NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;confirmed Sunday that he will be skipping Wednesday's first Republican presidential primary debate — and others as well.

“The public knows who I am &amp; what a successful Presidency I had,” Trump wrote on his social media site. "I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!" His spokesman did not immediately clarify whether he plans to boycott every primary debate or just those that have currently been scheduled.

The former president and early GOP frontrunner&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-2024-republican-presidential-debates-e674cab77b1b37e29dcb834563c9b981">had said for months</a>&nbsp;that he saw little upside in joining his GOP rivals on stage when they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/republicans-debate-2024-president-august-6cc406eb00c72835f4f59acb30d71e95">gather for the first time</a>&nbsp;in Milwaukee Wednesday, given his commanding lead in the race. And he had made clear to those he had spoken to in recent days that his opinion had not changed.

“Why would I allow people at 1 or 2% and 0% to be hitting me with questions all night?” he said in an interview in June with Fox News host Bret Baier, who will be serving as a moderator. Trump has also repeatedly criticized Fox, the host of the Aug. 23 primetime event, insisting it is a “hostile network” that he believes will not treat him fairly.

Trump had been discussing a number of debate counterprogramming options, including sitting for an interview with ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who has been hosting a show on the website formerly known as Twitter. Carlson was spotted at Trump's Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club ahead of the announcement, according to a person familiar with the visit who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it. The New York Times reported Saturday the interview set to air Wednesday has already been taped.

“We cannot confirm or deny — stay tuned,” said Trump spokesman Steven Cheung.

The idea had been one of several alternatives Trump had floated in conversations in recent weeks. They included possibly showing up in Milwaukee at the last minute or attending but sitting in the audience and offering live commentary on his Truth Social site. He had also discussed potentially calling into different networks to draw viewers from the debate, or holding a rally instead.

The decision marks another chapter in Trump's ongoing feud with Fox, which was once a staunch defender, but is now perceived to be more favorable to his leading rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Fox executives and hosts had lobbied Trump to attend, both privately and on the network's airwaves. But Trump, according to a person close to him, was unswayed, believing executives would not have been wooing him if they weren’t concerned about their ratings.

A person familiar had said earlier Sunday that Trump and his team had not notified the Republican National Committee of his plans.

Meanwhile, Trump's rivals had been goading him to appear and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debate-republican-president-trump-pence-haley-desantis-d3192137ee265d8455ff8af64a5f88ef">preparing in the hopes that he might</a>, concerned that a no-show might make them appear like second-tier candidates and deny them the opportunity to land a knockout blow against the race's Goliath that could change the trajectory of the race.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, one of the few candidates willing to directly take on Trump, has been accusing the former president of lacking “the guts to show up" and calling him “a coward” if he doesn't.

A super PAC supporting DeSantis released an ad in which the narrator says: “We can’t afford a nominee who is too weak to debate.” And in a posting Sunday on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, DeSantis campaign spokesman Andrew Romeo said the Florida governor looked forward to sharing his vision Wednesday on what he'll do as president because “no one is entitled to this nomination, including Donald Trump. You have to show up and earn it."

Trump has pushed back on the attacks, telling Newsmax’s Eric Bolling that he saw little benefit in participating when he’s already leading by a wide margin.

“It's not a question of guts. It’s a question of intelligence,” he said.

Trump has also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-republican-loyalty-pledge-gop-debate-a3d63a73ef60a2afb1f7aaec68a6d585#:~:text=Former%20President%20Donald%20Trump%20said,the%20conservative%20cable%20network%20Newsmax.">said</a>&nbsp;that he will not sign a pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee if he loses the nomination — a requirement set by the Republican National Committee for appearing on stage.

“Why would I sign it?” he said. “I can name three or four people that I wouldn’t support for president. So right there, there’s a problem.”

Nonetheless, his advisers insisted for weeks that he had yet to make a final decision, even as they acknowledged it was “pretty clear” from his public and private statements that he was unlikely to appear.

It's not the first time Trump has chosen to skip a major GOP debate.

During his 2016 campaign, Trump decided to forgo the final GOP primary face-off before the Iowa caucuses and instead held his own campaign event — a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/-----dbb273322fc740198cf06f3ffd83c678">flashy telethon-style gathering</a>&nbsp;in Iowa that was billed as a fundraiser for veterans.

While the event earned him headlines and drew attention away from his rivals, Trump went on to lose the Iowa caucuses to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas — a loss some former aides have blamed, at least in part, on his decision to skip the debate.

In 2020, Trump pulled out of the second general election debate against now-President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;after the Commission on Presidential Debates, a nonpartisan group that has hosted general election debates for more than three decades, sought to make it virtual after Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-donald-trump-ap-top-news-elections-virus-outbreak-7fece2838ff7a9bd91ccf5ac287348b3">tested positive for COVID-19</a>. Trump refused, saying he would only debate on stage.

Trump is not the only candidate who will likely be missing Wednesday's event. Several lesser-known rivals appear unlikely to reach the threshold set by the RNC to participate. To qualify, candidates must have received contributions from at least 40,000 individual donors, with at least 200 unique donors in 20 or more states. They also must poll at at least 1% in three designated national polls, or a mix of national and early-state polls, between July 1 and Aug. 21.

Candidates who have met the qualifications include DeSantis, Christie, former vice president Mike Pence, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.

Beyond the fundraising and polling requirements, the RNC has said candidates must also sign the pledge agreeing to support the eventual party nominee as well as agreeing not to participate in any non-RNC sanctioned debate for the remainder of the election cycle. The RNC is boycotting events organized by the Commission for Presidential Debates, alleging bias.

“I affirm that if I do not win the 2024 Republican nomination of President of the United States, I will honor the will of the primary voters and support the nominee in order to save our country and beat Joe Biden,” reads the pledge, according to a copy posted by DeSantis to the social media site X. Candidates also must pledge not to run as an independent, write-in candidate or third-party nominee.

While several candidates, including Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson have taken issue with the requirement, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd so far is the only one who has said definitively that he will not sign the pledge because he refuses to support Trump if he becomes the eventual nominee. Christie has said he will sign whatever is needed to get him on the stage.

In addition to voicing opposition to the loyalty pledge, Trump has suggested he is opposed to boycotting general election debates hosted by the Commission on Presidential Debates. “You have, really, an obligation to do that," he said in a radio interview this spring.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691534237207.png" alt="The decision marks another chapter in Trump's ongoing feud with Fox,- File photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>The decision marks another chapter in Trump's ongoing feud with Fox,- File photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;confirmed Sunday that he will be skipping Wednesday's first Republican presidential primary debate — and others as well.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692582211518.png" alt="\" />
 <figcaption>\</figcaption>
 </figure>“The public knows who I am &amp; what a successful Presidency I had,” Trump wrote on his social media site. "I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!" His spokesman did not immediately clarify whether he plans to boycott every primary debate or just those that have currently been scheduled.The former president and early GOP frontrunner&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-2024-republican-presidential-debates-e674cab77b1b37e29dcb834563c9b981">had said for months</a>&nbsp;that he saw little upside in joining his GOP rivals on stage when they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/republicans-debate-2024-president-august-6cc406eb00c72835f4f59acb30d71e95">gather for the first time</a>&nbsp;in Milwaukee Wednesday, given his commanding lead in the race. And he had made clear to those he had spoken to in recent days that his opinion had not changed.“Why would I allow people at 1 or 2% and 0% to be hitting me with questions all night?” he said in an interview in June with Fox News host Bret Baier, who will be serving as a moderator. Trump has also repeatedly criticized Fox, the host of the Aug. 23 primetime event, insisting it is a “hostile network” that he believes will not treat him fairly.Trump had been discussing a number of debate counterprogramming options, including sitting for an interview with ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who has been hosting a show on the website formerly known as Twitter. Carlson was spotted at Trump's Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club ahead of the announcement, according to a person familiar with the visit who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it. The New York Times reported Saturday the interview set to air Wednesday has already been taped.“We cannot confirm or deny — stay tuned,” said Trump spokesman Steven Cheung.The idea had been one of several alternatives Trump had floated in conversations in recent weeks. They included possibly showing up in Milwaukee at the last minute or attending but sitting in the audience and offering live commentary on his Truth Social site. He had also discussed potentially calling into different networks to draw viewers from the debate, or holding a rally instead.The decision marks another chapter in Trump's ongoing feud with Fox, which was once a staunch defender, but is now perceived to be more favorable to his leading rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Fox executives and hosts had lobbied Trump to attend, both privately and on the network's airwaves. But Trump, according to a person close to him, was unswayed, believing executives would not have been wooing him if they weren’t concerned about their ratings.A person familiar had said earlier Sunday that Trump and his team had not notified the Republican National Committee of his plans.Meanwhile, Trump's rivals had been goading him to appear and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debate-republican-president-trump-pence-haley-desantis-d3192137ee265d8455ff8af64a5f88ef">preparing in the hopes that he might</a>, concerned that a no-show might make them appear like second-tier candidates and deny them the opportunity to land a knockout blow against the race's Goliath that could change the trajectory of the race.Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, one of the few candidates willing to directly take on Trump, has been accusing the former president of lacking “the guts to show up" and calling him “a coward” if he doesn't.A super PAC supporting DeSantis released an ad in which the narrator says: “We can’t afford a nominee who is too weak to debate.” And in a posting Sunday on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, DeSantis campaign spokesman Andrew Romeo said the Florida governor looked forward to sharing his vision Wednesday on what he'll do as president because “no one is entitled to this nomination, including Donald Trump. You have to show up and earn it."Trump has pushed back on the attacks, telling Newsmax’s Eric Bolling that he saw little benefit in participating when he’s already leading by a wide margin.“It's not a question of guts. It’s a question of intelligence,” he said.Trump has also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-republican-loyalty-pledge-gop-debate-a3d63a73ef60a2afb1f7aaec68a6d585#:~:text=Former%20President%20Donald%20Trump%20said,the%20conservative%20cable%20network%20Newsmax.">said</a>&nbsp;that he will not sign a pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee if he loses the nomination — a requirement set by the Republican National Committee for appearing on stage.“Why would I sign it?” he said. “I can name three or four people that I wouldn’t support for president. So right there, there’s a problem.”Nonetheless, his advisers insisted for weeks that he had yet to make a final decision, even as they acknowledged it was “pretty clear” from his public and private statements that he was unlikely to appear.It's not the first time Trump has chosen to skip a major GOP debate.During his 2016 campaign, Trump decided to forgo the final GOP primary face-off before the Iowa caucuses and instead held his own campaign event — a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/-----dbb273322fc740198cf06f3ffd83c678">flashy telethon-style gathering</a>&nbsp;in Iowa that was billed as a fundraiser for veterans.While the event earned him headlines and drew attention away from his rivals, Trump went on to lose the Iowa caucuses to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas — a loss some former aides have blamed, at least in part, on his decision to skip the debate.In 2020, Trump pulled out of the second general election debate against now-President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;after the Commission on Presidential Debates, a nonpartisan group that has hosted general election debates for more than three decades, sought to make it virtual after Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-donald-trump-ap-top-news-elections-virus-outbreak-7fece2838ff7a9bd91ccf5ac287348b3">tested positive for COVID-19</a>. Trump refused, saying he would only debate on stage.Trump is not the only candidate who will likely be missing Wednesday's event. Several lesser-known rivals appear unlikely to reach the threshold set by the RNC to participate. To qualify, candidates must have received contributions from at least 40,000 individual donors, with at least 200 unique donors in 20 or more states. They also must poll at at least 1% in three designated national polls, or a mix of national and early-state polls, between July 1 and Aug. 21.Candidates who have met the qualifications include DeSantis, Christie, former vice president Mike Pence, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.Beyond the fundraising and polling requirements, the RNC has said candidates must also sign the pledge agreeing to support the eventual party nominee as well as agreeing not to participate in any non-RNC sanctioned debate for the remainder of the election cycle. The RNC is boycotting events organized by the Commission for Presidential Debates, alleging bias.“I affirm that if I do not win the 2024 Republican nomination of President of the United States, I will honor the will of the primary voters and support the nominee in order to save our country and beat Joe Biden,” reads the pledge, according to a copy posted by DeSantis to the social media site X. Candidates also must pledge not to run as an independent, write-in candidate or third-party nominee.While several candidates, including Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson have taken issue with the requirement, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd so far is the only one who has said definitively that he will not sign the pledge because he refuses to support Trump if he becomes the eventual nominee. Christie has said he will sign whatever is needed to get him on the stage.In addition to voicing opposition to the loyalty pledge, Trump has suggested he is opposed to boycotting general election debates hosted by the Commission on Presidential Debates. “You have, really, an obligation to do that," he said in a radio interview this spring.

