WASHINGTON (AP) — In an extraordinary step, the House Jan. 6 committee<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-presidential-elections-election-2020-congress-43c97dd8db5ce460e051204f91aa6cd1?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">&nbsp;voted unanimously</a>&nbsp;on Thursday to subpoena former President Donald Trump — a final effort to get his story of the Capitol insurrection as the panel wraps up its work by the end of the year.

Trump&nbsp; has been relentlessly&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/:%20https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">hostile to the investigation</a>. He called it a “charade and a witch hunt” in a letter to the committee on Friday.&nbsp;

<a href="https://cdn.nucleusfiles.com/27/27b7896f-01c5-4609-93c7-742e5cb22e96/830-am-final-january-6th-committee-letter14446.pdf?utm_medium=email_hf&amp;utm_source=ncl__&amp;utm_campaign=20221014___sa&amp;utm_content=__6167&amp;_nlid=test123&amp;_nhids=TEST">CLICK here to read</a>&nbsp;the full letter Trump sent to the Jan. 6 committee

In the letter, Trump did not mention the subpoena or say whether he would comply with the demand for his appearance.

The attempt to compel Trump's testimony comes as the committee is tying together multiple investigative threads and compiling its final report. The panel is only authorized through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections">this Congress, which ends on Jan. 3</a>.

If Trump doesn’t comply, the panel will have to weigh the practical and political implications of a vote on holding him in contempt of Congress. If the full House voted to recommend such a charge, the Justice Department would then review the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665779185751.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — In an extraordinary step, the House Jan. 6 committee<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-presidential-elections-election-2020-congress-43c97dd8db5ce460e051204f91aa6cd1?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">&nbsp;voted unanimously</a>&nbsp;on Thursday to subpoena former President Donald Trump — a final effort to get his story of the Capitol insurrection as the panel wraps up its work by the end of the year.Trump&nbsp; has been relentlessly&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/:%20https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">hostile to the investigation</a>. He called it a “charade and a witch hunt” in a letter to the committee on Friday.&nbsp;<a href="https://cdn.nucleusfiles.com/27/27b7896f-01c5-4609-93c7-742e5cb22e96/830-am-final-january-6th-committee-letter14446.pdf?utm_medium=email_hf&amp;utm_source=ncl__&amp;utm_campaign=20221014___sa&amp;utm_content=__6167&amp;_nlid=test123&amp;_nhids=TEST">CLICK here to read</a>&nbsp;the full letter Trump sent to the Jan. 6 committeeIn the letter, Trump did not mention the subpoena or say whether he would comply with the demand for his appearance.The attempt to compel Trump's testimony comes as the committee is tying together multiple investigative threads and compiling its final report. The panel is only authorized through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections">this Congress, which ends on Jan. 3</a>.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665779973146.png" alt="Former President Trump as shown from Dec. 2, 2020, in the Jan. 6 committee hearing video on Thursday." />
 <figcaption>Former President Trump as shown from Dec. 2, 2020, in the Jan. 6 committee hearing video on Thursday.</figcaption>
 </figure>If Trump doesn’t comply, the panel will have to weigh the practical and political implications of a vote on holding him in contempt of Congress. If the full House voted to recommend such a charge, the Justice Department would then review the case.

Read Trump's response to Jan. 6 panel following subpoena vote

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A 15-year-old boy fatally shot two people in the streets of a middle class Raleigh neighborhood, then fled toward a popular walking trail where he opened fire, killing three more people and wounding two others in an attack that left the city reeling and authorities searching for a motive, police said Friday.

Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson said the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-north-carolina-raleigh-168acb4bc412772ea006326c6a234bfa">teen was captured</a>&nbsp;hours after the Thursday evening shooting. He was hospitalized and in critical condition following his arrest. Authorities have not said how he was injured.

President Biden issued a statement on the tragedy, "Jill and I are grieving with the families in Raleigh, North Carolina, whose loved ones were killed and wounded in yet another mass shooting in America. We are thinking of yet another community shaken and shattered as they mourn the loss of friends and neighbors, including an off-duty police officer. As we mourn with the people of Raleigh, we are grateful for the law enforcement and other first responders, including federal law enforcement who were on the scene last night and into this morning.&nbsp;My Administration is working closely with Governor Cooper to assist local authorities in this investigation to the fullest extent needed.&nbsp; Enough. We’ve grieved and prayed with too many families who have had to bear the terrible burden of these mass shootings. Too many families have had spouses, parents, and children taken from them forever. This year, and even in just the five months since Buffalo and Uvalde, there are too many mass shootings across America, including ones that don’t even make the national news. For the lives we’ve lost and the lives we can save, I took historic action to stop gun violence in our nation, including signing the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years. But we must do more. We must pass an assault weapons ban. The American people support this commonsense action to get weapons of war off our streets. House Democrats have already passed it. The Senate should do the same. Send it to my desk and I’ll sign it.&nbsp; May God bless our fellow Americans we lost and their families and may He grant the wounded the strength to recover in Raleigh, North Carolina."

The victims were of different races and ranged in age from 16 to their late 50s, Patterson said during a news conference. The dead include off-duty Raleigh police Officer Gabriel Torres, 29, who was on his way to work when the shooting began. Police identified the other victims as Nicole Connors, 52; Mary Marshall, 34; Susan Karnatz, 49; and James Roger Thompson, 16.

Marcille Lynn Gardner, 59, was wounded and remained hospitalized in critical condition Friday. A second police officer, Casey Joseph Clark, 33, was wounded and released from the hospital.

The teen, who was not immediately identified by police, eluded officers for hours — setting off a manhunt across a crime scene that stretched for 2 miles (3 kilometers) — before he was cornered in a home and arrested, Patterson said.

Gov. Roy Cooper called the shooting an “infuriating and tragic act of gun violence.”

“Today we’re sad, we’re angry and we want to know the answers to all the questions," Cooper said. “I think we all know the core truth — no neighborhood, no parent, no child, no grandparent, no one should feel this fear in their communities — no one.”

The gunfire broke out around 5 p.m. Thursday in a residential area northeast of downtown, Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said. Officers from numerous law enforcement agencies swarmed the area, closing roads and warning residents to stay inside while they searched for the shooter.

The Hedingham neighborhood, where the shooting began, is a residential area of single family and town homes, as well as a golf club. The Neuse River Greenway, a walking and biking trail, runs just behind houses in the neighborhood. The trail runs about 27 miles (43 kilometers) along the river and connects to the state’s Mountains-to-Sea Trail that’s popular with thru-hikers. The stretch behind the neighborhood is paved and lies down a grassy slope from the houses.

Karnatz’s husband, Tom Karnatz, said she was an avid runner who often ran on the greenway.

“She was a very loving wife and amazing mother to our three sons,” he said through tears when he answered the door at the family’s home Friday. “We’re absolutely heartbroken and miss her dearly.”

In the driveway, a silver minivan and a Toyota Camry had matching 26.2 stickers — symbolizing the miles of a marathon. The minivan’s license plate read simply: “RUNNR.”

Woodrow Glass, a 74-year-old retiree and neighbor of Connors, said he talked to her nearly every day as she walked her small dog.

“She was friendly with everybody in the neighborhood, spoke with everybody ... and was really respected here. And we’re going to miss her," he said.

Baldwin said the shooting has brought home the need to “end senseless gun violence that has grips on our country and now on our city.”

In a statement Friday, President Joe Biden said he and First Lady Jill Biden are grieving with victims' families, and his administration is working closely with Cooper to help local authorities with their investigation.

“We are thinking of yet another community shaken and shattered as they mourn the loss of friends and neighbors, including an off-duty police officer,” he said, adding: “Enough. We’ve grieved and prayed with too many families who have had to bear the terrible burden of these mass shootings."

Under North Carolina law, crimes committed by 15-year-olds are usually adjudicated in juvenile court. But a juvenile court judge must transfer a case to Superior Court for a youth to be tried as an adult if a 15-year-old is accused of first-degree murder and the judge determines there is probable cause that the teen committed the crime. Authorities have not commented on what charges the teen could face.

The Raleigh shooting was the latest in a violent week across the country. Five people were killed Sunday in a shooting at a home in Inman, South Carolina. On Wednesday night two police officers were fatally shot in Connecticut after apparently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-connecticut-bristol-hartford-6efd1a56f0f7f958698eff0068de6bef">being drawn into an ambush</a>&nbsp;by an emergency call about possible domestic violence. Police officers have been shot this week in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/police-shootings-mississippi-tate-reeves-greenville-7bf522b3aedcba2f142f28c91e801568">Greenville, Mississippi</a>;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-chicago-illinois-decatur-5ef243f9c0f74ed37e3448133c7cadd4">Decatur, Illinois</a>;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-philadelphia-c918ad89710e17851a4e0cc71e498278">Philadelphia</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-arrests-las-vegas-nevada-mass-shooting-ce7f6ae2e5321900e96a9553604d401e">Las Vegas</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-florida-91d7040cecd3692653335019f8b058f2">central Florida</a>. Two of those officers, one in Greenville and one Las Vegas, were killed.

Thursday’s violence was the 25th mass killing in 2022 in which the victims were fatally shot, according to The Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern University Mass Killings database. A mass killing is defined as when four or more people are killed excluding the perpetrator.

The walking trail was quieter than usual Friday. Sara Cutter, 31, said she sensed “a lingering sadness over Raleigh” as she walked the greenway, about a mile from the shootings. She said the shooting won't deter her from using the trail, but she will be more vigilant and probably won't walk alone anymore.

