WASHINGTON — With the completion of special mailings of all Letters 
6475 to recipients of the third-round of Economic Impact Payments, the 
Internal Revenue Service reminds people to accurately claim any 
remaining third-round stimulus payment on their 2021 income tax return 
as the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit.

Through December 31, 2021, the IRS issued more than 175 million 
third-round payments totaling over $400 billion to individuals and 
families across the country. Most of the third-round payments were 
issued in the spring and early summer of 2021. The IRS continued to send
 plus-up payments through December if, after their 2020 tax return was 
processed last year, the taxpayer was eligible for additional amounts.

As required by law, the IRS is no longer issuing first-, second-, or 
third-round Economic Impact Payments. Instead, people who are missing a 
stimulus payment or got less than the full amount may be eligible to 
claim a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/recovery-rebate-credit">Recovery Rebate Credit</a> on their 2020 or 2021 federal tax return.

Most eligible people already received the full amount of their credit
 in advance and don't need to include any information about this payment
 when they file their 2021 tax return. This includes the additional 
payments – called "Plus-Up" Payments – the IRS issued to individuals who
 initially received a third-round Economic Impact Payment based on 
information on their 2019 tax return and were later eligible for a 
larger amount based on information on their 2020 tax return.

Individuals may securely access their <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account">IRS Online Account</a>
 to view the total amount of the third-round Economic Impact Payment 
issued to them. This information became available on January 15, 2022, 
under the Tax Records page in Online Account. For married individuals 
filing a joint return, each spouse will need to log into their own 
Online Account or review their own <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-letter-6475">Letter 6475</a> for their portion of their joint total payment. See FAQs for <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/2021-recovery-rebate-credit-topic-g-finding-the-third-economic-impact-payment-amount-to-calculate-the-2021-recovery-rebate-credit">Topic G: Finding the Third Economic Impact Payment Amount to Calculate the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit</a>, for more information.

Third-round Economic Impact Payment not received? Double-check records first

Individuals are encouraged to double-check their bank accounts – 
especially in early spring and summer of 2021 – to see whether they 
received a third-round payment in advance last year.

If an individual did not receive a third-round payment – and their 
IRS Online Account shows a payment amount greater than $0, or they 
received Notice 1444-C or Letter 6475 indicating that a payment was 
issued to them –&nbsp;they should contact the IRS as soon as possible to see 
if a payment trace is needed. Note that Online Account shows the most 
current EIP information, so if a payment was issued and returned to the 
IRS, the amount shown in Online Account may be less than what is shown 
in their Letter 6475.

Taxpayers should not request a payment trace to determine if they were <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/2021-recovery-rebate-credit-topic-c-eligibility-for-claiming-a-recovery-rebate-credit-on-a-2021-tax-return">eligible for a payment</a> or to confirm the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/2021-recovery-rebate-credit-topic-g-finding-the-third-economic-impact-payment-amount-to-calculate-the-2021-recovery-rebate-credit">amount of payment</a> they should have received.

Individuals do not need to wait until their trace is complete to file
 their 2021 tax return. When completing the Recovery Rebate Credit 
Worksheet or answering EIP questions in the tax software, taxpayers have
 two options:

Correcting a mistake after the 2021 tax return is filed; no amended return needed

Individuals who made a mistake calculating the Recovery Rebate Credit and claimed an amount on line 30 for the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit should not file an amended return. The IRS will correct the amount of the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit and send a notice identifying the changes made.

If a correction is needed, there may be a delay in processing the 
return. If the taxpayer agrees with the changes made by the IRS, no 
response or action is required to indicate they agree with the changes. 
If the taxpayer disagrees, they can call the toll-free number listed on 
the top right corner of their notice.

Amended return may be needed for those eligible to claim the credit and IRS records show no Economic Impact Payment was issued

For eligible individuals who didn't claim a Recovery Rebate Credit on
 their 2021 tax return (line 30 is blank or $0) and IRS records do not 
show the issuance of an Economic Impact Payment, they will need to file a
 <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040x">Form 1040-X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return</a>,
 to claim the remaining amount of stimulus money for which they are 
eligible. This includes individuals who may not have received the full 
amount of their third-round Economic Impact Payment because their 
circumstances in 2021 were different than they were in 2020.

Individuals can use the Interactive Tax Assistant, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/should-i-file-an-amended-return">Should I File an Amended Return?</a>, to help determine if they should amend their original tax return.

Taxpayers who need to file an amended return to claim the 2021 
Recovery Rebate Credit – even if they don’t usually file taxes - should 
use the worksheet in the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040">2021 instructions for Form 1040 and 1040-SR</a>
 to determine the amount of the credit. Enter the amount on the 
Refundable Credits section of the Form 1040-X and include "Recovery 
Rebate Credit" in the Explanation of Changes section.

Individuals who filed their 2021 return electronically and need to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/if-you-must-amend-your-return">file an amended return</a>, may be able to file Form 1040-X electronically.

If a taxpayer did not file their 2021 return electronically, they'll 
need to submit a paper version of the Form 1040-X and should follow the 
instructions for preparing and mailing the paper form.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — With the completion of special mailings of all Letters 
6475 to recipients of the third-round of Economic Impact Payments, the 
Internal Revenue Service reminds people to accurately claim any 
remaining third-round stimulus payment on their 2021 income tax return 
as the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit.Through December 31, 2021, the IRS issued more than 175 million 
third-round payments totaling over $400 billion to individuals and 
families across the country. Most of the third-round payments were 
issued in the spring and early summer of 2021. The IRS continued to send
 plus-up payments through December if, after their 2020 tax return was 
processed last year, the taxpayer was eligible for additional amounts.As required by law, the IRS is no longer issuing first-, second-, or 
third-round Economic Impact Payments. Instead, people who are missing a 
stimulus payment or got less than the full amount may be eligible to 
claim a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/recovery-rebate-credit">Recovery Rebate Credit</a> on their 2020 or 2021 federal tax return.Most eligible people already received the full amount of their credit
 in advance and don't need to include any information about this payment
 when they file their 2021 tax return. This includes the additional 
payments – called "Plus-Up" Payments – the IRS issued to individuals who
 initially received a third-round Economic Impact Payment based on 
information on their 2019 tax return and were later eligible for a 
larger amount based on information on their 2020 tax return.Individuals may securely access their <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account">IRS Online Account</a>
 to view the total amount of the third-round Economic Impact Payment 
issued to them. This information became available on January 15, 2022, 
under the Tax Records page in Online Account. For married individuals 
filing a joint return, each spouse will need to log into their own 
Online Account or review their own <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-letter-6475">Letter 6475</a> for their portion of their joint total payment. See FAQs for <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/2021-recovery-rebate-credit-topic-g-finding-the-third-economic-impact-payment-amount-to-calculate-the-2021-recovery-rebate-credit">Topic G: Finding the Third Economic Impact Payment Amount to Calculate the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit</a>, for more information.<h2>Third-round Economic Impact Payment not received? Double-check records first</h2>Individuals are encouraged to double-check their bank accounts – 
especially in early spring and summer of 2021 – to see whether they 
received a third-round payment in advance last year.If an individual did not receive a third-round payment – and their 
IRS Online Account shows a payment amount greater than $0, or they 
received Notice 1444-C or Letter 6475 indicating that a payment was 
issued to them –&nbsp;they should contact the IRS as soon as possible to see 
if a payment trace is needed. Note that Online Account shows the most 
current EIP information, so if a payment was issued and returned to the 
IRS, the amount shown in Online Account may be less than what is shown 
in their Letter 6475.Taxpayers should not request a payment trace to determine if they were <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/2021-recovery-rebate-credit-topic-c-eligibility-for-claiming-a-recovery-rebate-credit-on-a-2021-tax-return">eligible for a payment</a> or to confirm the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/2021-recovery-rebate-credit-topic-g-finding-the-third-economic-impact-payment-amount-to-calculate-the-2021-recovery-rebate-credit">amount of payment</a> they should have received.Individuals do not need to wait until their trace is complete to file
 their 2021 tax return. When completing the Recovery Rebate Credit 
Worksheet or answering EIP questions in the tax software, taxpayers have
 two options:<ul>
 <li>Use the amount on the Letter 6475 (or EIP 3 Amount from Online Account) to calculate the RRC amount on line 30.
 Contact the IRS to trace the EIP amount. Once the EIP trace is 
completed, the IRS and the taxpayer will receive notification of the 
results of the EIP trace (the account it was sent to and the amount or a
 copy of the cashed check).

