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☆ Thousands of student-loan borrowers got their debt wiped through a new repayment reform. 11 GOP states just filed a lawsuit to block that relief.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Eleven GOP state attorneys general filed a lawsuit to block the SAVE income-driven repayment plan. They argued that the shortened timeline for debt relief through the plan is unconstitutional. An Education Department official said Congress allows the authority to set terms for income-driven repayment. While the lawsuit makes several comparisons to the debt relief plan the Supreme Court struck down, the legal basis for the two plans differ. The Education Department is currently undergoing the negotiated rulemaking process for its second attempt at a broader form of debt relief.

Persons: —, Joe Biden's, Kris Kobach —, Miguel Cardona, Biden's, Biden, Kobach, Harris Organizations: GOP, An Education Department, Service, Biden, Education, Republican, Education Department, Business, US Department of Education, Harris Administration, Higher Locations: Kansas

Republican Kris Kobach’s action was his latest move to restrict transgender rights, following his successful efforts last year to temporarily block Democratic Gov. It’s also part of a trend of GOP attorneys general asserting their authority in culture war issues without a specific state law. Kobach maintains that failing to disclose when a child is socially transitioning or identifying as non-binary at school violates a parents' rights. But Kobach didn't cite Kansas law in his letters to the state school boards association, the Topeka school district and the Kansas City, Shawnee Mission and Olathe school districts in the Kansas City area. But they also look outward, and Kobach's letters weren't the first to issue warnings not grounded in a specific state law.

Persons: they're, Kris Kobach’s, Laura Kelly’s, It’s, Kobach, general's, “, ”, Jordan Smith, Smith, Sen, Renee Erickson, Erickson, ” Kobach, Ken Paxton, it's, Tom Alonzo, Michelle Hubbard, ” Hubbard, ___ Mulvihill Organizations: Democratic, Kansas City, Kansas Association of School Boards, Movement Advancement, Wichita, Shawnee Mission, Seattle Children’s Hospital Locations: TOPEKA, Kan, Kansas, Topeka, Kansas City, Shawnee, Olathe, Wichita, “, Texas, Washington, Georgia, Kansas City , Kansas, Cherry Hill , New Jersey

The state Supreme Court's brief order Tuesday shutting down the suit said legislators have fulfilled promises of annual increases in aid to the state's 286 local school districts as outlined in a 2019 law. But closing the case gives the Legislature more leeway on school funding issues in the short term. Educators who feel legislators aren't providing enough money or distributing it fairly enough were able to take their complaints directly to the state Supreme Court while the case was open. Four school districts sued the state in 2010, and the Supreme Court issued seven rulings from 2010 to 2019. The first six told lawmakers that they needed to increase spending or distribute the money more fairly or both.

Persons: backtracked, Vic Miller, Eric Rosen, ” Leah Fliter, Laura Kelly, Kelly, “, Dan Hawkins, Sen, Molly Baumgardner, Kris Kobach, Kobach, ” Kobach, Alan Rupe, ” Organizations: Republican, GOP, Republicans, Kansas House, Kansas Association of School, Democratic Gov, Wichita Republican Locations: TOPEKA, Kan, Kansas, —, Wichita, Kansas City

The Kansas Highway Patrol must stop using a tactic known as the “Kansas Two-Step” to detain out-of-state drivers long enough to find a reason to search their vehicles for illegal drugs, a federal judge has ruled. It follows Vratil's ruling in July that determined that the tactic violated drivers' constitutional rights against unreasonable searches. The judge concluded that the patrol targeted drivers traveling along Interstate 70 to or from states that have legalized either the medical or recreational use of marijuana. “The Kansas Highway Patrol is not above the law,” Sharon Brett, legal director for the ACLU of Kansas, said in a statement Tuesday. Questions about the patrol’s tactics became more visible after Colorado legalized recreational marijuana almost a decade ago.

Persons: Kathryn H, Vratil, KHP, Candice Breshears, Kris Kobach, ” Sharon Brett Organizations: Patrol, Civil Liberties Union Locations: Kansas, U.S, Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will no longer change transgender people's birth certificates to reflect their gender identities, the state health department said Friday, citing a new law that prevents the state from legally recognizing those identities. The decision from the state Department of Health and Environment makes Kansas one of a handful of states that won't change transgender people's birth certificates. They came in response to court filings by conservative Republican state Attorney General Kris Kobach to enforce the new state law. Under the conservative Republicans who were governor before Kelly, transgender residents also couldn’t change their birth certificates. A federal judge signed off on a settlement agreement requiring the state to change transgender people’s birth certificates.

