By JONATHAN J. COOPER&nbsp; &nbsp;Associated Press

The lack of excitement many Americans feel about a presidential rematch has heightened interest in alternatives to the major-party candidates, none more so than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/politics/election-2024-0000018ca126d7a5a79da57ef5030000">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>, whose famous name has helped him build buzz for his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-presidential-campaign-independent-2024-30d940109c4956de9c81f332ec418463">independent bid</a>.

Kennedy is a huge longshot to win Electoral College votes, much less the presidency. But his campaign events have drawn large crowds of supporters and people interested in his message.

He plans to announce his vice presidential nominee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kennedy-rfk-running-mate-announcement-vp-3b53343f1be4567bcfba7fb1eab3f3e3">later this month</a>&nbsp;in Oakland, California, and is stoking expectations that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-rfk-rodgers-ventura-453c6078714b867f5af736ee8f97d8fe">he might pick</a>&nbsp;New York Jets quarterback&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/aaron-rodgers">Aaron Rodgers</a>&nbsp;or former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura. His campaign manager said Saturday that Kennedy has made his choice but didn’t say whom he’s picked. She said he had also interviewed Nicole Shanahan, a California philanthropist who bankrolled a Super Bowl ad for Kennedy, and Mike Rowe, star of the television show “Dirty Jobs.”

Here is a look at his campaign and what he's stood for:

Kennedy, 70, is a member of perhaps the nation’s most famous political dynasty. His uncle was President John F. Kennedy. His father served as attorney general and a U.S. senator before seeking the Democratic nomination for president. Both were assassinated.

RFK Jr. built a reputation of his own as an activist, author and lawyer who fought for environmental causes such as clean water.

Along the way, his activism has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e">veered into conspiracies</a>&nbsp;and contradicted scientific consensus,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-kennedy-election-vaccines-2ccde2df146f57b5e8c26e8494f0a16a">most infamously on vaccines</a>. Some members of his family have publicly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-joe-biden-2024-democrat-super-bowl-e4dee4be456e643be11735c6e4029377">criticized his views</a>. Dozens of his family members posed with President Joe Biden at a St. Patrick's Day reception at the White House in a photo his sister Kerry Kennedy posted to social media.

Kennedy founded Waterkeeper Alliance, which works to secure clean water, and built a small anti-vaccine organization into Children’s Health Defense, a juggernaut in the movement that saw its reach grow rapidly during the pandemic.

Children's Health Defense has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy took leave from the group when he announced his run for president but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.

What does Kennedy’s campaign look like?

Kennedy's need to collect thousands of signatures to get on the ballot has taken him to places that rarely see presidential candidates, including Hawaii, Wyoming and West Virginia.

At events in Phoenix and Las Vegas, hundreds of supporters queued up outside hours before he was scheduled to arrive. He attracts a legion of fans, many of whom have listened extensively to Kennedy's interviews on podcasts or YouTube videos.

In Nevada, massive graphics and photos were projected on three walls as upbeat music played. Drinks and merchandise were for sale.

Kennedy speaks in a quiet, strained voice, sometimes haltingly, the result of a neurological condition called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/spasmodic-dysphonia#:~:text=Spasmodic%20dysphonia%20is%20a%20voice,able%20to%20talk%20at%20all.">spasmodic dysphonia</a>.

Kennedy frames himself as a truthteller with a track record of fighting for the middle class against powerful interests. He points to lawsuits he's won against corporate behemoths such as Monsanto and DuPont.

“I can fix this country,” he said in Las Vegas in February. “All these agencies that intimidate normal politicians, I’ve sued every one of them. ... When you sue these agencies, you get a Ph.D. in corporate capture and how to unravel it.” Corporate capture refers to private interests using their influence to control government decision-making, as when they help draft legislation.

Kennedy has been critical of U.S. support for Ukraine and supportive of Israel’s war against Hamas. He wants to reduce military and health care spending because of the impact on budget deficits, and combat rising housing costs so young people can afford to buy homes.

Kennedy has found a loyal following among people distrustful of institutions and those who believe the government has been captured by corporations, especially pharmaceutical companies.

He hasn't shied away from his controversial views on health care and vaccines. He wants to dismantle the public health bureaucracy, saying he'd immediately tell the National Institutes of Health to refocus research away from infectious diseases and vaccines and toward chronic diseases.

Kennedy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-kennedy-election-2024-president-campaign-621c9e9641381a1b2677df9de5a09731">insists he is not anti-vaccine</a>&nbsp;and claims he has never told the public to avoid vaccination. But he has repeatedly made his opposition to vaccines clear. He said on a podcast “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective” and has urged people to resist CDC guidelines on when kids should get vaccinated.

While there are rare instances when people have severe reactions to vaccines, the billions of doses administered globally provide real-world evidence that they are safe. The World Health Organization says vaccines prevent as many as 5 million deaths each year.

The United States has a long history of rejecting independent or third-party presidential candidates. In fact, the last president to win without a party’s backing was George Washington, and he did it before there were political parties.

The last third-party candidate to make it to the White House was Abraham Lincoln with the newly formed Republican Party.

The last third-party candidate to pull more than single digits in the popular vote was Ross Perot, a businessman who won 19% in 1992 and 8% in 1996. But he won zero electoral votes.

And while the independent share of the electorate is growing, it is still dwarfed by voters who consistently support Republican or Democratic candidates, even if they identify as independent.

Kennedy’s case for optimism hinges on his relatively strong showing in a few national polls. Polls during the 2016 presidential campaign regularly put libertarian Gary Johnson’s support in the high single or low double digits, but he ultimately received only about 3% of the vote nationwide.

Horse-race polls are also notoriously unreliable this far out from an election, and many Americans don’t know who Kennedy is.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnorc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/February-2024-topline-Biden.pdf">A February AP-NORC poll</a>&nbsp;found, for instance, that 29% of Americans don’t know enough about Kennedy to have a view about him.

Some of the people who say they’d support him may also be reacting to his famous last name rather than his actual pitch as a candidate.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/25/politics/cnn-poll-democrats-2024/index.html">A CNN/SSRS poll</a>&nbsp;conducted last spring found that 20% of people who said they would consider supporting Kennedy for the Democratic nomination — for which he was running at the time — said that their support was related to his last name and Kennedy family connections. Only 12% said it was because of support for his views and policies.

But for any of that to matter, he has to get on the ballot.

Forget getting elected; merely running for president is an arduous process, especially for candidates like Kennedy who don’t belong to a party.

Every state has different rules, requiring an army of lawyers to make sure everything is done right. Most states require thousands of signatures.

A pro-Kennedy super PAC is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dnc-fec-complaint-kenedy-trump-biden-09d42502ca757cd4656b4829c4b4c00d">helping pay</a>&nbsp;for Kennedy’s ballot access work in several states. His allies have created a political party to ease the process in some states by getting recognized as a party and making Kennedy its nominee.

He has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-president-election-utah-ballot-863513ec2bf75d1efc9b202cb8ddcc4a">approved for the ballot in Utah</a>. His campaign and super PAC say he’s collected enough signatures to qualify in several other states, including the battlegrounds of Arizona, Georgia and Nevada, though election officials in those states have not yet affirmed his candidacy.

Kennedy has also said he’s talked with officials from the Libertarian Party, though it’s not clear what a tie-up between the two might look like.

Kennedy is looking to his family and his allies in the anti-vaccine world to staff his campaign, building a leadership team that is light on experience working in politics.

His campaign manager is Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, his daughter-in-law who served as a CIA officer and has not worked in politics before.

His communications director, Del Bigtree, is founder of the Informed Consent Action Network, an anti-vaccine group. He also produced “Vaxxed,” an anti-vaccine film that promoted the discredited idea that the vaccines cause autism.

Press secretary Stefanie Spear was an editor for the Children's Health Defense news website. Charles Eisenstein, a New Age author, is an adviser.