“We’re all hurting today, the entire city,” Cutter said. “I’ve seen some somber faces while I’ve been out walking today. But it’s also been good to see people out. The community — that’s what will get us through.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665773856849.png" alt="Police on the scene of the shooting investigation -photo courtesy WRAL TV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the shooting investigation -photo courtesy WRAL TV</figcaption>
 </figure>RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A 15-year-old boy fatally shot two people in the streets of a middle class Raleigh neighborhood, then fled toward a popular walking trail where he opened fire, killing three more people and wounding two others in an attack that left the city reeling and authorities searching for a motive, police said Friday.Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson said the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-north-carolina-raleigh-168acb4bc412772ea006326c6a234bfa">teen was captured</a>&nbsp;hours after the Thursday evening shooting. He was hospitalized and in critical condition following his arrest. Authorities have not said how he was injured.President Biden issued a statement on the tragedy, "Jill and I are grieving with the families in Raleigh, North Carolina, whose loved ones were killed and wounded in yet another mass shooting in America. We are thinking of yet another community shaken and shattered as they mourn the loss of friends and neighbors, including an off-duty police officer. As we mourn with the people of Raleigh, we are grateful for the law enforcement and other first responders, including federal law enforcement who were on the scene last night and into this morning.&nbsp;My Administration is working closely with Governor Cooper to assist local authorities in this investigation to the fullest extent needed.&nbsp; Enough. We’ve grieved and prayed with too many families who have had to bear the terrible burden of these mass shootings. Too many families have had spouses, parents, and children taken from them forever. This year, and even in just the five months since Buffalo and Uvalde, there are too many mass shootings across America, including ones that don’t even make the national news. For the lives we’ve lost and the lives we can save, I took historic action to stop gun violence in our nation, including signing the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years. But we must do more. We must pass an assault weapons ban. The American people support this commonsense action to get weapons of war off our streets. House Democrats have already passed it. The Senate should do the same. Send it to my desk and I’ll sign it.&nbsp; May God bless our fellow Americans we lost and their families and may He grant the wounded the strength to recover in Raleigh, North Carolina." The victims were of different races and ranged in age from 16 to their late 50s, Patterson said during a news conference. The dead include off-duty Raleigh police Officer Gabriel Torres, 29, who was on his way to work when the shooting began. Police identified the other victims as Nicole Connors, 52; Mary Marshall, 34; Susan Karnatz, 49; and James Roger Thompson, 16.Marcille Lynn Gardner, 59, was wounded and remained hospitalized in critical condition Friday. A second police officer, Casey Joseph Clark, 33, was wounded and released from the hospital.The teen, who was not immediately identified by police, eluded officers for hours — setting off a manhunt across a crime scene that stretched for 2 miles (3 kilometers) — before he was cornered in a home and arrested, Patterson said.Gov. Roy Cooper called the shooting an “infuriating and tragic act of gun violence.”“Today we’re sad, we’re angry and we want to know the answers to all the questions," Cooper said. “I think we all know the core truth — no neighborhood, no parent, no child, no grandparent, no one should feel this fear in their communities — no one.”The gunfire broke out around 5 p.m. Thursday in a residential area northeast of downtown, Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said. Officers from numerous law enforcement agencies swarmed the area, closing roads and warning residents to stay inside while they searched for the shooter.The Hedingham neighborhood, where the shooting began, is a residential area of single family and town homes, as well as a golf club. The Neuse River Greenway, a walking and biking trail, runs just behind houses in the neighborhood. The trail runs about 27 miles (43 kilometers) along the river and connects to the state’s Mountains-to-Sea Trail that’s popular with thru-hikers. The stretch behind the neighborhood is paved and lies down a grassy slope from the houses.Karnatz’s husband, Tom Karnatz, said she was an avid runner who often ran on the greenway.“She was a very loving wife and amazing mother to our three sons,” he said through tears when he answered the door at the family’s home Friday. “We’re absolutely heartbroken and miss her dearly.”In the driveway, a silver minivan and a Toyota Camry had matching 26.2 stickers — symbolizing the miles of a marathon. The minivan’s license plate read simply: “RUNNR.”Woodrow Glass, a 74-year-old retiree and neighbor of Connors, said he talked to her nearly every day as she walked her small dog.“She was friendly with everybody in the neighborhood, spoke with everybody ... and was really respected here. And we’re going to miss her," he said.Baldwin said the shooting has brought home the need to “end senseless gun violence that has grips on our country and now on our city.”“We have to do something,” she said.In a statement Friday, President Joe Biden said he and First Lady Jill Biden are grieving with victims' families, and his administration is working closely with Cooper to help local authorities with their investigation.“We are thinking of yet another community shaken and shattered as they mourn the loss of friends and neighbors, including an off-duty police officer,” he said, adding: “Enough. We’ve grieved and prayed with too many families who have had to bear the terrible burden of these mass shootings."Under North Carolina law, crimes committed by 15-year-olds are usually adjudicated in juvenile court. But a juvenile court judge must transfer a case to Superior Court for a youth to be tried as an adult if a 15-year-old is accused of first-degree murder and the judge determines there is probable cause that the teen committed the crime. Authorities have not commented on what charges the teen could face.The Raleigh shooting was the latest in a violent week across the country. Five people were killed Sunday in a shooting at a home in Inman, South Carolina. On Wednesday night two police officers were fatally shot in Connecticut after apparently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-connecticut-bristol-hartford-6efd1a56f0f7f958698eff0068de6bef">being drawn into an ambush</a>&nbsp;by an emergency call about possible domestic violence. Police officers have been shot this week in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/police-shootings-mississippi-tate-reeves-greenville-7bf522b3aedcba2f142f28c91e801568">Greenville, Mississippi</a>;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-chicago-illinois-decatur-5ef243f9c0f74ed37e3448133c7cadd4">Decatur, Illinois</a>;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-philadelphia-c918ad89710e17851a4e0cc71e498278">Philadelphia</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-arrests-las-vegas-nevada-mass-shooting-ce7f6ae2e5321900e96a9553604d401e">Las Vegas</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-florida-91d7040cecd3692653335019f8b058f2">central Florida</a>. Two of those officers, one in Greenville and one Las Vegas, were killed.Thursday’s violence was the 25th mass killing in 2022 in which the victims were fatally shot, according to The Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern University Mass Killings database. A mass killing is defined as when four or more people are killed excluding the perpetrator.The walking trail was quieter than usual Friday. Sara Cutter, 31, said she sensed “a lingering sadness over Raleigh” as she walked the greenway, about a mile from the shootings. She said the shooting won't deter her from using the trail, but she will be more vigilant and probably won't walk alone anymore.“We’re all hurting today, the entire city,” Cutter said. “I’ve seen some somber faces while I’ve been out walking today. But it’s also been good to see people out. The community — that’s what will get us through.”___

Biden on North Carolina mass shooting; Police ID victims

PHOENIX (AP) — Scores on the ACT college admissions test by this year’s high school graduates hit their lowest point in more than 30 years — the latest evidence of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-race-and-ethnicity-education-4d02ce3fe0fe432efc68373ee961c5bb">enormity of learning disruption</a>&nbsp;during the pandemic.

The class of 2022′s average ACT composite score was 19.8 out of 36, marking the first time since 1991 that the average score was below 20. What’s more, an increasing number of high school students failed to meet any of the subject-area benchmarks set by the ACT — showing a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-race-and-ethnicity-milwaukee-5ab5394b2513e7136b9b854355770a1a">decline in preparedness for college-level coursework</a>.

The test scores, made public&nbsp;<a href="https://www.act.org/content/act/en/research/services-and-resources/data-and-visualization/grad-class-database-2022.html" target="_blank">in a report</a>&nbsp;Wednesday, show 42% of ACT-tested graduates in the class of 2022 met none of the subject benchmarks in English, reading, science and math, which are indicators of how well students are expected to perform in corresponding college courses.

In comparison, 38% of test takers in 2021 failed to meet any of the benchmarks.

“Academic preparedness is where we are seeing the decline,” said Rose Babington, senior director for state partnerships for the ACT. “Every time we see ACT test scores, we are talking about skills and standards, and the prediction of students to be successful and to know the really important information to succeed and persist through their first year of college courses.”

ACT scores have declined steadily in recent years. Still, “the magnitude of the declines this year is particularly alarming,” ACT CEO Janet Godwin said in a statement. “We see rapidly growing numbers of seniors leaving high school without meeting college-readiness benchmarks in any of the subjects we measure.”

The results offer a lens into systemic inequities in education, in place well before the pandemic shuttered schools and colleges temporarily waived testing requirements. For example, students without access to rigorous high school curriculum suffered more setbacks during pandemic disruptions, Babington said. Those students are from rural areas, come from low-income families and are often students of color.

The number of students taking the ACT has declined 30% since 2018, as graduates increasingly forgo college and some universities no longer require admissions tests. But participation plunged 37% among Black students, with 154,000 taking the test this year.

Standardized tests such as the ACT have faced growing concerns that they’re unfair to minority and low-income students, as students with access to expensive test prep or advanced courses often perform better.

Babington defended the test as a measure of college readiness. “Now more than ever, the last few years have shown us the importance of having high-quality data to help inform how we support students,” Babington said.

Test scores now are optional for first-year student admission at many institutions. Some colleges, such as the University of California system, even opt for a test-blind policy, where scores are not considered even if submitted.

But many students still take the tests, hoping to get an edge in admissions by submitting their scores. Tyrone Jordan, a freshman at test-optional Arizona State University, said he took the ACT and the SAT to get ahead of other students and help him receive scholarships.

Jordan, who wants to pursue mechanical engineering, said he thinks his rigorous schedule at Tempe Preparatory Academy prepared him for college, and the standardized tests helped support him and his family financially.

“All the test did for me was give me extra financial money,” Jordan said.

While Jordan was always planning to take the test, many students struggle with access or choose not to take the test since their universities of choice no longer require it. In Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Tennessee and Wyoming, everyone is tested.

PHOENIX (AP) — Scores on the ACT college admissions test by this year’s high school graduates hit their lowest point in more than 30 years — the latest evidence of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-race-and-ethnicity-education-4d02ce3fe0fe432efc68373ee961c5bb">enormity of learning disruption</a>&nbsp;during the pandemic.The class of 2022′s average ACT composite score was 19.8 out of 36, marking the first time since 1991 that the average score was below 20. What’s more, an increasing number of high school students failed to meet any of the subject-area benchmarks set by the ACT — showing a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-race-and-ethnicity-milwaukee-5ab5394b2513e7136b9b854355770a1a">decline in preparedness for college-level coursework</a>.The test scores, made public&nbsp;<a href="https://www.act.org/content/act/en/research/services-and-resources/data-and-visualization/grad-class-database-2022.html" target="_blank">in a report</a>&nbsp;Wednesday, show 42% of ACT-tested graduates in the class of 2022 met none of the subject benchmarks in English, reading, science and math, which are indicators of how well students are expected to perform in corresponding college courses.In comparison, 38% of test takers in 2021 failed to meet any of the benchmarks.“Academic preparedness is where we are seeing the decline,” said Rose Babington, senior director for state partnerships for the ACT. “Every time we see ACT test scores, we are talking about skills and standards, and the prediction of students to be successful and to know the really important information to succeed and persist through their first year of college courses.”ACT scores have declined steadily in recent years. Still, “the magnitude of the declines this year is particularly alarming,” ACT CEO Janet Godwin said in a statement. “We see rapidly growing numbers of seniors leaving high school without meeting college-readiness benchmarks in any of the subjects we measure.”The results offer a lens into systemic inequities in education, in place well before the pandemic shuttered schools and colleges temporarily waived testing requirements. For example, students without access to rigorous high school curriculum suffered more setbacks during pandemic disruptions, Babington said. Those students are from rural areas, come from low-income families and are often students of color.The number of students taking the ACT has declined 30% since 2018, as graduates increasingly forgo college and some universities no longer require admissions tests. But participation plunged 37% among Black students, with 154,000 taking the test this year.Standardized tests such as the ACT have faced growing concerns that they’re unfair to minority and low-income students, as students with access to expensive test prep or advanced courses often perform better.Babington defended the test as a measure of college readiness. “Now more than ever, the last few years have shown us the importance of having high-quality data to help inform how we support students,” Babington said.Test scores now are optional for first-year student admission at many institutions. Some colleges, such as the University of California system, even opt for a test-blind policy, where scores are not considered even if submitted.But many students still take the tests, hoping to get an edge in admissions by submitting their scores. Tyrone Jordan, a freshman at test-optional Arizona State University, said he took the ACT and the SAT to get ahead of other students and help him receive scholarships.Jordan, who wants to pursue mechanical engineering, said he thinks his rigorous schedule at Tempe Preparatory Academy prepared him for college, and the standardized tests helped support him and his family financially.“All the test did for me was give me extra financial money,” Jordan said.While Jordan was always planning to take the test, many students struggle with access or choose not to take the test since their universities of choice no longer require it. In Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Tennessee and Wyoming, everyone is tested.

