WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday to block and regulate high-tech U.S.-based investments going toward&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-biden-xi-jinping-dictator-c1fe17f72e2d37fcc840575eea1b78d2">China</a>&nbsp;— a move the administration said was targeted but it also reflected an intensifying competition between the world's two biggest powers.

The order covers advanced computer chips, micro electronics, quantum information technologies and artificial intelligence. Senior administration officials said that the effort stemmed from national security goals rather than economic interests, and that the categories it covered were intentionally narrow in scope. The order seeks to blunt China's ability to use U.S. investments in its technology companies to upgrade its military while also preserving broader levels of trade that are vital for both nations' economies.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce responded in a statement early Thursday that it has “serious concern” about the order and “reserves the right to take measures.”

The United States and China appear to be increasingly locked in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-united-states-government-china-18398dd629fa6b4d5d93a439e003cb11">geopolitical competition</a>&nbsp;with a conflicting set of values. Biden administration officials have insisted that they have no interest in “decoupling” from China, yet the U.S. also has limited the export of advanced computer chips and kept the expanded tariffs set up by President Donald Trump. And in its response, China accused the U.S. of “using the cover of ‘risk reduction’ to carry out ‘decoupling and chain-breaking.’” China has engaged in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-foreign-business-crackdown-349cf4e894fef93c9fd150ac1242bfb1">crackdowns</a>&nbsp;on foreign companies.

Biden has suggested that China's economy is struggling and its global ambitions have been tempered as the U.S. has reenergized its alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia and the European Union. The administration consulted with allies and industry in shaping the executive order.

“Worry about China, but don’t worry about China,” Biden told donors at a June fundraising event in California.

The officials previewing the order said that China has exploited U.S. investments to support the development of weapons and modernize its military. The new limits were tailored not to disrupt China's economy, but they would complement the export controls on advanced computer chips from last year that led to pushback by Chinese officials. The Treasury Department, which would monitor the investments, will announce a proposed rulemaking with definitions that would conform to the presidential order and go through a public comment process.

The goals of the order would be to have investors notify the U.S. government about certain types of transactions with China as well as to place prohibitions on some investments. Officials said the order is focused on areas such as private equity, venture capital and joint partnerships in which the investments could possibly give countries of concern such as China additional knowledge and military capabilities.

J. Philip Ludvigson, a lawyer and former Treasury official, said the order was an initial framework that could be expanded over time.

“The executive order issued today really represents the start of a conversation between the U.S. government and industry regarding the details of the ultimate screening regime," Ludvigson said. “While the executive order is limited initially to semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and artificial intelligence, it explicitly provides for a future broadening to other sectors."

The issue is also a bipartisan priority. In July by a vote of 91-6, the Senate added as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act requirements to monitor and limit investments in countries of concern, including China.

Yet reaction to Biden's order on Wednesday showed a desire to push harder on China. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., said the order was an “essential step forward," but it “cannot be the final step.” Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Biden should been more aggressive, saying, “we have to stop all U.S. investment in China’s critical technology and military companies — period.”

Biden has called Chinese President Xi Jinping a “dictator” in the aftermath of the U.S. shooting down a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-united-states-government-china-18398dd629fa6b4d5d93a439e003cb11">spy balloon</a>&nbsp;from China that floated over the United States. Taiwan's status has been a source of tension, with Biden saying that China had become coercive regarding its independence.

China has supported Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, though Biden has noted that the friendship has not extended to the shipment of weapons.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it met a number of times with the White House and federal agencies as the order was being prepared and said its goal during the comment period will be “to ensure the measure is targeted and administrable.”

U.S. officials have long signaled the coming executive order on investing in China, but it's unclear whether financial markets will regard it as a tapered step or a continued escalation of tensions at a fragile moment.

“The message it sends to the market may be far more decisive,” said Elaine Dezenski, a senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "U.S. and multinational companies are already reexamining the risks of investing in China. Beijing’s so-called ‘national security’ and ‘anti-espionage’ laws that curb routine and necessary corporate due diligence and compliance were already having a chilling effect on U.S. foreign direct investment. That chilling now risks turning into a deep freeze.”

In its statement, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said the executive order “seriously deviates from the market economy and fair competition principles the United States has always advocated. It affects the normal business decisions of enterprises, disrupts the international economic and trade order and seriously disrupts the security of global industrial and supply chains.”

