WEATHER ALERT
15 states sue to block Biden's effort to help migrants in US illegally get health coverage
Read full article: 15 states sue to block Biden's effort to help migrants in US illegally get health coverageFifteen states have sued the Biden administration over a rule that is expected to allow 100,000 immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children to enroll next year in the federal Affordable Care Actโs health insurance.
Kansasโ top court bolsters a state right to abortion and strikes down 2 anti-abortion laws
Read full article: Kansasโ top court bolsters a state right to abortion and strikes down 2 anti-abortion lawsThe Kansas Supreme Court has reaffirmed its stance that the state constitution protects abortion access.
Judge's order greatly expands where Biden can't enforce a new rule protecting LGBTQ+ students
Read full article: Judge's order greatly expands where Biden can't enforce a new rule protecting LGBTQ+ studentsA federal judge in Kansas has blocked a federal rule expanding anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ students from being enforced in four states and a patchwork of places elsewhere across the nation.
Missouri, Kansas judges temporarily halt much of President Biden's student debt forgiveness plan
Read full article: Missouri, Kansas judges temporarily halt much of President Biden's student debt forgiveness planFederal judges in Kansas and Missouri have together blocked much of a Biden administration student loan repayment plan that provides a faster path to cancellation and lower monthly payments for millions of borrowers.
Takeaways from Supreme Court ruling: Abortion pill still available but opponents say fight not over
Read full article: Takeaways from Supreme Court ruling: Abortion pill still available but opponents say fight not overThe Supreme Court unanimously upheld access to a drug used in the majority of U.S. abortions, though abortion opponents say the ruling wonโt be the last word in the fight over mifepristone.
Oklahoma sues natural gas companies over price spikes during 2021 winter storm
Read full article: Oklahoma sues natural gas companies over price spikes during 2021 winter stormOklahoma's attorney general is suing two Texas-based natural gas companies over soaring prices during Winter Storm Uri in 2021.
Republican states file lawsuit challenging Biden's student loan repayment plan
Read full article: Republican states file lawsuit challenging Biden's student loan repayment planA group of Republican-led states is suing the Biden administration to block a new student loan repayment plan that provides a faster path to cancellation and lower monthly payments for millions of borrowers.
As Kansas nears gender care ban, students push university to advocate for trans youth
Read full article: As Kansas nears gender care ban, students push university to advocate for trans youthAs Kansas prepares to ban gender-affirming care for minors, students at the state's largest university taking action.
Kansas considers limits on economic activity with China and other 'countries of concern'
Read full article: Kansas considers limits on economic activity with China and other 'countries of concern'Republican legislators in Kansas have advanced proposals to limit the state's involvement with individuals and companies from China and other U.S. adversaries.
Kansas' AG is telling schools they must out trans kids to parents, even with no specific law
Read full article: Kansas' AG is telling schools they must out trans kids to parents, even with no specific lawKansasโ attorney general is telling public schools that theyโre required to tell parents their children are transgender or nonbinary even if theyโre not out at home.
Kansas will no longer change trans people's birth certificates to reflect their gender identities
Read full article: Kansas will no longer change trans people's birth certificates to reflect their gender identitiesKansas will no longer change transgender peopleโs birth certificates to reflect their gender identities.
Kansas officials are no longer required to change trans peopleโs birth certificates, judge says
Read full article: Kansas officials are no longer required to change trans peopleโs birth certificates, judge saysA federal judge says Kansas officials are no longer required to change transgender peopleโs birth certificates so the documents reflect their gender identities.
The initial online search that spurred a raid on a Kansas paper was legal, a state agency says
Read full article: The initial online search that spurred a raid on a Kansas paper was legal, a state agency saysA Kansas Department of Revenue spokesperson says the initial online search of a state website that led a central Kansas police chief to raid a local weekly newspaper was legal.
An anti-trans Kansas law doesn't prevent birth certificate changes, the governor argues
Read full article: An anti-trans Kansas law doesn't prevent birth certificate changes, the governor arguesThe Democratic governor in Kansas is defending changes in the sex listings on transgender peopleโs birth certificates in federal court.