	If the trace indicates the taxpayer received the EIP amount, no further action is necessary.If the EIP amount was not received by the taxpayer, the IRS will adjust the RRC amount on the tax return and issue any refund. 
		&nbsp;</li><li>If the trace indicates the taxpayer received the EIP amount, no further action is necessary.</li><li>If the EIP amount was not received by the taxpayer, the IRS will adjust the RRC amount on the tax return and issue any refund. 
		&nbsp;</li><li>Use the amount of EIP the taxpayer believes they received to calculate the RRC amount on line 30.
 If the taxpayer's calculation does not match the IRS calculation, the 
processing of the tax return will be delayed, the RRC amount will be 
adjusted to match IRS records and the taxpayer will receive a notice 
that includes a telephone number to contact if they disagree with the 
change to the tax return. If the taxpayer contacts the IRS and disagrees
 with the changes made, IRS will conduct a trace of the EIP, if 
necessary. Once the EIP trace is completed, the IRS and the taxpayer 
will receive notification of the results of the EIP trace (the account 
it was sent to and the amount or a copy of the cashed check).
	If the trace indicates the taxpayer received the EIP amount, no further action is necessary.If the EIP amount was not received by the taxpayer, the IRS will adjust the RRC amount on the return and issue any refund.</li><li>If the trace indicates the taxpayer received the EIP amount, no further action is necessary.</li><li>If the EIP amount was not received by the taxpayer, the IRS will adjust the RRC amount on the return and issue any refund.</li>
 </ul><h2>Correcting a mistake after the 2021 tax return is filed; no amended return needed</h2>Individuals who made a mistake calculating the Recovery Rebate Credit and claimed an amount on line 30 for the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit should not file an amended return. The IRS will correct the amount of the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit and send a notice identifying the changes made.If a correction is needed, there may be a delay in processing the 
return. If the taxpayer agrees with the changes made by the IRS, no 
response or action is required to indicate they agree with the changes. 
If the taxpayer disagrees, they can call the toll-free number listed on 
the top right corner of their notice.<h2>Amended return may be needed for those eligible to claim the credit and IRS records show no Economic Impact Payment was issued</h2>For eligible individuals who didn't claim a Recovery Rebate Credit on
 their 2021 tax return (line 30 is blank or $0) and IRS records do not 
show the issuance of an Economic Impact Payment, they will need to file a
 <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040x">Form 1040-X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return</a>,
 to claim the remaining amount of stimulus money for which they are 
eligible. This includes individuals who may not have received the full 
amount of their third-round Economic Impact Payment because their 
circumstances in 2021 were different than they were in 2020.Individuals can use the Interactive Tax Assistant, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/should-i-file-an-amended-return">Should I File an Amended Return?</a>, to help determine if they should amend their original tax return.Taxpayers who need to file an amended return to claim the 2021 
Recovery Rebate Credit – even if they don’t usually file taxes - should 
use the worksheet in the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040">2021 instructions for Form 1040 and 1040-SR</a>
 to determine the amount of the credit. Enter the amount on the 
Refundable Credits section of the Form 1040-X and include "Recovery 
Rebate Credit" in the Explanation of Changes section.Individuals who filed their 2021 return electronically and need to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/if-you-must-amend-your-return">file an amended return</a>, may be able to file Form 1040-X electronically.If a taxpayer did not file their 2021 return electronically, they'll 
need to submit a paper version of the Form 1040-X and should follow the 
instructions for preparing and mailing the paper form.

COVID relief checks confusing your tax season? Take these steps

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="http://-">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN, Neb.&nbsp; — A bill that seeks to limit, at least for now, the number of gambling 
casinos that can be established in Nebraska got out of the gate Tuesday 
but is far from the finish line.

Senators
 advanced Legislative Bill 876 from first-round debate on a 30-0 vote, 
but one leading state senator complained that western Nebraska was being
 snubbed by the bill.

State
 Sen. John Stinner of Gering said limiting casinos initially to only the
 six existing Thoroughbred racetracks means that his Panhandle 
constituents will have at least a five-hour drive to the nearest 
gambling palace in Grand Island.

“Through all of this process, you’ve excluded half of the state,” said Stinner.

In
 November, Nebraska voters overwhelmingly approved casino gambling at 
horse racetracks, operations called “racinos.” But senators have 
differed on whether the vote meant racinos only at the state’s six 
existing racetracks, or elsewhere.

Several
 communities, including Kimball, Gering, North Platte, Norfolk and 
Bellevue, had proposed racinos in hopes of luring visitors and adding 
jobs.

LB
 876, crafted by the Legislature’s General Affairs Committee and its 
chairman, Albion Sen. Tom Briese, seeks to limit the number of racinos 
by requiring any new tracks to submit an extensive study about the 
impacts of a new casino/racetrack as part of their application for a 
license from the newly renamed Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission.

Briese,
 under questioning, didn’t know how long it would take to compile such a
 study. The bill says studies should be completed by January 2025 or “as
 soon as practicable.”

Stinner
 said that means it could take three years to get approval and then 
another two years to build a casino, thus cutting out areas west of 
Grand Island for five years.

Stinner said he has drafted an amendment to the bill that allows at least two racinos, immediately, west of Cozad.

“This is 100 to 200 jobs for western Nebraska we could really use,” the senator said.

Two
 senators that have racetracks in their districts, Mike Moser of 
Columbus and Ray Aguilar of Grand Island, spoke in favor of the bill. 
Moser said if too many tracks are allowed, some may close.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648658692575.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="http://-">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN, Neb.&nbsp; — A bill that seeks to limit, at least for now, the number of gambling 
casinos that can be established in Nebraska got out of the gate Tuesday 
but is far from the finish line.Senators
 advanced Legislative Bill 876 from first-round debate on a 30-0 vote, 
but one leading state senator complained that western Nebraska was being
 snubbed by the bill.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646255676328.jpeg" alt="Sen. John Stinner at the Nebraska Legislature (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Sen. John Stinner at the Nebraska Legislature (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>State
 Sen. John Stinner of Gering said limiting casinos initially to only the
 six existing Thoroughbred racetracks means that his Panhandle 
constituents will have at least a five-hour drive to the nearest 
gambling palace in Grand Island.<h2>‘Excluded’</h2>“Through all of this process, you’ve excluded half of the state,” said Stinner.In
 November, Nebraska voters overwhelmingly approved casino gambling at 
horse racetracks, operations called “racinos.” But senators have 
differed on whether the vote meant racinos only at the state’s six 
existing racetracks, or elsewhere.Several
 communities, including Kimball, Gering, North Platte, Norfolk and 
Bellevue, had proposed racinos in hopes of luring visitors and adding 
jobs.<h2>Extensive study</h2>LB
 876, crafted by the Legislature’s General Affairs Committee and its 
chairman, Albion Sen. Tom Briese, seeks to limit the number of racinos 
by requiring any new tracks to submit an extensive study about the 
impacts of a new casino/racetrack as part of their application for a 
license from the newly renamed Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1647279776153.jpeg" alt="Sen. Tom Briese of Albion (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Sen. Tom Briese of Albion (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Briese,
 under questioning, didn’t know how long it would take to compile such a
 study. The bill says studies should be completed by January 2025 or “as
 soon as practicable.”Stinner
 said that means it could take three years to get approval and then 
another two years to build a casino, thus cutting out areas west of 
Grand Island for five years.Stinner said he has drafted an amendment to the bill that allows at least two racinos, immediately, west of Cozad.<h2>Needed jobs</h2>“This is 100 to 200 jobs for western Nebraska we could really use,” the senator said.Two
 senators that have racetracks in their districts, Mike Moser of 
Columbus and Ray Aguilar of Grand Island, spoke in favor of the bill. 
Moser said if too many tracks are allowed, some may close.

Neb. ‘racino’ bill advances with initial limit at six racetracks

By JOSH FUNK Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. — Several hundred workers at a Kellogg's plant that makes Cheez-Its won a new contract that delivers more than 15% wage increases over three years after 1,400 workers at the company's cereal plants went on strike for nearly three months last fall.

The wage and benefits improvements that 570 workers at the Kellogg's plant secured this week are the largest that have been seen by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, it said Wednesday.

U.S. companies are struggling to fill the more than 11 million job openings across the country which represents nearly two openings for every one unemployed, and workers are demanding more after keeping plants operating throughout the pandemic.

Job openings hovered at a near-record high for the second consecutive month in February, the Labor Department reported this week.

“This contract is further evidence of the power of a union voice and collective bargaining," said the union's president Stuart Appelbaum.

Kellogg's, which is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, didn't immediately comment Wednesday on the contract it offered its workers in Kansas City, Kansas.

Besides the strike at Kellogg's plants in Nebraska, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Tennessee last fall, workers also walked out last year at a Frito-Lay plant in Topeka, Kansas, and at five Nabisco plants nationwide. And meatpacking workers have been winning significant raises when their contracts come up at plants across the country.

Unions in other industries, including one that represents more than 10,000 John Deere workers, also went on strike last year. The Deere workers received 10% raises and improved benefits after going on strike for a month.

Workers have also voted to unionize at more than a half dozen Starbucks stores across the country and unions are trying to organize at roughly 140 other stores nationwide. And Amazon is trying to stave off unions at two of its warehouses in New York and Alabama where ballots are in the process of being counted now.

Experts say the ongoing labor shortages have given unions more leverage than they have had in decades during contract talks.

A spokeswoman for the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union that represents the Kellogg's cereal plant workers said that strike and the others across the industry in the past year have helped it secure significant gains for workers at other companies.

The Cheez-It workers will receive 6% raises in the first year of their new contract, 5% raises the following year and 4.5% raises and a $500 bonus in the third year. The workers will also see improved health and pension benefits with no increase in their health insurance premiums. And new hires will move up to higher pay rates more quickly.

