the declines for markets around the world.Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 10.2% Tuesday to claw back much of its 12.4% sell-off the day before, which was its worst since the Black Monday crash of 1987. Stocks in Tokyo rebounded as the value of the Japanese yen stabilized against the U.S. dollar following several days of sharp gains.“The speed, the magnitude and the shock factor clearly demonstrate” how much of the moves were driven by how traders were positioned, according to the strategists at Barclays led by Stefano Pascale and Anshul Gupta.Still, some voices along Wall Street are continuing to urge caution.Barry Bannister, chief equity strategist at Stifel, is warning more drops could be ahead because of a slowing U.S. economy and sticky inflation. He’s forecasting both will be worse in the second half of this year than what much of Wall Street expects, while saying a measure of how expensive the U.S. stock market is still looks “frothy” when compared with bond yields and other financial conditions.The stock market’s “dip is not a blip,” he warned in a report, and called it “too soon to jump back in.”He had been predicting a coming “correction” in U.S. stock prices for a while, including an acknowledgement in July that his initial call was early. That was a couple days before the S&amp;P 500 set its latest all-time high and then began sinking.While fears are rising about a slowing U.S. economy, it is still growing, and many economists see a recession in the next year or so as unlikely. The U.S. stock market is also still up a healthy amount for the year so far, and the Federal Reserve says it has ample room to cut interest rates to help the economy if the job market weakens significantly.The S&amp;P 500 has romped to dozens of all-time highs this year and is still up nearly 10% this year so far, in part due to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nvidia-chip-ai-apple-microsoft-51cc2b56e5871111907de6ad9cab59ae">frenzy around artificial-intelligence</a>&nbsp;technology. Critics have been saying that euphoria has sent stock prices too high in many cases.They’ve pointed in particular to Nvidia, Apple and the other handful of Big Tech stocks in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wall-street-stocks-magnificent-seven-a6e1da1a8c85c0a56f9e9c85e001ebff">“Magnificent Seven”</a>&nbsp;that were the main reason the S&amp;P 500 set so may records this year. They helped overshadow weakness across other areas of the stock market, which were struggling under the weight of high interest rates.A set of underwhelming profit reports recently, kicked off by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tesla-earnings-second-quarter-sales-decline-8bdd0d655cddde90f534b41fd87edc4a">Tesla</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-alphabet-second-quarter-earnings-artificial-intelligence-37db791b506a5223703e8fb7e8bebddf">Alphabet</a>, added to the pessimism and dragged Big Tech stocks lower.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nvidia-artificial-intelligence-ai-gaming-1acc94ebbe6a59f728742ca20b3532cf">Nvidia</a>&nbsp;dropped nearly 19% from the start of July through Monday on such concerns, but it rose 3.8% Tuesday and was one of the strongest forces pushing upward on the market.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/warren-buffett-berkshire-hathaway-profit-earnings-7af22b7ad654ba012d8e8803ed694aea">Apple</a>, though, slipped another 1% and was the heaviest weight on the market.All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 53.70 points to 5,240.03. The Dow added 294.39 to 38,997.66, and the Nasdaq gained 166.77 to 16,366.85.In the bond market, Treasury yields climbed to claw back some of their sharp drops since April, which were driven by rising expectations for coming cuts to interest rates by the Federal Reserve.The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 3.88% from 3.78% late Monday. It had briefly dropped below 3.70% during Monday when fear in the market was spiking and investors were speculating the Federal Reserve could even have to call an emergency meeting to cut interest rates quickly.___NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are bouncing back, and calm is returning to Wall Street after Japan’s market soared earlier Tuesday to claw back much of the losses from its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-stocks-nikkei-markets-yen-9fc2c2d7b2f85be89e8dd2db4054b9c5">worst day since 1987</a>.The S&amp;P 500 was rallying by 1.6% in midday trading and on track to break a brutal three-day&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-yen-inflation-20ce445cdd86be98fb3682a33e88442b">losing streak</a>. It had tumbled a bit more than 6% after several&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-jobs-unemployment-federal-reserve-inflation-22095766804d9c1532b4fcc29565be49">weaker-than-expected</a>&nbsp;reports raised worries the Federal Reserve had pressed the brakes too hard for too long on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-recession-jobs-unemployment-c7f1985b1ab3a7b781920c2693cd0438">U.S. economy</a>&nbsp;through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-federal-reserve-interest-rates-04d2877f47f3913acc2f992d8ef1581b">high interest rates</a>&nbsp;in order to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-election-federal-reserve-rates-economy-d8d44ca753aace952831a8f0cb42b97c">beat inflation</a>.The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 480 points, or 1.2%, as of 11 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.7% higher. The vast majority of stocks were climbing in a mirror opposite of the day before, from smaller companies that need U.S. households to keep spending to huge multinationals more dependent on the global economy.Stronger-than-expected profit reports from several big U.S. companies helped drive the market. Kenvue, the company behind Tylenol and Band-Aids, jumped 12.7% after reporting stronger profit than expected thanks in part to higher prices for its products. Uber rolled 7.9% higher after easily topping profit forecasts for the latest quarter.Caterpillar veered from an early loss to a gain of 3.8% after reporting stronger earnings than expected but weaker revenue.Several technical factors may have accelerated the recent swoon for markets, beyond weak U.S. hiring data and other dispiriting U.S. economic reports, in what strategists at Barclays called “a perfect storm” for causing extreme market moves. One is centered in Tokyo, where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-carry-japan-currency-9611229d14e547e11f7e0299f2a6d00a">a favorite trade for hedge funds</a>&nbsp;and other investors began unraveling last week after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-economy-rates-boj-yen-e00919b053412fabf7a800ed78a9ad7a">Bank of Japan</a>&nbsp;made borrowing more expensive by raising interest rates above virtually zero.That scrambled trades where investors had borrowed Japanese yen at low cost and invested it elsewhere around the world. The resulting exits from those investments may have helped accelerate the declines for markets around the world.Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 10.2% Tuesday to claw back much of its 12.4% sell-off the day before, which was its worst since the Black Monday crash of 1987. Stocks in Tokyo rebounded as the value of the Japanese yen stabilized against the U.S. dollar following several days of sharp gains.“The speed, the magnitude and the shock factor clearly demonstrate” how much of the moves were driven by how traders were positioned, according to the strategists at Barclays led by Stefano Pascale and Anshul Gupta. That could indicate it wasn't just worries about the U.S. economy.Still, some voices along Wall Street are continuing to urge caution.Barry Bannister, chief equity strategist at Stifel, is warning more drops could be ahead because of a slowing U.S. economy and sticky inflation. He's forecasting both will be worse in the second half of this year than what much of Wall Street expects, while saying a measure of how expensive the U.S. stock market is still looks “frothy” when compared with bond yields and other financial conditions.The stock market's “dip is not a blip,” he warned in a report, and called it “too soon to jump back in.”He had been predicting a coming “correction” in U.S. stock prices for a while, including an acknowledgement in July that his initial call was early. That was a couple days before the S&amp;P 500 set its latest all-time high and then began sinking.While fears are rising about a slowing U.S. economy, it is still growing, and a recession is far from a certainty. The U.S. stock market is also still up a healthy amount for the year so far, and the Federal Reserve says it has ample room to cut interest rates to help the economy if the job market weakens significantly.The S&amp;P 500 has romped to dozens of all-time highs this year, in part due to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nvidia-chip-ai-apple-microsoft-51cc2b56e5871111907de6ad9cab59ae">frenzy around artificial-intelligence</a>&nbsp;technology, and critics have been saying that's sent stock prices too high in many cases.They've pointed in particular to Nvidia, Apple and the other handful of Big Tech stocks in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wall-street-stocks-magnificent-seven-a6e1da1a8c85c0a56f9e9c85e001ebff">“Magnificent Seven”</a>&nbsp;that were the main reason the S&amp;P 500 set so may records this year. Propelled in part by the mania around AI, they helped overshadow weakness across other areas of the stock market, which were struggling under the weight of high interest rates.A set of underwhelming profit reports recently, kicked off by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tesla-earnings-second-quarter-sales-decline-8bdd0d655cddde90f534b41fd87edc4a">Tesla</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-alphabet-second-quarter-earnings-artificial-intelligence-37db791b506a5223703e8fb7e8bebddf">Alphabet</a>, added to the pessimism and dragged Big Tech stocks lower.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nvidia-artificial-intelligence-ai-gaming-1acc94ebbe6a59f728742ca20b3532cf">Nvidia</a>&nbsp;dropped nearly 19% from the start of July through Monday on such concerns, but it rose 4.8% Tuesday and was one of the strongest forces pushing upward on the market.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/warren-buffett-berkshire-hathaway-profit-earnings-7af22b7ad654ba012d8e8803ed694aea">Apple</a>, though, fell another 0.8% and was the heaviest weight on the S&amp;P 500.In the bond market, Treasury yields were ticking higher to claw back some of their sharp drops since April, driven by rising expectations for coming cuts to interest rates by the Federal Reserve.The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 3.86% from 3.78% late Monday. It had briefly dropped below 3.70% during Monday when fear in the market was spiking and investors were speculating the Federal Reserve could even have to call an emergency meeting to cut interest rates quickly.___

