WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says the U.S. and China have made significant progress on how to work together to stem cyberthefts from U.S. corporations, but that words now must be followed by actions.
The President says the United States and China have struck an agreement not to conduct or knowingly support cybertheft of trade secrets or competitive economic information.
Obama announced the agreement during a joint news conference with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Obama describes it as a common understanding of the way forward.
Obama also says the U.S. will go after cyber criminals with all the tools in its arsenal.
Xi said China has more than 600 million Internet users. He says China strongly opposes and combats the theft of commercial secrets and other kinds of hacking attacks. He says cooperation between the two nations will benefit both countries while confrontation will lead to losses on both sides.
Traffic backed up on I-29 in Kansas City as a result of Thursday’s fatal accident-MoDot photo
PLATT COUNTY, Mo. -A Kansas man died in an accident on Interstate 29 just after 1:30 p.m. on Thursday in Northwest Missouri.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Harley Davidson driven by John Bledsoe, 41, Huron, was southbound on Interstate 29 at the Interstate 435 Interchange when it developed a mechanical problem.
The motorcycle began sliding; Bledsoe was ejected and then hit by a 2015 Ford Escape.
Bledsoe was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s office.
A passenger on the motorcycle Michelle Bledsoe, 46, Huron, was transported to North Kansas City Hospital.
The SUV traveled off the road and hit a cable barrier. The driver Cody B. Everett, 28, Jackson, MO., was not injured.
ERICA WERNER, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a stunning move, House Speaker John Boehner informed Republicans that he would step down at the end of October.
Rep. John Mica said Friday that Boehner “just does not want to become the issue. Some people have tried to make him the issue both in Congress and outside.”
Boehner took over the speakership in January 2011.
DETROIT (AP) — Hyundai is recalling nearly a half-million midsize cars in the U.S. to replace key engine parts because a manufacturing problem could cause them to fail.
The recall covers 470,000 Sonata sedans from the 2011 and 2012 model years equipped with 2-liter or 2.4-liter gasoline engines.
The company says metal debris may not have been removed from the crankshaft. That can restrict oil flow to the connecting rod bearings, causing them to fail. If that happens, the engines could stall and cause a crash.
Dealers will inspect the cars and replace engine assemblies if necessary for free. The company also will increase the engine warranty for 10 years or 120,000 miles.
Owners will be notified Nov. 2 and the recall will start when parts are available.
Gene Policinski is senior vice president of the First Amendment Center
Freedom.
Stop for a moment and savor that word — and what it means.
Roll that word over in your head. Say it aloud. Whisper it to yourself, shout it from the rooftops. And then think about how free you are right now.
Freedom certainly is the stuff of life for a democracy. For each of us living in the United States, it means freedom “from” — from fear, from harassment, imprisonment or worse, simply for holding unpopular views. Of course, it also means freedom “to” — to express ourselves, to disagree with others or to proclaim opinions not held by the majority.
The First Amendment sets out and protects five core freedoms for Americans: religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. But for much of the world, freedom has another definition: “dream.”
In Freedom House”s 2015 report on “Freedom in the World,” the human rights group reported an overall drop in freedom for the ninth consecutive year.
The report said that “nearly twice as many countries suffered declines as registered gains — 61 to 33” over 2014. And, it said, “The number of countries with improvements hit its lowest point since the nine-year erosion began. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a rollback of democratic gains by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s intensified campaign against press freedom and civil society, and further centralization of authority in China were evidence of a growing disdain for democratic standards that was found in nearly all regions of the world.”
The double-barreled dose of international visits to Washington, D.C., and the White House, and thus to our national TV screens — by Pope Francis and by Chinese President Xi Jinping — puts a unique focus on freedom around the world.
While the pontiff generally was well received — by President Obama, a joint session of Congress and by throngs of the faithful who lined streets and swamped ticketed events — Francis also could have heard discordant voices, free to send messages in much harsher terms than likely to be heard in the White House or in the Capitol.
Speaking freely from street corners or via tweets were Native Americans opposed to the elevation to sainthood of a priest whose ministry to native tribes in California they associate more with Spanish conquest and cultural extinction; and groups on all sides of issues from abortion to the church’s treatment of women to its response to child-molestation claims against priests and cover-ups by bishops.
For President Xi, the White House hosted a state dinner on Friday evening, an honor deeply intertwined with geopolitical concerns ranging from the economy to national debt to potential military confrontations.
But just down the street on Friday morning, some in Congress hosted a “stateless breakfast” for groups to gather in opposition to China’s restrictive policies on Web content and the free flow of information through the press, and to increased attacks on those seeking to practice their religious faiths. At the Newseum, where I work, the front of the building facing Pennsylvania Avenue — the nation’s “Main Street” — carried six banners seeking press freedom, release of dissidents and more respect for human rights; and the Newseum Institute sponsored a series of programs dubbed “Freedom Week.”