China's strong economic growth has stumbled coming out of pandemic lockdowns. On Wednesday, its National Bureau of Statistics reported a 0.3% decline in consumer prices in July from a year ago. That level of deflation points to a lack of consumer demand in China that could hamper growth.

Separately, foreign direct investment into China fell 89% from a year earlier in the second quarter of this year to $4.9 billion, according to data released by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

Most foreign investment is believed to be brought in by Chinese companies and disguised as foreign money to get tax breaks and other benefits, according to Chinese researchers.

However, foreign business groups say global companies also are shifting investment plans to other economies.

Foreign companies have lost confidence in China following tighter security controls and a lack of action on reform promises. Calls by Xi and other leaders for more economic self-reliance have left investors uneasy about their future in the state-dominated economy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691616065590.png" alt="Biden at the Grand Canyon on Wednesday-White House image" />
 <figcaption>Biden at the Grand Canyon on Wednesday-White House image</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday to block and regulate high-tech U.S.-based investments going toward&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-biden-xi-jinping-dictator-c1fe17f72e2d37fcc840575eea1b78d2">China</a>&nbsp;— a move the administration said was targeted but it also reflected an intensifying competition between the world's two biggest powers.The order covers advanced computer chips, micro electronics, quantum information technologies and artificial intelligence. Senior administration officials said that the effort stemmed from national security goals rather than economic interests, and that the categories it covered were intentionally narrow in scope. The order seeks to blunt China's ability to use U.S. investments in its technology companies to upgrade its military while also preserving broader levels of trade that are vital for both nations' economies.The Chinese Ministry of Commerce responded in a statement early Thursday that it has “serious concern” about the order and “reserves the right to take measures.”The United States and China appear to be increasingly locked in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-united-states-government-china-18398dd629fa6b4d5d93a439e003cb11">geopolitical competition</a>&nbsp;with a conflicting set of values. Biden administration officials have insisted that they have no interest in “decoupling” from China, yet the U.S. also has limited the export of advanced computer chips and kept the expanded tariffs set up by President Donald Trump. And in its response, China accused the U.S. of “using the cover of ‘risk reduction’ to carry out ‘decoupling and chain-breaking.’” China has engaged in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-foreign-business-crackdown-349cf4e894fef93c9fd150ac1242bfb1">crackdowns</a>&nbsp;on foreign companies.Biden has suggested that China's economy is struggling and its global ambitions have been tempered as the U.S. has reenergized its alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia and the European Union. The administration consulted with allies and industry in shaping the executive order.“Worry about China, but don’t worry about China,” Biden told donors at a June fundraising event in California.The officials previewing the order said that China has exploited U.S. investments to support the development of weapons and modernize its military. The new limits were tailored not to disrupt China's economy, but they would complement the export controls on advanced computer chips from last year that led to pushback by Chinese officials. The Treasury Department, which would monitor the investments, will announce a proposed rulemaking with definitions that would conform to the presidential order and go through a public comment process.The goals of the order would be to have investors notify the U.S. government about certain types of transactions with China as well as to place prohibitions on some investments. Officials said the order is focused on areas such as private equity, venture capital and joint partnerships in which the investments could possibly give countries of concern such as China additional knowledge and military capabilities.J. Philip Ludvigson, a lawyer and former Treasury official, said the order was an initial framework that could be expanded over time.“The executive order issued today really represents the start of a conversation between the U.S. government and industry regarding the details of the ultimate screening regime," Ludvigson said. “While the executive order is limited initially to semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and artificial intelligence, it explicitly provides for a future broadening to other sectors."The issue is also a bipartisan priority. In July by a vote of 91-6, the Senate added as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act requirements to monitor and limit investments in countries of concern, including China.Yet reaction to Biden's order on Wednesday showed a desire to push harder on China. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., said the order was an “essential step forward," but it “cannot be the final step.” Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Biden should been more aggressive, saying, “we have to stop all U.S. investment in China’s critical technology and military companies — period.”Biden has called Chinese President Xi Jinping a “dictator” in the aftermath of the U.S. shooting down a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-united-states-government-china-18398dd629fa6b4d5d93a439e003cb11">spy balloon</a>&nbsp;from China that floated over the United States. Taiwan's status has been a source of tension, with Biden saying that China had become coercive regarding its independence.China has supported Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, though Biden has noted that the friendship has not extended to the shipment of weapons.The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it met a number of times with the White House and federal agencies as the order was being prepared and said its goal during the comment period will be “to ensure the measure is targeted and administrable.”U.S. officials have long signaled the coming executive order on investing in China, but it's unclear whether financial markets will regard it as a tapered step or a continued escalation of tensions at a fragile moment.“The message it sends to the market may be far more decisive,” said Elaine Dezenski, a senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "U.S. and multinational companies are already reexamining the risks of investing in China. Beijing’s so-called ‘national security’ and ‘anti-espionage’ laws that curb routine and necessary corporate due diligence and compliance were already having a chilling effect on U.S. foreign direct investment. That chilling now risks turning into a deep freeze.”In its statement, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said the executive order “seriously deviates from the market economy and fair competition principles the United States has always advocated. It affects the normal business decisions of enterprises, disrupts the international economic and trade order and seriously disrupts the security of global industrial and supply chains.”China's strong economic growth has stumbled coming out of pandemic lockdowns. On Wednesday, its National Bureau of Statistics reported a 0.3% decline in consumer prices in July from a year ago. That level of deflation points to a lack of consumer demand in China that could hamper growth.Separately, foreign direct investment into China fell 89% from a year earlier in the second quarter of this year to $4.9 billion, according to data released by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.Most foreign investment is believed to be brought in by Chinese companies and disguised as foreign money to get tax breaks and other benefits, according to Chinese researchers.However, foreign business groups say global companies also are shifting investment plans to other economies.Foreign companies have lost confidence in China following tighter security controls and a lack of action on reform promises. Calls by Xi and other leaders for more economic self-reliance have left investors uneasy about their future in the state-dominated economy.___