Kansas lawmakers botched the drafting of a new anti-trans law, agency attorney says
Read full article: Kansas lawmakers botched the drafting of a new anti-trans law, agency attorney saysA state agency's lawyer contends that Kansas legislators botched the drafting of a new law for preventing transgender people from changing how their sex is listed on their driver's licenses.
Kansas must stop changing trans people's sex listing on driver's licenses, judge says
Read full article: Kansas must stop changing trans people's sex listing on driver's licenses, judge saysA state-court judge has ordered Kansas to stop allowing transgender people to change the listing for sex on their driverโs licenses.
Kansas attorney general sues to prevent transgender people from changing driver's licenses
Read full article: Kansas attorney general sues to prevent transgender people from changing driver's licensesThe Republican attorney general in Kansas is asking a state court to block transgender residents from changing their sex on their driver's licenses.
The number of Kansas residents officially changing genders quadrupled this year ahead of a new law
Read full article: The number of Kansas residents officially changing genders quadrupled this year ahead of a new lawFour times as many Kansans changed their gender on birth certificates and driverโs licenses this year ahead of a new state law that prevents residents from identifying themselves differently than the sex assigned them at birth.
Kansas must undo gender changes for trans people in state records, attorney general says
Read full article: Kansas must undo gender changes for trans people in state records, attorney general saysThe conservative Republican attorney general of Kansas says a new Kansas law requires the state to reverse any previous gender changes in its records for trans peopleโs birth certificates and driverโs licenses while also preventing such changes going forward.
In some states with laws on transgender bathrooms, officials may not know how they will be enforced
Read full article: In some states with laws on transgender bathrooms, officials may not know how they will be enforcedU.S. states with laws restricting what bathrooms transgender kids can use in public schools are wrestling with how those laws will be enforced.
Kansas' attorney general is moving to block trans people from changing their birth certificates
Read full article: Kansas' attorney general is moving to block trans people from changing their birth certificatesKansasโ conservative Republican attorney general is moving to prevent transgender people born in the state from changing their birth certificates to reflect their gender identities.
Kansas governor thwarts small legal settlement with business over COVID-19 restrictions
Read full article: Kansas governor thwarts small legal settlement with business over COVID-19 restrictionsKansasโ Democratic governor has scuttled a small legal settlement between the state and the owner of a Wichita fitness studio forced to shut down during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic and then operate under restrictions.
In Arizona, losing candidate points to perceived conflict
Read full article: In Arizona, losing candidate points to perceived conflictRepublican Kari Lake and supporters of her failed campaign for Arizona governor are attacking Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs as having a conflict of interest for overseeing the election she won.
Rhode Island Gov. McKee narrowly wins Democratic primary
Read full article: Rhode Island Gov. McKee narrowly wins Democratic primaryRhode Island Gov. Dan McKee eked out a victory in his Democratic primary on Tuesday, beating back strong challenges from a pair of opponents as he seeks his first full term in office.
Kansas governor breaks with Biden in appeal to GOP voters
Read full article: Kansas governor breaks with Biden in appeal to GOP votersDemocratic Gov. Laura Kelly has signaled her efforts to appeal to moderate Republican and GOP-leaning independent voters whose support is necessary for her to win a tough reelection race in Kansas next year.
Report: Most federal election security money remains unspent
Read full article: Report: Most federal election security money remains unspentA federal report finds that in the run up to the 2020 presidential election U.S. states and territories had spent less than a third of the $805 million Congress had provided to shore up security for state and local election systems.
US states look to step up wolf kills, pushed by Republicans
Read full article: US states look to step up wolf kills, pushed by RepublicansWolf hunting policies in some states are taking an aggressive turn, as Republican lawmakers and conservative hunting groups push to curb their numbers and propose tactics shunned by many wildlife managers. AdThe timing of the Wisconsin hunt was bumped up following a lawsuit that raised concerns President Joe Bidenโs administration would intervene to restore gray wolf protections. The states have been holding annual hunts since, and wildlife officials cite stable population levels as evidence of responsible wolf management. AdโToo many wolves,โ Republican state Sen. Bob Brown said of his mountainous district in northwest Montana. AdโIโm not surprised weโre seeing hunting groups wrap themselves in the mantle of patriotism,โ Winkler said.
