By JENNIFER SHUTT <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/21/military-records-for-iowa-nebraska-congressmen-incorrectly-released-by-air-force/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force 
unintentionally released military personnel records of at least two 
members of Congress — Republican Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska and Zach 
Nunn of Iowa — eliciting frustration and concerns for veterans’ 
privacy.&nbsp;

“The recent targeting of Members of 
Congress’s personnel military records, the breach of sensitive data, and
 the duplicitous forgery taken by political hacks isn’t only a violation
 of public trust — it’s criminal,” Nunn said in a written statement.

“As a country, we should be 
supporting veterans who want to continue their service instead of 
harassing and intimidating them,” Nunn added. “I strongly support 
bipartisan efforts being undertaken by the House Armed Services 
Committee to protect our service members and hold criminal actors 
accountable.”

An Air Force spokesperson said in a 
written statement that an internal audit of records released between 
October 2021 and October 2022 showed “unauthorized release of military 
duty information on 11 individuals.”

The Air Force declined to share information about the 11 people.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Air Force employees didn’t follow 
procedures that required getting a signature to release this type of 
information, though the spokesperson said there “was no evidence of 
political motivation or malicious intent on the part of any employee.”

The Air Force spokesperson said that 
“virtually all unauthorized disclosures were in response to a 
third-party seeking service records for employment or benefit purposes 
through a process commonly used by other federal agencies to conduct 
employee background checks.”

A letter from Air Force Maj. Gen. 
Troy E. Dunn to Bacon about his military personnel record release says 
that Abraham Payton, a background investigation analyst with Due 
Diligence Group, LLC, requested the congressman’s records from the Air 
Force Personnel Center Military Records Branch in November 2021.&nbsp;

“He inappropriately requested copies 
of your military personnel records for the stated purpose of employment 
and benefits,” Dunn wrote. “Although, Mr. Payton was already in 
possession of your social security number at the time of his request, 
the records branch still released your Personal Identifiable Information
 on November 12, 2021 without your authorization, which is protected 
under Privacy Act of 1974.”

Dunn wrote in the letter to Bacon 
that the Air Force immediately changed its procedures to require a 
higher level review and additional security checks to avoid records 
being incorrectly released in the future.&nbsp;

Bacon was in the Air Force from 1985 through 2014, according to his official congressional biography.&nbsp;

Bacon specialized in electronic 
warfare, intelligence and reconnaissance. His military decorations 
include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, two Bronze Stars, two
 Legion of Merits, five Meritorious Service Medals, and the Aerial 
Achievement Medal, according to his congressional website.&nbsp;

Nunn’s campaign website says he was a
 combat aviator who deployed three times to the Middle East and is 
currently a lieutenant colonel in the Iowa Air National Guard. His 
official congressional biography lists the U.S. Air Force and Iowa Air 
National Guard, though it doesn’t list years of service.&nbsp;

The Freedom of Information Act says 
the public can access some information in military personnel records 
without approval from the veteran or their next-of kin. That information
 includes name, service number, dates of service, branch of service, 
final duty status and final rank.&nbsp;

It can also include salary, 
assignments and geographic locations, source of commission, military 
education level, awards and decorations, photograph, transcript of 
courts-martial trials and place of entrance and separation, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/foia-info">according to</a> the National Archives.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Bacon said in a written statement 
that “knowing that this third party paid by the Dem Campaign 
Congressional Committee was able to obtain my social security number and
 fraudulently use it to obtain my military records is concerning not 
only for myself and the other ten affected, but to every single 
veteran.”&nbsp;

The Democratic Congressional Campaign
 Committee made at least 35 payments totaling more than $100,000 to Due 
Diligence Group during the last two years, according to Federal Election
 Commission records <a target="_blank" href="https://www.opensecrets.org/political-parties/democratic-congressional-campaign-cmte/DCCC/2022/expenditures-details?recip=Due+Diligence+Group">compiled</a> by Open Secrets. The payments are categorized as “GENERIC CMTE RESEARCH MATERIALS” or “GENERIC STRATEGIC/POLITICAL CONSULTANT.”

Due Diligence Group LLC writes on its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.duediligencegroupllc.com/">website</a>
 that it specializes “in using public records research to provide our 
clients with the knowledge and insights needed to drive strategic 
decision making.” Due Diligence Group LLC did not respond to a request 
for comment.&nbsp;

The Due Diligence Group’s website was
 lacking additional information Tuesday, after Politico first reported 
on the military records release.&nbsp;

An <a target="_blank" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210125155334/https://www.duediligencegroupllc.com/about">archived version of its website</a>
 from January 2021 lists Payton as a partner and says he “found his 
passion for transparency and ethics issues” after meeting a colleague at
 VR Research, an opposition research firm, in 2009.&nbsp;

Payton then trained to be “an adept 
due diligence researcher through various projects on behalf of political
 and commercial clientele over the next two years,” according to the 
archived website.&nbsp;

​”Abraham joined a democratic 
SuperPAC in 2011, serving as Due Diligence Director,” the archived 
website says. “He produced over 100 opposition research books and 
managed over 4,000 public record requests.”&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1677020151132.png" alt="U.S. Rep Don Bacon, R-Neb. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Rep Don Bacon, R-Neb. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)</figcaption>
 </figure>By JENNIFER SHUTT <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/21/military-records-for-iowa-nebraska-congressmen-incorrectly-released-by-air-force/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force 
unintentionally released military personnel records of at least two 
members of Congress — Republican Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska and Zach 
Nunn of Iowa — eliciting frustration and concerns for veterans’ 
privacy.&nbsp;“The recent targeting of Members of 
Congress’s personnel military records, the breach of sensitive data, and
 the duplicitous forgery taken by political hacks isn’t only a violation
 of public trust — it’s criminal,” Nunn said in a written statement.“As a country, we should be 
supporting veterans who want to continue their service instead of 
harassing and intimidating them,” Nunn added. “I strongly support 
bipartisan efforts being undertaken by the House Armed Services 
Committee to protect our service members and hold criminal actors 
accountable.”An Air Force spokesperson said in a 
written statement that an internal audit of records released between 
October 2021 and October 2022 showed “unauthorized release of military 
duty information on 11 individuals.”The Air Force declined to share information about the 11 people.&nbsp;&nbsp;Air Force employees didn’t follow 
procedures that required getting a signature to release this type of 
information, though the spokesperson said there “was no evidence of 
political motivation or malicious intent on the part of any employee.”The Air Force spokesperson said that 
“virtually all unauthorized disclosures were in response to a 
third-party seeking service records for employment or benefit purposes 
through a process commonly used by other federal agencies to conduct 
employee background checks.”A letter from Air Force Maj. Gen. 
Troy E. Dunn to Bacon about his military personnel record release says 
that Abraham Payton, a background investigation analyst with Due 
Diligence Group, LLC, requested the congressman’s records from the Air 
Force Personnel Center Military Records Branch in November 2021.&nbsp;“He inappropriately requested copies 
of your military personnel records for the stated purpose of employment 
and benefits,” Dunn wrote. “Although, Mr. Payton was already in 
possession of your social security number at the time of his request, 
the records branch still released your Personal Identifiable Information
 on November 12, 2021 without your authorization, which is protected 
under Privacy Act of 1974.”<h2>Additional security checks</h2>Dunn wrote in the letter to Bacon 
that the Air Force immediately changed its procedures to require a 
higher level review and additional security checks to avoid records 
being incorrectly released in the future.&nbsp;Bacon was in the Air Force from 1985 through 2014, according to his official congressional biography.&nbsp;Bacon specialized in electronic 
warfare, intelligence and reconnaissance. His military decorations 
include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, two Bronze Stars, two
 Legion of Merits, five Meritorious Service Medals, and the Aerial 
Achievement Medal, according to his congressional website.&nbsp;Nunn’s campaign website says he was a
 combat aviator who deployed three times to the Middle East and is 
currently a lieutenant colonel in the Iowa Air National Guard. His 
official congressional biography lists the U.S. Air Force and Iowa Air 
National Guard, though it doesn’t list years of service.&nbsp;The Freedom of Information Act says 
the public can access some information in military personnel records 
without approval from the veteran or their next-of kin. That information
 includes name, service number, dates of service, branch of service, 
final duty status and final rank.&nbsp;It can also include salary, 
assignments and geographic locations, source of commission, military 
education level, awards and decorations, photograph, transcript of 
courts-martial trials and place of entrance and separation, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/foia-info">according to</a> the National Archives.&nbsp;&nbsp;Bacon said in a written statement 
that “knowing that this third party paid by the Dem Campaign 
Congressional Committee was able to obtain my social security number and
 fraudulently use it to obtain my military records is concerning not 
only for myself and the other ten affected, but to every single 
veteran.”&nbsp;<h2>DCCC payments</h2>The Democratic Congressional Campaign
 Committee made at least 35 payments totaling more than $100,000 to Due 
Diligence Group during the last two years, according to Federal Election
 Commission records <a target="_blank" href="https://www.opensecrets.org/political-parties/democratic-congressional-campaign-cmte/DCCC/2022/expenditures-details?recip=Due+Diligence+Group">compiled</a> by Open Secrets. The payments are categorized as “GENERIC CMTE RESEARCH MATERIALS” or “GENERIC STRATEGIC/POLITICAL CONSULTANT.”Due Diligence Group LLC writes on its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.duediligencegroupllc.com/">website</a>
 that it specializes “in using public records research to provide our 
clients with the knowledge and insights needed to drive strategic 
decision making.” Due Diligence Group LLC did not respond to a request 
for comment.&nbsp;The Due Diligence Group’s website was
 lacking additional information Tuesday, after Politico first reported 
on the military records release.&nbsp;An <a target="_blank" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210125155334/https://www.duediligencegroupllc.com/about">archived version of its website</a>
 from January 2021 lists Payton as a partner and says he “found his 
passion for transparency and ethics issues” after meeting a colleague at
 VR Research, an opposition research firm, in 2009.&nbsp;Payton then trained to be “an adept 
due diligence researcher through various projects on behalf of political
 and commercial clientele over the next two years,” according to the 
archived website.&nbsp;​”Abraham joined a democratic 
SuperPAC in 2011, serving as Due Diligence Director,” the archived 
website says. “He produced over 100 opposition research books and 
managed over 4,000 public record requests.”&nbsp;

Military records for Neb. rep incorrectly released by Air Force

LOWRY CITY, Mo. (AP) — At Truman Lake Manor in rural Missouri, every day begins the same way for every employee entering the nursing home's doors — with a swab up the nose, a swirl of testing solution and a brief wait to see whether a thin red line appears indicating a positive COVID-19 case.

Only the healthy are allowed in to care for virus-free residents.

Despite those precautions, a coronavirus outbreak swept through the facility late last year. An inspector subsequently cited it for violating the federal government's COVID-19 vaccination requirement for health care facilities.

Truman Lake Manor is one of about 750 nursing homes and 110 hospitals nationwide written up for violating federal staff vaccination rules during the past year, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services. Most were given a bureaucratic nudge to do better — though some nursing homes also received fines, especially when they had multiple other problems.

