Federal health officials are warning parents of newborns to sterilize equipment used for both bottle- and breast-feeding after a baby died last year from a rare infection tied to a contaminated breast pump.

The infant, a premature boy, was infected with the bacteria Cronobacter sakazakii, the same germ that sparked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-government-and-politics-1e54ff345ab2a4be93f2e24d991e4450">a recall and nationwide shortage</a>&nbsp;of powdered infant formula last year, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7209a2.htm?s_cid=mm7209a2_w">report</a>&nbsp;released Thursday.

But this baby’s infection was not caused by contaminated formula.

The child, who was hospitalized, had been fed a mix of breastmilk and liquid human milk fortifier through a tube. Genetic sequencing linked the infection to bacteria isolated from a breast pump used at home. Samples from expressed milk, a breast pump used in the hospital and the liquid human milk fortifier were all negative for the bacteria.

An investigation found that the home breast pump was cleaned in a household sink, sanitized and sometimes assembled while still moist.

Dr. Julia Haston, a CDC expert in pediatric infectious diseases, said the case underscores that cronobacter bacteria are found widely in the environment and can lead to severe and deadly infections.

“There are steps that people can take to prevent infections,” she said, including thoroughly washing, sanitizing and drying hands, equipment and all surfaces before feeding a baby.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674393743283.jpg" alt="Federal health officials are warning parents of newborns, Thursday, March 2, 2023, to sterilize equipment used for both bottle- and breast-feeding after a baby died last year from a rare infection tied to a contaminated breast pump.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Federal health officials are warning parents of newborns, Thursday, March 2, 2023, to sterilize equipment used for both bottle- and breast-feeding after a baby died last year from a rare infection tied to a contaminated breast pump.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>By JONEL ALECCIA AP Health WriterFederal health officials are warning parents of newborns to sterilize equipment used for both bottle- and breast-feeding after a baby died last year from a rare infection tied to a contaminated breast pump.The infant, a premature boy, was infected with the bacteria Cronobacter sakazakii, the same germ that sparked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-government-and-politics-1e54ff345ab2a4be93f2e24d991e4450">a recall and nationwide shortage</a>&nbsp;of powdered infant formula last year, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7209a2.htm?s_cid=mm7209a2_w">report</a>&nbsp;released Thursday.But this baby’s infection was not caused by contaminated formula.The child, who was hospitalized, had been fed a mix of breastmilk and liquid human milk fortifier through a tube. Genetic sequencing linked the infection to bacteria isolated from a breast pump used at home. Samples from expressed milk, a breast pump used in the hospital and the liquid human milk fortifier were all negative for the bacteria.An investigation found that the home breast pump was cleaned in a household sink, sanitized and sometimes assembled while still moist.Dr. Julia Haston, a CDC expert in pediatric infectious diseases, said the case underscores that cronobacter bacteria are found widely in the environment and can lead to severe and deadly infections.“There are steps that people can take to prevent infections,” she said, including thoroughly washing, sanitizing and drying hands, equipment and all surfaces before feeding a baby.___

CDC: Baby's death tied to contaminated breast pump

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump can be sued by injured Capitol Police officers and Democratic lawmakers over the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol,</a>&nbsp;the Justice Department said Thursday in a federal court case testing Trump's legal vulnerability and the limits of executive power.

The department wrote that although a president enjoys broad legal latitude to communicate to the public on matters of concern, “no part of a President’s official responsibilities includes the incitement of imminent private violence. By definition, such conduct plainly falls outside the President’s constitutional and statutory duties.”

The brief was filed by lawyers of the Justice Department's Civil Division and has no bearing on a separate criminal investigation by a department special counsel into whether Trump can be criminally charged over efforts to undo Democrat Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election ahead of the Capitol riot. In fact, the lawyers note that they are not taking a position with respect to potential criminal liability for Trump or anyone else.

The Justice Department wrote that it also takes no view on a lower court judge's conclusion that those who sued Trump have “plausibly” alleged that his speech caused the riot. Nevertheless, the department said that an appeals court should reject Trump's claim that he's immune from the lawsuits.

The Justice Department cautioned that the “court must take care not to adopt rules that would unduly chill legitimate presidential communication" or saddle a president with meritless lawsuits.

"In exercising their traditional communicative functions, Presidents routinely address controversial issues that are the subject of passionate feelings. Presidents may at times use strong rhetoric. And some who hear that rhetoric may overreact, or even respond with violence," the department wrote.

Trump is appealing a decision by a federal judge in Washington, who last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-lawsuits-donald-trump-48fef5775a0043339fb38aa84ad419be">rejected efforts by the former president to toss out the conspiracy civil lawsuits</a>&nbsp;filed by lawmakers and two Capitol police officers. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Trump’s words during a rally before the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol were likely “words of incitement not protected by the First Amendment.”

The lawsuits, filed by Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., officers James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby, and later joined by other House Democrats, argue that Trump and others made “false and incendiary allegations of fraud and theft, and in direct response to the Defendant’s express calls for violence at the rally, a violent mob attacked the U.S. Capitol."

The suits cite a federal civil rights law that was enacted to counter the Ku Klux Klan’s intimidation of officials. They describe in detail how Trump and others spread baseless claims of election fraud, both before and after the 2020 presidential election was declared, and charge that they helped to rile up the thousands of rioters before they stormed the Capitol.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1614042711157.png" alt="The protest at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>The protest at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump can be sued by injured Capitol Police officers and Democratic lawmakers over the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol,</a>&nbsp;the Justice Department said Thursday in a federal court case testing Trump's legal vulnerability and the limits of executive power.The department wrote that although a president enjoys broad legal latitude to communicate to the public on matters of concern, “no part of a President’s official responsibilities includes the incitement of imminent private violence. By definition, such conduct plainly falls outside the President’s constitutional and statutory duties.”The brief was filed by lawyers of the Justice Department's Civil Division and has no bearing on a separate criminal investigation by a department special counsel into whether Trump can be criminally charged over efforts to undo Democrat Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election ahead of the Capitol riot. In fact, the lawyers note that they are not taking a position with respect to potential criminal liability for Trump or anyone else.The Justice Department wrote that it also takes no view on a lower court judge's conclusion that those who sued Trump have “plausibly” alleged that his speech caused the riot. Nevertheless, the department said that an appeals court should reject Trump's claim that he's immune from the lawsuits.The Justice Department cautioned that the “court must take care not to adopt rules that would unduly chill legitimate presidential communication" or saddle a president with meritless lawsuits."In exercising their traditional communicative functions, Presidents routinely address controversial issues that are the subject of passionate feelings. Presidents may at times use strong rhetoric. And some who hear that rhetoric may overreact, or even respond with violence," the department wrote.Trump is appealing a decision by a federal judge in Washington, who last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-lawsuits-donald-trump-48fef5775a0043339fb38aa84ad419be">rejected efforts by the former president to toss out the conspiracy civil lawsuits</a>&nbsp;filed by lawmakers and two Capitol police officers. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Trump’s words during a rally before the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol were likely “words of incitement not protected by the First Amendment.”The lawsuits, filed by Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., officers James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby, and later joined by other House Democrats, argue that Trump and others made “false and incendiary allegations of fraud and theft, and in direct response to the Defendant’s express calls for violence at the rally, a violent mob attacked the U.S. Capitol."The suits cite a federal civil rights law that was enacted to counter the Ku Klux Klan’s intimidation of officials. They describe in detail how Trump and others spread baseless claims of election fraud, both before and after the 2020 presidential election was declared, and charge that they helped to rile up the thousands of rioters before they stormed the Capitol.

Justice Dept: Trump can be sued by police for Jan. 6 actions

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gasoline with higher blends of ethanol could be sold year-round in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and other<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-environment-smog-iowa-us-environmental-protection-agency-81f740405e32298cc8b85adc9c2f63fc">&nbsp;midwestern states</a>&nbsp;beginning in 2024 under a rule proposed Wednesday by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The proposed rule is a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-biofuels-congress-biogas-michael-s-regan-d4004067e63ba5823a5ae1ec03807ea3">victory for the biofuels industry</a>, which for years has pushed to allow sales of gasoline blended with 15% ethanol&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-business-smog-environment-4a877e9afc2837609c4a0aee72a042bc">during the summer</a>, which hasn't been allowed because of concerns that it would worsen smog during hot weather. The industry and members of Congress welcomed the EPA's proposal, which had been requested by governors in the eight states, but they questioned why the new rules couldn't begin this summer.

Under the proposal, the higher blends could be sold during the summer in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Most gasoline sold in the U.S. is now blended with 10% ethanol, which is allowed throughout the year.

The issue is especially important in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-iowa-kim-reynolds-des-moines-b8ecec35e579e9e247e1237dccf9550f">those Midwest states</a>&nbsp;because farmers there grow the bulk of the nation's corn, and nearly 40% of that crop is used to produce ethanol. As more ethanol goes into gas tanks, demand for corn should increase and prices for the commodity paid to farmers should also rise.

The American Coalition for Ethanol said in a statement that the group appreciated the EPA's proposal but argued there was no reason to wait until 2024 . The group accused the agency of delaying the action because of pressure from the petroleum industry.

“The administration appears to be caving to refiner crocodile tears by kicking the can to 2024 instead," the coalition said. "This delay means consumers in conventional gasoline areas of the country will be forced to pay more at the pump this year and retailers who want to offer lower cost E15 to their customers will be penalized.”

The group urged the EPA to allow the change to take effect in 2023 for the eight Midwestern states and for the Biden administration to allow the expanded ethanol sales in other regions of the country.

The American Fuel &amp; Petrochemical Manufacturers industry group said the EPA was right to delay new rules until 2024 because summer gasoline production is already underway. Even with more lead time, the organization predicted that creating a special blend for the Midwestern states would increase costs and could lead to tighter fuel supplies in the region because not all refiners, pipelines and terminals are ready to handle the different blend.

