WASHINGTON (AP) — Major oil-producing countries led by Saudi Arabia said they're&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saudi-oil-production-cut-6d34316ce6820c749d2a6cd66a9fffea">cutting supplies of crude</a>&nbsp;— again. This time, the decision was a surprise and is underlining worries about where the global economy might be headed.

Russia is joining in by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-business-65edbc5ba28370c0face621b7db0ce74">extending its own cuts</a>&nbsp;for the rest of the year. In theory, less oil flowing to refineries should mean higher gasoline prices for drivers and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-inflation-economy-moscow-prices-9bcc886c4d5f8d341cf8939f88705781">could boost the inflation</a>&nbsp;hitting the U.S. and Europe. And that may also help Russia weather Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine at the expense of the U.S.

The decision by oil producers, many of them in the OPEC oil cartel, to cut production by more than 1 million barrels a day comes after prices for international benchmark crude slumped amid a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-economic-impact-ef6e4c4443743ccbf7740892fb0b4f3b?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_09">slowing global economy</a>&nbsp;that needs less fuel for travel and industry.

It adds to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-inflation-health-germany-elections-d873521f8b165774de3902439dd5a6ee">cut of 2 million barrels per day</a>&nbsp;announced in October. Between the two cuts, that's about 3% of the world's oil supply.

Here are key things to know about the cutbacks:

Saudi Arabia, OPEC's dominant member, said Sunday that the move is “precautionary” to avoid a deeper slide in oil prices.

Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman has consistently taken a cautious approach to future demand and favored being proactive in adjusting supply ahead of a possible downturn in oil needs.

That stance seemed to be borne out as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-5f010ed0b66fb71e8d46040419a70203">oil prices fell from highs</a>&nbsp;of over $120 per barrel last summer to $73 last month. Prices jumped after Sunday's announcement, with international benchmark Brent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/03d9d1bfb51e2ce4a42bf7744bf1bafa">crude trading at about $85</a>&nbsp;on Monday, up 6%.

With fears of a U.S. recession exacerbated by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/banks-federal-reserve-silicon-valley-lending-rescue-a04875a164165b50e971ff4576bf4e27">bank collapses</a>, a lack of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-inflation-economic-growth-5fa7942504507e3ca708c8e4591ed8d8">European economic growth</a>&nbsp;and China’s rebound from COVID-19 taking longer than many expected, oil producers are wary of a sudden collapse in prices like during the pandemic and the global financial crisis in 2008-2009.

Capital markets analyst Mohammed Ali Yasin said most people had been waiting for the June 4 meeting of the OPEC+ alliance of OPEC members and allied producers, most prominently Russia. The decision underlined the urgency felt by producers.

“It was a surprise to all, I think, watchers and the market followers,” he said. “The swiftness of the move, the timing of the move and the size of the move were all significant.”

The aim now is to ward off "a continous slide of the oil price” to levels below $70 per barrel, which would be “very negative” for producer economies, Yasin said.

Part of the October cut of 2 millions barrels per day was on paper only as some OPEC+ countries aren’t able to produce their share. The new cut of 1.15 million barrels per day is distributed among countries that are hitting their quotas — so it amounts to roughly the same size cut as in October.

Governments announced the decision outside the usual OPEC+ framework. The Saudis are taking the lead with 500,000 barrels per day, with the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Algeria and Kazakhstan contributing smaller cuts.

WILL THE PRODUCTION CUT MAKE INFLATION WORSE?

It certainly could. Analysts say supply and demand are relatively well balanced, which means production cuts could push prices higher in coming months.

The refineries that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russian-diesel-fuel-embargo-explainer-28b9043593c7cb92e032aa451c837b39">turn crude into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel</a>&nbsp;are getting ready for their summer production surge to meet the annual increase in travel demand.

In the U.S., gasoline prices are highly dependent on crude, which makes up about half of the price per gallon. Lower oil prices have meant U.S. drivers have seen the average price fall from records of over $5 per gallon in mid-2022 to $3.50 per gallon this week, according to motor club AAA.

The cuts, if fully implemented, “would further tighten an already fundamentally tight oil market,” Jorge Leon, senior vice president at Rystad Energy, said in a research note. The cut could boost oil prices by around $10 per barrel and push international Brent to around $110 per barrel by this summer.

Those higher prices could fuel global inflation in a cycle that forces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-inflation-banks-interest-rates-jobs-91a9185ebce972bbf5ab1f46654f1a53">central banks to keep hiking interest rates</a>, which crimp economic growth, he said.

Given the fears about the overall economy, “the market may interpret the cuts as a vote of no confidence in the recovery of oil demand and could even carry a downside price risk — but that will only be for the very short term,” Leon said.

Moscow says it will extend a cut of 500,000 barrels per day through the rest of the year. It needs oil revenue to support its economy and state budget hit by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/european-union-russia-government-moscow-europe-china-a855facf78132a8805c9ba52dd0fab60">wide-ranging sanctions</a>&nbsp;from the U.S., European Union and other allies of Ukraine.

Analysts think, however, that Russia's cut may simply be putting the best face on reduced demand for its oil. The West shunned Russian barrels even before sanctions were imposed, with Moscow managing to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-politics-business-china-middle-east-b6a90423ee7e2245e3eafc713083896f">reroute much of its oil to India, China</a>&nbsp;and Turkey.

But the Group of Seven major democracies imposed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-business-moscow-europe-european-union-825506b6a349cce7e5971c0ac550aeaa">price cap of $60 per barrel</a>&nbsp;on Russian shipments, enforced by bans on Western companies that dominate shipping or insurance. Russia is selling oil at a discount, with revenue sagging at the start of this year.

President Joe Biden addressed the OPEC+ cut on Monday before returning to the White House from a trip to Minnesota, predicting, “It’s not going to be as bad as you think.”

Earlier, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby expressed U.S. opposition to the move, saying, “We don’t think that production cuts are advisable at this moment given market uncertainty, and we made that clear.”

But he insisted that the oil market is in a different place from last year when prices surged following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We’re focused on prices, we’re not focused on barrels,” he told reporters Monday, adding that the U.S. was given a heads-up before the announcement.

The White House response was milder than in October, when cuts came on the eve of U.S. midterm elections in which soaring gas prices were a major issue. Biden vowed at the time that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-business-saudi-arabia-middle-east-ea75287315c4e8a78014a4eccb114abe">there would be “consequences,”</a>&nbsp;and Democratic lawmakers called for freezing cooperation with the Saudis.

