WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is pushing forward with a massive plan to require millions of private sector employees to get vaccinated by early next year. But first, he has to make sure workers in his own federal government get the shot.

About 4 million federal workers are to be vaccinated by Nov. 22 under the president’s executive order. Some employees, like those at the White House, are nearly all vaccinated. But the rates are lower at other federal agencies, particularly those related to law enforcement and intelligence, according to the agencies and union leaders. And some resistant workers are digging in, filing lawsuits and protesting what they say is unfair overreach by the White House.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-health-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-7e14906b91d1d97126ab60f652cb7b34">The upcoming deadline is the first test of Biden’s push&nbsp;</a>to compel people to get vaccinated. Beyond the federal worker rule, another mandate will take effect in January aimed at around 84 million private sector workers, according to guidelines put out this past week.

On Saturday, a federal appeals court in Louisiana&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/appeals-court-stays-vaccine-mandate-coronavirus-biden-b235b6fa858bd23b02ab5f9c009428db">temporarily halted the vaccine requirement&nbsp;</a>for businesses with 100 or more workers. The administration says it is confident that the requirement will withstand legal challenges in part because its safety rules preempt state laws.

“The president and the administration wouldn’t have put these requirements in place if they didn’t think that they were appropriate and necessary,” Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “And the administration is certainly prepared to defend them.”

If the mandates are a success, they could make the most serious dent in new coronavirus cases since the vaccine first became available, especially with the news this past week that children ages 5-11 can get the shot making an additional 64 million people eligible.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-health-travel-army-9ae47e40bec45bf709b3bae7b8451a50">But with two weeks remaining until the federal worker&nbsp;</a>deadline, some leaders of unions representing the employees say that convincing the unvaccinated to change their mind is increasingly challenging.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632773278988.png" alt="About 4 million federal workers are to be vaccinated by Nov. 22 under the president’s executive order-photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>About 4 million federal workers are to be vaccinated by Nov. 22 under the president’s executive order-photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is pushing forward with a massive plan to require millions of private sector employees to get vaccinated by early next year. But first, he has to make sure workers in his own federal government get the shot.About 4 million federal workers are to be vaccinated by Nov. 22 under the president’s executive order. Some employees, like those at the White House, are nearly all vaccinated. But the rates are lower at other federal agencies, particularly those related to law enforcement and intelligence, according to the agencies and union leaders. And some resistant workers are digging in, filing lawsuits and protesting what they say is unfair overreach by the White House.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-health-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-7e14906b91d1d97126ab60f652cb7b34">The upcoming deadline is the first test of Biden’s push&nbsp;</a>to compel people to get vaccinated. Beyond the federal worker rule, another mandate will take effect in January aimed at around 84 million private sector workers, according to guidelines put out this past week.On Saturday, a federal appeals court in Louisiana&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/appeals-court-stays-vaccine-mandate-coronavirus-biden-b235b6fa858bd23b02ab5f9c009428db">temporarily halted the vaccine requirement&nbsp;</a>for businesses with 100 or more workers. The administration says it is confident that the requirement will withstand legal challenges in part because its safety rules preempt state laws.“The president and the administration wouldn’t have put these requirements in place if they didn’t think that they were appropriate and necessary,” Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “And the administration is certainly prepared to defend them.”If the mandates are a success, they could make the most serious dent in new coronavirus cases since the vaccine first became available, especially with the news this past week that children ages 5-11 can get the shot making an additional 64 million people eligible.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-health-travel-army-9ae47e40bec45bf709b3bae7b8451a50">But with two weeks remaining until the federal worker&nbsp;</a>deadline, some leaders of unions representing the employees say that convincing the unvaccinated to change their mind is increasingly challenging.

Biden vaccine mandates face first test with federal workers

The Federal Trade Commission obtained an <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/2-1.pdf">order</a>&nbsp;permanently
 banning a payment processor that facilitated a fraudulent student loan 
debt relief scheme from processing debt relief payments.&nbsp; The order also
 requires the company and its owner to surrender $500,000 to the FTC for
 consumer redress.

The FTC’s <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/complaint_7.pdf">complaint</a>&nbsp;against
 Automatic Funds Transfer Services, Inc. (AFTS) and its owner, Eric 
Johnson, alleges that AFTS processed at least $31 million in consumer 
payments for <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/07/ftc-stops-student-loan-debt-relief-scheme-charges-operators">a fraudulent student loan debt relief scheme</a> sued by the FTC in 2019. The debt relief scheme used numerous names, including The Student Loan Group (SLG).

“Firms
 that facilitate fraud—especially against struggling student 
borrowers—need to pay a price,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the 
FTC’s Consumer Protection Bureau. “Many of these firms may operate in 
the background, but they’re very much in our sights.”

AFTS and 
Johnson processed payments from tens of thousands of consumers deceived 
by SLG into paying illegal upfront fees with false promises to lower the
 consumers’ monthly student loan payments. The complaint cites 
correspondence showing that AFTS and Johnson were aware of numerous 
issues with the scheme.

The FTC alleges that the company and 
Johnson received complaints from, among others, consumers and banks; 
were aware that SLG had high return rates and was collecting illegal 
upfront fees from consumers; and knew that SLG kept changing company and
 brand names to, among other reasons, mitigate negative publicity. 
Despite numerous warning signs, AFTS and Johnson continued processing 
consumer payments for SLG right until the scheme was ultimately shut 
down following an enforcement action by the FTC.

The settlement 
permanently prohibits AFTS and Johnson from processing payments for debt
 relief or student loan companies. They will also be prohibited from 
processing payments indirectly for any merchant that does not have a 
signed contract with AFTS, and will be required to apply enhanced 
screening and monitoring of certain high risk clients to ensure such 
clients are not operating illegally.

The settlement includes a 
monetary judgment of $27,584,969, which is largely suspended due to an 
inability to pay. AFTS and Johnson will be required to surrender 
$500,000 to the FTC, and if they are found to have misrepresented their 
financial status, the full amount of the judgment would be immediately 
due.

The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the 
complaint and stipulated final order was 4-0. The FTC filed the 
complaint and final order in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

NOTE: The
 Commission files a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the 
named defendants are violating or are about to violate the law and it 
appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. 
Stipulated final orders have the force of law when approved and signed 
by the District Court judge.

The Federal Trade Commission works to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-competition">promote competition</a>, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection">stop deceptive and unfair business practices and scams</a>, and <a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/">educate consumers</a>. Report fraud, scams, or bad business practices at <a href="https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/">ReportFraud.ftc.gov</a>. Get consumer advice at <a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/">consumer.ftc.gov</a>. Also, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/social-media">follow the FTC on social media</a>, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected">subscribe to press releases</a>, and read the FTC’s <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs">blogs</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619632629588.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FTCThe Federal Trade Commission obtained an <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/2-1.pdf">order</a>&nbsp;permanently
 banning a payment processor that facilitated a fraudulent student loan 
debt relief scheme from processing debt relief payments.&nbsp; The order also
 requires the company and its owner to surrender $500,000 to the FTC for
 consumer redress.The FTC’s <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/complaint_7.pdf">complaint</a>&nbsp;against
 Automatic Funds Transfer Services, Inc. (AFTS) and its owner, Eric 
Johnson, alleges that AFTS processed at least $31 million in consumer 
payments for <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/07/ftc-stops-student-loan-debt-relief-scheme-charges-operators">a fraudulent student loan debt relief scheme</a> sued by the FTC in 2019. The debt relief scheme used numerous names, including The Student Loan Group (SLG).“Firms
 that facilitate fraud—especially against struggling student 
borrowers—need to pay a price,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the 
FTC’s Consumer Protection Bureau. “Many of these firms may operate in 
the background, but they’re very much in our sights.”AFTS and 
Johnson processed payments from tens of thousands of consumers deceived 
by SLG into paying illegal upfront fees with false promises to lower the
 consumers’ monthly student loan payments. The complaint cites 
correspondence showing that AFTS and Johnson were aware of numerous 
issues with the scheme.The FTC alleges that the company and 
Johnson received complaints from, among others, consumers and banks; 
were aware that SLG had high return rates and was collecting illegal 
upfront fees from consumers; and knew that SLG kept changing company and
 brand names to, among other reasons, mitigate negative publicity. 
Despite numerous warning signs, AFTS and Johnson continued processing 
consumer payments for SLG right until the scheme was ultimately shut 
down following an enforcement action by the FTC.The settlement 
permanently prohibits AFTS and Johnson from processing payments for debt
 relief or student loan companies. They will also be prohibited from 
processing payments indirectly for any merchant that does not have a 
signed contract with AFTS, and will be required to apply enhanced 
screening and monitoring of certain high risk clients to ensure such 
clients are not operating illegally.The settlement includes a 
monetary judgment of $27,584,969, which is largely suspended due to an 
inability to pay. AFTS and Johnson will be required to surrender 
$500,000 to the FTC, and if they are found to have misrepresented their 
financial status, the full amount of the judgment would be immediately 
due.The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the 
complaint and stipulated final order was 4-0. The FTC filed the 
complaint and final order in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.NOTE: The
 Commission files a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the 
named defendants are violating or are about to violate the law and it 
appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. 
Stipulated final orders have the force of law when approved and signed 
by the District Court judge.The Federal Trade Commission works to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-competition">promote competition</a>, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection">stop deceptive and unfair business practices and scams</a>, and <a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/">educate consumers</a>. Report fraud, scams, or bad business practices at <a href="https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/">ReportFraud.ftc.gov</a>. Get consumer advice at <a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/">consumer.ftc.gov</a>. Also, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/social-media">follow the FTC on social media</a>, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected">subscribe to press releases</a>, and read the FTC’s <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs">blogs</a>.

