WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-israel-gaza-taiwan-c0645ad3f47f9d919c8988a98593e887">$95 billion in war aid</a>&nbsp;to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.

The bill passed the Senate on an overwhelming 79-18 vote late Tuesday after the House had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-israel-tiktok-congress-a8910452e623413bf1da1e491d1d94ba">approved the package</a>&nbsp;Saturday. Both Nebraska Senators Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts joined Kansas Senator Jerry Moran voting in favor of the bill.&nbsp; Kansas Senator Roger Marshall and Missouri Senators Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt voted against the bill.

Biden, who worked with congressional leaders to win support, is expected to quickly sign the legislation and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-weapons-russia-congress-aid-a28f463da6df2f144e3bbdbf47254ece">start the process of sending weapons to Ukraine</a>, which has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-us-aid-package-5b2cfac8351bff94d8c1ead8704110a3">struggling to hold its front lines</a>&nbsp;against Russia. The legislation would also send $26 billion in wartime assistance to Israel and humanitarian relief to citizens of Gaza, and $8 billion to counter Chinese threats in Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific.

U.S. officials said about $1 billion of the aid could be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-pentagon-weapons-congress-54045b0755b1711d0e22beaedf137cab">on its way shortly</a>, with the bulk following in coming weeks.

In an interview with The Associated Press shortly before the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said that if Congress hadn’t passed the aid, “America would have paid a price economically, politically, militarily."

“Very few things we have done have risen to this level of historic importance,” he said.

On the Senate floor, Schumer said the Senate was sending a message to U.S. allies: “We will stand with you.”

Schumer and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made passage of the legislation a top priority, agreeing to tie the Ukraine and Israel aid to help ensure passage and arguing there could be dire consequences for the United States and many of its global allies if Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression is left unchecked. They worked with House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, to overcome seemingly intractable Republican opposition to the Ukraine aid, in particular — eventually winning large majorities in both chambers.

McConnell said in a separate interview before the vote that it "is one of the biggest days in the time that I’ve been here.”

“At least on this episode, I think we turned the tables on the isolationists," McConnell said.

The House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-israel-tiktok-congress-a8910452e623413bf1da1e491d1d94ba">approved the package</a>&nbsp;in a series of four votes on Saturday, with the Ukraine portion passing 311-112.

The $61 billion for Ukraine comes as the war-torn country desperately needs new firepower and as Russian President Vladimir Putin has stepped up his attacks. Ukrainian soldiers have struggled as Russia has seized the momentum on the battlefield and gained significant territory.

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Biden</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-national-security-aid-russia-b172cb344d5c7867ed1370246c863794">told</a>&nbsp;Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday the U.S. will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-weapons-russia-congress-aid-a28f463da6df2f144e3bbdbf47254ece">send</a>&nbsp;badly needed air defense weaponry as soon as the legislation is passed.

“The President has assured me that the package will be approved quickly and that it will be powerful, strengthening our air defense as well as long-range and artillery capabilities,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X on Monday.

In an effort to gain more votes, Republicans in the House majority also added a bill to the foreign aid package that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-us-ban-sale-china-congress-de12b4d22aa8095e62cb0982a6e62235">could ban the social media app TikTok</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. if its Chinese owners do not sell their stake within a year. That legislation had wide bipartisan support in both chambers.

The TikTok bill was one of several tweaks Johnson to the package the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-congress-senate-5fdcf8cb1964681dcce0f4fe7b9a0f86">Senate passed in February</a>&nbsp;as he tried to move the bill through the House despite significant opposition within his conference. Other additions include a stipulation that $9 billion of the economic assistance to Ukraine is in the form of “forgivable loans"; provisions that allow the U.S. to seize frozen Russian central bank assets to rebuild Ukraine; and bills to impose sanctions on Iran, Russia, China and criminal organizations that traffic fentanyl.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime hawk who voted against the foreign aid package in February because it wasn’t paired with legislation to stem migration at the border, was one of the Republicans who switched their votes. “If we don't help Ukraine now, this war will spread, and Americans who are not involved will be involved,” Graham said.

The package has had broad congressional support since Biden first requested the money last summer. But congressional leaders had to navigate strong opposition from a growing number of conservatives who question U.S. involvement in foreign wars and argue that Congress should be focused instead on the surge of migration at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, a Republican who is a close ally to Donald Trump, said that despite the strong showing of support for funding Ukraine’s defense, opposition is growing among Republicans.

“The United States is spread too thin," Vance said, "And that that argument I think, is winning the American people and it’s slowly winning the Senate, but it’s not going to happen overnight.”

The growing fault line in the GOP between those conservatives who are skeptical of the aid and the more traditional, “Reagan Republicans" who strongly support it may prove to be career-defining for the two top Republican leaders.

McConnell,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-ukraine-republicans-senate-c5217d686c85837d2b9708aa197843f9">who has made the Ukraine aid a top priority</a>, said last month that he would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-senate-republican-leader-stepping-down-ba478d570a4561aa7baf91a204d7e366">step down from leadership</a>&nbsp;after becoming increasingly distanced from many in his conference on the Ukraine aid and other issues. Johnson, who said he put the bills on the floor after praying for guidance,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-ukraine-aid-speaker-ouster-c525efc953d532242d6d441c55724992">faces threats of an ouster</a>&nbsp;after a majority of Republicans voted against the aid to Ukraine.

Johnson said after House passage that “we did our work here, and I think history will judge it well."

Opponents in the Senate, like the House, included some left-wing senators who are opposed to aiding Israel as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has bombarded Gaza and killed thousands of civilians. Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, voted against the package.

“We must end our complicity in this terrible war,” Sanders said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713922038193.png" alt="Counting votes Tuesday night in the U.S. Senate -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Counting votes Tuesday night in the U.S. Senate -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-israel-gaza-taiwan-c0645ad3f47f9d919c8988a98593e887">$95 billion in war aid</a>&nbsp;to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713922886129.png" alt="-During a weekend meeting in Ukraine, Massachusetts Congressman Will Keating showing President Zelenskyy the members of the House who approved the $60 Billion in funding.-courtesy image" />
 <figcaption>-During a weekend meeting in Ukraine, Massachusetts Congressman Will Keating showing President Zelenskyy the members of the House who approved the $60 Billion in funding.-courtesy image</figcaption>
 </figure>The bill passed the Senate on an overwhelming 79-18 vote late Tuesday after the House had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-israel-tiktok-congress-a8910452e623413bf1da1e491d1d94ba">approved the package</a>&nbsp;Saturday. Both Nebraska Senators Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts joined Kansas Senator Jerry Moran voting in favor of the bill.&nbsp; Kansas Senator Roger Marshall and Missouri Senators Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt voted against the bill.Biden, who worked with congressional leaders to win support, is expected to quickly sign the legislation and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-weapons-russia-congress-aid-a28f463da6df2f144e3bbdbf47254ece">start the process of sending weapons to Ukraine</a>, which has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-us-aid-package-5b2cfac8351bff94d8c1ead8704110a3">struggling to hold its front lines</a>&nbsp;against Russia. The legislation would also send $26 billion in wartime assistance to Israel and humanitarian relief to citizens of Gaza, and $8 billion to counter Chinese threats in Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Fischer Statement on National Security Supplemental <a href="https://t.co/TiM7Ak5aQF">pic.twitter.com/TiM7Ak5aQF</a>&mdash; Senator Deb Fischer (@SenatorFischer) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorFischer/status/1782951090943557942?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>U.S. officials said about $1 billion of the aid could be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-pentagon-weapons-congress-54045b0755b1711d0e22beaedf137cab">on its way shortly</a>, with the bulk following in coming weeks.In an interview with The Associated Press shortly before the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said that if Congress hadn’t passed the aid, “America would have paid a price economically, politically, militarily."“Very few things we have done have risen to this level of historic importance,” he said.On the Senate floor, Schumer said the Senate was sending a message to U.S. allies: “We will stand with you.”Schumer and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made passage of the legislation a top priority, agreeing to tie the Ukraine and Israel aid to help ensure passage and arguing there could be dire consequences for the United States and many of its global allies if Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression is left unchecked. They worked with House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, to overcome seemingly intractable Republican opposition to the Ukraine aid, in particular — eventually winning large majorities in both chambers.McConnell said in a separate interview before the vote that it "is one of the biggest days in the time that I’ve been here.”“At least on this episode, I think we turned the tables on the isolationists," McConnell said.The House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-israel-tiktok-congress-a8910452e623413bf1da1e491d1d94ba">approved the package</a>&nbsp;in a series of four votes on Saturday, with the Ukraine portion passing 311-112.The $61 billion for Ukraine comes as the war-torn country desperately needs new firepower and as Russian President Vladimir Putin has stepped up his attacks. Ukrainian soldiers have struggled as Russia has seized the momentum on the battlefield and gained significant territory.<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Biden</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-national-security-aid-russia-b172cb344d5c7867ed1370246c863794">told</a>&nbsp;Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday the U.S. will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-weapons-russia-congress-aid-a28f463da6df2f144e3bbdbf47254ece">send</a>&nbsp;badly needed air defense weaponry as soon as the legislation is passed.“The President has assured me that the package will be approved quickly and that it will be powerful, strengthening our air defense as well as long-range and artillery capabilities,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X on Monday.In an effort to gain more votes, Republicans in the House majority also added a bill to the foreign aid package that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-us-ban-sale-china-congress-de12b4d22aa8095e62cb0982a6e62235">could ban the social media app TikTok</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. if its Chinese owners do not sell their stake within a year. That legislation had wide bipartisan support in both chambers.The TikTok bill was one of several tweaks Johnson to the package the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-congress-senate-5fdcf8cb1964681dcce0f4fe7b9a0f86">Senate passed in February</a>&nbsp;as he tried to move the bill through the House despite significant opposition within his conference. Other additions include a stipulation that $9 billion of the economic assistance to Ukraine is in the form of “forgivable loans"; provisions that allow the U.S. to seize frozen Russian central bank assets to rebuild Ukraine; and bills to impose sanctions on Iran, Russia, China and criminal organizations that traffic fentanyl.South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime hawk who voted against the foreign aid package in February because it wasn’t paired with legislation to stem migration at the border, was one of the Republicans who switched their votes. “If we don't help Ukraine now, this war will spread, and Americans who are not involved will be involved,” Graham said.The package has had broad congressional support since Biden first requested the money last summer. But congressional leaders had to navigate strong opposition from a growing number of conservatives who question U.S. involvement in foreign wars and argue that Congress should be focused instead on the surge of migration at the U.S.-Mexico border.Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, a Republican who is a close ally to Donald Trump, said that despite the strong showing of support for funding Ukraine’s defense, opposition is growing among Republicans.“The United States is spread too thin," Vance said, "And that that argument I think, is winning the American people and it’s slowly winning the Senate, but it’s not going to happen overnight.”The growing fault line in the GOP between those conservatives who are skeptical of the aid and the more traditional, “Reagan Republicans" who strongly support it may prove to be career-defining for the two top Republican leaders.McConnell,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-ukraine-republicans-senate-c5217d686c85837d2b9708aa197843f9">who has made the Ukraine aid a top priority</a>, said last month that he would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-senate-republican-leader-stepping-down-ba478d570a4561aa7baf91a204d7e366">step down from leadership</a>&nbsp;after becoming increasingly distanced from many in his conference on the Ukraine aid and other issues. Johnson, who said he put the bills on the floor after praying for guidance,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-ukraine-aid-speaker-ouster-c525efc953d532242d6d441c55724992">faces threats of an ouster</a>&nbsp;after a majority of Republicans voted against the aid to Ukraine.Johnson said after House passage that “we did our work here, and I think history will judge it well."Opponents in the Senate, like the House, included some left-wing senators who are opposed to aiding Israel as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has bombarded Gaza and killed thousands of civilians. Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, voted against the package.“We must end our complicity in this terrible war,” Sanders said.