“Fuel manufacturers and regional pipeline and terminal operators have made clear to the Biden administration and the eight petitioning states that the push to outlaw the current blend of summertime gasoline and replace it with a boutique blend is going to impose major costs on the Midwest’s fuel supply chain and consumers — ranging from $500-$800 million per year, and potentially higher if unforeseen interruptions occur,” the organization said in a statement.

The EPA said it would hold a hearing on the proposed rule in late March or early April. The agency didn't immediately respond to a request to comment about questions regarding its proposed rule.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gasoline with higher blends of ethanol could be sold year-round in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and other<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-environment-smog-iowa-us-environmental-protection-agency-81f740405e32298cc8b85adc9c2f63fc">&nbsp;midwestern states</a>&nbsp;beginning in 2024 under a rule proposed Wednesday by the Environmental Protection Agency.The proposed rule is a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-biofuels-congress-biogas-michael-s-regan-d4004067e63ba5823a5ae1ec03807ea3">victory for the biofuels industry</a>, which for years has pushed to allow sales of gasoline blended with 15% ethanol&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-business-smog-environment-4a877e9afc2837609c4a0aee72a042bc">during the summer</a>, which hasn't been allowed because of concerns that it would worsen smog during hot weather. The industry and members of Congress welcomed the EPA's proposal, which had been requested by governors in the eight states, but they questioned why the new rules couldn't begin this summer.Under the proposal, the higher blends could be sold during the summer in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Most gasoline sold in the U.S. is now blended with 10% ethanol, which is allowed throughout the year.The issue is especially important in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-iowa-kim-reynolds-des-moines-b8ecec35e579e9e247e1237dccf9550f">those Midwest states</a>&nbsp;because farmers there grow the bulk of the nation's corn, and nearly 40% of that crop is used to produce ethanol. As more ethanol goes into gas tanks, demand for corn should increase and prices for the commodity paid to farmers should also rise.The American Coalition for Ethanol said in a statement that the group appreciated the EPA's proposal but argued there was no reason to wait until 2024 . The group accused the agency of delaying the action because of pressure from the petroleum industry.“The administration appears to be caving to refiner crocodile tears by kicking the can to 2024 instead," the coalition said. "This delay means consumers in conventional gasoline areas of the country will be forced to pay more at the pump this year and retailers who want to offer lower cost E15 to their customers will be penalized.”The group urged the EPA to allow the change to take effect in 2023 for the eight Midwestern states and for the Biden administration to allow the expanded ethanol sales in other regions of the country.The American Fuel &amp; Petrochemical Manufacturers industry group said the EPA was right to delay new rules until 2024 because summer gasoline production is already underway. Even with more lead time, the organization predicted that creating a special blend for the Midwestern states would increase costs and could lead to tighter fuel supplies in the region because not all refiners, pipelines and terminals are ready to handle the different blend.“Fuel manufacturers and regional pipeline and terminal operators have made clear to the Biden administration and the eight petitioning states that the push to outlaw the current blend of summertime gasoline and replace it with a boutique blend is going to impose major costs on the Midwest’s fuel supply chain and consumers — ranging from $500-$800 million per year, and potentially higher if unforeseen interruptions occur,” the organization said in a statement.The EPA said it would hold a hearing on the proposed rule in late March or early April. The agency didn't immediately respond to a request to comment about questions regarding its proposed rule.

Nebraska could add more ethanol to gasoline under EPA plan

WASHINGTON (AP) —<a href="https://www.lilly.com/resources/insulin-affordability">Eli Lilly will cut prices</a>&nbsp;for some older insulins later this year and immediately give more patients access to a cap on the costs they pay to fill prescriptions.

The moves announced Wednesday promise critical relief to some people with diabetes who can face thousands of dollars in annual costs for insulin they need in order to live. Lilly’s changes also come as lawmakers and patient advocates pressure drugmakers to do something about soaring prices.

Lilly said it will cut the list prices for its most commonly prescribed insulin, Humalog, and for another insulin, Humulin, by 70% or more in the fourth quarter, which starts in October.

List prices are what a drugmaker initially sets for a product and what people who have no insurance or plans with high deductibles are sometimes stuck paying.

A Lilly spokeswoman said the current list price for a 10-milliliter vial of the fast-acting, mealtime insulin Humalog is $274.70. That will fall to $66.40.

Likewise, she said the same amount of Humulin currently lists at $148.70. That will change to $44.61.

Lilly CEO David Ricks said Wednesday that his company was making these changes to address issues that affect the price patients ultimately pay for its insulins.

He noted that discounts Lilly offers from its list prices often don't reach patients through insurers or pharmacy benefit managers. High-deductible coverage can lead to big bills at the pharmacy counter, particularly at the start of the year when the deductibles renew.

“We know the current U.S. health care system has gaps,” he said. “This makes a tough disease like diabetes even harder to manage.”

Patient advocates have long called for insulin price cuts to help uninsured people who would not be affected by price caps tied to insurance coverage. They have noted that high insulin prices force many people to ration doses, which can be dangerous for their health.

The advocacy group Public Citizen said in a statement that Lilly’s price cut was overdue and “an acknowledgement that insulin prices are a deadly outrage.”

Lilly’s planned cuts “could actually provide some substantial price relief,” said Stacie Dusetzina, a health policy professor at Vanderbilt University who studies drug costs.

She noted that the moves likely won’t affect Lilly much financially because the insulins are older, and some already face competition.

Lilly also said Wednesday that it will cut the price of its authorized generic version of Humalog to $25 a vial starting in May.

Lilly also is launching in April a biosimilar insulin to compete with Sanofi’s Lantus.

Ricks said that it will take time for insurers and the pharmacy system to implement its price cuts, so the drugmaker will immediately cap monthly out-of-pocket costs for all of its insulins at $35 for people who are not covered by Medicare’s prescription drug program.

The drugmaker said the cap applies to people with commercial coverage and at most retail pharmacies.

Lilly said people without insurance can find savings cards to receive insulin for the same amount at its&nbsp;<a href="https://insulinaffordability.com/">InsulinAffordability.com</a>&nbsp;website.

The federal government in January started applying that cap to patients with coverage through its Medicare program for people age 65 and older or those who have certain disabilities or illnesses.

President Joe Biden brought up that cost cap during his annual&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-the-union-biden-2023-b9bebd876a42a9510f068a04a3f2a348">State of the Union</a>&nbsp;address last month. He called for insulin costs for everyone to be capped at $35.

Biden said in a statement Wednesday that Lilly responded to his call.

“It’s a big deal, and it’s time for other manufacturers to follow,” Biden said.

He also noted that Americans “for far too long” have faced much higher drug costs than people in other countries.

Aside from Eli Lilly and the French drugmaker Sanofi, other top insulin makers include the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk.

Representatives for both Sanofi and Novo Nordisk said their companies offer several programs that limit costs for people with and without coverage.

Researchers with non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation have found that more than 25% of those who take insulin and are covered either through a small employer or by individual insurance that meets Affordable Care Act standards would benefit from a $35 monthly cap. Likewise, about 20% of insulin users with coverage through a big employer also would save.

Insulin is made by the pancreas and used by the body to convert food into energy. People who have diabetes don’t produce enough insulin.

People with Type 1 diabetes must take insulin every day to survive. More than 8 million Americans use insulin, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Research has shown that prices for insulin have more than tripled in the last two decades. Pressure is growing on drugmakers to help patients.

The state of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-california-diabetes-government-and-politics-f846c58d4cb327578d1c7b3a9495d496">California has said it plans to explore making its own cheaper insulin</a>. Drugmakers also may face competition from companies like the nonprofit Civica, which plans to produce three insulins at a recommended price of no more than $30 a vial, a spokeswoman said.

Drugmakers may be seeing “the writing on the wall that high prices can’t persist forever,” said Larry Levitt, an executive vice president with Kaiser.

“Lilly is trying to get out ahead of the issue and look to the public like the good guy,” Levitt said, adding that there's nothing stopping Lilly from raising prices again in the future.

Lilly officials said Wednesday that they have not raised the price of any of their insulins since 2017.

Ricks, the Lilly CEO, said the drugmaker made the changes announced Wednesday “because it's time and it's the right thing to do.”

Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. became the first company to commercialize insulin in 1923, two years after University of Toronto scientists discovered it. The drugmaker then built its reputation around producing insulin even as it branched into cancer treatments, antipsychotics and other drugs.

Humulin and Humalog and its authorized generic brought in a total of more than $3 billion in revenue for Lilly last year. They rang up more than $3.5 billion the year before that.

