WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. approved updated COVID-19 vaccines Monday, hoping to rev up protection against the latest coronavirus strains and blunt any surge this fall and winter.

The Food and Drug Administration decision opens the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-flu-rsv-vaccines-tripledemic-2a55728638c1c0879ce58deeeb0196bf">newest shots</a>&nbsp;from Moderna and Pfizer and its partner BioNTech to most Americans even if they’ve never had a coronavirus vaccination. It’s part of a shift to treat fall updates of the COVID-19 vaccine much like getting a yearly flu shot.

There’s still another step: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must sign off. A CDC advisory panel is set to issue recommendations Tuesday on who most needs the updated shots. Vaccinations could begin later this week, and both the COVID-19 and flu shot can be given at the same visit.

A third vaccine maker, Novavax, said its updated shot is still being reviewed by the FDA.

COVID-19 hospitalizations have been rising since late summer although –- thanks to lasting immunity from prior vaccinations and infections –- not nearly as much as this time last year.

But protection wanes over time and the coronavirus continually churns out new variants that can dodge prior immunity. It’s been a year since the last time the vaccines were tweaked, and only about 20% of adults ever received that earlier update.

“Vaccination remains critical to public health and continued protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death,” FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks said in a statement. “We very much encourage those who are eligible to consider getting vaccinated.”

Just like earlier vaccinations, the fall round is cleared for adults and children as young as age 6 months. FDA said starting at age 5, most people can get a single dose even if they’ve never had a prior COVID-19 shot. Younger children might need additional doses depending on their history of COVID-19 infections and vaccinations.

The FDA pointedly isn’t calling this latest round a “booster” but instead a vaccine updated to better match the currently circulating virus. The new recipe targets an omicron variant named XBB.1.5 — replacing outdated combination vaccines that mixed protection against the original coronavirus strain and an older version of omicron.

And while even the XBB.1.5 variant is no longer dominant, FDA determined that it’s close enough to coronavirus strains causing most COVID-19 illnesses today to offer good cross-protection. Like earlier versions, they're expected to be most protective against COVID-19's worst consequences rather than mild infection.

But while the FDA's decision allows for wide use of the updated shots, the CDC will decide how strongly different groups are urged to get them.

Federal officials have said the shots still will be free to most Americans through private insurance or Medicare. But&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/bridge/index.html">for the uninsured or underinsured,</a>&nbsp;the CDC is working with health departments, clinics and certain pharmacies to temporarily provide free shots.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694460878166.png" alt="This photo provided by Pfizer in September 2023 shows single-dose vials of the company's updated COVID vaccine for adults. U.S. regulators have approved updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, shots aimed at revving up protection this fall and winter. The Food and Drug Administration's decision Monday, Sept. 11, 2023 is part of a shift to treat fall COVID-19 vaccine updates much like getting a yearly flu shot. (Pfizer via AP)" />
 <figcaption>This photo provided by Pfizer in September 2023 shows single-dose vials of the company's updated COVID vaccine for adults. U.S. regulators have approved updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, shots aimed at revving up protection this fall and winter. The Food and Drug Administration's decision Monday, Sept. 11, 2023 is part of a shift to treat fall COVID-19 vaccine updates much like getting a yearly flu shot. (Pfizer via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. approved updated COVID-19 vaccines Monday, hoping to rev up protection against the latest coronavirus strains and blunt any surge this fall and winter.The Food and Drug Administration decision opens the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-flu-rsv-vaccines-tripledemic-2a55728638c1c0879ce58deeeb0196bf">newest shots</a>&nbsp;from Moderna and Pfizer and its partner BioNTech to most Americans even if they’ve never had a coronavirus vaccination. It’s part of a shift to treat fall updates of the COVID-19 vaccine much like getting a yearly flu shot.There’s still another step: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must sign off. A CDC advisory panel is set to issue recommendations Tuesday on who most needs the updated shots. Vaccinations could begin later this week, and both the COVID-19 and flu shot can be given at the same visit.A third vaccine maker, Novavax, said its updated shot is still being reviewed by the FDA.COVID-19 hospitalizations have been rising since late summer although –- thanks to lasting immunity from prior vaccinations and infections –- not nearly as much as this time last year.But protection wanes over time and the coronavirus continually churns out new variants that can dodge prior immunity. It’s been a year since the last time the vaccines were tweaked, and only about 20% of adults ever received that earlier update.“Vaccination remains critical to public health and continued protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death,” FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks said in a statement. “We very much encourage those who are eligible to consider getting vaccinated.”Just like earlier vaccinations, the fall round is cleared for adults and children as young as age 6 months. FDA said starting at age 5, most people can get a single dose even if they’ve never had a prior COVID-19 shot. Younger children might need additional doses depending on their history of COVID-19 infections and vaccinations.The FDA pointedly isn’t calling this latest round a “booster” but instead a vaccine updated to better match the currently circulating virus. The new recipe targets an omicron variant named XBB.1.5 — replacing outdated combination vaccines that mixed protection against the original coronavirus strain and an older version of omicron.And while even the XBB.1.5 variant is no longer dominant, FDA determined that it’s close enough to coronavirus strains causing most COVID-19 illnesses today to offer good cross-protection. Like earlier versions, they're expected to be most protective against COVID-19's worst consequences rather than mild infection.But while the FDA's decision allows for wide use of the updated shots, the CDC will decide how strongly different groups are urged to get them.Federal officials have said the shots still will be free to most Americans through private insurance or Medicare. But&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/bridge/index.html">for the uninsured or underinsured,</a>&nbsp;the CDC is working with health departments, clinics and certain pharmacies to temporarily provide free shots.

2 new COVID vaccines approved for your protection this fall

NEW YORK (AP) —The U.S. government is taking aim at what has been an indomitable empire: Google’s ubiquitous search engine that has become the internet’s main gateway.

The legal attack will swing into full force Tuesday in a Washington D.C. federal courtroom that will serve as the battleground for the biggest U.S. antitrust trial since regulators went after Microsoft and its dominance of personal computer software a quarter century ago.

The 10-week trial before U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta is expected to include potentially revelatory testimony from top executives at Google and its corporate parent Alphabet, as well as other powerful technology companies. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, who succeeded Google co-founder Larry Page in 2019, will be among the most prominent witnesses likely to testify. Court documents also indicate one of Apple's highest-ranking executives, Eddy Cue, might be called to the stand.

The case against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-antitrust-microsoft-doj-6a800b51cc9b6b1c4d1b23bad4510040">Google mirrors the one brought against Microsoft</a>&nbsp;in many ways, including the existential threat it poses to a renowned tech giant whose products are relied on by billions of people.

The trial is scheduled to continue into late November before its first phase wraps, after which another round of court filings and arguments are expected. Mehta isn’t expected to issue a ruling until early next year. If he decides Google has been breaking the law, it will trigger another trial to determine what measures should be taken to rein in the Mountain View, California, company.

Although Google products such as the Chrome web browser, Gmail, YouTube and online maps all are hugely popular, none have become as indispensable — or as valuable — as the internet search engine invented by Page and a fellow Stanford University graduate student, Sergey Brin, during the late 1990s.

The trial is beginning just a couple weeks after the 25th anniversary of the first investment in the company — a $100,000 check written by Sun Microsystems co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim that enabled Page and Brin to set up shop in a Silicon Valley garage.

Today, Google's corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., is worth $1.7 trillion and employs 182,000 people, with most of the money coming from $224 billion in annual ad sales flowing through a network of digital services anchored by a search engine that fields billions of queries a day.

Google could be hobbled if the antitrust trial culminates in concessions that undercut its power. One possibility is that the company could be forced to stop paying Apple and other companies to make Google the default search engine on smartphones and computers.

Or the legal battle could cause Google to lose focus. That's what happened to Microsoft after its antitrust showdown with the Justice Department: Distracted, the software giant struggled to adapt to the impact of internet search and smartphones. Google capitalized on that distraction to leap from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-antitrust-lawsuit-doj-f8f82967dc0d53a42c240b31d1559ccf">its startup roots into an imposing powerhouse.</a>

Nearly three years&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-justice-department-antitrust-0510e8f9047956254455ec5d4db06044">after filing its antitrust lawsuit</a>&nbsp;during the Trump administration, lawyers from the U.S. Justice Department will try to prove Google has been abusing the power of its search engine to stifle competition in ways that discouraged innovation. Critics say the quality of search results has deteriorated, too, as Google used its engine to sell ads and promote its own products, like Google restaurant reviews instead of those offered by Yelp.

Dozens of state attorneys general, led by Colorado, have waded into the battle and will have a chance to prove Google turned into an illegal monopoly that's harming consumers.

The crux of the Justice Department's argument will boil down to its contention that Google's search engine has become like digital air almost everyone breathes, and that it needs to be cleaned up because the company's tactics have polluted the atmosphere.

Google's vast legal team is expected to counter that the company has never stopped improving its search engine, executing its original mission to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible to anyone with an internet connection. From Google's perspective, the perpetual improvements explain why most people almost reflexively gravitate to its search engine, a habit that long ago made “Googling” synonymous with looking things up.

Despite commanding about 90% of the internet search market, Google argues it faces a wide range of competition ranging from other search engines such as Microsoft's Bing and DuckDuckGo to websites such as Amazon and Yelp, where people research questions about what product to buy or where to eat.

The Justice Department contends Google's claim that it dominates the market by supplying the best search engine is a canard. They allege Google protects its franchise through a form of payola, shelling out billions of dollars annually to be the default search engine on the iPhone and web browser such as Apple's Safari and Mozilla's Firefox.

Regulators also allege Google has illegally rigged the market in its favor by requiring its search engine to be bundled with its Android software for smartphones if the device manufacturers want full access to the Android app store.

By locking in Google's search engine as the default choice in so many places, the Justice Department contends the company has made it more difficult for people to find the best results as quickly as possible.

Regulators allege the company's deals ensure Google's automatic access to billions of queries that provide data for its search engine, while boxing out Bing and DuckDuckGo from getting information that could help them improve their results.

The tactics have created a toxic situation allowing Google to cram more ads at the top of its search results, increasing its profits and Alphabet's stock price, according to the Justice Department. That practice requires consumers to dig ever deeper to answer their questions, something that regulators believe could be avoided if rival services were able to collect as much information as Google does through its lock-in agreements.

Google insists that consumers could easily switch their default settings to another search engine.

The company also argues that it does face competition from evolving technology: Microsoft, for example, is baking artificial intelligence from its business partner Open AI into its Bing search engine. That move in early February prodded Google to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-artificial-intelligence-search-engine-chatgpt-microsoft-fd0538018df958388991772ced6e693d">start equipping its search engine with AI-fueled results</a>&nbsp;too — a sign that the company says shows competition continues to thrive.

