CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Rep. George Santos has pleaded not guilty to charges alleging financial fraud at the heart of a political campaign built on dubious boasts about his personal wealth and business success.

<a href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-05/santos.indictment.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the 13 count indictment

Santos, the New York Republican whose biography began to unravel after his election last fall, is accused of duping donors, stealing campaign funds, lying to Congress and cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn’t deserve. Santos, 34, was released on a $500,000 bond following his arraignment Wednesday at a Long Island federal courthouse, about five hours after he surrendered to authorities. Santos told reporters he would not resign.

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-santos">George Santos</a>, the New York Republican infamous for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-lies-congress-new-york-republicans-9e4fd69b75894addb5bd2d4d5e8171ff">fabricating his life story</a>, has been indicted on charges that he duped donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress about being a millionaire, all while cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn't deserve, prosecutors said Wednesday.

<a href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-05/santos.indictment.pdf">Click here to read</a> the 13 count indictment

<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23809076-george-santos-indictment">The indictment</a>&nbsp;was a reckoning for a web of fraud and deceit that prosecutors say overlapped with Santos' fantastical public image as a wealthy businessman — a fictional biography that began to unravel after he won election last fall.

Santos surrendered on Wednesday and was taken to a federal courthouse on Long Island, where he was expected to make an initial court appearance on charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress.

Among the allegations, prosecutors say Santos induced supporters to donate to a company under the false pretense that the money would be used to support his campaign. Instead, they say, he used the money for personal expenses, including to buy designer clothes and to pay his credit cards and car payments.

Santos also is accused of lying about his finances on congressional disclosure forms and applying for and receiving unemployment benefits while he was employed as regional director of an investment firm that the government shut down in 2021 over allegations that it was a Ponzi scheme.

The indictment “seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. “Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself."

Reached by The Associated Press on Tuesday, Santos said he was unaware of the charges.

Santos has defied calls to resign — some from fellow Republicans — as details of his fictitous resume came to light, though he did&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-congress-house-committees-6e46e2badad39fb190d38105a800236f">decline his committee assignments</a>. He has given no indication that he plans to step aside because of his indictment. In the past, members of Congress in both parties have remained in office while facing charges.

Santos, 34, was elected to Congress last fall after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-business-bb455cc02b70e5366b9c5e347da8ad38">a campaign built partly on falsehoods</a>. He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker with a substantial real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things.

In reality, Santos didn't work at the big financial firms he claimed had employed him, didn't go to college and struggled financially before his run for public office. He claimed he fueled his run largely with self-made riches, earned from brokering deals on expensive toys for wealthy clients, but the indictment alleges those boasts were also exaggerated.

In regulatory filings, Santos claimed he loaned his campaign and related political action committees more than $750,000, but it was unclear how he would have come into that kind of wealth so quickly after years in which he struggled to pay his rent and faced multiple eviction proceedings.

In a financial disclosure form, Santos reported making $750,000 a year from a family company, the Devolder Organization, but the charges unsealed Wednesday allege that Santos never received that sum, nor the $1 million and $5 million in dividends he listed as coming from the firm.

Santos has described the Devolder Organization as a broker for sales of luxury items like yachts and aircraft. The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Santos stopped working as a salesman for Harbor City Capital, the company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.

In November 2021, Santos formed Redstone Strategies, a Florida company that federal prosecutors say he used to dupe donors into financing his lifestyle. According to the indictment, Santos told an associate to solicit contributions to the company and gave the person contact information for potential donors.

Emails to prospective donors falsely claimed that the company was formed “exclusively” to aid Santos’ election bid and that there would be no limits on how much they could contribute, the indictment said. Santos falsely claimed that the money would be spent on television ads and other campaign expenses, it said.

Last October, a month before his election, Santos transferred about $74,000 from company coffers to bank accounts he maintained, the indictment said. He also transferred money to some of his associates, it said.

Many of Santos' fellow New York Republicans called on him to resign after his fabricated life story was revealed. Some renewed those calls after news of his indictment.

"Sooner or later, whether he chooses to or not, both the truth and justice will be delivered to him,” said U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro, a Republican representing parts of upstate New York.

House Republican leaders were more circumspect, with Speaker Kevin McCarthy saying, “I think in America, you’re innocent till proven guilty," and Majority Leader Steve Scalise saying, “In America there’s a presumption of innocence."

Santos has faced criminal investigations before.

When he was 19, he was the subject of a criminal investigation in Brazil over allegations he used stolen checks to buy items at a clothing shop. Brazilian authorities said they have reopened the case.

In 2017, Santos was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-george-santos-pennsylvania-theft-business-e6d41c89261061f4775c7073c6ec14e8">charged with theft</a>&nbsp;in Pennsylvania after authorities said he used thousands of dollars in fraudulent checks to buy puppies from dog breeders. That case was dismissed after Santos claimed his checkbook had been stolen, and that someone else had taken the dogs.

Federal authorities have separately been looking into complaints about Santos' work raising money for a group that purported to help neglected and abused pets. One New Jersey veteran accused Santos of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-new-york-city-jersey-george-santos-surgery-f72a4d8a505783d7c558c8cbf4b6d55a">failing to deliver $3,000</a>&nbsp;he had raised to help his pet dog get a needed surgery.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683736676254.png" alt="United State's Attorney's office" />
 <figcaption>United State's Attorney's office</figcaption>
 </figure>CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Rep. George Santos has pleaded not guilty to charges alleging financial fraud at the heart of a political campaign built on dubious boasts about his personal wealth and business success.<a href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-05/santos.indictment.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the 13 count indictmentSantos, the New York Republican whose biography began to unravel after his election last fall, is accused of duping donors, stealing campaign funds, lying to Congress and cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn’t deserve. Santos, 34, was released on a $500,000 bond following his arraignment Wednesday at a Long Island federal courthouse, about five hours after he surrendered to authorities. Santos told reporters he would not resign.----------CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-santos">George Santos</a>, the New York Republican infamous for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-lies-congress-new-york-republicans-9e4fd69b75894addb5bd2d4d5e8171ff">fabricating his life story</a>, has been indicted on charges that he duped donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress about being a millionaire, all while cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn't deserve, prosecutors said Wednesday.<a href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-05/santos.indictment.pdf">Click here to read</a> the 13 count indictment<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23809076-george-santos-indictment">The indictment</a>&nbsp;was a reckoning for a web of fraud and deceit that prosecutors say overlapped with Santos' fantastical public image as a wealthy businessman — a fictional biography that began to unravel after he won election last fall.Santos surrendered on Wednesday and was taken to a federal courthouse on Long Island, where he was expected to make an initial court appearance on charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress.Among the allegations, prosecutors say Santos induced supporters to donate to a company under the false pretense that the money would be used to support his campaign. Instead, they say, he used the money for personal expenses, including to buy designer clothes and to pay his credit cards and car payments.Santos also is accused of lying about his finances on congressional disclosure forms and applying for and receiving unemployment benefits while he was employed as regional director of an investment firm that the government shut down in 2021 over allegations that it was a Ponzi scheme.The indictment “seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. “Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself."Reached by The Associated Press on Tuesday, Santos said he was unaware of the charges.Santos has defied calls to resign — some from fellow Republicans — as details of his fictitous resume came to light, though he did&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-congress-house-committees-6e46e2badad39fb190d38105a800236f">decline his committee assignments</a>. He has given no indication that he plans to step aside because of his indictment. In the past, members of Congress in both parties have remained in office while facing charges.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673636785376.png" alt="Rep. Santos -courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Santos -courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Santos, 34, was elected to Congress last fall after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-business-bb455cc02b70e5366b9c5e347da8ad38">a campaign built partly on falsehoods</a>. He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker with a substantial real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things.In reality, Santos didn't work at the big financial firms he claimed had employed him, didn't go to college and struggled financially before his run for public office. He claimed he fueled his run largely with self-made riches, earned from brokering deals on expensive toys for wealthy clients, but the indictment alleges those boasts were also exaggerated.In regulatory filings, Santos claimed he loaned his campaign and related political action committees more than $750,000, but it was unclear how he would have come into that kind of wealth so quickly after years in which he struggled to pay his rent and faced multiple eviction proceedings.In a financial disclosure form, Santos reported making $750,000 a year from a family company, the Devolder Organization, but the charges unsealed Wednesday allege that Santos never received that sum, nor the $1 million and $5 million in dividends he listed as coming from the firm.Santos has described the Devolder Organization as a broker for sales of luxury items like yachts and aircraft. The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Santos stopped working as a salesman for Harbor City Capital, the company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.In November 2021, Santos formed Redstone Strategies, a Florida company that federal prosecutors say he used to dupe donors into financing his lifestyle. According to the indictment, Santos told an associate to solicit contributions to the company and gave the person contact information for potential donors.Emails to prospective donors falsely claimed that the company was formed “exclusively” to aid Santos’ election bid and that there would be no limits on how much they could contribute, the indictment said. Santos falsely claimed that the money would be spent on television ads and other campaign expenses, it said.Last October, a month before his election, Santos transferred about $74,000 from company coffers to bank accounts he maintained, the indictment said. He also transferred money to some of his associates, it said.Many of Santos' fellow New York Republicans called on him to resign after his fabricated life story was revealed. Some renewed those calls after news of his indictment."Sooner or later, whether he chooses to or not, both the truth and justice will be delivered to him,” said U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro, a Republican representing parts of upstate New York.House Republican leaders were more circumspect, with Speaker Kevin McCarthy saying, “I think in America, you’re innocent till proven guilty," and Majority Leader Steve Scalise saying, “In America there’s a presumption of innocence."Santos has faced criminal investigations before.When he was 19, he was the subject of a criminal investigation in Brazil over allegations he used stolen checks to buy items at a clothing shop. Brazilian authorities said they have reopened the case.In 2017, Santos was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-george-santos-pennsylvania-theft-business-e6d41c89261061f4775c7073c6ec14e8">charged with theft</a>&nbsp;in Pennsylvania after authorities said he used thousands of dollars in fraudulent checks to buy puppies from dog breeders. That case was dismissed after Santos claimed his checkbook had been stolen, and that someone else had taken the dogs.Federal authorities have separately been looking into complaints about Santos' work raising money for a group that purported to help neglected and abused pets. One New Jersey veteran accused Santos of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-new-york-city-jersey-george-santos-surgery-f72a4d8a505783d7c558c8cbf4b6d55a">failing to deliver $3,000</a>&nbsp;he had raised to help his pet dog get a needed surgery.___

GOP congressman surrenders; read the indictment of fraud, theft

WASHINGTON (AP) — Women should start getting every-other-year mammograms at age 40 instead of waiting until 50, according to a draft recommendation from a federal task force.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has long said women can choose to start breast cancer screening as young as 40, with a stronger recommendation that they get the X-ray exams every two years from age 50 through 74.