Trump explains why he will skip GOP presidential primary debates

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/08/20/nebraska-gop-stops-short-of-curbing-power-of-groups-of-women-young-people/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

NORFOLK, Nebraska — The Nebraska Republican Party stopped short Saturday of eliminating the voting power of four groups representing Republican women and young people on one of the party’s top leadership committees.

In the end, proponents pulled their proposal after critics in their own party slammed them for nearly sidelining groups from constituencies that Republicans have said they need more votes from in 2024 — women and young people.

The proposal would have cut the voting slots on the state GOP’s Executive Committee held today by Nebraska representatives of the Federation of Republican Women, Young Republicans, College Republicans and High School Republicans.&nbsp;

It would have made representatives of those groups advisory members of the committee, instead of full ones, letting the party chair exclude them from some meetings.

Third Congressional District GOP volunteer Chris Vail said she offered the amendment to fix a party process that she felt had tilted power toward Eastern Nebraska Republicans. Vail and Morissa Benson said the women and youth groups cater more toward Omaha and Lincoln.&nbsp;

Both said they still want “women and the young involved in our party.”

“This is about geography,” Benson said. “If the auxiliary groups were out in the Third District and contributing to our counties, I would feel a bit different.”

It became clear by breakfast at Norfolk’s Divots Conference Center that Saturday would be an unusual day of public disagreement about the potential amendment to the state party constitution.

One of the top supporters of the new Nebraska GOP leadership team, former 2022 GOP primary gubernatorial runner-up Charles Herbster, left a message on every table opposing the change.

“We must do everything we can to heal past wounds, grow the party and include more women and younger voters …,” he wrote. “This amendment does nothing to advance those goals.”

Gov. Jim Pillen and every member of Nebraska’s all-GOP congressional delegation opposed it, too — U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts, plus Reps. Mike Flood, Don Bacon and Adrian Smith.

Pillen said the proposal “reflects the opinion of a vocal minority and not the opinion of rank-and-file Republicans, or those of us who represent the voters officially.”

Said Fischer: “These groups strengthen our party.”

The measure was opposed by elected officials from nearly every political wing of the party, including State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha and State Board of Education member Kirk Penner. Many said the groups provide volunteers and energy to their campaigns.

“I think it would have discouraged people when we are trying to encourage people,” Kauth said. “I’m familiar with all of those groups, and they all bring something different to the table.”

Nebraska Democratic Party chair Jane Kleeb said the state GOP should accept that young people and women might disagree with them on reproductive rights, LGBTQ issues, climate change and more.

Several Republicans described an effort by some within the state GOP who want to rein in the outside groups, including officers who have butted heads with the current state party leadership.

Others worried aloud that the outside groups might not have the same goals as the new state GOP and might be loyal to the former GOP leadership team more closely aligned with Ricketts.

Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Theresa Thibodeau has disagreed publicly with some decisions by current GOP leaders. She is vice president of the Federation of Republican Women.

She said she was pleased the proposal was withdrawn. Regardless of internal disagreements, she said, her group’s members have spent thousands of hours volunteering for candidates statewide.

Some who said they had tried to join the groups from outside the state’s major cities complained about being excluded.&nbsp;

One 3rd District member of the State Central Committee, who did not give his name, said he was frustrated that members of the youth organizations had not attended his county GOP meetings.

The Nebraska Young Republicans group, responding to similar criticisms online, said they recently started a Central Nebraska chapter and are working on starting one in Southeast Nebraska.

Vail, after withdrawing the amendment, said she had “never in all of my life” felt the “unbearable pressure” and “incredible amount of force of people who are my elected officials.”

She said she was trying not to take the pushback from Herbster, whom she supported in 2022, and elected public officials personally. But, she said, “it’s tough.”&nbsp;

“I’m not sure why this should be a divisive issue,” Vail said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692559646748.jpeg" alt="Members of the Nebraska Republican Party’s State Central Committee listen to a video message from former President Donald Trump on Saturday in Norfolk, Neb. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Members of the Nebraska Republican Party’s State Central Committee listen to a video message from former President Donald Trump on Saturday in Norfolk, Neb. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Zach Wendling<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/08/20/nebraska-gop-stops-short-of-curbing-power-of-groups-of-women-young-people/">Nebraska Examiner</a>NORFOLK, Nebraska — The Nebraska Republican Party stopped short Saturday of eliminating the voting power of four groups representing Republican women and young people on one of the party’s top leadership committees.In the end, proponents pulled their proposal after critics in their own party slammed them for nearly sidelining groups from constituencies that Republicans have said they need more votes from in 2024 — women and young people.The proposal would have cut the voting slots on the state GOP’s Executive Committee held today by Nebraska representatives of the Federation of Republican Women, Young Republicans, College Republicans and High School Republicans.&nbsp;It would have made representatives of those groups advisory members of the committee, instead of full ones, letting the party chair exclude them from some meetings.<h2>Reasons behind proposal</h2>Third Congressional District GOP volunteer Chris Vail said she offered the amendment to fix a party process that she felt had tilted power toward Eastern Nebraska Republicans. Vail and Morissa Benson said the women and youth groups cater more toward Omaha and Lincoln.&nbsp;Both said they still want “women and the young involved in our party.”“This is about geography,” Benson said. “If the auxiliary groups were out in the Third District and contributing to our counties, I would feel a bit different.”It became clear by breakfast at Norfolk’s Divots Conference Center that Saturday would be an unusual day of public disagreement about the potential amendment to the state party constitution.<h2>Big names push back</h2>One of the top supporters of the new Nebraska GOP leadership team, former 2022 GOP primary gubernatorial runner-up Charles Herbster, left a message on every table opposing the change.“We must do everything we can to heal past wounds, grow the party and include more women and younger voters …,” he wrote. “This amendment does nothing to advance those goals.”Gov. Jim Pillen and every member of Nebraska’s all-GOP congressional delegation opposed it, too — U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts, plus Reps. Mike Flood, Don Bacon and Adrian Smith.Pillen said the proposal “reflects the opinion of a vocal minority and not the opinion of rank-and-file Republicans, or those of us who represent the voters officially.”Said Fischer: “These groups strengthen our party.”The measure was opposed by elected officials from nearly every political wing of the party, including State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha and State Board of Education member Kirk Penner. Many said the groups provide volunteers and energy to their campaigns.“I think it would have discouraged people when we are trying to encourage people,” Kauth said. “I’m familiar with all of those groups, and they all bring something different to the table.”Nebraska Democratic Party chair Jane Kleeb said the state GOP should accept that young people and women might disagree with them on reproductive rights, LGBTQ issues, climate change and more.<h2>Deeper look</h2>Several Republicans described an effort by some within the state GOP who want to rein in the outside groups, including officers who have butted heads with the current state party leadership.Others worried aloud that the outside groups might not have the same goals as the new state GOP and might be loyal to the former GOP leadership team more closely aligned with Ricketts.Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Theresa Thibodeau has disagreed publicly with some decisions by current GOP leaders. She is vice president of the Federation of Republican Women.She said she was pleased the proposal was withdrawn. Regardless of internal disagreements, she said, her group’s members have spent thousands of hours volunteering for candidates statewide.Some who said they had tried to join the groups from outside the state’s major cities complained about being excluded.&nbsp;<h2>Future changes</h2>One 3rd District member of the State Central Committee, who did not give his name, said he was frustrated that members of the youth organizations had not attended his county GOP meetings.The Nebraska Young Republicans group, responding to similar criticisms online, said they recently started a Central Nebraska chapter and are working on starting one in Southeast Nebraska.Vail, after withdrawing the amendment, said she had “never in all of my life” felt the “unbearable pressure” and “incredible amount of force of people who are my elected officials.”She said she was trying not to take the pushback from Herbster, whom she supported in 2022, and elected public officials personally. But, she said, “it’s tough.”&nbsp;“I’m not sure why this should be a divisive issue,” Vail said.

Nebraska GOP stops short of curbing power of groups of women, young people 

By JULIE APPLEBY <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-01-14/private-practice-doctors-patients-wonder-when-its-their-turn-for-the-covid-19-vaccine">Kaiser Health News</a>

A simple enough question, featured on a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyUx06Bfzfc">new TV and online advertisement</a>, posed by a man who just wants something cold.

A woman behind the counter responds with a smile: “Prices? No, we don’t have those anymore. We have estimates.”

The satirical ad pretends to be a news report highlighting a “trend” in which more retail outlets take up “the hospital pricing method”: substituting estimates for actual prices for the cost of meals, merchandise on store shelves, and clothing. The scene ends with a partially deleted expletive from the ice cream-seeking man.

While the use of estimates in retail settings is imaginary and preposterous, the advertisement is part of an ongoing campaign by the advocacy group Patient Rights Advocate, which contends that some hospitals are still falling short of a law that went into effect in 2021 requiring them to publicly post their prices. Even then, said Cynthia Fisher, the group’s founder and chairperson, too many post estimates rather than exact dollar-and-cent figures.

“People need price certainty,” said Fisher. “Estimates are a way of gaming the people who pay for health care.”

Although government data shows that hospitals’ compliance with price transparency rules has improved, updating the requirements of that law is the focus of a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/07/31/2023-14768/medicare-program-hospital-outpatient-prospective-payment-and-ambulatory-surgical-center-payment">new proposal by the Biden administration</a>, which aims to further standardize the required data, increase its usefulness for consumers, and boost enforcement. Even with all that, however, the goal of exact price tags in every situation is likely to remain elusive.