Fischer, Ricketts vote yes: Senate Oks $95B aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

NEW YORK (AP) — A veteran tabloid publisher testified Tuesday that he pledged to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;'s “eyes and ears" during his 2016 presidential campaign, recounting how he promised the then-candidate that he would help suppress harmful stories and even arranged to purchase the silence of a doorman.

<a href="https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/transcripts/P.v%20Trump%20Transcript%20042244.pdf">Click here to read the </a>transcript of Day 1 in the historic Trump trial

The testimony from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/david-pecker">David Pecker</a>&nbsp;was designed to bolster the prosecution's premise of a decades-long friendship between Trump and the former publisher of the National Enquirer that culminated in an agreement to give the candidate's lawyer a heads-up on negative tips and stories so they could be quashed.

The effort to suppress unflattering information was designed to illegally influence the election, prosecutors have alleged in striving to elevate the gravity of the first trial of a former American president and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/">first of four criminal cases</a>&nbsp;against Trump to reach a jury.

Pecker is the first witness against Trump, who faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with hush money payments meant to prevent harmful stories from surfacing in the final days of the 2016 campaign.

With Trump sitting just feet away in the courtroom, Pecker detailed his intimate, behind-the-scenes involvement in Trump's rise from political novice to the Republican nomination and the White House. He explained how he and the National Enquirer parlayed rumor-mongering into splashy tabloid stories that smeared Trump's opponents and, just as crucially, leveraged his connections to suppress seamy stories about Trump, including a porn actor's claim of an extramarital sexual encounter a decade earlier.

Pecker traced the origins of their relationship to a 1980s meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and said the friendship bloomed alongside the success of the real estate developer's TV show “The Apprentice" and the program's subsequent celebrity version.

Their ties were solidified during a pivotal August 2015 meeting at Trump Tower involving Trump, his lawyer and personal fixer Michael Cohen, and another aide, Hope Hicks, in which Pecker was asked what he and the publications he led could do for the campaign.

Pecker said he volunteered to publish positive stories about Trump and negative stories about his opponents. But that wasn't all, he said, telling jurors how he told Trump: “I will be your eyes and ears.”

“I said that anything I hear in the marketplace, if I hear anything negative about yourself, or if I hear about women selling stories, I would notify Michael Cohen," so that the rights could be purchased and the stories could be killed.

“So they would not get published?” asked prosecutor Joshua Steinglass.

“So they would not get published,” Pecker replied.

To illustrate their point, prosecutors displayed a screenshot of various flattering headlines the National Enquirer published about Trump, including “Donald Dominates!’ and “World Exclusive: The Donald Trump Nobody Knows.” The jury was also shown disparaging and outlandish stories about Trump's opponents, including surgeon Ben Carson and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio.

Pecker painted Cohen as a shadow editor of the National Enquirer’s pro-Trump coverage, directing the tabloid to go after whichever Republican candidate was gaining momentum.

“I would receive a call from Michael Cohen, and he would direct me and direct Dylan Howard which candidate and which direction we should go,” Pecker said, referring to the tabloid's then-editor.

Pecker said he underscored to Howard that the agreement with the Trump operation was “highly, highly confidential.” He said he wanted the tabloid’s bureau chiefs to be on the lookout for any stories involving Trump and said he wanted them to verify the stories before alerting Cohen.

“I did not want anyone else to know this agreement I had and what I wanted to do,” the ex-publisher added.

Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal charges related to his role in the hush money payments. He was once a confidant of Trump's, but their relationship deteriorated in spectacular fashion. Cohen is expected to be a star government witness, and he routinely posts profane broadsides against Trump on social media.

Trump's lawyers are expected to make attacks on Cohen's credibility a foundation of their defense, but in opening with Pecker, prosecutors hoped to focus attention on a witness with a less volatile backstory. Besides maintaining that Trump is innocent, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told jurors that Cohen cannot be trusted and has “an obsession with getting Trump.”

Pecker's testimony Tuesday followed a hearing earlier in the day in which prosecutors urged Judge Juan M. Merchan to hold Trump in contempt and fine him $1,000 for each of 10 social media posts that they say violated an earlier gag order barring attacks on witnesses, jurors and others involved in the case.

Merchan did not immediately rule, but he seemed skeptical of defense arguments that Trump was merely responding in his posts to others' attacks and had been trying to comply with the order.

Prosecutors allege that Trump sought to illegally influence the 2016 race through a practice known in the tabloid industry as “catch-and-kill” — catching a potentially damaging story by buying the rights to it and then killing it through agreements that prevent the paid person from telling the story to anyone else.

In this case, that included a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to silence her claims of an extramarital sexual encounter that Trump denies. Prosecutors also described other arrangements, including one that paid a former Playboy model $150,000 to suppress claims of a nearly yearlong affair with the married Trump, which Trump also denies.

In another instance, Pecker recounted a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-united-states-government-f37ecfc4710b468db6a103a245146172">$30,000</a>&nbsp;payment from the National Enquirer to a Trump Tower doorman for the rights to a rumor that Trump had fathered a child with an employee at Trump World Tower. The tabloid concluded the story was not true, and the woman and Trump have denied the allegations.

As Pecker described receiving the tip in court, Trump shook his head.

Pecker said upon hearing the rumor, he immediately called Cohen, who said it was “absolutely not true” but that he would look into whether the people involved had indeed worked for Trump’s company.

“I made the decision to purchase the story because of the potential embarrassment it had to the campaign and to Mr. Trump,” Pecker said.

In response to the prosecutor’s question about who he understood the boss to be, Pecker replied: “Donald Trump.”

Explaining why he decided to have the National Enquirer foot the bill, Pecker testified: “This was going to be a very big story. I believe it was important that this story be removed from the marketplace.”

If he published the story, Pecker said it would be “probably the biggest sale of the National Enquirer since the death of Elvis Presley.”

Jurors viewed an internal Enquirer email and invoice describing the payments to the doorman to kill his story. One document describes the funds coming from the publication’s “corporate” account. An invoice references an “immediate” $30,000 bank transfer payment for “‘Trump’ non-published story.”

Trump's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">34 felony counts</a>&nbsp;arise from reimbursements that prosecutors say Trump's company made to Cohen for hush money payments and that were falsely recorded as legal expenses.

