Lincoln, September 12, 2023- On Tuesday, September 12, the Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) opened separate investigations into recent 911 outages involving telecommunication carriers Lumen (<a href="https://www.nebraska.gov/psc/orders/state911/2023-09-12%20911-075%20PI-248%20Order%20Opening%20Investigation.pdf" target="_blank">911-075/PI 248</a>) and Windstream (<a href="https://www.nebraska.gov/psc/orders/state911/2023-09-12%20911-076%20PI-249%20Order%20Opening%20Investigation.pdf" target="_blank">911-076/PI 249</a>).

“The disruptions in 911 service that occurred in these two separate incidents is unacceptable,”said Commission Chair Dan Watermeier. “The Commission expects 911 service providers tomaintain diverse and redundant connections between 911centers and their networks.”

<a>Determining why the outage resulted in the loss of 911 service over such a wide area ofNebraska will be essential to the Lumen investigation (</a><a href="https://www.nebraska.gov/psc/orders/state911/2023-09-12%20911-075%20PI-248%20Order%20Opening%20Investigation.pdf" target="_blank">911-075/PI 248</a>).A primary focus of the Windstream investigation (<a href="https://www.nebraska.gov/psc/orders/state911/2023-09-12%20911-076%20PI-249%20Order%20Opening%20Investigation.pdf" target="_blank">911-076/PI 249</a>) will be to determine why afire and loss of electrical power at a single Windstream facility resulted in a disruption of 911service to a large portion of southeast Nebraska.

In both investigations the Commission seeks an explanation as to why the redundancy requiredof both telecommunications carriers failed and a solution to prevent this from happening again.

Commissioner Watermeier said, “The highest level of service is expected and required of our911 service providers. There are no exceptions.”&nbsp;

Deb CollinsLincoln, September 12, 2023- On Tuesday, September 12, the Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) opened separate investigations into recent 911 outages involving telecommunication carriers Lumen (<a href="https://www.nebraska.gov/psc/orders/state911/2023-09-12%20911-075%20PI-248%20Order%20Opening%20Investigation.pdf" target="_blank">911-075/PI 248</a>) and Windstream (<a href="https://www.nebraska.gov/psc/orders/state911/2023-09-12%20911-076%20PI-249%20Order%20Opening%20Investigation.pdf" target="_blank">911-076/PI 249</a>).“The disruptions in 911 service that occurred in these two separate incidents is unacceptable,”said Commission Chair Dan Watermeier. “The Commission expects 911 service providers tomaintain diverse and redundant connections between 911centers and their networks.”<a>Determining why the outage resulted in the loss of 911 service over such a wide area ofNebraska will be essential to the Lumen investigation (</a><a href="https://www.nebraska.gov/psc/orders/state911/2023-09-12%20911-075%20PI-248%20Order%20Opening%20Investigation.pdf" target="_blank">911-075/PI 248</a>).A primary focus of the Windstream investigation (<a href="https://www.nebraska.gov/psc/orders/state911/2023-09-12%20911-076%20PI-249%20Order%20Opening%20Investigation.pdf" target="_blank">911-076/PI 249</a>) will be to determine why afire and loss of electrical power at a single Windstream facility resulted in a disruption of 911service to a large portion of southeast Nebraska.In both investigations the Commission seeks an explanation as to why the redundancy requiredof both telecommunications carriers failed and a solution to prevent this from happening again.Commissioner Watermeier said, “The highest level of service is expected and required of our911 service providers. There are no exceptions.”&nbsp;

PSC OPENS INVESTIGATIONS INTO 911 OUTAGES

Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena announced today at Morgan Stanley's 11th Annual Laguna Conference that the railroad's Mexico intermodal products – Eagle and Falcon Premium – create unmatched intermodal services, connecting the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Union Pacific recently removed a full day of transit time for customers shipping on&nbsp;<a href="http://www.up.com/up/customers/premium/resource-center/eagle-premium/index.htm" target="_blank">Eagle&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.up.com/up/customers/premium/mexico-to-canada/index.htm" target="_blank">Falcon Premium</a>.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.up.com/up/customers/premium/resource-center/eagle-premium/index.htm" target="_blank">Eagle Premium</a>&nbsp;delivers seamless interchange between Mexico, Chicago, the West Coast, and eastern U.S. points, including Detroit, Michigan and Louisville, Kentucky.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.up.com/up/customers/premium/mexico-to-canada/index.htm" target="_blank">Falcon Premium</a>, developed jointly with Canadian National (CN) and Grupo Mexico (GMXT), serves all CN points within Canada and Detroit, Michigan.

Both Eagle and Falcon Premium take advantage of Union Pacific's route between Texas and Chicago. The services provide customers an environmentally responsible alternative to truck along a critical trade corridor, just in time to serve companies that have recently relocated to Mexico. Union Pacific's transit improvements directly compete with truck and benefit intermodal customers shipping automotive parts, food, FAK (freight all kinds), home appliances and temperature-controlled products.

