GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A jury on Friday acquitted two men of all charges in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-afefc541df8d47d33c8032caf147e066">plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer&nbsp;</a>but couldn’t reach verdicts against the two alleged leaders, a stunning defeat for the government after a weekslong trial that centered on a remarkable FBI sting operation just before the 2020 election.

Whitmer did not immediately comment on the outcome, though her chief of staff was critical, saying Americans are “living through the normalization of political violence.”

The result was announced on the fifth day of deliberations, a few hours&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-covid-health-adam-fox-grand-rapids-beebe13778b5b7d4b0db1f539225cce2">after the jury said it had been struggling&nbsp;</a>to find unanimity on charges&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-adam-fox-gretchen-whitmer-grand-rapids-michigan-d77fd078c408f21fa644b4da6cd47d33">in the 10-count indictment</a>. The judge told the panel to keep working, but jurors emerged again after lunch to say they still were deadlocked on some counts.

Daniel Harris, 24, and Brandon Caserta, 33, were found not guilty of conspiracy. In addition, Harris was acquitted of charges related to explosives and a gun.

The jury could not reach verdicts for Adam Fox, 38, and Barry Croft Jr., 46, which means the government can put them on trial again for two conspiracy charges. Croft also faces a separate explosives charge. They’ll remain in custody.

No juror spoke publicly about the mixed result.

“Obviously we’re disappointed with the outcome. ... We have two defendants that are awaiting trial and we’ll get back to work on that,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge said.

Harris and Caserta embraced their lawyers when U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker said they were free after 18 months in jail awaiting trial. Family members moments earlier gasped and cried with joy when the verdicts were read.

The arrests in Michigan came amid upheaval in the U.S. in 2020. The year had started with pandemic lockdowns then shifted to armed Capitol protests over COVID-19 restrictions ordered by Whitmer and other governors. By late May, anger over racial injustice and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-us-news-ap-top-news-hip-hop-and-rap-houston-a55d2662f200ead0da4fed9e923b60a7">the killing of George Floyd&nbsp;</a>by Minneapolis police erupted into demonstrations in cities nationwide.

In a Grand Rapids courtroom, during 13 days of testimony, prosecutors offered evidence from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-covid-health-adam-fox-gretchen-whitmer-559b1b0f372c90c981033eab3a152066">undercover agents</a>, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-grand-rapids-adam-fox-e8578fe23c449cd68e09723c8e2f7c03">crucial informant&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-biden-covid-health-michigan-aff035ce3331139a029b052a77279962">two men who pleaded guilty&nbsp;</a>to the plot. Jurors also read and heard secretly recorded conversations, violent social media posts and chat messages.

Ty Garbin, who pleaded guilty and is serving a six-year prison sentence, said the plan was to get Whitmer and cause enough chaos to trigger a civil war before the election&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-gretchen-whitmer-kidnapping-4661d87992f261475e974946bcb2fa19">, keeping Joe Biden from winning the presidency.</a>

Garbin and Kaleb Franks, who also pleaded guilty and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-biden-covid-health-michigan-aff035ce3331139a029b052a77279962">testified for the government,</a>&nbsp;were among the six who were arrested in October 2020 amid talk of raising $4,000 for an explosive to blow up a bridge and stymie any police response to a kidnapping, according to trial testimony.

Prosecutors said the group was steeped in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-gretchen-whitmer-traverse-city-grand-rapids-d84520c39c294c641c00053591da263a">anti-government extremism</a>&nbsp;and furious over Whitmer’s pandemic restrictions. There was evidence of a crudely built “shoot house” to practice going in and out of her vacation home, and a night ride by Croft, Fox and covert operatives to check the property.

But defense lawyers portrayed the men as credulous weekend warriors, often stoned on marijuana and prone to big, wild talk. They said FBI agents and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-crime-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-grand-rapids-5b91f52d9933810f7187ea1d0afa983f">informants tricked and cajoled the men</a>&nbsp;into targeting the governor.

During closing arguments a week ago, Fox’s attorney, Christopher Gibbons, said the plan was “utter nonsense,” and he pleaded with jurors to be the “firewall” against the government.

Harris was the only defendant to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-grand-rapids-adam-fox-e2d313964f946ab330e4b5fb39ad82df">testify in his own defense</a>, repeatedly telling jurors “absolutely not” when asked if he had targeted the governor.

“I think what the FBI did is unconscionable,” Caserta’s attorney, Michael Hills, said outside court. “And I think the jury just sent them a message loud and clear that these tactics — we’re not going to condone what they’ve done here.”

He said Whitmer was “never in any danger.”

Gibbons said the acquittals of Harris and Caserta demonstrated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-gretchen-whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-closing-argument-5adb7ca707b97b853aaa9a501192d37c">serious shortcomings in the government’s case</a>.

“We’ll be ready for another trial. ... We’ll eventually get what we wanted out of this, which is the truth and the justice I think Adam is entitled to,” Gibbons said.

Meanwhile, Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist said the “outcome is disappointing.” Whitmer’s office released a tough reaction from the governor’s chief of staff, JoAnne Huls.

“The plot to kidnap and kill a governor may seem like an anomaly. But we must be honest about what it really is: The result of violent, divisive rhetoric that is all too common across our country,” Huls said. “There must be accountability and consequences for those who commit heinous crimes. Without accountability, extremists will be emboldened.”

Deliberations resumed earlier Friday with a court employee handing jurors a large plastic bag containing pennies, known as evidence exhibit 291. The pennies were requested before jurors went home Thursday.

Pennies taped to a commercial-grade firework were intended to act like shrapnel against Whitmer’s security team, according to the government.

The trial covered 20 days since March 8, including jury selection, evidence, final arguments and jury deliberations. Croft is from Bear, Delaware, while the others are from Michigan.

Whitmer, a Democrat, wasn’t a trial witness and didn’t attend. She rarely talks publicly about the plot, though she referred to “surprises” during her term that seemed like “something out of fiction” when she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-health-covid-19-pandemic-michigan-1e87e8e3c78ae08b4382730fcbd9d63f">filed for reelection</a>&nbsp;on March 17.

She has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-race-and-ethnicity-donald-trump-kidnapping-health-816581f422e64c8fbb7ca119ed165b6e">blamed former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;for fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn right-wing extremists like those charged in the case.

A jury of six women and six men heard the case, as well as four alternates.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-grand-rapids-e7497b683e49a439b8b78f0cd6426786">Little is known about them</a>. Citing privacy, Jonker ordered that they be only identified by numbers. Two jurors were dismissed during the trial because of illness.

The jury pool was drawn from a 22-county region in western and northern Michigan that is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-covid-health-adam-fox-grand-rapids-beebe13778b5b7d4b0db1f539225cce2">largely rural, Republican and conservative.&nbsp;</a>Several people were dismissed after saying they had strong feelings about Whitmer — positive or negative — or the government.

Matthew Schneider, a former U.S. attorney in Detroit, believes prosecutors “could have done a better job” of learning about the backgrounds and personal views of some jurors who were called up near the end of the all-day selection process.

“The government had laid out its case. The jury didn’t believe it,” Schneider said of the verdict.