China slams Biden’s order limiting U.S. overseas tech investment

PROVO, Utah (AP) — An armed Utah man accused of making threats against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-factory-jobs-new-mexico-manufacturing-renaissance-95700c62f45c3a69b03e550ebdcfa01b">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;was shot and killed by FBI agents hours before the president was expected to land in the state Wednesday, authorities said.

Special agents were trying to serve a warrant on the home of Craig Deleeuw Robertson in Provo, south of Salt Lake City, when the shooting happened at 6:15 a.m., the FBI said in a statement.

Robertson was armed at the time of the shooting, according to two law enforcement sources who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of an ongoing investigation.

Robertson posted online Monday that he had heard Biden was coming to Utah and he was planning to dig out a camouflage suit and “clean the dust off the m24 sniper rifle," according to court documents.

In another post, Robertson refers to himself as a “MAGA Trumper," a reference to former President Donald Trump's “Make America Great Again” slogan.

The posts indicated he did appear to own a long-range sniper rifle and numerous other weapons, as well as camouflage gear known as a “ghillie suit," investigators said in court records. Robertson was charged under seal Tuesday with three felony counts, including making threats against the president, court documents show.

Robertson also referenced a “presidential assassination” and made a long list of other online threats, including against top law enforcement officials overseeing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-investigations-other-charges-b8b064a00caad4306fb54d2f6a320468">court cases against Trump</a>: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

“The time is right for a presidential assassination or two. First Joe then Kamala!!!” authorities say Robertson wrote in a September 2022 Facebook post included in the filings. No attorney was immediately listed for Robertson in court documents.

No further details were immediately released about the shooting, which is under review by the FBI.

At the Provo house where the confrontation apparently took place and which is connected with Robertson through public records, law enforcement could be seen Wednesday going in and out and removing items.

A broken window could be seen next to the door and the blinds inside were askew.

The road leading to the house was blocked by police.

The house is just up the street from a meeting house of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with the Wasatch Mountains rising in the background.

Robertson had a custom woodworking business but did not renew his license after it expired last year, according to state records. On LinkedIn, Robertson said he worked for 45 years as a structural steel and welding inspector before retiring and starting his business, saying he specialized in “custom designs."

Biden is in the middle of a trip to the Western United States. He spent Wednesday in New Mexico, where he spoke at a factory that will produce wind towers, and is scheduled to fly to Utah later in the day.