FTC: Company processed millions in payments in student debt relief scheme 

BBB is receiving several reports from seniors reporting that they are receiving <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/21903-scam-alert-mandatory-covid-19-test-texts-are-a-scam" target="_blank">text messages from scammers</a>
 posing as the U.S. Department of Health, about taking a mandatory 
online COVID-19 test in order to receive the recently approved stimulus 
payment. Others are receiving emails stating they qualify for a payment 
and to <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/21774-scam-alert-government-relief-checks-trigger-latest-coronavirus-scam" target="_blank">click on a link to claim a check</a>.
 During this time of uncertainty, it is the ideal time for a scammer to 
prey on fear. The bottom-line is don’t respond to a text, email or phone
 call from a sender that is unfamiliar, even if it looks official or 
from a respected agency.

These schemes often manifest as someone impersonating a respected 
agency or government entity, like the Social Security Administration or 
police, insisting a potential victim act immediately or face 
consequences. In fact, a <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/21781-coronavirus-creates-perfect-storm-for-scammers" target="_blank">research report</a>
 released by the Better Business Bureau, FINRA Investor Education 
Foundation, and the Stanford Center on Longevity found that the top 
reason people said they lose money was because the scammer “seemed 
official.”

Seniors aged 65 and over reported losing a median of $350 last year 
when falling victim to a scam – which is more than double the loss 
across all age groups ($160). However, seniors 65 and older are more 
likely to walk away from a scam and avoid financial loss, with one in 
four seniors reporting a loss this past year (versus one in three across
 all ages).

With the current coronavirus pandemic, scammers will constantly 
change their tactics to catch people off guard. Here are some tips for 
seniors to protect against scams:

Learn more about COVID-19 scams at <a href="https://www.BBB.org/coronavirus" target="_blank">BBB.org/coronavirus</a>, and review reports from other consumers at <a href="https://www.BBB.org/ScamTracker" target="_blank">BBB.org/ScamTracker.</a> You can help protect your friends and family by passing on what you’ve learned!

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579883951052.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Better Business BureauBBB is receiving several reports from seniors reporting that they are receiving <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/21903-scam-alert-mandatory-covid-19-test-texts-are-a-scam" target="_blank">text messages from scammers</a>
 posing as the U.S. Department of Health, about taking a mandatory 
online COVID-19 test in order to receive the recently approved stimulus 
payment. Others are receiving emails stating they qualify for a payment 
and to <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/21774-scam-alert-government-relief-checks-trigger-latest-coronavirus-scam" target="_blank">click on a link to claim a check</a>.
 During this time of uncertainty, it is the ideal time for a scammer to 
prey on fear. The bottom-line is don’t respond to a text, email or phone
 call from a sender that is unfamiliar, even if it looks official or 
from a respected agency.These schemes often manifest as someone impersonating a respected 
agency or government entity, like the Social Security Administration or 
police, insisting a potential victim act immediately or face 
consequences. In fact, a <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/21781-coronavirus-creates-perfect-storm-for-scammers" target="_blank">research report</a>
 released by the Better Business Bureau, FINRA Investor Education 
Foundation, and the Stanford Center on Longevity found that the top 
reason people said they lose money was because the scammer “seemed 
official.”Seniors aged 65 and over reported losing a median of $350 last year 
when falling victim to a scam – which is more than double the loss 
across all age groups ($160). However, seniors 65 and older are more 
likely to walk away from a scam and avoid financial loss, with one in 
four seniors reporting a loss this past year (versus one in three across
 all ages).With the current coronavirus pandemic, scammers will constantly 
change their tactics to catch people off guard. Here are some tips for 
seniors to protect against scams:<ul>
 <li>Don’t be afraid to contact someone. Reach out to a 
family member, neighbor, or a company or organization you trust for 
advice. Research shows that individuals that are living alone, widowed, 
or those feeling isolated from others are more likely to engage with and
 lose money to scammers. If a scammer tries to keep you on the phone or 
rush you to a decision, hang up and ask someone for advice. </li><li>Avoid “miracle” product claims that can protect you
 or your home from disease. Companies targeting older consumers with 
products and services claiming to protect from diseases like COVID-19 
are shams without a proven cure. Don’t just believe testimonials on a 
company’s website; instead, research the company and product through 
trusted organizations like the <a href="https://www.bbb.org">Better Business Bureau</a>. </li><li>Be wary of offers sounding too good to be true. 
They won’t help you get ahead. Scammers look for individuals looking to 
“catch up” or “get ahead” financially, and if your retirement was 
affected by the market's ups and downs – don’t panic. Periods of high 
emotion are rarely the right time to re-evaluate your financial future. 
Instead, take a deep breath and contact a trustworthy broker or <a href="http://www.bbb.org/near-me/financial-planning-consultants" target="_blank">financial advisor</a>. </li><li>Be smart and aware. Knowing about the scams out 
there significantly reduces the likelihood of financial loss. When 
someone contacts you about an “amazing opportunity,” it’s easier to 
separate fact from fiction.</li>
 </ul>Learn more about COVID-19 scams at <a href="https://www.BBB.org/coronavirus" target="_blank">BBB.org/coronavirus</a>, and review reports from other consumers at <a href="https://www.BBB.org/ScamTracker" target="_blank">BBB.org/ScamTracker.</a> You can help protect your friends and family by passing on what you’ve learned!Cover image courtesy Pixabay

Pandemic scams increasingly targeting US seniors

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline jumped by 5 cents over the past two weeks, to $3.49 per gallon. 

The price at the pump is $1.30 higher than a year ago. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey said Sunday the rise comes as the cost of crude oil and ethanol surges. 

Nationwide, the highest average price for regular-grade gas is in the San Francisco Bay Area, at $4.77 per gallon. The lowest average is in Houston, at $2.98 per gallon. 

According to the survey, the average price of diesel jumped 8 cents to $3.67 a gallon. That price is also $1.30 higher than a year ago.

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline jumped by 5 cents over the past two weeks, to $3.49 per gallon. The price at the pump is $1.30 higher than a year ago. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey said Sunday the rise comes as the cost of crude oil and ethanol surges. Nationwide, the highest average price for regular-grade gas is in the San Francisco Bay Area, at $4.77 per gallon. The lowest average is in Houston, at $2.98 per gallon. According to the survey, the average price of diesel jumped 8 cents to $3.67 a gallon. That price is also $1.30 higher than a year ago.

Average US price of gas jumps by 5 cents over past 2 weeks

PHILLIPS COUNTY—A Nebraska man drowned Saturday in Phillips County.

Just after 5p.m.Saturday, the Phillips County Sheriff's Department received a 911 call of a possible drowning at Kirwin National Refuge, according to a statement made on Facebook Sunday afternoon.

"Phillips County Sheriff's Office, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Kansas Highway Patrol, Kirwin Fire Department and Phillips County EMS responded and began recovery operations. The search was discontinued at approximately 11:00 p.m," the announcement said.

"The search resumed this morning with the assistance of the Mitchell County Dive Team which resulted in the recovery of the victim in approximately 20 feet of water at approximately 12:40 p.m."

According to the statement David J. Bruce, 61, Beatrice, Neb., had been fishing and went ashore.

"While on shore, the boat drifted out into the water and Bruce attempted to swim to it," the announcement said. "Bruce was unable to reach the boat, went under the water and didn't resurface. A companion alerted other boaters in the area who called 911."

PHILLIPS COUNTY—A Nebraska man drowned Saturday in Phillips County.Just after 5p.m.Saturday, the Phillips County Sheriff's Department received a 911 call of a possible drowning at Kirwin National Refuge, according to a statement made on Facebook Sunday afternoon."Phillips County Sheriff's Office, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Kansas Highway Patrol, Kirwin Fire Department and Phillips County EMS responded and began recovery operations. The search was discontinued at approximately 11:00 p.m," the announcement said."The search resumed this morning with the assistance of the Mitchell County Dive Team which resulted in the recovery of the victim in approximately 20 feet of water at approximately 12:40 p.m."According to the statement David J. Bruce, 61, Beatrice, Neb., had been fishing and went ashore."While on shore, the boat drifted out into the water and Bruce attempted to swim to it," the announcement said. "Bruce was unable to reach the boat, went under the water and didn't resurface. A companion alerted other boaters in the area who called 911."

Sheriff ID's Nebraska man who drowned at Kansas reservoir

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — As COVID-19 ravaged Hungary in April, Budapest resident Akos Sipos received his second vaccine dose, believing he was doing the right thing for his own health and to help end the pandemic.

But Sipos, 46, soon discovered that the vaccine he received, Russia’s Sputnik V, disqualified him from traveling to a number of other countries where it hadn’t been approved. The nations include the United States, which is pushing forward with a new air travel policy that will make Sipos and many like him ineligible to enter.

“I thought it’s better to get Sputnik today than a Western vaccine at some uncertain future time,” Sipos, who works as a search engine optimization specialist, said of his initial decision to receive the jab. “But I couldn’t have known at that time that I wouldn’t be able to travel with Sputnik.”

Starting Monday, the United States plans to reopen to foreign travelers who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. But there’s a catch: non-immigrant adults need to have received vaccines authorized by the Food and Drug Administration or which received an emergency use listing from the World Health Organization.

That leaves many hopeful travelers across the globe who have taken full courses of vaccines widely used in other parts of the world — Sputnik V and the China-produced CanSino jab, in particular — scrambling to get reinoculated with shots approved by U.S. authorities.