The charges are punishable by up to four years in prison, though it’s unclear whether Merchan would seek to put him behind bars. A conviction would not preclude Trump from becoming president again, but because it is a state case, he would not be able to pardon himself if found guilty. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713921168558.png" alt="AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)" />
 <figcaption>AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — A veteran tabloid publisher testified Tuesday that he pledged to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;'s “eyes and ears" during his 2016 presidential campaign, recounting how he promised the then-candidate that he would help suppress harmful stories and even arranged to purchase the silence of a doorman.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713916840023.png" alt="-The court system is taking the&nbsp;novel step of posting the daily transcripts of the trial proceedings. The transcript for each day is available before the end of the following business day." />
 <figcaption>-The court system is taking the&nbsp;novel step of posting the daily transcripts of the trial proceedings. The transcript for each day is available before the end of the following business day.</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/transcripts/P.v%20Trump%20Transcript%20042244.pdf">Click here to read the </a>transcript of Day 1 in the historic Trump trialThe testimony from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/david-pecker">David Pecker</a>&nbsp;was designed to bolster the prosecution's premise of a decades-long friendship between Trump and the former publisher of the National Enquirer that culminated in an agreement to give the candidate's lawyer a heads-up on negative tips and stories so they could be quashed.The effort to suppress unflattering information was designed to illegally influence the election, prosecutors have alleged in striving to elevate the gravity of the first trial of a former American president and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/">first of four criminal cases</a>&nbsp;against Trump to reach a jury.Pecker is the first witness against Trump, who faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with hush money payments meant to prevent harmful stories from surfacing in the final days of the 2016 campaign.With Trump sitting just feet away in the courtroom, Pecker detailed his intimate, behind-the-scenes involvement in Trump's rise from political novice to the Republican nomination and the White House. He explained how he and the National Enquirer parlayed rumor-mongering into splashy tabloid stories that smeared Trump's opponents and, just as crucially, leveraged his connections to suppress seamy stories about Trump, including a porn actor's claim of an extramarital sexual encounter a decade earlier.Pecker traced the origins of their relationship to a 1980s meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and said the friendship bloomed alongside the success of the real estate developer's TV show “The Apprentice" and the program's subsequent celebrity version.Their ties were solidified during a pivotal August 2015 meeting at Trump Tower involving Trump, his lawyer and personal fixer Michael Cohen, and another aide, Hope Hicks, in which Pecker was asked what he and the publications he led could do for the campaign.Pecker said he volunteered to publish positive stories about Trump and negative stories about his opponents. But that wasn't all, he said, telling jurors how he told Trump: “I will be your eyes and ears.”“I said that anything I hear in the marketplace, if I hear anything negative about yourself, or if I hear about women selling stories, I would notify Michael Cohen," so that the rights could be purchased and the stories could be killed.“So they would not get published?” asked prosecutor Joshua Steinglass.“So they would not get published,” Pecker replied.To illustrate their point, prosecutors displayed a screenshot of various flattering headlines the National Enquirer published about Trump, including “Donald Dominates!’ and “World Exclusive: The Donald Trump Nobody Knows.” The jury was also shown disparaging and outlandish stories about Trump's opponents, including surgeon Ben Carson and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio.Pecker painted Cohen as a shadow editor of the National Enquirer’s pro-Trump coverage, directing the tabloid to go after whichever Republican candidate was gaining momentum.“I would receive a call from Michael Cohen, and he would direct me and direct Dylan Howard which candidate and which direction we should go,” Pecker said, referring to the tabloid's then-editor.Pecker said he underscored to Howard that the agreement with the Trump operation was “highly, highly confidential.” He said he wanted the tabloid’s bureau chiefs to be on the lookout for any stories involving Trump and said he wanted them to verify the stories before alerting Cohen.“I did not want anyone else to know this agreement I had and what I wanted to do,” the ex-publisher added.Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal charges related to his role in the hush money payments. He was once a confidant of Trump's, but their relationship deteriorated in spectacular fashion. Cohen is expected to be a star government witness, and he routinely posts profane broadsides against Trump on social media.Trump's lawyers are expected to make attacks on Cohen's credibility a foundation of their defense, but in opening with Pecker, prosecutors hoped to focus attention on a witness with a less volatile backstory. Besides maintaining that Trump is innocent, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told jurors that Cohen cannot be trusted and has “an obsession with getting Trump.”Pecker's testimony Tuesday followed a hearing earlier in the day in which prosecutors urged Judge Juan M. Merchan to hold Trump in contempt and fine him $1,000 for each of 10 social media posts that they say violated an earlier gag order barring attacks on witnesses, jurors and others involved in the case.Merchan did not immediately rule, but he seemed skeptical of defense arguments that Trump was merely responding in his posts to others' attacks and had been trying to comply with the order.Prosecutors allege that Trump sought to illegally influence the 2016 race through a practice known in the tabloid industry as “catch-and-kill” — catching a potentially damaging story by buying the rights to it and then killing it through agreements that prevent the paid person from telling the story to anyone else.In this case, that included a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to silence her claims of an extramarital sexual encounter that Trump denies. Prosecutors also described other arrangements, including one that paid a former Playboy model $150,000 to suppress claims of a nearly yearlong affair with the married Trump, which Trump also denies.In another instance, Pecker recounted a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-united-states-government-f37ecfc4710b468db6a103a245146172">$30,000</a>&nbsp;payment from the National Enquirer to a Trump Tower doorman for the rights to a rumor that Trump had fathered a child with an employee at Trump World Tower. The tabloid concluded the story was not true, and the woman and Trump have denied the allegations.As Pecker described receiving the tip in court, Trump shook his head.Pecker said upon hearing the rumor, he immediately called Cohen, who said it was “absolutely not true” but that he would look into whether the people involved had indeed worked for Trump’s company.“I made the decision to purchase the story because of the potential embarrassment it had to the campaign and to Mr. Trump,” Pecker said.In response to the prosecutor’s question about who he understood the boss to be, Pecker replied: “Donald Trump.”Explaining why he decided to have the National Enquirer foot the bill, Pecker testified: “This was going to be a very big story. I believe it was important that this story be removed from the marketplace.”If he published the story, Pecker said it would be “probably the biggest sale of the National Enquirer since the death of Elvis Presley.”Jurors viewed an internal Enquirer email and invoice describing the payments to the doorman to kill his story. One document describes the funds coming from the publication’s “corporate” account. An invoice references an “immediate” $30,000 bank transfer payment for “‘Trump’ non-published story.”Trump's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">34 felony counts</a>&nbsp;arise from reimbursements that prosecutors say Trump's company made to Cohen for hush money payments and that were falsely recorded as legal expenses.The charges are punishable by up to four years in prison, though it’s unclear whether Merchan would seek to put him behind bars. A conviction would not preclude Trump from becoming president again, but because it is a state case, he would not be able to pardon himself if found guilty. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.___Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.___

Read transcript: Day 1 of historic Trump civil trial

FTC’s final rule will generate over 8,500 new businesses each year, raise worker wages, lower health care costs, and boost innovation

WASHINGTON —The Federal Trade Commission&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/noncompete-rule.pdf">issued a final rule</a>&nbsp;to promote competition by banning noncompetes nationwide, protecting the fundamental freedom of workers to change jobs, increasing innovation, and fostering new business formation, according to a statement from the agency.

“Noncompete clauses keep wages low, suppress new ideas, and rob the American economy of dynamism, including from the more than 8,500 new startups that would be created a year once noncompetes are banned,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “The FTC’s final rule to ban noncompetes will ensure Americans have the freedom to pursue a new job, start a new business, or bring a new idea to market.”

The FTC estimates that the final rule banning noncompetes will lead to new business formation growing by 2.7% per year, resulting in more than 8,500 additional new businesses created each year. The final rule is expected to result in higher earnings for workers, with estimated earnings increasing for the average worker by an additional $524 per year, and it is expected to lower health care costs by up to $194 billion over the next decade. In addition, the final rule is expected to help drive innovation, leading to an estimated average increase of 17,000 to 29,000 more patents each year for the next 10 years under the final rule.

Noncompetes are a widespread and often exploitative practice imposing contractual conditions that prevent workers from taking a new job or starting a new business. Noncompetes often force workers to either stay in a job they want to leave or bear other significant harms and costs, such as being forced to switch to a lower-paying field, being forced to relocate, being forced to leave the workforce altogether, or being forced to defend against expensive litigation. An estimated 30 million workers—nearly one in five Americans—are subject to a noncompete.

Under the FTC’s new rule, existing noncompetes for the vast majority of workers will no longer be enforceable after the rule’s effective date.&nbsp;Existing noncompetes for senior executives - who represent less than 0.75% of workers - can remain in force under the FTC’s final rule, but employers are banned from entering into or attempting to enforce any new noncompetes, even if they involve senior executives.&nbsp;Employers will be required to provide notice to workers other than senior executives who are bound by an existing noncompete that they will not be enforcing any noncompetes against them.

In January 2023, the FTC issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/01/ftc-proposes-rule-ban-noncompete-clauses-which-hurt-workers-harm-competition">proposed rule</a>&nbsp;which was subject to a 90-day public comment period. The FTC received more than 26,000 comments on the proposed rule, with over 25,000 comments in support of the FTC’s proposed ban on noncompetes. The comments informed the FTC’s final rulemaking process, with the FTC carefully reviewing each comment and making changes to the proposed rule in response to the public’s feedback.

In the final rule, the Commission has determined that it is an unfair method of competition, and therefore a violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act, for employers to enter into noncompetes with workers and to enforce certain noncompetes.

The Commission found that noncompetes tend to negatively affect competitive conditions in labor markets by inhibiting efficient matching between workers and employers. The Commission also found that noncompetes tend to negatively affect competitive conditions in product and service markets, inhibiting new business formation and innovation. There is also evidence that noncompetes lead to increased market concentration and higher prices for consumers.

The Commission found that employers have several alternatives to noncompetes that still enable firms to protect their investments without having to enforce a noncompete.

Trade secret laws and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) both provide employers with well-established means to protect proprietary and other sensitive information. Researchers estimate that over 95% of workers with a noncompete already have an NDA.

The Commission also finds that instead of using noncompetes to lock in workers, employers that wish to retain employees can compete on the merits for the worker’s labor services by improving wages and working conditions.

Under the final rule, existing noncompetes for senior executives can remain in force. Employers, however, are prohibited from entering into or enforcing new noncompetes with senior executives. The final rule defines senior executives as workers earning more than $151,164 annually and who are in policy-making positions.

Additionally, the Commission has eliminated a provision in the proposed rule that would have required employers to legally modify existing noncompetes by formally rescinding them. That change will help to streamline compliance.

Instead, under the final rule, employers will simply have to provide notice to workers bound to an existing noncompete that the noncompete agreement will not be enforced against them in the future. To aid employers’ compliance with this requirement, the Commission has included<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/noncompete-rule">&nbsp;model language</a>&nbsp;in the final rule that employers can use to communicate to workers.&nbsp;

The Commission vote to approve the issuance of the final rule was 3-2 with Commissioners Melissa Holyoak and Andrew N. Ferguson voting no. Commissioners’ written statements will follow at a later date.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;final rule will become effective 120 days after publication in the Federal Register.

Once the rule is effective, market participants can report information about a suspected violation of the rule to the Bureau of Competition by emailing&nbsp;<a href="mailto:noncompete@ftc.gov">noncompete@ftc.gov</a>.&nbsp;