Caroline Bain, chief commodities economist at Capital Economics, said the cutback shows "the group's support for Russia and flies in the face of the Biden administration’s efforts to lower oil prices.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654949375429.png" alt="The White House response to the cuts was milder than in October, when cuts came on the eve of U.S. midterm elections where soaring gas prices were a major issue. President Joe Biden vowed at the time that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-business-saudi-arabia-middle-east-ea75287315c4e8a78014a4eccb114abe">there would be “consequences,”</a>&nbsp;and Democratic lawmakers called for freezing cooperation with the Saudis." />
 <figcaption>The White House response to the cuts was milder than in October, when cuts came on the eve of U.S. midterm elections where soaring gas prices were a major issue. President Joe Biden vowed at the time that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-business-saudi-arabia-middle-east-ea75287315c4e8a78014a4eccb114abe">there would be “consequences,”</a>&nbsp;and Democratic lawmakers called for freezing cooperation with the Saudis.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Major oil-producing countries led by Saudi Arabia said they're&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saudi-oil-production-cut-6d34316ce6820c749d2a6cd66a9fffea">cutting supplies of crude</a>&nbsp;— again. This time, the decision was a surprise and is underlining worries about where the global economy might be headed.Russia is joining in by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-business-65edbc5ba28370c0face621b7db0ce74">extending its own cuts</a>&nbsp;for the rest of the year. In theory, less oil flowing to refineries should mean higher gasoline prices for drivers and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-inflation-economy-moscow-prices-9bcc886c4d5f8d341cf8939f88705781">could boost the inflation</a>&nbsp;hitting the U.S. and Europe. And that may also help Russia weather Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine at the expense of the U.S.The decision by oil producers, many of them in the OPEC oil cartel, to cut production by more than 1 million barrels a day comes after prices for international benchmark crude slumped amid a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-economic-impact-ef6e4c4443743ccbf7740892fb0b4f3b?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_09">slowing global economy</a>&nbsp;that needs less fuel for travel and industry.It adds to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-inflation-health-germany-elections-d873521f8b165774de3902439dd5a6ee">cut of 2 million barrels per day</a>&nbsp;announced in October. Between the two cuts, that's about 3% of the world's oil supply.Here are key things to know about the cutbacks:WHY ARE OIL PRODUCERS CUTTING BACK?Saudi Arabia, OPEC's dominant member, said Sunday that the move is “precautionary” to avoid a deeper slide in oil prices.Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman has consistently taken a cautious approach to future demand and favored being proactive in adjusting supply ahead of a possible downturn in oil needs.That stance seemed to be borne out as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-5f010ed0b66fb71e8d46040419a70203">oil prices fell from highs</a>&nbsp;of over $120 per barrel last summer to $73 last month. Prices jumped after Sunday's announcement, with international benchmark Brent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/03d9d1bfb51e2ce4a42bf7744bf1bafa">crude trading at about $85</a>&nbsp;on Monday, up 6%.With fears of a U.S. recession exacerbated by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/banks-federal-reserve-silicon-valley-lending-rescue-a04875a164165b50e971ff4576bf4e27">bank collapses</a>, a lack of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-inflation-economic-growth-5fa7942504507e3ca708c8e4591ed8d8">European economic growth</a>&nbsp;and China’s rebound from COVID-19 taking longer than many expected, oil producers are wary of a sudden collapse in prices like during the pandemic and the global financial crisis in 2008-2009.Capital markets analyst Mohammed Ali Yasin said most people had been waiting for the June 4 meeting of the OPEC+ alliance of OPEC members and allied producers, most prominently Russia. The decision underlined the urgency felt by producers.“It was a surprise to all, I think, watchers and the market followers,” he said. “The swiftness of the move, the timing of the move and the size of the move were all significant.”The aim now is to ward off "a continous slide of the oil price” to levels below $70 per barrel, which would be “very negative” for producer economies, Yasin said.Part of the October cut of 2 millions barrels per day was on paper only as some OPEC+ countries aren’t able to produce their share. The new cut of 1.15 million barrels per day is distributed among countries that are hitting their quotas — so it amounts to roughly the same size cut as in October.Governments announced the decision outside the usual OPEC+ framework. The Saudis are taking the lead with 500,000 barrels per day, with the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Algeria and Kazakhstan contributing smaller cuts.WILL THE PRODUCTION CUT MAKE INFLATION WORSE?It certainly could. Analysts say supply and demand are relatively well balanced, which means production cuts could push prices higher in coming months.The refineries that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russian-diesel-fuel-embargo-explainer-28b9043593c7cb92e032aa451c837b39">turn crude into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel</a>&nbsp;are getting ready for their summer production surge to meet the annual increase in travel demand.In the U.S., gasoline prices are highly dependent on crude, which makes up about half of the price per gallon. Lower oil prices have meant U.S. drivers have seen the average price fall from records of over $5 per gallon in mid-2022 to $3.50 per gallon this week, according to motor club AAA.The cuts, if fully implemented, “would further tighten an already fundamentally tight oil market,” Jorge Leon, senior vice president at Rystad Energy, said in a research note. The cut could boost oil prices by around $10 per barrel and push international Brent to around $110 per barrel by this summer.Those higher prices could fuel global inflation in a cycle that forces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-inflation-banks-interest-rates-jobs-91a9185ebce972bbf5ab1f46654f1a53">central banks to keep hiking interest rates</a>, which crimp economic growth, he said.Given the fears about the overall economy, “the market may interpret the cuts as a vote of no confidence in the recovery of oil demand and could even carry a downside price risk — but that will only be for the very short term,” Leon said.WHAT WILL THIS MEAN FOR RUSSIA?Moscow says it will extend a cut of 500,000 barrels per day through the rest of the year. It needs oil revenue to support its economy and state budget hit by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/european-union-russia-government-moscow-europe-china-a855facf78132a8805c9ba52dd0fab60">wide-ranging sanctions</a>&nbsp;from the U.S., European Union and other allies of Ukraine.Analysts think, however, that Russia's cut may simply be putting the best face on reduced demand for its oil. The West shunned Russian barrels even before sanctions were imposed, with Moscow managing to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-politics-business-china-middle-east-b6a90423ee7e2245e3eafc713083896f">reroute much of its oil to India, China</a>&nbsp;and Turkey.But the Group of Seven major democracies imposed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-business-moscow-europe-european-union-825506b6a349cce7e5971c0ac550aeaa">price cap of $60 per barrel</a>&nbsp;on Russian shipments, enforced by bans on Western companies that dominate shipping or insurance. Russia is selling oil at a discount, with revenue sagging at the start of this year.WHAT DOES THE WHITE HOUSE SAY?President Joe Biden addressed the OPEC+ cut on Monday before returning to the White House from a trip to Minnesota, predicting, “It’s not going to be as bad as you think.”Earlier, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby expressed U.S. opposition to the move, saying, “We don’t think that production cuts are advisable at this moment given market uncertainty, and we made that clear.”But he insisted that the oil market is in a different place from last year when prices surged following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.“We’re focused on prices, we’re not focused on barrels,” he told reporters Monday, adding that the U.S. was given a heads-up before the announcement.The White House response was milder than in October, when cuts came on the eve of U.S. midterm elections in which soaring gas prices were a major issue. Biden vowed at the time that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-business-saudi-arabia-middle-east-ea75287315c4e8a78014a4eccb114abe">there would be “consequences,”</a>&nbsp;and Democratic lawmakers called for freezing cooperation with the Saudis.Caroline Bain, chief commodities economist at Capital Economics, said the cutback shows "the group's support for Russia and flies in the face of the Biden administration’s efforts to lower oil prices.”___

Biden responds to cuts by oil producers that could boost gas prices

NEW YORK (AP) — An extraordinary moment in U.S. history is set to soon unfold in a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday: Former President Donald Trump, who faces multiple election-related investigations, will surrender to face criminal charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments.

The booking and arraignment are likely to be relatively brief — though hardly routine — as Trump is fingerprinted, learns the charges against him and pleads, as expected, not guilty. Judge Juan Merchan has ruled that TV cameras won't be allowed in the courtroom.

Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, will become the first former president to face criminal charges. The nation's 45th commander in chief will be escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service and may have his mug shot taken.

Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina said Tuesday that Trump wouldn't plead guilty to lesser charges, even if it might resolve the case. He said he didn't believe the case would ever make it to a jury, but he conceded, "Really, there's a lot of mystery here because we're doing something that's never been done before."

"I think there will be a typical processing, which does not take long, 20-30 minutes. There won't be handcuffs," Tacopina told ABC's "Good Morning America." "But, yeah, he'll be processed the way anyone else would be — to a degree."

New York police are braced for protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former president's belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024.

Trump, a former reality TV star, has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, saying he raised $8 million in the less than a week since the indictment on claims of a "witch hunt." He has assailed the Manhattan district attorney, egged on supporters to protest and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case "hates me" — something his own lawyer has said is not true.

Trump is scheduled to return to his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening to hold a rally, punctuating his new reality: submitting to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events. At least 500 prominent supporters have been invited, with some of the most pro-Trump congressional Republicans expected to attend.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

Inside the Manhattan courtroom, prosecutors led by New York's district attorney, Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, are expected to unseal the indictment issued last week by a grand jury. This is when Trump and his defense lawyers will get their first glimpse of the precise allegations against him.

The indictment contains multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press last week.

After the arraignment, Trump is expected to be released by authorities because the charges against him don't require that bail be set.

The investigation is scrutinizing six-figure payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Trump years before he got into politics. Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

The arraignment will unfold against the backdrop of heavy security in New York, coming more than two years after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a failed bid to halt the congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden's win.

Though police said they had no intelligence suggesting any violence was likely, they were on high alert for any potential disruptions.

"While there may be some rabble rousers thinking of coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: Control yourselves," Mayor Eric Adams said. He also singled out Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trump's staunchest supporters in Congress, who is organizing a rally Tuesday at a park across from the courthouse: "While you're in town, be on your best behavior," Adams said.

Trump pollster John McLaughlin said the former president would approach the day with "dignity."

"He will be a gentleman," McLaughlin said. "He'll show strength and he'll show dignity and ... we'll get through this and win the election."

But Trump was also defiant. In a post late Monday night on his social media network he lashed out at Biden, suggesting the current president should be facing legal troubles of his own.

Despite that, the scene around Trump Tower and the courthouse where Trump will stand before a judge was quiet overnight. There were signs both supporting and decrying the former president stuck to posts, one urging passers-by to donate to help fund Trump's presidential library and another showing a shouting Trump behind bars.

The public fascination with the case was evident Monday as national television carried live images of Trump's motorcade from his Mar-a-Lago club to a private, red, white and blue Boeing 757 stenciled with his name. From there, Trump was flown to New York, where cameras followed his motorcade into Manhattan and he spent the night at Trump Tower as he prepared to turn himself in.

The former president and his aides are embracing the media circus. After initially being caught off guard when news of the indictment broke Thursday evening, Trump and his team are hoping to use the case to his advantage. Still, they asked the judge in a Monday filing to ban photo and video coverage of the arraignment.

Though prosecutors routinely insist that no person is above the law, bringing criminal charges against a former president carries instant logistical complications.

New York's ability to carry out safe and drama-free courthouse proceedings in a case involving a polarizing ex-president could be an important test case as prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington conduct their own investigations of Trump that could also result in charges. Those investigations concern efforts to undo the 2020 election results as well as the possible mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

Top Republicans, including some of Trump's potential rivals in next year's GOP presidential primary, have criticized the case against him. Biden, who has yet to formally announce that he's seeking reelection next year, and other leading Democrats have largely had little to say about it.

Prosecutors insist their case against Trump has nothing to do with politics.

NEW YORK (AP) —Former President Donald Trump’s court appearance Tuesday will kick off an intense legal battle as the 2024 Republican presidential candidate also fights to return to the White House.

Trump is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indictment-new-york-florida-hush-money-election-764309dce49f81a50bf9f610ffd5ceb6?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">expected to turn himself in and be arraigned in a New York courtroom</a>, a stunning moment in American history as he becomes the first former president to stand before a judge to answer for criminal charges.

More details are expected to emerge Tuesday about the Manhattan district attorney's case against Trump. The indictment has remained under seal since the grand jury investigating hush money payments made to women during his 2016 campaign&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-new-york-indictment-election-027d0e5ac1881a4c55c6379deae75faa">voted to bring charges against Trump</a>. But the indictment will soon be made public.

Here's what to know about the hush money investigation, the charges against Trump and the ramifications for his bid to reclaim the presidency:

The grand jury spent weeks investigating money paid during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign to two women who alleged that they had extramarital sexual encounters with him. Trump has denied the allegations.

Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen, who testified as a key prosecution witness, paid porn actor Stormy Daniels $130,000 through a shell company he set up and was then reimbursed by Trump, whose company logged the reimbursements as legal expenses.