“These wage increases will help us better provide for our families and improve the quality of our lives," said Larry Smith, who leads the local union at the Kellogg's plant.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648657358071.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By JOSH FUNK Associated PressOMAHA, Neb. — Several hundred workers at a Kellogg's plant that makes Cheez-Its won a new contract that delivers more than 15% wage increases over three years after 1,400 workers at the company's cereal plants went on strike for nearly three months last fall.The wage and benefits improvements that 570 workers at the Kellogg's plant secured this week are the largest that have been seen by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, it said Wednesday.U.S. companies are struggling to fill the more than 11 million job openings across the country which represents nearly two openings for every one unemployed, and workers are demanding more after keeping plants operating throughout the pandemic.Job openings hovered at a near-record high for the second consecutive month in February, the Labor Department reported this week.“This contract is further evidence of the power of a union voice and collective bargaining," said the union's president Stuart Appelbaum.Kellogg's, which is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, didn't immediately comment Wednesday on the contract it offered its workers in Kansas City, Kansas.Besides the strike at Kellogg's plants in Nebraska, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Tennessee last fall, workers also walked out last year at a Frito-Lay plant in Topeka, Kansas, and at five Nabisco plants nationwide. And meatpacking workers have been winning significant raises when their contracts come up at plants across the country.Unions in other industries, including one that represents more than 10,000 John Deere workers, also went on strike last year. The Deere workers received 10% raises and improved benefits after going on strike for a month.Workers have also voted to unionize at more than a half dozen Starbucks stores across the country and unions are trying to organize at roughly 140 other stores nationwide. And Amazon is trying to stave off unions at two of its warehouses in New York and Alabama where ballots are in the process of being counted now.Experts say the ongoing labor shortages have given unions more leverage than they have had in decades during contract talks.A spokeswoman for the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union that represents the Kellogg's cereal plant workers said that strike and the others across the industry in the past year have helped it secure significant gains for workers at other companies.The Cheez-It workers will receive 6% raises in the first year of their new contract, 5% raises the following year and 4.5% raises and a $500 bonus in the third year. The workers will also see improved health and pension benefits with no increase in their health insurance premiums. And new hires will move up to higher pay rates more quickly.“These wage increases will help us better provide for our families and improve the quality of our lives," said Larry Smith, who leads the local union at the Kellogg's plant.

Kellogg's workers win big raises after spate of strikes

By SUZANNE PEREZ <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/2022-03-28/derby-district-opts-to-keep-the-bible-in-classrooms-and-libraries">Kansas News Service</a>

WICHITA, Kansas — A Derby school district committee decided 
not to remove the Bible from libraries or classrooms despite a challenge
 that the book contains mature themes.

Cheryl Bannon, a former 
member of the Derby City Council, asked the district’s library committee
 to review the Bible after the group decided to <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/2022-03-08/derby-district-removes-novel-from-class-materials-and-middle-school-library-after-anonymous-complaint" target="_blank">remove an award-winning young-adult novel</a> from its list of approved classroom materials.

Bannon
 said she filed her challenge to illustrate the consequences of 
censorship. The Bible is used as a textbook in Derby High School’s 
“Bible as Literature” course, a one-semester elective.

Pointing to
 verses about murder, masturbation, genocide, incest and other mature 
topics, Bannon argued that the religious text is just as provocative as 
some contemporary works.

Derby’s library committee removed Sherman Alexie’s <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/693208.The_Absolutely_True_Diary_of_a_Part_Time_Indian" target="_blank">“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”</a>
 from classrooms and middle-school libraries in February, citing 
profanity, sexual themes and slurs related to mental disabilities.

The 12-member <a href="https://www.derbyschools.com/news/what_s_new/library_committee" target="_blank">library committee</a>
 met for nearly two hours last week and opted not to remove the Biblical
 literature elective or its materials. Officials said various editions 
of the Bible also have been donated to school libraries and remain on 
shelves.

Ed Belsan, who teaches the Bible course and serves on the
 library committee, said the class focuses on the influence of the Bible
 as one of the foundational writings of Western literature. Similarly, 
students in other courses learn about Greek and Roman mythology.

“If
 nothing else, they get exposed to a great book that far too many people
 have very strong opinions about and have never read,” Belsan said. 
“That’s true of so many banned books.”

Belsan said his students 
are assigned to read only 149 of the Bible’s more than 1,100 chapters. 
The course includes some violent passages, such as the story of Cain and
 Abel. He said the majority of verses cited in Bannon’s challenge aren’t
 covered in the course.

“I don’t want to give the impression that there’s nothing controversial in there. That would be a misrepresentation,” he said.

“Even
 ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is controversial because of the suicide. But what I 
tell the kids on Day One is, ‘Don’t follow these guys. They’re a 
terrible example.’ The story is about families and conflict.”

Committee member Kristin Sen said removing the Alexie novel may have been a mistake because lots of books have mature content.

“It
 seems like one person initiated this whole process, and now here we 
are,” she said. “And … it’s a slidey slope. Where does it end?”

Sen,
 who also serves on the Derby Public Library’s board of trustees, said 
the committee should be consistent when reviewing books and should keep 
the whole district in mind.

“We’re kind of heavily leaning on the 
parent that’s objecting, but we’re not thinking about the group of 
parents that are saying, ‘No. … This is a good book and needs to be 
taught in a classroom setting,’” she said. “There are parents who want 
their child to go out in the world with this experience and this 
education.”

Holly Putnam-Jackson, assistant superintendent of 
curriculum, told the committee that the district’s legal team had 
cautioned against labeling books as explicit or asking parents to 
pre-approve them.

District policy allows parents to opt their 
child out of any book or lesson they find objectionable. In such cases, 
students are given an alternate assignment.

Bannon, who submitted the challenge, said she doesn’t plan to appeal the decision.

“I
 just wanted the parents and board members and faculty who make these 
decisions to see that mature themes run through lots of books, including
 the Bible,” she said.

Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648650614739.png" alt="KCUR 89.3" />
 <figcaption>KCUR 89.3</figcaption>
 </figure>By SUZANNE PEREZ <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/2022-03-28/derby-district-opts-to-keep-the-bible-in-classrooms-and-libraries">Kansas News Service</a>WICHITA, Kansas — A Derby school district committee decided 
not to remove the Bible from libraries or classrooms despite a challenge
 that the book contains mature themes.Cheryl Bannon, a former 
member of the Derby City Council, asked the district’s library committee
 to review the Bible after the group decided to <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/2022-03-08/derby-district-removes-novel-from-class-materials-and-middle-school-library-after-anonymous-complaint" target="_blank">remove an award-winning young-adult novel</a> from its list of approved classroom materials.Bannon
 said she filed her challenge to illustrate the consequences of 
censorship. The Bible is used as a textbook in Derby High School’s 
“Bible as Literature” course, a one-semester elective.Pointing to
 verses about murder, masturbation, genocide, incest and other mature 
topics, Bannon argued that the religious text is just as provocative as 
some contemporary works.Derby’s library committee removed Sherman Alexie’s <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/693208.The_Absolutely_True_Diary_of_a_Part_Time_Indian" target="_blank">“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”</a>
 from classrooms and middle-school libraries in February, citing 
profanity, sexual themes and slurs related to mental disabilities.The 12-member <a href="https://www.derbyschools.com/news/what_s_new/library_committee" target="_blank">library committee</a>
 met for nearly two hours last week and opted not to remove the Biblical
 literature elective or its materials. Officials said various editions 
of the Bible also have been donated to school libraries and remain on 
shelves.Ed Belsan, who teaches the Bible course and serves on the
 library committee, said the class focuses on the influence of the Bible
 as one of the foundational writings of Western literature. Similarly, 
students in other courses learn about Greek and Roman mythology.“If
 nothing else, they get exposed to a great book that far too many people
 have very strong opinions about and have never read,” Belsan said. 
“That’s true of so many banned books.”Belsan said his students 
are assigned to read only 149 of the Bible’s more than 1,100 chapters. 
The course includes some violent passages, such as the story of Cain and
 Abel. He said the majority of verses cited in Bannon’s challenge aren’t
 covered in the course.“I don’t want to give the impression that there’s nothing controversial in there. That would be a misrepresentation,” he said.“Even
 ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is controversial because of the suicide. But what I 
tell the kids on Day One is, ‘Don’t follow these guys. They’re a 
terrible example.’ The story is about families and conflict.”Committee member Kristin Sen said removing the Alexie novel may have been a mistake because lots of books have mature content.“It
 seems like one person initiated this whole process, and now here we 
are,” she said. “And … it’s a slidey slope. Where does it end?”Sen,
 who also serves on the Derby Public Library’s board of trustees, said 
the committee should be consistent when reviewing books and should keep 
the whole district in mind.“We’re kind of heavily leaning on the 
parent that’s objecting, but we’re not thinking about the group of 
parents that are saying, ‘No. … This is a good book and needs to be 
taught in a classroom setting,’” she said. “There are parents who want 
their child to go out in the world with this experience and this 
education.”Holly Putnam-Jackson, assistant superintendent of 
curriculum, told the committee that the district’s legal team had 
cautioned against labeling books as explicit or asking parents to 
pre-approve them.District policy allows parents to opt their 
child out of any book or lesson they find objectionable. In such cases, 
students are given an alternate assignment.Bannon, who submitted the challenge, said she doesn’t plan to appeal the decision.“I
 just wanted the parents and board members and faculty who make these 
decisions to see that mature themes run through lots of books, including
 the Bible,” she said.Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.

Despite challenge, Kan. school district won't remove Bible from libraries, classrooms

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The moment nurse RaDonda Vaught realized she had given a patient the wrong medication, she rushed to the doctors working to revive 75-year-old Charlene Murphey and told them what she had done. Within hours, she made a full report of her mistake to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Murphey died the next day, on Dec. 27, 2017. On Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-homicide-tennessee-208900696fba7ec95b00b37ac1989dfb">a jury found Vaught guilty</a>&nbsp;of criminally negligent homicide and gross neglect.

That verdict — and the fact that Vaught was charged at all — worries patient safety and nursing groups that have worked for years to move hospital culture away from cover-ups, blame and punishment, and toward the honest reporting of mistakes.

The move to a “Just Culture” seeks to improve safety by analyzing human errors and making systemic changes to prevent their recurrence. And that can’t happen if providers think they could go to prison, they say.

“The criminalization of medical errors is unnerving, and this verdict sets into motion a dangerous precedent,” the American Nurses Association said. “Health care delivery is highly complex. It is inevitable that mistakes will happen. ... It is completely unrealistic to think otherwise.”

