<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/01/30/pillen-plan-to-sweep-excess-cash-funds-gets-bumpy-reception-at-capitol-hearing/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen’s plan to use excess cash reserves to “jump-start” his property tax relief proposal got a rough reception Tuesday during a state legislative hearing.

A long line of representatives of wildlife, hunting, banking, retail, grocers, recycling and affordable housing groups spoke against two bills in the governor’s plan for “transformational” property tax relief. Officials with natural resources and rural water projects, as well as the state’s major chambers of commerce also voiced opposition. And while Secretary of State Bob Evnen testified “neutral,” he also raised concern about parts of the proposal.

Some called the plan to sweep $274 million out of state agency reserve funds for the plan a “bait and switch” because it would use money that was dedicated for programs like litter reduction, workforce training and affordable housing and not tax relief.

A parade of opponents said the sweep could delay much-needed projects, such as building more affordable housing, flood-control structures in Saunders County and a new rural water system in northeast Nebraska.

“If we don’t get this money, we’re really in dire straits,” said Annette Sudbeck of the Lewis &amp; Clark Natural Resources District.

Her district is looking at a possible loss of $15.5 million in funds for the $29 million replacement of an aging rural water system in Knox and Cedar Counties, which she said would balloon the expected monthly water bill for a family of four to $140 a month.

But representatives of the Pillen administration said that agency cash funds had become “overbloated” and that agencies can afford to give up the funds. Some contracts might have to be cancelled or postponed, they said, but contracts include language to allow that if money is short.

“We have more than enough cushion to mitigate a recessionary blow,” Lee Will, the governor’s budget administrator, told the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee.

The agencies will still have $2.49 billion in reserve funds, the Pillen administration has said, even after the $274 million “sweep” of those funds.

The onslaught of opposition was not unexpected, based on past opposition to transferring money out of agency cash funds, said State Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood, who heads the committee.

This is a little bit of a bait and switch, and I think it's bad policy.

– John Lindsay, a former state senator representing several interest groups

Clements, who has said high property taxes are a crisis that warrant the fund transfers and new taxes, said his committee will carefully review the testimony presented Tuesday.

The senator said he was swayed by at least one group’s&nbsp;argument. Tim McCoy, head of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, said taking $9.5 million out of the agency’s game and habitat funds — funds that coming from hunting licenses and habitat stamps — would cost the agency in excess of $24 million in federal funds.

Some 20 other opponents to Pillen’s plan gave similar stories, as did 45 people who submitted written comments.

Representatives of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and other business groups said those entities helped set up cash funds years ago to provide money for worker training, litter reduction grants and unemployment insurance payouts during economic downturns.

If those funds were raided for a purpose beyond their original intent, they said, their members would ask “why are we paying these fees?” and would likely work to eliminate the programs.

“This is a little bit of a bait and switch, and I think it’s bad policy,” said John Lindsay, a former state senator who spoke on behalf of the beverage industry, as well as the state’s grocers and retailers.

Representatives of the state’s telecommunications industry said a proposed $14.5 million transfer from a Universal Services Fund used to enhance broadband and cell phone service in remote areas was unconstitutional, based on a recent Nebraska Supreme Court ruling.

State Sen. Tony Vargas, as well as a representative of the OpenSky Policy Institute, a state policy watchdog group, questioned the sweep of cash reserves held by state agencies at a time when the state is flush with funds.

Among the fund transfers Gov. Jim Pillen proposed is $85 million that had been set aside for future study and development of a massive sandpit lake near Gretna.

Lee Will, the governor’s budget administrator, said Pillen’s budget focuses on “needs” and not “wants.”

Tom Riley, the director of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, said sufficient funds would be remaining to complete studies on the lake’s projected impact on nearby well fields and financial feasibility.

Ninety percent of the $1 billion project, officials have said, would come from private donations or housing developers.

In the past, they said, raids on agency cash funds — sometimes referred to as the state’s “cookie jar” — has happened only when the state faced a true budget crisis and was scraping every up available penny to avoid spending cuts or tax hikes.

But Will, the governor’s budget director, said those cash reserve funds have been growing steadily at state agencies and had become “overbloated.”

The $274 million in fund transfers, he said, were needed to fund state government during a few months before the second — and also controversial — part of the Pillen plan would go into effect: taxing formerly tax-exempt sales and possibly raising the state sales tax from 5.5 cents to 6.5 cents.

“We must be bold and provide a 40% property tax reduction,” Will said, calling high property taxes a “crisis” that was forcing some people out of their homes.

In recent years, state lawmakers have boosted state tax credits by $1 billion to defray local property tax bills. But in most cases the credits simply blunted increases, rather than lowering those bills, to the frustration of conservatives like Pillen.

His proposal contains another $1 billion in relief — getting the property tax reduction to 40% — along with a “hard cap” on local government and school spending to ensure the extra funds translate into lower taxes.

Will said that if Pillen’s plan passes, the state would rank in the middle of the states in terms of property tax burden. Nebraska now has the 43rd highest property taxes,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://todayshomeowner.com/home-finances/guides/high-property-taxes-ranking-each-state-2022/#:~:text=New%20Jersey%20homeowners%20shoulder%20the,Hawaii%20ranks%20lowest%20at%20%241%2C893.">according to Wallet Hub.</a>

John Albin, the state’s labor commissioner, was among a handful of state agency directors testifying in support of Pillen’s fund transfers.

Albin said the state’s unemployment insurance fund, amassed by employers’ fees, had grown to $515 million by the end of 2023. So the fund, he said, could easily afford to transfer out $60 million, the largest fund transfer proposed by the governor.

But Ron Sedlacek, who testified for the Nebraska, Omaha and Lincoln chambers of commerce, said those “trust” funds were paid by businesses to ensure that Nebraska wouldn’t run out of funds to pay unemployment checks even if a recession or depression hit.

“If it’s going to be used for another purpose, I suppose the best course would be just to repeal (the unemployment insurance fee),” Sedlacek said.

Most opponents said they’d like to see something done about high property taxes but objected to the approach taken by Pillen.

“I haven’t met anyone opposed to tax relief. But it’s a real complicated issue,” said John Heaston of the Nebraska Sportsmen’s Foundation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706731924590.jpeg" alt="Gov. Pillen’s budget administrator, Lee Will, presented the governor’s plan Tuesday to sweep out $274 million in cash reserves from state agencies to help “jump-start” his property tax plan. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Gov. Pillen’s budget administrator, Lee Will, presented the governor’s plan Tuesday to sweep out $274 million in cash reserves from state agencies to help “jump-start” his property tax plan. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Paul Hammel<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/01/30/pillen-plan-to-sweep-excess-cash-funds-gets-bumpy-reception-at-capitol-hearing/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen’s plan to use excess cash reserves to “jump-start” his property tax relief proposal got a rough reception Tuesday during a state legislative hearing.A long line of representatives of wildlife, hunting, banking, retail, grocers, recycling and affordable housing groups spoke against two bills in the governor’s plan for “transformational” property tax relief. Officials with natural resources and rural water projects, as well as the state’s major chambers of commerce also voiced opposition. And while Secretary of State Bob Evnen testified “neutral,” he also raised concern about parts of the proposal.<h2>Parade of opponents</h2>Some called the plan to sweep $274 million out of state agency reserve funds for the plan a “bait and switch” because it would use money that was dedicated for programs like litter reduction, workforce training and affordable housing and not tax relief.A parade of opponents said the sweep could delay much-needed projects, such as building more affordable housing, flood-control structures in Saunders County and a new rural water system in northeast Nebraska.“If we don’t get this money, we’re really in dire straits,” said Annette Sudbeck of the Lewis &amp; Clark Natural Resources District.Her district is looking at a possible loss of $15.5 million in funds for the $29 million replacement of an aging rural water system in Knox and Cedar Counties, which she said would balloon the expected monthly water bill for a family of four to $140 a month.<h2>Cash funds ‘overbloated’</h2>But representatives of the Pillen administration said that agency cash funds had become “overbloated” and that agencies can afford to give up the funds. Some contracts might have to be cancelled or postponed, they said, but contracts include language to allow that if money is short.“We have more than enough cushion to mitigate a recessionary blow,” Lee Will, the governor’s budget administrator, told the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee.The agencies will still have $2.49 billion in reserve funds, the Pillen administration has said, even after the $274 million “sweep” of those funds.The onslaught of opposition was not unexpected, based on past opposition to transferring money out of agency cash funds, said State Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood, who heads the committee.This is a little bit of a bait and switch, and I think it's bad policy.– John Lindsay, a former state senator representing several interest groupsClements, who has said high property taxes are a crisis that warrant the fund transfers and new taxes, said his committee will carefully review the testimony presented Tuesday.The senator said he was swayed by at least one group’s&nbsp;argument. Tim McCoy, head of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, said taking $9.5 million out of the agency’s game and habitat funds — funds that coming from hunting licenses and habitat stamps — would cost the agency in excess of $24 million in federal funds.<h2>65 opponents to the bills</h2>Some 20 other opponents to Pillen’s plan gave similar stories, as did 45 people who submitted written comments.Representatives of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and other business groups said those entities helped set up cash funds years ago to provide money for worker training, litter reduction grants and unemployment insurance payouts during economic downturns.If those funds were raided for a purpose beyond their original intent, they said, their members would ask “why are we paying these fees?” and would likely work to eliminate the programs.“This is a little bit of a bait and switch, and I think it’s bad policy,” said John Lindsay, a former state senator who spoke on behalf of the beverage industry, as well as the state’s grocers and retailers.Representatives of the state’s telecommunications industry said a proposed $14.5 million transfer from a Universal Services Fund used to enhance broadband and cell phone service in remote areas was unconstitutional, based on a recent Nebraska Supreme Court ruling.State Sen. Tony Vargas, as well as a representative of the OpenSky Policy Institute, a state policy watchdog group, questioned the sweep of cash reserves held by state agencies at a time when the state is flush with funds.<h2>Sandpit lake study funds</h2>Among the fund transfers Gov. Jim Pillen proposed is $85 million that had been set aside for future study and development of a massive sandpit lake near Gretna.Lee Will, the governor’s budget administrator, said Pillen’s budget focuses on “needs” and not “wants.”Tom Riley, the director of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, said sufficient funds would be remaining to complete studies on the lake’s projected impact on nearby well fields and financial feasibility.Ninety percent of the $1 billion project, officials have said, would come from private donations or housing developers.In the past, they said, raids on agency cash funds — sometimes referred to as the state’s “cookie jar” — has happened only when the state faced a true budget crisis and was scraping every up available penny to avoid spending cuts or tax hikes.But Will, the governor’s budget director, said those cash reserve funds have been growing steadily at state agencies and had become “overbloated.”<h2>‘Must be bold’</h2>The $274 million in fund transfers, he said, were needed to fund state government during a few months before the second — and also controversial — part of the Pillen plan would go into effect: taxing formerly tax-exempt sales and possibly raising the state sales tax from 5.5 cents to 6.5 cents.“We must be bold and provide a 40% property tax reduction,” Will said, calling high property taxes a “crisis” that was forcing some people out of their homes.In recent years, state lawmakers have boosted state tax credits by $1 billion to defray local property tax bills. But in most cases the credits simply blunted increases, rather than lowering those bills, to the frustration of conservatives like Pillen.His proposal contains another $1 billion in relief — getting the property tax reduction to 40% — along with a “hard cap” on local government and school spending to ensure the extra funds translate into lower taxes.Will said that if Pillen’s plan passes, the state would rank in the middle of the states in terms of property tax burden. Nebraska now has the 43rd highest property taxes,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://todayshomeowner.com/home-finances/guides/high-property-taxes-ranking-each-state-2022/#:~:text=New%20Jersey%20homeowners%20shoulder%20the,Hawaii%20ranks%20lowest%20at%20%241%2C893.">according to Wallet Hub.</a>John Albin, the state’s labor commissioner, was among a handful of state agency directors testifying in support of Pillen’s fund transfers.Albin said the state’s unemployment insurance fund, amassed by employers’ fees, had grown to $515 million by the end of 2023. So the fund, he said, could easily afford to transfer out $60 million, the largest fund transfer proposed by the governor.But Ron Sedlacek, who testified for the Nebraska, Omaha and Lincoln chambers of commerce, said those “trust” funds were paid by businesses to ensure that Nebraska wouldn’t run out of funds to pay unemployment checks even if a recession or depression hit.“If it’s going to be used for another purpose, I suppose the best course would be just to repeal (the unemployment insurance fee),” Sedlacek said.Most opponents said they’d like to see something done about high property taxes but objected to the approach taken by Pillen.“I haven’t met anyone opposed to tax relief. But it’s a real complicated issue,” said John Heaston of the Nebraska Sportsmen’s Foundation.