“Union Pacific has a great network, and we will continue leveraging it to offer our customers competitive, world-class service,” said Vena. “I'm optimistic about the strong performance and the growth potential as a result of our operational excellence and opportunities created by the nearshoring trend in Mexico.”

Advantages for Union Pacific's customers include:

“Hundreds of miles are saved on the Union Pacific route from Mexico to Chicago, eastern U.S. cities and Canada compared to other solutions, and for our customers, this translates into service dependability and total delivered cost savings,” said Kenny Rocker, Union Pacific executive vice president – Marketing and Sales. “We're excited to offer this one-of-a-kind service and expect our customers to win in the marketplace.”

Union PacificUnion Pacific CEO Jim Vena announced today at Morgan Stanley's 11th Annual Laguna Conference that the railroad's Mexico intermodal products – Eagle and Falcon Premium – create unmatched intermodal services, connecting the United States, Mexico and Canada.Union Pacific recently removed a full day of transit time for customers shipping on&nbsp;<a href="http://www.up.com/up/customers/premium/resource-center/eagle-premium/index.htm" target="_blank">Eagle&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.up.com/up/customers/premium/mexico-to-canada/index.htm" target="_blank">Falcon Premium</a>.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.up.com/up/customers/premium/resource-center/eagle-premium/index.htm" target="_blank">Eagle Premium</a>&nbsp;delivers seamless interchange between Mexico, Chicago, the West Coast, and eastern U.S. points, including Detroit, Michigan and Louisville, Kentucky.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.up.com/up/customers/premium/mexico-to-canada/index.htm" target="_blank">Falcon Premium</a>, developed jointly with Canadian National (CN) and Grupo Mexico (GMXT), serves all CN points within Canada and Detroit, Michigan.Both Eagle and Falcon Premium take advantage of Union Pacific's route between Texas and Chicago. The services provide customers an environmentally responsible alternative to truck along a critical trade corridor, just in time to serve companies that have recently relocated to Mexico. Union Pacific's transit improvements directly compete with truck and benefit intermodal customers shipping automotive parts, food, FAK (freight all kinds), home appliances and temperature-controlled products.“Union Pacific has a great network, and we will continue leveraging it to offer our customers competitive, world-class service,” said Vena. “I'm optimistic about the strong performance and the growth potential as a result of our operational excellence and opportunities created by the nearshoring trend in Mexico.”Advantages for Union Pacific's customers include:<ul>
 <li>The most reliable, proven network connecting Mexico to the U.S. and Canada, leveraging each railroad's best services and routes including Union Pacific's 30-year history in Mexico. Union Pacific remains the only railroad to serve all six of Mexico's major gateways.</li><li>Seven-day per week service between GMXT terminals in Mexico: Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, and Silao, Guanajuato. Service includes both interchange with GMXT at Eagle Pass, Texas, as well as through Union Pacific's Port Laredo Intermodal Terminal at Laredo, Texas, which is the shortest route and provides the most efficient delivery time with the least amount of elevation gain and crew changes.</li>
 </ul>“Hundreds of miles are saved on the Union Pacific route from Mexico to Chicago, eastern U.S. cities and Canada compared to other solutions, and for our customers, this translates into service dependability and total delivered cost savings,” said Kenny Rocker, Union Pacific executive vice president – Marketing and Sales. “We're excited to offer this one-of-a-kind service and expect our customers to win in the marketplace.”

Union Pacific's Newest Offering Removes Full Day of Transit Between the U.S., Mexico and Canada, Creating Unmatched Service for Customers

By JENNIFER SHUTT&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 — The U.S. Department of Justice asked the Supreme Court to decide whether the abortion pill should remain on the market after two lower courts issued differing opinions about its use.

The case, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will likely be the second time the conservative-leaning Supreme Court rules on access to abortion since former President Donald Trump nominated three new justices, shifting the balance of power.

“The loss of access to mifepristone would be damaging for women and healthcare providers around the Nation,” the DOJ wrote in the 42-page document. “For many patients, mifepristone is the best method to lawfully terminate their early pregnancies. They may choose mifepristone over surgical abortion because of medical necessity, a desire for privacy, or past trauma.”

“Surgical abortion is an invasive medical procedure that can have greater health risks for some patients, such as those who are allergic to anesthesia,” DOJ added.

The DOJ called on the Supreme Court to take up the case by arguing that lower courts erred in several ways, including by making “serious legal errors.”

“The court scarcely acknowledged FDA’s detailed analysis of the available scientific evidence,” DOJ wrote. “Instead, it faulted FDA for failing to cite studies that do not exist and for failing to explicitly respond to unfounded objections that were not raised during the administrative process.”

Alliance Defending Freedom, an anti-abortion legal organization,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-judge-could-decide-soon-february-yank-abortion-pill-nationwide">filed the lawsuit in November</a>&nbsp;on behalf of four anti-abortion medical organizations and four anti-abortion doctors.