Tuesday’s update -– if the draft proposal is finalized -– would mark a shift in the influential panel’s guidelines although it's not likely to end confusion. Other health groups differ over when and how often to screen.

“This new recommendation will help save lives and prevent more women from dying due to breast cancer,” said former task force chair Dr. Carol Mangione.

The task force noted that Black women are 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women, making mammograms at 40 an especially important step -– but also urged more research to better understand and combat the disparity.

The task force also noted that nearly half of all women have dense breasts, which means mammograms may not work as well, and called for more research into whether additional types of testing would help.

The draft recommendation applies to women at average risk of breast cancer but not those at very high risk due to certain genetic or other factors. It is open for public comment through June 5, after which the task force will decide whether to finalize it.

While cancer deaths have been declining for years, breast cancer remains the second leading cancer killer of U.S. woman, behind lung cancer.

Health organizations have long had different screening recommendations, seeking to balance catching breast cancer early while avoiding too many false alarms, when the X-rays spot non-cancerous blips.

The American Cancer Society says women ages 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year -– but can choose to start at 40 and then at 55, can choose to switch to every other year.

The American College of Radiology recommends annual mammograms starting at 40 for women at average risk of breast cancer -– but urges that young women get assessed for risk factors that require even earlier screening.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Women should start getting every-other-year mammograms at age 40 instead of waiting until 50, according to a draft recommendation from a federal task force.The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has long said women can choose to start breast cancer screening as young as 40, with a stronger recommendation that they get the X-ray exams every two years from age 50 through 74.Tuesday’s update -– if the draft proposal is finalized -– would mark a shift in the influential panel’s guidelines although it's not likely to end confusion. Other health groups differ over when and how often to screen.“This new recommendation will help save lives and prevent more women from dying due to breast cancer,” said former task force chair Dr. Carol Mangione.The task force noted that Black women are 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women, making mammograms at 40 an especially important step -– but also urged more research to better understand and combat the disparity.The task force also noted that nearly half of all women have dense breasts, which means mammograms may not work as well, and called for more research into whether additional types of testing would help.The draft recommendation applies to women at average risk of breast cancer but not those at very high risk due to certain genetic or other factors. It is open for public comment through June 5, after which the task force will decide whether to finalize it.While cancer deaths have been declining for years, breast cancer remains the second leading cancer killer of U.S. woman, behind lung cancer.Health organizations have long had different screening recommendations, seeking to balance catching breast cancer early while avoiding too many false alarms, when the X-rays spot non-cancerous blips.The American Cancer Society says women ages 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year -– but can choose to start at 40 and then at 55, can choose to switch to every other year.The American College of Radiology recommends annual mammograms starting at 40 for women at average risk of breast cancer -– but urges that young women get assessed for risk factors that require even earlier screening.

Start mammograms at 40, not 50, a US health panel recommends

KEARNEY, NEB.&nbsp; — Investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol Tech Crimes Unit, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constables Office (Texas), and the Kearney Police Department, have arrested a Kearney man after a child exploitation investigation.

Montgomery County officials contacted Nebraska officials regarding a child exploitation investigation and had identified a suspect who was located in Kearney.

Tuesday morning, NSP performed a search warrant at the residence of 822 D Avenue, in Kearney. The resident, Nicholas Kitzing, 33, was arrested on four arrest warrants from Montgomery County, Texas for possession with the intent to promote child pornography.&nbsp;

Kitzing was lodged in Buffalo County Jail. The investigation remains ongoing.

By Nebraska State Patrol&nbsp;KEARNEY, NEB.&nbsp; — Investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol Tech Crimes Unit, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constables Office (Texas), and the Kearney Police Department, have arrested a Kearney man after a child exploitation investigation.Montgomery County officials contacted Nebraska officials regarding a child exploitation investigation and had identified a suspect who was located in Kearney.Tuesday morning, NSP performed a search warrant at the residence of 822 D Avenue, in Kearney. The resident, Nicholas Kitzing, 33, was arrested on four arrest warrants from Montgomery County, Texas for possession with the intent to promote child pornography.&nbsp;Kitzing was lodged in Buffalo County Jail. The investigation remains ongoing.

NSP arrests Kearney man in child exploitation investigation

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and congressional leaders confronted each other on the debt limit impasse Tuesday, ending their meeting with no breakthrough but agreeing to meet again this week to try to avert the looming&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-us-department-of-the-treasury-united-states-government-janet-yellen-business-6fe9b54dcdfea58bead0f4c5f9f89a64">risk of an unprecedented government default</a>.

Speaking at the White House, Biden described the talks as “productive” even though House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said after the high-stakes Oval Office meeting that he “didn’t see any new movement” toward resolving the stalemate.

Lawmakers and their staffs were to continue discussions as soon as Tuesday evening on the annual federal budget at Biden’s encouragement. Biden and the congressional leaders are to meet again on Friday.

After the hour-long discussion in the Oval Office, Biden said he was “absolutely certain” that the country could avert a default, declaring that failure to meet America's obligations “is not an option.”

Still, time is short. The government is bumping up against its legal limit for borrowing and will not be able to pay all of its bills as soon as June 1 if Congress doesn’t agree to raise the debt ceiling. That failure would send the country into default with wide-reaching economic impacts at home and around the world.

Republicans came to the White House hoping to negotiate sweeping cuts to federal spending in exchange for allowing new borrowing to avoid default. Biden, on the other hand, reinforced his opposition to allowing the country’s full faith and credit to be held “hostage” to negotiations — while affirming his willingness to hold talks on the budget only after default is no longer a threat.

“I told congressional leaders that I’m prepared to begin a separate discussion about my budget, spending priorities, but not under the threat of default,” Biden said.

Outside the White House, McCarthy said, “I asked the president this simple question, Does he not believe there’s any place we could find savings."

As the president welcomed McCarthy, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, he had quipped to reporters, “We’re going to get started, solve all the world’s problems.”

Biden described the meeting's tone as “very measured and low key,” adding, “occasionally there would be a little bit of an assertion that maybe was a little over the top from the speaker.”

He especially took issue with McCarthy's branding as a lie the Democrats' assertion that the Republicans' budget restraints would hurt veterans.

Still, Biden added, “I trust Kevin will try to do what he says.”

There seemed to be at least a bit of daylight between McConnell, who has let his House counterpart take the lead in negotiations and backed him up ahead of the White House meeting, and McCarthy.

The Senate leader categorically said, “The United States is not going to default. It never has and it never will." The speaker, though, simply said, “I’ve done everything in my power to make sure we will not default.”

Democrats said there is room to “come together” on spending cuts as part of the budget process, but quickly jumped on McCarthy's refusal to rule out the possibility of default, with Schumer saying the Republican is “greatly endangering America.”

“To use the risk of default, with all the dangers that has for the American people as a hostage and say it’s my way or no way, are mostly my way or no way, is dangerous," Schumer said.

McCarthy said Biden had directed their staffs to continue discussions, and that the leaders themselves would convene again in person on Friday at the White House.

While Biden ruled out default, he also all but dismissed trying to unilaterally prevent it, saying that he didn't believe invoking the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which says the validity of the federal debt shall not be questioned, was a solution to the current impasse.

White House lawyers will pursue the idea further, he added, but "the problem is it would have to be litigated.”

Before the White House meeting, both McCarthy and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted it would be simple to avert default — if only the other side capitulated.

The chasm between these opposite postures had fomented uncertainty that is roiling financial markets and threatens to turn into a tidal wave that swamps the country’s economy. Default, officials say, would have sweeping impacts, threatening to disrupt Social Security payments to retirees, destabilize global markets and tilt the nation into a potentially debilitating recession.

Last month, House Republicans passed a sweeping bill to slash spending, an opening offer in negotiations. But that legislation has no chance in the Democratic Senate and the White House has threatened to veto it. Republicans hope that bill would achieve $4.5 trillion in deficit savings through cuts in spending, eliminating tax breaks for investing in clean energy, and reversing Biden’s plans to reduce the burdens of student loan debt.

Referring to the House bill, McCarthy said, “We both said default is not an option — but only one of us took action.”

Already looking past the meeting, Biden on Wednesday is to go to Westchester County, New York, where he plans to deliver a speech on how proposed spending cuts approved by House Republicans could hurt teachers, older adults needing food aid and veterans seeking health care.

It's part of a broader campaign by Biden to try to paint the Republican cuts as draconian. Aides believe that message both strengthens his position in talks with the GOP and boosts his nascent 2024 reelection effort. His Wednesday visit will be to a congressional district won by Biden in 2020 but now represented by a Republican, Rep. Mike Lawler.

Because the House Republican bill does not specifically spell out which federal programs would be cut, Democrats have gone on offense warning of steep hits to popular programs. The Democratic-aligned group House Majority Forward announced a $1 million campaign Tuesday amplifying such cuts, while the House Republicans' campaign committee countered with its own effort portraying Democrats as “addicted to spending.”

McCarthy rejected as he said his caucus would take steps to increase funding for veterans despite their overall proposal. “First of all, cutting the veterans is a lie,” he said.

While calling for a “clean” increase to the debt limit, Biden has said he is open to discussion about how to reduce the federal deficit. His budget plan would trim deficits by nearly $3 trillion over a decade, mainly through tax increases on the wealthy and changes such as letting the government negotiate over prescription drug prices.

In response to McCarthy’s demand to claw back some unspent funds from his sweeping COVID-19 relief package, Biden said he would “take a hard look” at doing so independent of the talks to raise the debt limit.

“We don’t need it all, but the question is what obligations were there made, commitments, made, money not dispersed, etc.,” Biden said, adding: “It’s on the table.”