“We’re closer to that, but we’re not there,” said Gerard Anderson, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who studies hospital pricing using the data that hospitals have already posted.

The proposed rule is designed to make it easier for consumers to learn in advance exactly what they might owe for nonemergency hospital care — though that was what the original price transparency rules were supposed to do.

Requiring hospitals to post their prices is part of a larger effort to make medical costs less opaque, which could help individual consumers predict their expenses and possibly slow health cost inflation, if it leads employers and insurers to contract with less expensive providers.

But the data files themselves are massive, often hard to find, and complex to decipher.

“Even for us, it’s really hard to use,” said Anderson.

Under current regulations, hospitals must publicly post prices for every service they offer, from drugs to stitches to time a patient spends in an operating room, as well as show all the bundled costs associated with 300 “shoppable” services, which are things people can plan for, such as a hip replacement or having a baby. Several different prices are required, including those they’ve negotiated with insurers and what they charge cash-paying customers.

Similar regulations, but with more prescriptive details and tougher penalties for noncompliance,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2022/07/02/1109557961/health-insurers-are-now-required-to-post-prices-they-pay-to-hospitals">went into effect for insurance companies</a>&nbsp;in 2022, requiring them to post prices not only for hospital care, but also for outpatient centers and physician services.

The new hospital requirements proposed by the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services help “catch up to what they did with health plans,” said Hal Andrews,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.trillianthealth.com/company">CEO and president of Trilliant Health</a>, a market research and analysis company.

“It’s a step down the path to making the data more accessible” to data analysis firms that create online price comparison tools, said Jeff Leibach, a partner at the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://guidehouse.com/">consulting firm Guidehouse</a>. “And, ultimately, consumers who want to shop will then find this data more easily.” Many hospitals, insurers, and third-party data firms have made such cost comparison tools available.

Even the new requirements may not resolve the demand that is central to the dystopian ad’s ice cream-seeking man: getting exact prices, in dollars and cents. Such specificity may remain elusive for some consumers, if only because of the nature of medical care.

“Each patient is unique and uses a slightly different bundle of services,” said Anderson of Johns Hopkins. “You might be in the operating room for 30 minutes, or it might be 45. You might need this lab test and not that one.”

The proposed rule&nbsp;would, for one thing, further standardize the data required so that reporting is more comparable between facilities. It also mandates hospitals make their data sets easier to find on their websites, which could help data aggregators and consumers alike, and puts administrators in the hot seat to attest that their hospitals have posted all the required information accurately.

Individual hospitals that fail to post properly would face additional publicity by federal regulators: “Consider it a public naughty list,” said Marcus Dorstel, vice president of operations at data analysis firm Turquoise Health, which provides an online tool consumers can use to check prices across hospitals.

In addition, the proposal adds a data category awkwardly called “consumer-friendly expected allowed charges,” aimed at giving more information tied to the varied ways hospitals set prices. In plainer language, those allowed amounts are what hospitals expect to be reimbursed by insurance companies.

For example, Dorstel said, currently a service might not be listed as a particular dollar amount, but the hospital will show the price is based on “70% of charges.”

“Without the expected allowed amount, that doesn’t tell you anything,” Dorstel said.

Still, critics — such as Patient Rights Advocate, the group behind the new ad campaign — say that nodding to such allowed amounts will lead to even more estimates, rather than what they prefer: dollar-and-cent assessments.

“You and I would not buy a blouse at an average estimated amount,” said Fisher.

Health care isn’t like blouses or ice cream, responded executives from the American Hospital Association when asked about the advertisement and Fisher’s concerns about exact, upfront amounts. In many situations, for example, it may be hard to know ahead of time exactly what kind of care a patient will need.

“Very few health services are so straightforward where you can expect no variation in the course of care,” which could then result in a different cost than the original assessment,” said Molly Smith,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ahip.org/people/molly-smith">AHA’s group vice president for public policy</a>. “Organizations are doing the best they can to provide the closest estimate. If something changes in the course of your care, that estimate might adjust.”

While hospitals’ compliance with posting price information has improved, it still falls short, said Fisher, whose group&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.patientrightsadvocate.org/july-semi-annual-compliance-report-2023">in a July report</a>&nbsp;said only 36% of 2,000 hospitals it reviewed complied with all aspects of the current law, marking as deficient those that had incomplete data fields or used formulas instead of dollar prices.

But the American Hospital Association says Fisher’s group “<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aha.org/press-releases/2023-07-25-aha-statement-patient-rights-advocate-price-transparency-report">misconstrues” hospital compliance</a>, in part because hospitals are allowed to leave spaces blank, if, for example, they don’t have a cash-only price. And formulas are allowed if that is how the prices are set.

The hospital group points instead to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aha.org/news/headline/2023-02-16-cms-70-hospitals-compliance-price-transparency-rules">CMS report from earlier this year</a>&nbsp;that showed compliance was increasing year over year. It said 70% of hospitals were compliant with the current requirements of the law.

It took some doing to get that far. Since 2021, the federal government has sent more than 900 warning letters to hospitals about their posted data, with most resolving those concerns, according to the proposed rule. Four hospitals have been fined for failing to comply with the transparency law.

<a target="_blank" href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us">KFF Health News</a>&nbsp;is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/about-us">KFF</a>.

By JULIE APPLEBY <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-01-14/private-practice-doctors-patients-wonder-when-its-their-turn-for-the-covid-19-vaccine">Kaiser Health News</a>“How much is the ice cream?”A simple enough question, featured on a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyUx06Bfzfc">new TV and online advertisement</a>, posed by a man who just wants something cold.A woman behind the counter responds with a smile: “Prices? No, we don’t have those anymore. We have estimates.”The satirical ad pretends to be a news report highlighting a “trend” in which more retail outlets take up “the hospital pricing method”: substituting estimates for actual prices for the cost of meals, merchandise on store shelves, and clothing. The scene ends with a partially deleted expletive from the ice cream-seeking man.While the use of estimates in retail settings is imaginary and preposterous, the advertisement is part of an ongoing campaign by the advocacy group Patient Rights Advocate, which contends that some hospitals are still falling short of a law that went into effect in 2021 requiring them to publicly post their prices. Even then, said Cynthia Fisher, the group’s founder and chairperson, too many post estimates rather than exact dollar-and-cent figures.“People need price certainty,” said Fisher. “Estimates are a way of gaming the people who pay for health care.”Although government data shows that hospitals’ compliance with price transparency rules has improved, updating the requirements of that law is the focus of a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/07/31/2023-14768/medicare-program-hospital-outpatient-prospective-payment-and-ambulatory-surgical-center-payment">new proposal by the Biden administration</a>, which aims to further standardize the required data, increase its usefulness for consumers, and boost enforcement. Even with all that, however, the goal of exact price tags in every situation is likely to remain elusive.“We’re closer to that, but we’re not there,” said Gerard Anderson, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who studies hospital pricing using the data that hospitals have already posted.The proposed rule is designed to make it easier for consumers to learn in advance exactly what they might owe for nonemergency hospital care — though that was what the original price transparency rules were supposed to do.Requiring hospitals to post their prices is part of a larger effort to make medical costs less opaque, which could help individual consumers predict their expenses and possibly slow health cost inflation, if it leads employers and insurers to contract with less expensive providers.But the data files themselves are massive, often hard to find, and complex to decipher.“Even for us, it’s really hard to use,” said Anderson.Under current regulations, hospitals must publicly post prices for every service they offer, from drugs to stitches to time a patient spends in an operating room, as well as show all the bundled costs associated with 300 “shoppable” services, which are things people can plan for, such as a hip replacement or having a baby. Several different prices are required, including those they’ve negotiated with insurers and what they charge cash-paying customers.Similar regulations, but with more prescriptive details and tougher penalties for noncompliance,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2022/07/02/1109557961/health-insurers-are-now-required-to-post-prices-they-pay-to-hospitals">went into effect for insurance companies</a>&nbsp;in 2022, requiring them to post prices not only for hospital care, but also for outpatient centers and physician services.The new hospital requirements proposed by the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services help “catch up to what they did with health plans,” said Hal Andrews,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.trillianthealth.com/company">CEO and president of Trilliant Health</a>, a market research and analysis company.“It’s a step down the path to making the data more accessible” to data analysis firms that create online price comparison tools, said Jeff Leibach, a partner at the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://guidehouse.com/">consulting firm Guidehouse</a>. “And, ultimately, consumers who want to shop will then find this data more easily.” Many hospitals, insurers, and third-party data firms have made such cost comparison tools available.Even the new requirements may not resolve the demand that is central to the dystopian ad’s ice cream-seeking man: getting exact prices, in dollars and cents. Such specificity may remain elusive for some consumers, if only because of the nature of medical care.“Each patient is unique and uses a slightly different bundle of services,” said Anderson of Johns Hopkins. “You might be in the operating room for 30 minutes, or it might be 45. You might need this lab test and not that one.”The proposed rule&nbsp;would, for one thing, further standardize the data required so that reporting is more comparable between facilities. It also mandates hospitals make their data sets easier to find on their websites, which could help data aggregators and consumers alike, and puts administrators in the hot seat to attest that their hospitals have posted all the required information accurately.Individual hospitals that fail to post properly would face additional publicity by federal regulators: “Consider it a public naughty list,” said Marcus Dorstel, vice president of operations at data analysis firm Turquoise Health, which provides an online tool consumers can use to check prices across hospitals.In addition, the proposal adds a data category awkwardly called “consumer-friendly expected allowed charges,” aimed at giving more information tied to the varied ways hospitals set prices. In plainer language, those allowed amounts are what hospitals expect to be reimbursed by insurance companies.Some experts say that will be helpful.For example, Dorstel said, currently a service might not be listed as a particular dollar amount, but the hospital will show the price is based on “70% of charges.”“Without the expected allowed amount, that doesn’t tell you anything,” Dorstel said.Still, critics — such as Patient Rights Advocate, the group behind the new ad campaign — say that nodding to such allowed amounts will lead to even more estimates, rather than what they prefer: dollar-and-cent assessments.“You and I would not buy a blouse at an average estimated amount,” said Fisher.Health care isn’t like blouses or ice cream, responded executives from the American Hospital Association when asked about the advertisement and Fisher’s concerns about exact, upfront amounts. In many situations, for example, it may be hard to know ahead of time exactly what kind of care a patient will need.“Very few health services are so straightforward where you can expect no variation in the course of care,” which could then result in a different cost than the original assessment,” said Molly Smith,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ahip.org/people/molly-smith">AHA’s group vice president for public policy</a>. “Organizations are doing the best they can to provide the closest estimate. If something changes in the course of your care, that estimate might adjust.”While hospitals’ compliance with posting price information has improved, it still falls short, said Fisher, whose group&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.patientrightsadvocate.org/july-semi-annual-compliance-report-2023">in a July report</a>&nbsp;said only 36% of 2,000 hospitals it reviewed complied with all aspects of the current law, marking as deficient those that had incomplete data fields or used formulas instead of dollar prices.But the American Hospital Association says Fisher’s group “<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aha.org/press-releases/2023-07-25-aha-statement-patient-rights-advocate-price-transparency-report">misconstrues” hospital compliance</a>, in part because hospitals are allowed to leave spaces blank, if, for example, they don’t have a cash-only price. And formulas are allowed if that is how the prices are set.The hospital group points instead to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aha.org/news/headline/2023-02-16-cms-70-hospitals-compliance-price-transparency-rules">CMS report from earlier this year</a>&nbsp;that showed compliance was increasing year over year. It said 70% of hospitals were compliant with the current requirements of the law.It took some doing to get that far. Since 2021, the federal government has sent more than 900 warning letters to hospitals about their posted data, with most resolving those concerns, according to the proposed rule. Four hospitals have been fined for failing to comply with the transparency law.<a target="_blank" href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us">KFF Health News</a>&nbsp;is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/about-us">KFF</a>.