Separately, authorities in state court are prosecuting eight men who are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-us-news-state-courts-courts-ap-travel-da09ca66cd8d5f36722021d3593425ff">accused of aiding the group</a>&nbsp;that was on trial in federal court.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649507142200.png" alt="Gov. Whitmer" />
 <figcaption>Gov. Whitmer</figcaption>
 </figure>By ASSOCIATED PRESSGRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A jury on Friday acquitted two men of all charges in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-afefc541df8d47d33c8032caf147e066">plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer&nbsp;</a>but couldn’t reach verdicts against the two alleged leaders, a stunning defeat for the government after a weekslong trial that centered on a remarkable FBI sting operation just before the 2020 election.Whitmer did not immediately comment on the outcome, though her chief of staff was critical, saying Americans are “living through the normalization of political violence.”The result was announced on the fifth day of deliberations, a few hours&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-covid-health-adam-fox-grand-rapids-beebe13778b5b7d4b0db1f539225cce2">after the jury said it had been struggling&nbsp;</a>to find unanimity on charges&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-adam-fox-gretchen-whitmer-grand-rapids-michigan-d77fd078c408f21fa644b4da6cd47d33">in the 10-count indictment</a>. The judge told the panel to keep working, but jurors emerged again after lunch to say they still were deadlocked on some counts.Daniel Harris, 24, and Brandon Caserta, 33, were found not guilty of conspiracy. In addition, Harris was acquitted of charges related to explosives and a gun.The jury could not reach verdicts for Adam Fox, 38, and Barry Croft Jr., 46, which means the government can put them on trial again for two conspiracy charges. Croft also faces a separate explosives charge. They’ll remain in custody.No juror spoke publicly about the mixed result.“Obviously we’re disappointed with the outcome. ... We have two defendants that are awaiting trial and we’ll get back to work on that,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge said.Harris and Caserta embraced their lawyers when U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker said they were free after 18 months in jail awaiting trial. Family members moments earlier gasped and cried with joy when the verdicts were read.The arrests in Michigan came amid upheaval in the U.S. in 2020. The year had started with pandemic lockdowns then shifted to armed Capitol protests over COVID-19 restrictions ordered by Whitmer and other governors. By late May, anger over racial injustice and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-us-news-ap-top-news-hip-hop-and-rap-houston-a55d2662f200ead0da4fed9e923b60a7">the killing of George Floyd&nbsp;</a>by Minneapolis police erupted into demonstrations in cities nationwide.In a Grand Rapids courtroom, during 13 days of testimony, prosecutors offered evidence from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-covid-health-adam-fox-gretchen-whitmer-559b1b0f372c90c981033eab3a152066">undercover agents</a>, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-grand-rapids-adam-fox-e8578fe23c449cd68e09723c8e2f7c03">crucial informant&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-biden-covid-health-michigan-aff035ce3331139a029b052a77279962">two men who pleaded guilty&nbsp;</a>to the plot. Jurors also read and heard secretly recorded conversations, violent social media posts and chat messages.Ty Garbin, who pleaded guilty and is serving a six-year prison sentence, said the plan was to get Whitmer and cause enough chaos to trigger a civil war before the election&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-gretchen-whitmer-kidnapping-4661d87992f261475e974946bcb2fa19">, keeping Joe Biden from winning the presidency.</a>Garbin and Kaleb Franks, who also pleaded guilty and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-biden-covid-health-michigan-aff035ce3331139a029b052a77279962">testified for the government,</a>&nbsp;were among the six who were arrested in October 2020 amid talk of raising $4,000 for an explosive to blow up a bridge and stymie any police response to a kidnapping, according to trial testimony.Prosecutors said the group was steeped in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-gretchen-whitmer-traverse-city-grand-rapids-d84520c39c294c641c00053591da263a">anti-government extremism</a>&nbsp;and furious over Whitmer’s pandemic restrictions. There was evidence of a crudely built “shoot house” to practice going in and out of her vacation home, and a night ride by Croft, Fox and covert operatives to check the property.But defense lawyers portrayed the men as credulous weekend warriors, often stoned on marijuana and prone to big, wild talk. They said FBI agents and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-crime-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-grand-rapids-5b91f52d9933810f7187ea1d0afa983f">informants tricked and cajoled the men</a>&nbsp;into targeting the governor.During closing arguments a week ago, Fox’s attorney, Christopher Gibbons, said the plan was “utter nonsense,” and he pleaded with jurors to be the “firewall” against the government.Harris was the only defendant to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-grand-rapids-adam-fox-e2d313964f946ab330e4b5fb39ad82df">testify in his own defense</a>, repeatedly telling jurors “absolutely not” when asked if he had targeted the governor.“I think what the FBI did is unconscionable,” Caserta’s attorney, Michael Hills, said outside court. “And I think the jury just sent them a message loud and clear that these tactics — we’re not going to condone what they’ve done here.”He said Whitmer was “never in any danger.”Gibbons said the acquittals of Harris and Caserta demonstrated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-gretchen-whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-closing-argument-5adb7ca707b97b853aaa9a501192d37c">serious shortcomings in the government’s case</a>.“We’ll be ready for another trial. ... We’ll eventually get what we wanted out of this, which is the truth and the justice I think Adam is entitled to,” Gibbons said.Meanwhile, Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist said the “outcome is disappointing.” Whitmer’s office released a tough reaction from the governor’s chief of staff, JoAnne Huls.“The plot to kidnap and kill a governor may seem like an anomaly. But we must be honest about what it really is: The result of violent, divisive rhetoric that is all too common across our country,” Huls said. “There must be accountability and consequences for those who commit heinous crimes. Without accountability, extremists will be emboldened.”Deliberations resumed earlier Friday with a court employee handing jurors a large plastic bag containing pennies, known as evidence exhibit 291. The pennies were requested before jurors went home Thursday.Pennies taped to a commercial-grade firework were intended to act like shrapnel against Whitmer’s security team, according to the government.The trial covered 20 days since March 8, including jury selection, evidence, final arguments and jury deliberations. Croft is from Bear, Delaware, while the others are from Michigan.Whitmer, a Democrat, wasn’t a trial witness and didn’t attend. She rarely talks publicly about the plot, though she referred to “surprises” during her term that seemed like “something out of fiction” when she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-health-covid-19-pandemic-michigan-1e87e8e3c78ae08b4382730fcbd9d63f">filed for reelection</a>&nbsp;on March 17.She has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-race-and-ethnicity-donald-trump-kidnapping-health-816581f422e64c8fbb7ca119ed165b6e">blamed former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;for fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn right-wing extremists like those charged in the case.A jury of six women and six men heard the case, as well as four alternates.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-grand-rapids-e7497b683e49a439b8b78f0cd6426786">Little is known about them</a>. Citing privacy, Jonker ordered that they be only identified by numbers. Two jurors were dismissed during the trial because of illness.The jury pool was drawn from a 22-county region in western and northern Michigan that is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-covid-health-adam-fox-grand-rapids-beebe13778b5b7d4b0db1f539225cce2">largely rural, Republican and conservative.&nbsp;</a>Several people were dismissed after saying they had strong feelings about Whitmer — positive or negative — or the government.Matthew Schneider, a former U.S. attorney in Detroit, believes prosecutors “could have done a better job” of learning about the backgrounds and personal views of some jurors who were called up near the end of the all-day selection process.“The government had laid out its case. The jury didn’t believe it,” Schneider said of the verdict.Separately, authorities in state court are prosecuting eight men who are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-us-news-state-courts-courts-ap-travel-da09ca66cd8d5f36722021d3593425ff">accused of aiding the group</a>&nbsp;that was on trial in federal court.

Whitmer kidnap plot: 2 men acquitted, hung jury for 2 more

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the latest Senate package targeted at stopping the coronavirus, U.S. lawmakers dropped nearly all funding for curbing the virus beyond American borders, a move many health experts slammed as dangerously short-sighted.

They warn the suspension of COVID-19 aid for poorer countries could ultimately allow the kind of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-pandemics-dc99bc9f769dd6d7cb669e3d185c6261">unchecked transmission</a>&nbsp;needed for the next worrisome variant to emerge and unravel much of the progress achieved so far.

The U.S. has been the biggest contributor to the global pandemic response, delivering more than 500 million vaccines, and the lack of funding will be a major setback. The money has paid for numerous interventions, including a mass vaccination campaign in the Cameroonian capital that saw hundreds of thousands of people get their first dose, as well as the construction of a COVID-19 care facility in South Africa and the donation of 1,000 ventilators to that country.

Other U.S.-funded vaccination campaigns in dozens of countries, including Uganda, Zambia, Ivory Coast and Mali, could also come to a grinding halt.

“Any stoppage of funds will affect us,” said Misaki Wayengera, a Ugandan official who heads a technical committee advising the government on the pandemic response. He said Uganda has leaned heavily on donor help — it received more than 11 million vaccines from the U.S. — and that any cuts “would make it very difficult for us to make ends meet.”

“This is a bit of a kick in the teeth to poor countries that were promised billions of vaccines and resources last year in grand pledges made by the G7 and the G20,” said Michael Head, a global health research fellow at Britain’s Southampton University.

“Given how badly we’ve failed on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-inequality-dac9c07b324e29d3597037b8dc1d908a">vaccine equity,</a>&nbsp;it’s clear all of those promises have now been broken,” he said, adding that without concerted effort and money to fight COVID-19 in the coming months, the pandemic could persist for years.

While about 66% of the American population has been fully immunized against the coronavirus, fewer than 15% of people in poorer countries have received a single dose. Health officials working on COVID-19 vaccination in developing countries supported by the U.S. say they expect to see a reversal of progress once the funds disappear.

“Vaccination will stop or not even get started in some countries,” said Rachel Hall, executive director of U.S. government advocacy at the charity CARE. She cited estimates from USAID that the suspended funding would mean scrapping testing, treatment and health services for about 100 million people.

Although vaccines are more plentiful this year, many poorer countries have struggled to get shots into arms and hundreds of millions of donated vaccines have either expired, been returned or sat unused. To address those logistical hurdles, U.S. aid has financed critical services in countries across Africa, including the safe delivery of vaccines, training health workers and fighting vaccine misinformation.

For example, in November the U.S. Embassy in the Cameroonian capital set up a tent for mass vaccination: Within the first five days, more than 300,000 people received a dose. Those kinds of events will now be harder to conduct without American funds.

Hall also noted there would be consequences far beyond COVID-19, saying countries struggling with multiple disease outbreaks, like Congo and Mali, would face difficult choices.

“They will have to choose between fighting Ebola, malaria, polio, COVID and more,” she said.

Jeff Zients, the outgoing leader of the White House COVID-19 task force, expressed regret the legislation doesn’t include resources for the international pandemic fight, noting that would also compromise efforts to track the virus’ genetic evolution.

“It is a real disappointment that there’s no global funding in this bill,” he said. “This virus knows no borders, and it’s in our national interest to vaccinate the world and protect against possible new variants.”

Still, Zients announced the U.S. would be the first to donate “tens of millions” of doses for children to poorer countries and said more than 20 nations had already requested the shots.

J. Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, lamented that lawmakers were erring on the side of optimism about the pandemic precisely when another surge might be arriving.

“We’ve made that mistake several times in this pandemic. And we may be making that mistake again,” he said. In recent weeks, COVID-19 cases caused by the hugely infectious omicron subvariant BA.2 have surged across&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-business-immunizations-9b222cf32687808b61606391f7f7328b">Europe</a>, and American officials say they expect a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-europe-infectious-diseases-e338ab4c30b68025dbc049c36838f357">U.S. spike&nbsp;</a>soon.

Other experts worried the suspension of U.S. global support for COVID-19 might prompt officials to drop current vaccination goals. The World Health Organization had set a target of immunizing at least 70% of people in all countries by the middle of this year, but with nearly 50 countries vaccinating fewer than 20% of their populations, hitting that target is highly unlikely.

Instead, some organizations like the Rockefeller Foundation have pushed for officials to “refocus vaccination goals away from vaccinating 70% of all adults by summer to vaccinating 90% of those most at-risk in each country,” in what some critics say is an implicit acknowledgment of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-coronavirus-vaccine-pandemics-5053ab9a4c6288e1b70ccd67aa34c504">world’s repeated failures</a>&nbsp;to share vaccines fairly. Others point out there shouldn’t be competing vaccine targets and that health authorities simply need to do more, rather than adjusting global goals.

In Nigeria, which has so far received at least $143 million in COVID-19 aid from the U.S, authorities dismissed suggestions their coronavirus programs would suffer as a result of lost funding. The Nigerian president’s office said help from the U.S. was mostly “in kind” via capacity building, research support and donations of laboratory equipment and vaccines. “We are confident that this will not cause any disruption of our current programs,” it said.

However, others warned the U.S. decision set an unfortunate precedent for global cooperation to end the pandemic at a time when fresh concerns like the Ukraine war are drawing more attention.

U.S. President Joe Biden originally planned to convene a virtual summit in the first quarter of this year to keep international efforts on track, but no event has been scheduled.

“In light of the ongoing war in Ukraine, we don’t yet have a final date for the summit, but we are working closely with countries and international partners to advance commitments,” said a senior Biden administration official who was not authorized to comment publicly.

As of this month, WHO said it had gotten only $1.8 billion of the $16.8 billion needed from donors to speed access to coronavirus vaccines, medicines and diagnostics.