NEW YORK (AP) —The U.S. government is taking aim at what has been an indomitable empire: Google’s ubiquitous search engine that has become the internet’s main gateway.The legal attack will swing into full force Tuesday in a Washington D.C. federal courtroom that will serve as the battleground for the biggest U.S. antitrust trial since regulators went after Microsoft and its dominance of personal computer software a quarter century ago.The 10-week trial before U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta is expected to include potentially revelatory testimony from top executives at Google and its corporate parent Alphabet, as well as other powerful technology companies. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, who succeeded Google co-founder Larry Page in 2019, will be among the most prominent witnesses likely to testify. Court documents also indicate one of Apple's highest-ranking executives, Eddy Cue, might be called to the stand.The case against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-antitrust-microsoft-doj-6a800b51cc9b6b1c4d1b23bad4510040">Google mirrors the one brought against Microsoft</a>&nbsp;in many ways, including the existential threat it poses to a renowned tech giant whose products are relied on by billions of people.The trial is scheduled to continue into late November before its first phase wraps, after which another round of court filings and arguments are expected. Mehta isn’t expected to issue a ruling until early next year. If he decides Google has been breaking the law, it will trigger another trial to determine what measures should be taken to rein in the Mountain View, California, company.Although Google products such as the Chrome web browser, Gmail, YouTube and online maps all are hugely popular, none have become as indispensable — or as valuable — as the internet search engine invented by Page and a fellow Stanford University graduate student, Sergey Brin, during the late 1990s.The trial is beginning just a couple weeks after the 25th anniversary of the first investment in the company — a $100,000 check written by Sun Microsystems co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim that enabled Page and Brin to set up shop in a Silicon Valley garage.Today, Google's corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., is worth $1.7 trillion and employs 182,000 people, with most of the money coming from $224 billion in annual ad sales flowing through a network of digital services anchored by a search engine that fields billions of queries a day.Google could be hobbled if the antitrust trial culminates in concessions that undercut its power. One possibility is that the company could be forced to stop paying Apple and other companies to make Google the default search engine on smartphones and computers.Or the legal battle could cause Google to lose focus. That's what happened to Microsoft after its antitrust showdown with the Justice Department: Distracted, the software giant struggled to adapt to the impact of internet search and smartphones. Google capitalized on that distraction to leap from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-antitrust-lawsuit-doj-f8f82967dc0d53a42c240b31d1559ccf">its startup roots into an imposing powerhouse.</a>Nearly three years&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-justice-department-antitrust-0510e8f9047956254455ec5d4db06044">after filing its antitrust lawsuit</a>&nbsp;during the Trump administration, lawyers from the U.S. Justice Department will try to prove Google has been abusing the power of its search engine to stifle competition in ways that discouraged innovation. Critics say the quality of search results has deteriorated, too, as Google used its engine to sell ads and promote its own products, like Google restaurant reviews instead of those offered by Yelp.Dozens of state attorneys general, led by Colorado, have waded into the battle and will have a chance to prove Google turned into an illegal monopoly that's harming consumers.The crux of the Justice Department's argument will boil down to its contention that Google's search engine has become like digital air almost everyone breathes, and that it needs to be cleaned up because the company's tactics have polluted the atmosphere.Google's vast legal team is expected to counter that the company has never stopped improving its search engine, executing its original mission to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible to anyone with an internet connection. From Google's perspective, the perpetual improvements explain why most people almost reflexively gravitate to its search engine, a habit that long ago made “Googling” synonymous with looking things up.Despite commanding about 90% of the internet search market, Google argues it faces a wide range of competition ranging from other search engines such as Microsoft's Bing and DuckDuckGo to websites such as Amazon and Yelp, where people research questions about what product to buy or where to eat.The Justice Department contends Google's claim that it dominates the market by supplying the best search engine is a canard. They allege Google protects its franchise through a form of payola, shelling out billions of dollars annually to be the default search engine on the iPhone and web browser such as Apple's Safari and Mozilla's Firefox.Regulators also allege Google has illegally rigged the market in its favor by requiring its search engine to be bundled with its Android software for smartphones if the device manufacturers want full access to the Android app store.By locking in Google's search engine as the default choice in so many places, the Justice Department contends the company has made it more difficult for people to find the best results as quickly as possible.Regulators allege the company's deals ensure Google's automatic access to billions of queries that provide data for its search engine, while boxing out Bing and DuckDuckGo from getting information that could help them improve their results.The tactics have created a toxic situation allowing Google to cram more ads at the top of its search results, increasing its profits and Alphabet's stock price, according to the Justice Department. That practice requires consumers to dig ever deeper to answer their questions, something that regulators believe could be avoided if rival services were able to collect as much information as Google does through its lock-in agreements.Google insists that consumers could easily switch their default settings to another search engine.The company also argues that it does face competition from evolving technology: Microsoft, for example, is baking artificial intelligence from its business partner Open AI into its Bing search engine. That move in early February prodded Google to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-artificial-intelligence-search-engine-chatgpt-microsoft-fd0538018df958388991772ced6e693d">start equipping its search engine with AI-fueled results</a>&nbsp;too — a sign that the company says shows competition continues to thrive.

Google versus the U.S. in the biggest antitrust trial in decades

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Officers in Nebraska's largest city fatally shot an armed man who pointed a gun at them in an Omaha street, police there said.

The shooting happened early Sunday morning in a southwestern part of the city near a shopping complex. Officers called to the scene for reports of a suicidal man encountered an armed man in the street holding a handgun to his head, police said.

The officers tried for several minutes to talk the man into putting his gun down, but when he pointed the gun at a bystander, then at the officers, police shot him, officials said.

The man, later identified as 27-year-old Matthew Johnson of Omaha, died at a hospital.

Johnson's shooting death comes as police around the country&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mental-health-crisis-911-police-alternative-civilian-responders-ca97971200c485e36aa456c04d217547">seek new ways</a>&nbsp;to handle their encounters with people who are mentally ill, who make up a substantial portion of those&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-police-oregon-mental-salem-a5a933c76760a8d3929595f846876bb0">killed by police</a>.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Officers in Nebraska's largest city fatally shot an armed man who pointed a gun at them in an Omaha street, police there said.The shooting happened early Sunday morning in a southwestern part of the city near a shopping complex. Officers called to the scene for reports of a suicidal man encountered an armed man in the street holding a handgun to his head, police said.The officers tried for several minutes to talk the man into putting his gun down, but when he pointed the gun at a bystander, then at the officers, police shot him, officials said.The man, later identified as 27-year-old Matthew Johnson of Omaha, died at a hospital.Johnson's shooting death comes as police around the country&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mental-health-crisis-911-police-alternative-civilian-responders-ca97971200c485e36aa456c04d217547">seek new ways</a>&nbsp;to handle their encounters with people who are mentally ill, who make up a substantial portion of those&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-police-oregon-mental-salem-a5a933c76760a8d3929595f846876bb0">killed by police</a>.

Officers fatally shoot a reportedly suicidal man armed with a gun, police in Omaha say

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Sports betting company DraftKings apologized Monday after using the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sept-11-terror-attack-anniversary-ceremonies-47488758b18fd78f541674041e36d263">Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks</a>&nbsp;to entice people to bet on baseball and football games on the anniversary of the tragedy that killed nearly 3,000 people.

The Boston-based company offered users a 9/11-themed promotion that required three New York-based teams — the Yankees, Mets and Jets — to win their games Monday, the 22nd anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and the downing of a passenger jet in a field in Pennsylvania.

After an outcry on social media from people offended by the promotion titled “Never Forget,” DraftKings took it down and apologized.

“We sincerely apologize for the featured parlay that was shared briefly in commemoration of 9/11,” the company wrote. “We respect the significance of this day for our country and especially for the families of those who were directly affected.”

Bret Eagleson, whose father, Bruce, was killed in the World Trade Center, runs a families and first responders organization called 9/11 Justice. He decried the DraftKings offer as “tone-deaf.”

“It is shameful to use the national tragedy of 9/11 to promote a business,” he told The Associated Press. “We need accountability, justice and closure, not self-interest and shameless promotion.”

The company would not say how many people placed bets as a result of the offer, nor whether those bets remain valid or whether they have been canceled.

DraftKings is one of the leading companies offering legal sports betting in the U.S., which has grown rapidly since the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f3fa1f71b8f44378a7e2c51d321b13b4">cleared the way for it in 2018.</a>&nbsp;Two-thirds of the country now offers it.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Sports betting company DraftKings apologized Monday after using the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sept-11-terror-attack-anniversary-ceremonies-47488758b18fd78f541674041e36d263">Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks</a>&nbsp;to entice people to bet on baseball and football games on the anniversary of the tragedy that killed nearly 3,000 people.The Boston-based company offered users a 9/11-themed promotion that required three New York-based teams — the Yankees, Mets and Jets — to win their games Monday, the 22nd anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and the downing of a passenger jet in a field in Pennsylvania.After an outcry on social media from people offended by the promotion titled “Never Forget,” DraftKings took it down and apologized.“We sincerely apologize for the featured parlay that was shared briefly in commemoration of 9/11,” the company wrote. “We respect the significance of this day for our country and especially for the families of those who were directly affected.”Bret Eagleson, whose father, Bruce, was killed in the World Trade Center, runs a families and first responders organization called 9/11 Justice. He decried the DraftKings offer as “tone-deaf.”“It is shameful to use the national tragedy of 9/11 to promote a business,” he told The Associated Press. “We need accountability, justice and closure, not self-interest and shameless promotion.”The company would not say how many people placed bets as a result of the offer, nor whether those bets remain valid or whether they have been canceled.DraftKings is one of the leading companies offering legal sports betting in the U.S., which has grown rapidly since the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f3fa1f71b8f44378a7e2c51d321b13b4">cleared the way for it in 2018.</a>&nbsp;Two-thirds of the country now offers it.

DraftKings apologizes for sports betting offer referencing 9/11 terror attacks

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/09/11/millions-more-workers-would-receive-overtime-pay-under-proposed-biden-administration-rule/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

Salaried workers who have been ineligible for overtime pay would benefit from a proposed Biden administration regulation.

The Department of Labor’s new rule would require employers to compensate full-time workers in management, administrative or other professional roles for any overtime worked if they make less than $55,068 annually. Currently, the salary threshold is $35,568. The change is expected to affect&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20230830">3.6 million</a>&nbsp;workers.

The rule would also provide automatic changes every three years to the salary level to keep up with changes in earnings. U.S. territories that are subject to the federal minimum wage would have these same overtime protections, which rolls back a Trump administration change made in 2019.

“I’ve heard from workers again and again about working long hours, for no extra pay, all while earning low salaries that don’t come anywhere close to compensating them for their sacrifice,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su in a statement.

The new standard salary level proposed by the agency would be tied to the 35th percentile of weekly earnings of salaried workers in the lowest-wage region of the country. There is voter support for a change in the current regulations.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2022/9/5/expanding-overtime-pay-is-overwhelmingly-popular">According to</a>&nbsp;a 2022 Data for Progress survey of likely voters, 65% said they either strongly supported or somewhat supported raising the salary threshold for overtime pay.

The rule will go through a public comment period as part of the rulemaking process to give supporters and opponents time to offer feedback. The process can take months, which could mean it won’t be finalized until next year. Labor rights advocates and economists say that people working in retail, restaurants and health care would be among the workers most affected by the regulation.

Judy Conti, director of government affairs at the National Employment Law Project, a worker advocacy nonprofit, said many workers who do overtime eligible work are paid just over the current threshold so their companies can avoid paying time-and-a-half. The proposed rule would help address this, she said.

