The
 Federal Trade Commission is sending 34,893 checks and PayPal refunds 
totaling more than $2 million to consumers who lost money through a 
deceptive direct mail publications scheme. Agora Financial, LLC, 
NewMarket Health, and other related defendants tricked consumers into 
buying pamphlets, newsletters, and other publications through false 
promises and deceptive marketing.&nbsp; The refunds will provide full 
compensation for consumers who bought certain health- and 
finance-related publications sold by the defendants.

<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/10/ftc-sues-publisher-targeting-seniors-phony-diabetes-cure-money">According to an October 2019 FTC complaint</a>, the Agora defendants primarily targeted its publications, including The Doctor’s Guide to Reversing Diabetes in 28 Days, at older consumers nationwide. Agora falsely marketed The Doctor’s Guide
 as a simple and scientifically proven protocol that can permanently 
cure type 2 diabetes in 28 days, without any changes in diet or 
exercise.

The FTC also alleged that the Agora defendants deceptively marketed Congress’ Secret $1.17 Trillion Giveaway,
 falsely promising that the book would show consumers how to claim 
hundreds to thousands of dollars to which they are entitled in 
“Congressional Checks” or “Republican Checks.”

The FTC is using the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/02/publisher-will-pay-more-2-million-settle-ftc-charges-it-targeted">money it recovered from Agora Financial and related defendants</a>
 to provide consumer refunds totaling $2,052,868, via paper checks and 
PayPal. People who receive refund checks should deposit or cash them 
within 90 days, as indicated on the check. PayPal refunds will be 
available for 30 days after they are issued. Recipients who have 
questions about their refund can call the administrator, Ankura 
Consulting Group, LLC, at 1-833-460-2437. The FTC never requires people 
to pay money or provide account information to cash a refund check.

In
 2020, FTC actions led to more than $483 million in refunds to consumers
 across the country, but the United States Supreme Court ruled earlier 
this year that the FTC lacks authority under Section 13(b) to seek 
monetary relief in federal court going forward. The <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/04/ftc-asks-congress-pass-legislation-reviving-agencys-authority">Commission has urged Congress</a> to restore the FTC’s ability to get money back for consumers.

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 is sending 34,893 checks and PayPal refunds 
totaling more than $2 million to consumers who lost money through a 
deceptive direct mail publications scheme. Agora Financial, LLC, 
NewMarket Health, and other related defendants tricked consumers into 
buying pamphlets, newsletters, and other publications through false 
promises and deceptive marketing.&nbsp; The refunds will provide full 
compensation for consumers who bought certain health- and 
finance-related publications sold by the defendants.<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/10/ftc-sues-publisher-targeting-seniors-phony-diabetes-cure-money">According to an October 2019 FTC complaint</a>, the Agora defendants primarily targeted its publications, including The Doctor’s Guide to Reversing Diabetes in 28 Days, at older consumers nationwide. Agora falsely marketed The Doctor’s Guide
 as a simple and scientifically proven protocol that can permanently 
cure type 2 diabetes in 28 days, without any changes in diet or 
exercise.The FTC also alleged that the Agora defendants deceptively marketed Congress’ Secret $1.17 Trillion Giveaway,
 falsely promising that the book would show consumers how to claim 
hundreds to thousands of dollars to which they are entitled in 
“Congressional Checks” or “Republican Checks.”The FTC is using the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/02/publisher-will-pay-more-2-million-settle-ftc-charges-it-targeted">money it recovered from Agora Financial and related defendants</a>
 to provide consumer refunds totaling $2,052,868, via paper checks and 
PayPal. People who receive refund checks should deposit or cash them 
within 90 days, as indicated on the check. PayPal refunds will be 
available for 30 days after they are issued. Recipients who have 
questions about their refund can call the administrator, Ankura 
Consulting Group, LLC, at 1-833-460-2437. The FTC never requires people 
to pay money or provide account information to cash a refund check.In
 2020, FTC actions led to more than $483 million in refunds to consumers
 across the country, but the United States Supreme Court ruled earlier 
this year that the FTC lacks authority under Section 13(b) to seek 
monetary relief in federal court going forward. The <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/04/ftc-asks-congress-pass-legislation-reviving-agencys-authority">Commission has urged Congress</a> to restore the FTC’s ability to get money back for consumers.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>.

Feds send $2M to consumers duped by direct mail scheme

The
 Federal Trade Commission is sending nearly $60 million to more than 
140,000 Amazon drivers. The funds will serve as reimbursement for tips 
that Amazon allegedly illegally withheld from drivers between 2016 and 
2019.

<a href="https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/federal.trade.commission/viz/Refunds_15797958402020/RefundsbyCase"></a>In 2021, the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/192_3123_-_amazon_flex_complaint_final_not_signed.pdf">FTC brought a suit against Amazon</a>
 and its subsidiary, Amazon Logistics, alleging that the company failed 
to fully pay tips that drivers in its Amazon Flex program had earned. 
Amazon Flex drivers deliver goods and groceries ordered through programs
 like Prime Now and AmazonFresh. The complaint alleged that the company 
secretly kept drivers’ tips over a two-and-a-half year period and only 
stopped the practice after becoming aware of the FTC’s investigation in 
2019.

<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/02/amazon-pay-617-million-settle-ftc-charges-it-withheld-some">Amazon agreed to settle the case</a>
 and surrender all the money it withheld from its drivers. The 
settlement also prohibits Amazon from misrepresenting any driver’s 
likely income or rate of pay, how much of their tips will be paid to 
them, as well as whether the amount paid by a customer is a tip. Amazon 
also will be prohibited from making any changes to how a driver’s tips 
are used as compensation without the driver’s express informed consent.

The FTC will be sending 139,507 checks and 1,621 PayPal payments to 
Amazon Flex drivers. Drivers who had more than $5 withheld by Amazon 
will receive the full amount of their withheld tips. The highest amount 
going to a single Amazon Flex driver is more than $28,000, while the 
average amount is $422.

People who receive checks should deposit or cash them before January 
7, 2022, as indicated on the check. Recipients who have questions about 
their checks should call the refund administrator, Rust Consulting, at 
1-800-654-8874. The FTC never requires people to pay money or provide 
account information to cash a refund check.

Drivers whose payments total more than $600—19,980 drivers in 
total—will receive an IRS Form 1099 with their payment and should report
 this income on their tax return.

The FTC’s <a href="https://public.tableau.com/profile/federal.trade.commission#!/vizhome/Refunds_15797958402020/RefundsbyCase">interactive dashboards for refund data(link is external)</a>
 provide a state-by-state breakdown of FTC refunds. In 2020, FTC actions
 led to more than $483 million in refunds to consumers across the 
country, but the United States Supreme Court ruled earlier this year 
that the FTC lacks authority under Section 13(b) to seek monetary relief
 in federal court going forward. The <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/04/ftc-asks-congress-pass-legislation-reviving-agencys-authority"> Commission has urged Congress</a> to restore the FTC’s ability to get money back for consumers.

FTCThe
 Federal Trade Commission is sending nearly $60 million to more than 
140,000 Amazon drivers. The funds will serve as reimbursement for tips 
that Amazon allegedly illegally withheld from drivers between 2016 and 
2019.<a href="https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/federal.trade.commission/viz/Refunds_15797958402020/RefundsbyCase"></a>In 2021, the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/192_3123_-_amazon_flex_complaint_final_not_signed.pdf">FTC brought a suit against Amazon</a>
 and its subsidiary, Amazon Logistics, alleging that the company failed 
to fully pay tips that drivers in its Amazon Flex program had earned. 
Amazon Flex drivers deliver goods and groceries ordered through programs
 like Prime Now and AmazonFresh. The complaint alleged that the company 
secretly kept drivers’ tips over a two-and-a-half year period and only 
stopped the practice after becoming aware of the FTC’s investigation in 
2019.<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/02/amazon-pay-617-million-settle-ftc-charges-it-withheld-some">Amazon agreed to settle the case</a>
 and surrender all the money it withheld from its drivers. The 
settlement also prohibits Amazon from misrepresenting any driver’s 
likely income or rate of pay, how much of their tips will be paid to 
them, as well as whether the amount paid by a customer is a tip. Amazon 
also will be prohibited from making any changes to how a driver’s tips 
are used as compensation without the driver’s express informed consent.The FTC will be sending 139,507 checks and 1,621 PayPal payments to 
Amazon Flex drivers. Drivers who had more than $5 withheld by Amazon 
will receive the full amount of their withheld tips. The highest amount 
going to a single Amazon Flex driver is more than $28,000, while the 
average amount is $422.People who receive checks should deposit or cash them before January 
7, 2022, as indicated on the check. Recipients who have questions about 
their checks should call the refund administrator, Rust Consulting, at 
1-800-654-8874. The FTC never requires people to pay money or provide 
account information to cash a refund check.Drivers whose payments total more than $600—19,980 drivers in 
total—will receive an IRS Form 1099 with their payment and should report
 this income on their tax return.The FTC’s <a href="https://public.tableau.com/profile/federal.trade.commission#!/vizhome/Refunds_15797958402020/RefundsbyCase">interactive dashboards for refund data(link is external)</a>
 provide a state-by-state breakdown of FTC refunds. In 2020, FTC actions
 led to more than $483 million in refunds to consumers across the 
country, but the United States Supreme Court ruled earlier this year 
that the FTC lacks authority under Section 13(b) to seek monetary relief
 in federal court going forward. The <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/04/ftc-asks-congress-pass-legislation-reviving-agencys-authority"> Commission has urged Congress</a> to restore the FTC’s ability to get money back for consumers.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 sends nearly $60M to Amazon drivers whose tips were illegally withheld

WASHINGTON (AP) — A majority of the Supreme Court signaled Monday they would allow abortion providers to pursue a court challenge to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-health-abortion-government-and-politics-ba02cd7c3f02b1eb5c87094257ee4db2">a Texas law</a>&nbsp;that has virtually ended abortion in the nation’s second-largest state after six weeks of pregnancy.

But it was unclear how quickly the court would rule and whether it would issue an order blocking the law that has been in effect for two months, or require providers to ask a lower court put the law on hold.

Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, two conservative appointees of former President Donald Trump, voted in September to allow the law to take effect, but they raised questions Monday about its novel structure. The law, written to make it difficult to mount legal challenges, subjects clinics, doctors and any others who facilitate abortions to large financial penalties.