“Nobody else is stepping up to fill the void at the moment and the U.S. decision to suspend funding may lead other donor countries to act similarly,” said Dr. Krishna Udayakumar, director of Duke University’s Global Health Innovation Center.

Keri Althoff, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, described the U.S. suspension of funding as “devastating.”

“How could this possibly be what we’re debating right now?” she asked. “It’s a moral obligation to the rest of the world to continue to contribute to this global pandemic response, not only to protect ourselves but to protect people from around the world.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1627688144182.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — In the latest Senate package targeted at stopping the coronavirus, U.S. lawmakers dropped nearly all funding for curbing the virus beyond American borders, a move many health experts slammed as dangerously short-sighted.They warn the suspension of COVID-19 aid for poorer countries could ultimately allow the kind of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-pandemics-dc99bc9f769dd6d7cb669e3d185c6261">unchecked transmission</a>&nbsp;needed for the next worrisome variant to emerge and unravel much of the progress achieved so far.The U.S. has been the biggest contributor to the global pandemic response, delivering more than 500 million vaccines, and the lack of funding will be a major setback. The money has paid for numerous interventions, including a mass vaccination campaign in the Cameroonian capital that saw hundreds of thousands of people get their first dose, as well as the construction of a COVID-19 care facility in South Africa and the donation of 1,000 ventilators to that country.Other U.S.-funded vaccination campaigns in dozens of countries, including Uganda, Zambia, Ivory Coast and Mali, could also come to a grinding halt.“Any stoppage of funds will affect us,” said Misaki Wayengera, a Ugandan official who heads a technical committee advising the government on the pandemic response. He said Uganda has leaned heavily on donor help — it received more than 11 million vaccines from the U.S. — and that any cuts “would make it very difficult for us to make ends meet.”“This is a bit of a kick in the teeth to poor countries that were promised billions of vaccines and resources last year in grand pledges made by the G7 and the G20,” said Michael Head, a global health research fellow at Britain’s Southampton University.“Given how badly we’ve failed on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-inequality-dac9c07b324e29d3597037b8dc1d908a">vaccine equity,</a>&nbsp;it’s clear all of those promises have now been broken,” he said, adding that without concerted effort and money to fight COVID-19 in the coming months, the pandemic could persist for years.While about 66% of the American population has been fully immunized against the coronavirus, fewer than 15% of people in poorer countries have received a single dose. Health officials working on COVID-19 vaccination in developing countries supported by the U.S. say they expect to see a reversal of progress once the funds disappear.“Vaccination will stop or not even get started in some countries,” said Rachel Hall, executive director of U.S. government advocacy at the charity CARE. She cited estimates from USAID that the suspended funding would mean scrapping testing, treatment and health services for about 100 million people.Although vaccines are more plentiful this year, many poorer countries have struggled to get shots into arms and hundreds of millions of donated vaccines have either expired, been returned or sat unused. To address those logistical hurdles, U.S. aid has financed critical services in countries across Africa, including the safe delivery of vaccines, training health workers and fighting vaccine misinformation.For example, in November the U.S. Embassy in the Cameroonian capital set up a tent for mass vaccination: Within the first five days, more than 300,000 people received a dose. Those kinds of events will now be harder to conduct without American funds.Hall also noted there would be consequences far beyond COVID-19, saying countries struggling with multiple disease outbreaks, like Congo and Mali, would face difficult choices.“They will have to choose between fighting Ebola, malaria, polio, COVID and more,” she said.Jeff Zients, the outgoing leader of the White House COVID-19 task force, expressed regret the legislation doesn’t include resources for the international pandemic fight, noting that would also compromise efforts to track the virus’ genetic evolution.“It is a real disappointment that there’s no global funding in this bill,” he said. “This virus knows no borders, and it’s in our national interest to vaccinate the world and protect against possible new variants.”Still, Zients announced the U.S. would be the first to donate “tens of millions” of doses for children to poorer countries and said more than 20 nations had already requested the shots.J. Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, lamented that lawmakers were erring on the side of optimism about the pandemic precisely when another surge might be arriving.“We’ve made that mistake several times in this pandemic. And we may be making that mistake again,” he said. In recent weeks, COVID-19 cases caused by the hugely infectious omicron subvariant BA.2 have surged across&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-business-immunizations-9b222cf32687808b61606391f7f7328b">Europe</a>, and American officials say they expect a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-europe-infectious-diseases-e338ab4c30b68025dbc049c36838f357">U.S. spike&nbsp;</a>soon.Other experts worried the suspension of U.S. global support for COVID-19 might prompt officials to drop current vaccination goals. The World Health Organization had set a target of immunizing at least 70% of people in all countries by the middle of this year, but with nearly 50 countries vaccinating fewer than 20% of their populations, hitting that target is highly unlikely.Instead, some organizations like the Rockefeller Foundation have pushed for officials to “refocus vaccination goals away from vaccinating 70% of all adults by summer to vaccinating 90% of those most at-risk in each country,” in what some critics say is an implicit acknowledgment of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-coronavirus-vaccine-pandemics-5053ab9a4c6288e1b70ccd67aa34c504">world’s repeated failures</a>&nbsp;to share vaccines fairly. Others point out there shouldn’t be competing vaccine targets and that health authorities simply need to do more, rather than adjusting global goals.In Nigeria, which has so far received at least $143 million in COVID-19 aid from the U.S, authorities dismissed suggestions their coronavirus programs would suffer as a result of lost funding. The Nigerian president’s office said help from the U.S. was mostly “in kind” via capacity building, research support and donations of laboratory equipment and vaccines. “We are confident that this will not cause any disruption of our current programs,” it said.However, others warned the U.S. decision set an unfortunate precedent for global cooperation to end the pandemic at a time when fresh concerns like the Ukraine war are drawing more attention.U.S. President Joe Biden originally planned to convene a virtual summit in the first quarter of this year to keep international efforts on track, but no event has been scheduled.“In light of the ongoing war in Ukraine, we don’t yet have a final date for the summit, but we are working closely with countries and international partners to advance commitments,” said a senior Biden administration official who was not authorized to comment publicly.As of this month, WHO said it had gotten only $1.8 billion of the $16.8 billion needed from donors to speed access to coronavirus vaccines, medicines and diagnostics.“Nobody else is stepping up to fill the void at the moment and the U.S. decision to suspend funding may lead other donor countries to act similarly,” said Dr. Krishna Udayakumar, director of Duke University’s Global Health Innovation Center.Keri Althoff, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, described the U.S. suspension of funding as “devastating.”“How could this possibly be what we’re debating right now?” she asked. “It’s a moral obligation to the rest of the world to continue to contribute to this global pandemic response, not only to protect ourselves but to protect people from around the world.”

Experts: US suspension of COVID aid will prolong pandemic

DOUGLAS COUNTY—A Kansas man died in an accident just before 4p.m. Friday in Douglas County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 driven by Anthony M. Royal, 55, Mayetta, was south bound on Kansas 10 exiting to Bob Billings.&nbsp;

The driver failed to stop at the stop sign and struck an eastbound 2017 BMW X3 Series driven by John Thomas Kirby, 71, Lawrence.

EMS transported Kirby to Lawrence Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Royal was transported to Stormont Vail for treatment of serious injuries. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

DOUGLAS COUNTY—A Kansas man died in an accident just before 4p.m. Friday in Douglas County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 driven by Anthony M. Royal, 55, Mayetta, was south bound on Kansas 10 exiting to Bob Billings.&nbsp;The driver failed to stop at the stop sign and struck an eastbound 2017 BMW X3 Series driven by John Thomas Kirby, 71, Lawrence.EMS transported Kirby to Lawrence Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Royal was transported to Stormont Vail for treatment of serious injuries. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dead, another injured after pickup, BMW crash

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/nebraska-college-administrator-selected-president-of-pittsburg-state-university/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — A Nebraska higher education administrator was chosen to 
serve as the 10th president of Pittsburg State University, the Kansas 
Board of Regents said Friday.

Daniel Shipp, with a doctorate in educational leadership from 
University of the Pacific, is vice chancellor for strategic initiatives 
at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and executive vice 
president and provost of the four-campus University of Nebraska system.

He replaces PSU president Steve Scott, who was appointed president of
 the southeast Kansas university in 2009. Scott has worked at the 
university for three decades and plans to retire in June.

“I am excited to join the Pittsburg State family and take on the role
 of president at this wonderful institution,” Shipp said in a statement.
 “I’m eager to meet the members of ‘Gorilla Nation’ and work alongside 
them to serve students, the city of Pittsburg and all of southeast 
Kansas.”

He said Scott created a “remarkable and enduring legacy” at Pittsburg
 State. It’s public university with about 6,000 students in the Kansas 
Board of Regents system.

Cheryl Harrison-Lee, chairwoman of the state Board of Regents, said 
Shipp had a proven track record of developing and implementing 
initiatives designed to drive student enrollment. Those initiatives 
included removal of barriers faced by underserved student populations, 
she said.

“He also brings extensive experience in helping students succeed in 
their academic careers and after graduation,” Harrison-Lee said.