One year after it began being enforced nationwide on Feb. 20, 2022, the vaccination requirement affecting an estimated 10 million health care workers is the last remaining major mandate from President Joe Biden's sweeping attempt to boost national vaccination rates. Similar requirements for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-vaccine-mandate-eb5899ae1fe5b62b6f4d51f54a3cd375">large employers</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-health-immunizations-lloyd-austin-covid-64752e91abbc3d707ee46373a3ce757e">military members</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-government-and-politics-georgia-860fa72a878c6d0cb24bfea66c9fcf59">federal contractors</a>&nbsp;all have been struck down, repealed or partially blocked.

The health care vaccination mandate is scheduled to run until November 2024. But some contend it’s time to stop now, citing fewer severe COVID-19 cases, health care staffing shortages and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-united-states-government-district-of-columbia-covid-public-health-2a80b547f6d55706a6986debc343b9fe">the impending May 11 expiration</a>&nbsp;of a national public health emergency that has been in place since January 2020.

“Their regulations are making it harder to give care – not easier," said Tim Corbin, the administrator of Truman Lake Manor who also doubles as a nurse, adding that "the mandates need to end.”

CMS said in a statement to the AP that “the requirement for staff to be fully vaccinated has been a critical step in responding to the pandemic” and “has saved Americans from countless infections, hospitalizations, and death.”

The policy requires workers, contractors and volunteers at facilities receiving Medicare or Medicaid payments to have the full primary dosage of an original COVID-19 vaccine, with exemptions for medical or religious reasons. Though nursing homes can be fined for violations, CMS generally gave violating facilities additional time to update their policies and come into compliance.

The Republican-led U.S. House recently&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/497/actions">passed legislation</a>&nbsp;that would halt the mandate, but the bill is unlikely to pass in the Democratic-led Senate.

Meanwhile, the requirement continues with mixed results and — in some cases — widespread exceptions.

When a state inspector visited Truman Lake Manor in December, a coronavirus outbreak had infected 26 of the 60 residents and about a quarter of the staff within the previous few weeks. Corbin said the outbreak originated from an unvaccinated employee with a religious exemption who tested negative for COVID-19 before working a shift and wore a mask. The employee didn't feel well and tested positive after arriving home.

The inspector found that more than 40% of staff had been granted religious exemptions from getting vaccinated. But the federal Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services does not scrutinize the rationale for such exemptions. The reason the facility was cited for a vaccination deficiency was because three employees had failed to receive their second dose of the vaccine and had no exemption on record. After the citation, they each got the second shot, and regulators OK'd the corrections in January.

It's hard to find workers willing to be vaccinated, Corbin said, because many local residents remain opposed to the vaccine or doubt its effectiveness. Just 42% of adults in St. Clair County are vaccinated against COVID-19 — a rate barely half the national average.

Workforce shortages are causing more than half of nursing homes nationally to limit resident admissions, according to the American Health Care Association, which represents long-term care facilities. Though most other health care sectors have rebounded, nursing home employment was down 13% in 2022&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Fact-Sheets/FactSheets/LTC-Jobs-Report-Jan2023.pdf">compared</a><a href="https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Fact-Sheets/FactSheets/LTC-Jobs-Report-Jan2023.pdf">to pre-pandemic levels</a>&nbsp;and reached lows not seen since the 1990s.

LeadingAge, an association of nonprofit nursing homes and other aging service providers, originally supported the mandate and still encourages vaccinations. But it now says a federal requirement no longer is needed.

Though deaths are down significantly from their&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklydeaths_select_00">peak in January 2021</a>, older adults and people with underlying health problems remain more susceptible to serious cases of COVID-19. Because of that, some medical professionals believe the vaccine mandate should continue at nursing homes and hospitals.

“This is an important requirement,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “Not only does it protect the health care worker themself, but it also protects the patients.”

Nationwide, about 5% of the over 15,000 nursing homes caring for Medicare or Medicaid patients have been cited for violating the COVID-19 vaccination requirement, and about 2% of the 4,900 hospitals, according to the AP's analysis. But those citations haven't been evenly spread among states and occurred less often during the latter half of 2022.

Twenty-four states cited no hospitals for COVID-19 vaccination violations.

Texas, which has the most nursing homes nationally participating in Medicare or Medicaid, had just one nursing home cited for violating the vaccination rule.

Kansas, Florida and Texas each declined to check for vaccination violations, instead leaving that process to CMS, which hired contractors. As a result, CMS said Texas was docked more than $2.5 million in federal funding, Florida more than $1.2 million and Kansas nearly $350,000.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat who faced reelection in a Republican-leaning state,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-business-health-kansas-topeka-1f8b0b327403adbef0dbff961b1bfe98">said last year that the vaccine mandate conflicted with state law</a>&nbsp;and could worsen workforce shortages.

Nationally, the number of nursing homes cited for vaccination violations declined noticeably after CMS last June stopped requiring state inspectors to check for compliance when responding to complaints about unrelated allegations, such as neglect of patients. CMS cited substantial compliance with the vaccination requirement while making the change.

Harjai reported from Los Angeles and is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658932277534.png" alt="A COVID-19 test kit shows a negative result-White House photo&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>A COVID-19 test kit shows a negative result-White House photo&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>LOWRY CITY, Mo. (AP) — At Truman Lake Manor in rural Missouri, every day begins the same way for every employee entering the nursing home's doors — with a swab up the nose, a swirl of testing solution and a brief wait to see whether a thin red line appears indicating a positive COVID-19 case.Only the healthy are allowed in to care for virus-free residents.Despite those precautions, a coronavirus outbreak swept through the facility late last year. An inspector subsequently cited it for violating the federal government's COVID-19 vaccination requirement for health care facilities.Truman Lake Manor is one of about 750 nursing homes and 110 hospitals nationwide written up for violating federal staff vaccination rules during the past year, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services. Most were given a bureaucratic nudge to do better — though some nursing homes also received fines, especially when they had multiple other problems.One year after it began being enforced nationwide on Feb. 20, 2022, the vaccination requirement affecting an estimated 10 million health care workers is the last remaining major mandate from President Joe Biden's sweeping attempt to boost national vaccination rates. Similar requirements for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-vaccine-mandate-eb5899ae1fe5b62b6f4d51f54a3cd375">large employers</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-health-immunizations-lloyd-austin-covid-64752e91abbc3d707ee46373a3ce757e">military members</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-government-and-politics-georgia-860fa72a878c6d0cb24bfea66c9fcf59">federal contractors</a>&nbsp;all have been struck down, repealed or partially blocked.The health care vaccination mandate is scheduled to run until November 2024. But some contend it’s time to stop now, citing fewer severe COVID-19 cases, health care staffing shortages and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-united-states-government-district-of-columbia-covid-public-health-2a80b547f6d55706a6986debc343b9fe">the impending May 11 expiration</a>&nbsp;of a national public health emergency that has been in place since January 2020.“Their regulations are making it harder to give care – not easier," said Tim Corbin, the administrator of Truman Lake Manor who also doubles as a nurse, adding that "the mandates need to end.”CMS said in a statement to the AP that “the requirement for staff to be fully vaccinated has been a critical step in responding to the pandemic” and “has saved Americans from countless infections, hospitalizations, and death.”The policy requires workers, contractors and volunteers at facilities receiving Medicare or Medicaid payments to have the full primary dosage of an original COVID-19 vaccine, with exemptions for medical or religious reasons. Though nursing homes can be fined for violations, CMS generally gave violating facilities additional time to update their policies and come into compliance.The Republican-led U.S. House recently&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/497/actions">passed legislation</a>&nbsp;that would halt the mandate, but the bill is unlikely to pass in the Democratic-led Senate.Meanwhile, the requirement continues with mixed results and — in some cases — widespread exceptions.When a state inspector visited Truman Lake Manor in December, a coronavirus outbreak had infected 26 of the 60 residents and about a quarter of the staff within the previous few weeks. Corbin said the outbreak originated from an unvaccinated employee with a religious exemption who tested negative for COVID-19 before working a shift and wore a mask. The employee didn't feel well and tested positive after arriving home.The inspector found that more than 40% of staff had been granted religious exemptions from getting vaccinated. But the federal Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services does not scrutinize the rationale for such exemptions. The reason the facility was cited for a vaccination deficiency was because three employees had failed to receive their second dose of the vaccine and had no exemption on record. After the citation, they each got the second shot, and regulators OK'd the corrections in January.It's hard to find workers willing to be vaccinated, Corbin said, because many local residents remain opposed to the vaccine or doubt its effectiveness. Just 42% of adults in St. Clair County are vaccinated against COVID-19 — a rate barely half the national average.Workforce shortages are causing more than half of nursing homes nationally to limit resident admissions, according to the American Health Care Association, which represents long-term care facilities. Though most other health care sectors have rebounded, nursing home employment was down 13% in 2022&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Fact-Sheets/FactSheets/LTC-Jobs-Report-Jan2023.pdf">compared</a><a href="https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Fact-Sheets/FactSheets/LTC-Jobs-Report-Jan2023.pdf">to pre-pandemic levels</a>&nbsp;and reached lows not seen since the 1990s.LeadingAge, an association of nonprofit nursing homes and other aging service providers, originally supported the mandate and still encourages vaccinations. But it now says a federal requirement no longer is needed.Though deaths are down significantly from their&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklydeaths_select_00">peak in January 2021</a>, older adults and people with underlying health problems remain more susceptible to serious cases of COVID-19. Because of that, some medical professionals believe the vaccine mandate should continue at nursing homes and hospitals.“This is an important requirement,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “Not only does it protect the health care worker themself, but it also protects the patients.”Nationwide, about 5% of the over 15,000 nursing homes caring for Medicare or Medicaid patients have been cited for violating the COVID-19 vaccination requirement, and about 2% of the 4,900 hospitals, according to the AP's analysis. But those citations haven't been evenly spread among states and occurred less often during the latter half of 2022.Twenty-four states cited no hospitals for COVID-19 vaccination violations.Texas, which has the most nursing homes nationally participating in Medicare or Medicaid, had just one nursing home cited for violating the vaccination rule.Kansas, Florida and Texas each declined to check for vaccination violations, instead leaving that process to CMS, which hired contractors. As a result, CMS said Texas was docked more than $2.5 million in federal funding, Florida more than $1.2 million and Kansas nearly $350,000.Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat who faced reelection in a Republican-leaning state,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-business-health-kansas-topeka-1f8b0b327403adbef0dbff961b1bfe98">said last year that the vaccine mandate conflicted with state law</a>&nbsp;and could worsen workforce shortages.Nationally, the number of nursing homes cited for vaccination violations declined noticeably after CMS last June stopped requiring state inspectors to check for compliance when responding to complaints about unrelated allegations, such as neglect of patients. CMS cited substantial compliance with the vaccination requirement while making the change.__Harjai reported from Los Angeles and is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Healthcare vaxx mandate to run through Nov. 2024

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended Moscow’s participation in the last remaining nuclear arms control pact with the United States, announcing the move Tuesday in a bitter speech where he made clear he would not change his strategy in the war in Ukraine.

Putin emphasized, however, that Russia isn’t withdrawing from the pact yet, and hours after his address the Foreign Ministry said Moscow would respect the caps on nuclear weapons under the treaty. The ministry also said Russia will continue to exchange information about test launches of ballistic missiles per earlier agreements with the United States.