“These are treatments that have had a really long and successful life and should be less costly to patients,” Dusetzina said.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1677718119575.png" alt="A vial of Eli Lilly's Humalog insulin-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>A vial of Eli Lilly's Humalog insulin-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —<a href="https://www.lilly.com/resources/insulin-affordability">Eli Lilly will cut prices</a>&nbsp;for some older insulins later this year and immediately give more patients access to a cap on the costs they pay to fill prescriptions.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We capped the cost of insulin for seniors on Medicare at $35. But in my State of the Union, I said we needed to finish the job. Well, today, Eli Lilly announced that they’re lowering prices for everyone else to $35. Let’s keep it going. <a href="https://t.co/XXBXe4HnR4">pic.twitter.com/XXBXe4HnR4</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1631043167297368066?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The moves announced Wednesday promise critical relief to some people with diabetes who can face thousands of dollars in annual costs for insulin they need in order to live. Lilly’s changes also come as lawmakers and patient advocates pressure drugmakers to do something about soaring prices.Lilly said it will cut the list prices for its most commonly prescribed insulin, Humalog, and for another insulin, Humulin, by 70% or more in the fourth quarter, which starts in October.List prices are what a drugmaker initially sets for a product and what people who have no insurance or plans with high deductibles are sometimes stuck paying.A Lilly spokeswoman said the current list price for a 10-milliliter vial of the fast-acting, mealtime insulin Humalog is $274.70. That will fall to $66.40.Likewise, she said the same amount of Humulin currently lists at $148.70. That will change to $44.61.Lilly CEO David Ricks said Wednesday that his company was making these changes to address issues that affect the price patients ultimately pay for its insulins.He noted that discounts Lilly offers from its list prices often don't reach patients through insurers or pharmacy benefit managers. High-deductible coverage can lead to big bills at the pharmacy counter, particularly at the start of the year when the deductibles renew.“We know the current U.S. health care system has gaps,” he said. “This makes a tough disease like diabetes even harder to manage.”Patient advocates have long called for insulin price cuts to help uninsured people who would not be affected by price caps tied to insurance coverage. They have noted that high insulin prices force many people to ration doses, which can be dangerous for their health.The advocacy group Public Citizen said in a statement that Lilly’s price cut was overdue and “an acknowledgement that insulin prices are a deadly outrage.”Lilly’s planned cuts “could actually provide some substantial price relief,” said Stacie Dusetzina, a health policy professor at Vanderbilt University who studies drug costs.She noted that the moves likely won’t affect Lilly much financially because the insulins are older, and some already face competition.Lilly also said Wednesday that it will cut the price of its authorized generic version of Humalog to $25 a vial starting in May.Lilly also is launching in April a biosimilar insulin to compete with Sanofi’s Lantus.Ricks said that it will take time for insurers and the pharmacy system to implement its price cuts, so the drugmaker will immediately cap monthly out-of-pocket costs for all of its insulins at $35 for people who are not covered by Medicare’s prescription drug program.The drugmaker said the cap applies to people with commercial coverage and at most retail pharmacies.Lilly said people without insurance can find savings cards to receive insulin for the same amount at its&nbsp;<a href="https://insulinaffordability.com/">InsulinAffordability.com</a>&nbsp;website.The federal government in January started applying that cap to patients with coverage through its Medicare program for people age 65 and older or those who have certain disabilities or illnesses.President Joe Biden brought up that cost cap during his annual&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-the-union-biden-2023-b9bebd876a42a9510f068a04a3f2a348">State of the Union</a>&nbsp;address last month. He called for insulin costs for everyone to be capped at $35.Biden said in a statement Wednesday that Lilly responded to his call.“It’s a big deal, and it’s time for other manufacturers to follow,” Biden said.He also noted that Americans “for far too long” have faced much higher drug costs than people in other countries.Aside from Eli Lilly and the French drugmaker Sanofi, other top insulin makers include the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk.Representatives for both Sanofi and Novo Nordisk said their companies offer several programs that limit costs for people with and without coverage.Researchers with non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation have found that more than 25% of those who take insulin and are covered either through a small employer or by individual insurance that meets Affordable Care Act standards would benefit from a $35 monthly cap. Likewise, about 20% of insulin users with coverage through a big employer also would save.Insulin is made by the pancreas and used by the body to convert food into energy. People who have diabetes don’t produce enough insulin.People with Type 1 diabetes must take insulin every day to survive. More than 8 million Americans use insulin, according to the American Diabetes Association.Research has shown that prices for insulin have more than tripled in the last two decades. Pressure is growing on drugmakers to help patients.The state of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-california-diabetes-government-and-politics-f846c58d4cb327578d1c7b3a9495d496">California has said it plans to explore making its own cheaper insulin</a>. Drugmakers also may face competition from companies like the nonprofit Civica, which plans to produce three insulins at a recommended price of no more than $30 a vial, a spokeswoman said.Drugmakers may be seeing “the writing on the wall that high prices can’t persist forever,” said Larry Levitt, an executive vice president with Kaiser.“Lilly is trying to get out ahead of the issue and look to the public like the good guy,” Levitt said, adding that there's nothing stopping Lilly from raising prices again in the future.Lilly officials said Wednesday that they have not raised the price of any of their insulins since 2017.Ricks, the Lilly CEO, said the drugmaker made the changes announced Wednesday “because it's time and it's the right thing to do.”Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. became the first company to commercialize insulin in 1923, two years after University of Toronto scientists discovered it. The drugmaker then built its reputation around producing insulin even as it branched into cancer treatments, antipsychotics and other drugs.Humulin and Humalog and its authorized generic brought in a total of more than $3 billion in revenue for Lilly last year. They rang up more than $3.5 billion the year before that.“These are treatments that have had a really long and successful life and should be less costly to patients,” Dusetzina said.&nbsp;

Relief for millions: Drugmaker cuts insulin price 70 percent

NEW YORK (AP) — The fate of President Joe Biden's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-hearing-2128da75fc27ff3bcc0c3804ebd98aa7">student loan forgiveness plan is up in the air</a>&nbsp;after Supreme Court justices questioned whether his administration has the authority to broadly cancel federal student loans.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2022/22-506">Click here to listen&nbsp;to a replay</a>&nbsp;of the oral arguments in Biden v. Nebraska

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2022/22-535">Click here to listen&nbsp;to a replay</a>&nbsp;of the oral arguments in Board of Ed v. Brown

At stake is debt forgiveness for up to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-biden-plan-d9c8e18774a744187c9af634bf4eb728">43 million Americans</a>. Nearly half could have their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-student-loans-cd9d00103c04f4bb906b9127e9e06fef">federal student debt wiped out</a>&nbsp;entirely. But in hearing two cases challenging the plan, the Republican-appointed majority on the Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-hearing-2128da75fc27ff3bcc0c3804ebd98aa7?utm_source=apnewsnav&amp;utm_medium=featured">seemed likely to block it</a>.

Already, about 26 million people have applied for debt forgiveness, and 16 million applications have been approved. However, because of court rulings, all the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-education-st-louis-student-loans-cf8136bfc75bd70839e9326cabbbf029">relief is on hold</a>. The Education Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-education-student-loans-government-and-politics-06a1160237717b16091ec864b2a56e4d">stopped taking applications</a>&nbsp;in November because of legal challenges to the plan.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-clarence-thomas-scotus-9c248eeea0e8d8e24445ca95a74ec0dc">Supreme Court will have the ultimate say</a>&nbsp;on whether Biden can wipe out student loan debt,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-Biden-63cf586156ad9cf7f71fe3656cf898f8">fulfilling a campaign pledge</a>&nbsp;he made in 2020. Here's what to know if you're waiting for debt relief:

WHEN WILL THE SUPREME COURT DECIDE THE STUDENT LOANS CASES?

The Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday, but there won’t be a decision for months. The court usually issues all of its decisions by the end of June.

WHO QUALIFIES FOR BIDEN’S STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS?

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-program-explained-d248f3b049c292856bb1c74be6aedef2">plan Biden announced last August</a>&nbsp;would cancel $10,000 in federal student loan debt for those earning less than $125,000 or households with less than $250,000 in income.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-education-higher-pell-grant-fce8a300f7d7400283891dc223cbc378">Pell Grant</a>&nbsp;recipients, who typically come from lower-income households, would receive an additional $10,000 in debt forgiveness, for a total of $20,000.

Federal student loans for both undergraduate and graduate school, including Graduate PLUS loans, can qualify for forgiveness under the plan.

Borrowers would qualify if their federal student loans were disbursed before July 1.

Under the plan, if you paid off your loans during the pandemic, you can&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-to-get-student-loan-refund-if-you-paid-during-pandemic-ac42ffdca1d37d1fe8d1d63f6faeaa6f">request a refund</a>&nbsp;and then apply for forgiveness.

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY STUDENT LOANS WILL BE FORGIVEN?

The relief under Biden’s plan is on hold until the court cases finish — even for people who applied for student loan forgiveness before courts blocked it.

If the justices allow the plan to proceed, Biden’s debt forgiveness is for borrowers holding federal student loans, not private loans.

To determine what kind of loans you hold, log in to the Federal Student Aid website,&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/">studentaid.gov</a>. Direct loans, including Parent Plus loans, qualify. Some older FFEL and Perkins loans are also eligible, if owned by the Department of Education. For people holding older FFEL loans, consolidating those loans can lead to credit for forgiveness under certain income-driven repayment plans.

If you’ve already applied and been approved, you should have received an email telling you this. But you’ll still have to wait for the Supreme Court ruling to find out whether those loans will be wiped out for good.

HOW IS THE SUPREME COURT EXPECTED TO RULE ON STUDENT LOANS?

The Supreme Court is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-clarence-thomas-scotus-9c248eeea0e8d8e24445ca95a74ec0dc">dominated 6-3 by conservatives</a>, and those justices' questions in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-hearing-2128da75fc27ff3bcc0c3804ebd98aa7?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">oral arguments Tuesday</a>&nbsp;showed skepticism about the legality of Biden's student loans plan. The court seemed likely to rule in a way that would doom the student loan forgiveness plan.

Several conservative justices suggested the administration had exceeded its authority with the program. Chief Justice John Roberts mentioned the program's cost — an estimated $400 billion over 30 years — and its wide impact on millions of Americans. Most observers, he said, would think “that’s something for Congress to act on.”

Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh pointed out Congress had declined to pass student loan relief, so Biden did it himself. That, he said, “seems problematic.”

The only hope for Biden's plan appeared to be a legal technicality. The oral arguments&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-hearing-2128da75fc27ff3bcc0c3804ebd98aa7?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">left a slim possibility</a>&nbsp;that the court finds the states and people challenging Biden's plan lacked the legal right to sue. We won't know for sure how the court is going to rule&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-case-explained-8c62622e87c4ebff995f971263d932fc">until the decision is announced</a>.

WHO WOULD PAY FOR BIDEN'S STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS?

Ultimately, the cost would become part of the equation used to figure the federal deficit. Biden’s plan for student debt cancellation would cost the federal government about $400 billion over the next 30 years, according to the latest estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. The office cautioned that its estimates are “highly uncertain” because it’s hard to know exactly how much borrowers would have paid in the future without Biden’s action.