Just Culture has been widely adopted in hospitals since a 1999 report by the National Academy of Medicine estimated at least 98,000 people may die each year due to medical errors.

But such bad outcomes remain stubbornly common, with too many hospital staffers convinced that owning up to mistakes will expose them to punishment, according to a 2018 study published in the American Journal of Medical Quality.

More than 46,000 death certificates listed complications of medical and surgical care — a category that includes medical errors — among the causes of death in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.

“Best estimates are 7,000-10,000 fatal medication errors a year. Are we going to lock them up? Who is going to replace them?” said Bruce Lambert, patient safety expert and director of the Center for Communication and Health at Northwestern University.

“If you think RaDonda Vaught is criminally negligent, you just don’t know how health care works,” Lambert said.

Murphey was admitted to the neurological intensive care unit on Dec. 24, 2017, after suffering from a brain bleed. Two days later, doctors ordered a PET scan. Murphey was claustrophobic and was prescribed Versed for her anxiety, according to testimony. When Vaught could not find Versed in an automatic drug dispensing cabinet, she used an override and accidentally grabbed the paralyzing drug vecuronium instead.

Such mistakes often end up in malpractice lawsuits, but criminal prosecutions are rare. After Vaught was charged in 2019, the Institute for Safe Medical Practices issued a statement saying it had “worrisome implications for safety.”

“In an era when we need more transparency, cover-ups will reign due to fear,” the statement read. “Even if errors are reported, effective event investigation and learning cannot occur in a culture of fear or blame.”

Many nurses are “already at their breaking point ... after a physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting two years caring for patients with COVID,” said Liz Stokes, director of the American Nurses Association’s Center for Ethics and Human Rights. Vaught’s prosecution gives them one more reason to quit, she said.

“This could be me. I’m an RN as well,” she said. “This could be any of us.”

Vaught was steeped in the idea of Just Culture and says she has “zero regrets” about telling the truth, but her candor was used against her at trial. Assistant District Attorney Brittani Flatt quoted from her interview with a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agent in closing arguments: “I definitely should have paid more attention. I should have called the pharmacy. I shouldn’t have overridden, because it wasn’t an emergency.”

It is easy to judge Vaught’s actions in retrospect, Lambert said, but overrides and workarounds are an extremely common part of healthcare, he said: “This is typical, not aberrant or bizarre, behavior.”

Meanwhile, Vaught’s honesty about her mistake has already brought about safety improvements, and not just at Vanderbilt. Because vecuronium should only be used on patients who have a breathing tube inserted, some hospitals have moved it and other paralytic drugs out of automatic dispensing cabinets.

“At my hospital, they’ve changed their policy and put paralytics into a rapid intubation kit because of this,” said Janie Harvey Garner, who founded the nurse advocacy organization Show Me Your Stethoscope. She said that because Vaught owned up to the mistake, Murphey’s death “has probably saved lives.”

While Murphey’s death may serve as a cautionary tale for other nurses, Vaught, now awaiting a sentence of up to eight years, told The Associated Press in an interview that she thinks about her patient every day.

Vaught, 37, discovered that she and Murphey lived in the same small community of Bethpage, about an hour northeast of Nashville, and that she and members of Murphey’s family have mutual friends. It would only be a matter of time before she met one of them in person.

“I’ve imagined so many times how I would feel if this were my grandma, my family member, my husband,” she said.

Recently, while buying farm supplies, she was talking with the young man behind the counter when he recognized her, and told her he was Murphey’s grandson. Instead of reproaching her, he ended up comforting her and patting her on the shoulder, she said.

“He was so kind. He was so incredibly kind,” Vaught said. “I took his grandma away, and he just kept telling me to take care of myself. There are good people in this world.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642602653897.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By ASSOCIATED PRESSNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The moment nurse RaDonda Vaught realized she had given a patient the wrong medication, she rushed to the doctors working to revive 75-year-old Charlene Murphey and told them what she had done. Within hours, she made a full report of her mistake to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.Murphey died the next day, on Dec. 27, 2017. On Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-homicide-tennessee-208900696fba7ec95b00b37ac1989dfb">a jury found Vaught guilty</a>&nbsp;of criminally negligent homicide and gross neglect.That verdict — and the fact that Vaught was charged at all — worries patient safety and nursing groups that have worked for years to move hospital culture away from cover-ups, blame and punishment, and toward the honest reporting of mistakes.The move to a “Just Culture” seeks to improve safety by analyzing human errors and making systemic changes to prevent their recurrence. And that can’t happen if providers think they could go to prison, they say.“The criminalization of medical errors is unnerving, and this verdict sets into motion a dangerous precedent,” the American Nurses Association said. “Health care delivery is highly complex. It is inevitable that mistakes will happen. ... It is completely unrealistic to think otherwise.”Just Culture has been widely adopted in hospitals since a 1999 report by the National Academy of Medicine estimated at least 98,000 people may die each year due to medical errors.But such bad outcomes remain stubbornly common, with too many hospital staffers convinced that owning up to mistakes will expose them to punishment, according to a 2018 study published in the American Journal of Medical Quality.More than 46,000 death certificates listed complications of medical and surgical care — a category that includes medical errors — among the causes of death in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.“Best estimates are 7,000-10,000 fatal medication errors a year. Are we going to lock them up? Who is going to replace them?” said Bruce Lambert, patient safety expert and director of the Center for Communication and Health at Northwestern University.“If you think RaDonda Vaught is criminally negligent, you just don’t know how health care works,” Lambert said.Murphey was admitted to the neurological intensive care unit on Dec. 24, 2017, after suffering from a brain bleed. Two days later, doctors ordered a PET scan. Murphey was claustrophobic and was prescribed Versed for her anxiety, according to testimony. When Vaught could not find Versed in an automatic drug dispensing cabinet, she used an override and accidentally grabbed the paralyzing drug vecuronium instead.Such mistakes often end up in malpractice lawsuits, but criminal prosecutions are rare. After Vaught was charged in 2019, the Institute for Safe Medical Practices issued a statement saying it had “worrisome implications for safety.”“In an era when we need more transparency, cover-ups will reign due to fear,” the statement read. “Even if errors are reported, effective event investigation and learning cannot occur in a culture of fear or blame.”Many nurses are “already at their breaking point ... after a physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting two years caring for patients with COVID,” said Liz Stokes, director of the American Nurses Association’s Center for Ethics and Human Rights. Vaught’s prosecution gives them one more reason to quit, she said.“This could be me. I’m an RN as well,” she said. “This could be any of us.”Vaught was steeped in the idea of Just Culture and says she has “zero regrets” about telling the truth, but her candor was used against her at trial. Assistant District Attorney Brittani Flatt quoted from her interview with a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agent in closing arguments: “I definitely should have paid more attention. I should have called the pharmacy. I shouldn’t have overridden, because it wasn’t an emergency.”It is easy to judge Vaught’s actions in retrospect, Lambert said, but overrides and workarounds are an extremely common part of healthcare, he said: “This is typical, not aberrant or bizarre, behavior.”Meanwhile, Vaught’s honesty about her mistake has already brought about safety improvements, and not just at Vanderbilt. Because vecuronium should only be used on patients who have a breathing tube inserted, some hospitals have moved it and other paralytic drugs out of automatic dispensing cabinets.“At my hospital, they’ve changed their policy and put paralytics into a rapid intubation kit because of this,” said Janie Harvey Garner, who founded the nurse advocacy organization Show Me Your Stethoscope. She said that because Vaught owned up to the mistake, Murphey’s death “has probably saved lives.”While Murphey’s death may serve as a cautionary tale for other nurses, Vaught, now awaiting a sentence of up to eight years, told The Associated Press in an interview that she thinks about her patient every day.Vaught, 37, discovered that she and Murphey lived in the same small community of Bethpage, about an hour northeast of Nashville, and that she and members of Murphey’s family have mutual friends. It would only be a matter of time before she met one of them in person.“I’ve imagined so many times how I would feel if this were my grandma, my family member, my husband,” she said.Recently, while buying farm supplies, she was talking with the young man behind the counter when he recognized her, and told her he was Murphey’s grandson. Instead of reproaching her, he ended up comforting her and patting her on the shoulder, she said.“He was so kind. He was so incredibly kind,” Vaught said. “I took his grandma away, and he just kept telling me to take care of myself. There are good people in this world.”

Nurses: Guilty verdict for dosing mistake could cost lives

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A 10-year-old boy fatally shot his 12-year-old brother as the two played with a gun they found inside a St. Louis home, police said.

The shooting happened Tuesday night in a north St. Louis neighborhood,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kmov.com/2022/03/30/child-shot-killed-north-city/" target="_blank">KMOV-TV</a>&nbsp;reported. Police said the boys were with a parent who was getting a haircut in the home when the older boy was shot in the face.

The death follows a spate of shootings in St. Louis involving children handling guns. On Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/12ddeaa49c6b11b843b661972bd263ab">two young cousins who were livestreaming</a>&nbsp;from a St. Louis apartment died when one child fatally shot the other before killing herself in what family members have said was an accident.

In February,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-child-abuse-st-louis-accidents-a8f55c71809297b4f7aa6810172e6284">a 12-year-old girl was wounded</a>&nbsp;in an accidental self-inflicted shooting.

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Maj. Ryan Cousins urged residents to use gun locks.