“Millions and millions retroactively imposed, even though the activity was perfectly lawful under all court orders and precedent at the time it was undertaken, right?” Kavanaugh asked, one of several skeptical questions he put to Judd E. Stone II, representing Texas.

Barrett, too, pressed Stone about provisions of the law that force providers to fight lawsuits one by one and, she said, don’t allow their constitutional rights to be “fully aired.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-texas-9c75eae9d7fddcd34b70bbf3fccb9be3">The justices heard three hours of arguments</a>&nbsp;Monday in two cases over whether abortion providers or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-texas-bills-149e66a206890b29ccdf15ce26916085">the Justice Department</a>&nbsp;can mount federal court challenges to the law, which has an unusual enforcement scheme its defenders argue shields it from federal court review.

The Biden administration filed its lawsuit after the justices&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-courts-us-supreme-court-32ee7ae7eeec9bdfd1471a848c163321">voted 5-4 to refuse a request by providers to keep the law on hold</a>. Justice Neil Gorsuch, also a Trump appointee, and two other conservative justices joined Barrett and Kavanaugh in the majority to let the law take effect. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s three liberal justices in dissent.

The justices sounded less convinced that the Justice Department lawsuit should go forward, and Justice Elena Kagan suggested that a ruling instead in favor of the providers would allow the court to avoid difficult issues of federal power.

In neither case argued Monday is the right to an abortion directly at issue. But the motivation for the lawsuits is that the Texas law conflicts with landmark Supreme Court rulings that prevent a state from banning abortion early in pregnancy.

Arguing for the United States, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar told the justices that Texas’ law was enacted in “open defiance” of Supreme Court precedent. “It enacted a law that clearly violates this court’s precedents,” she said.

Under the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision, states are prevented from banning abortion before viability, the point at which a fetus can survive outside the womb, around 24 weeks of pregnancy.

The justices will hear a separate challenge to those decisions in a case over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-supreme-court-mississippi-7ee64ee43f9d5c291133cf14b66f6875">Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks</a>. Those arguments are set for Dec. 1.

The most direct reference to the Mississippi case came from Justice Samuel Alito, who asked if the decision by providers to stop doing abortions in Texas “is attributable to the fear of liability if Roe or Casey is altered?”

But most questions focused on the Texas law and how it has altered abortion in the state even before the high court has made any change in abortion law. Kagan told Stone that until Texas passed its law, “no state dreamed” of trying to make an end-run around Supreme Court precedent in the same way.

If the Supreme Court doesn’t do anything about that, she said, it would be inviting states to try to flout precedent: “Guns. Same-sex marriage. Religious rights. Whatever you don’t like: go ahead,” she said. Kagan, who disagreed with her colleagues’ decision to let the law take effect, said Texas’ law has prevented women in Texas “from exercising a constitutional right.”

Kavanaugh also raised concerns about laws that might affect other constitutional rights.

The Texas law has been in effect since September when the Supreme Court declined to intervene, except for a 48-hour period in early October when it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-business-texas-courts-5eb085acee67615da3623212953220c9">blocked by a lower court</a>. The high court got involved again less than two weeks ago, moving at extraordinary speed. The court offered no explanation for its decision to hear the cases so quickly.

If the court allows the providers to continue their lawsuit, it would still take a separate order from the justices or a lower court to put the law on hold.

Amy Hagstrom Miller, chief executive of Whole Woman’s Health, said her four clinics would resume abortion services if they get a favorable court order.

The Texas ban, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in May, prohibits abortion after cardiac activity is detected in a fetus, usually around six weeks and before some women know they are pregnant.

The law makes exceptions for medical emergencies but not for rape or incest.

A study published by researchers at the University of Texas found that the number of abortions statewide fell by 50% after the law took effect in September, compared to the same month in 2020. The study was based on data from 19 of the state’s 24 abortion clinics, according to the Texas Policy Evaluation Project.

At least 12 other states have enacted bans early in pregnancy, but all have been blocked from going into effect.

Rather than have state officials enforce the law, Texas deputizes private citizens to sue anyone who performs or aids and abets an abortion. If someone bringing suit is successful, they are entitled to at least $10,000. Women who obtain abortions can’t be sued under the law.

During arguments Monday, Roberts at one point asked whether the law could be challenged if Texas had made the entitlement much higher, $1 million. Texas’ lawyer told him no.

The structure of the law threatens abortion providers with huge financial penalties if they violate it. Clinics throughout the state have stopped performing abortions once cardiac activity is found.

The result, both the providers and the Biden administration said, is that women who are financially able have traveled to other states and those without the means must either continue their pregnancies against their will or find other, potentially dangerous ways to end them.

Stone and Jonathan Mitchell, an architect of the law who also argued Monday, defended the law and its unusual structure. They said both the providers and the Justice Department lack the right to go into federal court, and should be asking Congress,not the justices, to expand court access.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is taking up challenges to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-health-abortion-government-and-politics-ba02cd7c3f02b1eb5c87094257ee4db2">a Texas law</a>&nbsp;that has virtually ended abortion in the nation’s second-largest state after six weeks of pregnancy.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-texas-9c75eae9d7fddcd34b70bbf3fccb9be3">The justices are hearing arguments</a>&nbsp;Monday in two cases over whether abortion providers or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-texas-bills-149e66a206890b29ccdf15ce26916085">the Justice Department</a>&nbsp;can mount federal court challenges to the law, which has an unusual enforcement scheme its defenders argue shields it from federal court review.

In neither case is the right to an abortion directly at issue, but the motivation for lawsuits filed by abortion providers and the Justice Department is that the Texas law conflicts with landmark Supreme Court rulings that prevent a state from banning abortion early in pregnancy.

The justices will hear a separate challenge to the decisions in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey in a case over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-supreme-court-mississippi-7ee64ee43f9d5c291133cf14b66f6875">Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks</a>. Those arguments are set for Dec. 1.

The Texas law has been in effect since September, except for a 48-hour period in early October when it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-business-texas-courts-5eb085acee67615da3623212953220c9">blocked by a lower court</a>.

The high court jumped into the Texas cases less than two weeks ago, moving at extraordinary speed, but only after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21053670-whole-womans-health-v-jackson" target="_blank">rejecting a plea to block the law</a>&nbsp;by a 5-4 vote in early September.

Five conservative justices, including three who were appointed by President Donald Trump, were in the majority. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s three liberal justices in dissent.

The court offered no explanation for its decision to hear the cases so quickly.

But rather than have state officials enforce it, the Texas law deputizes private citizens to sue anyone who performs or aids and abets an abortion. If they’re successful, they are entitled to at least $10,000. Women who obtain abortions can’t be sued under the law.

