NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has ruled that Donald Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame and the White House.

Judge Arthur Engoron, ruling Tuesday in a civil lawsuit brought by New York’s attorney general, found that the former president and his company deceived banks, insurers and others by massively overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing.

The decision, days before the start of a non-jury trial in Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit, is the strongest repudiation yet of Trump’s carefully coiffed image as a wealthy and shrewd real estate mogul turned political powerhouse.

Beyond mere bragging about his riches, Trump, his company and key executives repeatedly lied about them on his annual financial statements, reaping rewards such as favorable loan terms and lower insurance premiums, Engoron found.

Those tactics crossed a line and violated the law, the judge said, rejecting Trump’s contention that a disclaimer on the financial statements absolved him of any wrongdoing.

Manhattan prosecutors had looked into bringing a criminal case over the same conduct but declined to do so, leaving James to sue Trump and seek penalties that could disrupt his and his family’s ability to do business in the state.

Engoron’s ruling, in a phase of the case known as summary judgment, resolves the key claim in James’ lawsuit, but six others remain.

Engoron is slated to hold a non-jury trial starting Oct. 2 before deciding on those claims and any punishments he may impose. James is seeking $250 million in penalties and a ban on Trump doing business in New York, his home state. The trial could last into December, Engoron has said.

Trump’s lawyers had asked the judge to throw out the case, which he denied. They contend that James wasn’t legally allowed to file the lawsuit because there isn’t any evidence that the public was harmed by Trump’s actions. They also argued that many of the allegations in the lawsuit were barred by the statute of limitations.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695760955952.png" alt="Former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in South Carolina Monday-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in South Carolina Monday-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has ruled that Donald Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame and the White House.Judge Arthur Engoron, ruling Tuesday in a civil lawsuit brought by New York’s attorney general, found that the former president and his company deceived banks, insurers and others by massively overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing.The decision, days before the start of a non-jury trial in Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit, is the strongest repudiation yet of Trump’s carefully coiffed image as a wealthy and shrewd real estate mogul turned political powerhouse.Beyond mere bragging about his riches, Trump, his company and key executives repeatedly lied about them on his annual financial statements, reaping rewards such as favorable loan terms and lower insurance premiums, Engoron found.Those tactics crossed a line and violated the law, the judge said, rejecting Trump’s contention that a disclaimer on the financial statements absolved him of any wrongdoing.Manhattan prosecutors had looked into bringing a criminal case over the same conduct but declined to do so, leaving James to sue Trump and seek penalties that could disrupt his and his family’s ability to do business in the state.Engoron’s ruling, in a phase of the case known as summary judgment, resolves the key claim in James’ lawsuit, but six others remain.Engoron is slated to hold a non-jury trial starting Oct. 2 before deciding on those claims and any punishments he may impose. James is seeking $250 million in penalties and a ban on Trump doing business in New York, his home state. The trial could last into December, Engoron has said.Trump’s lawyers had asked the judge to throw out the case, which he denied. They contend that James wasn’t legally allowed to file the lawsuit because there isn’t any evidence that the public was harmed by Trump’s actions. They also argued that many of the allegations in the lawsuit were barred by the statute of limitations.

Judge: Donald Trump defrauded banks, insurers as he built empire

SEPTEMBER 26, 2023 (LINCOLN, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Harvest is in full swing across Nebraska and the Nebraska State Patrol encourages all motorists to be aware of agriculture equipment traveling on roads throughout the state.

“Harvest is a busy season across Nebraska and our ag producers are on the move, so all motorists should stay alert for slow-moving ag implements,” said Captain Martin Denton, Commander of NSP Carrier Enforcement. “Due to their dimensions and loads, operator visibility is often reduced, so we urge drivers to be cautious when approaching, following, or attempting to pass farm vehicles.”

Ag producers across Nebraska utilize a harvest permit to move their products to market. There are a number of benefits with this permit, including an overweight allowance of up to 15 percent above state law. To utilize the harvest exemption, the product owner should provide the hauler with a signed statement of origin and destination,&nbsp;<a href="https://statepatrol.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/form_for_overweight_exception_-_2022-23_revision.pdf" target="_blank">such as this example.</a>

Haulers should maintain the safety of their vehicle by conducting pre-trip inspections, voluntarily complying with traffic safety laws, displaying warning signs on machinery, using flashing yellow caution lights when traveling, and staying aware of vehicles that may be attempting to pass.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695741490466.jpeg" alt="9-26-Harvest/Photo provided by NSP" />
 <figcaption>9-26-Harvest/Photo provided by NSP</figcaption>
 </figure>Cody ThomasSEPTEMBER 26, 2023 (LINCOLN, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Harvest is in full swing across Nebraska and the Nebraska State Patrol encourages all motorists to be aware of agriculture equipment traveling on roads throughout the state.“Harvest is a busy season across Nebraska and our ag producers are on the move, so all motorists should stay alert for slow-moving ag implements,” said Captain Martin Denton, Commander of NSP Carrier Enforcement. “Due to their dimensions and loads, operator visibility is often reduced, so we urge drivers to be cautious when approaching, following, or attempting to pass farm vehicles.”Ag producers across Nebraska utilize a harvest permit to move their products to market. There are a number of benefits with this permit, including an overweight allowance of up to 15 percent above state law. To utilize the harvest exemption, the product owner should provide the hauler with a signed statement of origin and destination,&nbsp;<a href="https://statepatrol.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/form_for_overweight_exception_-_2022-23_revision.pdf" target="_blank">such as this example.</a>Haulers should maintain the safety of their vehicle by conducting pre-trip inspections, voluntarily complying with traffic safety laws, displaying warning signs on machinery, using flashing yellow caution lights when traveling, and staying aware of vehicles that may be attempting to pass.

Drivers, Ag Producers Share the Road During Harvest Season

VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;joined United Auto Workers strikers on their picket line Tuesday as their work stoppage&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uaw-strike-ford-gm-stellantis-contract-offers-5dd4dee2056b7efe06d2a55433d8d13a">against major carmakers</a>&nbsp;hit day 12, a demonstration of support for organized labor apparently unparalleled in presidential history.

(Video courtesy Deputy White House press secretary)

“You deserve the significant raise you need," Biden said through a bullhorn while wearing a union baseball cap after arriving at a General Motors parts distribution warehouse located in a suburb west of Detroit.

He walked along the picket line, exchanging fist bumps with grinning workers.

He encouraged them to continue fighting for better wages despite concerns that a prolonged strike could damage the economy, saying “stick with it.”

He said “yes” when asked if UAW members deserved a 40% raise, one of the demands that the union has made.

“No deal, no wheels!” workers chanted as Biden arrived. “No pay, no parts!”

He was joined by UAW President Shawn Fain, who rode with him in the presidential limousine to the picket line.

“Thank you, Mr. President, for coming to stand up with us in our generation-defining moment," said Fain, who described the union as engaged in a “kind of war” against “corporate greed.”

“We do the heavy lifting. We do the real work," Fein said. "Not the CEOs.”

Labor historians say they cannot recall an instance when a sitting president has joined an ongoing strike, even during the tenures of the more ardent pro-union presidents such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman. Theodore Roosevelt invited labor leaders alongside mine operators to the White House amid a historic coal strike in 1902, a decision that was seen at the time as a rare embrace of unions as Roosevelt tried to resolve the dispute.

Biden arrived one day before former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, goes to Detroit to hold his own event in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/labor-union-auto-workers-trump-strike-dfcb805fd4e749b13aaf827e1463da73">an attempt to woo auto workers</a>&nbsp;even though union leaders say he's no ally.

Lawmakers often appear at strikes to show solidarity with unions, and Biden joined picket lines with casino workers in Las Vegas and auto workers in Kansas City while seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

But sitting presidents, who have to balance the rights of workers with disruptions to the economy, supply chains and other facets of everyday life, have long wanted to stay out of the strike fray — until Biden.

“This is absolutely unprecedented. No president has ever walked a picket line before,” said Erik Loomis, a professor at the University of Rhode Island and an expert on U.S. labor history. Presidents historically “avoided direct participation in strikes. They saw themselves more as mediators. They did not see it as their place to directly intervene in a strike or in labor action.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Michigan that “Biden is fighting to ensure that the cars of the future will be built in America by unionized American workers in good-paying jobs, instead of being built in China.”

Biden's trip to join a picket line in the suburbs of Detroit is the most significant demonstration of his pro-union bona fides, a record that includes vocal support for unionization efforts at Amazon.com facilities and executive actions that promoted worker organizing. He also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/president-joe-biden-unions-democrats-presidential-campaign-8242bafc4e61ed88f7f211c621132102">earned a joint endorsement of major unions</a>&nbsp;earlier this year and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-broadway-fundraiser-new-york-fc92b7f04ad2ac20c119e60337da5cfb">has avoided southern California for high-dollar fundraisers</a>&nbsp;amid the writers' and actors' strikes in Hollywood.

During the ongoing UAW strike, Biden has argued that the auto companies have not gone far enough, although White House officials have repeatedly declined to say whether the president endorses specific UAW demands such as a 40% hike in wages and full-time pay for a 32-hour work week.

“I think the UAW gave up an incredible amount back when the automobile industry was going under. They gave everything from their pensions on, and they saved the automobile industry,” Biden said Monday from the White House. He said workers should benefit from carmakers' riches “now that the industry is roaring back.”

Biden and other Democrats are more&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-unions-reelection-campaign-2024-04b89292c9c41f35a127f2458d90a610">aggressively touting the president's pro-labor credentials</a>&nbsp;at a time when Trump is trying to make inroads in critical swing states where unions remain influential, including Michigan and Pennsylvania. Biden is leaning on his union support at a time when labor enjoys broad support from the public, with 67% of Americans approving of labor unions in an August Gallup poll.

The United Farm Workers announced their endorsement of Biden on Tuesday, calling him “an authentic champion for workers and their families, regardless of their race or national origin.” Biden's campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, is the granddaughter of Cesar Chavez, the union's co-founder.

The UAW has not endorsed Biden. Asked about that after landing in Michigan, Biden told reporters that “I’m not worried about that."

Trump is skipping the second Republican primary debate on Wednesday and will meet with striking autoworkers in Michigan, seeking to capitalize on discontent over the state of the economy and anger over the Biden administration's push for more electric vehicles — a key component of its clean-energy agenda.

“If it wasn’t for President Trump, Joe Biden would be giving autoworkers the East Palestine treatment and saying that his schedule was too busy," said Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller, referring to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/east-palestine-train-derailment-norfolk-southern-biden-875699405d37cacbb5dd958dafb18071">small Ohio town that is still grappling</a>&nbsp;with the aftermath of a February train derailment. Biden said he would visit the community but so far has not.

White House officials dismissed the notion that Trump forced their hand and noted that Biden was headed to Michigan at the request of UAW President Shawn Fain, who last week invited the sitting president to join the strikers.

“He is pro-UAW, he is pro-workers, that is this president,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday. “He stands by union workers, and he is going to stand with the men and women of the UAW.”

