{"question_id": "20220708_0", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:29", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/02/weather/4th-of-july-fireworks-canceled-california-arizona-utah-megadrought/index.html", "title": "Fireworks canceled: Megadrought thwarts 4th of July plans in ...", "text": "(CNN) As severe drought persists in the Southwest, cities are making tough decisions about their traditional firework shows. Some cities have decided to cancel their pyrotechnic displays, while others have chosen to continue them.\n\nDry vegetation and a lack of rainfall have led to a megadrought for more than 75% of the West and parts of the Central US, including Colorado. Now first responders and other officials are warning the public about the risk of Fourth of July fireworks.\n\n\"Specific areas that are particularly vulnerable are all the way from Oregon to Mexico. All of California is vulnerable,\" Cal Fire Battalion Chief John Heggie said, given the ongoing drought and warm temperatures.\n\nAn estimated 19,500 fires were started by fireworks in 2018, according to the National Fire Protection Association . And nearly 30% of the fires caused by fireworks are ignited on the Fourth of July, based on 2014 to 2018 annual averages.\n\nIn addition, a CNN analysis of National Interagency Fire Center data, shows a large spike in new wildfires over the last eight years surrounding the Fourth of July holiday.\n\nFire prevention patrols will be out in force to seize of illegal fireworks, and there will be zero tolerance, Heggie added.\n\nA city in Colorado will continue its show\n\nWhile some areas are canceling their shows, a city in Colorado is choosing to keep with tradition.\n\nLouisville, Colorado, a city northwest of Denver, is hoping to continue its firework show in an effort to prevent wildfires. The city's website pointed out it is hoping to \"reduce the number of illegal private shows\" with their display, which is actively monitored by the fire department.\n\nSix months ago, the Marshall fire devastated parts of Boulder County, including Louisville. Burning more than 6,000 acres, the fire reached the golf course where the city will host its firework show Monday.\n\n\"We have actually scaled back the firework display this year in order to focus on the community experience leading up to the fireworks,\" the city of Louisville's website noted. \"The intent of the celebration is to be inclusive and welcoming to the entire community as we heal from the Marshall fire together.\"\n\nThe Marshall wildfire started just a few miles away from where it destroyed more than 1,000 homes in December, 2021.\n\nOn the south side of Denver, another town has chosen to cancel its fireworks show because of the current wildfire danger. Castle Rock, Colorado, has been under Stage 1 fire restrictions since April. Norris Croom, a fire chief in Castle Rock, said the show was not worth the risk.\n\n\"We did not want to jeopardize the safety of our community due to an errant firework or debris fallout,\" Croom emphasized.\n\nMore than half of Colorado is experiencing drought, making the environment very sensitive to wildfires. Only professional, permitted firework displays are allowed in the state, and all other fireworks are considered illegal.\n\nCalifornia officials warn about the dangers of fireworks\n\nAnother town affected by recent wildfires is opting to do something radically different.\n\nNorth Lake Tahoe, which went through the Caldor Fire in 2021, will skip fireworks in favor of a drone light display\n\n\"The decision was made in consideration of fire and environmental risks posed by a pyrotechnic fireworks display, shifting a long-standing tradition with an innovative new approach,\" a release from the city announced.\n\nHowever, a traditional fireworks display will go on as planned in South Lake Tahoe, an area evacuated in August because of the Caldor Fire.\n\nClaremont, California, a far eastern suburb of Los Angeles, is replacing its firework show with a free community concert. The city explained in a news release water restrictions due to the ongoing drought played a large role in their decision to cancel.\n\nA caution sign is posted at the Castaic Lake reservoir in Los Angeles County on May 3, 2022. A water shortage emergency has been declared in Southern California with water restrictions beginning June 1st for 6 million residents amid drought conditions.\n\n\"Preparation for the fireworks show requires extensive watering in the days leading to the show, accounting for approximately 650,000 gallons of water,\" the news release stated.\n\nWith a hot and dry holiday weekend ahead, officials in California are reminding residents of the state's vulnerability to wildfires, given the ongoing drought.\n\n\"The reality is that every year we have wildfires started by legal and illegal fireworks,\" Heggie acknowledged.\n\nHeggie's biggest concern is small explosives like bottle rockets and roman candles, and people using \"safe and sane\" fireworks in areas where they are illegal.\n\nHe warned, \"Please understand that your good intentions may have devastating effects.\"\n\nPacific Gas and Electric Company is also asking customers to \"put safety first\" and to follow local rules and regulations regarding fireworks.\n\nNew Mexico governor signs an executive order to ban fireworks\n\nThe governor of New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham, signed an executive order in late April urging counties, cities, and local governments to consider banning certain fireworks due to \"severe drought and fire conditions\" across the state.\n\nAnd as the largest wildfire in New Mexico history continues to burn, cities like Albuquerque are hoping to prevent further devastation.\n\nTrees scorched by the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire amid exceptional drought conditions in the area on June 2, 2022 near Mora, New Mexico.\n\n\"Albuquerque has a unique wildland urban interface with open space areas that are in constant threat of fires,\" the city fireworks ordinance noted. \"These fires would endanger the lives of those who live nearby and many species of wildlife.\"\n\nThe city has prohibited fireworks in open spaces but has allowed fireworks purchased from retail stores and stands within city limits.\n\n\"Read the Warning Label. If it reads 'WARNING', it is illegal. If it reads 'CAUTION', it is legal.\" the fireworks ordinance reads.\n\nLet's have a fun & safe Independence Day! Enjoy legal fireworks used safely. Remember, we're already in a dangerous fire season. Help protect our Bosque by reporting illegal fireworks:\n\n🎇ABQ311 App: https://t.co/r8DCpxLmLv\n\n🎇Online: https://t.co/neBSEl6hO8#OneAlbuquerque pic.twitter.com/76cu5u740t — City of Albuquerque (@cabq) June 30, 2022\n\nAlbuquerque has already begun patrolling throughout the city ahead of the holiday. The city warns \"those who are caught will be cited and will have a mandatory court appearance.\"\n\nAlbuquerque will continue its free Freedom Fourth show on the Fourth of July, which includes professional fireworks.\n\nLaser lights in lieu of fireworks\n\nReplacing its traditional firework show, Salt Lake City, Utah, is hosting a Laser Light Night twice in July.\n\nLynze Twede, an event manager for Salt Lake City Public Lands, said the city council voted to shift the funding from a firework display to an \"alternative event\" earlier this year.\n\n\"[The city council] wanted to make a change and try to be an example to improve our air quality and not contribute to the already high fire danger,\" Twede stressed.\n\nSalt Lake City hopes to captivate its audience and entertain people of all ages with the transition to a laser light display hosted on July 2 and July 23.\n\n\"People can still come and expect to see an awe-inspiring show. But with this new and innovative way, we're just lighting up our skies a little differently this year,\" Twede added.\n\nMuch of western Utah, including Salt Lake City, is under a red flag warning Saturday through Monday \"for wind and low relative humidity,\" according to the National Weather Service office in Salt Lake City.\n\nStrong, southerly winds of 20 to 30 mph are forecast with wind gusts up to 45 mph possible Sunday and Monday afternoon and evening. Winds are expected to decrease through the overnight hours.\n\n⚠️ Red Flag Warnings in effect\n\n\n\n🗺 western Utah\n\n🧭Saturday through Monday\n\n❓ Gusty southerly winds combined with very low humidity will create critical fire weather conditions.\n\n\n\nMany fires are human caused. Follow local fire and firework restrictions! #utwx pic.twitter.com/tsuRD7hmhl — NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) July 1, 2022\n\nAnd across Arizona, the Pipeline Fire recently forced hundreds of Flagstaffs residents to evacuate. The fire is mostly contained, but Flagstaff's burn risk remains.\n\nTo continue its city's annual celebration, Flagstaff is hoping to have a safe event utilizing a new laser light show in its historic downtown.\n\n\"The shift from traditional fireworks to a laser light show was the responsible action to take due to extreme fire risk with the dry and hot conditions in the Northland,\" said Flagstaff City Manager Greg Clifton. \"It is extremely important to have a safe celebration and be fire aware.\"\n\nThe United States Forest Service cautioned fire restrictions can vary from place to place, so it is important to look into local burn bans.", "authors": ["Payton Major", "Haley Brink"], "publish_date": "2022/07/02"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/07/04/best-july-4th-fireworks-shows-us/7694027001/", "title": "Best July 4th fireworks shows include Washington, D.C., St. Louis ...", "text": "As cities and households around the country gear up to celebrate the 246th birthday of the United States of America, some shows promise to put on bigger and better firework displays than ever before.\n\nFor many Americans today, fireworks are often accompanied with a day of other Fourth of July related activities, but the tradition of sending bright flares into the sky has been around since the very first Independence Day in 1776, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association (APA).\n\n“Early U.S. settlers brought their love of fireworks with them … a tradition that continues every 4th of July when we celebrate as John Adams had hoped, ‘with pomp, parade….bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other,’” APA’s website states.\n\nOut of all the dazzling firework displays in the nation, here are 10 of the most spectacular.\n\nAAA predicts:Record number of people expected to take road trips for Fourth of July weekend\n\nSt. Louis, Missouri\n\nFramed by the iconic Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular – dubbed \"America's biggest birthday party\" – boasts a “world-class” display, typically lasting 20 to 30 minutes, over the Mississippi River.\n\nOfficials say this year’s show will be the largest display in the fair’s history. Other activities include concerts, food vendors and more.\n\nWashington D.C.\n\nFireworks launched from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool illuminate the sky behind the Capitol and Washington Monument during one of the most patriotic fireworks displays in the nation, which draws in about 700,000 people each year.\n\nCelebrations occur all day throughout the city, beginning with a parade down Constitution Avenue.\n\nIdaho Falls, Idaho\n\nCelebrating its 29th anniversary, the Melaleuca Freedom Festival is the largest Independence Day fireworks show west of the Mississippi River, according to the event website.\n\nIt’s appeared twice on the American Pyrotechnics Association list of “must-see Independence Day fireworks displays.”\n\nOver 18,000 shells will be launched this year over the banks of the Snake River in honor of America’s Founding Fathers, veterans, and service members.\n\nNew York City\n\nThe 46th annual Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks celebration in New York City is the country's largest pyrotechnic display.\n\n“Expect a rapid-fire succession of blasts to go off from each of the East River barges, creating a two-hour (spectacle) with round after round of rocking entertainment,” Macy’s website states.\n\nViewers can expect to see unique patterns, including a Whistling Jellyfish, snakes, a blinking smiling face, and swimming chrysanthemums.\n\nSan Francisco\n\nSan Francisco’s firework show can be seen along the waterfront with the city’s dramatic skyline in the background. Fireworks are launched from a barge off of Pier 39 and from the Municipal Pier.\n\nTourist attraction Fisherman’s Wharf hosts a number of local bands ahead of the celebration.\n\nNashville\n\nThe annual Music City July 4th: Let Freedom Sing celebration in Nashville, the region's largest fireworks show, will hold its longest show ever in Nashville this year.\n\nThere will be more than 1,000 floating flares, 40,000 pounds of explosives, and 200 miles of wire used.\n\nSpectators can expect to hear a symphony playing patriotic tunes and new popular music, including hits from Star Wars.\n\nAddison, Texas\n\nKaboom Town, a top-ranked Independence Day festival with food vendors, entertainment, and an air show, host's a dazzling 25-minute fireworks display annually.\n\nAddison is only home to 16,000 residents, but the event brings more than 500,000 guests to the town from across the nation, according to the event website.\n\nAlachua, Florida\n\nDubbed the \"Largest Small Town Fireworks Display in America,” thousands of people will flock to Alachua, Florida, for the 22nd annual Fourth of July celebration. This free event positively impacts local businesses, according to the city’s website.\n\nAmazing fireworks celebrationsin Florida\n\nPhiladelphia\n\nWhat better way is there to celebrate independence than in the birthplace of the United States?\n\nThe Philadelphia Museum of Art on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Pennsylvania provides the perfect backdrop for one of the nation’s greatest fireworks shows as part of the Wawa Welcome America festival.\n\nPasadena, California\n\nThe Rose Bowl Stadium is recognized as home to one of the nation’s largest and longest running Independence Day shows.\n\nThe96th Annual AmericaFest Celebration includes musical performances, a motocross show and other family-friendly activities.\n\nCamille Fine is a trending visual producer on USA TODAY's NOW team. She loves monochromatic outfits, making pizza, and spoiling her loving cat Pearl. You can see more of her work at camillefine.com.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/07/04"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/events/2021/06/26/fourth-of-july-fireworks-phoenix-2021/7735224002/", "title": "4th of July fireworks 2022 in Phoenix: A guide to all the events", "text": "Despite some supply-chain issues that have caused fireworks cancellations and rescheduled some Independence Day events, most metro Phoenix cities will celebrate the Fourth of July with pyrotechnics shows this year.\n\nFor the third year in a row, Phoenix will not host any Independence Day celebrations. This is due to \"supply chain issues affecting access to fireworks,\" according to the city's news release. And with Chase Field's ongoing roof issues, the annual postgame fireworks spectacular in downtown Phoenix will not be taking place after the Diamondbacks-Giants games, either.\n\nTempe's \"Red, White and Floom\" Independence Day celebration is going forward, but there will be a fire show on Tempe Town Lake in lieu of fireworks.\n\nKeep in mind that cancellations can occur at any time due to weather (high winds, rain) or fire hazards. Check your destination’s social media accounts or the event’s website before heading out.\n\nHere's where and when you can see fireworks across metro Phoenix this Fourth of July, from Apache Junction to Surprise, as well as which cities are hosting other Independence Day celebrations.\n\nFourth of July 2022:Weekend updates across Arizona\n\nAnthem\n\nAnthem's 22nd Independence Day celebration will involve rides, water slides, festival food, a beer garden and fireworks, among other entertainment options.\n\nChairs, blankets and coolers are allowed in most areas. Anthem’s website advises: “It’s best to park off-site and walk to the event due to heavy traffic; overflow parking will be available in the Boulder Creek High School parking lot beginning at 5 p.m., a short walk from the park.”\n\nDetails: 5:30-9:30 p.m. Sunday, July 3. Community Park, 41703 N. Gavilan Peak Parkway, Anthem. Free. https://www.onlineatanthem.com/events.\n\nJuly 4th guide:The best things to do in metro Phoenix and beyond\n\nApache Junction\n\nApache Junction’s Fourth of July celebration begins with a volleyball tournament and open swim at Superstition Shadows Aquatic Center and ends with a bang when the fireworks extravaganza begins at 8:30 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m. with face painting, live performances and games south of the high school’s football field. VIP seating costs $5 and can be purchased online on the city’s website.\n\nParking is limited, and there will be traffic restrictions in the area for the event. Alcohol, smoking, glass containers, pets and weapons will not be allowed. To expedite entry, bring your belongings in clear bags.\n\nDetails: Gates open at 6 p.m. Monday, July 4. Apache Junction High School’s practice and baseball fields, 2525 S. Ironwood Drive. Free. 480-474-5240, https://www.apachejunctionaz.gov.\n\nAvondale\n\nAvondale's 25-minute fireworks show will take place at the Phoenix Raceway ahead of Independence Day.\n\nGates open at 5 p.m. July 2 and the show kicks off at 8:25 p.m. To enjoy the show for free, bring your own chairs, coolers and snacks — but leave the grill at home. There will be live entertainment and vendors.\n\nFor those seeking an upgraded and air conditioned experience, there are $35-$55 passes on sale (free for children 4 years and younger). Admission includes VIP parking and access to The Barn, which will have a DJ and a barbecue meal.\n\nDetails: 5 p.m. Saturday, July 2. 7602 Jimmie Johnson Drive, Avondale. Free; VIP passes are $35-$55. 623-333-2400, https://www.avondaleaz.gov.\n\nGoing out of town? Best 2022 Fourth of July celebrations in Arizona\n\nBuckeye\n\nBuckeye’s Independence Day celebration will be tailgate-style at Buckeye Airport. Food trucks will sell “all-American eats and treats” ahead of the drive-in fireworks show, which begins around 8:45 p.m. July 2.\n\nDetails: 6:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 2. Buckeye Airport, 3000 S. Palo Verde Road. Free. 623-349-6323, https://www.buckeyeaz.gov.\n\nChandler\n\nChandler's Independence Day celebration will take place at Dr. A.J. Chandler Park. There will be music from Cold Shott and the Hurricane Horns, yard games, glitter tattoos, balloon art, and food and drink vendors.\n\nInstead of a full fireworks display, according to the city's website, \"there will be a 5-minute pyrotechnic show as part of the concert\" at 8:20 p.m. at the Dr. A.J. Chandler Park Stage Plaza.\n\nProhibited items include alcohol, marijuana, grills, open flames and fireworks. You can bring food and non-alcoholic drinks, umbrellas, canopies and blankets.\n\nDetails: 7-9:30 p.m. Monday, July 4. Dr. A.J. Chandler Park, 178 E. Commonwealth Ave., Chandler. Free. https://www.chandleraz.gov.\n\nFairmont Scottsdale Princess\n\nFor resort guests only, the 12th annual Freedom Fest will start Friday, July 1, and conclude on the Fourth of July.\n\nThere will be a fireworks show every night at 9 p.m. Other entertainment options include “dive-in” movie screenings, a Falcon Warbirds air show on July 4 and outdoor concerts.\n\nArizona residents are eligible for a 30% staycation discount.\n\nDetails: July 1-4. Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, 7575 E. Princess Drive. 480-585-4848, https://www.scottsdaleprincess.com/fourth-of-july.\n\nFort McDowell: We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort\n\nWe-Ko-Pa Casino Resort will have fireworks at 9 p.m. after a free concert by Eagles tribute band One of These Nights that starts at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public; you must be 21 or older to attend.\n\nDetails: 7 p.m. Sunday, July 3. 10438 WeKoPa Way, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation near Fountain Hills. Free. 480-789-4957, https://www.wekopacasinoresort.com.\n\nFountain Hills\n\nFountain Hills will host its fireworks show a little earlier than expected due to difficulty finding a vendor who could obtain pyrotechnics.\n\nThe July 1 celebration will involve music and prizes from Rock Lobster from 7:30-9 p.m. Fireworks over the lake will begin at 9 p.m. as the town's fountain lights up red, white and blue.\n\nOrganizers suggest picnicking by bringing your own chairs, blankets and games — but leave the glass and alcohol at home. There will be food vendors, and the town's new splash pad will be open until 9 p.m. Free parking will be available throughout downtown Fountain Hills.\n\nDetails: 7 p.m. Friday, July 1. 12925 N. Saguaro Blvd., Fountain Hills. Free. https://www.experiencefountainhills.org.\n\nGilbert\n\nGilbert Regional Park's Fourth of July celebration will have musical performances, aerial entertainment and fireworks.\n\nGuests are welcome to pack their own picnics and seating, though glass, alcohol and canopies are prohibited. Food, drink and dessert vendors will be at the event. Gates open at 5 p.m. and the fireworks show begins at 9 p.m.\n\nParking passes and $25 VIP Experience tickets can be purchased on the city's website. VIP admission includes \"premier seating to live performances, exclusive food and drink vendors, restrooms (and) Gilbert swag.\"\n\nDetails: 5-9:30 Monday, July 4. Gilbert Regional Park, 3005 E. Queen Creek Road. Free; VIP tickets are $25 per person. https://www.gilbertaz.gov.\n\nGlendale: Westgate Entertainment District\n\nIndependence Day celebrations at Westgate Entertainment District will begin at 5 p.m. July 3 and will include live music and special deals at several businesses. There will be free face painting, a splash zone, beer garden, games, balloon art and classically restored fire trucks.\n\nThe fireworks display begins at 9 p.m. According to Westgate's website, there will be free parking in lots surrounding the center, but \"we highly encourage you to carpool or utilize rideshare as parking at Westgate will be limited.\"\n\nDetails: 5-9 p.m. Sunday, July 3. 6770 N. Sunrise Blvd., Glendale. Free.\n\nhttps://westgateaz.com/event/america.\n\nGoodyear\n\nGoodyear Ballpark will have bands, food and drink vendors, a bounce house and a \"mesmerizing patriotic fireworks show\" on the Fourth of July. The half-hour display is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m.\n\nDetails: 6-9:30 p.m. Sunday, July 4. 1933 S. Ballpark Way, Goodyear. Free. https://www.goodyearaz.gov.\n\nHyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch\n\nThe Red, White and Boom Fireworks Extravaganza at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch will take place on Monday, July 4. Ahead of the nighttime display, guests can cool off at the 2.5-acre water park, participate in watermelon eating contests, decorate cookies and embark on scavenger hunts.\n\nThe fireworks display is available to resort guests and people dining at the Hyatt Regency.\n\nDetails: 9-9:30 p.m. Monday, July 4. Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa, 7500 E. Doubletree Ranch Road. 480-444-1234, https://www.hyatt.com.\n\nBest waterparks:9 venues with family-friendly waterslides, lazy rivers and pools\n\nLitchfield Park\n\nHead to the Wigwam in Litchfield Park for its Red, White and Boom event that begins at 7 p.m. Bring lawn chairs and blankets but leave food and drinks at home.\n\nAdmission to the event, which takes place at the Blue golf course, is free. Tickets for food and drinks are $2 each. Ticket bundles can be purchased ahead of time on Eventbrite.\n\nDetails: 7 p.m. Monday, July 4. 451 N. Old Litchfield Road, Litchfield Park. Free. 866-976-6894, https://www.wigwamarizona.com.\n\nScottsdale: McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park\n\nThe Red, White and Choo & Choo event at Scottsdale's McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park will have bounce houses, water slides, a mechanical bull, DJ, food truck serving barbecue and unlimited rides on the train and carousel.\n\nTickets must be purchased at https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/scottsdale.\n\nDetails: 4-9 p.m. Sunday, July 3. McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, 7301 E. Indian Bend Road, Scottsdale. $15 for age 13 and older, $5 for ages 3-12, and free for 2 and under. 480-312-2312, https://www.therailroadpark.com.\n\nMesa\n\nThe Arizona Celebration of Freedom will take place in downtown Mesa, with fireworks starting at around 9:30 p.m. The celebration also includes a naturalization ceremony for new U.S. citizens, inflatable water slides, performances, war reenactments, a laser light show and a superhero stunt show.\n\nBags and backpacks are allowed; all personal items will be checked and tagged when entering the event. Nonalcoholic drinks, food, coolers (maximum measurements 26 inches long, 16 inches wide and 16 inches tall) and portable chairs are welcome.\n\nDetails: 6-10 p.m. Monday, July 4. Mesa Convention Center, 263 N. Center St. Free. http://arizonacelebrationoffreedom.com.\n\nPeoria\n\nRoger Clyne and the Peacemakers are again headlining Peoria’s All-American Festival, which also promises a cornhole tournament, giant inflatable water slides, a sensory room, food and beer. Gates open at 5 p.m., and lawn seating is first-come, first served. Fireworks are set to begin at 9:10 p.m.\n\nDetails: 5-10 p.m. Monday, July 4. Peoria Sports Complex, 16101 N. 83rd Ave. Free. https://www.peoriaaz.gov.\n\nQueen Creek: Schnepf Farms\n\nSchnepf Farms will host its Hometown Fourth event with food trucks, a petting zoo, live music, a giant slide and other entertainment ahead of the fireworks display. Make sure to leave food and drinks at home.\n\nVIP ticketholders will have access to a private parking lot, barbecue dinner, unlimited soft drinks, private bar, shuttle to the ride area and an unlimited ride wristband.\n\nDetails: 4-9 p.m. Monday, July 4. 24810 E. Rittenhouse Road, Queen Creek. From $30 per car, with VIP options. 480-987-3100, https://schnepffarms.com.\n\nSurprise\n\nSurprise’s July 2 celebration will involve food trucks, inflatables and a DJ at Mark Coronado Park. Gates open at 6 p.m. and the 20-minute fireworks show begins at 8:40 p.m.\n\nAdmission is free, and donating canned food upon entry is appreciated, according to the city. Guests can bring their own food, and blankets and folding chairs are recommended for lawn seating.\n\nDetails: 6-9 p.m. Saturday, July 2. Mark Coronado Park, 15960 N. Bullard Ave., Surprise. Free. 623-222-2000, https://www.surpriseaz.gov.\n\nTempe\n\nThe Red, White and Floom celebration at Tempe Town Lake will have live music, food trucks and a fire show that starts at 8:30 p.m. According to the city’s website, “Twelve floating, flower-shaped flumes on Tempe Town Lake will shoot flames up to 30 feet into the air” to patriotic songs and pop music.\n\nDetails: 6-10 p.m. Sunday, July 3. Tempe Beach Park, 80 W. Rio Salado Parkway. Free. https://tempe4th.com.\n\nJuly 4 cancellations: Why these cities canceled Fourth of July fireworks this year\n\nW Scottsdale\n\nThe W Scottsdale is hosting what it calls \"the most decadent pool party of the year\" from Friday, July 1, through Monday, July 4. The weekend will be capped with a fireworks show on the Fourth of July.\n\nFor general admission tickets that allow fireworks viewing, go to https://cottontaillounge.com/upcoming-events. To reserve a table or cabana, call or text 602-405-0099.\n\nDetails: 9 p.m. Monday, July 4. Wet Deck at the W Scottsdale, 7277 E. Camelback Road. $25 for general admission. 602-405-0099, https://cottontaillounge.com.\n\nWestWorld of Scottsdale\n\nWestWorld of Scottsdale’s Fourth of July event will once again have fireworks set against the backdrop of the McDowell Mountains. Parking for fireworks viewing costs $20 through June 26; that increases to $25 on June 27.\n\nFestivities begin at 5 p.m. with live performances, games, face painting, bull riding, cake walks and a parade of heroes. Fireworks will be set off at around 9 p.m.\n\nCars can enter at either Bell Road and 94th Street or Bahia Drive off Pima Frontage Road.\n\nDetails: 5-9:30 p.m. Monday, July 4. 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale. $20 per car for fireworks viewing only ($25 beginning June 27), with upgrade options. 480-656-9940, https://www.scottsdale4th.com.\n\nWild Horse Pass near Chandler\n\nA fireworks show at Wild Horse Pass will follow Phoenix Rising FC's soccer match against Orange County SC on Saturday, July 2.\n\nDetails: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 2. Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex at Wild Horse Pass, 19593 S. 48th St., on the Gila River Indian Reservation near Chandler. Starting at $22. 623-594-9606, https://www.phxrisingfc.com.\n\nReach the reporter at kimi.robinson@gannett.com or at 602-444-4968. Follow her on Twitter @kimirobin and Instagram @ReporterKiMi.\n\nSupport local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/06/26"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/30/weather/fourth-of-july-weekend-weather-forecast/index.html", "title": "Weather forecast: Fourth of July weekend to see heavy rain, flight ...", "text": "(CNN) Fourth of July weekend is approaching, and most of the United States will see rain chances through Monday. As airports fill up with the most travelers in years , widespread showers and thunderstorms are likely to impact air travel in some areas, causing delays and cancellations.\n\nThe southern US will see the most exceptional rain, with the heaviest chances Saturday. The Northeast will see thunderstorms during peak weekend travel on Friday and Saturday afternoon. And besides monsoon thunderstorms, dry conditions creating severe drought in the Southwest will pose a threat for wildfires.\n\nHere is what to expect and when.\n\nThe highest probability for rain will be in the East\n\nCloud coverage and storms will bring cooler temperatures for many, which is a big relief for those still recovering from June's massive heat wave.\n\nPlanning outdoor activities for July 4th weekend? Many locations will be dodging showers and thunderstorms, with the West, Great Lakes, and southern Plains most likely to remain dry. Heat is forecast to build into the Great Plains, with cooler temperatures over the West Coast. pic.twitter.com/wbIiM8igIV\n\nBut this cooler air brings the chance of rain and occasional thunderstorms, which could impact travel to parts of western New York and Pennsylvania in the earlier part of the weekend.\n\n\"As the colder air advances through, thunderstorms will develop, creating a risk for lightning, gusty winds and even a few flight delays,\" said CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers.\n\nParts of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York have marginal risk (level 1 of 5) for thunderstorms, wind and hail on Friday.\n\nOn Saturday, the weather system pushes further east, creating a slight risk (level 2 of 5) for thunderstorms for eastern New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington DC and parts of New Jersey.\n\nFlight delays at busy airports like New York, Chicago and Detroit are all possible starting Friday. Airports across the US are already reporting high customer volumes that they haven't seen since before the pandemic and are already trimming some of their flights.\n\nThe weather will likely add to the misery of the already expected delays.\n\nLuckily, these storms are expected in the afternoon, so early flights will have a chance of running on time. Later in the day, storms are more likely to create delays and travel headaches.\n\nBy Sunday the rain clears out of the Northeast and cool, dry air builds in, according to Myers.\n\nThe same may not be said for the Southeast, where rain chances stretch into Monday.\n\nFourth of July weekend will be a soaker for the South\n\nThe southern US will see the most moisture through the weekend, including popular Independence Day destinations like Atlanta, Houston and New Orleans.\n\nAtlanta, the busiest airport in the world, could see \"Mother Nature's fireworks,\" as thunderstorms and rain are likely from Saturday through Monday. Delays and cancellations are expected as storms move through Georgia.\n\nThe Weather Service office in Atlanta says the main threats in the coming days are strong storms, heavy rainfall, gusty winds and frequent lightning. Up to two inches of rain is expected over the weekend, and there's a possibility firework shows could be rained out.\n\nDelta, based in Atlanta, announced a travel waiver from July 1 to 4 for customers to reschedule their flights to after the holiday.\n\n\"We are providing more flexibility to customers for making changes to their flight schedule ahead of the busy July 4th holiday weekend as we expect to carry customer volumes over the weekend not seen since before the pandemic,\" the Delta website said.\n\nNew Orleans and Houston residents should prepare for a wet start to the weekend.\n\nToday and Friday, heavy rain associated with a tropical disturbance off the coast of TX will mean a chance of flash flooding for portions of TX & LA. NEVER drive into floodwaters. Half of all flood-related deaths occur in vehicles. Turn around, don't drownhttps://t.co/VyWINDBEpn pic.twitter.com/LzFWK3NCJ2 — National Weather Service (@NWS) June 30, 2022\n\nA tropical disturbance will bring heavy rain chances through Saturday, where rain totals can reach up to six inches, according to the Weather Service in Houston\n\nThe heat returns on Sunday, making for a clear and warm end to the holiday weekend. Something the rest of the state and Southwest are all too familiar with.\n\nThe West is expected to stay dry in areas with long lasting drought\n\nThe western US is staying mostly clear for the holiday weekend, creating the lowest chances for travel delays and cancellations. But parts of the Southwest are in desperate need of rain.\n\nSevere drought across the southwestern US has created dry and fire-prone conditions. Some areas have burn bans in place to prevent wildfires caused by firework use.\n\n\"Across most of the western states, the drought is so severe that some firework displays are actually canceled again this year,\" Myers said. \"The ground and vegetation are so dry that one spark could cause a wildfire.\"\n\nOccasional monsoonal thunderstorms will pop up over the weekend over the Arizona-New Mexico border, creating a slight flash flood risk for wildfire burn scars.\n\nCalifornia will have the best firework views this weekend with very clear conditions Friday through Monday. But drought prevails in southern California, and the National Weather Service in Los Angeles warns residents to use caution with fireworks.\n\nThe holiday weekend forecast is looking cooler and mostly clear with overnight low clouds and fog near the coast. Remember to use extra caution with fireworks and other sources of fire as vegetation is unseasonably dry! #SoCal #CAwx #CAfire pic.twitter.com/Y7qPpO7xKg — NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) June 29, 2022\n\nColorado and eastern Utah are expected to receive the heaviest rainfall through Monday. Thunderstorm chances heat up in the afternoon hours of Friday into Sunday, which may slow travel in Denver. Monday looks to be the clearest day in Colorado.\n\nCool temperatures will take over Saturday through Monday in the Northwest. Oregon and Washington might see some scattered showers but will have a mostly dry holiday.", "authors": ["Payton Major", "Monica Garrett"], "publish_date": "2022/06/30"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2022/06/29/fourth-of-july-michigan-best-fireworks-shows/7721773001/", "title": "Fireworks shows in Michigan: 9 events that are some of the best in ...", "text": "Cue the sparklers! Michigan cities are gearing up to celebrate America’s birthday.\n\nFly the flag, fire up the grill and plan a spot to watch fireworks on the Fourth of July with this guide, highlighting special events across the state that are considered some of the best.\n\nMore:Where to find fireworks shows near you in metro Detroit\n\nField of Flight Airshow and Balloon Festival in Battle Creek\n\nBattle Creek's Independence Day celebrations will begin Thursday and end Monday, featuring several family-friendly activities, including a balloon festival and four days of airshows.\n\nAccompanying the airshow is two nights of firework displays, which start at 10:30 p.m Saturday and Monday at Kellogg Airport. The airport is located at 15551 S Airport Rd, Battle Creek, MI.\n\nThe fireworks display will each be over 15 minutes long, one of the largest in the state of Michigan, according to the event description.\n\nFourth of July festival in Boyne City\n\nEnding a weekend-long celebration, the firework display starts at 10:30 p.m. Monday over Lake Charlevoix.\n\nBoyne City's Fourth of July festival was nationally recognized as one of the top 10 Independence Day celebrations in the country.\n\nFountain and fireworks in Grand Haven\n\nEnjoy a musical fountain show at 10 p.m. Monday at the Waterfront Stadium in Grand Haven. Fireworks will follow at the Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium located at 1 N .Harbor Dr, Grand Haven, according to the city's website.\n\nLansing\n\nThe city's fireworks show will start at approximately 10 p.m. Monday in Adado-Riverfront Park. Bring your lawn chairs or blanket to the viewing. The park is located at 201 E. Shiawassee St., Lansing.\n\nThe fireworks show will come after a Fourth of July parade around the capital loop and a patriotic music performance, according to the event description.\n\nFreedom Festival in Ludington\n\nLudington Area Jaycees Freedom Festival provides a firework display Monday. The event starts at 10:15 p.m., shooting over Lake Michigan, perfect for numerous vantage points along the shoreline.\n\nAccording to the event description, the festival has been held every year since 1874.\n\nMilford\n\nA firework shows is offered at 10:10 p.m. Saturday at Kensington Metropark Nature Center. A Metroparks pass (daily or annual) is required to enter the park.\n\nMonroe\n\nFireworks can be viewed at dusk Sunday at Sterling State Park in Monroe. The park is located at 2800 State Park Road, Monroe.\n\nPort Austin\n\nWatch fireworks starting at approximately 9:30 p.m. in Port Austin. Fireworks in Port Austin will discharge from the breakwater above the State Harbor.\n\nSault Ste. Marie\n\nWatch the fireworks display dusk on Monday at the downtown waterfront in Sault Ste. Marie, along with an Independence Day parade that will begin at 7 p.m.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/06/29"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/04/politics/americans-divided-july-fourth-democracy/index.html", "title": "July Fourth: Americans divided over what US stands for on the 246th ...", "text": "(CNN) Rarely have Americans been so divided on what their country stands for as on the 246th anniversary of independence .\n\nAs red, white and blue fireworks burst in air on Monday night, politics may not be at the forefront of most people's minds.\n\nYet a fractious partisan age is undeniably penetrating everyone's lives.\n\nIf, as Abraham Lincoln said, a house divided against itself cannot stand, the years to come beckon even more national discombobulation. The unity for which President Joe Biden pleaded in his inaugural address seems more elusive than ever.\n\nUS democracy is still fighting for its survival, as the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol reveals ever more frightening details of Donald Trump's attempt to steal the 2020 election. The ex-President is, meanwhile, impatient to launch a 2024 campaign rooted in his election fraud lies that would highlight his increasingly autocratic tendencies.\n\nIn another example of startling political disruption, an activist Supreme Court, protected behind high metal fences in its marbled Washington chambers, just stripped away the constitutional right of millions of women to have an abortion. The decision validates a half-century campaign by conservative activists, many of whom have sincere moral objections against abortion, which they equate with the murder of an unborn child.\n\nBut the Supreme Court's decision and the emerging patchwork system of abortion restrictions across the US have been met with outrage in other parts of America. On Sunday, South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, a potential Republican presidential candidate, defended her state's abortion ban on CNN's \"State of the Union\" when asked whether a 10-year-old girl who was raped should be forced to give birth, or to explain how her state will care for women deprived of the right to end a pregnancy. Her evasions encapsulated how many supporters of abortion rights see hypocrisy and inhumanity among some of those who profess to care for life -- and the irreconcilable divide on this issue in the country.\n\nGiven the political discord boiling way beneath the surface of Monday's national celebrations, it's hardly surprising that a staggering 85% of US adults in an Associated Press-NORC poll released last week said things in the country are headed in the wrong direction. The survey formalized what is obvious: for all its advantages, abundant resources, comparative prosperity and history of working to perfect its democracy, the United States is not a country at ease with itself right now. The cliché that America's best days are ahead is becoming harder to believe.\n\nMore reasons for gloom\n\nSocial tensions are being exacerbated by economic pressure.\n\nThe war in Ukraine is making food bills more expensive and spiked gasoline to record prices. Biden's struggling presidency appears out of ideas as to how to help after potentially worsening the situation by pumping hundreds of millions of dollars of spending into the economy.\n\nJUST WATCHED Biden: 'The reason gas prices are up is because of Russia' Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Biden: 'The reason gas prices are up is because of Russia' 01:29\n\nGun crime in cities is recalling a more violent past and every Monday brings a grim accounting of the weekend's mass shootings. In the latest tragic outburst of violence, at least six people were killed and two dozen were injured at a shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park on Monday. The exact circumstances of the incident were not immediately clear Monday afternoon as authorities launched a search for the perpetrator.\n\nThe sense of a country politically on edge is being exacerbated by the shadow of Trump's violent coup attempt.\n\nA flurry of restrictions on voting in many conservative-led states and the GOP's refusal to renew voting rights legislation harken back to a poisoned era of racial repression. Liberals who once dreamed of a new Franklin Roosevelt are dissatisfied with the results of their narrow monopoly on political power in Biden's Washington. But their radicalism also risks alienating the crucial middle ground of voters who ought to be up for grabs as the GOP dives right.\n\nIncredibly, the country is struggling to make enough infant formula to feed its babies -- and is having to fly in emergency supplies from abroad -- a metaphor if there ever was one for a time when things just don't seem to be going very well.\n\nAnd in some regions, the spectacles that bring Americans of all persuasions side by side -- the July Fourth fireworks shows -- are being dampened by bans imposed because the land is tinderbox dry because of global warming, another threat that defies a political consensus for action\n\nA deeply divided nation\n\nAlmost every day, there's a controversy or political fight that underscores the antagonism between more moderate, diverse and socially tolerant American cities and suburbs and the conservatism of rural America.\n\nMany leaders on both sides of the aisle accentuate differences for political gain, only adding to the sense of anger coursing through the country. Elected leaders who seek to bring those with divergent views together are an endangered species.\n\nIncreasingly, for those who think about politics, each side of the divide sees the other as an existentialist threat to their idea of America -- a schism of perception especially demonstrated in recent weeks by the fight between supporters and opponents of abortion rights.\n\nOn the right, disillusionment with government itself -- which fueled Trump's rise and is being exacerbated by his election fraud lies -- is a driving force in a Republican Party that is giving up on democracy.\n\nOn the left, more and more people see a Supreme Court that is openly flouting majority opinion as illegitimate. The high court was once seen as above the partisan flames. But even its justices have been caught up in a tide of fury, with sniping more characteristic of social media than Supreme Court opinions. During oral arguments before last month's landmark overturning of Roe v. Wade, liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor wondered whether the court could \"survive the stench\" of stripping away abortion rights. In his majority opinion that did just that, Justice Samuel Alito relished dismissing the reasoning behind Roe as \"egregiously wrong.\"\n\nJUST WATCHED Who is Justice Samuel Alito? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Who is Justice Samuel Alito? 02:58\n\nThe Supreme Court was once seen as a moderating force for stability. But in its new zeal for ripping up precedents, the conservative majority has turned it into yet another destabilizing force in society.\n\nReasons for hope\n\nSo what grounds are there for hope this Independence Day? Biden is insisting that things are not as bad as they seem, seeking to fulfill that part of a president's duties that involve bucking the country up.\n\n\"You haven't found one person, one world leader to say America is going backwards,\" the President insisted as he wrapped up a visit to Europe last week.\n\n\"America is better positioned to lead the world than we ever have been. We have the strongest economy in the world. Our inflation rates are lower than other nations in the world,\" he said, while being somewhat economical with the truth when it comes to the spike in inflation that he once dismissed.\n\nBiden, of course, has an interest in painting things in a better light than they are, especially with midterm elections approaching in which Democrats are likely to suffer from his sub-40% approval rating.\n\nBut it's not all darkness. Biden has piloted the United States out of the depths of the pandemic recession. Prices might be high and consuming wage gains, but unemployment is around 50-year lows. This could cushion the impact of a recession many experts fear is on the way.\n\nHindsight showed that Biden's declaration of partial independence from Covid-19 last July Fourth was premature -- and politically unwise. But life is far closer to normal than it was a year ago and the United States is better prepared to handle any resurgence of Covid-19 in the fall. There are plenty of vaccinations to go around, though again, politics appears to be threatening the common good with refusal to take such precautions a badge of honor among some grassroots conservatives.\n\nWashington may not be as irredeemably broken as it seems. Since last year, Republicans and Democrats have combined to pass a huge new law fixing the country's aging infrastructure -- a task that evaded recent presidents before Biden. And after a deal between Republicans and Democrats, the Senate passed one of the most sweeping firearms safety laws in a generation. The measure might have fallen far short of the pleas of grief-stricken family members of the mass shooting victims in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas. But it was a sign that even in this vicious political climate, incremental change fashioned through political institutions is not impossible.\n\nFor the first time in two decades, Americans are not fighting major wars abroad. And Biden's leadership of the West in standing up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine may represent the most significant show of American global leadership since the Cold War.\n\nThe bravery of those who stood up to Trump's attempt to steal power in 2020 is also an inspiration this July Fourth. Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, the vice chair of the House January 6 committee, may alienate liberals with her political views , but she's written herself a place in history by standing up for democracy, unlike many of her genuflecting GOP rivals who run perpetually scared from Trump.\n\nCassidy Hutchinson, a former Trump White House aide, put far more senior colleagues to shame by showing how one person can take a stand for truth with her televised testimony before the House committee investigating the Capitol insurrection.\n\nAnd if the majority of the country that didn't want to see Roe reversed wants an example of turning demoralizing defeat into eventual victory, they can look to the years of activism by the anti-abortion movement to see how political change can be forged by generations of campaigners who stay committed to the goal.\n\nBecause this July Fourth, America still does have a democratic political system that can be shaped by the people.\n\nAt least, it does for now.\n\nThis story has been updated with additional developments.", "authors": ["Analysis Stephen Collinson"], "publish_date": "2022/07/04"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/whattodoin772/2021/06/15/july-4th-fourth-of-july-fireworks-parades-2021-stuart-sebastian-vero-jensen-fort-pierce-st-lucie/7624294002/", "title": "July 4th fireworks, parades, festivals return after COVD-19 ...", "text": "Fourth of July fireworks celebrations will return this year — weather permitting — after being canceled or postponed last year during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.\n\nTreasure Coast residents didn’t have any public displays of fireworks on Independence Day 2020. Sebastian postponed its fireworks display to Labor Day weekend while Fort Pierce postponed its fireworks show to New Year’s Eve.\n\nThis year, most events are on Sunday, July 4, but Sebastian's is on Saturday, July 3.\n\nFor the fireworks displays, arrive early to secure a good viewing spot. Bring chairs, blankets and bug spray.\n\nMost events have no requirements about wearing masks or social distancing, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends both for people who have not been fully vaccinated. Stuart also recommends both for everyone.\n\n“As vaccine levels have increased across the area, so has the public’s overall comfort level,\" City Manager David Dyess said in a prepared news release. \"We’re recommending certain precautions and looking forward to what will definitely be our community’s highest-profile sign that things are thankfully returning to normal.”\n\nPelican Island:Feds nix Sebastian shooting fireworks from wildlife refuge\n\nOutdoor dining:Do you know all 200 restaurants with outside seating?\n\nSummerlin family: Pioneers famous for fish dip and fish fries\n\nHere’s where to see fireworks in Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin counties:\n\nSebastian\n\nNote: All activities are on Saturday, July 3\n\nFreedom Festival\n\nParade from 8:30 a.m. to about 9:30 a.m. along Indian River Drive from Central Avenue north to Riverview Park at U.S. 1 and County Road 512\n\nFestival from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Riverview Park featuring food, vendors, live music and kids activities. Fireworks begin at 9 p.m.\n\nFor more information: Sebastian Lions Club or Chamber of Commerce websites\n\nVero Beach\n\nBoom on the Lagoon\n\n5-9 p.m. Sunday; fireworks at 9 p.m.\n\nRiverside Park, 3001 Riverside Park Drive\n\nEvent: Children’s activities, food trucks, trivia games, contests, live music by Johnny and the Blaze at 5 p.m. and fireworks synchronized to music on WAXE 107.9 FM, WQOL 103.7 FM and Real Radio 101.7 FM\n\ncovb.org\n\n772-778-2832\n\nFort Pierce\n\nStars over St. Lucie\n\n6-9:30 p.m. Sunday; fireworks at 9 p.m.\n\nMarina Square, 1 Avenue A\n\nEvent: Live music, food vendors\n\nmainstreetfortpierce.org\n\n772-466-3880\n\nPort St. Lucie\n\nFreedomfest\n\n4-10 p.m. Sunday; fireworks at 9 p.m.\n\nMIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center, 9221 S.E. Event Center Place\n\nEvent: Live music, food trucks, Stars & Stripes youth showcase from 4-6 p.m., Little Miss & Little Mister Red, White and Blue Pageant from 5:15-6 p.m., Highway Companions Band from 6-7 p.m. and 9:30-10 p.m, magician Jamie Porter from 7-7:30 p.m., The Wildflowers Tom Petty tribute band from 7:30-9 p.m.\n\ncityofpsl.com\n\nStuart\n\nFireworks on the 4th-Red, White and Boom\n\n7 p.m. Sunday: Santana tribute band Supernatural will perform on the Riverwalk Stage in downtown Stuart, 201 S.W. St. Lucie Ave.\n\n9 p.m. fireworks begin at Flagler Park, 201 S.W. Flagler Ave.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/06/15"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/local/2021/06/25/where-catch-fireworks-fourth-july-2021-polk-county/5318435001/", "title": "Fourth of July fireworks events in Polk County", "text": "Last year, Frostproof was one of the few Polk County cities where residents could celebrate the Fourth of July as a community.\n\nIn 2020, most cities across the country canceled Independence Day celebrations and fireworks displays to discourage large crowds and slow the spread of COVID-19. But the party went on in Frostproof, said Vice-Mayor Austin Gravley.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/06/25"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/2021/06/25/july-fourth-columbus-where-fireworks-parades/7770795002/", "title": "Fireworks in Columbus: Where to find parades, events this July Fourth", "text": "After a year of canceled parades and virtual events, many cities in central Ohio plan to bring their Fourth of July celebrations back with a bang.\n\nWhile the largest fireworks show in the state will be missing — Red, White and Boom in Columbus may be rescheduled for late summer or the fall, officials say — there are plenty of others where locals can show their spirit.\n\nSome events will look different than in years past in order to limit the spread of the coronavirus, however. In Whitehall, for example, the annual pre-fireworks picnic has been cut in half — and won't feature its usual games and rides.\n\nBexley is requiring attendees to reserve free tickets ahead of time for its evening celebration at Capital University. The city is aiming for no more than 10,000 people — about how many came to the 2019 celebration.\n\n\"What we’re trying not to get is a huge influx of people because Red, White and Boom has been canceled,” Bexley Mayor Ben Kessler said at a city council meeting earlier this month. “We’re concerned about that. We want to make sure there’s a safe environment for everybody.”\n\nFourth of July 2021:Our guide to Independence Day weekend events in and around Columbus\n\nHere are some events to attend over the long holiday weekend. All are scheduled for July 4 and are free unless otherwise stated.\n\nParade, 3 p.m., begins at Delaware County Fairgrounds main gate, east on Pennsylvania. to Sandusky to Wilmer to Henry\n\nCentral Ohio Symphony concert, 7:30 p.m., Ohio Wesleyan University Phillips Glen, free lawn seating or $10 reserved chairs\n\nfireworks, 10 p.m., viewing on Henry and Sandusky and Ohio Wesleyan athletic practice fields\n\nJuly 3, farmers market and food trucks, 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Sunbury Square, $5\n\nparade, 10 a.m., begins and ends at Big Walnut High School\n\nfood trucks and bounce houses, 7 p.m.\n\nfireworks at dusk\n\nJuly 5, parade, 10 a.m., begins at Fairfield County fairgrounds\n\ncraft show, 2 p.m., underneath fairgrounds grandstands\n\nlive music, 8 p.m., fairgrounds main stage\n\nfireworks at 10 p.m.\n\nJuly 2, fireworks, 10 p.m., launched at Pickerington High School Central\n\nJuly 3, 10 a.m., parade, begins at high school, north on Lockville to Columbus to Hill and ends at Pickerington Ridgeview Junior High School\n\nJohn Barr 5K, 8 a.m., Jeffrey Mansion, presale tickets $30, $35 day of\n\nparade, 9:30 a.m., begins at Maryland and North Cassingham, east on Maryland to Roosevelt to Astor to Euclaire to Main to Dawson to Fair and ends at Cassingham\n\ncommunity celebration, 6-11 p.m. with fireworks at end, Capital University, registration required at bexley.org/fourth.\n\nDoo Dah Parade, 1 p.m., begins at Buttles and Park, west on Buttles to Dennison to Collins to Neil to Second to High and ends at Russell\n\nlive music, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Goodale Park gazebo\n\nJuly 3, Sherm Sheldon Fishing Derby, 8 a.m., Avery Pond; parade, 11 a.m., begins at Metro Place North and Frantz and goes to State Route 161 to High to John Wright Lane\n\nlive music and entertainment, 4 p.m., Dublin Coffman High School Stadium, presale tickets $5, leftover tickets $10 day of online, lawn seating outside stadium does not require a ticket\n\nfireworks, 9:50 p.m., high school\n\nJuly 3, festivities and food, 5 p.m., with fireworks at 10 p.,m.\n\nGahanna Municipal Golf Course, registration required; July 4, parade, 1 p.m., begins at Clark Hall, west on Granville and concludes at Royal Plaza\n\nJuly 2, fireworks, 9:50 p.m., viewing at Grove City High School, Grove City Church of the Nazarene, Windsor Park, Hayes Intermediate School and J.C. Sommer Elementary School\n\nGroveport parade and live music\n\nJuly 3, parade, 11 a.m., begins at Groveport Recreation Center, west on Main to Hendron and ends at Glendening Elementary School\n\nlive music, 7:30 p.m. concluding with fireworks set off from Heritage Park at dusk\n\nJuly 3, parade, 9 a.m., begins at Franklin County Fairgrounds to Main to Norwich to Cemetery and ends at Hilliard United Methodist Church\n\nFreedom Fest, 3 p.m., Roger Reynolds Municipal Park; fireworks at dusk at park\n\nJuly 3, parade, 11 a.m., begins at New Albany Primary School, south on High to East Dublin-Granville and ends at Church of the Resurrection\n\nfestival with live entertainment, 6 p.m., New Albany Middle School; fireworks at dusk at middle school\n\nJuly 2, live entertainment and food trucks, 6:30 p.m. with fireworks at 9:45 p.m., Civic Park\n\nJuly 3, parade, 10 a.m., begins at Rosehill and Main, east on Main to Lancaster and ends at Huber Park\n\nUpper Arlington parade, party, fireworks\n\nParade, 9 a.m., begins at Northwest Boulevard and Zollinger Road\n\nParty in the Park, 5:30 p.m., Northam Park\n\n10 p.m., fireworks show at park\n\nJuly 3, 5K, 8 a.m., Westerville Sports Complex\n\nlive music, food trucks and activities, 5-10 p.m., Westerville Sports Complex\n\nfireworks with viewing area at sports complex\n\nJuly 2, picnic, 8 p.m., Whitehall-Yearling High School, tickets required\n\nfireworks at dusk, with viewing at high school\n\nJuly 3, parade, 10 a.m., begins at Yearling and Broad, south to Etna and ends at John Bishop Park\n\nfireworks, 10 p.m., viewing at Thomas Worthington High School\n\nJuly 2-5, Festivities downtown, noon\n\nJuly 2, festivities at Wildwood Park, 8 p.m. with fireworks at 10 p.m.\n\nJuly 5, Firecracker 5K, 7:45 a.m., Granville Rotary\n\n10:45 a.m., parade, begins near Wildwood Park and goes along Broadway\n\nWest Jefferson festival, parade, fireworks\n\nJuly 2-4, Streetfest, South Center and Pearl streets, $10\n\nJuly 3, parade, 10 a.m.\n\nJuly 4, fireworks, 10 p.m.\n\nJune 30-July 4, festival and fish fry, Ashville Park\n\nJune 30, opening night parade, 7 p.m., begins at park\n\nJuly 4, parade, 1 p.m.\n\nfireworks, 10 p.m. at park\n\nJuly 3, 10 a.m., parade, begins at American Legion Park, east on Fifth to South Plum to Sixth and ends at Union County Courthouse\n\nJuly 4, fireworks at dusk, Union County Fairgrounds\n\nChris Bournea and Gary Seman Jr. of ThisWeek Community News contributed to this story.\n\nsszilagy@gannett.com\n\n@sarahszilagy", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/06/25"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2021/06/22/where-see-fourth-july-fireworks-maryland-delaware-virginia/7735507002/", "title": "Where to see Fourth of July fireworks in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia", "text": "Looking to catch up on all the pomp and circumstance of Independence Day after last year fizzled out?\n\nYou're in luck — fireworks shows are coming back this Fourth of July.\n\nWhile many towns, cities and community groups have stripped down their traditional festivities due to COVID-19, there are still many opportunities to celebrate.\n\nHere is a list of some of the fireworks displays and festivities happening throughout Delmarva.\n\nMaryland fireworks\n\nSalisbury\n\nGates open for Salisbury’s fireworks show, Red, White and Boom, at 6 p.m. Sunday, July 4.\n\nThe festivities take place at “The Shipyard” at James M. Bennett High School on East College Avenue in Salisbury, and people are urged to bring blankets and chairs. There will be food trucks.\n\nThe show will start at 9:15 p.m. with the national anthem.\n\nFor more, visit the Red White and Boom Facebook page.\n\nBREAKING:Ocean City fireworks unintentionally discharged on beach; 1 suffers minor injuries\n\nOcean City\n\nOcean City experienced an inadvertent discharge at its beach display location on the morning of Sunday, July 4. The downtown show has been canceled, according to the town.\n\nThe Northside Park show was also canceled after by the city.\n\nFor more information, call 800-626-2326 or 410-250-0125.\n\nBeach guide:Visiting Ocean City for the 4th of July weekend? Here's what you need to know\n\nOcean Pines\n\nThe Fourth of July Celebration and Fireworks will be Sunday, July 4, from 5-8:45 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park and South Gate area.\n\nThere will be food, music, rides and games. Enjoy unlimited fun from 5-8:45 p.m. for $7 a wristband. Bring lawn chairs and blankets.\n\nFireworks are scheduled to start at 9:15 p.m. and go until roughly 9:45 p.m.\n\nFor more information, call 410-641-7052.\n\nStart the day off with the 10th Annual Freedom 5K in the Veterans Memorial Park at 8 a.m. Show off your patriotism by wearing your USA-inspired outfit. An award will be given to the best dressed race entrant.\n\nPre-registration is $25/runner at https://www.raceentry.com/races/ocean-pines-association-freedom-5k/2021/register. Registration is open through July 2.\n\nDay-of registration costs $35 in person at 7:15 a.m.\n\nOcean Pines confirmed on a Facebook post Sunday afternoon that it planed to continue with its show after cancelations in Ocean City.\n\nBerlin\n\nBerlin held its fireworks at about 9:15 p.m. July 3 after moving the time due to storms in the area.\n\nSnow Hill\n\nThe Snow Hill Area Chamber of Commerce held its display on July 2.\n\nCrisfield\n\nCrisfield held its fireworks Freedom Fest — A Tribute to Our Heroes at the City Dock on July 3.\n\nDelaware fireworks\n\nLewes\n\nFireworks will be launched from a barge off Lewes Beach at dusk Sunday, July 4. People can watch the display anywhere on the beach between Roosevelt Inlet and Cape Henlopen State Park, but the fireworks will also be visible from many spots in town.\n\nMore: Maryland entertainment venues benefit from $10 million state grants\n\nMore: OC BikeFest 2021 to rev up with Kid Rock, Bret Michaels, George Thorogood, Brantley Gilbert\n\nThe fireworks will be launched even higher than previous years to help people view from many locations and avoid crowds on the beach.\n\nFor more information, visit https://gofourthlewes.org/\n\nThe Independence Day Lewes Boat Parade will also pass by the reviewing stand at Fisherman’s Wharf at about 2 p.m. More information at https://www.leweschamber.com/events.\n\nRehoboth Beach\n\nFireworks were launch Saturday, July 3.\n\nDewey Beach\n\nHighway One will host a fireworks display Sunday, July 4.\n\nKeeping with tradition, the fireworks will launch from a barge in Rehoboth Bay in front of the group’s businesses, northbeach and Ivy.\n\nBethany Beach\n\nFireworks will launch from the beach off Wellington Parkway Monday at 9:15 p.m. on July 5.\n\nLove Seed Mama Jump will perform at the Bandstand before the fireworks at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, July 4, the 287th Army Band will perform at 7:30 p.m.\n\nThere is no parade this year.\n\nFor more information, visit https://www.townofbethanybeach.com/273/Fourth-of-July.\n\nMilton\n\nThe Milton Theatre planned its Independence Day Picnic and Dance Party on July 3.\n\nLaurel\n\nThe town was scheduled to hold its fireworks July 3.\n\nVirginia fireworks\n\nCape Charles\n\nThe town of Cape Charles will hold its 4th of July celebration on Sunday at Cape Charles Beach with a parade, live music, food vendors, craft vendors and fireworks.\n\nThe celebrations begin at 10 a.m. with the parade from Bay Avenue to Mason Avenue. There will be music throughout the day, with multiple bands performing.\n\nFireworks will light up the skies after dark. Rain date is Monday, July 5.\n\nIf your town or community is holding a Fourth of July celebration and fireworks, please email newshub@delmarvanow.com with details for inclusion in this list.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/06/22"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_1", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:29", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/26/us/five-things-may-26-trnd/index.html/", "title": "5 things to know for May 26: School shooting, Ukraine, Jan. 6 ..."}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/17/us/five-things-march-17-trnd/index.html", "title": "5 things to know for March 17: Ukraine, Inflation, Coronavirus, Japan ...", "text": "If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter.\n\n(CNN) If you're hunting for a new job right now, the odds are in your favor. Companies across the board are struggling to retain and hire more workers. America's largest retailers, in particular, have been hit hard -- prompting massive hiring sprees and unprecedented wage boosts.\n\nHere's what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.\n\n(You can get \"5 Things You Need to Know Today\" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here .)\n\n1. Ukraine\n\nUkraine has come under increased attack by Russian forces, and despite signs of progress in ongoing negotiations, the situation on the ground is becoming more desperate by the day. A theater where hundreds of people are said to have taken shelter in the besieged city of Mariupol was mostly reduced to rubble yesterday, according to an image shared by its city council . Some people are emerging alive from the theater this morning but it is not yet clear if all those inside the building have survived, a Ukrainian official said. Russian President Vladimir Putin is maintaining aggressive rhetoric amid the destruction and is condemning Russians who show a pro-Western mindset . Putin also is retaliating by seizing hundreds of commercial jets owned by US and European leasing companies, making it harder for foreign companies to reclaim their planes without Russian government approval. President Biden called Putin a \"war criminal\" yesterday -- the harshest criticism of Putin's actions by any US official since the war in Ukraine began three weeks ago.\n\nWant to help? Learn how you can support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. CNN's audience has contributed more than $5.7 million to the humanitarian relief work according to Public Good, the online donation platform partnering with CNN.\n\n2. Inflation\n\nThe Federal Reserve is raising interest rates for the first time since 2018, the central bank announced yesterday. This comes as the pandemic and the supply-chain crisis have pushed the cost of virtually everything higher . Food and cars are more expensive, as are transport and labor costs, making inflation a concern for many Americans. The Fed needed to boost interest rates because things that could bring down inflation -- such as improvement in supply-chain gridlock and rising labor-force participation -- have not happened, Fed Chair Pro Tempore Jerome Powell said. The central bankers also revised up their inflation predictions to a median of 4.3% by the year's end, compared with 2.6% projected in December.\n\n3. Coronavirus\n\n4. Japan\n\nA deadly 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Japan yesterday, centered off the coast of its Fukushima region, north of Tokyo. Four people were killed and at least 160 others were injured, Japanese authorities said today. Video footage from the country shows street lights and apartment buildings vigorously shaking. For many, the incident brought back painful memories of 2011, when an earthquake triggered a tsunami that caused a disastrous nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima power plant and killed thousands of people. Wednesday's earthquake struck about 55 miles from the location of the devastating 2011 quake, but hasn't prompted a national emergency this time. The quake also derailed a bullet train, leaving 78 people trapped on board for hours until they were able to escape through an emergency exit.\n\n5. Disney\n\nDisney employees are staging walkouts over the company's response to Florida's so-called \"Don't Say Gay\" bill. Organizers of the protests have encouraged employees to walk out during their work breaks in 15-minute daily sessions. They are also planning to stage a full-day walkout next Tuesday, but it is currently unclear how many employees will take part. The controversial bill bans educators from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity with children from kindergarten to third grade. Organizers of the walkout penned an open letter that claims Disney's leadership \"does not truly understand the impact this legislation is having not only on cast members in the state of Florida, but on all members of the LGBTQIA+ community in the company and beyond.\" The CEO of Disney, which employs 75,000 people at its resorts in Florida, has issued an apology for his silence on the bill.\n\nBREAKFAST BROWSE\n\nThis might be the end of sharing Netflix passwords\n\nNetflix is working to prevent account sharing for people who don't live in the same household. Say farewell to leeching off your friend's account (and if you're still on your ex's or parent's account... it's probably time anyway.)\n\nTesla's cheapest Model 3 now costs $46,990\n\nHow about a cheesy joke: What do you call Tesla's expensive new car smell ? An Elon Musk.\n\nThe Eiffel Tower is now 20 feet taller\n\nFrance's iconic landmark has grown with the addition of a new antenna.\n\nHere's who is presenting at the Oscars so far\n\nWe're ready for all the red carpet action! Lady Gaga was recently added to the list of A-list celebrities presenting at the March 27 ceremony.\n\nSaharan dust turns skies orange over Europe\n\nA ski resort looks like a desert after being transformed by a thick plume of dust. Check out these stunning images\n\nTODAY'S NUMBER\n\n6\n\nThat's how many days Jussie Smollett spent in jail for making false reports to police that he was the victim of a hate crime in January 2019. The former \"Empire\" actor was released yesterday -- ending his 150-day sentence behind bars early -- after an Illinois appeals court ordered a stay on his jail term and granted him bond. The appeals court ordered Smollett's release after concluding it would likely not decide on his appeal before he finished serving his short, 150-day jail sentence.\n\nTODAY'S QUOTE\n\n\"More than 20 years ago, the Webb team set out to build the most powerful telescope that anyone has ever put in space... Today we can say that design is going to deliver.\"\n\nThomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA, on the world's premier space observatory successfully --, on the world's premier space observatory successfully completing a number of steps crucial for unlocking the mysteries of the universe. Specifically, the James Webb Space Telescope has aligned its 18 gold mirror segments, meaning it will be able to peer inside the atmospheres of exoplanets and observe some of the first galaxies created after the universe began.\n\nTODAY'S WEATHER\n\nJUST WATCHED Multi-day severe storm threat continues for much of the South Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Multi-day severe storm threat continues for much of the South 02:18\n\nAND FINALLY\n\nPolar bear cub surprised by seal", "authors": ["Alexandra Meeks"], "publish_date": "2022/03/17"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/05/us/five-things-april-5-trnd/", "title": "5 things to know for April 5: Ukraine, Supreme Court, Covid ...", "text": "If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter.\n\n(CNN) Another round of extreme weather will hit the South this week, with tornadoes, damaging winds and hail expected today from Louisiana to North Carolina. Once this storm system passes, meteorologists say we're still not in the clear though. Peak season for tornadoes across the entire US began this week and will last through June.\n\nHere's what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.\n\n(You can get \"5 Things You Need to Know Today\" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here .)\n\n1. Ukraine\n\nAn increasing number of world leaders -- including US President Joe Biden -- are accusing Russian forces of committing \"war crimes\" in response to the images of mass civilian casualties on the outskirts of Kyiv. This comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the number of civilian casualties may be much higher in other cities liberated from Russian control. Meanwhile, new footage of the city of Mariupol shows the latest devastation, where Ukrainian officials say around 90% of residential buildings have been damaged or destroyed as a result of an intense bombardment. An evacuation convoy heading into the besieged city was also turned back by Russian forces , Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said, complicating ongoing humanitarian efforts. Zelensky is set to address the United Nations Security Council later this morning, a spokesperson confirmed.\n\n2. Supreme Court\n\nJudge Ketanji Brown Jackson is expected to be confirmed as the first Black female Supreme Court justice later this week, after a bipartisan group of senators voted yesterday to advance her nomination. After the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-11, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for a vote to break the deadlock and send her nomination to the floor. Every Democrat and three Republican senators -- Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska -- voted in support of Jackson . Jackson, 51, sits on DC's federal appellate court and had been considered the front-runner for the vacancy on the high court since Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement.\n\nJUST WATCHED Avlon: There used to be bipartisan support for SCOTUS nominees. What happened? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Avlon: There used to be bipartisan support for SCOTUS nominees. What happened? 03:48\n\n3. Coronavirus\n\n4. Immigration\n\nThree Republican-led states are suing the Biden administration over the decision to end Trump-era pandemic restrictions at the US border. Former US President Donald Trump effectively blocked migrants from entering the US using a public health authority known as Title 42 , which cited pandemic concerns to stop many migrants from crossing the border and seeking asylum in the US. The restrictions had been criticized by immigrant advocates, public health experts and even officials within the Trump administration who believed it to be driven by political motivations. On May 23, the Biden administration will lift the policy , teeing up a major battle with Republican lawmakers. In the meantime, the three states that filed the suit Sunday -- Missouri, Arizona and Louisiana -- said ending the Trump-era policies would result in \"unmitigated chaos and catastrophe\" at the border.\n\nJUST WATCHED Blinken defends decision to lift Title 42 immigration rule Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Blinken defends decision to lift Title 42 immigration rule 01:18\n\n5. Hate crimes\n\nA man who allegedly assaulted seven Asian women in New York City in February has been indicted on multiple hate crime charges , the Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced yesterday . During the attacks, Steven Zajonc, 28, allegedly injured six victims, resulting in bleeding cuts and bruises to their faces, and one victim was knocked unconscious and treated for a concussion, prosecutors said. Hate crimes against Asians increased so much during the Covid-19 pandemic that the New York Police Department created an Asian Hate Crime Task Force. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office says it has 27 open cases related to anti-Asian crimes, while the NYPD has recorded 158 incidents of hate crimes against Asians between March 2020 and December 2021.\n\nJUST WATCHED 'Anxious to let my features show': Asian American woman shares fear of harassment Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH 'Anxious to let my features show': Asian American woman shares fear of harassment 04:27\n\nBREAKFAST BROWSE\n\nNCAA men's basketball championship\n\nWhew, that was a game for the books! Kansas beat North Carolina in a slim 72-69 victory to earn its 4th NCAA championship title.\n\nThe Bidens will host a White House wedding reception for their granddaughter in November\n\nImagine being a guest and hearing \"Secret Service agents will escort you to table 5.\" So elegant and exclusive\n\nKanye West drops out of Coachella\n\nA source close to West said he does not want to take the stage in the midst of his divorce battle with Kim Kardashian and other ongoing feuds.\n\nShanghai to New York in just a couple of hours?\n\nTokyo's iconic Nakagin Capsule Tower to be demolished\n\nThis eye-catching structure , which once offered a futuristic vision of urban living, recently fell into major disrepair.\n\nTODAY'S NUMBER\n\n9.2%\n\nThat's how much of Twitter's stock Elon Musk recently purchased , according to a filing yesterday, making him the largest shareholder in the company. Musk did not disclose what he paid for the shares, but his stake was worth nearly $3 billion based on Friday's closing price. Musk did not reveal his reasoning behind the purchase or any plans for the company, but he has been a high-profile critic of Twitter policies in the past. The move could signal an effort by Musk to take a more active role in the way Twitter operates.\n\nTODAY'S QUOTE\n\n\"For the first time in human history, we're not going to have access to the night sky in the way that we've seen it.\"\n\n-- Samantha Lawler, an assistant professor of astronomy at the University of Regina in Canada, on an assistant professor of astronomy at the University of Regina in Canada, on satellite pollution threatening to alter our view of the night sky . Lawler predicts that in less than a decade, 1 out of every 15 points of light in the night sky will be a moving satellite.\n\nTODAY'S WEATHER\n\nJUST WATCHED Southeast severe storm threat continues Tuesday Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Southeast severe storm threat continues Tuesday 02:22\n\nAND FINALLY\n\nWhere does your favorite coffee actually come from?", "authors": ["Alexandra Meeks"], "publish_date": "2022/04/05"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/24/us/five-things-june-24-trnd/", "title": "5 things to know for June 24: Gun laws, January 6, Covid-19 ...", "text": "If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter.\n\n(CNN) Thinking of traveling to Europe next summer? If so, get ready to pay a fee before you enter . The European Union has announced the launch of its long-awaited visa waiver plan. Under the new system, EU residents are exempt and have the freedom to spend as much time as they want in many countries. But for everyone else entering the bloc from the US or other countries which didn't previously require a visa, it will cost about $7.35.\n\nHere's what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.\n\n(You can get \"5 Things You Need to Know Today\" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here .)\n\n1. Gun laws\n\nThe Senate on Thursday passed a bipartisan bill to address gun violence that amounts to the first major federal gun safety legislation in decades . The vote was 65 to 33 with 15 Republicans joining Democrats in support of the measure. The bill now goes to the House for a vote before it can be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The measure includes millions of dollars for mental health, school safety, crisis intervention programs and incentives for states to bolster juvenile records systems. It also makes significant changes to the process for people ages 18 to 21 to buy a firearm and closes the so-called boyfriend loophole . The package, however, does not include an assault weapons ban that Democrats were seeking. Separately, hours before the Senate vote, the Supreme Court struck down a New York gun law that places restrictions on carrying a concealed handgun outside the home -- an opinion marking the widest expansion of gun rights in a decade.\n\n2. January 6\n\nJUST WATCHED New documentary footage reveals Pence reacting to a resolution calling for him to invoke 25th amendment to remove Trump from power Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH New documentary footage reveals Pence reacting to a resolution calling for him to invoke 25th amendment to remove Trump from power 03:15\n\n3. Coronavirus\n\n4. Ukraine\n\nUkrainian forces will soon have to withdraw from the embattled city of Severodonetsk, a regional official said today, accusing Russia of destroying most of its infrastructure during months of intense shelling. \"All the infrastructure of the city is completely destroyed. More than 90% of houses were fired on, about 80% of houses were critically destroyed,\" said Serhiy Hayday, the head of the Luhansk regional military administration. Ukraine also faces a difficult winter ahead as Russia continues to reduce energy supplies to members of the European Union. Additionally, thousands of Ukrainians killed in the war remain unidentified . Police, soldiers, investigators, morticians and forensic experts -- desperate to return remains to loved ones -- are working tirelessly to find out who they are, so their bodies can be laid properly to rest.\n\nJUST WATCHED Commander says images reveal new Russian attack plan Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Commander says images reveal new Russian attack plan 02:33\n\n5. Student debt\n\nThe Biden administration has agreed to cancel an estimated $6 billion in federal student loan deb t for borrowers who have claimed they were defrauded by their college. The administration had previously approved $25 billion in loan forgiveness for 1.3 million borrowers. Many of the borrowers affected by the new agreement have been waiting years for the Department of Education to process their claims under a rule known as borrower defense to repayment. It allows borrowers who believe they were misled by their college, often over inflated job placement rates or the ability to transfer credits, to request federal student loan relief. Biden also announced in April he is considering broader student loan forgiveness for the 43 million Americans who have federal student loan debt, after facing months of pressure from Democrats to cancel $50,000 per borrower.\n\nJUST WATCHED 'They come to find you': College graduate on harassment from student loan debt collectors Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH 'They come to find you': College graduate on harassment from student loan debt collectors 02:52\n\nBREAKFAST BROWSE\n\nMan loses USB drive with data on entire city's residents after night out\n\nDrinks after work probably seemed like a good idea ... but now his job may be on the rocks.\n\nOhio State University wins trademark for the word 'THE'\n\nSay it with emphasis: *THE* Ohio State University . To the masses, it's just a simple word. But to Buckeye fans, it's a beloved tradition.\n\nThis wordless comedian is now the most-followed person on TikTok\n\nMeet the 22-year-old TikTok star with facial expressions that say a thousand words.\n\nThe Queen has a new hairstyle for the summer\n\nHer Majesty was seen sporting a shorter hair-do. Check out the British monarch's latest style choices here\n\nSerena Williams returns to tennis after a year out\n\nAfter suffering a serious leg injury, the tennis icon marked her return to the court after a yearlong absence with an exciting victory!\n\nIf you'd like to be inspired by another incredible tennis legend, check out the new CNN film \"Citizen Ashe\" premiering this Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CNN . The film explores the enduring legacy of Arthur Ashe , the only Black man to win singles titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. In addition to being one of the greatest American tennis players of all time, Ashe was also a social activist, role model and advocate for HIV/AIDS awareness after revealing his own diagnosis to the public in 1992.\n\nQUIZ TIME\n\nWhich NFL star announced his retirement this week?\n\nA. Russell Wilson\n\nB. Rob Gronkowski\n\nC. Aaron Rodgers\n\nD. Travis Kelce\n\nTODAY'S NUMBER\n\n8\n\nThat's how many men were convicted by a Paris court Thursday for stealing a Banksy artwork from the Bataclan concert hall, one of the sites of the November 2015 Paris terror attacks . Banksy -- the anonymous street artist -- painted the artwork known as the \"sad girl\" on the exit door of the Bataclan in homage of the 90 concertgoers who were killed when ISIS attackers opened fire during a performance at the hall. The convicted art thieves had stolen the door in 2019 and shipped it to Italy, where investigators later found it at a farm. The eight men have been sentenced to a maximum of two years in prison.\n\nTODAY'S QUOTE\n\n\"The management of this theater discovered after booking 'Lightyear' that there is a same-sex kissing scene within the first 30 minutes of the Pixar movie. We will do all we can to fast forward through that scene, but it might not be exact.\"\n\n-- A sign posted at a movie theater in Oklahoma, warning about a same-sex kiss in the new Disney/Pixar film \"Lightyear.\" , warning about a same-sex kiss in the new Disney/Pixar film \"Lightyear.\" The notice outside of the 89er Theater in Kingfisher cautioned parents about a scene that depicts two female characters sharing a brief kiss. After the sign stirred widespread debate online and in the community, the owners of the theater told CNN that the notice was removed and that the scene had not been censored in any showings. Several countries, including Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have banned \"Lightyear\" from theaters over its inclusion of the same-sex kiss.\n\nTODAY'S WEATHER\n\nJUST WATCHED Heat continues to dominate the Southeast while severe storms are possible for the Plains Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Heat continues to dominate the Southeast while severe storms are possible for the Plains 03:09\n\nAND FINALLY\n\nToday is National Take Your Dog to Work Day", "authors": ["Alexandra Meeks"], "publish_date": "2022/06/24"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/28/us/five-things-january-28-trnd/index.html", "title": "5 things to know for Jan. 28: Bomb Cyclone, Supreme Court, Covid ...", "text": "If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter.\n\n(CNN) Did you take your vitamins this morning? Daily vitamin D and fish oil supplements may help prevent some adults from developing autoimmune disorders such as arthritis and psoriasis.\n\nHere's what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.\n\n(You can also get \"5 Things You Need to Know Today\" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here .)\n\n1. Bomb Cyclone\n\n2. Supreme Court\n\nPresident Joe Biden yesterday committed to nominating the nation's first Black female Supreme Court justice following the formal announcement of Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement. \"The person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity. And that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court,\" Biden said, adding \"it's long overdue.\" GOP senators and Senate candidates are already saying they are not supportive of Biden's plan after concluding that the unnamed nominee is certain to be far left. Republicans are calling for a slow confirmation process but Democrats are aiming for the exact opposite -- a swift confirmation process that could be complete within a month after Biden makes his pick.\n\nJUST WATCHED Biden reaffirms pledge to nominate Black woman to replace Breyer Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Biden reaffirms pledge to nominate Black woman to replace Breyer 01:42\n\n3. Coronavirus\n\nMillions of Americans are behind on flu, hepatitis, chickenpox and other routine vaccinations as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Adults and adolescents have missed more than 37 million routine vaccinations, according to an analysis of insurance claims by Avalere, a health care consulting firm. Experts are stressing the importance of getting up to date as soon as possible as such widespread lapses in routine vaccinations could put even more strain on the health care system. In a related development, a new spinoff of the Omicron variant called BA.2 is also being talked about , but experts say there's no reason to panic as there's no indication it causes more severe symptoms or spreads more easily than the original strain of Omicron. Some are warning though that BA.2 is a \"stealth variant\" because it doesn't cause a certain signature on lab tests and can look like other variants on a first screen.\n\n4. Ukraine\n\nUS and Ukrainian officials are not on the same page regarding the \"risk levels\" of a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian official told CNN yesterday. A 20-minute phone call between President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday \"did not go well,\" the official said. Biden warned his Ukrainian counterpart that a Russian invasion may be imminent, saying that it is now virtually certain in the coming months. Zelensky, however, said the threat from Russia remains \"dangerous but ambiguous,\" emphasizing it is not certain that an invasion will take place. The Biden administration yesterday also called for the first UN Security Council meeting on the situation along the Russia-Ukraine border to discuss Moscow's recent aggressions. NATO, the defense alliance set up to promote peace and stability , is also rapidly trying to reinforce its presence in the region to help ease tensions.\n\nJUST WATCHED EU Chief: 'Nothing off table' in response to Russia Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH EU Chief: 'Nothing off table' in response to Russia 11:57\n\n5. Honduras\n\nXiomara Castro was sworn in as Honduras' first female president yesterday. Castro, a democratic socialist, won a landslide victory in last year's presidential election after campaigning on a radical agenda to counter years of governance plagued by corruption and scandal. During her campaign, Castro promised to stamp out the systemic problems behind poverty, including economic insecurity, inequality, corruption and violence -- some of the root causes of migration to the north. That stance made her not only popular with the electorate, but has made her an attractive ally for the Biden administration. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is overseeing the White House's efforts to stem the flow of migrants to the US southern border, was among those in attendance for the inauguration.\n\nBREAKFAST BROWSE\n\nWant to keep working from home?\n\nHere are some companies that decided to go fully remote -- permanently. (It's okay if you want to stay at home in your pajamas all day with your pandemic pet. We totally get it.)\n\nApple posted record holiday quarter sales\n\nDuring a huge supply chain meltdown and chip shortage, Apple prevailed . Hey Siri, what's the secret to such success?\n\nBen Roethlisberger retires after 18-year NFL career with Pittsburgh Steelers\n\nThe two-time Super Bowl champion said he's \" retiring from football a truly grateful man .\" Steeler Nation is so grateful for you too, Ben!\n\n58 students were mistakenly told they received full college scholarships\n\nThere's a happy ending though! The school said the affected students will still receive full-tuition scholarships to \"make it right.\"\n\nMinnie Mouse has ditched her iconic red dress for a powerful pantsuit\n\nBoss lady Minnie wants a seat at the table! Check out her new CEO-style look created by fashion designer Stella McCartney.\n\nQUIZ TIME\n\nBitter cold weather conditions caused mysterious ice formations to show up along Chicago's Lake Michigan shoreline. What do the ice figures resemble, which also lends them their unique name?\n\nA. turtles\n\nB. pancakes\n\nC. tents\n\nD. baguettes\n\nTODAY'S NUMBER\n\n$700 million\n\nThat's how much the Australian government has pledged to protect the Great Barrier Reef . The funding announcement comes months after the world's largest coral reef narrowly avoided being placed on the UN's \"danger\" list due to the threat of climate change.\n\nTODAY'S QUOTE\n\n\"It is extremely risky to do what they did. The only way that these things happen is if the robbers have got really good inside information.\"\n\n-- Security consultant Roy Ramm, on the , on the Dresden jewelry heist that stunned the world . A total of 21 diamond-studded artifacts worth an estimated $128 million were stolen from Germany's historic Dresden Castle in 2019. The six men accused of carrying out one of the biggest jewel thefts in history are expected to go on trial in Germany today.\n\nTODAY'S WEATHER\n\nJUST WATCHED Blizzard warnings issued for Boston and Atlantic City Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Blizzard warnings issued for Boston and Atlantic City 02:30\n\nAND FINALLY\n\nFootloose Friday", "authors": ["Alexandra Meeks"], "publish_date": "2022/01/28"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/03/us/five-things-february-3-trnd/index.html", "title": "5 things to know for Feb. 3: Big storm, Ukraine, Covid, Capitol riot ...", "text": "If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter.\n\n(CNN) Remember the pre-iPhone era? If you're still holding on to your beloved older cell phone, you may be forced to upgrade soon. Major mobile networks are retiring 3G service and moving their subscribers to higher-speed 4G and 5G networks.\n\nHere's what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.\n\n(You can also get \"5 Things You Need to Know Today\" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here .)\n\n1. Winter storm\n\nMore than 100 million people are under winter weather alerts across at least 25 states stretching from the Mexican border to New England as a massive winter storm pummels much of the US. In the South and Midwest, a triple whammy of snow, ice and sleet is hammering the region and could leave many without power. More than 20 inches of snow have piled up in the Colorado Springs area while parts of Illinois and Indiana are inundated with around a foot of snow. Dangerous travel conditions grounded more than 2,300 US flights yesterday and thousands more have already been canceled today . Meanwhile, the price of natural gas is soaring -- causing a spike in home heating costs as millions of Americans crank up the heat to stay warm.\n\n2. Ukraine\n\nPresident Joe Biden is sending 3,000 US troops to Poland, Germany and Romania to bolster NATO countries in Eastern Europe as tens of thousands of Russian troops amass along Ukraine's border. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the deployments included roughly 2,000 troops that would deploy from the United States to Poland and Germany. In addition, approximately 1,000 troops currently based in Germany were moving to Romania.Kirby said the moves, which would happen in the coming days, were not permanent and emphasized, \"These forces are not going to fight in Ukraine.\" The deployments are a show of support to NATO allies feeling threatened by Russia's steady military buildup near the Ukrainian border\n\nJUST WATCHED 'Not permanent moves': Pentagon discusses European troop deployment Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH 'Not permanent moves': Pentagon discusses European troop deployment 03:52\n\n3. Coronavirus\n\nCanadian truckers are protesting Covid-19 health restrictions by staging a blockade of 18-wheelers in Ottawa. Police have declared the week-long assembly an \"unlawful\" occupation of the country's capital and say they're looking at \"every single option, including military aid\" to bring the situation to an end. The truckers are a part of the so-called \"Freedom Convoy\" and are protesting a recent mandate requiring drivers entering Canada to be fully vaccinated or face testing and quarantine requirements. The group is also protesting against other health restrictions, like mask mandates and Covid-19 lockdowns. The dozens of trucks are blocking traffic, and forcing businesses in the area to shutdown, officials said.\n\nJUST WATCHED This country just dropped all Covid restrictions. Hear from their health minister Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH This country just dropped all Covid restrictions. Hear from their health minister 02:45\n\n4. Capitol riot\n\nThe National Archives decided yesterday that it will turn over former Vice President Mike Pence's records to the committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol as early as next month, after former President Donald Trump said he wanted to keep secret more than 100 documents. This is the first set of records related to Pence's office that the Archives has cleared for release. The letters reveal tension over what may be key communications about the insurrection at the capitol and Pence overseeing the Electoral College certification in Congress, which Trump wanted to stop. Pence's team is cooperating with the investigation, officials said. Separately, former Department of Justice official J effrey Clark and his attorneys met with the House select committee for nearly two hours yesterday, two months after the panel voted to hold him in contempt for his lack of cooperation.\n\nJUST WATCHED Former Pence adviser on why Pence needs to be the one to talk to House Jan. 6 committee Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Former Pence adviser on why Pence needs to be the one to talk to House Jan. 6 committee 01:09\n\n5. CNN President\n\nCNN President Jeff Zucker, the influential news executive who reshaped the network since taking the helm in 2013, abruptly resigned yesterday . In an internal memo to employees, Zucker said he did not properly disclose a \"consensual relationship\" with one of his closest colleagues. The relationship came to light during the network's investigation of former prime time anchor Chris Cuomo, who was fired by Zucker less than two months ago for his involvement in advising his brother, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, about how to address sexual misconduct allegations. Zucker did not name the colleague in the memo, but the relationship is with Allison Gollust, his key lieutenant for the past two decades. Gollust, who is currently executive vice president and chief marketing officer at CNN, will remain at the company.\n\nBREAKFAST BROWSE\n\n2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees announced\n\nOur favorite country queen Dolly Parton is one of several first-time nominees\n\nStarbucks has been raising prices, but customers apparently don't mind\n\nYou call it Starbucks, I call it a weekly necessity . That's not changing.\n\nInside Gwyneth Paltrow's serene California home\n\nThis Oscar winner has an award-worthy home spa . Zen is an understatement.\n\nAre you a tinglehead?\n\nBehind the making of 'Pam and Tommy'\n\nLily James magically transforms into the \"Baywatch\" icon Pamela Anderson with the help of a prosthetic forehead\n\nTODAY'S NUMBER\n\n73\n\nThat's how many Confederate monuments were removed or renamed in 2021 , according to a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center. The removals and renamings come at a time when Americans continue to grapple with whether Confederate monuments belong in public spaces. These statues stand as symbols of racism in the US dating back to the Civil War, civil rights activists and some historians say. More than 700 such monuments remain standing in the US and its territories.\n\nTODAY'S QUOTE\n\n\"We're trying to balance creative expression with the safety of our users.\"\n\n-- Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, on , on the controversy surrounding comedian and podcast host Joe Rogan . Last week, artists such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell asked the streaming company to pull their music from the platform because of Rogan, who has made frequent false and misleading claims about Covid-19 and vaccines on his popular podcast, \"The Joe Rogan Experience.\" Following the backlash, Spotify said it is adding a content advisory to any podcast episode that includes a discussion about Covid-19.\n\nTODAY'S WEATHER\n\nJUST WATCHED Storm system delivers snow, ice, and flooding across the US. Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Storm system delivers snow, ice, and flooding across the US. 01:50\n\nAND FINALLY\n\nLet's pretend you're on vacation", "authors": ["Alexandra Meeks"], "publish_date": "2022/02/03"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/08/us/five-things-july-8-trnd/index.html", "title": "5 things to know for July 8: Shinzo Abe, Parade shooting, Brittney ...", "text": "If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter.\n\n(CNN) Summer travel is heating up, but understaffed airlines are struggling to avoid melting down. American Airlines this week agreed to pay its pilots triple their normal rate after thousands of flights were left without pilots . Several other major airlines are also offering salary increases for pilots who fly on peak days, as flight cancellations during holiday periods continue to be a regular occurrence.\n\nHere's what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.\n\n(You can get \"5 Things You Need to Know Today\" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here .)\n\n1. Shinzo Abe\n\nFormer Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died at age 67 after being shot during a speech today in Nara, Japan, doctors who were treating him have confirmed. The shocking act of violence has rattled the country with one of the world's lowest rates of gun violence . Abe died from excessive bleeding and was pronounced dead at 5:03 p.m. local time, doctors at the Nara Medical University hospital said during a press conference. The doctors said the bullet that killed the former Japanese leader was \"deep enough to reach his heart\" and a team of 20 medical professionals was unable to stop the bleeding. Police have arrested a Nara resident in his 40s in relation to the shooting, public broadcaster NHK reported. Messages from world leaders , past and present, have flooded in, expressing condemnation of the shooting. Abe was the longest-serving Japanese Prime Minister in history.\n\n2. Parade shooting\n\nNew details have emerged describing the scene as a gunman opened fire during a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb where seven people were killed and dozens of others were wounded. Concealed on a rooftop, the gunman shot at paradegoers with a semi-automatic rifle, authorities said. His position made it difficult for officers to quickly find him when the parade turned to chaos, officials said. Separately, an 8-year-old boy who was attending the parade with his parents and twin brother was shot and is now paralyzed from the waist down , a family spokesperson told CNN. In a voluntary statement, the gunman admitted to authorities that he emptied two 30-round magazines before loading his weapon a third time and firing again. If convicted, he faces a life sentence in prison.\n\nJUST WATCHED Gunman's father claims no responsibility over shooting Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Gunman's father claims no responsibility over shooting 02:40\n\n3. Brittney Griner\n\nTwo-time US Olympic basketball gold medalist Brittney Griner has pleaded guilty to drug charges in a Russian court near Moscow, her lawyers confirmed to CNN on Thursday. Griner, whom the US State Department has classified as wrongfully detained, faces up to 10 years in prison under the charge. Supporters of the Phoenix Mercury player have called for her release over fears she is being used as a political pawn amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Griner's lawyers said they expect the court to take into account the 31-year-old athlete's guilty plea and hope for leniency. Griner was arrested on February 17 at a Moscow airport. Russian authorities claimed she had cannabis oil in her luggage. Her next hearing is set for July 14.\n\nJUST WATCHED Hear Brittney Griner plead guilty to drug charges in a Russian court Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Hear Brittney Griner plead guilty to drug charges in a Russian court 02:29\n\n4. Coronavirus\n\nAbout 300,000 children under the age of five in the US have received at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine since it was recommended by the CDC last month, a senior White House official told CNN on Thursday. This makes up about 2% of that age group -- a number the official says aligns with the Biden administration's expectations, though the number is lower than other age groups. \"We expected this to be a little bit slower even than 5 to 11, which was slower than 12 to 17, which was slower than adults. It's just kind of what we anticipated, and what we prepared for,\" the official said. Conversations with medical providers, according to the official, have been key to parents' decision-making more than any other effort by the White House to encourage vaccinations among this group.\n\n5. Heat wave\n\nThe third heat wave of the still-early summer is scorching the US South , and \"it will get worse... before it gets better,\" the National Weather Service said. Millions of people across more than a dozen states remain under heat alerts. Paired with uncomfortable high humidity, it will feel like 110 to 115 degrees in some places, forecasts show. Above-normal temperatures are forecast well into next week as well -- exceeding the average of four days. Dallas has already seen several days above 100 degrees and is expected to continue the trend through at least midweek, putting this stretch in the running for the city's longest consecutive 100-degree streak since 2011.\n\nBREAKFAST BROWSE\n\nLas Vegas Raiders hire first Black female president in NFL history\n\nSandra Douglass Morgan has entered the chat. Meet the powerhouse executive who's breaking barriers throughout the league.\n\nPresident Biden awards Medal of Freedom to 17 recipients\n\nOlympic athletes Simone Biles and Megan Rapinoe were among the select few who received the nation's highest civilian honor on Thursday. See the rest of the impressive list here\n\n'Stranger Things' spinoff is in the works\n\nThe wildly popular Netflix show \"Stranger Things\" is coming to an end, but its upside-down stories will live on\n\nPringles wants a spider named after it\n\nPringles and spiders are probably two things you don't associate with each other -- until now. Trust me, it'll make sense once you see this photo\n\nA photographer cataloged all 12,795 items in her house\n\nGoing from room to room, a woman going through a divorce spent almost five years documenting every single object she owns. This is what she learned\n\nQUIZ TIME\n\nWhich iconic landmark is reportedly riddled with rust and badly in need of repairs?\n\nA. Eiffel Tower\n\nB. Golden Gate Bridge\n\nC. Taj Mahal\n\nD. Big Ben\n\nIN MEMORIAM\n\nJames Caan, the veteran screen actor known for his work in such films as \"The Godfather,\" \"Misery\" and \"Elf,\" has died, his family said on Thursday in a statement on his verified Twitter account. He was 82 . \"It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6,\" the statement read. \"The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time.\" They did not disclose a cause of death.\n\nTODAY'S NUMBER\n\n21\n\nThat's how many years Derek Chauvin was sentenced to serve in federal prison on Thursday for depriving George Floyd of his civil rights. The former Minneapolis police officer briefly addressed Floyd's children in court. \"I wish them all the best in their life and that they'll have excellent guidance in the rest of their life,\" he said. Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd , attended the hearing and asked the court for the maximum sentence. The killing of Floyd in 2020, which was caught on video, sparked a national outcry over police brutality and a reckoning over racial justice in America.\n\nTODAY'S QUOTE\n\n\"Ukrainians are not ready to give away their land, to accept that these territories belong to Russia. This is our land.\"\n\n-- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, telling CNN in , telling CNN in an exclusive interview on Thursday that Ukraine is unwilling to give up any of its land for peace with Russia. The war in Ukraine has now lasted for more than four months, with no sign of either side backing down soon . Last week, White House officials told CNN they are losing confidence Ukraine will ever be able to take back all of the land it has lost to Russia since the war began, even with the aid of heavier and more sophisticated weaponry that the US and its allies plan to provide Kyiv.\n\nTODAY'S WEATHER\n\nJUST WATCHED Heating up in the South while storms develop for parts of the Ohio Valley Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Heating up in the South while storms develop for parts of the Ohio Valley 02:51\n\nAND FINALLY\n\nIntricately dancing to orchestra music", "authors": ["Alexandra Meeks"], "publish_date": "2022/07/08"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/05/us/five-things-july-5-trnd/index.html", "title": "5 things to know for July 5: Shooting, Ukraine, Jayland Walker ...", "text": "If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter.\n\n(CNN) Many people spent the holiday weekend outdoors, despite a sweltering heat wave and triple-digit temperatures in some cities. And the extreme weather will continue to build across the central US today , as more than 50 million people in 18 states remain under heat advisories. So, to stay on the safe side, check your local forecasts and review these tips to stay cool.\n\nHere's what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.\n\n(You can get \"5 Things You Need to Know Today\" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here .)\n\n1. Parade shooting\n\nA day of national celebration turned to tragedy on Monday when a gunman killed at least six people and injured dozens of others in a shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, during a July Fourth parade. A witness described the horror of hundreds of paradegoers running and ducking for cover when they realized the popping noise they heard was a \"rain of gunshots\" and not fireworks. The suspected gunman is believed to have fired from a rooftop in an attack that appeared to be \"random\" and \"intentional,\" police said. A \"high-powered rifle\" was recovered from the scene and the suspect was taken into custody later in the day, authorities said. Among the six people killed, five adults died at the scene. The age of the sixth victim is not yet clear. Highland Park is located about 25 miles north of Chicago.\n\n2. Ukraine\n\nAs Russian shelling and missile attacks continue to cause widespread destruction throughout his country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that the work required to rebuild Ukraine should be a \"common task\" of the democratic world. Ukraine's infrastructure losses amount to more than $100 billion, according to its prime minister. This comes as Ukraine's military has warned that Russian forces are preparing for renewed assaults on cities in the Donetsk region still controlled by Kyiv after taking over Lysychansk -- the final city to fall in the Luhansk region. Meanwhile, up to 60 million tons of grain could be stuck in Ukraine by the fall if Russia continues to block the country's exports , Zelensky said.\n\n3. Jayland Walker\n\nThe city of Akron, Ohio, remains on edge one week after the fatal police shooting of 25-year-old Jayland Walker . A news conference held by city officials one Sunday -- along with the release of 13 police body camera videos -- has started to paint a fuller picture of the shooting, which police say happened when Walker, who is Black, fled an attempted traffic stop on June 27. Walker was unarmed at the time he was killed, Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett said. Authorities said Walker suffered at least 60 wounds in the fatal shooting. The Mayor of Akron declared a state of emergency and issued a curfew for Monday night through this morning in order to \"preserve peace\" in the community.\n\nJUST WATCHED Police release bodycam video from night of Jayland Walker's death Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Police release bodycam video from night of Jayland Walker's death 02:35\n\n4. Air travel\n\nFlights at US airports appear to be returning to normal after a busy holiday travel weekend. Tracking service FlightAware showed 219 flights were canceled on Monday, or less than 1% of the daily schedule. Bad weather played a role in the cancelations, but staff shortages throughout the airline industry also exacerbated the problem. Airlines don't have the personnel, especially among pilots, to adjust when bad weather causes delays. To deal with the staffing shortages, many airlines are in the process of trimming their summer schedules, despite the strong demand for travel. But the combination of high demand and a limited number of seats is only driving up airfares . The average price paid by leisure travelers is up nearly 50% from a year ago, according to recent data.\n\nJUST WATCHED Hear one travel analyst's tips for flying during the holiday weekend Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Hear one travel analyst's tips for flying during the holiday weekend 00:40\n\n5. Eiffel Tower\n\nThe Eiffel Tower in Paris is reportedly riddled with rust and badly in need of repairs . However, the iconic landmark is instead being given a paint job costing 60 million euros in preparation for the 2024 Olympics, Reuters reports, according to a confidential analysis cited by French magazine Marianne. The Eiffel Tower , built by Gustave Eiffel in the late 19th century, is among the most visited tourist sites in the world, welcoming about six million visitors each year. \"It is simple, if Gustave Eiffel visited the place he would have a heart attack,\" one unnamed manager at the tower told Marianne. The company that oversees the tower is reluctant to close the tower for a long time because of the tourist revenue that would be lost, Marianne said.\n\nJUST WATCHED The Eiffel Tower is now 20 feet taller. Here's why. Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH The Eiffel Tower is now 20 feet taller. Here's why. 01:10\n\nBREAKFAST BROWSE\n\nSee the spectacular finale of the DC fireworks show\n\nIf you missed the stunning finale of Washington, DC's July 4th fireworks show, you can watch the video here\n\nHe ate how many? Hot dog champ does it again\n\nCompetitive eater Joey Chestnut devoured 63 hot dogs (and buns!) in 10 minutes during the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. Click here to be amazed\n\nTom Cruise turned 60\n\nWhile \"Top Gun: Maverick\" cruises at the top of the box office, Mr. Cruise spent his birthday at the British Grand Prix F1 race. Looking good, Tom\n\nClimate protesters glue their hands to a 200-year-old masterpiece\n\nThe attention-grabbing stunt occurred just days after the same group of activists glued themselves to a Van Gogh painting.\n\nA 12-year-old asked a world-famous architect to design a house for his dog. Here's the result.\n\nTODAY'S NUMBER\n\n$10,000\n\nThat's how much professional tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas was fined for unsportsmanlike conduct after losing to Nick Kyrgios in a feisty match at Wimbledon on Saturday. Tsitsipas had been frustrated by Kyrgios' \"constant bullying\" from the other side of the net and tried to hit his opponent with a ball during the fiery encounter. Tsitsipas also hit a ball into the crowd out of frustration. He later apologized for firing a ball into the stands and admitted to trying to hit Kyrgios during the match.\n\nTODAY'S QUOTE\n\n\"I'm terrified I might be here forever.\"\n\n-- WNBA star Brittney Griner, in a , in a handwritten letter to President Biden , saying she fears she will be detained in Russia indefinitely. In the letter, Griner pleaded with Biden not to forget about her and other American detainees. \"Please do all you can to bring us home,\" Griner wrote. \"I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore,\" she added. Griner, 31, has been detained by Russian authorities since February 17.\n\nTODAY'S WEATHER\n\nJUST WATCHED Oppressive heat for the central US Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Oppressive heat for the central US 02:20\n\nAND FINALLY\n\nParrot uses a face mask as hammock", "authors": ["Alexandra Meeks"], "publish_date": "2022/07/05"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_2", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:29", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2022/05/06/joey-chestnut-competitive-eater-donut-holes-world-record/9673069002/", "title": "Joey Chestnut: Competitive eater takes on donut holes for world ...", "text": "INDIANAPOLIS – Joey Chestnut, the No. 1 ranked competitive eater in the world, has conquered hot dogs on Coney Island, deep-fried asparagus in California, grilled cheese sandwiches in Arizona and matzo balls in Texas.\n\nIt's time now for Chestnut to put in his sweet tooth and devour as many donut holes as he possibly can later this month in New Castle, Indiana.\n\nMajor League Eating, which dubs itself \"the world governing body of all stomach-centric sports,\" announced Thursday the newest edition to its 2022 slate of sanctioned eating championships.\n\nThe 2022 Jack’s Donuts World Donut Hole Eating Championship will take place May 27.\n\nFor the food gods, it all makes perfect sense. Jack's was founded in New Castle in 1961 and since has expanded to more than 20 locations.\n\nWhile this competition will give bragging rights to the best donut hole eater, it will also establish the first world record in the donut hole category.\n\nCompetitors will have eight minutes to consume as many donut holes as they can. Chestnut already holds a world-record for eating 55 glazed donuts in eight minutes. That's approximately 14,795 calories.\n\nNEVER MISS A MOMENT: Follow our sports newsletter for daily updates\n\n“Joey Chestnut is known as the black hole of donut holes,\" Major League Eating emcee Sam Barclay said in announcing the competition. \"And many believe he will set an unapproachable world record.\"\n\nOn average, bakery gurus estimate there are about four donut holes in one donut. Do the math on his 55 glazed donuts and Chestnut should be able to take in about 220 donut holes in eight minutes.\n\nBut, Chestnut will have some fierce competition. Among the Major League Eating athletes tackling donut holes alongside him this month will be No. 2-ranked world eater Geoffrey Esper and top-ranked female eater Miki Sudo.\n\nThe championship will be hosted by Downtown New Castle to kick off the summer's Fourth Friday events and celebrate Henry County, Indiana's bicentennial celebration.\n\nMajor League Eating conducts more than 80 events annually, including the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest in Coney Island.\n\nThe competitive eating community is made up of more than 8,000 veteran and rookie athletes who travel the nation in search of food-eating titles.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/05/06"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2020/03/05/joey-chestnut-hot-dog-eating-champion-big-macs/4964441002/", "title": "Joey Chestnut: Hot-dog eating champion eats record 32 Big Macs", "text": "Competitive eater Joey Chestnut has dominated the Nathan's hot-dog eating contest with 12 titles. Now, his talents have expanded to hamburgers.\n\nChestnut consumed 32 McDonald's Big Mac sandwiches in one sitting to set a world record (yes, there's a world record for that) on Feb. 12, before releasing a video on Thursday. The 32 double-patty hamburgers took him just over 38 minutes to devour.\n\nChestnut became a star at the annual Independence Day hot dog-eating contest, where he's won 12 of the last 13 competitions, including a record of 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes in 2018.\n\nChestnut has branched away from hot dogs in the past, this summer eating a record 413 Hooters chicken wings in 12 hours for National Chicken Wings Day.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2020/03/05"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_3", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:29", "search_result": [{"url": "http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2018/08/16/aretha-franklin-queen-soul-dies-76-report/980305002/", "title": "Aretha Franklin dies at 76, transformed American music", "text": "Aretha Franklin, whose impassioned, riveting voice made her a titan of American music, died of pancreatic cancer on Thursday, her niece Sabrina Owens confirmed. She was 76.\n\nShe died at 9:50 a.m. ET surrounded by family at her home in Detroit.\n\nA family statement released by her publicist, Gwendolyn Quinn, said \"Franklin's official cause of death was due to advance pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type, which was confirmed by Franklin's oncologist, Dr. Philip Philip of Karmanos Cancer Institute\" in Detroit.\n\nThe family added: \"In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart. We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family.\"\n\nFranklin was one of the transcendent cultural figures of the 20th century. Raised on an eclectic musical diet of gospel, R&B, classical and jazz, she blossomed out of her father's Detroit church to become the most distinguished female black artist of all time, breaking boundaries while placing nearly 100 hits on Billboard’s R&B chart – 20 of them reaching No. 1.\n\nThe Queen of Soul, as she was crowned in the 1960s, leaves a sprawling legacy of classic songs that includes \"Respect,\" \"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,\" \"Chain of Fools,\" \"Baby I Love You,\" \"Angel,\" \"Think,\" \"Rock Steady,\" \"Bridge Over Troubled Water\" and \"Freeway of Love,\" along with a best-selling gospel catalog.\n\nReaction: John Legend, Barbra Streisandand other celebs grieve\n\nRemember:Aretha Franklin's greatest pop culture moments\n\nAretha Franklin:What we know about her funeral and memorial\n\nHer death follows several years of painstakingly concealed medical issues, which led to regular show cancellations and extended absences from the public eye.\n\nIn March, Franklin canceled two concerts scheduled in New Jersey. According to a statement from her management team, she was following doctors' orders to stay off the road and rest for two months, and she was \"extremely disappointed she cannot perform as she had expected and hoped to.\"\n\nFranklin's last performance was on Nov. 2, for the Elton John AIDS Foundation in New York. The previous June, visibly feeble but still summoning magic, Franklin played her final hometown Detroit show, an emotion-packed concert for thousands at an outdoor festival downtown.\n\nShe ended the performance with a then-cryptic appeal to her the crowd: \"Please keep me in your prayers.\"\n\nThe Queen of Soul sang for presidents and royalty, and befriended high-profile leaders such as the Revs. Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesse Jackson. Amid the global glitter and acclaim, she remained loyal to her adopted home, living in the Detroit area for decades, including the Bloomfield Hills house where she moved in the late ’80s.\n\n“My roots are there. The church is there. My family is there,” she told the Detroit Free Press in 2011. “I like the camaraderie in Detroit, how we’ll rally behind something that’s really worthy and come to each other’s assistance.”\n\nFranklin’s voice was a singular force, earning her a multitude of laurels through the decades, including 18 Grammy Awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and honorary doctorates from a host of institutions. In 1987, she became the first female artist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and seven years later, at age 52, the youngest recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor.\n\nFranklin topped Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Singers of All Time list, and her signature hit, “Respect,” ranked No. 4 on “Songs of the Century,” a 1999 project by the National Endowment for the Arts. She performed at the inaugurations of U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, garnering global attention at the latter for her big fur hat with its crystal-studded bow – a piece now in the Smithsonian Institution.\n\nFranklin's influence is vast and indelible. It's most obviously heard in the myriad voices that followed her, from Mary J. Blige to Adele, and even male singers such as Luther Vandross.\n\nBut just as important is Franklin's broader social impact: She embodied American black culture, emphatically and without apology, and through sheer force of talent, thrust it onto the global stage.\n\nFranklin revolutionized black music and the way it was absorbed and perceived, helping create a world where we take for granted that a Beyonce can reign atop mainstream popular culture.\n\nFranklin was emotionally complex, a woman who relished her diva status but whose vulnerabilities and insecurities always seemed to lurk just beneath. Her public success masked a private life of turbulence and loss, making for an intriguing character driven by conflicting forces: Franklin was sassy but naturally shy, urbane but down-home, confident but reckless.\n\nThat deep, complicated humanity imbued her music with authenticity. Franklin’s singing, soaked in feeling and executed with virtuoso skill, moved seamlessly among styles: gospel, soul, pop, blues, R&B, jazz, even opera. She belted, purred, seduced, testified. Even as the propulsive power left her voice in later years, she remained as expressive as ever, and her live performances continued to earn critical acclaim.\n\n“I must do what is real in me in all ways,” she told Ebony magazine in 1967, the year when a string of hit singles – “Respect,” \"Baby I Love You,\" \"Chain of Fools\" – gave Franklin her first major crossover success.\n\nFranklin's early life\n\nBorn in Memphis on March 25, 1942, Franklin moved at age 4 to Detroit when her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin, took over duties at New Bethel Baptist Church.\n\nTurmoil set in early: Her mother left Detroit for Buffalo, New York, when Aretha was 6, and died four years later.\n\nStill, Franklin grew up in an environment ideal for nurturing her skills. Her charismatic father was a preacher and singer with a national reputation, with sermons that became top-selling records and a gospel revue that toured the country. That brought important musical figures into the young singer’s orbit, including household guests such as James Cleveland, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King and Sam Cooke. Growing up on Detroit’s northwest side, she was a childhood friend of Smokey Robinson.\n\nShe became a singing prodigy at New Bethel, and her sisters, Carolyn and Erma, also honed their gospel skills. But it was Aretha who emerged as the standout, and by age 14 she was accompanying her father on his gospel travels.\n\nGospel was the main focus, but the Franklin household was teeming with all manner of music.\n\n“I heard classical music from the beginning. It was always in our home,” Franklin told the Free Press in 2011. “As a teenager I took more to the R&B, but I always loved classical.”\n\nR&B music, frowned upon by many in the traditional gospel world, was also welcome in the house. The Rev. Franklin, progressive in politics and disposition, put up little resistance to the secular sounds exemplified by artists such as Cooke.\n\nThe young Aretha absorbed the emotional power of music in its many forms, whether in the throes of an ecstatic congregation or the intimacy of close listening.\n\n“(My older sister) Erma was a big fan of ‘Be My Love’ by Mario Lanza,” she recalled. “How many times did we hear that in our house?! Sylvia Robinson, Smokey’s sister, used to visit Erma and play ‘Be My Love,’ pressing their ears against the speakers, just crying.\n\n\"I was quite young at the time, and I thought it was very funny that these girls were crying with their ears against the speaker. I didn’t do that with the artists I heard (then) – Frankie Lymon, the Clovers, LaVern Baker, Ray Charles. As an adult I began to perfectly understand it. When I heard someone knocking me out, I thought, ‘OK, so this is what that was about.’ ”\n\nIn 1960, at age 18, Franklin spurned a hometown offer from Berry Gordy’s fledgling Motown label and opted to sign with New York’s Columbia Records, where her demo tape had caught the ear of iconic talent scout John Hammond. A year later – shortly after Franklin married her manager, Ted White – her Columbia debut was released.\n\nThat record set the tone for her five-year, nine-album tenure at Columbia, where she was groomed as an interpreter of jazz and pop standards, presented as a chanteuse at the piano.\n\nFranklin was quietly masterful at the keyboard. Throughout her career, it was a skill overshadowed by her voice – although she played piano on most of the work for which she's now remembered.\n\nThe Columbia period proved fruitful but frustrating for the young singer, helping expand her talent while sticking a bridle on the gospel-honed voice behind it. Even as her critical reputation and live draw grew, she managed only a handful of minor hits.\n\n“It’s a fast track to the top if you’ve really got it going on. But I like the way I came up in the industry,” she told the Free Press in 2014. “It wasn’t too fast. It wasn’t overnight, but (rather) little by little. And gradually I grew in the industry. I like that more than the overnight sensation, as one might put it. I was able to learn along the way and grow at a very, very nice pace. My pace, really. I wasn’t thrust into anything I wasn’t ready for.”\n\nReal success blossomed in 1967, when the 24-year-old Franklin declined to renew her Columbia contract and signed with Atlantic Records, where executives Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler saw a chance to unleash the raw power of Franklin’s vocals. Her first Atlantic single – “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)” – was cut at the burgeoning soul-music hotbed FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.\n\nWithin weeks it was Franklin’s first No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B chart, cracking the pop Top 10 as well. She was on her way to mainstream success.\n\nAs with so much of her coming work, the performance on \"I Never Loved a Man\" was fueled by a deep intensity but with an intimate, welcoming feel that helped Franklin connect with listeners across the board.\n\n“She has never learned how to be pretentious enough to build a false image, and deeply identifies with people on all levels,” Ebony wrote that year, going on to quote Franklin:\n\n“Everybody who’s living has problems and desires just as I do,” she told the magazine. “When the fellow on the corner has somethin’ botherin’ him, he feels the same way I do. When we cry, we all gonna cry tears, and when we laugh, we all have to smile.”\n\n'Respect' and the ascension to fame\n\nFranklin’s career quickly skyrocketed: With Wexler overseeing sessions and many of the Muscle Shoals players recruited to Atlantic's New York studio, Franklin recorded a flurry of hits in the ensuing months, all of them enduring for decades as staples of her repertoire: “Respect,” “Baby I Love You,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “Chain of Fools, “Ain’t No Way.” She was backed on many by sisters Carolyn and Erma, who enjoyed modest solo success of their own.\n\nFranklin was no one's puppet in the studio: Even in her earliest years, she was assertive during record sessions, crafting arrangements and dictating commands to seasoned musicians many decades her senior.\n\nBy '68, Franklin was an iconic figure in the African-American community – “the Queen of Soul,” as she was christened by the black press. She was now inescapably important: Franklin's status was seconded by mainstream America that summer when she graced the cover of Time magazine.\n\nWhile Franklin was not often explicitly political in public, she embraced her anointed role just as the black-pride movement was flowering. “Respect,” in particular, took on anthem-like stature, hailed as a bold feminist and civil-rights statement – though Franklin long insisted she had no grand designs when she recorded the Otis Redding tune about household relationships.\n\nOn Feb. 16, 1968 – declared “Aretha Franklin Day” by Detroit Mayor Jerome P. Cavanagh – she performed a celebratory hometown show for 12,000. In attendance was the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., two months before his assassination, and he took the stage to present Franklin with an award on behalf of his Southern Christian Leadership Council.\n\nAs would become typical of Franklin’s story, the outward success masked drama behind the scenes. The marriage to White, in particular, had become fraught, marked by domestic violence. By 1969, they were divorced. She would go on to wed actor Glynn Turman in 1978, a marriage that lasted six years.\n\nThe hits continued to pile up. By the end of the 1960s she had placed 28 songs in the R&B Top 40, a mix of original material and eclectic cover songs, including work by the Beatles (“Eleanor Rigby”) and the Band (“The Weight”). The momentum carried into the following decade, with a string of hit records and a 1972 gospel album, “Amazing Grace,” that became one of the genre’s all-time best sellers.\n\nSuccess on the R&B side continued in the ’70s even as the pop hits tapered off, though 1976’s “Sparkle” soundtrack produced one of Franklin’s abiding crossover classics, the Curtis Mayfield-penned “Something He Can Feel.” A scene-stealing appearance in the 1980 comedy “The Blues Brothers,” where Franklin performed as a waitress belting out “Think,” was a colorful introduction for a younger generation.\n\nThat same year, searching for a new musical direction, Franklin signed with Arista Records, where mogul Clive Davis helped groom a fresh career path for the singer, now approaching 40.\n\nAfter several tries, the 1985 album “Who’s Zoomin’ Who” became the mainstream smash they sought, producing the hit “Freeway of Love” and placing Franklin in front of the MTV audience. A duet with George Michael, “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me),” topped the global charts two years later.\n\nFranklin, who had spent much of the 1970s in Los Angeles, was now permanently resettled in metro Detroit, with several area properties including the Bloomfield Hills residence that would remain her primary home for the next three decades. Her father had died in 1984 after a five-year coma; he’d been shot during an attempted robbery at his Detroit home.\n\nThe 1990s saw Franklin growing into the role of elder soul stateswoman, satisfied with her status as one of pop history’s greats and playing up the diva role that had become an integral facet of her persona. While the studio pace slowed – she released just five albums from 1998 through her death – her latter-day music was generally well received, with Grammy nominations for “A Rose Is Still a Rose” (1998) and “So Damn Happy” (2003).\n\n“I’m comfortable in my own skin, and my six-inch heels,” she told the Free Press in 2011.\n\nThough Franklin still performed regularly in the ’90s and ’00s, her touring work was hampered by her fear of flying, which set in after a frightening small-plane trip in the early ’80s. She insisted on bus travel, trekking across the U.S. to play for adoring crowds at theaters and summer amphitheaters.\n\n\"I've definitely evolved to a greater maturity onstage, a savoir faire, I think,\" she told the Free Press. \"It's just about relaxing more, really, and having fun with it. That comes with time, to evolve to that level and find that it's really very simple ... that it's really about having fun and communicating with your audience.\"\n\nFranklin was long dogged by weight issues and struggled with alcohol abuse in the late 1960s. But the first glaring sign of health problems came in 2010, when she canceled six months of concert commitments while hospitalized for undisclosed reasons.\n\nShe re-emerged the next summer visibly slimmer and seemingly healthy, returning with a glowing show at the Chicago Theatre: \"Six months after the world was braced for the worst, Aretha Franklin gave it her best,\" as the Free Press reported at the time.\n\n\"Her voice was velvety and potent as she rolled into her set, still finding new curves and corners in the notes of songs such as 'Think,' 'Sparkle' and 'Baby I Love You,' \" read the review.\n\nNevertheless, Franklin's concert activity became hit-and-miss during her final years, and show cancellations became par for the course, often chalked up to unnamed health problems. She increasingly spoke of winding things down, performing fewer shows by the year, and in February 2017 finally raised the prospect of retirement, saying she was recording a final album.\n\nTwo missions loomed large during the final decade of Franklin's life, and both were still in the works when she died: She was in ongoing talks to produce a film about her life, frequently talking up potential lead actresses such as Jennifer Hudson, Halle Berry and Audra McDonald. And she was enchanted by the idea of opening a soul-food restaurant in downtown Detroit.\n\nReclusive by nature, Franklin liked being at home and enjoying “the small things,” as she said in 2011 – polishing the silver, buying a tea set, washing and ironing. She was a reader drawn to biographies and an avid media consumer who looked forward to her daily newspapers.\n\n“I enjoy the comfort of home very much,” she said. “I’m very domestic when I’m at home. I can stay in the house for the longest kind of time and not get out.”\n\nFrom Obama to Pavarotti, always grand\n\nIt was always BIG with Aretha Franklin. The public situations skewed to the larger-than-life, the supersize, the majestic. She was an immense presence, physically and psychologically, and could take over rooms simply by sweeping into them.\n\nShe had a knack for finding herself at the center of grand moments, whether stealing the show at the Obama inaugural or filling in for the ailing Luciano Pavarotti with an impromptu “Nessun Dorma” at the 1998 Grammys.\n\n“She could get a U.S. president on the phone with two calls,” said Brian Pastoria, who co-engineered some of Franklin's studio work.\n\nIndeed, it was the little stuff that seemed to vex Franklin most. She struggled with personal finances, and was frequently forced into small-claims court by mom-and-pop operations around metro Detroit – limo services, caterers, contractors. Her home was often cluttered and unkempt, and while experts on creative genius might say that comes with the territory, it was enough to frustrate neighbors and leave visitors puzzled why she had so little help around her.\n\nFor years Franklin talked about plans to tackle her flying phobia, but never followed through. It kept her grounded for the final 35 years of her life, plausibly costing her millions in touring revenue.\n\nFranklin was scrupulously private; her personal life was shielded by a tight cadre of family members and friends. When writer Mark Bego set out to pen the first authorized Aretha Franklin biography, 1989’s “The Queen of Soul,” he was struck by the array of unknowns that still surrounded her – basic details about her two marriages and divorces, her upbringing, even her musical inspirations.\n\n“I felt as if I had just encountered one of the great unsolved mysteries of the show-business world,” he wrote.\n\nFranklin cautiously traipsed into some of those topics with her 1999 autobiography, “Aretha: From These Roots.” But she remained elusive enough that her handpicked co-author, David Ritz, was compelled to write his own uninhibited Franklin biography 15 years later.\n\nThat book provoked the singer’s wrath – the sort of eruption familiar to those in Aretha's world. Franklin continually churned through support staff, hiring and firing lawyers, publicists and producers. She feuded with other female singers and knew how to hold a grudge, including a beef with Dionne Warwick that became public only when Franklin alerted the press out of the blue – five years after it happened.\n\nBut when it came to the music, few were more disciplined than Franklin. She was serious about her voice and exacting about her concert conditions: big on honey and hot tea before a show and insistent on rooms without air conditioning, aware it could dry out her throat.\n\nMany who worked closely with her also glimpsed the humanity at the heart of the superstar singer who came up in the church.\n\n\"She (was) very compassionate,\" the late Darryl Houston said in 2010. Houston was Franklin's accompanying pianist for more than two decades. \"When I was dealing with the sickness and eventual death of my father in Mississippi, she was very encouraging in thought and deed. I remember a few times I would get a call from a travel agent saying: 'When do you want to go see your dad? Ms. Franklin has taken care of the ticket.' \"\n\nBrian Pastoria was part of a studio team that worked with Franklin in the 1990s and 2000s, including recording sessions at her home.\n\n\"Before the vocal sessions, she'd be in the kitchen making chili. After recording a couple of hours, she'd say, 'OK, time to eat!' \" Pastoria recalled. \"Even though she was the greatest of all time, the Muhammad Ali of vocals, it was still always her calling on the phone for business, not her lawyer. You'd hear, 'Hi, honey, how are you!' It was nice. It was real. You never felt like you were dealing with a major superstar.\"\n\nFor all the public gowns, glitz and diva references – she was famously portrayed in a Snickers commercial as a crabby prima donna – Franklin was a homegirl at heart. She was a connoisseur of old-school Southern soul food, proud of her knack with homemade dishes like fried chicken and ham with black-eyed peas.\n\n\"I think I rank with the best when it comes to the stove,\" she told the Free Press in 1996.\n\nThat sort of organic realness coursed through her work.\n\n\"She paints a picture with a song,\" said Houston. \"Outside of being vocally astute, you can feel what she's singing. You can tell when someone is just singing a song, and when the song is a part of their inner being. With Aretha, what leaves the heart reaches the heart.\"\n\n\"It seems she never, ever forgot those roots of the church, and she really believed that we need to look above the things of this world, to a more spiritual level,\" said social activist Rocky Twyman. \"You felt like she wanted to bless humanity with her music.\"\n\nFranklin made her final hometown appearance in Detroit on June 10, 2017, headlining the Detroit Music Weekend festival for thousands gathered in the streets. Down the block two days earlier, tears had streamed down her face as she was honored by the city with the unveiling of Aretha Franklin Way.\n\nFor nearly two hours on the festival stage that weekend, she performed a spirited, feisty set while clearly struggling through pain, at one point singing from a plush chair.\n\nFranklin did it her way that night, foregoing many of her biggest hits for a deeper dive into her catalog and a stirring, 11-minute gospel workout of \"Precious Memories.\"\n\nThe old, soaring power may have been missing, but the passion was intact. For one last time in front of her hometown community, there was Aretha Franklin, and there was that voice.\n\nThat voice – still captivating, but now comforting in its decades-long familiarity. A sound still melding urban vitality with the warmth of Southern soul. Still joy, pain, ecstasy, liberation. Still strength and femininity. And still offering, as it always will, the promise of transcendence.\n\nContact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2018/08/16"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/50-states/2019/05/03/offbeat-derby-keepsakes-art-lost-space-nunchucks-news-around-states/39438803/", "title": "News from around our 50 states", "text": "From staff and wire reports\n\nAlabama\n\nMontgomery: A legislative committee has voted to make it a hate crime to target someone because of their sexual orientation or their employment as a law enforcement officer. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday took up a bill to add police officers to the groups covered by Alabama’s hate crime law. Current law allows heightened penalties if crimes were motivated by the victim’s race, religion, national origin, ethnicity or disability. State Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, a Mobile Democrat, added an amendment to include crimes that target someone because of their sexual orientation. Some Democrats have unsuccessfully pushed for years to add sexual orientation to the law. Figures said the bill was a good vehicle for the needed change. The committee approved the amendment and bill, which now moves to the full Senate.\n\nAlaska\n\nJuneau: The oldest original lighthouse in the state is in dire need of repairs. The Juneau Empire reports the paint on the 114-year-old Eldred Rock Lighthouse atop a cliff in the middle of Lynn Canal is peeling. But Eldred Rock Lighthouse Preservation Association board member Justin Fantasia says the greater concern is the chunks of concrete falling from the building. Fantasia was part of a team that went out to the lighthouse Monday to take stock of what needs to be repaired. The Eldred Rock Lighthouse Preservation Association, with the help of the Marine Exchange of Alaska, is starting the process of taking over the lighthouse to better preserve it. The U.S. Coast Guard currently owns it, but ERLPA Executive Director Sue York says she’s hoping to work out a lease where ERLPA can take over the lighthouse.\n\nArizona\n\nPhoenix: The state may lift the legal restrictions around owning nunchucks. The House voted Thursday to remove nunchucks from the list of deadly weapons that are illegal to own in most circumstances. The weapons used in martial arts are made from two sticks or rods connected by a rope or chain. Arizona allows people to carry nunchucks to prepare for competition. But supporters say those who practice martial arts shouldn’t have to worry they’ll face charges. They say it’s highly unlikely someone would use nunchucks to commit a crime. Critics say that nunchucks can cause serious harm and that lawmakers should be focused on reducing gun violence. The measure now goes to Gov. Doug Ducey.\n\nArkansas\n\nLittle Rock: The first cultivator in the state to begin growing medical marijuana says it has finished harvesting its initial crop. BOLD Team spokesman Robert Lercher says the cultivator still expects to have the drug delivered to available dispensaries by May 12. The facility has previously estimated it would have about 200 pounds of product once the cannabis was dried and cured. The Department of Health said last month that it would automatically reissue its yearlong medical marijuana cards to the more than 10,500 qualifying patients who’d received them in the months before the plant could be sold. Department of Finance and Administration spokesman Scott Hardin says two other cultivators are growing and expect to harvest by summer.\n\nCalifornia\n\nSacramento: Officials say the state had its slowest recorded growth rate ever last year as the country prepares for the 2020 census. The state is spending millions preparing for the all-important head count that distributes federal tax dollars and influences congressional boundaries. But new estimates released Wednesday by state officials say California grew by 0.47% in 2018, the slowest rate on record dating back to 1900. The sluggish growth rate comes as California and other states worry a new question on the census forms asking for people’s citizenship status could make it harder to count the country’s Hispanic population. It’s a concern in California, which has the largest Hispanic population in the country. The state’s population has been creeping toward 40 million people.\n\nColorado\n\nDenver: Riders in the city will soon be able to buy tickets for public transportation using the Uber app, the latest step on the ride-hailing company’s mission to become a one-stop shop for transportation. Potential Uber riders will see a transit option alongside UberX and Black, along with the price and trip duration, and will be able to purchase a ticket for the bus or train instead of hailing an Uber. Uber announced Thursday that it will be rolling out the feature to Denver customers over the next few weeks. Uber and its U.S. rival Lyft have been working with cities to include information about public transportation options in their apps. But this is the first time either company has made it possible for customers to actually buy tickets for public transportation on the app.\n\nConnecticut\n\nStorrs: UConn students will no longer need to buy a ticket to attend most of the school’s home athletic events. The school announced Thursday that beginning in the fall, students will simply need to swipe their Student ID for admission to football, basketball, soccer and hockey games. The school says their student sections will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. UConn says there will be an exception for some high-demand basketball games, where free student tickets will be distributed in advance. Athletic Director David Benedict says students already contribute to the athletic department through fees and it was important to the department to eliminate any additional costs. The school says details of the policy will be announced in the summer.\n\nDelaware\n\nRehoboth: The garbage dumped on the state’s roadways, waterways, parks and other public areas has state officials talking trash. Gov. John Carney joined environmentalists and other elected officials Tuesday in Rehoboth to launch a statewide campaign encouraging Delawareans not to litter and to help clean up outdoor spaces. The campaign comes after a state Anti-Dumping and Anti-Littering Task Force issued a report last year with several recommendations to get residents to clean up their act. Those recommendations including enhancing penalties for unlawful dumping and substantial littering, considering legislation to make Delaware “plastic free,” and supporting public education and awareness campaigns.\n\nDistrict of Columbia\n\nWashington: The people of the district are pretty dirty, according to a Quality Logo Products study of 2,732 Americans’ hygiene habits across 25 locations. D.C. follows closely behind Seattle and Denver as America’s No. 3 grungiest city, WUSA-TV reports. Some Washington residents said they shower every four to five days – 6.8% of them, according to the study. More D.C. residents, 12.6%, said they brush their teeth every two to three days or less. And Washington residents apparently change their underwear the least often, with 18.4% of those surveyed saying they wear the same pair for four days or more. But according to the survey, people in the capital are the worst about washing their hands – 25.7% of those surveyed skip hand-washing “often” or “all the time.”\n\nFlorida\n\nPalm Bay: A toddler stumbled upon a woolly mammoth tooth last weekend alongside a retention pond, uncovering evidence of the tusked beasts that roamed the Space Coast thousands of years ago. Monte Brigance, a retired offshore electrician from Livingston, Texas, was babysitting his grandson Colt Couch, who turns 3 on Wednesday, during the unexpected discovery. “He was throwing rocks into the pond. That’s his favorite thing to do: throw rocks in the pond that he picks up out of the bank. About half of this was sticking out of the soil, and he couldn’t pull it up,” Brigance said, holding the mammoth tooth. “Out of all the places my wife and I have been, looking for fossils – and yet we come to Florida and go to a pond, and there it is sticking out of the ground. It was a nice little find.” Ice Age creatures were common in Florida, particularly along the Atlantic Coastal Ridge.\n\nGeorgia\n\nAtlanta: Former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson says she’s officially running for the U.S. Senate in 2020, after fellow Democrat Stacey Abrams announced she wouldn’t run. Tomlinson announced her candidacy this week for the seat now held by incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue, who in his first term has emerged as a close ally of President Donald Trump. Tomlinson had previously signaled that she’d run only if Abrams, who grabbed national attention during her unsuccessful run for Georgia governor last year, was out. In her announcement, Tomlinson took aim at Republican leaders, saying she wants to see a government in Washington “without all the crazy and the mean.”\n\nHawaii\n\nHonolulu: An investment firm that helps educators buy homes in high-cost communities has brought its services to the state. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports business executive organization Hawaii Executive Conference announced Landed’s Hawaii expansion Tuesday at Hawaii Community Foundation’s downtown headquarters. The San Francisco-based company invests in home purchases with educators by providing up to half of a standard down payment on a home, with a limit of $120,000, in return for repayment of that contribution in the future along with a sum totaling 25% of any gain or loss in value. Landed’s co-founder Alex Lofton calls it a “shared investment in the home.” Lofton says Landed has helped almost 200 educators buy homes since 2015.\n\nIdaho\n\nBoise: A federally run sheep research facility long targeted by environmental groups concerned about potential harm to wildlife is facing another legal challenge. The U.S. Department of Justice in court documents filed Monday in response to a lawsuit says the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Sheep Experiment Station in eastern Idaho correctly followed environmental laws in authorizing sheep grazing. Western Watersheds Project and two other groups in a lawsuit filed in February are challenging a decision allowing sheep owned by the University of Idaho to graze in the Centennial Mountains of Idaho and Montana this year. The groups say the areas contain essential wildlife habitat that’s a corridor for grizzly bears between Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho. The groups also say bighorn sheep and greater sage grouse use the area.\n\nIllinois\n\nChicago: Four pups of a critically endangered species of wolf have been born at Lincoln Park Zoo. A news release from the zoo says the two male and two female red wolf pups were born April 13 – the first new litter of red wolf pups at the zoo in nearly a decade. Curator Dan Boehm says the arrival of the pups comes at a time when scientists estimate there are fewer than 30 red wolves left in their native habitat of North Carolina. The wolves – named for their red-tinged fur – have over the years been driven to the brink of extinction by hunting. The zoo is taking part with other zoos in a Red Wolf Species Survival plan to increase the animals’ population.\n\nIndiana\n\nGary: City officials are hoping to attract a developer to turn a plot of land along Lake Michigan into a lakefront destination. The northwestern Indiana city is seeking bids from developers interested in building hotels, restaurants, tourist-oriented retail, pedestrian-friendly commerce or unique attractions like a science center on the 21-acre site. The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports the city aims to sell the property and its beachside parking to a private enterprise for at least $4.25 million. The site in Gary’s Miller neighborhood is near the Indiana Dunes National Park’s western gateway. Gary officials will accept redevelopment proposals and sealed bids through June 19.\n\nIowa\n\nUrbandale: Tuition increases of 3.9% have been recommended to the Iowa Board of Regents. The regents are expected to vote on the proposal Wednesday at their meeting in Urbandale. The increases would take effect next fall at the University of Iowa in Iowa City and Iowa State University in Ames. But no increase was recommended for the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. Officials say Northern Iowa has a different competitive landscape and student body makeup. The tuition increases are being sought because the Legislature has approved an education budget that includes $6 million less than university officials had sought.\n\nKansas\n\nTopeka: The state Senate has approved a bill that would prevent judges from lowering sentences for child sex offenders if they think the victims were willing participants in the crime. The bill approved Wednesday comes after a Leavenworth County judge in February reduced the sentence for 67-year-old Raymond Soden because he thought the 13- and 14-year-old girls involved in the case were “aggressors.” The Kansas City Star reports current state law allows judges discretion in sentencing for “substantial or compelling” reasons. The new bill prohibits judges from reducing sentences if a victim is a participant or aggressor in a sexually violent crime or electronic solicitation when the victim is under 14 and the offender is 18 or older. The bill now goes to Gov. Laura Kelly.\n\nKentucky\n\nLouisville: A website is taking Derby keepsakes to a stinky new level with preserved equine excrement. Yes, it’s 100% real horse poop in a jar. And it costs $200. Lexington-based Kentucky for Kentucky is selling preserved horse turds from 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Silver Charm. The 16-ounce mason jar contains a Derby dropping preserved and suspended in clear epoxy resin. “Introducing Derby Turds,” its website says. “The first in a Dixieland Preserves line of bizarro Southern resin encapsulations by Kentucky artist Coleman Larkin.” The website describes the product as “equal parts art and novelty, these gorgeous nuggets of digested Kentucky bluegrass and whatever else horses eat were daringly harvested by the artist himself.” A portion of the proceeds will go to Old Friends Farm in Georgetown, where Silver Charm lives.\n\nLouisiana\n\nPort Fourchon: The Trump administration on Thursday moved to ease safety regulations adopted after the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon blowout, the worst offshore oil disaster in U.S. history. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said in a statement that the administration was acting to eliminate “unnecessary regulatory burdens while maintaining safety and environmental protection offshore.” The oil industry has been challenging the Obama-era rules, which govern the operation of offshore wells. Officials announced the final revisions at Port Fourchon, a hub of offshore drilling on the Gulf of Mexico. The audience included oil port workers in hard hats and reflective safety vests. Eleven people died in April 2010 when the Deepwater Horizon exploded, ultimately releasing more than 3 million barrels of crude.\n\nMaine\n\nLewiston: For the second consecutive year, an asylum-seeker from the state has made it to the final round of a national spoken poetry competition. The road to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals on Wednesday night was less bumpy for 18-year-old Joao Victor than for his predecessor. Last year, Deering High School junior Allan Monga of Portland had to sue as a noncitizen to participate in the event hosted by the National Endowment for the Arts. The Sun Journal newspaper reports that Victor came to the U.S. three years ago from Angola and speaks seven languages. He’s also fluent in the language of poetry. Victor said he was inspired by Monga, who fled Zambia. Monga recited Lord Byron’s poem “She Walks in Beauty.” He made the finals but did not win.\n\nMaryland\n\nAnnapolis: A great horned owl and at least seven bald eagles have been found dead along the state’s Eastern Shore this year, reminding officials of the eagles found fatally poisoned in the area in 2016. The Baltimore Sun reports state and federal wildlife officials are investigating the deaths, saying the Delmarva Peninsula has a “systemic” illegal poisoning problem. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that furthers the investigation. This year’s first known poisoning happened in March. Authorities believe the birds were killed with the pesticide carbofuran, which was essentially banned from the nation’s market partly due to it being lethal to birds. Authorities say the birds may have eaten bait laced with the pesticide, sometimes sold under the name Furadan.\n\nMassachusetts\n\nBoston: Legal marijuana has reached a milestone of sorts in the state as sales of recreational pot climb over the $100 million mark. According to the latest data from the state’s Cannabis Control Commission, retail pot shops have sold $104 million worth of product since the first stores opened last November. Nearly $7 million in total sales were reported last week, with customers spending an average of $41 per transaction. The increases reflect the steadily growing number of pot shops in the state, with 21 having now been awarded final licenses. The first recreational store in Worcester, the state’s second-largest city, opened Wednesday. But Massachusetts is still likely to miss its forecast of $63 million in marijuana taxes in the current fiscal year due to the initially slower-than-expected rollout of retail stores.\n\nMichigan\n\nLansing: The state’s schools would not have to reschedule up to four snow days that occurred during an arctic deep freeze under legislation sent Thursday to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for her expected signature. The bill won final approval when Senate Democrats agreed to ensure it would take effect immediately. That was a reversal after they had effectively stalled the measure earlier in the week because majority Republicans stripped a House-passed provision that would have ensured some hourly school employees were paid for days canceled due to the weather – if their labor contract or employment agreement is silent on the issue. “It’s all for the kids and giving schools plenty of notice so they can do their proper planning,” said Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, a Clarklake Republican.\n\nMinnesota\n\nSt. Paul: Gov. Tim Walz says he supports legislation to ban the recreational hunting of wolves in the state if the federal government succeeds in removing them from the threatened list. An amendment to prohibit sport wolf hunting was added to a House environmental bill Tuesday. On Wednesday, the governor said that when he was in Congress he supported “delisting” wolves where populations had recovered, but not nationwide. And while he said he supports managing wolf populations, he doesn’t think sport hunting is appropriate. Minnesota held three wolf seasons before a judge restored federal protections 2014. Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, says the issue is personal for her because she’s from the Wolf clan, and there’s a rule against hunting your own clan.\n\nMississippi\n\nJackson: The state will start allowing people with felony drug convictions to apply for federal food assistance. The new policy takes effect July 1 and could affect as many as 67,000 people. Lawmakers approved the change in a bill aimed at reducing recidivism and shrinking the prison population. A 1996 federal law put a lifetime ban on people convicted of state or federal drug felonies from receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. However, state legislatures could opt out of the ban. Mississippi, South Carolina and West Virginia were the only states that had not opted out. Republican Sen. Sally Doty of Brookhaven pushed for the change, saying she saw “no reason to treat drug felons differently than those with violent offenses.”\n\nMissouri\n\nKansas City: The city is preparing to restore the building where the Negro National League was founded. The Kansas City Star reports the effort to upgrade the building near the 18th and Vine Jazz District comes just months before the 100th anniversary of the league’s founding. The Kansas City Council on Thursday fast-tracked an ordinance to take over the Buck O’Neil Research and Education Center. The building was known as the Paseo YMCA when independent baseball team owners met there in 1920 to establish what became the Negro Leagues. Under the ordinance, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum will donate the building to the city, which will spend $1 million from its one-cent sales tax for public improvements and more than $283,000 in state tax credits to restore the basement and ground level.\n\nMontana\n\nHelena: Gov. Steve Bullock has signed a bill that would allow emergency care providers to offer non-emergency medical assistance in an effort to reduce the number of 911 calls, especially in rural areas. Supporters say providers could fill gaps in the medical system by helping people manage their medicine or chronic illnesses, giving them a ride to their doctor’s office, or connecting them with other medical or mental health services. The bill, which Bullock signed Wednesday, allows the Board of Medical Examiners to create rules detailing the scope of the changes and a training program for paramedics and emergency medical technicians. Supporters say the measure could also help recruit volunteers who would be willing to do scheduled visits but don’t want to be on call for emergencies.\n\nNebraska\n\nOmaha: Eight middle-school confirmation class members have decided against joining a Methodist church in protest of the denomination’s renewed ban on same-sex marriage and gay clergy. The Omaha World-Herald reports the eight were scheduled to become part of the congregation Sunday at First United Methodist Church. But the seventh- and eighth-graders declined and issued a written statement instead. It says that if they were to join now, that would send the inaccurate message that they approve of the United Methodist Church’s “immoral” policies on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage. Last Friday the denomination’s judicial council upheld key portions of a plan adopted in February by the church’s legislative assembly and designed to strengthen the bans on same-sex marriage and ordination of LGBTQ pastors.\n\nNevada\n\nReno: The Nevada Museum of Art’s $1.5 million space balloon is officially lost in space. Museum officials said Wednesday that the “Orbital Reflector” installation, more than three years in the making, cannot be located after a series of technical difficulties and complications from the government shutdown in January. Museum officials believe the piece, as planned, is orbiting Earth, but it will probably be a few years – rather than a few months – before it burns up in the atmosphere. In early December, the Reno-based museum celebrated as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched into space carrying a shoebox-sized package with the museum’s 100-foot-long, diamond-shaped balloon. Museum officials promoted it as the first-ever satellite sent into space strictly for art’s sake.\n\nNew Hampshire\n\nConcord: Supporters of a bill to repeal the death penalty are starting daily candlelight vigils outside of the Statehouse to express their hope that Gov. Chris Sununu will sign it or allow it to become law. Both the House and Senate have voted with veto-proof majorities to repeal the state’s capital punishment law. Sununu, a Republican, vetoed a death penalty repeal bill last June and is expected to do the same this year. The vigils, which started Thursday, are being led by the New Hampshire Council of Churches. The Rev. Jason Wells, the group’s executive director, says the people of New Hampshire have spoken clearly that the state can live without the death penalty.\n\nNew Jersey\n\nOcean City: The operators of a Jersey shore amusement park say a roller coaster there is safe after a pair of water-filled test dummies fell off during a recent test ride. The GaleForce coaster at Playland’s Castaway Cove was undergoing a routine safety check April 20 when the dummies plummeted into a hotel next door, damaging the building’s shingles and plywood. Park officials say the dummies had undetected leaks that made them lose their mass and shape, causing them to fall. They say that the same thing wouldn’t happen to humans and that nothing on the ride failed during the test, including the lap bar that secures riders. Officials say the coaster has run problem-free since the mishap and is tested daily for about two hours.\n\nNew Mexico\n\nSilver City: Officials with the Gila National Forest are investigating vandalism at prehistoric rock art sites within the boundaries of the forest. They pointed Wednesday to damage done at Chloride Creek on the Black Range Ranger District. The damage includes names that have been scrawled onto rocks that are laden with prehistoric petroglyphs and pictographs. Officials say the southern New Mexico forest is home to more than 200 recorded rock art sites that, once damaged, can never be repaired to their original condition. They’re asking visitors to be respectful. That includes not touching the rock art, as oils from a single handprint can chemically affect the rock’s surface. It’s also illegal to collect or disturb archaeological materials on public land without a permit.