Kennedy also has staff and volunteers spread throughout states and focused on gathering signatures to get him on the ballot.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704300369387.png" alt="Robert F. Kennedy Jr- courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Robert F. Kennedy Jr- courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By JONATHAN J. COOPER&nbsp; &nbsp;Associated PressThe lack of excitement many Americans feel about a presidential rematch has heightened interest in alternatives to the major-party candidates, none more so than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/politics/election-2024-0000018ca126d7a5a79da57ef5030000">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>, whose famous name has helped him build buzz for his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-presidential-campaign-independent-2024-30d940109c4956de9c81f332ec418463">independent bid</a>.Kennedy is a huge longshot to win Electoral College votes, much less the presidency. But his campaign events have drawn large crowds of supporters and people interested in his message.He plans to announce his vice presidential nominee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kennedy-rfk-running-mate-announcement-vp-3b53343f1be4567bcfba7fb1eab3f3e3">later this month</a>&nbsp;in Oakland, California, and is stoking expectations that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-rfk-rodgers-ventura-453c6078714b867f5af736ee8f97d8fe">he might pick</a>&nbsp;New York Jets quarterback&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/aaron-rodgers">Aaron Rodgers</a>&nbsp;or former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura. His campaign manager said Saturday that Kennedy has made his choice but didn’t say whom he’s picked. She said he had also interviewed Nicole Shanahan, a California philanthropist who bankrolled a Super Bowl ad for Kennedy, and Mike Rowe, star of the television show “Dirty Jobs.”Here is a look at his campaign and what he's stood for:Who is RFK Jr?Kennedy, 70, is a member of perhaps the nation’s most famous political dynasty. His uncle was President John F. Kennedy. His father served as attorney general and a U.S. senator before seeking the Democratic nomination for president. Both were assassinated.RFK Jr. built a reputation of his own as an activist, author and lawyer who fought for environmental causes such as clean water.Along the way, his activism has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e">veered into conspiracies</a>&nbsp;and contradicted scientific consensus,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-kennedy-election-vaccines-2ccde2df146f57b5e8c26e8494f0a16a">most infamously on vaccines</a>. Some members of his family have publicly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-joe-biden-2024-democrat-super-bowl-e4dee4be456e643be11735c6e4029377">criticized his views</a>. Dozens of his family members posed with President Joe Biden at a St. Patrick's Day reception at the White House in a photo his sister Kerry Kennedy posted to social media.Kennedy founded Waterkeeper Alliance, which works to secure clean water, and built a small anti-vaccine organization into Children’s Health Defense, a juggernaut in the movement that saw its reach grow rapidly during the pandemic.Children's Health Defense has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy took leave from the group when he announced his run for president but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.He’s married to actress Cheryl Hines.What does Kennedy’s campaign look like?Kennedy's need to collect thousands of signatures to get on the ballot has taken him to places that rarely see presidential candidates, including Hawaii, Wyoming and West Virginia.At events in Phoenix and Las Vegas, hundreds of supporters queued up outside hours before he was scheduled to arrive. He attracts a legion of fans, many of whom have listened extensively to Kennedy's interviews on podcasts or YouTube videos.In Nevada, massive graphics and photos were projected on three walls as upbeat music played. Drinks and merchandise were for sale.Kennedy speaks in a quiet, strained voice, sometimes haltingly, the result of a neurological condition called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/spasmodic-dysphonia#:~:text=Spasmodic%20dysphonia%20is%20a%20voice,able%20to%20talk%20at%20all.">spasmodic dysphonia</a>.What does he talk about?Kennedy frames himself as a truthteller with a track record of fighting for the middle class against powerful interests. He points to lawsuits he's won against corporate behemoths such as Monsanto and DuPont.“I can fix this country,” he said in Las Vegas in February. “All these agencies that intimidate normal politicians, I’ve sued every one of them. ... When you sue these agencies, you get a Ph.D. in corporate capture and how to unravel it.” Corporate capture refers to private interests using their influence to control government decision-making, as when they help draft legislation.Kennedy has been critical of U.S. support for Ukraine and supportive of Israel’s war against Hamas. He wants to reduce military and health care spending because of the impact on budget deficits, and combat rising housing costs so young people can afford to buy homes.Kennedy has found a loyal following among people distrustful of institutions and those who believe the government has been captured by corporations, especially pharmaceutical companies.He hasn't shied away from his controversial views on health care and vaccines. He wants to dismantle the public health bureaucracy, saying he'd immediately tell the National Institutes of Health to refocus research away from infectious diseases and vaccines and toward chronic diseases.Kennedy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-kennedy-election-2024-president-campaign-621c9e9641381a1b2677df9de5a09731">insists he is not anti-vaccine</a>&nbsp;and claims he has never told the public to avoid vaccination. But he has repeatedly made his opposition to vaccines clear. He said on a podcast “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective” and has urged people to resist CDC guidelines on when kids should get vaccinated.While there are rare instances when people have severe reactions to vaccines, the billions of doses administered globally provide real-world evidence that they are safe. The World Health Organization says vaccines prevent as many as 5 million deaths each year.Can he win?The United States has a long history of rejecting independent or third-party presidential candidates. In fact, the last president to win without a party’s backing was George Washington, and he did it before there were political parties.The last third-party candidate to make it to the White House was Abraham Lincoln with the newly formed Republican Party.The last third-party candidate to pull more than single digits in the popular vote was Ross Perot, a businessman who won 19% in 1992 and 8% in 1996. But he won zero electoral votes.And while the independent share of the electorate is growing, it is still dwarfed by voters who consistently support Republican or Democratic candidates, even if they identify as independent.In other words, the odds are long.Kennedy’s case for optimism hinges on his relatively strong showing in a few national polls. Polls during the 2016 presidential campaign regularly put libertarian Gary Johnson’s support in the high single or low double digits, but he ultimately received only about 3% of the vote nationwide.Horse-race polls are also notoriously unreliable this far out from an election, and many Americans don’t know who Kennedy is.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnorc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/February-2024-topline-Biden.pdf">A February AP-NORC poll</a>&nbsp;found, for instance, that 29% of Americans don’t know enough about Kennedy to have a view about him.Some of the people who say they’d support him may also be reacting to his famous last name rather than his actual pitch as a candidate.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/25/politics/cnn-poll-democrats-2024/index.html">A CNN/SSRS poll</a>&nbsp;conducted last spring found that 20% of people who said they would consider supporting Kennedy for the Democratic nomination — for which he was running at the time — said that their support was related to his last name and Kennedy family connections. Only 12% said it was because of support for his views and policies.But for any of that to matter, he has to get on the ballot.How does he get on the ballot?Forget getting elected; merely running for president is an arduous process, especially for candidates like Kennedy who don’t belong to a party.Every state has different rules, requiring an army of lawyers to make sure everything is done right. Most states require thousands of signatures.A pro-Kennedy super PAC is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dnc-fec-complaint-kenedy-trump-biden-09d42502ca757cd4656b4829c4b4c00d">helping pay</a>&nbsp;for Kennedy’s ballot access work in several states. His allies have created a political party to ease the process in some states by getting recognized as a party and making Kennedy its nominee.He has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-president-election-utah-ballot-863513ec2bf75d1efc9b202cb8ddcc4a">approved for the ballot in Utah</a>. His campaign and super PAC say he’s collected enough signatures to qualify in several other states, including the battlegrounds of Arizona, Georgia and Nevada, though election officials in those states have not yet affirmed his candidacy.Kennedy has also said he’s talked with officials from the Libertarian Party, though it’s not clear what a tie-up between the two might look like.Who is working for him?Kennedy is looking to his family and his allies in the anti-vaccine world to staff his campaign, building a leadership team that is light on experience working in politics.His campaign manager is Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, his daughter-in-law who served as a CIA officer and has not worked in politics before.His communications director, Del Bigtree, is founder of the Informed Consent Action Network, an anti-vaccine group. He also produced “Vaxxed,” an anti-vaccine film that promoted the discredited idea that the vaccines cause autism.Press secretary Stefanie Spear was an editor for the Children's Health Defense news website. Charles Eisenstein, a New Age author, is an adviser.Kennedy also has staff and volunteers spread throughout states and focused on gathering signatures to get him on the ballot.

Who is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and why is he running for president?

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two recent U.S. Supreme Court actions have opened the door to a new legal frontier in which local and state officials can be disqualified from office for life for engaging in “insurrection" or providing “aid and comfort” to enemies of the Constitution, based on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-insurrection-14th-amendment-2024-colorado-79373b5043976588b599fc00ede049e8">a post-Civil War era addition to</a>&nbsp;the nation's foundational legal document and how the courts interpret it.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Monday rejected an appeal from a former New Mexico county commissioner who was kicked out of office after he was convicted of trespassing during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The state judge who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-government-and-politics-5e2fd96d5f698017b974f878398578c8">barred him from office</a>&nbsp;did so on the grounds that his actions violated Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was added to the Constitution in 1868 to prevent Confederates from returning to government.

The move came on the heels of an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-trump-insurrection-election-colorado-51e79c0f03013034c8a042cb278b6446">expedited high-court ruling</a>&nbsp;that Section 3 can't be used against federal officials or candidates until Congress writes a law outlining procedures to do so. That includes former President Donald Trump, the target of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-14th-amendment-insurrection-supreme-court-colorado-2b9d5b628cb2779fc84212cdc651e4e7">a national campaign</a>&nbsp;to end his bid to return to the White House via the 14th Amendment.

But the court's ruling in the Trump case explicitly said the provision could still be used against state and local officials.

Taken together, the actions herald a new legal landscape as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-14th-amendment-insurrection-2024-election-ballot-9c5f79203109ba221b35a48e708ad725">liberal groups</a>&nbsp;that pushed the issue of Trump's disqualification to the Supreme Court reboot efforts to target state and local officials linked to Jan. 6.

“This is a bit of returning to the course we expected to be following, which was holding individuals accountable, who are low-level officials, who still broke their oath by coming to D.C., engaging in insurrection,” said Stuart McPhail, an attorney with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a left-leaning group whose lawsuit against Trump ended up at the Supreme Court.

Ron Fein, legal director of Free Speech For People, which brought several other actions seeking to disqualify Trump and Republican members of Congress for their role in the Capitol attack, wouldn't comment on his group's plans. But, he said, one legal fact remains clear.

“Section 3 continues to be a viable way of protecting against insurrectionists in state and local government,” Fein said.

CREW, which brought the lawsuit against Trump’s candidacy that landed at the Supreme Court, has identified state lawmakers it believes might be vulnerable to challenges under Section 3. It already has succeeded in one case, brought against the local official in New Mexico.

Otero County Commissioner&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-new-mexico-state-government-donald-trump-santa-fe-5a4bde1a89344a0eb11a0a1d58a2100d">Couy Griffin,</a>&nbsp;a founder of the promotional group Cowboys for Trump, is the only elected official thus far to be banned from office in connection with the Capitol attack, which disrupted Congress as it was trying to certify Joe Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-claims-biden-won-explained-bd53b14ce871412b462cb3fe2c563f18">2020 electoral victory</a>&nbsp;over Trump.

The lawsuit against him cited his violation of Section 3, which prohibits anyone who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and then “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against it or gave “aid and comfort” to its enemies, from holding future office.

McPhail says there is a new sense of urgency to take action under that clause against state or local officials linked to Jan. 6 — before they run for federal office and can’t be sidelined.

“It does create this incentive to bring cases from low-level officials now because then you can actually win them and get some kind of relief in judgments, whereas if you wait, you may have lost the opportunity,” he said.

Based on the Supreme Court's ruling in the Trump disqualification case, a state or local official removed under Section 3 could still hold federal office, all the way up to president, unless Congress acted.

Griffin said his disqualification was politically motivated. He and his defense attorney said Monday’s dismissal by the Supreme Court holds ominous implications, creating a pathway for partisan actors to harness Section 3 of the 14th Amendment in unpredictable ways in the future.

“All you have to do is go to a really friendly county, with a good friendly judge that’s politically on your side, and then you get rid of your opposition,” said Peter Ticktin, Griffin's attorney in the appeal to the Supreme Court.

Derek Muller, a Notre Dame law professor, said he wouldn't be surprised if Section 3 litigation eventually targets people for reasons well beyond Jan. 6.

“I don't know how widespread it's going to be,” he said. “I'm sure people are going to start thinking creatively about what it means — if you're supporting, Hamas, the Taliban, (Black Lives Matter).”

