ROME (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pope-francis">Pope Francis</a>&nbsp;called Monday for a universal ban on what he called the “despicable” practice of surrogate motherhood, as he included the “commercialization” of pregnancy in an annual speech listing threats to global peace and human dignity.

In a foreign policy address to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, Francis lamented that 2024 had dawned at a time in which peace is “increasingly threatened, weakened and in some part lost.”

Citing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia’s war in Ukraine</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel-Hamas war</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/migration">the issue of migration</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-climate-dubai-un-c5cb4096202a117b34ca3d2d4a1b9e72">climate crises</a>&nbsp;and the “immoral” production of nuclear and conventional weapons, Francis delivered a list of the ills afflicting humanity and the increasing violation of international humanitarian law that allows them.

But Francis also listed smaller-scale issues that he said were threats to peace and human dignity, including surrogacy. He said the life of the unborn child must be protected and not “suppressed or turned into an object of trafficking.”

“I consider despicable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother’s material needs,” he said.

Saying a child is a gift and “never the basis of a commercial contract,” he called for a global ban on surrogacy "to prohibit this practice universally.”

Vatican teaching opposes in vitro fertilization, and Francis has previously voiced the Roman Catholic Church’s opposition to surrogacy, or what he has called “uterus for rent." At the same time, however, the Vatican’s doctrine office has made clear that same-sex parents who resort to surrogacy can have their children baptized.

While commercial surrogacy contracts are common in the United States, including protections for the mothers, guarantees of independent legal representation and medical coverage, they are banned in parts of Europe, including Spain and Italy.

Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the threat to babies born to surrogate Ukrainian mothers, exposed the country’s thriving industry. Ukraine is one of the few countries that allow surrogacy for foreigners.

Critics say commercial surrogacy targets women who are poor and from vulnerable communities. Supporters say surrogacy gives women a chance to provide children to childless couples, and that commercial contracts protect both the surrogates and the intended parents.

On Monday, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops quoted Francis' words in explaining why the Catholic Church teaches that surrogacy “is not morally permissible.”

"Instead, we should pray for, and work towards, a world that upholds the profound dignity of every person, at every stage and in every circumstance of life,” spokesperson Chieko Noguchi said.

In his geopolitical roundup, Francis&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-russia-ukraine-war-vatican-imperial-b82bfb9185f0fc8062c43927a2b058b0">singled out Russia by name</a>&nbsp;in noting the “large-scale war waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine." It marked an unusual break with Francis’ usual tendency to spare Moscow direct and public blame for the invasion when expressing solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

Francis was more balanced in his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-israel-hostages-palestinian-prisoners-deal-cffb5f90396c4f410b6af8cd954df0dd">lament of Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza,</a>&nbsp;condemning Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel “and every instance of terrorism and extremism.” At the same time, he said the attack provoked a “strong Israeli military response” that had left thousands dead and created a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

He called for an immediate cease-fire, including in Lebanon, and the liberation of hostages held in Gaza, and reiterated the Holy See’s position seeking a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians and an internationally guaranteed special status for Jerusalem.

— Lamented various humanitarian and refugee crises in Africa, and without naming names blasted military coups and elections in several African countries marked by “corruption, intimidation and violence.”

— Called for a “respectful diplomatic dialogue” with the Nicaraguan government to resolve what he called a “protracted crisis.” The government’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-caribbean-nicaragua-daniel-ortega-a445a59fd605f8089c5e661cb66c2773">crackdown on the Catholic Church</a>&nbsp;has resulted in the detention of dozens of priests and bishops. The government has accused the church of aiding popular protests against his administration that he considered an attempted coup.

— Called for the resumption, as early as possible, of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-nuclear-program-enriched-uranium-1ec34491e5500afdb6f7ed964790d8fa">Iran nuclear talks</a>&nbsp;“to ensure a safer future for all.” Last month, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran had increased the rate at which it is producing near-weapons-grade uranium, reversing a previous slowdown.

Francis also said that the “manufacturing” of nuclear weapons was just as immoral as the possession and use of them. Francis has already changed church teaching to include the possession of nuclear weapons as inadmissible, but on Monday he included the production of such weapons as part of his overall criticism of the weapons industry.

“Perhaps we need to realize more clearly that civilian victims are not ‘collateral damage’ (of war) but men and women, with names and surnames, who lost their lives,” he said. “They are children who are orphaned and deprived of their future.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603292366279.png" alt="Pope image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Pope image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>ROME (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pope-francis">Pope Francis</a>&nbsp;called Monday for a universal ban on what he called the “despicable” practice of surrogate motherhood, as he included the “commercialization” of pregnancy in an annual speech listing threats to global peace and human dignity.In a foreign policy address to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, Francis lamented that 2024 had dawned at a time in which peace is “increasingly threatened, weakened and in some part lost.”Citing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia’s war in Ukraine</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel-Hamas war</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/migration">the issue of migration</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-climate-dubai-un-c5cb4096202a117b34ca3d2d4a1b9e72">climate crises</a>&nbsp;and the “immoral” production of nuclear and conventional weapons, Francis delivered a list of the ills afflicting humanity and the increasing violation of international humanitarian law that allows them.But Francis also listed smaller-scale issues that he said were threats to peace and human dignity, including surrogacy. He said the life of the unborn child must be protected and not “suppressed or turned into an object of trafficking.”“I consider despicable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother’s material needs,” he said.Saying a child is a gift and “never the basis of a commercial contract,” he called for a global ban on surrogacy "to prohibit this practice universally.”Vatican teaching opposes in vitro fertilization, and Francis has previously voiced the Roman Catholic Church’s opposition to surrogacy, or what he has called “uterus for rent." At the same time, however, the Vatican’s doctrine office has made clear that same-sex parents who resort to surrogacy can have their children baptized.While commercial surrogacy contracts are common in the United States, including protections for the mothers, guarantees of independent legal representation and medical coverage, they are banned in parts of Europe, including Spain and Italy.Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the threat to babies born to surrogate Ukrainian mothers, exposed the country’s thriving industry. Ukraine is one of the few countries that allow surrogacy for foreigners.Critics say commercial surrogacy targets women who are poor and from vulnerable communities. Supporters say surrogacy gives women a chance to provide children to childless couples, and that commercial contracts protect both the surrogates and the intended parents.On Monday, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops quoted Francis' words in explaining why the Catholic Church teaches that surrogacy “is not morally permissible.”"Instead, we should pray for, and work towards, a world that upholds the profound dignity of every person, at every stage and in every circumstance of life,” spokesperson Chieko Noguchi said.In his geopolitical roundup, Francis&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-russia-ukraine-war-vatican-imperial-b82bfb9185f0fc8062c43927a2b058b0">singled out Russia by name</a>&nbsp;in noting the “large-scale war waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine." It marked an unusual break with Francis’ usual tendency to spare Moscow direct and public blame for the invasion when expressing solidarity with the Ukrainian people.Francis was more balanced in his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-israel-hostages-palestinian-prisoners-deal-cffb5f90396c4f410b6af8cd954df0dd">lament of Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza,</a>&nbsp;condemning Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel “and every instance of terrorism and extremism.” At the same time, he said the attack provoked a “strong Israeli military response” that had left thousands dead and created a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.He called for an immediate cease-fire, including in Lebanon, and the liberation of hostages held in Gaza, and reiterated the Holy See’s position seeking a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians and an internationally guaranteed special status for Jerusalem.In other comments, Francis:— Lamented various humanitarian and refugee crises in Africa, and without naming names blasted military coups and elections in several African countries marked by “corruption, intimidation and violence.”— Called for a “respectful diplomatic dialogue” with the Nicaraguan government to resolve what he called a “protracted crisis.” The government’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-caribbean-nicaragua-daniel-ortega-a445a59fd605f8089c5e661cb66c2773">crackdown on the Catholic Church</a>&nbsp;has resulted in the detention of dozens of priests and bishops. The government has accused the church of aiding popular protests against his administration that he considered an attempted coup.— Called for the resumption, as early as possible, of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-nuclear-program-enriched-uranium-1ec34491e5500afdb6f7ed964790d8fa">Iran nuclear talks</a>&nbsp;“to ensure a safer future for all.” Last month, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran had increased the rate at which it is producing near-weapons-grade uranium, reversing a previous slowdown.Francis also said that the “manufacturing” of nuclear weapons was just as immoral as the possession and use of them. Francis has already changed church teaching to include the possession of nuclear weapons as inadmissible, but on Monday he included the production of such weapons as part of his overall criticism of the weapons industry.“Perhaps we need to realize more clearly that civilian victims are not ‘collateral damage’ (of war) but men and women, with names and surnames, who lost their lives,” he said. “They are children who are orphaned and deprived of their future.”

Pope calls for a ban on surrogacy, calling It 'despicable'

NEW YORK (AP) — For nearly two decades, journalists, police detectives, FBI agents, lawyers and amateur sleuths have pried into the depraved world of Jeffrey Epstein.

Yet even after the release of thousands of pages of court records in recent days, some questions about the millionaire pedophile remain unanswered. The documents have gotten a lot of attention, but they shed little new light on the financier’s habitual sexual abuse of underage girls.

<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4355835/giuffre-v-maxwell/">Click here </a>to read the documents released 1/8/24 (caution adult content)

More than anything, the public is still fascinated with the possibility that some of the rich and powerful men in Epstein's social circle were also involved in the abuse.