\n\nNew York\n\nAlbany: More than 2,000 volunteers are expected to help clean up the shores of the Hudson River this weekend. The eighth annual Riverkeeper Sweep will be held Saturday, with volunteers cleaning up shorelines and fostering native plants up and down the river. There are more than 120 projects scheduled, including a cleanup of Iona Island off of Rockland County and cleanup by kayak near Glens Falls. Teams of volunteers are organized by local schools, businesses and organizations. People interested in volunteering can search locations and register at Riverkeeper.org/sweep.\n\nNorth Carolina\n\nCharlotte: A college student slain while confronting a gunman in his University of North Carolina-Charlotte classroom was given a hero’s send-off Thursday as his body was returned to his hometown with a police escort. Police motorcycles and other vehicles with blue lights flashing quickly left a funeral home and started their 150-mile journey west from Riley Howell’s college home in Charlotte to his mountain hometown of Waynesville. Traffic stopped along busy four-lane Charlotte streets as the procession went by. Howell died in his classroom Tuesday after charging and tackling the gunman who opened fire with a legally obtained pistol, authorities said. Howell’s decision to fight for the lives of others fit his character, said friend David Belnap, who attended a candlelight vigil Wednesday with a homemade T-shirt with “Riley Howell is a hero” written on the back.\n\nNorth Dakota\n\nBismarck: Deer hunting licenses in the state are taking a big jump this year. The Game and Fish Department is issuing 65,500 licenses for white-tailed deer and mule deer, up 19% from 2018. It’s the fourth consecutive year of an increase. Game and Fish this year is also fully lifting restrictions on mule deer doe hunting in the west that were implemented eight years ago following a string of harsh winters. State Wildlife Chief Jeb Williams says it’s “shaping up for a pretty decent fall.” Hunters have through June 5 to apply for a 2019 license. This year’s regular gun season opens at noon Nov. 8 and runs through Nov. 24. State Tourism Division data shows that deer hunting contributes tens of millions of dollars to the state economy.\n\nOhio\n\nCincinnati: A class at the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College has helped out a fellow student by raising money to enable her to see color for the first time in her life. Savannah Allen’s dental hygiene program classmates say they were inspired to take action after learning that Allen’s participation in the program was in jeopardy due to her colorblindness. Being able to properly view a patient’s teeth and gums for indications of decay or disease is an important part of a hygienist’s job. As a first-year student, Allen’s inability to see colors didn’t pose a challenge until she began treating patients in the Dental Hygiene Clinic, according to the college. The students researched treatment options and started a GoFundMe page to raise the money for special glasses to help Allen see colors.\n\nOklahoma\n\nTulsa: The city might introduce a minimum age requirement for electric scooters following the death last month of a 5-year-old scooter passenger. The Tulsa World reports the city’s community development and policy chief, Nick Doctor, presented to city councilors on Wednesday the Mayor’s Office’s proposal that would require the minimum age to either 16 or 18. Doctor says the proposal is one of several that aim to increase electric scooter awareness and ensure they’re being safely used ahead of the summer, when ridership is expected to jump substantially. A 5-year-old child was fatally struck by a car after falling off a Lime rental scooter operated by his mother in the city last month.\n\nOregon\n\nSalem: Lawmakers in the House have approved an extra $2 billion in funding for the state’s struggling school system. The chamber voted 37-21 Wednesday following hours of floor debate. Democrats championed the package, saying it’s a necessary investment in Oregon’s public schools, which struggle with the lowest graduation rates in the nation. The vote comes a week before teachers across the state are planning a day of action in protest of decades of disinvestment in the public education system. But Republicans took issue with the proposed business tax to fund the measure, saying it would be passed onto consumers through higher prices. The tax package now moves to the Senate, where it needs a two-thirds vote. Even if it passes through the legislative process, opponents may move to put it to the ballot.\n\nPennsylvania\n\nPittsburgh: With their bulging red eyes and deafening mating song, the 17-year cicadas are about to emerge. The insects have been waiting underground for nearly two decades, and millions are about to make their debut around western Pennsylvania, as well as parts of eastern Ohio and a small swath of West Virginia. Penn State Extension horticulture educator Sandy Feather tells the Tribune Review it takes several days of temperatures above 60 degrees Fahrenheit for them to emerge. Temperatures around Pittsburgh are forecast to be in the high 60s and low 70s next week. Feather says they’ll be loud, but they don’t pose a threat to anything except very young trees. Adult cicadas don’t eat or bite and exist only to mate. They’ll all be dead by the end of June.\n\nRhode Island\n\nProvidence: A Republican activist has sued lottery officials over the state’s legalization and launch of sports betting without first seeking voter approval. Daniel Harrop said Thursday that sports betting should stop pending a statewide referendum. Former Rhode Island Republican Party Chairman Brandon Bell and attorney Joe Larisa filed a lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of Harrop, a member of the party’s central committee. Democratic Senate President Dominick Ruggerio has said the legal advice he has seen states that voters approved sports betting when they approved casino gambling, and he’s confident Rhode Island would prevail in any challenge. Harrop says he’s not opposed to gambling, but the state must follow its constitution and ask voters whether gambling should expand.\n\nSouth Carolina\n\nMoncks Corner: A school district will invest in student accessibility with a portion of funds recovered from a former district official’s $1.3 million embezzlement scheme. The Post and Courier reports Berkeley County School District officials agreed this week to use $300,000 to make playgrounds more accessible and help students with mobility issues. Former district CFO Brantley Thomas stole district money over 16 years in a variety ways, including taking funds from grants for special education students. He was sentenced this year to just over five years in prison on federal embezzlement charges. He was later convicted of related state charges and sentenced to 11 years in prison. The school district is now getting more than $2.2 million in legal settlements and restitution. It will also be getting Thomas’ pension.\n\nSouth Dakota\n\nSpringfield: About 150 inmates took the opportunity to prepare for life after prison at a job fair this week. Ernesto DiFabio was among the men who met with roughly 20 employers at Mike Durfee State Prison on Monday. DiFabio says he’s a graduate of the prison’s automotive vocational program, where he learned how to change oil and replace car parts. The 43-year-old earned an Occupational Safety and Health Administration certification while behind bars. DiFabio says he can’t wait to earn a paycheck. Prison official Monica Wepking says more than 90% of vocational program graduates find a job after being released. She says roughly 8% of program graduates return to prison, well below the general prison population’s recidivism rate of 30%.\n\nTennessee\n\nGatlinburg: The nearly 700-foot-long, 150-foot-high Gatlinburg SkyBridge, the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America, opens May 17. Gatlinburg SkyLift, which runs the year-round chairlift that runs from downtown Gatlinburg to the top of Crockett Mountain, plans to open the new attraction. The SkyBridge stretches 680 feet across a valley and features glass floor panels to let visitors look down. “Guests will be able to walk across at their own pace, taking in the views and enjoying the spectacular setting before walking back when they’re ready,” says a post on Gatlinburg SkyLift Park’s Facebook page. The Gatlinburg SkyLift is currently operating, but guests have been unable to get off and enjoy the landscape since devastating November 2016 wildfires.\n\nTexas\n\nAustin: A 14-year-old boy is raising money to wipe out lunch debt in district schools. The Austin American-Statesman reports Ben Hofer, an eighth grader at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, decided to tackle the lunch debt for three Austin district campuses for a school service project, Project Citizen. The original goal for his semester-long “LunchCounts!” project was to raise $3,200 to pay off the lunch debts at Akins High, Parades Middle School and Blazier Elementary because the campuses had among the highest balances in the district. But Ben exceeded the amount and now is trying to reach $7,000 to help pay off the debts at more schools. “I can see how having money some days and not having money some days can be very stressful for the kids and their parents,” Ben said. “Lunch is essential for your day. And the school loses money because of it. It’s just bad all around.”\n\nUtah\n\nSalt Lake City: At least one lawmaker thinks people should have beer with their karaoke – even in this conservative state. A new liquor law has come under scrutiny by legislators and business owners after beer licenses were denied to a karaoke lounge and an ax-throwing venue. Democratic Rep. Angela Romero said Wednesday that she plans to introduce an amendment to include karaoke venues among the new sites approved for beer sales. She hasn’t decided whether ax-throwing venues should be added. “When I’m out for a night of fun with friends and go to karaoke, I’d hope I could have a beer,” Romero said. The law represents a tightening of already strict liquor laws in Utah, where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints instructs members to avoid drinking alcohol.\n\nVermont\n\nBurlington: The city is planting a variety of young trees to offset expected damage from an ash-tree killing pest. The emerald ash borer has already been detected in Colchester, Milton and South Hero, and foresters estimate 150 million ash trees around the state are at risk. Last weekend, City Arborist V.J. Comai, other professionals, and volunteers planted about 60 trees among dominant stands of ash. Comai estimates that it would cost about $1.1 million to remove and replace the city’s 1,249 ash trees. The beetle has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in North America.\n\nVirginia\n\nRoanoke: The city has officially renamed its courthouse after civil rights leader Oliver Hill. The Roanoke Times reports that more than 100 people attended a naming ceremony Wednesday at now-named Oliver W. Hill Justice Center. Hill spent much of his childhood in Roanoke and went on to have a lengthy career as a civil rights lawyer. In 1954, he was part of a series of lawsuits against racially segregated public schools that became the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, which changed American society by setting the foundation for integrated education. He died at age 100 in 2007.\n\nWashington\n\nSeattle: The state faces a federal court order to fix under-roadway pipes that block migrating fish by 2030, but a budget passed by lawmakers shortchanges the work. That puts the state at risk of missing the deadline and could delay salmon recovery even as the Pacific Northwest’s orcas are starving. The Legislature’s two-year transportation budget, approved last weekend, devotes $100 million to fixing the pipes. That’s only about one-third of what Gov. Jay Inslee requested, but lawmakers said they couldn’t come up with any more. Lorraine Loomis, chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, says underfunding culvert removal now will make it almost impossible to meet the court’s deadline.\n\nWest Virginia\n\nBluefield: A “Bridge to Nowhere” will have a destination in a few years. Gov. Jim Justice held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for the start of work on a 3.8-mile addition to the King Coal Highway in southern West Virginia. The addition will make use of a bridge that was built a decade ago and dubbed the “Bridge to Nowhere” because the road stopped at the end of it. The governor’s office says the project will give motorists easier access to the Mercer County Airport. Justice says they’re “going to turn this into the ‘Bridge to Somewhere,’ and that somewhere is going to be your airport.” First, crews must cut through a mountain between the bridge and airport. The $57.5 million project is being funded through West Virginia Turnpike Authority bonds. It’s expected to be completed by November 2021.\n\nWisconsin\n\nMilwaukee: The city plans to extend its streetcar route to the Wisconsin Center District convention hall just in time for the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Mayor Tom Barrett on Wednesday unveiled plans to extend The Hop to Wisconsin Avenue by next summer. He also announced engineering plans for two additional legs that would stretch the streetcar route north past Fiserv Forum into Bronzeville and south into Walker’s Point. The extension plans would amount to a major expansion of the 2.1-mile streetcar loop, adding about 2.4 miles of additional route. The plans must first be approved by the Common Council.\n\nWyoming\n\nCody: The east gate to Yellowstone National Park is opening for the season. The Cody Enterprise reports the entrance will be open Friday morning, but motorists can expect delays because of construction and possibly deteriorating weather conditions. The road between Canyon Village and Lake Village also is scheduled to open Friday. Roads from the west gate to Madison Junction, Mammoth Hot Springs to Old Faithful, and Norris to Canyon Village, opened in mid-April. Yellowstone officials say visitors should check road conditions before venturing into the park.\n\nFrom staff and wire reports", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2019/05/03"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/50-states/2020/02/18/tombstone-gunfight-sparkler-spoiler-superbloom-news-around-states/111331402/", "title": "Tombstone gunfight, sparkler spoiler: News from around our 50 states", "text": "From USA TODAY Network and wire reports\n\nAlabama\n\nColumbiana: A proposed toll bridge over Lay Lake that could spur economic development in central Alabama is drawing concerns from some residents and environmentalists. Some who live near the site on the Shelby-Talladega county line are worried about noise and traffic should the bridge be built, and the Alabama Rivers Alliance has raised questions about issues with construction and the long-term impact of quality of life in the area. Businessman Tim James proposed the bridge, which would link the counties across the Coosa River. He told WIAT-TV some noise is a small trade-off for the historic economic development a toll bridge would bring. A public involvement meeting is scheduled for Tuesday on the bridge, which has become a topic of discussion for state lawmakers as well. Last Wednesday, a bill was introduced that would require voter approval in counties considering toll bridges.\n\nAlaska\n\nJuneau: More than 200 federally recognized tribes would also be officially recognized in the state under a bill that is gaining momentum with bipartisan support. The bill is largely symbolic and would not change how tribal governments already operate, as each of the 229 Native Alaska tribes is already federally recognized, lawmakers said. The legislation would instead enshrine in state law what has been the status of these tribes for years and formally recognize tribal sovereignty. “Just a simple act of recognition can heal decades of hurt,” said Richard Chalyee Eesh Peterson, president of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. “One of the things that will happen for the larger community of Alaska, this will normalize the thought of tribes as sovereigns.”\n\nArizona\n\nTombstone: Doc Holliday’s Saloon has challenged the state liquor department’s ruling that the saloon didn’t adequately control firearms within its establishment. That claim, historians will note, was the also the chief concern of the bar’s namesake, John Henry “Doc” Holliday, when he lived in Tombstone in the late 1800s. That dispute, in which Holliday and three other lawmen looked to disarm a group of cowboys by the OK Corral, ended badly. In the current case, the liquor department ordered Doc Holliday’s to temporarily close its swinging doors for two weeks because of four incidents that it asserted violated liquor laws. Three involved weapons; two ended with someone being shot. After one shooting incident, the department’s report noted, the saloon seemed to celebrate with a sign outside that suggested beer was a necessity following a shooting. Doc Holliday remains open for business while it appeals the order.\n\nArkansas\n\nMountain Home: The city will hold a public meeting at 6p.m. Tuesday at City Hall to discuss a proposed community center. Under a proposal presented to the City Council earlier this month, the facility would include an indoor aquatic center and an outdoor water park in addition to the community center. It would be built at McCabe Park along U.S. Highway 62 West. The plan includes upgrades or renovations – some big, some small – to almost every park under the City of Mountain Home umbrella and carries an estimated $38 million price tag. The proposed indoor aquatic center would be 22,300 square feet and include a competition lap pool, a heated therapy pool and a kids’ play pool. The proposed outdoor water park would feature a diving pool, a shallow play area for small children, water slides and a lazy river.\n\nCalifornia\n\nLake Elsinore: Southern California’s dry winter isn’t good for wildflowers – and that’s OK with officials in this city where last spring’s “superbloom” of poppies drew huge crowds. Riverside County parks official Dustin McLain said the chances of a superbloom in Walker Canyon this year are small because January was dry, and February has started off the same way, The Press-Enterprise reports. Lake Elsinore Mayor Brian Tisdale is hoping the big bloom doesn’t occur. “That kind of attention – even though it’s probably the most beautiful thing in Southern California – has an overwhelming impact on the local community,” he told the newspaper. Last March, after a very wet winter, throngs of people flocked to Walker Canyon. Interstate 15 was jammed for miles in both directions, and streets of the small city were gridlocked. At one point, the city closed the canyon and then barred cars from the area, requiring visitors to pay for shuttle rides to the floral extravaganza.\n\nColorado\n\nDenver: A ban prohibiting pit bulls in the city is expected to remain in place after the mayor announced plans to veto legislation that would have lifted the dog breed restriction. Mayor Michael Hancock said Friday that he expects to veto a repeal on the ban, citing concerns that the ordinance does not fully address the risk of injury resulting from attacks from these particular dog breeds, the Denver Post reports. “The reality is that irresponsible pet owners continue to be a problem, and it is the irresponsible owners and their dogs I must consider in evaluating the overall impact of this ordinance,” Hancock said. City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday and must acquire nine votes to override the veto, but the repeal measure only passed the council with seven votes when first introduced, city officials said.\n\nConnecticut\n\nNew Haven: A female high school student defeated a transgender female athlete in a state championship race, just two days after a lawsuit was filed in an effort to block transgender athletes from participating in girls sports in the state. Chelsea Mitchell, of Canton High School, won the Class S 55-meter dash title Friday night with a time of 7.18 seconds, edging Terry Miller of Bloomfield High School. Miller, a transgender athlete, finished at 7.20 seconds. The families of Mitchell and two other female high school runners filed the federal lawsuit Wednesday, arguing that allowing athletes with male anatomy to compete has deprived them of track titles and scholarship opportunities. The Hartford Courant reports Miller and Mitchell did not interact before or after the race. “I clapped because, for me, I’m not a hater,” Miller said. “When you take a win, you take the win. And even if you don’t respect me, I’ll respect you.”\n\nDelaware\n\nWilmington: The air temperature was hanging around freezing when 130 people stepped out of the The Queen Wilmington over the weekend for the second annual Cupid’s Undie Run, most only in their skivvies. The outdoor portion of the event, the namesake run, took panty- or boxer-clad participants on a jog from 5th Street to 10th Street and back to the warm Queen on Saturday. “It’s a fun run, so people run in their underwear or a costume,” organizer Caroline Mouldsdale said, adding that the pre-run partying inside The Queen made the cold a little easier to handle. “It’s a little chilly, but we’ve been dancing and having fun.” The run is in its 10th year nationwide, Mouldsdale said. It’s earned $18 million for the Children’s Tumor Foundation, which is seeking a cure for neurofibromatosis. “The founders who came up with the Cupid’s Undie Run decided if these children (with neurofibromatosis) were going to uncomfortable in their skin every day, then we can go out and be uncomfortable in our skin,” she said.\n\nDistrict of Columbia\n\nWashington: Momentum is building in the nation’s capital for the creation of a museum dedicated to American women’s history, WUSA-TV reports. The House has passed a bill to establish the museum inside the Smithsonian network and take steps toward funding and construction. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.C., was the main sponsor of the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum Act. 374 Congress members voted for the House bill, while only 37 voted against it. A similar bill is working its way through the Senate. If approved, it could take a decade or more to finalize funding, design and construction of the museum.\n\nFlorida\n\nFort Lauderdale: Officials say 211.6 million gallons of sewage has spilled into city waterways in the past few months. The Sun-Sentinel reports that’s enough to fill 320 Olympic-sized pools. The city’s aging sewer pipes broke six times in December and spewed 126.9 million gallons of sewage – ranking as one of South Florida’s biggest spills ever. The spills fouled the Tarpon River, the Himmarshee Canal and streets in three neighborhoods. According to what officials told the state Department of Environmental Protection, 79.3 million gallons spilled into George English Lake over a 10-day period that began Jan. 30 and ended Feb. 8. Then an additional 5.4 million gallons flooded streets near a park right across from a popular mall. In recent weeks, crews also have rushed to fix another string of water main breaks, forcing the city to warn residents to boil their tap water before drinking, brushing their teeth or washing dishes.\n\nGeorgia\n\nAtlanta: The demand for parking at the nation’s busiest airport has declined with the rise of Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing services, airport officials say. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is shelving plans to demolish and rebuild its parking decks at the domestic terminal. The airport developed plans several years ago to double the size of the Terminal South and Terminal North decks, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. But airport officials eventually downscaled those plans. Airport parking revenue had begun to decline in 2019, Hartsfield-Jackson General Manager John Selden said at the time. Last week, Selden told a City Council committee that revenue has continued to decrease. Airport car rentals also have declined, he said. “People are just not parking,” he said.\n\nHawaii\n\nHonolulu: Possession of small amounts of drugs that are considered dangerous would be decriminalized in the state under a proposed bill, potentially reducing the amount of money spent on enforcement. The legislation would make it a misdemeanor instead of a felony offense to possess less than 2 grams of dangerous drugs such as methamphetamine, heroin, morphine and cocaine. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing Friday, after which the bill was amended to increase the amount of drugs from one-sixteenth of an ounce to 2 grams, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. “Enforcement of the offense of promotion of a dangerous drug in the third-degree costs state taxpayers over $13 million each year to incarcerate low-level, non-violent offenders,” the bill says. “Hawaii’s experience corroborates mounting national data demonstrating that incarceration has no effect on rates of drug use or overdose deaths, but actually increases recidivism among those at low risk to reoffend.”\n\nIdaho\n\nBoise: An Idaho Transportation Department employee died as he worked along U.S. Highway 20 in southeast Idaho. Mark Reinke, 56, was killed Thursday when his backhoe was struck from behind by a semitractor about 5 miles outside Arco, the Idaho Statesman reports. The semi was traveling west. Reinke was wearing a seat belt but was fatally injured. He died about 7 a.m., the department announced in a press release. Reinke began working for the Idaho Transportation Department last summer. He is the 40th employee to die on the job since 1960.\n\nIllinois\n\nChicago: Nearly a dozen public housing authorities in the area will receive $75 million in federal funding for development, financing and modernization, federal officials said. The money is coming through a capital program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Development. The bulk of the funding, nearly $65 million, will go to the Chicago Housing Authority. Other recipients including housing authorities in Joliet, Aurora, North Chicago, Waukegan, Kankakee and Oak Park. “This federal funding gives local agencies in the Chicagoland region the ability to offer safe and affordable housing to those who need it most,” U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said in a joint news release with U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth. “In addition, the local economy stands to benefit from this investment in infrastructure projects that will bring safety and modernization to the area’s public housing.”\n\nIndiana\n\nIndianapolis: Road crews are getting a new weapon in their endless task of filling potholes: special heaters that should make their road-patching chores easier, especially in cold weather. The city’s Department of Public Works recently acquired two infrared P200 asphalt heaters to assist with road repairs. The new machinery essentially heats up the asphalt, making it easier for crews to fix segments of pavement that are falling apart. The department says the machinery will heat dry pavement to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing crews to remove buckled or decaying asphalt and smooth it over more effortlessly. Workers will pull the heaters behind their trucks so they can cover long swaths at a time. “We’re excited to continue putting tools in the hands of our street maintenance crews that go above and beyond simple filling operations,” DPW Director Dan Parker said in a news release. The machinery is being tested and will be used on roads in the coming weeks.\n\nIowa\n\nClayton: A northeast Iowa company that wanted to withdraw 2billion gallons of water annually from the Jordan aquifer to send to drought-stricken western states has pulled its permit request. Pattison Sand Co. notified the state Department of Natural Resources on Feb. 12 that it was pulling its permit request, which had garnered significant concern from lawmakers and environmental groups. Before the Pattison proposal, the agency had never received a request to move so much water outside of the state, the Iowa DNR said, although it has allowed rural water groups to serve communities across the border in neighboring states. The Iowa DNR wrote Pattison in a Feb. 4 letter that the agency planned to reject the request, saying it would have “a negative impact on the long-term availability of Iowa’s water resources.”\n\nKansas\n\nTopeka: The state’s elections chief is pushing to make Kansas’ central voter registration database more secure by changing how counties tap into it, but some officials are nervous about what they see as a big project in a busy election year. Secretary of State Scott Schwab has told county election officials he wants them to use dedicated tablets, laptops or computers not linked to their counties’ networks to access the state’s voter registration database. He says Kansas is getting $8 million in federal election security funds that could be used to cover the costs. Schwab, a Republican and former Kansas House member from the Kansas City area who became the state’s top elections official last year, contends such a setup will decrease the likelihood of foreign nationals, foreign governments or domestic hackers gaining access to voter registration records. His idea has bipartisan support. But even some county election officials who agree Schwab’s initiative would make voter registration records more secure see it as a huge undertaking.\n\nKentucky\n\nFrankfort: State transportation officials will be out more than $150,000 after losing a legal battle to a man who wanted to put “IM GOD” on his license plate. In November, a federal judge in Frankfort gave Ben Hart the OK to get the controversial license plate after a three-year legal battle against the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Hart applied for the license in 2016 but was denied because it didn’t “meet requirements.” Kentucky statute allows for personalized license plates as long as the letters do not discriminate against anyone because of their sex, race, color, religion or nationality. In Hart’s case, the court ruled that vanity plates were private speech and therefore protected by the First Amendment. On Monday, a judge ordered the defendants in Hart’s case to pay out $150,715.50 in lawyer fees and another $491.24 for additional court costs.\n\nLouisiana\n\nBaton Rouge: Louisiana State University’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow has a new honor to add to his long list of awards and achievements: He inspired the name of the newest male giraffe at the capital city’s zoo. A public naming competition selected the name Burreaux – a Cajun-inspired spelling of Burrow’s last name – for the giraffe calf born Dec. 26. The Baton Rouge Zoo announced the selection Friday, saying the public chose the winning name from three options: Romeo, Burreaux and Kiume, a Swahili word meaning masculine and strong. Zoo staff took nominations for the names and narrowed them to the finalists. The public voted with donations, which the zoo said raised more than $2,000 that will go to its conservation efforts. Burrow is LSU’s most decorated quarterback, leading the Tigers to a national championship victory earlier this year. He’s widely expected to be the top player taken in the 2020 NFL draft.\n\nMaine\n\nBar Harbor: The new executive director of a museum dedicated to the indigenous people of Maine is a professional educator and member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe. The Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor will be led by Christopher Newell, the museum’s trustees announced last week. The museum documents Wabanaki culture, history and art. Newell was born and raised in Indian Township, Maine, and worked for five years as education supervisor for the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center in Connecticut. He also served as senior adviser on the documentary “Dawnland,” which focused on the Maine-Wabanaki State Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Abbe Museum was founded in 1926 and is also the site of the annual Abbe Museum Indian Market in Bar Harbor.\n\nMaryland\n\nGlen Burnie: Police have arrested a woman suspected of throwing a Molotov cocktail into a place of worship for Jehovah’s Witnesses, according to court records. Heather Meisel, 43, was charged Friday after she told investigators she damaged the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Glen Burnie to “send a message,” the Capital Gazette reports. Meisel, a Baltimore County resident, was arrested on charges including attempted murder and defacement of religious property. Anne Arundel County fire investigators found a door with broken glass and a Molotov cocktail made from an apple cider vinegar bottle inside the building Thursday morning. Police estimated the incident caused more than $1,000 in damage to the building’s front door and more than $1,000 in damage to property inside the building. Meisel resisted arrest and told officers she was “royalty,” charging documents said.\n\nMassachusetts\n\nBoston: A bill making its way through the Statehouse would require schools to provide free disposable menstrual products to students. Under the proposal, all “elementary and secondary public schools in the commonwealth serving students in any grade from grade six through grade twelve shall provide disposable menstrual products in the restrooms” of school buildings. The products would be provided at no charge. The bill also requires school districts to make sure the products “shall be available in a convenient manner that does not stigmatize any student seeking such product.” The bill has received the backing of the Legislature’s Education Committee but has yet to come up for a vote in either the Massachusetts House or Senate. Advocates say the availability of free pads and tampons in schools helps chip away at any stigma surrounding the products and makes the products available to students who may not be able to afford them.\n\nMichigan\n\nLansing: Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is urging businesses to give their workers the day off on Election Day by making it a company holiday. Benson said she’s encouraging companies to give employees the day off work Nov. 3 so they can vote and work as poll workers. She praised Wayne State University for recently announcing such a move, MLive.com reports. “That’s the direction we should be moving in,” Benson said. State Rep. Darrin Camilleri, D-Brownstown, has a bill pending before the Legislature that would make regularly scheduled election days in May, August and November state holidays. When the state makes days like Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents Day state holidays, he said, “many other businesses end up following suit.” “I think that we want to make it as broad as possible, as easy as possible for people to participate in our elections,” Camilleri said.\n\nMinnesota\n\nSt. Paul: The GOP minority in the state House announced a slate of bills Monday aimed at reducing violent crime in Minneapolis and St. Paul and on the Metro Transit system, drawing a sharp retort from Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. The proposals include higher penalties for gang members who use guns in crimes, boosting funding against gangs and drug trafficking, requiring major sports and entertainment venues to have sufficient police nearby, and increased enforcement on the light rail system. House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, of Crown, and other Republican leaders said at a news conference that their constituents from greater Minnesota and the Twin Cities suburbs worry about their safety when attending sporting and entertainment events in the cities. Frey accused the Republican lawmakers of trying to make public safety a partisan issue and of spreading misinformation while providing too little financial assistance.\n\nMississippi\n\nBiloxi: The first part of the state’s recreational red snapper season will run from May 22 through July 12. A midseason closure will let the Department of Marine Resources and the related commission analyze data and decide how to manage the remaining quota, officials said in a news release Wednesday. Mississippi is allocating 151,500 pounds of the popular sport and table fish – about 3.5% of the total quota for private anglers in the Gulf of Mexico, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries. Private anglers with the appropriate Mississippi licenses can fish in federal waters off the state’s coast. Recreational charter boats with Mississippi licenses are restricted to state waters because federal authorities still regulate for-hire boats in federal waters.\n\nMissouri\n\nSpringfield: The Missouri Pork Association and Missouri Farm Bureau say they support the state conservation department’s approach to trying to eradicate feral hogs. Don Nikodim, director of Missouri Pork Association, said Friday that the association backs the Missouri Department of Conservation’s emphasis on trapping feral hogs rather than opening MDC lands for hunting the destructive animals. MDC banned feral hog hunting on its properties in 2016, a controversial move that’s been opposed by many hunters and landowners. Nikodim said he believes MDC is making good progress with its trapping efforts, although the agency could use more trapping teams to be even more effective. In its 2020 policy statement, the Missouri Farm Bureau also says it supports federal and state feral hog eradication efforts in Missouri. “We believe feral hogs are an unacceptable risk to humans, livestock, crops, and property. We believe eradication of all feral hogs is the ultimate goal,” the Farm Bureau says on its website.\n\nMontana\n\nGreat Falls: Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials have been confronted over the past several months by a recurring problem of graffiti at numerous parks and recreational facilities around Cascade County. The department is now seeking the public’s help in identifying who’s responsible for the vandalism. Spray-painted blue and red hearts began appearing last August at six locations, including Giant Springs, Sluice Boxes and the First Peoples’ Buffalo Jump state parks. The damage has now been cataloged in 10 areas and has expanded to include an image of a palmetto tree and a crescent, similar to the South Carolina state flag. “It’s been pretty consistent with the blue hearts and the red hearts,” said FWP Game Warden Kqyn Kuka. “Then recently there’s been this new image. We don’t know if they’re related or not, but it’s the same color paint, so I’m assuming they’re connected.” The graffiti is typically located in high, remote locations – difficult to access but clearly visible to the general public.\n\nNebraska\n\nEricson: State banking officials have closed Ericson State Bank in north-central Nebraska, declaring it insolvent. The Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance announced the closure in a news release Friday night, saying it had named the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as receiver of the bank. To protect depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Farmers and Merchants Bank in Milford to assume all of the deposits of Ericson State Bank. Ericson bank will be open for business Tuesday under the name Farmers and Merchants Bank, the release says. Ericson State Bank account holders can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards, the department said. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed, and loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.\n\nNevada\n\nLas Vegas: Officials say the number of weddings in Clark County has been declining. The county had 73,000 weddings last year – more than a 40% drop from 2004, when 128,000 ceremonies occurred. County Clerk Lynn Goya cites an overall decline in advertising to push the industry and available options for consumers. Authorities tell Las Vegas TV station KVVU that some initiatives to push wedding tourism in the county include the possible creation of a “Wedding Way” from the Neon Museum to the Strat, allocating development funds to historic chapels for renovations, and a Wedding Walk of Fame to showcase famous celebrity weddings. Other campaigns include wedding photography contests, personal testimonies from married couples and a dive into the history of Vegas weddings.\n\nNew Hampshire\n\nConcord: It’s time to count the turkeys again. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is asking the public to report sightings of wild turkeys through March 31 for its annual winter flock survey. Last year, the department got 486 reports totaling 9,833 birds. Officials say that was fewer than the previous year, likely because turkeys were on the move. With relatively little snow, turkeys were able to move around more and weren’t staying in one place to be counted. Participants are asked to report the number of turkeys in the flock, their location, the type of habitat in which the birds were observed and on what the turkeys were feeding. Officials also are interested in any signs of two viruses that have appeared in turkeys in recent years, with symptoms including warty protuberances in the head and eye area. Wild turkeys had disappeared from the state after over-hunting and habitat loss in the 1800s but have rebounded to an estimated population of 40,000.\n\nNew Jersey\n\nElizabeth: Officials say they are “trying to rebuild” following a fire that ripped through a church that dates back almost a century and a half. Robert Ingram, who organized a GoFundMe campaign, said everything had been lost in the “devastating and tragic” blaze early Sunday at Shiloh Baptist Church. “Instead of waking up and being able to go to church, we woke up to this,” Ingram said. “Now we’re trying to rebuild.” Chief Thomas McNamara of the city’s fire department said the church was “pretty much destroyed.” Arriving fire crews reported the church fully engulfed in flames, and the back of the structure collapsed as crews worked to try to protect nearby buildings, officials said. The church’s Facebook page lists its founding date as November 1879. Gov. Phil Murphy said in a message on Twitter that he was “devastated” by the fire and expressed thanks to first responders. The cause of the fire is under investigation.\n\nNew Mexico\n\nAlbuquerque: Statistics show accidental shootings are on the rise in the city. The Albuquerque Journal reports 37 accidental shootings reported last year compared to 14 recorded in 2018. The figure doesn’t include three suspected accidental shootings in which someone died. Two of those cases have been handed over to the District Attorney’s Office for a final determination, and the third ended in prison time for a young man. The rise in accidental shootings comes at a time when the topic of gun access and availability looms large in the eyes of local politicians and the community as a whole as homicide numbers in Albuquerque hit a record high last year. Local concerns have sparked initiatives aimed at stemming gun violence, such as the so-called red flag bill that is awaiting the governor’s signature. Local gun shop owners say there has been an increase in the purchase of guns in the past year, especially over the internet.\n\nNew York\n\nNew York: A judge has ordered the developers of an under-construction condo tower to remove several floors from the top of the building because it is too tall. State Supreme Court Justice W. Franc Perry’s ruling last week instructs the Department of Buildings to revoke the building permit for the nearly completed tower on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and remove floors that exceed the zoning limit, The New York Times reports. The number of floors to be removed from the 52-story tower is not yet known, but the newspaper said it could be 20 or more. A lawyer representing the project said the developers would appeal the Feb. 13 decision. The building’s 112 luxury apartments are now being marketed, including a $21 million penthouse, which would likely be removed if the decision stands, the Times reports.\n\nNorth Carolina\n\nOcracoke: This island on North Carolina’s Outer Banks that was ravaged by a hurricane last year is getting $2 million in grants to help it rebuild. The Virginian-Pilot reports Ocracoke received the grant money from the Golden Leaf Foundation, a nonprofit that was established from a tobacco settlement to help the state’s rural and economically distressed communities. Hurricane Dorian pummeled Ocracoke in September with the worst flooding on record. Most of the buildings on the island were damaged. The island’s only school received $900,000 to help rebuild and elevate buildings. The foundation also provided half a million dollars to build a new emergency medical building that was flooded. And Hyde County received $277,400 to repair the Ocracoke Seafood Co. building. The Ocracoke Seafood Co. is owned by a nonprofit organization that serves as the base for more than 30 watermen.\n\nNorth Dakota\n\nFargo: A freshman congressman who spent much of his first term defending President Donald Trump during impeachment hearings said Monday that he wants to return to Washington and begin working on practical issues. Republican Rep. Kelly Armstrong formally announced his reelection bid Monday by telling supporters he’ll work with Democrats on bills involving prescription drug prices, immigration and criminal justice reform. The state’s lone House member said he won’t budge on support for gun rights and opposition to abortion and federal regulations that would stifle North Dakota’s energy and agriculture sectors. Armstrong predicted that voters will opt for Republican majorities in the House and Senate and give Trump another four years.\n\nOhio\n\nKent: Jane Fonda is among the speakers tapped to mark the 50th anniversary of the Kent State shootings. The 82-year-old actress and activist will highlight four days of events the university has planned to explore the lasting impacts of the events of May 4, 1970, which were considered pivotal in turning public sentiment against the Vietnam War. On that day, the Ohio National Guard fired on students during an anti-war protest, killing four and injuring nine others. Fonda was one of the most prominent figures of the anti-war movement, though also one of the most divisive. Fonda plans to reflect on that era, her life in social activism and the legacy of the Kent State shootings during her speech May 3. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets must be reserved in advance. The commemoration marks the first time students, faculty, university staff and leadership, and May 4 survivors and family members have united around the idea that the date should be forever honored, planners said.\n\nOklahoma\n\nOklahoma City: The venerable Red Earth Festival is leaving the city even as organizers plan to launch a new event downtown, as well as a series of statewide collaborative celebrations of Native American art and culture. Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell and Mayor David Holt joined members of the staff and board of directors of the nonprofit Red Earth Inc. on Monday morning to reveal the changes. The organization’s marquee event – the long-running Red Earth Festival, an intertribal celebration of Native American visual art, dance and culture – will move from its longtime home in downtown Oklahoma City to the Grand Event Center at the Grand Casino Hotel & Resort in Shawnee for its 2020 edition, scheduled for June 13-14. A favorite aspect of the summer festival, the popular Red Earth Parade, will be staying in Oklahoma City but shifting to autumn, as Red Earth Inc. will launch a significant new event to mark Oklahoma City’s Indigenous Peoples Day.\n\nOregon\n\nSalem: Officials at the Oregon Department of Forestry say just seven months into the state’s two-year budget cycle, they’ve spent most of the money lawmakers approved for the entire biennium and now need an emergency cash infusion. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports agency officials say they need between $52 million and $132 million, or they’ll have exhausted their budget by March. The request comes as lawmakers and the governor are looking to expand the agency even further, sponsoring bills that would bolster the agency’s firefighting capabilities and forest restoration work – above and beyond the immediate budget requests. In the near term, agency leaders are looking for a minimum of $52 million and as much as $132 million, money they say is needed to keep keep regular programs running; to pay a consultant hired to help them get their financial house in order; and to cover firefighting costs in the upcoming 2020 fire season.\n\nPennsylvania\n\nHarrisburg: Outdoorsy Pennsylvanians can soon keep their fishing license in a pocket rather than having to attach it to an outer garment. The regulation amendment approved recently by the board of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission adjusts a long-standing rule on license display. The new policy goes into effect once it is published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. The executive director of the commission, Tim Schaeffer, said the change will make things more convenient for anglers and decrease the number of lost licenses and the personal cost that goes into replacing them. The change also aligns fishing display regulations with those of hunting licenses.\n\nRhode Island\n\nProvidence: British actor and comedian John Cleese, who once portrayed an inept hotel manager in the series “Fawlty Towers,” has complained about his treatment at a Rhode Island hotel. Cleese, 80, tweeted Sunday to his 5.7 million followers that he was cold inside his room at the Omni Providence Hotel and that the hotel staff could do nothing to help him. He later posted that his tweeting had worked and that the hotel had fixed the problem. The hotel told the Providence Journal its engineering staff was dispatched to resolve the issue shortly after receiving Cleese’s complaint. In “Fawlty Towers,” Cleese played the manager of a substandard English hotel who was known to express disdain toward “that annoying section of the general public who insist on staying at hotels.” Cleese, who also is a founding member of the comedy troupe Monty Python, tweeted that he believed his problem in Providence, where he performed Sunday, was resolved because “I have the power to tweet. But NOT, of course, because I am a member of the public. So much for corporate America.”\n\nSouth Carolina\n\nUnion: The Union County Council voted to ask its sheriff to step down after a state police report said he requested employees to buy him alcohol while on duty and made sexually inappropriate comments. But the council has no power to fire Sheriff David Taylor, who released a statement after the vote saying he plans to serve until the end of his term in December. “I was elected by the majority of the voters to serve out my four-year term, and that is my intent,” Taylor said in a statement sent to the Herald-Journal of Spartanburg. A prosecutor who reviewed the report by the State Law Enforcement Division didn’t recommend criminal charges, saying Taylor didn’t get any personal financial benefit from his office mismanagement. Taylor said while some of the allegations in the report were true, many others weren’t. He asked for the state investigation after reports of financial problems emerged in 2018.\n\nSouth Dakota\n\nPierre: State lawmakers said they would turn their focus to the state budget this week as they hit the halfway mark in the 2020 session, though Republicans and Democrats laid out different visions of how to use that money. Legislators settled on roughly $1.74 billion in revenue to use in setting the state budget – an increase of $19 million from Gov. Kristi Noem’s projection in December. Once combined with federal funding and other state funds, the budget will likely total more than $5 billion. But Democrats, who hold just three spots on the committee that decides the size of the budget, were not pleased with the final projections, saying Republicans were being too cautious with the estimates. Democrats want the state to fund inflationary pay increases for teachers, state employees and service care providers.\n\nTennessee\n\nChattanooga: The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga plans to offer discounted tuition starting this fall to students from nine surrounding states. University officials said the goal of the new regional tuition program is to attract and retain diverse talent in the area as well as reach enrollment goals laid out for the University of Tennessee system, The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. Under the program, students from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia would pay about $18,000 a year instead of about $26,000 a year as out-of-state students. An existing program that offers tuition discounts to residents of neighboring counties in Georgia and Alabama would remain in effect. The university has an enrollment of nearly 11,700 students. About 10% of those are from outside Tennessee.\n\nTexas\n\nCorpus Christi: A Monday morning fire at a Citgo refinery in the city was extinguished with no injuries, according to the petroleum company. The fire began in a pipeline owned by a third party shortly after 8:30 a.m. and was put out shortly before 11 a.m. with “no threat to the surrounding community,” Citgo said in a statement. The owner of the pipeline has not been identified. Corpus Christi Fire Chief Robert Rocha said the fire forced the closure of Interstate 37 in the south Texas city, but it had since reopened. People in nearby homes and businesses were ordered to shelter in place until air-quality monitoring found the air to be safe. “We’re still trying to figure out what happened,” Rocha said. “We encountered heavy fire conditions coming from a buried pipeline” after responding to the blaze. Rocha said no one was injured as a result of the fire.\n\nUtah\n\nSalt Lake City: An important dinosaur site that has fallen into neglect would be protected as Utah’s 45th state park under a measure being proposed in the Legislature. The bill would create Utahraptor State Park in the Dalton Wells Quarry, about 15 miles north of Moab, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. The quarry is where the first fossils of Utahraptor, the state’s official dinosaur, and other unique species were found. State Paleontologist Jim Kirkland said the site, west of Arches National Park, has massive deposits of dinosaur bones from at least 10 species found nowhere else in North America. “It’s a gold mine of new dinosaurs,” Kirkland said. “There are 30 that we know are only in Moab Valley.” Grand County leaders have long wanted to safeguard the quarry. There is now unregulated recreational use in Dalton Wells, and the site has been subjected to litter and vandalism. It’s also the site of a Civilian Conservation Corps work camp that was used as an internment camp for Japanese Americans during World War II.\n\nVermont\n\nMontpelier: A legislative committee has approved major changes to the state’s development review law known as Act 250. The House Natural Resources Committee voted 6-3 with two members absent to approve the overhaul after more than a year of work, Vermont Public Radio reports. The bill would exempt developments in designated downtowns from Act 250 review and boost protections to wildlife connector areas. It also would require projects above 2,000 feet to undergo Act 250 review. The legislation stems from an agreement reached between Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s administration and Vermont Natural Resources Council, an environmental group. The bill is better because it will limit dividing Vermont’s forest through piecemeal development, said Brian Shupe, VNRC’s executive director.\n\nVirginia\n\nChesapeake: This southeastern Virginia city has surpassed Norfolk to become the state’s second-most-populous city. The Virginian-Pilot reports Chesapeake has reached an estimated population of 245,745 people, according to the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. Norfolk’s population is just over 245,000 residents. Chesapeake’s population has grown by more than 10% in the past decade. Norfolk’s has ticked up by less than 1%. The center estimates Richmond will also likely overtake Norfolk. Hamilton Lombard, a demographer with the Cooper Center, said one reason behind Chesapeake’s growth is that the city has lots of space for new homes, while Norfolk does not. Virginia Beach is still the state’s most populous city with an estimated 452,643 residents. The populations of the seven Hampton Roads cities constitute nearly a fifth of the state’s population.\n\nWashington\n\nTacoma: An Asian elephant that spent more than 20 years at Tacoma’s Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium was euthanized Saturday night after a “severe decline in her health,” zoo officials announced. Hanoko the elephant was 56, the Tacoma News Tribune reports. Veterinarians in 2018 diagnosed Hanoko with cancer and with tuberculosis in 2019. She suffered from advanced joint disease and had stopped eating her regular diet, zoo officials said. She showed signs of “significant discomfort” despite pain medication, officials said. The median life expectancy is 47 for female Asian elephants in human care, zoo officials said in the announcement, citing statistics from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. “With Hanako’s advanced age, significant and chronic medical conditions, and severe decline in health, euthanasia was the humane decision,” said Dr. Karen Wolf, the zoo’s head veterinarian.\n\nWest Virginia\n\nCharleston: Women and lawmakers on Monday commemorated the 100th anniversary of the state’s ratification of the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote. Hundreds of women attended various ceremonies at the state Capitol in Charleston. In the Rotunda, a reenactor portrayed Susan B. Anthony in a speech given during Anthony’s trial in New York for voting in an 1872 presidential election. An evening reception was planned at the state Culture Center to recognize female lawmakers. On March 10, 1920, West Virginia became the 34th state to ratify the amendment. Later that year, Tennessee provided the necessary three-fourths majority by becoming the 36th state to ratify women’s suffrage.\n\nWisconsin\n\nMilwaukee: Miller Park has generated $2.5billion for the economies of the city of Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin, according to a new study commissioned by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. The study, conducted by Conventions, Sports & Leisure International, was released Monday by the MMAC. It comes as the original Miller Park lease is in its 20th and final year, and the five-county sales tax that helped build and maintain the stadium is about to reach its sunset, long after originally expected. The study says the construction and continued operation of Miller Park generated $1.6 billion in direct spending, a total of 1,835 in annual jobs and $1.2 billion in personal earnings. The $2.5 billion overall impact represents “cumulative net new impacts” that would not have been realized without the existence of the Milwaukee Brewers and Miller Park, the report says.\n\nWyoming\n\nGillette: An attempt to break a world record for the most sparklers lit simultaneously failed on a technicality. Guinness World Records officials ruled each participant was required to light their own sparkler during the attempt in Gillette, The Gillette News Record reports. The August effort was part of the Pyrotechnics Guild International’s 50th annual convention. The event had an apparatus for lighting multiple sparklers, which was built by students and instructors at Gillette College. Volunteers with torches lit sparklers and distributed them to participants. More than 1,700 people attended, and 2,500 sparklers were lit. The current record is 1,713. Basic guidelines are listed on the Guinness website, but the specific guidelines were not received prior to the attempt. “It’s a bummer, but that just means we have to do it again,” says Christen Burdette of the the Campbell County Convention and Visitors Bureau.\n\nFrom USA TODAY Network and wire reports", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2020/02/18"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/09/04/tailgate-tips-great-tailgating-experience/2168055001/", "title": "Tailgate: Tips for a great tailgating experience", "text": "Cheryl V. Jackson\n\nSpecial for USA TODAY\n\nNo matter what a team’s performance is on the field, one way to make sure hordes of folks rolling up to stadiums feel like winners is a solid tailgating experience.\n\nAvid tailgaters like Tim Shanley have these parking-lot parties down to a science. His commitment to the pastime has earned him some serious recognition, including membership in the Tailgating Hall of Fame.\n\nBorn and raised in Chicago as a Bears fan, Shanley has missed only a handful of home games since 1984 — all the more impressive when you consider he moved to Austin, Texas, 11 years ago. He flies to Chicago for every home game and keeps his star tailgating status in peak form.\n\n“It’s more than just going out to the parking lot and firing up a grill for me,” says Shanley, 59, a plumbing contractor.. “It becomes a lifestyle when you take it as seriously as I do,” he says, adding that “It's family, it's friends and it's bonding.”\n\nTo help the rest of us reach his Pro Bowl level, Shanley offers these tips for a rocking tailgate.\n\nHave a theme\n\nKeep your team colors prominent on canopies, chairs, tablecloths and paper plates; and get opposing teams in the mix.\n\nIs your team playing the Ravens? Grill up chicken wings and call them raven wings.\n\nThink quick and convenient\n\nShanley strongly recommends finger foods for the party so that guests can stand, hold drinks and munch at the same time.\n\nAnd keep the food coming in waves, making sure eats are on the table as soon as possible. That’s particularly important for guests who’ve already started drinking.\n\nBe clean\n\nUse rubber gloves when preparing food, and change them after handling raw meats, he urges.\n\nTo avoid cross-contamination, cooked foods should be kept on tables separate from raw food. Foods and drinks need their own separate coolers, as well.\n\n“The last thing you want to have is your cans and your bottles in the cooler where the meat is, because if those bags start to leak, you're going to have that raw blood or whatever is in that cooler splashing around on those cans and those bottles,” he says.\n\nPlan for early set-up and break-down\n\nArrive at the lot before it opens for the best chance of claiming a prime spot. There’s typically only a few hours of tailgating time, from gate opening to kickoff, so unload and set up expeditiously.\n\nThe grill should be the last thing packed so that it’s the first thing out of the vehicle and available to be fired up upon arrival. Put it at the front of the party, because the grilling is part of the show.\n\nCanopies and chairs need to be further back to avoid the smoke.\n\nKeep the sounds coming, Shanley advises. Be it music, or sports TV or radio, have something for guests to listen to.\n\n“It just adds a little interesting layer to your party by having some entertainment out there,” he says. “And you never know. It might be so much fun, you'll have dancing out there as well.”\n\nAllow for plenty of time to break down the party and get to the game before kickoff.\n\nLeave the grill out of the car to cool off. Meanwhile, pack your drink cooler in the back so that it’s easily accessible for quick drinks after the game.\n\nDon't overserve\n\nKeep an eye out for guests who have consumed too much alcohol.\n\n“Tell them you're going to take the liquor away and give them water and let them chill out for a little bit,” Shanley says.\n\nOverall, the day should be about hospitality and having fun.\n\n“You're going to do a lot of work. It's a lot of hours,” he says. “But enjoy every moment of it. It's all going to come together for you.”\n\nFor more tips on hosting a great tailgate, check out the video.\n\nFollow Cheryl V. Jackson on Twitter: @cherylvjackson.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2019/09/04"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_4", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:30", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/08/11/cuomo-resign-transition-hochul-how-will-it-work/8095309002/", "title": "Cuomo will resign in two weeks. How will the transition work?", "text": "ALBANY - For the second time in 13 years, New York will have a governor resign in disgrace midterm, creating an unexpected transition to the state's second in command.\n\nGov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday he would leave office in 14 days to allow a smooth transition for his successor Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who will make history as the first woman governor.\n\nThat's a longer period of time that Eliot Spitzer stayed in office when he announced his resignation on March 12, 2008, and officially left five days later.\n\nHere's how the process will work.\n\nWhen will Hochul take office?\n\nFourteen days from Tuesday would mean Hochul takes office on Tuesday, Aug. 24, meaning she would be sworn in on that date and likely give an address to the state.\n\nWhen David Paterson was sworn in as Spitzer's successor, he gave a rousing speech in the packed Assembly chambers, but COVID-19 restrictions might prevent such an event.\n\nHochul was set to speak to reporters Wednesday afternoon to discuss the transition and her agenda.\n\nMore:Andrew Cuomo is resigning, but the investigations into his conduct will continue\n\nWhy is Cuomo waiting 14 days to leave?\n\nIt's a good question with no clear answer.\n\nOn its face, it would appear Cuomo simply wants time to leave office after taking the helm of the state in 2011. Critical issues remain, and none larger than the new surge in COVID-19 cases.\n\nBut critics questioned whether Cuomo might want to make a few last governmental moves before he leaves. There are also a series of investigations that will continue into his conduct.\n\n“It may be overly cynical on my part – but I believe that Andrew Cuomo was a person of mischief,\" former Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, a Cuomo foe who prosecuted his administration, said Tuesday on his podcast.\n\n\"I hope there's nothing nefarious about the 14 days, but it strikes me as too long a period. You don't have to give two weeks notice to resign as governor.”\n\nWho fills Hochul's role as lieutenant governor?\n\nSpitzer's resignation led to a lengthy court fight over whether Paterson could appoint his successor as lieutenant governor, one he ultimately won amid a Senate coup in 2009.\n\nThe Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, ruled a governor could, in fact, appoint a lieutenant governor, a surprising decision after it was rejected in the lower courts.\n\nPaterson tapped Richard Ravitch, a New York developer and long-time government appointee, as his second in command.\n\nNow Hochul will eventually pick her own successor. In the meantime, state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, will take over some of the lieutenant governor's duties — which are mainly ceremonial.\n\nMore:NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign amid scandal; Kathy Hochul to become governor\n\nMore:Andrew Cuomo is resigning, but the investigations into his conduct will continue\n\nJoseph Spector is the Government and Politics Editor for the USA TODAY Network's Atlantic Group, overseeing coverage in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. He can be reached at JSPECTOR@Gannett.com or followed on Twitter: @GannettAlbany", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/08/11"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2021/09/21/maricopa-county-supervisor-steve-chucri-resigns-after-recording-released/5808274001/", "title": "Steve Chucri will resign after election-related recordings surface", "text": "Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Chucri announced he will resign after recordings surfaced of him talking about the 2020 election and his county colleagues.\n\nIn the leaked recordings, Chucri bashed the other supervisors for their lack of support of the Arizona Senate's audit of the county's general election, and indicated he thought there were fraudulent votes cast in the election.\n\nChucri, a Republican who has represented the northeastern portion of the county since 2012, apologized in his statement Tuesday.\n\n\"The comments I made were during a very turbulent time,\" he wrote. \"My colleagues have every right to be both angry and disappointed with me. I should not have made such statements and offer my colleagues heartfelt apologies.\"\n\nChucri said his resignation will be effective Nov. 5.\n\nBoard Chairman Jack Sellers said he was surprised by Chucri's resignation. He said he hadn't spoken to him about the recordings, and he didn't believe other supervisors had, either. Sellers said he hadn't even thought that Chucri resigning was an option — he was more confused with Chucri's comments in the recordings than angry about them.\n\nThe majority-Republican supervisors have publicly shown a united front against the Senate's audit and confidence in the county's election results. Sellers said it was his goal to have county officials speak as one voice.\n\n\"Never at any time did I hear Steve tell me that he couldn’t go along with us, or wasn’t supporting us.\"\n\nChucri initially supported an audit and was the lone vote in December against suing the Senate to try to block its subpoenas demanding the ballots and voting machines for the review. His tone changed after Senate Republican leaders announced that they had hired Cyber Ninjas in March, and has since said he does not support the audit.\n\nRecordings reveal Chucri's opinions on supervisors, dead people voting\n\nIn the recordings published Monday on the far-right news site Gateway Pundit, Chucri was talking to leaders of We the People AZ Alliance, a local organization that led the charge to try to gain support among state and county leaders for the audit.\n\nShelby Busch, who founded the conservative organization in December with Steve Robinson and Eric Wnuck, told The Arizona Republic they recorded the conversations with Chucri in January and March.\n\nIn one conversation, Chucri told them he was surprised by his colleagues' opposition to the audit.\n\n\"You know what I think it was?\" Chucri said. \"Gates got scared because he barely won, and Jack got scared because he only won by 200 votes, and if there was an audit and a recount, which is pretty bullshit by the way, what would happen in those two races? And that is way too self-serving.”\n\nChucri was referring to Sellers and Supervisor Bill Gates, who won their races by tight margins in November.\n\nIn response on Tuesday night, Gates and Sellers said their opposition to the audit had nothing to do with their own races, and they never told Chucri or anyone else it did.\n\n\"If Whitney Walker got more votes than me,\" Gates said, referencing his opponent, \"I shouldn't be serving.\"\n\nChucri, in one of the recordings, also told them Supervisor Clint Hickman wanted to have a conversation about doing an audit at the end of last year but \"didn't have the guts.\"\n\nChucri said his colleagues \"want to suck up and kiss up for your vote.\"\n\nChucri also told them he regretted not expanding the county's hand-count audit before certifying the vote. He indicated there was a fraud, although he offered no evidence for such claims in the released recording.\n\n\"I think it was done through dead people voting,\" he said. \"I think it was multifaceted. I think there is a lot of cleanup here.\"\n\nThe county's hand-count audit in November and an independent audit of voting machines the county ordered in February found that votes were counted accurately and machines were not tampered with. Multiple court cases claiming fraud were dismissed.\n\nWe the People made 5 separate recordings, leader says\n\nBeginning shortly after the election, We the People rallied the \"Stop the Steal\" crowd to try to convince elected officials that there needed to be an audit beyond the county's hand-count sample. The group supports former President Donald Trump and maintains that state and national elections have long been tainted.\n\nWnuck, the group's treasurer and a longtime political operative and former Republican congressional candidate, has told The Arizona Republic he used the group’s email and phone list, coupled with his political savvy, to urge followers to bombard politicians with demands for an audit.\n\nWnuck introduced Busch and Robinson to Chucri.\n\nBusch told The Republic on Tuesday that the group decided to secretly record Chucri after he privately told supporters he had questions about the 2020 election and then took public stands against the Senate's audit. They made five separate recordings of Chucri, she said, and clips from two of them have been released so far.\n\nBusch said Chucri got caught talking out of both sides of his mouth.\n\n“The people deserve elected officials who stand up for what they believe in,” Busch said. “His actions did not meet his words.”\n\nBusch said the recordings showed Chucri would say whatever he thought the people wanted to hear with no real commitment.\n\n“If I had one question for Steve Chucri, it would be, ‘Who are you lying to? The board or the people?’”\n\nBusch said she didn’t expect that Chucri would resign over the recordings. She said she was shocked by his announcement.\n\n“It is sad that it has to come to this,” she said.\n\nRobinson, director of operations for the group, said he had mixed feelings over Chucri’s resignation.\n\n“We just want honesty and integrity from our elected officials,\" he said.\n\nSupervisor Steve Gallardo questioned the timing of the release of the recordings, a few days before the audit report was to be made public. He said the organization sat on information until it could use it to push its theory that the election was rigged against Trump.\n\nGallardo was critical of We the People, saying Chucri was the only supervisor who went out of his way to work with members of the group, whom he described as conspiracy theorists. He said he thought it was underhanded to record Chucri, then hold on to recordings for months.\n\n“We’re not dealing with rational people,” he said. “They will do whatever they can to move their mission forward, and that is the Big Lie.”\n\nSupervisors react to resignation\n\nChucri's statement on Tuesday struck a different tone, saying, \"There was no cover-up, the election was not stolen. (Joe) Biden won.\"\n\nChucri said in his statement \"the political landscape changed for the worst this year.\"\n\n\"The environment is wrought with toxicity — and all civility and decorum no longer seem to have a place,\" he wrote. \"The fixation with the 2020 election results and aftermath have gotten out of control.\"\n\nIn his statement, he called the supervisors \"good, honorable and ethical men.\"\n\nChucri, along with the other supervisors, has faced threats and harassment as they stood up to members of their own political party against the audit — a partisan activity being run by firms without election experience.\n\nHickman said he, too, was stunned by the resignation, \"which will probably create 1,000 questions in this environment.\"\n\nGates said that he hadn't talked to Chucri since the recordings were released. He said while he was surprised to hear Chucri's comments, he was prepared to move forward working with him.\n\n\"We are professionals,\" Gates said. \"He is a professional ... We have many years of working together successfully.\"\n\nGates said he is disappointed that the political environment has become so toxic \"it would cause good people to want to leave and not serve out their term.\"\n\nGallardo, the lone Democrat on the five-member board, said he was disappointed by the things Chucri said on the recordings.\n\n“The Steve Chucri I knew and worked with for six years was not the Steve Chucri I heard on those tapes,” he said.\n\nCounty Recorder Stephen Richer said Chucri is a good man.\n\n\"I wish him well in whatever he decides.\"\n\nFormer County Recorder Adrian Fontes said that Chucri was more than happy “to throw his colleagues under the bus and stab me in the back.”\n\nIn the recordings, Chucri calls Fontes a \"scumbag.\"\n\nFontes, who lost his reelection in 2020 and is now running for Arizona secretary of state, said the recordings only confirmed what he already knew about Chucri.\n\n“He’s two-faced,” Fontes said. “Good riddance, as far as I am concerned.”\n\nFontes said Chucri fought him at every step over voting issues while he was in office.\n\n“That guy stood in the way of every single thing we did,” he said, adding there was only one reason and it wasn’t about concerns over reform. It was politics: “Because I’m a Democrat.\"\n\nChucri is the president and CEO of the Arizona Restaurant Association and serves on the boards of many organizations, including the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.\n\nOnce Chucri resigns, the supervisors will appoint another Republican to serve in his seat until a special election can take place, county spokesperson Fields Moseley said.\n\nVoters in District 2 will elect a new representative to the seat in the August 2022 primary election.\n\nRepublic reporter Richard Ruelas contributed to this article.\n\nReach the reporter at jen.fifield@azcentral.com or at 602-444-8763. Follow her on Twitter @JenAFifield.\n\nSupport local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/09/21"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/local/2016/01/25/breaking-bsu-president-resigns/79305034/", "title": "Ball State president Ferguson resigns", "text": "Seth Slabaugh\n\nThe Star Press\n\nMUNCIE — Ball State University's board of trustees accepted the mysterious, sudden and unexpected resignation of President Paul Ferguson during a special meeting at the university's Indianapolis Center on Monday.\n\nThe board last week sent The Star Press a written notice of the special meeting that contained no agenda, as well as a written notice of an executive session immediately before the special meeting whose agenda included personnel matters. The special meeting was open, but no one from the press or the public attended. However, no explanation for the resignation was given during the open meeting, The Star Press has learned, nor was one given after the meeting.\n\n\"There is something going on for his resignation to be so sudden, and the trustees ought to tell us what it is,\" said BSU professor Eric Kelly, a former chair of University Senate. \"This is weird. I'm stunned that it's happening mid-semester. I would not have been surprised if they had announced he would be leaving effective July 1. Coming in after a strong president like Jo Ann Gora … is very tough. I kind of expected he would wind up with a two-year job for a whole bunch of reasons. But the fact he's leaving so suddenly is stunning.\"\n\nWas Ferguson terminated without cause?\n\nFormerly president of the University of Maine, Ferguson had been hired as Ball State's 15th president effective Aug. 1, 2014. He signed a five-year contract with Ball State.\n\nThe board's unwillingness to say why Ferguson quit is fueling speculation in the public and on campus, such as: Is the university facing a financial crisis? Is Ferguson facing a health crisis? Is it related to a crisis in management of on-campus enrollment, which continues to decline?\n\nAnd the board has hired Ball State graduate Myra Borshoff, a retired Indianapolis public relations consultant and an expert in crisis communications, to advise it on Ferguson's departure. But she said in an interview on Monday, \"I have a lot of expertise in crisis communications, but this would not fall into that category. Oftentimes when organizations have situations like this, they have me work with them to maintain a level of confidentiality within the institution, so it doesn't put anyone inside the organization in an awkward position.\"\n\nAssociate professor Amy Harden, current president of University Senate, told The Star Press: \"I am surprised by the seemingly abrupt nature and am immensely saddened by this news. In the short time he has been at Ball State, he has had a tremendous positive impact through the various initiatives and the refreshed refocus on Ball State as the university for entrepreneurial learning and community engagement.\"\n\nLike almost everyone else, she has no idea why Ferguson left.\n\nWas Ferguson terminated without cause?\n\nPolitical science professor Joe Losco said, \"The faculty will be sorry to see him leave. As a scholar and former faculty member himself, he understood faculty concerns and seemed genuinely committed to helping faculty achieve goals they had set for themselves in research, teaching, and service. His demeanor is always cheerful and upbeat.\".\n\nFerguson, a toxicologist, was the first scientist to lead Ball State. His initiatives included a plan to address declining on-campus enrollment.\n\nNo matter how many ways the question was asked, Indianapolis attorney Rick Hall, chairman of the trustees, declined during an interview on Monday to say why Ferguson was leaving.\n\nThe president simply asked the board for a two-month sabbatical leave and submitted his resignation to be effective at the end of that leave, Hall said. \"That is something that he and the board agreed was a good route forward. The board has great confidence in the ability of the faculty and the administration and all that they have accomplished in the last decade\" and the university is in a \"good position to build on our past success,\" Hall said. \"The future is very bright.\"\n\nStudents react to Ferguson resignation\n\nFerguson was paid a base salary of $450,000. His five-year employment contract, executed in June of 2014, states that \"it is understood that both parties desire and anticipate a long-term relationship\" but included all kinds of escape clauses. For example, it gives the board authority to fire Ferguson without cause, in which event both parties \"will work cooperatively to prepare a public announcement\" regarding the termination.\n\n\"The board will have ultimate decision-making authority over the content and timing of the public announcement,\" the agreement states. \"Both parties agree not to make any public statement that would disparage or defame the other.\"\n\nThat agreement also calls for Ferguson to receive damages equal to one year of his salary if he were to be fired without cause.\n\n\"It has been an honor and privilege for Grace and me to work with and to serve the faculty, staff, and especially our students, at Ball State University,\" Ferguson said in a prepared statement that was distributed Monday. \"We have, together, worked diligently to refresh our vision and legacy of beneficence and entrepreneurship, refocused on being student-centered and community-engaged, and improved many of our policies and procedures to be best practices.\"\n\n\"While the board and Dr. Ferguson are disappointed that this relationship has ended, we wish Dr. Ferguson and his wife, Grace, well in their future endeavors,” Hall said in a prepared statement.\n\nLast July, the trustees adopted a $345-million general fund budget for 2015-16 that included no pay raises for Ferguson or his cabinet at the president’s request.\n\nThe trustees have appointed Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Terry King as acting President. King served as Interim President in 2014 when former Gora retired after 10 years.\n\n“The board has tremendous confidence in the ability of the faculty and the administration to build upon their past successes,” Hall said in the news release, noting that “the collective effort of the entire university community will be especially important as we approach the Centennial Celebration of Ball State in 2018.”\n\nContact Seth Slabaugh at (765) 213-5834.\n\nFERGUSON TIMELINE OF EVENTS:\n\nHere's a timeline of Ball State President Paul W. Ferguson's tenure at the university. His resignation was announced Monday afternoon by Ball State:\n\nMay 22, 2014: Paul W. Ferguson, 61, president of the University of Maine since 2011, was named the 15th president of Ball State. Ferguson was unanimously approved by the Ball State Board of Trustees. Ball State Board of Trustee chair Rick Hall confirmed to The Star Press that Ferguson will be paid a base salary of $450,000. At Maine, Ferguson earned a base salary of $270,000 during the fiscal year 2013. Ferguson said he is committed to preserving the \"excellent\" legacy at Ball State.\n\nMay 23, 2014: Ferguson says that working with athletics will be a key element of his tenure. He'd been close with coaches and administrators at stops at UNLV, SIU-Edwardsville and Maine, and called college sports both a large financial commitment and a community-impacting enterprise. \"Athletics is the front porch to the university, so we want to do it well if we're going to do it,\" he said.\n\nJuly 5, 2014: The Star Press reports the contract between Ferguson and Ball State appoints Ferguson for an initial term of five years, beginning Aug. 1, at a base salary of $450,000. \"It is understood that both parties desire and anticipate a long-term relationship,\" the agreement states. \"Therefore, the board (of trustees) ... may offer to extend this agreement for additional years.\"\n\nSept. 17, 2014: Ferguson adds a new position to his cabinet — senior adviser to the president and chief of staff. The appointment of Julie Hopwood, who has been Ferguson's right-hand person for a dozen years at other schools, increases the number of women on the nine-member cabinet to three. Hopwood holds four college degrees, including two master's degrees and a law degree. Her $200,000 salary is lower than all but one other cabinet member and will require no new funding, the president said. Ferguson, who became president in August, compared the new cabinet member to \"almost an ambassador\" \"who will make sure the office of the president is connected to all constituencies.\"\n\nSept. 13, 2015: On-campus enrollment at Ball State University has dropped for the fourth consecutive year, but overall enrollment is up as the number of online students grows. The school has 16,602 on-campus students this fall, down from 18,241 in the fall of 2011. That means 1,639 fewer students are taking classes on the main campus this fall than four years ago, a decrease of 9 percent. The university issued a news release headlined, \"Ball State sees a 2.6 percent increase in total student enrollment for fall 2015.\"\n\nOct. 22, 2014: The university's board of trustees endorses the plan to consolidate health sciences academic programs, clinics and labs into a new college. Provost Terry King said the consolidation of health-related assets would improve collaboration, scholarship, quality and public access to clinics and labs, especially for the underserved population. Ferguson also endorsed the new college, emphasizing the opportunity for it to improve community-based service. Ball State operates more than a dozen clinics and labs, including audiology, autism, speech language, counseling, human performance, biomechanics, nutrition assessment, gastrointestinal, micro imaging, neuropsychology, renal and metabolic and psychoeducational diagnostic intervention.\n\nOct. 25, 2014: Ball State University seeks $52.5 million from the state to construct a 150,000-square-foot health professions building for nearly 2,500 students majoring in health programs, including nursing. Paul Ferguson told the Indiana Commission for Higher Education that enrollment in the nursing program has nearly doubled in the past decade. The new building, to contain classrooms and teaching/research laboratories, will be the university's top capital request to the legislature when it reconvenes on Jan. 6 for a session to adopt a two-year budget for 2015-16 and 2016-17. Ball State's other capital priorities are $27.5 million for expansion/renovation of the College of Architecture and Planning; $11.6 million for underground utility improvements; $15.9 million for other repairs and rehabilitation; and $6.2 million for a new instructional venue for the department of theater and dance.\n\nJan. 5, 2015: Paul Ferguson will replace the top two officials in charge of maintaining and enhancing the institution's image, brand and visibility. Ferguson announced in an email that he had accepted the resignations of Tom Taylor, vice president for enrollment, marketing and communications, and Tony Proudfoot, associate vice president for marketing and communications. Taylor, whose salary was $236,810, was a member of the president's cabinet. Proudfoot, whose salary was $156,563, already has landed a similar position at the University of Arizona, which called him \"a veteran brand builder.\" Ball State is searching for a new vice president/treasurer to replace Randy Howard, who left for to become CFO at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and for a new athletic director to replace Bill Scholl, who quit to take the AD job at Marquette University.\n\nJan. 9, 2015: Ferguson announces Mark Sandy is the school's new athletic director, bringing to a conclusion a four-month search to fill that vacancy after Bill Scholl accepted an AD position at Marquette.\n\nJan. 16, 2015: The Indiana Secretary of State's office is investigating Ball State University's loss of $13.1 million in investments to fraud. The secretary of state's securities division disclosed on Thursday that it is conducting a criminal investigation.\n\nFeb. 7, 2015: Ferguson presents a new, less \"generic\" vision statement; a \"refreshed\" strategic plan that \"will embrace risk\" and \"expect failure;\" $50,000 out of his own pocket to start a scholarship fund to reward students driven by entrepreneurial beneficence; and plans to increase revenue through enrollment growth. Ferguson, who has retained an enrollment management consultant, will push for a 20-percent increase in graduate student enrollment and a 35-percent increase in fully online student enrollment. Ferguson also will back plans to increase research funding.\n\nMay 2, 2015: The state Legislature approves Ball State University's request for $62.5 million for construction to house a new college of health sciences and professions. In addition, the Legislature approved a 3.4 percent increase in state appropriations for the university's operations budget over the 2015-17 biennium, BSU trustees were told.\n\nJuly 16, 2015: Ball State University is the state's biggest gainer in a new report of on-time college completion rates. Only a third of students who entered Ball State in 2005 graduated within four years, while nearly 45 percent of those who enrolled there in 2010 graduated within four years, according to an Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE) report. BSU's 12 percentage-point increase over five years was the highest among Indiana's four-year public schools, followed by Purdue University-West Lafayette (11.5), Indiana University-Bloomington (10.1) and IUPUI (8.4). While Ball State showed the most improvement, its 44.7 percent on-time completion rate remains in third place behind IU-Bloomington at 59.8 percent and Purdue-West Lafayette at 49.1 percent.\n\nJuly 18, 2015: Ball State University's board of trustees adopts a $345 million general fund budget for 2015-16 that includes no pay raises for President Paul Ferguson or his cabinet. Ferguson and the cabinet opted to go without pay raises this year even though Indianapolis attorney Rick Hall, board chairman, said trustees were pleased with the administration's dedication and \"servant leadership\" and had planned to give them raises. \"We determined that the faculty and staff should get those additional dollars for merit,\" Ferguson said. \"A significant hallmark of servant leadership is giving back. We believe in this university and want to provide an additional financial reward to our outstanding faculty and staff.\" The budget includes a 2-percent increase in funding for salaries plus additional funds for merit raises, promotions and travel.\n\nAug. 22, 2015: Ferguson appoints distinguished professor Michael Goldsby as the school's first CEO (chief entrepreneurship officer). As Ferguson starts his second year at Ball State, the phrase \"immersive learning\" created during predecessor Jo Ann Gora's tenure is taking a back seat to the term \"entrepreneurial university.\" \"We've owned it,\" Ferguson said in the president's annual address to faculty and staff kicking off the fall semester. \"It's ours ... Ball State is the entrepreneurial university ... Ball State in the eyes externally is looked upon as the entrepreneurial university.\" Also, Ferguson welcomed Jennifer Blackmer, the school's first associate provost for entrepreneurial learning.\n\nSept. 13, 2015: On-campus enrollment at Ball State University drops for the fourth consecutive year, but overall enrollment is up as the number of online students grows. The school has 16,602 on-campus students this fall, down from 18,241 in the fall of 2011. That means 1,639 fewer students are taking classes on the main campus this fall than four years ago, a decrease of 9 percent. Ball State reports the total enrollment had increased from 20,655 last fall to 21,196 this fall, but didn't explain that total enrollment includes thousands of exclusively online students. Total enrollment this fall is down compared to four years ago when it was 22,147. Julie Hopwood, who took over as BSU's interim vice president for enrollment services eight months ago, told The Star Press, \"The decline in on-campus enrollment and the increase in admissions standards over the past five years was part of an overall enrollment strategy.\" She added that the school is creating a long-term enrollment management strategic plan based on contemporary best practices.\n\nSept. 16, 2015: Last year, Ball State University climbed from 181st to 173rd in U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges rankings. This year, it rose to 168th. Meanwhile, the median salary of former Ball State students 10 years after entering the school is $39,000, just about the national average, according to the White House's new College Scorecard. Ball State finished the magazine's Best Colleges rankings in a tie for 168th with Texas Tech, University of Central Florida, University of Idaho, University of Louisville and University of Maine, where Paul Ferguson served as president before coming to BSU.\n\nSept. 24, 2015: Ball State University is planning a $5 million expansion and renovation of Emens Auditorium, a venue that has united town and gown for more than half a century. The project will add about 12,000 square feet to the front of the building, expanding the lobby for more pre-event, intermission and post-event crowds, relocating the box office to an interior area, adding much-needed restrooms to the main floor, and also adding hospitality space, a conference room and office space.\n\nSept. 25, 2015: Ferguson calls the newly renovated Botsford/Swinford residence hall a national model of sustainability and 24/7 living-learning.The $35.7 million project includes energy-efficient revolving doors that prevent drafts, sunlit lounges, water-bottle filling stations that reduce plastic in the waste stream, geothermal heating/cooling and a toxin-free carpet/tile/sink/window/etc. cleaning product called \"ozone ewater\" that eliminates germs, odors and stains without the chemicals. Academically, the residence hall, which is filled to capacity (577 students), is Ball State's 14th living-learning community, this one catering to emerging media and communications students.\n\nOct. 3, 2015: In an interview with The Star Press, Ferguson says he remains an evolutionist. \"I think I've been very evolutionary. I think that really is the heart of where the Centennial Commitment (18 by '18) came from. When we spent a lot of time talking to a lot of people, 55 departments, alums, constituencies from the Legislature, donors and friends, it was really building on the legacy of Ball State University. We developed ...this vision from where beneficence meets the spirit of entrepreneurship ...We have used the term refreshed as a real, I think, good characteristic of evolving ...\" The Centennial Commitment established 18 major goals for the university to accomplish by 2018, the University's 100th Anniversary.\n\nOct. 7, 2015: Ferguson travels to Atlanta to sign a new commitment to fight climate change, the increasing pace and intensity of which he and 45 other presidents are deeply concerned about. Ferguson attended the ceremony at Agnes Scott College as BSU president and as vice chair of a higher education climate leadership steering committee that he will begin chairing next July.\n\nNov. 14, 2015: Ball State University could be paid up to $277 million at auction to relinquish the license of WIPB and take the public television station off the air. The opening bid price of $277 million for WIPB is the maximum amount the government will pay the university to relinquish its license and go off the air. The opening price for WIPB to relinquish its UHF channel and move to a lower broadcast televsion brand (VHF) is $111 million. Ball State's board of trustees in September authorized President Paul Ferguson to participate in the preliminary auction process.\n\nDec. 1, 2015: Ball State grad David Letterman announces he is donating the props, sets and other historic collectibles from his tenure as host of \"Late Night\" on NBC and its successor the \"Late Show\" on CBS to Ball State.\n\nDec. 23, 2015: Ball State football coach Pete Lembo announces he's leaving for the University of Maryland, where he'll become an assistant coach and special teams coordinator.\n\nJan. 8, 2016: Ball State announces the hiring of Mike Neu, 45, as the new football coach. Neu spent the past two seasons as New Orleans Saints' quarterbacks coach. After completing his career in 1993 as the Cardinals' all-time leading passer with 6,221 yards and 43 touchdown passes, he went on to play three seasons professionally.\n\nJan. 25, 2016: Ball State announces Ferguson has as requested a two-month sabbatical leave and has submitted his resignation to be effective at the end of that leave. Trustees appoint Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Terry King as acting President. Dr. King served as Interim President in 2014 when former President Jo Ann Gora retired after 10 years.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2016/01/25"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2021/03/23/oregon-state-university-president-alexander-resigns-amid-lsu-scandal/6965847002/", "title": "Oregon State University President Alexander resigns amid LSU ...", "text": "Kenny Jacoby, Nancy Armour and Natalie Pate\n\nUSA TODAY\n\nCorrections and clarifications: This story has been updated to correct the name of the school where F. King Alexander was president prior to his tenure at LSU. He worked at California State University, Long Beach.\n\nOregon State University’s Board of Trustees on Tuesday unanimously accepted President F. King Alexander’s offer to resign amid a cascade of outrage stemming from his role in Louisiana State University's sexual misconduct scandal.\n\nAlexander’s resignation is effective April 1, but he will be on administrative leave until then. His resignation comes with a settlement agreement that will pay him an additional year’s salary, around $600,000.\n\nAlexander was president of LSU from 2013 to 2019 during a time when the school systemically mishandled reports of sexual misconduct by students and by head football coach Les Miles, according to a report by law firm Husch Blackwell that was publicly released this month by LSU.\n\nLSU hired Husch Blackwell in November after an investigation by USA TODAY found that officials in the university’s athletic department and broader administration repeatedly ignored complaints against abusers, denied victims’ requests for protections and subjected them to further harm by known perpetrators.\n\nAlexander began his tenure at Oregon State University in July 2020. He spoke briefly at the meeting Tuesday.\n\n\"I offered my resignation to the Oregon State University to allow us to move on. Students have and always will be my top priority,\" Alexander said. \"Their social and economic well-being is why many of us have committed a lifetime to public higher education.\"\n\nSeveral board members apologized to survivors and others who were angered by what they saw as indifference to their feelings last week by the board. Lamar Hurd, a Portland Trail Blazers TV analyst who holds an at-large position on the OSU board, spoke through tears.\n\n“I know people have been hurting,” said Hurd, who had to stop several times to compose himself. “In cases of sexual assault and misconduct and violence and things of that nature, I know that triggers a lot. I know all too often it gets overlooked. I just want to make sure you guys know it wasn’t overlooked.\n\n“I’m just sorry for the pain people have had to endure,” Hurd added. “This isn’t what Oregon State is about or wants to be about.”\n\nOSU Provost Edward Feser will hold presidential powers until the board is able to appoint an interim president. The OSU board chair will begin a search for an interim president by soliciting diverse, well-qualified candidates and consulting with a number of groups including faculty leadership and others.\n\nAlexander’s resignation comes less than one week after the OSU board voted 12-2 to put him on probation rather than fire him, after the Husch Blackwell report became public and implicated him in LSU’s institutional failings.\n\nThe board also said it would hire an outside consultant to further investigate the problems at LSU, and asked Alexander to come up with an “action plan” to rebuild trust with the Oregon State community.\n\nBut that decision only escalated anger at Alexander, who was criticized by people both at Oregon State and in the Oregon statehouse for refusing to take accountability for the failings at LSU. Immediately after the board decision, the OSU Faculty Senate issued a vote of no confidence, and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, who appoints board members, also expressed her displeasure.\n\n\"When we adjourned last week, we thought it was possible for President Alexander to repair the broken confidence and trust in his ability to lead OSU,\" OSU board chair Rani Borkar said Tuesday before the board’s executive session to consider whether to accept Alexander’s resignation, which he offered Sunday.\n\n\"After listening to and hearing important input from diverse members of our community, we now know that rebuilding trust is no longer possible. Simply stated, Dr. Alexander no longer has the confidence of the OSU community.\"\n\nAlexander is the fifth person to face consequences in the aftermath of USA TODAY reporting that revealed widespread failings in the way LSU handled sexual misconduct and gender violence complaints.\n\nThe University of Kansas announced March 8 that it was parting ways with football coach Les Miles, who outside investigators found had inappropriate relationships with female student workers while he was at LSU. The departure of Kansas athletic director Jeff Long, who said he didn’t know about the allegations against Miles when he hired him in 2018, was announced two days later.\n\nTwo administrators in LSU’s athletics department who Husch Blackwell found did not properly report Title IX complaints also have been disciplined. Executive deputy athletic director Verge Ausberry and senior associate athletic director Miriam Segar were suspended, Ausberry for 30 days and Segar for 21.\n\nAlexander has insisted he did nothing wrong when he was at LSU, and defended himself vigorously during last week’s public meeting. But on Monday, the chairman of the Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors sent a letter to OSU’s board, saying that Alexander had not been truthful in his testimony.\n\nAlexander had misled OSU about his willingness to be interviewed for an investigation into LSU’s handling of sexual misconduct allegations under his watch, LSU Board Chairman Robert Dampf wrote.\n\nAlexander told the board last week that the law firm Husch Blackwell never interviewed him for its investigation into LSU’s handling of sexual misconduct and dating violence, which finished in March and focused on systemic failures that occurred on Alexander’s watch.\n\nDampf pointed out that Husch Blackwell asked to interview Alexander twice. Oregon State’s general counsel, however, responded on Alexander’s behalf and said he would only take written questions.\n\n“In the pursuit of truth, Husch Blackwell diligently collected information amounting to 2,500 documents totaling 75,000 pages and more than 60 interviews with LSU employees plus 27 community outreach interview sessions with 10 participants per session,” Dampf wrote. “But they had only one and a half pages of responses from Dr. Alexander.”\n\nAlexander also claimed at last week’s hearing that he had built LSU’s Title IX office from nothing to having seven Title IX coordinators, one for each LSU campus. And he took credit for shutting down a problematic fraternity due to Title IX violations.\n\nDampf noted in his letter, however, that the Title IX coordinators were hired before Alexander’s arrival in 2013, and the fraternity was shut down because a pledge died during a hazing ritual, not because of Title IX issues.\n\nPrior to his tenure at LSU, Alexander was the president of the California State University, Long Beach from 2006-2013. Before that, he served as president of Murray State University in Kentucky from 2001-2005, replacing his father, Kern Alexander, who had led school for seven years before stepping down in 2001.\n\nThe OSU board's executive and audit committee will now assess the university's Title IX reporting and survivor services, as well as respond to feedback and questions received from the Faculty Senate.\n\n\"The last few weeks have been a very difficult experience for all of us, the entire OSU community,\" Borkar said at the closure of the meeting Tuesday. \"We will learn from this experience, yet we will not let it divide us. Let us heal together. Let us rededicate ourselves to excellent in teaching, student success, research discovery and service engagement.\"\n\nMORE ON THE INVESTIGATION AT LSU\n\nTwo women say ex-Washington RB Derrius Guice raped them at LSU when he was a freshman\n\nLSU mishandled sexual misconduct complaints against students, including top athletes\n\nLSU knew in 2018 that officials kept allegations against athletes in-house. It did nothing.\n\nJudge orders LSU to turn over complete police report sought in USA TODAY lawsuit\n\nFormer LSU football coach Les Miles was banned from contacting female students after 2013 probe\n\nLSU athletic director wanted to fire Les Miles in 2013 for misconduct. The school didn't act.\n\nIndependent investigation finds that LSU routinely mishandled allegations of sexual misconduct\n\nHeads should roll: LSU students want school to fire those implicated by investigative report", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/03/23"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2021/08/10/andrew-cuomo-resigns-new-york-governor-kathy-hochul/6882342002/", "title": "NY's Cuomo to resign as governor; Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul to succeed ...", "text": "ALBANY – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation Tuesday under the weight of a sexual-harassment scandal that engulfed his administration and derailed his political future, capping a remarkable and rapid fall for a governor whose national profile had risen to extraordinary heights during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nCuomo, a Democrat, said his resignation will take effect in 14 days, ending a decade-long run in the office he dedicated most of his adult life to keeping within his family — first as an adviser to his father, the late Gov. Mario Cuomo, before winning three terms himself.\n\n\"I think that given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to government,\" Cuomo said in a video address.\n\n\"And therefore that's what I'll do, because I work for you and doing the right thing is doing the right thing for you.\"\n\nWith Cuomo stepping down, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul of Buffalo will make history as the first woman to serve as New York governor. She will be sworn in after Cuomo's resignation takes effect and is set to fill out the remainder of his term, which runs through 2022.\n\nMore:Who is Kathy Hochul? What to know about NY's first female governor\n\nCuomo, 63, had defiantly resisted calls for his resignation over the the past five months, a period in which multiple women, including current and former state employees, publicly accused him of inappropriate or harassing behavior in some form.\n\nHis administration has also faced extensive criticism for purposefully withholding the true COVID-19 death toll of nursing home residents for months, a decision that has attracted scrutiny from federal prosecutors in Brooklyn.\n\nThe most damaging — and ultimately fatal — blow came Aug. 3, when state Attorney General Letitia James' office released a report that found Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women, including nine state employees, violating various state and federal laws along the way.\n\nAmong them was an executive assistant, Brittany Commisso, who accused Cuomo of reaching under her blouse and groping her breast during a November 2020 encounter at the Executive Mansion, which Cuomo continues to deny despite the attorney general's report finding the woman's claims \"credible.\"\n\nOn Tuesday, Cuomo announced his decision in an on-camera address following a lengthy presentation by his outside attorney, Rita Glavin, who sought to cast doubt on many of his accusers' claims and continued to deny Cuomo had ever touched them inappropriately.\n\nIn his address, Cuomo denied the most serious of allegations and claimed James' report was slanted against him. But he acknowledged offending a trail of women with jokes and unwelcomed embraces that he suggested may have crossed a shifting cultural line.\n\nCuomo said he chose to step down for the good of state government, which has been paralyzed for the past week as he fought for his political life and coronavirus infections surged in New York and the country.\n\n\"Wasting energy on distractions is the last thing that state government should be doing,\" Cuomo said.\n\n\"And I can’t be the cause of that. New York tough means New York loving. And I love New York and I love you, and everything I have ever done has been motivated by that love and I would never want to be unhelpful in any way.\"\n\nCuomo ultimately faced an untenable choice: either step down or face impeachment, which looked increasingly like a fait accompli as more and more state lawmakers called for his ouster.\n\nOn Tuesday, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat whose chamber was moving toward impeaching the governor, said Cuomo's resignation was \"the right decision.\"\n\n\"The brave women who stepped forward were heard,\" he said in a statement. \"Everyone deserves to work in a harassment-free environment.\"\n\nMore:Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women in violation of law, AG report finds\n\nAndrew Cuomo's long rise, stunning fall\n\nAndrew Mark Cuomo was first elected governor Nov. 2, 2010, marking a triumphant return to the state Capitol for the Cuomo family after his father served as governor from 1983 through 1994. He failed in his first bid for governor in 2002.\n\nSince taking office in 2011, Cuomo used his unyielding aggression and distaste for bureaucracy to mold himself into the most consequential and powerful figure in New York government, flexing his muscle to push through major projects like the $4 billion Tappan Zee Bridge replacement and policy like the legalization of same-sex marriage.\n\nHe teetered between staying true to his moderate Democratic roots and moving more to the left as the party became more progressive, shepherding through a $15 minimum wage law in 2015 and paid family leave a year later.\n\nMost of his tenure came with Republicans in control of the Senate, though he was able to cajole enough of them to support portions of his agenda, including stronger gun-rights laws in 2013 and the same-sex marriage law two years earlier.\n\nIn 2020, he rose to his highest level of national fame when his daily, PowerPoint-driven briefings gained an international audience amid the coronavirus pandemic, with many supporters coming to view Cuomo's hands-on approach as counterprogramming to a timid federal response led by then-President Donald Trump.\n\nThe televised briefings even won him an International Emmy award, and his popularity soared to a record 70% in polls. In October, he released a book, American Crisis, that recounted his response in the early days of the pandemic and landed on The New York Times Best Sellers List.\n\nThe book deal netted him an astounding $5 million from The Crown Publishing Group. But it has since become the subject of an investigation by James, who is examining whether he illegally used state resources to complete the project.\n\nCuomo's hard-charging style and penchant for threats helped contribute to his demise, alienating state lawmakers who may otherwise have been more willing to stave off potential impeachment proceedings had they viewed the governor as an ally instead of an enemy.\n\nIn the end, his downfall was as swift as his rise was long: Cuomo resigned just five months after former aide Lindsey Boylan published an essay detailing his alleged harassing behavior, including a 2018 meeting in which she claims he kissed her on the lips without consent as she left.\n\nBoylan was followed by a number of other women who publicly shared similar stories of a governor who made inappropriate remarks and unwanted advances.\n\nAmong them was Charlotte Bennett, a 25-year-old former aide who said Cuomo asked repeated, invasive questions about her romantic life during one-on-one meetings last May and June, as the state was responding to COVID.\n\nIn interviews with the attorney general's investigators, Bennett said the governor asked whether she practiced monogamy and if she had ever been with an older man. Cuomo remarked that he would be comfortable being with a woman in her 20s, she said.\n\nTaken together, Bennett believed Cuomo was propositioning her for sex.\n\n\"Without explicitly saying it, he implied to me that I was old enough for him and he was lonely,\" Bennett, a Westchester County native and Hamilton College graduate, said in an interview with CBS Evening News.\n\nThe attorney general's report corroborated the victims' accounts with contemporaneous text messages, notes and interviews with those familiar with the encounters. Glavin, Cuomo's attorney, has repeatedly challenged the strength of the report and challenged its particulars, claiming it to be an attempt to convict Cuomo through the media.\n\nCuomo continued to deny any significant misbehavior, saying he never touched anyone inappropriately while acknowledging he makes jokes and sometimes asks his staff about their personal lives.\n\nFollowing the attorney general's report, Cuomo rejected the most serious of claims, saying he did not grope the executive assistant and suggesting some of his aides misinterpreted his remarks as flirtations.\n\nDuring a direct-to-the-camera address on Aug. 3, he went so far as to play a slideshow of photos of him and other famous politicians kissing and hugging various people, suggesting his behavior was normal.\n\n\"I want you to know directly from me that I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances,\" Cuomo said. \"I am 63 years old. I have lived my entire adult life in public view. That is just not who I am and that's not who I have ever been.\"\n\nOn Tuesday, Cuomo acknowledged his behavior could have made some of the women uncomfortable, saying he did not appropriately account for changes in societal norms.\n\n\"In my mind, I've never crossed the line with anyone,\" he said during his speech, which he delivered from his Manhattan office. \"But I didn't realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn't fully appreciate. And I should have. No excuses.\"\n\nMore:Cuomo apologizes amid harassment claims: 'I never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm'\n\nMore:Here's what Charlotte Bennett told CBS' Norah O'Donnell about Cuomo's behavior\n\nKathy Hochul to become NY's 57th governor\n\nCuomo, who was the state's attorney general from 2007 though 2010, becomes the second New York governor to resign amid scandal since the turn of the century, following Eliot Spitzer's abrupt decision to step down in 2008 after his habit of soliciting prostitutes became public.\n\nHochul, 62, will become New York's 57th governor, breaking a 244-year streak of males holding the state's highest office.\n\nShe will also become the first governor to hail from outside New York City and the Hudson Valley since 1922, the final year in office for Gov. Nathan Miller of Cortland County.\n\nIn a statement, Hochul said she is prepared to become New York's 57th governor. Her office promised she would be commenting further in the near future.\n\n\"I agree with Governor Cuomo's decision to step down,\" Hochul said in her statement. \"It is the right thing to do and in the best interest of New Yorkers.\"\n\nHochul was first elected lieutenant governor when Cuomo won a second term in 2014. She replaced Robert Duffy, the former Rochester mayor who was Cuomo's first lieutenant governor and declined to seek re-election.\n\nA Democrat and former Erie County clerk, Hochul served in Congress in 2011 and 2012 after scoring an upset win in a special election following the resignation of Rep. Chris Lee.\n\nShe lost her bid for re-election to Chris Collins, who later stepped down after he pleaded guilty to insider trading charges and was later pardoned by Trump.\n\nHochul is well liked in Albany, and she has dutifully crisscrossed the state to tout the Cuomo's administration's policies.\n\nNow she will inherit immediate challenges: The state is seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases as the delta variant spreads, leading to questions over whether the state will attempt to reinstitute a mask mandate or other similar pandemic-era restrictions.\n\nHochul's elevation to the governor's office was hailed by a number of state and federal officials who said she is well-prepared to become the state's chief executive.\n\n\"I have full confidence that Lt Gov. Hochul will establish a professional and capable administration,\" U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-New York, said in a statement. \"I have spoken with Lt Gov. Hochul and look forward to working together to help the people of New York.\"\n\nWith Hochul becoming governor, state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, will take over some of the lieutenant governor's duties until Hochul appoints someone to the role.\n\n\"Gov. Hochul is a dedicated leader, and united, we will get the people’s work done,\" Stewart-Cousins said.\n\nMore:Amid increasing calls to resign, Cuomo finds few allies in Albany. How it happened\n\nMore:Cuomo chastised states, Trump for obscuring COVID information. Now he's accused of the same\n\nCuomo remains under investigation\n\nCuomo and his administration remain the subject of several investigations or inquiries that could continue to spell trouble for him even after his resignation.\n\nAlbany County District Attorney David Soares and Sheriff Craig Apple have opened a criminal investigation into Cuomo, while district attorneys in Manhattan, Westchester County, Oswego County and Nassau County have also pledged to examine James' report for possible criminality.\n\nThe FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn have been investigating Cuomo's administration regarding its counting of nursing home residents who died of COVID-19.\n\nFor months, Cuomo and the state Department of Health refused to release the number of nursing home residents who died in hospitals, instead only revealing those who died in the homes themselves. As a result, the true death toll was underrepresented by more than 40% for months.\n\nCuomo's office retained high-profile defense attorney Elkan Abramowitz to represent the governor and his team during the federal probe.\n\nJames's office, meanwhile, is still investigating Cuomo's $5 million book deal, which he struck in the midst of the pandemic. At issue is whether Cuomo used state resources on the book, which is prohibited by law.\n\n\"The investigation with respect to the book and whether or not public resources were utilized is ongoing and it's separate and apart from this (sexual harassment) investigation,\" James said Aug. 3.\n\nJon Campbell is a New York state government reporter for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at JCAMPBELL1@Gannett.com or on Twitter at @JonCampbellGAN.\n\nSupport local journalism\n\nWe cover the stories from the New York State Capitol and across New York that matter most to you and your family. Please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription to the New York publication nearest you.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/08/10"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/12/31/mdoc-head-pelicia-hall-resigns-head-troubled-state-prison-system/2786873001/", "title": "MDOC head Pelicia Hall resigns as head of troubled state prison ...", "text": "Pelicia Hall is resigning as commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, a department spokeswoman said Tuesday.\n\nNews of Hall's resignation came the same day MDOC announced a statewide lockdown of prisons in response to a \"major disturbance\" Sunday that left one inmate dead and two others injured.\n\nHall will leave MDOC in mid-January to take a job in the private sector, according to a press release. It's unclear what the job will be, but Hall said it will allow her to be an \"advocate for criminal justice reform and to support better wages and working conditions for the Department of Corrections employees.\"\n\nHall, a lawyer, served as chief of staff to the MDOC commissioner for two years, before Gov. Phil Bryant promoted her in 2017 to replace her boss, Marshall Fisher, who became commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.\n\nFisher also announced his resignation Tuesday.\n\nGov.-elect Tate Reeves has not announced who he will appoint to be the next MDOC commissioner.\n\nHall had spoke to lawmakers at the outset of the 2019 legislative session, asking them to exempt MDOC from parts of public records laws — just a few years after the largest public corruption scandal in state history resulted in former MDOC Commissioner Chris Epps being imprisoned.\n\nHall's successor will face daunting challenges, including a shrinking budget, a shortage of guards, deteriorating facilities and gang violence.\n\nFisher:Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Marshall Fisher resigns\n\nPrisons:Mississippi prisons on lockdown: 1 inmate killed, 2 injured at SMCI\n\nAccording to a 2016 report from the U.S. Department of Justice, Mississippi has the third highest incarceration rate in the country.\n\nSouth Mississippi Correctional Institute in Leakesville has been on lockdown all year due to a guard shortage.\n\nAt a 2018 federal trial, three inmates at East Mississippi Correctional Facility near Meridian described instances of failing plumbing, such as sewage backups that caused feces to seep through shower and cell drains, or broken, unusable cell toilets. One inmate said the water in his cell's sink ran black.\n\nPrisons bribery scandal:Epps going to jail; bond revoked\n\nThis summer, the Marshall Project published documents that showed how the warden of Wilkinson County Correctional Facility — a privately run prison that houses state prisoners — relied on gangs to help control inmates.\n\nAt a rally outside the governor's mansion in November, advocates for prison reform said state inmates suffer from a lack of medical care and guards are unable to stop fights and stabbings.\n\n\"They don't want y'all to know what's going on behind prison walls,\" said Donnell Jones, a former prisoner.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.\n\nContact Giacomo \"Jack\" Bologna at 601-961-7282 or gbologna@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @gbolognaCL.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2019/12/31"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/03/01/robert-gordon-resignation-spearation-agreement/6877283002/", "title": "Ex-Michigan health department head receives $155K following ...", "text": "The former director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services will receive more than $155,000 in exchange for \"releasing all claims against\" the state, according to a separation agreement provided to the Free Press.\n\nThe agreement states the money provided to Robert Gordon constitutes nine months of pay and health care costs. Gordon resigned in January after signing a new employment agreement the previous October that included a $182,000 salary, according to records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.\n\nReached Monday, Gordon declined to comment.\n\nOn Feb. 2, the Free Press asked the health department for any information about general payments made to Gordon as a result of his departure. A health department attorney stated on Feb. 3, \"the department searched for this information and has no such information in the department's possession.\"\n\nThe agreement for $155,506.05 is dated Feb. 22. It's signed by Gordon and Mark Totten, chief legal counsel for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.\n\nHealth department spokesman Bob Wheaton declined to answer specific questions about the agreement.\n\n\"This agreement is between the State of Michigan and Robert Gordon and speaks for itself,\" Wheaton said.\n\nHe referred additional questions to the Office of the Michigan Attorney General. A spokeswoman for the attorney general said they could not answer questions due to attorney-client privilege, indicating they represent the state and not Gordon.\n\nWhitmer press secretary Bobby Leddy said agreements with confidentiality conditions and a \"release of claims are fairly standard practice.\"\n\n\"Per the terms of the agreement, we can’t comment further on a personnel matter,\" Leddy said.\n\nMore:Michigan health department director Robert Gordon resigns\n\nMore:Whitmer won't say why former health director Robert Gordon left MDHHS\n\nGordon abruptly resigned as head of the state's health department in late January, announcing his departure on Twitter. In a statement issued shortly thereafter that announced Elizabeth Hertel would be acting department director, Whitmer did not say why he was leaving or thank him for his service.\n\nThe director's decision to step down amid an ongoing health crisis prompted considerable questions, but the governor repeatedly avoided giving direct answers when asked whether she requested he resign. The key to her answer appears in the separation agreement: it states that if asked, the state will say Gordon voluntarily resigned.\n\nThe governor would later thank Gordon for his service and wish him well.\n\nGordon joined the department in January 2019 shortly after Whitmer took office. He worked with the governor and health leaders to implement the state's immediate and ongoing responses to the pandemic, including measures that at times closed many business. But the measures also helped distribute millions of masks, increased testing capacity and spread awareness about the virus.\n\nLawmakers and many other critics of the state's response directed much of their ire toward Gordon.\n\n\"I was stunned to hear Robert Gordon signed a taxpayer funded hush money agreement after his departure from the Whitmer administration,\" said Rep. Matt Hall, R-Emmett Township, who led a special COVID-19 committee last legislative session.\n\n\"It raises questions about what Gov. Whitmer is trying to keep quiet about her administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.\"\n\nAfter the Michigan Supreme Court effectively invalidated many of Whitmer's executive orders pertaining to the pandemic, Gordon issued essentially the same mandates under state laws unaddressed by the court. That included an order in November temporarily banning indoor dining and indoor contact sports, both of which remained in place for weeks after the initial suggested end of the ban.\n\nWhitmer, Gordon and other experts would point to data indicating a correlation between improving COVID-19 trends and the implementation of restrictions. Before the November mandates, Whitmer warned additional measures by the state would be needed if case rates, test positivity, hospitalizations, deaths and other indicators did not improve.\n\nMore:Chanting 'open up now,' protesters target Michigan health director Robert Gordon's home\n\nMore:Robert Gordon, Barb McQuade among Michigan members on Joe Biden transition team\n\nCritics argued the orders were unfair, blistering the department for not ever establishing clear data points — like a red line for case rates — indicating when businesses could ease restrictions.\n\nIn December, protesters gathered outside Gordon's Lansing home, calling on him to \"open up now.\" The same month, a Republican senator called for Gordon's resignation, citing the state's response to the pandemic.\n\n“Director Gordon has issued statewide mandates shutting down small businesses without providing them the opportunity to operate safely — a move that has pushed these hardworking small business owners into bankruptcy through no fault of their own,\" Sen. Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton, said in November.\n\nIn the days after Gordon's departure, Whitmer said he led the department during \"grueling\" and \"unimaginable circumstances.\"\n\nSince he left, lawmakers from both parties have publicly said they've found it easier to communicate with the department under Hertel.\n\nHertel has a second hearing before the Senate Advice and Consent Committee this week. One lawmaker, Sen. Lana Theis, R-Brighton, has already stated the Senate should consider rejecting her appointment.\n\nContact Dave Boucher at dboucher@freepress.com or 313-938-4591. Follow him on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/03/01"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/02/17/cal-state-chancellor-joseph-castro-resigns-investigation-frank-lamas/6831563001/", "title": "CSU Chancellor Joseph Castro resigns after USA TODAY ...", "text": "California State University Chancellor Joseph Castro resigned, effective immediately, the CSU Board of Trustees announced in a news release Thursday evening after a marathon closed-session meeting.\n\nThe announcement came two weeks after a USA TODAY investigation revealed he mishandled years of sexual harassment, bullying and retaliation complaints against a senior administrator while he was president of CSU Fresno.\n\nThe investigation sparked immediate and widespread outcry from students, faculty, staff, lawmakers and others, many of whom called for Castro to resign or an independent investigation into his handling of the matter.\n\n“I have been honored to serve the California State University for more than eight years, including as its eighth chancellor, and the decision to resign is the most difficult of my professional life,” Castro said in the news release. “While I disagree with many aspects of recent media reports and the ensuing commentary, it has become clear to me that resigning at this time is necessary so that the CSU can maintain its focus squarely on its educational mission and the impactful work yet to be done.”\n\nYour subscription helps support stories like these. Consider subscribing today.\n\nExecutive Vice Chancellor Steve Relyea, chief financial officer, will serve as acting chancellor until the board names an interim chancellor, board chair Lillian Kimbell said. The board will launch an \"initiative to strengthen institutional culture\" across the CSU to bring it \"to the forefront of Title IX innovation, accountability and response.\" Title IX is the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in schools.\n\nThe board will vote at its meeting in March to conduct a \"comprehensive systemwide assessment to provide insights, recommendations and resources to help advance CSU’s Title IX and civil rights training, awareness, prevention, intervention, compliance, accountability, and support systems,\" the board said. The assessment, it said, will begin next month at Fresno State.\n\n“We appreciate Chancellor Castro’s cooperation with the Trustees and his decision to step down for the benefit of California State University system,” Kimbell said.\n\nUSA TODAY's six-month investigation, published Feb. 3, found Castro repeatedly declined to discipline the administrator, vice president of student affairs Frank Lamas, despite the school receiving at least a dozen sexual harassment, bullying and retaliation complaints against him over six years. Castro knew of at least seven of the complaints, USA TODAY found, but he praised Lamas publicly, wrote him glowing performance evaluations and endorsed him for a prestigious lifetime achievement award, which Lamas won.\n\nThe university launched a Title IX investigation into Lamas in November 2019 after a doctoral student who worked for him full-time filed a formal complaint saying he repeatedly touched her against her wishes, made inappropriate sexual comments and implied he'd help her get a promotion in exchange for sexual favors. An outside law firm the school hired to investigate found Lamas responsible for sexually harassing her, engaging in “abusive workplace behavior” and creating a “culture of fear,” records show.\n\nLamas denied all allegations of wrongdoing, saying his exemplary career ended unfairly because of people “with an obvious ax to grind.” He said he was upset the law firm didn't draw upon any of the 13 reference letters and character testaments submitted on his behalf by people who spoke positively of him, including a 2017 letter from Castro.\n\nRather than fire Lamas, Castro chose to quietly settle the matter without disciplinary action. Castro authorized a $260,000 payment from the school to Lamas, along with a clean record in exchange for his retirement, an August 2020 settlement agreement obtained by USA TODAY shows. Although the settlement banned Lamas from working at the CSU again, Castro agreed to write him a letter of recommendation to help him find work elsewhere.\n\nThree weeks after signing the settlement, the CSU board named Castro chancellor, a position he held since January 2021. As chancellor, Castro was tasked with ensuring Title IX compliance across the nation's largest university system, which has more than half a million students and employees across 23 campuses.\n\n\"As I know from my own lived experience, our state’s and nation’s diverse and talented young people – especially low-income and first-generation students – deserve access to the transformative power of higher education that so often can seem like an elusive dream,\" Castro said in his statement Thursday announcing his resignation. \"I remain forever committed to ensuring that those students – our future leaders – are able to achieve that dream for themselves, their families and their communities.”\n\nThe board and Castro decided he should resign during a meeting Thursday that lasted more than 10 hours.\n\nBefore the meeting, the California Faculty Association’s CSU Long Beach chapter submitted to the board a petition with 220 faculty members' signatures calling for Castro's resignation. Organized by history professor Emily Berquist Soule and associate sociology professor Sabrina Alimahomed-Wilson, the petition said an outside investigation into Castro’s handling of Lamas is unnecessary because he had betrayed their confidence.\n\n“There is no question that Castro not only failed to take action against his employee for violating university codes of conduct and state law, but instead rewarded Lamas for his reprehensible actions,” the petition said. “Our Chancellor’s behavior speaks clearly to faculty, staff, and students – Castro does not care about sexual harassment, gender discrimination, or the safety and well-being of those of us who are most likely to be the targets of predators like Lamas.”\n\nStudents and community members protested at Fresno State's campus on Feb. 5, holding signs calling for Castro to resign.\n\nCastro said in response to questions from USA TODAY that he regretted writing Lamas a letter of recommendation, praising Lamas publicly, not taking formal disciplinary action against Lamas and not mentioning any of his concerns in Lamas’ performance reviews. The settlement, Castro said, was the best course to avoid a potentially costly lawsuit from Lamas and prevent him from exercising a clause in his contract that might have allowed him to return to the faculty even if Castro fired him.\n\nKimbell told USA TODAY that board members were unaware of the matter during the interview process. Then-chancellor Timothy White knew about it and approved of the settlement, Castro said.\n\nA day after USA TODAY's investigation, California state Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, and Assembly member Jose Medina, D-Riverside, called for an outside investigation into Castro's handling of the allegations. Leyva chairs the state’s Senate Education Committee, and Medina chairs the Assembly Higher Education Committee. Leyva, who said she would hold hearings based on the results of such an investigation, called for Castro to resign if USA TODAY's reporting was determined to be accurate, saying \"it would call into clear question his ability to lead” the CSU.\n\nAssembly member Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, said that he was \"heartbroken\" to learn how Castro handled the situation but that he believes the problems at the CSU extend beyond one person. A Fresno State alum and former two-term Fresno mayor, Patterson said his office will request a state audit into Title IX and human resources practices at Fresno State and up to four other CSU campuses to determine how widespread the problems are and how far back they go.\n\n“I’m embarrassed for my university,” Patterson told USA TODAY. “It brings me no joy to have to shine the spotlight of accountability into my own university and the university system, but the facts demonstrate it has to be done.”\n\nKenny Jacoby is a reporter for USA TODAY's investigations team who covers universities, sports, policing and sexual violence. Email him at kjacoby@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @kennyjacoby.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/02/17"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/08/11/andrew-cuomo-resignation-ny-governor-but-state-federal-investigations-continue/5565613001/", "title": "Andrew Cuomo is resigning, but the investigations into his conduct ...", "text": "ALBANY, N.Y. – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is giving up the powerful job he's dedicated most of his life to keeping within his family, but his resignation won't end a bevy of pending investigations into him and his administration.\n\nNo fewer than five district attorneys have made preliminary inquiries into Cuomo's alleged sexual harassment detailed in the scathing, 165-page report last week from Attorney General Letitia James' office that ultimately led to the governor's announcement Tuesday that he will resign in two weeks.\n\nThat includes Albany County District Attorney David Soares, who is in the midst of a criminal investigation into claims by a Cuomo executive assistant who says the governor groped her breast at the Executive Mansion last year.\n\nThere's also a pending investigation by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn who are looking into the Cuomo administration's handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes and its withholding of certain death data at the height of the pandemic last year.\n\nAnd that's not all. James is still looking into whether Cuomo illegally used state resources to pen his book on the COVID-19 crisis, for which he is due to be paid $5.1 million. And the Assembly's impeachment inquiry continues on, though its immediate future is no longer clear.\n\nThe investigations and litigation could enmesh Cuomo for months or years after his scheduled departure from public office in two weeks.\n\n\"The inquiry into criminal conduct in our jurisdiction remains open and pending,\" Soares spokesperson Cecilia Walsh said Tuesday, just after Cuomo announced his pending resignation.\n\nFive county DAs looking at Cuomo's conduct\n\nFollowing James' report, Soares announced he was in the midst of an ongoing criminal investigation related to Cuomo. That investigation was bolstered Thursday by the filing of a criminal complaint by Brittany Commisso, the executive assistant who says Cuomo groped her.\n\nThe chief criminal prosecutors of New York, Nassau, Westchester, and Oswego counties also asked James’ staff for investigative evidence of possible Cuomo crimes committed within their respective jurisdictions.\n\n“Our investigation continues,” Brendan Brosh, the communications director for Nassau County Acting District Attorney Joyce A. Smith, said Tuesday. Smith last week issued a statement confirming that her office would review “the deeply disturbing findings” in the report.\n\nCuomo’s resignation “does not have any impact” on a similar investigation by Westchester District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah’s office, public information officer Anna Young said in an email on Tuesday.\n\nDanny Frost, communications director for Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr., declined to comment on whether Cuomo’s departure from the public stage later this month would impact Vance’s investigation. Last week, Vance’s office confirmed contact with James’ office “pertaining to incidents that occurred in Manhattan,” the locale for Cuomo’s downstate office.\n\nOswego County District Attorney Gregory Oakes could not immediately be reached on Tuesday about the status of his Cuomo investigation. Last week, Syracuse.com reported that Oakes would request material from James’ office about allegations by Virginia Limmiatis, a Syracuse-area woman and energy company employee who told state investigators Cuomo groped her in 2017.\n\nSeparately, federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York have subpoenaed material related to Cuomo’s recent memoir as part of an investigation of the state’s handling of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes on Cuomo’s watch, The Wall Street Journal reported in June. John Marzulli, a spokesman for Acting U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, declined to comment Tuesday.\n\nCivil suits against Cuomo likely\n\nCuomo also is expected to face a civil lawsuit to be filed by Lindsey Boylan, the first woman who publicly alleged that he had sexually harassed her.\n\nBoylan, a former aide to the governor, claims Cuomo made inappropriate comments toward her, including one remark about playing strip poker during a flight on an official state aircraft. She also says Cuomo once kissed her on the lips in 2018 as she left a meeting in his New York City office.\n\nHer claim, via Twitter, prompted others to come forward. It also led to attacks on Boylan’s credibility by Cuomo staffers and lawyers.\n\nJames' report concluded Cuomo's administration illegally retaliated against Boylan by leaking documents to the press not long after her Twitter posts. Those documents showed Boylan was counseled for a workplace conflict shortly before her departure from the administration.\n\nAndrew Cuomo resigns:A timeline of the New York governor's life and political career\n\nCuomo's attorneys have denied the administration illegally retaliated against Boylan and have continued to attack her credibility, as well as the credibility of the report itself, which Cuomo claims is biased against him.\n\n\"I think that women should be believed and they should be treated fairly,\" Cuomo attorney Rita Glavin said Tuesday shortly before Cuomo announced his resignation.\n\nShe continued: \"I also believe that men should be believed and treated fairly. All people should be given that, and everybody should have a chance to respond, and everybody should be scrutinized with what they say by facts, context, and evidence. That hasn’t happened here.\"\n\nJill Basinger, an attorney for Boylan, did not immediately respond to a voicemail seeking comment on Tuesday.\n\nHowever, Basinger told ABC News last week that Boylan intends to sue Cuomo and others in the administration.\n\n\"Our plan is to sue the governor and his and his coconspirators,\" Basinger said.\n\nBook investigation, impeachment inquiry ongoing\n\nJames, meanwhile, told reporters last week that her investigation into Cuomo's book deal remains underway.\n\n\"The investigation with respect to the book and whether or not public resources were utilized is ongoing and it’s separate and apart from this investigation,\" she said Aug. 3.\n\nThe Assembly Judiciary Committee, which has been investigating various Cuomo-related issues to determine whether to impeach the governor, is scheduled to meet Monday.\n\nLawmakers had been moving toward impeaching the governor, but Cuomo's resignation could change their plans.\n\nThe Assembly could still pursue an impeachment that could prevent Cuomo from running for state office again. Such an endeavor, however, would cost millions of dollars in taxpayer money, which Cuomo himself highlighted during his resignation speech.\n\n\"It will consume government,\" Cuomo said of his potential impeachment. \"It will cost taxpayers millions of dollars. It will brutalize people.\"\n\nAssemblymember Charles Lavine, a Long Island Democrat who heads the Judiciary Committee, issued a statement Tuesday expressing faith in Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul's ability to lead the state. He did not make mention of the pending impeachment probe.\n\n\"As we begin to move forward, let us recognize the courage, strength and integrity of the women who dared to come forward,\" Lavine said. \"Moreover, let us commit ourselves to continuing the battle for the inalienable rights of our sisters and daughters in New York and in every other state.\"\n\nKevin McCoy is a staff writer for USA TODAY. He can be reached at kmccoy@usatoday.com. Jon Campbell is the New York State Team editor for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at JCAMPBELL1@Gannett.com or on Twitter at @JonCampbellGAN.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/08/11"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/02/25/sen-jim-inhofe-oklahoma-endorses-chief-staff-luke-holland-successor/6930792001/", "title": "Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe to resign, endorses Luke Holland as ...", "text": "Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe plans to resign the seat he has held since 1994, setting up what could be major changes in the state’s political landscape just weeks before candidate filing.\n\nInhofe, 87, said in an interview Thursday that he and his wife, Kay, “have decided that we need to have time together.”\n\nInhofe, a Republican, said he had been mulling for a while the right time to leave the Senate.\n\n“I didn’t make a solid decision until two or three weeks ago,” he said. “There has to be one day where you say, ‘All right, this is going to be it.’”\n\nHe said he was “absolutely” at peace with the decision.\n\nInhofe offers endorsement of Luke Holland\n\nIn the interview, Inhofe endorsed his chief of staff, Luke Holland, to replace him and said he would campaign for Holland before the Republican primary, set for June 28. Inhofe said Holland was the most qualified person to carry on his work and retain a “perfect staff.” Holland is originally from Bartlesville.\n\nUnder a new state law, Inhofe had to announce his resignation by March 1 to trigger a special election that could be held at the same time as this year’s general election. Inhofe said he will continue to serve until the next Congress begins in January, when his successor will take over.\n\nMore:Sen. Jim Inhofe, 87, to step down after replacement elected\n\nInhofe resignation rumors swirling for weeks\n\nRumors of Inhofe’s resignation have been circulating for weeks, and some potential candidates for the seat have been positioning themselves for a Senate campaign. Among them are U.S. Reps. Kevin Hern, R-Tulsa, and Markwayne Mullin, R-Westville. Former Oklahoma state House Speaker T.W. Shannon, who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2014, is also interested.\n\nGov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, dismissed suggestions Friday that he would run for the seat. Stitt is seeking a second four-year term this year.\n\n\"My focus continues to be on delivering a top ten state by working with my friends in the Legislature to advance transformational conservative reforms that protect freedoms and benefit all 4 million Oklahomans,\" the governor said.\n\nIt's not clear what Democrats might run for the seat, though the Republican nominee would likely be heavily favored.\n\nInhofe said he wanted to talk to more people about his plans before making an official announcement, but leaks in Washington, D.C., forced him to go public before he was ready.\n\nMore:Oklahoma senators blast Russia's invasion of Ukraine, representative calls out Biden\n\nInhofe was just reelected in 2020 to another six-year term. He got two-thirds of the vote against Democrat Abby Broyles.\n\nInhofe elected to U.S. Senate in 1994\n\nInhofe, a former mayor of Tulsa and former state legislator, was elected to the U.S. House in 1986 and served there until winning the Senate seat vacated by Democrat David Boren in 1994.\n\nThe senator served in the previous Congress as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, though he lost that position when Democrats took over the Senate last year. He is now the top Republican on the panel, where he has exerted major influence for years over Department of Defense policies.\n\nMore:Oklahoma Sen. Inhofe's influence seen in defense bill, which heads to Biden's desk\n\nHe said Thursday he wants to work on one last defense bill before leaving, and he predicted it would be a struggle.\n\nInhofe forced a vote last year on adding more money to the bill than President Joe Biden had requested. His effort succeeded and was duplicated in the House.\n\nInhofe also spent many years as chairman or top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, where he steered millions of dollars to Oklahoma for transportation projects. As part of his work on the committee, he became known as the leading skeptic in Congress about man-made global warming and once took a snowball onto the Senate floor.\n\nInhofe said his decision to leave the Senate had nothing to do with the attempt by the state Republican Party last year to censure him for not voting to reject Electoral College votes cast for Biden in Arizona and Pennsylvania.\n\nSen. James Lankford, also a Republican, is up for reelection this year, meaning state voters will be casting ballots in two U.S. Senate races, a rare occurrence since the terms are staggered.\n\nCandidate filing is set for April 13-15.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/02/25"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_5", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:30", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/02/politics/fact-check-biden-2022-sotu-address/index.html", "title": "Fact-checking Biden's 2022 State of the Union address | CNN Politics", "text": "(CNN) President Joe Biden delivered his first State of the Union address on Tuesday -- using the occasion to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, promote his first year in the White House as a success story and attempt to revive his domestic legislative agenda.\n\nHere is a fact check of some of the claims from Biden and the Republican response by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds:\n\nBiden touted record job growth under his administration\n\n\"Our economy created over 6.5 million new jobs just last year, more jobs in one year than ever before in the history of the United States of America,\" Biden said.\n\nThe US added 6.6 million jobs in the first 12 months of Biden's term, more than the US added in any year going back to 1939, when this data series was first published . However, the Biden-era gains should be viewed with contextual caution. Biden inherited an economy that had been crushed by unprecedented pandemic-related job losses.\n\nBiden took office less than a year after the economy shed more than 22 million jobs in two months because of the pandemic. Even with the jobs rebound -- which began under President Donald Trump in May 2020 -- the US was still, as of January 2022, down more than 2 million jobs from when the pandemic hit. In other words, the substantial Biden-era gains are still filling the giant pandemic hole.\n\nBiden is free, of course, to argue that he is doing a good job filling that hole, and some economists argue that the pandemic stimulus package he signed into law in early 2021 has played a significant role in the subsequent job growth. But the timing of Biden's inauguration was a key factor too.\n\n-- Daniel Dale and Tara Subramaniam\n\nBiden on mask wearing and Covid progress\n\nBiden highlighted the high number of Americans who no longer need a mask as a sign of real progress in the pandemic. Biden claimed that \"most Americans in most of the country can now be mask free. And based on the projections more of the country will reach that point across the next couple of weeks.\"\n\nFacts First: Biden is correct based on a based on a recent change in CDC metrics , when the focus expanded from community transmission to include hospitalizations and hospital capacity.\n\nAs of last Thursday, about 99% of the US population lived in an area where the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that people wear a mask indoors. On Friday that number dropped to 28%\n\nOn Friday, the number of people catching Covid didn't really change; what changed were the metrics the CDC used to determine who should wear a mask. CDC mask recommendations had been based on how high the transmission of the coronavirus was in a particular region. In addition to new Covid-19 cases, CDC mask guidance is now also based on new Covid-19 hospitalization and hospital capacity in a community.\n\nCDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Friday that the guidance change reflects the lower risk Americans have of severe disease since more people are vaccinated or have had a prior infection. Access to tests and treatments has also improved. Many states went ahead and previously dropped mask mandates without waiting for CDC guidance to change.\n\nAs of Tuesday, the US is now averaging 69,549 new Covid-19 cases per day, according to Johns Hopkins University. This is 21% drop since last week and the lowest cases have been since July. Still the US is averaging 1,933 new deaths a day. That's about the same as last week.\n\n-- Jen Christensen\n\nStrongest economic growth in four decades\n\nBiden said the US economy had its strongest year in nearly four decades in 2021, growing at a rate of 5.7%.\n\nFacts first: That is correct. But it also needs some more context because the economy is still recovering from the devastating impact of the pandemic.\n\nThe US economy was strong last year. The nation's gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic activity, increased at a pace of 5.7% , according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis . That was the fastest growth rate since 1984, when Ronald Reagan was in the White House.\n\nThat said, America is also still recovering from the worst of the pandemic. In 2020, GDP contracted as a result of the economy shutting down in response to Covid-19. Last year's upswing was still making up for lost ground.\n\nBut the economic growth came at a price: inflation has soared, and Americans face higher prices everywhere from food to gasoline to furniture. At the start of 2022, two of the most-watched inflation indicators -- the Labor Department's consumer price index and the Commerce Department's personal consumption expenditure price index -- increased at the fastest pace since 1982 during the year ending in January.\n\n-- Anneken Tappe\n\nAssistance to Ukraine\n\nBiden said: \"We are giving more than $1 billion in direct assistance to Ukraine.\"\n\nFacts First: This is true, but it needs context. The US has given more than $1 billion in total security assistance to Ukraine over the past year. While Biden administration officials have continued to send aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion six days ago, they are not giving the total $1 billion in assistance right now.\n\nThe US has given more than $1 billion in total security assistance to Ukraine over the past year, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on February 26. The US is not currently giving Ukraine $1 billion in aid, as the President stated in his speech.\n\nBlinken authorized the Defense Department to provide $60 million in immediate military assistance to Ukraine in the fall of 2021. In December, Blinken authorized an additional $200 million. After the invasion began, Blinken authorized a third aid package of $350 million for \"immediate support to Ukraine's defense,\" Blinken said in the statement, bringing the total security assistance from the US to Ukraine \"over the past year to more than $1 billion.\"\n\nBiden administration officials have said they are continuing to send security assistance to Ukraine, even as the Russian invasion continues.\n\n\"It continues to arrive. and continues to get to them, including in just the last day or so,\" the official said on a call with reporters. \"We're not going to talk about the specifics of how we get stuff in, so we can continue to get stuff in.\"\n\n-- Ellie Kaufman and Jeremy Herb\n\nAbility to sue gun makers\n\nAddressing gun control, Biden repeated his claim that \"gun manufacturers (are) the only industry in America that can't be sued.\"\n\nCNN has previously fact checked this claim. Here's what we found\n\nFacts First: This is false. Gun manufacturers are not entirely exempt from being sued, nor are they the only industry with some liability protections.\n\nUnder the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, gun manufacturers cannot be held liable for the use of their products in crimes. However, gun manufacturers can still be held liable for (and thus sued for) a range of things, including negligence, breach of contract regarding the purchase of a gun or certain damages from defects in the design of a gun.\n\nIn 2019, the Supreme Court allowed a lawsuit against gun manufacturer Remington Arms Co. to continue. The plaintiffs, a survivor and families of nine other victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting , wanted to hold the company -- which manufactured the semi-automatic rifle that was used in the killing -- partly responsible by targeting the company's marketing practices, another area where gun manufacturers can be held liable. On February 15, those families reached a $73 million settlement with the now-bankrupt gun manufacturer and its four insurers.\n\nOther industries also have some exemptions from liability. For example, vaccine manufacturers cannot be held liable in a civil suit for damages from a vaccine-related injury or death. And for the next four years, pharmaceutical companies developing the Covid-19 vaccines will have immunity from liability under the 2005 Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act. Those who claim to have been harmed by vaccines may receive money from the government, not the pharmaceutical company, via the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.\n\n-- Holmes Lybrand\n\nGlobal supply chains and inflation\n\nBiden said the pandemic disrupted global supply chains and in turn boosted inflation. A third of last year's inflation was due to higher car prices, he said.\n\nFacts first: That's roughly correct.\n\nAs of January, inflation for used and new vehicles made up nearly a third of overall price increases.\n\nThe Labor Department's consumer price index rose by 7.5% in the 12 months ended in January. Prices for used cars contributed roughly 1.7 percentage points of that, while new vehicles added another half percentage point.\n\nCar prices rose as manufacturers faced a shortage of computer chips used in new vehicles, hampering new production. As a result, used car prices spiked.\n\n-- Anneken Tappe\n\nBiden on support for his SCOTUS nominee\n\nDuring his speech, Biden touted his Supreme Court nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, and claimed that her appointment has been embraced by a bipartisan array of interest groups and legal experts.\n\n\"Since she's been nominated, she's received a broad range of support, from the Fraternal Order of Police, to former judges appointed by Democrats and Republicans,\" Biden said.\n\nFacts First: This is correct.\n\nJackson, who is the first Black woman nominated to the Supreme Court, comes from a law enforcement family. Her brother was a detective in Baltimore and two of her uncles were police officers, including one who was the police chief in Jackson's hometown of Miami.\n\nFraternal Order of Police National President Patrick Yoes issued a statement saying Jackson \"has the temperament, intellect, legal experience, and family background to have earned this appointment\" and will be a fair justice on the high court. This was a surprising endorsement, as the group endorsed former President Donald Trump in 2020 and the group's vice president recently slammed Biden for \"demonizing\" police officers.\n\nBiden also accurately pointed out that Jackson has support from some retired GOP-appointed judges. This includes J. Michael Luttig, who served in the Virginia-based federal appeals court for 15 years and informally advised former Vice President Mike Pence regarding January 6. And according to Axios, Jackson is also supported by former Judge Thomas R. Griffith, who was an influential conservative voice on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals from 2005 until his retirement in 2020.\n\nBut there are limits to the bipartisan support for Jackson's nomination. Some Senate Republicans have criticized her record and the Republican National Committee called her a \"radical, left-wing activist.\"\n\n-- Marshall Cohen\n\nEnergy efficiency savings of climate agenda\n\nAs Biden touted the need to invest in energy efficiency, he said his clean energy legislative agenda would cut energy costs for American families an average of $500 a year by combating climate change.\n\nFacts first: This needs context. Biden's estimate is based on third party analysis that assessed the savings Americans might see by 2030, not immediately.\n\nBiden's $500 per year figure comes from a recent report done by the nonpartisan research firm Rhodium Group -- which analyzed how much greenhouse gas emissions the US could slash by passing major clean energy legislation, putting forth new federal regulations, and having states pass new climate and clean energy bills as well.\n\nRhodium's report also looked at how this would impact household energy costs; it stresses that clean energy tax credits would have the biggest impact on potential household savings because they would help bring down the costs of items such as clean electricity and electric vehicles.\n\n\"Long-term tax credits, investments in energy efficiency and other factors cushion consumers from price increases associated with new standards and regulations,\" the Rhodium report reads. \"On a national average basis, households save roughly $500 a year in energy costs in 2030 in our joint action scenario.\"\n\nAs it notes, Americans wouldn't expect to see energy costs go down by $500 per year immediately. Rhodium estimates that would happen by the end of the decade, with savings building gradually if Congress passed a major clean energy bill.\n\n-- Ella Nilsen\n\nBiden on banning chokeholds for federal officers\n\nBiden touted his record on criminal justice and said that the Justice Department \"banned chokeholds\" for federal officers.\n\nFacts First: This is true, though it's important to note that the ban does not apply to state and local law enforcement officers.\n\nBiden said the Justice Department banned chokeholds, but the \"ban\" wasn't a strict ban and doesn't apply to the thousands of local and state police departments across the country.\n\nIn September 2021, the Justice Department announced that federal law enforcement officers would be banned from using neck restraints except in rare cases . It wasn't a strict ban -- it still allowed agents to use those techniques when deadly force is justified. The policy change did not apply to local police departments, whose policies are set by mayors and city councils and whose laws are set by their state legislatures.\n\nNeck restraints have resulted in high-profile in-custody deaths in recent years that have spurred calls for the technique to be banned. The DOJ's policy change bans both chokeholds and \"carotid restraints\" except in cases where officers are authorized to use deadly force. In those cases, an agent would still be able to apply pressure to someone's neck or carotid artery to restrict airflow or blood.\n\nThe DOJ can't change the policies of the thousands of local police departments across the country. But officials in academia and in law enforcement have advocated for federal \"best practices\" that local police departments could model, even if there was no way to enforce compliance. The DOJ's policy announcement was welcomed by some policing leaders.\n\nSome big cities, even without law changes at the state level, have restricted the use of neck restraints in recent years. But even when departments or states \"ban\" techniques, there are exceptions allowed when deadly force is justified, when there's a threat to someone's life.\n\n-- Peter Nickeas\n\nTaxes on those earning less than $400,000\n\nBiden said that his plan to cut costs for families won't raise taxes on anyone earning less than $400,000 a year.\n\n\"Nobody earning less than $400,000 a year will pay an additional penny in new taxes. Not a single penny,\" he said.\n\nFacts First: This needs context and depends a lot on how you define taxes.\n\nAt least two economic models show that Biden's original economic plan would not raise taxes on those earning less than $400,000 when considering direct income and payroll taxes. That includes analyses from the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and the Penn Wharton Budget Model.\n\nBut some Americans who earn less than $400,000 may still be indirectly affected by Biden's proposed corporate tax increase. Many economists assume that an increase in the corporate tax rate will result in lower wages for workers and effectively reduce their after-tax income.\n\nOn average, the top 10% of tax filers, or those earning more than $115,800, could see their after-tax income shrink if one version of Biden's plan took effect, according to the Tax Foundation.\n\nThe change would result in a small decrease for those earning less than $400,000, amounting to about 0.2%. While those households won't face a higher income tax rate and won't be paying Uncle Sam more, their wages could take a hit due to the higher corporate tax rate.\n\nA version of Biden's plan, known as Build Back Better , passed the House late last year but has stalled in the Senate and is unlikely to move forward in its current form. The tax increases were meant to fund an economic plan to transform the nation's social safety net and combat climate change.\n\n-- Katie Lobosco\n\nBiden's claim about Fortune 500 companies' tax bills\n\nCalling for corporations and the wealthiest Americans to \"start paying their fair share,\" Biden said, \"Last year, 55 of the Fortune 500 companies earned $40 billion in profit and paid zero dollars in federal taxes.\"\n\nFacts First: This needs context. Biden left out a significant word from the prepared text of his speech.\n\nThe prepared text, which the White House emailed to journalists just before Biden spoke, said that the 55 Fortune 500 companies paid zero dollars last year in federal income taxes. That was indeed the conclusion of a report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a left-leaning think tank. (The institute looked at federal income tax data from 2020, the last year for which these figures are currently available, not 2021.)\n\nHowever, in Biden's actual remarks to Congress, he said the 55 companies had paid zero dollars in \"federal taxes,\" not zero dollars in federal income taxes in particular. It's possible that the companies in question paid some kind of federal taxes.\n\nMatthew Gardner , a senior fellow at the institute, said in a text message to CNN during the State of the Union that he \"would have preferred\" that Biden had specified that the report was specifically about federal income taxes. Gardner added, though, that the omission of the word \"income\" is not \"egregious.\" Gardner said the income tax is the only \"substantial federal tax that is explicitly designed to be paid by corporations.\" (Companies also submit federal payroll taxes, which are legally split between employers and employees , but Gardner said it's \"pretty non-controversial\" that even the employers' share of those payroll taxes is ultimately borne by workers.)\n\nOne more note of context: The institute's analysis of large companies' federal income tax payments was based on the tax numbers the companies included in their public annual financial reports, which may not have been the same as the numbers on the companies' actual tax returns; the tax returns are usually not disclosed to the public. But as The Washington Post reported in October , the institute's conclusion is broadly consistent with a 2020 report from the Joint Committee on Taxation, a nonpartisan federal entity that was able to analyze a sample of corporations' actual tax filings for the period from 2014 to 2018.