The state and Jonathan Mitchell, an architect of the law, say in their briefs that the providers and the Justice Department lack the right to go into federal court and can’t sue state judges and clerks who are not responsible for enforcing the abortion ban. They also contend that there is no effective way of blocking the law, in part because federal court can’t force state judges to abstain from hearing the lawsuits the law authorizes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1635782546230.png" alt="Protesters outside the Supreme Court Monday -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Protesters outside the Supreme Court Monday -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A majority of the Supreme Court signaled Monday they would allow abortion providers to pursue a court challenge to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-health-abortion-government-and-politics-ba02cd7c3f02b1eb5c87094257ee4db2">a Texas law</a>&nbsp;that has virtually ended abortion in the nation’s second-largest state after six weeks of pregnancy.But it was unclear how quickly the court would rule and whether it would issue an order blocking the law that has been in effect for two months, or require providers to ask a lower court put the law on hold.Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, two conservative appointees of former President Donald Trump, voted in September to allow the law to take effect, but they raised questions Monday about its novel structure. The law, written to make it difficult to mount legal challenges, subjects clinics, doctors and any others who facilitate abortions to large financial penalties.“Millions and millions retroactively imposed, even though the activity was perfectly lawful under all court orders and precedent at the time it was undertaken, right?” Kavanaugh asked, one of several skeptical questions he put to Judd E. Stone II, representing Texas.Barrett, too, pressed Stone about provisions of the law that force providers to fight lawsuits one by one and, she said, don’t allow their constitutional rights to be “fully aired.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-texas-9c75eae9d7fddcd34b70bbf3fccb9be3">The justices heard three hours of arguments</a>&nbsp;Monday in two cases over whether abortion providers or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-texas-bills-149e66a206890b29ccdf15ce26916085">the Justice Department</a>&nbsp;can mount federal court challenges to the law, which has an unusual enforcement scheme its defenders argue shields it from federal court review.The Biden administration filed its lawsuit after the justices&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-courts-us-supreme-court-32ee7ae7eeec9bdfd1471a848c163321">voted 5-4 to refuse a request by providers to keep the law on hold</a>. Justice Neil Gorsuch, also a Trump appointee, and two other conservative justices joined Barrett and Kavanaugh in the majority to let the law take effect. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s three liberal justices in dissent.The justices sounded less convinced that the Justice Department lawsuit should go forward, and Justice Elena Kagan suggested that a ruling instead in favor of the providers would allow the court to avoid difficult issues of federal power.In neither case argued Monday is the right to an abortion directly at issue. But the motivation for the lawsuits is that the Texas law conflicts with landmark Supreme Court rulings that prevent a state from banning abortion early in pregnancy.Arguing for the United States, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar told the justices that Texas’ law was enacted in “open defiance” of Supreme Court precedent. “It enacted a law that clearly violates this court’s precedents,” she said.Under the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision, states are prevented from banning abortion before viability, the point at which a fetus can survive outside the womb, around 24 weeks of pregnancy.The justices will hear a separate challenge to those decisions in a case over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-supreme-court-mississippi-7ee64ee43f9d5c291133cf14b66f6875">Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks</a>. Those arguments are set for Dec. 1.The most direct reference to the Mississippi case came from Justice Samuel Alito, who asked if the decision by providers to stop doing abortions in Texas “is attributable to the fear of liability if Roe or Casey is altered?”But most questions focused on the Texas law and how it has altered abortion in the state even before the high court has made any change in abortion law. Kagan told Stone that until Texas passed its law, “no state dreamed” of trying to make an end-run around Supreme Court precedent in the same way.If the Supreme Court doesn’t do anything about that, she said, it would be inviting states to try to flout precedent: “Guns. Same-sex marriage. Religious rights. Whatever you don’t like: go ahead,” she said. Kagan, who disagreed with her colleagues’ decision to let the law take effect, said Texas’ law has prevented women in Texas “from exercising a constitutional right.”Kavanaugh also raised concerns about laws that might affect other constitutional rights.The Texas law has been in effect since September when the Supreme Court declined to intervene, except for a 48-hour period in early October when it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-business-texas-courts-5eb085acee67615da3623212953220c9">blocked by a lower court</a>. The high court got involved again less than two weeks ago, moving at extraordinary speed. The court offered no explanation for its decision to hear the cases so quickly.If the court allows the providers to continue their lawsuit, it would still take a separate order from the justices or a lower court to put the law on hold.Amy Hagstrom Miller, chief executive of Whole Woman’s Health, said her four clinics would resume abortion services if they get a favorable court order.The Texas ban, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in May, prohibits abortion after cardiac activity is detected in a fetus, usually around six weeks and before some women know they are pregnant.The law makes exceptions for medical emergencies but not for rape or incest.A study published by researchers at the University of Texas found that the number of abortions statewide fell by 50% after the law took effect in September, compared to the same month in 2020. The study was based on data from 19 of the state’s 24 abortion clinics, according to the Texas Policy Evaluation Project.At least 12 other states have enacted bans early in pregnancy, but all have been blocked from going into effect.Rather than have state officials enforce the law, Texas deputizes private citizens to sue anyone who performs or aids and abets an abortion. If someone bringing suit is successful, they are entitled to at least $10,000. Women who obtain abortions can’t be sued under the law.During arguments Monday, Roberts at one point asked whether the law could be challenged if Texas had made the entitlement much higher, $1 million. Texas’ lawyer told him no.The structure of the law threatens abortion providers with huge financial penalties if they violate it. Clinics throughout the state have stopped performing abortions once cardiac activity is found.The result, both the providers and the Biden administration said, is that women who are financially able have traveled to other states and those without the means must either continue their pregnancies against their will or find other, potentially dangerous ways to end them.Stone and Jonathan Mitchell, an architect of the law who also argued Monday, defended the law and its unusual structure. They said both the providers and the Justice Department lack the right to go into federal court, and should be asking Congress,not the justices, to expand court access.---------WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is taking up challenges to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-health-abortion-government-and-politics-ba02cd7c3f02b1eb5c87094257ee4db2">a Texas law</a>&nbsp;that has virtually ended abortion in the nation’s second-largest state after six weeks of pregnancy.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-texas-9c75eae9d7fddcd34b70bbf3fccb9be3">The justices are hearing arguments</a>&nbsp;Monday in two cases over whether abortion providers or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-texas-bills-149e66a206890b29ccdf15ce26916085">the Justice Department</a>&nbsp;can mount federal court challenges to the law, which has an unusual enforcement scheme its defenders argue shields it from federal court review.In neither case is the right to an abortion directly at issue, but the motivation for lawsuits filed by abortion providers and the Justice Department is that the Texas law conflicts with landmark Supreme Court rulings that prevent a state from banning abortion early in pregnancy.The justices will hear a separate challenge to the decisions in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey in a case over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-supreme-court-mississippi-7ee64ee43f9d5c291133cf14b66f6875">Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks</a>. Those arguments are set for Dec. 1.The Texas law has been in effect since September, except for a 48-hour period in early October when it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-business-texas-courts-5eb085acee67615da3623212953220c9">blocked by a lower court</a>.The high court jumped into the Texas cases less than two weeks ago, moving at extraordinary speed, but only after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21053670-whole-womans-health-v-jackson" target="_blank">rejecting a plea to block the law</a>&nbsp;by a 5-4 vote in early September.Five conservative justices, including three who were appointed by President Donald Trump, were in the majority. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s three liberal justices in dissent.The court offered no explanation for its decision to hear the cases so quickly.The Texas ban, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in May, prohibits abortion after cardiac activity is detected in a fetus, usually around six weeks and before some women know they are pregnant.The law makes exceptions for medical emergencies but not for rape or incest.At least 12 other states have enacted bans early in pregnancy, but all have been blocked from going into effect.But rather than have state officials enforce it, the Texas law deputizes private citizens to sue anyone who performs or aids and abets an abortion. If they’re successful, they are entitled to at least $10,000. Women who obtain abortions can’t be sued under the law.The structure of the law threatens abortion providers with huge financial penalties if they violate it. Clinics throughout the state have stopped performing abortions once cardiac activity is found.The result, both the providers and the Biden administration said, is that women who are financially able have traveled to other states and those without the means must either continue their pregnancies against their will or find other, potentially dangerous ways to end them.The state and Jonathan Mitchell, an architect of the law, say in their briefs that the providers and the Justice Department lack the right to go into federal court and can’t sue state judges and clerks who are not responsible for enforcing the abortion ban. They also contend that there is no effective way of blocking the law, in part because federal court can’t force state judges to abstain from hearing the lawsuits the law authorizes.

Supreme Court takes up nation's most restrictive abortion law

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden set out to be a president who under-promised and over-delivered.

As the White House tries to nail down a nearly $3 trillion domestic package that Biden frames as a historic investment in infrastructure and social spending, the moment is clouded by a sense among many on the left that the pared-back package falls far short of the lofty expectations set by the president himself.

“I know it’s hard,” Biden said Thursday, even as he sought to claim a victory for having crafted the “framework” of a social spending plan that he believes — or hopes — can pass Congress.

“I know how deeply people feel about the things that they fight for,” he added. “No one got everything they wanted, including me. But that’s what compromise is.”

It was not the triumphal moment the president had envisioned as he flew to Europe for economic and climate summits, landing in Rome early Friday. Instead, he and other Democratic leaders were left to almost plead for the support within their party to pass Biden’s signature legislative proposal. He was buffeted both from the liberal wing of his party and from moderate holdouts, Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.

He’s facing disgruntlement from some allies that the latest iteration of the proposed deal doesn’t meet his campaign aims as the ambition — and price tag — of his domestic legislative agenda has been repeatedly whittled back to secure the votes of members of his own party.

Biden marketed himself to voters as a competent leader whose deep experience in the ways of Washington could yield meaningful change through legislation, a clear counterpoint to President Donald Trump’s blunt-instrument approach to policy. Instead, Biden was left not to negotiate with Republicans, but with his fellow Democrats, and he did not appear to succeed yet in persuading them, at least not on his preferred timetable.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democrats behind closed doors that “when the president gets off that plane, we want him to have a vote of confidence from this Congress.”

“In order for us to have success, we must succeed today.”

As the day dragged on, that appeared increasingly unlikely.

None of that kept the president from claiming to be on the cusp of historic achievements.

Biden and his allies stress that the proposed deal, though far smaller than first envisioned, would represent record spending and that new programs in the $1 trillion infrastructure bill and the $1.75 trillion social spending and climate legislation would boost American competitiveness, lift people out of poverty and ease the burdens of working families.

As he arrived at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday morning to urge House Democrats to get behind the framework, he was greeted by environmental protesters who said he was giving up too much. Later, Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats, grumbled that Biden’s plan has “some major gaps in it” and that the bill does not provide relief on prescription drug costs.

When it became clear that holdout Democrats still weren’t on board, Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., said she felt “bamboozled because this was not what I thought was coming today.”

Biden administration officials and allies pushed back against the angst from the liberal wing of their party. They noted that the plan has the biggest spending ever for combating climate change —$555 billion — and the greatest expansion of education, with free, universal childcare, since the establishment of free high school.

“How can I say this is transformative? Because it is,” said Pelosi. She argued that the framework would lead to millions more Americans gaining access to health care, add thousands of jobs and benefit the environment.

Biden’s plan was first brought forward as a $7 trillion “Build Back Better” agenda in mid-2020 that also had much of what became the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill passed in March. His domestic proposals were offered as part of a plan to pull the nation from the depths of the pandemic and set it on a course toward an even more prosperous future.

Rebranded — for a time — as the American Families Plan, it formed the backbone of Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress in April.

It included long-sought Democratic priorities like measures to bring down the cost of prescription drugs, raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour and provide 12 weeks of paid family leave. Each of those provisions fell out of the bill during the months of negotiation.

Before departing for Europe, Biden spoke of the latest version as if he had achieved a consensus and compromise in the classically understood sense -- between the two political parties.

In fact, he was actually talking about bringing together legislators from his own party — many of whom didn’t hide their frustration at Biden’s dramatic scaling back of his ambitions for the bill. The moment showed that Biden, while he’s found success in getting his party to unite in opposition to Trump, has had less luck getting a fractured rank-and-file to fall in line on policy fights.

Many of the cuts that are irking the liberal wing have also been painful for Biden. He’s repeatedly talked about issues like paid family leave and drug costs in personal terms.

Biden also had to pull back on his hopes of making permanent a proposal to extend the child tax credit that was in his $1.9 trillion relief plan passed earlier this year. The credit, which has helped to cut child poverty by nearly half by some estimates, would be extended only by a year. That leaves a future Congress to decide whether to sustain it.

Julian Zelizer, a Princeton University historian, said it was unclear that many Americans would quickly feel the benefits of what was left in Biden’s plan. That might make it difficult for Biden, whose approval rating has cratered in recent weeks, to benefit politically if the bills finally become law.

“The parts of the plan that would have immediate impact, like family leave and the prescription drugs, have been stripped out,” Zelizer said. “Parts of the plan won’t last forever. I am not certain that Americans are going to feel impact before some of this comes and goes.”

From the beginning, Biden faced headwinds as he sought to craft a social services and environmental spending plan to rival FDR’s New Deal, working with the backing of only slim Democratic majorities in the House and Senate. Manchin and Sinema’s hesitance on various aspects of the package made Biden’s big aspirations an uphill battle from the start.

Jim Kessler, executive vice president of policy at the center-left group Third Way, said lessons learned by President Barack Obama, who was criticized by many on the left for not pushing for more stimulus in the midst of the Great Recession more than a decade ago, fed into the president’s decision to shoot for the moon.

While Biden fell short of his initial goals, Kessler said that lost in the noise is that the pared-down spending plan is still among the most significant domestic policy efforts of the last century.

“The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan soon after he came to office was huge,” Kessler said. “Now, if these two bills pass, those are big bumps. It feels like morning broke here as we go into November for the Biden presidency.”