Pillen plan to ‘sweep’ excess cash funds gets bumpy reception at Capitol hearing

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Under an overcast sky last fall, engineers with a University of Nebraska road safety facility watched as a electric-powered pickup truck hurtled toward a guardrail installed on the facility's testing ground on the edge of the local municipal airport.

The test crash was to see how the guardrail — the same type found along tens of thousands of miles of roadway in the United States — would hold up against electric vehicles that can weigh thousands of pounds more than the average gas-powered sedan.

It came as little surprise when the nearly 4-ton 2022 Rivian R1T tore through the metal guardrail and hardly slowed until hitting a concrete barrier yards away on the other side.

“We knew it was going to be an extremely demanding test of the roadside safety system," said Cody Stolle with the university's Midwest Roadside Safety Facility. “The system was not made to handle vehicles greater than 5,000 pounds.”

The university released the results of the crash test Wednesday. The concern comes as the rising popularity of electric vehicles has led transportation officials to sound the alarm over the weight disparity of the new battery-powered vehicles and lighter gas-powered ones. Last year, the National Transportation Safety Board&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-road-safety-national-transportation-board-automotive-accidents-dd5c4260f68e9f5dcb430a02cc939f6b">expressed concern</a>&nbsp;about the safety risks heavy electric vehicles pose if they collide with lighter vehicles.

Road safety officials and organizations say the electric vehicles themselves appear to offer superior protection to their occupants, even if they might prove dangerous to occupants of lighter vehicles. The Rivian truck tested in Nebraska showed almost no damage to the cab's interior after slamming into the concrete barrier, Stolle said.

But the entire purpose of guardrails is to help keep passenger vehicles from leaving the roadway, said Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety. Guardrails are intended to keep cars from careening off the road at critical areas, such as over bridges and waterways, near the edges of cliffs and ravines and over rocky terrain, where injury and death in an off-the-road crash is much more likely.

“Guardrails are kind of a safety feature of last resort,” Brooks said. “I think what you're seeing here is the real concern with EVs — their weight. There are a lot of new vehicles in this larger-size range coming out in that 7,000-pound range. And that's a concern.”

The preliminary crash test sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Research and Development Center also crashed a Tesla sedan into a guardrail, in which the sedan lifted the guardrail and passed under it. The tests showed the barrier system is likely to be overmatched by heavier electric vehicles, officials said.

The extra weight of electric vehicles comes from their outsized batteries needed to achieve a travel range of about 300 miles (480 kilometers) per charge. The batteries themselves can weigh almost as much as a small gas-powered car. Electric vehicles typically weigh 20% to 50% more than gas-powered vehicles and have lower centers of gravity.

“So far, we don’t see good vehicle to guardrail compatibility with electric vehicles,” Stolle said.

More testing, involving computer simulations and test crashes of more electric vehicles, is planned, he said, and will be needed to determine how to engineer roadside barriers that minimize the effects of crashes for both lighter gas-powered vehicles and heavier electric vehicles.

“Right now, electric vehicles are at or around 10% of new vehicles sold, so we have some time,” Stolle said. “But as EVs continue to be sold and become more popular, this will become a more prevalent problem. There is some urgency to address this."

The facility has seen this problem before. In the 1990s, as more people began buying light-weight pickups and sport utility vehicles, the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility found that the then-50-year-old guardrail system was proving inadequate to handle their extra weight. So, it went about redesigning guardrails to adapt.

“At the time, lightweight pickups made up 10-to-15% of the vehicle fleet,” Stolle said. “Now, more than 50% of vehicles on the road are pickups and SUVs.”

"So, here we are trying to do the same thing again: Adapt to the changing makeup of vehicles on the road."

It's impossible to know what that change will look like, Stolle said.

"It could be concrete barriers. It could be something else,” he said. “The scope of what we have to change and update still remains to be determined.”

The concern over the weight of electric vehicles stretches beyond vehicle-to-vehicle crashes and compatibility with guardrails, Brooks said. The extra weight will affect everything from faster wear on residential streets and driveways to vehicle tires and infrastructure like parking garages.

“A lot of these parking structures were built to hold vehicles that weighed 2,000 to 4,000 pounds — not 10,000 pounds,” he said.

“What really needs to happen is more collaboration between transportation engineers and vehicle manufacturers,” Brooks said. “That's where you might might see some real change.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706729829392.jpeg" alt="A 2022 Rivian R1T is used for a crash test research by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Development Center and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Midwest Roadside Safety Facility on Oct. 12, 2023 in Lincoln, Neb. Preliminary tests point to concerns that the nation’s roadside guardrails are no match for new heavy electric vehicles. (Craig Chandler/University of Nebraska via AP)" />
 <figcaption>A 2022 Rivian R1T is used for a crash test research by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Development Center and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Midwest Roadside Safety Facility on Oct. 12, 2023 in Lincoln, Neb. Preliminary tests point to concerns that the nation’s roadside guardrails are no match for new heavy electric vehicles. (Craig Chandler/University of Nebraska via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Under an overcast sky last fall, engineers with a University of Nebraska road safety facility watched as a electric-powered pickup truck hurtled toward a guardrail installed on the facility's testing ground on the edge of the local municipal airport.The test crash was to see how the guardrail — the same type found along tens of thousands of miles of roadway in the United States — would hold up against electric vehicles that can weigh thousands of pounds more than the average gas-powered sedan.It came as little surprise when the nearly 4-ton 2022 Rivian R1T tore through the metal guardrail and hardly slowed until hitting a concrete barrier yards away on the other side.“We knew it was going to be an extremely demanding test of the roadside safety system," said Cody Stolle with the university's Midwest Roadside Safety Facility. “The system was not made to handle vehicles greater than 5,000 pounds.”The university released the results of the crash test Wednesday. The concern comes as the rising popularity of electric vehicles has led transportation officials to sound the alarm over the weight disparity of the new battery-powered vehicles and lighter gas-powered ones. Last year, the National Transportation Safety Board&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-road-safety-national-transportation-board-automotive-accidents-dd5c4260f68e9f5dcb430a02cc939f6b">expressed concern</a>&nbsp;about the safety risks heavy electric vehicles pose if they collide with lighter vehicles.Road safety officials and organizations say the electric vehicles themselves appear to offer superior protection to their occupants, even if they might prove dangerous to occupants of lighter vehicles. The Rivian truck tested in Nebraska showed almost no damage to the cab's interior after slamming into the concrete barrier, Stolle said.But the entire purpose of guardrails is to help keep passenger vehicles from leaving the roadway, said Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety. Guardrails are intended to keep cars from careening off the road at critical areas, such as over bridges and waterways, near the edges of cliffs and ravines and over rocky terrain, where injury and death in an off-the-road crash is much more likely.“Guardrails are kind of a safety feature of last resort,” Brooks said. “I think what you're seeing here is the real concern with EVs — their weight. There are a lot of new vehicles in this larger-size range coming out in that 7,000-pound range. And that's a concern.”The preliminary crash test sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Research and Development Center also crashed a Tesla sedan into a guardrail, in which the sedan lifted the guardrail and passed under it. The tests showed the barrier system is likely to be overmatched by heavier electric vehicles, officials said.The extra weight of electric vehicles comes from their outsized batteries needed to achieve a travel range of about 300 miles (480 kilometers) per charge. The batteries themselves can weigh almost as much as a small gas-powered car. Electric vehicles typically weigh 20% to 50% more than gas-powered vehicles and have lower centers of gravity.“So far, we don’t see good vehicle to guardrail compatibility with electric vehicles,” Stolle said.More testing, involving computer simulations and test crashes of more electric vehicles, is planned, he said, and will be needed to determine how to engineer roadside barriers that minimize the effects of crashes for both lighter gas-powered vehicles and heavier electric vehicles.“Right now, electric vehicles are at or around 10% of new vehicles sold, so we have some time,” Stolle said. “But as EVs continue to be sold and become more popular, this will become a more prevalent problem. There is some urgency to address this."The facility has seen this problem before. In the 1990s, as more people began buying light-weight pickups and sport utility vehicles, the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility found that the then-50-year-old guardrail system was proving inadequate to handle their extra weight. So, it went about redesigning guardrails to adapt.“At the time, lightweight pickups made up 10-to-15% of the vehicle fleet,” Stolle said. “Now, more than 50% of vehicles on the road are pickups and SUVs.”"So, here we are trying to do the same thing again: Adapt to the changing makeup of vehicles on the road."It's impossible to know what that change will look like, Stolle said."It could be concrete barriers. It could be something else,” he said. “The scope of what we have to change and update still remains to be determined.”The concern over the weight of electric vehicles stretches beyond vehicle-to-vehicle crashes and compatibility with guardrails, Brooks said. The extra weight will affect everything from faster wear on residential streets and driveways to vehicle tires and infrastructure like parking garages.“A lot of these parking structures were built to hold vehicles that weighed 2,000 to 4,000 pounds — not 10,000 pounds,” he said.“What really needs to happen is more collaboration between transportation engineers and vehicle manufacturers,” Brooks said. “That's where you might might see some real change.”

