By ANDREA TUDHOPE

Incumbent Republican Congressman Kevin Yoder and his challenger, Democrat Sharice Davids, faced off in a debate on Tuesday afternoon, just a week ahead of the midterm election. 

“I’ve done three of them by myself,” he said.

In response, Davids told the media after the debate it was “political gamesmanship,” and called out Yoder’s delay in agreeing to Tuesday’s debate.

Yoder arrived with a fresh endorsement from President Donald Trump Tuesday. 

The questions, asked by journalists from the Kansas City Star, KCPT and Fox 4 News, touched on immigration, healthcare, Trump and other topics. 

When asked which government program or service was “performing so poorly it should be eliminated,” Yoder named the Environmental Protection Agency.

“I think one of the most destructive agencies out there is the EPA,” he said. “What the EPA has attempted to do in their efforts to attack Americans and drive up their cost of doing business hurts the economy and is what caused part of the slow recession.”

Davids said she was “floored” by that.

“When I think about where we should be spending less money, certainly it’s not in protecting our environment,” she said. “But I do think there are some regulatory inefficiencies we need to be addressing.”

After the debate, Yoder said he didn’t want to eliminate the EPA, but he told KCUR the EPA needs a “better balancing act.” He said EPA regulations are increasing energy costs and hurting working-class families, pointing specifically to the Clean Power Plan, which the administration wants to toss out.

Davids cited the recently released U.N. Climate Report to argue there’s an “urgent” need to take action on climate change. 

Immigration has been a hot-button issue for both candidates, and Yoder seemed to take every opportunity he had to draw attention to a comment Davids made, on the podcast Millenial Politics, in support of abolishing ICE.

Asked whether Congress should move to end birthright citizenship, as Trump told Axios he hopes to do, Yoder skirted the question and answered that the root cause is a “failure to secure our borders.”

“My opponent, who’s running on a platform of open borders and abolishing ICE, defunding our immigration enforcement, would leave our borders open,” he said.

Davids later walked back her comments on ICE, and reiterated that she supports “bi-partisan comprehensive immigration reform,” before saying Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship by executive order is unconstitutional, and an example of why Congress needs to be a check on the executive branch.

“Representative Yoder has failed at that,” Davids said.

Protections for LGBTQ individuals also came up in the debate, after the New York Times reported last week that the Trump administration may redefine gender. 

Davids, who would become the first openly gay person to represent Kansas in Congress if elected, said LGBTQ persons should be a protected class.

“What we’ve seen this past year from this current administration, back-tracking on some of the protections for LGBT folks, is very troubling,” she said.

Yoder said he agreed, and decried discrimination against individuals on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, but he didn’t endorse specific legislation that would realize those protections. After the debate, however, he said he would support that kind of legislation, and told KCUR he doesn’t agree with the Trump administration’s reported move to redefine gender.

So far in the race, polls have shown Davids in the lead over Yoder. FiveThirtyEight has the district leaning Democrat, forecasting a greater than 80 percent likelihood Davids will win. 

 

Andrea Tudhope is a reporter for KCUR in conjunction with the Kansas News Service. Follow her on Twitter @_tudhope. KCUR news intern Celisa Calacal contributed to this report.

JACKSON COUNTY — A woman facing charges for a triple-fatal Kansas crash made a court appearance via video Monday, according to Jackson County Attorney Shawna Miller.

Maria De Jesus Perez-Marquez, 49, Omaha, arrested last week by U.S. Marshals in Nebraska was extradited to Kansas and held without bond, according to Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse. On Monday, a judge during the status hearing refused to set a bond and she remains in custody.

On October 11, she didn’t show for a hearing but was charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter, aggravated battery and reckless driving for the November 2017 crash near Holton that killed the mother, sister and uncle of two Kansas high school football players shortly after the family watched the boys’ Sabetha team win a state football championship. Two other people were injured.