Biden added the debt limit should be raised for “more than a year, so that we can move things along.” The House GOP bill raised the possibility of another showdown over the government’s borrowing authority in the heat of a presidential election next year.

While&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/recession-gdp-economy-inflation-interest-rates-growth-b6276997368000bdd2bb12bdcf34f3b8">the financial markets</a>&nbsp;have started to show some jitters, the business community has thus far largely avoided backing either side in the showdown and instead called for a deal to be struck.

“Securing a bipartisan path forward to raise the debt ceiling could not be more urgent,” said Josh Bolten, the head of the Business Roundtable, a group that represents CEOs. “The cost of a default, or even the threat of a default, is simply too high.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce suggested its own priorities for a swift deal Tuesday, saying "there are no two better places to start than permitting reform and an agreement on spending caps.”

Biden's refusal to negotiate on the debt limit is informed by his first-hand experience in 2011, when he was Barack Obama's vice president and the administration made painful concessions to Republicans in an effort to avoid default. Biden has told aides it's an experience he refuses to repeat, not just for himself, but for future presidents.

Notably, though, the administration has not ruled out a short-term increase in the debt limit that would align the deadline to increase federal borrowing authority with the talks on government spending that must be resolved by Sept. 30.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683679819499.png" alt="Republicans came to the White House hoping to negotiate sweeping cuts to federal spending in exchange for allowing new borrowing to avoid default. Biden, on the other hand, reinforced his opposition to allowing the country’s full faith and credit to be held “hostage” to negotiations -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Republicans came to the White House hoping to negotiate sweeping cuts to federal spending in exchange for allowing new borrowing to avoid default. Biden, on the other hand, reinforced his opposition to allowing the country’s full faith and credit to be held “hostage” to negotiations -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and congressional leaders confronted each other on the debt limit impasse Tuesday, ending their meeting with no breakthrough but agreeing to meet again this week to try to avert the looming&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-us-department-of-the-treasury-united-states-government-janet-yellen-business-6fe9b54dcdfea58bead0f4c5f9f89a64">risk of an unprecedented government default</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Join me as I deliver remarks following a meeting with Congressional leaders about preventing a first-ever government default. <a href="https://t.co/FTjvRnl7oa">https://t.co/FTjvRnl7oa</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1656066178886803457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Speaking at the White House, Biden described the talks as “productive” even though House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said after the high-stakes Oval Office meeting that he “didn’t see any new movement” toward resolving the stalemate.Lawmakers and their staffs were to continue discussions as soon as Tuesday evening on the annual federal budget at Biden’s encouragement. Biden and the congressional leaders are to meet again on Friday.After the hour-long discussion in the Oval Office, Biden said he was “absolutely certain” that the country could avert a default, declaring that failure to meet America's obligations “is not an option.”Still, time is short. The government is bumping up against its legal limit for borrowing and will not be able to pay all of its bills as soon as June 1 if Congress doesn’t agree to raise the debt ceiling. That failure would send the country into default with wide-reaching economic impacts at home and around the world.Republicans came to the White House hoping to negotiate sweeping cuts to federal spending in exchange for allowing new borrowing to avoid default. Biden, on the other hand, reinforced his opposition to allowing the country’s full faith and credit to be held “hostage” to negotiations — while affirming his willingness to hold talks on the budget only after default is no longer a threat.“I told congressional leaders that I’m prepared to begin a separate discussion about my budget, spending priorities, but not under the threat of default,” Biden said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Our national debt crisis is too important to play politics. That’s why House Republicans voted to avoid default and responsibly raise the debt limit. Our founders designed our government for negotiation. So let’s get this done. <a href="https://t.co/eVmNSLYg5E">pic.twitter.com/eVmNSLYg5E</a>&mdash; Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerMcCarthy/status/1656082747482415104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Outside the White House, McCarthy said, “I asked the president this simple question, Does he not believe there’s any place we could find savings."<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Just finished meeting at the White House. My position is clear and reasonable—House Republicans have done their job to avoid a default and responsibly raise the debt limit. Democrats must now do the same. <a href="https://t.co/AkR3DoagD9">https://t.co/AkR3DoagD9</a>&mdash; Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerMcCarthy/status/1656044330099044352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>As the president welcomed McCarthy, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, he had quipped to reporters, “We’re going to get started, solve all the world’s problems.”Biden described the meeting's tone as “very measured and low key,” adding, “occasionally there would be a little bit of an assertion that maybe was a little over the top from the speaker.”He especially took issue with McCarthy's branding as a lie the Democrats' assertion that the Republicans' budget restraints would hurt veterans.Still, Biden added, “I trust Kevin will try to do what he says.”There seemed to be at least a bit of daylight between McConnell, who has let his House counterpart take the lead in negotiations and backed him up ahead of the White House meeting, and McCarthy.The Senate leader categorically said, “The United States is not going to default. It never has and it never will." The speaker, though, simply said, “I’ve done everything in my power to make sure we will not default.”Democrats said there is room to “come together” on spending cuts as part of the budget process, but quickly jumped on McCarthy's refusal to rule out the possibility of default, with Schumer saying the Republican is “greatly endangering America.”“To use the risk of default, with all the dangers that has for the American people as a hostage and say it’s my way or no way, are mostly my way or no way, is dangerous," Schumer said.McCarthy said Biden had directed their staffs to continue discussions, and that the leaders themselves would convene again in person on Friday at the White House.While Biden ruled out default, he also all but dismissed trying to unilaterally prevent it, saying that he didn't believe invoking the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which says the validity of the federal debt shall not be questioned, was a solution to the current impasse.White House lawyers will pursue the idea further, he added, but "the problem is it would have to be litigated.”Before the White House meeting, both McCarthy and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted it would be simple to avert default — if only the other side capitulated.The chasm between these opposite postures had fomented uncertainty that is roiling financial markets and threatens to turn into a tidal wave that swamps the country’s economy. Default, officials say, would have sweeping impacts, threatening to disrupt Social Security payments to retirees, destabilize global markets and tilt the nation into a potentially debilitating recession.Last month, House Republicans passed a sweeping bill to slash spending, an opening offer in negotiations. But that legislation has no chance in the Democratic Senate and the White House has threatened to veto it. Republicans hope that bill would achieve $4.5 trillion in deficit savings through cuts in spending, eliminating tax breaks for investing in clean energy, and reversing Biden’s plans to reduce the burdens of student loan debt.Referring to the House bill, McCarthy said, “We both said default is not an option — but only one of us took action.”Already looking past the meeting, Biden on Wednesday is to go to Westchester County, New York, where he plans to deliver a speech on how proposed spending cuts approved by House Republicans could hurt teachers, older adults needing food aid and veterans seeking health care.It's part of a broader campaign by Biden to try to paint the Republican cuts as draconian. Aides believe that message both strengthens his position in talks with the GOP and boosts his nascent 2024 reelection effort. His Wednesday visit will be to a congressional district won by Biden in 2020 but now represented by a Republican, Rep. Mike Lawler.Because the House Republican bill does not specifically spell out which federal programs would be cut, Democrats have gone on offense warning of steep hits to popular programs. The Democratic-aligned group House Majority Forward announced a $1 million campaign Tuesday amplifying such cuts, while the House Republicans' campaign committee countered with its own effort portraying Democrats as “addicted to spending.”McCarthy rejected as he said his caucus would take steps to increase funding for veterans despite their overall proposal. “First of all, cutting the veterans is a lie,” he said.While calling for a “clean” increase to the debt limit, Biden has said he is open to discussion about how to reduce the federal deficit. His budget plan would trim deficits by nearly $3 trillion over a decade, mainly through tax increases on the wealthy and changes such as letting the government negotiate over prescription drug prices.In response to McCarthy’s demand to claw back some unspent funds from his sweeping COVID-19 relief package, Biden said he would “take a hard look” at doing so independent of the talks to raise the debt limit.“We don’t need it all, but the question is what obligations were there made, commitments, made, money not dispersed, etc.,” Biden said, adding: “It’s on the table.”Biden added the debt limit should be raised for “more than a year, so that we can move things along.” The House GOP bill raised the possibility of another showdown over the government’s borrowing authority in the heat of a presidential election next year.While&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/recession-gdp-economy-inflation-interest-rates-growth-b6276997368000bdd2bb12bdcf34f3b8">the financial markets</a>&nbsp;have started to show some jitters, the business community has thus far largely avoided backing either side in the showdown and instead called for a deal to be struck.“Securing a bipartisan path forward to raise the debt ceiling could not be more urgent,” said Josh Bolten, the head of the Business Roundtable, a group that represents CEOs. “The cost of a default, or even the threat of a default, is simply too high.”The U.S. Chamber of Commerce suggested its own priorities for a swift deal Tuesday, saying "there are no two better places to start than permitting reform and an agreement on spending caps.”Biden's refusal to negotiate on the debt limit is informed by his first-hand experience in 2011, when he was Barack Obama's vice president and the administration made painful concessions to Republicans in an effort to avoid default. Biden has told aides it's an experience he refuses to repeat, not just for himself, but for future presidents.Notably, though, the administration has not ruled out a short-term increase in the debt limit that would align the deadline to increase federal borrowing authority with the talks on government spending that must be resolved by Sept. 30.

🎥Not much happened at the White House debt limit meeting 

WASHINGTON (A) — About 550 U.S. active duty troops have begun arriving along the U.S.-Mexico border in the first group of military support ahead of an expected increase of migrants, U.S. defense officials said Tuesday.

The movement of troops is part of efforts to beef up security along the southern border as the U.S. prepares for the end of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/title-42-immigration-limits-supreme-court-updates-0494c30834fad66ce9c6057ea1605d89">immigration restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic.</a>&nbsp;Those restrictions are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-biden-border-title-42-mexico-asylum-be4e0b15b27adb9bede87b9bbefb798d">set to expire Thursday</a>, leading to concerns about whether that will result in an increase in migrants trying to enter the U.S. starting Friday.

The forces will mainly be used to help monitor and watch the border, or do data entry and support, and are “not there in any way to be interacting with migrants,” said Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary. The goal is to free up U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel to do law enforcement activities.

"They needed assistance performing some of those back shop type requirements so that they can focus on the law enforcement aspect of this,” Ryder said.

At least some of the active duty troops will be used near El Paso, Texas, he said, while adding that CBP will decide where forces will go.