Prior to his current job in Nebraska, Shipp was vice chancellor for 
student success at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and the University 
of Nebraska Medical Center. he also was vice chancellor for student 
affairs and enrollment management at University of Nebraska-Omaha.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from University of 
Nebraska-Lincoln, a master’s in education at University of 
Nebraska-Omaha and the education doctorate at University of the Pacific.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649444902028.png" alt="Daniel Shipp, a Nebraska higher education administrator, was selected Friday to serve as president of Pittsburg State University in southeast Kansas. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Pittsburg State University)" />
 <figcaption>Daniel Shipp, a Nebraska higher education administrator, was selected Friday to serve as president of Pittsburg State University in southeast Kansas. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Pittsburg State University)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/nebraska-college-administrator-selected-president-of-pittsburg-state-university/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A Nebraska higher education administrator was chosen to 
serve as the 10th president of Pittsburg State University, the Kansas 
Board of Regents said Friday.Daniel Shipp, with a doctorate in educational leadership from 
University of the Pacific, is vice chancellor for strategic initiatives 
at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and executive vice 
president and provost of the four-campus University of Nebraska system.He replaces PSU president Steve Scott, who was appointed president of
 the southeast Kansas university in 2009. Scott has worked at the 
university for three decades and plans to retire in June.“I am excited to join the Pittsburg State family and take on the role
 of president at this wonderful institution,” Shipp said in a statement.
 “I’m eager to meet the members of ‘Gorilla Nation’ and work alongside 
them to serve students, the city of Pittsburg and all of southeast 
Kansas.”He said Scott created a “remarkable and enduring legacy” at Pittsburg
 State. It’s public university with about 6,000 students in the Kansas 
Board of Regents system.Cheryl Harrison-Lee, chairwoman of the state Board of Regents, said 
Shipp had a proven track record of developing and implementing 
initiatives designed to drive student enrollment. Those initiatives 
included removal of barriers faced by underserved student populations, 
she said.“He also brings extensive experience in helping students succeed in 
their academic careers and after graduation,” Harrison-Lee said.Prior to his current job in Nebraska, Shipp was vice chancellor for 
student success at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and the University 
of Nebraska Medical Center. he also was vice chancellor for student 
affairs and enrollment management at University of Nebraska-Omaha.He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from University of 
Nebraska-Lincoln, a master’s in education at University of 
Nebraska-Omaha and the education doctorate at University of the Pacific.

Neb. college administrator named president of Pittsburg State

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The University of Minnesota plans to start paying its athletes for doing well in the classroom. 

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Minnesota Athletics Director Mark Coyle announced the move Friday. 

The NCAA currently allows schools to give academic bonuses of up to $5,980 annually to athletes as per a federal judge's mandate two years ago. 

The university set a school record over the past year with 431 academic All-Big Ten selections, 180 Big Ten distinguished scholars and 15 academic All-Americans.

 ESPN reported earlier this week that 22 of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision schools plan to pay athletes for high academic performance. Wisconsin was the only Big Ten squad.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649454617754.png" alt="minnesota." />
 <figcaption>minnesota.</figcaption>
 </figure>By ASSOCIATED PRESSMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The University of Minnesota plans to start paying its athletes for doing well in the classroom. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Minnesota Athletics Director Mark Coyle announced the move Friday. The NCAA currently allows schools to give academic bonuses of up to $5,980 annually to athletes as per a federal judge's mandate two years ago. The university set a school record over the past year with 431 academic All-Big Ten selections, 180 Big Ten distinguished scholars and 15 academic All-Americans. ESPN reported earlier this week that 22 of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision schools plan to pay athletes for high academic performance. Wisconsin was the only Big Ten squad.

Minnesota plans to pay athletes for academic success

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A fire erupted early Friday at a Kansas City apartment building, sending nine children and six adults to the hospital, authorities say.

The Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department said the top two floor of the three-story building were ablaze when crews arrived around 12:30 a.m. KSHB-TV&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/nine-children-six-adults-taken-to-the-hospital-after-apartment-fire">reports</a>&nbsp;that crews used ladders to reach the residents.

Two of the children who were rescued are in critical condition and five adults have serious injuries, officials said.

It took five fire chiefs, four pumper trucks, one rescue truck, three aerial trucks and 10 ambulances to bring the scene under control. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The fire department said one person went back into the building and barricaded themselves inside. They had to be forcibly removed and were taken into custody for going into a secured scene against police orders.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649440764296.png" alt="It took five fire chiefs, four pumper trucks, one rescue truck, three aerial trucks and 10 ambulances to bring the scene under control. The cause of the fire is under investigation-photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>It took five fire chiefs, four pumper trucks, one rescue truck, three aerial trucks and 10 ambulances to bring the scene under control. The cause of the fire is under investigation-photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A fire erupted early Friday at a Kansas City apartment building, sending nine children and six adults to the hospital, authorities say.The Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department said the top two floor of the three-story building were ablaze when crews arrived around 12:30 a.m. KSHB-TV&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/nine-children-six-adults-taken-to-the-hospital-after-apartment-fire">reports</a>&nbsp;that crews used ladders to reach the residents.Two of the children who were rescued are in critical condition and five adults have serious injuries, officials said.It took five fire chiefs, four pumper trucks, one rescue truck, three aerial trucks and 10 ambulances to bring the scene under control. The cause of the fire is under investigation.The fire department said one person went back into the building and barricaded themselves inside. They had to be forcibly removed and were taken into custody for going into a secured scene against police orders.

9 children hospitalized after Kansas City apartment fire

WASHINGTON (AP) — A sweeping overhaul of the U.S. Postal Service meant to shore up the popular but beleaguered agency’s financial future and cement six-days-a-week mail delivery was signed into law Wednesday by President Joe Biden.

The legislation cleared Congress last month after fully a dozen years of discussion that took on a new sense of urgency amid widespread complaints about mail service delays. Officials had repeatedly warned that without congressional action, the Postal Service would run out of cash by 2024.

“The Postal Service is central to our economy and essential to rural America,” Biden said. He added that mailmen and women deliver 4 million prescriptions per day, along with letters, consumer goods and even live animals, “often to parts of the country that private carriers can’t or won’t or aren’t required to reach.”

The final legislation achieved rare, bipartisan support by scrapping some of the more controversial proposals and settling on core ways to save the service. Delivering the mail is among the most popular things the government does, with 91% of Americans having a favorable opinion of the Postal Service, according to a Pew Research Center poll released in 2020.

The bill signing came the same day the Postal Service announced it plans to raise rates effective July 10. Under the proposal submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission, the cost of a first-class Forever stamp would increase by 2 cents to 60 cents.

The Postal Service said the increase, which is less than the annual rate of inflation, will help the agency implement Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s 10-year plan to stabilize agency finances.

Lawmakers from both parties attended the signing ceremony and the mood was jovial, a big improvement from Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran previously saying the service was in a “death spiral” that was particularly hard on rural Americans.

The Postal Service Reform Act lifts budget requirements that have contributed to the agency’s red ink, and spells out that mail must be delivered six days a week, except for federal holidays, natural disasters and some other situations.

Postage sales and other services were supposed to sustain the Postal Service, but it has suffered 14 straight years of losses. Growing worker compensation and benefit costs, plus steady declines in mail volume, have exacerbated losses, even as the service delivers to 1 million additional locations every year.

The new law ends a requirement that the Postal Service finance workers’ health care benefits ahead of time for the next 75 years — an obligation that private companies and federal agencies do not face. Biden said that rule had “stretched the Postal Service’s finances almost to the breaking point.”

Now, future retirees will enroll in Medicare, while other health plans and the Postal Service cover only current retirees’ actual health care costs that aren’t paid for by the federal health insurance program for older people,

“In recent years we saw how unfair policies forced this treasured institution to cut costs and delayed the delivery of medication, financial documents and other critical mail,” Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who helped write the legislation, said in a statement. “These long overdue reforms will undo these burdensome financial requirements.”

To measure the agency’s progress in improving its service, the law requires it to set up an online dashboard that would be searchable by ZIP code to show how long it takes to deliver letters and packages.

Dropped from the package as it neared actual legislation were efforts to cut back mail delivery. Also set aside — for now — were other proposals that have been floated over the years to change operations, including to privatize some services.

Criticism of the Postal Service peaked in 2020, amid the COVID-19 crisis and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-elections-us-news-ap-top-news-postal-service-d52e51e5392d2f4d32a56a2060446847">ahead of the presidential election</a>, as cutbacks delayed service at a time when millions of Americans were relying on mail-in ballots during the pandemic. Then-President Donald Trump acknowledged he was trying to financially pinch the service to limit its processing ability for an expected surge of mail-in ballots, which he worried could cost him the election he eventually lost.

Dominated by Trump appointees, the agency’s board of governors had tapped&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-health-coronavirus-pandemic-election-2020-business-c89012efd497def7e2a896e9dfb3f552">DeJoy, a major GOP donor</a>, as postmaster general. He proposed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-louis-dejoy-f8052b959746800b11fdc2992f0fdc91">10-year plan</a>&nbsp;to stabilize the service’s finances with steps like additional mail slowdowns, cuts in some offices’ hours and perhaps higher rates.

Biden said Wednesday that more needs to be done to reform the Postal Service, including investing in an electrified vehicle fleet that could save money while helping combat climate change. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-postal-service-electric-vehicles-environment-559e01de44123d779a69e277609f231d">is examining a Postal Service contract to replace its huge fleet of mail-delivery trucks with a mix of gas and electric vehicles</a>, which the Environmental Protection Agency and Democratic lawmakers argue has too few electric vehicles.