ACT test scores drop to lowest in 30 years in pandemic slide

By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-officials-reveal-new-hotline-for-human-trafficking/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665766323514.png" alt="A new hotline to report suspicions of sex trafficking and labor trafficking. (Courtesy of State of Nebraska)&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>A new hotline to report suspicions of sex trafficking and labor trafficking. (Courtesy of State of Nebraska)&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-officials-reveal-new-hotline-for-human-trafficking/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

Nebraska officials reveal new hotline for human trafficking

WASHINGTON — Starting this week, the Internal Revenue Service is 
sending letters to more than 9 million individuals and families who 
appear to qualify for a variety of key tax benefits but did not claim 
them by filing a 2021 federal income tax return. Many in this group may 
be eligible to claim some or all of the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit, the
 Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit and other tax credits 
depending on their personal and family situation.

The special reminder letters, which will be arriving in mailboxes 
over the next few weeks, are being sent to people who appear to qualify 
for the Child Tax Credit (CTC), Recovery Rebate Credit (RRC) or Earned 
Income Tax Credit (EITC) but haven't yet filed a 2021 return to claim 
them. The letter, printed in both English and Spanish, provides a brief 
overview of each of these three credits.

"The IRS wants to remind potentially eligible people, especially 
families, that they may qualify for these valuable tax credits," said 
IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "We encourage people who haven't filed a 
tax return yet for 2021 to review these options. Even if they aren't 
required to file a tax return, they may still qualify for several 
important credits. We don't want people to overlook these tax credits, 
and the letters will remind people of their potential eligibility and 
steps they can take."

These and other tax benefits were expanded under last year's American
 Rescue Plan Act and other recent legislation. Even so, the only way to 
get the valuable benefits is to file a 2021 tax return.

Often, individuals and families <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/does-my-childdependent-qualify-for-the-child-tax-credit-or-the-credit-for-other-dependents">can get these expanded tax benefits</a>,
 even if they have little or no income from a job, business or other 
source. This means that many people who don't normally need to file a 
tax return should do so this year, even if they haven't been required to
 file in recent years.

For this mailing, Treasury's Office of Tax Analysis identified 
individuals who don't typically have a tax return filing requirement 
because they appear to have very low incomes, based on Forms W-2, 1099s 
and other third-party statements available to the IRS.

The letters are similar to a special IRS mailing made in September 
2020 encouraging 9 million potential non-filers to submit a tax return 
for the first Economic Impact Payment. This is part of an ongoing effort
 to encourage people who aren't normally required to file to look into 
possible benefits available to them under the tax law. Every year, 
people can overlook filing a tax return when they may be entitled tax 
credits and a refund.

People can file a tax return even if they haven't yet received their 
letter. The IRS reminds people that there's no penalty for a refund 
claimed on a tax return filed after the regular April 2022 tax deadline.
 The fastest and easiest way to get a refund is to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/e-file-options">file an accurate return electronically</a> and choose <a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds/get-your-refund-faster-tell-irs-to-direct-deposit-your-refund-to-one-two-or-three-accounts">direct deposit</a>.

To help people claim these benefits, without charge, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free">Free File</a>
 will remain open for an extra month this year, until November 17, 2022.
 Available only at IRS.gov/FreeFile, Free File enables people whose 
incomes are $73,000 or less to file a return online for free using 
brand-name software. Free File is sponsored by the Free File Alliance, a
 partnership between the IRS and the tax-software industry.

People can also visit ChildTaxCredit.gov/file to file a 2021 income 
tax return. Individuals whose incomes are below $12,500 and couples 
whose incomes are below $25,000 may be able to file a simple tax return 
to claim the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit—which covers any stimulus 
payment amounts from 2021 they may have missed—and the Child Tax Credit.
 Individuals do not need to have children in order to use 
ChildTaxCredit.gov/file to find the right filing solution for them.

Further details on these expanded tax benefits

Besides these three credits, many filers may also qualify for two other benefits with a tax return filed for 2021:

Further details on all these benefits are available in a fact sheet, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-expanded-credits-for-families-highlight-tax-changes-for-2021-many-people-who-dont-normally-file-should-file-this-year">FS-2022-10</a>, posted earlier this year on IRS.gov.

The IRS urges everyone to make sure they have all their year-end 2021
 tax statements in hand before filing their 2021 return. Besides all 
W-2s and 1099s, this includes two statements issued by the IRS -- <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-letter-6419">Letter 6419</a>,
 showing their total advance Child Tax Credit payments, and Letter 6475,
 showing their total EIP3 payments. People can also use IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account">Online Account</a>
 to see the total amounts of their third round of Economic Impact 
Payments or advance Child Tax Credit payments. For married couples who 
received joint payments, each spouse will need to sign into their own 
account to retrieve their separate amounts.

Whether or not they use Free File, anyone can find answers to their 
tax questions, forms and instructions and easy-to-use tools online at 
IRS.gov. They can use these resources to get help when they need it, at 
home, at work or on the go.

Claiming these credits has no effect on the ability of someone to be 
eligible for federal benefits like Supplemental Security Income (SSI), 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance 
for Needy Families (TANF), and the Special Supplemental Nutrition 
Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Claiming these credits 
also has no effect on an individual's immigration status or their 
ability to get a green card or immigration benefits.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — Starting this week, the Internal Revenue Service is 
sending letters to more than 9 million individuals and families who 
appear to qualify for a variety of key tax benefits but did not claim 
them by filing a 2021 federal income tax return. Many in this group may 
be eligible to claim some or all of the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit, the
 Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit and other tax credits 
depending on their personal and family situation.The special reminder letters, which will be arriving in mailboxes 
over the next few weeks, are being sent to people who appear to qualify 
for the Child Tax Credit (CTC), Recovery Rebate Credit (RRC) or Earned 
Income Tax Credit (EITC) but haven't yet filed a 2021 return to claim 
them. The letter, printed in both English and Spanish, provides a brief 
overview of each of these three credits."The IRS wants to remind potentially eligible people, especially 
families, that they may qualify for these valuable tax credits," said 
IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "We encourage people who haven't filed a 
tax return yet for 2021 to review these options. Even if they aren't 
required to file a tax return, they may still qualify for several 
important credits. We don't want people to overlook these tax credits, 
and the letters will remind people of their potential eligibility and 
steps they can take."<h2>Claiming the credits</h2>These and other tax benefits were expanded under last year's American
 Rescue Plan Act and other recent legislation. Even so, the only way to 
get the valuable benefits is to file a 2021 tax return.Often, individuals and families <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/does-my-childdependent-qualify-for-the-child-tax-credit-or-the-credit-for-other-dependents">can get these expanded tax benefits</a>,
 even if they have little or no income from a job, business or other 
source. This means that many people who don't normally need to file a 
tax return should do so this year, even if they haven't been required to
 file in recent years.For this mailing, Treasury's Office of Tax Analysis identified 
individuals who don't typically have a tax return filing requirement 
because they appear to have very low incomes, based on Forms W-2, 1099s 
and other third-party statements available to the IRS.The letters are similar to a special IRS mailing made in September 
2020 encouraging 9 million potential non-filers to submit a tax return 
for the first Economic Impact Payment. This is part of an ongoing effort
 to encourage people who aren't normally required to file to look into 
possible benefits available to them under the tax law. Every year, 
people can overlook filing a tax return when they may be entitled tax 
credits and a refund.People can file a tax return even if they haven't yet received their 
letter. The IRS reminds people that there's no penalty for a refund 
claimed on a tax return filed after the regular April 2022 tax deadline.
 The fastest and easiest way to get a refund is to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/e-file-options">file an accurate return electronically</a> and choose <a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds/get-your-refund-faster-tell-irs-to-direct-deposit-your-refund-to-one-two-or-three-accounts">direct deposit</a>.<h2>Free File to stay open until Nov. 17</h2>To help people claim these benefits, without charge, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free">Free File</a>
 will remain open for an extra month this year, until November 17, 2022.
 Available only at IRS.gov/FreeFile, Free File enables people whose 
incomes are $73,000 or less to file a return online for free using 
brand-name software. Free File is sponsored by the Free File Alliance, a
 partnership between the IRS and the tax-software industry.People can also visit ChildTaxCredit.gov/file to file a 2021 income 
tax return. Individuals whose incomes are below $12,500 and couples 
whose incomes are below $25,000 may be able to file a simple tax return 
to claim the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit—which covers any stimulus 
payment amounts from 2021 they may have missed—and the Child Tax Credit.
 Individuals do not need to have children in order to use 
ChildTaxCredit.gov/file to find the right filing solution for them.<h2>Further details on these expanded tax benefits</h2>The three credits include:<ul>
 <li>An expanded <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/2021-child-tax-credit-and-advance-child-tax-credit-payments-frequently-asked-questions">Child Tax Credit</a>:
 Families can claim this credit, even if they received monthly advance 
payments during the last half of 2021. The total credit can be as much 
as $3,600 per child.</li><li>A more generous <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit-eitc">Earned Income Tax Credit</a>:
 The law boosted the EITC for childless workers. There are also changes 
that can help low- and moderate-income families with children. The 
credit can be as much as $1,502 for workers with no qualifying children,
 $3,618 for those with one child, $5,980 for those with two children and
 $6,728 for those with at least three children.</li><li>The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/recovery-rebate-credit">Recovery Rebate Credit</a>:
 Those who missed out on last year's third round of Economic Impact 
Payments (EIP3) may be eligible to claim the RRC. Often referred to as 
stimulus payments, this credit can also help eligible people whose EIP3 
was less than the full amount, including those who welcomed a child in 
2021. The maximum credit is $1,400 for each qualifying adult, plus 
$1,400 for each eligible child or adult dependent.</li>
 </ul>Besides these three credits, many filers may also qualify for two other benefits with a tax return filed for 2021:<ul>
 <li>An increased <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/child-and-dependent-care-credit-information">Child and Dependent Care Credit</a>:
 Families who pay for daycare so they can work or look for work can get a
 tax credit worth up to $4,000 for one qualifying person and $8,000 for 
two or more qualifying persons.</li><li><a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/expanded-tax-benefits-help-individuals-and-businesses-give-to-charity-during-2021-deductions-up-to-600-available-for-cash-donations-by-non-itemizers">A deduction for gifts to charity</a>:
 Most tax-filers who take the standard deduction can deduct eligible 
cash contributions they made during 2021. Married couples filing jointly
 can deduct up to $600 in cash donations and individuals can deduct up 
to $300 in donations. In addition, itemizers who make large cash 
donations often qualify to deduct the full amount in 2021.</li>
 </ul>Further details on all these benefits are available in a fact sheet, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-expanded-credits-for-families-highlight-tax-changes-for-2021-many-people-who-dont-normally-file-should-file-this-year">FS-2022-10</a>, posted earlier this year on IRS.gov.<h2>Helpful reminders</h2>The IRS urges everyone to make sure they have all their year-end 2021
 tax statements in hand before filing their 2021 return. Besides all 
W-2s and 1099s, this includes two statements issued by the IRS -- <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-letter-6419">Letter 6419</a>,
 showing their total advance Child Tax Credit payments, and Letter 6475,
 showing their total EIP3 payments. People can also use IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account">Online Account</a>
 to see the total amounts of their third round of Economic Impact 
Payments or advance Child Tax Credit payments. For married couples who 
received joint payments, each spouse will need to sign into their own 
account to retrieve their separate amounts.Whether or not they use Free File, anyone can find answers to their 
tax questions, forms and instructions and easy-to-use tools online at 
IRS.gov. They can use these resources to get help when they need it, at 
home, at work or on the go.Claiming these credits has no effect on the ability of someone to be 
eligible for federal benefits like Supplemental Security Income (SSI), 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance 
for Needy Families (TANF), and the Special Supplemental Nutrition 
Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Claiming these credits 
also has no effect on an individual's immigration status or their 
ability to get a green card or immigration benefits.