“A lot of these dollar stores call people managers and supervisors and pay them $36,000 a year. Then they claim that they’re overtime exempt and they may do a little managing and they may do a little supervising, but mostly they’re working the cash register or they’re stocking shelves or they’re unloading in the back. They’re not doing work that is considered truly bona fide executive, professional or administrative work,” she said.

Conti added that this rule would provide incentive to employers to manage employee time wisely or hire more workers to handle the workload.

“… There’s [currently] no incentive to really manage that time wisely and see if it should instead be spread to other people,” Conti said.

Erica Groshen, senior economics adviser at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, said the regulation should be fair on employers.

“I think the important thing to realize is that this will affect all of those employers equally,” she said. “It’s not putting some at a disadvantage compared to others. It’s going to change the playing field for everybody. You could argue that it’s going to change the playing field more for employers who were actively trying to take advantage of the erosion of the applicability of the law.”

In terms of the potential effects on the economy, Groshen said there could be some pass through to prices for consumers depending on how competitive the industry.

“To the extent that these companies are quite profitable, then the employers might try to hold on to market share by not increasing prices as much. Their profits might be a bit lower. Right now, nationally, profit rates are actually quite high. They’ve been high for a while and rising. This would tend to reduce inequality if it comes out of profits. Otherwise, then the money is going to come from somewhere,” Groshen said.

That may mean that some employers will automate more services such as electronic ordering at restaurants or buying equipment for food preparation, she added.

The Trump administration last changed the salary threshold in 2019 from $23,660, set in 2004, to its current $35,568 salary level, which was significantly lower than the $47,476 level the Obama administration tried to implement in 2016. A federal judge blocked the Obama administration’s effort saying that the threshold was too high and that the administration did not have the authority to make that particular change. Twenty-one states, including Nevada, Arizona, Kentucky and Wisconsin, brought the lawsuit. The states&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.wagehourinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/849/2016/09/DOL-OT-Rule-Complaint-Filed.pdf">argued</a>&nbsp;that the rule “could deliberately exhaust state budgets” and was unconstitutional. In 2017, the same judge, an Obama appointee,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-overtime/u-s-judge-strikes-down-obama-administration-overtime-pay-rule-idUSKCN1BB2Y8">ruled against</a>&nbsp;the regulation again.

Conti said she’s optimistic that the rule is less likely to be blocked this time. She argues that the judge’s reasoning for stopping implementation of the rule lacked “legal or economic support.” Attorneys for law firms specializing in employment and labor law, however, are still anticipating legal action against the rule. Some&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/pages/proposed-overtime-rule-likely-challenge-audit.aspx#:~:text=Employment%20Law-,Proposed%20Overtime%20Rule%20Likely%20to%20Face%20Court%20Challenge,Positions%20Should%20Be%20Audited%20Anyway&amp;text=Even%20though%20the%20proposed%20overtime,their%20workplaces%2C%20legal%20experts%20say.">attorneys suggest</a>&nbsp;that the lack of a Senate-confirmed labor secretary makes the regulation more vulnerable to legal action. Biden&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://thehill.com/business/4182984-acting-labor-secretary-i-dont-have-an-intention-of-going-anywhere/">nominated</a>&nbsp;Su for labor secretary six months ago.

Many&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.uschamber.com/employment-law/us-chamber-statement-overtime-rule-decision">of</a>&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fsrmagazine.com/content/nra-obama-administrations-overtime-overhaul-will-harm-restaurant-employees">the</a>&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.epi.org/blog/national-association-of-manufacturers-criticisms-of-the-obama-overtime-proposal-all-miss-their-mark/">same</a>&nbsp;groups that opposed or were critical of the overhaul of overtime regulations during the Obama administration have taken similar positions on the Biden administration’s effort. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.uschamber.com/employment-law/u-s-chamber-calls-on-dol-to-adjust-proposed-overtime-rule">called on</a>&nbsp;the Department of Labor to “adjust” the rule. It did not release any specifics for what it wants the agency to do, but criticized the department’s proposal to automatically change the salary threshold every few years.

“The Department of Labor’s proposed overtime regulation is the wrong rulemaking at the wrong time,” Marc Freedman, vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Workplace Policy, said in a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.uschamber.com/employment-law/u-s-chamber-calls-on-dol-to-adjust-proposed-overtime-rule">statement</a>.&nbsp;“It represents a more than 50% spike in the salary threshold and will increase costs for small businesses, nonprofits, and other employers at a time when businesses already face persistent workforce shortages that are hindering the economy.”

Industry groups such as the National Restaurant Association and National Association of Manufacturers have&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/media/press-releases/national-restaurant-association-statement-on-proposed-changes-to-overtime-calculations/#:~:text=The%20DOL%20Proposed%20Rulemaking(Opens,the%20threshold%20every%20three%20years.">been</a>&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nam.org/manufacturers-signal-concerns-with-proposed-dol-overtime-rule-28280/">critical</a>&nbsp;of the rule for similar reasons.

Conti said she sees the proposed rule as stimulating for the economy and good for employees as well as employers.

“Adding jobs and getting more money into more people’s hands is good for the economy,” Conti said. “We’ve seen a lot of workers over the past couple of years walking away from jobs when they’re overworked, when they don’t have time for themselves and when they don’t have time for their families. Making sure that workers have moderate work weeks that are 40 hours is good for employers. They’re not going to burn out their employees.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683126071138.jpg" alt="Photo on file" />
 <figcaption>Photo on file</figcaption>
 </figure>Casey Quinlan<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/09/11/millions-more-workers-would-receive-overtime-pay-under-proposed-biden-administration-rule/">Nebraska Examiner</a>Salaried workers who have been ineligible for overtime pay would benefit from a proposed Biden administration regulation.The Department of Labor’s new rule would require employers to compensate full-time workers in management, administrative or other professional roles for any overtime worked if they make less than $55,068 annually. Currently, the salary threshold is $35,568. The change is expected to affect&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20230830">3.6 million</a>&nbsp;workers.The rule would also provide automatic changes every three years to the salary level to keep up with changes in earnings. U.S. territories that are subject to the federal minimum wage would have these same overtime protections, which rolls back a Trump administration change made in 2019.“I’ve heard from workers again and again about working long hours, for no extra pay, all while earning low salaries that don’t come anywhere close to compensating them for their sacrifice,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su in a statement.The new standard salary level proposed by the agency would be tied to the 35th percentile of weekly earnings of salaried workers in the lowest-wage region of the country. There is voter support for a change in the current regulations.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2022/9/5/expanding-overtime-pay-is-overwhelmingly-popular">According to</a>&nbsp;a 2022 Data for Progress survey of likely voters, 65% said they either strongly supported or somewhat supported raising the salary threshold for overtime pay.The rule will go through a public comment period as part of the rulemaking process to give supporters and opponents time to offer feedback. The process can take months, which could mean it won’t be finalized until next year. Labor rights advocates and economists say that people working in retail, restaurants and health care would be among the workers most affected by the regulation.Judy Conti, director of government affairs at the National Employment Law Project, a worker advocacy nonprofit, said many workers who do overtime eligible work are paid just over the current threshold so their companies can avoid paying time-and-a-half. The proposed rule would help address this, she said.“A lot of these dollar stores call people managers and supervisors and pay them $36,000 a year. Then they claim that they’re overtime exempt and they may do a little managing and they may do a little supervising, but mostly they’re working the cash register or they’re stocking shelves or they’re unloading in the back. They’re not doing work that is considered truly bona fide executive, professional or administrative work,” she said.Conti added that this rule would provide incentive to employers to manage employee time wisely or hire more workers to handle the workload.“… There’s [currently] no incentive to really manage that time wisely and see if it should instead be spread to other people,” Conti said.Erica Groshen, senior economics adviser at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, said the regulation should be fair on employers.“I think the important thing to realize is that this will affect all of those employers equally,” she said. “It’s not putting some at a disadvantage compared to others. It’s going to change the playing field for everybody. You could argue that it’s going to change the playing field more for employers who were actively trying to take advantage of the erosion of the applicability of the law.”In terms of the potential effects on the economy, Groshen said there could be some pass through to prices for consumers depending on how competitive the industry.“To the extent that these companies are quite profitable, then the employers might try to hold on to market share by not increasing prices as much. Their profits might be a bit lower. Right now, nationally, profit rates are actually quite high. They’ve been high for a while and rising. This would tend to reduce inequality if it comes out of profits. Otherwise, then the money is going to come from somewhere,” Groshen said.That may mean that some employers will automate more services such as electronic ordering at restaurants or buying equipment for food preparation, she added.The Trump administration last changed the salary threshold in 2019 from $23,660, set in 2004, to its current $35,568 salary level, which was significantly lower than the $47,476 level the Obama administration tried to implement in 2016. A federal judge blocked the Obama administration’s effort saying that the threshold was too high and that the administration did not have the authority to make that particular change. Twenty-one states, including Nevada, Arizona, Kentucky and Wisconsin, brought the lawsuit. The states&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.wagehourinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/849/2016/09/DOL-OT-Rule-Complaint-Filed.pdf">argued</a>&nbsp;that the rule “could deliberately exhaust state budgets” and was unconstitutional. In 2017, the same judge, an Obama appointee,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-overtime/u-s-judge-strikes-down-obama-administration-overtime-pay-rule-idUSKCN1BB2Y8">ruled against</a>&nbsp;the regulation again.Conti said she’s optimistic that the rule is less likely to be blocked this time. She argues that the judge’s reasoning for stopping implementation of the rule lacked “legal or economic support.” Attorneys for law firms specializing in employment and labor law, however, are still anticipating legal action against the rule. Some&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/pages/proposed-overtime-rule-likely-challenge-audit.aspx#:~:text=Employment%20Law-,Proposed%20Overtime%20Rule%20Likely%20to%20Face%20Court%20Challenge,Positions%20Should%20Be%20Audited%20Anyway&amp;text=Even%20though%20the%20proposed%20overtime,their%20workplaces%2C%20legal%20experts%20say.">attorneys suggest</a>&nbsp;that the lack of a Senate-confirmed labor secretary makes the regulation more vulnerable to legal action. Biden&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://thehill.com/business/4182984-acting-labor-secretary-i-dont-have-an-intention-of-going-anywhere/">nominated</a>&nbsp;Su for labor secretary six months ago.Many&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.uschamber.com/employment-law/us-chamber-statement-overtime-rule-decision">of</a>&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fsrmagazine.com/content/nra-obama-administrations-overtime-overhaul-will-harm-restaurant-employees">the</a>&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.epi.org/blog/national-association-of-manufacturers-criticisms-of-the-obama-overtime-proposal-all-miss-their-mark/">same</a>&nbsp;groups that opposed or were critical of the overhaul of overtime regulations during the Obama administration have taken similar positions on the Biden administration’s effort. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.uschamber.com/employment-law/u-s-chamber-calls-on-dol-to-adjust-proposed-overtime-rule">called on</a>&nbsp;the Department of Labor to “adjust” the rule. It did not release any specifics for what it wants the agency to do, but criticized the department’s proposal to automatically change the salary threshold every few years.“The Department of Labor’s proposed overtime regulation is the wrong rulemaking at the wrong time,” Marc Freedman, vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Workplace Policy, said in a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.uschamber.com/employment-law/u-s-chamber-calls-on-dol-to-adjust-proposed-overtime-rule">statement</a>.&nbsp;“It represents a more than 50% spike in the salary threshold and will increase costs for small businesses, nonprofits, and other employers at a time when businesses already face persistent workforce shortages that are hindering the economy.”Industry groups such as the National Restaurant Association and National Association of Manufacturers have&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/media/press-releases/national-restaurant-association-statement-on-proposed-changes-to-overtime-calculations/#:~:text=The%20DOL%20Proposed%20Rulemaking(Opens,the%20threshold%20every%20three%20years.">been</a>&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nam.org/manufacturers-signal-concerns-with-proposed-dol-overtime-rule-28280/">critical</a>&nbsp;of the rule for similar reasons.Conti said she sees the proposed rule as stimulating for the economy and good for employees as well as employers.“Adding jobs and getting more money into more people’s hands is good for the economy,” Conti said. “We’ve seen a lot of workers over the past couple of years walking away from jobs when they’re overworked, when they don’t have time for themselves and when they don’t have time for their families. Making sure that workers have moderate work weeks that are 40 hours is good for employers. They’re not going to burn out their employees.”