More than 900 additional soldiers, Marines and airmen will follow around the end of May. The initial plan calls for a temporary 90-day deployment of the active duty forces, because they can be moved much more quickly to the border than National Guard or Reserve troops.

U.S. and international law give migrants the right to seek asylum. However, the U.S. has used Title 42 of a public health law to expel migrants with no chance at asylum 2.8 million times since March 2020 on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.

The Biden administration has said that it is ready to deal with whatever happens after Title 42's use ends, although it has also repeatedly criticized Congress for not making changes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-asylum-trump-biden-gang-of-eight-3d8007e72928665b66d8648be0e3e31f">the country's immigration system.</a>

“We believe we have a robust process to deal with what is going to occur after Title 42 lifts. Again, we’re using the tools that are available to us because Congress refuses to do their job as it relates to the border," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.

Roughly 2,500 National Guard members are already spread across all sectors of the border, providing an array of support to CBP, including monitoring, detection and air transportation.

Separately, Texas National Guard troops are also working along the border under state authority. Ryder said the active duty troops will be doing an entirely separate mission.

Even with the COVID-19 asylum restrictions still in place, the administration has seen record numbers of people crossing the border. President Joe Biden has responded by cracking down on those who cross illegally and by creating new pathways meant to offer alternatives to a dangerous and often deadly journey.

Some locations across the border are already seeing an influx of migrants, often spurred by false information from smugglers or widespread rumors about what the Title 42 changes will mean for their chances of being able to remain in the U.S.

Agents in the Border Patrol’s relatively quiet El Centro, California, sector stopped about 260 migrants a day over a four or five day period through Sunday, up from about 90 a day the previous week, said Gregory Bovino, the sector chief.

It’s unclear what’s driving the increase other than anticipation that pandemic restrictions are about to end, Bovino said in an interview.

“We see these surges whenever there’s a major event or a news story,” he said. “We don’t have a crystal ball, so I can’t say there’s going to be a massive surge on Friday.”

Top nationalities crossing illegally in the El Centro sector are from Peru, Colombia and Senegal, Bovino said. On Monday, agents found migrants from 22 countries.

Also Tuesday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and President Joe Biden spoke by telephone. Since Mexico shares a roughly 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) border with the United States, it's key to the success of any plans by the United States to control immigration at the southern border. The Mexican president said the two spoke for over an hour.

“We reaffirmed the commitment to continue working together on issues like migration with a humanistic perspective, drug and weapons trafficking, and above all, cooperation on the welfare of the poorest people on our continent,” he said.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Under a set of white tents at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/immigration">the U.S.-Mexico border</a>&nbsp;in Brownsville, Texas, dozens of Venezuelan men waited. Some sat on curbs and others leaned on metal barricades. When the gates eventually opened, the long line of men filed slowly up the pedestrian pathway to the bridge and across the Rio Grande River to Mexico.

In the past few weeks, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have been facilitating these expulsions three times a day as roughly 30,000 migrants,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-immigration-border-migrants-86bd7acbf3f13167db8d2197607fa940">mostly from Venezuela</a>, have entered the U.S. in this region since mid-April. That's compared with 1,700 migrants Border Patrol agents encountered in the first two weeks of April.

In the other end of the state, in El Paso, officials are dealing with another surge of migrants and worry that thousands more are waiting to cross.

All this comes as the U.S. is preparing for the end of a policy linked to the coronavirus pandemic that allowed it to quickly expel many migrants, and it spotlights concerns about whether the end of the immigration limits&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/title-42-immigration-limits-supreme-court-updates-0494c30834fad66ce9c6057ea1605d89">under Title 42 of a 1944 public health law</a>&nbsp;will mean even more migrants trying to cross the southern border.

“We’ve been preparing for quite some time and we are ready. What we are expecting is indeed a surge. And what we are doing is planning for different levels of a surge,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said last week during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mayorkas-border-patrol-asylum-title-42-849bd8da7a3427b8ee6cba5b83b9086c">a visit to southern Texas</a>. But he also stressed that the situation at the border is “extremely challenging.”

He spoke from a location in Brownsville where U.S. officials had set up a tent and facilities like portable bathrooms for migrants. He said it's difficult to identify the cause of the recent Venezuelan surge but said the U.S. is working with Mexico to address it and predicted change “very shortly.”

Many of those crossing the border are entering through Brownsville just north of the Mexican border town of Matamoros. The city was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bus-stop-crash-migrants-dead-shelter-border-2a84f53e5981fc0d315d290b0961f793">rocked by another crisis Sunday</a>&nbsp;when an SUV plowed into people waiting at a bus stop across from the city's migrant shelter. Eight people, mostly men from Venezuela, died.

Ricardo Marquez, a 30-year-old Venezuelan man, arrived at a shelter in McAllen after crossing the border with his wife and 5-month-old child in Brownsville. They left Venezuela because his daughter needs surgery.

“I was confronted with the decision to either stay there or risk it all for my daughter,” he said. They had crossed the Rio Grande after spending a month in Matamoros trying to get an appointment through an app the U.S. uses to schedule appointments for people without documents to come to the border and seek entry.

Officials in President Joe Biden's administration say they have been preparing for well over a year for the end of Title 42.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-biden-asylum-75d8c0e67d5521fb48ac04f6bf017a49">The strategy</a>&nbsp;has hinged on providing more legal pathways for migrants to get to the U.S. without risking the perilous journey to the border. That includes things like setting up centers in foreign countries where migrants can apply to emigrate as well as a humanitarian parole process already in place&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mexico-immigration-af0643a4fb8f45388fe247e44c9b2c5e">with 30,000 slots a month for people</a>&nbsp;from four countries to come to the U.S. Starting May 12 they're expanding appointments available through the CBP One app Marquez tried to use. When it was launched&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-united-states-government-caribbean-mexico-mobile-apps-49b38b18869ed3b2260fb6d774153456">many migrants and advocates criticized the app</a>, saying it had technological problems and there simply weren't enough appointments.

The strategy is also heavy on consequences. The U.S. is proposing a rule that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mexico-costa-rica-donald-trump-1a5a89459fb0b61f04f8500789b9b221">would severely limit</a>&nbsp;asylum to migrants who first travel through another country,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-asylum-screening-title-42-mexico-93273917fa28848b78684cfb99bb7ad5">quickly screening migrants seeking</a>&nbsp;asylum at the border and deporting those deemed not qualified, and a five-year ban on reentry for those deported.

A lot of these consequences have been met with harsh criticism by immigrants' rights groups who have gone so far as to compare the policies to then-President Donald Trump's and say the right to apply for asylum on U.S. soil is sacrosanct. Much of the Biden administration strategy is also facing legal peril in the coming weeks. The proposed rule limiting asylum is almost certain to be the subject of lawsuits. And Republican-leaning states want to stop the Democratic administration's use of humanitarian parole on such a large scale.

The administration has also been increasing Immigration and Customs Enforcement flights to remove people from the country — flights like one that took off recently from an airport in Harlingen, Texas. Shortly after dawn three buses pulled up next to a plane. One by one migrants got out of the bus. They were wearing handcuffs and leg restraints and surgical masks. First they were patted down for contraband and then slowly walked up the stairs to the plane. Altogether 133 migrants were sent back to their home country of Guatemala.

But those flights only work if countries accept them. Venezuela does not. And Colombia says it's suspending deportation flights due to “cruel and degrading” treatment of migrants.

Administration officials say they're using technology to speed up the processing of migrants who cross the border without documentation and using mobile processing, so they can process migrants while they're being transported by bus or van, for example. They've pushed to digitize documents that at one time were filled out by hand by Border Patrol. And they've beefed up the hiring of contractors so agents can remain in the field.

But critics have slammed the administration, saying it's not doing enough. Kyrsten Sinema, an independent U.S. senator from Arizona, said on CBS' “Face the Nation” on Sunday that the administration wasn't communicating with local officials about things like what type of surge to expect or whether buses would be available to transport migrants. And she said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-immigration-troops-southern-border-68ec4d25fb87b41265019a0ffd20a784">a decision to send 1,500 military troops</a>&nbsp;to the border came too late.

In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday he was deploying “tactical” National Guard teams this week to the busiest crossing spots. Abbott, who for years has accused the Biden administration of not doing enough on the border, also said “many thousands more” migrants in the coming days will be bused by the state&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/greg-abbott-mexico-texas-immigration-philadelphia-65a9158fc6969608cc2736b93de0c20f">to Democratic-led cities elsewhere in the U.S.</a>

“It did not have to be this way," said Abbott, speaking in Austin as Guard members boarded four C-130 cargo planes behind him.

In communities that border Mexico, officials and community groups that care for newly arrived migrants are anxious about what the end of Title 42 means. Sister Norma Pimentel runs&nbsp;<a href="https://www.catholiccharitiesrgv.org/respitecenter/home.aspx">Catholic Charities' Humanitarian Respite Center</a>, the largest shelter in South Texas.

The shelter functions mainly as a resource center where migrants can purchase tickets, make calls, eat and rest before traveling to their next destination, where they often have family or other contacts. But, Pimentel said, many of the Venezuelans in this latest surge don’t have connections in the U.S., making it harder for them to move to the next destination. “That becomes a problem for us,” she said.

The federal government gives money to communities to help them deal with the increases in migrants. On Friday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2023/05/05/emergency-food-and-shelter-program-national-board-allocates-over-300-million-local">the administration announced that $332 million</a>&nbsp;had been disbursed to 35 local governments and service organizations. Most goes to communities close to the border “due to the urgencies they are confronting,” but cities far from the border also get funds.

In the Texas border city of El Paso, about 2,200 migrants are currently camped or living on the streets a few blocks from major ports of entry that connect El Paso with the Mexican city of Juárez. The city is prepared to open up shelters next week if needed at two vacant school buildings and a civic center.

El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser estimated that roughly 10,000 to 12,000 migrants are in Juárez waiting to cross, as local officials prepare for the “unknown.” Leeser said migrants are flocking to the border under false assumptions that it will be easier to gain entry to the U.S. when Title 42 goes away, but for many there could be tougher consequences.

It's a message federal officials have been repeating. But they're competing against a powerful human smuggling network that facilitates northern migration and the desperation of migrants who feel they have no other option.