Calm returns to Wall Street; stocks bounce back after worst drop in nearly 2 years

WASHINGTON —Vice President Kamala Harris&nbsp;has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, looking to strengthen the Democratic ticket in Midwestern states.

She will introduce Walz at a&nbsp;rally Tuesday evening in Philadelphia.

On her private social media account, Kansas governor Laura Kelly congratulated Walz.

"As a teacher, veteran, and leader, Gov. Tim Walz brings a dedication to public service and a record of winning tough races and improving lives that makes him exceptionally prepared to help Vice President Harris win and deliver for the American people." 

"Gov. Walz has fought to do right by our country by protecting reproductive freedom, expanding voting rights, ensuring universal free school meals, growing the economy for working families, and much more.

Congratulations"

Harris was the only candidate eligible to receive votes after&nbsp;no other candidate&nbsp;qualified by a deadline last week. She officially claimed the nomination&nbsp;Monday night&nbsp;when the DNC released final results.

WASHINGTON —Vice President Kamala Harris&nbsp;has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, looking to strengthen the Democratic ticket in Midwestern states.She will introduce Walz at a&nbsp;rally Tuesday evening in Philadelphia.On her private social media account, Kansas governor Laura Kelly congratulated Walz."As a teacher, veteran, and leader, Gov. Tim Walz brings a dedication to public service and a record of winning tough races and improving lives that makes him exceptionally prepared to help Vice President Harris win and deliver for the American people." "Gov. Walz has fought to do right by our country by protecting reproductive freedom, expanding voting rights, ensuring universal free school meals, growing the economy for working families, and much more.

Congratulations"<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">As a teacher, veteran, and leader, Gov. <a href="https://twitter.com/Tim_Walz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tim_Walz</a> brings a dedication to public service and a record of winning tough races and improving lives that makes him exceptionally prepared to help Vice President Harris win and deliver for the American people. Gov. Walz has fought to do… <a href="https://t.co/FplE3sV9bf">pic.twitter.com/FplE3sV9bf</a>&mdash; Laura Kelly (@LauraKellyKS) <a href="https://twitter.com/LauraKellyKS/status/1820860895087472857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Harris was the only candidate eligible to receive votes after&nbsp;no other candidate&nbsp;qualified by a deadline last week. She officially claimed the nomination&nbsp;Monday night&nbsp;when the DNC released final results.

Kansas governor praised Kamala Harris pick for running mate

NEW YORK (AP) — The judge in Donald Trump's hush money trial is pushing back a date for a key ruling on presidential immunity until two days before Trump's scheduled sentencing.

The immunity decision had been due Sept. 6, with the sentencing set for Sept. 18. But then Trump’s lawyers asked Judge Juan M. Merchan last week to rule first on their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-gag-order-hush-money-02ed921ed04264766b53e64308d38847">renewed bid to get the judge to step aside from the case</a>.

In a letter made public Tuesday, Judge Juan M. Merchan postponed the immunity ruling to Sept. 16 — if it's still needed after he decides next week whether to recuse himself.

Merchan said the Republican presidential nominee is still due in court Sept. 18 for “the imposition of sentence or other proceedings as appropriate.”

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche and the Manhattan district attorney's office, which is prosecuting the case, declined to comment.

A jury&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-deliberations-jury-testimony-verdict-85558c6d08efb434d05b694364470aa0">found Trump guilty</a>&nbsp;in May of falsifying business records to conceal a deal to pay off porn actor Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election. At the time, she was considering going public with a story of a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier.

Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels and was later reimbursed by Trump, whose company logged the repayment as legal expenses. Prosecutors said that was an effort to disguise the true nature of the transactions and the underlying hush money deal.

Trump denies Daniels' claim, maintains he did nothing wrong and says the case is politically motivated. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is a Democrat.

Trump's lawyers say the Supreme Court’s July&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-trump-capitol-riot-immunity-2dc0d1c2368d404adc0054151490f542">ruling on presidential immunity</a>&nbsp;warrants overturning the May guilty verdict and entirely dismissing the hush money case against Trump. The defense also c&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-immunity-hush-money-new-york-conviction-b67bafcb92b287933c6e6d54fc122117">ontends that the trial was “tainted”</a>&nbsp;by evidence that should not have been allowed under the high court’s ruling, such as testimony from some Trump White House staffers and tweets he sent while president in 2018.

The high court's ruling curbs prosecutions of ex-presidents for official acts and restricts prosecutors in pointing to official acts as evidence that a commander in chief’s unofficial actions were illegal.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25003003-20240724-people-redacted-peoples-mem-opp-defs-post-trial-motion-filed?responsive=1&amp;title=1">maintains that the high court’s opinion “has no bearing”</a>&nbsp;on the hush money case because it involves unofficial acts for which the former president is not immune.

Meanwhile, Trump’s lawyers asked Merchan last week, for a third time, to exit the case, saying his daughter’s work for Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign underscores questions about his ability to be impartial. Harris is now the Democratic nominee for president.

Merchan rejected two prior recusal requests last year, saying the defense’s concerns were “hypothetical” and based on “innuendos” and “unsupported speculation.”

But Trump lawyer Todd Blanche argued that Harris’ entry into the presidential race makes those issues “even more concrete” and said the judge hadn't addressed them in enough detail.

The hush money case is one of four criminal prosecutions brought against Trump last year.

One federal case, accusing Trump of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-smith-c66d5ffb7ba86c1b991f95e89bdeba0c">dismissed</a>&nbsp;last month. The Justice Department is appealing.

The others —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jack-smith-supreme-court-jan-6-47eebf01d4158ef808d850625df2c89e">federal</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-fani-willis-georgia-election-indictment-5696ed7e49aaa63ba6470bd8734398d4">Georgia state</a>&nbsp;cases concerning Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss — are not positioned to go to trial before the November election.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715113495617.png" alt="-Photo of Trump and Stormy Daniels entered into evidence released by the New York State Court System&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>-Photo of Trump and Stormy Daniels entered into evidence released by the New York State Court System&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — The judge in Donald Trump's hush money trial is pushing back a date for a key ruling on presidential immunity until two days before Trump's scheduled sentencing.The immunity decision had been due Sept. 6, with the sentencing set for Sept. 18. But then Trump’s lawyers asked Judge Juan M. Merchan last week to rule first on their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-gag-order-hush-money-02ed921ed04264766b53e64308d38847">renewed bid to get the judge to step aside from the case</a>.In a letter made public Tuesday, Judge Juan M. Merchan postponed the immunity ruling to Sept. 16 — if it's still needed after he decides next week whether to recuse himself.Merchan said the Republican presidential nominee is still due in court Sept. 18 for “the imposition of sentence or other proceedings as appropriate.”Trump lawyer Todd Blanche and the Manhattan district attorney's office, which is prosecuting the case, declined to comment.A jury&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-deliberations-jury-testimony-verdict-85558c6d08efb434d05b694364470aa0">found Trump guilty</a>&nbsp;in May of falsifying business records to conceal a deal to pay off porn actor Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election. At the time, she was considering going public with a story of a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier.Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels and was later reimbursed by Trump, whose company logged the repayment as legal expenses. Prosecutors said that was an effort to disguise the true nature of the transactions and the underlying hush money deal.Trump denies Daniels' claim, maintains he did nothing wrong and says the case is politically motivated. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is a Democrat.Trump's lawyers say the Supreme Court’s July&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-trump-capitol-riot-immunity-2dc0d1c2368d404adc0054151490f542">ruling on presidential immunity</a>&nbsp;warrants overturning the May guilty verdict and entirely dismissing the hush money case against Trump. The defense also c&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-immunity-hush-money-new-york-conviction-b67bafcb92b287933c6e6d54fc122117">ontends that the trial was “tainted”</a>&nbsp;by evidence that should not have been allowed under the high court’s ruling, such as testimony from some Trump White House staffers and tweets he sent while president in 2018.The high court's ruling curbs prosecutions of ex-presidents for official acts and restricts prosecutors in pointing to official acts as evidence that a commander in chief’s unofficial actions were illegal.The Manhattan district attorney’s office&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25003003-20240724-people-redacted-peoples-mem-opp-defs-post-trial-motion-filed?responsive=1&amp;title=1">maintains that the high court’s opinion “has no bearing”</a>&nbsp;on the hush money case because it involves unofficial acts for which the former president is not immune.Meanwhile, Trump’s lawyers asked Merchan last week, for a third time, to exit the case, saying his daughter’s work for Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign underscores questions about his ability to be impartial. Harris is now the Democratic nominee for president.Merchan rejected two prior recusal requests last year, saying the defense’s concerns were “hypothetical” and based on “innuendos” and “unsupported speculation.”But Trump lawyer Todd Blanche argued that Harris’ entry into the presidential race makes those issues “even more concrete” and said the judge hadn't addressed them in enough detail.The hush money case is one of four criminal prosecutions brought against Trump last year.One federal case, accusing Trump of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-smith-c66d5ffb7ba86c1b991f95e89bdeba0c">dismissed</a>&nbsp;last month. The Justice Department is appealing.The others —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jack-smith-supreme-court-jan-6-47eebf01d4158ef808d850625df2c89e">federal</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-fani-willis-georgia-election-indictment-5696ed7e49aaa63ba6470bd8734398d4">Georgia state</a>&nbsp;cases concerning Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss — are not positioned to go to trial before the November election.

Judge in Trump's hush money case delays ruling on presidential immunity

RENO COUNTY— The Hutchinson Fire Department dealt with a significant fire incident at 2404 E 4th Avenue on Tuesday. In response to the situation, all available fire apparatus in Hutchinson were mobilized to effectively manage and contain the fire, according to a media release from the fire department.

In addition to the Hutchinson Fire Department, mutual aid has been provided by Pretty Prairie, District 3, Buhler, District 8, and South Hutchinson. Newton and McPherson helped run additional calls while the incident continued.