Persons: Laura Kelly's, Kris Kobach, Jaelynn, I’ve, ” Abegg, Kobach, Kelly, ” Omar Gonzalez, ”, ” Kobach, they've, ___ Hollingsworth, ___, John Hanna Organizations: of Health, Environment, Democratic Gov, Republican, GOP, Kansas, Lambda, Republicans, Lambda Legal, Kansas Supreme, American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas Locations: TOPEKA, Kan, Kansas, Wichita, U.S . Montana , Oklahoma, Tennessee, Montana, Mission , Kansas, kansas

☆ Opinion | The Lines Between Red and Blue America Are Blurring, Not Hardening
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Jesse Nathan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

We canned our own tomatoes and turned ice cream by hand but also traveled to the East Coast for b’nai mitzvah. This summer a little town of a few thousand near my family’s farm held a Pride parade — for the fourth time. There’s even a small queer community at the little high school I attended. These so-called red states are their home, and many of them will raise families there. Kansas was, after all, the first state to reject — resoundingly — an effort to roll back abortion access after Roe was struck down.

Persons: peck, —, John Prine, “, George Eliot, Rosa Luxemburg, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Angela Davis, Pete Seeger, I’d, Matthew Shepard’s, Kris Kobach, Roe Organizations: University of California, Columbia Law School, United Farm Workers, Oakland, Mennonite, for Rural Culture Locations: Oakland, Berkeley, Kansas, California, East Coast, There’s, Kansas , Texas , Ohio, New York

☆ You can get paid $110,000 to become a 'pizza influencer' in NYC
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Slice, which handles online orders for pizza shops, is hiring a full-time pizza influencer. It's searching for a pizza influencer who will become the "'face' of the company" on its social media accounts for a salary of $85,000 to $110,000, per the job posting. Matthew Kobach, the company's marketing VP, told Insider the ideal candidate is someone who can make "pizza synonymous with Slice." Although it's a full-time role with benefits and a 401k, Slice's pizza influencer will be eligible to take deals from other brands on a case-by-case basis, Kobach said. "If you make it essentially glorified ads, no one is going to watch them, and your organic social media is really going to serve no purpose."

Persons: Matthew Kobach, Kobach, ince, ake Organizations: Service, New Locations: Wall, Silicon, New York City

New York CNN —A 68-year-old woman has her job back after she was fired last month for attempting to stop shoplifters at a Lowe’s store in Georgia. “The Lowes (sic) employee, Donna Hansbrough was fired for attempting to stop the theft,” the post said. “After senior management became aware of the incident and spoke to Donna Hansbrough today, we are reinstating her job and we are pleased that she has accepted the offer to return to Lowe’s,” Lowe’s said. In Kansas, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican, said retail crime is a “spiraling problem,” adding that Kansas and Missouri are among the top 10 states in the nation for the volume of retail crime. “There is a link between drug trafficking and organized retail crime,” Kobach told lawmakers in June.

Persons: Donna Hansbrough, Lowes, “ Lowes, Donna, ” Lowe’s, Hansbrough, “, Kris Kobach, Kobach, ” Kobach, ”, Read Hayes, they’ve, Lululemon Organizations: New, New York CNN, Rincon Police Department, Lowes, CNN, Retailers, National Retail Federation, Republican, Kansas, “, University of Florida, Prevention Research Council, Walmart, “ Retailers Locations: New York, Georgia, Rincon, San Francisco, America, In Kansas, Kansas, Missouri, Peachtree Corners , Georgia