At the Brownsville port of entry, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say they've run drills to prepare in case there’s a surge of migrants trying to cross and they need to close the bridge. Pedestrians cross from Matamoros using a covered walkway that can only accommodate a few people across. Worried about the impact of long lines of migrants coming to the port after May 11 without an appointment and impacting port operations, they're calling on people to schedule appointments through CBP One.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683651774846.png" alt="The initial plan calls for a temporary 90-day deployment of the active duty forces photo courtesy Rep. Tony Gonzales" />
 <figcaption>The initial plan calls for a temporary 90-day deployment of the active duty forces photo courtesy Rep. Tony Gonzales</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (A) — About 550 U.S. active duty troops have begun arriving along the U.S.-Mexico border in the first group of military support ahead of an expected increase of migrants, U.S. defense officials said Tuesday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Title 42 might as well already be rolled back. Our Border Patrol Agents are managing countless droves of migrants attempting to enter the United States. Congress must act and ensure BP has the resources they need to combat this crisis. <a href="https://t.co/NJOtqwZRk1">pic.twitter.com/NJOtqwZRk1</a>&mdash; Rep. Tony Gonzales (@RepTonyGonzales) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepTonyGonzales/status/1654179879074635776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The movement of troops is part of efforts to beef up security along the southern border as the U.S. prepares for the end of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/title-42-immigration-limits-supreme-court-updates-0494c30834fad66ce9c6057ea1605d89">immigration restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic.</a>&nbsp;Those restrictions are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-biden-border-title-42-mexico-asylum-be4e0b15b27adb9bede87b9bbefb798d">set to expire Thursday</a>, leading to concerns about whether that will result in an increase in migrants trying to enter the U.S. starting Friday.The forces will mainly be used to help monitor and watch the border, or do data entry and support, and are “not there in any way to be interacting with migrants,” said Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary. The goal is to free up U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel to do law enforcement activities."They needed assistance performing some of those back shop type requirements so that they can focus on the law enforcement aspect of this,” Ryder said.At least some of the active duty troops will be used near El Paso, Texas, he said, while adding that CBP will decide where forces will go.More than 900 additional soldiers, Marines and airmen will follow around the end of May. The initial plan calls for a temporary 90-day deployment of the active duty forces, because they can be moved much more quickly to the border than National Guard or Reserve troops.U.S. and international law give migrants the right to seek asylum. However, the U.S. has used Title 42 of a public health law to expel migrants with no chance at asylum 2.8 million times since March 2020 on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.The Biden administration has said that it is ready to deal with whatever happens after Title 42's use ends, although it has also repeatedly criticized Congress for not making changes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-asylum-trump-biden-gang-of-eight-3d8007e72928665b66d8648be0e3e31f">the country's immigration system.</a>“We believe we have a robust process to deal with what is going to occur after Title 42 lifts. Again, we’re using the tools that are available to us because Congress refuses to do their job as it relates to the border," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.Roughly 2,500 National Guard members are already spread across all sectors of the border, providing an array of support to CBP, including monitoring, detection and air transportation.Separately, Texas National Guard troops are also working along the border under state authority. Ryder said the active duty troops will be doing an entirely separate mission.Even with the COVID-19 asylum restrictions still in place, the administration has seen record numbers of people crossing the border. President Joe Biden has responded by cracking down on those who cross illegally and by creating new pathways meant to offer alternatives to a dangerous and often deadly journey.Some locations across the border are already seeing an influx of migrants, often spurred by false information from smugglers or widespread rumors about what the Title 42 changes will mean for their chances of being able to remain in the U.S.Agents in the Border Patrol’s relatively quiet El Centro, California, sector stopped about 260 migrants a day over a four or five day period through Sunday, up from about 90 a day the previous week, said Gregory Bovino, the sector chief.It’s unclear what’s driving the increase other than anticipation that pandemic restrictions are about to end, Bovino said in an interview.“We see these surges whenever there’s a major event or a news story,” he said. “We don’t have a crystal ball, so I can’t say there’s going to be a massive surge on Friday.”Top nationalities crossing illegally in the El Centro sector are from Peru, Colombia and Senegal, Bovino said. On Monday, agents found migrants from 22 countries.Also Tuesday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and President Joe Biden spoke by telephone. Since Mexico shares a roughly 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) border with the United States, it's key to the success of any plans by the United States to control immigration at the southern border. The Mexican president said the two spoke for over an hour.“We reaffirmed the commitment to continue working together on issues like migration with a humanistic perspective, drug and weapons trafficking, and above all, cooperation on the welfare of the poorest people on our continent,” he said.----------BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Under a set of white tents at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/immigration">the U.S.-Mexico border</a>&nbsp;in Brownsville, Texas, dozens of Venezuelan men waited. Some sat on curbs and others leaned on metal barricades. When the gates eventually opened, the long line of men filed slowly up the pedestrian pathway to the bridge and across the Rio Grande River to Mexico.In the past few weeks, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have been facilitating these expulsions three times a day as roughly 30,000 migrants,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-immigration-border-migrants-86bd7acbf3f13167db8d2197607fa940">mostly from Venezuela</a>, have entered the U.S. in this region since mid-April. That's compared with 1,700 migrants Border Patrol agents encountered in the first two weeks of April.In the other end of the state, in El Paso, officials are dealing with another surge of migrants and worry that thousands more are waiting to cross.All this comes as the U.S. is preparing for the end of a policy linked to the coronavirus pandemic that allowed it to quickly expel many migrants, and it spotlights concerns about whether the end of the immigration limits&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/title-42-immigration-limits-supreme-court-updates-0494c30834fad66ce9c6057ea1605d89">under Title 42 of a 1944 public health law</a>&nbsp;will mean even more migrants trying to cross the southern border.“We’ve been preparing for quite some time and we are ready. What we are expecting is indeed a surge. And what we are doing is planning for different levels of a surge,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said last week during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mayorkas-border-patrol-asylum-title-42-849bd8da7a3427b8ee6cba5b83b9086c">a visit to southern Texas</a>. But he also stressed that the situation at the border is “extremely challenging.”He spoke from a location in Brownsville where U.S. officials had set up a tent and facilities like portable bathrooms for migrants. He said it's difficult to identify the cause of the recent Venezuelan surge but said the U.S. is working with Mexico to address it and predicted change “very shortly.”Many of those crossing the border are entering through Brownsville just north of the Mexican border town of Matamoros. The city was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bus-stop-crash-migrants-dead-shelter-border-2a84f53e5981fc0d315d290b0961f793">rocked by another crisis Sunday</a>&nbsp;when an SUV plowed into people waiting at a bus stop across from the city's migrant shelter. Eight people, mostly men from Venezuela, died.Ricardo Marquez, a 30-year-old Venezuelan man, arrived at a shelter in McAllen after crossing the border with his wife and 5-month-old child in Brownsville. They left Venezuela because his daughter needs surgery.“I was confronted with the decision to either stay there or risk it all for my daughter,” he said. They had crossed the Rio Grande after spending a month in Matamoros trying to get an appointment through an app the U.S. uses to schedule appointments for people without documents to come to the border and seek entry.Officials in President Joe Biden's administration say they have been preparing for well over a year for the end of Title 42.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-biden-asylum-75d8c0e67d5521fb48ac04f6bf017a49">The strategy</a>&nbsp;has hinged on providing more legal pathways for migrants to get to the U.S. without risking the perilous journey to the border. That includes things like setting up centers in foreign countries where migrants can apply to emigrate as well as a humanitarian parole process already in place&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mexico-immigration-af0643a4fb8f45388fe247e44c9b2c5e">with 30,000 slots a month for people</a>&nbsp;from four countries to come to the U.S. Starting May 12 they're expanding appointments available through the CBP One app Marquez tried to use. When it was launched&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-united-states-government-caribbean-mexico-mobile-apps-49b38b18869ed3b2260fb6d774153456">many migrants and advocates criticized the app</a>, saying it had technological problems and there simply weren't enough appointments.The strategy is also heavy on consequences. The U.S. is proposing a rule that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mexico-costa-rica-donald-trump-1a5a89459fb0b61f04f8500789b9b221">would severely limit</a>&nbsp;asylum to migrants who first travel through another country,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-asylum-screening-title-42-mexico-93273917fa28848b78684cfb99bb7ad5">quickly screening migrants seeking</a>&nbsp;asylum at the border and deporting those deemed not qualified, and a five-year ban on reentry for those deported.A lot of these consequences have been met with harsh criticism by immigrants' rights groups who have gone so far as to compare the policies to then-President Donald Trump's and say the right to apply for asylum on U.S. soil is sacrosanct. Much of the Biden administration strategy is also facing legal peril in the coming weeks. The proposed rule limiting asylum is almost certain to be the subject of lawsuits. And Republican-leaning states want to stop the Democratic administration's use of humanitarian parole on such a large scale.The administration has also been increasing Immigration and Customs Enforcement flights to remove people from the country — flights like one that took off recently from an airport in Harlingen, Texas. Shortly after dawn three buses pulled up next to a plane. One by one migrants got out of the bus. They were wearing handcuffs and leg restraints and surgical masks. First they were patted down for contraband and then slowly walked up the stairs to the plane. Altogether 133 migrants were sent back to their home country of Guatemala.But those flights only work if countries accept them. Venezuela does not. And Colombia says it's suspending deportation flights due to “cruel and degrading” treatment of migrants.Administration officials say they're using technology to speed up the processing of migrants who cross the border without documentation and using mobile processing, so they can process migrants while they're being transported by bus or van, for example. They've pushed to digitize documents that at one time were filled out by hand by Border Patrol. And they've beefed up the hiring of contractors so agents can remain in the field.But critics have slammed the administration, saying it's not doing enough. Kyrsten Sinema, an independent U.S. senator from Arizona, said on CBS' “Face the Nation” on Sunday that the administration wasn't communicating with local officials about things like what type of surge to expect or whether buses would be available to transport migrants. And she said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-immigration-troops-southern-border-68ec4d25fb87b41265019a0ffd20a784">a decision to send 1,500 military troops</a>&nbsp;to the border came too late.In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday he was deploying “tactical” National Guard teams this week to the busiest crossing spots. Abbott, who for years has accused the Biden administration of not doing enough on the border, also said “many thousands more” migrants in the coming days will be bused by the state&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/greg-abbott-mexico-texas-immigration-philadelphia-65a9158fc6969608cc2736b93de0c20f">to Democratic-led cities elsewhere in the U.S.</a>“It did not have to be this way," said Abbott, speaking in Austin as Guard members boarded four C-130 cargo planes behind him.In communities that border Mexico, officials and community groups that care for newly arrived migrants are anxious about what the end of Title 42 means. Sister Norma Pimentel runs&nbsp;<a href="https://www.catholiccharitiesrgv.org/respitecenter/home.aspx">Catholic Charities' Humanitarian Respite Center</a>, the largest shelter in South Texas.The shelter functions mainly as a resource center where migrants can purchase tickets, make calls, eat and rest before traveling to their next destination, where they often have family or other contacts. But, Pimentel said, many of the Venezuelans in this latest surge don’t have connections in the U.S., making it harder for them to move to the next destination. “That becomes a problem for us,” she said.The federal government gives money to communities to help them deal with the increases in migrants. On Friday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2023/05/05/emergency-food-and-shelter-program-national-board-allocates-over-300-million-local">the administration announced that $332 million</a>&nbsp;had been disbursed to 35 local governments and service organizations. Most goes to communities close to the border “due to the urgencies they are confronting,” but cities far from the border also get funds.In the Texas border city of El Paso, about 2,200 migrants are currently camped or living on the streets a few blocks from major ports of entry that connect El Paso with the Mexican city of Juárez. The city is prepared to open up shelters next week if needed at two vacant school buildings and a civic center.El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser estimated that roughly 10,000 to 12,000 migrants are in Juárez waiting to cross, as local officials prepare for the “unknown.” Leeser said migrants are flocking to the border under false assumptions that it will be easier to gain entry to the U.S. when Title 42 goes away, but for many there could be tougher consequences.It's a message federal officials have been repeating. But they're competing against a powerful human smuggling network that facilitates northern migration and the desperation of migrants who feel they have no other option.At the Brownsville port of entry, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say they've run drills to prepare in case there’s a surge of migrants trying to cross and they need to close the bridge. Pedestrians cross from Matamoros using a covered walkway that can only accommodate a few people across. Worried about the impact of long lines of migrants coming to the port after May 11 without an appointment and impacting port operations, they're calling on people to schedule appointments through CBP One.___