Preliminary test crashes indicate the nation's guardrail system can't handle heavy electric vehicles

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney of New York on Tuesday nominated former President Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize for his groundbreaking efforts to foster peace and cooperation between Israel, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates through the Abraham Accords, according to a statement from her office.

In 2020, President Trump negotiated the normalization agreements between Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco,&nbsp;and&nbsp;Sudan, which were signed in December 2020 and&nbsp;January 2021. Trump also worked diligently to lay the groundwork for a future normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded for the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt in 1978 and for the Oslo Accords in 1994. Yet,&nbsp;the Abraham Accords, achieved by President Trump, continue to go unrecognized by the Nobel Peace Prize Committee. Today, Tenney nominated former President Donald Trump to recognize his efforts in achieving these historic normalization agreements.

“Donald Trump was instrumental in facilitating the first new peace agreements in the Middle East in almost 30 years,”&nbsp;said Congresswoman Tenney.&nbsp;“For decades, bureaucrats, foreign policy “professionals,” and international organizations insisted that additional Middle East peace agreements were impossible without a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

President Trump proved that to be false. The valiant efforts by President Trump in creating the Abraham Accords were unprecedented and continue to go unrecognized by the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, underscoring the need for his nomination today. Now more than ever, when Joe Biden’s weak leadership on the international stage is threatening our country’s safety and security, we must recognize Trump for his strong leadership and his efforts to achieve world peace. I am honored to nominate former President Donald Trump today and am eager for him to receive the recognition he deserves.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692923629903.png" alt="File photo" />
 <figcaption>File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney of New York on Tuesday nominated former President Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize for his groundbreaking efforts to foster peace and cooperation between Israel, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates through the Abraham Accords, according to a statement from her office.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Donald Trump was instrumental in facilitating the first new peace agreements with Israel in almost 30 years. That&#39;s why I nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize. More here ⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/trSs0rGljn">https://t.co/trSs0rGljn</a>&mdash; Rep. Claudia Tenney (@RepTenney) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepTenney/status/1752494403363766359?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In 2020, President Trump negotiated the normalization agreements between Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco,&nbsp;and&nbsp;Sudan, which were signed in December 2020 and&nbsp;January 2021. Trump also worked diligently to lay the groundwork for a future normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded for the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt in 1978 and for the Oslo Accords in 1994. Yet,&nbsp;the Abraham Accords, achieved by President Trump, continue to go unrecognized by the Nobel Peace Prize Committee. Today, Tenney nominated former President Donald Trump to recognize his efforts in achieving these historic normalization agreements.“Donald Trump was instrumental in facilitating the first new peace agreements in the Middle East in almost 30 years,”&nbsp;said Congresswoman Tenney.&nbsp;“For decades, bureaucrats, foreign policy “professionals,” and international organizations insisted that additional Middle East peace agreements were impossible without a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. President Trump proved that to be false. The valiant efforts by President Trump in creating the Abraham Accords were unprecedented and continue to go unrecognized by the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, underscoring the need for his nomination today. Now more than ever, when Joe Biden’s weak leadership on the international stage is threatening our country’s safety and security, we must recognize Trump for his strong leadership and his efforts to achieve world peace. I am honored to nominate former President Donald Trump today and am eager for him to receive the recognition he deserves.”

Congresswoman nominates Donald Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

LINCOLN, Neb. (January 30, 2024) — Nebraska Tourism Executive Director John Ricks was honored at the Marketing Outlook Forum 2024 Award Ceremony luncheon today in Houston, TX. Ricks was named the esteemed recipient of the J. Desmond Slattery Professional Marketing Award for 2024. This prestigious accolade recognizes Ricks' exceptional contributions to the field of travel and tourism marketing, highlighting his innovative campaigns and dedication to destination marketing, including promoting Nebraska as a premier travel destination.

The J. Desmond Slattery Professional Marketing Award is bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated a significant impact on travel and tourism marketing nationally, within their state, or for a specific destination.

"It’s always a big honor to be recognized by fellow marketers and I am humbled to receive this distinguished award from the Marketing Outlook Forum. Big shoutout to the amazing team at Nebraska Tourism, board members and our many industry partners across the state! Their continued collaboration and teamwork were key to getting this recognition. Together we’re waking the state’s “Sleeping Giant” – Nebraska Tourism. I am excited about the continued success and impactful contributions we aim to make in the future,” said Ricks. “We’re helping people from far and wide peel back the onion and discover Nebraska.”

The Marketing Outlook Forum awards program was created to celebrate and acknowledge excellence in the realm of travel and tourism marketing. Participants are evaluated based on criteria such as quality, originality, creativity, utility, results and the positive impact on the travel and tourism industry.

For more information about travel, events and unique destinations in Nebraska, order your free travel guide today at&nbsp;<a href="https://visitnebraska.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=30cc1cad235a879fac111c22b&amp;id=9fbac0db9c&amp;e=65d6a9d786" target="_blank">VisitNebraska.com</a>. Then stay connected with Nebraska Tourism on our&nbsp;<a href="https://visitnebraska.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=30cc1cad235a879fac111c22b&amp;id=2cbfc5acc6&amp;e=65d6a9d786" target="_blank">Visit Nebraska Facebook page</a>, on&nbsp;<a href="https://visitnebraska.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=30cc1cad235a879fac111c22b&amp;id=a4501cd307&amp;e=65d6a9d786" target="_blank">X</a>, on&nbsp;<a href="https://visitnebraska.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=30cc1cad235a879fac111c22b&amp;id=620b8492ff&amp;e=65d6a9d786" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>, on&nbsp;<a href="https://visitnebraska.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=30cc1cad235a879fac111c22b&amp;id=3250b800ac&amp;e=65d6a9d786" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;and on&nbsp;<a href="https://visitnebraska.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=30cc1cad235a879fac111c22b&amp;id=e0d7aca9e6&amp;e=65d6a9d786" target="_blank">YouTube</a>.

The mission of the Nebraska Tourism Commission is to expand Nebraska’s dynamic and diverse travel industry making it more viable by creating awareness, attracting increased visitors which results in greater tourism revenue and economic gain throughout the state. To learn more, go to&nbsp;<a href="https://visitnebraska.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=30cc1cad235a879fac111c22b&amp;id=1907ec8d97&amp;e=65d6a9d786" target="_blank">VisitNebraska.com</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Nebraska TourismLINCOLN, Neb. (January 30, 2024) — Nebraska Tourism Executive Director John Ricks was honored at the Marketing Outlook Forum 2024 Award Ceremony luncheon today in Houston, TX. Ricks was named the esteemed recipient of the J. Desmond Slattery Professional Marketing Award for 2024. This prestigious accolade recognizes Ricks' exceptional contributions to the field of travel and tourism marketing, highlighting his innovative campaigns and dedication to destination marketing, including promoting Nebraska as a premier travel destination.The J. Desmond Slattery Professional Marketing Award is bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated a significant impact on travel and tourism marketing nationally, within their state, or for a specific destination."It’s always a big honor to be recognized by fellow marketers and I am humbled to receive this distinguished award from the Marketing Outlook Forum. Big shoutout to the amazing team at Nebraska Tourism, board members and our many industry partners across the state! Their continued collaboration and teamwork were key to getting this recognition. Together we’re waking the state’s “Sleeping Giant” – Nebraska Tourism. I am excited about the continued success and impactful contributions we aim to make in the future,” said Ricks. “We’re helping people from far and wide peel back the onion and discover Nebraska.”The Marketing Outlook Forum awards program was created to celebrate and acknowledge excellence in the realm of travel and tourism marketing. Participants are evaluated based on criteria such as quality, originality, creativity, utility, results and the positive impact on the travel and tourism industry.For more information about travel, events and unique destinations in Nebraska, order your free travel guide today at&nbsp;<a href="https://visitnebraska.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=30cc1cad235a879fac111c22b&amp;id=9fbac0db9c&amp;e=65d6a9d786" target="_blank">VisitNebraska.com</a>. Then stay connected with Nebraska Tourism on our&nbsp;<a href="https://visitnebraska.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=30cc1cad235a879fac111c22b&amp;id=2cbfc5acc6&amp;e=65d6a9d786" target="_blank">Visit Nebraska Facebook page</a>, on&nbsp;<a href="https://visitnebraska.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=30cc1cad235a879fac111c22b&amp;id=a4501cd307&amp;e=65d6a9d786" target="_blank">X</a>, on&nbsp;<a href="https://visitnebraska.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=30cc1cad235a879fac111c22b&amp;id=620b8492ff&amp;e=65d6a9d786" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>, on&nbsp;<a href="https://visitnebraska.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=30cc1cad235a879fac111c22b&amp;id=3250b800ac&amp;e=65d6a9d786" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;and on&nbsp;<a href="https://visitnebraska.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=30cc1cad235a879fac111c22b&amp;id=e0d7aca9e6&amp;e=65d6a9d786" target="_blank">YouTube</a>.The mission of the Nebraska Tourism Commission is to expand Nebraska’s dynamic and diverse travel industry making it more viable by creating awareness, attracting increased visitors which results in greater tourism revenue and economic gain throughout the state. To learn more, go to&nbsp;<a href="https://visitnebraska.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=30cc1cad235a879fac111c22b&amp;id=1907ec8d97&amp;e=65d6a9d786" target="_blank">VisitNebraska.com</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Nebraska Tourism Executive Director John Ricks honored with J. Desmond Slattery Professional Marketing Award

JERUSALEM – Attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels continue in the Red Sea.

At approximately 11:30 p.m. (Sanaa time, Tuesday, Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired one anti-ship cruise missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Red Sea, according to a statement by the U.S. Central Command.

 The missile was successfully shot down by USS Gravely (DDG 107). There were no injuries or damage reported.

Meanwhile, Iran threatened Wednesday to “decisively respond” to any U.S. attack on the Islamic Republic following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-jordan-dignified-transfer-dover-140000aa392fee8175616d8af813c0eb">President Joe Biden's linking of Tehran</a>&nbsp;to the killing of three U.S. soldiers at a military base in Jordan.

The U.S. has signaled it is preparing for retaliatory strikes in the Mideast in the wake of the Sunday drone attack that also injured at least 40 troops at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-jordan-drone-attack-iran-tower-22-israel-hamas-war-0265beed527e3009a966c0531c08838e">Tower 22</a>, a secretive base in northeastern Jordan that's been crucial to the American presence in neighboring Syria.

However,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-retaliation-iran-militia-drone-attack-1dda7fdb416f843b3a5cc84ea7b5f01c">concerns remain</a>&nbsp;that any additional American strikes could further inflame a region already roiled by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel's ongoing war on Hamas</a>&nbsp;in the Gaza Strip and the ongoing attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea.

