ROME (AP) — A chipper-sounding Pope Francis was discharged Saturday from the Rome hospital where he was treated for bronchitis, quipping to journalists before being driven away that he's “still alive.”

Francis, 86, was hospitalized at Gemelli Polyclinic on Wednesday following his weekly public audience in St. Peter's Square after reportedly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-health-hospital-vatican-1b743492e19762ac4a71cefb556967d0">experiencing breathing difficulties</a>. The pontiff received antibiotics administered intravenously during his stay, the Vatican said.

In a sign of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-hospital-bronchitis-holy-week-672c6c109101f6ac1aa4480909281c43">his improved health</a>, the Vatican released details of Francis' Holy Week schedule. It said he would preside at this weekend's Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square and at an outdoor Easter Mass on April 9. A Vatican cardinal will be at the altar to celebrate both Masses, a recent practice due to the pontiff having a troublesome knee issue.

But Francis is expected to celebrate Holy Thursday Mass, which this year will be held in a juvenile prison in Rome. Still unclear was whether he would attend the late-night, torch-lit Way of the Cross procession at Rome's Colosseum to mark Good Friday.

Before departing Gemelli Polyclinic late Saturday morning, Francis had an emotional moment with a Rome couple whose 5-year-old daughter died Friday night at the Catholic hospital. Outside, Serena Subania, mother of Angelica, sobbed as she pressed her head into the chest of the pope, who held her close and whispered words of comfort.

Francis seemed eager to linger with well-wishers. When a boy showed him his arm cast, the pope made a gesture as if to ask “Do you have a pen?” Three papal aides whipped out theirs. Francis took one of the pens and added his signature to the child's already well-autographed cast.

The pontiff answered in a low voice that was close to a whisper when reporters peppered him with questions, indicating he had felt unwell — “I felt sick," he said, pointing to his mid-section — a symptom that convinced his medical staff to take him to the hospital Wednesday.

Asked how he felt now, Francis joked, “Still alive, you know.” He gave a thumbs-up sign.

Francis exited the hospital from a side entrance, but his car stopped in front of the main entrance, where a gaggle of journalists waited. He opened the car door himself and got out from the front passenger seat. Francis had a cane ready to lean on.

After chatting, he got back into the white Fiat 500 car that drove him away from Gemelli Polyclinic. But instead of heading straight home, his motorcade sped right past Vatican City and went to St. Mary Major Basilica, a Rome landmark that is one of his favorites.

There, startled tourists rushed to snap photos of him as he sat in a wheelchair, which he has used often to navigate longer distances in recent years due to a chronic knee problem. When he emerged after praying, residents and tourists in the street called out repeatedly, “Long live the pope!” and clapped.

Francis spent 10 days at the same hospital in July 2021 following intestinal surgery for a bowel narrowing, After his release back then, he also stopped to offer prayers of thanksgiving at St. Mary Major Basilica, which is home to an icon depicting the Virgin Mary. He also visits the church upon returning from trips abroad.

Before leaving the hospital Saturday, Francis, while chatting with journalists, praised medical workers, saying they "show great tenderness."

“The sick are capricious. I much admire the people who work in hospitals,” he said. Francis also said he read journalists' accounts of his illness, including in a Rome daily newspaper, and pronounced them well done.

Francis stopped to talk to reporters again before he was driven into the Vatican through a gate of the tiny walled city-state, where he lives at a Holy See hotel. Speaking through an open car window, he said: “Happy Easter to all, and pray for me.''

Then, indicating he was eager to resume his routine, he said, “Forward, thanks.”

On yet another stop, he got out of his car to distribute chocolate Easter eggs to the police officers who drove the motorcycles at the head of his motorcade.

Given his low voice, it was unclear if the pope would be able to read the homily at the Palm Sunday service. He told reporters that after the Mass, he would keep his weekly appointment to greet and bless the public in St. Peter's Square.

As a young man in his native Argentina, Francis had part of a lung removed, leaving him particularly vulnerable to any respiratory illness.

ROME (AP) — A chipper-sounding Pope Francis was discharged Saturday from the Rome hospital where he was treated for bronchitis, quipping to journalists before being driven away that he's “still alive.”Francis, 86, was hospitalized at Gemelli Polyclinic on Wednesday following his weekly public audience in St. Peter's Square after reportedly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-health-hospital-vatican-1b743492e19762ac4a71cefb556967d0">experiencing breathing difficulties</a>. The pontiff received antibiotics administered intravenously during his stay, the Vatican said.In a sign of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-hospital-bronchitis-holy-week-672c6c109101f6ac1aa4480909281c43">his improved health</a>, the Vatican released details of Francis' Holy Week schedule. It said he would preside at this weekend's Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square and at an outdoor Easter Mass on April 9. A Vatican cardinal will be at the altar to celebrate both Masses, a recent practice due to the pontiff having a troublesome knee issue.But Francis is expected to celebrate Holy Thursday Mass, which this year will be held in a juvenile prison in Rome. Still unclear was whether he would attend the late-night, torch-lit Way of the Cross procession at Rome's Colosseum to mark Good Friday.Before departing Gemelli Polyclinic late Saturday morning, Francis had an emotional moment with a Rome couple whose 5-year-old daughter died Friday night at the Catholic hospital. Outside, Serena Subania, mother of Angelica, sobbed as she pressed her head into the chest of the pope, who held her close and whispered words of comfort.Francis seemed eager to linger with well-wishers. When a boy showed him his arm cast, the pope made a gesture as if to ask “Do you have a pen?” Three papal aides whipped out theirs. Francis took one of the pens and added his signature to the child's already well-autographed cast.The pontiff answered in a low voice that was close to a whisper when reporters peppered him with questions, indicating he had felt unwell — “I felt sick," he said, pointing to his mid-section — a symptom that convinced his medical staff to take him to the hospital Wednesday.Asked how he felt now, Francis joked, “Still alive, you know.” He gave a thumbs-up sign.Francis exited the hospital from a side entrance, but his car stopped in front of the main entrance, where a gaggle of journalists waited. He opened the car door himself and got out from the front passenger seat. Francis had a cane ready to lean on.After chatting, he got back into the white Fiat 500 car that drove him away from Gemelli Polyclinic. But instead of heading straight home, his motorcade sped right past Vatican City and went to St. Mary Major Basilica, a Rome landmark that is one of his favorites.There, startled tourists rushed to snap photos of him as he sat in a wheelchair, which he has used often to navigate longer distances in recent years due to a chronic knee problem. When he emerged after praying, residents and tourists in the street called out repeatedly, “Long live the pope!” and clapped.Francis spent 10 days at the same hospital in July 2021 following intestinal surgery for a bowel narrowing, After his release back then, he also stopped to offer prayers of thanksgiving at St. Mary Major Basilica, which is home to an icon depicting the Virgin Mary. He also visits the church upon returning from trips abroad.Before leaving the hospital Saturday, Francis, while chatting with journalists, praised medical workers, saying they "show great tenderness."“The sick are capricious. I much admire the people who work in hospitals,” he said. Francis also said he read journalists' accounts of his illness, including in a Rome daily newspaper, and pronounced them well done.Francis stopped to talk to reporters again before he was driven into the Vatican through a gate of the tiny walled city-state, where he lives at a Holy See hotel. Speaking through an open car window, he said: “Happy Easter to all, and pray for me.''Then, indicating he was eager to resume his routine, he said, “Forward, thanks.”On yet another stop, he got out of his car to distribute chocolate Easter eggs to the police officers who drove the motorcycles at the head of his motorcade.Given his low voice, it was unclear if the pope would be able to read the homily at the Palm Sunday service. He told reporters that after the Mass, he would keep his weekly appointment to greet and bless the public in St. Peter's Square.As a young man in his native Argentina, Francis had part of a lung removed, leaving him particularly vulnerable to any respiratory illness.

 Pope Francis returns to Vatican after hospital stay

By AARON SANDERFORD <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/31/nebraska-education-department-picks-a-new-commissioner-with-a-familiar-name-maher/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

OMAHA — The Nebraska Board of Education looked north for its next education commissioner Friday, but not before exposing board divisions over his selection and how he was chosen.

A 5-3 majority chose Brian Maher, 
former executive director of the South Dakota Board of Regents and a 
former superintendent in Kearney, Neb.; Utica, Neb.; and Sioux Falls, 
S.D.&nbsp;

Friday’s split vote is an oddity for 
the State Board, which has approved most of its recent commissioners 
unanimously, including the last two, the department confirmed.

Maher’s supporters — Patsy Koch 
Johns, Lisa Fricke, Patti Gubbels, Jacquelyn Morrison and Deb Neary — 
applauded his experience leading schools and education bureaucracies.

“You could see that he was very, very
 experienced,” Koch Johns said. “Very careful and very calm … that’s 
something in Nebraska we need right now.”

Neary praised Maher for saying during
 his interview that he would ask each of the board members to refer him 
to five members of their communities that he should hear from.

Morrison said she was pleased to hear
 that he considers feedback one of the most important parts of the 
teaching process. She said she values that push for improvement.

Board members voting no — Elizabeth 
Tegtmeier, Kirk Penner and Sherry Jones — said they preferred a 
different candidate and questioned the fairness of the hiring process.

Much of their criticism centered on 
questions about the potential influence of Steve Joel, the McPherson 
Jacobson consultant, who is a former Lincoln Public Schools 
superintendent.

“I find it interesting that this 
candidate is a longtime colleague of one of our consultants,” Tegtmeier 
said. Maher knows Joel from his time as a Nebraska superintendent.

The State Board revised its 
consulting contract with Joel’s firm to make sure he attended the 
interviews and hiring sessions this week. He sat in the front row 
Friday.&nbsp;

Penner said he didn’t like how the 
commissioner-hiring process limited the number and types of questions 
that individually elected board members could ask of potential 
candidates.

He said he had to get permission from
 Joel to ask a question, and no one on the board asked the candidates 
how they would address the state’s shortage of teachers.

“If we can’t ask the questions my 
constituents want to know, then we miss the mark,” he said. “To have to 
send and get approved questions is bizarre.”

Fricke said the board had to narrow down its questions to 19 to fit the window of an hour and 45 minutes per candidate.

Morrison, who helped pick the 
finalists, defended the board’s processes. She said government hiring, 
while it may seem convoluted, tries to keep the process fairer.

“We do it so all the candidates get 
asked the same questions,” she said. “There are also legalities in what 
we can and cannot ask, so we had to vet them (the questions).”&nbsp;

Penner, Tegtmeier and Sherry Jones 
are all new board members. They were among four candidates who ran as a 
conservative slate last November.

The board spent much of the meeting 
discussing the strengths of all three of its finalists: Maher, Melissa 
Poloncic, superintendent of the Douglas County West Community Schools 
and Summer Stephens, superintendent for Fallon, Nevada’s Churchill 
County School District.&nbsp;

The board directed its president, 
Gubbels, to negotiate a contract with Maher and expects to vote on a 
contract during the April 14 meeting in Lincoln. He would succeed 
Matthew Blomstedt, who resigned as education commissioner in January. 
Deputy Education Commissioner Deborah Frison is serving as interim 
commissioner.

