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A group of Triad faith leaders held a press conference earlier in the week criticizing Republican Mark Robinson’s stance on LGBTQ+ issues while claiming he had “misused Jesus” for political purposes.
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Former Kansas police chief who raided newspaper charged with felony.​

A former Kansas police chief who raided a local newspaper and the home of its publisher has been charged with a felony.

The case brought notoriety to a small Kansas town last summer amid an outcry they amounted to an overreach against free speech, especially after the elderly co-owner of the newspaper died the day after the raid.


Joan Meyer, co-owner of the Marion County Record newspaper, reportedly told the officers, “You know, if I have a heart attack and die it’s going to be all your fault.” The next day the 98-year-old died. Her son Eric Meyer and paper sued in federal court and the former police chief has been charged with a felony for trying to impede the judicial process.

Joan Meyer, co-owner of the Marion County Record newspaper, reportedly told the officers, “You know, if I have a heart attack and die it’s going to be all your fault.” The next day the 98-year-old died. Her son Eric Meyer and paper sued in federal court and the former police chief has been charged with a felony for trying to impede the judicial process.© Provided by Eric Meyer's joint federal lawsuit with the Record County Record
A special prosecutor on the case charged Gideon Cody on Monday with one count of interfering with a judicial process in connection with the Aug. 11, 2023, raid on the Marion County Record, the home of Eric Meyer and Joan Meyer, and the home of former Vice Mayor Ruth Herbel.

Eric Meyer told USA TODAY via email that while he is pleased to "FINALLY be cleared of wrongdoing" and to see criminal charges, he is disappointed the charges didn't address what he sees as constitutional violations.

"Even though special prosecutors clearly indicated the raid was wrong, the charges filed aren’t about the raid but rather about an alleged cover-up afterward – Chief Gideon Cody’s efforts to have supposed victim Kari Newell delete text messages they had exchanged," Meyer wrote in an email. "That's disappointing and a prime reason why the real resolution of this case is likely to come in civil suits we and others have filed in federal court."

The Marion Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Court records did not list a defense attorney for Cody as of Tuesday afternoon.

The charge is tied to an apparent attempt to cover up what happened, not the actual raids, according to a public report the special prosecutors released last week. The report indicates that the alleged crime stems from text messages after warrants were carried out between Cody and Kari Newell, a local restaurant owner reporters had been investigating.


Why did Marion police raid the Marion County Record?​

Cody was Marion's new police chief at the time of the raid. The newspaper's owner Eric Meyer emailed Cody about Newell's driving record. While reporter Phyllis Zorn confirmed the driving record through public records available online from the Kansas Department of Revenue, the newspaper decided against publishing a story as they were suspicious that Newell's estranged husband may have been instigating since the couple was going through a divorce.

Cody investigated the newspaper for having Newell's driving record, and an officer also called the Kansas Department of Revenue. Officer Zach Hudlin then "reached what appears to have been an honest but mistaken conclusion that journalist Phyllis Zorn had falsified her name and motives to gain access to the KDOR records."


Former Police Chief Gideon Cody was charged Monday with interfering with a judicial process in connection with the Aug. 11, 2023, raid on the Marion County Record, the home of Eric Meyer and Joan Meyer, and the home of former Vice Mayor Ruth Herbel.

Former Police Chief Gideon Cody was charged Monday with interfering with a judicial process in connection with the Aug. 11, 2023, raid on the Marion County Record, the home of Eric Meyer and Joan Meyer, and the home of former Vice Mayor Ruth Herbel.© Provided by Eric Meyer's joint federal lawsuit with the Record County Record

The investigation culminated in Cody applying for search warrants targeting the newspaper. Cody was placed on administrative leave on Sept. 29, 2023, after the city determined that after the raid Cody instructed Newell to delete text messages. He resigned from the top job a few days later, on Oct. 2.

The raid thrust Marion, a rural town of about 2,000 people in central Kansas, into the national spotlight.

"The specter of ulterior motives, personal animus and conclusions based not on the investigation but rather on assumptions permeates much of this case," the special prosecutors wrote.