Obama himself chimed in to make the point that Biden was right to swing for the fences.

“The Build Back Better framework doesn’t contain everything that the President proposed and that some had hoped,” Obama said in a statement. “But that’s the nature of progress in a democracy.” Still, Obama called it a “giant leap forward” for the country.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635437156930.png" alt="President Biden spoke to the American people just before he left Thursday for Europe-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President Biden spoke to the American people just before he left Thursday for Europe-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By ZEKE MILLER and AAMER MADHANIWASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden set out to be a president who under-promised and over-delivered.That worked, until it didn’t.As the White House tries to nail down a nearly $3 trillion domestic package that Biden frames as a historic investment in infrastructure and social spending, the moment is clouded by a sense among many on the left that the pared-back package falls far short of the lofty expectations set by the president himself.“I know it’s hard,” Biden said Thursday, even as he sought to claim a victory for having crafted the “framework” of a social spending plan that he believes — or hopes — can pass Congress.“I know how deeply people feel about the things that they fight for,” he added. “No one got everything they wanted, including me. But that’s what compromise is.”It was not the triumphal moment the president had envisioned as he flew to Europe for economic and climate summits, landing in Rome early Friday. Instead, he and other Democratic leaders were left to almost plead for the support within their party to pass Biden’s signature legislative proposal. He was buffeted both from the liberal wing of his party and from moderate holdouts, Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.He’s facing disgruntlement from some allies that the latest iteration of the proposed deal doesn’t meet his campaign aims as the ambition — and price tag — of his domestic legislative agenda has been repeatedly whittled back to secure the votes of members of his own party.Biden marketed himself to voters as a competent leader whose deep experience in the ways of Washington could yield meaningful change through legislation, a clear counterpoint to President Donald Trump’s blunt-instrument approach to policy. Instead, Biden was left not to negotiate with Republicans, but with his fellow Democrats, and he did not appear to succeed yet in persuading them, at least not on his preferred timetable.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democrats behind closed doors that “when the president gets off that plane, we want him to have a vote of confidence from this Congress.”“In order for us to have success, we must succeed today.”As the day dragged on, that appeared increasingly unlikely.None of that kept the president from claiming to be on the cusp of historic achievements.Biden and his allies stress that the proposed deal, though far smaller than first envisioned, would represent record spending and that new programs in the $1 trillion infrastructure bill and the $1.75 trillion social spending and climate legislation would boost American competitiveness, lift people out of poverty and ease the burdens of working families.As he arrived at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday morning to urge House Democrats to get behind the framework, he was greeted by environmental protesters who said he was giving up too much. Later, Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats, grumbled that Biden’s plan has “some major gaps in it” and that the bill does not provide relief on prescription drug costs.When it became clear that holdout Democrats still weren’t on board, Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., said she felt “bamboozled because this was not what I thought was coming today.”Biden administration officials and allies pushed back against the angst from the liberal wing of their party. They noted that the plan has the biggest spending ever for combating climate change —$555 billion — and the greatest expansion of education, with free, universal childcare, since the establishment of free high school.“How can I say this is transformative? Because it is,” said Pelosi. She argued that the framework would lead to millions more Americans gaining access to health care, add thousands of jobs and benefit the environment.Biden’s plan was first brought forward as a $7 trillion “Build Back Better” agenda in mid-2020 that also had much of what became the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill passed in March. His domestic proposals were offered as part of a plan to pull the nation from the depths of the pandemic and set it on a course toward an even more prosperous future.Rebranded — for a time — as the American Families Plan, it formed the backbone of Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress in April.It included long-sought Democratic priorities like measures to bring down the cost of prescription drugs, raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour and provide 12 weeks of paid family leave. Each of those provisions fell out of the bill during the months of negotiation.Before departing for Europe, Biden spoke of the latest version as if he had achieved a consensus and compromise in the classically understood sense -- between the two political parties.In fact, he was actually talking about bringing together legislators from his own party — many of whom didn’t hide their frustration at Biden’s dramatic scaling back of his ambitions for the bill. The moment showed that Biden, while he’s found success in getting his party to unite in opposition to Trump, has had less luck getting a fractured rank-and-file to fall in line on policy fights.Many of the cuts that are irking the liberal wing have also been painful for Biden. He’s repeatedly talked about issues like paid family leave and drug costs in personal terms.Biden also had to pull back on his hopes of making permanent a proposal to extend the child tax credit that was in his $1.9 trillion relief plan passed earlier this year. The credit, which has helped to cut child poverty by nearly half by some estimates, would be extended only by a year. That leaves a future Congress to decide whether to sustain it.Julian Zelizer, a Princeton University historian, said it was unclear that many Americans would quickly feel the benefits of what was left in Biden’s plan. That might make it difficult for Biden, whose approval rating has cratered in recent weeks, to benefit politically if the bills finally become law.“The parts of the plan that would have immediate impact, like family leave and the prescription drugs, have been stripped out,” Zelizer said. “Parts of the plan won’t last forever. I am not certain that Americans are going to feel impact before some of this comes and goes.”From the beginning, Biden faced headwinds as he sought to craft a social services and environmental spending plan to rival FDR’s New Deal, working with the backing of only slim Democratic majorities in the House and Senate. Manchin and Sinema’s hesitance on various aspects of the package made Biden’s big aspirations an uphill battle from the start.Jim Kessler, executive vice president of policy at the center-left group Third Way, said lessons learned by President Barack Obama, who was criticized by many on the left for not pushing for more stimulus in the midst of the Great Recession more than a decade ago, fed into the president’s decision to shoot for the moon.While Biden fell short of his initial goals, Kessler said that lost in the noise is that the pared-down spending plan is still among the most significant domestic policy efforts of the last century.“The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan soon after he came to office was huge,” Kessler said. “Now, if these two bills pass, those are big bumps. It feels like morning broke here as we go into November for the Biden presidency.”Obama himself chimed in to make the point that Biden was right to swing for the fences.“The Build Back Better framework doesn’t contain everything that the President proposed and that some had hoped,” Obama said in a statement. “But that’s the nature of progress in a democracy.” Still, Obama called it a “giant leap forward” for the country.___

Analysis: Pres. Biden faces liberal angst after under-delivering

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police say they are investigating the death of a woman in south Omaha as a homicide.

 Police say officers were called to an area along South 20th Street just before 8 a.m. Sunday for a death investigation and found the body of 61-year-old Jolene Harshbarger. 

Police say the circumstances surrounding Harshbarger's death are suspicious but have not said how she died. 

No arrests in the death have been reported, and police asked anyone with knowledge of Harshbarger's death to contact Crime Stoppers.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police say they are investigating the death of a woman in south Omaha as a homicide. Police say officers were called to an area along South 20th Street just before 8 a.m. Sunday for a death investigation and found the body of 61-year-old Jolene Harshbarger. Police say the circumstances surrounding Harshbarger's death are suspicious but have not said how she died. No arrests in the death have been reported, and police asked anyone with knowledge of Harshbarger's death to contact Crime Stoppers.

Police investigate south Omaha woman's death as homicide

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Friday paved the way for children ages 5 to 11 to get Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Their decision came after U.S. health advisers endorsed the Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for younger children despite hearing concerns expressed by a number of physicians and parents.&nbsp;

During the public comment portion of the Oct. 26, hearing, a number of professionals and parents raised concerns about the vaccine for young children.

Steve Hirsh, Executive Director of the&nbsp; COVID-19 Early Treatment Fund told the panel there were too many unanswered questions for the FDA to approve the vaccine for 5-11 year-olds.

Dr. Jessica Rose, a viral immunologist, shared thoughts against the emergency use authorization of the vaccine for children because "COVID-19 is exceedingly treatable."

Dr. Josh Guetzkow, Ph.D., at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said extending the emergency use authorization for children's vaccine "would do more harm than good."

Dr. Beatrice Setnick, a clinical pharamacologist and consultant to various biotech companies told the panel, "please do not assume the vaccine is safe for children until more data is evaluated."

Amy Alvo, the mother of a 17-year-old , shared what the adverse reaction her daughter experienced after vaccination.

This week, the CDC will have to decide whether to recommend the shots and which youngsters should get them.

Some parents are expected to vaccinate their children ahead of family holiday gatherings and the winter cold season.

But a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey suggests most parents won’t rush to get the shots. About 25% of parents polled earlier this month said they would get their children vaccinated “right away.” But the remaining majority of parents were roughly split between those who said they will to wait to see how the vaccine performs and those who said they “definitely” won’t have their children vaccinated.

The similarly made Moderna vaccine also is being studied in young children, and both Pfizer and Moderna also are testing shots for babies and preschoolers.

-The Associated Press contributed to this report

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635349957156.png" alt="A slide presented to the FDA panel Tuesday by Dr. Josh Guetzkow&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>A slide presented to the FDA panel Tuesday by Dr. Josh Guetzkow&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Friday paved the way for children ages 5 to 11 to get Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.Their decision came after U.S. health advisers endorsed the Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for younger children despite hearing concerns expressed by a number of physicians and parents.&nbsp;During the public comment portion of the Oct. 26, hearing, a number of professionals and parents raised concerns about the vaccine for young children.Steve Hirsh, Executive Director of the&nbsp; COVID-19 Early Treatment Fund told the panel there were too many unanswered questions for the FDA to approve the vaccine for 5-11 year-olds.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/laaL0_xKmmA?start=16805" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Dr. Jessica Rose, a viral immunologist, shared thoughts against the emergency use authorization of the vaccine for children because "COVID-19 is exceedingly treatable."<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/laaL0_xKmmA?start=17219" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Dr. Josh Guetzkow, Ph.D., at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said extending the emergency use authorization for children's vaccine "would do more harm than good."<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/laaL0_xKmmA?start=17425" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Dr. Beatrice Setnick, a clinical pharamacologist and consultant to various biotech companies told the panel, "please do not assume the vaccine is safe for children until more data is evaluated."<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/laaL0_xKmmA?start=18053" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Amy Alvo, the mother of a 17-year-old , shared what the adverse reaction her daughter experienced after vaccination.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/laaL0_xKmmA?start=18209" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>This week, the CDC will have to decide whether to recommend the shots and which youngsters should get them.Some parents are expected to vaccinate their children ahead of family holiday gatherings and the winter cold season.But a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey suggests most parents won’t rush to get the shots. About 25% of parents polled earlier this month said they would get their children vaccinated “right away.” But the remaining majority of parents were roughly split between those who said they will to wait to see how the vaccine performs and those who said they “definitely” won’t have their children vaccinated.The similarly made Moderna vaccine also is being studied in young children, and both Pfizer and Moderna also are testing shots for babies and preschoolers.-The Associated Press contributed to this report

🎥 Some doctors, parents tell FDA to delay COVID vaccine for kids

(AP)-The coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the labor market have pushed many prison staffing systems into crisis. Correction officers are retiring and quitting in droves, while states struggle to recruit new employees. 