Two other Chinese vaccines, Sinopharm and Sinovac, have been approved by the WHO and will thus be accepted for travel into the U.S.

Mexico received nearly 12 million doses of CanSino and almost 20 million of Sputnik V after shipments began earlier this year. Residents who got the required two shots of those vaccines now are looking to top up with shots of the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccines, hoping that will make them eligible to cross the border.

“They screwed those of us who got this vaccine,” said Rosenda Ruiz, 52, a public relations manager in Mexico City who received Sputnik V. “There are lots of Mexicans who want to travel, but we can’t. I am thinking of getting whatever other vaccine I can get.”

While Sputnik V is used in around 70 countries worldwide, it has still not been approved by either the FDA or the U.N. health agency. Nearly 1 million people have received the vaccine in Hungary, a Central European country of around 10 million.

Hungary was one of only two countries in the 27-member European Union to roll out the Russian vaccine. Fewer than 20,000 people received it in Slovakia.

Judit Molnar, president of the Association of Hungarian Travel Agencies, says so many Hungarians being unable to travel to the United States — or even to some countries in the EU which don’t accept the jab — has had an effect on her industry.

“We see that in the last few months, travelers are increasingly asking us when they can travel to America,” said Molnar, who is also president of the OTP Travel agency.

“These travelers are saying they really hope the situation will change and that the United States will accept the Sputnik vaccine. There are many people who would like to travel and in Hungary, many people were vaccinated with Sputnik,” she said.

Citizens of Russia, where use of Sputnik V is most widespread, also are seeking Western-approved shots so they can travel abroad. Faced with the prospect of being turned away from flights, Russians have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccine-russia-travel-serbia-sputnik-v-02aa2bc49d00299493aa46c1af5e15a2">booked tours to Serbia</a>, which has authorized use of the Pfizer-BioNTech, China’s Sinopharm and the AstraZeneca vaccines in addition to Sputnik V.

Russia, which unveiled Sputnik V with much fanfare as the world’s first registered vaccine in August 2020, criticized U.S. plans to leave the vaccine off its list of approved shots.

“There are exactly zero reasons for such decisions,” Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the foreign relations committee in the Russian Duma, or lower house of parliament. “The effectiveness and safety of the Sputnik V vaccine has been proven not only by specialists, but also by its practical application.”

But the World Health Organization&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-united-nations-world-health-organization-europe-russia-3e8159d00b525c187864f8b68252691e">still is reviewing the vaccine</a>, and months of holdups make it unclear when Sputnik V might receive an emergency use listing.

Hungary’s government has made bilateral agreements with 24 countries — including Russia, Serbia, Mongolia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan — on mutually recognizing proof of vaccination, regardless of vaccine type.

Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told The Associated Press that it is open to a similar agreement with the United States, but “currently there is no ongoing negotiation.”

Sipos, the search engine specialist, said that while he was confident in Sputnik V’s efficacy, he recently sought a Western-approved booster shot, Moderna, so he could travel where he wants.

“I felt deceived because they accept Sputnik in more than 60 countries in the world, but in tons of other countries they don’t,” he said.

Silvia Morales, 38, a public high school teacher in Monterrey, Mexico, said she recently received a Moderna shot after hearing that the U.S. government wouldn’t recognize her CanSino vaccine.

She said she “needed to have peace of mind” about her level of protection against the virus.

“But I also love traveling to the United States,” she said.

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — As COVID-19 ravaged Hungary in April, Budapest resident Akos Sipos received his second vaccine dose, believing he was doing the right thing for his own health and to help end the pandemic.But Sipos, 46, soon discovered that the vaccine he received, Russia’s Sputnik V, disqualified him from traveling to a number of other countries where it hadn’t been approved. The nations include the United States, which is pushing forward with a new air travel policy that will make Sipos and many like him ineligible to enter.“I thought it’s better to get Sputnik today than a Western vaccine at some uncertain future time,” Sipos, who works as a search engine optimization specialist, said of his initial decision to receive the jab. “But I couldn’t have known at that time that I wouldn’t be able to travel with Sputnik.”Starting Monday, the United States plans to reopen to foreign travelers who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. But there’s a catch: non-immigrant adults need to have received vaccines authorized by the Food and Drug Administration or which received an emergency use listing from the World Health Organization.That leaves many hopeful travelers across the globe who have taken full courses of vaccines widely used in other parts of the world — Sputnik V and the China-produced CanSino jab, in particular — scrambling to get reinoculated with shots approved by U.S. authorities.Two other Chinese vaccines, Sinopharm and Sinovac, have been approved by the WHO and will thus be accepted for travel into the U.S.Mexico received nearly 12 million doses of CanSino and almost 20 million of Sputnik V after shipments began earlier this year. Residents who got the required two shots of those vaccines now are looking to top up with shots of the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccines, hoping that will make them eligible to cross the border.“They screwed those of us who got this vaccine,” said Rosenda Ruiz, 52, a public relations manager in Mexico City who received Sputnik V. “There are lots of Mexicans who want to travel, but we can’t. I am thinking of getting whatever other vaccine I can get.”While Sputnik V is used in around 70 countries worldwide, it has still not been approved by either the FDA or the U.N. health agency. Nearly 1 million people have received the vaccine in Hungary, a Central European country of around 10 million.Hungary was one of only two countries in the 27-member European Union to roll out the Russian vaccine. Fewer than 20,000 people received it in Slovakia.Judit Molnar, president of the Association of Hungarian Travel Agencies, says so many Hungarians being unable to travel to the United States — or even to some countries in the EU which don’t accept the jab — has had an effect on her industry.“We see that in the last few months, travelers are increasingly asking us when they can travel to America,” said Molnar, who is also president of the OTP Travel agency.“These travelers are saying they really hope the situation will change and that the United States will accept the Sputnik vaccine. There are many people who would like to travel and in Hungary, many people were vaccinated with Sputnik,” she said.Citizens of Russia, where use of Sputnik V is most widespread, also are seeking Western-approved shots so they can travel abroad. Faced with the prospect of being turned away from flights, Russians have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccine-russia-travel-serbia-sputnik-v-02aa2bc49d00299493aa46c1af5e15a2">booked tours to Serbia</a>, which has authorized use of the Pfizer-BioNTech, China’s Sinopharm and the AstraZeneca vaccines in addition to Sputnik V.Russia, which unveiled Sputnik V with much fanfare as the world’s first registered vaccine in August 2020, criticized U.S. plans to leave the vaccine off its list of approved shots.“There are exactly zero reasons for such decisions,” Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the foreign relations committee in the Russian Duma, or lower house of parliament. “The effectiveness and safety of the Sputnik V vaccine has been proven not only by specialists, but also by its practical application.”But the World Health Organization&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-united-nations-world-health-organization-europe-russia-3e8159d00b525c187864f8b68252691e">still is reviewing the vaccine</a>, and months of holdups make it unclear when Sputnik V might receive an emergency use listing.Hungary’s government has made bilateral agreements with 24 countries — including Russia, Serbia, Mongolia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan — on mutually recognizing proof of vaccination, regardless of vaccine type.Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told The Associated Press that it is open to a similar agreement with the United States, but “currently there is no ongoing negotiation.”Sipos, the search engine specialist, said that while he was confident in Sputnik V’s efficacy, he recently sought a Western-approved booster shot, Moderna, so he could travel where he wants.“I felt deceived because they accept Sputnik in more than 60 countries in the world, but in tons of other countries they don’t,” he said.Silvia Morales, 38, a public high school teacher in Monterrey, Mexico, said she recently received a Moderna shot after hearing that the U.S. government wouldn’t recognize her CanSino vaccine.She said she “needed to have peace of mind” about her level of protection against the virus.“But I also love traveling to the United States,” she said.___

Foreign citizens seek US-approved shots as travel resumes

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Saturday that the families of children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border during the Trump administration should be compensated, as his Department of Justice is in settlement talks with affected families.

Raising his voice, Biden said that regardless of the circumstances, people who had their children taken from them under the Trump administration’s family separation policy, meant to deter families from crossing into the U.S. illegally, should be remunerated.

“If, in fact, because of the outrageous behavior of the last administration, you coming across the border, whether it was legally or illegally, and you lost your child — You lost your child. It’s gone — you deserve some kind of compensation, no matter what the circumstance,” Biden said. “What that will be I have no idea. I have no idea.”

Shortly after taking office Biden created a task force to attempt to reunify hundreds of children and parents affected by the policy, which was in place for several months during 2018 and sparked a domestic and international outcry.

The government was considering payments of around $450,000 to each person affected but has since changed the figure, though not dramatically, a person familiar with the talks told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private.

The discussions continue, and there is no guarantee the two sides will strike agreement.

About 5,500 children were split from their parents under President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy, under which parents were separated from their children to face criminal prosecution for crossing the border illegally, according to court filings in a federal case in San Diego. Inadequate tracking systems caused many to be apart for an extended time. The payments are intended to compensate for the psychological trauma.

Attorneys for the families are also seeking permanent legal status in the United States for those separated under the practice, which a judge halted in June 2018, six days after Trump stopped it under international pressure.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department is in talks to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to each child and parent who was separated under a Trump-era practice of splitting families at the border, a person familiar with discussions to settle lawsuits said Thursday.

The Wall Street Journal first&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-administration-in-talks-to-pay-hundreds-of-millions-to-immigrant-families-separated-at-border-11635447591?mod=hp_lead_pos7" target="_blank">reported</a>&nbsp;that the government was considering payments around $450,000 to each person affected. A person familiar with the talks told The Associated Press that figure was under consideration but changed, though not dramatically. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private.