Earlier in 2016, Cohen also arranged for former Playboy model Karen McDougal to be paid $150,000 by the publisher of the supermarket tabloid the National Enquirer, which squelched her story in a journalistically dubious practice known as “catch and kill.”

An indictment is the formal charge brought against someone after a grand jury — which is made up of members of the community — votes and enough members agree there's sufficient evidence to charge someone with a crime.

The indictment against Trump remains sealed, as is standard in New York before an arraignment. But once the document is made public, it will lay out the crime or crimes that Trump is accused of committing. Sometimes indictments include a lengthy narrative with lots of details about the allegations, while others are more basic and just outline the charges a defendant is facing.

Trump is facing multiple charges of falsifying business records,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indictment-new-york-hush-money-election-488c76cf92269e2c258d5203a6e981a1">including at least one felony offense</a>, according to two people who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information that isn’t yet public.

Under the law, prosecutors must prove there was an “intent to defraud.” The felony falsifying business records offense requires prosecutors to prove that the records were falsified with the intention of committing, aiding or concealing a second crime. It's not clear yet what prosecutors allege the second crime to be, but experts have said it is probably some kind of campaign finance violation.

An arraignment is generally the first time a defendant appears in court after being charged. The judge will tell Trump the charges against him and advise him of his right to go to trial and other things. Trump will enter a plea of not guilty — as is standard for defendants to do at arraignment. The indictment is expected to be unsealed upon his arraignment.

Trump is expected to walk out of the courtroom because the charges against him don’t require that bail be set in New York. It’s possible — but unlikely — that Judge Juan Merchan could decide that Trump is a flight risk and order him held, with or without bail, though Trump's lawyers would vigorously fight that.

Trump's lawyers have vowed to “vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.” Defense attorney Joe Tacopina has described Trump as a victim of extortion who had to pay the money because the allegations were going to be embarrassing to him. But he says it had nothing to do with the campaign.

Trump will no doubt try to fight the case on multiple fronts. He may try to have the case moved out of Manhattan or New York City entirely — arguing he can't get a fair trial there — though it's rare for judges to agree to do that.

Trump may also argue that the statute of limitations has passed. Trump has complained that the statute of limitations “long ago expired” because the hush money payments and Cohen’s reimbursements happened more than six years ago.

New York’s statute of limitations for most felonies is five years. For misdemeanors, it’s just two years. But in New York, the clock can stop on the statute of limitations when a potential defendant is continuously outside the state. Trump visited New York rarely over the four years of his presidency and now lives mostly in Florida and New Jersey.

WHAT'S THIS GRAND JURY AND WHO TESTIFIED?

A grand jury is made up of people drawn from the community, similar to a trial jury. But unlike juries that hear trials, grand juries don’t decide whether someone is guilty or innocent. They only decide whether there is enough evidence for someone to be charged.

Proceedings are closed to the public, including the media. New York grand juries have 23 people. At least 16 must be present to hear evidence or deliberate, and 12 have to agree there is enough evidence in order to issue an indictment.

The key prosecution witness was Cohen. Trump’s company “grossed up” Cohen’s reimbursement for the Daniels payment to defray tax payments, according to federal prosecutors who filed criminal charges against the lawyer in connection with the payments in 2018. In all, Cohen got $360,000 plus a $60,000 bonus, for a total of $420,000.

Cohen pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance law in connection with the payments. Federal prosecutors say the payments amounted to illegal, unreported assistance to Trump’s campaign. But they declined to file charges against Trump himself.

Trump was invited to testify, but didn’t. The grand jury, however, heard from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-grand-jury-new-york-costello-7fbb5cfdd0db010cea262d34f60efd5c">Robert Costello</a>, who was once a legal adviser to Cohen. Costello indicated he has information he believes undercuts Cohen’s credibility and contradicts his incriminating statements about Trump.

Another key witness was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-manhattan-investigations-grand-jury-742461a52c86bb491667b085bc1aaa0b">David Pecker</a>, a longtime Trump friend and the former chief executive of the parent company of The National Enquirer.

Pecker's company, American Media Inc., secretly assisted Trump’s campaign by paying $150,000 to McDougal in August 2016 for the rights to her story about an alleged affair with Trump. The company then suppressed McDougal’s story until after the election.

In a case with some parallels, federal prosecutors in 2011 brought charges over hush money payments against former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, a onetime Democratic presidential candidate and nominee for vice president. Edwards was charged with funneling nearly $1 million in under-the-table campaign contributions to hide his pregnant lover during his 2008 run for president.

Edwards had argued that the payments were a personal matter — intended to keep an affair secret from his wife — and had nothing to do with the election. A jury acquitted the Democrat on one charge and deadlocked on other counts. He wasn’t retried.

But that was a federal case. Trump’s case deals with New York state law.

WHAT ARE THE POLITICAL RAMIFICATIONS FOR TRUMP?

Neither the indictment itself nor a conviction would prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

Already, the charges have been a boon to his fundraising. The campaign announced Friday evening that it had raised over $4 million in the 24 hours after the indictment became public, far smashing its previous record after the FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.

Trump’s team over the weekend blasted out emails full of supportive comments from dozens of top Republicans, many of whom had already been supportive of him leading up to the indictment.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/republicans-trump-2016-campaign-lessons-2024-election-f513fbcb3eb6c30c6590edc5dee3ce97">Those likely to be facing off with Trump</a>&nbsp;in next year’s GOP primary contests have also slammed the prosecution.

Former Vice President Mike Pence called the indictment “an outrage” and “nothing more than a political prosecution.” Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said on Twitter that the indictment “is more about revenge than it is about justice." Biotech investor Vivek Ramaswamy, who is also seeking the GOP presidential nomination, called the indictment “a dark moment in American history."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday accused Bragg of weaponizing the law “for political purposes” to bring a case against a former president, never mentioning Trump by name.

The New York case is just&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-else-is-trump-being-investigated-for-bbc926171b5bdf91eabd76db93411b8b?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=RelatedStories&amp;utm_campaign=position_03">one of many legal woes</a>&nbsp;Trump is facing.

The Justice Department is also investigating his retention of top secret government documents at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, after leaving the White House. Federal investigators are also still probing the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and efforts to overturn the 2020 election that Trump falsely claimed was stolen.

In Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating whether Trump and his allies illegally meddled in the 2020 election. The foreperson of a special grand jury, which heard from dozens of witnesses, said last month that the panel had recommended that numerous people be indicted, and hinted Trump could be among them. It is ultimately up to Willis to decide whether to move forward.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680567348231.png" alt="Former President Donald Trump waves to supporters upon arriving at Trump Tower, Monday, April 3, 2023, in New York. Trump arrived in New York on Monday for his expected booking and arraignment the following day on charges arising from hush money payments during his 2016 campaign. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)" />
 <figcaption>Former President Donald Trump waves to supporters upon arriving at Trump Tower, Monday, April 3, 2023, in New York. Trump arrived in New York on Monday for his expected booking and arraignment the following day on charges arising from hush money payments during his 2016 campaign. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — An extraordinary moment in U.S. history is set to soon unfold in a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday: Former President Donald Trump, who faces multiple election-related investigations, will surrender to face criminal charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments.The booking and arraignment are likely to be relatively brief — though hardly routine — as Trump is fingerprinted, learns the charges against him and pleads, as expected, not guilty. Judge Juan Merchan has ruled that TV cameras won't be allowed in the courtroom.Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, will become the first former president to face criminal charges. The nation's 45th commander in chief will be escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service and may have his mug shot taken.Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina said Tuesday that Trump wouldn't plead guilty to lesser charges, even if it might resolve the case. He said he didn't believe the case would ever make it to a jury, but he conceded, "Really, there's a lot of mystery here because we're doing something that's never been done before.""I think there will be a typical processing, which does not take long, 20-30 minutes. There won't be handcuffs," Tacopina told ABC's "Good Morning America." "But, yeah, he'll be processed the way anyone else would be — to a degree."New York police are braced for protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former president's belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024.Trump, a former reality TV star, has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, saying he raised $8 million in the less than a week since the indictment on claims of a "witch hunt." He has assailed the Manhattan district attorney, egged on supporters to protest and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case "hates me" — something his own lawyer has said is not true.Trump is scheduled to return to his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening to hold a rally, punctuating his new reality: submitting to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events. At least 500 prominent supporters have been invited, with some of the most pro-Trump congressional Republicans expected to attend.A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.Inside the Manhattan courtroom, prosecutors led by New York's district attorney, Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, are expected to unseal the indictment issued last week by a grand jury. This is when Trump and his defense lawyers will get their first glimpse of the precise allegations against him.The indictment contains multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press last week.After the arraignment, Trump is expected to be released by authorities because the charges against him don't require that bail be set.The investigation is scrutinizing six-figure payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Trump years before he got into politics. Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.The arraignment will unfold against the backdrop of heavy security in New York, coming more than two years after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a failed bid to halt the congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden's win.Though police said they had no intelligence suggesting any violence was likely, they were on high alert for any potential disruptions."While there may be some rabble rousers thinking of coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: Control yourselves," Mayor Eric Adams said. He also singled out Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trump's staunchest supporters in Congress, who is organizing a rally Tuesday at a park across from the courthouse: "While you're in town, be on your best behavior," Adams said.Trump pollster John McLaughlin said the former president would approach the day with "dignity.""He will be a gentleman," McLaughlin said. "He'll show strength and he'll show dignity and ... we'll get through this and win the election."But Trump was also defiant. In a post late Monday night on his social media network he lashed out at Biden, suggesting the current president should be facing legal troubles of his own.Despite that, the scene around Trump Tower and the courthouse where Trump will stand before a judge was quiet overnight. There were signs both supporting and decrying the former president stuck to posts, one urging passers-by to donate to help fund Trump's presidential library and another showing a shouting Trump behind bars.The public fascination with the case was evident Monday as national television carried live images of Trump's motorcade from his Mar-a-Lago club to a private, red, white and blue Boeing 757 stenciled with his name. From there, Trump was flown to New York, where cameras followed his motorcade into Manhattan and he spent the night at Trump Tower as he prepared to turn himself in.The former president and his aides are embracing the media circus. After initially being caught off guard when news of the indictment broke Thursday evening, Trump and his team are hoping to use the case to his advantage. Still, they asked the judge in a Monday filing to ban photo and video coverage of the arraignment.Though prosecutors routinely insist that no person is above the law, bringing criminal charges against a former president carries instant logistical complications.New York's ability to carry out safe and drama-free courthouse proceedings in a case involving a polarizing ex-president could be an important test case as prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington conduct their own investigations of Trump that could also result in charges. Those investigations concern efforts to undo the 2020 election results as well as the possible mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.Top Republicans, including some of Trump's potential rivals in next year's GOP presidential primary, have criticized the case against him. Biden, who has yet to formally announce that he's seeking reelection next year, and other leading Democrats have largely had little to say about it.Prosecutors insist their case against Trump has nothing to do with politics.___NEW YORK (AP) —Former President Donald Trump’s court appearance Tuesday will kick off an intense legal battle as the 2024 Republican presidential candidate also fights to return to the White House.Trump is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indictment-new-york-florida-hush-money-election-764309dce49f81a50bf9f610ffd5ceb6?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">expected to turn himself in and be arraigned in a New York courtroom</a>, a stunning moment in American history as he becomes the first former president to stand before a judge to answer for criminal charges.More details are expected to emerge Tuesday about the Manhattan district attorney's case against Trump. The indictment has remained under seal since the grand jury investigating hush money payments made to women during his 2016 campaign&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-new-york-indictment-election-027d0e5ac1881a4c55c6379deae75faa">voted to bring charges against Trump</a>. But the indictment will soon be made public.Here's what to know about the hush money investigation, the charges against Trump and the ramifications for his bid to reclaim the presidency:WHAT'S THIS CASE ABOUT?The grand jury spent weeks investigating money paid during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign to two women who alleged that they had extramarital sexual encounters with him. Trump has denied the allegations.Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen, who testified as a key prosecution witness, paid porn actor Stormy Daniels $130,000 through a shell company he set up and was then reimbursed by Trump, whose company logged the reimbursements as legal expenses.Earlier in 2016, Cohen also arranged for former Playboy model Karen McDougal to be paid $150,000 by the publisher of the supermarket tabloid the National Enquirer, which squelched her story in a journalistically dubious practice known as “catch and kill.”WHAT'S AN INDICTMENT?An indictment is the formal charge brought against someone after a grand jury — which is made up of members of the community — votes and enough members agree there's sufficient evidence to charge someone with a crime.The indictment against Trump remains sealed, as is standard in New York before an arraignment. But once the document is made public, it will lay out the crime or crimes that Trump is accused of committing. Sometimes indictments include a lengthy narrative with lots of details about the allegations, while others are more basic and just outline the charges a defendant is facing.WHAT ARE THE CHARGES?Trump is facing multiple charges of falsifying business records,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indictment-new-york-hush-money-election-488c76cf92269e2c258d5203a6e981a1">including at least one felony offense</a>, according to two people who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information that isn’t yet public.Under the law, prosecutors must prove there was an “intent to defraud.” The felony falsifying business records offense requires prosecutors to prove that the records were falsified with the intention of committing, aiding or concealing a second crime. It's not clear yet what prosecutors allege the second crime to be, but experts have said it is probably some kind of campaign finance violation.WHAT'S AN ARRAIGNMENT?An arraignment is generally the first time a defendant appears in court after being charged. The judge will tell Trump the charges against him and advise him of his right to go to trial and other things. Trump will enter a plea of not guilty — as is standard for defendants to do at arraignment. The indictment is expected to be unsealed upon his arraignment.Trump is expected to walk out of the courtroom because the charges against him don’t require that bail be set in New York. It’s possible — but unlikely — that Judge Juan Merchan could decide that Trump is a flight risk and order him held, with or without bail, though Trump's lawyers would vigorously fight that.WHAT WILL TRUMP'S DEFENSE BE?Trump's lawyers have vowed to “vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.” Defense attorney Joe Tacopina has described Trump as a victim of extortion who had to pay the money because the allegations were going to be embarrassing to him. But he says it had nothing to do with the campaign.Trump will no doubt try to fight the case on multiple fronts. He may try to have the case moved out of Manhattan or New York City entirely — arguing he can't get a fair trial there — though it's rare for judges to agree to do that.Trump may also argue that the statute of limitations has passed. Trump has complained that the statute of limitations “long ago expired” because the hush money payments and Cohen’s reimbursements happened more than six years ago.New York’s statute of limitations for most felonies is five years. For misdemeanors, it’s just two years. But in New York, the clock can stop on the statute of limitations when a potential defendant is continuously outside the state. Trump visited New York rarely over the four years of his presidency and now lives mostly in Florida and New Jersey.WHAT'S THIS GRAND JURY AND WHO TESTIFIED?A grand jury is made up of people drawn from the community, similar to a trial jury. But unlike juries that hear trials, grand juries don’t decide whether someone is guilty or innocent. They only decide whether there is enough evidence for someone to be charged.Proceedings are closed to the public, including the media. New York grand juries have 23 people. At least 16 must be present to hear evidence or deliberate, and 12 have to agree there is enough evidence in order to issue an indictment.The key prosecution witness was Cohen. Trump’s company “grossed up” Cohen’s reimbursement for the Daniels payment to defray tax payments, according to federal prosecutors who filed criminal charges against the lawyer in connection with the payments in 2018. In all, Cohen got $360,000 plus a $60,000 bonus, for a total of $420,000.Cohen pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance law in connection with the payments. Federal prosecutors say the payments amounted to illegal, unreported assistance to Trump’s campaign. But they declined to file charges against Trump himself.Trump was invited to testify, but didn’t. The grand jury, however, heard from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-grand-jury-new-york-costello-7fbb5cfdd0db010cea262d34f60efd5c">Robert Costello</a>, who was once a legal adviser to Cohen. Costello indicated he has information he believes undercuts Cohen’s credibility and contradicts his incriminating statements about Trump.Another key witness was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-manhattan-investigations-grand-jury-742461a52c86bb491667b085bc1aaa0b">David Pecker</a>, a longtime Trump friend and the former chief executive of the parent company of The National Enquirer.Pecker's company, American Media Inc., secretly assisted Trump’s campaign by paying $150,000 to McDougal in August 2016 for the rights to her story about an alleged affair with Trump. The company then suppressed McDougal’s story until after the election.WHAT ABOUT SIMILAR CASES?In a case with some parallels, federal prosecutors in 2011 brought charges over hush money payments against former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, a onetime Democratic presidential candidate and nominee for vice president. Edwards was charged with funneling nearly $1 million in under-the-table campaign contributions to hide his pregnant lover during his 2008 run for president.Edwards had argued that the payments were a personal matter — intended to keep an affair secret from his wife — and had nothing to do with the election. A jury acquitted the Democrat on one charge and deadlocked on other counts. He wasn’t retried.But that was a federal case. Trump’s case deals with New York state law.WHAT ARE THE POLITICAL RAMIFICATIONS FOR TRUMP?Neither the indictment itself nor a conviction would prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.Already, the charges have been a boon to his fundraising. The campaign announced Friday evening that it had raised over $4 million in the 24 hours after the indictment became public, far smashing its previous record after the FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.Trump’s team over the weekend blasted out emails full of supportive comments from dozens of top Republicans, many of whom had already been supportive of him leading up to the indictment.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/republicans-trump-2016-campaign-lessons-2024-election-f513fbcb3eb6c30c6590edc5dee3ce97">Those likely to be facing off with Trump</a>&nbsp;in next year’s GOP primary contests have also slammed the prosecution.Former Vice President Mike Pence called the indictment “an outrage” and “nothing more than a political prosecution.” Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said on Twitter that the indictment “is more about revenge than it is about justice." Biotech investor Vivek Ramaswamy, who is also seeking the GOP presidential nomination, called the indictment “a dark moment in American history."Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday accused Bragg of weaponizing the law “for political purposes” to bring a case against a former president, never mentioning Trump by name.WHAT ABOUT OTHER TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS?The New York case is just&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-else-is-trump-being-investigated-for-bbc926171b5bdf91eabd76db93411b8b?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=RelatedStories&amp;utm_campaign=position_03">one of many legal woes</a>&nbsp;Trump is facing.The Justice Department is also investigating his retention of top secret government documents at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, after leaving the White House. Federal investigators are also still probing the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and efforts to overturn the 2020 election that Trump falsely claimed was stolen.In Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating whether Trump and his allies illegally meddled in the 2020 election. The foreperson of a special grand jury, which heard from dozens of witnesses, said last month that the panel had recommended that numerous people be indicted, and hinted Trump could be among them. It is ultimately up to Willis to decide whether to move forward.

Donald Trump set to be arraigned in historic court moment

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/03/former-illinois-prison-chief-named-to-head-nebraska-department-of-corrections/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Rob Jeffreys, who resigned from leading the Illinois 
Department of Corrections three days ago, was introduced Monday as the 
new chief of the Nebraska prison system, the Examiner has learned.

Jeffrey, who had held the top job in Illinois since June 2019, will 
be named by his new boss, Gov. Jim Pillen, during an afternoon news 
conference.