In his long-delayed state-of-the-nation address, Putin cast his country — and Ukraine — as victims of Western double-dealing and said it was Russia, not Ukraine, fighting for its very existence.

“We aren’t fighting the Ukrainian people,” Putin said ahead of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-one-year-ba61809330c132929a6da34fe99ddab2">war’s first anniversary Friday</a>. “The Ukrainian people have become hostages of the Kyiv regime and its Western masters, which have effectively occupied the country.”

The speech reiterated a litany of grievances he has frequently offered as justification for the widely condemned military campaign, while vowing no military letup in a conflict that has reawakened Cold War fears.

The 2010 New START treaty envisages caps on the number of nuclear weapons, and broad inspections of nuclear sites. Putin also said Russia should stand ready to resume nuclear weapons tests if the U.S. does so, a move that would end a global ban on such tests in place since the Cold War era.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described Moscow’s decision to suspend its participation in the treaty as “really unfortunate and very irresponsible."

"We’ll be watching carefully to see what Russia actually does,” he said while visiting Greece.

U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Poland a day after his surprise visit to Ukraine, did not mention the START suspension but blasted Putin for the invasion. He pledged continued support for Ukraine despite “hard and bitter days ahead.”

“Democracies of the world will stand guard over freedom today, tomorrow and forever,” he said at Warsaw's landmark Royal Castle before a cheering crowd of Polish citizens and Ukrainian refugees.

Putin's announcement about the START Treaty was the second time in recent days the Ukraine war showed it could spread into perilous new terrain, after Blinken told China over the weekend that it would be a “serious problem” if Beijing provided arms and ammunition to Russia.

China and Russia have aligned their foreign policies to oppose Washington. Beijing has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion or atrocities against civilians in Ukraine, while strongly criticizing Western economic sanctions on Moscow. Late last year, Russia and China held joint naval drills.

The deputy head of Ukraine’s intelligence service, Vadym Skibitskyi, told The Associated Press that his agency hasn’t seen any signs so far that China is providing weapons to Moscow.

Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and made a dash toward Kyiv, apparently expecting to overrun the capital quickly. But stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces — supported by Western weapons — turned back Moscow's troops. While Ukraine has reclaimed many areas initially seized by Russia, the sides have become bogged down elsewhere.

The war has revived the divide between Russia and the West, reinvigorated the NATO alliance, and created the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-putin-one-year-anniversary-df699dc348444c878bb4041158ccb84c">biggest threat to Putin's rule of more than two decades</a>.

Much of Tuesday's speech covered old ground, as Putin offered his own version of recent history, discounting Ukraine's arguments that it needed Western help to thwart a Russian military takeover.

“Western elites aren’t trying to conceal their goals, to inflict a ‘strategic defeat’ to Russia,” Putin said in the speech broadcast on all state TV channels. “They intend to transform the local conflict into a global confrontation."

He has repeatedly depicted NATO’s expansion to include countries close to Russia as an existential threat to his country.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who was in Ukraine on Tuesday, said she wished Putin had taken a different approach.

“What we heard this morning was propaganda that we already know,” Meloni said in English. “He says (Russia) worked on diplomacy to avoid the conflict, but the truth is that there is somebody who is the invader and somebody who is defending itself.”

Also meeting with Zelenskyy on Tuesday was the newly appointed chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, who led a delegation for the first time since the start of the war and since Republicans won control of the House of Representatives.

Chairman Mike McCaul and a handful of other GOP lawmakers said they had a productive meeting about what Zelenskyy needs for winning the war. He provided them with a list of weapons, including longer-range artillery and air-to-surface systems.

The meeting comes as a growing number of hard-right Republicans are vowing to block future U.S. aid to Ukraine. “We have seen time and again the majority of Republicans and Democrats support our assistance to Ukraine,” McCaul said in a statement. “But the Biden administration needs to lay out their long-term strategy.”

Putin began his speech Tuesday with strong words for countries that provided Kyiv with military support and warned them against supplying any longer-range weapons.

“It’s they who have started the war. And we are using force to end it,” Putin said before an audience of lawmakers, state officials and soldiers.

He also accused the West of taking aim at Russian culture, religion and values because "it is impossible to defeat Russia on the battlefield." Likewise, he said Western sanctions hadn't “achieved anything and will not achieve anything."

Putin denied any wrongdoing in Ukraine, even after Kremlin forces struck civilian targets, including hospitals, and are widely accused of war crimes.

Ukraine’s military reported Tuesday that Russian forces shelled the southern cities of Kherson and Ochakiv while Putin spoke, killing six. Zelenskyy lamented that Russian forces were “again mercilessly killing the civilian population.”

While Russia’s Constitution mandates that the president deliver the state-of-the-nation speech annually, Putin never gave one in 2022, as his troops suffered repeated setbacks. Last year, the Kremlin also canceled two other big annual events — Putin’s news conference and a highly scripted phone-in marathon taking questions from the public.

Reflecting the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-changed-lives-0fb016f9eb055b189b2b46e282867168">Kremlin's clampdown on free speech and press</a>, it barred in-person coverage of the address by media from “unfriendly” countries, including the U.S., the U.K. and those in the European Union.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663760963726.jpeg" alt="Image from a video released by the Russian Presidential Press Service, Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation in Moscow Sept. 2022 (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP)" />
 <figcaption>Image from a video released by the Russian Presidential Press Service, Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation in Moscow Sept. 2022 (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended Moscow’s participation in the last remaining nuclear arms control pact with the United States, announcing the move Tuesday in a bitter speech where he made clear he would not change his strategy in the war in Ukraine.Putin emphasized, however, that Russia isn’t withdrawing from the pact yet, and hours after his address the Foreign Ministry said Moscow would respect the caps on nuclear weapons under the treaty. The ministry also said Russia will continue to exchange information about test launches of ballistic missiles per earlier agreements with the United States.In his long-delayed state-of-the-nation address, Putin cast his country — and Ukraine — as victims of Western double-dealing and said it was Russia, not Ukraine, fighting for its very existence.“We aren’t fighting the Ukrainian people,” Putin said ahead of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-one-year-ba61809330c132929a6da34fe99ddab2">war’s first anniversary Friday</a>. “The Ukrainian people have become hostages of the Kyiv regime and its Western masters, which have effectively occupied the country.”The speech reiterated a litany of grievances he has frequently offered as justification for the widely condemned military campaign, while vowing no military letup in a conflict that has reawakened Cold War fears.The 2010 New START treaty envisages caps on the number of nuclear weapons, and broad inspections of nuclear sites. Putin also said Russia should stand ready to resume nuclear weapons tests if the U.S. does so, a move that would end a global ban on such tests in place since the Cold War era.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described Moscow’s decision to suspend its participation in the treaty as “really unfortunate and very irresponsible.""We’ll be watching carefully to see what Russia actually does,” he said while visiting Greece.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">One year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv stands strong. Kyiv stands proud. Kyiv stands tall. Kyiv stands free. <a href="https://t.co/ySrDSAHQy7">pic.twitter.com/ySrDSAHQy7</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1628098714186154002?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Poland a day after his surprise visit to Ukraine, did not mention the START suspension but blasted Putin for the invasion. He pledged continued support for Ukraine despite “hard and bitter days ahead.”“Democracies of the world will stand guard over freedom today, tomorrow and forever,” he said at Warsaw's landmark Royal Castle before a cheering crowd of Polish citizens and Ukrainian refugees.Putin's announcement about the START Treaty was the second time in recent days the Ukraine war showed it could spread into perilous new terrain, after Blinken told China over the weekend that it would be a “serious problem” if Beijing provided arms and ammunition to Russia.China and Russia have aligned their foreign policies to oppose Washington. Beijing has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion or atrocities against civilians in Ukraine, while strongly criticizing Western economic sanctions on Moscow. Late last year, Russia and China held joint naval drills.The deputy head of Ukraine’s intelligence service, Vadym Skibitskyi, told The Associated Press that his agency hasn’t seen any signs so far that China is providing weapons to Moscow.Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and made a dash toward Kyiv, apparently expecting to overrun the capital quickly. But stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces — supported by Western weapons — turned back Moscow's troops. While Ukraine has reclaimed many areas initially seized by Russia, the sides have become bogged down elsewhere.The war has revived the divide between Russia and the West, reinvigorated the NATO alliance, and created the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-putin-one-year-anniversary-df699dc348444c878bb4041158ccb84c">biggest threat to Putin's rule of more than two decades</a>.Much of Tuesday's speech covered old ground, as Putin offered his own version of recent history, discounting Ukraine's arguments that it needed Western help to thwart a Russian military takeover.“Western elites aren’t trying to conceal their goals, to inflict a ‘strategic defeat’ to Russia,” Putin said in the speech broadcast on all state TV channels. “They intend to transform the local conflict into a global confrontation."He has repeatedly depicted NATO’s expansion to include countries close to Russia as an existential threat to his country.Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who was in Ukraine on Tuesday, said she wished Putin had taken a different approach.“What we heard this morning was propaganda that we already know,” Meloni said in English. “He says (Russia) worked on diplomacy to avoid the conflict, but the truth is that there is somebody who is the invader and somebody who is defending itself.”Also meeting with Zelenskyy on Tuesday was the newly appointed chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, who led a delegation for the first time since the start of the war and since Republicans won control of the House of Representatives.Chairman Mike McCaul and a handful of other GOP lawmakers said they had a productive meeting about what Zelenskyy needs for winning the war. He provided them with a list of weapons, including longer-range artillery and air-to-surface systems.The meeting comes as a growing number of hard-right Republicans are vowing to block future U.S. aid to Ukraine. “We have seen time and again the majority of Republicans and Democrats support our assistance to Ukraine,” McCaul said in a statement. “But the Biden administration needs to lay out their long-term strategy.”Putin began his speech Tuesday with strong words for countries that provided Kyiv with military support and warned them against supplying any longer-range weapons.“It’s they who have started the war. And we are using force to end it,” Putin said before an audience of lawmakers, state officials and soldiers.He also accused the West of taking aim at Russian culture, religion and values because "it is impossible to defeat Russia on the battlefield." Likewise, he said Western sanctions hadn't “achieved anything and will not achieve anything."Putin denied any wrongdoing in Ukraine, even after Kremlin forces struck civilian targets, including hospitals, and are widely accused of war crimes.Ukraine’s military reported Tuesday that Russian forces shelled the southern cities of Kherson and Ochakiv while Putin spoke, killing six. Zelenskyy lamented that Russian forces were “again mercilessly killing the civilian population.”While Russia’s Constitution mandates that the president deliver the state-of-the-nation speech annually, Putin never gave one in 2022, as his troops suffered repeated setbacks. Last year, the Kremlin also canceled two other big annual events — Putin’s news conference and a highly scripted phone-in marathon taking questions from the public.Reflecting the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-changed-lives-0fb016f9eb055b189b2b46e282867168">Kremlin's clampdown on free speech and press</a>, it barred in-person coverage of the address by media from “unfriendly” countries, including the U.S., the U.K. and those in the European Union.___

Russia suspends nuke treaty with U.S., warns of global war 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The ongoing bird flu outbreak has cost the government roughly $661 million and added to consumers' pain at the grocery store after more than 58 million birds were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-business-bird-flu-flu-animals-189a7c08d848047f00b3f7b5bec39e67">slaughtered</a>&nbsp;to limit the spread of the virus.