Proposed rule would make hospital prices even more transparent

Earlier&nbsp;this month, the United States’ credit rating was downgraded by one of the three major credit rating agencies. This troubling announcement is an indication of the serious challenges Americans continue to face as our country’s economy is in crisis, in part because of the misguided policies put forward by the Biden administration.

Recently, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Quarterly Report on Household Debt showed, for the first time in our nation’s history, combined credit card debt of Americans has surpassed $1 trillion. Furthermore, with a dim economic outlook in the coming months, many economists expect credit card account delinquencies, accounts which have become 30 days past due, to increase. This demonstrates the administration’s policies are not putting money back in families’ checkbooks, but rather the opposite.

This week marked one year since the enactment of Democrats’ so-called Inflation Reduction Act, and it is clear the American economy continues to flounder at the expense of the American people. Inflation remains an obstacle to economic growth, hitting those on a fixed income the hardest of all. According to Moody’s Analytics, American families are faced with bearing the cost of an additional $709 each month compared to two years ago. This is further proof our economy is headed in the wrong direction.

I opposed the Inflation Act because it was clear then it was not targeted to stimulate growth. Even President Biden recently said he regrets calling the package the Inflation Reduction Act because it had “less to do with reducing inflation.” The truth is the Inflation Act contained a litany of Green New Deal priorities and inflationary spending, including a $7,500 tax break for buying luxury EVs and an additional $4,000 for selling a used EV.

The administration continues to tout “Bidenomics” while families everywhere feel the pinch. Real wages are down compared to the beginning of President Biden’s term, and the cost of President Biden’s big government priorities continues to weigh down industry growth. According to American Action Forum estimates, in 2023 alone the Biden administration has published rules that increased the burden of paperwork for job creators and state and local governments by 14.9 million hours and increased costs by $85 billion. The impact of piling on red tape, increased costs for household essentials, and the failure to address our ongoing workforce shortage shows Bidenomics is failing.

To address the real challenges facing our economy and provide relief to struggling Americans, we must rein in wasteful spending; reduce tax burdens on hardworking Americans; lower costs of necessities like food, energy, and fuel; and get our country back to work. By staying true to these simple and proven economic principles we can raise wages while growing our economy.

Weakened credit ratings, high fuel and food prices, and partisan policy are a recipe for financial hardship for American families. Unlike this administration, House Republicans are committed to delivering an economy that’s strong. We can get our fiscal house in order, but it requires we return to commonsense policy that targets growth by making way for the American people to&nbsp;thrive.

Adrain SmithEarlier&nbsp;this month, the United States’ credit rating was downgraded by one of the three major credit rating agencies. This troubling announcement is an indication of the serious challenges Americans continue to face as our country’s economy is in crisis, in part because of the misguided policies put forward by the Biden administration.Recently, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Quarterly Report on Household Debt showed, for the first time in our nation’s history, combined credit card debt of Americans has surpassed $1 trillion. Furthermore, with a dim economic outlook in the coming months, many economists expect credit card account delinquencies, accounts which have become 30 days past due, to increase. This demonstrates the administration’s policies are not putting money back in families’ checkbooks, but rather the opposite.This week marked one year since the enactment of Democrats’ so-called Inflation Reduction Act, and it is clear the American economy continues to flounder at the expense of the American people. Inflation remains an obstacle to economic growth, hitting those on a fixed income the hardest of all. According to Moody’s Analytics, American families are faced with bearing the cost of an additional $709 each month compared to two years ago. This is further proof our economy is headed in the wrong direction.I opposed the Inflation Act because it was clear then it was not targeted to stimulate growth. Even President Biden recently said he regrets calling the package the Inflation Reduction Act because it had “less to do with reducing inflation.” The truth is the Inflation Act contained a litany of Green New Deal priorities and inflationary spending, including a $7,500 tax break for buying luxury EVs and an additional $4,000 for selling a used EV.The administration continues to tout “Bidenomics” while families everywhere feel the pinch. Real wages are down compared to the beginning of President Biden’s term, and the cost of President Biden’s big government priorities continues to weigh down industry growth. According to American Action Forum estimates, in 2023 alone the Biden administration has published rules that increased the burden of paperwork for job creators and state and local governments by 14.9 million hours and increased costs by $85 billion. The impact of piling on red tape, increased costs for household essentials, and the failure to address our ongoing workforce shortage shows Bidenomics is failing.To address the real challenges facing our economy and provide relief to struggling Americans, we must rein in wasteful spending; reduce tax burdens on hardworking Americans; lower costs of necessities like food, energy, and fuel; and get our country back to work. By staying true to these simple and proven economic principles we can raise wages while growing our economy.Weakened credit ratings, high fuel and food prices, and partisan policy are a recipe for financial hardship for American families. Unlike this administration, House Republicans are committed to delivering an economy that’s strong. We can get our fiscal house in order, but it requires we return to commonsense policy that targets growth by making way for the American people to&nbsp;thrive.

 “Bidenomics” Has Families Everywhere Feeling the Pinch

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon after it spun into an uncontrolled orbit, the country's Roscosmos space agency said Sunday.

The pilotless spacecraft was aiming to be the first ever to land on the south pole of the moon, an area where scientists believe there could be important reserves of frozen water and precious elements. It had been expected to land Monday.

However, Roscosmos said it lost contact with the Luna-25 on Saturday after the spacecraft ran into difficulties and reported an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-moon-mission-luna-25-glitch-0eccbb5427af29ca7fb4c90369389dbf">“abnormal situation</a>&nbsp;”.

“The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the moon,” read a statement from the agency.

The Luna-25 was in a race with an Indian spacecraft&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/india-lunar-mission-space-launch-d67a041cb93df070d191523680203653">launched on July 14</a>&nbsp;to be the first to reach the south pole. Both were expected to reach the moon between Aug. 21 and 23.

Vitaly Egorov, a popular Russian space analyst, said despite the crash the mission had some successes.

“Luna 25 showed important progress. It flew toward the Moon, carried out orbit correction, and tested onboard electronics and scientific tools," he said via videocall. "It even managed to collect some small scientific data during the flight and from the lunar orbit. It also sent photos of the Moon. Russian cosmonautics was not at this level before. But then, an error occurred somehow.”

The lunar mission was Russia’s first since 1976, when it was part of the Soviet Union. Only three governments have managed successful moon landings: the Soviet Union, the United States and China.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/more-water-on-moon-science-349b42556e36b99fd6a87295b34e39cf">lunar south pole</a>&nbsp;is of particular interest to scientists, who believe the permanently shadowed polar craters may contain frozen water in the rocks that future explorers could transform into air and rocket fuel.

A previous&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/8533918d2dd348d6819057968182c6f4">Indian attempt to land</a>&nbsp;at the south pole in 2019 ended when the spacecraft crashed into the moon’s surface.

Roscosmos said it wanted to show Russia “is a state capable of delivering a payload to the moon,” and “ensure Russia’s guaranteed access to the moon’s surface.”

Egorov said Roscosmos needs the experience of landing on the Moon.

“It will not be able to talk with China on equal terms, because China has already three successful landings on the moon, while Roscosmos has none,” he said. "Roscosmos will lag starkly behind the Chinese lunar program.”

Sanctions imposed on Russia since it began its actions in Ukraine have affected its space program, making it more difficult to access Western technology.

The Luna-25 was initially meant to carry a small moon rover but that idea was abandoned to reduce the weight of the craft for improved reliability, analysts said.

The craft launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East on Aug. 10. The spaceport is a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d23d2e5dda5041c69e2a48ab8fc61b33">pet project</a>&nbsp;of Russian President Vladimir Putin and key to his efforts to make Russia a space superpower.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692533896521.png" alt="In this photo taken from video and released by Roscosmos State Space Corporation, the Soyuz-2.1b rocket with the moon lander Luna-25 automatic station takes off from a launch pad at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russia's Far East, on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. The Russian space agency says its Luna-25 spacecraft has crashed into the moon. Russia’s unmanned robot lander crashed after it had spun into uncontrolled orbit, the country’s space agency Roscosmos reported on Sunday, Aug. 20. 2023. (Roscosmos State Space Corporation via AP)" />
 <figcaption>In this photo taken from video and released by Roscosmos State Space Corporation, the Soyuz-2.1b rocket with the moon lander Luna-25 automatic station takes off from a launch pad at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russia's Far East, on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. The Russian space agency says its Luna-25 spacecraft has crashed into the moon. Russia’s unmanned robot lander crashed after it had spun into uncontrolled orbit, the country’s space agency Roscosmos reported on Sunday, Aug. 20. 2023. (Roscosmos State Space Corporation via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon after it spun into an uncontrolled orbit, the country's Roscosmos space agency said Sunday.The pilotless spacecraft was aiming to be the first ever to land on the south pole of the moon, an area where scientists believe there could be important reserves of frozen water and precious elements. It had been expected to land Monday.However, Roscosmos said it lost contact with the Luna-25 on Saturday after the spacecraft ran into difficulties and reported an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-moon-mission-luna-25-glitch-0eccbb5427af29ca7fb4c90369389dbf">“abnormal situation</a>&nbsp;”.“The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the moon,” read a statement from the agency.The Luna-25 was in a race with an Indian spacecraft&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/india-lunar-mission-space-launch-d67a041cb93df070d191523680203653">launched on July 14</a>&nbsp;to be the first to reach the south pole. Both were expected to reach the moon between Aug. 21 and 23.Vitaly Egorov, a popular Russian space analyst, said despite the crash the mission had some successes.“Luna 25 showed important progress. It flew toward the Moon, carried out orbit correction, and tested onboard electronics and scientific tools," he said via videocall. "It even managed to collect some small scientific data during the flight and from the lunar orbit. It also sent photos of the Moon. Russian cosmonautics was not at this level before. But then, an error occurred somehow.”The lunar mission was Russia’s first since 1976, when it was part of the Soviet Union. Only three governments have managed successful moon landings: the Soviet Union, the United States and China.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/more-water-on-moon-science-349b42556e36b99fd6a87295b34e39cf">lunar south pole</a>&nbsp;is of particular interest to scientists, who believe the permanently shadowed polar craters may contain frozen water in the rocks that future explorers could transform into air and rocket fuel.A previous&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/8533918d2dd348d6819057968182c6f4">Indian attempt to land</a>&nbsp;at the south pole in 2019 ended when the spacecraft crashed into the moon’s surface.Roscosmos said it wanted to show Russia “is a state capable of delivering a payload to the moon,” and “ensure Russia’s guaranteed access to the moon’s surface.”Egorov said Roscosmos needs the experience of landing on the Moon.“It will not be able to talk with China on equal terms, because China has already three successful landings on the moon, while Roscosmos has none,” he said. "Roscosmos will lag starkly behind the Chinese lunar program.”Sanctions imposed on Russia since it began its actions in Ukraine have affected its space program, making it more difficult to access Western technology.The Luna-25 was initially meant to carry a small moon rover but that idea was abandoned to reduce the weight of the craft for improved reliability, analysts said.The craft launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East on Aug. 10. The spaceport is a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d23d2e5dda5041c69e2a48ab8fc61b33">pet project</a>&nbsp;of Russian President Vladimir Putin and key to his efforts to make Russia a space superpower.