Yet the UAW strike,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uaw-ford-stellantis-general-motors-strike-labor-4132aa222c9a4456415af480d6fafa98">which expanded into 20 states last week</a>, remains a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-electric-cars-uaw-strike-d73f259bf5e9242340e912ad1e9b4aa9">dilemma for the Biden administration</a>&nbsp;since a part of the workers' grievances include concerns about a broader transition to electric vehicles. The shift away from gas-powered vehicles has worried some autoworkers because electric versions require fewer people to manufacture and there is no guarantee that factories that produce them will be unionized.

Carolyn Nippa, who was walking the picket line Monday at the GM parts warehouse in Van Buren Township, Michigan, was ambivalent about the president’s advocacy for electric vehicles, even as she said Biden was a better president than Trump for workers. She said it was “great that we have a president who wants to support local unions and the working class.”

“I know it’s the future. It’s the future of the car industry,” Nippa said of electric vehicles. “I’m hoping it doesn’t affect our jobs.”

Still, other pickets remained more skeptical about Biden's visit Tuesday.

Dave Ellis, who stocks parts at the distribution center, said he’s happy Biden wants to show people he’s behind the middle class. But he said the visit is just about getting more votes.

“I don’t necessarily believe that it’s really about us," said Ellis, who argued that Trump would be a better president for the middle class than Biden because Trump is a businessman.

The Biden administration has no formal role in the negotiations, and the White House pulled back a decision from the president earlier this month to send two key deputies to Michigan after determining it would be more productive for the advisers, Gene Sperling and acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, to monitor talks from Washington.

VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;joined United Auto Workers strikers on their picket line Tuesday as their work stoppage&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uaw-strike-ford-gm-stellantis-contract-offers-5dd4dee2056b7efe06d2a55433d8d13a">against major carmakers</a>&nbsp;hit day 12, a demonstration of support for organized labor apparently unparalleled in presidential history.(Video courtesy Deputy White House press secretary)<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/UAW?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UAW</a> President Shawn Fain: &quot;This is a historic moment: the 1st time in our country&#39;s history that a sitting USA President has came out and stood on the picket line.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/CNouiVuRlH">pic.twitter.com/CNouiVuRlH</a>&mdash; Andrew Bates (@AndrewJBates46) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewJBates46/status/1706719414845161823?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“You deserve the significant raise you need," Biden said through a bullhorn while wearing a union baseball cap after arriving at a General Motors parts distribution warehouse located in a suburb west of Detroit.He walked along the picket line, exchanging fist bumps with grinning workers.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today, for the first time in history, the President of the United States joined a picket line. This is a major testament to the strength and resurgence of the labor movement. Let’s go!<a href="https://t.co/bv3RAP2hkK">pic.twitter.com/bv3RAP2hkK</a>&mdash; Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) <a href="https://twitter.com/IlhanMN/status/1706722423255580925?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>He encouraged them to continue fighting for better wages despite concerns that a prolonged strike could damage the economy, saying “stick with it.”He said “yes” when asked if UAW members deserved a 40% raise, one of the demands that the union has made.“No deal, no wheels!” workers chanted as Biden arrived. “No pay, no parts!”He was joined by UAW President Shawn Fain, who rode with him in the presidential limousine to the picket line.“Thank you, Mr. President, for coming to stand up with us in our generation-defining moment," said Fain, who described the union as engaged in a “kind of war” against “corporate greed.”“We do the heavy lifting. We do the real work," Fein said. "Not the CEOs.”Labor historians say they cannot recall an instance when a sitting president has joined an ongoing strike, even during the tenures of the more ardent pro-union presidents such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman. Theodore Roosevelt invited labor leaders alongside mine operators to the White House amid a historic coal strike in 1902, a decision that was seen at the time as a rare embrace of unions as Roosevelt tried to resolve the dispute.Biden arrived one day before former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, goes to Detroit to hold his own event in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/labor-union-auto-workers-trump-strike-dfcb805fd4e749b13aaf827e1463da73">an attempt to woo auto workers</a>&nbsp;even though union leaders say he's no ally.Lawmakers often appear at strikes to show solidarity with unions, and Biden joined picket lines with casino workers in Las Vegas and auto workers in Kansas City while seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.But sitting presidents, who have to balance the rights of workers with disruptions to the economy, supply chains and other facets of everyday life, have long wanted to stay out of the strike fray — until Biden.“This is absolutely unprecedented. No president has ever walked a picket line before,” said Erik Loomis, a professor at the University of Rhode Island and an expert on U.S. labor history. Presidents historically “avoided direct participation in strikes. They saw themselves more as mediators. They did not see it as their place to directly intervene in a strike or in labor action.”White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Michigan that “Biden is fighting to ensure that the cars of the future will be built in America by unionized American workers in good-paying jobs, instead of being built in China.”Biden's trip to join a picket line in the suburbs of Detroit is the most significant demonstration of his pro-union bona fides, a record that includes vocal support for unionization efforts at Amazon.com facilities and executive actions that promoted worker organizing. He also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/president-joe-biden-unions-democrats-presidential-campaign-8242bafc4e61ed88f7f211c621132102">earned a joint endorsement of major unions</a>&nbsp;earlier this year and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-broadway-fundraiser-new-york-fc92b7f04ad2ac20c119e60337da5cfb">has avoided southern California for high-dollar fundraisers</a>&nbsp;amid the writers' and actors' strikes in Hollywood.During the ongoing UAW strike, Biden has argued that the auto companies have not gone far enough, although White House officials have repeatedly declined to say whether the president endorses specific UAW demands such as a 40% hike in wages and full-time pay for a 32-hour work week.“I think the UAW gave up an incredible amount back when the automobile industry was going under. They gave everything from their pensions on, and they saved the automobile industry,” Biden said Monday from the White House. He said workers should benefit from carmakers' riches “now that the industry is roaring back.”Biden and other Democrats are more&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-unions-reelection-campaign-2024-04b89292c9c41f35a127f2458d90a610">aggressively touting the president's pro-labor credentials</a>&nbsp;at a time when Trump is trying to make inroads in critical swing states where unions remain influential, including Michigan and Pennsylvania. Biden is leaning on his union support at a time when labor enjoys broad support from the public, with 67% of Americans approving of labor unions in an August Gallup poll.The United Farm Workers announced their endorsement of Biden on Tuesday, calling him “an authentic champion for workers and their families, regardless of their race or national origin.” Biden's campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, is the granddaughter of Cesar Chavez, the union's co-founder.The UAW has not endorsed Biden. Asked about that after landing in Michigan, Biden told reporters that “I’m not worried about that."Trump is skipping the second Republican primary debate on Wednesday and will meet with striking autoworkers in Michigan, seeking to capitalize on discontent over the state of the economy and anger over the Biden administration's push for more electric vehicles — a key component of its clean-energy agenda.“If it wasn’t for President Trump, Joe Biden would be giving autoworkers the East Palestine treatment and saying that his schedule was too busy," said Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller, referring to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/east-palestine-train-derailment-norfolk-southern-biden-875699405d37cacbb5dd958dafb18071">small Ohio town that is still grappling</a>&nbsp;with the aftermath of a February train derailment. Biden said he would visit the community but so far has not.White House officials dismissed the notion that Trump forced their hand and noted that Biden was headed to Michigan at the request of UAW President Shawn Fain, who last week invited the sitting president to join the strikers.“He is pro-UAW, he is pro-workers, that is this president,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday. “He stands by union workers, and he is going to stand with the men and women of the UAW.”Yet the UAW strike,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uaw-ford-stellantis-general-motors-strike-labor-4132aa222c9a4456415af480d6fafa98">which expanded into 20 states last week</a>, remains a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-electric-cars-uaw-strike-d73f259bf5e9242340e912ad1e9b4aa9">dilemma for the Biden administration</a>&nbsp;since a part of the workers' grievances include concerns about a broader transition to electric vehicles. The shift away from gas-powered vehicles has worried some autoworkers because electric versions require fewer people to manufacture and there is no guarantee that factories that produce them will be unionized.Carolyn Nippa, who was walking the picket line Monday at the GM parts warehouse in Van Buren Township, Michigan, was ambivalent about the president’s advocacy for electric vehicles, even as she said Biden was a better president than Trump for workers. She said it was “great that we have a president who wants to support local unions and the working class.”“I know it’s the future. It’s the future of the car industry,” Nippa said of electric vehicles. “I’m hoping it doesn’t affect our jobs.”Still, other pickets remained more skeptical about Biden's visit Tuesday.Dave Ellis, who stocks parts at the distribution center, said he’s happy Biden wants to show people he’s behind the middle class. But he said the visit is just about getting more votes.“I don’t necessarily believe that it’s really about us," said Ellis, who argued that Trump would be a better president for the middle class than Biden because Trump is a businessman.The Biden administration has no formal role in the negotiations, and the White House pulled back a decision from the president earlier this month to send two key deputies to Michigan after determining it would be more productive for the advisers, Gene Sperling and acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, to monitor talks from Washington.

🎥 Biden makes history, joins striking autoworkers on the picket line

Lincoln, Neb. —&nbsp;The deadline to register for the 22nd annual Pumpkin Run and still receive a shirt is 11:59 p.m. this Friday, Sep. 29.&nbsp;Those interested can register and find details, including the full schedule and course map, at&nbsp;<a href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001XlFRQqIUq4VN_5FeXBPQAUGRYSKakH7e7yW2NREKeeGFpX60cI0U_O9MvkhdMLylyx_p8auCTw7fuLmop1_0jtdcUjlnJcoIj_-NSgBiAaWLJS4suCLHiuOIgh7F012m1nDEoNxkQGCBYGaAu3b4aw==&amp;c=0qOxaAUB9URkIVMGNvZk1GsbyNg5Ku362LYuDwDuDXJV9M_G_08gPQ==&amp;ch=-tUMcxGM9XxXThk1nRe1rRpD4QBD0-KvwBNaWFBF40dRBUrPVlukww==" target="_blank">PumpkinRunLincoln.com</a>.

The Run takes place Sunday, Oct. 8th in the West Haymarket, beginning near Canopy and P Streets and ending in front of the Pinnacle Bank Arena main entrance.&nbsp;More than 4,000 runners from 50+ area elementary schools are expected to complete the one-mile course in what has become the largest youth-only fun run in the nation.

Heats will be held every 30 minutes from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and are divided by grade. Each runner receives a 2023 Pumpkin Run medal and souvenir cup when they finish.&nbsp;Runners and their families are also invited to attend the vendor fair inside Pinnacle Bank Arena to enjoy giveaways and games from more than 20 local businesses and organizations following their heat.