\n\nGardner told CNN last week that since companies are required to publish their \"best estimate of what that tax number will be\" in their annual public reports, and since we will generally \"never see\" the actual figures from their tax returns, the numbers from their annual reports are appropriate ones to use.\n\n-- Daniel Dale\n\nBiden's claim on building 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations\n\nBiden said his administration will \"build a national network 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations\" on the nation's roads, using money included in the bipartisan infrastructure law he signed in November.\n\nFacts First: This needs context. For a few reasons, it's questionable whether the Biden administration will be able to meet its goal of installing 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations on US roads.\n\nThe $7.5 billion allocated to charging stations in the bipartisan infrastructure law that Biden signed into law last year is just half of the $15 billion that Biden had originally proposed for the charging network. This change from the original proposal could significantly hinder the administration's ability to meet the goal.\n\nJUST WATCHED Watch retiring Supreme Court justice's adorable reaction to Biden's shout-out Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Watch retiring Supreme Court justice's adorable reaction to Biden's shout-out 01:07\n\nSecond, there's a wide range in how much different types of chargers cost, and individual states have a lot of leeway deciding what kinds of chargers will go on their roads. DC fast chargers can charge a car to mostly full in 20-30 minutes and are meant to go on major highways and roads. Another kind of charger known as an L2 charger can take hours to charge a car to full. DC fast chargers typically cost around $100,000 compared to around $6,000 for an L2, Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, a senior resident fellow at the think tank Third Way, has told CNN.\n\nIn a recent interview with climate publication Grist , Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that ultimately the number of EV chargers on the roads \"really depends on how the states decide to mix the fast chargers and different types of technology.\"\n\n-- Ella Nilsen\n\nBiden on healthcare savings\n\nBiden touted the $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package that he signed a year ago, saying that it is bringing people relief from skyrocketing inflation by reducing premiums for Obamacare plans through enhanced subsidies.\n\n\"Look the American Rescue Plan is helping millions of families with Affordable Care Act plans to save them $2,400 a year on their health premiums,\" he said.\n\nFacts First: It's true the the enhanced subsidies in the American Rescue Plan are reducing monthly premiums. In fact, the average savings are likely even larger than Biden said.\n\nBiden's statistic is based on an initial 2021 analysis from the Department of Health and Human Services that found the beefed up subsidies would save policyholders $50 a month, on average, or $2,400 for a family of four.\n\nThe agency later found that existing Obamacare policyholders who signed up for new or updated 2021 plans during last year's special enrollment period saved an average of $67 per consumer per month on premiums, thanks to the subsidies. That equates to just over $3,200 a year for a family of four.\n\nMultiplying the per person savings by four is \"imprecise,\" but it does yield an approximately accurate figure, said Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation. The updated HHS statistic is in line with a Kaiser analysis that estimated those who purchase Affordable Care Act policies would save $70 per person per month, on average.\n\nThe American Rescue Plan made several major changes to Affordable Care Act subsidies for 2021 and 2022. Enrollees pay no more than 8.5% of their income on health insurance coverage, down from nearly 10%. Lower-income policyholders receive subsidies that eliminate their premiums.\n\nAlso, those earning more than 400% of the federal poverty level now qualify for premium assistance, lowering what they pay each month.\n\n-Tami Luhby\n\nReynolds on Biden and Harris visiting border\n\nIowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, in the Republican response, touted GOP governors who visited the US-Mexico border, claiming: \"We've actually gone to the border, something that our President and vice president have yet to do since taking office.\"\n\nFacts First: Reynolds is partially correct. President Joe Biden has not been to the US-Mexico border since he was elected, but Vice President Kamala Harris did visit the border last June.\n\nAfter a surge of unaccompanied minors at the US southern border last year, Harris visited El Paso, Texas -- a city on the US-Mexico border -- in June and toured a US Customs and Border Protection facility. She was joined by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin and Democratic Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar.\n\nThe visit to El Paso came on the heels of fierce GOP criticism of Harris, who had been tasked by Biden with leading diplomatic efforts in the Northern Triangle to address root causes of migration.\n\n-- Priscilla Alvarez\n\nReynolds on Democrats and defunding the police\n\nReynolds said, \"Many prominent Democrats still want to defund the police.\"\n\nFacts First: This needs context. While it's certainly possible to find elected Democrats While it's certainly possible to find elected Democrats who support the idea of defunding the police, the party's Washington leaders -- notably including Biden -- have explicitly opposed the idea. Biden, in fact, rejected the concept once more during Tuesday's address itself.\n\nBiden said in the State of the Union: \"The answer is not to defund the police. It's to fund the police. Fund them. Fund them. Fund them with resources and training.\"\n\nIt's worth noting that the slogan \"defund the police\" means different things to different activists -- from the dissolution of police forces to partial reductions in funding.\n\n- Daniel Dale\n\nReynolds on DOJ treating parents like 'terrorists'\n\nIn accusing the Biden administration of being soft on crime, Reynolds claimed that \"the Department of Justice treats parents like domestic terrorists\" instead of cracking down on violent crime and looting.\n\nFacts First: This claim about the Justice Department is false. It was It was debunked last year -- during the uproar at school boards over Covid-19 restrictions and anti-racism curriculums -- but has nonetheless remained a GOP talking point. The Justice Department isn't treating concerned parents like terrorists.\n\nThe National School Boards Associations, in a September letter to the Justice Department asking it to \"deal with\" the uptick in threats against education officials , equated that activity to \"domestic terrorism.\" In response, Attorney General Merrick Garland directed federal prosecutors to work with state and local authorities to combat the issue -- but importantly, he never used or embraced the heated \"domestic terrorism\" language.\n\nStill, Congressional Republicans pounced and quickly accused Garland, Biden and the DOJ of treating innocent parents like terrorists. At contentious hearings last year, Garland said prosecutors were only looking at violent threats against educators and weren't trying to crack down on free speech.\n\nThe FBI's counterterrorism division did create an internal \"threat tag\" called \"EDUOFFICIALS\" to help agents monitor investigations and intelligence assessments about illegal threats against teachers and school board officials. This is an internal organizing tool -- not a nationwide dragnet to target concerned parents who speak up nonviolently at school board meetings. It's impossible to know everything the FBI is doing behind the scenes, but this is a very far cry from the massive abuses claimed by top Republicans.\n\n-- Marshall Cohen\n\nThis story has been updated", "authors": ["Cnn Staff"], "publish_date": "2022/03/02"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/05/21/mitch-mcconnell-wants-end-beefed-up-unemployment-benefits/5237309002/", "title": "Mitch McConnell wants to end beefed-up unemployment benefits", "text": "Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is being accused by Democrats at home and across the country of turning his back on Kentucky at a critical time after he reportedly vowed to put a stop to enhanced unemployment benefits.\n\nMcConnell made clear during a conference call with House GOP members on Wednesday how the $600 weekly boost — which was provided to help those who lost their jobs because of the coronavirus — \"will not be in the next bill\" out of Washington.\n\nA source familiar with the conversation on Thursday told The Courier Journal that McConnell said the Senate was, \"going to have to clean up the Democrats' crazy policy that is paying people more to remain unemployed than they would earn if they went back to work.\"\n\nThis statement comes as 47,000 Kentuckians filed initial unemployment claims as of May 16, and more than 246,000 Kentuckians are asking for continued assistance as parts of the state economy begin to reopen.\n\nOregon Sen. Ron Wyden, the ranking Democrat on the finance committee, told The Courier-Journal in an interview Thursday the numbers he's seen show COVID-19 has hit Kentucky with a \"wrecking ball\" economically.\n\n\"Mitch McConnell's comments indicate he either doesn't care or doesn't understand that unemployment insurance doesn't just protect families who've had misfortune, it's a lifeline for communities,\" he said.\n\nWyden said those benefits are more than just wage replacement but also inject demand into the market as a way to stabilize the economy. He is pushing for a bill that would link unemployment benefits to economic conditions and continue the extra $600 until a state's unemployment rate falls below 11%.\n\nRead more:Coronavirus pandemic pushes Mitch McConnell and other Senate candidates to change tactics\n\nKentucky has seen nearly 800,000 people apply for unemployment benefits since mid-March, when the coronavirus first put a choke hold on the U.S. economy. Since then, the state's jobless rate has surged to a little more than 15% in April.\n\nThe Kentucky Democratic Party also pounced on McConnell's hardening position in the context of those statistics, saying it comes as the GOP leader is holding up additional financial aid for states and local governments withstanding massive budget deficits because of the contagion.\n\n“This is what happens when you surround yourself with expensive D.C. consultants who don’t care about Kentucky,\" Democratic Party spokeswoman Marisa McNee said.\n\n\"First, Mitch wanted to let states go bankrupt, leading to layoffs for first responders and public health officials,\" she added. \"Now, he wants to cut unemployment benefits for Kentuckians who are out of work through no fault of their own. Kentucky deserves better.”\n\nRelated:More than 40,000 people filed for unemployment last week in Kentucky\n\nMcConnell said during a Thursday interview with Fox News that continuing unemployment insurance is important amid the coronavirus crisis but emphasized the extra $600 benefits will end in July.\n\n\"We think that in order to create jobs, we need to incentivize people to go back to work, not encourage them to stay home,\" he said.\n\nUnemployment insurance typically covers up to 45% of lost wages, but Congress took an extraordinary and bipartisan step with the CARES Act to provide 100% of lost wages for many Americans.\n\nThe thinking at the time was this was needed in order to keep people safe from the coronavirus while also stabilizing the economy, but McConnell's comments indicate how conservatives are beginning to thaw on the idea.\n\nMcConnell's office pointed to an ABC News story on Thursday about how some employers are having a hard time competing with the boosted benefits.\n\nIn it, ABC draws attention to a study showing roughly 40% of workers made less in their jobs than they would on the new unemployment, according to national data gathered by Noah Williams at the Center for Research On the Wisconsin Economy.\n\nMcConnell has reportedly told President Donald Trump any new legislation must create incentives for people to get back to work. He said previously he wants see how the previous COVID-19 relief bills, which total about $3 trillion, play out before the Senate moves on any new proposals.\n\nGov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, said earlier this week how his administration believes it has enough money in its Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund to last through the spring and at least part of the summer.\n\nKentucky took out a $972 million loan to cover unemployment benefits when it zeroed out its trust fund during the Great Recession of 2008-09. The state finished repaying the federal government in 2015.\n\nBut with nearly two in five Kentucky workers out of a job, the governor said he expects the state will have to take out a loan unless the federal government provides more direct assistance.\n\nAsked Thursday if he's worried that unemployment benefits outpacing private sector wages will dampen the reopening, Beshear said he thinks plenty of people are ready to get back to work.\n\n\"I'm not for cutting the benefits they are getting at this time,\" he said.\n\nMcConnell has conceded, according to other reports about Wednesday's conference call, how further aid may be necessary in the coming weeks but that it must be more short-term relief.\n\nHouse Democrats passed the HEROES Act last week with a $3 trillion price tag, but McConnell reportedly told the GOP House members the bill will have to go through serious changes in the Republican-controlled Senate before being considered.\n\nReach Phillip M. Bailey at pbailey@courier-journal.com or 502-582-4475. Follow him on Twitter at @phillipmbailey.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2020/05/21"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2020/03/20/coronavirus-half-us-hotels-could-close-amid-pandemic/2885071001/", "title": "Coronavirus: Half of US hotels could close amid pandemic, exec says", "text": "Half of the hotels in the U.S. could shutter amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association.\n\n\"If something doesn't happen quickly, since occupancy is trending toward zero, you're going to see thousands of hotels go out of business,\" Rogers told USA TODAY. While many will close and reopen at some point in the future, others won't.\n\n\"It's almost like getting hit by a bolt of lightning,\" Rogers said when asked about the industry's preparedness for a situation like this. \"When you walk out your door, that's the last thing you expect to happen to you.\"\n\nThere are about 56,000 hotels across the U.S., and 25,000 of those could close in the next few weeks, at least temporarily, according to Rogers.\n\nU.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow said closures will depend on various relief bills. He said 10% to 15% of hotels around the country go bankrupt right now, each week and month it grows more dire.\n\nThe hotel industry is seeking a total of $250 billion in bailouts for owners, employees and suppliers, saying devastated room bookings due to the coronavirus are resulting in closures and mass layoffs. Other sectors, like airlines and cruise lines, are also seeking relief.\n\nHotel occupancy rates dipped 24.4% to just 53% during the week of March 8 to 14, compared to the same week last year, according to STR data.\n\nIf occupancy dips below 25% to 30%, instead of trying to hold on to a skeleton staff, hotels would save money by closing their doors.\n\nMarriott is poised to place tens of thousands of employees on furlough as the hotel giant reels from the coronavirus outbreak. And Hilton spokesperson Meg Ryan confirmed to USA TODAY that two high-profile, Hilton-managed properties are temporarily suspending operations: the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C, and the New York Hilton Midtown.\n\nTravel industry leaders met with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence this week and told them the impact of coronavirus is possibly two or three times as bad as after 9/11 and the financial crisis combined. Even since that meeting, hotel occupancies have declined, Rogers said.\n\nWhen should people start booking hotels again?\n\nAt open hotels, guests won't have to worry about social distancing, Rogers said, because of there are few customers left.\n\nAnd guests can often book hotels last-minute without penalty.\n\n\"They can certainly have confidence to go ahead and book,\" Rogers said, noting travelers can take advantage of good deals during the crisis.\n\nThe industry is working lobbying Congress and the Trump administration to ensure employees are taken care of, first and foremost, and that they have jobs to return to, Rogers said.\n\nMarriott President and CEO Arne Sorenson addressed the difficult situation in a video posted to the company's Twitter this week.\n\n\"I have never had a more difficult moment than this one,\" he said, tearing up. He spoke of his lack of salary during this period, the restrictions in place at open hotels and hotel closures.\n\nAn Oxford Economics study predicted 2.8 to 3.4 million jobs in the hotel industry will be lost, compared to the 400,000 lost from the recession in 2001 and 9/11 and the 470,000 lost in the recession of 2007 to 2009.\n\nAs industry leaders note, the impacts of COVID-19 aren't over.\n\n\"Through comparative analysis of the occupancy trends in China and Italy over the past weeks, we can with certainty say that we are not yet close to the bottom in the U.S.,\" Jan Freitag, STR’s senior vice president of lodging insights said in a statement. \"However, the timeline for that decline and the eventual recovery are much tougher to predict because there is still so much uncertainty around the COVID-19 case numbers in the U.S. and how serious citizens are when practicing social distancing.\"\n\nContributing: Chris Woodyard, Nathan Bomey", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2020/03/20"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/26/colorado-cantaloupe-listeria/2877913/", "title": "Colo. farmers arrested in listeria outbreak that killed 33", "text": "Chris Vanderveen\n\nKUSA-TV, Denver\n\nThe outbreak was the nation%27s deadliest since 1924\n\nAlmost 150 people became sick%2C didn%27t die\n\nPeople living in 28 states were affected\n\nHOLLY, Colo. — Two brothers who owned and operated a cantaloupe farm directly linked to a listeria outbreak that killed 33 people pleaded not guilty Thursday to criminal charges stemming from the incidents.\n\nEric and Ryan Jensen, ages 37 and 33, of the now-bankrupt Jensen Farms were arrested Thursday and each charged with six misdemeanor counts of introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce.\n\nThe men appeared Thursday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Denver and were released on a $100,000 unsecured bond. The Jensens each could face up to six years in prison and up to $1.5 million in fines if they are convicted of all six counts, prosecutors said.\n\nTheir trial is scheduled for Dec. 2.\n\nThe cantaloupe growers' farm is considered the source of a national listeria outbreak that killed at least 33 and sickened another 147 people in 2011, one of the country's most deadly outbreaks of food-borne illness, according to government investigators.\n\nThe lawyer who represents 46 families in several civil lawsuits against the farmers issued a statement on his website Wednesday saying he was pleased the U.S. Attorney's Office has recognized \"that some form of criminal sanctions were appropriate against Jensen Farms.\" Lawyer Bill Marler of Seattle first urged the U.S. Attorney's Office to consider criminal charges last year.\n\nCriminal charges in food poisoning cases are rare, Marler said Thursday. Only four other people have faced such charges in the past decade.\n\nHe noted that felony charges would have required prosecutors to show the contamination was intentional.\n\n\"The real significance of the case against the Jensens is they are being charged with misdemeanors, which do not require intent, just the fact that they shipped contaminated food using interstate commerce,\" he said.\n\nAfter Thursday's hearing, the men released a statement calling the outbreak a \"terrible accident\" and saying they were shocked and saddened by it. The statement said the charges do not imply they knew about the contamination or that they should have known about it.\n\nThe misdemeanor \"was the best, most serious charge we could find,\" said Jeff Dorschner, the prosecutors' spokesman. Prosecutors decided to pursue the case because so many people were affected.\n\nThe Centers for Disease Control linked cantaloupe grown at Jensen Farms to the listeria outbreak that began at the end of August 2011. In October of that year, the Food and Drug Administration found that Jensen Farms' packing and storage facilities likely helped spread the listeria and directly contributed to the outbreak. Cases associated with the strain of listeria traced to Jensen Farms ended in December 2011.\n\nListeriosis from listeria bacteria is a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems. Fever and muscle aches sometimes accompanying diarrhea or other digestive problems. Pregnant women face a risk of miscarriage, which one survivor did experience. Convulsions also are possible in severe cases, according to the CDC.\n\nThe FDA said one piece of equipment, a used potato washing machine bought just before the outbreak, was its possible cause and cited dirty water on the floor of the packing center as well.\n\n\"Several areas on both the washing and drying equipment appeared to be un-cleanable, and dirt and product buildup was visible on some areas of the equipment,\" according to the FDA report.\n\nThe way the cantaloupes were cooled after being picked may have exacerbated the listeria growth, the FDA said. Another possible source of contamination was a truck that frequently hauled cantaloupe to a cattle operation and was parked near the packing house.\n\nThe outbreak was the deadliest outbreak of foodborne illness since 1924. The CDC said people living in 28 states consumed contaminated cantaloupe.\n\nThe outbreak was a setback for farms in southeast Colorado's Rocky Ford cantaloupe region, where hot, sunny days and cold nights produce fruit known for its distinct sweetness.\n\nJensen Farms was located about 90 miles east of Rocky Ford, but the Jensens used the Rocky Ford name and sales dropped across the region. Later, Rocky Ford farmers patented the Rocky Ford name, hired a full-time food safety manager and built a central packing operation where melons are washed and rinsed.\n\nTammie Palmer of Colorado Springs, Colo., whose husband, Charles, became ill after eating the cantaloupe and died in July 2013, said the criminal case won't help her.\n\n\"My husband is already dead,\" she said. As Charles Palmer was being treated for listeria, doctors discovered cancer and he never fully recuperated from his listeria infection.\n\nShe said a just outcome would be to prevent the Jensens from farming again or having any involvement with the food industry. Palmer and her husband filed a lawsuit seeking $2 million from Jensen Farms, but it hasn't been resolved. He had more than $250,000 in medical bills.\n\n\"I was hoping everything would be settled and I could do something with my husband,\" she said. \"But that's not going to happen.\"\n\nContributing: The Associated Press", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2013/09/26"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/06/14/trump-administration-work-restrict-asylum-cruel-talker/702069002/", "title": "Today's talker: Trump administration work to restrict asylum is cruel", "text": "USA TODAY\n\nOn Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that victims of domestic abuse and gang violence will no longer qualify for asylum. The Justice Department cited immigration law in a written statement: \"Laws provide for asylum to be granted to individuals who have been persecuted, or have a well-founded fear of persecution on account of their membership in a particular social group.\"\n\nImmigration policy is morally bankrupt\n\nThe Trump administration, notably Attorney General Jeff Sessions, is implementing a morally bankrupt and unprecedented series of border and immigration policy changes that are resulting in the cruel separation of families, the end of long-established legal avenues for people seeking protection from persecution, and the tarnishing of America’s tradition as a beacon of hope for the oppressed around the world.\n\nThese cruel policies are designed explicitly to strike fear in the vulnerable and are being implemented with little planning and in violation of international obligations.\n\nIn May, the attorney general with the Department of Homeland Security began to implement a \"zero tolerance\" policy, vowing to prosecute all immigrants crossing the border in between ports of entry and separate children from their parents in an attempt to deter families seeking protection from violence or the opportunity to provide for their family.\n\nParents, after trials lacking in due process, are now describing horrific accounts of their children being taken by DHS. They also report being given little to no information on the whereabouts of their children, how to remain in contact with them, and how to reunite with them.\n\nIt shocks the conscience to know that children are being ripped from parents’ arms only to be further traumatized in unsuitable and unsafe detention facilities. A detention facility is no place for a child.\n\nMeanwhile, Sessions single-handedly has reinterpreted established principles in asylum law to close the door on large numbers of people seeking protection from violence — without following appropriate legal mechanisms and precedent. For example, in a footnote of a recent decision that closes asylum claims for most refugees seeking protection from domestic and gang violence, he attempts to close the door to asylum before a refugee even has a chance to explain. In another footnote, he seeks to substantially increase the standard to prove an asylum claim, making it even more difficult for people with legitimate asylum claims, especially since so many do not have lawyers.\n\nThis entire crisis will get worse — with more and more children held in holding cells beyond the legal limit and exposed to abuse. Pediatricians corroborate serious and lasting consequences to foster children, including infants and toddlers.\n\nWhen children are being harmed by cruel and barbaric policy, it is incumbent on Congress to immediately act. Instead, Republicans in Congress have failed to hold this administration accountable and are now touting a bill that ends protection for refugees, does nothing to prohibit this cruel policy, and decreases standards for already horrific detention conditions.\n\nUr Jaddou is the director of DHS Watch for America's Voice and a law professor at American University.\n\nWhat others are saying\n\nAttorney General Jeff Sessions, The Hill: \"We are really returning to the classical understanding of what asylum is. Asylum is not a claim that you have suffered a specific act of private violence or any other crime. It is really a systemic problem in which a group of people, based on ethnicity or race or nationality or other such factors, are oppressed in a given country.\"\n\nJason Sattler, USA TODAY: \"Donald Trump’s immigration policies are having lethal consequences. Marco Antonio Muñoz, a Honduran man seeking asylum in Texas, committed suicide in his padded cell after Border Patrol agents separated him from his wife and 3-year-old son. Manuel Antonio Cano Pacheco was murdered in Zacatecas, Mexico, where he was deported after he was convicted of two misdemeanors and lost his protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. These are two tragedies arising from the Trump administration’s insistence on making America’s already cruel immigration policies even more intolerable by cracking down on refugees and people brought to this country as kids. How many more are there? Who knows?\"\n\nThe Anniston (Alabama) Star, editorial: \"Sessions’ world view is a stark canvas of evil vs. good that allows no wiggle room, no gray area, nothing but grimness. ... He is the U.S. attorney general, an Alabamian named after Confederate heroes, and he is embarrassing this great nation. ... The Mexico depicted in President Trump’s tirades is a lawless expanse, a hyperbolic statement rooted in that nation’s documented problems with the illegal drug trade. But the rise in Central American immigrants arriving at America’s Southern border and applying for asylum is directly related to the increase in violent crime in those nations. Their persecution is real. ... Sessions, meanwhile, has misplaced his soul.\"\n\nWhat our readers are saying\n\nI'm anti-Trump, but I think this policy makes sense. Asylum usually is reserved for those who are persecuted due to their political or religious beliefs.\n\n— Triston Nguyen\n\nIt does sound heartless, but unless a person can show that they have sought protection from their home country and been denied, I don't understand why it would be an asylum case at all.\n\n— Robin Cox\n\n@SenCoryGardner Domestic abuse and fear of gangs is the reason for asylum. Your silence is noted on this, babies ripped from mother’s breasts, rescinding pre-existing coverage, etc.. Colorado voters are talking. Silence is acceptance!\n\n— @wuzKidCurry\n\n#tellusatoday Jeff Sessions' rules about immigration are cruel and unconstitutional to boot.\n\n— @aloneinnh\n\nThe sad thing is, if things keep heading down the path we seem to be going down, Americans may need to seek refuge in another country in a generation or so. Won’t your grandchildren hope that their requests will be met with more compassion than you were willing to show in your time?\n\n— Ann O'Connor\n\nLetter to the editor\n\nOur nation was founded on the premise that everyone is entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That premise makes America great only if made real.\n\nDuring the Cold War, we granted asylum to thousands of people who could not exercise free speech, assembly, petition, travel and religion, and who could not pursue happiness. Though their very lives were immensely miserable, for the most part their lives were not at risk.\n\nNow our administration would shut our doors to those whose lives are very much at risk due to governmental death squads, gang and domestic violence, and guerrilla brutality. Adding to the trauma of many immigrants attempting to find refuge in our land, they are branded criminals and shackled while their children are torn from their arms and concentrated in camps.\n\nWhere are the so-called right-to-lifers? Our hypocrisy is astounding, our moral bankruptcy painfully obvious!\n\nScott Saulson; Atlanta", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2018/06/14"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/24/energy/gas-prices-oil-production-wall-street/index.html", "title": "Gas prices are high. Oil CEOs reveal why they're not drilling more ...", "text": "New York (CNN Business) The US oil industry doesn't appear to be in any rush to come to the rescue of Americans struggling with high gas prices . Oil company CEOs say Wall Street is to blame.\n\nFifty-nine percent of oil executives said investor pressure to maintain capital discipline is the primary reason publicly traded oil producers are restraining growth , according to a Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas survey released Wednesday.\n\nFor years, the boom-to-bust oil industry spent lavishly to fund all-out production growth. US oil output skyrocketed, keeping prices low. Yet sustaining profits proved elusive. Hundreds of oil companies went bankrupt during multiple oil price crashes, leading investors to demand more restraint from energy CEOs.\n\nToday, oil companies are under enormous pressure from Wall Street to return cash to shareholders through dividends and buybacks, instead of investing in badly needed supply.\n\n\"Discipline continues to dominate the industry,\" an executive from an oilfield services firm told the Dallas Fed in the survey . \"Shareholders and lenders continue to demand a return on capital, and until it becomes unavoidably obvious that high energy prices will sustain, there will be no exploration spending.\"\n\nUS output is down even as prices skyrocket\n\nAlthough US oil supply is expected to rise in the coming months, it remains well below pre-Covid output. That's despite the fact that oil prices have spiked to levels unseen since 2008.\n\nThe United States produced 11.6 million barrels per day in the week ending March 18, according to the US Energy Information Administration. That's down 10% from late 2019.\n\nPrices, on the other hand, have surged. US crude oil closed at $114.93 a barrel Wednesday, up 88% from the end of 2019.\n\nCurrent prices are well above the $56 per barrel average that oil companies told the Dallas Fed they need to profitably drill. Larger companies said they need per barrel prices of just $49 to turn a profit.\n\nYet oil executives and investors don't want to add so much supply that it causes another glut that crashes prices. And shareholders want companies to return excess profits in the form of dividends and buybacks, not reinvest them in increasing production.\n\nOne executive surveyed pointed to the staggering losses suffered by shareholders in recent years. The energy sector, comprised largely of oil-and-gas firms, was easily the worst performer last decade.\n\n\"Investors dumped huge funds into shale drilling only to discover that when oil prices dropped, very little value existed at the end of the day,\" the executive said.\n\nOnly 6% blame government regulation\n\nFollowing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the US price of regular gasoline hit a record high of $4.33 a gallon.\n\nAlthough environmental policies are often blamed for high energy costs, oil executives do not seem to view them as the central factor here.\n\nJust 6% of executives polled by the Dallas Fed pointed to government regulations as the primary reason publicly-traded oil companies are restraining production growth.\n\nAnother 11% pointed to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. The ESG movement has led many investors to shy away from fossil fuel companies in favor of clean energy ones.\n\nAbout 15% of executives said \"other\" factors were to blame, including personnel shortages and supply-chain problems.\n\n'Vilification' of the oil industry\n\nStill, multiple executives surveyed expressed significant concern about regulations and rhetoric on the industry coming from the federal government as well as individual states such as Colorado.\n\n\"The message from the White House, Capitol Hill and Wall Street has been that oil and gas is a dying industry and one that needs to be abandoned,\" one survey respondent said. That executive pointed to \"serious workforce issues\" that are being driven in part by the \"vilification\" of the oil-and-gas industry.\n\n\"Regulation is significantly hurting and hampering US energy production,\" another executive said.\n\nFor consumers worried about near-record gasoline prices, the good news is that more supply is coming.\n\nThe business activity index in the Dallas Fed survey jumped in the first quarter to the highest level in its six-year history. That gain was driven by a sharp increase in the oil production index.\n\nThe bad news is that Big Oil companies are signaling just a modest increase in supply.\n\nAmong large oil companies, the median production growth rate between the fourth quarter of last year and first quarter of this year was 6%. Small firms, many of which are not publicly traded, expect much faster production growth of 15%.\n\nIf US oil companies and OPEC fail to ramp up output, analysts have warned that energy prices will likely stay painfully high.\n\nOne oil executive in the Dallas Fed survey said the United States needs to raise production by about two million barrels per day in 2023 to balance global supply and demand.\n\n\"It is looking unlikely that this will happen,\" the executive said, \"which will result in sustained higher energy prices until the American consumer is pushed into recession.\"", "authors": ["Matt Egan", "Cnn Business"], "publish_date": "2022/03/24"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2021/03/04/coronavirus-restrictions-whitmer-michigan-remote-work/6920227002/", "title": "Groups urge Whitmer to end Michigan in-person office work restriction", "text": "Some business groups across the state are urging Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration to not extend pandemic-related restrictions on in-person office work that are set to expire next month, claiming that an extension could be devastating to Michigan's economy.\n\nThe restrictions are in an emergency order by the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration, commonly called MIOSHA, that went into effect Oct. 14 and runs through April 14.\n\nThe order requires numerous preventative steps at workplaces to halt the spread of COVID-19, including a rule that employers \"shall create a policy prohibiting in-person work for employees to the extent that their work activities can feasibly be completed remotely.\"\n\nA new coalition of chambers of commerce and businesses, calling itself the Reopen Michigan Safely coalition, said Thursday that the Whitmer administration could potentially issue a six-month extension to the office work restrictions.\n\nSuch a lengthy extension would hurt businesses, coalition members said during a virtual news conference. Members noted recent declines in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths, and said they want decisions about returning to in-person office work left to businesses and their employees.\n\nRich Studley, CEO of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, called the MIOSHA order \"one of the most severe restrictions in the country in terms of directing employees to work from home.\"\n\n\"It is time to pivot to job creation and economic growth, and opening our economy safely,\" he said.\n\nVeronica Horn, CEO of the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce, said the prohibition on in-person office work is hurting businesses and \"our downtowns and local governments are being crushed economically.\"\n\n“Zoom is nice, but it simply doesn’t replace the need for in-person work in complex situations. I think we’ve all learned, it’s hard to innovate and collaborate from our kitchen tables,\" she said. “Our voices need to be heard now, because under the current rules, businesses are stagnating or going bankrupt, causing jobs to disappear — some forever.”\n\nMore:Whitmer: Michigan to relax restaurant, business COVID-19 restrictions starting Friday\n\nMore:Michigan Supreme Court strikes down Gov. Whitmer's emergency orders, effective immediately\n\nThe Detroit Regional Chamber is not a member of the coalition and didn't participate in the virtual news conference.\n\n\"That doesn’t preclude us from being a part of it at some point, but as it stands right now, that is an initiative that they have been spearheading,\" Chris Moyer, communications director for the Detroit Regional Chamber, told the Free Press on Thursday.\n\nAsked whether the Detroit Regional Chamber has an opinion about extending the MIOSHA workplace restrictions, he said: \"At this point, what we have signed onto is we are supportive of sensible restrictions. We believe that this is something that MIOSHA and the governor can take a very strong look at and start to find a way to get people back into offices safely.”\n\nIn response to the group's comments, a spokesman for Whitmer said in a statement that the health and safety of Michigan residents remains the governor's top priority. The statement did not say whether the governor wants any extension to the restrictions set to expire April 14.\n\n\"While countless Michiganders are already safely going to their place of employment, some jobs do not require in-person work, which is why (MIOSHA) asks employers in those sectors to allow their employees to work from home to maximize safety unless it is absolutely necessary for employees to be in the office,\" the statement said.\n\nSean Egan, director of Michigan COVID-19 Workplace Safety, said in a statement that the MIOSHA restrictions are not a hard prohibition against in-person work.\n\n\"Rather, they require employers to determine whether remote work for employees is feasible to help ensure that COVID-19 transmission is mitigated to the maximum extent possible,\" Egan said in the statement.\n\nEarlier this week, Whitmer announced the formation of a work group under the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity to advise the administration on how office workers can safely return to the office.\n\nMembers of the \"Reopen\" coalition expressed skepticism Thursday about that work group.\n\n”It’s a way to maybe drag things out and come up with information we already know,” Horn said.\n\nRonald Hinrichs, CEO of the Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber, is one of the coalition's members and issued a statement against extending the in-person work restriction.\n\n\"Although we applaud the administration for their early and ongoing efforts to keep us all safe from COVID-19, the current remote work policy required for most of our state's visionaries, doers and community investors is having a lasting and detrimental impact that is disastrous to the livelihood, mental health, and ability for all to prosper and thrive,\" the statement said.\n\nContactJC Reindl at313-222-6631 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @jcreindl. Read more on business and sign up for our business newsletter.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/03/04"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/12/11/no-surprises-act-has-doctors-pushing-delay-medical-billing-changes/6457833001/", "title": "No Surprises Act has doctors pushing to delay medical billing changes", "text": "Nearly 1 in 5 hospital visits result in patients getting the unwelcome surprise of an unexpectedly large bill because doctors or other providers weren't part of their insurer's network.\n\nTo protect consumers, Congress passed the bipartisan No Surprises Act last December. But doctors and hospital groups are trying to delay its Jan. 1 rollout over a narrow but crucial portion they contend unfairly favors insurers.\n\nOn Thursday, the American Medical Association, American Hospital Association and individual hospitals and doctors sued the federal government to halt federal regulators’ proposed arbitration rules that would effectively end the most common forms of surprise billing.\n\nThe proposed rule unveiled by the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies would give providers and insurers 30 days to hash out disagreements over payments or submit to binding arbitration to settle disputes. The lawsuit said regulators misinterpreted the law and proposed an “unfair and unlawful\" arbitration system that starts with benchmark rates already negotiated by health insurers – the median, in-network rate for similar medical services.\n\nThe lawsuit contends insurers will rely on the arbitration rules to get an \"unfairly low rate\" and will have little incentive to include higher-cost providers in their network, \"all to the detriment of patients.\"\n\n\"Our legal challenge urges regulators to ensure there is a fair and meaningful process to resolve disputes between health care providers and insurance companies,\" said AMA President Gerald E. Harmon.\n\nMore:'Really astonishing': Average cost of hospital ER visit surges 176% in a decade, report says\n\nMore:'Chilling effect on patients': Following backlash, insurance giant UnitedHealthcare delays policy to scrutinize ER claims\n\nThe lawsuit follows a flurry of public comments submitted by this week's deadline from both proponents and detractors of the proposed rules.\n\nAlso this week, a jury in Nevada decided UnitedHealthcare must pay affiliates of the emergency medicine staffing company TeamHealth $60 million in damages over the insurer’s payment practices.\n\nCEO Leif Murphy said the jury’s decision \"helped stop the bleeding in the middle of a pandemic\" for TeamHealth, which supplies physicians for 12% of the nation’s hospital emergency rooms.\n\nMurphy said his company filed several lawsuits against insurers across the country for payment disputes before Congress passed the surprise billing legislation. He said the cost of staffing doctors to take care of patients when they are in the emergency room or admitted to hospitals is becoming increasingly difficult to cover because of insurers' attempts to lower reimbursement. He worries that the new federal law could \"shift the balance of power\" to large insurers and embolden them to terminate higher-priced contracts to reduce the median price for services – which is the proposed starting point for arbitration.\n\n“We're dealing with extremely high stress levels, lots of uncertainty on the front line, anticipation of COVID surge at any point,\" Murphy said. \"And then you say we are not going to acknowledge the value of the service provided and we're going to cut pay? It's not a good situation.”\n\nA UnitedHealthcare spokesperson said the insurer will appeal the Nevada case \"in order to protect our customers and members from private equity-backed physician staffing companies who demand egregious and anticompetitive rates for their services and drive up the cost of care for everyone.”\n\n'No one should have to worry about going bankrupt'\n\nIn November, an HHS report found 18% of emergency room visits by Americans with employer health insurance resulted in out-of-network charges. Patients having operations or giving birth at in-network hospitals had similar rates of out-of-network charges.\n\nThese unexpected charges averaged more than $1,200 from anesthesiologists and $2,600 from surgical assistants, according to the report.\n\n“No one should have to worry about going bankrupt after falling ill or seeking critical care,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said of the report.\n\nThe federal legislation has gained broad support among consumers, employers and insurers seeking to slow the growing cost of health care.\n\nAmerica’s Health Insurance Plans, the trade association for private insurers, said millions of consumers each year face financial hardship after getting medical bills from out-of-network providers.\n\nThe Biden administration's rules to implement the law \"are a critical step toward ensuring that ... surprise medial bills are a relic of our past,” the trade association said in a statement.\n\nThe Congressional Budget Office estimated cost savings from lower medical bills would cut private insurance premiums 0.5 to 1% and would reduce federal deficits from savings for both employer plans and taxpayer-subsidized Affordable Care Act plans.\n\n\"Surprise billing has been a problem for decades,\" said Loren Adler, associate director of the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy. \"It has become more of a problem and more pronounced in the last decade or so.\"\n\nThe problem has worsened, Adler said, as private equity firms have acquired medical specialties such as anesthesiologists or emergency medicine staffing companies.\n\nHospitals often need coverage from these specialists whether or not they sign contracts with major private insurers. In cases where these specialists refuse to sign contract with insurers, they set their own rates. In some cases, consumers get billed for balances the insurer does not cover.\n\nEven if consumers take the extra step of verifying a hospital or other medical facility is an in-network provider for their insurance plan, they often have no control over whether doctors and other providers at in-network hospitals are part of their insurer's network.\n\n\"The negotiating scales have been tilted in favor of doctors in this subset of specialties like emergency medicine and anesthesiology,\" Adler said.\n\nOthers say the federal law will bring long-overdue protections to patients.\n\n“We have seen firsthand the devastating financial and emotional impact that happens to patients when they receive surprise medical bills,” said Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association.\n\nBrown said consumers are especially vulnerable to such billing excesses during emergencies.\n\n“They have a heart attack. They have a stroke. They have a sudden cardiac arrest,” Brown said. “At a moment like that (when) there's often no one around you, and if there is, the first thing on peoples’ minds isn't to say, ‘Are all of these providers in this patient's health insurance network?”\n\nBut critics of the arbitration rules say insurers will have the upper hand and will force doctors to accept lower rates. The American Society of Anesthesiologists said the rules are a \"powerful mechanism for large health insurance companies to avoid negotiating on contracts and, ultimately, to extract financial concessions from local community physician practices.\"\n\nThe American Medical Association lawsuit said a North Carolina insurer already sent letters to some doctors demanding payment cuts, citing the new federal rules. If those doctors don't cut their rates, the insurer will terminate their contracts and leave patients with fewer options, the lawsuit states.\n\nStaffing companies such as TeamHealth believe insurers will only accelerate contract terminations if the arbitration rules take effect Jan. 1.\n\n\"The outcome of that shifts the balance and does start to threaten our ability to staff,\" Murphy said.\n\nKen Alltucker is on Twitter at @kalltucker, or can be emailed at alltuck@usatoday.com", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/12/11"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/10/23/debate-transcript-trump-biden-final-presidential-debate-nashville/3740152001/", "title": "Debate transcript: Trump, Biden final presidential debate in Nashville", "text": "USA TODAY\n\nHere is the full transcript of the final presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, moderated by Kristen Welker in Nashville on Oct. 22, 2020. Headers have been added for ease of reading.\n\n[0:00] Welker: A very good evening to both of you. This debate will cover six major topics. At the beginning of each section, each candidate will have two minutes, uninterrupted, to answer my first question. The debate commission will then turn on their microphone only when it is their turn to answer, and the commission will turn it off exactly when the two minutes have expired. After that, both microphones will remain on, but on behalf of the voters, I'm going to ask you to please speak one at a time. The goal is for you to hear each other and for the American people to hear every word of what you both have to say. And so with that, if you're ready, let's start.\n\nAnd we will begin with the fight against the coronavirus. President Trump, the first question is for you. The country is heading into a dangerous new phase. More than 40,000 Americans are in the hospital tonight with COVID, including record numbers here in Tennessee. And since the two of you last shared a stage, 16,000 Americans have died from COVID. So please be specific: how would you leave the country during this next stage of the coronavirus crisis? Two minutes, uninterrupted.\n\nTrump and Biden on COVID-19\n\n[1:03] Trump: So, as you know, more 2.2 million people, modeled out, were expected to die. We closed up the greatest economy in the world in order to fight this horrible disease that came from China. It's a worldwide pandemic. It’s all over the world. You see the spikes in Europe and many other places right now. If you notice, the mortality rate is down, 85%. The excess mortality rate is way down, and much lower than almost any other country. And we're fighting it and we're fighting it hard. There is a spike. There was a spike in Florida, and it's now gone. There was a very big spike in Texas, it's now gone. There was a very big spike in Arizona, it's now gone. And there were some spikes and surges in other places. They will soon be gone. We have a vaccine that's coming, it's ready. It's going to be announced within weeks, and it's going to be delivered. We have Operation Warp Speed, which is the military, is going to distribute the vaccine. I can tell you from personal experience that I was in the hospital, I had it. And I got better and I will tell you that I had something that they gave me — a therapeutic, I guess they would call it. Some people could say it was a cure. But I was in for a short period of time and I got better very fast or I wouldn't be here tonight. And now they say I'm immune. Whether it's four months or a lifetime, nobody's been able to say that, but I'm immune. More and more people are getting better. We have a problem that's a worldwide problem. This is a worldwide problem, but I've been congratulated by the heads of many countries on what we've been able to do with the — if you take a look at what we've done in terms of goggles and masks and gowns and everything else, and in particular, ventilators. We're now making ventilators. All over the world, thousands and thousands a month, distributing them all over the world, it will go away and as I say, we're rounding the turn, we're rounding the corner, it's going away.\n\n[3:05] Welker: OK, former Vice President Biden, to you, how would you lead the country out of this crisis? You have two minutes uninterrupted.\n\n[3:12] Biden: 220,000 Americans dead. If you hear nothing else I say tonight, hear this. Anyone who's responsible for not taking control — in fact, not saying, I take no responsibility, initially — anyone who is responsible for that many deaths should not remain as President of the United States of America. We're in a situation where there are thousands of deaths a day, a thousand deaths a day. And there are over 70,000 new cases per day. Compared to what's going on in Europe, as the New England Medical Journal said, they're starting from a very low rate. We're starting from a very high rate. The expectation is we'll have another 200,000 Americans dead by the time, between now and the end of the year. If we just wore these masks — the President's own advisors told them — we could save 100,000 lives. And we're in a circumstance where the President, thus far, still has no plan. No comprehensive plan. What I would do is make sure we have everyone encouraged to wear a mask, all the time. I would make sure we move in the direction of rapid testing, investing in rapid testing. I would make sure that we set up national standards as to how to open up schools and open up businesses so they can be safe, and give them the wherewithal and financial resources to be able to do that. We're in a situation now where the New England Medical Journal — one of the serious, most serious journals in the whole world — said for the first time ever that this, the way this President has responded to this crisis has been absolutely tragic. And so folks, I will take care of this, I will end this, I will make sure we have a plan.\n\n[5:00] Welker: President Trump, I'd like to follow up with you and your comments. You talked about taking a therapeutic. I assume you're referencing Regeneron. You also said a vaccine will be coming within weeks. Is that a guarantee?\n\n[5:12] Trump: It is not a guarantee but it will be by the end of the year, but I think it has a good chance. One or two companies, I think, within a matter of weeks, and it will be distributed very quickly.\n\n[5:21] Welker: Can you tell us what companies?\n\nTrump: Johnson and Johnson is doing very well. Moderna is doing very well. Pfizer is doing very well, and we have numerous others. And then we also have others that we're working on very closely with other countries, in particular Europe.\n\n[5:34] Welker: Let me follow up with you, and because this is new information — You have said a vaccine is coming soon, within weeks now. Your own officials say it could take well into 2021 at the earliest for enough Americans to get vaccinated, and even then they say the country will be wearing masks and distancing into 2022. Is your timeline realistic?\n\n[5:52] Trump: No, I think my timeline is going to be more accurate. I don't know that they're counting on the military the way I do, but we have our generals lined up, one in particular, that's the head of logistics. And this is a very easy distribution for him. He's ready to go as soon as we have the vaccine, and we expect to have 100 million vials as soon as we have the vaccine, he's ready to go.\n\n[6:12] Welker: Vice President Biden, your reaction? Just 40% of Americans say they would definitely agree to take a coronavirus vaccine if it was approved by the government. What steps would you take to give Americans confidence in a vaccine if it were approved?\n\n[6:25] Biden: Make sure it's totally transparent. Have the scientific world see, know, look at it, go through all the processes. And by the way, this is the same fellow who told you this is going to end by Easter last time. This the same fellow who told you that, don't worry, we're going to end this by the summer. We're about to go into a dark winter, a dark winter, and he has no clear plan and there's no prospect that there's going to be a vaccine available for the majority of the American people before the middle of next year.\n\n[6:53] Welker: President Trump, your reaction? He says you have no plan.\n\n[6:55] Trump: I don’t think it’s going to be a dark winter at all. We're opening up our country. We've learned and studied and understand the disease, which we didn't know at the beginning. When I closed and banned China from coming in heavily infected, and then ultimately Europe, but China was in January — months later he was saying I was xenophobic, I did it too soon. Now he's saying, ‘Oh, I should have, I should have, you know, moved quicker.’ But he didn't move quicker; he was months behind me, many months behind me. And frankly, he ran the H1N1 swine flu, and it was a total disaster. Far less lethal. But it was a total disaster. Had that had this kind of numbers, 700,000 people would be dead right now, but it was a far less lethal disease. Look, his own person who ran that for him who, as you know was his chief of staff, said ‘It was catastrophic, it was horrible, we didn't know what we were doing.’ Now he comes up and he tells us how to do this. Also everything that he said about the way — every single move that he said we should make — that's what we've done, we've done all of it, but he was way behind us.\n\n[8:09] Welker: Vice President Biden, your response?\n\n[8:10] Biden: My responses is, he is xenophobic but not because he shut down access from China. And he did it late, after 40 countries had already done that. In addition to that, what he did, he made sure that we had 44 people that were in there, in China, trying to get to Wuhan to determine what exactly the source was. What did the President say in January? He said no, he said, this is — he's being transparent, the president of China is being transparent. We owe hkim a debt of gratitude. We have to thank him. And then what happened was, we started talking about using the Defense Act, to make sure we go out and get whatever is needed out there to protect people. And again, I go back to this, he had nothing. He did virtually nothing. And then he gets out of the hospital, and he talks about we're, this is, ‘Oh, don't worry. This is all going to be over soon.’ Come on, there's not another serious scientist in the world who thinks it’s going to be over soon.\n\n[9:02] Welker: President Trump, your reaction?\n\n[9:03] Trump: I did not say over soon. I say we're learning to live with it. We have no choice. We can't lock ourselves up in a basement like Joe does. He has the ability to lock himself up. I don’t know, he's obviously made a lot of money, someplace, but he has this thing about living in a basement. People can’t do that. By the way, I, as the president, couldn't do that. I'd love to put myself in the basement or in a beautiful room in the White House and go away for a year and a half until it disappears. I can't do that. And here’s — every, every meeting I had — every meeting I had — and I meet a lot of families, including Gold Star families and military families, every meeting I had — and I had to meet them, I had to, it would be horrible to have canceled everything. I said, you know, this is dangerous. And you catch it. And you know, I caught it. I learned a lot. I learned a lot, great doctors, great hospitals. And now, I recovered. 99.9 of young people recover. 99% of people recover. We have to recover. We can't close up our nation, we have to open our school, and we can't close up our nation, or you're not going to have a nation.\n\n[10:09] Welker: And of course the CDC has said young people can get sick with COVID-19 and can pass it. Vice President Biden, I want to talk broadly about strategy, though.\n\n[10:19] Biden: Can I respond to that?\n\n[10:20] Welker: 30 seconds please, and then I have a question.\n\n[10:22] Biden: Number one. He says that we're, you know, we're learning to live with it. People are learning to die with it. You folks home will have an empty chair at the kitchen table this morning. That man or wife going to bed tonight and reaching over to try to touch their, out of habit, where their wife or husband was, is gone. Learning to live with it? Come on. We're dying with it, because he's never said — he said it's dangerous. When's the last time? Is it really dangerous, still? Are we dangerous? Tell the people, is it dangerous now? What should they do about the danger? And you say, I take no responsibility.\n\n[10:55] Welker: Let me talk about —\n\n[10:56] Trump: Excuse me.\n\n[10:57] Welker: Very quickly.\n\n[10:58] Trump: I take full responsibility. It's not my fault that it came here. It's China's fault. You know what, it's not Joe's fault that it came here either. It's China's fault. They kept it from going into the rest of China, for the most part, but they didn't keep it from coming out to the world including Europe and ourselves\n\n[11:15] Welker: Vice President Biden. as tracked is that when we knew was coming, when it hit.\n\n[11:16] Biden: The fact is, when we knew it was coming, when it hit — What happened? What did the President say? He said don't worry, it's going to go away, it’s going to be gone by Easter. Don't worry, the warm weather. Don't worry, maybe inject bleach — he said he was kidding when he said that, but a lot of people thought it was serious. A whole range of things the President said. And even today, he thinks we are in control. We're about to lose 200,000 more people\n\n[11:42] Welker: President Trump.\n\n[11:43] Trump: Look, perhaps just to finish this, I was kidding on that but just to finish this. When I closed, he said, I shouldn't have closed. And that went on for months. What Nancy Pelosi said the same thing. She was dancing on the streets in Chinatown in San Francisco. But when I closed, he said, this is a terrible thing. You’re xenophobic. I think he called me racist, even, and because I was closing it to China. Now he says I should have closed it earlier. It just Joe, it doesn't —\n\n[12:12] Biden: I didn't say either of those things.\n\n[12:13] Trump: You certainly did.\n\n[12:16] Biden: I talked about his xenophobia in a different context. It wasn't about closing the border to Chinese coming to the United States.\n\n[12:23] Welker: All right, I want to talk about both of your different strategies to handling this.\n\n[12:26] Trump: He thought I shouldn't have closed the border. That’s obvious.\n\n[12:30] Welker: Do you wanna respond to that quickly, vice president?\n\n[12:33] Biden: No.\n\n[12:33] Welker: OK, let's talk about your different strategies toward dealing with this. Mr. Vice President, you suggested you would support new shutdowns if scientists recommended it. What do you say to Americans who are fearful that the cost of shutdowns, the impact on the economy, the higher rates of hunger depression, domestic and substance abuse, outweighs the risk of exposure to the virus?\n\n[12:51] Biden: What I would say is I'm going to shut down the virus, not the country. It’s his ineptitude that caused the country to have to shut down in large part — why businesses have gone under, why schools are closed, why so many people have lost their living and why they're concerned. Those other concerns are real. That's why he should have been — instead of in a sand trap at his golf course — he should have been negotiating with Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the Democrats and Republicans about what to do about the acts they were passing for billions of dollars to make sure people had the capacity.\n\n[13:21] Welker: You haven't ruled out more shutdowns\n\n[13:24] Biden: Oh no, I'm not shutting down the nation but there are, look, they need standards. The standard is, if you have a reproduction rate in a community that's above a certain level, everybody says, slow up. More social distancing. Do not open bars and do not open gymnasiums. Do not open until you get this under control, under more control. But when you do open, give the people the capacity to be able to open and have the capacity to do it safely. For example schools — schools, they need a lot of money to open. They need to deal with ventilation systems, they need to deal with smaller classes, more teacher, more pods, and he's refused to support that money, or at least up to now\n\n[14:03] Welker: Let's talk about schools. President Trump —\n\n[14:05] Trump: Well, I think we have to respond, if I might.\n\n[14:07] Welker: Please, and then I have a follow up.\n\n[14:08] Trump: Thank you, and I appreciate that. Look, all he does is talk about shutdowns but forget about him. His democrat governors — Cuomo in New York, you look at what's going on in California, you look at Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Democrats, Democrats all — they are shut down so tight, and they're dying. They're dying. And he supports all these people. All he talks about is shutdowns No, we're not going to shut down, and we have to open our schools. And it's like, as an example, I have a young son. He also tested positive. By the time I spoke to the doctor, the second time, he was fine, it just went away. Young people, I guess it’s their immune system.\n\n[14:46] Welker: Let me follow up, President Trump. You've demanded schools open in person and insisted they can do it safely. But just yesterday, Boston became the latest city to move its public school system entirely online after a coronavirus spike. What is your message to parents who worry that sending their children to school will endanger not only their kids, but also their teachers and families?\n\n[15:04] Trump: I want to open the schools. The transmittal rate to the teachers is very small, but I want to open the schools. We have to open our country. We're not going to have a country. You can't do this, we can't keep this country closed. It is a massive country with a massive economy. People are losing their jobs, they're committing suicide. There's depression, alcohol, drugs at a level that nobody's ever seen before. There's abuse, tremendous abuse. We have to open our country. You know I've said it often — the cure cannot be worse than the problem itself, and that's what's happening, and he wants to close down. He'll close down the country if one person in our, in our massive bureaucracy says we should close it down.\n\n[15:49] Welker: Vice President Biden, your —\n\n[15:51] Biden: Simply not true. We're gonna be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. We ought to be able to safely open, but we need resources to open. You need to be able to, for example, if you're gonna open a business, have social distancing within the business. You need to have, if you have a restaurant, you need to have plexiglass dividers so people cannot infect one another. You need to be in a position where you can take testing rapidly and know whether a person is, in fact, infected. You need to be able to trace. You need to be able to provide all the resources that are needed to do this and that is not inconsistent with saying that we're going to make sure that we open safely. And by the way, all you teachers out there — not that many of you are going to die, so don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. Come on.\n\n[16:37] Welker: President Trump, let me follow up with you quickly.\n\n[16:39] Trump: I will say this, if you go and look at what's happened to New York, ut's a ghost town. It's a ghost town. And when you talk about plexiglas — these are restaurants that are dying. These are businesses with no money. Putting the plexiglas is unbelievably expensive, and it's not the answer. I mean, you're going to sit there in a cubicle wrapped around with plastic? These are businesses that are dying, Joe, you can't do that to people, which again, take a look at New York and what's happened to my wonderful city. For so many years, I loved it. It was vibrant. It's dying. Everyone's leaving New York.\n\n[17:34] Welker: Vice President.\n\n[17:34] Biden: Take a look what New York has done in terms of turning the curve down, in terms of the number of people dying. And I don't look at this in terms of what he does, blue states and red states. They’re all the United States. And look at the states that are having such a spike in the coronavirus. They’re the red states. They are the states in the Midwest, they are the states in the upper Midwest, that's where the spike is occurring significantly, but they're all Americans. They're all Americans and what we have to do is say, wear these masks, number one, make sure we get the help that the businesses need. The money's already been passed to do that. It's been out there since the beginning of this summer and nothing's happened.\n\nTrump: New York has lost more than 40,000 people. 11,000 people in nursing.\n\n[18:00] Welker: President Trump, what about —\n\n[18:02] Trump: When you say spike, take a look at what's happening in Pennsylvania, where they've had it closed. Take a look at what's happening with your friend in Michigan, where her husband's the only one allowed to do anything. It's been like a prison. Now it was just ruled unconstitutional. Take a look at North Carolina. They're having spikes and they've been closed, and they're getting killed financially. We can't let that happen, Joe, you can't let that happen. We have to open up and we understand that disease, we have to protect our seniors, we have to protect our elderly, we have to protect, especially, our seniors with heart problems and diabetes problems, and we will protect them. We have the best testing in the world by far. That's why we have so many cases.\n\n[18:42] Welker: Let me follow up with you before we move on to our next section. President Trump, this week you called Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's best known infectious disease expert, “a disaster.” You described him and other medical experts as “idiots.” If you're not listening to them, who are you listening to?\n\n[18:58] Trump: I'm listening to all of them, including Anthony. I get along very well with Anthony. But he did say, ‘don't wear masks.’ He did say, as you know, ‘this is not going to be a problem.’ I think he's a Democrat, but that's okay. He said, ‘this is not going to be a problem. We are not going to have a problem at all.’ When Joe says that, I said — Anthony Fauci said and others and many others. And I'm not knocking him. Nobody knew. Look, nobody knew what this thing was, nobody knew where it was coming from, what it was. We've learned a lot, but Anthony said, ‘don't wear masks.’ Now he wants to wear masks. Anthony also said, if you look back, exact words, here’s his exact words: ‘This is no problem, this is going to go away soon.’ So he's allowed to make mistakes, he happens to be a good person.\n\n[19:43] Welker: Vice President Biden, your response, quickly and then we're going to move on to the next section.\n\n[19:45] Biden: My response is think about what the President knew in January and didn't tell the American people. He was told this was a serious virus that spread in the air, and it was much worse than — much worse — than the flu. He went on record and said to one of your colleagues, recorded, that in fact he knew how dangerous it was but he didn't want to tell us, didn't want to tell us because he didn't want us to panic. He didn't want us — Americans don't panic. He panicked. Well, guess what, in the meantime, we find out in the New York Times the other day that in fact, his folks went to Wall Street and said, ‘this is a really dangerous thing,’ and a memo out of that meeting — not from his administration, but from some of the brokers — had said, ‘sell short, because we gotta get moving. It's a dangerous problem.’\n\n[20:30] Trump: Well this is —\n\n[20:31] Welker: I’m going to give you 30 seconds to respond and then we're gonna move on.\n\n[20:33] Trump: I don't know if somebody went to Wall Street. You're the one that takes all the money from Wall Street. I don't take it. You have raised a lot of money, tremendous amounts of money. And every time you raise money, deals are made. I could raise so much more money. As president and as somebody that knows most of those people, I could call the heads of Wall Street, the heads of every company in America, I would blow away every record. But I don't want to do that because it puts me in a bad position. And then you bring up Wall Street? You shouldn't be bringing up Wall Street. Because you're the one that takes the money from Wall Street, not me. I could blow away your records like you wouldn't believe. We don't need money. We have plenty of money. In fact, we beat Hillary Clinton with a tiny fraction of the money that she was able to get. Don’t tell me about wall street.\n\n[21:15] Welker: All right, gentlemen, we're gonna move on.\n\n[21:17] Biden: Average contribution, $43.\n\nOn national security\n\n[21:18] Welker: All right, we're gonna move on to our next section which is national security. And I do want to start with the security of our elections and some breaking news from overnight. Just last night, top intelligence officials confirmed again that both Russia and Iran are working to influence this election. Both countries have obtained U.S. voter registration information, these officials say, and Iran sent intimidating messages to Florida voters. This question goes to you, Mr. Vice President, what would you do to put an end to this threat? You have two minutes, uninterrupted.\n\n[21:48] Biden: I made it clear. And I asked everyone else to take the pledge. I made it clear that any country, no matter who it is, that interferes in American elections will pay a price. They will pay the price. It has been overwhelmingly clear in this election — I won't even get into the last one — this election, that Russia has been involved. China has been involved to some degree, and now we learned that, that Iran is involved. They will pay a price if I'm elected. Interfering with American sovereignty. That's what's going on right now. They're interfering with American sovereignty. And to the best of my knowledge, I don't think the President said anything to Putin about it. I don't think he's talking a lot. I don't think he said a word. I don't know why he hasn't said a word to Putin about it. And I don't know what he has recently said, if anything, to the Iranians. My guess is he’d probably be more outspoken with regard to the Iranians. But the point is this, folks. We are in a situation where we have foreign countries trying to interfere in the outcome of our election. His own national security advisor told him that what is happening with his buddy — well, I won't, I shouldn't — I will — his buddy Rudy Giuliani. He's being used as a Russian pawn. He's being fed information that is Russian, that is not true. And then what happens? Nothing happens. And then you find out that everything is going on here about Russia is wanting to make sure that I do not get elected the next President of the United States because they know I know them, and they know me. I don't understand why this President is unwilling to take on Putin when he's actually paying bounties to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan, when he's engaged in activities that are trying to destabilize all of NATO. I don't know why he doesn't do it but it's worth asking the question. Why isn't that being done? Any country that interferes with us will, in fact, pay a price because they're affecting our sovereignty.\n\n[23:45] Welker: President Trump, same question to you. Let me, let me ask the question. You're gonna have two minutes to respond for two elections in a row now there has been substantial interference from foreign adversaries. What would you do in your next term to put an end to this? Two minutes, uninterrupted.\n\n[23:56] Trump: Well, let me respond to the first part, as Joe answered. Joe got three and a half million dollars from Russia. And it came through Putin, because he was very friendly with the former mayor of Moscow and it was the mayor of Moscow’s wife. He got three and a half million dollars. Your family got three and a half million dollars and you know someday, you're gonna have to explain — why did you get three and a half? I never got any money from Russia. I don't get money from Russia. Now, about your thing last night, I knew all about that, and through John — who is John Radcliffe, who is a fantastic DNI — he said, the one thing that's common to both of them, they both want you to lose. Because there has been nobody tougher to Russia. Between the sanctions, nobody tougher than me on Russia. Between the sanctions between all of what I've done with NATO. You know, I've got the NATO countries to put up an extra 130 billion, going to $420 billion a year, that's to guard against Russia. I sold — while he was selling pillows and sheets — I sold tank busters to Ukraine. There has been nobody tougher on Russia than Donald Trump. And I'll tell you, they were so bad. They took over the, the submarine port. You remember that very well during your term, during you and Barack Obama. They took over a big part of what should have been Ukraine. You handed it to them. But you were getting a lot of money from Russia. They were paying you a lot of money and they probably still are, but now, with what came out today, it's even worse. All of the emails, the emails are horrible. The emails of the kind of money that you were raking in, you and your family. And Joe, you were vice president when some of this was happening. And it should have never happened. And I think you owe an explanation to the American people. Why is it, somebody just had a news conference a little while ago, who was essentially supposed to work with you and your family, but what he said was damning. And regardless of me, I think you have to clean it up and talk to the American people. Maybe you can do it right now.\n\n[26:01] Welker: Vice President Biden, you may respond to follow up on the election security.\n\n[26:06] Biden: I have not taken a penny from any foreign source ever in my life. We learn that this President paid 50 times the tax in China, as a secret bank account with China, does business in China, and in fact, is talking about me taking money? I have not taken a single penny from any country whatsoever, ever, number one. Number two, this is a president — I have released all of my tax returns. 22 years. Go look at them. 22 years of my tax return. You have not released a single solitary year of your tax return. What are you hiding? Why are you unwilling? The foreign countries are paying you a lot. Russia is paying you a lot. China is paying a lot. And your hotels and all your businesses all around the country, all around the world. And China's building a new road to a new gas… a golf course you have overseas. So what's going on here? Why don't you release your tax return or stop talking about corruption?\n\n[27:04]Welker: President Trump, your response.\n\n[27:06] Trump: First of all, I called my accounts — under audit. I'm going to release them as soon as we can. I want to do it, and it will show how successful, how great this company is. But much more importantly than that, people were saying $750. I asked them a week ago, I said, what did I pay? They said, sir, you pre-paid tens of millions of dollars. I prepaid my tax. Tens. Over the last number of years. Tens of millions of dollars, I prepaid, because at some point, they think, it's an estimate. They think I may have to pay tax. So, I already prepaid it. Nobody told me that.\n\n[27:42] Welker: Did your accountant tell you —\n\n[27:44] Trump: Excuse me. And it wasn't written whenever they write this. They keep talking about $750, which I think is a filing fee. But let me just tell you, I prepaid millions and millions of dollars in taxes, number one. Number two, I don't make money from China, you do. I don't make money from Ukraine, you do. I don't make money from Russia. You made three and a half million dollars, Joe, and your son gave you. They even have a statement that we have to give 10% to the big man. You're the big man, I think. I don't know, maybe you're not. But you're the big man, I think. You son said that we have to give 10% to the big man. Joe, what's that all about? It's terrible.\n\n[28:22] Welker: All right, gentlemen, I want to ask you both some questions about all of this. I'm gonna let you both respond, very quickly. You just said you spoke to your accountant about potentially releasing your taxes. Did he tell you when you can release them? Do you have a deadline for when you're going to release them to the American people?\n\n[28:35] Trump: I get treated worse than the Tea Party got treated. A lot of people in there, deep down in the IRS, they treat me horribly. We made a deal, it was all settled, until I decided to run for president. I get treated very badly by the IRS, very unfairly, but we had a deal all done. As soon as we're completed with the deal, I want to release it. But I have paid millions and millions of dollars. And it's worse than paying. I paid in advance. It's called prepaying your taxes. I paid.\n\n[29:04] Welker: I want to ask you both about questions regarding your potential foreign entanglements and questions that have been raised to give you both a chance to talk about this more broadly.\n\n[29:12] Biden: At some point I want to respond.\n\n[29:13] Welker: Respond very quickly, and then I'll get to my question.\n\n[29:15] Biden: Why do he — He's been saying this for four years. Show us. Just show us. Stop playing around. You’ve been saying for four years you’re going to release your taxes. Nobody knows, Mr. President, they do know is you're not paying your taxes or you're paying taxes that are so low. When last time he said what he paid, he said, ‘I only pay that little because I'm smart. I know how to game the system.’ Come on, come on, folks.\n\n[29:42] Welker: Quickly, President Trump, and then I want to get to two questions to both of you.\n\n[29:46] Trump: I was put through a phony witch hunt for three years. It started before I even got elected. They spied on my campaign. No president should ever have to go through what I went through. Let me just say this. Mueller and 18 angry Democrats, and FBI agents all over the place spent, $48 million. They went through everything I had, including my tax returns, and they found absolutely no collusion and nothing wrong. $48 million. I guarantee you, if I spent 1 million on you Joe, I could find plenty wrong, because the kind of things that you've done and the kind of monies that your family has taken — I mean, your brother made money in Iraq, millions of dollars. Your other brother made a fortune, and it's all through you, Joe. And they say you get some of it. And you do live very well. You have houses all over the place. You live very well.\n\n[30:41] Welker: All right, gentlemen, let me just ask some questions about all of this broadly. Vice President Biden, there have been questions about the work your son has done in China, and for Ukrainian energy company when you were Vice President. In retrospect, was anything about those relationships inappropriate or unethical?\n\n[30:56] Biden: Nothing was unethical. Here's what the deal. With regard to Ukraine, we had this whole question about whether or not, because he was on the board, I later learned, of Burisma, a company, that somehow I had done something wrong. Yet every single solitary person, when he was going through his impeachment, testifying under oath who worked for him, said I did my job impeccably. I carried out US policy. Not one, single, solitary thing was out of line. Not a single thing, number one. Number two, the guy who got in trouble in Ukraine was this guy, trying to bribe the Ukrainian government to say something negative about me, which they would not do, and did not do, because it never, ever, ever happened. My son has not made money in terms of this thing about — what are you talking about — China. I have not had it. The only guy that made money from China is this guy. He’s the only one. Nobody else has made money from China.\n\n[31:58] Welker: Let me ask my question to you.\n\n[32:00] Trump: Could I just — one thing.\n\n[32:01] Welker: Very quickly.\n\n[32:02] Trump: His son didn't have a job for a long time, was sadly no longer in the military service, I won't get into that. And he didn't have a job. As soon as he became vice president, Burisma — not the best, not the best reputation in the world — I hear they paid him 183,000 a month. Listen to this, 183, and they gave him a $3 million upfront payment, and he had no energy experience. That’s 100% dishonest.\n\n[32:27] Welker: I’m going to let the vice president respond to that quickly and then I have a question for you.\n\n[32:31] Biden: No basis for that. Everybody investigated that, no one said anything he did was wrong in Ukraine.\n\n[32:35] Welker: OK, President Trump, this is for you. Since you took office, you've never divested from your business. You've personally promoted your properties abroad. A report this week, which was referenced, does indicate that your company has a bank account in China. So how can voters know that you don't have any foreign conflicts of interest?\n\n[32:52] Trump: I have many bank accounts and they're all listed and they're all over the place. I mean, I was a businessman doing business. The bank account you're referring to — which is, everybody knows about it, it's listed — the bank account was in 2013. That's what it was. It was opened. It was closed in 2015, I believe, and then I decided, because I was going to do, I was thinking about doing a deal in China, like millions of other people, I was thinking about it. And I decided I'm not going to do it, didn't like it, I decided not to do it, had an account open and I closed it.\n\n[32:26] Welker: OK.\n\n[32:27] Trump: Excuse me, and then unlike him, where he's Vice President, and he does business, I then decided to run for president after that. That was before. So I closed it before I even ran for president, let alone became president, big difference. He is the Vice President of the United States, and his son, his brother and his other brother are getting rich, they're like a vacuum cleaner, there's something —\n\n[33:54] Welker: We do need to move on. I do want to ask you, Vice President Biden, about China. Let's talk about China more broadly. There have, of course, President Trump has said that they should pay for not being fully transparent in regards to the coronavirus. If you were president, would you make China pay and please be specific, what would that look like?\n\nBiden: What I’d make China do is play by the international rules, not like he has done. He has caused the deficit in China to go up not down — with China, go up not down. We are making sure that in order to do business in China, you have to give all your intellectual property. You have to get/have a partner in China, it is 51%. We would not do that at all, number one. Number two, we're in a situation where China would have to play by the rules internationally as well. When I met with Xi, and when I was still vice president, he said ‘we're setting up air identification zones in the South China Sea, you can't fly through them.’ I said, ‘we're gonna fly through them. We just flew B52/B1 bombers through it. We're not going to pay attention.’ They have to play by the rules, and what's he do? He embraces guys like the thugs like in North Korea, and, and, and the Chinese president and Putin and others, and he pokes his finger in the eye of all our friends, all of our allies. We make up only — we’ re 25%. 25% of the world's economy. We need to be having the rest of our friends with us, saying to China, these are the rules. You play by them or you're going to pay the price for not paying by them, economically. That's the way I will run it. And that's what we did and upholding steel tariffs and a range of other things when we were president and vice president.\n\n[35:33] Welker: All right, let's talk about North Korea.\n\n[35:35] Trump: Excuse me, no, I have to respond to this.\n\n[35:37] Welker: OK, very quickly and then we're gonna have...\n\n[35:39] Trump: His son walked out with a billion and a half dollars from China —\n\n[35:41] Biden: Not true.\n\n[35:42] Trump: — after spending 10 minutes in office and being an Air Force Two, number one. Number two, there's a very strong email, talking about your family wanting to make $10 million a year for introductions.\n\n[35:56] Biden: That is not true.\n\n[35:56] Welker: President Trump, on China policy, though. What are you gonna do? What specifically are you going to do to make China pay?\n\n[36:03] Trump: First of all, China is paying. They’re paying billions and billions of dollars. I just gave $28 billion.\n\n[36:07] Welker: Through sanctions?\n\n[36:08] Trump: I just gave $28 billion to our farmers.\n\n[36:12] Biden: Taxpayers money.\n\n[36:14] Trump: It’s what?\n\n[36:15] Biden: Taxpayers money.\n\n[36:16] Trump: No, the taxpayers. It's called China.\n\n[36:20] Biden: Not true.\n\n[36:20] Trump: China pays for $28 billion and you know what they did to pay it, Joe? They devalued their currency and they also paid up, and you know who got the money? Our farmers. Our great farmers, because they would target it. You never charge them anything. Also, I charged them 25% on dumped steel, because they were killing our steel industry. We were not going to have a steel, and now we have a steel industry\n\n[36:42] Welker: OK, Vice President Biden, your response, please?\n\n[36:49] Biden: This isn't about me. There's a reason why he's bringing up all this malarkey. There's a reason for it. He doesn't want to talk about the substantive issues. It's not about his family and my family. It's about your family, and your family's hurting badly. If you're making less than, if you're a middle class family, you're getting hurt badly right now. You're sitting at the kitchen table this morning deciding, well, we can't get new tires, they’re bald, because we have to wait another month. Or, so are we going to be able to pay the mortgage? Who's going to tell her, she can't go back to community college? They're the decisions you're making in the middle class families like I grew up in Scranton and Claymot. They're in trouble. We should be talking about your families but that's the last thing he wants to talk about.\n\n[37:26] Welker: I wanted to say, I want to tell —\n\n[37:28] Trump: That is a typical statement. Just 10 seconds, please.\n\n[37:29] Welker: 10 seconds Mr President, 10 seconds.\n\n[37:31] Trump: Just a typical political statement. Let's get off this China thing, and then he looks — the family, around the table, everything. Just a typical politician when I see that.\n\n[37:40] Welker: All right, let’s talk —\n\n[37:40] Trump: I’m not a typical politician, that’s why I got elected.\n\n[37:44] Welker: Let’s talk about —\n\n[37:44] Trump: Let’s get off the subject of China, let's talk around sitting around the table. Come on, Joe, you can do better.\n\n[37:48] Welker: We're gonna talk about North Korea now. President Trump, you've met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's three times. You've talked about your beautiful letters with him, you've touted the fact that there hasn't been a war or a long range missile test, and yet North Korea recently rolled out its biggest ever intercontinental ballistic missile and continues to develop its nuclear arsenal. Do you see that as a betrayal of the relationship? Just 30 seconds here because we need to get on to the next topic.\n\n[38:12] Trump: When I met with Barack Obama, we sat in the White House, right at the beginning had a great conversation, was supposed to be 15 minutes and it was well over an hour. He said the biggest problem we have is North Korea. He indicated we will be in a war with North Korea. Guess what, it would be a nuclear war, and he does have plenty of nuclear capability. In the meantime, I have a very good relationship with him, different kind of a guy but he probably thinks the same thing about me. We have a different kind of relationship. We have a very good relationship, and there's no war. And you know, about two months ago, he broke into a certain area. They said, ‘oh there's going to be trouble.’ I said, ‘No, they're not. Because he's not going to do that.’ And I was right. :ook, instead of being in a war where millions of people — Seoul, you know, is 25 miles away, millions and millions, 32 million people in Seoul — millions of people would be dead right now. We don’t have a war, and I have a good relationship.\n\n[39:05] Welker: Vice President Biden, North Korea conducted four nuclear tests under the Obama administration. Why do you think you would be able to rein in this persistent threat?\n\n[39:15] Biden: Because I'd make it clear, which we were making clear to China, they had to be part of the deal, because here's the root. I made it clear, as a spokesperson for the administration when I went to China, they said, ‘Why are you moving your missile defense up so close? Why are you moving more forces? Why are you continuing to do military maneuvers with South Korea?’ I said, ‘Because North Korea is a problem. And we're going to continue to do it so we can control them. We're going to make sure we can control them and make sure they can not hurt us. And so if you want to do something about it, step up. And help if not, it's going to continue.’ What has he done? He's legitimized North Korea, he's talked about his good buddy who's a thug, a thug, and he talks about how we're better off, and they have much more capable missiles, able to reach U.S. territory, much more easily than ever did before.\n\n[40:05] Welker: Let me follow up with you, Vice President Biden, you've said you wouldn't meet with Kim Jong Un without preconditions. Are there any conditions under which you would meet with him?\n\n[40:12] Biden: On the condition that he would agree that he would be drawing down his nuclear capacity to get there. The Korean Peninsula should be a nuclear free zone.\n\n[40:21] Welker: All right, let's move on to American families.\n\n[40:24] Trump: Kristen, they tried to meet with him.\n\n[40:24] Welker: Very quickly. 10 seconds, President Trump.\n\nTrump: They tried to meet with him, he wouldn’t do it. He didn’t like Obama. He didn’t like him. He wouldn’t do it.\n\n[40:32] Welker: OK, I’ve got to give him a chance to respond.\n\n[40:33] Trump: They tried, he wouldn’t do it. And that’s okay. You know what, North Korea, we’re not in a war. We have a good relationship. You know, people don’t understand — having a good relationship with leaders of other countries is a good thing.\n\n[40:43] Welker: President Trump, we have to move on. We have a lot of questions to get through.\n\n[40:43] Biden: We had a good relationship with Hitler before he in fact invaded Europe, the rest of Europe. Come on. The reason he would not meet with President Obama is because President Obama said we’re gonna talk about denuclearization, we’re not gonna legitimize you, we’re gonna continue to put stronger and stronger sanctions on you. That’s why he wouldn’t meet with us.\n\n[41:10] Trump: And it didn’t happen.\n\n[41:12] Welker: Let’s move on and talk about American families.\n\n[41:14] Trump: Excuse me, he left me a mess, Kristen. They left me a mess. North Korea was a mess.\n\n[41:18] Welker: We need to move on so that we have time to get to all our questions tonight, President Trump.\n\n[41:22] Trump: Remember the first two or three months. There was a very dangerous period in my first three months, before we sort of worked things out a little bit. They left us a mess, and Obama would be – I think, the first to say — it was the single biggest problem, he thought, that our country had.\n\nOn the economy\n\n[41:47] Welker: All right, let's move on to American families and the economy. One of the issues that's most important to them is health care, as you both know. Today, there was a key vote on a new Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and healthcare is at the center of her confirmation fight. Over 20 million Americans get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. It's headed to the Supreme Court, and your administration, Mr. President, is advocating for the court to overturn it. If the supreme court does overturn that law, those 20 million Americans could lose their health insurance almost overnight. So what would you do if those people have their health insurance taken away? You have two minutes uninterrupted.\n\nTrump: First of all, I've already done something that nobody thought was possible. Through the legislature, I terminated the individual mandate. That is the worst part of Obamacare, as we call it. The individual mandate -- we have to pay a fortune for the privilege of not having to pay for bad health insurance. I terminate it; it's gone. Now it's in court, because Obamacare is no good. But then I made a decision, ‘Run it as well as you can’ -- to my people, great people -- ‘Run it as well as you can.’ I could have gone the other route and made everybody very unhappy. They ran it. Premiums are down, everything's down. Here's the problem. No matter how well you run it, it's no good. What we'd like to do is terminate it. We have the individual mandate done. I don't know that it's going to work. If we don't win, we will have to run it and we'll have Obamacare, but it will be better run. But it no longer is Obamacare. Because without the individual mandate, it is much different. Pre-existing conditions will always stay. What I would like to do is a much better health care, much better. We’ll always protect people with pre existing -- so I'd like to terminate Obamacare, come up with a brand new beautiful health care. The Democrats will do it because there'll be tremendous pressure on them. And we might even have the House at that time. And I think we're going to win the House, okay? You'll see, but I think we're gonna win the House. But come up with a better health care, always protecting people with pre existing conditions -- and one thing very important. We have 180 million people out there that have great private health care, far more than we're talking about with Obamacare. Joe Biden is going to terminate all of those policies. These are people that love the health care, people that have been successful -- middle income people -- been successful. They have 180 million plans, 180 million people, families under what he wants to do, which will basically be socialized medicine. He won't even have a choice. They want to terminate 180 million plans. We have done an incredible job with health care. And we're going to do even better.\n\n45:12 Welker: OK. Vice President Biden, yes, this is for you. Your health care plan calls for building on Obamacare. So my question is, what is your plan if the law is ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court? You have two minutes uninterrupted.\n\nBiden: What I'm going to do is pass Obamacare with a public option -- become Bidencare. Public option is an option that says that if you, in fact, do not have the wherewithal to be -- if you qualify for Medicaid, and you do not have the wherewithal in your state to get Medicaid, you automatically are enrolled, providing competition for insurance companies. That's what's going to happen. Secondly, we're going to make sure we reduce the premiums and reduce drug prices by making sure that there's competition that doesn't exist now by allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices with the insurance companies. Thirdly, the idea that I want to eliminate private insurance -- the reason why I had such a fight for, with 20 candidates for the nomination, was I support private insurance. That's why I did not -- not one single person, private insurance, would lose their insurance under my plan, nor did they under Obamacare. They did not lose their insurance, unless they chose they wanted to go to something else. Lastly, we're going to make sure we're in a situation that we've actually protect pre existing -- there's no way he can protect pre existing conditions. None, zero, you can't do it in the ether. He's been talking about this for a long time. There is no -- he's never come up with a plan. I guess we're gonna get the pre existing condition plan the same time we get the infrastructure plan that we waited since 17, 18, 19, 20. The fact that -- I still have a little, a few more minutes, I know you're getting anxious -- the fact is that he’s already cost the American people because of his terrible handling of the COVID virus and economic spillover. 10 million people have lost their private insurance, and he wants to take away 22 million more people who have been under Obamacare, and over 110 million people with pre existing conditions. And all the people from COVID are going to have pre existing conditions. What are they going to do?\n\n47:20 Welker: I have a follow up for you, Vice President Biden, it relates to something that President Trump said. He's accusing you of wanting socialized medicine. What do you say to people who have concerns that your health care plan, which includes a government insurance option, takes the country one step closer to a health care system run entirely by the government?\n\nBiden: What he’s saying, it's ridiculous. It’s like saying that, you know, we're the idea that, the fact that there's a public option that people can choose, that makes the socialist plan? Look, the difference between the president -- I think health care is not a privilege, it's a right. Everyone should have the right to have affordable health care. And I am very proud of my plan. It's gotten endorsed by all the major labor unions as well as, as well as a whole range of other people who in fact, are concerned in the medical field. This is something that's going to save people's lives. And this is going to give some people an opportunity, an opportunity to have health care for their children, how many of you home are worried and rolling around in bed at night wondering what in God's name are you going to do if you get sick? Because you've lost your home insurance, your health insurance, your company's gone under. We have to provide health insurance for people at an affordable rate, and that's what I do.\n\nWelker: President Trump, your response.\n\nTrump: Excuse me, he was there for 47 years -- he didn't do it. He was now there as Vice President for eight years. And it's not like it was 25 years ago, it was three and three quarters. It was just a little while ago, right? Less than four years ago. He didn't do anything. He didn't do it. He wants socialized medicine. And it's not that he wants it, his vice president -- I mean, she is more liberal than Bernie Sanders and wants it even more, Bernie Sanders wants it, the Democrats want it. You're going to have socialized medicine. Just like you went on with fracking -- ‘We're not going to have fracking, we're going to stop fracking, we're going to stop fracking.’ Then he goes to Pennsylvania after he gets the nomination -- well he got very lucky to get it. And he goes to Pennsylvania, and he says, ‘Oh, we're gonna have fracking.’ And you never asked a question. And by the way, so far, I respect very much the way you're handling this, I have to say. But by the way, somebody should ask the question. He goes for a year --\n\n49:24 Welker: We do have a number of -- we have a number of topics.\n\nTrump: No, no, but that's a question --\n\nWelker: We're gonna get to it --\n\nTrump: It’s the same thing with socialized medicine.\n\nWelker: Vice President, your response.\n\nBiden: My response is people deserve to have affordable health care -- period. Period, period, period. And the Bidencare proposal will, in fact, provide for that affordable health care, lower premiums. What we're going to do is going to cost some money; it's going to cost over $750 billion over 10 years to do it. And they're going to have lower premiums, you can buy into the better plans, the cheaper plans, lower your premiums, deal with unexpected billing, and have your drug prices drop significantly. He keeps talking about it. He hasn't done a thing for anybody on health care, not a thing.\n\nTrump: Kristen, when he says --\n\nWelker: Very quickly, then I want to talk about what’s happening on Capitol Hill\n\n50:08 Trump: When he says public health option, he is talking about socialized medicine and health care. When he talks about a public option, he's talking about destroying your Medicare, totally destroying -- he’s destroying your Social Security. And this whole country will come down. You know, Bernie Sanders tried it in his state. His governor was a very liberal governor, they wanted to make it work --\n\nWelker: Let's see if --\n\n50:31 Trump: -- it was impossible --\n\nWelker: Vice President Biden, your response.\n\n50:34 Biden: He thinks he's running against someone else. He's running against Joe Biden. I beat all those other people because I disagreed with them. Joe Biden, he's running against. And the idea that we're in a situation and want to destroy Medicare -- this is the guy that the actuary of Medicare said, ‘If in fact’ -- and, social security -- ‘If, in fact, he continues to withhold his plan to withhold the tax on Social Security, Social Security will be bankrupt by 2023, with no way to pay for it. This is a guy who's tried to cut Medicare. So I don't know. I mean, the idea that Donald Trump is lecturing me on Social Security and Medicare? Come on.\n\nTrump: He tried to get rid of --\n\nWelker: Vice Presiden, Mr. President, I’m going to have to go on to another question --\n\nTrump: -- he tried to hurt Social Security years ago, years ago. Go back and look at the records. He tried to hurt Social Security you've got --\n\n51:28 Welker: All right, let’s move on to the next question.\n\n51:31 Trump: They say the stock market will rule if I'm elected. If he's elected, the stock market will crash.\n\nWelker: OK, let's move on to the next question.\n\nBiden: May I respond?\n\nWelker: Very quickly.\n\n51:40 Biden: The idea that the stock market is booming is his only measure of what's happening. Where I come from, in Scranton and Claymont, the people don't live off of the stock market. Just in the last three, three years during this crisis, the billionaires in this country made, according to the Wall Street, $700 billion more dollars. $700 billion more dollars. Because that's his only measure. What happens to the ordinary people out there? What happens to them?\n\n52:11 Trump: 401k’s are through the roof. 401k --\n\nWelker: All right, let’s move on.\n\n52:14 Trump: -- are through the roof. And he doesn't come from Scranton. That's like, what -- he lived there for a short period of time before he even knew --\n\nWelker: We're gonna move on --\n\nTrump: And he left. And the people of Pennsylvania will tell you that.\n\nWelker: -- to my next question, gentlemen. As of tonight, more than 12 million people are out of work. And as of tonight, 8 million more homes have fallen into poverty, and more families are going hungry every day. Those hit hardest are women and people of color. They see Washington fighting over a relief bill. Mr. President, why haven't you been able to get them the help they need? 30 seconds here.\n\nTrump: Because Nancy Pelosi doesn't want to approve it. I do.\n\nWelker: But you're the president.\n\nTrump: I do. But I still have to get, unfortunate -- that's one of the reasons I think we're going to take over the House, because of her. Nancy Pelosi doesn't want to approve anything. She'd love to have some victories on a date called November 3. Nancy Pelosi does not want to approve it. We are ready, willing and able to do something. Don't forget, we've already approved three plans. And it's gone through, including the Democrats, in all fairness. This one she doesn't want. It's near the election, because she thinks it helps her politically. I think it hurts her politically.\n\nWelker: All right, Mr. Vice President --\n\nBiden: You know, the Republican leader in the United States Senate said he can't -- he will not pass it. He does not have Republican votes. Why isn’t he talking to his Republican friends?\n\nWelker: Let me follow up with you, Vice President\n\nTrump: If we made a deal, we’d have --\n\n53:32 Welker: Let me ask Vice President Biden the question. You are the leader of the Democratic Party. Why have you not [] Democrats to get a deal for the American people?\n\nBiden: Well, I have and they have pushed it. Look, they passed this act all the way back in the beginning of the summer. This is like -- it's not new. It's been out there. The HEROES Act has been sitting there. And look at what's happening. When I was in charge of the Recovery Act with $800 billion, I was able to get $145 billion to local communities that have to balance their budget to states that have to balance their budgets, so then they have to fire fire -- they have to fire firefighters, teachers, first responders, law enforcement officers, so they can keep their cities and counties running. He will not support that. They have not done a thing for them. And Mitch McConnell said, ‘Let him go bankrupt. Let him go bankrupt.’ Come on. What's the matter with these --\n\nTrump: The bill that was passed in the House was a bailout of badly run high crime, Democrat, all run by Democrats, cities and states. It was a way of getting a lot of money, billions and billions of dollars to these cities. It was also a way of getting a lot of money from our people's pockets to people that come into our country illegally. We were going to take care of everything for them. And what that does, and I'd love to do that, I'd love to help them. But what that does, everybody all over the world will start pouring into our country. We can't do it. This was a way of taking care of them. This was a way of sending them things that had nothing to do with COVID, as for your question, but it was really a big bailout for badly run Democrat cities and states.\n\nWelker: I want --\n\nBiden: All right, if I get elected, I'm not gonna -- I'm running as a proud Democrat, but I'm gonna be an American president. I don't see red states and blue states. What I see is American United States. And folks, every single state out there finds themselves in trouble. They're going to start laying off, whether they're red or blue. Cops, firefighters, first responders, teachers -- because they have to balance their budget. And the founders were smart. They allowed the federal government to deficit spend to compensate for the United States of America.\n\nWelker: I want to talk about the minimum wage, gentlemen. Mr. Vice President, we are talking a lot about struggling small businesses and business owners today. Do you think this is the right time to ask them to raise the minimum wage? You, of course, support a $15 minimum wage.\n\nBiden: I do, because I think one of the things we’re gonna have to do is we're gonna have to bail them out, too. We should be bailing them out now, those small businesses. You’ve got one in six of them going under. They're not going to be able to make it back. They passed a package that allows us to be able to call PPP, money that’s supposed to go to help them do everything from organize how they could deal with their businesses being open safely. Schools, how they can make classrooms smaller, how they can hire more teachers, how they can put ventilation systems in. They need the help, the businesses, as well as the schools, need the help. But this, these guys will not help them. He is not giving them any of the money.\n\nWelker: We are going to move on --\n\n56:35 Trump: For small businesses -- by raising the minimum wage and helping, I think it should be a state option. Alabama is different than New York, New York is different from Vermont. Every state is different. It should be a state option. So it's very important. We have to help our small business --\n\nWelker: You said --\n\nTrump: How are you helping small businesses, when you're forcing wages. What's going to happen and what's been proven to happen is when you do that these firemen\n\n57:03 Welker: Well you said you would consider raising the federal minimum wage to $15 a hour --\n\nTrump: Say again?\n\nWelker: You said recently you would consider raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Is that still the case?\n\n57:10 Trump: What I’d really like, I would consider it to an extent. I really like what I -- in a second administration -- but not to a level that's going to put all these businesses out of business. It should be a state option. Look, I have a read on different places, I know different places. They’re all different. Some places, $15 is not so bad. In other places, other states, $15 --\n\nWelker: OK, President Trump, thank you. Quick response, Vice President Biden\n\nBiden: Two jobs, one job below poverty. People are making 6, 7, 8 bucks an hour. These first responders we all clap for as they come down the street, because they've allowed us to make it. What's happening? They deserve a minimum wage of $15. Anything below that put you below the poverty level. And there is no evidence that when you raise the minimum wage, business has gone out of business. That is simply not true.\n\nOn immigration\n\nWelker: We're going to talk about immigration. We're going to talk about immigration, now, gentlemen, and we're going to talk about families within this context. Mr. President, your administration separated children from their parents at the border, at least 4000 kids, You've since reversed your zero tolerance policy, but the United States can't locate the parents of more than 500 children. So how will these families ever be reunited?\n\nTrump: Children are brought here by coyotes and lots of bad people, cartels, and they're brought here and it’s easy to use them to get into our country. We now have a stronger border as we've ever had. We’re over 400 miles of brand new wall, you see the numbers, and we let people in, but they have to come in legally.\n\nWelker: But how will you reunite these kids with their families?\n\n58:48 Trump: Let me just say. They built cages. You know, they used to say I built the cages. And then they had a picture in the newspaper. There was a picture of these horrible cages and they said, ‘Look at these cages, President Trump built them.’ And then it was determined they were built in 2014. That was him.\n\nWelker: Do you have a plan to reunite the kids?\n\n59:08 Trump: Yes, we're working on a very -- we're trying very hard. But a lot of these kids come up without the parents, they come over through cartels and the coyotes and through gangs.\n\nWelker: Vice President Biden, let me bring you into this conversation. Quick response and then another question to you.\n\nBiden: These 500 plus kids came with parents. They separated them at the border to make it a disincentive to come to begin with. Big real tough, really strong. And guess what? They cannot -- it’s not coyotes that bring them over, their parents were with them. They got separated from their parents. And it makes us a laughingstock and violates every judge of who we are as a nation.\n\nWelker: Let me ask you a follow up --\n\nTrump: Kristen, they did it, we changed the policy. They did it. We changed it. They set up the cages. They -- who built the cages?\n\nBiden: So let's talk about --\n\nTrump: Who built the cages, Joe?\n\n59:58 Biden: Let’s talk about what we’re talking about. What happened? Parents were ripped -- their kids were ripped from their arms and separated. And now they cannot find over 500 sets of those parents and those kids are alone. Nowhere to go, nowhere to go. It's criminal. It's criminal.\n\nWelker: Let me just --\n\nTrump: Let me say this. They worked it out, we brought reporters and everything. They are so well taken care of. They're in facilities that were so clean --\n\nWelker: But some of them haven’t been reunited --\n\nTrump: But just answer one question. Who built the cages? A big ask of that, who built the cages?\n\nWelker: Let me ask about your immigration policy, Mr. Vice President. The Obama administration did fail to deliver immigration reform, which had been a key promise during the administration. It also presided over record deportations as well as family detentions at the border before changing course. So why should voters trust you with an immigration overhaul now?\n\nBiden: Because we made a mistake. It took too long to get it right. Too long to get it right. I'll be President of the United States, not Vice President of the United States. And the fact is, and I’ve made it very clear, within 100 days, I'm going to send to the United States Congress a pathway to citizenship for over 11 million undocumented people. And all those so called Dreamers, those DACA kids, they're going to be legally certified again, to be able to stay in this country, and put on a path to citizenship. The idea that they are being sent home by this guy, and they want to do, that is they go to a country they've never seen before. I can imagine you're five years old, your parents are taking you across the Rio Grande River and it’s and it's illegal. You say ‘Oh, no, Mom, leave me here. I'm not gonna go with you.’ They’ve been here. Many of them are model citizens. 20,000 are first responders out there taking care of people during this crisis. We owe them. We owe them.\n\n1:01:51 Welker: President Trump, your response.\n\nTrump: He had eight years to do what he said he was going to do. And I've changed without having a specific -- we get rid of catch and release, got rid of a lot of horrible things that they put in and that they live with. But he had eight years he was vice president. He did nothing except build cages to keep children in.\n\nWelker: Vice President, what’s your response?\n\nBiden: The catch and release, you know what he's talking about there? If in fact, you had family, came across, they're arrested. They, in fact, were given a date to show up for their hearing. They were released. And guess what, they showed up for the hearing. This is the first President in the history of the United States of America that anybody seeking asylum has to do it in another country. That's never happened before. That’s never happened before in our country. You come to the United States and you make your case. That’s how you seek asylum, based on the following premise, why I deserve it under American law. They're sitting in squalor on the other side of the river.\n\n1:02:55 Welker: President Trump, there is --\n\nTrump: It’s so important. It shows that he has no understanding of immigration of the laws. Catch and release is a disaster. A murderer would come in, a rapist would come in, a very bad person would come in -- we would take their name, we have to release them into our country. And then you say they come back. Less than 1% of the people come back.\n\nBiden: Not true.\n\nTrump: We have to send ICE out and Border Patrol out to find them. We would say, ‘Come back in two years, three years -- we're going to give you a court case. You did Perry Mason, we're going to give you a court case. When you say they come back, they don't come back, Joe. They never come back. Only the really -- I hate to say this -- but those with the lowest IQ, they might come back.\n\nWelker: OK, President Trump, let’s give Vice President Biden a chance to respond, and then we're going to move on to the next section.\n\nTrump: You don’t know the law, Joe.\n\nWelker: Vice President Biden, your response.\n\nBiden: I know the law. What he's telling you is simply not true.\n\nTrump: They don’t come back.\n\nBiden: Check it out.\n\nWelker: All right, let's move on --\n\nTrump: But we don’t have to worry about it because I terminated it. So we don’t have to worry about it\n\n1:03:59 Welker: All right, let’s move on to the next section --\n\n1:04:04 Biden: You have 525 kids not knowing where in God’s name they’re going to be and lost their parents.\n\nTrump: Go ahead.\n\nOn race in America\n\nWelker: All right. Let's talk about our next section, which is race in America. And I want to talk about the way Black and Brown Americans experience race in this country. Part of that experience is something called “the talk.” It happens regardless of class and income -- parents who feel they have no choice but to prepare their children for the chance that they could be targeted, including by the police, for no reason other than the color of their skin. Mr. Vice President, in the next two minutes, I want you to speak directly to these families. Do you understand why these parents fear for their children?\n\nBiden: I do. I do. You know, my daughter is a social worker. And she's written a lot about this. She's got a graduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania in social work. So, one of the reasons why I ended up working on the East side of Wilmington, Delaware, which is 90 percent African American, was to learn more about what was going on. When I didn't -- I never had to tell my daughter if she's pulled over, make sure she puts, for traffic stop, puts both hands on top of the wheel. And don't reach for the glove box because someone may shoot you. But a Black parent, no matter how wealthy or how poor they are, has to teach their child, when you're walking down the street, don't have a hoodie on when you go across the street, making sure that you, in fact, if you get pulled over, just Yes or No sir, just hands on top of the wheel. Because you are in fact, the victim, whether you're a person making 300,000 -- $300,000-a-year person, or someone who's on food stamps. The fact of the matter is there is institutional racism in America. And we have always said we've never lived up to it. Do we hold these truths to be sovereign, are all men and women are created equal? Guess what -- we have never ever lived up to it. We have constantly been moving the needle further and further between inclusion and exclusion. This is the first president come along and says that's the end of that. We're not going to do that anymore. We have to provide for economic opportunity, better education, better health care, better access to schooling, better access to opportunity to borrow money to start businesses. All the things we can do. And I've laid out a clear plan as to how to do those things. Just to give people a shot. It's about accumulating the ability to have wealth, as well as it is to be free from violence.\n\n1:06:32 Welker: President Trump, same question to you. And let me remind you of the question, I would like you to speak directly to these families. Do you understand why these parents fear for their children?\n\nTrump: Yes, I do. And again, he's been in government 47 years. He never did a thing except in 1994, when he did such harm to the Black community. And they were called, and he called them, super predators. And he said that, he said it -- super predators. And they can never live that down. 1994, your crime bill, the super predators. Nobody has done more for the Black community than Donald Trump. And if you look, with the exception of Abraham Lincoln--possible exception, but the exception of Abraham Lincoln, nobody has done what I've done. Criminal justice reform, Obama and Joe didn't do it. I don't even think they tried because they had no chance at doing it. They might have wanted to do it. But if you had to see the arms I had a twist to get that done, it was not a pretty picture. And everybody knows it including some very liberal people that cried in my office--they cried in the Oval Office. Two weeks later, they're out saying, ‘Gee, we have to defeat him.’ Criminal justice reform, prison reform, opportunity zones with Tim Scott, a great senator from South Carolina. He came in with this incredible idea for opportunity zones. It’s one of the most successful programs. People don't talk about it. Tremendous investment is being made. Biggest beneficiary, the Black and Hispanic communities and then historically Black colleges and universities. After three years of coming to the office, I love some of those guys, they were great, they came into the office. And they said-- I said, ‘What are you doing after three years?’ I said, ‘Why do you keep coming back?’ ‘Because we have no funding’. I said, ‘You don't have to come back every year’, ‘We have to come back’, because President Obama would never give them long term funding. And I did. Ten-year, long term funding, and I give them more money than they asked for, because I said, ‘I think you need more’. And I said, ‘The only bad part about this is I may never see you again’, because I got very friendly with them and they like me and I like them. But I saved colleges and universities.\n\n[1:08:28] Welker: OK. And we're going to talk about both of your records, but your response to that Vice President?\n\n[1:08:33] Biden: My response to that is I never, ever said what he accused me of saying. The fact of the matter is, in 2000 though, after the crime bill had been in the law for a while, this is the guy who said, ‘The problem with the crime bill, there's not enough people in jail. There's not enough people in jail,’ and go on my website, get the quote the date when he said it, ‘not enough people’. He talked about marauding gangs, young gangs, the people who are going to mauraud our cities. This is a guy who when the Central Park five, five innocent Black kids, he continued to push for making sure that they got the death penalty. None of them were-- none of them were guilty of what the crime, of the crimes that were suggested. Look, and talk about he, granted, he did in fact let 20 people-- he committed 20 people’s sentences. We committed over 1,000 people’s sentences. Over 1,000. The very law he's talking about is a law that, in fact, initiated by Barack Obama. And secondly, we're in a situation here where we-- the federal prison system was reduced by 38,000 people under our administration. And one of the things we should be doing is there should be no, no minimum mandatories in the law. That's why I'm offering $20 billion to states to change their state laws to eliminate minimum mandatories and set up drug courts. Nobody should be going to jail because they have a drug problem. They should be going to rehabilitation, not to jail. We should fundamentally change the system and that's what I'm going to do.\n\n[1:10:04] Trump: But why didn't he do it four years ago? Why didn't you do that four years ago, even less than that? Why didn't you--\n\n[1:10:10] Biden: I am not--\n\n[1:10:10] Trump: You were vice president. You keep talking about all these things you're going to do and you're going to do this. But you were there just a short time ago and you guys did nothing.\n\n[1:10:19] Biden: We did--\n\n[1:10:20] Trump: You know, Joe, I ran because of you. I ran because of Barack Obama, because you did a poor job. If I said you did a good job, I would have never run. I would've never run. I ran because of you. I'm looking at you now, you're a politician. I ran because of you.\n\n[1:10:34] Welker: All right, Vice President Biden, your response to that? And then I do have some questions for both of you.\n\n[1:10:38] Biden: Well, I’ll tell you what, I hope he does look at me because what's happening here is you know who I am, you know who he is, you know his character, you know my character, you know our reputations for honor and telling the truth. I am anxious to have this race. I'm anxious to see this take place. I am-- the character of the country is on the ballot. Our character is on the ballot. Look at us closely.\n\n[1:11:00] Welker: Let me ask them some follow--\n\n[1:11:01] Trump: Excuse me--\n\n[1:11:04] Welker: Please respond and then we’re gonna have follow up questions.\n\n[1:11:05] Trump: If this stuff is true about Russia, Ukraine, China, other countries, a wreck-- If this is true, then he's a corrupt politician. So don't give me the stuff about how you're this innocent baby. Joe, they're calling you a corrupt politician--\n\n[1:11:19] Biden: Nobody says--\n\n[1:11:20] Welker: President Trump, I want to stay on the issue of race. We're talking about the issue--\n\n[1:11:21] Trump: It’s the laptop from hell. The laptop from hell.\n\n[1:11:25] Welker: President Trump, we’re talking about race right now and I do want to speak on the issue of race. President Trump---\n\n[1:11:29] Biden: Nobody-- Kristen, I have to respond to that.\n\n[1:11:30] Welker: Please, very quickly.\n\n[1:11:32] Biden: Look, there are 50 former National Intelligence folks who said that what this, he's accusing me of is a Russian plan. They have said that this has all the characteristics-- four-- five former heads of the CIA, both parties, say what he's saying is a bunch of garbage. Nobody believes it except him, his, and his good friend Rudy Giuliani.\n\n[1:11:51] Trump: You mean, the laptop is now another Russia, Russia, Russia hoax? You gotta be--\n\n[1:11:58] Biden: That’s exactly what-- That’s exactly what--\n\n[1:12:00] Trump: Is this where you’re going? This is where he’s going. The laptop is Russia, Russia, Russia?\n\n[1:12:03] Welker: Gentleman, I want to stay on the issue of race, okay--\n\n[1:12:05] Trump: You have to be kidding here. Here we go again with Russia.\n\n[1:12:09] Welker: Mr. President, we're gonna continue on the issue of race. Mr. President, you've described the Black Lives Matter movement as a symbol of hate. You've shared a video of a man chanting white power to millions of your supporters. You've said that Black professional athletes exercising their first amendment rights should be fired. What do you say to Americans who say that kind of language from a president is contributing to a climate of hate and racial strife?\n\n[1:12:32] Trump: Well you have to understand the first time I ever heard of Black Lives Matter they were chanting ‘Pigs in a blanket’, talking about police, ‘Pigs, Pigs’, talking about our police, ‘Pigs in a blanket, fry' em like bacon’. I said, ‘That's a horrible thing’. And they were marching down the street. And that was my first glimpse of Black Lives Matter. I thought it was a terrible thing. As far as my relationships with all people, I think I have great relationships with all people. I am the least racist person in this room.\n\n[1:13:03] Welker: What do you say to men who are concerned by that rhetoric?\n\n[1:12:06] Trump: I don't, I don't know what to say. I got criminal justice reform done, and prison reform, and opportunity zones. I took care of Black colleges and universities. I don't know what to say. They can say anything. I mean, they can say anything. It's a very-- it makes me sad because I am the least racist person. I can't even see the audience because it's so dark, but I don't care who's in the audience. I’m the least racist person in this room.\n\n[1:13:35] Welker: OK. Vice President Biden, let me ask you, very quickly, and then I have a follow up question for you.\n\n[1:13:39] Biden: Abraham Lincoln. Here is one of the most racist presidents we've had in modern history. He pours fuel on every single racist fire, every single one. He started off his campaign coming down the escalator saying he’s gonna get rid of those Mexican rapists. He's banned Muslims because they're Muslims. He has moved around and made everything worse across the board. He says to them about the ‘Poor Boys’, last time we were on stage here. He said, ‘I told him to stand down and stand ready’. Come on. This guy has a dog whistle about as big as a fog horn.\n\n[1:14:12] Welker: President Trump, I'm going to give you 10 seconds to respond and then have a follow up question.\n\n[1:14:16] Trump: He made a reference to Abraham Lincoln. Where did that come in? I mean--\n\n[1:14:19] Biden: You said you were Abraham Lincoln.\n\n[1:14:21] Trump: No, no. I said not since Abraham Lincoln has anybody done what I've done for the Black community. I didn’t say ‘I'm Abraham Lincoln’. I said, ‘Not since Abraham Lincoln has anybody done but what I've done for the Black community’. Now you have done nothing other than the crime bill, which put--\n\n[1:14:42] Biden: Oh, God.\n\n[1:14:42] Trump: Tens of thousands of Black men, mostly, in jail. And you know what? They remember it because it you look at what’s happening with the voting right now, they remember that you treated them very, very badly. Just take a look at what’s happening out there.\n\n[1:14:50] Welker: All right, let me-- Let me ask Vice President Biden about-- Vice President Biden, let me give you a chance to respond within this context. Crime bill that you supported in the 80s and 90s contributed to the incarceration of tens of thousands of young Black men who had small amounts of drugs in their possession. They are sons, they are brothers, they are fathers, they’re uncles whose families are still to this day, some of them, suffering the consequences. So speak to those families, why should they vote for you?\n\n[1:15:20] Biden: One of the things that is said, in the '80s, we passed 100%, all 100 senators voted for it, a bill on drugs and how to deal with drugs. It was a mistake. I've been trying to change it since then, particularly the portion on cocaine. That's why I've been arguing that, in fact, we should not send anyone to jail for a pure drug offense. They should be going into treatment across the board. That's what we should be spending money on. That's why I set up drug courts which were never funded by republican friends. They should not be going to jail for a drug or an alcohol problem. They should be going into treatment. Treatment. That's what we've been trying to do. That's what I'm going to get done because they may-- the American people have now seen that in fact, it was a mistake to pass those laws where they do the drug. But they were not in the crime bill.\n\n[1:16:12] Trump: But why didn't he get it done? See, it's all talk no action with these politicians. Why didn't he get it? ‘That's what I'm gonna do when I become president’. You were vice president, along with Obama as your President, your leader, for eight years. Why didn't you get it done? You had eight years to get it done? Now, you're saying you're gonna get it done because you're all talk and no action, Joe.\n\n[1:16:34] Biden: We got a lot of it done. We released 38,000-- We got 38,000 prisoners left from--\n\n[1:16:39] Trump: You got nothing done\n\n[1:16:40] Biden: 38,000 prisoners were released from federal prison. We have-- there were over 1000 people who were given clemency. We-- in fact, we’re the ones that put in the legislation saying we could look at pattern of practice of the police departments and what they were doing, how they were conducting themselves. I could go on, but we began the process. We began the process. We lost an election. That's why I'm running to win back that election and change his terrible policy.\n\n[1:1:08] Trump: I just ask-- I just ask one question: why didn't you do it in the eight years, a short time ago? Why didn't you do it? You just said, ‘I'm going to do that. I'm going to do this.’ You put tens of thousands of mostly Black young men in prison. Now you're saying you're going to get-- you're going to undo that. Why didn't you get it done? You had eight years with Obama? You know why, Joe, because you're all talk and no action.\n\n[1:17:29] Welker: All right, Vice President Biden and then we're gonna move on to the next section.\n\n[1:17:34] Biden: We had a Republican Congress. That’s the answer.\n\n[1:17:37] Welker: OK.\n\n[1:17:39] Trump: Well, you gotta talk-- you gotta talk 'em into it, Joe. Sometimes you gotta talk ‘em into it.\n\n[1:17:43] Welker: All right, we’re gonna move on to our next section which is climate change-\n\n[1:17:44] Trump: Like I did with criminal justice reform. I had to talk Democrats into it.\n\nOn climate change\n\n[1:17:48] Welker: Gentlemen, we’re running out of time so we gotta get on to climate change, please. You both have very different visions on climate change. President Trump, you say that environmental regulations have hurt jobs in the energy sector. Vice President Biden, you have said you see addressing climate change as an opportunity to create new jobs. For each of you, how would you both combat climate change and support job growth at the same time? Starting with you, President Trump, you have two minutes uninterrupted.\n\n[1:18:15] Trump: So we have the trillion trees program, we have so many different programs. I do love the environment, but what I want the cleanest, crystal clear water, the cleanest air. We have the best, lowest number in carbon emissions, which is a big standard that I noticed Obama goes with all the time. Not Joe. I haven't heard him use the term because I'm not sure he knows what it represents or means, but I have heard Obama use it. And we have the best carbon emission numbers that we've had in 35 years. Under this administration, we are working so well with industry, but what we can’t do-- Look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia. Look at India. It's filthy. The air is filthy. The Paris Accord, I took us out because we were going to have to spend trillions of dollars and we were treated very unfairly. When they put us in there, they did us a great disservice. They were going to take away our businesses. I will not sacrifice tens of millions of jobs, thousands and thousands of companies because of the Paris Accord. It was so unfair. China doesn't kick in until 2030. Russia goes back to a low standard and we kicked in right away. It would-- It would have been-- It would have destroyed our businesses. So, you ready? We have done an incredible job environmentally. We have the cleanest air, the cleanest water and the best carbon emission standards that we've seen in many, many years.\n\n[1:19:50] Welker: Vice President, Biden--\n\n[1:19:51] Trump: And we haven't destroyed our industries.\n\n[1:19:52] Welker: Vice President Biden, two minutes to you uninterrupted.\n\n[1:19:55] Biden: Climate change, climate warming, global warming is an existential threat to humanity. We have a moral obligation to deal with it. And we're told by all the leading scientists in the world that we don't have much time. We're going to pass the point of no return within the next eight to 10 years. Four years of this man eliminating all the regulations that were put in by us to clean up the climate, to clean up-- to limit the-- limit of admissions will put us in a position where we're going to be in real trouble. Here's where we have a great opportunity, I was able to get both all the environmental organizations as well as labor, people worried about jobs, to support my climate plan. Because what it does, it will create millions of new, good-paying jobs. We're going to invest in, for example, 500,000-- 50,000, excuse me, 50,000 charging stations on our highways so that we can own the electric car market in the future. In the meantime, China's doing that. We're going to be in a position where we're going to see to it that we're going to take 4 million existing billion, buildings and 2 million existing homes and retrofit them so they don't leak as much energy, saving hundreds of millions of barrels of oil in the process and creating a significant number of jobs. And by the way, the whole idea of what this is all going to do, it's going to create millions of jobs and it's going to clean the environment. Our health and our jobs are at stake. That's what's happening. And we-- right now, by the way, Wall Street firm has indicated that my plan-- My plan will, in fact, create 18.6 million jobs, 7 million more than his. This from Wall Street and I’ll create $1 trillion more in economic growth than his proposal does, not on climate just on the economy.\n\n[1:21:47] Trump: President Trump, your response --\n\n[1:21:48] Trump: They came out and said very strongly, ‘$6,500 will be taken away from families under his plan’, that his plan is an economic disaster. If you look at what he wants to do, you know if you look at his plan, you know, you know who developed it? AOC+3. They know nothing about the climate. I mean, she's got a good line of stuff, but she knows nothing about the climate. And they're all hopping through hoops for AOC+3. Look, they’re real play costs $100 trillion. If we had the best year in the history of our country for 100 years, we would not even come close to a number like that. When he says buildings, they want to take buildings down because they want to make bigger windows into smaller windows. As far as they're concerned, if you had no window it would be a lovely thing. This is the craziest plan that anybody has ever seen. And this wasn't done by smart people. This wasn't done by anybody. Frankly, I don't even know how it can be good politically. They want to spend $100 trillion. That's their real number. He's trying to say it was six. It’s $100 trillion. They want to knock down buildings and build new buildings with little tiny, small windows and many other things. And many other things--\n\n[1:22:47] Welker: All right-- Okay, let me have the vice president respond and we're running out of time and we have a lot more questions. So let's hear from the Vice President. I have a number of more questions.\n\n[1:23:11] Biden: I don't know where he comes from. I don’t know where he comes up with these numbers. $100 trillion? Give me a break. This plan was-- This plan has been endorsed by every major-- every major environmental group and every labor group. Labor. Because they know the future lies, the future lies in us being able to breath. And they know they're good jobs in getting us there. And by the way, the fastest growing industry in America are--is, is, is the electric--excuse me, solar energy and wind. He thinks wind causes cancer, windmills. It’s the fastest growing jobs and they pay good prevailing wages, 45-50 bucks an hour. We can grow and we can be cleaner, if we go the route I’m proposing.\n\n[1:24:00] Welker: President Trump-- Please respond and then I have a follow up.\n\n[1:24:00] Trump: Excuse me. We are energy independent for the first time. We don't need all of these countries that we had a fight war over because we needed their energy. We are energy independent. I know more about wind than you do. It’s extremely expensive, kills all the birds, it’s very intermittent. It's got a lot of problems and they happen to make the windmills in both Germany and China. And the fumes coming up-- If you're a believer in carbon emission, the fumes coming up to make-- make these massive windmills is more than anything that we're talking about with natural gas, which is very clean. One other thing--\n\n[1:24:36] Biden: Find me a scientist that says that.\n\n[1:24:38] Trump: Solar. I love solar, but solar doesn't quite have it yet. It's not powerful enough yet to-- to really run our big beautiful factories that we need to compete with the world--\n\n[1:24:47] Biden: False.\n\n[1:24:47] Trump: So, it's all a pipe dream, but you know what we'll do? We're gonna have the greatest economy in the world. But if you want to kill the economy, get rid of your oil industry. You want-- And what about fracking?\n\n[1:25:01] Welker: All right. Let me allow Vice President Biden to respond--\n\n[1:25:04] Biden: I have never said I oppose fracking.\n\n[1:25:06] Trump: You said it on tape.\n\n[1:25:08] Biden: I did? Show the tape. Put it on your website.\n\n[1:25:10] Trump: I’ll put it on.\n\n[1:25:11] Biden: Put it on the website. The fact of the matter is he’s flat lying.\n\n[1:25:15] Welker: Would you rule out banning fracking?\n\n[1:25:17] Biden: I do rule out banning fracking because the answer we need-- We need other industries to transition to get to, ultimately, a complete zero emissions by 2025. What I will do with fracking over time is make sure that we can capture the emissions from the fracking. Capture the emissions from gas. We can do that and we can do that by investing money into-- It's a transition to that.\n\n[1:25:44] Welker: I have one more question--\n\n[1:25:48] Trump: Excuse me. He was against fracking. He said it. I will show that to you tomorrow. ‘I am against fracking’, until he got the nomination, went to Pennsylvania than he said-- You know what, Pennsylvania? He'll be against it very soon because his party is totally against it.\n\n[1:26:00] Biden: Fracking on federal Land, I said. No fracking or oil on federal land--\n\n[1:26:05] Welker: Let me ask this final question in this section and then I want to move on to our final section. President Trump, people of color are much more likely to live near oil refineries and chemical plants. In Texas there are families who worry the plants near them are making them sick. Your administration has rolled back regulations on these kinds of facilities. Why should these families give you another four years in office?\n\n[1:26:26] Trump: The families that we're talking about are employed heavily and they are making a lot of money, more money than they've ever made. If you look at the kind of numbers that we produce for Hispanic, or Black, or Asian, it's nice times greater, the percentage gain than it was under-- in three years-- than it was under eight years of the two of them, to put it nicely. Nine times more. Now, somebody lives-- I have not heard the numbers or the statistics that you're saying-- But they're making a tremendous amount of money. Economically, we saved it. And I saved it again a number of months ago when oil was crashing because of the pandemic. We saved it. We got-- Say what you want of that relationship, we got Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Russia to cut back, way back. We saved our oil industry and now it's very vibrant and everybody has very inexpensive gasoline. Remember that.\n\n[1:27:22] Welker: Vice President Biden, your response and then we're going to have a final question for both of you.\n\n[1:27:26] Biden: My response is that those people live on what they call ‘Fence Lines’. He doesn't understand this. They live near chemical plants that, in fact, pollute. Chemical plants, and oil plants and refineries that pollute. I used to live near that when I was growing up in Claremont, Delaware. And all the more oil refineries in Marcus Hook and the Delaware River than there is anyplace, including in Houston at the time. When my mom would get the car when they're first frost to drive me to school, turned on the windshield wipers there’d be oil slick in the window. That's why so many people in my state were dying and getting cancer. The fact is those frontline communities, it doesn't matter what you're paying them. It matters how you keep them safe. What do you do? And you impose restrictions on the pollution, that the pollutants coming out of those fenceline communities.\n\n[1:28:12] Welker: OK, I have one final question--\n\n[1:28:14] Trump: Would you close down the-- Would you close down the oil industry?\n\n[1:28:17] Biden: I would transition from the oil industry. Yes.\n\n[1:28:19] Trump: Oh, transition.\n\n[1:28:21] Biden: It is a big statement because I would stop--\n\n[1:28:22] Welker: Why would you do that?\n\n[1:28:24] Biden: Because the oil industry significantly — but here's the deal —\n\n[1:28:27] Trump: That’s a big statement.\n\n[1:28:31] Biden: Well, if you let me finish the statement, because it has to be replaced by renewable energy over time. Over time. And I’d stop giving to the oil industry-- I’d stop giving them federal subsidies. You won't give federal subsidies to the gas and, excuse me, to solar and wind. Why are we giving it to the oil industry?\n\n[1:28:52] Trump: We actually do give it to solar and wind--\n\n[1:28:54] Welker: All right, we have one final question--\n\n[1:28:56] Trump: That’s the biggest statement. In terms of business. that's the biggest statement.\n\n[1:28:59] Welker: All right, we have one final question-- Mr. President--\n\n[1:29:00] Trump: Because basically what he’s saying is he’s going to destroy the oil industry. Will you remember that Texas? Will you remember that Pennsylvania? Oklahoma? Ohio?\n\n[1:29:07] Welker: Vice President Biden, let me give you ten seconds to respond and then I have to get to the final question. Vice President Biden?\n\n[1:29:12] Biden: He takes everything out of context, but the point is, look, we have to move toward a net zero emissions. The first place to do that by the year 2025 is in energy production. By 2050, totally.\n\n[1:29:25] Welker: All right. One final question--\n\n[1:29:26] Trump: Is he gonna get China to do it? Is he going to get China to do it?\n\n[1:29:27] Welker: No, we're finished with this. We have to move on to our final question.\n\n[1:29:30] Biden: No, I’m going to rejoin the Paris Accord and get China to abide by what they agreed to\n\n[1:29:33] Trump: But that’ll cost you $1 trillion.\n\nFinal question\n\n[1:29:34] Welker: This is about leadership, gentlemen, and this first question does go to you, President Trump.. Imagine this is your Inauguration Day. What will you say in your a", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2020/10/23"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/local/2020/04/16/coronavirus-covid-19-michigan-hospitals-plan-layoffs/5139326002/", "title": "Even as the coronavirus rages, Michigan hospitals plan layoffs", "text": "Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, Robin Erb, Bridge Magazine and Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press\n\nEven as the coronavirus pandemic roils Michigan's hospitals — sickening employees, inundating intensive care units and overflowing morgues — these health systems are laying off employees by the hundreds.\n\nThe hospitals, and hospital experts, blame declining revenues from lost patient office visits and postponed medical procedures, such as knee or hip replacements, for layoffs and pay cuts.\n\nOn Wednesday, the Detroit Medical Center announced it will furlough 480 employees, while the McLaren Medical Group will cut the hours of many of its 500 doctors, physician's assistants, nurse practitioners and nurse midwives.\n\nA day earlier, Beaumont Health confirmed it would sideline one of its eight hospitals — Beaumont, Wayne — and hold it empty to serve “as a reserve COVID-19 hospital” at an undefined point in the future.\n\nAt least 300 workers at Beaumont’s Wayne hospital were laid off, according to the Service Employee International Union's Healthcare Michigan, which represents about 1,000 employees at three of Beaumont’s hospitals, including Wayne.\n\nAnd on Monday, the president of the union that represents registered nurses at McLaren Macomb told the Free Press the hospital would lay off 16 to 20 operating and recovery room nurses this week.\n\nMore:Union chief says McLaren Macomb hospital to lay off operating and recovery room nurses\n\nWhile another large Detroit health care provider, the Henry Ford Health System, declined to say whether it was planning layoffs, it released this statement from Brenda Craig​, vice president, integrated communications:\n\n\"There is no question that this pandemic is having a financial effect on our health system and we are continuing to assess the full impact as this crisis evolves. Like other health systems across our region, we are exploring a number of options to stabilize our financial performance including pursuing federal assistance programs and identifying ways to reduce expenses.\"\n\nThis story was co-published with Bridge Magazine and Michigan Radio.\n\nExperts: Revenue centers cut off\n\nShooshan Danagoulian, assistant professor in the economics department at Wayne State University, said the coronavirus pandemic is having a very sharp, negative impact on hospitals because they depend so heavily on elective and non-emergency care for revenue.\n\nAnd with so many workers now unemployed and lacking the health insurance their jobs provided, patients who do show up at the hospital may be unable to pay their bills, she said.\n\n\"In this pandemic, hospitals are going to have to find new ways of reducing their costs. Right now, physician groups and hospitals are cutting physicians' salaries and hours, and administrators are taking pay cuts,\" she said.\n\nAnd they're also laying off other workers, such as laboratory assistants and patient intake employees.\n\n\"Providers overall are feeling like they're caught between a rock and hard place,\" she said. On one hand, they're \"running toward the fire\" that is COVID-19, and on the other hand, they're \"having to make these tough financial choices: how to keep their staff, how to pay their staff, and who to let go ... hospitals have no good choices for surviving this.\"\n\nThe Detroit Medical Center is especially hard hit, with 480 employees to be furloughed.\n\nMore:Detroit Medical Center to furlough 480 employees during coronavirus crisis\n\nIn a written statement released Wednesday, CEO Audrey Gregory said the employees of the eight-hospital system “remain on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic,” but she noted that the state’s stay-at-home orders have forced some operations to be “temporarily closed or ramped down.”\n\nThose restrictions ban elective or non-emergency procedures — the more profitable procedures on which hospitals rely to balance their bottom lines — so hospitals can have enough room and resources to handle COVID-19 patients. The cancellations also keep people without COVID-19 infections from possibly being exposed to the virus at hospitals also treating COVID-19 patients.\n\nMcLaren Medical Group, a part of McLaren Health Care, said it had experienced a reduction in patient volumes of more than 60% and will cut its employees' hours.\n\nJulie Lepzinski, president and CEO of McLaren Medical Group, said in a statement that it was \"taking a critical look at offices most impacted. We are adjusting hours of operation to account for decreased volume, while maintaining access for essential care. For patients in need of more routine care, we have expanded our telehealth availability to help ensure access to care.\"\n\nShe said McLaren Medical was currently working with physicians to \"identify those who may be temporarily furloughed for the next two months. They will maintain a certain level of compensation and continue their healthcare coverage. We don’t yet have final numbers or locations for furloughed physicians, as we are reviewing patient volumes on a regional basis and ensuring we continue to provide necessary care across the state.\n\n\"Of the nearly 500 providers we have across Michigan, all will continue working throughout this healthcare crisis. However, many will have reduced working hours based on the needs of our communities and the patients we serve.\"\n\nAccording to McLaren Medical's website, it has more than 300 physicians, as well as physician assistants, nurse practitioners and nurse midwives who work at more than 150 primary and specialty centers.\n\nBeaumont's challenges\n\nBeaumont Health is also struggling financially.\n\nBeaumont, whose CEO was among the first to raise concerns about health care finances amid COVID-19, reported Monday that it was $54 million in the red in net operating income during the first quarter of 2020. CEO John Fox has called for a $300 billion-$600 billion federal Hospital System Super Fund.\n\nIt is now putting its hospital in Wayne on stand-by in the case of a COVID-19 resurgence.\n\n“The pandemic remains very unpredictable,” said spokesman Mark Geary.\n\nJason Bradford said he’s now without a job. The Ypsilanti man said he has worked at Beaumont, Wayne in the patient-access registration department since December 2014.\n\nIn recent weeks, the Wayne location canceled its scheduled procedures and closed its emergency room. In Bradford’s words, “the hospital was literally only COVID-19 patients.”\n\nBut then Beaumont stopped admitting new COVID-19 patients to the hospital, which has 185 beds. Staff was cut, too.\n\nBradford said that within hours of the last patient being taken out of the Wayne hospital by helicopter Tuesday night, Beaumont, Wayne employees were told by email they were being laid off.\n\nDemocratic U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell and Rashida Tlaib sent a letter Tuesday to Beaumont CEO Fox about the temporary closure of the Wayne campus, saying they were “alarmed” by the decision to “close a crucial health care facility during the deadliest pandemic our nation has seen in over a century.”\n\nThey cited statistics about how vital the hospital is to the area it serves, handling 61,000 emergency room visits in 2018 and delivering 1,000 babies that year.\n\nIn the county hardest hit by the COVID-19 outbreak in Michigan, they said closing Beaumont, Wayne is “not only irresponsible, it is a threat to the very health and safety of the community you claim to serve.”\n\nBeaumont Health’s executive vice president and COO had been scheduled to speak at Dingell’s town hall Wednesday night. But after Dingell sent the letter, the VP canceled her appearance.\n\nUnion feels targeted\n\nSEIU President Andrea Acevedo said 300 people at the Wayne hospital have lost their jobs.\n\n“They laid off every single worker,” she said.\n\nUnionized Beaumont workers are being laid off more than non-unionized staff, she said. Worse, she said, Beaumont workers who are part of labor unions are not eligible for the $500 or $1,000 hazard pay bonuses issued to others on the front lines.\n\n“We really feel that Beaumont as an entity has taken this pandemic and used it as a way to really attack workers and especially workers that are represented by unions,” Acevedo said.\n\nDanagoulian, the Wayne State assistant professor, said she believes hospital volumes will slowly recover through the summer, but will not return to pre-pandemic levels until next year.\n\nWally Hopp, a distinguished professor of business and engineering at the University of Michigan who studies the business of health care, said the layoffs are a sign of the stress that the health care system is under.\n\n\"They're trying to stem the red ink that's hitting them,\" Hopp said. \"The lion's share of their costs is people. It's tragic that they're furloughing people in the middle of a health and economic crisis.\"\n\nHopp said as the pandemic continues — it's been only weeks since it hit Michigan — \"another shoe keeps dropping. That's a shame.\"\n\nBut at the same time, the pandemic is also forcing hospitals to \"innovate in a rapid way,\" Hopp said. \"It's a shock to the system that forces some innovation.\"\n\nHopp said he believes large hospital systems, while taking a short-term hit, will \"come out of this in pretty good shape.\"\n\nBut he is concerned about already struggling rural hospitals in Michigan and across the country.\n\n\"If major health care systems\" have to cut costs like this, \"imagine what's happening to the smaller, already at-risk hospitals,\" Hopp said.\n\nAnd just as COVID-19 is often hardest on the weak, elderly and those with underlying medical conditions, \"the same is true on the financial side. Hospitals that are in weakened financial shape are threatened that much more.\"\n\nRural hospitals suffer\n\nWhile these rural hospitals have few COVID-19 patients, they are feeling the pain.\n\nGov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order March 20 that shut down non-emergency procedures was the last day that Hillsdale Hospital performed a non-emergency surgery, said JJ Hodshire, its chief operating officer.\n\nAlso idled were pre-op efforts and follow-up care after surgery, such as physical therapy or home care. The hospital’s pain clinic has been closed for now, and there are few blood draws, Hodshire said last Friday.\n\nNow facing an estimated $10 million loss by June 30 — a thunderous blow for the small, 105-year-old hospital — Hillsdale has laid off 15% of its staff, he said.\n\nHodshire largely blames Whitmer’s stay home, stay safe orders. The same orders that cancel non-emergency care in the state’s hardest hit regions make little sense in rural areas with fewer confirmed cases, he said.\n\nHe’d restart those non-emergency procedures tomorrow if it weren’t for Whitmer's emergency order, he said, noting the hospital was caring for just two patients positive with COVID-19 that day.\n\n“If she would not have taken the executive order and implemented that we wouldn't be having this discussion,” Hodshire said.\n\n“We're losing millions on a monthly basis,” said Brian Long, CEO at Owosso-based Memorial Healthcare, who said the hospital began postponing procedures about a week before Whitmer’s order.\n\nMore than surgeries, those include routine mammograms, colonoscopies and well-child checks, for example, he said. Plus, patients are avoiding emergency rooms, leery of what they might encounter in waiting rooms.\n\nLast year, Memorial had an “exceptionally good year,” ending with about $3 million on operational income. Now, he said, “we’re looking at losses of $3.5 million to $4 million every month.”\n\nAs a result, it has furloughed 200 of its approximate 1,500 employees — medical assistants, cases managers, accounting personnel and others, he said.\n\n“It was one of the most difficult decisions that you can imagine,” Long said. “We have gone through some tough times, but I have never — and I repeat, never — in my career ever had a reduction in force.\"\n\nHe said, “If we do nothing at all, we’d probably be looking at a year and we’d be totally bankrupt.\"\n\nThe problem facing hospital systems across the state is hardly unique to Michigan, said Chas Roades, CEO of the Washington-based healthcare consultants, Gist Healthcare.\n\n“Hospitals everywhere are struggling with a real economic challenge right now,” he said.\n\nThat’s because hospitals, to varying degrees, rely on elective surgeries for “their income, their profitability,” he said.\n\n“With the shutdown, there's just not enough money to pay everybody to do the work that is not being done right now,” Roades said.\n\nContact Jennifer Dixon: 313-223-4410 or jbdixon@freepress.com.\n\nGet involved: The Detroit Free Press, Bridge Magazine and Michigan Radio are teaming up to report on Michigan hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic. If you work in a Michigan hospital, we would love to hear from you. You can contact Kristen Jordan Shamus at kshamus@freepress.com or Robin Erb at rerb@bridgemi.com.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2020/04/16"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_6", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:30", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/05/business/subway-new-menu/index.html", "title": "Subway is redesigning its menu | CNN Business", "text": "New York (CNN Business) Subway is launching a new menu, and it's the most extensive makeover in the company's nearly 60-year history.\n\nThe main appeal of the sandwich chain is that people can make their own custom sandwiches. Yet the seemingly limitless combinations slowed down the speed of the lines at its restaurants.\n\nSubway's new menu is aimed at streamlining those choices. Beginning Tuesday, customers will be greeted with a refreshed menu board in its roughly 21,000 US restaurants featuring 12 sandwiches in what it's calling the \"Subway Series\" menu.\n\nThe new, more neatly organized menu is divided in to four categories (Cheesesteaks, Italianos, Chicken and Clubs) consisting of three sandwiches each. All 12 sandwiches are new to the menu, with some essentially replacing previous versions with new names and slight tweaks. For example, the Meatball Marinara sandwich is now called The Boss with newly added melted mozzarella cheese.\n\nSubway's new menu is now available.\n\nSubway says people can order the sandwiches by their new names or by their assigned numbers. And the sandwiches can be made with bread, wrap or have its topping placed on a bed of lettuce. Customers, of course, can still choose custom options if they prefer.\n\nRead More", "authors": ["Jordan Valinsky", "Cnn Business"], "publish_date": "2022/07/05"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/03/20/us-industries-being-devastated-by-the-coronavirus-travel-hotels-food/111431804/", "title": "Industries hit hard by coronavirus: food, transportation, and travel", "text": "Grant Suneson\n\n24/7 Wall Street\n\nThe novel coronavirus, COVID-19, which has been designated a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, is having a devastating impact on the U.S. economy. After peaking at 29,000 in February, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell below 21,000 by mid-March – a nearly 30% drop. On March 16, the Dow fell by nearly 3,000 points, the largest single-day drop in history.\n\nAs the U.S. tries to stem the spread of the virus and contain the outbreak, life is slowly grinding to a halt – and with it much of the economy. While all industries have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, some bear the brunt of the downturn much more than others. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed industry publications and data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to determine the U.S. industries being devastated most by the outbreak.\n\nThe restaurant industry is one of the most exposed industries to major upheaval as a result of the pandemic, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended avoiding groups of over 50 people. Some cities and states have told restaurants to switch to takeout only. Millions of jobs in the sector could either be lost or severely impacted by the outbreak.\n\nSocial Security offices closed:How to get help with benefits during coronavirus pandemic\n\nDow, S&P 500 keep falling:So how will we know when the stock market drop is over?\n\nSome American workers have already been laid off or furloughed, and more job cuts are likely. As people start to socially distance themselves, those in white collar jobs will more easily be able to work from home, while hourly workers in sectors like hospitality and retail may be let go as their companies get less business. This further jeopardizes some of the least financially secure workers in the country – jobs in these fields are often part-time and typically pay low wages.\n\nGambling\n\nMuch of the nation's $261 billion casino gaming industry has been shuttered because of measures taken to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and other major gaming destinations have been closed, and some staff members have been furloughed or laid off. All casinos in Massachusetts and Illinois were ordered to close for two weeks, and Maryland's casinos, racetracks, and other betting facilities were ordered to close indefinitely.\n\nThe novel coronavirus also hit the U.S. just before the beginning of one of the industry's biggest events – the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. During the 2019 tournament, Americans wagered an estimated $8.5 billion on games. With the NBA, NHL, European soccer, and nearly every other major sporting event canceled for the foreseeable future, the sports betting industry has essentially dried up.\n\nSports books in Las Vegas typically handle $500 million worth of bets in a given month. Though some UFC events are still ongoing as of March 16, Joe Asher, CEO of sports bookmaker William Hill, told Sports Illustrated that the entire sports betting industry will have \"pretty much zero revenue\" until sporting events resume. This could take at least six weeks.\n\nUSA TODAY analysis:America's coronavirus 'curve' may be at its most dangerous point\n\nCasinos during coronavirus pandemic:Sports books in Las Vegas are getting creative to offset March Madness betting losses\n\nAirlines\n\nThe airline industry will likely be especially hard hit by the pandemic, as international and even domestic flights are restricted. The International Air Transport Association projected that the U.S. and Canadian airline industry could lose as much as $21.1 billion in revenue. The worldwide industry could see a decline in passenger revenue of nearly 20% under the extensive spread scenario, which would result in an estimated $113 billion in lost revenue. The CAPA - Centre for Aviation said most airlines in the world will likely go bankrupt by the end of May 2020.\n\nUnited Airlines said it was bracing for a $1.5 billion revenue drop in March 2020 compared to March 2019. It also plans to cut capacity in half for April and May. Other U.S. airlines are planning similar actions, as well as freezing hiring and asking employees to take unpaid leave. In what may be a sign of things to come, Norwegian Airlines laid off 90% of staff on March 16. As of 2018, there were over 445,000 workers in the airline industry. A group representing many of the country's largest airlines asked the government for $25 billion in grants and $25 billion in low or no-interest loans.\n\nRunning out of toilet paper?:These are the places where you can still some\n\nTesla and coronavirus:Elon Musk says automaker is working on ventilators for patients\n\nHotels\n\nThe U.S. hotel industry employs over 1.6 million Americans, making it the ninth-largest sector in the U.S. in terms of total workers. But as people have stayed home, demand for hotels has declined sharply. In the first week of March, there was an 11.6% decline in revenue per room available in U.S. hotels compared to the same week of 2019, according to hotel research firm STR.\n\nIn response, hotels in New York City, Seattle, Knoxville, Tennessee, and more have begun to lay off dozens of workers. Hotel workers in major tourist destinations have been told to brace for job losses as well. The hotel chain Marriott just announced plans to lay off tens of thousands of workers. Industry groups urged Congress to pass a supplemental aid package to help hotels through the pandemic.