IRS: 9M families who did not claim free COVID money notified

HOUSTON (AP) — A federal judge is set to again consider the fate of a program that prevents the deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the United States as children.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen last year declared the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program illegal.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-united-states-immigration-government-and-politics-b05499ef2d0d999c045079204d42be84">Last week, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said</a>&nbsp;he should take another look at DACA following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-immigration-government-and-politics-ba1233662ca743358c77ce5e0d037674">revisions adopted</a>&nbsp;by the Biden administration in August that were created to improve its chances of surviving legal scrutiny.

Hanen has scheduled a hearing Friday to meet with attorneys and discuss the next steps in the decade-long legal fight.

Hanen will likely ask lawyers for more information on the new DACA regulation, according to Nina Perales, an attorney with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund who will be representing DACA recipients at Friday’s hearing.

“It’s a safe bet the judge is going to call for more filings and more legal arguments because he now has to take up the question of the legality of the Biden administration regulation," Perales said.

But a timetable for how quickly those arguments need to be made and when Hanen would issue a final ruling will remain unclear until Friday's hearing, Perales said. The new regulation is set to take effect Oct. 31.

Several advocacy groups planned to attend the hearing and gather outside the federal courthouse on Friday.

Hanen last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-immigration-f01fc0f485a8983b5f072e7af324c43f">declared DACA illegal</a>&nbsp;after Texas and eight other Republican-leaning states filed a lawsuit claiming they are harmed financially, incurring hundreds of millions of dollars in health care, education and other costs, when immigrants are allowed to remain in the country illegally. They also argued that the White House overstepped its authority by granting immigration benefits that are for Congress to decide.

“Only Congress has the ability to write our nation’s immigration laws," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Thursday in a statement.

Hanen found DACA had not been subjected to public notice and comment periods required under the federal Administrative Procedures Act. But he left the Obama-era program intact for those already benefiting from it, pending the appeal. There were 611,270 people enrolled in DACA at the end of March.

A three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based appeals court upheld Hanen’s initial finding but sent the case back to Hanen so he could review the impact of the federal government’s new DACA regulation.

The new rule’s 453 pages are largely technical and represent little substantive change from the 2012 memo that created DACA, but it was subject to public comments as part of a formal rule-making process.

But even if Hanen were to issue a positive ruling on the new DACA regulation, the judge might still decide the program is illegal because it was not created by Congress, Perales said.

“Which is why so many right now are calling on Congress to act," she said.

After last week’s appeals court ruling, President Joe Biden and advocacy groups renewed their calls for Congress to pass permanent protections for “Dreamers," which is what people protected by DACA are commonly called. Congress has failed multiple times to pass proposals called the DREAM Act to protect DACA recipients.

Whatever Hanen decides, DACA is expected to go to the Supreme Court for a third time. In 2016, the Supreme Court deadlocked 4-4 over an expanded DACA and a version of the program for parents of DACA recipients. In 2020,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-elections-courts-immigration-4901a69e2fb198705ab4f5370b28810a">the high court ruled</a>&nbsp;5-4 that the Trump administration improperly ended DACA, allowing it to stay in place.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592492596183.png" alt="&nbsp;The judge has scheduled a hearing Friday to meet with attorneys and discuss the next steps in the decade-long legal fight-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;The judge has scheduled a hearing Friday to meet with attorneys and discuss the next steps in the decade-long legal fight-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>HOUSTON (AP) — A federal judge is set to again consider the fate of a program that prevents the deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the United States as children.U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen last year declared the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program illegal.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-united-states-immigration-government-and-politics-b05499ef2d0d999c045079204d42be84">Last week, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said</a>&nbsp;he should take another look at DACA following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-immigration-government-and-politics-ba1233662ca743358c77ce5e0d037674">revisions adopted</a>&nbsp;by the Biden administration in August that were created to improve its chances of surviving legal scrutiny.Hanen has scheduled a hearing Friday to meet with attorneys and discuss the next steps in the decade-long legal fight.Hanen will likely ask lawyers for more information on the new DACA regulation, according to Nina Perales, an attorney with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund who will be representing DACA recipients at Friday’s hearing.“It’s a safe bet the judge is going to call for more filings and more legal arguments because he now has to take up the question of the legality of the Biden administration regulation," Perales said.But a timetable for how quickly those arguments need to be made and when Hanen would issue a final ruling will remain unclear until Friday's hearing, Perales said. The new regulation is set to take effect Oct. 31.Several advocacy groups planned to attend the hearing and gather outside the federal courthouse on Friday.Hanen last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-immigration-f01fc0f485a8983b5f072e7af324c43f">declared DACA illegal</a>&nbsp;after Texas and eight other Republican-leaning states filed a lawsuit claiming they are harmed financially, incurring hundreds of millions of dollars in health care, education and other costs, when immigrants are allowed to remain in the country illegally. They also argued that the White House overstepped its authority by granting immigration benefits that are for Congress to decide.“Only Congress has the ability to write our nation’s immigration laws," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Thursday in a statement.Hanen found DACA had not been subjected to public notice and comment periods required under the federal Administrative Procedures Act. But he left the Obama-era program intact for those already benefiting from it, pending the appeal. There were 611,270 people enrolled in DACA at the end of March.A three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based appeals court upheld Hanen’s initial finding but sent the case back to Hanen so he could review the impact of the federal government’s new DACA regulation.The new rule’s 453 pages are largely technical and represent little substantive change from the 2012 memo that created DACA, but it was subject to public comments as part of a formal rule-making process.But even if Hanen were to issue a positive ruling on the new DACA regulation, the judge might still decide the program is illegal because it was not created by Congress, Perales said.“Which is why so many right now are calling on Congress to act," she said.After last week’s appeals court ruling, President Joe Biden and advocacy groups renewed their calls for Congress to pass permanent protections for “Dreamers," which is what people protected by DACA are commonly called. Congress has failed multiple times to pass proposals called the DREAM Act to protect DACA recipients.Whatever Hanen decides, DACA is expected to go to the Supreme Court for a third time. In 2016, the Supreme Court deadlocked 4-4 over an expanded DACA and a version of the program for parents of DACA recipients. In 2020,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-elections-courts-immigration-4901a69e2fb198705ab4f5370b28810a">the high court ruled</a>&nbsp;5-4 that the Trump administration improperly ended DACA, allowing it to stay in place.

DACA program's fate again before judge who ruled it illegal

By SCOTT CARLSON North Platte Post

WAVERLY, Neb.-The Lancaster County Sheriff's office is investigating after a 14-year-old allegedly stabbed a 15-year-old in a Waverly park.

Authorities said at around 11:47 a.m. on Thursday, deputies responded to the report of a stabbing at Wayne Park. Further investigation revealed the 14-year-old was responsible for the stabbing.

The 15-year-old was transported to an area hospital with injuries authorities said could be life-threatening.

The suspect was taken into custody by Nebraska State Patrol troopers and is in police custody.

Wayne Park will remain closed as investigators continue to process the crime scene.

Authorities will hold a news conference on Friday morning, where more information is expected to be released.&nbsp;

<a href="https://northplattepost.com/posts/2ddcec21-000f-4ace-b19e-4250120d6629">&nbsp;&nbsp;Download The Post app for iOs or Android</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665690181730.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By SCOTT CARLSON North Platte PostWAVERLY, Neb.-The Lancaster County Sheriff's office is investigating after a 14-year-old allegedly stabbed a 15-year-old in a Waverly park.Authorities said at around 11:47 a.m. on Thursday, deputies responded to the report of a stabbing at Wayne Park. Further investigation revealed the 14-year-old was responsible for the stabbing.The 15-year-old was transported to an area hospital with injuries authorities said could be life-threatening.The suspect was taken into custody by Nebraska State Patrol troopers and is in police custody.Wayne Park will remain closed as investigators continue to process the crime scene.Authorities will hold a news conference on Friday morning, where more information is expected to be released.&nbsp;<a href="https://northplattepost.com/posts/2ddcec21-000f-4ace-b19e-4250120d6629">&nbsp;&nbsp;Download The Post app for iOs or Android</a><figure>
 <img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/trH4ObZdMVo-eptgfXNwGNkKuUwqkCO_zLPxG1RKOHx2Up3ZQdnkO1-9aSlTWMQ90calC_0Csg8dtiaIlOqlAStoQUVOZWcfix2B9j6aX1WoS5f9fwP140MX6vqWZGjAYEbUv7GvGqZclzMOqZ19WUSxEqZrm9lcFH5YE5A2F5XiqT-8qKZdH3FZ" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

14-year-old accused of stabbing 15-year-old in Waverly

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A fifth union has now ratified its deal with the major freight railroads just days after one of the largest rail unions rejected their tentative agreement.

The Mechanical and Engineering Department of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation workers union voted Wednesday to approve its five-year contract that includes 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses. Now five of the 12 rail unions have approved their agreements with the railroads and a sixth one is set to vote Thursday, but all 12 have to endorse their deals to prevent a strike that would devastate the economy.

Fears of a strike were renewed earlier this week when the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division union voted down its contract, but there is no immediate threat of a walkout because that union agreed to delay any action until at least mid November to allow time to renegotiate a new deal.

The agreements the unions are voting on include the largest raises workers have seen in more than four decades, but the tentative deals don't resolve most of the members' quality of life concerns about strict schedules, the lack of paid time off and demanding workloads after the railroads eliminated some 45,000 jobs over the past six years.

The negotiations included roughly 115,000 workers at Norfolk Southern, CSX, BNSF, Union Pacific, Kansas City Southern and other railroads.

The general president of the SMART-MD union, Joseph Sellers Jr., promised to keep fighting to get workers the “wages, benefits and working conditions that they deserve for keeping the American economy running.”

The railroads play such an important role delivering raw materials and finished products that most businesses rely on that President Joe Biden intervened in the contract talks last month and put pressure on both sides to reach agreements before a mid-September strike deadline.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661823524314.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A fifth union has now ratified its deal with the major freight railroads just days after one of the largest rail unions rejected their tentative agreement.The Mechanical and Engineering Department of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation workers union voted Wednesday to approve its five-year contract that includes 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses. Now five of the 12 rail unions have approved their agreements with the railroads and a sixth one is set to vote Thursday, but all 12 have to endorse their deals to prevent a strike that would devastate the economy.Fears of a strike were renewed earlier this week when the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division union voted down its contract, but there is no immediate threat of a walkout because that union agreed to delay any action until at least mid November to allow time to renegotiate a new deal.The agreements the unions are voting on include the largest raises workers have seen in more than four decades, but the tentative deals don't resolve most of the members' quality of life concerns about strict schedules, the lack of paid time off and demanding workloads after the railroads eliminated some 45,000 jobs over the past six years.The negotiations included roughly 115,000 workers at Norfolk Southern, CSX, BNSF, Union Pacific, Kansas City Southern and other railroads.The general president of the SMART-MD union, Joseph Sellers Jr., promised to keep fighting to get workers the “wages, benefits and working conditions that they deserve for keeping the American economy running.”The railroads play such an important role delivering raw materials and finished products that most businesses rely on that President Joe Biden intervened in the contract talks last month and put pressure on both sides to reach agreements before a mid-September strike deadline.