The Pumpkin Run is conducted by the Nebraska Sports Council.&nbsp;Lincoln Pediatric Group, Home Real Estate and Complete Children’s Health are the presenting partners. Hohl Orthodontics is the medal sponsor.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Nebraska Sports Council is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization whose mission is to promote healthy and active lifestyle choices. Platinum Partners include Pepsi-Cola of Lincoln, Nebraska Medical Association, Farmers Mutual of Nebraska and Nebraska Orthopedic Center.&nbsp;Learn more at&nbsp;<a href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001XlFRQqIUq4VN_5FeXBPQAUGRYSKakH7e7yW2NREKeeGFpX60cI0U_GaLqd7b_aEECx-hHeq3N9yEf0aGNy5L6KNn8PBlGeVP4FLqD0u7VCUEboozRRJX4ggQ2Oa3afFtiucuPbH_TqCzqK5v0lVGWMu8fpLVYvKc&amp;c=0qOxaAUB9URkIVMGNvZk1GsbyNg5Ku362LYuDwDuDXJV9M_G_08gPQ==&amp;ch=-tUMcxGM9XxXThk1nRe1rRpD4QBD0-KvwBNaWFBF40dRBUrPVlukww==" target="_blank">NebraskaSportsCouncil.com</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Lincoln, Neb. —&nbsp;The deadline to register for the 22nd annual Pumpkin Run and still receive a shirt is 11:59 p.m. this Friday, Sep. 29.&nbsp;Those interested can register and find details, including the full schedule and course map, at&nbsp;<a href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001XlFRQqIUq4VN_5FeXBPQAUGRYSKakH7e7yW2NREKeeGFpX60cI0U_O9MvkhdMLylyx_p8auCTw7fuLmop1_0jtdcUjlnJcoIj_-NSgBiAaWLJS4suCLHiuOIgh7F012m1nDEoNxkQGCBYGaAu3b4aw==&amp;c=0qOxaAUB9URkIVMGNvZk1GsbyNg5Ku362LYuDwDuDXJV9M_G_08gPQ==&amp;ch=-tUMcxGM9XxXThk1nRe1rRpD4QBD0-KvwBNaWFBF40dRBUrPVlukww==" target="_blank">PumpkinRunLincoln.com</a>.The Run takes place Sunday, Oct. 8th in the West Haymarket, beginning near Canopy and P Streets and ending in front of the Pinnacle Bank Arena main entrance.&nbsp;More than 4,000 runners from 50+ area elementary schools are expected to complete the one-mile course in what has become the largest youth-only fun run in the nation.Heats will be held every 30 minutes from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and are divided by grade. Each runner receives a 2023 Pumpkin Run medal and souvenir cup when they finish.&nbsp;Runners and their families are also invited to attend the vendor fair inside Pinnacle Bank Arena to enjoy giveaways and games from more than 20 local businesses and organizations following their heat.The Pumpkin Run is conducted by the Nebraska Sports Council.&nbsp;Lincoln Pediatric Group, Home Real Estate and Complete Children’s Health are the presenting partners. Hohl Orthodontics is the medal sponsor.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Nebraska Sports Council is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization whose mission is to promote healthy and active lifestyle choices. Platinum Partners include Pepsi-Cola of Lincoln, Nebraska Medical Association, Farmers Mutual of Nebraska and Nebraska Orthopedic Center.&nbsp;Learn more at&nbsp;<a href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001XlFRQqIUq4VN_5FeXBPQAUGRYSKakH7e7yW2NREKeeGFpX60cI0U_GaLqd7b_aEECx-hHeq3N9yEf0aGNy5L6KNn8PBlGeVP4FLqD0u7VCUEboozRRJX4ggQ2Oa3afFtiucuPbH_TqCzqK5v0lVGWMu8fpLVYvKc&amp;c=0qOxaAUB9URkIVMGNvZk1GsbyNg5Ku362LYuDwDuDXJV9M_G_08gPQ==&amp;ch=-tUMcxGM9XxXThk1nRe1rRpD4QBD0-KvwBNaWFBF40dRBUrPVlukww==" target="_blank">NebraskaSportsCouncil.com</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Pumpkin Run Shirt Deadline is this Friday

LOS ANGELES (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hollywood-strikes/">Striking actors</a>&nbsp;have voted to expand their walkout to include the lucrative video game market, a step that could put new pressure on Hollywood studios to make a deal with the performers who provide voices and stunts for games.

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and Television Artists announced the move late Monday, saying that 98% of its members voted to go on strike against video game companies if ongoing negotiations are not successful. The announcement came ahead of more talks planned for Tuesday.

Acting in video games can include a variety of roles, from voice performances to motion capture work as well as stunts. Video game actors went on strike in 2016 in a work stoppage that lasted nearly a year.

Some of the same issues are at play in the video game negotiations as in the broader actors strike that has shut down Hollywood for months, including wages, safety measures and protections on the use of artificial intelligence. The companies involved include gaming giants Activision, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Take 2 Productions as well as Disney and Warner Bros.′ video game divisions.

“It’s time for the video game companies to stop playing games and get serious about reaching an agreement on this contract,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said in a statement.

The threat of a video game strike emerged as Hollywood writers were on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/writers-strike-deal-hollywood-wga-3336824c06795931845c889f1e08b3ff">verge of getting back to work</a>&nbsp;after months&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hollywood-strikes/">on the picket lines</a>.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/writers-strike-agreement-what-happens-next-ba8290a5839cde352d594647199023e8">Crucial steps</a>&nbsp;remain for the writers, who technically remain on strike, and for other workers awaiting a return to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/writers-strike-update-shows-coming-back-2d433d9365e8fe20b17f5ca612599343">production of new shows</a>.

The next phase comes Tuesday, when the governing boards of the two branches of the Writers Guild of America are expected to vote on the tentative agreement reached by union negotiators with Hollywood studios.

Following approval from the union's boards — which is likely — comes a vote from the writers themselves, although the timing is uncertain.

The guild and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hollywood-strikes-lombardini-drescher-stutzman-iger-zaslav-00c17264129cebb17d10b80b9c51aa3e">Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers</a>, which represents studios, streaming services and production companies in the negotiations, were still finalizing contract language Monday.

That could prompt a delay of the voting and has kept union leaders from sharing with writers the details of what nearly five months of striking and hardship has earned them. The leaders have promised to hold a series of meetings later this week to share the terms of the deal regarding pay, show staffing and artificial intelligence.

The guild's leaders told them only that the agreement is “exceptional,” with gains for every member. A successful yes vote from the membership will finally, officially, bring the strike to an end.

Meanwhile, though their own pickets have been suspended, writers were encouraged to join actors in solidarity on their lines starting Tuesday, just as many actors did with writers in the two months before their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/actors-strike-explained-2607dd29da6c16c0a406359a7e86d7fb">own strike started in July</a>.

Among the unions on strike, the studio alliance has chosen to negotiate only with the writers so far, and has made no overtures yet toward restarting talks with SAG-AFTRA. That will presumably change soon.

SAG-AFTRA leaders have said they will look closely at the writers' agreement, which includes many of the same issues, but it will not effect their demands.

LOS ANGELES (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hollywood-strikes/">Striking actors</a>&nbsp;have voted to expand their walkout to include the lucrative video game market, a step that could put new pressure on Hollywood studios to make a deal with the performers who provide voices and stunts for games.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSAGAFTRA%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02n9sA9bFNZJyWWyvDFt4ofVXqtxdaxAsuPJogSvoDBWxdNEghhH35R9s29biyfe5Ll&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="584" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and Television Artists announced the move late Monday, saying that 98% of its members voted to go on strike against video game companies if ongoing negotiations are not successful. The announcement came ahead of more talks planned for Tuesday.Acting in video games can include a variety of roles, from voice performances to motion capture work as well as stunts. Video game actors went on strike in 2016 in a work stoppage that lasted nearly a year.Some of the same issues are at play in the video game negotiations as in the broader actors strike that has shut down Hollywood for months, including wages, safety measures and protections on the use of artificial intelligence. The companies involved include gaming giants Activision, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Take 2 Productions as well as Disney and Warner Bros.′ video game divisions.“It’s time for the video game companies to stop playing games and get serious about reaching an agreement on this contract,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said in a statement.The threat of a video game strike emerged as Hollywood writers were on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/writers-strike-deal-hollywood-wga-3336824c06795931845c889f1e08b3ff">verge of getting back to work</a>&nbsp;after months&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hollywood-strikes/">on the picket lines</a>.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/writers-strike-agreement-what-happens-next-ba8290a5839cde352d594647199023e8">Crucial steps</a>&nbsp;remain for the writers, who technically remain on strike, and for other workers awaiting a return to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/writers-strike-update-shows-coming-back-2d433d9365e8fe20b17f5ca612599343">production of new shows</a>.The next phase comes Tuesday, when the governing boards of the two branches of the Writers Guild of America are expected to vote on the tentative agreement reached by union negotiators with Hollywood studios.Following approval from the union's boards — which is likely — comes a vote from the writers themselves, although the timing is uncertain.The guild and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hollywood-strikes-lombardini-drescher-stutzman-iger-zaslav-00c17264129cebb17d10b80b9c51aa3e">Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers</a>, which represents studios, streaming services and production companies in the negotiations, were still finalizing contract language Monday.That could prompt a delay of the voting and has kept union leaders from sharing with writers the details of what nearly five months of striking and hardship has earned them. The leaders have promised to hold a series of meetings later this week to share the terms of the deal regarding pay, show staffing and artificial intelligence.The guild's leaders told them only that the agreement is “exceptional,” with gains for every member. A successful yes vote from the membership will finally, officially, bring the strike to an end.Meanwhile, though their own pickets have been suspended, writers were encouraged to join actors in solidarity on their lines starting Tuesday, just as many actors did with writers in the two months before their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/actors-strike-explained-2607dd29da6c16c0a406359a7e86d7fb">own strike started in July</a>.Among the unions on strike, the studio alliance has chosen to negotiate only with the writers so far, and has made no overtures yet toward restarting talks with SAG-AFTRA. That will presumably change soon.SAG-AFTRA leaders have said they will look closely at the writers' agreement, which includes many of the same issues, but it will not effect their demands.

Striking actors vote to authorize new walkout against video game makers

RILEY COUNTY, Kansas —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a registered sex offender for alleged sex crimes in Manhattan.

Just after 9:30p.m. Monday, police arrested 24-year-old Nicholas A. Seeman of Lincoln Nebraska&nbsp; on a Riley County District Court warrant&nbsp; for multiple alleged sex crimes, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.

He is being held on a $300,000 bond on requested charges that include rape; Offender is 18 or older and victim is &lt; 14, aggravated indecent liberties w child; Offender =&gt;18 fondle child &lt;14; aggravated indecent liberties w/ child; Intercourse with child 14 &lt; 16 YOA; sexual exploitation of child; offender&gt;18 employment of child&lt;14; indecent solicitation of a child; Sex act with a child &gt;14&lt;16; aggravated indecent liberties w/ child; Intercourse with child 14 &lt; 16 YOA; criminal sodomy; With a child &gt;14 YOA and &lt;16; sexual exploitation of a child; employment of child&lt;18 and aggravated indecent liberties w/ child; Fondling a child 14&lt;16 YOA

The crimes were reported to RCPD in March 2023.&nbsp; &nbsp;Seeman was convicted of sexual assault and has been listed as a registered sex offender since September of 2022, according to the Nebraska sex offender registry.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695738943977.png" alt="Seeman photo Nebraska sex offender registry" />
 <figcaption>Seeman photo Nebraska sex offender registry</figcaption>
 </figure>RILEY COUNTY, Kansas —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a registered sex offender for alleged sex crimes in Manhattan.Just after 9:30p.m. Monday, police arrested 24-year-old Nicholas A. Seeman of Lincoln Nebraska&nbsp; on a Riley County District Court warrant&nbsp; for multiple alleged sex crimes, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.He is being held on a $300,000 bond on requested charges that include rape; Offender is 18 or older and victim is &lt; 14, aggravated indecent liberties w child; Offender =&gt;18 fondle child &lt;14; aggravated indecent liberties w/ child; Intercourse with child 14 &lt; 16 YOA; sexual exploitation of child; offender&gt;18 employment of child&lt;14; indecent solicitation of a child; Sex act with a child &gt;14&lt;16; aggravated indecent liberties w/ child; Intercourse with child 14 &lt; 16 YOA; criminal sodomy; With a child &gt;14 YOA and &lt;16; sexual exploitation of a child; employment of child&lt;18 and aggravated indecent liberties w/ child; Fondling a child 14&lt;16 YOAThe crimes were reported to RCPD in March 2023.&nbsp; &nbsp;Seeman was convicted of sexual assault and has been listed as a registered sex offender since September of 2022, according to the Nebraska sex offender registry.