Jeffreys will succeed Diane Sabatka-Rine, who had served as interim director of the Nebraska of Corrections since October, when <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/09/01/frakes-appointed-by-gov-ricketts-to-turn-around-troubled-nebraska-prison-system-is-leaving/">Scott Frakes retired.</a>

Frakes had led the Nebraska department since 2015, shortly after 
then-Gov. Pete Ricketts was elected to his first term, and was paid 
$255,000 a year — one of the highest salaries for a corrections director
 in the country.

In Illinois, Jeffreys oversaw a department that housed approximately 
29,000 inmates in 27 facilities and a $1.6 billion budget. That is 
considerably larger than the Nebraska’s system, which has about 5,500 
inmates at nine prisons.

Jeffreys, whose last posted salary was $182,300 a year, spent 24 
years with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction before 
taking the Illinois job. In Ohio, he served in management for 21 years. 
His last post there was as chief of staff at Ohio corrections.

Jeffreys was chosen by Pillen&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/national-searches-planned-for-new-prison-director-heads-of-dhhs-divisions/">after a national search</a> via a hired firm.

Nebraska’s prison system has had a longtime problem with overcrowding
 and was at 150% of capacity last year. Staffing shortages have also 
plagued the department, though significant salary increases adopted last
 year have eased that problem.

The Nebraska Legislature is currently debating whether to provide the final funding to build <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/01/02/will-nebraska-need-not-one-but-two-new-prisons-at-a-cost-of-nearly-500-million/">a new, 1,500-bed prison</a> somewhere in eastern Nebraska. Some lawmakers believe that a second new prison will also be needed.

The Appropriations Committee is scheduled to decide later this week 
whether to include the final funds for the 1,500-bed facility, estimated
 to cost $270 million.

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/03/former-illinois-prison-chief-named-to-head-nebraska-department-of-corrections/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — Rob Jeffreys, who resigned from leading the Illinois 
Department of Corrections three days ago, was introduced Monday as the 
new chief of the Nebraska prison system, the Examiner has learned.Jeffrey, who had held the top job in Illinois since June 2019, will 
be named by his new boss, Gov. Jim Pillen, during an afternoon news 
conference.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680549006542.png" alt="Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen introduces Rob Jeffreys as the next director of the Nebraska Department of Corrections at the State Capitol on Monday, April 3, 2023. Jeffreys most recently led the Illinois Department of Corrections. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen introduces Rob Jeffreys as the next director of the Nebraska Department of Corrections at the State Capitol on Monday, April 3, 2023. Jeffreys most recently led the Illinois Department of Corrections. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Jeffreys will succeed Diane Sabatka-Rine, who had served as interim director of the Nebraska of Corrections since October, when <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/09/01/frakes-appointed-by-gov-ricketts-to-turn-around-troubled-nebraska-prison-system-is-leaving/">Scott Frakes retired.</a><h2>Frakes left in October</h2>Frakes had led the Nebraska department since 2015, shortly after 
then-Gov. Pete Ricketts was elected to his first term, and was paid 
$255,000 a year — one of the highest salaries for a corrections director
 in the country.In Illinois, Jeffreys oversaw a department that housed approximately 
29,000 inmates in 27 facilities and a $1.6 billion budget. That is 
considerably larger than the Nebraska’s system, which has about 5,500 
inmates at nine prisons.Jeffreys, whose last posted salary was $182,300 a year, spent 24 
years with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction before 
taking the Illinois job. In Ohio, he served in management for 21 years. 
His last post there was as chief of staff at Ohio corrections.Jeffreys was chosen by Pillen&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/national-searches-planned-for-new-prison-director-heads-of-dhhs-divisions/">after a national search</a> via a hired firm.<h2>Overcrowding, staff shortages</h2>Nebraska’s prison system has had a longtime problem with overcrowding
 and was at 150% of capacity last year. Staffing shortages have also 
plagued the department, though significant salary increases adopted last
 year have eased that problem.The Nebraska Legislature is currently debating whether to provide the final funding to build <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/01/02/will-nebraska-need-not-one-but-two-new-prisons-at-a-cost-of-nearly-500-million/">a new, 1,500-bed prison</a> somewhere in eastern Nebraska. Some lawmakers believe that a second new prison will also be needed.The Appropriations Committee is scheduled to decide later this week 
whether to include the final funds for the 1,500-bed facility, estimated
 to cost $270 million.

Former Illinois prison chief named to head Nebraska Department of Corrections

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Jeff Jackson of North Carolina has used it to explain the complex fight over raising the debt limit. Rep. Robert Garcia of California has used it to engage with members of the LGBTQ+ community. And Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania has used it to give an overview of Election Day results.

As&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-china-62ebef6be3c10e66d7f69f7f6d254700">pressure against TikTok mounts</a>&nbsp;in Washington, the more than two dozen members of Congress — all Democrats — who are active on the social media platform are being pushed by their colleagues to stop using it. Many defend their presence on the platform, saying they have a responsibility as public officials to meet Americans where they are — and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-congress-hearing-bytedance-china-biden-ceo-a92f048762d6657f291affb7a0ce6386">more than 150 million are on TikTok</a>.

“I’m sensitive to the ban and recognize some of the security implications. But there is no more robust and expeditious way to reach young people in the United States of America than TikTok,” Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota told The Associated Press.

Yet the lawmakers active on TikTok remain a distinct minority. Most in Congress are in favor of limiting the app, forcing a sale to remove connections to China or even banning it outright. The U.S. armed forces and more than half of U.S. states have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/why-is-tiktok-being-banned-7d2de01d3ac5ab2b8ec2239dc7f2b20d">already banned the app</a>&nbsp;from official devices, as has the federal government. Similar bans have been imposed in Denmark, Canada, Great Britain and New Zealand, as well as the European Union.

Criticism of TikTok reached a new level last week as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-shou-zi-chew-testify-7927b1915db270aac67ca6f4ca31d6f3">CEO Shou Zi Chew testified</a>&nbsp;for more than six hours at a contentious hearing in the House. Lawmakers grilled Chew about the implications of the app for America's national security and the effect on the mental health of its users. And the tough questions came from both sides of the aisle, as Republicans and Democrats alike pressed Chew about TikTok’s content moderation practices, its ability to shield American data from Beijing and its spying on journalists.

“I've got to hand it to you," said Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, as members questioned Chew over data security and harmful content. “You’ve actually done something that in the last three to four years has not happened except for the exception of maybe (Russian President) Vladimir Putin. You have unified Republicans and Democrats.”

While the hearing made plain that lawmakers view TikTok as a threat, their lack of first-hand experience with the app was apparent at times. Some made inaccurate and head-scratching comments, seemingly not understanding how TikTok connects to a home Wi-Fi router or how it moderates illicit content.

Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., who is active on the app and opposes a nationwide ban, called the hearing “cringeworthy."

“It was just so painful to watch,” he told the AP on Friday. “And it just shows the real problem is Congress doesn’t have a lot of expertise, whether it be social media or, for that matter, more importantly, technology.”

Garcia, who said he uses TikTok more as a consumer, said most of his colleagues who are proposing a nationwide ban told him they had never used the app. “It gets hard to understand if you’re not actually on it,” the freshman Democrat said. “And at the end of the day, a lot of TikTok is harmless people dancing and funny videos.”

“It’s also incredibly rich educational content, and learning how to bake and learning about the political process,” he said.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., who has more than 180,000 followers on the app, held a news conference with TikTok influencers before the hearing. He accused Republicans of pushing a ban on TikTok for political reasons.

“There are 150 million people on TikTok and we are more connected to them than Republicans are,” Bowman said. “So for them, it’s all about fear-mongering and power. It’s not TikTok, because, again, we’ve looked the other way and allowed Facebook and other platforms to do similar things.”

Critics of TikTok in Congress say their opposition is rooted in national security, not politics. TikTok is a wholly owned subsidiary of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-bytedance-china-biden-administration-14ef5f93dc2114e4ade110b2e85433fd">Chinese technology firm ByteDance Ltd.</a>, which appoints its executives. They worry Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over TikTok data on American users, effectively turning the app into a data-mining operation for a foreign power. The company insists it is taking steps to make sure that can never happen.

“The basic approach that we’re following is to make it physically impossible for any government, including the Chinese government, to get access to U.S. user data,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-china-biden-bytedance-data-misinformation-02b59e4a6611ce97c775da19de31d7ad">general counsel Erich Andersen</a>&nbsp;said during an interview with the AP on Friday at a cybersecurity conference in California.

TikTok has been emphasizing a $1.5 billion proposal to store all U.S. user data on servers owned and maintained by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-us-news-business-ap-top-news-hong-kong-4eab38c608901de16e92facc1ed5debd">the software giant Oracle</a>. Access to U.S. data would be managed by U.S. employees through a separate entity run independently of ByteDance and monitored by outside observers.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina took the unusual step of releasing a public statement urging all members of Congress to stop using TikTok, including from his home state — seemingly a jab at Jackson, who is one of the more active members with more than 1.8 million followers.

“I was just saying if we’re having a discussion about TikTok then I think we ought to at least reduce the pull factor by elected officials who can simply come off of it,” Tillis said this week, when asked about his statement. “I don’t have a TikTok account. So that was an easy separation for me.”

Loud warnings about TikTok have also been coming&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-united-states-government-ap-top-news-business-95491774cf8f0fe3e2b9634658a22e56">from President Joe Biden's administration</a>. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and FBI Director Christopher Wray have told Congress in recent weeks that TikTok is a national security threat. Blinken told lawmakers the threat “should be ended one way or another."

“It’s like turning your cell phone off on an airplane. You’re supposed to do. And if it was super dangerous, I don’t think we will be allowed to have the phone on the plane,” Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, said Wednesday, “So if it was super dangerous for members of Congress to have this app on their phone, you have to imagine the administration or our government would say absolutely not, you can’t have it on a government phone.”