Only 5 of 12 unions have approved deal to avoid railroad strike

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida school shooter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikolas-cruz">Nikolas Cruz</a>&nbsp;will be sentenced to life without parole for the 2018 murder of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-florida-gun-politics-school-boards-nikolas-cruz-44a0da3e406f0c487e5c0a6b0855ee2e">17 people</a>&nbsp;at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, after the jury said Thursday that it could not unanimously agree that he should be executed — a decision that left some parents in tears as they exited the courtroom.

The jury’s recommendation came after seven hours of deliberations over two days, ending a three-month trial that included graphic videos, photos and testimony from the massacre and its aftermath, heart-wrenching testimony from victims’ family members and a tour of the still blood-spattered building.

Under Florida law, a death sentence requires a unanimous vote on at least one count. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer will formally issue the life sentences Nov. 1. Relatives, along with the students and teachers Cruz wounded, will be given the opportunity to speak at the sentencing hearing.

Cruz, his hair unkempt, largely sat hunched over and stared at the table as the jury’s recommendations were read. Rumblings grew from the family section — packed with about three dozen parents, spouses and other relatives of the victims — as life sentences were announced. Many shook their heads, looked angry or covered their eyes, as the judge spent 50 minutes reading the jury's decision for each victim. Some parents sobbed as they left court.

Cruz, 24,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/parkland-school-shooting-nikolas-cruz-guilty-plea-1bad323e22fe4517cf851395b252bd4b">pleaded guilty a year ago</a>&nbsp;to murdering 14 students and three staff members and wounding 17 others on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/school-shootings-shootings-florida-ap-top-news-fl-state-wire-49734418df1e477681cf36b29faca7da">Feb. 14, 2018.</a>&nbsp;Cruz said he chose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-045455fc875b7a91800468995c18dcf5">Valentine’s Day</a>&nbsp;to make it impossible for Stoneman Douglas students to celebrate the holiday ever again.

The massacre is the deadliest mass shooting that has ever gone to trial in the U.S. Nine other people in the U.S. who fatally shot at least 17 people died during or immediately after their attacks by suicide or police gunfire. The suspect in the 2019 massacre of 23 at an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-paso-texas-mass-shooting-shootings-us-news-ap-top-news-tx-state-wire-3fd473325d17429784e91a3c8c7b3909">El Paso, Texas, Walmart</a>&nbsp;is awaiting trial.

Lead prosecutor Mike Satz kept&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-d6444cc4006d4c15a05ea8cea00d729a">his case simple</a>&nbsp;for the seven-man, five-woman jury. He focused on Cruz’s eight months of planning, the seven minutes he stalked the halls of a three-story classroom building, firing 140 shots with an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-60791bdf38785f494400c43b90a97c39">AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle,</a>&nbsp;and his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-c95f663e6262da40241fe354e4e363fd">escape</a>.

He played security videos of the shooting and showed gruesome crime scene and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/parkland-florida-school-shooting-15bb37e57ead25b9025bf033b4c679b8">autopsy photos.</a>&nbsp;Teachers and students testified about watching others die. He took the jury to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nikolas-cruz-trial-parkland-shooting-scene-cf04bb9cebd45e01cf92db39e8c1a423">the fenced-off building,</a>&nbsp;which remains blood-stained and bullet-pocked. v gave tearful and angry statements.

Cruz’s lead attorney Melisa McNeill and her team never questioned the horror he inflicted, but focused on their belief that his birth mother’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-2a89b5dde897d5cc47586ee5b3a70157">heavy drinking</a>&nbsp;during pregnancy left him with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Their experts said his bizarre, troubling and sometimes violent behavior starting at age 2 was misdiagnosed as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, meaning he never got the proper treatment. That left his widowed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-shootings-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-2cc9e1f433788bb16445249055715b1e">adoptive mother</a>&nbsp;overwhelmed, they said.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-418ced4a1484404aca34cdb728c0d167">The defense cut its case short,</a>&nbsp;calling only about 25 of the 80 witnesses they said would testify. They never brought up Cruz’s high school years or called his younger half-brother, Zachary, whom they accused of bullying.

In rebuttal, Satz and his team contended that Cruz did not suffer from fetal alcohol damage but has antisocial personality disorder — in lay terms, he’s a sociopath. Their witnesses said Cruz faked brain damage during testing and that he was capable of controlling his actions, but chose not to. For example, they pointed to his employment as a cashier at a discount store where he never had any disciplinary issues.

Prosecutors also played numerous video recordings of Cruz discussing the crime with their mental health experts where he talked about his planning and motivation.

The defense alleged on cross-examination that Cruz was sexually molested and raped by a 12-year-old neighbor when he was 9.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665673933980.png" alt="Cruz original booking photo Broward County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Cruz original booking photo Broward County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida school shooter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikolas-cruz">Nikolas Cruz</a>&nbsp;will be sentenced to life without parole for the 2018 murder of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-florida-gun-politics-school-boards-nikolas-cruz-44a0da3e406f0c487e5c0a6b0855ee2e">17 people</a>&nbsp;at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, after the jury said Thursday that it could not unanimously agree that he should be executed — a decision that left some parents in tears as they exited the courtroom.The jury’s recommendation came after seven hours of deliberations over two days, ending a three-month trial that included graphic videos, photos and testimony from the massacre and its aftermath, heart-wrenching testimony from victims’ family members and a tour of the still blood-spattered building.Under Florida law, a death sentence requires a unanimous vote on at least one count. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer will formally issue the life sentences Nov. 1. Relatives, along with the students and teachers Cruz wounded, will be given the opportunity to speak at the sentencing hearing.Cruz, his hair unkempt, largely sat hunched over and stared at the table as the jury’s recommendations were read. Rumblings grew from the family section — packed with about three dozen parents, spouses and other relatives of the victims — as life sentences were announced. Many shook their heads, looked angry or covered their eyes, as the judge spent 50 minutes reading the jury's decision for each victim. Some parents sobbed as they left court.Cruz, 24,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/parkland-school-shooting-nikolas-cruz-guilty-plea-1bad323e22fe4517cf851395b252bd4b">pleaded guilty a year ago</a>&nbsp;to murdering 14 students and three staff members and wounding 17 others on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/school-shootings-shootings-florida-ap-top-news-fl-state-wire-49734418df1e477681cf36b29faca7da">Feb. 14, 2018.</a>&nbsp;Cruz said he chose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-045455fc875b7a91800468995c18dcf5">Valentine’s Day</a>&nbsp;to make it impossible for Stoneman Douglas students to celebrate the holiday ever again.The massacre is the deadliest mass shooting that has ever gone to trial in the U.S. Nine other people in the U.S. who fatally shot at least 17 people died during or immediately after their attacks by suicide or police gunfire. The suspect in the 2019 massacre of 23 at an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-paso-texas-mass-shooting-shootings-us-news-ap-top-news-tx-state-wire-3fd473325d17429784e91a3c8c7b3909">El Paso, Texas, Walmart</a>&nbsp;is awaiting trial.Lead prosecutor Mike Satz kept&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-d6444cc4006d4c15a05ea8cea00d729a">his case simple</a>&nbsp;for the seven-man, five-woman jury. He focused on Cruz’s eight months of planning, the seven minutes he stalked the halls of a three-story classroom building, firing 140 shots with an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-60791bdf38785f494400c43b90a97c39">AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle,</a>&nbsp;and his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-c95f663e6262da40241fe354e4e363fd">escape</a>.He played security videos of the shooting and showed gruesome crime scene and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/parkland-florida-school-shooting-15bb37e57ead25b9025bf033b4c679b8">autopsy photos.</a>&nbsp;Teachers and students testified about watching others die. He took the jury to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nikolas-cruz-trial-parkland-shooting-scene-cf04bb9cebd45e01cf92db39e8c1a423">the fenced-off building,</a>&nbsp;which remains blood-stained and bullet-pocked. v gave tearful and angry statements.Cruz’s lead attorney Melisa McNeill and her team never questioned the horror he inflicted, but focused on their belief that his birth mother’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-2a89b5dde897d5cc47586ee5b3a70157">heavy drinking</a>&nbsp;during pregnancy left him with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Their experts said his bizarre, troubling and sometimes violent behavior starting at age 2 was misdiagnosed as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, meaning he never got the proper treatment. That left his widowed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-shootings-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-2cc9e1f433788bb16445249055715b1e">adoptive mother</a>&nbsp;overwhelmed, they said.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-418ced4a1484404aca34cdb728c0d167">The defense cut its case short,</a>&nbsp;calling only about 25 of the 80 witnesses they said would testify. They never brought up Cruz’s high school years or called his younger half-brother, Zachary, whom they accused of bullying.In rebuttal, Satz and his team contended that Cruz did not suffer from fetal alcohol damage but has antisocial personality disorder — in lay terms, he’s a sociopath. Their witnesses said Cruz faked brain damage during testing and that he was capable of controlling his actions, but chose not to. For example, they pointed to his employment as a cashier at a discount store where he never had any disciplinary issues.Prosecutors also played numerous video recordings of Cruz discussing the crime with their mental health experts where he talked about his planning and motivation.The defense alleged on cross-examination that Cruz was sexually molested and raped by a 12-year-old neighbor when he was 9.

Florida school shooter avoids death penalty despite killing 17

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee voted unanimously Thursday to subpoena Donald Trump, demanding the former president's personal testimony as it unveiled startling new video from his closest aides describing his multi-part plan to overturn his 2020 election loss that resulted in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">the assault on the U.S. Capitol</a>.

(Click below to watch Thursday's hearing)

“We must seek the testimony under oath of January Sixth's central player,” said Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the committee’s vice chair.

Trump is almost certain to fight the subpoena and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mar-a-lago-donald-trump-government-and-politics-ap-top-news-14a7106b99130bb6e3ffaafc845e268f">decline to testify</a>. Spokesman Taylor Budowich in tweets accused panel members of “partisan theatrics” and said, “Pres Trump will not be intimidate by their meritless rhetoric or un-American actions.”

In the committee's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-elections-democracy-government-and-politics-6f302d624f539504339dc48d938eb6e0">10th public session</a>, just weeks before the congressional midterm elections, the panel summed up Trump’s “staggering betrayal" of his oath of office. That was how Democratic Chairman Bennie Thompson put it, describing Trump's unprecedented attempt to stop Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory.

With vivid new details and evidence, including from the former president's Cabinet secretaries and U.S. Secret Service, the panel showed Trump was told repeatedly by those around him that the election was over, yet he still orchestrated the far-reaching effort to stop Biden from taking office. Several former aides testified that Trump had said privately that he knew he had lost to Biden.

In other striking new video, the panel showed previously unseen footage of congressional leaders phoning officials for help during Capitol siege.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer can be seen talking to governors in neighboring Virginia and Maryland. Later it shows Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and other GOP leaders as the group asks Trump's acting attorney general for help.

“They’re breaking the law in many different ways — quite frankly at the instigation of the president of the United States,” Pelosi is heard saying at one point. “Do you believe this?” she exclaims.