Here's a look at what we know — and what we don't — about Epstein and his crimes:

Epstein first began getting media attention in 2002 after news organizations, including The Associated Press, covered a trip to Africa by former President Bill Clinton, actor Kevin Spacey and comedian Chris Tucker. The five-day tour of Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Mozambique and South Africa was intended to draw attention to the fight against AIDS.

After the visit, New York magazine ran a profile of the man who provided the private jet for the trip: Jeffrey Epstein. The story portrayed him as an “international moneyman of mystery,” who cultivated relationships with Nobel Prize-winning scientists and diplomats but puzzled Wall Street insiders who couldn't figure out how a college dropout got so rich.

“Terrific guy,” Epstein's neighbor in both Florida and New York, Donald Trump, said in the story. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”

Those celebrity contacts made it big news when Epstein was arrested in 2006 over allegations that he had hired multiple teenage girls to give him sexualized massages at his home in Palm Beach, Florida.

Two years later, prosecutors allowed Epstein to plead guilty to a charge involving a single victim. He served 13 months in a jail work-release program, then quietly started rebuilding his network of influential friends, with the help of his socialite former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.

After a series of Miami Herald stories about the plea bargain that deprived Epstein's victims of justice, federal prosecutors in New York revived the investigation and charged Epstein in 2019 with sex trafficking.

When Epstein killed himself in jail, prosecutors charged Maxwell with facilitating his illicit sexual encounters and participating in some of the abuse. She was convicted and is serving a 20-year prison term.

In 2009, one of Epstein's victims, Virginia Giuffre, filed a lawsuit saying he had flown her around the world for sexual encounters with billionaires, politicians, royals and heads of state.

She initially kept the names of those men secret, but in later legal filings started providing names: Britain's Prince Andrew, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, the French modeling scout Jean Luc Brunel, the billionaire Glenn Dubin and the law professor Alan Dershowitz, who had represented Epstein.

Some details of Giuffre's allegations have changed over time. She initially said she was 15 when Epstein began to abuse her, but she later acknowledged that she met him the summer she turned 17.

In 2022, she withdrew her allegations against Dershowitz, saying she “may have made a mistake” in identifying him as one of her abusers. She said she “was very young at the time” and “it was a very stressful and traumatic environment.”

In one newspaper interview, for which Giuffre was paid $160,000, she described dancing with Prince Andrew at a club but said there was no sexual contact. Later, she said they had three sexual encounters. She said the newspaper had refused to print those allegations.

In another interview, she described riding in a helicopter with Bill Clinton and flirting with Donald Trump, but she later said in a deposition that those things hadn't happened and were mistakes by the reporter.

Giuffre's allegations have been investigated by the FBI. No charges have been brought based on her claims, but because of the attention generated by them Brunel was investigated in France and charged with raping other underage girls. He killed himself while awaiting trial.

Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor in 2020, Geoffrey Berman, sought to speak with Prince Andrew about matters related to Epstein, but the royal declined to be interviewed. Berman blasted Andrew at the time for falsely portraying himself to the public as eager to cooperate when he was actually dodging questions.

Andrew has repeatedly denied having sex with Giuffre and said he couldn’t recall ever meeting her, though a photograph appears to show them together, and a member of Epstein's household staff also testified about seeing the two at Epstein's home in New York.

Many of the documents unsealed in recent days involve efforts by Maxwell's lawyers to discredit Giuffre, and Giuffre's lawyers' efforts to gather evidence backing up her accounts.

The records released in the case have contained scant evidence of wrongdoing by famous figures, but testimony from multiple witnesses confirmed Giuffre's accounts of Epstein's sexual misconduct.

Any chance that Epstein himself might have been able to answer questions about his famous friends died with him at a federal detention center in Manhattan in August 2019.

The death, a month after he was arrested, has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-a1ef16a612bd4130a18479c01bd72586">fueled conspiracy theories</a>. But multiple investigations, including an autopsy and FBI probe, have concluded Epstein died by suicide.

Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-suicide-department-of-justice-investigation-50c229b7953096f0301bfa1e7f0b7703">Inspector General Michael Horowitz said in a June report</a>&nbsp;that Epstein was able to take his own life because of “negligence, misconduct and outright job performance failures” within the jail.

The Metropolitan Correctional Center&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-7f6797153ee7fa391731af9cf7c93603">was shut down in 2021</a>&nbsp;amid concerns about squalid conditions, COVID-19, crumbling infrastructure and lingering questions about Epstein's death.

Overworked officers assigned to guard Epstein had failed to recognize he had amassed a surplus of bed linens. After a first suspected suicide attempt, jail officials left him alone and never assigned him a new cellmate.

On the night Epstein died, officers sat at desks just 15 feet (4.6 meters) from his cell, shopping online and snoozing instead of making required rounds every 30 minutes, prosecutors said.

The day before Epstein killed himself, a federal court unsealed about 2,000 pages of records in Giuffre's lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell — the same case involved in the records released in recent days.

That, combined with a lack of significant interpersonal connections and “the idea of potentially spending his life in prison were likely factors contributing to Mr. Epstein’s suicide,” prison officials wrote in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-jail-suicide-prison-death-8d194a756f2b429067f009a0c70f96c0">documents obtained by The Associated Press</a>.

Whether Epstein would have ever been keen to answer questions to clear up some of the mysteries surrounding his life is a different story. In a 2016 deposition in Giuffre’s lawsuit, he repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination.

The document dump isn’t over yet. So far, 191 of the approximately 250 files that U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska authorized for release have been made public. Lawyers involved in the case are posting them to the docket on a rolling basis, as per the judge’s instructions.

Another batch is expected Monday, though there is little indication they will yield more than what has already been seen in the nearly 3,000 pages of deposition transcripts, legal memos, emails and other records made public since Wednesday.

Versions of many of those records had already been made public in past years, though with some sections blacked out for privacy reasons or to protect the identities of Epstein's victims.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704416234390.png" alt="FILE —&nbsp; A photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell&nbsp; shown during a news conference, July 2, 2020, in New York. While some previously sealed court records are indeed being made public, the great majority of the people whose names appear in those documents are not accused of any wrongdoing. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE —&nbsp; A photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell&nbsp; shown during a news conference, July 2, 2020, in New York. While some previously sealed court records are indeed being made public, the great majority of the people whose names appear in those documents are not accused of any wrongdoing. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — For nearly two decades, journalists, police detectives, FBI agents, lawyers and amateur sleuths have pried into the depraved world of Jeffrey Epstein.Yet even after the release of thousands of pages of court records in recent days, some questions about the millionaire pedophile remain unanswered. The documents have gotten a lot of attention, but they shed little new light on the financier’s habitual sexual abuse of underage girls.<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4355835/giuffre-v-maxwell/">Click here </a>to read the documents released 1/8/24 (caution adult content)More than anything, the public is still fascinated with the possibility that some of the rich and powerful men in Epstein's social circle were also involved in the abuse.Here's a look at what we know — and what we don't — about Epstein and his crimes:JETSETTER TO CONVICTEpstein first began getting media attention in 2002 after news organizations, including The Associated Press, covered a trip to Africa by former President Bill Clinton, actor Kevin Spacey and comedian Chris Tucker. The five-day tour of Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Mozambique and South Africa was intended to draw attention to the fight against AIDS.After the visit, New York magazine ran a profile of the man who provided the private jet for the trip: Jeffrey Epstein. The story portrayed him as an “international moneyman of mystery,” who cultivated relationships with Nobel Prize-winning scientists and diplomats but puzzled Wall Street insiders who couldn't figure out how a college dropout got so rich.“Terrific guy,” Epstein's neighbor in both Florida and New York, Donald Trump, said in the story. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”Those celebrity contacts made it big news when Epstein was arrested in 2006 over allegations that he had hired multiple teenage girls to give him sexualized massages at his home in Palm Beach, Florida.Two years later, prosecutors allowed Epstein to plead guilty to a charge involving a single victim. He served 13 months in a jail work-release program, then quietly started rebuilding his network of influential friends, with the help of his socialite former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.After a series of Miami Herald stories about the plea bargain that deprived Epstein's victims of justice, federal prosecutors in New York revived the investigation and charged Epstein in 2019 with sex trafficking.When Epstein killed himself in jail, prosecutors charged Maxwell with facilitating his illicit sexual encounters and participating in some of the abuse. She was convicted and is serving a 20-year prison term.WAS ANYONE ELSE INVOLVED?In 2009, one of Epstein's victims, Virginia Giuffre, filed a lawsuit saying he had flown her around the world for sexual encounters with billionaires, politicians, royals and heads of state.She initially kept the names of those men secret, but in later legal filings started providing names: Britain's Prince Andrew, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, the French modeling scout Jean Luc Brunel, the billionaire Glenn Dubin and the law professor Alan Dershowitz, who had represented Epstein.Some details of Giuffre's allegations have changed over time. She initially said she was 15 when Epstein began to abuse her, but she later acknowledged that she met him the summer she turned 17.In 2022, she withdrew her allegations against Dershowitz, saying she “may have made a mistake” in identifying him as one of her abusers. She said she “was very young at the time” and “it was a very stressful and traumatic environment.”In one newspaper interview, for which Giuffre was paid $160,000, she described dancing with Prince Andrew at a club but said there was no sexual contact. Later, she said they had three sexual encounters. She said the newspaper had refused to print those allegations.In another interview, she described riding in a helicopter with Bill Clinton and flirting with Donald Trump, but she later said in a deposition that those things hadn't happened and were mistakes by the reporter.Giuffre's allegations have been investigated by the FBI. No charges have been brought based on her claims, but because of the attention generated by them Brunel was investigated in France and charged with raping other underage girls. He killed himself while awaiting trial.Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor in 2020, Geoffrey Berman, sought to speak with Prince Andrew about matters related to Epstein, but the royal declined to be interviewed. Berman blasted Andrew at the time for falsely portraying himself to the public as eager to cooperate when he was actually dodging questions.Andrew has repeatedly denied having sex with Giuffre and said he couldn’t recall ever meeting her, though a photograph appears to show them together, and a member of Epstein's household staff also testified about seeing the two at Epstein's home in New York.Many of the documents unsealed in recent days involve efforts by Maxwell's lawyers to discredit Giuffre, and Giuffre's lawyers' efforts to gather evidence backing up her accounts.The records released in the case have contained scant evidence of wrongdoing by famous figures, but testimony from multiple witnesses confirmed Giuffre's accounts of Epstein's sexual misconduct.DEATH BEHIND BARSAny chance that Epstein himself might have been able to answer questions about his famous friends died with him at a federal detention center in Manhattan in August 2019.The death, a month after he was arrested, has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-a1ef16a612bd4130a18479c01bd72586">fueled conspiracy theories</a>. But multiple investigations, including an autopsy and FBI probe, have concluded Epstein died by suicide.Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-suicide-department-of-justice-investigation-50c229b7953096f0301bfa1e7f0b7703">Inspector General Michael Horowitz said in a June report</a>&nbsp;that Epstein was able to take his own life because of “negligence, misconduct and outright job performance failures” within the jail.The Metropolitan Correctional Center&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-7f6797153ee7fa391731af9cf7c93603">was shut down in 2021</a>&nbsp;amid concerns about squalid conditions, COVID-19, crumbling infrastructure and lingering questions about Epstein's death.Overworked officers assigned to guard Epstein had failed to recognize he had amassed a surplus of bed linens. After a first suspected suicide attempt, jail officials left him alone and never assigned him a new cellmate.On the night Epstein died, officers sat at desks just 15 feet (4.6 meters) from his cell, shopping online and snoozing instead of making required rounds every 30 minutes, prosecutors said.The day before Epstein killed himself, a federal court unsealed about 2,000 pages of records in Giuffre's lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell — the same case involved in the records released in recent days.That, combined with a lack of significant interpersonal connections and “the idea of potentially spending his life in prison were likely factors contributing to Mr. Epstein’s suicide,” prison officials wrote in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-jail-suicide-prison-death-8d194a756f2b429067f009a0c70f96c0">documents obtained by The Associated Press</a>.Whether Epstein would have ever been keen to answer questions to clear up some of the mysteries surrounding his life is a different story. In a 2016 deposition in Giuffre’s lawsuit, he repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination.WHAT’S NEXTThe document dump isn’t over yet. So far, 191 of the approximately 250 files that U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska authorized for release have been made public. Lawyers involved in the case are posting them to the docket on a rolling basis, as per the judge’s instructions.Another batch is expected Monday, though there is little indication they will yield more than what has already been seen in the nearly 3,000 pages of deposition transcripts, legal memos, emails and other records made public since Wednesday.Versions of many of those records had already been made public in past years, though with some sections blacked out for privacy reasons or to protect the identities of Epstein's victims.