The fire has been extinguished and will be monitored for 24 hours for hot spots. All mutual aid has been released.&nbsp;Two firefighters were treated for dehydration and released.

Heavy equipment from the Department of Public Works assisted alongside an F500 foam trailer provided by Colwich, to aid in the firefighting efforts.

Due to the intensity of the fire and high temperatures, fire crews rotated every 20 minutes to ensure proper rehabilitation and hydration.

Fourth remains closed from Halstead to Chemical. The cause of the fire has not yet been released.

RENO COUNTY — The Hutchinson Fire Department is currently managing a significant fire incident at 2404 E 4th Avenue. In response to the situation, all available fire apparatus in Hutchinson have been mobilized to effectively manage and contain the fire, according to a media release from the city.

In addition to the Hutchinson Fire Department, mutual aid has been provided by Pretty Prairie, District 3, Buhler, District 8, and South Hutchinson.&nbsp;Newton and McPherson have been requested to help run additional calls while this incident is still undergoing.

Heavy equipment from the Department of Public Works is on the scene, alongside an F500 foam trailer provided by Colwich, to aid in the firefighting efforts.

Due to the intensity of the fire and high temperatures, fire crews are rotating every 20 minutes to ensure proper rehabilitation and hydration. One firefighter has been transported to a local hospital by Reno County EMS and has since been released.

At this time, the fire remains active, and no investigation has yet commenced.&nbsp;&nbsp;Additionally, one individual unaccounted for has been located and is safe.

Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722955243029.jpeg" alt="Photo by Sean Boston" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Sean Boston</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY— The Hutchinson Fire Department dealt with a significant fire incident at 2404 E 4th Avenue on Tuesday. In response to the situation, all available fire apparatus in Hutchinson were mobilized to effectively manage and contain the fire, according to a media release from the fire department.In addition to the Hutchinson Fire Department, mutual aid has been provided by Pretty Prairie, District 3, Buhler, District 8, and South Hutchinson. Newton and McPherson helped run additional calls while the incident continued.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722979258133.jpeg" alt="Photo by Sean Boston." />
 <figcaption>Photo by Sean Boston.</figcaption>
 </figure>The fire has been extinguished and will be monitored for 24 hours for hot spots. All mutual aid has been released.&nbsp;Two firefighters were treated for dehydration and released.Heavy equipment from the Department of Public Works assisted alongside an F500 foam trailer provided by Colwich, to aid in the firefighting efforts.Due to the intensity of the fire and high temperatures, fire crews rotated every 20 minutes to ensure proper rehabilitation and hydration.Fourth remains closed from Halstead to Chemical. The cause of the fire has not yet been released.---------------RENO COUNTY — The Hutchinson Fire Department is currently managing a significant fire incident at 2404 E 4th Avenue. In response to the situation, all available fire apparatus in Hutchinson have been mobilized to effectively manage and contain the fire, according to a media release from the city.In addition to the Hutchinson Fire Department, mutual aid has been provided by Pretty Prairie, District 3, Buhler, District 8, and South Hutchinson.&nbsp;Newton and McPherson have been requested to help run additional calls while this incident is still undergoing.Heavy equipment from the Department of Public Works is on the scene, alongside an F500 foam trailer provided by Colwich, to aid in the firefighting efforts.Due to the intensity of the fire and high temperatures, fire crews are rotating every 20 minutes to ensure proper rehabilitation and hydration. One firefighter has been transported to a local hospital by Reno County EMS and has since been released.At this time, the fire remains active, and no investigation has yet commenced.&nbsp;&nbsp;Additionally, one individual unaccounted for has been located and is safe.Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

Cause of massive fire in Hutchinson still under investigation

SALINA —The Big Lots store at 2450 S 9th Street in Salina is going to close as part of the company plan to close a number of locations across the&nbsp; country. A final closing date for the Salina store has not been announced, according to employees who took phone calls Tuesday.

The discount retailer is working to overcome a drop in sales and significant debt.&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://biglotsinc.gcs-web.com/static-files/60493747-7d71-416b-8037-11e81b444700">Click here to</a> see the company's latest regulatory filing that indicates their plan to close stores.

Six other Big Lots locations in Kansas including Topeka, Shawnee, Wichita, Pittlsburg, Kansas City and Olathe are not on a list of those stores closing, according to the <a href="https://local.biglots.com/ks">company web site.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722958136943.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SALINA —The Big Lots store at 2450 S 9th Street in Salina is going to close as part of the company plan to close a number of locations across the&nbsp; country. A final closing date for the Salina store has not been announced, according to employees who took phone calls Tuesday.The discount retailer is working to overcome a drop in sales and significant debt.&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://biglotsinc.gcs-web.com/static-files/60493747-7d71-416b-8037-11e81b444700">Click here to</a> see the company's latest regulatory filing that indicates their plan to close stores.Six other Big Lots locations in Kansas including Topeka, Shawnee, Wichita, Pittlsburg, Kansas City and Olathe are not on a list of those stores closing, according to the <a href="https://local.biglots.com/ks">company web site.</a>

Big Lots will close location in Salina

SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Wichita Police Department is seeking the community's help to identify a group of possibly teenagers or individuals in their early twenties, involved in a shooting incident near Exploration Place,&nbsp;300 N McLean Blvd. in Wichita, according to a social media report.

Just before 12:30a.m. on Sunday, there was an exchange of gunshots between the groups, and a bullet struck a glass window at Exploration Place. 

Fortunately, no one was injured, including a group of children at a sleepover event at Exploration Place. Investigators are requesting information from anyone who was in the area around midnight. The individuals pictured below are believed to be directly involved in the incident. It is also believed that a confrontation occurred near the Keeper of the Plains Statue and the South Bridge prior to the shooting taking place.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Gang/Felony Assault Section at 268-4407. You can also remain anonymous and contact Crime Stoppers at 267-2111.Case# 24C137017S

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722947154401.png" alt="Photo Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Wichita Police Department is seeking the community's help to identify a group of possibly teenagers or individuals in their early twenties, involved in a shooting incident near Exploration Place,&nbsp;300 N McLean Blvd. in Wichita, according to a social media report.Just before 12:30a.m. on Sunday, there was an exchange of gunshots between the groups, and a bullet struck a glass window at Exploration Place. Fortunately, no one was injured, including a group of children at a sleepover event at Exploration Place. Investigators are requesting information from anyone who was in the area around midnight. The individuals pictured below are believed to be directly involved in the incident. It is also believed that a confrontation occurred near the Keeper of the Plains Statue and the South Bridge prior to the shooting taking place.Anyone with information is asked to contact the Gang/Felony Assault Section at 268-4407. You can also remain anonymous and contact Crime Stoppers at 267-2111.Case# 24C137017S

Police investigating gunfire at Kansas science museum 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate on Tuesday, according to three people familiar with the decision.