The Iranian warnings first came from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-politics-israel-government-drones-9b6c15e9363847e3dec091baf5113ab7">Amir Saeid Iravani</a>, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations in New York. He gave a briefing to Iranian journalists late Tuesday, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

“The Islamic Republic would decisively respond to any attack on the county, its interests and nationals under any pretexts,” IRNA quoted Iravani as saying. He described any possible Iranian retaliation as a “strong response,” without elaborating.

The Iranian mission to the U.N. did not respond to requests for comment or elaboration Wednesday on Iravani's remarks.

Iravani also denied that Iran and the U.S. had exchanged any messages over the last few days, either through intermediaries or directly. The pan-Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera, which is based in and funded by Qatar, reported earlier that such communication had taken place. Qatar often serves as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran.

“Such messages have not been exchanged," Iravani said.

But Iran's government has taken note of the U.S. threats of retaliation for the attack on the base in Jordan.

“Sometime, our enemies raise the threat and nowadays we hear some threats in between words by American officials," Revolutionary Guard commander Gen. Hossein Salami, who answers only to Supreme Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ali-khamenei">Ayatollah Ali Khamenei</a>, said at an event Wednesday. "We tell them that you have experienced us and we know each other. We do not leave any threat without an answer.”

“We are not after war, but we have no fear of war,” he added, according to IRNA.

On Saturday, a general in charge of Iran's air defenses described them as being at their “highest defensive readiness.” That raises concerns for commercial aviation traveling through and over Iran as well. After a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-soleimani-explosion-kerman-2524cfed1d040370bf98000e2b53ad5a">U.S. drone strike killed a top general</a>&nbsp;in 2020, Iranian air defenses mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane, killing all 176 people on board.

Saree claimed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">the Houthis</a>&nbsp;fired “several” missiles. something not acknowledged by the U.S. Navy. Houthi claims have been exaggerated in the past, and their missiles sometimes crash on land and fail to reach their targets.

The Houthis claimed without evidence on Monday to have targeted the USS Lewis B. Puller, a floating landing base used by the Navy SEALs and others. The U.S. said there had been no attack.

Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza</a>. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-houthi-attacks-shipping-inflation-124d5445bec8ce6864112e3095646308">a key route for global trade</a>&nbsp;between Asia, the Mideast and Europe.

The Houthis hit a commercial vessel with a missile on Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-red-sea-israel-hamas-war-attacks-f36fc8911e069a5b4dbc4d9e67f31e50">sparking a fire that burned for hours</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703990687604.png" alt="Photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>JERUSALEM – Attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels continue in the Red Sea.At approximately 11:30 p.m. (Sanaa time, Tuesday, Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired one anti-ship cruise missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Red Sea, according to a statement by the U.S. Central Command. The missile was successfully shot down by USS Gravely (DDG 107). There were no injuries or damage reported.Meanwhile, Iran threatened Wednesday to “decisively respond” to any U.S. attack on the Islamic Republic following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-jordan-dignified-transfer-dover-140000aa392fee8175616d8af813c0eb">President Joe Biden's linking of Tehran</a>&nbsp;to the killing of three U.S. soldiers at a military base in Jordan.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden on Iran: &quot;I do hold them responsible in a sense that they&#39;re supplying the weapons to the people who did it...I don&#39;t think we need a wider war in the Middle East. That&#39;s not what I&#39;m looking for.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/mcviToXzgJ">pic.twitter.com/mcviToXzgJ</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1752363083987575127?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The U.S. has signaled it is preparing for retaliatory strikes in the Mideast in the wake of the Sunday drone attack that also injured at least 40 troops at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-jordan-drone-attack-iran-tower-22-israel-hamas-war-0265beed527e3009a966c0531c08838e">Tower 22</a>, a secretive base in northeastern Jordan that's been crucial to the American presence in neighboring Syria.However,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-retaliation-iran-militia-drone-attack-1dda7fdb416f843b3a5cc84ea7b5f01c">concerns remain</a>&nbsp;that any additional American strikes could further inflame a region already roiled by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel's ongoing war on Hamas</a>&nbsp;in the Gaza Strip and the ongoing attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea.The Iranian warnings first came from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-politics-israel-government-drones-9b6c15e9363847e3dec091baf5113ab7">Amir Saeid Iravani</a>, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations in New York. He gave a briefing to Iranian journalists late Tuesday, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.“The Islamic Republic would decisively respond to any attack on the county, its interests and nationals under any pretexts,” IRNA quoted Iravani as saying. He described any possible Iranian retaliation as a “strong response,” without elaborating.The Iranian mission to the U.N. did not respond to requests for comment or elaboration Wednesday on Iravani's remarks.Iravani also denied that Iran and the U.S. had exchanged any messages over the last few days, either through intermediaries or directly. The pan-Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera, which is based in and funded by Qatar, reported earlier that such communication had taken place. Qatar often serves as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran.“Such messages have not been exchanged," Iravani said.But Iran's government has taken note of the U.S. threats of retaliation for the attack on the base in Jordan.“Sometime, our enemies raise the threat and nowadays we hear some threats in between words by American officials," Revolutionary Guard commander Gen. Hossein Salami, who answers only to Supreme Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ali-khamenei">Ayatollah Ali Khamenei</a>, said at an event Wednesday. "We tell them that you have experienced us and we know each other. We do not leave any threat without an answer.”“We are not after war, but we have no fear of war,” he added, according to IRNA.On Saturday, a general in charge of Iran's air defenses described them as being at their “highest defensive readiness.” That raises concerns for commercial aviation traveling through and over Iran as well. After a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-soleimani-explosion-kerman-2524cfed1d040370bf98000e2b53ad5a">U.S. drone strike killed a top general</a>&nbsp;in 2020, Iranian air defenses mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane, killing all 176 people on board.Saree claimed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">the Houthis</a>&nbsp;fired “several” missiles. something not acknowledged by the U.S. Navy. Houthi claims have been exaggerated in the past, and their missiles sometimes crash on land and fail to reach their targets.The Houthis claimed without evidence on Monday to have targeted the USS Lewis B. Puller, a floating landing base used by the Navy SEALs and others. The U.S. said there had been no attack.Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza</a>. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-houthi-attacks-shipping-inflation-124d5445bec8ce6864112e3095646308">a key route for global trade</a>&nbsp;between Asia, the Mideast and Europe.The Houthis hit a commercial vessel with a missile on Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-red-sea-israel-hamas-war-attacks-f36fc8911e069a5b4dbc4d9e67f31e50">sparking a fire that burned for hours</a>.

Rebel attacks continue in Red Sea as Iran threatens against US retaliation

The Associated Press story was first published on Jan. 22, 2024. It was published again on Jan. 31, 2024, to correct, based on revised accounts from military officials, that Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers fell into the water and Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram jumped into the water to try to save him, not that Ingram fell into the water and then Chambers jumped in.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Under the darkness of night, in the roiling high seas off the coast of Somalia, members of the U.S. Navy's SEAL Team 3 began to climb aboard an unflagged ship that was carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to Yemen.

As Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers began boarding the boat, he slipped, falling into a gap the waves had created between the vessel and the SEALs' combatant craft. As he went under, Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram jumped into the gap to try to save him, according to U.S. officials familiar with what happened.

It was an instinctive act, honed by years of training, one teammate going to another's aid. But weighed down by their body armor, weapons and heavy equipment, the two SEALs plunged into the depths of the Arabian Sea and died, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details of the Jan. 11 raid.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-missiles-iran-seizure-us-8112fbadd3b0689c71a92890895a9368">mission came as the interdiction of weapons to Yemen</a>&nbsp;takes on new urgency. The Yemen-based Houthis have been conducting a campaign of missile and drone attacks against commercial and Navy ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. And U.S. retaliatory strikes have so far not deterred their assaults.

The 11-day search and rescue mission to locate the two SEALs was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/seals-navy-deceased-weapons-seizure-yemen-0502e297a90ecc28431fc5b2cb49d033">called off on Sunday</a>&nbsp;and became a recovery effort. And on Monday, the Navy released their names, after their families were notified.

“Chris and Gage selflessly served their country with unwavering professionalism and exceptional capabilities,” said Capt. Blake Chaney, commander of Naval Special Warfare Group 1, which oversees SEAL Team 3. “This loss is devastating for NSW, our families, the special operations community, and across the nation.”

At the White House, President Joe Biden said in a statement that, “Jill and I are mourning the tragic deaths of two of America’s finest — Navy SEALs who were lost at sea while executing a mission off the coast of East Africa last week.” He said the SEALs represent “the very best of our country, pledging their lives to protect their fellow Americans. Our hearts go out to the family members, loved ones, friends, and shipmates who are grieving for these two brave Americans.”

The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet is conducting an investigation into what happened. That probe is expected to examine whether the SEALs were properly equipped and trained for the mission, whether procedures were followed, and any decisions regarding the timing and approval of the raid, including the weather and the state of the seas.

According to officials, the commandos launched from the USS Lewis B. Puller, a mobile sea base, and they were backed up by drones and helicopters. They loaded onto small special operations combat craft driven by naval special warfare crew to get to the boat. It was the type of boarding for which SEALs train routinely, and illegal weapons moving from Iran to Yemen-based Houthis have been a persistent concern, particularly as the rebels continue to target commercial vessels in the region.

The team boarding the dhow was facing more than a dozen crew members. They ultimately seized an array of Iranian-made weaponry, including cruise and ballistic missile components such as propulsion and guidance devices and warheads, as well as air defense parts, Central Command said.

The raid was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-iran-arms-seizure-us-uk-b38494c44e4477b177a7f878f4d8f6db">the latest seizure by the U.S. Navy and its allies</a>&nbsp;of weapon shipments bound for the rebels, who have launched a series of attacks now threatening global trade in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The seized missile components included types likely used in those attacks.

Chambers and Ingram, who were assigned to a West Coast-based SEAL unit, "were exceptional warriors, cherished teammates, and dear friends to many within the Naval Special Warfare community,” said Chaney.