Perez-Marquez will have an opportunity to request a bond modification during her next court appearance set for 10a.m. on November 7, according to Miller.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon said it’s sending 5,200 troops to the Southwest border in an extraordinary military operation ordered up just a week before midterm elections in which President Donald Trump has put a sharp focus on Central American migrants moving north in slow-moving caravans that are still hundreds of miles from the U.S.

Kansas Guardsmen will also be sent to Arizona to work with the Arizona National Guard currently supporting Customs Border Patrol Southwest Border Operations.  

The number of troops being deployed is more than double the 2,000 who are in Syria fighting the Islamic State group.

Trump, eager to keep voters focused on illegal immigration in the lead-up to the elections, stepped up his dire warnings about the caravans, tweeting, “This is an invasion of our Country and our Military is waiting for you!”

But any migrants who complete the long trek to the southern U.S. border already face major hurdles — both physical and bureaucratic — to being allowed into the United States.

In an interview Monday, Trump said the U.S. would build “tent cities” for asylum seekers.

“We’re going to put tents up all over the place,” told Fox News Channel’s Laura Ingraham. “They’re going to be very nice and they’re going to wait and if they don’t get asylum, they get out.”

Under current protocol, migrants who clear an initial screening are often released until their cases are decided in immigration court, which can take several years.

Trump denied his focus on the caravan is intended to help Republicans in next week’s midterms, saying, “This has nothing to do with elections.”

The Pentagon’s “Operation Faithful Patriot” was described by the commander of U.S. Northern Command as an effort to help Customs and Border Protection “harden the southern border” by stiffening defenses at and near legal entry points. Advanced helicopters will allow border protection agents to swoop down on migrants trying to cross illegally, said Air Force Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy.

Troops planned to bring heavy concertina wiring to unspool across open spaces between ports.

“We will not allow a large group to enter the U.S. in an unlawful and unsafe manner,” said Kevin McAleenan, commissioner of Customs and Border Protection.

Eight hundred troops already are on their way to southern Texas, O’Shaughnessy said, and their numbers will top 5,200 by week’s end. Some of the troops will be armed. He said troops would focus first on Texas, followed by Arizona and then California.

The troops will join the more than 2,000 National Guardsmen that Trump has already deployed to the border. It remained unclear Monday why the administration was choosing to send active-duty troops given that they will be limited to performing the same support functions the Guard already is doing.

The number of people in the first migrant caravan headed toward the U.S. has dwindled to about 4,000 from about 7,000 last week, though a second one was gaining steam and marked by violence. About 600 migrants in the second group tried to cross a bridge from Guatemala to Mexico en masse Monday. The riverbank standoff with Mexico police followed a more violent confrontation Sunday when the migrants used sticks and rocks against officers. One migrant was killed Sunday night by a head wound, but the cause was unclear.

The first group passed through the spot via the river — wading or on rafts — and was advancing through southern Mexico. That group appeared to begin as a collection of about 160 who decided to band together in Honduras for protection against the gangs who prey on migrants traveling alone and snowballed as the group moved north. They are mostly from Honduras, where it started, as well as El Salvador and Guatemala.

Another, smaller caravan earlier this year dwindled greatly as it passed through Mexico, with only about 200 making it to the California border.

Migrants are entitled under both U.S. and international law to apply for asylum. But there already is a bottleneck of would-be asylum seekers waiting at some U.S. border crossings to make their claims, some waiting as long as five weeks.

McAleenan said the aim of the operation was to deter migrants from crossing illegally, but he conceded his officers were overwhelmed by a surge of asylum seekers at border crossings. He also said Mexico was prepared to offer asylum to members of the caravan.

“If you’re already seeking asylum, you’ve been given a generous offer,” he said of Mexico. “We want to work with Mexico to manage that flow.”

The White House is also weighing additional border security measures, including blocking those traveling in the caravan from seeking legal asylum and preventing them from entering the U.S.

The military operation drew quick criticism.

“Sending active military forces to our southern border is not only a huge waste of taxpayer money, but an unnecessary course of action that will further terrorize and militarize our border communities,” said Shaw Drake of the American Civil Liberties Union’s border rights center at El Paso, Texas.