The Federal Trade Commission&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/office-policy-planning">develops policy initiatives</a>&nbsp;on issues that affect competition, consumers, and the U.S. economy. The FTC will never demand money, make threats, tell you to transfer money, or promise you a prize.&nbsp;Follow the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/stay-connected/social-media">FTC on social media</a>, read&nbsp;<a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts">consumer alerts</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog">business blog</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/stay-connected">sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713903059519.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FTC’s final rule will generate over 8,500 new businesses each year, raise worker wages, lower health care costs, and boost innovationWASHINGTON —The Federal Trade Commission&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/noncompete-rule.pdf">issued a final rule</a>&nbsp;to promote competition by banning noncompetes nationwide, protecting the fundamental freedom of workers to change jobs, increasing innovation, and fostering new business formation, according to a statement from the agency.“Noncompete clauses keep wages low, suppress new ideas, and rob the American economy of dynamism, including from the more than 8,500 new startups that would be created a year once noncompetes are banned,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “The FTC’s final rule to ban noncompetes will ensure Americans have the freedom to pursue a new job, start a new business, or bring a new idea to market.”The FTC estimates that the final rule banning noncompetes will lead to new business formation growing by 2.7% per year, resulting in more than 8,500 additional new businesses created each year. The final rule is expected to result in higher earnings for workers, with estimated earnings increasing for the average worker by an additional $524 per year, and it is expected to lower health care costs by up to $194 billion over the next decade. In addition, the final rule is expected to help drive innovation, leading to an estimated average increase of 17,000 to 29,000 more patents each year for the next 10 years under the final rule.Noncompetes are a widespread and often exploitative practice imposing contractual conditions that prevent workers from taking a new job or starting a new business. Noncompetes often force workers to either stay in a job they want to leave or bear other significant harms and costs, such as being forced to switch to a lower-paying field, being forced to relocate, being forced to leave the workforce altogether, or being forced to defend against expensive litigation. An estimated 30 million workers—nearly one in five Americans—are subject to a noncompete.Under the FTC’s new rule, existing noncompetes for the vast majority of workers will no longer be enforceable after the rule’s effective date.&nbsp;Existing noncompetes for senior executives - who represent less than 0.75% of workers - can remain in force under the FTC’s final rule, but employers are banned from entering into or attempting to enforce any new noncompetes, even if they involve senior executives.&nbsp;Employers will be required to provide notice to workers other than senior executives who are bound by an existing noncompete that they will not be enforcing any noncompetes against them.In January 2023, the FTC issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/01/ftc-proposes-rule-ban-noncompete-clauses-which-hurt-workers-harm-competition">proposed rule</a>&nbsp;which was subject to a 90-day public comment period. The FTC received more than 26,000 comments on the proposed rule, with over 25,000 comments in support of the FTC’s proposed ban on noncompetes. The comments informed the FTC’s final rulemaking process, with the FTC carefully reviewing each comment and making changes to the proposed rule in response to the public’s feedback.In the final rule, the Commission has determined that it is an unfair method of competition, and therefore a violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act, for employers to enter into noncompetes with workers and to enforce certain noncompetes.The Commission found that noncompetes tend to negatively affect competitive conditions in labor markets by inhibiting efficient matching between workers and employers. The Commission also found that noncompetes tend to negatively affect competitive conditions in product and service markets, inhibiting new business formation and innovation. There is also evidence that noncompetes lead to increased market concentration and higher prices for consumers.<h2>Alternatives to Noncompetes</h2>The Commission found that employers have several alternatives to noncompetes that still enable firms to protect their investments without having to enforce a noncompete.Trade secret laws and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) both provide employers with well-established means to protect proprietary and other sensitive information. Researchers estimate that over 95% of workers with a noncompete already have an NDA.The Commission also finds that instead of using noncompetes to lock in workers, employers that wish to retain employees can compete on the merits for the worker’s labor services by improving wages and working conditions.<h2>Changes from the NPRM</h2>Under the final rule, existing noncompetes for senior executives can remain in force. Employers, however, are prohibited from entering into or enforcing new noncompetes with senior executives. The final rule defines senior executives as workers earning more than $151,164 annually and who are in policy-making positions.Additionally, the Commission has eliminated a provision in the proposed rule that would have required employers to legally modify existing noncompetes by formally rescinding them. That change will help to streamline compliance.Instead, under the final rule, employers will simply have to provide notice to workers bound to an existing noncompete that the noncompete agreement will not be enforced against them in the future. To aid employers’ compliance with this requirement, the Commission has included<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/noncompete-rule">&nbsp;model language</a>&nbsp;in the final rule that employers can use to communicate to workers.&nbsp;The Commission vote to approve the issuance of the final rule was 3-2 with Commissioners Melissa Holyoak and Andrew N. Ferguson voting no. Commissioners’ written statements will follow at a later date.&nbsp;The&nbsp;final rule will become effective 120 days after publication in the Federal Register.Once the rule is effective, market participants can report information about a suspected violation of the rule to the Bureau of Competition by emailing&nbsp;<a href="mailto:noncompete@ftc.gov">noncompete@ftc.gov</a>.&nbsp;The Federal Trade Commission&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/office-policy-planning">develops policy initiatives</a>&nbsp;on issues that affect competition, consumers, and the U.S. economy. The FTC will never demand money, make threats, tell you to transfer money, or promise you a prize.&nbsp;Follow the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/stay-connected/social-media">FTC on social media</a>, read&nbsp;<a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts">consumer alerts</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog">business blog</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/stay-connected">sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts</a>.

New federal rule bans companies from enforcing noncompete agreements

APRIL 23, 2024 (LINCOLN, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested three people following an investigation into improper contact with multiple inmates of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) in 2023.

On Monday, April 22, NSP investigators arrested two employees of NDCS, who work at the Nebraska State Penitentiary. Abbey Fielder, 26, of Lincoln, was arrested for sexual abuse of an inmate, conspiracy to commit sexual abuse of an inmate, and allowing a committed offender to have unauthorized visitation or communication. Laura Schluckebier, 45, of Lincoln, was arrested for allowing a committed offender to have unauthorized visitation or communication and conspiracy to allow a committed offender to communicate.

The third person arrested, Nicole Carter, 47, of Lincoln, was arrested for sexual abuse of an inmate and allowing a committed offender to have unauthorized visitation or communication. Carter is no longer employed by NDCS. She was arrested at her current place of employment.

All charges in this investigation are felonies. Carter and Schluckebier were lodged in Lancaster County Jail. Fielder was cited and released due to medical circumstances. The investigation remains ongoing.

NDCS Director Rob Jeffreys issued the following statement regarding these arrests: “We hold our team members to a high standard, and inappropriate behavior involving a member of the incarcerated population will not be tolerated in NDCS.” Schluckebier and Fielder have been placed on investigatory suspension by NDCS.

Cody Thomas&nbsp;Nebraska State PatrolAPRIL 23, 2024 (LINCOLN, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested three people following an investigation into improper contact with multiple inmates of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) in 2023.On Monday, April 22, NSP investigators arrested two employees of NDCS, who work at the Nebraska State Penitentiary. Abbey Fielder, 26, of Lincoln, was arrested for sexual abuse of an inmate, conspiracy to commit sexual abuse of an inmate, and allowing a committed offender to have unauthorized visitation or communication. Laura Schluckebier, 45, of Lincoln, was arrested for allowing a committed offender to have unauthorized visitation or communication and conspiracy to allow a committed offender to communicate.The third person arrested, Nicole Carter, 47, of Lincoln, was arrested for sexual abuse of an inmate and allowing a committed offender to have unauthorized visitation or communication. Carter is no longer employed by NDCS. She was arrested at her current place of employment.All charges in this investigation are felonies. Carter and Schluckebier were lodged in Lancaster County Jail. Fielder was cited and released due to medical circumstances. The investigation remains ongoing.NDCS Director Rob Jeffreys issued the following statement regarding these arrests: “We hold our team members to a high standard, and inappropriate behavior involving a member of the incarcerated population will not be tolerated in NDCS.” Schluckebier and Fielder have been placed on investigatory suspension by NDCS.

Three Arrested in Investigation into Improper Relationship with Inmates

Minnetonka, Minnesota (AP) —UnitedHealth says files with personal information that could cover a “substantial portion of people in America” may have been taken in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/change-cyberattack-hospitals-pharmacy-alphv-unitedhealthcare-521347eb9e8490dad695a7824ed11c41">the cyberattack</a>&nbsp;earlier this year on its Change Healthcare business.

The company said Monday after markets closed that it sees no signs that doctor charts or full medical histories were released after the attack. But it may take several months of analysis before UnitedHealth can identify and notify people who were affected.

UnitedHealth did say that some screen shots containing protected health information or personally identifiable information were posted for about a week online on the dark web, which standard browsers can’t access.

The company is still monitoring the internet and dark web and said there has been no addition file publication. It has started&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/ns/health-data-breach.html">a website</a>&nbsp;to answer questions and a call center. But the company said it won’t be able to offer specifics on the impact to individual data.

The company also is offering free credit monitoring and identity theft protection for people affected by the attack.

UnitedHealth bought Change Healthcare in a roughly $8 billion deal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-health-business-minnesota-us-department-of-justice-55f01b05097e6e57716d6263275a5e3d">that closed in 2022</a>&nbsp;after surviving a challenge from federal regulators. The U.S. Department of Justice&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-health-us-department-of-justice-18499bf074c30f1d89fe0c26ca2e7b13">had sued earlier that year</a>&nbsp;to block the deal, arguing that it would hurt competition by putting too much information about health care claims in the hands of one company.

UnitedHealth said in February that a ransomware group had gained access to some of the systems of its Change Healthcare business, which provides technology used to submit and process insurance claims.

The attack disrupted payment and claims processing around the country, stressing doctor’s offices and health care systems.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/change-healthcare-cyberattack-federal-government-hhs-88ac99fc0c62e69dc60fc5c39682e859">Federal civil rights investigators</a>&nbsp;are already looking into whether protected health information was exposed in the attack.

UnitedHealth said Monday that it was still restoring services disrupted by the attack. It has been focused first on restoring those that affect patient access to care or medication.

The company said both pharmacy services and medical claims were back to near normal levels. It said payment process was back to about 86% of pre-attack levels.

UnitedHealth said last week when it reported&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealth-change-cyberattack-first-quarter-076a2bcbf0db3b5e6c4ffa27589c3692">first-quarter results</a>&nbsp;that the company has provided more than $6 billion in advance funding and interest-free loans to health care providers affected by the attack.

UnitedHealth took an $872 million hit from from the cyberattack in the first quarter, and company officials said that could grow beyond $1.5 billion for the year.

Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group Inc. runs one of the nation’s largest health insurers. It also runs one of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits management businesses, provides care and offers technology services.