During Thursday’s finalist 
interviews, Maher, who recently resigned from his post with the South 
Dakota Board of Regents, told the board that he believes one of the most
 important skills he has learned is that communication is a two-way 
street. He said he listens.

One of his first goals for the 
department would be trying to figure out what’s standing between 
teachers and teaching and to make sure the department helps remove those
 obstacles.

Maher’s son, Brett, was an 
all-conference kicker and punter in the early 2010s for the University 
of Nebraska. He kicked last season for the National Football League’s 
Dallas Cowboys.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680291554067.png" alt="The Nebraska Board of Education discusses which of its three finalists it should offer the job of education commissioner. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>The Nebraska Board of Education discusses which of its three finalists it should offer the job of education commissioner. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By AARON SANDERFORD <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/31/nebraska-education-department-picks-a-new-commissioner-with-a-familiar-name-maher/">Nebraska Examiner</a>OMAHA — The Nebraska Board of Education looked north for its next education commissioner Friday, but not before exposing board divisions over his selection and how he was chosen.A 5-3 majority chose Brian Maher, 
former executive director of the South Dakota Board of Regents and a 
former superintendent in Kearney, Neb.; Utica, Neb.; and Sioux Falls, 
S.D.&nbsp;Friday’s split vote is an oddity for 
the State Board, which has approved most of its recent commissioners 
unanimously, including the last two, the department confirmed.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680291616263.jpeg" alt="Brian Maher (Courtesy of Nebraska Department of Education)" />
 <figcaption>Brian Maher (Courtesy of Nebraska Department of Education)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Experienced administrator</h2>Maher’s supporters — Patsy Koch 
Johns, Lisa Fricke, Patti Gubbels, Jacquelyn Morrison and Deb Neary — 
applauded his experience leading schools and education bureaucracies.“You could see that he was very, very
 experienced,” Koch Johns said. “Very careful and very calm … that’s 
something in Nebraska we need right now.”Neary praised Maher for saying during
 his interview that he would ask each of the board members to refer him 
to five members of their communities that he should hear from.Morrison said she was pleased to hear
 that he considers feedback one of the most important parts of the 
teaching process. She said she values that push for improvement.Board members voting no — Elizabeth 
Tegtmeier, Kirk Penner and Sherry Jones — said they preferred a 
different candidate and questioned the fairness of the hiring process.Much of their criticism centered on 
questions about the potential influence of Steve Joel, the McPherson 
Jacobson consultant, who is a former Lincoln Public Schools 
superintendent.“I find it interesting that this 
candidate is a longtime colleague of one of our consultants,” Tegtmeier 
said. Maher knows Joel from his time as a Nebraska superintendent.The State Board revised its 
consulting contract with Joel’s firm to make sure he attended the 
interviews and hiring sessions this week. He sat in the front row 
Friday.&nbsp;<h2>Frustration with interview process</h2>Penner said he didn’t like how the 
commissioner-hiring process limited the number and types of questions 
that individually elected board members could ask of potential 
candidates.He said he had to get permission from
 Joel to ask a question, and no one on the board asked the candidates 
how they would address the state’s shortage of teachers.“If we can’t ask the questions my 
constituents want to know, then we miss the mark,” he said. “To have to 
send and get approved questions is bizarre.”Fricke said the board had to narrow down its questions to 19 to fit the window of an hour and 45 minutes per candidate.Morrison, who helped pick the 
finalists, defended the board’s processes. She said government hiring, 
while it may seem convoluted, tries to keep the process fairer.“We do it so all the candidates get 
asked the same questions,” she said. “There are also legalities in what 
we can and cannot ask, so we had to vet them (the questions).”&nbsp;<h2>Next steps</h2>Penner, Tegtmeier and Sherry Jones 
are all new board members. They were among four candidates who ran as a 
conservative slate last November.The board spent much of the meeting 
discussing the strengths of all three of its finalists: Maher, Melissa 
Poloncic, superintendent of the Douglas County West Community Schools 
and Summer Stephens, superintendent for Fallon, Nevada’s Churchill 
County School District.&nbsp;The board directed its president, 
Gubbels, to negotiate a contract with Maher and expects to vote on a 
contract during the April 14 meeting in Lincoln. He would succeed 
Matthew Blomstedt, who resigned as education commissioner in January. 
Deputy Education Commissioner Deborah Frison is serving as interim 
commissioner.During Thursday’s finalist 
interviews, Maher, who recently resigned from his post with the South 
Dakota Board of Regents, told the board that he believes one of the most
 important skills he has learned is that communication is a two-way 
street. He said he listens.One of his first goals for the 
department would be trying to figure out what’s standing between 
teachers and teaching and to make sure the department helps remove those
 obstacles.Maher’s son, Brett, was an 
all-conference kicker and punter in the early 2010s for the University 
of Nebraska. He kicked last season for the National Football League’s 
Dallas Cowboys.

Nebraska Education Department names new commissioner

By ZACH WENDLING <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/31/creation-of-nebraska-broadband-office-clears-first-round-amid-concerns/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;The Nebraska Legislature 
gave first-round approval Friday to a measure that would shift authority
 of up to $400 million in federal broadband funds to the executive 
branch.

Legislators voted <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_votes.php?KeyID=8772">43-2</a> to advance <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=50596">Legislative Bill 683</a>,
 proposed by the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee. The 
bill would create the Nebraska Broadband Office, led by a broadband 
coordinator appointed by the governor.

Billions of dollars have been spent 
since the late 1990s to boost broadband access with slow results, 
leading to legislative frustration.

State Sens. Machaela Cavanaugh of 
Omaha and Carol Blood of Bellevue voted against the bill. They voiced 
concerns the bill would provide “complete authority” to the executive 
branch and not be transparent.

Currently, the elected members of the
 Nebraska Public Service Commission manage the program of $100 million 
to $400 million for broadband build-out in underserved areas of the 
state.

Gov. Jim Pillen called for the new 
broadband office shortly after being sworn in as governor this year. He 
said at the time that “affordable, accessible, dependable and high-speed
 broadband is essential” in educating and keeping young people in the 
state.

On <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/30/legislature-debates-who-should-oversee-up-to-400-million-in-nebraska-broadband-funds/">Thursday</a>,
 a spokesman for Pillen said the new structure would be “more 
accountable” for Nebraska voters and would more quickly expand and 
improve broadband access.

Cavanaugh, the lone committee member 
who voted against advancing LB 683, introduced a variety of amendments 
that would have addressed transparency and oversight concerns.

One amendment would have explicitly 
stated that meetings of the broadband office would be subject to the 
Open Meetings Act, although the office, as a state agency, would be 
covered under the act without the language.&nbsp;

Cavanaugh and others argued that 
providing an additional safeguard in specifying the Open Meetings Act 
requirement in law would not hurt. The vote failed <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_votes.php?KeyID=8766">32-11</a> against the change.

“We are on a path to take away our 
own ability and authority to govern with all of these little drips of 
water that we keep doing where we abdicate our own authority,” Cavanaugh
 said. “Colleagues, I really hope that you will consider what we are 
doing with LB 683, how we are growing government … and how we are 
growing it without much conversation or intention.”

If passed into law, the broadband 
office would be required to submit an annual report to the 
Transportation and Telecommunications Committee. The report would also 
be the focus of a public committee hearing.

Cavanaugh sought to amend the bill for that public hearing to include any comment on the broadband office. Senators voted <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_votes.php?KeyID=8769">32-12</a> against the amendment.

State Sen. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln, 
Transportation and Telecommunications Committee chair, said allegations 
that the broadband office could be irresponsible or corrupt with no 
oversight “is just wrong.”&nbsp;

“To say that this is not transparent is absurd,” Geist said.

Installing infrastructure in rural 
Nebraska or older urban neighborhoods costs more than in other areas. As
 many as 90,000 locations in the state lack quality broadband, based on 
committee testimony.

Blood said the office does not belong
 in the executive branch despite frustration with how broadband funds 
have or haven’t been used.

“Why would we give anything to the executive branch to screw up one more time?” she said.

Cavanaugh also addressed what she viewed as “an attack and an assault” on the Public Service Commission.

The commission <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/07/proposed-state-broadband-office-touted-as-more-effective-creative-in-closing-digital-divide/">testified in a neutral capacity</a> at the hearing for LB 683, which leaned skeptical of the need for change.

“I am not comfortable attacking another elected body in this way,” Cavanaugh said.

State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North 
Platte said the current system hasn’t worked. Jacobson said he’s “tired 
of waiting” on the commission and change is necessary so the state does 
not miss out on federal dollars.

“The PSC has failed us,” Jacobson 
said. “It’s time for someone to take control of this, and the governor 
intends to do just that.”