Millions more workers would receive overtime pay under proposed Biden administration rule

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;closed a visit to Vietnam on Monday by spotlighting new business deals and partnerships between the two countries and paying respects at a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-ap-top-news-vietnam-az-state-wire-politics-f3f264059e05471dbf5a0a332fcceaf1">memorial honoring his late friend and colleague Sen. John McCain,</a>&nbsp;who endured a lengthy imprisonment in Hanoi during the Vietnam War.

Biden met with Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, who also accompanied Biden to a quick drop by at a meeting of business leaders. Biden also sat down with President Võ Văn Thưởng, who hosted the U.S. president for a formal state luncheon. The two sides are looking to strengthen their partnership amid shared concerns about China's assertiveness in the Pacific.

Both leaders spoke about strengthening Vietnam's semiconductor industry. Biden made clear his administration's commitment to an open Pacific.

“My message today is quite simple. Let’s keep it up," Biden told the CEOs. “We need to develop and drive our collaboration, We need to forge new partnerships.”

The prime minister also stressed the need to improve cooperation and said “the sky is the limit” for the expanding U.S.-Vietnam relationship.

“We truly wish to receive strong political commitment from the U.S. government including you, Mr. President, who has had great affection for Vietnam," the prime minister said.

Highlights of the major deals announced by the White House during Biden's first-ever visit to Vietnam include U.S.-based Boeing's $7.5 billion deal with Vietnam Airlines to buy about 50 aircraft and Arizona-based Amkor Technology's plans for a $1.6 billion factory in Bac Ninh Province.

The White House also said the administration would help “build Vietnamese capacity to fight regional and international transnational crime,” including targeting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. China has been locked in long-running territorial conflicts with Vietnam, along with the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, as Beijing claims waters in the other nations' exclusive economic zone.

Biden arrived in Vietnam on Sunday and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-vietnam-status-china-trade-ac8f9dd899f77910c42295769d3fedb6">met with Nguyễn Phú Trong,</a>&nbsp;general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Trong formally announced Vietnam had elevated the U.S. to its highest diplomatic status,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/09/10/fact-sheet-president-joseph-r-biden-and-general-secretary-nguyen-phu-trong-announce-the-u-s-vietnam-comprehensive-strategic-partnership/">comprehensive strategic partner</a>. Biden said the shift demonstrated how far bilateral relations had evolved from the “bitter past” of the Vietnam War.

At the same time, Biden insisted that his roughly 24-hour visit was not about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-vietnam-status-china-trade-ac8f9dd899f77910c42295769d3fedb6">trying to start a “cold war” with China</a>&nbsp;but was part of a broader effort to improve global stability by building relationships throughout Asia, including with Vietnam, at a time of tensions with Beijing.

Before departing, Biden visited the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-bills-0bd309f182de44d9bc320f334be94875">John Sidney McCain III</a>&nbsp;Memorial near the site where, as a 31-year-old Navy lieutenant commander, McCain's Skyhawk dive bomber was shot down by the North Vietnamese. Both sides exchanged documents Monday on unaccounted U.S. service members and Vietnamese soldiers. Biden left one of his commemorative coins at the memorial, the White House said.

McCain parachuted out of the plane and landed in a lake in Hanoi, North Vietnam. He broke both arms and a leg in the fall, was dragged from the water by an angry crowd, and was beaten and bayoneted.

The harrowing 1967 incident began a more than five-year ordeal that became the defining moment for the future Republican senator from Arizona and two-time presidential candidate.

After six weeks in the hospital, McCain, who had lost about one-third of his weight, was transferred to a prison cell. After a brief time with cellmates, McCain, the son and grandson of four-star admirals, began two years in solitary confinement in a 10-by-10 foot (3-by-3 meter) room.

At one point, McCain’s captors asked if he wanted to go home, but it was a trick question. The U.S. military’s code of conduct required prisoners to be released in the order they were detained. The North Vietnamese wanted to make a show of releasing McCain early as his father assumed command over the Pacific. McCain refused.

For four days after he refused release, McCain was beaten every two to three hours by 10 guards. Filled with thoughts of suicide, McCain broke and agreed to sign an anti-U.S. propaganda statement confessing to “black crimes.” He later wrote: “I had learned what we all learned over there: Every man has his breaking point. I had reached mine.”

It was the last time McCain would break. He refused to sign any other statements or meet with visiting American anti-war activists. Eventually, McCain was removed from solitary confinement and mingled with other U.S. prisoners of war. He was released on March 14, 1973.

McCain returned home, retired from the Navy in 1981, moved to Arizona and launched a political career. He was elected to the House in 1982 and, in 1986, to the Senate, where he and Biden were colleagues. Despite his experience in Vietnam, McCain was a strong advocate of restoring diplomatic relations with the country that had so badly mistreated him.

He was the Republican presidential nominee in 2008, but lost to Democrat Barack Obama. He died of brain cancer in 2018. Biden delivered an emotional eulogy at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-us-news-ap-top-news-az-state-wire-north-america-ee653f2bdbce47b28bf26fe1c0617e65">McCain's funeral</a>&nbsp;in Arizona.

At the luncheon, Biden said he missed McCain. He praised McCain and John Kerry — another Vietnam War veteran and former Democratic senator, secretary of state in the Obama administration and Biden's climate envoy — for playing critical roles in the two nations’ “50 year arc of progress.”

“Where there was darkness you all found light,” Biden said.

On the way back to Washington, Biden was stopping at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, to address service members, first responders and their families on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sept-11-terror-attack-anniversary-ceremonies-47488758b18fd78f541674041e36d263">22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks</a>&nbsp;on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;closed a visit to Vietnam on Monday by spotlighting new business deals and partnerships between the two countries and paying respects at a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-ap-top-news-vietnam-az-state-wire-politics-f3f264059e05471dbf5a0a332fcceaf1">memorial honoring his late friend and colleague Sen. John McCain,</a>&nbsp;who endured a lengthy imprisonment in Hanoi during the Vietnam War.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden and Secretary General Nguyễn Phú Trọng announced a new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the U.S. and Vietnam – Vietnam&#39;s highest tier of international partnership. This weekend, <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> deepened the critical relationship between our two countries. <a href="https://t.co/r6hFoCYiPF">pic.twitter.com/r6hFoCYiPF</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1701024984833900666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Biden met with Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, who also accompanied Biden to a quick drop by at a meeting of business leaders. Biden also sat down with President Võ Văn Thưởng, who hosted the U.S. president for a formal state luncheon. The two sides are looking to strengthen their partnership amid shared concerns about China's assertiveness in the Pacific.Both leaders spoke about strengthening Vietnam's semiconductor industry. Biden made clear his administration's commitment to an open Pacific.“My message today is quite simple. Let’s keep it up," Biden told the CEOs. “We need to develop and drive our collaboration, We need to forge new partnerships.”The prime minister also stressed the need to improve cooperation and said “the sky is the limit” for the expanding U.S.-Vietnam relationship.“We truly wish to receive strong political commitment from the U.S. government including you, Mr. President, who has had great affection for Vietnam," the prime minister said.Highlights of the major deals announced by the White House during Biden's first-ever visit to Vietnam include U.S.-based Boeing's $7.5 billion deal with Vietnam Airlines to buy about 50 aircraft and Arizona-based Amkor Technology's plans for a $1.6 billion factory in Bac Ninh Province.The White House also said the administration would help “build Vietnamese capacity to fight regional and international transnational crime,” including targeting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. China has been locked in long-running territorial conflicts with Vietnam, along with the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, as Beijing claims waters in the other nations' exclusive economic zone.Biden arrived in Vietnam on Sunday and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-vietnam-status-china-trade-ac8f9dd899f77910c42295769d3fedb6">met with Nguyễn Phú Trong,</a>&nbsp;general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Trong formally announced Vietnam had elevated the U.S. to its highest diplomatic status,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/09/10/fact-sheet-president-joseph-r-biden-and-general-secretary-nguyen-phu-trong-announce-the-u-s-vietnam-comprehensive-strategic-partnership/">comprehensive strategic partner</a>. Biden said the shift demonstrated how far bilateral relations had evolved from the “bitter past” of the Vietnam War.At the same time, Biden insisted that his roughly 24-hour visit was not about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-vietnam-status-china-trade-ac8f9dd899f77910c42295769d3fedb6">trying to start a “cold war” with China</a>&nbsp;but was part of a broader effort to improve global stability by building relationships throughout Asia, including with Vietnam, at a time of tensions with Beijing.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">TODAY: President Biden visited a memorial for the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in Vietnam. <a href="https://t.co/hdkofxdX9P">pic.twitter.com/hdkofxdX9P</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1701235392262054331?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Before departing, Biden visited the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-bills-0bd309f182de44d9bc320f334be94875">John Sidney McCain III</a>&nbsp;Memorial near the site where, as a 31-year-old Navy lieutenant commander, McCain's Skyhawk dive bomber was shot down by the North Vietnamese. Both sides exchanged documents Monday on unaccounted U.S. service members and Vietnamese soldiers. Biden left one of his commemorative coins at the memorial, the White House said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">It was here where a Navy lieutenant commander by the name of John McCain was shot down in his Skyhawk. I went to pay my respects. And to remember my friend. Even though John is not with us, he left us pretty clear instructions: “Believe always in the promise and greatness of… <a href="https://t.co/DRylYqZTae">pic.twitter.com/DRylYqZTae</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1701325761473335597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>McCain parachuted out of the plane and landed in a lake in Hanoi, North Vietnam. He broke both arms and a leg in the fall, was dragged from the water by an angry crowd, and was beaten and bayoneted.The harrowing 1967 incident began a more than five-year ordeal that became the defining moment for the future Republican senator from Arizona and two-time presidential candidate.After six weeks in the hospital, McCain, who had lost about one-third of his weight, was transferred to a prison cell. After a brief time with cellmates, McCain, the son and grandson of four-star admirals, began two years in solitary confinement in a 10-by-10 foot (3-by-3 meter) room.At one point, McCain’s captors asked if he wanted to go home, but it was a trick question. The U.S. military’s code of conduct required prisoners to be released in the order they were detained. The North Vietnamese wanted to make a show of releasing McCain early as his father assumed command over the Pacific. McCain refused.For four days after he refused release, McCain was beaten every two to three hours by 10 guards. Filled with thoughts of suicide, McCain broke and agreed to sign an anti-U.S. propaganda statement confessing to “black crimes.” He later wrote: “I had learned what we all learned over there: Every man has his breaking point. I had reached mine.”It was the last time McCain would break. He refused to sign any other statements or meet with visiting American anti-war activists. Eventually, McCain was removed from solitary confinement and mingled with other U.S. prisoners of war. He was released on March 14, 1973.McCain returned home, retired from the Navy in 1981, moved to Arizona and launched a political career. He was elected to the House in 1982 and, in 1986, to the Senate, where he and Biden were colleagues. Despite his experience in Vietnam, McCain was a strong advocate of restoring diplomatic relations with the country that had so badly mistreated him.He was the Republican presidential nominee in 2008, but lost to Democrat Barack Obama. He died of brain cancer in 2018. Biden delivered an emotional eulogy at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-us-news-ap-top-news-az-state-wire-north-america-ee653f2bdbce47b28bf26fe1c0617e65">McCain's funeral</a>&nbsp;in Arizona.At the luncheon, Biden said he missed McCain. He praised McCain and John Kerry — another Vietnam War veteran and former Democratic senator, secretary of state in the Obama administration and Biden's climate envoy — for playing critical roles in the two nations’ “50 year arc of progress.”“Where there was darkness you all found light,” Biden said.On the way back to Washington, Biden was stopping at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, to address service members, first responders and their families on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sept-11-terror-attack-anniversary-ceremonies-47488758b18fd78f541674041e36d263">22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks</a>&nbsp;on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