Attorneys for the families are also seeking permanent legal status in the United States for those separated under the practice, which a judge halted in June 2018, six days after Trump stopped it amid an international backlash.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday night.

The settlement talks involve several law firms. The American Civil Liberties Union is representing parents in the San Diego case.

The National Immigration Litigation Alliance represents five mothers and their children who were separated for more than two months, including four children who were sent to holding facilities in New York. A federal judge in Arizona&nbsp;<a href="https://immigrationlitigation.org/impact-litigation/" target="_blank">denied</a>&nbsp;the government’s bid to dismiss the case last year.

“No amount of money can compensate for the amount of pain and suffering these parents and children endured under this unconscionable and unprecedented policy,” said Trina Realmuto, executive director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance.

A Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://oig.justice.gov/reports/review-department-justices-planning-and-implementation-its-zero-tolerance-policy-and-its" target="_blank">inspector general’s report</a>&nbsp;in January said a “single-minded focus on increasing immigration prosecutions came at the expense of careful and appropriate consideration of the impact of family unit prosecutions and child separations.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636250055614.png" alt="Raising his voice during a Saturday news conference with the Vice President, President Biden said that regardless of the circumstances, people who had their children taken from them under the Trump administration’s family separation policy, meant to deter families from crossing into the U.S. illegally, should be remunerated.-White House Photo" />
 <figcaption>Raising his voice during a Saturday news conference with the Vice President, President Biden said that regardless of the circumstances, people who had their children taken from them under the Trump administration’s family separation policy, meant to deter families from crossing into the U.S. illegally, should be remunerated.-White House Photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Saturday that the families of children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border during the Trump administration should be compensated, as his Department of Justice is in settlement talks with affected families.Raising his voice, Biden said that regardless of the circumstances, people who had their children taken from them under the Trump administration’s family separation policy, meant to deter families from crossing into the U.S. illegally, should be remunerated.“If, in fact, because of the outrageous behavior of the last administration, you coming across the border, whether it was legally or illegally, and you lost your child — You lost your child. It’s gone — you deserve some kind of compensation, no matter what the circumstance,” Biden said. “What that will be I have no idea. I have no idea.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1618396445966.png" alt="Children in a holding facility at the border-photo courtesy Rep. Tracey Mann" />
 <figcaption>Children in a holding facility at the border-photo courtesy Rep. Tracey Mann</figcaption>
 </figure>Shortly after taking office Biden created a task force to attempt to reunify hundreds of children and parents affected by the policy, which was in place for several months during 2018 and sparked a domestic and international outcry.The government was considering payments of around $450,000 to each person affected but has since changed the figure, though not dramatically, a person familiar with the talks told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private.The discussions continue, and there is no guarantee the two sides will strike agreement.About 5,500 children were split from their parents under President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy, under which parents were separated from their children to face criminal prosecution for crossing the border illegally, according to court filings in a federal case in San Diego. Inadequate tracking systems caused many to be apart for an extended time. The payments are intended to compensate for the psychological trauma.Attorneys for the families are also seeking permanent legal status in the United States for those separated under the practice, which a judge halted in June 2018, six days after Trump stopped it under international pressure.—-SAN DIEGO (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department is in talks to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to each child and parent who was separated under a Trump-era practice of splitting families at the border, a person familiar with discussions to settle lawsuits said Thursday.The Wall Street Journal first&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-administration-in-talks-to-pay-hundreds-of-millions-to-immigrant-families-separated-at-border-11635447591?mod=hp_lead_pos7" target="_blank">reported</a>&nbsp;that the government was considering payments around $450,000 to each person affected. A person familiar with the talks told The Associated Press that figure was under consideration but changed, though not dramatically. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private.The discussions continue, and there is no guarantee the two sides will strike agreement.About 5,500 children were split from their parents under President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy, under which parents were separated from their children to face criminal prosecution for crossing the border illegally, according to court filings in a federal case in San Diego. Inadequate tracking systems caused many to be apart for an extended time. The payments are intended to compensate for the psychological trauma.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1618396418186.png" alt="Children in a holding facility at the border -photo courtesy Rep. Tracey Mann" />
 <figcaption>Children in a holding facility at the border -photo courtesy Rep. Tracey Mann</figcaption>
 </figure>Attorneys for the families are also seeking permanent legal status in the United States for those separated under the practice, which a judge halted in June 2018, six days after Trump stopped it amid an international backlash.The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday night.The settlement talks involve several law firms. The American Civil Liberties Union is representing parents in the San Diego case.The National Immigration Litigation Alliance represents five mothers and their children who were separated for more than two months, including four children who were sent to holding facilities in New York. A federal judge in Arizona&nbsp;<a href="https://immigrationlitigation.org/impact-litigation/" target="_blank">denied</a>&nbsp;the government’s bid to dismiss the case last year.“No amount of money can compensate for the amount of pain and suffering these parents and children endured under this unconscionable and unprecedented policy,” said Trina Realmuto, executive director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance.A Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://oig.justice.gov/reports/review-department-justices-planning-and-implementation-its-zero-tolerance-policy-and-its" target="_blank">inspector general’s report</a>&nbsp;in January said a “single-minded focus on increasing immigration prosecutions came at the expense of careful and appropriate consideration of the impact of family unit prosecutions and child separations.”

Biden: U.S. should pay families separated from children at border

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission today announced that it will commit over $421 million in the latest round of Emergency Connectivity Fund announcements, bringing total program commitments to over $3.05 billion.  The funding is supporting schools and libraries in all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.  The funding can be used to support off-campus learning, such as nightly homework and virtual learning, as schools and libraries continue to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Far too many students lack the connections they need to get online and stay connected to their teachers. Thankfully, Congress gave us the tools through this program to make a real difference in our communities as we work to close the Homework Gap and help schools and libraries engage in online learning,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.  

The program to date has committed to supporting 6,954 schools, 613 libraries, and 80 consortia, which are approved to receive over 6.8 million connected devices and over 3.5 million broadband connections.  With these additional commitments, the Commission has met its goal of responding to 70 percent of all applications within 100 days of the closing of the first filing window.

More details about which schools and libraries will receive funding can be found at https://www.fcc.gov/ecf-current-funding-commitments. A state-by-state breakdown of total committed funding is below:

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584977952684.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FCCWASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission today announced that it will commit over $421 million in the latest round of Emergency Connectivity Fund announcements, bringing total program commitments to over $3.05 billion. The funding is supporting schools and libraries in all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia. The funding can be used to support off-campus learning, such as nightly homework and virtual learning, as schools and libraries continue to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.“Far too many students lack the connections they need to get online and stay connected to their teachers. Thankfully, Congress gave us the tools through this program to make a real difference in our communities as we work to close the Homework Gap and help schools and libraries engage in online learning,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. The program to date has committed to supporting 6,954 schools, 613 libraries, and 80 consortia, which are approved to receive over 6.8 million connected devices and over 3.5 million broadband connections. With these additional commitments, the Commission has met its goal of responding to 70 percent of all applications within 100 days of the closing of the first filing window.More details about which schools and libraries will receive funding can be found at https://www.fcc.gov/ecf-current-funding-commitments. A state-by-state breakdown of total committed funding is below:State Alaska $4,776,115.02 Montana $2,919,882.69 Alabama $30,597,816.78 North Carolina $109,104,016.35 Arkansas $19,696,695.91 North Dakota $2,390,824.72 Arizona $96,865,872.56 Nebraska $15,137,014.75 California $287,673,682.49 New Hampshire $4,688,954.79 Colorado $18,195,143.65 New Jersey $72,180,022.63 Connecticut $32,076,204.57 New Mexico $36,971,837.76 District of Columbia $14,205,773.61 Nevada $5,769,283.81 Delaware $6,868,891.88 New York $409,639,028.89 Florida $131,664,626.15 Ohio $73,788,054.40 Georgia $124,958,200.85 Oklahoma $51,120,601.90 Guam $6,327,126.00 Oregon $59,552,653.14 Hawaii $34,726,326.30 Pennsylvania $53,864,448.40 Iowa $19,366,867.85 Puerto Rico $82,111,472.30 Idaho $14,860,066.52 Rhode Island $10,884,395.21 Illinois $173,142,773.23 South Carolina $10,351,797.88 Indiana $41,833,150.05 South Dakota $5,408,817.54 Kansas $15,828,963.79 Tennessee $34,285,156.04 Kentucky $50,488,625.85 Texas $296,698,698.02 Louisiana $49,953,129.83 Utah $30,995,790.62 Massachusetts $46,783,823.89 Virginia $54,163,200.22 Maryland $45,191,681.36 Virgin Islands $33,077.60 Maine $3,793,653.44 Vermont $3,185,401.23 Michigan $96,947,276.49 Washington $64,280,149.13 Minnesota $40,634,119.55 Wisconsin $53,986,165.51 Missouri $57,792,272.73 West Virginia $33,021,210.53 Mississippi $9,849,814.14 Wyoming $2,022,969.16 TOTAL$3,053,653,619.71Detailed information on the status of Emergency Connectivity Fund applications is available in the Open Data Portal, including applicant details, requested funds, individual product or service details, and funding commitment information. Additional information on the Emergency Connectivity Fund program is available at: www.emergencyconnectivityfund.org. The program is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company, with oversight from and under rules unanimously adopted by the Federal Communications Commission.

FCC: Emergency broadband fund gets additional $421M

KANSAS CITY(AP) — A Kansas City woman who told police she shot and killed three people because she was "a bad person” has been convicted in their deaths.