In Texas, Lance Lowry quit after 20 years to become a long-haul trucker because he couldn’t bear the job any longer. 

Staff shortages have long been a challenge for prison agencies, given the low pay and grueling nature of the work. And some prisons whose populations dropped during the pandemic have seen their numbers rise again, exacerbating the problem. 

Meanwhile, prisoners don’t see family members and can’t shower. Counseling and other programs have fallen away.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579101364118.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>(AP)-The coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the labor market have pushed many prison staffing systems into crisis. Correction officers are retiring and quitting in droves, while states struggle to recruit new employees. In Texas, Lance Lowry quit after 20 years to become a long-haul trucker because he couldn’t bear the job any longer. Staff shortages have long been a challenge for prison agencies, given the low pay and grueling nature of the work. And some prisons whose populations dropped during the pandemic have seen their numbers rise again, exacerbating the problem. Meanwhile, prisoners don’t see family members and can’t shower. Counseling and other programs have fallen away.

US prisons face staff shortages as officers quit amid COVID

WASHINGTON&nbsp;—&nbsp;The Internal Revenue Service recently sent approximately
 430,000 refunds totaling more than $510 million to taxpayers who paid 
taxes on unemployment compensation excluded from income for tax year 
2020.

The IRS efforts to correct unemployment compensation overpayments 
will help most of the affected taxpayers avoid filing an amended tax 
return. So far, the IRS has identified over 16 million taxpayers who may
 be eligible for the adjustment. Some will receive refunds, while others
 will have the overpayment applied to taxes due or other debts.

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021, enacted in March, 
excluded the first $10,200 in unemployment compensation per taxpayer 
paid in 2020. The $10,200 is the amount excluded when calculating one's 
adjusted gross income (AGI); it is not the amount of refund. The 
exclusion applied to individuals and married couples whose modified 
adjusted gross income was less than $150,000.

Earlier this year, the IRS began its review of tax returns filed 
prior to the enactment of ARPA to identify the excludible unemployment 
compensation. To date, the IRS has issued over 11.7 million refunds 
totaling $14.4 billion. This latest batch of corrections affected over 
519,000 returns, with 430,000 taxpayers receiving refunds averaging 
about $1,189.

The review of returns and processing corrections is nearly complete 
as the IRS already reviewed the simplest returns and is now 
concentrating on more complex returns. The IRS plans to issue another 
batch of corrections before the end of the year.

Impacted taxpayers will generally receive letters from the IRS within
 30 days of the adjustment, informing them of what kind of adjustment 
was made (refund, payment of IRS debt payment or payment offset for 
other authorized debts) and the amount of the adjustment.

The IRS also is making corrections for Earned Income Tax Credit, 
Additional Child Tax Credit, American Opportunity Credit, Premium Tax 
Credit and Recovery Rebate Credit amounts affected by the exclusion. 
Most taxpayers need not take any action and there is no need to call the
 IRS.

The IRS will be sending notices in November and December to 
individuals who did not claim the Earned Income Tax Credit or the 
Additional Child Tax Credit but may now be eligible for them.

These notices are not confirmation that they are eligible for these 
credits and will require a response from the taxpayer if eligible rather
 than filing an amended return. For taxpayers who become eligible for 
other credits and/or deductions after the exclusion is calculated but 
not claimed on their original return, they must file a Form 1040-X, 
Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, to claim any new benefits.

See the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/2020-unemployment-compensation-exclusion-faqs">2020 Unemployment Compensation Exclusion FAQs</a> for more information, including details on filing an amended return.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON&nbsp;—&nbsp;The Internal Revenue Service recently sent approximately
 430,000 refunds totaling more than $510 million to taxpayers who paid 
taxes on unemployment compensation excluded from income for tax year 
2020.The IRS efforts to correct unemployment compensation overpayments 
will help most of the affected taxpayers avoid filing an amended tax 
return. So far, the IRS has identified over 16 million taxpayers who may
 be eligible for the adjustment. Some will receive refunds, while others
 will have the overpayment applied to taxes due or other debts.The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021, enacted in March, 
excluded the first $10,200 in unemployment compensation per taxpayer 
paid in 2020. The $10,200 is the amount excluded when calculating one's 
adjusted gross income (AGI); it is not the amount of refund. The 
exclusion applied to individuals and married couples whose modified 
adjusted gross income was less than $150,000.Earlier this year, the IRS began its review of tax returns filed 
prior to the enactment of ARPA to identify the excludible unemployment 
compensation. To date, the IRS has issued over 11.7 million refunds 
totaling $14.4 billion. This latest batch of corrections affected over 
519,000 returns, with 430,000 taxpayers receiving refunds averaging 
about $1,189.The review of returns and processing corrections is nearly complete 
as the IRS already reviewed the simplest returns and is now 
concentrating on more complex returns. The IRS plans to issue another 
batch of corrections before the end of the year.Impacted taxpayers will generally receive letters from the IRS within
 30 days of the adjustment, informing them of what kind of adjustment 
was made (refund, payment of IRS debt payment or payment offset for 
other authorized debts) and the amount of the adjustment.The IRS also is making corrections for Earned Income Tax Credit, 
Additional Child Tax Credit, American Opportunity Credit, Premium Tax 
Credit and Recovery Rebate Credit amounts affected by the exclusion. 
Most taxpayers need not take any action and there is no need to call the
 IRS.The IRS will be sending notices in November and December to 
individuals who did not claim the Earned Income Tax Credit or the 
Additional Child Tax Credit but may now be eligible for them.These notices are not confirmation that they are eligible for these 
credits and will require a response from the taxpayer if eligible rather
 than filing an amended return. For taxpayers who become eligible for 
other credits and/or deductions after the exclusion is calculated but 
not claimed on their original return, they must file a Form 1040-X, 
Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, to claim any new benefits.See the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/2020-unemployment-compensation-exclusion-faqs">2020 Unemployment Compensation Exclusion FAQs</a> for more information, including details on filing an amended return.

IRS issues 430,000 refunds related to unemployment compensation

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-five-million-dead-memorials-acd5a25aabb50f203c8ee059803a1bec">global death toll</a>&nbsp;from COVID-19 topped 5 million on Monday, less than two years into a crisis that has not only devastated poor countries but also humbled wealthy ones with first-rate health care systems.

Together, the United States, the European Union, Britain and Brazil — all upper-middle- or high-income countries — account for one-eighth of the world’s population but nearly half of all reported deaths. The U.S. alone has recorded over 740,000 lives lost, more than any other nation.

“This is a defining moment in our lifetime,” said Dr. Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist at the Yale School of Public Health. “What do we have to do to protect ourselves so we don’t get to another 5 million?”

The death toll, as tallied by Johns Hopkins University, is about equal to the populations of Los Angeles and San Francisco combined. It rivals the number of people killed in battles among nations since 1950, according to estimates from the Peace Research Institute Oslo. Globally, COVID-19 is now the third leading cause of death, after heart disease and stroke.

The staggering figure is almost certainly an undercount because of limited testing and people dying at home without medical attention, especially in poor parts of the world, such as India.

Hot spots have shifted over the 22 months since the outbreak began, turning different places on the world map red. Now,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-europe-pandemics-moscow-b844be49c2811a454440d4e84d5e5338">the virus is pummeling Russia</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-religion-europe-eastern-europe-2c9668cdc75b37ed140345405fcc3f54">Ukraine and other parts of Eastern Europe</a>, especially where rumors, misinformation and distrust in government have hobbled vaccination efforts. In Ukraine, only 17% of the adult population is fully vaccinated; in Armenia, only 7%.

“What’s uniquely different about this pandemic is it hit hardest the high-resource countries,” said Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, director of ICAP, a global health center at Columbia University. “That’s the irony of COVID-19.”

Wealthier nations with longer life expectancies have larger proportions of older people, cancer survivors and nursing home residents, all of whom are especially vulnerable to COVID-19, El-Sadr noted. Poorer countries tend to have larger shares of children, teens and young adults, who are less likely to fall seriously ill from the coronavirus.

India, despite its terrifying delta surge that peaked in early May, now has a much lower reported daily death rate than wealthier Russia, the U.S. or Britain, though there is uncertainty around its figures.

The seeming disconnect between wealth and health is a paradox that disease experts will be pondering for years. But the pattern that is seen on the grand scale, when nations are compared, is different when examined at closer range. Within each wealthy country, when deaths and infections are mapped, poorer neighborhoods are hit hardest.

In the U.S., for example, COVID-19 has taken an outsize toll on Black and Hispanic people, who are more likely than white people to live in poverty and have less access to health care.

“When we get out our microscopes, we see that within countries, the most vulnerable have suffered most,” Ko said.

Wealth has also played a role in the global vaccination drive, with rich countries accused of locking up supplies. The U.S. and others are already dispensing booster shots at a time when millions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-technology-business-cape-town-health-48046e5255cc3e4fa27455fc12ab5e52">across Africa haven’t received a single dose</a>, though the rich countries are also shipping hundreds of millions of shots to the rest of the world.

Africa remains the world’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-lifestyle-europe-philanthropy-31fd688936caec29ff082412ef23e30a">least vaccinated region</a>, with just 5% of the population of 1.3 billion people fully covered.

In Kampala, Uganda, Cissy Kagaba lost her 62-year-old mother on Christmas Day and her 76-year-old father days later.

“Christmas will never be the same for me,” said Kagaba, an anti-corruption activist in the East African country that has been through multiple lockdowns against the virus and where a curfew remains in place.

The pandemic has united the globe in grief and pushed survivors to the breaking point.

“Who else is there now? The responsibility is on me. COVID has changed my life,” said 32-year-old Reena Kesarwani, a mother of two boys, who was left to manage her late husband’s modest hardware store in a village in India.