Biden has said those costs would be offset by other measures to reduce the federal deficit. He has pointed to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economic-bill-house-vote-be99d8db5bd610c5b1d78bc047a03e77">bill signed into law in August</a>&nbsp;that's estimated to raise around $740 billion over a decade, from a combination of government savings from lower drug prices, higher taxes on large corporations, levies on companies that repurchase their own stock and stronger IRS tax collections.

WILL THE PAUSE IN STUDENT LOAN PAYMENTS CONTINUE?

During the pandemic, two presidential administrations paused payments for those holding federal student loans. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-government-and-politics-f524c55faae26c2066b6795a9d29bc8d">pause has been extended</a>&nbsp;to as late as this summer.

Payments are set to resume, along with the accrual of interest, 60 days after the court cases are resolved. For example, if legal issues remain at the end of June, payments would restart at the end of August. If the court issues a ruling in March, repayment could restart as early as May or June.

If the cases haven’t been resolved by June 30, payments will start 60 days after that.

IS IT POSSIBLE BIDEN’S STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS WON’T HAPPEN AT ALL?

Yes. Biden's student loan forgiveness might not happen, period. Other loan forgiveness programs, such as those for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-congress-student-loans-education-cecef88ebeebe2f524022f603f22a83b">teachers or nonprofit workers</a>, or for people who have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-education-student-loans-miguel-cardona-ccf550c96fa2557433b8b2907f1532e6">defrauded by a for-profit college</a>, would continue.

The administration has not given insight into a Plan B if it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-hearing-2128da75fc27ff3bcc0c3804ebd98aa7?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">loses the Supreme Court cases</a>.

“We’re focused on ‘Plan A’ because we’re confident in our legal authority to carry out this program,” White House spokeswoman Olivia Dalton told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday.

Still, advocates point to other ways the debt might be forgiven, including through the Higher Education Act.

HOW SHOULD I PREPARE FOR STUDENT LOANS PAYMENTS TO RESTART?

Betsy Mayotte, President of the Institute of Student Loan Advisors, encourages people not to make any payments until the pause has ended. Instead, she says, put your payment amount into a savings account.

“Then you’ve maintained the habit of making the payment, but earning a little bit of interest as well. There’s no reason to send that money to the student loans until the last minute of the 0% interest rate.”

Mayotte recommends borrowers use the&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/loan-simulator">loan-simulator tool at StudentAid.gov</a>&nbsp;or the one on&nbsp;<a href="https://freestudentloanadvice.org/repayment-plan/">TISLA’s website</a>&nbsp;to find the payment plan that best fits their needs. The calculators tell you what your monthly payment would be under each available plan, as well as your long-term costs.

“I really want to emphasize the long-term,” Mayotte said.

Sometimes, when borrowers are in a financial bind, they’ll choose the option with the lowest monthly payment, which can cost more over the life of the loan, Mayotte said. Rather than “setting it and forgetting it,” she encourages borrowers to reevaluate when their financial situation improves.

CAN I SET UP A PAYMENT PLAN FOR MY STUDENT LOANS?

Yes, but some advocates encourage borrowers to wait for now, since there’s no financial penalty during the pause on payments and interest accrual.

That said, Katherine Welbeck of the&nbsp;<a href="https://protectborrowers.org/events/">Student Borrower Protection Center</a>&nbsp;recommends&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/">logging on to your account</a>&nbsp;and making sure you know the name of your servicer, your due date and whether you’re enrolled in the best income-driven repayment plan.

If your budget doesn’t allow you to resume payments, it’s important to know how to navigate the possibility of&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/default">default and delinquency on a student loan</a>. Both can hurt your credit rating, which would make you ineligible for additional aid.

If you’re in a short-term financial bind, you may qualify for a deferment or a forbearance —&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/lower-payments/get-temporary-relief">allowing you to temporarily suspend payment</a>.

HOW CAN I REDUCE COSTS WHEN PAYING OFF MY STUDENT LOANS?

— If you sign up for automatic payments, the servicer takes a quarter of a percent off your interest rate, Mayotte says.

— Income-driven repayment plans aren’t right for everyone. That said, if you know you will eventually qualify for forgiveness under the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-philanthropy-student-loans-us-department-of-f9b57d058fc41ad8be7d1268e33c4718">Public Service Loan Forgiveness program</a>, it makes sense to make the lowest monthly payments possible, as the remainder of your debt will be cancelled once that decade of payments is complete.

— Reevaluate your monthly student loan repayment during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/internal-revenue-service-business-taxes-f626db81e3941974c8fa0fffa45e7295">tax season</a>, when you already have all your financial information in front of you. “Can you afford to increase it? Or do you need to decrease it?” Mayotte said.

— Break up payments into whatever ways work best for you. You could consider two installments per month, instead of one large monthly sum.

ARE STUDENT LOANS FORGIVEN AFTER 10 YEARS?

If you’ve worked for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-student-loans-us-department-of-9184f38730a2d4278495d33b870c3dad">government agency or a nonprofit</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-congress-student-loans-education-cecef88ebeebe2f524022f603f22a83b">Public Service Loan Forgiveness program offers cancellation</a>&nbsp;after 10 years of regular payments, and some income-driven repayment plans cancel the remainder of a borrower’s debt after 20 to 25 years.

Borrowers should make sure they’re signed up for the&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans/income-driven">best possible income-driven repayment plan</a>&nbsp;to qualify for these programs. You can find out more about those plans here.

Borrowers who have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-education-student-loans-miguel-cardona-ccf550c96fa2557433b8b2907f1532e6">defrauded by for-profit colleges</a>&nbsp;may also apply for borrower defense and receive relief.