Nebraska sex offender jailed in Kansas for alleged sex crimes

BY:&nbsp;ARIANA FIGUEROA&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — As Congress barrels toward a partial government shutdown, the White House Monday warned that a program that helps millions of low income families afford healthy food could see substantial cuts.

The White House released a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/09/25/extreme-house-republicans-chaos-is-marching-america-toward-a-shutdown-that-would-jeopardize-vital-nutrition-assistance-for-nearly-7-million-vulnerable-moms-and-young-children/">state-by-state breakdown</a>, estimating that nearly 7 million people who rely on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, also known as WIC, could be at risk of losing funds to purchase select food and receive vouchers for vegetables and fruit.

The program provides financial support for those who are low income and pregnant or nursing, as well as for children up to 5 years old. In Missouri, a government shutdown could impact benefits for 90,913 people.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said during a Monday White House briefing that WIC recipients could feel the impact of the shutdown within days.

“Millions of those moms, (babies) and young children would see a lack of nutrition assistance,” he said.

Vilsack, Iowa’s former governor, said some states have leftover WIC benefits and “could extend (WIC) for a week or so.”

“The vast majority of WIC participants would see an immediate reduction and elimination of those benefits, which means the nutrition assistance that’s provided would not be available,” he said.

For example, in Alabama, about 112,000 WIC recipients could lose their benefits, and in Florida, more than 421,000 as well. In Michigan, more than 207,000 recipients could lose their WIC benefits and in North Carolina, it’s more than 268,000 WIC recipients.

Additionally, new eligible participants could face a backlog.

“Without the urgent investment of additional funds, state WIC offices could soon be forced to consider waiting lists for prospective participants — a drastic step not seen in nearly 30 years,” Kate Franken, board chair of the National WIC Association, which is the non-profit advocacy arm of WIC, said in a statement.

The impending shutdown comes after President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.virginiamercury.com/2023/05/31/u-s-house-approves-debt-limit-package-sending-it-to-senate-with-just-days-until-default-deadline/">made a deal</a>&nbsp;with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier this year to raise the debt ceiling.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.virginiamercury.com/2023/05/31/debt-limit-deal-hits-turbulence-in-congress-as-leaders-prep-for-vote/">That deal&nbsp;</a>set maximum spending levels for the next fiscal year.

However, none of the 12 appropriations bills has been passed by the House, and a handful of far-right Republicans are&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://idahocapitalsun.com/2023/09/21/shutdown-inches-closer-as-u-s-house-gop-fails-to-pass-defense-bill-lawmakers-exit-d-c/">pushing for steeper cuts</a>, even if it means a partial government shutdown.

“House Republicans have turned their backs on the bipartisan budget deal that a large majority of them voted for just a few months ago and proposed a continuing resolution (CR) that makes devastating cuts to programs that millions of hardworking Americans count on,” the White House said in a press release.

A continuing resolution, or CR, is regularly used to keep the government funded for weeks or a couple of months while the House and Senate finish work on the 12 annual spending bills.

Without a CR by Saturday, the end of the fiscal year, a partial shutdown will occur and programs that have discretionary funding, like WIC, will lapse.

Funding for WIC is not mandatory spending, meaning the program won’t be automatically funded regardless of a government shutdown. It’s funded through the Agriculture appropriations bill, which has not been passed by Congress.

The White House criticized the Agriculture appropriations bill the House passed out of its committee that did not include the supplemental funding the Biden administration requested.

“Without the Administration’s funding request, states could soon be forced to institute waiting lists for WIC, causing mothers and children to lose access to the vital nutrition assistance,” the White House said.

WIC funding is distributed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service to states through a formula. The share of eligible people who participate in WIC can vary between states —&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/eligibility-and-program-reach-estimates-2020">for example</a>&nbsp;California, Massachusetts, and Minnesota, have a coverage rate for WIC by over 60%.

BY:&nbsp;ARIANA FIGUEROA&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — As Congress barrels toward a partial government shutdown, the White House Monday warned that a program that helps millions of low income families afford healthy food could see substantial cuts.The White House released a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/09/25/extreme-house-republicans-chaos-is-marching-america-toward-a-shutdown-that-would-jeopardize-vital-nutrition-assistance-for-nearly-7-million-vulnerable-moms-and-young-children/">state-by-state breakdown</a>, estimating that nearly 7 million people who rely on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, also known as WIC, could be at risk of losing funds to purchase select food and receive vouchers for vegetables and fruit.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Extreme House Republicans are demanding a devastating list of cuts to vital programs that hardworking Americans rely on. If they don’t get their way, they&#39;re threatening to shut down the government – putting nutrition assistance at risk for seven million women and children. <a href="https://t.co/pm6uyDGafk">pic.twitter.com/pm6uyDGafk</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1706398165845361129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The program provides financial support for those who are low income and pregnant or nursing, as well as for children up to 5 years old. In Missouri, a government shutdown could impact benefits for 90,913 people.U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said during a Monday White House briefing that WIC recipients could feel the impact of the shutdown within days.“Millions of those moms, (babies) and young children would see a lack of nutrition assistance,” he said.Vilsack, Iowa’s former governor, said some states have leftover WIC benefits and “could extend (WIC) for a week or so.”“The vast majority of WIC participants would see an immediate reduction and elimination of those benefits, which means the nutrition assistance that’s provided would not be available,” he said.For example, in Alabama, about 112,000 WIC recipients could lose their benefits, and in Florida, more than 421,000 as well. In Michigan, more than 207,000 recipients could lose their WIC benefits and in North Carolina, it’s more than 268,000 WIC recipients.Additionally, new eligible participants could face a backlog.“Without the urgent investment of additional funds, state WIC offices could soon be forced to consider waiting lists for prospective participants — a drastic step not seen in nearly 30 years,” Kate Franken, board chair of the National WIC Association, which is the non-profit advocacy arm of WIC, said in a statement.The impending shutdown comes after President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.virginiamercury.com/2023/05/31/u-s-house-approves-debt-limit-package-sending-it-to-senate-with-just-days-until-default-deadline/">made a deal</a>&nbsp;with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier this year to raise the debt ceiling.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.virginiamercury.com/2023/05/31/debt-limit-deal-hits-turbulence-in-congress-as-leaders-prep-for-vote/">That deal&nbsp;</a>set maximum spending levels for the next fiscal year.However, none of the 12 appropriations bills has been passed by the House, and a handful of far-right Republicans are&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://idahocapitalsun.com/2023/09/21/shutdown-inches-closer-as-u-s-house-gop-fails-to-pass-defense-bill-lawmakers-exit-d-c/">pushing for steeper cuts</a>, even if it means a partial government shutdown.“House Republicans have turned their backs on the bipartisan budget deal that a large majority of them voted for just a few months ago and proposed a continuing resolution (CR) that makes devastating cuts to programs that millions of hardworking Americans count on,” the White House said in a press release.A continuing resolution, or CR, is regularly used to keep the government funded for weeks or a couple of months while the House and Senate finish work on the 12 annual spending bills.Without a CR by Saturday, the end of the fiscal year, a partial shutdown will occur and programs that have discretionary funding, like WIC, will lapse.Funding for WIC is not mandatory spending, meaning the program won’t be automatically funded regardless of a government shutdown. It’s funded through the Agriculture appropriations bill, which has not been passed by Congress.The White House criticized the Agriculture appropriations bill the House passed out of its committee that did not include the supplemental funding the Biden administration requested.“Without the Administration’s funding request, states could soon be forced to institute waiting lists for WIC, causing mothers and children to lose access to the vital nutrition assistance,” the White House said.WIC funding is distributed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service to states through a formula. The share of eligible people who participate in WIC can vary between states —&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/eligibility-and-program-reach-estimates-2020">for example</a>&nbsp;California, Massachusetts, and Minnesota, have a coverage rate for WIC by over 60%.

White House: Food benefits for low income families at risk in a government shutdown

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $835 million after no one beat the immense odds Monday night and won the top prize.

The winning numbers were: 10, 12, 22, 36, 50 and 4.

With the latest bit of lottery losing, there now have been 29 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner, dating back to July 19&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-winner-california-9f0e98a47c96c2b3087a68b33195dd50">when a player in California</a>&nbsp;won $1.08 billion.

That winless streak is due to the miserable odds of winning the Powerball jackpot, at 1 in 292.2 million. It’s those&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-lottery-us-news-ap-top-news-ia-state-wire-b5572da1e5d74f6e974bea45c707b5cb">long, long odds</a>&nbsp;that result in such large top prizes, as they cause the jackpot to roll over week after week.

Three people in Florida and one person in Oregon matched five numbers to win $1 million.

The new jackpot is one of the largest in the world, behind grand prizes in the Powerball and Mega Millions games that all topped $1 billion. The biggest jackpot was a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lotteries-iowa-36ef3aefbbc37a15e1c5f172129fa6a6">$2.04 billion Powerball prize</a>&nbsp;won in November 2022 in California.

Although the game highlights the $835 million prize, that is for a winner who is paid through an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">annuity over 30 years</a>. Winners almost always choose the cash payout option, which for the next drawing Wednesday night will be an estimated $390.4 million.

The giant jackpot would also be subject to federal taxes, and some states also tax lottery winnings.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $835 million after no one beat the immense odds Monday night and won the top prize.The winning numbers were: 10, 12, 22, 36, 50 and 4.With the latest bit of lottery losing, there now have been 29 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner, dating back to July 19&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-winner-california-9f0e98a47c96c2b3087a68b33195dd50">when a player in California</a>&nbsp;won $1.08 billion.That winless streak is due to the miserable odds of winning the Powerball jackpot, at 1 in 292.2 million. It’s those&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-lottery-us-news-ap-top-news-ia-state-wire-b5572da1e5d74f6e974bea45c707b5cb">long, long odds</a>&nbsp;that result in such large top prizes, as they cause the jackpot to roll over week after week.Three people in Florida and one person in Oregon matched five numbers to win $1 million.The new jackpot is one of the largest in the world, behind grand prizes in the Powerball and Mega Millions games that all topped $1 billion. The biggest jackpot was a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lotteries-iowa-36ef3aefbbc37a15e1c5f172129fa6a6">$2.04 billion Powerball prize</a>&nbsp;won in November 2022 in California.Although the game highlights the $835 million prize, that is for a winner who is paid through an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">annuity over 30 years</a>. Winners almost always choose the cash payout option, which for the next drawing Wednesday night will be an estimated $390.4 million.The giant jackpot would also be subject to federal taxes, and some states also tax lottery winnings.