Joan Meyer died following the raid on her home​

Eric Meyer co-owned the newspaper with his 98-year-old mother, Joan Meyer, who died the day after the raid. Her son blamed her death on the stress she suffered during the raid. His attorney noted in a federal lawsuit over his mother's death that she told officers at the time, “You know, if I have a heart attack and die it’s going to be all your fault.”


The suit accuses the city of violating the First Amendment and carrying out an overly broad search. It asks the court to weigh in on "the intolerable violation of their constitutional rights and the constitutional rights of Joan Meyer, and to deter the next crazed cop from threatening democracy the way Chief Cody did when he hauled away the newspaper’s computers and its reporters’ cell phones in an ill-fated attempt to silence the press."

Meyer's federal lawsuit includes a notice of intent to add a wrongful death claim.

The special prosecutors on the criminal case did not charge the officers who executed the warrant with any crimes. They suggested an involuntary manslaughter conviction could be overturned due to hindsight bias.

Prosecutors said that people could assume that Meyer would not have died when she did if not for the execution of the warrants, but presumption is not enough to warrant a criminal conviction. While they said the warrants would not have withstood appellate review, the officers executed the warrant in line with how they typically would and were not reckless.


"There is no evidence to suggest that the officers intended to cause Mrs. Meyer's death, or that they knew that executing the warrant would cause her death," the report said.

Marion County Record cleared of wrongdoing​

The special prosecutors cleared Marion County Record employees of wrongdoing, writing that there was "no evidence ... of any crime defined by Kansas statute."


Police Chief Gideon Cody was investigating the Marion County Record on allegations it illegally obtained the driving record of a local business owner. The investigation culminated in Cody applying for search warrants targeting the newspaper.

Police Chief Gideon Cody was investigating the Marion County Record on allegations it illegally obtained the driving record of a local business owner. The investigation culminated in Cody applying for search warrants targeting the newspaper.© Provided by Eric Meyer's joint federal lawsuit with the Record County Record


They were less absolute in their language about not charging other people involved in the raid, including Cody and fellow law enforcement officers.

While the special prosecutors were critical of Cody's "inadequate investigation" into the matter, "there is no evidence that Marion law enforcement agents recognized the inadequacy of the investigation." Rather, they said, the local police "genuinely believed they were investigating criminal acts."


The special prosecutors found that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation – which turned over the case to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation once it came to light that the KBI had some level of involvement before the raid – had little involvement and "there is no evidence they were responsible for the issuance or execution of the search warrants."

What's the latest in the case?​

The criminal complaint alleges that Cody "knowingly or intentionally in any criminal investigation induced a witness to withhold information" in a felony case. The complaint lists multiple witnesses for the state, including Meyer, Zorn and former reporter Deb Gruver.

The charge comes a week after Wilkerson and Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett, another special prosecutor on the case, issued a 124-page report outlining their findings.


"Journalists, attorneys, mental health professionals and members of the clergy each have long-recognized privileges in our law rooted in the freedom of religion, freedom of the press and right to legal representation," Bennett and Wilkerson wrote. "When a member of one of these professions becomes a suspect in a crime, law enforcement has the ability to investigate. However, in these situations, it is incumbent on law enforcement to take precautions to limit the scope of their investigation."


The prosecutors said investigators should pursue a subpoena or use other methods before seeking a search warrant for a press room, law office, church or mental health professional's office. Search warrants "should be sought only in extraordinary circumstances and with extreme caution."
 
I can't help but assume that mean that the drug companies will increase prices for those drugs when sold outside of Medicare.
They'd have to renegotiate those prices with other insurance companies. Those without insurance will probably see prices increases.
 
They'd have to renegotiate those prices with other insurance companies. Those without insurance will probably see prices increases.
and you couple it with ACA insured people.....the ACA insured folks will most likely have the same Govt Entity that negotiated this deal...also negotiating the pricing for ACA insured people.....so I bet they will get the same deal with the Drug Companies...or very comparable deal with everyone on ACA insurance

Other stand alone private insurance companies etc.....bout to see how good their negotiators really are
 
This would really move the US forward. Please, please, all that hate our ideals, go to Russia!

But but but but but

I thought the DEMOCRATS were the Communist..

But the DEMS are the ones Trump claims are responsible for Western Liberal Ideals. ....so much so the GOP calls them ALL liberals

So does this mean if you are aligned with Trump and Reject Liberal Policies you're more aligned with the COMMUNIST as a Republican!!???!?!