Putin's pet project: Russian spacecraft crashed into the moon 

CRAWFORD COUNTY&nbsp;– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office renew their request to the public for any information that may help resolve the 1993 disappearance of Ginger Hudson.

Ginger May Hudson was 33 years old when she went missing from Pittsburg, Kansas on Aug. 19, 1993. This Saturday, Aug. 19, will mark 30 years since she suddenly disappeared.

Ginger was last seen by a neighbor around 3:30 p.m. outside her mobile home, which was one-eighth of a mile north of 560th&nbsp;Ave. on 180th&nbsp;Street in Pittsburg. 

When Ginger’s boyfriend arrived home around 7:30 p.m., Ginger was gone but all of her belongings had been left behind. Ginger is a white female, who was 5 foot 4 inches tall and weighed around 150 pounds. She had auburn hair, hazel eyes and a surgical scar on the inside of her bottom lip. Ginger was last known wearing a white, sleeveless shirt and dark-colored shorts. Today Ginger would be 63 years old.

Ginger had four young children, and it would be unlike her to abruptly leave. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance.

We thank the public for the tips provided in this case over the years. We urge anyone who knows even the slightest detail related to Ginger’s disappearance to contact the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office at 620-724-8274. Information can also be submitted anonymously at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar" target="_blank">https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692389004549.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>CRAWFORD COUNTY&nbsp;– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office renew their request to the public for any information that may help resolve the 1993 disappearance of Ginger Hudson.Ginger May Hudson was 33 years old when she went missing from Pittsburg, Kansas on Aug. 19, 1993. This Saturday, Aug. 19, will mark 30 years since she suddenly disappeared.Ginger was last seen by a neighbor around 3:30 p.m. outside her mobile home, which was one-eighth of a mile north of 560th&nbsp;Ave. on 180th&nbsp;Street in Pittsburg. When Ginger’s boyfriend arrived home around 7:30 p.m., Ginger was gone but all of her belongings had been left behind. Ginger is a white female, who was 5 foot 4 inches tall and weighed around 150 pounds. She had auburn hair, hazel eyes and a surgical scar on the inside of her bottom lip. Ginger was last known wearing a white, sleeveless shirt and dark-colored shorts. Today Ginger would be 63 years old.Ginger had four young children, and it would be unlike her to abruptly leave. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance.We thank the public for the tips provided in this case over the years. We urge anyone who knows even the slightest detail related to Ginger’s disappearance to contact the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office at 620-724-8274. Information can also be submitted anonymously at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar" target="_blank">https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar</a>.

After 30 years: Kan. woman’s disappearance still a mystery

Karen Haller, executive assistant to the president, hands out bags to incoming students Friday during New Student Orientation at North Platte Community College.

The annual event is designed to acclimate students to campus, introduce them to other students, faculty and staff and provide them with the resources they will need throughout their academic journey at NPCC.

The “Jumanji” themed orientation, which included a scavenger hunt and question and answer panel discussion, was one of many activities NPCC offered this week to spark excitement about college, encourage teambuilding and set students up for success. Others included a welcome back barbecue, snow cone truck and ice cream social.

Heather Johnson NPCCKaren Haller, executive assistant to the president, hands out bags to incoming students Friday during New Student Orientation at North Platte Community College.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692384716638.jpeg" alt="Orientation/Photo courtesy of Heather Johnson" />
 <figcaption>Orientation/Photo courtesy of Heather Johnson</figcaption>
 </figure>The annual event is designed to acclimate students to campus, introduce them to other students, faculty and staff and provide them with the resources they will need throughout their academic journey at NPCC.The “Jumanji” themed orientation, which included a scavenger hunt and question and answer panel discussion, was one of many activities NPCC offered this week to spark excitement about college, encourage teambuilding and set students up for success. Others included a welcome back barbecue, snow cone truck and ice cream social.

 NPCC students welcomed to campus with “Jumanji” themed orientation

&nbsp;(LINCOLN, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— The summer driving season is winding down and the Nebraska State Patrol is joining numerous law enforcement agencies across the country in this year’s&nbsp;Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over&nbsp;campaign. The effort runs through Labor Day weekend.

“This has been a busy summer on Nebraska roads,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “As we close out the summer travel season, let’s make any final summer road trips safe by following the speed limit, wearing a seat belt, avoiding distractions, and always driving sober.”

Troopers and dispatchers will be working overtime during the next two weeks as part of the campaign, which marks the end of the summer driving season. Troopers will perform high-visibility patrols in all parts of the state as part of this operation.

So far in 2023, troopers have arrested more than 670 drivers for driving under the influence. 290 of those arrests have occurred since Memorial Day.

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over&nbsp;is made possible thanks in part to a grant for $25,000 from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office.

NSP also urges all motorists to be prepared for several high-volume traffic events in the next few weeks, including the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island, the Guardians of Freedom Airshow in Lincoln, and Volleyball Day in Nebraska at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. Plan ahead for travel to any of those events and be prepared for slow traffic around the venues.

“Our state is set to play host to several incredible events in the next couple weeks,” said Colonel Bolduc. “Plan ahead, be patient with the increased traffic volume, and enjoy these experiences that show off our great state.”

Cody Thomas Nebraska State Patrol&nbsp;(LINCOLN, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— The summer driving season is winding down and the Nebraska State Patrol is joining numerous law enforcement agencies across the country in this year’s&nbsp;Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over&nbsp;campaign. The effort runs through Labor Day weekend.“This has been a busy summer on Nebraska roads,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “As we close out the summer travel season, let’s make any final summer road trips safe by following the speed limit, wearing a seat belt, avoiding distractions, and always driving sober.”Troopers and dispatchers will be working overtime during the next two weeks as part of the campaign, which marks the end of the summer driving season. Troopers will perform high-visibility patrols in all parts of the state as part of this operation.So far in 2023, troopers have arrested more than 670 drivers for driving under the influence. 290 of those arrests have occurred since Memorial Day.Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over&nbsp;is made possible thanks in part to a grant for $25,000 from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office.NSP also urges all motorists to be prepared for several high-volume traffic events in the next few weeks, including the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island, the Guardians of Freedom Airshow in Lincoln, and Volleyball Day in Nebraska at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. Plan ahead for travel to any of those events and be prepared for slow traffic around the venues.“Our state is set to play host to several incredible events in the next couple weeks,” said Colonel Bolduc. “Plan ahead, be patient with the increased traffic volume, and enjoy these experiences that show off our great state.”

NSP Urges Safe Travel as Summer Driving Season Winds Down

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Investor Warren Buffett has donated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/warren-buffett-berkshire-hathaway-earnings-second-quarter-9681b4761e8d81d7ca13c7d5507b1996">Berkshire Hathaway</a>&nbsp;stock worth $27 million to an unnamed charity.

Buffett disclosed the gift of 50 Class A shares of Berkshire stock in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission late Wednesday.

This donation is in addition to&nbsp;<a href="https://berkshirehathaway.com/news/jun2123.pdf">Buffett's annual gifts</a>&nbsp;to the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation and four smaller foundations run by his family that he has been making since 2006. Buffett has said that more than 99% of his nearly $118 billion fortune will eventually go to charity, and he has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.berkshirehathaway.com/donate/bmgfltr.pdf">gradually been giving</a>&nbsp;it away over time. He has given those five foundations stock worth roughly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/warren-buffett-donations-gates-foundation-c2f6981e46c6211b16ada2704433d3c0">$50 billion</a>&nbsp;over the years.

Buffett didn't identify the charity that received his latest donation this week.

Even after this latest donation, Buffett still holds 218,237 Class A shares of Berkshire stock, which are the most expensive shares on the market. Thursday morning, the shares were up $2.183 to sell for $539,680 apiece.

Berkshire does have a more affordable Class B share that offers a fraction of the voting rights of the A shares. Those Class B shares were selling for $355.95 Thursday morning.

Buffett's Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate owns dozens of businesses including Geico insurance,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-contract-paid-sick-time-bnsf-engineers-c04539c76dfcfc61c26f8d0ffad4b395">BNSF railroad</a>&nbsp;and several major utilities. It also owns an eclectic assortment of manufacturing and retail companies. In addition to the companies it owns outright Berkshire holds a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/berkshire-hathaway-warren-buffett-portfolio-investments-fcb74a2ee0aaf61a9416e96c51983892">$350 billion stock portfolio</a>&nbsp;with major stakes in Apple, Bank of America, Coca-Cola and American Express, among other stocks.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692383300944.jpeg" alt="FILE - Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, smiles as he plays bridge following the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting in Omaha, Neb., May 5, 2019. Buffett’s company appears to be betting on the housing market picking up because Berkshire Hathaway bought more than $700 million worth of homebuilder DR Horton’s stock in the spring of 2023 along with smaller stakes in fellow builders Lennar Corp. and NVR Corp. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, smiles as he plays bridge following the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting in Omaha, Neb., May 5, 2019. Buffett’s company appears to be betting on the housing market picking up because Berkshire Hathaway bought more than $700 million worth of homebuilder DR Horton’s stock in the spring of 2023 along with smaller stakes in fellow builders Lennar Corp. and NVR Corp. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Investor Warren Buffett has donated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/warren-buffett-berkshire-hathaway-earnings-second-quarter-9681b4761e8d81d7ca13c7d5507b1996">Berkshire Hathaway</a>&nbsp;stock worth $27 million to an unnamed charity.Buffett disclosed the gift of 50 Class A shares of Berkshire stock in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission late Wednesday.This donation is in addition to&nbsp;<a href="https://berkshirehathaway.com/news/jun2123.pdf">Buffett's annual gifts</a>&nbsp;to the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation and four smaller foundations run by his family that he has been making since 2006. Buffett has said that more than 99% of his nearly $118 billion fortune will eventually go to charity, and he has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.berkshirehathaway.com/donate/bmgfltr.pdf">gradually been giving</a>&nbsp;it away over time. He has given those five foundations stock worth roughly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/warren-buffett-donations-gates-foundation-c2f6981e46c6211b16ada2704433d3c0">$50 billion</a>&nbsp;over the years.Buffett didn't identify the charity that received his latest donation this week.Even after this latest donation, Buffett still holds 218,237 Class A shares of Berkshire stock, which are the most expensive shares on the market. Thursday morning, the shares were up $2.183 to sell for $539,680 apiece.Berkshire does have a more affordable Class B share that offers a fraction of the voting rights of the A shares. Those Class B shares were selling for $355.95 Thursday morning.Buffett's Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate owns dozens of businesses including Geico insurance,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-contract-paid-sick-time-bnsf-engineers-c04539c76dfcfc61c26f8d0ffad4b395">BNSF railroad</a>&nbsp;and several major utilities. It also owns an eclectic assortment of manufacturing and retail companies. In addition to the companies it owns outright Berkshire holds a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/berkshire-hathaway-warren-buffett-portfolio-investments-fcb74a2ee0aaf61a9416e96c51983892">$350 billion stock portfolio</a>&nbsp;with major stakes in Apple, Bank of America, Coca-Cola and American Express, among other stocks.