Weeks later, Mr. Trump is the former President Trump. Instead, in a brief televised address shortly before 2:30 a.m., Mr. Trump furiously laid down his postelection lie. For weeks, Mr. Trump had been peppering him with tips of fraud that, upon investigation by federal authorities, proved baseless. The cavalry “is coming, Mr. President,” Kylie Kremer tweeted to Mr. Trump on Dec. 19. On Jan. 15, Mr. Trump acquiesced to an Oval Office meeting with Mr. Lindell, who arrived with two sets of documents.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Joseph R, Biden, Justin Clark, Rudolph W, Giuliani, Clark, Weeks, Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Jared Kushner, McConnell’s, Biden’s, William P, Barr, Mr, Trump’s, Sidney Powell, Lin Wood, sleuths, MyPillow, Mike Lindell, Patrick Byrne, Stephen K, Bannon, Michael T, Flynn, platformed, Jared Taylor, Enrique Tarrio, Doug Mills, Eric, “ We’re, ”, Fox, Eric Trump, Newt Gingrich, Joe Biden’s, Kevin McCarthy, Laura Ingraham, Obama, Dennis Montgomery, Thomas McInerney, McInerney, John McCain, Bannon’s, “ it’s, Paul Gosar, Doug Ducey, Roy Blunt of, Roy Blunt, Anna Moneymaker, —, “, ” Mr, Mark Meadows, Josh Holmes, Kushner, — Mr, Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski, Lindsey Graham, Sean Hannity, Lindsey Graham of, Sean Hannity’s, — I’ve, Let’s, Graham, Pat A, Axios, Brendan Smialowski, “ Hannity, Thomas, Jenna Ellis, Matt Morgan, Al Gore, George W, Bush, Brooks, Stefan Passantino, Powell, Lynsey Weatherspoon, Gore, William H, Rehnquist, Giuliani —, Kris Kobach, Mark Martin, Lawrence Joseph, Kobach, Uncle Sam, Mr . Biden, Ken Paxton, Jeffrey M, Landry, Paxton, Kyle D, Hawkins, Jacquelyn Martin, Joseph, Richard L, Chris Carr, Carr, Mike Johnson of, Mike Johnson, McCarthy, Privately, Ted Cruz of, John Sauer, ’, ” James E, Nicolai, North, Wayne Stenehjem, Stenehjem, Wayne, Tasos Katopodis, MAGA, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Marsha Blackburn of, Ms, Blackburn, Amy Kremer, Ann Stone, Roger Stone, Amy Coney Barrett, Kremer’s, Kylie Jane Kremer, Jennifer Lawrence, Dustin Stockton, Lawrence, Stockton, I’ve, Lindell, they’d, Taylor, Greg Locke, Covid, Michael McKinney, Tucker Carlson, Carlson’s, “ Donald Trump, ” Ms, Meadows, Georgia runoffs, Byrne, Cipollone, he’d, Martin, Mike Pence, reconvene, ” Kylie Kremer, James Yeager, Kylie Kremer, Yeager’s, Lawrence whooped, John Kennedy, James Lyle, Josh Hawley, “ You’ve, Lyle, Couy Griffin, Kennedy, Pete Marovich, Kremer, Julie Jenkins Fancelli, Alex Jones, Caroline Wren, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr, Katrina Pierson, Brad Raffensperger, Jeffrey A, Rosen, Department’s, Jeffrey Clark, Scott Perry, Hawley, Cruz, Year’s, Tom Cotton of, Cotton, Cindy Chafian, Chafian, Jones, Stone, Locke, Jan, “ You’ll, Gosar, Griffin, Robert O’Brien, I’m, ’ ”, Kenny Holston, Donald Trump, ” Mark Walker, Ben Margot, Stefani Reynolds, Samuel Corum, Erin Schaff, David J, Ted Cruz, John Bazemore Organizations: Twitter, Dominion Systems, Trump, Biden, Dominion, New, New York City, The New York Times, Senate, New York, Republican Party, Capitol, White, Times, The Times, America News Network, Fox, America, Boys, New York Times, American, Air Force, Electoral College, Republicans, Joe Biden’s Democratic Party, Republican, Facebook, Democrats, Associated Press, “ Fox & Friends, White House, West Wing, “, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Veritas, Justice Department, Postal Service, York Daily, Agence France, Zignal Labs, Amistad, Thomas More Society, Mr, Electoral, Supreme, Lawyers, General Association, Associated, State, University of California, Republican House, Women, Tea Party, Trump -, Breitbart, of, Credit, SPAN, Tea Party Express, Republican National Committee, Internet, Army, Des Moines Register, Marine, General Services Administration, Swedish, Cowboys, Capitol ., Street Journal, Save, General Association ., Law Defense Fund, Freedom, Coalition, Proud Boys, Willard, Homeland Security, Party, Getty, Georgia Electoral College Locations: Detroit, Arizona, Georgia, New York, America, China, Trump, Grand Rapids, Mich, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Santa Cruz ,, Arizona —, Russia, North Vietnam, United States, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Kentucky, Utah, Alaska, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Erie, Pa, Pennsylvania, Long, Bush, Florida, tightest, Kansas, North Carolina, Ken Paxton of Texas, Texas, State of Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, Irvine, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Ted Cruz of Texas, Missouri, Washington, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Trump’s, Hudson, Stockton, Tennessee, Des Moines, Meadows, White, fistfights, Nashville, West Monroe, La, Louisiana, drumbeating, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Delaware

☆ A Warning to the C-Suite on Racial Preferences
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/attorneys-general-letter-racial-preferences-hiring-fortune-100-companies-jonathan-skrmetti-kris-kobach-supreme-court-college-admissions-a2c5998e

Persons: Dow Jones, skrmetti, kobach

July 13 (Reuters) - A group of Republican U.S. state attorney generals on Thursday warned the country's largest companies that certain workforce diversity policies could be illegal in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision effectively striking down affirmative action in higher education. The attorney generals urged the companies to abandon race-based quotas or preferences in hiring, promotion and contracting and threatened legal action "sooner rather than later" if they do not. "Companies that engage in racial discrimination should and will face serious legal consequences," the attorney generals wrote. They were joined by the attorney generals of Indiana, South Carolina and Missouri, among others. But in Thursday's letter, the attorney generals said well-intentioned race discrimination is still illegal.