“As an agency, we will come out and teach everyone how to use them,” Cousins said. “We do understand people are going to own guns; however, to protect these children, we want to ensure these guns are secured safely.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648646582506.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By ASSOCIATED PRESSST. LOUIS (AP) — A 10-year-old boy fatally shot his 12-year-old brother as the two played with a gun they found inside a St. Louis home, police said.The shooting happened Tuesday night in a north St. Louis neighborhood,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kmov.com/2022/03/30/child-shot-killed-north-city/" target="_blank">KMOV-TV</a>&nbsp;reported. Police said the boys were with a parent who was getting a haircut in the home when the older boy was shot in the face.The death follows a spate of shootings in St. Louis involving children handling guns. On Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/12ddeaa49c6b11b843b661972bd263ab">two young cousins who were livestreaming</a>&nbsp;from a St. Louis apartment died when one child fatally shot the other before killing herself in what family members have said was an accident.In February,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-child-abuse-st-louis-accidents-a8f55c71809297b4f7aa6810172e6284">a 12-year-old girl was wounded</a>&nbsp;in an accidental self-inflicted shooting.St. Louis Metropolitan Police Maj. Ryan Cousins urged residents to use gun locks.“As an agency, we will come out and teach everyone how to use them,” Cousins said. “We do understand people are going to own guns; however, to protect these children, we want to ensure these guns are secured safely.”

Police: 12-year-old killed by younger brother who found gun

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers that if 
they're unable to file their tax return by this year's April 18 
deadline, there's an easy, online option to get more time to complete 
their return.

Taxpayers who need more time to complete their return can request an 
automatic six-month extension to file. An extension allows for extra 
time to gather, prepare and file paperwork with the IRS; however, 
taxpayers should be aware that:

Individual tax filers, regardless of income, can use IRS Free File to
 electronically request an automatic tax-filing extension. The fastest 
and easiest way to get an extension is through <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free">IRS Free File</a> on IRS.gov. Taxpayers can electronically request an extension on <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4868.pdf">Form 4868</a>&nbsp;PDF.
 Filing this form gives taxpayers until October 17 to file their tax 
return. To get the extension, taxpayers must estimate their tax 
liability on this form and should timely pay any amount due.

Other fast, free and easy ways to get an extension include using IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/direct-pay">Direct Pay</a>, the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/eftps-the-electronic-federal-tax-payment-system">Electronic Federal Tax Payment System</a> or by paying with a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-taxes-by-credit-or-debit-card">credit or debit card or digital wallet</a>.
 There's no need to file a separate Form 4868 extension request when 
making an electronic payment and indicating it's for an extension. The 
IRS will automatically count it as an extension.

The IRS reminds taxpayers that a request for an extension provides extra time to file a tax return, but not extra time to pay any
 taxes owed. Payments are still due by the original deadline. Taxpayers 
should file even if they can't pay the full amount. By filing either a 
return on time or requesting an extension by the April 18 filing 
deadline, they'll avoid the late-filing penalty, which can be 10 times 
as costly as the penalty for not paying.

Taxpayers who pay as much as they can by the due date, reduce the 
overall amount subject to penalty and interest charges. The interest 
rate is currently four percent per year, compounded daily. The 
late-filing penalty is generally five percent per month and the 
late-payment penalty is normally 0.5 percent per month.

The IRS will work with taxpayers who cannot pay the full amount of 
tax they owe. Other options to pay, such as getting a loan or paying by 
credit card, may help resolve a tax debt. Most people can set up a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/online-payment-agreement-application">payment plan</a> on IRS.gov to pay off their balance over time.

Certain eligible taxpayers get more time to file without having to ask for extensions. These include:

The deadline to submit 2021 tax returns or an extension to file 
and pay tax owed this year falls on April 18, instead of April 15, 
because of the Emancipation Day holiday in the District of Columbia. 
Taxpayers in Maine or Massachusetts have until April 19, 2022, to file 
their returns due to the Patriots' Day holiday in those states.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers that if 
they're unable to file their tax return by this year's April 18 
deadline, there's an easy, online option to get more time to complete 
their return.Taxpayers who need more time to complete their return can request an 
automatic six-month extension to file. An extension allows for extra 
time to gather, prepare and file paperwork with the IRS; however, 
taxpayers should be aware that:<ul>
 <li>An extension to file their return doesn't grant them an extension to pay their taxes,</li><li>They should estimate and pay any owed taxes by their regular deadline to help avoid possible penalties and</li><li>They must file their extension no later than the regular due date of their return.</li>
 </ul><h2>E-file an extension form for free</h2>Individual tax filers, regardless of income, can use IRS Free File to
 electronically request an automatic tax-filing extension. The fastest 
and easiest way to get an extension is through <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free">IRS Free File</a> on IRS.gov. Taxpayers can electronically request an extension on <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4868.pdf">Form 4868</a>&nbsp;PDF.
 Filing this form gives taxpayers until October 17 to file their tax 
return. To get the extension, taxpayers must estimate their tax 
liability on this form and should timely pay any amount due.<h2>Get an extension when making a payment</h2>Other fast, free and easy ways to get an extension include using IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/direct-pay">Direct Pay</a>, the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/eftps-the-electronic-federal-tax-payment-system">Electronic Federal Tax Payment System</a> or by paying with a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-taxes-by-credit-or-debit-card">credit or debit card or digital wallet</a>.
 There's no need to file a separate Form 4868 extension request when 
making an electronic payment and indicating it's for an extension. The 
IRS will automatically count it as an extension.<h2>Important reminders on extensions</h2>The IRS reminds taxpayers that a request for an extension provides extra time to file a tax return, but not extra time to pay any
 taxes owed. Payments are still due by the original deadline. Taxpayers 
should file even if they can't pay the full amount. By filing either a 
return on time or requesting an extension by the April 18 filing 
deadline, they'll avoid the late-filing penalty, which can be 10 times 
as costly as the penalty for not paying.Taxpayers who pay as much as they can by the due date, reduce the 
overall amount subject to penalty and interest charges. The interest 
rate is currently four percent per year, compounded daily. The 
late-filing penalty is generally five percent per month and the 
late-payment penalty is normally 0.5 percent per month.The IRS will work with taxpayers who cannot pay the full amount of 
tax they owe. Other options to pay, such as getting a loan or paying by 
credit card, may help resolve a tax debt. Most people can set up a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/online-payment-agreement-application">payment plan</a> on IRS.gov to pay off their balance over time.<h2>Other automatic extensions</h2>Certain eligible taxpayers get more time to file without having to ask for extensions. These include:<ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/us-citizens-and-resident-aliens-abroad">U.S. citizens and resident aliens</a> who live and work outside of the United States and Puerto Rico get an <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/us-citizens-and-resident-aliens-abroad-automatic-2-month-extension-of-time-to-file">automatic 2-month</a>
 extension to file their tax returns. They have until June 15 to file. 
However, tax payments are still due April 18 or interest will be 
charged.</li><li>Members of the military on duty outside the United States and 
Puerto Rico also receive an automatic two-month extension to file. Those
 serving in <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/combat-zones">combat zones</a> have up to 180 days after they leave the combat zone to file returns and pay any taxes due. Details are available in <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p3.pdf">Publication 3, Armed Forces' Tax Guide</a>&nbsp;PDF.</li><li>When the President makes a disaster area declaration, the IRS can <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/extension-of-time-to-file-your-tax-return">postpone certain taxpayer deadlines</a> for residents and businesses in the affected area. People can find information on the most recent tax relief for <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-relief-in-disaster-situations">disaster situations</a> on the IRS website.</li>
 </ul>The deadline to submit 2021 tax returns or an extension to file 
and pay tax owed this year falls on April 18, instead of April 15, 
because of the Emancipation Day holiday in the District of Columbia. 
Taxpayers in Maine or Massachusetts have until April 19, 2022, to file 
their returns due to the Patriots' Day holiday in those states.

Haven't filed your taxes yet? Here's how to get an extension

WASHINGTON (AP) — To her 1.4 million followers across TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, Vica Li says she is a “life blogger” and “food lover” who wants to teach her fans about China so they can travel the country with ease.

“Through my lens, I will take you around China, take you into Vica’s life!” she says in a video posted in January to her YouTube and Facebook accounts, where she also teaches Chinese classes over Zoom.

But that lens may be controlled by CGTN, the Chinese-state run TV network where she has regularly appeared in broadcasts and is listed as a digital reporter on the company’s website. And while Vica Li tells her followers that she “created all of these channels on her own,” her Facebook account shows that at least nine people manage her page.

That portfolio of accounts is just one tentacle of China’s rapidly growing influence on U.S.-owned social media platforms, an Associated Press examination has found.

As China continues to assert its economic might, it is using the global social media ecosystem to expand its already formidable influence. The country has quietly built a network of social media personalities who parrot the government’s perspective in posts seen by hundreds of thousands of people, operating in virtual lockstep as they promote China’s virtues, deflect international criticism of its human rights abuses and advance Beijing’s talking points on world affairs like Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Some of China’s state-affiliated reporters have posited themselves as trendy Instagram influencers or bloggers. The country has also hired firms to recruit influencers to deliver carefully crafted messages that boost its image to social media users.

And it is benefitting from a cadre of Westerners who have devoted YouTube channels and Twitter feeds to echoing pro-China narratives on everything from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-china-health-travel-7a6967f335f97ca868cc618ea84b98b9">Beijing’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims</a>&nbsp;to Olympian Eileen Gu,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-olympics-Eileen-Gu-navigating-two-cultures-7536da11aec15dfcd34a949e017a6328">an American who competed for China</a>&nbsp;in the most recent Winter Games.