By ZACH WENDLING <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/31/creation-of-nebraska-broadband-office-clears-first-round-amid-concerns/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;The Nebraska Legislature 
gave first-round approval Friday to a measure that would shift authority
 of up to $400 million in federal broadband funds to the executive 
branch.Legislators voted <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_votes.php?KeyID=8772">43-2</a> to advance <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=50596">Legislative Bill 683</a>,
 proposed by the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee. The 
bill would create the Nebraska Broadband Office, led by a broadband 
coordinator appointed by the governor.Billions of dollars have been spent 
since the late 1990s to boost broadband access with slow results, 
leading to legislative frustration.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662042112970.png" alt="Nebraska Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh, Omaha. (Nebraska Unicameral Information Office)" />
 <figcaption>Nebraska Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh, Omaha. (Nebraska Unicameral Information Office)</figcaption>
 </figure>State Sens. Machaela Cavanaugh of 
Omaha and Carol Blood of Bellevue voted against the bill. They voiced 
concerns the bill would provide “complete authority” to the executive 
branch and not be transparent.Currently, the elected members of the
 Nebraska Public Service Commission manage the program of $100 million 
to $400 million for broadband build-out in underserved areas of the 
state.Gov. Jim Pillen called for the new 
broadband office shortly after being sworn in as governor this year. He 
said at the time that “affordable, accessible, dependable and high-speed
 broadband is essential” in educating and keeping young people in the 
state.On <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/30/legislature-debates-who-should-oversee-up-to-400-million-in-nebraska-broadband-funds/">Thursday</a>,
 a spokesman for Pillen said the new structure would be “more 
accountable” for Nebraska voters and would more quickly expand and 
improve broadband access.<h2>Transparency and accountability</h2>Cavanaugh, the lone committee member 
who voted against advancing LB 683, introduced a variety of amendments 
that would have addressed transparency and oversight concerns.One amendment would have explicitly 
stated that meetings of the broadband office would be subject to the 
Open Meetings Act, although the office, as a state agency, would be 
covered under the act without the language.&nbsp;Cavanaugh and others argued that 
providing an additional safeguard in specifying the Open Meetings Act 
requirement in law would not hurt. The vote failed <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_votes.php?KeyID=8766">32-11</a> against the change.“We are on a path to take away our 
own ability and authority to govern with all of these little drips of 
water that we keep doing where we abdicate our own authority,” Cavanaugh
 said. “Colleagues, I really hope that you will consider what we are 
doing with LB 683, how we are growing government … and how we are 
growing it without much conversation or intention.”If passed into law, the broadband 
office would be required to submit an annual report to the 
Transportation and Telecommunications Committee. The report would also 
be the focus of a public committee hearing.Cavanaugh sought to amend the bill for that public hearing to include any comment on the broadband office. Senators voted <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_votes.php?KeyID=8769">32-12</a> against the amendment.State Sen. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln, 
Transportation and Telecommunications Committee chair, said allegations 
that the broadband office could be irresponsible or corrupt with no 
oversight “is just wrong.”&nbsp;“To say that this is not transparent is absurd,” Geist said.<h2>‘The PSC has failed us’</h2>Installing infrastructure in rural 
Nebraska or older urban neighborhoods costs more than in other areas. As
 many as 90,000 locations in the state lack quality broadband, based on 
committee testimony.Blood said the office does not belong
 in the executive branch despite frustration with how broadband funds 
have or haven’t been used.“Why would we give anything to the executive branch to screw up one more time?” she said.Cavanaugh also addressed what she viewed as “an attack and an assault” on the Public Service Commission.The commission <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/07/proposed-state-broadband-office-touted-as-more-effective-creative-in-closing-digital-divide/">testified in a neutral capacity</a> at the hearing for LB 683, which leaned skeptical of the need for change.“I am not comfortable attacking another elected body in this way,” Cavanaugh said.State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North 
Platte said the current system hasn’t worked. Jacobson said he’s “tired 
of waiting” on the commission and change is necessary so the state does 
not miss out on federal dollars.“The PSC has failed us,” Jacobson 
said. “It’s time for someone to take control of this, and the governor 
intends to do just that.”

Creation of Nebraska Broadband Office clears first round

By AARON SANDERFORD <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/30/legislature-debates-who-should-oversee-up-to-400-million-in-nebraska-broadband-funds/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN
 — Decades of legislative frustration with Nebraska’s results after 
spending billions of dollars in fees and funds since the late 1990s to 
boost broadband access boiled over into a floor debate Thursday about 
possible fixes for a state agency’s funding decisions and 
follow-through.

Senators are weighing who at the 
state level should direct up to $400 million in new federal grant funds 
set aside for broadband expansion: the elected members of the Nebraska 
Public Service Commission, which manages the program now, or a person 
appointed by the governor to head a new office under the governor’s 
direction.&nbsp;

Before reaching a vote, lawmakers 
expect a few more hours of filibuster-forced discussion Friday about 
Legislative Bill 683, which proposes removing the Public Service 
Commission’s authority to award the $100 million to $400 million for 
broadband build-out in underserved areas of the state.

The bill from the Transportation and 
Telecommunications Committee would grant that power in state statute to a
 new gubernatorial appointee leading a new state broadband office.&nbsp;

Gov. Jim Pillen created a new state 
broadband office using an executive order in January, during his first 
week in office. He said at the time that “affordable, accessible, 
dependable and high-speed broadband is essential” to educating and 
keeping young people in Nebraska.

His spokesman told the Nebraska 
Examiner on Thursday that Pillen wants the new broadband office 
codified, saying the nimbler new structure would be “more accountable to
 Nebraska voters and able to expand and improve broadband access across 
the state more quickly.”

State senators who raised questions 
about the bill, including Steve Erdman of Bayard, Steve Halloran of 
Hastings and Megan Hunt and Machaela Cavanaugh, both of Omaha, asked why
 the state would create a new office and structure rather than adding 
staff to the Public Service Commission.

Halloran suggested saving money by 
naming a broadband director and leaving the office under the authority 
of the commission. Erdman said senators shouldn’t hold the current 
Public Service Commission responsible for past problems because the 
board has three new members and a new majority.

“That might be a better alternative,”
 Halloran said. “The goal would be the same. The results would be the 
same. But it would be under the Public Service Commission.”

Much of lawmakers’ frustration is 
based on inconsistent access to broadband in rural Nebraska and in older
 urban neighborhoods where it costs more to install the infrastructure 
needed. As many as 90,000 locations in Nebraska still lack quality 
broadband, based on testimony to the committee about LB 863.

The bill would authorize $1.7 million
 a year on the new broadband office. It would transfer three employees 
from the Public Service Commission, hire six more and add the director. 
The office would be housed at, but not controlled by, the Nebraska 
Department of Transportation.

The bill would leave the Public 
Service Commission in control of several smaller grant programs aimed at
 broadband that are already in progress, as well as work with Universal 
Service Fund dollars. The commission awards about $40 million to $50 
million in broadband grants a year.

Cavanaugh and Hunt said the 
Legislature should consider whether it is handing over too much power to
 the executive branch, including the Legislature’s authority to approve 
new spending. Under a proposed committee amendment, the state broadband 
director would decide funding.

Some in the Legislature, including 
State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln and John Cavanaugh of Omaha, who are
 attorneys, worried that a provision in the State Constitution giving 
authority over “common carriers” to the commission might make LB 683 
unconstitutional.

Bill supporters, including State 
Sens. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln, Mike Moser of Columbus, Myron Dorn of 
Adams and Bruce Bostelman of Brainard, said the Legislature needs a new 
state broadband office to ensure that Nebraska obtains the funds it 
needs to build out the system.

Geist, in a brief interview, said the
 key reason to put the office under the governor’s direction instead of 
the Public Service Commission is because the commission, as the state’s 
catch-all regulator, is involved in too many things to give broadband 
deployment the focus it needs.

“They’re spread so broadly,” Geist 
said of the commission. “They regulate so many things. This is so big 
and with very specific deadlines. If the deadlines aren’t met, we don’t 
get the money. Adding this on top of that was more than the governor 
thought they could adequately do.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Defenders of the commission, 
including former Commissioner Crystal Rhoades, disagreed. She said the 
commission could do what the Legislature wants if senators would give 
the PSC the tools to hold telecommunications companies accountable for 
awarded broadband projects.

She would like to see a law that 
requires companies applying for state or federal broadband funds to 
disclose where they built the project, the speed at which it was built 
and the cost per mile. The state also needs to require independent speed
 testing, she said.

The Public Service Commission testified in a neutral position <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/07/proposed-state-broadband-office-touted-as-more-effective-creative-in-closing-digital-divide/">at the hearing for LB 683</a>, but most of the testimony its members gave was skeptical of the need for the change.

“(Senators supporting LB 683) just 
want to create this new department that they think is going to be a 
panacea,” Rhoades said. “What they need to do is empower the expertise 
they already have to make sure that the public is getting what they paid
 for.”

Bostelman and State Sen. Wendy DeBoer
 of Bennington said Nebraska needs better mapping of broadband 
deployment, citing a bill passed last session to require it. But 
Bostelman expressed frustration that the map might be based on federal 
data and not local data from the PSC.

Rhoades said the Legislature could 
fix this by requiring telecommunications companies to report their 
progress publicly. She also suggested requiring the companies to 
disclose how they are providing broadband, because there’s a difference 
between fiber and Wi-Fi.

“Wi-Fi lasts three to five years and needs to be replaced,” she said. “Fiber gives you 20 years.”

Erdman, who spent much of the hearing
 questioning the bill, decided late in the day that he would support it.
 He worried about telling his constituents the state would be “growing 
government.” But he said supporters answered his questions about why the
 state needed to make the change.

Dorn put it succinctly: “I think most
 people agree we need some type of person to do this or help spur along 
the Public Service Commission. It seems we haven’t nearly progressed at 
the rate we should, or at the rate other states have.”

Hunt and Cavanaugh joked about siding
 with Halloran and Erdman about “wasteful spending.” Hunt said she 
worried that the new office would be “duplicative or redundant.” 
Cavanaugh said senators should think carefully before taking such 
“drastic” action.

Cavanaugh, the only committee member 
to speak in opposition to the bill, said she wanted to know more about 
the intentions behind the new broadband office. She said she might 
support a separate broadband office if it left room for legislative and 
public input.&nbsp;

Her fellow committee members said the
 bill would require the broadband office to file a report with the 
Legislature each December detailing progress toward the five-year plan 
required with the federal funds.

Bostelman said 35 states already have
 some sort of broadband governance structure and said the new office 
would take the issue off the back burner and give someone more clearly 
accountable to the masses – the governor – a way to direct the money 
where it needs to be used.

Rhoades said she doesn’t think the change would accomplish what senators want.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“We’ve been passing out the money 
thinking they would do the right thing, and they are not,” she said. 
“This new structure will be rife with the same exact problems.”&nbsp;