The case argued the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas should overturn the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 2000 approval of mifepristone, the first of two drugs used in medication abortion.

The original filing in the case said that if the judge didn’t end legal access to mifepristone, the court should revert prescribing and dosage to what was approved before 2016.

District Court Judge Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-administration-appeals-judges-ruling-ordering-abortion-pill-us-market">issued a ruling in April</a>&nbsp;that essentially overturned the FDA’s 2000 approval of mifepristone, which is also commonly used in miscarriage treatment.

The U.S. Supreme Court later&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-supreme-court-preserves-access-abortion-pill-lawsuit-continues">issued a temporary stay of that ruling,</a>&nbsp;keeping mifepristone on the market until the justices decide whether to take up the case as part of the appeals process.

The district court ruling from Kacsmaryk was appealed to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/three-judge-panel-us-appeals-court-hears-arguments-abortion-pill-case">heard oral arguments&nbsp;</a>in May and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/abortion-pill-stay-market-until-us-supreme-court-ruling-after-appeals-court-order-0">issued its ruling&nbsp;</a>in August.

The three-judge panel, made up of Republican-nominated judges, rejected the district judge’s decision to overturn the FDA’s 2000 approval of mifepristone. But the appeals court ruled the FDA should revert prescribing and dosage to what was in place before 2016.

The 5th Circuit wrote in its opinion that in “loosening mifepristone’s safety restrictions, FDA failed to address several important concerns about whether the drug would be safe for the women who use it.”

“It failed to consider the cumulative effect of removing several important safeguards at the same time. It failed to consider whether those ‘major’ and ‘interrelated’ changes might alter the risk profile, such that the agency should continue to mandate reporting of non-fatal adverse events,” the appeals judges wrote. “And it failed to gather evidence that affirmatively showed that mifepristone could be used safely without being prescribed and dispensed in person.”

That ruling remains on hold until the Supreme Court issues its own opinion, or refuses to hear the case. That means mifepristone remains an FDA-approved drug that health care providers can continue prescribing in line with current standards.

If the Supreme Court orders the FDA to revert to pre-2016 use and dosage of mifepristone, it would lead to several changes.

Mifepristone could only be used to end a pregnancy in patients up to seven weeks gestation, not the current 10-week benchmark.

Only doctors, not other healthcare providers with the authority to prescribe medications, would be able to administer mifepristone.

Patients would need to attend three in-person doctor’s office visits, removing the option to prescribe the drug via telehealth and send it to patients through the mail.

The dosage of mifepristone would revert to what was used before 2016, as would the timing of when patients take a second medication known as misoprostol.

A Department of Justice spokesperson said following the appeals court’s ruling in August that the “Department strongly disagrees with the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA and will be seeking Supreme Court review of that decision.”

In the writ of certiorari the Department of Justice sent to the Supreme Court on Friday asking the justices to hear the case, its attorneys argued that the 5th Circuit decision could have “especially disruptive implications for the pharmaceutical industry and those who depend upon the drugs it supplies.”

“Indeed, a wide range of industry participants have warned that the lower courts’ approach would ‘result in a seismic shift in the clinical development and drug approval processes, erecting unnecessary and unscientific barriers to the approval of lifesaving medicines, chilling drug development and investment, threatening patient access, and destabilizing the rigorous, well-established, and long-standing drug approval process.’”

The Department of Justice lawyers also wrote the 5th Circuit decision “did not conclude that mifepristone is unsafe.”

“Instead, the court held that FDA did not adequately explain its 2016 and 2021 actions,” DOJ attorneys wrote. “Even if that were true, those asserted failures of explanation would at most have justified a direction to FDA to further consider the relevant issues, without additional relief that would bar distribution of mifepristone as presently approved.”

If the U.S. Supreme Court decides to take up the case, the justices could issue a ruling as soon as next summer, just months before the 2024 presidential election.

The Supreme Court&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-supreme-court-overturns-right-abortion-landmark-decision-16">ruled in June 2022</a>&nbsp;that Americans no longer had the constitutional right to abortion that was established nearly 50 years before in the landmark Roe v. Wade case.