Concerns about what kind of content Americans encounter online, or how their data is collected by technology companies, also aren’t new. Congress has been wanting to curtail the amount of data tech companies collect on consumers through a national privacy law, but those efforts have stalled repeatedly over the years.

Supporters of TikTok on Capitol Hill are urging their colleagues to educate themselves about social media as a whole so Congress can pass legislation that deals with broader issues of data privacy, instead of hyper-focusing on a ban of TikTok, which could risk political backlash and a court fight over the reach of the First Amendment.

“We are uninformed and misinformed. We don’t even understand how social media works. We don’t know anything about data brokers and how data brokers sell our data to foreign countries and foreign companies right now,” Bowman said. “So ban TikTok tomorrow, this stuff is still going to be happening.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680519366694.png" alt="Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D NY) said during a March 22 rally, "Instead of banning TikTok we need comprehensive legislation to ensure social media users' data is safe and secure."&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D NY) said during a March 22 rally, "Instead of banning TikTok we need comprehensive legislation to ensure social media users' data is safe and secure."&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Jeff Jackson of North Carolina has used it to explain the complex fight over raising the debt limit. Rep. Robert Garcia of California has used it to engage with members of the LGBTQ+ community. And Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania has used it to give an overview of Election Day results.As&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-china-62ebef6be3c10e66d7f69f7f6d254700">pressure against TikTok mounts</a>&nbsp;in Washington, the more than two dozen members of Congress — all Democrats — who are active on the social media platform are being pushed by their colleagues to stop using it. Many defend their presence on the platform, saying they have a responsibility as public officials to meet Americans where they are — and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-congress-hearing-bytedance-china-biden-ceo-a92f048762d6657f291affb7a0ce6386">more than 150 million are on TikTok</a>.“I’m sensitive to the ban and recognize some of the security implications. But there is no more robust and expeditious way to reach young people in the United States of America than TikTok,” Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota told The Associated Press.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Again I say: Ban TikTok. This is the disturbing content the CCP algorithm feeds to American youth. <a href="https://t.co/jvkkAqf2aI">https://t.co/jvkkAqf2aI</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1639283964568301571?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Yet the lawmakers active on TikTok remain a distinct minority. Most in Congress are in favor of limiting the app, forcing a sale to remove connections to China or even banning it outright. The U.S. armed forces and more than half of U.S. states have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/why-is-tiktok-being-banned-7d2de01d3ac5ab2b8ec2239dc7f2b20d">already banned the app</a>&nbsp;from official devices, as has the federal government. Similar bans have been imposed in Denmark, Canada, Great Britain and New Zealand, as well as the European Union.Criticism of TikTok reached a new level last week as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-shou-zi-chew-testify-7927b1915db270aac67ca6f4ca31d6f3">CEO Shou Zi Chew testified</a>&nbsp;for more than six hours at a contentious hearing in the House. Lawmakers grilled Chew about the implications of the app for America's national security and the effect on the mental health of its users. And the tough questions came from both sides of the aisle, as Republicans and Democrats alike pressed Chew about TikTok’s content moderation practices, its ability to shield American data from Beijing and its spying on journalists.“I've got to hand it to you," said Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, as members questioned Chew over data security and harmful content. “You’ve actually done something that in the last three to four years has not happened except for the exception of maybe (Russian President) Vladimir Putin. You have unified Republicans and Democrats.”While the hearing made plain that lawmakers view TikTok as a threat, their lack of first-hand experience with the app was apparent at times. Some made inaccurate and head-scratching comments, seemingly not understanding how TikTok connects to a home Wi-Fi router or how it moderates illicit content.Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., who is active on the app and opposes a nationwide ban, called the hearing “cringeworthy."“It was just so painful to watch,” he told the AP on Friday. “And it just shows the real problem is Congress doesn’t have a lot of expertise, whether it be social media or, for that matter, more importantly, technology.”Garcia, who said he uses TikTok more as a consumer, said most of his colleagues who are proposing a nationwide ban told him they had never used the app. “It gets hard to understand if you’re not actually on it,” the freshman Democrat said. “And at the end of the day, a lot of TikTok is harmless people dancing and funny videos.”“It’s also incredibly rich educational content, and learning how to bake and learning about the political process,” he said.Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., who has more than 180,000 followers on the app, held a news conference with TikTok influencers before the hearing. He accused Republicans of pushing a ban on TikTok for political reasons.“There are 150 million people on TikTok and we are more connected to them than Republicans are,” Bowman said. “So for them, it’s all about fear-mongering and power. It’s not TikTok, because, again, we’ve looked the other way and allowed Facebook and other platforms to do similar things.”Critics of TikTok in Congress say their opposition is rooted in national security, not politics. TikTok is a wholly owned subsidiary of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-bytedance-china-biden-administration-14ef5f93dc2114e4ade110b2e85433fd">Chinese technology firm ByteDance Ltd.</a>, which appoints its executives. They worry Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over TikTok data on American users, effectively turning the app into a data-mining operation for a foreign power. The company insists it is taking steps to make sure that can never happen.“The basic approach that we’re following is to make it physically impossible for any government, including the Chinese government, to get access to U.S. user data,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-china-biden-bytedance-data-misinformation-02b59e4a6611ce97c775da19de31d7ad">general counsel Erich Andersen</a>&nbsp;said during an interview with the AP on Friday at a cybersecurity conference in California.TikTok has been emphasizing a $1.5 billion proposal to store all U.S. user data on servers owned and maintained by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-us-news-business-ap-top-news-hong-kong-4eab38c608901de16e92facc1ed5debd">the software giant Oracle</a>. Access to U.S. data would be managed by U.S. employees through a separate entity run independently of ByteDance and monitored by outside observers.Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina took the unusual step of releasing a public statement urging all members of Congress to stop using TikTok, including from his home state — seemingly a jab at Jackson, who is one of the more active members with more than 1.8 million followers.“I was just saying if we’re having a discussion about TikTok then I think we ought to at least reduce the pull factor by elected officials who can simply come off of it,” Tillis said this week, when asked about his statement. “I don’t have a TikTok account. So that was an easy separation for me.”Loud warnings about TikTok have also been coming&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-united-states-government-ap-top-news-business-95491774cf8f0fe3e2b9634658a22e56">from President Joe Biden's administration</a>. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and FBI Director Christopher Wray have told Congress in recent weeks that TikTok is a national security threat. Blinken told lawmakers the threat “should be ended one way or another."But some members are unconvinced.“It’s like turning your cell phone off on an airplane. You’re supposed to do. And if it was super dangerous, I don’t think we will be allowed to have the phone on the plane,” Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, said Wednesday, “So if it was super dangerous for members of Congress to have this app on their phone, you have to imagine the administration or our government would say absolutely not, you can’t have it on a government phone.”Concerns about what kind of content Americans encounter online, or how their data is collected by technology companies, also aren’t new. Congress has been wanting to curtail the amount of data tech companies collect on consumers through a national privacy law, but those efforts have stalled repeatedly over the years.Supporters of TikTok on Capitol Hill are urging their colleagues to educate themselves about social media as a whole so Congress can pass legislation that deals with broader issues of data privacy, instead of hyper-focusing on a ban of TikTok, which could risk political backlash and a court fight over the reach of the First Amendment.“We are uninformed and misinformed. We don’t even understand how social media works. We don’t know anything about data brokers and how data brokers sell our data to foreign countries and foreign companies right now,” Bowman said. “So ban TikTok tomorrow, this stuff is still going to be happening.”___

Members of Congress on TikTok defend app's reach to voters

NASA on Monday named the four astronauts who will fly to the moon by the end of next year, including one woman and three men.

The three Americans and one Canadian were introduced during a ceremony in Houston, home to the nation's astronauts as well as Mission Control.

“This is humanity's crew,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

The four astronauts will be the first to fly NASA's Orion capsule, launching atop a Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center no earlier than late 2024. They will not land or even go into lunar orbit, but rather fly around the moon and head straight back to Earth, a prelude to a lunar landing by two others a year later.

The mission's commander, Reid Wiseman, will be joined by Victor Glover, an African American naval aviator; Christina Koch, who holds the world record for the longest spaceflight by a woman; and Canada's Jeremy Hansen. All are space veterans except Hansen.

“This is a big day. We have a lot to celebrate and it’s so much more than the four names that have been announced," said Glover.

This is the first moon crew to include a woman and someone not from the U.S. — and the first crew in NASA's new moon program named Artemis. Late last year, an empty Orion capsule flew to the moon and back in a long-awaited dress rehearsal.

During Apollo, NASA sent 24 astronauts to the moon from 1968 through 1972. Twelve of them landed. All were military-trained test pilots except for Apollo 17's Harrison Schmitt, a geologist who closed out that moonlanding era alongside the late Gene Cernan.

Provided this next 10-day moonshot goes well, NASA aims to land two astronauts on the moon by 2025 or so.