By AARON SANDERFORD <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/30/legislature-debates-who-should-oversee-up-to-400-million-in-nebraska-broadband-funds/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN
 — Decades of legislative frustration with Nebraska’s results after 
spending billions of dollars in fees and funds since the late 1990s to 
boost broadband access boiled over into a floor debate Thursday about 
possible fixes for a state agency’s funding decisions and 
follow-through.Senators are weighing who at the 
state level should direct up to $400 million in new federal grant funds 
set aside for broadband expansion: the elected members of the Nebraska 
Public Service Commission, which manages the program now, or a person 
appointed by the governor to head a new office under the governor’s 
direction.&nbsp;Before reaching a vote, lawmakers 
expect a few more hours of filibuster-forced discussion Friday about 
Legislative Bill 683, which proposes removing the Public Service 
Commission’s authority to award the $100 million to $400 million for 
broadband build-out in underserved areas of the state.The bill from the Transportation and 
Telecommunications Committee would grant that power in state statute to a
 new gubernatorial appointee leading a new state broadband office.&nbsp;<h2>New broadband office or PSC</h2>Gov. Jim Pillen created a new state 
broadband office using an executive order in January, during his first 
week in office. He said at the time that “affordable, accessible, 
dependable and high-speed broadband is essential” to educating and 
keeping young people in Nebraska.His spokesman told the Nebraska 
Examiner on Thursday that Pillen wants the new broadband office 
codified, saying the nimbler new structure would be “more accountable to
 Nebraska voters and able to expand and improve broadband access across 
the state more quickly.”State senators who raised questions 
about the bill, including Steve Erdman of Bayard, Steve Halloran of 
Hastings and Megan Hunt and Machaela Cavanaugh, both of Omaha, asked why
 the state would create a new office and structure rather than adding 
staff to the Public Service Commission.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680272562219.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard (courtesy Unicameral Information Office)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard (courtesy Unicameral Information Office)</figcaption>
 </figure>Halloran suggested saving money by 
naming a broadband director and leaving the office under the authority 
of the commission. Erdman said senators shouldn’t hold the current 
Public Service Commission responsible for past problems because the 
board has three new members and a new majority.“That might be a better alternative,”
 Halloran said. “The goal would be the same. The results would be the 
same. But it would be under the Public Service Commission.”<h2>Years of frustration</h2>Much of lawmakers’ frustration is 
based on inconsistent access to broadband in rural Nebraska and in older
 urban neighborhoods where it costs more to install the infrastructure 
needed. As many as 90,000 locations in Nebraska still lack quality 
broadband, based on testimony to the committee about LB 863.The bill would authorize $1.7 million
 a year on the new broadband office. It would transfer three employees 
from the Public Service Commission, hire six more and add the director. 
The office would be housed at, but not controlled by, the Nebraska 
Department of Transportation.The bill would leave the Public 
Service Commission in control of several smaller grant programs aimed at
 broadband that are already in progress, as well as work with Universal 
Service Fund dollars. The commission awards about $40 million to $50 
million in broadband grants a year.Cavanaugh and Hunt said the 
Legislature should consider whether it is handing over too much power to
 the executive branch, including the Legislature’s authority to approve 
new spending. Under a proposed committee amendment, the state broadband 
director would decide funding.Some in the Legislature, including 
State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln and John Cavanaugh of Omaha, who are
 attorneys, worried that a provision in the State Constitution giving 
authority over “common carriers” to the commission might make LB 683 
unconstitutional.<h2>State must act quickly</h2>Bill supporters, including State 
Sens. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln, Mike Moser of Columbus, Myron Dorn of 
Adams and Bruce Bostelman of Brainard, said the Legislature needs a new 
state broadband office to ensure that Nebraska obtains the funds it 
needs to build out the system.Geist, in a brief interview, said the
 key reason to put the office under the governor’s direction instead of 
the Public Service Commission is because the commission, as the state’s 
catch-all regulator, is involved in too many things to give broadband 
deployment the focus it needs.“They’re spread so broadly,” Geist 
said of the commission. “They regulate so many things. This is so big 
and with very specific deadlines. If the deadlines aren’t met, we don’t 
get the money. Adding this on top of that was more than the governor 
thought they could adequately do.”&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Holding companies accountable</h2>Defenders of the commission, 
including former Commissioner Crystal Rhoades, disagreed. She said the 
commission could do what the Legislature wants if senators would give 
the PSC the tools to hold telecommunications companies accountable for 
awarded broadband projects.She would like to see a law that 
requires companies applying for state or federal broadband funds to 
disclose where they built the project, the speed at which it was built 
and the cost per mile. The state also needs to require independent speed
 testing, she said.The Public Service Commission testified in a neutral position <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/07/proposed-state-broadband-office-touted-as-more-effective-creative-in-closing-digital-divide/">at the hearing for LB 683</a>, but most of the testimony its members gave was skeptical of the need for the change.“(Senators supporting LB 683) just 
want to create this new department that they think is going to be a 
panacea,” Rhoades said. “What they need to do is empower the expertise 
they already have to make sure that the public is getting what they paid
 for.”Bostelman and State Sen. Wendy DeBoer
 of Bennington said Nebraska needs better mapping of broadband 
deployment, citing a bill passed last session to require it. But 
Bostelman expressed frustration that the map might be based on federal 
data and not local data from the PSC.Rhoades said the Legislature could 
fix this by requiring telecommunications companies to report their 
progress publicly. She also suggested requiring the companies to 
disclose how they are providing broadband, because there’s a difference 
between fiber and Wi-Fi.“Wi-Fi lasts three to five years and needs to be replaced,” she said. “Fiber gives you 20 years.”<h2>Odd allies, late swing in support</h2>Erdman, who spent much of the hearing
 questioning the bill, decided late in the day that he would support it.
 He worried about telling his constituents the state would be “growing 
government.” But he said supporters answered his questions about why the
 state needed to make the change.Dorn put it succinctly: “I think most
 people agree we need some type of person to do this or help spur along 
the Public Service Commission. It seems we haven’t nearly progressed at 
the rate we should, or at the rate other states have.”Hunt and Cavanaugh joked about siding
 with Halloran and Erdman about “wasteful spending.” Hunt said she 
worried that the new office would be “duplicative or redundant.” 
Cavanaugh said senators should think carefully before taking such 
“drastic” action.Cavanaugh, the only committee member 
to speak in opposition to the bill, said she wanted to know more about 
the intentions behind the new broadband office. She said she might 
support a separate broadband office if it left room for legislative and 
public input.&nbsp;Her fellow committee members said the
 bill would require the broadband office to file a report with the 
Legislature each December detailing progress toward the five-year plan 
required with the federal funds.Bostelman said 35 states already have
 some sort of broadband governance structure and said the new office 
would take the issue off the back burner and give someone more clearly 
accountable to the masses – the governor – a way to direct the money 
where it needs to be used.Rhoades said she doesn’t think the change would accomplish what senators want.&nbsp;&nbsp;“We’ve been passing out the money 
thinking they would do the right thing, and they are not,” she said. 
“This new structure will be rife with the same exact problems.”&nbsp;

Who should oversee $400M in Nebraska broadband funds?

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, prosecutors and defense lawyers say, making him the first former U.S. president to face a criminal charge and jolting his bid to retake the White House next year.

The former president responded to the indictment on his social media account and through his campaign.

The charges remained under seal late Thursday, but the investigation centered on payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter. Prosecutors said they were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-arrest-process-what-to-know-02a2ce34e03e25ab2fdd0e81dbcc62c7">working to coordinate Trump's surrender</a>, which could happen early next week, but they did not say whether they intended to seek prison time in the event of a conviction.

The indictment, an extraordinary development after years of investigations into Trump’s business, political and personal dealings, injects a local district attorney’s office into the heart of a national presidential race and ushers in criminal proceedings in a city that the ex-president for decades called home. Arriving at a time of deep political divisions, the charges are likely to reinforce rather than reshape dueling perspectives of those who see accountability as long overdue and those who, like Trump, feel the Republican is being targeted for political purposes by a Democratic prosecutor.

Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly assailed the investigation, called the indictment “political persecution” and predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024. In a statement confirming the charges, defense lawyers Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina said Trump "did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.”

A spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney's office confirmed the indictment and said prosecutors had reached out to Trump's defense team to coordinate a surrender. A person familiar with the matter, who was not authorized to discuss sealed proceedings, said the surrender was expected to happen next week.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-alvin-bragg-trump-manhattan-da-d77a4ec8df9a2b2b35f6e8bb9a52a5a7?utm_source=hubpage&amp;utm_medium=RelatedStories&amp;utm_campaign=position_03">District Attorney Alvin Bragg</a>&nbsp;left his office Thursday evening without commenting.

The case centers on well-chronicled allegations from a period in 2016 when Trump’s celebrity past collided with his political ambitions. Prosecutors for months scrutinized money paid to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indictment-stormy-daniels-karen-mcdougal-26f0b7e7cf464f5fc0681e04efe5fe9b">porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal</a>, whom he feared would go public with claims that they had extramarital sexual encounters with him.

The timing of the indictment appeared to come as a surprise to Trump campaign officials following news reports that criminal charges were likely weeks away. The former president was at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate, on Thursday and had filmed an interview with a conservative commentator earlier in the day.

For a man whose presidency was defined by one obliterated norm after another, the indictment sets up yet another never-before-seen spectacle — a former president having his fingerprints and mug shot taken, and then facing arraignment. For security reasons, his booking is expected to be carefully choreographed to avoid crowds inside or outside the courthouse.

The prosecution also means that Trump will have to simultaneously fight for his freedom and political future, while also fending off&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-else-is-trump-being-investigated-for-bbc926171b5bdf91eabd76db93411b8b">potentially more perilous legal threats</a>, including investigations into attempts by him and his allies to undo the 2020 election as well into as the hoarding of hundreds of classified documents.

In fact, New York until recently had been seen as an unlikely contender to be the first place to prosecute Trump, who continues to face long-running investigations in Atlanta and Washington that could also result in charges. Unlike those inquiries, the Manhattan case concerns conduct by Trump that occurred before he became president and is unrelated to his much-publicized efforts to overturn a presidential election.

The indictment comes as Trump is seeking to reassert control of the Republican Party and stave off a slew of one-time allies who are seeking or are likely to oppose him for the presidential nomination. An expected leading rival in the race, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, called the indictment “un-American” in a statement Thursday night that pointedly did not mention Trump's name.

In bringing the charges, Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, is embracing an unusual case that had been investigated by two previous sets of prosecutors, both of which declined to take the politically explosive step of seeking Trump’s indictment. The case may also turn in part on the testimony of a key witness, Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal charges arising from the hush money payments.

The fate of the investigation seemed uncertain until word got out in early March that Bragg had invited Trump to testify before a grand jury, a signal that prosecutors were close to bringing charges.

Trump’s attorneys declined the invitation, but a lawyer closely allied with the former president briefly testified in an effort to undercut Cohen's credibility.

Trump himself had raised anticipation that he would be indicted soon, issuing a statement earlier this month in which he predicted an imminent arrest and called for protests. He did not repeat that call in a fresh statement Thursday, but the New York Police Department told its 36,000 officers to be fully mobilized and ready to respond to any potential protests or unrest.

Late in the 2016 presidential campaign, Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 to keep her silent about what she says was a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier after they met at a celebrity golf tournament.

Cohen was then reimbursed by Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, which also rewarded the lawyer with bonuses and extra payments logged internally as legal expenses. Over several months, Cohen said, the company paid him $420,000.

Earlier in 2016, Cohen had also arranged for the publisher of the supermarket tabloid the National Enquirer to pay Playboy model Karen McDougal $150,000 to squelch her story of a Trump affair in a journalistically dubious practice known as “catch-and-kill.”

The payments to the women were intended to buy secrecy, but they backfired almost immediately as details of the arrangements leaked to the news media.

Federal prosecutors in New York ultimately charged Cohen in 2018 with violating federal campaign finance laws, arguing that the payments amounted to impermissible help to Trump’s presidential campaign. Cohen pleaded guilty to those charges and unrelated tax evasion counts and served time in federal prison.

Trump was implicated in court filings as having knowledge of the arrangements — obliquely referred to in charging documents as “Individual 1” — but U.S. prosecutors at the time balked at bringing charges against him. The Justice Department has a longtime policy that it is likely unconstitutional to prosecute a sitting president in federal court.

Bragg’s predecessor as district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., then took up the investigation in 2019. While that probe initially focused on the hush money payments, Vance’s prosecutors moved on to other matters, including an examination of Trump’s business dealings and tax strategies.

Vance ultimately charged the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer with tax fraud related to fringe benefits paid to some of the company’s top executives.

The hush money matter became known around the D.A.’s office as the “zombie case,” with prosecutors revisiting it periodically but never opting to bring charges.

