WASHINGTON —House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on social media hinted at a possible impeachment inquiry of Attorney General Merrick Garland over the alleged weaponization of the Department of Justice.

Garland continues to push back against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-irs-justice-department-irs-congress-d242a84d4d6d8e90db68febab168fef7">claims</a>&nbsp;from IRS whistleblowers that the Justice Department interfered with the investigation into Hunter Biden, saying more broadly that attacks on the department’s independence are corrosive.

(Click below to watch White House briefing on the investigation)

In a statement from McCarthy's office, the House Speaker wrote, "Here’s what we just learned from IRS whistleblower testimony: The IRS gave Hunter Biden's tax case preferential treatment. The Department of Justice interfered with the investigation at every turn and the IRS retaliated against those very whistleblowers for telling the truth

"Our committees will continue to follow every lead into the Biden family's shady business dealings and the weaponized Biden Department of Justice. The American people deserve answers and accountability, " McCarthy wrote.

"We need to get to the facts, and that includes reconciling these clear disparities. U.S. Attorney David Weiss must provide answers to the House Judiciary Committee."

"If the whistleblowers' allegations are true, this will be a significant part of a larger impeachment inquiry into Merrick Garland's weaponization of the Department of Justice."

(Click below to watch White House response)

In a separate statement Friday, President Biden's lawyer denounced the idea that the investigation cut any corners, and said it would be “dangerously misleading” to make conclusions based on the transcript.

The transcript included a message Hunter sent to a business associate alluding to “sitting with his father,” seemingly suggesting that his father was aware of his business dealings.&nbsp;

Joe Biden has said he’s never spoken to his son about his foreign business. Asked if the president stands by those comments, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre replied: “What I will say is nothing has changed. Nothing has changed, and I will leave it there.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685582773295.png" alt=""If the whistleblowers' allegations are true, this will be a significant part of a larger impeachment inquiry into Merrick Garland's weaponization of the Department of Justice,"&nbsp; House Speaker Kevin McCarthy wrote on Sunday.-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>"If the whistleblowers' allegations are true, this will be a significant part of a larger impeachment inquiry into Merrick Garland's weaponization of the Department of Justice,"&nbsp; House Speaker Kevin McCarthy wrote on Sunday.-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on social media hinted at a possible impeachment inquiry of Attorney General Merrick Garland over the alleged weaponization of the Department of Justice.Garland continues to push back against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-irs-justice-department-irs-congress-d242a84d4d6d8e90db68febab168fef7">claims</a>&nbsp;from IRS whistleblowers that the Justice Department interfered with the investigation into Hunter Biden, saying more broadly that attacks on the department’s independence are corrosive.(Click below to watch White House briefing on the investigation)<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We need to get to the facts, and that includes reconciling these clear disparities. U.S. Attorney David Weiss must provide answers to the House Judiciary Committee. If the whistleblowers&#39; allegations are true, this will be a significant part of a larger impeachment inquiry into… <a href="https://t.co/Q3LLeJhW85">https://t.co/Q3LLeJhW85</a>&mdash; Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerMcCarthy/status/1672994001459490817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In a statement from McCarthy's office, the House Speaker wrote, "Here’s what we just learned from IRS whistleblower testimony: The IRS gave Hunter Biden's tax case preferential treatment. The Department of Justice interfered with the investigation at every turn and the IRS retaliated against those very whistleblowers for telling the truth"Our committees will continue to follow every lead into the Biden family's shady business dealings and the weaponized Biden Department of Justice. The American people deserve answers and accountability, " McCarthy wrote."We need to get to the facts, and that includes reconciling these clear disparities. U.S. Attorney David Weiss must provide answers to the House Judiciary Committee.""If the whistleblowers' allegations are true, this will be a significant part of a larger impeachment inquiry into Merrick Garland's weaponization of the Department of Justice."(Click below to watch White House response)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F289364610159840%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=1958" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>In a separate statement Friday, President Biden's lawyer denounced the idea that the investigation cut any corners, and said it would be “dangerously misleading” to make conclusions based on the transcript.The transcript included a message Hunter sent to a business associate alluding to “sitting with his father,” seemingly suggesting that his father was aware of his business dealings.&nbsp;<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F289364610159840%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=2923" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Joe Biden has said he’s never spoken to his son about his foreign business. Asked if the president stands by those comments, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre replied: “What I will say is nothing has changed. Nothing has changed, and I will leave it there.”-The AP contributed to this report.

🎥 House Speaker threatens AG with impeachment inquiry 

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

WASHINGTON — The 2024 Republican presidential primary marks the first time in half a century that candidates will debate whether abortion should be restricted or banned at the federal level without the Roe v. Wade ruling making most of their proposals moot.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last summer to overturn the nationwide, constitutional right to an abortion sent the question back to “the people and their elected representatives.”

Many Republicans have interpreted that as sending the issue back to state lawmakers, and GOP-led states during the past year moved to pass bans and restrictions. The ruling also left the door open for Congress to pass legislation — a move many anti-abortion organizations would like to see.

While some GOP presidential candidates at this early point in the campaign are enthusiastic supporters of the idea, others are unwilling to back national abortion laws.

The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.c-span.org/organization/?102262/Faith-Freedom-Coalition">Faith &amp; Freedom Coalition “Road to Majority 2023”</a>&nbsp;conference June 22 to 24 in Washington, D.C., billed as “the nation’s premier pro-faith, pro-family event,” produced new details and commitments from several candidates.

Roger Severino, vice president of domestic policy at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C., said during an interview it will be “crucial” for Republican presidential candidates to release clear proposals for what abortion legislation they would advocate for if elected.

Heritage, he said, is calling on the GOP candidates to push for a nationwide law that would restrict abortion after embryonic cardiac activity is detected, which happens approximately six weeks into a pregnancy.

Severino pressed back against the stance from some Republicans in Congress that the issue is best left up to the states. A Republican U.S. House and U.S. Senate would be essential for any GOP president to implement a nationwide abortion ban.

“Members of Congress should not avoid the issue by trying to punt it off to the states when they have been elected on pro-life platforms for years and are expected to deliver,” Severino said. “That would be the height of disingenuousness.”

Severino was less clear about whether Republicans, if they regain control of the Senate, should eliminate the legislative filibuster that requires at least 60 senators to move legislation toward final passage.

That provision ensures that absent one party holding a supermajority, only bipartisan bills pass through the chamber. It has blocked Republicans from passing nationwide bans under unified control of Washington and Democrats from passing nationwide protections for abortion access when they held control.

“The legislative filibuster is a more complicated question because once it’s gone you can’t take it back,” Severino said.

The conservative organization, he said, is looking for a presidential candidate who possesses “leadership to pick up the mantle of this new civil rights movement to protect innocent unborn life.”

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a written statement released in May that the organization, one of the nation’s largest anti-abortion groups, wants the next president to push for a national ban of at least 15 weeks.

The group also wants that person to “work tirelessly to build consensus and gather the votes necessary in Congress.”

Dannenfelser has rebuked Republicans who argue abortion should be left up to states, saying in a written statement released in April that it “is a morally indefensible position for a self-proclaimed pro-life presidential candidate to hold.”

“The Supreme Court made clear in its decision that it was returning the issue to the people to decide through their elected representatives in the states and in Congress,” she wrote. “Holding to the position that it is exclusively up to the states is an abdication of responsibility by anyone elected to federal office.”

“This holds especially true for the president, more than any other federal official, because he or she has a responsibility to forge national consensus and progress on the most egregious human rights violation of our time,” Dannenfelser added.

President Joe Biden, likely to be the Democratic nominee for president,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-campaign-rally-warns-national-abortion-ban-next">said</a>&nbsp;Friday that if reelected he would prevent any restrictions to reproductive rights or abortion access.

Here’s where the current Republican presidential candidates currently stand on a nationwide abortion law, according to their public actions, statements and campaign websites:

Doug Burgum:&nbsp;The North Dakota governor signed legislation in April that restricts abortion access in the state to six weeks for people who survive rape or incest. Abortion would then be banned for anyone except for pregnant patients whose lives would be at risk or who are having medical emergencies. His campaign website doesn’t have an official position on what he would support as president.

Chris Christie:&nbsp;The former New Jersey governor hasn’t been especially clear about whether he’d sign a nationwide abortion ban if he won election to the Oval Office, though during his run in 2016, Christie said he would support a 20-week ban.

During a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/se/date/2023-06-12/segment/07">CNN town hall</a>&nbsp;in June, Christie said he doesn’t believe there’s a constitutional right to an abortion and that the issue should be decided in each state. “The federal government should not be involved unless and until there’s a consensus around the country from the 50 states making their own decisions about what it should be. And if at that time there’s a consensus that has emerged, well, then that’s fine.”

Ron DeSantis:&nbsp;The Florida governor has signed several state bills since the fall of Roe v. Wade last year, including a ban once embryonic cardiac activity is detected, roughly around six weeks. That new law will take effect if the state Supreme Court upholds a 15-week ban that&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/desantis-signs-15-week-abortion-ban-law-during-quasi-religious-ceremony">he also signed</a>.

DeSantis said Friday during the Faith &amp; Freedom Coalition conference that he was proud to have enacted legislation that removed sales taxes from all baby supplies, as well as bills to provide support for foster care, adoption and single mothers.