The video comes from a documentary being produced by Pelosi’s daughter, according to two people familiar with the matter and granted anonymity to discuss it.

Earlier, in never-before-seen Secret Service messages, the panel produced evidence that extremist groups provided the muscle in the fight for Trump’s presidency, planning weeks before the attack to send a violent force to Washington.

The Secret Service warned in a Dec. 26, 2020, email of a tip that members of the right-wing Proud Boys planned to outnumber the police in a march in Washington on Jan. 6.

"It felt like the calm before the storm,” one Secret Service agent wrote in a group chat.

The House panel warned that the insurrection at the Capitol was not an isolated incident but a warning of the fragility of the nation’s democracy in the post-Trump era.

“None of this is normal or acceptable or lawful in a republic,” Cheney declared.

“There is no defense that Donald Trump was duped or irrational. No president can defy the rule of law and act this way in a constitutional republic, period.”

Statements from Thompson and Cheney were laden with language frequently seen in criminal indictments. Both lawmakers described Trump as “substantially” involved in the events of Jan. 6. Cheney said Trump had acted in a “premeditated” way.

To illustrate what it said were “purposeful lies,” the committee juxtaposed repeated instances in which top administration officials recounted telling Trump the actual facts with clips of him repeating the exact opposite at his pre-riot rally at the Ellipse on Jan. 6.

The committee may well make a decision on whether to make a criminal referral to the Justice Department.

Thursday's hearing opened at a mostly empty Capitol complex, with most lawmakers at home campaigning for reelection. Several people who were among the thousands around the Capitol on Jan. 6 are now running for congressional office, some with Trump’s backing. Police officers who fought the mob filled the hearing room's front row.

In one recorded interview, former White House official Alyssa Farah Griffin said that Trump looked up at a television and said, “Can you believe I lost to this (expletive) guy?"

The committee is also drawing on the trove of 1.5 million documents it received from the Secret Service, including an email from Dec. 11, 2020, the day the Supreme Court rejected one of the main lawsuits Trump’s team had brought against the election results.

“Just fyi. POTUS is pissed,” the Secret Service wrote, according to documents obtained by the committee.

White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide to then-chief of staff Mark Meadows, recalled Trump as being “livid” and “fired up” about the court's ruling.

Trump told Meadows “something to the effect of: ‘I don’t want people to know we lost, Mark. This is embarrassing. Figure it out,."

Cabinet members including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Attorney General William Barr and Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia also said in interviews shown at the hearing that they believed that once the legal avenues had been exhausted, that should have been the end of Trump's efforts to remain in power.

“In my view, that was the end of the matter," Barr said of the Dec. 14 Electoral College vote.

But rather than the end of Trump's efforts to stay in power, the committee signaled it was only the beginning — as the president summoned the crowd to Washington for a rally to fight the election on Jan. 6.

Thursday's session was serving as a closing argument for the panel’s two Republican lawmakers, Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who have essentially been shunned by Trump and their party and will not be returning in the new Congress. Cheney lost her primary election, and Kinzinger decided not to run.

The committee, having conducted more than 1,500 interviews and obtained countless documents, has produced a sweeping probe of Trump’s activities from his defeat in the November election to the Capitol attack.

“He has used this big lie to destabilize our democracy,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-N.Y., who was a young House staff member during the Richard Nixon impeachment inquiry in 1974. “When did that idea occur to him and what did he know while he was doing that?”

This week’s hearing was to be the final presentation from lawmakers before the midterm elections. But staff members say the investigation continues.

The Jan. 6 committee has been meeting for more than a year, set up by the House after Republican senators blocked the formation of an outside panel similar to the 9/11 commission set up after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Even after the launch of its high-profile public hearings last summer, the Jan. 6 committee continued to gather evidence and interviews.

Under committee rules, the Jan. 6 panel is to produce a report of its findings, likely in December. The committee will dissolve 30 days after publication of that report, and with the new Congress in January.

House Republicans are expected to drop the Jan. 6 probe and turn to other investigations if they win control after midterm elections, primarily focusing on Biden, his family and his administration.

At least five people died in the Jan. 6 attack and its aftermath, including a Trump supporter shot and killed by Capitol Police.

Police engaged in often bloody, hand-to-hand combat, as Trump’s supporters pushed past barricades, stormed the Capitol and roamed the halls, sending lawmakers fleeing for safety and temporarily disrupting the joint session of Congress certifying Biden’s election.

More than 850 people have been charged by the Justice Department in the Capitol attack, some receiving lengthy prison sentences for their roles. Several leaders and associates of the extremist Oath Keepers and Proud Boys have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-us-supreme-court-clarence-thomas-virginia-government-and-politics-3b4102509ef93bc37d24d7c8fd79ba80">charged with sedition</a>.

Trump faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">various state and federal investigations</a>&nbsp;over his actions in the election and its aftermath.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-elections-presidential-election-2020-congress-772291e2cdffbcaf780088fdef96d38f">House Jan. 6 committee</a>&nbsp;is set to unveil “surprising” details including evidence from Donald Trump’s Secret Service about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol</a>&nbsp;in what is likely to be its last public hearing before the November&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections">midterm elections</a>.

The hearing Thursday afternoon, the 10th public session by the panel, is expected to delve into Trump's “state of mind" and the central role the defeated president played in the multipart effort to overturn the election, according to a committee aide who discussed the plans on condition of anonymity.

The committee is starting to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-congress-government-and-politics-4e413d2d4927357bd9f5eaad1cf1a0a1">sum up its findings:</a>&nbsp;Trump, after losing the 2020 presidential election, launched an unprecedented attempt to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory. The result was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-riots-donald-trump-conspiracy-government-and-politics-def7c6a17cac57d1b3dff64e923afef7">the deadly mob siege</a>&nbsp;of the Capitol.

“The mob was led by some extremist groups — they plotted in advance what they were going to do,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., a committee member, told CNN. “And those individuals were known to people in the Trump orbit.”

Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., is poised to gavel in Thursday's session at an otherwise empty Capitol complex, with most lawmakers at home campaigning for reelection. Several people who were among the thousands around the Capitol on Jan. 6 are now running for congressional office, some with Trump’s backing.

The session will serve as a closing argument by the panel’s two Republican lawmakers,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/liz-cheney">Liz Cheney of Wyoming</a>&nbsp;and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who have essentially been shunned by Trump and their party and will not be returning in the new Congress. Cheney lost her primary election and Kinzinger decided not to run.

Another committee member, Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., a retired Naval commander, is in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-veterans-virginia-congress-25019bb3cb0b72a8f9150bdf1c987ad7">a tough reelection bid</a>&nbsp;against state Sen. Jen Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot.

Unlike past hearings, this one is not expected to feature live witnesses, though the panel is expected to share information from its recent interviews — including testimony from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-us-supreme-court-clarence-thomas-virginia-government-and-politics-3b4102509ef93bc37d24d7c8fd79ba80">Ginni Thomas</a>, the conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She was in contact with the White House during the run-up to Jan. 6.

Fresh information about the movements of then-Vice President Mike Pence, who was presiding over the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6 and was rushed to safety, is also expected, according to a person familiar with the committee's planning who was not authorized to discuss it publicly and requested anonymity.

For weeks the panel has been in talks with the U.S. Secret Service after issuing a subpoena to produce missing text messages from that day. Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson described being told by a White House aide about Trump angrily lunging at the driver of his presidential SUV and demanding to be taken from his rally to the Capitol as the mob formed on Jan. 6.

Some in the Secret Service have disputed Hutchinson's account of the events, but it is unclear if the missing texts that the agency has said were deleted during a technology upgrade will ever be recovered. The hearing is expected to reveal fresh details from a massive trove of documents and other evidence provided by the Secret Service.

The committee plans to show new video footage it received from the Secret Service of the rally on the White House Ellipse. Trump spoke there before encouraging his armed supporters to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell.”

The hearing also will include new documentary footage captured from the day of the attack.

The Secret Service has turned over 1.5 million pages of documents and surveillance video to the committee, according to agency spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

Lofgren said that as she learned the information being presented Thursday she found it “pretty surprising.”

“He has used this big lie to destabilize our democracy,” said Lofgren, who was a young House staff member during the Richard Nixon impeachment inquiry in 1974. “When did that idea occur to him and what did he know while he was doing that?”

This week’s hearing is expected to be the final investigative presentation from lawmakers before the midterm elections. But staff members say the investigation continues.