Muller added that the court system is well-equipped to sort out frivolous uses of Section 3, just as it does in other cases of ballot challenges: “In most of these cases, I think it won't pass the initial motion to dismiss.”

The bigger question, he said, is how do courts address issues that the Supreme Court dodged in its ruling on the Trump case: What constitutes an insurrection under Section 3? How do First Amendment rights and other constitutional guarantees interact with its provisions?

In Griffin's case, New Mexico Judge Francis Mathew found that Griffin aided an insurrection without engaging in violence, contributing to a delay in Congress’ certification of the presidential election.

He ruled that Griffin spread&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">lies about the 2020 election being stolen</a>&nbsp;from Trump in a series of speeches during rallies held across the country, calling on crowds to go with him to Washington on Jan. 6 and join the “war” over the presidential election results.

“Knowledgeable 19th century Americans including Section 3’s framers would have regarded the events of Jan. 6, and the surrounding planning, mobilization and incitement, as an insurrection,” Mathew ruled. “Mr. Griffin also incited, encouraged, and helped normalize the violence on January 6.”

Griffin, a Republican, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-biden-new-mexico-riots-presidential-elections-7cf8b8a96a39bde8f6966e47cc37ff46">convicted separately</a>&nbsp;in federal court of entering a restricted area on the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6 and received a 14-day prison sentence. The sentence was offset by time served after his arrest in Washington, where he had returned to protest Biden’s 2021 inauguration. That conviction is under appeal, but is unlikely to influence enforcement of Griffin’s ban from office.

“Neither the courts nor Congress have ever required a criminal conviction for a person to be disqualified under Section 3,” Judge Mathew wrote.

CREW brought the case against Griffin partly because New Mexico is one of several states that allow any citizen to bring a private right of action to establish that an elected official is not qualified to hold office. In states that lack such provisions, attorneys note, those who want to remove people under Section 3 may have other paths, such as ballot challenges filed with the secretary of state or an election board.

“There is no one-size-fits-all solution for enforcing Section 3 in states,” McPhail said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710880938454.png" alt="FILE - A demonstrator holds a sign outside of the U.S. Supreme Court, Feb. 8, 2024, in Washington. A pair of recent U.S. Supreme Court actions has opened the door to a new legal frontier in which local and state officials can be disqualified from office for life for engaging in "insurrection" or providing "aid and comfort" to enemies of the Constitution, based on a post-Civil War-era provision of the nation's foundational legal document and how the courts interpret it. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - A demonstrator holds a sign outside of the U.S. Supreme Court, Feb. 8, 2024, in Washington. A pair of recent U.S. Supreme Court actions has opened the door to a new legal frontier in which local and state officials can be disqualified from office for life for engaging in "insurrection" or providing "aid and comfort" to enemies of the Constitution, based on a post-Civil War-era provision of the nation's foundational legal document and how the courts interpret it. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Two recent U.S. Supreme Court actions have opened the door to a new legal frontier in which local and state officials can be disqualified from office for life for engaging in “insurrection" or providing “aid and comfort” to enemies of the Constitution, based on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-insurrection-14th-amendment-2024-colorado-79373b5043976588b599fc00ede049e8">a post-Civil War era addition to</a>&nbsp;the nation's foundational legal document and how the courts interpret it.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Monday rejected an appeal from a former New Mexico county commissioner who was kicked out of office after he was convicted of trespassing during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The state judge who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-government-and-politics-5e2fd96d5f698017b974f878398578c8">barred him from office</a>&nbsp;did so on the grounds that his actions violated Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was added to the Constitution in 1868 to prevent Confederates from returning to government.The move came on the heels of an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-trump-insurrection-election-colorado-51e79c0f03013034c8a042cb278b6446">expedited high-court ruling</a>&nbsp;that Section 3 can't be used against federal officials or candidates until Congress writes a law outlining procedures to do so. That includes former President Donald Trump, the target of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-14th-amendment-insurrection-supreme-court-colorado-2b9d5b628cb2779fc84212cdc651e4e7">a national campaign</a>&nbsp;to end his bid to return to the White House via the 14th Amendment.But the court's ruling in the Trump case explicitly said the provision could still be used against state and local officials.Taken together, the actions herald a new legal landscape as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-14th-amendment-insurrection-2024-election-ballot-9c5f79203109ba221b35a48e708ad725">liberal groups</a>&nbsp;that pushed the issue of Trump's disqualification to the Supreme Court reboot efforts to target state and local officials linked to Jan. 6.“This is a bit of returning to the course we expected to be following, which was holding individuals accountable, who are low-level officials, who still broke their oath by coming to D.C., engaging in insurrection,” said Stuart McPhail, an attorney with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a left-leaning group whose lawsuit against Trump ended up at the Supreme Court.Ron Fein, legal director of Free Speech For People, which brought several other actions seeking to disqualify Trump and Republican members of Congress for their role in the Capitol attack, wouldn't comment on his group's plans. But, he said, one legal fact remains clear.“Section 3 continues to be a viable way of protecting against insurrectionists in state and local government,” Fein said.CREW, which brought the lawsuit against Trump’s candidacy that landed at the Supreme Court, has identified state lawmakers it believes might be vulnerable to challenges under Section 3. It already has succeeded in one case, brought against the local official in New Mexico.Otero County Commissioner&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-new-mexico-state-government-donald-trump-santa-fe-5a4bde1a89344a0eb11a0a1d58a2100d">Couy Griffin,</a>&nbsp;a founder of the promotional group Cowboys for Trump, is the only elected official thus far to be banned from office in connection with the Capitol attack, which disrupted Congress as it was trying to certify Joe Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-claims-biden-won-explained-bd53b14ce871412b462cb3fe2c563f18">2020 electoral victory</a>&nbsp;over Trump.The lawsuit against him cited his violation of Section 3, which prohibits anyone who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and then “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against it or gave “aid and comfort” to its enemies, from holding future office.McPhail says there is a new sense of urgency to take action under that clause against state or local officials linked to Jan. 6 — before they run for federal office and can’t be sidelined.“It does create this incentive to bring cases from low-level officials now because then you can actually win them and get some kind of relief in judgments, whereas if you wait, you may have lost the opportunity,” he said.Based on the Supreme Court's ruling in the Trump disqualification case, a state or local official removed under Section 3 could still hold federal office, all the way up to president, unless Congress acted.Griffin said his disqualification was politically motivated. He and his defense attorney said Monday’s dismissal by the Supreme Court holds ominous implications, creating a pathway for partisan actors to harness Section 3 of the 14th Amendment in unpredictable ways in the future.“All you have to do is go to a really friendly county, with a good friendly judge that’s politically on your side, and then you get rid of your opposition,” said Peter Ticktin, Griffin's attorney in the appeal to the Supreme Court.Derek Muller, a Notre Dame law professor, said he wouldn't be surprised if Section 3 litigation eventually targets people for reasons well beyond Jan. 6.“I don't know how widespread it's going to be,” he said. “I'm sure people are going to start thinking creatively about what it means — if you're supporting, Hamas, the Taliban, (Black Lives Matter).”Muller added that the court system is well-equipped to sort out frivolous uses of Section 3, just as it does in other cases of ballot challenges: “In most of these cases, I think it won't pass the initial motion to dismiss.”The bigger question, he said, is how do courts address issues that the Supreme Court dodged in its ruling on the Trump case: What constitutes an insurrection under Section 3? How do First Amendment rights and other constitutional guarantees interact with its provisions?In Griffin's case, New Mexico Judge Francis Mathew found that Griffin aided an insurrection without engaging in violence, contributing to a delay in Congress’ certification of the presidential election.He ruled that Griffin spread&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">lies about the 2020 election being stolen</a>&nbsp;from Trump in a series of speeches during rallies held across the country, calling on crowds to go with him to Washington on Jan. 6 and join the “war” over the presidential election results.“Knowledgeable 19th century Americans including Section 3’s framers would have regarded the events of Jan. 6, and the surrounding planning, mobilization and incitement, as an insurrection,” Mathew ruled. “Mr. Griffin also incited, encouraged, and helped normalize the violence on January 6.”Griffin, a Republican, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-biden-new-mexico-riots-presidential-elections-7cf8b8a96a39bde8f6966e47cc37ff46">convicted separately</a>&nbsp;in federal court of entering a restricted area on the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6 and received a 14-day prison sentence. The sentence was offset by time served after his arrest in Washington, where he had returned to protest Biden’s 2021 inauguration. That conviction is under appeal, but is unlikely to influence enforcement of Griffin’s ban from office.“Neither the courts nor Congress have ever required a criminal conviction for a person to be disqualified under Section 3,” Judge Mathew wrote.CREW brought the case against Griffin partly because New Mexico is one of several states that allow any citizen to bring a private right of action to establish that an elected official is not qualified to hold office. In states that lack such provisions, attorneys note, those who want to remove people under Section 3 may have other paths, such as ballot challenges filed with the secretary of state or an election board.“There is no one-size-fits-all solution for enforcing Section 3 in states,” McPhail said.___

Court opens new frontier for insurrection claims that could target state, local officials

JERUSALEM —Iranian-backed terrorist continue attacks in the Red Sea. On Saturday, the Houthis launched four anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) into the Red Sea in the vicinity of M/V Huang Pu, a Panamanian-flagged, Chinese-owned, Chinese-operated oil tanker, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.


At 4:25 p.m. (Sanaa time), a fifth ballistic missile was detected as fired toward M/V Huang Pu. The ship issued a distress call but did not request assistance. 

M/V Huang Pu suffered minimal damage, and a fire on board was extinguished within 30 minutes. No casualties were reported, and the vessel resumed its course. 

The Houthis attacked the MV Huang despite previously stating they would not attack Chinese vessels.


Between <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1771726107168960751?t=410">6:50</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1771726107168960751?t=590">9:50</a> a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. forces, including USS Carney (DDG 64), engaged six Houthi unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over the southern Red Sea. Five crashed into the Red Sea, and one flew inland into Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.


It was determined these UAVs presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S, coalition, and merchant vessels.