Lynnsey D. Jones, 37, was convicted Thursday of three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of armed criminal action, the Jackson County Prosecutor's office said in a news release.

Court documents said Jones went to a home in Kansas City to buy narcotics on Oct. 17, 2019.

Officers who were responding to reports of gunshots saw her walking near the home with a weapon in her hands. She was arrested and a man who was with her, Victor Sykes, 45, was arrested after a short foot chase.

Officers found the bodies of Larona T. Jones, Brady Jones and Larry T. Barnes Jr. inside and outside of the home.

When police asked Jones why she shot the three victims, she replied “because I'm a bad person," according to a police affidavit.

Sykes is scheduled for trial on Nov. 29 on three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of armed criminal action.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636135682333.png" alt="Jones photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Jones photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY(AP) — A Kansas City woman who told police she shot and killed three people because she was "a bad person” has been convicted in their deaths.Lynnsey D. Jones, 37, was convicted Thursday of three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of armed criminal action, the Jackson County Prosecutor's office said in a news release.Court documents said Jones went to a home in Kansas City to buy narcotics on Oct. 17, 2019.Officers who were responding to reports of gunshots saw her walking near the home with a weapon in her hands. She was arrested and a man who was with her, Victor Sykes, 45, was arrested after a short foot chase.Officers found the bodies of Larona T. Jones, Brady Jones and Larry T. Barnes Jr. inside and outside of the home.When police asked Jones why she shot the three victims, she replied “because I'm a bad person," according to a police affidavit.Sykes is scheduled for trial on Nov. 29 on three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of armed criminal action.

KC woman to police: I killed 3 people because I'm a bad  person

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily halted the Biden administration's vaccine requirement for businesses with 100 or more workers.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency stay of the requirement by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration that those workers be vaccinated by Jan. 4 or face mask requirements and weekly tests.

Louisiana Attorney General Landry said the action stops President Joe Biden "from moving forward with his unlawful overreach.”

"The president will not impose medical procedures on the American people without the checks and balances afforded by the constitution,” Landry said in a statement.

At least 27 states filed lawsuits challenging the rule in several circuits, some of which were made more conservative by the judicial appointments of former Republican President Donald Trump.

he Biden administration has been encouraging widespread vaccinations as the quickest way to end the pandemic that has claimed more than 750,000 lives in the United States.

The administration says it is confident that the requirement, which includes penalties of nearly $14,000 per violation, will withstand legal challenges in part because its safety rules pre-empt state laws.

The 5th Circuit, based in New Orleans, said it was delaying the federal vaccine requirement because of potential “grave statutory and constitutional issues” raised by the plaintiffs. The government must provide an expedited reply to the motion for a permanent injunction Monday, followed by petitioners' reply on Tuesday.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily halted the Biden administration's vaccine requirement for businesses with 100 or more workers.The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency stay of the requirement by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration that those workers be vaccinated by Jan. 4 or face mask requirements and weekly tests.Louisiana Attorney General Landry said the action stops President Joe Biden "from moving forward with his unlawful overreach.”"The president will not impose medical procedures on the American people without the checks and balances afforded by the constitution,” Landry said in a statement.At least 27 states filed lawsuits challenging the rule in several circuits, some of which were made more conservative by the judicial appointments of former Republican President Donald Trump.he Biden administration has been encouraging widespread vaccinations as the quickest way to end the pandemic that has claimed more than 750,000 lives in the United States.The administration says it is confident that the requirement, which includes penalties of nearly $14,000 per violation, will withstand legal challenges in part because its safety rules pre-empt state laws.The 5th Circuit, based in New Orleans, said it was delaying the federal vaccine requirement because of potential “grave statutory and constitutional issues” raised by the plaintiffs. The government must provide an expedited reply to the motion for a permanent injunction Monday, followed by petitioners' reply on Tuesday.

Appeals court temporarily halts Biden's vaccine mandate 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police say speeding and alcohol use were to blame in a fatal accident on the Kennedy Freeway near Interstate 80 in Omaha. 

The accident happened just before 10 p.m. Friday at the on-ramp from the freeway to I-80, killing 32-year-old Luis Chavez. 

Police say a northbound pickup truck was speeding when it went off the road and rolled. 

Chavez was alone in the truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police say speeding and alcohol use were to blame in a fatal accident on the Kennedy Freeway near Interstate 80 in Omaha. The accident happened just before 10 p.m. Friday at the on-ramp from the freeway to I-80, killing 32-year-old Luis Chavez. Police say a northbound pickup truck was speeding when it went off the road and rolled. Chavez was alone in the truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

One person dies after accident on Kennedy Freeway

HOUSTON (AP) — At least eight people died and numerous others were injured in what officials described as a surge of the crowd at the Astroworld music festival in Houston while rapper Travis Scott was performing.

Officials declared a “mass casualty incident” just after 9 p.m. Friday during the festival where an estimated 50,000 people were in attendance, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña told reporters at a news conference.

“The crowd began to compress towards the front of the stage, and that caused some panic, and it started causing some injuries,” the fire chief said. “People began to fall out, become unconscious, and it created additional panic.”

The show was called off shortly thereafter. The fire chief said “scores of individuals” were injured.

Officials transported 17 people to hospitals, including 11 who were in cardiac arrest, Peña said. It wasn’t clear whether all eight who died were among the 17 that had been transported to hospitals. Many people were also treated at the scene at NRG Park, where a field hospital had been set up. About 300 people were examined at that site throughout the day, he said.

Astroworld is a two-day music festival that was scheduled to take place Friday and Saturday in Houston. The event was sold out, according to the Astroworld website. Saturday’s performances have been canceled.

The deaths called to mind a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/8f4b34167ea84746a542a2fd19df55d0">1979 concert for The Who</a>&nbsp;where 11 people died and about two dozen were injured as thousands of fans tried to get into Cincinnati’s riverfront coliseum.

Scott, one of music’s biggest young stars, released two new songs earlier Friday, “Mafia” and “Escape Plan.” The 29-year-old Houston native has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards. He has a 3-year-old daughter, Stormi, with Kylie Jenner, who announced in September that she’s pregnant with their second child.

Drake joined Scott on-stage at the concert — which was livestreamed by Apple Music — and posted photos to Instagram after the performance.

Event promoters had arranged for medical units to be on scene at the festival, however once the crowd surge began, those units were “quickly overwhelmed,” Peña said.

In a video posted to social media, Scott could be seen stopping the concert at one point and asking for aid for someone in the audience: “Security, somebody help real quick.”

Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite was near the front of the crowd and said it seemed the surge “happened all at once.”

“Suddenly we had several people down on the ground, experiencing some type of cardiac arrest or some type of medical episode,” Satterwhite said. “And so we immediately started doing CPR, and moving people right then, and that’s when I went and met with the promoters, and Live Nation, and they agreed to end early in the interest of public safety.”

Peña said officials did not immediately know the causes of death for the eight people who died. A medical examiner would investigate. The deceased had not been identified as of early Saturday.

Officials set up a reunification center at a hotel for family members who had not been able to reach relatives who had been in attendance at the event. Authorities were looking to connect families with festivalgoers who were transported to the hospital, “some as young as 10” years old, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner called for calm and urged people not to jump to conclusions as to what caused the surge.

“I think it’s very important that none of us speculate. Nobody has all the answers tonight,” Finner said. He added that there have been several rumors surrounding the event that authorities would look into.

“We’re going to do an investigation and find out because it’s not fair to the producers, to anybody else involved, until we determine what happened, what caused the surge,” he said. “We don’t know, but we will find out.”

The Associated Press reached out to a representative for Scott but did not immediately hear back.

Finner told reporters that Scott and the event promoters cooperated with police.