Warren Buffett gives $27 million in Berkshire Hathaway stock to an unnamed charity

&nbsp;(GRAND ISLAND, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol located 61 pounds of suspected methamphetamine during a traffic stop on I-80 Thursday.

At approximately 9:45 a.m. Thursday, a trooper observed a Toyota Camry following another vehicle too closely while traveling eastbound on I-80 near mile marker 324, near Giltner. During the traffic stop, the trooper become suspicious of criminal activity. An NSP K9 was deployed and detected the odor of a controlled substance inside the vehicle.

A search of the vehicle revealed 61 pounds of suspected methamphetamine contained in bins. Troopers also located a handgun inside the vehicle.

The driver, Juan Martinez Arroyo, 21, and passenger, Edwin Correa Miranda, 25, both of Cicero, Illinois, were arrested for possession of methamphetamine, possession with intent to deliver, possession of a firearm during a drug violation, and possession of a fireman while committing a felony. Both men were lodged in Hamilton County Jail.

Cody Thomas Nebraska State Patrol&nbsp;(GRAND ISLAND, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol located 61 pounds of suspected methamphetamine during a traffic stop on I-80 Thursday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692382460706.jpeg" alt="8-17-Meth seizure/Photo courtesy of Nebraska State Patrol" />
 <figcaption>8-17-Meth seizure/Photo courtesy of Nebraska State Patrol</figcaption>
 </figure>At approximately 9:45 a.m. Thursday, a trooper observed a Toyota Camry following another vehicle too closely while traveling eastbound on I-80 near mile marker 324, near Giltner. During the traffic stop, the trooper become suspicious of criminal activity. An NSP K9 was deployed and detected the odor of a controlled substance inside the vehicle.A search of the vehicle revealed 61 pounds of suspected methamphetamine contained in bins. Troopers also located a handgun inside the vehicle.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692382511457.jpeg" alt="8-17-Meth seizure/Photo courtesy of Nebraska Stat Patrol" />
 <figcaption>8-17-Meth seizure/Photo courtesy of Nebraska Stat Patrol</figcaption>
 </figure>The driver, Juan Martinez Arroyo, 21, and passenger, Edwin Correa Miranda, 25, both of Cicero, Illinois, were arrested for possession of methamphetamine, possession with intent to deliver, possession of a firearm during a drug violation, and possession of a fireman while committing a felony. Both men were lodged in Hamilton County Jail.

Troopers Find 61 pounds of Meth in I-80 Traffic Stop

By&nbsp;ROBIN OPSAHL&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>

As former President Donald Trump faces his fourth indictment in Georgia, his previous running mate former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday disputed Trump’s claims that the Georgia election was “stolen” while still criticizing the federal justice system.

<a href="https://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/editorialfiles/2023/08/14/23SC188947_-_CRIMINAL_INDICTMENT.pdf">Click here to read the full</a>&nbsp;Georgia indictment from&nbsp;

Pence is one of many candidates competing against Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination who are working to balance a campaign message that shows voters why they should be the party pick to take on President Joe Biden while not alienating those who believe the federal justice system is being used unfairly against the former president.

Since his appearance at the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/08/12/trump-desantis-and-more-2024-candidates-pack-iowa-state-fair/">Iowa State Fair Saturday</a>, Trump and 18 others&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/08/15/fulton-grand-jury-indicts-trump-members-of-his-inner-circle/">have been indicted in Fulton County, Georgia</a>&nbsp;on 41 charges in relation to alleged interference in the 2020 election.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/110895258274128390">On TruthSocial</a>, the social media platform Trump co-founded, the former president criticized Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for bringing charges on election interference against him.

“No, Fani, the only Election Interference was done by those that Rigged and Stole the Election,” Trump wrote Tuesday. “Those are the ones you should be going after, not the innocent people that are fighting for Election Integrity!”

Some of the Republican presidential hopefuls have dismissed the alleged crimes. Others that have criticized Trump’s alleged actions in the 2020 election cycle — candidates like Pence and former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd — have been heckled and booed for their comments on Trump while speaking in Iowa.

Here’s how Republican candidates are approaching the issue of Trump’s legal battles on the campaign trail:

Pence said Wednesday that the “Georgia election was not stolen” while speaking at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ summit in Indianapolis, the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2023/08/16/pence-defends-georgia-election-after-trump-indictment-announces-states-rights-plan/">Indiana Capital Chronicle</a>&nbsp;reported.

Pence disagreed with Trump and his allies’ statements on the Georgia election, in addition to criticizing Trump’s pressure for him to not confirm the 2020 presidential election results on Jan. 6, 2021.

“Despite what the former president and his allies have said … the Georgia election was not stolen, and I had no right to overturn the election,” Pence said.

Pence has defended his decision to certify the 2020 election results, citing it as a reason why he decided to launch his bid for president. When an audience member&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/08/10/three-2024-republican-candidates-kick-off-iowa-state-fair-events/">accused him Thursday at the Iowa State Fair</a>&nbsp;of committing treason for his actions, Pence said he did not have the right under the Constitution to reject states’ election results.

“It doesn’t say ‘may,’ it doesn’t say you could send them back to the states, it doesn’t say you can reject votes, even though my former running mate and many of his outside lawyers told me that that authority was there, I knew there never was,” Pence said.

Though he criticized Trump, Pence said in Indianapolis that the federal justice system is “politicized,” and that there is not enough scrutiny placed on Democrats like Hillary Clinton and the president’s son Hunter Biden.

“I’ve said many times (that) I’d hoped the judgment about those days would be left to the American people. Such is not the case,” Pence said.

Though Trump has gone after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on the campaign trail, DeSantis has criticized the charges against Trump. He<a target="_blank" href="https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4153958-desantis-says-recent-trump-indictment-exemplifies-criminalization-of-politics/">&nbsp;said Tuesday in New Hampshire</a>&nbsp;that the latest charges are an example of the “criminalization of politics.” He criticized the Georgia judicial officials for bringing racketeering charges against the former president.

“They’re now doing an inordinate amount of resources to try to shoehorn this contest over the 2020 election into a RICO statute, which was really designed to be able to go after organized crime, not necessarily to go after political activity,” DeSantis said. “… I don’t think that this is something that is good for the country.”

Though the Florida governor has often avoided talking about Trump directly in campaign events, he has said he&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/ron-desantis-overhaul-doj-fbi-elected-plans/">has a plan</a>&nbsp;to overhaul the “weaponized” Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation if elected president.

In an<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ron-desantis-of-course-trump-lost-2020-election-rcna98200">&nbsp;interview with NBC News</a>&nbsp;at the Iowa State Fair Saturday, DeSantis said Trump lost the 2020 election, despite false claims by the former president that the election was rigged.

“No, of course he lost,” DeSantis said. “Joe Biden’s the president.”

Speaking with reporters in Iowa, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott criticized the legal actions against Trump.

“We’ve seen the legal system being weaponized against political opponents,” Scott said. “That is un-American and unacceptable. At the end of the day, we need a better system than that.”

Scott, a South Carolina Republican, has repeatedly&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/07/27/u-s-sen-tim-scott-calls-for-end-of-doj-weaponization-criticizes-florida-black-history-curriculum/">called for the end of “weaponization”</a>&nbsp;of the Department of Justice in response to questions on indictments against the former president during his time campaigning in Iowa. At an Ankeny event in July, Scott said the country — and federal government — needs to be “very careful on how we use this power against political opponents.” He said he would eliminate political appointees from the DOJ, in addition to making leadership changes at the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies.

At the fair, Scott was also asked specifically about the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/14/us/elections/trump-georgia-election-audio-raffensperger.html">recorded phone conversation</a>&nbsp;between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which Trump asked the election official to “find” votes to help him win the state. Scott said he had “just drawn different conclusions” from the reporter about the conversation.

One of entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy’s promises on the campaign trail is to pardon Trump if elected. In response to the Georgia charges, Ramaswamy&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/VivekGRamaswamy/status/1691149756272095248">wrote on X</a>, formerly Twitter, that Trump should “immediately file a motion to dismiss for a constitutional due process violation for publicly issuing an indictment before the grand jury had actually signed one.”

“As someone who’s running for President against Trump, I’d volunteer to write the amicus brief to the court myself: prosecutors should not be deciding U.S. presidential elections, and if they’re so overzealous that they commit constitutional violations, then the cases should be thrown out &amp; they should be held accountable,” he wrote.

Reuters&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-state-georgia-appears-set-file-charges-against-donald-trump-court-document-2023-08-14/">reported Monday that a document</a>&nbsp;outlining charges against Trump appeared briefly on the Fulton County court’s website before the grand jury issued the indictments, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2023/08/14/fulton-grand-jury-indicts-trump-members-of-his-inner-circle/">Georgia Recorder</a>. A Fulton County courts spokesperson issued a statement Monday in response to a “fictitious document that has been circulated online and reported by various media outlets.”

The latest Trump indictment did not come up in the conversation between former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds Tuesday at her “fair-side chat” interview, but the candidate made a statement Monday that saying the most recent indictment was “another day of challenge for our democracy.”

“Over a year ago, I said that Donald Trump’s actions disqualified him from ever serving as President again,” Hutchinson said. “Those words are more true today than ever before. I will have additional comments after I review the details of the indictment.”

Hutchinson is one of the better-known critics of Trump from within the Republican Party. The former U.S. attorney, who served as administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration under former President George W. Bush, said he would not sign the Republican National Committee pledge to support the eventual GOP in the 2024 general election if Trump is convicted.

“I’m not going to vote for him if he’s a convicted felon,” Hutchinson&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/14/asa-hutchinson-trump-indictment-00101971">told Politico in June</a>. “If he’s convicted of espionage, I’m not going to vote for him.”

Former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd said in a statement that the Republican Party needs to move on from Trump in light of his legal battles, saying the former president would lose against Biden again in 2024 if he becomes the Republican nominee.

“This is further evidence that Trump knew he lost the 2020 election and was ready to do anything it took to cling to power,” Hurd said in a statement. “It’s time we move beyond dealing with the former president’s baggage. The Republican Party needs a leader who isn’t afraid of bullies like Trump.”