The Supreme Court&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/19-1392_6j37.pdf">wrote</a>&nbsp;that “the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680967457500.png" alt="In 23 years, the FDA has reported out of more than 5 million medication-abortion patients, 28 deaths, but not all necessarily because of mifepristone. -AP photo" />
 <figcaption>In 23 years, the FDA has reported out of more than 5 million medication-abortion patients, 28 deaths, but not all necessarily because of mifepristone. -AP photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By JENNIFER SHUTT&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 — The U.S. Department of Justice asked the Supreme Court to decide whether the abortion pill should remain on the market after two lower courts issued differing opinions about its use.The case, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will likely be the second time the conservative-leaning Supreme Court rules on access to abortion since former President Donald Trump nominated three new justices, shifting the balance of power.“The loss of access to mifepristone would be damaging for women and healthcare providers around the Nation,” the DOJ wrote in the 42-page document. “For many patients, mifepristone is the best method to lawfully terminate their early pregnancies. They may choose mifepristone over surgical abortion because of medical necessity, a desire for privacy, or past trauma.”“Surgical abortion is an invasive medical procedure that can have greater health risks for some patients, such as those who are allergic to anesthesia,” DOJ added.The DOJ called on the Supreme Court to take up the case by arguing that lower courts erred in several ways, including by making “serious legal errors.”“The court scarcely acknowledged FDA’s detailed analysis of the available scientific evidence,” DOJ wrote. “Instead, it faulted FDA for failing to cite studies that do not exist and for failing to explicitly respond to unfounded objections that were not raised during the administrative process.”Alliance Defending Freedom, an anti-abortion legal organization,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-judge-could-decide-soon-february-yank-abortion-pill-nationwide">filed the lawsuit in November</a>&nbsp;on behalf of four anti-abortion medical organizations and four anti-abortion doctors.The case argued the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas should overturn the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 2000 approval of mifepristone, the first of two drugs used in medication abortion.The original filing in the case said that if the judge didn’t end legal access to mifepristone, the court should revert prescribing and dosage to what was approved before 2016.District Court Judge Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-administration-appeals-judges-ruling-ordering-abortion-pill-us-market">issued a ruling in April</a>&nbsp;that essentially overturned the FDA’s 2000 approval of mifepristone, which is also commonly used in miscarriage treatment.The U.S. Supreme Court later&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-supreme-court-preserves-access-abortion-pill-lawsuit-continues">issued a temporary stay of that ruling,</a>&nbsp;keeping mifepristone on the market until the justices decide whether to take up the case as part of the appeals process.The district court ruling from Kacsmaryk was appealed to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/three-judge-panel-us-appeals-court-hears-arguments-abortion-pill-case">heard oral arguments&nbsp;</a>in May and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/abortion-pill-stay-market-until-us-supreme-court-ruling-after-appeals-court-order-0">issued its ruling&nbsp;</a>in August.The three-judge panel, made up of Republican-nominated judges, rejected the district judge’s decision to overturn the FDA’s 2000 approval of mifepristone. But the appeals court ruled the FDA should revert prescribing and dosage to what was in place before 2016.The 5th Circuit wrote in its opinion that in “loosening mifepristone’s safety restrictions, FDA failed to address several important concerns about whether the drug would be safe for the women who use it.”“It failed to consider the cumulative effect of removing several important safeguards at the same time. It failed to consider whether those ‘major’ and ‘interrelated’ changes might alter the risk profile, such that the agency should continue to mandate reporting of non-fatal adverse events,” the appeals judges wrote. “And it failed to gather evidence that affirmatively showed that mifepristone could be used safely without being prescribed and dispensed in person.”That ruling remains on hold until the Supreme Court issues its own opinion, or refuses to hear the case. That means mifepristone remains an FDA-approved drug that health care providers can continue prescribing in line with current standards.If the Supreme Court orders the FDA to revert to pre-2016 use and dosage of mifepristone, it would lead to several changes.Mifepristone could only be used to end a pregnancy in patients up to seven weeks gestation, not the current 10-week benchmark.Only doctors, not other healthcare providers with the authority to prescribe medications, would be able to administer mifepristone.Patients would need to attend three in-person doctor’s office visits, removing the option to prescribe the drug via telehealth and send it to patients through the mail.The dosage of mifepristone would revert to what was used before 2016, as would the timing of when patients take a second medication known as misoprostol.A Department of Justice spokesperson said following the appeals court’s ruling in August that the “Department strongly disagrees with the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA and will be seeking Supreme Court review of that decision.”In the writ of certiorari the Department of Justice sent to the Supreme Court on Friday asking the justices to hear the case, its attorneys argued that the 5th Circuit decision could have “especially disruptive implications for the pharmaceutical industry and those who depend upon the drugs it supplies.”“Indeed, a wide range of industry participants have warned that the lower courts’ approach would ‘result in a seismic shift in the clinical development and drug approval processes, erecting unnecessary and unscientific barriers to the approval of lifesaving medicines, chilling drug development and investment, threatening patient access, and destabilizing the rigorous, well-established, and long-standing drug approval process.’”The Department of Justice lawyers also wrote the 5th Circuit decision “did not conclude that mifepristone is unsafe.”“Instead, the court held that FDA did not adequately explain its 2016 and 2021 actions,” DOJ attorneys wrote. “Even if that were true, those asserted failures of explanation would at most have justified a direction to FDA to further consider the relevant issues, without additional relief that would bar distribution of mifepristone as presently approved.”If the U.S. Supreme Court decides to take up the case, the justices could issue a ruling as soon as next summer, just months before the 2024 presidential election.The Supreme Court&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-supreme-court-overturns-right-abortion-landmark-decision-16">ruled in June 2022</a>&nbsp;that Americans no longer had the constitutional right to abortion that was established nearly 50 years before in the landmark Roe v. Wade case.The Supreme Court&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/19-1392_6j37.pdf">wrote</a>&nbsp;that “the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.”<figure>
 <img src="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/plugins/states-newsroom/republisher/assets/img/ccwhite.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Justice Department wants Supreme Court to take up abortion pill case