\n\nMovie theaters\n\nIt's been some time now that health officials nationwide have urged social distancing, and movie theaters felt the impact of that recommendation. Now that the CDC has requested that Americans avoid gathering in groups of 50 or more, movie theaters have no choice but close down. U.S. box office revenue for the weekend of March 13-15 came in at just over $54 million, the lowest since September 2000. For context, no weekend box office in 2020 pulled in less than $80 million.\n\nThe effects could stretch for months, as blockbusters like \"Mulan,\" \"A Quiet Place Part II,\" \"Fast 9,\" and the latest James Bond film, \"No Time to Die,\" were slated to be released in the coming weeks, but all these releases were pushed back. Over 100 theaters have closed, and more are expected to follow suit. Major theater chain AMC has announced the closure of all U.S. theaters. Regal announced it would close all of its theaters until further notice, more than 500 in total, leaving over 25,000 employees without work.\n\nLive sports\n\nThe postponement or suspension of sports leagues like the NBA, NHL, XFL, and more have created a huge vacuum not just for the leagues and players, but also the wide-ranging ecosystem that has cropped up around them. FiveThirtyEight estimates that, since about 21% of the NBA season remained when games were halted, the league stands to lose $350 million-$450 million from ticket sales alone if those games are not played – and that does not even include lost playoff revenues.\n\nThe league could also lose up to $200 million in non-ticket revenue, from sources like parking, concessions, merchandise, and more. Still, many NBA franchises – along with their owners and star players – have committed millions of dollars to ensure that arena staff hourly workers are paid during the pandemic. There are an estimated 300 staff workers in a 20,000-seat arena, like those that host NBA games.\n\nThe NHL does not make as much as the NBA but could lose a larger share of its expected yearly revenue. Because the league does not draw as many TV viewers, it relies more heavily on ticket sales. The MLB could be affected as well, as it will not begin games until mid-May, at the earliest.\n\nMarch Madness:'Heartbroken' over decision to cancel because of coronavirus concerns\n\nFood delivery:Lyft looking to add food, medical supplies to delivery service\n\nCruises\n\nAfter a luxury Diamond Princess ship became the first large outbreak cluster outside China, with at least 634 confirmed COVID-19 infections among passengers and crew and two deaths, the cruise industry has taken a huge hit. More recently, a Grand Princess cruise docking in Oakland resulted in 28 cases of the disease. As of March 16, there were at least seven cruise ships in limbo because passengers tested positive or were showing symptoms of the virus and no country was willing to take them in.\n\nShares of three major cruise companies – Royal Caribbean, Carnival Corp., and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings – dropped over 50% in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Industry group Cruise Lines International Association said the cruise industry contributes $53 billion to the U.S. economy every year. The White House has made clear it intends to help the industry weather the financial difficulty with some sort of relief bill.\n\nShipping\n\nA supply management survey found that three out of every four American businesses experienced a disruption to some part of their supply line due to the irregularities in the shipping industry stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. China is one of the world's foremost shipping hubs, but COVID-19 has forced the country to close ports and send factory workers home. The International Chamber of Shipping said the pandemic has cost the worldwide industry around $350 million per week.\n\nThe outbreak has affected everyone in this highly globalized industry, and Americans are no exception. In January, North American transport volume was down 9.4% compared to the same month of 2019. There are over 225,000 Americans working in the freight transportation industry, and the disruption has jeopardized over billions in wages for these workers.\n\nFilm production\n\nOscar-winning actor Tom Hanks announced that he tested positive for the coronavirus. Consequently, production of the film he was shooting at the time was shut down. Hanks' film was one of a dozens of films and TV shows that halted production – either out of caution or because a cast or crew member had symptoms, tested positive, or came into contact with someone who did. These films likely would have likely contributed billions of dollars to the U.S. box office and economy in other ways.\n\nEach time a production shuts down, it puts hundreds of crew members and cast out of work. Movies often have well over 500 crew members, including drivers, lighting technicians, directors, production assistants, camera operators, and more. Some of the larger films that have extensive visual effects have thousands of people credited. There are over 220,000 Americans working in the film production industry.\n\nAutomakers\n\nAs the COVID-19 pandemic lingers, the demand for cars is decreasing. Workers who are concerned about their job security and try to save their money for emergency use are less likely to buy a car. This jeopardizes the jobs of the nearly 1.3 million Americans who work in new and used car dealerships. Researchers have predicted that American auto sales could decline year-over-year by as much as 20% in 2020. The shares of General Motors, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler have all lost over 25% of their value since the beginning of March.\n\nAutomakers have also faced serious supply chain disruptions as parts imports from China have become much more difficult as the country grapples with the disease. Four out of every five cars made in the world rely on parts manufactured in China.\n\nOil and gas\n\nAs people continue to work from home and avoid travel, the demand for oil and gas has plummeted. The International Energy Agency projects a decline in demand of 90,000 barrels of oil in 2020 compared to 2019. Prior to the pandemic, the IEA projected an increase in demand of over 800,000 barrels. The effects on the oil industry have been especially dire because China, the world's top energy consumer, was the first to be hit as the source of the outbreak. The price of oil has been in an unprecedented freefall, selling for under $30 per barrel as of March 16.\n\nRetail\n\nThe U.S. retail industry has been devastated by the coronavirus outbreak, and a number of stores have already had to close their doors. Apple has closed all stores outside of China until at least March 27, and other major retailers in fashion, sporting goods stores, and tech have made similar announcements, with more coming in every day.\n\nUrban Outfitters, Nike, and other companies have announced plans to pay workers at least in the short term for lost wages. This is good news for the employees, many of whom are among the lowest-paid American workers, but it will, of course, mean the companies' bottom lines will take a hit. One Jefferies analyst told CNBC, \"With stores accounting for 75% of sales for most retailers, we anticipate massive EPS [earnings per share] declines for 1Q, especially as most retailers appear to be paying employees during the 2 week closures.\"\n\nConfined amid coronavirus?:Here are best practices for remote-managing your small business\n\nTech\n\nMany Chinese factories in locked-down areas have closed operations since late January. This has had a major impact on the ability of many American tech companies to continue producing their products regularly. Production of video game consoles, smartphones, and smartwatches are all predicted to drop by over 10%. Apple could lose as much as $67 billion because of an iPhone shortage. Graphics card producer Nvidia lowered its projected earnings for the first quarter of 2020 by $100 million, saying the pandemic is disrupting its supply chain.\n\nApple, Samsung, and Google all closed corporate offices and factories in China. Many major tech companies are headquartered in and around Seattle – one of the areas hardest hit by the virus. Microsoft said it would continue to pay its 4,500 hourly employees, even as it sent many workers home.\n\nConventions\n\nAs mass gatherings of people have been declared unsafe, many of the massive conventions that draw thousands of attendees from across the globe have been canceled. The cancellations of tech conferences like E3, SXSW, and more have likely cost local economies over $1.1 billion. In 2019 alone, SXSW's full-time and seasonal workers had an economic impact of over $150 million on the Austin, Texas, economy, according to consulting firm Greyhill Advisors and SXSW.\n\nThe cancellation of the E3 conference has also cost the video game industry its biggest week of the year. New games and consoles are often unveiled at the event, which usually hosts over 65,000 guests a year. Facebook and Google also had to scrap their own conventions. This moratorium on large gatherings could devastate the 55,000-person industry of convention and trade show organizers in the U.S.\n\nFood service\n\nBetween full- and limited-service restaurants, caterers, buffets, and more, well over 10 million Americans work in the food service industry. Major cities have ordered restaurants to only offer takeout options as a preventive measure. This could jeopardize billions in wages for employees, many of whom are hourly workers. Chinese restaurants have been particularly hard hit over unfounded stigmas related to the outbreak.\n\nNation's Restaurant News reported that in Seattle, restaurants were expected to lose 20% of sales in the first week of March. By March 16, a dozen states had imposed restrictions on restaurants hosting dine-in customers. On the weekend of March 14, restaurants in most of America's major cities reported a decline in occupancy of anywhere from 30%-64%. Research firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that over 600 food service industry job cuts were directly related to the pandemic, and that 7.4 million jobs in the sector could either be cut or severely impacted.\n\nTheme parks\n\nLarge theme parks have stopped welcoming guests in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, closing a massive industry for the foreseeable future. Disney is by far the largest theme park operator in the world, with six parks – all of which were shuttered initially as the outbreak spread. Disney reported over $26.2 billion revenue from its parks in fiscal 2019. Dividing this evenly throughout the year would mean the company could lose revenue of around $500 million per week that its parks were closed, assuming the same earnings this year.\n\nOther prominent parks have been affected as well. All SeaWorld parks are closed; Six Flags temporarily closed 10 of its parks; and Universal Studios closed its Orlando and Hollywood parks through the end of March. Nationwide, there are nearly 200,000 people who work at theme parks, many of whom could be out of work throughout the worst of the coronavirus outbreak.\n\nGyms\n\nGyms were already facing challenges from home exercise companies like Peloton, and social distancing recommendations and the fear of the spread of the coronavirus have further added to the challenges large gyms and group fitness classes face. Gyms and boutique fitness classes have ballooned into a $94 billion industry that is now in jeopardy.\n\nEquinox had to close its gyms in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, and Barry's Bootcamp cut capacity in half. In Los Angeles, the mayor ordered all gyms to be closed. Gold's Gym and Orangetheory shuttered all corporate-owned locations. Planet Fitness stock lost 48% of its market value.\n\nConsumers:Don't overpay for these common items\n\nWork at home?:Charter, MicroStrategy reverse policies, allow it during coronavirus outbreak\n\nConstruction\n\nAs the coronavirus devastates the U.S. economy, companies will likely pull back on expansion, leaving a huge gap in the construction industry. Two large airlines, Delta and United, each announced plans to reduce capital investment by $2 billion each as a result of the pandemic's economic impact. Companies in many other sectors are expected to follow suit.\n\nSmaller construction companies may have to lay off workers as their supply of equipment and parts from China is disrupted. There are an estimated 7.6 million Americans working in the construction sector who could be affected by these changes.\n\nTransportation\n\nWith Americans working from home and staying in instead of visiting bars and restaurants, ride sharing companies like Uber and Lyft are seeing their potential ridership dissipate. Both companies announced they would stop letting different users share the same car.\n\nUber has pledged financial assistance to drivers who are quarantined and not able to work, though this would likely not impact most of the estimated 900,000 U.S. drivers. Many drivers are reporting 50% declines in income as fewer people use ride sharing services. Uber's stock has also cratered, going from over $40 per share in February to less than $19 as of March 17.\n\n24/7 Wall Street is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2020/03/20"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/03/24/surge-diners-dives-and-eateries-gives-middletown-choice-dining/439005002/", "title": "Middletown's surge in diners, dives and eateries gives choice in dining", "text": "MIDDLETOWN — A decade ago, if you drove down U.S. 301 in the Westown area, you would have seen farmland, trees and a giant flat space waiting to be turned into an auto sales hub.\n\nMiddletown native Scott Lawrence remembers that when he was a kid in the 1970s, the town had a Dairy Queen, Tastee Freeze, Pappy's Pizza and perhaps a sandwich shop.\n\n\"Those were the only places here for quite a while,\" Lawrence said. \"To get a good steak or anything other than pizza, hot dogs or fried chicken, you would have to drive somewhere else. And you definitely had to travel for special occasions.\"\n\nNo more.\n\nThose once-open spaces in Westown have been replaced by retail, industry and dining choices that make even the most ardent foodies happy.\n\nThe restaurants — both chain and locally owned — followed the explosion of residents in the past decade. And not just in the Westown area. Eating establishments started popping up downtown and in a number of strip malls along Main Street and Del. 299.\n\nToday, 70 restaurants varying in size and offerings — from Chik-fil-A to Texas Roadhouse to Vino Vita at Fromage Culinaria — all cater to those who call Middletown home.\n\nMany of the newer ones, including the Greene Turtle, Kiku Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar, Vino Vita, Chipotle, Panda Express, Rigatoni's Famous Crab Cakes and Texas Roadhouse, have stayed crowded and often have lines waiting for seats.\n\n\"If you like fast food, you now have an abundance of choices,\" said the 56-year-old Lawrence. \"We're foodies who don't eat out much, but when we do go out, we have choices now.\"\n\nRon Prescott was one of the people whose family moved in from Pennsylvania a decade ago.\n\nSitting in a booth with his son at the Greene Turtle last week watching March Madness, the head Middletown High School junior varsity boys basketball coach had nothing but good things to say about the town's dining options.\n\n\"When we came here 10 years ago, there was pretty much Buffalo Wild Wings, Ruby Tuesday's, Applebee's and Friendly's,\" he said. \"Since then, you can find any type of food you want.\n\n\"And the sports bar options have grown so much that when there is a big event, we pick based on specials.\"\n\nPrescott, who lives near Middletown High School, likened Middletown to a resort town where a lot of restaurants are centrally located and easy to get to.\n\n\"I can walk from my house for a good meal, or I can drive five minutes and be in Westown where there are plenty of places to choose from,\" he said. \"There are so many options.\"\n\nThe roster of restaurants includes nearly two dozen \"local\" joints, more than 25 chain restaurants, nearly a dozen pizza places and close to a dozen restaurants offering Chinese or Mexican cuisine, according to Middletown Chamber of Commerce data.\n\nThat doesn't include the number of gas stations like Wawa that serve food or the coffee shops like Dunkin' Donuts that offer hot food choices.\n\nWhere others see an explosion of choices, Middletown Mayor Ken Branner sees the mix of local and corporate restaurants as the fulfillment of the city's longtime plans to attract places to eat as the population grew.\n\nAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, Middletown’s population was just 3,754 in 1990 and 6,161 in 2000. It skyrocketed between 2009 and 2010 from 12,726 to 18,968 and then increased 5.5 percent to 19,910 between 2010 and 2014, according to the census.\n\nThe population rose to 20,420 in 2016 and is nearing the 21,000 mark now, with no end to the growth in sight.\n\n\"We wanted people to stay here and not have to leave to get a good dinner,\" he said. \"These restaurants support growth no matter if they are local or chain. All of them draw others.\"\n\nBill Spence has lived in Middletown for 14 years and said the arrival of the Super Walmart more than a decade ago started the retail influx.\n\n\"There are so many options in Middletown now,\" said Spence, sitting at the Greene Turtle last week enjoying a meal with his wife, Laura, and his daughter, Samantha. \"It's been a good improvement. If you know what you want, you can find it here.\"\n\nYet, he and his family still talk about what cuisine isn't offered in Middletown. They have a wish list of restaurants they would like to see, including Pizza Hut, Steak 'N Shake (reportedly coming in late 2018), Zaxby's, Moe's Southwest Grill and perhaps more local Italian restaurants.\n\n\"I wish we had a family pizza shop where they throw the dough up in the air,\" Spence said. \"There is a little authenticity to a family-owned pizza place versus a chain pizza shop.\"\n\nThey are not the only ones with a wish list.\n\nAsked on Facebook about dining options and whether people liked chain restaurants or locally owned eateries, there was a range of answers.\n\n\"It would be nice to have some choices that weren't chain restaurant food,\" Catherine Fry Pearce said.\n\nFacebook commenter Walter Janocha wants more fine dining.\n\n\"I need to drive into Wilmington for something nice,\" he said. \"You can't find a place that serves fresh fish and the stock reply to what your house special is 'You've got to try our burgers.'\"\n\nLocation was on the mind of commenter Dawn Alexander Schatz: \"I'd love to see more restaurant options downtown similar to 1861 or Cantwell's (Odessa), but also a good soup and sandwich shop.\"\n\nJanet Van Dyke Margherita agreed: \"[We] need something on Route 13. Everything is on U.S. 301.\"\n\nChip and Pat Yedinak aren't complaining. They make the 10-minute drive from Galena, Maryland, often to take advantage of the number of eating establishments.\n\nSitting down for a hibachi meal at the always crowded Kiku Japanese Steakhouse last week, Pat recalled coming to Middletown after he moved to Galena in 1998. Westown was all fields, he said.\n\n\"Now there is so much to do here,\" he said. \"We come to Middletown for everything and love the choices in restaurants.\"\n\nLocal vs. chain\n\nChuck Sullivan likes to joke that his place – Sully's Irish Pub at the Witherspoon – and Tom Foolery's Restaurant & Bar are Middletown's real local places and everybody else is new and just joining in.\n\nHe shares the belief that people have different tastes and will choose local eateries or chain restaurants based on their appetite and cravings.\n\nBut he's banking on people choosing local more often than not.\n\n\"There is just a great influx of people who are looking for that local neighborhood joint where they feel comfortable,\" Sullivan said. \"I see a lot of people come through those doors, which leads me to believe Sully's is that place.\"\n\nWhile the restaurants follow the people and people follow their favorite eateries, it's no secret that restaurants are big business. They are the largest employer category in the state, with about 1 out of 10 people working in a restaurant.\n\nAccording to Carrie Leishman, president and CEO of the Delaware Restaurant Association, restaurants add vibrancy to any community, regardless of whether they are family-owned or corporate-owned.\n\nRestaurants also have a huge economic impact, she said. While Leishman said she can't pinpoint the impact in Middletown, the state sees a $3.8 billion annual impact from local and chain restaurants.\n\n\"I love them all,\" she said. \"I'm an equal opportunity restaurant lover. They are all very valuable to our state's economy. I look at chains as fearless trailblazers for new, local owners.\"\n\nAs a lifelong Middletown resident, Mayor Branner knows the tremendous growth in population and industry has contributed to the success of area eateries.\n\n\"When you have 2,500 employees at Amazon and 4,000 manufacturing jobs, they all go out to lunch on occasion,\" he said. \"Those people alone have helped many of our restaurants remain successful.\"\n\nKent Chen, the owner of Kiku Steakhouse & Sushi Bar, said it was the growth not only in population but also the number of restaurants that brought him to Middletown.\n\nHe knew when he opened Kiku in July 2017 that it could be successful. He said he doesn't worry about the chain restaurants that surround his steakhouse but focuses on what he can do to draw and keep customers.\n\n\"We're different and we just do our best,\" Chen said. \"We're doing well and continue to grow, just like Middletown.\"\n\nEven with the influx of people and eateries, Sullivan believes he has an advantage over Middletown's chain restaurants.\n\n\"I'm a bartender that owns a pub, so on any random Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, I get all of the waiters, waitresses and bartenders from those chains,\" he said. \"I don't care about their customers so much; I'll just take their staff. It's worked out very well for us.\"\n\nMIDDLETOWN NEWS\n\nDance queen has high hopes for Middletown golf club\n\nCrooked Hammock looks at Middletown to expand\n\nElectric upgrade prepares Middletown for more growth\n\nReach Jerry Smith at jsmith17@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JerrySmithTNJ.\n\nMiddletown's latest food offerings\n\nHere, in no particular order, are some of the latest restaurants to call Middletown home:\n\n• The Greene Turtle\n\n• Kiku Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar\n\n• Vino Vita at Fromage Culinaria\n\n• Marlena’s Mediterranean Deli\n\n• Broadway Diner\n\n• Chipotle\n\n• Panda Express\n\n• Rigatoni's Famous Crab Cakes\n\n• The Chicken House Restaurant\n\n• Texas Roadhouse\n\n• Wendy’s\n\n• Metro Pub and Grill", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2018/03/24"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/50-states/2021/04/26/josh-joust-wing-shortage-helping-canada-news-around-states/115745122/", "title": "Josh joust, wing shortage, helping Canada: News from around our ...", "text": "From USA TODAY Network and wire reports\n\nAlabama\n\nMontgomery: Tourist spending in the state dropped 20% last year at the height of pandemic lockdowns and business closings, but Alabama fared better than most during the coronavirus crisis, state tourism officials said. A statement from the Alabama Tourism Department said a travel consulting firm found a nationwide decline of 42% in travel expenditures, but the state’s decrease wasn’t as bad because spending was robust in Baldwin County, where the beach towns of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are located. State beaches, historically Alabama’s top tourist draw, were shut down early in the pandemic but reopened as the summer travel season was beginning. “Baldwin County’s success is all the more remarkable when you factor in that the beaches were closed for six weeks in the spring and one week due to a hurricane in the fall,” said Judy Ryals, chair of the board that oversees the agency. Visitors spent more than $13 billion on accommodations, travel, food, shopping and other items in the state in 2020, the department said. Tourism generated more than $18 billion in 2019 before the pandemic affected the state economy.\n\nAlaska\n\nBethel: The number of coronavirus cases in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is the lowest it has been since September. In the 14 days through Friday, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation announced 47 new cases, KYUK-AM reports. The number of new cases in the area in the past two weeks is almost 20 times lower than it was during a two-week span between Nov. 22 and Dec. 4, the peak of coronavirus cases in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.Coronavirus cases across the state have decreased since the new year. Vaccines were made available to all residents 16 or older in early March. Last week, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation reported that more than 60% of the region’s eligible population had been vaccinated against COVID-19. As of Friday, about 49% of state residents 16 or older had received at least one dose of vaccine. About 74% of those 65 or older had received at least one dose as of Friday. Roughly 42% of those 16 or older were fully vaccinated as of Friday.\n\nArizona\n\nMesa: Hundreds of people were expected to receive COVID-19 vaccines at an event geared toward the Asian American community at AZ International Marketplace throughout the weekend. The vaccination clinic was organized by the Arizona Korean Nurses Association and the Arizona Korean Association, in partnership with the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. Sun Jones, who spearheaded the effort by writing letters to Gov. Doug Ducey and Maricopa County to increase vaccine accessibility for the Asian American community, said she’s “so happy” to help serve those who may have struggled with technology or language barriers at other vaccination sites. About 70 volunteers were expected over the two-day period, most at least bilingual, Jones said. There were about 10 different languages represented by the volunteers present Saturday morning, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Laos and Filipino. Location was also a major factor when figuring out how to best reach the Asian American community. “Asian people are more familiar with Asian markets,” Jones said. “It’s easier to come and convenient for them. It’s a more comfortable setting than going to a sterile hall somewhere.”\n\nArkansas\n\nLittle Rock: The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences said it’s holding a mass vaccination clinic at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock next weekend. UAMS said the clinic will be held Saturday, May 1, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. People can make appointments by calling 501-526-2211 or going to vaccinesignup.uams.edu/mobileclinic, but walk-ins are welcome. UAMS will administer one dose of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine at the clinic. Arkansas on Thursday passed the 1 million mark of residents being partially or fully immunized. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 35% percent of the state’s population has received at least one dose of a vaccine. Nearly 699,000 people, or about 23% of the state’s population, have been fully immunized, the CDC said. The state’s coronavirus cases on Friday rose by 236 to 334,458 total since the pandemic began. The state’s COVID-19 deaths increased by five to 5,716, and its hospitalizations decreased by 18 to 153.\n\nCalifornia\n\nCamarillo: A freedom of information organization has sued Ventura County to obtain public records on COVID-19-related deaths and coronavirus outbreaks at workplaces. In a 10-page lawsuit filed Thursday in Ventura County Superior Court, the First Amendment Coalition asked for a court order compelling the county government to release records requested in January and March. The coalition says the records must be disclosed under the California Public Records Act, a long-standing law governing records of public agencies. The San Rafael-based coalition sought data for all nonresidential settings with three or more laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the request made in January, according to the lawsuit. Included were food and retail stores, gyms, restaurants, bars, government offices, places of worship, health care providers, residential care facilities, education settings and residential care facilities. The request was limited to the 10-month time period from March 1, 2020, through Jan. 5. County officials took almost a month to respond despite a 10-day requirement cited in the law and then said they were refusing to process the request, the coalition said in a news release.\n\nColorado\n\nDenver: The state can resume using the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine now that federal regulators have lifted an 11-day pause on the shot, public health leaders said. “We are happy to have this highly effective, one-dose vaccine back as an option for Coloradans,” Dr. Eric France with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said in a statement, the Denver Post reports. “We appreciate the caution the CDC and FDA took to evaluate the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and are ready to ramp back up distribution as quickly as possible.” The federal government paused use of the J&J shot – also called the Janssen vaccine – after 15 of the nearly 8 million people to receive vaccine developed a highly unusual kind of blood clot. All were women, and most were under age 50. Three died, and seven remain hospitalized. Ultimately, federal health officials decided that the one-dose vaccine is critical to fight the pandemic and that warnings about the small risk of clots could be issued to help younger women weigh which brand of vaccine they should use. The shot will be resumed in Colorado with an updated warning from the Food and Drug Administration. France said vaccine providers and recipients should review the updated vaccine fact sheets.\n\nConnecticut\n\nDanbury: Just under 40% of the inmates inside the federal prison complex in the city have refused the COVID-19 vaccine, according to federal officials. The Connecticut U.S. Attorney’s Office disclosed the latest vaccination numbers in a court filing Friday as part of a class-action lawsuit over an alleged failure to protect prisoners from the coronavirus inside the institution. There are currently 756 inmates at the Federal Correctional Institution Danbury, according to federal Bureau of Prisons website. Since the prison first began offering the vaccine to inmates in January, 296 have refused to take it, according to the filing from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. There are 327 inmates in the prison who have been fully inoculated and another 177 who have received their first dose, according to the filing. The new numbers come as prisoner advocates call on the government to do a better job educating inmates in the federal system about the benefits of vaccination. The U.S. Attorney’s Office points out in its filing that there have been no positive tests for the coronavirus in the general population at FCI Danbury since February. U.S. District Judge Michael Shea last year ordered the prison’s administration to identify those with high-risk health conditions for possible transfer to home confinement or compassionate release.\n\nDelaware\n\nDover: The state Division of Public Health offered drive-up vaccinations with no appointment or preregistration necessary at the Dover International Speedway on Saturday. The event marked the first time residents did not need an appointment to receive a COVID-19 inoculation in the state. The demand to receive a vaccine in Delaware has slightly decreased, and about half of the state’s eligible population has received at least one dose. Eligibility was open to any resident 18 or older who lives, works, receives health care or goes to college in Delaware. The vaccination effort ran from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and offered the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. It was the second to last weekend that the speedway vaccination event will run before NASCAR returns on May 14.\n\nDistrict of Columbia\n\nWashington: The Smithsonian announced Friday that it will be reopening seven of its museums and the National Zoo on a rolling basis throughout the month of May, WUSA-TV reports. Several of the museums had attempted to reopen last fall after shuttering in March, only to shut down again Nov. 23 due to the increase of COVID-19 cases nationwide. While the museums and zoo remain free, all Smithsonian institutions reopening will require timed-entry passes to monitor capacity limits and to help with social distancing. Viewing of the zoo’s newest panda cub, Xiao Qi Ji, will be limited for social distancing purposes and will require a separate, free timed-entry pass. Face coverings will be required for all visitors 2 and older at the Smithsonian facilities. Museum cafes will not be open, though restaurants and food trucks at the National Zoo will be available.\n\nFlorida\n\nMiami: A family accused of selling a toxic industrial bleach as a coronavirus cure through their church has been indicted on federal charges. A federal grand jury in Miami returned an indictment Thursday charging Mark Grenon, 62, and his sons, Jonathan, 34, Jordan, 26, and Joseph, 32, with one count each of conspiracy to commit fraud and two counts each of criminal contempt, according to court records. They face possible life sentences if convicted. Mark Grenon is the archbishop of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, based in Bradenton, Florida. The church sells chlorine dioxide as a “Miracle Mineral Solution,” officials said. The Grenons claim the solution can cure a vast variety of illnesses, including cancer, autism, malaria and COVID-19. A Miami federal judge last April ordered the church to stop selling the substance, but the order was ignored. When ingested, the solution sold by the Grenons becomes a bleach that is typically used for such things as treating textiles, industrial water, pulp and paper, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Authorities said ingesting these products is the same as drinking bleach and can be fatal.\n\nGeorgia\n\nVidalia: The Vidalia Onion Festival made a comeback over the weekend after the coronavirus forced its cancellation in 2020. Thousands typically attend the southeast Georgia celebration honoring the state’s famous sweet onion crop. “We’re just excited that we’re doing something,” Alexa Britton, one of the festival organizers, told WTOC-TV. “The community’s excited that we’re doing something.” The 2021 festival schedule included a concert by country singer Rodney Atkins, a fireworks display, a Vidalia onion recipe competition and the festival’s storied Vidalia onion eating contest. Organizers said attendees were encouraged, but not required, to wear masks. Extra handwashing and hand-sanitizing stations were set up throughout the festival.\n\nHawaii\n\nHonolulu: The city has committed to a new climate change plan to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2025 compared to levels present in 2015. Matthew Gonser, the executive director of the Honolulu Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency, said Thursday that the city’s carbon pollution had increased every year since 2017. “That’s why we need to really look at this plan of action, find the ways that we can immediately take action and drive those emissions down over time,” Gonser said. The Climate Action Plan is one tool the city is using to achieve its commitment to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2045. As part of the plan, the city will fully transition its vehicle fleet to electric or clean energy by 2035, including its 550 buses. Honolulu has three electric buses and expects to add about 14 more by the end of the year. The city also committed to exploring whether to install more protected bicycle lanes and electric vehicle charging stations. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi supported the plan and emphasized the need for action, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. “Plans are one thing; it’s how you react and what you do in the days and weeks ahead,” he said. “None of us have an ability to predict the future. We just know the inevitability of the impact on climate change.”\n\nIdaho\n\nBoise: Lawmakers on a state House panel introduced legislation Friday to allow the Legislature to go into recess without fully shutting down so that it can come back into session to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and other issues. The measure would allow Republican House Speaker Scott Bedke and Republican Senate President Pro-Tem Chuck Winder to reconvene the Legislature no later than Sept. 1. If the Legislature officially adjourned, only Republican Gov. Brad Little could call them back. Lawmakers are reluctant to put themselves in that position, arguing much of their role in government was usurped by Little last year during the early stages of the pandemic, when he declared an emergency and issued executive and health orders. The legislation came on day 103 of the legislative session, the third-longest in the state’s history, as lawmakers struggle in the endgame to wrap up the session but avoid being left on the sideline the rest of the year. “This is potentially a ticket out of here,” Republican House Majority Caucus Chair Megan Blanksma told the committee in introducing the measure. The legislation allows the recess without paying lawmakers up to $139 in daily expenses even though the Legislature would technically remain in session, saving the state money.\n\nIllinois\n\nSpringfield: The state House passed a bill Friday that would make COVID-19-related expansions to telehealth services permanent through state statute. The legislation introduced by Rep. Deb Conroy, D-Villa Park, aims to reduce barriers in access to virtual and telehealth services and would bring standards for virtual care in line with physical health services. Conroy said access to telehealth, which became a necessity for many Illinoisans at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, would bring lasting benefits in managing chronic health conditions. “Over the last year, we’ve seen firsthand evidence that telehealth preserves quality and safety, meets individual patient needs, decreases health care disparities, and protects public health,” Conroy said Friday. Additionally, Conroy said telehealth legislation passed by the state and federal government last year has allowed health care providers to “make significant, rapid investment in telehealth technology.” The bill – supported by a coalition of more than 35 health care providers, institutions and advocacy groups from around the state – prohibits geographic or facility restrictions on telehealth services and allows patients to be treated via telehealth in their home. It also protects patients from being charged additional fees by insurance providers for accessing telehealth services.\n\nIndiana\n\nIndianapolis: The number of counties seeing medium to high community spread of COVID-19 has risen from one to seven in a single week, and several of those are adjacent to Michigan, which has been experiencing the nation’s highest coronavirus case rate. Elkhart, LaPorte and Steuben counties, which share a border with Michigan, and Porter County, which sits across Lake Michigan from southwestern Michigan, are now in Indiana’s orange category, the state’s COVID-19 dashboard showed as of Wednesday. Benton, Jasper and Whitley counties are also in the orange category, which is Indiana’s second-riskiest rating for community spread, after the red category, in its color-coded count map. All seven of the orange category counties are in northern Indiana. Those seven are up from a single Indiana county, LaPorte County, rated in the category indicating medium to high community spread of COVID-19 during the week of April 12. Under Indiana’s COVID-19 risk criteria, when counties enter the orange category, the state health commissioner will work with local health and elected officials and take other steps intended to curtail the coronavirus spread, such as adding restrictions on social gatherings.\n\nIowa\n\nDes Moines: The state has asked the federal government to withhold more than one-quarter of its allotment of COVID-19 vaccines this week because demand has waned. The Iowa Department of Public Health said Saturday that the state declined to accept 18,300 of 34,300 doses of Moderna vaccine it was slated to receive this week and 3,510 of 46,800 doses of Pfizer vaccine. “Along with several other states, we are seeing a slowdown of vaccine administration, but we are working with our local partners and community leaders to determine where additional education is needed and to gain an understanding of the needs of each county’s unique population,” said Sarah Ekstrand, a spokeswoman for the state health department. Gov. Kim Reynolds said Wednesday that 43 of the state’s 99 counties had declined all or part of their weekly vaccine allocations for the week of April 26. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said nearly 55% of Iowa adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine, and more than 40% have been fully vaccinated against the disease. The state allotment of vaccines doesn’t include thousands of doses that are being distributed directly through a number of pharmacies and clinics in Iowa as part of a federal program.\n\nKansas\n\nOlathe: Elected officials in the state’s largest county are considering whether to get rid of a mask mandate, as a growing number of communities have done in recent weeks, and health officials aren’t opposing the move. The issue goes before the Johnson County commission Thursday, one day before the current mask order is set to expire, WDAF-TV reports. “As long as it is very clear to everyone that we have not achieved herd immunity and that we have a lot of work to do and that wearing masks continue to be important, we’ll be supportive of moving to strongly recommend masks,” said Dr. Sanmi Areola, the Director of the Johnson County Health Department. “There’s a lot of variables here that we can’t fully predict. And I think the prudent thing to do is for the board to be ready to take actions if and when they become necessary.” The county’s current order includes a goal of vaccinating about 50% of its residents who are 16 and older with at least one dose before lifting the mask mandate. That number stood at 45%, Areola said. Other counties that have ditched or weakened mask orders in recent weeks include Sedgwick County in the Wichita area and Shawnee County in the Topeka area.\n\nKentucky\n\nLouisville: The Kentucky State Fair will be open to the public this year, officials have decided. The Kentucky State Fair Board voted Thursday to hold the event Aug. 19-29, according to a statement from Kentucky Venues. Tickets will go on sale in July. Last year, the event was closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic. Some events were held, but only participants were allowed to attend. “The Kentucky State Fair is an important event for thousands of people around the Commonwealth and the economic activity created by the Fair will help Kentucky’s recovery,” Kentucky Venues President and CEO David S. Beck said in a statement. “While we will need to make adjustments to respond to COVID-19, we plan to produce as much of the Fair as safely possible.” Officials were beginning to plan and said specific information would be announced later. The annual event at the fairgrounds in Louisville features shows, exhibits and other entertainment.\n\nLouisiana\n\nBaton Rouge: Next month the city’s bus system will begin collecting fares for the first time in more than a year. The Capital Area Transit System said Thursday that drivers will resume requiring fares May 16. The system began waiving fares in April 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fare to ride a CATS bus is $1.75 per trip for most customers. CATS said it will continue using barriers, among other precautions, in its buses to protect drivers and riders from the coronavirus, news outlets report. “We take the health and safety of both our operators and the community seriously,” CATS CEO Bill Deville said. “We have waited to resume fare collection until we felt we could safely do so.” Officials say many other municipal transportation systems around the country waived fares to help passengers at the onset of the pandemic. Most agencies have been able to implement safeguards to resume collection, officials say. “While passenger fares do not comprise a large portion of our operating budget, we are also obligated to be fiscally responsible while we continue to connect customers to jobs and their community,” Deville said.\n\nMaine\n\nPortland: Officials are urging more precaution in schools due to rising numbers of coronavirus cases in some parts of the state. The administration of Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has been using a color-coded system to identify the level of risk of transmission of the virus at schools. Every county had been listed as “green,” the lowest-risk category, but the administration said Friday that it is adding Androscoggin, Kennebec, Oxford and Somerset counties to the moderate “yellow” category. The governor’s office also said Franklin and York counties are being monitored closely because of rising positivity rates. “Androscoggin has experienced a sharp rise in cases over the last two weeks, with a new case rate more than double the statewide average. Kennebec, Oxford and Somerset counties all have new case rates that exceed the state average, and both Oxford and Somerset counties have two-week positivity rates that exceed the state average,” the Maine Department of Education said in a statement. School districts in the “yellow” counties are advised to consider additional coronavirus precautions and hybrid instruction modes to reduce the number of people in classrooms at once, the education department has said.\n\nMaryland\n\nBaltimore: The state’s public higher education system will require that students, faculty and staff returning to campuses in the fall be vaccinated against COVID-19. University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay Perman announced the decision in a statement Friday. The system will allow appropriate exemptions for medical or religious reasons, the statement said. “If we examine the data – and there is an extraordinary accumulation of data – we see that the risk of vaccines is very low, whereas the risk of COVID is very high. And that risk is increasingly falling on young people,” Perman said. Across the country, colleges have been divided on the issue. Some private universities have recently told students they must get vaccinated, but other schools are leaving the decision to students. The Maryland system said it would also continue with other mitigation strategies like pre-arrival coronavirus testing, surveillance testing and public health interventions like masking. The system includes 12 universities and three regional higher education centers serving about 135,000 undergraduate and about 41,000 graduate students, according to its website.\n\nMassachusetts\n\nBoston: The state was one of several to receive a shout-out from the White House for its efforts to vaccinate as much of the adult population as possible. White House coronavirus adviser Andy Slavitt tweeted Friday that eight states have now vaccinated more than 60% of adults with a first shot, with neighboring Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont also making the list, along with Maine. “All of them have turned the corner on the number of cases & hospitalizations. Well done. Let’s all get there,” Slavitt tweeted. More than 3.2 million Massachusetts residents have received first doses, and about 2.2 million people have been fully immunized. Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Karyn Spilka has received her first COVID-19 shot. The Republican got inoculated Friday at Worcester State University. Spilka, 54, became eligible after the state opened up vaccine eligibility last Monday to anyone 16 or over. Gov. Charlie Baker, 64, received his first dose earlier this month after the state opened eligibility to residents 55 and older. Baker has set a target of immunizing 4.1 million residents by the Fourth of July. He has also hinted that changes could be coming later this month to some of the state’s mandates, although he said now isn’t the time for people to let their guard down.\n\nMichigan\n\nLansing: The University of Michigan will require COVID-19 shots for students who live on its Ann Arbor campus this fall, school officials announced Friday. President Mark Schlissel said vaccinations will not be mandated for faculty, staff and other students “at this time,” but he strongly encouraged everyone to get inoculated. The requirement will allow residence halls to operate safely at nearly normal capacity, he said, after there were more than 600 infections in dorms last fall despite a mask requirement and other restrictions. In the weeks ahead, the university will start to excuse vaccinated students from mandatory coronavirus testing. Those who are fully vaccinated will not have to self-quarantine after being exposed to someone with the virus, as long as those vaccinated students don’t have symptoms. About 9,700, or 31%, of undergraduate students typically live on campus, as do 2,400 graduate students. “In order for a campus to fully recover from the effects of the pandemic, we need everyone who can be to be vaccinated,” Schlissel said in a Zoom update to the campus community, adding that officials were considering several unspecified vaccination incentives. Students must provide proof of their vaccination or an approved exemption by mid-July.\n\nMinnesota\n\nSt. Paul: Coronavirus case rates are rising across the state, affecting younger people, especially middle and high school students. State health officials said Thursday that the number of school-related COVID-19 cases reported last week among students had exceeded the peak seen during a surge of cases in November. “The last month-plus has been very worrisome – especially among younger Minnesotans,” Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said Thursday. Still, Minnesota Public Radio reports, officials are not planning to issue sweeping recommendations or orders for schools to switch students to distance learning. Instead, they’re ramping up testing opportunities to make it easier for students to get weekly or biweekly coronavirus tests. Changes to Minnesota’s Safe Learning Plan – which governs how schools operate throughout the pandemic – mean that, despite record COVID-19 spread among students, more than 90% of schools are still offering some form of in-person learning. The majority of Minnesota school staff have now had the opportunity to be vaccinated, but the teachers union Education Minnesota reported Thursday that six school staffers have now died of COVID-19 infections linked to schools, including three since February.\n\nMississippi\n\nJackson: As vaccine demand declines, state officials have asked the federal government to ship vials in smaller packages so they don’t go to waste. Small-town pharmacist Robin Jackson has been practically begging anyone in the community of Verona to show up and get shots after she received her first shipment of vaccine earlier this month and demand was weak, despite placing yard signs outside her storefront celebrating the shipment’s arrival. She was wasting more vaccine than she was giving out and started coaxing family members into the pharmacy for shots. “Nobody was coming,” she said. “And I mean no one.” Barbara Gennaro, a stay-at-home mother of two small children in Yazoo City, said everybody in her homeschooling community is against getting the vaccine. Gennaro said she generally avoids vaccinations for her family in general, and the COVID-19 vaccine is no different. “All of the strong Christians that I associate with are against it,” she said. “Fear is what drives people to get the vaccine – plain and simple. The stronger someone’s trust is in the Lord, the least likely they are to want the vaccine or feel that it’s necessary.”\n\nMissouri\n\nColumbia: About 1,500 University of Missouri graduates who didn’t get the chance to walk across the stage last year because of the pandemic were expected to return to campus over the weekend for a long-delayed celebration. The Columbia Missourian reports Annie Adrian was bringing her 7-week-old son, Nico, with her, along with her parents and two sisters, to mark the milestone. “I took the idea of walking for granted once the pandemic began,” said Adrian, who majored in hospitality management. “It will be even more special now because my son will get to see me graduate. It was a huge motivation for coming back.” Graduates were able to get up to six tickets for family and friends to gather in “pods” at a social distance from each other, with mandatory masks, in Mizzou Arena and the Hearnes Center. Mawa Iqbal, a December graduate, returned from Dayton, Ohio. Iqbal, who majored in convergence journalism, is a first-generation college graduate and the daughter of immigrants from Pakistan. “I think my parents are more excited than I am,” she said. “This is a huge deal for my family.” Commencement ceremonies for 2021 graduates are planned for the first two weekends in May.\n\nMontana\n\nBrowning: With a surplus of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the Blackfeet Nation last week began offering COVID-19 shots to members of the Blackfoot Confederacy in Canada and residents of Cardston, Alberta. James McNeely, the tribe’s public information officer, estimated it has vaccinated about 98% of adult reservation residents. He said the tribe’s ability to offer the vaccine to fellow members of the confederacy made him emotional. “Many of the folks cried today when they were able to get vaccinated,” he said in a statement. “We see it as an opportunity to help those in need, and that’s how First Nations people are on both sides of the border: generous and kind.” The Blackfeet Nation on Tuesday and Wednesday set up a mobile vaccination site at the Peigan-Carway Medicine Line crossing for people ages 16 and older. They administered 400 vaccine doses over the course of two days, according to a news release. The Blackfeet Nation will hold another mobile vaccination clinic Wednesday and Thursday at the Peigan-Carway Border Crossing.\n\nNebraska\n\nLincoln: A fight over the name Josh drew a crowd from around the country to a local park Saturday for a heated pool-noodle brawl. It all started a year ago when pandemic boredom set in, and Josh Swain, a 22-year-old college student from Tucson, Arizona, messaged others who shared his name on social media and challenged them to a duel. Hundreds showed up at Air Park in Lincoln – a location chosen at random – to participate in the silliness. The festivities started with a “grueling and righteous battle of Rock, Paper, Scissors” between the Josh Swain from Arizona and another Josh Swain from Omaha. KLKN-TV reports the Arizona student won that competition, allowing him to claim the title of “the true Josh Swain.” The pool-noodle competition that followed was open to anyone with the first name Josh. The victor of that competition was a 5-year-old, who was coronated with a Burger King crown. Swain, the organizer, said he is a little surprised about how the whole thing blew up. “I did not expect people to be as adamant about this as they are right now,” he said.\n\nNevada\n\nReno: The number of fentanyl-related deaths more than doubled in Washoe County in 2020, in part due to pandemic-related stress. Washoe County Chief Medical Examiner Laura Knight said stress and easier access to the opioid contributed to the spike, from 25 deaths in 2019 to 56 in 2020. So far this year, nine fentanyl-related deaths, all in January, have been confirmed. Knight said pending cases are awaiting toxicology reports. “It doesn’t appear to me that the trend is slowing down, unfortunately,” she said. Clark County has also seen an increase in fentanyl-related deaths, according to a press statement released last summer. The home of Las Vegas reported 63 fentanyl-related deaths from January to July of 2020, a 125% increase from the fentanyl-related deaths in the same time period in 2019, according to the press statement. Knight said people used the drug as a coping mechanism for stressors such as changes in employment and income, housing and health concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Fentanyl also contributed to relapses for those recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, she said.\n\nNew Hampshire\n\nConcord: Courts will be gradually expanding in-person operations to the public, starting with the state Supreme Court, which is allowing the public to its clerk’s office and law library as of Tuesday. In-person oral arguments at the court will resume May 5. At the superior court, in-person hearings will be expanded to include suppression; contested pleas, sentencings and violations of probation; drug court termination hearings; contested civil hearings; and bench trials. The circuit court will resume in-person final hearings in domestic violence or stalking cases and in adjudicatory hearings in abuse and neglect cases. The superior and circuit courts will stay open for parties of scheduled hearings, those reporting for jury service, emergency relief, landlord and tenant cases. Court officials said by developing a COVID-19 jury trial protocol, switching to video and telephonic hearings, and equipping staff for remote operations, the superior court was able to avoid a case processing backlog. More than 44,170 hearings were conducted in 11 superior courts during the pandemic, and 24 jury trials have been held since August 2020. All superior courts are now conducting jury trials.\n\nNew Jersey\n\nTrenton: Demand for COVID-19 vaccines appears to be waning, prompting Gov. Phil Murphy to shift the state’s focus to outreach so that enough residents are inoculated to ensure a return to near-normalcy by early summer. The number of vaccinations began to drop last week for the first time since the rollout began in December – a development Murphy said was “the beginning of a phase where we need to be proactive” to get people protected. Almost 2.6 million New Jerseyans are fully vaccinated, about halfway toward the goal of 4.7 million, or 70% of the state’s adult population. That goal is considered key to controlling the coronavirus by reducing the number of people susceptible to it so that it gradually fades away. The decline in daily vaccinations administered is a reversal after months of demand outstripping supply. For the first few months of the year, New Jerseyans spent days on websites trying to book appointments, while some traveled across the state to get a coveted shot. But last week saw thousands of appointments available across the state that likely went unfilled, especially in South Jersey. Same-day appointments were easy to get even in busy North Jersey. “We’re going to need to be much more offensive to get the rest of the 4.7 million across the goal line,” Murphy said Wednesday.\n\nNew Mexico\n\nSanta Fe: At least half of the state’s K-12 students ventured into a classroom for at least one day last week, as COVID-19 shots become easier to get for people 16 and older, state officials said. About 160,500 students were recorded as attending school in person, or about half of New Mexico’s total K-12 enrollment, according to state data made public Wednesday. With only 80% of districts and charters reporting, the true number was likely higher. State education officials asked school districts and charters to reopen to full-time, in-person learning April 5. A small number have not reopened due to tribal health orders. “As expected, New Mexico is now offering in-person instruction to every student who wants it in all but a handful of cases,” Education Secretary Ryan Stewart said Thursday. “New Mexico has 840 individual schools, and only 17 have had to return temporarily to remote instruction.” Stewart called it a good sign that safety protocols are working as intended and that in-person learning can proceed with only minimal and temporary disruptions. In addition, New Mexico has lifted pandemic-based restrictions on attendance at houses of worship in response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision that prevents states from enforcing capacity limits on churches that are more restrictive than those on other entities.\n\nNew York\n\nNew York: Appointments are no longer mandatory at any of the COVID-19 vaccination sites run by the city, including its newest and maybe coolest location: beneath the giant blue whale at the Museum of Natural History. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday that the city will now accept walk-ins at all its clinics. “You can just walk up and get vaccinated,” he said. That includes at the museum’s Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, dominated by a 94-foot-long model of a blue whale that appears to float through the air. Inoculations in the hall began Friday. The whale now sports a bandage on one of its fins, like the ones health care workers are sticking on people’s arms after they get a shot. The expansion of walk-in service comes as supplies of the vaccine have increased. Just weeks ago, most people trying to get an appointment for a vaccination in the nation’s biggest city had to game online appointment systems in which scarce slots would be snapped up in moments. But in recent days, tens of thousands of appointments have been available at any given moment, though arranging them still requires planning and a degree of computer savvy. A week ago the city began offering walk-up vaccinations to everyone age 50 and over. De Blasio said it went well enough that the city is now doing the same for people of all ages.\n\nNorth Carolina\n\nAsheville: A shortage of chicken wings is proving a strange new pandemic complication. If things get worse, Rich Cundiff joked, he’ll have to start listing wings on the menu at his Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack restaurants at “market price.” The price of chicken in general has been unstable, but cost on wings spiked 56% last quarter, he said. Chicken wing prices often rise and fall with the rhythm of sports events, reaching their zenith around the Super Bowl. This year, however, wing costs did not recede. “It’s not just chicken wings – it’s a lot of things, to be honest,” said Cody Stokes, a sales consultant with Sysco, a major food service distribution company. Demand is putting pressure on beef, with meat plants still struggling to catch up, he said. Processing plants have labor issues like seemingly everyone else, putting a strain on everything from ribs to bacon. “So much comes down to labor issues in the supply chain,” Stokes said. The current – and very likely temporary – wing shortage is also based in part on pent-up demand, with people going back to bars and staying out later. Wings, like pizza, also travel well for takeout, Stokes said. And backyard barbecues are back in full force. All that has driven up demand for chicken wings by 20%-30%, even as production dropped 20%-30%, Stokes estimated.\n\nNorth Dakota\n\nBismarck: The state’s universities have required students to get certain vaccines, but the COVID-19 shot will not be one of them. Jerry Rostad, vice chancellor for the North Dakota University System, said officials are doing everything they can to encourage students and staff to get inoculated but won’t mandate it. He said any change to that plan would be based on action by the state Health Department or the Legislature, not from the university system. The currently available vaccines are only approved for emergency use, Rostad noted. Cara Helgren, vice president of student affairs at University of North Dakota, said UND has been following the same path. “While we have not required the COVID vaccine at this point, we are certainly making COVID-19 testing available and educating on what we know works,” she said. But the school has begun providing the vaccine for students who want it. Dickinson State University has taken a different approach, allowing students to be exempt from the school’s mask mandate two weeks after their final dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Debra Haman, director of health and counselling for Minot State University, said the campus has held vaccination clinics on campus but does not plan to require the shots for students or staff.\n\nOhio\n\nCincinnati: A clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine variant is underway at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical, and researchers are seeking adult participants. The trial is for a Moderna booster that is expected to guard against the B.1.135 coronavirus variant, which was originally identified in South Africa. The B.1.351 strain and others can spread more easily, dodge some treatments and immunities, or both, leaving them a threat even as more Americans get vaccinated. “While it appears the variant is more easily passed from one person to another, and the variant has a higher rate of infection, currently there is no evidence that this variant has any impact on disease severity,” said Dr. Robert Frenck, director of the Cincinnati Children’s Gamble Vaccine Research Center. “So, while more people may get mild illness, the variant does not seem to cause a higher percentage of infected people to be hospitalized or die from the virus.” The trial needs 30 to 50 adult participants who have not been infected with the virus or received any COVID-19 vaccine. An online screening form is available on the Cincinnati Children’s site. Volunteers will be compensated up to $950 for their time.\n\nOklahoma\n\nOklahoma City: At least one person in the state has died due to COVID-19 after receiving a vaccine, deputy state epidemiologist Jolianne Stone said Friday. “We are still doing an investigation on that particular case,” and no other information was immediately available, Stone said. More than 2.5 million vaccinations have been administered in Oklahoma, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stone said 137 Oklahomans have contracted the coronavirus after being vaccinated, and nine have been hospitalized. The rolling average of new coronavirus cases in Oklahoma each day has declined by 59.3% during the past two weeks, according to data from Johns Hopkins University on Saturday. The data showed the daily average decreased by 351.3, from 592.3 on April 8 to 241 on Thursday. There have been 95 new cases per 100,000 people during the past two weeks in Oklahoma, which ranks 48th in the nation for new cases per capita. The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported 202 people hospitalized with the virus Friday. The health department, which no longer provides daily case counts and death tolls, on Friday reported 446,550 total cases since the pandemic began and 8,206 deaths based on data provided to the CDC.\n\nOregon\n\nPortland: As coronavirus cases continue to surge, officials warned Friday that one-third of the state’s counties are at risk of increased restrictions – again – including limiting restaurants to outdoor dining and closing gyms. “A few weeks ago, I came before you to say we are concerned that we would have a fourth surge of COVID-19 in Oregon. Unfortunately today that surge is here,” Gov. Kate Brown said at a news conference. “Right now, in the race between vaccines and variants, the variants are gaining ground and have the upper hand.” Brown, who anticipates being able to lift most pandemic restrictions and reopen the economy by the end of June if people continue to follow safety measures and get vaccinated, said Oregon is critically close to being overwhelmed. Dean Sidelinger, the state health officer, said new modeling shows that “the rate of transmission surpassed the most pessimistic scenario of three weeks ago.” He said that “if that spread continues unabated, our hospitals risk being swamped.” In early March, the state’s coronavirus positivity rate was 3.9%. It was 5.7% Thursday. In addition, COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased by 39% over the past week and 109% since the beginning of March. As a result, a couple of hospitals are already starting to scale back on elective surgeries.\n\nPennsylvania\n\nHarrisburg: Republican lawmakers must do more to encourage conservative voters in the state to get vaccinated, according to members of the Committee to Protect Medicare, a national political action group formed in 2016 by health care workers. “On every shift, I meet patients who think the pandemic is a hoax,” said Dr. Max Cooper, an emergency room physician and co-leader of the Committee to Protect Medicare Pennsylvania. “Patients say that the vaccine could give them COVID-19, and they say that they got this information from people who they trust.” Pennsylvania is already showing signs of slowing demand for the COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Tom Wolf said Wednesday at a community pharmacy in Dauphin County. “People must recognize this is not just about them,” Wolf said. “You’re doing this as an act of compassion. You’re doing something that’s going to help people around you.” Dr. Meaghan Reid, also co-leader of the state committee, pointed to specific remarks by some conservative leaders on vaccines. “State Rep. Russ Diamond has stated that he won’t get vaccinated, even going so far on social media as to falsely refer to vaccines as poison,” Reid said. Diamond has posted that people aren’t getting vaccinated because they have no faith in state government “fear porn.”\n\nRhode Island\n\nNorth Smithfield: A man has been accused of assaulting a worker at a Walmart store in the town over an apparent dispute about a mask. WJAR-TV reports North Smithfield police said the man got into a confrontation with the worker, who is under 18, on Tuesday. Police said the worker asked the man to put a mask on his toddler, then walked away saying he was going to get a manager. The man grabbed the employee, put him in a chokehold and punched him, according to police. The worker had a bruise but didn’t seek medical treatment. Police said they contacted Michael Caro, 34, of Woonsocket after receiving a tip. Caro turned himself in, was charged with simple assault and battery and disorderly conduct, and was released with a court summons.\n\nSouth Carolina\n\nGreenville: State public health officials are reiterating their commitment to getting to herd immunity, or about 70% to 80% of the population vaccinated. The state is lagging national vaccination rates, with about 40% of South Carolina residents 16 and up partly vaccinated and about 28% fully vaccinated, according to data from the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. More than 52% of the nation’s residents over age 18 have started the vaccine process, and 35% have finished, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Getting vaccinated carries a lot of benefits, said Dr. Brannon Traxler, South Carolina’s director of public health. “If you want to go to a friend’s place, and both of you are vaccinated, you don’t need to worry as much about masking and distance,” she said. In a moderate shift, Traxler said wastage of doses has become less concerning than getting more people to get doses. During the early days of vaccinations, state officials urged a zero-waste policy, which meant that the vials, once opened, needed to be given out completely even if it required significant steps to find willing recipients on short notice. Traxler said wastage is still a concern, but the state has likely crossed the threshold from supply to demand being the biggest problem.\n\nSouth Dakota\n\nSioux Falls: A local man has undergone a double lung transplant after suffering complications from COVID-19. Nathan Foote, 42, suffered severe pneumonia after contracting the disease in October and underwent severe scarring in his lungs. Doctors said he needed to get a double transplant, or he would likely die in hospice care. He was placed on the transplant list in February at the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis. He was offered two potential matches, but both fell through because of changes in the donors’ health. He finally underwent the procedure April 10 – a surgery that lasted eight hours. A few days later, he took his first breath on his own in six months. Foote said he’s still in pain, and he’s still eating through a feeding tube. He’s also trying to teach himself how to walk again. “I didn’t think I’d ever make it this far,” he said. “I did my part even when they told me I was going to die because I didn’t believe that.”\n\nTennessee\n\nNashville: The concert industry has weathered a variety of storms in the past, but all bets were off when the pandemic brought in-person gatherings to a halt, seemingly overnight. More than a year later, as a return to normalcy looms on the horizon, the city – country music, in particular – is leading the way. The floodgates began to open earlier this month when Eric Church, Kane Brown, Thomas Rhett, Brothers Osborne, Chris Stapleton and others out of Nashville confirmed tour dates for late summer and fall 2021. “Everybody’s working so hard to get the right plan together,” Rhett said. A return to touring signals confidence in artists, promoters and venue owners to host mass gatherings as soon as July. Likewise, city leaders announced last week that Brad Paisley will headline a downtown Fourth of July concert – a night described by officials as the city’s “first major post-pandemic event.” The reasons Music City is in the driver’s seat for the return of major concerts and tours have been baked into the country music market for decades. As rules for in-person gatherings continue to vary state-by-state, it remains difficult for pop artists to plan, for example, a six-week tour across the U.S. with the occasional day off. In the country world, however, it’s long been common practice for tours to be a long series of weekend runs.\n\nTexas\n\nAustin: More than 1.7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses are headed the state’s way this week, health officials said Friday. The Texas Department of State Health Services said 708,460 first doses of the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been allocated to 928 providers in 129 counties, while 570,520 second doses also have been ordered. An estimated 470,000 first and second doses were allocated to pharmacies, federally qualified health centers and dialysis centers. Also, with the federal pause on the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine now lifted, the state has told providers they can resume giving that vaccine. So far, more than 23.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been distributed to Texas, and more than 36% of the state’s population has received at least one dose, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 24% of the population has been fully immunized. New Texas COVID-19 cases were reported at below-average levels Friday, but new deaths were above the seven-day rolling average computed by Johns Hopkins University researchers. State health officials reported 3,306 new cases and 69 deaths, compared with averages of 3,403 new cases and 54 deaths per day.\n\nUtah\n\nSalt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is encouraging missionaries across the globe to be vaccinated against COVID-19 but is not requiring it. The faith’s Missionary Department made the latest appeal Friday, asking full-time proselytizers to “safeguard themselves and others,” the Salt Lake Tribune reports. The release reaffirmed the faith’s policy that people can make their own decisions on vaccinations but said those who choose not to be immunized will be assigned to a mission in their home country. Young U.S. missionaries planning to travel outside the country on or after Aug. 1 should be vaccinated before they leave, the release said. Older senior missionaries may go after they have been vaccinated. In January, the faith released a statement encouraging members, employees and missionaries to be “good global citizens” by getting inoculated. Latter-day Saint Charities, the faith’s humanitarian arm, also donated $20 million to UNICEF this year for a worldwide COVID-19 vaccination push.\n\nVermont\n\nBurlington: The Vermont Brewers Festival has been sidelined for second year in a row because of COVID-19 restrictions. “Our brewers have been working hard to keep their businesses going through this pandemic and we want to give them the time and space to focus on their brewery this summer,” the Vermont Brewers Association announced this month on social media. “Based on a myriad of factors, we have decided it is best not to host our festival in July 2021.” Planning for the festival that draws a sold-out crowd to the Burlington waterfront traditionally starts in early January. Since the state only recently outlined a phased reopening plan with a goal of being largely back to normal by July 4, organizers did not have enough time to plan the event. The Vermont Brewers Association recommends that beer fans visit taprooms to have a beer or take it home, calling that “the best way you can support the brewing industry right now.” Vermont reported 96 new confirmed COVID-19 cases Sunday for a statewide total since the pandemic began of more than 22,500. A total of 23 people were hospitalized with five in intensive care. With no new deaths reported Sunday, the state’s total stands at 244.\n\nVirginia\n\nAlexandria: Longtime residents of the Southern Towers apartment complex – many of whom have had to rely on a federal moratorium on evictions during the pandemic – fear they will be squeezed out when the government mandate ends, in large part to make room for high-earning tenants who will be working at Amazon’s second headquarters in nearby Crystal City. Southern Towers tenants, composed mostly of African immigrants, see warning signs all around: Los Angeles-based CIM Group bought the complex of five 16-story buildings last year for half a billion dollars, at a time when investors and speculators are clamoring to get in on the region’s housing market as construction on the headquarters gets underway. A study by management consulting firm Radish LLC on behalf of African Communities Together, a community activist group that is lending support to Southern Towers tenants, found that CIM initiated 262 eviction cases – about 10% of all units at Southern Towers – since it took over the property. In a statement, CIM said it has no plans to turn the towers into luxury housing for Amazon employees and has worked hard to accommodate tenants facing eviction, including helping them obtain more than $1 million in rental assistance. The company said it currently has only 35 unresolved eviction cases.\n\nWashington\n\nSeattle: Mayor Jenny Durkan’s office says the city and its partners will have more than 52,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to administer this week in the largest single-week allocation received to date. The city expects this level of supply to continue or increase, and if public demand continues, Seattle could vaccinate 70% of its residents and workers by the end of May, the mayor’s office said in a news release Friday. “After constant advocacy, I’m thrilled that Seattle is starting to receive an allocation to actually vaccinate our communities at scale,” Durkan said. Everyone age 16 or older in King County who hasn’t received a COVID-19 shot should sign up for the city’s vaccination appointment notification list, the news release said. People can call 206-684-2489 for help joining the list. Once signed up, people will receive an email when vaccination appointments become available at four city-affiliated sites in North Seattle, Rainier Beach, West Seattle and the Lumen Field Event Center. People 60 and older can be vaccinated without an appointment at the Rainier Beach and West Seattle locations.\n\nWest Virginia\n\nCharleston: Gov. Jim Justice said Friday that the state is planning a “real aggressive program” to revive its sluggish vaccination campaign. “We have hit a wall,” the Republican governor said. Federal data shows about 39% of the population has received at least one dose, and just over 31% is fully vaccinated. Officials said they will target people who either are reluctant to get a shot or haven’t found a convenient enough chance yet. In Charleston, the state will partner with local businesses downtown to make vaccines available to all employees and customers, said James Hoyer, a retired major general leading the state’s coronavirus task force. Justice said more steps would be announced in the coming days to try to turn around a vaccination drive that briefly led the nation early in the year. He said that will include outreach to people who are “stubborn or fearful” about being vaccinated. Justice also said the state has asked the federal government to deliver future vaccine doses in smaller vials, in reaction to demand slipping and an attempt to avoid wasted doses once the vials are opened. Last week, he said the statewide mask mandate may stay in place until 70% of eligible residents are vaccinated. Among residents 65 and over, more than 77% have received at least one dose, Justice said.\n\nWisconsin\n\nMadison: Gov. Tony Evers on Friday vetoed Republican-backed bills that would have prevented health officials from mandating COVID-19 vaccines and allowed churches to be closed during the pandemic. Evers said in his veto messages that he objected to the bills because they limited his ability to respond to the pandemic. The action has little immediate effect. There is no state order limiting how many people can gather in churches or any indoor venue, and there are no mandates in place from state or local health officials requiring vaccines for the general population. The vetoes come after Evers on Thursday vetoed a package of Republican bills seeking to spend $3.2 billion in federal coronavirus relief aid. The law gives the governor the power to distribute that money. Meanwhile, Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson questioned the need for widespread COVID-19 vaccinations, saying in a radio interview, “What do you care if your neighbor has one or not?” Johnson, who has no medical expertise or background, made the comments Thursday during an interview with conservative talk radio host Vicki McKenna. Health experts say reaching herd immunity by getting a large majority of people vaccinated is the best shot at stopping the uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus.\n\nWyoming\n\nCheyenne: Gov. Mark Gordon has allowed a bill that slightly changes the state’s public health order process to become law without his signature despite calling it “premature.” The legislation would limit local public health orders that restrict the movements of non-quarantined people to no more than 10 days unless extensions are approved by a corresponding elected body, such as a county commission, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports. The bill applies to orders that mandate business closures or gathering restrictions. The bill was advanced after lawmakers decided on a compromise not to include state lawmakers in the public health order process. Some lawmakers raised concerns about how the changes could affect different areas of public health, such as in water supply emergencies. Another portion of the bill, sponsored by Republican House Speaker Eric Barlow, addresses who appoints the state’s public health officer. Currently, the director of the Wyoming Department of Health is tasked with selecting the state health officer. The bill reassigns that task to the governor. Gordon said that portion of the bill “solves a problem the governor never had” because he already had the ability to remove the state health officer and the health department director.\n\nFrom USA TODAY Network and wire reports", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/04/26"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_7", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:30", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/05/china/china-billion-people-data-leak-intl-hnk/index.html", "title": "China data leak: Nearly one billion people had their personal data ...", "text": "(CNN) A massive online database apparently containing the personal information of up to one billion Chinese citizens was left unsecured and publicly accessible for more than a year -- until an anonymous user in a hacker forum offered to sell the data and brought it to wider attention last week.\n\nThe leak could be one of the biggest ever recorded in history, cybersecurity experts say, highlighting the risks of collecting and storing vast amounts of sensitive personal data online -- especially in a country where authorities have broad and unchecked access to such data.\n\nThe vast trove of Chinese personal data had been publicly accessible via what appeared to be an unsecured backdoor link -- a shortcut web address that offers unrestricted access to anyone with knowledge of it -- since at least April 2021, according to LeakIX, a site that detects and indexes exposed databases online.\n\nAccess to the database, which did not require a password, was shut down after an anonymous user advertised the more than 23 terabytes (TB) of data for sale for 10 bitcoin -- roughly $200,000 -- in a post on a hacker forum last Thursday.\n\nThe user claimed the database was collated by the Shanghai police and contained sensitive information on one billion Chinese nationals, including their names, addresses, mobile numbers, national ID numbers, ages and birthplaces, as well as billions of records of phone calls made to police to report on civil disputes and crimes.\n\nA sample of 750,000 data entries from the three main indexes of the database was included in the seller's post. CNN verified the authenticity of more than two dozen entries from the sample provided by the seller, but was unable to access the original database.\n\nThe Shanghai government and police department did not respond to CNN's repeated written requests for comment.\n\nThe seller also claimed the unsecured database had been hosted by Alibaba Cloud, a subsidiary of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. When reached by CNN for comment on Monday, Alibaba said \"we are looking into this\" and would communicate any updates. On Wednesday, Alibaba said it declined to comment.\n\nBut experts CNN spoke with said it was the owner of the data who was at fault, not the company hosting it.\n\n\"As it stands today, I believe this would be the largest leak of public information yet -- certainly in terms of the breadth of the impact in China , we're talking about most of the population here,\" said Troy Hunt, a Microsoft regional director based in Australia.\n\nChina is home to 1.4 billion people, which means the data breach could potentially affect more than 70% of the population.\n\n\"It's a little bit of a case where the genie is not going to be able to go back in the bottle. Once the data is out there in the form it appears to be now, there's no going back,\" said Hunt.\n\nIt is unclear how many people have accessed or downloaded the database during the 14 months or more it was left publicly available online. Two Western cybersecurity experts who spoke to CNN were both aware of the existence of the database before it was thrust into the public spotlight last week, suggesting it could be easily discovered by people who knew where to look.\n\nVinny Troia, a cybersecurity researcher and founder of dark web intelligence firm Shadowbyte, said he first discovered the database \"around January\" while searching for open databases online.\n\n\"The site that I found it on is public, anybody (could) access it, all you have to do is register for an account,\" Troia said. \"Since it was opened in April 2021, any number of people could have downloaded the data,\" he added.\n\nTroia said he downloaded one of the main indexes of the database, which appears to contain information on nearly 970 million Chinese citizens. But it was difficult to judge whether the open access was an oversight from the owners of the database, or if it was an intentional shortcut intended to be shared among a small number of people, he said.\n\n\"Either they forgot about it, or they intentionally left it open because it's easier for them to access,\" he said, referring to the authorities responsible for the database. \"I don't know why they would. It sounds very careless.\"\n\nUnsecured personal data -- exposed through leaks, breaches, or some form of incompetence -- is an increasingly common problem faced by companies and governments around the world, and cybersecurity experts say it is not unusual to find databases that are left open to public access.\n\nIn 2018, Trioa discovered that a Florida-based marketing firm exposed close to 2 TB of data that appeared to include personal information on hundreds of millions of American adults on a publicly accessible server, according to Wired\n\nIn 2019, Victor Gevers, a Dutch cybersecurity researcher, found an online database containing names, national ID numbers, birth dates and location data of more than 2.5 million people in China's far-western region of Xinjiang, which was left unprotected for months by Chinese firm SenseNets Technology, according to Reuters\n\nBut the latest data leak is particularly worrying, cybersecurity researchers say, not only because of its potentially unprecedented volume, but also the sensitive nature of the information contained.\n\nA CNN analysis of the database sample found police records of cases spanning nearly two decades from 2001 to 2019. While the majority of the entries are civil disputes, there are also records of criminal cases ranging from fraud to rape.\n\nIn one case, a Shanghai resident was summoned by police in 2018 for using a virtual private network (VPN​) to ​evade China's firewall and access Twitter​, allegedly retweeting \"reactionary remarks involving the (Communist) Party, politics and leaders.\"\n\nIn another record, a mother called the police in 2010, accusing her father-in-law of raping her 3-year-old daughter.\n\n\"There could be domestic violence, child abuse, all sorts of things in there, that to me is a lot more worrying,\" said Hunt, the Microsoft regional director.\n\n\"Might this lead to extortion? We often see extortion of individuals after data leaks, examples where hackers can even try to ransom individuals.\"\n\nThe Chinese government has recently stepped up efforts to improve protection of online user data privacy. Last year, the country passed its first Personal Information Protection Law , laying out ground rules on how personal data should be collected, used and stored. But experts have raised concerns that while the law can regulate technology companies, it could be challenging to enforce when applied to the Chinese state.\n\nBob Diachenko, a security researcher based in Ukraine, first came upon the database in April. In mid-June, his company detected that the database was attacked by an unknown malicious actor, who destroyed and copied the data and left a ransom note demanding 10 bitcoin for its recovery, Diachenko said.\n\nIt is not clear if this was the work of the same person who advertised the sale of the database information last week.\n\nBy July 1, the ransom note had disappeared, according to Diachenko, but only 7 gigabytes (GB) of data was available -- instead of the 23 TB originally advertised.\n\nDiachenko said it suggested the ransom had been resolved, but the database owners had continued to use the exposed database for storing, until it was shut down over the weekend.\n\n\"Maybe there was some junior developer who noticed it and tried to remove the notes before senior management noticed them,\" he said.\n\nShanghai Police did not respond to CNN's request for comments on the ransom note.\n\n\n\nThis story has been updated with additional developments Wednesday.", "authors": ["Yong Xiong", "Hannah Ritchie", "Nectar Gan"], "publish_date": "2022/07/05"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/05/23/target-pay-185m-2013-data-breach-affected-consumers/102063932/", "title": "Target to pay $18.5M for 2013 data breach that affected 41 million ...", "text": "Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY\n\nRetail giant Target will pay an $18.5 million multistate settlement, the largest ever for a data breach, to resolve state investigations of the 2013 cyber attack that affected more than 41 million of the company's customer payment card accounts.\n\nAnnounced Tuesday by 47 states and the District of Columbia, the agreement sets new industry standards for companies that process payment cards and maintain confidential information about their customers.\n\nTarget confirms massive credit-card data breach\n\nThe states' investigation of the breach determined that cyberattackers gained access to Target's computer gateway served through credentials stolen from a third-party vendor in Nov. 2013. Using the credentials to exploit weaknesses in Target's system, the attackers gained access to a customer service database, installed malware on the system and captured full names, phone numbers, email addresses, payment card numbers, credit card verification codes, and other sensitive data.\n\nAlong with affecting 41 million customer payment card accounts, the breach affected contact information for more than 60 million Target customers.\n\n\"Companies across sectors should be taking their data security policies and procedures seriously. Not doing so potentially exposes sensitive client and consumer information to hackers,\" said a statement issued by Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen, who led the investigation along with Illinois counterpart Lisa Madigan.\n\nTarget: Data stolen from up to 70 million customers\n\nTarget previously provided free credit monitoring services for consumers affected by the breach. As part of a $10 million class-action lawsuit settlement reached in 2015, the company also agreed to pay up to $10,000 to consumers with evidence they suffered losses from the data breach.\n\nFew Target victims to benefit from settlement\n\nTuesday, the company said it had worked with the state investigators to address claims related to the embarrassing episode.\n\n\"We're pleased to bring this issue to a resolution for everyone involved,\" the Minneapolis-based company said in a written statement. Costs of the settlement are already reflected in liability reserves that Target has previously disclosed, the company added.\n\nTerms of the agreement require Target to:\n\nDevelop, implement and maintain a comprehensive information security program\n\nEmploy an executive or officer responsible for executing the program\n\nHire an independent expert to conduct a security assessment\n\nMaintain and support data security software on the company's network\n\nSegregate the cardholder data from the rest of the network\n\nTake steps to control network access, including password rotation policies and two-factor authentication.\n\nAs part of the settlement, the states will use their respective shares of the Target payment for attorney fees and other investigation costs, as well as consumer protection law enforcement funds, consumer education or other purposes.\n\nFollow USA TODAY reporter Kevin McCoy on Twitter: @kmccoynyc", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2017/05/23"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/12/28/data-breaches-2018-billions-hit-growing-number-cyberattacks/2413411002/", "title": "Your data was probably stolen in cyberattack in 2018 – and you ...", "text": "When it comes to data breaches, 2018 was neither the best of times nor the worst of times. It was more a sign of the times.\n\nBillions of people were affected by data breaches and cyberattacks in 2018 – 765 million in the months of April, May and June alone – with losses surpassing tens of millions of dollars, according to global digital security firm Positive Technologies.\n\nCyberattacks increased 32 percent in the first three months of the year and 47 percent during the April-June period, compared to the same periods in 2017, according to the firm, which was founded in 2002.\n\nThere wasn't a breach \"quite as significant\" as the Equifax data breach from September 2017 in which an estimated 143 million Americans faced potential lifelong threat of identity theft, said Marta Tellado, president and CEO of Consumer Reports. \"But the sheer volume of breaches of major companies was stunning,\" she said.\n\nBreaches and cyberattacks continue to escalate, \"and it’s not like it's slowing down,” said Gary Davis, chief consumer security evangelist for McAfee, the California-based maker of antivirus and computer security software.\n\nMore:Starwood data breach: Here's some ways to protect yourself\n\nMore:These cybersecurity tips will help prevent your phone from being hacked\n\nAs consumers grow more accustomed to breaches being revealed regularly – only four weeks ago, Dunkin', Marriott and Quora each announced one within a span of six days – they tend to either accept or ignore them, Davis says.\n\nWith \"security fatigue, (consumers) just throw their hands up and say something bad is going to happen, so I should brace myself for it,\" he said. \"Or they say, 'It's not going to happen to me, it will happen to somebody else.' \"\n\nAnd several breaches in 2018 were among the largest of all time. Last month, Marriott, the world's largest hotelier, announced one of the largest-ever breaches involving as many as 500 million people who made reservations at its Starwood properties on or before Sept. 10, 2018. Those customers may have had their personal information accessed in a breach of the Starwood guest reservation database, the company said.\n\nMore:From Alaska to New York: These states are raising minimum wages in 2019\n\nMore:Economy's strengths in 2019: Strong job market, consumer spending, and low inflation\n\nMore:5 ways to trim businesses expenses, cut costs and make more money in 2019\n\nMarriott announced the breach Nov. 19 but said unauthorized access to the database had gone on for as long as four years. Among the data potentially accessed: names, mailing address, phone number, email address, passport number, date of birth, gender, arrival and departure information, reservation dates and communication preferences.\n\nThe 2013 Yahoo breach, which affected as many as 3 billion accounts, remains the largest to date. A separate subsequent Yahoo breach also hit 500 million accounts.\n\nMore:Starwood data breach: Here's some ways to protect yourself\n\nJust days after Marriott's announcement, question-and-answer website Quora said a security breach compromised the data of as many as 100 million of its 300 million users. The data potentially accessed included names, email addresses and encrypted passwords, along with questions and answers posted. The Dunkin' breach, which made up that late November-early December trifecta, involved only a \"small percent\" of DD Perks program members having their account usernames and passwords accessed, the company said.\n\nBack in March, sports apparel merchant Under Armour disclosed an intruder had gotten the email addresses and login information of about 150 million users of its food and nutrition website, MyFitnessPal.\n\nBreaches hit other big-name brands, too. In April, Hudson's Bay, the Canada-based parent company of the Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue chains, said hackers had stolen the personal and financial information of more than 5 million credit and debit cards used at stores in North America.\n\nAbout 29 million Facebook accounts were breached in September – originally Facebook said it was 50 million – with attackers getting sensitive personal information from nearly half of those users. Among the data accessed: phone numbers and email addresses, recent Facebook searches, location history and the types of devices people used to access the social network.\n\nThe revelations of that breach came during Facebook's attempt to assure its 2 billion-plus users of its sincere efforts to protect personal information after Russian operatives spread propaganda on the network during and after the 2016 presidential election – and in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which the accounts of 87 million users were accessed without consent by the U.K-based political targeting firm.\n\nFacebook's \"deliberate data practices are often as outrageous as their failure to use strong security,\" Tellado said. \"As badly as we need new laws to protect people from malicious hackers, we also need new laws and corporate norms to keep the companies we entrust with our information from selling it without our consent. So 2019 is going to see robust calls for new security and privacy legislation.\"\n\nBreaches used to be isolated. One of the first big ones hit Target in 2013, affecting as many as 110 million people. When that happened, \"you worried about your credit card or your Target data and any of that being leaked,\" said Bart McDonough, CEO of Agio, a New York-headquartered information technology and cybersecurity provider.\n\nBut that breach was just a harbinger: Each escalating breach these days is interconnected, he says. That means cyber-criminals may be able to compile enough of a digital profile about you to trick you into revealing more.\n\n\"Now you think about what information do they know about me or my clients based on this breach that can allow the next breach to happen,\" said McDonough, whose book, \"Cyber Smart: Five Habits to Protect Your Family, Money and Identity from Cyber Criminals,\" publishes Jan. 7.\n\nThat interconnectivity is only going to make each successive breach potentially more worrisome, McAfee's David says. \"You hear about all of these high-profile attacks,\" he said. \"Ultimately, there is so much data out there now that the bad guys are going to start using machine learning and artificial intelligence to sift through it all.\"\n\nSome simple tips to protect yourself:\n\n• Use unique passwords. Too many consumers still use \"password\" or \"123456\" as their password. \"And the sad thing is they use it over and over again,\" Davis said. He and McDonough recommend using a password manager such as LastPass or 1Password. Those also let you use two-factor authentication, requiring an additional step before access is allowed to your accounts. \"It's a defensive depth approach,\" McDonough said.\n\n• Be suspicious of email. Seven out of 10 cyberattacks (71 percent) start with a phishing email, Davis says. \"It’s obvious to me that people are still willing to click on either links or attachments in emails without a lot of thought,\" he said. As cyber-criminals get bits of data about you, be careful not to accidentally give them more. \"Especially this time of year, before you start clicking away, think through it for a minute – did you actually order something that would suggest that this shipper (or retailer) should be sending you a notice,\" he said.\n\n• Update your software. Admittedly, it's annoying, McDonough says. \"But apply all the software updates on your devices as frequently as possible,\" he said. \"If you do these things you are dramatically better protected than the person who doesn’t.\"\n\n•Credit freezes and other measures. If you have been a victim of data misuse and are concerned about identity theft you can get a credit freeze. \"(It) makes it a lot harder for identity thieves to open accounts in your name, and, since the Equifax breach, it’s free,\" Tellado said.\n\nYou should also limit the personal information you give out, she says. \"For example, if a retailer asks for your email address or phone number, you should politely decline,\" Tellado said. Another smart move – install a tracker blocker such as Disconnect.me or Privacy Badger, she says, to protect against malware and ransomware delivered through online advertisements.\n\nFor more, check out Consumer Reports’ Guide to Digital Privacy and Security, Tellado said, to \"help consumers navigate the risks and solutions to keep you and your family safe and secure.\"\n\nMore:D.C. sues Facebook over Cambridge Analytica data scandal\n\n\n\n", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2018/12/28"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2021/04/20/your-password-hacked-here-sites-alert-breaches/7262433002/", "title": "Was your password hacked? Here are the sites that alert to breaches", "text": "Jennifer Jolly\n\nSpecial to USA TODAY\n\nSigh. A new day, a new data breach.\n\nFacebook and LinkedIn (which says the latest incident was a “scrape,” not a “breach”) are just two of dozens of recent examples of our precious passwords falling into the wrong hands.\n\nWhether it's an email service, an online store account or even a service designed to keep our passwords safe, no site or service is immune. When it happens, our Spidey senses go off and we go into panic mode, imagining all the terrible things that might happen if a hacker gets into our accounts, uses our identities or goes on a massive shopping spree under our names.\n\nIt's a scary digital world we live in, but many valuable tools can make it safer for you. Here’s how to find out whether hackers have your password – and how to fix it right away.\n\nHave I Been Pwned?\n\nThe most popular of all the hack-finding tools is Have I Been Pwned. It’s a website that tracks and catalogs high- and low-profile data breaches. You can search the site's database using your email address or phone number. If the site links your login with a known breach, it tells you which company was hit, and what kind of information hackers might have.\n\nI just typed my email address in, and sure enough, my passwords are all over the place. Luckily, they’re old ones, but still, the page of breaches seems to go on for days: LinkedIn, Adobe, Poshmark, Dropbox, Houzz, and countless other data breaches included my email address and various other data, including passwords, phone numbers, addresses, and even employers.\n\nI live my life online, so having accounts on a ton of different websites, app and services means the odds of my data showing up in a hack are high. But 28 seems a bit excessive, even for me.\n\nThe fix? Change all of your passwords, add a password management tool, and for the love of all that’s tech-ish, stop using the most hacked passwords like “123456,” “password,” or the ever-popular curse word mash-ups like “eff-something.” (C’mon, you know what I mean on that last one.)\n\nHaveIBeenPwned is an excellent tool if you want to dive into past data breaches to see if your information is floating around out there. It also points you toward a password manager. But other services offer a more proactive approach to tracking hacked information, including notifications whenever your personal info pops up in a new leak, or they check sites for weaknesses before they cause a problem for you.\n\nHere are my favorites.\n\nBreachAlarm\n\nYou can use BreachAlarm in the same way you use HaveIBeenPwned. It's easy to search the site's database to find past hacks and leaks that might include your personal info. But if you want to take things to the next level, the $30 annual subscription will scan new hacks whenever they pop up and then alert you if your data appears. This gives you a head start in changing your passwords or closing your accounts on sites that may put your identity or finances at risk.\n\nGameStop CEO is stepping down:GameStop CEO to depart in continuing leadership shakeup\n\nBitcoin takes a fall:As Bitcoin tumbles, Dogecoin fans want to make 'DogeDay' happen on April 20\n\nSucuri\n\nIf you want to get even more proactive about your protection, consider Sucuri. Sucuri is a site that actually performs active scans on websites to search for vulnerabilities that hackers might exploit.\n\nIf a place you love shows up as being risky, it's wise to routinely change your password there, or at the very least use a password you don't use anywhere else. (This should be a rule for all sites, but it's easy to forget). There's a browser extension that makes the process even easier. If you run your own website, the $16 subscription will keep you up to date on your own website's safety, but that's not required to scan URLs .\n\nGoogle Chrome\n\nYes! Believe it or not, Google just added its own password scanner right into the most popular web browser on the planet. Google Chrome can alert you if it finds that your passwords were likely included in a breach or hack. You may not have noticed this new advanced feature, but it's easy to use.\n\nIf you’re logged in to Chrome, click on your photo in the upper right-hand corner of the page, then click on the little key icon. That takes you to your “settings.” You can also get there by typing in chrome://settings/passwords. See it? Now tap \"Passwords.\"\n\nOn the passwords page, click \"Check passwords\" and then \"Check now.\" The built-in tool will tell you if any of your passwords have security problems. If they do, you'll be prompted to change them, and a link will direct you to the site to make the password update easy.\n\nOnce you tackle your own password problems, be sure to pass this information on to your loved ones. If your parents, kids, or less tech-savvy friends are still using their birthdays, pets’ names, or home addresses, be sure to help them change those too!\n\nJennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-winning consumer tech columnist. Email her at jj@techish.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JenniferJolly.\n\nThe views and opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/04/20"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/economy/2018/07/24/worst-floods-in-american-history/37070093/", "title": "What are the worst floods in American history? A rundown of the top 30", "text": "John Harrington\n\n24/7 Wall Street\n\nFloods, among the most terrifying forces on Earth, have led to countless disasters throughout history. The story of a catastrophic flood -- a metaphor for a cleansing of humanity’s sins -- appears in many cultures, from ancient Mesopotamia to China, to Maya peoples and aboriginal tribes in Australia.\n\nFlooding killed 116 people in the United States last year, the most lethal type of weather event in the nation. Floods also are responsible for about $6 billion in damage annually in this country, according to National Geographic.\n\nMuch of the severe flooding in America has occurred around the Mississippi River and in Texas, as well as along the Gulf Coast and Florida, because those areas are vulnerable to hurricanes.\n\nFloods have shaped the history of our nation, wiping out some communities forever, and forcing others to start a new life in another part of the country.\n\nIn June, the Weather Network forecast normal or above normal rainfall east of the Mississippi River and in the southwest this summer. With that prediction, and with it fears of disastrous flooding that accompany hurricane season, 24/7 Wall Street has created a list of the 30 worst floods in our nation’s history. We used data compiled by government agencies, including the National Weather Service, and consulted sources such as media accounts of historical weather events to develop this list.\n\nMore: Which state is America's most miserable? An analysis of well-being\n\n30. Hurricane Harvey\n\nAffected area: Houston, Texas\n\nHouston, Texas Date of event: 2017\n\n2017 Fatalities: 89\n\n89 Cost: $126.3 billion\n\nHouston missed the brunt of the impact of Hurricane Rita in 2005, but it was not so fortunate with Hurricane Harvey. That tempest caused widespread devastation in the greater Houston area. The slow movement of Harvey from Aug. 26-30 contributed to the destructive and deadly floods in southeast Texas. The most rain fell in Nederland, Texas, which received more than 60 inches of rain from Aug. 24-Sept.1. The flooding in the region displaced 30,000 people and damaged or destroyed more than 200,000 homes and businesses.\n\n29. Los Angeles flood\n\nA ffected area: Los Angeles, California\n\nLos Angeles, California Date of event: 1938\n\n1938 Fatalities: 115\n\n115 Cost: $1.24 billion\n\nAfter a few years of dry weather, Los Angeles received five days of rain from two storms starting on Feb. 27, 1938. Excessive rainfall caused the Los Angeles, San Gabriel, and Santa Ana rivers to overflow. Bridges, roads, and buildings were wiped out; phone lines were downed; and whole communities were cut off. The destruction from the flood prompted the city to rethink zoning and planning decisions that led to the creation of today’s Los Angeles.\n\n28. Buffalo Creek flood\n\nAffected area: West Virginia\n\nWest Virginia Date of event: 1972\n\n1972 Fatalities: 125\n\n125 Cost: Unknown\n\nWest Virginia has been witness to many mining disasters, but this one occurred above ground, not below. On Feb. 26, 1972, a coal waste dam -- constructed to hold water, coal waste, and silt -- collapsed, releasing 132 million gallons of black ooze into a narrow valley. The wall of water was reportedly up to 20 feet high. The onslaught wiped out 17 communities downstream. Some towns were rebuilt but others vanished. State and federal investigations determined that the dam, owned and operated by the Buffalo Mining Company, was not built properly and that the mining company’s parent, The Pittston Company, had disregarded the safety of the residents. Survivors and family victims sued Pittson, and in 1974, the suit was settled for $13.5 million, or an average of $13,000 per plaintiff after legal fees.\n\n27. Hurricane Agnes flood\n\nAffected area: Middle Atlantic states\n\nMiddle Atlantic states Date of event: 1972\n\n1972 Fatalities: 128\n\n128 Cost: $18.0 billion\n\n1972 was a bad year for bad weather events. That year, Hurricane Agnes, one of the largest ever recorded in June, brought torrential rain to a wide swath of the eastern United States on June 19. The storm swept up 15 states in its wake. The worst impact from flooding was in Pennsylvania, where the Susquehanna and Lackawanna rivers caused significant damage to the Wilkes-Barre-Scranton metropolitan area. Even Pennsylvania’s governor had to be rescued from the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg. At the time, Agnes was the costliest hurricane in U.S. history.\n\n26. Southeast U.S. floods\n\nAffected area: Southeastern states\n\nSoutheastern states Date of event: 1998\n\n1998 Fatalities: 132\n\n132 Cost: $2.49 billion\n\nThe southeastern part of the United States was torn asunder by tornadoes and floods that cost the lives of 132 people. Property damage surpassed the $1 billion level. El Nino was blamed for the unstable weather, which began in the winter of 1997 and went into spring of the following year. During that winter, Florida received above-average rainfall, causing extensive flooding. In Tampa, 36 inches of rain fell that winter.\n\nMore: US population changes: What's the fastest shrinking county in your state?\n\n25. Mill River Dam\n\nAffected area: Western Massachusetts\n\nWestern Massachusetts Date of event: 1874\n\n1874 Fatalities: 139\n\n139 Cost: Unknown\n\nThe failure of the Mill River Dam in Massachusetts, a major disaster in the late 19th century, is an example of an avoidable tragedy. The reservoir dam was built in the hills above Williamsburg and Northampton in western Massachusetts. It burst during the early hours of May 16, 1874, and water cascaded down a narrow valley of factories and farms. About 600 million gallons of water flooded the area, rising to 40 feet. An hour later, 139 people were dead. Investigations revealed that the dam was poorly built, but no one was held accountable. The tragedy prompted residents in western Massachusetts to adopt stricter safety measures for reservoir dams.\n\n24. Big Thompson Canyon Flood\n\nAffected area: Big Thompson Canyon, Colorado\n\nBig Thompson Canyon, Colorado Date of event: 1976\n\n1976 Fatalities: 144\n\n144 Cost: $156.3 million\n\nThe Big Thompson Canyon Flood marred the centennial celebration of Colorado becoming a state. Party-goers had gathered in the canyon on July 31 to celebrate the centennial. In late afternoon, a light rain began to fall. It turned heavy in early evening. In a two-hour span that evening, a year’s worth of rain fell in the region. Water cascaded down mountainsides. At 10:30 p.m., a massive wave of water 20 feet high roared through the canyon, washing over everything ahead of it. Helicopters were deployed to find the 144 victims of the flood.\n\n23. Pacific tsunami\n\nAffected area: Hawaii, Alaska\n\nHawaii, Alaska Date of event: 1946\n\n1946 Fatalities: 165\n\n165 Cost: $334.1 million\n\nThe Aleutian Islands earthquake launched a tsunami on April 1, 1946, that overwhelmed parts of Alaska and Hawaii. Unimak Island in the Aleutian island chain was first hit by a 100-foot wave that wiped out a lighthouse 30 feet above sea level, killing five people. The wave headed south to Hawaii where it slammed into Hilo, erasing a third of the city. A schoolhouse in another part of the island state was destroyed, killing a teacher and 25 students.\n\n22. Brazos River Flood\n\nAffected area: Freeport, Texas\n\nFreeport, Texas Date of event: 1913\n\n1913 Fatalities: 177\n\n177 Cost: $88.7 million\n\nThe Brazos River Basin was familiar with periodic flooding, which helped cotton farmers grow their crop. Still, area residents were not prepared for what happened on Dec. 5, 1913. Heavy rain began falling on already elevated river water levels, and water overflowed the riverbank and washed into East Waco. Two people were killed by the surging river, and businesses were damaged. Farther south, the Brazos River and Colorado River overflowed their banks and combined, the deluge eventually killed 177 people. The flood prompted action to protect the city of Waco from further flooding.\n\n21. Floods in eastern U.S.\n\nAffected area: Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast\n\nAppalachians, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast Date of event: 1996\n\n1996 Fatalities: 187\n\n187 Cost: $4.79 billion\n\nBlizzards are bad enough, but when a heavy volume of snow melts causing flooding, that is a deadly one-two punch. Such was the case in early 1996, when that combination overwhelmed many states in the eastern United States. The Susquehanna River overflowed its banks and flooded low-lying areas. More than 3 inches of rain fell in 24 hours at Williamsport, Pennsylvania. That rainfall led to some of the worst flooding in the Keystone State since Hurricane Agnes 24 years earlier.\n\nMore: What city is hit hardest by extreme poverty in your state?\n\n20. East Coast floods\n\nAffected area: East Coast states\n\nEast Coast states Date of event: 1955\n\n1955 Fatalities: 200\n\n200 Cost: $7.78 billion\n\nBack-to-back hurricanes led to extensive floods on the East Coast in August 1955. At the time, Hurricane Diane, the second of the two storms to strike the region, was the costliest storm on record. The heaviest rain fell in northern Virginia, with more than 5 inches inundating the region in 24 hours. More than 200 dams In New England either partially or completely failed.\n\n19. Great Northeast Flood\n\nAffected area: Maryland to Maine\n\nMaryland to Maine Date of event: 1936\n\n1936 Fatalities: 200\n\n200 Cost: $85.2 billion\n\nThe massive flood that engulfed half of the eastern United States, almost biblical in scope, started with snowmelt, then a downpour, on March 11 that did not relent for 14 days. The tiny town of Pinkham Notch recorded rainfall of more than 22 inches over the period. Rivers throughout New England states overflowed. At the Vernon Dam in Vermont, flood waters from the Connecticut River rose 19 feet above the dam. About 200 people lost their lives, and 14,000 were made homeless. Because of the disaster, Congress passed the Flood Control Act of 1936, which President Franklin Roosevelt then signed. The act empowered the Army Corps of Engineers to build levees, flood walls, and reservoirs.\n\n18. Texas flood\n\nAffected area: Parts of Texas\n\nParts of Texas Date of event: 1921\n\n1921 Fatalities: 215\n\n215 Cost: $70.2 million\n\nThe rainstorm in Texas in 1921 is considered the greatest such event in the history of the Lone Star State. The storm entered the region as a hurricane in Mexico and brought torrential rain in Texas as it moved in a northeasterly direction. In its path, 215 people were killed. The rainfall left up to 9 feet of water in downtown San Antonio. In the town of Taylor, almost 24 inches of rain fell in 35 hours as measured at the U.S. Weather Bureau station on Sept. 9-10.\n\n17. Superstorm Sandy\n\nAffected area: New Jersey, New York\n\nNew Jersey, New York Date of event: 2012\n\n2012 Fatalities: 233\n\n233 Cost: $88.4 billion\n\nBy the time Sandy reached the New York metropolitan area on Oct. 29, 2012, it had been downgraded to a superstorm from a hurricane. Yet it would turn out to be one of the costliest weather events in U.S. history. Subway service in New York City was knocked out, and multi-million-dollar homes at the Jersey Shore were destroyed. The destructive force of the storm and loss of life ratched up the urgency level for preparing shoreline defenses along the New Jersey coast as well as New York City to address the reality that stronger storms are in the region’s future because of climate change.\n\nMore: Historic blunders: 50 worst product flops of all time\n\n16. Black Hills Flood\n\nAffected area: Rapid City, South Dakota\n\nRapid City, South Dakota Date of event: 1972\n\n1972 Fatalities: 238\n\n238 Cost: $988.3 million\n\nHeavy thunderstorms struck the Rapid City region of South Dakota on June 9, 1972, and because of strong easterly winds, the storm system stayed over the area. Flood water from various creeks emptied into Rapid Creek, swelling that body of water to more than 300 times its regular volume. According to the NWS, data from the stream meter on Rapid Creek above Canyon Lake showed that in a two-hour span the water level climbed 12 feet. The dam at Canyon Lake failed, and water rushed through Rapid City and the eastern foothills of the Black Hills.\n\n15. Mississippi flood\n\nAffected area: Mississippi River region\n\nMississippi River region Date of event: 1927\n\n1927 Fatalities: 246\n\n246 Cost: $41.7 billion\n\nPeople living along the Mississippi River know it floods often -- and they have learned to live with it. But no one was ready for what historians called one of the greatest peacetime disasters in U.S. history in April 1927. The Great Mississippi River Flood engulfed 16 million acres and displaced about 640,000 people from Illinois to Louisiana. In Vicksburg, Mississippi, the river swelled to 80 miles wide.\n\nThere were other consequences from the deluge. African Americans living in the flood zone were forced to leave their homes in the South, and the flood hastened what would become known as the Great Migration to northern cities as African Americans sought a better life.\n\nMore: Per capita government spending: How much does your state spend on you?\n\n14. Hurricane Camille and flooding\n\nAffected area: East Coast\n\nEast Coast Date of event: 1969\n\n1969 Fatalities: 256\n\n256 Cost: $9.70 billion\n\nHurricane Camille was a category 5 hurricane that slammed into the Gulf Coast of Mississippi on Aug. 17, 1969 and brought tremendous storm surge to the region. A storm tide of greater than 24 feet overflowed the town of Pass Christian, Mississippi. At the time, storm surges along that area of the Gulf Coast were the highest ever recorded in the United States. In addition to the 256 people who were killed, 20,000 were left homeless, and thousands of farm and domestic animals were drowned.\n\n13. Brazos River flood\n\nAffected area: Freeport, Texas\n\nFreeport, Texas Date of event: 1899\n\n1899 Fatalities: 284\n\n284 Cost: $271.0 million\n\nRain fell on the Brazos River region for 11 straight days beginning June 17, 1899. Rainfall totals reached almost 9 inches that week across 66,000 square miles of Texas. The Brazos River overflowed its banks and flooded the surrounding area for 12,000 square miles. In July, flood waters would rise over 58 feet in the town of Richmond. It wouldn’t be the last flood-related tragedy to befall the region.\n\n12. Oregon Heppner flash flood\n\nAffected area: Heppner, Oregon\n\nHeppner, Oregon Date of event: 1903\n\n1903 Fatalities: 324\n\n324 Cost: Unknown\n\nA brief, hard rain and hail in the Blue Mountains triggered a sudden and deadly flash flood through Heppner, Oregon, on June 14, 1903, drowning 324 people. Waters rose up to 40 feet high and saturated the town. The death toll would have been much higher, but towns in the path of those waters were warned ahead of time and residents were able to evacuate. It’s unclear exactly how much rain fell during the disaster because the local weather station was destroyed in the flood.\n\n11. Miami hurricane and flooding\n\nAffected area: Florida Atlantic Coast\n\nFlorida Atlantic Coast Date of event: 1926\n\n1926 Fatalities: 372\n\n372 Cost: $1.49 billion\n\nIt was bad enough that the Florida real estate market had collapsed in the mid-1920s, but then one of the worst storms ever blasted Florida and the Atlantic Coast on Sept. 18, 1926. The tempest brought deadly storm surge and flooding to the hurricane-prone area. A tidal wave swept over Miami Beach and Biscayne Bay, and boats were scattered all over the city. The storm left 372 people dead and up to 6,000 injured. There had been some advance warning of the approaching hurricane from reports from ships in the area, but in 1926, few people had radios and there were few methods to pass along the warning to the population. Property damage was the highest in U.S. history to that point.\n\n10. The Ohio River Flood\n\nAffected area: Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois\n\nPennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois Date of event: 1937\n\n1937 Fatalities: 385\n\n385 Cost: $151.6 billion\n\nHow bad was the Ohio River Flood in 1937? The NWS said the deluge “surpassed all previous floods during the 175 years of civilized occupancy of the lower Ohio Valley.” The flood started in late January 1937 and was bolstered by record rainfall in river cities such as Louisville, Kentucky (20 inches); Evansville, Indiana (15 inches); and Cincinnati, Ohio (14 inches). The NWS said 70% of Louisville was under water. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that one-fifth of Cincinnati was under water. The nightmare got worse -- as the water rose, gas tanks exploded and oil fires ignited along the river.\n\nMore: Can you afford that new vehicle? 25 most expensive car models to insure\n\n9. Labor Day Hurricane\n\nAffected area: Florida Keys, Florida\n\nFlorida Keys, Florida Date of event: 1935\n\n1935 Fatalities: 500\n\n500 Cost: Unknown\n\nThe 1920s were a difficult time to live in Florida because of the real estate collapse and severe weather events, and the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 brought even more misery to the Sunshine State. The category 5 tempest devastated the Florida Keys, producing a storm surge of up to 20 feet above sea level. The railroad connecting the Keys to the mainland was destroyed. Among the scores who died were World War I veterans who were building a highway and living in federal rehabilitation camps. After the storm, Ernest Hemingway traveled to the Keys to help with the recovery. What he saw prompted him to write a scathing magazine article titled \"Who Killed the Vets?\"\n\n8. St. Francis Dam failure\n\nAffected area: Los Angeles, California\n\nLos Angeles, California Date of event: 1928\n\n1928 Fatalities: 400-600\n\n400-600 Cost: $291.8 million\n\nThe St. Francis Dam failure was the second-worst disaster in California’s history after the San Francisco Earthquake and among the greatest dam catastrophes in the U.S. history. Built in 1926, the dam was the creation of self-taught civil engineer William Mulholland. The 1,300-foot dam held more than 12 billion gallons of water, enough to supply Los Angeles for a year. But there were integrity issues of the dam from the beginning. On the morning of March 12, 1928, the dam keeper noticed muddy leaks emerging from the dam. He summoned Mulholland and his chief assistant, who inspected the dam and said it was safe. Twelve hours later, the dam keeper and his 6-year-old son would be the first drowning victims after the dam gave way. The wall of water would surge 54 miles until it reached the Pacific Ocean.\n\n7. Statewide Ohio flood\n\nAffected area: Ohio\n\nOhio Date of event: 1913\n\n1913 Fatalities: 467\n\n467 Cost: $82.4 billion\n\nThe worst weather event in Ohio history occurred in late March 1913, killing 467 people and flooding 40,000 homes. Excessive rainfall all over the state caused the flood. In Dayton, swiftly flowing water as deep as 10 feet deep swept through downtown streets, killing 123 people. Downstream on the Miami River, 100 more people died in Hamilton, where water rose to as much as 18 feet deep. Another 100 people died in Columbus, where survivors were plucked from trees and rooftops. At Cincinnati, the Ohio River rose 21 feet in 24 hours. Hoping to avoid a repeat of the calamity, flood control reservoirs were established by the Miami Conservancy District after the flood of 1913.\n\nMore: Thinking of buying an inexpensive vehicle? 25 cheapest car models to insure\n\n6. New England hurricane and flooding\n\nAffected area: New England, Long Island\n\nNew England, Long Island Date of event: 1938\n\n1938 Fatalities: 700\n\n700 Cost: $5.44 billion\n\nOn Sept. 21, 1938, one of the most famous nor’easters of all time destroyed much of eastern Long Island before it unleashed its wrath on New England. It was a fast-moving storm that the NWS said was moving at 47 mph, and it produced up to 7 inches of rainfall. Tidal waves at least 50 feet high, as recorded in Gloucester, Massachusetts, overwhelmed unprotected beaches, and the deluge turned cottages into matchsticks. The region’s deadliest disaster claimed at least 700 lives, and 2,000 others were injured. More than 63,000 people were made homeless. Almost 20,000 buildings were destroyed, and 100 bridges had to be reconstructed.\n\n5. Hurricane Katrina flooding\n\nAffected area: Southern Louisiana\n\nSouthern Louisiana Date of event: 2005\n\n2005 Fatalities: 1,833\n\n1,833 Cost: $103.9 billion\n\nPart of the tragedy of Katrina is tied to how humans have altered the landscape around New Orleans. New Orleans was once above sea level when French settlers first arrived there 300 years ago, but swamp drainage has caused the city to sink. The areas below sea level, those most at risk to flooding, have generally been home to the city’s poorest residents. What's more, New Orleans relied on a system of levees and seawalls built by the Army Corps of Engineers to keep the city from flooding. But when Katrina hit on Aug. 29, 2005, the levees failed. As a result, 80% of the city flooded. It was the costliest hurricane in U.S. history.\n\n4. South Carolina Sea Islands hurricane\n\nAffected area: Sea Islands\n\nSea Islands Date of event: 1893\n\n1893 Fatalities: 2,000+\n\n2,000+ Cost: $27.9 million\n\nIn the late 19th century, people lacked the kind of weather prediction and warning system we have today. It was for this reason that South Carolina, and in particular the Sea Islands that form a barrier along the state coastline, were caught unawares by a hurricane on Aug. 27, 1893. The hurricane swept through the sea islands near Savannah, leaving more than 2,000 dead. Most died by drowning. Nearly every building on the Sea Islands was destroyed, and 30,000 people became homeless.\n\n3. Johnstown flood\n\nAffected area: Johnstown, Pennsylvania\n\nJohnstown, Pennsylvania Date of event: 1889\n\n1889 Fatalities: 2,209\n\n2,209 Cost: $12.6 billion\n\nOn May 31, 1889, following several days of heavy rain, a dam near Johnstown burst. The size and scope of the flood that ensued is difficult to comprehend even today. Up to 2,209 people died, including 99 entire families. Bodies were found as far away as Cincinnati. Flood lines were marked as high as 89 feet above river level, and the wave that struck Johnstown was said to be 40 feet high. The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, whose members included industrialists Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick, owned the dam but managed to avoid liability. Historians and legal experts believe the anger over the failure to find fault in the tragedy led to stricter liability laws in the United States. It was the first major disaster in which the American Red Cross was involved.\n\nMore: Who is drinking the most? The drunkest (and driest) cities in America\n\n2. South Florida hurricane and flood\n\nAffected area: Lake Okeechobee, Florida\n\nLake Okeechobee, Florida Date of event: 1928\n\n1928 Fatalities: 2,500-3,000\n\n2,500-3,000 Cost: $1.5 billion\n\nBarely two years after absorbing the impact of a hurricane that ravaged Miami, Florida was whipsawed by another tempest in late September 1928 -- a storm that cost the lives of more people in that state than any other natural weather event. On the southern shore of Lake Okeechobee, about 6,000 people lived in a farming community, and nearly half would perish from the storm. A 5-foot mud dike constructed to hold back Lake Okeechobee gave way, letting loose a tidal wave. There were so many people killed so quickly, and the bodies decomposed so rapidly because of the heat, that the survivors had to burn the corpses. More than 600 of the dead were African Americans who were buried in unmarked graves in a West Palm Beach pauper cemetery.\n\n1. Galveston hurricane and storm surge\n\nAffected area: Galveston, Texas\n\nGalveston, Texas Date of event: 1900\n\n1900 Fatalities: 8,000\n\n8,000 Cost: $602.3 million\n\nThe Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. It’s believed that 8,000 people were killed in the high winds, 15-foot storm surge, and flooding brought on by the category 4 hurricane. But the actual number could be as many as 12,000 people.\n\nThough the storm was powerful, many of the casualties could have been avoided. The Weather Bureau, which became the National Weather Service, predicted the storm would land much further east. Warnings from Cuba about the storm were ignored by residents and many vacationers, and the city was largely unprepared for the hurricane that slammed into it on Sept. 8, 1900. Galveston was once a booming port city, but the destruction of the hurricane was too much for the city to fully recover from as investors began to favor Houston instead.\n\nMore: Population migration patterns: US cities Americans are abandoning\n\nDetailed findings\n\nThere are three categories of floods: flash flooding, river flooding, and coastal flooding.\n\nThe most lethal of these are flash floods, such as the one that occurred in 1972 in South Dakota that claimed 238 lives. The factors that contribute to flash floods are rainfall intensity and duration. Topography also plays a role -- if the soil is too sodden with moisture, it may not be able to absorb rainfall. Flash flooding also can lead to mudslides, particularly in western states. Steep ravines and canyons can funnel high volumes of water, exacerbating flood intensity, as was the case in Colorado in 1976 in Big Thompson Canyon.\n\nOther reasons for flash flooding are the rupture of a dam, slow-moving storms, or a surge of water released from an ice jam.\n\nSome of the most severe flooding in our nation’s history, such as the disastrous event in 1927, occurred in areas around the Mississippi River. Hurricanes that have ravaged Florida and the Gulf Coast have brought with them storm surges that caused record damage in Louisiana in 2005 with Hurricane Katrina and in Texas just last year with Hurricane Harvey.\n\nClimate change has raised concerns of increased flooding and the impact that flooding from rising sea levels will have on those living on American coasts. Climatologists are concerned that melting snowfields and polar ice caps will cause more runoff and severe weather events, such as storm surges and coastal and river floods.\n\nIn some of these catastrophic flood events, human error, neglect, or miscalculation contributed to the scale of the disaster. In the case of the St. Francis Dam in Los Angeles in 1928, structural defects in the dam led to its collapse just two years after it was completed. At least 400 people were killed from the ensuing flood, and the calamity is the second greatest disaster in California history.\n\nThe good news is that humankind has become better at understanding the dynamics behind floods, and the use of advanced weather forecasting and satellite tracking can provide early warning. Evacuations ahead of recent hurricanes in Louisiana and Texas helped save lives.\n\nMethodology\n\n24/7 Wall Street compiled a list of the worst floods in U.S. history by the number of fatalities. Floods occur for various reasons -- dams bursting, intense rainfall, massive water runoff from snowmelt, storm surge from hurricanes, even impact from tornadoes. In order to capture the scope of these tragic historical chapters in our nation’s history, we tried to include any and all weather-related events that could have contributed to floods. 24/7 Wall St. used government sources such as the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the United States Geological Survey as well as media reports about the flood events to create the list of the worst floods in U.S. history. Cost of damage was rendered in inflation-adjusted dollars.\n\n24/7 Wall Street is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2018/07/24"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2021/06/10/propublica-tax-leak-irs-files-show-how-billionaires-pay-low-tax/7639768002/", "title": "ProPublica tax leak story: IRS files show how billionaires pay low tax", "text": "Jesse Eisinger, Paul Kiel and Jeff Ernsthausen\n\nProPublica\n\nIn 2007, Jeff Bezos, then a multibillionaire and now the world’s richest man, did not pay a penny in federal income taxes. He achieved the feat again in 2011. In 2018, Tesla founder Elon Musk, the second-richest person in the world, also paid no federal income taxes.\n\nMichael Bloomberg managed to do the same in recent years. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn did it twice. George Soros paid no federal income tax three years in a row.\n\nProPublica, the investigative newsroom, has obtained a vast trove of Internal Revenue Service data on the tax returns of thousands of the nation’s wealthiest people, covering more than 15 years. The data provides an unprecedented look inside the financial lives of America’s titans, including Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch and Mark Zuckerberg. It shows not just their income and taxes but also their investments, stock trades, gambling winnings and even the results of audits.\n\nTaken together, it demolishes the cornerstone myth of the American tax system: that everyone pays their fair share and the richest Americans pay the most. The IRS records show that the wealthiest can – perfectly legally – pay income taxes that are only a tiny fraction of the hundreds of millions, if not billions, their fortunes grow each year.\n\nThis story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. The Secret IRS Files is an ongoing reporting project. Sign up to be notified when the next installment publishes. The Secret IRS Files:See the full series from ProPublica\n\nMany Americans live paycheck to paycheck, amassing little wealth and paying the federal government a percentage of their income that rises if they earn more. In recent years, the median American household earned about $70,000 annually and paid 14% in federal taxes. The highest income tax rate, 37%, kicked in this year, for couples, on earnings above $628,300.\n\nThe confidential tax records obtained by ProPublica show that the ultrarich effectively sidestep this system.\n\nMore from ProPublica:You may be paying a higher tax rate than a billionaire\n\nAmerica’s billionaires avail themselves of tax-avoidance strategies beyond the reach of ordinary people. Their wealth derives from the skyrocketing value of their assets, like stock and property. Those gains are not defined by U.S. laws as taxable income unless and until the billionaires sell.\n\nTo capture the financial reality of the richest Americans, ProPublica undertook an analysis that has never been done before. We compared how much in taxes the 25 richest Americans paid each year to how much Forbes estimated their wealth grew in that same time period.\n\nWe’re going to call this their true tax rate.\n\nThe results are stark. According to Forbes, those 25 people saw their worth rise a collective $401 billion from 2014 to 2018. They paid a total of $13.6 billion in federal income taxes in those five years, the IRS data shows. That’s a staggering sum, but it amounts to a true tax rate of only 3.4%.\n\nIt’s a completely different picture for middle-class Americans, for example, wage earners in their early 40s who have amassed a typical amount of wealth for people their age. From 2014 to 2018, such households saw their net worth expand by about $65,000 after taxes on average, mostly because of the rise in value of their homes. But because the vast bulk of their earnings were salaries, their tax bills were almost as much, nearly $62,000, over that five-year period.\n\nNo one among the 25 wealthiest avoided as much tax as Buffett. That’s perhaps surprising, given his public stance as an advocate of higher taxes for the rich. According to Forbes, his riches rose $24.3 billion between 2014 and 2018. Over those years, the data shows, Buffett reported paying $23.7 million in taxes.\n\nThat works out to a true tax rate of 0.1%, or less than 10 cents for every $100 he added to his wealth.\n\nExperts have long understood the broad outlines of how little the wealthy are taxed in the United States, and many laypeople have long suspected the same thing.\n\nBut few specifics about individuals ever emerge in public. Tax information is among the most zealously guarded secrets in the federal government. ProPublica has decided to reveal individual tax information of some of the wealthiest Americans because it is only by seeing specifics that the public can understand the realities of the country’s tax system.\n\nThe Daily Money:Sign up for advice on finances, delivered right to your inbox\n\nConsider Bezos’ 2007, one of the years he paid zero in federal income taxes. Amazon’s stock more than doubled. Bezos’ fortune leapt $3.8 billion, according to Forbes, whose wealth estimates are widely cited. How did a person enjoying that sort of wealth explosion end up paying no income tax?\n\nIn that year, Bezos, who filed his taxes jointly with his then-wife, MacKenzie Scott, reported a paltry (for him) $46 million in income, largely from interest and dividend payments on outside investments. He was able to offset every penny he earned with losses from side investments and various deductions, like interest expenses on debts and the vague catchall category of “other expenses.”\n\nIn 2011, a year in which his wealth held roughly steady at $18 billion, Bezos filed a tax return reporting he lost money – his income that year was more than offset by investment losses. What’s more, because, according to the tax law, he made so little, he even claimed and received a $4,000 tax credit for his children.\n\nHis tax avoidance is even more striking if you examine 2006 to 2018, a period for which ProPublica has complete data. Bezos’ wealth increased by $127 billion, according to Forbes, but he reported a total of $6.5 billion in income. The $1.4 billion he paid in personal federal taxes is a massive number – yet it amounts to a 1.1% true tax rate on the rise in his fortune.\n\nThe revelations provided by the IRS data come at a crucial moment. Wealth inequality has become one of the defining issues of our age. The president and Congress are considering the most ambitious tax increases in decades on those with high incomes. But the tax conversation has been dominated by debate over incremental changes, such as whether the top tax rate should be 39.6% rather than 37%.\n\nProPublica’s data shows that while some wealthy Americans would pay more taxes under the current Biden administration proposals, the vast majority of the top 25 would see little change.\n\nThe tax data was provided to ProPublica after we published a series of articles scrutinizing the IRS. The articles exposed how years of budget cuts have hobbled the agency’s ability to enforce the law and how the largest corporations and the rich have benefited from the IRS’ weakness.\n\nProPublica is not disclosing how it obtained the data, which was given to us in raw form, with no conditions or conclusions. ProPublica reporters spent months verifying, processing and analyzing the material to transform it into a usable database.\n\nEvery person whose tax information is described in this story was asked to comment. Those who responded, including Buffett, Bloomberg and Icahn, all said they had paid the taxes they owed.\n\nA spokesman for Soros said in a statement: “Between 2016 and 2018 George Soros lost money on his investments, therefore he did not owe federal income taxes in those years. Mr. Soros has long supported higher taxes for wealthy Americans.” Personal and corporate representatives of Bezos declined to receive detailed questions about the matter. ProPublica attempted to reach Scott through her divorce attorney, a personal representative and family members; she did not respond. Musk responded to an initial query with a lone punctuation mark: “?” After we sent detailed questions to him, he did not reply.\n\nOne of the billionaires mentioned in this article objected, arguing that publishing personal tax information is a violation of privacy. We have concluded that the public interest in knowing this information at this pivotal moment outweighs that legitimate concern.\n\nThe consequences of allowing the most prosperous to game the tax system have been profound. Federal budgets, apart from military spending, have been constrained for decades. Roads and bridges have crumbled, social services have withered and the solvency of Social Security and Medicare is perpetually in question.\n\nThere is an even more fundamental issue than which programs get funded or not: Taxes are a kind of collective sacrifice. No one loves giving their hard-earned money to the government. But the system works only as long as it’s perceived to be fair.\n\nOur analysis of tax data for the 25 richest Americans quantifies just how unfair the system has become.\n\nBy the end of 2018, the 25 were worth $1.1 trillion.\n\nFor comparison, it would take 14.3 million ordinary American wage earners put together to equal that same amount of wealth.\n\nThe personal federal tax bill for the top 25 in 2018: $1.9 billion.\n\nThe bill for the wage earners: $143 billion.\n\n—\n\nThe ultrawealthy use an array of techniques that aren’t available to those of lesser means to get around the tax system routinely and legally.\n\nMost Americans have to work to live. When they do, they get paid – and they get taxed. The federal government considers almost every dollar workers earn to be “income,” and employers take taxes directly out of their paychecks.\n\nThe Bezoses of the world have no need to be paid a salary. Bezos’ Amazon wages have long been set at the middle-class level of around $80,000 a year.\n\nFor years, there has been something of a competition among elite founder-CEOs to go even lower. Steve Jobs took $1 in salary when he returned to Apple in the 1990s. Facebook’s Zuckerberg, Oracle’s Larry Ellison and Google’s Larry Page have all done the same.\n\nYet this is not the self-effacing gesture it appears to be: Wages are taxed at a high rate. The top 25 wealthiest Americans reported $158 million in wages in 2018, according to the IRS data. That’s a mere 1.1% of what they listed on their tax forms as their total reported income. The rest mostly came from dividends and the sale of stock, bonds or other investments, which are taxed at lower rates than wages.\n\nWe're returning to the office after COVID-19:Can we handle talking politics with co-workers?\n\nThe ultrawealthy typically hold fast to shares in the companies they’ve founded. Buffett, for example, has famously held onto his stock in Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate that owns Geico, Duracell and stakes in American Express and Coca-Cola. That has allowed Buffett to largely avoid transforming his wealth into income. From 2015 through 2018, he reported annual income ranging from $11.6 million to $25 million. That may seem like a lot, but Buffett ranks as roughly the world’s sixth-richest person – he’s worth $110 billion as of Forbes’ estimate in May 2021. At least 14,000 U.S. taxpayers in 2015 reported higher income than him, according to IRS data.\n\nThere’s also a second strategy Buffett relies on that minimizes income, and therefore, taxes. Berkshire does not pay a dividend, the sum (a piece of the profits, in theory) that many companies pay each quarter to those who own their stock. Buffett has always argued that it is better to use that money to find investments for Berkshire that will further boost the value of shares held by him and other investors. If Berkshire had offered anywhere close to the average dividend in recent years, Buffett would have received over $1 billion in dividend income and owed hundreds of millions in taxes each year.\n\nMany Silicon Valley and infotech companies have emulated Buffett’s model. In the 1980s and 1990s, companies like Microsoft and Oracle offered shareholders rocketing growth and profits but did not pay dividends. Google, Facebook, Amazon and Tesla do not pay dividends.\n\nIn a detailed written response, Buffett defended his practices. “I continue to believe that the tax code should be changed substantially,” he wrote, adding that he thought “huge dynastic wealth is not desirable for our society.”\n\nThe decision not to have Berkshire pay dividends has been supported by the vast majority of his shareholders. “I can’t think of any large public company with shareholders so united in their reinvestment beliefs,” he wrote. And he pointed out that Berkshire Hathaway pays significant corporate taxes, accounting for 1.5% of total U.S. corporate taxes in 2019 and 2020.\n\nBuffett reiterated that he has begun giving his enormous fortune away and ultimately plans to donate 99.5% of it to charity. “I believe the money will be of more use to society if disbursed philanthropically than if it is used to slightly reduce an ever-increasing U.S. debt,” he wrote.\n\nBuy, borrow, die: How America’s ultrawealthy stay that way\n\nSo how do megabillionaires pay their megabills while opting for $1 salaries and hanging onto their stock? According to public documents and experts, the answer for some is borrowing money – lots of it.\n\nFor regular people, borrowing money is often done out of necessity, say for a car or a home. But for the ultrawealthy, it can be a way to access billions without producing income, and thus, income tax.\n\nThe tax math provides a clear incentive. If you own a company and take a huge salary, you’ll pay 37% in income tax on the bulk of it. Sell stock and you’ll pay 20% in capital gains tax – and lose some control over your company. But take out a loan, and these days you’ll pay a single-digit interest rate and no tax; since loans must be paid back, the IRS doesn’t consider them income. Banks typically require collateral, but the wealthy have plenty of that.\n\nOne example: Last year Tesla reported that Musk had pledged some 92 million shares, which were worth about $57.7 billion as of May 29, 2021, as collateral for personal loans.\n\nWith the exception of one year when he exercised more than a billion dollars in stock options, Musk’s tax bills in no way reflect the fortune he has at his disposal. In 2015, he paid $68,000 in federal income tax. In 2017, it was $65,000, and in 2018 he paid no federal income tax. Between 2014 and 2018, he had a true tax rate of 3.27%.\n\nThe IRS records provide glimpses of other massive loans. In 2016 and 2017, investor Carl Icahn, who ranks as the 40th-wealthiest American on the Forbes list, paid no federal income taxes despite reporting a total of $544 million in adjusted gross income (which the IRS defines as earnings minus items like student loan interest payments or alimony). Icahn had an outstanding loan of $1.2 billion with Bank of America among other loans, according to the IRS data. It was technically a mortgage because it was secured, at least in part, by Manhattan penthouse apartments and other properties.\n\nBorrowing offers multiple benefits to Icahn: It gives him cash to turbocharge his investment returns. Then he gets to deduct the interest from his taxes. In an interview, Icahn explained that he reports the profits and losses of his business empire on his personal taxes.\n\nIcahn acknowledged that he is a “big borrower. I do borrow a lot of money.” Asked if he takes out loans also to lower his tax bill, Icahn said: “No, not at all. My borrowing is to win.”\n\nHe said adjusted gross income was a misleading figure for him. After taking hundreds of millions in deductions for the interest on his loans, he registered tax losses for both years, he said. “I didn’t make money because, unfortunately for me, my interest was higher than my whole adjusted income.”\n\nAsked whether it was appropriate that he had paid no income tax in certain years, Icahn said he was perplexed by the question. “There’s a reason it’s called income tax,” he said. “The reason is if, if you’re a poor person, a rich person, if you are Apple – if you have no income, you don’t pay taxes.” He added: “Do you think a rich person should pay taxes no matter what? I don’t think it’s germane. How can you ask me that question?”\n\n—\n\nIt is true that some billionaires don’t avoid taxes by avoiding incomes. In 2018, nine of the 25 wealthiest Americans reported more than $500 million in income and three more than $1 billion.\n\nIn such cases, though, the data obtained by ProPublica shows billionaires have a palette of tax-avoidance options to offset their gains using credits, deductions (which can include charitable donations) or losses to lower or even zero out their tax bills.\n\nMichael Bloomberg, the 13th-richest American on the Forbes list, often reports high income because the profits of the private company he controls flow mainly to him.\n\nIn 2018, he reported income of $1.9 billion. When it came to his taxes, Bloomberg managed to slash his bill by using deductions made possible by tax cuts passed during the Trump administration, charitable donations of $968.3 million and credits for having paid foreign taxes. The end result was that he paid $70.7 million in income tax on that almost $2 billion in income. That amounts to just a 3.7% conventional income tax rate. Between 2014 and 2018, Bloomberg had a true tax rate of 1.30%.\n\nIn a statement, a spokesman for Bloomberg noted that as a candidate, Bloomberg had advocated tax hikes on the wealthy. “Mike Bloomberg pays the maximum tax rate on all federal, state, local and international taxable income as prescribed by law,” the spokesman wrote. And he cited Bloomberg’s philanthropic giving, offering the calculation that “taken together, what Mike gives to charity and pays in taxes amounts to approximately 75% of his annual income.”\n\nThe statement also noted: “The release of a private citizen’s tax returns should raise real privacy concerns regardless of political affiliation or views on tax policy. In the United States no private citizen should fear the illegal release of their taxes. We intend to use all legal means at our disposal to determine which individual or government entity leaked these and ensure that they are held responsible.”\n\nUltimately, after decades of wealth accumulation, the estate tax is supposed to serve as a backstop, allowing authorities an opportunity to take a piece of giant fortunes before they pass to a new generation. But in reality, preparing for death is more like the last stage of tax avoidance for the ultrawealthy.\n\nThe notion of dying as a tax benefit seems paradoxical. Normally when someone sells an asset, even a minute before they die, they owe 20% capital gains tax. But at death, that changes. Any capital gains till that moment are not taxed. This allows the ultrarich and their heirs to avoid paying billions in taxes. The “step-up in basis” is widely recognized by experts as a flaw in the code.\n\nThen comes the estate tax, which, at 40%, is among the highest in the federal code.\n\nIt’s clear, though, from aggregate IRS data, tax research and what little trickles into the public arena about estate planning of the wealthy that they can readily escape turning over almost half of the value of their estates. Many of the richest create foundations for philanthropic giving, which provide large charitable tax deductions during their lifetimes and bypass the estate tax when they die.\n\nThe result is that large fortunes can pass largely intact from one generation to the next. Of the 25 richest people in America today, about a quarter are heirs: three are Waltons, two are scions of the Mars candy fortune, and one is the son of Estée Lauder.\n\n—\n\nIn the past year and a half, hundreds of thousands of Americans have died from COVID-19, while millions were thrown out of work. But one of the bleakest periods in American history turned out to be one of the most lucrative for billionaires. They added $1.2 trillion to their fortunes from January 2020 to the end of April of this year, according to Forbes.\n\nThat windfall is among many factors that have led the country to an inflection point, one in which higher taxes for the wealthy are a political possibility.\n\nBuffett is one seemingly surprising advocate for that view. In a New York Times op-ed in 2011, he wrote, “My friends and I have been coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendly Congress.” In that article Buffett publicly revealed how much he had paid in personal federal taxes the previous year ($6.9 million).\n\nIn 2011, President Barack Obama proposed legislation, known as the Buffett Rule. It would have raised income tax rates on people reporting more than $1 million a year. It didn’t pass. Even if it had, however, the Buffett Rule wouldn’t have raised Buffett’s taxes significantly. If you can avoid income, you can avoid taxes.\n\nThe Biden administration has proposed raising the tax rates on people making over $400,000 and bumping the top income tax rate from 37% to 39.6%. The administration also wants to raise the corporate tax rate and increase the IRS’ budget. Some Democrats have gone further, floating ideas, such as wealth taxes, that challenge the tax structure.\n\nA few countries, including Switzerland and Spain, have wealth taxes on a small scale. Several, most recently France, have abandoned them as unworkable. Opponents contend they are complicated to administer, as it is hard to value assets, particularly of private companies and property.\n\nThe ProPublica data illuminates how comprehensively the wealthiest Americans avoid paying taxes, a secret Buffett and his fellow billionaires have known for a long time. As Buffett put it in 2011: “There’s been class warfare going on for the last 20 years, and my class has won.”\n\nContributing: Doris Burke, Carson Kessler and Ellis Simani\n\n'Red alert':Lake Mead falls to lowest water level since Hoover Dam's construction in 1930s\n\n4 takeaways:Joe Biden's first meeting with Boris Johnson", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/06/10"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/12/20/kingston-coal-ash-spill-5-years-1-billion-in-cleanup-and-no-regulations-later/4153801/", "title": "Kingston coal ash spill: 5 years, $1 billion in cleanup and no ...", "text": "Duane W. Gang\n\ndgang@tennessean.com\n\n5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash spilled\n\nMore coal ash spilled than oil from the Deepwater Horizon accident two years later\n\nCleanup costs estimated at %241.2 billion\n\nAs Tommy Charles looks out of his dining room window, it's easy to see why he and his wife moved to Lakeshore Drive in Harriman nearly 50 years ago.\n\nThe Emory River widens as it passes his house. Great blue herons glide above the placid, gray water. It's an idyllic place to live and raise a family.\n\nBecause others saw the same potential, the neighborhood grew to more than 25 homes. No one seemed to mind the Tennessee Valley Authority power plant looming just a short distance away.\n\nThat was how things were, at least, before the early morning hours of Dec. 22, 2008. When a dike failed at TVA's Kingston Fossil Plant, 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash cascaded into the Emory and Clinch rivers and smothered some 300 acres of land.\n\nThe breach released a gooey, slow-moving wave of toxic sludge and polluted water into the river. It snapped trees as if they were twigs and knocked homes off their foundations. It destroyed three houses and damaged dozens of others. In the short run, at least, there were no injuries.\n\nAlthough Charles' home and most of the others on Lakeshore Drive were undamaged, he is the only resident left.\n\nThe last holdout.\n\nAs it launched a massive cleanup effort, TVA bought out the entire neighborhood — all but Charles' house — and turned the area into a park. His reasons for staying are simple — and yet not so easy to explain.\n\nBigger than Deepwater Horizon accident\n\nBut now, five years after one of the worst environmental disasters in the history of the United States, the area around his home offers one more reminder of how much has changed — and maybe of how much has not.\n\nMore coal ash spilled at Kingston than oil from the Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico two years later. Enough muck spewed forth to fill a single football field, including end zones, more than 2,500 feet into the air. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation hit TVA with an $11.5 million fine, the largest ever for state regulators.\n\nTo clean up the spill and restore the area, TVA has spent $1 billion. Agency officials say they are on pace to spend nearly $200 million more by the time the project wraps up in 2015.\n\nBut the legacy of the Kingston spill goes far beyond the Emory and Clinch rivers. Beyond Lakeshore Drive and Charles' neighborhood. Beyond Harriman and the state of Tennessee.\n\nThe spill prompted TVA and other utilities across the nation to re-evaluate how they store coal ash, a byproduct from burning coal to produce electricity. The material contains arsenic, selenium, mercury and other pollutants — all harmful to people and wildlife when found in high concentrations.\n\nCongress held hearings in the aftermath. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed new rules regulating coal ash, including classifying it as a hazardous material.\n\n\"Kingston was a dramatic statement of the costs of using coal,\" said Paul Sloan, who was a deputy commissioner at TDEC at the time of the accident.\n\nBut five years on, it's not clear what lessons were learned. Coal ash remains largely unregulated. The EPA and Congress have not yet acted to strengthen oversight of the material. Industry groups and some lawmakers continue to oppose classifying coal ash as hazardous.\n\n\"The jury is still out on whether we will get the protections we need to prevent this from happening again,\" said Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, a longtime TVA watchdog group. \"The final chapter hasn't been written.\"\n\n'I couldn't believe it'\n\nCharles, 74, remembers waking up five years ago to a catastrophe.\n\n\"A neighbor friend, he heard about it,\" Charles recalled recently. \"As soon as I got out and moved around, I saw that mess. I couldn't believe it.\"\n\nThe coal ash came up both channels of the Emory River around the peninsula where Charles lives. It ripped Charles' small boat from its moorings.\n\nTom Grizzard, 73, remembers that night, too. He lives just a few miles away and drove down toward the spill that morning. Ash and mud were everywhere. Dead fish in people's yards.\n\n\"It was a mess,\" Grizzard said. \"They screwed up.\"\n\nIn the years since the spill, Charles and Grizzard have watched TVA work to clean up the area. They said TVA has done a good job. It just shouldn't have happened in the first place.\n\n\"I will say this: They put a lot of people to work,\" Grizzard said. \"But we as people are paying for it.\"\n\nTVA began dredging in March 2009 and eventually removed 3 million cubic yards of coal ash and other debris. That took more than a year. Train load after train load — 414 in all — hauled the coal ash to a landfill in Alabama over 18 months.\n\nThe utility then built a new 240-acre landfill to replace the one that failed. It will store the remaining ash from the spill. The ash was dried first, and the new landfill has liners to prevent leaks. It includes a massive retaining wall 70 feet into the ground.\n\nWork on the new landfill is in its final stages as crews continue to cap it and plant grass on top. The new landfill is designed to prevent a repeat of 2008. Five years ago, the coal ash was too wet, stacked too high and placed upon a poor foundation. All of those were factors in the dike failure. There were two earlier leaks elsewhere on site — clear warning signs.\n\n\"In total it will be a six-year job,\" said Craig Zeller, the EPA's project manager overseeing the recovery work. \"As far as superfund responses, it is among the largest we've got, at least in (the Southeast), if not in the country.\"\n\nOnce TVA got organized, Smith said the agency did a \"reasonably good\" job getting the coal ash out of the river.\n\n\"I don't know whether it was perfect. There was almost no way you could get an A because of the complexity of it,\" he said. \"It was enough for us that we did not follow through on our Clean Water Act lawsuit.\"\n\nBeyond the ash itself, TVA did a $40 million study to determine the residual effects on the environment and wildlife from the spill and what ash remains in the rivers. About 500,000 cubic yards of ash remain. It has mixed with decades-old radioactive pollution from the Department of Energy's nearby nuclear reservation in Oak Ridge, making it too risky, difficult and expensive to remove.\n\nThe study found no major risks from the remaining ash, but TVA is required to monitor wildlife for the next 30 years.\n\nTVA also has pledged $43 million in support to Roane County, $32 million of which has been invested at nine area schools. The agency also has built a park and walking trails where the Lakeshore Drive neighborhood once stood and will provide land to the county for ball fields and recreational facilities.\n\nHarriman Mayor Chris Mason said two stories emerged from the Kingston spill. After seeing images from the spill, many across the country might think the area would no longer be a place where people would want to live, he said.\n\n\"Please don't misunderstand me and think that what happened wasn't bad because it was,\" he said. \"But Roane County was and is still a fantastic place to live. The TVA coupled with the EPA have done and are doing a good job with the cleanup, and I believe that the area, especially the immediate area, will be a very nice place to be.\"\n\nA disaster that resonates\n\nThe ripple effects from the spill have been felt far from the site, not just for TVA but for state regulators and utilities nationwide. TVA has pledged up to $2 billion to convert from wet coal ash to dry storage, a far safer way to handle the material.\n\nTwo utilities in South Carolina are voluntarily removing coal ash from storage sites near waterways. North Carolina has sued a major power provider over pollutants leaking from coal ash storage ponds.\n\nBut some environmental groups say more should be done. There are hundreds of coal ash impoundments around the nation, and the EPA has found dozens that it believes are leaking.\n\nMore uniform regulations are needed on how coal ash is stored, said Frank Holleman, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. Municipal landfills often face tougher rules, and regulations on coal ash vary by state.\n\nHolleman said the utilities are using 21st-century technology to remove pollutants from the air to meet new, more stringent emissions standards. But the industry is using 13th-century technology to store coal ash, he said.\n\n\"The Romans would have done a better job than we are doing with this stuff,\" he said.\n\nThe EPA also should classify the material based on its danger, he said. The Southern Environmental Law Center supports making coal ash a hazardous substance.\n\nSome utilities have recognized the need to make changes. Others, he said, should do the same before another Kingston takes place.\n\n\"I would hate to go to bed each night as a CEO, executive or board member of a company storing millions of tons of coal ash in a wet state. … If that breaks, I have huge personal legal liability. Kingston put that on the map.\"\n\nThomas Adams, executive director of the American Coal Ash Association, which supports recycling the material, said the the waste shouldn't be classified as hazardous. It can be recycled and used in road construction products, roofing and more.\n\nConsidering it hazardous would halt those recycling efforts, he said. Even the prospect of new EPA rules has already hurt the recycling market.\n\nA powerful group of senators in 2010 — including Tennessee Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker — wrote to then-EPA administrator Lisa Jackson urging her not to follow through on the proposal.\n\nIn a recent meeting with The Tennessean's editorial board, Alexander said the spill was a \"supreme embarrassment for TVA.\"\n\nAnd although the utility is doing a good job cleaning up, it is costing ratepayers, money he said that could have instead gone toward reducing rates, boosting economic development or buying new pollution-control equipment.\n\nRegulating coal ash as a hazardous material isn't the right approach, Alexander said.\n\n\"You can turn coal ash into products that can be sold commercially,\" he said.\n\nHe said states are capable of regulating the material and making polluters clean up after accidents.\n\nAlthough the coal ash association does not support EPA's proposal to classify coal ash as a hazardous material, better regulation is needed, Adams said. The association supports legislation sponsored by Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va.