JERUSALEM —Iranian-backed terrorist continue attacks in the Red Sea. On Saturday, the Houthis launched four anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) into the Red Sea in the vicinity of M/V Huang Pu, a Panamanian-flagged, Chinese-owned, Chinese-operated oil tanker, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.
At 4:25 p.m. (Sanaa time), a fifth ballistic missile was detected as fired toward M/V Huang Pu. The ship issued a distress call but did not request assistance. M/V Huang Pu suffered minimal damage, and a fire on board was extinguished within 30 minutes. No casualties were reported, and the vessel resumed its course. The Houthis attacked the MV Huang despite previously stating they would not attack Chinese vessels.

Between <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1771726107168960751?t=410">6:50</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1771726107168960751?t=590">9:50</a> a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. forces, including USS Carney (DDG 64), engaged six Houthi unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over the southern Red Sea. Five crashed into the Red Sea, and one flew inland into Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

It was determined these UAVs presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S, coalition, and merchant vessels.

Iran-backed terrorist missile strikes oil tanker in the Red Sea

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced new automobile emissions standards this week that officials called the most ambitious plan ever to cut planet-warming emissions from passenger vehicles.

The new rules relax initial tailpipe limits proposed last year but eventually get close to the same strict standards set out by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The rules come as sales of electric vehicles, which are needed to meet the standards,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/auto-sales-prices-chip-shortage-interest-rates-7e07b5d1b1362d1394514bfd0d6f4c0d">have begun to slow.</a>&nbsp;The auto industry cited lower sales growth in objecting to the EPA’s preferred standards unveiled last April as part of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-electric-vehicles-epa-tailpipe-emissions-climate-406d74e18459bc135f089c681ba9e224">its ambitious plan</a>&nbsp;to cut planet-warming emissions from passenger vehicles.

The EPA said that under its final rule, the industry could meet the limits if 56% of new vehicle sales are electric by 2032, along with at least 13% plug-in hybrids or other partially electric cars, as well as more efficient gasoline-powered cars that get more miles to the gallon.

That would be a huge increase over current EV sales, which rose to 7.6% of new vehicle sales last year, up from 5.8% in 2022.

The new standards will avoid more than 7 billion tons of planet-warming carbon emissions over the next three decades and provide nearly $100 billion in annual net benefits, the EPA said, including lower health care costs, fewer deaths and more than $60 billion in reduced annual costs for fuel, maintenance and repairs.

President Joe Biden, who has made fighting climate change&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-climate-health-tax-law-economy-inflation-f112d7c78abaa724d22964317d213deb">a hallmark of his presidency</a>, cited “historic progress” on his pledge that half of all new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. will be zero-emission by 2030.

“We’ll meet my goal for 2030 and race forward in the years ahead,'' Biden said in a statement Wednesday.

The EPA rule applies to model years 2027 to 2032 and will significantly reduce emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases, as well as other air pollution such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter from new passenger cars, light trucks and pickups.

Transportation makes up the largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and cars and trucks account for more than half of those emissions. The EPA said the new rule will help “tackle the climate crisis” while accelerating the adoption of cleaner vehicle technologies. The agency is finalizing the rule as sales of clean vehicles, including plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles, hit record highs last year.

The new rule slows implementation of stricter pollution standards from 2027 through 2029, after the auto industry called proposed benchmarks unworkable. The rule ramps up to nearly reach the level the EPA preferred by 2032.

“Let me be clear: Our final rule delivers the same, if not more, pollution reduction than we set out in our proposal,'' EPA Administrator Michael Regan told reporters. In addition to carbon pollution, the final standards also will reduce other serious air pollution that contributes to heart attacks, respiratory illnesses, aggravated asthma and decreased lung function, Regan said.

“Folks, these new standards are so important for public health, for American jobs, for our economy and for our planet,'' he said.

The standards are designed to be technology-neutral and performance-based, Regan said, giving car and truck manufacturers the flexibility to choose pollution-control technologies that are best suited for their customers while meeting environmental and public health goals.

The changes appear aimed at addressing strong industry and labor opposition to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-epa-auto-dealers-electric-vehicles-62c173d2be33e05e3405a489e5924e26">accelerated ramp-up of EVs,</a>&nbsp;along with public reluctance to fully embrace the new technology. There is also a legitimate threat of legal challenges before conservative courts.

The Supreme Court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, has increasingly reined in the powers of federal agencies, including the EPA, in recent years. The justices have restricted the EPA’s authority to fight air and water pollution — including a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-epa-ruling-2e893673819a1b6c6aa272a5e814f0b0">landmark 2022 ruling</a>&nbsp;that limited the EPA’s authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants that contribute to global warming.

At the same time, the Democratic president needs cooperation from the auto industry and political support from auto workers, a key political voting bloc.

“U.S. workers will lead the world on autos — making clean cars and trucks, each stamped ‘Made in America,’” Biden said Wednesday. “You have my word.''

The United Auto Workers union, which has endorsed Biden, said it supports rules that benefit workers and the environment, not just the industry. The new rule protects workers who build combustion engine vehicles “while providing a path forward for automakers to implement the full range of automotive technologies to reduce emissions,” the union said.

Generally, environmental groups have been optimistic about the new EPA plan, which is aimed at slashing emissions from a source that causes one-fifth of the nation’s carbon pollution.

David Cooke, senior vehicles analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the rule would significantly reduce vehicle pollution from current requirements. But the standards are weaker than those EPA proposed a year ago and make it unlikely that the U.S. will be able to meet its commitments under the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, which aims to keep global warming from increasing more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit)&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-science-business-scotland-europe-7b282af7df95b55dff2630e158631a73">since pre-industrial times</a>, he said.

Still, the new rules over time will prevent more carbon pollution “than the entire U.S. economy coughs up in a year,″ said Manish Bapna, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council. In the short term, the rules “will save drivers money at the pump and cut tailpipe pollution that endangers public health,″ he added.

“In the longer journey to confront the climate crisis, these standards take us in the right direction,″ he said.

But Dan Becker at the Center for Biological Diversity said he fears loopholes will let the industry continue to sell gas burners. He also is afraid the industry will get away with doing little during the first three years of the standards, which could be undone if former President Donald Trump is reelected.

“The bottom line is that the administration is caving to pressure from big oil, big auto and the dealers to stall progress on EVs and now allow more pollution from cars,” Becker said.

Republicans criticized the new standards, saying they essentially decide for the public which vehicles they should buy. “These regulations represent yet another step toward an unrealistic transition to electric vehicles that Americans do not want and cannot afford,” said West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, called the rule a “misguided electric vehicle mandate” that will force the U.S. to rely on China and other foes for critical minerals needed for batteries.

Regan said the government isn’t requiring people to buy EVs or any other technology, adding that there are “multiple pathways companies can choose to comply″ with the rule.

“We are staying well within the confines of the law and our statutory authority by not mandating a specific technology,'' he said.

The EPA could achieve its carbon pollution goals even if sales of battery electric vehicles are as low as 30% in 2032, as long as other standards are met, he said.

U.S. electric vehicle sales grew 47% last year to a record 1.19 million as EV market share rose to 7.6%. But EV sales growth slowed toward the end of the year. In December, they rose 34%.

The Alliance for Auto Innovation, a large industry trade group, praised the EPA’s slower implementation of the standards, saying the pace of the EV transition matters as the industry moves to produce more electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids to convert more traveling miles to electricity. The group had complained that the ramp-up to 67% initially proposed by the EPA was too fast for the industry to achieve. The proposal was faster than Biden’s goal of ensuring that EVs account for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-business-climate-and-environment-f145b24414ff245f491fd68257b3db60">half of new vehicles in the U.S. by 2030</a>.

“Moderating the pace of EV adoption was the right call because it prioritizes more reasonable electrification targets in the next few, very critical years of the transition,” said John Bozzella, the Alliance CEO.

The adjusted emissions targets will still be a stretch for the industry to achieve, Bozzella said, but they should give the market and parts supply chains a chance to catch up to higher EV sales. The plan also gives the industry more time to set up public charging stations, and it allows government tax incentives for EV manufacturing and for consumers to buy EVs to take hold, he said.