Powerball jackpot climbs to $835 million 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced that it is providing $600 million in funding to produce new at-home COVID-19 tests and is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-business-health-afb3d15b59a0212d9297ed2794f91a2a">restarting a website</a>&nbsp;allowing Americans to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-government-at-home-covid-tests-e98c4a7a4ee340345a5786c4c407c5fb">again order up to four free tests per household</a>&nbsp;— aiming to prevent possible shortages during a rise in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic">coronavirus cases</a>&nbsp;that has typically come during colder months.

The Department of Health and Human Services says orders can be placed at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.covid.gov/tests">COVIDTests.gov</a>&nbsp;starting Sept. 25, and the no-cost tests will be delivered for free by the United States Postal Service.

Twelve manufacturers that employ hundreds of people in seven states have been awarded funding and will produce 200 million over-the-counter tests to replenish federal stockpiles for government use, in addition to producing enough tests to meet demand for tests ordered online, the department said. Federal officials said that will help guard against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-pandemics-ap-top-news-global-trade-fresno-4354f8e8026cf8135b74fa19f0d0f048">supply chain issues</a>&nbsp;that sparked some shortages of at-home COVID tests made overseas during past surges in coronavirus cases.

Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at HHS, said the website will remain functional to receive orders through the holidays and “we reserve the right to keep it open even longer if we're starting to see an increase in cases.”

“If there is a demand for these tests, we want to make sure that they're made available to the American people for free in this way,” O'Connell said. “But, at this point, our focus is getting through the holidays and making sure folks can take a test if they're going to see Grandma for Thanksgiving."

The tests are designed to detect COVID variants currently circulating, and are intended for use by the end of the year. But they will include instructions on how to verify extended expiration dates, the department said.

The initiative follows&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-home-test-78960c4c36422907a2eab3eb0dcdfadd">four previous rounds</a>&nbsp;where federal officials and the U.S. Postal Service provided more than 755 million tests for free to homes nationwide.

It is also meant to complement ongoing federal efforts to provide free COVID tests to long-term care facilities, schools, low-income senior housing, uninsured individuals and underserved communities which are already distributing 4 million per week and have distributed 500 million tests to date, the department said.

O’Connell said manufacturers would be able to spread out the 200 million tests they will produce for federal use over 18 months. That means that, as demand for home tests rises via the website or at U.S. retailers when COVID cases increase around the country, producers can focus on meeting those orders — but that they will then have an additional outlet for the tests they produce during period when demand declines.

“We’ve seen every winter, as people move indoors into heated spaces, away from the outside that, over each of the seasons that COVID’s been a concern, that we have seen cases go up," O'Connell said.

She added that also “there’s always an opportunity or chance for another variant to come” but “we’re not anticipating that.”

“That’s not why we’re doing this,” O'Connell said. "We’re doing this for the fall and winter season ahead and the potential for an increase in cases as a result.”

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said that the "Biden-Harris Administration, in partnership with domestic manufacturers, has made great strides in addressing vulnerabilities in the U.S. supply chain by reducing our reliance on overseas manufacturing.”

“These critical investments will strengthen our nation’s production levels of domestic at-home COVID-19 rapid tests and help mitigate the spread of the virus," Becerra said in a statement.

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695664420528.png" alt="" />
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 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced that it is providing $600 million in funding to produce new at-home COVID-19 tests and is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-business-health-afb3d15b59a0212d9297ed2794f91a2a">restarting a website</a>&nbsp;allowing Americans to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-government-at-home-covid-tests-e98c4a7a4ee340345a5786c4c407c5fb">again order up to four free tests per household</a>&nbsp;— aiming to prevent possible shortages during a rise in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic">coronavirus cases</a>&nbsp;that has typically come during colder months.The Department of Health and Human Services says orders can be placed at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.covid.gov/tests">COVIDTests.gov</a>&nbsp;starting Sept. 25, and the no-cost tests will be delivered for free by the United States Postal Service.Twelve manufacturers that employ hundreds of people in seven states have been awarded funding and will produce 200 million over-the-counter tests to replenish federal stockpiles for government use, in addition to producing enough tests to meet demand for tests ordered online, the department said. Federal officials said that will help guard against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-pandemics-ap-top-news-global-trade-fresno-4354f8e8026cf8135b74fa19f0d0f048">supply chain issues</a>&nbsp;that sparked some shortages of at-home COVID tests made overseas during past surges in coronavirus cases.Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at HHS, said the website will remain functional to receive orders through the holidays and “we reserve the right to keep it open even longer if we're starting to see an increase in cases.”“If there is a demand for these tests, we want to make sure that they're made available to the American people for free in this way,” O'Connell said. “But, at this point, our focus is getting through the holidays and making sure folks can take a test if they're going to see Grandma for Thanksgiving."The tests are designed to detect COVID variants currently circulating, and are intended for use by the end of the year. But they will include instructions on how to verify extended expiration dates, the department said.The initiative follows&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-home-test-78960c4c36422907a2eab3eb0dcdfadd">four previous rounds</a>&nbsp;where federal officials and the U.S. Postal Service provided more than 755 million tests for free to homes nationwide.It is also meant to complement ongoing federal efforts to provide free COVID tests to long-term care facilities, schools, low-income senior housing, uninsured individuals and underserved communities which are already distributing 4 million per week and have distributed 500 million tests to date, the department said.O’Connell said manufacturers would be able to spread out the 200 million tests they will produce for federal use over 18 months. That means that, as demand for home tests rises via the website or at U.S. retailers when COVID cases increase around the country, producers can focus on meeting those orders — but that they will then have an additional outlet for the tests they produce during period when demand declines.“We’ve seen every winter, as people move indoors into heated spaces, away from the outside that, over each of the seasons that COVID’s been a concern, that we have seen cases go up," O'Connell said.She added that also “there’s always an opportunity or chance for another variant to come” but “we’re not anticipating that.”“That’s not why we’re doing this,” O'Connell said. "We’re doing this for the fall and winter season ahead and the potential for an increase in cases as a result.”HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said that the "Biden-Harris Administration, in partnership with domestic manufacturers, has made great strides in addressing vulnerabilities in the U.S. supply chain by reducing our reliance on overseas manufacturing.”“These critical investments will strengthen our nation’s production levels of domestic at-home COVID-19 rapid tests and help mitigate the spread of the virus," Becerra said in a statement.

How to get the government's new free COVID test 

OMAHA, NE&nbsp;— The Platte Institute is excited&nbsp;to announce the recipients of&nbsp;inaugural&nbsp;“microgrants,” a dedicated initiative aimed at assisting individuals nearing the culmination of their incarceration or those recently released, to secure meaningful employment. This initiative aspires to empower them to contribute sustainably to their families and communities.&nbsp;

Jim Vokal, CEO of the Platte Institute,&nbsp;announced the&nbsp;beneficiaries of the grants. The honored recipients include Heart Ministry Center, On&nbsp;The&nbsp;Inside, Omaha Alternatives to Violence Project, Bridges to Hope, QUEENS Butterfly House, and Nebraskans Unafraid.&nbsp;

Vokal illustrated the diversity and the pivotal roles of the receiving organizations&nbsp;stating, “Each of these distinguished entities brings a unique and essential service to our community. From&nbsp;providing&nbsp;vital job training and placement programs, extending support to incarcerated women, offering alternative social training to those incarcerated, to supplying clothing and hygiene products enabling individuals to present their best selves in job searches.”&nbsp;

While the Platte Institute&nbsp;predominantly emphasizes&nbsp;eliminating&nbsp;barriers to success, especially focusing on workforce development, this foray into criminal justice areas is unique. “Our emphasis has consistently been on eliminating unnecessary barriers in occupational licensing and easing the path for entrepreneurs,” Vokal remarked.&nbsp;&nbsp;

He noted, “These microgrants&nbsp;highlight the importance&nbsp;and the necessity&nbsp;of passing Universal&nbsp;Recognition and Second Chances&nbsp;legislation in the&nbsp;unicameral. This legislation will&nbsp;open&nbsp;our workforce&nbsp;to groups that have traditionally faced barriers to work and those&nbsp;impacted&nbsp;by burdensome overregulation.”&nbsp;

The Platte Institute remains steadfast in its commitment to fostering an environment where every Nebraskan has the opportunity to succeed.&nbsp;Through such initiatives, we aim to remove obstacles and&nbsp;provide&nbsp;the essential support and opportunities, ensuring&nbsp;a holistic approach&nbsp;to workforce development.&nbsp;

For more information on the microgrants or to schedule an interview, please contact Ryan Kopsa at (402) 366-4432 or write to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:rkopsa@platteinstitute.org" target="_blank">rkopsa@platteinstitute.org</a>.&nbsp;

The Platte Institute advances policies that remove barriers to growth and opportunity in Nebraska. Discover more about our policies, initiatives, and resources at PlatteInstitute.org.&nbsp;

OMAHA, NE&nbsp;— The Platte Institute is excited&nbsp;to announce the recipients of&nbsp;inaugural&nbsp;“microgrants,” a dedicated initiative aimed at assisting individuals nearing the culmination of their incarceration or those recently released, to secure meaningful employment. This initiative aspires to empower them to contribute sustainably to their families and communities.&nbsp;Jim Vokal, CEO of the Platte Institute,&nbsp;announced the&nbsp;beneficiaries of the grants. The honored recipients include Heart Ministry Center, On&nbsp;The&nbsp;Inside, Omaha Alternatives to Violence Project, Bridges to Hope, QUEENS Butterfly House, and Nebraskans Unafraid.&nbsp;Vokal illustrated the diversity and the pivotal roles of the receiving organizations&nbsp;stating, “Each of these distinguished entities brings a unique and essential service to our community. From&nbsp;providing&nbsp;vital job training and placement programs, extending support to incarcerated women, offering alternative social training to those incarcerated, to supplying clothing and hygiene products enabling individuals to present their best selves in job searches.”&nbsp;While the Platte Institute&nbsp;predominantly emphasizes&nbsp;eliminating&nbsp;barriers to success, especially focusing on workforce development, this foray into criminal justice areas is unique. “Our emphasis has consistently been on eliminating unnecessary barriers in occupational licensing and easing the path for entrepreneurs,” Vokal remarked.&nbsp;&nbsp;He noted, “These microgrants&nbsp;highlight the importance&nbsp;and the necessity&nbsp;of passing Universal&nbsp;Recognition and Second Chances&nbsp;legislation in the&nbsp;unicameral. This legislation will&nbsp;open&nbsp;our workforce&nbsp;to groups that have traditionally faced barriers to work and those&nbsp;impacted&nbsp;by burdensome overregulation.”&nbsp;The Platte Institute remains steadfast in its commitment to fostering an environment where every Nebraskan has the opportunity to succeed.&nbsp;Through such initiatives, we aim to remove obstacles and&nbsp;provide&nbsp;the essential support and opportunities, ensuring&nbsp;a holistic approach&nbsp;to workforce development.&nbsp;For more information on the microgrants or to schedule an interview, please contact Ryan Kopsa at (402) 366-4432 or write to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:rkopsa@platteinstitute.org" target="_blank">rkopsa@platteinstitute.org</a>.&nbsp;The Platte Institute advances policies that remove barriers to growth and opportunity in Nebraska. Discover more about our policies, initiatives, and resources at PlatteInstitute.org.&nbsp;

 Platte Institute Announces Microgrant Recipients to Aid Post-Incarceration Workforce Integration 

Omaha, Neb., Sept. 25, 2023 – While National Coffee Day is September 29, Scooter’s Coffee has been spreading the coffee love all month long by offering FREE delicious, <a href="https://www.scooterscoffee.com/brewed-coffee">fresh-brewed coffee</a> to customers every day throughout September. By the end of September, Scooter’s Coffee anticipates its stores will have served more than 1 million cups of free fresh-brewed coffee since September 1.