🎥US troops arrive at border as migration curbs set to end

NEW YORK (AP) — A jury found Donald Trump liable Tuesday for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her $5 million in a judgment that could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House.

The verdict was announced in a federal courtroom in New York City on the first day of jury deliberations. Jurors rejected Carroll’s claims that she was raped, but found Trump liable for sexual abuse and for defaming Carroll after she made her allegations public.

Trump chose not to attend the civil trial and was absent when the verdict was read.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?527931-1/president-trump-deposition-e-jean-carroll-civil-case">CLICK here to watch&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;Trump's&nbsp;deposition&nbsp;

Carroll nodded as the verdict was read. Afterward, her lawyers put their arms around her, and she hugged supporters in the gallery, smiling through tears.

Trump’s lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, shook hands with Carroll and hugged her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan. As the courtroom cleared, Carroll could be heard laughing and crying.

Trump immediately lashed out with a statement on his social media site, claiming again that he does not know Carroll and referring to the verdict as “a disgrace” and “a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time.”

The trial’s outcome was a validation for Carroll, one of more than a dozen women who accused Trump of sexual assault or harassment. She went public in 2019 with her allegation that the Republican raped her in the dressing room of a posh Manhattan department store.

Trump, 76, denied it, saying he never encountered Carroll at the store and didn’t know her. He has called her a “nut job” who invented “a fraudulent and false story” to sell a memoir.

Carroll, 79, had sought unspecified damages, plus a retraction of what she said were Trump’s defamatory denials of her claims.

The trial revisited the lightning-rod topic of Trump’s conduct toward women.

Carroll gave multiple days of frank, occasionally emotional testimony, buttressed by two friends who told jurors she reported the alleged attack to them in the moments and day afterward.

Jurors also heard from Jessica Leeds, a former stockbroker who testified that Trump abruptly groped her against her will on an airplane in the 1970s, and from Natasha Stoynoff, a writer who said Trump forcibly kissed her against her will while she was interviewing him for a 2005 article.

The six-man, three-woman jury also saw the well-known 2005 “Access Hollywood” hot mic recording of Trump talking about kissing and grabbing women without asking.

The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Carroll, Leeds and Stoynoff have done.

Tacopina told the jury&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rape-carroll-trial-1041ad0dcfbca5d9f9f9ed962b48bc7b">in closing arguments Monday</a>&nbsp;that Carroll's account is too far fetched to be believed. He said she made it up to fuel sales of a 2019 memoir in which she first publicly revealed her claims and to disparage Trump for political reasons.

Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, cited excerpts from Trump's October deposition and his notorious comments on a 2005 “Access Hollywood” video in which he said celebrities can grab women between the legs without asking.

“He didn’t even bother to show up here in person,” Kaplan said. She said much of what he said in his deposition and in public statements “actually supports our side of the case.”

“In a very real sense, Donald Trump is a witness against himself,” she said. “He knows what he did. He knows that he sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll.”

Carroll testified that she had a chance encounter with Trump at the Bergdorf Goodman store across the street from Trump Tower. She said it was a lighthearted interaction in which they teased each other about trying on a piece of lingerie before Trump became violent inside a dressing room.

Tacopina told jurors there was no reason to call Trump as a witness when Carroll can't even recall when her encounter with Trump happened.

He told the jury Carroll made up her claims after hearing about a 2012 “Law and Order” episode in which a woman is raped in the dressing room of the lingerie section of a Bergdorf Goodman store.

“They modeled their secret scheme on an episode of one of the most popular shows on television,” he said of Carroll.

Two of Carroll's friends testified that she told them about the encounter with Trump shortly after it happened, many years before the “Law and Order” episode aired.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683662188422.png" alt="Image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — A jury found Donald Trump liable Tuesday for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her $5 million in a judgment that could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House.The verdict was announced in a federal courtroom in New York City on the first day of jury deliberations. Jurors rejected Carroll’s claims that she was raped, but found Trump liable for sexual abuse and for defaming Carroll after she made her allegations public.Trump chose not to attend the civil trial and was absent when the verdict was read.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683335527038.png" alt="Image from the video deposition that was made available Friday to the media" />
 <figcaption>Image from the video deposition that was made available Friday to the media</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?527931-1/president-trump-deposition-e-jean-carroll-civil-case">CLICK here to watch&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;Trump's&nbsp;deposition&nbsp;Carroll nodded as the verdict was read. Afterward, her lawyers put their arms around her, and she hugged supporters in the gallery, smiling through tears.Trump’s lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, shook hands with Carroll and hugged her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan. As the courtroom cleared, Carroll could be heard laughing and crying.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683662295741.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Trump immediately lashed out with a statement on his social media site, claiming again that he does not know Carroll and referring to the verdict as “a disgrace” and “a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683661624711.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The trial’s outcome was a validation for Carroll, one of more than a dozen women who accused Trump of sexual assault or harassment. She went public in 2019 with her allegation that the Republican raped her in the dressing room of a posh Manhattan department store.Trump, 76, denied it, saying he never encountered Carroll at the store and didn’t know her. He has called her a “nut job” who invented “a fraudulent and false story” to sell a memoir.Carroll, 79, had sought unspecified damages, plus a retraction of what she said were Trump’s defamatory denials of her claims.The trial revisited the lightning-rod topic of Trump’s conduct toward women.Carroll gave multiple days of frank, occasionally emotional testimony, buttressed by two friends who told jurors she reported the alleged attack to them in the moments and day afterward.Jurors also heard from Jessica Leeds, a former stockbroker who testified that Trump abruptly groped her against her will on an airplane in the 1970s, and from Natasha Stoynoff, a writer who said Trump forcibly kissed her against her will while she was interviewing him for a 2005 article.The six-man, three-woman jury also saw the well-known 2005 “Access Hollywood” hot mic recording of Trump talking about kissing and grabbing women without asking.The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Carroll, Leeds and Stoynoff have done.Tacopina told the jury&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rape-carroll-trial-1041ad0dcfbca5d9f9f9ed962b48bc7b">in closing arguments Monday</a>&nbsp;that Carroll's account is too far fetched to be believed. He said she made it up to fuel sales of a 2019 memoir in which she first publicly revealed her claims and to disparage Trump for political reasons.Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, cited excerpts from Trump's October deposition and his notorious comments on a 2005 “Access Hollywood” video in which he said celebrities can grab women between the legs without asking.She urged jurors to believe her client.“He didn’t even bother to show up here in person,” Kaplan said. She said much of what he said in his deposition and in public statements “actually supports our side of the case.”“In a very real sense, Donald Trump is a witness against himself,” she said. “He knows what he did. He knows that he sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll.”Carroll testified that she had a chance encounter with Trump at the Bergdorf Goodman store across the street from Trump Tower. She said it was a lighthearted interaction in which they teased each other about trying on a piece of lingerie before Trump became violent inside a dressing room.Tacopina told jurors there was no reason to call Trump as a witness when Carroll can't even recall when her encounter with Trump happened.He told the jury Carroll made up her claims after hearing about a 2012 “Law and Order” episode in which a woman is raped in the dressing room of the lingerie section of a Bergdorf Goodman store.“They modeled their secret scheme on an episode of one of the most popular shows on television,” he said of Carroll.Two of Carroll's friends testified that she told them about the encounter with Trump shortly after it happened, many years before the “Law and Order” episode aired.

Jury rejects rape claim, finds Trump liable; read the verdict form

WASHINGTON (AP)—President Joe Biden said Monday his administration will write new regulations that will require airlines to compensate air travelers and cover their meals and hotel rooms if they are stranded for reasons within the airline's control.

The compensation would be in addition to ticket refunds when the airline is at fault for a flight being canceled or significantly delayed. It would give consumers in the United States protections similar to those in the European Union.

“I know how frustrated many of you are with the service you get from your U.S. airlines,” especially after airlines received taxpayer relief to get through the pandemic, Biden said. “You deserve more than just getting the price of your ticket (refunded) — you deserve to be fully compensated. Your time matters, the impact on your life matters."