Military personnel are legally prohibited from engaging in immigration enforcement. The troops will include military police, combat engineers and others helping on the border.

The escalating rhetoric over the migrants and expected deployments come as the president has been trying to turn the caravans into a key election issue just days before elections that will determine whether Republicans maintain control of Congress.

“This will be the election of the caravans, the Kavanaughs, law and order, tax cuts, and you know what else? It’s going to be the election of common sense,” Trump said at a rally in Illinois on Saturday night.

On Monday, he tweeted without providing evidence, “Many Gang Members and some very bad people are mixed into the Caravan heading to our Southern Border.”

“Please go back,” he urged them, “you will not be admitted into the United States unless you go through the legal process. This is an invasion of our Country and our Military is waiting for you!”

It’s possible there are criminals mixed in, but Trump has not substantiated his claim that members of the MS-13 gang, in particular, are among them.

The troops are expected to perform a wide variety of functions such as transporting supplies for the Border Patrol, but not engage directly with migrants seeking to cross the border, officials said. One U.S. official said the troops will be sent initially to staging bases in California, Texas and Arizona while the CBP works out precisely where it wants the troops positioned. U.S. Transportation Command posted a video on its Facebook page Monday of a C-17 transport plane that it said was delivering Army equipment to the Southwest border in support of the operation.

The U.S. military has already begun delivering jersey barriers to the southern border in conjunction with the deployment plans.

————

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and immigration (all times local):

The Defense Department says it’s sending 5,200 active duty troops to “harden” the southern border against a migrant caravan making its way through Mexico.

The Kansas National Guard is currently working with National Guard Bureau to identify soldiers and airmen to support the on-going mission requirements to the Southwest Border states.  

“We appreciate the men and women of our Kansas National Guard for the service they give to our state and nation when called upon,” said Gov. Jeff Colyer. “This assignment will be an important one for those who are selected, and we send them on this mission with the full support of our state.”

Kansas Guardsmen will be sent to Arizona to work with the Arizona National Guard currently supporting Customs Border Patrol Southwest Border Operations.  The exact duties that Kansas Guardsmen will be assigned to perform are not known at this time. 

Guardsmen who deploy in support of the SWB could potentially be gone from 60 days up to one year.  Currently, Kansas has one soldier supporting the New Mexico National Guard with its SWB operations.

 

WATCH LIVE: @DeptofDefense and @DHSGov brief reporters on #DOD Deployment to Southwest border. https://t.co/oy8ecdi6yU

— U.S. Dept of Defense (@DeptofDefense) October 29, 2018

Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy tells reporters that 800 soldiers were en route on Monday and that the remainder of the troops would be at the southwest border by the end of the week.

That’s in addition to the more than 2,000 members of the National Guard already providing assistance at the border now. Officials say the troops will provide “mission enhancing capabilities” and will be armed.

The announcement comes as President Donald Trump has been trying to focus on the caravan just a week before the midterm elections.

The migrant caravan has been moving slowly north from Central America and its numbers have been dwindling.

___

12:23 p.m.

Three U.S. officials say the number of military troops deployed to the southern border in support of the Customs and Border Patrol could be in the thousands.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a troop plan that was not yet completed and had not yet been approved by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

The Wall Street Journal reported the planned deployment was likely to be much higher than officials had disclosed late last week when preliminary figures of 800 to 1,000 were cited. The Journal reported that the Pentagon plans to deploy 5,000 troops, mainly military police and engineers.

The troops are expected to perform a wide variety of functions such as transporting supplies for the Border Patrol, but not engage directly with migrants seeking to cross the border from Mexico, officials said.

___

11:29 a.m.

President Donald Trump is escalating his threats against a migrant caravan traveling to the U.S. border, labelling the effort an “invasion” and declaring the “Military is waiting for you.”

Trump tweeted Monday about the caravan of several thousand Central American migrants moving through Mexico, saying no one will be admitted “unless you go through the legal process.”