These programs won't be affected by the Supreme Court ruling.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1677600500744.png" alt="Student debt relief advocates gather outside the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, ahead of arguments over President Joe Biden's student debt relief plan. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)" />
 <figcaption>Student debt relief advocates gather outside the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, ahead of arguments over President Joe Biden's student debt relief plan. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — The fate of President Joe Biden's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-hearing-2128da75fc27ff3bcc0c3804ebd98aa7">student loan forgiveness plan is up in the air</a>&nbsp;after Supreme Court justices questioned whether his administration has the authority to broadly cancel federal student loans.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2022/22-506">Click here to listen&nbsp;to a replay</a>&nbsp;of the oral arguments in Biden v. Nebraska<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2022/22-535">Click here to listen&nbsp;to a replay</a>&nbsp;of the oral arguments in Board of Ed v. BrownAt stake is debt forgiveness for up to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-biden-plan-d9c8e18774a744187c9af634bf4eb728">43 million Americans</a>. Nearly half could have their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-student-loans-cd9d00103c04f4bb906b9127e9e06fef">federal student debt wiped out</a>&nbsp;entirely. But in hearing two cases challenging the plan, the Republican-appointed majority on the Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-hearing-2128da75fc27ff3bcc0c3804ebd98aa7?utm_source=apnewsnav&amp;utm_medium=featured">seemed likely to block it</a>.Already, about 26 million people have applied for debt forgiveness, and 16 million applications have been approved. However, because of court rulings, all the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-education-st-louis-student-loans-cf8136bfc75bd70839e9326cabbbf029">relief is on hold</a>. The Education Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-education-student-loans-government-and-politics-06a1160237717b16091ec864b2a56e4d">stopped taking applications</a>&nbsp;in November because of legal challenges to the plan.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-clarence-thomas-scotus-9c248eeea0e8d8e24445ca95a74ec0dc">Supreme Court will have the ultimate say</a>&nbsp;on whether Biden can wipe out student loan debt,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-Biden-63cf586156ad9cf7f71fe3656cf898f8">fulfilling a campaign pledge</a>&nbsp;he made in 2020. Here's what to know if you're waiting for debt relief:WHEN WILL THE SUPREME COURT DECIDE THE STUDENT LOANS CASES?The Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday, but there won’t be a decision for months. The court usually issues all of its decisions by the end of June.WHO QUALIFIES FOR BIDEN’S STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS?The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-program-explained-d248f3b049c292856bb1c74be6aedef2">plan Biden announced last August</a>&nbsp;would cancel $10,000 in federal student loan debt for those earning less than $125,000 or households with less than $250,000 in income.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-education-higher-pell-grant-fce8a300f7d7400283891dc223cbc378">Pell Grant</a>&nbsp;recipients, who typically come from lower-income households, would receive an additional $10,000 in debt forgiveness, for a total of $20,000.Federal student loans for both undergraduate and graduate school, including Graduate PLUS loans, can qualify for forgiveness under the plan.Borrowers would qualify if their federal student loans were disbursed before July 1.Under the plan, if you paid off your loans during the pandemic, you can&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-to-get-student-loan-refund-if-you-paid-during-pandemic-ac42ffdca1d37d1fe8d1d63f6faeaa6f">request a refund</a>&nbsp;and then apply for forgiveness.HOW DO I KNOW IF MY STUDENT LOANS WILL BE FORGIVEN?The relief under Biden’s plan is on hold until the court cases finish — even for people who applied for student loan forgiveness before courts blocked it.If the justices allow the plan to proceed, Biden’s debt forgiveness is for borrowers holding federal student loans, not private loans.To determine what kind of loans you hold, log in to the Federal Student Aid website,&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/">studentaid.gov</a>. Direct loans, including Parent Plus loans, qualify. Some older FFEL and Perkins loans are also eligible, if owned by the Department of Education. For people holding older FFEL loans, consolidating those loans can lead to credit for forgiveness under certain income-driven repayment plans.If you’ve already applied and been approved, you should have received an email telling you this. But you’ll still have to wait for the Supreme Court ruling to find out whether those loans will be wiped out for good.HOW IS THE SUPREME COURT EXPECTED TO RULE ON STUDENT LOANS?The Supreme Court is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-clarence-thomas-scotus-9c248eeea0e8d8e24445ca95a74ec0dc">dominated 6-3 by conservatives</a>, and those justices' questions in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-hearing-2128da75fc27ff3bcc0c3804ebd98aa7?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">oral arguments Tuesday</a>&nbsp;showed skepticism about the legality of Biden's student loans plan. The court seemed likely to rule in a way that would doom the student loan forgiveness plan.Several conservative justices suggested the administration had exceeded its authority with the program. Chief Justice John Roberts mentioned the program's cost — an estimated $400 billion over 30 years — and its wide impact on millions of Americans. Most observers, he said, would think “that’s something for Congress to act on.”Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh pointed out Congress had declined to pass student loan relief, so Biden did it himself. That, he said, “seems problematic.”The only hope for Biden's plan appeared to be a legal technicality. The oral arguments&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-hearing-2128da75fc27ff3bcc0c3804ebd98aa7?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">left a slim possibility</a>&nbsp;that the court finds the states and people challenging Biden's plan lacked the legal right to sue. We won't know for sure how the court is going to rule&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-case-explained-8c62622e87c4ebff995f971263d932fc">until the decision is announced</a>.WHO WOULD PAY FOR BIDEN'S STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS?Ultimately, the cost would become part of the equation used to figure the federal deficit. Biden’s plan for student debt cancellation would cost the federal government about $400 billion over the next 30 years, according to the latest estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. The office cautioned that its estimates are “highly uncertain” because it’s hard to know exactly how much borrowers would have paid in the future without Biden’s action.Biden has said those costs would be offset by other measures to reduce the federal deficit. He has pointed to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economic-bill-house-vote-be99d8db5bd610c5b1d78bc047a03e77">bill signed into law in August</a>&nbsp;that's estimated to raise around $740 billion over a decade, from a combination of government savings from lower drug prices, higher taxes on large corporations, levies on companies that repurchase their own stock and stronger IRS tax collections.WILL THE PAUSE IN STUDENT LOAN PAYMENTS CONTINUE?During the pandemic, two presidential administrations paused payments for those holding federal student loans. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-government-and-politics-f524c55faae26c2066b6795a9d29bc8d">pause has been extended</a>&nbsp;to as late as this summer.Payments are set to resume, along with the accrual of interest, 60 days after the court cases are resolved. For example, if legal issues remain at the end of June, payments would restart at the end of August. If the court issues a ruling in March, repayment could restart as early as May or June.If the cases haven’t been resolved by June 30, payments will start 60 days after that.IS IT POSSIBLE BIDEN’S STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS WON’T HAPPEN AT ALL?Yes. Biden's student loan forgiveness might not happen, period. Other loan forgiveness programs, such as those for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-congress-student-loans-education-cecef88ebeebe2f524022f603f22a83b">teachers or nonprofit workers</a>, or for people who have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-education-student-loans-miguel-cardona-ccf550c96fa2557433b8b2907f1532e6">defrauded by a for-profit college</a>, would continue.The administration has not given insight into a Plan B if it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-hearing-2128da75fc27ff3bcc0c3804ebd98aa7?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">loses the Supreme Court cases</a>.“We’re focused on ‘Plan A’ because we’re confident in our legal authority to carry out this program,” White House spokeswoman Olivia Dalton told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday.Still, advocates point to other ways the debt might be forgiven, including through the Higher Education Act.HOW SHOULD I PREPARE FOR STUDENT LOANS PAYMENTS TO RESTART?Betsy Mayotte, President of the Institute of Student Loan Advisors, encourages people not to make any payments until the pause has ended. Instead, she says, put your payment amount into a savings account.“Then you’ve maintained the habit of making the payment, but earning a little bit of interest as well. There’s no reason to send that money to the student loans until the last minute of the 0% interest rate.”Mayotte recommends borrowers use the&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/loan-simulator">loan-simulator tool at StudentAid.gov</a>&nbsp;or the one on&nbsp;<a href="https://freestudentloanadvice.org/repayment-plan/">TISLA’s website</a>&nbsp;to find the payment plan that best fits their needs. The calculators tell you what your monthly payment would be under each available plan, as well as your long-term costs.“I really want to emphasize the long-term,” Mayotte said.Sometimes, when borrowers are in a financial bind, they’ll choose the option with the lowest monthly payment, which can cost more over the life of the loan, Mayotte said. Rather than “setting it and forgetting it,” she encourages borrowers to reevaluate when their financial situation improves.CAN I SET UP A PAYMENT PLAN FOR MY STUDENT LOANS?Yes, but some advocates encourage borrowers to wait for now, since there’s no financial penalty during the pause on payments and interest accrual.That said, Katherine Welbeck of the&nbsp;<a href="https://protectborrowers.org/events/">Student Borrower Protection Center</a>&nbsp;recommends&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/">logging on to your account</a>&nbsp;and making sure you know the name of your servicer, your due date and whether you’re enrolled in the best income-driven repayment plan.If your budget doesn’t allow you to resume payments, it’s important to know how to navigate the possibility of&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/default">default and delinquency on a student loan</a>. Both can hurt your credit rating, which would make you ineligible for additional aid.If you’re in a short-term financial bind, you may qualify for a deferment or a forbearance —&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/lower-payments/get-temporary-relief">allowing you to temporarily suspend payment</a>.HOW CAN I REDUCE COSTS WHEN PAYING OFF MY STUDENT LOANS?— If you sign up for automatic payments, the servicer takes a quarter of a percent off your interest rate, Mayotte says.— Income-driven repayment plans aren’t right for everyone. That said, if you know you will eventually qualify for forgiveness under the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-philanthropy-student-loans-us-department-of-f9b57d058fc41ad8be7d1268e33c4718">Public Service Loan Forgiveness program</a>, it makes sense to make the lowest monthly payments possible, as the remainder of your debt will be cancelled once that decade of payments is complete.— Reevaluate your monthly student loan repayment during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/internal-revenue-service-business-taxes-f626db81e3941974c8fa0fffa45e7295">tax season</a>, when you already have all your financial information in front of you. “Can you afford to increase it? Or do you need to decrease it?” Mayotte said.— Break up payments into whatever ways work best for you. You could consider two installments per month, instead of one large monthly sum.ARE STUDENT LOANS FORGIVEN AFTER 10 YEARS?If you’ve worked for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-student-loans-us-department-of-9184f38730a2d4278495d33b870c3dad">government agency or a nonprofit</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-congress-student-loans-education-cecef88ebeebe2f524022f603f22a83b">Public Service Loan Forgiveness program offers cancellation</a>&nbsp;after 10 years of regular payments, and some income-driven repayment plans cancel the remainder of a borrower’s debt after 20 to 25 years.Borrowers should make sure they’re signed up for the&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans/income-driven">best possible income-driven repayment plan</a>&nbsp;to qualify for these programs. You can find out more about those plans here.Borrowers who have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-education-student-loans-miguel-cardona-ccf550c96fa2557433b8b2907f1532e6">defrauded by for-profit colleges</a>&nbsp;may also apply for borrower defense and receive relief.These programs won't be affected by the Supreme Court ruling.

 🎤Supreme Court student loan hearing: What you need to know

The United States is ratcheting up national security concerns about TikTok, mandating that all federal employees delete the Chinese-owned social media app from government-issued mobile phones. Other Western governments are pursuing similar bans, citing espionage fears.

So how serious is the threat? And should TikTok users who don’t work for the government be worried about the app, too?

The answers depend somewhat on whom you ask, and how concerned you are in general about technology companies gathering and sharing personal data.

HOW ARE THE U.S. AND OTHER GOVERNMENTS BLOCKING TIKTOK?

The White House said Monday it is giving U.S. federal agencies 30 days to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-united-states-government-ap-top-news-business-95491774cf8f0fe3e2b9634658a22e56">delete TikTok</a>&nbsp;from all government-issued mobile devices.

Congress, the White House, U.S. armed forces and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-united-states-government-china-privacy-26b0ee0d4c8421fa7f58b06f76651dc1">more than half of U.S. states</a>&nbsp;had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-d33e58c76bb3c13297c72816ef4e6231">already banned TikTok</a>&nbsp;amid concerns that its parent company, ByteDance, would give user data — such as browsing history and location — to the Chinese government, or push propaganda and misinformation on its behalf.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-united-states-government-privacy-business-29a52f0eee4177f6c2a596d12459feec">The European Union's executive branch</a>&nbsp;has temporarily banned TikTok from employee phones, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-denmark-government-mobile-apps-europe-41d1cf56a492ea9c6e0f7885c866e131">Denmark</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mobile-apps-canada-government-united-states-justin-trudeau-43b27a80a1c2bf3b55e5ccf2ce573684">Canada</a>&nbsp;have announced efforts to block TikTok on government-issued phones.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-china-reacts-fdaad1ac8494815262491077356c2984">China says the bans reveal the United States' insecurities</a>&nbsp;and are an abuse of state power. But they come at a time when Western technology companies, including Airbnb, Yahoo and LinkedIn, have been leaving China or downsizing operations there because of Beijing's strict privacy law that specifies how companies can collect and store data.

Both the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission have warned that ByteDance could share TikTok user data with China’s authoritarian government.

A law China implemented in 2017 requires companies to give the government any personal data relevant to the country’s national security. There’s no evidence that TikTok has turned over such data, but fears abound due to the vast amount of user data it collects.

Concerns were heightened in December when ByteDance said it fired four employees who accessed data on two journalists from Buzzfeed News and The Financial Times while attempting to track down the source of a leaked report about the company. TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said the breach was an “egregious misuse” of the employees' authority.