Chambers, 37, of Maryland, enlisted in the Navy in 2012, and graduated from SEAL training in 2014. His awards include the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat “C” and three Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals. Ingram, 27, of Texas, enlisted in 2019, and graduated from SEAL training in 2021.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705958979801.png" alt="Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers -photo Department of Defense" />
 <figcaption>Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers -photo Department of Defense</figcaption>
 </figure>The Associated Press story was first published on Jan. 22, 2024. It was published again on Jan. 31, 2024, to correct, based on revised accounts from military officials, that Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers fell into the water and Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram jumped into the water to try to save him, not that Ingram fell into the water and then Chambers jumped in.BY LOLITA C. BALDORWASHINGTON (AP) — Under the darkness of night, in the roiling high seas off the coast of Somalia, members of the U.S. Navy's SEAL Team 3 began to climb aboard an unflagged ship that was carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to Yemen.As Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers began boarding the boat, he slipped, falling into a gap the waves had created between the vessel and the SEALs' combatant craft. As he went under, Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram jumped into the gap to try to save him, according to U.S. officials familiar with what happened.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705959010427.png" alt="Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram-photo Dept. of Defense" />
 <figcaption>Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram-photo Dept. of Defense</figcaption>
 </figure>It was an instinctive act, honed by years of training, one teammate going to another's aid. But weighed down by their body armor, weapons and heavy equipment, the two SEALs plunged into the depths of the Arabian Sea and died, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details of the Jan. 11 raid.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-missiles-iran-seizure-us-8112fbadd3b0689c71a92890895a9368">mission came as the interdiction of weapons to Yemen</a>&nbsp;takes on new urgency. The Yemen-based Houthis have been conducting a campaign of missile and drone attacks against commercial and Navy ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. And U.S. retaliatory strikes have so far not deterred their assaults.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705405243920.png" alt="-The two SEALs went into water in mid-January during a nighttime boarding mission to interdict a dhow suspected of carrying Iranian-made weapons for Houthi militants in Yemen, according to the U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>-The two SEALs went into water in mid-January during a nighttime boarding mission to interdict a dhow suspected of carrying Iranian-made weapons for Houthi militants in Yemen, according to the U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>The 11-day search and rescue mission to locate the two SEALs was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/seals-navy-deceased-weapons-seizure-yemen-0502e297a90ecc28431fc5b2cb49d033">called off on Sunday</a>&nbsp;and became a recovery effort. And on Monday, the Navy released their names, after their families were notified.“Chris and Gage selflessly served their country with unwavering professionalism and exceptional capabilities,” said Capt. Blake Chaney, commander of Naval Special Warfare Group 1, which oversees SEAL Team 3. “This loss is devastating for NSW, our families, the special operations community, and across the nation.”At the White House, President Joe Biden said in a statement that, “Jill and I are mourning the tragic deaths of two of America’s finest — Navy SEALs who were lost at sea while executing a mission off the coast of East Africa last week.” He said the SEALs represent “the very best of our country, pledging their lives to protect their fellow Americans. Our hearts go out to the family members, loved ones, friends, and shipmates who are grieving for these two brave Americans.”The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet is conducting an investigation into what happened. That probe is expected to examine whether the SEALs were properly equipped and trained for the mission, whether procedures were followed, and any decisions regarding the timing and approval of the raid, including the weather and the state of the seas.According to officials, the commandos launched from the USS Lewis B. Puller, a mobile sea base, and they were backed up by drones and helicopters. They loaded onto small special operations combat craft driven by naval special warfare crew to get to the boat. It was the type of boarding for which SEALs train routinely, and illegal weapons moving from Iran to Yemen-based Houthis have been a persistent concern, particularly as the rebels continue to target commercial vessels in the region.The team boarding the dhow was facing more than a dozen crew members. They ultimately seized an array of Iranian-made weaponry, including cruise and ballistic missile components such as propulsion and guidance devices and warheads, as well as air defense parts, Central Command said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705405198142.png" alt="Photo of the items seized -photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Photo of the items seized -photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>The raid was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-iran-arms-seizure-us-uk-b38494c44e4477b177a7f878f4d8f6db">the latest seizure by the U.S. Navy and its allies</a>&nbsp;of weapon shipments bound for the rebels, who have launched a series of attacks now threatening global trade in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The seized missile components included types likely used in those attacks.Chambers and Ingram, who were assigned to a West Coast-based SEAL unit, "were exceptional warriors, cherished teammates, and dear friends to many within the Naval Special Warfare community,” said Chaney.Chambers, 37, of Maryland, enlisted in the Navy in 2012, and graduated from SEAL training in 2014. His awards include the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat “C” and three Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals. Ingram, 27, of Texas, enlisted in 2019, and graduated from SEAL training in 2021.---------

Correction: How 2 U.S. Navy SEALs died in raid to seize Iranian weapons

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday indicated he had decided how to respond after the killing of three American service members Sunday in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jordan-drone-attack-attack-confusion-f175962e058b9b6f668303faf248d8e6">drone attack in Jordan</a>&nbsp;that his administration has pinned on Iran-backed militia groups, saying he does not want to expand the war in the Middle East but demurring on specifics.

U.S. officials said they are still determining which of several Iran-backed groups was responsible for the first killing of American troops in a wave of attacks against U.S. forces in the region since the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel. Biden plans to attend the dignified transfer to mark the fallen troops' return to American soil on Friday and answered in the affirmative when asked by reporters if he'd decided on a response, as he indicated he was aiming to prevent further escalation.

“I don’t think we need a wider war in the Middle East," Biden said at the White House before departing for a fundraising trip to Florida. “That’s not what I’m looking for.”

It was not immediately clear whether Biden meant he had decided on a specific retaliatory plan. A U.S. official told The Associated Press that the Pentagon is still assessing options to respond to the attack in Jordan.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters traveling with Biden aboard Air Force One that he would not preview the U.S. response, but indicated it would come in phases.

“It’s very possible that what you’ll see is a tiered approach here, not just a single action, but potentially multiple actions over a period of time," he said.

Meanwhile, the Iranian-backed Iraqi militia&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-iraq-airstrike-military-iran-d93d861feeef90cfeac3ba85f1f2f36d">Kataib Hezbollah</a>, one of several groups eyed by U.S. officials, announced Tuesday in a statement “the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces in order to prevent embarrassment to the Iraqi government.”

The attacks on U.S. forces by Iraqi militias over the past four months have placed the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in an awkward position. Sudani was brought to power by Iranian-allied factions but has also attempted to stay in Washington’s good graces and has condemned the attacks on U.S. forces serving in Iraq as part of an international commission to fight the Islamic State. Iraqi and U.S. officials on Saturday opened talks aimed at winding down the commission’s presence.

Kirby said that Biden spoke with the soldiers' families Tuesday morning and extended his condolences, pledging full assistance to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/drone-attack-soldier-killed-jordan-sanders-georgia-947c5c440e149154b06bc1bc29d84a19">families as they grieve</a>.

In separate calls with the families, Biden also gauged their feelings about his attendance at Friday's dignified transfer of the fallen service members' remains at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Friday, and “all of them supported his presence there,” Kirby said.

“He was grateful for their time. He expressed to them how proud we all are of their service," Kirby said of Biden's calls with the families. “How we mourn and feel sorrow over their loss.”

Kirby added: “The president will be going to the dignified transfer on Friday.”

The solemn ceremony marks the return of fallen service members to American soil as they journey to their final resting place, with silent honor guards carrying flag-draped transfer cases holding the remains from transport aircraft to military vehicles.

The Pentagon identified those killed in the attack as Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia. The Army Reserve announced on Tuesday that it had posthumously promoted Sanders and Moffett to the rank of sergeant.

There have been a total of 166 attacks on U.S. military installations since Oct. 18, including 67 in Iraq, 98 in Syria and now one in Jordan, a U.S. military official said. On Tuesday, Al-Asad Air Base in Western Iraq was targeted again by a single rocket, but there was no damage and no injuries in that attack, a U.S. military official said. The three soldiers killed in the Jordan strike were the first U.S. military fatalities in the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out. One contractor has also died as the result of a heart attack after a strike on Al-Asad in December.

In 2021, Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-biden-troops-killed-509f29aaca012ee8e83871d2c03384bf">attended the dignified transfer</a>&nbsp;of the remains of 13 troops killed in a suicide attack during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Separately, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany said it expected to receive 3 U.S. service members who were injured in the drone attack, including one listed in critical, but stable, condition. The Pentagon has said at least 40 troops were injured alongside the three killed in action.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday indicated he had decided how to respond after the killing of three American service members Sunday in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jordan-drone-attack-attack-confusion-f175962e058b9b6f668303faf248d8e6">drone attack in Jordan</a>&nbsp;that his administration has pinned on Iran-backed militia groups, saying he does not want to expand the war in the Middle East but demurring on specifics.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden on Iran: &quot;I do hold them responsible in a sense that they&#39;re supplying the weapons to the people who did it...I don&#39;t think we need a wider war in the Middle East. That&#39;s not what I&#39;m looking for.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/mcviToXzgJ">pic.twitter.com/mcviToXzgJ</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1752363083987575127?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>U.S. officials said they are still determining which of several Iran-backed groups was responsible for the first killing of American troops in a wave of attacks against U.S. forces in the region since the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel. Biden plans to attend the dignified transfer to mark the fallen troops' return to American soil on Friday and answered in the affirmative when asked by reporters if he'd decided on a response, as he indicated he was aiming to prevent further escalation.“I don’t think we need a wider war in the Middle East," Biden said at the White House before departing for a fundraising trip to Florida. “That’s not what I’m looking for.”It was not immediately clear whether Biden meant he had decided on a specific retaliatory plan. A U.S. official told The Associated Press that the Pentagon is still assessing options to respond to the attack in Jordan.National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters traveling with Biden aboard Air Force One that he would not preview the U.S. response, but indicated it would come in phases.“It’s very possible that what you’ll see is a tiered approach here, not just a single action, but potentially multiple actions over a period of time," he said.Meanwhile, the Iranian-backed Iraqi militia&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-iraq-airstrike-military-iran-d93d861feeef90cfeac3ba85f1f2f36d">Kataib Hezbollah</a>, one of several groups eyed by U.S. officials, announced Tuesday in a statement “the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces in order to prevent embarrassment to the Iraqi government.”The attacks on U.S. forces by Iraqi militias over the past four months have placed the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in an awkward position. Sudani was brought to power by Iranian-allied factions but has also attempted to stay in Washington’s good graces and has condemned the attacks on U.S. forces serving in Iraq as part of an international commission to fight the Islamic State. Iraqi and U.S. officials on Saturday opened talks aimed at winding down the commission’s presence.Kirby said that Biden spoke with the soldiers' families Tuesday morning and extended his condolences, pledging full assistance to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/drone-attack-soldier-killed-jordan-sanders-georgia-947c5c440e149154b06bc1bc29d84a19">families as they grieve</a>.In separate calls with the families, Biden also gauged their feelings about his attendance at Friday's dignified transfer of the fallen service members' remains at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Friday, and “all of them supported his presence there,” Kirby said.“He was grateful for their time. He expressed to them how proud we all are of their service," Kirby said of Biden's calls with the families. “How we mourn and feel sorrow over their loss.”Kirby added: “The president will be going to the dignified transfer on Friday.”The solemn ceremony marks the return of fallen service members to American soil as they journey to their final resting place, with silent honor guards carrying flag-draped transfer cases holding the remains from transport aircraft to military vehicles.The Pentagon identified those killed in the attack as Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia. The Army Reserve announced on Tuesday that it had posthumously promoted Sanders and Moffett to the rank of sergeant.There have been a total of 166 attacks on U.S. military installations since Oct. 18, including 67 in Iraq, 98 in Syria and now one in Jordan, a U.S. military official said. On Tuesday, Al-Asad Air Base in Western Iraq was targeted again by a single rocket, but there was no damage and no injuries in that attack, a U.S. military official said. The three soldiers killed in the Jordan strike were the first U.S. military fatalities in the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out. One contractor has also died as the result of a heart attack after a strike on Al-Asad in December.In 2021, Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-biden-troops-killed-509f29aaca012ee8e83871d2c03384bf">attended the dignified transfer</a>&nbsp;of the remains of 13 troops killed in a suicide attack during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.Separately, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany said it expected to receive 3 U.S. service members who were injured in the drone attack, including one listed in critical, but stable, condition. The Pentagon has said at least 40 troops were injured alongside the three killed in action.—

🎥Biden decides how to respond to deadly attack by Iran-backed terrorists 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — About 1,000 engineers and conductors who work for Norfolk Southern will soon be able to report safety concerns anonymously through a federal system without any fear of discipline.