“What an exciting milestone to give away over 1 million cups of coffee during our September celebration of National Coffee Day,” said Joe Thornton, President of Scooter’s Coffee. “We have enjoyed the positive feedback from our valued loyal customers and new customers. Our Baristas have loved the joyful interactions with familiar and new faces each day in the drive-thru. It’s a reminder that a cup of coffee represents kindness, warmth and connection.”

Customers have been flocking to Scooter’s Coffee drive-thru locations throughout September to sip and savor fresh-brewed hot coffee for free.&nbsp;

Stop by <a href="https://www.scooterscoffee.com/locations">your local Scooter’s Coffee</a> on National Coffee Day or any remaining day in September for a FREE brewed coffee of any size. The offer is valid one cup per person, per visit, while supplies last.

The coffee won’t stop flowing after the month ends. Scooter’s Coffee plans to extend the coffee love beyond September. Beginning October 1, customers can order any size fresh-brewed coffee for just $1.&nbsp;

“Making our fresh-brewed coffee available going forward for $1 on our menu is our way of extending an everyday great value while recognizing the loyalty and support of our amazing customers,” said Thornton.&nbsp;

Scoot on through the Scooter’s Coffee drive-thru and pair your brewed coffee with a fall bakery treat such as one of our <a href="https://www.scooterscoffee.com/pumpkin-caramelicious-muffin">Pumpkin Caramelicious Muffins</a> or <a href="https://www.scooterscoffee.com/maple-waffle-sandwich">Maple Waffle Sandwiches</a>. Customers can scan the Scooter’s Coffee <a href="https://www.scooterscoffee.com/mobileapp">Mobile App</a> to earn Smiles that can be collected and redeemed for free drinks.

About Scooter’s CoffeeFounded in 1998 by Don and Linda Eckles in Bellevue, Nebraska, Scooter’s Coffee uses only the finest coffee beans in the world, which are roasted by its affiliated company, Harvest Roasting, in Omaha, Nebraska. In over 25 years of business, the key to Scooter’s Coffee’s success is simple: stay committed to the original business principles and company’s four core values, which are Integrity, Love, Humility and Courage. The Scooter’s Coffee Brand Promise, often recited to franchisees, customers and employees, is: “Amazing People, Amazing Drinks… Amazingly Fast!®” It represents the company’s business origins and reflects a steady commitment to providing an unforgettable experience to loyal and new customers.

Scooter’s Coffee, celebrating its 25th&nbsp;anniversary in 2023, is at the dawn of a strategic growth phase. The company is approaching 700 stores in 29 states, with plans to have 1,000 franchise stores open by the end of 2024. The U.S. coffee market is an estimated&nbsp;$48 billion-a-year, recession-resistant industry, and Scooter’s Coffee is striving to become the #1 drive-thru specialty coffee franchise system in the nation.

For more information, visit <a href="https://scooterscoffee.com/">scooterscoffee.com</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ScootersCoffee">facebook.com/scooterscoffee</a>, or <a href="https://ownascooters.com/">ownascooters.com</a>, or call 877-494-7004.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695653237632.jpeg" alt="Scooter's Coffee Fresh Brewed Coffee/Photo provided by Scooter's Coffee" />
 <figcaption>Scooter's Coffee Fresh Brewed Coffee/Photo provided by Scooter's Coffee</figcaption>
 </figure>Scooter's CoffeeOmaha, Neb., Sept. 25, 2023 – While National Coffee Day is September 29, Scooter’s Coffee has been spreading the coffee love all month long by offering FREE delicious, <a href="https://www.scooterscoffee.com/brewed-coffee">fresh-brewed coffee</a> to customers every day throughout September. By the end of September, Scooter’s Coffee anticipates its stores will have served more than 1 million cups of free fresh-brewed coffee since September 1.“What an exciting milestone to give away over 1 million cups of coffee during our September celebration of National Coffee Day,” said Joe Thornton, President of Scooter’s Coffee. “We have enjoyed the positive feedback from our valued loyal customers and new customers. Our Baristas have loved the joyful interactions with familiar and new faces each day in the drive-thru. It’s a reminder that a cup of coffee represents kindness, warmth and connection.”Customers have been flocking to Scooter’s Coffee drive-thru locations throughout September to sip and savor fresh-brewed hot coffee for free.&nbsp;Stop by <a href="https://www.scooterscoffee.com/locations">your local Scooter’s Coffee</a> on National Coffee Day or any remaining day in September for a FREE brewed coffee of any size. The offer is valid one cup per person, per visit, while supplies last.The coffee won’t stop flowing after the month ends. Scooter’s Coffee plans to extend the coffee love beyond September. Beginning October 1, customers can order any size fresh-brewed coffee for just $1.&nbsp;“Making our fresh-brewed coffee available going forward for $1 on our menu is our way of extending an everyday great value while recognizing the loyalty and support of our amazing customers,” said Thornton.&nbsp;Scoot on through the Scooter’s Coffee drive-thru and pair your brewed coffee with a fall bakery treat such as one of our <a href="https://www.scooterscoffee.com/pumpkin-caramelicious-muffin">Pumpkin Caramelicious Muffins</a> or <a href="https://www.scooterscoffee.com/maple-waffle-sandwich">Maple Waffle Sandwiches</a>. Customers can scan the Scooter’s Coffee <a href="https://www.scooterscoffee.com/mobileapp">Mobile App</a> to earn Smiles that can be collected and redeemed for free drinks.About Scooter’s CoffeeFounded in 1998 by Don and Linda Eckles in Bellevue, Nebraska, Scooter’s Coffee uses only the finest coffee beans in the world, which are roasted by its affiliated company, Harvest Roasting, in Omaha, Nebraska. In over 25 years of business, the key to Scooter’s Coffee’s success is simple: stay committed to the original business principles and company’s four core values, which are Integrity, Love, Humility and Courage. The Scooter’s Coffee Brand Promise, often recited to franchisees, customers and employees, is: “Amazing People, Amazing Drinks… Amazingly Fast!®” It represents the company’s business origins and reflects a steady commitment to providing an unforgettable experience to loyal and new customers.Scooter’s Coffee, celebrating its 25th&nbsp;anniversary in 2023, is at the dawn of a strategic growth phase. The company is approaching 700 stores in 29 states, with plans to have 1,000 franchise stores open by the end of 2024. The U.S. coffee market is an estimated&nbsp;$48 billion-a-year, recession-resistant industry, and Scooter’s Coffee is striving to become the #1 drive-thru specialty coffee franchise system in the nation.For more information, visit <a href="https://scooterscoffee.com/">scooterscoffee.com</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ScootersCoffee">facebook.com/scooterscoffee</a>, or <a href="https://ownascooters.com/">ownascooters.com</a>, or call 877-494-7004.

1 Million Cups Served by End of September, Scooter’s Coffee® Customers Enjoy Free Fresh-Brewed Coffee EVERY DAY This Month Ahead of National Coffee Day

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has gotten the updated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Letter-9.23.23.pdf">COVID-19 vaccine and annual flu shot</a>, the White House said Saturday.

The White House physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, said in a memo that Biden received both shots on Friday. O'Connor said Biden, 80, also was vaccinated several weeks ago against the respiratory illness known as RSV.

“As we enter the cold and flu season, the President encourages all Americans to follow his example and to check with their healthcare provider or pharmacist to assure that they are fully vaccinated,” O'Connor wrote.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccines-shots-cdc-5bc4db844557120bcc50dc0838c0e044">endorsed the new COVID-19 shot</a>&nbsp;for everyone 6 months and older. The severity of the COVID-19 pandemic has faded, but there are still thousands of hospitalizations and hundreds of deaths in the United States each week.

Experts worry that immunity from previous vaccinations and infections is fading in many people, and a new shot would save many lives.

First lady Jill Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jill-biden-covid19-president-24b43a5009e85ad6dc0524fafcf484ce">tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month</a>&nbsp;but experienced only mild symptoms.

The CDC recommends that people who have COVID-19 and are in isolation should wait to get vaccinated until there symptoms are gone and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/isolation.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fyour-health%2Fquarantine-isolation.html">isolation guidelines</a>&nbsp;have been met. Children and adults who have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mis/about.html">multisystem inflammatory syndrome</a>&nbsp;should wait to get vaccinated until recovering from being sick and 90 days have passed since the diagnosis, according to the CDC.

Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-government-and-politics-6ffc64aa1d8d67b074dd8beb67d7cf6f">tested positive for COVID-19 in July 2022</a>&nbsp;and a second time slightly more than three days after he was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-government-and-politics-7842dd2e606bb9f6aeb15d4a8c856c97">cleared to exit coronavirus isolation</a>. The second incident was a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-2e843a971be751e8b8b25575c8bfc60a">rare case</a>&nbsp;of “rebound” infection following treatment with an anti-viral drug.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695651053577.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has gotten the updated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Letter-9.23.23.pdf">COVID-19 vaccine and annual flu shot</a>, the White House said Saturday.The White House physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, said in a memo that Biden received both shots on Friday. O'Connor said Biden, 80, also was vaccinated several weeks ago against the respiratory illness known as RSV.“As we enter the cold and flu season, the President encourages all Americans to follow his example and to check with their healthcare provider or pharmacist to assure that they are fully vaccinated,” O'Connor wrote.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccines-shots-cdc-5bc4db844557120bcc50dc0838c0e044">endorsed the new COVID-19 shot</a>&nbsp;for everyone 6 months and older. The severity of the COVID-19 pandemic has faded, but there are still thousands of hospitalizations and hundreds of deaths in the United States each week.Experts worry that immunity from previous vaccinations and infections is fading in many people, and a new shot would save many lives.First lady Jill Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jill-biden-covid19-president-24b43a5009e85ad6dc0524fafcf484ce">tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month</a>&nbsp;but experienced only mild symptoms.The CDC recommends that people who have COVID-19 and are in isolation should wait to get vaccinated until there symptoms are gone and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/isolation.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fyour-health%2Fquarantine-isolation.html">isolation guidelines</a>&nbsp;have been met. Children and adults who have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mis/about.html">multisystem inflammatory syndrome</a>&nbsp;should wait to get vaccinated until recovering from being sick and 90 days have passed since the diagnosis, according to the CDC.Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-government-and-politics-6ffc64aa1d8d67b074dd8beb67d7cf6f">tested positive for COVID-19 in July 2022</a>&nbsp;and a second time slightly more than three days after he was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-government-and-politics-7842dd2e606bb9f6aeb15d4a8c856c97">cleared to exit coronavirus isolation</a>. The second incident was a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-2e843a971be751e8b8b25575c8bfc60a">rare case</a>&nbsp;of “rebound” infection following treatment with an anti-viral drug.