Under committee rules, the Jan. 6 panel is expected to produce a report of its findings, due after the election, likely in December. The committee will dissolve 30 days after publication of that report, and with the new Congress in January.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee voted unanimously Thursday to subpoena Donald Trump, demanding the former president's personal testimony as it unveiled startling new video from his closest aides describing his multi-part plan to overturn his 2020 election loss that resulted in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">the assault on the U.S. Capitol</a>.(Click below to watch Thursday's hearing)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IQvuBoLBuC0?start=704" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>“We must seek the testimony under oath of January Sixth's central player,” said Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the committee’s vice chair.Trump is almost certain to fight the subpoena and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mar-a-lago-donald-trump-government-and-politics-ap-top-news-14a7106b99130bb6e3ffaafc845e268f">decline to testify</a>. Spokesman Taylor Budowich in tweets accused panel members of “partisan theatrics” and said, “Pres Trump will not be intimidate by their meritless rhetoric or un-American actions.”In the committee's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-elections-democracy-government-and-politics-6f302d624f539504339dc48d938eb6e0">10th public session</a>, just weeks before the congressional midterm elections, the panel summed up Trump’s “staggering betrayal" of his oath of office. That was how Democratic Chairman Bennie Thompson put it, describing Trump's unprecedented attempt to stop Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory.With vivid new details and evidence, including from the former president's Cabinet secretaries and U.S. Secret Service, the panel showed Trump was told repeatedly by those around him that the election was over, yet he still orchestrated the far-reaching effort to stop Biden from taking office. Several former aides testified that Trump had said privately that he knew he had lost to Biden.In other striking new video, the panel showed previously unseen footage of congressional leaders phoning officials for help during Capitol siege.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer can be seen talking to governors in neighboring Virginia and Maryland. Later it shows Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and other GOP leaders as the group asks Trump's acting attorney general for help.“They’re breaking the law in many different ways — quite frankly at the instigation of the president of the United States,” Pelosi is heard saying at one point. “Do you believe this?” she exclaims.The video comes from a documentary being produced by Pelosi’s daughter, according to two people familiar with the matter and granted anonymity to discuss it.Earlier, in never-before-seen Secret Service messages, the panel produced evidence that extremist groups provided the muscle in the fight for Trump’s presidency, planning weeks before the attack to send a violent force to Washington.The Secret Service warned in a Dec. 26, 2020, email of a tip that members of the right-wing Proud Boys planned to outnumber the police in a march in Washington on Jan. 6."It felt like the calm before the storm,” one Secret Service agent wrote in a group chat.The House panel warned that the insurrection at the Capitol was not an isolated incident but a warning of the fragility of the nation’s democracy in the post-Trump era.“None of this is normal or acceptable or lawful in a republic,” Cheney declared.“There is no defense that Donald Trump was duped or irrational. No president can defy the rule of law and act this way in a constitutional republic, period.”Statements from Thompson and Cheney were laden with language frequently seen in criminal indictments. Both lawmakers described Trump as “substantially” involved in the events of Jan. 6. Cheney said Trump had acted in a “premeditated” way.To illustrate what it said were “purposeful lies,” the committee juxtaposed repeated instances in which top administration officials recounted telling Trump the actual facts with clips of him repeating the exact opposite at his pre-riot rally at the Ellipse on Jan. 6.The committee may well make a decision on whether to make a criminal referral to the Justice Department.Thursday's hearing opened at a mostly empty Capitol complex, with most lawmakers at home campaigning for reelection. Several people who were among the thousands around the Capitol on Jan. 6 are now running for congressional office, some with Trump’s backing. Police officers who fought the mob filled the hearing room's front row.In one recorded interview, former White House official Alyssa Farah Griffin said that Trump looked up at a television and said, “Can you believe I lost to this (expletive) guy?"The committee is also drawing on the trove of 1.5 million documents it received from the Secret Service, including an email from Dec. 11, 2020, the day the Supreme Court rejected one of the main lawsuits Trump’s team had brought against the election results.“Just fyi. POTUS is pissed,” the Secret Service wrote, according to documents obtained by the committee.White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide to then-chief of staff Mark Meadows, recalled Trump as being “livid” and “fired up” about the court's ruling.Trump told Meadows “something to the effect of: ‘I don’t want people to know we lost, Mark. This is embarrassing. Figure it out,."Cabinet members including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Attorney General William Barr and Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia also said in interviews shown at the hearing that they believed that once the legal avenues had been exhausted, that should have been the end of Trump's efforts to remain in power.“In my view, that was the end of the matter," Barr said of the Dec. 14 Electoral College vote.But rather than the end of Trump's efforts to stay in power, the committee signaled it was only the beginning — as the president summoned the crowd to Washington for a rally to fight the election on Jan. 6.Thursday's session was serving as a closing argument for the panel’s two Republican lawmakers, Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who have essentially been shunned by Trump and their party and will not be returning in the new Congress. Cheney lost her primary election, and Kinzinger decided not to run.The committee, having conducted more than 1,500 interviews and obtained countless documents, has produced a sweeping probe of Trump’s activities from his defeat in the November election to the Capitol attack.“He has used this big lie to destabilize our democracy,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-N.Y., who was a young House staff member during the Richard Nixon impeachment inquiry in 1974. “When did that idea occur to him and what did he know while he was doing that?”This week’s hearing was to be the final presentation from lawmakers before the midterm elections. But staff members say the investigation continues.The Jan. 6 committee has been meeting for more than a year, set up by the House after Republican senators blocked the formation of an outside panel similar to the 9/11 commission set up after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Even after the launch of its high-profile public hearings last summer, the Jan. 6 committee continued to gather evidence and interviews.Under committee rules, the Jan. 6 panel is to produce a report of its findings, likely in December. The committee will dissolve 30 days after publication of that report, and with the new Congress in January.House Republicans are expected to drop the Jan. 6 probe and turn to other investigations if they win control after midterm elections, primarily focusing on Biden, his family and his administration.At least five people died in the Jan. 6 attack and its aftermath, including a Trump supporter shot and killed by Capitol Police.Police engaged in often bloody, hand-to-hand combat, as Trump’s supporters pushed past barricades, stormed the Capitol and roamed the halls, sending lawmakers fleeing for safety and temporarily disrupting the joint session of Congress certifying Biden’s election.More than 850 people have been charged by the Justice Department in the Capitol attack, some receiving lengthy prison sentences for their roles. Several leaders and associates of the extremist Oath Keepers and Proud Boys have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-us-supreme-court-clarence-thomas-virginia-government-and-politics-3b4102509ef93bc37d24d7c8fd79ba80">charged with sedition</a>.Trump faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">various state and federal investigations</a>&nbsp;over his actions in the election and its aftermath.---------WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-elections-presidential-election-2020-congress-772291e2cdffbcaf780088fdef96d38f">House Jan. 6 committee</a>&nbsp;is set to unveil “surprising” details including evidence from Donald Trump’s Secret Service about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol</a>&nbsp;in what is likely to be its last public hearing before the November&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections">midterm elections</a>.The hearing Thursday afternoon, the 10th public session by the panel, is expected to delve into Trump's “state of mind" and the central role the defeated president played in the multipart effort to overturn the election, according to a committee aide who discussed the plans on condition of anonymity.The committee is starting to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-congress-government-and-politics-4e413d2d4927357bd9f5eaad1cf1a0a1">sum up its findings:</a>&nbsp;Trump, after losing the 2020 presidential election, launched an unprecedented attempt to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory. The result was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-riots-donald-trump-conspiracy-government-and-politics-def7c6a17cac57d1b3dff64e923afef7">the deadly mob siege</a>&nbsp;of the Capitol.“The mob was led by some extremist groups — they plotted in advance what they were going to do,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., a committee member, told CNN. “And those individuals were known to people in the Trump orbit.”Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., is poised to gavel in Thursday's session at an otherwise empty Capitol complex, with most lawmakers at home campaigning for reelection. Several people who were among the thousands around the Capitol on Jan. 6 are now running for congressional office, some with Trump’s backing.The session will serve as a closing argument by the panel’s two Republican lawmakers,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/liz-cheney">Liz Cheney of Wyoming</a>&nbsp;and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who have essentially been shunned by Trump and their party and will not be returning in the new Congress. Cheney lost her primary election and Kinzinger decided not to run.Another committee member, Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., a retired Naval commander, is in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-veterans-virginia-congress-25019bb3cb0b72a8f9150bdf1c987ad7">a tough reelection bid</a>&nbsp;against state Sen. Jen Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot.Unlike past hearings, this one is not expected to feature live witnesses, though the panel is expected to share information from its recent interviews — including testimony from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-us-supreme-court-clarence-thomas-virginia-government-and-politics-3b4102509ef93bc37d24d7c8fd79ba80">Ginni Thomas</a>, the conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She was in contact with the White House during the run-up to Jan. 6.Fresh information about the movements of then-Vice President Mike Pence, who was presiding over the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6 and was rushed to safety, is also expected, according to a person familiar with the committee's planning who was not authorized to discuss it publicly and requested anonymity.For weeks the panel has been in talks with the U.S. Secret Service after issuing a subpoena to produce missing text messages from that day. Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson described being told by a White House aide about Trump angrily lunging at the driver of his presidential SUV and demanding to be taken from his rally to the Capitol as the mob formed on Jan. 6.Some in the Secret Service have disputed Hutchinson's account of the events, but it is unclear if the missing texts that the agency has said were deleted during a technology upgrade will ever be recovered. The hearing is expected to reveal fresh details from a massive trove of documents and other evidence provided by the Secret Service.The committee plans to show new video footage it received from the Secret Service of the rally on the White House Ellipse. Trump spoke there before encouraging his armed supporters to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell.”The hearing also will include new documentary footage captured from the day of the attack.The Secret Service has turned over 1.5 million pages of documents and surveillance video to the committee, according to agency spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.Lofgren said that as she learned the information being presented Thursday she found it “pretty surprising.”The committee, having conducted more than 1,500 interviews and obtained countless documents, has produced a sweeping probe of Trump’s activities from his defeat in the November election to the Capitol attack.“He has used this big lie to destabilize our democracy,” said Lofgren, who was a young House staff member during the Richard Nixon impeachment inquiry in 1974. “When did that idea occur to him and what did he know while he was doing that?”This week’s hearing is expected to be the final investigative presentation from lawmakers before the midterm elections. But staff members say the investigation continues.The Jan. 6 committee has been meeting for more than a year, set up by the House after Republican senators blocked the formation of an outside panel similar to the 9/11 commission set up after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Even after the launch of its high-profile public hearings last summer, the Jan. 6 committee continued to gather evidence and interviews.Under committee rules, the Jan. 6 panel is expected to produce a report of its findings, due after the election, likely in December. The committee will dissolve 30 days after publication of that report, and with the new Congress in January.House Republicans are expected to drop the Jan. 6 probe and turn to other investigations if they win control after midterm elections, primarily focusing on Biden, his family and his administration.At least five people died in the Jan. 6 attack and its aftermath, including a Trump supporter shot and killed by Capitol Police.Police engaged in often bloody, hand-to-hand combat, as Trump’s supporters pushed past barricades, stormed the Capitol and roamed the halls, sending lawmakers fleeing for safety and temporarily disrupting the joint session of Congress certifying Biden’s election.More than 850 people have been charged by the Justice Department in the Capitol attack, some receiving lengthy prison sentences for their roles. Several leaders and associates of the extremist Oath Keepers and Proud Boys have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-us-supreme-court-clarence-thomas-virginia-government-and-politics-3b4102509ef93bc37d24d7c8fd79ba80">charged with sedition</a>.Trump faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">various state and federal investigations</a>&nbsp;over his actions in the election and its aftermath.

🎥 Jan. 6 panel subpoenas Trump for testimony on Capitol attack

WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation in the United States accelerated in September, with the cost of housing and other necessities intensifying pressure on households, wiping out pay gains and ensuring that the Federal Reserve will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-jerome-powell-unemployment-government-and-politics-96092b0d276a604b3c1e83f44b8e2ec9">keep raising interest rates aggressively.</a>

Consumer prices rose 8.2% in September compared with a year earlier, the government said Thursday. On a month-to-month basis, prices increased 0.4% from August to September after having ticked up 0.1% from July to August.

Excluding the volatile categories of food and energy, so-called core inflation soared far above expectations last month — a sign that the Fed’s five rate hikes this year have so far done little to cool inflation pressures. Core inflation climbed 0.6% from August to September and 6.6% over the past 12 months. The yearly core figure is the biggest increase in 40 years. Core prices typically provide a clearer picture of underlying price trends.

Major U.S. markets swung sharply lower, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 400 points, or 1.4%, in early trading. Markets in Europe tumbled as well.

Thursday’s report represents the final U.S. inflation figures before the Nov. 8 midterm elections after a campaign season in which spiking prices have fueled public anxiety, with many Republicans casting blame on President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats.

Higher prices for many services — health care, auto repair and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lifestyle-us-news-miami-florida-a4717c05df3cb0530b73a4fe998ec5d1">housing,</a>&nbsp;among others — drove inflation last month. A measure of housing costs jumped 0.8% in September, the biggest increase in 32 years. The Fed's rate hikes have sharply raised mortgage rates and caused home prices to fall. But declining house prices will take time to feed through into the government's measure.

“The primary driver of inflation has rotated away from goods prices and to services,” said Eric Winograd, U.S. economist at AB. “Services inflation is heavily influenced by wages, and so it is going to take a meaningful weakening of the labor market to bring inflation to heel.”

The cost of health insurance jumped 2.1% from August to September and more than 28% over the past 12 months — a record one-year increase. The cost of auto repairs surged 15% in September from a year earlier, also a record high.

Inflation in services is being fueled mainly by steady consumer demand and higher labor costs. Both Delta and American Airlines, for example, reported strong revenue and profit growth this week, driven by increased demand from travelers. Airfares rose a brisk 0.8% from August to September.

A range of services industries, including airlines, hospitals and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-health-economy-prices-pets-5e6ab45eb6e3e316a89158bb630a9835">even veterinary services</a>&nbsp;— are having to rapidly raise wages to attract the workers they need. Those higher labor costs, in turn, are often passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices.