In choosing Walz, she is turning to a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.

Harris hopes to shore up her campaign’s standing across the upper Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics that often serves as a buffer for Democrats seeking the White House. The party remains haunted by Republican Donald Trump’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016. Trump lost those states in 2020 but has zeroed in on them as he aims to return to the presidency this year and is expanding his focus to Minnesota.

Walz, 60, is joining Harris during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American politics, promising an unpredictable campaign ahead. Republicans have rallied around Trump after his attempted assassination in July. Just weeks later, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, forcing Harris to unify Democrats and consider potential running mates during an exceedingly compressed time frame.

The three people familiar with the decision spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it had not been made public.

Harris, the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to lead a major party ticket, initially considered nearly a dozen candidates before zeroing in on a handful of serious contenders, all of whom were white men. In landing on Walz, she sided with a low-key partner who has proven himself as a champion for Democratic causes.

Walz has been a strong public advocate for Harris in her campaign against Trump and Vance,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-trump-vance-weird-c54d506d1f533ee7aa455f7b500322c5">labeling the Republicans “just weird”</a>&nbsp;in an interview last month. Democrats have seized on the message and amplified it since then.

During a fundraiser for Harris on Monday in Minneapolis, Walz said: “It wasn’t a slur to call these guys weird. It was an observation.”

Walz, who grew up in the small town of West Point, Nebraska, was a social studies teacher, football coach and union member at Mankato West High School in Minnesota before he got into politics.

He won the first of six terms in Congress in 2006 from a mostly rural southern Minnesota district, and used the office to champion veterans issues. Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard, rising to command sergeant major, one of the highest enlisted ranks in the military.

He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/gubernatorial-elections-d76b1f843e65411a94c63a611db351b3">ran for governor in 2018</a>&nbsp;on the theme of “One Minnesota” and won by more than 11 points.

As governor, Walz had to find ways to work in his first term with a legislature that was split between a Democratic-controlled House and a Republican-led Senate. Minnesota has a history of divided government, though, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d8ca9192ade847a5b2ee22eeb9b9c7b5">arrangement was surprisingly productive</a>&nbsp;in his first year. But the COVID-19 pandemic hit Minnesota early in his second year, and bipartisan cooperation soon frayed.

Walz relied on emergency powers to lead the state’s response. Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mn-state-wire-coronavirus-pandemic-health-64d2c7c405abcc2ee1335166c3c6bb65">chafed under restrictions</a>&nbsp;that included lockdowns, closing schools and shuttering businesses. They retaliated by firing or forcing out some of his agency heads. But Minnesotans who were stuck at home also got to know Walz better through his frequent afternoon briefings in the early days of the crisis, which were broadcast and streamed statewide.

Walz&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-governor-race-2022-midterm-elections-a2899b6482fa84a6cfd94d5e80b3fa3e">won reelection in 2022</a>&nbsp;by nearly 8 points over his GOP challenger, Dr. Scott Jensen, a physician and vaccine skeptic. Not only did Walz win, Democrats kept control of the House and flipped the Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-legislature-state-governments-government-and-politics-01bbb59df71c6a95379af08adb37b13a">to win the “trifecta” of full control</a>&nbsp;of both chambers and the governor’s office for the first time in eight years. A big reason was the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which held that the Constitution doesn’t include a right to abortion. That hurt Minnesota Republicans, especially among suburban women.

“Tim has been in the news because the country and the world is seeing the guy we love so much,” U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar said Monday.

Ken Martin, Chairman of the Minnesota-Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party said young people he spoke to on the campaign trail were “Walz pilled.”

Walz and other Democrats&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-minnesota-state-government-faa5b76b6e8e179bd2da7444a5494f94">went into the 2023 legislative session</a>&nbsp;with an ambitious agenda — and a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-minnesota-legislature-state-budgets-government-and-politics-99f78b46d4bd90ccb9f1ce7525f759f9">whopping $17.6 billion budget surplus</a>&nbsp;to help fund it. Their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-governor-budget-ceremony-signing-walz-5eff134a29459d943c0c5863b72d20bc">proudest accomplishments</a>&nbsp;included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-minnesota-state-government-timothy-walz-11c3b1d5269c929e442b979ff1bac73b">sweeping protections</a>&nbsp;for abortion rights that included the elimination of nearly all restrictions Republicans had enacted in prior years, including a 24-hour waiting period and parental consent requirements. They also enacted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-transgender-health-tim-walz-2a702340ec5facdb2bb6496e711facf1">new protections</a>&nbsp;for trans rights,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-transgender-shield-laws-washington-3ee92fd1f821319246313a463edac774">making the state a refuge</a>&nbsp;for families coming from out of state for treatment for trans children.

Their other major accomplishments included tax credits for families with children that were aimed at slashing childhood poverty, as well as universal free school breakfasts and lunches for all students, regardless of family income. They also enacted a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-paid-family-medical-leave-legislature-2f1a16a28bcac2c78f13c86838eb84a9">paid family and medical leave</a>&nbsp;program,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marijuana-minnesota-cannabis-legalization-pot-9a92dda1a1025c5b26033a3ad716a004">legalized recreational marijuana</a>&nbsp;for adults and made it easier to vote.

Republicans complained that Walz and his fellow Democrats squandered a surplus that would have been better spent on permanent tax relief for everyone. And they’ve faulted the governor and his administration for lax oversight of pandemic programs that cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

Federal prosecutors charged 70 people with defrauding federal food programs that funded meals for kids during the pandemic out of $250 million on Walz’s watch. Known as the Feeding Our Future scandal, it’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-food-fraud-bag-of-cash-8752231fd8c74762209bac8f35a592e4">one of the country’s largest</a>&nbsp;pandemic aid fraud cases. The Office of the Legislative Auditor, a nonpartisan watchdog,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-food-fraud-bag-of-cash-7106883911765bb0c3794fe6196fcf9d">delivered a scathing report</a>&nbsp;in June that said Walz’s Department of Education “failed to act on warning signs,” did not effectively exercise its authority and was ill-prepared to respond.