Scott founded Astroworld Festival in 2018 and it has taken place at the former site of Six Flags AstroWorld each year since, except for in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Other music events where there have been multiple fatalities in recent years include the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-shootings-las-vegas-tennessee-6ad8d49e6a99bc2e3bd75994b1234a51">Las Vegas massacre in 2017</a>&nbsp;when 58 people were killed at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, the so-called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fires-oakland-san-francisco-coronavirus-pandemic-bc08427a00668b593d4c2dd536f4bfed">Ghost Ship fire in 2016</a>&nbsp;that killed 36 people in California and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/566480ddd2ae4d0ab8ced0ea40d06fcc">2003 Station nightclub fire</a>&nbsp;that killed 100 people in Rhode Island.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636206921494.png" alt="The fire chief said “scores of individuals” were injured. -photo courtesy KPRC-TV" />
 <figcaption>The fire chief said “scores of individuals” were injured. -photo courtesy KPRC-TV</figcaption>
 </figure>HOUSTON (AP) — At least eight people died and numerous others were injured in what officials described as a surge of the crowd at the Astroworld music festival in Houston while rapper Travis Scott was performing.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=316&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FHoustonpolice%2Fvideos%2F293461855969202%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=0" width="560" height="316" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Officials declared a “mass casualty incident” just after 9 p.m. Friday during the festival where an estimated 50,000 people were in attendance, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña told reporters at a news conference.“The crowd began to compress towards the front of the stage, and that caused some panic, and it started causing some injuries,” the fire chief said. “People began to fall out, become unconscious, and it created additional panic.”The show was called off shortly thereafter. The fire chief said “scores of individuals” were injured.Officials transported 17 people to hospitals, including 11 who were in cardiac arrest, Peña said. It wasn’t clear whether all eight who died were among the 17 that had been transported to hospitals. Many people were also treated at the scene at NRG Park, where a field hospital had been set up. About 300 people were examined at that site throughout the day, he said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">UPDATE AS OF 0745 am: If you have not been able to contact your loved one who attended <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ASTROWORLDFest?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ASTROWORLDFest</a> please call 3-1-1 or 713-837-0311 or go to the reunification center at 8686 Kirby Dr, Houston, TX 77054.&mdash; Houston OEM (@HoustonOEM) <a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonOEM/status/1456976711766077442?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Astroworld is a two-day music festival that was scheduled to take place Friday and Saturday in Houston. The event was sold out, according to the Astroworld website. Saturday’s performances have been canceled.The deaths called to mind a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/8f4b34167ea84746a542a2fd19df55d0">1979 concert for The Who</a>&nbsp;where 11 people died and about two dozen were injured as thousands of fans tried to get into Cincinnati’s riverfront coliseum.Scott, one of music’s biggest young stars, released two new songs earlier Friday, “Mafia” and “Escape Plan.” The 29-year-old Houston native has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards. He has a 3-year-old daughter, Stormi, with Kylie Jenner, who announced in September that she’s pregnant with their second child.Drake joined Scott on-stage at the concert — which was livestreamed by Apple Music — and posted photos to Instagram after the performance.Event promoters had arranged for medical units to be on scene at the festival, however once the crowd surge began, those units were “quickly overwhelmed,” Peña said.In a video posted to social media, Scott could be seen stopping the concert at one point and asking for aid for someone in the audience: “Security, somebody help real quick.”Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite was near the front of the crowd and said it seemed the surge “happened all at once.”“Suddenly we had several people down on the ground, experiencing some type of cardiac arrest or some type of medical episode,” Satterwhite said. “And so we immediately started doing CPR, and moving people right then, and that’s when I went and met with the promoters, and Live Nation, and they agreed to end early in the interest of public safety.”Peña said officials did not immediately know the causes of death for the eight people who died. A medical examiner would investigate. The deceased had not been identified as of early Saturday.Officials set up a reunification center at a hotel for family members who had not been able to reach relatives who had been in attendance at the event. Authorities were looking to connect families with festivalgoers who were transported to the hospital, “some as young as 10” years old, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said.Houston Police Chief Troy Finner called for calm and urged people not to jump to conclusions as to what caused the surge.“I think it’s very important that none of us speculate. Nobody has all the answers tonight,” Finner said. He added that there have been several rumors surrounding the event that authorities would look into.“We’re going to do an investigation and find out because it’s not fair to the producers, to anybody else involved, until we determine what happened, what caused the surge,” he said. “We don’t know, but we will find out.”The Associated Press reached out to a representative for Scott but did not immediately hear back.Finner told reporters that Scott and the event promoters cooperated with police.Scott founded Astroworld Festival in 2018 and it has taken place at the former site of Six Flags AstroWorld each year since, except for in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.Other music events where there have been multiple fatalities in recent years include the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-shootings-las-vegas-tennessee-6ad8d49e6a99bc2e3bd75994b1234a51">Las Vegas massacre in 2017</a>&nbsp;when 58 people were killed at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, the so-called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fires-oakland-san-francisco-coronavirus-pandemic-bc08427a00668b593d4c2dd536f4bfed">Ghost Ship fire in 2016</a>&nbsp;that killed 36 people in California and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/566480ddd2ae4d0ab8ced0ea40d06fcc">2003 Station nightclub fire</a>&nbsp;that killed 100 people in Rhode Island.

Fire chief: Mass casualty incident at music festival in Houston 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The attorneys general of 27 states have filed federal lawsuits challenging a vaccine mandate for employers issued by the Biden administration.

 They generally contend that the authority to compel vaccinations rests with the states, not the federal government. The new mandate applies to private employers with at least 100 workers.

 The Biden administration says it is confident its requirement will withstand the challenges, but legal experts are divided over which side is likely to prevail. 

Several businesses also joined the lawsuits filed Friday, saying they don't want to insert themselves into their employees' health care decisions.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The attorneys general of 27 states have filed federal lawsuits challenging a vaccine mandate for employers issued by the Biden administration. They generally contend that the authority to compel vaccinations rests with the states, not the federal government. The new mandate applies to private employers with at least 100 workers. The Biden administration says it is confident its requirement will withstand the challenges, but legal experts are divided over which side is likely to prevail. Several businesses also joined the lawsuits filed Friday, saying they don't want to insert themselves into their employees' health care decisions.

Lawsuits over workplace vaccine rule focus on states' rights

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House approved a $1 trillion package of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-technology-business-broadband-internet-congress-d89d6bb1b39cd9c67ae9fc91f5eb4c0d">road and other infrastructure projects</a>&nbsp;after Democrats resolved a months-long standoff between progressives and moderates, notching a victory that President Joe Biden and his party had become increasingly anxious to claim.

The House passed the measure 228-206 late Friday, prompting prolonged cheers from the relieved Democratic side of the chamber. Thirteen Republicans, mostly moderates, supported the legislation while six of Democrats’ farthest left members — including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri — opposed it.

Approval of the bill, which would create legions of jobs and improve broadband, water supplies and other public works, whisked it to the desk of a president whose approval ratings have dropped and whose nervous party got a cold shoulder from voters in this week’s off-year elections.

Democratic gubernatorial candidates were defeated in Virginia and squeaked through in New Jersey, two blue-leaning states. Those setbacks made party leaders — and moderates and progressives alike — impatient to produce impactful legislation and demonstrate they know how to govern. Democrats can ill afford to seem in disarray a year before midterm elections that could result in Republicans regaining congressional control.

Simply freeing up the infrastructure measure for final congressional approval was a like a burst of adrenaline for Democrats. Yet despite the win, Democrats endured a setback when they postponed a vote on a second, even larger bill until later this month.

That 10-year, $1.85 trillion measure bolstering health, family and climate change programs was sidetracked after moderates demanded a cost estimate on the sprawling measure from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The postponement dashed hopes that the day would produce a double-barreled win for Biden with passage of both bills.

But in an evening breakthrough brokered by Biden and House leaders, five moderates later agreed to back that bill if CBO’s estimates are consistent with preliminary numbers that White House and congressional tax analysts have provided. The agreement, in which lawmakers promised to vote on the social and environment bill by the week of Nov. 15, stood as a significant step toward a House vote that could ultimately ship it to the Senate.

“Generations from now, people will look back and know this is when America won the economic competition for the 21st Century,” Biden said in a written statement early Saturday.

The president and first lady Jill Biden delayed plans to travel Friday evening to their house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Instead, Biden spoke to House leaders, moderates and progressives, said a White House official who described the conversations on condition of anonymity.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said Biden even called her mother in India, though it was unclear why.

“This was not to bribe me, this is when it was all done,” Jayapal told reporters. The lawmaker said her mother told her she “just kept screaming like a little girl.”

In a two-sentence statement, the five moderates said that if the fiscal estimates on the social and environment bill raise problems, “we remain committed to working to resolve any discrepancies” to pass it. The five included Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., leader of a group of centrists who this summer repeatedly pressured House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to schedule earlier votes on the infrastructure bill.

In exchange, progressives agreed to back the infrastructure measure, which they’d spent months holding hostage in an effort to pressure moderates to back the larger bill.

The day marked a rare detente between Democrats’ moderate and progressive wings that party leaders hope will continue this fall. The rival factions have spent recent weeks accusing each other of jeopardizing Biden’s and the party’s success by overplaying their hands and expressed a deep distrust of each other.

But Friday night, Jayapal suggested they would work together moving forward.

“Let me tell you, we’re going to trust each other because the Democratic Party is together on this. We are united that it is important for us to get both bills done,” she said.

The agreement came together after the White House issued a statement from Biden explicitly urging Democrats to support both bills. “I am confident that during the week of November 15, the House will pass the Build Back Better Act,” he said.

When party leaders announced early in the day that the social and environment measure would be delayed, the scrambled plans cast a fresh pall over the party.

Democrats have struggled for months to take advantage of their control of the White House and Congress by advancing their top priorities. That’s been hard, in part because of Democrats’ slender majorities, with bitter internal divisions forcing House leaders to miss several self-imposed deadlines for votes.

“Welcome to my world,” Pelosi told reporters, adding, “We are not a lockstep party.”

Progressives had long demanded that the two massive bills be voted on together to pressure moderates to support the larger, more expansive social measure.

Democrats’ day turned tumultuous early after a half-dozen moderates demanded the CBO cost estimate of the sprawling package of health, education, family and climate change initiatives before they would vote for it.

Party leaders said that would take days or more. But with Friday’s delayed vote and lawmakers leaving town for a week’s break, those budget estimates should be ready by the time a vote is held.

The infrastructure measure cleared the Senate in August with bipartisan support. The package would provide huge sums for highway, mass transit, broadband, airport, drinking and waste water, power grids and other projects.

But it became a pawn in the long struggle for power between progressives and moderates. Early Friday, Jayapal said the White House and Congress’ nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation had provided all the fiscal information lawmakers needed for the broad bill. She suggested that progressives would oppose the infrastructure bill unless the two measures were voted on together.

But that changed after the two Democratic factions reached their agreement.

House passage of the social and environment package would send it to the Senate, where it faces certain changes and more Democratic drama. That’s chiefly because of demands by Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona to contain the measure’s costs and curb or drop some of its initiatives.

Moderates have forced leaders to slash the roughly 2,100-page measure to around half its original $3.5 trillion size. Republicans oppose it as too expensive and damaging to the economy.