Bragg saw it differently. After the Trump Organization was convicted on the tax fraud charges in December, he brought fresh eyes to the well-worn case, hiring longtime white-collar prosecutor Matthew Colangelo to oversee the probe and convening a new grand jury.

Cohen became a key witness, meeting with prosecutors nearly two-dozen times, turning over emails, recordings and other evidence and testifying before the grand jury.

Trump has long decried the Manhattan investigation as “the greatest witch hunt in history.” He has also lashed out at Bragg, calling the prosecutor, who is Black, racist against white people.

The criminal charges in New York are the latest salvo in a profound schism between Trump and his hometown — a reckoning for a one-time favorite son who grew rich and famous building skyscrapers, hobnobbing with celebrities and gracing the pages of the city’s gossip press.

Trump, who famously riffed in 2016 that he “could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody” and “wouldn’t lose voters,” now faces a threat to his liberty in a borough where more than 75% of voters — many of them potential jurors — went against him in the last election.

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, prosecutors and defense lawyers say, making him the first former U.S. president to face a criminal charge and jolting his bid to retake the White House next year.The former president responded to the indictment on his social media account and through his campaign.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680220494039.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680223200656.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The charges remained under seal late Thursday, but the investigation centered on payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter. Prosecutors said they were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-arrest-process-what-to-know-02a2ce34e03e25ab2fdd0e81dbcc62c7">working to coordinate Trump's surrender</a>, which could happen early next week, but they did not say whether they intended to seek prison time in the event of a conviction.The indictment, an extraordinary development after years of investigations into Trump’s business, political and personal dealings, injects a local district attorney’s office into the heart of a national presidential race and ushers in criminal proceedings in a city that the ex-president for decades called home. Arriving at a time of deep political divisions, the charges are likely to reinforce rather than reshape dueling perspectives of those who see accountability as long overdue and those who, like Trump, feel the Republican is being targeted for political purposes by a Democratic prosecutor.Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly assailed the investigation, called the indictment “political persecution” and predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024. In a statement confirming the charges, defense lawyers Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina said Trump "did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.”A spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney's office confirmed the indictment and said prosecutors had reached out to Trump's defense team to coordinate a surrender. A person familiar with the matter, who was not authorized to discuss sealed proceedings, said the surrender was expected to happen next week.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-alvin-bragg-trump-manhattan-da-d77a4ec8df9a2b2b35f6e8bb9a52a5a7?utm_source=hubpage&amp;utm_medium=RelatedStories&amp;utm_campaign=position_03">District Attorney Alvin Bragg</a>&nbsp;left his office Thursday evening without commenting.The case centers on well-chronicled allegations from a period in 2016 when Trump’s celebrity past collided with his political ambitions. Prosecutors for months scrutinized money paid to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indictment-stormy-daniels-karen-mcdougal-26f0b7e7cf464f5fc0681e04efe5fe9b">porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal</a>, whom he feared would go public with claims that they had extramarital sexual encounters with him.The timing of the indictment appeared to come as a surprise to Trump campaign officials following news reports that criminal charges were likely weeks away. The former president was at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate, on Thursday and had filmed an interview with a conservative commentator earlier in the day.For a man whose presidency was defined by one obliterated norm after another, the indictment sets up yet another never-before-seen spectacle — a former president having his fingerprints and mug shot taken, and then facing arraignment. For security reasons, his booking is expected to be carefully choreographed to avoid crowds inside or outside the courthouse.The prosecution also means that Trump will have to simultaneously fight for his freedom and political future, while also fending off&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-else-is-trump-being-investigated-for-bbc926171b5bdf91eabd76db93411b8b">potentially more perilous legal threats</a>, including investigations into attempts by him and his allies to undo the 2020 election as well into as the hoarding of hundreds of classified documents.In fact, New York until recently had been seen as an unlikely contender to be the first place to prosecute Trump, who continues to face long-running investigations in Atlanta and Washington that could also result in charges. Unlike those inquiries, the Manhattan case concerns conduct by Trump that occurred before he became president and is unrelated to his much-publicized efforts to overturn a presidential election.The indictment comes as Trump is seeking to reassert control of the Republican Party and stave off a slew of one-time allies who are seeking or are likely to oppose him for the presidential nomination. An expected leading rival in the race, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, called the indictment “un-American” in a statement Thursday night that pointedly did not mention Trump's name.In bringing the charges, Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, is embracing an unusual case that had been investigated by two previous sets of prosecutors, both of which declined to take the politically explosive step of seeking Trump’s indictment. The case may also turn in part on the testimony of a key witness, Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal charges arising from the hush money payments.The fate of the investigation seemed uncertain until word got out in early March that Bragg had invited Trump to testify before a grand jury, a signal that prosecutors were close to bringing charges.Trump’s attorneys declined the invitation, but a lawyer closely allied with the former president briefly testified in an effort to undercut Cohen's credibility.Trump himself had raised anticipation that he would be indicted soon, issuing a statement earlier this month in which he predicted an imminent arrest and called for protests. He did not repeat that call in a fresh statement Thursday, but the New York Police Department told its 36,000 officers to be fully mobilized and ready to respond to any potential protests or unrest.Late in the 2016 presidential campaign, Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 to keep her silent about what she says was a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier after they met at a celebrity golf tournament.Cohen was then reimbursed by Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, which also rewarded the lawyer with bonuses and extra payments logged internally as legal expenses. Over several months, Cohen said, the company paid him $420,000.Earlier in 2016, Cohen had also arranged for the publisher of the supermarket tabloid the National Enquirer to pay Playboy model Karen McDougal $150,000 to squelch her story of a Trump affair in a journalistically dubious practice known as “catch-and-kill.”The payments to the women were intended to buy secrecy, but they backfired almost immediately as details of the arrangements leaked to the news media.Federal prosecutors in New York ultimately charged Cohen in 2018 with violating federal campaign finance laws, arguing that the payments amounted to impermissible help to Trump’s presidential campaign. Cohen pleaded guilty to those charges and unrelated tax evasion counts and served time in federal prison.Trump was implicated in court filings as having knowledge of the arrangements — obliquely referred to in charging documents as “Individual 1” — but U.S. prosecutors at the time balked at bringing charges against him. The Justice Department has a longtime policy that it is likely unconstitutional to prosecute a sitting president in federal court.Bragg’s predecessor as district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., then took up the investigation in 2019. While that probe initially focused on the hush money payments, Vance’s prosecutors moved on to other matters, including an examination of Trump’s business dealings and tax strategies.Vance ultimately charged the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer with tax fraud related to fringe benefits paid to some of the company’s top executives.The hush money matter became known around the D.A.’s office as the “zombie case,” with prosecutors revisiting it periodically but never opting to bring charges.Bragg saw it differently. After the Trump Organization was convicted on the tax fraud charges in December, he brought fresh eyes to the well-worn case, hiring longtime white-collar prosecutor Matthew Colangelo to oversee the probe and convening a new grand jury.Cohen became a key witness, meeting with prosecutors nearly two-dozen times, turning over emails, recordings and other evidence and testifying before the grand jury.Trump has long decried the Manhattan investigation as “the greatest witch hunt in history.” He has also lashed out at Bragg, calling the prosecutor, who is Black, racist against white people.The criminal charges in New York are the latest salvo in a profound schism between Trump and his hometown — a reckoning for a one-time favorite son who grew rich and famous building skyscrapers, hobnobbing with celebrities and gracing the pages of the city’s gossip press.Trump, who famously riffed in 2016 that he “could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody” and “wouldn’t lose voters,” now faces a threat to his liberty in a borough where more than 75% of voters — many of them potential jurors — went against him in the last election.

Read Donald Trump's response to grand jury indictment 

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Gwyneth Paltrow won her court battle over a 2016 ski collision at a posh Utah ski resort after a jury decided Thursday that the movie star wasn’t at fault for the crash.

A jury dismissed the complaint of a retired optometrist who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.boston.com/culture/celebs/2019/01/29/gwyneth-paltrow-sued-over-utah-ski-crash/">sued Paltrow</a>&nbsp;over injuries he sustained when the two crashed on a beginner run at Deer Valley ski resort, siding with Paltrow after eight days of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gwyneth-paltrow-ski-trial-lawsuit-utah-0d1bf78d45d65d86eafcd0e6bc21ae38">live-streamed courtroom testimony</a>&nbsp;that made the case&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gwyneth-paltrow-ski-trial-lawsuit-utah-b748dfec3d0cc7ba7281355a21a4f6ff">a pop culture fixation.</a>

Paltrow, an actor who in recent years has refashioned herself into a celebrity wellness entrepreneur, Paltrow looked to her attorneys with a pursed lips smile when the judge read the eight-member jury’s verdict in the Park City courtroom. She sat intently through two weeks of testimony in what became the biggest celebrity court case since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amber-heard-johnny-depp-entertainment-ae1cbc0ff84940adf857355ec956723e">actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard faced off</a>&nbsp;last year.

The dismissal concludes two weeks of courtroom proceedings that hinged largely on reputation rather than the monetary damages at stake in the case. Paltrow’s attorneys described the complaint against her as “utter B.S.” and painted the Goop founder-CEO as uniquely vulnerable to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/travel-entertainment-ap-top-news-us-news-lawsuits-89356b1afe574eee890e7f31cb193b86">unfair, frivolous lawsuits</a>&nbsp;due to her celebrity.

Paltrow took the witness stand during the trial to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gwyneth-paltrow-utah-ski-collision-trial-3f3b25539799e4537f2157ee3679d202">insist the collision</a>&nbsp;wasn’t her fault, and to describe how she was stunned when she felt “a body pressing against me and a very strange grunting noise.”

Throughout the trial, the word&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gwyneth-paltrow-ski-trial-lawsuit-utah-2d9de9365c38">“uphill” became synonymous with “guilty,</a>&nbsp;” as attorneys focused on a largely unknown skiing code of conduct that stipulates that the skier who is downhill or ahead on the slope has the right of way.

Worldwide audiences followed the celebrity trial as if it were episodic television. Viewers scrutinized both Paltrow and Sanderson’s motives while attorneys directed questions to witnesses that often had less to do with the collision and more to do with their client’s reputations.

The trial took place in Park City, a resort town known for hosting the annual&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sundance-film-festival">Sundance Film Festival,</a>&nbsp;where early in her career Paltrow would appear for the premieres of her movies including 1998’s “Sliding Doors,” at a time when she was known primarily as an actor, not a lifestyle influencer. Paltrow is also known for her roles in “Shakespeare in Love” and the “Iron Man” movies.

The jury’s decision marks a painful court defeat for Terry Sanderson, the man who sued Paltrow for more than $300,000 over injuries he sustained when they crashed on a beginner run. Both parties blamed the other for the collision. Sanderson, 76, broke four ribs and sustained a concussion after the two tumbled down the slope, with Paltrow landing on top of him.