Read the batch of Epstein documents released Monday

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Following the settlement of a lawsuit pitting Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam against fellow billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, the clock is ticking for the Haslam family to decide whether to sell its remaining stake in the Pilot truck stop chain to Berkshire.

Attorneys told a Delaware judge last week that they were prepared for a two-day trial starting Monday in a high-stakes dispute over accounting practices at Pilot Travel Centers LLC. Late Saturday, however, the judge entered an order indicating that the trial had been canceled.

On Sunday, Haslam’s Pilot Corp. announced that the case, including Berkshire’s counterclaims against Pilot Corp., had been fully settled. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

With the dispute resolved, the Haslams must now decide whether to sell their remaining 20% stake in Pilot Travel Centers to Berkshire in line with a 2017 business deal. PTC, headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, is a diversified fuel company that operates more than 650 travel centers, primarily under the names Pilot or Flying J, in 43 U.S. states and six Canadian provinces.

A spokeswoman for Pilot Corp. declined to comment Monday on whether the Haslam family, which includes former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, will sell its remaining stake in PTC to Berkshire. A spokeswoman for Berkshire did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

Berkshire purchased an initial 38.6% stake in PTC in 2017 for $2.76 billion. The two sides agreed at that time that Berkshire would take control of PTC by acquiring an additional 41.4% interest in January 2023. The price tag for that control purchase was roughly $8.2 billion.

The 2017 agreements also gave Pilot Corp. an annual 60-day opportunity, beginning Jan. 1 this year, to sell its remaining 20% interest in PTC to Berkshire. The sale price would be calculated using PTC’s earnings in the prior year.

With the first sale deadline approaching, however, the two sides accused each other of trying to manipulate the company’s financial records in order to affect the price Berkshire would have to pay for the Haslam family’s remaining 20% stake in the truck-stop chain.

In a Chancery Court complaint, attorneys for Haslam noted that an SEC filing by Berkshire last year listed Pilot Corp.’s “redeemable noncontrolling interest” in PTC at about $3.2 billion. Pilot alleged, however, that after taking control of PTC, Berkshire adopted “pushdown accounting,” that resulted in the company reporting lower net income. Pilot claimed that a 2017 agreement prevents Berkshire from making such an accounting change without Pilot’s consent.

Berkshire responded with allegations that Haslam&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/warren-buffett-haslam-pilot-bribery-berkshire-hathaway-d32258912c4dc773ced286cc802da629">tried to bribe employees</a>&nbsp;at the Pilot truck stop chain to inflate the company’s value in order to increase the amount Berkshire would have to pay.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701353337102.jpeg" alt="Trucks and cars drive by a Pilot Travel Center sign displaying fuel prices in Bath, New York, on Monday, June 20, 2022. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway says the billionaire Haslam family tried to bribe at least 15 executives at the Pilot truck stop chain with millions of dollars to inflate the company’s profits this year because that would force Berkshire to pay more for the Haslams’ remaining 20% stake in the company. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)" />
 <figcaption>Trucks and cars drive by a Pilot Travel Center sign displaying fuel prices in Bath, New York, on Monday, June 20, 2022. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway says the billionaire Haslam family tried to bribe at least 15 executives at the Pilot truck stop chain with millions of dollars to inflate the company’s profits this year because that would force Berkshire to pay more for the Haslams’ remaining 20% stake in the company. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>DOVER, Del. (AP) — Following the settlement of a lawsuit pitting Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam against fellow billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, the clock is ticking for the Haslam family to decide whether to sell its remaining stake in the Pilot truck stop chain to Berkshire.Attorneys told a Delaware judge last week that they were prepared for a two-day trial starting Monday in a high-stakes dispute over accounting practices at Pilot Travel Centers LLC. Late Saturday, however, the judge entered an order indicating that the trial had been canceled.On Sunday, Haslam’s Pilot Corp. announced that the case, including Berkshire’s counterclaims against Pilot Corp., had been fully settled. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.With the dispute resolved, the Haslams must now decide whether to sell their remaining 20% stake in Pilot Travel Centers to Berkshire in line with a 2017 business deal. PTC, headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, is a diversified fuel company that operates more than 650 travel centers, primarily under the names Pilot or Flying J, in 43 U.S. states and six Canadian provinces.A spokeswoman for Pilot Corp. declined to comment Monday on whether the Haslam family, which includes former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, will sell its remaining stake in PTC to Berkshire. A spokeswoman for Berkshire did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.Berkshire purchased an initial 38.6% stake in PTC in 2017 for $2.76 billion. The two sides agreed at that time that Berkshire would take control of PTC by acquiring an additional 41.4% interest in January 2023. The price tag for that control purchase was roughly $8.2 billion.The 2017 agreements also gave Pilot Corp. an annual 60-day opportunity, beginning Jan. 1 this year, to sell its remaining 20% interest in PTC to Berkshire. The sale price would be calculated using PTC’s earnings in the prior year.With the first sale deadline approaching, however, the two sides accused each other of trying to manipulate the company’s financial records in order to affect the price Berkshire would have to pay for the Haslam family’s remaining 20% stake in the truck-stop chain.In a Chancery Court complaint, attorneys for Haslam noted that an SEC filing by Berkshire last year listed Pilot Corp.’s “redeemable noncontrolling interest” in PTC at about $3.2 billion. Pilot alleged, however, that after taking control of PTC, Berkshire adopted “pushdown accounting,” that resulted in the company reporting lower net income. Pilot claimed that a 2017 agreement prevents Berkshire from making such an accounting change without Pilot’s consent.Berkshire responded with allegations that Haslam&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/warren-buffett-haslam-pilot-bribery-berkshire-hathaway-d32258912c4dc773ced286cc802da629">tried to bribe employees</a>&nbsp;at the Pilot truck stop chain to inflate the company’s value in order to increase the amount Berkshire would have to pay.