The package would provide large numbers of Americans with assistance to pay for health care, raising children and caring for elderly people at home. The package would provide $555 billion in tax breaks encouraging cleaner energy and electric vehicles. Democrats added provisions in recent days restoring a new paid family leave program and work permits for millions of immigrants.

Much of the package’s cost would be covered with higher taxes on wealthier Americans and large corporations.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House approved a $1 trillion package of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-technology-business-broadband-internet-congress-d89d6bb1b39cd9c67ae9fc91f5eb4c0d">road and other infrastructure projects</a>&nbsp;after Democrats resolved a months-long standoff between progressives and moderates, notching a victory that President Joe Biden and his party had become increasingly anxious to claim.The House passed the measure 228-206 late Friday, prompting prolonged cheers from the relieved Democratic side of the chamber. Thirteen Republicans, mostly moderates, supported the legislation while six of Democrats’ farthest left members — including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri — opposed it.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636200567081.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Approval of the bill, which would create legions of jobs and improve broadband, water supplies and other public works, whisked it to the desk of a president whose approval ratings have dropped and whose nervous party got a cold shoulder from voters in this week’s off-year elections.Democratic gubernatorial candidates were defeated in Virginia and squeaked through in New Jersey, two blue-leaning states. Those setbacks made party leaders — and moderates and progressives alike — impatient to produce impactful legislation and demonstrate they know how to govern. Democrats can ill afford to seem in disarray a year before midterm elections that could result in Republicans regaining congressional control.Simply freeing up the infrastructure measure for final congressional approval was a like a burst of adrenaline for Democrats. Yet despite the win, Democrats endured a setback when they postponed a vote on a second, even larger bill until later this month.That 10-year, $1.85 trillion measure bolstering health, family and climate change programs was sidetracked after moderates demanded a cost estimate on the sprawling measure from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The postponement dashed hopes that the day would produce a double-barreled win for Biden with passage of both bills.But in an evening breakthrough brokered by Biden and House leaders, five moderates later agreed to back that bill if CBO’s estimates are consistent with preliminary numbers that White House and congressional tax analysts have provided. The agreement, in which lawmakers promised to vote on the social and environment bill by the week of Nov. 15, stood as a significant step toward a House vote that could ultimately ship it to the Senate.“Generations from now, people will look back and know this is when America won the economic competition for the 21st Century,” Biden said in a written statement early Saturday.The president and first lady Jill Biden delayed plans to travel Friday evening to their house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Instead, Biden spoke to House leaders, moderates and progressives, said a White House official who described the conversations on condition of anonymity.Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said Biden even called her mother in India, though it was unclear why.“This was not to bribe me, this is when it was all done,” Jayapal told reporters. The lawmaker said her mother told her she “just kept screaming like a little girl.”In a two-sentence statement, the five moderates said that if the fiscal estimates on the social and environment bill raise problems, “we remain committed to working to resolve any discrepancies” to pass it. The five included Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., leader of a group of centrists who this summer repeatedly pressured House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to schedule earlier votes on the infrastructure bill.In exchange, progressives agreed to back the infrastructure measure, which they’d spent months holding hostage in an effort to pressure moderates to back the larger bill.The day marked a rare detente between Democrats’ moderate and progressive wings that party leaders hope will continue this fall. The rival factions have spent recent weeks accusing each other of jeopardizing Biden’s and the party’s success by overplaying their hands and expressed a deep distrust of each other.But Friday night, Jayapal suggested they would work together moving forward.“Let me tell you, we’re going to trust each other because the Democratic Party is together on this. We are united that it is important for us to get both bills done,” she said.The agreement came together after the White House issued a statement from Biden explicitly urging Democrats to support both bills. “I am confident that during the week of November 15, the House will pass the Build Back Better Act,” he said.When party leaders announced early in the day that the social and environment measure would be delayed, the scrambled plans cast a fresh pall over the party.Democrats have struggled for months to take advantage of their control of the White House and Congress by advancing their top priorities. That’s been hard, in part because of Democrats’ slender majorities, with bitter internal divisions forcing House leaders to miss several self-imposed deadlines for votes.“Welcome to my world,” Pelosi told reporters, adding, “We are not a lockstep party.”Progressives had long demanded that the two massive bills be voted on together to pressure moderates to support the larger, more expansive social measure.Democrats’ day turned tumultuous early after a half-dozen moderates demanded the CBO cost estimate of the sprawling package of health, education, family and climate change initiatives before they would vote for it.Party leaders said that would take days or more. But with Friday’s delayed vote and lawmakers leaving town for a week’s break, those budget estimates should be ready by the time a vote is held.The infrastructure measure cleared the Senate in August with bipartisan support. The package would provide huge sums for highway, mass transit, broadband, airport, drinking and waste water, power grids and other projects.But it became a pawn in the long struggle for power between progressives and moderates. Early Friday, Jayapal said the White House and Congress’ nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation had provided all the fiscal information lawmakers needed for the broad bill. She suggested that progressives would oppose the infrastructure bill unless the two measures were voted on together.But that changed after the two Democratic factions reached their agreement.House passage of the social and environment package would send it to the Senate, where it faces certain changes and more Democratic drama. That’s chiefly because of demands by Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona to contain the measure’s costs and curb or drop some of its initiatives.Moderates have forced leaders to slash the roughly 2,100-page measure to around half its original $3.5 trillion size. Republicans oppose it as too expensive and damaging to the economy.The package would provide large numbers of Americans with assistance to pay for health care, raising children and caring for elderly people at home. The package would provide $555 billion in tax breaks encouraging cleaner energy and electric vehicles. Democrats added provisions in recent days restoring a new paid family leave program and work permits for millions of immigrants.Much of the package’s cost would be covered with higher taxes on wealthier Americans and large corporations.___

Dems end deadlock, House approves $1T infrastructure plan

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers accelerated their hiring last month, adding a solid 531,000 jobs, the most since July and a sign that the recovery from the pandemic recession is overcoming a virus-induced slowdown.

Friday’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf" target="_blank">report from the Labor Department</a>&nbsp;also showed that the unemployment rate fell to 4.6% last month from 4.8% in September. That is a comparatively low level though still well above the pre-pandemic jobless rate of 3.5%. And the job gains in August and September weren’t as weak as initially reported: The government increased its estimate of hiring for those two months by a hefty combined 235,000 jobs.

&nbsp;The Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said that <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm">100,450,000 people in this </a>country were not in the labor force in October, up 38,000 from the 100,412,000 in September.

All told, the figures point to an economy that is steadily recovering from the pandemic recession, with healthy consumer spending prompting companies in nearly every industry to add workers. Though the effects of COVID-19 are still causing severe supply shortages, heightening inflation and keeping many people out of the workforce, employers are finding gradually more success in filling near&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-economy-67a34a2e9c416155bab6af1b0e3cfcf1">record-high job postings</a>.

“This is the kind of recovery we can get when we are not sidelined by a surge in COVID cases,” said Nick Bunker, director of economic research at the employment website Indeed. “The speed of employment gains has faltered at times this year, but the underlying momentum of the U.S. labor market is quite clear.”

The better-than-expected jobs report was welcomed on Wall Street, where investors sent stocks further into record territory. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up nearly 200 points, or roughly 0.5%, in early-afternoon trading. Short-term Treasury yields rose as some investors moved up their expectations for when the Federal Reserve will begin raising interest rates. But longer-term yields dipped amid muted expectations for inflation over the long term.

By most barometers, the economic recovery appears solidly on track. Services companies in such areas as retail, banking and warehousing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-eed8d8bc81c9af0e696f80b3a4b3a68a">have reported a sharp jump in sales</a>. Sales of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/home-sales">new and existing homes surged last month</a>. And consumer confidence&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-prices-inflation-consumer-confidence-661bf08bc8f529fd0ea42fbe5ebbcd77">rose in October after three straight declines</a>.

At the same time, though, the nation remains 4.2 million jobs short of the number it had before the pandemic flattened the economy in March 2020. The effects of the virus are still discouraging some people from traveling, shopping, eating out and attending entertainment venues.

In October, the pickup in hiring was spread across nearly every major industry, with only government employers reporting a job loss, mostly in education. Shipping and warehousing companies added 54,000 jobs. The battered leisure and hospitality sector, which includes, restaurants, bars, hotels and entertainment venues, gained 164,000. Manufacturers, despite their struggles with supply shortages, added 60,000, the most since June 2020.

And employers, who have been competing to fill jobs from a diminished pool of applicants, raised wages at a solid clip: Average hourly pay jumped 4.9% in October compared with a year earlier, up from 4.6% the previous month. Even a gain that strong, though, is barely keeping pace with recent surges in consumer inflation.

Those price increases pose a headwind for the economy. Higher costs for food, heating oil, rents and furniture have burdened millions of families. Prices&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-consumer-spending-prices-inflation-14980a4c7cfeafe5ba9b65c577578156">rose 4.4% in September compared with 12 months earlier</a>, the sharpest such jump in three decades.

Among people who are receiving pay raises, some of the biggest beneficiaries are the record-high number of people who have been quitting jobs to take new ones. One of them is Christian Frink, who has begun work as a business analyst at a digital consulting firm. In his new job, Frink, 27, of Ferndale, Michigan, helps business clients determine the technologies they need.

Earlier this year, Frink held a marketing job but left it because, like many people during COVID, he felt burnt out. He then worked for Door Dash during the spring and summer to earn money and searched for new work. Although employers were complaining about a labor shortage, several told him they wouldn’t hire anyone without a college degree. (Frink attended college but didn’t graduate.)