🎥 US and Vietnam ink historic partnership during Biden visit

Michigan State suspended football coach Mel Tucker without pay on Sunday, less than 24 hours after allegations became public in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2023/09/10/michigan-state-football-coach-sexual-harassment-claim/70679703007/">USA Today</a>&nbsp;report that he sexually harassed activist and rape survivor Brenda Tracy during a phone call last year.

University President Teresa K. Woodruff and athletic director Alan Haller announced the suspension pending the results of an outside investigation into the allegations.

The university hired a Title IX attorney to investigate Tracy's complaint and the investigation concluded on July 25. A hearing is scheduled for the week of Oct. 5 determine if Tucker violated the school’s sexual harassment and exploitation policy.

When the investigative report was finished, Tucker was told not to have contact with Tracy and that Haller would increase his oversight of him and the program, Haller said at a news conference Sunday evening.

Haller said he didn't immediately suspend Tucker in July because the entire process of the investigation was not completed.

Secondary coach Harlon Barnett will serve as the team’s interim coach and former coach&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/7fce6b2835828bd5dfcbae2588e37415">Mark Dantonio</a>&nbsp;was named associate head coach while Tucker awaits his fate with the program.

“I called coach Dantonio this morning and his response was, ‘Alan, whatever you need,’” Haller recalled.

Tucker is in the third year of a $95 million, 10-year contract and if he is fired for cause, the school would not have to pay him what's remaining on his deal.

Michigan State may fire Tucker for cause if he “engages in any conduct which constitutes moral turpitude or which, in the University's sole judgement, would tend to bring public disrespect, contempt or ridicule upon the university,” according to his contract. The school also was able to suspend Tucker, without pay, if he “materially breaches” his contract.

Messages seeking comment were left Sunday by The Associated Press with Tucker, Tracy and Tucker’s attorney, Jennifer Belveal.

Tucker is the second Big Ten football coach to find himself at the center of a scandal in three months.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/northwestern-hazing-fitzgerald-6aed9ee03d6efae9b6d55702952f594d">Northwestern fired longtime coach Pat Fitzgerald</a>&nbsp;in July after an investigation by the school revealed hazing in the football program. Fitzgerald initially was suspended for two weeks during the preseason, but Northwestern's president decided later to dismiss him with cause after details of the hazing allegations became public through media reports.

Michigan State is not far removed from another sexual misconduct scandal, one involving former sports doctor Larry Nassar. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-us-news-ap-top-news-lansing-in-state-wire-3b446f2430674bafb5b6909549ea8142">was sentenced</a>&nbsp;in 2018 to 40 to 175 years in prison after he admitted to molesting some of the nation’s top gymnasts for years under the guise of medical treatment. He was accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of women and girls.

“This morning's news may sound like the MSU of old,” Woodruff said. “It is not.”

Woodruff said today's version of the school takes accusations seriously and investigates them rigorously while providing resources it did not in the past.

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ccdg2KCJ8QF/">Tracy became friends with Tucker</a>&nbsp;over her advocacy work, but that relationship took a turn in April 2022 when Tucker masturbated during a phone call with her, according to USA Today.

“The idea that someone could know me and say they understand my trauma but then re-inflict that trauma on me is so disgusting to me, it’s hard for me to even wrap my mind around it,” Tracy told the newspaper. “It’s like he sought me out just to betray me."

Tucker acknowledged to investigators last spring that he masturbated during the phone call with Tracy, but he said they had consensual “phone sex."

The 51-year-old Tucker is married and has two children.

“Ms. Tracy’s distortion of our mutually consensual and intimate relationship into allegations of sexual exploitation has really affected me,” Tucker wrote in a March 22 letter to the Title IX investigator. “I am not proud of my judgment and I am having difficulty forgiving myself for getting into this situation, but I did not engage in misconduct by any definition.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/richmond-michigan-state-919c170dae262ef6bfde531be698e6be">The Spartans beat Richmond</a>&nbsp;on Saturday to improve to 2-0 in Tucker's fourth season with the school.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-social-media-ecd1547641a0664fd362391582b20c43">Tucker</a>&nbsp;is one of college football's highest paid coaches. He is 20-14 in three-plus seasons at Michigan State, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/635c7a7ff4c6cc707d844918013f5d33">hired him after he went 5-7</a>&nbsp;in one year at Colorado.

Shortly after Dantonio retired in February 2020, then-athletic director Bill Beekman hired Tucker, who was a graduate assistant at Michigan State for Nick Saban.

The Spartans were 2-5 in Tucker's first season, which was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, and won 11 games in 2021, with Wake Forest transfer Kenneth Walker becoming a breakout star during a surprising season in which Tucker was given a raise.

Michigan State was 5-7 in 2022,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-michigan-crime-f2985cae67fb3cc509764066a38636cf">a season marred by charges and suspensions</a>&nbsp;for several players for their roles in a postgame fracas in the Michigan Stadium tunnel.

<a href="https://twitter.com/LarryLage/status/1038495648402866177">Tracy is known for her work</a>&nbsp;with college teams, educating athletes about sexual violence. She has spoken to Michigan State's football team multiple times.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694460928813.jpeg" alt="Michigan State coach Mel Tucker walks the sideline during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Richmond, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan State won 45-14. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)" />
 <figcaption>Michigan State coach Mel Tucker walks the sideline during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Richmond, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan State won 45-14. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)</figcaption>
 </figure>Associated PressMichigan State suspended football coach Mel Tucker without pay on Sunday, less than 24 hours after allegations became public in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2023/09/10/michigan-state-football-coach-sexual-harassment-claim/70679703007/">USA Today</a>&nbsp;report that he sexually harassed activist and rape survivor Brenda Tracy during a phone call last year.University President Teresa K. Woodruff and athletic director Alan Haller announced the suspension pending the results of an outside investigation into the allegations.The university hired a Title IX attorney to investigate Tracy's complaint and the investigation concluded on July 25. A hearing is scheduled for the week of Oct. 5 determine if Tucker violated the school’s sexual harassment and exploitation policy.When the investigative report was finished, Tucker was told not to have contact with Tracy and that Haller would increase his oversight of him and the program, Haller said at a news conference Sunday evening.Haller said he didn't immediately suspend Tucker in July because the entire process of the investigation was not completed.Secondary coach Harlon Barnett will serve as the team’s interim coach and former coach&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/7fce6b2835828bd5dfcbae2588e37415">Mark Dantonio</a>&nbsp;was named associate head coach while Tucker awaits his fate with the program.“I called coach Dantonio this morning and his response was, ‘Alan, whatever you need,’” Haller recalled.Tucker is in the third year of a $95 million, 10-year contract and if he is fired for cause, the school would not have to pay him what's remaining on his deal.Michigan State may fire Tucker for cause if he “engages in any conduct which constitutes moral turpitude or which, in the University's sole judgement, would tend to bring public disrespect, contempt or ridicule upon the university,” according to his contract. The school also was able to suspend Tucker, without pay, if he “materially breaches” his contract.Messages seeking comment were left Sunday by The Associated Press with Tucker, Tracy and Tucker’s attorney, Jennifer Belveal.Tucker is the second Big Ten football coach to find himself at the center of a scandal in three months.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/northwestern-hazing-fitzgerald-6aed9ee03d6efae9b6d55702952f594d">Northwestern fired longtime coach Pat Fitzgerald</a>&nbsp;in July after an investigation by the school revealed hazing in the football program. Fitzgerald initially was suspended for two weeks during the preseason, but Northwestern's president decided later to dismiss him with cause after details of the hazing allegations became public through media reports.Michigan State is not far removed from another sexual misconduct scandal, one involving former sports doctor Larry Nassar. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-us-news-ap-top-news-lansing-in-state-wire-3b446f2430674bafb5b6909549ea8142">was sentenced</a>&nbsp;in 2018 to 40 to 175 years in prison after he admitted to molesting some of the nation’s top gymnasts for years under the guise of medical treatment. He was accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of women and girls.“This morning's news may sound like the MSU of old,” Woodruff said. “It is not.”Woodruff said today's version of the school takes accusations seriously and investigates them rigorously while providing resources it did not in the past.<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ccdg2KCJ8QF/">Tracy became friends with Tucker</a>&nbsp;over her advocacy work, but that relationship took a turn in April 2022 when Tucker masturbated during a phone call with her, according to USA Today.“The idea that someone could know me and say they understand my trauma but then re-inflict that trauma on me is so disgusting to me, it’s hard for me to even wrap my mind around it,” Tracy told the newspaper. “It’s like he sought me out just to betray me."Tucker acknowledged to investigators last spring that he masturbated during the phone call with Tracy, but he said they had consensual “phone sex."The 51-year-old Tucker is married and has two children.“Ms. Tracy’s distortion of our mutually consensual and intimate relationship into allegations of sexual exploitation has really affected me,” Tucker wrote in a March 22 letter to the Title IX investigator. “I am not proud of my judgment and I am having difficulty forgiving myself for getting into this situation, but I did not engage in misconduct by any definition.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/richmond-michigan-state-919c170dae262ef6bfde531be698e6be">The Spartans beat Richmond</a>&nbsp;on Saturday to improve to 2-0 in Tucker's fourth season with the school.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-social-media-ecd1547641a0664fd362391582b20c43">Tucker</a>&nbsp;is one of college football's highest paid coaches. He is 20-14 in three-plus seasons at Michigan State, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/635c7a7ff4c6cc707d844918013f5d33">hired him after he went 5-7</a>&nbsp;in one year at Colorado.Shortly after Dantonio retired in February 2020, then-athletic director Bill Beekman hired Tucker, who was a graduate assistant at Michigan State for Nick Saban.The Spartans were 2-5 in Tucker's first season, which was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, and won 11 games in 2021, with Wake Forest transfer Kenneth Walker becoming a breakout star during a surprising season in which Tucker was given a raise.Michigan State was 5-7 in 2022,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-michigan-crime-f2985cae67fb3cc509764066a38636cf">a season marred by charges and suspensions</a>&nbsp;for several players for their roles in a postgame fracas in the Michigan Stadium tunnel.<a href="https://twitter.com/LarryLage/status/1038495648402866177">Tracy is known for her work</a>&nbsp;with college teams, educating athletes about sexual violence. She has spoken to Michigan State's football team multiple times.