Clock ticking for Haslam family to sell stake in Pilot truck stops to Berkshire Hathaway this year

WASHINGTON (AP) — Both the White House and Pentagon said Monday they would look into why President Joe Biden and other top officials weren’t informed for days that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/defense-secretary-lloyd-austin-hospitalized-biden-859cc79631d6c96dbdff161faf8e4f96">had been hospitalized</a>. A Pentagon spokesman pointed to one reason: A key staffer was out sick with the flu.

Even as the Biden administration pledged to look into what rules or procedures weren’t followed, it maintained its silence about why Austin has been hospitalized for a week. Some Republicans have demanded Austin’s resignation, but the Pentagon said he has no plans to step down.

Austin, 70, went to the hospital on Dec. 22 for what the Pentagon press secretary called an “elective procedure” but one serious enough that Austin temporarily transferred some of his authorities to his deputy, without telling her or other U.S. leaders why. He went home the following day.

He also transferred some of his authorities after experiencing severe pain and being taken back to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center by ambulance and put into intensive care on Jan. 1. The White House was not informed until Jan. 4.

Austin, who has resumed his duties, is no longer in intensive care. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said his prognosis is “good” but it is not known when he will be released from the hospital.

The failure to properly inform government and defense leaders will be the subject of what John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, called a “hotwash” to see if procedures need to be changed.

Kirby, speaking to reporters on Air Force One as Biden traveled to South Carolina, said there is an “expectation” among members of Biden’s Cabinet that if one of them is hospitalized, “that will be notified up the chain of command.”

Ryder acknowledged that he and other public affairs and defense aides were told Jan. 2 that Austin had been hospitalized but did not make it public and did not tell the military service leaders or the National Security Council until Jan. 4.

“I want to offer my apologies and my pledge to learn from this experience, and I will do everything I can to meet the standard that you expect from us," he said.

Ryder said staff in Austin’s front office will review notification procedures, including whether regulations, rules or laws were broken, and will take steps to improve the notification process. Those staff members, however, are among those who did not disclose the secretary's hospitalization.

In a statement issued Saturday evening, Austin took responsibility for the delays in notification.

“I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better,” he said, acknowledging the concerns about transparency. “But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”

Ryder provided some more detail on who knew about the hospitalization and when they were told.

He said when Austin was taken back to the hospital on Jan. 1 he “was conscious but in quite a bit of pain.” He spent that evening undergoing tests and evaluation. The next day, “due to the secretary’s condition and on the basis of medical advice,” some authorities were transferred to his deputy, Kathleen Hicks, through a standard email notification that often does not provide the reason for transfer, Ryder said.

Hicks, who was in Puerto Rico, was not told the reason for the transfer of authorities until Jan. 4.

Ryder said Austin’s chief of staff, senior military adviser and Gen. CQ Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were notified of the defense secretary’s hospitalization on Jan. 2.

Ryder said the chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, did not inform the White House because she had the flu. He said Magsamen told Hicks on Jan. 4 and they began drafting a public statement and developing plans to notify government and congressional officials that day.

But the congressional notifications did not begin until the evening of Jan. 5, just minutes before the Pentagon issued its first public statement on Austin's status.

Asked who approved the U.S. military strike in Baghdad that killed a militia leader on Jan. 4, Ryder said it was pre-approved by Austin and the White House before Austin was hospitalized.

Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, called it a “serious incident” and said there needs to be accountability from the Pentagon.

“This lack of disclosure must never happen again," Reed said in a statement. "I am tracking the situation closely and the Department of Defense is well aware of my interest in any and all relevant information.”

Still, White House officials on Monday emphasized that Austin retains Biden's confidence. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden appreciated Austin's statement on Saturday, in which he took responsibility for the lack of transparency.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon released new details Sunday about Defense Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/lloyd-austin">Lloyd Austin's</a>&nbsp;continued hospitalization, saying he had a medical procedure Dec. 22, went home a day later and was admitted to intensive care Jan. 1 when he began experiencing severe pain.

The latest information came as members of both parties in Congress expressed sharp concerns about the secrecy of Austin's hospital stay and the fact that the president and other senior leaders were kept in the dark about it for days.

The statement, released by Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, did not, however, provide any details about the medical procedure or what actually happened on Monday to require Austin to be in intensive care at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Ryan said Austin was placed in the hospital’s intensive care unit "due to his medical needs, but then remained in that location in part due to hospital space considerations and privacy.”

The Pentagon’s failure to disclose Austin’s hospitalization, including to President Joe Biden, the National Security Council and top Pentagon leaders, for days reflects a stunning lack of transparency about his illness, how serious it was and when he may be released. Such secrecy, when the United States is juggling myriad national security crises, runs counter to normal practice with the president and other senior U.S. officials and Cabinet members.

Ryder said the National Security Council and Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks were not notified until Thursday, Jan. 4, that Austin had been hospitalized since Jan. 1. Ryder said Austin's chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, was ill and “unable to make notifications before then.” He said she informed Hicks and the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, on Thursday.

Once notified, Hicks began preparing statements to send to Congress and made plans to return to Washington. Hicks was in Puerto Rico on leave but had communications equipment with her to remain in contact and had already been tasked with some secretary-level duties on Tuesday.

The Pentagon did not say if Hicks was given an explanation on Tuesday for why she was assuming some of Austin’s duties, but temporary transfers of authority are not unusual and are often done without detailed explanations. Hicks decided not to return after she was informed that Austin would resume full control on Friday.

Biden was told of Austin's medical stay on Thursday by Sullivan, according to three people with knowledge of the hospitalization who were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Austin, 70, remains hospitalized and officials have been unable to say how long he will be at Walter Reed. In his statement, Austin said he is on the mend and is looking forward to returning to the Pentagon soon, but he provided no other details about his ailment.

Sen. Roger Wicker, the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the episode erodes trust in the Biden administration and called on the department to provide lawmakers with a "full accounting of the facts immediately.”

“I am glad to hear Secretary Austin is in improved condition and I wish him a speedy recovery," Wicker said in a statement. “However, the fact remains that the Department of Defense deliberately withheld the Secretary of Defense’s medical condition for days. That is unacceptable.”

It's not just Republicans expressing alarm. In a joint statement, Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Adam Smith, D-Wash., said they were “concerned with how the disclosure of the Secretary's condition was handled.”

Among the questions they had were what the medical procedure was and what the resulting complications were, how and when the delegation of his responsibilities was made, and the reason for the delay in notification to the president and lawmakers. Rogers is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and Smith is the panel's top Democrat.

“Transparency is vitally important," said the two lawmakers. “Austin ”must provide these additional details on his health and the decision-making process that occurred in the past week as soon as possible."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced support for Austin at a news conference in Qatar on Sunday.

“He is an extraordinary leader in this country, in uniform and now out of uniform," Blinken said. “And it’s been a highlight of my service to be able to serve alongside him,.” He added: "I’m very much looking forward to see him fully recovered and working side by side in the year ahead.”

Ryder said Austin is able to do his full duties, has secure communications at Walter Reed, and is in contact with his senior team, getting updates and providing guidance. He said he doesn't know if Austin will do in-person briefings this coming week.

The Pentagon Press Association, which represents journalists who cover the Defense Department, sent a letter of protest on Friday evening, calling the delay in alerting the public “an outrage.”

“At a time when there are growing threats to U.S. military service members in the Middle East and the U.S. is playing key national security roles in the wars in Israel and Ukraine, it is particularly critical for the American public to be informed about the health status and decision-making ability of its top defense leader," the group said in its letter.