Minnetonka, Minnesota (AP) —UnitedHealth says files with personal information that could cover a “substantial portion of people in America” may have been taken in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/change-cyberattack-hospitals-pharmacy-alphv-unitedhealthcare-521347eb9e8490dad695a7824ed11c41">the cyberattack</a>&nbsp;earlier this year on its Change Healthcare business.The company said Monday after markets closed that it sees no signs that doctor charts or full medical histories were released after the attack. But it may take several months of analysis before UnitedHealth can identify and notify people who were affected.UnitedHealth did say that some screen shots containing protected health information or personally identifiable information were posted for about a week online on the dark web, which standard browsers can’t access.The company is still monitoring the internet and dark web and said there has been no addition file publication. It has started&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/ns/health-data-breach.html">a website</a>&nbsp;to answer questions and a call center. But the company said it won’t be able to offer specifics on the impact to individual data.The company also is offering free credit monitoring and identity theft protection for people affected by the attack.UnitedHealth bought Change Healthcare in a roughly $8 billion deal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-health-business-minnesota-us-department-of-justice-55f01b05097e6e57716d6263275a5e3d">that closed in 2022</a>&nbsp;after surviving a challenge from federal regulators. The U.S. Department of Justice&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-health-us-department-of-justice-18499bf074c30f1d89fe0c26ca2e7b13">had sued earlier that year</a>&nbsp;to block the deal, arguing that it would hurt competition by putting too much information about health care claims in the hands of one company.UnitedHealth said in February that a ransomware group had gained access to some of the systems of its Change Healthcare business, which provides technology used to submit and process insurance claims.The attack disrupted payment and claims processing around the country, stressing doctor’s offices and health care systems.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/change-healthcare-cyberattack-federal-government-hhs-88ac99fc0c62e69dc60fc5c39682e859">Federal civil rights investigators</a>&nbsp;are already looking into whether protected health information was exposed in the attack.UnitedHealth said Monday that it was still restoring services disrupted by the attack. It has been focused first on restoring those that affect patient access to care or medication.The company said both pharmacy services and medical claims were back to near normal levels. It said payment process was back to about 86% of pre-attack levels.UnitedHealth said last week when it reported&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealth-change-cyberattack-first-quarter-076a2bcbf0db3b5e6c4ffa27589c3692">first-quarter results</a>&nbsp;that the company has provided more than $6 billion in advance funding and interest-free loans to health care providers affected by the attack.UnitedHealth took an $872 million hit from from the cyberattack in the first quarter, and company officials said that could grow beyond $1.5 billion for the year.Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group Inc. runs one of the nation’s largest health insurers. It also runs one of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits management businesses, provides care and offers technology services.

UnitedHealth paid ransom to bad actors; patient data compromised

LINCOLN, NE&nbsp;– Governor Jim Pillen has announced the appointment of Dr. Matthew J. McCarville as chief information officer for the state of Nebraska. McCarville starts his new role today. &nbsp;

“Dr. McCarville’s information technology experience and expertise nationally and internationally in the public and private sectors is extensive,” said Gov. Jim Pillen. “I look forward to working with Dr. McCarville to eliminate state reliance on obsolete IT systems and delivering transformative cost savings to taxpayers. "

Most recently, Dr. McCarville served as chief information officer and assistant vice chancellor of information technology services and operations at the University of Colorado, Denver. He’s also served as vice president – education, data strategy, and chief strategy officer at MTX Consulting Group/Maverick A1. Prior to those roles, Dr. McCarville was the state of Florida’s chief data officer, overseeing information technology needs for state agencies, counties, 28 colleges and 12 universities.&nbsp;

Dr. McCarville returns to Nebraska – the state where he was raised and attended school. He earned all his degrees from Creighton University, including a Doctorate in Business Administration.

Office of Governor Jim PillenLINCOLN, NE&nbsp;– Governor Jim Pillen has announced the appointment of Dr. Matthew J. McCarville as chief information officer for the state of Nebraska. McCarville starts his new role today. &nbsp;“Dr. McCarville’s information technology experience and expertise nationally and internationally in the public and private sectors is extensive,” said Gov. Jim Pillen. “I look forward to working with Dr. McCarville to eliminate state reliance on obsolete IT systems and delivering transformative cost savings to taxpayers. "Most recently, Dr. McCarville served as chief information officer and assistant vice chancellor of information technology services and operations at the University of Colorado, Denver. He’s also served as vice president – education, data strategy, and chief strategy officer at MTX Consulting Group/Maverick A1. Prior to those roles, Dr. McCarville was the state of Florida’s chief data officer, overseeing information technology needs for state agencies, counties, 28 colleges and 12 universities.&nbsp;Dr. McCarville returns to Nebraska – the state where he was raised and attended school. He earned all his degrees from Creighton University, including a Doctorate in Business Administration.

Governor Pillen Names New Chief Information Officer

WASHINGTON —Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fx.com%2fHawleyMO%2fstatus%2f1782445733071004133&amp;redir_log=060098234643287" target="_blank">mobilize the National Guard</a>&nbsp;to protect Jewish American students in response to anti-Israel, pro-terrorist demonstrations that have broken out on college campuses.

"On college campuses across the United States, Jewish Americans are at risk&nbsp;[...]&nbsp;In your statement on Passover, you stated that 'in recent days, we’ve seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant Antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous – and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country.' Now, you must take action to match those words,"&nbsp;wrote Senator Hawley.&nbsp;

"You must immediately mobilize the National Guard and any other authorities necessary to ensure the safety of Jewish American students and citizens,"&nbsp;Hawley continued.

Last October, the Senate unanimously&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2foutreach.senate.gov%2fiqextranet%2fiqClickTrk.aspx%3f%26cid%3dSenHawley%26crop%3d14502QQQ9087810QQQ7987650QQQ8019990%26report_id%3d%26redirect%3dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.hawley.senate.gov%252fsenate-passes-hawley-resolution-condemning-antisemitism-college-campuses%2523%253a%257e%253atext%253dSenate%252520Passes%252520Hawley%252520Resolution%252520Condemning%252520Antisemitism%252520on%252520College%252520Campuses%252c-Thursday%25252C%252520October%25252026%2526text%253dToday%252520the%252520U.S.%252520Senate%252520passed%252c7%252520terrorist%252520attack%252520against%252520Israel.%26redir_log%3d854300373832101&amp;redir_log=943543390563546" target="_blank">passed</a>&nbsp;Senator Hawley's&nbsp;resolution&nbsp;condemning Hamas and the antisemitic rhetoric emanating from campus student groups, which have continued to celebrate the Oct. 7 terrorist&nbsp;attack against Israel. The passage of Senator Hawley's resolution came after Democrats initially&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2foutreach.senate.gov%2fiqextranet%2fiqClickTrk.aspx%3f%26cid%3dSenHawley%26crop%3d14502QQQ9087810QQQ7987650QQQ8019990%26report_id%3d%26redirect%3dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.hawley.senate.gov%252fdemocrats-block-hawley-resolution-condemn-antisemitic-activities-college-campuses%26redir_log%3d591119202206791&amp;redir_log=235021319151988">blocked</a>&nbsp;the measure.

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=http%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fsites%2fdefault%2ffiles%2f2024-04%2fHawley-Letter-to-Biden-re-Columbia_0.pdf&amp;redir_log=471072155468652" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;to read the full letter from the Senator.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713893853332.jpeg" alt="The New School students and pro-Palestinian supporters rally outside The New School University Center building, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)" />
 <figcaption>The New School students and pro-Palestinian supporters rally outside The New School University Center building, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fx.com%2fHawleyMO%2fstatus%2f1782445733071004133&amp;redir_log=060098234643287" target="_blank">mobilize the National Guard</a>&nbsp;to protect Jewish American students in response to anti-Israel, pro-terrorist demonstrations that have broken out on college campuses.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713894040483.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>"On college campuses across the United States, Jewish Americans are at risk&nbsp;[...]&nbsp;In your statement on Passover, you stated that 'in recent days, we’ve seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant Antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous – and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country.' Now, you must take action to match those words,"&nbsp;wrote Senator Hawley.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Eisenhower sent the 101st to Little Rock. It’s time for Biden to call out the National Guard at our universities to protect Jewish Americans&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1782400528988664103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>"You must immediately mobilize the National Guard and any other authorities necessary to ensure the safety of Jewish American students and citizens,"&nbsp;Hawley continued.Last October, the Senate unanimously&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2foutreach.senate.gov%2fiqextranet%2fiqClickTrk.aspx%3f%26cid%3dSenHawley%26crop%3d14502QQQ9087810QQQ7987650QQQ8019990%26report_id%3d%26redirect%3dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.hawley.senate.gov%252fsenate-passes-hawley-resolution-condemning-antisemitism-college-campuses%2523%253a%257e%253atext%253dSenate%252520Passes%252520Hawley%252520Resolution%252520Condemning%252520Antisemitism%252520on%252520College%252520Campuses%252c-Thursday%25252C%252520October%25252026%2526text%253dToday%252520the%252520U.S.%252520Senate%252520passed%252c7%252520terrorist%252520attack%252520against%252520Israel.%26redir_log%3d854300373832101&amp;redir_log=943543390563546" target="_blank">passed</a>&nbsp;Senator Hawley's&nbsp;resolution&nbsp;condemning Hamas and the antisemitic rhetoric emanating from campus student groups, which have continued to celebrate the Oct. 7 terrorist&nbsp;attack against Israel. The passage of Senator Hawley's resolution came after Democrats initially&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2foutreach.senate.gov%2fiqextranet%2fiqClickTrk.aspx%3f%26cid%3dSenHawley%26crop%3d14502QQQ9087810QQQ7987650QQQ8019990%26report_id%3d%26redirect%3dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.hawley.senate.gov%252fdemocrats-block-hawley-resolution-condemn-antisemitic-activities-college-campuses%26redir_log%3d591119202206791&amp;redir_log=235021319151988">blocked</a>&nbsp;the measure.Click&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=http%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fsites%2fdefault%2ffiles%2f2024-04%2fHawley-Letter-to-Biden-re-Columbia_0.pdf&amp;redir_log=471072155468652" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;to read the full letter from the Senator.

Senator demands Biden use National Guard to protect Jewish students 

United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Clifton D. Reinoehl, 44, of Sheridan, Wyoming, was sentenced April 22, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for production and possession of child pornography. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Reinoehl to a total of 264 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Reinoehl’s release from prison, he will begin a 15-year term of supervised release and be required to register as a sex offender. Reinoehl was also ordered to pay $54,000 to the victims.

In February of 2023, the manager of a hotel in Schuyler, Nebraska called law enforcement to report a suspicious male guest who was seen with a very young girl. The two had left the hotel together. While law enforcement was speaking with hotel staff on scene, the male returned and was identified as Clifton Reinoehl from Sheridan, Wyoming. Reinoehl advised he had rented a vehicle and driven to Schuyler to meet an “online friend” he identified as an underage girl. Reinoehl confirmed he knew that the victim was a minor from their online conversations and further confirmed his knowledge of her age by relating to law enforcement various facts about the victim, including her birthdate.