Michigan State suspends coach Mel Tucker after allegations he sexually harassed a rape survivor

The Kearney Police Department is deeply saddened to report an incident in which a one-year-old child was injured. Our primary concern is the well-being of the child and support of the family. 

On Friday, September 8th 2023, at approximately 8:11 AM Kearney Police Department received a phone call regarding a person traveling to a local hospital by private vehicle with a one-year-old female child experiencing trouble breathing. Kearney Police Officers were able to locate the vehicle at a local hospital and met with the individuals involved. 

 The child was immediately life-flighted to Children’s Hospital in Omaha. Kearney Police Investigators worked closely with hospital staff, Doctors, Buffalo County Attorney’s Office and others involved to determine the nature, severity and cause of the child’s injuries, as well as the situation surrounding the injuries. Kearney Police Department Investigators have been working diligently with local Doctors as well as those at Children’s Hospital in Omaha.  

Thorough and ongoing investigation has determined the incident around the injury to the child is criminal in nature. As a result of the investigation, Kearney Police Investigators have obtained an arrest warrant for Jacob Ellingson, a 24-year-old male from Kearney for Felony Child Abuse 28-707, a Class II Felony. Jacob Ellingson’s whereabouts are currently unknown. 

He is considered a fugitive from justice at this time. Anyone with knowledge of the location of Jacob Ellingson is encouraged to contact the Kearney Police Department. A photo of Jacob Ellingson is included below. This investigation is ongoing, and charges may change based on facts and events that continue to be discovered. More information will be made available as the investigation continues. 

The safety and well-being of children in our community are of paramount importance to us, and we will continue to work diligently to ensure their protection.

The Kearney Police Department is working in partnership with the Buffalo County Attorney’s Office in this ongoing investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident is   encouraged to contact the Kearney Police Department (308) 237-2104, Buffalo County Crimestoppers (308) 237-3424, or through the See It Say It Send It App.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Kearney Police DepartmentThe Kearney Police Department is deeply saddened to report an incident in which a one-year-old child was injured. Our primary concern is the well-being of the child and support of the family. On Friday, September 8th 2023, at approximately 8:11 AM Kearney Police Department received a phone call regarding a person traveling to a local hospital by private vehicle with a one-year-old female child experiencing trouble breathing. Kearney Police Officers were able to locate the vehicle at a local hospital and met with the individuals involved. The child was immediately life-flighted to Children’s Hospital in Omaha. Kearney Police Investigators worked closely with hospital staff, Doctors, Buffalo County Attorney’s Office and others involved to determine the nature, severity and cause of the child’s injuries, as well as the situation surrounding the injuries. Kearney Police Department Investigators have been working diligently with local Doctors as well as those at Children’s Hospital in Omaha. Thorough and ongoing investigation has determined the incident around the injury to the child is criminal in nature. As a result of the investigation, Kearney Police Investigators have obtained an arrest warrant for Jacob Ellingson, a 24-year-old male from Kearney for Felony Child Abuse 28-707, a Class II Felony. Jacob Ellingson’s whereabouts are currently unknown. He is considered a fugitive from justice at this time. Anyone with knowledge of the location of Jacob Ellingson is encouraged to contact the Kearney Police Department. A photo of Jacob Ellingson is included below. This investigation is ongoing, and charges may change based on facts and events that continue to be discovered. More information will be made available as the investigation continues. The safety and well-being of children in our community are of paramount importance to us, and we will continue to work diligently to ensure their protection.The Kearney Police Department is working in partnership with the Buffalo County Attorney’s Office in this ongoing investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Kearney Police Department (308) 237-2104, Buffalo County Crimestoppers (308) 237-3424, or through the See It Say It Send It App.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Warrant issued for Kearney man charged with felony child abuse

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans are looking back on the horror and legacy of 9/11, gathering Monday at memorials, firehouses, city halls and elsewhere to observe the 22nd anniversary of the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?530271-1/911-remembrance-ceremony-york-city">Click here to watch</a> the 9/11 remembrance ceremony in New York

Commemorations stretch from the attack sites — at New York's World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania — to Alaska and beyond.

“For those of us who lost people on that day, that day is still happening. Everybody else moves on. And you find a way to go forward, but that day is always happening for you,” Edward Edelman said as he arrived at ground zero to honor his slain brother-in-law, Daniel McGinley.

President Joe Biden is due at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-911-terrorist-attack-harris-alaska-8e58378865dc612a49d0a2dee80f2304">a ceremony on a military base</a>&nbsp;in Anchorage. His visit, en route to Washington, D.C., from a trip to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-vietnam-status-china-trade-ac8f9dd899f77910c42295769d3fedb6">India and Vietnam</a>, is a reminder that the impact of 9/11 was felt in every corner of the nation, however remote. The hijacked plane attacks claimed nearly 3,000 lives and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/911-20-years-world-affairs-cc497f11743fcbd48b0b3e0c3ed2da5f">reshaped American foreign policy</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-sept-11-changed-flying-1ce4dc4282fb47a34c0b61ae09a024f4">domestic fears</a>.

On that day, “we were one country, one nation, one people, just like it should be. That was the feeling — that everyone came together and did what we could, where we were at, to try to help," said Eddie Ferguson, the fire-rescue chief in Virginia’s Goochland County.

It's more than 100 miles from the Pentagon and more than three times as far from New York. But a sense of connection is enshrined in a local memorial incorporating steel from the World Trade Center’s destroyed twin towers.

The predominantly rural county of 25,000 people holds not just one but two anniversary commemorations: a morning service focused on first responders and an evening ceremony honoring all the victims.

Other communities across the country pay tribute with moments of silence, tolling bells, candlelight vigils and other activities. In Columbus, Indiana, 911 dispatchers broadcast a remembrance message to police, fire and EMS radios throughout the 50,000-person city, which also holds a public memorial ceremony.

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts raise and lower the flag at a commemoration in Fenton, Missouri, where a “Heroes Memorial” includes a piece of World Trade Center steel and a plaque honoring 9/11 victim Jessica Leigh Sachs. Some of her relatives live in the St. Louis suburb of 4,000 residents.

“We’re just a little bitty community,” said Mayor Joe Maurath, but “it’s important for us to continue to remember these events. Not just 9/11, but all of the events that make us free.”

New Jersey's Monmouth County, which was home to some 9/11 victims, made Sept. 11 a holiday this year for county employees so they could attend commemorations.

As another way of marking the anniversary, many Americans do volunteer work on what Congress has designated both Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

At ground zero, Vice President Kamala Harris is due to join the ceremony on the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum plaza. The event will not feature remarks from political figures, instead giving the podium to victims’ relatives for an hourslong reading of the names of the dead.

James Giaccone signed up to read again this year in memory of his brother, Joseph Giaccone, 43. The family attends the ceremony every year to hear Joseph's name.

"If their name is spoken out loud, they don’t disappear,” James Giaccone said in a recent interview.

“I hope I never see the day when they minimize this,” he said. “It's a day that changed history.”

Biden, a Democrat, will be the first president to commemorate Sept. 11 in Alaska, or anywhere in the western U.S. He and his predecessors have gone to one or another of the attack sites in most years, though Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama each marked the anniversary on the White House lawn at times. Obama followed one of those observances by recognizing the military with a visit to Fort Meade in Maryland.

First lady Jill Biden is due to lay a wreath at the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon.

In Pennsylvania, where one of the hijacked jets crashed after passengers tried to storm the cockpit, a remembrance and wreath-laying is scheduled at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stoystown operated by the National Park Service. Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, is expected to attend the ceremony.

The memorial site will offer a new educational video, virtual tour and other materials for teachers to use in classrooms. Educators with a total of more than 10,000 students have registered for access to the free “National Day of Learning” program, which will be available through the fall, organizers say.

“We need to get the word out to the next generation,” said memorial spokesperson Katherine Hostetler, a National Park Service ranger.