Other senior U.S. leaders have been much more transparent about hospital stays. When Attorney General Merrick Garland went in for a routine medical procedure in 2022, his office informed the public a week in advance and outlined how long he was expected to be out and when he would return to work.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702947351254.png" alt="Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III greets Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Tel Aviv, Israel, Dec. 18, 2023. -photo Dept. of Defense" />
 <figcaption>Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III greets Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Tel Aviv, Israel, Dec. 18, 2023. -photo Dept. of Defense</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Both the White House and Pentagon said Monday they would look into why President Joe Biden and other top officials weren’t informed for days that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/defense-secretary-lloyd-austin-hospitalized-biden-859cc79631d6c96dbdff161faf8e4f96">had been hospitalized</a>. A Pentagon spokesman pointed to one reason: A key staffer was out sick with the flu.Even as the Biden administration pledged to look into what rules or procedures weren’t followed, it maintained its silence about why Austin has been hospitalized for a week. Some Republicans have demanded Austin’s resignation, but the Pentagon said he has no plans to step down.Austin, 70, went to the hospital on Dec. 22 for what the Pentagon press secretary called an “elective procedure” but one serious enough that Austin temporarily transferred some of his authorities to his deputy, without telling her or other U.S. leaders why. He went home the following day.He also transferred some of his authorities after experiencing severe pain and being taken back to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center by ambulance and put into intensive care on Jan. 1. The White House was not informed until Jan. 4.Austin, who has resumed his duties, is no longer in intensive care. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said his prognosis is “good” but it is not known when he will be released from the hospital.The failure to properly inform government and defense leaders will be the subject of what John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, called a “hotwash” to see if procedures need to be changed.Kirby, speaking to reporters on Air Force One as Biden traveled to South Carolina, said there is an “expectation” among members of Biden’s Cabinet that if one of them is hospitalized, “that will be notified up the chain of command.”Ryder acknowledged that he and other public affairs and defense aides were told Jan. 2 that Austin had been hospitalized but did not make it public and did not tell the military service leaders or the National Security Council until Jan. 4.“I want to offer my apologies and my pledge to learn from this experience, and I will do everything I can to meet the standard that you expect from us," he said.Ryder said staff in Austin’s front office will review notification procedures, including whether regulations, rules or laws were broken, and will take steps to improve the notification process. Those staff members, however, are among those who did not disclose the secretary's hospitalization.In a statement issued Saturday evening, Austin took responsibility for the delays in notification.“I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better,” he said, acknowledging the concerns about transparency. “But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”Ryder provided some more detail on who knew about the hospitalization and when they were told.He said when Austin was taken back to the hospital on Jan. 1 he “was conscious but in quite a bit of pain.” He spent that evening undergoing tests and evaluation. The next day, “due to the secretary’s condition and on the basis of medical advice,” some authorities were transferred to his deputy, Kathleen Hicks, through a standard email notification that often does not provide the reason for transfer, Ryder said.Hicks, who was in Puerto Rico, was not told the reason for the transfer of authorities until Jan. 4.Ryder said Austin’s chief of staff, senior military adviser and Gen. CQ Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were notified of the defense secretary’s hospitalization on Jan. 2.Ryder said the chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, did not inform the White House because she had the flu. He said Magsamen told Hicks on Jan. 4 and they began drafting a public statement and developing plans to notify government and congressional officials that day.But the congressional notifications did not begin until the evening of Jan. 5, just minutes before the Pentagon issued its first public statement on Austin's status.Asked who approved the U.S. military strike in Baghdad that killed a militia leader on Jan. 4, Ryder said it was pre-approved by Austin and the White House before Austin was hospitalized.Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, called it a “serious incident” and said there needs to be accountability from the Pentagon.“This lack of disclosure must never happen again," Reed said in a statement. "I am tracking the situation closely and the Department of Defense is well aware of my interest in any and all relevant information.”Still, White House officials on Monday emphasized that Austin retains Biden's confidence. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden appreciated Austin's statement on Saturday, in which he took responsibility for the lack of transparency.-------------WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon released new details Sunday about Defense Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/lloyd-austin">Lloyd Austin's</a>&nbsp;continued hospitalization, saying he had a medical procedure Dec. 22, went home a day later and was admitted to intensive care Jan. 1 when he began experiencing severe pain.The latest information came as members of both parties in Congress expressed sharp concerns about the secrecy of Austin's hospital stay and the fact that the president and other senior leaders were kept in the dark about it for days.The statement, released by Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, did not, however, provide any details about the medical procedure or what actually happened on Monday to require Austin to be in intensive care at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.Ryan said Austin was placed in the hospital’s intensive care unit "due to his medical needs, but then remained in that location in part due to hospital space considerations and privacy.”The Pentagon’s failure to disclose Austin’s hospitalization, including to President Joe Biden, the National Security Council and top Pentagon leaders, for days reflects a stunning lack of transparency about his illness, how serious it was and when he may be released. Such secrecy, when the United States is juggling myriad national security crises, runs counter to normal practice with the president and other senior U.S. officials and Cabinet members.Ryder said the National Security Council and Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks were not notified until Thursday, Jan. 4, that Austin had been hospitalized since Jan. 1. Ryder said Austin's chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, was ill and “unable to make notifications before then.” He said she informed Hicks and the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, on Thursday.Once notified, Hicks began preparing statements to send to Congress and made plans to return to Washington. Hicks was in Puerto Rico on leave but had communications equipment with her to remain in contact and had already been tasked with some secretary-level duties on Tuesday.The Pentagon did not say if Hicks was given an explanation on Tuesday for why she was assuming some of Austin’s duties, but temporary transfers of authority are not unusual and are often done without detailed explanations. Hicks decided not to return after she was informed that Austin would resume full control on Friday.Biden was told of Austin's medical stay on Thursday by Sullivan, according to three people with knowledge of the hospitalization who were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.In a statement issued Saturday evening, Austin took responsibility for the delays in notification.“I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better,” he said, acknowledging the concerns about transparency. “But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”Austin, 70, remains hospitalized and officials have been unable to say how long he will be at Walter Reed. In his statement, Austin said he is on the mend and is looking forward to returning to the Pentagon soon, but he provided no other details about his ailment.Sen. Roger Wicker, the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the episode erodes trust in the Biden administration and called on the department to provide lawmakers with a "full accounting of the facts immediately.”“I am glad to hear Secretary Austin is in improved condition and I wish him a speedy recovery," Wicker said in a statement. “However, the fact remains that the Department of Defense deliberately withheld the Secretary of Defense’s medical condition for days. That is unacceptable.”It's not just Republicans expressing alarm. In a joint statement, Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Adam Smith, D-Wash., said they were “concerned with how the disclosure of the Secretary's condition was handled.”Among the questions they had were what the medical procedure was and what the resulting complications were, how and when the delegation of his responsibilities was made, and the reason for the delay in notification to the president and lawmakers. Rogers is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and Smith is the panel's top Democrat.“Transparency is vitally important," said the two lawmakers. “Austin ”must provide these additional details on his health and the decision-making process that occurred in the past week as soon as possible."Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced support for Austin at a news conference in Qatar on Sunday.“He is an extraordinary leader in this country, in uniform and now out of uniform," Blinken said. “And it’s been a highlight of my service to be able to serve alongside him,.” He added: "I’m very much looking forward to see him fully recovered and working side by side in the year ahead.”Ryder said Austin is able to do his full duties, has secure communications at Walter Reed, and is in contact with his senior team, getting updates and providing guidance. He said he doesn't know if Austin will do in-person briefings this coming week.The Pentagon Press Association, which represents journalists who cover the Defense Department, sent a letter of protest on Friday evening, calling the delay in alerting the public “an outrage.”“At a time when there are growing threats to U.S. military service members in the Middle East and the U.S. is playing key national security roles in the wars in Israel and Ukraine, it is particularly critical for the American public to be informed about the health status and decision-making ability of its top defense leader," the group said in its letter.Other senior U.S. leaders have been much more transparent about hospital stays. When Attorney General Merrick Garland went in for a routine medical procedure in 2022, his office informed the public a week in advance and outlined how long he was expected to be out and when he would return to work.

Defense Secretary's mysterious hospital stay under review

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A “highly impactful” winter storm is expected to dump as much as a foot of snow Monday across the country's midsection, where blizzard and winter storm warnings are in effect.

The storm has the potential to bring 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 centimeters) of snow to a broad area stretching from southeastern Colorado and western Kansas, through eastern Nebraska, large parts of Iowa, northern Missouri and northwestern Illinois, up toward the upper peninsula of Michigan, said Bob Oravec, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.

“So a very, very highly impactful event coming forward,” Oravec said.

There were widespread school closing across eastern Nebraska on Monday ahead of the storm, where forecasters predicted 5 to 8 inches (12 to 20 centimeters) of snow. The district that includes the state capital, Lincoln, is among those where students were told to stay home. Lines were long Sunday at a Target Store drive-up in Omaha as residents stocked up on milk, bread and booze ahead of the storm.

The National Weather Service office in Des Moines, Iowa, warned of the potential for “widespread heavy, possibly extreme, snowfall,” with snowfalls of up to 9 to 15 inches (23 to 38 centimeters), “significant impacts” to Monday evening and Tuesday morning commutes, and possible whiteout conditions at times.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-caucuses-trump-haley-desantis-8455baa629589d77ea2b11a2f289fc8a">threatening weather has already affected campaigning</a>&nbsp;for Iowa’s Jan. 15 precinct caucuses, where the snow is expected to be followed by frigid temperatures that could drift below 0 degrees (-18 Celsius) by caucus day next week. It forced former President Donald Trump’s campaign to cancel multiple appearances by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders and her father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who had been scheduled to court Iowa voters on Trump’s behalf Monday.

In South Dakota, Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/paultenhaken/status/1744361692782329956">urged residents not to travel</a>&nbsp;Monday if they did not have to, and to give snowplows time and patience so they can clear the roads.

Much of western and southern Minnesota as well as west-central Wisconsin were also under winter storm warnings or advisories with snow accumulations of up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) predicted.

In Wisconsin, cancellations were already starting Monday morning, with forecasts prompting the state Homeland Security Council to call off a Tuesday meeting in Madison. The council advises Gov. Tony Evers on security issues. The state’s capital city was under a winter storm warning until early Wednesday morning with as much as 9 inches (23 centimeters) of snow and 40 mph (64 kph) winds on tap.

Northwestern Illinois was also under a winter storm warning with forecasts calling or 7 to 12 inches (18 to 30 centimeters) of snow by early Wednesday morning. The Chicago area as well as Gary, Indiana, were under winter storm advisories, with forecasts calling for up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of snow by Tuesday evening and wind gusts of up to 30 mph (48 kph) in Chicago. Snowfall rates could exceed an inch per hour during the day Tuesday, the weather service said.