Her husband, Anand Babu Kesarwani, died at 38 during India’s crushing coronavirus surge earlier this year. It overwhelmed one of the most chronically underfunded public health systems in the world and killed tens of thousands as hospitals ran out of oxygen and medicine.

In Bergamo, Italy, once the site of the West’s first deadly wave, 51-year-old Fabrizio Fidanza was deprived of a final farewell as his 86-year-old father lay dying in the hospital. He is still trying to come to terms with the loss more than a year later.

“For the last month, I never saw him,” Fidanza said during a visit to his father’s grave. “It was the worst moment. But coming here every week, helps me.”

Today, 92% of Bergamo’s eligible population have had at least one shot, the highest vaccination rate in Italy. The chief of medicine at Pope John XXIII Hospital, Dr. Stefano Fagiuoli, said he believes that’s a clear result of the city’s collective trauma, when the wail of ambulances was constant.

In Lake City, Florida, LaTasha Graham, 38, still gets mail almost daily for her 17-year-old daughter, Jo’Keria, who died of COVID-19 in August, days before starting her senior year of high school. The teen, who was buried in her cap and gown, wanted to be a trauma surgeon.

“I know that she would have made it. I know that she would have been where she wanted to go,” her mother said.

In Rio de Janeiro, Erika Machado scanned the list of names engraved on a long, undulating sculpture of oxidized steel that stands in Penitencia cemetery as an homage to some of Brazil’s COVID-19 victims. Then she found him: Wagner Machado, her father.

“My dad was the love of my life, my best friend,” said Machado, 40, a saleswoman who traveled from Sao Paulo to see her father’s name. “He was everything to me.”

By CARLA K. JOHNSON, Associated PressThe&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-five-million-dead-memorials-acd5a25aabb50f203c8ee059803a1bec">global death toll</a>&nbsp;from COVID-19 topped 5 million on Monday, less than two years into a crisis that has not only devastated poor countries but also humbled wealthy ones with first-rate health care systems.Together, the United States, the European Union, Britain and Brazil — all upper-middle- or high-income countries — account for one-eighth of the world’s population but nearly half of all reported deaths. The U.S. alone has recorded over 740,000 lives lost, more than any other nation.“This is a defining moment in our lifetime,” said Dr. Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist at the Yale School of Public Health. “What do we have to do to protect ourselves so we don’t get to another 5 million?”The death toll, as tallied by Johns Hopkins University, is about equal to the populations of Los Angeles and San Francisco combined. It rivals the number of people killed in battles among nations since 1950, according to estimates from the Peace Research Institute Oslo. Globally, COVID-19 is now the third leading cause of death, after heart disease and stroke.The staggering figure is almost certainly an undercount because of limited testing and people dying at home without medical attention, especially in poor parts of the world, such as India.Hot spots have shifted over the 22 months since the outbreak began, turning different places on the world map red. Now,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-europe-pandemics-moscow-b844be49c2811a454440d4e84d5e5338">the virus is pummeling Russia</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-religion-europe-eastern-europe-2c9668cdc75b37ed140345405fcc3f54">Ukraine and other parts of Eastern Europe</a>, especially where rumors, misinformation and distrust in government have hobbled vaccination efforts. In Ukraine, only 17% of the adult population is fully vaccinated; in Armenia, only 7%.“What’s uniquely different about this pandemic is it hit hardest the high-resource countries,” said Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, director of ICAP, a global health center at Columbia University. “That’s the irony of COVID-19.”Wealthier nations with longer life expectancies have larger proportions of older people, cancer survivors and nursing home residents, all of whom are especially vulnerable to COVID-19, El-Sadr noted. Poorer countries tend to have larger shares of children, teens and young adults, who are less likely to fall seriously ill from the coronavirus.India, despite its terrifying delta surge that peaked in early May, now has a much lower reported daily death rate than wealthier Russia, the U.S. or Britain, though there is uncertainty around its figures.The seeming disconnect between wealth and health is a paradox that disease experts will be pondering for years. But the pattern that is seen on the grand scale, when nations are compared, is different when examined at closer range. Within each wealthy country, when deaths and infections are mapped, poorer neighborhoods are hit hardest.In the U.S., for example, COVID-19 has taken an outsize toll on Black and Hispanic people, who are more likely than white people to live in poverty and have less access to health care.“When we get out our microscopes, we see that within countries, the most vulnerable have suffered most,” Ko said.Wealth has also played a role in the global vaccination drive, with rich countries accused of locking up supplies. The U.S. and others are already dispensing booster shots at a time when millions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-technology-business-cape-town-health-48046e5255cc3e4fa27455fc12ab5e52">across Africa haven’t received a single dose</a>, though the rich countries are also shipping hundreds of millions of shots to the rest of the world.Africa remains the world’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-lifestyle-europe-philanthropy-31fd688936caec29ff082412ef23e30a">least vaccinated region</a>, with just 5% of the population of 1.3 billion people fully covered.In Kampala, Uganda, Cissy Kagaba lost her 62-year-old mother on Christmas Day and her 76-year-old father days later.“Christmas will never be the same for me,” said Kagaba, an anti-corruption activist in the East African country that has been through multiple lockdowns against the virus and where a curfew remains in place.The pandemic has united the globe in grief and pushed survivors to the breaking point.“Who else is there now? The responsibility is on me. COVID has changed my life,” said 32-year-old Reena Kesarwani, a mother of two boys, who was left to manage her late husband’s modest hardware store in a village in India.Her husband, Anand Babu Kesarwani, died at 38 during India’s crushing coronavirus surge earlier this year. It overwhelmed one of the most chronically underfunded public health systems in the world and killed tens of thousands as hospitals ran out of oxygen and medicine.In Bergamo, Italy, once the site of the West’s first deadly wave, 51-year-old Fabrizio Fidanza was deprived of a final farewell as his 86-year-old father lay dying in the hospital. He is still trying to come to terms with the loss more than a year later.“For the last month, I never saw him,” Fidanza said during a visit to his father’s grave. “It was the worst moment. But coming here every week, helps me.”Today, 92% of Bergamo’s eligible population have had at least one shot, the highest vaccination rate in Italy. The chief of medicine at Pope John XXIII Hospital, Dr. Stefano Fagiuoli, said he believes that’s a clear result of the city’s collective trauma, when the wail of ambulances was constant.In Lake City, Florida, LaTasha Graham, 38, still gets mail almost daily for her 17-year-old daughter, Jo’Keria, who died of COVID-19 in August, days before starting her senior year of high school. The teen, who was buried in her cap and gown, wanted to be a trauma surgeon.“I know that she would have made it. I know that she would have been where she wanted to go,” her mother said.In Rio de Janeiro, Erika Machado scanned the list of names engraved on a long, undulating sculpture of oxidized steel that stands in Penitencia cemetery as an homage to some of Brazil’s COVID-19 victims. Then she found him: Wagner Machado, her father.“My dad was the love of my life, my best friend,” said Machado, 40, a saleswoman who traveled from Sao Paulo to see her father’s name. “He was everything to me.”___

COVID-19's global death toll tops 5 million 

MOLINE, Ill. (AP) — Union workers at Deere &amp; Co. would get wage increases of 10% in the first year and 5% each in the third and fifth years under a tentative contract reached between the farm-equipment maker and the United Auto Workers union.

The workers would get 3% lump sums in the second, fourth and sixth years of the deal. They would also get a ratification bonus of $8,500 and no changes in the cost of their health insurance, according to a summary of the agreement posted Sunday on the union website.

The company and the UAW reached a tentative agreement Saturday that would cover more than 10,000 workers at 12 Deere locations in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/iowa">Iowa</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/illinois">Illinois</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/kansas">Kansas</a>. However, a strike that began Oct. 14 will continue while workers review the terms of the deal ahead of a ratification vote.

Union members previously rejected a proposed contract that included immediate 5% raises for some workers and 6% for others, and 3% raises in 2023 and 2025.

The Moline, Illinois-based company reported $4.7 billion in net income for the first nine months of its fiscal year, more than double the $2 billion of the same period a year earlier.

A labor shortage affecting many industries also gave workers more leverage to demand better pay and benefits.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634596496067.png" alt="The strike began Oct. 14 after union members overwhelmingly rejected a proposed contract that would have delivered 5% raises to some workers and 6% raises to others depending on their positions in the factory.-Photo courtesy WQAD TV" />
 <figcaption>The strike began Oct. 14 after union members overwhelmingly rejected a proposed contract that would have delivered 5% raises to some workers and 6% raises to others depending on their positions in the factory.-Photo courtesy WQAD TV</figcaption>
 </figure>MOLINE, Ill. (AP) — Union workers at Deere &amp; Co. would get wage increases of 10% in the first year and 5% each in the third and fifth years under a tentative contract reached between the farm-equipment maker and the United Auto Workers union.The workers would get 3% lump sums in the second, fourth and sixth years of the deal. They would also get a ratification bonus of $8,500 and no changes in the cost of their health insurance, according to a summary of the agreement posted Sunday on the union website.The company and the UAW reached a tentative agreement Saturday that would cover more than 10,000 workers at 12 Deere locations in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/iowa">Iowa</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/illinois">Illinois</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/kansas">Kansas</a>. However, a strike that began Oct. 14 will continue while workers review the terms of the deal ahead of a ratification vote.Union members previously rejected a proposed contract that included immediate 5% raises for some workers and 6% for others, and 3% raises in 2023 and 2025.The Moline, Illinois-based company reported $4.7 billion in net income for the first nine months of its fiscal year, more than double the $2 billion of the same period a year earlier.A labor shortage affecting many industries also gave workers more leverage to demand better pay and benefits.

Deere workers would get immediate 10% raises under new offer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Public schools in Nebraska's largest city are facing staff shortages and have turned to bilingual high school students to interpret when families talk with teachers during report card conferences. 

The Omaha school district has some full-time bilingual liaisons, but students and their families speak more than 100 different languages, and more than 18,000 students have received services for limited English speakers at some time while in the district. 

Lisa Utterback, the district’s chief student and community services officer, told the Omaha World-Herald that the district has about 20 students contracted as interpreters. 