Supreme Court won't revive Kansas voter registration ID law
Read full article: Supreme Court won't revive Kansas voter registration ID lawWASHINGTON โ The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from Kansas that sought to revive a law requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. A federal appeals court had declared the law unconstitutional. The law was championed by former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who led President Donald Trumpโs now-defunct voter fraud commission. Circuit Court of Appeals declared the law unconstitutional in April, affirming a trial court ruling. โWe don't have massive voter fraud in the state of Kansas.
GOP in ruby red Kansas stresses over costly Senate race
Read full article: GOP in ruby red Kansas stresses over costly Senate raceMarshall is facing stiff competition from state Sen. Barbara Bollier in the race to fill an open Senate seat in Kansas. Republicans are sweating a race in a state where they havenโt lost a Senate race since 1932 and where Democrats have sometimes conceded contests by Labor Day. The coronavirus pandemic and Trump's unpopularity with many voters are also weighing on Kansas Republicans. The Senate race wasnโt supposed to be so hard for Republicans. The leaders feared Kobach, a conservative hardliner, would reprise his 2018 loss in the governorโs race to Democrat Laura Kelly and hand the Senate seat to the Democrats.
Kansas Democrats excited about ex-GOP lawmaker's Senate bid
Read full article: Kansas Democrats excited about ex-GOP lawmaker's Senate bidA very sharp mind, but independent in her thinking, said former state Rep. Tom Moxley, a moderate Republican and central Kansas rancher and farmer. Bollier won her Kansas Senate seat in 2012. She's very task-oriented," said Joan Wagnon, a former Kansas Democratic Party chairwoman and ex-Topeka mayor. She will have a very liberal voting record, if she would get to the Senate, Marshall said. Nine conservative GOP senators joined in a statement that excoriated Bollier's remarks as offensive and anti-Catholic prejudice.She never was integrated into the Republican Party, said Kelly Arnold, a former Kansas Republican Party chairman.
Rep. Marshall's primary win in Kansas buoys GOP Senate hopes
Read full article: Rep. Marshall's primary win in Kansas buoys GOP Senate hopesMarshall's first tasks were quickly refilling his campaign treasury and rebuilding Republican unity after an often-bitter primary campaign. GOP leaders had feared that the Kansas seat would be in play if lightning-rod conservative Kris Kobach won the nomination after losing the 2018 Kansas governor's race. Trump, who had refused to intervene in the primary despite prodding from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, tweeted his Complete and Total Endorsement of Marshall early Wednesday morning. THE issue is who controls the Senate majority. Kelly Arnold, a former Kansas Republican Party chairman, predicted that Republicans will unite quickly behind Marshall because of the threat to the party's Senate majority.
Kansas Senate race tests GOP leaders' power to block Kobach
Read full article: Kansas Senate race tests GOP leaders' power to block KobachTrump didnt intervene to help Rep. Roger Marshall in a crowded field, despite prodding from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others. Trump didnt intervene to help Rep. Roger Marshall in a crowded field, despite prodding from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others. The GOP already faces a potentially tough year in trying to retain its 53-47 Senate majority with competitive races in other states, including Arizona, Colorado and Maine. Counties could accept ballots until Friday so long as they were postmarked Tuesday, creating uncertainty that the GOP Senate primary would be decided before then. He also had the backing of 97-year-old political icon Bob Dole, the former U.S. Senate majority leader and 1996 GOP presidential nominee.
GOP leaders can't bank on Trump's help in Kansas Senate race
Read full article: GOP leaders can't bank on Trump's help in Kansas Senate race(AP Photo/John Hanna)HOLTON, Kan. Establishment Republican leaders are scrambling to pull out a win in a tense party battle for the nomination in the Kansas Senate race, and they won't be able to count on last-minute help from President Donald Trump. Trump's neutrality leaves the Kansas primary heading to a tight finish Tuesday under a barrage of attack ads from political action committees. Thats why the Senate race is so important in Kansas.Republican leaders have been trying to avoid a Kobach nomination for seven months, but the stakes have increased in recent weeks. The once-safe seat in a state where Republicans have won every Senate race since 1932 now looks shaky and a loss the GOP can't afford. In Kansas, Kobach has played up his ties to the president even without an endorsement.