The storm follows a separate storm that has moved off the East Coast after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-storm-east-coast-snow-ice-0392ba73584cc71281acec9665f5c3df">dumping over a foot of snow Sunday</a>&nbsp;on parts of Pennsylvania, New York state and portions of New England, Oravec said.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A “highly impactful” winter storm is expected to dump as much as a foot of snow Monday across the country's midsection, where blizzard and winter storm warnings are in effect.The storm has the potential to bring 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 centimeters) of snow to a broad area stretching from southeastern Colorado and western Kansas, through eastern Nebraska, large parts of Iowa, northern Missouri and northwestern Illinois, up toward the upper peninsula of Michigan, said Bob Oravec, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.“So a very, very highly impactful event coming forward,” Oravec said.There were widespread school closing across eastern Nebraska on Monday ahead of the storm, where forecasters predicted 5 to 8 inches (12 to 20 centimeters) of snow. The district that includes the state capital, Lincoln, is among those where students were told to stay home. Lines were long Sunday at a Target Store drive-up in Omaha as residents stocked up on milk, bread and booze ahead of the storm.The National Weather Service office in Des Moines, Iowa, warned of the potential for “widespread heavy, possibly extreme, snowfall,” with snowfalls of up to 9 to 15 inches (23 to 38 centimeters), “significant impacts” to Monday evening and Tuesday morning commutes, and possible whiteout conditions at times.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-caucuses-trump-haley-desantis-8455baa629589d77ea2b11a2f289fc8a">threatening weather has already affected campaigning</a>&nbsp;for Iowa’s Jan. 15 precinct caucuses, where the snow is expected to be followed by frigid temperatures that could drift below 0 degrees (-18 Celsius) by caucus day next week. It forced former President Donald Trump’s campaign to cancel multiple appearances by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders and her father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who had been scheduled to court Iowa voters on Trump’s behalf Monday.In South Dakota, Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/paultenhaken/status/1744361692782329956">urged residents not to travel</a>&nbsp;Monday if they did not have to, and to give snowplows time and patience so they can clear the roads.Much of western and southern Minnesota as well as west-central Wisconsin were also under winter storm warnings or advisories with snow accumulations of up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) predicted.In Wisconsin, cancellations were already starting Monday morning, with forecasts prompting the state Homeland Security Council to call off a Tuesday meeting in Madison. The council advises Gov. Tony Evers on security issues. The state’s capital city was under a winter storm warning until early Wednesday morning with as much as 9 inches (23 centimeters) of snow and 40 mph (64 kph) winds on tap.Northwestern Illinois was also under a winter storm warning with forecasts calling or 7 to 12 inches (18 to 30 centimeters) of snow by early Wednesday morning. The Chicago area as well as Gary, Indiana, were under winter storm advisories, with forecasts calling for up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of snow by Tuesday evening and wind gusts of up to 30 mph (48 kph) in Chicago. Snowfall rates could exceed an inch per hour during the day Tuesday, the weather service said.The storm follows a separate storm that has moved off the East Coast after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-storm-east-coast-snow-ice-0392ba73584cc71281acec9665f5c3df">dumping over a foot of snow Sunday</a>&nbsp;on parts of Pennsylvania, New York state and portions of New England, Oravec said.

A 'highly impactful' winter storm is bearing down on a large swath of the US midsection

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/01/07/public-can-weigh-in-on-nebraska-legislatures-rules-including-how-filibusters-work/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — The future of the filibuster, used to stall or kill bills, will be discussed at a public hearing scheduled for Monday on a variety of proposed legislative rules changes.

Several state senators, including Speaker John Arch and State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard, who chairs the Legislature’s Rules Committee, praised the proposals for offering a range of choices from minor tweaks to wholesale changes.

The core disagreement between competing proposals is finding the proper balance between majority rule and minority rights, an issue Arch highlighted during his session-opening speech last week.

In an interview Friday, Arch said “a lot of thought” was put into every senator’s proposed rules. He said he and Erdman shared some proposals with other senators a month early.&nbsp;

Arch said his goal is to keep the rules debate from stretching out during a short, 60-day session. Erdman, in a separate interview, said he doesn’t care if the rules debate goes long if things “get fixed.”

“I think the process has been great, very different than previous rules that have been introduced very quickly and then there’s been a reaction,” Arch said.

At the hearing, the public will weigh in on 34 proposals, which Erdman says was a vast improvement from the record 57 proposed changes lawmakers discussed last session.

Speaker John Arch said Sunday he does not expect the forecast snow to delay the hearing.

He said the hearing will be streamed and encouraged anybody who cannot attend to submit comments online about the proposed rules.

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. in Room 1525 of the State Capitol.

The proposed changes&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/rules/comments.php">can be found here</a>. Public comments on those proposals will be accepted until noon Monday.&nbsp;

“These have had some substance to them…,” Erdman said. “I don’t envision all of them coming to the floor.”

Erdman said he sees several proposals addressing the same four or five areas needing improvement where deals might be possible that combine parts of competing approaches.

Many deal with how and when to stop debate, letting the majority vote. A few address longstanding conservative concerns about letting senators vote for leadership by secret ballot.&nbsp;

Some senators, including Erdman, prefer a public vote so partisans could see who chose which person for what job, which critics have said would lead to fewer crossover votes for either party.

Arch said he sees opportunities for compromise and process improvements. He and other institutionalists said they aim to ensure changes don’t cause unintended harm.

Nathan Leach of Nonpartisan Nebraska, which advocates to protect the Legislature’s nonpartisan traditions, said he appreciated the seriousness Arch applied to his proposals.

“I am cautiously optimistic that Nebraskans will end up with positive, nonpartisan improvements,” Leach said.

Lawmakers in the officially nonpartisan body told the Nebraska Examiner they knew some changes were coming after a 2023 session marked by controversial bills and filibusters.

Some privately criticized State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, who filibustered many bills last year in an unsuccessful effort to stop a stricter abortion ban and restrictions on trans health care for minors.

Others criticized State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha for pressing forward with another controversial bill this session that would restrict which sports teams trans students can join and what bathrooms they can use.&nbsp;

Cavanaugh and others who defended the Legislature’s current rules said they hope those testifying on the rules defend lawmakers’ ability to speak freely.

“The most important thing to keep in mind when we are having a rules debate is the integrity of speech … and free speech doesn’t have to be speech that we agree with,” she said.&nbsp;

Cavanaugh said people should closely watch any proposals “restricting the voice of the people by restricting debate.”

Kauth said she hears from people who want senators to get along better and be less contentious. But she said lawmakers are elected to engage in tough conversations about difficult topics.

Her goal with the proposed rules is to have those difficult debates run more predictably and smoothly, not to silence disagreements.

“Last session it was very much an — instead of the intent of the rules,&nbsp; it was about the loopholes in the rules,” Kauth said. “They’re trying to close those.”

Many of Arch’s proposals have secured support, including one adding the ability to seek cloture votes on motions instead of just when bills are being debated.

One senator said&nbsp;Arch’s&nbsp;proposals seem to preserve the ability of lawmakers to debate. Another said he appreciated proposals codifying temporary changes made last year that limited off-topic motions.&nbsp;

Erdman’s ideas also have found support, especially among conservatives, who hold a majority and who express frustrations with seeing their bills killed for want of a single vote or two.

Erdman’s cloture proposal has received both passionate support and pushback. He has proposed a sliding scale for how many votes would be needed based on how many senators show up and vote.

As few as 25 votes would be needed for cloture on days when 37 senators attend or vote yes or no. Erdman’s proposal would also lower the threshold for voting “present, not voting.”

One senator said he worried senators could game the system if the votes needed for cloture went down depending on how many senators were attending that day. The schedule could be manipulated, he said.

Another lawmaker said he would like to see senators pay a price for trying to avoid difficult votes and said Erdman’s proposal would increase the incentive to attend more debates and votes.

Erdman said he expects a fight on his proposal to lock reporters out of executive sessions. Currently, reporters can attend these closed sessions and report on what is said. He said either everyone should be allowed in or no one. Similar proposals have fallen short&nbsp;in recent years.

Several lawmakers said they were still digesting rules proposals from State Sens. Justin Wayne of Omaha, John Cavanaugh of Omaha and Ben Hansen of Blair.&nbsp;&nbsp;

One senator said he liked Wayne’s proposal that final reading votes be yes or no votes, eliminating the option to vote present but not voting and requiring all members who are present to vote.

Another said she liked Hansen’s proposal limiting senators to introducing 14 bills a session and letting them prioritize two bills instead of one if they introduce only five.&nbsp;

State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard says he won’t let this year’s hearing on potential changes to the Legislature’s rules drag on as long as last year’s marathon session.

Erdman is grouping each senator’s proposed rule changes together to help speed things along. People will be limited to testifying once per package of rules instead of being allowed to talk once per proposed rule.

He said testifiers who have heard someone make a point they share should not repeat it, or they will risk being cut off. He doesn’t want a chorus of “me toos.”