Toyota, the top seller of hybrid vehicles in the U.S., said it believes the fastest way to reduce carbon emissions quickly is to give consumers choices of battery electric vehicles and hybrids. The new EPA standards allow for more sales of plug-in hybrids and regular gas-electric hybrids to meet emissions limits.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710894346609.png" alt="File&nbsp;President Joe Biden speaks during a visit to the General Motors Factory ZERO electric vehicle assembly plant in Nov. 2021" />
 <figcaption>File&nbsp;President Joe Biden speaks during a visit to the General Motors Factory ZERO electric vehicle assembly plant in Nov. 2021</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced new automobile emissions standards this week that officials called the most ambitious plan ever to cut planet-warming emissions from passenger vehicles.The new rules relax initial tailpipe limits proposed last year but eventually get close to the same strict standards set out by the Environmental Protection Agency.The rules come as sales of electric vehicles, which are needed to meet the standards,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/auto-sales-prices-chip-shortage-interest-rates-7e07b5d1b1362d1394514bfd0d6f4c0d">have begun to slow.</a>&nbsp;The auto industry cited lower sales growth in objecting to the EPA’s preferred standards unveiled last April as part of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-electric-vehicles-epa-tailpipe-emissions-climate-406d74e18459bc135f089c681ba9e224">its ambitious plan</a>&nbsp;to cut planet-warming emissions from passenger vehicles.The EPA said that under its final rule, the industry could meet the limits if 56% of new vehicle sales are electric by 2032, along with at least 13% plug-in hybrids or other partially electric cars, as well as more efficient gasoline-powered cars that get more miles to the gallon.That would be a huge increase over current EV sales, which rose to 7.6% of new vehicle sales last year, up from 5.8% in 2022.The new standards will avoid more than 7 billion tons of planet-warming carbon emissions over the next three decades and provide nearly $100 billion in annual net benefits, the EPA said, including lower health care costs, fewer deaths and more than $60 billion in reduced annual costs for fuel, maintenance and repairs.President Joe Biden, who has made fighting climate change&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-climate-health-tax-law-economy-inflation-f112d7c78abaa724d22964317d213deb">a hallmark of his presidency</a>, cited “historic progress” on his pledge that half of all new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. will be zero-emission by 2030.“We’ll meet my goal for 2030 and race forward in the years ahead,'' Biden said in a statement Wednesday.WHAT IS EPA PROPOSING?The EPA rule applies to model years 2027 to 2032 and will significantly reduce emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases, as well as other air pollution such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter from new passenger cars, light trucks and pickups.Transportation makes up the largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and cars and trucks account for more than half of those emissions. The EPA said the new rule will help “tackle the climate crisis” while accelerating the adoption of cleaner vehicle technologies. The agency is finalizing the rule as sales of clean vehicles, including plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles, hit record highs last year.The new rule slows implementation of stricter pollution standards from 2027 through 2029, after the auto industry called proposed benchmarks unworkable. The rule ramps up to nearly reach the level the EPA preferred by 2032.“Let me be clear: Our final rule delivers the same, if not more, pollution reduction than we set out in our proposal,'' EPA Administrator Michael Regan told reporters. In addition to carbon pollution, the final standards also will reduce other serious air pollution that contributes to heart attacks, respiratory illnesses, aggravated asthma and decreased lung function, Regan said.“Folks, these new standards are so important for public health, for American jobs, for our economy and for our planet,'' he said.The standards are designed to be technology-neutral and performance-based, Regan said, giving car and truck manufacturers the flexibility to choose pollution-control technologies that are best suited for their customers while meeting environmental and public health goals.WHY DID EPA CHANGE THE PROPOSED RULE?The changes appear aimed at addressing strong industry and labor opposition to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-epa-auto-dealers-electric-vehicles-62c173d2be33e05e3405a489e5924e26">accelerated ramp-up of EVs,</a>&nbsp;along with public reluctance to fully embrace the new technology. There is also a legitimate threat of legal challenges before conservative courts.The Supreme Court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, has increasingly reined in the powers of federal agencies, including the EPA, in recent years. The justices have restricted the EPA’s authority to fight air and water pollution — including a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-epa-ruling-2e893673819a1b6c6aa272a5e814f0b0">landmark 2022 ruling</a>&nbsp;that limited the EPA’s authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants that contribute to global warming.At the same time, the Democratic president needs cooperation from the auto industry and political support from auto workers, a key political voting bloc.“U.S. workers will lead the world on autos — making clean cars and trucks, each stamped ‘Made in America,’” Biden said Wednesday. “You have my word.''The United Auto Workers union, which has endorsed Biden, said it supports rules that benefit workers and the environment, not just the industry. The new rule protects workers who build combustion engine vehicles “while providing a path forward for automakers to implement the full range of automotive technologies to reduce emissions,” the union said.HOW ARE THE NEW RULES BEING RECEIVED?Generally, environmental groups have been optimistic about the new EPA plan, which is aimed at slashing emissions from a source that causes one-fifth of the nation’s carbon pollution.David Cooke, senior vehicles analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the rule would significantly reduce vehicle pollution from current requirements. But the standards are weaker than those EPA proposed a year ago and make it unlikely that the U.S. will be able to meet its commitments under the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, which aims to keep global warming from increasing more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit)&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-science-business-scotland-europe-7b282af7df95b55dff2630e158631a73">since pre-industrial times</a>, he said.Still, the new rules over time will prevent more carbon pollution “than the entire U.S. economy coughs up in a year,″ said Manish Bapna, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council. In the short term, the rules “will save drivers money at the pump and cut tailpipe pollution that endangers public health,″ he added.“In the longer journey to confront the climate crisis, these standards take us in the right direction,″ he said.But Dan Becker at the Center for Biological Diversity said he fears loopholes will let the industry continue to sell gas burners. He also is afraid the industry will get away with doing little during the first three years of the standards, which could be undone if former President Donald Trump is reelected.“The bottom line is that the administration is caving to pressure from big oil, big auto and the dealers to stall progress on EVs and now allow more pollution from cars,” Becker said.WHAT DO REPUBLICANS SAY?Republicans criticized the new standards, saying they essentially decide for the public which vehicles they should buy. “These regulations represent yet another step toward an unrealistic transition to electric vehicles that Americans do not want and cannot afford,” said West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito.House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, called the rule a “misguided electric vehicle mandate” that will force the U.S. to rely on China and other foes for critical minerals needed for batteries.Regan said the government isn’t requiring people to buy EVs or any other technology, adding that there are “multiple pathways companies can choose to comply″ with the rule.“We are staying well within the confines of the law and our statutory authority by not mandating a specific technology,'' he said.The EPA could achieve its carbon pollution goals even if sales of battery electric vehicles are as low as 30% in 2032, as long as other standards are met, he said.U.S. electric vehicle sales grew 47% last year to a record 1.19 million as EV market share rose to 7.6%. But EV sales growth slowed toward the end of the year. In December, they rose 34%.WHAT DOES THE CAR INDUSTRY THINK?The Alliance for Auto Innovation, a large industry trade group, praised the EPA’s slower implementation of the standards, saying the pace of the EV transition matters as the industry moves to produce more electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids to convert more traveling miles to electricity. The group had complained that the ramp-up to 67% initially proposed by the EPA was too fast for the industry to achieve. The proposal was faster than Biden’s goal of ensuring that EVs account for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-business-climate-and-environment-f145b24414ff245f491fd68257b3db60">half of new vehicles in the U.S. by 2030</a>.“Moderating the pace of EV adoption was the right call because it prioritizes more reasonable electrification targets in the next few, very critical years of the transition,” said John Bozzella, the Alliance CEO.The adjusted emissions targets will still be a stretch for the industry to achieve, Bozzella said, but they should give the market and parts supply chains a chance to catch up to higher EV sales. The plan also gives the industry more time to set up public charging stations, and it allows government tax incentives for EV manufacturing and for consumers to buy EVs to take hold, he said.Toyota, the top seller of hybrid vehicles in the U.S., said it believes the fastest way to reduce carbon emissions quickly is to give consumers choices of battery electric vehicles and hybrids. The new EPA standards allow for more sales of plug-in hybrids and regular gas-electric hybrids to meet emissions limits.____

As electric vehicle sales slow, US relaxes plans for stricter auto emissions standards

Nebraska's Natural Resources Districts

LINCOLN, Nebraska&nbsp;– Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) are pleased to announce a new collaboration with Nebraska Cooperative Council on the development of a groundbreaking web and mobile application suite, Producer Connect. Producer Connect is designed to empower agricultural producers with the tools they need to optimize inputs, enhance agricultural profitability, improve water quality, and increase irrigation efficiency.

“As farmer-owned entities, Nebraska’s farmer-owned cooperatives believe information is vital for farmers to learn about and employ sustainable farming practices that protect their profitability while protecting Nebraska’s natural resources,” said Dean Thernes, Nebraska Cooperative Council Board Chairman. “At a time of rapidly changing and new technologies affecting the use of nitrogen products, the Nebraska Cooperative Council is pleased to be able to support the efforts to bring Producer Connect to Nebraska’s farmers.”

Additional participants on the project include the Nebraska Corn Board, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Central Valley Ag, Corteva Agriscience, 17 of Nebraska's 23 NRDs, the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD) and the NARD Foundation.

“In collaboration with the Cooperative Council, Producer Connect is poised to become a comprehensive platform for growers, offering valuable insights and resources to enhance nitrogen management and sustainable farming practices,” said Martin Graff, NARD President. “Through this program, we aim to equip growers with the necessary tools and information to make informed decisions and contribute to the overall health of Nebraska’s agriculture and water resources.”

Producer Connect will be free to producers and offer a wide range of features designed to simplify nitrogen and water management, including:

Producer Connect is currently in its initial stages of development and is expected to launch in June 2024. The initial rollout will focus on Phase 2 and Phase 3 Groundwater Quality Management Areas and areas with irrigation allocations.

The Nebraska Cooperative Council is representing nearly all of Nebraska’s local farmer owned cooperatives and regional cooperatives doing business in the State of Nebraska. Nearly 56,000 farmers and ranchers own Nebraska’s farmer owned supply and grain marketing cooperatives. The Council provides government relations, director education and other services to its member cooperatives to protect, enhance and defend Nebraska’s agricultural cooperative system.

The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD), the trade association for Nebraska's 23 Natural Resources Districts (NRD), works with individual districts to protect lives, property and the future of Nebraska’s natural resources. NRDs are unique to Nebraska, and act as local government entities with broad responsibilities to protect Nebraska’s natural resources. Major Nebraska river basins form the boundaries of the 23 NRDs, enabling districts to respond to local conservation and resource management needs. Learn more about Nebraska’s NRDs at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nrdnet.org/" target="_blank">www.nrdnet.org</a>.

Nebraska's Natural Resources DistrictsLINCOLN, Nebraska&nbsp;– Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) are pleased to announce a new collaboration with Nebraska Cooperative Council on the development of a groundbreaking web and mobile application suite, Producer Connect. Producer Connect is designed to empower agricultural producers with the tools they need to optimize inputs, enhance agricultural profitability, improve water quality, and increase irrigation efficiency.“As farmer-owned entities, Nebraska’s farmer-owned cooperatives believe information is vital for farmers to learn about and employ sustainable farming practices that protect their profitability while protecting Nebraska’s natural resources,” said Dean Thernes, Nebraska Cooperative Council Board Chairman. “At a time of rapidly changing and new technologies affecting the use of nitrogen products, the Nebraska Cooperative Council is pleased to be able to support the efforts to bring Producer Connect to Nebraska’s farmers.”Additional participants on the project include the Nebraska Corn Board, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Central Valley Ag, Corteva Agriscience, 17 of Nebraska's 23 NRDs, the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD) and the NARD Foundation.“In collaboration with the Cooperative Council, Producer Connect is poised to become a comprehensive platform for growers, offering valuable insights and resources to enhance nitrogen management and sustainable farming practices,” said Martin Graff, NARD President. “Through this program, we aim to equip growers with the necessary tools and information to make informed decisions and contribute to the overall health of Nebraska’s agriculture and water resources.”Producer Connect will be free to producers and offer a wide range of features designed to simplify nitrogen and water management, including:<ul>
 <li>Producer-specific data</li><li>Protected data</li><li>Customizable nitrogen recommendations</li><li>Irrigation efficiency</li><li>Historical data analysis</li><li>Economic analysis of nitrogen applications</li><li>Information exchange</li>
 </ul>Producer Connect is currently in its initial stages of development and is expected to launch in June 2024. The initial rollout will focus on Phase 2 and Phase 3 Groundwater Quality Management Areas and areas with irrigation allocations.The Nebraska Cooperative Council is representing nearly all of Nebraska’s local farmer owned cooperatives and regional cooperatives doing business in the State of Nebraska. Nearly 56,000 farmers and ranchers own Nebraska’s farmer owned supply and grain marketing cooperatives. The Council provides government relations, director education and other services to its member cooperatives to protect, enhance and defend Nebraska’s agricultural cooperative system.The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD), the trade association for Nebraska's 23 Natural Resources Districts (NRD), works with individual districts to protect lives, property and the future of Nebraska’s natural resources. NRDs are unique to Nebraska, and act as local government entities with broad responsibilities to protect Nebraska’s natural resources. Major Nebraska river basins form the boundaries of the 23 NRDs, enabling districts to respond to local conservation and resource management needs. Learn more about Nebraska’s NRDs at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nrdnet.org/" target="_blank">www.nrdnet.org</a>.