He filed an amended complaint after an earlier $3.1 million lawsuit was dismissed. Paltrow in response countersued for $1 and attorney fees, a symbolic action that mirrors Taylor Swift’s response to a radio host’s defamation lawsuit. Swift was awarded $1 in 2017.

Paltrow’s defense team tried to paint Sanderson as an angry, aging and unsympathetic man who had over the years become “obsessed” with his lawsuit against Paltrow. They argued that Paltrow wasn’t at fault in the crash and also said, regardless of blame, that Sanderson was overstating the extent of his injuries.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680216584319.png" alt="Gwyneth Paltrow sits in court during an objection by her attorney during her trial, Wednesday, March 29, 2023, in Park City, Utah, where she is accused in a lawsuit of crashing into a skier during a 2016 family ski vacation, leaving him with brain damage and four broken ribs. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)" />
 <figcaption>Gwyneth Paltrow sits in court during an objection by her attorney during her trial, Wednesday, March 29, 2023, in Park City, Utah, where she is accused in a lawsuit of crashing into a skier during a 2016 family ski vacation, leaving him with brain damage and four broken ribs. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)</figcaption>
 </figure>PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Gwyneth Paltrow won her court battle over a 2016 ski collision at a posh Utah ski resort after a jury decided Thursday that the movie star wasn’t at fault for the crash.A jury dismissed the complaint of a retired optometrist who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.boston.com/culture/celebs/2019/01/29/gwyneth-paltrow-sued-over-utah-ski-crash/">sued Paltrow</a>&nbsp;over injuries he sustained when the two crashed on a beginner run at Deer Valley ski resort, siding with Paltrow after eight days of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gwyneth-paltrow-ski-trial-lawsuit-utah-0d1bf78d45d65d86eafcd0e6bc21ae38">live-streamed courtroom testimony</a>&nbsp;that made the case&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gwyneth-paltrow-ski-trial-lawsuit-utah-b748dfec3d0cc7ba7281355a21a4f6ff">a pop culture fixation.</a>Paltrow, an actor who in recent years has refashioned herself into a celebrity wellness entrepreneur, Paltrow looked to her attorneys with a pursed lips smile when the judge read the eight-member jury’s verdict in the Park City courtroom. She sat intently through two weeks of testimony in what became the biggest celebrity court case since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amber-heard-johnny-depp-entertainment-ae1cbc0ff84940adf857355ec956723e">actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard faced off</a>&nbsp;last year.The dismissal concludes two weeks of courtroom proceedings that hinged largely on reputation rather than the monetary damages at stake in the case. Paltrow’s attorneys described the complaint against her as “utter B.S.” and painted the Goop founder-CEO as uniquely vulnerable to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/travel-entertainment-ap-top-news-us-news-lawsuits-89356b1afe574eee890e7f31cb193b86">unfair, frivolous lawsuits</a>&nbsp;due to her celebrity.Paltrow took the witness stand during the trial to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gwyneth-paltrow-utah-ski-collision-trial-3f3b25539799e4537f2157ee3679d202">insist the collision</a>&nbsp;wasn’t her fault, and to describe how she was stunned when she felt “a body pressing against me and a very strange grunting noise.”Throughout the trial, the word&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gwyneth-paltrow-ski-trial-lawsuit-utah-2d9de9365c38">“uphill” became synonymous with “guilty,</a>&nbsp;” as attorneys focused on a largely unknown skiing code of conduct that stipulates that the skier who is downhill or ahead on the slope has the right of way.Worldwide audiences followed the celebrity trial as if it were episodic television. Viewers scrutinized both Paltrow and Sanderson’s motives while attorneys directed questions to witnesses that often had less to do with the collision and more to do with their client’s reputations.The trial took place in Park City, a resort town known for hosting the annual&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sundance-film-festival">Sundance Film Festival,</a>&nbsp;where early in her career Paltrow would appear for the premieres of her movies including 1998’s “Sliding Doors,” at a time when she was known primarily as an actor, not a lifestyle influencer. Paltrow is also known for her roles in “Shakespeare in Love” and the “Iron Man” movies.The jury’s decision marks a painful court defeat for Terry Sanderson, the man who sued Paltrow for more than $300,000 over injuries he sustained when they crashed on a beginner run. Both parties blamed the other for the collision. Sanderson, 76, broke four ribs and sustained a concussion after the two tumbled down the slope, with Paltrow landing on top of him.He filed an amended complaint after an earlier $3.1 million lawsuit was dismissed. Paltrow in response countersued for $1 and attorney fees, a symbolic action that mirrors Taylor Swift’s response to a radio host’s defamation lawsuit. Swift was awarded $1 in 2017.Paltrow’s defense team tried to paint Sanderson as an angry, aging and unsympathetic man who had over the years become “obsessed” with his lawsuit against Paltrow. They argued that Paltrow wasn’t at fault in the crash and also said, regardless of blame, that Sanderson was overstating the extent of his injuries.

Gwyneth Paltrow not at fault for ski collision, jury decides

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, prosecutors and defense lawyers said Thursday, making him the first former U.S. president to face a criminal charge and jolting his bid to retake the White House next year.

The charges center on payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter. They mark an extraordinary development after years of investigations into Trump’s business, political and personal dealings.

The indictment injects a local district attorney’s office into the heart of a national presidential race and ushers in criminal proceedings in a city that the ex-president for decades called home. Arriving at a time of deep political divisions, the charges are likely to reinforce rather than reshape dueling perspectives of those who see accountability as long overdue and those who, like Trump, feel the Republican is being targeted for political purposes by a Democratic prosecutor.

A spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney's office confirmed the indictment and said prosecutors had reached out to Trump's defense team to arrange a surrender. A person familiar with the matter, who was not authorized to discuss sealed proceedings, said the surrender was expected to happen next week.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-alvin-bragg-trump-manhattan-da-d77a4ec8df9a2b2b35f6e8bb9a52a5a7?utm_source=hubpage&amp;utm_medium=RelatedStories&amp;utm_campaign=position_03">District Attorney Alvin Bragg</a>&nbsp;left his office Thursday evening without commenting.

The case centers on well-chronicled allegations from a period in 2016 when Trump’s celebrity past collided with his political ambitions. Prosecutors scrutinized money paid to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indictment-stormy-daniels-karen-mcdougal-26f0b7e7cf464f5fc0681e04efe5fe9b">porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal</a>, whom he feared would go public with claims that they had extramarital sexual encounters with him.

The timing of the indictment appeared to come as a surprise to Trump campaign officials following news reports that criminal charges was likely weeks away. The former president was at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate, on Thursday and had filmed an interview with a conservative commentator earlier in the day.

For a man whose presidency was defined by one obliterated norm after another, the indictment presents yet another never-before-seen spectacle. It will require a former president, and current hopeful, to simultaneously fight for his freedom and his political future while also fending off&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-else-is-trump-being-investigated-for-bbc926171b5bdf91eabd76db93411b8b">potentially more perilous legal threats</a>, including investigations into attempts by him and his allies to undo the 2020 election as well into as the hoarding of hundreds of classified documents.

In fact, New York until recently had been seen as an unlikely contender to be the first place to prosecute Trump, who continues to face long-running investigations in Atlanta and Washington that could also result in charges. Unlike those inquiries, the Manhattan case concerns conduct by Trump that occurred before he became president and is unrelated to much-publicized efforts to overturn a presidential election.

As he seeks to reassert control of the Republican Party and stave off a slew of one-time allies who are seeking or are likely to oppose him for the presidential nomination, the indictment sets the stage for an unprecedented scene — a former president having his fingerprints and mug shot taken, and then facing arraignment and possibly a criminal trial. For security reasons, his booking is expected to be carefully choreographed to avoid crowds inside or outside the courthouse.

In bringing the charges, Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, is embracing an unusual case that had been investigated by two previous sets of prosecutors, both of which declined to take the politically explosive step of seeking Trump’s indictment.

In the weeks leading up to the indictment, Trump, who is seeks to reassert control of the Republican Party and . railed about the investigation on social media and urged supporters to protest on his behalf, prompting tighter security around the Manhattan criminal courthouse.

The fate of the hush-money investigation seemed uncertain until word got out in early March that Bragg had invited Trump to testify before a grand jury, a signal that prosecutors were close to bringing charges.

Trump’s attorneys declined the invitation, but a lawyer closely allied with the former president briefly testified in an effort to undercut the credibility of Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen.

Trump was implicated in court filings as having knowledge of the arrangements, but U.S. prosecutors at the time balked at bringing charges against him. The Justice Department has a longtime policy that it is likely unconstitutional to prosecute a sitting president in federal court.

Trump, who famously riffed in 2016 that he “could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody” and “wouldn’t lose voters,” now faces a threat to his liberty or at least his reputation in a borough where more than 75% of voters — many of them potential jurors — went against him in the last election.

NEW YORK (AP) — A Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict Donald Trump on charges involving payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter, his lawyers said Thursday, producing the first criminal case against a former U.S. president and a jolt to Trump’s bid to retake the White House.

Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly attacked the investigation, called the indictment “political persecution” and predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024.

The indictment is an extraordinary development after years of investigations into his business, political and personal dealings. It is likely to galvanize critics who say Trump lied and cheated his way to the top and embolden supporters who feel the Republican is being unfairly targeted by a Democratic prosecutor.

In a statement, his lawyers, Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina, said: “He did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.”

The district attorney's investigation centered on money paid to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, whom he feared would go public with claims that they had extramarital sexual encounters with him.

Trump was expected to surrender to authorities next week, though the details were still being worked out, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss a matter that remained under seal.

In bringing the charges, the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, is embracing an unusual case that had been investigated by two previous sets of prosecutors, both of which declined to take the politically explosive step of seeking Trump’s indictment.

In the weeks leading up to the indictment, Trump railed about the investigation on social media and urged supporters to protest on his behalf, prompting tighter security around the Manhattan criminal courthouse.

Trump faces other potential legal perils as he seeks to reassert control of the Republican Party and stave off a slew of one-time allies who are seeking or are likely to oppose him for the presidential nomination.

The district attorney in Atlanta has for two years been investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to meddle in Georgia’s 2020 vote count. And a U.S. Justice Department special counsel is investigating Trump’s storage of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida and his efforts to reverse his election loss.

NEW YORK (AP) —A Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict Donald Trump on charges involving payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter, the first ever criminal case against a former U.S. president and a jolt to Trump’s bid to retake the White House in 2024.

The indictment, confirmed Thursday by Joe Tacopina, a lawyer for Trump, and other people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to discuss sealed criminal charges, is an extraordinary development after years of investigations into his business, political and personal dealings. It is likely to galvanize critics who say Trump lied and cheated his way to the top and embolden supporters who feel the Republican is being unfairly targeted by a Democratic prosecutor.

Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly attacked the investigation as politically motivated, was expected to surrender to authorities next week, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss a matter that remained under seal.

