# Hypothetical situations or real-life medical tragedies? A judge weighs an Idaho abortion ban lawsuit
By **REBECCA BOONE**
December 14, 2023. 8:10 PM EST

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**BOISE, Idaho (AP)** - An attorney for Idaho asked a judge on Thursday to throw out a lawsuit seeking clarity about the medical exemptions to the state's broad abortion bans, saying it was based on hypothetical situations rather than current facts.

But an attorney for the four women and several physicians who sued says their claims aren't hypothetical at all, but real-life tragedies happening in doctors' offices and homes across the state.

Similar lawsuits are playing out around the nation, with some of them, like Idaho's, brought by the Center for Reproductive Rights on behalf of doctors and pregnant people who were denied access to abortions while facing serious pregnancy complications.

"The physicians go to work every day not knowing if they will be able to provide the necessary care to their patients," Marc Hearron, an attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, told 4th District Judge Jason Scott.

The women and doctors suing aren't asking the court to recognize a right to abortion in the state constitution, Hearron said. Instead, they want the judge to find that pregnant people are entitled to the fundamental rights that are specifically listed in the Idaho Constitution - including the right to enjoy and defend their own life and the right to secure their own safety.

James Craig, a division chief with the Idaho Attorney General's office, told the judge that the Idaho Supreme Court has already upheld the state's abortion bans. That should make the ruling in this case easy, Craig said, urging the judge to dismiss the lawsuit.

The four women named in the case were all denied abortions in Idaho after learning they were pregnant with fetuses that were unlikely to go to term or survive birth, and that the pregnancies also put them at risk of serious medical complications. All four traveled to Oregon or Washington for the procedures.

Craig suggested that since they were no longer facing the pregnancy complications, they should be challenging the state's law in the Legislature, not the courts. The possibility of similar problems happening again is hypothetical, he said, and hypothetical situations don't meet the legal standard needed for this kind of lawsuit.

"They're representing hypothetical fact - hypothetical future scenarios - and asking the court to rule," Craig said. "In that respect, no, they don't have the right to a declaratory judgement."

The judge said he would likely rule on the motion to dismiss next month.

Jennifer Adkins, one of the plaintiffs, said afterward it was infuriating to be dismissed as a "hypothetical."

"It's easier for them to pretend that we don't exist, to ignore the trauma and tragedy that we have been through as a family," she said of the state's attorneys and officials.

The hypothetical became real for Adkins in April. She and her husband John were thrilled to welcome a second baby when she found out she was pregnant just after Valentine's Day. But during a routine 12-week ultrasound, their joy came crashing down. Their baby had a rare condition called Turner syndrome, making survival until birth highly unlikely.

Adkins' doctors also told her the pregnancy put her at risk of developing mirror syndrome, a rare and potentially life-threatening obstetric disorder.

"I remember thinking, 'The other shoe has dropped. Here we are, and it's happening to me of all people,'" Adkins said.

The couple decided an abortion was necessary to protect Adkins' health and their family. The next several days were spent securing an appointment in Portland, Oregon, and trying to figure out how to cover the cost of flights, a hotel and the procedure itself - knowing covering the full price tag would mean they couldn't pay their mortgage.

"I'm a sixth generation Idahoan. I want to stay here," said her husband John Adkins. "But it makes you question whether or not the state will allow you to, because we had to flee in order to be safe. When we left for Oregon, we felt like we were criminals."

Adkins and the other three women suing the state have become the public faces of what some medical professionals say is an increasingly common tragedy in Idaho: Patients with high-risk pregnancies and fetuses that are dying or severely ill, forced to choose between carrying to term or leaving the state for an abortion.

"We find joy every day in raising our son, but we still have this tragedy in our family and this loss of a baby that we really wanted," she said. "We should be preparing to have Christmas with our newborn baby right now, and we're not."

John Adkins is angry at the lawmakers and state leaders who passed the abortion bans, and said he believes they all knew the laws were putting some families at risk.

"We are casualties that they're comfortable with," he said. "To allow them to have this fig leaf of hypotheticals and all that nonsense? They know what they're doing."

Lawmakers passed one of the abortion bans as a trigger law in March of 2020, when most of the physicians in the state were focused on the pandemic that had just begun sweeping through Idaho. At the time, any suggestion that the ban could harm pregnant people was quickly brushed off by the bill's sponsor, Republican Sen. Todd Lakey, who said during one debate that the health of the mother "weighs less, yes, than the life of the child."

The trigger ban took effect in 2022 shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Since then, Idaho's roster of obstetricians and other pregnancy-related specialists has been shrinking.

Of the nine maternal fetal medicine specialists practicing in Idaho before the bans, four have already left the state and another intends to retire at the end of 2023, according to the lawsuit. Two rural Idaho hospitals have closed their labor-and-delivery centers, with one directly attributing the closure to physicians' resignations over Idaho's restrictive abortion bans.

"The health care system is being quite disrupted," said Dr. Julie Lyons, a family physician and one of the doctors bringing the lawsuit. "It happens in my clinic, where there is fear among the nurses I work with about treating an ectopic pregnancy even though treating an ectopic is legal. But nobody believes that."

Now it takes longer for patients to get treated, Lyons said, and medical costs are increasing because everyone is worried about being prosecuted.

"We're over-ordering tests, over-ordering ultrasounds to try to protect ourselves," Lyons said. "We don't want to have any possible way that a doctor could be scrutinized and sent to jail."


# Why have thousands of United Methodist churches in the US quit the denomination?
By **Associated Press**
December 15, 2023. 8:02 PM EST

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The United Methodist Church has been undergoing a major upheaval as more than 7,000 congregations across the country, one quarter of the total, decided whether to leave the denomination or remain United Methodist. This splintering resulted from a long-simmering debate over theological differences and the role of LGBTQ people in the church.

## WHY IS THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH SPLINTERING?
For decades, the denomination has been mired in intractable debates over theology and the role of LGBTQ people in the church. The UMC bans same-sex marriage and openly LGBTQ clergy.

But amid increased defiance of those bans in many U.S. churches, several conservatives decided to launch the separate Global Methodist Church. Progressives who remain in the UMC are expected to advocate for removing the bans at the denomination's next General Conference, in the spring of 2024.

## WHEN DID CONGREGATIONS START LEAVING?
The departures began in 2019 but ramped up during this year's just-completed round of regular and special meetings of the denomination's annual conferences, or regional governing bodies.

## WHAT TRIGGERED THE START OF THE CHURCH DEPARTURES?
In 2019, a special legislative General Conference voted to tighten United Methodist rules banning same-sex marriage and ordaining LGBTQ clergy. It also gave a five-year window for churches to leave with their property after making some payments. Conservative churches ended up departing in large numbers because they saw the UMC as not enforcing its own rules.

## WHICH CHURCHES ARE LEAVING?
Some regional conferences have lost hundreds of churches, including large ones. The issue isn't only dividing conferences. In some cases, the divisions go right through the pews of individual churches, separating Methodists who have long worshipped together.

## WHERE ARE THEY GOING?
Many departing congregations are joining the Global Methodist Church, a conservative denomination that launched more than a year ago. Others are joining smaller denominations, going independent or weighing their options. Other churches in Europe and Africa are also joining the GMC.


# One fourth of United Methodist churches in US have left in schism over LGBTQ ban. What happens now?
By **PETER SMITH**
December 15, 2023. 5:55 PM EST

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A quarter of U.S. congregations in the United Methodist Church have received permission to leave the denomination during a five-year window, closing this month, that authorized departures for congregations over disputes involving the church's LGBTQ-related policies.

This year alone, 5,641 congregations received permission from their regional conferences to leave the denomination as of Thursday, according to an unofficial tally by United Methodist News. In total, 7,658 have received permission since 2019. Thursday marked the last scheduled regional vote, according to the news service, when the Texas Annual Conference authorized four congregations' departures.

The vast major are conservative-leaning churches responding to what they see as the United Methodists' failure to enforce bans on same-sex marriage and the ordaining of openly LGBTQ persons.

The new year is expected to bring more changes.

The first denomination-wide legislative gathering in eight years, slated for spring 2024, will consider calls to liberalize policies on marriage and ordination. It will also debate rival proposals, either to decentralize the international church - which has at least as many members outside the United States as in - or provide overseas congregations with the same exit option their U.S. counterparts had.

The schism marks a historic shift in a denomination that was until recently the third largest in the United States, and perhaps the closest to the mainstream of American religious culture - its steeples prominent in rural crossroads and urban squares, scenes of countless potluck suppers, earnest social outreach, and warm yet decorous worship.

Many departing congregations have joined the more conservative Global Methodist Church, with others joining smaller denominations, going independent or still considering their options.

United Methodist rules forbid same-sex marriage rites and the ordination of "self-avowed practicing homosexuals," but progressive Methodist churches and regional governing bodies in the U.S. have increasingly been defying these rules.

Conservatives have mobilized like-minded congregations to exit. The Global Methodist Church has declared its intention to enforce such rules.

"We are sad about losing anybody," said New York Area Bishop Thomas Bickerton, president of the United Methodists' Council of Bishops. "There's also - at the end of the year - grief and trauma, parishioners that have said goodbye to friends, pastors who have had relationships over the years that have ended."

He depicted the debates in the church as difficult, and said some who urged churches to disaffiliate used "falsehoods."

"This whole disaffiliation process has in large measure not been about human sexuality, it's been about power, control and money. That's surprising and disappointing," Bickerton said. "It's time for this denomination to pivot" to focusing on mission rather than disaffiliation votes.