Nebraska Cooperative Council Partners with NRDs on Producer Connect

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Education Department said it has discovered a calculation error in hundreds of thousands of student financial aid applications sent to colleges this month and will need to reprocess them — a blunder that follows a series of others and threatens&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fafsa-student-financial-aid-college-b8d126283a53598c24b9567ed97d9138">further delays to this year's college applications</a>.

A vendor working for the federal government incorrectly calculated a financial aid formula for more than 200,000 students, the department said Friday. The information was sent to colleges to help them&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-admissions">prepare financial aid packages</a>&nbsp;but now needs to be recalculated — even as the department works through a backlog of more than 4 million other financial aid applications.

A statement from the Education Department says the problem won't affect 1.3 million applications that were processed correctly and distributed to colleges this month. Officials said they have fixed the error and it “will not affect future records."

It's unlikely that many students, if any, received financial aid offers based on the incorrect information since the department only began sending records in the last two weeks. Once colleges receive that information, it usually takes several weeks to assemble financial aid packages.

Students applying for college have been left in limbo this year as they await the Education Department’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fafsa-financial-aid-college-education-faf16cf14fb69a20e373d3ada1b63dca">overhaul</a>&nbsp;of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The form, known as FAFSA, is used to determine eligibility for federal Pell Grants, and colleges and states use it to award their own financial aid to students.

The update was meant to simplify the form but took months longer than expected. It gives colleges less time to make financial aid offers to students, and it gives students less time to decide where to enroll.

“This is another unforced error that will likely cause more processing delays for students,” said Justin Draeger, president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

After so many delays, he added, “Every error adds up and will be felt acutely by every student who is counting on need-based financial aid to make their postsecondary dreams a reality.”

The latest misstep has to do with the Student Aid Index, a new formula used to determine students' level of financial need after they submit the FAFSA application. For some students, the department forgot to factor in certain financial assets including investments, savings and total cash, according to an agency memo sent to colleges on Friday.

It resulted in a lower Student Aid Index for those students — indicating they have more financial need than they do in reality.

While the department fixes those students' records, it's encouraging colleges to make their own calculations and craft “a tentative aid package."

Draeger pushed against that idea, saying colleges can only work with “valid and correct data.”

“It is not feasible or realistic to send out incorrect FAFSA data and ask thousands of schools to make real-time calculations and adjustments to the federal formula,” he said.

Advocates fear that the chaos of this year’s process could deter students from going to college at all, especially those for whom finances are a key part of the decision.

Senate Republicans are requesting a hearing with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to discuss their “serious concerns” about the FAFSA rollout.

The notoriously time-consuming FAFSA form was targeted for an overhaul in 2020 through bipartisan legislation in Congress. The bill promised to simplify the form, going from 100 questions to fewer than 40, and it also changed the underlying formula for student aid, promising to expand it to more low-income students.

But the update has been marred by delays and technical glitches.

The form is typically available to fill out in October, but the Education Department didn’t have it ready until late December. Even then, the agency wasn’t ready to begin processing the forms and sending them to states and colleges, which only started this month.

Along the way, the department has scrambled to fix numerous bugs. Early on, the process failed to account for inflation properly. Another glitch blocked parents from filling out the form if they did not have a Social Security number. That meant many students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents but whose parents are not could not apply.

The department says those problems have been fixed, and it's now rushing to process millions of student applications and send them to colleges and states. The agency says it has processed 1.5 million applications out of about 6 million received so far.

The department “will continue delivering large volumes” of records in the coming weeks, its statement said. "We remain focused on helping students and families through this process and supporting colleges produce aid offers as quickly as possible.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1700516528497.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Education Department said it has discovered a calculation error in hundreds of thousands of student financial aid applications sent to colleges this month and will need to reprocess them — a blunder that follows a series of others and threatens&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fafsa-student-financial-aid-college-b8d126283a53598c24b9567ed97d9138">further delays to this year's college applications</a>.A vendor working for the federal government incorrectly calculated a financial aid formula for more than 200,000 students, the department said Friday. The information was sent to colleges to help them&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-admissions">prepare financial aid packages</a>&nbsp;but now needs to be recalculated — even as the department works through a backlog of more than 4 million other financial aid applications.A statement from the Education Department says the problem won't affect 1.3 million applications that were processed correctly and distributed to colleges this month. Officials said they have fixed the error and it “will not affect future records."It's unlikely that many students, if any, received financial aid offers based on the incorrect information since the department only began sending records in the last two weeks. Once colleges receive that information, it usually takes several weeks to assemble financial aid packages.Students applying for college have been left in limbo this year as they await the Education Department’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fafsa-financial-aid-college-education-faf16cf14fb69a20e373d3ada1b63dca">overhaul</a>&nbsp;of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The form, known as FAFSA, is used to determine eligibility for federal Pell Grants, and colleges and states use it to award their own financial aid to students.The update was meant to simplify the form but took months longer than expected. It gives colleges less time to make financial aid offers to students, and it gives students less time to decide where to enroll.“This is another unforced error that will likely cause more processing delays for students,” said Justin Draeger, president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.After so many delays, he added, “Every error adds up and will be felt acutely by every student who is counting on need-based financial aid to make their postsecondary dreams a reality.”The latest misstep has to do with the Student Aid Index, a new formula used to determine students' level of financial need after they submit the FAFSA application. For some students, the department forgot to factor in certain financial assets including investments, savings and total cash, according to an agency memo sent to colleges on Friday.It resulted in a lower Student Aid Index for those students — indicating they have more financial need than they do in reality.While the department fixes those students' records, it's encouraging colleges to make their own calculations and craft “a tentative aid package."Draeger pushed against that idea, saying colleges can only work with “valid and correct data.”“It is not feasible or realistic to send out incorrect FAFSA data and ask thousands of schools to make real-time calculations and adjustments to the federal formula,” he said.Advocates fear that the chaos of this year’s process could deter students from going to college at all, especially those for whom finances are a key part of the decision.Senate Republicans are requesting a hearing with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to discuss their “serious concerns” about the FAFSA rollout.The notoriously time-consuming FAFSA form was targeted for an overhaul in 2020 through bipartisan legislation in Congress. The bill promised to simplify the form, going from 100 questions to fewer than 40, and it also changed the underlying formula for student aid, promising to expand it to more low-income students.But the update has been marred by delays and technical glitches.The form is typically available to fill out in October, but the Education Department didn’t have it ready until late December. Even then, the agency wasn’t ready to begin processing the forms and sending them to states and colleges, which only started this month.Along the way, the department has scrambled to fix numerous bugs. Early on, the process failed to account for inflation properly. Another glitch blocked parents from filling out the form if they did not have a Social Security number. That meant many students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents but whose parents are not could not apply.The department says those problems have been fixed, and it's now rushing to process millions of student applications and send them to colleges and states. The agency says it has processed 1.5 million applications out of about 6 million received so far.The department “will continue delivering large volumes” of records in the coming weeks, its statement said. "We remain focused on helping students and families through this process and supporting colleges produce aid offers as quickly as possible.”___

Thousands of financial aid applications need to be fixed after latest calculation error

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Mega Millions jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.1 billion after no one matched the game’s six numbers Friday night, continuing a stretch of more than three months without a big winner.

The numbers drawn were: 3, 8, 31, 35, 44, 16.

The jackpot increased after a drawing for an estimated $977 million failed to produce a jackpot winner.

No one has won the game’s jackpot since Dec. 8, a string of 30 consecutive drawings without anyone taking home the top prize. That has enabled the jackpot to slowly grow, week after week.

The $1.1 billion prize is for a sole winner who chooses to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">paid through an annuity</a>&nbsp;over 30 years. Winners almost always opt for a cash payment, which for the next drawing Tuesday night is an estimated $525.8 million.

A lucky player winning the $1.1 billion jackpot would take home the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/largest-lottery-jackpots-mega-millions-powerball-cb473805c48cd3b74a84d7ee4127450d">eighth largest in U.S. lottery</a>&nbsp;history.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Mega Millions jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.1 billion after no one matched the game’s six numbers Friday night, continuing a stretch of more than three months without a big winner.The numbers drawn were: 3, 8, 31, 35, 44, 16.The jackpot increased after a drawing for an estimated $977 million failed to produce a jackpot winner.No one has won the game’s jackpot since Dec. 8, a string of 30 consecutive drawings without anyone taking home the top prize. That has enabled the jackpot to slowly grow, week after week.The $1.1 billion prize is for a sole winner who chooses to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">paid through an annuity</a>&nbsp;over 30 years. Winners almost always opt for a cash payment, which for the next drawing Tuesday night is an estimated $525.8 million.A lucky player winning the $1.1 billion jackpot would take home the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/largest-lottery-jackpots-mega-millions-powerball-cb473805c48cd3b74a84d7ee4127450d">eighth largest in U.S. lottery</a>&nbsp;history.

Mega Millions jackpot rises to $1.1 billion after another drawing with no big winner

Buffalo County - The driver / victim has been identified as Matthew W. Hoffman, age 20, of Kearney, NE.  The vehicle involved was a 2015 BMW.  Next of kin have been notified.&nbsp;

The Buffalo County Sheriff's Office is investigating the circumstances surrounding a single vehicle crash the resulted in the death of one adult male driver.&nbsp; The crash occurred at approximately 5:40 AM on Friday March 22, 2024.