Reinoehl was taken to the police department and interviewed. He advised his phone would have child pornography on it and signed a written consent to have his phone searched. When his property was inventoried in preparation for jail, a SD card was located that he advised would also have child pornography images. Reinoehl also advised he had a laptop at his residence in Wyoming would contain additional images of child pornography.&nbsp; Officers with the Schuyler Police Department were able to work with their counterparts in Sheridan, Wyoming to secure a search warrant for the laptop Reinoehl identified. That computer contained 2,689 child pornography files and another 14,278 that were classified as child erotica. Further investigation revealed that Reinoehl would actively communicate with children online and manipulate and groom them to send him sexually explicit images of themselves to him.

In pronouncing his sentence, Senior Judge Gerrard commended the bravery and courage of the victim for coming forward and for cooperating with law enforcement. He also noted Reinoehl appeared to have a “significant lack of insight into the damage” he had inflicted on multiple children.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.justice.gov/psc" target="_blank">www.justice.gov/psc</a>.

This case was investigated by the Schuyler Police Department, Sheridan, Wyoming Police Department the Nebraska State Patrol, and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office gives special thanks to the victim in this case for stepping forward to protect other children, for her family for supporting her, and to Sgt. Ryan Andel with the Schuyler Police Department and Juana Hanson with the Colfax County Attorney’s Office for their assistance with the case.

United States AttorneyUnited States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Clifton D. Reinoehl, 44, of Sheridan, Wyoming, was sentenced April 22, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for production and possession of child pornography. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Reinoehl to a total of 264 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Reinoehl’s release from prison, he will begin a 15-year term of supervised release and be required to register as a sex offender. Reinoehl was also ordered to pay $54,000 to the victims.In February of 2023, the manager of a hotel in Schuyler, Nebraska called law enforcement to report a suspicious male guest who was seen with a very young girl. The two had left the hotel together. While law enforcement was speaking with hotel staff on scene, the male returned and was identified as Clifton Reinoehl from Sheridan, Wyoming. Reinoehl advised he had rented a vehicle and driven to Schuyler to meet an “online friend” he identified as an underage girl. Reinoehl confirmed he knew that the victim was a minor from their online conversations and further confirmed his knowledge of her age by relating to law enforcement various facts about the victim, including her birthdate.Reinoehl was taken to the police department and interviewed. He advised his phone would have child pornography on it and signed a written consent to have his phone searched. When his property was inventoried in preparation for jail, a SD card was located that he advised would also have child pornography images. Reinoehl also advised he had a laptop at his residence in Wyoming would contain additional images of child pornography.&nbsp; Officers with the Schuyler Police Department were able to work with their counterparts in Sheridan, Wyoming to secure a search warrant for the laptop Reinoehl identified. That computer contained 2,689 child pornography files and another 14,278 that were classified as child erotica. Further investigation revealed that Reinoehl would actively communicate with children online and manipulate and groom them to send him sexually explicit images of themselves to him.In pronouncing his sentence, Senior Judge Gerrard commended the bravery and courage of the victim for coming forward and for cooperating with law enforcement. He also noted Reinoehl appeared to have a “significant lack of insight into the damage” he had inflicted on multiple children.This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.justice.gov/psc" target="_blank">www.justice.gov/psc</a>.This case was investigated by the Schuyler Police Department, Sheridan, Wyoming Police Department the Nebraska State Patrol, and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office gives special thanks to the victim in this case for stepping forward to protect other children, for her family for supporting her, and to Sgt. Ryan Andel with the Schuyler Police Department and Juana Hanson with the Colfax County Attorney’s Office for their assistance with the case.

Wyoming Man Sentenced for Distribution of Child Pornography

NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia canceled in-person classes, dozens of protesters were arrested at New York University and Yale, and the gates to Harvard Yard were closed to the public on Monday as some of the most prestigious U.S. universities sought to defuse campus tensions over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-04-22-2024-85da1c989f71f8c3bf00d8b45a0ed7f1">Israel's war with Hamas</a>.

The various actions followed the arrest last week of more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had camped out on Columbia's green, as schools struggle with where to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/campus-free-speech-young-generation-tension-b931b0dd41aacaac5c50710de9549b09">draw the line</a>&nbsp;between allowing free expression while maintaining a safe and inclusive campus.

In addition to the demonstrations at the Ivy League schools, pro-Palestinian encampments have sprouted up on other campuses, including at the University of Michigan, New York University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In a statement on Instagram on Monday, New York University officials warned protesters to clear the plaza by 4 p.m. or face consequences. Mass arrests began around 8:30 p.m.

The protests have pitted students against one another, with pro-Palestinian students demanding that their schools condemn Israel's assault on Gaza and divest from companies that sell weapons to Israel. Some Jewish students, meanwhile, say much of the criticism of Israel has veered into antisemitism and made them feel unsafe, and they point out that Hamas is still holding hostages taken during the group's Oct. 7 invasion.

Tensions remained high Monday at Columbia in New York City, where the campus gates were locked to anyone without a school ID and where protests broke out both on campus and outside.

U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning, a Democrat from North Carolina who was visiting Columbia with three other Jewish members of Congress, told reporters after meeting with students from the Jewish Law Students Association that there was “an enormous encampment of people” who had taken up about a third of the green.

“We saw signs indicating that Israel should be destroyed,” she said after leaving the Morningside Heights campus.

A woman inside the campus gates led about two dozen protesters on the street outside in a chant of, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” — a charged phrase that can mean&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/river-sea-israel-gaza-hamas-protests-d7abbd756f481fe50b6fa5c0b907cd49">vastly different things</a>&nbsp;to different groups. Meanwhile, a small group of pro-Israel counter demonstrators protested nearby.

University President Minouche Shafik said in a message to the school community Monday that she was “deeply saddened” by what was happening on campus.

“To deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps, I am announcing that all classes will be held virtually on Monday,” Shafik wrote, noting that students who don’t live on campus should stay away.

Robert Kraft, who owns the New England Patriots football team and funded the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life across from Columbia’s campus, said he was suspending donations to the university.

“I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken,” he said in a statement.

Protests have roiled many college campuses since Hamas’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-gaza-war-oct-7-327bfeb7bfce5cb0de1568bf41a0ff06">deadly attack</a>&nbsp;on southern Israel, when militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. During the ensuing war, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and non-combatants but says at least&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-aqsa-martyrs-hospital-health-care-israel-7c7a6117efae29e22a61e82151144613">two-thirds of the dead are children and women</a>.

Prahlad Iyengar, an MIT graduate student studying electrical engineering, was among about two dozen students who set up a tent encampment on the school's Cambridge, Massachusetts, campus Sunday evening. They are calling for a cease-fire and are protesting what they describe as MIT’s “complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza," he said.

“MIT has not even called for a cease-fire, and that’s a demand we have for sure,” Iyengar said.

He also said MIT has been sending out confusing rules about protests.

“We’re out here to demonstrate that we reserve the right to protest. It’s an essential part of living on a college campus,” Iyengar said.

On Sunday, Elie Buechler, a rabbi for the Orthodox Union’s Jewish Learning Initiative at Columbia, sent a WhatsApp message to nearly 300 Jewish students recommending they go home until it’s safer for them on campus.

The latest developments came ahead of the Monday evening start of the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Nicholas Baum, a 19-year-old Jewish freshman who lives in a Jewish theological seminary building two blocks from Columbia's campus, said protesters over the weekend were "calling for Hamas to blow away Tel Aviv and Israel.” He said some of the protesters shouting antisemitic slurs were not students.

“Jews are scared at Columbia. It’s as simple as that. There’s been so much vilification of Zionism, and it has spilled over into the vilification of Judaism,” he said.

The protest encampment sprung up at Columbia on Wednesday, the same day that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/columbia-president-congress-israel-hamas-antisemitism-3255357b4443c1fb4bae8b8ea5774ee5">Shafik faced bruising criticism</a>&nbsp;at a congressional hearing from Republicans who said she hadn't done enough to fight antisemitism. Two other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/columbia-president-congress-israel-hamas-antisemitism-3255357b4443c1fb4bae8b8ea5774ee5">Ivy League presidents resigned</a>&nbsp;months ago following widely criticized testimony they gave to the same committee.

In her statement Monday, Shafik said the Middle East conflict is terrible and that she understands that many are experiencing deep moral distress.

“But we cannot have one group dictate terms and attempt to disrupt important milestones like graduation to advance their point of view,” Shafik wrote.

Over the coming days, a working group of deans, school administrators and faculty will try to find a resolution to the university crisis, noted Shafik, who didn't say when in-person classes would resume.

U.S. House Republicans from New York urged Shafik to resign, saying in a&nbsp;<a href="https://files.constantcontact.com/81b76c35801/10181832-52e2-49dd-97db-124433534f8d.pdf?rdr=true">letter</a>&nbsp;Monday that she had failed to provide a safe learning environment in recent days as “anarchy has engulfed the campus.”

In Massachusetts, a sign said Harvard Yard was closed to the public Monday. It said structures, including tents and tables, were only allowed into the yard with prior permission. “Students violating these policies are subject to disciplinary action,” the sign said. Security guards were checking people for school IDs.

At Yale, police officers arrested about 45 protesters and charged them with misdemeanor trespassing, said Officer Christian Bruckhart, a New Haven police spokesperson. All were being released on promises to appear in court later, he said.

Protesters set up tents on Beinecke Plaza on Friday and demonstrated over the weekend, calling on Yale to end any investments in defense companies that do business with Israel.

Nadine Cubeisy, a Yale student and one of the protest's organizers, said it was disturbing that “this university that I’m going to, that I contribute to and that my friends give money to is using that money to fund violence.”

In a statement to the campus community on Sunday, Yale President Peter Salovey said university officials had spoken to the student protesters multiple times about the school’s policies and guidelines, including those regarding speech and allowing access to campus spaces.

School officials said they spoke with protesters over several hours and gave them until the end of the weekend to leave Beinecke Plaza. The said they again warned protesters Monday morning and told them that they could face arrest and discipline, including suspension, before police moved in.

A large group of demonstrators regathered after Monday's arrests at Yale and blocked a street near campus, said Bruckhart. There were no reports of any violence or injuries.