The United Methodists reported having 30,543 U.S. churches as of 2019 and 6 million U.S. members as of 2021. It had at least one church in 95% of U.S. counties, more than any other religious group, according to the 2020 Religion Census, produced by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies.

There's no immediate estimate on how many individual members are leaving the UMC, since some members of departing congregations are joining other UMC churches, but the departing churches include some of the largest in their states. UMC officials are already preparing historic budget cuts to denominational agencies in anticipation of lower revenue from fewer churches.

The UMC also reports having 7 million members overseas as of 2019, the majority in Africa, where more conservative sexual mores are common.

In 2019, a special legislative gathering of Methodists voted to strengthen longstanding bans on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ ordination. The votes came from a coalition of conservatives in the U.S. and overseas, particularly from fast-growing African churches. At the same time, that conference offered a five-year window for U.S. churches to leave under somewhat favorable terms, such as being able to keep their properties while compensating the denomination for certain costs.

That measure was expected to be used by progressive congregations dissenting with the letter of the church law, and a handful did take the church up on its offer. But in the end, the vast majority of departing congregations reflect conservative dismay over what they saw as the denomination's failure to discipline those defying church law, as well as other liberal trends.

In the legislative General Conference, scheduled for April and May in Charlotte, North Carolina, efforts to lift bans on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ ordination are expected to have a strong chance, given the departure of many conservative votes.

The delegates will also consider a decentralization plan favored by progressives - which, among other things, would enable U.S. and overseas churches to set separate standards for ordination and marriage - and another sought by conservatives enabling overseas churches to leave under the same provisions that U.S. churches had.

The Rev. Keith Boyette, who is the Global Methodist Church's top executive, said it has registered about 4,100 U.S. churches so far - former UMC churches as well as new ones organized by former United Methodists whose congregations voted to stay in the UMC. It has been organizing in other countries where United Methodist churches or individuals left that denomination, he said, such as Bulgaria, Slovakia, Kenya, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It's unclear how many U.S. churches are going independent, but "the fact that so many churches have aligned indicates their commitment to wanting to be part of a connectional system," Boyette said.

The Rev. Scott Field, president of the conservative Wesleyan Covenant Association, which has advocated for churches leaving the UMC, said congregations' experiences varied in regional conferences, depending on what financial and other conditions they have required of churches. "It's been punitive in some and it's worked seamlessly in others," he said.

Under the slogan, "Fair for some, fair for all," the group will be advocating for overseas churches to have the same option to leave.

Field predicted "an African wave" of churches seeking to leave.

Several African bishops, however, issued a statement in 2022 denouncing efforts to get churches to leave as false and destructive.

Field also predicted many U.S. churches, despite missing the 2023 deadline, may try to exit under other church law provisions.

"We'd like every congregation, whether it's a liberationist church or a solidly evangelical church, to end up where they'd like to be," Field said. "It makes no sense for our United Methodist Church to attempt locking the gate."

Jan Lawrence, executive director of the Reconciling Ministries Network, said the personal toll of the schism is deep.

She knew members of a church that had an acrimonious break after it chose to disaffiliate. "It really broke relationships," she said.

She expressed hope that the 2024 General Conference will open ordination and marriage rites to LGBTQ persons - realizing a decades-long goal for the network.

"Those churches that are disaffiliating and joining the Global Methodist Church, I hope they find what they're looking for and they're able to thrive as a new denomination," she said. "I don't know anyone that doesn't want everybody to live into what they believe God is calling them to do."

Bickerton said he particularly laments the departure of many churches that are longtime, rural-area fixtures.

"When Methodism came to the United States, it went to where the people were. It was carried in the saddlebags of the circuit riders," he said.

A return to informal ministry may be needed to maintain a presence in many regions, he said.

"The hallmarks of United Methodism is a theology based on grace, hope, joy, love and justice," he said. "Where do we send people strategically so that message can be heard?"


# Ohio Senate clears ban on gender-affirming care for minors, transgender athletes in girls sports
By **SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON**
December 13, 2023. 6:51 PM EST

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**COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)** - A Republican-backed proposal that would drastically affect how LGBTQ youth in Ohio live their everyday lives cleared the state Senate on Wednesday, despite adamant opposition from parents, medical providers and education professionals who call it cruel and potentially life threatening.

State senators, by a vote of 24-8, approved a multifaceted bill that would ban gender-affirming care for minors and block transgender student athletes from participating in girls and women's sports. A lone Republican, Sen. Nathan Manning of Northeast Ohio, joined Democrats in a "no" vote.

The GOP-dominated House agreed to some Senate-made changes to the bill Wednesday evening and sent the measure to Republican Gov. Mike DeWine's desk for final approval. DeWine has not said whether he will sign it. He previously had expressed doubts about the sports restrictions, saying such decisions were best made by individual sports organizations.

DeWine's spokesperson, Dan Tierney, said the governor's office would not comment on the legislation until it has thoroughly reviewed it.

Under the legislation, minors in Ohio would be prohibited from taking puberty blockers and undergoing other hormone therapies or receiving gender reassignment surgery that would further align them with their gender identity.

An amendment added this week changes a provision that would have forced children receiving gender affirming care to stop treatment or leave the state to obtain it. The latest version of the bill allows for any minor who is an Ohio resident currently receiving care to see that care through.

Since 2021, more than 20 states have enacted laws restricting or banning such treatments, despite the fact that they have been available in the United States for more than a decade and are endorsed by major medical associations. Most of these states face lawsuits, but courts have issued mixed rulings.

The nation's first law, in Arkansas, was struck down by a federal judge who said the ban on care violated the due process rights of transgender youth and their families. Courts have blocked enforcement in three states while such legislation is currently allowed or set to go into effect soon in seven other states.

The proposal also would require public K-12 schools and universities to designate separate teams for male and female sexes, and would explicitly ban transgender girls and women from participating in girls and women's sports.

At least 20 states have passed some version of a ban on transgender athletes playing on K-12 and collegiate sports teams statewide. Those bans would be upended by a regulation proposed by President Joe Biden's administration that is set to be finalized early next year. The rule, announced in April, states that blanket bans violateTitle IX, the landmark federal gender-equity legislation enacted in 1972.

The proposal would make it more difficult for schools to ban, for example, a transgender girl in elementary school from playing on a girls basketball team. But it would also leave room for schools to develop policies that prohibit trans athletes from playing on more competitive teams if those policies are designed to ensure fairness or prevent sports-related injuries.

Supporters say Ohio's transgender care measure is about protecting children because they cannot provide "informed consent" for gender-affirming care and could be pushed into making choices that they regret later in life. They say banning transgender athletes from girls and women's sports maintains the integrity of those sports and ensures fairness.

Hundreds of opponents have testified against the bill, including medical and mental health providers, education professionals, faith leaders, parents of transgender children and transgender individuals themselves. They decry the legislation as cruel, life threatening to transgender youth and based on fearmongering rather than scientific fact.

Parents also say the bill obliterates their rights and ability to make informed health care decisions for their transgender children.

But Senate President Matt Huffman, a Lima Republican, said Wednesday that passing the law would be akin to backing measures that prevent parents from giving their children illicit drugs or physically abusing them.

"Certainly the parents are the most important decision-maker in a child's life. But there are things where it's important for the state to step in and protect the child," Huffman said.

But Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson, a Toledo Democrat, argued that the measure will only hurt transgender youth.

"We understand that our young people have so many different types of trials and trauma that they have to deal with. And unfortunately, this legislature is going to add an additional trauma to that," Hicks-Hudson said in a committee hearing earlier Wednesday.


# The Supreme Court rejects an appeal over bans on conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ children
December 11, 2023. 10:24 AM EST

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**WASHINGTON (AP)** - The Supreme Court on Monday refused to take up a case about whether state and local governments can enforce laws banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ children.

Over the dissent of three conservative justices, the court turned away an appeal from Washington, where the law has been upheld. An appellate panel struck down local bans in Florida as an unconstitutional restriction on counselors' speech.

The high court often steps in when appellate courts disagree, and in separate opinions Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas said that standard was easily met in the controversy over conversion therapy bans.

Thomas wrote that his colleague should have taken up the Washington case because "licensed counselors cannot voice anything other than the state-approved opinion on minors with gender dysphoria without facing punishment."

Justice Brett Kavanaugh also voted to hear the case. It takes four of the nine justices to set a case for arguments.

The court's decision to avoid the case from Washington comes as efforts to limit the rights of LGBTQ+ kids have spread across the country.

About half the states prohibit the practice of trying to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity through counseling.

A family counselor in Washington, Brian Tingley, sued over a 2018 state law that threatens therapists who engage in conversion therapy with a loss of their license. Tingley claims the law violates his speech rights. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld it in a split decision.

The Supreme Court had previously turned away several challenges to state bans, but those cases reached the court before a 5-4 decision in 2018 in which the justices ruled that California could not force state-licensed anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers to provide information about abortion.

Since the 2018 ruling, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta has voided the local Florida bans.


# Alex Jones offers to pay Newtown families at least $55 million over school shooting hoax conspiracy
By **DAVE COLLINS**
December 16, 2023. 11:26 AM EST

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Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' latest bankruptcy plan would pay Sandy Hook families a minimum total of $55 million over 10 years, a fraction of the $1.5 billion awarded to the relatives in lawsuits against Jones for calling the 2012 Newtown school shooting a hoax.