“Today we enshrine into law our recognition that the Postal Service is fundamental to our economy, to our democracy, to our health and the very sense of who we are as a nation,” Biden said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649344226702.png" alt="“The Postal Service is central to our economy and essential to rural America,” Biden said.-photo courtesy White House&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>“The Postal Service is central to our economy and essential to rural America,” Biden said.-photo courtesy White House&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A sweeping overhaul of the U.S. Postal Service meant to shore up the popular but beleaguered agency’s financial future and cement six-days-a-week mail delivery was signed into law Wednesday by President Joe Biden.The legislation cleared Congress last month after fully a dozen years of discussion that took on a new sense of urgency amid widespread complaints about mail service delays. Officials had repeatedly warned that without congressional action, the Postal Service would run out of cash by 2024.“The Postal Service is central to our economy and essential to rural America,” Biden said. He added that mailmen and women deliver 4 million prescriptions per day, along with letters, consumer goods and even live animals, “often to parts of the country that private carriers can’t or won’t or aren’t required to reach.”The final legislation achieved rare, bipartisan support by scrapping some of the more controversial proposals and settling on core ways to save the service. Delivering the mail is among the most popular things the government does, with 91% of Americans having a favorable opinion of the Postal Service, according to a Pew Research Center poll released in 2020.The bill signing came the same day the Postal Service announced it plans to raise rates effective July 10. Under the proposal submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission, the cost of a first-class Forever stamp would increase by 2 cents to 60 cents.The Postal Service said the increase, which is less than the annual rate of inflation, will help the agency implement Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s 10-year plan to stabilize agency finances.Lawmakers from both parties attended the signing ceremony and the mood was jovial, a big improvement from Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran previously saying the service was in a “death spiral” that was particularly hard on rural Americans.The Postal Service Reform Act lifts budget requirements that have contributed to the agency’s red ink, and spells out that mail must be delivered six days a week, except for federal holidays, natural disasters and some other situations.Postage sales and other services were supposed to sustain the Postal Service, but it has suffered 14 straight years of losses. Growing worker compensation and benefit costs, plus steady declines in mail volume, have exacerbated losses, even as the service delivers to 1 million additional locations every year.The new law ends a requirement that the Postal Service finance workers’ health care benefits ahead of time for the next 75 years — an obligation that private companies and federal agencies do not face. Biden said that rule had “stretched the Postal Service’s finances almost to the breaking point.”Now, future retirees will enroll in Medicare, while other health plans and the Postal Service cover only current retirees’ actual health care costs that aren’t paid for by the federal health insurance program for older people,“In recent years we saw how unfair policies forced this treasured institution to cut costs and delayed the delivery of medication, financial documents and other critical mail,” Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who helped write the legislation, said in a statement. “These long overdue reforms will undo these burdensome financial requirements.”To measure the agency’s progress in improving its service, the law requires it to set up an online dashboard that would be searchable by ZIP code to show how long it takes to deliver letters and packages.Dropped from the package as it neared actual legislation were efforts to cut back mail delivery. Also set aside — for now — were other proposals that have been floated over the years to change operations, including to privatize some services.Criticism of the Postal Service peaked in 2020, amid the COVID-19 crisis and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-elections-us-news-ap-top-news-postal-service-d52e51e5392d2f4d32a56a2060446847">ahead of the presidential election</a>, as cutbacks delayed service at a time when millions of Americans were relying on mail-in ballots during the pandemic. Then-President Donald Trump acknowledged he was trying to financially pinch the service to limit its processing ability for an expected surge of mail-in ballots, which he worried could cost him the election he eventually lost.Dominated by Trump appointees, the agency’s board of governors had tapped&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-health-coronavirus-pandemic-election-2020-business-c89012efd497def7e2a896e9dfb3f552">DeJoy, a major GOP donor</a>, as postmaster general. He proposed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-louis-dejoy-f8052b959746800b11fdc2992f0fdc91">10-year plan</a>&nbsp;to stabilize the service’s finances with steps like additional mail slowdowns, cuts in some offices’ hours and perhaps higher rates.Biden said Wednesday that more needs to be done to reform the Postal Service, including investing in an electrified vehicle fleet that could save money while helping combat climate change. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-postal-service-electric-vehicles-environment-559e01de44123d779a69e277609f231d">is examining a Postal Service contract to replace its huge fleet of mail-delivery trucks with a mix of gas and electric vehicles</a>, which the Environmental Protection Agency and Democratic lawmakers argue has too few electric vehicles.“Today we enshrine into law our recognition that the Postal Service is fundamental to our economy, to our democracy, to our health and the very sense of who we are as a nation,” Biden said.

6-days-a-week mail delivery to continue, rates going up

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — President Joe Biden’s requirement that all&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-us-supreme-court-health-business-4b627f784e59e82e59ed66ed17cc8b67">federal employees be vaccinated</a>&nbsp;against COVID-19 was upheld Thursday by a federal appeals court.

In a 2-1 ruling, a panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-business-new-orleans-eb37276842a8c64ade009957fc225f56">reversed a lower court</a>&nbsp;and ordered dismissal of a lawsuit challenging the mandate. The ruling, a rare win for the administration at the New Orleans-based appellate court, said that the federal judge didn’t have jurisdiction in the case and those challenging the requirement could have pursued administrative remedies under Civil Service law.

Biden issued an executive order Sept. 9 ordering vaccinations for all executive branch agency employees, with exceptions for medical and religious reasons. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown, who was appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of Texas by then-President Donald Trump, issued a nationwide injunction against the requirement in January.

When the case was argued at the 5th Circuit last month, administration lawyers had noted that district judges in a dozen jurisdictions had rejected a challenge to the vaccine requirement for federal workers before Brown ruled.

The administration argued that the Constitution gives the president, as the head of the federal workforce, the same authority as the CEO of a private corporation to require that employees be vaccinated.

Lawyers for those challenging the mandate had pointed to a recent Supreme Court opinion that the government cannot force private employers to require employee vaccinations.

Twelve of 17 active judges at the 5th Circuit were nominated to the court by Republicans, including six Trump appointees.

Judges Carl Stewart and James Dennis, both nominated to the court by President Bill Clinton, were in the majority. Judge Rhesa Barksdale, a senior judge nominated by President George H.W. Bush, dissented, saying the relief the challengers sought does not fall under the Civil Service Reform Act cited by the administration.

The case marked ideological divides at the appeals court even before Thursday’s ruling.

A different panel had refused in February to block Brown’s ruling pending the appeal. That panel’s vote was 2-1. There were no reasons given by the majority — Judge Jerry Smith, a President Ronald Reagan nominee, and Don Willett, a Trump nominee.

But there was a lengthy dissent by Judge Stephen Higginson, a nominee of President Barack Obama, who said a single district judge “lacking public health expertise and made unaccountable through life tenure,” should not be able to block the president from ordering the same type of COVID-19 safety measures many private sector CEOs have ordered.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648688148561.png" alt="President Biden, 79, received the first series of two doses of the coronavirus vaccine shortly before taking office and a first booster shot in September. The additional booster dose was administered by a member of the White House Medical Unit-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President Biden, 79, received the first series of two doses of the coronavirus vaccine shortly before taking office and a first booster shot in September. The additional booster dose was administered by a member of the White House Medical Unit-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW ORLEANS (AP) — President Joe Biden’s requirement that all&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-us-supreme-court-health-business-4b627f784e59e82e59ed66ed17cc8b67">federal employees be vaccinated</a>&nbsp;against COVID-19 was upheld Thursday by a federal appeals court.In a 2-1 ruling, a panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-business-new-orleans-eb37276842a8c64ade009957fc225f56">reversed a lower court</a>&nbsp;and ordered dismissal of a lawsuit challenging the mandate. The ruling, a rare win for the administration at the New Orleans-based appellate court, said that the federal judge didn’t have jurisdiction in the case and those challenging the requirement could have pursued administrative remedies under Civil Service law.Biden issued an executive order Sept. 9 ordering vaccinations for all executive branch agency employees, with exceptions for medical and religious reasons. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown, who was appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of Texas by then-President Donald Trump, issued a nationwide injunction against the requirement in January.When the case was argued at the 5th Circuit last month, administration lawyers had noted that district judges in a dozen jurisdictions had rejected a challenge to the vaccine requirement for federal workers before Brown ruled.The administration argued that the Constitution gives the president, as the head of the federal workforce, the same authority as the CEO of a private corporation to require that employees be vaccinated.Lawyers for those challenging the mandate had pointed to a recent Supreme Court opinion that the government cannot force private employers to require employee vaccinations.Twelve of 17 active judges at the 5th Circuit were nominated to the court by Republicans, including six Trump appointees.Judges Carl Stewart and James Dennis, both nominated to the court by President Bill Clinton, were in the majority. Judge Rhesa Barksdale, a senior judge nominated by President George H.W. Bush, dissented, saying the relief the challengers sought does not fall under the Civil Service Reform Act cited by the administration.The case marked ideological divides at the appeals court even before Thursday’s ruling.A different panel had refused in February to block Brown’s ruling pending the appeal. That panel’s vote was 2-1. There were no reasons given by the majority — Judge Jerry Smith, a President Ronald Reagan nominee, and Don Willett, a Trump nominee.But there was a lengthy dissent by Judge Stephen Higginson, a nominee of President Barack Obama, who said a single district judge “lacking public health expertise and made unaccountable through life tenure,” should not be able to block the president from ordering the same type of COVID-19 safety measures many private sector CEOs have ordered.

Appeals court OKs Biden federal employee vaccine mandate

Sports betting is big business – <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/26620-bbb-scam-alert-betting-on-a-big-game-dont-fall-for-a-sports-betting-scam" target="_blank">for scammers as well</a>. According to recent <a href="https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker" target="_blank">BBB Scam Tracker</a>
 reports, con artists are posing as self-proclaimed handicappers who use
 insider information to place guaranteed bets on upcoming games. Don’t 
fall for it! Here’s how to avoid these “scamicappers.”

You come across a social media post or get an email about an 
experienced handicapper with a record of picking consistent wins. This 
handicapper is allegedly using insider information to place sure-thing 
bets on upcoming games. For a fee, you can get in on it too. This person
 is so confident about their information that they even offer you a 
money-back guarantee. For example, they may promise you free picks if 
you make a losing wager.

While it sounds like a safe bet, you’re really dealing with a 
scammer. These “scandicappers” had no intention of ever providing a 
refund or free picks. And their “insider information” is fake, too. &nbsp;

<a href="https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker" target="_blank">BBB Scam Tracker</a>
 has received multiple reports about this con. For example, one person 
reported paying for “sports betting picks with money back guarantees.” 
However, the handicapper never refunded the losing picks. The con artist
 “also lies about his winning record and is a true scammer in every 
sense of the word.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579883951052.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BBBSports betting is big business – <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/26620-bbb-scam-alert-betting-on-a-big-game-dont-fall-for-a-sports-betting-scam" target="_blank">for scammers as well</a>. According to recent <a href="https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker" target="_blank">BBB Scam Tracker</a>
 reports, con artists are posing as self-proclaimed handicappers who use
 insider information to place guaranteed bets on upcoming games. Don’t 
fall for it! Here’s how to avoid these “scamicappers.”<h2>How the scam works</h2>You come across a social media post or get an email about an 
experienced handicapper with a record of picking consistent wins. This 
handicapper is allegedly using insider information to place sure-thing 
bets on upcoming games. For a fee, you can get in on it too. This person
 is so confident about their information that they even offer you a 
money-back guarantee. For example, they may promise you free picks if 
you make a losing wager.While it sounds like a safe bet, you’re really dealing with a 
scammer. These “scandicappers” had no intention of ever providing a 
refund or free picks. And their “insider information” is fake, too. &nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker" target="_blank">BBB Scam Tracker</a>
 has received multiple reports about this con. For example, one person 
reported paying for “sports betting picks with money back guarantees.” 
However, the handicapper never refunded the losing picks. The con artist
 “also lies about his winning record and is a true scammer in every 
sense of the word.”<h2>How to avoid these scams: </h2><ul>
 <li>Avoid sports handicappers. A handicapper’s goal 
isn't to win bets for their members, it's to get people to buy their 
picks. Once you've purchased their picks, the handicapper has already 
won. It doesn't matter if the pick wins or loses, the handicapper keeps 
the payment.&nbsp; </li><li>Don’t believe promises that sound too good to be true.
 If a handicapper promises you will never lose a bet, or they will 
refund your money any time you do, think twice. Scammers love to entice 
their victims with get-rich-quick schemes. If it sounds too good to be 
true, it probably is. </li><li>Don’t fall for tempting ads. Be wary of gambling-related pop-up ads, email spam, or text messages.&nbsp; </li>
 </ul>

Scam alert: Handicapper promising guaranteed wins? Don't bet on it

The Federal Trade Commission’s trial win against On Point
 Global has made $102 million in refunds available to consumers who were
 harmed by a wide-ranging scheme that led them to pay money or hand over
 personal information to fake government websites. Consumers who were 
harmed must apply for redress payments by July 5, 2022.Consumers who 
were deceived by a wide-ranging scheme into handing over money or 
personal information in exchange for bogus advice on how to apply for 
government benefits can apply for redress payments as a result of a 
Federal Trade Commission lawsuit, but must do so by July 5, 2022.