On Thursday, he’s expected to visit a Veterans Affairs hospital to talk about the PACT Act, which expanded veterans benefits, and hold a reelection fundraiser.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691617796283.png" alt="President Biden speaking at an event in New Mexico Wednesday afternoon-White House image" />
 <figcaption>President Biden speaking at an event in New Mexico Wednesday afternoon-White House image</figcaption>
 </figure>PROVO, Utah (AP) — An armed Utah man accused of making threats against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-factory-jobs-new-mexico-manufacturing-renaissance-95700c62f45c3a69b03e550ebdcfa01b">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;was shot and killed by FBI agents hours before the president was expected to land in the state Wednesday, authorities said.Special agents were trying to serve a warrant on the home of Craig Deleeuw Robertson in Provo, south of Salt Lake City, when the shooting happened at 6:15 a.m., the FBI said in a statement.Robertson was armed at the time of the shooting, according to two law enforcement sources who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of an ongoing investigation.Robertson posted online Monday that he had heard Biden was coming to Utah and he was planning to dig out a camouflage suit and “clean the dust off the m24 sniper rifle," according to court documents.In another post, Robertson refers to himself as a “MAGA Trumper," a reference to former President Donald Trump's “Make America Great Again” slogan.The posts indicated he did appear to own a long-range sniper rifle and numerous other weapons, as well as camouflage gear known as a “ghillie suit," investigators said in court records. Robertson was charged under seal Tuesday with three felony counts, including making threats against the president, court documents show.Robertson also referenced a “presidential assassination” and made a long list of other online threats, including against top law enforcement officials overseeing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-investigations-other-charges-b8b064a00caad4306fb54d2f6a320468">court cases against Trump</a>: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and New York Attorney General Letitia James.“The time is right for a presidential assassination or two. First Joe then Kamala!!!” authorities say Robertson wrote in a September 2022 Facebook post included in the filings. No attorney was immediately listed for Robertson in court documents.No further details were immediately released about the shooting, which is under review by the FBI.At the Provo house where the confrontation apparently took place and which is connected with Robertson through public records, law enforcement could be seen Wednesday going in and out and removing items.A broken window could be seen next to the door and the blinds inside were askew.The road leading to the house was blocked by police.The house is just up the street from a meeting house of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with the Wasatch Mountains rising in the background.Robertson had a custom woodworking business but did not renew his license after it expired last year, according to state records. On LinkedIn, Robertson said he worked for 45 years as a structural steel and welding inspector before retiring and starting his business, saying he specialized in “custom designs."Biden is in the middle of a trip to the Western United States. He spent Wednesday in New Mexico, where he spoke at a factory that will produce wind towers, and is scheduled to fly to Utah later in the day.On Thursday, he’s expected to visit a Veterans Affairs hospital to talk about the PACT Act, which expanded veterans benefits, and hold a reelection fundraiser.__

Man who posted threats toward President Biden is killed in FBI raid

Los Angeles (AP) —<a href="https://apnews.com/article/-----e0de46d3454745658248d5c1c78c3f08/gallery/c65d111282a941f0b4ef16e49aa98d41">Robbie Robertson,</a>&nbsp;The Band's lead guitarist and songwriter who in such classics as “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" mined and helped reshape American music, died Wednesday at 80.

Robertson died surrounded by family in Los Angeles “after a long illness,” publicist Ray Costa said in a statement.

From their years as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bob-dylan">Bob Dylan's</a>&nbsp;masterful backing group to their own stardom as embodiments of old-fashioned community and virtuosity, The Band profoundly influenced popular music in the 1960s and '70s, first by literally amplifying Dylan’s polarizing transition from folk artist to rock star and then by absorbing the works of Dylan and Dylan's influences as they fashioned a new sound immersed in the American past.

The Canadian-born Robertson was a high school dropout and one-man melting pot — part-Jewish, part-Mohawk and Cayuga — who fell in love with the seemingly limitless sounds and byways of his adopted country and wrote out of a sense of amazement and discovery at a time when the Vietnam War had alienated millions of young Americans. His life had a “Candide”-like quality as he found himself among many of the giants of the rock era — getting guitar tips from Buddy Holly, taking in early performances by Aretha Franklin and by the Velvet Underground, smoking pot with the Beatles, watching the songwriting team of Leiber and Stoller develop material, chatting with Jimi Hendrix when he was a struggling musician calling himself Jimmy James.