Persons: Kris Kobach, Jonathan Skrmetti, Harvard University's, Neil Gorsuch, George Floyd, Daniel Wiessner, Alexia Garamfalvi, Alistair Bell Organizations: Republican, U.S, Companies, Apple Inc, Microsoft Corp, Uber Technologies Corp, Harvard, University of North, Federal, Thomson Locations: Republican U.S, U.S ., Kansas, Tennessee, Indiana , South Carolina, Missouri, Albany , New York

WASHINGTON, July 10 (Reuters) - A judge on Monday ordered Kansas to stop allowing transgender people to change the gender listed on their driver's licenses after a lawsuit filed by the state's Republican attorney general. Shawnee County District Court Judge Teresa Watson issued the temporary restraining order on Monday. Some states have banned teachers of younger children from discussing gender or sexuality, while conservative lawmakers have also proposed or passed laws restricting drag performances. In June, President Joe Biden warned of "ugly" attacks from "hysterical" people who he said were targeting LGBTQ+ Americans, especially transgender youth. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington, editing by Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Laura Kelly, Kris Kobach, Teresa Watson, Kobach, Joe Biden, Kanishka Singh, Deepa Babington Organizations: Republican, Democratic, Kansas Department of Revenue, Defamation League, Thomson Locations: Kansas, Shawnee County, U.S, Washington

☆ Retail crime is a 'spiraling problem' in Kansas, the state's AG says, as rising drug use leads to a surge in shoplifting in Wichita
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Organized retail crime is rising in Wichita, Kansas, according to a report by CNN. "To see this much retail crime, it's shocking," Captain Casey Slaughter, who leads Wichita Police Department's property crimes bureau, told CNN. Organized retail crime at retailers was 26.5% higher in 2021 than in the previous year, according to a study by the National Retail Federation. Target said organized retail crime has led to more than $400 million in profit losses in 2022. Local crime officials say that drugs, and in particular fentanyl, a synthetic drug like heroin but 50 times more potent, appear to be driving a lot of the retail crime.

Persons: —, Kris Kobach, Captain Casey Slaughter, Slaughter, Joe Sullivan, Sullivan, Cabela's, Robert Lee, Lee Organizations: CNN, Service, Kansas, Wichita Police, National Retail Federation, Target Locations: Wichita , Kansas, San Francisco, Wichita, Sedgwick, Sedgwick County

☆ Retail crime has hit a bustling Kansas metropolis
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Republican Kris Kobach, Kansas’ attorney general, said retail crime is a “spiraling problem” in his state, adding that Kansas and Missouri are among the top 10 states in the nation for volume of retail crime. “There is a link between drug trafficking and organized retail crime,” Kobach told lawmakers in June. “Organized retail crime is a problem that is getting worse, not better. Organized retail crime offers criminals a business model of pure profit, “with no overhead, rent, product cost. In early June, Kobach testified before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on “Organized Retail Crime and the Threat to Public Safety.”“When one thinks about the explosion of organized retail crime in the United States, the State of Kansas may not intuitively jump to mind,” he told lawmakers.

Persons: They’re, it’s, Coleman, “ I’ve, ”, Casey Slaughter, Kris Kobach, Kobach, ” Kobach, Joe Sullivan, Sullivan, ” Sullivan, Joe Sohm, Cabela’s, shoplifters, ” Cabela’s, Slaughter, “, Marc Bennett, There’s, Harold Casey, Casey, She’s, Poor, John Hanna, don’t, “ That’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Wichita Police, Kansas, CNN, “, Wichita, Wichita Skyline, America, Sporting Goods, Academy Sports, National Retail Federation, Centers for Disease Control, of Kansas, Scott, Family Services, ”, Walgreens, Public Safety Locations: New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Wichita , Kansas, Kris Kobach , Kansas, Kansas, Missouri, In Kansas, Sedgwick, Wichita, Arkansas Rivers, , Kansas, ”, Kansas . Kansas, Sedgwick County, Ulta, United States, State, But Kansas, “ In Kansas

☆ Pink Slips for the Tort Bar
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

One mystery of modern politics is why so many Republican-led states employ trial lawyers who file junk lawsuits and donate to their political opponents. This week comes a glimmer of hope that those habits are changing. On Tuesday, new Attorneys General Brenna Bird of Iowa and Kris Kobach of Kansas each fired Florida-based personal-injury law firm Morgan & Morgan, which had been working for their states on a contingency-fee basis.