In addition to the cost of the government response and rising prices for eggs, chicken and turkey, farmers who raise those animals have easily lost more than $1 billion, said an agricultural economist, though no one has calculated the total cost to the industry yet.

The bad news is that with the outbreak entering its second year and the spring migratory season looming, there is no end in sight. And there is little&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-environment-and-nature-iowa-agriculture-9245d97453568576bd0b564f9c52c343">farmers</a>&nbsp;can do beyond&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-business-iowa-agriculture-f5a5c6fbf1d6b551413fb249086fdbec">the steps they have already taken</a>&nbsp;to try to keep the virus out.

Unlike past years,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-flu-prices-animals-1ec0f5a8e5485300fe117f87f8470f06">the virus that causes</a>&nbsp;highly pathogenic avian influenza found a way to survive through the heat of last summer, leading to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-minnesota-animals-flu-animal-2f02b2d35e82feb05273d9a72e898170">rise in cases</a>&nbsp;reported in the fall.

The outbreak is already more widespread than the last major bird flu outbreak in 2015, but it hasn't proven as costly yet partly because the government and industry applied lessons learned eight years ago.

“The past year has been devastating for the turkey industry as we experience, unequivocally, the worst HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) outbreak in the industry’s history,” National Turkey Federation spokeswoman Shelby Newman said.

In the current outbreak, 58.4 million birds have been slaughtered on more than 300 commercial farms in 47 states. That is because any time the virus is detected, the entire flock on that farm — which can number in the millions — must be killed to limit the spread of the disease. Only Hawaii, Louisiana and West Virginia have yet to report a case of bird flu. Iowa — the nation's biggest egg producer —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-business-iowa-bird-flu-4c49e56a8c84c425c308e97617e31066">leads the nation</a>&nbsp;with nearly 16 million birds slaughtered.

In 2015, about 50 million chickens and turkeys were slaughtered on more than 200 farms in 15 states.

That previous outbreak remains the most expensive animal health disaster in U.S. history. The federal government spent nearly $1 billion to deal with infected birds, clean up barns and compensate farmers. It cost the industry roughly $3 billion as farmers incurred additional costs and lost money when they didn’t have any birds on their farms.

This bills continue to pile up this year as cases spread, and that includes the cost to consumers.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bird-flu-business-213d845ae92814bf3189eec9c1ccf902">Egg prices shot up</a>&nbsp;to $4.82 a dozen in January from $1.93 a year earlier, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://ag.purdue.edu/cfdas/resource-library/average-food-prices/">latest government figures</a>. That spike prompted calls for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-commodity-markets-jack-reed-business-1b32cb587f20a8d44eaf707f72635e70">price-gouging investigation</a>&nbsp;although the industry maintains that the combination of bird flu and significantly higher feed, fuel and labor costs is what’s driving prices so high.

The price for a pound of chicken breast was $4.32 in January. That’s down slightly from last fall when the price peaked at $4.75, but it is up significantly from the year before when chicken breasts were selling for $3.73 per pound.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t track retail turkey prices the same way as part of its inflation data, but the Agriculture Department says the wholesale price of turkey went from $1.29 per pound last January just before the bird flu outbreak began to $1.72 per pound last month.

The number of birds slaughtered peaked last spring at almost 21 million in March, leaving farmers leery of what they must face in the months ahead. University of Georgia virus researcher David Stallknecht said there is some hope that this spring might not be quite as bad because turkeys and chickens may have developed some immunity to the virus.

The key problem with bird flu is that the highly contagious virus is spread easily by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-business-minnesota-environment-0ec6d3f11b09ddd023d7d5d50ab7f8c1">wild birds</a>&nbsp;through their droppings and nasal discharges. Despite the best efforts of farmers, it is hard to keep the virus out.

Farmers have gone to great lengths by requiring workers to shower and change clothes before entering barns, sanitizing trucks that enter a farm and investing in separate sets of tools for every barn. Some farms have even upgraded barn ventilation and installed laser systems to discourage wild birds from congregating.

“We recommend all producers redouble their efforts to protect their birds through good biosecurity practices,” said Lyndsay Cole, a spokeswoman for the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service that's leading the government's response.

Farmers began following those steps after the 2015 outbreak, and this outbreak has only reinforced the need to tighten biosecurity.

“America’s egg farmers continue to double-down on biosecurity protocols to protect our flocks and maintain a stable egg supply. We are grateful that there has been little to no farm-to-farm spread in this current outbreak,” said Oscar Garrison, senior vice president of food safety and regulatory affairs at the United Egg Producers trade group.

Poultry and egg producers, partnering with the government, are parsing this outbreak for new lessons in keeping birds healthy.

“That’s really the key – early detection. It’s kind of like a forest fire - the earlier you detect it, the easier it is to contain and eradicate,” National Chicken Council spokesman Tom Super said.

Officials say bird flu doesn’t represent a significant threat to human health. Human cases are extremely rare and none of the infected birds are allowed into the nation’s food supply. And properly cooking poultry to 165 degrees Fahrenheit will kill any viruses.

There has only been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-environment-colorado-b98906e0a1899bb1f92da30a7b1dbe28">one human case</a>&nbsp;of bird flu confirmed during this outbreak and that was a man who had been helping slaughter and remove infected birds from a Colorado farm. He recovered from the illness after a few days.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666346539753.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The ongoing bird flu outbreak has cost the government roughly $661 million and added to consumers' pain at the grocery store after more than 58 million birds were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-business-bird-flu-flu-animals-189a7c08d848047f00b3f7b5bec39e67">slaughtered</a>&nbsp;to limit the spread of the virus.In addition to the cost of the government response and rising prices for eggs, chicken and turkey, farmers who raise those animals have easily lost more than $1 billion, said an agricultural economist, though no one has calculated the total cost to the industry yet.The bad news is that with the outbreak entering its second year and the spring migratory season looming, there is no end in sight. And there is little&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-environment-and-nature-iowa-agriculture-9245d97453568576bd0b564f9c52c343">farmers</a>&nbsp;can do beyond&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-business-iowa-agriculture-f5a5c6fbf1d6b551413fb249086fdbec">the steps they have already taken</a>&nbsp;to try to keep the virus out.Unlike past years,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-flu-prices-animals-1ec0f5a8e5485300fe117f87f8470f06">the virus that causes</a>&nbsp;highly pathogenic avian influenza found a way to survive through the heat of last summer, leading to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-minnesota-animals-flu-animal-2f02b2d35e82feb05273d9a72e898170">rise in cases</a>&nbsp;reported in the fall.The outbreak is already more widespread than the last major bird flu outbreak in 2015, but it hasn't proven as costly yet partly because the government and industry applied lessons learned eight years ago.“The past year has been devastating for the turkey industry as we experience, unequivocally, the worst HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) outbreak in the industry’s history,” National Turkey Federation spokeswoman Shelby Newman said.In the current outbreak, 58.4 million birds have been slaughtered on more than 300 commercial farms in 47 states. That is because any time the virus is detected, the entire flock on that farm — which can number in the millions — must be killed to limit the spread of the disease. Only Hawaii, Louisiana and West Virginia have yet to report a case of bird flu. Iowa — the nation's biggest egg producer —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-business-iowa-bird-flu-4c49e56a8c84c425c308e97617e31066">leads the nation</a>&nbsp;with nearly 16 million birds slaughtered.In 2015, about 50 million chickens and turkeys were slaughtered on more than 200 farms in 15 states.That previous outbreak remains the most expensive animal health disaster in U.S. history. The federal government spent nearly $1 billion to deal with infected birds, clean up barns and compensate farmers. It cost the industry roughly $3 billion as farmers incurred additional costs and lost money when they didn’t have any birds on their farms.This bills continue to pile up this year as cases spread, and that includes the cost to consumers.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bird-flu-business-213d845ae92814bf3189eec9c1ccf902">Egg prices shot up</a>&nbsp;to $4.82 a dozen in January from $1.93 a year earlier, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://ag.purdue.edu/cfdas/resource-library/average-food-prices/">latest government figures</a>. That spike prompted calls for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-commodity-markets-jack-reed-business-1b32cb587f20a8d44eaf707f72635e70">price-gouging investigation</a>&nbsp;although the industry maintains that the combination of bird flu and significantly higher feed, fuel and labor costs is what’s driving prices so high.The price for a pound of chicken breast was $4.32 in January. That’s down slightly from last fall when the price peaked at $4.75, but it is up significantly from the year before when chicken breasts were selling for $3.73 per pound.The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t track retail turkey prices the same way as part of its inflation data, but the Agriculture Department says the wholesale price of turkey went from $1.29 per pound last January just before the bird flu outbreak began to $1.72 per pound last month.The number of birds slaughtered peaked last spring at almost 21 million in March, leaving farmers leery of what they must face in the months ahead. University of Georgia virus researcher David Stallknecht said there is some hope that this spring might not be quite as bad because turkeys and chickens may have developed some immunity to the virus.The key problem with bird flu is that the highly contagious virus is spread easily by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-business-minnesota-environment-0ec6d3f11b09ddd023d7d5d50ab7f8c1">wild birds</a>&nbsp;through their droppings and nasal discharges. Despite the best efforts of farmers, it is hard to keep the virus out.Farmers have gone to great lengths by requiring workers to shower and change clothes before entering barns, sanitizing trucks that enter a farm and investing in separate sets of tools for every barn. Some farms have even upgraded barn ventilation and installed laser systems to discourage wild birds from congregating.“We recommend all producers redouble their efforts to protect their birds through good biosecurity practices,” said Lyndsay Cole, a spokeswoman for the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service that's leading the government's response.Farmers began following those steps after the 2015 outbreak, and this outbreak has only reinforced the need to tighten biosecurity.“America’s egg farmers continue to double-down on biosecurity protocols to protect our flocks and maintain a stable egg supply. We are grateful that there has been little to no farm-to-farm spread in this current outbreak,” said Oscar Garrison, senior vice president of food safety and regulatory affairs at the United Egg Producers trade group.Poultry and egg producers, partnering with the government, are parsing this outbreak for new lessons in keeping birds healthy.“That’s really the key – early detection. It’s kind of like a forest fire - the earlier you detect it, the easier it is to contain and eradicate,” National Chicken Council spokesman Tom Super said.Officials say bird flu doesn’t represent a significant threat to human health. Human cases are extremely rare and none of the infected birds are allowed into the nation’s food supply. And properly cooking poultry to 165 degrees Fahrenheit will kill any viruses.There has only been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-environment-colorado-b98906e0a1899bb1f92da30a7b1dbe28">one human case</a>&nbsp;of bird flu confirmed during this outbreak and that was a man who had been helping slaughter and remove infected birds from a Colorado farm. He recovered from the illness after a few days.

Bird flu costs pile up as outbreak enters second year

OMAHA — United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Bath Par Kuol, 27, Lexington, was sentenced on February 17 in federal court in Omaha for being a felon in possession of a firearm.&nbsp; Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter Jr. sentenced Kuol to 63 months of imprisonment.&nbsp; There is no parole in the federal system.&nbsp; After his release from federal prison, Kuol will begin a three-year term of supervised release.