The scammers, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2020/02/court-stops-sprawling-scheme-operated-hundreds-websites-deceived-consumers-about-government-services">sued by the FTC in December 2019</a>,
 ran hundreds of deceptive websites that promised a quick and easy 
government service, such as renewing a driver’s license, or eligibility 
determinations for public benefits like Section 8 housing or food 
stamps. The sites had names like DMV.com, floridadriverslicense.org and 
many others that were designed to mimic legitimate government websites. 
The defendants operated under several names, including On Point Global.

On sites where consumers submitted payments for supposed 
government services, they received at most a PDF with publicly available
 information on how to apply for a drivers’ license. On other sites that
 claimed to tell consumers if they were eligible for government 
benefits, consumers who submitted detailed and sensitive personal 
information almost immediately began receiving a wave of unwanted sales 
and marketing contacts.

As a result of the FTC’s win at trial, a federal court 
ordered a refund process to be established for consumers who were harmed
 by On Point Global and its network of fake websites. Consumers must 
submit claims in order to receive payments, and payment is available 
both for consumers who paid money to the sites and those who submitted 
personal information.

The money being used to provide payments to consumers is a
 result of a contempt motion filed by the FTC against one of the 
defendants in the case, Burton Katz. Katz was previously sued by the FTC
 for placing millions of dollars in unwanted charges on consumers’ 
mobile phone bills by using spam text messages pitching “free” gift 
cards. As a result of that suit, Katz was placed under a court order 
prohibiting from any further violations of the FTC Act. Because of his 
involvement in this new fake government websites scam, the FTC filed the
 motion alleging that Katz and other defendants were in contempt of that
 order. The court ruled in the FTC’s favor on the motion and awarded the
 monetary relief.

If a consumer either: paid money to an On Point Global 
fake DMV site between January 2017 and December 2019 and didn’t already 
get their money back, or submitted their personal information to 
an On Point Global government benefits site in 2019, they are eligible 
for a payment, and should receive an email by mid-April with 
instructions from the company handling the claims process. Legitimate 
emails related to this settlement will come from&nbsp;<a href="mailto:noreply@onpointclaimform.com">noreply@onpointclaimform.com</a>

,
 or from an ftc.gov email address, and will be sent to the e-mail 
address used when consumers paid or submitted information to the bogus 
site.

Consumers who believe they are eligible for a payment and have not received an email should visit <a href="http://www.ftc.gov/now-leaving?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fonpointclaimform.com&amp;back_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ftc.gov%2Fnews-events%2Fnews%2Fpress-releases%2F2022%2F04%2Fftc-win-at-trial-against-on-point-global-makes-102-million-in-refunds-for-consumers">https://onpointclaimform.com</a>


 and enter their name and email address. They should&nbsp;get an&nbsp;email 
immediately with a personalized claim link, and they should follow the 
instructions in that link.&nbsp;They must enter the same email 
address&nbsp;used&nbsp;when they paid for fake DMV services.&nbsp;If they don't&nbsp;have 
access to that&nbsp;email, the site provides instructions on how to change 
their contact email.

While the refund process is not being administered 
by the FTC, there is additional information available for affected 
consumers on the FTC’s website. Consumers who paid money to fake DMV 
sites can visit <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/OnPointDMV">https://ftc.gov/OnPointDMV</a> for more information; consumers who submitted personal information to fake government benefits sites can visit <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/OnPointBenefits">https://ftc.gov/OnPointBenefits</a> for more information.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619632629588.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FTCThe Federal Trade Commission’s trial win against On Point
 Global has made $102 million in refunds available to consumers who were
 harmed by a wide-ranging scheme that led them to pay money or hand over
 personal information to fake government websites. Consumers who were 
harmed must apply for redress payments by July 5, 2022.Consumers who 
were deceived by a wide-ranging scheme into handing over money or 
personal information in exchange for bogus advice on how to apply for 
government benefits can apply for redress payments as a result of a 
Federal Trade Commission lawsuit, but must do so by July 5, 2022.The scammers, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2020/02/court-stops-sprawling-scheme-operated-hundreds-websites-deceived-consumers-about-government-services">sued by the FTC in December 2019</a>,
 ran hundreds of deceptive websites that promised a quick and easy 
government service, such as renewing a driver’s license, or eligibility 
determinations for public benefits like Section 8 housing or food 
stamps. The sites had names like DMV.com, floridadriverslicense.org and 
many others that were designed to mimic legitimate government websites. 
The defendants operated under several names, including On Point Global.On sites where consumers submitted payments for supposed 
government services, they received at most a PDF with publicly available
 information on how to apply for a drivers’ license. On other sites that
 claimed to tell consumers if they were eligible for government 
benefits, consumers who submitted detailed and sensitive personal 
information almost immediately began receiving a wave of unwanted sales 
and marketing contacts.As a result of the FTC’s win at trial, a federal court 
ordered a refund process to be established for consumers who were harmed
 by On Point Global and its network of fake websites. Consumers must 
submit claims in order to receive payments, and payment is available 
both for consumers who paid money to the sites and those who submitted 
personal information.The money being used to provide payments to consumers is a
 result of a contempt motion filed by the FTC against one of the 
defendants in the case, Burton Katz. Katz was previously sued by the FTC
 for placing millions of dollars in unwanted charges on consumers’ 
mobile phone bills by using spam text messages pitching “free” gift 
cards. As a result of that suit, Katz was placed under a court order 
prohibiting from any further violations of the FTC Act. Because of his 
involvement in this new fake government websites scam, the FTC filed the
 motion alleging that Katz and other defendants were in contempt of that
 order. The court ruled in the FTC’s favor on the motion and awarded the
 monetary relief.If a consumer either: paid money to an On Point Global 
fake DMV site between January 2017 and December 2019 and didn’t already 
get their money back, or submitted their personal information to 
an On Point Global government benefits site in 2019, they are eligible 
for a payment, and should receive an email by mid-April with 
instructions from the company handling the claims process. Legitimate 
emails related to this settlement will come from&nbsp;<a href="mailto:noreply@onpointclaimform.com">noreply@onpointclaimform.com</a>,
 or from an ftc.gov email address, and will be sent to the e-mail 
address used when consumers paid or submitted information to the bogus 
site.Consumers who believe they are eligible for a payment and have not received an email should visit <a href="http://www.ftc.gov/now-leaving?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fonpointclaimform.com&amp;back_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ftc.gov%2Fnews-events%2Fnews%2Fpress-releases%2F2022%2F04%2Fftc-win-at-trial-against-on-point-global-makes-102-million-in-refunds-for-consumers">https://onpointclaimform.com</a>
 and enter their name and email address. They should&nbsp;get an&nbsp;email 
immediately with a personalized claim link, and they should follow the 
instructions in that link.&nbsp;They must enter the same email 
address&nbsp;used&nbsp;when they paid for fake DMV services.&nbsp;If they don't&nbsp;have 
access to that&nbsp;email, the site provides instructions on how to change 
their contact email.While the refund process is not being administered 
by the FTC, there is additional information available for affected 
consumers on the FTC’s website. Consumers who paid money to fake DMV 
sites can visit <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/OnPointDMV">https://ftc.gov/OnPointDMV</a> for more information; consumers who submitted personal information to fake government benefits sites can visit <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/OnPointBenefits">https://ftc.gov/OnPointBenefits</a> for more information.

$102M in refunds available to consumers duped by fake websites

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A man charged in the 2019 killing of his father, who was a Kansas sheriff’s captain, has been convicted. 

Television station WDAF reports that Zachary Arnold was found guilty last week of involuntary manslaughter in the October 5, 2019, shooting death of 57-year-old Chris Arnold. 

The elder Arnold was a captain with the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office and a 25-year veteran of the department. Authorities have said Zachary Arnold was 22-years-old when he shot his father in the head during an argument at the captain's home in Kansas City, Kansas. He is set to be sentenced on May 23.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649345663009.png" alt="Arnold-photo Wyandotte Co." />
 <figcaption>Arnold-photo Wyandotte Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A man charged in the 2019 killing of his father, who was a Kansas sheriff’s captain, has been convicted. Television station WDAF reports that Zachary Arnold was found guilty last week of involuntary manslaughter in the October 5, 2019, shooting death of 57-year-old Chris Arnold. The elder Arnold was a captain with the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office and a 25-year veteran of the department. Authorities have said Zachary Arnold was 22-years-old when he shot his father in the head during an argument at the captain's home in Kansas City, Kansas. He is set to be sentenced on May 23.

Son convicted of killing his father, a Kansas sheriff's deputy

By DAN MARGOLIES <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-04-07/university-of-kansas-professor-charged-under-trump-era-initiative-convicted-of-wire-fraud">Kansas News Service</a>

A federal jury has convicted 
University of Kansas chemistry professor Feng “Franklin” Tao of four 
counts of wire fraud, in a closely watched case involving his ties to a 
Chinese university.