To be sure — and some critics of the criticism of Xi’s visit already are voicing this — the U.S. record on extending our core freedoms to all of its citizens is far from perfect. From segregation laws against African Americans to bigoted immigration laws and employment and housing policies that served to exclude Asian Americans, such shameful conduct and woeful legislation are part of the nation’s history.
But First Amendment freedoms in this nation have served to provide a means to gather together to peaceably petition the government for change, to touch the conscience of a nation through faith, free speech and a free press, and to inform, encourage and inspire those working to correct wrongs.
As far as definitions go, that’s also a pretty good one for “freedom.” Use it. Proclaim it. And defend it.
Gene Policinski is chief operating officer of the Washington-based Newseum Institute and senior vice president of the Institute’s First Amendment Center. [email protected]
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A man has been critically injured in a shooting in south Wichita.
According to Wichita police Sgt. Matt Lang, someone reported their neighbor had been shot around 10:30 p.m. Thursday. Lang said when police arrived at a residence, they found a man with multiple gunshot wounds.
The man, who is believed to be in his 20s, was taken to Via Christi Hospital St. Francis and went into surgery.
Authorities say no arrests have been made, but the investigation is ongoing.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A North Wichita High School student has been arrested after police say he made threats of shooting another student and gun violence at another Wichita high school.
According to Wichita police Lt. James Espinoza, two Wichita West High School students approached a school resource officer just before 3 p.m. Wednesday and told him of a threat made during a Facebook chat the night before.
Espinoza said the 16-year-old student was arrested at his home and taken to the Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center on suspicion of criminal threat.
WICHITA- A Kansas teen was injured in an accident just before 8p.m. on Thursday in Sedgwick County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Ford Edge driven by Madison B. Douglass, 16, Wichita, was merging onto Interstate 235 from southbound Interstate 135.
The SUV made contact with the right front bumper of a semi that was southbound on Interstate 235 from the north junction.
The driver of the SUV lost control. The semi then struck the south bridge wall and came to rest on its side.
Douglass was transported to St. Francis Medical Center.
The semi driver Harrison, Matthew T. Harrison, 32, Coats, was not injured. Both were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
JUNCTION CITY – A preliminary hearing has been set in the case of Dr. Allan Holiday Jr.
The former Orthopedic Surgeon at Geary Community Hospital was arrested in late July and in August formally charged with one count of Aggravated Sexual Battery.
At the time of his arrest police said they had received a complaint in the case on July 26 involving a 16-year old juvenile.
During Holiday’s status check hearing Thursday, Judge Charles Zimmerman set the preliminary hearing for November 18th, at 9:30 a.m. in Geary County District Court.
On September 16, Geary Community Hospital severed ties with Holiday. He had been employed through the Flint Hills Orthopedic and Sports Medicine clinic for the past five years.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal medical experts will take a closer look at a host of problems reported with the birth control implant called Essure, including chronic pain, bleeding, headaches and allergic reactions.
Essure has been sold for 13 years but the Food and Drug Administration has recently received a flurry of complaints from women implanted with the device, which is marketed as the only permanent birth control method that doesn’t require surgery.
Essure consists of two metallic coils inserted into the fallopian tubes, where they spur the growth of scar tissue that eventually blocks sperm.
Studies suggest problems with Essure are relatively rare, but thousands of women have attributed various health problems to the implant.
The agency will ask an expert panel to review the issue Wednesday and recommend possible solutions.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A food bank has wrapped up a fundraising effort that started after it was revealed that the Lawrence mayor who was leading the nonprofit had failed to pay more than $61,000 in payroll taxes.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Just Food announced Wednesday that it had reached its goal of raising enough money to pay the taxes.
Jeremy Farmer resigned as mayor of Lawrence last month, two days after he resigned from his job as executive director at the food bank. Farmer has said it was an oversight that the taxes weren’t paid. The nonprofit’s internal investigation has been turned over to law enforcement.
Board member Nancy Thellman says the organization had been “very concerned.” In letter last week to the newspaper, she said institutional bankruptcy was a possibility.
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — The Missouri man convicted of killing three people outside Jewish sites in Kansas is seeking a new trial.
Frazier Glenn Miller Jr. was convicted in August of capital murder for the three shooting deaths in April 2014. He said he wanted to kill Jewish people, although his victims were Christians. The Johnson County jury recommended Miller receive a death sentence.
The Kansas City Star reports Miller’s motion for a new trial cites the denial of his request for a change of venue, his inability to consult with “standby” lawyers during court hearings and not being allowed to present all of his evidence.
Miller also contends the judge gave jurors the impression that he thought Miller’s defense was “outlandish and stupid.”
The motion will be considered before sentencing Nov. 10.