There is also concern about TikTok’s content and whether it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-health-mental-health-1925956c0f4baa672aa75bd490d24e3a">harms teenagers’ mental health</a>. Researchers from the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://counterhate.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CCDH-Deadly-by-Design_120922.pdf">report released in December</a>&nbsp;that eating disorder content on the platform had amassed 13.2 billion views. Roughly two-thirds of U.S. teens use TikTok, according to the Pew Research Center.

In 2020,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-asia-pacific-asia-792eac94014d5b15abe293093587e42f">then-President Donald Trump and his administration</a>&nbsp;sought to force ByteDance to sell off its U.S. assets and ban TikTok from app stores. Courts blocked Trump’s efforts, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-wechat-technology-biden-trump-d866cf95c7f1b802ffb88b2834117f0b">President Joe Biden rescinded Trump’s orders</a>&nbsp;after taking office but ordered an in-depth study of the issue. A planned sale of TikTok’s U.S. assets was shelved.

In Congress, concern about the app has been bipartisan. Congress passed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-d33e58c76bb3c13297c72816ef4e6231">“No TikTok on Government Devices Act”</a>&nbsp;in December as part of a sweeping government funding package. The legislation does allow for TikTok use in certain cases, including for national security, law enforcement and research purposes.

House Republicans are expected to move forward Tuesday with a bill that would give Biden the power to ban TikTok nationwide. The legislation, proposed by Rep. Mike McCaul, looks to circumvent the challenges the administration would face in court if it moved forward with sanctions against the company.

The bill has received pushback from civil liberties organizations. In a letter sent Monday to McCaul and Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the American Civil Liberties Union said a nationwide TikTok ban would be unconstitutional and would “likely result in banning many other businesses and applications as well.”

U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco has expressed concerns that the Chinese government could gain access to user data.

“I don’t use TikTok, and I would not advise anyone to do so," Monaco said earlier this month at the policy institute Chatham House in London.

TikTok said in a blog post in June that it will route all data from U.S. users to servers controlled by Oracle, the Silicon Valley company it chose as its U.S. tech partner in 2020 in an effort to avoid a nationwide ban. But it is storing backups of the data in its own servers in the U.S. and Singapore. The company said it expects to delete U.S. user data from its own servers, but it did not provide a timeline as to when that would occur.

But the amount of information TikTok collects might not be that different from other popular social media sites, experts say.

In an analysis published in 2021, the University of Toronto’s nonprofit Citizen Lab said TikTok and Facebook collect similar amounts of user data, including device identifiers that can be used to track a user and other information that can piece together a user's behavior across different platforms. It's valuable information for advertisers.

“If you are not comfortable with that level of data collection and sharing, you should avoid using the app,” the Citizen Lab report said.

While the potential abuse of privacy by the Chinese government is concerning, “it’s equally concerning that the US government, and many other governments, already abuse and exploit the data collected by every other U.S.-based tech company with the same data-harvesting business practices,” said Evan Greer, director of the nonprofit advocacy group Fight for the Future.

“If policy makers want to protect Americans from surveillance, they should advocate for a basic privacy law that bans all companies from collecting so much sensitive data about us in the first place, rather than engaging in what amounts to xenophobic showboating that does exactly nothing to protect anyone,” Greer said.

Others say there is legitimate reason for concern.

People who use TikTok might think they're not doing anything that would be of interest to a foreign government, but that's not always the case, said Anton Dahbura, executive director of the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute. Important information about the United States is not strictly limited to nuclear power plants or military facilities; it extends to other sectors, such as food processing, the finance industry and universities, Dahbura said.

Its unclear how much the government-wide TikTok ban might impact the company. Oberwetter, the TikTok spokesperson, said it has “no way” of knowing whether its users are government employees.

The company, though, has questioned the bans, saying it has not been given an opportunity to answer questions and that governments were cutting themselves off from a platform beloved by millions.

"These bans are little more than political theater,” Oberwetter said.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is set to testify next month before Congress. The House Energy and Commerce Committee will ask about the company's privacy and data-security practices, as well as its relationship with the Chinese government.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646257491889.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By HALELUYA HADERO Associated PressThe United States is ratcheting up national security concerns about TikTok, mandating that all federal employees delete the Chinese-owned social media app from government-issued mobile phones. Other Western governments are pursuing similar bans, citing espionage fears.So how serious is the threat? And should TikTok users who don’t work for the government be worried about the app, too?The answers depend somewhat on whom you ask, and how concerned you are in general about technology companies gathering and sharing personal data.Here’s what to know:HOW ARE THE U.S. AND OTHER GOVERNMENTS BLOCKING TIKTOK?The White House said Monday it is giving U.S. federal agencies 30 days to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-united-states-government-ap-top-news-business-95491774cf8f0fe3e2b9634658a22e56">delete TikTok</a>&nbsp;from all government-issued mobile devices.Congress, the White House, U.S. armed forces and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-united-states-government-china-privacy-26b0ee0d4c8421fa7f58b06f76651dc1">more than half of U.S. states</a>&nbsp;had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-d33e58c76bb3c13297c72816ef4e6231">already banned TikTok</a>&nbsp;amid concerns that its parent company, ByteDance, would give user data — such as browsing history and location — to the Chinese government, or push propaganda and misinformation on its behalf.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-united-states-government-privacy-business-29a52f0eee4177f6c2a596d12459feec">The European Union's executive branch</a>&nbsp;has temporarily banned TikTok from employee phones, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-denmark-government-mobile-apps-europe-41d1cf56a492ea9c6e0f7885c866e131">Denmark</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mobile-apps-canada-government-united-states-justin-trudeau-43b27a80a1c2bf3b55e5ccf2ce573684">Canada</a>&nbsp;have announced efforts to block TikTok on government-issued phones.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-china-reacts-fdaad1ac8494815262491077356c2984">China says the bans reveal the United States' insecurities</a>&nbsp;and are an abuse of state power. But they come at a time when Western technology companies, including Airbnb, Yahoo and LinkedIn, have been leaving China or downsizing operations there because of Beijing's strict privacy law that specifies how companies can collect and store data.WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS ABOUT TIKTOK?Both the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission have warned that ByteDance could share TikTok user data with China’s authoritarian government.A law China implemented in 2017 requires companies to give the government any personal data relevant to the country’s national security. There’s no evidence that TikTok has turned over such data, but fears abound due to the vast amount of user data it collects.Concerns were heightened in December when ByteDance said it fired four employees who accessed data on two journalists from Buzzfeed News and The Financial Times while attempting to track down the source of a leaked report about the company. TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said the breach was an “egregious misuse” of the employees' authority.There is also concern about TikTok’s content and whether it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-health-mental-health-1925956c0f4baa672aa75bd490d24e3a">harms teenagers’ mental health</a>. Researchers from the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://counterhate.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CCDH-Deadly-by-Design_120922.pdf">report released in December</a>&nbsp;that eating disorder content on the platform had amassed 13.2 billion views. Roughly two-thirds of U.S. teens use TikTok, according to the Pew Research Center.WHO HAS PUSHED FOR TIKTOK RESTRICTIONS?In 2020,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-asia-pacific-asia-792eac94014d5b15abe293093587e42f">then-President Donald Trump and his administration</a>&nbsp;sought to force ByteDance to sell off its U.S. assets and ban TikTok from app stores. Courts blocked Trump’s efforts, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-wechat-technology-biden-trump-d866cf95c7f1b802ffb88b2834117f0b">President Joe Biden rescinded Trump’s orders</a>&nbsp;after taking office but ordered an in-depth study of the issue. A planned sale of TikTok’s U.S. assets was shelved.In Congress, concern about the app has been bipartisan. Congress passed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-d33e58c76bb3c13297c72816ef4e6231">“No TikTok on Government Devices Act”</a>&nbsp;in December as part of a sweeping government funding package. The legislation does allow for TikTok use in certain cases, including for national security, law enforcement and research purposes.House Republicans are expected to move forward Tuesday with a bill that would give Biden the power to ban TikTok nationwide. The legislation, proposed by Rep. Mike McCaul, looks to circumvent the challenges the administration would face in court if it moved forward with sanctions against the company.The bill has received pushback from civil liberties organizations. In a letter sent Monday to McCaul and Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the American Civil Liberties Union said a nationwide TikTok ban would be unconstitutional and would “likely result in banning many other businesses and applications as well.”HOW RISKY IS TIKTOK?It depends on who you ask.U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco has expressed concerns that the Chinese government could gain access to user data.“I don’t use TikTok, and I would not advise anyone to do so," Monaco said earlier this month at the policy institute Chatham House in London.TikTok said in a blog post in June that it will route all data from U.S. users to servers controlled by Oracle, the Silicon Valley company it chose as its U.S. tech partner in 2020 in an effort to avoid a nationwide ban. But it is storing backups of the data in its own servers in the U.S. and Singapore. The company said it expects to delete U.S. user data from its own servers, but it did not provide a timeline as to when that would occur.But the amount of information TikTok collects might not be that different from other popular social media sites, experts say.In an analysis published in 2021, the University of Toronto’s nonprofit Citizen Lab said TikTok and Facebook collect similar amounts of user data, including device identifiers that can be used to track a user and other information that can piece together a user's behavior across different platforms. It's valuable information for advertisers.“If you are not comfortable with that level of data collection and sharing, you should avoid using the app,” the Citizen Lab report said.WHAT ARE OTHER EXPERTS SAYING?While the potential abuse of privacy by the Chinese government is concerning, “it’s equally concerning that the US government, and many other governments, already abuse and exploit the data collected by every other U.S.-based tech company with the same data-harvesting business practices,” said Evan Greer, director of the nonprofit advocacy group Fight for the Future.“If policy makers want to protect Americans from surveillance, they should advocate for a basic privacy law that bans all companies from collecting so much sensitive data about us in the first place, rather than engaging in what amounts to xenophobic showboating that does exactly nothing to protect anyone,” Greer said.Others say there is legitimate reason for concern.People who use TikTok might think they're not doing anything that would be of interest to a foreign government, but that's not always the case, said Anton Dahbura, executive director of the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute. Important information about the United States is not strictly limited to nuclear power plants or military facilities; it extends to other sectors, such as food processing, the finance industry and universities, Dahbura said.WHAT DOES TIKTOK SAY?Its unclear how much the government-wide TikTok ban might impact the company. Oberwetter, the TikTok spokesperson, said it has “no way” of knowing whether its users are government employees.The company, though, has questioned the bans, saying it has not been given an opportunity to answer questions and that governments were cutting themselves off from a platform beloved by millions."These bans are little more than political theater,” Oberwetter said.TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is set to testify next month before Congress. The House Energy and Commerce Committee will ask about the company's privacy and data-security practices, as well as its relationship with the Chinese government.