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kevin-mccarthy">Kevin McCarthy</a>&nbsp;said Tuesday he is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-speaker-biden-impeachment-republicans-shutdown-4d8c314763252429a6f87e7d13ad2b43">directing a House committee</a>&nbsp;to open an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden over his family's business dealings, launching historic proceedings ahead of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-2024-poll-old-corrupt-12b806876e2072790f9a67793761c688">2024 election.</a>

McCarthy said the House Oversight Committee's investigation so far has found a “culture of corruption” around the Biden family as Republicans probe the business dealings of Biden's son,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden">Hunter Biden</a>, from before the Democratic president took office.

“These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption, and they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives,” McCarthy, R-Calif., said outside the speaker's office at the Capitol. "That’s why today I am directing our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.”

The announcement comes as the Republican leader faces mounting pressure from his right flank to take action against Biden while he also is struggling to pass legislation needed to avoid a federal government shutdown at the end of the month.

An inquiry is step toward impeachment, and McCarthy essentially outlined potential charges. He is is planning to convene lawmakers behind closed doors multiple times this week, including for a meeting to discuss the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Biden</a>&nbsp;impeachment.

The Republican leader is once again at a political crossroads — trying to keep his most conservative lawmakers satisfied and prevent his own ouster. It’s a familiar political bind for McCarthy,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">who is juggling</a>&nbsp;the impeachment inquiry and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-impeachment-congress-funding-048dee639bb0dcb6604f05ba2f0782a8">government shutdown threat</a>&nbsp;with no clear end game.

Government funding is to run out on Sept. 30, which is the end of the federal fiscal year, and Congress must pass new funding bills or risk a shutdown and the interruption of government services.

Biden’s White House has dismissed the impeachment push as politically motivated.

“Speaker McCarthy shouldn’t cave to the extreme, far-right members who are threatening to shut down the government unless they get a baseless, evidence-free impeachment of President Biden. The consequences for the American people are too serious,” White House spokesman Ian Sams has said.

The impeachment push comes as Trump, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-vote-capitol-siege-0a6f2a348a6e43f27d5e1dc486027860">twice impeached</a>&nbsp;by the House but acquitted by the Senate, faces more serious charges in court. Trump has been indicted four times this year, including for trying to overturn the 2020 election Biden won.

"This is a transparent effort to boost Donald Trump’s campaign by establishing a false moral equivalency between Trump — the four time-indicted former president" and Biden, who faces “zero evidence of wrongdoing whatsoever,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.

House Republicans are probing the business dealings of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden">Hunter Biden</a>&nbsp;but so far have not produced hard evidence linking them and the president. They have shown a few instances largely during the time the elder Biden was Barack Obama's vice president when he spoke by phone with his son and stopped by dinners his son was hosting with business partners.

An impeachment inquiry would provide more heft to the House investigation, especially as it battles in court for access to Biden family financial records.

Republicans contend the Justice Department has not fully probed the allegations against Hunter Biden, and say he received preferential treatment in what they call a sweetheart plea deal that recently collapsed. The Department of Justice has appointed a special prosecutor in that probe.

"We will go wherever the evidence takes us,” McCarthy said.

The White House has insisted Biden was not involved in his son’s business dealings. And Democrats on the Oversight Committee are stepping up to fight against what they view as unfounded claims against him ahead of the 2024 election.

Rep. James Comer, the Republican chairman leading the Oversight Committee, is digging into the Biden family finances and is expected to seek banking records for Hunter Biden as the panel tries to follow the flow of money.

On Tuesday, Comer demanded the State Department produce documents about the work Biden did as vice president during the Obama administration to clean up corruption in Ukraine. Comer wants to understand the State Department's views of former Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin, whom Biden and many Western allies wanted removed from office because of allegations of corruption.

This comes as federal government funding is set to run out on Sept. 30, which is the end of the federal fiscal year, and Congress must pass new funding bills or risk a shutdown and the interruption of government services.

Conservatives who power McCarty's majority want to slash spending, and the hard right is unwilling to approve spending levels the speaker negotiated with Biden earlier this year.

McCarthy is trying to float a 30-day stopgap measure to keep government running to Nov. 1, but conservatives are balking at what's called a continuing resolution, or CR, as they pursue cuts.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said late Monday exiting McCarthy's office she has “red lines" against any new money being spent for COVID-19 vaccines or mandates or Russia's war in Ukraine.

Another Republican, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a top Trump ally, is warning that McCarthy could face blowback from conservatives if he does not push hard for spending cuts.