“It’s important that we walk the walk and just not talk the talk when it comes to right to life,” DeSantis said.

Larry Elder:&nbsp;The radio host opposes abortion but has said he believes it should be decided at the state level.

Nikki Haley:&nbsp;The former South Carolina governor and ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration describes herself as “unapologetically pro-life” and said during a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/se/date/2023-06-04/segment/01">CNN town hall</a>&nbsp;in June that she does believe there’s a role for the federal government to play.

But Haley said Republicans running for the Oval Office must be honest with voters that it’s highly unlikely they’d have at least 60 senators to move abortion legislation past the Senate’s legislative filibuster. Instead, she said, the House, Senate and White House should look for what they do agree on and move forward with that.

“I think we can all agree on banning late-term abortions. I think we can all agree on encouraging adoptions and making sure those foster kids feel more loved, not less,” Haley said. “I think we can agree on doctors and nurses who don’t believe in abortions shouldn’t have to perform them. I think we can agree on the fact that contraception should be accessible. And I think we can all come together and say any woman that has an abortion shouldn’t be jailed or given the death penalty.”

In 2016, Haley signed a bill as governor that banned abortions starting at 20 weeks with an exception afterward for the life of the pregnant patient. The measure didn’t have exceptions after that threshold for rape or incest survivors.

Will Hurd:&nbsp;The former Texas congressman tweeted in May 2022 that he is “pro-life” and believes that life begins at conception, though he added he believes “we shouldn’t continue to fail women – before, during and after pregnancy.”

During his time in Congress, Hurd&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2015223">voted</a>&nbsp;for a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/36?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22abortion%22%5D%7D&amp;s=3&amp;r=20">bill</a>&nbsp;that would have instituted a nationwide abortion ban at 20 weeks gestation with exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the pregnant patient after that time. Hurd doesn’t state on his campaign website whether he’d support a nationwide ban if elected president.

Asa Hutchinson:&nbsp;While governor of Arkansas, Hutchinson signed several bills that restricted abortion, including one that didn’t include exceptions for rape or incest.

During the Faith &amp; Freedom Coalition conference on Friday, Hutchinson said he would sign a nationwide abortion ban and work to prevent federal dollars from going to abortion. Federal law only allows federal taxpayer dollars to provide abortions in cases of rape, incest or the life of the pregnant patient.

“As president I would fight to make sure taxpayer funds are not used to support abortion,” Hutchinson said. “And if Congress acts, I will sign a federal law to restrict abortion as well, as president of the United States.”

Hutchinson&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/04/13/gop-presidential-candidate-asa-hutchinson-says-hed-defer-to-science-in-abortion-pill-access/">said</a>&nbsp;in April that he would want to see the details of any nationwide bills before signing the legislation.

“I’ve always signed pro-life bills that come to me. … I certainly support the decisions of the states,” he said at the time. “And my longtime position is that abortion should not be allowed except in three circumstances: in the life of the mother and in the cases of rape and incest.”

Mike Pence:&nbsp;The former vice president during the Trump administration has a long record of supporting abortion restrictions and cheered the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last summer to send the issue back to lawmakers.

During the Faith &amp; Freedom Coalition conference on Friday, he rejected calls from some of his fellow Republicans to leave the issue solely to state lawmakers. Pence called for every Republican candidate to support a nationwide abortion ban of at least 15 weeks.

“Now some you will hear from, at this very podium, will say that the Supreme Court returned the issue of abortion only to the states, that nothing should be done at the federal level. Others will say that continuing the fight to life has produced state legislation that’s too harsh. Some have even gone on to blame the overturning of Roe v. Wade for election losses in 2022,” Pence said.

“But, let me say from my heart, the cause of life is the calling of our time and we must not rest and must not relent until we restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law in every state in this country,” Pence added.

Vivek Ramaswamy: The entrepreneur has said abortion access should only be taken up at the state level, not by Congress.

“I don’t believe a federal abortion ban makes any sense. I say this as somebody who is pro-life,” he said during an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2023/05/13/smr-vivek-ramaswamy-interview.cnn">interview</a>&nbsp;with CNN in May. “This is not an issue for the federal government. It is an issue for the states. I think we need to be explicit about that. If murder laws are handled at the state level and abortion is a form of murder, the pro-life view, then it makes no sense for that to be the one federal law.”

Murder, and other legal definitions of killing, can be charged as federal crimes, however.

At the state level, Ramaswamy&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/ramaswamy-comes-favor-of-abortion-ban-six-weeks">said</a>, he supports a six-week ban.

Tim Scott:&nbsp;The U.S. senator who has represented South Carolina for more than a decade has co-sponsored several bills during his time in Congress, including one that would define life as beginning at the moment of “fertilization or cloning” and a 20-week abortion ban. Scott didn’t co-sponsor a 15-week ban that was introduced in the Senate following the Dobbs decision.

Scott has given mixed answers about when abortion should be legal since announcing his presidential bid. In mid-April, Scott declined to get into specifics on the campaign trail before saying he would sign a 20-week ban. Scott then said during an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/sen-tim-scott-says-back-conservative-life-legislation-congress-sends-rcna79321">interview with NBC News&nbsp;</a>that he would “sign the most conservative, pro-life legislation that they can get through Congress.” But Scott declined to go into details about exceptions to a nationwide ban, saying he didn’t want to get into hypotheticals.

Francis Suarez:&nbsp;The Miami mayor spoke at length during the Faith &amp; Freedom conference on Friday about his personal faith and the “pro-life” values within his family, though he didn’t get into specifics about what types of legislation he would press for if elected to the White House

Suarez said in mid-June during an<a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/francis-suarez-miami-2024-presidential-race-1aee6f02642f0444eef9dc642c3e55fb">&nbsp;interview with the Associated Press</a>&nbsp;that he would support a 15-week nationwide ban on abortion, suggesting support isn’t there for a six-week ban.

“We are in a situation where 70% of the country agrees with a limitation of 15 weeks, where there is an exception for the life of the mother and an exception for rape and incest, and I think that is a position that will save a tremendous amount of babies,” Suarez said to the AP. “If there was that kind of federal law, that’s one that I would support as president.”

Donald Trump:&nbsp;The former president nominated three conservative-leaning justices to the U.S. Supreme Court during his four years in office. That move was possible after Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, held one seat open during the last year of the Barack Obama presidency.

Trump has repeatedly referred to himself as a pro-life president, but hasn’t been especially clear on the subject during his 2024 bid for the Oval Office. He elicited criticism from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America after he said the issue should be left up to state governments, not Congress.

SBA President Dannenfelser, however, said later in a written statement that she had a “terrific meeting” with Trump, during which he “reiterated that any federal legislation protecting these children would need to include the exceptions for life of the mother and in cases of rape and incest.”

By Jennifer Shutt<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/">Nebraska Examiner</a>WASHINGTON — The 2024 Republican presidential primary marks the first time in half a century that candidates will debate whether abortion should be restricted or banned at the federal level without the Roe v. Wade ruling making most of their proposals moot.The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last summer to overturn the nationwide, constitutional right to an abortion sent the question back to “the people and their elected representatives.”Many Republicans have interpreted that as sending the issue back to state lawmakers, and GOP-led states during the past year moved to pass bans and restrictions. The ruling also left the door open for Congress to pass legislation — a move many anti-abortion organizations would like to see.While some GOP presidential candidates at this early point in the campaign are enthusiastic supporters of the idea, others are unwilling to back national abortion laws.The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.c-span.org/organization/?102262/Faith-Freedom-Coalition">Faith &amp; Freedom Coalition “Road to Majority 2023”</a>&nbsp;conference June 22 to 24 in Washington, D.C., billed as “the nation’s premier pro-faith, pro-family event,” produced new details and commitments from several candidates.Roger Severino, vice president of domestic policy at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C., said during an interview it will be “crucial” for Republican presidential candidates to release clear proposals for what abortion legislation they would advocate for if elected.Heritage, he said, is calling on the GOP candidates to push for a nationwide law that would restrict abortion after embryonic cardiac activity is detected, which happens approximately six weeks into a pregnancy.Severino pressed back against the stance from some Republicans in Congress that the issue is best left up to the states. A Republican U.S. House and U.S. Senate would be essential for any GOP president to implement a nationwide abortion ban.“Members of Congress should not avoid the issue by trying to punt it off to the states when they have been elected on pro-life platforms for years and are expected to deliver,” Severino said. “That would be the height of disingenuousness.”Severino was less clear about whether Republicans, if they regain control of the Senate, should eliminate the legislative filibuster that requires at least 60 senators to move legislation toward final passage.That provision ensures that absent one party holding a supermajority, only bipartisan bills pass through the chamber. It has blocked Republicans from passing nationwide bans under unified control of Washington and Democrats from passing nationwide protections for abortion access when they held control.“The legislative filibuster is a more complicated question because once it’s gone you can’t take it back,” Severino said.The conservative organization, he said, is looking for a presidential candidate who possesses “leadership to pick up the mantle of this new civil rights movement to protect innocent unborn life.”Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a written statement released in May that the organization, one of the nation’s largest anti-abortion groups, wants the next president to push for a national ban of at least 15 weeks.The group also wants that person to “work tirelessly to build consensus and gather the votes necessary in Congress.”Dannenfelser has rebuked Republicans who argue abortion should be left up to states, saying in a written statement released in April that it “is a morally indefensible position for a self-proclaimed pro-life presidential candidate to hold.”“The Supreme Court made clear in its decision that it was returning the issue to the people to decide through their elected representatives in the states and in Congress,” she wrote. “Holding to the position that it is exclusively up to the states is an abdication of responsibility by anyone elected to federal office.”“This holds especially true for the president, more than any other federal official, because he or she has a responsibility to forge national consensus and progress on the most egregious human rights violation of our time,” Dannenfelser added.President Joe Biden, likely to be the Democratic nominee for president,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-campaign-rally-warns-national-abortion-ban-next">said</a>&nbsp;Friday that if reelected he would prevent any restrictions to reproductive rights or abortion access.Here’s where the current Republican presidential candidates currently stand on a nationwide abortion law, according to their public actions, statements and campaign websites:Doug Burgum:&nbsp;The North Dakota governor signed legislation in April that restricts abortion access in the state to six weeks for people who survive rape or incest. Abortion would then be banned for anyone except for pregnant patients whose lives would be at risk or who are having medical emergencies. His campaign website doesn’t have an official position on what he would support as president.Chris Christie:&nbsp;The former New Jersey governor hasn’t been especially clear about whether he’d sign a nationwide abortion ban if he won election to the Oval Office, though during his run in 2016, Christie said he would support a 20-week ban.During a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/se/date/2023-06-12/segment/07">CNN town hall</a>&nbsp;in June, Christie said he doesn’t believe there’s a constitutional right to an abortion and that the issue should be decided in each state. “The federal government should not be involved unless and until there’s a consensus around the country from the 50 states making their own decisions about what it should be. And if at that time there’s a consensus that has emerged, well, then that’s fine.”Ron DeSantis:&nbsp;The Florida governor has signed several state bills since the fall of Roe v. Wade last year, including a ban once embryonic cardiac activity is detected, roughly around six weeks. That new law will take effect if the state Supreme Court upholds a 15-week ban that&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/desantis-signs-15-week-abortion-ban-law-during-quasi-religious-ceremony">he also signed</a>.DeSantis said Friday during the Faith &amp; Freedom Coalition conference that he was proud to have enacted legislation that removed sales taxes from all baby supplies, as well as bills to provide support for foster care, adoption and single mothers.“It’s important that we walk the walk and just not talk the talk when it comes to right to life,” DeSantis said.Larry Elder:&nbsp;The radio host opposes abortion but has said he believes it should be decided at the state level.Nikki Haley:&nbsp;The former South Carolina governor and ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration describes herself as “unapologetically pro-life” and said during a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/se/date/2023-06-04/segment/01">CNN town hall</a>&nbsp;in June that she does believe there’s a role for the federal government to play.But Haley said Republicans running for the Oval Office must be honest with voters that it’s highly unlikely they’d have at least 60 senators to move abortion legislation past the Senate’s legislative filibuster. Instead, she said, the House, Senate and White House should look for what they do agree on and move forward with that.“I think we can all agree on banning late-term abortions. I think we can all agree on encouraging adoptions and making sure those foster kids feel more loved, not less,” Haley said. “I think we can agree on doctors and nurses who don’t believe in abortions shouldn’t have to perform them. I think we can agree on the fact that contraception should be accessible. And I think we can all come together and say any woman that has an abortion shouldn’t be jailed or given the death penalty.”In 2016, Haley signed a bill as governor that banned abortions starting at 20 weeks with an exception afterward for the life of the pregnant patient. The measure didn’t have exceptions after that threshold for rape or incest survivors.Will Hurd:&nbsp;The former Texas congressman tweeted in May 2022 that he is “pro-life” and believes that life begins at conception, though he added he believes “we shouldn’t continue to fail women – before, during and after pregnancy.”During his time in Congress, Hurd&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2015223">voted</a>&nbsp;for a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/36?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22abortion%22%5D%7D&amp;s=3&amp;r=20">bill</a>&nbsp;that would have instituted a nationwide abortion ban at 20 weeks gestation with exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the pregnant patient after that time. Hurd doesn’t state on his campaign website whether he’d support a nationwide ban if elected president.Asa Hutchinson:&nbsp;While governor of Arkansas, Hutchinson signed several bills that restricted abortion, including one that didn’t include exceptions for rape or incest.During the Faith &amp; Freedom Coalition conference on Friday, Hutchinson said he would sign a nationwide abortion ban and work to prevent federal dollars from going to abortion. Federal law only allows federal taxpayer dollars to provide abortions in cases of rape, incest or the life of the pregnant patient.“As president I would fight to make sure taxpayer funds are not used to support abortion,” Hutchinson said. “And if Congress acts, I will sign a federal law to restrict abortion as well, as president of the United States.”Hutchinson&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/04/13/gop-presidential-candidate-asa-hutchinson-says-hed-defer-to-science-in-abortion-pill-access/">said</a>&nbsp;in April that he would want to see the details of any nationwide bills before signing the legislation.“I’ve always signed pro-life bills that come to me. … I certainly support the decisions of the states,” he said at the time. “And my longtime position is that abortion should not be allowed except in three circumstances: in the life of the mother and in the cases of rape and incest.”Mike Pence:&nbsp;The former vice president during the Trump administration has a long record of supporting abortion restrictions and cheered the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last summer to send the issue back to lawmakers.During the Faith &amp; Freedom Coalition conference on Friday, he rejected calls from some of his fellow Republicans to leave the issue solely to state lawmakers. Pence called for every Republican candidate to support a nationwide abortion ban of at least 15 weeks.“Now some you will hear from, at this very podium, will say that the Supreme Court returned the issue of abortion only to the states, that nothing should be done at the federal level. Others will say that continuing the fight to life has produced state legislation that’s too harsh. Some have even gone on to blame the overturning of Roe v. Wade for election losses in 2022,” Pence said.“But, let me say from my heart, the cause of life is the calling of our time and we must not rest and must not relent until we restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law in every state in this country,” Pence added.Vivek Ramaswamy: The entrepreneur has said abortion access should only be taken up at the state level, not by Congress.“I don’t believe a federal abortion ban makes any sense. I say this as somebody who is pro-life,” he said during an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2023/05/13/smr-vivek-ramaswamy-interview.cnn">interview</a>&nbsp;with CNN in May. “This is not an issue for the federal government. It is an issue for the states. I think we need to be explicit about that. If murder laws are handled at the state level and abortion is a form of murder, the pro-life view, then it makes no sense for that to be the one federal law.”Murder, and other legal definitions of killing, can be charged as federal crimes, however.At the state level, Ramaswamy&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/ramaswamy-comes-favor-of-abortion-ban-six-weeks">said</a>, he supports a six-week ban.Tim Scott:&nbsp;The U.S. senator who has represented South Carolina for more than a decade has co-sponsored several bills during his time in Congress, including one that would define life as beginning at the moment of “fertilization or cloning” and a 20-week abortion ban. Scott didn’t co-sponsor a 15-week ban that was introduced in the Senate following the Dobbs decision.Scott has given mixed answers about when abortion should be legal since announcing his presidential bid. In mid-April, Scott declined to get into specifics on the campaign trail before saying he would sign a 20-week ban. Scott then said during an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/sen-tim-scott-says-back-conservative-life-legislation-congress-sends-rcna79321">interview with NBC News&nbsp;</a>that he would “sign the most conservative, pro-life legislation that they can get through Congress.” But Scott declined to go into details about exceptions to a nationwide ban, saying he didn’t want to get into hypotheticals.Francis Suarez:&nbsp;The Miami mayor spoke at length during the Faith &amp; Freedom conference on Friday about his personal faith and the “pro-life” values within his family, though he didn’t get into specifics about what types of legislation he would press for if elected to the White HouseSuarez said in mid-June during an<a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/francis-suarez-miami-2024-presidential-race-1aee6f02642f0444eef9dc642c3e55fb">&nbsp;interview with the Associated Press</a>&nbsp;that he would support a 15-week nationwide ban on abortion, suggesting support isn’t there for a six-week ban.“We are in a situation where 70% of the country agrees with a limitation of 15 weeks, where there is an exception for the life of the mother and an exception for rape and incest, and I think that is a position that will save a tremendous amount of babies,” Suarez said to the AP. “If there was that kind of federal law, that’s one that I would support as president.”Donald Trump:&nbsp;The former president nominated three conservative-leaning justices to the U.S. Supreme Court during his four years in office. That move was possible after Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, held one seat open during the last year of the Barack Obama presidency.Trump has repeatedly referred to himself as a pro-life president, but hasn’t been especially clear on the subject during his 2024 bid for the Oval Office. He elicited criticism from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America after he said the issue should be left up to state governments, not Congress.SBA President Dannenfelser, however, said later in a written statement that she had a “terrific meeting” with Trump, during which he “reiterated that any federal legislation protecting these children would need to include the exceptions for life of the mother and in cases of rape and incest.”

Where the GOP presidential candidates stand on national abortion bans, restrictions

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday said that high-speed internet is no longer a luxury but an “absolute necessity,” as he pledged that every household in the nation would have access by 2030 using cables made in the U.S.

“These investments will help all Americans,” he said. “We’re not going to leave anyone behind.”

Biden announced that more than $40 billion would be distributed across the country to deliver high-speed internet in places where there’s either no service, or service is too slow.

“But it’s not enough to have access — you need affordability and access,” the president said, adding that his administration is working with service providers to bring down costs on what is now a household utility — like water or gas — but often remains priced at a premium.

With Monday’s announcement, the administration is launching the second phase of its “Investing in America” tour. The three-week blitz of speeches and events is designed to promote Biden’s previous legislative wins on infrastructure, the economy and climate change going into a reelection year. The president and his advisers believe voters don’t know enough about his policies heading into his 2024 reelection campaign and that more voters would back him once they learn more.

Biden’s challenge is that investments in computer chips and major infrastructure projects such as rail tunnels can take a decade to come to fruition. That leaves much of the messaging focused on grants that will be spent over time, rather than completed projects.

The internet access funding amounts depended primarily on the number of unserved locations in each jurisdiction or those locations that lack access to internet download speeds of at least 25 megabits per second download and upload speeds of 3 Mbps. Download speeds involve retrieving information from the internet, including streaming movies and TV. Upload speeds determine how fast information travels from a computer to the internet, like sending emails or publishing photos online.

The funding includes more than $1 billion each for 19 states, with remaining states falling below that threshold. Allotments range from $100.7 million for Washington, D.C., to $3.3 billion for Texas.

Biden said more than 35,000 projects are already funded or underway to lay cable that provides internet access. Some of those are from $25 billion in initial funding as part of the “American Rescue Plan.”

“High-speed internet isn’t a luxury anymore,” he said. “It’s become an absolute necessity.”

More than 7% of the country falls in the underserved category, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/federal-communications-commission">Federal Communications Commission</a>&nbsp;’s analysis.

Congress approved the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, along with several other internet expansion initiatives, through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144">the infrastructure bill</a>&nbsp;Biden signed in 2021.

Earlier this month, the Commerce Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/broadband-internet-connectivity-infrastructure-middle-mile-0cf3eee6c8b05994fed9a98b0edab83e">announced winners of middle mile grants</a>, which will fund projects that build the midsection of the infrastructure necessary to extend internet access to every part of the country.

States have until the end of the year to submit proposals outlining how they plan to use that money, which won’t begin to be distributed until those plans are approved. Once&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-department-of-commerce">the Commerce Department</a>&nbsp;signs off on those initial plans, states can award grants to telecommunications companies, electric cooperatives and other providers to expand internet infrastructure.

Under the rules of the program, states must prioritize connecting predominantly unserved areas before bolstering service in underserved areas—which are those without access to internet speeds of 100 Mbps/20 Mbps—and in schools, libraries or other community institutions.

Hinging such a large investment on FCC data has been somewhat controversial. Members of Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23861226-letter-to-fcc-chairwoman-jessica-rosenworcel" target="_blank">pressed FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel</a>&nbsp;about inaccuracies they said would negatively impact rural states’ allotments in particular, and state broadband officials were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-federal-communications-commission-internet-e37970e10a43cbbe6a88367afa27b649">concerned about the short timeline</a>&nbsp;to correct discrepancies in the first version of the map.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday said that high-speed internet is no longer a luxury but an “absolute necessity,” as he pledged that every household in the nation would have access by 2030 using cables made in the U.S.“These investments will help all Americans,” he said. “We’re not going to leave anyone behind.”Biden announced that more than $40 billion would be distributed across the country to deliver high-speed internet in places where there’s either no service, or service is too slow.“But it’s not enough to have access — you need affordability and access,” the president said, adding that his administration is working with service providers to bring down costs on what is now a household utility — like water or gas — but often remains priced at a premium.With Monday’s announcement, the administration is launching the second phase of its “Investing in America” tour. The three-week blitz of speeches and events is designed to promote Biden’s previous legislative wins on infrastructure, the economy and climate change going into a reelection year. The president and his advisers believe voters don’t know enough about his policies heading into his 2024 reelection campaign and that more voters would back him once they learn more.Biden’s challenge is that investments in computer chips and major infrastructure projects such as rail tunnels can take a decade to come to fruition. That leaves much of the messaging focused on grants that will be spent over time, rather than completed projects.The internet access funding amounts depended primarily on the number of unserved locations in each jurisdiction or those locations that lack access to internet download speeds of at least 25 megabits per second download and upload speeds of 3 Mbps. Download speeds involve retrieving information from the internet, including streaming movies and TV. Upload speeds determine how fast information travels from a computer to the internet, like sending emails or publishing photos online.The funding includes more than $1 billion each for 19 states, with remaining states falling below that threshold. Allotments range from $100.7 million for Washington, D.C., to $3.3 billion for Texas.Biden said more than 35,000 projects are already funded or underway to lay cable that provides internet access. Some of those are from $25 billion in initial funding as part of the “American Rescue Plan.”“High-speed internet isn’t a luxury anymore,” he said. “It’s become an absolute necessity.”More than 7% of the country falls in the underserved category, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/federal-communications-commission">Federal Communications Commission</a>&nbsp;’s analysis.Congress approved the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, along with several other internet expansion initiatives, through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144">the infrastructure bill</a>&nbsp;Biden signed in 2021.Earlier this month, the Commerce Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/broadband-internet-connectivity-infrastructure-middle-mile-0cf3eee6c8b05994fed9a98b0edab83e">announced winners of middle mile grants</a>, which will fund projects that build the midsection of the infrastructure necessary to extend internet access to every part of the country.States have until the end of the year to submit proposals outlining how they plan to use that money, which won’t begin to be distributed until those plans are approved. Once&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-department-of-commerce">the Commerce Department</a>&nbsp;signs off on those initial plans, states can award grants to telecommunications companies, electric cooperatives and other providers to expand internet infrastructure.Under the rules of the program, states must prioritize connecting predominantly unserved areas before bolstering service in underserved areas—which are those without access to internet speeds of 100 Mbps/20 Mbps—and in schools, libraries or other community institutions.Hinging such a large investment on FCC data has been somewhat controversial. Members of Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23861226-letter-to-fcc-chairwoman-jessica-rosenworcel" target="_blank">pressed FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel</a>&nbsp;about inaccuracies they said would negatively impact rural states’ allotments in particular, and state broadband officials were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-federal-communications-commission-internet-e37970e10a43cbbe6a88367afa27b649">concerned about the short timeline</a>&nbsp;to correct discrepancies in the first version of the map.

High-speed internet is a necessity, President Biden says, pledging all US will have access by 2030

JUNE 26, 2023 (KEARNEY, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— During the evening hours of Friday, June 23, investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol and Kearney Police Department conducted alcohol compliance checks in Buffalo County.

In total, 69 businesses were inspected. Five of those businesses sold alcohol to a minor for a compliance rate of 93%. Four of the businesses failed to check the minor’s ID.

The businesses that failed the inspections were:

Pump &amp; Pantry #30 – Elm Creek

Hy-Vee Fast &amp; Fresh – Kearney

Margaritas Family and Tradition – Kearney

Businesses that sell alcohol to a minor are referred to the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission. Clerks who sell alcohol to a minor are cited for procuring alcohol for a minor.

This project was support in whole or part by grant #0043 from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office.

JUNE 26, 2023 (KEARNEY, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— During the evening hours of Friday, June 23, investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol and Kearney Police Department conducted alcohol compliance checks in Buffalo County.In total, 69 businesses were inspected. Five of those businesses sold alcohol to a minor for a compliance rate of 93%. Four of the businesses failed to check the minor’s ID.The businesses that failed the inspections were:Pump &amp; Pantry #30 – Elm CreekHy-Vee Fast &amp; Fresh – KearneyPump &amp; Pantry #40 – KearneyMargaritas Family and Tradition – KearneyKwik Stop #11 – KearneyBusinesses that sell alcohol to a minor are referred to the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission. Clerks who sell alcohol to a minor are cited for procuring alcohol for a minor.This project was support in whole or part by grant #0043 from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office.

Alcohol Compliance Checks Held in Buffalo County

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/26/unl-research-team-studies-threats-to-military-bases-from-electric-vehicles/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — First-time drivers of electric vehicles are often wowed by the quicker acceleration when they push the gas pedal versus a typical car with a combustion engine.&nbsp;

This change has researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Auburn University plotting a new defense for military bases — one that can withstand a misused Rivian, Hummer or Tesla.

Modern entrances to military bases, including those at Offutt Air Force Base near Bellevue, are designed to maximize the chances that guards and guardrails, fences and other barriers stop assaults by drivers.

The job of UNL researcher Cody Stolle and Auburn and Army researchers is to rethink the design of those entrances, barriers and processes for electric vehicles.

Many will need to be redesigned to withstand the differences in acceleration and weight distribution of electric vehicles, which often weigh more and get to their top speed quicker.

Electric vehicles, Stolle said, moved engines backward and lower on the car’s frame. They reinforced car frames differently on the sides, as well, to protect batteries.

“It changes response times,” he said. “It’s how fast you need structures and people to be ready.”

The project will be powered by $5 million in funding from the U.S. Army’s Engineer Research and Development Center, based in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The new research team’s work started in May and is expected to take two years.

The Army will keep $1.3 million of the total to study the differences and “crushability” of electric vehicles. Auburn University will get $1.4 million to study how to identify, isolate and respond when a driver is acting erratically.

The UNL team, working out of its Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, will receive $2.2 million to study the structures that keep out hostile vehicles and characterize vehicles and their capabilities, including crash tests that will measure the forces of impact and how barriers and other elements might need to adapt, Stolle said.

UNL’s safety lab is one of the few that can safely perform crash tests in excess of 100 mph, officials said. The UNL researchers include Ron Faller, an expert in structure and energy absorption; Joshua Steelman, an expert in structures and assembly and steel design; and Jim Holloway, who runs the test site and data collection, plus staff and students.

The aim of the combined team’s work: to delay, disrupt and damage potential “threat vehicles” if they try to get past a military base barrier or stop point too quickly, Stolle said.&nbsp;

The research team is trying to do this while also minimizing the damage that barriers, structures and people do to vehicles that aren’t a threat, but accidentally breach those defenses.

This work builds on UNL researchers’ gains at making highway driving safer, using cost-effective barriers that spread nationally to save lives, Stolle said.&nbsp;

It also might harness some of the technology UNL researchers used to make racetrack driving safer, redirecting high-speed drivers back toward the track and away from spectators.

The stakes in the military projects are real. People trying to do harm want to get past hardened base entrances, Stolle said.&nbsp;

Electric vehicles, he said, force new thinking about how to keep bad actors out.

“Anyone who is a threat is trying to find and exploit weaknesses,” Stolle said. “If they can gain access to the secure perimeter, the amount of destruction they can do is very significant. Our job is to help keep them out.”

Many of the barriers the project redesigns for the military could eventually have applications for civilian use, Stolle said. Among them: redesigning roadside barriers to protect drivers of and from electric vehicles.

“The U.S. and the world will learn from what we do,” he said.

Aaron Sanderford<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/26/unl-research-team-studies-threats-to-military-bases-from-electric-vehicles/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — First-time drivers of electric vehicles are often wowed by the quicker acceleration when they push the gas pedal versus a typical car with a combustion engine.&nbsp;This change has researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Auburn University plotting a new defense for military bases — one that can withstand a misused Rivian, Hummer or Tesla.Modern entrances to military bases, including those at Offutt Air Force Base near Bellevue, are designed to maximize the chances that guards and guardrails, fences and other barriers stop assaults by drivers.<figure>
 <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/38636664_10156681869703793_2109387635976830976_n-300x167.jpg" alt="Show is the StratCom Gate at Offutt Air Force Base near Bellevue. These kinds of entrances researchers will study hardening against electric vehicles. (Courtesy of 55th Wing Public Affairs, via Facebook)" />
 <figcaption>Show is the StratCom Gate at Offutt Air Force Base near Bellevue. These kinds of entrances researchers will study hardening against electric vehicles. (Courtesy of 55th Wing Public Affairs, via Facebook)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Rethinking secure entrances</h2>The job of UNL researcher Cody Stolle and Auburn and Army researchers is to rethink the design of those entrances, barriers and processes for electric vehicles.Many will need to be redesigned to withstand the differences in acceleration and weight distribution of electric vehicles, which often weigh more and get to their top speed quicker.Electric vehicles, Stolle said, moved engines backward and lower on the car’s frame. They reinforced car frames differently on the sides, as well, to protect batteries.“It changes response times,” he said. “It’s how fast you need structures and people to be ready.”<h2>Army-funded research</h2>The project will be powered by $5 million in funding from the U.S. Army’s Engineer Research and Development Center, based in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The new research team’s work started in May and is expected to take two years.The Army will keep $1.3 million of the total to study the differences and “crushability” of electric vehicles. Auburn University will get $1.4 million to study how to identify, isolate and respond when a driver is acting erratically.The UNL team, working out of its Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, will receive $2.2 million to study the structures that keep out hostile vehicles and characterize vehicles and their capabilities, including crash tests that will measure the forces of impact and how barriers and other elements might need to adapt, Stolle said.UNL’s safety lab is one of the few that can safely perform crash tests in excess of 100 mph, officials said. The UNL researchers include Ron Faller, an expert in structure and energy absorption; Joshua Steelman, an expert in structures and assembly and steel design; and Jim Holloway, who runs the test site and data collection, plus staff and students.<h2>Safety is the goal</h2>The aim of the combined team’s work: to delay, disrupt and damage potential “threat vehicles” if they try to get past a military base barrier or stop point too quickly, Stolle said.&nbsp;The research team is trying to do this while also minimizing the damage that barriers, structures and people do to vehicles that aren’t a threat, but accidentally breach those defenses.This work builds on UNL researchers’ gains at making highway driving safer, using cost-effective barriers that spread nationally to save lives, Stolle said.&nbsp;It also might harness some of the technology UNL researchers used to make racetrack driving safer, redirecting high-speed drivers back toward the track and away from spectators.<h2>National security, road safety stakes</h2>The stakes in the military projects are real. People trying to do harm want to get past hardened base entrances, Stolle said.&nbsp;Electric vehicles, he said, force new thinking about how to keep bad actors out.“Anyone who is a threat is trying to find and exploit weaknesses,” Stolle said. “If they can gain access to the secure perimeter, the amount of destruction they can do is very significant. Our job is to help keep them out.”Many of the barriers the project redesigns for the military could eventually have applications for civilian use, Stolle said. Among them: redesigning roadside barriers to protect drivers of and from electric vehicles.“The U.S. and the world will learn from what we do,” he said.

UNL research team studies threats to military bases from electric vehicles

By&nbsp;MATT VASILOGAMBROS <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>

City leaders in Storm Lake, a rural community of 11,000 in Northwest Iowa, are asking residents not to wash their cars or water their yards and gardens during the hottest part of the day. The city also has cut back on watering public recreational spaces, such as ballfields and golf courses.

These are highly unusual&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/1953797/6320222023_-_Water_Conservation_2023.pdf">steps</a>&nbsp;in a state that is normally flush with water and even prone to flooding. But the rain in Iowa, along with the rest of the Corn Belt states of the Midwest, has been mysteriously absent this spring, plunging the region into drought.

“It’s something new that residents have never had to really deal with before,” said Keri Navratil, the city manager of Storm Lake.

As California and much of the Western United States ease out of drought conditions after a spectacularly wet winter, the Midwest has fallen victim to a dry, hot spell that could have devastating consequences for the world’s food supply.

“America’s Breadbasket” — the vast corn, soy and wheat fields that extend from the Great Plains to Ohio — hasn’t had enough rain to sustain crop growth, which fuels a major part of the region’s economy, including food, animal feed and ethanol production. The region last suffered a substantial drought in 2012, and before that in 1988.

Though experts have not tied this event to climate change directly, scientists&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://climatechange.chicago.gov/climate-impacts/climate-impacts-midwest">have warned</a>&nbsp;that climate change will lead to more summer droughts for the Midwest in the years to come.

An unusually dry spring and summerlike heat have stunted crops, forced water conservation measures and lowered levels in major waterways, which could prevent barges from transporting goods downstream.

Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Parson has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/library/reference/orders/2023/eo5">declared</a>&nbsp;a drought alert to assist counties hurt by these dry conditions. City leaders in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.oak-forest.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=560">Oak Forest, Illinois</a>;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://cms1files.revize.com/wentzvillemo/4069_001%20(1).pdf">Wentzville, Missouri</a>; and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/City/Departments/LTU/Utilities/LWS/Conservation">Lincoln, Nebraska</a>, have called on residents to limit their water usage.

The region’s drought conditions are both unusual and concerning, said Dennis Todey, the director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Midwest Climate Hub, which provides scientific analysis to the region’s agricultural and natural resource managers. This is the fourth year in a row of significant drought for much of the Midwest and Great Plains, he said.

“We’re reaching a point where we absolutely need to start getting rainfall over the main core of the Midwest,” he said. “We’re reaching a very concerning time here.”

This dry spell should not be happening, he added, especially with the return of El Niño, a cyclical weather event in which surface water temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean rise, causing wetter and warmer global weather. The Midwest is not getting that moisture.

Instead, a high-pressure system — which usually means sunny, calm weather — has parked itself above the region, preventing the precipitation needed for healthy crops and fully flowing waterways such as the Mississippi River. The frequent storms that are typical during the spring, fueled by moisture in the Gulf of Mexico, did not happen.

Though “weird,” this weather pattern is not yet being connected to climate change, said Trent Ford, the Illinois state climatologist, who collects and analyzes the state’s climate data.

“It’s just extremely dry,” he said. “That’s why I said it’s weird. It is sort of this random weather pattern that’s established and has just really either persisted or I suppose evolved in a way to keep this part of the country very, very dry.”

Parts of Illinois have received only around 5% of normal rainfall this month, he added. Several places in the state should have 10 more inches of precipitation than they’ve gotten since April. Cities in the Chicago area are having their driest periods since 1936. Major rivers in the state, such as the Illinois and Kankakee, are at record lows for this time of year.

Nearly 60% of the Midwest, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin, is under moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, which is run jointly by the federal government and the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Nearly 93% of the region is abnormally dry, with around 16% of it suffering severe drought.

In the Great Plains states of Kansas and Nebraska, the situation is far worse. A quarter of Nebraska and 38% of Kansas are under extreme drought. More than a tenth of Nebraska and 8% of Kansas are in exceptional drought — the monitor’s most severe stage. The Great Plains has had drought conditions for more than a year, though it has received some rain in recent weeks.

The region’s drought couldn’t come at a worse time from an agricultural point of view, said Brad Rippey, a U.S. Department of Agriculture meteorologist and author of the U.S. Drought Monitor&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/">report</a>. While&nbsp;the arid conditions are&nbsp;concerning, he said, there’s still time for the region to rebound.

“It’s still very young in the year, and if you look at drought intensity it’s not high yet,” he said. “Obviously, if it doesn’t rain over the next few weeks, that’s going to change. We’re really watching how this develops.”

These dry conditions have led to topsoil and subsoil moisture depletion, meaning less water in the ground to support planting and growing crops. Additionally, drier conditions have meant a vast browning of grasses and pasture lands, forcing farmers to buy more feed, instead of relying on grazing.

This is a critical time for farmers, as they approach the reproductive stage of crop development, when corn starts to silk and soybeans begin to blossom.

Mark Licht, an associate professor and cropping systems specialist at Iowa State University, recently walked the fields of a farm in Northeast Iowa that planted its soybeans after the early spring rains. Those soybeans didn’t have the moisture to germinate and emerge, he said, which has become a common problem throughout the state.

The state hasn’t had good rain since early May. What rain the state has gotten has been “spotty and patchy,” not providing enough precipitation to sustain the crops, he said. Soybean and corn plants are shorter than expected, with not enough canopy growth to protect the soil from weeds and sustained sunlight, which are harmful to crop development.

There is still some time for crops to rebound if the rain comes back. But if it doesn’t rain by the time the Iowa corn crop starts pollinating in a few weeks, its corn will have fewer kernels, which will raise prices for cattle owners who might have to look for alternative feed sources.

“We’re in a situation where we essentially need very timely rains to be able to get this crop through,” Licht said. “The majority of Iowa corn and soybean production is all rain-fed, and right now we just don’t have any.”

Recent rains in Kansas and Nebraska have helped the wheat crop in those states, said Justin Gilpin, CEO of Kansas Wheat, a wheat-grower advocacy group. But for other parts of the wheat-growing Great Plains states, it wasn’t enough.

“For a big portion of Kansas,” he added in an email to&nbsp;Stateline, “the drought improvement and rains are a little too late to have helped the wheat crop.”

This article was initially published by&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>, a part of States Newsroom.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684861752582.png" alt="A severe drought plaguing Kansas spells trouble for the winter wheat harvest. Photo courtesy Kansas Wheat" />
 <figcaption>A severe drought plaguing Kansas spells trouble for the winter wheat harvest. Photo courtesy Kansas Wheat</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;MATT VASILOGAMBROS <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>City leaders in Storm Lake, a rural community of 11,000 in Northwest Iowa, are asking residents not to wash their cars or water their yards and gardens during the hottest part of the day. The city also has cut back on watering public recreational spaces, such as ballfields and golf courses.These are highly unusual&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/1953797/6320222023_-_Water_Conservation_2023.pdf">steps</a>&nbsp;in a state that is normally flush with water and even prone to flooding. But the rain in Iowa, along with the rest of the Corn Belt states of the Midwest, has been mysteriously absent this spring, plunging the region into drought.“It’s something new that residents have never had to really deal with before,” said Keri Navratil, the city manager of Storm Lake.As California and much of the Western United States ease out of drought conditions after a spectacularly wet winter, the Midwest has fallen victim to a dry, hot spell that could have devastating consequences for the world’s food supply.“America’s Breadbasket” — the vast corn, soy and wheat fields that extend from the Great Plains to Ohio — hasn’t had enough rain to sustain crop growth, which fuels a major part of the region’s economy, including food, animal feed and ethanol production. The region last suffered a substantial drought in 2012, and before that in 1988.Though experts have not tied this event to climate change directly, scientists&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://climatechange.chicago.gov/climate-impacts/climate-impacts-midwest">have warned</a>&nbsp;that climate change will lead to more summer droughts for the Midwest in the years to come.An unusually dry spring and summerlike heat have stunted crops, forced water conservation measures and lowered levels in major waterways, which could prevent barges from transporting goods downstream.Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Parson has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/library/reference/orders/2023/eo5">declared</a>&nbsp;a drought alert to assist counties hurt by these dry conditions. City leaders in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.oak-forest.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=560">Oak Forest, Illinois</a>;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://cms1files.revize.com/wentzvillemo/4069_001%20(1).pdf">Wentzville, Missouri</a>; and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/City/Departments/LTU/Utilities/LWS/Conservation">Lincoln, Nebraska</a>, have called on residents to limit their water usage.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687806921631.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The region’s drought conditions are both unusual and concerning, said Dennis Todey, the director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Midwest Climate Hub, which provides scientific analysis to the region’s agricultural and natural resource managers. This is the fourth year in a row of significant drought for much of the Midwest and Great Plains, he said.“We’re reaching a point where we absolutely need to start getting rainfall over the main core of the Midwest,” he said. “We’re reaching a very concerning time here.”This dry spell should not be happening, he added, especially with the return of El Niño, a cyclical weather event in which surface water temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean rise, causing wetter and warmer global weather. The Midwest is not getting that moisture.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687806543059.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Instead, a high-pressure system — which usually means sunny, calm weather — has parked itself above the region, preventing the precipitation needed for healthy crops and fully flowing waterways such as the Mississippi River. The frequent storms that are typical during the spring, fueled by moisture in the Gulf of Mexico, did not happen.Though “weird,” this weather pattern is not yet being connected to climate change, said Trent Ford, the Illinois state climatologist, who collects and analyzes the state’s climate data.“It’s just extremely dry,” he said. “That’s why I said it’s weird. It is sort of this random weather pattern that’s established and has just really either persisted or I suppose evolved in a way to keep this part of the country very, very dry.”Parts of Illinois have received only around 5% of normal rainfall this month, he added. Several places in the state should have 10 more inches of precipitation than they’ve gotten since April. Cities in the Chicago area are having their driest periods since 1936. Major rivers in the state, such as the Illinois and Kankakee, are at record lows for this time of year.Nearly 60% of the Midwest, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin, is under moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, which is run jointly by the federal government and the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Nearly 93% of the region is abnormally dry, with around 16% of it suffering severe drought.In the Great Plains states of Kansas and Nebraska, the situation is far worse. A quarter of Nebraska and 38% of Kansas are under extreme drought. More than a tenth of Nebraska and 8% of Kansas are in exceptional drought — the monitor’s most severe stage. The Great Plains has had drought conditions for more than a year, though it has received some rain in recent weeks.The region’s drought couldn’t come at a worse time from an agricultural point of view, said Brad Rippey, a U.S. Department of Agriculture meteorologist and author of the U.S. Drought Monitor&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/">report</a>. While&nbsp;the arid conditions are&nbsp;concerning, he said, there’s still time for the region to rebound.“It’s still very young in the year, and if you look at drought intensity it’s not high yet,” he said. “Obviously, if it doesn’t rain over the next few weeks, that’s going to change. We’re really watching how this develops.”These dry conditions have led to topsoil and subsoil moisture depletion, meaning less water in the ground to support planting and growing crops. Additionally, drier conditions have meant a vast browning of grasses and pasture lands, forcing farmers to buy more feed, instead of relying on grazing.This is a critical time for farmers, as they approach the reproductive stage of crop development, when corn starts to silk and soybeans begin to blossom.Mark Licht, an associate professor and cropping systems specialist at Iowa State University, recently walked the fields of a farm in Northeast Iowa that planted its soybeans after the early spring rains. Those soybeans didn’t have the moisture to germinate and emerge, he said, which has become a common problem throughout the state.The state hasn’t had good rain since early May. What rain the state has gotten has been “spotty and patchy,” not providing enough precipitation to sustain the crops, he said. Soybean and corn plants are shorter than expected, with not enough canopy growth to protect the soil from weeds and sustained sunlight, which are harmful to crop development.There is still some time for crops to rebound if the rain comes back. But if it doesn’t rain by the time the Iowa corn crop starts pollinating in a few weeks, its corn will have fewer kernels, which will raise prices for cattle owners who might have to look for alternative feed sources.“We’re in a situation where we essentially need very timely rains to be able to get this crop through,” Licht said. “The majority of Iowa corn and soybean production is all rain-fed, and right now we just don’t have any.”Recent rains in Kansas and Nebraska have helped the wheat crop in those states, said Justin Gilpin, CEO of Kansas Wheat, a wheat-grower advocacy group. But for other parts of the wheat-growing Great Plains states, it wasn’t enough.“For a big portion of Kansas,” he added in an email to&nbsp;Stateline, “the drought improvement and rains are a little too late to have helped the wheat crop.”This article was initially published by&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>, a part of States Newsroom.

Drought hits the Midwest, threatening crops and the world’s food supply

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

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden pledged Friday to hold the line against attempts to restrict reproductive rights and abortion access during a campaign rally with the country’s leading abortion rights organizations.

“The court got Roe right 50 years ago, and I believe Congress should restore the protections of Roe v. Wade once and for all,” said Biden, who is seeking reelection in 2024. “But we need your help.”

The rally was held the day before the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to end the nationwide, constitutional right to an abortion that stood for nearly 50 years.

That ruling, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, said “the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.”

Speaking from the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., Biden said Republicans are likely to advance a nationwide ban on abortion if they gain control of Congress and the White House during the 2024 elections.

“Make no mistake this election is about freedom on the ballot,” Biden said.

Ahead of his speech, NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund endorsed Biden’s reelection campaign. EMILY’s List, which supports female politicians who back reproductive rights, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris said during the rally that reproductive rights and access to abortion are based on “one of the most important principles upon which our nation was founded.”

“The importance of freedom … to make decisions about one’s own life, one’s own body. The freedom to be free from government interference when it comes to one’s private decisions — decisions that are about heart and home,” Harris said.

Before the campaign event on Friday, Biden signed an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/23/fact-sheet-president-biden-issues-executive-order-on-strengthening-access-to-contraception/">executive order</a>&nbsp;aimed at increasing access to and affordability of contraception.

The move calls on several federal agencies to “consider new guidance” for private health insurance companies, which are required to provide contraception at no cost under the 2010 health care law, or the Affordable Care Act.

The executive order calls on the secretary of Health and Human Services to consider new guidance for Medicare and Medicaid that would expand access to contraception.

Biden also called on the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments as well as the Office of Personnel Management “to consider new actions to ensure robust coverage of contraception for Service members, veterans, and Federal employees and ensure that they and their families understand how to access these benefits.”

The executive order doesn’t include a timeline for when the White House would like those federal agencies to issue guidance that could expand access to and affordability of contraception.

Clare Coleman, president and CEO of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, said in a written statement that the organization is “dismayed that this order does not require tangible steps to protect access and does not include any firm deadlines.”

“For example, it is imperative that the administration explicitly enforce Medicaid’s free choice of provider protection; however, today’s executive order is silent on states’ ignoring federal law,” Coleman said, referring to a section of Medicaid law that allows patients to obtain medical services from any willing and qualified provider. “This blatant violation exacerbates an already dire health care access problem, and it is within the power of this administration to do something about it.”

The NFPRHA, Coleman said, urges “the White House to do all it can to confront the growing threats to contraception.”

Democrats in Congress&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/democrats-congress-renew-push-protect-access-birth-control">have reintroduced a bill that would guarantee access to contraception</a>.

The legislation is designed to protect access to birth control in the event the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn the cases that extended constitutional privacy rights to those decisions.

That legislation, however, is unlikely to move through the divided Congress.

By JENNIFER SHUTT&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden pledged Friday to hold the line against attempts to restrict reproductive rights and abortion access during a campaign rally with the country’s leading abortion rights organizations.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">It’s time to restore Roe v. Wade once and for all. <a href="https://t.co/clMks641a7">pic.twitter.com/clMks641a7</a>&mdash; Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1672382856989999117?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">When Roe v. Wade was overturned, we committed that we&#39;d never stop fighting for your reproductive rights. That hasn&#39;t changed. Today, I signed a third reproductive health care Executive Order that strengthens access to contraception – an essential part of reproductive care. <a href="https://t.co/66jVxlTzUz">pic.twitter.com/66jVxlTzUz</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1672290015181717509?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“The court got Roe right 50 years ago, and I believe Congress should restore the protections of Roe v. Wade once and for all,” said Biden, who is seeking reelection in 2024. “But we need your help.”The rally was held the day before the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to end the nationwide, constitutional right to an abortion that stood for nearly 50 years.That ruling, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, said “the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I commit to the American people that we’re going to keep fighting to safeguard access to health care, including the right to choose which was ripped away by an extreme Supreme Court decision. <a href="https://t.co/YAAoV7zkem">pic.twitter.com/YAAoV7zkem</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1672635701660114945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Speaking from the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., Biden said Republicans are likely to advance a nationwide ban on abortion if they gain control of Congress and the White House during the 2024 elections.“Make no mistake this election is about freedom on the ballot,” Biden said.Ahead of his speech, NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund endorsed Biden’s reelection campaign. EMILY’s List, which supports female politicians who back reproductive rights, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.Harris said during the rally that reproductive rights and access to abortion are based on “one of the most important principles upon which our nation was founded.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The only way to stop those who are committed to taking away women’s rights and freedoms in every state is to elect a Congress that will pass a law restoring Roe v. Wade. Vice President <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamalaHarris</a> and I will continue to lead the fight to protect a woman’s right to an abortion. <a href="https://t.co/sHwsWV8dgb">pic.twitter.com/sHwsWV8dgb</a>&mdash; Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1672665939341373444?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“The importance of freedom … to make decisions about one’s own life, one’s own body. The freedom to be free from government interference when it comes to one’s private decisions — decisions that are about heart and home,” Harris said.Executive orderBefore the campaign event on Friday, Biden signed an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/23/fact-sheet-president-biden-issues-executive-order-on-strengthening-access-to-contraception/">executive order</a>&nbsp;aimed at increasing access to and affordability of contraception.The move calls on several federal agencies to “consider new guidance” for private health insurance companies, which are required to provide contraception at no cost under the 2010 health care law, or the Affordable Care Act.The executive order calls on the secretary of Health and Human Services to consider new guidance for Medicare and Medicaid that would expand access to contraception.Biden also called on the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments as well as the Office of Personnel Management “to consider new actions to ensure robust coverage of contraception for Service members, veterans, and Federal employees and ensure that they and their families understand how to access these benefits.”The executive order doesn’t include a timeline for when the White House would like those federal agencies to issue guidance that could expand access to and affordability of contraception.Clare Coleman, president and CEO of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, said in a written statement that the organization is “dismayed that this order does not require tangible steps to protect access and does not include any firm deadlines.”“For example, it is imperative that the administration explicitly enforce Medicaid’s free choice of provider protection; however, today’s executive order is silent on states’ ignoring federal law,” Coleman said, referring to a section of Medicaid law that allows patients to obtain medical services from any willing and qualified provider. “This blatant violation exacerbates an already dire health care access problem, and it is within the power of this administration to do something about it.”The NFPRHA, Coleman said, urges “the White House to do all it can to confront the growing threats to contraception.”Democrats in Congress&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/democrats-congress-renew-push-protect-access-birth-control">have reintroduced a bill that would guarantee access to contraception</a>.The legislation is designed to protect access to birth control in the event the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn the cases that extended constitutional privacy rights to those decisions.That legislation, however, is unlikely to move through the divided Congress.

Biden at campaign rally warns national abortion ban is next

COLUMBUS, Mont. (AP) — Preliminary testing of water and air quality along a stretch of the Yellowstone River where train cars carrying hazardous materials fell into the waterway following a bridge collapse did not indicate any threat to the public, state and federal officials said Sunday.

The seven mangled cars that carried hot asphalt and molten sulfur remained in the rushing river a day after the bridge gave way near the town of Columbus, about 40 miles (about 64 kilometers) west of Billings, Montana. The area is in a sparsely populated section of the Yellowstone River Valley, surrounded by ranch and farmland.

Preliminary results of water quality sampling did not show petroleum hydrocarbons, which would have come from the asphalt, or sulfur, Kevin Stone, a spokesperson for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, said. Both do not dissolve when they enter water, he explained.

“Water quality testing will continue until the cleanup is complete and at this time there are no known risks to the public drinking water,” he said.

The water testing is being done by contractors working for the train's operator, Montana Rail Link, while the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the federal Environmental Protection Agency are overseeing it, Stone said.

Meanwhile, contractors monitoring the air downwind of the derailment for the EPA have not detected any toxic gases, said Rich Mylott, a spokesperson for the agency’s regional office.

Water testing began Saturday and will continue throughout the cleanup of the derailment site, Montana Rail Link spokesperson Andy Garland said in a statement.

“Montana Rail Link remains committed to addressing any potential impacts to the area as a result of this incident,” he said.

The amount of cargo that spilled from the cars in the river is still not known, said David Stamey, the head of Stillwater County Disaster and Emergency Services.

Garland said both hot asphalt and molten sulfur harden and solidify quickly when mixed with water and modeling suggests that the substances are not likely to move very far downstream.

Crews were still trying to figure out the best way to remove the cars since the crash was so extensive and there was a lot of damage to them, Stamey said.

The Federal Railroad Administration was leading the investigation into the cause of the derailment but did not have any preliminary information about the probe to share, spokesperson Daniel Griffin said.

The bridge collapse also took out a fiber-optic cable providing internet service to many customers in the state, the high-speed provider Global Net said. It was still providing service on a back-up route but some users do not have service or were experiencing very slow connections on Sunday, the company said in a recorded update on its phone line.

The Yellowstone&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-floods-montana-and-environment-4bdc704074dfe199b3e6f3c5c9e402b0">saw record flooding in 2022</a>&nbsp;that caused&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/floods-united-states-climate-and-environment-waterfalls-225c370e39aa935d89693a438b704476">extensive damage to Yellowstone National Park</a>&nbsp;and adjacent towns in Montana. The river where the bridge collapsed flows away from Yellowstone National Park, which is about 110 miles (177 kilometers) southwest.