On January 29, 2022, Omaha police officers observed a vehicle fail to signal its turn.&nbsp; Officers conducted a traffic stop and upon contact with the vehicle observed two open containers of alcohol. Kuol was seated in the front passenger seat.&nbsp; During a search of the vehicle, officers located a Glock 19x 9mm handgun with a loaded 33-round magazine inside of the center console.&nbsp; Further investigation showed the firearm was not registered with the City of Omaha.&nbsp; A records check revealed that both Kuol and the driver were convicted felons and therefore prohibited from possessing firearms.&nbsp; Both were taken into custody.&nbsp; Detectives obtained a search warrant to obtain a buccal swab of Kuol’s DNA and compared it to DNA found on the firearm.&nbsp; A forensic laboratory analysis determined the probability of the DNA being from Kuol as 108 trillion times more likely than from an otherwise unknown individual.&nbsp;

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.&nbsp; This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department.

Department of JusticeOMAHA — United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Bath Par Kuol, 27, Lexington, was sentenced on February 17 in federal court in Omaha for being a felon in possession of a firearm.&nbsp; Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter Jr. sentenced Kuol to 63 months of imprisonment.&nbsp; There is no parole in the federal system.&nbsp; After his release from federal prison, Kuol will begin a three-year term of supervised release.On January 29, 2022, Omaha police officers observed a vehicle fail to signal its turn.&nbsp; Officers conducted a traffic stop and upon contact with the vehicle observed two open containers of alcohol. Kuol was seated in the front passenger seat.&nbsp; During a search of the vehicle, officers located a Glock 19x 9mm handgun with a loaded 33-round magazine inside of the center console.&nbsp; Further investigation showed the firearm was not registered with the City of Omaha.&nbsp; A records check revealed that both Kuol and the driver were convicted felons and therefore prohibited from possessing firearms.&nbsp; Both were taken into custody.&nbsp; Detectives obtained a search warrant to obtain a buccal swab of Kuol’s DNA and compared it to DNA found on the firearm.&nbsp; A forensic laboratory analysis determined the probability of the DNA being from Kuol as 108 trillion times more likely than from an otherwise unknown individual.&nbsp;This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.&nbsp; This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department.

Lexington man sentenced for unlawful firearm possession

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Joe Biden’s motorcade slipped out of the White House around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. No big, flashy Air Force One for this trip -– the president vanished into the darkness on an Air Force C-32, a modified Boeing 757 normally used for domestic trips to smaller airports.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-biden-f00af220669457d5ba07127c7e57a27b?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">next time he turned up</a>&nbsp;— 20 hours later — it was in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine.

Biden’s surprise 23-hour visit to Ukraine on Monday was the first time in modern history that a U.S. leader visited a warzone outside the aegis of the U.S. military — a feat the White House said carried some risk even though Moscow was given a heads-up.

Over the next five hours, the president made multiple stops around town — ferried about in a white SUV rather than the presidential limousine — without any announcement to the Ukrainian public that he was there. But all that activity attracted enough attention that word of his presence leaked out well before he could get back to Poland, which was the original plan. Aides at the White House were surprised the secret held as long as it did.

But Russia knew what the Ukrainian public did not. U.S. officials had given Moscow notice of Biden’s trip.

The president had been itching since last year to join the parade of other Western officials who have visited Kyiv to pledge support standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the capital.

Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-kyiv-russia-government-andrzej-duda-poland-1a3fae5e20c14d2e6b4f7628f1ae4262">planned trip to Warsaw, Poland</a>, and the Presidents’ Day holiday provided an obvious opening to tack on a stop in Kyiv. A small group of senior officials at the White House and across U.S. national security agencies set about working in secret for months to make it happen, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday. Biden only gave the final sign-off Friday.

Sullivan said the trip “required a security, operational, and logistical effort from professionals across the U.S. government to take what was an inherently risky undertaking and make it a manageable risk.”

Once Biden was secreted aboard the Air Force jet, the call sign “SAM060,” for Special Air Mission, was used for the plane instead of the usual “Air Force One.” It was parked in the dark with the window-shades down, and took off from Joint Base Andrews at 4:15 a.m. Eastern time.

Biden makes surprise visit to KyivBiden makes surprise visit to Kyiv0 seconds of 1 minute, 16 secondsVolume 90%

After a refueling stop in Germany, where the president was kept aboard the aircraft, Biden’s plane switched off its transponder for the roughly hour-long flight to Rzeszow, Poland, the airport that has served as the gateway for billions of dollars in Western arms and VIP visitors into Ukraine. From there, he boarded a train for the roughly 10-hour overnight trip to Kyiv.

He arrived in the capital at 8 a.m. Monday, was greeted by Ambassador Bridget Brink and entered his motorcade for the drive to Mariinsky Palace. Even while he was on the ground in Ukraine, flights transporting military equipment and other goods were continuing unabated to Rzeszow from Western cities.

Meanwhile, in Kyiv, many main streets and central blocks were cordoned off without explanation. People started sharing videos of long motorcades of cars speeding along streets where access was restricted — the first clues that Biden had arrived.

Biden traveled with a far smaller than usual retinue: Sullivan, deputy chief of staff Jen O’Malley Dillon and the director of Oval Office operations, Annie Tomasini. They were joined by his Secret Service detail, the military aide carrying the so-called “nuclear football,” a small medical team and the official White House photographer.

Only two journalists were on board instead of the usual complement of 13. Their electronic devices were powered off and turned over to the White House for the duration of the trip into Ukraine. A small number of journalists based in Ukraine were summoned to a downtown hotel on Monday morning to join them, not informed that Biden was visiting until shortly before his arrival.

Even with Western surface-to-air missile systems bolstering Ukraine’s defenses, it was rare for a U.S. leader to travel to a conflict zone where the U.S. or its allies did not have control over the airspace.

The U.S. military does not have a presence in Ukraine other than a small detachment of Marines guarding the embassy in Kyiv, making Biden’s visit more complicated than visits by prior U.S. leaders to war zones.

“We did notify the Russians that President Biden will be traveling to Kyiv,” Sullivan told reporters. “We did so some hours before his departure for deconfliction purposes.” He declined to specify the exact message or to whom it was delivered but said the heads-up was to avoid any miscalculation that could bring the two nuclear-armed nations into direct conflict.

While Biden was in Kyiv, U.S. surveillance planes, including E-3 Sentry airborne radar and an electronic RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft, were keeping watch over Kyiv from Polish airspace.

The sealing off of Kyiv roads that are usually humming with traffic brought an eerie calm to the center of the capital. It was so quiet that crows could be heard cawing as Biden and Zelenskyy walked from their motorcade to the gold-domed St. Michael’s Cathedral under skies as blue as the outer walls of the cathedral itself.

“Let’s walk in and take a look,” Biden said, wearing his trademark aviator sunglasses against the glare. The presidents disappeared inside as heavily armed soldiers stood guard outside.

Cathedral bells chirped at the stroke of 11:30 a.m. followed shortly by air raid alarms, at 11:34 a.m., just before the men reemerged. The sirens were first a distant howl rising over the city, followed seconds later by alarms from mobile phone apps wailing from people’s pockets.

Those alarms are voiced by “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill, and his Luke Skywalker voice urged people to take cover, warning: “Don’t be careless. Your overconfidence is your weakness.”

The two leaders walked at a measured pace with no outward signs of concern through the cathedral’s arched front gate onto the square in front, where the rusting hulks of destroyed Russian tanks and other armored vehicles have been stationed as grim reminders of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">the war</a>.

When the square isn’t blocked off, as it was during the leaders’ visit, people come to look at the vehicles, many taking selfies.

Biden appeared to pay the hulks no mind as he and Zelenskyy followed behind honor guards carrying two wreaths to the wall of remembrance honoring Ukrainian soldiers killed since 2014, the year Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and Russian-backed fighting erupted in eastern Ukraine.

It was only then that the first images of Biden in the capital popped up on Ukrainian social media and the secret visit became global news.

“He is like an example of a president who is not afraid to show up in Ukraine and to support us,” said Kyiv resident Myroslava Renova, 23, after Biden’s visit became known.

Biden headed to the U.S. Embassy for a brief stop before departing the country by train back to Poland aboard a well-appointed, wood-paneled train car with tightly drawn curtains, a dining table and a leather sofa.

The all-clear notice, also voiced by Hamill, sounded at 1:07 p.m., as Biden’s train was pulling away from the station.