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans are looking back on the horror and legacy of 9/11, gathering Monday at memorials, firehouses, city halls and elsewhere to observe the 22nd anniversary of the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?530271-1/911-remembrance-ceremony-york-city">Click here to watch</a> the 9/11 remembrance ceremony in New YorkCommemorations stretch from the attack sites — at New York's World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania — to Alaska and beyond.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">September 11 is a day not only to remember, but a day of renewal and resolve for every American — in our devotion to this country, to the principles it embodies, to our democracy. That is what we owe one another. And what we owe future generations of Americans to come. <a href="https://t.co/EeCYvo7Q0Q">pic.twitter.com/EeCYvo7Q0Q</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1701200460386816145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“For those of us who lost people on that day, that day is still happening. Everybody else moves on. And you find a way to go forward, but that day is always happening for you,” Edward Edelman said as he arrived at ground zero to honor his slain brother-in-law, Daniel McGinley.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today, we remember and honor all the heroes and victims our nation lost on September 11, 2001. We will never forget. <a href="https://t.co/Zmh9LIqX9Y">pic.twitter.com/Zmh9LIqX9Y</a>&mdash; KS Highway Patrol (@kshighwaypatrol) <a href="https://twitter.com/kshighwaypatrol/status/1701224816995365282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>President Joe Biden is due at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-911-terrorist-attack-harris-alaska-8e58378865dc612a49d0a2dee80f2304">a ceremony on a military base</a>&nbsp;in Anchorage. His visit, en route to Washington, D.C., from a trip to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-vietnam-status-china-trade-ac8f9dd899f77910c42295769d3fedb6">India and Vietnam</a>, is a reminder that the impact of 9/11 was felt in every corner of the nation, however remote. The hijacked plane attacks claimed nearly 3,000 lives and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/911-20-years-world-affairs-cc497f11743fcbd48b0b3e0c3ed2da5f">reshaped American foreign policy</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-sept-11-changed-flying-1ce4dc4282fb47a34c0b61ae09a024f4">domestic fears</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today marks 22 years since the terrorist attacks on America. 2,977 people were killed including 343 Firefighters, 72 police &amp; 55 military personnel. The KCKFD stands ready to serve our city as those responders served theirs. We will always remember. We will never forget 9-11-2001 <a href="https://t.co/Qahg3szxSg">pic.twitter.com/Qahg3szxSg</a>&mdash; KCK Fire Department (@KCKFDPIO) <a href="https://twitter.com/KCKFDPIO/status/1701225966037536876?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>On that day, “we were one country, one nation, one people, just like it should be. That was the feeling — that everyone came together and did what we could, where we were at, to try to help," said Eddie Ferguson, the fire-rescue chief in Virginia’s Goochland County.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The lights are on! 9/11 Memorial Ceremony in Overland Park starts at 7:30 a.m. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NeverForget?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NeverForget</a> <a href="https://t.co/fWErmrdBCv">pic.twitter.com/fWErmrdBCv</a>&mdash; Overland Park Fire (@OverlandParkFD) <a href="https://twitter.com/OverlandParkFD/status/1701050417969529151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>It's more than 100 miles from the Pentagon and more than three times as far from New York. But a sense of connection is enshrined in a local memorial incorporating steel from the World Trade Center’s destroyed twin towers.The predominantly rural county of 25,000 people holds not just one but two anniversary commemorations: a morning service focused on first responders and an evening ceremony honoring all the victims.Other communities across the country pay tribute with moments of silence, tolling bells, candlelight vigils and other activities. In Columbus, Indiana, 911 dispatchers broadcast a remembrance message to police, fire and EMS radios throughout the 50,000-person city, which also holds a public memorial ceremony.Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts raise and lower the flag at a commemoration in Fenton, Missouri, where a “Heroes Memorial” includes a piece of World Trade Center steel and a plaque honoring 9/11 victim Jessica Leigh Sachs. Some of her relatives live in the St. Louis suburb of 4,000 residents.“We’re just a little bitty community,” said Mayor Joe Maurath, but “it’s important for us to continue to remember these events. Not just 9/11, but all of the events that make us free.”New Jersey's Monmouth County, which was home to some 9/11 victims, made Sept. 11 a holiday this year for county employees so they could attend commemorations.As another way of marking the anniversary, many Americans do volunteer work on what Congress has designated both Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance.At ground zero, Vice President Kamala Harris is due to join the ceremony on the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum plaza. The event will not feature remarks from political figures, instead giving the podium to victims’ relatives for an hourslong reading of the names of the dead.James Giaccone signed up to read again this year in memory of his brother, Joseph Giaccone, 43. The family attends the ceremony every year to hear Joseph's name."If their name is spoken out loud, they don’t disappear,” James Giaccone said in a recent interview.The commemoration is crucial to him.“I hope I never see the day when they minimize this,” he said. “It's a day that changed history.”Biden, a Democrat, will be the first president to commemorate Sept. 11 in Alaska, or anywhere in the western U.S. He and his predecessors have gone to one or another of the attack sites in most years, though Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama each marked the anniversary on the White House lawn at times. Obama followed one of those observances by recognizing the military with a visit to Fort Meade in Maryland.First lady Jill Biden is due to lay a wreath at the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon.In Pennsylvania, where one of the hijacked jets crashed after passengers tried to storm the cockpit, a remembrance and wreath-laying is scheduled at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stoystown operated by the National Park Service. Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, is expected to attend the ceremony.The memorial site will offer a new educational video, virtual tour and other materials for teachers to use in classrooms. Educators with a total of more than 10,000 students have registered for access to the free “National Day of Learning” program, which will be available through the fall, organizers say.“We need to get the word out to the next generation,” said memorial spokesperson Katherine Hostetler, a National Park Service ranger.

🎥The United States marks 22 years since 9/11

Accidental overdoses are now the No. 1 cause of death for young people in 37 states, including Missouri

BY: TIM HENDERSON,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>&nbsp;

A new Stateline analysis shows that U.S. residents under 40 were relatively unscathed by COVID-19 in the pandemic but fell victim to another killer: accidental drug overdose deaths.

Death rates in the age group were up by nearly a third in 2021 over 2018, and last year were still 21% higher.

COVID-19 was a small part of the increase, causing about 23,000 deaths total between 2018 and 2022 in the age group, which includes the millennial generation (born starting in the early 1980s), Generation Z (born starting in the late ’90s) and children. Vehicle accidents and suicide (about 96,000 each) and gun homicide (about 65,000) all took a cumulative toll from 2018 to 2022, according to a Stateline analysis of federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

Overdose deaths, however, took almost 177,000 lives in that time.

Accidental overdose became the No. 1 cause of death in 13 states for people under 40, overtaking suicide in nine states and vehicle accidents in five others; it’s now the top cause in 37 states. The only other change was in Mississippi, where homicide became the main cause of death, overtaking car accidents. In 40 states and the District of Columbia, overdose was the biggest increase in deaths for young people.

States are responding to the skyrocketing death rates with “harm reduction” strategies that can include warning of the new danger of recreational drugs laced with deadly fentanyl, training and equipping people to counteract overdoses when they see them, and even considering controversial supervised drug use sites to keep addicts safer.

A “fourth great wave” of accidental overdose deaths driven by drugs spiked with powerful fentanyl is now washing over young America, said Daliah Heller, vice president of drug use initiatives at Vital Strategies, an international advocacy group that works on strengthening public health.

Prescription opioids led to one surge in drug dependency from 2000 to 2016, then when supply waned in response to crackdowns, users turned to heroin, synthetic opioids and finally fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroin and easier to get in the pandemic, Heller said.

Jonathan Diehl of Silver Spring, Maryland, died in 2019 at age 28 after using heroin he likely did not know was spiked with fentanyl, said his mother, Cristina Rabadán-Diehl. Jonathan Diehl earned a degree in construction management and was starting a promising new job in home heating and air conditioning four days before he died, his mother said.

“I think Jonathan’s trajectory was very common,” said Rabadán-Diehl, who now works as an adviser on substance use disorders. “He started with opioid pills, and when the government started putting restrictions on prescriptions, he as well as millions and millions of Americans transitioned into the illegal market. And then fentanyl made its appearance.”

Now, a fresh wave of overdose deaths — different from&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395919300180#:~:text=The%20triple%20wave%20epidemic%3A%20opioid,methadone%20(Ciccarone%2C%202017)">the first three</a>&nbsp;— is fed by fentanyl making its way into all kind of recreational drugs, and by pandemic isolation that led to more solitary drug use, Heller said.

“Somebody might think they’re getting a Xanax [for anxiety], or methamphetamine or cocaine,” Heller said. “They have no experience with opioids, it’s not what they’re expecting and now they have a much higher risk of overdose and death.”

Authorities generally classify overdose deaths as an accident or suicide based on individual investigations of the circumstances surrounding each death.

States struggling the most with deaths of young people, driven mostly by accidental overdoses, include New Mexico, which eclipsed West Virginia and Mississippi since 2018 to have the highest death rate in the nation for people under 40 — about 188 deaths per 100,000, up 43% since 2018.

Other states with high death rates for the age group include West Virginia (170 deaths per 100,000), Louisiana and Mississippi (164), and Alaska (163).

In New Mexico, where accidental overdoses became the main cause of death for people under 40 in 2022, overtaking suicide and rising 90% to 394 deaths since 2018, the overdose problem has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ibis.doh.nm.gov/indicator/summary/DrugOverdoseED.html">generally been concentrated</a>&nbsp;in poverty-plagued rural areas such as Rio Arriba County on the Colorado border.

Democratic state Rep. Tara Lujan, who has relatives in that county, sponsored&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nmlegis.gov/Legislation/Legislation?chamber=H&amp;legType=B&amp;legNo=52&amp;year=22">harm reduction legislation</a>&nbsp;signed into law last year. It is similar to laws in many other states that include wide distribution of naloxone to reverse overdoses, legalized testing equipment for deadly additives like fentanyl, and good Samaritan laws that allow friends to report overdoses without legal consequences for their own drug use.

Lujan hopes to reintroduce a bill that would create so-called overdose prevention centers or harm reduction centers where drugs can be used in a supervised and safe environment. The legislation died in committee this year after Republicans called the idea “state-sponsored drug dens.”

“It’s all issues that were in place before the pandemic, but the pandemic made everything completely off the rails,” Lujan said. “My committee meetings have been packed with family members saying, ‘We know they won’t quit on their own, but we don’t want them to die.’”

Only New York City has two such facilities in operation, run by advocates; the sites claim some success in reversing overdoses. But federal law enforcement authorities are&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/08/nyregion/drug-overdoses-supervised-consumption-nyc.html">threatening to shut them down</a>&nbsp;without a specific state mandate, since otherwise they fall under a federal law banning operations that allow illegal drug use on-site.

In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom last year&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/SB-57-veto-msg-August-22-2022.pdf">vetoed</a>&nbsp;legislation that would have allowed jurisdictions to open safe injection sites, saying they “could induce a world of unintended consequences” in cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland.

“Worsening drug consumption challenges in these areas is not a risk we can take,” Newsom wrote in a veto message.

Rhode Island is the only state so far to pass legislation allowing supervised drug-use sites as a pilot project, in 2021, but&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2023/02/rhode-island-moves-closer-to-opening-first-overdose-prevention-center#:~:text=According%20to%20Marshall%2C%20the%20delay,a%20licensing%20procedure%2C%20he%20said.">has yet to open any centers</a>. New legislation&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/billtext23/housetext23/h5044.htm">introduced this year</a>&nbsp;would push the expiration of the pilot project from 2024 to 2026.

Bills on the same topic of supervised drug-use sites were under consideration this year in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb23-1202">Colorado</a>,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=2&amp;GAID=17&amp;DocTypeID=HB&amp;LegId=141833&amp;SessionID=112&amp;GA=103">Illinois</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?default_fld=%0D%0A&amp;leg_video=&amp;bn=S00399&amp;term=2023&amp;Actions=Y">New York</a>&nbsp;but did not pass.

In a sign of the impact on young people, a Massachusetts bill would have required all state university dorm assistants to have naloxone training to reverse overdoses, but it stalled.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.wmur.com/article/overdose-prevention-van-to-deliver-life-saving-resources-across-new-hampshire/43065554">New Hampshire</a>&nbsp;is one of several states experimenting with vans that go to known drug-use locations and offer overdose prevention supplies and advice.

The lowest death rates for young people in 2022 were in Hawaii (78), Massachusetts and Rhode Island (79), and Utah and New Jersey (80). Massachusetts and New Jersey were the only states to see decreases in overall deaths for people under 40 since 2018, and also had drops in overdose deaths, although overdose remained the No. 1 cause of death for young people in both states.

Nationally, accidental overdoses dominated the increase in deaths in residents under 40 across racial and urban-rural divides, but many disparities exist. The increase in young overdose death rates was 154% for Black Americans, 122% for Hispanic residents and 37% for white people, yet even for white residents they represented the largest increase.

The largest urban areas saw increases in overdose death rates of 70%, and rural areas 64% — the largest increases in both areas for any cause of death.

Across races and age groups overdose death rates are higher for men and slowed in 2017, but picked up again after 2018 and skyrocketed in the pandemic until 2021, according to a federal National Center for Health Statistics&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db457.htm%5C">data brief</a>&nbsp;published last year.