Biden’s pledge comes just weeks before the start of the peak summer travel season, when air travel could exceed pre-coronavirus pandemic records.

Officials at the Transportation Department, which will write the new rules, said they didn't ahve a precise date for when they expect to finish, but indicated they are working to quickly publish a notice that is required to get the process started.

As outlined at the White House by Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the rules would focus on cancellations and long delays caused by things such as mechanical issues with the plane or lack of a crew.

Airlines for America, which represents the biggest carriers, said in a statement that airlines have no incentive to delay or cancel flights. The trade group said more than half of cancellations in 2022 and 2023 have been caused by “extreme weather” or air traffic control outages.

“Carriers have taken responsibility for challenges within their control and continue working diligently to improve operational reliability,” including hiring more workers and reducing their schedules, the group said.

After the pandemic hit, airlines received $54 billion in federal aid that included a prohibition on layoffs, but that didn't prevent the airlines from paying tens of thousands of workers to quit or retire early.

Airlines have added about 118,000 workers since November 2020 and now have 5% more employees than before the pandemic, according to Transportation Department figures.

The rate of canceled flights has declined to 1.6% so far this year, compared with 2.1% in the same period last year. However, delays are slightly more common and a few minutes longer on average, according to data from tracking service FlightAware.

Currently, when an airline cancels a flight for any reason, consumers can demand a refund of the unused part of their ticket and certain extras that they might have paid to the airline, such as fees for checking a bag or getting a seat assignment. Airlines often try to persuade consumers to accept a travel voucher instead of a refund.

After widespread flight disruptions last summer,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-travel-transportation-pete-buttigieg-ef15613d7b2eeedf72b4494a6d3a0255">the Transportation Department posted</a>&nbsp;an online&nbsp;<a href="https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/airline-customer-service-dashboard">dashboard</a>&nbsp;to let consumers compare airline policies on refunds and compensation.

The Transportation Department is expanding the site to indicate when airlines offer cash, travel vouchers or frequent-flyer miles as compensation for flight disruptions.

None of the major U.S. airlines offer cash for cancellations or long delays, only Alaska Airlines offers frequent-flyer miles, and only Alaska and JetBlue provide travel credits, according to the dashboard.

Biden and Buttigieg credited the dashboard with pushing the 10 largest U.S. airlines to promise to provide cash or vouchers for meals when a cancellation forces passengers to wait at least three hours for another flight. Nine of the 10 — all but Frontier Airlines — also promise to pay for accommodations for passengers stranded overnight.

Questions arose again around reimbursing consumers for out-of-pocket costs after Southwest Airlines canceled nearly 17,000 flights during a December meltdown in service. The Transportation and Justice departments are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-department-of-transportation-dallas-business-28f98b23081bdec04dbed54506e5568b">investigating whether Southwest</a>&nbsp;scheduled more flights than it realistically could handle.

A report last month from the congressional Government Accountability Office&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/airlines-delays-cancellations-gao-report-e631cca8e4968fbd0f57c06b6eea0ef3">blamed airlines for a surge in cancellations</a>&nbsp;as air travel began to recover in 2021 and early 2022. The Federal Aviation Administration has also created disruptions due to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-federal-aviation-administration-business-9e277db75130cc7e4d4b6c6a7bdaad7c">technology outages</a>&nbsp;and staffing shortages. The FAA recently encouraged airlines to reduce flights to and from major New York airports this summer because it doesn't have enough air traffic controllers at a key facility.

WASHINGTON (AP)—President Joe Biden said Monday his administration will write new regulations that will require airlines to compensate air travelers and cover their meals and hotel rooms if they are stranded for reasons within the airline's control.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F237122548936520%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=7" 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>The compensation would be in addition to ticket refunds when the airline is at fault for a flight being canceled or significantly delayed. It would give consumers in the United States protections similar to those in the European Union.“I know how frustrated many of you are with the service you get from your U.S. airlines,” especially after airlines received taxpayer relief to get through the pandemic, Biden said. “You deserve more than just getting the price of your ticket (refunded) — you deserve to be fully compensated. Your time matters, the impact on your life matters."Biden’s pledge comes just weeks before the start of the peak summer travel season, when air travel could exceed pre-coronavirus pandemic records.Officials at the Transportation Department, which will write the new rules, said they didn't ahve a precise date for when they expect to finish, but indicated they are working to quickly publish a notice that is required to get the process started.As outlined at the White House by Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the rules would focus on cancellations and long delays caused by things such as mechanical issues with the plane or lack of a crew.Airlines for America, which represents the biggest carriers, said in a statement that airlines have no incentive to delay or cancel flights. The trade group said more than half of cancellations in 2022 and 2023 have been caused by “extreme weather” or air traffic control outages.“Carriers have taken responsibility for challenges within their control and continue working diligently to improve operational reliability,” including hiring more workers and reducing their schedules, the group said.After the pandemic hit, airlines received $54 billion in federal aid that included a prohibition on layoffs, but that didn't prevent the airlines from paying tens of thousands of workers to quit or retire early.Airlines have added about 118,000 workers since November 2020 and now have 5% more employees than before the pandemic, according to Transportation Department figures.The rate of canceled flights has declined to 1.6% so far this year, compared with 2.1% in the same period last year. However, delays are slightly more common and a few minutes longer on average, according to data from tracking service FlightAware.Currently, when an airline cancels a flight for any reason, consumers can demand a refund of the unused part of their ticket and certain extras that they might have paid to the airline, such as fees for checking a bag or getting a seat assignment. Airlines often try to persuade consumers to accept a travel voucher instead of a refund.After widespread flight disruptions last summer,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-travel-transportation-pete-buttigieg-ef15613d7b2eeedf72b4494a6d3a0255">the Transportation Department posted</a>&nbsp;an online&nbsp;<a href="https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/airline-customer-service-dashboard">dashboard</a>&nbsp;to let consumers compare airline policies on refunds and compensation.The Transportation Department is expanding the site to indicate when airlines offer cash, travel vouchers or frequent-flyer miles as compensation for flight disruptions.None of the major U.S. airlines offer cash for cancellations or long delays, only Alaska Airlines offers frequent-flyer miles, and only Alaska and JetBlue provide travel credits, according to the dashboard.Biden and Buttigieg credited the dashboard with pushing the 10 largest U.S. airlines to promise to provide cash or vouchers for meals when a cancellation forces passengers to wait at least three hours for another flight. Nine of the 10 — all but Frontier Airlines — also promise to pay for accommodations for passengers stranded overnight.Questions arose again around reimbursing consumers for out-of-pocket costs after Southwest Airlines canceled nearly 17,000 flights during a December meltdown in service. The Transportation and Justice departments are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-department-of-transportation-dallas-business-28f98b23081bdec04dbed54506e5568b">investigating whether Southwest</a>&nbsp;scheduled more flights than it realistically could handle.A report last month from the congressional Government Accountability Office&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/airlines-delays-cancellations-gao-report-e631cca8e4968fbd0f57c06b6eea0ef3">blamed airlines for a surge in cancellations</a>&nbsp;as air travel began to recover in 2021 and early 2022. The Federal Aviation Administration has also created disruptions due to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-federal-aviation-administration-business-9e277db75130cc7e4d4b6c6a7bdaad7c">technology outages</a>&nbsp;and staffing shortages. The FAA recently encouraged airlines to reduce flights to and from major New York airports this summer because it doesn't have enough air traffic controllers at a key facility.___

🎥Biden wants airlines to pay passengers in U.S. for delays

ALLEN, Texas — Officials have have positively identified the victims killed in&nbsp; the Dallas-area mall shooting on Sunday. They include a 3-year-old boy and two grade-school girls.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, "it is with great sorrow that we share this information. Each of these individuals were members of our North Texas community and their loss is felt with heavy hearts. No agency will release the name of anyone under 18 or victims who are injured."

The victims are 11-year-old girl, Sachse, Texas

Kyu Song Cho, male, age 37, Dallas, Texas

Cindy&nbsp;Cho, female, age 35, Dallas, Texas

Christian LaCour, male, age 20, Nevada, Texas

 Elio Cumana-Rivas, male, age 32, Dallas, Texas

Aishwarya Thatikonda, female, age 26, McKinney, Texas.

Several verified funds have been established to support victims’ families. <a href="https://www.cityofallen.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=5028&amp;fbclid=IwAR1bVBXta2-vYy8ZcOmdfPqXuJSq0hTUFITLQXQHPQW-k9rqWIKj5Gxp_ck">Click here for details</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683592555152.png" alt="A memorial outside the Allen Premium Outlet Mall-Photo Allen, Texas Police" />
 <figcaption>A memorial outside the Allen Premium Outlet Mall-Photo Allen, Texas Police</figcaption>
 </figure>ALLEN, Texas — Officials have have positively identified the victims killed in&nbsp; the Dallas-area mall shooting on Sunday. They include a 3-year-old boy and two grade-school girls.According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, "it is with great sorrow that we share this information. Each of these individuals were members of our North Texas community and their loss is felt with heavy hearts. No agency will release the name of anyone under 18 or victims who are injured."The victims are 11-year-old girl, Sachse, Texas8-year-old girl Sachse, Texas3-year-old boy Dallas, TexasKyu Song Cho, male, age 37, Dallas, TexasCindy&nbsp;Cho, female, age 35, Dallas, TexasChristian LaCour, male, age 20, Nevada, Texas Elio Cumana-Rivas, male, age 32, Dallas, TexasAishwarya Thatikonda, female, age 26, McKinney, Texas.Several verified funds have been established to support victims’ families. <a href="https://www.cityofallen.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=5028&amp;fbclid=IwAR1bVBXta2-vYy8ZcOmdfPqXuJSq0hTUFITLQXQHPQW-k9rqWIKj5Gxp_ck">Click here for details</a>

Officials ID victims killed in Texas mall shooting

NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Reserve has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-inflation-interest-rate-hikes-recession-aba096229d327d8abeb4bc13d85d1b2b">raised its key interest rate</a>&nbsp;yet again in its drive to cool inflation, a move that will directly affect most Americans.

On Wednesday, the central bank boosted its benchmark rate by a quarter-point to 5.1%. Rates on credit cards, mortgages and auto loans, which have been surging since the Fed began raising rates last year, all stand to rise even more. The result will be more burdensome loan costs for both consumers and businesses.