Tao, a tenured professor, was the first 
defendant among about two dozen academics charged under a 
since-disbanded Trump-era program known as the China Initiative.

Thursday's verdict followed a <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-03-22/trial-begins-for-ku-professor-charged-under-china-initiative">two-week-long trial</a> that drew the attention of civil rights activists, who claimed the initiative unfairly targeted Chinese Americans.

The jury acquitted Tao of two additional counts of wire fraud and two counts of making false statements.

Peter
 R. Zeidenberg, one of Tao’s attorneys, said he was disappointed in the 
verdict but noted the judge said there were significant issues with the 
evidence in the case. He said U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson asked 
for briefing on Tao’s motion for a judgment of acquittal, and has yet to
 set a sentencing date.

“We take that as a positive sign and we are looking to getting this verdict overturned,” Zeidenberg said.

“Sometimes,
 unfortunately, juries get things wrong," Zeidenberg added. "There was 
no evidence to support a charge that anyone was defrauded because the 
(grant) agencies themselves said they were happy with the work (Tao) 
performed for them. And they also indicated that had they known he was 
working in China or was setting up a lab there, that would not have 
mattered to them in their grant decision process.”

The counts 
against Tao were based on government allegations that he was employed as
 a Changjiang Distinguished Professor at Fuzhou University through the 
Changjiang Scholars Program and failed to inform the Department of 
Energy and other grant-making agencies and KU.

The Justice 
Department's now-defunct China Initiative aimed to combat China’s 
efforts to steal American technology and trade secrets. But in many 
cases, rather than charge suspects with espionage, the government 
charged them with the more narrow crime of concealing their Chinese ties
 in grant proposals and from their American employers.

An 
investigation last year by the MIT Technology Review found that, instead
 of focusing on economic espionage and national security, “the 
initiative now appears to be an umbrella term for cases with almost any 
connection to China, whether they involve state-sponsored hackers, 
smugglers, or, increasingly, academics accused of failing to disclose 
all ties to China on grant-related forms.”

In January, the Justice
 Department dismissed a similar case against Gang Chen, a professor of 
mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The
 government said it had obtained new information indicating that the 
Chinese affiliations at the center of the case were not of material 
importance to the funding agency, the Department of Energy, according to
 the New York Times.

Late in the day Wednesday, the Tao jury asked
 to see the transcript of testimony given by a key defense witness, 
Vivian Schwartz, a program manager at the Department of Energy who 
supervised Tao’s grants. 

Schwartz had testified that Tao 
performed his work to the department’s satisfaction and it was 
immaterial to her that he was setting up a lab in China, according to 
Zeidenberg.

If U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson were to grant 
Tao’s motion for a judgment of acquittal, it would wipe out the jury’s 
verdict. Such motions, though rarely granted, are based on claims that 
the evidence at trial was insufficient for a finding of guilt beyond a 
reasonable doubt.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649363336421.png" alt="Feng "Franklin" Tao's trial was held in the Robert J. Dole Federal Courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas. Dan Margolies / KCUR " />
 <figcaption>Feng "Franklin" Tao's trial was held in the Robert J. Dole Federal Courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas. Dan Margolies / KCUR </figcaption>
 </figure>By DAN MARGOLIES <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-04-07/university-of-kansas-professor-charged-under-trump-era-initiative-convicted-of-wire-fraud">Kansas News Service</a>A federal jury has convicted 
University of Kansas chemistry professor Feng “Franklin” Tao of four 
counts of wire fraud, in a closely watched case involving his ties to a 
Chinese university.Tao, a tenured professor, was the first 
defendant among about two dozen academics charged under a 
since-disbanded Trump-era program known as the China Initiative.Thursday's verdict followed a <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-03-22/trial-begins-for-ku-professor-charged-under-china-initiative">two-week-long trial</a> that drew the attention of civil rights activists, who claimed the initiative unfairly targeted Chinese Americans.The jury acquitted Tao of two additional counts of wire fraud and two counts of making false statements.Peter
 R. Zeidenberg, one of Tao’s attorneys, said he was disappointed in the 
verdict but noted the judge said there were significant issues with the 
evidence in the case. He said U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson asked 
for briefing on Tao’s motion for a judgment of acquittal, and has yet to
 set a sentencing date.“We take that as a positive sign and we are looking to getting this verdict overturned,” Zeidenberg said.“Sometimes,
 unfortunately, juries get things wrong," Zeidenberg added. "There was 
no evidence to support a charge that anyone was defrauded because the 
(grant) agencies themselves said they were happy with the work (Tao) 
performed for them. And they also indicated that had they known he was 
working in China or was setting up a lab there, that would not have 
mattered to them in their grant decision process.”The counts 
against Tao were based on government allegations that he was employed as
 a Changjiang Distinguished Professor at Fuzhou University through the 
Changjiang Scholars Program and failed to inform the Department of 
Energy and other grant-making agencies and KU.The Justice 
Department's now-defunct China Initiative aimed to combat China’s 
efforts to steal American technology and trade secrets. But in many 
cases, rather than charge suspects with espionage, the government 
charged them with the more narrow crime of concealing their Chinese ties
 in grant proposals and from their American employers.An 
investigation last year by the MIT Technology Review found that, instead
 of focusing on economic espionage and national security, “the 
initiative now appears to be an umbrella term for cases with almost any 
connection to China, whether they involve state-sponsored hackers, 
smugglers, or, increasingly, academics accused of failing to disclose 
all ties to China on grant-related forms.”In January, the Justice
 Department dismissed a similar case against Gang Chen, a professor of 
mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The
 government said it had obtained new information indicating that the 
Chinese affiliations at the center of the case were not of material 
importance to the funding agency, the Department of Energy, according to
 the New York Times.Late in the day Wednesday, the Tao jury asked
 to see the transcript of testimony given by a key defense witness, 
Vivian Schwartz, a program manager at the Department of Energy who 
supervised Tao’s grants. Schwartz had testified that Tao 
performed his work to the department’s satisfaction and it was 
immaterial to her that he was setting up a lab in China, according to 
Zeidenberg.If U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson were to grant 
Tao’s motion for a judgment of acquittal, it would wipe out the jury’s 
verdict. Such motions, though rarely granted, are based on claims that 
the evidence at trial was insufficient for a finding of guilt beyond a 
reasonable doubt.

KU professor charged under Trump-era initiative convicted of wire fraud

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/07/praise-worries-greet-final-round-approval-of-nebraskas-900-million-tax-cut-package/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN
 — What’s billed as the largest tax cut in state history received final 
approval Thursday by state lawmakers, amid praise and worries.

Legislative
 Bill 873, which phases in cuts in state individual and corporate tax 
rates, increases state property tax credits and eliminates certain state
 taxes by 2025, got third-round approval on a 43-0 vote.

The
 package, which would deliver nearly $900 million in cuts when fully 
implemented, now awaits a signature from Gov. Pete Ricketts, who has 
voiced support for it.&nbsp;

Praise
 for LB 873 came from the Nebraska AARP because of the eventual 
elimination of state taxes on Social Security income. Thanks also came 
from the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Nebraska Farm
 Bureau.

Reducing
 state income taxes has been a longtime goal of the State Chamber and 
other business groups. They maintain that lowering individual and 
corporate income taxes is critical in attracting new businesses and 
workers.

“A dynamic, growing economy with lots to do 
and cutting-edge job opportunities is critical to attracting and 
retaining more people in Nebraska, especially our talented, young 
generations,” said Bryan Slone,&nbsp; president of the State Chamber.

&nbsp;In
 a compromise to gather more rural support, additional increases in 
state income tax credits were attached to LB 873 for property taxes paid
 for K-12 schools and community colleges. 

The
 Farm Bureau estimated Thursday that the provisions of LB 873 combined 
with a previous bill setting up the income tax credits would add up to 
$886 million in property tax savings a year within five years.

“Thrilled,” was the reaction from Farm Bureau President Mark McHargue.

But warnings came from an Omaha state senator and a Lincoln-based think tank.

State Sen. John Cavanaugh said he would have
 voted “no” had he been present for the morning vote. He said the bill 
is way too costly, and will provide income tax cuts mostly to high 
income Nebraskans.



	“There has to be a better way to get tax relief to the middle class 
than giving $70 million in tax breaks to millionaires,” Cavanaugh said.

The
 Open Sky Policy Institute called the bill “bad news for most 
Nebraskans” and said it will eventually require cuts in state services, 
such as education and roads.

“The
 wealthy and out-of-state corporations will come out way ahead, while in
 time, everyday Nebraskans will likely end up footing the bill,” said 
Rebecca Firestone of Open Sky.

OpenSky
 has argued that Nebraska’s healthy tax receipts in recent months have 
been artificially padded by federal COVID-19 aid and that state 
lawmakers should have exercised caution when making such deep cuts in 
state revenue.

But
 State Sen. John Stinner of Gering, who heads the Legislature’s 
budget-writing Appropriations Committee, has said the state can afford 
the tax cuts. He did win approval for a clause that would limit 
increases in the income tax credits to no more than 5% a year as a way 
to control costs.&nbsp;

Lincoln
 Sen. Mike Hilgers, the Speaker of the Legislature, called LB 873 the 
largest tax cut in state history. He praised state lawmakers for passing
 the tax cut package, while also increasing the state’s cash reserve and
 financing several state priorities.

LB
 873 took a circuitous course to passage. It was initially introduced by
 Omaha Sen. Lou Ann Linehan as LB 939 and only contained the income and 
property tax cuts.

When
 that bill stalled, an attempt was made to incorporate LB 939 into a 
hugely popular Social Security tax reduction bill, sponsored by Omaha 
Sen. Brett Lindstrom.

But
 that attempt was also blocked, so the provisions of LB 939 and LB 825, 
Lindstrom’s bill, were placed into LB 873, which overcame filibusters 
during first- and second-round debate before winning final approval 
Thursday.