<h2>Accidental overdoses are now the No. 1 cause of death for young people in 37 states, including Missouri</h2>BY: TIM HENDERSON,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>&nbsp;A new Stateline analysis shows that U.S. residents under 40 were relatively unscathed by COVID-19 in the pandemic but fell victim to another killer: accidental drug overdose deaths.Death rates in the age group were up by nearly a third in 2021 over 2018, and last year were still 21% higher.COVID-19 was a small part of the increase, causing about 23,000 deaths total between 2018 and 2022 in the age group, which includes the millennial generation (born starting in the early 1980s), Generation Z (born starting in the late ’90s) and children. Vehicle accidents and suicide (about 96,000 each) and gun homicide (about 65,000) all took a cumulative toll from 2018 to 2022, according to a Stateline analysis of federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.Overdose deaths, however, took almost 177,000 lives in that time.Accidental overdose became the No. 1 cause of death in 13 states for people under 40, overtaking suicide in nine states and vehicle accidents in five others; it’s now the top cause in 37 states. The only other change was in Mississippi, where homicide became the main cause of death, overtaking car accidents. In 40 states and the District of Columbia, overdose was the biggest increase in deaths for young people.States are responding to the skyrocketing death rates with “harm reduction” strategies that can include warning of the new danger of recreational drugs laced with deadly fentanyl, training and equipping people to counteract overdoses when they see them, and even considering controversial supervised drug use sites to keep addicts safer.A “fourth great wave” of accidental overdose deaths driven by drugs spiked with powerful fentanyl is now washing over young America, said Daliah Heller, vice president of drug use initiatives at Vital Strategies, an international advocacy group that works on strengthening public health.Prescription opioids led to one surge in drug dependency from 2000 to 2016, then when supply waned in response to crackdowns, users turned to heroin, synthetic opioids and finally fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroin and easier to get in the pandemic, Heller said.<h2>‘Very common’ experience</h2>Jonathan Diehl of Silver Spring, Maryland, died in 2019 at age 28 after using heroin he likely did not know was spiked with fentanyl, said his mother, Cristina Rabadán-Diehl. Jonathan Diehl earned a degree in construction management and was starting a promising new job in home heating and air conditioning four days before he died, his mother said.“I think Jonathan’s trajectory was very common,” said Rabadán-Diehl, who now works as an adviser on substance use disorders. “He started with opioid pills, and when the government started putting restrictions on prescriptions, he as well as millions and millions of Americans transitioned into the illegal market. And then fentanyl made its appearance.”Now, a fresh wave of overdose deaths — different from&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395919300180#:~:text=The%20triple%20wave%20epidemic%3A%20opioid,methadone%20(Ciccarone%2C%202017)">the first three</a>&nbsp;— is fed by fentanyl making its way into all kind of recreational drugs, and by pandemic isolation that led to more solitary drug use, Heller said.“Somebody might think they’re getting a Xanax [for anxiety], or methamphetamine or cocaine,” Heller said. “They have no experience with opioids, it’s not what they’re expecting and now they have a much higher risk of overdose and death.”Authorities generally classify overdose deaths as an accident or suicide based on individual investigations of the circumstances surrounding each death.States struggling the most with deaths of young people, driven mostly by accidental overdoses, include New Mexico, which eclipsed West Virginia and Mississippi since 2018 to have the highest death rate in the nation for people under 40 — about 188 deaths per 100,000, up 43% since 2018.Other states with high death rates for the age group include West Virginia (170 deaths per 100,000), Louisiana and Mississippi (164), and Alaska (163).In New Mexico, where accidental overdoses became the main cause of death for people under 40 in 2022, overtaking suicide and rising 90% to 394 deaths since 2018, the overdose problem has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ibis.doh.nm.gov/indicator/summary/DrugOverdoseED.html">generally been concentrated</a>&nbsp;in poverty-plagued rural areas such as Rio Arriba County on the Colorado border.Democratic state Rep. Tara Lujan, who has relatives in that county, sponsored&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nmlegis.gov/Legislation/Legislation?chamber=H&amp;legType=B&amp;legNo=52&amp;year=22">harm reduction legislation</a>&nbsp;signed into law last year. It is similar to laws in many other states that include wide distribution of naloxone to reverse overdoses, legalized testing equipment for deadly additives like fentanyl, and good Samaritan laws that allow friends to report overdoses without legal consequences for their own drug use.Lujan hopes to reintroduce a bill that would create so-called overdose prevention centers or harm reduction centers where drugs can be used in a supervised and safe environment. The legislation died in committee this year after Republicans called the idea “state-sponsored drug dens.”“It’s all issues that were in place before the pandemic, but the pandemic made everything completely off the rails,” Lujan said. “My committee meetings have been packed with family members saying, ‘We know they won’t quit on their own, but we don’t want them to die.’”Only New York City has two such facilities in operation, run by advocates; the sites claim some success in reversing overdoses. But federal law enforcement authorities are&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/08/nyregion/drug-overdoses-supervised-consumption-nyc.html">threatening to shut them down</a>&nbsp;without a specific state mandate, since otherwise they fall under a federal law banning operations that allow illegal drug use on-site.In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom last year&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/SB-57-veto-msg-August-22-2022.pdf">vetoed</a>&nbsp;legislation that would have allowed jurisdictions to open safe injection sites, saying they “could induce a world of unintended consequences” in cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland.“Worsening drug consumption challenges in these areas is not a risk we can take,” Newsom wrote in a veto message.Rhode Island is the only state so far to pass legislation allowing supervised drug-use sites as a pilot project, in 2021, but&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2023/02/rhode-island-moves-closer-to-opening-first-overdose-prevention-center#:~:text=According%20to%20Marshall%2C%20the%20delay,a%20licensing%20procedure%2C%20he%20said.">has yet to open any centers</a>. New legislation&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/billtext23/housetext23/h5044.htm">introduced this year</a>&nbsp;would push the expiration of the pilot project from 2024 to 2026.Bills on the same topic of supervised drug-use sites were under consideration this year in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb23-1202">Colorado</a>,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=2&amp;GAID=17&amp;DocTypeID=HB&amp;LegId=141833&amp;SessionID=112&amp;GA=103">Illinois</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?default_fld=%0D%0A&amp;leg_video=&amp;bn=S00399&amp;term=2023&amp;Actions=Y">New York</a>&nbsp;but did not pass.In a sign of the impact on young people, a Massachusetts bill would have required all state university dorm assistants to have naloxone training to reverse overdoses, but it stalled.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.wmur.com/article/overdose-prevention-van-to-deliver-life-saving-resources-across-new-hampshire/43065554">New Hampshire</a>&nbsp;is one of several states experimenting with vans that go to known drug-use locations and offer overdose prevention supplies and advice.<h2>Death rate disparities</h2>The lowest death rates for young people in 2022 were in Hawaii (78), Massachusetts and Rhode Island (79), and Utah and New Jersey (80). Massachusetts and New Jersey were the only states to see decreases in overall deaths for people under 40 since 2018, and also had drops in overdose deaths, although overdose remained the No. 1 cause of death for young people in both states.Nationally, accidental overdoses dominated the increase in deaths in residents under 40 across racial and urban-rural divides, but many disparities exist. The increase in young overdose death rates was 154% for Black Americans, 122% for Hispanic residents and 37% for white people, yet even for white residents they represented the largest increase.The largest urban areas saw increases in overdose death rates of 70%, and rural areas 64% — the largest increases in both areas for any cause of death.Across races and age groups overdose death rates are higher for men and slowed in 2017, but picked up again after 2018 and skyrocketed in the pandemic until 2021, according to a federal National Center for Health Statistics&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db457.htm%5C">data brief</a>&nbsp;published last year.

Death rates for people under 40 have skyrocketed. Blame fentanyl

Over the last month, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with constituents in many of the Third District’s 80 counties. It has been a busy time with many hours spent behind the windshield, and I'm encouraged by the Nebraskans doing so much to help our communities thrive. From farmers and ranchers to entrepreneurs and small businesses to educators and families preparing the next generation, Nebraskans are working hard to support their families, serve their neighbors, and make our state a better place.

I enjoyed visits to the Cooksley Ranch near Anselmo, the University of Nebraska’s Barta Brothers Ranch in the northeastern Sandhills, and Clay Center’s USDA Meat Animal Research Center. Animal science is a dynamic field undergoing constant change and Nebraskans are ensuring producers across the United States are on the cutting edge of efficient rangeland management and animal health.

Food safety and supply chain security are major components of a strong agriculture industry, which is why I’m working in Congress to authorize the National Detector Dog Training Center to train dogs and handlers to detect invasive pests and diseases before they enter our food supply chain. As Congress continues to work toward Farm Bill reauthorization and consider trade issues impacting market access for producers, I will continue to fight for Third District interests.

Adrian SmithOver the last month, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with constituents in many of the Third District’s 80 counties. It has been a busy time with many hours spent behind the windshield, and I'm encouraged by the Nebraskans doing so much to help our communities thrive. From farmers and ranchers to entrepreneurs and small businesses to educators and families preparing the next generation, Nebraskans are working hard to support their families, serve their neighbors, and make our state a better place.I enjoyed visits to the Cooksley Ranch near Anselmo, the University of Nebraska’s Barta Brothers Ranch in the northeastern Sandhills, and Clay Center’s USDA Meat Animal Research Center. Animal science is a dynamic field undergoing constant change and Nebraskans are ensuring producers across the United States are on the cutting edge of efficient rangeland management and animal health.Food safety and supply chain security are major components of a strong agriculture industry, which is why I’m working in Congress to authorize the National Detector Dog Training Center to train dogs and handlers to detect invasive pests and diseases before they enter our food supply chain. As Congress continues to work toward Farm Bill reauthorization and consider trade issues impacting market access for producers, I will continue to fight for Third District interests.In Scottsbluff, I met with Nebraska State Irrigation Association leaders to discuss infrastructure needs. Through the marvels of modern engineering, irrigation has come to play a critical role in the prosperity of Nebraska agriculture. Nebraska will have to maintain careful stewardship of our resources, and I am encouraged by the commitment to sustainable management of our water.I was also grateful to connect with leaders in the biofuels industry on visits to the renewable diesel facility in Gage County and KAAPA Ethanol in Kearney. Biofuels are an essential part of an all-of-the-above strategy for American energy dominance, and I will continue to be a strong and vocal supporter of biofuels in Congress.Manufacturing is also a substantial component of the Third District economy. I was delighted to make stops at the CNH Center of Excellence for Grain Harvesting in Grand Island and Klute Steel in York. The Grand Island plant manufactures industry-leading harvest equipment for use around the globe. Over the last six decades, the Klute family has built a steel fabrication business operating a complex with more than 200,000 square-feet of manufacturing and shipping facilities and plans for expansion.Additionally, I enjoyed speaking with constituents about economic development in Bayard, Holdrege, Nebraska City, Bassett, and several other communities. It’s important we address our country’s workforce shortage and foster a predictable regulatory environment through tax reform and elimination of red tape. Together, we can advance solutions to encourage economic growth and secure prosperity for our future.Highlights of my travels were seeing Nebraskans at the Nebraska State Fair and many places around the district. Volleyball Day at Memorial Stadium was an extraordinary event that will go down in history as a record-breaker for attendance. Nebraska will continue to be a stage for firsts in the athletic world this weekend as my hometown of Gering hosts the inaugural USA Cycling Gravel National Championships, featuring a 131-mile course running through the Panhandle’s Wildcat Hills.The character and work ethic of the Nebraskans I’ve had the opportunity to speak with leaves me very optimistic about the future. At a groundbreaking event for the Grand Island Public Library in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt noted his pride in Nebraskans’ care of the land and added “what really counts in any state and in any time is the character of the men and the women whom the state produces.” In addition to the abundant crops and goods grown and made in our great state, our people stand out above all.