NASA picked from 41 active astronauts for its first Artemis crew. Canada had four candidates.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680538101123.png" alt="The crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission (left to right):NASA astronauts Christina Hammock Koch, Reid Wiseman (seated), Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen-&nbsp;Credits: NASA" />
 <figcaption>The crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission (left to right):NASA astronauts Christina Hammock Koch, Reid Wiseman (seated), Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen-&nbsp;Credits: NASA</figcaption>
 </figure>By MARCIA DUNN&nbsp;NASA on Monday named the four astronauts who will fly to the moon by the end of next year, including one woman and three men.The three Americans and one Canadian were introduced during a ceremony in Houston, home to the nation's astronauts as well as Mission Control.“This is humanity's crew,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.The four astronauts will be the first to fly NASA's Orion capsule, launching atop a Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center no earlier than late 2024. They will not land or even go into lunar orbit, but rather fly around the moon and head straight back to Earth, a prelude to a lunar landing by two others a year later.The mission's commander, Reid Wiseman, will be joined by Victor Glover, an African American naval aviator; Christina Koch, who holds the world record for the longest spaceflight by a woman; and Canada's Jeremy Hansen. All are space veterans except Hansen.“This is a big day. We have a lot to celebrate and it’s so much more than the four names that have been announced," said Glover.This is the first moon crew to include a woman and someone not from the U.S. — and the first crew in NASA's new moon program named Artemis. Late last year, an empty Orion capsule flew to the moon and back in a long-awaited dress rehearsal.During Apollo, NASA sent 24 astronauts to the moon from 1968 through 1972. Twelve of them landed. All were military-trained test pilots except for Apollo 17's Harrison Schmitt, a geologist who closed out that moonlanding era alongside the late Gene Cernan.Provided this next 10-day moonshot goes well, NASA aims to land two astronauts on the moon by 2025 or so.NASA picked from 41 active astronauts for its first Artemis crew. Canada had four candidates.

NASA's 1st moon crew in 50 years includes 1 woman, 3 men

SEATTLE (AP) — U.S. authorities said they arrested a Washington state man who made more than 20 “swatting” calls around the country and in Canada, prompting real emergency responses to his fake reports of bombs, shootings or other threats.

Ashton Connor Garcia, 20, of Bremerton, used voice-over-internet technology to conceal his identity as he placed the calls last year — and he treated them as entertainment, broadcasting them on the social media platform Discord, federal prosecutors said.

He faces 10 felony counts filed in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Washington, that could bring up to a decade in prison. Court records did not immediately indicate if Garcia had an attorney who might speak on his behalf.

“Every time Mr. Garcia is alleged to have made one of his false reports to law enforcement, he triggered a potentially deadly event — sending heavily armed police officers to an address where they mistakenly believed they would confront someone who was armed and dangerous,” Seattle U.S. Attorney Nick Brown said in a news release. “Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the unpredictable and terrifying dynamic these calls created for Mr. Garcia’s alleged victims cannot be overstated."

Garcia's arrest came as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hoax-school-shootings-explainer-swatting-439046152b9c3db45bfbfd8c10321c28">a spate of threats and false reports of shooters</a>&nbsp;have been pouring into schools and colleges across the country, unnerving officials, parents and students who are already on edge about actual school shootings — including at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nashville-school-shooting-covenant-school-03aa394109a5e682877403c0c3e52aa7">a private Christian school in Nashville</a>, Tennessee, this week.

Computer-generated calls on Wednesday made hoax claims about active shooters in Pennsylvania, and a day earlier, nearly 30 Massachusetts schools received fake threats.

Garcia is not accused of having sent SWAT teams to schools. Instead, prosecutors say, in several cases he collected personal information about his victims and threatened to send emergency responses to their homes unless they turned over money, credit card information or sexually explicit images.

Law enforcement entered some of the homes with guns drawn and detained people inside, authorities said.

In other cases, he called in fake bomb scares for the Fox News station in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 28 and for a flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles on Aug. 23. In another instance, he is accused of threating to bomb an airport in Los Angeles unless he received $200,000 in Bitcoin.

The indictment does not indicate how investigators identified Garcia as a suspect.

Garcia placed the calls to agencies in California, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oho, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington and Edmonton, in Alberta, Canada, the indictment said.

Authorities have warned that such hoaxes can prove deadly. In 2017, a police officer in Wichita, Kansas, shot and killed a man while responding to a hoax emergency call. This month, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/swat-wichita-police-killing-settlement-8d48bc5c4db63afb97457d4080c02612">city agreed to pay $5 million</a>&nbsp;to settle a lawsuit, with the money to go to the two children of 28-year-old Andrew Finch.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592601982960.png" alt="In 2017, a police officer in Wichita shot and killed a man while responding to a hoax emergency call.-image from Wichita Police body camera on the night Andrew Finch died" />
 <figcaption>In 2017, a police officer in Wichita shot and killed a man while responding to a hoax emergency call.-image from Wichita Police body camera on the night Andrew Finch died</figcaption>
 </figure>SEATTLE (AP) — U.S. authorities said they arrested a Washington state man who made more than 20 “swatting” calls around the country and in Canada, prompting real emergency responses to his fake reports of bombs, shootings or other threats.Ashton Connor Garcia, 20, of Bremerton, used voice-over-internet technology to conceal his identity as he placed the calls last year — and he treated them as entertainment, broadcasting them on the social media platform Discord, federal prosecutors said.He faces 10 felony counts filed in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Washington, that could bring up to a decade in prison. Court records did not immediately indicate if Garcia had an attorney who might speak on his behalf.“Every time Mr. Garcia is alleged to have made one of his false reports to law enforcement, he triggered a potentially deadly event — sending heavily armed police officers to an address where they mistakenly believed they would confront someone who was armed and dangerous,” Seattle U.S. Attorney Nick Brown said in a news release. “Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the unpredictable and terrifying dynamic these calls created for Mr. Garcia’s alleged victims cannot be overstated."Garcia's arrest came as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hoax-school-shootings-explainer-swatting-439046152b9c3db45bfbfd8c10321c28">a spate of threats and false reports of shooters</a>&nbsp;have been pouring into schools and colleges across the country, unnerving officials, parents and students who are already on edge about actual school shootings — including at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nashville-school-shooting-covenant-school-03aa394109a5e682877403c0c3e52aa7">a private Christian school in Nashville</a>, Tennessee, this week.Computer-generated calls on Wednesday made hoax claims about active shooters in Pennsylvania, and a day earlier, nearly 30 Massachusetts schools received fake threats.Garcia is not accused of having sent SWAT teams to schools. Instead, prosecutors say, in several cases he collected personal information about his victims and threatened to send emergency responses to their homes unless they turned over money, credit card information or sexually explicit images.Law enforcement entered some of the homes with guns drawn and detained people inside, authorities said.In other cases, he called in fake bomb scares for the Fox News station in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 28 and for a flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles on Aug. 23. In another instance, he is accused of threating to bomb an airport in Los Angeles unless he received $200,000 in Bitcoin.The indictment does not indicate how investigators identified Garcia as a suspect.Garcia placed the calls to agencies in California, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oho, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington and Edmonton, in Alberta, Canada, the indictment said.Authorities have warned that such hoaxes can prove deadly. In 2017, a police officer in Wichita, Kansas, shot and killed a man while responding to a hoax emergency call. This month, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/swat-wichita-police-killing-settlement-8d48bc5c4db63afb97457d4080c02612">city agreed to pay $5 million</a>&nbsp;to settle a lawsuit, with the money to go to the two children of 28-year-old Andrew Finch.

Man charged in 20-plus calls of false threats in US

Massive ranch is for sale for $16.7 million

By CINDIY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/03/dumbbell-in-nebraska-sandhills-gains-spotlight-with-sheer-size-storied-past/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — It’s a $16.7 million ranch story sure to stir some nostalgic memories in the Sandhills of Nebraska.

But even if you’re not from the area, a property called Dumbbell has got to pique curiosity.

The Dumbbell Ranch, which spans a 
whopping 15,500 acres, mostly in Cherry County, is attracting attention 
as it now is up for sale&nbsp; — poised to separate from the family that has 
owned it for more than a century.&nbsp;

The rationale behind that break may 
sound familiar: The younger generation has more pressing interests than 
to oversee the Hyannis area operation.&nbsp;

“They don’t want to ranch, and I’m 
really grateful they were honest with me,” Anne Anderson Bennett said of
 her daughters Margaret and Leatha, who are in their 20s.

Bennett’s only sibling, Gordon 
Anderson, is a “computer guru” who loves his life in Colorado. Their 
parents have passed. At 57, Bennett, divorced for 17 years, is preparing
 to get married again.

“It just really was the right time,” she said of selling.

A less common occurrence, says 
Valentine area broker Mark Johnson of Hall and Hall, is a place like the
 Dumbbell hitting the market.

Johnson, whose business is selling 
ranches, said the property stands out for various reasons, including a 
precious natural resource, water. It sits atop the Ogallala Aquifer, 
which creates shallow lakes and sub-irrigated meadows that he said are 
known to be the headwaters for the Middle Loup River.

“This one has a deeper stamp,” 
Johnson said, noting the ranch’s storied past, its artesian wells, 27 
windmills, eight solar wells, rangeland and watering sites for 
livestock.

He called the Dumbbell — historically
 a 900-head cow/calf operation that’s in the nation’s “top cow county”— 
one of the founding ranches of the Nebraska Sandhills.

Anne’s great-grandfather Gustaf Anderson, an orphaned Swedish immigrant, acquired the area in 1913.

As the history goes, pieced together 
from family and various other sources, the Dumbbell headquarters was 
established in 1887 by Dr. A.J. Plumer, who had hoped the railroad would
 be built through the valley.

He and his wife, Anna, a nurse, constructed a “white mansion” structure to serve as a maternity hospital.&nbsp;

Lore has it that Plumer accidentally 
slammed a hammer on his thumb while building the hospital, exclaiming 
“Only a dumbbell would do that.”

Plumer expanded a cattle operation 
before moving and selling the ranch in 1906. In 1913, Gustaf Anderson 
became sole owner of a property that would grow to about 52,000 acres.

Anderson would make the trip from Red
 Oak, Iowa, to the Dumbbell Ranch at least a dozen times a year by train
 or vehicle —&nbsp; a trip that each generation of Andersons has made over 
the decades.

Three children of Gustaf and his 
wife, Janie, later split the ranch into sections and called them 
Pitchfork, 3 Circles and Dumbbell.&nbsp;

Son Gordon got the Dumbbell and eventually passed it to son Gerald, who then left it to Anne and her brother.