“We’re not doing that again,” Erdman said. “I mean it.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704729762133.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard (courtesy Unicameral Information Office)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard (courtesy Unicameral Information Office)</figcaption>
 </figure>Aaron Sanderford<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/01/07/public-can-weigh-in-on-nebraska-legislatures-rules-including-how-filibusters-work/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — The future of the filibuster, used to stall or kill bills, will be discussed at a public hearing scheduled for Monday on a variety of proposed legislative rules changes.Several state senators, including Speaker John Arch and State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard, who chairs the Legislature’s Rules Committee, praised the proposals for offering a range of choices from minor tweaks to wholesale changes.The core disagreement between competing proposals is finding the proper balance between majority rule and minority rights, an issue Arch highlighted during his session-opening speech last week.In an interview Friday, Arch said “a lot of thought” was put into every senator’s proposed rules. He said he and Erdman shared some proposals with other senators a month early.&nbsp;Arch said his goal is to keep the rules debate from stretching out during a short, 60-day session. Erdman, in a separate interview, said he doesn’t care if the rules debate goes long if things “get fixed.”“I think the process has been great, very different than previous rules that have been introduced very quickly and then there’s been a reaction,” Arch said.<h2>Fewer proposals, tighter focus</h2>At the hearing, the public will weigh in on 34 proposals, which Erdman says was a vast improvement from the record 57 proposed changes lawmakers discussed last session.<h2>Weigh in on proposals</h2>Speaker John Arch said Sunday he does not expect the forecast snow to delay the hearing.He said the hearing will be streamed and encouraged anybody who cannot attend to submit comments online about the proposed rules.The hearing is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. in Room 1525 of the State Capitol.The proposed changes&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/rules/comments.php">can be found here</a>. Public comments on those proposals will be accepted until noon Monday.&nbsp;“These have had some substance to them…,” Erdman said. “I don’t envision all of them coming to the floor.”Erdman said he sees several proposals addressing the same four or five areas needing improvement where deals might be possible that combine parts of competing approaches.Many deal with how and when to stop debate, letting the majority vote. A few address longstanding conservative concerns about letting senators vote for leadership by secret ballot.&nbsp;Some senators, including Erdman, prefer a public vote so partisans could see who chose which person for what job, which critics have said would lead to fewer crossover votes for either party.Arch said he sees opportunities for compromise and process improvements. He and other institutionalists said they aim to ensure changes don’t cause unintended harm.Nathan Leach of Nonpartisan Nebraska, which advocates to protect the Legislature’s nonpartisan traditions, said he appreciated the seriousness Arch applied to his proposals.“I am cautiously optimistic that Nebraskans will end up with positive, nonpartisan improvements,” Leach said.<h2>Changes expected after 2023</h2>Lawmakers in the officially nonpartisan body told the Nebraska Examiner they knew some changes were coming after a 2023 session marked by controversial bills and filibusters.Some privately criticized State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, who filibustered many bills last year in an unsuccessful effort to stop a stricter abortion ban and restrictions on trans health care for minors.Others criticized State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha for pressing forward with another controversial bill this session that would restrict which sports teams trans students can join and what bathrooms they can use.&nbsp;Cavanaugh and others who defended the Legislature’s current rules said they hope those testifying on the rules defend lawmakers’ ability to speak freely.“The most important thing to keep in mind when we are having a rules debate is the integrity of speech … and free speech doesn’t have to be speech that we agree with,” she said.&nbsp;Cavanaugh said people should closely watch any proposals “restricting the voice of the people by restricting debate.”Kauth said she hears from people who want senators to get along better and be less contentious. But she said lawmakers are elected to engage in tough conversations about difficult topics.Her goal with the proposed rules is to have those difficult debates run more predictably and smoothly, not to silence disagreements.“Last session it was very much an — instead of the intent of the rules,&nbsp; it was about the loopholes in the rules,” Kauth said. “They’re trying to close those.”<h2>Broader support for some ideas</h2>Many of Arch’s proposals have secured support, including one adding the ability to seek cloture votes on motions instead of just when bills are being debated.One senator said&nbsp;Arch’s&nbsp;proposals seem to preserve the ability of lawmakers to debate. Another said he appreciated proposals codifying temporary changes made last year that limited off-topic motions.&nbsp;Erdman’s ideas also have found support, especially among conservatives, who hold a majority and who express frustrations with seeing their bills killed for want of a single vote or two.Erdman’s cloture proposal has received both passionate support and pushback. He has proposed a sliding scale for how many votes would be needed based on how many senators show up and vote.As few as 25 votes would be needed for cloture on days when 37 senators attend or vote yes or no. Erdman’s proposal would also lower the threshold for voting “present, not voting.”One senator said he worried senators could game the system if the votes needed for cloture went down depending on how many senators were attending that day. The schedule could be manipulated, he said.Another lawmaker said he would like to see senators pay a price for trying to avoid difficult votes and said Erdman’s proposal would increase the incentive to attend more debates and votes.<h2>Executive sessions</h2>Erdman said he expects a fight on his proposal to lock reporters out of executive sessions. Currently, reporters can attend these closed sessions and report on what is said. He said either everyone should be allowed in or no one. Similar proposals have fallen short&nbsp;in recent years.Several lawmakers said they were still digesting rules proposals from State Sens. Justin Wayne of Omaha, John Cavanaugh of Omaha and Ben Hansen of Blair.&nbsp;&nbsp;One senator said he liked Wayne’s proposal that final reading votes be yes or no votes, eliminating the option to vote present but not voting and requiring all members who are present to vote.Another said she liked Hansen’s proposal limiting senators to introducing 14 bills a session and letting them prioritize two bills instead of one if they introduce only five.&nbsp;<h2>Avoiding marathon session</h2>State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard says he won’t let this year’s hearing on potential changes to the Legislature’s rules drag on as long as last year’s marathon session.Erdman is grouping each senator’s proposed rule changes together to help speed things along. People will be limited to testifying once per package of rules instead of being allowed to talk once per proposed rule.He said testifiers who have heard someone make a point they share should not repeat it, or they will risk being cut off. He doesn’t want a chorus of “me toos.”“We’re not doing that again,” Erdman said. “I mean it.”

Public can weigh in on Nebraska Legislature’s rules, including how filibusters work

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/01/08/its-scary-close-nebraska-lawmakers-react-to-ai-voice-clones-possible-regulations/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;As artificial intelligence continues to rapidly evolve, some Nebraska lawmakers are viewing a legislative or regulatory role over AI as a balancing act with the First Amendment.

State senators say AI brings opportunities for innovation but also dangers, such as misinformation or disinformation ahead of the 2024 election.

Lawmakers will likely have the opportunity during this year’s session to weigh at least one proposal to regulate AI.&nbsp;

State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha plans to introduce legislation to address certain AI disclosures. His proposal would mirror a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://michiganadvance.com/2023/11/30/at-detroit-naacp-whitmer-signs-voting-rights-bills/">Michigan law</a>&nbsp;that requires disclosure of AI if used in political advertisements.

Michigan is the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/michigan-to-join-state-level-effort-to-regulate-ai-political-ads-as-federal-legislation-is-pending">fifth state</a>&nbsp;to enact a law regulating such content, or&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.citizen.org/article/tracker-legislation-on-deepfakes-in-elections/">deepfakes</a>. The others are California, Minnesota, Texas and Washington. More states are considering legislation, as is&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/09/12/congress-starts-trying-to-figure-out-how-to-set-ai-rules-of-the-road/">Congress</a>.

“As technology advances, we need to be sure that it is not abused and take reasonable steps as a state to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in campaigns,” Cavanaugh said in a text.

Unlike the Michigan legislation, which includes criminal penalties, Cavanaugh said his bill would carry civil penalties through the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission.

Seven Nebraska lawmakers agreed to review AI-generated clones of their voices as part of a UNL class project. They included State Sen. Beau Ballard, a Lincoln business owner, who said public policymakers are charged with tackling AI, but it won’t be easy.

“The wheels of government move slow,” Ballard said.

Ballard said AI could help with workforce or job development and that it has the potential to be both the most useful and most harmful technology “in probably the history of the world.”

State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward, an exercise instructor, substitute teacher and former engineering consultant, said lawmakers must consider how to craft bills when the technology “changes tomorrow.”

“You’re chasing something that is exponentially changing,” Hughes said.

State Sen. John Fredrickson of Omaha, a clinical social worker and adjunct professor, said lawmakers must consider these moving pieces and engage with experts and stakeholders.

State Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont, a real estate agent with a broker’s license and a former teacher, said she’s played around with AI a couple of times and foresees benefits. But she said AI will require voters to do more verification of what lawmakers say.&nbsp;

“The way that our political atmosphere is today, you just don’t put anything past (someone),” Walz said.

Ballard, Hughes, Fredrickson, Walz and three other lawmakers — Carolyn Bosn of Lincoln, Tom Brandt of Plymouth and Danielle Conrad of Lincoln — agreed to have their voices cloned to see the possibilities.&nbsp;

These “clones” mimicked past legislative speeches by the senators or were used to announce fake resignations, policy positions or other topics of the lawmakers’ choosing.

Hughes said one of her clips sounded exactly the way she would say it. Brandt, a farmer, said he would not have known his clip was AI-generated.

“I don’t think you could find anybody in today’s world that would know the difference,” Brandt said.

Conrad, an attorney and former executive director of the ACLU of Nebraska, said her cloned voice was “shocking” to her. She said the clone sounded a “bit more firm or resolute,” without certain pauses or breaks she tends to use. It was “far more advanced and nuanced” than she would have thought, she said.

This innovation, Hughes said, further complicates the ability to identify misinformation and disinformation.

“It’s scary close, and it’s only going to get better,” Hughes said.

Nebraska will soon join nearly every other state in offering an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=49867">online video archive</a>&nbsp;of legislative proceedings. The archive will be created once closed captioning of such videos is available, or no later than the start of 2025. The Legislature’s Executive Board will determine the proper use of the recordings.

Nebraska Public Media already livestreams legislative floor debates and committee hearings.