NEW YORK (AP) —A lawyer for Donald Trump said Thursday he's been told that the former president has been indicted in New York on charges involving payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter.

It becomes the first ever criminal case against a former U.S. president and a jolt to Trump’s bid to retake the White House in 2024.

Joe Tacopina, a lawyer for Trump, told The Associated Press he had been told that a grand jury that had been meeting for months voted to indict Trump. The specific charges were not immediately made public.

Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has attacked the investigation, was expected to surrender to authorities next week, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss a matter that remained under seal.

The grand jury indictment of Trump, 76, is an extraordinary development after years of investigations into his business, political and personal dealings. It is likely to galvanize critics who say Trump lied and cheated his way to the top and embolden supporters who feel the Republican is being unfairly targeted by a Democratic prosecutor.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660098261521.png" alt="This becomes the first ever criminal case against a former U.S. president and a jolt to Trump’s bid to retake the White House in 2024.&nbsp; -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>This becomes the first ever criminal case against a former U.S. president and a jolt to Trump’s bid to retake the White House in 2024.&nbsp; -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, prosecutors and defense lawyers said Thursday, making him the first former U.S. president to face a criminal charge and jolting his bid to retake the White House next year.The charges center on payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter. They mark an extraordinary development after years of investigations into Trump’s business, political and personal dealings.The indictment injects a local district attorney’s office into the heart of a national presidential race and ushers in criminal proceedings in a city that the ex-president for decades called home. Arriving at a time of deep political divisions, the charges are likely to reinforce rather than reshape dueling perspectives of those who see accountability as long overdue and those who, like Trump, feel the Republican is being targeted for political purposes by a Democratic prosecutor.Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly assailed the investigation, called the indictment “political persecution” and predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024. In a statement confirming the charges, defense lawyers Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina said Trump "did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.”A spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney's office confirmed the indictment and said prosecutors had reached out to Trump's defense team to arrange a surrender. A person familiar with the matter, who was not authorized to discuss sealed proceedings, said the surrender was expected to happen next week.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-alvin-bragg-trump-manhattan-da-d77a4ec8df9a2b2b35f6e8bb9a52a5a7?utm_source=hubpage&amp;utm_medium=RelatedStories&amp;utm_campaign=position_03">District Attorney Alvin Bragg</a>&nbsp;left his office Thursday evening without commenting.The case centers on well-chronicled allegations from a period in 2016 when Trump’s celebrity past collided with his political ambitions. Prosecutors scrutinized money paid to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indictment-stormy-daniels-karen-mcdougal-26f0b7e7cf464f5fc0681e04efe5fe9b">porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal</a>, whom he feared would go public with claims that they had extramarital sexual encounters with him.The timing of the indictment appeared to come as a surprise to Trump campaign officials following news reports that criminal charges was likely weeks away. The former president was at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate, on Thursday and had filmed an interview with a conservative commentator earlier in the day.For a man whose presidency was defined by one obliterated norm after another, the indictment presents yet another never-before-seen spectacle. It will require a former president, and current hopeful, to simultaneously fight for his freedom and his political future while also fending off&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-else-is-trump-being-investigated-for-bbc926171b5bdf91eabd76db93411b8b">potentially more perilous legal threats</a>, including investigations into attempts by him and his allies to undo the 2020 election as well into as the hoarding of hundreds of classified documents.In fact, New York until recently had been seen as an unlikely contender to be the first place to prosecute Trump, who continues to face long-running investigations in Atlanta and Washington that could also result in charges. Unlike those inquiries, the Manhattan case concerns conduct by Trump that occurred before he became president and is unrelated to much-publicized efforts to overturn a presidential election.As he seeks to reassert control of the Republican Party and stave off a slew of one-time allies who are seeking or are likely to oppose him for the presidential nomination, the indictment sets the stage for an unprecedented scene — a former president having his fingerprints and mug shot taken, and then facing arraignment and possibly a criminal trial. For security reasons, his booking is expected to be carefully choreographed to avoid crowds inside or outside the courthouse.In bringing the charges, Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, is embracing an unusual case that had been investigated by two previous sets of prosecutors, both of which declined to take the politically explosive step of seeking Trump’s indictment.In the weeks leading up to the indictment, Trump, who is seeks to reassert control of the Republican Party and . railed about the investigation on social media and urged supporters to protest on his behalf, prompting tighter security around the Manhattan criminal courthouse.The fate of the hush-money investigation seemed uncertain until word got out in early March that Bragg had invited Trump to testify before a grand jury, a signal that prosecutors were close to bringing charges.Trump’s attorneys declined the invitation, but a lawyer closely allied with the former president briefly testified in an effort to undercut the credibility of Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen.Late in the 2016 presidential campaign, Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 to keep her silent about what she says was a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier after they met at a celebrity golf tournament.Cohen was then reimbursed by Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, which also rewarded the lawyer with bonuses and extra payments logged internally as legal expenses. Over several months, Cohen said, the company paid him $420,000.Earlier in 2016, Cohen had also arranged for the publisher of the supermarket tabloid the National Enquirer to pay Playboy model Karen McDougal $150,000 to squelch her story of a Trump affair in a journalistically dubious practice known as “catch-and-kill.”The payments to the women were intended to buy secrecy, but they backfired almost immediately as details of the arrangements leaked to the news media.Federal prosecutors in New York ultimately charged Cohen in 2018 with violating federal campaign finance laws, arguing that the payments amounted to impermissible help to Trump’s presidential campaign. Cohen pleaded guilty to those charges and unrelated tax evasion counts and served time in federal prison.Trump was implicated in court filings as having knowledge of the arrangements, but U.S. prosecutors at the time balked at bringing charges against him. The Justice Department has a longtime policy that it is likely unconstitutional to prosecute a sitting president in federal court.Bragg’s predecessor as district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., then took up the investigation in 2019. While that probe initially focused on the hush money payments, Vance’s prosecutors moved on to other matters, including an examination of Trump’s business dealings and tax strategies.Vance ultimately charged the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer with tax fraud related to fringe benefits paid to some of the company’s top executives.The hush money matter became known around the D.A.’s office as the “zombie case,” with prosecutors revisiting it periodically but never opting to bring charges.Bragg saw it differently. After the Trump Organization was convicted on the tax fraud charges in December, he brought fresh eyes to the well-worn case, hiring longtime white-collar prosecutor Matthew Colangelo to oversee the probe and convening a new grand jury.Cohen became a key witness, meeting with prosecutors nearly two-dozen times, turning over emails, recordings and other evidence and testifying before the grand jury.Trump has long decried the Manhattan investigation as “the greatest witch hunt in history.” He has also lashed out at Bragg, calling the prosecutor, who is Black, racist against white people.The criminal charges in New York are the latest salvo in a profound schism between Trump and his hometown — a reckoning for a one-time favorite son who grew rich and famous building skyscrapers, hobnobbing with celebrities and gracing the pages of the city’s gossip press.Trump, who famously riffed in 2016 that he “could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody” and “wouldn’t lose voters,” now faces a threat to his liberty or at least his reputation in a borough where more than 75% of voters — many of them potential jurors — went against him in the last election.-------------NEW YORK (AP) — A Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict Donald Trump on charges involving payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter, his lawyers said Thursday, producing the first criminal case against a former U.S. president and a jolt to Trump’s bid to retake the White House.Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly attacked the investigation, called the indictment “political persecution” and predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024.The indictment is an extraordinary development after years of investigations into his business, political and personal dealings. It is likely to galvanize critics who say Trump lied and cheated his way to the top and embolden supporters who feel the Republican is being unfairly targeted by a Democratic prosecutor.In a statement, his lawyers, Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina, said: “He did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.”The district attorney's investigation centered on money paid to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, whom he feared would go public with claims that they had extramarital sexual encounters with him.Trump was expected to surrender to authorities next week, though the details were still being worked out, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss a matter that remained under seal.In bringing the charges, the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, is embracing an unusual case that had been investigated by two previous sets of prosecutors, both of which declined to take the politically explosive step of seeking Trump’s indictment.In the weeks leading up to the indictment, Trump railed about the investigation on social media and urged supporters to protest on his behalf, prompting tighter security around the Manhattan criminal courthouse.Trump faces other potential legal perils as he seeks to reassert control of the Republican Party and stave off a slew of one-time allies who are seeking or are likely to oppose him for the presidential nomination.The district attorney in Atlanta has for two years been investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to meddle in Georgia’s 2020 vote count. And a U.S. Justice Department special counsel is investigating Trump’s storage of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida and his efforts to reverse his election loss.The fate of the hush-money investigation seemed uncertain until word got out in early March that Bragg had invited Trump to testify before a grand jury, a signal that prosecutors were close to bringing charges.Trump’s attorneys declined the invitation, but a lawyer closely allied with the former president briefly testified in an effort to undercut the credibility of Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen.Late in the 2016 presidential campaign, Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 to keep her silent about what she says was a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier after they met at a celebrity golf tournament.Cohen was then reimbursed by Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, which also rewarded the lawyer with bonuses and extra payments logged internally as legal expenses. Over several months, Cohen said, the company paid him $420,000.Earlier in 2016, Cohen had also arranged for the publisher of the supermarket tabloid the National Enquirer to pay Playboy model Karen McDougal $150,000 to squelch her story of a Trump affair in a journalistically dubious practice known as “catch-and-kill.”The payments to the women were intended to buy secrecy, but they backfired almost immediately as details of the arrangements leaked to the news media.Federal prosecutors in New York ultimately charged Cohen in 2018 with violating federal campaign finance laws, arguing that the payments amounted to impermissible help to Trump’s presidential campaign. Cohen pleaded guilty to those charges and unrelated tax evasion counts and served time in federal prison.Trump was implicated in court filings as having knowledge of the arrangements, but U.S. prosecutors at the time balked at bringing charges against him. The Justice Department has a longtime policy that it is likely unconstitutional to prosecute a sitting president in federal court.Bragg’s predecessor as district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., then took up the investigation in 2019. While that probe initially focused on the hush money payments, Vance’s prosecutors moved on to other matters, including an examination of Trump’s business dealings and tax strategies.Vance ultimately charged the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer with tax fraud related to fringe benefits paid to some of the company’s top executives.The hush money matter became known around the D.A.’s office as the “zombie case,” with prosecutors revisiting it periodically but never opting to bring charges.Bragg saw it differently. After the Trump Organization was convicted on the tax fraud charges in December, he brought fresh eyes to the well-worn case, hiring longtime white-collar prosecutor Matthew Colangelo to oversee the probe and convening a new grand jury.Cohen became a key witness, meeting with prosecutors nearly two-dozen times, turning over emails, recordings and other evidence and testifying before the grand jury.Trump has long decried the Manhattan investigation as “the greatest witch hunt in history.” He has also lashed out at Bragg, calling the prosecutor, who is Black, racist against white people.The criminal charges in New York are the latest salvo in a profound schism between Trump and his hometown — a reckoning for a one-time favorite son who grew rich and famous building skyscrapers, hobnobbing with celebrities and gracing the pages of the city’s gossip press.Trump, who famously riffed in 2016 that he “could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody” and “wouldn’t lose voters,” now faces a threat to his liberty or at least his reputation in a borough where more than 75% of voters — many of them potential jurors — went against him in the last election.NEW YORK (AP) —A Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict Donald Trump on charges involving payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter, the first ever criminal case against a former U.S. president and a jolt to Trump’s bid to retake the White House in 2024.The indictment, confirmed Thursday by Joe Tacopina, a lawyer for Trump, and other people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to discuss sealed criminal charges, is an extraordinary development after years of investigations into his business, political and personal dealings. It is likely to galvanize critics who say Trump lied and cheated his way to the top and embolden supporters who feel the Republican is being unfairly targeted by a Democratic prosecutor.Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly attacked the investigation as politically motivated, was expected to surrender to authorities next week, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss a matter that remained under seal.In bringing the charges, the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, is embracing an unusual case that had been investigated by two previous sets of prosecutors, both of which declined to take the politically explosive step of seeking Trump’s indictment.In the weeks leading up to the indictment, Trump railed about the investigation on social media and urged supporters to protest on his behalf, prompting tighter security around the Manhattan criminal courthouse.Trump faces other potential legal perils as he seeks to reassert control of the Republican Party and stave off a slew of one-time allies who are seeking or are likely to oppose him for the presidential nomination.The district attorney in Atlanta has for two years been investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to meddle in Georgia’s 2020 vote count. And a U.S. Justice Department special counsel is investigating Trump’s storage of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida and his efforts to reverse his election loss.--------------NEW YORK (AP) —A lawyer for Donald Trump said Thursday he's been told that the former president has been indicted in New York on charges involving payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter.It becomes the first ever criminal case against a former U.S. president and a jolt to Trump’s bid to retake the White House in 2024.Joe Tacopina, a lawyer for Trump, told The Associated Press he had been told that a grand jury that had been meeting for months voted to indict Trump. The specific charges were not immediately made public.Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has attacked the investigation, was expected to surrender to authorities next week, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss a matter that remained under seal.The grand jury indictment of Trump, 76, is an extraordinary development after years of investigations into his business, political and personal dealings. It is likely to galvanize critics who say Trump lied and cheated his way to the top and embolden supporters who feel the Republican is being unfairly targeted by a Democratic prosecutor.

Donald Trump indicted; 1st ex-president charged with crime

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — Nine people were killed in a crash involving two Army <a href="https://apnews.com/article/black-hawk-helicopters-crash-d8ebd81d05f0b917df61d7dbcdb1752f">Black Hawk</a> medical evacuation helicopters conducting a nighttime training exercise in Kentucky, Army officials said Thursday.

Nondice
 Thurman, a spokesperson for Fort Campbell, said the deaths happened 
Wednesday night in southwestern Kentucky during a routine training 
mission.

A statement from Fort Campbell said the two HH-60 Black 
Hawk helicopters, part of the 101st Airborne Division, crashed around 10
 p.m. Wednesday in Trigg County, Kentucky. The 101st Airborne confirmed 
the crash about 30 miles northwest of Fort Campbell. The
 crash is under investigation.

The helicopters crashed in a field 
near a residential area with no injuries on the ground, Brig. Gen. John 
Lubas, the 101st Airborne deputy commander, said. One helicopter had 
five people aboard and the other had four, Lubas said.

An Army spokesperson declined to comment on whether the helicopters collided in the air.

"At
 this time, there is no determination on the specifics regarding the 
accident,” Daniel Matthews, a public affairs officer for the 101st 
Airborne Division, said in an emailed statement Thursday afternoon. 
Matthews said an aviation safety team from Fort Rucker, Alabama, will 
investigate the accident.

Speaking a news conference Thursday 
morning, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the state would do everything 
it can to support the families of those killed.

“We’re going to do
 what we always do. We’re going to wrap our arms around these families, 
and we’re going to be there with them, not just for the days, but the 
weeks and the months and the years to come," Beshear said.

Lubas said it is unclear what caused the crash.

“This
 was a training progression, and specifically they were flying a 
multi-ship formation, two ships, under night vision goggles at night," 
Lubas said. He said officials believe the accident occurred when "they 
were doing flying, not deliberate medical evacuation drills.”

The 
helicopters have something similar to the black boxes on passenger 
planes, which records the performance of aircrafts in flight and are 
used by investigators to analyze crashes.

“We’re hopeful that will provide quite a bit of information of what occurred,” Lubas said.

The
 Black Hawk helicopter is a critical workhorse for the U.S. Army and is 
used in security, transport, medical evacuations, search and rescue and 
other missions. The helicopters are known to many people from the 2001 
movie “Black Hawk Down,” which is about a violent battle in Somalia 
eight years earlier.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680208722157.jpeg" alt="Military officials hold a news conference in Fort Campbell, KY, on Thursday March 30, 2023, to discuss a fatal helicopter crash. Nine people were killed in a crash involving two Army Black Hawk helicopters conducting a nighttime training exercise in Kentucky, a military spokesperson said. (AP Photo/Sharon Johnson)" />
 <figcaption>Military officials hold a news conference in Fort Campbell, KY, on Thursday March 30, 2023, to discuss a fatal helicopter crash. Nine people were killed in a crash involving two Army Black Hawk helicopters conducting a nighttime training exercise in Kentucky, a military spokesperson said. (AP Photo/Sharon Johnson)</figcaption>
 </figure>Associated PressFORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — Nine people were killed in a crash involving two Army <a href="https://apnews.com/article/black-hawk-helicopters-crash-d8ebd81d05f0b917df61d7dbcdb1752f">Black Hawk</a> medical evacuation helicopters conducting a nighttime training exercise in Kentucky, Army officials said Thursday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/PentagonPresSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PentagonPresSec</a> on incident in which nine Army soldiers were killed in a crash involving two Black Hawk helicopters crashed in Kentucky, which occurred during a routine training mission. <a href="https://t.co/QZg8GivRaE">pic.twitter.com/QZg8GivRaE</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1641525073474461699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Nondice
 Thurman, a spokesperson for Fort Campbell, said the deaths happened 
Wednesday night in southwestern Kentucky during a routine training 
mission.A statement from Fort Campbell said the two HH-60 Black 
Hawk helicopters, part of the 101st Airborne Division, crashed around 10
 p.m. Wednesday in Trigg County, Kentucky. The 101st Airborne confirmed 
the crash about 30 miles northwest of Fort Campbell. The
 crash is under investigation.The helicopters crashed in a field 
near a residential area with no injuries on the ground, Brig. Gen. John 
Lubas, the 101st Airborne deputy commander, said. One helicopter had 
five people aboard and the other had four, Lubas said.An Army spokesperson declined to comment on whether the helicopters collided in the air."At
 this time, there is no determination on the specifics regarding the 
accident,” Daniel Matthews, a public affairs officer for the 101st 
Airborne Division, said in an emailed statement Thursday afternoon. 
Matthews said an aviation safety team from Fort Rucker, Alabama, will 
investigate the accident.Speaking a news conference Thursday 
morning, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the state would do everything 
it can to support the families of those killed.“We’re going to do
 what we always do. We’re going to wrap our arms around these families, 
and we’re going to be there with them, not just for the days, but the 
weeks and the months and the years to come," Beshear said.Lubas said it is unclear what caused the crash.“This
 was a training progression, and specifically they were flying a 
multi-ship formation, two ships, under night vision goggles at night," 
Lubas said. He said officials believe the accident occurred when "they 
were doing flying, not deliberate medical evacuation drills.”The 
helicopters have something similar to the black boxes on passenger 
planes, which records the performance of aircrafts in flight and are 
used by investigators to analyze crashes.“We’re hopeful that will provide quite a bit of information of what occurred,” Lubas said.The
 Black Hawk helicopter is a critical workhorse for the U.S. Army and is 
used in security, transport, medical evacuations, search and rescue and 
other missions. The helicopters are known to many people from the 2001 
movie “Black Hawk Down,” which is about a violent battle in Somalia 
eight years earlier.Black Hawks were a frequent sight in the 
skies over Iraq and Afghanistan during the wars conducting combat 
missions and are also used by the Army’s 160th Special Operations 
Aviation Regiment. They were also often used to ferry visiting senior 
leaders to headquarters locations in the Iraq and Afghanistan war zones.Fort
 Campbell is located near the Tennessee border, about 60 miles orthwest of Nashville, and the crash occurred in the Trigg 
County, Kentucky, community of Cadiz.Nick Tomaszewski, who lives 
about a mile from where the crash occurred, said he saw two helicopters 
flying over his house moments before the crash.“For whatever 
reason last night my wife and I were sitting there looking out on the 
back deck and I said 'Wow, those two helicopters look low and they look 
kind of close to one another tonight,’” he said.The helicopters flew over and looped back around and moments later “we saw what looked like a firework went off in the sky.”“All
 of the lights in their helicopter went out. It was like they just 
poofed ... and then we saw a huge glow like a fireball,” Tomaszewski 
said.Flyovers for training exercises happen almost daily and the helicopters typically fly low but not so close together, he said.“There
 were two back to back. We typically see one and then see another one a 
few minutes later, and we just saw two of them flying together last 
night,” he said.U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin offered his condolences to the families of those killed.“My
 heart goes out to the families of these servicemembers and to the 
members of the 101st Airborne Division who bravely and proudly serve our
 country each and every day," Lloyd said in a statement.In the 
Kentucky House and in the Senate, members stood for a moment of silence 
Thursday morning in honor of the crash victims. Kentucky state Rep. 
Walker Thomas said the crash occurred about 15 to 20 minutes from his 
home.“They’re there to protect us,” Thomas said. “And we’re constantly seeing these helicopters flying over our communities.”Thomas spoke about how connected Fort Campbell soldiers and their families are to the communities near the Army post.“The
 Fort Campbell soldiers that live in our communities, go to our churches
 ... they go to our schools, their kids do,” he added. “And this really 
hurts.”By Thursday morning, word of the crash was spreading 
through the community of Clarksville, Tennessee, just outside Fort 
Campbell.Chaterra Watts, a former Army soldier who was stationed 
at Fort Campbell from about 2015 to 2019, said once she heard about the 
crash, she jumped on social media to try to find out more and if she 
knew any of the victims.“I pray for their friends and their 
families and just hope that we can all come together as a community and 
that something positive will come out of something so tragic,” Watts 
said.Last month, two Tennessee National Guard pilots were killed when their <a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-alabama-tennessee-helicopter-crashes-70e5fa88184336305ed7ef435fd23248">Black Hawk helicopter crashed</a> along an Alabama highway during a training exercise.