The influencer network allows Beijing to easily proffer propaganda to unsuspecting Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube users around the globe. At least 200 influencers with connections to the Chinese government or its state media are operating in 38 different languages, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://miburo.substack.com/p/csm-influencer-ops-1?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjozOTE1NzQ5MCwicG9zdF9pZCI6NDc5MjczNjIsIl8iOiJXc0xsVCIsImlhdCI6MTY0NDM1ODU4OSwiZXhwIjoxNjQ0MzYyMTg5LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItNTQ2NDM3Iiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.v5RqvhQJaDzH0kbOElXikJ_aaHsjlFtgZpZSdOEyIrM&amp;s=r" target="_blank">research</a>&nbsp;from Miburo, a firm that tracks foreign disinformation operations.

“You can see how they’re trying to infiltrate every one of these countries,” said Miburo President Clint Watts, a former FBI agent. “It is just about volume, ultimately. If you just bombard an audience for long enough with the same narratives people will tend to believe them over time.”

While&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-technology-business-united-states-2580bdb50fd1b2b9021f16747128e604">Russia’s war on Ukraine was being broadly condemned&nbsp;</a>as a brazen assault on democracy, self-described “traveler,” “story-teller” and “journalist” Li Jingjing took to YouTube to offer a different narrative.

She posted a video to her account called “Ukraine crisis: The West ignores wars &amp; destructions it brings to Middle East,” in which she mocked U.S. journalists covering the war. She’s also dedicated other videos to amplifying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-volodymyr-zelenskyy-kyiv-technology-misinformation-5e884b85f8dbb54d16f5f10d105fe850">Russian propaganda</a>&nbsp;about the conflict, including claims of Ukrainian genocide or that the U.S. and NATO provoked Russia’s invasion.

Li Jingjing says in her YouTube profile that she is eager to show her roughly 21,000 subscribers “the world through my lens.” But what she does not say in her segments on Ukraine, which have tens of thousands of views, is that she is a reporter for CGTN, articulating views that are not just her own but also familiar Chinese government talking points.

Most of China’s influencers use pitches similar to Li Jingjing’s in hopes of attracting audiences around the world, including the U.S., Egypt and Kenya. The personalities, many of them women, call themselves “travelers,” sharing photos and videos that promote China as an idyllic destination.

“They clearly have identified the ‘Chinese lady influencer’ is the way to go,” Watts said of China.

The AP identified dozens of these accounts, which collectively have amassed more than 10 million followers and subscribers. Many of the profiles belong to Chinese state media reporters who have in recent months transformed their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube accounts — platforms that are largely blocked in China — and begun identifying as “bloggers,” “influencers” or non-descript “journalists.” Nearly all of them were running Facebook ads, targeted to users outside of China, that encourage people to follow their pages.

The personalities do not proactively disclose their ties to China’s government and have largely phased out references in their posts to their employers, which include CGTN, China Radio International and Xinhua News Agency.

Foreign governments have long tried to exploit social media, as well as its ad system, to influence users. During the 2016 U.S. election, for example,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-hillary-clinton-politics-343e66b94d614227a29ecc1f8ba8b848">a Russian internet agency paid in rubles to run more than 3,000 divisive political ads targeting Americans.</a>

In response, tech companies like Facebook and Twitter promised to better alert American users to foreign propaganda by labeling state-backed media accounts.

But the AP found in its review that most of the Chinese influencer social media accounts are inconsistently labeled as state-funded media. The accounts — like those belonging to Li Jingjing and Vica Li — are often labeled on Facebook or Instagram, but are not flagged on YouTube or TikTok. Vica Li’s account is not labeled on Twitter. Last month, Twitter began identifying Li Jingjing’s account as Chinese state-media.

Vica Li said in a YouTube video that she is disputing the labels on her Facebook and Instagram accounts. She did not respond to a detailed list of questions from the AP.

Often, followers who are lured in by accounts featuring scenic images of China’s landscape might not be aware that they’ll also encounter state-endorsed propaganda.

Jessica Zang’s picturesque Instagram photos show her smiling beneath a beaming sun, kicking fresh powered snow atop a ski resort on the Altai Mountains in China’s Xinjiang region during the Beijing Olympics. She describes herself as a video creator and blogger who hopes to present her followers with “beautiful pics and videos about life in China.”

Zang, a video blogger for CGTN, rarely mentions her employer to her 1.3 million followers on Facebook. Facebook and Instagram identify her account as “state-controlled media” but she is not labeled as such on TikTok, YouTube or on Twitter, where Zang lists herself as a “social media influencer.”

“I think it’s likely by choice that she doesn’t put any state affiliations, because you put that label on your account, people start asking certain types of questions,” Rui Zhong, who researches technology and the China-U.S. relationship for the Washington-based Wilson Center, said of Zang.

Peppered between tourism photos are posts with more obvious propaganda. One video titled “What foreigners in BEIJING think of the CPC and their life in China?” features Zang interviewing foreigners in China who gush about the Chinese Communist Party and insist they’re not surveilled by the government the way outsiders might think.

“We really want to let more people ... know what China is really like,” Zang tells viewers.

That’s an important goal in China, which has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-international-news-asia-berlin-virus-outbreak-11356a590ecee0572545b3ffb7de0d5b">launched coordinated efforts</a>&nbsp;to shape its image abroad and whose president, Xi Jinping, has spoken openly of his desire to have China perceived favorably on the global stage.

Ultimately, accounts like Zang’s are intended to obscure global criticisms of China, said Jessica Brandt, a Brookings Institution expert on foreign interference and disinformation.

“They want to promote a positive vision of China to drown out their human rights records,” Brandt said.

Li Jingjing and Zang did not return messages from the AP seeking comment. CGTN did not respond to repeated interview requests. CGTN America, which is registered as a foreign agent with the Justice Department and has disclosed having commercial arrangements with several international news organizations, including the AP, CNN and Reuters, did not return messages. A lawyer who has represented CGTN America did not respond either.

A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, said in a statement, “Chinese media and journalists carry out normal activities independently, and should not be assumed to be led or interfered by the Chinese government.”

China’s interest in the influencer realm became more evident in December after it was revealed that the Chinese Consulate in New York had paid $300,000 for New Jersey firm Vippi Media to recruit influencers to post messages to Instagram and TikTok followers during the Beijing Olympics, including content that would highlight China’s work on climate change.

It’s unclear what the public saw from that campaign, and if the social media posts were properly labeled as paid advertisements by the Chinese Consulate, as Instagram and TikTok require. Vippi Media has not provided the Justice Department, which regulates foreign influence campaigns through a 1938 statute known as the Foreign Agents Registration Act, a copy of the posts it paid influencers to disseminate, even though federal law requires the company to do so.

Vipp Jaswal, Vippi Media’s CEO, declined to share details about the posts with the AP.

In other cases, the money and motives behind these Facebook posts, YouTube videos and podcasts are so murky that even those who create them say they weren’t aware the Chinese government was financing the project.

Chicago radio host John St. Augustine told the AP that a friend who owns New World Radio in Falls Church, Virginia, invited him to host a podcast called “The Bridge” with a team in Beijing. The hosts discussed daily life and music in the U.S. and China, inviting music industry workers as guests.

He says he didn’t know CGTN had paid New World Radio $389,000 to produce the podcast. The station was also paid millions of dollars to broadcast CGTN content 12 hours daily, according to documents filed with the Justice Department on behalf of the radio company.

“How they did all that, I had no clue,” St. Augustine said. “I was paid by a company here in the United States.”

The station’s relationship with CGTN ended in December, said New World Radio co-owner Patricia Lane.

The Justice Department recently requested public input on how it should update the FARA statute to account for the ephemeral world of social media and its transparency challenges.

“It’s not leaflets and hard copy newspapers anymore,” FARA unit chief Jennifer Kennedy Gellie said of messaging. It’s “tweets and Facebook posts and Instagram images.”

A growing chorus of English-speaking influencers has also cultivated an online niche by promoting pro-Chinese messaging in YouTube videos or tweets.

Last April, as CGTN sought to expand its network of influencers, it invited English speakers to join a months-long competition that would end with jobs working as social media influencers in London, Nairobi, Kenya or Washington. Thousands applied, CGTN said in September, describing the event as a “window for young people around the world to understand China.”

British video blogger Jason Lightfoot raved about the opportunity in a video on YouTube advertising the event.

“So many crazy experiences that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life, and that’s all thanks to CGTN,” Lightfoot said in a video he said was filmed from China tech company Huawei’s campus.

Lightfoot, who did not respond to requests for comment, does not disclose this relationship with CGTN on his YouTube profile, where he has accrued millions of views with headlines like “The Olympics Backfired on USA — Disastrous Regret” and “Western Media Lies about China.”

The video topics are often in sync with those of other pro-China bloggers like Cyrus Janssen, a U.S. citizen living in Canada. During the Olympics, Janssen and Lightfoot both shared videos celebrating Gu’s three-medal win, using identical images of the Olympian in posts that blasted the U.S.

“USA’s boycott failure ... Eileen Gu Wins Gold!” Lightfoot posted on Feb. 10. That same day, Janssen uploaded a video titled “Is Eileen Gu a Traitor to America? American Expat Shares the Truth.”

In emails to the AP, Janssen said his videos are intended to educate people about China and said he’s never accepted money from the Chinese government. But when pressed for details about some of his partnerships, which include Chinese tech firms, Janssen responded only with questions about an AP’s reporter salary. The AP also found videos that show him appearing on CGTN broadcasts.

The Western influencers routinely decry what they see as distorted American media coverage of Beijing and life there. Some posts, for instance, have ridiculed Western concerns over the safety of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/peng-shuai-controlled-interview-olympics-36722c749b176f228a1db8f39678cc2f">who disappeared from view</a>&nbsp;after leveling sexual assault allegations against a former high-ranking member of China’s ruling Communist Party. She resurfaced around the Olympics in a controlled interview in which she vigorously denied wrongdoing by Chinese officials and said her initial allegations had created an “enormous misunderstanding.”