Biden has gotten the updated COVID-19 vaccine and flu shot

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/09/25/family-of-famed-poet-plans-to-breach-century-old-monument-to-unlock-mystery-inside/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — After gaining federal permission, the family of a famed poet/author plans to trek to a remote corner of South Dakota in October to retrieve a century-old monument dedicated to a heroic mountain man.

The goal is to finally unlock a mystery hidden inside the monument, erected at the direction of writer John Neihardt as an “altar to courage” of the subject of one of his poems: Hugh Glass, who crawled, limped and paddled 200 miles after being mauled by a bear and left for dead in 1823.

The mauling was depicted in the 2015 movie “The Revenant,”&nbsp;which starred Leonardo DiCaprio as Hugh Glass.

Neihardt wrote that he placed a time capsule in the “bosom” of the concrete monument. The capsule, he wrote, includes an “original manuscript” from him, the author of “Black Elk Speaks,” a million-selling book about the remembrances of a Lakota medicine man.

The monument sits on U.S. Bureau of Reclamation land. The agency recently determined that<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/09/wayne-state-group-seeks-to-unlock-mysteries-surrounding-lonely-south-dakota-monument/">&nbsp;the Neihardt family rightly owns&nbsp;</a>the monument and gave the OK for the family to remove it from its current site, along Shadehill Reservoir near Lemmon, South Dakota.

Coralie Hughes, a granddaughter of Neihardt, said her family plans to haul it to the Neihardt State Historic Site, a museum dedicated to the poet/author, in Bancroft, Nebraska.

Family members, she said, plan to proceed carefully in breaching the monument after picking it up on Oct. 23-24.

“We have no idea what we’re going to find,” said Hughes from her home in Indiana. “We want to be very careful. We don’t know where the objects are.”

She said it has not been determined exactly when the family will reveal what was inside the time capsule, if it is successfully found. Tentative plans are to do that at the spring conference of the Neihardt Foundation, which is scheduled April 27 at Wayne State College.

The monument and its contents will be displayed at the Neihardt center in Bancroft, where the writer began his work on “The Cycle of the West,” a collection of five epic poems about the frontier which included the “Song of Hugh Glass.”

“It will be another attraction for our center. There’s a great story to go with it,” said Marianne Reynolds, the executive director of the Neihardt State Historic Site.&nbsp;

Unlocking the mystery of what’s inside the monument will be the culmination of&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/09/wayne-state-group-seeks-to-unlock-mysteries-surrounding-lonely-south-dakota-monument/">a saga begun in June when a contingent from Wayne State</a>&nbsp;College trekked to Lemmon in response to a challenge issued by Neihardt — to return to the monument site after 100 years, read some poetry,and “celebrate” as mountain men might have.

The original monument was erected by Neihardt and members of a now-defunct “Neihardt Club” at the college, which the author/poet attended and was known in 1923 as Nebraska Normal College. A local rancher and local judge also helped, as did the head of the South Dakota State Historical Society.

Wayne State history professor Joseph Weixelman, who specialized in Western history, led a contingent of Wayne students.

But the contingent was denied permission to breach the monument, due to uncertainty about who exactly owned it, and who exactly could give permission to break into it.

The concrete monument was originally poured and created on private ranch land, but later, the property was obtained for federal reservoir, on which a park, managed by the State of South Dakota, now sits.

Just recently, the Bureau of Reclamation accepted the ownership claim of Hughes and other Neihardt desendants, and OK’d its removal to the historic site dedicated to Neihardt, the poet laureate in perpetuity of Nebraska.

Bureau spokeswoman Elizabeth Smith said that agency, in consultation with historians and to comply with the National Historic Preservation Act, determined that the monument “was not of significance as a federal historic resource.”

She said that since the monument was moved sometime after the reservoir was built, “it no longer retains historic integrity” as outlined in the federal act.

Allowing it to be displayed at the Neihardt Center, Smith added, will provide “a long-term public benefit.”

&nbsp;Astrid Blumer, the proprietor of the Summerville Store and Cafe, a local gathering spot near the reservoir and monument, said it will be a little sad to see Neihardt’s monument removed. But, she said, a larger, state historical marker, erected by the State of South Dakota in the 1970s, will remain.

“So the story will not be forgotten,” Blumer said. “And that’s what important.”

“It’s a great story. We still own the legend,” she added.&nbsp;

Lemmon recently held its<a target="_blank" href="https://www.travelsouthdakota.com/trip-ideas/photo-essay/hugh-glass-rendezvous">&nbsp;annual Hugh Glass Rendezvous</a>&nbsp;to commemorate the bicentennial of the mauling.

Hughes said that the family’s wish is to crack into the monument as a family, and not have a large group looking over their shoulders.

&nbsp;“If you’re resorting to hand chisels and brushes, you don’t want a herd of people around,” she said. “It could easily take two days to chip our way in.”

There’s some uncertainty about whether anything is left inside the time capsule. The monument was reportedly inundated by floodwaters at least three times as it sat alongside the federal reservoir.

Hughes said it was in total keeping with her grandfather’s personality to erect such a monument, then bury a time capsule inside for others to unearth in 100 years.

“He had a great sense of humor, and he could make anything into an adventure,” she said. “He was so much fun.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695652192452.jpeg" alt=" Orignial monument to Hugh Glass seen today. (Courtesy of Joseph Weixelman)" />
 <figcaption> Orignial monument to Hugh Glass seen today. (Courtesy of Joseph Weixelman)</figcaption>
 </figure>Paul Hammel<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/09/25/family-of-famed-poet-plans-to-breach-century-old-monument-to-unlock-mystery-inside/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — After gaining federal permission, the family of a famed poet/author plans to trek to a remote corner of South Dakota in October to retrieve a century-old monument dedicated to a heroic mountain man.The goal is to finally unlock a mystery hidden inside the monument, erected at the direction of writer John Neihardt as an “altar to courage” of the subject of one of his poems: Hugh Glass, who crawled, limped and paddled 200 miles after being mauled by a bear and left for dead in 1823.The mauling was depicted in the 2015 movie “The Revenant,”&nbsp;which starred Leonardo DiCaprio as Hugh Glass.Neihardt wrote that he placed a time capsule in the “bosom” of the concrete monument. The capsule, he wrote, includes an “original manuscript” from him, the author of “Black Elk Speaks,” a million-selling book about the remembrances of a Lakota medicine man.The monument sits on U.S. Bureau of Reclamation land. The agency recently determined that<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/09/wayne-state-group-seeks-to-unlock-mysteries-surrounding-lonely-south-dakota-monument/">&nbsp;the Neihardt family rightly owns&nbsp;</a>the monument and gave the OK for the family to remove it from its current site, along Shadehill Reservoir near Lemmon, South Dakota.Coralie Hughes, a granddaughter of Neihardt, said her family plans to haul it to the Neihardt State Historic Site, a museum dedicated to the poet/author, in Bancroft, Nebraska.<h2>‘No idea’ what will be found</h2>Family members, she said, plan to proceed carefully in breaching the monument after picking it up on Oct. 23-24.“We have no idea what we’re going to find,” said Hughes from her home in Indiana. “We want to be very careful. We don’t know where the objects are.”She said it has not been determined exactly when the family will reveal what was inside the time capsule, if it is successfully found. Tentative plans are to do that at the spring conference of the Neihardt Foundation, which is scheduled April 27 at Wayne State College.<h2>Displayed in Bancroft</h2>The monument and its contents will be displayed at the Neihardt center in Bancroft, where the writer began his work on “The Cycle of the West,” a collection of five epic poems about the frontier which included the “Song of Hugh Glass.”“It will be another attraction for our center. There’s a great story to go with it,” said Marianne Reynolds, the executive director of the Neihardt State Historic Site.&nbsp;Unlocking the mystery of what’s inside the monument will be the culmination of&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/09/wayne-state-group-seeks-to-unlock-mysteries-surrounding-lonely-south-dakota-monument/">a saga begun in June when a contingent from Wayne State</a>&nbsp;College trekked to Lemmon in response to a challenge issued by Neihardt — to return to the monument site after 100 years, read some poetry,and “celebrate” as mountain men might have.The original monument was erected by Neihardt and members of a now-defunct “Neihardt Club” at the college, which the author/poet attended and was known in 1923 as Nebraska Normal College. A local rancher and local judge also helped, as did the head of the South Dakota State Historical Society.<h2>Wayne State contingent led by professor</h2>Wayne State history professor Joseph Weixelman, who specialized in Western history, led a contingent of Wayne students.But the contingent was denied permission to breach the monument, due to uncertainty about who exactly owned it, and who exactly could give permission to break into it.The concrete monument was originally poured and created on private ranch land, but later, the property was obtained for federal reservoir, on which a park, managed by the State of South Dakota, now sits.Just recently, the Bureau of Reclamation accepted the ownership claim of Hughes and other Neihardt desendants, and OK’d its removal to the historic site dedicated to Neihardt, the poet laureate in perpetuity of Nebraska.Bureau spokeswoman Elizabeth Smith said that agency, in consultation with historians and to comply with the National Historic Preservation Act, determined that the monument “was not of significance as a federal historic resource.”She said that since the monument was moved sometime after the reservoir was built, “it no longer retains historic integrity” as outlined in the federal act.<h2>‘We still own the legend’</h2>Allowing it to be displayed at the Neihardt Center, Smith added, will provide “a long-term public benefit.”&nbsp;Astrid Blumer, the proprietor of the Summerville Store and Cafe, a local gathering spot near the reservoir and monument, said it will be a little sad to see Neihardt’s monument removed. But, she said, a larger, state historical marker, erected by the State of South Dakota in the 1970s, will remain.“So the story will not be forgotten,” Blumer said. “And that’s what important.”“It’s a great story. We still own the legend,” she added.&nbsp;Lemmon recently held its<a target="_blank" href="https://www.travelsouthdakota.com/trip-ideas/photo-essay/hugh-glass-rendezvous">&nbsp;annual Hugh Glass Rendezvous</a>&nbsp;to commemorate the bicentennial of the mauling.Hughes said that the family’s wish is to crack into the monument as a family, and not have a large group looking over their shoulders.&nbsp;“If you’re resorting to hand chisels and brushes, you don’t want a herd of people around,” she said. “It could easily take two days to chip our way in.”There’s some uncertainty about whether anything is left inside the time capsule. The monument was reportedly inundated by floodwaters at least three times as it sat alongside the federal reservoir.Hughes said it was in total keeping with her grandfather’s personality to erect such a monument, then bury a time capsule inside for others to unearth in 100 years.“He had a great sense of humor, and he could make anything into an adventure,” she said. “He was so much fun.”

Family of famed poet plans to breach century-old monument to unlock mystery inside

By JENNIFER SHUTT,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — More than 3.5 million federal employees and military personnel — many in the Washington, D.C., area but also scattered across the states and around the globe — are bracing for another partial government shutdown, as U.S. House Republicans struggle to produce a short-term plan to fund the government past the end of the month.

Most of the workers will be furloughed and go without paychecks in a shutdown. Some will have to work without pay because of the nature of their jobs, like members of the military, law enforcement officers, air traffic controllers and TSA officers. Those federal employees would get back pay once the shutdown ends under a law enacted in January 2019.