The families, meanwhile, have filed their own proposal seeking to liquidate nearly all of Jones' assets, including his media company Free Speech Systems, and give the proceeds to them and other creditors.

The dueling plans, filed late Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Houston, will be debated and challenged over the next two months, with hearings scheduled for February that will result in a final order saying how much Jones will have to pay out.

Jones and Free Speech Systems, based in Austin, Texas, both filed for bankruptcy last year as the families were awarded more than $1.4 billion in a Connecticut lawsuit and another $50 million in a Texas lawsuit. A third trial is pending in Texas in a similar lawsuit over Jones' hoax conspiracy filed by the parents of another child killed in the school shooting.

The new bankruptcy filings came a day after the 11th anniversary of a gunman's killing of 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Dec. 14, 2012.

Relatives of some of the victims sued Jones in Connecticut for defamation and infliction of emotional distress for claiming the school shooting never happened and was staged by "crisis actors" in a plot to increase gun control.

Eight victims' relatives and an FBI agent testified during a monthlong trial in late 2022 about being threatened and harassed for years by people who deny the shooting happened. Strangers showed up at some of their homes and confronted some of them in public. People hurled abusive comments at them on social media and in emails. Some received death and rape threats.

Jones' lawyers did not immediately respond to email messages Saturday.

Christopher Mattei, a Connecticut attorney for the Sandy Hook families, said Jones' proposal "falls woefully short" of providing everything the families are entitled to under bankruptcy laws.

"The families' plan is the only feasible path for ensuring that Jones' assets are quickly distributed to those he has harassed for more than a decade," Mattei said in a statement Saturday.

Jones' new proposal to settle with the families for at least $5.5 million a year for 10 years doesn't appear to offer much more than what Free Speech Systems offered them in its bankruptcy case last month. He also would give them percentages of his income streams.

Free Speech Systems, the parent company of Jones' Infowars show, proposed to pay creditors about $4 million a year, down from an estimate earlier this year of $7 million to $10 million annually.

The company said it expected to make about $19.2 million next year from selling the dietary supplements, clothing and other merchandise Jones promotes on his shows, while operating expenses including salaries would total about $14.3 million.

Personally, Jones listed about $13 million in total assets in recent financial statements filed with the bankruptcy court, including about $856,000 in various bank accounts. A judge recently gave Jones approval to sell some of his assets, including guns, vehicles and jewelry to raise money for creditors.

The families' plan would set up a trust that would liquidate nearly all of Jones' assets, except his primary home and other holdings considered exempt from sale under bankruptcy laws. The trust would have sweeping powers, including authority to recoup money that Jones has paid and given others if those transfers were not allowed by law.

The families have been complaining about Jones' personal spending, which topped $90,000 a month this year. They also have another pending lawsuit claiming Jones hid millions of dollars in an attempt to protect his wealth. One of Jones' lawyers has called the allegations "ridiculous."

Jones is appealing the $1.5 billion in lawsuit awards to the families and has insisted his comments about the shooting were protected by free speech rights.


# A review defends police action before the Maine mass shooting. Legal experts say questions persist
By **PATRICK WHITTLE** and **DAVID SHARP**
December 15, 2023. 7:42 PM EST

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**PORTLAND, Maine (AP)** - An independent report conducted for a police agency clears the agency's response to growing concerns about the mental health of a man who later went on to commit the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history, but it does reveal missed opportunities to intervene to prevent the tragedy, legal experts said Friday.

Despite receiving warnings about the man's deteriorating mental health, drunken threats and possession of guns, the Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Office avoided confronting Robert Card, the 40-year-old Army reservist who later killed 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar on Oct. 25 in Lewiston, the experts said of the report released late Thursday by Sheriff Joel Merry.

Card's body was found - with a self-inflicted gunshot wound - two days after the shootings. Reports soon began to emerge that he had spent two weeks in a psychiatric hospital months before the attacks and had amassed weapons.

The legal experts told The Associated Press that the report - prepared for the sheriff's office by a lawyer who's a retired federal drug agent- leaves unresolved questions about police's potential ability to have removed guns from Card before the shootings happened.

The report delved into mental health concerns raised about Card. It states that the response to those concerns by the department's officers "was reasonable under the totality of the circumstances" at the time. In a statement, Merry said the review "found that responding deputies followed the law and their training with the information available at the time."

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has appointed an independent commission led by a former state chief justice to review all aspects of the tragedy. And Maine's congressional delegation said Friday there will be an independent Army inspector general's investigation to review the Army's actions, alongside an ongoing administrative Army investigation.

The Sagadahoc report makes clear that local law enforcement knew Card's mental health was deteriorating, with reports that he was paranoid, hearing voices, experiencing psychotic episodes and possibly dealing with schizophrenia.

In May, Card's ex-wife and his son reached out to a school resource officer about what they called Card's erratic behavior. A deputy worked with the family to get help and heeded its suggestion not to confront Card directly for fear that it could cause an unnecessary escalation, the report states.

In September, police were alerted by officials with the Army Reserves about Card, who was hospitalized in July after exhibiting erratic behavior while training. The officials warned that Card still had access to weapons and that he had threatened to "shoot up" an Army Reserve center in Saco, the report said.

That caught the full attention of police, who responded by briefly staking out the Saco facility and going to Card's home in Bowdoin, Maine, even as an Army Reserve leader suggested that all that was needed was a "welfare check."

A visit to Card's home by Sagadahoc Sgt. Aaron Skolfield on Sept. 16 represented the best opportunity for police to assess Card face-to-face - something that could have been necessary to take him into protective custody, a step needed to trigger Maine's "yellow flag" law, which allows a judge to temporarily remove someone's guns during a psychiatric health crisis.

Skolfield called for backup, knowing Card was considered armed and dangerous, and knocked on Card's door. The deputy saw curtains move and heard noises suggesting Card was inside. But Card did not answer the door, and Skolfield correctly concluded he lacked the legal authority to force the issue during a wellness check, the report said.

Worried for his own safety, Skolfield went back to his cruiser, visited the nearby home of Card's father and then returned to stake out Card's home before leaving to respond to a domestic assault, the report said.

All that day, Skolfield was in contact with other law officers, Army officials and family members about Card's mental health and to ensure that family members were trying to prevent Card's access to guns.

The report concluded that Skolfield "did not have sufficient grounds to take Mr. Card into protective custody, which also foreclosed his discretion to initiate the process for confiscation of Mr. Card's firearms."

No family member or reservist contacted the sheriff's office after Sept. 17, and a sheriff's advisory bulletin asking agencies to locate Card was lifted on Oct. 18.

The report's conclusion that the officers' actions were reasonable is subject to interpretation, said Adanté Pointer, a civil rights attorney based in Oakland, California, who reviewed the report. What it makes clear is that local law enforcement had numerous opportunities to intercede in "this growing, escalating and ultimately deadly situation" and did not, Pointer said.

The report paints a picture of officers who were "scared" to deal with Card, Pointer said.

There was already enough evidence back in May to begin the process of seizing Card's weapons under the yellow flag law, said Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and current president of the West Coast Trial Lawyers in Los Angeles who reviewed the report.

"A different approach to policing, or a different set of laws, might have saved a lot of lives," Rahmani said.

Prepared by Michael Cunniff, a Portland attorney who is a former supervisory special agent for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the report also addressed protective custody of those in crisis, the yellow flag law and the temporary seizure of guns.

Cunniff declined comment Friday. Sheriff Merry didn't immediately respond to questions, including how the report was commissioned and who funded it.

Merry did say his office is cooperating with all investigations.


# Michigan State reaches settlements with families of students slain in mass shooting
December 15, 2023. 1:12 PM EST

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**EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP)* - Michigan State University trustees have approved settlements with the families of three students slain during a mass shooting earlier this year on the school's campus.

Trustees voted unanimously Friday to approve separate claims with the families of Brian Fraser, Arielle Anderson and Alexandria Verner.

The school did not release the amounts of the settlements, but an attorney for Verner's family told reporters the family will receive $5 million from Michigan State.

"While no amount of compensation can ever replace the loss of a life, we do hope this brings some closure, support and relief to these impacted families," Trustee David Kelly said. "The university gives its deepest condolences to each of the three families, and we are committed to ensuring the memory of their child in not forgotten in the Spartan community."

Anderson, Verner and Fraser were fatally shot and five other students were wounded Feb. 13 when Anthony McRae opened fire at Berkey Hall and the MSU Union.

McRae had no connection to the victims or the university, investigators have said. He killed himself the night of the shootings after police confronted him. Investigators said in April they were unable to determine any conclusive motive for the campus shootings.

"The Verner family did not seek to blame MSU for the death of their daughter," family attorney David Femminineo said in a statement. "Instead, the Verner family has sought answers as to how this could be prevented in the future."

Kelly said Michigan State "remains committed to enhancing safety on campus and providing mental health support to our community as we continue to heal."


# Mother of 6-year-old who shot teacher in Virginia gets 2 years in prison for child neglect
By **BEN FINLEY** and **DENISE LAVOIE**
December 15, 2023. 6:12 PM EST

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**NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP)** - The mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher in a Virginia classroom was sentenced Friday to two years in prison for felony child neglect by a judge who chastised her for abdicating her responsibilities as a parent.

Deja Taylor's sentence was much harsher than the maximum six months prosecutors had agreed to recommend as part of a plea deal and also surpassed the high end of advisory state sentencing guidelines. Taylor, 26, pleaded guilty to a single count of felony neglect in August. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to drop a misdemeanor count of recklessly storing a firearm.