Trump also said the group includes “Gang Members and some very bad people.” He has made similar claims before without offering evidence.

The president has stepped up his focus on immigration in the days leading up to the midterm elections.

The Pentagon last week approved a request for additional troops at the southern border. The White House is also weighing additional border security measures.

____

12:44 a.m.

The U.S. military has already begun delivering jersey barriers to the southern border in conjunction with plans to deploy active duty troops there. That word comes from U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis as a caravan of Central Americans slowly heads across Mexico toward the United States.

Mattis told reporters traveling with him Sunday that details of the deployment are still being worked out but he should have them Sunday night. They will include exactly how many forces are needed. It was unclear when the details will be made public.

The additional troops will provide logistical and other support to the Border Patrol, and will bolster the efforts of the approximately 2,000 National Guard forces already there.

KANSAS CITY – A Ghana native residing in Dumfries, Va., has been indicted by a federal grand jury for his role in wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies as part of a more than $5 million romance fraud scheme, according to the United State Attorney’s Office.

Henry N. Asomani, 33, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was charged in a six-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City. That indictment was unsealed and made public  upon Asomani’s arrest and initial court appearance. Asomani remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.

According to the indictment, 13 victims lost a total of $5,075,569 in the wire fraud conspiracy over an approximately two-year period from Sept. 15, 2015, to Oct. 17, 2017. Asomani allegedly received a total of $2,993,354 from victims across the United States, including three victims in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Unknown co-conspirators targeted individuals through online dating websites with various romance frauds, the indictment says. The unknown co-conspirators impersonated individuals who were involved in businesses overseas. They convinced the victims that they needed funds to help with moving gold from a foreign country, orphanage expenses, and school and travel expenses. The co-conspirators told the victims they would share the profits when the gold was returned to the United States. In fact, none of the victims received any profit or received any gold from the co-conspirators.

For example, one victim who resides in Lee’s Summit, Mo., set up a profile on ChristianMingle.com following the death of her husband to brain cancer. In October 2015, an individual claiming to be “Larry B. White” initiated contact with her. Following numerous conversations by email and telephone, “White” convinced the victim to invest in a Ghana gold mine. “White” promised a 40 percent return on the investment of money. From November 2015 through January 2016, under the direction of “White,” the victim sent funds to multiple entities by check and wire totaling approximately $3,292,000. Of that amount, the indictment says, $2,292,000 was transferred to accounts controlled by Asomani. To date, the victim has not received any money or gold profits from “White.”

Another victim, who resides in Leawood, Kan., met “George Bill Parker” on Facebook.  “Parker” convinced the victim to send funds for gold-related expenses, such as legal fees, customs, storage, farm-related expenses and ransom. “Parker” promised he would pay the victim back with money or gold. This victim had a total loss of approximately $800,000. Of that amount, the indictment says, the victim sent approximately $220,700 to accounts controlled by Asomani.

A third victim, who resides in Kansas City, Mo., met “Bradley Fischer” on ChristianMingle.com. “Fischer” convinced the victim to send funds for school expenses, travel expenses and to start a new life in Kansas City. On July 19, 2017, the victim wired $24,000 to Asomani’s bank account. “Fischer” promised to pay the victim back when he got to Kansas City.  To date, the victim has received $1,000 back from “Fischer.”

Other victims reside in New Jersey, Alaska, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, Kansas and Iowa.

According to the indictment, Asomani wired $1,789,416 from his bank accounts in the United States to bank accounts in Ghana. He spent approximately $342,278 on auto purchases and auto- or shipping-related expenses. Asomani shipped 18 vehicles to Ghana, having a declared value of approximately $284,190.

The federal indictment charges Asomani with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of money laundering.

The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require Asomani to forfeit to the government any property derived from the proceeds of his alleged violation, including $2,993,354 and a 2019 silver Lexus NX300.

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

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita police officer will not be charged in the fatal shooting of a man who was holding his girlfriend at knifepoint.

Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said Tuesday the officer who shot Jose Ortiz in August 2017 used reasonable force in firing one shot that struck Ortiz in the head.

Bennett says an autopsy showed Ortiz was using methamphetamine during the confrontation, and the meth caused Ortiz to believe his girlfriend was hiding men in her bathroom.

The district attorney says SWAT officers who entered the home found Ortiz holding his girlfriend with a knife. He hands were tied behind her back.

Ortiz ignored commands to release his girlfriend. Bennett says when the woman winced in pain, the officer believed she was being stabbed and fired once.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – The New England Patriots say they have banned from Gillette Stadium a fan who threw beer in the face of Kansas City Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill late in the Patriots’ 43-40 win.

After scoring on a 75-yard pass with just over three minutes to play in Sunday’s game Hill’s momentum carried him through the back of the end zone and into the padded wall.

Fans made obscene gestures and threw beer at him.

The Patriots said in a statement the person broke the team’s fan code of conduct and “will be sent a letter of disinvite to all future events at Gillette Stadium.”

No name was released.

The matter has been turned over to law enforcement and Foxborough Police Chief William Baker says his department is investigating.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Faneuil, a Virginia-based company that plans to bring hundreds of jobs to downtown Wichita, is looking to hire 250 workers in the next few weeks.

The company says it will interview customer care representatives on Tuesday for a call center.

Faneuil will train employees, who must have a minimum of a high school diploma or GED.

The hiring rush is prompted by the annual open enrollment period for health insurance. Many of the positions will work with people enrolling in health insurance plans.

Jay Hinckley, senior director of the company’s Wichita sites, said with the new hires, the company will have 600 employees in Wichita.

Union Station in downtown Wichita is being renovated to accommodate up to 700 Faneuil employees.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump welcomed American pastor Andrew Brunson to the Oval Office on Saturday, celebrating his release from nearly two years of confinement in Turkey that had sparked a diplomatic row with a key ally and outcry from U.S. evangelical groups.

WELCOME HOME PASTOR ANDREW BRUNSON! pic.twitter.com/HijeAGU1gy

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 13, 2018

Brunson, who returned to the United States aboard a military jet shortly before their meeting, appeared to be in good health and good spirits. He thanked Trump for working to secure his freedom and then led his family in prayer for the president. “You really fought for us,” he told Trump.

“From a Turkish prison to the White House in 24 hours, that’s not bad,” Trump said.

Administration officials cast Brunson’s release as vindication of Trump’s hard-nosed negotiating stance, saying Turkey tried to set terms for Brunson’s release, but Trump was insistent on Brunson’s release without conditions. Trump maintained there was no deal for Brunson’s freedom, but the president dangled the prospect of better relations between the U.S. and its NATO ally.

“We do not pay ransom in this country,” Trump said.

Where previous administrations kept negotiations over U.S. prisoners held abroad close to the vest, Trump has elevated them to causes célèbres, striking a tough line with allies and foes alike.

Trump thanked Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had resisted the demands of Trump and other high-level U.S. officials for Brunson’s release. Erdogan had insisted that his country’s courts are independent, though he previously had suggested a possible swap for Brunson.

The U.S. had repeatedly called for Brunson’s release and, this year, sanctioned two Turkish officials and doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum imports citing in part Brunson’s plight.

Trump said the U.S. greatly appreciated Brunson’s release and said the move “will lead to good, perhaps great, relations” between the U.S. and fellow NATO ally Turkey, and said the White House would “take a look” at the sanctions.

Brunson’s homecoming amounts to a diplomatic high note for Trump, who is counting on the support of evangelical Christians for Republican candidates in the Nov. 6 election. Thousands of Trump’s supporters cheered Friday night at a rally in Ohio when Trump informed them that Brunson was once again a free man.

Trump asked Brunson and his family which candidate they voted for in 2016, saying he was confident they had gone for him. “I would like to say I sent in an absentee ballot from prison,” Brunson quipped, before praying that God grant Trump “supernatural wisdom.”