Hurd was&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/07/28/iowa-republicans-cheer-trump-as-most-opponents-tread-carefully/">booed off the stage</a>&nbsp;at the Iowa GOP Lincoln Dinner in July for bringing up Trump’s indictments.

“Donald Trump is not running to make America great again,” Hurd said. “Donald Trump is not running to represent the people that voted for him in 2016 and 2020.&nbsp; He’s running to stay out of prison.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691976202111.png" alt="Former President Donald Trump on the campaign trail last week at the Iowa State Fair-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Former President Donald Trump on the campaign trail last week at the Iowa State Fair-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;ROBIN OPSAHL&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>As former President Donald Trump faces his fourth indictment in Georgia, his previous running mate former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday disputed Trump’s claims that the Georgia election was “stolen” while still criticizing the federal justice system.<a href="https://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/editorialfiles/2023/08/14/23SC188947_-_CRIMINAL_INDICTMENT.pdf">Click here to read the full</a>&nbsp;Georgia indictment from&nbsp;Pence is one of many candidates competing against Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination who are working to balance a campaign message that shows voters why they should be the party pick to take on President Joe Biden while not alienating those who believe the federal justice system is being used unfairly against the former president.Since his appearance at the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/08/12/trump-desantis-and-more-2024-candidates-pack-iowa-state-fair/">Iowa State Fair Saturday</a>, Trump and 18 others&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/08/15/fulton-grand-jury-indicts-trump-members-of-his-inner-circle/">have been indicted in Fulton County, Georgia</a>&nbsp;on 41 charges in relation to alleged interference in the 2020 election.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/110895258274128390">On TruthSocial</a>, the social media platform Trump co-founded, the former president criticized Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for bringing charges on election interference against him.“No, Fani, the only Election Interference was done by those that Rigged and Stole the Election,” Trump wrote Tuesday. “Those are the ones you should be going after, not the innocent people that are fighting for Election Integrity!”Some of the Republican presidential hopefuls have dismissed the alleged crimes. Others that have criticized Trump’s alleged actions in the 2020 election cycle — candidates like Pence and former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd — have been heckled and booed for their comments on Trump while speaking in Iowa.Here’s how Republican candidates are approaching the issue of Trump’s legal battles on the campaign trail:<h2>Former Vice President Mike Pence</h2>Pence said Wednesday that the “Georgia election was not stolen” while speaking at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ summit in Indianapolis, the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2023/08/16/pence-defends-georgia-election-after-trump-indictment-announces-states-rights-plan/">Indiana Capital Chronicle</a>&nbsp;reported.Pence disagreed with Trump and his allies’ statements on the Georgia election, in addition to criticizing Trump’s pressure for him to not confirm the 2020 presidential election results on Jan. 6, 2021.“Despite what the former president and his allies have said … the Georgia election was not stolen, and I had no right to overturn the election,” Pence said.Pence has defended his decision to certify the 2020 election results, citing it as a reason why he decided to launch his bid for president. When an audience member&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/08/10/three-2024-republican-candidates-kick-off-iowa-state-fair-events/">accused him Thursday at the Iowa State Fair</a>&nbsp;of committing treason for his actions, Pence said he did not have the right under the Constitution to reject states’ election results.“It doesn’t say ‘may,’ it doesn’t say you could send them back to the states, it doesn’t say you can reject votes, even though my former running mate and many of his outside lawyers told me that that authority was there, I knew there never was,” Pence said.Though he criticized Trump, Pence said in Indianapolis that the federal justice system is “politicized,” and that there is not enough scrutiny placed on Democrats like Hillary Clinton and the president’s son Hunter Biden.“I’ve said many times (that) I’d hoped the judgment about those days would be left to the American people. Such is not the case,” Pence said.<h2>Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis</h2>Though Trump has gone after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on the campaign trail, DeSantis has criticized the charges against Trump. He<a target="_blank" href="https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4153958-desantis-says-recent-trump-indictment-exemplifies-criminalization-of-politics/">&nbsp;said Tuesday in New Hampshire</a>&nbsp;that the latest charges are an example of the “criminalization of politics.” He criticized the Georgia judicial officials for bringing racketeering charges against the former president.“They’re now doing an inordinate amount of resources to try to shoehorn this contest over the 2020 election into a RICO statute, which was really designed to be able to go after organized crime, not necessarily to go after political activity,” DeSantis said. “… I don’t think that this is something that is good for the country.”Though the Florida governor has often avoided talking about Trump directly in campaign events, he has said he&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/ron-desantis-overhaul-doj-fbi-elected-plans/">has a plan</a>&nbsp;to overhaul the “weaponized” Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation if elected president.In an<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ron-desantis-of-course-trump-lost-2020-election-rcna98200">&nbsp;interview with NBC News</a>&nbsp;at the Iowa State Fair Saturday, DeSantis said Trump lost the 2020 election, despite false claims by the former president that the election was rigged.“No, of course he lost,” DeSantis said. “Joe Biden’s the president.”<h2>U.S. Sen. Tim Scott</h2>Speaking with reporters in Iowa, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott criticized the legal actions against Trump.“We’ve seen the legal system being weaponized against political opponents,” Scott said. “That is un-American and unacceptable. At the end of the day, we need a better system than that.”Scott, a South Carolina Republican, has repeatedly&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/07/27/u-s-sen-tim-scott-calls-for-end-of-doj-weaponization-criticizes-florida-black-history-curriculum/">called for the end of “weaponization”</a>&nbsp;of the Department of Justice in response to questions on indictments against the former president during his time campaigning in Iowa. At an Ankeny event in July, Scott said the country — and federal government — needs to be “very careful on how we use this power against political opponents.” He said he would eliminate political appointees from the DOJ, in addition to making leadership changes at the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies.At the fair, Scott was also asked specifically about the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/14/us/elections/trump-georgia-election-audio-raffensperger.html">recorded phone conversation</a>&nbsp;between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which Trump asked the election official to “find” votes to help him win the state. Scott said he had “just drawn different conclusions” from the reporter about the conversation.<h2>Vivek Ramaswamy</h2>One of entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy’s promises on the campaign trail is to pardon Trump if elected. In response to the Georgia charges, Ramaswamy&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/VivekGRamaswamy/status/1691149756272095248">wrote on X</a>, formerly Twitter, that Trump should “immediately file a motion to dismiss for a constitutional due process violation for publicly issuing an indictment before the grand jury had actually signed one.”“As someone who’s running for President against Trump, I’d volunteer to write the amicus brief to the court myself: prosecutors should not be deciding U.S. presidential elections, and if they’re so overzealous that they commit constitutional violations, then the cases should be thrown out &amp; they should be held accountable,” he wrote.Reuters&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-state-georgia-appears-set-file-charges-against-donald-trump-court-document-2023-08-14/">reported Monday that a document</a>&nbsp;outlining charges against Trump appeared briefly on the Fulton County court’s website before the grand jury issued the indictments, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2023/08/14/fulton-grand-jury-indicts-trump-members-of-his-inner-circle/">Georgia Recorder</a>. A Fulton County courts spokesperson issued a statement Monday in response to a “fictitious document that has been circulated online and reported by various media outlets.”<h2>Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson</h2>The latest Trump indictment did not come up in the conversation between former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds Tuesday at her “fair-side chat” interview, but the candidate made a statement Monday that saying the most recent indictment was “another day of challenge for our democracy.”“Over a year ago, I said that Donald Trump’s actions disqualified him from ever serving as President again,” Hutchinson said. “Those words are more true today than ever before. I will have additional comments after I review the details of the indictment.”Hutchinson is one of the better-known critics of Trump from within the Republican Party. The former U.S. attorney, who served as administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration under former President George W. Bush, said he would not sign the Republican National Committee pledge to support the eventual GOP in the 2024 general election if Trump is convicted.“I’m not going to vote for him if he’s a convicted felon,” Hutchinson&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/14/asa-hutchinson-trump-indictment-00101971">told Politico in June</a>. “If he’s convicted of espionage, I’m not going to vote for him.”<h2>Former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd</h2>Former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd said in a statement that the Republican Party needs to move on from Trump in light of his legal battles, saying the former president would lose against Biden again in 2024 if he becomes the Republican nominee.“This is further evidence that Trump knew he lost the 2020 election and was ready to do anything it took to cling to power,” Hurd said in a statement. “It’s time we move beyond dealing with the former president’s baggage. The Republican Party needs a leader who isn’t afraid of bullies like Trump.”Hurd was&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/07/28/iowa-republicans-cheer-trump-as-most-opponents-tread-carefully/">booed off the stage</a>&nbsp;at the Iowa GOP Lincoln Dinner in July for bringing up Trump’s indictments.“Donald Trump is not running to make America great again,” Hurd said. “Donald Trump is not running to represent the people that voted for him in 2016 and 2020.&nbsp; He’s running to stay out of prison.”

2024 Republican candidates weigh in on Trump’s Georgia indictments

CAMP DAVID, Md. (AP) — President Joe Biden and the leaders of Japan and South Korea agreed Friday to expand security and economic ties at a historic summit at the U.S. presidential retreat of Camp David, cementing a new agreement with the allies that are on an increasingly tense ledge in relations with China and North Korea.

Biden said the nations would establish a communications hotline to discuss responses to threats. He announced the agreements, including what the leaders termed the “Camp David Principles,” at the close of his talks with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/yoon-suk-yeol">South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/fumio-kishida">Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida</a>.

“Our countries are stronger and the world will be safer as we stand together. And I know this is a belief that all three share,” Biden said

“The purpose of our trilateral security cooperation is and will remain to promote and enhance peace and stability throughout the region,” the leaders said in a joint statement.

Biden maintained, as have US, South Korean and Japanese officials, that the summit “was not about China” but was focused on broader security issues. Yet, the leaders in their joint summit concluding statement noted China's “dangerous and aggressive" action in the South China Sea and said they “strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific.”

Yoon noted in particular the threat posed by North Korea, saying the three leaders had agreed to improve “our joint response capabilities to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, which have become sophisticated more than ever.”

He said as the three appeared before reporters that “today will be remembered as a historic day, where we established a firm institutional basis and commitments to the trilateral partnership.”