\n\nThe bill, passed by the House this year, would establish minimum requirements for the management and disposal of coal ash, including the structural integrity of coal ash landfills and groundwater monitoring. \"It provides real protections and provides it in a reasonable manner,\" Adams said.\n\nThe proposal, though, would strip the EPA of its authority to regulate coal ash as a hazardous material, and environmental groups oppose it.\n\nThe EPA said Thursday that it will finalize the rule after completing a full evaluation of all of the 450,000 comments and other data it has received. A recent federal court decision requires the EPA to submit a schedule for final action by Saturday.\n\nA quieter place\n\nBack near the Kingston power plant, the landscape has changed. Trucks continue to roll down the road. Bulldozers rumble across the landscape.\n\nBut in many ways, the area is quieter than five years ago.\n\nTVA bought 180 properties and 960 acres from private landowners in the wake of the spill. Agency officials said the utility bought the land because of ash in the water and the nuisance from what will be six years of recovery work. TVA also bought the land to expand the power plant site.\n\nAll the offers, TVA spokesman Scott Brooks said, were voluntary and made based on assessments of damage and impacts from the recovery work. The prospect of lawsuits loomed.\n\nCharles and his wife, Carolyn, the lone holdouts on Lakeshore Drive, received a settlement from TVA and agreed not to sue, but they declined to disclose the amount.\n\nMoney was never the issue, Charles insists. The house was paid for. Charles and his wife could have sold out and moved.\n\nInside the ranch home, Charles shows a faded picture of the house when he first bought it in the spring of 1964. He takes a step down into the master bedroom, once the garage, and explains how he built the bedroom suite himself. He pulls out a drawer, revealing his signature on the back.\n\nWhen TVA officials approached him about the sale, Charles declined.\n\n\"Listen, I said, 'You could offer $1 million and I said it is still not for sale.' \"\n\nCharles admits he can get worked up when talking about TVA. Still, he said, he doesn't begrudge those who took the buyouts.\n\nIt just wasn't right for him. None of them had been here as long.\n\n\"They wouldn't have 30, 40 years of love in the house,\" he said.\n\nThe more he and his wife thought about it, the harder it seemed to sell and move on. The question that loomed largest in their minds: Where else would they go?\n\nStanding in his driveway, struggling to explain, tears fill his eyes. He turns away. All he can muster are two simple words.\n\n\"It's home,\" he whispered. \"It's home.\"\n\nContact Duane Gang at 615-726-5982 or dgang@tennessean.com.\n\nHarriman, Tenn.\n\n5.4 million cubic yards\n\nThe amount of spilled coal ash\n\n3 million\n\ncubic yards\n\nThe amount of coal ash that dredging removed\n\n240 acres\n\nThe size of a new landfill that will contain dry coal ash\n\nBefore and after\n\nLakeshore Drive in Harriman once had more than 25 homes (above left). TVA bought all but one and razed them after the Dec. 22, 2008, coal ash spill at its Kingston Fossil Plant (above right). Tommy Charles, 74, is the remaining holdout. \"It had been paid for for years, so money wasn't the issue,\" he said of his home, which he and his wifebought 50 years ago this spring. \"We didn't have a clue where we would start looking. Plus, at 74, the process of moving your stuff, I just couldn't think about it.\"\n\nSource: Microsoft; Google Maps\n\nOnline at Tennessean.com/Kingston\n\n» Interactive before-and-after photos of the spill site\n\n» A video highlighting the recovery effort today\n\n» A WBIR-Knoxville newscast from Dec. 22, 2008\n\n» Video of the recovery effort one year after the spill in 2009", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2013/12/20"}, {"url": "https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/world-news/955848/a-timeline-of-the-credit-suisse-scandals", "title": "A timeline of the Credit Suisse scandals | The Week UK", "text": "Leaked details from more than 18,000 accounts at one of the world’s biggest private banks have revealed an extensive list of clients involved in torture, drug trafficking, human rights abuses and other serious crimes.\n\nThe accounts hold more than 100bn Swiss francs at one of Switzerland’s “best-known financial institutions”, Credit Suisse bank, reported The Guardian.\n\nThe leaks point to “widespread failures of due diligence by Credit Suisse, despite repeated pledges over decades to weed out dubious clients and illicit funds”, said the paper, which was part of a consortium of 48 media outlets given exclusive access to the data.\n\nAnalysis reveals how Credit Suisse “repeatedly either opened or maintained bank accounts for a panoramic array of high-risk clients across the world”. These included “a human trafficker in the Philippines, a Hong Kong stock exchange boss jailed for bribery, a billionaire who ordered the murder of his Lebanese pop star girlfriend and executives who looted Venezuela’s state oil company, as well as corrupt politicians from Egypt to Ukraine”, said the paper.\n\nThe information was initially leaked to German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung by an anonymous whistleblower, who said Swiss banking laws were “immoral”.\n\nThe paper then partnered with many media companies across the world to investigate the data linked to tens of thousands of accounts, some of which go “as far back as the 1940s” and “more than two-thirds of which had been opened since 2000”, with many still open today.\n\nThe bank has said it “strongly rejects” the allegations against it, arguing that reporting has been based on “selective information taken out of context, resulting in tendentious interpretations of the bank’s business conduct”.\n\nBut the data leak is far from the only scandal to hit the financial institution in recent years. The Week takes a look at some of the biggest controversies the beleaguered bank has had to weather.\n\nChairman resigns for breaking Covid rules Antonio Horta-Osorio resigned as Credit Suisse chairman on 17 January 2022 after “repeated breaches” of Covid-19 quarantine rules, less than a year after taking up the role. An investigation by the bank’s board found that Horta-Osorio, the former chief executive of Lloyds Banking Group, had broken quarantine rules several times, “including on a trip to London last year to watch the Wimbledon tennis finals”, reported the Financial Times. His exit was a “severe embarrassment” for the Credit Suisse, which recruited the Portuguese banker to “help reset its strategy” after previous scandals “damaged the bank’s reputation for risk management and raised questions over its leadership”, said the paper. Credit Suisse immediately appointed board member Axel Lehmann as its chairman, who had been “at the helm for only five weeks” before the massive data leak, said The Guardian.\n\nTuna bonds scandal The Swiss bank was fined nearly £350m by global regulators in October 2021 after pleading guilty to wire fraud in a long-running scandal that pushed the country of Mozambique “into a financial crisis”, reported The Guardian. The so-called “tuna bonds scandal” arose from $1.3bn (£940m) worth of loans that Credit Suisse arranged for the Republic of Mozambique between 2012 and 2016, supposedly aimed at “government-sponsored investment schemes including maritime security projects and a state tuna fishery”. But “a portion of the funds were unaccounted for”, said the paper, and one of Mozambique’s contractors was later found to have covertly arranged hefty kickbacks “worth at least $137m, including $50m for bankers at Credit Suisse meant to secure more favourable deals on the loans”, regulators found. The international scam then “snowballed” leading the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to suspend its assistance to Mozambique, ultimately causing a financial crisis in the country.\n\nDefault of Archegos hedge fund The bank lost $5.5bn when Archegos Capital Management collapsed in early 2021. The US hedge fund’s “highly leveraged bets on certain technology stocks backfired and the value of its portfolio with Credit Suisse plummeted”, explained Reuters. An independent report into Credit Suisse’s involvement with the risky hedge fund “slammed the bank’s conduct” and found that its losses were the result of “a fundamental failure of management and control at its investment bank, and its prime brokerage division in particular”, said the news agency. It said the bank was “focused on maximising short-term profits” ultimately failing to “rein in voracious risk-taking” by the fund “despite numerous warning signals”.\n\nGreensill Capital collapse The bank was forced to suspend $10bn of investor funds in March 2021 when the British supply-chain lender Greensill Capital collapsed. Credit Suisse had “sold billions of dollars of Greensill’s debt to investors, assuring them in marketing material that the high-yield notes were low risk because the underlying credit exposure was fully insured”, said Reuters. Several investors have sued the bank over the Greensill-linked funds, with the bank still in the process of trying to “claw back money for clients”, said The Guardian. The bank said in September last year that it had returned about $6.3bn to investors, but has warned it may not be able to reccover another $2.3bn of losses.\n\nCorporate spying Credit Suisse’s former chief executive Tidjane Thiam was forced to leave the bank in March 2020 after an investigation found that it had spied on two of its employees. The bank hired private detectives to follow Iqbal Khan, its former head of wealth management who was leaving to join its arch-rival UBS, and on Peter Goerke, its former head of human resources. Credit Suisse “repeatedly played down” the spying allegations but in October last year the Swiss Financial market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) said that the bank had planned spying operations on “seven occasions between 2016 and 2019, and carried out most of them”, reported Euronews.\n\nUS sanction breaches Credit Suisse was fined $536m in 2009 for violating US sanctions against Iran and several other countries, including Libya, Sudan, Burma and Cuba, between 1995 and 2007. The US Justice Department said that the bank had “processed payments allowing those countries access to American financial institutions – a practice that Washington had banned”, explained Deutsche Welle. It was the “biggest such fine in the history of violations of US sanctions” and had the bank not cooperated, authorities said they would have “had to pay even more”, said the German news site at the time.", "authors": ["The Week"], "publish_date": "2022/02/22"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2017/10/03/3-billion-yahoo-users-breached-company-says/729155001/", "title": "Data breach Yahoo: 3 billion user accounts hacked in 2013", "text": "SAN FRANCISCO – All 3 billion of Yahoo’s users as of 2013 were affected by a data theft the company originally said had only affected 1 billion users, Yahoo's new parent said Tuesday.\n\nThat makes the Yahoo hack far and away the largest in history, and further dents the reputation of an Internet pioneer that was forced to sell itself off after a succession of CEOs failed to revitalize its user and revenue growth as Facebook and Google grew to dominate the digital ad market.\n\nThe biggest data breaches and hacks of all time\n\nThe additional two billion data theft victims came to light as Yahoo was being integrated with Verizon, which bought the company in June for $4.5 billion after shaving the price in light of earlier-disclosed breaches.\n\n\"During integration, the company recently obtained new intelligence and now believes, following an investigation with the assistance of outside forensic experts, that all Yahoo user accounts were affected by the August 2013 theft,\" the company said in a statement posted on its website Tuesday.\n\nMore:Follow USA TODAY Money and Tech on Facebook\n\nVerizon negotiated down its purchase price for Yahoo by $350 million because of two massive breaches the online media company suffered. The first, in 2013, was believed to be the largest reported data breach ever, involving the theft of data associated with more than one billion user accounts. Yahoo revealed that breach in December 2016.\n\nThe other breach, which occurred in 2014 and was revealed by Yahoo in September 2016, affected at least 500 million Yahoo accounts and was believed to have been the work of a state-sponsored actor. Four people, including two Russian intelligence officers, were charged in that attack.\n\nMore:There's no law they can pass against stupid, House committee tells ex Equifax CEO\n\nMore:A timeline of events surrounding the Equifax data breach\n\nMore:Equifax breach hit 2.5 million more Americans than first believed\n\nThe revelation is black eye for new parent Verizon, particularly with cybersecurity risks in the limelight after the Equifax breach.\n\nIt could have been worse: the stolen information was mostly confined to the users' ID's on Yahoo and their email addresses, but did not include passwords in clear text, payment card data, or bank account information.\n\nYahoo said it would send email notifications to the additional affected user accounts.\n\nThe company, then run by CEO Marissa Mayer, disclosed in November that law enforcement officials had given it data files showing what appeared to be evidence that an unknown third party had access to Yahoo user data.\n\nAt the time, Yahoo brought in outside forensic experts and confirmed that the data was in fact from Yahoo users. It later said a breach affected more than one billion user accounts.\n\nYahoo said in 2016 it did not know who was behind the theft.\n\nThe company said that the attackers stole the user information from its system in August 2013. However it didn't know when they had gained entry to its network or how long they were there before they stole the user information.\n\nMore:FBI is investigating massive Yahoo breach\n\nContributing: Mike Snider in Tysons Corner, Va.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2017/10/03"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/komando/2021/09/26/how-stop-your-smartphone-apps-tracking-your-every-move/5834231001/", "title": "How to stop your smartphone apps from tracking your every move", "text": "Kim Komando\n\nSpecial to USA TODAY\n\nWe used to download apps, enable permissions, and share data without giving it a second thought. These days, most people want more control over their info.\n\nThat starts with protecting yourself from endless data breaches, leaks, and hacks. When was the last time you checked to make sure your info isn't floating around the web for anyone to find? Tap or click to check your email address against a database of major hacks.\n\nThen you have to deal with the Big Tech giants. It’s hard to do much online without Google and Facebook knowing about it. Tap or click here for critical settings everyone should adjust to protect their privacy.\n\nAnd what about all those apps on your phone? It’s easier than ever to see if they know exactly where you are – and stop it if you want to.\n\nYour location is yours to protect\n\nSome apps need to know where you are to work correctly. Many that don't need this information, request access, and you probably said yes when you installed it.\n\nOn your iPhone or iPad, follow these steps to change your overall tracking preference:\n\n• Tap Settings, navigate down to Privacy and tap Location Services.\n\n• If the first slider is turned on, it means that apps can track you.\n\n• Slide it off if you universally want to deny your device from using Location Services.\n\nThe list of apps displayed under Location Services has access to your location and how frequently it is used. Tap on a specific app if you want to change the settings. You can choose Never, Ask Next Time, While Using the App, or Always.\n\nTo take advantage of Apple's App Tracking Transparency, change its settings by tapping Settings, tapping Privacy, selecting Tracking, and toggling the Allow Apps to Request to Track off.\n\nOn Android, first, check to see which apps have access to your location:\n\n• Swipe down from the top of the screen and press down on Location. If it’s not there, search your Settings menu and find Location.\n\n• Tap App permission. You will see a list of apps that can access your location any time, only while it’s in use, or when you give permission.\n\nYou can change app permissions here, or try this method:\n\n• On your home screen, find the app’s icon. Touch and hold the icon for the app you want to adjust.\n\n• Tap the Info icon > Permissions > Location.\n\n• Choose from All the time, Only while using the app, Ask every time, or Deny.\n\nPrivacy 101: This hidden map on your phone shows everywhere you've been – and all the photos you took there\n\nThings to keep in mind\n\nTurning off location services disables your smartphone from tracking your location, but there are some disadvantages. The most obvious one is that apps like Maps, Uber and your weather app of choice won’t be able to determine your exact location.\n\nTo get around that, you can either change the setting so that apps only use your location when using the app or manually switch it on or off as needed.\n\nEnding location tracking entirely can be a pain. Android and iOS provide built-in options to minimize and limit ad tracking if that’s more your speed.\n\nWant more tips like this in your inbox? Get my Tech Tips newsletter. It’s packed with smart info you can use.\n\nStop ad tracking, too\n\nThese changes won't stop companies from tracking your phone activities. They won't limit the number of ads you see – but they will allow you to reset your advertising ID and unlink any targeted advertising profiles associated with your gadgets.\n\nThat means fewer creepy ads that make it clear advertisers know what you are up to online and what your preferences are.\n\nOn iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch:\n\n• Go to Settings > Privacy.\n\n• Tap Apple Advertising. Toggle Personalized Ads to Off.\n\nOn Android:\n\n• Go to Settings and tap Google.\n\n• Tap Ads. Toggle on Opt out of ads personalization.\n\nBonus Tip: How the government and companies buy your personal data\n\nCheck out my podcast “Kim Komando Explains” on Apple, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast player.\n\nWe think of our gadgets as helpful tools that make our lives easier, but they can also be turned against us. The data your devices collect is so valuable it could be used against you in a criminal trial, requested by the police, or even bought by the government through a data broker. I sit down with technologist Bennett Cyphers from the Electronic Frontier Foundation and he reveals all the secrets you’re losing – and which devices do the most stealing.\n\nListen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for my last name, “Komando.”\n\nLearn about all the latest technology on the Kim Komando Show, the nation's largest weekend radio talk show. Kim takes calls and dispenses advice on today's digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. For her daily tips, free newsletters and more, visit her website at Komando.com.\n\nThe views and opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/09/26"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_8", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:30", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/06/health/monkeypox-testing-who-emergency/index.html", "title": "Monkeypox: WHO to consider again whether outbreak is public ...", "text": "(CNN) As monkeypox cases continue to rise globally, the World Health Organization plans to reassess whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.\n\nIn late June, WHO's Emergency Committee determined that the outbreak did not meet the criteria for such a declaration.\n\nBut as the virus continues to spread, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wants the committee to take up the issue again, based on the latest data around the epidemiology and evolution of the outbreak.\n\nTedros said Wednesday that he will convene the committee during the week of July 18, or sooner if needed.\n\nWHO defines a public health emergency of international concern , or PHEIC, as \"an extraordinary event\" that constitutes a \"public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease\" and that may \"potentially require a coordinated international response.\"\n\n\"On monkeypox, I continue to be concerned by the scale and spread of the virus. Across the world, there has now been more than 6,000 cases recorded in 58 countries,\" Tedros said\n\n\"Testing remains a challenge, and it's highly probable that there are a significant number of cases not being picked up,\" he added. \"Europe is the current epicenter of the outbreak, recording more than 80% of cases globally.\"\n\nMonkeypox, a viral disease, occurs mostly in central and western Africa, where the virus is endemic -- but as part of the latest outbreak, the virus has spread to many regions of the world where it is not typically seen.\n\nCases are also being reported in African countries that previously were not affected by the virus, and in those places where the virus is endemic, record numbers are being recorded, Tedros said Wednesday. WHO teams are following the data closely, he said.\n\nWHO is working with countries and vaccine manufacturers to coordinate sharing of vaccines for monkeypox, which are scarce. The organization is also working with groups to break the stigma around the virus and spread information to help protect people.\n\n\"I want to particularly commend those that are sharing videos online via social media channels, talking about their symptoms and experiences with monkeypox,\" he said . \"This is a positive way to break down the stigma about a virus that can affect anyone.\"\n\nEarly data on the outbreak has suggested that gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men make up a high number of reported cases, leading to concern about stigmatizing the disease and the LGBTQ community.\n\nHowever, anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has the virus can be at risk.\n\nThe monkeypox virus can spread from person to person through direct contact with infectious body fluids or with the rash, scabs and sores that the disease can cause. Spread can also happen through indirect contact, such as through clothing or bedding contaminated with the virus.\n\nIt can also spread through respiratory secretions during prolonged face-to-face contact or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling or sex.\n\nSymptoms of monkeypox can include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion and a rash on the skin that can look like pimples or blisters.\n\nThe rash goes through different stages, developing into pustules before healing.\n\nAbout 41,500 courses of vaccine distributed in US\n\nAbout 41,500 courses of the monkeypox vaccine Jynneos have been distributed to states and other jurisdictions across the United States, according to data published Wednesday by the US Department of Health and Human Services.\n\nA course of Jynneos involves two doses four weeks apart.\n\nThe Biden administration announced last week that the strategy for distributing monkeypox vaccines would focus on areas with the highest case rates and overall risk. The District of Columbia has the most reported cases per capita, by far, and has received the most vaccine doses per capita, the new HHS data shows.\n\nVaccine distribution has also been heavily concentrated in California, Illinois and New York, particularly the three largest US cities: New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.\n\nMassachusetts, Hawaii and Colorado also received a large share of the vaccine distribution to date.\n\nEleven states have not received any monkeypox vaccine, according to the data; none of them has reported any cases to the CDC.\n\nUS monkeypox testing ramps up\n\nEfforts are also underway to ramp up testing for the virus in the US.\n\nThe commercial laboratory company Labcorp will begin monkeypox testing Wednesday at its largest facility in the United States, doubling the nation's capacity to test for the virus, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\n\nThe CDC announced Wednesday that Labcorp will be able to accept specimens for testing from anywhere in the United States, and the company expects to perform up to 10,000 tests per week.\n\nThe outbreak has led to 605 probable or confirmed cases in the US as of Wednesday evening. Cases have been reported in 34 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Three of the cases were non-US residents.\n\n\"The ability of commercial labs to test for monkeypox is a key pillar in our comprehensive strategy to combat this disease,\" CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday. \"This will not only increase testing capacity but will make it more convenient for providers and patients to access tests by using existing provider-to-lab relationships.\"\n\nIf someone thinks they could have a monkeypox infection, a provider will have to order a test. \"The public will not be able to go to a Labcorp lab and submit a specimen,\" the CDC said in its statement.\n\nGet CNN Health's weekly newsletter Sign up here to get The Results Are In with Dr. Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the CNN Health team.\n\nThe CDC's Laboratory Response Network has been conducting most of the monkeypox-specific testing in the US, but on June 22, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced that monkeypox testing would expand to five commercial labs: Aegis Science, Labcorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics and Sonic Healthcare.\n\nThe CDC confirmed Wednesday that it had shipped tests to the labs and that their employees have been trained on how to administer the tests. \"CDC anticipates additional commercial laboratories will come online and monkeypox testing capacity will continue to increase throughout the month of July.\"", "authors": ["Jacqueline Howard"], "publish_date": "2022/07/06"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/14/health/who-monkeypox-public-health-emergency-international-concern/index.html", "title": "WHO to weigh whether monkeypox is a public health emergency of ...", "text": "(CNN) The World Health Organization will convene an emergency committee meeting to assess whether the monkeypox outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.\n\n\"I think it's now clear that there is an unusual situation, meaning even the virus is behaving unusually from how it used to behave in the past,\" Tedros said. \"But not only that, it's also affecting more and more countries, and we believe that it needs also some coordinated response because of the geographic spread.\"\n\nWHO defines a public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC, as \"an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response.\"\n\nThe organization says that the definition implies that a situation is \"serious, sudden, unusual or unexpected; carries implications for public health beyond the affected State's national border; may require immediate international action.\"\n\nThis definition comes from the International Health Regulations, which were created in 2005 and represent a legal agreement involving 196 countries with the aim of helping the international community prevent and respond to public health risks that have the potential to spread around the globe.", "authors": ["Naomi Thomas"], "publish_date": "2022/06/14"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/17/politics/covid-19-public-health-emergency/index.html", "title": "Covid-19 remains a public health emergency in US, administration ...", "text": "(CNN) The Biden administration is continuing the Covid-19 public health emergency declaration beyond July 15, two administration officials told CNN, as coronavirus cases are rising again across the US.\n\nThe administration has repeatedly said it would give states 60 days' notice if it were ending the declaration, which would have been Monday. But the deadline passed without notification.\n\nThe declaration is now expected to be renewed for up to another 90 days.\n\nReported cases of Covid-19 have more than doubled over the past month in the US overall and they're technically trending up in all states, though three states are considered to be \"steady.\"\n\nThe public health emergency declaration allows many Americans to obtain free Covid-19 testing, therapeutic treatment and vaccines. Once it ends, people could face out-of-pocket costs depending on whether they are covered by Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance. But vaccinations would generally continue to be free for those covered by Medicare and private insurance, while state Medicaid programs would determine whether to continue covering vaccinations for their enrollees.\n\nRead More", "authors": ["Kaitlan Collins", "Tami Luhby"], "publish_date": "2022/05/17"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2022/05/25/fact-check-world-health-organization-has-no-authority-u-s/9840330002/", "title": "Fact check: World Health Organization has no authority in the U.S.", "text": "The claim: President Biden is giving the World Health Organization control over U.S. health care and national sovereignty\n\nThe World Health Organization's 75th World Health Assembly began May 22 with officials coming together in Switzerland to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and the WHO's role in international outbreaks.\n\nBut some online claim something more nefarious is afoot.\n\n\"TERRIFYING. The Biden administration is setting the stage to hand ultimate control of America’s health care system and U.S. national sovereignty over to the World Health Organization,\" reads a Facebook post shared May 12.\n\nThe post claims that the assembly will be voting on proposed amendments the Biden administration sent in January that would allow the organization \"to declare an 'international health emergency,' nullifying the powers of nation states.\"\n\nThe post generated over 250 shares in less than a day. Similar posts have amassed hundreds of interactions on Facebook and Instagram.\n\nFollow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks\n\nBut the claim is false.\n\nThe amendments referred to in the Facebook post are intended to strengthen a country's reporting measures on public health events, experts told USA TODAY. They would not grant the WHO any authority in the U.S.\n\nUSA TODAY reached out to the social media users who shared the claim for comment.\n\nAmendments will not give WHO authority in the US\n\nThe Biden administration drafted amendments in January to the International Health Regulations, a legally binding agreement between 196 countries to detect and report public health events, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\n\nThis agreement does not allow the WHO to dictate national health care policy or create binding law in the U.S. or any nation, according to Lawrence Gostin, director of Georgetown University's WHO Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law.\n\nFact check: Claim is missing context on WHO's parental-consent guidelines for vaccinating children\n\nThe proposed amendments to the agreement won’t change that.\n\nThe amendments will essentially modify the procedures and speed up the process by which countries report health events, Thomas Bollyky, director of the Global Health Program at the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonpartisan think tank, told USA TODAY. It won't give the WHO authority in any country.\n\nFor instance, countries could refuse to \"cooperate with WHO expert teams\" in the past, according to the Associated Press. The amendments would \"seek to have all signatories agree not to block such actions.\"\n\nThe amendments don't list legal consequences for countries that don't comply, the AP reported. The measures are simply intended to strengthen the WHO's declaration and response to an international health emergency and allow other countries to better respond within their own borders, Bollyky said.\n\nFact check: COVID-19 caused by a virus, not snake venom\n\nThe idea that the Biden administration alone can give the WHO authority over health care or national sovereignty is off the mark, Brian Abramson, adjunct professor of vaccine law at the Florida International University College of Law, told USA TODAY.\n\nBiden does not have the power to make any aspect of U.S. governance subservient to an international organization except through a treaty ratified by a two-thirds vote in the Senate, Bollyky said.\n\nControl of the health care system is even more farfetched. Health care in the U.S. is delivered through adisjointed array of corporate and governmental entities not susceptible to governance by any one organization, according to Abramson.\n\nUSA TODAY previously debunked a claim that WHO vaccination guidelines on parental consent were enforceable in the U.S.\n\nOur rating: False\n\nBased on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that Biden is giving the WHO control over U.S. health care and national sovereignty. The amendments the Biden administration proposed are intended to strengthen the WHO's response to international health emergencies. It will not give the WHO any authority in the U.S.\n\nOur fact-check sources:\n\nThank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.\n\nOur fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/05/25"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/03/11/coronavirus-live-updates-washington-ban-michigan-cases-us-death/5011587002/", "title": "Coronavirus updates: A pandemic, and Seattle, San Francisco issue ...", "text": "The day was hectic enough, with the World Health Organization declaring coronavirus a pandemic, deaths rising and stocks plummeting. Then the evening came with a range of even more shattering headlines.\n\nPresident Trump banned all EU air passenger travel to the U.S., the NBA suspended its season after a player tested positive, and iconic actor Tom Hanks announced to the world that he and his wife have the virus.\n\nWorld Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic as the global death toll rose above 4,600 and the number of confirmed cases topped 126,000.\n\n\"We have rung the alarm bell loud and clear,\" Tedros said at a news conference. \"We cannot say this loudly enough, or clearly enough, or often enough: All countries can still change the course of this pandemic.\"\n\nThe U.S. death toll climbed to 33 and the number of U.S. cases rolled past 1,300, federal health officials said. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield told a congressional committee the virus has spread to at least 38 states. That number increased Wednesday when Mississippi reported its first case, along with Arkansas and Wyoming.\n\n“Right now the epicenter – the new China – is Europe,” Redfield said. “And there’s a lot of people coming back and forth from Europe that are now starting to seed these communities.”\n\nThe current coronavirus outbreak is the first to have drawn a pandemic designation, Tedros said. For weeks, he balked at calling the outbreak a pandemic, and Wednesday he noted that 81 nations have reported no cases of the virus. Another 57 have reported 10 cases or less. More than 90% of confirmed cases are in four countries, and two of them – China and South Korea – are seeing cases decline, he said.\n\nContainment remains as important as mass treatment of the infection, Tedros stressed.\n\n\"Several countries have demonstrated that this virus can be suppressed and controlled,\" he said. “Even those countries with community transmission or large clusters can turn the tide.\"\n\nHere's the latest on the outbreak of COVID-19:\n\nTrump bans people from traveling to U.S. from Europe\n\nThe president outlined strict travel restrictions on passengers arriving in the United States from hard-hit portions of Europe, a ban that will last for at least 30 days. The ban applies to people and not cargo.\n\nTrump said there would be exemptions for Americans who had undergone appropriate screenings.\n\nActing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said the restrictions would \"deny entry to foreign nationals who have been in affected areas.\"\n\nWolf also said DHS would issue a notice in the next 48 hours \"requiring U.S. passengers that have been\" traveling in parts of Europe to \"travel through select airports where the U.S. Government has implemented enhanced screening procedures.\"\n\nDow futures fell 1,000 points after Trump's announcement of the ban.\n\nNBA suspends season after player tests positive\n\nThe NBA announced Wednesday night it is suspending its season after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).\n\nThe league said it is halting operations “following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice. The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”\n\nWhile the league did not name the Jazz player in its news release, a person familiar with the situation confirmed it was Utah center Rudy Gobert. The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly because of the sensitive nature of the situation.\n\n- Jeff Zillgitt\n\nState Department raises global health advisory, advises against travel abroad\n\nThe U.S. Department of State raised its health travel warning to level 3 late Wednesday, saying that U.S. citizens should reconsider travel abroad due to the global impact of COVID-19. \"Even countries, jurisdictions, or areas where cases have not been reported may restrict travel without notice,\" the state department warned.\n\n- Curtis Tate\n\n‘Bottom line: It’s going to get worse'\n\nDr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told lawmakers Wednesday that the U.S. has yet to see the worst of the new coronavirus outbreak. He explained that any time there is an outbreak with enough cases of “community spread,” which means the source of the infection is unknown, “you’re not going to able to effectively and efficiently contain it.”\n\nHow much worse will depend on the ability of the U.S. to contain the influx of infected people from other countries and the ability to contain and mitigate the virus here.\n\n“Bottom line: It’s going to get worse,” he said.\n\n– William Cummings\n\nMarch Madness behind closed doors\n\nMarch Madness will go on, but without fans.\n\nThe NCAA announced Wednesday that its popular men's and women's basketball tournaments will be played without spectators in an attempt to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.\n\nNCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement he made the decision after consulting with public health officials and an advisory panel. Only essential staff and some family members will be allowed at the games.\n\n\"While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how COVID-19 is progressing in the United States,'' Emmert said.\n\nThe tournaments begin next week and conclude with the championship games, April 5 for the women and April 6 for the men.\n\n– Jorge L. Ortiz\n\nTom Hanks says he has tested positive\n\nThe actor confirmed on Instagram and Twitter Wednesday that he and wife Rita Wilson tested positive for COVID-19 in Australia after feeling ill.\n\n\"We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches,\" Hanks wrote on Instagram. \"Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive.\"\n\nThe Oscar-winning actor has been shooting Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley film in Australia. Hanks said he will be \"tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires.\"\n\n- Cydney Henderson\n\nSAT test still scheduled for Saturday — at least for some students\n\nSaturday is one of three scheduled test dates this spring when students can take the SAT college entrance exam. Generally, the test will go on as planned at schools and testing centers around the country, although dozens of locations are scheduling make-up dates or asking students to report to alternate locations.\n\nThe list of closed testing centers is here, but officials cautioned they're not updating it in real time.\n\nIf a student's testing center is closed, the College Board site may list an alternate date or location. If one has not been confirmed, test takers will be notified once arrangements have been made.\n\nIn other parts of the world, the College Board canceled Saturday's test in 17 countries affected by the coronavirus, including China, Italy, South Korea, Japan and much of the Middle East.\n\n– Erin Richards and Chrissie Thompson\n\nSeattle, San Francisco, Oregon ban large gatherings\n\nWashington Gov. Jay Inslee announced a ban on gatherings and events of more than 250 people in the Seattle metropolitan area, where the virus has killed more than 20 people.\n\n“This is not just your ordinary flu,’’ Inslee said in a news conference. “This is a virus that the experts tell us is at least 10 times more potentially fatal than the flu, and this demands a response consistent with the nature of the threat.’’\n\nSan Francisco will also forbid large events, but with a cutoff of 1,000 people, Supervisor Matt Haney tweeted. He added that the ban would last two weeks and that, starting Thursday, the Golden State Warriors would play their home games during that stretch without fans.\n\nPublic schools in San Francisco remain open, but some private ones have closed.\n\nLate Wednesday night, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced that all \"large gatherings over 250 people will be canceled statewide effective immediately for four weeks\" and recommended \"implementation of distancing measures\" as part of the state's strategy to slow the virus.\n\nInslee said that as of Tuesday there had been 268 confirmed cases and 24 deaths in Washington state; 19 deaths are linked to one suburban Seattle nursing home. Authorities in King County believe the virus has spread to at least 10 long-term care facilities. The three counties affected by the ban, King, Pierce and Snohomish, are home to nearly 4 million people.\n\nThe prohibition — aimed at social, recreational and spiritual functions as well as community meetings but not businesses like supermarkets and restaurants — will remain in place at least through the end of March. Inslee said it would likely get extended, and suggested the federal government will probably follow suit in implementing social distancing measures in the coming weeks.\n\nSchools in the three counties were not ordered to close yet but were asked to make contingency plans. Later in the day, the Seattle school district announced a two-week closure beginning Thursday, keeping 53,000 students out of the classrooms.\n\nInslee said more than 25,000 cases of COVID-19 are projected for Washington by early April if authorities don't intervene.\n\nAsked about penalties for violations of his emergency order to ban large gatherings, the governor said, “Penalties are that you might be killing your granddad if you don’t do it.’’\n\n– Jorge L. Ortiz\n\nSeattle Archdiocese cancels mass, citing coronavirus outbreak\n\nThe Seattle Archdiocese on Wednesday suspended mass, effectively immediately, because of coronavirus.\n\nCiting Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s announcement that all gatherings of more than 250 people in three Seattle-area counties would be banned, Archbishop Paul Etienne shared in a video message that he’s asking every parish within the archdiocese to “suspend public celebration of the eucharist.”\n\nOther dioceses and parishes across the U.S. — as well as churches of other denominations — have changed protocols at services, including many Catholic parishes opting to not serve wine during communion. Additionally, many churches are using technology as a way to communicate with congregants, from streaming services live online to sharing podcasts.\n\nEtienne encouraged his parishioners to “pray with confidence, with faith, with hope that the Lord accompany us and protect us,” but also made sure to mention that they should “be very aware of the scientific facts at play in how the virus spreads.”\n\nHe also encouraged elderly parishioners to stay home and self-quarantine, if possible.\n\n– Lindsay Schnell\n\nSenate staff member tests positive, first case on Capitol Hill\n\nA staff member working in Washington, D.C. for Senator Maria Cantwell, D-WA., tested positive for COVID-19, the senator's office announced Wednesday night.\n\n“The individual has been in isolation since starting to have symptoms. On the advice of the Attending Physician, the senator has closed her Washington, D.C. office this week for deep cleaning and staff will be teleworking,” the statement said, explaining the senator will now be working remotely.\n\n“The individual who tested positive for COVID-19 has had no known contact with the senator or other members of Congress,” the statement said. “The senator is requesting that testing be done on any other staffers who have been in contact with the individual and show symptoms.”\n\nSo far, this is the first known positive case of coronavirus on Capitol Hill.\n\nThere have been several U.S. lawmakers who have self-quarantined over fears of contracting the virus after interacting with individuals who had tested positive.\n\n- Savannah Behrmann\n\nJetBlue's business loss worse than 9/11\n\nJetBlue's president, Joanna Geraghty, echoed fellow industry leaders who have said the drop in demand due to the coronavirus is not unlike the downturn airlines experienced after 9/11.\n\nGeraghty said that so far it looks even worse. JetBlue is seeking to cut its capacity by 5% in the coming months, and Geraghty said the airline will consider further cuts as needed.\n\nShe also sought to reassure passengers fearful of getting infected on a plane.\n\n\"If you’re outside of the high-risk category,\" she told USA TODAY, \"it’s as safe as anything else in your life.\"\n\n– Curtis Tate\n\nCoronavirus cover-up in China 'cost the world community'\n\nNational security adviser Robert O'Brien, a member of the coronavirus task force, accused Beijing of concealing the outbreak and hampering a faster response worldwide.\n\n\"Unfortunately, rather than using best practices, this outbreak in Wuhan was covered up,\" he said, referring to doctors who were silenced while trying to sound alarm bells over the coronavirus. \"It probably cost the global community two months to respond.\"\n\nSpeaking at the conservative Heritage Foundation, O'Brien said that if teams from the WHO and CDC had earlier access on the ground in China, it would have \"dramatically curtailed what happened in China and what's happening across the world.\"\n\n– Courtney Subramanian\n\nMarkets tumble; tax deadline could be delayed\n\nThe Standard & Poor's 500 plunged again Wednesday, narrowly avoiding its first bear market since the financial crisis with a dip of 4.9%. The broad index is off about 19.2% from its Feb. 19 high. The Nasdaq Composite shed 4.7%, also off just under 20% from its record last month.\n\nThe Dow Jones industrial average dropped 1,464 points, entering a bear market, or a drop of 20% from its Feb.12 high. That marks its largest decline since the financial crisis.\n\nStocks have been swinging wildly for days, in large part over news of the coronavirus outbreak, and Wednesday's losses wiped out much of Tuesday's gains.\n\nThe Trump administration is weighing extending this year's April 15 deadline for filing income taxes to soften the outbreak's impact on U.S. households and businesses, The Wall Street Journal reported.\n\n– Jessica Menton and Jazmin Goodwin\n\nCoronavirus can live for hours or days, study finds\n\nNew tests reveal the coronavirus can live in the air for several hours and on some surfaces for as long as two or three days, though that doesn't necessarily mean people get infected by breathing it in or touching something that's contaminated.\n\nThe leading means of infection is still believed to be person-to-person contact.\n\nUniversity and U.S. government researchers simulated the effect of an infected person sneezing or coughing the virus into the air by using a nebulizer. They found the virus could be detected in the air up to three hours later and on plastic and stainless steel as much as three days later. The results were similar to those from tests done on the virus that caused the 2003 SARS outbreak.\n\n“We’re not by any way saying there is aerosolized transmission of the virus,” but this work shows that the virus stays viable for long periods in those conditions, so it’s theoretically possible, said study leader Neeltje van Doremalen at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.\n\nArkansas reports first coronavirus case\n\nArkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson confirmed the state's first case of coronavirus, a male currently at a hospital in Pine Bluff. The patient is being held in isolation, and the hospital and the Arkansas Health Department are gathering information about where he has traveled. He is reported to be stable and improving.\n\n– Pine Bluff (ArkCommercial\n\nGrand Princess to unload 1,000 passengers\n\nThe Grand Princess cruise ship was set to continue unloading passengers for a third day Wednesday in Oakland, California. As of Tuesday, 1,406 people had disembarked from the ship, leaving at least 1,000 still on board. Nineteen crew members who tested positive but \"have been deemed asymptomatic\" remain on the ship in isolated cabins, Princess Cruises said. The ship floated in limbo from Thursday, when 21 coronavirus cases were discovered on board, until docking in Oakland on Monday.\n\nAt least 30 cruise ships currently at sea with about 100,000 people list port destinations in the United States sometime this week, according to a USA TODAY satellite tracking analysis of 380 of the world’s largest cruise ships. It's not clear if all ports will be open to receive them.\n\nMeanwhile, a proposal submitted to the White House by the leading cruise trade organization would deny cruise boarding to any person over 70 unless they are able to present a doctor's note verifying their fitness for travel, according to a person familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly. Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) submitted a plan to Vice President Mike Pence proposing enhanced measures across the industry. Coronavirus concerns have forced two ships of passengers into quarantine and escalating fears on others.\n\n– Morgan Hines and David Oliver\n\nG7 ministers to meet virtually instead of in Pittsburgh\n\nThe State Department said it would change a planned in-person meeting of G7 foreign ministers to a virtual session conducted by video conference. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was scheduled to host the Group of 7 leaders – from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States – in Pittsburgh on March 24-25.\n\n– Deirdre Shesgreen\n\nMassachusetts infections more than double\n\nGov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency after state health officials said the number of presumptive positive cases of coronavirus in Massachusetts is now up to 92, more than doubling in one day.\n\nThe state identified 51 new cases since Monday, Massachusetts Health Secretary Marylou Sudders said at a news conference with the governor. The vast majority, 70, are tied to a conference the biotech company Biogen held in Boston last month. Four are travel-related and 18 are under investigation.\n\nBoston Mayor Marty Walsh said the Boston Marathon scheduled for April 20 is still on – for now. The annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been canceled.\n\n– Joey Garrison\n\nGermany: 70% of country could get coronavirus\n\nGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel said 60%-70% of her country's population could eventually become infected with the coronavirus and that the key was to slow the spread as much as possible. The government has recommended the cancellation of all events with more than 1,000 people, among other measures.\n\nMerkel said the focus should be on making sure the \"health system not be overwhelmed,\" according to a translation from Deutsche Welle. \"So, it's not the case that it doesn't matter what we do,\" she said. \"First and foremost, it's about gaining time.\"\n\n– William Cummings\n\nMichigan reports first cases, declares state of emergency\n\nIn announcing Michigan's first two coronavirus cases Tuesday night, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pledged to harness all of the government's resources to slow the spread of the virus. \"We're Michiganders. We're tough,\" Whitmer said. \"We know how to take care of each other. We will get through this, but for now, please make sure your family and friends are taking every preventative measure available to keep yourselves safe.\"\n\n– Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press\n\nNational Guard rolls out in New York City suburb\n\nThe National Guard has been deployed to a New York suburb after Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered schools, houses of worship and other large gathering places in a portion of New Rochelle to temporarily close. Cuomo announced a plan Tuesday to enforce a \"containment area\" of a 1-mile radius around the Young Israel synagogue at the center of the cluster, which includes part of the city of New Rochelle and stretches into the town of Eastchester, both of which are about 20 miles north of New York City in Westchester County.\n\nAny large gathering places within that containment area will be required to shut down through March 25, Cuomo said. Westchester remains at the epicenter of New York state’s coronavirus outbreak with more than 100 confirmed cases. The National Guard will help residents under precautionary quarantine and help disinfect public areas, Cuomo said.\n\n– Jon Campbell and Joseph Spector\n\nItaly's deaths surge\n\nItaly remained in a nationwide lockdown as confirmed coronavirus cases jumped past 12,000. The death toll stood at 827, second only to China, with rapid increases continuing.\n\nPremier Giuseppe Conte said he will consider requests from Lombardy, Italy’s hardest-hit region, for a shutdown of nonessential businesses and public transportation on top of travel and social restrictions already in force. Conte said all stores except pharmacies and grocery stores would be closed nationwide.\n\nDozens of universities switch to online classes, tell students to stay home\n\nIn-person classes had been canceled at close to 100 universities by mid-afternoon Wednesday, according to a list maintained by Georgetown scholar Bryan Alexander. Across the country, dorms were emptying, fans were banned from sporting events, graduation plans were up in the air.\n\nElite schools such as Harvard, Princeton and Stanford and large schools such as the state and city universities of New York, UCLA, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Maryland and the University of Washington are among dozens going virtual.\n\nEven campuses that don’t yet have active cases of the virus have started to shut down their in-person offerings as the coronavirus spreads rapidly across the country.\n\nOn Wednesday alone, Duke University in North Carolina, Georgetown and George Washington universities in Washington, D.C., the University of Virginia, Pepperdine University in California, the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and others announced they would move to online instruction.\n\nTracking college closures:Colleges closing, going online due to coronavirus\n\n– Chris Quintana\n\n'Taped, from New York ...'\n\nAll New York-based late-night shows have adopted plans to tape episodes without studio audiences starting Monday as the spread of the coronavirus escalates.\n\nAlthough they reported no specific cases of staffers afflicted by the virus, CBS's \"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,\" NBC's \"The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon\" and \"Late Night with Seth Meyers,\" HBO's \"Last Week Tonight with John Oliver\" and Comedy Central's \"The Daily Show with Trevor Noah\" say they will begin taping shows without an audience next week.\n\nEarlier Wednesday, Walt Disney Co. confirmed that its own news and talk shows, including ABC's \"The View\" and \"Good Morning America\" and the syndicated \"Live with Kelly and Ryan\" and \"Tamron Hall,\" will go audience-free indefinitely. So will NBC's \"Today,\" as of Thursday.\n\n– Anika Reed and Bill Keveney\n\nMore on the outbreak of COVID-19:\n\nMap: Which states have coronavirus cases?\n\nHere's a look at which U.S. states have reported cases of COVID-19:\n\nWhat's the worldwide death toll?\n\nThe global death toll jumped to 4,630 early Thursday, according to a Johns Hopkins University data dashboard.\n\nThe total of confirmed cases was more than 126,000; more than 80,900 in mainland China, where the virus has killed more than 3,100 people.\n\nThe virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms for most people, such as fever and cough, but can progress to serious illness including pneumonia, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. The WHO says mild cases last about two weeks, while most patients with serious illness recover in about three to six weeks.\n\nContributing: Steve Kiggins, USA TODAY; The Associated Press\n\nMore on coronavirus\n\nCoronavirus cancellations:Here's the full list\n\n'Not good for the game':MLB players express concerns about impact of coronavirus\n\nIs it safe to ride? Coronavirus fears are challenging public transit across US\n\nHealth or a paycheck?Workers with no paid sick leave face tough choice", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2020/03/11"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/05/19/covid-19-trump-threatens-withdraw-permanent-funding-cut-world-health-organization/5218811002/", "title": "COVID-19: Trump threatens to withdraw from World Health ...", "text": "President Donald Trump threatened to permanently cut U.S. funding to the World Health Organization and \"reconsider\" membership if the WHO does not adopt \"major substantive improvements\" within 30 days.\n\nTrump's demands, made in a letter Tuesday to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, are an escalation of his attacks on the organization. He accused the WHO of \"repeated missteps\" during the coronavirus pandemic and demanded it \"demonstrate independence\" from China.\n\n'This will kill you':People warn others after Trump's apparent use of hydroxychloroquine\n\n\"My administration has already started discussions with you on how to reform the organization. But action is needed quickly. We do not have time to waste,\" Trump wrote in his ultimatum, which comes about a month after he froze WHO funding, pending a formal investigation into the international health body and its coronavirus response.\n\nThe letter lists Trump's allegations that the United Nations agency missed warning signs of the virus's spread, then blithely accepted China's lack of transparency over the outbreak. The WHO initially circulated preliminary Chinese claims that there was no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus.\n\nCOVID-19:Health Secretary Alex Azar slams WHO as China backs coronavirus investigation\n\nIn his letter, Trump did not outline specific actions the WHO needs to take to satisfy his demands. Monday, Trump called the U.N. health body a \"puppet of China.\"\n\nZhao Lijian, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, said Trump's letter was \"smearing and slandering China’s efforts in epidemic prevention.\" He called it a Trump administration attempt \"to shift responsibility in its own incompetence in handling the epidemic.\"\n\nThe WHO said in a statement it was \"considering the contents\" of Trump's letter, but otherwise, it had no comment.\n\nThe organization has disputed claims from the Trump administration that it acted too slowly in sounding the alarm over coronavirus. Public health experts have long warned the agency is overly bureaucratic and in need of reform. Little evidence has emerged to substantiate accusations from Trump administration officials that the WHO deliberately acted in concert with China to obfuscate what it knew about the outbreak.\n\nMonday, Ghebreyesus said he would launch an independent evaluation of the WHO’s coronavirus response \"at the earliest appropriate moment.\" Chinese leader Xi Jinping said he would support an independent investigation into the pandemic, though it remains unclear whether any such review would probe the origins of the virus. Trump has speculated, without giving evidence, that the coronavirus escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China, where the virus emerged late last year.\n\nThe United States is the WHO's biggest donor. It paid $400 million to the WHO for 2018-2019, according to the organization's website. That money represents about 15% of the WHO's budget. When Trump said last month that he would temporarily freeze WHO spending, he said he would \"channel\" the money into other areas to combat the coronavirus outbreak. He has not provided specifics on that pledge.\n\nAmong the other accusations made in Trump's letter:\n\nHe suggested that the WHO, bowing to pressure from China, delayed an emergency declaration connected to the outbreak. (There is no known evidence for this claim.)\n\nHe highlighted the global health body's praise of China's government for its \"transparency\" with respect to the coronavirus, setting a \"new standard for outbreak control.\" (True. The WHO has gone on record that it believes China has done a good job fighting the coronavirus.)\n\nTrump accused the WHO of \"inexplicably\" opposing his closure of the U.S. border and travel ban from China. (The WHO has consistently argued for years against closing borders and travel bans during pandemics, saying such actions can exacerbate the spread of infectious disease. But it has not publicly questioned Trump's decision.)\n\nHe said the agency failed to publicly address accusations of \"China's racially discriminatory actions\" in China against African nationals. (True.)\n\nTrump suggested The Lancet, a British medical journal, published a report in early December about a virus spreading in Wuhan. (False, according to The Lancet. Its editor said the first reports it published were from Chinese scientists Jan 24.)\n\nAnalysis: Trump halts funding to WHO. Experts say we need it now more than ever\n\nThe WHO held its annual general assembly online, which ends Tuesday. The forum was dominated by many of its 194 members pushing for a review of how the organization responded to the outbreak.\n\nIn an interview with the BBC, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said it would be \"grossly irresponsible in international humanitarian terms\" for the United States to permanently withdraw its funding for the WHO because of its potential impact on poor countries around the world where the virus has yet to have its full impact.\n\n\"The WHO goes in and advises and/or provides direct material help with the setting up of health systems to deal with the crisis on the ground,\" he said.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2020/05/19"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2020/03/17/latest-iowa-coronavirus-covid-19-updates-outbreak-map-cancellations/5064551002/", "title": "Coronavirus in Iowa: A look back, March 16-22: Reynolds closes ...", "text": "Register staff\n\nState and federal officials say there are simple, everyday steps you can take to avoid catching or spreading respiratory diseases, including COVID-19: Cover your coughs and sneezes, thoroughly wash or sanitize your hands and stay home if you are sick. Get more information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at CDC.gov/coronavirus, or call 211, the Iowa Department of Public Heath's hotline, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.\n\nPersonnel at health care facilities, schools, the state government and businesses in Iowa are taking a series of measures in response to the novel coronavirus, which causes a disease known as COVID-19.\n\n► Looking for the latest? Here's what we know, March 23-29.\n\nHere's the latest on what Iowans need to know:\n\nReynolds signs executive order closing salons, spas, tattoo parlors and more\n\nMarch 22: Iowa's salons, barber shops, medical spas, massage therapists, tattoo shops and swimming pools will be closed until March 31, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced at a news conference Sunday.\n\nShe signed an executive order, which will take effect at 10 p.m. Sunday, she said. She has also suspended foreclosures on residential, commercial and agriculture properties.\n\nReynolds and DHS Director Kelly Garcia are also asking schools, churches and community centers that have space to open day care for children of essential workers, such as hospital staff and first responders.\n\nThe department will conduct an on-site visit to ensure it's age-appropriate, can accommodate groups of 10 children, and that all caregivers have passed background checks. The department will also help locate caregivers, Garcia said.\n\nIowa day care centers have not been ordered closed, but DHS has asked caregivers to do temperature checks of all children before check-in, remove all plush toys and to keep children far apart.\n\n► Read the full story here.\n\nReynolds asks spring break travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days\n\nMarch 22: In announcing Iowa's 22 new cases Sunday, Gov. Kim Reynolds said spring break and other travelers \"should strongly consider\" self-quarantining for 14 days. That extends to domestic and international travelers, she said.\n\n\"This will support Iowa's ongoing efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and limit the introduction of the virus from other points of travel,\" Reynolds said in a statement.\n\nIf school was in session, children would be returning back from spring break Monday. Many Iowa families still took their spring break vacations as planned.\n\nOn March 15, Reynolds recommended all schools close for four weeks.\n\nIowans turn to homemade masks, hospitals plead for donations\n\nMarch 22: Nurses and other health-care workers across the nation and in Iowa have made pleas for donations of personal protective equipment as they face a nationwide shortage while trying to keep up with an influx of patients.\n\nJoyce Flinn, director of Iowa Homeland Security, said Sunday the state has submitted a request to FEMA for protective medical supplies — based on needs at hospitals and other clinics — and is expected to receive a shipment Monday or Tuesday. The Iowa National Guard and the Iowa Department of Public Health has prioritized \"hot zones\" and will get the equipment to those areas \"as quickly as the product comes in,\" she said.\n\nMeanwhile, Iowans are volunteering during their self-quarantine time to sew homemade masks for hospitals to have as a back-up option and for non-profit organizations like homeless shelters that are also in need of protective masks during the shortage.\n\nA Facebook group of seamstresses has grown to more than 600 members since it started Friday. They're connecting volunteers to organizations who have requested homemade masks.\n\n►Read the full story here.\n\nAnother 22 positive cases in Iowa\n\nMarch 22: There are 22 new positive cases of COVID-19 in Iowa, the Department of Public Health announced Sunday, bringing the total number of cases to 90 across 24 counties.\n\nThe new cases were reported in:\n\nCerro Gordo County — two adults 18- to 40-years-old\n\nDallas County — one adult 61-to 80-years-old\n\nDubuque County — two adults 18- to 40-years-old\n\nHarrison County — two adults 61-to 80-years-old\n\nJohnson County — two adults 18- to 40-years-old; one adult 41- to 60-years old; two adults 61-to 80-years-old\n\nKossuth County — one adult 18- to 40-years-old\n\nLinn County — one adult 41- to 60-years old\n\nPoweshiek County — one adult 81-years-old or older\n\nScott County — one adult 41- to 60-years old\n\nSioux County — one adult 61-to 80-years-old\n\nTama County — two adults 18- to 40-years-old; one adult 41- to 60-years old\n\nWashington County — one adult 41- to 60-years old\n\nWoodbury County — one adult 41- to 60-years old\n\n► MORE:Here's a map of the coronavirus cases in Iowa\n\nJohnson County mayors urge residents to stay home\n\nMarch 22: Mayors in Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty are asking residents to only leave their homes for essential items. They represent the state's third larges\n\nThe Johnson County mayors are also asking residents to strictly adhere to Gov. Kim Reynolds' order to restrict gatherings of 10 people or less and her guidance to self isolate for 14 days if returning from out-of-state for business or spring break vacation. The three mayors represent Iowa's third largest metropolitan area.\n\nTheir plea comes a day after Des Moines' mayor issued a similar voluntary \"stay home, stay healthy\" request to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.\n\nUIHC asks for donated face shields\n\nMarch 22: Leaders at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics have made an \"urgent request\" for face shields to protect all employees who interact with patients, visitors and coworkers as it works to fight COVID-19 in Johnson County — the epicenter of positive cases in Iowa.\n\nThe health system is asking businesses and individuals to donate new or used protective face shields.\n\nUIHC currently has a supply of face shields for staff who provide patient care or do screenings at hospital entrances, but are wanting all employees to wear them.\n\nAccording to a posting on its website, the protective face shields should be lightweight and adjustable, with a shield area that extends below the chin. Staff will disinfect any used face shields that are donated.\n\nThe hospital is also in \"critical need\" of N95 masks, isolation/surgeon masks, face masks with attached eye shields and isolation gowns.\n\nInformation on how to donate can be found on UIHC's website, UIHC.org/kind-donations.\n\n► Read the full story here.\n\nMetro orthopedic employee tests positive for COVID-19\n\nMarch 22: An employee of Iowa Ortho, a metro orthopedic clinic, has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement from the company Friday.\n\nThe employee did not display symptoms while working on-site, the company said.\n\nIowa Ortho is working with public health officials to determine its next steps and will continue its enhanced screening measures and temperature checks of all patients coming in its Des Moines and Clive locations.\n\n\"We are proceeding with the utmost caution as the safety and well-being of our patients and staff is our top priority,\" the statement reads. \" ... As essential health care workers, it is critical for our doctors and staff to continue to care for emergent and urgent orthopedic issues.\"\n\nDHS: Keep kids at home, run fever screenings at day cares\n\nMarch 22: The Department of Human Services released new guidance Friday, advising parents working from home to keep their children with them. It also directed day-care providers to take the temperatures of children as they arrive each morning, sending home those running fevers.\n\nDHS also encouraged day-care providers to limit the number of people in a room to 10 or fewer; to keep children farther apart; and to report clusters of absences.\n\nParents and day-care operators across the state are grappling with how to care for their children while also attempting to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.\n\nIn other states where cases of COVID-19 are more widespread than in Iowa, child care centers have shut down statewide to stem the spread.\n\n► Read the full story here.\n\nFirst downtown Des Moines hotel closes\n\nMarch 22: The Des Lux Hotel in Des Moines has closed temporarily because of the COVID-19 outbreak, making it the first downtown Des Moines hotel to close because of the coronavirus.\n\nOther downtown hotels remain open with skeleton staffs and reduced amenities.\n\n► Read the full story here.\n\nHelp us report this story\n\nThe news surrounding the coronavirus outbreak in Iowa is unlike anything the Register has covered. We'll be updating this story as news develops.\n\nYou can read what happened in central Iowa prior to this week regarding COVID-19 here.\n\nYou can help us report this story by letting us know how novel coronavirus is affecting your routine, your workplace and your day-to-day family life. We also take requests: Just tell us what you want to know. Send news tips to our online contact form, or call us at 515-284-8065.\n\nMore on the outbreak:\n\nMore on preventing the virus' spread:\n\nMore on the impact:\n\nIowa sees largest single-day spike in positive tests\n\nMarch 21: Twenty-three more Iowans have tested positive for COVID-19 — the largest single-day jump in positive cases, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.\n\nThere are now 68 cases of the novel coronavirus across 17 counties in the state.\n\nDes Moines mayor asks residents to leave home only for essentials\n\nMarch 21: Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie has asked residents to voluntarily stay home — only leaving for essential items like groceries, medicine and health care — for at least two weeks to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Iowa's capital city.\n\nHe has also waived all enforcement at downtown parking meters, recognizing that downtown residents are likely parking on city streets as they work from home or have been laid off.\n\nCownie said the decision was made after consulting mayors from across the country who are considering or have implemented similar measures.\n\n\"I just think it's best practice and I'm hopeful that other mayors, county officials and other elected officials would follow suit,\" he said. \"I think each day that we don’t take these kinds of measures we're threatened by the spread of this coronavirus pandemic.\n\n\"And I just think that advising anything different is a step in the wrong direction.\"\n\nMore: Read the entire news release\n\nLoans available to small businesses\n\nMarch 21: The United States Small Business Administration has issued a disaster declaration for Iowa, allowing \"pandemic-impacted\" small businesses to apply for low-interest loans, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Saturday.\n\nThe Economic Injury Disaster Loans offer up to $2 million in assistance to small businesses and private, non-profit organizations that can be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable or other bills.\n\nThe interest rate for small businesses is 3.75% for small businesses and for non-profits is 2.75%.\n\nApplications can be made online at DisasterLoan.sba.gov/ela/. For questions, contact the disaster assistance customer service center at 1-800-659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.\n\nMeskwaki Tribe issues emergency declaration\n\nMarch 21: The Meskwaki Tribe in Iowa issued an emergency declaration after members of the tribe tested positive of COVID-19 from community transmission on the Meskwaki Settlement, according to a Meskwaki Tribal Council news release.\n\n\"Tribal Council hereby determines and directs that all individuals residing on the Settlement shall shelter in place and shall not leave their homes unless going to and from grocery stores, pharmacies, or the Meskwaki Health Clinic effective March 21, 2020; and that all social, community, recreational, leisure, and sporting gatherings and events of more than 10 people are hereby prohibited at all locations and venues on the Meskwaki Settlement; and close the Meskwaki Settlement to outside visitors,\" the statement reads.\n\nAuditor: Public funds can be used to promote businesses\n\nMarch 21: Iowa Auditor Rob Sand said Saturday that public funds can be used to \"encourage the public to patronize local businesses,\" such as printing flyers or using newspaper or radio ads that emphasize ordering take-out or delivery from local restaurants.\n\nSuch use of public money would generally raise red flags in an audit, however, Sand's office said during the novel coronavirus pandemic, it meets the \"public purpose\" test as a way to retain jobs.\n\nThe auditor says governments should follow three procedures: Record the public purpose prior to spending money, don't show favoritism to particular businesses and avoid conflicts of interest.\n\nLocal officials considering other unusual measures should first contact the auditor's office at drew.stensland@aos.iowa.gov.\n\nIowa National Guard cancels some plans, stands ready to help\n\nMarch 20: The Iowa National Guard is postponing and canceling planned drill and training to minimize the possible spread of coronavirus, it announced in a news release Friday evening.\n\nIt has also closed the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum, the Camp Dodge Wellness Center and the USO. It canceled all armory and facility rentals through May 19.\n\nThe National Guard is prepared to send service members to help with coronavirus response \"if necessary\" to help with things such as storage, transportation and delivery of personal protective gear and providing tents to communities affected by the pandemic. Col. Michael Wunn said they may have orders to carry out those missions next week, but expects it would be a small-scale operation to help with transportation and logistics.\n\nNine of its service members are currently supporting the State Emergency Operations Center at Joint Force Headquarters in Johnston. The soldiers attached to the operations center are helping to coordinate with other state agencies that are leading the response to the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, Col. Wunn said.\n\nIowa suspends routine hotel, home bakery and restaurant inspections\n\nMarch 20: The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals is temporarily suspending routine inspections of hotels, home bakeries, restaurants, bars, food trucks and other food establishments, it announced in a Friday evening news release.\n\nReynolds closed all bars and suspended dine-in options at restaurants on Tuesday as part of the state's effort to limit the spread of coronavirus.\n\nThe state department is also temporarily suspending inspections of food processing plants. It has a contract with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to inspect those plants, but the FDA ordered it to stop.\n\nIt is also waiving late fees for businesses that need to renew their food licenses if the tardiness is during the governor's disaster proclamation. This does not affect current late fees.\n\nSecretary of State reschedules upcoming special elections\n\nMarch 20: Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate announced on Friday that upcoming special elections in three Iowa counties will be rescheduled for Tuesday, July 7. Concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus prompted the change, he said in a news release.\n\nThe Cedar Falls special election in Black Hawk County, the Craig special election in Plymouth County, and the Board of Supervisors special election in Woodbury County are now set for July 7, which is the first available date, according to release.\n\nPate said he consulted with county auditors before the decision and noted that under Iowa law the special elections can not be held within four weeks of the June 2 primary. Any absentee ballots that were already cast will be counted on July 7, Pate tweeted.\n\n​​​​​​​Additional COVID-19 case identified; total at 45\n\nMarch 20: The Iowa Department of Public Health announced Friday it has been notified that another Iowan has tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of known cases in Iowa to 45.\n\nAccording to a news release, the person is between the ages of 41 and 60 and lives in Allamakee County.\n\nSen. Ernst requests 'immediate action' to help Iowans abroad\n\nMarch 20: After multiple Iowans stranded in Peru during the coronavirus pandemic expressed frustration with a lack of communication from the U.S. Embassy there, wheels seem to be turning on getting them home.\n\nU.S. Sen. Joni Ernst called for \"immediate action\" to get those stuck in Peru and elsewhere abroad returned quickly. Ernst's office said a letter she sent to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged him to act quickly to ensure the health and safety of these Americans.\n\nKohl's stores close nationwide\n\nMarch 20: Beginning March 19, Kohl's announced it was closing all of its stores nationwide through April 1 \"to support efforts underway to slow the spread\" of coronavirus.\n\nIn a statement, the company said it was giving all of its store associates two week's pay to help them get through the period when they won't be receiving regular hourly wages.\n\nThe department store chain has four stores in metro Des Moines.\n\n► More:Here's a map of the coronavirus cases in Iowa\n\nFederal assistance available to Iowa cities, counties\n\nMarch 20: Local governments in Iowa can apply for federal disaster funds to help pay for costs incurred while fighting the spread of COVID-19.\n\nCities, counties and some nonprofits can now request money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency because of the pandemic last week.\n\nAmong other things, FEMA can offer funds to help governments build additional medical shelters, buy medical equipment, disinfect public facilities, pay for emergency operation center costs, procure and distribute food and medicine and cover overtime costs.\n\n“This grant is designed to reimburse costs associated with emergency operations for jurisdictions and specified private nonprofit organizations that are on the front lines of the COVID-19 response,” said Melissa Spencer, deputy coordinator of the Story County Emergency Management Agency in a news release.\n\nAccording to a fact sheet provided by Polk County officials, the state will receive the FEMA funds before disbursing them to the individual recipients. Governments have 30 days after the disaster declaration — until April 12 — to request the grants.\n\nIowa suspends property tax fee collections, evictions\n\nMarch 20: Gov. Kim Reynolds on Friday suspended the collection of some fees on property taxes and halted most home evictions through a series of relaxed regulations aimed at helping Iowans impacted by the coronavirus.\n\nReynolds' office initially announced she was suspending the collection of property taxes as part of her orders, but her office later corrected that and said it was just for penalties and interest for property taxes.\n\nReynolds announced the temporary changes through a state public health emergency declaration that went into effect immediately.\n\nThe declaration pauses restrictions and regulations from certain statutes and other state rules. That includes suspending the collection of property taxes and related penalties and interest.\n\nThe order also suspends some evictions under the Iowa Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, or the Manufactured Home Communities or Mobile Home Parks Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.\n\nRead more on the proclamation:Iowa suspends property tax fee collection, evictions; relaxes or extends deadlines on regulations in reaction to coronavirus outbreak\n\nCORRECTION: The governor's office initially said Iowa was suspending property taxes, it later corrected that information. Iowa is suspending penalties and interest as it relates to the collection of property taxes. This article has been corrected. ​​​​​​​\n\nUIU will hold virtual commencement ceremony\n\nMarch 19: The Upper Iowa University in Fayette will now hold their commencement ceremony on May 9 as a virtual ceremony.\n\n\"I understand an in-person ceremony is preferred, but I also have no doubt that everyone would agree that the health, safety and welfare of our students, visitors and employees drive this decision,\" Duffy said. \"To provide the graduates their much-deserved recognition, UIU is making arrangements to continue to celebrate this momentous occasion virtually.\"\n\nAs details become available, the school will post them on the commencement web page.\n\nUI dentistry student tests positive for COVID-19\n\nMarch 19: University of Iowa officials informed campus and community members Thursday that a dentistry student has self-identified as having tested positive for the novel coronavirus. It's the first COVID-19 case reported on campus.\n\nIn a letter sent Thursday to the UI community, school officials said others who had contact with the student have been notified of the test results. The student, who was last on campus March 12, also saw a dentistry patient while symptomatic, according to the letter. After learning of the results, school officials informed the Johnson County Public Health department. The student does not live on campus and is self-isolating, according to the letter.\n\n\"It is not the practice of Iowa Department of Public Health to notify employers or institutions of a positive case,\" the letter reads. \"The university is able to share this news because the student self-identified, but the university will not be able to report each time a member of the UI community tests positive, moving forward.\"\n\nRead the full letter and learn of campus resources here.\n\n801 Grand building to undergo deep clean after COVID-19 exposure\n\nMarch 19: A visitor to Principal Financial Group's downtown Des Moines office tested positive for COVID-19, leading to nearly 20 floors at 801 Grand to go through a \"deep clean\" starting tomorrow. The building is expected to\n\nAccording to a notice sent to employees Thursday evening, all workers in the building are being required to self-quarantine for at least 14 days.\n\n\"We have alerted our downtown Des Moines employees and other tenants of the building,\" spokesperson Jane Slusark said in an emailed statement. \"We have asked all Principal employees who work in the 801 Grand office complex to self-quarantine. We will also deep clean the Principal floors on Friday. A majority of Principal employees in Des Moines are already working remote and we have significantly limited visitors to our campus. Our top priority remains protecting our employees and their families, while continuing to serve our customers.”\n\nStory County Sheriff's Office to take reports over the phone\n\nMarch 19: The Story County Sheriff's Office announced it has closed to the general public and is changing how it responds to calls in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a news release Thursday.\n\nDeputies at the sheriff's office dispatch center are asking more questions when someone calls than is standard procedure, and are trying to take reports over the phone whenever possible. If a deputy needs to meet the caller in-person, they ask them to come outside their residence.\n\nSimilarly, the office asks for residents to do as much of their business online, by mail or by phone as possible. In-person meetings are by appointment only with the exception of attorney visits, bail bonds and warrant services, according to the release.\n\nThe Story County Jail is also taking measures limiting contact: all visitations, programming and classes in the facility have been canceled until April 1.\n\nThis doesn't mean all in-person services are suspended; first responders continue to work \"around the clock\" on public safety issues, according to the news release.\n\nDes Moines Public Schools' Central Campus gets a deep clean\n\nMarch 19: The Des Moines Public Schools cleaned Central Campus to disinfect surfaces and clean equipment.\n\nWhile teachers were pitching in, the school's director Tascha Brown found gloves, masks, gowns and other supplies from the school's nursing program, marine biology program, and other science classes. She plans on donating the supplies to Unity Point.\n\nBridgestone plant to close for two weeks\n\nMarch 19: Bridgestone is sending about 1,400 workers home from its Des Moines agricultural tire manufacturing plant for two weeks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, said Steve Vonk, president of U.S. Steelworkers Local 310.\n\nThe shutdown begins at 6 a.m. Sunday, Vonk said, adding that Bridgestone is closing all North and South American facilities to protect the health of employees.\n\n\"They're really looking out for their employees,\" he said.\n\nNo employee at the Des Moines plant, which makes tires for farm equipment, has tested positive for the coronavirus, Vonk said.\n\nMore: New Iowa unemployment figures show slight rise, but don't reflect most coronavirus impact\n\nHy-Vee says it's adding window panels at checkout to protect employees, customers\n\nHy-Vee says the grocer is adding temporary window panels at checkouts to help provide an additional layer of protection for its employees and customers.\n\nThe panels are being installed at the checkout because it’s the point in the store where customers and employees are in the closest contact, the West Des Moines-based grocery chain said Thursday.\n\n\"In the aisles or at our service counters, customers and employees have more flexibility in placing distance between themselves, but the setup of the checkout limits that ability,\" Hy-Vee said in a news release.\n\nThe company said the panels are in place in its Des Moines-area stores, and will be installed in all other Hy-Vee locations over the next few days.\n\nAdditionally, Hy-Vee said it will no longer allow customers to bring in reusable bags, effective Friday. The company said it's not always easy to tell how clean the bags are, and stopping their use is another step the chain can take to help prevent the spread of the virus. The bag restriction will be in place until further notice.\n\nDes Moines Public Library offering digital cards\n\nMarch 19: The Des Moines Public Library tweeted Thursday that it has created digital cards for people who do not yet have a library card to sign up and access thousands of eBooks and Audiobooks. The card also includes streaming video and free digital access to the New York Times.\n\nThe library has also added eBooks and Audiobooks that are available to everyone, including those with library cards outside of Des Moines.\n\nPeople who already have a Des Moines Public Library card do not have to sign up for the digital card, as they already have access to the library's services. People can sign up for the card at www.dmpl.org.\n\nOn Twitter, the library also encouraged people needing an internet connection to drive to its branches and use the branches’ WiFi connection from outside. Even though people aren’t in the buildings, the free internet will still be accessible.\n\nPhysician assistants have expanded abilities under new law\n\nMarch 18: Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday signed a bill that will expand the role of physician assistants in Iowa, a move she said will assist the state in the fight against novel coronavirus.\n\n“As the state continues to combat the spread of COVID-19 and the strains it will place on our health care system, this will be yet another tool in our arsenal,” Reynolds said in a news release.\n\nThe bill, Senate File 2357, gives physician assistants the full ability to prescribe medicine, allows them to be reimbursed by Medicaid and gives them similar legal protections to other health care professions.\n\nThe Iowa Legislature passed the bill last week, prior to suspending the session for 30 days due to the spread of the virus.\n\nUniversity of Iowa closes dorms, cancels commencement ceremonies\n\nMarch 18: Out of fear of exacerbating the spread of COVID-19, the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, the University of Northern Iowa and Simpson College are closing dorms, canceling spring commencement ceremonies and extending virtual classes through the end of the school year.\n\nUniversity leaders on all three campuses stressed the need for sweeping action in announcing the news.\n\nThe University of Iowa announced \"sweeping efforts to keep campus safe,\" including closing dorms, canceling commencement ceremonies and extending virtual classes through the end of the school year. UI officials said the decision was made after receiving word of community spread in Johnson County.\n\nPreviously, all classes were scheduled to resume virtually Monday, and in-person classes were expected to start again after two weeks. Now classes will resume as virtual classes on March 30 and continue online for the remainder of the semester.\n\nDining halls and most residence halls — initially planned to stay open — will close Thursday. Exceptions will be made for students who cannot easily move off-campus.\n\nOfficials said they are working to organize an alternative commencement celebration.\n\nMore:University of Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa cancel spring commencements, in-person classes for the semester in response to COVID-19's spread​​​​​​​\n\nNine more COVID-19 cases confirmed; state total to 38\n\nMarch 18: Nine more Iowans have tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by coronavirus, according to a news release Wednesday from Gov. Kim Reynolds' office.\n\nThis brings the total cases in Iowa to 38. The nine new cases also represent the largest single-day increase in positive diagnoses of COVID-19 since it was first found in Iowa on March 8. The prior biggest jump was on Tuesday, with six new cases.\n\nThe new cases include three residents of Johnson County; two residents of Polk County; two residents of Dallas County; and one resident each from Washington and Winneshiek counties.\n\nReynolds also announced a news conference for Thursday afternoon.\n\nSick Iowans denied coronavirus screenings\n\nMarch 18: There are Iowans frustrated with what they say are testing criteria in the state that are jeopardizing human life in the pandemic. Meanwhile, when tests are completed, the state's public health department is releasing less information about the results than officials in some other states.\n\nThe Iowa Department of Public Health, the main agency tasked with overseeing the state's response to coronavirus, did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday regarding complaints about the lack of testing.\n\nIn recent days, the department has provided general information about Iowa's testing capabilities.\n\nRead the complete story here.\n\nIDPH urges groups to donate extra health care supplies\n\nMarch 18: The Iowa Department of Public Health is urging businesses and organizations to donate health care-related protective devices.\n\nDepartment officials welcome any kind of personal protective equipment, or PPE, but especially gloves, gowns, eye protection and masks. Donations should be made through the local county public health department or emergency management office.\n\n\"This is an unprecedented public health disaster, and stocks of personal protective equipment for health care providers are being used rapidly,\" said Ken Sharp, division director of Acute Disease Prevention, Emergency Response and Environmental Health. \"Any organizations that have extra PPE supplies that aren't immediately needed should consider donating them to help those on the front lines of this disease.\"\n\nHospitals in Cedar Rapids have already canceled non-essential surgeries for at least the next month in part to preserve medical supplies. Des Moines hospital officials have also warned about a lack of medical supplies.\n\nLocal health department contact information can be found here. County emergency management information can be found here.\n\nGrassley criticized for using the term 'Chinese virus' to describe coronavirus\n\nMarch 18: U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley set off a round of criticism for his Wednesday morning tweet asking why China would be upset if people call the novel coronavirus the “Chinese virus.”\n\n“I don’t understand why China gets upset bc we refer to the virus that originated there the 'Chinese virus' Spain never got upset when we referred to the Spanish flu in 1918&1919,” Grassley tweeted.\n\nHis critics on social media told Iowa's senior senator that the term has contributed to racism towards Asian Americans.\n\n\"China is attempting to shield itself from criticism for covering up the gravity of the coronavirus and silencing whistleblowers who tried to warn the world. Despite what the communist Chinese government may want, there’s no hiding that the coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China,\" spokesperson Michael Zona said in a statement.\n\nPresident Donald Trump has used the terms “China virus” and “Chinese virus” to refer to the coronavirus and defended the language, saying he doesn’t believe it creates a stigma.\n\nCOVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, was first linked to an outbreak in Wuhan, China, but has since spread around the world. The World Health Organization has declared the virus a pandemic, meaning a disease that has spread worldwide.\n\nIowa Board of Regents declares state of emergency amid pandemic\n\nMarch 18: Following suit with the governor, the Iowa Board of Regents president declared a state of emergency Wednesday and immediately loosened restrictions around sick leave and family leave.\n\nIn announcing the state of emergency, the Iowa Board of Regents waived limits on the number of hours of accrued sick leave employees can use to care for an immediate family member and limits on using family leave to care for a child whose school or childcare center closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.\n\nIDOT relaxes expired driver's license, registration rules during emergency\n\n​​​​​​​March 18: The Iowa Department of Transpiration will grant leniency to people with driver's licenses and license plates which expired in the past two months after Gov. Kim Reynolds' Tuesday emergency proclamation to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak.\n\nDrivers' licenses and license plates which expired on Jan. 17 or later will be considered valid for as long as the emergency declaration lasts, IDOT said Wednesday.\n\nPurchasers of vehicles also will not need to obtain a title and register their vehicle within 30 days during the emergency. People purchasing vehicles from a dealer will not be required to obtain license plates within 45 days, IDOT said.\n\nDriver’s license and ID business is being conducted by appointment only to limit the number of people waiting in line. All non-commercial drive tests will be rescheduled.\n\nHy-Vee, Fareway dedicate shopping hour for elderly, others vulnerable to coronavirus\n\nMarch 18: Starting Thursday, Hy-Vee will offer a special shopping hour from 7-8 a.m., seven days a week, for senior citizens ages 60 and older, expectant mothers and those who are considered to be at higher risk for serious illness.\n\nOn Tuesday, Fareway said the first hour of operation each day, 8-9 a.m., will be reserved for customers 65 and over, expectant mothers, people with serious medical conditions and \"anyone with an underlying medical condition that increases the susceptibility to serious illness from COVID-19.\"\n\nBoth Iowa grocery chains said Tuesday they're cutting store hours to give employees more time to clean and restock shelves. Fareway will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Hy-Vee said its new store hours will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week.\n\nDPS says people may be charged with misdemeanors for holding gatherings of 10 or more people\n\nMarch 18: The Iowa Department of Public Safety said Tuesday night that people may be charged with simple misdemeanors for violating Gov. Kim Reynolds' emergency proclamation to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak.\n\nA news release from the governor's office said the proclamation will be in place until nearly midnight on March 31.\n\nUnder the governor's order, restaurants will end dine-in services but can provide food and beverages through drive-thru, carry-out and delivery. Other facilities such as bars, gyms, theaters and casinos must close.\n\nThe prohibition includes events considered social, such as for community, spiritual, religious, recreational, leisure and sports-related purposes.\n\nUnder Iowa law, a simple misdemeanor is punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a fine between $65 and $625.\n\n“As this public health event rapidly unfolds, we will continue to partner with law enforcement agencies across the state to uphold and respond to Governor Reynolds’ health and safety directives,” said Stephan Bayens, Iowa Department of Public Safety commissioner in a news release. “Together, we will all see this through.”\n\nBeaverdale family trades books for toilet paper, gloves in little free library\n\nMarch 17: Bob Meeley's little free library has been a source of joy to those who stumble upon it. Now it's something more.\n\nOn March 12, Meeley took the books out of the library and put in goods that have been in short supply since the coronavirus was labeled a pandemic. In the place of stories of adventure and intrigue are now rolls of toilet paper, wet wipes, Emergen-C, and gloves. At the top of the library is a sign that says \"Flatten the Curve!\" with a chart advocating for proactive measures to avoid stressing the health care system. Read the story here.\n\n► More good news:Cedar Rapids business owners team up to make, give away hand sanitizer\n\nSix new COVID-19 diagnoses brings total Iowa cases to 29\n\nMarch 17: Six more Iowans have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the respiratory disease that can stem from coronavirus infection. It is the largest single-day jump in cases, and brings the total in Iowa to 29.\n\nAccording to the Iowa Department of Public Health, three of the cases are residents of Johnson County, and one each from Adair, Blackhawk and Dallas counties. The news release did not specify their ages, genders or if they had traveled to high-risk countries, been in contact with other people identified as infected with coronavirus or if they were instances of community transmission, the term for when a case has no easily identifiable point of origin.\n\nAmy McCoy, a policy adviser for the IDPH, said at this point in the virus' spread, trying to pinpoint the source of the infection isn't as important as mitigating the spread. She emphasized the need for social distancing and other individual actions to prevent its spread.\n\n► MORE:Here's a map of the coronavirus cases in Iowa\n\nPhotos: Downtown Des Moinies' Court Avenue closed on St. Patrick's Day\n\nHy-Vee making changes to stem coronavirus' spread\n\nMarch 17:Hy-Vee is shortening its hours, closing the dine-in portion of its restaurants and suspending its weekly coupon ads.\n\nThe company announced Tuesday the grocer will only be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., saying it will use the extra to more thoroughly clean the store. In compliance with Gov. Kim Reynolds’ order earlier in the day, Hy-Vee will not allow diners to eat in the store. It is also closing the Market Grille bar.\n\nCustomers also will not be able to order food directly from Hy-Vee’s Aisle Online program. Any shoppers who want groceries delivered will need to order through apps like Shipt and Door Dash. In its news release, Hy-Vee said this will allow workers to focus on pick-up orders and the needs in the store.\n\nHy-Vee is suspending the weekly coupon ads in newspapers because it cannot guarantee local stores will have those items in stock. The company already printed some of those ads, which consumers may see this weekend. Hy-Vee says it will still honor those advertised sales.\n\n“This is an unprecedented situation for all of us,” Randy Edeker, Hy-Vee’s chairman, CEO and president, said in a statement. “We’ve never dealt with anything like this before, and we know our customers haven’t, either. We appreciate their patience and loyalty as we navigate these changing times.”\n\nCoronavirus patients discharged from hospitals\n\nMarch 17: At least two coronavirus patients have been released from Iowa hospitals.\n\nA coronavirus patient who had been hospitalized at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in recent days has been discharged. Molly Rossiter, a spokeswoman for the Iowa City hospital system, confirmed the information Tuesday.\n\nRossiter did not release any other information about the patient, including whether the patient has recovered.\n\nThe University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics announced Sunday that its latest patient was admitted. The hospital system is separately treating another patient who tested positive for coronavirus. That patient was admitted on March 11, according to the hospital.\n\nIn a news release, it said the individual was infected with the virus through community-acquired transmission, another term for “community spread” that is used to describe infections from an unknown source. At a news conference on Tuesday with Johnson County public health officials, Mercy Iowa City spokeswoman Margaret Reese said its hospital system has been treating two coronavirus patients. One has been discharged, according to Reese. She did not provide more information.\n\nMore:As UIHC treats second patient with COVID-19, staff ramp-up screening, start a hotline\n\n​​​​​​​DMARC hands out food to families\n\nDes Moines Area Religious Council gave bags of food to families in the Carver Elementary parking lot. Many area public school children rely on the school system for meals. When the schools closed to prevent the virus from spreading, many lost access to that meal.\n\nCedar Rapids hospitals suspend non-urgent surgeries\n\nMarch 17: Elective surgeries are being suspended as of Thursday at four prominent health care providers in Cedar Rapids to both prevent the spread of the coronavirus and preserve medical supplies.\n\n“We’re getting down to critical volumes (of supplies), and it's a little uncertain when it can all be replenished,” Dr. David P. Hart, the chief medical officer and board president of the Physician’s Clinic of Iowa, said. “We don't know how bad this can get, and we just want to be prepared and to make sure we have enough supplies if things do get worse.”\n\nThe suspended surgeries include things like carpal tunnel and hip and knee replacement. Urgent procedures will still be done, Hart said. Even so, he expects this will affect hundreds of patients. The suspension is slated for at least a month, with officials revisiting the policy weekly.\n\nThe decision was jointly made by officials at UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital, Physician’s Clinic of Iowa, Mercy Medical Center and the Surgery Center of Cedar Rapids. Mercy Medical Center is unaffiliated with MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center.\n\nMore:Des Moines hospital official warns: 'We do not have enough of supplies' to combat coronavirus\n\nDART waving bus fares\n\nMarch 17: Starting Tuesday, the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority is waiving bus fares in an effort to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus.\n\nThe metro’s public transportation provider won’t accept cash, bus passes or tickets, DART said in a news release on its website.\n\nBeginning Wednesday, bus riders will also be instructed to get on and off the bus via the rear doors, away from the driver.\n\nDART also encouraged riders to practice social distancing: staying 6 feet apart, remaining at home when sick and only taking the bus to go to work or other location that’s absolutely necessary.\n\nOn Sunday, the authority began cleaning its buses daily with an antiviral cleaning agent recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Staff have cleaned the buses at the end of the service day.\n\nCorteva says one employee in Johnston tested positive for coronavirus\n\nMarch 17: Corteva Agriscience said Tuesday an employee at its Johnston campus has tested positive for COVID-19.\n\nThe seed company said it’s identifying and reaching out to people who “had close contact with the impacted employee, advising self-quarantine.\"\n\n\"We have informed the appropriate public health officials, the employee is quarantined, and we are working to support the employee and their family at this time,\" the company said in a statement.\n\n\"Within our offices, following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other local authorities, as well as our own policies, we have taken significant actions to contain any potential spread.\"\n\nCorteva, the new parent of Pioneer seed, said it's cleaning and disinfecting the site as needed as well. “The health and safety of our employees is our top priority,\" the company said.\n\nFareway stores restrict operating hours\n\nMarch 17: Fareway supermarkets announced that beginning Wednesday, they will limit their hours to 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday because of the coronavirus outbreak.\n\nIn a statement, Fareway communications manager Emily Toribio said the reduced hours will allow extra time for cleaning, sanitation and restocking.\n\nIn addition, she said the first hour of operation each day, 8 a.m.-9 a.m., will be reserved for customers 65 and over, expectant mothers, people with serious medical conditions and \"anyone with an underlying medical condition that increases the susceptibility to serious illness from COVID-19.\"\n\n​​​​​​​ National Guard deployments to go forward\n\nMarch 17: Deployments announced by the Iowa National Guard prior to the pandemic will move forward as scheduled, a spokesperson said Tuesday.\n\nAbout 680 Iowans from two units who received their deployment orders within the last six weeks will leave in May and June, Col. Michael Wunn said.\n\nIn late May, the 133 Infantry Battalion out of eastern Iowa — also known as the Ironman Battalion — will deploy about 550 soldiers to Operation Spartan Shield in U.S. Central Command, located in the Middle East, Wunn said.\n\nComing from armories in seven communities — Charles City, Davenport, Dubuque, Iowa City, Iowa Falls, Oelwein and Waterloo — this deployment is expected to last a year. Their mission will still involve security and “force protection operations,” as a news release previously announced.\n\nIn June, two troops from the 113th Cavalry Regiment will deploy about 130 soldiers to Operation Enduring Freedom in U.S. Africa Command.\n\nAlso lasting a year, this deployment will include 90 soldiers from Le Mars, Iowa, and 40 from Johnson. These troops will help with “military operations, exercises and security cooperation activities on the African continent, its island nations and surrounding waters,” as a news release previously announced.\n\nFull-time staff members of the Iowa National Guard are following travel restrictions announced Monday by the Department of Defense, which limits military and personal travel to just “mission essential” or personal hardship trips, including funerals and family emergencies. Traditional guardsmen are not subject to the personal travel restrictions, but the Guard has significantly restricted training, conferences and any events that can be delayed or postponed.\n\n“This is a very fluid situation,” Wunn said, adding that they are making decisions every day based on recommendations from the Iowa Department of Public Health, the CDC and the Department of Defense.\n\n“We will protect the health of the force and make sure they are being taken care of while doing what we can to stop the spread,” Wunn said. “And we will balance that with our focus on mission readiness in case we need to support the Governor as well as the strict timeline our forces are on to prepare for deployment.”\n\nThe Iowa Gold Star Military Museum and the Wellness Center at Camp Dodge will be closed to the public by the end of the day Tuesday, though Camp Dodge will remain open, Wunn said.\n\nThe Guard is currently looking at events scheduled to take place at armories across the state and accessing next steps with organizers.\n\nReynolds prohibits gatherings of more than 10 people, closes theaters, casinos, restaurants, bars\n\nMarch 17: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is closing restaurants, bars and other recreational facilities in Iowa for two weeks in an effort to restrict the spread of coronavirus.\n\nReynolds made the announcement in a news release Tuesday. The order goes into effect at noon and continues until March 31.\n\nThe news release says the governor has issued a State of Public Health Disaster Emergency, a proclamation designation that allows her to take these actions.\n\nRestaurants will be able to provide food through drive-through, carry-out and delivery only. Bars and other facilities like gyms, theaters and casinos will close.\n\nIowa lawmakers grant Gov. Kim Reynolds expanded power\n\nMarch 17: The Iowa Legislature has suspended its session for 30 days after passing legislation early Tuesday morning to keep the government running and grant Gov. Kim Reynolds expanded powers to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.\n\nThe bill, unanimously passed by lawmakers just after midnight, grants Reynolds, a Republican, increased ability to transfer spending between state agencies and departments, giving her flexibility to allocate funds where needed. It also allows her to tap 10% of the state's $200 million Economic Emergency Fund to deal with the coronavirus.\n\nThe bill also waives schools' requirement to make up class days canceled as a result of the virus and passes a supplemental appropriation for some state programs, including $525,000 for processing COVID-19 test kits at the State Hygienic Lab at the University of Iowa.\n\nMore:Iowa lawmakers grant Gov. Kim Reynolds expanded power as they suspend legislative session due to coronavirus\n\nMore:Iowa waives 4 weeks from school year as classes stop for coronavirus\n\nUrbandale Community School District employee tests positive for COVID-19\n\nMarch 16: An employee of the Karen Acres Elementary School in Urbandale has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently in quarantine.\n\nThe employee, who is not being identified by the school district out of concerns for confidentiality, has sought medical attention, according to a notification from the Urbandale Community School District. The notice did not specify the person’s condition.\n\nThe district also announced that all of its schools would be closed beginning March 16 for four weeks, adhering to the recommendation from Gov. Kim Reynolds. The closure includes cancellation of all school-related programming, activities, athletics, Adventuretime and community education classes. Under current plans, students would return to school on Monday, April 13.\n\nThere have been 23 known cases of coronavirus in Iowa. Some of the cases involve people who do not know how they contracted the virus, and some of those infected have had to be hospitalized. COVID-19 is the respiratory illness caused by the virus. It is unclear if this employee is part of that 23 or if the person is an additional case.\n\nMore:Urbandale district employee tests positive for coronavirus\n\nDes Moines-area YMCAs completely shut down for 15 days\n\nMarch 16: The six membership branches and the Y-Camp serving the greater Des Moines area will shut down for 15 days, officials announced Monday night.\n\nNo coronavirus cases have been linked to a YMCA facility, but its leadership is following federal, state and local health officials' guidance to try to slow its spread, Ruth Comer, the YMCA's vice president for marketing and communications wrote in an email.\n\nIt had previously canceled all group fitness classes, personal training sessions, youth programming and facility rentals and suspended Learn and Play centers and guest passes.\n\nFull-time staff will remain employed during the closure. President and CEO of YMCA of Greater Des Moines Leisha Barcus asked members to pay dues and register for future programs as they're able to help it operate once the crisis passes.\n\nDes Moines Water Works suspends water shutoffs\n\nMarch 16: Des Moines Water Works, which provides drinking water to most of the Des Moines metro area, announced Monday that it would stop shutting off the water service of delinquent ratepayers.\n\nWater needs to be available to help residents sanitize, which will hopefully slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus, the utility said in a news release. The suspension is temporary.\n\nDes Moines Water Works’ water remains safe to drink, the release said. COVID-19 hasn’t been detected in drinking water, and water works’ treatment practices kill viruses. There’s also no need to boil tap water.\n\nThe U.S Environmental Protection Agency said, “Americans can continue to use and drink water from their tap as usual.”\n\nStarting Tuesday, water works will also prohibit walk-in customers at its general office building on George Flagg Parkway. In-home visits, except for emergencies, will also be suspended.\n\nWater customers can pay online at dmww.com, by phone at (515) 283-8700, at the office’s dropbox, by mail or at pay stations at local Hy-Vee or Wal-Mart stores.\n\nThe utility has also started “stockpiling” chemicals, repair parts and other equipment to ensure the production and distribution of safe drinking water, the news release said.\n\nIowa DOT may make customers wait in cars, encourages appointments\n\nMarch 16: The Iowa Department of Transportation is encouraging people to postpone in-person services and, if unavoidable, for customers to make an appointment before visiting.\n\nMany services, including renewals, address changes and certified copies of driving records, are likely available online. To view those services, or make an appointment, visit https://mymvd.iowadot.gov/. Customers can also call 515-244-8725.\n\nOfficials hope appointments will reduce the number of people waiting at the service centers. Staff will watch the size of groups in the waiting areas and may ask people to come back another time or wait in their vehicles if the room becomes crowded, according to a news release.\n\nStaff will also ask customers questions designed to evaluate their risk of exposure to the coronavirus and risk of exposure to other customers. If someone is determined to be a “heightened risk,” they will be asked to delay their visit. The news release did not specify what criteria will be used to make that judgment.\n\nDOT staff are also instructed to increase how often they clean and disinfect the facilities.\n\nYour subscription makes work like this possible. Subscribe today at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2020/03/17"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/19/health/fourth-covid-19-vaccine-dose-us/index.html", "title": "A fourth Covid-19 shot might be recommended this fall, as officials ...", "text": "(CNN) As the world approaches the second anniversary of the declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic by the World Health Organization, on March 11, more nations are rolling out -- or are discussing the possibility of -- fourth doses of coronavirus vaccine for their most vulnerable. In the United States, leading public health officials say they are \"very carefully\" monitoring if or when fourth doses might be needed.\n\nIsrael was the first nation to roll out fourth doses , announcing in December that adults 60 and older, medical workers and people with suppressed immune systems were eligible to receive the extra shot if at least four months have passed since their third dose.\n\nMore recently, the Public Health Agency of Sweden announced last week that second booster doses are recommended for everyone 80 and older in the country. The United Kingdom's Department of Health and Social Care announced Monday that an extra booster dose of coronavirus vaccine will be offered in the spring to adults 75 and older, residents in care homes for older adults and immunosuppressed people 12 and older.\n\nIn the United States, health officials emphasized late last year that fourth doses were not yet needed and said it was too premature to be discussing a potential fourth dose of coronavirus vaccine for most people.\n\nNow, the US Food and Drug Administration \"is indeed continually looking at the emerging data on the pandemic and variants in the United States and overseas in order to evaluate the potential utility and composition of booster doses,\" FDA spokesperson Alison Hunt wrote in an email to CNN on Friday.\n\nShe confirmed that although Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, has noted that there is still much uncertainty as to how the pandemic may further evolve, he also has said it is possible that a fourth dose might be recommended as we move into fall.\n\nA fall timeline coincides with the administration of flu shots, which could be convenient for people and makes sense scientifically because respiratory viruses -- like the coronavirus and influenza -- tend to peak in the winter months that follow.\n\n\"As more data become available about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, including the use of a booster dose, we will continue to evaluate the rapidly changing science and keep the public informed,\" Hunt wrote. \"Any determination that additional booster doses are needed will be based on data available to the agency.\"\n\nIf or when the FDA authorizes a fourth dose for the public, the next step would be for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to review the data before making a recommendation for use, as the agency has done for other coronavirus vaccine recommendations.\n\n'Vaccination and boosting will be critical'\n\nThe United States has seen significant improvements recently in Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. As of Friday, cases were down 44% from the prior week, hospitalizations dropped 26%, and deaths were 13% lower, according to Johns Hopkins University data.\n\n\"Vaccination and boosting will be critical in maintaining that downward trajectory, particularly when you're talking about the red curve of severe disease leading to hospitalization,\" Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during a White House Covid-19 Task Force briefing Wednesday.\n\nThe \"potential future requirement\" for an additional boost or a fourth shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccines or a third dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine \"is being very carefully monitored in real time,\" Fauci said. \"And recommendations, if needed, will be updated according to the data as it evolves.\"\n\nJUST WATCHED Immunocompromised denied fourth dose despite CDC approval Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Immunocompromised denied fourth dose despite CDC approval 02:52\n\nThe CDC has no recommendation of fourth doses of coronavirus vaccine for the general public, but the agency updated its guidelines in October to note that certain people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may receive a fourth dose of the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines.\n\n\"For the immunocompetent people, a single booster shot continues to provide high levels of protection against severe disease caused by Omicron,\" Fauci said Wednesday. \"This should not be confused with the fact that for many immunocompromised people, already a second booster shot -- namely a fourth dose of an mRNA -- is recommended because of what we know about their poor response to the initial regimen.\"\n\nMeanwhile, vaccine makers continue to study fourth doses in broader populations.\n\n'We recognize the need to be prepared'\n\nPfizer announced in January that it has been studying the safety and efficacy of a fourth dose as part of its ongoing study of an Omicron-specific coronavirus vaccine among healthy adults ages 18 to 55.\n\nFor that study, participants have been separated into three cohorts. One includes 600 people who got three doses of the current Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine before enrolling in the study. As part of the research, they will receive either a fourth dose of the current vaccine or a dose of the Omicron-based vaccine.\n\n\"While current research and real-world data show that boosters continue to provide a high level of protection against severe disease and hospitalization with Omicron, we recognize the need to be prepared in the event this protection wanes over time and to potentially help address Omicron and new variants in the future,\" Kathrin Jansen, senior vice president and head of vaccine research and development at Pfizer, said in the company's announcement of the study.\n\nstudy published by the CDC last week showed that protection against Covid-19 hospitalization and emergency department or urgent care visits is much higher after a third vaccine dose than a second dose but that protection wanes with time.\n\nWith the Omicron variant dominant in the United States, vaccine effectiveness was 87% against Covid-19 emergency department or urgent care visits and 91% against hospitalizations in the two months after a third dose. Effectiveness fell to 66% and 78%, respectively, by the fourth month, the data showed.\n\n\"Nonetheless, the level of 78 is still a good protective area,\" Fauci said Wednesday.\n\nDr. Christopher Murray, director of the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, told CNN on Friday that he thinks having a fourth dose \"makes very little sense\" right now -- but possibly makes more sense this upcoming fall or winter.\n\n\"Because Omicron is going away,\" he said, \"third dose immunity wanes, and so fourth dose will probably wane as well. So we would want to time a fourth-dose push for when either there's a new variant or for next winter. So I think right now, unless you're immunocompromised or you're older, unless you have some personal risk, it doesn't make a lot of sense.\"\n\nThe research showing some waning immunity after a third dose has led to more discussion around if or when fourth doses could be needed.\n\n\"Just like with everything else, the health departments look at this data that's coming out and wait for guidance from the CDC and from the drug manufacturers. The drug manufacturers have been monitoring vaccine effectiveness,\" Lori Tremmel Freeman, chief executive officer of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, told CNN on Friday.\n\nThe timing for fourth doses not only depends on waning immunity \"but also depends on whether we see any more variants emerge and what we discover in terms of additional vaccine effectiveness for any emerging new infections,\" Freeman said.\n\nIf fourth doses are needed, \"health departments would go into the mode of preparing to administer the fourth dose in the way they have done previous doses,\" Freeman said. However, of greater concern among local public health officers is the slow -- and declining -- pace of people completing their third doses, she said.\n\nGet CNN Health's weekly newsletter Sign up here to get The Results Are In with Dr. Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the CNN Health team.\n\nAbout 65% of the US population is fully vaccinated with at least their initial series, and about 28% of the population has received a booster dose, according to the CDC, as of Friday. But the pace of booster doses being administered has dropped to one of the slowest rates yet.\n\n\"As time goes on, if there is the necessity of a fourth dose, we're already behind with people getting the third dose,\" Freeman said. \"So all of a sudden, we could have a fairly large segment of the population that is not up to date on vaccines because they're behind by two doses, potentially, and more people could get sick.\"", "authors": ["Jacqueline Howard"], "publish_date": "2022/02/19"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/advice/2020/01/31/what-coronavirus-travel-protocol-us-travel-advisory-flights-more/4620467002/", "title": "Coronavirus China travel advisory: Info on flights, cruises, more", "text": "On Thursday, the rapid outbreak of coronavirus prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a level 4 travel advisory (\"Do not travel\") – its most severe warning – for the entire country of China, one week after it did so for Hubei Province, where the virus' epicenter, Wuhan, is located.\n\nThe move followed the World Health Organization's decision to declare coronavirus, which Chinese officials say has been diagnosed in 9,800 people and killed 213 , a global health emergency.\n\nIn the State Department's advisory, the agency notes: \"Travelers should be prepared for travel restrictions to be put into effect with little or no advance notice,\" and recommends that those currently in China \"consider departing using commercial means.\"\n\nLate Friday, the Donald Trump administration declared the coronavirus to be a public health emergency in the United States, though he and aides downplayed the threat of the virus to Americans.\n\n\"The risk of infection for Americans remains low,\" said Alex Azar, secretary of Health and Human Services and chairman of the coronavirus task force set up by Trump. \"We are working to keep the risk low.\"\n\nUSA TODAY has pulled together answers to questions travelers may have about traveling during the outbreak.\n\nCoronavirus: Everything you need to know the deadly illness alarming the world\n\nWhich airlines have cut or reduced service to China?\n\nOn Friday, Delta suspended all flights to China from Feb. 6 through April 30, and American halted service through March 27. United later followed suit, saying it, too, would suspend operations from Feb. 6 through March 28.\n\nDelta: Friday's decision made Delta the first domestic carrier to suspend all service to China. It will halt service until April 30. Earlier this week, it initially said it was planning to cut its flights in half.\n\nAmerican: Not long after Delta made its announcement, American followed, saying it is suspending operations to and from mainland China effective Friday through March 27. The carrier said it will continue to evaluate the schedule from March 28 onward.\n\nUnited: United joined the other U.S. carriers, suspending operations between its U.S. hub and three mainland Chinese cities – Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai – from Feb. 6 until March 28. The carrier said it would continue to operate one daily flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong.\n\nInternational carriers that have suspended service to China include:\n\nBritish Airways\n\nCathay Pacific Airways (Hong Kong)\n\nEl Al (Israel)\n\nFinnair (Finland)\n\nIberia (Spain)\n\nJetstar Asia (Singapore)\n\nKorean Air Lines\n\nLion Air (Indonesia)\n\nScandinavian Airlines\n\nSwiss\n\nI already booked a flight. What do I do now?\n\nThe three U.S. carriers that offer direct service to China – United, Delta and American – have all issued flight waivers for passengers whose plans have been scuttled by the coronavirus outbreak , allowing them to postpone or cancel plans without the usual penalty.\n\nDelta: Covers travel to, from or through Beijing and Shanghai through April 30.\n\nAmerican: Covers travel to, from and through Beijing and Shanghai through March 27.\n\nUnited: Covers travel to, from and through Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu through March 31. (The waiver period for Wuhan ends March 29.)\n\nThe latest waiver information: What to do if your flight has been affected\n\nShould I wear a face mask when flying even if I'm not going to China?\n\nWhile the CDC does not discourage healthy people from wearing surgical masks as a precaution, the agency is only recommending their use for patients thought to have the virus and the medical professionals who interact with them.\n\nBecause most coronaviruses are spread through airborne droplets (sneezing or coughing), touching or touching an infected surface, hand washing is an effective way of reducing the potential for infection.\n\nA pilot's perspective on coronavirus: Should you wear a surgical mask?\n\nHow often do they change air filters on planes?\n\nUsually, the main HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters are changed when the airplane is in maintenance, which is about once a month. This can vary from airplane type to airplane type and airline to airline.\n\nWhat are U.S. airports doing to screen for coronavirus?\n\nEarlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control confirmed that it is expanding its screening efforts of passengers from China from five airports to 20, aligning with the CDC's existing quarantine stations that cover all 50 states and Puerto Rico.\n\nLos Angeles International San Francisco International Chicago O'Hare New York JFK Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Houston George Bush Intercontinental Dallas-Fort Worth International San Diego International Seattle-Tacoma International Honolulu International Anchorage Ted Stevens International Minneapolis-St. Paul International Detroit Metropolitan Miami International Washington Dulles International Philadelphia International Newark Liberty International Boston Logan International El Paso International Puerto Rico's San Juan Airport\n\nWhat do the airport screenings entail?\n\nTravelers flying from China to one of the 20 airports will be asked to fill out a short questionnaire about their travel, any symptoms and contact information.\n\nCDC staff will also take travelers' temperatures with a handheld thermometer that doesn't touch the skin and watch for signs of a cough or difficulty breathing.\n\nIn the case of travelers who appear sick, the CDC will evaluate them further to determine whether the passenger should be taken to a hospital for further care. However, the first two U.S. cases, in Seattle and Chicago, involved travelers who didn't show symptoms at the airport.\n\nThese are the 20 U.S. airports screening for the coronavirus: Here's what it entails\n\nWhat are cruise lines doing to screen for coronavirus?\n\nFollowing the WHO decision classifying coronavirus as a global health emergency, Cruise Lines International Association, the trade association that represents most of the cruise industry, said in a statement Thursday that its member cruise lines have suspended crew movements from mainland China and will deny boarding to any passenger or employee who has traveled from or through mainland China within the past 14 days.\n\nCLIA added that its members' ships are required to have medical facilities, staffed around the clock by licensed doctors and nurses to provide initial medical care in the event of illness or disease transmission, in addition to medical staff onshore.\n\nCoronavirus: Cruise ships to deny boarding to anyone who has recently been in China\n\nCLIA members include many major ocean lines, including Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Cunard Line, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn, Silversea Cruises, Virgin Voyages and Windstar Cruises.\n\nCruise Critic has a list of updates from nearly every cruise line on what they're doing to protect passengers.\n\nItaly's Costa Cruises had its health and safety protocols tested Thursday when a passenger of Chinese nationality sailing aboard the Costa Smeralda cruise ship appeared to be symptomatic. The entire ship – and its 6,000 passengers – was put on lockdown in Civitavecchia, Italy, for the better part of a day while health officials collected samples and ran tests. In the end, the passenger was diagnosed with the common flu, and the rest of the passengers were allowed to disembark that evening.\n\nMeanwhile, Cruise Critic reported Friday that local tribal chiefs in the South Pacific have closed the ports of Lifou and Mare, both located in the Loyalty Islands, to cruise ships out of concerns over coronavirus.\n\nNot coronavirus: 6,000 cruise ship passengers given OK to disembark after passenger diagnosed with flu\n\nAre theme parks in China closed?\n\nHong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disney Resort have both been closed since the weekend of Jan. 25-26 as a precaution to help prevent the spread of the virus.\n\nContributing: Dawn Gilbertson, Curtis Tate, John Bacon, USA TODAY; Associated Press", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2020/01/31"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/03/14/novel-coronavirus-eyes-6-iowans-joyce-flinn-kelly-garcia-jorge-salinas-grand-princess-covid-19/5002160002/", "title": "Coronavirus in Iowa: A glimpse at some lives in the age of coronavirus", "text": "At first, the impact of the novel coronavirus to Iowa was minor.\n\nState public health officials suggested Iowans practice good personal hygiene to stop the spread of the virus. Officials said the risk was low for contracting the respiratory illness that can be mild in some people but serious in others. The few Iowans who had been tested for the virus didn't have it.\n\nThen three people tested positive for the illness, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced on March 8. That number increased to eight cases by Monday and 13 by Tuesday. By Friday night, 17 Iowans had tested positive for the disease.\n\nThe virus has continued to spread across the country and around the world, hitting the famous and the unknown. Globally, it's infected more than 140,000 and caused more than 5,000 deaths.\n\nIn Iowa, some school districts, including Des Moines Public Schools, extended spring break, while colleges temporarily canceled in-person classes. Businesses told employees to work from home. And concerts and professional sporting events that typically draw crowds of thousands were canceled, postponed or closed to fans.\n\nResponses to the spread of coronavirus are playing out in many different ways for Iowans. State officials are assessing emergency preparedness and tracking cases. Frontline medical workers are planning for worst-case scenarios. And regular Iowans — from the slightly inconvenienced to the wholly disrupted — are trying to make sense of it all.\n\nHere is a glimpse of life in Iowa in the age of coronavirus:\n\n'It’s a lot of pressure, and I put a lot of pressure on myself'\n\nMonday started like any other day for Joyce Flinn, with a walk alongside Victor, her 10-pound dog.\n\nBut Flinn was up extra early. She needed to get to work.\n\nThe night before, she helped coordinate an alert to key Iowa state officials. It popped up, like a text message: Reynolds had called for full activation of the state’s emergency operations center. Minutes earlier, the governor had announced the first three confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state.\n\n“You need to be prepared to have a representative there at eight o’clock Monday morning,” the directive concluded.\n\nFlinn, Iowa's Homeland Security and Emergency Management director, leads that center. She and her staff are now at the epicenter of coordinating Iowa’s response to a virus that has upended daily life around the world. The World Health Organization has declared the virus a global pandemic as the number of cases grows daily.\n\n“I'm pretty confident where we are right now,” Flinn said Thursday. “But I also know with every disaster, things change quickly. So we'll just have to be ready to punt, and adjust as new information comes out.”\n\nFlinn has been in preparation mode for weeks. Her work is now in overdrive, with daily planning meetings involving state and federal officials. When Reynolds gets an update from public health officials, so does Flinn.\n\nFlinn said her confidence in Iowa’s preparedness comes from the state’s “multi-hazard approach” to planning at the emergency center, which is nestled in a basement just north of Des Moines. It’s a semi-circular room, with small blue and white placards designating computer desks for the state agencies.\n\nOne semblance of normal life: St. Patrick's Day decorations taped to the walls, courtesy of an office worker who does this for every holiday, virus or no virus. (Meanwhile, Boston and New York canceled their storied St. Patrick's Day parades. Officials for the Des Moines St. Paddy’s Half Marathon & 5K postponed their annual event for a later date).\n\nIn the middle of the emergency center are large screens, with real-time news on agency assignments and what's known about the state's coronavirus cases.\n\nOn Friday, Reynolds was at the Iowa National Guard Joint Forces Headquarters, where the emergency center is located, to announce one new coronavirus case. She said all the cases in Iowa were travel-related and that there was no \"community spread\" yet. It's a term used to describe infections involving an unknown source.\n\n\"However, we anticipate it will happen,\" she told reporters at the news conference. \"And now is the time to prepare.\"\n\nFlinn said she understands the gravity of the moment.\n\n“It’s a lot of pressure, and I put a lot of pressure on myself. I’m that Type A personality that takes my job very seriously,” she said. “… But I would say most of the people that work in this facility are Type A personalities. They have that passion. They work well under high-stress environments.”\n\nFlinn's days are long. Her adult children text her periodically to make sure she’s eating and drinking water. She also keeps a thermometer close by. Symptoms of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by coronavirus, can include fever, cough and shortness of breath.\n\n\"I want to know if I'm running a fever,\" she said. \"Because I'm telling my staff to stay home if they're sick.\"\n\n'What to do if a large proportion of society gets sick at the same time?'\n\nThe news this week that a coronavirus patient was admitted to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics did not surprise Jorge Salinas. As the hospital's epidemiologist, he thinks about infectious diseases for a living. The hospital planned for this very moment.\n\nBut he worries about the long-term ramifications of the virus, including for medical professionals who may get sick themselves.\n\n“We can take care of one patient, two, three, four. The problem is, what to do if a large proportion of society gets sick at the same time? Many people could require medical care, and we may not have enough capacity to provide the same level of care to thousands of people at once,” he said.\n\nWhen the first reports came in months ago about a virus spreading through mainland China, Salinas and his staff began to devote about two hours a day to prepare the hospital for it.\n\nNow, Salinas is in planning meetings all day, trying to answer key questions for his frontline staff. The virus poses logistical challenges. It's contagious, so health care workers need to create isolation protocols for potentially thousands of patients.\n\n“That is something that hospitals don't usually do,” he warned.\n\nSalinas said what the hospital does will depend on how much transmission occurs in areas of society like schools, concerts and other large gatherings. Limiting large groups of people is key.\n\n\"Those measures of social distancing can flatten the epidemic curve, the surge in cases, and can help our state’s healthcare system better deal with every single person that may get sick with this,\" he said.\n\nSalinas predicted that Iowa, along with other states, will soon have no choice but to enact more social distancing measures.\n\n\"That's what every society that deals with these infections is doing to try to mitigate,\" he explained. \"… we should expect and plan for that.\"\n\n► MORE: What is \"social distancing\"? What's the difference between an \"epidemic\" and a \"pandemic\"? A glossary of COVID-19 terms.\n\n'We are thinking through what humans need'\n\nKelly Garcia is mapping out a lot of coronavirus scenarios.\n\nWhat happens if Iowa schools close? How does that affect parents and guardians? What are the guardrails to ensure those families can receive social services, including access to food?\n\n“We are thinking through what humans need,” said Garcia, director of the Iowa Department of Human Services.\n\nGarcia’s role in responding to the coronavirus is critical. She runs the largest state agency in Iowa, with roughly 4,100 employees. The department oversees six facilities, some that take care of Iowa’s most vulnerable populations. On Friday, Garcia suspended visits to those state-run institutions.\n\nGarcia is figuring out how she can make sure state employees, who play key roles in assisting others, can also take care of themselves and their own families.\n\nGarcia is new to the job, but not to disasters. Before joining Iowa’s human services department in November, she was a top health administrator in Texas, where an Ebola virus outbreak at a Dallas hospital in 2014 prompted a large-scale public health response. More recently, she was in Texas when Hurricane Harvey hit the region in 2017.\n\n“Harvey tested about every emergency response you could have, because of the floods, across the entire swath of Texas. It was millions and millions of people that were affected, that were displaced,” she said. “And so I’m really kind of going through my own checklist of what we would need to be looking at.”\n\nHer workdays stretch beyond normal hours. After the text message from Flinn at homeland security came in, Garcia got to work the next day at 6:30 a.m. She had been up since 4 a.m., writing emails to her staff.\n\nGarcia hasn’t seen her children in days. She’s at work before they’re up, and she gets home after they’re in bed.\n\nShe's also organizing for the coronavirus as she continues to lead the agency’s response to care at the Glenwood Resource Center, a state-run institution for people with disabilities that is under federal investigation.\n\n“The load of things is a lot right now,” she said. “I think now is the time to make sure that you’re trusting your team. That you’re delivering really clear messages.”\n\n'We need more testing'\n\nHans House, a doctor at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, has long, unpredictable work hours. And that was before coronavirus entered the picture. Now, he is adding planning to his days alongside meeting with patients.\n\nHouse thinks health care facilities like his hospital are doing the right things to prepare for what may come.\n\nIn the days ahead, House will train within the hospital to offer care via video on a smartphone or computer to patients who seek to have flu or COVID-19 symptoms checked out. Telemedicine could potentially play a major role in the weeks and months ahead in stopping the spread of the virus.\n\nHouse said keeping Iowans who have mild symptoms at home is critical.\n\n“We want to make sure that the people who are at the ER are the ones who are sick and really need to be hospitalized,\" he said.\n\nBut House is also frustrated. He thinks the state and the rest of the country need to ramp up its testing capabilities.\n\nThe State Hygienic Laboratory at the University of Iowa has been the primary location for testing in the state. But supplies dwindled, at least temporarily. A spokeswoman said Thursday that the Coralville lab had supplies for 150 people, down from about 500. Officials said Friday that newly shipped materials mean about 850 people can now be tested.\n\nOther medical professionals are expressing a similar sentiment about available supplies, as the federal government faces continued scrutiny to increase its capacity to conduct enough coronavirus testing.\n\nOn Friday, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency over coronavirus. He also announced plans to partner with pharmaceutical and retail companies to set up drive-through test sites for the virus.\n\nPrivate labs are working with Iowa health care providers to expand coronavirus testing in the state, but the state is not tracking how many tests these companies are conducting in Iowa.\n\n\"We need more testing,\" House said. \"We need to be able to test patients easier.\"\n\n'When you take a minute, you see all the ways it could be spreading'\n\nBenjamin Gabriel just wants to know.\n\nThe 39-year-old Iowa City man has been sick at home for a week, with a relentless cough that makes it difficult to speak.\n\nGabriel wants to get tested for the coronavirus. He was at the airport in Denver last month, an international hub, during a period that public health officials now say may have already involved community spread of the virus. He also lives in the same county, Johnson, as many of the Iowans who have tested positive for COVID-19.\n\n\"You don't want to be the one that's spreading it, and to not be able to really get an answer on that, when I'm doing everything I'm supposed to be doing,\" he said. \"In theory, it's mind-blowing.\"\n\nBut Gabriel has been unable to get tested through a state laboratory that has been the primary location for testing. He doesn't meet the current federal criteria for symptoms to get tested: He hasn't come into contact with a person confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 — that he knows of — and he hasn't traveled to a country considered most at risk for the virus. He also doesn't have severe enough symptoms.\n\nGabriel has tried to follow directives from his local doctor's office. He's called the Iowa Department of Public Health through the 211 hotline set up for questions about the coronavirus. He's also been able to talk to a medical professional through video.\n\nHe acknowledged that he may not have the virus. But with more cases popping up around the country and upending American life, it's a lingering question that he can't answer. He fears the ramifications of the unknown. COVID-19 could cause serious illness in older people or those with compromised immune systems.\n\n\"I'd like to go down and see my nephews for their birthday party, but I don't want to be around my parents or my sister-in-law's parents,\" he said. \"When you take a minute, you see all the ways it could be spreading.\"\n\n'We're out in the wilderness … but you've got a fence.\"\n\nAbout a thousand miles away, Sheryl Sirdoreus walks out into the open air. She takes a walk with her husband, Ray, and watches the trees.\n\nOn closer inspection, the Winterset couple is surrounded by fencing and other parameters aimed at keeping them on Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Certain parts of their view are government buildings, and some are trees.\n\n\"We're out in the wilderness,\" Sheryl Sirdoreus said about how she tries to picture the situation. \"But you got a fence that's keeping you from going any further.\"\n\nThe couple is in quarantine, after being passengers on the coronavirus-infected Grand Princess cruise ship. The couple has not been tested for the coronavirus. They're also not showing symptoms.\n\nSheryl Sirdoreus is passing the time through texts, emails and social media posts with family and friends.\n\nShe and her husband have become friends with other Iowans who are in quarantine as well — the passengers can eat together and socialize, though they have to remain six feet apart. They have a group chat with state public health officials to learn when they can go back home to Iowa to finish their quarantine.\n\nReynolds on Friday said 10 of the Iowans who had been on the Grand Princess cruise ship had been cleared to return home Friday, and the others would return home Saturday.\n\nSirdoreus was still waiting for the official word on Friday night.\n\n\"It's not bad,\" Sheryl Sirdoreus said about her circumstances. \"… you make do with what you can.\"\n\nBarbara Rodriguez covers health care and politics for the Register. She can be reached by email at bcrodriguez@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8011. Follow her on Twitter @bcrodriguez.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2020/03/14"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_9", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:30", "search_result": []}