Several People on this very board claiming that Dems are Communist, just got exposed by PUTIN HIMSELF.....
 
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Welcome to the Age of the STEALTH MISSILE

LRASM: The U.S. Military's 'Stealth Munition' That Has China Freaked Out


Summary and Key Points: The recent successful demonstration of the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) during the RIMPAC military exercises near Hawaii has sent a clear signal to China regarding the U.S. military's capability to counter China's anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) systems.


-Developed by Lockheed Martin and DARPA, the LRASM is a stealth missile designed for precision targeting, even in electronically degraded environments.

-With a range of 200 nautical miles, the missile can be launched from various U.S. aircraft, including the F/A-18F Super Hornet and the B-2 Spirit bomber.

LRASM: The Stealth Missile Is Here

The LRASM's advanced features, including GPS navigation, infrared sensors, and the ability to evade countermeasures, make it a crucial tool in restoring naval deterrence against China. Despite its high cost, the missile is seen as a vital asset in the U.S. military's strategy to maintain dominance in the Indo-Pacific region.

A recent successful demonstration of a new stealth missile at the annual RIMPAC military exercises near Hawaii has got the world on notice.

Fired from an F/A-18F Super Hornet belonging to the U.S. Navy, the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), a weapon developed by Lockheed Martin and DARPA, is meant to send a clear message to China.

That message is that despite China’s anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities, the U.S. military can still threaten Chinese forces – and that threat can come from over the horizon as never before.


The Specs

DARPA began researching the LRASM capability around 2009. Navy anti-ship missiles such as the Harpoon were getting old – the technological progress of America’s adversaries meant the Harpoon would eventually be outdated. By incorporating stealth technology and adding longer-range capabilities and advanced autonomous targeting, the U.S. military was trying to stay ahead of their adversaries.

America retains considerable (though declining) advantages in the strategic high ground of space. One major asset the Americans have developed over the years has been the Global Positioning System. Indeed, most U.S. military weapons and platforms require access to GPS to function properly. The LRASM leverages this advantage, making the weapon’s targeting more precise. It then fuses GPS navigational capabilities with a multi-modal sensor network. In other words, there’s no way an enemy is getting away from this weapon – unless that enemy first knocks out the GPS satellite constellation.



There’s more going on with this incredible weapon, too.

The LRASM has an additional infrared sensor system that allows for even greater target acquisition. These weapons can reportedly operate in significantly electronically degraded environments as well. What’s more, this “stealth missile” can evade countermeasures and avoid decoys by making radical course corrections.

LRASM’s successful tests at the recent RIMPAC exercises show it as the best conventional strike missile the Americans have developed.

It has been suggested that the LRASM has a range of 200 nautical miles, meaning this weapon can reach deep inside Chinese-held territory in the Indo-Pacific, if need be. The hope among U.S. military planners is that the LRASM system can restore naval deterrence, which has been destabilized by the rapid military advances at sea of American rivals such as China.


To China, With Love

The fact that the Navy tested the LRASM during RIMPAC should tell readers all they need to know about who was the intended recipient of the message sent.

This weapon can be popped off from multiple warplanes in the American fleet – everything from the aforementioned F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the workhorse of the U.S. Navy’s air warfare capability, and the Air Force’s B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bomber. Further, the Navy is working to make the LRASM interoperable with allied militaries.


Specifically, the Australians, who have become a principal partner in the U.S. military’s quest to deter and contain China’s rise, have opted to integrate the LRASM into their forces.

The LRASM is not cheap, however.

According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, the LRASM is appraised at “$3.24 million per round, while the five-year buy reduces that unit cost slightly to $3.22 million per missile.”


For a missile system, that is expensive. But with two branches of the U.S. military using this system, and an allied nation jumping into the program as well, costs should come down in the long run.

The LRASM is one of the solutions to overcoming China’s A2/AD advantages. If a war were to erupt soon, the LRASM is one of only a handful of systems that the U.S. military can reliably deploy to defeat China.

Instead of blowing limited funds on things like a sixth-generation warplane for the Air Force, or the F/A-XX program for the Navy, maybe the Pentagon should reroute those funds toward building a massive arsenal of LRASM systems.
 
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