Her abrupt about-face prompted skeptical reactions in the West, which YouTuber Andy Boreham mocked in a video in which he invoked language reminiscent of the MeToo movement. “I wonder what happened to #BelieveAllWomen,” he said.

Boreham is a New Zealander and columnist for Shanghai Daily. Twitter recently labeled his account as Chinese-state affiliated media. His YouTube account remains unlabeled. In a statement, YouTube said it only applies state-affiliated media labels to organizations, not individuals who work for or with state-funded media.

In a YouTube post last year, Lightfoot, who has more than 200,000 subscribers, marveled at video footage of what he said were “clean, modern, peaceful, pleasant” streets of China. The post then cut to video of gritty, trash-strewn streets he said were in Philadelphia.

“When I first saw this video,” he says by way of narration, “I actually thought it was from a movie. I thought it was from a zombie movie or some kind of end-of-the-world movie. But it’s not. This is real. This is America.”

YouTubers Matthew Tye, an American, and Winston Sterzel, who is from South Africa, believe that, in many cases, China’s paying for videos to be created.

The pair was included last year on an email pitch to numerous YouTube influencers from a company that identified itself as Hong Kong Pear Technology. The email asked the influencers to share a promotional video for China’s Hainan province, a tourist beach destination, on their channels.

Tye and Sterzel, who spent years living in China and became vocal critics of its government, assume they were probably included on the pitch by mistake.

But, intrigued, they engaged in a back-and-forth with the company while feigning interest in the offer. The company representative soon followed up with a new request — that they post a propaganda video that claimed COVID-19 did not originate in China, where the first case was detected, but rather from North American white-tailed deer.

“We could offer $2000 (totally negotiable considering the nature of this type of content) lemme know if u are interested,” an employee named Joey wrote, according to emails shared with the AP.

After Tye and Sterzel asked for articles that would back up the false claim, the emails stopped.

In an email to the AP, a Pear Technology employee confirmed he had contacted Tye and Sterzel, but said he did not know much about the client, adding “it might be from the government??”

Tye and Sterzel say the exchange pulls back the curtain on how China pushes propaganda through influencers who profit from it.

“There’s a very easy formula to become successful,” Sterzel said in an interview. “It’s simply to praise the Chinese government, to praise China and talk about how great China is and how bad the West is.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648638137366.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By ASSOCIATED PRESSWASHINGTON (AP) — To her 1.4 million followers across TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, Vica Li says she is a “life blogger” and “food lover” who wants to teach her fans about China so they can travel the country with ease.“Through my lens, I will take you around China, take you into Vica’s life!” she says in a video posted in January to her YouTube and Facebook accounts, where she also teaches Chinese classes over Zoom.But that lens may be controlled by CGTN, the Chinese-state run TV network where she has regularly appeared in broadcasts and is listed as a digital reporter on the company’s website. And while Vica Li tells her followers that she “created all of these channels on her own,” her Facebook account shows that at least nine people manage her page.That portfolio of accounts is just one tentacle of China’s rapidly growing influence on U.S.-owned social media platforms, an Associated Press examination has found.As China continues to assert its economic might, it is using the global social media ecosystem to expand its already formidable influence. The country has quietly built a network of social media personalities who parrot the government’s perspective in posts seen by hundreds of thousands of people, operating in virtual lockstep as they promote China’s virtues, deflect international criticism of its human rights abuses and advance Beijing’s talking points on world affairs like Russia’s war against Ukraine.Some of China’s state-affiliated reporters have posited themselves as trendy Instagram influencers or bloggers. The country has also hired firms to recruit influencers to deliver carefully crafted messages that boost its image to social media users.And it is benefitting from a cadre of Westerners who have devoted YouTube channels and Twitter feeds to echoing pro-China narratives on everything from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-china-health-travel-7a6967f335f97ca868cc618ea84b98b9">Beijing’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims</a>&nbsp;to Olympian Eileen Gu,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-olympics-Eileen-Gu-navigating-two-cultures-7536da11aec15dfcd34a949e017a6328">an American who competed for China</a>&nbsp;in the most recent Winter Games.The influencer network allows Beijing to easily proffer propaganda to unsuspecting Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube users around the globe. At least 200 influencers with connections to the Chinese government or its state media are operating in 38 different languages, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://miburo.substack.com/p/csm-influencer-ops-1?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjozOTE1NzQ5MCwicG9zdF9pZCI6NDc5MjczNjIsIl8iOiJXc0xsVCIsImlhdCI6MTY0NDM1ODU4OSwiZXhwIjoxNjQ0MzYyMTg5LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItNTQ2NDM3Iiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.v5RqvhQJaDzH0kbOElXikJ_aaHsjlFtgZpZSdOEyIrM&amp;s=r" target="_blank">research</a>&nbsp;from Miburo, a firm that tracks foreign disinformation operations.“You can see how they’re trying to infiltrate every one of these countries,” said Miburo President Clint Watts, a former FBI agent. “It is just about volume, ultimately. If you just bombard an audience for long enough with the same narratives people will tend to believe them over time.”____While&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-technology-business-united-states-2580bdb50fd1b2b9021f16747128e604">Russia’s war on Ukraine was being broadly condemned&nbsp;</a>as a brazen assault on democracy, self-described “traveler,” “story-teller” and “journalist” Li Jingjing took to YouTube to offer a different narrative.She posted a video to her account called “Ukraine crisis: The West ignores wars &amp; destructions it brings to Middle East,” in which she mocked U.S. journalists covering the war. She’s also dedicated other videos to amplifying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-volodymyr-zelenskyy-kyiv-technology-misinformation-5e884b85f8dbb54d16f5f10d105fe850">Russian propaganda</a>&nbsp;about the conflict, including claims of Ukrainian genocide or that the U.S. and NATO provoked Russia’s invasion.Li Jingjing says in her YouTube profile that she is eager to show her roughly 21,000 subscribers “the world through my lens.” But what she does not say in her segments on Ukraine, which have tens of thousands of views, is that she is a reporter for CGTN, articulating views that are not just her own but also familiar Chinese government talking points.Most of China’s influencers use pitches similar to Li Jingjing’s in hopes of attracting audiences around the world, including the U.S., Egypt and Kenya. The personalities, many of them women, call themselves “travelers,” sharing photos and videos that promote China as an idyllic destination.“They clearly have identified the ‘Chinese lady influencer’ is the way to go,” Watts said of China.The AP identified dozens of these accounts, which collectively have amassed more than 10 million followers and subscribers. Many of the profiles belong to Chinese state media reporters who have in recent months transformed their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube accounts — platforms that are largely blocked in China — and begun identifying as “bloggers,” “influencers” or non-descript “journalists.” Nearly all of them were running Facebook ads, targeted to users outside of China, that encourage people to follow their pages.The personalities do not proactively disclose their ties to China’s government and have largely phased out references in their posts to their employers, which include CGTN, China Radio International and Xinhua News Agency.Foreign governments have long tried to exploit social media, as well as its ad system, to influence users. During the 2016 U.S. election, for example,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-hillary-clinton-politics-343e66b94d614227a29ecc1f8ba8b848">a Russian internet agency paid in rubles to run more than 3,000 divisive political ads targeting Americans.</a>In response, tech companies like Facebook and Twitter promised to better alert American users to foreign propaganda by labeling state-backed media accounts.But the AP found in its review that most of the Chinese influencer social media accounts are inconsistently labeled as state-funded media. The accounts — like those belonging to Li Jingjing and Vica Li — are often labeled on Facebook or Instagram, but are not flagged on YouTube or TikTok. Vica Li’s account is not labeled on Twitter. Last month, Twitter began identifying Li Jingjing’s account as Chinese state-media.Vica Li said in a YouTube video that she is disputing the labels on her Facebook and Instagram accounts. She did not respond to a detailed list of questions from the AP.Often, followers who are lured in by accounts featuring scenic images of China’s landscape might not be aware that they’ll also encounter state-endorsed propaganda.Jessica Zang’s picturesque Instagram photos show her smiling beneath a beaming sun, kicking fresh powered snow atop a ski resort on the Altai Mountains in China’s Xinjiang region during the Beijing Olympics. She describes herself as a video creator and blogger who hopes to present her followers with “beautiful pics and videos about life in China.”Zang, a video blogger for CGTN, rarely mentions her employer to her 1.3 million followers on Facebook. Facebook and Instagram identify her account as “state-controlled media” but she is not labeled as such on TikTok, YouTube or on Twitter, where Zang lists herself as a “social media influencer.”“I think it’s likely by choice that she doesn’t put any state affiliations, because you put that label on your account, people start asking certain types of questions,” Rui Zhong, who researches technology and the China-U.S. relationship for the Washington-based Wilson Center, said of Zang.Peppered between tourism photos are posts with more obvious propaganda. One video titled “What foreigners in BEIJING think of the CPC and their life in China?” features Zang interviewing foreigners in China who gush about the Chinese Communist Party and insist they’re not surveilled by the government the way outsiders might think.“We really want to let more people ... know what China is really like,” Zang tells viewers.That’s an important goal in China, which has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-international-news-asia-berlin-virus-outbreak-11356a590ecee0572545b3ffb7de0d5b">launched coordinated efforts</a>&nbsp;to shape its image abroad and whose president, Xi Jinping, has spoken openly of his desire to have China perceived favorably on the global stage.Ultimately, accounts like Zang’s are intended to obscure global criticisms of China, said Jessica Brandt, a Brookings Institution expert on foreign interference and disinformation.“They want to promote a positive vision of China to drown out their human rights records,” Brandt said.Li Jingjing and Zang did not return messages from the AP seeking comment. CGTN did not respond to repeated interview requests. CGTN America, which is registered as a foreign agent with the Justice Department and has disclosed having commercial arrangements with several international news organizations, including the AP, CNN and Reuters, did not return messages. A lawyer who has represented CGTN America did not respond either.A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, said in a statement, “Chinese media and journalists carry out normal activities independently, and should not be assumed to be led or interfered by the Chinese government.”China’s interest in the influencer realm became more evident in December after it was revealed that the Chinese Consulate in New York had paid $300,000 for New Jersey firm Vippi Media to recruit influencers to post messages to Instagram and TikTok followers during the Beijing Olympics, including content that would highlight China’s work on climate change.It’s unclear what the public saw from that campaign, and if the social media posts were properly labeled as paid advertisements by the Chinese Consulate, as Instagram and TikTok require. Vippi Media has not provided the Justice Department, which regulates foreign influence campaigns through a 1938 statute known as the Foreign Agents Registration Act, a copy of the posts it paid influencers to disseminate, even though federal law requires the company to do so.Vipp Jaswal, Vippi Media’s CEO, declined to share details about the posts with the AP.In other cases, the money and motives behind these Facebook posts, YouTube videos and podcasts are so murky that even those who create them say they weren’t aware the Chinese government was financing the project.Chicago radio host John St. Augustine told the AP that a friend who owns New World Radio in Falls Church, Virginia, invited him to host a podcast called “The Bridge” with a team in Beijing. The hosts discussed daily life and music in the U.S. and China, inviting music industry workers as guests.He says he didn’t know CGTN had paid New World Radio $389,000 to produce the podcast. The station was also paid millions of dollars to broadcast CGTN content 12 hours daily, according to documents filed with the Justice Department on behalf of the radio company.“How they did all that, I had no clue,” St. Augustine said. “I was paid by a company here in the United States.”The station’s relationship with CGTN ended in December, said New World Radio co-owner Patricia Lane.The Justice Department recently requested public input on how it should update the FARA statute to account for the ephemeral world of social media and its transparency challenges.“It’s not leaflets and hard copy newspapers anymore,” FARA unit chief Jennifer Kennedy Gellie said of messaging. It’s “tweets and Facebook posts and Instagram images.”___A growing chorus of English-speaking influencers has also cultivated an online niche by promoting pro-Chinese messaging in YouTube videos or tweets.Last April, as CGTN sought to expand its network of influencers, it invited English speakers to join a months-long competition that would end with jobs working as social media influencers in London, Nairobi, Kenya or Washington. Thousands applied, CGTN said in September, describing the event as a “window for young people around the world to understand China.”British video blogger Jason Lightfoot raved about the opportunity in a video on YouTube advertising the event.“So many crazy experiences that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life, and that’s all thanks to CGTN,” Lightfoot said in a video he said was filmed from China tech company Huawei’s campus.Lightfoot, who did not respond to requests for comment, does not disclose this relationship with CGTN on his YouTube profile, where he has accrued millions of views with headlines like “The Olympics Backfired on USA — Disastrous Regret” and “Western Media Lies about China.”The video topics are often in sync with those of other pro-China bloggers like Cyrus Janssen, a U.S. citizen living in Canada. During the Olympics, Janssen and Lightfoot both shared videos celebrating Gu’s three-medal win, using identical images of the Olympian in posts that blasted the U.S.“USA’s boycott failure ... Eileen Gu Wins Gold!” Lightfoot posted on Feb. 10. That same day, Janssen uploaded a video titled “Is Eileen Gu a Traitor to America? American Expat Shares the Truth.”In emails to the AP, Janssen said his videos are intended to educate people about China and said he’s never accepted money from the Chinese government. But when pressed for details about some of his partnerships, which include Chinese tech firms, Janssen responded only with questions about an AP’s reporter salary. The AP also found videos that show him appearing on CGTN broadcasts.The Western influencers routinely decry what they see as distorted American media coverage of Beijing and life there. Some posts, for instance, have ridiculed Western concerns over the safety of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/peng-shuai-controlled-interview-olympics-36722c749b176f228a1db8f39678cc2f">who disappeared from view</a>&nbsp;after leveling sexual assault allegations against a former high-ranking member of China’s ruling Communist Party. She resurfaced around the Olympics in a controlled interview in which she vigorously denied wrongdoing by Chinese officials and said her initial allegations had created an “enormous misunderstanding.”Her abrupt about-face prompted skeptical reactions in the West, which YouTuber Andy Boreham mocked in a video in which he invoked language reminiscent of the MeToo movement. “I wonder what happened to #BelieveAllWomen,” he said.Boreham is a New Zealander and columnist for Shanghai Daily. Twitter recently labeled his account as Chinese-state affiliated media. His YouTube account remains unlabeled. In a statement, YouTube said it only applies state-affiliated media labels to organizations, not individuals who work for or with state-funded media.In a YouTube post last year, Lightfoot, who has more than 200,000 subscribers, marveled at video footage of what he said were “clean, modern, peaceful, pleasant” streets of China. The post then cut to video of gritty, trash-strewn streets he said were in Philadelphia.“When I first saw this video,” he says by way of narration, “I actually thought it was from a movie. I thought it was from a zombie movie or some kind of end-of-the-world movie. But it’s not. This is real. This is America.”YouTubers Matthew Tye, an American, and Winston Sterzel, who is from South Africa, believe that, in many cases, China’s paying for videos to be created.Their evidence?The pair was included last year on an email pitch to numerous YouTube influencers from a company that identified itself as Hong Kong Pear Technology. The email asked the influencers to share a promotional video for China’s Hainan province, a tourist beach destination, on their channels.Tye and Sterzel, who spent years living in China and became vocal critics of its government, assume they were probably included on the pitch by mistake.But, intrigued, they engaged in a back-and-forth with the company while feigning interest in the offer. The company representative soon followed up with a new request — that they post a propaganda video that claimed COVID-19 did not originate in China, where the first case was detected, but rather from North American white-tailed deer.“We could offer $2000 (totally negotiable considering the nature of this type of content) lemme know if u are interested,” an employee named Joey wrote, according to emails shared with the AP.After Tye and Sterzel asked for articles that would back up the false claim, the emails stopped.In an email to the AP, a Pear Technology employee confirmed he had contacted Tye and Sterzel, but said he did not know much about the client, adding “it might be from the government??”Tye and Sterzel say the exchange pulls back the curtain on how China pushes propaganda through influencers who profit from it.“There’s a very easy formula to become successful,” Sterzel said in an interview. “It’s simply to praise the Chinese government, to praise China and talk about how great China is and how bad the West is.”