Republicans still criticize Walz for his response to the sometimes violent unrest that followed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-floyd">murder of George Floyd</a>&nbsp;by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020, which included the torching of a police station.

During a May fundraiser in St. Paul, Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-misinformation-election-debate-trump-biden-577507522762aa10f6ee5be3a0ced2bb">repeated his false claim</a>&nbsp;that he was responsible for deploying the National Guard to quell the violence. “The entire city was burning down. ... If you didn’t have me as president, you wouldn’t have Minneapolis today,” Trump said.

It was actually Walz who gave the order, which he issued in response to requests from the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul. But within Minnesota, GOP legislators said both Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey were too slow to act. And there was finger-pointing between Frey and Walz on who was responsible for not activating the Guard faster.

Walz has served often as a Biden-Harris surrogate, and has made increasingly frequent appearances on national television. They’ve included an interview on Fox News that irritated Trump so much that he posted on Truth Social, “They make me fight battles I shouldn’t have to fight.” Walz is also co-chair of the rules committee for the Democratic National Convention. And&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-governors-meeting-shaky-debate-performance-a87a0c33cf8326ba50f8a41b8aea2d18">he led a White House meeting of Democratic governors</a>&nbsp;with Biden following the president’s disastrous performance in his debate with Trump.

Putting Walz on the ticket could help Democrats hold the state’s 10 electoral votes and bolster the party more broadly in the Midwest. No Republican has won a statewide race in Minnesota since Tim Pawlenty was re-elected governor in 2006, but GOP candidates for attorney general and state auditor came close in 2022.

Trump finished just 1.5 percentage points behind Democrat Hillary Clinton in the state in 2016. While Biden carried Minnesota by more than 7 points in 2020, Trump has taken to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-trump-minnesota-4f7ebfe7a2e1949d38a7c9894616a985">falsely claiming that he won the state</a>&nbsp;last time and can do it again.

Minnesota has produced two vice presidents,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mnopedia.org/person/humphrey-hubert-h-1911-1978">Hubert Humphrey</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-minnesota-minneapolis-presidential-elections-jen-psaki-f8ace5b0ee2dc3d5c879ed976c59a6e3">Walter Mondale.</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate on Tuesday, according to three people familiar with the decision.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I am proud to announce that I&#39;ve asked <a href="https://twitter.com/Tim_Walz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tim_Walz</a> to be my running mate. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he&#39;s delivered for working families like his. It&#39;s great to have him on the team. Now let’s get to work. Join us:<a href="https://t.co/W4AE2WlMTj">https://t.co/W4AE2WlMTj</a>&mdash; Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1820828396298879294?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In choosing Walz, she is turning to a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.Harris hopes to shore up her campaign’s standing across the upper Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics that often serves as a buffer for Democrats seeking the White House. The party remains haunted by Republican Donald Trump’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016. Trump lost those states in 2020 but has zeroed in on them as he aims to return to the presidency this year and is expanding his focus to Minnesota.Walz, 60, is joining Harris during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American politics, promising an unpredictable campaign ahead. Republicans have rallied around Trump after his attempted assassination in July. Just weeks later, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, forcing Harris to unify Democrats and consider potential running mates during an exceedingly compressed time frame.The three people familiar with the decision spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it had not been made public.Harris, the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to lead a major party ticket, initially considered nearly a dozen candidates before zeroing in on a handful of serious contenders, all of whom were white men. In landing on Walz, she sided with a low-key partner who has proven himself as a champion for Democratic causes.Walz has been a strong public advocate for Harris in her campaign against Trump and Vance,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-trump-vance-weird-c54d506d1f533ee7aa455f7b500322c5">labeling the Republicans “just weird”</a>&nbsp;in an interview last month. Democrats have seized on the message and amplified it since then.During a fundraiser for Harris on Monday in Minneapolis, Walz said: “It wasn’t a slur to call these guys weird. It was an observation.”Walz, who grew up in the small town of West Point, Nebraska, was a social studies teacher, football coach and union member at Mankato West High School in Minnesota before he got into politics.He won the first of six terms in Congress in 2006 from a mostly rural southern Minnesota district, and used the office to champion veterans issues. Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard, rising to command sergeant major, one of the highest enlisted ranks in the military.He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/gubernatorial-elections-d76b1f843e65411a94c63a611db351b3">ran for governor in 2018</a>&nbsp;on the theme of “One Minnesota” and won by more than 11 points.As governor, Walz had to find ways to work in his first term with a legislature that was split between a Democratic-controlled House and a Republican-led Senate. Minnesota has a history of divided government, though, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d8ca9192ade847a5b2ee22eeb9b9c7b5">arrangement was surprisingly productive</a>&nbsp;in his first year. But the COVID-19 pandemic hit Minnesota early in his second year, and bipartisan cooperation soon frayed.Walz relied on emergency powers to lead the state’s response. Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mn-state-wire-coronavirus-pandemic-health-64d2c7c405abcc2ee1335166c3c6bb65">chafed under restrictions</a>&nbsp;that included lockdowns, closing schools and shuttering businesses. They retaliated by firing or forcing out some of his agency heads. But Minnesotans who were stuck at home also got to know Walz better through his frequent afternoon briefings in the early days of the crisis, which were broadcast and streamed statewide.Walz&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-governor-race-2022-midterm-elections-a2899b6482fa84a6cfd94d5e80b3fa3e">won reelection in 2022</a>&nbsp;by nearly 8 points over his GOP challenger, Dr. Scott Jensen, a physician and vaccine skeptic. Not only did Walz win, Democrats kept control of the House and flipped the Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-legislature-state-governments-government-and-politics-01bbb59df71c6a95379af08adb37b13a">to win the “trifecta” of full control</a>&nbsp;of both chambers and the governor’s office for the first time in eight years. A big reason was the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which held that the Constitution doesn’t include a right to abortion. That hurt Minnesota Republicans, especially among suburban women.“Tim has been in the news because the country and the world is seeing the guy we love so much,” U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar said Monday.Ken Martin, Chairman of the Minnesota-Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party said young people he spoke to on the campaign trail were “Walz pilled.”Walz and other Democrats&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-minnesota-state-government-faa5b76b6e8e179bd2da7444a5494f94">went into the 2023 legislative session</a>&nbsp;with an ambitious agenda — and a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-minnesota-legislature-state-budgets-government-and-politics-99f78b46d4bd90ccb9f1ce7525f759f9">whopping $17.6 billion budget surplus</a>&nbsp;to help fund it. Their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-governor-budget-ceremony-signing-walz-5eff134a29459d943c0c5863b72d20bc">proudest accomplishments</a>&nbsp;included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-minnesota-state-government-timothy-walz-11c3b1d5269c929e442b979ff1bac73b">sweeping protections</a>&nbsp;for abortion rights that included the elimination of nearly all restrictions Republicans had enacted in prior years, including a 24-hour waiting period and parental consent requirements. They also enacted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-transgender-health-tim-walz-2a702340ec5facdb2bb6496e711facf1">new protections</a>&nbsp;for trans rights,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-transgender-shield-laws-washington-3ee92fd1f821319246313a463edac774">making the state a refuge</a>&nbsp;for families coming from out of state for treatment for trans children.Their other major accomplishments included tax credits for families with children that were aimed at slashing childhood poverty, as well as universal free school breakfasts and lunches for all students, regardless of family income. They also enacted a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-paid-family-medical-leave-legislature-2f1a16a28bcac2c78f13c86838eb84a9">paid family and medical leave</a>&nbsp;program,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marijuana-minnesota-cannabis-legalization-pot-9a92dda1a1025c5b26033a3ad716a004">legalized recreational marijuana</a>&nbsp;for adults and made it easier to vote.Republicans complained that Walz and his fellow Democrats squandered a surplus that would have been better spent on permanent tax relief for everyone. And they’ve faulted the governor and his administration for lax oversight of pandemic programs that cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.Federal prosecutors charged 70 people with defrauding federal food programs that funded meals for kids during the pandemic out of $250 million on Walz’s watch. Known as the Feeding Our Future scandal, it’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-food-fraud-bag-of-cash-8752231fd8c74762209bac8f35a592e4">one of the country’s largest</a>&nbsp;pandemic aid fraud cases. The Office of the Legislative Auditor, a nonpartisan watchdog,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-food-fraud-bag-of-cash-7106883911765bb0c3794fe6196fcf9d">delivered a scathing report</a>&nbsp;in June that said Walz’s Department of Education “failed to act on warning signs,” did not effectively exercise its authority and was ill-prepared to respond.Republicans still criticize Walz for his response to the sometimes violent unrest that followed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-floyd">murder of George Floyd</a>&nbsp;by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020, which included the torching of a police station.During a May fundraiser in St. Paul, Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-misinformation-election-debate-trump-biden-577507522762aa10f6ee5be3a0ced2bb">repeated his false claim</a>&nbsp;that he was responsible for deploying the National Guard to quell the violence. “The entire city was burning down. ... If you didn’t have me as president, you wouldn’t have Minneapolis today,” Trump said.It was actually Walz who gave the order, which he issued in response to requests from the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul. But within Minnesota, GOP legislators said both Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey were too slow to act. And there was finger-pointing between Frey and Walz on who was responsible for not activating the Guard faster.Walz has served often as a Biden-Harris surrogate, and has made increasingly frequent appearances on national television. They’ve included an interview on Fox News that irritated Trump so much that he posted on Truth Social, “They make me fight battles I shouldn’t have to fight.” Walz is also co-chair of the rules committee for the Democratic National Convention. And&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-governors-meeting-shaky-debate-performance-a87a0c33cf8326ba50f8a41b8aea2d18">he led a White House meeting of Democratic governors</a>&nbsp;with Biden following the president’s disastrous performance in his debate with Trump.Putting Walz on the ticket could help Democrats hold the state’s 10 electoral votes and bolster the party more broadly in the Midwest. No Republican has won a statewide race in Minnesota since Tim Pawlenty was re-elected governor in 2006, but GOP candidates for attorney general and state auditor came close in 2022.Trump finished just 1.5 percentage points behind Democrat Hillary Clinton in the state in 2016. While Biden carried Minnesota by more than 7 points in 2020, Trump has taken to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-trump-minnesota-4f7ebfe7a2e1949d38a7c9894616a985">falsely claiming that he won the state</a>&nbsp;last time and can do it again.Minnesota has produced two vice presidents,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mnopedia.org/person/humphrey-hubert-h-1911-1978">Hubert Humphrey</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-minnesota-minneapolis-presidential-elections-jen-psaki-f8ace5b0ee2dc3d5c879ed976c59a6e3">Walter Mondale.</a>