The students are paid $18 an hour to help with middle and elementary school conferences.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Public schools in Nebraska's largest city are facing staff shortages and have turned to bilingual high school students to interpret when families talk with teachers during report card conferences. The Omaha school district has some full-time bilingual liaisons, but students and their families speak more than 100 different languages, and more than 18,000 students have received services for limited English speakers at some time while in the district. Lisa Utterback, the district’s chief student and community services officer, told the Omaha World-Herald that the district has about 20 students contracted as interpreters. The students are paid $18 an hour to help with middle and elementary school conferences.

Omaha district hires high school students as interpreters

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — At least 66 criminal cases have been dismissed a month after authorities announced that more than $1.2 million worth of drugs had been stolen from a Nebraska State Patrol evidence room, and more dismissals are likely. 

Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Bruce Prenda says his office has closed 66 cases, and it is still reviewing 43 more. 

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that similar reviews are happening in 13 other counties served by the State Patrol evidence locker where the thefts were discovered.

 A former State Patrol evidence technician and her boyfriend have been indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute the drugs.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — At least 66 criminal cases have been dismissed a month after authorities announced that more than $1.2 million worth of drugs had been stolen from a Nebraska State Patrol evidence room, and more dismissals are likely. Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Bruce Prenda says his office has closed 66 cases, and it is still reviewing 43 more. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that similar reviews are happening in 13 other counties served by the State Patrol evidence locker where the thefts were discovered. A former State Patrol evidence technician and her boyfriend have been indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute the drugs.

Dozens of cases dismissed after drugs stolen from evidence

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday she has contracted COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms.

Psaki, 42, said she was last in contact with President Joe Biden on Tuesday, when she met him in the White House, where they were more than 6 feet apart and wearing masks. Biden, who is tested frequently, last tested negative on Saturday, according to the White House.

Psaki did not accompany Biden on his trip abroad to Rome this weekend for the Group of 20 summit and next Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday for a U.N. climate summit.

Psaki had planned to travel with the president but scrapped the trip just as he was set to depart for Europe after learning that members of her household had tested positive for COVID-19.

“Since then, I have quarantined and tested negative (via PCR) for COVID on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday,” Psaki said in a statement. “However, today, I tested positive for COVID.”

Psaki said she is only exhibiting mild symptoms.

“While I have not had close contact in person with the President or senior members of the White House staff since Wednesday – and tested negative for four days after that last contact — I am disclosing today’s positive test out of an abundance of transparency,” Psaki said.

White House staff and others traveling with the president have been undergoing daily tests for COVID-19 since before departing Washington and are all fully vaccinated. Many officials have also received booster shots, due to the close-quarters environment and frequent travel associated with their work.

Biden got his COVID-19 booster on Sept 27, shortly after federal regulators approved the third dose for many Americans.

Biden has been accompanied on the trip by principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Psaki said she would return to work in person at the conclusion of a 10-day quarantine and following a negative rapid test.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635717989853.png" alt="Press Secretary Jen Psaki.-photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>Press Secretary Jen Psaki.-photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday she has contracted COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms.Psaki, 42, said she was last in contact with President Joe Biden on Tuesday, when she met him in the White House, where they were more than 6 feet apart and wearing masks. Biden, who is tested frequently, last tested negative on Saturday, according to the White House.Psaki did not accompany Biden on his trip abroad to Rome this weekend for the Group of 20 summit and next Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday for a U.N. climate summit.Psaki had planned to travel with the president but scrapped the trip just as he was set to depart for Europe after learning that members of her household had tested positive for COVID-19.“Since then, I have quarantined and tested negative (via PCR) for COVID on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday,” Psaki said in a statement. “However, today, I tested positive for COVID.”Psaki said she is only exhibiting mild symptoms.“While I have not had close contact in person with the President or senior members of the White House staff since Wednesday – and tested negative for four days after that last contact — I am disclosing today’s positive test out of an abundance of transparency,” Psaki said.White House staff and others traveling with the president have been undergoing daily tests for COVID-19 since before departing Washington and are all fully vaccinated. Many officials have also received booster shots, due to the close-quarters environment and frequent travel associated with their work.Biden got his COVID-19 booster on Sept 27, shortly after federal regulators approved the third dose for many Americans.Biden has been accompanied on the trip by principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Psaki said she would return to work in person at the conclusion of a 10-day quarantine and following a negative rapid test.

White House press secretary Psaki says she has COVID-19

By MAX MCCOY <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/10/31/a-mysterious-murder-site-has-a-new-owner-hes-looking-for-answers-about-the-bloody-benders/">Kansas Reflector</a>

CHERRYVALE — The chain of low hills known as the Bender Mounds 
extends in a diagonal seven miles northeast of here, islands of 
limestone and scrubby trees over level fields where this time of year 
soybeans have just been harvested. The lonely hills meander across what 
is now U.S. Highway 400, where travelers whoosh by in comfort at 65 mph.

But 150 years ago, the rugged Osage Trail ran between these mounds, 
somewhat north of the present highway. This section of the trail ran the
 47 miles from the Osage Mission at what is now St. Paul to 
Independence, Kansas, and food and lodging was hard to come by. Tired 
and hungry travelers would sometimes stop for a hot meal and a hard bed 
at the Bender Inn, a two-room frame cabin on the south side of the trail
 between the mounds.

Many of the travelers were never seen again, victims of a 
multiple-murdering frontier family that has gone down in history as the 
Bloody Benders. The Bender saga is a thoroughly American crime story, 
full of mystery and gore, and their story is as famous in its way as the
 gunfight at the O.K. Corral or the killing of Billy the Kid. But the 
enduring mystery behind the Benders is what happened to them. They 
vanished into history and became the stuff of nightmares — and books, 
television shows and movies.

“I bought it because I love history and would like to find out where 
(the killings) happened,” said Bob Miller, a Wells Fargo financial 
adviser from Independence, Kansas, who now owns the parcel where the 
Bender cabin is believed to have stood.

For 65 years, Miller said, the land was owned by a family who farmed 
it out and had little interest in its history. No search of the property
 for the location of the cabin or graves was formally conducted, at 
least not that anybody could remember. When the property came up for 
auction last year, through Indiana firm Schrader Real Estate and Auction
 Co., Miller knew he had to bid on it.

Miller won by purchasing a package of parcels that included the Bender site. He declined to disclose how much he paid.

“I really like history a lot,” he told me. “I’ve never had an acre of
 land before. Somewhere, somehow, some way, I’m going to get some kind 
of expert investigation going there. The whole thing is just so bizarre,
 and one of America’s first documented mass murders.”

Miller grew up on tales of the Benders and often visited the old 
historical museum in Cherryvale where a replica cabin stood and the town
 celebrated “Bender Days.” The story is the kind of gruesome stuff that 
has fascinated kids for generations, especially Kansas kids like me.

“Between 1870 and 1873 several travelers who disappeared between 
Independence and Osage Mission were traced to within a few miles of the 
Bender Mounds,” according to the WPA guide to Kansas published in 1939. 
“So many stories of mystery, murder, and the supernatural were 
associated with the area that cautious persons would go long distances 
to avoid it.”

By all accounts, the Benders were a strange lot. There were four of 
them, including an older couple named John Sr. and Kate, and a younger 
couple, also named John and Kate. They had come from St. Louis in 
1870-71 to join a small community of Spiritualists, part of a movement 
that flourished after the carnage of the Civil War and maintained it was
 possible to talk to the dead.