According to preliminary investigation, a single vehicle was traveling southbound on Cottonmill Road located just West of Kearney, NE.&nbsp; The vehicle left the roadways, rolled and ejected the driver.&nbsp; There were no other occupants.&nbsp; The driver was located deceased at the scene.&nbsp; Authorities are working to confirm the identity of the driver.&nbsp; The crash occurred in the road ditch of Cottonmill Road in the area south of the Cottonmill Park entrance and north of the canal bridge.

Assisting deputies at the scene are members of the Kearney Police Department, Kearney / Buffalo County FAIT team, KVFD, GSH Paramedics, Buffalo County Highway Department and Buffalo County Attorney’s Office.

Next of kin have not been notified.&nbsp; The Buffalo County Attorney’s Office has ordered an autopsy.&nbsp; Investigation is ongoing at this time.

Buffalo County Sheriffs Office9:45am UpdateBuffalo County - The driver / victim has been identified as Matthew W. Hoffman, age 20, of Kearney, NE. The vehicle involved was a 2015 BMW. Next of kin have been notified.&nbsp;------Original StoryThe Buffalo County Sheriff's Office is investigating the circumstances surrounding a single vehicle crash the resulted in the death of one adult male driver.&nbsp; The crash occurred at approximately 5:40 AM on Friday March 22, 2024.According to preliminary investigation, a single vehicle was traveling southbound on Cottonmill Road located just West of Kearney, NE.&nbsp; The vehicle left the roadways, rolled and ejected the driver.&nbsp; There were no other occupants.&nbsp; The driver was located deceased at the scene.&nbsp; Authorities are working to confirm the identity of the driver.&nbsp; The crash occurred in the road ditch of Cottonmill Road in the area south of the Cottonmill Park entrance and north of the canal bridge.Assisting deputies at the scene are members of the Kearney Police Department, Kearney / Buffalo County FAIT team, KVFD, GSH Paramedics, Buffalo County Highway Department and Buffalo County Attorney’s Office.Next of kin have not been notified.&nbsp; The Buffalo County Attorney’s Office has ordered an autopsy.&nbsp; Investigation is ongoing at this time.

20-year-old identified in Friday morning fatal accident outside of Kearney

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-budget-government-shutdown-johnson-3b4e61cf5eaaf0f7fbeeddbacdf57212">$1.2 trillion package of spending bills</a>&nbsp;in the early morning hours Saturday, a long overdue action nearly six months into the budget year that will push any threats of a government shutdown to the fall. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

The vote was 74-24. Nebraska U.S. Senator Deb Fischer voted in favor of the bill. Nebraska Junior Senator Pete Ricketts&nbsp; voted no along with Josh Hawley Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Roger Marshall of Kansas.

It came after funding had expired for the agencies at midnight, but the White House sent out a notice shortly after the deadline announcing the Office of Management and Budget had ceased shutdown preparations because there was a high degree of confidence that Congress would pass the legislation and the president would sign it on Saturday.

“Because obligations of federal funds are incurred and tracked on a daily basis, agencies will not shut down and may continue their normal operations,” the White House statement said.

Prospects for a short-term government shutdown had appeared to grow Friday evening after Republicans and Democrats battled over proposed amendments to the bill. Any successful amendments to the bill would have sent the legislation back to the House, which had already left town for a two-week recess.

But shortly before midnight Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a breakthrough.

“It's been a very long and difficult day, but we have just reached an agreement to complete the job of funding the government,” Schumer said. “It is good for the country that we have reached this bipartisan deal. It wasn't easy, but tonight our persistence has been worth it."

While Congress has already approved money for Veterans Affairs, Interior, Agriculture and other agencies, the bill approved this week is much larger, providing funding for the Defense, Homeland Security and State departments and other aspects of general government.

The House passed the bill Friday morning by a vote of 286-134, narrowly gaining the two-thirds majority needed for approval. More than 70% of the money would go to defense.

The vote tally in the House reflected anger among Republicans over the content of the package and the speed with which it was brought to a vote. House Speaker Mike Johnson brought the measure to the floor even though a majority of Republicans ended up voting against it. He said afterward that the bill “represents the best achievable outcome in a divided government.”

In sign of the conservative frustration, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., initiated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/speaker-johnson-motion-vacate-marjorie-taylor-greene-3461bd8b95e718e178132ac16f36562a">an effort to oust Johnson</a>&nbsp;as the House began the vote but held off on further action until the House returns in two weeks. It's the same tool that was used last year to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-3542dd134dccf35bc67db3463baec53b">remove the last Republican speaker</a>, Kevin McCarthy of California.

The vote breakdown showed 101 Republicans voting for the bill and 112 voting against it. Meanwhile, 185 Democrats voted for the bill and 22 against.

Rep. Kay Granger, the Republican chair of the House Appropriations Committee that helped draft the package, stepped down from that role after the vote. She said she would stay on the committee to provide advice and lead as a teacher for colleagues when needed.

Johnson broke up this fiscal year's spending bills into two parts as House Republicans revolted against what has become an annual practice of asking them to vote for one massive, complex bill called an omnibus with little time to review it or face a shutdown. Johnson viewed that as a breakthrough, saying the two-part process was “an important step in breaking the omnibus muscle memory.”

Still, the latest package was clearly unpopular with most Republicans, who viewed it as containing too few of their policy priorities and as spending too much.

“The bottom line is that this is a complete and utter surrender," said Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo.

It took lawmakers six months into the current fiscal year to get near the finish line on government funding, the process slowed by conservatives who pushed for more policy mandates and steeper spending cuts than a Democratic-led Senate or White House would consider. The impasse required several short-term, stopgap spending bills to keep agencies funded.

The first package of full-year spending bills, which funded the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture and the Interior, among others,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-senate-congress-budget-spending-7dfcb8d8682d5dc28c91af3702489d89">cleared Congress</a>&nbsp;two weeks ago with just hours to spare before funding expired for those agencies.

When combining the two packages, discretionary spending for the budget year will come to about $1.66 trillion. That does not include programs such as Social Security and Medicare, or financing the country’s rising debt.

To win over support from Republicans, Johnson touted some of the spending increases secured for about 8,000 more detention beds for migrants awaiting their immigration proceedings or removal from the country. That's about a 24% increase from current levels. Also, GOP leadership highlighted more money to hire about 2,000 Border Patrol agents.

Democrats, meanwhile, are boasting of a $1 billion increase for Head Start programs and new child care centers for military families. They also played up a $120 million increase in funding for cancer research and a $100 million increase for Alzheimer’s research.

“Make no mistake, we had to work under very difficult top-line numbers and fight off literally hundreds of extreme Republican poison pills from the House, not to mention some unthinkable cuts,” said Sen. Patty Murray, the Democratic chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on that committee, appealed to her GOP colleagues by stating that the bill's spending on non-defense programs actually decreases even before accounting for inflation. She called the package “conservative” and “carefully drafted.”

“These bills are not big spending bills that are wildly out of scope,” Collins said.

The spending package largely tracks with an agreement that then-Speaker McCarthy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-biden-mccarthy-house-votes-9375cce9b7526b2d0a5728f8d4a18a0a">worked out</a>&nbsp;with the White House in May 2023, which restricted spending for two years and suspended the debt ceiling into January 2025 so the federal government could continue paying its bills.