Harris selects Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as running mate

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating a deadly mass shooting in Kansas City have identified the man who died as 31-year-oldDyamund Shields, 31, according to Kansas City Police.

Just after 2a.m. Monday, police on patrol near&nbsp; 70th St. and Gregory Boulevard in Kansas City heard gunshots, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.

A gunshot victim&nbsp; contacted the officers and was rushed to a nearby hospital.&nbsp; First responders found another shooting victim a short distance away who was pronounced deceased, according to KCPD&nbsp;Officer Alayna Gonzalez.

Investigators determined a large gathering turned violent following an argument between people in attendance. Several people engaged in gunfire, leaving behind dozens of bullet casings lying in the street.

Police have not reported how many people in total were there at the gathering, how many people had guns, and how many people fired shots.

EMS and private vehicles transported six to area hospitals, according to Gonzalez. She did not have details on the extent or type of injuries.

Police did not have anyone in custody and have not reported suspect information.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722853365490.png" alt="Photos Sheriff Daryl Forte" />
 <figcaption>Photos Sheriff Daryl Forte</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating a deadly mass shooting in Kansas City have identified the man who died as 31-year-oldDyamund Shields, 31, according to Kansas City Police.Just after 2a.m. Monday, police on patrol near&nbsp; 70th St. and Gregory Boulevard in Kansas City heard gunshots, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.A gunshot victim&nbsp; contacted the officers and was rushed to a nearby hospital.&nbsp; First responders found another shooting victim a short distance away who was pronounced deceased, according to KCPD&nbsp;Officer Alayna Gonzalez.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722853345249.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Investigators determined a large gathering turned violent following an argument between people in attendance. Several people engaged in gunfire, leaving behind dozens of bullet casings lying in the street.Police have not reported how many people in total were there at the gathering, how many people had guns, and how many people fired shots.No kids were present and involved.EMS and private vehicles transported six to area hospitals, according to Gonzalez. She did not have details on the extent or type of injuries.Police did not have anyone in custody and have not reported suspect information.