Circuit Court Judge Christopher Papile said the sentencing guidelines did not take into account the shooting's physical and psychological toll on first-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner or the emotional trauma it has wrought on other students and staff at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News.

Zwerner was critically injured when the boy fired a single shot at her, striking her hand and chest, breaking bones and puncturing a lung. She spent weeks in the hospital, had five surgeries, and says she is so mentally scarred by the shooting that she does not plan to return to teaching.

Papile noted that "we are lucky" someone wasn't killed at the elementary school. In admonishing Taylor, the judge said a parent's ultimately responsibility is to "protect the child, to keep them from bad influences, to keep them from dangerous situations, to keep them healthy and nurtured. Ms. Taylor has abdicated most, if not all, of those responsibilities."

The state sentence handed down Friday was the second time Taylor was held to account for the classroom shooting in January, which stunned the nation and shook this military shipbuilding city.

Taylor was sentenced in November to 21 months in federal prison for using marijuana while owning a gun, which is illegal under U.S. law. Her state sentence will be served consecutively, making a combined state and federal sentence of nearly four years behind bars.

Taylor's son told authorities he got his mother's 9 mm handgun by climbing onto a drawer to reach the top of a dresser, where the firearm was in his mom's purse. He concealed the weapon in his backpack and then his pocket before shooting Zwerner in front of her first-grade class.

Moments later, the boy told a reading specialist who restrained him, "I shot that (expletive) dead," and "I got my mom's gun last night," according to search warrants.

Taylor initially told police she had secured her gun with a trigger lock, but investigators said they never found one.

Following the shooting, the boy was removed from his mother's custody and spent 227 days in inpatient treatment, during which he was attended to by a team of physicians, psychiatrists and other clinicians, prosecutor Travis White told the judge. The boy, now 7, had problems with "basic socialization" and suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome and insomnia, among other disorders.

"That is the depths of neglect that Deja Taylor inflicted on her child," the prosecutor said, calling the shooting "a consequence and manifestation of that neglect."

The boy now lives with his great-grandfather, Calvin Taylor, who told reporters after the hearing that he believes the sentence handed down by Papile is "excessive." He said Deja Taylor tried to get help for her son before the shooting but child protective services did not follow through on her request.

The elder Taylor said the boy is now doing well in a structured environment. The child told him that he wanted "Santa to bring his mom home for Christmas."

Deja Taylor did not speak during Friday's hearing. Her attorney, James Ellenson, said Taylor struggled with addiction and domestic violence. He said Taylor, 26, smoked marijuana "all day, every day" since age 15.

"Who knows what the effects were on that teenage brain?" he said.

Ellenson said earlier this year there were " mitigating circumstances," including Taylor's miscarriages and postpartum depression. She also has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, a condition sharing symptoms with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according to court documents.

Taylor told ABC's "Good Morning America" in May that she feels responsible and apologized to Zwerner.

"That is my son, so I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he can't take responsibility for himself," Taylor said.

During her sentencing in federal court last month, one of Taylor's attorneys read aloud a brief statement in which Taylor said she would feel remorse "for the rest of my life."

Zwerner is suing Newport News Public Schools for $40 million, alleging administrators ignored multiple warnings the boy had a gun at school the day of the shooting.

During the sentencing hearing Friday, Zwerner recounted the shooting, telling the judge: "I was not sure whether it would be my final moment on earth."

She said she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression, and has difficulty sleeping.

"The shooting has instilled many fears in me that will remain forever," she said.

She said she will not return to teaching because she's now afraid to work with children.

"Now, at 26 years old, what am I supposed to do?" she said. "My life will never be close to the same again."


# Latino Democrats shift from quiet concern to open opposition to Biden's concessions in border talks
By **STEPHEN GROVES**, **LISA MASCARO**, and **REBECCA SANTANA**
December 16, 2023. 6:38 PM EST

---

**WASHINGTON (AP)** - Prominent Latinos in Congress looked on quietly, at first, privately raising concerns with the Biden administration over the direction of border security talks.

Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California was on the phone constantly with administration officials questioning why the Senate negotiations did not include any meaningful consideration of providing pathways to citizenship for longtime immigrants lacking the proper legal documents.

New Mexico Democrat Sen. Ben Ray Luján made similar arguments as he tried to get meetings with top-level White House officials.

But when the talks didn't seem to make enough difference, the influential lawmakers started leading the open opposition.

"A return to Trump-era policies is not the fix," Padilla said. "In fact, it will make the problem worse."

Padilla even pulled President Joe Biden aside at a fundraiser last weekend in California to warn him "to be careful" of being dragged into "harmful policy."

The Latino senators have found themselves on shifting ground in the debate over immigration as the Democratic president, who is reaching for a border deal as part of his $110 billion package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs, has tried to reduce the historic numbers of people arriving at the U.S. border with Mexico.

The negotiations, which intensified Saturday at the Capitol as bargainers race to draft a framework by this weekend, come as the Biden administration has increasingly endured criticism over its handling of border and immigration issues - not just from Republicans, but from members of the president's own party as well. Democratic cities and states have been vocal about the financial toll that they say migrants have been taking on their resources.

But left off the table in the talks are pro-immigration changes, such as granting permanent legal status to thousands of immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children, often referred to as "Dreamers," based on the DREAM Act that would have provided similar protections for young immigrants but was never approved.

A few days after his conversation with the president, Padilla, Luján and Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., aired their concerns prominently at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus news conference in front of the Capitol.

They slammed Senate Republicans for demanding the border policy changes in exchange for Ukraine aid, and they criticized Biden for making concessions that they say ultimately undermine the United States' standing as a country that welcomes immigrants.

Padilla said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has promised him and several other senators to allow them to see proposals before there is a final agreement. But Latino lawmakers have largely been left outside the core negotiating group.

On Saturday, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients spoke on a call with the Hispanic Caucus, and several lawmakers raised concerns, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss the situation.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who had been engaged in talks at the Capitol, also joined the call.

Biden is facing pressure from all sides. He has been criticized about the record numbers of migrants at the border and he is also trying to address the political weakness before a potential campaign rematch next year with Donald Trump, the former Republican president, who has promised to enact far-right immigration measures.

And the issue is now tied to a top Biden foreign policy goal: providing robust support for Ukraine's defense against Russia.

The White House and Senate leaders are pushing for a framework of the border deal by Sunday, in preparation for possible votes in the week ahead.

"We'll need to have some kind of framework by the end of the weekend," Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, the key Republican negotiator, said Saturday during a break in talks.

Recently during the negotiations, the White House has pushed to include provisions that would legalize young immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally as children, according to two people with knowledge of the closed-door talks. But others said that was quickly taken off the table by Republicans.

Senators said they are running into the complex nature of U.S. immigration law. "Byzantine," said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn..

"We're not at an agreement, but as we get closer into an agreement, the details really matter," Murphy said. "The drafting of the text is really hard and difficult."

The bipartisan group negotiating the package has acknowledged that it expects to lose votes from both the left and right wings of either party.

"Regardless of people's political persuasions, this is a crisis," said Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona independent who is part of the core negotiating group. "There is nothing that is humane about having thousands of individuals sitting in the desert without access to restrooms or food or water, no shade, just waiting for days to interact with a Border Patrol agent. That's what's happening in southern Arizona."

But immigration advocates have been rallying opposition to the proposed changes - often comparing them to Trump-era measures.

Using words like "draconian" and "betrayal," advocates argued during a Friday call with reporters that the proposals would undermine U.S. commitments to accepting people fleeing persecution and do little to stop people from making the long, dangerous journey to the border.

One of the policies under consideration would allow border officials to easily send migrants back to Mexico without letting them seek asylum in America, but advocates argue it could just place them into the hands of dangerous cartels that prey on migrants in northern Mexico.

Advocates also say that when the Trump and Biden administrations previously used the expulsion authority on public health grounds during the pandemic, migrants sent back to Mexico didn't return home. Instead they tried over and over again to enter the U.S. because there were no repercussions.

Greg Chen, senior director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said it would just make the border region "more chaotic, more dangerous."

The policies under consideration would also be difficult to implement. Detaining migrants or families would lead to hundreds of thousands of people in custody - at a huge cost.

"These are all things that are extremely, extremely worrying," said Jason Houser, the former chief of staff at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Prominent House Democrats are raising concerns. Reps. Nanette Barragán of California, the chair of the Hispanic Caucus, and Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, chair of the Progressive Caucus, along with Veronica Escobar of Texas, who is a co-chair of Biden's reelection campaign, and Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, all joined the news conference.

Padilla warned that Biden's concessions on border restrictions could have lasting impact on his support from Latino voters.

"To think that concessions are going to be made without benefiting a single Dreamer, a single farm worker, a single undocumented essential worker is unconscionable," he said.


# Congress departs without a deal on Ukraine aid and border security, but Senate will work next week
By **STEPHEN GROVES**, **LISA MASCARO**, and **SEUNG MIN KIM**
December 14, 2023. 7:26 PM EST

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**WASHINGTON (AP)** - Congress was departing Washington on Thursday without a deal to pass wartime support for Ukraine, but Senate negotiators and President Joe Biden's administration were still racing to wrap up a border security compromise to unlock the stalemate before the end of the year.

The Senate planned to come back next week in hopes of passing the $110 billion package of aid for Ukraine, Israel and other national security and finalizing a deal to place new restrictions on asylum claims at the U.S. border. But the House showed no sign of returning to push the legislation through the full Congress.