At the start of the year, Gaetz and other Republicans secured agreements from McCarthy as he struggled to win their votes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-house-of-representatives-kevin-mccarthy-us-republican-party-0938c7358f41c83759246f8949ac7c15">become House speaker</a>.

Under the House rules, McCarthy's opponents are able to call a vote at any time to try to oust the speaker from office.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kevin-mccarthy">Kevin McCarthy</a>&nbsp;said Tuesday he is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-speaker-biden-impeachment-republicans-shutdown-4d8c314763252429a6f87e7d13ad2b43">directing a House committee</a>&nbsp;to open an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden over his family's business dealings, launching historic proceedings ahead of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-2024-poll-old-corrupt-12b806876e2072790f9a67793761c688">2024 election.</a><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">House Speaker McCarthy: &quot;I am directing our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ynjJXEZ5fT">pic.twitter.com/ynjJXEZ5fT</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1701626243404157141?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>McCarthy said the House Oversight Committee's investigation so far has found a “culture of corruption” around the Biden family as Republicans probe the business dealings of Biden's son,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden">Hunter Biden</a>, from before the Democratic president took office.“These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption, and they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives,” McCarthy, R-Calif., said outside the speaker's office at the Capitol. "That’s why today I am directing our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Biden Crime Family, LLC.&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1701661375754322261?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The announcement comes as the Republican leader faces mounting pressure from his right flank to take action against Biden while he also is struggling to pass legislation needed to avoid a federal government shutdown at the end of the month.An inquiry is step toward impeachment, and McCarthy essentially outlined potential charges. He is is planning to convene lawmakers behind closed doors multiple times this week, including for a meeting to discuss the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Biden</a>&nbsp;impeachment.The Republican leader is once again at a political crossroads — trying to keep his most conservative lawmakers satisfied and prevent his own ouster. It’s a familiar political bind for McCarthy,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">who is juggling</a>&nbsp;the impeachment inquiry and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-impeachment-congress-funding-048dee639bb0dcb6604f05ba2f0782a8">government shutdown threat</a>&nbsp;with no clear end game.Government funding is to run out on Sept. 30, which is the end of the federal fiscal year, and Congress must pass new funding bills or risk a shutdown and the interruption of government services.Biden’s White House has dismissed the impeachment push as politically motivated.“Speaker McCarthy shouldn’t cave to the extreme, far-right members who are threatening to shut down the government unless they get a baseless, evidence-free impeachment of President Biden. The consequences for the American people are too serious,” White House spokesman Ian Sams has said.The impeachment push comes as Trump, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-vote-capitol-siege-0a6f2a348a6e43f27d5e1dc486027860">twice impeached</a>&nbsp;by the House but acquitted by the Senate, faces more serious charges in court. Trump has been indicted four times this year, including for trying to overturn the 2020 election Biden won."This is a transparent effort to boost Donald Trump’s campaign by establishing a false moral equivalency between Trump — the four time-indicted former president" and Biden, who faces “zero evidence of wrongdoing whatsoever,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.House Republicans are probing the business dealings of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden">Hunter Biden</a>&nbsp;but so far have not produced hard evidence linking them and the president. They have shown a few instances largely during the time the elder Biden was Barack Obama's vice president when he spoke by phone with his son and stopped by dinners his son was hosting with business partners.An impeachment inquiry would provide more heft to the House investigation, especially as it battles in court for access to Biden family financial records.Republicans contend the Justice Department has not fully probed the allegations against Hunter Biden, and say he received preferential treatment in what they call a sweetheart plea deal that recently collapsed. The Department of Justice has appointed a special prosecutor in that probe."We will go wherever the evidence takes us,” McCarthy said.The White House has insisted Biden was not involved in his son’s business dealings. And Democrats on the Oversight Committee are stepping up to fight against what they view as unfounded claims against him ahead of the 2024 election.Rep. James Comer, the Republican chairman leading the Oversight Committee, is digging into the Biden family finances and is expected to seek banking records for Hunter Biden as the panel tries to follow the flow of money.On Tuesday, Comer demanded the State Department produce documents about the work Biden did as vice president during the Obama administration to clean up corruption in Ukraine. Comer wants to understand the State Department's views of former Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin, whom Biden and many Western allies wanted removed from office because of allegations of corruption.This comes as federal government funding is set to run out on Sept. 30, which is the end of the federal fiscal year, and Congress must pass new funding bills or risk a shutdown and the interruption of government services.Conservatives who power McCarty's majority want to slash spending, and the hard right is unwilling to approve spending levels the speaker negotiated with Biden earlier this year.McCarthy is trying to float a 30-day stopgap measure to keep government running to Nov. 1, but conservatives are balking at what's called a continuing resolution, or CR, as they pursue cuts.Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said late Monday exiting McCarthy's office she has “red lines" against any new money being spent for COVID-19 vaccines or mandates or Russia's war in Ukraine.Another Republican, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a top Trump ally, is warning that McCarthy could face blowback from conservatives if he does not push hard for spending cuts.At the start of the year, Gaetz and other Republicans secured agreements from McCarthy as he struggled to win their votes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-house-of-representatives-kevin-mccarthy-us-republican-party-0938c7358f41c83759246f8949ac7c15">become House speaker</a>.Under the House rules, McCarthy's opponents are able to call a vote at any time to try to oust the speaker from office.