The Band began as supporting players for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-elvis-presley-conway-twitty-jerry-lee-lewis-arkansas-14e27228b9e253f18457d62325c91807">rockabilly star Ronnie Hawkins</a>&nbsp;in the early 1960s and through their years together in bars and juke joints forged a depth and versatility that opened them to virtually any kind of music in any kind of setting. Besides Robertson, the group featured Arkansan drummer-singer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-new-york-mavis-staples-c11f1340f9ea8d87e1606da6c1599ff3">Levon Helm</a>&nbsp;and three other Canadians: bassist-singer-songwriter Rick Danko, keyboardist singer-songwriter Richard Manuel and all-around musical wizard Garth Hudson. They were originally called the Hawks, but ended up as The Band — a conceit their fans would say they earned — because people would point to them when they were with Dylan and refer to them as “the band.”

They remain defined by their first two albums, “Music from Big Pink” and “The Band,” both released in the late 1960s. The rock scene was turning away from the psychedelic extravagances of the Beatles' “Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band” and a wave of sound effects, long jams and lysergic lyrics. "Music from Big Pink,” named for the old house near Woodstock, New York, where Band members lived and gathered, was for many the sound of coming home. The mood was intimate, the lyrics alternately playful, cryptic and yearning, drawn from blues, gospel, folk and country music. The Band itself seemed to stand for selflessness and a shared and vital history, with all five members making distinctive contributions and appearing in publicity photos in plain, dark clothes.

Through the “Basement Tapes” they had made with Dylan in 1967 and through their own albums, The Band has been widely credited as a founding source for Americana or roots music. Fans and peers would speak of their lives being changed. Eric Clapton broke up with his British supergroup Cream and journeyed to Woodstock in hopes he could join The Band, which influenced albums ranging from The Grateful Dead’s “Workingman's Dead” to Elton John's “Tumbleweed Connection.” The Band's songs were covered by Franklin, Joan Baez, the Staple Singers and many others. During a television performance by the Beatles of “Hey Jude,” Paul McCartney shouted out lyrics from “The Weight.”

Like Dylan, Robertson was a self-taught musicologist and storyteller who absorbed everything American from the novels of William Faulkner to the scorching blues of Howlin' Wolf to the gospel harmonies of the Swan Silvertones. At times his songs sounded not just created, but unearthed. In “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” he imagined the Civil War through the eyes of a defeated Confederate.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/b020697a3c604542ad250f75ab754b80">In “The Weight,”</a>&nbsp;with its lead vocals passed around among group members like a communal wine glass, he evoked a pilgrim's arrival to a town where nothing seems impossible:

“I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin’ about half past dead / I just need some place where I can lay my head / Hey, mister, can you tell me where a man might find a bed? / He just grinned and shook my hand, ‘No,’ was all he said.”

The Band played at the 1969 Woodstock festival, not far from where they lived, and became newsworthy enough to appear on the cover of Time magazine. But the spirit behind their best work was already dissolving. Albums such as “Stage Fright” and “Cahoots” were disappointing even for Robertson, who would acknowledge that he was struggling to find fresh ideas. While Manuel and Danko were both frequent contributors to songs during their “Basement Tapes” days, by the time “Cahoots” was released in 1971, Robertson was the dominant writer.

They toured frequently, recording the acclaimed live album “Rock of Ages” at Madison Square Garden and joining Dylan for 1974 shows that led to another highly praised concert release, “Before the Flood.” But in 1976, after Manuel broke his neck in a boating accident, Robertson decided he needed a break from the road and organized rock's ultimate sendoff, an all-star gathering at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom that included Dylan, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Muddy Waters and many others. The concert was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/martin-scorsese-cannes-history-529f5f118fe0fed0ea1b07bd15220d93">filmed by Martin Scorsese</a>&nbsp;and the basis for his celebrated documentary “The Last Waltz,” released in 1978.

Robertson had intended The Band to continue recording together but “The Last Waltz” helped permanently sever his friendship with Helm, whom he had once looked to as an older brother. In interviews and in his 1993 memoir “Wheel on Fire,” Helm accused of Robertson of greed and outsized ego, noting that Robertson had ended up owning their musical catalog and calling “The Last Waltz” a vanity project designed to glorify Robertson. In response, Robertson contended that he had taken control of the group because the others — excepting Hudson — were too burdened by drug and alcohol problems to make decisions on their own.

“It hit me hard that in a band like ours, if we weren't operating on all cylinders, it threw the whole machine off course,” Robertson wrote in his memoir “Testimony,” published in 2016.