The older Benders were described as unpleasant and spoke mostly 
German. But the younger Benders were different. They may have been 
brother and sister, or perhaps common law husband and wife. John Jr. was
 strong and handsome. But it was young Kate that attracted the most 
attention, a red-haired 20-something who was a trance medium, advertised
 herself in local newspapers as “Prof. Katie Bender,” and who claimed 
supernatural powers to heal.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635698519503.png" alt="The Benders operated a modest “inn” on the Osage Trail northeast of Cherryvale in the 1870s. They also murdered at least a dozen travelers. The Bender cabin was at a mound not unlike this one, which is a mile or so from the actual site, which has no visible trace of the mayhem which took place there. (Max McCoy/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>The Benders operated a modest “inn” on the Osage Trail northeast of Cherryvale in the 1870s. They also murdered at least a dozen travelers. The Bender cabin was at a mound not unlike this one, which is a mile or so from the actual site, which has no visible trace of the mayhem which took place there. (Max McCoy/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By MAX MCCOY <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/10/31/a-mysterious-murder-site-has-a-new-owner-hes-looking-for-answers-about-the-bloody-benders/">Kansas Reflector</a>CHERRYVALE — The chain of low hills known as the Bender Mounds 
extends in a diagonal seven miles northeast of here, islands of 
limestone and scrubby trees over level fields where this time of year 
soybeans have just been harvested. The lonely hills meander across what 
is now U.S. Highway 400, where travelers whoosh by in comfort at 65 mph.But 150 years ago, the rugged Osage Trail ran between these mounds, 
somewhat north of the present highway. This section of the trail ran the
 47 miles from the Osage Mission at what is now St. Paul to 
Independence, Kansas, and food and lodging was hard to come by. Tired 
and hungry travelers would sometimes stop for a hot meal and a hard bed 
at the Bender Inn, a two-room frame cabin on the south side of the trail
 between the mounds.Many of the travelers were never seen again, victims of a 
multiple-murdering frontier family that has gone down in history as the 
Bloody Benders. The Bender saga is a thoroughly American crime story, 
full of mystery and gore, and their story is as famous in its way as the
 gunfight at the O.K. Corral or the killing of Billy the Kid. But the 
enduring mystery behind the Benders is what happened to them. They 
vanished into history and became the stuff of nightmares — and books, 
television shows and movies.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635698577441.png" alt="Bob Miller purchased the land where the Benders’ cabin was once located. (Submitted)" />
 <figcaption>Bob Miller purchased the land where the Benders’ cabin was once located. (Submitted)</figcaption>
 </figure>“I bought it because I love history and would like to find out where 
(the killings) happened,” said Bob Miller, a Wells Fargo financial 
adviser from Independence, Kansas, who now owns the parcel where the 
Bender cabin is believed to have stood.For 65 years, Miller said, the land was owned by a family who farmed 
it out and had little interest in its history. No search of the property
 for the location of the cabin or graves was formally conducted, at 
least not that anybody could remember. When the property came up for 
auction last year, through Indiana firm Schrader Real Estate and Auction
 Co., Miller knew he had to bid on it.Miller won by purchasing a package of parcels that included the Bender site. He declined to disclose how much he paid.“I really like history a lot,” he told me. “I’ve never had an acre of
 land before. Somewhere, somehow, some way, I’m going to get some kind 
of expert investigation going there. The whole thing is just so bizarre,
 and one of America’s first documented mass murders.”Miller grew up on tales of the Benders and often visited the old 
historical museum in Cherryvale where a replica cabin stood and the town
 celebrated “Bender Days.” The story is the kind of gruesome stuff that 
has fascinated kids for generations, especially Kansas kids like me.“Between 1870 and 1873 several travelers who disappeared between 
Independence and Osage Mission were traced to within a few miles of the 
Bender Mounds,” according to the WPA guide to Kansas published in 1939. 
“So many stories of mystery, murder, and the supernatural were 
associated with the area that cautious persons would go long distances 
to avoid it.”By all accounts, the Benders were a strange lot. There were four of 
them, including an older couple named John Sr. and Kate, and a younger 
couple, also named John and Kate. They had come from St. Louis in 
1870-71 to join a small community of Spiritualists, part of a movement 
that flourished after the carnage of the Civil War and maintained it was
 possible to talk to the dead.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635698605893.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The older Benders were described as unpleasant and spoke mostly 
German. But the younger Benders were different. They may have been 
brother and sister, or perhaps common law husband and wife. John Jr. was
 strong and handsome. But it was young Kate that attracted the most 
attention, a red-haired 20-something who was a trance medium, advertised
 herself in local newspapers as “Prof. Katie Bender,” and who claimed 
supernatural powers to heal.By May 1873, the mystery of the missing travelers would be solved.A search party found the Bender cabin deserted and their livestock 
untended. In an orchard out back they found the remains of between eight
 and 11 bodies —it was difficult to determine exactly how many, but at 
least one was a child — and a trapdoor in the floor of the cabin that 
led to a bloody cellar, rank with blood and gore.“Though stories of strange experiences at the inn had circulated 
throughout the community since its establishment, few had given them 
credence,” according to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/bender-knife/10106">Kansas Historical Society</a>.
 “After the discovery, though, such tales seemed more plausible. 
Neighbors reported violent behavior, strange séances, and narrowly 
escaping with their lives.”It was theorized that victims were forced to sit at a table with 
their backs against a stained canvas curtain and, while distracted by 
Kate — who gets most of the blame in traditional accounts — were 
dispatched by a hammer blow to the back of the head. After being shoved 
through the trap door into the bloody cellar, they may have been 
finished off with a knife across the throat. The motive was robbery, as 
travelers often carried large amounts of cash to buy land and cattle.But nobody knows for sure what happened in the cabin. Those who did know ended up dead or disappeared.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635698699304.png" alt=" The Bender Room, in the Cherryvale Historical Museum, offers an exhibit about the family and slayings. (Max McCoy/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> The Bender Room, in the Cherryvale Historical Museum, offers an exhibit about the family and slayings. (Max McCoy/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>When the Bender site went up for auction last year, it renewed my 
interest in the bloody family. Stories about the upcoming auction ran in
 news outlets around the world. Not having the means, or frankly the 
will, to own such a site, I submitted no bid. But after the sale, I did 
contact the auction company a couple of times, asking to be put in touch
 with the new owners. Unsurprisingly, the auction company did not 
respond to my requests.But I lucked out last weekend when I visited the Cherryvale 
Historical Museum. The museum used to be downtown, but it’s now in what 
was once a private residence and is open 1-4 p.m. on Sundays. The 
replica Bender cabin that used to be at the old museum is long gone. 
Cherryvale doesn’t celebrate Bender Days anymore, either.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635698736331.png" alt="The Benders’ hammers are displayed at Cherryvale Historical Museum on Oct. 24. (Max McCoy/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>The Benders’ hammers are displayed at Cherryvale Historical Museum on Oct. 24. (Max McCoy/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>The museum still has three hammers taken from the Bender property 
shortly after the crimes were discovered, and I wanted to see them. They
 were there, in a cabinet behind bulletproof glass that has become hazy 
with the passage of the years. They were difficult to photograph, so I 
asked if the case could be opened.No dice, I was told.But the kind woman who was tending the museum that day suggested I 
contact local historian Carol Staton, who knew more about the Benders 
than just about anybody in town. So I did, and had a pleasant 
conversation with Staton about a particularly unpleasant crime. Then I 
asked if she knew who had bought the land at auction.Why yes, she said. It was a friend of hers in Independence. She gave me Bob Miller’s name.Miller told me he hasn’t done anything with the land since buying it 
in February because he just hasn’t had the time. He would like to 
investigate the site, he said. It is undoubtedly the piece of land the 
cabin was on, but the actual location of the cabin and the orchard have 
been lost over the years. Because he has a keen interest in history and a
 respect for doing things right, Miller said he’d like to partner with a
 team of professional archaeologists, perhaps from a Kansas university, 
to do a ground-penetrating radar study and possibly undertake 
excavations.There may be more to the Bender story than we know, he said. Finding 
the location of the cellar abattoir or the orchard cemetery may lead to 
discoveries that were not possible with 1870s technology. Some of the 
victims were never identified.“If we could find some stuff,” Miller said, “some bones or maybe 
teeth, that would allow for DNA matching with living relatives.”The Benders were discovered when the relative of a victim went searching in 1873.Col. Alexander York, a state senator and Civil War veteran, wanted to
 find his missing brother, physician William York. Dr. York, who had 
disappeared on the Osage Trail.Scouting the trail with a posse of 15 or so men, Col. York called 
upon the Bender Inn. The Benders said yes, the doctor had been there, 
but he had left unharmed. Kate suggested, the story goes, that for a 
price she could use her clairvoyant powers to help locate the missing 
man. The colonel left, but suspicion lingered.The cabin was later found deserted. The discovery of the bodies, including that of Dr. York, followed.A wagon and team belonging to the Benders was later located abandoned
 near Thayer, and a clerk at the depot there said four individuals 
matching the family’s description had bought tickets and boarded a train
 to Humboldt. That’s the last real clue we have as to the murderous 
family’s fate, even though the governor of Kansas at the time offered a 
$2,000 reward for their capture.Over the years, tales have placed the Benders in Canada, in St. 
Louis, and even escaping — however improbably — in a hot air balloon. 
These stories have continued unabated, and as recently as 2013 amateur 
sleuths claimed to have solved the mystery of the Benders, including one
 theory that young John and Katie lived the rest of their lives in 
Colorado and <a target="_blank" href="https://truewestmagazine.com/article/history-mystery-solved-hiding-in-plain-sight/">are buried in plain sight</a> at Glenwood Springs.None of these are convincing to me.The two theories that seem most likely are that the Benders 
successfully escaped to parts unknown, or that they were lynched by 
locals and buried in secret. The former is more probable, as it’s been 
my experience that people have a hard time keeping a secret — and a 
secret as big as the fate of the Benders couldn’t be kept by a group for
 15 minutes, much less a century and a half.“It’s just a mystery that keeps perpetuating itself,” Staton, the local historian, said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635698783986.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>After the bodies were found in 1873, the cabin was ripped apart, 
board by board, until nothing was left. In time, all visible traces of 
the Bender place disappeared at the mound, just as the Benders 
themselves disappeared.Staton said she has visited the site, or at least peered at it from 
the public road. An individual on the museum board, she said, has 
sometimes led private tours out to the Bender Mounds, and this persuaded
 the board to consider hosting day trips.Miller said he has no plans to open the site to the public as yet, because he wants professionals to survey the location first.On my trip to Cherryvale last weekend, I drove out to the Bender 
Mounds. I’m not going to reveal the precise location of the site, 
because like Miller I fear a loss of historical data beneath a crush of 
uninvited visitors. I can tell you that the roads around the site are 
poorly maintained, and that some are impassible in wet weather without a
 four-wheel drive vehicle. On one half-mile stretch of road, my Jeep was
 nearly up to its axles in mud.A few miles away from the site, at the rest area where U.S. Highway 
400 meets U.S. Highway 169, is a state historical marker about the 
Benders. It doesn’t give the location of the site, just saying it is 
near.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635698835197.png" alt="The Bender historical marker sits at a rest area at the intersection of U.S. Highway 400 and U.S. Highway 169 near Cherryvale. (Max McCoy/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>The Bender historical marker sits at a rest area at the intersection of U.S. Highway 400 and U.S. Highway 169 near Cherryvale. (Max McCoy/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>The narrative on the marker indicates how attitudes toward the Benders have changed over the years, at least among historians.The text on the marker, as originally provided by the state 
historical society, described Kate Bender as “a beautiful, voluptuous 
girl with tigerish grace” and “the leading spirit of the murderous 
family.” The description was typical of most narratives about the 
Benders and, in 1970, is what led Samuel Goldwyn Jr. to openly speculate
 whom he should cast as the beautiful and diabolical Kate in an intended
 major release. Jacqueline Bissett seemed a frontrunner.While Goldwyn’s film was never made, there have been smaller films featuring the Benders. In 2016’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0s5lOHliQY">“Bender,”</a> Nicole Jellen played Kate. There have also been novels and graphic novels, most notably <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Geary">Rick Geary’s</a> “Saga of Bloody Benders.” There have been a mountain of nonfiction books, the latest of which is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622578/hells-half-acre-by-susan-jonusas/">“Hell’s Half Acre”</a> by Susan Jonusas, set for release in March 2022, which promises to tell us the “untold story.”The current state historical marker has been edited to omit any 
mention of Kate as voluptuous or possessing grace, tigerish or 
otherwise. While Kate is an intriguing historical figure, there’s just 
no evidence to suggest she was the family mastermind. Murder is a dull 
and brutish business, no temptress required.If there is an untold story to be told about the 1873 horror seven 
miles northeast of Cherryvale, chances are it won’t come from a movie or
 a book. But it just might emerge from the mud at the base of a mound on
 an otherwise featureless parcel of farmland recently purchased by a 
local kid who was fascinated by one of the bloodiest true stories in 
Kansas history.Max McCoy is an award-winning author and journalist. A native Kansan, he started his career at the Pittsburg Morning Sun and was soon writing for national magazines. His investigative stories on unsolved murders, serial killers and hate groups earned him first-place awards from the Associated Press Managing Editors and other organizations.&nbsp;