🎥House panel to open impeachment inquiry of President Biden

LINCOLN, Nebraska&nbsp;— September 12, 2023 —&nbsp;Four Nebraska-made products have advanced to the semifinals of the “Coolest Thing Made in Nebraska” tournament.

Public voting for the top four semifinalists in the bracket-style competition will be held Tuesday, September 12, through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, September 17 at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nemanufacturingalliance.com/top-4-voting-2023.html" target="_blank">nemanufacturingalliance.com</a>.&nbsp;Each voter is permitted one vote per matchup, per round. The first two rounds of the competition drew about 40,000 votes total.

The following Nebraska manufacturers and their featured products are semifinalists.

The&nbsp;contest, hosted by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nemanufacturingalliance.com/" target="_blank">NE Manufacturing Alliance</a>&nbsp;and powered by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nechamber.com/" target="_blank">NE Chamber</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nppd.com/?locale=en" target="_blank">Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD</a>)&nbsp;– together with your local public power utility, celebrates the state’s thriving manufacturing industry with Nebraska residents, students, educators, community leaders, manufacturers and especially, the more than 100,000 Nebraska makers working in manufacturing every day.

The tournament leads Nebraskans into the annual celebration of NE Manufacturing Month this October. The champion will be announced October 10 at the&nbsp;<a href="https://web.nechamber.com/events/2023NE%20Chamber%20Manufacturing%20Summit-527/details" target="_blank">NE Chamber’s Manufacturing Summit</a>&nbsp;in La Vista, where the top 16 finalists are invited to display their products.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694528717467.jpeg" alt="coolest thing bracket 2023 round 3/Photo provided by&nbsp; Coolest Thing Made In Nebraska" />
 <figcaption>coolest thing bracket 2023 round 3/Photo provided by&nbsp; Coolest Thing Made In Nebraska</figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN, Nebraska&nbsp;— September 12, 2023 —&nbsp;Four Nebraska-made products have advanced to the semifinals of the “Coolest Thing Made in Nebraska” tournament.Public voting for the top four semifinalists in the bracket-style competition will be held Tuesday, September 12, through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, September 17 at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nemanufacturingalliance.com/top-4-voting-2023.html" target="_blank">nemanufacturingalliance.com</a>.&nbsp;Each voter is permitted one vote per matchup, per round. The first two rounds of the competition drew about 40,000 votes total.The following Nebraska manufacturers and their featured products are semifinalists.<ul>
 <li>Endicott Invisi-Lug Clay Paver,&nbsp;Endicott Clay Products Company, Endicott</li><li>Fire Truck,&nbsp;Danko Emergency Equipment, Snyder</li><li>Ignis Firefighting System,&nbsp;Drone Amplifed, Lincoln</li><li>Rocket Mobility All-Terrain Tracked Wheelchair, Rocket Mobility, Columbus</li>
 </ul>The&nbsp;contest, hosted by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nemanufacturingalliance.com/" target="_blank">NE Manufacturing Alliance</a>&nbsp;and powered by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nechamber.com/" target="_blank">NE Chamber</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nppd.com/?locale=en" target="_blank">Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD</a>)&nbsp;– together with your local public power utility, celebrates the state’s thriving manufacturing industry with Nebraska residents, students, educators, community leaders, manufacturers and especially, the more than 100,000 Nebraska makers working in manufacturing every day.The tournament leads Nebraskans into the annual celebration of NE Manufacturing Month this October. The champion will be announced October 10 at the&nbsp;<a href="https://web.nechamber.com/events/2023NE%20Chamber%20Manufacturing%20Summit-527/details" target="_blank">NE Chamber’s Manufacturing Summit</a>&nbsp;in La Vista, where the top 16 finalists are invited to display their products.

Four products make semifinals in ‘Coolest Thing Made in Nebraska’ contest

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/09/11/nebraska-legislature-hires-outside-lawyer-to-advise-about-work-of-inspectors-general/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Legislature has hired an outside lawyer to help senators find a legislative solution to last month’s opinion by the state attorney general’s that limited lawmakers’ oversight of the state’s child welfare and prison systems.

Speaker of the Legislature John Arch and State Sen. Tom Briese of Albion, chair of the Executive Committee, confirmed they had hired the lawyer. Briese said some state lawmakers had “expressed serious concerns about the impact this opinion could have on the Legislature’s ability to conduct meaningful oversight.”