On the other hand, many banks are now&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/interest-rate-banks-saving-high-yield-cd-e44a5c704006035187a2c487a8817dd6">offering higher rates on savings accounts</a>, giving savers the opportunity to earn more interest.

Economists worry, though, that the Fed’s streak of 10 rate hikes since March 2022 could eventually cause the economy to slow too much and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/recession-gdp-economy-inflation-interest-rates-growth-b6276997368000bdd2bb12bdcf34f3b8">cause a recession</a>.

The short answer: inflation. Inflation has been slowing in recent months, but it's still high. Measured over a year earlier, consumer prices were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-federal-reserve-interest-rates-recession-prices-d933973089cce63f07cceb6da1e5dbc9">up 5% in March</a>, down sharply from February’s 6% year-over-year increase.

The Fed’s goal is to slow consumer spending, thereby reducing demand for homes, cars and other goods and services, eventually cooling the economy and lowering prices.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell has acknowledged in the past that aggressively raising rates would bring “some pain” for households but said that doing so is necessary to crush high inflation.

Anyone borrowing money to make a large purchase, such as a home, car or large appliance, will likely take a hit. The new rate will also increase monthly payments and costs for any consumer who is already paying interest on credit card debt.

“Consumers should focus on building up emergency savings and paying down debt,” said Greg McBride, Bankrate.com's chief financial analyst. “Even if this proves to be the final Fed rate hike, interest rates are still high and will remain that way.”

Even before the Fed’s latest move,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-credit-card-debt-interest-rates-a2e1d35cb957153058d188652570c48e">credit card borrowing</a>&nbsp;had reached the highest level since 1996, according to Bankrate.com.

The most recent data available showed that 46% of people were carrying debt from month to month, up from 39% a year ago. Total credit card balances were $986 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to the Fed, a record high, though that amount isn’t adjusted for inflation.

For those who don’t qualify for low-rate credit cards because of weak credit scores, the higher interest rates are already affecting their balances.

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 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Reserve has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-inflation-interest-rate-hikes-recession-aba096229d327d8abeb4bc13d85d1b2b">raised its key interest rate</a>&nbsp;yet again in its drive to cool inflation, a move that will directly affect most Americans.On Wednesday, the central bank boosted its benchmark rate by a quarter-point to 5.1%. Rates on credit cards, mortgages and auto loans, which have been surging since the Fed began raising rates last year, all stand to rise even more. The result will be more burdensome loan costs for both consumers and businesses.On the other hand, many banks are now&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/interest-rate-banks-saving-high-yield-cd-e44a5c704006035187a2c487a8817dd6">offering higher rates on savings accounts</a>, giving savers the opportunity to earn more interest.Economists worry, though, that the Fed’s streak of 10 rate hikes since March 2022 could eventually cause the economy to slow too much and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/recession-gdp-economy-inflation-interest-rates-growth-b6276997368000bdd2bb12bdcf34f3b8">cause a recession</a>.Here’s what to know:WHAT’S PROMPTING THE RATE INCREASES?The short answer: inflation. Inflation has been slowing in recent months, but it's still high. Measured over a year earlier, consumer prices were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-federal-reserve-interest-rates-recession-prices-d933973089cce63f07cceb6da1e5dbc9">up 5% in March</a>, down sharply from February’s 6% year-over-year increase.The Fed’s goal is to slow consumer spending, thereby reducing demand for homes, cars and other goods and services, eventually cooling the economy and lowering prices.Fed Chair Jerome Powell has acknowledged in the past that aggressively raising rates would bring “some pain” for households but said that doing so is necessary to crush high inflation.WHO IS MOST AFFECTED?Anyone borrowing money to make a large purchase, such as a home, car or large appliance, will likely take a hit. The new rate will also increase monthly payments and costs for any consumer who is already paying interest on credit card debt.“Consumers should focus on building up emergency savings and paying down debt,” said Greg McBride, Bankrate.com's chief financial analyst. “Even if this proves to be the final Fed rate hike, interest rates are still high and will remain that way.”WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH CREDIT CARDS?Even before the Fed’s latest move,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-credit-card-debt-interest-rates-a2e1d35cb957153058d188652570c48e">credit card borrowing</a>&nbsp;had reached the highest level since 1996, according to Bankrate.com.The most recent data available showed that 46% of people were carrying debt from month to month, up from 39% a year ago. Total credit card balances were $986 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to the Fed, a record high, though that amount isn’t adjusted for inflation.For those who don’t qualify for low-rate credit cards because of weak credit scores, the higher interest rates are already affecting their balances.HOW WILL AN INCREASE AFFECT CREDIT CARD RATES?The Fed doesn’t directly dictate how much interest you pay on your&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-0a536993ce494fc8d6fe2c5d637da5b5">credit card debt</a>. But the Fed’s rate is the basis for your bank’s prime rate. In combination with other factors, such as your credit score, the prime rate helps determine the Annual Percentage Rate, or APR, on your credit card.The latest increase will likely raise the APR on your credit card 0.25%. So, if you have a 20.9% rate, which is the average according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/current/">the Fed's data</a>, it might increase to 21.15%.If you don’t carry a balance from month to month,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-interest-rates-credit-cards-a1a5c342b60b63f45d1a700798b70b3a">the APR is less important</a>.But suppose you have a $4,000 credit balance and your interest rate is 20%. If you made only a fixed payment of $110 per month, it would take you a bit under five years to pay off your credit card debt, and you would pay about $2,200 in interest.If your APR increased by a percentage point, paying off your balance would take two months longer and cost an additional $215.WHAT IF I HAVE MONEY TO SAVE?After years of paying low rates for savers, some banks are finally&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/interest-rate-banks-saving-high-yield-cd-e44a5c704006035187a2c487a8817dd6">offering better interest on deposits</a>. Though the increases may seem small, compounding interest adds up over the years.Interest on savings accounts doesn't always track what the Fed does. But as rates have continued to rise, some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/banks-savings-cds-money-markets-deposits-08cde0e6bb4263c9194fa6544851a78f">banks have improved their terms</a>&nbsp;for savers as well. Even if you’re only keeping modest savings in your bank account, you could make more significant gains over the long term by finding an account with a better rate.While the biggest national banks have yet to dramatically change the rates on their savings accounts (clocking in at an average of just 0.23%, according to Bankrate), some mid-size and smaller banks have made changes more in line with the Fed’s moves.Online banks in particular — which save money by not having brick-and-mortar branches and associated expenses — are now offering savings accounts with annual percentage yields of between 3% and 4%, or even higher, as well as 4% or higher on one-year Certificates of Deposit (CDs). Some promotional rates can reach as high as 5%.WILL THIS AFFECT HOME OWNERSHIP?Last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mortgage-rates-interest-home-loan-real-estate-6357ce36e617f387fb99679b6060f6a9">mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported</a>&nbsp;that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year mortgage edged up to 6.43% from 6.39% the week prior. A year ago, the average rate was lower: 5.10%. Higher rates can add hundreds of dollars a month to mortgage payments.Rates for 30-year mortgages usually track the moves in the 10-year Treasury yield. Rates can also be influenced by investors’ expectations for future inflation, global demand for U.S. Treasuries and what the Fed does.Most mortgages last for decades, so if you already have a mortgage, you won't be impacted. But if you're looking to buy and already paying more for food, gas and other necessities, a higher mortgage rate could put home ownership out of reach.WHAT IF I WANT TO BUY A CAR?With shortages of computer chips and other parts easing, automakers are producing more vehicles. Many are even reducing prices or offering limited discounts. But rising loan rates and lower used-vehicle trade-in values have erased much of the savings on monthly payments.Since the Fed began raising rates in March 2022, the average new-vehicle loan rate has jumped from 4.5% to 7%, according to Edmunds data. Used vehicle loans dropped slightly to 11.1%. Loan durations average around 70 months — nearly six years — for new and used vehicles.Largely because of rate increases, the average monthly payment for both new and used vehicles has risen since March 2022, Edmunds says. The average new vehicle payment is up $72 to $729, Edmunds says. For used vehicles, the payment rose $20 a month to $546.The higher rates will keep out of the market people who have the ability to wait for more favorable terms, said Joseph Yoon, Edmunds’ consumer insights analyst.“But with inventory levels improving, it’s a matter of time before discounts and incentives start coming back into the equation," attracting more buyers, Yoon said.New vehicle average prices are down from the end of last year to $47,749. But they're still high compared with even a year ago. The average used vehicle price dropped 7% from last May's peak, to $28,729, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/used-cars-prices-new-vehicles-supply-522266dc94e089859f6eb393a4a786e1">prices are edging back up</a>.Financing a new vehicle now costs $8,655 in interest. Analysts say that's enough to chase many out of the auto market.Any Fed rate increase is typically passed through to auto borrowers, though it will be offset a bit by subsidized rates from manufacturers.WHAT ABOUT MY JOB?The nation’s employers kept hiring in March,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-unemployment-inflation-layoffs-economy-federal-reserve-40add7d390eca72a0294c8d5c80b2dd6">adding a healthy 236,000 jobs</a>. The unemployment rate fell to 3.5%, just above the 53-year low of 3.4% set in January. At the same time, the report from the Labor Department suggested a slowdown, with pay growth also easing.Some economists argue that layoffs could help slow rising prices, and that a tight labor market fuels wage growth and higher inflation.Economists expect the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-economy-employment-labor-31bb6127bb22135711bee3834f47e4be">unemployment rate to go up</a>&nbsp;to 3.6% in April, a slight increase from January's half-century low of 3.4%.WILL THIS AFFECT STUDENT LOANS?Borrowers who take out new private student loans should prepare to pay more as as rates increase. The current range for federal loans is between about 5% and 7.5%.That said,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-scotus-what-to-know-06a8ac6187fb39b2edc2cf5a379c22c0">payments on federal student loans</a>&nbsp;are suspended with zero interest until summer 2023 as part of an emergency measure put in place early in the pandemic. President Joe Biden has also announced some loan forgiveness, of up to $10,000 for most borrowers, and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients — a policy that’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-case-explained-8c62622e87c4ebff995f971263d932fc">now being challenged in the courts.</a>___