Norfolk Southern is the first of the six major freight railroads to follow through on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-safety-ohio-derailment-hazardous-materials-74d7aec638500c52d1eb9fda0acf9f26">promises</a>&nbsp;made in the wake of last year's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-ohio-evacuations-fires-5d399dc745f51ef746e22828083d8591">fiery eastern Ohio derailment</a>&nbsp;to join the Federal Railroad Administration's program. The one-year pilot agreement is limited to members of just two unions who work in Atlanta, Georgia; Elkhart, Indiana; and Roanoke, Virginia.

But federal officials who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rail-accidents-transportation-pete-buttigieg-ohio-pennsylvania-f1cd9d79cdd66b1f45d1dcdf1e53ff58">urged the railroads</a>&nbsp;to do more to improve safety touted the agreement Monday as a breakthrough coming just days before Saturday's one-year anniversary of the disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that prompted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/air-quality-evacuations-fires-pennsylvania-ohio-50644fb91216cf775e4a356e4f21cb9b">temporary evacuations</a>, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/norfolk-southern-fourth-quarter-profit-derailment-ohio-9e6d48eac14f7bed075a6ae5c096f2fe">$1 billion and counting</a>&nbsp;cleanup and lingering questions about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-contamination-fears-brockovich-fc68b402096a4f5f8598a657f7e399f8">long-term health consequences</a>&nbsp;for residents in the area near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.

“Norfolk Southern has taken a good first step, and it’s time for the other Class I railroads to back up their talk with action and make good on their promises to join this close call reporting system and keep America’s rail network safe,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.

The major freight railroads have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-safety-derailments-anonymous-hotline-dc509efa21aa51554078998964ba4ea6">resisted joining</a>&nbsp;the anonymous reporting system because they wanted the ability to discipline workers who use the hotline in certain circumstances. The Association of American Railroads trade group has said railroads were worried that the system could be abused by workers who try to avoid discipline by reporting situations a railroad already knows about.

Unions and workplace safety experts countered that the idea of disciplining workers who report safety concerns undermines the entire purpose of such a hotline because workers won’t use it if they fear retribution. Experts say programs like the one overseen by the Federal Railroad Administration are especially important in industries like railroads where there is a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/freight-railroad-whistleblowers-safety-derailments-3cd9619350bacc9c7c01c9a1910f3435">long history</a>&nbsp;of workers being fired for reporting safety violations or injuries.

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw said he hopes his railroad's agreement to join the reporting system will set an example for the rest of the industry. Shaw has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/norfolk-southern-derailment-east-palestine-73d273f88147b30ea53caf3d2b23f669">focused</a>&nbsp;on improving safety and service at Norfolk Southern ever since the East Palestine derailment.

“NS is proud to partner with our labor leaders and FRA to make another industry-leading advancement in safety,” Shaw said.

Officials with the unions that signed onto the deal — the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers — praised the agreement and urged the other major freight railroads to join.

“For far too long the large railroads and their trade association, The Association of American Railroads, have paid lip service to safety,” BLET First Vice President Mark Wallace said. “The AAR prefers to spend millions of dollars on television commercials bragging about safety while backtracking on safety agreements.”

Amtrak and several dozen small railroads use the government reporting program, but none of the big freight railroads have signed on to it so only about 32,000 rail workers are covered. The big freight railroads, which include Union Pacific, CSX, Canadian National, CPKC and BNSF, collectively employ more than 100,000.

The railroads have said part of why they resisted joining the federal program is because they believe their own internal reporting systems are sufficient. But railroad unions have consistently said workers are reluctant to use the railroads’ own safety hotlines because they fear retribution.

The head of the SMART-TD conductors' union Jeremy Ferguson said this agreement at Norfolk Southern “will allow our members to speak up when they see unsafe conditions without fear of negative repercussions.”

The railroad trade group has said that a similar safety hotline used in the aviation industry allows workers to be disciplined if they report the same safety violation more than once in a five-year period. The railroads have been pushing for a similar rule for their industry.

“Railroads have been clear about their commitment to enhance and join C3RS (the FRA's Confidential Close Call Reporting System),” AAR spokeswoman Jessica Kahanek said. “This commitment remains unchanged.”

But FRA Administrator Amit Bose said it's time for the railroads to move beyond promises and take action to join the program.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — About 1,000 engineers and conductors who work for Norfolk Southern will soon be able to report safety concerns anonymously through a federal system without any fear of discipline.Norfolk Southern is the first of the six major freight railroads to follow through on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-safety-ohio-derailment-hazardous-materials-74d7aec638500c52d1eb9fda0acf9f26">promises</a>&nbsp;made in the wake of last year's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-ohio-evacuations-fires-5d399dc745f51ef746e22828083d8591">fiery eastern Ohio derailment</a>&nbsp;to join the Federal Railroad Administration's program. The one-year pilot agreement is limited to members of just two unions who work in Atlanta, Georgia; Elkhart, Indiana; and Roanoke, Virginia.But federal officials who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rail-accidents-transportation-pete-buttigieg-ohio-pennsylvania-f1cd9d79cdd66b1f45d1dcdf1e53ff58">urged the railroads</a>&nbsp;to do more to improve safety touted the agreement Monday as a breakthrough coming just days before Saturday's one-year anniversary of the disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that prompted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/air-quality-evacuations-fires-pennsylvania-ohio-50644fb91216cf775e4a356e4f21cb9b">temporary evacuations</a>, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/norfolk-southern-fourth-quarter-profit-derailment-ohio-9e6d48eac14f7bed075a6ae5c096f2fe">$1 billion and counting</a>&nbsp;cleanup and lingering questions about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-contamination-fears-brockovich-fc68b402096a4f5f8598a657f7e399f8">long-term health consequences</a>&nbsp;for residents in the area near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.“Norfolk Southern has taken a good first step, and it’s time for the other Class I railroads to back up their talk with action and make good on their promises to join this close call reporting system and keep America’s rail network safe,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.The major freight railroads have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-safety-derailments-anonymous-hotline-dc509efa21aa51554078998964ba4ea6">resisted joining</a>&nbsp;the anonymous reporting system because they wanted the ability to discipline workers who use the hotline in certain circumstances. The Association of American Railroads trade group has said railroads were worried that the system could be abused by workers who try to avoid discipline by reporting situations a railroad already knows about.Unions and workplace safety experts countered that the idea of disciplining workers who report safety concerns undermines the entire purpose of such a hotline because workers won’t use it if they fear retribution. Experts say programs like the one overseen by the Federal Railroad Administration are especially important in industries like railroads where there is a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/freight-railroad-whistleblowers-safety-derailments-3cd9619350bacc9c7c01c9a1910f3435">long history</a>&nbsp;of workers being fired for reporting safety violations or injuries.Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw said he hopes his railroad's agreement to join the reporting system will set an example for the rest of the industry. Shaw has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/norfolk-southern-derailment-east-palestine-73d273f88147b30ea53caf3d2b23f669">focused</a>&nbsp;on improving safety and service at Norfolk Southern ever since the East Palestine derailment.“NS is proud to partner with our labor leaders and FRA to make another industry-leading advancement in safety,” Shaw said.Officials with the unions that signed onto the deal — the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers — praised the agreement and urged the other major freight railroads to join.“For far too long the large railroads and their trade association, The Association of American Railroads, have paid lip service to safety,” BLET First Vice President Mark Wallace said. “The AAR prefers to spend millions of dollars on television commercials bragging about safety while backtracking on safety agreements.”Amtrak and several dozen small railroads use the government reporting program, but none of the big freight railroads have signed on to it so only about 32,000 rail workers are covered. The big freight railroads, which include Union Pacific, CSX, Canadian National, CPKC and BNSF, collectively employ more than 100,000.The railroads have said part of why they resisted joining the federal program is because they believe their own internal reporting systems are sufficient. But railroad unions have consistently said workers are reluctant to use the railroads’ own safety hotlines because they fear retribution.The head of the SMART-TD conductors' union Jeremy Ferguson said this agreement at Norfolk Southern “will allow our members to speak up when they see unsafe conditions without fear of negative repercussions.”The railroad trade group has said that a similar safety hotline used in the aviation industry allows workers to be disciplined if they report the same safety violation more than once in a five-year period. The railroads have been pushing for a similar rule for their industry.“Railroads have been clear about their commitment to enhance and join C3RS (the FRA's Confidential Close Call Reporting System),” AAR spokeswoman Jessica Kahanek said. “This commitment remains unchanged.”But FRA Administrator Amit Bose said it's time for the railroads to move beyond promises and take action to join the program.

Norfolk Southern is 1st big freight railway to let workers use anonymous federal safety hotline

NEW YORK (AP) — Chita Rivera, the dynamic dancer, singer and actress who garnered 10 Tony nominations, winning twice, in a long Broadway career that forged a path for Latina artists and shrugged off a near-fatal car accident, died Tuesday. She was 91.

Rivera's death was announced by her daughter, Lisa Mordente, who said she died in New York after a brief illness.

Rivera first gained wide notice in 1957 as Anita in the original production of "West Side Story" and was still dancing on Broadway with her trademark energy a half-century later in 2015’s “The Visit.”

"I wouldn't know what to do if I wasn't moving or telling a story to you or singing a song," she told The Associated Press then. "That's the spirit of my life, and I'm really so lucky to be able to do what I love, even at this time in my life."

In August 2009, Rivera was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor the U.S. can give a civilian. Rivera put her hand over her heart and shook her head in wonderment as President Barack Obama presented the medal. In 2013, she was the marshal at the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City.

“She was a true Broadway legend,” playwright Paul Rudnick said on X, formerly Twitter. “She always delivered and audiences adored her. The moment she stepped onstage, the world became more exciting and glorious.”

Rivera rose from chorus girl to star, collaborating along the way with many of Broadway’s greatest talents, including Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Bob Fosse, Gower Champion, Michael Kidd, Harold Prince, Jack Cole, Peter Gennaro and John Kander and Fred Ebb.

She rebounded from a car accident in 1988 that crushed her right leg and became an indefatigable star on the road. She was on Broadway in a raucous production of “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” in 2012 and the chilly “The Visit” in 2014, earning another best actress Tony nomination.