Surging Democrats expand Senate targets to GOP states
Read full article: Surging Democrats expand Senate targets to GOP statesDemocrats have at least a punchers chance of grabbing Republican-held seats in four states Trump won by double digits: Alaska, Kansas, Kentucky and South Carolina. They argue that Trump's name on the ballot will give Senate candidates in Republican states a major edge and say they're spending there because Democrats are raising sums that can't be ignored. An expensive battle is brewing over Ernst's Iowa seat, with outside Democratic and GOP groups each planning to spend over $20 million. Kelly has a solid chance of defeating GOP Sen. Martha McSally while Harrison is waging an unlikely drive to oust Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally. Republicans are eyeing Alaska, where GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan's likely opponent is Al Gross, an independent with Democratic support.
GOP establishment boosting Kansas congressman's Senate bid
Read full article: GOP establishment boosting Kansas congressman's Senate bidThey're growing more vocal about describing Marshall as the best alternative for keeping the Kansas seat out of play in a potentially difficult fall for defending Republicans' Senate majority. You're seeing a lot of people starting to circle the wagons around Roger Marshall, said Kelly Arnold, a former state GOP chairman. Kobach, Marshall and Bob Hamilton, the founder of a Kansas City-area plumbing company, are running with eight other candidates in the most crowded GOP field since Kansas began holding Senate primaries more than 100 years ago. That was showing their hand, that they wanted everybody to be for Marshall, said Tim Shallenburger, a former Kansas GOP chairman and state treasurer. He said the party always anticipated that its last candidate event on July 15 might involve them talking issues rather than throwing jabs. He said any of the major GOP candidates are better alternative than Bollier.
GOP reckons with polarizing candidates amid civil unrest
Read full article: GOP reckons with polarizing candidates amid civil unrestRepublican leaders looking to broaden the party's appeal were buoyed Tuesday when Iowans refused to renominate Rep. Steve King, known for racially incendiary comments. Republican leaders are taking steps to withhold support from candidates with extreme views. King was stripped of committee assignments last year by House Republican leaders after he defended white nationalism. In Kansas, Pompeo failed to file this week to become a Senate GOP candidate. Emmer, the House GOP campaign chairman, said people are nervous about safety and Trumps stance will prove a winning November message.
With Pompeo out, GOP looks to Rep. Marshall in Kansas race
Read full article: With Pompeo out, GOP looks to Rep. Marshall in Kansas raceIt also left Marshall and Kobach, the former Kansas secretary of state who lost the 2018 governor's race, as the top rivals in a GOP field of 11 candidates. Many Republicans fear that Kobach's nomination would put the seat in play even though Republicans have won every Senate election in Kansas since 1932. He said GOP voters know he strongly opposes abortion and dismissed the nervousness among some top Republicans about him. But Marshall pollster Robert Blizzard said Marshalls fundraising will improve with Pompeo officially out of the race. Marshall faces plans for $2.2 million in television ads attacking him by the national anti-tax, free-market group Club for Growth.
Kansas GOP waits to see whether plumber's Senate bid surges
Read full article: Kansas GOP waits to see whether plumber's Senate bid surgesA moderator signals 30-seconds remaining to senate candidate Rep. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., right, during a GOP senatorial debate In Manhattan, Kan., Saturday, May 23, 2020. David Lindstrom, left, Susan Wagle, second from left, Kris Kobach, middle, and Bob Hamilton, second from right, share the debate stage. With the GOP worried about keeping its U.S. Senate majority, the party doesn't need a money-pit race in Kansas when Republicans have won every U.S. Senate race there since 1932. Marshall touted his work on the House Agriculture Committee in four years in Congress and endorsements from the Kansas Farm Bureau and Kansas Livestock Association. Lindstrom also described himself as a businessman-outsider, but he has served on an elected community college board and the Kansas Turnpike Authority.