Last week, the University of Southern California took the unusual step of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/usc-muslim-valedictorian-speech-canceled-palestinians-israel-7b481db2d4e0db040b091bf8457f0b3f">canceling a planned commencement speech</a>&nbsp;by its 2024 valedictorian, who had publicly supported Palestinians. The university cited security concerns in a decision that was praised by some pro-Israel groups but criticized by free-speech advocates.

Several students at Columbia and its sister school, Barnard College, said they were suspended for taking part in last week’s protests, including Barnard student&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/israhirsi/status/1780980484203327780">Isra Hirsi</a>, the daughter of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar. ___

Perry reported from Meredith, New Hampshire, and Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Associated Press writers Steve LeBlanc in Boston and Susan Haigh in Hartford contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713832443649.png" alt="Pro-Palestine protests at Columbia-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Pro-Palestine protests at Columbia-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia canceled in-person classes, dozens of protesters were arrested at New York University and Yale, and the gates to Harvard Yard were closed to the public on Monday as some of the most prestigious U.S. universities sought to defuse campus tensions over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-04-22-2024-85da1c989f71f8c3bf00d8b45a0ed7f1">Israel's war with Hamas</a>.The various actions followed the arrest last week of more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had camped out on Columbia's green, as schools struggle with where to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/campus-free-speech-young-generation-tension-b931b0dd41aacaac5c50710de9549b09">draw the line</a>&nbsp;between allowing free expression while maintaining a safe and inclusive campus.In addition to the demonstrations at the Ivy League schools, pro-Palestinian encampments have sprouted up on other campuses, including at the University of Michigan, New York University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.In a statement on Instagram on Monday, New York University officials warned protesters to clear the plaza by 4 p.m. or face consequences. Mass arrests began around 8:30 p.m.The protests have pitted students against one another, with pro-Palestinian students demanding that their schools condemn Israel's assault on Gaza and divest from companies that sell weapons to Israel. Some Jewish students, meanwhile, say much of the criticism of Israel has veered into antisemitism and made them feel unsafe, and they point out that Hamas is still holding hostages taken during the group's Oct. 7 invasion.Tensions remained high Monday at Columbia in New York City, where the campus gates were locked to anyone without a school ID and where protests broke out both on campus and outside.U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning, a Democrat from North Carolina who was visiting Columbia with three other Jewish members of Congress, told reporters after meeting with students from the Jewish Law Students Association that there was “an enormous encampment of people” who had taken up about a third of the green.“We saw signs indicating that Israel should be destroyed,” she said after leaving the Morningside Heights campus.A woman inside the campus gates led about two dozen protesters on the street outside in a chant of, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” — a charged phrase that can mean&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/river-sea-israel-gaza-hamas-protests-d7abbd756f481fe50b6fa5c0b907cd49">vastly different things</a>&nbsp;to different groups. Meanwhile, a small group of pro-Israel counter demonstrators protested nearby.University President Minouche Shafik said in a message to the school community Monday that she was “deeply saddened” by what was happening on campus.“To deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps, I am announcing that all classes will be held virtually on Monday,” Shafik wrote, noting that students who don’t live on campus should stay away.Robert Kraft, who owns the New England Patriots football team and funded the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life across from Columbia’s campus, said he was suspending donations to the university.“I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken,” he said in a statement.Protests have roiled many college campuses since Hamas’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-gaza-war-oct-7-327bfeb7bfce5cb0de1568bf41a0ff06">deadly attack</a>&nbsp;on southern Israel, when militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. During the ensuing war, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and non-combatants but says at least&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-aqsa-martyrs-hospital-health-care-israel-7c7a6117efae29e22a61e82151144613">two-thirds of the dead are children and women</a>.Prahlad Iyengar, an MIT graduate student studying electrical engineering, was among about two dozen students who set up a tent encampment on the school's Cambridge, Massachusetts, campus Sunday evening. They are calling for a cease-fire and are protesting what they describe as MIT’s “complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza," he said.“MIT has not even called for a cease-fire, and that’s a demand we have for sure,” Iyengar said.He also said MIT has been sending out confusing rules about protests.“We’re out here to demonstrate that we reserve the right to protest. It’s an essential part of living on a college campus,” Iyengar said.On Sunday, Elie Buechler, a rabbi for the Orthodox Union’s Jewish Learning Initiative at Columbia, sent a WhatsApp message to nearly 300 Jewish students recommending they go home until it’s safer for them on campus.The latest developments came ahead of the Monday evening start of the Jewish holiday of Passover.Nicholas Baum, a 19-year-old Jewish freshman who lives in a Jewish theological seminary building two blocks from Columbia's campus, said protesters over the weekend were "calling for Hamas to blow away Tel Aviv and Israel.” He said some of the protesters shouting antisemitic slurs were not students.“Jews are scared at Columbia. It’s as simple as that. There’s been so much vilification of Zionism, and it has spilled over into the vilification of Judaism,” he said.The protest encampment sprung up at Columbia on Wednesday, the same day that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/columbia-president-congress-israel-hamas-antisemitism-3255357b4443c1fb4bae8b8ea5774ee5">Shafik faced bruising criticism</a>&nbsp;at a congressional hearing from Republicans who said she hadn't done enough to fight antisemitism. Two other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/columbia-president-congress-israel-hamas-antisemitism-3255357b4443c1fb4bae8b8ea5774ee5">Ivy League presidents resigned</a>&nbsp;months ago following widely criticized testimony they gave to the same committee.In her statement Monday, Shafik said the Middle East conflict is terrible and that she understands that many are experiencing deep moral distress.“But we cannot have one group dictate terms and attempt to disrupt important milestones like graduation to advance their point of view,” Shafik wrote.Over the coming days, a working group of deans, school administrators and faculty will try to find a resolution to the university crisis, noted Shafik, who didn't say when in-person classes would resume.U.S. House Republicans from New York urged Shafik to resign, saying in a&nbsp;<a href="https://files.constantcontact.com/81b76c35801/10181832-52e2-49dd-97db-124433534f8d.pdf?rdr=true">letter</a>&nbsp;Monday that she had failed to provide a safe learning environment in recent days as “anarchy has engulfed the campus.”In Massachusetts, a sign said Harvard Yard was closed to the public Monday. It said structures, including tents and tables, were only allowed into the yard with prior permission. “Students violating these policies are subject to disciplinary action,” the sign said. Security guards were checking people for school IDs.At Yale, police officers arrested about 45 protesters and charged them with misdemeanor trespassing, said Officer Christian Bruckhart, a New Haven police spokesperson. All were being released on promises to appear in court later, he said.Protesters set up tents on Beinecke Plaza on Friday and demonstrated over the weekend, calling on Yale to end any investments in defense companies that do business with Israel.Nadine Cubeisy, a Yale student and one of the protest's organizers, said it was disturbing that “this university that I’m going to, that I contribute to and that my friends give money to is using that money to fund violence.”In a statement to the campus community on Sunday, Yale President Peter Salovey said university officials had spoken to the student protesters multiple times about the school’s policies and guidelines, including those regarding speech and allowing access to campus spaces.School officials said they spoke with protesters over several hours and gave them until the end of the weekend to leave Beinecke Plaza. The said they again warned protesters Monday morning and told them that they could face arrest and discipline, including suspension, before police moved in.A large group of demonstrators regathered after Monday's arrests at Yale and blocked a street near campus, said Bruckhart. There were no reports of any violence or injuries.Last week, the University of Southern California took the unusual step of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/usc-muslim-valedictorian-speech-canceled-palestinians-israel-7b481db2d4e0db040b091bf8457f0b3f">canceling a planned commencement speech</a>&nbsp;by its 2024 valedictorian, who had publicly supported Palestinians. The university cited security concerns in a decision that was praised by some pro-Israel groups but criticized by free-speech advocates.Several students at Columbia and its sister school, Barnard College, said they were suspended for taking part in last week’s protests, including Barnard student&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/israhirsi/status/1780980484203327780">Isra Hirsi</a>, the daughter of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar. ___Perry reported from Meredith, New Hampshire, and Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Associated Press writers Steve LeBlanc in Boston and Susan Haigh in Hartford contributed to this report.--------------

Pro-Palestinian protests sweep US college campuses following mass arrests at Columbia

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen threatened from the beginning of this year's legislative session that he would call lawmakers back for a special session if they failed to pass a bill to significantly ease soaring property taxes. On the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-legislature-session-ends-0ee276c3e9487583427e234aa413b3fd">last day of the 60-day session Thursday</a>, some lawmakers who helped torpedo an already anemic tax-shifting bill said they would welcome Pillen's special session.

“We're not going to fix this bill today,” said Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt, the lone independent in Nebraska's unique one-chamber, officially nonpartisan Legislature. “The time we're going to fix this is going to be in a special session where we start from scratch.”

Pillen followed through in his address to lawmakers just hours before they adjourned the session without taking a vote on the property tax relief bill he backed, saying he planned to issue a proclamation for a special session.

“I will call as many sessions as it takes to finish the long overdue work of solving our property tax crisis,” he said.

Nebraska law requires that a special session can be no shorter than seven days and that actions considered must be limited to the subjects outlined in the governor's proclamation. Pillen has in recent weeks said he would also consider a special session to change the way Nebraska allots its Electoral College votes to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/electoral-votes-nebraska-maine-3dc4b2f6cd59e3eb52ddc9ed15cf33e1">winner-take-all system</a>. Currently, Nebraska splits its presidential electoral votes based on the popular vote within its three congressional districts. Maine is the only other state to split its electoral votes.

Republicans want the switch ahead of this year’s hotly contested presidential election to ensure an electoral vote tied to Nebraska’s Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District doesn’t go to President Joe Biden,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-lincoln-omaha-93fdcb5a05fc62878b4fe70c2f7f6e5a">as it did in 2020</a>.

Pillen has said he'll include the winner-take-all issue in a special session call if there are enough votes to get it beyond a filibuster, which takes 33 votes. While Republicans currently hold 33 seats, not all of them are willing to toss out Nebraska's split system, so Pillen remains focused on passing property tax relief.

He had backed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-legislature-session-ends-0ee276c3e9487583427e234aa413b3fd">bill</a>&nbsp;that initially sought to raise the state’s sales tax to 6.5%, which would have been among the highest in the country. It also expanded the sales tax base to items like candy, soda, pet grooming and veterinary services and digital advertising and included some caps on spending by local governments.