"We're working really hard," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at the end of the day. "It's not easy, but we're working hard."

Lawmakers leaving the impasse unresolved through the holidays would mean the Biden administration would have to rely on a dwindling supply of funds for Ukraine. The wartime aid has so far been vital to Ukraine's defending against Russia's invasion, but an emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier Thursday recommitted to his goals in the war.

Repelling Russia has been one of Biden's chief foreign policy goals. But the Democratic president is facing stiff opposition from Republicans in Congress - both from populist conservatives who no longer want to fund the nearly two-year-old conflict and GOP senators who have been traditional allies to Ukraine's defense but insist that the U.S. also enact policies aimed at cutting the historic number of migrants who are arriving at the U.S. border with Mexico.

Top administration officials, including White House chief of staff Jeff Zients and Biden's legislative affairs director Shuwanza Goff, met with Senate negotiators Thursday evening. Zients had been meeting with Schumer and dropped by to emphasize the president's call to find policy and funding solutions on the border, according to a White House official. And for a third day Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas holed up with negotiators at the Capitol.

"We'll all be back tomorrow," said one negotiator, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, as the meeting broke for the evening. "A lot to do tomorrow."

Schumer, a Democrat, rescheduled the Senate to return to Washington on Monday to give negotiators more time to reach the framework of a deal, and he said he would push for a Senate vote on the funding package next week even if an agreement is not in place.

In an earlier speech on the Senate floor, Schumer said that the deadlock in Congress has left "Putin mocking our resolve." He cast the decisions facing lawmakers as a potential turning point of history: "There is too much on the line for Ukraine, for America, for Western democracy, to throw in the towel right now."

But the House ended work and departed for the holidays, with Republican Speaker Mike Johnson showing no sign he will have members return until the second week of January.

In fact, Johnson's office sent around a clip from a Zelenskyy interview suggesting aid could wait until the new year.

Senate Republicans also expressed doubt there was time left this year to both reach an agreement and work through writing the text of legislation, with Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio saying there would be a "revolt" by Republicans if they were forced into a quick vote.

A core group of Senate negotiators and Biden administration officials were expected to work through the weekend narrowing a list of priorities aimed at curtailing the number of migrants applying for asylum at the U.S. border.

"We are making progress, I feel more confident today than I did yesterday," Sinema, an Arizona independent who has often been central to Senate deal-making, told The Associated Press.

Faced with historic numbers of migrants at the U.S. border with Mexico, the White House has negotiated a change to the law that would allow Homeland Security officials to stop migrants from applying for asylum if the number of total crossings exceeded a certain capacity.

Negotiators have also considered several other policies that resemble those pursued under former President Donald Trump's administration, including detaining people who claim asylum at the border and granting nationwide authority to quickly remove migrants who have been in the U.S. for less than two years.

Sinema declined to discuss details of the talks but said her aim was to craft a package that has both the policy and funding to "create an orderly, safe, secure and humane process" for seeking asylum or immigrating for "other legal reasons." She added that negotiators understand they will lose support from wings of both conservatives and progressives, but were aiming to pass the package in the Senate with majorities of both parties.

"There will probably be folks on the edges of the political spectrum who are not happy with a solution that secures our border, brings order and is humane," Sinema said.

In one friction point in talks, the White House has resisted Republican demands to curtail a humanitarian parole program that has allowed tens of thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter the U.S., often at ports of entry other than the border, according to several people familiar with the talks who discussed them only on the condition of anonymity.

Still, immigration advocates have been dismayed at the White House's concessions in the talks.

Sen. Alex Padilla, the California Democrat who has spearheaded Senate resistance to the plans, said he has told Biden "to be careful because Republicans are hellbent on dragging us into harmful policy territory."

Congress has struggled for decades to find any agreement on border and immigration policy, yet Republicans argue that the Biden administration opened the door for a policy negotiation both by including border-related funding in the national security package and openly calling for Congress to take up reforms.

But the complicated and contentious nature of the issue prompted many GOP senators to conclude that there would be no deal for Ukraine aid this year, even as they pledged to prove Putin wrong for doubting U.S. support for Ukraine.

"Sometimes democracies take a little more time, but the resolve is real," said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.

Some Democrats fretted that leaving the funding deadlock hanging for weeks could precipitate the deal's collapse.

"Actions speak louder than words," said Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado.


# Ravens beat mistake-prone Jaguars 23-7 for 4th consecutive victory and clinch AFC playoff spot
By **MARK LONG**
December 18, 2023. 12:37 AM EST

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**JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)** - Lamar Jackson was sacked, or so it seemed.

Jacksonville Jaguars pass rusher Dawuane Smoot had Jackson in his grasp - until he didn't. The Baltimore Ravens star quarterback spun away from Smoot, rolled right and lofted a pass toward the goal line. Tight end Isaiah Likely outmaneuvered two defenders to bring down the ball - and bring home a win.

The play of the game propelled the Ravens to a 23-7 victory at Jacksonville that clinched a postseason berth Sunday night.

"I just had to make a play, make something happen," Jackson said. "I just made something happen."

Gus Edwards scored two plays later to put the Ravens (11-3) up 17-7. That was plenty against the mistake-prone Jaguars (8-6).

"It's pretty unique," Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith said of Jackson. "Some of the things he's doing, he's the only one doing it."

Baltimore won its fourth in a row and moved a step closer to securing the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

The Jaguars lost their third straight - all against AFC North teams - and fell into a tie with Houston and Indianapolis atop the AFC South. Self-inflicted woes have been a common thread in Jacksonville's skid.

"That's the head-scratcher," Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said. "That's the frustrating part. We can't get out of our own way and that's the frustrating part."

Trevor Lawrence fumbled twice in the latest letdown, including one in the fourth quarter that essentially sealed Baltimore's eighth victory in its last nine games. He was placed in the NFL's concussion protocol after the game and not allowed to speak to the media.

This one may have been costly for the Ravens.

Promising rookie running back Keaton Mitchell suffered a season-ending left knee injury early in the fourth quarter. He flashed a thumbs-up sign as he left the sideline on a cart.

"It's heartbreaking," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "He's just got a great attitude and demeanor about him."

Added Jackson: "He was just starting to get started. That was a crazy injury."

The Ravens also lost starting left tackle Ronnie Staley (concussion) and free safety Marcus Williams (groin).

Jackson, Edwards, Likely and an elite defense did enough to overcome to the injuries.

Jackson threw for 171 yards - 70 of those to Likely - and ran for 97 more. Edwards added 58 on the ground, and Mitchell had 73 before his injury.

Lawrence threw for 264 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown to Jamal Agnew that gave the Jaguars life after a scoreless first half. But the Ravens answered with an unlikely play.

The Jaguars had four scoring chances in the first half but failed to cash in on any of them. They managed 181 yards, which was the most by a team in an opening half this season that did not score.

Brandon McManus missed two field goals from beyond 50 yards, and Lawrence inexplicably fumbled at the Baltimore 18-yard line. Lawrence simply lost the ball while scrambling on a third-and-17 play. He wasn't going to pick up the first down, but Jacksonville surely was in makeable range for McManus.

Lawrence's second mistake was even more of a head-scratcher. After connecting with Zay Jones for 36 yards and putting the Jaguars at the 5 with 15 seconds remaining in the half, Lawrence probably should have spiked the ball and stopped the clock. Instead, he threw a short out to rookie Parker Washington, who couldn't get out of bounds and helplessly watched the clock run out.

"It's a great learning experience for us," Pederson said.

Add it all up, and the Jaguars could have been up 16-10 at intermission. Instead, they trailed 10-0.

## QUESTIONABLE NO-CALL
McManus' first of two errant field goals was a 50-yarder that clanged off the right upright in the first quarter. He probably should have gotten a do-over.

Officials failed to throw a flag on Mitchell after he ran into McManus while he was finishing his follow-through. Holder Logan Cooke vehemently argued with officials, who later came to the sideline to explain themselves to Cooke and Pederson. Retired NFL referee and current NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay said the Ravens should have been penalized 5 yards on the fourth-and-7 play.

## SACK STREAK
Ravens defensive tackle Justin Madubuike tied an NFL record by recording at least a half-sack in 11 consecutive games. Madubuike sacked Lawrence in the fourth to tie the record held by Jared Allen, Chris Jones, Trey Hendrickson and Shaun Ellis.

## KEY INJURIES
Jaguars WR Zay Jones, who recently returned from a knee injury, strained a hamstring in the fourth. Ravens S Kyle Hamilton played through a knee injury that had him listed as questionable. He finished with seven tackles.

## UP NEXT
Baltimore: Plays at San Francisco on Christmas, another prime-time matchup between division leaders on the opposite coast.

Jacksonville: Plays at Tampa Bay on Dec. 24, also a game featuring division leaders.


# Trump says Nevada fake electors treated 'unfairly' during rally in Reno
By **JONATHAN J. COOPER** and **GABE STERN**
December 17, 2023. 8:55 PM EST

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**RENO, Nev. (AP)** - Former President Donald Trump called out three of Nevada's fake electors Sunday, saying they're being treated unfairly less than 24 hours before they are scheduled to be arraigned for signing certificates falsely stating Trump won the state in 2020.

Trump did not directly mention the charges nor the upcoming court date during a rally in Reno, but he cast the fake electors as victims in a brief portion of a speech that spanned more than an hour.

"A tremendous man, tremendous guy, gets treated so unfairly and he loves this country and he loves this state," Trump said of Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald, who was one of six Republicans indicted earlier this month by a Nevada grand jury.