Anne said she has worked the past 
three decades with her dad on the business, traveling as often as she 
could to the ranch. “We love it so much, we’ve been able to make it 
work.”

She lauded the lineup of managers who
 over the generations lived at the site, maintained the operation and 
became engaged in the community.&nbsp;

“They are the ones that live there and have boots on the ground,” she said.

Her dad died in 2016; her mom passed in 2021.

The ranch has received local suitors, as well as interest and visitors from other states, since Johnson<a target="_blank" href="https://hallhall.com/property-for-sale/nebraska/dumbbell-ranch/a095d00002U10JQ/"> started marketing</a> it about a week ago, he said.

Anne said her family is proud to have
 diversified the operation, which includes the Flying A Cattle Company, 
without forsaking the native rangeland. The family feels blessed, she 
said, to “be a small part of the unique Sandhills ecosystem and 
community.”

“It’s dear to our hearts,” said Anne. “We love the Sandhills. Our family loves ranching. It’s time to move on.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680554659570.png" alt="The Dumbbell Ranch spans about 15,500 acres, mostly in Nebraska’s Cherry County, known as the nation’s “top cow county.” It is for sale, which means it will have owners outside the Anderson family for first time in over a century. (Courtesy of Hall and Hall)" />
 <figcaption>The Dumbbell Ranch spans about 15,500 acres, mostly in Nebraska’s Cherry County, known as the nation’s “top cow county.” It is for sale, which means it will have owners outside the Anderson family for first time in over a century. (Courtesy of Hall and Hall)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Massive ranch is for sale for $16.7 million</h2>By CINDIY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/03/dumbbell-in-nebraska-sandhills-gains-spotlight-with-sheer-size-storied-past/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — It’s a $16.7 million ranch story sure to stir some nostalgic memories in the Sandhills of Nebraska.But even if you’re not from the area, a property called Dumbbell has got to pique curiosity.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680554762652.jpeg" alt="Native range and meadows used by livestock and wildlife habitat cover the ranch. (Courtesy of Hall and Hall)" />
 <figcaption>Native range and meadows used by livestock and wildlife habitat cover the ranch. (Courtesy of Hall and Hall)</figcaption>
 </figure>The Dumbbell Ranch, which spans a 
whopping 15,500 acres, mostly in Cherry County, is attracting attention 
as it now is up for sale&nbsp; — poised to separate from the family that has 
owned it for more than a century.&nbsp;The rationale behind that break may 
sound familiar: The younger generation has more pressing interests than 
to oversee the Hyannis area operation.&nbsp;“They don’t want to ranch, and I’m 
really grateful they were honest with me,” Anne Anderson Bennett said of
 her daughters Margaret and Leatha, who are in their 20s.Bennett’s only sibling, Gordon 
Anderson, is a “computer guru” who loves his life in Colorado. Their 
parents have passed. At 57, Bennett, divorced for 17 years, is preparing
 to get married again.“It just really was the right time,” she said of selling.A less common occurrence, says 
Valentine area broker Mark Johnson of Hall and Hall, is a place like the
 Dumbbell hitting the market.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680554815794.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Johnson, whose business is selling 
ranches, said the property stands out for various reasons, including a 
precious natural resource, water. It sits atop the Ogallala Aquifer, 
which creates shallow lakes and sub-irrigated meadows that he said are 
known to be the headwaters for the Middle Loup River.“This one has a deeper stamp,” 
Johnson said, noting the ranch’s storied past, its artesian wells, 27 
windmills, eight solar wells, rangeland and watering sites for 
livestock.He called the Dumbbell — historically
 a 900-head cow/calf operation that’s in the nation’s “top cow county”— 
one of the founding ranches of the Nebraska Sandhills.Anne’s great-grandfather Gustaf Anderson, an orphaned Swedish immigrant, acquired the area in 1913.As the history goes, pieced together 
from family and various other sources, the Dumbbell headquarters was 
established in 1887 by Dr. A.J. Plumer, who had hoped the railroad would
 be built through the valley.He and his wife, Anna, a nurse, constructed a “white mansion” structure to serve as a maternity hospital.&nbsp;Lore has it that Plumer accidentally 
slammed a hammer on his thumb while building the hospital, exclaiming 
“Only a dumbbell would do that.”Hence, the Dumbbell name.Plumer expanded a cattle operation 
before moving and selling the ranch in 1906. In 1913, Gustaf Anderson 
became sole owner of a property that would grow to about 52,000 acres.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680554852926.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Anderson would make the trip from Red
 Oak, Iowa, to the Dumbbell Ranch at least a dozen times a year by train
 or vehicle —&nbsp; a trip that each generation of Andersons has made over 
the decades.Three children of Gustaf and his 
wife, Janie, later split the ranch into sections and called them 
Pitchfork, 3 Circles and Dumbbell.&nbsp;Son Gordon got the Dumbbell and eventually passed it to son Gerald, who then left it to Anne and her brother.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680554880289.jpeg" alt="(Courtesy of Hall and Hall, Anderson family)" />
 <figcaption>(Courtesy of Hall and Hall, Anderson family)</figcaption>
 </figure>Anne said she has worked the past 
three decades with her dad on the business, traveling as often as she 
could to the ranch. “We love it so much, we’ve been able to make it 
work.”She lauded the lineup of managers who
 over the generations lived at the site, maintained the operation and 
became engaged in the community.&nbsp;“They are the ones that live there and have boots on the ground,” she said.Her dad died in 2016; her mom passed in 2021.The ranch has received local suitors, as well as interest and visitors from other states, since Johnson<a target="_blank" href="https://hallhall.com/property-for-sale/nebraska/dumbbell-ranch/a095d00002U10JQ/"> started marketing</a> it about a week ago, he said.Anne said her family is proud to have
 diversified the operation, which includes the Flying A Cattle Company, 
without forsaking the native rangeland. The family feels blessed, she 
said, to “be a small part of the unique Sandhills ecosystem and 
community.”“It’s dear to our hearts,” said Anne. “We love the Sandhills. Our family loves ranching. It’s time to move on.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680554917938.png" alt="The Dumbbell Ranch in the Sandhills of Nebraska. (Courtesy of Hall and Hall)" />
 <figcaption>The Dumbbell Ranch in the Sandhills of Nebraska. (Courtesy of Hall and Hall)</figcaption>
 </figure>

‘Dumbbell’ in Nebraska Sandhills gains spotlight with sheer size, storied past

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russian tactical nuclear weapons will be deployed close to Belarus' borders with NATO neighbors, the Russian ambassador to Belarus said Sunday amid simmering tensions between Russia and the West over Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Ambassador Boris Gryzlov's comment followed Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent statement about plans to station tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Russia's neighbor and ally. The announcement marked another attempt by the Russian leader to dangle the nuclear threat to discourage the West from supporting Ukraine.

Putin has said that construction of storage facilities for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus will be complete by July 1 and added that Russia has helped modernize Belarusian warplanes to make them capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

The two neighbors have an agreement envisioning close economic, political and military ties. Russia used Belarusian territory as a staging ground for invading Ukraine and has maintained a contingent of troops and weapons there.

Gryzlov, speaking in remarks broadcast late Sunday by Belarusian state television, said the Russian nuclear weapons will be “moved up close to the Western border of our union state” but did not give any precise location.

“It will expand our defense capability, and it will be done regardless of all the noise in Europe and the United States,” he said in a reference to Western criticism of Putin's decision.

Belarus shares a 1,250-kilometer (778-mile) border with NATO members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

Tactical nuclear weapons, which are intended to destroy enemy troops and weapons on the battlefield, have a relatively short range and a much lower yield compared with nuclear warheads fitted to long-range strategic missiles that are capable of obliterating whole cities.

The deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus would put them closer to potential targets in Ukraine and NATO members in Eastern and Central Europe.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663760963726.jpeg" alt="Image from a video released by the Russian Presidential Press Service,&nbsp; Service via AP)" />
 <figcaption>Image from a video released by the Russian Presidential Press Service,&nbsp; Service via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russian tactical nuclear weapons will be deployed close to Belarus' borders with NATO neighbors, the Russian ambassador to Belarus said Sunday amid simmering tensions between Russia and the West over Moscow's war in Ukraine.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1679781807563.png" alt="Google map" />
 <figcaption>Google map</figcaption>
 </figure>Ambassador Boris Gryzlov's comment followed Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent statement about plans to station tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Russia's neighbor and ally. The announcement marked another attempt by the Russian leader to dangle the nuclear threat to discourage the West from supporting Ukraine.Putin has said that construction of storage facilities for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus will be complete by July 1 and added that Russia has helped modernize Belarusian warplanes to make them capable of carrying nuclear weapons.The two neighbors have an agreement envisioning close economic, political and military ties. Russia used Belarusian territory as a staging ground for invading Ukraine and has maintained a contingent of troops and weapons there.Gryzlov, speaking in remarks broadcast late Sunday by Belarusian state television, said the Russian nuclear weapons will be “moved up close to the Western border of our union state” but did not give any precise location.“It will expand our defense capability, and it will be done regardless of all the noise in Europe and the United States,” he said in a reference to Western criticism of Putin's decision.Belarus shares a 1,250-kilometer (778-mile) border with NATO members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.Tactical nuclear weapons, which are intended to destroy enemy troops and weapons on the battlefield, have a relatively short range and a much lower yield compared with nuclear warheads fitted to long-range strategic missiles that are capable of obliterating whole cities.The deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus would put them closer to potential targets in Ukraine and NATO members in Eastern and Central Europe.Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko said Friday that some of Russia's strategic nuclear weapons might be deployed to Belarus along with part of Russia’s tactical nuclear arsenal.