This past summer, Frink took coding classes at Tech Elevator, a boot camp, and then landed his new position. Now, he’s earning 35% more than in his previous job and says he’s “blown away” that he already has health care coverage and doesn’t have to wait months to become eligible.

Yet it isn’t only job-switchers who are receiving pay raises. Chad Leibundguth, a regional director in Tampa for the Robert Half staffing agency, said the job market is the strongest for workers he has seen in his 22-year career. Before the pandemic, he said, you could fill a customer service job in Florida for $14 an hour.

“Nowadays,” he said, “you’ve got to be closer to $20 an hour, because people have options.”

Job prospects are brightening even for people who have been out of work for prolonged periods. The number of long-term unemployed — people who have been jobless for six months or more — has fallen sharply in recent months, to 2.3 million in October from 4.2 million in April. That’s still double the pre-recession total. But it’s an encouraging sign because employers are typically wary of hiring people who haven’t held jobs for an extended time.

At the same time, disparities in the job market have persisted. The Black unemployment rate was unchanged in October at 7.9%, for example, while for white workers, it fell to 4% from 4.2%. The Latino jobless rate dropped to 5.9% from 6.3%.

And though white-collar jobs in professional services like information technology, engineering and architecture are nearly back to their pre-pandemic employment levels, leisure and hospitality still has 1.4 million fewer jobs.

Hari Ravichandran, CEO of digital security provider Aura in Boston, says his 800-person company has 140 positions open, mostly in software development, and has raised pay 25% in just the past nine months.

Ravichandran is willing to hire remote workers; 170 of his staffers have never regularly worked in any of the company’s buildings. Still, hiring remains as tough as he’s ever experienced.

One disappointing note in Friday’s report is that the workforce — the number of people either working or looking for a job — was unchanged in October. That suggested that the reopening of schools in September, the waning of the virus, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-lifestyle-health-indiana-d3acd668eaf6343aada03cd660055bbc">expiration of a $300-a-week federal unemployment supplement&nbsp;</a>have yet to coax many people off the sidelines of the job market in large numbers.

Drawing many people back into the workforce after recessions is typically a prolonged process. There are now 7.4 million people officially out of work — just 1.7 million more than in February 2020, before the pandemic struck the economy. Yet millions more who lost jobs during the recession have given up their job hunts, and employers might have to raise pay and benefits to draw them back in, said Aaron Sojourner, a labor economist at the University of Minnesota.

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers accelerated their hiring last month, adding a solid 531,000 jobs, the most since July and a sign that the recovery from the pandemic recession is overcoming a virus-induced slowdown.Friday’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf" target="_blank">report from the Labor Department</a>&nbsp;also showed that the unemployment rate fell to 4.6% last month from 4.8% in September. That is a comparatively low level though still well above the pre-pandemic jobless rate of 3.5%. And the job gains in August and September weren’t as weak as initially reported: The government increased its estimate of hiring for those two months by a hefty combined 235,000 jobs.&nbsp;The Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said that <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm">100,450,000 people in this </a>country were not in the labor force in October, up 38,000 from the 100,412,000 in September.All told, the figures point to an economy that is steadily recovering from the pandemic recession, with healthy consumer spending prompting companies in nearly every industry to add workers. Though the effects of COVID-19 are still causing severe supply shortages, heightening inflation and keeping many people out of the workforce, employers are finding gradually more success in filling near&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-economy-67a34a2e9c416155bab6af1b0e3cfcf1">record-high job postings</a>.“This is the kind of recovery we can get when we are not sidelined by a surge in COVID cases,” said Nick Bunker, director of economic research at the employment website Indeed. “The speed of employment gains has faltered at times this year, but the underlying momentum of the U.S. labor market is quite clear.”The better-than-expected jobs report was welcomed on Wall Street, where investors sent stocks further into record territory. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up nearly 200 points, or roughly 0.5%, in early-afternoon trading. Short-term Treasury yields rose as some investors moved up their expectations for when the Federal Reserve will begin raising interest rates. But longer-term yields dipped amid muted expectations for inflation over the long term.By most barometers, the economic recovery appears solidly on track. Services companies in such areas as retail, banking and warehousing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-eed8d8bc81c9af0e696f80b3a4b3a68a">have reported a sharp jump in sales</a>. Sales of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/home-sales">new and existing homes surged last month</a>. And consumer confidence&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-prices-inflation-consumer-confidence-661bf08bc8f529fd0ea42fbe5ebbcd77">rose in October after three straight declines</a>.At the same time, though, the nation remains 4.2 million jobs short of the number it had before the pandemic flattened the economy in March 2020. The effects of the virus are still discouraging some people from traveling, shopping, eating out and attending entertainment venues.In October, the pickup in hiring was spread across nearly every major industry, with only government employers reporting a job loss, mostly in education. Shipping and warehousing companies added 54,000 jobs. The battered leisure and hospitality sector, which includes, restaurants, bars, hotels and entertainment venues, gained 164,000. Manufacturers, despite their struggles with supply shortages, added 60,000, the most since June 2020.And employers, who have been competing to fill jobs from a diminished pool of applicants, raised wages at a solid clip: Average hourly pay jumped 4.9% in October compared with a year earlier, up from 4.6% the previous month. Even a gain that strong, though, is barely keeping pace with recent surges in consumer inflation.Those price increases pose a headwind for the economy. Higher costs for food, heating oil, rents and furniture have burdened millions of families. Prices&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-consumer-spending-prices-inflation-14980a4c7cfeafe5ba9b65c577578156">rose 4.4% in September compared with 12 months earlier</a>, the sharpest such jump in three decades.Among people who are receiving pay raises, some of the biggest beneficiaries are the record-high number of people who have been quitting jobs to take new ones. One of them is Christian Frink, who has begun work as a business analyst at a digital consulting firm. In his new job, Frink, 27, of Ferndale, Michigan, helps business clients determine the technologies they need.Earlier this year, Frink held a marketing job but left it because, like many people during COVID, he felt burnt out. He then worked for Door Dash during the spring and summer to earn money and searched for new work. Although employers were complaining about a labor shortage, several told him they wouldn’t hire anyone without a college degree. (Frink attended college but didn’t graduate.)This past summer, Frink took coding classes at Tech Elevator, a boot camp, and then landed his new position. Now, he’s earning 35% more than in his previous job and says he’s “blown away” that he already has health care coverage and doesn’t have to wait months to become eligible.Yet it isn’t only job-switchers who are receiving pay raises. Chad Leibundguth, a regional director in Tampa for the Robert Half staffing agency, said the job market is the strongest for workers he has seen in his 22-year career. Before the pandemic, he said, you could fill a customer service job in Florida for $14 an hour.“Nowadays,” he said, “you’ve got to be closer to $20 an hour, because people have options.”Job prospects are brightening even for people who have been out of work for prolonged periods. The number of long-term unemployed — people who have been jobless for six months or more — has fallen sharply in recent months, to 2.3 million in October from 4.2 million in April. That’s still double the pre-recession total. But it’s an encouraging sign because employers are typically wary of hiring people who haven’t held jobs for an extended time.At the same time, disparities in the job market have persisted. The Black unemployment rate was unchanged in October at 7.9%, for example, while for white workers, it fell to 4% from 4.2%. The Latino jobless rate dropped to 5.9% from 6.3%.And though white-collar jobs in professional services like information technology, engineering and architecture are nearly back to their pre-pandemic employment levels, leisure and hospitality still has 1.4 million fewer jobs.Hari Ravichandran, CEO of digital security provider Aura in Boston, says his 800-person company has 140 positions open, mostly in software development, and has raised pay 25% in just the past nine months.Ravichandran is willing to hire remote workers; 170 of his staffers have never regularly worked in any of the company’s buildings. Still, hiring remains as tough as he’s ever experienced.One disappointing note in Friday’s report is that the workforce — the number of people either working or looking for a job — was unchanged in October. That suggested that the reopening of schools in September, the waning of the virus, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-lifestyle-health-indiana-d3acd668eaf6343aada03cd660055bbc">expiration of a $300-a-week federal unemployment supplement&nbsp;</a>have yet to coax many people off the sidelines of the job market in large numbers.Drawing many people back into the workforce after recessions is typically a prolonged process. There are now 7.4 million people officially out of work — just 1.7 million more than in February 2020, before the pandemic struck the economy. Yet millions more who lost jobs during the recession have given up their job hunts, and employers might have to raise pay and benefits to draw them back in, said Aaron Sojourner, a labor economist at the University of Minnesota.Even so, some companies still can’t find enough workers.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-lifestyle-health-careers-075d3b0ab89baffc5e2b9a80e11dcf34">Many parents, particularly mothers, haven’t returned to the workforce</a>&nbsp;after having left jobs during the pandemic to care for children or other relatives. Yet there was evidence of a small rebound last month: The proportion of women who were either working or looking for work rose after two months of declines.Kourtni Graves of Detroit has been in and out of work during the pandemic because of her parenting duties. She quit an administrative assistant job a year ago because her day care had shut down, and she had to look after her 5-year old twin girls.Graves, 27, looked for work-from-home jobs, but many employers didn’t want to provide the flexibility she needed.“They don’t want you to have to pick up your kids from school,” particularly during a training, she said. “For me as their mom, I can’t do that.” She said the father of her children, who works in the auto industry, helps financially.But with the girls now in kindergarten, Graves broadened her job search and this week accepted a job at a clothing store. She feels overqualified, given her seven years working in administrative jobs. But she is happy to be working.“They’re paying pretty decent for retail,” she said. “It’s definitely been a struggle and a journey.”