Trump's sympathy for the fake electors who tried to help him cling to power after his 2020 defeat comes amid growing alarm about his authoritarian rhetoric as he looks to return to the White House.

Nevada is the fourth state to choose delegates for the Republican presidential nomination, the first in the West and the first with a sizeable Latino population. But it's gotten little attention from the GOP contenders, who have focused their time in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Trump, who is overwhelmingly favored in polls, is looking to sweep up all of Nevada's delegates by winning the caucuses with more than 50% as part of his quest to sew up the GOP nomination early and turn his attention to a general election rematch against President Joe Biden. If he falls short of a majority in Nevada's caucuses, he'll have to split the delegates with his rivals.

Trump drew attention to the fake electors as they prepare for a court hearing in Las Vegas on Monday morning.

In December 2020, six Republicans signed certificates falsely stating that Trump won Nevada and sent them to Congress and the National Archives, where they were ultimately ignored. The scheme, which involved several battleground states, was an attempt to create a pretext for Trump to remain president despite his loss.

Trump and his attorneys had a direct hand in the planning and execution of the fake elector scheme, including a conference call with McDonald, transcripts released last year show.

Trump said Clark County GOP Chairman Jesse Law is a "fantastic man" who is "treated very unfairly." He also thanked another fake elector, Jim Hindle, the Storey County clerk and vice chairman of the Nevada GOP, at the rally.

The six fake electors have been charged with offering a false instrument for filing and uttering a forged instrument. Those two categories of felonies have penalties that range from one year up to either four or five years in prison.

McDonald and Law took the rally stage before Trump but both kept their remarks short and did not mention the charges against them. McDonald, the state party chair, spoke for two minutes about the party-run caucus, promising strong turnout would equal a Trump Republican nomination. Law, the Clark County GOP chair, sang the national anthem.

Under McDonald's leadership, the Nevada GOP pushed to hold a caucus despite a state law requiring a primary, which has caused concern among many Republicans - including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis - that the caucus rules would tilt the nominating process in Trump's favor. The dueling contests have split the GOP field, with former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley competing in the primary and the other Republicans competing in the caucus. Only the caucus will result in delegates to the Republican National Convention, which will ultimately choose the party's presidential nominee.

Some Nevada Republicans and Trump rivals argue the setup, with a state-run primary on Feb. 6 and a party-run caucus on Feb. 8, will unnecessarily confuse and anger voters.

In Reno, Trump repeated his pledge to deport immigrants living in the country illegally in record numbers but did not echo his claim from a day earlier that immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our country." The remark, which echoes Adolf Hitler's language in his own political manifesto, was widely condemned.


# Car plows into parked vehicle in Biden's motorcade outside Delaware campaign headquarters
By **COLLEEN LONG**
December 17, 2023. 9:42 PM EST

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WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - A car plowed into a parked SUV that was guarding President Joe Biden 's motorcade Sunday night while the president was leaving a visit to his campaign headquarters. The president and first lady Jill Biden were unharmed.

While Biden was walking from the campaign office to his waiting armored SUV, a sedan hit a U.S. Secret Service vehicle that was being used to close off intersections near the headquarters for the president's departure. The sedan then tried to continue into a closed-off intersection, before Secret Service personnel surrounded the vehicle with weapons drawn and instructed the driver to put his hands up.

Biden paused and looked over toward the sound, surprised, before he was ushered into the vehicle, where his wife was already seated, before being driven swiftly back to their home. His schedule was otherwise unaffected by the incident.

The Secret Service did not immediately comment on the incident.


# James Cook leads dominant rushing attack as Bills trample Cowboys 31-10
By **JOHN WAWROW**
December 17, 2023. 9:24 PM EST

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**ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP)** - The Bills' offense has found its legs in time to make a playoff push.

Josh Allen played the role of happy spectator by standing back and watching James Cook run left, right and up the middle as Buffalo ran away with a 31-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

"I felt like the kid that didn't do anything in a class project but got an A," Allen said after he threw for just 94 yards, with a touchdown passing and one rushing. "But I'll do this 10 times out of 10 times, man. Like, keep going."

A matchup of two of the NFL's top-scoring quarterbacks - Allen entered the week with 35 total touchdowns, and Dak Prescott was first in passing TDs with 28 - turned into a Bills stampede. Cook finished with 179 yards rushing and 221 yards from scrimmage, both career bests, while scoring on an 18-yard catch and a 24-yard run as the Cowboys' five-game winning streak was snapped.

"I just let it rip when I get my opportunity," said Cook, a second-year player who is the younger brother of New York Jets running back Dalvin Cook. "My O-linemen, they were opening it up and I was hitting it. Finding that rhythm."

The Bills (8-6) won consecutive games for the first time since a three-game winning streak ended on Oct. 1 and gained ground in the AFC playoff race, moving one game ahead of Denver and Pittsburgh.

The Cowboys (10-4) clinched their third straight playoff berth before kickoff thanks to losses by Green Bay and Atlanta on Sunday and Detroit beating Denver on Saturday. But nothing else went right for Dallas, which fell a game behind NFC-best San Francisco.

Buffalo rushed for 266 yards, held the ball for 10 minutes longer than Dallas and had 28 first downs to the Cowboys' 14.

The NFL's top-scoring offense was limited to a field goal through 57 minutes. Dallas is 7-0 at home, where it has outscored opponents 279-108, but fell to 3-4 on the road, where it has been outscored 156-152.

"It's a gap. That's part of my message. We play so well at home, and there's just too big of a gap in our road games," coach Mike McCarthy said. "We are conscious of it. We have a long flight home to continue to talk about, think about (it)."

Dallas, coming off a 33-13 win over Philadelphia, plays two of its last three on the road.

The Bills played keep-away by running the ball in a persistent rain, tripping up a Cowboys offense that finished with a season-low 195 yards.

"They got up on us and continued to control the ball, control the possession, kill the clock. And we didn't convert on our third downs, which is something we have been great on all year," Prescott said.

"That's been our way of winning the games. So they beat us in the formula."

Buffalo's injury-depleted defense, missing two more regulars in edge rusher A.J. Epenesa and safety Micah Hyde, had three sacks and limited Prescott to 21 of 34 passing for 134 yards with an interception. And a Cowboys offense that's scored 40 or more points five times this season punted five times and was limited to eight first downs before gaining six on its final drive.

Four of the Bills' first five possessions lasted more than 4 minutes, 40 seconds.

Latavius Murray capped Buffalo's 12-play, 75-yard opening drive with a 2-yard run. The Bills went up 14-0 on Cook's 18-yard touchdown catch on their third drive, which was extended after Sam Williams was flagged for roughing Bills punter Sam Martin.

The game was essentially over after the Bills' opening drive of the third quarter, which ate up 8:22 of the clock and ended with Tyle Bass hitting a a 23-yard field goal to put Buffalo up 24-3.

Buffalo's 20 first downs rushing were tied for the second most in team history, and most since 1996. Cook's rushing total was the highest for a Bills player since Fred Jackson had 212 yards in a 2009 season-ending win over Indianapolis.

The Bills, coming off a 20-17 victory at Kansas City, are trying to secure their fifth straight playoff berth and stay in contention for a fourth consecutive AFC East title.

"It was kind of all systems go today," center Mitch Morse said. "We still have an uphill battle, but this is a great first step."

## INJURIES
Cowboys: RG Zack Martin did not return after hurting his quadriceps in the first quarter. McCarthy said Martin told him he's going to be OK.

Bills: DT Jordan Phillips did not return after hurting his wrist.

## UP NEXT
Cowboys: At Miami next Sunday.

Bills: At the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday night.


# Arkansas sheriff facing obstruction, concealment charges ordered to give up law enforcement duties
December 17, 2023. 5:35 PM EST

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**MALVERN, Ark. (AP)** - A federal judge has ordered an indicted southwest Arkansas sheriff to give up all his law enforcement duties and stay away from the sheriff's office.

The order by U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Bryant says Hot Spring County Sheriff Scott Finkbeiner's only remaining authority is over payroll. Finkbeiner was indicted Nov. 15 on charges of obstruction of justice and concealing a crime, after first being arrested on Nov. 2.

The indictment and an earlier sworn statement by an FBI agent say Finkbeiner tried to get federal agents to stop investigating a drug dealer who had provided the sheriff with methamphetamine.

Finkbeiner has pleaded not guilty. In a Nov. 6 post of the sheriff's office Facebook page, he denied wrongdoing.

"I do want to emphatically say I DID NOT OBSTRUCT JUSTICE in any way!" he wrote. "In fact it is the contrary. Thank you for the huge outpouring of support!! It's my hope that you can all come to the trial and see the truth!"

By agreeing to give up his duties as sheriff, Finkbeiner appears to have avoided a renewed push by federal prosecutors to jail him before trial. He's currently free on $5,000 bail.

The order was earlier reported by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Prosecutors said in an earlier court filing that Finkbeiner had said he would fire or lay off potential witnesses who worked for the sheriff's department, asked two elected constables to investigate the case for him in what could be interpreted as witness intimidation, and claimed he would release a Hot Spring County jail inmate if the inmate gave Finkbeiner information about his own case.

They also say Finkbeiner complained to Malvern police officers and state prosecutors that the FBI was interfering in his own investigation, threatening to arrest FBI agents.

Federal agents say audio recordings by a confidential informant show Finkbeiner arriving at a house in Perla after 2 a.m. on May 21, smoking meth and repeatedly asking the informant for sex.