The Band regrouped without Robertson in the early 1980s, and Robertson went on to a long career&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/58ff0b66c1454076aef10a8918486989/gallery/71acaf5b8b534572801a19aafb05789c">as a solo artist</a>&nbsp;and soundtrack composer. His self-titled 1987 album was certified gold and featured the hit single “Show Down at Big Sky” and the ballad “Fallen Angel,” a tribute to Manuel, who was found dead in 1986 in what was ruled a suicide (Danko died of heart failure in 1999, and Helm of cancer in 2012).

Robertson, who moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s while the others stayed near Woodstock, remained close to Scorsese and helped oversee the soundtracks for “The Color of Money,” “The King of Comedy,” “The Departed” and “The Irishman” among others. He also produced the Neil Diamond album “Beautiful Noise” and explored his heritage through such albums as “Music for the Native Americans” and “Contact from the Underworld of Redboy.”

The Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994; Robertson attended, Helm did not. In 2020, Robertson looked back and mourned in the documentary “Once Were Brothers” and in the title ballad, on which Robertson sang “When the light goes out and you can’t go on / You miss your brothers, but now they’re gone.”

Robertson married the Canadian journalist Dominique Bourgeois in 1967. They had three children before divorcing.

Jaime Royal Robertson was born in Toronto and spent summers at the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve where his mother Rosemarie Dolly Chrysler grew up. He never met his father, Alexander David Klegerman, who died before he was born and whose existence Robertson only learned of years later. His mother had since married a factory worker, James Robertson, whom Robbie Robertson at first believed was his biological parent.

Music was an escape from what he remembered as a violent and abusive household; his parents separated when he was in his early teens. He would watch relatives play guitar and sing at the Six Nations reserve, and became “mesmerized” by how absorbed they were in their own performances. Robertson was soon practicing guitar himself and was playing in bands and writing songs in his teens.

He had a knack for impressing his elders. When he was 15, his group opened for Hawkins at a club in Toronto. After overhearing Hawkins say he was in need of new material, Robertson hurried home, worked up a couple of songs and brought them over to his hotel. Hawkins recorded both of them, “Someone Like You,” and “Hey Boba Lu,” and Robertson would soon find himself on a train to Hawkins' home base in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Over the next few years, he toured with Hawkins in the U.S. and Canada as members left and the performers who eventually became The Band were brought in. By 1963, Robertson and the others had grown apart from Hawkins and were ready to work on their own, recording a handful of singles as the Canadian Squires and stepping into rock history when mutual acquaintances suggested they should tour behind Dylan, then rebelling against his image as folk troubadour and infuriating fans who thought he had sold out.

In 1965-66, they were Dylan's co-adventurers in some of rock's most momentous shows, with Dylan playing an acoustic opening set, then joined by the Hawks for an electric set that was booed so fiercely, Helm dropped out and was replaced on the road by Mickey Jones. As captured in audio recordings and in footage by filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker seen decades later in the Dylan documentary “No Direction Home,” the music on stage for such Dylan songs as “Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues” and “Ballad of a Thin Man” more than equaled the fury of its detractors, culminating in a May 1966 show at Manchester, England, when one fan screamed out “Judas!”

“I don't belieeeeve you," Dylan snarled in response. “You're a liar!” Calling on the Hawks to ”play f----ing loud," he led them through an all-out finale, “Like a Rolling Stone.”

“A kind of madness was percolating,” Robertson wrote in his memoir. “The whole atmosphere was heightened. I adjusted the strap on my Telecaster so I could release it with a quick thumb movement and use the guitar as a weapon. The concerts were starting to feel that unpredictable.”

Later in 1966, Dylan was badly injured in a motorcycle accident and recuperated in the Woodstock area, where The Band also soon settled. Under no contractual obligations or any sort of deadlines, Dylan and his fellow musicians stepped out of time altogether. They jammed on old country and Appalachian songs and worked on such originals as “Tears of Rage” and “I Shall Be Released” that were originally intended as demo recordings for other artists. “The Basement Tapes,” as they were eventually called, were among rock's first bootlegs before being released officially — in part in 1975, and in a full six-CD set in 2014.

Working and writing with Dylan encouraged The Band to try an album of its own. “Music from Big Pink” featured the Dylan-Danko collaboration “This Wheel's On Fire” and Dylan-Manuel's “Tears of Rage,” along with such Band originals as Manuel's “In a Station” and Robertson's “Caledonia Mission.”