Why TikTok is being banned on gov’t phones in US and beyond

Kearney, Neb. –&nbsp;The Nebraska Kearney men’s track and field team has qualified five individuals and one relay for the&nbsp;<a href="https://results.leonetiming.com/?mid=5414" target="_blank">2023 NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships.</a>

The-two-day meet is set for March 10-11 at the new Virginia Beach Sports Center. A top 12 finish is good for All-American honors (1st-team places 1-8; 2nd-team places 9-12).

Headed East next weekend are McCool redshirt senior&nbsp;Luke Stuckey&nbsp;(mile), Kearney senior&nbsp;Brayden Sorensen&nbsp;(high jump), Giltner junior&nbsp;Alex Goracke&nbsp;(weight throw), Fremont redshirt sophomore&nbsp;Wes Ferguson&nbsp;(800), Creighton sophomore&nbsp;Alex Homan&nbsp;(pole vault) and the distance medley relay team. That group consists of Ferguson and Stuckey and Wallace senior&nbsp;Micah Swedberg&nbsp;and David City sophomore&nbsp;Payton Davis.

Ferguson is defending national champion in the 800 and a three-time All-American, Sorensen is a three-time All-American as well and the 2021 national indoor runner up, Stuckey has twice earned All-American status with Swedberg on last year’s DMR squad that finished eighth at nationals. Davis, Goracke and Homan reach their first NCAA Championships.

UNK had 32 national times/marks this winter (18 men, 10 women, two men’s relays, two women’s relays) with Kearney redshirt freshman&nbsp;Lily Novacek&nbsp;(21st/weight throw) and Stamford true freshman&nbsp;Brianna Russell&nbsp;(25th/high jump) the next closest to qualifying.

2:55 p.m. – Mile prelims (Stuckey/15th; 4:04.95)

3:30 p.m. – Weight throw finals (Goracke/14th; 64-1)

3:55 p.m. – 800 prelims (Ferguson/3rd; 1:48.25)

2:55 p.m. – Pole vault finals (Homan/16th; 16-5.25)

4:05 p.m. – High jump finals (Sorensen/8th; 7-0.25)

Kearney, Neb. –&nbsp;The Nebraska Kearney men’s track and field team has qualified five individuals and one relay for the&nbsp;<a href="https://results.leonetiming.com/?mid=5414" target="_blank">2023 NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships.</a>The-two-day meet is set for March 10-11 at the new Virginia Beach Sports Center. A top 12 finish is good for All-American honors (1st-team places 1-8; 2nd-team places 9-12).Headed East next weekend are McCool redshirt senior&nbsp;Luke Stuckey&nbsp;(mile), Kearney senior&nbsp;Brayden Sorensen&nbsp;(high jump), Giltner junior&nbsp;Alex Goracke&nbsp;(weight throw), Fremont redshirt sophomore&nbsp;Wes Ferguson&nbsp;(800), Creighton sophomore&nbsp;Alex Homan&nbsp;(pole vault) and the distance medley relay team. That group consists of Ferguson and Stuckey and Wallace senior&nbsp;Micah Swedberg&nbsp;and David City sophomore&nbsp;Payton Davis.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1677687198012.jpeg" alt="Senior Micah Swedberg from Wallace" />
 <figcaption>Senior Micah Swedberg from Wallace</figcaption>
 </figure>Ferguson is defending national champion in the 800 and a three-time All-American, Sorensen is a three-time All-American as well and the 2021 national indoor runner up, Stuckey has twice earned All-American status with Swedberg on last year’s DMR squad that finished eighth at nationals. Davis, Goracke and Homan reach their first NCAA Championships.UNK had 32 national times/marks this winter (18 men, 10 women, two men’s relays, two women’s relays) with Kearney redshirt freshman&nbsp;Lily Novacek&nbsp;(21st/weight throw) and Stamford true freshman&nbsp;Brianna Russell&nbsp;(25th/high jump) the next closest to qualifying.March 10 (Central Time)2:55 p.m. – Mile prelims (Stuckey/15th; 4:04.95)3:30 p.m. – Weight throw finals (Goracke/14th; 64-1)3:55 p.m. – 800 prelims (Ferguson/3rd; 1:48.25)5:50 p.m. – DMR finals (8th/9:44.48)March 11 (Central Time)2:55 p.m. – Pole vault finals (Homan/16th; 16-5.25)3:35 p.m. – Mile finals4:05 p.m. – High jump finals (Sorensen/8th; 7-0.25)4:20 p.m. – 800 finals

Swedburg on UNK Track team headed to Indoor National Championships

BEIJING (AP) — For the second day in a row, China on Wednesday dismissed U.S. suggestions that the COVID-19 pandemic may have been triggered by a virus that leaked from a Chinese laboratory.

Responding to comments by FBI Director Christopher Wray, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the involvement of the U.S. intelligence community was evidence enough of the “politicization of origin tracing.”

“By rehashing the lab-leak theory, the U.S. will not succeed in discrediting China, and instead, it will only hurt its own credibility,” Mao said.

“We urge the U.S. to respect science and facts ... stop turning origin tracing into something about politics and intelligence, and stop disrupting social solidarity and origins cooperation,” she said.

In an interview with Fox News that aired Tuesday, Wray said, “The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in (central China’s) Wuhan.”

“Here you are talking about a potential leak from a Chinese government-controlled lab,” Wray said.

Referring to efforts to trace the origin of the coronavirus, he added, “I will just make the observation that the Chinese government, it seems to me, has been doing its best to try to thwart and obfuscate the work here, the work that we’re doing, the work that our U.S. government and close foreign partners are doing. And that’s unfortunate for everybody.”

On Tuesday, Mao pushed back at a report from the U.S. Department of Energy that assessed with “low confidence” that the virus that was first detected in Wuhan in late 2019 leaked from a nearby government laboratory.

The report hasn’t been made public and officials in Washington stressed that U.S. agencies are not in agreement on the origin of the virus.

Mao on Tuesday insisted that China has been “open and transparent” in the search for the virus’ origins and has “shared the most data and research results on virus tracing and made important contributions to global virus tracing research.”

A World Health Organization expert group said last year that “key pieces of data” to explain how the pandemic began were still missing. The scientists cited avenues of research that were needed, including studies evaluating the role of wild animals and environmental studies in places where the virus might have first spread.

The Associated Press has previously reported that the Chinese government was strictly controlling research into the origin of the pandemic that has killed more than 6.8 million people worldwide, clamping down on some work and promoting fringe theories that it could have come from outside the country.

Some scientists are open to the lab-leak theory, but many scientists believe the virus came from animals, mutated, and jumped to people, as has happened with other viruses in the past. Experts say the origin of the pandemic may not be known for many years — if ever.

BEIJING (AP) — For the second day in a row, China on Wednesday dismissed U.S. suggestions that the COVID-19 pandemic may have been triggered by a virus that leaked from a Chinese laboratory.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1677676690456.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Responding to comments by FBI Director Christopher Wray, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the involvement of the U.S. intelligence community was evidence enough of the “politicization of origin tracing.”“By rehashing the lab-leak theory, the U.S. will not succeed in discrediting China, and instead, it will only hurt its own credibility,” Mao said.“We urge the U.S. to respect science and facts ... stop turning origin tracing into something about politics and intelligence, and stop disrupting social solidarity and origins cooperation,” she said.In an interview with Fox News that aired Tuesday, Wray said, “The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in (central China’s) Wuhan.”“Here you are talking about a potential leak from a Chinese government-controlled lab,” Wray said.Referring to efforts to trace the origin of the coronavirus, he added, “I will just make the observation that the Chinese government, it seems to me, has been doing its best to try to thwart and obfuscate the work here, the work that we’re doing, the work that our U.S. government and close foreign partners are doing. And that’s unfortunate for everybody.”On Tuesday, Mao pushed back at a report from the U.S. Department of Energy that assessed with “low confidence” that the virus that was first detected in Wuhan in late 2019 leaked from a nearby government laboratory.The report hasn’t been made public and officials in Washington stressed that U.S. agencies are not in agreement on the origin of the virus.Mao on Tuesday insisted that China has been “open and transparent” in the search for the virus’ origins and has “shared the most data and research results on virus tracing and made important contributions to global virus tracing research.”A World Health Organization expert group said last year that “key pieces of data” to explain how the pandemic began were still missing. The scientists cited avenues of research that were needed, including studies evaluating the role of wild animals and environmental studies in places where the virus might have first spread.The Associated Press has previously reported that the Chinese government was strictly controlling research into the origin of the pandemic that has killed more than 6.8 million people worldwide, clamping down on some work and promoting fringe theories that it could have come from outside the country.Some scientists are open to the lab-leak theory, but many scientists believe the virus came from animals, mutated, and jumped to people, as has happened with other viruses in the past. Experts say the origin of the pandemic may not be known for many years — if ever.

 FBI says China lab leak likely caused COVID-19 pandemic

BROWN COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects on drug charges after a traffic stop.

Just after 8 p.m. Friday, a Brown County deputy initiated a traffic stop in the vicinity of 5th avenue West and 15th Street in Horton, according to Brown County Sheriff John Merchant.