{"question_id": "20220708_10", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:30", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2022/07/01/delta-offered-10-k-oversold-flight/7785941001/", "title": "Delta offers passengers $10,000 each to get off oversold flight", "text": "Passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight from Michigan to Minnesota reported that the airline offered them $10,000 this week to give up their seat on an oversold flight.\n\nYes, $10K.\n\nThe airline offered the money to each passenger who volunteered to be bumped from a domestic flight out of Grand Rapids Monday morning, according to media outlets.\n\nDelta did not immediately return a request for comment from USA TODAY.\n\nJason Aten, a tech columnist at Inc. magazine, wrote he was sitting on the outbound plane for waiting for the aircraft to leave the gate when a flight attendant got on the intercom. The crew was looking for eight volunteers to give up their seats on the \"apparently oversold\" flight, offering them $10,000 each.\n\n“If you have Apple Pay, you’ll even have the money right now,” the flight attendant said, Aten wrote.\n\nDriving over Fourth of July weekend? Sheetz lowers gas prices to $3.99 a gallon\n\nWaffle hot dogs, hot dog jello:Each state's most uniquely searched hot dog variation\n\nAten told Fortune his group of eight – whose final destination was Alaska – didn't raise their hands because they didn't immediately know how many volunteers were needed.\n\n\"Had we known it was eight, we would have gotten off,\" he told the media outlet. \"By the time that was clear, four or five people had already left.\"\n\n\"Spoiler alert: We did not take it for reasons I'm not going to get into because my wife is still not pleased about it,\" Aten wrote.\n\nAt least one other passenger confirmed Aten's account.\n\n\"It’s a true story. I was on that flight!\" ToddMcCrumb tweeted. \"Unfortunately, I could not take advance (sic) the offer, as I was flying with my wife who has very limited eyesight. She has to have me nearby when traveling.\"\n\nDelta cuts 100 daily flights this summer:Here's what to know if yours is one of them.\n\nFlying on July 4 weekend?:Delta has good news for you: No fare difference when rebooking travel\n\nMcCrumb told KTVB 7 the offer started at $5,000 but increased to $10,000.\n\n\"I looked at my wife and I thought, 'No way,'\" McCrumb told the outlet. Although the couple did not volunteer, he said, but he saw at least four others accept the offer.\n\nIt was not immediately known how many people volunteered, but eventually the flight departed 20 minutes later than scheduled from Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, according to Cirium’s flight tracker.\n\nIt arrived in Minneapolis at 7:16 a.m. CT.\n\nDelta CEO apologizes for flight delays\n\nOn Thursday, Delta CEO Ed Bastian apologized for flight delays and cancellations that have tormented travelers in recent weeks as the airline's pilots took to picket lines to complain about overscheduling, \"poor reliability\" and contract disputes.\n\nIn a LinkedIn post, Bastian wrote: \"If you’ve encountered delays and cancellations recently, I apologize. We’ve spent years establishing Delta as the industry leader in reliability, and though the majority of our flights continue to operate on time, this level of disruption and uncertainty is unacceptable.\"\n\nDelta nixes fare changes:Flying on July 4 weekend? Delta has good news for you: No fare difference when rebooking travel\n\nThe move also comes on the heels of Delta announcing in late May it was cutting 100 daily flights this summer as travel demand heats up.\n\n\"From July 1-Aug. 7, we’ll reduce service by approximately 100 daily departures, primarily in markets in the U.S. and Latin America that Delta frequently serves,\" the airline announced on its website.\n\nEarlier this week, the airline announced that passengers flying over the July Fourth weekend will not have a fare difference when rebooking travel.\n\nWhy are airlines canceling flights?\n\nAirlines have been struggling with reliability throughout the summer. Thousands of flights were canceled around Memorial Day weekend, and more delays, cancellations and difficulties have been stacking up pretty much every day since.\n\nIn large part, it's a result of staffing shortages after airlines downsized earlier in the pandemic. Now, they're struggling to catch up – and staff up – to meet this summer's surging demand.\n\nContributing: Zach Wichter. Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/07/01"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2018/06/02/if-airline-bumps-off-flight-make-worth-your-while/656065002/", "title": "If airline bumps you off a flight, make it worth your while", "text": "David Koenig\n\nThe Associated Press\n\nDALLAS — Allison Preiss became a hero to airline passengers this spring when she scored a $10,000 travel voucher for losing her seat on an oversold flight.\n\nNegotiating skill mixed with a bit of luck helped Preiss land the elusive payoff.\n\nWith the peak summer travel season right around the corner, other passengers can learn from Preiss's example if they wind up on an overcrowded flight.\n\nThere are two situations that passengers might find themselves in, and their rights — and bargaining power — vary greatly between them.\n\nIn the first, an airline forces a passenger off a flight for lack of space — called bumping. Under federal rules, the passenger is entitled to cash compensation, not just a voucher, and a seat on a later flight. Bumped passengers whose travel is delayed for at least an hour are entitled to up to $1,350 in compensation, with the amount based on the length of the delay and the one-way price of the ticket.\n\n\"The vast majority of Americans take one airline trip a year, and since vouchers are usually valid for just one year, most people should ask for cash,\" said George Hobica, a travel expert who founded the airfarewatchdog.com website. But, he added, frequent fliers might want to negotiate to see how high the airline will go with a voucher.\n\nThat's what Preiss did back in March. Thanks to a broken seat, United bumped her from a flight from Dulles Airport outside Washington to Austin, Texas. But Preiss had leverage because United couldn't find anyone willing to give up their seat. She calculated that she was entitled to about $650 in cash based on the price of her ticket, and she turned down a $2,000 voucher. Then a second United employee said she could offer a voucher up to $10,000 plus a seat on a later flight, and Preiss took it.\n\nMore:She was mad about being bumped from her flight to Austin. Then United gave her a $10,000 voucher\n\nMore:J.D. Power: Alaska Air, Southwest are (again) the USA's best airlines for 2018\n\nMore:Ask the Captain: Why are there still ashtrays in airplane bathrooms?\n\nThe second situation occurs when the airline hasn't yet kicked anyone off an overbooked flight but instead looks for people to take a later flight in exchange for compensation — usually a voucher; the airline is not legally required to pay cash to volunteers.\n\nWhen airlines know a flight is overbooked, they will make lowball offers to customers at ticket counters, kiosks and gate areas. They will raise the amount of the vouchers until they find a taker, pitting passengers against each other in a kind of reverse auction.\n\n\"My advice would be to start high,\" said Brian Kelly, CEO of travel website The Points Guy. \"If you're going to be displaced for several hours, don't take the quick and easy $200 (voucher).\"\n\nKelly said a $400 voucher for getting off a domestic flight or $800 for an international one would be \"a solid starting point.\"\n\nTravel experts suspect that airlines prefer vouchers partly because a high percentage of them never get used. The airlines do not disclose redemption rates.\n\nAirlines have gotten very good at buying off passengers on overbooked flights. Last year, about 23,000 passengers were forcibly bumped — the lowest rate since the federal government started keeping track in 1995 — while nearly 342,000 people took an airline's offer and gave up their seat.\n\nYou might wonder how airlines ever come up short on seats.\n\nAirlines can legally oversell flights — although some, like JetBlue, say they don't — on the assumption that some people won't show up. Overbooking can also occur when bad weather or a mechanical breakdown causes flights to be canceled, forcing the airline to scramble to accommodate stranded passengers.\n\nSometimes airlines switch a flight to a smaller plane with fewer seats. Occasionally, they need to make room for an air marshal or employees. And airlines may cancel flights or limit seating on smaller planes in hot weather because the thinner air makes it harder to generate enough lift for takeoff.\n\nIf you take a voucher for getting off a flight, there are some rules you should know. For instance, most airlines won't replace lost vouchers, and they can't be sold, although Delta allows them to be transferred to someone flying on the same reservation as the person who got the voucher.\n\nOn Southwest, vouchers can only be applied to airfare while American also lets them cover taxes and fees and Delta vouchers can be applied to government taxes. But you can't use vouchers to purchase extra legroom or an in-flight meal.\n\nIf your airline looks for volunteers to get off an overcrowded flight, experts offer this advice before accepting a voucher:\n\nInsist on a confirmed seat, not standby, on the next available flight in addition to the voucher for future travel.\n\nIf you will be stuck for an extended time, ask for meal or hotel vouchers too.\n\nAsk when the travel voucher expires — typically they are good for one year — and whether it can be combined with other discounts.\n\nFind out if the voucher can be used on other airlines; American and Delta vouchers can be used on some partner airlines, United and Southwest certificates cannot.\n\nKelly, the travel-points expert, advises that no matter what, \"don't get stressed.\"\n\n\"Look at it as an opportunity for a nice little payday.\"\n\nMajor airline guidelines on vouchers: American, Delta, United, Southwest, U.S. Department of Transportation\n\nDavid Koenig can be reached on Twitter.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2018/06/02"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2017/04/27/united-offer-bumped-flyers-up-10000-after-video-flap/100989562/", "title": "United moves to ease criticism with settlement, new policies", "text": "DAVID KOENIG\n\nAP Airlines Writer\n\nDALLAS (AP) — United Airlines moved to staunch criticism — and any customer defections — by reaching a settlement Thursday with a passenger dragged off one of its planes two weeks ago and issuing new policies designed to prevent similar customer-service failures.\n\nOn April 9, Kentucky physician David Dao was forcibly removed from a flight after refusing to give up his seat to a crew member. The incident ignited a debate about poor service and a lack of customer-friendly policies on U.S. airlines.\n\nUnited and lawyers for Dao declined to disclose financial terms of the settlement Thursday. Earlier, United announced steps it would take to reduce overbooking of flights. Among other things, the airline said it will raise the limit on payments to customers who give up seats on oversold flights to $10,000, and it will improve training of employees.\n\nDao's lead attorney, Thomas Demetrio, praised the airline and its CEO, Oscar Munoz, for accepting responsibility and not blaming others, including the city of Chicago, whose airport security officers yanked Dao from his seat and dragged him off the United Express plane.\n\nDao never filed a lawsuit against United, but Demetrio had said legal action was likely.\n\nDao was waiting to fly to Louisville, Kentucky, an April 9 when the airline decided it needed four seats for Republic Airline crew members who needed to travel to work another United Express flight in Louisville the next morning. When Dao and his wife were selected for bumping, he refused to leave.\n\nVideo of the incident has sparked more than two weeks of withering criticism and mockery of United. Munoz initially blamed Dao, but later said he was horrified by the event and called it a failure on United's part.\n\nOn Thursday, United released a report on the incident that outlined new policies to prevent a repeat. The airline vowed to reduce, but not eliminate, overbooking — the selling of more tickets than there are seats on the plane.\n\nUnited won't say whether ticket sales have dropped, but the airline's CEO acknowledged the Dao incident could be damaging.\n\n\"I breached public trust with this event and how we responded,\" Oscar Munoz told The Associated Press. \"People are upset, and I suspect that there are a lot of people potentially thinking of not flying us.\"\n\nTo head off customer defections, United had already announced that it will no longer call police to remove passengers from overbooked flights, and will require airline crews traveling for work to check in sooner. On Thursday, it added several other new policies including:\n\n— Raising the limit on compensation to $10,000 for customers who give up their seats starting Friday. That is a maximum — it's unclear how many, if any, passengers would see that much. The current limit is $1,350. Delta Air Lines earlier this month raised its limit to $9,950.\n\n— Sending displaced passengers or crew members to nearby airports, putting them on other airlines or arranging for car transportation to get them to their destinations.\n\n— Giving gate agents annual refresher training in dealing with oversold flights. Munoz said he also wants agents and flight attendants to get more help at de-escalating tense situations.\n\nWhile not a factor in this month's incident, United also said that starting in June it will pay customers $1,500 with no questions asked if the airline loses their bag.\n\nFor United, the timing of the viral video could hardly have been worse. The airline struggled badly after a 2010 merger with Continental, enduring several technology breakdowns that angered customers. In the past year, however, the airline has flown more on-time flights and lost fewer bags. It recently rolled out plans for expanding service this summer.\n\nInstead of being commended for those signs of progress, United has been pilloried. Munoz apologized again and faulted his own initial response, in which he defended airline employees and called Dao belligerent.\n\n\"That first response was insensitive beyond belief,\" Munoz said. \"It did not represent how I felt,\" saying that he got \"caught up in facts and circumstances\" that weren't initially clear, instead of expressing his shock.\n\nUnited said it will reduce overbooking, particularly on flights with a poor track record of finding volunteers to give up their seats, but won't end the practice. Munoz said if airlines can't overbook there will be more empty seats and fares will rise.\n\nEarlier Thursday Southwest Airlines, which bumped the most passengers off its planes in 2016, announced plans to stop overbooking flights, citing the United incident as a catalyst.\n\n___\n\nDavid Koenig can be reached at http://twitter.com/airlinewriter", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2017/04/27"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2017/04/14/delta-air-lines-bumping-compensation-9950-overbooking/100480050/", "title": "Delta will now offer up to $9,950 to fliers on overbooked flights", "text": "Bart Jansen\n\nUSA TODAY\n\nDelta Air Lines began Friday offering its agents greater flexibility for dealing with overbooked flights, including eye-popping compensation up to $9,950 to travelers who agree to give up their seats.\n\nWhile it sounds generous, tickets themselves such as a last-minute fare from Atlanta to Johannesburg can reach those heights. But the memo that Delta sent its workers reinforced the company’s priority for reaching an agreement with passengers voluntarily over missing a flight, rather than involuntarily denying boarding.\n\nUnited Airlines has suffered a firestorm of criticism this week, all coming after Chicago aviation department security officers dragged a passenger off a flight Sunday in order to make room for a crew member. The passenger had declined an offer of $800 to take a flight to Louisville the next day.\n\nCongress, the Transportation Department, the city of Chicago and United are each investigating the incident, in which passenger David Dao suffered a concussion and lost two teeth. United CEO Oscar Munoz has apologized and the airline expects to complete its review by the end of the month.\n\nDelta CEO Ed Bastian told reporters during a coincidental earnings call Wednesday that no new legislation or regulations are needed to deal with overbooking because travelers could choose different airlines based on bumping. Delta denied boarding involuntarily among the least in the industry, just once in every 100,000 passengers last year, or 1,238 times.\n\nIN PICTURES: 30 cool aviation photos (story continues below)\n\nFor comparison, United involuntarily denied boarding at more than four times that rate per passenger enplaned, or 3,765 times. The largest dozen airlines involuntarily denied boarding 40,629 times, according to department figures.\n\nBut airlines found 434,425 passengers willing to take a payment and perhaps a hotel room to voluntarily take another flight. Those arrangements are typically made at the gate, rather than after passengers have boarded the plane.\n\nThe Delta memo reminded staffers of those statistics offered greater flexibility in compensation “to reinforce our commitment to our agents and their ability to care for our customers.”\n\nA customer-service agent will be able to offer $2,000 per change from the previous $800. A higher-ranking worker such as an operations service manager could offer up to $9,950, from the previous cap of $1,350.\n\n“If more volunteers are needed, solicit early and often,” the memo states. “Be prepared to explain options to customers traveling to their final destinations.”\n\nFor comparison, the Transportation Department requires airlines pay passengers in exchange for being involuntarily bumped. The compensation tops out at four times a flier's one-way ticket cost -- up to a maximum of $1,350 -- for those whose arrive at their final destination more than two hours late (four hours internationally) because of being bumped involuntarily. The penalty is two times the one-way fare -- capped at $675 -- for fliers who arrive to their final destinations one to two hours late (one to four hours, internationally) because of being bumped.\n\nThe nearly five-figure compensation plan at Delta sounds generous, but tickets occasionally get that pricey. A last-minute Delta One ticket Saturday from Atlanta to Johannesburg listed at $9,740 on Friday afternoon.\n\nIN PICTURES: 30 cool (more) aviation photos", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2017/04/14"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2022/03/15/airline-tickets-flight-prices-up/7048166001/", "title": "Flight prices increase: Airlines say travel demand and fuel costs up", "text": "In presentations at an investor conference, airline officials said they expect to offset their higher fuel bills with higher ticket prices thanks to surging demand.\n\nAnother COVID-19 wave and other factors could hurt bookings again, but for now the trend in ticket prices is up.\n\nDon't wait for prices to go down, especially to popular spring and summer vacation destinations.\n\nThanksgiving-like crowds are returning to security checkpoints and airport parking lots are filling up in popular destinations.\n\nBut few things say air travel is roaring back more than airline executives taking a spike in oil prices in stride. Fuel is airlines' second-biggest expense after labor.\n\nIn presentations at an investor conference in New York Tuesday, officials from Delta, American, United, Southwest and JetBlue said they expect to offset their higher fuel bills thanks to sizzling travel demand from vacationers and an uptick in business travel.\n\nThat's bad news for travelers who haven't bought tickets for spring break or summer vacation yet, as strong bookings enable airlines to raise ticket prices.\n\nDelta Air Lines President Glen Hauenstein said the airline needs to collect an extra $30 or $40 per the average $400 round trip ticket to cover its rising fuel costs and so far is having no trouble doing so given a surge in bookings.\n\nAIRLINES TICKET CHANGES:Airlines now offer free changes on many plane tickets. Except these. And these. And these.\n\nDREAD THE AIRPORT STARBUCKS LINE?:The Starbucks line is longer than the TSA line at some airports. There's a new way to cut it.\n\n\"We are very, very confident of our ability to recapture over 100% of the fuel price run-up in the second quarter and through probably the end of the summer,\" he said at the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference.\n\nHauenstein said he has never seen travel demand rebound as quickly as it has following the sharp decline in bookings from the omicron variant in late 2021 and early this year. One day last week, the airline had the highest sales day in its 100-year history, he said.\n\nDelta is not alone in its confidence in the industry's recovery and ability to pass along fare increases.\n\n► American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said \"demand is higher than it's ever been\" for domestic travel and that overall bookings are \"incredibly strong.\" Last week, the airline had three record ticket sales days, he said.\n\n► United Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella called the spike in demand unprecedented.\n\n\"The pandemic really does seem to be behind us here in the U.S.,\" Nocella said. \"Bookings across most of the network are at normal levels.''\n\nNocella said United expects to be able to offset a \"large chunk\" of its higher fuel bill by boosting fares and will cover the rest by trimming some flights.\n\nUnited purposely held back seats for sale for summer travel in anticipation of a rebound so it could charge more for tickets when bookings resumed post-omicron. And it's working, he said.\n\n\"We're pretty happy about that,\" he said.\n\n► Southwest Airlines's spring break bookings are strong and above 2019 levels, according to chief financial officer Tammy Romo.\n\nThe airline increased fares across its network in early February and demand has remained strong, she said.\n\n\"We are really encouraged by what we are seeing thus far,\" she said.\n\n► JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes as the airline has been seeing \"incredible revenue momentum.\"\n\nHe said a key revenue metric for Easter travel in mid-April is ahead of 2019 levels despite an increased number of flights.\n\nIt all adds up to more sticker shock for consumers fighting inflation on every front this year. Another COVID-19 wave and other factors could hurt bookings again and reduce airlines' ability to raise fares, but for now, the trend in ticket prices is up. With domestic travel bookings and revenue surpassing pre-pandemic levels for the first time in the second week of February and ticket prices were up 5%, according to the Adobe Digital Economy Index.\n\n\"This is a major turning point, and it shows a level of consumer confidence we've not seen in many months,\" Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights said in a statement.\n\n'How much can the consumer bear?'\n\nThe big question for airlines and travelers is how high ticket prices can go before travelers resist.\n\n\"How much can the consumer bear?\" J.P. Morgan airline analyst Jamie Baker asked airline executives.\n\nDelta's Hauenstein said the airline is pricing summer flights to a level that will cover higher fuel costs and so far, bookings are above 2019 levels.\n\n\"We haven't actually found the breakpoint yet,\" he said.\n\nJetBlue's Hayes said the airline also has not seen any so-called \"demand destruction.\"\n\n\"We're still dealing with pent-up demand from people,\" he said.\n\nAirfares are on the rise: 5 tips for travelers shopping for airline tickets\n\n► Don't wait for prices to go down, especially to popular spring and summer vacation destinations. If you see a palatable ticket price on the dates and times you need, book it and don't look back. (Or look back occasionally and rebook if the flight price has dropped since major airlines have dropped change fees on most tickets and Southwest has never charged change fees. You'll receive a credit for any fare difference.)\n\n► Don't overlook airline and travel website flexible date calendars and airfare alerts from apps including Hopper and Kayak if your travel plans are flexible.\n\n► Do include online travel agencies like Expedia and search engines like Google Flights and Kayak in your research as they combine flights from different airlines for the itinerary, which can save money over flying one airline for the trip. Just make sure you aren't flying into one airport and out of another in metro areas with more than one option if that's a dealbreaker.\n\n► Don't limit your search to the major airlines. Discount airlines Spirit and Frontier, which recently announced plans to merge, and Allegiant have been expanding rapidly. As have newcomers Avelo and Breeze. On all, add up the fees for extras, including a carry-on bag or seat assignment to make an apples-to-apples comparison with major airlines.\n\n► Do skip that summer trip in favor of a fall or other off-season getaway if your travel plans are flexible and you're on a budget.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/03/15"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/local/2017/04/11/how-often-do-airlines-bump-passengers/100346028/", "title": "How often do airlines bump passengers?", "text": "Andrew Wolfson\n\n@adwolfson\n\nAirlines commonly overbook flights to account for passengers who don’t show up. When a flight is oversold, they ask for volunteers, offering a travel voucher and a seat on a later flight.\n\nWhen not enough volunteers emerge, airlines may involuntarily bump passengers from a flight under federal rules.\n\nLast year, 434,425 passengers voluntarily gave up their seats on the nation’s 12 largest airlines but only 40,629 were involuntarily bumped, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.\n\nAbout 63,000 passengers gave up seats on United voluntarily, while 3,765 were denied boarding.\n\nSeven of the 12 airlines denied boarding to a higher percentage of passengers.\n\nDelta was the king of overbooking airlines; it had to find twice as many passengers as United to give up their seats. But United involuntarily bumped about four times as many.\n\nMore Flight 3411 coverage\n\n►Experts: United bungled removal of passenger\n\n►How often do airlines bump passengers?\n\n►A timeline of United Flight 3411\n\n►United Airlines was just plain wrong | Joseph Gerth\n\n►United’s stock price down after dragging incident\n\n►Who's the worst for bumping passengers?\n\n►Male High teacher aboard United flight: ‘This didn’t need to happen’\n\n►David Dao, passenger removed from United flight, now in spotlight\n\n►Jimmy Kimmel rips United with fake ad\n\n►United Airlines video has already become a meme\n\n►Jeff Ruby offers United passenger free steak\n\n►United's fiasco prompts apology, suspension\n\n►United Airlines video has already become a meme\n\n►Security officer placed on leave after United flight incident\n\n►United CEO says passenger dragged from plane was 'an upsetting event'\n\n►Social media explodes after man dragged from plane\n\n►United Airlines had a right to remove that flier. But, was there a better way?\n\nIn United’s case, the airline's contract of carriage with passengers allows it to deny boarding to passengers, who may be picked based on their fare, itinerary, membership in a frequent flier program and the time they checked in.\n\nUnited’s contract allowed passengers to be removed from a flight because they are barefoot, inappropriately dressed, “have or cause a malodorous condition” or are “disorderly, offensive, abusive, or violent.”\n\nBut the contract does not provide for removing, once boarded, a passenger because of overbooking.\n\nA United spokeswoman, Eric Benson, did not respond to a request for comment on that or the basis on which Dr. David Dao or three other passengers were selected for removal from United Express Flight 3411 at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Sunday.\n\nUnited initially said the four passengers were selected at random, but passenger Will Nevitt, a teacher in Louisville, said he heard Dao and others being asked to leave because they had paid the lowest fares.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2017/04/11"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2021/06/10/american-airlines-magazine-american-way-last-issue-joins-southwest-delta/7611072002/", "title": "End of an era: American Airlines is retiring its in-flight magazine ...", "text": "In the first issue of American Airlines' in-flight magazine, flight attendants were called stewardesses and business travelers were pitched family fares offering half-price tickets for \"your wife.''\n\nIt was 1966.\n\nThe cover story in the latest issue of American Way: LGBTQ neighborhoods across the country.\n\nThe changes in the seatback pocket staple reflect how times have changed in the past 50 years.\n\nBut perhaps no sign of the times is more telling than this: the June issue of American Way will be the airline's last.\n\nAmerican is ceasing publication of what it calls the industry's longest continually published in-flight magazine, joining Delta and Southwest, which stopped publishing their magazines during the pandemic and decided against bringing them back. American continued publishing during the pandemic but added an \"antimicrobial process,\" which it touts on the upper right hand corner of the cover.\n\n'Current hold time is eight hours and 31 minutes':Travelers face frustrating waits to reach airlines\n\nSummer thunderstorms are back:How to keep bad weather from wrecking your travel plans\n\nWhy are airlines no longer offering in-flight magazines?\n\nDana Lawrence, American's managing director of global brand marketing, said airlines are eliminating magazines due in large part to travelers' changing tastes for in-flight entertainment and airlines' increasingly long lineup of free options, much of it powered by in-flight Wi-Fi.\n\nAmerican now offers 600 movies and television shows and recently added a new lifestyle channel that includes free language lessons from Rosetta Stone. Passengers can stream them to their smartphones, tablets, laptops and other electronic devices for free.\n\n\"It's really just keeping up with our customers and their preferences and how we can offer them the most content,'' Lawrence said.\n\nAt the same time, the popular travel information passengers sought out at the back of the magazine – airport maps, in-flight food and drink menus, movie listings and more – are now available on airlines' websites, mobile apps and, in the case of airlines offering seatback screens, the seat in front of them.\n\nLawrence said the move will play a \"small role'' in helping the environment, as it uses 2 million pounds of paper for the 4 million copies printed each year – a benefit also touted by other airlines.\n\nVeteran travel analyst Henry Harteveldt, co-founder of Atmosphere Research in San Francisco, said in-flight magazines overstayed their welcome on planes.\n\n\"These are relics from the decades past that probably should have been killed off a long time ago or at least digitized,'' he said.\n\nHarteveldt, a former airline executive whose responsibilities at TWA included oversight of the in-flight magazine, said interest in thumbing through the magazines fell off when travelers started loading books, movies and TV shows onto their phones, tablets or laptops or spent the flight tuning into the airline's entertainment options. Advertiser interest fell off as a result, he said.\n\n\"American Way was an institution,'' he said. \"But … I don't think frequent travelers or infrequent travelers will notice or really care to any great degree if the magazine disappears. And certainly nobody ever chose an airline because of the in-flight magazine.''\n\nThe CEO of in-flight magazine publisher Ink Global, the London-based travel media company that has published American Way for six years and publishes United's magazine, among others, doesn't agree. He said American Way has inspired millions of American's passengers and \"will be missed.''\n\n\"Although American is ending American Way, many of our other airline partners are doubling down on inspiring travel-focused customer communication,'' Michael Keating said, citing United's decision to put Hemispheres magazine back on its planes this month and Virgin Atlantic's plans to bring its magazine back in September.\n\nFrom 22-bage booklet to 122-page monthly magazine\n\nAmerican's in-flight magazine started as a 22-page booklet called The American Way in early 1966 and started as an annual publication.\n\nThe first issue included a welcome note from American Airlines President Marion Sadler.\n\n\"We're delighted to welcome you aboard and we hope this booklet will add to the pleasure of your trip,'' he said. \"Here you'll discover in words, pictures and artwork those special qualities of excellence that continue to distinguish American Airlines' people, services and equipment as the finest in the industry.''\n\nThe magazine eventually became a monthly publication, serving as many as 16 million passengers before the pandemic decimated travel.\n\nAmerican Way had a couple pop culture moments. In 2005, the magazine got a shoutout the season finale of the first season of \"The Office.\"\n\nCharacter Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell, bragged that he subscribed to the in-flight magazine (and to USA TODAY).\n\n\"Some great articles in there,'' he cracked in reference to the magazine. \"They did this great profile last month of (\"Everybody Loves Raymond' actress) Doris Roberts and where she likes to eat when she's in Phoenix. Illuminating.''\n\n(American said a 2005 American Way article did feature Terry Bradshaw and where he likes to eat in Phoenix.)\n\nA dozen years later, \"The Office'' actress Mindy Kaling referenced the episode when she landed on the cover of the magazine.\n\n\"Proud to grace the cover of Michael Scott's favorite magazine, American Way,'' she said in a Twitter post.\n\nThe satirical publication The Onion took a crack at American Way in 2012 when American Airlines was a year into its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case. (The airline emerged from Chapter 11 in 2013 via a merger with US Airways.)\n\nThe article said American planned to quit the flight business to focus on the magazine and that then-American CEO Thomas Horton was becoming editor-in-chief of American Way.\n\n“Our first love is and always has been our travel and lifestyle magazine – in fact, distributing American Way is the reason we first got into air travel back in 1930,” the spoof said. \"Sadly, the publishing industry is changing, and we can no longer afford to use the seat-back pockets of a major international airline to maintain our print circulation. It’s simply not a cost effective way to run our magazine.”", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/06/10"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2022/02/05/delta-ceo-airlines-unruly-passenger-no-fly-travel-list/6675692001/", "title": "Delta CEO: Airlines need shared unruly passenger 'no-fly' list", "text": "Delta Air Lines wants the Justice Department to help create a national no-fly list of unruly passengers across all commercial airlines.\n\nA comprehensive no-fly list would “help prevent future incidents,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a letter to the DOJ.\n\nSome recent 'air rage' incidents have resulted in flights turning around and returning to their departing airports.\n\nDelta Air Lines has asked the Department of Justice to help create a national no-fly list of people convicted of unruly behavior on an airplane so they can be banned from flying on any commercial airline.\n\nDelta CEO Ed Bastian, in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday, asked for the DOJ's support in \"the much-needed step\" of a comprehensive list of \"any person convicted of an on-board disruption.\" Inclusion on the list should prevent them from commercial air travel, he said.\n\nIn the letter, a copy of which was provided to USA TODAY and was first reported on by Reuters, Bastian said such a list \"will help prevent future incidents and serve as a strong symbol of the consequences of not complying with crew member instructions on commercial aircraft.\"\n\nDelta's request comes as airline staff have had to deal with a wave of unruly passengers over the past year or so. Unruly passenger cases spiked after the U.S. introduced a mask mandate on airplanes and in airports on Feb. 1, 2021. That mandate has been extended through March 18.\n\nIn November, Garland directed U.S. attorneys across the country to swiftly prioritize prosecution of federal crimes that happen on commercial flights amid a historic number of investigations into passenger behavior.\n\nSouthwest Airlines:Airline to bring booze back to flights after nearly 2-year absence due to COVID-19\n\nSun, sand and civil rights:Uncovering Black history at the beach and beyond\n\nUnruly passenger rate down, but still problematic\n\nThe rate of unruly passenger incidents has dropped about 50% since record-highs in early 2021, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. So far in 2022, the FAA has gotten 323 reports of unruly passengers – 205 of them related to face masks.\n\nIn September 2021, flight attendants urged Congress to do more to reduce the number of air rage incidents. Ahead of that hearing, Delta's senior vice president of inflight service, Kristen Manion Taylor, sent a memo to flight attendants saying the airline has asked other airlines to share their no-fly lists to further protect employees. \"A list of banned customers doesn't work as well if that customer can fly with another airline,\" the memo said.\n\nAmong recent unruly passenger incidents, last month a man on a Delta Air Lines flight from Ireland to New York refused to wear a mask after being asked to do so many times and mooned a flight attendant, according to a federal complaint. The passenger – who also threw an empty beverage can at another passenger, kicked the seat in front of him, and put a fist up close to the flight captain’s face – was taken into custody upon arrival and has been charged with the felony of intentionally assaulting and intimidating a member of a flight crew.\n\nTRY OUR TRAVEL NEWSLETTER:Get the latest headlines in your inbox daily\n\nFlights diverted due to problem passengers\n\nSome flights have been recently diverted due to unruly passengers. Two weeks ago, an American Airlines flight from Miami to London returned to the U.S. after a passenger refused to wear a face mask. A day later, a United Airlines flight from New Jersey to Israel turned around after two passengers decided to help themselves to empty business class seats on the half-full flight.\n\nThe FAA can impose a fine of up to $37,000 per violation for unruly passengers, and an incident can result in multiple violations. The agency levied more than $1 million in fines against problem passengers in 2021.\n\nIn the letter, Bastian noted that while unruly passenger incidents happen on a small fraction of Delta's overall flights, the rate of incidents on the airline has increased nearly 100% since 2019.\n\nDelta has its own no-fly list of nearly 1,900 people who refused to comply with masking requirements, he said.\n\nThere should be “zero tolerance for any behavior that interferes with flight safety,\" Bastian said.\n\nContributing: Dawn Gilbertson and Bailey Schulz of USA TODAY and The Associated Press", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/02/05"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/advice/2018/06/24/airline-seating-how-keep-your-family-together-flights/723645002/", "title": "Airline seating: How to keep your family together on flights", "text": "Christopher Elliott\n\nSpecial to USA TODAY\n\nAirlines love to play musical chairs with their passengers, a game that pressures travelers to pay extra for assigned seating.\n\nIf you don't believe me, listen to Amy Faust's story of flying from San Francisco to Paris recently. Although she had initially reserved a seat next to her partner for the 11-hour flight, her airline separated the couple shortly before boarding.\n\n\"The only seats left together for the outbound flight were against the bathroom wall,\" says Faust, an artist from Oakland, California. \"Even though they were an extra $69 each, they did not recline. I was never more uncomfortable on a plane, sitting upright for the entire flight.\"\n\nNo one knows how many passengers get separated on flights. No one even knows for certain how much money the U.S. airline industry makes from seat reservation fees; the government doesn't require they report those figures.\n\nBut we do know there are thousands of frustrated passengers such as Faust. Fortunately, we also know there are ways to sit together without paying extra, whether you're a business traveler, a couple or a family with kids.\n\nMore:Family travel: How to survive seasonal vacation crowds\n\nWhether airlines separate passengers on purpose in an effort to convince you to pay extra for a seat assignment, or unintentionally, it's never fun. Business travelers often book seats together to get work done. Leisure travelers vacationing together don't want to be separated or are traveling with young children that need attention.\n\nIn 2016, Congress passed a law requiring airlines to seat families with children together without charging them more. But the Transportation Department hasn't written the required regulation and seems unlikely to do so anytime soon. Airlines claim they seat families together whenever possible, but they're also motivated by the fees they collect whenever someone reserves a seat.\n\nSo what do you do if you can't sit together on a plane? Here's a checklist:\n\n• Remember, you still have a seat: Airlines like to leave you with the impression that you don't have a seat on the plane if you don't pay for a reservation. That's not true. If you don't pay extra for a reservation, you'll receive a seat when you check in. It might be a middle seat next to the galley, but trust me, you'll still fly.\n\n• Make a special request: Airlines allow you to register any special needs when you book your ticket. \"Check for methods of notifying the airline of special needs or requests,\" advises Grainne Kelly, a mother of two and former travel agent who owns a car booster seat company. \"In some cases, changes can be made right at check-in.\" For example, Delta Air Lines publishes a page on travel with kids that has useful information about seating. Calling a few days before your departure can yield positive results.\n\n• Don't panic: Airlines want you to freak out and immediately shell over a seat reservation fee. Resist the temptation, even if you're traveling with kids. \"Don't try to solve the problem with the airline before getting on the plane,\" says David Leventhal, a frequent traveler and hotelier based in San Francisco.\n\n• Talk to a gate agent: The first real opportunity to find a seat together comes at the gate. Gate agents have a lot of flexibility in moving seats around. This time, money isn't their primary motivator — it's getting everyone in a seat in time for departure. \"There have been multiple times where we’ve told the gate agent that we don’t have seats together but would like to, and they’ve been able to make it happen,\" says Nina Thomas, a frequent traveler and author of the book \"How to be Your Own Travel Agent.\"\n\n•Ask for help from a flight attendant: That's what Sarah Wilson, who travels with three young girls, does. \"On several occasions, the airline does not seat us together, despite my requests,\" says Wilson, a marketer who lives in Nashville, Tennessee. In fact, flight attendants often will do their best to reseat passengers when they see a separated family or even a couple.\n\n•Ask a fellow passenger to switch: \"That's the easiest way to sit together,\" says frequent flier Rob Chimsky, a partner in a Sonoma, California, winery. \"Just ask your respective seat neighbor if they would be willing to switch.\" It helps if you can offer a better seat — preferably an aisle seat near the front of the aircraft. Otherwise, you're likely to get a \"no.\"\n\nWhat if none of these strategies work? Then you might try an unconventional strategy (see below). The most common, at least when it comes to kids, is threatening to not switch seats. Anyone want to sit next to a rambunctious child? Air travelers have also feigned illness and threatened the crew, both tactics I don't recommend. And if all else fails, you could always pay the seat assignment fee.\n\nPro negotiating strategies for sitting together\n\nTypically, you can switch seats with another passenger in your class of service after the cabin doors close. Here's how to do it:\n\n• Be polite: Sometimes, you won't have any leverage, like a better seat or a set of extenuating circumstances. A \"please\" and \"thank you\" can overcome all of that — and land you in a seat next to your friends or family.\n\n• Sweeten the deal: Offer to buy the passenger a drink or slip them a few $20 bills. It's still less expensive than paying the airline's seat assignment fee.\n\n• Wait, then ask your flight attendant again: After your flight reaches cruising altitude, try asking the flight attendant for help again. You may also want to ask for the purser, or chief flight attendant, if your requests to be reseated are rebuffed. But don't forget your manners.\n\nChristopher Elliott is a consumer advocate. Contact him at chris@elliott.org or visit elliott.org.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2018/06/24"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2016/04/03/airline-quality-rating-performance-complaints/82180492/", "title": "Airline complaints rise despite better performance", "text": "Charisse Jones\n\nUSA TODAY\n\nVirgin America was number one in overall performance for the fourth year in a row, according to the 2016 Airline Quality Rating.\n\nThe 26th annual report released Monday noted that industry wide, U.S. airline performance got better in three of four key categories in 2015. But the flying public still filed complaints at a rate not seen in at least 15 years.\n\n“Generally speaking, the system works,’’ said Dean Headley, co-author of the report, and associate professor of marketing at Wichita State University’s W. Frank Barton School of Business. But “while (airlines) got better in those three areas, most of that is not going to be noticeable by a particular consumer unless they lose their bag or get bumped off an airplane.’’\n\nJetBlue and Delta grabbed the number two and three spots behind Virgin America, while Alaska, which announced Monday that it plans to buy Virgin America for $2.6 billion, came in at number five.\n\nThe rating ), which is based on data from the Department of Transportation’s monthly Air Travel Consumer Report,found that collectively U.S. carriers did a better job last year of landing flights on time, handling baggage, and making sure everyone who had a ticket for a given flight was able to get on board.\n\nOverall, 79.9% of flights landed on schedule last year, vs. 76.2% in 2014. Nine of 13 carriers, including United, Southwest, American and Delta, improved their on-time arrival rate over the previous year. Hawaiian Airlines was the most punctual with an on time rate of 88.4%, while Spirit was at the bottom, with 69% of its flights touching down on schedule.\n\nThe industry lost, damaged, delayed or pilfered 3.24 bags per 1,000 fliers in 2015, down from 3.62 the previous year. Virgin America had the best record handling baggage. The Burlingame,Calif.-based carrier mishandled 0.84 pieces of luggage per 1,000 customers. Regional carrier Envoy had the worst record, improperly handling 8.52 bags per 1,000 fliers. ExpressJet, with 5.06 mishandled bags per 1,000 fliers, and SkyWest with a rate of 4.05, had the second and third-worst track records behind Envoy.\n\nAnd the rate of involuntary denied boardings – when a passenger loses their seat because the flight has been oversold - dropped significantly for U.S. carriers, to a rate of 0.76 per 10,000 fliers vs. 0.92 the previous year.\n\n“Given that the industry is getting more complex, and more people are flying, it says at least the industry is trying to do the right thing,’’ Headley says.\n\nStill, performance varied, sometimes widely, by airline. For instance JetBlue’s denied boarding rate was the lowest in 2015, at 0.02 per 10,000 passengers, while Envoy Air had the worst record, with a rate of 2.35 per 10,000 fliers. “Some airlines focus on different things,’’ Headley says. At “JetBlue, this is part of their corporate philosophy and culture ... It also tells me if they figured out how to make that not happen, why can’t more?’’ airlines do the same.\n\nThe worst performers tended to be regional and low cost carriers. No-frills Spirit, which charges to carry on a bag or to even select your own seat, had the highest complaint rate, with 11.73 per 100,000 fliers. Alaska Airlines had the lowest rate of complaints, .50 per 100,000 fliers.\n\nThe regional carriers tend to ferry passengers from smaller markets into larger hubs, putting them farther away from their main base if, for instance, a plane has a mechanical issue that needs to be addressed, Headley says. \"The Envoys and the ExpressJets tend to fly those types of routes,'' he says. \"That’s their role. So they’re inherently going to have a few more problems with performance outcomes than those who fly out of hubs.''\n\nBut passengers seem to feel that across the board, airlines can do better. Complaints were up to 1.90 per 100,000 fliers last year, the worst rate since 2001, Headley said. The largest number of gripes had to do with flight issues, luggage, and reservations, ticketing, and boarding.\n\nFor \"a lot of fliers, somebody’s landed on their last nerve,'' Headley says. But complaints can also show the airlines where to improve, and if they respond well, \"You can by policy and employee commitment, which trickles down from managerial commitment, change the culture and the performance outcome.''\n\nAirlines with best overall performance in 2015\n\n1. Virgin America\n\n2. JetBlue\n\n3. Delta\n\n4. Hawaiian\n\n5. Alaska\n\n6. Southwest\n\n7. SkyWest\n\n8. United\n\n9. ExpressJet\n\n10. American\n\n11. Frontier\n\n12. Envoy Air\n\n13. Spirit\n\nBest performing U.S. airlines by category\n\nOn-time arrival: Hawaiian (88.4%)\n\nDenied boardings: JetBlue (.02)\n\nMishandled bags: Virgin America (.84)\n\nCustomer complaints: Alaska Airlines (.50)\n\nWorst performing U.S. airlines by category\n\nOn-time arrival: Spirit (69%)\n\nDenied boardings: Envoy (2.35)\n\nMishandled bags: Envoy (8.52)\n\nCustomer complaints: Spirit (11.73)\n\nSource: 2016 Airline Quality Rating", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2016/04/03"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_11", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:30", "search_result": []}
{"question_id": "20220708_12", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:30", "search_result": []}
{"question_id": "20220708_13", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:30", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/07/entertainment/brad-pitt-facial-blindness/index.html", "title": "Brad Pitt says he suffers from facial blindness - CNN", "text": "(CNN) If you run into Brad Pitt, chances are he won't recognize you the second time around.\n\nThat's because the award-winning actor says in a new interview with GQ that he suffers from facial blindness, also known as prosopagnosia, causing him to struggle to remember people's faces.\n\nAlthough he has not been officially diagnosed, Pitt, 58, says he believes he has it.\n\n\"Nobody believes me!\" he said. \"I wanna meet another [person with it].\"\n\nPitt told GQ he wants to remember the people he meets and fears his struggle has given people the impression he's aloof.\n\nRead More", "authors": ["Chloe Melas"], "publish_date": "2022/07/07"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2022/06/22/brad-pitt-gq-cover-actor-discusses-retirement-sobriety-smoking/7703715001/", "title": "Brad Pitt GQ cover: Actor talks retirement, sobriety, prosopagnosia", "text": "Brad Pitt may not be gracing the the silver screen as often in the future, and he's opening up about being in the last stages of his film career.\n\nThe actor told GQ magazine in a cover story interview published June 22 that he's approaching retirement.\n\n“I consider myself on my last leg,” Pitt said, “this last semester or trimester. What is this section gonna be? And how do I wanna design that?”\n\nPitt is still slated for acting gigs in 2022, including director David Leitch’s action blockbuster “Bullet Train” about five assassins aboard a fast moving train, and the historical drama film “Babylon.”\n\nThe 58-year-old actor, known for his performances in “Fight Club” and “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood,” has gradually receded from onscreen roles and instead has taken a more prominent position behind the camera as a film producer. Pitt is the current CEO of Plan B Entertainment that helmed works such as 2016 \"Moonlight,\" Golden Globe-winning film \"Minari\" and the just-released remake of \"Father of the Bride.\"\n\n'Father of the Bride' mom Gloria Estefan recalls her wedding-day disaster: The dog ate her dress\n\nAndrew Koji breaks out in 'Snake Eyes,' eagerly awaits an invite to Brad Pitt's house\n\nThe production company will be behind various movies in 2022, including Netflix’s \"Blonde\" starring Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe and \"Women Talking,\" an adaptation of Miriam Toews’s novel, which the Academy Award winner said is \"as profound a film as anything made this decade.\"\n\nAlthough Pitt has not been formally diagnosed, he told GQ he may have prosopagnosia, otherwise known as face blindness, which prohibits him from recognizing new faces or remembering people he meets in social settings (though Pitt says \"nobody believes\" he suffers from the condition).\n\nPitt also said he quit smoking altogether during the pandemic because reducing the number of cigarettes per day wasn’t enough.\n\n“I don’t have that ability to do just one or two a day,” Pitt said. “It’s not in my makeup. I’m all in. And I’m going to drive into the ground. I’ve lost my privileges.”\n\nBrad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins open up about crying, alcohol struggles and moving on\n\nAngelina Jolie exits train station as air-raid sirens go off during Ukraine visit, video shows\n\nPitt delved deeper into discussing his sobriety, saying when Angelina Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, he that year getting sober and attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.\n\n“I had a really cool men’s group here that was really private and selective, so it was safe,” Pitt told GQ. “Because I’d seen things of other people who had been recorded while they were spilling their guts, and that’s just atrocious to me.”\n\nThe ex-couple have been embroiled in a custody battle since the initial divorce filings where Jolie asked for physical custody of all six of their children — Maddox, 20, Pax, 18, Zahara, 17, Shiloh, 16, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 13. Pitt was tentatively awarded joint custody last spring, though Jolie’s team criticized the private judge for not allowing the couple’s children to testify in the custody proceedings.\n\nIn October, California's Supreme Court rejected Pitt's appeal and decided it won't review an earlier decision by a state appeals court which handed Jolie a major victory by disqualifying the private judge the couple hired to handle their divorce. Jolie’s team filed a petition in August 2020 to disqualify the judge from the case because of a disclosure issue regarding the judge’s business connection with an attorney on Pitt’s team.\n\nAccording to Holly Davis, a trial lawyer and founding partner of Austin divorce firm Kirker Davis LLP, the custody case will likely start over with a new judge.\n\nContributing: Maria Puente", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/06/22"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_14", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:30", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/06/world/eu-votes-natural-gas-nuclear-green-sustainable-climate/index.html", "title": "Natural gas projects are 'green' or 'sustainable,' EU parliament says ...", "text": "(CNN) European Union lawmakers voted Wednesday in favor of calling natural gas and nuclear power \"green\" or \"sustainable\" sources of energy, backing a proposal from European Commission , the EU's executive arm, that has spurred criticism from scientists and environmental advocates.\n\nThe new rules, if accepted by member states, could unlock billions of dollars of private investment and state subsidies for natural gas and nuclear projects.\n\nThe rules will go into effect in 2023, unless 20 of the union's 27 member states reject them, which is unlikely. Most member states — including heavyweights such as Germany and France — backed at least one of the two energy sources.\n\nThe European Commission has argued that natural gas — a fossil fuel primarily made of methane, a significant contributor to the climate crisis — plays a key role in transitioning to renewable energy, angering climate activists and some lawmakers. Natural gas typically emits less carbon dixoide than coal , but critics argue more focus should be place on boosting renewable energy, and that supporting new gas projects will only prolong the life of the fossil fuel.\n\nBas Eickhout, a Green lawmaker from the Netherlands who sits in the European Parliament, recently said he had \"never seen such a strategic mistake by the Commission,\" and calling natural gas \"sustainable\" contradicts the European Union's pleas to the rest of the world to rapidly decarbonize their economies.\n\n\"We are undermining the entire credibility of our Green Deal,\" he previously told CNN, referring to the EU's centerpiece climate legislation. \"And on the gas side, I really I don't see it. I fail to see the added value.\"\n\nJUST WATCHED This Wyoming town wants a nuclear reactor nearby. Here's why. Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH This Wyoming town wants a nuclear reactor nearby. Here's why. 04:46\n\nWhile the proposal came months before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it gained momentum after the EU responded to the war by banning Russian energy sources such as coal and oil, which European countries have been highly dependent on.\n\nThe EU has vowed to cut planet-heating emissions by 55% from 1990 levels by 2030 and become a net-zero-emissions economy by 2050. Net zero is where emissions are dramatically reduced, and any that remain are offset, whether using natural methods like tree planting or technology to \"capture\" emissions. The effectiveness of such technology is currently limited.\n\nBut climate and energy advocates say Wednesday's decision will instead hinder Europe's green transition.\n\n\"This will delay a desperately needed real sustainable transition and deepen our dependency on Russian fuels,\" Greta Thunberg, the Swedish climate activist, tweeted in response to the vote . \"The hypocrisy is striking, but unfortunately not surprising.\"\n\nEnvironmental groups are expected to challenge the new rules in court. Already, groups such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Federation have said they plan to sue the EU over the policy.\n\n\"Gas and nuclear are not green, and labeling them as such is blatant greenwashing. This harms the climate, and future generations,\" Ester Asin, director at WWF European Policy Office, said in a statement. \"We've lost this battle, but we won't give up the fight. [We] will explore all potential avenues for further action to stop this greenwashing and protect the credibility of the whole EU Taxonomy - and calls on Member States and MEPs to do the same.\"", "authors": ["Hande Atay Alam", "Ivana Kottasová", "Angela Dewan", "Rachel Ramirez"], "publish_date": "2022/07/06"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/50-states/2019/08/05/hot-cat-summer-prairie-dog-plague-vaping-sickness-news-around-states/39892357/", "title": "News from around our 50 states", "text": "From USA TODAY Network and wire reports\n\nAlabama\n\nMontgomery: Tobacco shops in the state are no longer able to advertise vaping as a healthy alternative to smoking. A wide-ranging law regulating vaping that passed the Legislature earlier this year went into effect Thursday. It also prohibits opening vape shops within 1,000 feet of a school, church or child care facility and limits advertising on billboards to include only three vaping flavors, tobacco, mint and menthol. Critics say fruit-flavored vaping liquids attract younger users. One of the law’s sponsors, Democrat Rep. Barbara Drummond, told WBRC-TV she was shocked to see a 12-year-old in her Sunday school class with a vape, which she initially thought was a flash drive. Alabama was one of three states that previously did not regulate vaping.\n\nAlaska\n\nJuneau: The governor is moving ahead with a plan to increase prices at assisted living homes, a report says. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy proposed increasing Alaska Pioneer Home rates between 40% and 140% by Sept. 1, The Anchorage Daily News reports. The Dunleavy administration submitted the proposal to offset the state budget’s $12.3 million cut to funding for the homes, state officials said. There are currently three levels of service ranging from about $2,500 a month to $6,800 a month depending on the level of care needed. The proposal includes five levels of service ranging from about $3,600 a month to $15,000 a month, officials said. This new plan is intended to increase revenue, but some residents fear the higher prices will make the homes unaffordable.\n\nArizona\n\nPhoenix: The Phoenix Police Department will train officers to track when they point their guns at people as the agency works to increase trust and transparency after a record number of shootings last year and national outrage over a cellphone video showing officers cursing and aiming guns at a black family. The department said Friday that the new policy was recommended by the National Police Foundation, which found Phoenix had 44 officer-involved shootings last year, more than any other U.S. department. Of those, 23 were fatal. A separate database that tracks fatal shootings by police showed Phoenix officers also killed more people than any other agency in 2018. The city is now the nation’s fifth largest, with about 1.6 million people.\n\nArkansas\n\nLittle Rock: State election officials have rejected an attempt to hold a referendum next year on a new law expanding what procedures optometrists can perform that’s sparked an unusually expensive and public lobbying fight. Secretary of State John Thurston’s office said Friday that supporters of the referendum fell short of the nearly 53,500 signatures from registered voters needed to put the issue on the November 2020 ballot. Thurston’s office said it determined the petitions submitted had 23,953 signatures. The new law allows optometrists to perform several procedures that currently only ophthalmologists can. It’s drawn heavy opposition from ophthalmologists who say the change puts patients at risk. Safe Surgery Arkansas, the group behind the referendum effort, says it’s prepared to go to court to challenge the petitions’ rejection.\n\nCalifornia\n\nSan Francisco: San Francisco International Airport is banning the sale of single-use plastic water bottles. The unprecedented move at one of the nation’s major airports will take effect Aug. 20, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The new rule will apply to airport restaurants, cafes and vending machines. Travelers who need plain water will have to buy refillable aluminum or glass bottles if they don’t bring their own. As a department of San Francisco’s municipal government, the airport is following an ordinance approved in 2014 banning the sale of plastic water bottles on city-owned property. The shift away from plastics is also part of a broader plan to slash net carbon emissions and energy use to zero and eliminate most landfill waste by 2021, airport spokesman Doug Yakel says.\n\nColorado\n\nCommerce City: Officials closed parks and canceled a Major League Soccer game’s fireworks display after plague was confirmed in prairie dogs in this Denver suburb. The Tri-County Health Department said Thursday that prairie dog burrows in Commerce City were being sprayed with insecticide to kill fleas that could transmit the disease to the rodents, people and pets. Health officials said Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge and Prairie Gateway Open Space were temporarily closed. Colorado Rapids officials canceled a fireworks show planned for after Saturday’s game against the Montreal Impact. They also restricted parking to asphalt lots. Rapids officials said the precautions would minimize the risk of exposure to fans, players and employees.\n\nConnecticut\n\nHartford: A contingent of Republican lawmakers is urging the state’s Department of Public Health commissioner not to comply with a request from top legislative Democrats to provide policy recommendations concerning vaccinations for schoolchildren. The five state representatives say it’s “wholly inappropriate” for the agency to be asked to provide an opinion on whether the General Assembly should eliminate its religious exemption. The group says it’s not the charge of the Department of Public Health to “offer opinions on civil rights issues.” Democratic Attorney General William Tong in May issued a nonbinding ruling that said there’s nothing in state law to prevent lawmakers from scrapping the exemption.\n\nDelaware\n\nWilmington: Police are offering a reward as they investigate the theft of a historical marker that memorializes the lynching of a black man accused of raping and killing a white girl. New Castle County said Saturday that a $2,000 reward is available to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of those responsible for the theft. A concerned citizen noticed on Thursday that the state marker erected in June to commemorate the lynching of George White was missing. White, an ex-convict, was accused of killing 17-year-old Helen Bishop, whose throat was cut. In June 1903, a mob stormed a workhouse where White was being held, dragged him to the scene of the assault on Bishop, then burned him to death.\n\nDistrict of Columbia\n\nWashington: A man has pleaded guilty to felony bribery for paying more than $40,000 to police employees in the nation’s capital for confidential information from traffic crash reports. The Washington Post reports Marvin Parker, 60, admitted Wednesday to bribing the two employees for the information, to which the department restricted access in 2015. Prosecutors say Parker owns RPM Associates, a Maryland-based consulting firm. Court records say he bribed the workers from 2015 through 2017 and used the data to identify people involved in crashes. They say he would then contact them and offer to help them obtain legal and medical services. Police say the workers are no longer with the department. Parker hasn’t been detained.\n\nFlorida\n\nFort Lauderdale: A state senator has filed legislation that would outlaw declawing of cats except under certain circumstances. The bill filed Friday by Democratic Sen. Lauren Book of Plantation would impose fines of $1,000 on veterinarians who declaw cats when it is not medically necessary. They could also be disciplined by the Board of Veterinary Medicine for doing so. There are health exemptions for such things as infections or disease that might make it necessary to declaw a cat. In many cases, people declaw cats because they can damage furniture and attack wildlife, such as birds. The bill is similar to a New York measure signed into law last month by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Book’s legislation is filed for the 2020 Florida session, which begins in January.\n\nGeorgia\n\nJekyll Island: A handmade flag that pranksters stole from Jekyll Island more than 40 years ago has been returned to the state park. The Brunswick News reports the flag featuring a crest of a seashell and a cotton ball was handed over to its executive editor and president, Buff Leavy, recently along with a handwritten note explaining that it had been swiped by Georgia Tech fraternity pledges in 1975. Leavy returned it to the Jekyll Island Authority. Rose Marie Kimbell, the archivist of the island’s Mosaic museum, says she suspects the flag was one of two that once flew atop flagpoles at the entrance to the Jekyll Island causeway. The flag will be placed on display at the museum, where Kimbell says it will be watched closely by a security camera.\n\nHawaii\n\nHilo: Multiple sharks have been found without their fins, raising concerns among marine biologists, a report says. Three sharks were found and photographed Wednesday on the Big Island without fins, one of them gutted, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports. Two of the sharks were threatened oceanic whitetip shark species found alive and photographed off the coast of west Hawaii by dive tour operators, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources says. The third was a whitetip reef shark found without fins and disemboweled, officials say. “Shark finning is not a new phenomenon, but the recent number of incidents is concerning,” department monitoring technician Stacia Marcoux says. “This is especially true for the threatened oceanic whitetip.”\n\nIdaho\n\nBoise: Officials at Boise High School want the mascot’s name changed. Officials tell the Idaho Statesman in a story on Saturday they hope to change the name from Braves to Brave. The plan will be presented at a Boise School District board meeting Aug. 12. Boise High Principal Robb Thompson says he wants the new name in place by Aug. 19 so it can be used for the 2019-2020 school year. But Thompson says it will take three to five years to change uniforms and imagery on campus. Last month Teton High School in eastern Idaho voted to retire its Redskins mascot. The Shoshone-Bannock tribes in June submitted a position paper to the Idaho State Board of Education asking that the state ban Native American mascots.\n\nIllinois\n\nSpringfield: Two Democratic lawmakers say more money is needed to address the shortage of affordable, permanent and stable homes in the state. In June, Gov. J.B. Pritzker approved $200 million to fund Illinois’ affordable housing program through the state’s first capital plan in 10 years. Sen. Mattie Hunter and Rep. Delia Ramirez tell the State Journal-Register the money will make a “significant difference,” but it would take $1 billion more to address Illinois’ infrastructure concerns. Illinois Housing Council officials say more investment in permanent, supportive housing is needed to assist the “most vulnerable” renters, such as people with disabilities, veterans and homeless people. Ramirez says she hopes to propose legislation in January that would create a task force to examine housing needs across Illinois.\n\nIndiana\n\nIndianapolis: The Indiana State Fair has started its 17-day run during which it will be honoring everyday Hoosiers for their commitment to others. The fair opened Friday with its annual variety of food, farm animals, amusement rides and entertainers. It continues through Aug. 18. This year’s theme is “Heroes in the Heartland,” which each day will recognize teachers, farmers, police officers, firefighters, military members and others for their community service. This year’s fair queen cut a ceremonial ribbon during opening ceremonies with Gov. Eric Holcomb at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis. Organizers are hoping weather cooperates again for this year’s fair after it drew about 860,000 visitors last year and nearly 907,000 in 2017. Rain and high temperatures knocked attendance down to about 730,000 people three years ago.\n\nIowa\n\nGreenfield: Hopes by a small aviation museum that a stamp in its possession was rare enough to parlay a potential fortune crashed Friday when experts told them it wasn’t real – and likely not even worth the paper upon which it was glued. The Iowa Aviation Museum has had what it thought was a 1918 “Inverted Jenny” stamp on public display for some 20 years, dating back to when it was donated to the museum, glued to a board along with several other stamps. A notation from the donor attached to the board speculated it was worth about $73,000. An examination under a microscope confirmed it was likely cut out from a printed catalog. The news was disappointing for those at the museum, which also serves as the home of the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame and had hoped to auction the stamp for hundreds of thousands of dollars and build a new museum hangar.\n\nKansas\n\nTopeka: The governors in Kansas and Missouri have moved to end an economic “border war” that has gained their states unwanted national attention for using millions of dollars in incentives to entice companies into shifting jobs close to the Kansas City-area border. Their truce appears shaky. An executive order that Democratic Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed Friday showed that officials in both states have yet to fully resolve a final sticking point: the ability of cities, counties and other local governments in Missouri to offer more lucrative local tax breaks than their counterparts in Kansas. If Missouri officials don’t stop their generous local tax breaks, Kelly in her order threatens to call off the two states’ big, bipartisan deal, even with Friday’s declarations that the border war is over.\n\nKentucky\n\nLouisville: The Louisville Zoo has announced the birth of a baby elephant. According to the zoo, a “strong and vigorous” African elephant male calf was born just before midnight Friday. The calf’s mother, Mikki, has been pregnant since October 2017 after being artificially inseminated. The 200-pound calf measures 98 centimeters tall, 77 centimeters long from head to tail, and 198 centimeters from the tip of his trunk to the tip of his tail. This is the zoo’s third elephant, joining 33-year-old Mikki and 47-year-old Asian elephant Punch. The zoo will now give the calf to bond with Mikki and Punch. The elephants will not be on exhibit until further notice. The calf has not yet been named.\n\nLouisiana\n\nBaton Rouge: Thousands of college students in the state face a surprising change as they start courses this month and pay their registration bills – their costs for attending class aren’t rising. For years, many students across Louisiana’s public university campuses faced repeated tuition hikes and, more recently, regular fee increases. But none of the state’s four college systems has enacted such mandatory, systemwide increases for upcoming fall semester classes. The decision not to raise fees comes after Gov. John Bel Edwards and lawmakers boosted state spending on higher education by $47 million in the $30 billion-plus state operating budget that started July 1. Nearly one-third of the increase ensures TOPS covers full tuition for all eligible students.\n\nMaine\n\nCape Elizabeth: A pair of Kenyan runners celebrated victories in the state’s most anticipated road race Saturday. Alex Korio won the men’s championships while Joyciline Jepkosgei won for the women at the annual Beach to Beacon 10K race in Cape Elizabeth. It was the 22nd installment of the race, which was founded by Cape Elizabeth native Joan Benoit Samuelson, the winner of the first women’s marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympics. The first Maine man to finish this year’s race was Dan Curts of Ellsworth, while the first Maine woman was Sofie Matson, who is heading into her junior year at Falmouth High School. The race starts near Crescent Beach State Park and ends in Fort Williams near Portland Head Light. It’s the biggest race in Maine, and it attracted more than 6,500 runners this year.\n\nMaryland\n\nBaltimore: U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., took the high road in inviting President Donald Trump and other Americans to visit Baltimore but declining to respond in kind to the barrage of presidential tweets and comments disparaging him and the majority-black city he has long represented. “We are a great community,” Cummings, the chairman of a powerful House committee investigating the administration, said Saturday in his first public remarks about the controversy as he participated in the opening of a small neighborhood park near his home. Community leaders and residents gathered to cut the ribbon on a pocket of greenery and flowers, built from what had been a vacant lot often used as a dumping ground for trash. “Come to Baltimore. Do not just criticize us, but come to Baltimore, and I promise you, you will be welcomed,” he said.\n\nMassachusetts\n\nOrleans: Shark sightings have forced officials to temporarily bar swimming at several of the state’s popular beaches in recent days. Nauset Beach in the Cape Cod town of Orleans was twice closed for swimming for periods of about one hour Saturday after great white sharks were spotted within a half-mile or so of shore, according the Sharktivity app, which is operated by the Atlantic White Shark Conservatory. Beaches in Wellfleet and Truro also kept swimmers out of the water for a time Saturday, as did several south-facing beaches on the island of Nantucket. A Martha’s Vineyard beach was twice closed earlier in the week over shark concerns. Surveillance has been stepped up this summer after two shark attacks off Cape Cod last year, including one that killed a 26-year-old Massachusetts man.\n\nMichigan\n\nSilver City: Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the Upper Peninsula is getting $550,000 in emergency shoreline repairs along a main entry road. MLive.com reports the state says high water levels along Lake Superior and recent storm damage have caused erosion that’s threatening County Road 107. Work is scheduled to begin Monday. Eric Cadeau, a regional field planner with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, says the work aims to prevent visitors from needing to take an 80-mile detour to get to another park entry point. The state is teaming with the Ontonagon County Road Commission on the project. High water levels on the Great Lakes, including Lake Superior, have been blamed for flooding and contributed to hazardous conditions along shorelines this year in the region.\n\nMinnesota\n\nMoorhead: Pennington County is about to become the state’s first to let cellphone callers stream live video and audio to dispatchers when they call 911 for help. Sheriff Ray Kuznia tells the Minnesota Public Radio News that the technology will be implemented later in August. Kuznia said it should help dispatchers make better decisions in responding to emergency calls such as car crashes and domestic incidents. A caller will dial 911 on a cellphone within the Pennington County service area. The dispatcher can send a text message to the caller’s cellphone if they want to take over the caller’s camera. The caller has to option to accept or decline. The emergency dispatcher would then be able to see wherever the caller points the camera.\n\nMississippi\n\nNew Albany: A family dog is being hailed as a hero after a man says the canine saved him and his son from a house fire. Marvin Foster of New Albany tells the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal he was getting out of the shower Tuesday when Dudley the dog bumped the bathroom door and alerted him about a fire in the kitchen. Foster got dressed and yelled to his son, Terrance, that they needed to get out of the burning home. The two men escaped, but a wall fell and jammed the bathroom door, trapping Dudley inside. New Albany firefighters rescued the dog and gave him water and oxygen. Dudley had burns to an ear and his eyes, and he inhaled smoke. He is recovering at a veterinarian’s office. Foster says the dog is his hero.\n\nMissouri\n\nCape Girardeau: Thousands of marriage records, some predating statehood, in Cape Girardeau County will be digitized and stored electronically as part of an effort to preserve historic documents. The Southeast Missourian reports that county commissioners signed off on the project Thursday. Half of the estimated $31,000 cost will be paid for through a grant. County recorder of deeds Crew Blattner says the work is critical because non-digitized records can be lost if there’s a natural disaster or water damage. The effort also will allow records to be searched through an online database. Some of the marriage records predate both Cape Girardeau County, founded in 1812, and Missouri, which gained statehood in 1821. Although they have been laminated, many of the oldest documents are yellowing and the meticulous, handwritten records starting to fade.\n\nMontana\n\nHelena: Gov. Steve Bullock has ordered flags lowered across the state Monday to mark the 70th anniversary of the deadly Mann Gulch fire. The Aug. 5, 1949, blaze north of Helena near the Missouri River killed 13 firefighters and was the subject of the Norman Maclean book “Young Men and Fire.” Bullock says in his proclamation that flags will fly at half-staff in memory of all wildland firefighters who have given their lives in the line of duty. The U.S. Forest Service is planning a ceremony at the Meriwether Picnic area near Mann Gulch on Monday. It includes plans for a flyover by the plane that transported 15 Missoula-based smokejumpers to the fire in 1949. The plane, now known as Miss Montana, also participated in the 75th anniversary of D-Day.\n\nNebraska\n\nOmaha: Swarms of mayflies have emerged from water along the Missouri River and are caking drivers’ windshields. The Omaha World-Herald reports mayflies spend 99% of their lives in water, but they rise above when they become winged adults to take part in a mating swarm. They quickly die after that. But their mating season is a nuisance. Pam Frana, a membership specialist for the Nebraska City Tourism and Commerce Department, blames the flooding for stirring up the mayflies. Dominator Fuel in Rock Port, Missouri, sold out of windshield wiper fluid in light of the mayflies’ arrival. Andrew Wagner, who works in Hamburg, Iowa, says they covered windshields so much that drivers couldn’t see where they were going. But he says the situation is better now that flooding has gone down.\n\nNevada\n\nReno: People driving between Reno and Las Vegas probably won’t notice anything unusual as they pass Walker Lake, at the base of Nevada’s Wassuk Range in one of the nation’s least-populous counties. But people who waited decades yearning for the lake to recover from its human-driven death spiral are marking a historic milestone. On July 5, for the first time since Europeans settled the remote and scenic Walker Basin, there’s water flowing through the Walker River exclusively for the benefit of the lake’s fish and wildlife. “It’s kind of a historical moment,” says Jeff Bryant, executive director of the Walker Basin Conservancy. From 1936 until April 16, it was illegal for the federal water master, or anyone else, to move water through the Walker River for anything other than nourishing crops or cattle.\n\nNew Hampshire\n\nDurham: The University of New Hampshire has been awarded a $108 million grant from NASA to use a space-based instrument to identify hazards like oil spills and algal blooms in the Gulf of Mexico, the southeastern United States and the Amazon River. The Geosynchronous Littoral Imaging and Monitoring Radiometer instrument, overseen by UNH’s Joseph Salisbury, will allow observations of ocean biology, chemistry and ecology in coastal waters as part of efforts to protect ecosystems and improve resource management. It is the largest NASA contract awarded to the university. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said findings from the instrument “will bring economic benefits to fisheries, tourism and recreation in the coastline area.”\n\nNew Jersey\n\nJersey City: Bruce Springsteen’s youngest son is becoming a firefighter in Jersey City, his mom says. Patti Scialfa on Thursday posted congratulations to their youngest child, Sam, on Instagram. She wrote that “you followed your dreams” and told her son to “stay safe” and “love your brave heart!” The 25-year-old took the civil service exam to become a firefighter in New Jersey’s second-largest city in March. He has served as a volunteer firefighter in Colts Neck. Springsteen and Scialfa have three children.\n\nNew Mexico\n\nSanta Fe: State health officials are seeking to shore up and standardize safeguards against brain injuries in youth sports beyond schools in non-scholastic athletic leagues and clubs. Coaches and many youth athletes automatically would undergo training to detect signs of a concussion and understand the potential consequences of a brain injury under rules proposed by the New Mexico Department of Health. The agency has scheduled a public hearing later this month on the proposal requiring annual training about concussions not only for coaches but also for parents and young athletes themselves – once they turn 11. Those children would sign a form each year that shows they completed a brain-injury prevention training session linked to standards from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\n\nNew York\n\nNew York: In a reckoning five years in the making, an administrative judge on Friday recommended firing a police officer over the 2014 chokehold death of an unarmed black man whose dying cries of “I can’t breathe” fueled a national debate over policing, race and the use of force. The city’s police commissioner will make a final decision this month on whether to fire Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who is white, for his role in Eric Garner’s death. Pantaleo was suspended shortly after the judge’s decision became public, about two weeks after federal prosecutors closed the book on criminal charges. Mayor Bill de Blasio hailed the judge’s report as “a step toward justice and accountability,” while Pantaleo’s lawyer and a union leader said it penalized an officer for properly doing his job. Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr, said the report brought her “some relief” but was overdue and fell short of true accountability.\n\nNorth Carolina\n\nRaleigh: A judge has dismissed charges against two students accused of disorderly conduct and defacing a public monument after placing Ku Klux Klan hoods on statues at a Confederate monument. N.C. State students Enzo Niebuhr and Jody Anderson were arrested Easter Sunday during a protest at the North Carolina Women of the Confederacy monument in Raleigh. News outlets report that a judge dismissed the charges Friday after a hearing in which the students’ lawyer argued that their actions were protected speech. The officer who arrested them testified that the students used profanity and that placing hoods on the statues was like a hate crime.\n\nNorth Dakota\n\nBismarck: A federal appeals court says the state’s voter identification requirements are constitutional, rejecting an argument by a group of American Indians who said they are a form of voter suppression. A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the state Wednesday, overturning a lower court ruling. North Dakota’s law requires voters to show ID with a residential street address, which American Indians have argued is not always evident on reservations. They also say many tribal members aren’t aware of their address, don’t have a provable one because they’re homeless or stay with friends or relatives, or can’t afford to get an updated ID with a street address. Members of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa sued the state in 2016 over the ID requirements.\n\nOhio\n\nTwinsburg: Twin brothers driving separately to the Twins Days Festival say each got pulled over for the second time in two years. But this time they got off without a ticket and just a laugh. Andy Baker says he and his twin brother, Chad, were driving from Nashville, Tennessee, to Twinsburg on Thursday when they were stopped. He says they were pulled over because the trooper thought the identical twins had identical license plates. But there’s a slight difference because one plate has a zero, while the other has the letter “O.” Baker told WEWS -TV in Cleveland that the trooper got a good laugh out of it and was a good sport. He says the brothers weren’t so lucky last year when they got tickets for speeding.\n\nOklahoma\n\nTahlequah: Expansion of the city’s Greenbelt Trail is on the horizon, and officials say the work should begin sooner rather than later. The Tahlequah History Trail originally started as a conceptual drawing of paths near Town Branch Creek in 1992 and expanded to a 2-mile trail system connecting all city parks to form the “Greenbelt.” The 10-foot-wide portion of the trail will use many features already available in the existing park system by connecting Sequoyah Park to Ross Park, and then to Felts Park, the Tahlequah Daily Press reports. Mayor Sue Catron, other city officials and curious residents recently took a “walk and dream” tour of the trail and exchanged thoughts and ideas while they painted a picture of plans. Tahlequah Planning and Development Director Clinton Johnson said the trail will include two emergency phone stations.\n\nOregon\n\nPortland: The latest homelessness count shows more people are sleeping outside in Multnomah County on any given night in 2019 than the last decade. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports about 20% more people were found living somewhere unfit for human habitation - in places including tents, in cars and under bridges – when the count was done on a single night this past winter compared to 2017, the last time the federally required count occurred. The 2,037 people who were found sleeping outside in Oregon’s most populous county are the highest the count has found and represent some of the area’s most entrenched issues – they are disproportionately of color, mentally ill or facing a substance abuse problem. The Point in Time count, released Thursday, is conducted by the county every two years.\n\nPennsylvania\n\nBradys Bend: A cat in western Pennsylvania is bucking stereotypes with its love of swimming. Tissy is an orange Maine Coon who regularly cools off in the family pool in Bradys Bend Township, about 55 miles north of Pittsburgh. Sonny Herr tells the Tribune Review she rescued Tissy as a homeless kitten about five years ago from a parking lot near the county fair. She says Tissy got curious about water when the kitty was about a year old and started to swim. Tissy’s favorite thing is to swim with Herr’s 9-year-old daughter, Taylee. Tissy even wears a floatie around the waist and likes to be snuggled in the pool. The cat also loves bubble baths. According to the Cat Fancier’s Association, many cat breeds enjoy water, including the Turkish Angora, American shorthair, Norwegian forest cat and American bobtail.\n\nRhode Island\n\nCentral Falls: A bill renaming a local post office in honor of a 19th-century abolitionist and suffragist has cleared the U.S. Senate. Rhode Island’s congressional delegation introduced legislation in both chambers to honor Elizabeth Buffum Chace by naming the Central Falls post office after her. Democratic Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse say it passed the Senate last week and must now clear the House of Representatives. Chace dedicated her life to advocating for women’s rights and the abolition of slavery. The Rhode Island Historical Society says the home she built with husband Samuel Chace in Valley Falls, Rhode Island, in 1858 became a way station for escaped slaves and abolitionist speakers. Chace led the Rhode Island Women’s Suffrage Association in the late 1800s.\n\nSouth Carolina\n\nCharleston: The city’s tourism marketing organization is rolling out a new online platform about African American history and culture in the region. The Post and Courier reports the new website, “Voices: Stories of Change,” is a complete overhaul of its predecessor, which had not been updated in about a decade. Explore Charleston Deputy Director Perrin Lawson says work on the new site started about 18 months ago. The main takeaway, he says, was the wide range of perspectives gathered that led the team to seek local contributors with personal connections to the subject matter. For example, an article on Robert Smalls was written by International African American Museum CEO Michael Boulware Moore. Smalls, who famously stole a Confederate ship in Charleston Harbor and later became one of the first African Americans elected to Congress, is Moore’s great-great grandfather.\n\nSouth Dakota\n\nSioux Falls: The Sioux Empire Fair is waiving entry fees for its livestock competition for the first time this summer as South Dakota farmers and ranchers deal with tariffs on foreign agriculture markets and spring flooding. Traditionally, the entry fees have been $10 to $25, depending on the class or species of animal being shown. It’s the 80th anniversary for the fair, which began over the weekend. Hundreds will showcase their cows, lambs, goats and pigs they’ve been raising in hopes of taking home some prize money. Many show more than one animal, so fair officials say the fees can add up quickly. Fair director Scott Wick says the fee waiver will be extended in future years.\n\nTennessee\n\nMemphis: School officials have removed a piece of student art depicting President Donald Trump and the Statue of Liberty after receiving a threat. The painting has been hung in the hallway of Southwind High School – located just outside Memphis – since 2016. The painting shows Trump with his mouth covered by white brush strokes and the Statue of Liberty covering her face. School officials say the painting has not sparked any complaints over the years. However, the painting recently gained attention on social media, and the school decided to remove it after receiving a threatening phone call Friday. The district says it respects students’ rights to free speech and encourages students to express themselves “through art or in any other peaceful manner.”\n\nTexas\n\nAustin: The city’s airport has begun testing a driverless shuttle outfitted with cameras and sensors to ensure passengers are transported safely and without the danger of being hit. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Friday announced the electric autonomous vehicle called Easy Mile EZ10 will be tested for six months in an environmental and people-moving project. An airport attendant is present to help travelers and for safety purposes. The shuttle, with seating for six and room for other passengers to stand, has a pre-programmed route between the Barbara Jordan Terminal and the rental car/ground transportation sites. The shuttle, operating on the upper level of Garage 1, complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and has wheelchair accessibility. Airport spokesman Bryce Dubee says it’s another mobility option for travelers.\n\nUtah\n\nSalt Lake City: The state’s Supreme Court says language in a law that prevented gay couples from reaching a workable agreement with a surrogate to bear their child is unconstitutional. The Deseret News reports an opinion released by the high court Friday threw out that section of law because it denied same-sex couples a benefit long enjoyed by a husband and wife in Utah. The decision says that “same-sex couples must be afforded all of the benefits the state has linked to marriage.” The law in question allowed judges to approve surrogacy agreements if the intended mother – meaning a woman – could not bear a child or the pregnancy would be risky. A judge had refused to approve an agreement between a surrogate and a gay couple because both partners were male.\n\nVermont\n\nMontpelier: Select farms around the state will again be opening their operations to the public for a week this summer, starting next weekend. The fifth annual Open Farm Week takes place from Friday through Aug. 15 at over 40 farms across the state. The activities for visitors vary from farm to farm and range from milking cows and goats, picking vegetables and learning to make cheese to taking a farm tours and eating an on-the-farm dinner. A listing of the events can be found online at DigInVT.com.\n\nVirginia\n\nWachapreague: Scientists at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science are doing research this summer that could result in a way for commercial fishermen to keep sharks from interfering with their fishing lines. VIMS Eastern Shore Lab has the advantage of being right on the water and near the last undeveloped stretch of barrier islands on the East Coast. The sandbar sharks researchers are observing this summer in a tank at the Seawater Lab come from right off the dock. When the research is over, the sharks are returned to the same waters. The research examines the response of the sharks to an electronic “tickler” device – officially called a bycatch reduction device. The hope is that with the right combination of electronic signals, sharks will be discouraged from attacking a baited fishing line.\n\nWashington\n\nOlympia: This week’s primary election doesn’t have any statewide races for voters to contend with, but it will be the first one where same-day voter registration, automatic registration and prepaid postage are all in effect in the state. On Tuesday, more than 360 local races will be decided by voters, ranging from city council races and school director races to two legislative seats where two recent appointees face primary challenges as they seek election to a full term. Laws passed over the last two legislative sessions that seek to make it easier for voters to register and cast their ballots are now all in effect. The state’s more than 4.4 million registered voters started receiving their ballots in the mail weeks ago for the top two primary, in which the top two vote-getters advance to the November ballot, regardless of party.\n\nWest Virginia\n\nPrinceton: A local railroad model is drawing people from across the globe even before it’s finished. The work-in-progress replica, at the Princeton Railroad Museum, has already drawn in thousands of guests. Measuring at a whopping 22 by 16 feet, the model is something to behold, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph reports. Artist Dan Hosier says many guests have told him that visiting the model was a “priority destination” in their trip. The model itself offers both replications of places throughout the area and inspirational design. Places that can be spotted on the model include the Elkhorn tunnel, the Maybeury coke ovens, Pinnacle Rock and the former tree on Crumbpecker Hill. The entire project is Hosier’s “artistic representation of coal, railroad and lumber history in southern West Virginia.”\n\nWisconsin\n\nMilwaukee: State health officials say they’ve linked vaping to 11 recent cases in which teenagers and young adults developed “severe lung disease” that required hospitalizations. Officials say they’re investigating another seven cases that may also be linked to vaping. The health department says all the patients they interviewed reported vaping in the weeks and months prior to being hospitalized after experiencing shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, coughing and weight loss. Officials say the severity of the cases varied, and some patients needed assistance breathing. Some of the patients improved with treatment, but officials say they’re investigating whether the lung disease will cause long-term damage. Officials say investigators are trying to find out what vaping products were used.\n\nWyoming\n\nCheyenne: The U.S. Forest Service wants to reduce designated habitat in the state and in Nevada for a ground-dwelling bird. The agency said Friday that its plan would target 200 square miles now set aside for sage grouse in Wyoming and Nevada, with nearly all of the reduction in Wyoming. A state official says the proposed changes simply align Forest Service plans with Wyoming’s map of state-designated sage grouse habitat. More than 8,000 square miles of national forest land has been set aside as protected habitat for the birds in Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. The Natural Resources Defense Council says the proposed reduction “unravels” a 2015 Forest Service conservation plan. The agency said then the birds would not be listed as threatened or endangered because state and federal agencies had come up with plans to conserve its habitat.\n\nFrom USA TODAY Network and wire reports", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2019/08/05"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_15", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:30", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/07/05/gorgosaurus-dinosaur-skeleton-auction-sothebys/7812971001/", "title": "76 million-year-old dinosaur skeleton in 'pristine' condition to be ...", "text": "A 76 million-year-old fossilized dinosaur skeleton, the only specimen of its kind available for private ownership, will be auctioned off this month in New York City, Sotheby's announced Tuesday.\n\nAt nearly 10 feet tall and 22 feet long, the Gorgosaurus skeleton was found in the Judith River Formation near Havre, Montana, in 2018. The discovery was “exceptional” because of the rarity of Gorgosaurus material found in the United States, according to Sotheby's.\n\nSotheby's presale estimate for the fossil is $5 million to $8 million.\n\n'It’s amazing':Mummified, baby woolly mammoth frozen over 30,000 years ago found in Canada\n\n“In my career, I have had the privilege of handling and selling many exceptional and unique objects, but few have the capacity to inspire wonder and capture imaginations quite like this unbelievable Gorgosaurus skeleton,” said Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby's global head of science and popular culture.\n\nA Gorgosaurus has never before been offered at auction, and all of the other known skeletons are in museum collections, Hatton said.\n\nThe apex carnivore, whose name translates as “fierce” or “terrifying” lizard, roamed what is now the western United States and Canada during the late Cretaceous period, about 10 million years before its relative, the Tyrannosaurus rex.\n\nDistinctive features of the Gorgosaurus include its large head, dozens of curved, serrated teeth, and small two-fingered front limbs. A typical adult male could weigh up to 2 tons, according to Sotheby's.\n\n“This specimen, which was a very large, mature individual at the time of death, has a particularly well-preserved skull, including a left maxilla and an assortment of cranial bones. Crucially the specimen also contains the three major bones which create the orbit, the feature which distinguishes the Gorgosaurus from the T. rex,” Sotheby's said.\n\nThe area of excavation provided for a “remarkably pristine” skeletal condition because of the slowly deposited sediments of the river.\n\nThe Gorgosaurus will go on public display for the first time on July 21 at Sotheby's York Avenue galleries in New York. Sotheby's natural history auction will highlight the skeleton on July 28.\n\nCamille Fine is a trending visual producer on USA TODAY's NOW team. She loves to make pizza, photograph friends and spoil her loving cat Pearl.\n\nContributing: Associated Press", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/07/05"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_16", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:30", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/07/04/ukraine-russia-invasion-live-updates/7801323001/", "title": "Ukraine reconstruction cost estimated at $750 billion – some could ...", "text": "This story is on news of the day in Ukraine for July 4. For the latest news, click here.\n\nThe cost of rebuilding battered Ukraine after the war is estimated at a staggering $750 billion, but some of those funds could come from the source of the damage.\n\nJust as he has appealed to the international community for help in his country's attempt to fend off the Russian invasion, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Switzerland a global effort will be needed for restoration.\n\n“The reconstruction of Ukraine is not a local project, is not a project of one nation, but a common task of the entire democratic world — all countries, all countries who can say they are civilized,” Zelenskyy said in a video message. ”Restoring Ukraine means restoring the principles of life, restoring the space of life, restoring everything that makes humans humans.”\n\nUkrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who attended the conference in Lugano in person, provided the $750 billion figure and presented a recovery plan for immediate and long-term needs.\n\nShmyhal also said a large source of funding “should be the confiscated assets of Russia and Russian oligarchs,” which he said may currently amount to between $300 billion and $500 billion.\n\nUSA TODAY ON TELEGRAM:Join our Russia-Ukraine war channel to receive updates straight to your phone.\n\nLatest developments\n\n►Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked the International Olympic Committee for supporting a ban on Russian athletes in most Olympics sports. Russia has an appeal hearing Tuesday challenging its ban from international soccer at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.\n\n►Pope Francis, who has condemned the \"ferocity'' and \"cruelty'' of Russian troops in Ukraine, said he hopes to visit Moscow and Kyiv after his trip to Canada July 24-30.\n\nPutin declares victory in Luhansk province, orders rest for troops\n\nRussian President Vladimir Putin declared victory in the battle for Ukraine's Luhansk province Monday and ordered rest for his troops before pushing on in the Kremlin's quest to take control of the entire Donbas industrial region.\n\n\"Military units that took part in active hostilities and achieved success and victory should rest, increase their combat capabilities,” Putin said on state TV.\n\nRussian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported that Russian forces had taken control of Lysychansk, the last disputed major city in Luhansk. Earlier, Ukraine's military said it was forced to withdraw in the face of Russia's advantage in artillery, aviation, ammunition and personnel. Continuing to hold out would lead to \"fatal consequences\" for its troops, the military said in a Facebook post.\n\n\"We just gotta keep on fighting,\" the post said. \"Unfortunately, steel will and patriotism are not enough for success. Material and technical resources are needed.\"\n\nWar continues to have a 'devastating impact' on Ukraine's agricultural exports\n\nDespite Russia's claims to the contrary, its invasion is still having \"a devastating impact on Ukraine's agricultural sector,'' the British Defense Ministry said in its latest intelligence assessment.\n\nThe ministry said the Russian blockade of the key port of Odesa in the Black Sea is severely limiting Ukraine's ability to export grain while harvest has begun. In addition, the war has disrupted the supply chain of seeds and fertilizer farmers use.\n\nThat combination will most likely shrink Ukraine's agricultural exports this year to 35% or less of what they were in 2021, the ministry said, pointing out that drastic reduction from a major wheat producer is contributing to the global food crisis.\n\nRussian military lacks 'accurate modern weapons'\n\nRussia's increasing use of outdated weaponry in a number of deadly attacks may be evidence its military lacks more precise modern weapons, military analysts say.\n\nRussian bombers have been using 1960s-era KH-class missiles, which were primarily designed to target aircraft carriers using a nuclear warhead and are not able to accurately strike ground targets, officials say. The weapons were used in two attacks on a shopping center and apartment building last week, resulting in dozens of civilian casualties.\n\n“Russia continues to employ air-launched anti-ship missiles in a secondary land-attack role, likely because of dwindling stockpiles of more accurate modern weapons,” the British defense ministry said on Twitter.\n\nBoth Russia and Ukraine have expended large amounts of weaponry in a grinding war of attrition for the eastern Donbas region. President Joe Biden said last month the U.S. would provide Ukraine longer-range precision rockets, but it's not clear yet how much difference they'll make.\n\nContributing: The Associated Press", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/07/04"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/07/05/highland-park-shooting-ukraine-wimbledon-5-things-know-tuesday/7749825001/", "title": "Highland Park shooting, Ukraine, Wimbledon: 5 things to know ...", "text": "Editors\n\nUSA TODAY\n\nPerson of interest in custody after shooting in Chicago suburb leaves at least six dead\n\nA person of interest is in custody Tuesday after a gunman on a rooftop opened fire on a Fourth of July parade in a suburb of Chicago, killing at least six people and wounding at least 30. Authorities spent hours Monday searching for the person of interest – Robert E. Crimo III – and arrested him before 7 p.m. local time following a short pursuit about five miles away from the shooting in Highland Park. No charges were announced. Authorities initially said Crimo was 22, but an FBI bulletin and Crimo’s social media said he was 21. Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said a \"significant amount of digital evidence\" helped lead investigators to Crimo.Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek said the five people killed at the parade were adults but didn't have information on the sixth victim, who died at a hospital. Their identities were not released by local authorities. One of those killed was a Mexican national, Roberto Velasco, Mexico’s director for North American affairs, said on Twitter Monday. He said two other Mexicans were wounded.\n\nPrefer to listen? Check out the 5 Things podcast:\n\nHearing scheduled for lawsuit filed to stop Mississippi abortion 'trigger law'\n\nA hearing for a lawsuit filed to prevent Mississippi from enforcing its abortion trigger law is scheduled for Tuesday morning, according to Rob McDuff, of the Mississippi Center for Justice. The Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the state’s last abortion provider, filed the lawsuit arguing Mississippians have a state constitutional right to an abortion that was confirmed by a 1998 state Supreme Court ruling that held the “right to privacy includes an implied right to choose whether or not to have an abortion,\" according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. Mississippi's Republican attorney general published notice that the state’s trigger law would take effect in 10 days after the Supreme Court ended constitutional abortion protections. Under the trigger law, any person who knowingly performs or attempts to induce an abortion, except the pregnant woman, could be punished by up to 10 years in prison.\n\nEstimated cost of rebuilding Ukraine after war sits at $750 billion\n\nThe cost of rebuilding battered Ukraine after the war continues to climb, and is estimated at a staggering $750 billion. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Switzerland that a global effort will be needed for restoration. \"The reconstruction of Ukraine is not a local project, is not a project of one nation, but a common task of the entire democratic world — all countries, all countries who can say they are civilized,\" Zelenskyy said. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal provided the $750 billion figure and presented a recovery plan for immediate and long-term needs. Shmyhal also said a large source of funding \"should be the confiscated assets of Russia and Russian oligarchs,\" which he said may currently amount to between $300 billion and $500 billion.\n\nCostco ends an exception that gave New Jersey residents a break on gas\n\nCostco is restricting gasoline sales to club members at its locations in New Jersey Tuesday, as it does everywhere else in the country. In 2004, Costco and other warehouse clubs were told restricting gasoline sales to members would violate New Jersey state law after the retailer posted signs at pumps requiring drivers to present a membership card. The membership-card requirement was ultimately abandoned. But after Costco announced its change to gas sales in the state, Steven Barnes, director of communications for the Office of the New Jersey Attorney General said \"the practice of offering members-only gasoline sales does not violate any of New Jersey's consumer protection laws.\" The attorney general's office in its recent statement did not explain how it came to a different conclusion in 2004.\n\nWimbledon quarterfinals begin\n\nSingles quarterfinal matches at Wimbledon begin Tuesday morning for viewers in the United States, when two unseeded German players, Tatjana Maria and Jule Niemeier, face off at 8 a.m. ET in the women's singles tournament. Maria will look to advance again following three consecutive wins over seeded opponents: Sorana Cirstea, Maria Sakkari and Jelena Ostapenko. In the other women's singles match, third-seeded Ons Jabeur takes on Marie Bouzkova at 10:30 a.m. ET. In the men's bracket, top seed Novak Djokovic is in action, and will face No. 10 seed Jannik Sinner, who pulled off an upset against fifth-seeded Carlos Alcaraz in the previous round. Djokovic heads into the quarterfinals after winning in four sets over Tim van Rijthoven. In the second men's singles match of the day, No. 9 seed Cameron Norrie will go up against David Goffin at 9:30 a.m. ET. In his round of 16 match, Goffin unseated American Frances Tiafoe, who was the No. 26 seed in the tournament.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/07/05"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/05/02/vladimir-putin-end-game-ukraine/7275871001/", "title": "Does Vladimir Putin still have an endgame in Ukraine?", "text": "The next few weeks in Ukraine are pivotal, according to a Pentagon official.\n\nRussia will “have some real decisions to make” if their new offensive doesn’t succeed.\n\nBut if Russian takeover of parts of eastern Ukraine could give Russian President Vladimir Putin the victory he desperately needs.\n\nAs the United States and its allies rush more cannons, tanks and ammunition to Ukraine, Russia’s diminished military is looking for victories to justify the huge cost of President Vladimir Putin’s invasion.\n\nPutin hopes to gain in eastern Ukraine and parts of the Black Sea coastline. If successful, he could claim he met an initial objective of securing the Donbas area contested by Ukrainians and Russian-backed separatists since 2014.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/05/02"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_17", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:30", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/07/politics/biden-presidential-medal-of-freedom/index.html", "title": "Medal of Freedom: Biden honors 17 people - CNNPolitics", "text": "(CNN) President Joe Biden on Thursday awarded the presidential Medal of Freedom to 17 Americans, including Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, soccer star Megan Rapinoe and Gold Star father Khizr Khan.\n\nThe 17 individuals are the first people Biden has awarded the nation's highest civilian honor since taking office. Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff attended the ceremony at the White House as well.\n\n\"The Fourth of July week reminds us what brought us together long ago, and still binds us -- binds us at our best, what we strive for. We the people, doing what we can to ensure that the idea of America, the cause of freedom, shines like the sun to light up the future of the world,\" Biden said in his opening remarks. \"That's the soul of our nation. That's who we are as Americans.\"\n\nThe medal is \"presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors,\" the White House said.\n\nThe President awarded the medal posthumously to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, former Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.\n\nRead More", "authors": ["Kate Sullivan"], "publish_date": "2022/07/07"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/07/07/biden-medal-of-freedom-denzel-washington-simone-biles/7820818001/", "title": "Biden awards Medal of Freedom to Denzel Washington, Simone ...", "text": "WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden presented the Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest honor – to 17 people Thursday, including actor Denzel Washington, gymnast Simone Biles and former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.\n\nThe president also presented the award posthumously to Sen. John McCain, Apple founder Steve Jobs and Richard Trumka, who was president of the AFL-CIO.\n\nIn a ceremony in the White House East Room, Biden called the recipients \"extraordinary Americans.\"\n\n\"This is America,\" he said, pointing to the recipients seated behind him on the stage.\n\nThe Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was established under former President John F. Kennedy, is one of the highest awards a civilian can receive.\n\nBiden received the award in January 2017 from former President Barack Obama – one week before the two left office. He was presented the award for his public service as a U.S. senator and vice president.\n\nMore:President Biden speaks to wife of Brittney Griner, drafts letter to send WNBA star detained in Russia\n\nThe award is presented “to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors,” according to the White House.\n\n“President Biden has long said that America can be defined by one word: possibilities,” the White House said in a statement last week announcing the recipients. “These seventeen Americans demonstrate the power of possibilities and embody the soul of the nation – hard work, perseverance, and faith.”\n\nHere are the recipients:\n\nSimone Biles\n\nBiles is the most decorated U.S. gymnast in history, winning 32 Olympic and World Championship medals. The gymnast is also an outspoken advocate on issues that are personal to her, including athletes' mental health, children in foster care and sexual assault victims.\n\n\"Everyone stops everything every time she is on camera just to watch,\" Biden said.\n\nDenzel Washington\n\nWashington is an actor, director, and producer who has won two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globes, and the 2016 Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition, he has served as the national spokesman for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for over 25 years.\n\nWashington, whom Biden called \"one of our greatest actors in American history,\" has COVID and was unable to attend the ceremony. Biden said he would present the medal to Washington at a later date, \"when he's able to get here.\"\n\nJohn McCain\n\nMcCain, who died of brain cancer in 2018, served for decades in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate and was the Republican nominee for president in 2008. McCain, who spent more than five years in captivity in Vietnam while serving in the U.S. Navy, was awarded a Purple Heart with one gold star for his service. Biden has called McCain a \"dear friend\" and \"a hero.\"\n\nMcCain’s widow, Cindy, who accepted the medal on his behalf, wept as Biden reminisced about his long friendship and working relationship with the Arizona Republican, even though they belonged to different parties.\n\n\"We agreed on a lot more than we disagreed on,\" Biden said. \"We both wanted to make things better for the country.\"\n\nExclusive:Email shows Biden was set to nominate anti-abortion GOP judge on day of Supreme Court Roe ruling\n\nSteve Jobs\n\nJobs, who died in 2011, was the co-founder, chief executive, and chair of Apple Inc., CEO of Pixar and held a leading role at the Walt Disney Company.\n\nGabrielle Giffords\n\nGiffords, a former congresswoman from Arizona, is a survivor of gun violence and co-founder of Giffords, a nonprofit organization dedicated to gun violence prevention.\n\nBiden described Giffords as the embodiment of \"a significant American trait: Never give up\" and said she is proof that Americans \"will not grow numb to the epidemic of gun violence in this nation.\"\n\nMegan Rapinoe\n\nRapinoe is an Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women’s World Cup champion. She is a prominent advocate for gender pay equality, racial justice, and LGBTQI+ rights.\n\nIn addition to her success on the soccer field, Biden said called Rapinoe \"a champion for essential American truth\" and the belief that \"everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.\"\n\nKhizr Khan\n\nKhan, an immigrant from Pakistan, is a Gold Star father and founder of the Constitution Literacy and National Unity Center. His son, who was an Army officer, was killed in Iraq. Khan gained national prominence after speaking at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and became a target of Donald Trump's wrath.\n\n'Who is that guy?':Joe Biden, Jen Psaki joke with James Corden during White House visit\n\nRichard Trumka\n\nTrumka, who died in August 2021, was president of the 12.5 million-member AFL-CIO for more than a decade, president of the United Mine Workers, and secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO. Throughout his career, he was an outspoken advocate for social and economic justice.\n\nFred Gray\n\nGray was one of the first black members of the Alabama Legislature since Reconstruction. He was a prominent attorney who represented Rosa Parks, the NAACP, and Martin Luther King, who called him “the chief counsel for the protest movement.”\n\nSandra Lindsay\n\nLindsay, a New York critical care nurse, was the first American to receive a COVID-19 vaccine outside clinical trials. She served on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic response.\n\nSister Simone Campbell\n\nCampbell is a member of the Sisters of Social Service and former Executive Director of NETWORK, a Catholic social justice organization. She is also a prominent advocate for economic justice, immigration reform, and healthcare policy.\n\nJuliet García\n\nGarcía is the former president of The University of Texas at Brownsville. She was the first Latina woman to serve as a college president.\n\nAlexander Karloutsos\n\nKarloutsos is the former Vicar General of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. After over 50 years as a priest, providing counsel to several U.S. presidents, he was named by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew as a Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.\n\n'We need to end this horror':Vice President Harris visits site of shooting in Highland Park, Ill.\n\nDiane Nash\n\nNash is a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which organized some of the most important civil rights campaigns of the 20th century. She worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr., who described her as the “driving spirit in the nonviolent assault on segregation at lunch counters.”\n\nHer activism \"echoes a call of freedom around the world today,\" Biden said.\n\nAlan Simpson\n\nSimpson served as a U.S. senator from Wyoming for 18 years. During his public service, he has been a prominent advocate on issues including campaign finance reform, responsible governance, and marriage equality.\n\nBiden called Simpson \"one of the finest men I've ever worked with\" and said that, even though they didn't always agree, Simpson \"has always believed in the common good and what's best for the nation.\"\n\nWilma Vaught\n\nBrig. Gen. Wilma Vaught is one of the most decorated women in the history of the U.S. military, repeatedly breaking gender barriers as she rose through the ranks. She was one of only seven women generals in the Armed Forces when she retired in 1985.\n\nRaúl Yzaguirre\n\nYzaguirre is a civil rights advocate who served as CEO and president of National Council of La Raza – now known as UnidosUS – for 30 years. He also served as U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic under Obama.\n\nContributing: Michael Collins, USA TODAY; Associated Press\n\nMore:Woody Williams, last World War II Medal of Honor recipient, to lie in honor at US Capitol", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/07/07"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/07/politics/biden-presidential-medal-of-freedom?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_newsbreak", "title": "Medal of Freedom: Biden to honor 17 people | CNN Politics", "text": "(CNN) President Joe Biden on Thursday awarded the presidential Medal of Freedom to 17 Americans, including Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, soccer star Megan Rapinoe and Gold Star father Khizr Khan.\n\nThe 17 individuals are the first people Biden has awarded the nation's highest civilian honor since taking office. Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff attended the ceremony at the White House as well.\n\n\"The Fourth of July week reminds us what brought us together long ago, and still binds us -- binds us at our best, what we strive for. We the people, doing what we can to ensure that the idea of America, the cause of freedom, shines like the sun to light up the future of the world,\" Biden said in his opening remarks. \"That's the soul of our nation. That's who we are as Americans.\"\n\nThe medal is \"presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors,\" the White House said.\n\nThe President awarded the medal posthumously to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, former Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.\n\nRead More", "authors": ["Kate Sullivan"], "publish_date": "2022/07/07"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/01/politics/biden-medal-of-freedom-biles-rapinoe-mccain-giffords-washington/index.html", "title": "Medal of Freedom: Simone Biles, Megan Rapinoe, Gabby Giffords ...", "text": "(CNN) President Joe Biden will award the Medal of Freedom -- the nation's highest civilian honor -- to 17 recipients next week, with his first slate of honorees since taking office featuring Olympians, an Academy Award winner, the first American to receive the Covid-19 vaccine outside of trials, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and civil rights advocates.\n\nBiden will bestow the medal to several posthumous honorees, including Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka\n\nThe list includes Olympic athletes Simone Biles and Megan Rapinoe , the fifth and sixth female athletes to be honored for the award. Rapinoe will be the first female soccer player to receive the medal.\n\nAccording to a statement from US Soccer, Rapinoe, the US Women's National Team forward and an advocate for equal pay, found out last week when Biden called her between practice sessions in Denver. When she saw \"The White House\" pop up on her phone screen, she thought she was either getting a robocall or being pranked by her teammates.\n\n\"In that moment I spoke to the President, I was, and still am, totally overwhelmed,\" Rapinoe said in a statement, adding that she is thinking of \"all the people who I feel deserve a part of this medal.\"\n\n\"I am humbled and truly honored to be chosen for this award by President Biden and feel as inspired and motivated as ever to continue this long history of fighting for the freedoms of all people. To quote Emma Lazarus, 'Until we are all free, we are none of us free,'\" she added.\n\nBiden's list of awardees also includes religious clergy and social justice advocates, including: Sister Simone Campbell, who previously led the Catholic social justice organization NETWORK; Father Alexander Karloutsos, a priest who has provided counsel to several US presidents; Fred Gray, one of the first Black members of the Alabama State legislature since Reconstruction; Diane Nash, a civil rights organizer; and Raul Yzaguirre, a civil rights advocate and former US ambassador to the Dominican Republic.\n\nAcademy Award winning actor Denzel Washington will also receive the award.\n\nGiffords, who became an advocate for gun violence prevention after she was shot in an assassination attempt in 2011, said in a statement that she's \"humbled and honored\" to receive the medal.\n\n\"Since I was shot more than 11 years ago, my personal recovery journey has taught me that it's not the setback that defines us: it's how we respond to it. There have been no shortage of setbacks as I relearned how to talk and how to walk, just as there have been no shortage of setbacks in the fight for gun safety that I've dedicated my life to. And yet I've never lost hope,\" she said. \"One of my reasons for hope sits inside the Oval Office today, elected to accomplish the near-impossible task of healing a divided nation.\"\n\nOther recipients include Dr. Juliet Garcia -- the first Hispanic woman to serve as a college president, Gold Star father Khizr Khan Sandra Lindsay -- a New York nurse who was the first American to receive a Covid-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials, and Brigadier General Wilma Vaught -- one of the most decorated women in the history of the US military.\n\nThe honorees have a variety of connections to Democrats and Biden world.\n\nLaurene Powell Jobs, the founder of Emerson Collective and Steve Jobs' widow, donated more than $700,000 to the Biden Victory Fund in 2020.\n\nMcCain's widow, Cindy McCain, was appointed by Biden to serve as the US Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture. Biden appointed Khan to serve on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom last year. And Garcia served on the Clinton and Obama transition teams for education.\n\nGiffords and the Giffords PAC endorsed Biden in 2020. And Trumka's AFL-CIO endorsed Biden, too, with the late union leader saying just after the 2020 election that Biden's \"path to the White House ran through America's labor movement.\"\n\nBiden's called Sister Campbell a friend and Father Karloutsos has called the President \"his closest friend.\"\n\nSimpson was a peer of Biden's on the Senate Judiciary Committee, supporting the then-senator as he attempted to salvage his 1988 presidential campaign following a plagiarism scandal.\n\nAccording to the White House, Biden will present the awards on July 7 at the White House.", "authors": ["Maegan Vazquez"], "publish_date": "2022/07/01"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2022/07/01/presidential-medal-freedom-recipients-biden/7789969001/", "title": "Medal of Freedom recipients: Denzel Washington, Simone Biles, more", "text": "Darlene Superville\n\nAssociated Press\n\nWASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will present the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to 17 people, including actor Denzel Washington, gymnast Simone Biles and the late John McCain, the Arizona Republican with whom Biden served in the U.S. Senate, the White House announced Friday.\n\nWashington is a double Oscar-winning actor, director and producer. He also has a Tony award, two Golden Globes and the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a longtime spokesperson for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.\n\nBiden's honors list includes both living and deceased honorees from the worlds of Hollywood, sports, politics, the military, academia, and civil rights and social justice advocacy.\n\nThe Democratic president will present the medals at the White House on July 7.\n\nSidney Poitier and Denzel Washington:Read USA TODAY's rare joint interview with the Hollywood icons\n\nOther Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients\n\nSimone Biles: Biles is the most decorated U.S. gymnast in history, winning 32 Olympic and World Championship medals. She is an outspoken advocate on issues that are very personal to her, including athletes' mental health, children in foster care and sexual assault victims.\n\nMore medals:Olympians Simone Biles, Megan Rapinoe will receive Presidential Medal of Freedom\n\nSandra Lindsay: The New York City nurse who rolled up her sleeve on live television in December 2020 to receive the first COVID-19 vaccine dose that was pumped into an arm in the United States. Lindsay became an advocate for COVID-19 vaccinations.\n\nJohn McCain: McCain, who died of brain cancer in 2018, spent more than five years in captivity in Vietnam while serving in the U.S. Navy. He later represented Arizona in both houses of Congress and was the Republican presidential nominee in 2008. Biden said McCain was a \"dear friend\" and \"a hero.\"\n\nSister Simone Campbell: Campbell is a member of the Sister of Social Service and a former executive director of NETWORK, a Catholic social justice organization. She is an advocate for economic justice, overhauling the U.S. immigration system and health care policy.\n\nJulieta Garcia: A former president of the University of Texas at Brownsville, Garcia was the first Latina to become a college president, the White House said. She was named one of the nation's best college presidents by Time magazine.\n\nGabrielle Giffords: A former U.S. House member from Arizona, the Democrat founded Giffords, an organization dedicated to ending gun violence. She was shot in the head in January 2011 during a constituent event in Tucson and was gravely wounded.\n\nFred Gray: Gray was one of the first Black members of the Alabama Legislature after Reconstruction. He was a prominent civil rights attorney who represented Rosa Parks, the NAACP and Martin Luther King Jr.\n\nSteve Jobs: Jobs was the co-founder, chief executive and chair of Apple Inc. He died in 2011.\n\nFather Alexander Karloutsos: Karloutsos is the assistant to Archbishop Demetrios of America. The White House said Karloutsos has counseled several U.S. presidents.\n\nKhizr Khan: An immigrant from Pakistan, Khan's Army officer son was killed in Iraq. Khan gained national prominence, and became a target of Donald Trump's wrath, after speaking at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.\n\nDiane Nash: A founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Nash organized some of the most important 20th century civil rights campaigns and worked with King.\n\nMegan Rapinoe: The Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women's World Cup soccer champion captains the OL Reign in the National Women's Soccer League. She is a prominent advocate for gender pay equality, racial justice and LGBTQI+ rights who has appeared at Biden's White House.\n\nAlan Simpson: The retired U.S. senator from Wyoming served with Biden and has been a prominent advocate for campaign finance reform, responsible governance and marriage equality.\n\nRichard Trumka: Trumka had been president of the 12.5 million-member AFL-CIO for more than a decade at the time of his August 2021 death. He was a past president of the United Mine Workers.\n\nWilma Vaught: A brigadier general, Vaught is one of the most decorated women in U.S. military history, breaking gender barriers as she has risen through the ranks. When Vaught retired in 1985, she was one of only seven female generals in the Armed Forces.\n\nRaúl Yzaguirre: A civil rights advocate, Yzaguirre was president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza for 30 years. He served as U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic under Obama.\n\nBiden received a Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama\n\nBiden himself is a medal recipient. President Barack Obama honored Biden's public service as a longtime U.S. senator and vice president by awarding him a Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 2017, a week before they left office.\n\nMore:Obama surprises a choked-up Biden with Medal of Freedom\n\nWhat is the Presidential Medal of Freedom?\n\nThe honorees who'll receive medals from Biden \"have overcome significant obstacles to achieve impressive accomplishments in the arts and sciences, dedicated their lives to advocating for the most vulnerable among us, and acted with bravery to drive change in their communities, and across the world, while blazing trails for generations to come,\" the White House said.\n\nThe honor is reserved for people who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace or other significant societal public or private endeavors, the White House said.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/07/01"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/10/14/donald-trump-des-moines-rally-campaign-event-coverage/5979534002/", "title": "At Des Moines rally, Trump praises foreign leaders, bashes Biden", "text": "President Donald Trump praised the mental acuity of the leaders of China, Russia and North Korea at a rally in Des Moines on Wednesday evening, arguing that his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, is not as smart.\n\n\"President Xi of China, he’s 100%. Putin of Russia, 100%. … Kim Jong Un of North Korea, 100%,\" Trump said. \"These people are sharp, and they’re smart. Joe has lost it. In his best days he wasn’t a smart man, and everybody knows it.\"\n\nTrump returned to Iowa with early voting already underway and with polls suggesting a far closer contest here than the one he faced in 2016.\n\nAs he began speaking, Trump turned almost immediately to his place in the polls. He cited a poll released Wednesday by Focus on Rural America that showed him leading Biden in Iowa by 6 percentage points, 50% to 44%.\n\n“For me to only be up six, I'm a little bit concerned, I'll tell you that,” he said. “Because nobody's going to do for Iowa what I did for Iowa.”\n\n\"I saved ethanol. Ethanol is safe,\" Trump said, promising Iowa's farmers and biofuels industry that he is the only one who will deliver for them.\n\nThe Focus on Rural America poll of 200 likely Iowa voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 6.9 percentage points and paints a rosier picture for the president than other recent polling.\n\nA September Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll showed Trump and Biden tied at 47% — a number that is relatively unchanged from June, when Trump led by just 1 percentage point.\n\nTrump said he was “thrilled to be back in the American heartland with thousands of loyal hardworking Iowa patriots.”\n\nMORE COVERAGE OF TRUMP IN IOWA\n\nAttendees arrived to the airport in cars bedecked with \"Make America Great Again\" flags, and they sported \"Trump Pence 2020\" campaign gear as they trekked across the airport's parking lots and open fields to reach the airport hangar where Trump was set to speak.\n\n\"Eye of the Tiger\" played over the loudspeakers as Air Force One rolled up to the rally site and the crowd of onlookers cheered and snapped photos.\n\nThe president’s reelection efforts come at an extraordinary and volatile moment in American history. This year has been marked by the president's impeachment, nationwide protests over racism and policing, a global pandemic, a bitter dispute over the nation's next U.S. Supreme Court justice and concerns over an election that is being conducted by mail to an unprecedented degree.\n\nBiden has campaigned on the argument that he can help restore calm and order to a chaotic world.\n\n\"Iowans whose lives have been thrown into chaos need real leadership — not more division,\" he said in a statement provided to the Des Moines Register on Wednesday. \"... We’re better than this moment under President Trump — and as president, I will bring this country together so that we can build back better.\"\n\nMore:Joe Biden: Trump is traveling to Iowa to 'distract from his record of failure' on coronavirus\n\nBiden last physically campaigned in the state in February ahead of the Iowa Democratic caucuses. He finished in fourth place.\n\n'Didn't love it,' Trump says of bout with coronavirus\n\nThe president's Des Moines rally was the last on a three-day campaign swing of battleground states — his first campaign events since testing positive for the coronavirus earlier this month.\n\nTrump was helicoptered to Walter Reed medical center Oct. 3 after he developed a fever and cough, and his oxygen level dropped. He spent three nights in the hospital, where doctors gave him several medications, including an experimental antibody treatment that is not widely available.\n\n\"Didn't love it,\" Trump said sharply. \"It's a little tough when you have a temperature, you don't feel good. And the scary part is, you know, where does it go? ... You see what happens to people.\"\n\nMore than 215,000 Americans have died of COVID-19, including more than 1,500 Iowans.\n\nFirst lady Melania Trump confirmed publicly earlier Wednesday that Trump's youngest son, Barron, 14, had recently tested positive for COVID-19 and has since tested negative.\n\nTrump claimed that “99.9%” of children do fine if they catch the coronavirus, and he argued schools should be reopened.\n\n“He had it for such a short period of time, I don’t even think he knew he had it,\" Trump said of his son. \"Because they’re young, and their immune systems are strong and they fight it off — 99.9%. And Barron is beautiful and he’s free, free.\"\n\nTrump also suggested again that he is immune from the virus. He invited legendary Iowa wrestling coach Dan Gable to join him onstage, saying he intended to soon present Gable with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.\n\n\"Hey, Dan, I’m immune and I can’t give it to you,\" he said, urging Gable to come close to him on the stage. Neither man wore a mask.\n\nGable kept a short distance from Trump and used a handheld microphone, rather than the one Trump had been using at a lectern.\n\nPublic health experts and others warned that the president's rally had the potential to become a \"super-spreader\" event for the coronavirus.\n\nTrump's doctor said this week that he is no longer a threat to transmit the virus to others. But experts worry that people who attended the rally and were close to one another could share the virus among themselves.\n\nSeveral thousand attendees gathered closely together to cheer on the president Wednesday in disregard of state and federal guidance to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Chairs had been set up less than 6 feet apart, and attendees filled bleachers.\n\nTrump campaign officials said rally-goers would have their temperatures checked and would be given masks that they were encouraged to wear, although many in the crowd were not masked. To obtain tickets, attendees had to agree to a liability waiver acknowledging the risk of catching the virus.\n\nTrump's White House Coronavirus Task Force has said central Iowa social gatherings should be limited to 25 people.\n\n\"If anyone in attendance is infectious, we are potentially looking at another super-spreader event,\" Lina Tucker Reinders, executive director of the Iowa Public Health Association, wrote in an email to the Des Moines Register on Tuesday. \"We again today set a record high for hospitalizations. We need to be focusing on bringing those numbers down and controlling the spread, not enabling large events, political or otherwise.\"\n\nThe Rural America 2020 campaign put up a digital billboard outside of the Des Moines airport that reads \"Trump COVID superspreader event,\" with an arrow pointing toward the event setup.\n\nFull coverage:Everything you need to know about Trump's event\n\nMore:White House experts advise against Des Moines gatherings of more than 25. Trump planned a rally in Des Moines for 10,000.\n\n\"It's a virus. Everybody's going to get it,\" said Jane Finch, a 54-year-old Jefferson resident who arrived at the rally with her daughter, Emily. \"It's not like he's Superman. He was going to get it sometime, with as many people that surround him from day to day. He's trying to be a president that's being seen. He's proof that you will survive through it. And I think that he wants to take the fear out of the American public that has been given to them through the media.\"\n\nIowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, had encouraged Iowans to attend the rally on Twitter earlier in the week, even though she has issued a proclamation that organizers for social gatherings \"must ensure at least six feet of physical distance between each group or individual attending alone.\"\n\nReynolds attended the rally and spoke before the president arrived, tossing red, white and camouflage MAGA hats into the crowd.\n\n“The momentum, the enthusiasm, the energy is on our side,\" she said. \"Don’t believe the polls, don’t believe what the media is telling you. Up and down the ticket, people are fired up for Republican victories on November 3rd.”\n\nTrump seizes on unverified Hunter Biden claims\n\nAt the start of his speech, Trump seized on unverified claims published Wednesday in an article by the New York Post. The article claimed that a “smoking gun email” showed that while he was vice president, Joe Biden was introduced to an adviser to the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma by his son Hunter, who served with the company. However, the substance and sourcing of the Post story remain suspect.\n\nBiden’s campaign said Wednesday that Biden’s schedules show he didn’t meet with the adviser.\n\nThe New York Post claims to have learned about the hard drive containing the email and other files from former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. The tabloid claims to have received a copy of the files from Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who said he received the files from a Delaware repair shop owner who said the laptop was left for repairs but never returned.\n\nOfficials at Facebook and Twitter both took steps to limit the spread of the story on their social media platforms Wednesday. Andy Stone, a Facebook spokesman, said the platform is waiting for its third-party fact checkers to fact-check the article.\n\nMore:As Donald Trump heads to Iowa, what does the Iowa Poll say Iowans are thinking about him?\n\nTrump has repeatedly gone after Hunter Biden for his work on the board of the company, including claiming that Joe Biden pressured Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor as a way to stop an investigation into the company. But inquiries into the matter, including during Trump’s impeachment proceedings and an investigation by Senate Republicans, have found no evidence that Joe Biden committed wrongdoing.\n\nTrump made other suspect claims about Hunter Biden during the first presidential debate, including that Hunter had received $3.5 million from the wife of Moscow’s ex-mayor. Both USA Today and Politifact have rated that accusation as unproven because it comes from a Senate committee report that links the source of the claim to a confidential document and provides little elaboration.\n\nBrianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.\n\nSupport reporters who follow your government by becoming a subscriber. Sign up at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2020/10/14"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/03/media/jonathan-karl-positive-covid-white-house-correspondents-dinner/index.html", "title": "Jonathan Karl: Journalists from multiple news outlets test positive for ...", "text": "New York (CNN Business) A version of this article first appeared in the \"Reliable Sources\" newsletter. You can sign up for free right here.\n\nTrevor Noah joked about the event becoming a superspreader — and now the cases are rolling in. The annual White House Correspondents Dinner, along with the festivities held in the days before and after it, have led to the inevitable spread of Covid.\n\nIn the days since WHCD weekend, reporters and staffers from CNN, ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, Politico, and other participating news organizations have tested positive for the virus. Most notably, ABC's Jon Karl, who shook hands with President Biden and who sat next to Kim Kardashian , has fallen ill, as Politico's Maxwell Tani first reported\n\nThere is no exact data to indicate precisely how many people have caught the virus from the weekend. But, anecdotally speaking, much of Tuesday afternoon seemed to consist of attendees trading text messages and emails about colleagues and friends and people they had seen who had tested positive. That's almost certainly going to continue in the days ahead...\n\nWhat the WHCA is saying\n\nRead More", "authors": ["Analysis Oliver Darcy", "Cnn Business"], "publish_date": "2022/05/03"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2020/08/10/jcps-tax-increase-november-ballot-thanks-louisville-petition-county-clerk/3317543001/", "title": "JCPS tax increase likely on November ballot after Louisville petition", "text": "LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A petition to put a tax increase for local schools on the November ballot has enough valid signatures to force a vote, officials said Monday.\n\nJefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw said her office confirmed the petition received 38,507 valid signatures, nearly 3,000 more than needed to place it on the ballot.\n\nEven with sufficient signatures, the effort's future is not yet certain. Jefferson County Public Schools has 10 days to appeal.\n\n\"We will be reviewing their findings,\" JCPS spokeswoman Renee Murphy said.\n\nA group of teachers and community members that has been calling petition signees to verify signatures are finding several petitioners who say they didn't sign the petition and want their names removed.\n\nEmilie McKiernan Blanton, a JCPS teacher and leader in the local teachers union, estimated that about one-fifth of people who have been reached by phone have asked for their signatures to be withdrawn.\n\nThe effort is not officially tied to the union, she said. Murphy said the district did not organize the coalition, either, but was aware of the effort.\n\nTop headlines:Beshear recommends virtual learning for schools until Sept. 28\n\nTheresa Camoriano, an Anchorage resident and Louisville Tea Party leader who spearheaded the petition, said several people who signed the petition have reported receiving calls asking them to confirm their signatures.\n\nCamoriano did not provide further details regarding the phone calls she said began last week.\n\n\"There is no legitimate reason for teachers to be making these calls. We are telling people that they have no obligation to answer any questions these people may ask,\" Camoriano said.\n\nBut Blanton said the petition had \"no safeguards to assure that no one else entered your name without your knowledge and consent.\"\n\nThe only way to confirm signatures is to call and ask, she said.\n\nThe months leading to the November election are guaranteed to feature a public battle between those in favor of the tax increase and those against it. JCPS already signed a $575,000 contract with a Danville-based public relations firm to pitch the increase to voters.\n\nThe petition against the tax increase was created in May, soon after JCPS board members, in a 5-2 vote, approved a 7-cent property tax increase. The hike represents roughly an extra $70 a year for a $100,000 home.\n\nUnder state law, Kentucky school boards can raise property taxes enough to boost revenue by 4% without being subject to a recall. The JCPS proposal would raise district revenue past that cap.\n\nJCPS board approves tax increase:Here's what leaders say it would fund\n\nThe group behind the petition, dubbed \"No JCPS Tax Hike,\" said in July that it had turned in 40,320 signatures.\n\nBut a review of the more than 1,100-page petition, obtained by The Courier Journal under the state's open records law, showed that staff from the county clerk's office were discarding up to a dozen signatures per page.\n\nA review of the petition signatures turned up the names of several current and past Republican lawmakers, including ex-state Rep. Phil Moffett and current state House members Kevin Bratcher and Jerry Miller.\n\nBratcher told The Courier Journal that he has \"a great deal of respect\" for JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio but that asking for a tax hike during a pandemic that has caused widespread unemployment was \"tone deaf.\"\n\n\"I just think it's a horrible time to be trying to raise taxes,\" Bratcher said.\n\nRhonda Palazzo, a Republican who is vying to unseat U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth in November's election, also confirmed that she signed the petition.\n\nAt least one JCPS board member — Linda Duncan — signed as well. Duncan, along with Chris Brady, voted against the tax increase in May, citing the economic impact of COVID-19.\n\nAs a result of the COVID-19 crisis, JCPS estimates it will lose about $23 million locally from a drop in occupational tax revenue.\n\nBut Pollio and other district leaders said helping children during the pandemic and economic downturn was necessary now more than ever.\n\n\"I know it's a difficult time, and I know this is a challenge,\" Pollio said in May. \"But I don't believe our district can wait.\"\n\nPollio:JCPS has completed its corrective action goals to potentially avoid takeover\n\nThe current JCPS property tax rate, 73.6 cents for $100 of assessed value, is among the lowest in the area.\n\nAn increase to 80.6 cents would bring it closer to peer districts, including Fayette County Public Schools, that serve large groups of disadvantaged students living in poverty.\n\nJCPS officials have said the new revenue would largely go to building and renovating schools, and to providing more supports for the district's most disadvantaged students.\n\nThe district has also pointed to its proposal for a new student assignment model that would allow West End students to go to a school closer to home.\n\nTo make that possible, JCPS said it would need millions to both build new schools in the West End and provide resources for the students who attend them.\n\nCamoriano and other tax hike opponents argued that JCPS should better manage its existing funds and not raise taxes during a pandemic.\n\nJCPS, the state's largest school district, has a roughly $1.65 billion budget.\n\nIn the petition period, libertarian advocacy groups, including the Bluegrass Institute and Americans for Prosperity, supported the effort.\n\nKentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams, who lives in Jefferson County, also encouraged voters to sign the petition.\n\n\"Democracy wins again,\" Adams tweeted from his personal account after news broke that the petition received enough signatures.\n\nSupport for the petition even came from one of the most vocal pro-public school groups, Dear JCPS, which said the district needs more time to figure out budget priorities in the wake of the pandemic and racial justice protests.\n\nThe group turned in 32 signatures that weren't counted because they didn't come from the official petition committee tied to the No JCPS Tax Hike group, the county clerk said.\n\nSee also:Here's how JCPS families can request a Chromebook and Wi-Fi hot spot\n\nReach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com. Reach Olivia Krauth at okrauth@courierjournal.com, 502-582-4471 or on Twitter at @oliviakrauth.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2020/08/10"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/01/18/ben-bernanke-henry-paulson-tim-geithner-barack-obama-presidential-medal-of-freedom-editorials-debates/96694474/", "title": "Give these men a medal: Our view", "text": "The Editorial Board, USA TODAY\n\nBarack Obama has been getting quite a bit of unsolicited advice in recent days as his presidency approaches its conclusion.\n\nSome people say he should grant clemency to thousands of drug offenders or give a blanket pardon to “dreamers,” young undocumented immigrants whose parents brought them here when they were children.\n\nOthers say he should have used the recent congressional recess to appoint Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court after the Senate failed to fulfill its constitutional obligations of advice and consent.\n\nAllow us to join the chorus with a recommendation that may be a bit less controversial or consequential, but is vital in setting the historical record straight.\n\nObama should award the Presidential Medal of Freedom not just to Vice President Biden, as he did last week, but also to the people most responsible for preventing the world from falling into depression during the 2008-09 financial crisis.\n\nThe three most important are Ben Bernanke, who served as Federal Reserve chairman under both George W. Bush and Obama; Tim Geithner, the New York Fed president beginning in 2003 and then Treasury secretary in the early years of the Obama administration; and Hank Paulson, Bush’s final Treasury secretary.\n\nNone of them did a very good job of anticipating the financial crisis. But when the global banking system was close to collapse, they acted heroically. They arranged mergers for faltering banks, lent money to corporations, and extended deposit insurance to stop bank runs. And yes, they helped sell Congress on a controversial bank “bailout” bill that generated much blowback and mindless demonization.\n\nIf that bill constituted a bailout, there needs to be a new definition of bailout. It not only helped save the American banking system, it also produced a $15.3 billion profit for taxpayers. Including other “bailouts,” undertaken separate from that legislation (for such institutions as insurance giant AIG and the mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) the total profit to taxpayers was $85.6 billion.\n\nEven more profits flowed when Bernanke initiated a much derided program of buying mortgages and U.S. government debt. From 2010 to 2015, the Fed remitted to the Treasury $517.3 billion in profits. That’s at least $300 billion more than the Fed would remit under normal circumstances.\n\nThe biggest windfall, however, was that the world avoided another Great Depression.\n\nDespite the slow and uneven recovery from the financial meltdown, economic historians will undoubtedly recognize Bernanke, Geithner and Paulson for their important leadership roles at moments of crisis. Why not start the process now?\n\nUSA TODAY's editorial opinions are decided by its Editorial Board, separate from the news staff. Most editorials are coupled with an opposing view — a unique USA TODAY feature.\n\nTo read more editorials, go to the Opinion front page or sign up for the daily Opinion email newsletter. To respond to this editorial, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2017/01/18"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/07/07/uk-prime-minister-boris-johnson-resigns-scandals/10007696002/", "title": "UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigns after recent scandals", "text": "Happy Thursday, OnPolitics readers!\n\nPresident Joe Biden presented the Medal of Freedom—the nation’s highest honor—to 17 people Thursday, including actor Denzel Washington, gymnast Simone Biles and former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.\n\nThe president also presented the award posthumously to Sen. John McCain, Apple founder Steve Jobs and Richard Trumka, who was president of the AFL-CIO. Other recipients include Fred Gray, a prominent attorney who represented Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, and Sandra Lindsay, a New York critical care nurse, was the first American to receive a COVID-19 vaccine outside clinical trials.\n\nThe Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was established under former President John F. Kennedy, is one of the highest awards a civilian can receive.\n\n\"This is America,\" Biden said, pointing to the recipients seated behind him on the stage.\n\nIt's Amy with today's top stories.\n\nBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigns following multiple scandals\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson announced Thursday that he would resign, ending an unprecedented political crisis that has roiled the United Kingdom.\n\n\"It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister,\" Johnson said outside his office at 10 Downing St. in London.\n\nJohnson said the process to select his successor would begin immediately and a timetable for the change in leadership would be announced next week.\n\nHe said it was \"painful\" for him to leave office but conceded he had failed to push back against an onslaught of opposition from his own party ministers urging him to resign.\n\nJohnson’s departure will end his three-year turn as Britain's leader. Days of turmoil were triggered by his evolving explanations of what he knew about a sexual misconduct scandal involving one of his allies. Two of Johnson's top Cabinet ministers quit this week, followed by more than 30 others who said they could no longer serve under his leadership and who urged him to step down.\n\nWho will take over? While there is no clear frontrunner for the U.K's top job, several people already have emerged as possible successors to Johnson, such as the British Defense Secretary and certain members of Parliament.\n\nReal Quick: stories you'll want to read\n\nWhy are mass shooters getting younger? Experts say pressures on youth have been amplified over the past decade by internet and social media platforms, where bullying and aggressive marketing of hateful ideologies—and weapons—is rampant.\n\nExperts say pressures on youth have been amplified over the past decade by internet and social media platforms, where bullying and aggressive marketing of hateful ideologies—and weapons—is rampant. DOJ sues Arizona over election law : The U.S. Department of Justice is the latest to object to a new Arizona law that requires proof of citizenship for people who are registered to vote only in presidential elections.\n\n: The U.S. Department of Justice is the latest to object to a new Arizona law that requires proof of citizenship for people who are registered to vote only in presidential elections. Trump could announce 2024 run this summer : Donald Trump's prospective campaign to reclaim the presidency in 2024 faces legal and political jeopardy, but allies said some potential roadblocks—including the threat of prosecution— actually motivate him to run.\n\n: Donald Trump's prospective campaign to reclaim the presidency in 2024 faces legal and political jeopardy, but allies said some potential roadblocks—including the threat of prosecution— actually motivate him to run. When's the next Jan. 6 hearing? The seventh Jan. 6 committee hearing will take place July 12 at 10 a.m. EST. Committee member Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told Face the Nation that the next hearing's topic will be \"the efforts to assemble\" the Jan. 6 mob.\n\nGeorgia prosecutors want to talk to Giuliani, Graham and other Trump allies\n\nShot: Last month's House Jan. 6 committee hearing focused on the pressure Trump applied to state officials to overturn 2020 election results.\n\nGeorgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, top aide Gabriel Sterling along with election workers Shaye Moss and her mother Ruby Freeman outlined an extensive pressure campaign led by Trump and his allies, all aimed at seeking to flip the state’s election result in the former president’s favor.\n\nChaser: A special Fulton County grand jury investigating interference in the 2020 election issued subpoenas to some of Trump’s closest legal and political allies who allegedly led the effort to subvert the Georgia vote. Testimony is scheduled as early as Tuesday.\n\nIn court documents, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is leading the wide-ranging criminal inquiry, offered a preview of what investigators are expected to seek from the most high-profile witnesses yet to be called in the Georgia inquiry.\n\nWho was subpoenaed? Lawyers working with Trump's 2020 campaign: Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro, Cleta Mitchell and Jenna Ellis; Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; and lawyer and podcast host Jacki Pick Deason.\n\nWhat roles did they play? Some of the witnesses pursued claims of election fraud, which state officials debunked. Others developed a national strategy to reject 2020 electors from states President Joe Biden won, including Georgia, in order to overturn the election in Trump's favor.\n\nFormer President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter celebrate 76 years of marriage today. Take a look at their marriage over the years in these photos. -- Amy", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/07/07"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_18", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:30", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2022/07/07/elizabeth-holmes-theranos-sunny-balwani-convicted/10007246002/", "title": "Elizabeth Holmes: Top Theranos executive Sunny Balwani convicted", "text": "Michael Liedtke\n\nAssociated Press\n\nSAN JOSE, Calif. — A jury on Thursday convicted former Theranos executive Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani of collaborating with disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes in a massive fraud involving the blood-testing company that once enthralled Silicon Valley.\n\nThe 12 jurors found Balwani guilty on all 12 felony counts of defrauding both Theranos investors and the patients who relied on wildly unreliable blood tests that could have jeopardized their health.\n\nBalwani sat impassively as the verdicts were read, blinking frequently.\n\nThe outcome puts Balwani and Holmes in similar situations. Holmes was convicted on four counts of investor fraud and conspiracy earlier this year. During that trial, Holmes tearfully accused Balwani of sexually emotionally abusing her while they were lovers. An attorney for Balwani has vehemently denied those charges.\n\nBoth Holmes, 38, and Balwani, 57, face up to 20 years in prison.\n\nHolmes is scheduled to be sentenced in late September. The date of Balwani’s sentencing is expected to be set in the coming days.\n\nThe dual convictions representing a resounding victory for federal prosecutors, who seized on the Theranos case as a rare opportunity to hold ambitious entrepreneurs accountable for engaging in technological hyperbole while pursuing fame and fortune. In the process, they hoped to discourage the practice of making bold and unproven promises about still-nascent products – a startup strategy known as \"fake it until you make it.”\n\nPolitics:Betsy DeVos' family claims $100 million con with investment in health care startup Theranos\n\nTech:Elizabeth Holmes guilty verdict sends a warning to Silicon Valley. Will investors listen?\n\nAfter the verdicts were read and the jury was dismissed, Balwani walked over to his two brothers who were sitting behind him for what appeared to be a solemn discussion. The three sat quietly, heads bowed.\n\nWhile Holmes insinuated during her trial that Balwani manipulated her into making poor choices, Balwani’s lawyers explicitly sought to shift all the blame for any misconduct squarely on Holmes.\n\nAs part of Balwani’s defense, the lawyers pointed out that Holmes was not only CEO, but also a Silicon Valley star who persuaded investors to pour nearly $1 billion into Theranos. Holmes boasted that her company had found a way to scan for hundreds of potential diseases with a device called the Edison that could test just a few drops of blood taken with a finger prick. Such technology could potentially revolutionize healthcare.\n\nBut it turned out that the Edison never worked properly, providing faulty test results that Theranos conducted as part of a deal to set up mini labs in Walgreen’s pharmacies. The flaws in Theranos’ vaunted technology prompted Holmes and Balwani to shift their testing to conventional machines made by other vendors and while drawing vials of blood from patients' veins – a far cry from Holmes' promises.\n\nAfter committing about $15 million of his own money to bolster Theranos and then becoming the company’s chief operating officer in 2010, Balwani eventually oversaw the blood-testing lab that was delivering the inaccurate results and supervised the Walgreen’s deal.\n\nUnlike Holmes, who spent seven days on the witness stand during her trial, Balwani didn’t testify in his own defense.\n\nBalwani’s defense mirrored Holmes’s in one key aspect: Both depicted the pair as tireless workers who believed so deeply in Theranos’ technology that they never sold their respective stakes in the Palo Alto, California, company. At one point in 2014, Holmes’ fortune was estimated at $4.5 billion while Balwani’s Theranos holdings were valued at $500 million.\n\nBut everything began to unravel in late 2015 after a series of explosive articles in The Wall Street Journal exposed rampant problems with Theranos’ technology. By May 2016, Holmes had dumped Balwani as her business and romantic partner.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/07/07"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/07/tech/sunny-balwani-verdict-theranos/index.html", "title": "Sunny Balwani trial: Former Theranos COO is guilty of federal fraud ...", "text": "(CNN Business) Ramesh \"Sunny\" Balwani, the former COO of failed blood testing startup Theranos and ex-boyfriend of founder Elizabeth Holmes, was found guilty of defrauding investors and patients.\n\nJury deliberations stretched for four full days following a lengthy trial that got underway in March with opening statements. A jury of five men and seven women determined that Balwani had defrauded both patients and investors, finding him guilty on all 12 charges he faced, which included ten counts of federal wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.\n\nDuring Holmes' trial, a separate jury acquitted her on charges pertaining to defrauding patients, and were not able to reach a unanimous verdict on three of the charges concerning defrauding investors. She was found guilty on four charges relating to investors.\n\nBalwani, the former president and COO at the failed blood testing startup, was indicted four years ago alongside Holmes, the founder and former CEO, for allegedly defrauding investors and patients. Their trials were severed after Holmes' legal team outlined in legal filings that she planned to make accusations about their relationship as part of her defense.\n\nBalwani showed little emotion as his fate was read aloud. Afterward, he briefly huddled with a small support system present in the courtroom. The verdict comes roughly six months after Holmes' trial concluded.\n\nIn a statement read outside the courthouse Thursday, US Attorney Stephanie Hinds thanked jurors for \"dutifully navigating through the complex issues presented by this case.\"\n\n\"We appreciate the verdict and look forward to sentencing proceedings,\" Hinds said.\n\nIn a written statement to CNN Business, Balwani defense attorney Jeffrey Coopersmith of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe said: \"We are obviously disappointed with the verdicts. We plan to study and consider all of Mr. Balwani's options including an appeal.\"\n\nBalwani's verdict marks an end to a rare criminal fraud case against two Silicon Valley startup executives and the final chapter of a company, and a founder, once viewed as a posterchild for the entrepreneurial dream of building a disruptive product with the potential to change the world.\n\n\"Balwani is a reminder that she, like everyone, didn't do it by herself,\" Margaret O'Mara, a historian of the tech industry and professor at the University of Washington told CNN Business. \"He still had a significant role running the company.\"\n\nHolmes founded Theranos when she was 19 years old in an effort to create a cheaper, more efficient alternative to traditional blood testing, a goal she said was inspired by her own fear of needles. The startup later claimed to have developed technology capable of testing for a range of conditions, including cancer and diabetes, using just a few drops of blood. Theranos ultimately raised $945 million from investors, including well-known figures such as media mogul Rupert Murdoch and Walmart's Walton family. It also struck up partnerships with prominent retailers.\n\nThen it all came crashing down, beginning with a 2015 Wall Street Journal investigation into the startup that revealed holes in its testing methods and technological capabilities.\n\nBalwani's trial took place in the same San Jose, California courtroom where Holmes was convicted. His case, also presided over by Judge Edward Davila, was pushed back several times due to delays in Holmes' trial and later by a surge in Covid-19.\n\nTo make its case against Balwani, the government called two dozen witnesses as it sought to convince jurors that he knowingly and intentionally lied to and deceived investors and patients in order to get money for Theranos. As with Holmes' case, the government sought to untangle the layers of the alleged fraud for jurors, including concealing use of third-party manufactured machines, overstating financials, misrepresenting work with pharmaceutical companies and the military, and leveraging the media to perpetuate the scheme.\n\nThe defense, on the other hand, called two witnesses to testify. During opening and closing arguments, it portrayed Balwani as having acted in good faith and having believed in the company's technology. It also argued prosecutors cherry-picked information to prove its case and cast doubt on whether the government had enough evidence for the jury to find Balwani guilty.\n\nBalwani, 57, faces up to 20 years in prison as well as a fine of $250,000 plus restitution for each count of wire fraud and each conspiracy count.\n\nHolmes, 38, is slated to be sentenced in late September. Balwani is scheduled to be sentenced in November.\n\nBalwani's road to Holmes, and Theranos\n\nWhile Holmes' stunning rise and fall is likely what most will remember about the story of Theranos in years to come, O'Mara said Balwani is actually \"more representative of the Valley in terms of his career.\"\n\nBalwani and Holmes first crossed paths in the summer of 2002. The two met while attending a summer program in Beijing to learn Mandarin. Balwani, nearly 20 years older than Holmes, had already had a successful career in the software industry and as an entrepreneur.\n\nOriginally from South Asia, Balwani moved to the United States on a student visa in 1986 to attend college in Texas. After graduating, he came to Silicon Valley and worked for tech companies such as Lotus and Microsoft. He went on to start an e-commerce company, which he eventually sold. By 2002, he was back in school to get his MBA.\n\nAs Holmes testified in her own defense in her trial, the two forged a friendship. They kept in touch and their relationship ultimately turned romantic. By 2005, the year after Holmes dropped out of Stanford to work full-time on Theranos, the pair were living together.\n\nBalwani took a formal role at Theranos in 2009, shortly after guaranteeing a $10 million loan to the company. At the recommendation of Theranos' board, according to Balwani's defense, he would eventually take on the role of COO and president. Their romantic relationship, however, was largely kept private from investors, employees and business partners.\n\nUnder the leadership of Holmes and Balwani, Theranos struck a major retail partnership with Walgreens, hit a $9 billion valuation and received glowing coverage in the press. Holmes was featured on multiple magazine covers and hailed as the rare female founder of a billion-dollar business, not to mention one said to be a paper billionaire.\n\nBut in 2015, the Journal reported that Theranos had only ever performed roughly a dozen of the hundreds of tests it offered using its proprietary blood testing device, and with questionable accuracy. The Journal also revealed Theranos was relying on third-party manufactured devices from traditional blood-testing companies rather than its own proprietary technology.\n\nBalwani, who had been overseeing the lab that processed patient samples, departed the company in May 2016. (Their personal relationship also ended at that time.) Theranos voided two years of blood test results.\n\nIn 2018, following nearly two years of turmoil, Holmes and Theranos settled \"massive fraud\" charges with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, but did not admit to or deny any of the allegations as part of the deal. Balwani, on the other hand, is fighting the charges. Coopersmith, the attorney also representing him in his criminal trial, said in a statement at the time that he \"accurately represented Theranos to investors to the best of his ability.\"\n\nTheranos dissolved soon after.\n\n\"Partners in everything\"\n\nWhile their trials were separated, each featured prominently in the other's court proceedings.\n\nAs assistant US attorney Robert Leach told jurors during the prosecution's opening arguments in Balwani's trial, the government believes he and Holmes \"were partners in everything, including their crimes.\"\n\nWhile Balwani was an integral part of Theranos and a confidante to Holmes throughout her time running the company, he was more of a behind-the-scenes force. In addition to the critical role of overseeing its patient lab, he also oversaw its key retail partnership with Walgreens and managing Theranos' financial projections. Balwani, at times, also communicated directly with some investors to secure deals.\n\nDuring her criminal trial, Holmes suggested that Balwani wielded even more power than she did at her own company in some ways. Taking the stand in her own defense, she testified that she was the victim of a decade-long abusive relationship with Balwani. She claimed Balwani exerted tremendous control over her, prescribing a restrictive lifestyle and image to become successful in the business world. At times, she alleged in testimony, he forced her to have sex with him. Balwani's attorneys have strongly denied the allegations.\n\nHolmes stopped short of saying Balwani directed her to mislead anyone. \"He impacted everything about who I was, and I don't fully understand that,\" she testified.\n\nMark MacDougall, a white-collar defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor, said both the prosecution and the defense likely benefited by being able to see how evidence and witness testimony fared with jurors in Holmes' trial. \"Each side in Sunny's trial would have made adjustments based on the outcome of the Holmes case, which could account for a different verdict,\" he said.\n\nWhile Balwani did not take the stand, his defense team's strategy included pointing the finger back at Holmes. The defense highlighted to jurors that he, too, was a believer in Holmes and in Theranos, just as numerous other notable investors, business partners and employees had been.\n\nThe list of people who believed in Holmes and Theranos included Stanford University chemical engineering professor Channing Robertson, who served as the company's first board member; former Defense Secretary James Mattis and former Secretary of State George Shultz, who also once served on the board.\n\n\"That was the board at Theranos that the investors were understandably impressed with, as was Mr. Balwani no doubt,\" said Coopersmith, during closing arguments.\n\nThe caliber of Theranos' backers was reflected in the witnesses called by the government. Among those who testified in both trials were investor Chris Lucas, whose uncle Don Lucas was a well-known Silicon Valley investor and onetime chairman of Theranos' board; Lisa Peterson, who helped vet a deal for the billionaire family of former US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, and Daniel Mosley, a prominent lawyer who was introduced to Theranos through his longtime client Henry Kissinger, the former Secretary of State who once served on the board of the company. (Mosley went on to introduce several of his clients to Holmes and Theranos, including the DeVos family.)\n\n\"This is what Elizabeth was able to do...the charisma, the drive, the vision, the goal to change diagnostic testing, and he bought into that vision,\" added Coopersmith.\n\nBalwani's attorneys also emphasized a missing database as reason for jurors to be skeptical of the prosecution's case. The database contained the company's testing records but the prosecution was never ultimately able to retrieve access before it was destroyed.\n\n\"It's important to the process and to your deliberations that you focus on what actually is in evidence and not speculate about things that are not before you,\" said assistant US attorney John Bostic in the prosecution's rebuttal to the defense's closing arguments shortly before case went to jurors.", "authors": ["Sara Ashley O'Brien", "Rishi Iyengar"], "publish_date": "2022/07/07"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2021/09/01/elizabeth-holmes-trial-fraud-theranos/5652420001/", "title": "Who is Elizabeth Holmes and what did she do?", "text": "Update: A jury convicted Elizabeth Holmes on two counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud after seven days of deliberation. The verdict followed a three-month trial featuring dozens of witnesses — including Holmes herself. She now faces up to 20 years in prison for each count, although legal experts say she is unlikely to receive anything close to the maximum sentence.\n\nUpdate: Opening statements for the trial began today for the trial of Elizabeth Holmes. Earlier last week, a jury of seven men and five women were chosen after days of questioning around 200 potential jurors. Holmes plans on citing domestic abuse from former coworker and romantic partner Sunny Belwadi in her defense, according to leaked court documents.\n\nThe trial of Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of the failed multi-billion dollar startup Theranos, started Tuesday.\n\nHolmes, and her colleague and former romantic partner Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, are currently charged with nine counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.\n\nThe charges stem from allegations that the two were involved in a scheme to defraud doctors, patients and investors by marketing faulty blood tests, putting lives at risk and losing billions of dollars of venture capital, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.\n\nHolmes is being tried first. Balwani's trial is set to start in January of 2022.\n\nElizabeth Holmes: a Silicon Valley visionary and fantasy\n\nHolmes was once known as the youngest female self-made billionaire, who modeled herself after Steve Jobs, adopting his signature black turtlenecks as part of her own style.\n\nHolmes dropped out of Stanford University at 19 to start her own medical diagnostics company.\n\nAccording to \"Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies of a Silicon Valley Startup\" – a book written about Holmes by John Carreyrou, the reporter who exposed her – Holmes' winning pitch was that a pinprick of blood could be used to run dozens of tests on the machines they developed, helping people detect life-threatening conditions earlier.\n\n►‘The new plantation’:How (and why) tech’s corporate giants haven’t successfully diversified their workforces\n\n►Racial justice in the workplace:In-depth look at diversity’s struggle to crack corporate boardrooms\n\nHer vision drew in top talent from Stanford as well as powerful investors such as Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle; Rupert Murdoch, billionaire media mogul; the Walton family, who founded Walmart; and Betsy DeVos, the former education secretary under President Trump.\n\nTheranos grew into a company with over 800 employees, a $9 billion valuation, and a laboratory space in a suburb of Silicon Valley.\n\nShe rubbed shoulders with tech titans and politicians.\n\nThen-Vice President Joe Biden even visited the startup saying, \"I've been threatening Elizabeth for the past year that I'm going to take the opportunity to be shown around. Talk about being inspired!\"\n\nIn 2015, Arizona lawmakers passed a bill, signed by Gov. Doug Ducey — one of the company's biggest cheerleaders — that allowed people to directly purchase lab tests.\n\nHowever, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich reached a $4.65 million settlement with Theranos over consumer fraud issues. Arizonans who purchased the faulty tests received refunds of $60.92 on average.\n\nThe company first came to Arizona consumers in 2013 as part of a partnership with Walgreen's, eventually locating its testing sites within 40 of its stores in metro-Phoenix.\n\nAfter Holmes negotiated the Walgreen's deal, Theranos products appeared in thousands of blood testing centers at Walgreens stores. Doctors began using Theranos testing devices to diagnose patients and dispense medical advice.\n\nAt the peak of her career in 2015, Forbes estimated her net worth at $4.5 billion.\n\nForbes has since reevaluated and dropped her net worth to zero.\n\nWhat happened?\n\nTheranos: A house of cards ready to collapse\n\nAs it turns out, the technology developed by Theranos didn't work.\n\nAn explosive investigation by The Wall Street Journal revealed that employees expressed doubt about the machine's capabilities, but company management and lawyers reportedly silenced and threatened them.\n\nOne of Theranos' employees, a British biochemist who repeatedly voiced his concerns, committed suicide in 2013. His widow received letters from Theranos threatening lawsuits if she spoke up.\n\nA whistleblower named Tyler Schultz eventually emerged from Theranos, who worked with Journal reporter Carreyrou to expose Holmes and Balwani, the other individual on trial for fraud as the former president of Theranos.\n\nSchultz started working at Theranos's labs as a fresh graduate from Stanford University. When he raised concerns about quality checks behind Theranos' proprietary technology, he was disregarded by Holmes and insulted by Balwani.\n\nMatters were further complicated by the fact that Tyler's grandfather, George Schultz, former Secretary of State under President Reagan, sat on Theranos's board and vigorously defended Holmes.\n\nEventually, the truth spilled out.\n\nEmployees spoke out. Doctors noticed that the tests were unreliable, and patients were suffering from inaccurate diagnoses. Retail partners like Walgreens and Safeway were beginning to put Theranos devices under a microscope and pulling out of deals.\n\nThe house of cards Holmes constructed with her sleek laboratories and invigorating speeches was collapsing.\n\nThe Trial of Elizabeth Holmes and Sunny Balwani: A narrative of abuse\n\nIn 2018, the United States District Court of San Jose indicted Holmes and Balwani for committing fraud against investors, doctors, patients and media. The indictment states that they lied about the efficacy of the technology, the financial health of the company, and the state of its partnerships with the Department of Defense and Walgreens.\n\nThe trial was postponed multiple times due to procedural issues, the coronavirus pandemic, and Holmes' pregnancy.\n\nRecently unsealed court documents reveal Holmes' strategy for the trial. She plans to accuse her former boyfriend and business partner Balwani of what happened at Theranos, claiming that he was asserting his influence and controlling her decision-making capabilities.\n\nThe document states that Holmes is going to \"introduce evidence that Mr. Balwani verbally disparaged her and withdrew 'affection if she displeased him'; controlled what she ate, how she dressed, how much money she could spend, who she could interact with – essentially dominating her and erasing her capacity to make decisions.\"\n\nThe juror selection process started Tuesday. Opening arguments are scheduled to begin Wednesday. Sept. 8.\n\nContributing: Michael Liedtke of The Associated Press\n\nMichelle Shen is a Money & Tech Digital Reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her @michelle_shen10 on Twitter.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/09/01"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/07/tech/theranos-rise-and-fall/", "title": "The rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes: A timeline - CNN", "text": "(CNN) Four years after the top two Theranos executives, Elizabeth Holmes and Ramesh \"Sunny\" Balwani, were first indicted together on a dozen federal fraud charges stemming from their time heading up the failed blood testing startup, both have been convicted by juries.\n\nHolmes, the founder and former CEO of Theranos, was found guilty on four out of 11 federal fraud and conspiracy charges in January after a months-long trial. Balwani, Theranos' former president and COO who was also Holmes' live-in boyfriend at the time, was found guilty on Thursday of ten counts of federal wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.\n\nTheir trials marked the final chapter for Theranos, a startup once valued at $9 billion and lauded for its promise to upend the healthcare industry. Theranos claimed its technology could accurately and efficiently test for conditions like cancer and diabetes with just a few drops of blood. With that promise, it attracted $945 million in financing, a board of well-known political figures and prominent retail partners.\n\nThen came a Wall Street Journal investigation into the company, which called into question the company's testing methods and the capabilities of its technology. In 2018, Holmes and Balwani were each charged with a dozen counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Both pleaded not guilty.