“She can’t rehearse except for full-out,” said playwright Terrence McNally in 2005. “She can’t perform except for full-out, no matter what the size of the house. She’s going to be there 101% for that audience.”

She won Tonys for “The Rink” in 1984 and “Kiss of the Spider Woman” in 1993. When accepting a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018, she said “I wouldn’t trade my life in the theater for anything, because theater is life.”

She was nominated for the award seven other times, for “Bye Bye Birdie,” which opened in 1960; “Chicago,” 1975; "Bring Back Birdie,” 1981; “Merlin,” 1983; “Jerry’s Girls,” 1985; “Nine,” 2003; and “Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life,” 2005.

“I don’t think we have enough original musicals,” she told The Associated Press in 2012. “I know I’m being old fashioned, but the theater is the place where music, lyrics, words, scenery and stories come together. And I’ve been blessed enough to have done several shows when they really did. They take you places and they’re daring. That’s what we need.”

Her albums include 16 tracks pulled from her original cast recordings and put out as part of Sony’s Legends of Broadway series and two solo CDs — “And Now I Sing” for a tiny record label in the 1960s and “And Now I Swing” in 2009 for Yellow Sound Label.

In the 1993 musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” Rivera played the title role, a glamorous movie star at the center of the fantasy life of an inmate in a South American prison. The story, from a novel by Manuel Puig, had already been made into an Oscar-winning 1985 movie.

In his review, then-Associated Press drama critic Michael Kuchwara wrote that Rivera “is more than a musical theater star. She’s a force of nature — which is exactly what is needed for the role of the Spider Woman. With her Louise Brooks haircut, brassy voice and lithe dancer’s body, Rivera dominates the stage whenever she appears.”

In 1975, she originated the role of Velma Kelly (to Gwen Verdon’s Roxie Hart) in the original Broadway production of “Chicago.” Rivera had a small role in the 2002 film version, while Catherine Zeta-Jones won the best supporting actress Oscar as Velma — just as Rita Moreno had picked up an Oscar for her portrayal of Anita in “West Side Story.”

The songwriters for “Chicago,” Kander and Ebb, also wrote Rivera’s first Tony-winning performance, for “The Rink.” In winning the Tony for best actress in a musical, Rivera topped the show’s top star, Liza Minnelli, who also had been nominated. The two played a mother and daughter who struggle to rebuild their relationship after a long estrangement; the setting is an old-fashioned roller rink that has seen better days.

“Spider Woman” had been her first Broadway show since 1986, when she suffered a broken leg in the traffic accident while she was appearing in “Jerry’s Girls,” a Broadway tribute to the songs of Jerry Herman.

At the Tony awards a few weeks later, she flashed her cast and belted out “Put on a Happy Face” from the musical “Bye, Bye, Birdie.”

It took months of physical therapy to bring back her dancing skills. She told The Associated Press: “It never entered my mind that I wouldn’t dance again. Never. I can’t explain to you why. It’s hard work getting back but that’s what I’m doing.”

Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero was born Jan. 23, 1933, in Washington, D.C. Her Puerto Rican father, Pedro del Rivero, was a musician who played in the United States Navy Band, who died when she was 7. Her mother was Scottish and Italian descent.

She took dance classes and then entered the prestigious School of American Ballet in New York. Her first theater gig, at age 17, was in the touring company of “Call Me Madam.” That led to chorus stints in such shows as “Guys and Dolls” and “Can-Can.”

In her 2023 memoir, “Chita: A Memoir,” another woman steals scene after scene: her self-proclaimed alter ego, Dolores. Unapologetic and fiery, Dolores was the unfiltered version of Chita and served as motivation in times of self-doubt. In one chapter, Rivera writes that she doesn’t read reviews “or Dolores just might invest in a dozen voodoo dolls.”

“I consist of — and I think we all do — I consist of two people: Dolores and Conchita,” Rivera sain in an interview with the AP that year. “Conchita, she’s the one that has been taking all the glory, you know. She’s been doing all the shows, but Dolores is the one that’s pushed her into it. And she’s been keeping me on track, so I listen to Dolores. I listen to her. She’s growing in my head now as we speak.”

Among other early appearances on the New York stage were roles in “The Shoestring Revue,” 1955; a 1955 musical version of “Seventh Heaven” starring Ricardo Montalban; and “Mr. Wonderful,” a 1956 show starring Sammy Davis Jr.

“I can’t believe that I’ve been given the gift to look back and relive my life,” she told The Associated Press shortly before “The Dancer’s Life” opened on Broadway in late 2005. “It’s about how anybody can do it — if you really believe it, you have the good fortune, you do all the right things and you really work hard.”

Rivera, who had a relationship with the now-deceased Davis, married fellow “West Side Story” performer Tony Mordente in 1957. The marriage ended in divorce. Their daughter, Lisa Mordente, also became a performer who occasionally appeared on Broadway, garnering a Tony nomination in 1982 for “Marlowe.”

“Our hearts go out to everyone who loved her,” GLAAD said in a statement. “Rivera spent much of her long career advocating for LGBTQ people and people living with HIV and AIDS.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706643832440.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Chita Rivera, the dynamic dancer, singer and actress who garnered 10 Tony nominations, winning twice, in a long Broadway career that forged a path for Latina artists and shrugged off a near-fatal car accident, died Tuesday. She was 91.Rivera's death was announced by her daughter, Lisa Mordente, who said she died in New York after a brief illness.Rivera first gained wide notice in 1957 as Anita in the original production of "West Side Story" and was still dancing on Broadway with her trademark energy a half-century later in 2015’s “The Visit.”"I wouldn't know what to do if I wasn't moving or telling a story to you or singing a song," she told The Associated Press then. "That's the spirit of my life, and I'm really so lucky to be able to do what I love, even at this time in my life."In August 2009, Rivera was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor the U.S. can give a civilian. Rivera put her hand over her heart and shook her head in wonderment as President Barack Obama presented the medal. In 2013, she was the marshal at the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City.“She was a true Broadway legend,” playwright Paul Rudnick said on X, formerly Twitter. “She always delivered and audiences adored her. The moment she stepped onstage, the world became more exciting and glorious.”Rivera rose from chorus girl to star, collaborating along the way with many of Broadway’s greatest talents, including Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Bob Fosse, Gower Champion, Michael Kidd, Harold Prince, Jack Cole, Peter Gennaro and John Kander and Fred Ebb.She rebounded from a car accident in 1988 that crushed her right leg and became an indefatigable star on the road. She was on Broadway in a raucous production of “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” in 2012 and the chilly “The Visit” in 2014, earning another best actress Tony nomination.“She can’t rehearse except for full-out,” said playwright Terrence McNally in 2005. “She can’t perform except for full-out, no matter what the size of the house. She’s going to be there 101% for that audience.”She won Tonys for “The Rink” in 1984 and “Kiss of the Spider Woman” in 1993. When accepting a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018, she said “I wouldn’t trade my life in the theater for anything, because theater is life.”She was nominated for the award seven other times, for “Bye Bye Birdie,” which opened in 1960; “Chicago,” 1975; "Bring Back Birdie,” 1981; “Merlin,” 1983; “Jerry’s Girls,” 1985; “Nine,” 2003; and “Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life,” 2005.“I don’t think we have enough original musicals,” she told The Associated Press in 2012. “I know I’m being old fashioned, but the theater is the place where music, lyrics, words, scenery and stories come together. And I’ve been blessed enough to have done several shows when they really did. They take you places and they’re daring. That’s what we need.”Her albums include 16 tracks pulled from her original cast recordings and put out as part of Sony’s Legends of Broadway series and two solo CDs — “And Now I Sing” for a tiny record label in the 1960s and “And Now I Swing” in 2009 for Yellow Sound Label.In the 1993 musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” Rivera played the title role, a glamorous movie star at the center of the fantasy life of an inmate in a South American prison. The story, from a novel by Manuel Puig, had already been made into an Oscar-winning 1985 movie.In his review, then-Associated Press drama critic Michael Kuchwara wrote that Rivera “is more than a musical theater star. She’s a force of nature — which is exactly what is needed for the role of the Spider Woman. With her Louise Brooks haircut, brassy voice and lithe dancer’s body, Rivera dominates the stage whenever she appears.”In 1975, she originated the role of Velma Kelly (to Gwen Verdon’s Roxie Hart) in the original Broadway production of “Chicago.” Rivera had a small role in the 2002 film version, while Catherine Zeta-Jones won the best supporting actress Oscar as Velma — just as Rita Moreno had picked up an Oscar for her portrayal of Anita in “West Side Story.”The songwriters for “Chicago,” Kander and Ebb, also wrote Rivera’s first Tony-winning performance, for “The Rink.” In winning the Tony for best actress in a musical, Rivera topped the show’s top star, Liza Minnelli, who also had been nominated. The two played a mother and daughter who struggle to rebuild their relationship after a long estrangement; the setting is an old-fashioned roller rink that has seen better days.“Spider Woman” had been her first Broadway show since 1986, when she suffered a broken leg in the traffic accident while she was appearing in “Jerry’s Girls,” a Broadway tribute to the songs of Jerry Herman.At the Tony awards a few weeks later, she flashed her cast and belted out “Put on a Happy Face” from the musical “Bye, Bye, Birdie.”It took months of physical therapy to bring back her dancing skills. She told The Associated Press: “It never entered my mind that I wouldn’t dance again. Never. I can’t explain to you why. It’s hard work getting back but that’s what I’m doing.”“My spirit is still there.”Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero was born Jan. 23, 1933, in Washington, D.C. Her Puerto Rican father, Pedro del Rivero, was a musician who played in the United States Navy Band, who died when she was 7. Her mother was Scottish and Italian descent.She took dance classes and then entered the prestigious School of American Ballet in New York. Her first theater gig, at age 17, was in the touring company of “Call Me Madam.” That led to chorus stints in such shows as “Guys and Dolls” and “Can-Can.”In her 2023 memoir, “Chita: A Memoir,” another woman steals scene after scene: her self-proclaimed alter ego, Dolores. Unapologetic and fiery, Dolores was the unfiltered version of Chita and served as motivation in times of self-doubt. In one chapter, Rivera writes that she doesn’t read reviews “or Dolores just might invest in a dozen voodoo dolls.”“I consist of — and I think we all do — I consist of two people: Dolores and Conchita,” Rivera sain in an interview with the AP that year. “Conchita, she’s the one that has been taking all the glory, you know. She’s been doing all the shows, but Dolores is the one that’s pushed her into it. And she’s been keeping me on track, so I listen to Dolores. I listen to her. She’s growing in my head now as we speak.”Among other early appearances on the New York stage were roles in “The Shoestring Revue,” 1955; a 1955 musical version of “Seventh Heaven” starring Ricardo Montalban; and “Mr. Wonderful,” a 1956 show starring Sammy Davis Jr.“I can’t believe that I’ve been given the gift to look back and relive my life,” she told The Associated Press shortly before “The Dancer’s Life” opened on Broadway in late 2005. “It’s about how anybody can do it — if you really believe it, you have the good fortune, you do all the right things and you really work hard.”Rivera, who had a relationship with the now-deceased Davis, married fellow “West Side Story” performer Tony Mordente in 1957. The marriage ended in divorce. Their daughter, Lisa Mordente, also became a performer who occasionally appeared on Broadway, garnering a Tony nomination in 1982 for “Marlowe.”“Our hearts go out to everyone who loved her,” GLAAD said in a statement. “Rivera spent much of her long career advocating for LGBTQ people and people living with HIV and AIDS.”