Japan's Kishida said before the private talks that "the fact that we, the three leaders, have got together in this way, I believe means that we are indeed making a new history as of today. The international community is at a turning point in history.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692389228871.png" alt="South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, President Joe Biden and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, meet at Camp David, the presidential retreat-image White House" />
 <figcaption>South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, President Joe Biden and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, meet at Camp David, the presidential retreat-image White House</figcaption>
 </figure>CAMP DAVID, Md. (AP) — President Joe Biden and the leaders of Japan and South Korea agreed Friday to expand security and economic ties at a historic summit at the U.S. presidential retreat of Camp David, cementing a new agreement with the allies that are on an increasingly tense ledge in relations with China and North Korea.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02uNzXbM5bTXGuvh561LvGychnrQ8m1PmDeqbAHFCsxzLgSZoTfUtmcDpHbRGvZZJ5l&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="787" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>Biden said the nations would establish a communications hotline to discuss responses to threats. He announced the agreements, including what the leaders termed the “Camp David Principles,” at the close of his talks with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/yoon-suk-yeol">South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/fumio-kishida">Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida</a>.“Our countries are stronger and the world will be safer as we stand together. And I know this is a belief that all three share,” Biden said“The purpose of our trilateral security cooperation is and will remain to promote and enhance peace and stability throughout the region,” the leaders said in a joint statement.Biden maintained, as have US, South Korean and Japanese officials, that the summit “was not about China” but was focused on broader security issues. Yet, the leaders in their joint summit concluding statement noted China's “dangerous and aggressive" action in the South China Sea and said they “strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific.”Yoon noted in particular the threat posed by North Korea, saying the three leaders had agreed to improve “our joint response capabilities to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, which have become sophisticated more than ever.”He said as the three appeared before reporters that “today will be remembered as a historic day, where we established a firm institutional basis and commitments to the trilateral partnership.”Japan's Kishida said before the private talks that "the fact that we, the three leaders, have got together in this way, I believe means that we are indeed making a new history as of today. The international community is at a turning point in history.”The visitors spoke in their home languages, their comments repeated by a translator.The U.S., Japan and South Korea agreed to a new “duty to consult” security pledge committing them to speak with each other in the event of a security crisis or threat in the Pacific.The pledge is intended to acknowledge that they share “fundamentally interlinked security environments" and that a threat to one is “a threat to all," according to a senior Biden administration official. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the announcement.Under the pledge, the three countries agree to consult, share information and align their messaging with each other in the face of a threat or crisis, the official said.The Camp David retreat, 65 miles (104.6 kilometers) from the White House, was where President Jimmy Carter brought together Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in September 1978 for talks that established a framework for a historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt in March 1979. In the midst of World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met at the retreat — then known as Shangri-La — to plan the Italian campaign that would knock Benito Mussolini out of the war.Kishida and Yoon were mindful of Camp David’s place in U.S. and world history, making repeated references to its past and now their place in it during their comments at the news conference after the meeting with Biden. The leaders arrived in Washington on Thursday and, as guests of Biden, on Friday were flown separately to Camp David on U.S. military helicopters like the ones Biden uses.Biden's focus for the gathering was to nu&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-japan-south-korea-camp-david-summit-2421359ebcd5973b6252fa284cfb25ff">dge the United States' two closest Asian allies</a>&nbsp;to further tighten security and economic cooperation with each other. The historic rivals have been divided by differing views of World War II history and Japan’s colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.But under Kishida and Yoon, the two countries have begun a rapprochement as the two conservative leaders grapple with shared security challenges posed by North Korea and China. Both leaders have been upset by the stepped-up cadence of North Korea's ballistic missile tests and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-china-warplanes-military-exercises-548705bdceb0763c654cfd11f9b74dfd">Chinese military exercises near Taiwan,</a>&nbsp;the self-ruled island that is claimed by Beijing as part of its territory, and other aggressive action.Yoon proposed an initiative in March to resolve disputes stemming from compensation for wartime Korean forced laborers. He announced that South Korea would use its own funds to compensate Koreans enslaved by Japanese companies before the end of World War II.Yoon also traveled to Tokyo that month for talks with Kishida, the first such visit by a South Korean president in more than 12 years.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-japan-yoon-kishida-history-135badc84df0b545f44edcb2b86921fe">Kishida reciprocated with a visit to Seoul in May</a>&nbsp;and expressed sympathy for the suffering of Korean forced laborers during Japan’s colonial rule,The effort to sustain the trilateral relationship won’t be without challenges.Beijing sees the tightening cooperation efforts as the first steps of a Pacific-version of NATO, the transatlantic military alliance, forming against it. U.S. officials expect that North Korea will lash out—perhaps with more ballistic missile test and certainly blistering rhetoric.Polls show that a solid majority of South Koreans&nbsp;<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/korea-japan-rapprochement-creates-new-opportunities-in-the-indo-pacific/">oppose Yoon’s handling of the forced labor issue</a>&nbsp;that’s been central to mending relations with Japan. And many in Japan fear that bolstering security cooperation will lead the country into an economic Cold War with China, its biggest trading partner. Biden’s predecessor (and potential successor) Republican Donald Trump unnerved South Korea during his time in the White House with talk of reducing the U.S. military presence on the Korean Peninsula.“If an ultra-leftist South Korean president and an ultra-right wing Japanese leader are elected in their next cycles, or even if Trump or someone like him wins in the U.S., then any one of them could derail all the meaningful, hard work Biden, Yoon and Kishida are putting in right now,” said Duyeon Kim, an adjunct senior fellow at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/duyeon-kim">Center for a New American Security</a>&nbsp;’s Indo-Pacific Security Program.___CAMP DAVID, Md. (AP) — President Joe Biden opened a historic summit with Japan and South Korea at Camp David on Friday focused on strengthening security and economic ties at a time of increasing concerns about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-satellite-us-drills-summit-67262f21543d6e859f324b02dc29c75e">North Korea’s persistent nuclear threats</a>&nbsp;and China’s provocations in the Pacific."Our countries are stronger and the world will be safer as we stand together. And I know this is a belief that all three share,” Biden declared at the start of the meeting with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/yoon-suk-yeol">South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/fumio-kishida">Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida</a>&nbsp;at the presidential retreat in Maryland.Addressing his fellow leaders at what he called the first standalone summit of the three nations, the American president said, "I want to thank you both for your political courage that brought you here.”Yoon said as the three appeared before reporters that “today will be remembered as a historic day, where we established a firm institutional basis and commitments to the trilateral partnership.”And Kishida said before the private talks that "the fact that we, the three leaders, have got together in this way, I believe means that we are indeed making a new history as of today. The international community is at a turning point in history.”The U.S., Japan and South Korea have agreed to a new security pledge committing the three countries to consult with each other in the event of a security crisis or threat in the Pacific. Details about the new “duty to consult” commitment emerged as the summit got underway.Before the three-way talks, Biden met separately with Yoon and then Kishida in midmorning. The visitors' remarks were translated into English as they spoke to reporters.The agreement is one of several joint efforts that the leaders were expected to announce at the daylong summit.“Suffice it to say, this is a big deal," Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Friday shortly before the start of the summit. "It is a historic event, and it sets the conditions for a more peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific, and a stronger and more secure United States of America,"Even before the summit began, it drew&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-us-japan-south-korea-6c626a246219c6dc3915ed8a18f34c74">harsh public criticism</a>&nbsp;from the Chinese government.“The international community has its own judgment as to who is creating contradictions and increasing tensions,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters Friday.“Attempts to form various exclusive groups and cliques and to bring bloc confrontation into the Asia-Pacific region are unpopular and will definitely spark vigilance and opposition in the countries of the region,” Wang said.Sullivan pushed back against the Chinese concerns.“It’s explicitly not a NATO for the Pacific,” Sullivan said. “This partnership is not against anyone, it is for something. It is for a vision of the Indo-Pacific that is free, open, secure and prosperous.”The “duty to consult” pledge is intended to acknowledge that the three countries share “fundamentally interlinked security environments" and that a threat to one of the nations is “a threat to all," according to a senior Biden administration official. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the coming announcement.Under the pledge, the three countries agree to consult, share information and align their messaging with each other in the face of a threat or crisis, the official said.The summit is the first Biden has held during his presidency at the storied Camp David. The three leaders were scheduled to hold a news conference later. Biden was hoping to use much of the day with the two leaders as a more informal opportunity to tighten their bond.The U.S. president planned to take Kishida and Yoon on a walk on the picturesque grounds and host them—and a few senior aides— for a lunch.The retreat 65 miles (104.6 kilometers) from the White House was where President Jimmy Carter brought together Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in September 1978 for talks that established a framework for a historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt in March 1979. In the midst of World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met at the retreat — then known as Shangri-La — to plan the Italian campaign that would knock Benito Mussolini out of the war.Biden's focus for the gathering is to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-japan-south-korea-camp-david-summit-2421359ebcd5973b6252fa284cfb25ff">nudge the United States' two closest Asian allies</a>&nbsp;to further tighten security and economic cooperation with each other. The historic rivals have been divided by differing views of World War II history and Japan’s colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.But under Kishida and Yoon, the two countries have begun a rapprochement as the two conservative leaders grapple with shared security challenges posed by North Korea and China. Both leaders have been upset by the stepped-up cadence of North Korea's ballistic missile tests and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-china-warplanes-military-exercises-548705bdceb0763c654cfd11f9b74dfd">Chinese military exercises near Taiwan,</a>&nbsp;the self-ruled island that is claimed by Beijing as part of its territory, and other aggressive action.Yoon proposed an initiative in March to resolve disputes stemming from compensation for wartime Korean forced laborers. He announced that South Korea would use its own funds to compensate Koreans enslaved by Japanese companies before the end of World War II.Yoon also traveled to Tokyo that month for talks with Kishida, the first such visit by a South Korean president in more than 12 years.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-japan-yoon-kishida-history-135badc84df0b545f44edcb2b86921fe">Kishida reciprocated with a visit to Seoul in May</a>&nbsp;and expressed sympathy for the suffering of Korean forced laborers during Japan’s colonial rule,The effort to sustain the trilateral relationship won’t be without challenges.Beijing sees the tightening cooperation efforts as the first steps of a Pacific-version of NATO, the transatlantic military alliance, forming against it. U.S. officials expect that North Korea will lash out—perhaps with more ballistic missile test and certainly blistering rhetoric.Polls show that a solid majority of South Koreans&nbsp;<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/korea-japan-rapprochement-creates-new-opportunities-in-the-indo-pacific/">oppose Yoon’s handling of the forced labor issue</a>&nbsp;that’s been central to mending relations with Japan. And many in Japan fear that bolstering security cooperation will lead the country into an economic Cold War with China, it’s biggest trading partner. Biden’s predecessor (and potential successor) Republican Donald Trump unnerved South Korea during his time in the White House with talk of reducing the U.S. military presence on the Peninsula.“If an ultra-leftist South Korean president and an ultra-right wing Japanese leader are elected in their next cycles, or even if Trump or someone like him wins in the U.S., then any one of them could derail all the meaningful, hard work Biden, Yoon and Kishida are putting in right now,” said Duyeon Kim, an adjunct senior fellow at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/duyeon-kim">Center for a New American Security</a>&nbsp;’s Indo-Pacific Security Program.The three leaders are also expected to detail in their summit communique plans to invest in technology for a three-way crisis hotline and offer an update on progress the countries have made on sharing early-warning data on missile launches by North Korea.Other announcements expected to come out of the summit include plans to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-yoon-kishida-camp-david-missile-defense-f3ce58da383f2255ee479624645db542">expand military cooperation</a>&nbsp;on ballistic defenses and to make the summit an annual event. Sullivan said the leaders would commit on Friday to a multiyear planning process for joint military exercises.The leaders are also likely to discuss the long-running territorial conflicts in the disputed South China Sea involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei.