By Paul Hamel <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/02/08/state-approved-use-of-pesticide-coated-seed-corn-for-ethanol-plant-a-decade-ago/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Both Omaha and Lincoln are looking to the state to help them attract more, and bigger, conventions.

An omnibus tax bill up for debate Tuesday in the Nebraska Legislature would expand the state’s turnback tax law to help a possible expansion of convention space at Omaha’s CHI Health Center Arena and the construction of a convention center in downtown Lincoln.

There are also proposed turnback tax benefits to help finance and promote Omaha’s new Steelhouse concert venue and the Astro Theater concert complex in La Vista.

Right now, officials say, Omaha is losing out on larger conventions because the 20-year-old CHI Center has only&nbsp;346,000 square feet of convention space and 16 breakout rooms for smaller meetings.

Larger space needed for larger conventions

“The majority of the cities we compete with have well over 500,000 square feet of convention space, so if we want to remain competitive, we need to expand,” said Deb Ward, executive director of the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau.

In Lincoln, a broader turnback tax law would be used to help finance a $60 million downtown convention center, possibly near the Cornhusker Hotel or at the current site of the downtown post office.

The state tax help for convention centers is part of Legislative Bill 727, into which 20 some other bills were amended.

The whopper bill — so comprehensive that a briefing for senators is scheduled Tuesday morning to explain it — includes some novel proposals for the state, including:

While promoters of the multi-faceted bill say it’s filled with job-creating, lifestyle-improving and, in the case of Nebraska Crossing, &nbsp;transformational tourist-attracting proposals, others aren’t so sure.

The Lincoln-based OpenSky Policy Institute, in an analysis Monday, estimated that the many-faceted LB 727 could cost $50 million over the next two years, taking away funds that could be used for education and training programs to address the state’s workforce shortage.

Combined with income- and property-tax relief measures, OpenSky said the bill “could create challenges for future Legislatures tasked with passing a balanced budget in an economic downturn.”

Significant changes in the state’s turnback tax policy — which helped finance the CHI Health Center Arena in Omaha, Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln and the Ralston Arena — are just a part of an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/AM/AM1396.pdf">amendment posted to LB 727 on Monday.</a>

Currently, the turnback tax law allows state sales taxes paid at the arenas and at nearby hotels to be “turned back” to help finance the complexes.

But under LB 727, the turnback would be broadened in Omaha and Lincoln to capture state sales taxes paid on meals, drinks and other retail purchases within 600 yards of the arenas. (The Ralston Arena already gets this retail turnback, unlike Omaha and Lincoln.)

In Omaha, the expansion would capture sales in portions of the Old Market area, as well as at bars and restaurants in the “NoDo” area north of downtown Omaha.

Last year, the turnback law was expanded to allow financing of a possible new parking garage near the CHI Center.

This year’s bill expands the law further, permitting turnback funds to be used for “repairing” and “replacing” portions of the Omaha and Lincoln arenas.

Would help smaller, private facilities as well

Under LB 727, turnback funds could be used to finance bonds used to pay for smaller, privately owned concert venues, such as Steelhouse, and could be used for parking structures and promotional efforts at the Omaha concert hall and the Astro Theater.

LB 727 would also allow turnback funds for a new Lincoln convention center that is under discussion.

Lincoln Sen. Eliot Bostar, during a public hearing on the Lincoln convention center bill, said it is projected to host 200 events each year, generating new spending, personal income, job creation and tax revenues of about $18.5 million a year.

Kristyna Engdahl of the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority, which operates the CHI Center, said discussions about possible expansion of convention space are underway but not ready for public release.

But, she said, broadening the state’s turnback tax law would help such a project.

When asked about using turnback funds to upgrade existing facilities at the CHI Center, Engdahl said that about $20 million in improvements, including new seats, have been made in the past six years. The facility, she said, still gets rave reviews, but the bill would allow turnback funds for upgrades.

Jack Cheloha, who lobbies for the City of Omaha, said that the turnback law has been updated more than once since it was passed in 1999 and that LB 727 would help expand and keep the Omaha arena top-notch.

“We’re going on 20 years of hosting many millions of people through the doors. It’s time for remodeling and refurbishing,” he said.

Expanding the convention center in Omaha, Ward said, would allow the city to compete for larger conventions.

Expanding the turnback tax area, she added, would also help communities outside Omaha and Lincoln, because 30% of the taxes collected go toward community centers and other projects in those towns and cities

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684249946811.png" alt=" State sales taxes paid at hotels and retailers near Omaha’s CHI Health Center help finance grants awarded every year to projects in communities across the state. (Courtesy of Metropolitan Entertainment &amp; Convention Authority)" />
 <figcaption> State sales taxes paid at hotels and retailers near Omaha’s CHI Health Center help finance grants awarded every year to projects in communities across the state. (Courtesy of Metropolitan Entertainment &amp; Convention Authority)</figcaption>
 </figure>By Paul Hamel <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/02/08/state-approved-use-of-pesticide-coated-seed-corn-for-ethanol-plant-a-decade-ago/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — Both Omaha and Lincoln are looking to the state to help them attract more, and bigger, conventions.An omnibus tax bill up for debate Tuesday in the Nebraska Legislature would expand the state’s turnback tax law to help a possible expansion of convention space at Omaha’s CHI Health Center Arena and the construction of a convention center in downtown Lincoln.There are also proposed turnback tax benefits to help finance and promote Omaha’s new Steelhouse concert venue and the Astro Theater concert complex in La Vista.Right now, officials say, Omaha is losing out on larger conventions because the 20-year-old CHI Center has only&nbsp;346,000 square feet of convention space and 16 breakout rooms for smaller meetings.<h2>Larger space needed for larger conventions</h2>“The majority of the cities we compete with have well over 500,000 square feet of convention space, so if we want to remain competitive, we need to expand,” said Deb Ward, executive director of the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau.In Lincoln, a broader turnback tax law would be used to help finance a $60 million downtown convention center, possibly near the Cornhusker Hotel or at the current site of the downtown post office.The state tax help for convention centers is part of Legislative Bill 727, into which 20 some other bills were amended.The whopper bill — so comprehensive that a briefing for senators is scheduled Tuesday morning to explain it — includes some novel proposals for the state, including:<ul>
 <li>Providing tax breaks for Gretna’s Nebraska Crossing shopping mall and similar malls for expansion to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/24/omnibus-bill-aims-to-help-make-nebraska-crossing-a-mecca-for-retail-tourism/">attract new-to-Nebraska retailers</a>&nbsp;and out-of-state shoppers to so-called “Good Life Districts.”&nbsp;State incentives for retail development haven’t been given in the past out of concerns that jobs at malls don’t pay well or don’t last long and that a new mall simply &nbsp;shifts retail spending, it doesn’t increase it.&nbsp;But its main sponsor, State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, said the goal is to attract “retail tourists” from out of state, creating new tax revenue.</li><li>Allowing bond-financing of highway construction. That would overturn decades of practice in Nebraska to “pay-as-you-go,”&nbsp; and not borrow and assume debt, when it comes to state road improvements.&nbsp;The idea was opposed by past governors, but it is backed by Gov. Jim Pillen, whose hometown of Columbus has been waiting for years to get four-lane expressways that connect it with Omaha and Interstate 80 at York.</li><li>Allowing funds from state college savings plans to be used to pay for tuition at private, K-12 schools, another break from past practice.</li><li>Adding nicotine vaping devices to the tax rolls so they are taxed somewhat like tobacco.</li>
 </ul><h2>Too many tax giveaways?</h2>While promoters of the multi-faceted bill say it’s filled with job-creating, lifestyle-improving and, in the case of Nebraska Crossing, &nbsp;transformational tourist-attracting proposals, others aren’t so sure.The Lincoln-based OpenSky Policy Institute, in an analysis Monday, estimated that the many-faceted LB 727 could cost $50 million over the next two years, taking away funds that could be used for education and training programs to address the state’s workforce shortage.Combined with income- and property-tax relief measures, OpenSky said the bill “could create challenges for future Legislatures tasked with passing a balanced budget in an economic downturn.”Significant changes in the state’s turnback tax policy — which helped finance the CHI Health Center Arena in Omaha, Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln and the Ralston Arena — are just a part of an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/AM/AM1396.pdf">amendment posted to LB 727 on Monday.</a>Currently, the turnback tax law allows state sales taxes paid at the arenas and at nearby hotels to be “turned back” to help finance the complexes.But under LB 727, the turnback would be broadened in Omaha and Lincoln to capture state sales taxes paid on meals, drinks and other retail purchases within 600 yards of the arenas. (The Ralston Arena already gets this retail turnback, unlike Omaha and Lincoln.)In Omaha, the expansion would capture sales in portions of the Old Market area, as well as at bars and restaurants in the “NoDo” area north of downtown Omaha.Last year, the turnback law was expanded to allow financing of a possible new parking garage near the CHI Center.This year’s bill expands the law further, permitting turnback funds to be used for “repairing” and “replacing” portions of the Omaha and Lincoln arenas.<h2>Would help smaller, private facilities as well</h2>Under LB 727, turnback funds could be used to finance bonds used to pay for smaller, privately owned concert venues, such as Steelhouse, and could be used for parking structures and promotional efforts at the Omaha concert hall and the Astro Theater.LB 727 would also allow turnback funds for a new Lincoln convention center that is under discussion.Lincoln Sen. Eliot Bostar, during a public hearing on the Lincoln convention center bill, said it is projected to host 200 events each year, generating new spending, personal income, job creation and tax revenues of about $18.5 million a year.Kristyna Engdahl of the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority, which operates the CHI Center, said discussions about possible expansion of convention space are underway but not ready for public release.But, she said, broadening the state’s turnback tax law would help such a project.When asked about using turnback funds to upgrade existing facilities at the CHI Center, Engdahl said that about $20 million in improvements, including new seats, have been made in the past six years. The facility, she said, still gets rave reviews, but the bill would allow turnback funds for upgrades.Jack Cheloha, who lobbies for the City of Omaha, said that the turnback law has been updated more than once since it was passed in 1999 and that LB 727 would help expand and keep the Omaha arena top-notch.“We’re going on 20 years of hosting many millions of people through the doors. It’s time for remodeling and refurbishing,” he said.Expanding the convention center in Omaha, Ward said, would allow the city to compete for larger conventions.Expanding the turnback tax area, she added, would also help communities outside Omaha and Lincoln, because 30% of the taxes collected go toward community centers and other projects in those towns and cities

Omaha, Lincoln seek expansion of turnback tax to bolster convention space

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Monday said Russia is looking to buy additional advanced attack drones from Iran for use in its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">war against Ukraine</a>&nbsp;after using up most of the 400 drones it had previously purchased from Tehran.

The Biden administration last year publicized satellite imagery and intelligence findings that it said indicated Iran sold hundreds of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-zelenskyy-uk-sunak-military-aid-fc6809548de37304fb311fc66ee7d0d0">attack drones</a>&nbsp;to Russia. And for months, officials have said the United States believed Iran was considering selling hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia, but Washington did not have evidence a deal was consummated.

“Iran also continues to provide Russia with one-way attack UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). Since August, Iran has provided Russia with more than 400 UAVs primarily of the Shahed variety,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

“Russia has expended most of these UAVs, using them to target Ukrainian critical infrastructure inside Ukraine. By providing Russia with these UAVs, Iran has been directly enabling Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine,” Kirby told reporters.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-business-government-and-politics-5a3e86a903ea5de028308f22f32a00c4">The Shahed drones</a>&nbsp;that Russia has already purchased are packed with explosives and programed to loiter overhead until they nosedive into a target — unmanned versions of World War II kamikaze pilots who would fly their explosives-laden planes into U.S. warships in the Pacific.

Kirby said the Russians are now looking at acquiring even more advanced drones "capable of more lethality”

The latest revelation is part of a persistent drip of intelligence findings from the administration to detail what U.S. officials say is a deepening defense partnership between Russia and Iran. The U.S. allegations are part of a broader effort to declassify and publicize intelligence findings concerning Moscow’s prosecution of its nearly 15-month war in Ukraine in hopes of furthering global isolation of Russia.

The administration says the Kremlin’s reliance on Iran as well as North Korea— countries largely isolated on the international stage for their nuclear programs and human rights records— shows desperation. That's in the face of Ukrainian resistance and the success of the global coalition in disrupting Russian military supply chains and denying replacements for weapons lost on the battlefield. The White House says Russia has turned to North Korea for artillery.

U.S. officials say Iran has also provided Russia with artillery and tank rounds for its invasion of Ukraine.

“This is a full scale defense partnership that is harmful to Ukraine, to the region in the Middle East and to the international community,” said Kirby, who added that Iran has been “Russia’s top military backer” since the start of the Ukraine invasion.

Iran has said it provided drones to Russia prior to the start of the war, but not since. North Korea has denied it has provided Russia artillery.

The White House has said for months that it has seen troubling signs that the military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran could flow both ways.

Iran is seeking to purchase additional military equipment from Russia, including attack helicopters, radars, and YAK-130 combat trainer aircraft, according to the White House. And Iran last month announced that it had finalized a deal to buy Su-35 fighter jets from Russia.

The White House has also previously said Russia and Iran were considering starting a drone assembly line in Russia for the Ukraine conflict.

“In total, Iran is seeking billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment from Russia,” Kirby said.

The new allegations come as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-japan-australia-papua-new-guinea-china-718642fdb7b3b5c14cf6c27dded1933c">Biden is headed to Hiroshima, Japan,</a>&nbsp;later this week for the Group of Seven summit, where the U.S. president is expected to make a call to fellow leaders of some world’s biggest economies to further tighten export controls and sanctions on Moscow.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663760963726.jpeg" alt="&nbsp;The White House has said for months that it has seen troubling signs that the military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran could flow both ways. (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;The White House has said for months that it has seen troubling signs that the military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran could flow both ways. (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Monday said Russia is looking to buy additional advanced attack drones from Iran for use in its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">war against Ukraine</a>&nbsp;after using up most of the 400 drones it had previously purchased from Tehran.The Biden administration last year publicized satellite imagery and intelligence findings that it said indicated Iran sold hundreds of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-zelenskyy-uk-sunak-military-aid-fc6809548de37304fb311fc66ee7d0d0">attack drones</a>&nbsp;to Russia. And for months, officials have said the United States believed Iran was considering selling hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia, but Washington did not have evidence a deal was consummated.“Iran also continues to provide Russia with one-way attack UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). Since August, Iran has provided Russia with more than 400 UAVs primarily of the Shahed variety,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.“Russia has expended most of these UAVs, using them to target Ukrainian critical infrastructure inside Ukraine. By providing Russia with these UAVs, Iran has been directly enabling Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine,” Kirby told reporters.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-business-government-and-politics-5a3e86a903ea5de028308f22f32a00c4">The Shahed drones</a>&nbsp;that Russia has already purchased are packed with explosives and programed to loiter overhead until they nosedive into a target — unmanned versions of World War II kamikaze pilots who would fly their explosives-laden planes into U.S. warships in the Pacific.Kirby said the Russians are now looking at acquiring even more advanced drones "capable of more lethality”The latest revelation is part of a persistent drip of intelligence findings from the administration to detail what U.S. officials say is a deepening defense partnership between Russia and Iran. The U.S. allegations are part of a broader effort to declassify and publicize intelligence findings concerning Moscow’s prosecution of its nearly 15-month war in Ukraine in hopes of furthering global isolation of Russia.The administration says the Kremlin’s reliance on Iran as well as North Korea— countries largely isolated on the international stage for their nuclear programs and human rights records— shows desperation. That's in the face of Ukrainian resistance and the success of the global coalition in disrupting Russian military supply chains and denying replacements for weapons lost on the battlefield. The White House says Russia has turned to North Korea for artillery.U.S. officials say Iran has also provided Russia with artillery and tank rounds for its invasion of Ukraine.“This is a full scale defense partnership that is harmful to Ukraine, to the region in the Middle East and to the international community,” said Kirby, who added that Iran has been “Russia’s top military backer” since the start of the Ukraine invasion.Iran has said it provided drones to Russia prior to the start of the war, but not since. North Korea has denied it has provided Russia artillery.The White House has said for months that it has seen troubling signs that the military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran could flow both ways.Iran is seeking to purchase additional military equipment from Russia, including attack helicopters, radars, and YAK-130 combat trainer aircraft, according to the White House. And Iran last month announced that it had finalized a deal to buy Su-35 fighter jets from Russia.The White House has also previously said Russia and Iran were considering starting a drone assembly line in Russia for the Ukraine conflict.“In total, Iran is seeking billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment from Russia,” Kirby said.The new allegations come as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-japan-australia-papua-new-guinea-china-718642fdb7b3b5c14cf6c27dded1933c">Biden is headed to Hiroshima, Japan,</a>&nbsp;later this week for the Group of Seven summit, where the U.S. president is expected to make a call to fellow leaders of some world’s biggest economies to further tighten export controls and sanctions on Moscow.

White House sees more Russia, Iran military cooperation

By ZACH WENDLING <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/25/gov-jim-pillen-signs-bill-for-concealed-carry-of-handguns-without-permit-or-training/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;The session-long fight in some Nebraska lawmakers’ efforts to further restrict abortion and gender-affirming care for minors could be decided Tuesday evening with a decisive amendment to pair the measures as one proposal.

State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/08/state-lawmakers-to-try-again-to-limit-abortion-rights-pairing-it-with-a-bill-involving-gender-care/">unveiled the amendment</a>&nbsp;last Monday to marry two of the most divisive issues this session into&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=49961">Legislative Bill 574</a>, proposed by State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha. Hansen’s change would add an approximate 12-week abortion ban (though shorter because it’s based on gestation) to the restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors.

Senators who had previously supported, but expressed concerns about, either proposal told the Nebraska Examiner the amendment is an improvement, potentially netting a necessary 33 votes.

The amendment revives efforts to further restrict abortion after State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/27/nebraska-abortion-ban-tied-to-cardiac-activity-falls-one-vote-short-20-week-limit-remains-intact/">voted</a>&nbsp;“present” on April 27, killing&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=50641">LB 626</a>, the proposal to ban abortion after an ultrasound detects embryonic cardiac activity. Now, an abortion bill is back in a new form.

Seventy-seven days into the 90-day legislative session, tension and uncertainty have dominated previous stages of debate for these respective measures.&nbsp;

During the final hours of first-round debate on LB 574, opponents&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/23/nebraska-legislature-advances-bill-to-restrict-trans-health-care-for-minors/">blocked supporters from speaking</a>, and during second-round debate, opponents&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/13/nebraska-lawmakers-narrowly-advance-trans-health-care-bill-after-internal-chaos/">forced consideration</a>&nbsp;of a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/10/success-of-nebraska-proposal-to-restrict-gender-affirming-care-might-hinge-upon-amendment/">narrowing amendment</a>&nbsp;that led to a 45-minute pause in deliberations.

Kauth pulled that narrowing amendment in retribution but led “listening sessions” on LB 574, which informed parts of the Hansen amendment.

The fight over LB 574 has also included&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/28/rules-changes-fail-to-curb-partisan-rancor-in-nebraska-legislature/">rules changes</a>&nbsp;that did not weaken or slow the now 11-week filibuster,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/15/nebraska-lawmaker-threatened-with-censure-for-comparing-legislation-with-genocide/">a threat of censure</a>&nbsp;and an&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/26/nebraska-lawmakers-defend-colleague-for-out-of-bounds-conflict-of-interest-complaint/">ethics complaint</a>&nbsp;after one lawmaker detailed how the bill would&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/22/second-day-of-debate-on-trans-health-care-bill-brings-personal-stories-to-forefront/">harm her son</a>, who is transgender.

Tuesday’s debate&nbsp;— scheduled for 7-9 p.m. — will likely follow a similar, contentious path, and the vote may not be clear until the last second.&nbsp;

LB 574 intended to prohibit genital or non-genital surgeries, puberty blockers and hormone therapies before the age of 19. But, if amended, it would prohibit only surgeries.

Instead, the chief medical officer and Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services would regulate the medications.

<a target="_blank" href="https://transhealthproject.org/resources/medical-organization-statements/">Thirty national and international organizations</a>&nbsp;endorse gender-affirming care, and the Nebraska Medical Association opposed LB 574.

The Hansen amendment would ban abortions two to three weeks earlier than the 12-week ban&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/15/nebraska-state-senator-proposes-12-week-abortion-ban-instead-of-cardiac-activity-ban/">offered by Riepe</a>&nbsp;and does not include an exception for fetal anomalies incompatible with life. Exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother are included.

Opponents have&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/12/some-nebraska-doctors-fear-collateral-damage-from-proposed-near-total-abortions-ban/">doubted</a>&nbsp;whether these would be “real” exceptions or just be “lip service.”

The two-hour Tuesday debate sets the stage as a conservative majority is determined to flex its muscles to restrict abortion and gender-affirming care, all in one fell swoop.

Debate on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=50768">LB 727</a>, a sales and use tax exemption proposal, is up first Tuesday and could last up to eight hours. However, a change in filibuster tactics could force LB 574 at any earlier point.

The following is a list of motions that could be offered for Tuesday’s debate in addition to the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/AM/AM1658.pdf">Hansen amendment</a>. All require 25 votes except for cloture (a move that ends debate), which requires 33.

Motion to recommit to committee:&nbsp;This would return the bill to the Health and Human Services Committee.&nbsp;

It’s also possible there could be a motion to return to Enrollment and Review to fix an error. Known as E&amp;R, this is a quasi-committee and procedural middle ground to prepare bills between stages of debate. However, it’s unclear whether opponents would use this or any other procedural motions in efforts to block the Hansen amendment.

Motion to reconsider:&nbsp;A lawmaker on the successful side of the recommit vote or those who vote “present” could file this. These procedural motions could prevent the following stages, including any consideration of the Hansen amendment.

However, hopes that debate on these procedural motions could last two hours may be short-lived as senators can “call the question,” or force a vote, before all senators wishing to speak have done so. Senators have used this tactic in previous debates to get through motions. Five senators must demand that debate cease, followed by at least 25 votes to do so.

Motion to return for a specific amendment:&nbsp;Any senator could immediately raise a “point of order” and request the presiding officer to rule on the germaneness, or relevance, of the Hansen amendment. If nongermane, consideration would cease because “no motion, proposition or subject, different from that under consideration, shall be admitted under color of amendment,” under the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/Current/PDF/Rules/RuleBook.pdf">legislative rules</a>.

“Germane amendments relate only to details of the specific subject of the bill and must be in a natural and logical sequence to the subject matter of the original proposal,” the rules continue. “A nongermane amendment includes one that relates to a substantially different subject.”

If the amendment is ruled germane, opponents may seek to overrule the chair, (25 votes, or a majority of those present, are required). The same would be true if the presiding officer ruled the amendment nongermane.

A nongermane ruling is unlikely from Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly (the president of the Legislature) or supporters of the measures who may be presiding in Kelly’s absence. Such a ruling could strengthen a legal challenge down the line.&nbsp;

Kelly is Gov. Jim Pillen’s right hand, and Pillen had a role in crafting the Hansen amendment.

State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha criticized the proposed merging and vowed to call out the relevance of other amended legislation. Some proposals now contain upwards of 20-25 bills.

The Hansen amendment:&nbsp;This cannot be “divided” into its distinct sections as it otherwise could during earlier rounds of debate. The legislative rules forbid this on a motion to return.

A&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/AM/AM1474.pdf">dueling amendment</a>&nbsp;offered by State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha would list specific rules and regulations for puberty blockers and hormones. The same list, with a 12-month waiting period, would allow surgeries to continue in rare circumstances. However, the amendment does not address abortion.

Only one amendment may be adopted on a motion to return, so State Sen. John Arch of La Vista, the speaker of the Legislature, would need to reschedule LB 574 if there are 25 supporters of the Cavanaugh amendment.&nbsp;

Or, if the Hansen amendment failed, the Cavanaugh amendment would be next for consideration.

Motion to return to final reading:&nbsp;LB 574 would need to sit for review for at least one legislative day. This could set final approval of an amended bill for Thursday.

Cloture:&nbsp;This can be done after two hours to end debate, forcing a vote on anything pending.

There is a scenario in which lawmakers can’t amend LB 574 so they attempt to pass it — as is —&nbsp;and send it to Pillen’s desk for approval. However, passage may be unlikely as some supporters have various concerns about the original bill.

The Nebraska State Capitol will remain open Tuesday night as long as the Legislature is in session. But expect extra security, given the combination of the divisive proposals.&nbsp;

The Nebraska State Patrol wouldn’t discuss details about Capitol Security, but there has been a stronger law enforcement presence during earlier debate on either of these bills.

Supporters and opponents can watch the debate in person but will be divided into different legislative balconies. This effort is to minimize potential conflict and has worked before, Arch said.

Doing so Tuesday could prove complicated if there are people who support or oppose limiting abortion but not gender-affirming care for minors, or vice versa.

Single subject rule:&nbsp;The Nebraska Constitution requires legislative proposals to be focused on a “single subject,” which has raised questions on the Hansen amendment.&nbsp;

Some argue the attempt opens the state up to a possible lawsuit, legal and political experts told the Nebraska Examiner last week.

Expect state senators opposed to one or both proposals to work to lay the legislative history groundwork for a potential legal challenge on the “single subject rule” and supporters to counter that they belong together for different reasons.

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/10/could-single-subject-rule-trip-up-merger-of-abortion-and-anti-trans-bills/">Read more about the single subject here</a>.

The chief medical officer and DHHS:&nbsp;The Hansen amendment would authorize the chief medical officer to craft regulation of puberty blockers and hormone therapies. The chief medical officer is a political appointee who was part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/20/eyebrows-raised-over-nebraska-board-of-healths-advocacy-for-bill-banning-gender-affirming-care/">State Board of Health</a>&nbsp;when it issued a statement in support of LB 574. DHHS would set enforcement parameters.

Under the Hansen amendment, no new minors could receive these medications for transition services after Oct. 1 unless new rules are in place. This sets up a timeline of potentially 2025 until new medications can be issued, though there is a “grandfather” clause for minors to continue care.

Opponents worry that delegating regulations to HHS could lead to a “backdoor” ban and that LB 574 is discriminatory in nature because it restricts gender-affirming care only for trans youth, not their cisgender peers.

Expect a fight over who should have the final say in regulating puberty blockers and hormones and what rules and regulations should be in place.

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/10/final-say-on-nebraska-gender-care-legislation-would-be-delegated-to-executive-appointee-and-dhhs/">Read more about the proposed roles for the chief medical officer and DHHS</a>.

Fatal fetal anomalies:&nbsp;&nbsp;Riepe proposed an alternative abortion ban timed 12 weeks from fertilization, with specific language allowing abortions later in the cases of fetal anomalies incompatible with life. However, both aspects have changed.

The Hansen amendment instead ties its 12-week ban to gestational age, meaning it is two to three weeks shorter than Riepe’s proposal. Hansen said this would reduce the number of total abortions and follows much of the medical community that times pregnancy by gestation.&nbsp;

Hansen also said he and others who prefer a stricter ban chose to leave out the Riepe language on fetal anomalies because they do not believe that someone should be able to end a life because it is unlikely to live long — or at all — after being born.

Meanwhile, doctors who support abortion rights have argued it is cruel to force women to carry a baby without a brain or lungs to full term, knowing it cannot survive outside of the womb.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Expect a floor fight over leaving out this language and for conservatives to threaten to withdraw support if there is an effort to add it back in.

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/15/proposed-12-week-abortion-cutoff-hits-sooner-than-riepes-with-no-exception-for-fetal-anomalies/">Read more about the absent fetal anomalies exception here</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/jacobson-kauth-574_ZJW_041323-1024x682.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, at center, speaks with State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte during debate on LB 574 on Thursday, April 13, 2023, in Lincoln. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, at center, speaks with State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte during debate on LB 574 on Thursday, April 13, 2023, in Lincoln. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By ZACH WENDLING <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/25/gov-jim-pillen-signs-bill-for-concealed-carry-of-handguns-without-permit-or-training/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;The session-long fight in some Nebraska lawmakers’ efforts to further restrict abortion and gender-affirming care for minors could be decided Tuesday evening with a decisive amendment to pair the measures as one proposal.State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/08/state-lawmakers-to-try-again-to-limit-abortion-rights-pairing-it-with-a-bill-involving-gender-care/">unveiled the amendment</a>&nbsp;last Monday to marry two of the most divisive issues this session into&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=49961">Legislative Bill 574</a>, proposed by State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha. Hansen’s change would add an approximate 12-week abortion ban (though shorter because it’s based on gestation) to the restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors.Senators who had previously supported, but expressed concerns about, either proposal told the Nebraska Examiner the amendment is an improvement, potentially netting a necessary 33 votes.The amendment revives efforts to further restrict abortion after State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/27/nebraska-abortion-ban-tied-to-cardiac-activity-falls-one-vote-short-20-week-limit-remains-intact/">voted</a>&nbsp;“present” on April 27, killing&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=50641">LB 626</a>, the proposal to ban abortion after an ultrasound detects embryonic cardiac activity. Now, an abortion bill is back in a new form.Seventy-seven days into the 90-day legislative session, tension and uncertainty have dominated previous stages of debate for these respective measures.&nbsp;During the final hours of first-round debate on LB 574, opponents&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/23/nebraska-legislature-advances-bill-to-restrict-trans-health-care-for-minors/">blocked supporters from speaking</a>, and during second-round debate, opponents&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/13/nebraska-lawmakers-narrowly-advance-trans-health-care-bill-after-internal-chaos/">forced consideration</a>&nbsp;of a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/10/success-of-nebraska-proposal-to-restrict-gender-affirming-care-might-hinge-upon-amendment/">narrowing amendment</a>&nbsp;that led to a 45-minute pause in deliberations.Kauth pulled that narrowing amendment in retribution but led “listening sessions” on LB 574, which informed parts of the Hansen amendment.The fight over LB 574 has also included&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/28/rules-changes-fail-to-curb-partisan-rancor-in-nebraska-legislature/">rules changes</a>&nbsp;that did not weaken or slow the now 11-week filibuster,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/15/nebraska-lawmaker-threatened-with-censure-for-comparing-legislation-with-genocide/">a threat of censure</a>&nbsp;and an&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/26/nebraska-lawmakers-defend-colleague-for-out-of-bounds-conflict-of-interest-complaint/">ethics complaint</a>&nbsp;after one lawmaker detailed how the bill would&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/22/second-day-of-debate-on-trans-health-care-bill-brings-personal-stories-to-forefront/">harm her son</a>, who is transgender.Tuesday’s debate&nbsp;— scheduled for 7-9 p.m. — will likely follow a similar, contentious path, and the vote may not be clear until the last second.&nbsp;<h2>What’s on the table</h2>LB 574 intended to prohibit genital or non-genital surgeries, puberty blockers and hormone therapies before the age of 19. But, if amended, it would prohibit only surgeries.Instead, the chief medical officer and Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services would regulate the medications.<a target="_blank" href="https://transhealthproject.org/resources/medical-organization-statements/">Thirty national and international organizations</a>&nbsp;endorse gender-affirming care, and the Nebraska Medical Association opposed LB 574.The Hansen amendment would ban abortions two to three weeks earlier than the 12-week ban&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/15/nebraska-state-senator-proposes-12-week-abortion-ban-instead-of-cardiac-activity-ban/">offered by Riepe</a>&nbsp;and does not include an exception for fetal anomalies incompatible with life. Exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother are included.Opponents have&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/12/some-nebraska-doctors-fear-collateral-damage-from-proposed-near-total-abortions-ban/">doubted</a>&nbsp;whether these would be “real” exceptions or just be “lip service.”The two-hour Tuesday debate sets the stage as a conservative majority is determined to flex its muscles to restrict abortion and gender-affirming care, all in one fell swoop.<h2>Debate roadmap</h2>Debate on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=50768">LB 727</a>, a sales and use tax exemption proposal, is up first Tuesday and could last up to eight hours. However, a change in filibuster tactics could force LB 574 at any earlier point.The following is a list of motions that could be offered for Tuesday’s debate in addition to the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/AM/AM1658.pdf">Hansen amendment</a>. All require 25 votes except for cloture (a move that ends debate), which requires 33.Motion to recommit to committee:&nbsp;This would return the bill to the Health and Human Services Committee.&nbsp;It’s also possible there could be a motion to return to Enrollment and Review to fix an error. Known as E&amp;R, this is a quasi-committee and procedural middle ground to prepare bills between stages of debate. However, it’s unclear whether opponents would use this or any other procedural motions in efforts to block the Hansen amendment.Motion to reconsider:&nbsp;A lawmaker on the successful side of the recommit vote or those who vote “present” could file this. These procedural motions could prevent the following stages, including any consideration of the Hansen amendment.However, hopes that debate on these procedural motions could last two hours may be short-lived as senators can “call the question,” or force a vote, before all senators wishing to speak have done so. Senators have used this tactic in previous debates to get through motions. Five senators must demand that debate cease, followed by at least 25 votes to do so.Motion to return for a specific amendment:&nbsp;Any senator could immediately raise a “point of order” and request the presiding officer to rule on the germaneness, or relevance, of the Hansen amendment. If nongermane, consideration would cease because “no motion, proposition or subject, different from that under consideration, shall be admitted under color of amendment,” under the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/Current/PDF/Rules/RuleBook.pdf">legislative rules</a>.“Germane amendments relate only to details of the specific subject of the bill and must be in a natural and logical sequence to the subject matter of the original proposal,” the rules continue. “A nongermane amendment includes one that relates to a substantially different subject.”If the amendment is ruled germane, opponents may seek to overrule the chair, (25 votes, or a majority of those present, are required). The same would be true if the presiding officer ruled the amendment nongermane.A nongermane ruling is unlikely from Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly (the president of the Legislature) or supporters of the measures who may be presiding in Kelly’s absence. Such a ruling could strengthen a legal challenge down the line.&nbsp;Kelly is Gov. Jim Pillen’s right hand, and Pillen had a role in crafting the Hansen amendment.State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha criticized the proposed merging and vowed to call out the relevance of other amended legislation. Some proposals now contain upwards of 20-25 bills.The Hansen amendment:&nbsp;This cannot be “divided” into its distinct sections as it otherwise could during earlier rounds of debate. The legislative rules forbid this on a motion to return.A&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/AM/AM1474.pdf">dueling amendment</a>&nbsp;offered by State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha would list specific rules and regulations for puberty blockers and hormones. The same list, with a 12-month waiting period, would allow surgeries to continue in rare circumstances. However, the amendment does not address abortion.Only one amendment may be adopted on a motion to return, so State Sen. John Arch of La Vista, the speaker of the Legislature, would need to reschedule LB 574 if there are 25 supporters of the Cavanaugh amendment.&nbsp;Or, if the Hansen amendment failed, the Cavanaugh amendment would be next for consideration.Motion to return to final reading:&nbsp;LB 574 would need to sit for review for at least one legislative day. This could set final approval of an amended bill for Thursday.Cloture:&nbsp;This can be done after two hours to end debate, forcing a vote on anything pending.There is a scenario in which lawmakers can’t amend LB 574 so they attempt to pass it — as is —&nbsp;and send it to Pillen’s desk for approval. However, passage may be unlikely as some supporters have various concerns about the original bill.<h2>Expect extra security</h2>The Nebraska State Capitol will remain open Tuesday night as long as the Legislature is in session. But expect extra security, given the combination of the divisive proposals.&nbsp;The Nebraska State Patrol wouldn’t discuss details about Capitol Security, but there has been a stronger law enforcement presence during earlier debate on either of these bills.Supporters and opponents can watch the debate in person but will be divided into different legislative balconies. This effort is to minimize potential conflict and has worked before, Arch said.Doing so Tuesday could prove complicated if there are people who support or oppose limiting abortion but not gender-affirming care for minors, or vice versa.<h2>Three new issues emerge</h2>Single subject rule:&nbsp;The Nebraska Constitution requires legislative proposals to be focused on a “single subject,” which has raised questions on the Hansen amendment.&nbsp;Some argue the attempt opens the state up to a possible lawsuit, legal and political experts told the Nebraska Examiner last week.Expect state senators opposed to one or both proposals to work to lay the legislative history groundwork for a potential legal challenge on the “single subject rule” and supporters to counter that they belong together for different reasons.<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/10/could-single-subject-rule-trip-up-merger-of-abortion-and-anti-trans-bills/">Read more about the single subject here</a>.The chief medical officer and DHHS:&nbsp;The Hansen amendment would authorize the chief medical officer to craft regulation of puberty blockers and hormone therapies. The chief medical officer is a political appointee who was part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/20/eyebrows-raised-over-nebraska-board-of-healths-advocacy-for-bill-banning-gender-affirming-care/">State Board of Health</a>&nbsp;when it issued a statement in support of LB 574. DHHS would set enforcement parameters.Under the Hansen amendment, no new minors could receive these medications for transition services after Oct. 1 unless new rules are in place. This sets up a timeline of potentially 2025 until new medications can be issued, though there is a “grandfather” clause for minors to continue care.Opponents worry that delegating regulations to HHS could lead to a “backdoor” ban and that LB 574 is discriminatory in nature because it restricts gender-affirming care only for trans youth, not their cisgender peers.Expect a fight over who should have the final say in regulating puberty blockers and hormones and what rules and regulations should be in place.<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/10/final-say-on-nebraska-gender-care-legislation-would-be-delegated-to-executive-appointee-and-dhhs/">Read more about the proposed roles for the chief medical officer and DHHS</a>.Fatal fetal anomalies:&nbsp;&nbsp;Riepe proposed an alternative abortion ban timed 12 weeks from fertilization, with specific language allowing abortions later in the cases of fetal anomalies incompatible with life. However, both aspects have changed.The Hansen amendment instead ties its 12-week ban to gestational age, meaning it is two to three weeks shorter than Riepe’s proposal. Hansen said this would reduce the number of total abortions and follows much of the medical community that times pregnancy by gestation.&nbsp;Hansen also said he and others who prefer a stricter ban chose to leave out the Riepe language on fetal anomalies because they do not believe that someone should be able to end a life because it is unlikely to live long — or at all — after being born.Meanwhile, doctors who support abortion rights have argued it is cruel to force women to carry a baby without a brain or lungs to full term, knowing it cannot survive outside of the womb.&nbsp;&nbsp;Expect a floor fight over leaving out this language and for conservatives to threaten to withdraw support if there is an effort to add it back in.<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/15/proposed-12-week-abortion-cutoff-hits-sooner-than-riepes-with-no-exception-for-fetal-anomalies/">Read more about the absent fetal anomalies exception here</a>.

A guide to Tuesday’s debate on amendment to combine gender-affirming care, abortion restrictions

WASHINGTON (AP) — A special prosecutor has ended his four-year investigation into possible FBI misconduct in its probe of ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign with withering criticism of the bureau but a meager court record that fell far short of the former president’s prediction he would uncover the “crime of the century.”

<a href="https://justthenews.com/sites/default/files/2023-05/durhamreport.pdf">CLICK here to read</a> the report

The report Monday from special counsel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/john-durham">John Durham</a>&nbsp;represents the long-awaited culmination of an investigation that Trump and allies had claimed would expose massive wrongdoing by law enforcement and intelligence officials. Instead, Durham's investigation delivered underwhelming results, with prosecutors securing a guilty plea from a little-known FBI employee but losing the only two criminal cases they took to trial.

The roughly 300-page report catalogs what Durham says were a series of missteps by the FBI and Justice Department as investigators undertook a politically explosive probe in the heat of the 2016 election into whether the Trump campaign was colluding with Russia to tip the outcome. It criticized the FBI for opening a full-fledged investigation based on "raw, unanalyzed and uncorroborated intelligence," saying the speed at which it did so was a departure from the norm. And it said investigators repeatedly relied on “confirmation bias,” ignoring or rationalizing away evidence that undercut their premise of a Trump-Russia conspiracy as they pushed the probe forward.

“Again, the FBI’s failure to critically analyze information that ran counter to the narrative of a Trump/Russia collusive relationship exhibited throughout Crossfire Hurricane is extremely troublesome,” the report said. “Crossfire Hurricane” was the FBI code name for its investigation.

The impact of Durham’s report, though harshly critical of the FBI, is likely blunted by Durham’s spotty prosecution record and by the fact that many of the seven-year-old episodes it cites were already examined in depth by the Justice Department’s inspector general. The FBI has also long since announced dozens of corrective actions. Still, Durham’s findings are likely to amplify scrutiny of the FBI at a time when Trump is again seeking the White House as well as offer fresh fodder for congressional Republicans who have launched their own investigation into the purported “weaponization” of the FBI and Justice Department.

The FBI released a letter to Durham outlining changes it has made, including steps to ensure the accuracy of secretive surveillance applications to eavesdrop on suspected terrorists and spies. It also stressed that the report focused on prior leadership.

“Had those reforms been in place in 2016, the missteps identified in the report could have been prevented. This report reinforces the importance of ensuring the FBI continues to do its work with the rigor, objectivity, and professionalism the American people deserve and rightly expect,” the FBI said in a statement.

Durham, the former U.S. Attorney in Connecticut, was appointed in 2019 by Trump’s attorney general, William Barr, soon after special counsel Robert Mueller had completed his investigation into whether the 2016 Trump campaign had colluded with Russia to move the outcome of the election in his favor.

The Mueller investigation resulted in roughly three dozen criminal charges, including convictions of a half-dozen Trump associates, and concluded that Russia intervened on the Trump campaign’s behalf and that the campaign welcomed the help. But Mueller’s team did not find that they actually conspired to sway the election, creating an opening for critics of the probe — including Barr himself — to complain that it had been launched without a proper basis.

The original Russia investigation was opened in July 2016 after the FBI learned from an Australian diplomat that a Trump campaign associate named George Papadopoulos had claimed to know of “dirt” that the Russians had on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the form of hacked emails.

But revelations over the following months laid bare flaws with the investigation, including errors and omissions in Justice Department applications to eavesdrop on a former Trump campaign aide, Carter Page, as well as the reliance by the FBI on a dossier of uncorroborated or discredited information compiled by an British ex-spy, Christopher Steele.

Durham’s team delved deep into those mistakes, finding that investigators did not corroborate a “single substantive allegation” in the so-called Steele dossier and ignored or rationalized what it asserts was exculpatory information that Trump associates had provided to FBI confidential informants.

Durham’s mandate was to scrutinize government decisions, and identify possible misconduct, in the early days of the Trump-Russia probe. His appointment was cheered by Trump, who in a 2019 interview with Fox News said Durham was “supposed to be the smartest and the best.” He and his supporters hoped it would expose a “deep state” conspiracy within the top echelons of the FBI and other agencies to derail Trump’s presidency and candidacy.

Durham and his team cast a broad net, interviewing top officials at the FBI, Justice Department and CIA. In his first year on the job, he traveled with Barr to Italy to meet with government officials as Trump himself asked the Australian prime minister and other leaders to help with the probe. Weeks before his December 2020 resignation as attorney general, Barr appointed Durham as a Justice Department special counsel to ensure that he would continue his work in a Democratic administration.

The slow pace of the probe irked Trump, who berated Barr before he left office about the whereabouts of a report that would not be released for several more years. By the end of the Trump administration, only one criminal case had been brought, while the abrupt departure of Durham’s top deputy in the final months of Trump’s tenure raised questions about whether the team was in sync.

Despite expectations that Durham might charge senior government officials, his team produced only three prosecutions. A former FBI lawyer pleaded guilty to altering an email the FBI relied on in applying to eavesdrop on an ex-Trump campaign aide. Two other defendants — a lawyer for the Clinton campaign and a Russian-American think tank analyst — were both acquitted on charges of lying to the FBI.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684183870859.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A special prosecutor has ended his four-year investigation into possible FBI misconduct in its probe of ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign with withering criticism of the bureau but a meager court record that fell far short of the former president’s prediction he would uncover the “crime of the century.”<a href="https://justthenews.com/sites/default/files/2023-05/durhamreport.pdf">CLICK here to read</a> the reportThe report Monday from special counsel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/john-durham">John Durham</a>&nbsp;represents the long-awaited culmination of an investigation that Trump and allies had claimed would expose massive wrongdoing by law enforcement and intelligence officials. Instead, Durham's investigation delivered underwhelming results, with prosecutors securing a guilty plea from a little-known FBI employee but losing the only two criminal cases they took to trial.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We’ve reached out to the Justice Department to have Special Counsel John Durham testify next week.&mdash; Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jim_Jordan/status/1658190084024197133?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The roughly 300-page report catalogs what Durham says were a series of missteps by the FBI and Justice Department as investigators undertook a politically explosive probe in the heat of the 2016 election into whether the Trump campaign was colluding with Russia to tip the outcome. It criticized the FBI for opening a full-fledged investigation based on "raw, unanalyzed and uncorroborated intelligence," saying the speed at which it did so was a departure from the norm. And it said investigators repeatedly relied on “confirmation bias,” ignoring or rationalizing away evidence that undercut their premise of a Trump-Russia conspiracy as they pushed the probe forward.“Again, the FBI’s failure to critically analyze information that ran counter to the narrative of a Trump/Russia collusive relationship exhibited throughout Crossfire Hurricane is extremely troublesome,” the report said. “Crossfire Hurricane” was the FBI code name for its investigation.The impact of Durham’s report, though harshly critical of the FBI, is likely blunted by Durham’s spotty prosecution record and by the fact that many of the seven-year-old episodes it cites were already examined in depth by the Justice Department’s inspector general. The FBI has also long since announced dozens of corrective actions. Still, Durham’s findings are likely to amplify scrutiny of the FBI at a time when Trump is again seeking the White House as well as offer fresh fodder for congressional Republicans who have launched their own investigation into the purported “weaponization” of the FBI and Justice Department.The FBI released a letter to Durham outlining changes it has made, including steps to ensure the accuracy of secretive surveillance applications to eavesdrop on suspected terrorists and spies. It also stressed that the report focused on prior leadership.“Had those reforms been in place in 2016, the missteps identified in the report could have been prevented. This report reinforces the importance of ensuring the FBI continues to do its work with the rigor, objectivity, and professionalism the American people deserve and rightly expect,” the FBI said in a statement.Durham, the former U.S. Attorney in Connecticut, was appointed in 2019 by Trump’s attorney general, William Barr, soon after special counsel Robert Mueller had completed his investigation into whether the 2016 Trump campaign had colluded with Russia to move the outcome of the election in his favor.The Mueller investigation resulted in roughly three dozen criminal charges, including convictions of a half-dozen Trump associates, and concluded that Russia intervened on the Trump campaign’s behalf and that the campaign welcomed the help. But Mueller’s team did not find that they actually conspired to sway the election, creating an opening for critics of the probe — including Barr himself — to complain that it had been launched without a proper basis.The original Russia investigation was opened in July 2016 after the FBI learned from an Australian diplomat that a Trump campaign associate named George Papadopoulos had claimed to know of “dirt” that the Russians had on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the form of hacked emails.But revelations over the following months laid bare flaws with the investigation, including errors and omissions in Justice Department applications to eavesdrop on a former Trump campaign aide, Carter Page, as well as the reliance by the FBI on a dossier of uncorroborated or discredited information compiled by an British ex-spy, Christopher Steele.Durham’s team delved deep into those mistakes, finding that investigators did not corroborate a “single substantive allegation” in the so-called Steele dossier and ignored or rationalized what it asserts was exculpatory information that Trump associates had provided to FBI confidential informants.Durham’s mandate was to scrutinize government decisions, and identify possible misconduct, in the early days of the Trump-Russia probe. His appointment was cheered by Trump, who in a 2019 interview with Fox News said Durham was “supposed to be the smartest and the best.” He and his supporters hoped it would expose a “deep state” conspiracy within the top echelons of the FBI and other agencies to derail Trump’s presidency and candidacy.Durham and his team cast a broad net, interviewing top officials at the FBI, Justice Department and CIA. In his first year on the job, he traveled with Barr to Italy to meet with government officials as Trump himself asked the Australian prime minister and other leaders to help with the probe. Weeks before his December 2020 resignation as attorney general, Barr appointed Durham as a Justice Department special counsel to ensure that he would continue his work in a Democratic administration.The slow pace of the probe irked Trump, who berated Barr before he left office about the whereabouts of a report that would not be released for several more years. By the end of the Trump administration, only one criminal case had been brought, while the abrupt departure of Durham’s top deputy in the final months of Trump’s tenure raised questions about whether the team was in sync.Despite expectations that Durham might charge senior government officials, his team produced only three prosecutions. A former FBI lawyer pleaded guilty to altering an email the FBI relied on in applying to eavesdrop on an ex-Trump campaign aide. Two other defendants — a lawyer for the Clinton campaign and a Russian-American think tank analyst — were both acquitted on charges of lying to the FBI.

Read the final report on FBI that exonerates Trump in Russia probe

LINCOLN, Neb. — A Canadian pipeline company says it has completed the recovery of oil spilled into a Kansas creek following a record leak on the Keystone Pipeline.

TC Energy, in a news release Thursday, said it continues to restore the shoreline of Mill Creek as well as adjacent areas affected when the high-pressure, 36-inch pipeline sprang a leak in December, releasing more than 500,000 gallons of crude oil.

It was the largest oil pipeline spill in the U.S. in nine years and the largest leak on the 12-year-old Keystone pipeline.

The pipeline leak was just across the Nebraska border near Washington, Kansas.

The company said it expects to continue its work at the spill site until the third quarter of the year.

TC Energy said it employed “sophisticated recovery and water filtration techniques” to collect the oil.

The work was done under the oversight of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

The company has said that a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/21/massive-pipeline-spill-caused-by-crack-created-during-installation-third-party-review-concludes/">flaw in a weld combined</a>&nbsp;with “inadvertent bending stresses” on an elbow fitting during installation in 2011, combined with the high pressures employed to transport the oil, eventually led to the pipeline failure.

Environmental groups have said the Keystone should be shut down because of its design flaws and that it’s only a matter of time before there’s another leak.

This story was produced by&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/">Nebraska Examiner,</a>&nbsp;an affiliate of States Newsroom.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684173274886.png" alt=" Gary Salsman, vice president of field operations for TC Energy, testifies to a joint meeting of two Kansas House committees on March 14, 2023, about a rupture on the Keystone pipeline that spilled almost 13,000 barrels of oil in northern Kansas. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Gary Salsman, vice president of field operations for TC Energy, testifies to a joint meeting of two Kansas House committees on March 14, 2023, about a rupture on the Keystone pipeline that spilled almost 13,000 barrels of oil in northern Kansas. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By Paul Hamel <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/02/08/state-approved-use-of-pesticide-coated-seed-corn-for-ethanol-plant-a-decade-ago/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN, Neb. — A Canadian pipeline company says it has completed the recovery of oil spilled into a Kansas creek following a record leak on the Keystone Pipeline.TC Energy, in a news release Thursday, said it continues to restore the shoreline of Mill Creek as well as adjacent areas affected when the high-pressure, 36-inch pipeline sprang a leak in December, releasing more than 500,000 gallons of crude oil.It was the largest oil pipeline spill in the U.S. in nine years and the largest leak on the 12-year-old Keystone pipeline.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678311772948.png" alt="In March crews cleaned oil that spewed out of the Keystone pipeline in Washington County Kansas. photo EPA" />
 <figcaption>In March crews cleaned oil that spewed out of the Keystone pipeline in Washington County Kansas. photo EPA</figcaption>
 </figure>The pipeline leak was just across the Nebraska border near Washington, Kansas.The company said it expects to continue its work at the spill site until the third quarter of the year.TC Energy said it employed “sophisticated recovery and water filtration techniques” to collect the oil.The work was done under the oversight of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Kansas Department of Health and Environment.The company has said that a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/21/massive-pipeline-spill-caused-by-crack-created-during-installation-third-party-review-concludes/">flaw in a weld combined</a>&nbsp;with “inadvertent bending stresses” on an elbow fitting during installation in 2011, combined with the high pressures employed to transport the oil, eventually led to the pipeline failure.Environmental groups have said the Keystone should be shut down because of its design flaws and that it’s only a matter of time before there’s another leak.This story was produced by&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/">Nebraska Examiner,</a>&nbsp;an affiliate of States Newsroom.

Pipeline owner: Recovery of spilled oil into Kansas creek is complete

By ADAM GOLDSTEIN <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/17/state-ag-officials-push-for-on-time-farm-bill-to-fund-slew-of-programs/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — The deadliest outbreak of bird flu in U.S. history is prompting growing concern in Congress, and Department of Agriculture researchers are awaiting the preliminary results of four trials of vaccines for poultry.

Some lawmakers are warming to the idea of a vaccination campaign, long considered a fringe idea because of the cost and potential consequences. Trade groups warn that vaccinated poultry would not be accepted in many overseas markets, disrupting exports.

While bird flu likely poses little health danger to humans, it’s contributed to spikes in U.S. egg prices and decimated poultry flocks.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://extension.umn.edu/poultry-health/avian-influenza-basics-noncommercial-poultry-flock-owners">Among the domestic poultry affected</a>&nbsp;are chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, ducks and geese — in both big commercial operations and increasingly popular backyard flocks.

Since the current strain of highly-pathogenic avian influenza — H5N1 — began circulating in the country in February 2022, farmers across the country have lost or had to cull&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-commercial-backyard-flocks">more than 58 million poultry birds.</a>

The USDA estimates it has already spent&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/downloads/animal_diseases/ai/epi-analyses-hpai-poultry-july2022.pdf">more than $670 million</a>&nbsp;in insurance indemnities and sanitation services to combat the ongoing bird flu outbreak.

And with many wild birds starting their spring migration, roughly&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-commercial-backyard-flocks">140,000 poultry birds</a>&nbsp;were infected with the virus nationwide in April.

While food costs are stabilizing, members of Congress from both parties are asking how the U.S. can do better at controlling bird flu.

“We’ve all seen first-hand how high pathogenic avian flu has devastated domestic poultry populations, where depopulations have had to take place,” said Rep. Jim Costa, a California Democrat, at an April 18 House Agriculture Committee hearing.

“We’ve got to continue to refine and improve our approach to address animal disease, and USDA needs all the tools to guarantee a robust response.”

The USDA is testing two proprietary vaccines developed through its Agricultural Research Service, as well as bird flu vaccines from pharmaceutical companies Merck Animal Health and Zoetis Inc.

But animal health experts note that a bird flu vaccine is not the immediate solution that some believe it to be.

Jenny Lester Moffitt, undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs at the USDA, said at an April 24 press event that it will take a minimum of 18 to 24 months to produce a viable vaccine, which is not guaranteed to be effective against infection.

Yuko Sato, a poultry veterinarian and associate professor at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, said at an April 26 media event that “the vaccine is not a silver bullet” for an end to the outbreak.

“You would have to make sure that if you vaccinate — but still have positive birds — you can stamp out the virus,” Sato said. “Otherwise, we’ll never be looking at eradicating the virus from the United States.”

Here are the answers to some common questions about the ongoing bird flu outbreak and potential vaccines.

What is highly-pathogenic avian influenza?

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/influenza-a-virus-subtypes.htm">Highly-pathogenic avian influenza,</a>&nbsp;commonly known as HPAI, bird flu, or “high-path,” is a deadly respiratory virus that affects wild birds and poultry.

The contagious disease comes from the Influenza A family, and is characterized by the H5 or H7 categories of hemagglutinin — or spike protein — structures on its surface, which it uses to infect cells. The virus is spread via airborne transmission, or exposure to the byproducts of an infected bird, like saliva, mucus or feces.

Poultry and other domesticated birds with the disease will often exhibit a lack of energy, produce soft-shelled or misshapen eggs, and have swollen heads.

The highly-pathogenic version of the disease was first identified in China in 1996, and has mutated several times over the last three decades through swapping genetic material with low-pathogenic avian influenza strains within wild birds.

David Swayne, former director of the Agricultural Research Service’s Southeast Poultry Research Lab in Athens, Georgia, said at an April 26 media briefing that 87% of avian influenza strains are made up of blended genetic material from other strains. He said that this natural mutation process can make a vaccine less effective against the virus year over year.

Wild migratory birds are the primary transmission vector in the current outbreak, accounting for roughly 85% of disease spread,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/pest-disease/defend-flock/webinar-prevention-to-recovery-sept2022-qas.pdf">according to the USDA.</a>&nbsp;These animals, including terns, ducks, and geese, can contract and pass along the disease without obvious physical symptoms.

Yet an HPAI infection spreads quickly among a flock of poultry, with infections leading to mortality at a rate of 90% to 100% in chickens and turkeys, often within 48 hours, according to the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/bro-protect-poultry-from-ai.pdf">Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.</a>

When a farmer detects the disease in a commercial flock, the only USDA-recommended option is to kill the remaining birds, dispose of the carcasses, and decontaminate the facility to mitigate spread.

Who is getting infected? Should I be worried?

Despite the threat H5N1 presents to poultry, experts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that people do not need to brood over getting sick.

The agency reports that&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/inhumans.htm#:~:text=Since%20December%202021%2C%2011%20human,reported%20since%201997%20are%20available.">11 cases of bird flu</a>&nbsp;have been reported among humans since 2021, with only one “mild” case occurring in the United States. And as of 2023, there have been no reported cases of human-to-human transmission of HPAI, according to t<a target="_blank" href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2023-DON453">he World Health Organization.</a>

Swayne said at the media event that only 875 human cases of H5 bird flu have been reported since 1996. About 40% were fatal. He noted these infections have occurred largely among humans handling domesticated poultry, and not from encounters with wild birds.

The USDA has documented&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-mammals">176 mammals in the United States&nbsp; infected with the disease&nbsp;</a>since 2022, including skunks, foxes, seals, and mountain lions, among other species. Wildlife experts from the U.S. Geological Survey published&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.10.532068v1">a study in April&nbsp;</a>finding much of this disease spillover can be traced back to predation on wild birds.

Still both Swayne and Hill pointed to a recent event in which&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/06/americas/bird-flu-sea-lion-deaths-peru-intl-latam/index.html">3,500 sea lions became infected with the virus in Peru</a>&nbsp;as one worth monitoring for mutations that could affect mammals.

How does the current outbreak compare to past bird flu outbreaks?

The current iteration of the highly-pathogenic avian influenza virus was&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://scdhec.gov/sites/default/files/media/document/10510-DHA-01-20-2022-HPAI_Final.pdf">first detected domestically</a>&nbsp;on January 13, 2022, in a wild bird in Colleton County, South Carolina. The first domesticated animal case of the disease was found on a turkey farm in Dubois County, Indiana on February 8, 2022.

Since then, the disease has spread across 47 states, affecting more than 833 commercial and backyard poultry flocks.

Still, this is not the first outbreak of HPAI that the federal government has responded to. And despite the scope of these numbers, many animal health experts say current USDA efforts represent a significant improvement over earlier outbreaks of the disease.

Sato recalled that a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/emergency_management/downloads/hpai/2015-hpai-final-report.pdf">2015 outbreak of HPAI,</a>&nbsp;previously considered the worst outbreak on record, required the culling of 50.4 million birds on Midwestern poultry operations.

She added that 70% of the cause of new infections from that outbreak was farm-to-farm lateral spread from workers in 21 states, including Arkansas, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

In contrast to that outbreak, Sato said that now “we’ve done a really good job with biosecurity.” Biosecurity refers to preventive measures producers can take to limit spread of the disease, like disinfecting farm machinery and providing clean clothing and protective equipment to farmworkers.

Sato said that with producers embracing these practices, the lateral spread of avian influenza decreased from&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/downloads/animal_diseases/ai/epi-analyses-hpai-poultry-july2022.pdf">70% of reported cases in 2015 to roughly 16% of reported cases in 2023.</a>

Moffitt added that efforts to control the virus are projected to cost the country less than 50% of its 2015 expenditures of $1.6 billion.

However, animal disease experts caution that the U.S. is dealing with a more widely dispersed and distinct disease than that of the 2015 HPAI outbreak.

Nichola Hill, an&nbsp;assistant professor of biology at&nbsp;the University of Massachusetts, said at the April 26 media event that researchers have detected the virus in 150 of the approximately 1,000 wild bird species found in the U.S., and the disease has affected&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-wild-birds">more than 6,000 wild birds.</a>

Greg Tyler, the president and CEO of USA Poultry and Egg Export Council, said that this version of the disease has also gotten into&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fws.gov/media/migratory-bird-flyways-north-america">all four major migratory flyways&nbsp;</a>for wild birds in the U.S.

Sato said that more backyard flocks of poultry are being affected by the spread of bird flu from migratory populations — a total of 507 small to mid-sized flocks — in contrast to the 21 backyard flocks affected in 2015.

There are also new concerns emerging among experts that this deadly disease could become endemic to North America without significant public-private collaboration to reduce spread, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320723001428?via%3Dihub">an April study</a>&nbsp;from researchers at the University of Maryland.

“Federal agencies, state agencies, the agriculture sector and wildlife management — we are all going to have to deal with this together, because we can’t afford not to,” said Jennifer Mullinax, an assistant professor in the University of Maryland Department of Environmental Science and Technology,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://agnr.umd.edu/news/why-bird-flu-different-scientists-say-new-avian-influenza-requires-urgent-coordinated-response">in a release.</a>

While some animal health experts say developing a vaccine for the current bird flu strain could be a valuable tool, trade experts caution that a national vaccination strategy would not come quickly, or without tradeoffs for the nation’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fas.usda.gov/data/commodities/poultry-meat-prods-ex-eggs">$6 billion poultry export industry.</a>

Sato said that a national vaccination strategy for the roughly 10 billion commercial-purpose birds in the United States could be time-intensive, and cost billions of taxpayer dollars.

Tom Super, senior vice president of communications at the National Chicken Council, said that&nbsp;his organization does not support the use of a vaccine for HPAI right now, as&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2023aof-Padilla.pdf">most countries do not accept exports</a>&nbsp;from countries that vaccinate for the virus.

These non-tariff trade barriers are designed to protect other nations’ unvaccinated poultry flocks from immunized birds that still carry the disease.&nbsp;Super added that if the U.S. vaccinates domestic birds, the broiler industry will be cut off from exports, costing billions of dollars to the U.S. economy every year.

Tyler added that his organization found that if a vaccination campaign happens without adjustments to trade policy, there could be a potential loss of 200,000 farm jobs.

Moffitt said that negotiations between the USDA and foreign partners are still ongoing to maintain international poultry export markets for certain states amid outbreaks in others in the country.

Tyler said that the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Foreign Agricultural Service have made significant progress in developing regionalization agreements with foreign governments since 2015.

He noted that the U.S. poultry industry has managed roughly $11.7 billion in exports over the last two years, despite the ongoing challenges of HPAI and bans on poultry exports by certain countries like China.

Super and Tyler both advocated for continued funding for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to provide rapid-response support to farms.

Moffitt urged adhering to biosecurity measures like interstate surveillance and the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/cal-defend-the-flock-2023.pdf">Defend the Flock&nbsp;</a>program at the April 18 hearing. Moffitt cited that the number of infections in commercial flocks in March 2023 decreased tenfold compared to March 2022, proof the USDA’s current strategy of rapid tests and reporting is working.

“We know how to respond quickly, so producers can get back to producing food, how important biosecurity is, how to keep markets open,” she said. “We know what to do, and we are ready.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649945707315.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By ADAM GOLDSTEIN <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/17/state-ag-officials-push-for-on-time-farm-bill-to-fund-slew-of-programs/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — The deadliest outbreak of bird flu in U.S. history is prompting growing concern in Congress, and Department of Agriculture researchers are awaiting the preliminary results of four trials of vaccines for poultry.Some lawmakers are warming to the idea of a vaccination campaign, long considered a fringe idea because of the cost and potential consequences. Trade groups warn that vaccinated poultry would not be accepted in many overseas markets, disrupting exports.While bird flu likely poses little health danger to humans, it’s contributed to spikes in U.S. egg prices and decimated poultry flocks.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://extension.umn.edu/poultry-health/avian-influenza-basics-noncommercial-poultry-flock-owners">Among the domestic poultry affected</a>&nbsp;are chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, ducks and geese — in both big commercial operations and increasingly popular backyard flocks.Since the current strain of highly-pathogenic avian influenza — H5N1 — began circulating in the country in February 2022, farmers across the country have lost or had to cull&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-commercial-backyard-flocks">more than 58 million poultry birds.</a>The USDA estimates it has already spent&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/downloads/animal_diseases/ai/epi-analyses-hpai-poultry-july2022.pdf">more than $670 million</a>&nbsp;in insurance indemnities and sanitation services to combat the ongoing bird flu outbreak.And with many wild birds starting their spring migration, roughly&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-commercial-backyard-flocks">140,000 poultry birds</a>&nbsp;were infected with the virus nationwide in April.While food costs are stabilizing, members of Congress from both parties are asking how the U.S. can do better at controlling bird flu.“We’ve all seen first-hand how high pathogenic avian flu has devastated domestic poultry populations, where depopulations have had to take place,” said Rep. Jim Costa, a California Democrat, at an April 18 House Agriculture Committee hearing.“We’ve got to continue to refine and improve our approach to address animal disease, and USDA needs all the tools to guarantee a robust response.”The USDA is testing two proprietary vaccines developed through its Agricultural Research Service, as well as bird flu vaccines from pharmaceutical companies Merck Animal Health and Zoetis Inc.But animal health experts note that a bird flu vaccine is not the immediate solution that some believe it to be.Jenny Lester Moffitt, undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs at the USDA, said at an April 24 press event that it will take a minimum of 18 to 24 months to produce a viable vaccine, which is not guaranteed to be effective against infection.Yuko Sato, a poultry veterinarian and associate professor at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, said at an April 26 media event that “the vaccine is not a silver bullet” for an end to the outbreak.“You would have to make sure that if you vaccinate — but still have positive birds — you can stamp out the virus,” Sato said. “Otherwise, we’ll never be looking at eradicating the virus from the United States.”Here are the answers to some common questions about the ongoing bird flu outbreak and potential vaccines.<h2>What is highly-pathogenic avian influenza?</h2><a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/influenza-a-virus-subtypes.htm">Highly-pathogenic avian influenza,</a>&nbsp;commonly known as HPAI, bird flu, or “high-path,” is a deadly respiratory virus that affects wild birds and poultry.The contagious disease comes from the Influenza A family, and is characterized by the H5 or H7 categories of hemagglutinin — or spike protein — structures on its surface, which it uses to infect cells. The virus is spread via airborne transmission, or exposure to the byproducts of an infected bird, like saliva, mucus or feces.Poultry and other domesticated birds with the disease will often exhibit a lack of energy, produce soft-shelled or misshapen eggs, and have swollen heads.The highly-pathogenic version of the disease was first identified in China in 1996, and has mutated several times over the last three decades through swapping genetic material with low-pathogenic avian influenza strains within wild birds.David Swayne, former director of the Agricultural Research Service’s Southeast Poultry Research Lab in Athens, Georgia, said at an April 26 media briefing that 87% of avian influenza strains are made up of blended genetic material from other strains. He said that this natural mutation process can make a vaccine less effective against the virus year over year.Wild migratory birds are the primary transmission vector in the current outbreak, accounting for roughly 85% of disease spread,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/pest-disease/defend-flock/webinar-prevention-to-recovery-sept2022-qas.pdf">according to the USDA.</a>&nbsp;These animals, including terns, ducks, and geese, can contract and pass along the disease without obvious physical symptoms.Yet an HPAI infection spreads quickly among a flock of poultry, with infections leading to mortality at a rate of 90% to 100% in chickens and turkeys, often within 48 hours, according to the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/bro-protect-poultry-from-ai.pdf">Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.</a>When a farmer detects the disease in a commercial flock, the only USDA-recommended option is to kill the remaining birds, dispose of the carcasses, and decontaminate the facility to mitigate spread.<h2>Who is getting infected? Should I be worried?</h2>Despite the threat H5N1 presents to poultry, experts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that people do not need to brood over getting sick.The agency reports that&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/inhumans.htm#:~:text=Since%20December%202021%2C%2011%20human,reported%20since%201997%20are%20available.">11 cases of bird flu</a>&nbsp;have been reported among humans since 2021, with only one “mild” case occurring in the United States. And as of 2023, there have been no reported cases of human-to-human transmission of HPAI, according to t<a target="_blank" href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2023-DON453">he World Health Organization.</a>Swayne said at the media event that only 875 human cases of H5 bird flu have been reported since 1996. About 40% were fatal. He noted these infections have occurred largely among humans handling domesticated poultry, and not from encounters with wild birds.The USDA has documented&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-mammals">176 mammals in the United States&nbsp; infected with the disease&nbsp;</a>since 2022, including skunks, foxes, seals, and mountain lions, among other species. Wildlife experts from the U.S. Geological Survey published&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.10.532068v1">a study in April&nbsp;</a>finding much of this disease spillover can be traced back to predation on wild birds.Still both Swayne and Hill pointed to a recent event in which&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/06/americas/bird-flu-sea-lion-deaths-peru-intl-latam/index.html">3,500 sea lions became infected with the virus in Peru</a>&nbsp;as one worth monitoring for mutations that could affect mammals.<h2>How does the current outbreak compare to past bird flu outbreaks?</h2>The current iteration of the highly-pathogenic avian influenza virus was&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://scdhec.gov/sites/default/files/media/document/10510-DHA-01-20-2022-HPAI_Final.pdf">first detected domestically</a>&nbsp;on January 13, 2022, in a wild bird in Colleton County, South Carolina. The first domesticated animal case of the disease was found on a turkey farm in Dubois County, Indiana on February 8, 2022.Since then, the disease has spread across 47 states, affecting more than 833 commercial and backyard poultry flocks.Still, this is not the first outbreak of HPAI that the federal government has responded to. And despite the scope of these numbers, many animal health experts say current USDA efforts represent a significant improvement over earlier outbreaks of the disease.Sato recalled that a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/emergency_management/downloads/hpai/2015-hpai-final-report.pdf">2015 outbreak of HPAI,</a>&nbsp;previously considered the worst outbreak on record, required the culling of 50.4 million birds on Midwestern poultry operations.She added that 70% of the cause of new infections from that outbreak was farm-to-farm lateral spread from workers in 21 states, including Arkansas, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.In contrast to that outbreak, Sato said that now “we’ve done a really good job with biosecurity.” Biosecurity refers to preventive measures producers can take to limit spread of the disease, like disinfecting farm machinery and providing clean clothing and protective equipment to farmworkers.Sato said that with producers embracing these practices, the lateral spread of avian influenza decreased from&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/downloads/animal_diseases/ai/epi-analyses-hpai-poultry-july2022.pdf">70% of reported cases in 2015 to roughly 16% of reported cases in 2023.</a>Moffitt added that efforts to control the virus are projected to cost the country less than 50% of its 2015 expenditures of $1.6 billion.However, animal disease experts caution that the U.S. is dealing with a more widely dispersed and distinct disease than that of the 2015 HPAI outbreak.Nichola Hill, an&nbsp;assistant professor of biology at&nbsp;the University of Massachusetts, said at the April 26 media event that researchers have detected the virus in 150 of the approximately 1,000 wild bird species found in the U.S., and the disease has affected&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-wild-birds">more than 6,000 wild birds.</a>Greg Tyler, the president and CEO of USA Poultry and Egg Export Council, said that this version of the disease has also gotten into&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fws.gov/media/migratory-bird-flyways-north-america">all four major migratory flyways&nbsp;</a>for wild birds in the U.S.Sato said that more backyard flocks of poultry are being affected by the spread of bird flu from migratory populations — a total of 507 small to mid-sized flocks — in contrast to the 21 backyard flocks affected in 2015.There are also new concerns emerging among experts that this deadly disease could become endemic to North America without significant public-private collaboration to reduce spread, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320723001428?via%3Dihub">an April study</a>&nbsp;from researchers at the University of Maryland.“Federal agencies, state agencies, the agriculture sector and wildlife management — we are all going to have to deal with this together, because we can’t afford not to,” said Jennifer Mullinax, an assistant professor in the University of Maryland Department of Environmental Science and Technology,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://agnr.umd.edu/news/why-bird-flu-different-scientists-say-new-avian-influenza-requires-urgent-coordinated-response">in a release.</a><h2>What about a vaccine?</h2>While some animal health experts say developing a vaccine for the current bird flu strain could be a valuable tool, trade experts caution that a national vaccination strategy would not come quickly, or without tradeoffs for the nation’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fas.usda.gov/data/commodities/poultry-meat-prods-ex-eggs">$6 billion poultry export industry.</a>Sato said that a national vaccination strategy for the roughly 10 billion commercial-purpose birds in the United States could be time-intensive, and cost billions of taxpayer dollars.Tom Super, senior vice president of communications at the National Chicken Council, said that&nbsp;his organization does not support the use of a vaccine for HPAI right now, as&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2023aof-Padilla.pdf">most countries do not accept exports</a>&nbsp;from countries that vaccinate for the virus.These non-tariff trade barriers are designed to protect other nations’ unvaccinated poultry flocks from immunized birds that still carry the disease.&nbsp;Super added that if the U.S. vaccinates domestic birds, the broiler industry will be cut off from exports, costing billions of dollars to the U.S. economy every year.Tyler added that his organization found that if a vaccination campaign happens without adjustments to trade policy, there could be a potential loss of 200,000 farm jobs.Moffitt said that negotiations between the USDA and foreign partners are still ongoing to maintain international poultry export markets for certain states amid outbreaks in others in the country.Tyler said that the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Foreign Agricultural Service have made significant progress in developing regionalization agreements with foreign governments since 2015.He noted that the U.S. poultry industry has managed roughly $11.7 billion in exports over the last two years, despite the ongoing challenges of HPAI and bans on poultry exports by certain countries like China.Super and Tyler both advocated for continued funding for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to provide rapid-response support to farms.Moffitt urged adhering to biosecurity measures like interstate surveillance and the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/cal-defend-the-flock-2023.pdf">Defend the Flock&nbsp;</a>program at the April 18 hearing. Moffitt cited that the number of infections in commercial flocks in March 2023 decreased tenfold compared to March 2022, proof the USDA’s current strategy of rapid tests and reporting is working.“We know how to respond quickly, so producers can get back to producing food, how important biosecurity is, how to keep markets open,” she said. “We know what to do, and we are ready.”

Is a poultry vaccine the answer for worst bird flu outbreak ever?

WASHINGTON (AP) — One outcome is clear as Washington reaches for a budget deal in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-debt-limit-coin-constitution-mccarthy-77be7f00b81cebec44fbaf807b9642ff">debt ceiling standoff</a>: The ambitious COVID-19 era of government spending to cope with the pandemic and rebuild is giving way to a new focus on tailored investments and stemming deficits.

President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has said recouping unspent coronavirus money is “on the table” in budget talks with Congress. While the White House has threatened to veto Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-bill-house-republicans-kevin-mccarthy-f73e6c2fce8abdfab4973c727ea79517">debt ceiling bill</a>&nbsp;with its “devastating cuts” to federal programs, the administration has signaled a willingness to consider other budget caps.

The end result is a turnaround from just a few years ago, when Congress passed and then-president Donald Trump signed the historic&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b8680bcb2177068ef00ef87b27657400">$2.2 trillion CARES Act</a>&nbsp;at the start of the public health crisis in 2020. It’s a dramatic realignment even as Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20President%20Joe,better%E2%80%9D%20for%20the%20American%20people.">bipartisan infrastructure law</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-biden-health-climate-and-environment-7a267eeea21af0f44318e6b9d888c36c">Inflation Reduction Act</a>&nbsp;are now investing billions of dollars into paving streets, shoring up the federal safety net and restructuring the U.S. economy.

“The appetite to throw a lot more money at major problems right now is significantly diminished, given what we’ve seen over the past several years,” said Shai Akabas, director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a nonpartisan organization in Washington.

The Treasury Department has warned it will begin running out of money to pay the nation’s bills&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tax-debt-ceiling-budget-deficit-8062bd6b9afebc37e2a1eb4c9e9c152f">as soon as June 1</a>, though an estimate Friday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget office put the deadline at the first two weeks of June, potentially buying the negotiators time.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683929680797.png" alt="President&nbsp;Joe Biden&nbsp;has said recouping unspent coronavirus money is “on the table” in budget talks with Congress-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President&nbsp;Joe Biden&nbsp;has said recouping unspent coronavirus money is “on the table” in budget talks with Congress-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — One outcome is clear as Washington reaches for a budget deal in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-debt-limit-coin-constitution-mccarthy-77be7f00b81cebec44fbaf807b9642ff">debt ceiling standoff</a>: The ambitious COVID-19 era of government spending to cope with the pandemic and rebuild is giving way to a new focus on tailored investments and stemming deficits.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I&#39;m happy to work with House Republicans on budget and spending priorities – but not under the threat of default. <a href="https://t.co/aLKqF3a5gD">pic.twitter.com/aLKqF3a5gD</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1657143617151025155?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has said recouping unspent coronavirus money is “on the table” in budget talks with Congress. While the White House has threatened to veto Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-bill-house-republicans-kevin-mccarthy-f73e6c2fce8abdfab4973c727ea79517">debt ceiling bill</a>&nbsp;with its “devastating cuts” to federal programs, the administration has signaled a willingness to consider other budget caps.The end result is a turnaround from just a few years ago, when Congress passed and then-president Donald Trump signed the historic&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b8680bcb2177068ef00ef87b27657400">$2.2 trillion CARES Act</a>&nbsp;at the start of the public health crisis in 2020. It’s a dramatic realignment even as Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20President%20Joe,better%E2%80%9D%20for%20the%20American%20people.">bipartisan infrastructure law</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-biden-health-climate-and-environment-7a267eeea21af0f44318e6b9d888c36c">Inflation Reduction Act</a>&nbsp;are now investing billions of dollars into paving streets, shoring up the federal safety net and restructuring the U.S. economy.“The appetite to throw a lot more money at major problems right now is significantly diminished, given what we’ve seen over the past several years,” said Shai Akabas, director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a nonpartisan organization in Washington.The Treasury Department has warned it will begin running out of money to pay the nation’s bills&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tax-debt-ceiling-budget-deficit-8062bd6b9afebc37e2a1eb4c9e9c152f">as soon as June 1</a>, though an estimate Friday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget office put the deadline at the first two weeks of June, potentially buying the negotiators time.The contours of an agreement between the White House and Congress are within reach even if the political will to end the standoff is uncertain. Negotiators are considering clawing back some $30 billion in unused COVID-19 funds, imposing spending caps over the next several years and approving permitting reforms to ease construction of energy projects and other developments, according to those familiar with the closed-door staff discussions. They were not authorized to discuss the private deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683679819499.png" alt="Republicans came to the White House last week hoping to negotiate sweeping cuts to federal spending in exchange for allowing new borrowing to avoid default.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Republicans came to the White House last week hoping to negotiate sweeping cuts to federal spending in exchange for allowing new borrowing to avoid default.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>The White House has been hesitant to engage in talks, insisting it is only willing to negotiate over the annual budget, not the debt ceiling, and Biden's team is skeptical that McCarthy can cut any deal with his far-right House majority.(Click below to watch&nbsp;White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's statement)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F987102719126530%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=1791" 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>“There’s no deal to be had on the debt ceiling. There’s no negotiation to be had on the debt ceiling," said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kevin-mccarthy">McCarthy's</a>&nbsp;allies say the White House has fundamentally underestimated what the new Republican leader has been able to accomplish — first in the grueling fight to become House speaker and now in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kevin-mccarthy-house-speaker-100-days-trump-6c028bd4508883cb0afc11ec16af2be0">having passed the House bill</a>&nbsp;with $4.5 trillion in savings as an opening offer in negotiations. Both have emboldened McCarthy to push hard for a deal.“The White House has been wrong every single time with understanding where we are with the House,” said Russ Vought, president of Center for American Renewal and Trump's former director of the Office of Management and Budget. “They're dealing with a new animal.”The nation’s debt load has ballooned in recent years to $31 trillion. That's virtually double what it was during the last major debt ceiling showdown a decade ago, when Biden, as vice president to President Barack Obama, faced the new class of tea party Republicans demanding spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt limit.While the politics of the debt limit have intensified, the nation's debt is nothing new. The U.S. balance sheets have been operating in the red for much of its history, dating to before the Civil War. That’s because government expenditures are routinely more than tax revenues, helping to subsidize the comforts Americans depend on — national security, public works, a federal safety net and basic operations to keep a civil society running. In the U.S., individuals pay the bulk of the taxes, while corporations pay less than 10%.Much of the COVID-19 spending approved at the start of the pandemic has run its course and government spending is back to its typical levels, experts said. That includes the free vaccines, small business payroll funds, emergency payments to individuals, monthly child tax credits and supplemental food aid that protected Americans and the economy.“Most of the big things we did are done — and they did an enormous amount of good,” said Sharon Parrott, president of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.“We actually showed that we know how to drive down poverty and drive up health insurance amid what would have been rising hardship,” she said.Last year, Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law over Republican opposition, was largely paid for with savings and new revenues elsewhere.The popularity of some spending, particularly the child tax credits in the COVID-19 relief and the Inflation Reduction Act's efforts to tackle climate change, shows the political hunger in the country for the kinds of investments that some Americans believe will help push the U.S. fully into a 21st century economy.A case in point: A core group of Midwestern Republican lawmakers prevented a rollback of the Inflation Reduction Act's biofuel tax credits their colleagues wanted to scrap, persuading McCarthy to leave that out of the House bill. The federal money is propping up new investments in corn-heavy agriculture states.As McCarthy’s House Republicans now demand budget reductions in exchange for raising the debt limit, they have a harder time saying what government programs and services, in fact, they plan to cut.House Republicans pushed back strenuously against Biden's claims their bill would slash veterans and other services.McCarthy, in his meeting with the president, went so far as to tell Biden that's “a lie.”The Republicans promise they will exempt the Defense Department and veterans' health care once they draft the actual spending bills to match up with the House debt ceiling proposal, but there are no written guarantees those programs would not face cuts.In fact, Democrats say if Republicans spare defense and veterans from reductions, the cuts on the other departments would be as high as 22%.Budget watchers often reiterate that the debt problem is not necessarily the amount of the debt load, approaching 100% of the nation’s gross domestic product, but whether the federal government can continue making the payments on the debt, especially as interest rates rise.From the White House on Friday, Mitch Landrieu, the infrastructure implementation coordinator, talked up the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill Biden signed into law 18 months ago. He said it is creating jobs, spurring private investment and showing what can happen when the sides comes together.“We say once in a generation because it hasn't happened in our lifetimes, and quite frankly it may not happen again in the near future,” he said.__