It was not immediately clear in the letter Briese sent to members of the Legislature how much hiring the lawyer could cost taxpayers. Briese wrote that senators would benefit from an opinion outside of in-house counsel.

In a statement Monday, Arch said the Legislature’s Executive Board hired Marnie Jensen of Omaha law firm Husch Blackwell. Arch said they hired her to advise them on how the inspectors general of child welfare and corrections can still do their jobs without having unfettered access to state data from the executive and judicial branches of government.&nbsp;

Arch said the outside lawyer also would help state lawmakers “craft a constitutionally sound long-term solution.” Briese told the Examiner he and Arch want to find a “fairly agreeable way” to provide legislative oversight of the child welfare system, which is run by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, and the prison system, run by the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, and juvenile probation, which is run by the state’s court system via the Supreme Court.

In 2021, Jensen previously helped the Legislature’s special investigative committee on child welfare in eastern Nebraska.

The Legislature hired Jensen in response to a mid-August opinion from Attorney General Mike Hilgers. In it, Hilgers said the Legislature’s design of the powers of the inspectors general to control and access state information from other branches of government violated the state constitution’s separation of powers.&nbsp;

Part of the problem, Hilgers wrote, was the lack of direct legislative oversight of the inspectors. The independence the Legislature built into the offices to ensure a freer flow of accurate information may have added constitutional questions.

Both inspectors general were created after problems that surfaced during previous gubernatorial administrations in managing the child welfare and prison systems. The office of the child welfare inspector general was created in 2012. The inspector general’s office for corrections was created in 2015. That same year, the Legislature added oversight of juvenile probation to the office of inspector general for child welfare.&nbsp;

The state agencies that are the subject of the inspectors’ work have often pushed back against requests for information and against the inspectors’ findings.

“I’m still confident we can arrive at a legislative solution to fix some of these things and arrive at a level of legislative oversight … while still addressing the concerns of the attorney general,” Briese said. “We’ve got to assess it and evaluate it and see where the solution lies.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694524771274.jpeg" alt="State senators work on the final day of the 2023 session of the Nebraska Legislature (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>State senators work on the final day of the 2023 session of the Nebraska Legislature (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Paul Hammel<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/09/11/nebraska-legislature-hires-outside-lawyer-to-advise-about-work-of-inspectors-general/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN – The Nebraska Legislature has hired an outside lawyer to help senators find a legislative solution to last month’s opinion by the state attorney general’s that limited lawmakers’ oversight of the state’s child welfare and prison systems.Speaker of the Legislature John Arch and State Sen. Tom Briese of Albion, chair of the Executive Committee, confirmed they had hired the lawyer. Briese said some state lawmakers had “expressed serious concerns about the impact this opinion could have on the Legislature’s ability to conduct meaningful oversight.”It was not immediately clear in the letter Briese sent to members of the Legislature how much hiring the lawyer could cost taxpayers. Briese wrote that senators would benefit from an opinion outside of in-house counsel.In a statement Monday, Arch said the Legislature’s Executive Board hired Marnie Jensen of Omaha law firm Husch Blackwell. Arch said they hired her to advise them on how the inspectors general of child welfare and corrections can still do their jobs without having unfettered access to state data from the executive and judicial branches of government.&nbsp;Arch said the outside lawyer also would help state lawmakers “craft a constitutionally sound long-term solution.” Briese told the Examiner he and Arch want to find a “fairly agreeable way” to provide legislative oversight of the child welfare system, which is run by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, and the prison system, run by the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, and juvenile probation, which is run by the state’s court system via the Supreme Court.<h2>Experienced lawyer</h2>In 2021, Jensen previously helped the Legislature’s special investigative committee on child welfare in eastern Nebraska.The Legislature hired Jensen in response to a mid-August opinion from Attorney General Mike Hilgers. In it, Hilgers said the Legislature’s design of the powers of the inspectors general to control and access state information from other branches of government violated the state constitution’s separation of powers.&nbsp;Part of the problem, Hilgers wrote, was the lack of direct legislative oversight of the inspectors. The independence the Legislature built into the offices to ensure a freer flow of accurate information may have added constitutional questions.Both inspectors general were created after problems that surfaced during previous gubernatorial administrations in managing the child welfare and prison systems. The office of the child welfare inspector general was created in 2012. The inspector general’s office for corrections was created in 2015. That same year, the Legislature added oversight of juvenile probation to the office of inspector general for child welfare.&nbsp;The state agencies that are the subject of the inspectors’ work have often pushed back against requests for information and against the inspectors’ findings.“I’m still confident we can arrive at a legislative solution to fix some of these things and arrive at a level of legislative oversight … while still addressing the concerns of the attorney general,” Briese said. “We’ve got to assess it and evaluate it and see where the solution lies.”

Nebraska Legislature hires outside lawyer to advise about work of inspectors general

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2 new COVID vaccines approved for your protection this fall

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

🎥 US and Vietnam ink historic partnership during Biden visit

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

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

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