Inflation has swollen families’ grocery bills, rents and utility costs, among other expenses, causing hardships for many and deepening pessimism about the economy despite strong job growth and historically low unemployment.

Kasondra Mathews is among those feeling the squeeze. Mathews, 50, who lives near Denver, has been working overtime as a nurse’s assistant to keep up with her rent and grocery bills. Her rent has increased roughly 5% a year for the past several years, shrinking her budget for other items.

With her daughter a senior in high school and headed soon to college, Mathews has found ways for her to apply to her preferred schools for free. She's also forgoing any visits to a college to avoid the travel expense.

“We didn’t get to do college tours, because we can’t afford it,” she said. “I couldn’t do the things you might want to do for your senior.”

Across the economy, prices are accelerating even as some of the supply chain problems bedeviling many manufacturers are easing. Core goods prices, which sent inflation higher last year, were unchanged last month.

As the elections near, Americans are increasingly taking a dim view of their finances,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-biden-health-economy-only-on-ap-65540cfa0f493ca94afd1fefd69df33e?taid=6346f71c62e530000142eb5a&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter">according to a new poll</a>&nbsp;by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Roughly 46% of people now describe their personal financial situation as poor, up from 37% in March. That sizable drop contrasts with the mostly steady readings that had lasted through the pandemic.

The September inflation numbers aren’t likely to change the Fed’s plans to keep hiking rates aggressively in an effort to wrest inflation under control. The Fed has boosted its key short-term rate by 3 percentage points since March, the fastest pace of hikes since the early 1980s. Those increases are intended to raise borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans and business loans and cool inflation by slowing the economy.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-business-economy-government-and-politics-99e965cd685c48ede5b412dbb5c0e95f">Minutes from the Fed’s most recent meeting</a>&nbsp;in late September showed that many policymakers have yet to see any progress in their fight against inflation. The officials projected that they would raise their benchmark rate by an additional 1.25 percentage points over their next two meetings in November and December. Doing so would put the Fed’s key rate at its highest level in 14 years.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation in the United States accelerated in September, with the cost of housing and other necessities intensifying pressure on households, wiping out pay gains and ensuring that the Federal Reserve will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-jerome-powell-unemployment-government-and-politics-96092b0d276a604b3c1e83f44b8e2ec9">keep raising interest rates aggressively.</a>Consumer prices rose 8.2% in September compared with a year earlier, the government said Thursday. On a month-to-month basis, prices increased 0.4% from August to September after having ticked up 0.1% from July to August.Excluding the volatile categories of food and energy, so-called core inflation soared far above expectations last month — a sign that the Fed’s five rate hikes this year have so far done little to cool inflation pressures. Core inflation climbed 0.6% from August to September and 6.6% over the past 12 months. The yearly core figure is the biggest increase in 40 years. Core prices typically provide a clearer picture of underlying price trends.Major U.S. markets swung sharply lower, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 400 points, or 1.4%, in early trading. Markets in Europe tumbled as well.Thursday’s report represents the final U.S. inflation figures before the Nov. 8 midterm elections after a campaign season in which spiking prices have fueled public anxiety, with many Republicans casting blame on President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats.Higher prices for many services — health care, auto repair and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lifestyle-us-news-miami-florida-a4717c05df3cb0530b73a4fe998ec5d1">housing,</a>&nbsp;among others — drove inflation last month. A measure of housing costs jumped 0.8% in September, the biggest increase in 32 years. The Fed's rate hikes have sharply raised mortgage rates and caused home prices to fall. But declining house prices will take time to feed through into the government's measure.“The primary driver of inflation has rotated away from goods prices and to services,” said Eric Winograd, U.S. economist at AB. “Services inflation is heavily influenced by wages, and so it is going to take a meaningful weakening of the labor market to bring inflation to heel.”The cost of health insurance jumped 2.1% from August to September and more than 28% over the past 12 months — a record one-year increase. The cost of auto repairs surged 15% in September from a year earlier, also a record high.Inflation in services is being fueled mainly by steady consumer demand and higher labor costs. Both Delta and American Airlines, for example, reported strong revenue and profit growth this week, driven by increased demand from travelers. Airfares rose a brisk 0.8% from August to September.A range of services industries, including airlines, hospitals and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-health-economy-prices-pets-5e6ab45eb6e3e316a89158bb630a9835">even veterinary services</a>&nbsp;— are having to rapidly raise wages to attract the workers they need. Those higher labor costs, in turn, are often passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices.Inflation has swollen families’ grocery bills, rents and utility costs, among other expenses, causing hardships for many and deepening pessimism about the economy despite strong job growth and historically low unemployment.Kasondra Mathews is among those feeling the squeeze. Mathews, 50, who lives near Denver, has been working overtime as a nurse’s assistant to keep up with her rent and grocery bills. Her rent has increased roughly 5% a year for the past several years, shrinking her budget for other items.With her daughter a senior in high school and headed soon to college, Mathews has found ways for her to apply to her preferred schools for free. She's also forgoing any visits to a college to avoid the travel expense.“We didn’t get to do college tours, because we can’t afford it,” she said. “I couldn’t do the things you might want to do for your senior.”Across the economy, prices are accelerating even as some of the supply chain problems bedeviling many manufacturers are easing. Core goods prices, which sent inflation higher last year, were unchanged last month.As the elections near, Americans are increasingly taking a dim view of their finances,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-biden-health-economy-only-on-ap-65540cfa0f493ca94afd1fefd69df33e?taid=6346f71c62e530000142eb5a&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter">according to a new poll</a>&nbsp;by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Roughly 46% of people now describe their personal financial situation as poor, up from 37% in March. That sizable drop contrasts with the mostly steady readings that had lasted through the pandemic.The September inflation numbers aren’t likely to change the Fed’s plans to keep hiking rates aggressively in an effort to wrest inflation under control. The Fed has boosted its key short-term rate by 3 percentage points since March, the fastest pace of hikes since the early 1980s. Those increases are intended to raise borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans and business loans and cool inflation by slowing the economy.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-business-economy-government-and-politics-99e965cd685c48ede5b412dbb5c0e95f">Minutes from the Fed’s most recent meeting</a>&nbsp;in late September showed that many policymakers have yet to see any progress in their fight against inflation. The officials projected that they would raise their benchmark rate by an additional 1.25 percentage points over their next two meetings in November and December. Doing so would put the Fed’s key rate at its highest level in 14 years.Along with lower gas prices, economists expect the prices of used cars to reduce or at least restrain inflation in the coming months. Wholesale used car prices have dropped for most of this year, though the declines have yet to show up in consumer inflation data. (Used vehicle prices had soared in 2021 after factory shutdowns and supply chain shortages reduced production.)Large retailers, too, have started offering early discounts for the holiday shopping season, after having amassed excess stockpiles of clothes, furniture and other goods earlier this year. Those price cuts might have lowered inflation in September or will do so in the coming months.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-holidays-shopping-d4c6e29ee240f162d8f8ffc67984eb56">Walmart has said it will offer steep discounts</a>&nbsp;on such items as toys, home goods, electronics and beauty. Target began offering holiday deals earlier this month.Yet prices for services — particularly rents and housing costs — are remaining persistently high and will likely take much longer to come down. Health care services, education and even veterinary services are still rising rapidly in price.“Services price increases tend to be more persistent than increases in the prices of goods,” Raphael Bostic, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, noted in remarks last week.Rising rental costs are a tricky issue for the Fed. Real-time data from websites such as ApartmentList suggest that rents on new leases are starting to decline.But the government’s measure tracks all rent payments — not just those for new leases — and most of them don’t change from month to month. Economists say it could be a year or longer before the declines in new leases feed through to government data.--------WASHINGTON (AP) — Any Americans hoping for relief from months of punishing inflation might not see much in Thursday's government report on price increases in September.Lower gas prices will probably reduce overall consumer inflation for a third straight month. But measures of “core” inflation, which are closely watched because they exclude volatile food and energy costs, are expected to return to a four-decade peak.Economists have estimated that the government's consumer price index jumped 8.1% in September from 12 months earlier, according to a survey by the data provider FactSet. That is a distressingly large gain, though below the 9.1% year-over-year peak that was reached in June.Core prices are estimated to have risen 0.4% from August to September, slower than the previous month but still a much faster pace than was typical before the pandemic. Measured over the past 12 months, core prices are forecast to have surged 6.5%, up from 6.3% in August. That's far above the 2% inflation that the Federal Reserve has long set as its target rate.Thursday's report will provide the final inflation figures before the Nov. 8 midterm elections after a campaign season in which spiking prices across the economy have fed widespread public anxiety, with many Republicans casting blame on President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats.Inflation has escalated families’ grocery bills, rents and utility costs, among many other expenses, inflicting hardships on households and deepening gloom about the economy despite strong job growth and historically low unemployment.As the election nears, Americans are increasingly taking a dim view of their finances,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-biden-health-economy-only-on-ap-65540cfa0f493ca94afd1fefd69df33e?taid=6346f71c62e530000142eb5a&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter">according to a new poll</a>&nbsp;by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Roughly 46% of people now describe their personal financial situation as poor, up from 37% in March. That sizable drop contrasts with the mostly steady readings that had lasted through the pandemic.The September inflation report, whatever it shows, isn't likely to change the Fed's plans to keep hiking rates aggressively in an effort to wrest inflation under control. The Fed has boosted its key short-term rate by 3 percentage points since March, the fastest pace of hikes since the early 1980s. Those increases are intended to raise borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans and business loans and cool inflation by slowing the economy.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-business-economy-government-and-politics-99e965cd685c48ede5b412dbb5c0e95f">Minutes from the Fed's most recent meeting</a>&nbsp;in late September showed that many policymakers have yet to see any progress in their fight against inflation. The officials projected that they would raise their benchmark rate by an additional 1.25 percentage points over their next two meetings in November and December. Doing so would put the Fed’s key rate at its highest level in 14 years.Along with lower gas prices, economists expect to see that the prices of used cars tumbled in September after small declines the previous two months. Wholesale used car prices have dropped for most of this year, though the declines have yet to show up in consumer inflation data. (Used vehicle prices had soared in 2021 after factory shutdowns and supply chain shortages reduced production.)Large retailers, too, have started offering early discounts for the holiday shopping season, after having amassed excess stockpiles of clothes, furniture and other goods earlier this year. Those price cuts might have lowered inflation in September or will do so in the coming months.Walmart&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-holidays-shopping-d4c6e29ee240f162d8f8ffc67984eb56">has said it will offer steep discounts</a>&nbsp;on such items as toys, home goods, electronics and beauty. Target began offering holiday deals earlier this month.Yet prices for services — particularly rents and housing costs — are remaining persistently high and will likely take much longer to come down. Health care services, education and even&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-health-economy-prices-pets-5e6ab45eb6e3e316a89158bb630a9835">veterinary services</a>&nbsp;are still rising rapidly in price.“Services price increases tend to be more persistent than increases in the prices of goods,” Raphael Bostic, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, noted in remarks last week.Rising rental costs are a tricky issue for the Fed. Real-time data from websites such as ApartmentList suggest that rents on new leases are starting to decline.But the government's measure tracks all rent payments — not just those for new leases — and most of them don't change from month to month. Economists say it could be a year or longer before the declines in new leases feed through to government data.