Lawmakers would not be personally affected — members of Congress would continue to get paid, as well as President Joe Biden and federal judges, though the judicial branch could see its funding run low.

In the D.C. area, Virginia is home to an estimated 140,000 civilian federal workers, who for some unknown period would go without pay and would be forced to draw on savings or other assistance, according to a federal employee database. Maryland has an estimated 139,000 civilian employees.

There are 36,181 civilian federal employees in Missouri who would be impacted by a government shutdown.

The economic impact could be broad, because the funding lapse this year would hit much harder than the 35-day partial government shutdown that took place during the Trump administration and reduced GDP by billions of dollars. This time, a partial shutdown would affect more than 1.4 million uniformed members of the military and&nbsp;1 million additional civilian federal employees at the Pentagon, Department of Health and Human Services and several other agencies, as well as congressional staff.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695238897489.png" alt="A partial government shutdown would affect more than 1.4 million uniformed members of the military and 1 million additional civilian federal employees at the Pentagon, Department of Health and Human Services and several other agencies, as well as congressional staff (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)." />
 <figcaption>A partial government shutdown would affect more than 1.4 million uniformed members of the military and 1 million additional civilian federal employees at the Pentagon, Department of Health and Human Services and several other agencies, as well as congressional staff (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom).</figcaption>
 </figure>By JENNIFER SHUTT,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — More than 3.5 million federal employees and military personnel — many in the Washington, D.C., area but also scattered across the states and around the globe — are bracing for another partial government shutdown, as U.S. House Republicans struggle to produce a short-term plan to fund the government past the end of the month.Most of the workers will be furloughed and go without paychecks in a shutdown. Some will have to work without pay because of the nature of their jobs, like members of the military, law enforcement officers, air traffic controllers and TSA officers. Those federal employees would get back pay once the shutdown ends under a law enacted in January 2019.Lawmakers would not be personally affected — members of Congress would continue to get paid, as well as President Joe Biden and federal judges, though the judicial branch could see its funding run low.In the D.C. area, Virginia is home to an estimated 140,000 civilian federal workers, who for some unknown period would go without pay and would be forced to draw on savings or other assistance, according to a federal employee database. Maryland has an estimated 139,000 civilian employees.There are 36,181 civilian federal employees in Missouri who would be impacted by a government shutdown.The economic impact could be broad, because the funding lapse this year would hit much harder than the 35-day partial government shutdown that took place during the Trump administration and reduced GDP by billions of dollars. This time, a partial shutdown would affect more than 1.4 million uniformed members of the military and&nbsp;1 million additional civilian federal employees at the Pentagon, Department of Health and Human Services and several other agencies, as well as congressional staff.Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, has repeatedly warned his own members against forcing a funding lapse, saying it won’t help the party to achieve its goals.But that hasn’t stopped especially conservative Republicans from<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-gop-spending-bills-falter-congress-struggles-avoid-shutdown">&nbsp;halting work&nbsp;</a>on full-year spending measures and opposing the short-term stopgap bill that’s needed to give lawmakers more time to work out a deal.American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley said in a written statement that a “government shutdown would be a disaster for the American people and the federal employees who keep our government running.”“Shutdowns hurt local communities across the country, deny Americans access to government services, and do significant damage to the overall economy,” Kelley said.Congress, Kelley said, “needs to do its job and pass a continuing resolution to keep the government funded at current levels while continuing to negotiate a final budget. Nothing less is acceptable.”AFGE represents more than 750,000 federal and D.C. government employees.Here’s a look at why the federal government might shut down by Oct. 1, what agencies are impacted and what isn’t affected.<h2>Why would the government have to shut down?</h2>Congress is supposed to pass 12 government funding bills each year before the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1, but lawmakers haven’t completed all of their bills on time since 1996.Instead, every year the House and Senate pass at least one stopgap spending bill, or continuing resolution. This keeps funding levels and policy mostly flat for a few weeks or a couple of months, giving the Appropriations committees more time to work out bipartisan bills and for leaders to hold floor votes.Congress sometimes has to pass several short-term funding bills lasting for months, or even the entire fiscal year, if agreements on new, full-year spending bills can’t be negotiated.If Congress doesn’t approve all dozen full-year government funding bills, or pass a short-term stopgap bill, by midnight on Sept. 30, then a funding lapse begins and government departments begin implementing a partial shutdown.<h2>What happens during a shutdown?&nbsp;</h2>Federal civilian employees are broadly categorized as either “excepted” or “non-excepted.” During a partial government shutdown, excepted federal workers continue to work without pay while everyone else is furloughed — which means they are on an enforced vacation and their pay is on hold until the government resumes operations.Employees that deal with “the safety of human life or the protection of property” often work without pay until Congress approves some sort of spending measure.<h2>What federal departments and agencies are involved?&nbsp;</h2>Any federal department or agency without a full-year appropriations bill would need to implement its shutdown plans if Congress doesn’t approve a spending bill before Oct. 1.Congress has yet to pass any of its dozen annual funding bills for fiscal 2024, so all of the departments and agencies funded through the annual appropriations process would be impacted.That includes the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury and Veterans Affairs.Smaller federal agencies would also be affected, including the Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drug Administration, NASA and the Smithsonian Institution, among dozens of others.The entire legislative branch, including the U.S. House, U.S. Senate, the Capitol Police, the Congressional Budget Office, Government Accountability Office and the Library of Congress, among others, would be partially shut down.Each department and agency has its own guidance for implementing a partial government shutdown, which is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/information-for-agencies/agency-contingency-plans/">posted on the Office of Management and Budget’s website.</a><h2>What federal operations escape?</h2>Spending on mandatory programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security does not go through the annual appropriations process, so those three programs are mostly exempt from the impact.<h2>How many federal employees would be furloughed?</h2>The federal government employed just under 2.2 million civilian employees earlier this year, according to its&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fedscope.opm.gov/">database</a>. There are another 1.4 million members of the U.S. military, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/spec_fy2024.pdf">numbers</a>&nbsp;from the Office of Management and Budget. The Legislative Branch employs more than 31,000 employees and the judicial branch has about 33,000 employees.About 745,000 of the civilian employees work for the Department of Defense, with another 449,000 at the Veterans Affairs Department. The Department of Homeland Security — which houses Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency — employs more than 216,000 federal employees.A state-by-state&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fedscope.opm.gov/ibmcognos/bi/v1/disp?b_action=powerPlayService&amp;m_encoding=UTF-8&amp;BZ=1AAABlrQKB6l42n1OTW_CQBT8M%7EuwPdS8HUDlwGGBJZJUsMK9obhaUz4McvHfN8DBtofO5CWTeTPJWHm2zIvsoJPIvw1db5LoiYALPNdVCJ2NRuyESnuOXLEbePFKOnKNNQHP1tjV6hBu96rY_oS46trBtAMhPnX10fTkBuRwWzaG7GixL6uv8mxu77q51t29Me2wIDcixNf58zv_SBH4hcC7sq8_CQyGPRatKA_XYZamOiySLE3VTvv%7ElqzgzT8xC8nMUrIQgoXLAixGCqHOpq3uBCYcCazqmth77apyuHTtH1sQNgSbCUYSPgjebMiHISYQ7DH_A3LipOYx080TZnwDkntmsg%3D%3D">breakdown</a>&nbsp;of where civilian federal employees work shows that the nation’s capital has the most federal employees, with 161,000 working in the District of Columbia.California has the second-highest population of civilian federal employees with 142,000. Texas holds nearly 123,000.More than 636,000 federal employees are veterans.Federal employees will get back pay after the shutdown ends, though that hasn’t extended to federal contractors.<h2>Does anyone get paid during a partial government shutdown?</h2>Yes. The president, members of Congress and judges.Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution “forbids the salary of the President to be reduced while he or she is in office, thus effectively guaranteeing the President of compensation regardless of any shutdown action,” according to the Congressional Research Service.Members of Congress would receive pay for several reasons, including that they have a permanent appropriation for their salaries, a section of the Constitution addressing lawmakers’ pay and the 27th Amendment, according to the Congressional Research Service.Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution says that U.S. lawmakers “shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.”And the 27th Amendment notes that “No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.”Judges and the judiciary would “likely be able to continue to operate for a limited time using funds derived from court filings and other fees and from no-year appropriations,” according to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/RL34680.pdf">report</a>&nbsp;from CRS.<h2>How many funding lapses have there been?</h2>Congress has failed to fund the government three times since 2000.In 2013, there was a 16-day shutdown amid calls from several hardline Republicans, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz,&nbsp;to defund the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.While none of the 12 full-year government funding bills were law when that shutdown began, it didn’t fully impact the Pentagon.Just before the funding lapse began, Congress passed a bill to provide pay for troops, Defense Department civilian employees and certain contractors working for either the Defense Department or the Homeland Security Department, according to the Congressional Research Service.There were two funding lapses during the Trump administration, one of which was relatively short and one that lasted for 35 days.The 35-day partial government shutdown began after five of the dozen annual spending bills became law, reducing the number of federal employees and operations impacted.The Departments of Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Labor and Veterans Affairs weren’t affected. Congress also wasn’t impacted, having passed its own funding bill.<h2>What is the economic impact of a partial government shutdown?</h2>Federal employees were furloughed for a total of 6.6 million days during the 2013 partial government shutdown, bringing the total “lost productivity” to about $2 billion, according to an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/reports/impacts-and-costs-of-october-2013-federal-government-shutdown-report.pdf">analysis</a>&nbsp;from the White House budget office.The 2019 partial government shutdown reduced real gross domestic product by $3 billion during the fourth quarter of 2018 and by $8 billion during the first quarter of 2019, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2019-01/54937-PartialShutdownEffects.pdf">analysis</a>&nbsp;from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.That shutdown, CBO said in its report, “dampened economic activity mainly because of the loss of furloughed federal workers’ contribution to GDP, the delay in federal spending on goods and services, and the reduction in aggregate demand (which thereby dampened private-sector activity).”<h2>What’s the Biden administration saying?</h2>The White House released a memo Wednesday rebuking House Republicans for approaching the end of the fiscal year without a bipartisan plan to fund the government.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Your daily reminder. <a href="https://t.co/JbGTuwUJjz">pic.twitter.com/JbGTuwUJjz</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1705979153680351524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The administration said it’s clear that “if extreme House Republicans fail to ram through their radical agenda, they plan to take their frustration out on the American people by forcing a government shutdown that would undermine our economy and national security, create needless uncertainty for families and businesses, and have damaging consequences across the country.”The memo says a funding lapse could affect dozens of federal programs, including eliminating some spaces in Head Start, slowing down new loans at the Small Business Administration and forcing the FDA to “delay food safety inspections for a wide variety of products all across the country.”The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, could have to reduce the number of inspections, “denying workers a key protection against safety risk, and Americans who are owed back pay for their hard work would face delays due to the majority of Department of Labor investigations being suspended.”Air travel could also be impacted since TSA employees and air traffic controllers would be working without pay, the White House memo says.“These consequences are real and avoidable — but only if House Republicans stop playing political games with peoples’ lives and catering to the ideological demands of their most extreme, far-right members,” the White House memo says. “It’s time for House Republicans to abide by the bipartisan budget agreement that a majority of them voted for, keep the government open, and address other urgent needs for the American people.”