After Finkbeiner found a surveillance camera outside the house, FBI agents say, he called them Aug. 21 to say that the alleged drug dealer agents were investigating was an informant for the sheriff on a theft of government funds investigation and a drug arrest.

"I assure you, he ain't moving a bunch of drug weight," Finkbeiner said in the conversation, according to an Oct. 30 sworn statement by FBI Special Agent Brian Ambrose.


# Authorities: 5 people including 3 young children die in house fire in northwestern Arizona
December 17, 2023. 5:03 PM EST

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**BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. (AP)** - Five people, including three young children, have died in a house fire in northwestern Arizona, authorities said Sunday, adding it appeared no adults were home at the time.

Bullhead City police said the fire broke out around 5 p.m. Saturday and the victims did not make it out of the two-story duplex in that community near the Colorado River.

A city fire department spokeswoman said the five victims were ages 2, 4, 5, 11 and 13. Their names weren't immediately released Sunday.

Authorities said the cause of the fire isn't known yet.

Police said there reportedly were no adults home at the time, but officials gave few other details.

The fire is being investigated by the city's police and fire departments and other agencies including the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.


# Auburn controls USC 91-75 in Bronny James' first road game
By **JOHN ZENOR**
December 17, 2023. 4:47 PM EST

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**AUBURN, Ala. (AP)** - A dominant performance by Auburn served as a reminder that neither USC nor Bronny James are a finished product.

Aden Holloway scored 15 points with six assists and Jaylin Williams had 14 points to help Auburn beat USC 91-75 on Sunday as the Trojans' James continued to work his way back to form after suffering cardiac arrest in July.

The Tigers (8-2) controlled the game most of the way in the first road appearance for James in a packed Auburn Arena with dozens of NBA scouts watching. The Trojans (5-5) dropped their third straight game.

"He's improved, but it's a little unfair to him to be judging him every possession right now," Trojans coach Andy Enfield said. "He's come back and he gave us good minutes. He plays very hard.

"He's just a freshman and he's been out five months. It's very, very challenging for him but we anticipate he'll be a much better player by the middle of the season than he is now."

Bronny James, who remains on restricted minutes just two games into his comeback, didn't speak to reporters after the game.

The son of NBA superstar LeBron James, Bronny James scored five points in 14 minutes, making 3 of 4 free throws late. He couldn't corral the ball on an alley-oop chance in the final two minutes, prompting a chant of "overrated." But Auburn fans mostly didn't react to his presence on the court.

Auburn had five scorers in double figures. Denver Jones had 12 points while Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell each had 11.

Boogie Ellis led USC with 22 points. Isaiah Collier and Oziyah Sellers each had 13. Collier fouled out.

Holloway, himself a highly recruited freshman guard, figured it had to be a challenge for James to get back into rhythm on the court.

"I was just happy to be able to see him out on the court and playing again," Holloway said. "It's always good to just play and do what you love to do. Being able to compete out there is the best thing, really."

James had made his college debut at home a week earlier in an overtime loss to Long Beach State with his father on hand. LeBron James, whose Los Angeles Lakers host the New York Knicks on Monday night, wasn't in Auburn Arena for this one.

Bronny James' mother, Savannah, watched from right behind the USC bench.

James entered the game with 16:28 left to a moderate buzz from the fans and played mostly short stints, but he wasn't able to spark a rally. In fact, the Trojans were outscored by 17 with him on the court in the first half and trailed 49-35 at halftime.

James suffered cardiac arrest during a workout at Galen Center. He was found to have a congenital heart defect that was treatable.

## BIG PICTURE
USC started a four-game road stretch. The Trojans have lost three consecutive regular-season games for the first time since losing to Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State from Feb. 1-8, 2020.

Auburn has won 49 consecutive home nonconference games and is creeping closer to the Top 25.

## UP NEXT
USC: Visits Alabama State on Tuesday night.

Auburn: Hosts Alabama State on Friday night.


# 1 person dead after Nebraska home exploded, sparking an investigation into 'destructive devices'
4:19 PM EST, December 17, 2023

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**HASTINGS, Neb. (AP)** - A body was found early Sunday after a Nebraska house explosion that authorities say was likely caused by "destructive devices."

Police in Hastings said in a news release that emergency crews rushed to the home around 3:15 a.m. after a 911 caller reported the explosion. Police and firefighters encountered secondary explosions upon arriving.

Within the debris of the destroyed home, they found the victim, the release said. The person's name wasn't immediately released.

The release said crews have been working to locate additional explosives, and the Nebraska State Patrol Bomb Squad is helping with testing.

Hastings is a town of about 25,000 people located about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Lincoln.


# Judge overturns Mississippi death penalty case, says racial bias in picking jury wasn't fully argued
December 17, 2023. 4:16 PM EST

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**GREENVILLE, Miss. (AP)** - A federal judge has overturned the death penalty conviction of a Mississippi man, finding a trial judge didn't give the man's lawyer enough chance to argue that the prosecution was dismissing Black jurors for discriminatory reasons.

U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills ruled Tuesday that the state of Mississippi must give Terry Pitchford a new trial on capital murder charges.

Mills wrote that his ruling is partially motivated by what he called former District Attorney Doug Evans ' history of discriminating against Black jurors.

A spokesperson for Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said Sunday that the state intends to appeal. Online prison records show Pitchford remained on death row Sunday at Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman.

Mills ordered the state to retry the 37-year-old man within six months, and said he must be released from custody if he is not retried by then.

Pitchford was indicted on a murder charge in the fatal 2004 robbery of the Crossroads Grocery, a store just outside Grenada, in northern Mississippi. Pitchford and friend, Eric Bullins, went to the store to rob it. Bullins shot store owner Reuben Britt three times, fatally wounding him, while Pitchford said he fired shots into the floor, court documents state.

Police found Britt's gun in a car at Pitchford's house. Pitchford, then 18, confessed to his role, saying he had also tried to rob the store 10 days earlier.

But Mills said that jury selection before the 2006 trial was critically flawed because the trial judge didn't give Pitchford's defense lawyer enough of a chance to challenge the state's reasons for striking Black jurors.

To argue that jurors were being improperly excluded, a defendant must show that discriminatory intent motivated the strikes. In Pitchford's case, judges and lawyers whittled down the original jury pool of 61 white and 35 Black members to a pool with 36 white and five Black members, in part because so many Black jurors objected to sentencing Pitchford to death. Then prosecutors struck four more Black jurors, leaving only one Black person on the final jury.

Prosecutors can strike Black jurors for race-neutral reasons, and prosecutors at the trial gave reasons for removing all four. But Mills found that the judge never gave the defense a chance to properly rebut the state's justification.

"This court cannot ignore the notion that Pitchford was seemingly given no chance to rebut the state's explanations and prove purposeful discrimination," Mills wrote.

On appeal, Pitchford's lawyers argued that some of the reasons for rejecting the jurors were flimsy and that the state didn't make similar objections to white jurors with similar issues.

Mills also wrote that his decision was influenced by the prosecution of another Black man by Evans, who is white. Curtis Flowers was tried six times in the shooting deaths of four people. The U.S. Supreme Court found Evans had improperly excluded Black people from Flowers' juries, overturning the man's conviction and death sentence.

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh called it a "relentless, determined effort to rid the jury of Black individuals."

In reporting on the Flowers case, American Public Media's "In the Dark" found what it described as a long history of racial bias in jury selection by Evans.

Mississippi dropped charges against Flowers in September 2020, after Flowers was released from custody and Evans turned the case over to the state attorney general.

Mills wrote that, on its own, the Flowers case doesn't prove anything. But he said that the Mississippi Supreme Court should have examined that history in considering Pitchford's appeal.

"The court merely believes that it should have been included in a 'totality of the circumstances' analysis of the issue," Mills wrote.


# Officials open tuberculosis probe involving dozens of schools in Nevada's most populous county
December 17, 2023. 3:45 PM EST

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**LAS VEGAS (AP)** - A tuberculosis investigation is underway involving a person with an active infection who was on dozens of elementary and high school campuses in Nevada's most populous county, according to authorities.

The person, who has not been publicly identified, was on 26 Clark County School District campuses and one training site before learning of the TB diagnosis, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported.

According to the newspaper, the Southern Nevada Health District released a list of affected schools Friday and people identified as close contacts of the person were being notified.

The district said individual notifications were happening at 17 campuses for possible exposures, but no exposures had been identified at eight campuses so far.

Health district officials said not all who were exposed will be infected and not everyone who is infected has the active disease, which is caused by bacteria and most often affects the lungs.

Tuberculosis spreads easily where people gather in crowds or live in crowded conditions.

Symptoms can include coughing that lasts at least two weeks, chest pain, coughing up blood or phlegm, weakness or fatigue, weight loss, chills, fever, night sweats and loss of appetite.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said more than 8,300 TB cases were reported nationwide last year.


# 2 men charged in Pennsylvania school van crash that killed teenage girl, injured 5
December 17, 2023. 2:59 PM EST

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**PITTSBURGH (AP)** - Two men accused of racing on a public highway in western Pennsylvania are facing charges in a crash involving a school van that left a teenage girl dead.

The crash also sent three other juveniles and two critically injured adults - including one of the defendants - to hospitals.

Allegheny County police said the Serra Catholic High School van was trying to make a left turn when it was struck by a northbound sedan on Sept. 20 in Dravosburg. The medical examiner's office said 15-year-old Samantha Lee Kalkbrenner died at the scene. Authorities said three of the four students in the van, including Kalkbrenner, were ejected and the van driver also was seriously injured.