☆ Walgreens' mixed messaging on abortion pills landed it in the political crossfire, and its clarifications may not be enough to avoid a boycott
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Walgreens says it will sell abortion ills in states where it is "legally permissible to do so." She said Walgreens "does not intend" to sell Mifepristone at any of its locations in the state. The move sparked a backlash from abortion rights supporters, specifically in states where abortion is still legal, with California Gov. By Monday, Walgreens had put out a new statement that assured customers it would sell Mifepristone at locations in states where it was legal. Walgreens did not respond to questions asking in which states it would sell Mifepristone.

☆ Newly-elected Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach fined $30,000 by FEC for illegal contribution from 'WeBuildTheWall' scam organization
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Kris Kobach was fined $30,000 by the Federal Election Commission for accepting an illegal contribution. He was just elected Kansas Attorney General. "We Build The Wall," the group that contributed to Kobach's Senate campaign, has a colorful history of its own. But Bannon now faces similar charges from the New York State Attorney General and was arrested again in September 2022. The incoming state attorney general, who served as Kansas secretary of state from 2011 until 2019, rose to national prominence during the Trump administration for his anti-immigration views and claims of voter fraud.

WASHINGTON — Republican Kris Kobach has won the race to serve as Kansas's attorney general, NBC News projected Thursday. As the state's attorney general, Kobach will have the power to prosecute voter fraud and enforce other election laws. He told the Associated Press in October that “there’s no question” voter fraud occurred in 2020 and that Americans will never know “how many fraudulent ballots were cast." As the vice chair of Trump's election commission, he was charged with investigating claims of voter fraud in the 2016 election. The panel found no major evidence of voter fraud and the committee was dissolved in 2018.

Laura Kelly has won re-election to a second term, NBC News projects, defeating Republican challenger Derek Schmidt. Kelly was the only Democratic governor running for re-election in a state won by Donald Trump in 2020. Any path to victory for Kelly was always going to rely almost entirely on her ability to appeal to Republican voters. In Kansas, registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats nearly 2 to 1 (Republicans make up 44% of registered voters, Democrats 26%, and unaffiliated voters 29%). Her ads during the race focused heavily on how she had done just that during her four years in office.

The first election to put abortion rights to the test after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade appears unlikely to reshape the map of abortion access — at least not overnight. States that protect abortion access Mixed results New protections Existing protections Results pending States that restrict abortion access Results pending New restrictions likely Mixed results Existing restrictionsResults pending in races affecting abortion Arizona Montana Nebraska PennsylvaniaMany of the most competitive state-level races with consequences for abortion were too close to call on Wednesday. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel, both Democrats who pledged to protect abortion rights, won re-election. But two candidates for the State Supreme Court who were backed by anti-abortion groups did not win their races. Mr. Cooper, a Democrat, opposes abortion restrictions, and Republicans failed to secure a supermajority in the Legislature that would have allowed them to override his veto.

☆ Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vies for reelection against Republican Derek Schmidt in Kansas
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Grace Panetta | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Laura Kelly is seeking a second term as governor of Kansas. Laura Kelly is running for a second term against Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt in Kansas. Kansas' gubernatorial candidatesKelly, a moderate Democrat first elected in 2018, is seeking a second term in office, running on her record in leading Kansas through the COVID-19 pandemic. Her opponent, Attorney General Derek Schmidt, has hammered Kelly over issues including Kansas' educational and foster care systems. Kansas' gubernatorial race also follows Kansas voters in August decisively rejecting a ballot referendum that would have eliminated the right to abortion from the Kansas Constitution.

Laura Kelly, a Democrat, is fighting a tough re-election battle— the issue is almost nowhere to be seen. “What Kelly is doing makes perfect sense," said Bob Beatty, a political science professor at Washburn University in Topeka. “I think the abortion vote is possibly very instructive nationally, and for other states, but not for Kansas,” Beatty said. Doing so also allows Kelly and her campaign to avoid wading into the violent history surrounding abortion rights activism in the state. Still, at a debate between the two candidates at the Kansas State Fair earlier this month, Schmidt accused Kelly of supporting abortion “up until the moment of birth,” which is not accurate.

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