Shalanda Young, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, told lawmakers that last year’s agreement, which became the Fiscal Responsibility Act, will save the federal government about $1 trillion over the coming decade.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695393380394.jpeg" alt="photo Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom" />
 <figcaption>photo Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-budget-government-shutdown-johnson-3b4e61cf5eaaf0f7fbeeddbacdf57212">$1.2 trillion package of spending bills</a>&nbsp;in the early morning hours Saturday, a long overdue action nearly six months into the budget year that will push any threats of a government shutdown to the fall. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sadly, massive spending bills crafted behind closed doors and dropped in the middle of the night with numerous poison pills and only hours to review is just ‘business as usual’ for the Swamp. I am voting NO on the Omnibus.&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1771306847951089771?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The vote was 74-24. Nebraska U.S. Senator Deb Fischer voted in favor of the bill. Nebraska Junior Senator Pete Ricketts&nbsp; voted no along with Josh Hawley Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Roger Marshall of Kansas.It came after funding had expired for the agencies at midnight, but the White House sent out a notice shortly after the deadline announcing the Office of Management and Budget had ceased shutdown preparations because there was a high degree of confidence that Congress would pass the legislation and the president would sign it on Saturday.“Because obligations of federal funds are incurred and tracked on a daily basis, agencies will not shut down and may continue their normal operations,” the White House statement said.Prospects for a short-term government shutdown had appeared to grow Friday evening after Republicans and Democrats battled over proposed amendments to the bill. Any successful amendments to the bill would have sent the legislation back to the House, which had already left town for a two-week recess.But shortly before midnight Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a breakthrough.“It's been a very long and difficult day, but we have just reached an agreement to complete the job of funding the government,” Schumer said. “It is good for the country that we have reached this bipartisan deal. It wasn't easy, but tonight our persistence has been worth it."While Congress has already approved money for Veterans Affairs, Interior, Agriculture and other agencies, the bill approved this week is much larger, providing funding for the Defense, Homeland Security and State departments and other aspects of general government.The House passed the bill Friday morning by a vote of 286-134, narrowly gaining the two-thirds majority needed for approval. More than 70% of the money would go to defense.The vote tally in the House reflected anger among Republicans over the content of the package and the speed with which it was brought to a vote. House Speaker Mike Johnson brought the measure to the floor even though a majority of Republicans ended up voting against it. He said afterward that the bill “represents the best achievable outcome in a divided government.”In sign of the conservative frustration, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., initiated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/speaker-johnson-motion-vacate-marjorie-taylor-greene-3461bd8b95e718e178132ac16f36562a">an effort to oust Johnson</a>&nbsp;as the House began the vote but held off on further action until the House returns in two weeks. It's the same tool that was used last year to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-3542dd134dccf35bc67db3463baec53b">remove the last Republican speaker</a>, Kevin McCarthy of California.The vote breakdown showed 101 Republicans voting for the bill and 112 voting against it. Meanwhile, 185 Democrats voted for the bill and 22 against.Rep. Kay Granger, the Republican chair of the House Appropriations Committee that helped draft the package, stepped down from that role after the vote. She said she would stay on the committee to provide advice and lead as a teacher for colleagues when needed.Johnson broke up this fiscal year's spending bills into two parts as House Republicans revolted against what has become an annual practice of asking them to vote for one massive, complex bill called an omnibus with little time to review it or face a shutdown. Johnson viewed that as a breakthrough, saying the two-part process was “an important step in breaking the omnibus muscle memory.”Still, the latest package was clearly unpopular with most Republicans, who viewed it as containing too few of their policy priorities and as spending too much.“The bottom line is that this is a complete and utter surrender," said Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo.It took lawmakers six months into the current fiscal year to get near the finish line on government funding, the process slowed by conservatives who pushed for more policy mandates and steeper spending cuts than a Democratic-led Senate or White House would consider. The impasse required several short-term, stopgap spending bills to keep agencies funded.The first package of full-year spending bills, which funded the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture and the Interior, among others,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-senate-congress-budget-spending-7dfcb8d8682d5dc28c91af3702489d89">cleared Congress</a>&nbsp;two weeks ago with just hours to spare before funding expired for those agencies.When combining the two packages, discretionary spending for the budget year will come to about $1.66 trillion. That does not include programs such as Social Security and Medicare, or financing the country’s rising debt.To win over support from Republicans, Johnson touted some of the spending increases secured for about 8,000 more detention beds for migrants awaiting their immigration proceedings or removal from the country. That's about a 24% increase from current levels. Also, GOP leadership highlighted more money to hire about 2,000 Border Patrol agents.Democrats, meanwhile, are boasting of a $1 billion increase for Head Start programs and new child care centers for military families. They also played up a $120 million increase in funding for cancer research and a $100 million increase for Alzheimer’s research.“Make no mistake, we had to work under very difficult top-line numbers and fight off literally hundreds of extreme Republican poison pills from the House, not to mention some unthinkable cuts,” said Sen. Patty Murray, the Democratic chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on that committee, appealed to her GOP colleagues by stating that the bill's spending on non-defense programs actually decreases even before accounting for inflation. She called the package “conservative” and “carefully drafted.”“These bills are not big spending bills that are wildly out of scope,” Collins said.The spending package largely tracks with an agreement that then-Speaker McCarthy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-biden-mccarthy-house-votes-9375cce9b7526b2d0a5728f8d4a18a0a">worked out</a>&nbsp;with the White House in May 2023, which restricted spending for two years and suspended the debt ceiling into January 2025 so the federal government could continue paying its bills.Shalanda Young, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, told lawmakers that last year’s agreement, which became the Fiscal Responsibility Act, will save the federal government about $1 trillion over the coming decade.

Fischer votes yes, Ricketts no: Senate passes $1.2 trillion spending bill 

LONDON (AP) — Kate, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kate-william-uk-royals-prince-shopping-video-c7f3483e8850b859845897a1433b60c0">Princess of Wales</a>, has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy, she revealed Friday in a stunning announcement that followed weeks of speculation about her health and whereabouts.

The princess disclosed her condition in a video message recorded Wednesday in Windsor and broadcast Friday. It came after relentless speculation on social media ever since January, when she was hospitalized for unspecified&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kate-princess-of-wales-operation-uk-royals-eea1a111a295152b8820b94fd257c12d">abdominal surgery</a>.

Kate asked for “time, space and privacy” while she is treated for an unspecified type of cancer that was discovered after what she described as “major” surgery.

Wearing a casual striped sweater and jeans, Kate sat on a wooden bench in front of a lawn dotted with daffodils. The flowers, which bloom in early spring, are often used as a symbol of hope for people fighting cancer.

“I am well," she said. "I am getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal.”

Kate, 42, hadn’t been seen publicly since Christmas until video surfaced this week of her with her husband, Prince William, heir to the throne. It showed them walking from a shop that sells produce grown on the royal family's Windsor estate.

The news is another jolt for the royal family since the announcement last month that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/king-charles-iii-cancer-britain-e0408a7c9bb86ad2af8754ce4b37d65e">King Charles III</a>&nbsp;was being treated for an unspecified type of cancer that was discovered while undergoing a procedure for a benign enlarged prostate.

Charles said he is “so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did,” according to a statement released by Buckingham Palace. The king, who received prostate treatment in the same hospital and at the same time Kate had her surgery, remained in the “closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law" in the past weeks.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711131728044.png" alt="File- Kate, Princess of Wales, with her children during the Coronation in May of 2023-image from AP video" />
 <figcaption>File- Kate, Princess of Wales, with her children during the Coronation in May of 2023-image from AP video</figcaption>
 </figure>LONDON (AP) — Kate, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kate-william-uk-royals-prince-shopping-video-c7f3483e8850b859845897a1433b60c0">Princess of Wales</a>, has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy, she revealed Friday in a stunning announcement that followed weeks of speculation about her health and whereabouts.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A message from Catherine, The Princess of Wales <a href="https://t.co/5LQT1qGarK">pic.twitter.com/5LQT1qGarK</a>&mdash; The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1771235267837321694?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The princess disclosed her condition in a video message recorded Wednesday in Windsor and broadcast Friday. It came after relentless speculation on social media ever since January, when she was hospitalized for unspecified&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kate-princess-of-wales-operation-uk-royals-eea1a111a295152b8820b94fd257c12d">abdominal surgery</a>.Kate asked for “time, space and privacy” while she is treated for an unspecified type of cancer that was discovered after what she described as “major” surgery.Wearing a casual striped sweater and jeans, Kate sat on a wooden bench in front of a lawn dotted with daffodils. The flowers, which bloom in early spring, are often used as a symbol of hope for people fighting cancer.“I am well," she said. "I am getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal.”Kate, 42, hadn’t been seen publicly since Christmas until video surfaced this week of her with her husband, Prince William, heir to the throne. It showed them walking from a shop that sells produce grown on the royal family's Windsor estate.The news is another jolt for the royal family since the announcement last month that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/king-charles-iii-cancer-britain-e0408a7c9bb86ad2af8754ce4b37d65e">King Charles III</a>&nbsp;was being treated for an unspecified type of cancer that was discovered while undergoing a procedure for a benign enlarged prostate.Charles said he is “so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did,” according to a statement released by Buckingham Palace. The king, who received prostate treatment in the same hospital and at the same time Kate had her surgery, remained in the “closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law" in the past weeks.The king and Queen Camilla “will continue to offer their love and support to the whole family through this difficult time," the palace said.Before Friday, Kensington Palace had given little detail about Kate’s condition beyond saying it wasn’t cancer-related, the surgery was successful and recuperation would keep the princess away from public duties until April. Kate said it had been thought that her condition was non-cancerous until post-surgery tests revealed the diagnosis.“This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family," she said.By choosing to speak directly to the country and the world about her condition, rather than issuing a statement through the palace, Kate offered a level of intimacy and transparency atypical of a member of the royal family and may help tamp down runaway conjecture. The king’s disclosure of his condition was also notably open by royal standards.Kate said it had taken her time to recover from the surgery before starting “preventative” treatment, which she said was in the early stages.Dr. Shivan Sivakumar, associate professor in oncology at the University of Birmingham, said it’s unclear what the princess meant by “preventative” chemotherapy but he presumed that it’s what is known as “adjuvant” chemotherapy in the medical profession.“This is chemotherapy after an operation to prevent recurrence,” he said. “This is to attempt to destroy any circulating cancer cells.”Kate said it has been “an incredibly tough couple of months” for her family. She said it had taken time to tell her three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in a way “appropriate for them” and reassure them she will be OK.The announcement came after the start of the Easter holidays, which will shield the children from media coverage of the news.British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement that Kate “has shown tremendous bravery.” He added: “In recent weeks she has been subjected to intense scrutiny and has been unfairly treated by certain sections of the media around the world and on social media.”Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, also sent his best wishes to the princess at this “distressing time.”“We are incredibly sad to hear of the news,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who opened her briefing with reporters moments after news of cancer treatment broke. “We are taking this in, this terrible news, as all of you are.”Charles, 75, has withdrawn from public duties while he has cancer treatment, though he's appeared frequently in photos carrying on meetings with government officials and dignitaries and was even seen going to church.Kate, on the other hand, had been out of view instead of appearing at charity events and promoting causes such as supporting children early in life, leading to weeks of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kate-princess-of-wales-trooping-color-britain-d55d1e8bbf1a9357b116e8b38a16e92d">speculation and gossip</a>. Attempts to put rumors to bed by releasing a photo of her on Mother's Day in the U.K. surrounded by her three smiling children backfired when The Associated Press and other news agencies retracted the image because it had been manipulated.Kate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/princess-kate-manipulated-photo-482fda64281b4a63ccf30364d96b2622">issued a statement</a>&nbsp;the next day acknowledging she liked to “experiment with editing” and apologizing for “any confusion” the photo had caused. But that did little to quell the speculation.Even the footage published by The Sun and TMZ that appeared to show Kate and William shopping sparked a new flurry of rumor-mongering, with some armchair sleuths refusing to believe the video showed Kate at all.Earlier this week, a British privacy watchdog said it was investigating a report that staff at the private London hospital where she was treated tried to snoop on her medical records while she was a patient for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kate-princess-of-wales-operation-uk-royals-eea1a111a295152b8820b94fd257c12d">abdominal surgery.</a>The former Kate Middleton, who married William in a fairy-tale wedding in 2011, has boosted the popularity and appeal of the British monarchy worldwide more than any royal since Princess Diana.The princess is the oldest of three children brought up in a well-to-do neighborhood in Berkshire, west of London. The Middletons have no aristocratic background, and the British press often referred to Kate as a “commoner” marrying into royalty.Her brother James Middleton posted on Instagram: “Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you too.”Kate attended the private school Marlborough College and then University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where she met William around 2001. Friends and housemates at first, their relationship became widely publicized when they were pictured together on a skiing holiday in Switzerland in 2004.Kate graduated in 2005 with a degree in art history and a budding relationship with the prince.___