Ballard, Bosn and Hughes reviewed their audio clips as a group. They said cadences, speed, inflections and the “feel” of a voice (robotic or generated) helped clue them into whether it was authentic.&nbsp;

Fredrickson said his cloned voice flow differed from his actual speech, though people are biologically wired to pick up on authenticity. It’s one area, he added, that AI has not yet “finessed.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704723137932.png" alt=" Image created using Canva. (Courtesy of Cassie Mallette/University of Nebraska at Omaha)" />
 <figcaption> Image created using Canva. (Courtesy of Cassie Mallette/University of Nebraska at Omaha)</figcaption>
 </figure>Aaron Sanderford<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/01/08/its-scary-close-nebraska-lawmakers-react-to-ai-voice-clones-possible-regulations/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;As artificial intelligence continues to rapidly evolve, some Nebraska lawmakers are viewing a legislative or regulatory role over AI as a balancing act with the First Amendment.State senators say AI brings opportunities for innovation but also dangers, such as misinformation or disinformation ahead of the 2024 election.Lawmakers will likely have the opportunity during this year’s session to weigh at least one proposal to regulate AI.&nbsp;State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha plans to introduce legislation to address certain AI disclosures. His proposal would mirror a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://michiganadvance.com/2023/11/30/at-detroit-naacp-whitmer-signs-voting-rights-bills/">Michigan law</a>&nbsp;that requires disclosure of AI if used in political advertisements.Michigan is the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/michigan-to-join-state-level-effort-to-regulate-ai-political-ads-as-federal-legislation-is-pending">fifth state</a>&nbsp;to enact a law regulating such content, or&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.citizen.org/article/tracker-legislation-on-deepfakes-in-elections/">deepfakes</a>. The others are California, Minnesota, Texas and Washington. More states are considering legislation, as is&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/09/12/congress-starts-trying-to-figure-out-how-to-set-ai-rules-of-the-road/">Congress</a>.“As technology advances, we need to be sure that it is not abused and take reasonable steps as a state to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in campaigns,” Cavanaugh said in a text.Unlike the Michigan legislation, which includes criminal penalties, Cavanaugh said his bill would carry civil penalties through the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission.<h2>‘Wheels of government move slow’</h2>Seven Nebraska lawmakers agreed to review AI-generated clones of their voices as part of a UNL class project. They included State Sen. Beau Ballard, a Lincoln business owner, who said public policymakers are charged with tackling AI, but it won’t be easy.“The wheels of government move slow,” Ballard said.Ballard said AI could help with workforce or job development and that it has the potential to be both the most useful and most harmful technology “in probably the history of the world.”State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward, an exercise instructor, substitute teacher and former engineering consultant, said lawmakers must consider how to craft bills when the technology “changes tomorrow.”“You’re chasing something that is exponentially changing,” Hughes said.State Sen. John Fredrickson of Omaha, a clinical social worker and adjunct professor, said lawmakers must consider these moving pieces and engage with experts and stakeholders.State Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont, a real estate agent with a broker’s license and a former teacher, said she’s played around with AI a couple of times and foresees benefits. But she said AI will require voters to do more verification of what lawmakers say.&nbsp;“The way that our political atmosphere is today, you just don’t put anything past (someone),” Walz said.<h2>‘It’s scary close’</h2>Ballard, Hughes, Fredrickson, Walz and three other lawmakers — Carolyn Bosn of Lincoln, Tom Brandt of Plymouth and Danielle Conrad of Lincoln — agreed to have their voices cloned to see the possibilities.&nbsp;These “clones” mimicked past legislative speeches by the senators or were used to announce fake resignations, policy positions or other topics of the lawmakers’ choosing.Hughes said one of her clips sounded exactly the way she would say it. Brandt, a farmer, said he would not have known his clip was AI-generated.“I don’t think you could find anybody in today’s world that would know the difference,” Brandt said.Conrad, an attorney and former executive director of the ACLU of Nebraska, said her cloned voice was “shocking” to her. She said the clone sounded a “bit more firm or resolute,” without certain pauses or breaks she tends to use. It was “far more advanced and nuanced” than she would have thought, she said.This innovation, Hughes said, further complicates the ability to identify misinformation and disinformation.“It’s scary close, and it’s only going to get better,” Hughes said.Nebraska will soon join nearly every other state in offering an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=49867">online video archive</a>&nbsp;of legislative proceedings. The archive will be created once closed captioning of such videos is available, or no later than the start of 2025. The Legislature’s Executive Board will determine the proper use of the recordings.Nebraska Public Media already livestreams legislative floor debates and committee hearings.<h2>‘A flavor of my voice’</h2>Ballard, Bosn and Hughes reviewed their audio clips as a group. They said cadences, speed, inflections and the “feel” of a voice (robotic or generated) helped clue them into whether it was authentic.&nbsp;Fredrickson said his cloned voice flow differed from his actual speech, though people are biologically wired to pick up on authenticity. It’s one area, he added, that AI has not yet “finessed.”“It has a flavor of my voice, but it also doesn’t sound like me at all,” Fredrickson said. “It does sound like a Siri me.”While the senators may know the sound of their own or their colleagues’ voices, they noted that constituents may not know. All seven said cloned material could confuse voters.“For a constituent who has never heard me talk, for all they know my voice could sound like Adele’s,” Fredrickson said.Brandt added that he has heard colleagues on the radio from time to time and thought the audio didn’t sound like them. As AI or similar tech progresses, he said, everyone may begin to doubt what they hear.<h2>‘We have to use it as a tool</h2>’Bosn, a stay-at-home mom and former deputy county attorney in Lancaster and Saunders Counties, said she’s wondered how AI could mpact her children. She has pondered safety parameters, such as in education, to prevent kids from looking up something they shouldn’t.Walz, who taught fourth and fifth graders, also expressed concern that students could lose an emotional or human connection if they use AI too often in their education.“I would never want my kids to lose that,” Walz said.The New York Times has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/27/business/media/new-york-times-open-ai-microsoft-lawsuit.html">sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement</a>, further intensifying a challenge in how developers train AI models. The Times is asking for billions of dollars in damages and for companies to destroy any chatbot models or training data that use copyrighted material from The Times.Around the country, some states have also looked to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/2023/10/05/what-is-artificial-intelligence-legislators-are-still-looking-for-a-definition/">define AI</a>&nbsp;in place of regulations. For example, North Dakota lawmakers legislated that “personhood” does not include AI.Regulation can get tricky with free speech, though, Bosn said, as lawmakers want to advocate for and encourage speech while fostering educational opportunities for children to understand and grow.“We have to use it as a tool, not a weapon,” Bosn said.<h2>What is ‘proper’ use?</h2>In elections, Ballard said research shows&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/why-negative-campaigning-works-and-how-fight-it">negative campaigning</a>&nbsp;can be more effective than positive campaigning. He and Bosn are running for election after being appointed in 2023.Bosn said negative campaigning could be met with skepticism or caution among voters, which could help, but she questioned whether lawmakers want to be deciding what is proper.Hughes, responding to Bosn, said she doesn’t know about all cases, “But doing a fake speech with my voice is improper.”Bosn said the legal process for holding people accountable can be tricky because it’s time consuming and requires due process.<h2>Past a ‘tipping point’</h2>At the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/08/embracing-artificial-intelligence-in-the-workforce-starts-with-higher-education/">University of Nebraska at Omaha</a>, faculty have begun diving into AI use, including Victor Winter, Ph.D., a professor of computer science, who said recent advances in machine learning and underlying tech infrastructure have led to a “tipping point.”Development is moving much faster, Winter explained, but AI use is not scary alone. It’s scary for what it could allow humans to do to others, Winter said, quoting&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/hankgreen/posts/pfbid0gHjM18kFuNTQuu1MteTTFWLCoywqD1aKbmmsygwXmdcgek7bW5Cmt5JTGvfFvj4vl">Hank Green</a>, an American YouTuber who is half of the team for the educational “Crash Course” YouTube channel.Cassie Mallette, an instructional designer at UNO, said comfort with AI comes from understanding it, such as experimenting. Mallette said she’s had students who were completely against AI —&nbsp;some who said it “freaked them out” —&nbsp;who later saw how it could be useful in some cases.“It shouldn’t replace everything we do but should be used as a supplemental tool we can use,” Mallette said in a statement.Jaci Lindburg, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor of innovative and learning-centric initiatives at UNO, said new tools and technology open up possibilities for exploration, research, learning, training and productivity, with more on the horizon.“While there will always be some who may use such technologies in a dishonest manner, we are far more excited about the opportunities they create,” Lindburg said in an email.<h2>Finding the ‘right equilibrium’</h2>Brandt said AI will impact all industries and mirror other technological advancements.For example, when he started farming, Brandt said, he used a six-row planter with markers that someone dropped and had to follow, visually, as best they could. He now has a 16-row planter that is driven automatically to sub-inch accuracy and communicates with satellites.“It’s an amplification of the path we’ve been on ever since we started the computer age, and we don’t know where it’s going to take us,” Brandt said of AI.Conrad cautioned that political speech is entitled to the “highest protection” in law and includes speech that is distasteful or hard to hear. She said lawmakers must proceed “very cautiously and very skeptically” before rushing in and crafting laws that could “chill speech.”It’s all about the “right equilibrium,” she said.“Popular speech doesn’t need protection,” Conrad said. “Unpopular speech does.”Editor’s note: This article is based on information gathered for a graduate-level journalism course at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The author worked last year as a reporting intern for the Nebraska Examiner.