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/07/praise-worries-greet-final-round-approval-of-nebraskas-900-million-tax-cut-package/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN
 — What’s billed as the largest tax cut in state history received final 
approval Thursday by state lawmakers, amid praise and worries.Legislative
 Bill 873, which phases in cuts in state individual and corporate tax 
rates, increases state property tax credits and eliminates certain state
 taxes by 2025, got third-round approval on a 43-0 vote.The
 package, which would deliver nearly $900 million in cuts when fully 
implemented, now awaits a signature from Gov. Pete Ricketts, who has 
voiced support for it.&nbsp;<h2>AARP praises bill</h2>Praise
 for LB 873 came from the Nebraska AARP because of the eventual 
elimination of state taxes on Social Security income. Thanks also came 
from the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Nebraska Farm
 Bureau.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649363593054.jpeg" alt="Bryan Slone, president of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Bryan Slone, president of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Reducing
 state income taxes has been a longtime goal of the State Chamber and 
other business groups. They maintain that lowering individual and 
corporate income taxes is critical in attracting new businesses and 
workers.“A dynamic, growing economy with lots to do 
and cutting-edge job opportunities is critical to attracting and 
retaining more people in Nebraska, especially our talented, young 
generations,” said Bryan Slone,&nbsp; president of the State Chamber.&nbsp;In
 a compromise to gather more rural support, additional increases in 
state income tax credits were attached to LB 873 for property taxes paid
 for K-12 schools and community colleges. <h2>Raises property tax relief</h2>The
 Farm Bureau estimated Thursday that the provisions of LB 873 combined 
with a previous bill setting up the income tax credits would add up to 
$886 million in property tax savings a year within five years.“Thrilled,” was the reaction from Farm Bureau President Mark McHargue.But warnings came from an Omaha state senator and a Lincoln-based think tank.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1645040514616.jpeg" alt="Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>State Sen. John Cavanaugh said he would have
 voted “no” had he been present for the morning vote. He said the bill 
is way too costly, and will provide income tax cuts mostly to high 
income Nebraskans.<h2>$70 million to millionaires</h2>

	“There has to be a better way to get tax relief to the middle class 
than giving $70 million in tax breaks to millionaires,” Cavanaugh said.The
 Open Sky Policy Institute called the bill “bad news for most 
Nebraskans” and said it will eventually require cuts in state services, 
such as education and roads.“The
 wealthy and out-of-state corporations will come out way ahead, while in
 time, everyday Nebraskans will likely end up footing the bill,” said 
Rebecca Firestone of Open Sky.<h2>Tax receipts padded</h2>OpenSky
 has argued that Nebraska’s healthy tax receipts in recent months have 
been artificially padded by federal COVID-19 aid and that state 
lawmakers should have exercised caution when making such deep cuts in 
state revenue.But
 State Sen. John Stinner of Gering, who heads the Legislature’s 
budget-writing Appropriations Committee, has said the state can afford 
the tax cuts. He did win approval for a clause that would limit 
increases in the income tax credits to no more than 5% a year as a way 
to control costs.&nbsp;Lincoln
 Sen. Mike Hilgers, the Speaker of the Legislature, called LB 873 the 
largest tax cut in state history. He praised state lawmakers for passing
 the tax cut package, while also increasing the state’s cash reserve and
 financing several state priorities.<h2>Three attempts to advance</h2>LB
 873 took a circuitous course to passage. It was initially introduced by
 Omaha Sen. Lou Ann Linehan as LB 939 and only contained the income and 
property tax cuts.When
 that bill stalled, an attempt was made to incorporate LB 939 into a 
hugely popular Social Security tax reduction bill, sponsored by Omaha 
Sen. Brett Lindstrom.But
 that attempt was also blocked, so the provisions of LB 939 and LB 825, 
Lindstrom’s bill, were placed into LB 873, which overcame filibusters 
during first- and second-round debate before winning final approval 
Thursday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649363636412.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Praise, worries greet final-round OK of Neb.'s $900M tax cut package

BENNINGTON, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say two people have died in a two-vehicle crash near Bennington, north of Omaha. 

Television station KETV reports the crash happened Thursday morning on Highway 36. 

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office says the crash closed a section of the highway for at least two hours. 

Officials have not released the names of those killed or given details about how the crash occurred.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/6/1559617385052.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By ASSOCIATED PRESSBENNINGTON, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say two people have died in a two-vehicle crash near Bennington, north of Omaha. Television station KETV reports the crash happened Thursday morning on Highway 36. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office says the crash closed a section of the highway for at least two hours. Officials have not released the names of those killed or given details about how the crash occurred.

Officials say 2 people killed in crash near Bennington

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court on Thursday, shattering a historic barrier by securing her place as the first Black female justice and giving President Joe Biden a bipartisan endorsement for his effort to diversify the court.

Jackson, a 51 year-old appeals court judge with nine years experience on the federal bench, was confirmed 53-47, mostly along party lines but with&nbsp;three Republican votes.&nbsp; Kansas Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall along with Missouri Senator Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley voted against confirmation.

Three Republicans including  Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitt Romney of Utah broke party and voted to confirm.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649355640418.png" alt="Some members of the U.S. Senate stood to applaud after the historic vote-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Some members of the U.S. Senate stood to applaud after the historic vote-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court on Thursday, shattering a historic barrier by securing her place as the first Black female justice and giving President Joe Biden a bipartisan endorsement for his effort to diversify the court.Jackson, a 51 year-old appeals court judge with nine years experience on the federal bench, was confirmed 53-47, mostly along party lines but with&nbsp;three Republican votes.&nbsp; Kansas Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall along with Missouri Senator Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley voted against confirmation.Three Republicans including Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitt Romney of Utah broke party and voted to confirm.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649357598057.png" alt="Judge Jackson’s confirmation was a historic moment for our nation. We’ve taken another step toward making our highest court reflect the diversity of America. She will be an incredible Justice, and I was honored to share this moment with her.-photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>Judge Jackson’s confirmation was a historic moment for our nation. We’ve taken another step toward making our highest court reflect the diversity of America. She will be an incredible Justice, and I was honored to share this moment with her.-photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>Jackson will take her seat when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/stephen-breyer">Justice Stephen Breyer</a>&nbsp;retires this summer, solidifying the liberal wing of the 6-3 conservative-dominated court. She joined Biden at the White House to watch the vote, embracing as it came in.During the four days of Senate hearings last month, Jackson spoke of her parents’ struggles through racial segregation and said her “path was clearer” than theirs as a Black American after the enactment of civil rights laws. She attended Harvard University, served as a public defender, worked at a private law firm and was appointed as a member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission.She told senators she would apply the law “without fear or favor,” and pushed back on Republican attempts to portray her as too lenient on criminals she had sentenced.Jackson will be just the third Black justice, after Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas, and the sixth woman. She will join three other women, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan Amy Coney Barrett – meaning that four of the nine justices will be women for the first time in history.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649355209252.png" alt="Jackson will take her seat when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/stephen-breyer">Justice Stephen Breyer</a>&nbsp;retires this summer. Photo courtesy Rep. Val Demmings" />
 <figcaption>Jackson will take her seat when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/stephen-breyer">Justice Stephen Breyer</a>&nbsp;retires this summer. Photo courtesy Rep. Val Demmings</figcaption>
 </figure>Her eventual elevation to the court will be a respite for Democrats who fought three bruising battles over former President Donald Trump’s nominees and watched Republicans cement a conservative majority in the final days of Trump’s term with the confirmation of Coney Barrett. While Jackson won’t change the balance, she will secure a legacy on the court for Biden and fulfill his 2020 campaign pledge to nominate the first Black female justice.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said ahead of the vote that Jackson’s confirmation would be a “joyous day -- joyous for the Senate, joyous for the Supreme Court, joyous for America.”Despite the efforts to tarnish her record, Jackson eventually won&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-stephen-breyer-biden-us-supreme-court-election-2020-44978cd5c89b917a59d2f94ca60fedc2">three GOP votes</a>. The final tally was far from the overwhelming bipartisan confirmations for Breyer and other justices in decades past, but it was still a significant bipartisan accomplishment for Biden in the 50-50 split Senate after GOP senators aggressively worked to paint Jackson as too liberal and soft on crime.Statements from Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah all said the same thing — they might not always agree with Jackson, but they found her to be enormously well qualified for the job. Collins and Murkowski both decried increasingly partisan confirmation fights, which only worsened during the battles over Trump’s three picks. Collins said the process was “broken” and Murkowski called it “corrosive” and “more detached from reality by the year.”Biden, a veteran of a more bipartisan Senate, said from the day of Breyer’s retirement announcement in January that he wanted support from both parties for his history-making nominee, and he invited Republicans to the White House as he made his decision. It was an attempted reset from Trump’s presidency, when Democrats vociferously opposed the three nominees, and from the end of President Barack Obama’s, when Republicans blocked nominee Merrick Garland from getting a vote.Once sworn in, Jackson will be the second youngest member of the court after Barrett, 50. She will join a court on which no one is yet 75, the first time that has happened in nearly 30 years.Jackson’s first term will be marked by cases involving race, both in college admissions and voting rights.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-college-admissions-stephen-breyer-us-supreme-court-race-and-ethnicity-4aee113eab07c8a9c03c1f313fa66abd">She has pledged to sit out the court’s consideration of Harvard’s admissions program</a>&nbsp;since she is a member of its board of overseers. But the court could split off a second case involving a challenge to the University of North Carolina’s admissions process, which might allow her to weigh in on the issue.Republicans spent the confirmation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-hearing-day-3-highlights-95aea2b41a957788f3dd072fb1e396f2">hearings strongly questioning her sentencing record</a>, including the sentences she handed down in child pornography cases, which they argued were too light.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-hearing-day-2-live-updates-219ce62acd87ca205163781f5b6623a0">Jackson declared&nbsp;</a>that “nothing could be further from the truth” and explained her reasoning in detail. Democrats said she was in line with other judges in her decisions.The GOP questioning in the Judiciary Committee showed the views of many Republicans, though, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said in a floor speech Wednesday that Jackson “never got tough once in this area.”Democrats criticized the Republicans’ questioning.“You could try and create a straw man here, but it does not hold,” said New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker at the committee’s vote earlier this week. The panel deadlocked on the nomination 11-11, but the Senate voted to discharge it from committee and moved ahead with her confirmation.In an impassioned moment during the hearings last month, Booker, who is Black, told Jackson that he felt emotional watching her testify. He said he saw “my ancestors and yours” in her image.“But don’t worry, my sister,” Booker said. “Don’t worry. God has got you. And how do I know that? Because you’re here, and I know what it’s taken for you to sit in that seat.”___