Evangelical voters overwhelmingly voted for the president despite discomfort with his personal shortcomings, in large part because he pledged to champion their causes, from to defending persecuted Christians overseas to appointing conservative justices to the Supreme Court. In the space of seven days, less than a month from the midterm elections, Trump delivered on both fronts.

Brunson’s case has been championed by prominent evangelical leaders such as Tony Perkins, as well as Vice President Mike Pence.

First word of Brunson’s arrival back on American soil Saturday came from Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. Perkins tweeted just after noon that he had landed at a military base outside Washington with Brunson and his wife, Norine.

Erdogan said on he hoped the two countries will continue to cooperate “as it befits two allies.” Erdogan also called for joint efforts against terrorism, and he listed the Islamic State group, Kurdish militants and the network of a U.S.-based Muslim cleric whom Turkey blames for a failed coup in 2016.

Relations between the countries have become severely strained over Brunson’s detention and a host of other issues.

A Turkish court on Friday convicted Brunson of having links to terrorism and sentenced him to just over three years in prison, but released the 50-year-old evangelical pastor because he had already spent nearly two years in detention. An earlier charge of espionage was dropped.

Hours later, Brunson was flown out of Turkey, his home for more than two decades. He was taken to a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, for a medical checkup.

“I love Jesus. I love Turkey,” an emotional Brunson, who had maintained his innocence, told the court at Friday’s hearing.

Brunson’s release could benefit Turkey by allowing the government to focus on an escalating diplomatic crisis over Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi contributor to The Washington Post who has been missing for more than a week and is feared dead after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish officials suspect Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government, was killed in the consulate; Saudi officials deny it.

Trump maintained the two cases were not linked, saying Brunson’s release amid the Khashoggi investigation was “strict coincidence.”

Turkey may also hope the U.S. will now lift the tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum imports, a move that would inject confidence into an economy rattled by high inflation and foreign currency debt.

But Brunson’s release doesn’t resolve disagreements over U.S. support for Kurdish fighters in Syria, as well as a plan by Turkey to buy Russian surface-to-air missiles. Turkey is also frustrated by the refusal of the U.S. to extradite Fethullah Gulen, a Pennsylvania-based Muslim cleric accused by Turkey of engineering the failed coup.

Brunson was accused of committing crimes on behalf of Gulen and Kurdish militants who have been fighting the Turkish state for decades. He faced up to 35 years in jail if convicted of all the charges against him.

The pastor, who is originally from Black Mountain, North Carolina, led a small congregation in the Izmir Resurrection Church. He was imprisoned for nearly two years after being detained in October 2016. Brunson was formally arrested that December and placed under house arrest on July 25 for health reasons.

___

MIAMI COUNTY, Kansas —On Friday first responders were dispatched to Hospital Drive south of 327^th Street for a vehicle in the water, according to the Miami County Sheriff.  The flood waters had receded showing the roof of a silver passenger car.  The vehicle was a 2006 Chevy Malibu owned by Rachel Phillips.  Authorities removed the car from the water and found her deceased inside.  Her cause of death has not been determined, according to the sheriff’s department.

———

MIAMI COUNTY, Kan. — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has issued a Silver Alert for Hazel L. Phillips, age 78.

According to The Miami County Sheriff, Hazel was last contacted on Tuesday in the evening hours by her family.

She told her family that she would be going to Drexel, Missouri Wednesday morning .  Hazel did not make it to her destination in Drexel, Missouri.

She is known to drive a silver 2008 Chevrolet Malibu with Kansas tag 450HLB, which is missing also.  It is unknown what Hazel is wearing. Hazel is 5-foot-6, 120 pounds, Brown hair and green eyes. Hazel may be suffering from medical conditions which could be a safety concern for her.

Hazel may be in the Paola or Osawatomie location.  If you make contact with Hazel or see her, please call the Investigations Division at the Miami County Sheriff’s Office at 913-294-3232.