William Soliday II, 43, of Irwin, whose car struck the van, is charged with criminal homicide, vehicular homicide, and multiple counts of aggravated assault and reckless endangering, authorities said. Andrew Voigt, 37, of Pittsburgh, whose vehicle entered the intersection moments after the crash, is charged with accidents involving death or injury and reckless endangering, authorities said. Both men, who worked at the same place nearby, are charged with racing on highways.

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala said authorities believe the two drivers were racing and that the vehicle had been turned "into a deadly weapon." Investigators said the first car is believed to have been traveling more than 100 mph (160 kph) just before the crash and the second vehicle was about two seconds behind.

Soliday's attorney, Casey White, told reporters his client sustained some head trauma and has no memory of the crash or even leaving home that day. He said the crash was an accident and there was no malicious intent on his client's part, and "words can't describe the remorse he has, his family has."

"It was a very shocking situation," Voigt's attorney David Shrager told WPXI-TV, adding how many "have passed by terrible accidents and not stopped?"


# AP's Lawrence Knutson, who covered Washington's transcendent events for nearly 4 decades, has died
By **CALVIN WOODWARD**
December 17, 2023. 6:06 PM EST

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**WASHINGTON (AP)** - Lawrence L. Knutson, a longtime Associated Press writer whose deep knowledge of the presidency, Congress and American history made him an institution in his own right, has died. He was 87.

Knutson, who had prostate cancer and other health problems, died Saturday night in hospice care at a memory care facility in Washington, said his cousin, Katherine Knutson Garrett, who had recently been managing his affairs.

Knutson's AP career spanned 37 years and the terms of eight presidents before his retirement in 2003.

In that time, he established himself as an expert on Washington - "a city of inspiration and spite, of spring bloom and eternal ambition, a low-rise marble capital that tourists honor and critics malign," he wrote. He seemed to carry the soul of the place with him, as soulless as that place could seem to be to some.

Born in Chicago, Lawrence Lauder Knutson was raised in Milwaukee and rural Wisconsin before he interrupted his university studies to enlist in the Army. He was sent to a U.S. base outside Bordeaux, France, where he produced the base newspaper and wondered "what journalism would be like if you did it for real."

He worked for the City News Bureau of Chicago after the Army and university, then the Chicago Tribune before the AP hired him in 1965. The next year, he was mere feet away, covering an open-housing march led by Martin Luther King Jr., when a rock hurled from hostile bystanders struck King on the head, knocking him to one knee.

"He recovered, and surrounded by aides, led about 700 people through hostile crowds numbering in the thousands," Knutson recalled. Knutson transferred to Washington in 1967.

Colleagues remember Knutson as an elegant writer on the transcendent events of his time. He was always quick to give acquaintances tours of Congress more intimate than the official tour guides put on. He also had his eccentricities.

"Sitting beside Larry in the Senate Press Gallery for many years, I always admired his quick grasp of a story, his writing and his love of Congress as an institution," said former AP writer Jim Luther. "And who doesn't take notes on a checkbook or use a paper clip to hold his glasses together?"

The story is legion of Knutson sleeping in late when in New York to cover a 1976 whistle-stop train tour by Jimmy Carter and presidential running mate Walter Mondale to New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Missing the train, Knutson took a succession of cabs from city to city, racking up a substantial bill only to find the train gone when he got to each stop.

In a line of work that is relentlessly focused on the moment, Knutson was also one to look back, reaching for lessons of history that informed the present.

"Larry was indeed deeply knowledgeable about Congress and Washington politics," said Sandy Johnson, a former AP Washington bureau chief. "But what I remember most vividly is his interest in history, which translated into a column we called Washington Yesterday. His insightful and delightful writing about Washington history was an antidote to the gravity and infighting of the usual capital news - and his columns always made me smile."

There was his story about presidential portraits: "George Washington came to the presidency under siege by artists who saw his character and their fortunes in the contours of his face. The American Revolution's commander in chief found persistent artists more irritating than the crack of British muskets; the lengthy sittings portrait painters required were, he said, mind-numbing wastes of fleeting time."

And this, in the age of Bill ("Slick Willie") Clinton: "A nickname, says the proverb, is 'the heaviest stone the devil can throw at a man.' Some wound and leave scars. Some stick like burrs. Others fall away and are forgotten.

"American presidents have attracted and endured nicknames ever since George Washington was called the 'Sword of the Revolution,' Father of His Country,' the 'Sage of Mount Vernon' and, interestingly, 'The Old Fox.'"

After his retirement, Knutson wrote a book about presidential vacations and retreats, "Away from the White House," published by the White House Historical Association.

Knutson will be buried in a small cemetery in City Point, Wisconsin, where many family members are interred, his cousin said. No details were immediately released on a memorial service or his survivors.


# 79-year-old Alabama woman arrested after city worker presses charges over dispute at council meeting
2:44 PM EST, December 17, 2023

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**TARRANT, Ala. (AP)** - Discord in an Alabama suburb that has seen years of political turmoil has led to the arrest of a 79-year-old woman after a city employee pressed misdemeanor charges alleging disorderly conduct and harassment.

Novilee Williams was arrested at her home in Tarrant and taken to jail Dec. 5, the day after Williams and a city accountant exchanged words during the public comment portion of a Tarrant City Council meeting, AL.com reports.

Video on the city's Facebook page shows Williams, a frequent critic of Mayor Wayman Newton, arguing with Shayla Myricks, a city accountant. Williams pushed Myricks' hand away and told the accountant to "turn around honey," the video shows.

Myricks filed misdemeanor charges against Williams, according to the police report, which accuses her of "fighting and threatening behavior in a public place."

Council Member Veronica Bandy Freeman said she believes the arrest was politically motivated.

"There are some rules for some and then there are rules for others," Freeman said. "I can only go by my experience. When a certain person gets attacked, it is a problem. They went overboard in doing that to Ms. Williams."

Newton, who wasn't in the room, said he had nothing to do with the arrest.

"But you can't go putting your hands on people," he said. "I wasn't there, and she was arrested when she put her hands on the city accountant. It was the city accountant who wanted to press charges against her. I didn't even know that it had happened until people started calling me."

It's the latest upset in the 6,000-resident town just north of Birmingham. Last month Newton tried to suspend the police, only to have the council reinstate him. The mayor sued, asking a judge to block the council from reversing the suspension. Newton is also jousting with council members over their hiring of a city manager to take over many of his duties.

Tommy Bryant, a council member, punched the mayor outside city hall in 2022. Police arrested Bryant, but he was acquitted because a judge determined Newton had used "fighting words" in sexually insulting Bryant's wife. Bryant, who is white, refused calls to resign in 2021 after using a racial slur to describe Freeman. Bryant said he was publicizing words that Newton, who is the city's first Black mayor, used to describe Freeman.

Williams criticized Newton during public comment in the Dec. 4 meeting, as she frequently does.

"I believe the mayor is being corrupt," Williams told the council. "I believe the mayor needs to be charged for something. Something's got to be done with this man."

Sitting in front of Williams in the audience, Myricks turned around to speak in defense of the mayor.

"Turn around honey," Williams shot back.

"If we can't beat him one way we'll beat him at the ballot box," Williams added.

When Myricks again turned in her seat to face Williams, the video shows, Williams touched the accountant's arm and told her to turn around.

"Don't put your hands on me," Myricks said.

"Honey, go on," Williams responded. "I'm a citizen of Tarrant, lady, and I have a right to speak, even though you are in the mayor's corner, I can see that. I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to the city council."

A few minutes later, the city video shows, a Tarrant police officer approached Williams and asked for her driver's license.

Williams said she has hired a lawyer.

"Everything is well, and I don't have a grudge against Wayman and that young lady," Williams told AL.com after her arrest. "I pray for them."

Myricks did not respond to phone calls and emails seeking comment.


# Fire destroys a Los Angeles-area church just before Christmas
December 17, 2023. 2:42 PM EST

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**POMOMA, Calif. (AP)** - A Los Angeles-area church was destroyed in a massive fire early Sunday, just hours before a celebration that was set to include a Christmas play and a toy giveaway.

Firefighters arrived at Victory Outreach church in Pomona at about 2:45 a.m., the Los Angeles County Fire Department said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

A fire department spokeswoman told television station KABC that firefighters went into an aggressive interior attack when they arrived, but after about 20 minutes the roof started to collapse and the fire expanded so they went into a defensive mode.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The Rev. Robert Garcia told television station KTLA that 500 people had registered for the church's planned celebration.

"It's a tough morning for us, because today we were getting ready to have our outreach for the whole community," he said.


# Police say a Minnesota officer shot and killed a man who was stabbing a woman
December 17, 2023. 1:51 PM EST

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**MARSHALL, Minn. (AP)** - Police in Minnesota say an officer shot and killed a man early Sunday after spotting him stabbing a woman.

Marshall police said in a news release that the officer responded around 2:40 a.m. to a domestic disturbance. Authorities said the officer used a Taser on the man after seeing the woman was being stabbed. Ultimately, shots were fired, although the news release provided few details.

The news release said the suspect died at the scene and that the woman was flown to a hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in critical condition. Neither of their names were immediately released.

Police asked the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to investigate. The agency confirmed in a message posted on X, formerly Twitter, that it is looking into what it described as a "use-of-deadly-force incident." It provided no other details.