“The air alert is over,” Hamill said. “May the force be with you.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676938829757.png" alt="President Biden and Jake Sullivan (NSC) on the train from Kyiv to Poland-White House pool photo" />
 <figcaption>President Biden and Jake Sullivan (NSC) on the train from Kyiv to Poland-White House pool photo</figcaption>
 </figure>KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Joe Biden’s motorcade slipped out of the White House around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. No big, flashy Air Force One for this trip -– the president vanished into the darkness on an Air Force C-32, a modified Boeing 757 normally used for domestic trips to smaller airports.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-biden-f00af220669457d5ba07127c7e57a27b?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">next time he turned up</a>&nbsp;— 20 hours later — it was in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine.Biden’s surprise 23-hour visit to Ukraine on Monday was the first time in modern history that a U.S. leader visited a warzone outside the aegis of the U.S. military — a feat the White House said carried some risk even though Moscow was given a heads-up.Over the next five hours, the president made multiple stops around town — ferried about in a white SUV rather than the presidential limousine — without any announcement to the Ukrainian public that he was there. But all that activity attracted enough attention that word of his presence leaked out well before he could get back to Poland, which was the original plan. Aides at the White House were surprised the secret held as long as it did.But Russia knew what the Ukrainian public did not. U.S. officials had given Moscow notice of Biden’s trip.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676938918672.png" alt="Biden on&nbsp; the train after Monday's visit with Zelenskyy in Kyiv — White House pool photo" />
 <figcaption>Biden on&nbsp; the train after Monday's visit with Zelenskyy in Kyiv — White House pool photo</figcaption>
 </figure>The president had been itching since last year to join the parade of other Western officials who have visited Kyiv to pledge support standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the capital.Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-kyiv-russia-government-andrzej-duda-poland-1a3fae5e20c14d2e6b4f7628f1ae4262">planned trip to Warsaw, Poland</a>, and the Presidents’ Day holiday provided an obvious opening to tack on a stop in Kyiv. A small group of senior officials at the White House and across U.S. national security agencies set about working in secret for months to make it happen, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday. Biden only gave the final sign-off Friday.Sullivan said the trip “required a security, operational, and logistical effort from professionals across the U.S. government to take what was an inherently risky undertaking and make it a manageable risk.”Once Biden was secreted aboard the Air Force jet, the call sign “SAM060,” for Special Air Mission, was used for the plane instead of the usual “Air Force One.” It was parked in the dark with the window-shades down, and took off from Joint Base Andrews at 4:15 a.m. Eastern time.Biden makes surprise visit to KyivBiden makes surprise visit to Kyiv0 seconds of 1 minute, 16 secondsVolume 90% After a refueling stop in Germany, where the president was kept aboard the aircraft, Biden’s plane switched off its transponder for the roughly hour-long flight to Rzeszow, Poland, the airport that has served as the gateway for billions of dollars in Western arms and VIP visitors into Ukraine. From there, he boarded a train for the roughly 10-hour overnight trip to Kyiv.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676893663408.png" alt="White House photo" />
 <figcaption>White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>He arrived in the capital at 8 a.m. Monday, was greeted by Ambassador Bridget Brink and entered his motorcade for the drive to Mariinsky Palace. Even while he was on the ground in Ukraine, flights transporting military equipment and other goods were continuing unabated to Rzeszow from Western cities.Meanwhile, in Kyiv, many main streets and central blocks were cordoned off without explanation. People started sharing videos of long motorcades of cars speeding along streets where access was restricted — the first clues that Biden had arrived.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676898277789.png" alt="White House photo" />
 <figcaption>White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Biden traveled with a far smaller than usual retinue: Sullivan, deputy chief of staff Jen O’Malley Dillon and the director of Oval Office operations, Annie Tomasini. They were joined by his Secret Service detail, the military aide carrying the so-called “nuclear football,” a small medical team and the official White House photographer.Only two journalists were on board instead of the usual complement of 13. Their electronic devices were powered off and turned over to the White House for the duration of the trip into Ukraine. A small number of journalists based in Ukraine were summoned to a downtown hotel on Monday morning to join them, not informed that Biden was visiting until shortly before his arrival.Even with Western surface-to-air missile systems bolstering Ukraine’s defenses, it was rare for a U.S. leader to travel to a conflict zone where the U.S. or its allies did not have control over the airspace.The U.S. military does not have a presence in Ukraine other than a small detachment of Marines guarding the embassy in Kyiv, making Biden’s visit more complicated than visits by prior U.S. leaders to war zones.“We did notify the Russians that President Biden will be traveling to Kyiv,” Sullivan told reporters. “We did so some hours before his departure for deconfliction purposes.” He declined to specify the exact message or to whom it was delivered but said the heads-up was to avoid any miscalculation that could bring the two nuclear-armed nations into direct conflict.While Biden was in Kyiv, U.S. surveillance planes, including E-3 Sentry airborne radar and an electronic RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft, were keeping watch over Kyiv from Polish airspace.The sealing off of Kyiv roads that are usually humming with traffic brought an eerie calm to the center of the capital. It was so quiet that crows could be heard cawing as Biden and Zelenskyy walked from their motorcade to the gold-domed St. Michael’s Cathedral under skies as blue as the outer walls of the cathedral itself.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676899116771.png" alt="White House photo" />
 <figcaption>White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>“Let’s walk in and take a look,” Biden said, wearing his trademark aviator sunglasses against the glare. The presidents disappeared inside as heavily armed soldiers stood guard outside.Cathedral bells chirped at the stroke of 11:30 a.m. followed shortly by air raid alarms, at 11:34 a.m., just before the men reemerged. The sirens were first a distant howl rising over the city, followed seconds later by alarms from mobile phone apps wailing from people’s pockets.Those alarms are voiced by “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill, and his Luke Skywalker voice urged people to take cover, warning: “Don’t be careless. Your overconfidence is your weakness.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676918110537.png" alt="White House photo" />
 <figcaption>White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>The two leaders walked at a measured pace with no outward signs of concern through the cathedral’s arched front gate onto the square in front, where the rusting hulks of destroyed Russian tanks and other armored vehicles have been stationed as grim reminders of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">the war</a>.When the square isn’t blocked off, as it was during the leaders’ visit, people come to look at the vehicles, many taking selfies.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676925054906.png" alt="White House photo" />
 <figcaption>White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Biden appeared to pay the hulks no mind as he and Zelenskyy followed behind honor guards carrying two wreaths to the wall of remembrance honoring Ukrainian soldiers killed since 2014, the year Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and Russian-backed fighting erupted in eastern Ukraine.It was only then that the first images of Biden in the capital popped up on Ukrainian social media and the secret visit became global news.“He is like an example of a president who is not afraid to show up in Ukraine and to support us,” said Kyiv resident Myroslava Renova, 23, after Biden’s visit became known.Biden headed to the U.S. Embassy for a brief stop before departing the country by train back to Poland aboard a well-appointed, wood-paneled train car with tightly drawn curtains, a dining table and a leather sofa.The all-clear notice, also voiced by Hamill, sounded at 1:07 p.m., as Biden’s train was pulling away from the station.“The air alert is over,” Hamill said. “May the force be with you.”___

Months of planning, secrecy led to Biden’s historic trip to Ukraine

By ZACH WENDLING <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/willa-cathers-150-years-to-be-celebrated-throughout-2023/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;Acclaimed Nebraska novelist
 Willa Cather, who would have marked her 150th birthday in 2023, will be
 celebrated throughout the year with a series of events.

The National Willa Cather Center will
 host events locally and nationally for Cather’s 150th birthday and also
 the 100th anniversaries of her Pulitzer Prize for “One of Ours” and the
 publishing of “A Lost Lady” and “April Twilights and Other Poems.”

Cather is celebrated, the center 
explains, for her discovery and use of a “distinctive American language”
 that included authentic immigrant experiences. Novels such as “O 
Pioneers!” and “My Antonia” (published in 1913 and 1918) marked the 
“wellspring” of Cather’s youth in Nebraska.

After winning her Pulitzer Prize, Cather continued to have a successful and prolific career.

Ashley Olson, executive director of 
the Willa Cather Foundation, said it’s important to read and know about 
Cather, especially for Nebraskans, because her work elevated the state.&nbsp;

Cather’s body of work is known 
nationally and internationally, Olson explained, and people identify 
Nebraska and Cather’s hometown of Red Cloud with the author.

“I think it’s important that as 
residents of the state we know our own history and culture, and Cather 
is one voice that can help us learn and study those topics,” Olson said.

One event this year will be the 
unveiling of a statue in Cather’s likeness in the National Statuary Hall
 collection of the U.S. Capitol. Cather will join Chief Standing Bear as
 Nebraska’s two honorees in Statuary Hall. Cather’s statue and replace 
that of J. Sterling Morton in the hall. Fewer than a dozen women are 
represented in the collection.

Littleton Alston of Omaha, who 
created the statue, will also be the first African American artist with 
work represented in the collection.

“As much as it is a celebration of 
Willa Cather and her incredible legacy, it’s a wonderful connection that
 a Nebraska artist has done incredible work to represent her in the 
collection,” Olson said, adding she is confident the statue will be 
unveiled this year.

A significant restoration of Cather’s
 childhood home in Red Cloud, where she lived between the ages of 10 and
 16, is also underway.

According to the Cather center, this 
National Historic Landmark is notable for its preserved vernacular style
 and original wallpaper in Cather’s attic bedroom and will reopen to 
visitors in the latter half of 2023.

A complete list of updated events is available <a target="_blank" href="https://www.willacather.org/150">here</a>.

Book clubs and teachers nationwide can explore discussion questions and <a target="_blank" href="https://click.agilitypr.delivery/ls/click?upn=HxoKtOXE-2BaCzLDOMPEWQyZN7DCc-2Fkh8YrPwiR7m1lxk-2B1HA47UgC6Tg57EP-2Bi2UWX-2FGJRyHJbQ-2BN4ayPU0fR-2BFmxsJGwvDcB2DCpFnZKib4-3DJhCm_Fw8jvoyj-2FQa0TO06mdJjmV5I4JWVEqNLaPgiFKrNOgo-2Fw7laavis4XnLUF741x-2BA7yICHmRS1DpCAKNXT1Cq5QuYvuZFaN0artyQQ-2FKtWpJRkcmkcGpe3Sz5yK0lc8taeMy31i61Zk1R4d3D498O-2FgwEcyaXaDf9KBnxAIisEg7BUvJTkiFIPE0pNE4uNW7AfbEnVypgEIZz835-2B0SJqtj83KzUcGB1vwDxsBqe6FmvXwDuENgOf1Wn9wJxrUibLI3LSww7yrCP8SoN4-2BrgfhIs2rZNxIS5EBA0SKzHs9-2Fozs-2Bs8FSLwfU610kuEnb4O7DC0UAQm7sgI7r-2FjFkHHVz7aLy-2FMKcXE8Sw8dcN5bwmuukb7XMTmVLnF6-2FLFvj8y6Wp0VPPHGIcIYql9YICFz3QEC4kmduryyZxNbOAk0UTcI7Wb9CvqRG82eYnfeQLD9u-2BDn5mwCg5BHjLV3zHPRA-3D-3D">curriculum support resources</a> or download the <a target="_blank" href="https://click.agilitypr.delivery/ls/click?upn=HxoKtOXE-2BaCzLDOMPEWQySlgKA7UownyjmKRohZaAEkd1Nib1JiJJJvTXh4qqbPavU8w_Fw8jvoyj-2FQa0TO06mdJjmV5I4JWVEqNLaPgiFKrNOgo-2Fw7laavis4XnLUF741x-2BA7yICHmRS1DpCAKNXT1Cq5QuYvuZFaN0artyQQ-2FKtWpJRkcmkcGpe3Sz5yK0lc8taeMy31i61Zk1R4d3D498O-2FgwEcyaXaDf9KBnxAIisEg7BUvJTkiFIPE0pNE4uNW7AfbEnVypgEIZz835-2B0SJqtj83KzUcGB1vwDxsBqe6FmvXwDuENgOf1Wn9wJxrUibLI3LSww7yrCP8SoN4-2BrgfhIs2rZNxIS5EBA0SKzHs9-2FrIWJSnHaOQk-2FZmwoJZbKoa3TUPiO2k2tdLW1-2FSuSgLgB7uFe4QM0iEXO8xj-2BvzOUifsDWH2gaT6698vYerrtewsSkqggeGeq-2BvBrde7Rd2a-2BvZ4Ad9kQuLO-2FfdirbaVupm1gel7WfFdy9yYXxs5dE9y2X6McOQH0sMxmpQqfdIVVedZn3TGglw9sgTDtuXsfE-3D">National Willa Cather Center app</a> for virtual tours.&nbsp;