Robert Bea, a retired engineering professor at the University of California Berkeley who has analyzed the causes of hundreds of major disasters, said repeated years of heavy river flows provided a clue to the possible cause.

“The high water flow translates to high forces acting directly on the pier and, importantly, on the river bottom,” Bea said Saturday. “You can have erosion or scour that removes support from the foundation. High forces translate to a high likelihood of a structural or foundation failure that could act as a trigger to initiate the accident.”

An old highway bridge that paralleled the railroad bridge — together, they were called the Twin Bridges — was removed in 2021 after the Montana Department of Transportation determined it was in imminent danger of falling. The railroad bridge is inspected twice a year and the most recent inspection was performed in May, Garland said.

The Federal Railroad Administration will review the inspection reports to see if they complied with federal safety standards, Griffin said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687632668209.png" alt="Photo Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks" />
 <figcaption>Photo Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks</figcaption>
 </figure>COLUMBUS, Mont. (AP) — Preliminary testing of water and air quality along a stretch of the Yellowstone River where train cars carrying hazardous materials fell into the waterway following a bridge collapse did not indicate any threat to the public, state and federal officials said Sunday.The seven mangled cars that carried hot asphalt and molten sulfur remained in the rushing river a day after the bridge gave way near the town of Columbus, about 40 miles (about 64 kilometers) west of Billings, Montana. The area is in a sparsely populated section of the Yellowstone River Valley, surrounded by ranch and farmland.Preliminary results of water quality sampling did not show petroleum hydrocarbons, which would have come from the asphalt, or sulfur, Kevin Stone, a spokesperson for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, said. Both do not dissolve when they enter water, he explained.“Water quality testing will continue until the cleanup is complete and at this time there are no known risks to the public drinking water,” he said.The water testing is being done by contractors working for the train's operator, Montana Rail Link, while the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the federal Environmental Protection Agency are overseeing it, Stone said.Meanwhile, contractors monitoring the air downwind of the derailment for the EPA have not detected any toxic gases, said Rich Mylott, a spokesperson for the agency’s regional office.Water testing began Saturday and will continue throughout the cleanup of the derailment site, Montana Rail Link spokesperson Andy Garland said in a statement.“Montana Rail Link remains committed to addressing any potential impacts to the area as a result of this incident,” he said.The amount of cargo that spilled from the cars in the river is still not known, said David Stamey, the head of Stillwater County Disaster and Emergency Services.Garland said both hot asphalt and molten sulfur harden and solidify quickly when mixed with water and modeling suggests that the substances are not likely to move very far downstream.Crews were still trying to figure out the best way to remove the cars since the crash was so extensive and there was a lot of damage to them, Stamey said.The Federal Railroad Administration was leading the investigation into the cause of the derailment but did not have any preliminary information about the probe to share, spokesperson Daniel Griffin said.The bridge collapse also took out a fiber-optic cable providing internet service to many customers in the state, the high-speed provider Global Net said. It was still providing service on a back-up route but some users do not have service or were experiencing very slow connections on Sunday, the company said in a recorded update on its phone line.The Yellowstone&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-floods-montana-and-environment-4bdc704074dfe199b3e6f3c5c9e402b0">saw record flooding in 2022</a>&nbsp;that caused&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/floods-united-states-climate-and-environment-waterfalls-225c370e39aa935d89693a438b704476">extensive damage to Yellowstone National Park</a>&nbsp;and adjacent towns in Montana. The river where the bridge collapsed flows away from Yellowstone National Park, which is about 110 miles (177 kilometers) southwest.Robert Bea, a retired engineering professor at the University of California Berkeley who has analyzed the causes of hundreds of major disasters, said repeated years of heavy river flows provided a clue to the possible cause.“The high water flow translates to high forces acting directly on the pier and, importantly, on the river bottom,” Bea said Saturday. “You can have erosion or scour that removes support from the foundation. High forces translate to a high likelihood of a structural or foundation failure that could act as a trigger to initiate the accident.”An old highway bridge that paralleled the railroad bridge — together, they were called the Twin Bridges — was removed in 2021 after the Montana Department of Transportation determined it was in imminent danger of falling. The railroad bridge is inspected twice a year and the most recent inspection was performed in May, Garland said.The Federal Railroad Administration will review the inspection reports to see if they complied with federal safety standards, Griffin said.

No sign of threat after hazardous train plunged into Yellowstone River

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents Thursday approved the establishment of the Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) degree, to be administered and housed within the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Allied Health Professions. The DMSc degree is a voluntary, advanced doctorate degree for physician assistants (PAs).

“This program affords PAs in practice the knowledge and competencies to both advance their clinical practice skills as well as enhance their career options within their field,” said Shaun Horak, DMSc, associate director of the physician assistant program and director of the new DMSc program.&nbsp;

The new degree program, which is pending approval by the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, will be tailored to meet the advanced practice needs of PAs and embraces the profession’s mission of promoting lifelong learners. This includes adopting the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aapa.org/advocacy-central/optimal-team-practice/#:~:text=Optimal%20Team%20Practice%20occurs%20when%20PAs%2C%20physicians%2C%20and,to%20provide%20quality%20care%20without%20burdensome%20administrative%20constraints." target="_blank">Optimal Team Practice (OTP) model</a>, as recommended by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA). It also prepares PAs to operate at their highest scope of practice while striving to improve the health care system and positively impact patient care delivery at the patient,&nbsp; community and system levels through the application of research, advocacy and executive leadership, Dr. Horak said.

Existing college funds will help launch the program, which will be largely funded by tuition and fees. The program budget does not forecast the use of any new public funding.

“DMSc-level physician assistants are another way UNMC is working to increase accessibility and quality of health care in medically underserved areas, including rural Nebraska,” said Kyle Meyer, PhD, dean of the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions. “Offering this degree is yet another milestone in our long and successful history of educating physician assistants.”

UNMC currently offers a master’s degree in physician assistant studies as the accredited entry-level degree for the PA profession, but DMSc degree programs are increasing nationwide. UNMC’s will be the first and only DMSc program in Nebraska and one of about only 15 across the country.

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents Thursday approved the establishment of the Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) degree, to be administered and housed within the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Allied Health Professions. The DMSc degree is a voluntary, advanced doctorate degree for physician assistants (PAs).<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687784906987.jpeg" alt="Shaun Horak, DMCS, associate director of the physician assistant program and director of the new DMSc program" />
 <figcaption>Shaun Horak, DMCS, associate director of the physician assistant program and director of the new DMSc program</figcaption>
 </figure>“This program affords PAs in practice the knowledge and competencies to both advance their clinical practice skills as well as enhance their career options within their field,” said Shaun Horak, DMSc, associate director of the physician assistant program and director of the new DMSc program.&nbsp;The new degree program, which is pending approval by the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, will be tailored to meet the advanced practice needs of PAs and embraces the profession’s mission of promoting lifelong learners. This includes adopting the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aapa.org/advocacy-central/optimal-team-practice/#:~:text=Optimal%20Team%20Practice%20occurs%20when%20PAs%2C%20physicians%2C%20and,to%20provide%20quality%20care%20without%20burdensome%20administrative%20constraints." target="_blank">Optimal Team Practice (OTP) model</a>, as recommended by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA). It also prepares PAs to operate at their highest scope of practice while striving to improve the health care system and positively impact patient care delivery at the patient,&nbsp; community and system levels through the application of research, advocacy and executive leadership, Dr. Horak said.Existing college funds will help launch the program, which will be largely funded by tuition and fees. The program budget does not forecast the use of any new public funding.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687784874469.jpeg" alt="Kyle Meyer, PhD, dean of the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions" />
 <figcaption>Kyle Meyer, PhD, dean of the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions</figcaption>
 </figure>“DMSc-level physician assistants are another way UNMC is working to increase accessibility and quality of health care in medically underserved areas, including rural Nebraska,” said Kyle Meyer, PhD, dean of the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions. “Offering this degree is yet another milestone in our long and successful history of educating physician assistants.”UNMC currently offers a master’s degree in physician assistant studies as the accredited entry-level degree for the PA profession, but DMSc degree programs are increasing nationwide. UNMC’s will be the first and only DMSc program in Nebraska and one of about only 15 across the country.A survey of UNMC PA students and alumni found almost 60 percent expressed interest in seeking a DMSc advanced degree.The program is expected to enroll 20 full-time and 30 part-time students over the first few years, beginning fall 2024. The college anticipates considerable enrollment growth over the coming decade as the PA profession and the degree continue to evolve.&nbsp;&nbsp;The program will include mastery of six core competencies, rigorous field placement, and a capstone project. Didactic coursework will be offered in a fully online, asynchronous format.“We are delighted that the Board of Regents has approved this new degree program for our College of Allied Health Professions,” said Dele Davies, MD, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean for graduate studies. “UNMC is already a national leader in training physician assistants and the addition of the Doctor of Medical Science degree allows us to again lead in training practicing PAs who aspire to be leaders in influencing the health care system to positively impact patient care. Congratulations to Dean Meyer and his leadership team for this exciting new program for our university.”