The Sheriff's Department's K-9 Carla indicated on the vehicle and an investigation followed.&nbsp; 

Deputies then arrested 23-year-old John Whipple of Sioux Falls, South Dakota on requested charges of Possession of Meth, Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.&nbsp;

Eric Cournoyer, 39, of Wagner, South Dakota was arrested on requested charges of Possession of Meth, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and&nbsp; Possession of Marijuana.

 Brad Langland 56, Sioux Falls, South Dakota was arrested on requestd charges of possession of Meth, possession of Marijuana and possession of Drug Paraphernalia.&nbsp; Deputies also seized approximately 6 grams of Meth, pipes, baggies, needles, syringes and marijuana as evidence, according to Merchant.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1677527934546.png" alt="Whipple-photo Brown Co." />
 <figcaption>Whipple-photo Brown Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>BROWN COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects on drug charges after a traffic stop.Just after 8 p.m. Friday, a Brown County deputy initiated a traffic stop in the vicinity of 5th avenue West and 15th Street in Horton, according to Brown County Sheriff John Merchant. The Sheriff's Department's K-9 Carla indicated on the vehicle and an investigation followed.&nbsp; Deputies then arrested 23-year-old John Whipple of Sioux Falls, South Dakota on requested charges of Possession of Meth, Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1677527988291.png" alt="Cournoyer-photo Brown Co." />
 <figcaption>Cournoyer-photo Brown Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Eric Cournoyer, 39, of Wagner, South Dakota was arrested on requested charges of Possession of Meth, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and&nbsp; Possession of Marijuana.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1677527804668.png" alt="Langland-photo Brown Co." />
 <figcaption>Langland-photo Brown Co.</figcaption>
 </figure> Brad Langland 56, Sioux Falls, South Dakota was arrested on requestd charges of possession of Meth, possession of Marijuana and possession of Drug Paraphernalia.&nbsp; Deputies also seized approximately 6 grams of Meth, pipes, baggies, needles, syringes and marijuana as evidence, according to Merchant.

Sheriff: 3 from So. Dakota were transporting drugs in Kansas

WASHINGTON (AP) —Conservative justices holding the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court's majority</a>&nbsp;seem ready to sink&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-biden-plan-d9c8e18774a744187c9af634bf4eb728">President Joe Biden's plan to wipe away or reduce student loans</a>&nbsp;held by millions of Americans.

In arguments lasting more than three hours Tuesday, Chief Justice John Roberts led his conservative colleagues in questioning the administration's authority to broadly cancel federal student loans because of the COVID-19 emergency.

Loan payments that have been on hold since the start of the coronavirus pandemic three years ago are supposed to resume no later than this summer. Without the loan relief promised by the Biden plan, the administration's top Supreme Court lawyer said, “delinquencies and defaults will surge.”

The plan has so far been blocked by Republican-appointed judges on lower courts. It did not appear to fare any better with the six justices appointed by Republican presidents.

Biden's only hope for being allowed to move forward appeared to be the slim possibility, based on the arguments, that the court would find that Republican-led states and individuals challenging the plan lacked the legal right to sue.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1677600472863.png" alt="Student debt relief advocates gather outside the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, ahead of arguments over President Joe Biden's student debt relief plan. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)" />
 <figcaption>Student debt relief advocates gather outside the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, ahead of arguments over President Joe Biden's student debt relief plan. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —Conservative justices holding the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court's majority</a>&nbsp;seem ready to sink&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-biden-plan-d9c8e18774a744187c9af634bf4eb728">President Joe Biden's plan to wipe away or reduce student loans</a>&nbsp;held by millions of Americans.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2022/22-506">Click here to listen&nbsp;to a replay</a>&nbsp;of the oral arguments in Biden v. Nebraska<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2022/22-535">Click here to listen&nbsp;to a replay</a>&nbsp;of the oral arguments in Board of Ed v. BrownIn arguments lasting more than three hours Tuesday, Chief Justice John Roberts led his conservative colleagues in questioning the administration's authority to broadly cancel federal student loans because of the COVID-19 emergency.Loan payments that have been on hold since the start of the coronavirus pandemic three years ago are supposed to resume no later than this summer. Without the loan relief promised by the Biden plan, the administration's top Supreme Court lawyer said, “delinquencies and defaults will surge.”The plan has so far been blocked by Republican-appointed judges on lower courts. It did not appear to fare any better with the six justices appointed by Republican presidents.Biden's only hope for being allowed to move forward appeared to be the slim possibility, based on the arguments, that the court would find that Republican-led states and individuals challenging the plan lacked the legal right to sue.That would allow the court to dismiss the lawsuits at a threshold stage, without ruling on the basic idea of the loan forgiveness program that appeared to trouble the justices on the court's right side.Roberts was among the justices who grilled Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar and suggested that the administration had exceeded its authority.Three times, the chief justice said the program would cost a half-trillion dollars, pointing to its wide impact and hefty expense as reasons the administration should have gotten explicit approval from Congress. The program, which the administration says is grounded in a 2003 law that was enacted in response to the military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. is estimated to cost $400 billion over 30 years.“If you're talking about this in the abstract, I think most casual observers would say if you're going to give up that much ... money, if you're going to affect the obligations of that many Americans on a subject that's of great controversy, they would think that's something for Congress to act on,” Roberts said.Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggested he agreed, saying it “seems problematic” for the administration to use an "old law” to unilaterally implement a debt relief program that Congress had declined to adopt.Neither justice seemed swayed by Prelogar's explanation that the administration was citing the national emergency created by the pandemic as authority for the debt relief program under a law commonly known as the HEROES Act.“Some of the biggest mistakes in the court’s history were deferring to assertions of executive emergency power," Kavanaugh said. “Some of the finest moments in the court’s history were pushing back against presidential assertions of emergency power.”At another point, though, Kavanaugh suggested the program might be on firmer legal ground than other pandemic-related programs that were ended by the court's conservative majority, including an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-courts-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-daa34fb48a04dc9f3ddad94fb6b4cbb2">eviction moratorium</a>&nbsp;and a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-vaccine-mandate-eb5899ae1fe5b62b6f4d51f54a3cd375">requirement for vaccines or frequent testing</a>&nbsp;in large workplaces.Those earlier programs halted by the court were billed largely as public health measures intended to slow the spread of COVID-19. The loan forgiveness plan, by contrast, is aimed at countering the economic effects of the pandemic.Prelogar and some of the liberal justices sought several times to turn the arguments back to the people who would benefit from the program. The administration says that 26 million people have applied to have up to $20,000 in federal student loans forgiven under the plan."The states ask this court to deny this vital relief to millions of Americans,” she said.Justice Sonia Sotomayor said her fellow justices will be making a mistake if they take for themselves, instead of leaving it to education experts, “the right to decide how much aid to give” people who will struggle if the program is struck down.“Their financial situation will be even worse because once you default, the hardship on you is exponentially greater. You can’t get credit. You’re going to pay higher prices for things,” Sotomayor said.But Roberts pointed to evident favoritism.He offered a hypothetical example of a person who passes up college to start a lawn service with borrowed money. “Nobody’s telling the person who is trying to set up the lawn service business that he doesn’t have to pay his loan,” Roberts said.Republican-led states and lawmakers in Congress, as well as conservative legal interests, are lined up against the plan as a violation of Biden’s executive authority. Democratic-led states and liberal interest groups are backing the administration in urging the court to allow the plan to take effect.The justices’ questions mirrored the partisan political divide over the issue, with conservatives arguing that non-college workers should not be penalized and liberals arguing for the break for the college educated.Speaking on the eve of the arguments, Biden had said, "I’m confident the legal authority to carry that plan is there.”The president, who once doubted his own authority to broadly cancel student debt, first announced the program in August.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-student-loan-cancellation-79f7530363c7f15166d8c9cda3a6cddb">Legal challenges quickly followed</a>.The administration says the HEROES Act allows the secretary of education to waive or modify the terms of federal student loans in connection with a national emergency. The law was primarily intended to keep service members from being hurt financially while they fought in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.Nebraska and other states that sued say the 20 million borrowers who would have their entire loans erased would get a “windfall” leaving them better off than before the pandemic.“This is the creation of a brand new program, far beyond what Congress intended,” Nebraska Solicitor General James Campbell said in court Tuesday.The national emergency is expected to end May 11, but the administration says the economic consequences will persist, despite historically low unemployment and other signs of economic strength.In addition to the debate over the authority to forgive student debt, the court is confronting whether the states and two individuals whose challenge also is before the justices have the legal right, or standing, to sue.Parties generally have to show that they would suffer financial harm in order to have standing in cases such as this. A federal judge initially found that the states would not be harmed and dismissed their lawsuit before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-education-st-louis-student-loans-cf8136bfc75bd70839e9326cabbbf029">an appellate panel said the case could proceed</a>.Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the three liberal justices in repeatedly questioning Nebraska's Campbell on that issue. But it would take at least one other conservative vote to form a majority.Of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-texas-education-donald-trump-student-loans-f2e944d85e95792089fa1e2fb9858287">two individuals who sued in Texas</a>, one has student loans that are commercially held and the other is eligible for $10,000 in debt relief, not the $20,000 maximum. They would get nothing if they win their case.Among those in the courtroom Tuesday was Kayla Smith, a recent graduate of the University of Georgia, who camped out near the court the night before in order to get a seat. Biden’s plan would lift a burden for her mother, who borrowed more than $20,000 in federal student loans to help Smith attend college.“It just seems kind of messed up that college is the expectation, higher education is the expectation, but then at the same time, people’s lives are being ruined,” said Smith, 22, who lives in Atlanta.The arguments could be listened to live on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvUGa6q20yk">AP youtube channel</a>&nbsp;or on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/">court’s website</a>.A decision is expected by late June.___