The center is also available to help communities organize speakers or events.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676754261525.png" alt="The legacy of Red Cloud-native Willa Cather will be honored throughout the year. (Collage courtesy of The National Willa Cather Center)" />
 <figcaption>The legacy of Red Cloud-native Willa Cather will be honored throughout the year. (Collage courtesy of The National Willa Cather Center)</figcaption>
 </figure>By ZACH WENDLING <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/willa-cathers-150-years-to-be-celebrated-throughout-2023/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;Acclaimed Nebraska novelist
 Willa Cather, who would have marked her 150th birthday in 2023, will be
 celebrated throughout the year with a series of events.The National Willa Cather Center will
 host events locally and nationally for Cather’s 150th birthday and also
 the 100th anniversaries of her Pulitzer Prize for “One of Ours” and the
 publishing of “A Lost Lady” and “April Twilights and Other Poems.”Cather is celebrated, the center 
explains, for her discovery and use of a “distinctive American language”
 that included authentic immigrant experiences. Novels such as “O 
Pioneers!” and “My Antonia” (published in 1913 and 1918) marked the 
“wellspring” of Cather’s youth in Nebraska.After winning her Pulitzer Prize, Cather continued to have a successful and prolific career.<h2>‘One voice’ of Nebraska’s history</h2>Ashley Olson, executive director of 
the Willa Cather Foundation, said it’s important to read and know about 
Cather, especially for Nebraskans, because her work elevated the state.&nbsp;Cather’s body of work is known 
nationally and internationally, Olson explained, and people identify 
Nebraska and Cather’s hometown of Red Cloud with the author.“I think it’s important that as 
residents of the state we know our own history and culture, and Cather 
is one voice that can help us learn and study those topics,” Olson said.<h2>Journey to Washington</h2>One event this year will be the 
unveiling of a statue in Cather’s likeness in the National Statuary Hall
 collection of the U.S. Capitol. Cather will join Chief Standing Bear as
 Nebraska’s two honorees in Statuary Hall. Cather’s statue and replace 
that of J. Sterling Morton in the hall. Fewer than a dozen women are 
represented in the collection.Littleton Alston of Omaha, who 
created the statue, will also be the first African American artist with 
work represented in the collection.“As much as it is a celebration of 
Willa Cather and her incredible legacy, it’s a wonderful connection that
 a Nebraska artist has done incredible work to represent her in the 
collection,” Olson said, adding she is confident the statue will be 
unveiled this year.<h2>Additional events</h2>A significant restoration of Cather’s
 childhood home in Red Cloud, where she lived between the ages of 10 and
 16, is also underway.According to the Cather center, this 
National Historic Landmark is notable for its preserved vernacular style
 and original wallpaper in Cather’s attic bedroom and will reopen to 
visitors in the latter half of 2023.Additional events this year include:<ul>
 <li>The 68th annual Willa Cather Spring Conference — “<a target="_blank" href="https://www.willacather.org/events/68th-annual-willa-cather-spring-conference">Complex and Brilliant: Cather at 150</a>” —&nbsp;in Red Cloud, June 1-3.</li><li>The 18th International Willa Cather Seminar&nbsp;—&nbsp;“<a target="_blank" href="https://www.willacather.org/events/nyc">Bright and Beautiful and Alive: Willa Cather’s New York Intersections</a>” — in New York City, June 21-23.</li><li>The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.willacather.org/national-willa-cather-center-teacher-institute">National Willa Cather Center Teacher Institute</a> — in Red Cloud, July 6-10.</li><li>A two-week <a target="_blank" href="https://cather-institute.unl.edu/">National Endowment for the Humanities Institute for Higher Education Faculty event</a> —&nbsp;in Lincoln and Red Cloud, July 16-28.</li><li>The inaugural <a target="_blank" href="https://www.willacather.org/residency">Willa Cather Residency Program</a> — in Red Cloud, Oct. 15-29.</li>
 </ul>A complete list of updated events is available <a target="_blank" href="https://www.willacather.org/150">here</a>.Book clubs and teachers nationwide can explore discussion questions and <a target="_blank" href="https://click.agilitypr.delivery/ls/click?upn=HxoKtOXE-2BaCzLDOMPEWQyZN7DCc-2Fkh8YrPwiR7m1lxk-2B1HA47UgC6Tg57EP-2Bi2UWX-2FGJRyHJbQ-2BN4ayPU0fR-2BFmxsJGwvDcB2DCpFnZKib4-3DJhCm_Fw8jvoyj-2FQa0TO06mdJjmV5I4JWVEqNLaPgiFKrNOgo-2Fw7laavis4XnLUF741x-2BA7yICHmRS1DpCAKNXT1Cq5QuYvuZFaN0artyQQ-2FKtWpJRkcmkcGpe3Sz5yK0lc8taeMy31i61Zk1R4d3D498O-2FgwEcyaXaDf9KBnxAIisEg7BUvJTkiFIPE0pNE4uNW7AfbEnVypgEIZz835-2B0SJqtj83KzUcGB1vwDxsBqe6FmvXwDuENgOf1Wn9wJxrUibLI3LSww7yrCP8SoN4-2BrgfhIs2rZNxIS5EBA0SKzHs9-2Fozs-2Bs8FSLwfU610kuEnb4O7DC0UAQm7sgI7r-2FjFkHHVz7aLy-2FMKcXE8Sw8dcN5bwmuukb7XMTmVLnF6-2FLFvj8y6Wp0VPPHGIcIYql9YICFz3QEC4kmduryyZxNbOAk0UTcI7Wb9CvqRG82eYnfeQLD9u-2BDn5mwCg5BHjLV3zHPRA-3D-3D">curriculum support resources</a> or download the <a target="_blank" href="https://click.agilitypr.delivery/ls/click?upn=HxoKtOXE-2BaCzLDOMPEWQySlgKA7UownyjmKRohZaAEkd1Nib1JiJJJvTXh4qqbPavU8w_Fw8jvoyj-2FQa0TO06mdJjmV5I4JWVEqNLaPgiFKrNOgo-2Fw7laavis4XnLUF741x-2BA7yICHmRS1DpCAKNXT1Cq5QuYvuZFaN0artyQQ-2FKtWpJRkcmkcGpe3Sz5yK0lc8taeMy31i61Zk1R4d3D498O-2FgwEcyaXaDf9KBnxAIisEg7BUvJTkiFIPE0pNE4uNW7AfbEnVypgEIZz835-2B0SJqtj83KzUcGB1vwDxsBqe6FmvXwDuENgOf1Wn9wJxrUibLI3LSww7yrCP8SoN4-2BrgfhIs2rZNxIS5EBA0SKzHs9-2FrIWJSnHaOQk-2FZmwoJZbKoa3TUPiO2k2tdLW1-2FSuSgLgB7uFe4QM0iEXO8xj-2BvzOUifsDWH2gaT6698vYerrtewsSkqggeGeq-2BvBrde7Rd2a-2BvZ4Ad9kQuLO-2FfdirbaVupm1gel7WfFdy9yYXxs5dE9y2X6McOQH0sMxmpQqfdIVVedZn3TGglw9sgTDtuXsfE-3D">National Willa Cather Center app</a> for virtual tours.&nbsp;The center is also available to help communities organize speakers or events.

Willa Cather’s 150 years to be celebrated throughout 2023

BEIJING (AP) — Nearly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-one-year-anniversary-timeline-a1304c6fb319bf1c0e93635f6f6a2633">one year after Russia invaded Ukraine</a>, new questions are rising over China’s potential willingness to offer military aid to Moscow in the increasingly drawn-out conflict.

In an interview that aired Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-politics-antony-blinken-xi-jinping-4501b49359d73b6efbac87b2af54f189">Antony Blinken said American intelligence suggests China is considering providing arms</a>&nbsp;and ammunition to Russia, an involvement in the Kremlin’s war effort that he said would be a “serious problem.”

China has refused to criticize Russia for its actions or even to call it an invasion in deference to Moscow. At the same time, it insists that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations must be upheld.

The question now is whether China is willing to convert that rhetorical backing into material support.

On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin accused the United States of “fanning flames and stoking confrontations” by providing Ukraine with defensive weapons, and said Beijing would “never accept (U.S.) finger-pointing and even coercion and pressure on China-Russia relations."

Here's a look at where China stands on the conflict.

DOES CHINA BACK RUSSIA IN ITS WAR ON UKRAINE?

China has tried to walk a fine — and often contradictory — line on the Russian invasion.

China says Russia was provoked into taking action by NATO's eastward expansion. Just weeks before the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-sports-business-china-russia-b92f4d266b4d8d2e7711ab930c6e9fd1">Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing</a>&nbsp;for the opening of the Winter Olympics, at which time the sides issued a joint statement pledging their commitment to a “no limits" friendship. China has since ignored Western criticism and reaffirmed that pledge.

But China has yet to confirm the visit Putin has said he expects from Xi this spring.

China is “trying to have it both ways," Blinken said Sunday on NBC. "Publicly, they present themselves as a country striving for peace in Ukraine, but privately, as I said, we’ve seen already over these past months the provision of non-lethal assistance that does go directly to aiding and abetting Russia’s war effort.”

HAS CHINA PROVIDED MATERIAL SUPPORT TO RUSSIA?

So far, China's support for Russia has been rhetorical and political, with Beijing helping prevent efforts to condemn Moscow at the United Nations.

Blinken, at a security conference in Munich, Germany, said the U.S. has long been concerned that China would provide weapons to Russia and that “we have information that gives us concern that they are considering providing lethal support to Russia in the war against Ukraine.” That came a day after Blinken held talks with Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party’s most senior foreign policy official, in a meeting that offered little sign of a reduction in tensions or progress on the Ukraine issue.

“It was important for me to share very clearly with Wang Yi that this would be a serious problem,” Blinken said, referring to potential military support for Russia.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, also expressed her concern about any effort by the Chinese to arm Russia, saying “that would be a red line.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-beijing-98262d8c8f054f80455114cea4ded115">Russian and Chinese forces have held joint military drills</a>&nbsp;since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, most recently sending ships to take part in exercises with the South African navy in a key shipping lane off the South African coast.

“It is the U.S. who kept providing weapons to the battlefield, not China," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Monday. “The principle that China follows on the Ukraine issue can be simply put as promoting peace talks.”

After the meeting between Wang Yi and Blinken, China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement that it has always played a constructive role in the Ukraine conflict by adhering to principles, encouraging peace and promoting talks.

The ministry said the China-Russia partnership “is established on the basis of non-alignment, non-confrontation, and non-targeting of third parties,” and that the U.S. was adding “fuel to the fire to take advantage of the opportunity to make profits.”

Beijing says it has continued a normal trade relationship with Russia, including purchases of oil and gas, as have other countries such as India. That trade is seen as throwing an economic lifeline to Moscow, but there have been no documented cases of China providing direct aid to the Russian military along the lines of the inexpensive&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-iran-politics-us-department-of-the-treasury-military-technology-44d79e61be9ae00e52fb14dfc8cbf21c">military drones that Iran sells to Moscow</a>.

There would be “real consequences … were China to provide lethal assistance to Russia” or help Moscow evade sanctions in a “systematic way,” Blinken said Monday in the Turkey capital, Ankara. He did not specify what measures Washington would take in response to Chinese military support for Russia, but said other countries would join the U.S. with similar actions.

Efforts to put a floor under ties that have deteriorated to their lowest level in decades have so far been unsuccessful. The U.S. has sought to limit Chinese access to the latest microprocessors and manufacturing equipment, and has continued to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-south-china-sea-beijing-084fbd1d64120859467b7f9157c4a797">challenge Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea</a>.

For China, the most sensitive issue is U.S. support for Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that Beijing considers its own territory to be conquered by military force if deemed necessary. Taiwan is a major customer for U.S. defensive arms and has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-taiwan-politics-government-united-states-f1dd90976ff4a2a9537ee30205e7277d">hosted a growing number of prominent American elected officials</a>, enraging Beijing.

Meanwhile, U.S. Congress members have called for the banning of TikTok and other Chinese-owned social media platforms, as well as increased sanctions on Chinese firms backed by the Communist Party, which wields ultimate control over the Chinese economy and suppresses independent media and political opposition voices.

MUNICH (AP) — The top diplomats from the United States and China met on Saturday in the first high-level contact between their countries since the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-51e49202f2a0a50541cde059934c4cfb">shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon</a>&nbsp;two weeks ago, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken sending the message that Beijing's surveillance program had been “exposed to the world.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Blinken and Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party’s most senior foreign policy official, held the hourlong talks in Munich, where they were attending an international security conference, according to the U.S. State Department. They discussed the spy balloon and the war in Ukraine.