\n\nTheir trials were separated after Holmes indicated she would pursue a defense that included alleging she was the victim of a decade-long abusive relationship with Balwani that impacted every part of her life. (Balwani's legal team has strongly denied the allegations in court filings.)\n\nHere are the highlights of the rise and fall of Theranos.\n\nMarch 2004: Holmes drops out of Stanford to pursue Theranos\n\nHolmes, a Stanford University sophomore studying chemical engineering, drops out of school to pursue her startup, Theranos, which she founded in 2003 at age 19. The name is a combination of the words \"therapy\" and \"diagnosis.\"\n\nSeptember 2009: Ramesh \"Sunny\" Balwani joins Theranos\n\nBalwani guarantees a $10 million loan to Theranos and soon after takes on a formal role at the startup. Balwani, roughly 20 years older than Holmes, first met her in 2002 through a program in Beijing to learn Mandarin. Balwani had enjoyed a successful career in the software industry, and following the sale of his e-commerce startup, was pursuing an MBA.\n\nThe two kept in touch and began living together in 2005, Holmes testified during her criminal trial. Their personal relationship was largely concealed from employees, investors and business partners. Balwani would ultimately become the company's chief operating officer and president of the startup.\n\nSeptember 2013: Holmes opens up about Theranos; announces Walgreens partnership\n\nA decade after first starting the company, Holmes takes the lid off Theranos and courts media attention the same month that Theranos and Walgreens announce they've struck up a long-term partnership. The first Theranos Wellness Center location opens in a Walgreens in Palo Alto where consumers can access Theranos' blood test.\n\nThe original plan had been to make Theranos' testing available at Walgreens locations nationwide.\n\nSeptember 2014: Holmes named one of the richest women in America by Forbes\n\nHolmes is named to the magazine's American billionaire list with the outlet reporting she owns a 50% stake in the startup, pinning her personal wealth at $4.5 billion.\n\nElizabeth Holmes speaking onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt on September 8, 2014 in San Francisco, California.\n\nDecember 2014: Theranos has raised $400 million\n\nTheranos has raised more than $400 million, according to a profile of the company and Holmes by The New Yorker. It counts Oracle's Larry Ellison among its investors.\n\nJuly 2015: Theranos gets FDA approval for Herpes test\n\nThe FDA clears Theranos to use of its proprietary tiny blood-collection vials to finger stick blood test for herpes simplex 1 virus -- its first and only approval for a diagnostic test.\n\nOctober 2015: Theranos is the subject of a Wall Street Journal investigation; Holmes hits back\n\nThe Wall Street Journal reports Theranos is using its proprietary technique on only a small number of the 240 tests it performs, and that the vast majority of its tests are done with traditional vials of blood drawn from the arm, not the \"few drops\" taken by a finger prick. In response, Theranos defends its testing practices, calling the Journal's reporting \"factually and scientifically erroneous.\"\n\nA day later, Theranos halts the use of its blood-collection vials for all but the herpes test due to pressures from the FDA. (Later that month, the FDA released two heavily redacted reports citing 14 concerns, including calling the company's proprietary vial an \"uncleared medical device.\")\n\nOne week after the Journal report, Holmes is interviewed on-stage at the outlet's conference in Laguna Beach. \"We know what we're doing and we're very proud of it,\" she says.\n\nHolmes speaking at a Wall Street Journal technology conference in Laguna Beach, California on October 21, 2015.\n\nAmid the criticism, Theranos reportedly shakes up its board of directors , eliminating Henry Kissinger and George Shultz as directors while moving them to a new board of counselors; the company also forms a separate medical board.\n\nNovember 2015: Theranos and Safeway partnership falls short\n\nSafeway, which invested $350 million into building out clinics in hundreds of its supermarkets to eventually offer Theranos blood tests, reportedly looks to dissolve its relationship with the company before it ever offered its services.\n\nJanuary 2016: Federal regulators take issue with Theranos' California lab; Walgreens pulls back\n\nCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sends Theranos a letter saying its California lab has failed to comply with federal standards and that patients are in \"immediate jeopardy.\" It gives the company 10 days to address the issues.\n\nIn response, Walgreens says it will not send any lab tests to Theranos' California lab for analysis and suspends Theranos services at its Palo Alto Walgreens location.\n\nMarch 2016: CMS threatens to ban Holmes, Balwani from lab business\n\nCMS threatens to ban Holmes and Balwani from the laboratory business for two years after the company allegedly failed to fix problems at its California lab. Theranos says that's a \"worst case scenario.\n\nMay 2016: Balwani steps down; Theranos voids two years of blood tests\n\nBalwani departs. The company also adds three new board members as part of the restructuring: Fabrizio Bonanni, a former executive vice president of biotech firm Amgen, former CDC director William Foege, and former Wells Fargo CEO Richard Kovacevich.\n\nTheranos voids two years of blood test results from its proprietary testing devices, correcting tens of thousands of blood-test reports, the Journal reports.\n\nJune 2016: Holmes net worth revised to $0; Theranos loses its largest retail partner\n\nForbes revises its estimate of Holmes' net worth from $4.5 billion to $0 . The magazine also lowers its valuation for the company from $9 billion to $800 million.\n\nWalgreens, once Theranos' largest retail partner, ends its partnership with the company and says it will close all 40 Theranos Wellness Centers.\n\nJuly 2016: Holmes is banned from running labs for two years\n\nCMS revokes Theranos' license to operate its California lab and bans Holmes from running a blood-testing lab for two years.\n\nAugust 2016: The company unveils 'miniLab' device\n\nHolmes tries to move past recent setbacks by unveiling a mini testing laboratory, called miniLab, at a conference for the American Association for Clinical Chemistry. In selling the device, versus operating its own clinics, Theranos seeks to effectively side-step CMS sanctions, which don't prohibit research and development.\n\nOctober 2016: Theranos investor sues the company; Theranos downsizes\n\nTheranos investor Partner Fund Management sues the company for $96.1 million , the amount it sunk into the company in February 2014, plus damages. It accuses the company of securities fraud. Theranos and Partner Fund Management settled in May, 2017, for an undisclosed amount.\n\nThe company also lays off 340 employees as it closes clinical labs and wellness centers as it attempts to pivot and focus on the miniLab.\n\nNovember 2016: Walgreens sues Theranos\n\nWalgreens sues the blood testing startup for breach of contract. Walgreens sought to recover the $140 million it poured into the company. The lawsuit was settled August, 2017.\n\nJanuary 2017: More layoffs, followed by a failed lab inspection\n\nTheranos downsizes its workforce yet again following the increased scrutiny into its operations, laying off approximately 155 employees or about 41% of staffers.\n\nThe Wall Street Journal reports that Theranos failed a second regulatory lab inspection in September, and that the company was closing its last blood testing location as a result.\n\nApril 2017: Theranos settles with CMS, and Arizona AG\n\nTheranos settles with the CMS, agreeing to pay $30,000 and to not to own or operate any clinical labs for two years.\n\nTheranos also settles with the Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich over allegations that its advertisements misrepresented the method, accuracy, and reliability of its blood testing and that the company was out of compliance with federal regulations governing clinical lab testing. Theranos agrees to pay $4.65 million back to its Arizona customers as part of a settlement deal.\n\nMarch 2018: Holmes and Balwani charged with massive fraud\n\nThe SEC charges Holmes and Balwani with a \"massive fraud\" involving more than $700 million from investors through an \"elaborate, years-long fraud in which they exaggerated or made false statements about the company's technology, business, and financial performance.\"\n\nThe SEC alleges Holmes and Balwani knew that Theranos' proprietary analyzer could perform only 12 of the 200 tests it published on its patient testing menu.\n\nTheranos and Holmes agree to resolve the claims against them, and Holmes gives up control of the company and much of her stake in it. Balwani, however, is fighting the charges, with his attorney saying he \"accurately represented Theranos to investors to the best of his ability.\"\n\nMay 2018: \"Bad Blood\"\n\nReporter John Carreyrou, who first broke open the story of Theranos for the Wall Street Journal, publishes \"Bad Blood,\" a definitive look at what happened inside the disgraced company. Director Adam McKay (who directed \"The Big Short\") secures the rights to make the film, starring Jennifer Lawrence as Holmes, by the same name.\n\nJune 2018: Holmes and Balwani indicted on criminal fraud charges\n\nHolmes and Balwani are indicted on federal wire fraud charges over allegedly engaging in a multi-million dollar scheme to defraud investors, as well as a scheme to defraud doctors and patients. Both have pleaded not guilty.\n\nMinutes before the charges were made public, Theranos announced that Holmes has stepped down as CEO. The company's general counsel, David Taylor, takes over as CEO. Holmes remains chair of the company's board.\n\nFormer Theranos COO Ramesh \"Sunny' Balwani leaves the Robert F. Peckham U.S. Federal Court on June 28, 2019 in San Jose, California. Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes and former COO Ramesh Balwani were apperaing in federal court for a status hearing, both facing charges of conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly engaging in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud investors with the Theranos blood testing lab services.\n\nSeptember 2018: Theranos to dissolve\n\nTaylor emails shareholders that Theranos will dissolve, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Taylor said more than 80 potential buyers were not interested in a sale. \"We are now out of time,\" Taylor wrote\n\nMarch 2019: Theranos gets the documentary treatment\n\nAlex Gibney, the prolific documentary filmmaker behind \"Dirty Money,\" \"Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,\" and \"The Armstrong Lie,\" debuts \"The Inventor\" on HBO, following the rise and fall of Theranos.\n\nSeptember 2020: Holmes' possible defense strategy comes to light\n\nA new court document reveals Holmes may seek a \"mental disease\" defense in her criminal fraud trial. Later, in August 2021, unsealed court documents reveal Holmes is likely to claim she was the victim of a decade-long abusive relationship with Balwani. (Balwani's legal team strongly denied the claims in court filings.) The allegations led to the severing of their trials. His trial is slated to begin in 2022.\n\nDecember 2020: Holmes' criminal trial delayed til 2021\n\nMarch 2021: Holmes' pregnancy further delays trial\n\nNews surfaces that Holmes' is expecting her first child, once more further delaying her criminal trial. Holmes' counsel advised the US government that Holmes is due in July 2021, a court document revealed. She gave birth in July\n\nElizabeth Holmes, founder and former chief executive officer of Theranos Inc. (center right), arrives at U.S. federal court in San Jose, California, U.S., on Thursday May 6, 2021. Holmes and her lawyers appeared in-person in the federal court where the Theranos founder and former chief executive officer was scheduled to go to trial in August on charges that the blood-test startup once valued at $9 billion was a fraud.\n\nAugust 2021: Holmes' criminal trial begins with jury selection\n\nMore than 80 potential jurors are brought into a San Jose courtroom for questioning over the course of two days to determine if they are fit to serve as impartial, fair jurors for the criminal trial of Holmes. A jury of seven men and five women is selected, with five alternatives.\n\nJanuary 2022: Holmes found guilty on four of 11 federal charges\n\nHolmes is found guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud investors as well as three wire fraud counts tied to specific investors. She is found not guilty on three additional charges concerning defrauding patients and one charge of conspiracy to defraud patients. The jury returns no verdict on three of the charges concerning defrauding investors. Holmes faces up to 20 years in prison as well as a fine of $250,000 plus restitution for each count.\n\nHolmes's sentencing date is set for late September to allow for the completion of Balwani's trial. In the meantime, Holmes remains free on a $500,000 bond secured by property.\n\nElizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos Inc., left center, departs from federal court with, from left, husband Billy Evans, parents Noel Holmes and Christian Holmes IV in San Jose, California, U.S., on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022.\n\nMarch 2022: After Hulu miniseries debuts, Balwani's criminal trial kicks off\n\n\"The Dropout,\" a scripted miniseries about Theranos produced by ABC, debuts on Hulu. Amanda Seyfried stars as Holmes and Naveen Andrews plays Balwani. Their romantic and professional relationship features prominently in the show.\n\nFollowing delays due to Holmes' prolonged trial then a surge of Covid-19, jury selection for Balwani's trial gets underway. On March 22, opening arguments are held and the government's first witness, a former Theranos employee turned whistleblower, is called to the stand.\n\nJuly 2022: Balwani guilty of federal fraud\n\nAfter four full days of deliberations, a jury finds Balwani guilty of ten counts of federal wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Like Holmes, Balwani faces up to 20 years in prison as well as a fine of $250,000 plus restitution for each count of wire fraud and each conspiracy count.", "authors": ["Sara Ashley O'Brien", "Cnn Business"], "publish_date": "2022/07/07"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/04/tech/elizabeth-holmes-rise-and-fall/index.html", "title": "The rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes: A timeline - CNN", "text": "(CNN) More than three years after Elizabeth Holmes was first indicted and nearly four months after her trial kicked off, the founder and former CEO of failed blood testing startup Theranos was found guilty on four out of 11 federal fraud and conspiracy charges .\n\nThe verdict comes after a stunning downfall that saw Holmes, once hailed as the next Steve Jobs, go from being a tech industry icon to being a rare Silicon Valley entrepreneur on trial for fraud.\n\nA Stanford University dropout, Holmes -- inspired by her own fear of needles -- started the company at the age of 19, with a mission of creating a cheaper, more efficient alternative to a traditional blood test. Theranos promised patients the ability to test for conditions like cancer and diabetes with just a few drops of blood. She attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in funding, a board of well-known political figures, and key retail partners.\n\nBut a Wall Street Journal investigation poked holes into Theranos' testing and technology, and the dominoes fell from there. Holmes and her former business partner, Ramesh \"Sunny\" Balwani, were charged in 2018 by the US government with multiple counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. (Both pleaded not guilty.)\n\nHere are the highlights of the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos.\n\nMarch 2004: Holmes drops out of Stanford to pursue Theranos\n\nHolmes, a Stanford University sophomore studying chemical engineering, drops out of school to pursue her startup, Theranos, which she founded in 2003 at age 19. The name is a combination of the words \"therapy\" and \"diagnosis.\"\n\nSeptember 2009: Ramesh \"Sunny\" Balwani joins Theranos as Holmes' right-hand man\n\nBalwani joins as chief operating officer and president of the startup. Balwani, nearly 20 years her senior, met Holmes in 2002 on a trip to Beijing through Stanford University. The two are later revealed to be romantically involved.\n\nSeptember 2013: Holmes opens up about Theranos; announces Walgreens partnership\n\nA decade after first starting the company, Holmes takes the lid off Theranos and courts media attention the same month that Theranos and Walgreens announce they've struck up a long-term partnership. The first Theranos Wellness Center location opens in a Walgreens in Palo Alto where consumers can access Theranos' blood test.\n\nThe original plan had been to make Theranos' testing available at Walgreens locations nationwide.\n\nSeptember 2014: Holmes named one of the richest women in America by Forbes\n\nHolmes is named to the magazine's American billionaire list with the outlet reporting she owns a 50% stake in the startup, pinning her personal wealth at $4.5 billion.\n\nElizabeth Holmes speaking onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt on September 8, 2014 in San Francisco, California.\n\nDecember 2014: Theranos has raised $400 million\n\nTheranos has raised more than $400 million, according to a profile of the company and Holmes by The New Yorker. It counts Oracle's Larry Ellison among its investors.\n\nJuly 2015: Theranos gets FDA approval for Herpes test\n\nThe FDA clears Theranos to use of its proprietary tiny blood-collection vials to finger stick blood test for herpes simplex 1 virus -- its first and only approval for a diagnostic test.\n\nOctober 2015: Theranos is the subject of a Wall Street Journal investigation; Holmes hits back\n\nThe Wall Street Journal reports Theranos is using its proprietary technique on only a small number of the 240 tests it performs, and that the vast majority of its tests are done with traditional vials of blood drawn from the arm, not the \"few drops\" taken by a finger prick. In response, Theranos defends its testing practices, calling the Journal's reporting \"factually and scientifically erroneous.\"\n\nA day later, Theranos halts the use of its blood-collection vials for all but the herpes test due to pressures from the FDA. (Later that month, the FDA released two heavily redacted reports citing 14 concerns, including calling the company's proprietary vial an \"uncleared medical device.\")\n\nOne week after the Journal report, Holmes is interviewed on-stage at the outlet's conference in Laguna Beach. \"We know what we're doing and we're very proud of it,\" she says.\n\nHolmes speaking at a Wall Street Journal technology conference in Laguna Beach, California on October 21, 2015.\n\nAmid the criticism, Theranos reportedly shakes up its board of directors , eliminating Henry Kissinger and George Shultz as directors while moving them to a new board of counselors; the company also forms a separate medical board.\n\nNovember 2015: Theranos and Safeway partnership falls short\n\nSafeway, which invested $350 million into building out clinics in hundreds of its supermarkets to eventually offer Theranos blood tests, reportedly looks to dissolve its relationship with the company before it ever offered its services.\n\nJanuary 2016: Federal regulators take issue with Theranos' California lab; Walgreens pulls back\n\nCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sends Theranos a letter saying its California lab has failed to comply with federal standards and that patients are in \"immediate jeopardy.\" It gives the company 10 days to address the issues.\n\nIn response, Walgreens says it will not send any lab tests to Theranos' California lab for analysis and suspends Theranos services at its Palo Alto Walgreens location.\n\nMarch 2016: CMS threatens to ban Holmes, Balwani from lab business\n\nCMS threatens to ban Holmes and Balwani from the laboratory business for two years after the company allegedly failed to fix problems at its California lab. Theranos says that's a \"worst case scenario.\n\nMay 2016: Balwani steps down; Theranos voids two years of blood tests\n\nBalwani departs. The company also adds three new board members as part of the restructuring: Fabrizio Bonanni, a former executive vice president of biotech firm Amgen, former CDC director William Foege, and former Wells Fargo CEO Richard Kovacevich.\n\nTheranos voids two years of blood test results from its proprietary testing devices, correcting tens of thousands of blood-test reports, the Journal reports.\n\nJune 2016: Holmes net worth revised to $0; Theranos loses its largest retail partner\n\nForbes revises its estimate of Holmes' net worth from $4.5 billion to $0 . The magazine also lowers its valuation for the company from $9 billion to $800 million.\n\nWalgreens, once Theranos' largest retail partner, ends its partnership with the company and says it will close all 40 Theranos Wellness Centers.\n\nJuly 2016: Holmes is banned from running labs for two years\n\nCMS revokes Theranos' license to operate its California lab and bans Holmes from running a blood-testing lab for two years.\n\nAugust 2016: The company unveils 'miniLab' device\n\nHolmes tries to move past recent setbacks by unveiling a mini testing laboratory, called miniLab, at a conference for the American Association for Clinical Chemistry. In selling the device, versus operating its own clinics, Theranos seeks to effectively side-step CMS sanctions, which don't prohibit research and development.\n\nOctober 2016: Theranos investor sues the company; Theranos downsizes\n\nTheranos investor Partner Fund Management sues the company for $96.1 million , the amount it sunk into the company in February 2014, plus damages. It accuses the company of securities fraud. Theranos and Partner Fund Management settled in May, 2017, for an undisclosed amount.\n\nThe company also lays off 340 employees as it closes clinical labs and wellness centers as it attempts to pivot and focus on the miniLab.\n\nNovember 2016: Walgreens sues Theranos\n\nWalgreens sues the blood testing startup for breach of contract. Walgreens sought to recover the $140 million it poured into the company. The lawsuit was settled August, 2017.\n\nJanuary 2017: More layoffs, followed by a failed lab inspection\n\nTheranos downsizes its workforce yet again following the increased scrutiny into its operations, laying off approximately 155 employees or about 41% of staffers.\n\nThe Wall Street Journal reports that Theranos failed a second regulatory lab inspection in September, and that the company was closing its last blood testing location as a result.\n\nApril 2017: Theranos settles with CMS, and Arizona AG\n\nTheranos settles with the CMS, agreeing to pay $30,000 and to not to own or operate any clinical labs for two years.\n\nTheranos also settles with the Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich over allegations that its advertisements misrepresented the method, accuracy, and reliability of its blood testing and that the company was out of compliance with federal regulations governing clinical lab testing. Theranos agrees to pay $4.65 million back to its Arizona customers as part of a settlement deal.\n\nMarch 2018: Holmes charged with massive fraud\n\nThe SEC charges Holmes and Balwani with a \"massive fraud\" involving more than $700 million from investors through an \"elaborate, years-long fraud in which they exaggerated or made false statements about the company's technology, business, and financial performance.\"\n\nThe SEC alleges Holmes and Balwani knew that Theranos' proprietary analyzer could perform only 12 of the 200 tests it published on its patient testing menu.\n\nTheranos and Holmes agree to resolve the claims against them, and Holmes gives up control of the company and much of her stake in it. Balwani, however, is fighting the charges, with his attorney saying he \"accurately represented Theranos to investors to the best of his ability.\"\n\nMay 2018: \"Bad Blood\"\n\nReporter John Carreyrou, who first broke open the story of Theranos for the Wall Street Journal, publishes \"Bad Blood,\" a definitive look at what happened inside the disgraced company. Director Adam McKay (who directed \"The Big Short\") secures the rights to make the film, starring Jennifer Lawrence as Holmes, by the same name.\n\nJune 2018: Holmes and Balwani indicted on criminal fraud charges\n\nHolmes and Balwani are indicted on federal wire fraud charges over allegedly engaging in a multi-million dollar scheme to defraud investors, as well as a scheme to defraud doctors and patients. Both have pleaded not guilty.\n\nMinutes before the charges were made public, Theranos announced that Holmes has stepped down as CEO. The company's general counsel, David Taylor, takes over as CEO. Holmes remains chair of the company's board.\n\nFormer Theranos COO Ramesh \"Sunny' Balwani leaves the Robert F. Peckham U.S. Federal Court on June 28, 2019 in San Jose, California. Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes and former COO Ramesh Balwani were apperaing in federal court for a status hearing, both facing charges of conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly engaging in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud investors with the Theranos blood testing lab services.\n\nSeptember 2018: Theranos to dissolve\n\nTaylor emails shareholders that Theranos will dissolve, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Taylor said more than 80 potential buyers were not interested in a sale. \"We are now out of time,\" Taylor wrote\n\nMarch 2019: Theranos gets the documentary treatment\n\nAlex Gibney, the prolific documentary filmmaker behind \"Dirty Money,\" \"Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,\" and \"The Armstrong Lie,\" debuts \"The Inventor\" on HBO, following the rise and fall of Theranos.\n\nSeptember 2020: Holmes' possible defense strategy comes to light\n\nA new court document reveals Holmes may seek a \"mental disease\" defense in her criminal fraud trial. Later, in August 2021, unsealed court documents reveal Holmes is likely to claim she was the victim of a decade-long abusive relationship with Balwani. The allegations led to the severing of their trials. His trial is slated to begin in 2022.\n\nDecember 2020: Holmes' criminal trial delayed til 2021\n\nMarch 2021: Holmes' pregnancy further delays trial\n\nNews surfaces that Holmes' is expecting her first child, once more further delaying her criminal trial. Holmes' counsel advised the US government that Holmes is due in July 2021, a court document revealed. She gave birth in July\n\nHolmes collects her belongings after going through security at the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building with her defense team on August 31, 2021 in San Jose, California.\n\nAugust 2021: Holmes' criminal trial begins with jury selection\n\nMore than 80 potential jurors are brought into a San Jose courtroom for questioning over the course of two days to determine if they are fit to serve as impartial, fair jurors for the criminal trial of Holmes. A jury of seven men and five women is selected, with five alternatives.\n\nDecember 2021: Jury begins deliberating her fate\n\nAfter three months of testimony from 32 witnesses, the criminal fraud case of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes makes its way to the jury of eight men and four women who will decide her fate. The jury would go on to deliberate for more than 50 hours before returning a verdict.\n\nJanuary 2022: Holmes found guilty on four of 11 federal charges\n\nHolmes is found guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud investors as well as three wire fraud counts tied to specific investors. She is found not guilty on three additional charges concerning defrauding patients and one charge of conspiracy to defraud patients. The jury returns no verdict on three of the charges concerning defrauding investors. Holmes faces up to 20 years in prison as well as a fine of $250,000 plus restitution for each count.", "authors": ["Sara Ashley O'Brien", "Cnn Business"], "publish_date": "2022/01/04"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/03/tech/elizabeth-holmes-verdict/index.html", "title": "Elizabeth Holmes trial verdict: Guilty on four out of 11 charges | CNN ...", "text": "(CNN Business) Elizabeth Holmes , the former CEO and founder of failed blood testing startup Theranos, was found guilty on four charges of defrauding investors, capping off the stunning downfall of a former tech icon .\n\nShe was found not guilty on three additional charges concerning defrauding patients and one charge of conspiracy to defraud patients. The jury returned no verdict on three of the charges concerning defrauding investors, and Judge Edward Davila, who is presiding over the case, is expected to declare a mistrial on those charges.\n\nWhat is 'flurona' and how serious is it?\n\nThe charges Holmes was found guilty of include one count of conspiracy to defraud investors, as well as three wire fraud counts tied to specific investors. Holmes faces up to 20 years in prison as well as a fine of $250,000 plus restitution for each count.\n\nHolmes departed the courthouse hand-in-hand with her partner, Billy Evans, her mother and her father. She was met with a sea of cameras and reporters but did not comment in response to questions shouted from reporters.\n\nIn a statement, U.S. Attorney Stephanie Hinds applauded the verdict.\n\n\"The jurors in this 15-week trial navigated a complex case amid a pandemic and scheduling obstacles,\" she said, in a statement that was read aloud by a spokesperson outside the courthouse. \"The guilty verdicts in this case reflect Ms. Holmes' culpability in this large-scale investor fraud, and she must now face sentencing for her crimes.\"\n\nNotably, the jury of eight men and four women determined that Holmes was guilty on counts pertaining to investors, but none of the counts that pertained to defrauding patients. Over the course of its 11-week case, the government called just three patient witnesses to the stand, two of whom were individually tied to wire fraud counts.\n\nThe jury deliberated for over 50 hours before returning a verdict on eight of the 11 charges. Earlier Monday, the jury returned a note indicating they could not reach a unanimous verdict on three of the counts. In response, Judge Davila issued what is known as an Allen charge, instructing them to continue deliberating to try to reach a verdict.\n\nHowever, hours later, the jury returned another note that indicated it remained unable to reach a verdict on those counts. The counts pertained to three of the investor wire fraud charges.\n\nThe verdict comes after a trial that spanned over three months at a federal courthouse in San Jose. More than 30 witnesses testified during the trial, culminating with Holmes, who took the stand for seven days in her own defense.\n\nHolmes' case marked a rare criminal fraud trial of a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. Jurors were tasked with determining whether Holmes was a well-meaning founder who made mistakes as she built her startup, as her defense posited, or whether she intentionally deceived investors and patients in order to help herself and her company succeed, as federal prosecutors alleged.\n\nElizabeth Holmes is kissed on her head by her father in federal court in San Jose, California, on January 3, 2022.\n\nWhile Holmes was the one on trial, the outcome of her case could serve as a cautionary tale for others in Silicon Valley.\n\n\"This is a verdict that should matter not just to Silicon Valley but to the people who celebrate it, invest in it and use its products,\" said Margaret O'Mara, a historian of the tech industry and professor at the University of Washington. \"She was made possible by a Valley business culture that celebrated and encouraged very young, marginally experienced people.\"\n\nGeorge Demos, a former Securities and Exchange Commission prosecutor and adjunct law professor at the UC Davis School of Law, called the verdict \"a significant win for the government and sends a powerful signal to Silicon Valley that fraud cannot masquerade as innovation.\"\n\nWhile much of Silicon Valley has tried to distance itself from Theranos for a variety of reasons, including that the startup was a medical device manufacturer, the power and control Holmes wielded over Theranos had all the trappings of a tech company, O'Mara said.\n\n\"She was not just the CEO,\" O'Mara said, \"she was a very powerful CEO in the Silicon Valley model.\"\n\nThe rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes\n\nHolmes, now 37, started Theranos in 2003 at the age of 19 and soon thereafter dropped out of Stanford to pursue it full-time. After a decade under the radar, Holmes began courting the press with claims that Theranos had invented technology that could accurately and reliably test for a range of conditions using just a few drops of blood taken from a finger prick. The unveiling coincided with the company's announcement in 2013 of a major retail partnership with Walgreens.\n\nTheranos raised $945 million from an impressive list of investors, including media mogul Rupert Murdoch, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, Walmart's Walton family and the billionaire family of former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.\n\nAt its peak, Theranos was valued at $9 billion, making Holmes a paper billionaire. She was lauded on magazine covers, frequently wearing a signature black turtleneck that invited comparisons to the late Apple CEO. (She has not worn that look in the courtroom.)\n\nElizabeth Holmes during an interview in September 2015.\n\nO'Mara said Holmes was particularly beloved by the media as an intrepid entrepreneur working on a product that aimed to make the world better -- and a rare female founder at that.\n\nBut the dominoes started to fall after a Wall Street Journal investigation in 2015 found the company had only ever performed roughly a dozen of the hundreds of tests it offered using its proprietary blood testing device, and with questionable accuracy. Instead, Theranos was relying on third-party manufactured devices from traditional blood testing companies.\n\nIn 2016, Theranos voided two years of blood test results. In 2018, Holmes and Theranos settled \" massive fraud\" charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission, but did not admit to or deny any of the allegations as part of the deal. Theranos dissolved soon after\n\nThe scene inside and outside the courtroom\n\nFirst indicted in 2018, Holmes' trial was delayed by the pandemic and the birth of her child. But public interest in Holmes has remained strong since then, with documentaries, podcasts, an upcoming TV miniseries and a planned feature film.\n\nThat fascination was apparent outside the courtroom. Members of the public and the press gathered as early as 2 a.m. local time on major days of the trial to get one of the 34 courtroom seats available. A ticketed overflow room sat another roughly 45 people. There was otherwise no way to view the events because audio and video recordings were prohibited.\n\nThe trial drew apparent friends of Holmes, some of whom showed up on the day of opening statements dressed in a look that resembled the former CEO at Theranos' peak -- clad in black attire with blonde hair pulled back at the nape of their necks. It also attracted an artist who set up a performance art display outside the courthouse, selling a very limited number of blonde wigs, black turtlenecks and \"blood energy\" drinks. She said she wanted to see \"what it was like experiencing her energy.\"\n\nDuring jury selection, the father of Holmes' partner showed up early to snag a seat inside the courtroom. He assumed a nickname and claimed to be a concerned citizen, but on the first day of the trial he walked into the courtroom alongside Holmes. After his identity was revealed publicly, he wasn't seen again at the trial.\n\nTheranos founder and former CEO Elizabeth Holmes arrives for her trial at the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building on December 07, 2021 in San Jose, California.\n\nFor her part, Holmes -- wearing a work dress and jacket or skirt suit in greys, blues or greens with a green or blue mask -- arrived each court day walking hand-in-hand with either her mother, Noel, or her partner, Billy Evans, or both. When Holmes took the stand, the group of friends and family sitting in reserved seating swelled. Her father was seen in the courtroom during closing arguments.\n\nAs the trial went on, three jurors were dismissed. One juror was reported by another for playing Sudoku during the proceedings. Another was excused after disclosing she was experiencing anxiety stemming from the prospect of sending Holmes to prison, and cited her Buddhist beliefs. The alternate juror tapped to replace her expressed some concern about sentencing Holmes because she is very young. She remained on the jury tasked with determining Holmes' fate.\n\nThe government's 11-week case against Holmes\n\nIn its closing arguments, the prosecution alleged that, faced with a business running out of money, Holmes \"chose fraud\" rather than \"failure.\"\n\nDuring the trial, federal prosecutors called 29 witnesses to testify, including former Theranos employees, retail executives and a former US Defense Secretary. Through these witnesses, the government attempted to show the layers of the alleged fraud, including how Theranos concealed its use of third-party manufactured machines to test patient blood, overstated its financials, misrepresented its work with pharmaceutical companies and the military, and used the media to perpetuate the untruths.\n\nIn his final remarks, prosecutor John Bostic said Holmes was \"especially fond of using\" half-truths, which he described as something that is \"arguably technically correct, but still leaves the listener with an unmistakable incorrect understanding about what the truth is.\"\n\nElizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos Inc., left center, departs from federal court with, from left, husband Billy Evans, parents Noel Holmes and Christian Holmes IV in San Jose, California, U.S., on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022.\n\nAs an example of that, he pointed to journalist Roger Parloff's recordings of interviews with Holmes done in conjunction with a 2014 Fortune Magazine cover story that were played in court during the reporter's time on the stand. Holmes is heard rationalizing why some patients had their blood taken through venipuncture rather than solely its marketed fingerstick blood draws. \"At no point during that conversation did she tell Mr. Parloff that the reason ... was that the company's own technology could not do the range of tests that she was offering,\" said Bostic.\n\n\"It does not matter whether Ms. Holmes had the intent to make the lie true or to avoid being found out. The problem is in making the misrepresentations on the day it's made,\" he added.\n\nBostic also said Holmes \"borrowed the credibility\" of others, through her startup's high-profile retail partnerships, her magazine cover pieces and her board stocked with powerful names, including former Defense Secretaries and two former Secretaries of State.\n\n\"By attaching herself to these individuals and organizations,\" he continued, \"she bolstered Theranos' own credibility, and by exaggerating those contexts, she caused others to believe that Theranos must have the legitimacy of those other entities.\"\n\nElizabeth Holmes listens as the clerk is reading the verdict and her family is clutching each other's hands in federal court in San Jose, California, on January 3, 2022.\n\nHolmes testifies for 7 days in her own defense\n\nThe defense called three witnesses, concluding with Holmes. Known for her charm and charisma while CEO, Holmes' testimony ranged from speaking emphatically about her belief in the company's technology to pointing the finger at others -- notably, her ex-boyfriend and former Theranos COO Ramesh \"Sunny\" Balwani.\n\nWhile the origin story of Theranos is well-known, Holmes shed more light on her decision to drop out of Stanford. She testified she had been raped as a student and was having trouble attending classes. She said she left school to throw herself into building what became Theranos, seeking business advice from Balwani, 20 years her senior, whom she had met after graduating from high school and whom she viewed as a successful tech executive.\n\nHolmes testified she and Balwani had a decade-long abusive relationship. She said Balwani tried to control nearly every aspect of her life as he sought to help her become successful. Balwani, through court filings, has denied the abuse allegations. (Balwani faces the same charges as Holmes and is set to be tried early this year. He has pleaded not guilty.)\n\nHolmes also testified that Balwani, whom she lived with, served as her most important adviser during her time at Theranos. She testified that he didn't control what she said to investors, board members, retail partners, and the media during her time at the helm of Theranos. But his influence on her life loomed large.\n\n\"He impacted everything about who I was, and I don't fully understand that,\" Holmes testified.\n\nHolmes' defense team did not call an expert to testify about the possible implications of the alleged abuse on her role as CEO, despite having indicated it may do so. In his closing arguments, prosecutor Jeffrey Schenk told jurors they did not need to decide whether the abuse happened to reach a verdict.\n\n\"The case is about false statements made to investors and false statements made to patients,\" he said.\n\nAsked whether she ever led patients to believe Theranos could offer accurate and reliable blood tests while knowing it could not, Holmes testified: \"Of course not.\"", "authors": ["Sara Ashley O'Brien", "Cnn Business"], "publish_date": "2022/01/03"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/media/2021/12/11/elizabeth-holmes-theranos-arizona-news/8807891002/", "title": "Arizona played a role in the Elizabeth Holmes saga. So did local news", "text": "For a while there when you'd see Elizabeth Holmes’ name in headlines and stories, it was often preceded by the word “disgraced.”\n\nNow it's \"convicted.\"\n\nIt wasn’t long ago that Holmes was described in starkly different terms: brilliant, rich, pioneering. It’s a head-spinning fall from grace, a riches-to-rags story compelling enough that Hulu is making a scripted series about the whole affair starring Amanda Seyfried. And Apple has announced a film version starring Jennifer Lawrence as Holmes.\n\nThe saga dragged the fake-it-till-you-make-it ethos of Silicon Valley startups under the microscope.\n\nIt was also fodder for Alex Gibney's 2019 documentary \"The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley,\" available on HBO Max. It's the kind of story with tentacles that reach into aspects of health care, startup culture and how we view wealth and its acquisition.\n\nAnd Arizona played a part in it. So did the Arizona news media reporting on it. Media coverage, in fact, was a driving force in bringing the real story to light.\n\nHolmes was charged with 11 counts of fraud, allegedly deceiving patients and investors about Theranos Inc., the startup she founded in 2003. She was convicted Monday, Jan. 3, on four counts of fraud and conspiracy. The jury found her not guilty on four other counts; it was deadlocked on three more.\n\nHolmes' former business and romantic partner Ramesh \"Sunny\" Balwani has also been charged; his trial is scheduled for later in 2022. Promises that the company’s blood-testing machines could perform an array of tests using only drops of blood proved unfounded, prosecutors say.\n\n'The Inventor' serves as both a primer and a reminder\n\nA look back at “The Inventor” serves as both a useful primer on the company’s history — Gibney has access to Holmes throughout the film — and a reminder that Arizona served as a test market for both Theranos’ products and its promises.\n\nPart of what makes the story so interesting is Holmes herself. She dropped out of Stanford University to start the company.\n\nDressed in black turtlenecks like Steve Jobs (but not in jeans, which were also part of Jobs’ signature look, she notes in the film, laughing), Holmes both fits the cliche of the hard-charging tech executive and also blows it up — she was a woman demanding entry into a boys’ club of boys’ clubs. And she got there, becoming a billionaire (the company was valued at more than $9 billion in 2015).\n\nMore than a remake:'West Side Story' proves tragic romances never go out of style\n\nBut how? And at what cost?\n\nAt the cost of her reputation and personal fortune, for one thing. At the cost of the $4.65 million fraud settlement Theranos agreed to pay Arizona consumers in 2017. And possibly 20 years of her freedom if convicted. (Holmes has pleaded not guilty.)\n\n“The Inventor” lays out Holmes’ claims for Theranos and its eventual failure, a methodical takedown of a business built classically on overpromising and underdelivering. The first half is devoted to how Holmes built Theranos, and how she attracted a heavy-hitting list of investors such as Rupert Murdoch, as well as board members including Henry Kissinger and and George Schultz.\n\nIt also chronicles the claims Holmes made for what would have been revolutionary technology — if it had worked. It didn’t, the how of which Gibney also details.\n\nMedia plays a big part in the film and in the story overall. Roger Parloff wrote a widely read, positive profile of Holmes and the company for Fortune in 2014. He’s interviewed in the film and rightfully angry, seemingly moved almost to tears at one point. (Parloff later wrote a follow-up, “How Theranos Misled Me.”)\n\nBut it was Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou’s 2015 story that broke the news of Theranos’ failings (the film is considered a companion piece to his book “Bad Blood”).\n\nArizona comes into play in the second half of the film. Theranos operated retail locations inside Walgreens stores in Phoenix in 2013, making it the proving ground for the supposedly new technology.\n\nThe film shows Holmes testifying before gushing legislators, who would pass a bill signed by Gov. Doug Ducey that allowed people to order tests without a doctor’s orders. We see Fox 10’s John Hook and Kari Lake present a story about Theranos, and the station’s Linda Williams offer a cautionary note that some medical professionals were skeptical.\n\nNational media broke the Theranos story; local media covered it, too\n\nOutside the film, Theranos got plenty of coverage from local media. As early as 2015, The Arizona Republic was writing stories about the company not always meeting lab regulations. That story prompted a published retort from Holmes in the form of a letter to the editor, defending Theranos' transparency and performance.\n\nProsecutors would disagree. And an editor's note said the newspaper stood by its story.\n\nWhat unfolds in “The Inventor” is a great story — great in the media sense that it’s interesting, complex, filled with compelling people promising the moon and failing to deliver. Not so great if you were one of the people placing your faith in Theranos for accurate blood work — or if you worked for the company.\n\nThe story has moved into a different phase. Theranos no longer exists. A jury has decided Holmes' fate; another will decide the fate of Balwani. The media will cover it; who knows, maybe Gibney will shoot a coda for his film.\n\nBut it remains a story, one that began as a triumph, and ends, yes, in disgrace.\n\nReach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: @goodyk. Subscribe to the weekly movies newsletter.\n\nSubscribe to azcentral.com today. What are you waiting for?", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/12/11"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/14/tech/theranos-elizabeth-holmes-sunny-balwani/index.html", "title": "Elizabeth Holmes' No. 2 and ex-boyfriend is about to have his day in ...", "text": "(CNN Business) More than two months after Theranos founder and former CEO Elizabeth Holmes was found guilty on four of 11 charges in her criminal fraud case, the trial of her ex-boyfriend and second-in-command at the failed blood testing company is set to begin.\n\nkick of as soon as Wednesday, with opening arguments in the same San Jose, California, courtroom where Holmes was convicted. Ramesh \"Sunny\" Balwani, who served as Theranos' chief operating officer and president, was first indicted alongside Holmes nearly four years ago on the same set of federal fraud charges. His trial is expected tokick of as soon as Wednesday,with opening arguments in the same San Jose, California, courtroom where Holmes was convicted.\n\nA jury of 18 people, including six alternates, was initially selected on Friday and expected to be sworn in Monday. But the court said Monday afternoon that further juror selection is necessary and slated to occur Tuesday. The trial, which is closed to cameras and audio recordings, is slated to go on for 13 weeks.\n\nBalwani faces a dozen federal wire fraud and conspiracy charges over allegations he knowingly misrepresented the capabilities of Theranos' blood testing technology to investors, doctors and patients in order to take their money. If convicted, Balwani faces up to 20 years in prison as well as a fine of $250,000 plus restitution for each count of wire fraud and each conspiracy count. He has pleaded not guilty. (Holmes' sentencing has been set for late September .)\n\nBalwani is less of a household name than Holmes, a onetime tech industry icon who was featured on magazine covers and has been the subject of documentaries, podcasts and, most recently, \"The Dropout,\" a limited series on Hulu. But his trial could offer new glimpses into their relationship and the decision-making process inside the C-suite at Theranos. It could also offer a forum for Balwani and his attorneys to point the finger at Holmes after she attempted during her own trial to shift blame to Balwani.\n\nRead More", "authors": ["Sara Ashley O'Brien", "Cnn Business"], "publish_date": "2022/03/14"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/09/07/theranos-elizabeth-holmes-domestic-abuse-trail-con-fraud/5722819001/", "title": "Theranos trial: Elizabeth Holmes' domestic abuse claim is another con", "text": "Evan Nierman\n\nOpinion contributor\n\nWas the bold and confident founder of the blood-testing startup Theranos a long-suffering victim of an abusive boyfriend who controlled her every move and therefore not responsible for the epic meltdown of a company once valued at more than $9 billion? Court documents indicate that this is the story the disgraced Theranos CEO is hawking at her criminal trial.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/09/07"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_19", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:30", "search_result": []}
{"question_id": "20220708_20", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:30", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/06/uk/boris-johnson-uk-government-collapse-gbr-intl/index.html", "title": "After dozens of British lawmakers resign, Boris Johnson clings to ...", "text": "London (CNN) Boris Johnson's scandal-ravaged premiership was dangling by a thread on Thursday as he battled efforts to force him from office even as a growing number of government ministers urged the beleaguered British Prime Minister to resign.\n\nThe United Kingdom woke on Thursday morning to more than 50 members of government leaving their posts, including five cabinet ministers.\n\nThe previous day, Johnson began by vowing to fight on, despite the shock resignations of his finance minister, health secretary and dozens of other lawmakers furious about the latest saga to engulf Downing Street: the botched handling of a resignation by Johnson's former deputy chief whip, Chris Pincher, who was accused of groping two men last week.\n\nJohnson endured a battering at Prime Minister's Questions and a bruising appearance before a parliamentary committee of senior lawmakers in Parliament, before a delegation of cabinet members arrived at Downing Street to ask Johnson to resign.\n\nBut Johnson refused to go down without a fight. On Wednesday night, he sacked close ally and senior cabinet minister Michael Gove, who sources told CNN had urged Johnson earlier in the day to accept that his time was up.\n\nAnother key ally, Home Secretary Priti Patel, told Johnson that the general view of the Conservative party was that he had to go, a source close to Patel told CNN.\n\nAs the news of Gove's firing emerged, a spokesman for Johnson insisted that the Prime Minister was in \"really good spirits.\"\n\nSpeaking to CNN, Johnson's parliamentary private secretary James Duddridge said Johnson was \"fighting on because he believes he can win.\"\n\nAsked about Gove, Duddridge said, \"I like Michael, Michael has been a great Secretary of State in many ways, he helps the Prime Minister in many ways,\" adding that \"he will be replaced, we will move on.\"\n\nBy Thursday morning, that number had risen to more than 50. But the flood of resignations raised the question of how a prime minister hemorrhaging so much support could fill all the newly-vacated positions. Five ministers resigned in one swoop on Wednesday afternoon, and as the working day came to a close Johnson had lost more than three dozen members of his government.By Thursday morning, that number had risen to more than 50.\n\nAmong the latest to resign were Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis and Education Minister Michelle Donelan, who became the fourth and fifth cabinet members to leave their posts.\n\nThe dramatic disintegration of Johnson's political career could now be hours from completion; while he has so far refused to buckle, Conservative lawmakers were discussing reformulating their party rules and voting to oust him if needed.\n\n\"At some point, we have to conclude that enough is enough,\" former Health Secretary Sajid Javid, the first of many ministers to resign in the past 24 hours, told Johnson in Parliament earlier Wednesday. \"I have concluded that the problem starts at the top, that is not going to change.\"\n\nAn endless series of scandals\n\nNumerous prime ministers have been dumped from office by sudden and deadly rebellions within their own parties, with leaders typically choosing to resign once the writing is on the wall. But the speed with which Johnson's government has tumbled toward the precipice echoes few episodes in British political history.\n\nLess than three years ago, Johnson secured a landslide election win and then enacted Brexit, a political revolution for which many within his party had clamored for decades. Even late last year, Johnson was in a healthy position in opinion polls. While the United Kingdom has the highest Covid-19 death toll in Europe , Johnson was buoyed by a popular vaccine rollout.\n\nBut then scandal after scandal wrecked his reputation among the public. He sought to overturn the suspension of an ally accused of misconduct; he was fined by police for attending one of many parties that took place in Downing Street during lockdown; he lost two MPs due to sex scandals, and then failed to regain their seats in by-elections; and this week, he admitted that he had been briefed on an allegation against Pincher before he promoted him to deputy chief whip, despite his ministers and aides initially claiming otherwise.\n\nJUST WATCHED Key resignations deal blow to Boris Johnson Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Key resignations deal blow to Boris Johnson 01:40\n\nThe Pincher saga was the final straw for many of his allies. Johnson narrowly survived a vote of no confidence in early June, but rebels have threatened to tweak party rules and allow another vote in the near future if Johnson doesn't resign -- and it would now be expected that he would lose.\n\nDuddridge said Johnson understands that the lawmakers rallying against him could change the rules and call for another vote of confidence, but said a majority against him \"is not a given.\"\n\nA sullen-faced Johnson struggled through Prime Minister's Questions in Parliament and then fielded questions from MPs in a parliamentary committee meeting, during which even more of his allies pulled their support.\n\nJohnson's efforts to cling to power were branded \"pathetic\" by the opposition leader Keir Starmer, who also turned his attack toward the few allies in his Cabinet still propping him up. \"In the middle of a crisis doesn't the country deserve better than a Z list cast of nodding dogs?\" Starmer asked in Parliament.\n\nShould Johnson resign, a Conservative leadership campaign would begin and the winner would also take over as Prime Minister.\n\nThat person would need to navigate domestic issues, such as a cost of living crisis that has hit British households, and inherit a wealth of foreign pressures. Johnson has developed a good relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and been a leading player in Europe's response to Russia's invasion.", "authors": ["Rob Picheta", "Ivana Kottasová"], "publish_date": "2022/07/06"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/06/10/uk-prime-ministers-top-aides-resign-after-election-fiasco/102702868/", "title": "UK prime minister's top aides resign after election fiasco", "text": "Jill Lawless\n\nAssociated Press\n\nLONDON — The two top aides to British Prime Minister Theresa May resigned Saturday, sacrificed in a bid to save their leader from being toppled by a furious Conservative Party after a disastrous election wiped out May’s majority in Parliament.\n\nThe ballot-box humiliation has seriously — and possibly mortally — wounded May’s leadership just as Britain is about to begin complex exit talks with the European Union.\n\nDowning St. chiefs of staff Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, who departed Saturday, formed part of May’s small inner circle and were blamed by many Conservatives for the party’s lackluster campaign and unpopular election platform, which alienated older voters with its plan to take away a winter fuel allowance and make them pay more for long-term care.\n\nIn a resignation statement on the Conservative Home website, Timothy conceded that the campaign had failed to communicate “Theresa’s positive plan for the future,” and missed signs of surging support for the opposition Labour Party.\n\nRead more:\n\nPrime Minister Theresa May vows to stay after Conservatives lose majority\n\nAnalysis: May's failed election gamble creates chaos\n\nBritish election: 5 big challenges facing Theresa May\n\nSome senior Tories had made the removal of Hill and Timothy a condition for continuing to support May, who has vowed to remain prime minister. May’s party won 318 seats, 12 fewer than it had before May called a snap election, and eight short of the 326 needed for an outright majority. The main opposition Labour Party surpassed expectations by winning 262.\n\nConservative legislator Nigel Evans said the departure of the two aides was “a start,” but there needed to be changes to the way the government functioned in the wake of the campaign.\n\nHe said the Conservative election manifesto — which Hill and Timothy were key in drafting — was “a full assault on the core Tory voters, who are senior citizens.”\n\n“It was a disaster,” he said. “Our manifesto was full of fear and the Labour Party’s manifesto was full of promises.”\n\nMartin Selmayr, senior aide to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, responded to the resignations by tweeting the word “bauernopfer” — German for the sacrifice of a pawn in chess.\n\nMay called the early election when her party was comfortably ahead in the polls, in the hope of increasing her majority and strengthening Britain’s hand in exit talks with the EU.\n\nInstead, the result has sown confusion and division in British ranks, just days before negotiations are due to start on June 19.\n\nMay wanted to win explicit backing for her stance on Brexit, which involves leaving the EU’s single market and imposing restrictions on immigration while trying to negotiate free trade deal with the bloc. Some say her failure means the government must now take a more flexible approach to the divorce.\n\nThe Times of London said in an editorial that “the election appears to have been, among other things, a rejection of the vague but harshly worded prospectus for Brexit for which Mrs. May sought a mandate.”\n\nIt added that “the logic leading to Mrs. May’s departure from Downing St. is remorseless.”\n\nThe Downing St. resignations came as May worked to fill jobs in her minority government and replace ministers who lost their seats on Thursday. Her weakened position in the party rules out big changes, and May’s office has said that the most senior Cabinet members — including Treasury chief Philip Hammond, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Amber Rudd — will keep their jobs, but she is expected to shuffle the lower ranks of ministers.\n\nMay announced the party would try strike a deal with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, an alliance that is fraught with difficulties. May’s office said Conservative Chief Whip Gavin Williamson was in Belfast Saturday for talks with the DUP “on how best they can provide support to the government.”\n\nThe DUP, whose 10 seats would allow the government to get measures through Parliament, is a socially conservative pro-British Protestant group that opposes abortion and same-sex marriage and once appointed an environment minister who believes human-driven climate change is a myth.\n\nThe DUP was founded in the 1970s by the late firebrand preacher Ian Paisley, and in the 1980s was a key player in the “Save Ulster from Sodomy” campaign, which unsuccessfully fought against the legalization of gay sex.\n\nRuth Davidson, the Conservative leader in Scotland, said she had asked May for assurances that there would be no attack on gay rights after a deal with the DUP.\n\nNorthern Ireland is the only part of the U.K. in which same-sex marriage is illegal.\n\n“It’s an issue very close to my heart and one that I wanted categoric assurances from the prime minister on, and I received (them),” said Davidson, who is engaged to be married to her female partner.\n\nDUP Leader Arlene Foster recently denied the party was homophobic.\n\n“I could not care less what people get up to in terms of their sexuality. That’s not a matter for me,” she said. “When it becomes a matter for me is when people try to redefine marriage.”\n\nA deal between the government and the DUP could also unsettle the precarious balance between Northern Ireland’s British loyalist and Irish nationalist parties.\n\nLabour leader Jeremy Corbyn, riding a wave of acclaim for his party’s unexpectedly strong showing, called on May to resign.\n\nNewspaper headlines saw her as just clinging on. “May fights to remain PM,” said the front page of the Daily Telegraph, while the Times of London said: “May stares into the abyss.”\n\nBut she seems secure for the immediate future, because senior Conservatives don’t want to plunge the party into a damaging leadership contest.\n\n“I don’t think throwing us into a leadership battle at this moment in time, when we are about to launch into these difficult negotiations, would be in the best interests of the country,” Evans said.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2017/06/10"}, {"url": "https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/politics/957281/why-boris-johnson-clung-on-so-long-and-what-finally-made-him-resign", "title": "Why Boris Johnson clung on so long – and what finally made him ...", "text": "Boris Johnson has been described as Britain’s “Teflon leader” for his unmatched ability to withstand crises but even he has proved unable to withstand the recent avalanche of Tory scandals.\n\nThe prime minister finally announced his resignation as Tory leader this afternoon, weeks after surviving a confidence vote in the wake of the Partygate scandal. Right up until the last minute, Johnson was refusing to step down, despite facing more ministerial resignations than any PM in history.\n\nThe Times reported earlier today that Johnson had told ministers pushing for his resignation that he was “absolutely determined” and “100% ready” to fight a second confidence vote.\n\nBunker mentality\n\nThe “sheer bloody-mindedness” displayed by the PM in recent days is further evidence of the “bunker mentality” that has prevailed throughout his premiership, said Politico’s London Playbook.\n\nThe Spectator’s political editor James Forsyth has argued that Johnson has overseen a “new, super-defensive mode of government where survival is seen as victory”.\n\nThe PM demonstrated his determination to survive calls for his resignation, from both outside and within his party, during a “marathon, nine-day overseas” trip last month, said The Guardian’s political correspondent Peter Walker. Throughout his various public appearances, Johnson repeatedly rebuffed “serious questions about his authority and if voters trusted him”, insisting that his “golden rule” was that “politicians should not talk about themselves, just their policies”.\n\nDowning Street insiders have also accused their boss of having a “bunker mentality”, a mindset said to have helped create the culture exposed by the Partygate revelations. An unnamed No. 10 adviser told The Times earlier this year that “there was a sense that we had lashed ourselves to the mast while the rest of the civil service had gone home”.\n\nBut in recent days, Johnson’s “bunker mentality” has gone from “bad” to “1944 bunker bad”, a former aide to the PM told London Playbook, in a reference to Adolf Hitler’s retreat underground in the final months of the Second World War. And a “normally reserved MP described the prime minister as appearing ‘detached from reality’”, according to the site.\n\nNon-conformist streak\n\nAnother likely factor behind Johnson’s determination to cling to power is his non-conformist streak – a trait that undoubtedly contributed to his winning a sizeable majority in the 2019 general election. “Part of Johnson’s political appeal has always been a public perception that he is not a normal politician who operates by the expected standards,” wrote Politico’s Tim Ross and Eleni Courea following the confidence vote last month.", "authors": ["Kate Samuelson"], "publish_date": "2022/07/07"}, {"url": "https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/uk-news/956995/promotions-and-sackings-what-next-for-tory-rebels-and-loyalists", "title": "Promotions and sackings: what next for Tory rebels and loyalists ...", "text": "Boris Johnson has distanced himself from plans for a formal cabinet reshuffle after rumours of rewards and punishments swept Whitehall in the run-up to Monday’s vote of no confidence.\n\nThe PM is not “currently” planning a reshuffle, Downing Street has said, despite a report in The Telegraph that his closest supporters had urged him to promote more 2019-intake MPs and sack ministers who did not make public statements of support in advance of the vote.\n\n‘Reasserting discipline’\n\nYesterday morning, Johnson was widely rumoured to be preparing to reorganise his top team. The Times reported that cabinet ministers expected him to “carry out a reshuffle within days to reassert discipline” and the Daily Mail said “plans for a summer reshuffle could be fast-tracked to take place in the coming days.”\n\nThe Financial Times (FT) said that “wavering Tory MPs were promised ministerial jobs in an early reshuffle if they stuck with Johnson”, while an ally of the PM said those who had offered “only tepid support”, including trade minister Penny Mordaunt, could expect to be fired.\n\nDozens of backbenchers had publicly called on the prime minister to resign. But the scale of the rebellion – with 41% of Tory MPs voting Johnson out – “means some government ministers and aides must have voted against Johnson in the secret ballot, while remaining publicly supportive”, said The Guardian.\n\n‘Politically stupid’\n\nA minister told the FT’s Stephen Bush that Downing Street has been “talking up” a reshuffle and “the prospect of a job is why some colleagues backed him”.\n\nHowever, Bush noted that sacking ministers increases “the number of people with nothing to lose on the backbenches” and therefore Johnson “will never actually embark on a big reshuffle, because that would be politically stupid and far too risky”.\n\nYet failing to follow through on any promised promotions would “make it difficult for Johnson to win over rebels by pledging them jobs if his leadership faces another challenge next year”, he added.\n\nPromotion for key critic?\n\nMeanwhile, in an unexpected development, Johnson is being urged by allies to offer Jeremy Hunt the job of chancellor, despite the backbencher’s criticisms of the PM earlier this week.\n\nLoyalists have reportedly concluded that the PM is better at winning elections than governing the country, and “vice-versa for Mr Hunt”, said The Telegraph.\n\nThe proposal has been compared to Gordon Brown’s decision to bring Peter Mandelson, a Tony Blair ally with whom he had clashed, into government to shore up his premiership. However, Hunt might not accept such an offer. In 2019 he rejected the chance to become Johnson’s defence secretary after losing to him in the leadership race.\n\nThe Times said Hunt “effectively put himself as the head of the anti-Johnson faction” before the confidence vote by urging Tory MPs to “change their leader or lose the next election”. Therefore, if Johnson did persuade him to join the cabinet, it would be a major blow for the rebels.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/06/08"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/05/uk/boris-johnson-leadership-scandals-intl-cmd-gbr/index.html", "title": "Boris Johnson: No one knows what to do about UK prime minister ...", "text": "London (CNN) What will it take to finish him off? That's the question that close observers of Boris Johnson's premiership have been asking for weeks.\n\nOn Monday, a much-anticipated report by a senior civil servant into a series of lockdown-breaching gatherings held at Downing Street in 2020 and 2021, some allegedly attended by Johnson himself, delivered a verdict so damning that any other national leader might have been expected to resign. There were \"failures of leadership and judgment,\" Sue Gray concluded, with a \"serious failure\" to uphold the standards expected of members of government.\n\nThe evidence gathered by Gray was sufficiently serious that London's Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation. Johnson could even end up being questioned over the allegations that Downing Street staffers held boozy gatherings with little connection to their workplace activities while citizens dutifully followed the rules and said goodbye to terminally ill loved-ones over Zoom.\n\nAfter the report's publication, Johnson decided to hit back at criticism by falsely accusing the opposition Labour leader, Keir Starmer, a former chief prosecutor for England, of \"failing to prosecute\" a notorious British pedophile , Jimmy Savile. The claim -- which circulates in rightwing conspiracy theory circles -- has been debunked multiples times (a decision not to prosecute Savile was taken by a regional division of the prosecution service).\n\nJohnson's failure to withdraw it fully prompted his policy chief -- a longtime aide and confidante -- to quit in disgust on Thursday evening, issuing a blistering statement that reverberated around UK government circles.\n\nFour more senior officials resigned in the following hours -- some for different reasons, but it gave the impression that Downing Street was in freefall.\n\nAt the time of publication, Johnson clings on. And predictions of his demise have been made prematurely many times before. But it might now be the case that Johnson's days in Downing Street are drawing to a close.\n\nOnce seen as a politician with a near-mythical ability to win over opponents with a natural charm, Johnson's personal approval ratings and his Conservative party's poll ratings have been steadily falling since the so-called Partygate scandal exploded last year. No one around Johnson or in his party is pretending that the situation isn't very bad, possibly terminal.\n\nNonetheless, the sad reality for the numerous Conservatives who would like to see back of Johnson is that they have no idea if they are strong enough to remove him from power. And this might be what keeps Johnson in office, despite everything.\n\nThere is certainly the political will to commit regicide, but there is no clear alternative -- either in personnel or ideology -- to challenge the king.\n\nTo depose a Conservative leader, 15% of the parliamentary party must submit letters of no-confidence. Despite much dark talk of plots, that threshold has not yet been met. That isn't because of any overwhelming support or loyalty to Johnson. It's more that his most vocal critics are not factional leaders within the party. The vast majority of Conservatives that talked to CNN think that if a vote were triggered it would be by accident rather than design. Indeed, most are resigned to months of things getting worse before they get better and, for now, don't think there's much to be done about it.\n\nBoris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street to make a statement in Parliament on January 31, 2022, after receiving a version of the Sue Gray report.\n\nWhy? Multiple Conservative members of parliament from across different wings of the party spoke of being exhausted, confused, angry and depressed. Those who spoke to CNN did so on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation and so they could be as honest as possible.\n\n\"It's all terrible, but no one's sure what to do,\" says a senior Conservative lawmaker. \"I am not even sure removing him is the best idea (because) all alternatives are a huge, untested risk,\" the lawmaker adds, referencing not just the individuals who might replace Johnson, but also the ideology they would bring to government.\n\nEven those who do believe Johnson needs to be removed from office before the next general election cannot agree on when it should happen.\n\nA semi-loyal government minister who didn't wish to embarrass Johnson, but accepted his departure this year was both necessary and inevitable, said that \"most in this camp want to keep (Johnson) in place until either the full Gray or police report are published, or until after May's local elections.\"\n\nEfforts to remove Johnson will likely gather pace if the police or the full Gray report -- which will emerge once detectives' investigation is complete -- come to the conclusion that the Prime Minister either broke the law, misled parliament or engaged in some other kind of indefensible behavior. However, no-one knows when the that date will come, and it might not be before the next electoral test for Johnson's Conservative Party, local elections in early May.\n\nIf Conservatives suffer major losses in those polls, it will be very hard not to pin them on Johnson. There is no doubt that the opposition parties' election campaigns will be almost entirely focussed on the Prime Minister, his trustworthiness and his personal conduct.\n\nBoris Johnson speaks during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons on January 12, 2022. Johnson apologized for attending a garden party during Britain's first coronavirus lockdown, but brushed aside opposition demands that he resign for breaching his government's rules.\n\nIn either event, it seems that the preferred window for replacing Johnson, among those who oppose him, is the summer parliamentary recess, when Westminster largely shuts down. This affords the time for a proper leadership contest as well as time for a new leader to build their platform ahead of the next scheduled general election in May 2024.\n\nHowever simple that sounds, there is one small snag for those seeking a smooth transition of power: Johnson and his allies do not want to quit and believe they can hang on, whatever happens.\n\nMultiple advisers and ministerial allies in Johnson's inner circle told CNN that they had considered calling the plotters' bluff and calling a confidence vote in the PM with an ultimatum: Back me or sack me.\n\nHistorically, this has been an effective means by which embattled politicians have shored up strength. However, Johnson's allies are confident that his internal opposition is so weak that such drastic action is unnecessary.\n\n\"Put it this way, if Royal Mail were relying on MPs to buy stamps to send in letters they would go out of business very quickly,\" said one key ally.\n\nA cabinet source told CNN that \"back me or sack me implies he's fighting from a position of weakness, which we just don't believe he is.\"\n\nEven those most critical of Johnson agree, at least in part, with this analysis. One former minister said that \"the summer might be too late, they are missing the window to get rid of him right now,\" citing frustration among voters that government has become paralyzed by the scandal.\n\nBoris Johnson meets medical staff during a visit to Hexham General Hospital on November 8, 2021 in northern England.\n\nA senior Conservative critic of the Prime Minister said that the best hope of removing Johnson sooner rather than later would be an \"organic, uncoordinated\" submission of MPs' letters that accidentally built momentum where \"things would go south quickly.\" The critic admitted this was wishful thinking, however.\n\nAfter weeks of Partygate -- and numerous missteps by Johnson himself -- Conservatives find themselves trapped.\n\nThey know that Johnson is harming the party. They know that trying to remove him will be a bloody, public war that they could ultimately lose. They know that there are no guarantees that sacking him will make anything better: Johnson, after all, is probably the only politician in the country who defies gravity so regularly that it's not impossible he could ride the scandal out and carry on winning elections. And a new leader could be less effective and hand the keys to 10 Downing Street to another party at the next election.\n\nEverything is so unclear and confusing that few in the upper ranks of the Conservative party seem to have a clue as to what to do.\n\nThe longer this goes on, the more MPs will find themselves tarred by whatever public position they take -- for Johnson, against Johnson, or conspicuously silent. And all the while their leader staggers on, protesting that his battering amounts to little more a flesh wound.", "authors": ["Analysis Luke Mcgee"], "publish_date": "2022/02/05"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/09/03/brexit-uk-lawmakers-aim-block-boris-johnsons-no-deal-eu-exit/2195537001/", "title": "Boris Johnson's 'no-deal' Brexit appears defeated. Now he's pushing ...", "text": "LONDON – Another day of high political drama was expected in Britain on Wednesday as Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a potential fight to call a general election after rebel lawmakers took a decisive step toward taking control of the Brexit process.\n\nThe battle over Britain's efforts to leave the European Union intensified Tuesday as opposition and rebel lawmakers from Johnson's ruling Conservative Party effectively began wresting control of Brexit from him on a day when Britain's leader suffered key defections and was deprived of his parliamentary majority.\n\nIn a vote, parliamentarians successfully challenged Johnson’s insistence that the nation will leave the E.U. on Oct. 31 with or without a formal withdrawal agreement.\n\nLawmakers tentatively approved proposed legislation that would force Johnson to request that the E.U. delay Brexit until Jan. 31 unless a new exit deal is approved by the Halloween deadline – or unless Parliament votes in favor of a \"no-deal\" Brexit.\n\nThe outcome, which needs to be confirmed in a series of further votes on Wednesday and later this week, means that Johnson likely won't be permitted to take Britain out of the E.U. without an exit deal. It also means Johnson will try to call a general election, deepening Britain's political crisis three years after it voted to leave the political bloc.\n\nJohnson lost the vote 328 to 301, with a total of 21 lawmakers, including several ex-cabinet members, siding with opposition parties to defeat Johnson's government. Among the rebels was Sir Nicholas Soames, Winston Churchill's grandson.\n\n\"Let there be no doubt about the consequences of this vote tonight,\" Johnson said in Parliament, visibly annoyed at the result. \"Parliament is on the brink of wrecking any deal we might reach with Brussels. This will mean more dither and more delay.\"\n\nJohnson said his only remaining option was to call an October election.\n\n\"The people of this country will have to choose,\" he said.\n\nMore:Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is like Trump. Only he isn't.\n\nIf an election takes place, it will be Britain's third general election in four years. A general election can only be called every five years unless a prime minister gets approval from two-thirds of lawmakers. Johnson can choose the vote's date. It's not immediately clear if he will be able to achieve the sufficient parliamentary math for that.\n\nOct. 15. has been suggested as one possible date for the vote.\n\nThe situation remains fluid and subject to change but lawmakers may vote on whether to have a new election around 8:30 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. EST).\n\nAhead of Tuesday's vote, Johnson's ruling Conservative Party lost its slim working parliamentary majority of just one seat after a Conservative Party politician, Philip Lee, defected to the Liberal Democrats, saying he left because \"this Conservative government is aggressively pursuing a damaging Brexit.\"\n\nBrexit files:Boris Johnson asks Queen Elizabeth to suspend Parliament\n\nEconomists believe a \"no-deal\" Brexit is a potentially dangerous move because it will overnight do away with decades of seamless trade and cooperation of the E.U. bloc's single market of 500 million people. It could lead to disruption of travel and supplies and lead to a \"hard\" border between E.U. member Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. Johnson is adamant that the potential for leaving without a deal must remain as a bargaining chip in E.U. negotiations, but the E.U. has repeatedly made it clear that it is not willing to renegotiate the agreement struck with former Prime Minister Theresa May, which led to her downfall.\n\n\"Leaving without a deal will have significant negative consequences for the U.K. economy. Nor will it mark the end of Brexit, merely herald in the start of negotiations that promise to be significantly more difficult than those we have witnessed to date,\" said Anand Menon, a professor of politics at King's College London and the author of a report published Tuesday by think tank The UK in a Changing Europe.\n\nJohnson's decision to attempt to hold any new vote two weeks ahead of Britain's official Brexit date has led analysts and political commentators to speculate that it may be a move designed to shore up \"no-deal\" support from his own Conservative Party.\n\n\"We are finding ourselves in the middle of a full-throttle confrontation between a Parliament that does not want to allow the country to leave the EU without a deal and a prime minister who secured his place in power promising he would always keep that option,\" wrote Laura Kuenssberg, the BBC's chief political commentator, in a blog post.\n\nSir Keir Starmer, Brexit Secretary for the main opposition Labour Party, told BBC radio Wednesday that his party was in favor of an election, but that he did not \"trust\" Johnson to hold the election before the Brexit deadline. \"We are not shy of a general election but we are not going to be trapped into abandoning control of Parliament or be taken in what Boris Johnson says because we don't trust him,\" he said.\n\nThe prime minister has already controversially shortened the time lawmakers have to debate Brexit by suspending Parliament for five weeks from the start of next week. He has also threatened to ban from standing at the next election any Conservative Party politicians who voted with the rebels to prevent a \"no-deal\" Brexit.\n\nTraveling with pets in Europe:No-deal Brexit would make crossing borders much tougher\n\nAhead of the vote on Tuesday, Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, accused Johnson of \"riding roughshod\" over the constitution in order to crash Britain out of the EU without a deal.\n\n\"He isn’t winning friends in Europe. He’s losing friends at home. His is a government with no mandate, no morals and, as of today, no majority,\" Corbyn said.\n\nAs Brexit has faced delays, international investors have showed concern.\n\nThe British pound fell as low as $1.1960 on Tuesday, down a cent on the day before, before stabilizing around $1.1990, where it remains Wednesday near historic lows.\n\nConfused about Brexit? Here's a brief primer\n\nJune 2016: British public vote to leave the European Union. \"Leave\" side wins by a narrow majority.\n\nMarch 2017: British government formally triggers Article 50, legislation backed by Parliament that gives the E.U. notice it will leave the bloc in two years.\n\nNovember 2018: British Parliament and E.U. leaders agree to tentative withdrawal agreement over the objection of many British lawmakers who worry about how the deal treats the status of the free-trade border between E.U.-member Ireland and North Ireland (part of the United Kingdom) after Brexit.\n\nNovember 2018-March 2019: British Prime Minister Theresa May fails three times over several months to get parliamentary approval for deal agreed with E.U.\n\nMarch 29: Initial Brexit deadline passes. May requests new June 30 deadline. The E.U. grants a longer extension, until Oct. 31.\n\nMay 24: After months of pressure, May announces she will resign as prime minister effective June 7, but will stay on in a caretaker capacity until a successor is found.\n\nMay 23-26: Britain participates in E.U. parliamentary elections even though it is still expecting to leave the E.U.\n\nJuly 24: Boris Johnson is appointed prime minister after an internal Conservative Party vote. In Britain, a party, not a specific leader is elected. Johnson vows to deliver Brexit with or without a formal withdrawal agreement with the E.U.\n\nAug. 28: Johnson asks Queen Elizabeth to \"prorogue\" or suspend Parliament from Sept. 10, boosting his chances of delivering Brexit with or without an E.U. exit deal.\n\nSept. 3: Parliament to return from recess. Lawmakers tentatively approve proposed legislation aimed at preventing a \"no-deal\" Brexit.\n\nSept. 10: Parliament expected to be \"prorogued\" or suspended per Johnson's request.\n\nOct 14: Potential British election.\n\nOct. 17-18: Last scheduled E.U. summit where Brexit will be discussed.\n\nOct. 31: Britain expected to formally leave the E.U.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2019/09/03"}, {"url": "https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/politics/957269/what-nadhim-zahawis-appointment-as-chancellor-means-for-the-cost-of-living", "title": "What does Nadhim Zahawi's appointment as chancellor mean for ...", "text": "Nadhim Zahawi has been appointed chancellor after Rishi Sunak’s dramatic resignation from government last night.\n\nRishi Sunak published a letter of resignation on Twitter yesterday evening, in which he said that “standards are worth fighting for” just minutes after then Health Secretary Sajid Javid also resigned from his post. Both said they had lost confidence in the prime minister’s leadership. The resignations come amid a row over Johnson’s handling of the Chris Pincher scandal, which has engulfed the government in recent days.\n\nJohnson hands Zahawi keys to No. 11\n\nWith two of his top ministers gone – followed by a wave of resignations from junior ministers and aides – Johnson set about shoring up his top team by quickly appointing Zahawi as his new chancellor, while one-time Downing Street chief of staff Steve Barclay was appointed to the role of health secretary.\n\nSpeaking to Sky News after his appointment last night, Zahawi denied he had threatened to quit the government unless he was given the keys to No. 11, telling Kay Burley he “didn't threaten to resign at all”. He said: “This is a team game, and you play for the team, and you deliver for the team.”\n\nAnd in a pointed reference to his predecessor, he said that it was “easy to walk away” from government, but “much tougher to deliver for the country”.\n\nWhat does Zahawi face as chancellor?\n\nZahawi has taken on the Treasury’s top job as Britain faces “its worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation” and the former vaccines minister is now set to contend with an “increasingly fragile economy, with the OECD already predicting growth will stagnate next year and lag behind every member of the Group of 20 aside from Russia”, said Bloomberg.\n\nThere are fears that the mounting cost-of-living crisis could soon tip the UK into a recession, as rising inflation knocks consumer confidence and reins in household spending. Inflation has already reached a 40-year-high of 9.1% and is set to rise past 11% in the autumn.\n\nIn an interview with Sky News soon after his appointment, Zahawi said he was “determined to do more” to cut taxes in order to boost the UK’s struggling economy. When asked if he intends to reverse an imminent increase in corporation tax, he said that “nothing is off the table”.", "authors": ["Sorcha Bradley"], "publish_date": "2022/07/06"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/07/22/britains-new-prime-minister-boris-johnson-or-jeremy-hunt/1753263001/", "title": "Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt will replace Theresa May as Britain's ...", "text": "LONDON – Britain's next leader will either be Boris Johnson, regarded as an eccentric, gaffe-prone populist who draws comparisons to President Donald Trump, or Jeremy Hunt, who has a reputation as a steady pair of hands, but whose commitment to delivering the country's exit from the European Union – Brexit – has been questioned.\n\nThe winner – chosen by an internal Conservative Party vote because Britain elects a party not a prime minster – is expected to be announced on Tuesday.\n\nOn Wednesday, current Prime Minister Theresa May will formally submit her resignation to Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. May is stepping down over her failed Brexit plan. She will remain a member of Parliament for now.\n\nHere's what you need to know about the candidates, what the new leader could mean for Brexit and Britain's relationship with its closest ally: the United States.\n\nJohnson: self-described 'three-toed sloth'\n\nNew York-born Johnson, 55, is the front runner to become Britain's next prime minister.\n\nHe is a direct descendant of King George II – his full name is Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson. Johnson has passed through many of the hallowed corridors of the British establishment, including Eton College and Oxford University.\n\nJohnson gave up his U.S. citizenship in 2016 amid a tax probe.\n\nIn 2008, he became the second elected mayor of London, a role he used to advance a pro-business, pro-development agenda. Before that, he was a member of Parliament and later served as foreign secretary in May's Cabinet, a position he resigned from, he said at the time, because Brexit's \"dream is dying, suffocated by needless self-doubt.\"\n\nPrior to getting into politics, Johnson was a journalist. He started as a reporter for the Times (of London) but was fired for fabricating a quote. He later edited The Spectator, a longstanding political magazine. His speeches are often laced with allusions to classical civilizations, ribald innuendo and are never far from controversy.\n\n\"She's got dyed blonde hair and pouty lips, and a steely blue stare, like a sadistic nurse in a mental hospital,\" he said of Hilary Clinton in 2007.\n\nAs part of his campaign to become London's mayor, Johnson said that \"voting (for his Conservative Party) will cause your wife to have bigger breasts and increase your chances of owning a BMW M3.\"\n\nJohnson has been accused of making racist and Islamophobic remarks and of a general lack of seriousness, whether in terms of the risks of Brexit or in saying the wrong thing, at the wrong time, such as when he falsely claimed that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian national jailed in Iran since 2016 on spying charges, was \"teaching people journalism.\" His remarks were used against the mother-of-one in her trial, which the British government regards as a sham.\n\nJohnson is infatuated with Winston Churchill, the cigar-chomping British politician. He wrote a book about him, published in 2014. In \"The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History,\" Johnson writes: \"No normal family man produces more published words than Shakespeare and Dickens, combined, wins the Nobel Prize for literature, kills umpteen people in armed conflict on four continents, serves in every great office of state including Prime Minister (twice), is indispensable to victory in two world wars and then posthumously sells his paintings for a million dollars.\"\n\nOne of Johnson's tactics as a politician is quintessentially British: self-deprecating humor. In an interview with USA TODAY around the time of the publication of his Churchill book, Johnson played down his similarities to Churchill: both started their careers as journalists, both have U.S. roots, writers both, political mavericks both.\n\n\"I am not worthy to lose the latchet of his shoes. I have more in common with a three-toed sloth or a one-eyed pterodactyl or a Kalamata olive than I have with Winston Churchill,\" he said. Johnson also said in that same interview that his chance of one day becoming, like his hero Churchill, British prime minister was about as good as finding Elvis on Mars or being reincarnated as an olive.\n\n\"Boris Johnson is unpredictable,\" said Richard Whitman, a professor of politics at the University of Kent, in England. \"Based on his track record as London's mayor and his campaigning style it's difficult to know beyond Brexit what he might want to achieve as prime minister. It could be a matter of style over substance.\"\n\nWhitman described Johnson as a \"maverick.\"\n\nLike Hunt, Johnson's Conservative vision for Britain beyond the issue of Brexit is fairly traditional: cut taxes and red tape to stimulate economic growth. Both men are socially liberal on issues from abortion rights to gender discrimination.\n\nHunt: 'My wife's Japanese.' (She's Chinese)\n\nHunt, 52, has described himself as a \"born-again-Brexiteer\" because while he voted for Britain to stay in the EU in the 2016 referendum, given the result, he is now committed to ensuring it takes place on a point of principle: otherwise, he has said, democracy is subverted. It would also be \"political suicide\" for the Conservative Party to renege on its Brexit promise, Hunt has argued. If Brexit does not happen, he and Johnson both believe, Nigel Farage's single-issue Brexit Party and Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party are waiting in the wings to potentially put the Conservative Party into exile for years.\n\nLike Johnson, Hunt is the product of elite British institutions. He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Magdalen College, Oxford.\n\nHe attended Charterhouse School, a famous boarding school that dates to 1611 and was founded on the grounds of an old Carthusian monastery. Its former pupils are known as Old Carthusians. It only became fully co-ed for boys and girls in 2017.\n\nHunt has attempted to distinguish his candidacy by highlighting his career in business. Prior to entering politics, he worked first an English teacher in Japan, and then as an entrepreneur who started and sold a public relations consultancy and educational publisher that would later make him one of the wealthiest members of May's Cabinet.\n\nHe is often described as \"managerial\" in his approach to political decisions. Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary, University of London, said that if Johnson resembles Trump in his outspokenness and ability to court controversy, then Hunt is the \"Mitt Romney of British politics,\" a reference to the U.S. Senator from Utah's solid, professional demeanor that lacks the special political sauce called charisma.\n\nHunt's rise in politics was partly enabled by former Prime Minister David Cameron, who called the Brexit vote and then abruptly resigned when it went against him. Hunt attended Oxford University at the same time as Cameron and the latter subsequently appointed him culture secretary when he became prime minister in 2010.\n\nBut it was as Britain's longest-serving health secretary, presiding over the country's beloved state-run National Health Service (NHS), that Hunt made his name. Hunt oversaw a series of aggressive reforms to the NHS aimed at boosting its budget, improving inefficiencies and lowering waiting times that his critics fear have come at the cost of opening up the taxpayer-funded service to private companies.\n\nHunt was named foreign secretary by May after Johnson's resignation. He often uses the fact that his wife is Chinese and he has three half-Chinese children with her to burnish his internationalist credentials.\n\nNot as prone to awkward and insensitive remarks as Johnson, Hunt is not entirely gaffe-free. During his debut trip to China last year as Britain’s new foreign minister he accidentally referred to his wife as \"Japanese,\" an attempt, perhaps, to curry favor with his Chinese hosts. \"My wife is Japanese – my wife is Chinese. That’s a terrible mistake to make,\" Hunt told his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.\n\n\"Hunt is someone who has been promoted very swiftly, and very fortuitously, and he sees an opportunity to be the anti-Boris; not openly charismatic, the steady one,\" said Matt Beech, a director of the Center for British Politics at the University of Hull, in England. \"He's leaving all the froth, charisma and personality to one side because he can't compete with Boris, and nor would he want to. His temperament is too different.\"\n\nWhither Brexit?\n\nJohnson has pledged that if he becomes prime minister he will ensure that Britain departs the EU by October 31, even if that means leaving the 28-nation bloc without a formal exit arrangement. Yet it remains unclear whether British parliamentarians, who repeatedly voted down May's EU exit deal, will let a so-called no-deal Brexit take place because it could significantly harm Britain's economy; cause major disruptions at airports, sea ports and other borders; and risks disrupting many just-in-time supply-chain processes affecting fresh foods and essential medicines. Johnson has raised the prospect of bypassing Parliament to deliver a \"no-deal\" Brexit if necessary.\n\nMore:Britain's embattled leader Theresa May resigns amid Brexit deadlock\n\n\"Boris Johnson's commitment to delivering Brexit by Oct. 31 is absolute. He knows if he doesn't, he will be finished,\" said Iain Duncan Smith, a Johnson supporter and former leader of the Conservative Party. \"Hunt is not committed to that date. He wants more wiggle room. This difference is singular because if Johnson wins, the first 100 days of his leadership will be all about leaving the European Union.\"\n\nHunt has published a 10-point Brexit delivery plan that includes ramping up preparations for a \"no-deal\" Brexit, including a \"no deal\" Cabinet task force. However, he has avoided the \"do or die\" stance advocated by Johnson and sees leaving the EU without an exit deal as a measure of extreme last resort. This is, ultimately, one of the reasons why he is likely to lose the race against Johnson.\n\nThe majority of the British public oppose a \"no deal\" Brexit, but the majority of Conservative Party members – the 160,000 people who are deciding between Johnson and Hunt – are solidly in favor of a \"no deal\" Brexit.\"\n\nBritain's Parliament has taken steps to try to block any attempt by Johnson to go around lawmakers in a quest for a \"no-deal\" Brexit. A number of May's Cabinet members, including Philip Hammond, her powerful chancellor of the exchequer – a job akin to treasury secretary – have vowed to resign if Johnson becomes prime minister because of the dangers of leaving the EU without a deal.\n\nMeanwhile, EU leaders say they are not willing to renegotiate the terms of an exit deal already agreed upon with May, and which ultimately led to her ouster. This, too, favors Johnson, who Conservative Party members see as far more likely to deliver on his Brexit promise, even if it means a hardline \"no deal\" version, according to Bale, the professor of politics at Queen Mary, University of London.\n\nWhat about the Trump factor?\n\nDuring his state visit to Britain in June, Trump said that Johnson and Hunt would both make good prime ministers to replace May.\n\n\"I know Boris, I like him, I've liked him for a long time. I think he would do a very good job,\" he told a news conference, standing alongside May, and in front of Hunt.\n\n\"I know Jeremy, I think he’d do a very good job,\" he said.\n\nThat was before Britain's ambassador to Washington, Sir Kim Darroch, resigned this month after leaked diplomatic cables he sent back to London described the Trump administration as \"inept\" and \"clumsy.\" The leak led to a fierce backlash from Trump, who said he was no longer willing to see or work with Darroch.\n\nJohnson has attempted to be equivocal about the diplomatic spat, whereas Hunt has expressed strong disapproval, calling Trump \"disrespectful and wrong\" over the diplomat's treatment. Trump reiterated his support for Johnson's candidacy over the weekend. \"I think we're going to have a great relationship,\" he said.\n\nBoth men have ruled out joining any theoretical Trump push to war with Iran over its nuclear program, although whoever wins will face the immediate problem of how to respond to Iran's seizing in the Strait of Hormuz of a British-flagged oil tanker.\n\nBoth men have criticized Trump's attacks on Democratic congresswomen.\n\nWhitman, the politics expert at the University of Kent, said if Johnson wins, the first Trump-Johnson press conference \"will be fascinating to watch because they are both showmen.\" He said in terms of the underlying \"special relationship\" between the U.S. and Britain – forged over decades of close economic and military ties – neither Johnson nor Hunt would dramatically change the flavor of Britain's U.S. partnership.\n\nThat assessment was endorsed by Beech, the director of the Center for British Politics.\n\nHe said that while Johnson won't back or support everything Trump says or tweets, and temperamentally both men were politically \"idiosyncratic\" and \"instinctive,\" it didn't really matter whether it was him or Hunt who occupies No. 10 Downing Street, the prime minister's official residence and office in central London.\n\nBeech said that when \"it all boils down,\" Johnson, like Hunt, May, Cameron and other senior mainstream British politicians of recent years, \"all realize\" they need to get on with the world's most powerful nation and leader. They need to get on with Trump.\n\nYou can follow USA TODAY international correspondent Kim Hjelmgaard on Twitter", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2019/07/22"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/19/uk/uk-boris-johnson-pork-pie-plot-gbr-intl/index.html", "title": "Boris Johnson: What is the 'pork pie plot' and what does it mean for ...", "text": "London (CNN) UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in trouble. Large chunks of the British public are furious about reports of boozy summer garden evenings , Christmas parties and a birthday party or two for him at his Downing Street office and residence, all taking place at a time when the rest of the country was under strict Covid-19 restrictions.\n\nTwo polls in the last two weeks suggest as much as two-thirds of the public wants Johnson to resign as Prime Minister.\n\nAnd on Tuesday, January 25, the Metropolitan Police announced they were investigating \"a number of events\" that took place at Downing Street and Whitehall in relation to potential breaches of coronavirus regulations in force at the time.\n\nSo, is Boris Johnson's time at Number 10 over?\n\nIt's too soon to tell.\n\nOne factor that may work in his favor is that the process of getting rid of a sitting Conservative British prime minister is fairly complicated.\n\nPrime ministers are not elected directly by the public, of course -- Brits vote for their local member of Parliament, and the leader of the largest party in Parliament becomes prime minister. The United Kingdom doesn't have to hold another parliamentary election before 2024, so there's no way the average voter on the street can boot Johnson out now.\n\nOnce upon a time, even the announcement that police were investigating a sitting prime minister would have prompted the head of government to resign. So far, it has not spurred Johnson to do so.\n\nThen why all this talk about him facing a confidence vote?\n\nThe general public may not be able to vote Johnson out of office, but Conservative lawmakers can. Rumors are flying around Westminster about backbench Conservatives sending letters of no confidence to Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee.\n\nAnd on Wednesday, as Johnson prepared for the weekly Prime Minister's Questions in Parliament, one Conservative MP dramatically defected to the opposition Labour party. Christian Wakeford has been openly critical of Johnson in recent days, calling the scandal \"embarrassing\" in a January 12 tweet. \"How do you defend the indefensible? You can't!,\" Wakeford remarked.\n\nBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing the most challenge moment of his premiership.\n\nWhat does that mean? What's the 1922 Committee?\n\nThis is the group of Conservative backbenchers -- workaday lawmakers who are not in the government as ministers. Graham Brady is the long-standing chairman of the group.\n\nUnder Conservative party rules, if MPs want to get rid of their leader, they submit a confidential letter of no confidence to the chair, who keeps them secret, not even revealing how many letters have been submitted.\n\nLetters can be withdrawn after they have been handed in, so the number may constantly be shifting -- going down as well as up.\n\nWhen 15% of Conservative lawmakers have submitted letters, it triggers a vote of confidence among all Conservative lawmakers.\n\nThere are currently 359 Conservative MPs (after one defected to Labour last week in protest at Johnson's leadership) after Wakeford's defection, which means it takes 54 letters to trigger a no-confidence vote, and then 180 votes against Johnson to remove him from office.\n\nJohnson's predecessor Theresa May went through this agony in 2018 -- MPs submitted enough letters to trigger a confidence vote in her, but when the vote came, she survived it.\n\nOn paper, at least, defeating a no-confidence vote strengthens a prime minister, because it means another challenge cannot be launched for 12 months. But in practice, going through the process, even if the prime minister wins, tends to be fatal. May was out of office just a year after beating back her party rebellion.\n\nWhat is the Sue Gray report, and could it spell the end for Johnson?\n\nSenior civil servant Sue Gray is conducting an inquiry -- at the prime minister's request -- into the reports of various parties at Johnson's Downing Street office and garden in violation of Covid restrictions in 2020 and 2021.\n\nThere has been feverish speculation about when the report will come out and what it will say.\n\nOn Tuesday, a cabinet minister told CNN that Downing Street is prepped for the report to be in the public domain on Wednesday.\n\nIf the report is officially published -- rather than leaked ahead of publication -- Johnson will give a statement following Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.\n\nA full report will then be published at a later date when the opposition party has control of parliamentary business in the House of Commons, likely on February 1, according to the cabinet minister who spoke to CNN.\n\nWho becomes Prime Minister if Johnson loses a Conservative party no-confidence vote?\n\nThe Conservative party would decide. It would not spark a new national parliamentary election -- all current lawmakers would stay in office.\n\nThe current Deputy Prime Minister is Dominic Raab, but that does not mean he would become prime minister if Johnson is voted out.\n\nInstead, the Conservative party would launch its own complicated process for choosing a new leader, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss thought to be among the top contenders.\n\nHow many letters have been submitted?\n\nOnly Graham Brady knows.\n\nPart of the reason Brady has been chair of the 1922 Committee for so long is his discretion -- he never reveals how many letters he has in his safe.\n\nBut the Westminster rumor mill is in overdrive this week. The latest suggestion is that an effort by Johnson loyalists to tamp down rebellion among newer MPs elected in 2019 went disastrously wrong, prompting a new wave of letters to the 1922 Committee.\n\nIs that the 'Pork Pie Plot?'\n\nYes. The British press is rife with speculation that the MP for Rutland & Melton, Alicia Kearns, hosted a meeting of discontented Conservative backbenchers this week. That constituency is home to the famous Melton Mowbray pork pie. It's probably simply an odd coincidence that \"pork pie\" is Cockney rhyming slag for \"lie\" -- just what Boris Johnson is so often accused of doing.\n\nThis story has been updated to correct the number of MPs required to vote Johnson out of office.", "authors": ["Richard Allen Greene", "Luke Mcgee", "Bianca Nobilo"], "publish_date": "2022/01/19"}, {"url": "https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/politics/955705/what-would-boris-johnson-do-after-leaving-downing-street", "title": "What will Boris Johnson do after leaving Downing Street? | The ...", "text": "We will use the details you have shared to manage your registration. You agree to the processing, storage, sharing and use of this information for the purpose of managing your registration as described in our Privacy Policy.\n\nWould you like to receive The WeekDay newsletter ?\n\nThe WeekDay newsletter provides you with a daily digest of news and analysis.\n\nWe will use the details you have shared to manage your newsletter subscription. You agree to the processing, storage, sharing and use of this information for the purpose of managing your subscription as described in our Privacy Policy.\n\nWe will use the information you have shared for carefully considered and specific purposes, where we believe we have a legitimate case to do so, for example to send you communications about similar products and services we offer. You can find out more about our legitimate interest activity in our Privacy Policy.\n\nIf you wish to object to the use of your data in this way, please tick here.\n\n'We' includes The Week and other Future Publishing Limited brands as detailed here.", "authors": ["The Week Staff"], "publish_date": "2022/02/09"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_21", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:30", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/957266/ten-things-you-need-to-know-today-6-july-2022", "title": "Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 6 July 2022 | The Week UK", "text": "Inquiry hears Grenfell stories\n\nRelatives whose loved ones died at Grenfell Tower have gathered to finally hear in public the stories of how each of them perished. The public inquiry heard that one man, Mohamed Neda, 57, who fled the Taliban in 1998, fell to his death, after refusing to escape to stay with four women who were stranded because two of them were disabled. Shortly before he died he sent his brother-in-law a voicemail to say: “I am leaving this world, goodbye.” The latest wave of hearings came five years and 21 days since a fire engulfed the west London tower block, killing 72 people.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/07/06"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_22", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:31", "search_result": []}
{"question_id": "20220708_23", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:31", "search_result": []}
{"question_id": "20220708_24", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:31", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/08/asia/japan-shinzo-abe-dies-shooting-intl-hnk/index.html", "title": "Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe assassinated in Nara ...", "text": "Tokyo (CNN) Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died on Friday after being shot while giving a campaign speech on a street in central Japan.\n\nThe assassination of the former world leader in broad daylight has shocked a nation not used to gun violence and prompted an outpouring of support and condolences from the international community.\n\nAbe died from excessive bleeding and was pronounced dead at 5:03 p.m. local time, doctors at the Nara Medical University hospital said during a press conference on Friday. The doctors said the bullet that killed the former Japanese leader was \"deep enough to reach his heart\" and a team of 20 medical professionals were unable to stop the bleeding.\n\nAbe went into cardiopulmonary arrest at the site of the shooting and was rushed to hospital in a state of cardiac arrest at 12:20 p.m. local time, doctors said. During surgery, doctors discovered a bullet wound to his neck and a large wound on his heart.\n\nThe suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, who was detained at the scene, has admitted to shooting Abe, according to Nara Nishi police.\n\nAbe, 67, was the former Liberal Democratic Party leader and Japan's longest-serving prime minister, holding office from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020, before resigning due to health reasons. Since stepping down, he remained in the public eye and regularly appeared in the media to discuss current affairs.\n\nPhotos: Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks moments before being shot in front of Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara, Japan, on July 8. Hide Caption 1 of 16 Photos: Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, center, lies on the ground having been shot in Nara, Japan, on July 8. Hide Caption 2 of 16 Photos: Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is taken on a stretcher to a helicopter after being shot in front of Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara, Japan, on July 8. Hide Caption 3 of 16 Photos: Akie Abe, center, wife of former Japanese prime minster Shinzo Abe, arrives by train in Nara before heading to the Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, where her husband was transferred after being shot during an election campaign in Nara on July 8. Hide Caption 4 of 16 Photos: Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to the media about the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at his office in Tokyo, Japan, on July 8. Hide Caption 5 of 16 Photos: Pedestrians are silhouetted against a large public video screen showing an image of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in the Akihabara district of Tokyo on July 8, after he was shot and killed in the city of Nara Hide Caption 6 of 16 Photos: Head of University Hospital Kimihiko Kichikawa, center left, and professor of emergency medicine, Hidetada Fukushima, center right, hold a press conference in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, where former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was confirmed dead after he was shot at a campaign event in the city of Nara on July 8. Hide Caption 7 of 16 Photos: Extra edition newspapers about Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe being shot while campaigning in Nara, Japan, are being distributed to people on a street on July 8, in Tokyo. Hide Caption 8 of 16 Photos: A man lays flowers at the site where Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot in Nara City, Japan, on July 8. Hide Caption 9 of 16 Photos: Media crews gather in an area near Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara, Japan, on July 8, after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot. Hide Caption 10 of 16 Photos: An aerial photo shows a man believed to be former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on a stretcher at Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, Japan, on July 8. Hide Caption 11 of 16 Photos: An ambulance carrying Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe leaves for an emergency hospital near Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara Prefecture on July 8. Hide Caption 12 of 16 Photos: Security police tackle a suspect who is believed to be involved in the shooting in front of Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara, Japan, on July 8. What appears to be a handmade gun lies on the ground near as a security officer seizes the suspect. Hide Caption 13 of 16 Photos: A television screen in Tokyo's Yurakucho area on July 8 shows the news that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been shot Hide Caption 14 of 16 Photos: The scene on the ground in Nara, Japan, near the location where former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot on July 8. Hide Caption 15 of 16 Photos: A photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter in Nara, Japan, on July 8, shows an area near the location where former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot from behind earlier in the day. Hide Caption 16 of 16\n\nAt the time of the shooting, Abe was delivering a speech in support of LDP candidates in Nara city ahead of the upcoming Upper House elections scheduled for Sunday.\n\nVideo aired by the public broadcaster captured the moments before the shooting, showing Abe speaking to a small crowd in front of Yamatosaidaiji railway station. In subsequent videos, two shots can be heard and smoke can be seen in the air.\n\nPhotos of the scene show people gathered around the former leader as he lay in the street, with what appeared to be blood stains on his white shirt.\n\nHe was rushed to hospital via helicopter, where medics began frantic efforts to keep him alive. He was believed to have been shot twice, in the chest and neck, NHK reported, citing police.\n\nAn official from the Nara City Fire Department told CNN earlier on Friday that Abe was in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest, a term used to describe the sudden loss of heart function and breathing.\n\nYamagami, who appeared to have used a homemade weapon in the attack, was arrested and charged with attempted murder, according to NHK.\n\nHe was held for questioning at Nara Nishi police station, NHK reported.\n\nDuring a press conference Friday, Nara Nishi police said the 41-year-old suspect, who is unemployed, holds hatred towards a certain group to which he thought Abe was related.\n\nPolice raided the suspect's apartment at 5:17 p.m. local time, where they confiscated several handmade pistol-like items, police said.\n\nYamagami is being investigated as a suspect in a murder case, to which 90 investigators have been assigned, the police added.\n\nJapanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida paid his \"deepest condolences\" to former leader Abe, saying he \"was a personal friend, with whom (he) spent a lot of time.\"\n\nKishida said he had a \"great respect for the legacy (Abe) left behind\" and would continue election campaigning on Saturday, adding that a free and fair election must be defended at all costs.\n\nNews of the shooting and Abe's subsequent death horrified leaders around the world, many of whom had worked with Abe during his long tenure.\n\nUS President Joe Biden said he was \"stunned, outraged, and deeply saddened,\" adding that he had worked closely with Abe and that his killing was \"a tragedy for Japan and all who knew him.\"\n\n\"While there are many details that we do not yet know, we know that violent attacks are never acceptable and that gun violence always leaves a deep scar on the communities that are affected by it. The United States stands with Japan in this moment of grief,\" Biden said in a statement.\n\n\"Abe was one of Australia's closest friends on the world stage,\" Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote on Twitter, adding that Abe was \"a leader in the Indo-Pacific, championing a vision of a free and open region.\"\n\nAbe's legacy includes a major Asia-Pacific trade partnership, known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the Quad , Albanese added, saying both were shaped by his diplomatic leadership.\n\nIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India would hold a day of national mourning on Saturday. Abe was \"a towering global statesman, an outstanding leader, and a remarkable administrator,\" said Modi, adding that his relationship with Abe \"goes back many years.\"\n\nUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Abe's death \"profoundly disturbing in and of itself, it's also such a strong personal loss for so many people.\" He added that the former prime minister \"was an extraordinary partner\" to the United States who brought the relationship between the two countries \"to new heights\" during his time in office.\n\nEuropean Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Abe \"a wonderful person, great democrat and champion of the multilateral world order\" in a tweet on Friday.\n\n\"I mourn with his family, his friends and all the people of Japan. This brutal and cowardly murder of Shinzo Abe shocks the whole world,\" she said.\n\nAfter Abe was shot but before his death was confirmed, China's Foreign Ministry sent its condolences to Abe's family. \"We are following the developments, and we hope former Prime Minister Abe will be out of danger and recover soon. We certainly would like to send our regards to his family,\" ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a news conference on Friday afternoon.\n\nJapan's low gun crime\n\nAbe's assassination has shocked Japan, which has one of the lowest rates of gun crime in the world due to its extremely strict gun control laws.\n\nIn 2018, Japan reported nine deaths from firearms, compared with 39,740 that year in the United States.\n\nUnder Japan's firearms laws, the only guns permitted for sale are shotguns and air rifles -- handguns are outlawed. But getting them is a long and complicated process.\n\nNancy Snow, Japan director of the International Security Industrial Council, told CNN that Friday's shooting will change the country \"forever.\"\n\n\"It's not only rare, but it's really culturally unfathomable,\" Snow said. \"The Japanese people can't imagine having a gun culture like we have in the United States. This is a speechless moment. I really feel at a loss for words. I pray for the best for the former prime minister.\"", "authors": ["Helen Regan", "Junko Ogura", "Tara John"], "publish_date": "2022/07/08"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/07/07/shinzo-abe-japan-prime-minister-shooting/10010982002/", "title": "Shinzo Abe of Japan dies after campaign speech shooting", "text": "Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, died at the age of 67 Friday after being shot during a campaign speech in western Japan. It was a shocking attack in a country that has some of the strictest gun control laws in the world.\n\nAbe was shot from behind minutes after he started his speech Friday in the city of Nara . He collapsed bleeding and was airlifted to a nearby hospital in Nara, although he was not breathing and his heart had stopped, the Associated Press reported. He was later pronounced dead after receiving massive blood transfusions, officials said.\n\nPolice arrested a male suspect, identified as 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, at the scene of the shooting in Nara, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno .\n\nThe Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that Yamagami worked for the Maritime Self-Defense Force for three years until around 2005. He said he wanted to kill Abe because he had complaints about him unrelated to politics, according to NHK.\n\nIn Washington, President Joe Biden said he was \"stunned, outraged, and deeply saddened\" by Abe's assassination.\n\n\"This is a tragedy for Japan and for all who knew him,\" Biden said in a statement early Friday. He called Abe \"a champion of the alliance between our nations and the friendship between our people.\"\n\nNEWS DEVELOPING INTO THE EVENING:For an update later tonight, sign up for the Evening Briefing.\n\nNHK aired footage showing Abe collapsed on the street, with several security guards running toward him, He was bleeding and holding his chest. Two apparent gun shots are audible in the video.\n\nThe video also shows security guards tackling the apparent gunman to the ground. pavement.A double-barreled device that appeared to be a handmade gun was seen on the ground, according to the Associated Press.\n\nAbe was making a campaign speech ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary elections.\n\nJapan has some of the strictest gun laws in the world. Prospective owners must undergo formal instruction as well as written, mental, and drug tests and a rigorous background check.\n\nAbe first became Japanese prime minister in 2006, when he was 52, making him the youngest leader to hold the post at the time. But he resigned a year later after his Liberal Democratic Party lost control of the legislature and amid his own health issues; he suffered from ulcerative colitis.\n\nAbe was elected to lead the party again in 2012, elevating him to prime minister a second time in December of that year. He led the country until August 2020, announcing his resignation when his illness resurfaced.\n\nDuring his second stint as prime minister, Abe worked to revitalize the nation and get its economy out of its deflationary doldrums with his \"Abenomics\" formula, which combined fiscal stimulus, monetary easing and structural reforms.\n\nHis ultra-nationalism riled the Koreas and China, and his push to normalize Japan’s defense posture angered many Japanese. Abe failed to achieve his cherished goal of formally rewriting the U.S.-drafted pacifist constitution due to public opposition.\n\nFollowing his resignation, Abe remained an influential political figure in his Liberal Democratic Party.\n\n'NEW RULES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY ECONOMY':Biden rolls out alternative to traditional trade pact in Indo-Pacific, aim is countering China\n\nFormer President Donald Trump said it was \"absolutely devastating news.\" He said on his social media app, Truth Social, that Abe \"was a true friend of mine and, much more importantly, America. This is a tremendous blow to the wonderful people of Japan, who loved and admired him so much. We are all praying for Shinzo and his beautiful family!\"\n\nRahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, said \"we are all saddened and shocked\" by the shooting.\n\n\"Abe-san has been an outstanding leader of Japan and unwavering ally of the U.S. The U.S. Government and American people are praying for the well-being of Abe-san, his family, & people of Japan,\" he wrote in a tweet.\n\nContributing: Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY; The Associated Press", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/07/07"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/07/asia/shinzo-abe-japan-nara-shooting-intl-hnk/index.html", "title": "Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in critical condition ...", "text": "Tokyo (CNN) Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is in critical condition and fighting for his life after being shot in the street in broad daylight while making a campaign speech in the central city of Nara, in an attack that has shocked the nation.\n\nPrime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a press conference on Friday that Abe is receiving emergency treatment at the Nara Medical University hospital, where medical staff are fighting to save him.\n\n\"This is not a forgivable act,\" Kishida said. \"We will comprehend the situation and take appropriate measures.\"\n\nAbe's younger brother, Japan's Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi told reporters Abe was receiving a blood transfusion.Shortly afterward, Abe's wife arrived at the hospital to be with her husband, Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported.\n\nAn official from the Nara City Fire Department earlier confirmed to CNN that Abe was in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest, a term used to describe the sudden loss of heart function and breathing.\n\nAn aerial photo shows a man believed to be former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the stretcher at Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture on July 8.\n\nAbe is the former Liberal Democratic Party leader and Japan's longest-serving prime minister, holding office from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020, before resigning due to health reasons. Since stepping down, he has remained in the public eye and regularly appears in the media to discuss current affairs.\n\nwas rushed to hospital via helicopter in the aftermath of the shooting. According to police, he was believed to have been shot twice, in the chest and neck, Abewas rushed to hospital via helicopter in the aftermath of the shooting. According to police, he was believed to have been shot twice, in the chest and neck, NHK reported\n\nA suspect, identified as Tetsuya Yamagami, a local man in his 40s, was arrested and charged with attempted murder, according to NHK. It appears the suspect used a handmade gun in the attack, though the motive remains unclear. He is being held for questioning at Nara Nishi police station, NHK reported.\n\nPhotos from the scene show the weapon on the ground, wrapped in black material.\n\nCNN has not yet been able to independently verify these reports.\n\nVideo aired on NHK and images from the scene show police wrestling a man to the ground near where the former Prime Minister was standing. Another video aired by NHK shows smoke in the air.\n\nWhat appears to be a homemade weapon on the ground near where a security officer seized a suspect believed to have shot former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in front of Yamatosaidaiji Station on July 8, in Nara, Japan.\n\nPrime Minister Kishida, who was on a tour of duty, rushed back to his office and government ministers in various parts of the country had been urged to return to Tokyo immediately, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said.\n\n\"Such barbaric behavior is unacceptable for any reason and we firmly condemn it. The government will take all possible measures to deal with the situation,\" Matsuno said.\n\nHow events unfolded\n\nAbe was making a speech in support of LDP candidates ahead of the upcoming Upper House elections scheduled for Sunday. He was due to head to Kyoto and Saitama prefecture, near the capital Tokyo.\n\nVideo aired by NHK captured the moments leading up to the shooting and show Abe speaking to a small crowd in the street in front of Yamatosaidaiji Station in Nara. In subsequent video two shots can be heard.\n\nIn this aerial image, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is on a stretcher to a helicopter after being shot in front of Yamatosaidaiji Station on July 8.\n\nThe former Prime Minister was conscious and responsive while being transported following the shooting, police sources told NHK.\n\nImages show Abe being carried on a stretcher to a helicopter.\n\nOutpouring of global concern\n\nWorld leaders sent well wishes and messages of condolence in the wake of the shooting.\n\nThe United States Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emmanuel said in a tweet early Friday, \"We are all saddened and shocked by the shooting of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo.\"\n\n\"Abe-san has been an outstanding leader of Japan and unwavering ally of the US The US Government and American people are praying for the well-being of Abe-san, his family, & people of Japan.\"\n\nPhotos: Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks moments before being shot in front of Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara, Japan, on July 8. Hide Caption 1 of 16 Photos: Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, center, lies on the ground having been shot in Nara, Japan, on July 8. Hide Caption 2 of 16 Photos: Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is taken on a stretcher to a helicopter after being shot in front of Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara, Japan, on July 8. Hide Caption 3 of 16 Photos: Akie Abe, center, wife of former Japanese prime minster Shinzo Abe, arrives by train in Nara before heading to the Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, where her husband was transferred after being shot during an election campaign in Nara on July 8. Hide Caption 4 of 16 Photos: Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to the media about the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at his office in Tokyo, Japan, on July 8. Hide Caption 5 of 16 Photos: Pedestrians are silhouetted against a large public video screen showing an image of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in the Akihabara district of Tokyo on July 8, after he was shot and killed in the city of Nara Hide Caption 6 of 16 Photos: Head of University Hospital Kimihiko Kichikawa, center left, and professor of emergency medicine, Hidetada Fukushima, center right, hold a press conference in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, where former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was confirmed dead after he was shot at a campaign event in the city of Nara on July 8. Hide Caption 7 of 16 Photos: Extra edition newspapers about Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe being shot while campaigning in Nara, Japan, are being distributed to people on a street on July 8, in Tokyo. Hide Caption 8 of 16 Photos: A man lays flowers at the site where Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot in Nara City, Japan, on July 8. Hide Caption 9 of 16 Photos: Media crews gather in an area near Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara, Japan, on July 8, after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot. Hide Caption 10 of 16 Photos: An aerial photo shows a man believed to be former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on a stretcher at Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, Japan, on July 8. Hide Caption 11 of 16 Photos: An ambulance carrying Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe leaves for an emergency hospital near Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara Prefecture on July 8. Hide Caption 12 of 16 Photos: Security police tackle a suspect who is believed to be involved in the shooting in front of Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara, Japan, on July 8. What appears to be a handmade gun lies on the ground near as a security officer seizes the suspect. Hide Caption 13 of 16 Photos: A television screen in Tokyo's Yurakucho area on July 8 shows the news that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been shot Hide Caption 14 of 16 Photos: The scene on the ground in Nara, Japan, near the location where former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot on July 8. Hide Caption 15 of 16 Photos: A photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter in Nara, Japan, on July 8, shows an area near the location where former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot from behind earlier in the day. Hide Caption 16 of 16\n\nBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he is \"utterly appalled and saddened to hear about the despicable attack on Shinzo Abe,\" while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was \"deeply distressed by the attack on my dear friend.\"\n\nAmong those sharing messages of support and concern were US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard.\n\nJapan's low gun crime\n\nAbe's shooting has shocked Japan, which has one of the lowest rates of gun crime in the world due to its extremely strict gun control laws.\n\nIn 2018, Japan only reported nine deaths from firearms, compared with 39,740 that year in the United States, according to data compiled by the Sydney School of Public Health at the University of Sydney.\n\nUnder Japan's firearms laws, the only guns permitted for sale are shotguns and air rifles -- handguns are outlawed. But getting them is a long and complicated process.\n\nNancy Snow, Japan director of the International Security Industrial Council, told CNN that Friday's shooting will change the country \"forever.\"\n\n\"It's not only rare, but it's really culturally unfathomable,\" Snow said. \"The Japanese people can't imagine having a gun culture like we have in the United States. This is a speechless moment. I really feel at a loss for words. I pray for the best for the former prime minister.\"", "authors": ["Helen Regan", "Junko Ogura", "Emiko Jozuka"], "publish_date": "2022/07/07"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/08/asia/shinzo-abe-former-japan-pm-death-intl-hnk/index.html", "title": "Who was Shinzo Abe, the former Japanese Prime Minister? | CNN", "text": "Tokyo (CNN) Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died after being shot during a campaign speech Friday in Nara. He was 67.\n\nAbe was pronounced dead by doctors at the Nara Medical University hospital in central Japan at 5:03 p.m. local time. He was admitted into hospital in a state of cardiac arrest and medical staff were unable to stop the excessive bleeding, doctors said during a press conference on Friday.\n\nAbe served two separate terms as Japanese leader for the right-leaning LDP -- the first from 2006 to 2007, then again from 2012 until 2020. His second stint was the longest consecutive term for a Japanese head of government.\n\nAbe will be remembered for boosting defense spending and pushing through the most dramatic shift in Japanese military policy in 70 years. In 2015, his government passed a reinterpretation of Japan's postwar, pacifist constitution, allowing Japanese troops to engage in overseas combat -- with conditions -- for the first time since World War II.\n\nAbe argued the change was needed to respond to a more challenging security environment, a nod to a more assertive China and frequent missile tests in North Korea.\n\nDuring his term, Abe sought to improve relations with Beijing and held a historic phone call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in 2018. At the same time, he tried to counter Chinese expansion in the region by uniting Pacific allies.\n\nAfter leaving office, Abe remained head of the largest faction of the ruling LDP and remained influential within the party. He has continued to campaign for a stronger security policy and last year angered China by calling for a greater commitment from allies to defend democracy in Taiwan. In response, Beijing summoned Japan's ambassador and accused Abe of openly challenging China's sovereignty.\n\nAbe bows to applause from lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party after winning the party's presidential election on Sept. 20, 2006.\n\nAbe was born on September 21, 1954, in Tokyo, to a prominent political family. Both his grandfather and great uncle served as prime minister, and his father was a former secretary general of the LDP.\n\nHe studied politics at Tokyo's Seiki University and the University of Southern California, but initially entered business, taking a position with Kobe Steel in 1979. Three years later, he became an assistant to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.\n\nAbe was first elected to Japan's House of Representatives in 1993, at age 38. He held a number of cabinet positions throughout the 2000s, and in 2003 became secretary general of the LDP. Four years later, he was named the party's president and became prime minister of Japan.\n\nHis first term was marred by controversies and worsening health, and he stepped down as party leader and prime minister in 2007. The end of Abe's first term opened a revolving door in which five different men held the prime minister post in five years until his re-election in 2012. He stepped down in 2020 citing ill health.\n\nDiplomatic record\n\nAbe was a prominent figure on the world stage. He cultivated strong ties with Washington -- Tokyo's traditional ally -- and attempted to build a personal relationship with former United States President Donald Trump, traveling to New York to meet the newly elected Republican President while former President Barack Obama was still in office.\n\nDuring that \"unofficial\" meeting in 2016, Trump's first with any world leader, Abe hailed the US-Japan alliance and said he wanted to \"build trust\" with the new President. He strongly supported Trump's initial hard line on North Korea, which matched Abe's own hawkish tendencies.\n\nAbe escorts then President Donald Trump during a welcome ceremony at Akasaka Palace, Nov. 6, 2017.\n\nBut as Washington's relationship with Pyongyang tipped toward diplomacy, with both Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in holding historic summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Abe appeared to be sidelined.\n\nNo meeting was scheduled between Abe and Kim, and in September 2019, the Japanese leader said he was still \"determined\" to meet him. Abe wanted to normalize relations with North Korea and ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, but his first priority was to bring some closure for the families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 80s.\n\nDuring his tenure, Japan's relations with South Korea soured. The two countries were engaged in a major dispute in which trade and military intelligence deals were scrapped, partly due to the legacy of World War II and Japan's brutal colonization of the Korean Peninsula.\n\nJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe celebrating in Buenos Aires after Tokyo was chosen as the host city for the 2020 Summer Olympics in September 2013.\n\nOlympic 'Super Mario' success and setback\n\nAbe came to office during a time of economic turmoil and soon set about rebooting Japan's economy after decades of stagnation. Soon after he was re-elected prime minister in 2012, he launched a grand experiment popularly known as \"Abenomics.\"\n\nIt included three so-called arrows -- massive monetary stimulus, increased government spending, and structural reforms.\n\nAbe's allies praised the plan for reviving the country's economy and boosting consumer and investor confidence. But after a strong start, it faltered and in 2015 Abe fired \"three new arrows\" designed to boost gross domestic product. Any hopes they might eventually hit their mark were dashed when Covid-19 swept through the country in 2020, tipping Japan into recession.\n\nOne of Abe's major domestic achievements was securing the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Abe delighted video game fans around the world when he famously dressed as Japanese icon Super Mario during the closing ceremony for the Rio Games in 2016, to introduce Tokyo as the next host city.\n\nShinzo Abe, dressed as Super Mario, holds a red ball during the closing ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.\n\nIn an instantly meme-able segment, Abe, wearing an oversized red cap, was shown emerging from a green pipe, as the sounds of the Super Mario video game echoed around the Maracanã stadium.\n\nBut the success of the much anticipated Tokyo Games was ultimately undone by the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced the competition to be postponed to 2021.\n\nAn initial unwillingness to delay the Games was partly credited for Japan's slow response to the coronavirus pandemic, which hit the country early in 2020. Abe declared a state of emergency months after the first cases were detected. His administration was also criticized for the low rate of testing, and an early lack of specialist medical equipment to treat the rising number of patients.\n\nMore successful was Abe's handling of the abdication of Emperor Akihito, the first Japanese monarch to step down in two centuries. He was succeeded by his son, Emperor Naruhito, in October 2019, starting the Reiwa era.\n\n\"Like the flowers of the plum tree blooming proudly in spring after the cold winter, we wish the Japanese people to bloom like individual flowers with the (promise of the) future. With such a wish for Japan, we decided upon 'Reiwa',\" Abe said on announcing the new era.\n\nAbe is survived by his wife Akie Abe, née Matsuzaki, who he married in 1987. The couple did not have children.", "authors": ["Cnn Staff"], "publish_date": "2022/07/08"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/07/08/japans-ex-pm-shinzo-abe-killed-cipollone-testify-5-things-podcast/10011809002/", "title": "Ex-Japanese PM Abe shot and killed, a look at Boris Johnson's exit ...", "text": "On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Ex-Japanese Prime Minister Abe shot and killed\n\nThe apparent assassination happened during a campaign speech. Plus, international correspondent Kim Hjelmgaard tells us what exactly happened surrounding British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's resignation, former White House counsel Pat Cipollone will testify to the Jan. 6 committee, money reporter Bailey Schulz gives a gas price update and U.S. hiring may be slowing down.\n\nPodcasts:True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here.\n\nHit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below.This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.\n\nTaylor Wilson:\n\nGood morning. I'm Taylor Wilson and this is 5 Things you need to know Friday, the 8th of July, 2022. Today, a former Japanese prime minister is killed. Plus what's next in Britain following a political shake up and more.\n\nHere are some of the top headlines:\n\nThe first funerals for victims of the Highland Park shooting are set for today. They come as some severely injured victims hold onto life. One of them, 8 year old Cooper Roberts, is in critical but stable condition after being shot in the chest. Basketball star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty yesterday to drug possession charges. Her trial in Russian court continues in a case that could see her receive up to 10 years in prison. And James Caan has died. The legendary actor known for his work in The Godfather and other iconic films was 82.\n\nTaylor Wilson:\n\nShinzo Abe, Japan's former prime minister as recently as 2020, has died after being shot and killed during a campaign speech. Japan's NHK Television earlier reported his death. Abe was shot from behind minutes after he started his speech in Nara earlier today. A local fire department official said Abe went into cardiac and pulmonary arrest after being shot, and his heart stopped while being airlifted to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Police arrested a 41 year old male suspect on suspicion of attempted murder at the scene of the shooting. Abe came into office as Japan's prime minister for a second time in December of 2012. He was the country's longest serving leader before stepping down due to health issues in 2020.\n\n♦\n\nAs we talked about on yesterday's 5 Things, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced he would resign.\n\nBoris Johnson:\n\nIt is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party, that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore, a new prime minister. And, of course, I'm immensely proud of the achievements of this government. And in the last few days, I've tried to persuade my colleagues that it would be eccentric to change governments when we're delivering so much. But as we've seen at Westminster, the herd instinct is powerful. When the herd moves, it moves. And my friends in politics, no one is remotely indispensable.\n\nTaylor Wilson:\n\nThe move ends an unprecedented political crisis in the UK. 5 Things Producer, P.J. Elliott spoke with International Correspondent Kim Hjelmgaard about why Johnson stepped down and what's next for Britain.\n\nKim Hjelmgaard:\n\nIt's kind of accumulation of things that have gone on for weeks if not months. There's a series of sort of sleaze scandals involving allegations against some of his junior ministers that he claimed not to know about or he claimed at various times to know about, then not know about, then know about. He's kind of been a divisive figure in the UK ever since he was elected three years ago. A lot of people were dissatisfied that he was this huge champion of Brexit and didn't feel that it was maybe the best thing for the country. Although his Conservative Party members were broadly behind Brexit, there was still many who were not sort of happy about the way he conducted that business.\n\nHis poll numbers have been falling for a while. And there's concern that maybe he's not the best person to lead the country into the next general election, whenever that was going to be, sometime in the next couple years. And he's just kind of pissed off a lot of his own lawmakers over a long period of time because he's constantly kind of rewritten the rules of sort of how you behave in the British parliament. He's kind of ignored lots of traditions. He's just not of the typical mold of a British prime minister. But I think the series of scandals over the last number of weeks really were the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak, to use that phrase.\n\nP.J. Elliott:\n\nSo what's next for the UK? When does this go into effect and who's going to take over?\n\nKim Hjelmgaard:\n\nSo Boris Johnson, he gave his little speech and said that he was effectively going to stay kind of a caretaker prime minister for the next couple of months while his Conservative Party decides who is going to be the next leader. Because many Americans may not know this, but in the UK you actually elect a party you don't elect a specific individual. So what that means is that any point in time really, the ruling party can swap out a leader, a prime minister and internally select a new one. So that's the process it seems like they're going to kick off over the next couple of weeks and the Conservative Party members will come up with a list of candidates, some of which will be put forward, others which will be volunteering themselves. And they'll kind of like whittle it down over the rest of the summer to two who will then be sort of the formal two candidates. They'll have a number of public debates, probably focus more substantially on policy than they have been in recent times. There'll be a lot about the inflation, which has just kind of gone gangbusters, not just in the UK but around the world, the war in Ukraine, stuff like that.\n\nBut essentially they they're going to have an internal selection process that will play out between now and September, October, something like that. And at that point there'll be two candidates and they will internally sort of vote on those and one of them will emerge.\n\nTaylor Wilson:\n\nFor more click the link in today's episode description.\n\n♦\n\nFormer White House Counsel Pat Cipollone will testify today to the house committee investigating the January 6th capital attack. Committee members, including Vice Chair, Liz Cheney, had repeatedly called for his testimony to clarify what former President Donald Trump was doing before and during the capital insurrection. Cipollone urged Trump not to join the mob marching to the capital after his speech on January 6th, 2021, because of the risk he could be charged with every crime imaginable, according to former Trump aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, who testified last month.\n\nCassidy Hutchinson:\n\nMr. Cipollone said something to the effect of, \"Please, make sure we don't go up to the Capitol, Cassidy. Keep in touch with me. We're going to get charged with every crime imaginable if we make that movement happen.\"\n\nRep. Liz Cheney:\n\nAnd do you remember which crimes Mr. Cipollone was concerned with?\n\nCassidy Hutchinson:\n\nIn the days leading up to the 6th we had conversations about potentially obstructing justice or defrauding the electoral account.\n\nTaylor Wilson:\n\nCipollone also threatened to resign when Trump threatened to replace Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen with Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark, who was more willing to pursue claims of election fraud.\n\n♦\n\nCrude oil prices are down, but what does that mean for gas prices at the pump? Money reporter Bailey Schulz tells us what experts are saying.\n\nBailey Schulz:\n\nSo what we're seeing with crude oil prices, which really does affect the price that drivers see at the pump, is that prices have been dropping earlier this week, where on Tuesday and Wednesday prices fell mostly just because investors are getting a little nervous about concerns about a possible recession, where if that does come around, if that does happen, that could really curb demand for gas. That would just really kind of limit spending power for drivers and consumers in general. And so that has been the concern, and that's really what we saw drive this dip in crude oil prices.\n\nI should add that it's hard to say how long the sort of dip will last. We're currently, as I'm speaking, where its prices for the US benchmark are back above a $100 a barrel already, so a very volatile time in the market and for gas prices. So it's very hard to say just how long this dip will last and just what sort of effects we will see at the pump from this. The expert I spoke to said that a recession at this point is not set in stone. We still have to wait and see exactly what will happen, but a lot people at this point are thinking that one is likely.\n\nSo what would that mean for consumers is that this would really just limit spending power, where the one quote I have is that people are going to have to tie in their belts with spending. So that would be something that would affect drivers, where people might go out and travel less, might buy less gas and so that is something that we saw affect crude oil prices this week.\n\nIt's very hard at this point to say exactly what will happen with prices at the pump, where we are still at pretty high levels. Experts told me they expect to see a bit of relief because of this dip with the price of crude oil on the market, but very hard to say how long that sort of dip will last. We've already seen prices trading above $100 once again on Thursday. And then there are a number of other factors that could make prices rise again, where hurricane season could cause refineries to shut down, which would affect prices. There could be more geopolitical challenges with Russia and Ukraine, and so a lot of different things could impact prices at the pump down the line. And it's just very hard to know exactly what we will be seeing with prices at the pump down the road.\n\nTaylor Wilson:\n\nWell, after going on a hiring spree, it appears US retailers are starting to slow down their recruiting. The country's top employer, Walmart, said it recently over hired because of a COVID related staffing shortage. And in April, Amazon said it, too, decided it had an excess of warehouse workers. The national job market overall is still strong, but the AP reports that economists surveyed by data provider FactSet expect the labor department's June jobs report out today to show employers added 275,000 jobs down from 390,000 in May. As for the unemployment rate, it's expected to have remained at 3.6% just above the half century low that came before the pandemic.\n\nThanks for listening to 5 Things. You can find us every morning right here, wherever you're listening right now. Thanks to P.J. Elliott for his great work on the show, and I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/07/08"}, {"url": "https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/world-news/asia-pacific/957290/shinzo-abe-shooting-how-common-is-gun-crime-in-japan", "title": "Shinzo Abe shooting: how common is gun crime in Japan? | The ...", "text": "Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe has died after being shot while campaigning in the southern city of Nara. He was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition but died soon afterwards from his injuries.\n\nPrime minister Fumio Kishida described the attack on the 67-year-old Abe – who was Japan’s longest-serving PM – as “barbaric and malicious”, a sentiment that has been echoed by world leaders who have expressed their shock at the incident. Abe’s brother, the current defence minister Nobuo Kishi, described the shooting as a sacrilege against democracy.\n\nA 41-year-old male suspect was arrested at the scene and is now in police custody. He is thought to be Tetsuya Yamagami and a resident of the city, with no known occupation. Images from the scene suggest that the assailant used an improvised or homemade weapon.\n\nExtremely low gun crime rate\n\nThe murder of “one of Japan’s most influential modern leaders” – as the Financial Times described Abe – has sent shockwaves across the country, which has one of the lowest rates of gun crime in the world.\n\nLast year, there were just ten instances of shooting in the island nation of more than 125.5 million people, according to the National Police Agency.\n\nA major factor behind this is the country’s extremely strict gun control laws. Handguns are outlawed and the only guns permitted for sale are shotguns and air rifles that require “strenuous effort – and lots of patience” to get hold of, said CNN.\n\nTo buy a gun in Japan, “potential buyers must attend an all-day class, pass a written test and a shooting-range test with an accuracy of at least 95%”, added the US news site. On top of this, they must undergo extensive mental health, drug and background checks, the latter “including a review of their criminal record, personal debt, involvement in organised crime and relationships with family and friends”.\n\nFew gun-owning civilians\n\nThe result is that the level of gun ownership among Japanese civilians is one of the world’s lowest. According to Bloomberg and GunPolicy.org, the estimated total number of guns held by civilians in Japan was 310,400 in 2019, or 0.25 per 100 people – “the lowest level among the G-7 countries”.", "authors": ["Kate Samuelson"], "publish_date": "2022/07/08"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/08/asia/gallery/shinzo-abe/index.html", "title": "Photos: Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe", "text": "Stefan Boness/Visum/Redux Then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addresses the media during a news conference in 2014. In pictures: Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe\n\nStefan Boness/Visum/Redux Then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addresses the media during a news conference in 2014.\n\nFormer Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated Friday while giving a campaign speech on a street in Nara, Japan.\n\nAbe, 67, was Japan's longest-serving prime minister, holding office from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020 before resigning due to health reasons. Since stepping down, he remained in the public eye and regularly appeared in the media to discuss current affairs.\n\nAt the time of the shooting, Abe was delivering a speech in support of candidates in the Liberal Democratic Party. He was rushed to hospital via helicopter, but he died from excessive bleeding, doctors said.\n\nA suspect, a local man in his 40s identified as Tetsuya Yamagami, was arrested and charged with attempted murder, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/07/08"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2012/12/20/year-top-news/1783303/", "title": "Poll ranks top 10 news stories of 2012", "text": "USATODAY\n\nNEW YORK (AP) — The horrific massacre of 26 children and staff at a Connecticut elementary school, along with other mass shootings, was the top news story of 2012, narrowly edging out the U.S. election, according to The Associated Press' annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors.\n\nThe results followed a rare decision by the AP to re-conduct the voting. The initial round of balloting had ended Dec. 13, a day before the shootings in Newtown, with the election ranked No. 1, followed by Superstorm Sandy. The original entry for mass shootings, focused on the rampage at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater, placed sixth in that voting.\n\nIn the new poll, updated to account for Newtown, the mass shootings received 68 first-place votes out of 173 ballots cast for the top 10 stories, compared to 65 first-place votes for the election — one of the closest results since the AP launched the poll in 1936. On a scale of points ranging from 10 for first place to one for 10th place, the shootings tallied 1448 points, compared to 1417 for the election. The second balloting ran Dec. 17-19.\n\nSuperstorm Sandy was third, far ahead of the next group of stories.\n\n\"After we completed our poll the news agenda was reshaped, tragically, by the Newtown shootings,\" said Michael Oreskes, AP's senior managing editor for U.S. news. \"To chronicle that we conducted the poll again before releasing both results.\"\n\nThe U.S.-focused slant of the top stories this year contrasted with last year's voting, when the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan was No. 1, followed by Japan's earthquake/tsunami disaster, and the Arab Spring uprisings that rocked North Africa and the Middle East.\n\nHere are 2012's top 10 stories, in order:\n\n1. MASS SHOOTINGS:\n\nArmed with a high-powered rifle, 20-year-old Adam Lanza forced his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and shot dead 20 children — all ages 6 and 7 — and six staff members in the second-worst school massacre in U.S. history. Sadly, it was only one of several mass shootings, including the killing of 12 people at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. After the Newtown tragedy, President Barack Obama and many others, including some staunch gun-rights supporters, said it was time to find ways to rein in gun violence.\n\n2. U.S. ELECTION:\n\nMitt Romney outcampaigned an eclectic field of Republican rivals, and bested Obama in their opening head-to-head debate. But on Election Day, thanks in part to a vigorous get-out-the-vote operation, Obama won a second term with a large lead in electoral votes and a solid advantage in popular votes. The GOP hung on to its majority in the House, but lost two seats to remain a minority in the Senate despite early-campaign projections of gains there.\n\n3. SUPERSTORM SANDY:\n\nAs a prelude, the storm named Sandy killed more than 70 people in the Caribbean. Then its high winds and high waters slammed into more than 800 miles of the eastern U.S. seaboard, killing at least 125 more people, and causing damage calculated at well over $60 billion — the second-costliest storm in U.S. history after 2005's Hurricane Katrina. New York and New Jersey were the worst hit, with several hundred thousand homes and businesses damaged or destroyed.\n\n4. OBAMACARE:\n\nBy a 5-4 margin, the Supreme Court upheld the core elements of Obama's much-debated health care overhaul, which even he embraced as \"Obamacare.\" To widespread surprise, the decisive vote came from John Roberts, the generally conservative-leaning chief justice appointed by Republican George W. Bush. Romney, as GOP presidential nominee, vowed to repeal the law if he won, but Obama's victory ensured the plan would proceed, with complex ramifications for insurers, employers, health-care providers and state governments.\n\n5. LIBYA:\n\nEven amid yearlong turmoil in Libya, it was a jarring incident — a Sept. 11 assault in Benghazi, widely blamed on a group with suspected links to al-Qaeda, that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stephens and three other Americans. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, later bowed out of consideration to be the next secretary of state because of her assertions in TV interviews that a spontaneous demonstration over an anti-Muslim video triggered the attack.\n\n6. PENN STATE:\n\nIt was a daunting year for Penn State and its storied football program. In January, longtime coach Joe Paterno died, his legacy tarnished by the sex-abuse scandal involving his former assistant, Jerry Sandusky. In June, after a wrenching trial, Sandusky was convicted of sexually abusing 10 boys, and was later sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison. In July, the NCAA imposed severe sanctions, including $60 million in fines, a four-year postseason ban on football and a reduction in football scholarships.\n\n7. U.S. ECONOMY:\n\nBy many measures, the economy was on a welcome upswing. The unemployment rate dipped to a four-year-low of 7.7 percent, stock markets rose, builders broke ground on more homes, and November was the best sales month in nearly five years for U.S. automakers. But overshadowing the good news was deep anxiety about the economic consequences if Obama and the Democrats failed to reach a tax-and-spending deal with the Republicans.\n\n8. FISCAL CLIFF:\n\nObama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner engaged in high-stakes negotiations over a deal to avert the so-called \"fiscal cliff\" that would trigger automatic tax hikes and spending cuts. The leaders narrowed some differences on Social Security and tax rates for the wealthy, but faced intense pressure from their bases to resist certain compromises.\n\n9. GAY MARRIAGE:\n\nFor supporters of same-sex marriage, it was a year of milestones. Obama, after a drawn-out process of \"evolving,\" said in May he supported the right of gay couples to wed. On Election Day, Maine, Maryland and Washington became the first states to legalize gay marriage via popular vote. And on Dec. 7 the Supreme Court agreed to hear two cases that could further expand same-sex marriage rights.\n\n10. SYRIA:\n\nWhat began in 2011 as an outbreak of peaceful protests escalated into full-scale civil war pitting the beleaguered regime of Bashar Assad against a disparate but increasingly potent rebel opposition. The overall death toll climbed past 40,000, as the rebels made inroads toward Assad's bastion of Damascus. The U.S. and many other nations were supporting the opposition, albeit wary of outcomes that might help Islamic extremists gain power in the region.\n\nFalling just short of the Top 10 was the resignation of David Petraeus as CIA director because of an affair he conducted with his biographer, Paula Broadwell.\n\nThe choices of the news professionals voting in the AP poll mirrored the news stories most closely followed by the public during the year, according to the Pew Research Center's News Interest Index. The index ranked Obama's re-election as the most intently followed story, with the Newtown shooting second and Superstorm Sandy third.\n\nSeveral voters in the AP poll added a comment with their ballot, including Carol Hanner, managing editor of the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina.\n\n\"I believe climate change is being chronically underestimated by the media and by citizens,\" she wrote.\n\nThe AP, like many other news organizations, traditionally releases its year-end polls and rankings before the actual end of the year. In the case of 2004's top story poll, that meant the final list did not include the cataclysmic Indian Ocean tsunami that occurred on Dec. 26.\n\nIn 2009, AP's sports department amended its top-stories ballot part way through the voting to account for revelations about golfer Tiger Woods' marital infidelities. That ended out finishing fifth, far behind the top-ranked entry about Major League Baseball's steroid scandal.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2012/12/20"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/05/04/gun-violence-record-level-2020/9617793002/", "title": "Gun violence deaths reached record level in 2020, report says", "text": "The number of people dying from gun violence in the USA reached a record high in 2020: an average of 124 people dead every day, a new report from Johns Hopkins University found.\n\nThe analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions showed there were 45,222 gun deaths in the USA in 2020, a 15% increase from 2019. Gun homicides rose by 35%.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/05/04"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/06/08/tony-rodham-hillary-clinton-brother-dies/1392885001/", "title": "Tony Rodham: Hillary Clinton's brother dies", "text": "Hillary Clinton's youngest brother,Tony Rodham, who drew headlines for taking advantage of his Clinton connections in dubious business ventures ranging from mining to electric cars to importing hazelnuts, has died.\n\nThe former secretary of state and first lady said on Twitter that Rodham died Friday night. The cause of death was not announced.\n\n\"It’s hard to find words, my mind is flooded with memories of him today,\" she wrote. \"When he walked into a room he’d light it up with laughter. He was kind, generous, & a wonderful husband to Megan & father to Zach, Simon, & Fiona. We’ll miss him very much.\"\n\nRodham was born in 1954 and raised in the Chicago suburbs with his siblings, Hillary and Hugh Rodham.\n\nHe worked a variety of jobs, including stints as a prison guard, insurance salesman, repo man and private detective.\n\nHe also worked on the Democratic National Committee, helped on his sister’s political campaigns and previously married Nicole Boxer, the daughter of former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer.\n\nRodham had numerous financial difficulties, including failed businesses, a string of shaky investment projects as well as nagging child support payments.\n\nIn 2000, as the Clinton administration was coming to a close, Rodham successfully lobbied his brother-in-law, the president, to override the objections of the Justice Department and pardon a Tennessee couple convicted of bank fraud, according to The New York Times.\n\nA congressional investigation later found that Edgar Allen Gregory, Jr. and his wife, Vonna Jo, who were in the carnival business, had paid him almost $250,000 as a \"consultant\" in their bid to get a pardon.\n\nIn 2010, former President Bill Clinton helped Rodham, then short of cash, get a job raising investments in GreenTech Automotive, an electric car company then owned by Terry McAuliffe, an old Clinton friend and later governor of Virginia, the Times reported in 2015.\n\n“I was complaining to my brother-in-law I didn’t have any money. And he asked McAuliffe to give me a job,” Rodham said at a court proceedings involving unpaid legal bills to his lawyer in a child support case, the newspaper said.\n\nHe also drew scrutiny as co-chairman of Haiti's recovery commission, following the devastating 2010 earthquake, for allegedly seeking a multimillion dollar deal to rebuild homes in the ravaged country with funding from the Clinton Foundation.\n\nIn court proceedings in an unrelated lawsuit, Rodham explained how someone in Haiti had “donated” 10,000 acres of land to him. In court testimony, he said he had pressed Clinton for helping in breaking through red tape to get funding for the rebuilding project.\n\n“I deal through the Clinton Foundation. That gets me in touch with the Haitian officials,” Rodham said, according to a transcript of his testimony, the Times reported. “I hound my brother-in-law, because it’s his fund that we’re going to get our money from. And he can’t do it until the Haitian government does it.\"\n\nThe Clinton Foundation said in a statement at the time that it was not aware of Rodham’s Haiti project, which never materialized, and had no involvement in it, the newspaper says. Likewise, Clinton’s office said at the time he had no involvement in the scheme.\n\nIn another venture, Rodham sought to export hazelnuts from the Republic of Georgia, where he was linked to a rival to then Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, a close Clinton ally. The incident prompted a National Security Council official to intervene to defuse a potential diplomatic embarrassment, according to The Washington Post..\n\nRodham is survived by wife Megan Madden and his three children: Zachary, Simon and Fiona.\n\n.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2019/06/08"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_25", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:31", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2022/07/05/uk-climate-change-protesters-glued-da-vinci-last-supper-copy/7815978001/", "title": "Anti-oil climate activists glued to \"Last Supper\" painting copy in UK", "text": "Associated Press\n\nLONDON– Climate change protesters targeted a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's \"The Last Supper\" at London's Royal Academy of Arts on Tuesday, gluing themselves to the painting's frame and spray-painting \"No New Oil\" next to it.\n\nThe protest, organized by supporters of the campaign group Just Stop Oil, came a day after two activists from the group were arrested after gluing themselves to the frame of John Constable's \"The Hay Wain\" in London's National Gallery.\n\nOn Tuesday, five activists entered the Royal Academy and attached a hand each to the frame of \"The Last Supper,\" a full-size copy of da Vinci's famous 15th-century work.\n\nThe Metropolitan Police said three men and two women were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. The Royal Academy said that the gallery room was closed to the public and that police were \"called upon the protesters' request.\"\n\nJust Stop Oil, which wants the government to stop giving out licenses for new oil and gas projects, has staged a series of attention-grabbing protests over the past week.\n\nOn Monday, two activists were arrested after they covered Constable's 1821 \"The Hay Wain\" with large sheets of paper depicting \"an apocalyptic vision of the future.\" They then each stuck a hand on the frame of the oil painting and protested as security staff ushered out tourists and a group of schoolchildren.\n\nThe National Gallery said that painting's frame \"suffered minor damage\" and \"there was also some disruption to the surface of the varnish on the painting,\" but both were repaired and the painting was rehung.\n\nActivists from the group also disrupted the British Grand Prix on Sunday when they sat down on the racetrack during a halt in the Formula One race in Silverstone, southern England.\n\nPolice said six people were charged with conspiracy to cause public nuisance.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/07/05"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/06/world/eu-votes-natural-gas-nuclear-green-sustainable-climate/index.html", "title": "Natural gas projects are 'green' or 'sustainable,' EU parliament says ...", "text": "(CNN) European Union lawmakers voted Wednesday in favor of calling natural gas and nuclear power \"green\" or \"sustainable\" sources of energy, backing a proposal from European Commission , the EU's executive arm, that has spurred criticism from scientists and environmental advocates.\n\nThe new rules, if accepted by member states, could unlock billions of dollars of private investment and state subsidies for natural gas and nuclear projects.\n\nThe rules will go into effect in 2023, unless 20 of the union's 27 member states reject them, which is unlikely. Most member states — including heavyweights such as Germany and France — backed at least one of the two energy sources.\n\nThe European Commission has argued that natural gas — a fossil fuel primarily made of methane, a significant contributor to the climate crisis — plays a key role in transitioning to renewable energy, angering climate activists and some lawmakers. Natural gas typically emits less carbon dixoide than coal , but critics argue more focus should be place on boosting renewable energy, and that supporting new gas projects will only prolong the life of the fossil fuel.\n\nBas Eickhout, a Green lawmaker from the Netherlands who sits in the European Parliament, recently said he had \"never seen such a strategic mistake by the Commission,\" and calling natural gas \"sustainable\" contradicts the European Union's pleas to the rest of the world to rapidly decarbonize their economies.\n\n\"We are undermining the entire credibility of our Green Deal,\" he previously told CNN, referring to the EU's centerpiece climate legislation. \"And on the gas side, I really I don't see it. I fail to see the added value.\"\n\nJUST WATCHED This Wyoming town wants a nuclear reactor nearby. Here's why. Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH This Wyoming town wants a nuclear reactor nearby. Here's why. 04:46\n\nWhile the proposal came months before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it gained momentum after the EU responded to the war by banning Russian energy sources such as coal and oil, which European countries have been highly dependent on.\n\nThe EU has vowed to cut planet-heating emissions by 55% from 1990 levels by 2030 and become a net-zero-emissions economy by 2050. Net zero is where emissions are dramatically reduced, and any that remain are offset, whether using natural methods like tree planting or technology to \"capture\" emissions. The effectiveness of such technology is currently limited.\n\nBut climate and energy advocates say Wednesday's decision will instead hinder Europe's green transition.\n\n\"This will delay a desperately needed real sustainable transition and deepen our dependency on Russian fuels,\" Greta Thunberg, the Swedish climate activist, tweeted in response to the vote . \"The hypocrisy is striking, but unfortunately not surprising.\"\n\nEnvironmental groups are expected to challenge the new rules in court. Already, groups such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Federation have said they plan to sue the EU over the policy.\n\n\"Gas and nuclear are not green, and labeling them as such is blatant greenwashing. This harms the climate, and future generations,\" Ester Asin, director at WWF European Policy Office, said in a statement. \"We've lost this battle, but we won't give up the fight. [We] will explore all potential avenues for further action to stop this greenwashing and protect the credibility of the whole EU Taxonomy - and calls on Member States and MEPs to do the same.\"", "authors": ["Hande Atay Alam", "Ivana Kottasová", "Angela Dewan", "Rachel Ramirez"], "publish_date": "2022/07/06"}, {"url": "https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/957253/ten-things-you-need-to-know-today-5-july-2022", "title": "Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 5 July 2022 | The Week UK", "text": "Brewery boss discusses bullying claims\n\nThe CEO of a brewery company who was accused by hundreds of employees of bullying and misconduct has said he is seeing a specialist in order to explore whether he has autism. James Watt was accused by BrewDog staff of abusing his power in an open letter published last year and was described in The Sunday Times in April as a “cold-eyed” person who struggled to “express empathy or read social cues”. In an interview with Steven Bartlett on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Watt said he had been “too intense and demanding” and added: “I might have some kind of light-level autism in the mix.”", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/07/05"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_26", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:31", "search_result": []}