Police ID victim in Kansas City gunfight at large gathering

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An open congressional seat in eastern Kansas inspired two political comeback attempts in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-primary-house-laturner-davids-160f9a2dfe0b55d0618da13148d34036">the state's primary</a>&nbsp;Tuesday, one from the last Democrat to hold it and the other from a former Republican attorney general who lost the 2022 governor's race.

Three-term former Attorney General Derek Schmidt has&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112855153622265196">former President Donald Trump's endorsement</a>&nbsp;in a five-candidate GOP contest in the 2nd District. His two most formidable opponents were Shawn Tiffany, a rancher, and Jeff Kahrs, a top regional health official during Trump's administration.

The Democratic race pits former U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda, who held the seat in 2007 and 2008, against Matt Kleinmann, a community health advocate and member of the 2008 national champion University of Kansas men's basketball team. Boyda has positioned herself toward the political center, riling some party activists.

The district's two-term GOP incumbent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-kansas-republican-laturner-retiring-4b080bfe5bd79168c44f6690dc892762">Jake LaTurner</a>&nbsp;is not running again.

Republican voters would also be settling contested primaries in two other districts where incumbents are seeking reelection.

In the Kansas City-area 3rd District, physician Prasanth Reddy faces small business owner Karen Crnkovich for the right to challenge three-term U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, the only Democrat in the state's congressional delegation.

In the 1st District, which includes western Kansas, two-term U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann was expected to prevail over Eric Bloom, a farmer and real estate investor.

There also were contested primaries in some of the 40 state Senate and 125 state House districts, and for offices in Kansas' 105 counties. Polls remain open across the state from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time.

In the 2nd Congressional District, many Republicans saw Schmidt as the leading candidate even before Trump's “Complete and Total” social media endorsement, thanks to Schmidt's name recognition from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-donald-trump-kansas-topeka-39afdff811fd2f30a212036d5ec6e3fa">his narrow loss</a>&nbsp;in 2022 to incumbent Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

The former president called Schmidt an “An America First Patriot" and added, “HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

Still, Kahrs has boasted that Trump chose him to be a regional director at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and was a district director and senior adviser for LaTurner. Kahrs' campaign touted him as a “conservative warrior,” playing on doubts from the hard right that have swirled around Schmidt throughout his two decades in elective politics.

“I'm the only tested conservative in this race,” Kahrs said during a candidate forum broadcast by Topeka-area public television's KTWU, an event Schmidt skipped.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722083240118.png" alt="File photo&nbsp; by Tim Carpenter" />
 <figcaption>File photo&nbsp; by Tim Carpenter</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An open congressional seat in eastern Kansas inspired two political comeback attempts in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-primary-house-laturner-davids-160f9a2dfe0b55d0618da13148d34036">the state's primary</a>&nbsp;Tuesday, one from the last Democrat to hold it and the other from a former Republican attorney general who lost the 2022 governor's race.Three-term former Attorney General Derek Schmidt has&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112855153622265196">former President Donald Trump's endorsement</a>&nbsp;in a five-candidate GOP contest in the 2nd District. His two most formidable opponents were Shawn Tiffany, a rancher, and Jeff Kahrs, a top regional health official during Trump's administration.The Democratic race pits former U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda, who held the seat in 2007 and 2008, against Matt Kleinmann, a community health advocate and member of the 2008 national champion University of Kansas men's basketball team. Boyda has positioned herself toward the political center, riling some party activists.The district's two-term GOP incumbent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-kansas-republican-laturner-retiring-4b080bfe5bd79168c44f6690dc892762">Jake LaTurner</a>&nbsp;is not running again.Republican voters would also be settling contested primaries in two other districts where incumbents are seeking reelection.In the Kansas City-area 3rd District, physician Prasanth Reddy faces small business owner Karen Crnkovich for the right to challenge three-term U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, the only Democrat in the state's congressional delegation.In the 1st District, which includes western Kansas, two-term U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann was expected to prevail over Eric Bloom, a farmer and real estate investor.There also were contested primaries in some of the 40 state Senate and 125 state House districts, and for offices in Kansas' 105 counties. Polls remain open across the state from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time.In the 2nd Congressional District, many Republicans saw Schmidt as the leading candidate even before Trump's “Complete and Total” social media endorsement, thanks to Schmidt's name recognition from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-donald-trump-kansas-topeka-39afdff811fd2f30a212036d5ec6e3fa">his narrow loss</a>&nbsp;in 2022 to incumbent Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.The former president called Schmidt an “An America First Patriot" and added, “HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”Still, Kahrs has boasted that Trump chose him to be a regional director at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and was a district director and senior adviser for LaTurner. Kahrs' campaign touted him as a “conservative warrior,” playing on doubts from the hard right that have swirled around Schmidt throughout his two decades in elective politics.“I'm the only tested conservative in this race,” Kahrs said during a candidate forum broadcast by Topeka-area public television's KTWU, an event Schmidt skipped.Tiffany ran as a political outsider, often donning a cowboy hat during public appearances. In a mid-July forum on WIBW-TV in Topeka, he said the “radical left” has attacked the American dream and that "politicians — career politicians — have done nothing to stand in the gap on our behalf.”In the Democratic race, Boyda supported LGBTQ+ rights generally but said she opposes allowing transgender girls and women to play on female sports teams. She also called on President Joe Biden to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-election-2024-ending-race-be10da43b9447ef1230c178b15c4760a">end his race</a>&nbsp;for reelection the day after his disastrous debate performance,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-debate-age-democrats-b93d7ffaad75fd423ea3953fe16287f0">well before other Democrats</a>.In a KTWU-TV forum last week, Boyda defended running a center-oriented, “general election” campaign from the start. She pointed to Democrats' 10 losses in a row since her lone 2006 victory. Eight were by 14 percentage points or more.“Quite honestly, a lot of the 2nd District is not going to trust a Democrat going to Washington, D.C.," she said. “They want to make sure that you are moderate and that you are independent.”But Boyda's stance on transgender athletes drew immediate criticism, with Kansas Young Democrats calling it “disgraceful"&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/KansasYoungDems/status/1805711357536354440">on X.</a>“I believe that Democrats deserve to have a voice,” Kleinmann, Boyda’s opponent in the primary, said during last week's forum. “Some of the bravest people I know in Kansas are Democrats in a very red district because they're fighting for Kansas values, and that's the values I want to defend in Congress.”