“I made very clear to him that China sending its surveillance balloon over the United States in violation of our sovereignty, in violation of international law, was unacceptable and must never happen again," Blinken said Saturday in an interview for CBS' “Face the Nation.”

His spokesman, Ned Price, said in a statement that Blinken also told the Chinese official that his nation's “high-altitude surveillance balloon program — which has intruded into the airspace of over 40 countries across five continents — has been exposed to the world.”

Blinken had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/g-20-summit-politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-0a0469109e8776f1676d7b813e46854f">canceled a trip to Beijing</a>&nbsp;earlier this month due to the balloon incident, which has become a major issue of contention between the two countries. A meeting at the conference in Germany had been widely anticipated.

Blinken also told Wang that the U.S. does not seek conflict with China, repeating a standard talking point that the Biden administration has provided since it has come into office.

“The United States will compete and will unapologetically stand up for our values and interests, but that we do not want conflict with the PRC and are not looking for a new Cold War," Price said. Blinken "underscored the importance of maintaining diplomatic dialogue and open lines of communication at all times.”

In addition to the balloon incident, Price said Blinken had reiterated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/putin-kyiv-politics-ukraine-government-russia-43a55a56f9cd1f50dd1d280fcb1ffa65">a warning to China</a>&nbsp;on providing assistance to Russia to help with its war against Ukraine, including assisting Moscow with evading sanctions the West has imposed on Russia.

“I warned China against providing materiel support to Russia,” Blinken said in a tweet. "I also emphasized the importance of keeping open lines of communication.”

Earlier Saturday, Wang had renewed Beijing's criticism of the United States for shooting down the balloon, arguing that the move did not point to U.S. strength.

Beijing insists the white orb shot down off the Carolina coast on Feb. 4 was just an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-antony-blinken-china-b1b03193b7abeb7bbeca169bbc7c2c53">errant civilian airship</a>&nbsp;used mainly for meteorological research that went off course due to winds and had only limited “self-steering” capabilities.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675438225859.png" alt="&nbsp;Blinken reiterated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/putin-kyiv-politics-ukraine-government-russia-43a55a56f9cd1f50dd1d280fcb1ffa65">a warning to China</a>&nbsp;on providing assistance to Russia to help with its war against Ukraine. -State Dept. photo" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Blinken reiterated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/putin-kyiv-politics-ukraine-government-russia-43a55a56f9cd1f50dd1d280fcb1ffa65">a warning to China</a>&nbsp;on providing assistance to Russia to help with its war against Ukraine. -State Dept. photo</figcaption>
 </figure>BEIJING (AP) — Nearly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-one-year-anniversary-timeline-a1304c6fb319bf1c0e93635f6f6a2633">one year after Russia invaded Ukraine</a>, new questions are rising over China’s potential willingness to offer military aid to Moscow in the increasingly drawn-out conflict.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Just met with the PRC’s top diplomat, Wang Yi. I condemned the incursion of the PRC surveillance balloon and stressed it must never happen again. I warned China against providing materiel support to Russia. I also emphasized the importance of keeping open lines of communication.&mdash; Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecBlinken/status/1627051377112539136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In an interview that aired Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-politics-antony-blinken-xi-jinping-4501b49359d73b6efbac87b2af54f189">Antony Blinken said American intelligence suggests China is considering providing arms</a>&nbsp;and ammunition to Russia, an involvement in the Kremlin’s war effort that he said would be a “serious problem.”China has refused to criticize Russia for its actions or even to call it an invasion in deference to Moscow. At the same time, it insists that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations must be upheld.The question now is whether China is willing to convert that rhetorical backing into material support.On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin accused the United States of “fanning flames and stoking confrontations” by providing Ukraine with defensive weapons, and said Beijing would “never accept (U.S.) finger-pointing and even coercion and pressure on China-Russia relations."Here's a look at where China stands on the conflict.___DOES CHINA BACK RUSSIA IN ITS WAR ON UKRAINE?China has tried to walk a fine — and often contradictory — line on the Russian invasion.China says Russia was provoked into taking action by NATO's eastward expansion. Just weeks before the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-sports-business-china-russia-b92f4d266b4d8d2e7711ab930c6e9fd1">Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing</a>&nbsp;for the opening of the Winter Olympics, at which time the sides issued a joint statement pledging their commitment to a “no limits" friendship. China has since ignored Western criticism and reaffirmed that pledge.But China has yet to confirm the visit Putin has said he expects from Xi this spring.China is “trying to have it both ways," Blinken said Sunday on NBC. "Publicly, they present themselves as a country striving for peace in Ukraine, but privately, as I said, we’ve seen already over these past months the provision of non-lethal assistance that does go directly to aiding and abetting Russia’s war effort.”___HAS CHINA PROVIDED MATERIAL SUPPORT TO RUSSIA?So far, China's support for Russia has been rhetorical and political, with Beijing helping prevent efforts to condemn Moscow at the United Nations.Blinken, at a security conference in Munich, Germany, said the U.S. has long been concerned that China would provide weapons to Russia and that “we have information that gives us concern that they are considering providing lethal support to Russia in the war against Ukraine.” That came a day after Blinken held talks with Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party’s most senior foreign policy official, in a meeting that offered little sign of a reduction in tensions or progress on the Ukraine issue.“It was important for me to share very clearly with Wang Yi that this would be a serious problem,” Blinken said, referring to potential military support for Russia.The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, also expressed her concern about any effort by the Chinese to arm Russia, saying “that would be a red line.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-beijing-98262d8c8f054f80455114cea4ded115">Russian and Chinese forces have held joint military drills</a>&nbsp;since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, most recently sending ships to take part in exercises with the South African navy in a key shipping lane off the South African coast.___WHAT HAS CHINA SAID ON THE MATTER?“It is the U.S. who kept providing weapons to the battlefield, not China," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Monday. “The principle that China follows on the Ukraine issue can be simply put as promoting peace talks.”After the meeting between Wang Yi and Blinken, China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement that it has always played a constructive role in the Ukraine conflict by adhering to principles, encouraging peace and promoting talks.The ministry said the China-Russia partnership “is established on the basis of non-alignment, non-confrontation, and non-targeting of third parties,” and that the U.S. was adding “fuel to the fire to take advantage of the opportunity to make profits.”Beijing says it has continued a normal trade relationship with Russia, including purchases of oil and gas, as have other countries such as India. That trade is seen as throwing an economic lifeline to Moscow, but there have been no documented cases of China providing direct aid to the Russian military along the lines of the inexpensive&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-iran-politics-us-department-of-the-treasury-military-technology-44d79e61be9ae00e52fb14dfc8cbf21c">military drones that Iran sells to Moscow</a>.___WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF CHINA AIDS RUSSIA?There would be “real consequences … were China to provide lethal assistance to Russia” or help Moscow evade sanctions in a “systematic way,” Blinken said Monday in the Turkey capital, Ankara. He did not specify what measures Washington would take in response to Chinese military support for Russia, but said other countries would join the U.S. with similar actions.Efforts to put a floor under ties that have deteriorated to their lowest level in decades have so far been unsuccessful. The U.S. has sought to limit Chinese access to the latest microprocessors and manufacturing equipment, and has continued to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-south-china-sea-beijing-084fbd1d64120859467b7f9157c4a797">challenge Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea</a>.For China, the most sensitive issue is U.S. support for Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that Beijing considers its own territory to be conquered by military force if deemed necessary. Taiwan is a major customer for U.S. defensive arms and has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-taiwan-politics-government-united-states-f1dd90976ff4a2a9537ee30205e7277d">hosted a growing number of prominent American elected officials</a>, enraging Beijing.Meanwhile, U.S. Congress members have called for the banning of TikTok and other Chinese-owned social media platforms, as well as increased sanctions on Chinese firms backed by the Communist Party, which wields ultimate control over the Chinese economy and suppresses independent media and political opposition voices.---------MUNICH (AP) — The top diplomats from the United States and China met on Saturday in the first high-level contact between their countries since the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-51e49202f2a0a50541cde059934c4cfb">shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon</a>&nbsp;two weeks ago, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken sending the message that Beijing's surveillance program had been “exposed to the world.”&nbsp;&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Just met with the PRC’s top diplomat, Wang Yi. I condemned the incursion of the PRC surveillance balloon and stressed it must never happen again. I warned China against providing materiel support to Russia. I also emphasized the importance of keeping open lines of communication.&mdash; Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecBlinken/status/1627051377112539136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Blinken and Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party’s most senior foreign policy official, held the hourlong talks in Munich, where they were attending an international security conference, according to the U.S. State Department. They discussed the spy balloon and the war in Ukraine.“I made very clear to him that China sending its surveillance balloon over the United States in violation of our sovereignty, in violation of international law, was unacceptable and must never happen again," Blinken said Saturday in an interview for CBS' “Face the Nation.”His spokesman, Ned Price, said in a statement that Blinken also told the Chinese official that his nation's “high-altitude surveillance balloon program — which has intruded into the airspace of over 40 countries across five continents — has been exposed to the world.”Blinken had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/g-20-summit-politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-0a0469109e8776f1676d7b813e46854f">canceled a trip to Beijing</a>&nbsp;earlier this month due to the balloon incident, which has become a major issue of contention between the two countries. A meeting at the conference in Germany had been widely anticipated.Blinken also told Wang that the U.S. does not seek conflict with China, repeating a standard talking point that the Biden administration has provided since it has come into office.“The United States will compete and will unapologetically stand up for our values and interests, but that we do not want conflict with the PRC and are not looking for a new Cold War," Price said. Blinken "underscored the importance of maintaining diplomatic dialogue and open lines of communication at all times.”In addition to the balloon incident, Price said Blinken had reiterated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/putin-kyiv-politics-ukraine-government-russia-43a55a56f9cd1f50dd1d280fcb1ffa65">a warning to China</a>&nbsp;on providing assistance to Russia to help with its war against Ukraine, including assisting Moscow with evading sanctions the West has imposed on Russia.“I warned China against providing materiel support to Russia,” Blinken said in a tweet. "I also emphasized the importance of keeping open lines of communication.”Earlier Saturday, Wang had renewed Beijing's criticism of the United States for shooting down the balloon, arguing that the move did not point to U.S. strength.Beijing insists the white orb shot down off the Carolina coast on Feb. 4 was just an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-antony-blinken-china-b1b03193b7abeb7bbeca169bbc7c2c53">errant civilian airship</a>&nbsp;used mainly for meteorological research that went off course due to winds and had only limited “self-steering” capabilities.Wang, the director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, repeated that insistence in a speech at the conference and accused the U.S. of violating international legal norms in destroying the object with a missile fired from an U.S. fighter jet.“The actions don’t show that the U.S. is big and strong, but describe the exact opposite,” Wang said.Wang also accused the U.S. of denying China’s economic advances and seeking to impede its further development.“What we hope for from the U.S. is a pragmatic and positive approach to China that allows us to work together,” Wang said.His comments came shortly before an address to the conference by Vice President Kamala Harris, who didn't mention the balloon controversy or respond to Wang's comments. She stressed the importance of upholding the “international rules-based order.”She said Washington is “troubled that Beijing has deepened its relationship with Moscow since the war began” in Ukraine and that “looking ahead, any steps by China to provide lethal support to Russia would only reward aggression, continue the killing and further undermine a rules-based order.”