{"question_id": "20220708_27", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:31", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/07/sport/rafael-nadal-wimbledon-withdraws-injury/index.html", "title": "Rafael Nadal withdraws from Wimbledon due to injury, sending Nick ...", "text": "(CNN) Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from Wimbledon due to an abdominal injury.\n\nThe 22-time grand slam champion was scheduled to face Nick Kyrgios in their semifinal match on Friday. Kyrgios will now head straight to the final to face the winner of the match between Novak Djokovic and Cameron Norrie.\n\n\"I have to pull out from the tournament,\" Nadal said during a Thursday news conference. \"I have a tear in the (abdominal) muscle.\"\n\nNadal said he spent the whole day thinking about what he should do, but decided it wouldn't \"make sense\" to keep going.\n\n\"If I keep going, the injury is going to be worse and worse,\" he said, adding how \"sad\" he felt about it.\n\nRead More", "authors": ["David Close", "Alaa Elassar"], "publish_date": "2022/07/07"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/25/tennis/coco-gauff-roe-wade-serena-williams-spt-intl/index.html", "title": "Coco Gauff says overturning Roe v. Wade is 'going backwards ...", "text": "(CNN) The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is a case of history repeating itself and \"going backwards\", American tennis star Coco Gauff said Saturday.\n\nFriday's opinion held that there is no longer a federal constitutional right to an abortion, with abortion rights to be determined by states, unless Congress acts.\n\nSpeaking ahead of the start of Wimbledon's main draw, Gauff said she was \"disappointed\" with the decision.\n\n\"I feel bad for future women and women now, but I also feel bad for those who protested for this,\" the 18-year-old told reporters.\n\n\"To see that decision be reversed, I just think that's history repeating itself and I feel like, at least from my reading and researching because I do like history ... having this decision reversed just feels like we're almost going backwards.\"\n\nThe Supreme Court's opinion has sparked concerns that the ruling could open the door for courts to overturn same-sex marriage, contraception and other rights.\n\nThough the majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, attempted to wall off its holding in Friday's abortion case from those other rulings, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote separately to call explicitly for those other rulings to be revisited.\n\nGauff added that she was concerned the ruling could be the first of other similar decisions on social issues.\n\n\"I feel like it also kind of puts a lead way in maybe to reverse other things that we -- I wouldn't say me personally -- worked so hard to reverse.\"\n\nGauff during the French Open in May.\n\nThe World no. 12 is set to face Romania's Elena-Gabriela Ruse, ranked 43 places below her, in the first round at the All England Tennis Club on Monday.\n\nGauff will not face any Russian or Belarusian opponents at Wimbledon after the tournament organizer's decision to bar players from the two nations competing following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.\n\nQuizzed on the move, the American said she understood \"both sides\".\n\n\"For me it's a difficult decision just because I do know a lot of the Belarusian and Russian athletes and I know -- at least the ones that I spoke to -- [they] definitely don't support what's happening in Ukraine right now,\" Gauff said.\n\n\"But I also do understand the side of trying to put global pressure on the Russian government to pull out of Ukraine and how sports can kind of impact that, so I think both sides of the situation are just tricky.\"\n\nThe 18-year-old arrives in Wimbledon on the back of a first grand slam singles final appearance at the French Open in June.\n\nThough she suffered a straight sets defeat to an imperious Iga Swiatek in Paris -- as well as losing in the doubles final -- Gauff believes the experience has only made her stronger as she looks improve upon her career-best fourth round runs at Wimbledon in 2019 and 2021.\n\nGauff serves against Swiatek during the French Open Singles Final.\n\n\"A lot of positives to take from it, that I can play two weeks of highly competitive tennis in two events. I would've never thought I would've made the final of both,\" she said.\n\n\"I learned a lot from that final and I'm going to take what I learned into here [Wimbledon]. Hopefully I go far, but it was definitely the experience of a lifetime and hopefully I can recreate it.\"\n\nSerena Williams decides not to comment yet\n\nMeanwhile, seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams said she had no thoughts she was \"ready to share right now\" on Roe v. Wade being overturned.\n\nThe 40-year-old also decided against commenting on the decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing.\n\n\"Another heavy subject that involves a tremendous amount of politics and from what I understand in government and I'm going to step away from that,\" she told reporters.\n\nNeeding one more triumph to match Margaret Court's record of 24 grand slam singles titles, Williams returns to Wimbledon after being forced to retire from last year's opening round due to a leg injury.\n\nWilliams plays a backhand during a training session ahead of Wimbledon.\n\nyear-long absence from the sport ended with a run to the doubles semi-finals of the Eastbourne International alongside Ons Jabeur last week, but the pair were forced to retire after the Tunisian suffered an injury.\n\nAhead of her opening match against world No. 113 Harmony Tan, Williams reflected on the \"surreal\" feeling of returning to Wimbledon after a \"tough\" year.\n\n\"I gave everything I could. Just everyday getting ready or trying to make it,\" she said.\n\n\"Hung up my rackets for a little bit until I could just heal because it's a tough injury to have what I had last year. It was no fun.\"\n\nAsked how close she came to leaving the sport completely, Williams said she never retired.\n\n\"I just needed to heal physically, mentally ... I had no plans to be honest,\" she added.\n\n\"I just didn't know when I would come back. I didn't know how I would come back. Obviously, Wimbledon is such a great place to be and it just kind of worked out.\"\n\nWimbledon runs from June 27 until July 10.", "authors": ["Jack Bantock", "Wayne Sterling", "Matt Foster"], "publish_date": "2022/06/25"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/aus/2022/01/07/naomi-osaka-withdraws-from-melbourne-tournament/9139778002/", "title": "Naomi Osaka withdraws from Australian Open tune-up with injury", "text": "AP\n\nMELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Defending Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from her semifinal match at a WTA tournament in Melbourne with an abdominal injury, allowing her opponent Veronika Kudermetova to advance to the final on a walkover.\n\n“I had a lot of fun playing here in Melbourne. Unfortunately I have an abdominal injury which I need to rest and prepare for the Australian Open,\" Osaka said in a statement issued by Tennis Australia. The Australian Open begins on Jan. 17.\n\nIn a follow-up tweet later Saturday, Osaka said that her \"body got a shock from playing back to back intense matches after the break I took\" but added that she'll \"try to rest up and I'll see (the fans) soon!\"\n\nEarlier, American Amanda Anisimova advanced to her first final since 2019 with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Daria Kasatkina in the WTA's Summer Set 2 event on Saturday at Rod Laver Arena.\n\nAnisimova will play either fellow American Ann Li or Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus. They play their semifinal later Saturday.\n\nIn other semifinal play at the Summer Set 1 event, also in Melbourne, Simona Halep took on Zheng Qinwen, with the winner to face Kudermetova on Sunday.\n\nIn the semifinals of an ATP tournament at Melbourne Park, Rafael Nadal faced Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori and Maxime Cressy played Grigor Dimitrov.\n\nAt the Adelaide International, top-ranked and Wimbledon champion Ash Barty was scheduled to play her night semifinal against former French Open winner Iga Swiatek.\n\nThe Adelaide and Melbourne tournaments are among six tune-up events being staged in Australia this week ahead of the season-opening major at Melbourne Park.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/01/07"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/24/tennis/wimbledon-draw-djokovic-nadal-spt-intl/index.html", "title": "Wimbledon draw: Defending champion Novak Djokovic to face ...", "text": "(CNN) Defending Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic will face South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo in the opening round as he bids to retain his crown at the All England Club.\n\nFriday's draw was largely kind to the world No. 3 -- the first seed here in Wimbledon due to the absences of Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev -- but there is a mouthwatering potential clash against rising star Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.\n\nNo. 2 seed Rafael Nadal , fresh off his 22nd grand slam victory at the French Open, will play Argentina's Francisco Cerúndolo in the opening round and has a tricky potential fourth round match against Marin Cilic to contend with.\n\nIn the projected quarterfinals, there is also the chance for a rematch against talented Canadian star Felix Auger Aliassime, who recently pushed Nadal all the way in a five-set epic in the fourth round at Roland Garros.\n\nNovak Djokovic is looking to defend the Wimbledon title he won in 2021.\n\nLast year's runner-up Matteo Berrettini is projected to face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals, while third seed Casper Ruud could play Poland's Hubert Hurkacz, who recently claimed the grass court title in Halle.\n\nRead More", "authors": ["Matias Grez"], "publish_date": "2022/06/24"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2021/08/30/us-open-tennis-2021-schedule-tv-live-stream-information-tennis/5614664001/", "title": "US Open tennis 2021: Schedule, TV, live stream information for tennis", "text": "The US Open – the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the year – starts on Monday, nearly a month after the final tennis event at the Tokyo Olympics.\n\nBoth the men’s and women’s fields will be without some of their biggest names. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and defending US Open champion Dominic Thiem will all miss this year’s tournament due to injury.\n\nThat makes world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, the favorite to win. Djokovic will attempt to become the first men's player since Rod Laver in 1969 to win the calendar year Grand Slam after winning the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year. He’s also bidding to pass Federer and Nadal for most Grand Slam singles titles in men's tennis history.\n\nOn the women's side, six-time US Open champion Serena Williams withdrew because of a hamstring injury, while Venus Williams, a two-time champion, also pulled out because of a leg injury, leaving New York fans without a Williams sister to cheer for for the first time since 2003. Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, will also miss the US Open after a positive COVID-19 test, despite being vaccinated.\n\nStill, plenty of top players remain in the draw, including No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, who won Wimbledon last month, as well as two-time US Open and two-Australian Open champ Naomi Osaka.\n\nUS OPEN DRAW:Four key questions for both the men’s and women’s field\n\nOSAKA:Looks to 'celebrate myself and my accomplishments more'\n\nHELPING PLAYERS COPE:'Former tennis star serves as \"mental health ambassador\"\n\nHere’s everything you need to know for the 2021 tournament at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York:\n\nWhat day does the US Open begin?\n\nAfter four days of qualifying matches, the first round of the US Open begins on Monday and runs through September 12. The women's singles final is Saturday, Sept. 11, and the men's on Sunday, Sept. 12.\n\nWhat time does play begin at the US Open?\n\nThe day session begins at 11 a.m. ET with night sessions scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET.\n\nWhat TV channel is the US Open on?\n\nESPN and ESPN2 will air live coverage of the US Open for the 12th consecutive year. Tennis Channel will deliver a daily US Open preview shows and extensive match encore programming.\n\nHow can I watch the US Open online via live stream?\n\nFans can catch matches on ESPN3, ESPN+ and the ESPN app or streaming services like Hulu, Sling and fuboTV that offer ESPN.\n\nWhat are the best matches to watch on opening day?\n\nPlay at Arthur Ashe Stadium kicks off at noon with an All-American matchup between 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys, who lost to Stephens in the 2017 final.\n\nOther big matches on Day 1:\n\nNo. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Andy Murray (Ashe)\n\nNo. 19 John Isner vs. Brandon Nakashima (Louis Armstrong)\n\nNo. 21 Coco Gauff vs. Magda Linette (Armstrong)\n\nBig matches on Night 1:\n\nNo. 3 Naomi Osaka vs. Marie Bouzkova (Ashe)\n\nNo. 18 Roberto Bautista Agut vs. Nick Kyrgios (Armstrong)", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/08/30"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2016/07/19/federer-nadal-join-murray-in-skipping-rogers-cup/87321812/", "title": "Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal join Andy Murray in skipping Rogers ...", "text": "AP\n\nTORONTO (AP) — Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have pulled out of the Rogers Cup, leaving the Toronto tournament without three of the world's top four men's tennis players.\n\nTennis Canada announced the withdrawals Tuesday, a day after Wimbledon champion and world No. 2 Andy Murray said he would not defend his Rogers Cup title this year, citing fatigue.\n\nNo. 3 Federer is coming off a run to the semifinals at Wimbledon, where he lost in five sets to Canada's Milos Raonic.\n\n\"Toronto is one of my favorite events on the calendar and I am disappointed that I won't be able to compete in front of the great tennis fans in Canada,\" Federer said in a statement. \"Looking ahead, it is best for me that I take more time after Wimbledon. I look forward to coming back to Canada next year.\"\n\nWimbledon champion Andy Murray withdraws from Rogers Cup\n\nFourth-ranked Nadal has not played since withdrawing from the French Open after suffering a wrist injury.\n\n\"I only started practicing a week ago after my wrist injury and I am not ready to play such an important event,\" he said in a statement. \"I am very much looking forward to playing in Toronto in a couple of years since I have always been treated great in that tournament and have a lot of great Canadian fans.\"\n\nTop-ranked Novak Djokovic and Raonic, whom Murray beat in three sets in the Wimbledon final, remain part of the Rogers Cup field.\n\nThe tournament begins with the start of qualifying on Saturday.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2016/07/19"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/17/tennis/rafael-nadal-intention-wimbledon-2022-spt-intl/index.html", "title": "Rafael Nadal says his 'intention is to play at Wimbledon' for first time ...", "text": "(CNN) Rafael Nadal said on Friday that his \"intention is to play at Wimbledon\" for the first time in three years despite a lingering foot injury.\n\nThe 36-year-old, speaking at a press conference in Mallorca, Spain, said that he will travel to London on Monday to play at the grand slam which he has won twice and will play depending on how his foot feels.\n\n\"My intention is to try to play Wimbledon like I said after Paris, if there's some possibility, which it looks like,\" Nadal explained. \"This week where I trained, they said that there's a chance, so my intention is to travel to London on Monday, and if I travel to London, it's because I intend to play.\n\n\"If later on, as days go on, things don't go how I'd like them to, well, we'll see what happens. But my plan is to travel on Monday to London, do a week of training there, play an exhibition like I've done a lot of times at Hurlingham and prepare myself in the best way I can.\n\nNadal takes part in a training session at Santa Ponsa Country Club in Santa Ponsa, Mallorca.\n\nHe added: \"It's been three years I haven't played (Wimbledon), I'm excited, but we'll see how (the foot) progresses. It's a day-by-day thing. I trust that things go well and I can go on with my week of training, so that I can have a chance to compete well at Wimbledon.\"\n\nRead More", "authors": ["Ben Morse"], "publish_date": "2022/06/17"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2022/07/06/wimbledon-updates-halep-nadal-both-play-on-centre-court/50457363/", "title": "Wimbledon updates | Nadal raises injury concern ahead of SF", "text": "AP\n\nWIMBLEDON, England (AP) — The Latest from Wimbledon (all times local):\n\n___\n\n9:30 p.m.\n\nRafael Nadal said it’s not a sure thing that he’ll be healthy enough to play Nick Kyrgios in the Wimbledon semifinals.\n\nNadal had abdominal pain and needed a medical timeout in the second set of his five-set victory over Taylor Fritz.\n\nThe 22-time Grand Slam champion said he would have “some more tests” on Thursday. He said he's been experiencing pain for almost a week and that it intensified during the match.\n\nWhen asked in his post-match news conference about his chances of playing Friday against Kyrgios, Nadal responded: “I don’t know. Honestly, I can't give you a clear answer.”\n\nThe two-time Wimbledon champion beat Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10-4) on Centre Court.\n\nNadal was given anti-inflammatories during his medical timeout off the court. He said the trainer \"just tried to relax a little bit the muscle there. But it’s difficult. Nothing can be fixed when you have a thing like this. That’s it.”\n\nThe Spaniard had battled through foot pain to win his 14th French Open title in June.\n\n___\n\n9 p.m.\n\nDesirae Krawczyk and Neal Skupski reached the mixed doubles final at Wimbledon with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 win over Sania Mirza and Mate Pavic on No. 2 Court.\n\nThey will face Australian duo Sam Stosur and Matthew Ebden in the final.\n\nKrawczyk is American and Skupski is British.\n\n___\n\n7:30 p.m.\n\nRafael Nadal advanced to the Wimbledon semifinals after winning a fifth-set tiebreaker against Taylor Fritz of the United States.\n\nNadal beat the 11th-seeded American 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10-4) on Centre Court.\n\nThe victory keeps alive Nadal’s chances for a calendar-year Grand Slam. The 36-year-old Spaniard will next play Nick Kyrgios for a place in Sunday’s final.\n\nThe 22-time Grand Slam champion had left the court with a trainer for a medical timeout in the second set but returned and played on.\n\nThe second-seeded Nadal improved to 8-0 in quarterfinal matches at the All England Club.\n\nRod Laver in 1969 was the last man to win all four major tournaments in the same calendar year.\n\n___\n\n5:45 p.m.\n\nCoco Gauff and Jack Sock have been eliminated from the mixed doubles tournament at Wimbledon.\n\nThe American pair lost to Australian duo Sam Stosur and Matthew Ebden in the semifinals 6-3, 5-7, 7-5 on No. 3 Court.\n\nBoth Gauff and Sock reached the third round in the singles tournaments.\n\nStosur and Ebden will face either Sania Mirza and Mate Pavic or Desirae Krawczyk and Neal Skupski in the final.\n\n___\n\n5:40 p.m.\n\nNick Kyrgios advanced to the semifinals at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time by beating Cristian Garin 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (5) on Centre Court at Wimbledon.\n\nKyrgios reached the quarterfinals at the All England Club when he made his debut at the grass-court major in 2014 but this year was his first time getting back to that stage.\n\nThe Australian is the lowest ranked and first unseeded men’s semifinalist since 2008. He is currently ranked 40th.\n\nKyrgios will face either two-time champion Rafael Nadal or Taylor Fritz in the semifinals on Friday.\n\n___\n\n3 p.m.\n\nElena Rybakina became the first woman from Kazakhstan to reach the semifinals at a Grand Slam tournament by beating Ajla Tomljanovic 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 at Wimbledon.\n\nThe 17th-seeded Rybakina dropped her first set of the grass-court tournament but broke her Australian opponent early in the second and third sets.\n\nRybakina hit 15 aces against Tomljanovic on No. 1 Court and will next face 2019 Wimbledon champion Simona Halep for a spot in the final.\n\n___\n\n2:40 p.m.\n\nSimona Halep advanced to the Wimbledon semifinals with a 6-2, 6-4 win over 20-year-old Amanda Anisimova, the last American in the draw.\n\nThe 2019 Wimbledon champion extended her winning streak at the All England Club to 12 matches.\n\nThe 16th-seeded Halep hasn’t dropped a set en route to the final four.\n\nShe will next face either 17th-seeded Elena Rybakina or unseeded Ajla Tomljanovic for a place in the final.\n\nThe 30-year-old Romanian wasn’t able to defend her 2019 title last year — after the 2020 edition was canceled — because of a calf injury.\n\nAnisimova was 17 years old when she beat Halep in the 2019 French Open quarterfinals — spoiling Halep's title defense.\n\n___\n\n11:30 a.m.\n\nTwo former champions will be on Centre Court in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.\n\nSimona Halep, the 2019 champion at the All England Club, will be up first against Amanda Anisimova. Two-time champion Rafael Nadal will follow against Taylor Fritz.\n\nBoth Anisimova and Fritz are Americans and will be trying to reach the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time.\n\nOn No. 1 Court, Ajla Tomljanovic will face 17th-seeded Elena Rybakina before Nick Kyrgios takes on Cristian Garin in the later match.\n\n___\n\nMore AP Wimbledon coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/wimbledon and https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/07/06"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2016/08/29/the-latest-vinci-woman-who-beat-williams-in-15-wins/89539852/", "title": "The Latest: Keys rallies for late-night win at US Open", "text": "Associated Press\n\nNEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. Open (all times local):\n\n___\n\n1:50 a.m.\n\nEighth-seeded Madison Keys rallied from down a set and a break to outlast fellow American Alison Riske in a first-round U.S. Open match that ended at 1:48 a.m. Tuesday morning.\n\nKeys, who took a medical timeout in the second set to have a trainer manipulate her right shoulder, won 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 in 2 hours, 26 minutes.\n\nThe 60th-ranked Riske had two points on her serve at 5-4 in the second-set tiebreaker to try to close out the match, but Keys won them both and clinched the set on the next point.\n\nRiske has lost 10 straight Grand Slam matches. She's 2-16 against top-10 opponents, though one of the victories came against Petra Kvitova as Riske reached the round of 16 at the 2013 U.S. Open.\n\nKeys hasn't lost in the first round at a major since the 2014 French Open. The 21-year-old is coming off a run to the Olympic semifinals, but she pulled out of the hard-court tuneup at New Haven because of a neck injury.\n\n___\n\n1:15 a.m.\n\nAmericans Madison Keys and Alison Riske are headed to a third set in a first-round U.S. Open match that started Monday night and extended into Tuesday morning. Riske won the first set 6-4, then the eighth-seeded Keys pulled out the second 7-6 (5).\n\n___\n\n11 p.m.\n\nNovak Djokovic was bothered by his right arm during a first-round victory at the U.S. Open, getting treatment from a trainer, hitting slow serves and grimacing after some shots.\n\nStill, the defending champion got through the match Monday night, beating Jerzy Janowicz of Poland 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.\n\nThis was the No. 1-ranked Djokovic's first Grand Slam match since losing to Sam Querrey in the third round of Wimbledon.\n\nDjokovic spoke before the U.S. Open about dealing with a left wrist injury that flared up in the days before the Rio Olympics this month. But it was his right arm that was problematic against Janowicz, a former top-20 player who reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2013 and is now ranked 247th after his own series of injury issues.\n\n___\n\n9:40 p.m.\n\nJack Sock withstood Taylor Fritz's repeated comebacks to win the second five-set match between American men Monday at the U.S. Open.\n\nThe 26th-seeded Sock took the first two sets, dropped the next two, then went up two breaks in the fifth only for the 18-year-old Fritz to erase both of those. But Sock broke Fritz's serve again to clinch a 7-6 (3), 7-5, 3-6, 1-6, 6-4 win in 3 hours, 21 minutes.\n\nSock overcame 17 double-faults and 73 unforced errors to beat Fritz in five sets in the first round at a major for the second time this year — they also met at the Australian Open in Fritz's Grand Slam debut. The players combined for 99 winners Monday.\n\nFritz, last year's U.S. Open boys singles champ, is ranked a career-best 53rd.\n\nEarlier Monday, 20th-seeded John Isner beat another 18-year-old, Frances Tiafoe, in five sets in an all-U.S. matchup.\n\n___\n\n9:10 p.m.\n\nFifth-seeded Milos Raonic advanced to the second round at the U.S. Open with a straight-set win.\n\nThe Wimbledon runner-up beat 86th-ranked Dustin Brown 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 on Monday. Raonic had 41 winners.\n\nThe U.S. Open is the only major at which the Canadian has yet to make at least the quarterfinals.\n\nBrown upset Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in the second round last year.\n\n___\n\n7:55 p.m.\n\nArthur Ashe Stadium's new roof has made its world premiere.\n\nAs Phil Collins sang the first notes of \"In the Air Tonight\" during the U.S. Open's opening ceremony Monday night, the two retractable panels began to slide apart. Less than five minutes later, just after the song had ended, they had fully opened to reveal a hazy sky.\n\nMany fans' eyes and smartphones pointed upward instead of at the on-court stage as Collins performed. He was later joined by \"Hamilton\" original cast member Leslie Odom Jr.\n\nThere was no rain Monday to formally test the $150 million roof, but it still got a workout as part of the opening festivities. Officials closed it after the day session.\n\n___\n\n6:50 p.m.\n\nOlympic gold medalist Monica Puig has lost in the first round of the U.S. Open.\n\nThe 32nd-seeded Puig was upset by 61st-ranked Zheng Saisai 6-4, 6-2 on Monday. Puig had insisted Saturday that she was mentally ready for the year's final major after the whirlwind of the past couple of weeks, when she stunningly beat three Grand Slam champions to become Puerto Rico's first gold medalist and was feted at a parade on the island.\n\nStill, she recognized it was quite possible her U.S. Open trip wouldn't go well, reminding herself that she's just 22 years old. She's now 1-3 at Flushing Meadows.\n\nZheng, also 22, upset Agnieszka Radwanska at the Olympics. She'll be seeking to make it to the third round at a major for the first time.\n\n___\n\n6:20 p.m.\n\nFrench Open champ Garbine Muguruza says she thinks the heat caused her to have trouble breathing early in her U.S Open first-round match.\n\nThe third-seeded Spaniard had to call for the trainer after dropping the first set to Belgian qualifier Elise Mertens with temperatures in the low 90s. Muguruza said after Monday's three-set victory that she had forgotten there were towels with ice available to cool off during changeovers. She also was able to relax more, which helped.\n\nMuguruza says she had some trouble breathing in practice a couple of days earlier as well, but she felt fine during her warmup Monday. The conditions reminded her of the Australian Open, though she never remembered it being this uncomfortable in New York.\n\nThen again, the 22-year-old has never stuck around past the second round in singles at the U.S. Open.\n\n___\n\n5:35 p.m.\n\nFrench tennis star Gael Monfils often brings down the house with his wild shots.\n\nIn the first round of the U.S. Open on Monday, his play took down a panel along the back of Court 17. Trying to chase an overhead, Monfils went leaping into the wall to attempt to reach the ball.\n\nHis right foot kicked a clock apparatus, and a moment later as he was reaching down to pick up his racket, the whole panel tumbled forward, spilling out wires from behind and clipping the back of his heels.\n\nMonfils was feeling fortunate afterward that he hadn't been seriously injured. The digital panel was in worse shape from the collision, with the pieces all askew.\n\nAsked if he had realized how hard he hit the wall, Monfils said: \"When you are in the moment you don't feel really anything. Just jump.\"\n\nThe 10th-seeded Frenchman went on to beat Gilles Muller 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (5).\n\n___\n\n5:15 p.m.\n\nIn a matchup of American tennis present and future, 31-year-old John Isner rallied from down two sets to edge 18-year-old Frances Tiafoe in the first round of the U.S. Open.\n\nThe 125th-ranked Tiafoe had a chance to serve out the match in the fifth set Monday, but Isner broke back then pulled away in the final tiebreaker to win 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (3) in 3 hours, 27 minutes.\n\nIt was just the second career comeback from two sets down for Isner. Tiafoe had never before played a five-set match.\n\nThe 20th-seeded Isner has finished each of the last four years as the top-ranked U.S. man and has now won 11 straight Grand Slam first-round matches. He's 5-0 against fellow Americans at majors.\n\nTiafoe, who got in with a wild card, has just two career tour-level wins. He had played in two previous Grand Slam tournaments, losing in the first round both times.\n\n___\n\n4:50 p.m.\n\nFrench Open champ Garbine Muguruza lost the first set, called for the trainer and complained about trouble breathing. She won the second set without dropping a game, then pulled out a tough third set to move on at the U.S. Open.\n\nThe third-seeded Spaniard beat Belgian qualifier Elise Mertens 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 in the first round. She had to save a break point at 3-3 in the third.\n\nThe 22-year-old Muguruza went just 3-3 in her next six matches after winning her first major title at Roland Garros, before making a semifinal run at Cincinnati.\n\nWith temperatures in the low 90s, the heat rule went into effect before the third set, giving the players a 10-minute break.\n\nThe 137th-ranked Mertens is 20 years old and was making her Grand Slam debut. This was the first time she faced a top-20 opponent.\n\nMuguruza has never gone past the second round at the U.S. Open.\n\n___\n\n4:45 p.m.\n\nPlaying with his left wrist heavily bandaged, Rafael Nadal won his first Grand Slam match in more than three months, easily beating Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 at the U.S. Open.\n\nNadal's first-round victory in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday was straightforward. He produced 14 of his 21 winners via his forehand, which showed little sign of being troubled by a wrist he says is still not completely healed.\n\nNadal hadn't played at a major since winning his second-round match at the French Open on May 26. He then withdrew from Roland Garros before the third round and sat out Wimbledon because of the problematic wrist.\n\n___\n\n4:30 p.m.\n\nJohn Isner has made a match of it against 18-year-old Frances Tiafoe in an all-American matchup at the U.S. Open.\n\nThe 20th-seeded Isner dropped the first two sets of their first-round match. But he then won the next two, and they are on serve early in the fifth set.\n\n___\n\n3:20 p.m.\n\nAmerican teen CiCi Bellis is now 2 for 2 in the first round of the U.S. Open.\n\nThe darling of the 2014 tournament after she stunned Australian Open runner-up Dominika Cibulkova as a 15-year-old, Bellis is back in the main draw this year and beat 65th-ranked Viktorija Golubic 6-2, 6-3 on Monday.\n\nBellis, now 17, is ranked 158th and advanced through qualifying to make the field. She next faces another American, Shelby Rogers, who upset 27th-seeded Sara Errani.\n\n___\n\n2:55 p.m.\n\nU.S. teenager Frances Tiafoe is one set away from upsetting the top-ranked American man, John Isner.\n\nThe 18-year-old Tiafoe won the first two sets 6-3, 6-4 in the first round at the U.S. Open on Monday, breaking the big-serving Isner three times. Tiafoe, who's ranked 125th and got in with a wild card, is 0-2 at majors in his career.\n\nIsner is seeded 20th and has won 10 straight Grand Slam first-round matches.\n\n___\n\n2:45 p.m.\n\nPolona Hercog says she had been sick for several days before her first-round U.S. Open match, in which she retired after suffering from dizziness and cramping.\n\nThe 120th-ranked Slovenian was trailing 6-0, 1-0 to second-seeded Angelique Kerber on Monday. Hercog says she felt dizzy after long rallies, and her legs started cramping in the fourth or fifth game. The 90-degree heat didn't help.\n\nHad Hercog withdrawn before the match, a \"lucky loser\" who fell in qualifying could have replaced her. Told that Croatian player Donna Vekic had sarcastically tweeted \"classy\" about the match, Hercog said: \"It's not my fault she lost in the last round of qualies.\"\n\nHercog says she felt OK during warmups and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to face the Australian Open champ on Arthur Ashe Stadium.\n\n___\n\n2:05 p.m.\n\nTwo-time U.S. Open runner-up Caroline Wozniacki rallied from a set down for her first Grand Slam match win of 2016.\n\nWozniacki beat American qualifier Taylor Townsend 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Monday in the first-ever match at the new 8,000-seat Grandstand. She lost in the first round at this year's Australian Open and Wimbledon and skipped the French Open because of a right ankle injury that forced her to miss 2½ months. The former No. 1 player's ranking has slipped to 74th, and she's unseeded at Flushing Meadows for the first time since her debut in 2007.\n\nThe 20-year-old Townsend, ranked 146th, was playing her second U.S. Open.\n\n___\n\n1:50 p.m.\n\nAustralian Open champ Angelique Kerber advanced to the second round at the U.S. Open when her opponent retired early in the second set without winning a game.\n\nThe second-seeded Kerber led 6-0, 1-0 after 33 minutes when Polona Hercog stopped. The 120th-ranked Slovenian won just nine points in seven games.\n\nAfter the first set on a 90-degree day, Hercog took a medical timeout. Trainers checked her blood pressure and rubbed ice bags on her legs.\n\nHercog, who's never been past the third round at a major, came in 2-1 against Kerber in tour-level matches, though they hadn't met since 2011.\n\nKerber, who lost to Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final, has a chance to overtake her for the No. 1 ranking depending on their results at Flushing Meadows.\n\n___\n\n1:30 p.m.\n\nRichard Gasquet, the first seeded player to lose at the U.S. Open, summed up his quick exit this way: \"Not sure I could do worse.\"\n\nThe 13th-seeded Gasquet, a semifinalist at Flushing Meadows in 2013, hadn't lost in the first round at a Grand Slam tournament since the French Open 6½ years ago.\n\nHis 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 loss Monday was the first career victory over a player ranked in the top 15 for No. 84 Kyle Edmund of Britain.\n\n___\n\n1:25 p.m.\n\nMarin Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champ, is through to the second round with a straight-set win.\n\nThe seventh-seeded Cilic beat 108th-ranked Rogerio Dutra Silva 6-4, 7-5, 6-1 on Monday despite posting more unforced errors than winners (24-23). Cilic is coming off his first Masters title, beating Andy Murray in the final at Cincinnati.\n\nDutra Silva is now 0-3 against top-10 players. He came in 3-3 in his career at the U.S. Open and 0-5 in the other majors.\n\n___\n\n1:05 p.m.\n\nIn his U.S. Open debut, Kyle Edmund has upset 13th-seeded Richard Gasquet.\n\nThe 21-year-old Brit won 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 on Monday against the 2013 U.S. Open semifinalist. Edmund, ranked 84th, had 40 winners, 21 on his forehand. He has twice made it to the second round at the French Open.\n\nGasquet hadn't lost in the first round at a major since 2010 at Roland Garros.\n\n___\n\n12:45 p.m.\n\nThe woman who stunned Serena Williams at last year's U.S. Open en route to the final, Roberta Vinci of Italy, won the first match in the tournament's refurbished Arthur Ashe Stadium.\n\nVinci, who is seeded No. 7, overcame some second-set jitters to beat 46th-ranked Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany 6-2, 6-4 on Monday.\n\nIn the 2015 semifinals at Flushing Meadows, Vinci — unseeded and ranked 43rd at the time — upset Williams, ending the American's bid for tennis' first calendar-year Grand Slam in 27 years. That put Vinci into her first major final, where she lost to another Italian, childhood friend Flavia Pennetta.\n\nThe temperature hit 90 degrees Monday, but the new retractable roof atop Ashe provided some shade for spectators — and, on one side of the court, players.\n\n___\n\n11:20 a.m.\n\nPlay has started at the 2016 U.S. Open under sunny skies with no rain in the forecast for days, which could delay the first official use of the new retractable roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium.\n\nThe $150 million roof, which can close in about seven minutes, is to be used, according to tournament officials, only \"in the event of inclement weather or the strong possibility of inclement weather.\"\n\nNeither is expected in the next few days, with forecasts calling for clear skies and highs in the 80s.\n\nThe roof is still set to make its debut, of sorts, at Monday night's opening ceremony. The U.S. Tennis Association plans to shut the roof after the day session and open it for effect while Phil Collins performs \"In the Air Tonight.\"", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2016/08/29"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/open/2017/08/26/andy-murray-withdraws-us-open/605268001/", "title": "U.S. Open: Andy Murray withdraws because of hip injury", "text": "Sandra Harwitt\n\nSpecial for USA TODAY Sports\n\nNEW YORK — Andy Murray is the latest star-power player to withdraw from this year’s U.S. Open, pulling out because of an ongoing hip injury.\n\n“Obviously I had the issue with the hip over what’s actually been since my match with Stan (Wawrinka in the semifinals) in Paris,” said Murray, on Saturday. “I did pretty much everything that I could to get myself ready here and took a number of weeks off after Wimbledon.”\n\nMurray arrived in New York earlier this week with the hope that practice would reveal he was ready to play. He hasn’t competed since he lost to American Sam Querrey in a five-set quarterfinal at Wimbledon.\n\n“(I) was actually practicing OK the last few days, but it’s too sore for me to win the tournament and ultimately that’s what I was here to try and do,” the Briton said.\n\nMore:Maria Sharapova gets No. 2 Simona Halep in opening round of U.S. Open\n\nMore:Venus Williams' phone records to be made available in lawsuit\n\nThe No. 2 seed, was scheduled to play Tennys Sandgren in the first round. According to the rules, No. 5 seed Marin Cilic will move into Murray’s vacant spot and play Sandgren.\n\nLucky loser Lukas Lacko, the next eligible player from the qualifying event to receive entry into the draw, is the player to benefit from Murray’s departure.\n\nIt's the latest blow to the men's draw after two-time U.S. Open champion Novak Djokovic and defending champion Stan Wawrinka withdrew before the tournament. Djokovic is troubled by a right elbow injury and Wawrinka recently had knee surgery.\n\nMurray revealed at Wimbledon he’s suffered from a chronic hip problem since his youth, but has always been able to manage the condition.\n\n“You know I have never had to take any time off because of my hip before, so we’re hoping that by taking a few weeks off and resting and rehabbing, and really reducing the load that I was putting through it I would be OK by the time the U.S. Open came around,” Murray said.\n\nMurray’s consulted with a number of hip specialists since the situation flared up at the French Open. At this point, Murray hasn’t decided what medical route he will follow, and whether he will follow Djokovic and Wawrinka’s lead in ending his 2017 season prematurely to get fit and prepared for 2018.\n\n“I spoke to a number of specialists about it to get the best advice possible,” Murray said. “Obviously when you speak to a lot, there is different views and opinions on what the best thing to do is moving forward, and that’s a decision I’ll need to take now.\n\n“Look, I want to be back on the court as soon as I can,” he added. “If it means that I can play before the end of the year then that’s what I would love to do. I miss competing.”", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2017/08/26"}]}
{"question_id": "20220708_28", "search_time": "2022/07/08/14:31", "search_result": [{"url": "https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/957241/ten-things-you-need-to-know-today-4-july-2022", "title": "Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 4 July 2022 | The Week UK", "text": "Ten-year-old rape victim denied abortion in Ohio\n\nA ten-year-old rape victim in Ohio, who was six weeks pregnant, was ineligible for an abortion in her own state and forced to travel to Indiana for the procedure. Three days after the state of Ohio changed its laws after the overturning of Roe vs. Wade to outlaw terminations, the child who had fallen pregnant through the rape, attended a hospital in the state and had to be sent to the neighbouring state for the abortion.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2022/07/04"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/11/asia/marcos-philippines-president-explainer-intl-hnk/index.html", "title": "Who is Philippines' 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr and why are some ...", "text": "(CNN) Ferdinand \"Bongbong\" Marcos Jr. is the presumptive President of the Philippines after winning a landslide in elections on May 9, according to unofficial results.\n\nMore than 30 million Filipinos voted for Marcos Jr., more than double that of his closest rival, the outgoing Vice President Leni Robredo, partial and unofficial results showed\n\nDespite his popularity among millions of voters, many Filipinos are shocked by his win and what it means for democracy in the Philippines.\n\nMarcos Jr. is a member of one of the country's most notorious political families. His win, analysts say, is the successful culmination of a decades-long rebranding campaign that has revived the Marcos family's name and image.\n\nCritics have pointed to a widespread disinformation campaign, recently supercharged through social media, that has whitewashed the history of the Marcos era, when Marcos Jr.'s father ruled the Philippines through a brutal and corrupt dictatorship that ended in a popular uprising in 1986.\n\nHere's why some are concerned about a Marcos Jr. presidency.\n\nGlobal reactions\n\nUS President Joe Biden spoke with Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, congratulating him on his election win, according to a White House readout of the call.\n\n\"President Biden underscored that he looks forward to working with the President-elect to continue strengthening the US-Philippine Alliance, while expanding bilateral cooperation on a wide range of issues, including the fight against Covid-19, addressing the climate crisis, promoting broad-based economic growth, and respect for human rights,\" said the readout.\n\nChina's President Xi Jinping also congratulated Marcos Jr., saying the two countries would \"stand together through thick and thin,\" according to state media Xinhua. The bilateral relationship has frayed recently over dueling claims to areas of the South China Sea, though Marcos Jr. has been building a rapport with the Chinese Ambassador in recent months.\n\nBut lawmakers in Southeast Asia have expressed concern about human rights under a Marcos administration and the impact of online disinformation.\n\n\"The generalized spread of disinformation has created an environment which has made it difficult for many voters to make informed decisions at the polling station,\" said Charles Santiago, a Malaysian lawmaker and chairperson of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights.\n\nPresidential candidate Ferdinand \"Bongbong\" Marcos Jr. celebrates as he greets the crowd outside his headquarters in Mandaluyong, Philippines on May 11.\n\n\"Even though the electoral process has been conducted in a formally correct manner, we are concerned that voting choices based on lies and harmful narratives could have seriously undermined the integrity of the elections and democracy itself.\"\n\nHuman Rights Watch called on Marcos Jr. to end outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte's \"war on drugs\" and \"order the impartial investigation and appropriate prosecution of officials responsible\" for extrajudicial killings.\n\n\"Marcos should publicly order the military, police and other security forces to cease targeting activists, human rights defenders and journalists for killing and other rights violations. He should end the practice of 'red-tagging' -- accusing activists and government critics of being Communist fighters or supporters,\" Human Rights Watch's deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said in a statement\n\nThe Marcos era\n\nFerdinand Marcos Sr. ruled the Philippines for 21 years from 1965 until 1986, with the country living under martial law for about half of that time.\n\nTens of thousands of people were imprisoned, tortured or killed for perceived or real criticism of the government, human rights groups say.\n\nAs well as its restrictions on citizen rights and a brutal military police, the Marcos regime was marked by widespread corruption, with an estimated $10 billion stolen from the Filipino people.\n\nFerdinand Marcos, with his wife Imelda at his side and Ferdinand Marcos Jr., far right, on the balcony of Malacanang Palace on February 25, 1986 in Manila.\n\nThe Marcos family lived a lavish lifestyle while in power, spending money on expensive artworks, overseas properties and jewels, even as debt spiraled and millions suffered in poverty. Former first lady Imelda Marcos was famously known for her extravagance and excess spending, which included an extensive designer shoe collection.\n\nTheir supporters say the Marcos years were a boon for the country, with the building of major infrastructure projects like hospitals, roads and bridges. Critics say those projects were built on the back of widespread corruption, foreign loans and ballooning debt.\n\nFunds from institutions such as the World Bank disappeared , with the average Filipino not reaping any benefits. Lucrative building contracts went to friends and family.\n\nWho is Marcos Jr.?\n\nMarcos Jr. has not acknowledged the abuses committed during his father's dictatorship and the family have repeatedly denied using state funds for their own use.\n\nBut analysts say the Marcos son benefited from that ill-gotten wealth. \"My parents would never let us forget: This is not yours, this is from the people. Everything we have, all the advantages we have gained, any the successes, and any comfort or privilege we enjoy comes from the people,\" he said in a recent interview with CNN affiliate CNN Philippines.\n\nMarcos Jr. was 23 when he became vice governor of the northern province of Ilocos Norte in 1980, running unopposed with his father's party.\n\nHe was governor when, six years later, his family were chased into exile in Hawaii following a People Power revolution that toppled his father's regime in 1986. Marcos Sr. died in exile three years later, but his family returned in 1991 and became wealthy, influential politicians, with successive family members representing their dynastic stronghold of Ilocos Norte.\n\nFormer first lady Imelda Marcos, second right with her daughters Imee Marcos, right, and Irene Marcos Lopez, left, and son Ferdinand Marcos Jr., second left on July 7, 2007 at the National Library in Manila.\n\nUpon their return to the Philippines, Marcos Jr. became a congressional representative in his home province. He was again elected governor of Ilocos Norte before completing another term as a representative. In 2010, Marcos Jr. became a senator.\n\nIn 2016, he ran for vice president and was narrowly defeated by Leni Robredo -- a former human rights lawyer and his closest rival in the 2022 presidential race.\n\nPersonalities and dynasties dominate Philippine politics, with power concentrated in the hands of a few elite, influential families. Marcos Jr.'s sister Imee Marcos is a senator, his mother Imelda, now 92, was a four-time congresswoman, and his son, Sandro, was elected as a congressional representative in 2022. Imee's son Matthew Marcos Manotoc was also reelected as governor of Ilocos Norte in 2022.\n\nThe May 9 election also saw the partnership of another major political dynasty: the Dutertes.\n\nMarcos will replace outgoing populist leader Rodrigo Duterte but the Dutertes won't be far from power. Marcos Jr.'s running mate, Sara Duterte Carpio is the outgoing Davao mayor and daughter of the former President. Partial and unofficial results have her as winning a landslide for the vice presidency.\n\nWhy people are concerned\n\nThe Marcos regime may have ended in the 1980s, but campaigners say the Marcoses were never held accountable for the scale of their misdeeds and fear Marcos Jr. could erode efforts to settle past injustices.\n\nAs President, Marcos Jr. would be head of the institutions created to investigate allegations against his family's former regime.\n\nThe Presidential Commission on Good Governance has recovered less than half the stolen wealth and active cases remain. An unsettled estate tax of the Marcos family is estimated to now be worth $3.9 billion, but there are concerns Marcos Jr. would scrub that. Imelda Marcos was found guilty of corruption in 2018 but a Supreme Court appeal remains pending and she never went to prison.\n\nThough Marcos Jr. has said he would expand the PCGG and tackle graft and corruption, many worry justice will not be served.\n\nAbout 11,000 victims of martial law abuses received some financial compensation but campaigners say they represent a fraction of all victims. \"There is no more justice to hope for if Marcos Jr. becomes President,\" said Bonifacio Ilagan, co-convenor of the group Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law.\n\nPresident Duterte's administration cracked down on civil society and the media -- slapping tax evasion charges on local, independent media outlets that challenged the government's policies and claims, and arresting editors.\n\nSome fear that Marcos will continue down Duterte's path and that disinformation will further obscure the truth, making it harder to hold those in power accountable.\n\nDuterte is also facing an investigation by the International Criminal Court into his \"war on drugs\" that has killed more than 6,000 people, according to police, and his successor could influence how much access investigators get to the Philippines.\n\n\"I will let them into the country, but only as tourists,\" Marcos Jr. said in January, according to Reuters.\n\nSociologist Jayeel Cornelio said, \"While one camp is celebrating, the other camp is worried about the economy, education, and civil liberties.\"\n\n\"The greater concern that Filipinos have has to do with the next six years. What will the economy look like in the next six years? What will happen to civil society? Will there be a clampdown on press freedom? And will the administration wipe out martial law in the curriculum? These are just some of the questions -- and these are fundamental ones -- for those who resisted the Marcoses' return to power,\" said Cornelio, associate professor and director of development studies at the Ateneo de Manila university.", "authors": ["Helen Regan"], "publish_date": "2022/05/11"}, {"url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/09/opinions/pope-wrong-about-having-children-currie/index.html", "title": "Opinion: The Pope is wrong. Choosing to have few or no children is ...", "text": "Alistair Currie is the head of campaigns and communications at Population Matters, a UK-based charity campaigning for a sustainable human population through ethical means, to protect nature and improve people's lives. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN.\n\n(CNN) Pope Francis' comments that couples opting for pets instead of children were acting selfishly, has reinvigorated an important and timely debate about the future of our species. The pontiff's comments, however, are wholly wrong.\n\n\"Today we see a form of selfishness. We see that people do not want to have children, or just one and no more. And many, many couples do not have children because they do not want to, or they have just one -- but they have two dogs, two cats ... Yes, dogs and cats take the place of children,\" the Pope told an audience at the Vatican Wednesday.\n\n\"This denial of fatherhood or motherhood diminishes us, it takes away our humanity,\" he added.\n\nThe Pope's suggestion that failing to have children is selfish is far from the truth. Especially for those of us living in countries with a large environmental footprint, the choice to have a small family, or no human family at all, is one that helps everyone -- particularly children, whose future depends on a more sustainable planet.\n\nAdditionally, a person's value, moral standing and character is not defined by parenthood. And showing love for animals is surely something that enhances and demonstrates our humanity -- rather than diminishing it.", "authors": ["Opinion Alistair Currie"], "publish_date": "2022/01/09"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/02/21/hidden-dropouts-how-schools-game-system-dumping-underachievers-into-alternative-programs/97708866/", "title": "Hidden dropouts: How schools make low achievers disappear", "text": "Heather Vogell and Hannah Fresques\n\nProPublica\n\nTucked among posh gated communities and meticulously landscaped shopping centers, Olympia High School in Orlando offers more than two dozen Advanced Placement courses, even more afterschool clubs, and an array of sports from bowling to water polo. U.S. News and World Report ranked it among the nation’s top 1,000 high schools last year. Big letters painted in brown on one campus building urge its more than 3,000 students to “Finish Strong.”\n\nOlympia’s success in recent years, however, has been linked to another, quite different school 5 miles away. Last school year, 137 students assigned to Olympia instead attended Sunshine High, a charter alternative school run by a for-profit company. Sunshine stands a few doors down from a tobacco shop and a liquor store in a strip mall. It offers no sports teams and few extra-curricular activities.\n\nSunshine’s 455 students – more than 85 percent of whom are black or Hispanic – sit for four hours a day in front of computers with little or no live teaching. One former student said he was left to himself to goof off or cheat on tests by looking up answers on the internet. A current student said he was robbed near the strip mall’s parking lot, twice.\n\nWhat do you know about alternative schools? - ProPublica\n\nSunshine takes in cast-offs from Olympia and other Orlando high schools in a mutually beneficial arrangement. Olympia keeps its graduation rate above 90 percent — and its rating an “A” under Florida’s all-important grading system for schools — partly by shipping its worst achievers to Sunshine. Sunshine collects enough school district money to cover costs and pay its management firm, Accelerated Learning Solutions (ALS), a more than $1.5 million-a-year “management fee,” 2015 financial records show – more than what the school spends on instruction.\n\nBut students lose out, a ProPublica investigation found. Once enrolled at Sunshine, hundreds of them exit quickly with no degree and limited prospects. The departures expose a practice in which officials in the nation’s tenth largest school district have for years quietly funneled thousands of disadvantaged students – some say against their wishes – into alternative charter schools that allow them to disappear without counting as dropouts.\n\n“I would show up, I would sit down and listen to music the whole time. I didn’t really make any progress the whole time I was there,” said Thiago Mello, 20, who spent a year at Sunshine and left without graduating. He had transferred there from another alternative charter school, where he enrolled after his grades slipped at Olympia.\n\n\n\nThe Orlando schools illustrate a national pattern. Alternative schools have long served as placements for students who violated disciplinary codes. But since the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 refashioned the yardstick for judging schools, alternative education has taken on another role: A silent release valve for high schools like Olympia that are straining under the pressure of accountability reform.\n\nAs a result, alternative schools at times become warehouses where regular schools stow poor performers to avoid being held accountable. Traditional high schools in many states are free to use alternative programs to rid themselves of weak students whose test scores, truancy and risk of dropping out threaten their standing, a ProPublica survey of state policies found.\n\n\n\nOrlando is one of 83 school districts, from Newark to Los Angeles, where regular schools increased their graduation rates by at least one percentage point from 2010 to 2014 while sending more students into alternative education, ProPublica’s analysis found. Such a pattern could indicate that traditional schools are weeding out students at greater risk of dropping out, although there are many reasons why graduation rates rise.\n\nConcerns that schools artificially boosted test scores by dumping low achievers into alternative programs have surfaced in connection with ongoing litigation in Louisiana and Pennsylvania, and echo findings from a legislative report a decade ago in California. The phenomenon is borne out by national data: While the number of students in alternative schools grew moderately over the past 15 years, upticks occurred as new national mandates kicked in on standardized testing and graduation rates.\n\n\n\nThe role of charter alternative schools like Sunshine – publicly funded but managed by for-profit companies – is likely to grow under the new U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, an ardent supporter of school choice. In her home state of Michigan, charter schools have been responsible in part for a steep rise in the alternative school population. She recently portrayed Florida as a national model for charters and choice.\n\nIn Orlando, both traditional and alternative charter schools manipulate the accountability system. The charters exploit a loophole in state regulations: By coding hundreds of students who leave as withdrawing to enter adult education, such as GED classes, Sunshine claims virtually no dropouts. State rules don’t label withdrawals for that reason as dropping out. But ALS officials cannot say where Sunshine students actually went – or if they even took GED classes at all.\n\nBetween the day in 2012 when it first opened, and the end of the 2015 school year, Sunshine High coded 1,230 withdrawals as students leaving for adult education. At least nine of the company’s other charter schools statewide – including three in Orange County - followed a similar pattern. Not counting Sunshine, the other ALS schools in Florida reported 5,260 more such withdrawals.\n\nALS ran seven of the 10 high schools statewide with the most withdrawals to adult education in 2015. Sunshine ranked first. If all such withdrawals from ALS schools in Florida were counted as dropouts, the number of times that students quit school statewide that year would increase by at least 5 percent. In Orange County, the number of dropouts would jump by at least 80 percent.\n\nThe apparent suppression of the dropout rate occurred as Orlando’s district, Orange County Public Schools, geared up to win a major national education award.\n\nIn a written statement, district officials disputed that the transfers helped elevate the school system’s standing under state accountability rules. Students who quit to pursue adult education do count against the district’s overall graduation rate, even though they aren’t labeled as dropouts, they said. They did not respond to questions about whether transfers to Sunshine and other alternative charters have inflated the graduation rates of traditional schools like Olympia.\n\n“Any national or state recognition the district has received,” the statement said, “is the direct result of our parents, students, teachers, and school administrators working hard.”\n\nALS President Angela Whitford-Narine said the company is continually improving at the challenging task of helping students who have struggled academically attain enough credits to graduate. The average student in ALS schools is at least two years behind, she said.\n\n“I can’t even begin to say we have this all figured out,” she while giving ProPublica a tour of Aloma High, another charter school the company runs in Orange County. “But every day we get better at it.”\n\nSunshine and schools like it promise students they can graduate more quickly by going at their own pace. But Mello said students end up at Sunshine because they had trouble getting their work done.\n\n“You go in there with bad habits and you’re already going ‘at your own pace,’” said Mello, who graduated from a regular high school in Texas and now works as a mechanic in a suburb of Dallas. “It doesn’t work like it’s intended to work.”\n\nLEFT BEHIND\n\nThe symbiotic relationship between Olympia and Sunshine sheds light on a neglected sector of American K-12 education: a sprawling system of “alternative” schools made up of roughly half a million of the nation’s most vulnerable students.\n\nNo Child Left Behind was supposed to improve educational outcomes for students long overlooked – including those who were black, Hispanic and low-income. Yet as the pressure ramped up, ProPublica’s analysis found, those students were precisely the ones overrepresented in alternative classrooms – where many found a second-tier education awaiting them.\n\n\n\nBarbara Fedders, a law professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, said alternative schools too frequently fail to halt students’ downward trajectory, simply isolating them, instead.\n\n“They create little islands of segregation,” Fedders said. “If they aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do, it’s unclear why we have them at all.”\n\nThe alternative sector’s new focus on academic struggles also created a niche that charter school groups sought to fill, including for-profits like ALS.\n\nSupporters of alternative schools say they provide more support for struggling students, and the best do – through small classes, caring teachers, flexible schedules and extra counseling and tutoring. Arkansas, for instance, has devoted “tremendous resources” to lower student-teacher ratios, specialized teacher training and project-based learning in its alternative program, said Lori Lamb, the state’s director of alternative education.\n\nBut a broad swath of the schools short-change their students, ProPublica’s analysis of federal data shows. Nationwide, nearly a third of the alternative-school population attends a school that spends at least $500 less per pupil than regular schools do in the same district. Forty percent of school districts with alternative schools provide counseling services only in regular schools. Charter alternative schools – both virtual and bricks-and-mortar – in Ohio, Georgia and Florida have been accused of collecting public money for students who weren’t in classes.\n\nAcross the country, students and their advocates report, alternative classes are sometimes taught in crumbling buildings, school basements, trailers and strip malls. Some lack textbooks and, in many, students sit in front of computers all day instead of engaging with teachers.\n\nStates often hold alternative schools to lower standards. Some exempt them from achievement goals, oversight or reporting rules other schools must follow, ProPublica found. In Florida, while regular schools like Olympia get letter grades for performance, alternative schools can opt for less rigorous ratings tied to testing progress.\n\n\n\nRather than lifting the performance of marginal students, alternative schools serve too often as way stations for future dropouts. While just 6 percent of regular schools have graduation rates below 50 percent, our analysis found nearly half of alternative schools do.\n\n“What was done in the alternative programs was just shameful,” said Leon Smith, a lawyer at the Center for Children’s Advocacy, which has pushed for reforms in Connecticut. In that state, a survey of alternative education a few years ago revealed substandard facilities and programs that offered fewer class hours than regular schools did.\n\nThe effect was to demoralize students who were already demoralized.\n\n“If you do it right, you can catch those kids and get them through,” Smith said. “If you do it wrong, it’s a dumping ground.”\n\nFEELING UNWELCOME\n\nOne day in early 2014, Jacquline Haas was sitting in chemistry class at Olympia High when she was summoned to the guidance counselor’s office. A quiet student who had never been in trouble, she nervously left class.\n\nJacquline, a junior, had struggled in high school because of a learning disability that made her a slow reader. But on that day, her attitude toward school had been buoyed by the possibility of adding vocational classes to her schedule senior year. She wanted to study cosmetology.\n\nWhen she arrived at the guidance office, Jacquline joined 10 to 15 other students who were also floundering academically. A man representing Sunshine High addressed the assembly. He told them the school could help them catch up on credits so they could graduate.\n\nJacquline was shaken, disappointed by the idea of leaving Olympia – especially given her encouraging tour of the vocational program earlier in the day.\n\n“It just kind of popped my bubble,” she said.\n\nShe brought the brochure about Sunshine and other Accelerated Learning Solutions schools home to her mother, who reacted even more strongly.\n\nTo Jennifer Haas, the message was clear: Her daughter was not welcome at Olympia because of her borderline grades and test scores. The year before, Haas had provided school counselors ample information on her daughter’s type of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, including a professional evaluation. She felt the school had responded by trying to push Jacquline out.\n\n“I said, ‘Jacq you’re too smart to go to these,’” Haas recalled telling her daughter after looking through the school brochure. “You’re just hanging in the crack. They’d rather you go all the way through the crack to protect their numbers.”\n\nThose numbers include standardized test scores, graduation rates and the letter grades schools in Florida receive each year. In some cases, funding is tied to the results – and, in all cases, so are the reputations of the school and the professionals who run it.\n\n\n\n“Everybody wants these high graduation rates because it ties in to your school grade,” said Amy Geller, a former registrar at Olympia. “It is a huge deal to schools, it affects property values, it affects everything.”\n\n\n\nOlympia has done particularly well. The school’s leaders boast on its website that the school is the only one in the district to receive an “A” rating from the state for seven straight years. Its graduation rate of 93 percent is among the highest in the school district. The state’s strict graduation criteria require most students to maintain a 2.0 GPA, pass certain standardized tests and obtain 24 credits to graduate.\n\nTwo other students besides Jacquline, as well as a former guidance counselor, confirmed to ProPublica that Olympia has allowed ALS representatives to pitch its schools to poor-performing students in assemblies.\n\n“They called us up to a classroom, all the kids that were doing bad and everything,” said Justin Cowans, a senior, after class ended at Sunshine High earlier this school year. He transferred out of Olympia last school year, he said, after a counselor told him he “had to leave the school because of my grades.”\n\nFEWER DROPOUTS?\n\nThe transfers of thousands of students like Cowans from traditional schools have spurred explosive growth in Orange County’s alternative high school population. ProPublica’s analysis of federal data shows that the district’s alternative school enrollment tripled from 1,300 students in the 2009 school year to 3,900 in 2014. A driving force: Sunshine and its sister Accelerated Learning Solutions schools – Sheeler, Chancery and Aloma. A fifth ALS school, Econ River, opened last fall.\n\nFew students earn diplomas on time from the ALS schools, whose low graduation rates are a drag on Orange County’s districtwide average. But by labeling students who left as transfers to adult ed programs such as GED classes, the ALS schools kept thousands of departures from being listed officially as dropouts. Orange County only reported 211 dropouts in 2015. That same year, countywide, its ALS schools reported 1,038 adult education withdrawals.\n\nThe transfers likely helped the school district’s test scores, too. The academically at-risk students who attend ALS schools tend to score below their counterparts at Olympia and other traditional schools. But they inflict less damage on the district’s average scores at Sunshine because it tests a smaller percentage of eligible test takers – the group that matters for accountability purposes – than Olympia does. While Olympia tested 95 percent of such students in 2016, Sunshine tested just 80 percent, state data shows. Another ALS school in Orange County, Sheeler High, tested only half of its eligible students.\n\n\n\nRegular high schools in Orange County likely enjoyed the biggest benefit of the exodus. Evans, Edgewater, and West Orange high schools saw jumps of more than 10 percentage points in their graduation rates between the 2011 and 2014 school years. The 14 percentage point boost in Evans’ graduation rate over that period coincided with a substantial exodus of students from its neighborhoods to ALS schools. In 2014, district data obtained through a public records request shows, 170 students assigned to Evans’ zone attended Sunshine, and 101 went to Sheeler.\n\n“I was slacking off at my old school,” said Angel Hernandez, while waiting for a ride after class at ALS’s Sheeler High northwest of Orlando early in the school year. Hernandez, then 19, said he attended West Orange High until staff there suggested to his parents that he transfer to Sheeler or Sunshine to catch up.\n\n\n\nOlympia, which already had a high graduation rate, didn’t experience a comparable boost. Still, it saw sharp hikes in the rates for subsets of students similar to those that frequently end up in ALS schools. The graduation rate for Olympia’s low-income population rose by 7 percentage points between the 2012 and 2016 school years, for instance. The rate for its disabled students increased by 18 percentage points.\n\nIn their statement, school district officials noted the district’s overall graduation rate, which includes the performance of the charter alternative schools, has risen in recent years. “We are committed to student success and providing all students with options that lead them to graduation,” the statement said.\n\n\n\nThe school district declined a request by ProPublica to speak with Superintendent Barbara Jenkins. In November, Jenkins was named Florida’s Superintendent of the Year.\n\nALS President Whitford-Narine said in a statement that enrollment trends “do not suggest that students are referred for any reason other than because an educational professional and the student and parent believe that an alternative learning environment is needed.”\n\nThe alternative education boom occurred as Orange County Public Schools – which serves more than 200,000 students, two-thirds of whom are economically disadvantaged – sought national recognition.\n\nThe district in 2014 was one of two nationwide awarded the annual Broad Prize for Urban Education, then considered by some to be the Nobel Prize for large public school systems. (The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation suspended the Prize in 2015, citing “sluggish academic results” by the nation’s biggest school districts.) Selection jurors praised Orange County not only for raising students’ achievement across grade levels, but for doing so at a rapid pace.\n\n“Orange County demonstrates that a sense of urgency and focus can improve student achievement in a hurry,” Broad Foundation president Bruce Reed said at the time. The award put the district and school leaders in the spotlight as exemplars of urban school reform and brought Orange County students $500,000 in scholarships.\n\nThe award was no happy accident: District and school board officials had made a deliberate, multi-year push for the Broad – a journey some districts have called the “Road to Broad.”\n\n“We thought it would take us four to five years just to become a finalist, and two to three more to win the Broad Prize,” wrote Bill Sublette, chairman of the Orange County school board, in the district’s 2015 annual report. “Remarkably, under the capable leadership of Superintendent Barbara Jenkins, last year we were named the 2014 Broad Prize winner!”\n\nIn response to questions from ProPublica, analysts working with the Broad Foundation said that, after reviewing the data, they saw no evidence that moving students to alternative charter schools boosted the Orange County district’s overall testing performance inappropriately, according to a statement released by the foundation. Award jurors did not consider the dropout rate when making the award, they said.\n\nPUSHED TO TRANSFER\n\nAt Sunshine High, students attend four-hour sessions in a storefront with a handful of tidy classrooms off a central hallway, and work through subject courses in computer labs. A single teacher typically monitors up to 25 students at different levels and subject areas. There is no homework. The school runs three sessions a day, searching students with a metal detector when they enter. Security guards patrol the area.\n\n\n\nOutside Sunshine one afternoon, students gave the school mixed reviews. Some shrugged and said it was okay. Others complained they couldn’t get enough help from teachers when the material was confusing. Dave Casimir, then 16, said that at Evans High, he’d had more access to afterschool tutoring. “Over here, there’s nothing, nothing, nothing at all,” he said. “It’s stressing me out.”\n\nMello, who went to Sunshine when it first opened in 2012, said that many students at the time knew how to get around the school’s software to log onto gaming websites, or cheat by looking up answers on the Web. “A lot of the times people flew by by doing that,” he said.\n\nWhitford-Narine said that since 2015, the schools have blocked access to music or video streaming sites that aren’t part of classes. The schools also now have web filters that stop students from accessing sites not connected to their curriculum.\n\nAsked how they ended up at Sunshine, several students said their traditional Orlando high schools gave them no choice: School staff told them they had to transfer to a charter school like Sunshine because they had fallen too far behind. Or, if they tried to enter the Orlando schools from outside the district, counselors told them they couldn’t enroll because their academic records were too weak, and directed them to Sunshine.\n\n\n\n“They said I had to go here until my grades improved,” student DeShawn Tinesley told ProPublica while waiting at a public bus stop near Sunshine. He had transferred within the district from Ocoee High School, northwest of Orlando. “I was like dang, I was shocked.”\n\nAnother Sunshine student, Dai’Quan Sheals, said he tried to transfer to Evans High from outside the school district but staff there told him he didn’t have enough credits. He said they told him that, “if you’re going to spend any longer than four years in high school – if you fall behind at all – you’re basically out.”\n\n\n\nIn a subsequent text message, Sheals said, “I didn’t like what Evans did,” but added that he has done well at Sunshine. “I really like the teachers here, they work with me and my schedule, and I have been able to find success here.”\n\nIn response to questions from ProPublica, the district’s chief communications officer, Scott Howat, said that Sheals’ guardian had made the decision to send him to Sunshine.\n\n\n\nOverall, of 32 students whom ProPublica interviewed at ALS schools in Orlando, almost half – 15 – said that because of academics, they had been denied admission to regular public high schools or told they had to transfer from them to alternative programs.\n\nUnder Florida’s state constitution, students who have not been disciplined have an “absolute” right to attend their zoned regular school, said special education attorney Stephanie Langer of Coral Gables. Schools sometimes push students and their parents to leave by telling them they won’t graduate otherwise, she said.\n\n“It’s sort of like bullying,” Langer said.\n\nHarold Border, Orange County’s chief of high schools, said the district’s traditional high schools are supposed to monitor and assist students having difficulty, and not send them to alternative charters if they don’t want to go. “We take those concerns seriously and we continue to emphasize with our schools that any student who comes to us that’s within our zone, we have a welcoming environment,” he said.\n\nStudents who do not want to transfer to a charter should be permitted to stay at their local high school, he said. The assemblies students described at Olympia were “not a practice that we support or promote.”\n\n“When we get to that point, there should be discussions with parents and students in concert well before they’re speaking with someone coming in from another school,” he said.\n\nBorder said schools should monitor students to keep them from falling behind. “I would say it concerns me if their perception is that they weren’t welcome at their home high school,” he said.\n\nHowat, the district spokesman, said transfers to alternative charters are voluntary. “We’re saying this school’s available for you to finish your diploma on time with your class,” he said. “We’re not assigning them.”\n\nFormer Olympia guidance counselor Sue Gagne said the assemblies angered some parents and students. “There were a few kids, they were offended: ‘Why would you put me in this assembly with these losers?’” she said. Some parents would come in and complain to the principal, she said, and “want us fired.”\n\nBut, she said, counselors were only trying to give students every chance to graduate. Transfers were optional. Pressure from the state and district put immense burdens on teachers, she said, making it hard for them to spare time for struggling students. It seemed, sometimes, as if there were simply no room for remediation, she said.\n\n“It’s horrible,” said Gagne, who left education to become a real estate agent. “Life’s too short to have this kind of stress.”\n\nOlympia’s principal, Guy Swenson, did not respond to an email from ProPublica, instead forwarding it to the district’s communications office. The school district denied a request to tour the school.\n\nWIDESPREAD PROBLEM\n\nOrlando schools are not unique in using alternative programs to remove struggling students from traditional classrooms. As far back as 2007, a legislative report in California warned that the state’s accountability system allowed traditional schools to shirk responsibility for low-performing students by referring them to alternative schools. The state is currently reviewing its standards for alternative schools.\n\nIn Louisiana about a year ago, lawyers for students complaining of discriminatory treatment in alternative schools in a school district near New Orleans discovered student transfers from regular schools shot up just before the state’s annual tests were given. Such transfers could be a way to avoid having scores count against students’ home schools. The complaint, filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, is still open.\n\nAnd in Pennsylvania, state officials have for years allowed the test scores of students sent to alternative programs to effectively disappear – because students’ scores no longer belong to any school once they transfer. They are instead absorbed into the district’s overall totals. “Sadly, for many students, rather than providing additional supports,” noted legal advocates’ claim against the state’s alternative network, “these programs have become a revolving door which spirals students away from being able to successfully complete high school, ultimately fueling Pennsylvania's dropout rate.”\n\nThat complaint, filed with the Justice Department in 2013, is also ongoing.\n\nWhile charter schools have been accused of cherry-picking top students, ALS belongs to a growing and controversial segment of the sector that instead seeks out low achievers. These students “are a little profit center,” said Jorge Ruiz de Velasco, a senior researcher at Stanford University.\n\nCompanies running schools in this niche often save costs by relying on computer programs that reduce the need for credentialed teachers. The market can be lucrative: As enrollment grew, ALS’ management fees from the schools it operates in Orange County more than doubled from $2.5 million in the 2012 school year to $5.4 million in 2015. The company says the fees pay for back-office services, such as human resources, as well as school-based support for areas such as curriculum, reading, math, security, and professional development.\n\nALS’ roots, however, lie in a more traditional approach to alternative schools: one that focused on discipline.\n\nThe company’s affiliate – the controversial Nashville-based Community Education Partners, or CEP – contracted with school districts to serve students with behavior problems. The company, founded by a lawyer and Republican Party operative named Randle Richardson, ran schools for students who had committed disciplinary violations in cities such as Atlanta, Philadelphia, Houston and Orlando for more than a decade. Critics called CEP’s schools prison-like and dangerous, and charged that their academics were sub-par.\n\n\n\nRichardson said in 2010 that the alternative school CEP ran in Atlanta was used by the school district to weed out students who scored poorly on standardized tests. “It accomplished the purpose they wanted,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It got disruptive kids out. It got the low performers out. I understand the pressure on school districts. …If you’ve got a place to put them where those scores are attributed, that’s a great temptation.”\n\nIn 2012, after a spate of critical media coverage, Richardson told FRONTLINE he planned to shutter CEP. In 2015, CEP assigned its management agreement for Sunshine High entirely to ALS, which had previously shared the role with CEP. Also led by Richardson, ALS now has 21 schools in Florida, three in North Carolina and one in Georgia. Its administrative base is in Nashville, though school operations are run out of Orlando.\n\nALS has hit trouble in some Florida school districts, facing criticism both for academic issues such as single-digit graduation rates and for its financial practices. In 2015, a state auditor accused ALS of overcharging Jacksonville’s school district, Duval County Public Schools, more than $200,000. ALS has appealed the audit.\n\nIn 2016, a former teacher at North Nicholas High, an ALS school in Florida’s Lee County, alleged in a federal lawsuit that staff there helped students cheat and tampered with grades, falsifying course completion forms for some failing students to make it look as if they passed.\n\nThe former teacher, Kenneth Williams, also reported to school district authorities that the school’s staff sometimes used personal vehicles to drive students to school on days when the state was counting attendance to increase enrollment numbers, and therefore, payments from the district. The school offered students prizes and raffles on those days to boost attendance, the teacher alleged. Williams said he was fired in retaliation for reporting violations to the school district.\n\nThe company denied the allegations in a response filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Myers, Florida. Whitford-Narine reiterated the denial, and said in a statement that Williams was terminated for “failure to perform his duties as a classroom teacher.” The case is ongoing.\n\nALS has waded into state political contests, with the company and its executives contributing at least $45,000 to Florida politicians and political action committees since 2015 – including sizeable contributions to the Republican Party of Florida and a political action committee called Citizens First that has taken in tens of thousands in donations from charter organizations. ALS officials have donated to local school board races, too.\n\nAnd state records show that since last year, ALS has paid between $70,000 and $190,000 to lobbyists. On the company’s legislative agenda: convincing state policymakers to lower the accountability bar further for alternative education, citing students’ challenging backgrounds. The company urged state officials, for instance, not to count last school year’s performance against alternative schools, because the state made the rating more rigorous.\n\nWhitford-Narine said the company only wants the rating system to measure its schools’ performance fairly and adequately. “The current model has multiple inherent flaws that school districts and lawmakers acknowledge,” she wrote in the statement. “Our efforts are NOT an attempt to reduce rigor.”\n\nMost ALS students are approaching 18 years old and missing more than half the credits they need to graduate, she said. The graduation rate, which requires students to earn their diploma in four years, understates ALS schools’ successes, she said.\n\n\n\nStaff provide extra help, career counseling and social services referrals to those who need it. Students who are struggling with reading or math can see a specialist. If students have jobs, the schools work with them to fulfill elective credits through work experience. A few students continue to participate in sports or clubs at their zoned school, she said.\n\nMost of the students desperately need the ALS schools’ flexible schedule, she said. Some are parents or have job or family commitments that interfere with school.\n\nWhitford-Narine introduced a ProPublica reporter to one student, Charlotte Mims, who said she has been taking classes at Aloma after missing much of high school when her parents fell seriously - and, in her father’s case, fatally - ill. Mims was working constantly and caring for them, and she said she would not have had a chance at a regular diploma if not for Aloma. “This school is very special to me,” she said.\n\nNO STUDENT TRACKING\n\nOne August afternoon after school let out, Sunshine Principal Margaret Olmo spotted a former student in the reception area. The student had quit school, but was thinking of returning. Olmo gave him an animated, urgent pep talk, encouraging him to register again. He could start classes as soon as the next day, she said.\n\nIf the school’s statistics were to be believed, the student was a rarity. In its first three school years, 2013 through 2015, the school told the state it had zero dropouts (though the district told ProPublica Sunshine’s dropout rate was 1 percent in 2014 and 2015).\n\nSeveral Sunshine students said they knew others who had dropped out.\n\n“A lot of kids drop out,” said Sheals, the Sunshine student. Said Juslaine Touze, who also transferred to Sunshine from Evans High: “My dad didn’t want me to come here. He thought this was a dropout school.”\n\nThough it claimed to have no dropouts, Sunshine reported that only 100 students graduated with standard diplomas and no special conditions from 2013 to 2015, state data shows. What happened to the hundreds of other students who exited? Based on Sunshine’s reports to the state, a large number withdrew to pursue equivalency degrees.\n\nWhitford-Narine said ALS schools will help students find GED programs if it looks like they are going to drop out. The schools also host career fairs where they bring in prospective employers and representatives of the military.\n\nMost of the students who leave ALS schools for adult education programs have personal or family issues, worry that they will “age out” of public school at 21, or are frustrated with the time and effort it takes to earn a regular diploma, she said. “We can’t save every student, we understand that,” she said.\n\nHowever, she wrote in an email, Sunshine reports that a student is enrolling in adult education based on what the student or parent says their plans are, rather than actual evidence of enrollment. The company does call students to urge them to come back in the months after they leave school, she said, but it does not keep a record of what adult programs, if any, students say they are enrolled in.\n\nAsserting without evidence that former students are pursuing adult-education degrees appears to violate state rules.\n\nFor the code to be used accurately, state education officials require that schools have evidence students either enrolled in an adult education class or passed the GED test, wrote spokeswoman Cheryl Etters in an email. A promise to enroll is not enough. The school district is responsible for making sure documentation in students’ files backs up use of the code.\n\nWhitford-Narine said in the statement that ALS would contact the state Department of Education for guidance and adjust its procedures if needed.\n\nThree people who work in adult education programs in Orlando said that while they don’t always know where students come from, they were unaware of a large influx from charter alternative schools like Sunshine.\n\n“That would be well known,” said Scott Weidl, an assistant director at Orange Technical College’s Westside Campus, which is the closest of five adult education centers to Sunshine. “I’ve never seen that scenario.” Joyce Whidden, who is director of a nonprofit called the Adult Literacy League of Orlando that has an adult education program, said she, too, had not heard of substantial numbers of students leaving charter alternative schools for adult education.\n\nEven when it leads to a GED, adult education can severely limit students’ options and is not viewed by the Orange County school district as a desirable outcome for students young enough to attend traditional schools. “It’s not a planned path for a student,” Border said.\n\nWhen told Sunshine reports sending many students to adult education, Gagne, the former Olympia guidance counselor, said she was surprised.\n\n“Oh gosh, so they don’t finish Sunshine either,” she said. “I assumed they were finishing getting their diploma and going on to whatever they wanted to do.”\n\nDISTRICT RESPONSIBILITY\n\nSchool districts don’t have the power to hire and fire charter school personnel. But they are supposed to make sure charter schools like Sunshine are helping students.\n\nThe Orange County School District is responsible for tracking whether the schools fulfill promises made in their charter contracts related to academics. District officials said they monitor ALS schools by checking metrics kept in “notebooks” at each school site during twice-annual visits.\n\nFor Sunshine, those measures include a “completion rate” that considers how many students either graduate or are continuing to work toward a regular diploma – at Sunshine or any other school - each year. The rate was just 42 percent of students in 2014, the school said, but rose to 59 percent in 2015 and 83 percent in 2016.\n\nWhitford-Narine cited other statistics she said show students are benefiting from ALS schools. Her statement on company letterhead emphasized in boldface that 63 percent of students gain at least two grade levels in reading and 77 percent make grade-level growth in math after attending ALS schools for at least a semester.\n\nWhen evaluating charters, the district also looks at their state ratings. For alternative schools like Sunshine, the state calculates those ratings based on gains in test scores.\n\nSunshine High’s on-time graduation rate sunk to 3.5 percent in 2016. But it tested the bare minimum number of students required and their scores were just high enough for the school to avoid an “unsatisfactory” rating. Two ALS schools tested too few students to receive a rating at all.\n\nSunshine could see its contract terminated if it receives poor ratings for two out of four years – or if it fails to test enough students for two of four years.\n\nDistrict officials said they have never sanctioned ALS or its schools for missing benchmarks.\n\n“We have no records indicating these schools have had any compliance issues,” a district spokeswoman said in an email.\n\nTwo years ago, the district renewed the charters of several ALS schools for 15-year terms – which state law permits for charters with “exemplary academic programming and fiscal management.” Sunshine’scontract is up for renewal in June.\n\nRepresentatives from both ALS and the district said their relationship is strong.\n\n“We have a great relationship with Orange County Schools,” Whitford-Narine said. When she offered to show a ProPublica reporter around Aloma, she asked the reporter to let the school district’s charter office know about the tour. The people running Aloma, the director of school choice services told the reporter, were “good people.”\n\nFINDING SUCCESS\n\nBack in 2014, when Olympia encouraged Jacquline Haas to transfer to Sunshine, her mother Jennifer was so fed up she wondered if she should simply pull her daughter out of Olympia and enroll her in GED classes. She fired off an angry email to school board members and Gov. Rick Scott’s office threatening to do as much.\n\n“I will be happy once my daughter is finally out of the school system and being productive and less stressed than she is now,” Haas wrote.\n\nThat prospect would likely worry Olympia officials. Despite its size, Olympia sent fewer than 10 students to adult education in each of the 2013, 2014 and 2015 school years. While they aren’t technically considered dropouts, they do bring down Olympia’s lauded graduation rate.\n\nAfter a tense meeting with Haas, Olympia developed a plan to salvage the teen’s academic career. A supportive guidance counselor helped find teachers who could accommodate her learning disability, and worked to get her into the vocational classes she wanted. Jacquline took online classes after school to supplement her regular Olympia school courses.\n\nWith the extra support, she passed a mandatory standardized test and even raised her grade-point-average in her senior year to 3.49 on a 4.0 scale, lifting her four-year GPA over the 2.0 required to graduate. She graduated from Olympia in 2015. She’s been cutting hair since but, for the first time, is now considering applying to college to pursue an interest in forensic science.\n\nHaas wonders what high school might have been like for her daughter if she’d gotten help earlier. She thinks, too, about all the kids at Sunshine and other ALS schools who don’t have strong advocates.\n\nJacquline, who was happy to finally find success, said her senior year proved her best.\n\n“I still hated school,” she said, “but I got through it.”\n\nWhat do you know about alternative schools? - ProPublica\n\nThis story was reported by ProPublica in partnership with the USA TODAY Network. ProPublica is a non-profit investigative newsroom doing journalism in the public interest.", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2017/02/21"}, {"url": "https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/50-states/2021/11/12/turtle-power-ditching-dixie-phd-age-news-around-states/49365831/", "title": "Turtle power, ditching Dixie: News from around our 50 states", "text": "From USA TODAY Network and wire reports\n\nAlabama\n\nMontgomery: Alabamians can now get limited quantities of beer, wine and spirits delivered to their homes after the first companies have gotten licensed. Lawmakers this year approved separate bills to allow alcohol deliveries from retailers to a person’s home and to allow wineries to ship directly to consumers in the state. Several companies have gotten licensed to deliver the alcoholic beverages or to ship wine, according to the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. The ABC Licensing Division has several other pending applications for both alcohol delivery and wine shipment, spokesman Daniel Dye wrote in an email. As of Monday, four companies have so far been licensed to deliver alcoholic beverages: Shipt, Dippi, Pick Up My Things and Deerfoot Spirits. Five companies have gotten licensed to ship wine directly to consumers in Alabama: Penrose Hill Winery, James Cole Winery, Winecub, Truth Teller and Robert Young. Alcohol delivery may not yet be available everywhere as companies ramp up operations. Shipt announced last week that it is doing same-day delivery of beer and wine from Target. The company said it is working to expand delivery from additional retailers.\n\nAlaska\n\nAnchorage: The state’s largest airport saw a big jump in summer passengers compared to the 2020 season, when the pandemic kept many people at home. More than 877,000 passengers traveled through the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport between May and September this year compared to the same time last year, Anchorage television station KTUU reports. “The terminal was very busy this summer, so we knew it was going to be a good summer,” said Jim Szczesniak, the airport manager. Airport officials said those passengers injected more than $1 billion into Alaska’s economy. The travel group Visit Anchorage said hotel demand was up 47% over the same time period in 2020. “So we made some really encouraging gains, but we’re not back to where we were pre-pandemic,” Visit Anchorage Community Engagement Director Jack Bonney said. Both are cautiously optimistic for 2022. “I think as long as we stay on a positive course, we have a lot of really encouraging indicators for next year, but so much of this is tied up in national and global developments around the pandemic,” Bonney said. Szczesniak said he is hopeful the increase in passenger numbers will continue to climb with expanded cruises and international travel expected next year.\n\nArizona\n\nTucson: A conservation group says an additional 1,850 acres of a cattle ranch that is part of an important wildlife corridor in western Cochise County are now protected as open space. With the additional acreage, a total of 3,800 acres of the Rain Valley Ranch are now protected through conservation easements, the Arizona Land and Water Trust announced Wednesday. The ranch along State Route 82 east of Sonoita includes part of a wildlife corridor that links the Whetstone, Mustang, and Huachuca mountains. “With large properties in the Sonoita/Elgin area continuing to be purchased for single-family homes or ‘ranchettes,’ the threat of development increases for locations like Rain Valley Ranch, making its conservation critical,” the trust said in a statement. The additional protected landscape also benefits nearby Fort Huachuca by ensuring that potential electromagnetic interference with military training activities associated with the Army base remains low, the trust said.\n\nArkansas\n\nLittle Rock: A man who died in prison more than two decades ago is now being investigated as a person of interest in the disappearance of a girl who went missing in 1995, according to the FBI. The agency is asking the public for more information about Billy Jack Lincks, 75, who died in prison in 2000 and had been arrested for attempting to abduct a girl months after 6-year-old Morgan Nick went missing. Lincks was serving a sentence for a 1996 conviction for sexual indecency with a child at the time of his death. “Today, law enforcement may be closer than ever to identifying” Nick’s abductor, the FBI said in a news release. FBI spokesman Connor Hagan said this is the first time the bureau has publicly identified someone as a person of interest in Morgan’s disappearance. Arkansas’ missing child-alert system is named for Morgan. Hagan declined to say if investigators have any evidence connecting him to Nicks’ disappearance. Lincks was raised in Crawford County and returned to Van Buren in the 1970s after serving in the Army during World War II and working at Braniff Airlines in Dallas from 1962 to 1974, the FBI said. Lincks attempted to abduct a young girl in Van Buren at a location 8 miles from the baseball field where Morgan was taken, the FBI said, asking anyone with any information about Lincks to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI.\n\nCalifornia\n\nLos Angeles: The state has begun positioning equipment and locking in contracts with temporary health care workers in preparation for another possible winter surge of coronavirus cases, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. The most populous state in the country still is doing comparatively well with the rest of the U.S. in terms of cases and hospitalizations. But Newsom warned Californians should prepare for another harsh pandemic winter even though the state is among the nation’s leaders on COVID-19 shots, with about 74% of eligible people having received at least one dose of a vaccine. While statewide hospitalizations have fallen by about half since a summer peak at the end of August, they have started creeping up in some areas, particularly the Central Valley and portions of Southern California including Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. “We’ve seen some signs that suggest concerns,” Newsom said. California earlier this fall had the nation’s lowest case rate but is now 16th, he said, while the positivity rate for those tested for the virus is 2.3% after falling below 1% in June. Beyond the upward trend in certain parts of the state, state health officials said they are generally apprehensive because colder weather will keep people inside. There will be more holiday mingling as immunity acquired months ago begins to wane without booster shots.\n\nColorado\n\nDenver: An appeals court panel on Wednesday reinstated a lawsuit filed by Republican lawmakers and a Colorado gun rights group challenging a “red flag” law that allows courts to order firearms taken away from people who pose a danger to themselves or others. The lawsuit, filed in 2019, argues that majority Democrats in the state House denied Republican lawmakers their constitutional right to have the red flag legislation be read in its entirety during debate. The bill was signed into law by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis and took effect in 2020. When one GOP lawmaker requested a reading, multiple clerks read sections of the bill simultaneously, the plaintiffs said. A second representative’s request that the bill be read was denied, they said. Democrats countered that the bill was being read on the floor at the subsequent request of a Republican lawmaker until he withdrew that request. Colorado Politics reports that a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals overturned a Denver district court judge’s ruling that the judiciary should not intrude on the prerogatives of the Legislature or other branches of government. The panel cited a Supreme Court ruling in an unrelated case that the courts can consider whether the Legislature has complied with the constitutional mandate for the reading of bills.\n\nConnecticut\n\nNew Haven: Mayor Justin Elicker appointed Renee Dominguez as the city’s police chief Wednesday, which would make her the first woman to permanently lead the force. Dominguez has served as acting chief since March, after the retirement of Otoniel Reyes. Her appointment must be approved by the city’s Board of Alders. City and state officials believe Dominguez also would be the first female permanent police chief in any of the state’s largest cities. Several women have led police departments in smaller cities and towns in Connecticut. In the state’s largest city, Bridgeport, Rebeca Garcia is currently the acting police chief. “I am very excited,” Dominguez said at a news conference Wednesday. “My entire adult life has been dedicated to serving the community.” Dominguez became a police officer in Newtown in 2000 and moved to the New Haven police force in 2002. She is married with two daughters, ages 3 and 6. “To be the chief and have little girls is a challenge,” she said. “But what better role model than your mother. You can do whatever you want, and you can be whoever you want to be.”\n\nDelaware\n\nDover: Mourners shared laughter, memories and tears Wednesday as they paid their last respects to former Gov. Ruth Ann Minner. Minner, a sharecropper’s daughter, high school dropout and widow, was the only woman to serve as Delaware’s governor, holding office from 2001 to 2009. She died Thursday at the age of 86. Friends, family and fellow politicians, including President Joe Biden, paid tribute to her during a funeral at Milford Church of the Nazarene. They recalled her as a woman who was driven by steely determination but never forgot her humble upbringing and maintained a sense of empathy for fellow citizens. “Each time she climbed up the political ladder, she always stayed grounded in the lives of everyday people,” said Biden, who represented Delaware in the U.S. Senate for decades. During her decades of public service as a state lawmaker, lieutenant governor and governor, Minner served as a mentor and role model for many of those who attended her funeral. “Like many of you in this church, I would not be here today as your governor were it not for Ruth Ann Minner. It’s just that simple,” said Gov. John Carney, who served two terms as Minner’s lieutenant governor. “She set the standard for all of us.”\n\nDistrict of Columbia\n\nWashington: The district’s government has struck a deal with the U.S. Marshals Service to improve the situation at the city’s main jail after it came under criticism and the Justice Department announced that 400 federal prisoners would be transferred out because of substandard conditions. Conditions at the jail had long been a point of criticism for local activists. The issue took on a national political dimension in recent months because many defendants from the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection were being held there. Wednesday’s announcement said the city Department of Corrections and the federal Marshals Service “will collaboratively assess conditions at the (Central Detention Facility) and develop a plan to address concerns.” Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement that she welcomed the attention and resources to “address any deficiencies” at D.C. facilities. “We all agree: everyone who is in our jail or under our supervised care should be treated humanely and have safe conditions,” Bowser said. Supporters of several Jan. 6 defendants filed suit, alleging the defendants’ civil rights were being abused at the jail. One of those cases led to a surprise Marshals Service inspection last month, which found unsanitary and abusive conditions, according to a damning report by Lamont J. Ruffin, the acting marshal for U.S. District Court in Washington.\n\nFlorida\n\nFort Lauderdale: Biologists were taken by surprise by a record number of leatherback turtle nests found along some South Florida beaches this year. The 79 nests laid by endangered turtles along beaches in Broward County in the 2021 season is nearly double the previous record, the South Florida SunSentinel reports. The previous record was 46 in 2012, and the record low for leatherback nests was 12 in 2017. “It’s difficult to say why Broward County saw such an increase in leatherback nesting this season,” Stephanie Kedzuf, a biologist for Broward County who specializes in sea turtles, told the newspaper. Kedzuf said she will be curious to see whether other areas in the state saw a similar increase. Leatherbacks, named for their tough, rubbery skin, typically crawl onto beaches at night and dig holes to deposit their eggs in the sand. They are among the largest of sea turtles. The nesting season runs from March 1 to Oct. 31. During that time, coastal buildings must shield or lower their lights to prevent them from disturbing the hatchlings. When the turtles hatch, they race toward the sea to avoid crabs, birds and other predators. The lights can draw them inland, where they could be run over or trapped in storm drains. The leatherback population has declined by 40% worldwide, the National Marine Fisheries Service said.\n\nGeorgia\n\nAtlanta: Gun maker Remington Firearms will move its headquarters from the Empire State to the Peach State. The company announced Monday that it would invest $100 million in the factory and research operation in LaGrange, southwest of Atlanta, hiring 856 people over five years. It wasn’t clear what effect the transfer would have on Remington’s operations in New York and Tennessee. The company owns the parts of the former Remington Outdoor Co. that make rifles, shotguns and some handguns after the former parent auctioned its assets in pieces last year in a bankruptcy proceeding. Remington, the country’s oldest gun maker, began making flintlock rifles in 1816. It swelled into a firearms conglomerate but faced slumping sales, complaints about quality, and legal pressure over the Sandy Hook school massacre. The current company no longer makes the Bushmaster AR-15 rifles used to kill 20 first graders and six educators in the shooting in Connecticut in 2012. “We are very excited to come to Georgia, a state that not only welcomes business but enthusiastically supports and welcomes companies in the firearms industry,” Remington CEO Ken D’Arcy said in a statement. Gov. Brian Kemp famously pointed a shotgun at another person in a campaign commercial when the Republican was seeking his current office in 2018.\n\nHawaii\n\nHonolulu: Nearly 2,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers in the state plan to strike later this month over wages and staffing concerns. UNITE HERE Local 5 said the strike due to begin Nov. 22 would affect 20 facilities across Hawaii. Thousands of Kaiser health care workers in California have already said they will strike starting Monday. Local 5 spokesperson Bryant de Venecia said Wednesday that negotiations were continuing. Kaiser and the Alliance of Health Care Unions began national bargaining in April. Local 5 has been negotiating some Hawaii-specific issues with Kaiser as well. Local 5 said in a news release that Kaiser’s latest proposal was for an “insulting” 2% wage increase contingent on the union’s agreement to a two-tier wage system under which new hires would receive lower pay. The union said Kaiser also failed to address concerns about short staffing, while workers report being stressed and overworked during the coronavirus pandemic. Arlene Peasnall, Kaiser’s senior vice president of human resources, said in a statement that Hawaii union-represented employees earn about 26% above the average market wage. She said Kaiser offered up to 4% yearly pay raises – 2% pay increases plus a 2% cash payout each year of a four-year contract. “The challenge we are trying to address in partnership with our unions is the increasingly unaffordable cost of healthcare. … Wages and benefits account for half of Kaiser Permanente’s operational costs,” she said, Hawaii News Now reports.\n\nIdaho\n\nLewiston: A northern Idaho mayor has announced he’s running for governor. Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad said Monday in Lewiston that he’s running as a Democrat to defeat first-term Republican Gov. Brad Little. The 47-year-old Rognstad said he’s running to break the lock Republicans have had on the state for 30 years. “For the better part of a generation, Idaho has effectively been a one-party state,” Rongstad said, the Lewiston Tribune reports. “There are no checks and balances, no compromise, no accountability. This is dangerous. The most extreme voices now go unopposed. Commonsense leadership has been replaced by authoritarianism and culture wars.” Democrats have not held the governor’s office since 1995 or statewide elected office since 2007. Only 12 of the 70 House members and seven of 35 senators are Democrats. The Idaho secretary of state’s website lists Rognstad as the second Democrat to join the race, after Melissa Sue Robinson, 70, a transgender woman who owned a construction company before shifting to a career in telecommunications. She lists adequately funding education as a top goal. The race also includes eight Republicans. Little hasn’t yet announced his reelection plans but is expected to run and has been fundraising. Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin over Little.\n\nIllinois\n\nChicago: A police oversight agency recommended suspension and in some cases potential termination for more than half a dozen officers following a botched 2019 raid on the home of a Black woman who wasn’t allowed to put on clothes before being handcuffed, according to a report released Wednesday. Earlier this year, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which investigated the wrongful raid on social worker Anjanette Young’s home, noted nearly 100 allegations of misconduct by about a dozen officers. The agency’s report recommended between one day and one year of suspension for multiple officers and “up to and including separation” from the department for some officers. Police Superintendent David Brown has already moved to terminate one sergeant. The raid “reveals problems far more pervasive than any individual incident of officer misconduct,” the report said. It also noted “other concerns, including lack of adequate training and supervision surrounding the Department’s use of search warrants and the disproportionate impact of police actions on people of color.” The botched raid, first reported by WBBM-TV, and the city’s handling of it prompted anger from clergy, lawmakers and civil rights activists who decried it as racist and an affront to a Black woman’s dignity.\n\nIndiana\n\nIndianapolis: Public schools should treat the Black Lives Matter movement as a political group, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said Thursday, potentially limiting the ability of schools and teachers to promote the BLM message in classrooms. “Black Lives Matter is unequivocally a political organization,” Rokita said in a news release Thursday morning. “Promoting or displaying some politically based materials while prohibiting the promotion or display of others could create a liability for schools and could violate the First Amendment.” Rokita issued an advisory opinion on how schools should treat BLM at the request of two state lawmakers amid concerns about the politicization of students’ education and what Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland, called the “controversial ideology” of BLM. Rokita’s opinion comes after months of debate around the country about how and what schools should and should not be teaching, particularly with regard to race and racism in America’s history. Conservative groups have decried the teaching of critical race theory in the nation’s K-12 schools, which do not teach the academic framework used by legal scholars to examine the intersection of race and law in America. Still, activists and parents have latched onto the term.\n\nIowa\n\nIowa City: A former Iowa State Patrol officer with a history of excessive force allegations has been indicted on a federal charge over a 2017 traffic stop in which dashcam video captured him roughing up a motorcyclist. A federal grand jury charged Robert James Smith last week with violating the motorcyclist’s civil rights by using unreasonable force during the stop near West Liberty, roughly 15 miles southeast of Iowa City. The indictment notes that the victim suffered “bodily injury” during the encounter, which means the charge could carry a maximum of 10 years in prison. Smith is set to make his initial appearance Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids. Dashcam video shows Smith pulling over Bryce Yakish for speeding. The routine stop escalated immediately when Smith ran from his car with his gun drawn and pointed at Yakish, then 20 years old. Smith used his left hand to strike the face shield of Yakish’s helmet, knocking him backward onto his motorcycle and to the ground. Smith briefly put his knee on Yakish’s neck while handcuffing him. Yakish can be repeatedly heard in the video complaining of neck pain. Smith falsely accused Yakish of trying to flee and charged him with eluding law enforcement, even though he stopped immediately after Smith activated his lights and siren. That charge was dropped after a prosecutor reviewed the video and concluded it was baseless. Yakish lost his license because of the arrest, his motorcycle was impounded, and he spent the night in jail.\n\nKansas\n\nPeck: A 19-year-old is getting ready to graduate from Washburn University’s School of Law in Topeka. Braxton Moral’s parents have long known he was gifted. He skipped fourth grade and took his first undergraduate class at Harvard University while still in sixth grade. As he got older, he spent his summers at Cambridge. But when the school year started, he switched to online classes so he wouldn’t miss out on experiences like prom and homecoming at Ulysses High School. “He just wants to be like everybody else,” said his mother, Julie Moral. “He’s a blessing from God.” At Harvard, Braxton developed a love for government and realized he wanted to go to law school. But what should have taken three years he completed in two and a half. Next month, Braxton Moral will receive his juris doctor degree. In February, he will take the bar exam. “When I started out, it was more about just something fun to do,” Moral said. “And then you start off, you’re like, ‘Well, I just kind of want to get better now.’ So once you get a little bit of experience, it transfers from just fine to an actual goal.”\n\nKentucky\n\nFrankfort: A judge has approved a request from Kentucky regulators to force West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to pay $2.9 million in fines for cleanup violations at some eastern Kentucky coal mines. The Tuesday order from Franklin County Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate requires that the Justice companies finish reclamation work at the mines, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. The order also allows the state to take posted bonds to cover the work. Kentucky officials called the violations at the Justice-owned mines “among the most egregious we have seen in nearly a decade” when the original agreement with Justice was struck back in 2014. Most of the sites are surface mines. The work includes cleaning out ponds, stabilizing land, improving drainage and reshaping the land to its original, pre-mining contours. Under the agreement with Kentucky, the West Virginia governor and his son, Jay Justice, are personally, jointly liable for the $2.9 million penalty. Jay Justice runs the company’s coal, timber and agriculture businesses. The Justices have argued that they have not been able to meet the deadlines because of the economic downturn and safety concerns caused by the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nLouisiana\n\nBaton Rouge: State government agencies lost more than 17% of their civil service employees in the last financial year. Byron Decoteau, director of Louisiana’s State Civil Service, said the turnover rate was nearly 2 percentage points higher in the 2020-21 budget year that ended June 30 than in the previous year. More than 6,000 civil service workers left state government in the latest year, including 21% who retired. Other employees were laid off, died, moved, left to go to school, got private-sector jobs or had other personal reasons, according to the report Decoteau presented to the commission that oversees the state workers who have civil service protection, called classified employees. The highest turnover rates were among prison guards at adult and youth prison facilities, the report showed – a consistent problem year after year. Decoteau noted that 10% of classified state employees currently are eligible to retire across agencies, while nearly 15% will be eligible to retire within five years. The data doesn’t cover political appointees across agencies or workers who transferred to other state government jobs.\n\nMaine\n\nSaco: State park campers set another record this year. Maine is home to 48 state parks and historic sites, and attendance and camping at the parks have soared during the coronavirus pandemic. Preliminary state figures showed Maine state campground attendance set a record for the second straight year, the Portland Press Herald reports. The state’s 12 state park campgrounds experienced an 8% increase in visitors from 2019 to 2020, when campers set a record of more than 270,000. This year, the number grew to about 315,000. The state parks were heavily used before the pandemic, and the onset of the pandemic led to even more use as residents and visitors sought more outdoor forms of recreation. This year’s attendance was especially high even though July, in the heart of camping season, was full of rain. State officials said they expected 2022 to be another big year for the campgrounds.\n\nMaryland\n\nManchester: Five bald eagles were found acting strangely and seemingly sick in northern Maryland, prompting an investigation by state wildlife officials. William Fauntleroy found the birds Sunday in the Manchester area of Carroll County near the Pennsylvania border, The Washington Post reports. He said he saw an eagle near his mailbox that was acting weirdly and appeared to be unable to fly. The group of birds was feeding on a deer carcass, according to Fauntleroy. One died after flying into a power line. “I saw some were flying poorly,” Fauntleroy told the newspaper. “One seemed like it couldn’t get off the ground and couldn’t fly. It was acting like it was drunk.” Wildlife rescuers took the four other eagles to the Phoenix Wildlife Center in Baltimore County. Maryland Natural Resources Police spokesperson Lauren Moses said her department is “actively investigating” to figure out what happened to the birds, a federally protected species. The deer carcass the eagles ate was buried so no other wildlife would feed on it, according to Moses. She told the Post that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials were expected to take samples from the remains for analysis. “Was it poison? Was it an algae bloom? Was it something else?” the wildlife center said in a Facebook post Wednesday. “We don’t have answers yet.”\n\nMassachusetts\n\nBoston: Marine researchers in New England said Tuesday that they have collected data from tags that were surgically implanted in sea turtles for the first time. Scientists with the New England Aquarium who performed the work said it could lead to improvements in the way researchers monitor threatened species of turtles. The loggerheads were rehabilitated at the Boston-based aquarium’s turtle hospital and released earlier this year with the acoustic tags implanted in their bodies. Acoustic receivers in Nantucket Sound off Massachusetts showed multiple detections earlier this month, the researchers said. Scientists have long used turtle tagging to monitor the animals, but the tags have previously been placed on their shells using an epoxy. Kara Dodge, a research scientist with the aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, said the new tagging method will make it easier to monitor injured turtles that are released back into the wild after rehab. The tags allow scientists to “assess rehabilitated turtles’ survivorship over time and resumption of normal behaviors in the wild,” she said.\n\nMichigan\n\nDetroit: A judge on Wednesday approved a $626 million deal to settle lawsuits filed by Flint residents who found their tap water contaminated by lead following disastrous decisions to switch the city’s water source and a failure to swiftly acknowledge the problem. Most of the money – $600 million – is coming from the state of Michigan, which was accused of repeatedly overlooking the risks of using the Flint River without properly treating the water. “The settlement reached here is a remarkable achievement for many reasons, not the least of which is that it sets forth a comprehensive compensation program and timeline that is consistent for every qualifying participant,” U.S. District Judge Judith Levy said in a 178-page opinion. Attorneys are seeking as much as $200 million in legal fees from the overall settlement. Levy left that issue for another day. The deal makes money available to Flint children who were exposed to the water, adults who can show an injury, certain business owners and anyone who paid water bills. About 80% of what’s left after legal fees is earmarked for children. “This is a historic and momentous day for the residents of Flint, who will finally begin to see justice served,” said Ted Leopold, one of the lead attorneys in the litigation.\n\nMinnesota\n\nMinneapolis: COVID-19 hospitalizations have reached their highest level of the year in the state, and hospital capacity continues to tighten amid an alarming surge in cases, Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said Wednesday. The Minnesota Department of Health on Wednesday reported 5,277 new coronavirus cases and 43 new deaths, raising the state’s pandemic totals to 831,669 confirmed cases and 8,925 deaths. Minnesota hospitals were caring for 1,159 COVID-19 patients, including 257 in intensive care units. Malcolm called the new case and death numbers “extraordinarily high and concerning” and said that “right now we find ourselves in a really truly alarming spike” in new cases. “Every day now we’re seeing dozens of Minnesotans dying from an illness that they didn’t have to get, and that is beyond heartbreaking for all of us doing this work,” Malcolm said. “The tragedy of this current spike in cases is that more than ever, we have the tools and the knowledge to minimize the impact of this virus.” Those tools include vaccinations, masking in public and staying home when sick, she said. Most Minnesotans are vaccinated, but too many still aren’t, she said. And Kris Ehresmann, the department’s infectious disease director, said the problem of “waning immunity,” which appears to show up around six months after vaccination, seems to be a factor in the rise of breakthrough cases.\n\nMississippi\n\nJackson: The state has finished repairing section of highway that collapsed during torrential rainfall brought by Hurricane Ida, and the road reopened Wednesday. Two people were killed and nine injured Aug. 30 as seven vehicles plunged, one after another, into a deep pit that opened up on the dark, rural stretch of Mississippi Highway 26 near Lucedale. One of the injured people died in a hospital Sept. 11. The Mississippi Department of Transportation awarded a $1.8 million repair contract in October. A construction company met the department’s goal of getting the highway back open safely and quickly, southern district Transportation Commissioner Tom King said in a news release Wednesday. “I know how important Highway 26 is for the region, and I appreciate all the work that went into getting it open ahead of schedule,” King said. Department of Transportation Director Brad White told legislators in September that the area had already received more than double its average annual rainfall before the hurricane, and then Ida dumped more than 12 inches of rain in less than one day. The stretch of highway is on a hillside, and White said the deluge blew out a pipe that ran under the roadbed. King said work will continue until early 2022 as crews repave routes that had been used as detours amid the closure.\n\nMissouri\n\nSt. Louis: Security camera footage, shell casings, and a small but distinctive tattoo played pivotal roles in the arrest of a man suspected in at least six killings over the past two months in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas. The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s office on Tuesday charged Perez Deshay Reed in the shooting deaths of two people in the city in September. Reed was charged Saturday in two other fatal shootings in September in St. Louis County. He is also suspected of killing two people in Kansas City, Kansas, and the FBI has labeled him a suspected serial killer. Reed, who turned 26 on Wednesday, remained jailed on $2 million bond Tuesday. Surveillance video in Kansas helped lead to Reed’s arrest. Images captured by the cameras showed the distinctive crescent moon-shaped tattoo on Reed’s forehead. Another key factor was evidence left behind at each of the St. Louis-area shootings. “The commonality among them were handgun casings,” said Rich Quinn, special agent in charge of the FBI office in St. Louis. “We knew they came from the same handgun.” Reed is charged in the St. Louis County killings of 16-year-old Marnay Haynes on Sept. 13 and 40-year-old Lester Robinson on Sept. 26. In the city of St. Louis, he is suspected in the killings of 49-year-old Pamela Abercrombie on Sept. 16 and a 24-year-old man, Carey Ross, on Sept. 19. All four victims were shot in the head.\n\nMontana\n\nBillings: Tribes and conservation groups sued state environmental regulators Wednesday after Gov. Greg Gianforte’s administration dropped a legal claim against a mining executive over decades of pollution from several mines. The lawsuit was filed in state district court in Lewis and Clark County by attorneys for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, the Fort Belknap Indian Community, the Montana Environmental Information Center and other groups. Under Gianforte, the Department of Environmental Quality in July quit a legal action that sought to block Idaho-based Hecla Mining Co. and its president, Phillips Baker Jr., from involvement in two proposed silver and copper mines. Baker was an executive with Pegasus Gold, which went bankrupt in 1998, leaving state and federal agencies with more than $50 million in cleanup costs at several mines, including the Zortman and Landusky mines near the Fort Belknap reservation. A state “bad actor” law enacted in the wake of the Pegasus bankruptcy punishes companies and their executives who don’t clean up mining pollution. Under the law, companies and their senior leaders can’t receive new mining permits until they’ve reimbursed the state for past cleanup costs.\n\nNebraska\n\nLincoln: A coalition that includes labor unions and civil rights groups has launched a website and social media pages in its drive to get a measure to raise Nebraska’s minimum wage to $15 an hour on the ballot next year. Raise the Wage Nebraska says it wants to highlight the stories of the 195,000 Nebraska residents who’d see higher pay, the Lincoln Journal Star reports. The coalition needs to collect 87,000 signatures on petitions by July 2022 to get its proposal on the ballot in November 2022. The measure would increase the minimum wage by $1.50 annually until it reached $15 in 2026. After that, there’d be an annual cost-of-living increase. Nebraska voters widely supported raising the minimum wage in 2014. Nearly 60% backed an initiative that increased it from $7.25 an hour to its current $9 an hour. Business groups oppose the measure, saying it could hurt small-business owners who already are having difficulty filling jobs as the country emerges from the coronavirus pandemic. Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts also is opposed. But supporters said raising the wage will help people living in poverty and working multiple jobs to make ends meet.\n\nNevada\n\nCarson City: The Legislature is finally set to start redrawing the state’s political maps. Gov. Steve Sisolak announced Thursday that lawmakers would convene for a long-delayed special session focused on redistricting at 1 p.m. Friday. Sisolak said in a statement that he was looking forward to “an efficient and productive session” that will fulfill the Silver State’s constitutional duty to revise every federal, state and local voting district after each census. The redistricting process is controlled by whichever political party holds the Legislature, often resulting in districts that favor one party over the other, a process known as gerrymandering. Bitter battles over this practice happen often in Carson City, where a court-appointed panel had to finish drawing boundaries on which politicians couldn’t agree in 2011. The undertaking was almost equally toxic in 2001, when there were also legal challenges, then a special session called after remapping efforts repeatedly stalled in a split partisan Legislature. Draft maps debuted Tuesday point to the possibility of a more harmonious redistricting session in 2021, though Republicans are likely to take issue with proposed changes that could make the state’s two battleground congressional districts more Democratic-leaning over the next decade.\n\nNew Hampshire\n\nConcord: After rejecting millions of dollars to help increase the state’s vaccination rate, the Executive Council on Wednesday reversed course and approved $22 million for the effort, along with a nonbinding resolution that condemns vaccine mandates. Last month, the Republican-led council, a five-member panel that approves state contracts, rejected $27 million in federal vaccination funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over concerns that language in the grants would have bound the state to follow federal directives and mandates related to COVID-19. The language the Republicans opposed has appeared in other contracts they approved, and both Republican Gov. Chris Sununu and Attorney General John Formella said it does not in any way impede the state’s sovereignty. Later in October, the council voted to use $4.7 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to help community health centers and regional public health networks set up school-based and community vaccination clinics. With the approval of Wednesday’s funds, that money will now be repurposed. “We are moving full steam ahead,” Sununu said in a statement Wednesday.\n\nNew Jersey\n\nAsbury Park: Garden State businesses owned by people of color were more likely to lose money during the early months of the pandemic and less likely have access to the credit they needed to make up for it, according to a study released Wednesday. The report showed Black- and Latino-owned business were at a particular disadvantage when it came to the government’s main emergency finance plan, the Paycheck Protection Program, forcing them to rely on their own savings to survive. “It was a bit of a worry; it was a bit of a panic attack,” said Tashianna Gayle, 34, owner of Hair Haven, a salon in Asbury Park. She was told she didn’t qualify for a PPP loan because she had only been open for a month before the pandemic hit. The report by researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority was designed to look at how racial disparities during the pandemic’s economic crisis played out among small businesses in the state. “It’s discouraging and, sadly, not surprising that the pandemic hit Black- and Latino- owned businesses especially hard,” said Tim Sullivan, the New Jersey EDA’s chief executive officer. The agency rolled out a low-interest micro-loan program Wednesday that aims to address the disparity.\n\nNew Mexico\n\nAlbuquerque: Two of the state’s largest hospitals announced Thursday that they would be focusing on patients who need care the most, meaning procedures that aren’t medically necessary will likely have to be delayed. While most patients are not dealing with coronavirus infections, officials at Presbyterian Healthcare Services and University of New Mexico Health say the ability to grow the capacity that was built over the past year due to the pandemic is now limited by space and the availability of health care workers. The two hospitals announced they were activating crisis standards of care, noting that it’s not really a shift in policy but rather a continuation of how they have been managing the crush of patients since last winter. “It’s really important to recognize we are not deallocating care. That is not part of this. We are not triaging and denying care,” said Dr. Jason Mitchell, Presbyterian’s chief medical officer. “At this point we are trying to make sure that every patient has care in a bed across our state and even in surrounding states.” He saud the decision will not be to take a patient off a ventilator, for example, but rather to find other hospitals within New Mexico or in neighboring states that can take patients or directing patients with less severe issues to urgent care clinics or other providers.\n\nNew York\n\nAlbany: Six state correctional facilities will close next March in a cost-saving move amid declining inmate populations, officials announced Monday. More than 1,700 people work at the six upstate New York facilities, which house more than 1,400 inmates. The inmates will be sent to other locations, and no layoffs are expected from the closures, which are projected to save $142 million, according to the release from the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The corrections agency said it will work with unions to provide staffers with transfer opportunities to other facilities or to other state agencies. The facilities set for closure March 10 are Ogdensburg Correctional Facility, Moriah Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility, Willard Drug Treatment Campus, Southport Correctional Facility, Downstate Correctional Facility and Rochester Correctional Facility. The governor was authorized by the Legislature this year to close state prisons amid a long-term drop in inmates. There are currently 31,469 inmates in state correctional facilities, down from a systemwide high of 72,773 in 1999. The agency said officials looked at multiple factors before making the decision, including physical infrastructure, program offerings, facility security level, proximity to other facilities and health services.\n\nNorth Carolina\n\nRaleigh: A trial judge on Wednesday ordered the state to pay out $1.75 billion to help narrow public education inequities, angering Republicans who said the directive usurps lawmakers’ constitutional authority over state coffers. Superior Court Judge David Lee, who is charged with overseeing corrective responses related to school funding litigation that began over a quarter-century ago, said the legislative and executive branches have been afforded every courtesy over the years to act decisively. But “this court’s deference is at an end at this point,” he said. The judge’s action likely will set up a constitutional showdown among the three government branches. Lee said his order wouldn’t take effect for 30 days, giving GOP leaders at the Legislature or others time for a legal challenge, which is likely. Republicans say that only the General Assembly can appropriate funds in state accounts and that Lee is violating the state constitution if he acts contrary to that. The state Supreme Court ruled in 2004 in the Leandro lawsuit – named after an early student plaintiff – that while North Carolina’s children have a fundamental right to the “opportunity to receive a sound basic education” under the constitution, the state had not lived up to that mandate.\n\nNorth Dakota\n\nBismarck: A storm system that is expected to bring snow to the state late this week could help improve persistent long-term drought conditions. Forecasters are expecting 2 inches to 4 inches of snow in the eastern half of the state, with up to 6 inches in the northeastern corner of North Dakota. Wind gusts of up to 60 mph are expected along with the snow, potentially making travel difficult, according to forecasters. Drought conditions that brought hardships for ranchers and farmers this summer have made marked improvement. In eastern North Dakota in recent weeks, much of the region is no longer listed in any of the four drought categories, the Bismarck Tribune reports. Much of the central and west regions remain in severe or extreme drought, but even those areas have improved dramatically from last summer. There is no change in this week’s U.S. Drought Monitor map, which is updated every Thursday. “In the Dakotas, where long-term drought is still ongoing, livestock water quality and (mule deer) fawn production were both reported to be suffering as a result of the drought,” wrote National Drought Mitigation Center Climatologist Curtis Riganti. Harvest is mostly wrapped up in North Dakota, though about one-fifth of the corn crop and one-third of the sunflowers remain in fields.\n\nOhio\n\nToledo: A polar bear who was a fixture at the Toledo Zoo for more than two decades has died due to kidney disease. Michael Frushour, the zoo’s curator of mammals, told The Toledo Blade that the bear named Marty was euthanized Nov. 4, less than a month shy of his 25th birthday, Marty had been diagnosed a couple of years ago with what Frushour described as “age-related kidney disease.” Zoo officials had recently noticed that Marty wasn’t eating as much as usual and had become less active. An examination determined his kidneys were functioning very poorly, so they decided to have him euthanized. Marty was born in late 1996 and came to the Toledo Zoo from Chicago in 1999. In 2007, he went to the Pittsburgh Zoo for a year before he returned to Toledo. Marty and the Toledo Zoo’s female polar bear, Crystal, had several cubs together, and zoo officials believe Crystal – who turns 23 this week – may be pregnant again. The zoo hopes to replace Marty with another male polar bear, though it’s not yet clear when that might happen.\n\nOklahoma\n\nOklahoma City: Gov. Kevin Stitt on Wednesday directed the State Department of Health to stop issuing birth certificates listing a nonbinary option instead of designating a gender, despite a settlement agreement in a civil case in which the agency agreed to do so. The first-term Republican said in his order that his administration never reviewed or approved the settlement agreement, which requires the Oklahoma State Department of Health to amend birth certificates in a manner not permitted under Oklahoma law. The order directs the department to cease amending birth certificates in any way not specifically authorized under state law and to remove from its website any reference to amending birth certificates for nonbinary people. People who are nonbinary do not identify with traditional male or female gender assignments. Stitt also directed the Legislature to pass legislation when it returns next year to specifically prohibit the issuance of birth certificates with nonbinary designations. Freedom Oklahoma, which advocates for nonbinary and LGBTQ people, said in a statement that while the state is facing scrutiny over how it carries out executions, “it felt easy for the governor to try and refocus media narratives and partisan pressure by attacking some of the most marginalized and historically excluded residents of our state.” Nichole McAfee, executive director of Freedom Oklahoma, said the governor does not have the authority to overturn an agreement entered into in a court of law.\n\nOregon\n\nSalem: A school board that recently banned teachers from displaying symbols including those supporting gay pride and Black Lives Matter has abruptly fired the superintendent, deeply upsetting members who opposed the move. The escalating disputes in the Newberg School Board come as schools nationwide have become battlegrounds, with arguments over vaccine and mask mandates, how racism is addressed in teaching, instruction related to sexuality and gender-neutral bathrooms. After Superintendent Joe Morelock was fired in a Zoom meeting late Tuesday night, board member Brandy Penner said Wednesday she believes the conservative board members fired Morelock because he didn’t aggressively implement their ban on controversial symbols, adding that the policy didn’t define what symbols would be unacceptable. Rebecca Piros – one of three who opposed his firing – told Morelock she was sorry. Morelock replied: “Just remember that from the darkest dark comes the brightest light, so everything will work out eventually.” Piros broke down in tears when she heard those words. On Wednesday, some residents of Newberg, a town of 23,000 about 25 miles southwest of Portland, erected signs quoting Morelock’s reply to Piros. Newberg Equity in Education, a group composed mostly of parents who oppose the school board’s recent rightward tilt, planned a demonstration Thursday at the school district office.\n\nPennsylvania\n\nPittsburgh: Justice was not blind when a lawyer dropped his pants after repeatedly setting off a metal detector at a courthouse. Jeffrey Pollock, 59, was trying to pass through security outside family court Wednesday, but the machine kept sounding an alarm, authorities said. The lawyer told guards his suspenders were causing the alerts, and he could not remove them. The guards asked him to keep trying until the alerts stopped. “After a heated discussion with the guards, Pollock unhooked his suspenders, dropped his drawers, took them off, and placed them in the bin to go through the metal detector,” the Allegheny Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Authorities said Pollock stood in his shirt and underwear. He was charged with disorderly conduct. “I used poor judgment,” Pollock told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I was trying to make a point.” The sheriff’s office noted “that visible underwear is not part of the dress code.”\n\nRhode Island\n\nEast Providence: An 89-year-old has achieved a goal he spent two decades working toward and nearly a lifetime thinking about: earning his Ph.D. and becoming a physicist. Manfred Steiner recently defended his dissertation successfully at Brown University. Steiner said he cherishes this degree because it’s what he always wanted – and because he overcame health problems that could have derailed his studies. “But I made it, and this was the most gratifying point in my life, to finish it,” he said Wednesday at his home in East Providence. As a teenager in Vienna, Steiner was inspired to become a physicist after reading about Albert Einstein and Max Planck. He admired the precision of physics. But after World War II, his mother and uncle advised him that studying medicine would be a better choice in turbulent times. He earned his medical degree from the University of Vienna in 1955 and moved just a few weeks later to the United States, where he had a successful career studying blood and blood disorders. Steiner studied hematology at Tufts University and biochemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before becoming a hematologist at Brown University. He became a full professor and led the hematology section of the medical school at Brown from 1985 to 1994.\n\nSouth Carolina\n\nColumbia: The amount of money in state bank accounts continues to grow thanks to a quick recovery from the economic shock of the COVID-19 pandemic and people spending money much faster than experts predicted. The latest estimate released Wednesday said South Carolina lawmakers will have nearly $1 billion more to spend this budget year, according to the state Board of Economic Advisers. That boosts the money over which the General Assembly has control to nearly $11 billion and doesn’t count the roughly $3 billion in federal COVID-19 relief money coming to South Carolina. It also doesn’t count about a $1 billion surplus after the state closed the books on the fiscal year that ended June 30. Predictions that economic growth would slow because of supply chain issues, consumers slowing their spending or dwindling federal stimulus money didn’t come true. The 13.2% growth in the 2020-21 fiscal year budget was the largest in at least 40 years, the board said. South Carolina sales tax collections continue to soar, growing by $500 million to $3.8 billion in the past fiscal year. Corporate tax revenues have also risen sharply thanks to retailers benefiting from all that extra money being spent. The state’s economic experts still think the rapid rise in revenue can’t continue.\n\nSouth Dakota\n\nSioux Falls: Only 45% of educators are teaching required standards on Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings, according to a new survey by the South Dakota Department of Education. OSEUs are basic understandings of Lakota, Dakota and Nakota culture and history. The standards were approved by the Board of Education Standards in 2018, which should make them required for all K-12 students, but DOE officials have said in the past that they were unsure how broadly OSEUs were used and that they weren’t required. Lawmakers have drafted bills to make sure OSEUs were required, but such a bill was shot down in the 2021 session. News of survey results comes months after it was revealed the DOE removed more than a dozen explicit references to the Oceti Sakowin from a draft of social studies standards before they were released to the public. That issue caused state-level protests and outcries from residents and educators. Weeks later, Gov. Kristi Noem ordered the DOE to restart the standards revision process to include more input from stakeholders, including Native Americans. But educators and Indigenous education advocates are still calling on Noem and other top education officials to resign after their mishandling of the social studies standards process.\n\nTennessee\n\nLynchburg: The distillery producing Jack Daniel’s whiskey is teaming with a military support group to help service members and their families get home for the holidays. More than 1,700 service members and relatives will head home through “Operation Ride Home,” organizers said. That’s the most participants in program history. In its 11th year, the program provides financial assistance to active-duty, junior-enlisted military members and their families to travel to loved ones’ homes nationwide. The Jack Daniel Distillery teams with the Armed Services YMCA to offer the assistance. Service members from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard have been assisted with travel to every state. “We are absolutely thrilled they’ll get to reunite with their loved ones this year,” said Chris Fletcher, Jack Daniel’s master distiller. “Providing some financial assistance to see that they make it home is the least we can do.”\n\nTexas\n\nAustin: An 18-year-old man has been arrested and charged with arson for a fire at a synagogue, officials said. Franklin Barrett Sechriest was held on a $100,000 bond for the Oct. 31 fire at Congregation Beth Israel, KVUE-TV in Austin reports. According to the Austin Fire Department, the fire was a “small exterior fire” that caused no injuries but resulted in an estimated $25,000 damage, including the synagogue’s wooden doors. Arson investigators said broken glass indicated an item might have been thrown at the building, and a flammable liquid accelerated the fire. An arrest affidavit describes surveillance videos from multiple cameras on the property showing a suspect resembling Sechriest driving a black sport utility vehicle registered to a woman living at the same address as Sechriest. The fire at the synagogue came a week after a string of antisemitic incidents, including an antisemitic banner displayed from an overpass on a heavily traveled boulevard. It was not immediately clear if the fire was connected to those incidents.\n\nUtah\n\nSalt Lake City: Southern Utah’s Dixie State University is poised to change a name often associated with the Deep South and slavery after the Legislature approved a new name Wednesday over local backlash. The Republican-controlled Legislature voted to change the name to Utah Tech University after multiple executives from the burgeoning tech sector said the Dixie name is often met with confusion and distaste as the institution grows. GOP Gov. Spencer Cox is expected to sign the bill. The term got new scrutiny following a national outcry against racial injustice after the death of George Floyd. “This process is not about cancel culture. No one is trying to erase the great history of this beloved institution,” said Republican Rep. Kelly Miles, who sponsored the name-change bill. “We as Utahns pride ourselves in our forward thinking … it just makes sense that our students in this great state will be better served by the name Utah Tech University.” A compromise provision will keep the name Dixie on the main campus in St. George, a city near the Arizona border that’s among the fastest-growing in the country.\n\nVermont\n\nLyndon: A federal grant will go toward helping the state to educate more nurses. Northern Vermont University and Vermont Technical College announced Wednesday that the $240,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce would be used to expand Vermont Technical College’s existing nursing program at Northern Vermont’s University’s Lyndon campus. Vail Hall on the Lyndon campus will be transformed into the Clinical Nursing Education Center, complete with a nursing instruction classroom and skills and simulation lab spaces. “Addressing Vermont’s nursing workforce challenge requires increasing opportunities for Vermonters to pursue careers in nursing,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy said in a statement. Officials say the number of new registered nurses in Vermont declined 69% from 2007 to 2014. It’s estimated that Vermont needs 900 skilled nurses per year. In 2019, 421 completed licensed practical nurse or RN programs.\n\nVirginia\n\nArlington: President Joe Biden saluted the nation’s military veterans as “the spine of America” on Thursday as he marked his first Veterans Day as president in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. “There’s nothing low-risk or low-cost about war for the women and men who fight it,” said Biden, whose administration earlier in the day announced a federal effort to better understand, identify and treat medical conditions suffered by troops deployed to toxic environments. Earlier in the week, members of the Chief Plenty Coups Honor Guard from Pryor, Montana, placed flowers in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and saluted the unknowns. Dozens more Crow Nation representatives, including students from Plenty Coups High School, followed suit Tuesday morning – the first time in 96 years the public and visitors had been allowed to approach the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It’s a privilege typically reserved for the sentinels of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, “The Old Guard,” according to the Arlington Cemetery. The flower ceremony kicked off a two-day centennial commemoration event. The dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier took place Nov. 11, 1921, according to the National Archives.\n\nWashington\n\nSeattle: Amtrak Cascades will resume service Nov. 18 on the Point Defiance bypass between Tacoma and Olympia, nearly four years after a deadly derailment there. The first train to use the bypass is scheduled to leave Seattle at 7:22 a.m. and arrive at the new Tacoma Dome station at 8:08 a.m., according to an Amtrak statement. The first northbound train will leave Eugene, Oregon, at 5:30 a.m., stop in Portland and arrive in Tacoma at 10:54 a.m., The Seattle Times reports. Amtrak said eight trains – including Amtrak Cascades and Coast Starlight – will use the bypass daily, with additional trains added as COVID-19 restrictions ease. Additional safety measures and most of the National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendations have been implemented following the 2017 derailment, Amtrak said. The other recommendations are being pursued, the statement said. Key among the improvements is the installment of activated positive train control, which uses GPS technology to stop or slow a train before a collision or derailment occurs. The NTSB first called for widespread use of the crash-preventing technology in 1990, and in 2008 Congress mandated that it be installed on every passenger route and high hazardous material route across the U.S. within seven years.\n\nWest Virginia\n\nHuntington: Health care coverage has been stopped for striking maintenance and service workers at a hospital, according to a union. About 1,000 members of the the Service Employees International Union District 1999 went on strike last week at Cabell Huntington Hospital after their contract expired. Union organizing director Sherri McKinney said in a statement that the coverage was cut off without notification to striking employees and union retirees, The Herald-Dispatch reports. Hospital human resources director Molly Frick said in a statement that “union leadership was well aware that a strike would result in the cessation of pay and benefits. Any employee who wishes to return to work will have all benefits restored, including healthcare insurance.” A Cabell County judge issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday that was sought by the hospital prohibiting the union from certain activities outside the hospital. Frick said the activities include loud noises, such as the use of bullhorns and loud music, that have disturbed hospital patients. The injunction also prohibits strikers from honking horns and encouraging drivers to honk, blocking hospital entrances, interfering with traffic at the hospital, or making threatening statements to anyone trying to enter or leave the hospital’s campus.\n\nWisconsin\n\nMilwaukee: People who receive a COVID-19 vaccine at a Saturday clinic at Fiserv Forum will get to have their picture taken with the Milwaukee Bucks’ championship trophy, according to a Milwaukee Health Department news release. The health department and the Bucks are teaming up for a vaccine clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in the atrium of Fiserv Forum. “Everyone vaccinated at this clinic will have the opportunity to take a photo with the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy,” a news release said. The focus of the clinic is on children ages 5 to 11, and the clinic’s offerings will include pediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines. “Vaccination is the best tool to keep ourselves and our children safe from COVID-19,” Milwaukee Health Commissioner Kirsten Johnson said in a news release. “We hope the opportunity to ‘take a shot’ in the home of the 2021 World Champion Milwaukee Bucks will encourage Milwaukee children and families to get vaccinated.” The clinic will also offer first, second and booster doses of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for eligible individuals, the news release said. Flu shots will be available as well. Those under the age of 18 will need permission from a parent or guardian to receive a vaccine.\n\nWyoming\n\nJackson: A grizzly bear and her four cubs who are already well-known to wildlife watchers got even more attention by taking a nighttime stroll through the city. Security video showed the bears wandering around downtown Jackson on Tuesday night, according to local police. Police and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials shooed the five bears into a less populated area near town, the Jackson Police Department said in a statement Wednesday. Grizzly No. 399, so named for an ear tag she received after being trapped for study, has been familiar to wildlife watchers for years. She’s had a reputation for lingering with her cubs near roadways in Grand Teton National Park, making her arguably the Yellowstone region’s most well-known grizzly. Biologists speculate that hanging around people helps keep away male grizzlies, which are known to kill cubs. Charming as it may seem for a mother bear and four yearling cubs to roam a tourist town, the bears’ behavior has worried wildlife managers. The bears have been raiding garbage, bee apiaries and animal feed in the Jackson area, raising the risk of a dangerous encounter with people. On Saturday, biologists trapped three of the four cubs. They put tracking collars on two in the hope that knowing the bears’ whereabouts will help prevent problems.\n\nFrom USA TODAY Network and wire reports", "authors": [], "publish_date": "2021/11/12"}]}
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