How China’s TikTok, Facebook influencers push propaganda

NEW YORK (AP) — Foo Fighters have canceled all upcoming concert dates following the death of the band’s drummer, Taylor Hawkins. 

The rockers had been scheduled to play at the Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on Sunday as well as spring dates in New Orleans, Maryland, North Carolina and Boston. They also had scheduled summer dates in Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France and the UK. 

Hawkins died Friday during a South American tour with the rock band. He was 50. 

In a statement released on Tuesday, the band urged fans to “take the time to grieve.” 

Hawkins played on the band’s biggest albums including “One by One” and “In Your Honor.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648303880605.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By ASSOCIATED PRESSNEW YORK (AP) — Foo Fighters have canceled all upcoming concert dates following the death of the band’s drummer, Taylor Hawkins. The rockers had been scheduled to play at the Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on Sunday as well as spring dates in New Orleans, Maryland, North Carolina and Boston. They also had scheduled summer dates in Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France and the UK. Hawkins died Friday during a South American tour with the rock band. He was 50. In a statement released on Tuesday, the band urged fans to “take the time to grieve.” Hawkins played on the band’s biggest albums including “One by One” and “In Your Honor.”

Foo Fighters cancel all dates following drummer's death

LINCOLN(AP) — A bill that would ease Nebraska into new casino development while trying to prevent a surge in new facilities won first-round approval from lawmakers. 

Lawmakers advanced the measure through the first of three required votes. 

It would allow casinos in the six Nebraska counties that already have licensed horseracing tracks. 

Anyone who wants to build a casino in another part of the state would have to wait for the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission to conduct a detailed study looking at the potential impact on the state. 

The commission would approve or deny licenses based on its analysis.

LINCOLN(AP) — A bill that would ease Nebraska into new casino development while trying to prevent a surge in new facilities won first-round approval from lawmakers. Lawmakers advanced the measure through the first of three required votes. It would allow casinos in the six Nebraska counties that already have licensed horseracing tracks. Anyone who wants to build a casino in another part of the state would have to wait for the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission to conduct a detailed study looking at the potential impact on the state. The commission would approve or deny licenses based on its analysis. The study would be due by Jan. 1, 2025.

Nebraska advances bill to ease into new casino development

LINCOLN (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has vetoed a bill that would force the state to apply for $120 million in federal pandemic rental assistance. 

The Republican governor argued that Nebraska is no longer in a declared state of emergency due to the pandemic and said the extra money would amount to a subsidy that would make recipients reliant on the government. 

LINCOLN (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has vetoed a bill that would force the state to apply for $120 million in federal pandemic rental assistance. The Republican governor argued that Nebraska is no longer in a declared state of emergency due to the pandemic and said the extra money would amount to a subsidy that would make recipients reliant on the government. Ricketts also says the state still has nearly $30 million in unused rental assistance money from an earlier round of federal aid. He says Nebraska only used about 40% of the money from that first round. Supporters have said they’ll attempt to override the governor’s veto, which would require support from 30 state lawmakers.