Chita Rivera, revered Tony-winning dancer and singer, dead at 91

NEW YORK (AP) — According to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a>, the first human received an implant from his computer-brain interface company Neuralink over the weekend.

In a Monday&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1752098683024220632">post on X</a>, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Musk said that the patient received the implant the day prior and was “recovering well.” He added that “initial results show promising neuron spike detection.”

The billionaire, who co-founded Neuralink, did not provide additional details about the patient. When Neuralink announced in September that it would begin recruiting people, the company said it was searching for individuals with quadriplegia due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Neuralink is one of many groups working on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pain-management-pittsburgh-stroke-health-198f8bdfc5803ef3594e9916685fe739">linking the nervous system to computers</a>, efforts aimed at helping treat brain disorders, overcoming brain injuries and other applications. There are more than&nbsp;<a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=brain+computer+interface&amp;Search=Apply&amp;recrs=b&amp;recrs=a&amp;recrs=f&amp;recrs=d&amp;age_v=&amp;gndr=&amp;type=&amp;rslt=">40 brain computer interface trials</a>&nbsp;underway, according to clinicaltrials.gov.

Neuralink reposted Musk's Monday post on X, but did not publish any additional statements acknowledging the human implant. The company did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' requests for comment Tuesday.

Neuralink&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-neuralink-brain-computer-interface-7e80956022b1d8f31ee24ed7c1fe1138">previously announced</a>&nbsp;that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had approved its “investigational device exemption,” which generally allows a sponsor to begin a clinical study “in patients who fit the inclusion criteria,” the FDA said Tuesday. The agency pointed out that it can’t confirm or disclose information about a particular study of this kind.

Neuralink’s device is about the size of a large coin and is designed to be implanted in the skull, with ultra-thin wires going directly into the brain. In its September announcement, Neuralink said the wires would be surgically placed in a region of the brain that controls movement intention. The initial goal of the so-called brain computer interface is to give people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts alone.

In a separate Monday&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1752118131579867417">post on X</a>, Musk said that the first Neuralink product is called “Telepathy” — which, he said, will enable users to control their phones or computers “just by thinking.” He added that intial users would be those who have lost use of their limbs.

It’s unclear how well this device or similar interfaces will ultimately work, or how safe they might be. Clinical trials are designed to collect data on safety and effectiveness.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706630950527.png" alt="In September Elon Musk met with U.S. Senators on artificial Intelligence-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>In September Elon Musk met with U.S. Senators on artificial Intelligence-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — According to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a>, the first human received an implant from his computer-brain interface company Neuralink over the weekend.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The first human received an implant from <a href="https://twitter.com/neuralink?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Neuralink</a> yesterday and is recovering well. Initial results show promising neuron spike detection.&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1752098683024220632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In a Monday&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1752098683024220632">post on X</a>, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Musk said that the patient received the implant the day prior and was “recovering well.” He added that “initial results show promising neuron spike detection.”The billionaire, who co-founded Neuralink, did not provide additional details about the patient. When Neuralink announced in September that it would begin recruiting people, the company said it was searching for individuals with quadriplegia due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.Neuralink is one of many groups working on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pain-management-pittsburgh-stroke-health-198f8bdfc5803ef3594e9916685fe739">linking the nervous system to computers</a>, efforts aimed at helping treat brain disorders, overcoming brain injuries and other applications. There are more than&nbsp;<a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=brain+computer+interface&amp;Search=Apply&amp;recrs=b&amp;recrs=a&amp;recrs=f&amp;recrs=d&amp;age_v=&amp;gndr=&amp;type=&amp;rslt=">40 brain computer interface trials</a>&nbsp;underway, according to clinicaltrials.gov.Neuralink reposted Musk's Monday post on X, but did not publish any additional statements acknowledging the human implant. The company did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' requests for comment Tuesday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The first <a href="https://twitter.com/neuralink?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Neuralink</a> product is called Telepathy&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1752118131579867417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Neuralink&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-neuralink-brain-computer-interface-7e80956022b1d8f31ee24ed7c1fe1138">previously announced</a>&nbsp;that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had approved its “investigational device exemption,” which generally allows a sponsor to begin a clinical study “in patients who fit the inclusion criteria,” the FDA said Tuesday. The agency pointed out that it can’t confirm or disclose information about a particular study of this kind.Neuralink’s device is about the size of a large coin and is designed to be implanted in the skull, with ultra-thin wires going directly into the brain. In its September announcement, Neuralink said the wires would be surgically placed in a region of the brain that controls movement intention. The initial goal of the so-called brain computer interface is to give people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts alone.In a separate Monday&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1752118131579867417">post on X</a>, Musk said that the first Neuralink product is called “Telepathy” — which, he said, will enable users to control their phones or computers “just by thinking.” He added that intial users would be those who have lost use of their limbs.It’s unclear how well this device or similar interfaces will ultimately work, or how safe they might be. Clinical trials are designed to collect data on safety and effectiveness.

Elon Musk: Neuralink implants computer brain chip in first human

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>, State's Newsroom

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on March 26 in the case that could significantly curtail access to a prescription drug used for both abortions and miscarriage care.

The case centers on when and how patients can access mifepristone, a pharmaceutical the U.S. Food and Drug Administration originally approved in 2000.

Mifepristone is currently approved for use up to 10 weeks gestation and accounts for more than half of abortions in the United States when used in combination with a second pharmaceutical called misoprostol.

Doctors also often use the two-drug regimen to provide treatment following a miscarriage.

The original lawsuit, brought by the anti-abortion legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom, asked the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas to overturn the FDA’s original approval of mifepristone.

If the judge didn’t agree to that, the organization requested the court revert prescribing and dosage of mifepristone to what was in place before the FDA began implementing changes in 2016.

Judge Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://newsfromthestates.com/article/us-justice-department-ask-supreme-court-reject-limits-access-abortion-pill-1">stayed the FDA’s original approval of mifepristone</a>&nbsp;in an April 2023 ruling that was later put on hold by the U.S. Supreme Court pending appeal.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals heard<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/three-judge-panel-us-appeals-court-hears-arguments-abortion-pill-case">&nbsp;oral arguments</a>&nbsp;in May 2023 before&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/abortion-pill-stay-market-until-us-supreme-court-ruling-after-appeals-court-order-0">issuing its ruling</a>&nbsp;a few months later, in August.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680967457500.png" alt="Photo AP" />
 <figcaption>Photo AP</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>, State's NewsroomWASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on March 26 in the case that could significantly curtail access to a prescription drug used for both abortions and miscarriage care.The case centers on when and how patients can access mifepristone, a pharmaceutical the U.S. Food and Drug Administration originally approved in 2000.Mifepristone is currently approved for use up to 10 weeks gestation and accounts for more than half of abortions in the United States when used in combination with a second pharmaceutical called misoprostol.Doctors also often use the two-drug regimen to provide treatment following a miscarriage.<h2>Lawsuit history</h2>The original lawsuit, brought by the anti-abortion legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom, asked the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas to overturn the FDA’s original approval of mifepristone.If the judge didn’t agree to that, the organization requested the court revert prescribing and dosage of mifepristone to what was in place before the FDA began implementing changes in 2016.Judge Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://newsfromthestates.com/article/us-justice-department-ask-supreme-court-reject-limits-access-abortion-pill-1">stayed the FDA’s original approval of mifepristone</a>&nbsp;in an April 2023 ruling that was later put on hold by the U.S. Supreme Court pending appeal.The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals heard<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/three-judge-panel-us-appeals-court-hears-arguments-abortion-pill-case">&nbsp;oral arguments</a>&nbsp;in May 2023 before&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/abortion-pill-stay-market-until-us-supreme-court-ruling-after-appeals-court-order-0">issuing its ruling</a>&nbsp;a few months later, in August.That three-judge panel said that mifepristone could remain legal in the United States, but that prescribing and dosage guidelines should go back to what was used before changes began taking effect in 2016. That ruling is on hold pending the Supreme Court’s decision in this case.That ruling, should it ever take effect, would lower the maximum gestational age from 10 weeks to seven weeks and remove the option for mifepristone to be prescribed via telehealth appointments and mailed to patients’ homes.Patients would once again be required to attend three in-person doctor’s office visits to complete a medication abortion.Only doctors would be able to prescribe mifepristone, instead of health care providers who are authorized to prescribe medications.Dosage and timing of mifepristone and the second drug used in medication abortion, misoprostol, would need to be administered under guidelines that went out of use more than seven years ago.<h2>Briefs filed</h2>Dozens of medical organizations and pharmaceutical groups have filed briefs with the Supreme Court, urging it to decide one way or another.The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America wrote in its&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-235/284838/20231012134701542_PhRMA%20Amicus%20Br.%20ISO%20Petitioners.pdf">28-page brief&nbsp;</a>that if the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling is left in place it “could invite boundless litigation to FDA drug approvals.”“Congress created an FDA approval process that is both rigorous and thorough, and pharmaceutical companies invest billions of dollars in research and development to meet FDA’s scientific standards,” they wrote.If the appeals court’s ruling is allowed to take effect, they wrote, it “threatens to stifle pharmaceutical innovation by disrupting industry’s reasonable investment-backed expectations.”Several medical organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association, wrote in a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-235/284910/20231012165311306_Amicus%20Brief%20of%20American%20College%20of%20Obstetricians%20and%20Gynecologists%20et%20al..pdf">36-page brief&nbsp;</a>to the Supreme Court that “[n]o patient should be denied treatment for miscarriage or other early pregnancy loss because of Respondents’ hypothetical fears or personal beliefs.”When it comes to abortion access, they wrote that patients “in states where abortion remains legal and protected should not be denied the ability to safely and privately seek to exercise that right through safe and effective medication abortion.”“Restricting access to mifepristone — the safety of which is proven by decades of rigorous scientific study and millions of uses — in ways that are not medically necessary or scientifically sound would seriously increase risk for hundreds of thousands of patients, while protecting none,” they wrote.“For already vulnerable populations (particularly those living in areas with limited access to OB/GYN care) the rollback approved by the Fifth Circuit promises to be especially devastating and to further perpetuate racial and socioeconomic inequalities,” they added.Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Erin Hawley said in a written statement released last week that she urged “the Supreme Court to hold the FDA accountable and require the agency to reinstate its safety standards.”