The measure squeaked through the first two rounds of debate, garnering just enough votes to overcome a filibuster. But by the time it reached the third and last round on the final day of the session, the sales tax increase had been stripped away, leaving just a fraction of the property tax savings originally sought.

The bill was key to Pillen’s plan to slash soaring property taxes. Just days into the session, Pillen called for a 40% reduction that would cut $2 billion from the $5.3 billion in property taxes collected in 2023. That property tax revenue compares to $3.4 billion collected just 10 years earlier, and is far more than the collections from sales and income tax, which brought in about $2.3 billion and $3 billion respectively in 2023.

Soaring housing and land prices in recent years have led to ballooning property tax bills for homeowners and farmers, but some homeowners have been hit especially hard, as state law requires residential property to be assessed at nearly 100% of market value, compared to 75% for agricultural land.

The skyrocketing costs are keeping a new generation from being able to afford homeownership, Pillen said. It's also forcing some elderly residents on fixed incomes out of homes they've already paid off because they can't afford the ever-rising tax bill, he said.

But the array of proposed sales tax increases was enough to find opponents in both liberals, who complained that it put too much of the tax burden on those least able to afford it, and conservatives, who called for more reductions in spending over new taxes.

Democratic Sen. Danielle Conrad labeled the bill “one of the largest tax increases in Nebraska history," drawing protest from the bill's main sponsor, Republican Sen. Lou Ann Linehan. who defended it as a tax shift to a wider base of taxpayers.

“It's easy to say, ‘No, no, no,’" she said. “So everybody who's saying we can do better, I hope you have those ideas to the Revenue Committee by the end of June.”

If Pillen follows through with the special session, Nebraska would join several other states that have done so or are expected to later this year. On Wednesday, Virginia's Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the state's General Assembly reached a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-legislature-glenn-youngkin-session-reconvened-4362e039df3be22725777d15ce385a00">budget agreement</a>&nbsp;that will require a special session in May. On the same day, New Mexico’s Democratic governor announced a mid-summer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-governor-special-session-crime-cc70807f7adb7e1738439e72283a8a45">special legislative session</a>&nbsp;on public safety initiatives.

In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves called two special sessions in January during the regular legislative session for lawmakers to consider incentives for economic development projects. And in Louisiana, the Republican-dominated legislature passed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/louisiana-crime-bills-landry-justice-9299f1217b0f67cc7a8fbf948f369af3">a slew of tough-on-crime policies</a>&nbsp;during a two-week special session in February that included expanding death row execution methods, charging 17-year-olds as adults and eliminating parole for most people who are jailed in the future.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen threatened from the beginning of this year's legislative session that he would call lawmakers back for a special session if they failed to pass a bill to significantly ease soaring property taxes. On the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-legislature-session-ends-0ee276c3e9487583427e234aa413b3fd">last day of the 60-day session Thursday</a>, some lawmakers who helped torpedo an already anemic tax-shifting bill said they would welcome Pillen's special session.“We're not going to fix this bill today,” said Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt, the lone independent in Nebraska's unique one-chamber, officially nonpartisan Legislature. “The time we're going to fix this is going to be in a special session where we start from scratch.”Pillen followed through in his address to lawmakers just hours before they adjourned the session without taking a vote on the property tax relief bill he backed, saying he planned to issue a proclamation for a special session.“I will call as many sessions as it takes to finish the long overdue work of solving our property tax crisis,” he said.Nebraska law requires that a special session can be no shorter than seven days and that actions considered must be limited to the subjects outlined in the governor's proclamation. Pillen has in recent weeks said he would also consider a special session to change the way Nebraska allots its Electoral College votes to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/electoral-votes-nebraska-maine-3dc4b2f6cd59e3eb52ddc9ed15cf33e1">winner-take-all system</a>. Currently, Nebraska splits its presidential electoral votes based on the popular vote within its three congressional districts. Maine is the only other state to split its electoral votes.Republicans want the switch ahead of this year’s hotly contested presidential election to ensure an electoral vote tied to Nebraska’s Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District doesn’t go to President Joe Biden,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-lincoln-omaha-93fdcb5a05fc62878b4fe70c2f7f6e5a">as it did in 2020</a>.Pillen has said he'll include the winner-take-all issue in a special session call if there are enough votes to get it beyond a filibuster, which takes 33 votes. While Republicans currently hold 33 seats, not all of them are willing to toss out Nebraska's split system, so Pillen remains focused on passing property tax relief.He had backed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-legislature-session-ends-0ee276c3e9487583427e234aa413b3fd">bill</a>&nbsp;that initially sought to raise the state’s sales tax to 6.5%, which would have been among the highest in the country. It also expanded the sales tax base to items like candy, soda, pet grooming and veterinary services and digital advertising and included some caps on spending by local governments.The measure squeaked through the first two rounds of debate, garnering just enough votes to overcome a filibuster. But by the time it reached the third and last round on the final day of the session, the sales tax increase had been stripped away, leaving just a fraction of the property tax savings originally sought.The bill was key to Pillen’s plan to slash soaring property taxes. Just days into the session, Pillen called for a 40% reduction that would cut $2 billion from the $5.3 billion in property taxes collected in 2023. That property tax revenue compares to $3.4 billion collected just 10 years earlier, and is far more than the collections from sales and income tax, which brought in about $2.3 billion and $3 billion respectively in 2023.Soaring housing and land prices in recent years have led to ballooning property tax bills for homeowners and farmers, but some homeowners have been hit especially hard, as state law requires residential property to be assessed at nearly 100% of market value, compared to 75% for agricultural land.The skyrocketing costs are keeping a new generation from being able to afford homeownership, Pillen said. It's also forcing some elderly residents on fixed incomes out of homes they've already paid off because they can't afford the ever-rising tax bill, he said.But the array of proposed sales tax increases was enough to find opponents in both liberals, who complained that it put too much of the tax burden on those least able to afford it, and conservatives, who called for more reductions in spending over new taxes.Democratic Sen. Danielle Conrad labeled the bill “one of the largest tax increases in Nebraska history," drawing protest from the bill's main sponsor, Republican Sen. Lou Ann Linehan. who defended it as a tax shift to a wider base of taxpayers.“It's easy to say, ‘No, no, no,’" she said. “So everybody who's saying we can do better, I hope you have those ideas to the Revenue Committee by the end of June.”If Pillen follows through with the special session, Nebraska would join several other states that have done so or are expected to later this year. On Wednesday, Virginia's Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the state's General Assembly reached a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-legislature-glenn-youngkin-session-reconvened-4362e039df3be22725777d15ce385a00">budget agreement</a>&nbsp;that will require a special session in May. On the same day, New Mexico’s Democratic governor announced a mid-summer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-governor-special-session-crime-cc70807f7adb7e1738439e72283a8a45">special legislative session</a>&nbsp;on public safety initiatives.In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves called two special sessions in January during the regular legislative session for lawmakers to consider incentives for economic development projects. And in Louisiana, the Republican-dominated legislature passed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/louisiana-crime-bills-landry-justice-9299f1217b0f67cc7a8fbf948f369af3">a slew of tough-on-crime policies</a>&nbsp;during a two-week special session in February that included expanding death row execution methods, charging 17-year-olds as adults and eliminating parole for most people who are jailed in the future.

Nebraska's governor says he'll call lawmakers back to address tax relief

NEW YORK (AP) — Monday's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-opening-stormy-daniels-6beee9b99114898ee0dd60185d43bac5">opening statements in the first criminal trial</a>&nbsp;of a former American president provided a clear roadmap of how prosecutors will try to make the case that Donald Trump broke the law, and how the defense plans to fight the charges on multiple fronts.

Lawyers presented dueling narratives as jurors got their first glimpse into the prosecution accusing Trump of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">falsifying business records</a>&nbsp;as part of a scheme to squelch negative stories about him during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Still to come are weeks of what's likely to be dramatic and embarrassing testimony about the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's personal life as he simultaneously campaigns to return to the White House in November.

Here's a look at some key takeaways from opening statements:

ELECTION FRAUD VS. ‘BOOKKEEPING’ CASE

Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying internal Trump Organization business records. But prosecutors made clear they do not want jurors to view this as a routine paper case. Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said the heart of the case is a scheme to “corrupt” the 2016 election by silencing people who were about to come forward with embarrassing stories Trump feared would hurt his campaign.

“No politician wants bad press," Colangelo said. “But the evidence at trial will show that this was not spin or communications strategy. This was a planned, long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016 election, to help Donald Trump get elected through illegal expenditures to silence people who had something bad to say about his behavior.” He added: “It was election fraud, pure and simple.”

The business records charges stem from things like invoices and checks that were deemed legal expenses in Trump Organization records when prosecutors say they were really reimbursements to former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen for a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels. Daniels was threatening to go public with claims she had an extramarital sexual encounter with Trump. He says it never happened.

Prosecutors' characterizations appear designed to combat suggestions by some pundits that the case — perhaps the only one that will go to trial before the November election — isn't as serious as the&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/index.html">other three prosecutions</a>&nbsp;he's facing. Those cases accuse Trump of trying to overturn&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">the 2020 election he lost to President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-delay-trial-election-83be6fb5362e7bb2b7aaf6371a9acabf">illegally retaining classified documents</a>&nbsp;after he left the White House.

Trump, meanwhile, sought to downplay the accusations while leaving the courtroom on Monday, calling it all a “bookkeeping" case and “a very minor thing.” But he, too, has said it’s all about an election — the one this November. Trump has repeatedly claimed that the case is part of a sweeping Democratic attempt to harm his chances at reclaiming the presidency.

Trump’s attorney used his opening statement to attack the case as baseless, saying the former president did nothing illegal.

The attorney, Todd Blanche, challenged prosecutors’ claim that Trump agreed to pay Daniels to aid his campaign, saying Trump was trying to “protect his family, his reputation and his brand."

Blanche indicated the defense will argue that after all the very point of a presidential campaign is to try to influence an election.

"It’s called democracy,” Blanche told jurors. “They put something sinister on this idea, as if it’s a crime. You’ll learn it’s not.”

Blanche also portrayed the ledger entries at issue in the case as pro forma actions performed by a Trump Organization employee. Trump “had nothing to do with” the allegedly false business records, “except that he signed the checks, in the White House, while he was running the country,” Blanche said. And he argued that the records’ references to legal expenses weren’t false, since Cohen was Trump’s personal lawyer at the time.