In his memoir, Robertson remembered the first time their old boss listened to “Music from Big Pink.”

“After each song, Bob looked at ‘his’ band with proud eyes. When ‘The Weight’ came on, he said, ‘This is fantastic. Who wrote that song?’" he wrote. "‘Me,’ I answered. He shook his head, slapped me on the arm, and said, ‘Damn! You wrote that song?’"

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 </figure>Los Angeles (AP) —<a href="https://apnews.com/article/-----e0de46d3454745658248d5c1c78c3f08/gallery/c65d111282a941f0b4ef16e49aa98d41">Robbie Robertson,</a>&nbsp;The Band's lead guitarist and songwriter who in such classics as “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" mined and helped reshape American music, died Wednesday at 80.Robertson died surrounded by family in Los Angeles “after a long illness,” publicist Ray Costa said in a statement.From their years as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bob-dylan">Bob Dylan's</a>&nbsp;masterful backing group to their own stardom as embodiments of old-fashioned community and virtuosity, The Band profoundly influenced popular music in the 1960s and '70s, first by literally amplifying Dylan’s polarizing transition from folk artist to rock star and then by absorbing the works of Dylan and Dylan's influences as they fashioned a new sound immersed in the American past.The Canadian-born Robertson was a high school dropout and one-man melting pot — part-Jewish, part-Mohawk and Cayuga — who fell in love with the seemingly limitless sounds and byways of his adopted country and wrote out of a sense of amazement and discovery at a time when the Vietnam War had alienated millions of young Americans. His life had a “Candide”-like quality as he found himself among many of the giants of the rock era — getting guitar tips from Buddy Holly, taking in early performances by Aretha Franklin and by the Velvet Underground, smoking pot with the Beatles, watching the songwriting team of Leiber and Stoller develop material, chatting with Jimi Hendrix when he was a struggling musician calling himself Jimmy James.The Band began as supporting players for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-elvis-presley-conway-twitty-jerry-lee-lewis-arkansas-14e27228b9e253f18457d62325c91807">rockabilly star Ronnie Hawkins</a>&nbsp;in the early 1960s and through their years together in bars and juke joints forged a depth and versatility that opened them to virtually any kind of music in any kind of setting. Besides Robertson, the group featured Arkansan drummer-singer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-new-york-mavis-staples-c11f1340f9ea8d87e1606da6c1599ff3">Levon Helm</a>&nbsp;and three other Canadians: bassist-singer-songwriter Rick Danko, keyboardist singer-songwriter Richard Manuel and all-around musical wizard Garth Hudson. They were originally called the Hawks, but ended up as The Band — a conceit their fans would say they earned — because people would point to them when they were with Dylan and refer to them as “the band.”They remain defined by their first two albums, “Music from Big Pink” and “The Band,” both released in the late 1960s. The rock scene was turning away from the psychedelic extravagances of the Beatles' “Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band” and a wave of sound effects, long jams and lysergic lyrics. "Music from Big Pink,” named for the old house near Woodstock, New York, where Band members lived and gathered, was for many the sound of coming home. The mood was intimate, the lyrics alternately playful, cryptic and yearning, drawn from blues, gospel, folk and country music. The Band itself seemed to stand for selflessness and a shared and vital history, with all five members making distinctive contributions and appearing in publicity photos in plain, dark clothes.Through the “Basement Tapes” they had made with Dylan in 1967 and through their own albums, The Band has been widely credited as a founding source for Americana or roots music. Fans and peers would speak of their lives being changed. Eric Clapton broke up with his British supergroup Cream and journeyed to Woodstock in hopes he could join The Band, which influenced albums ranging from The Grateful Dead’s “Workingman's Dead” to Elton John's “Tumbleweed Connection.” The Band's songs were covered by Franklin, Joan Baez, the Staple Singers and many others. During a television performance by the Beatles of “Hey Jude,” Paul McCartney shouted out lyrics from “The Weight.”Like Dylan, Robertson was a self-taught musicologist and storyteller who absorbed everything American from the novels of William Faulkner to the scorching blues of Howlin' Wolf to the gospel harmonies of the Swan Silvertones. At times his songs sounded not just created, but unearthed. In “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” he imagined the Civil War through the eyes of a defeated Confederate.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/b020697a3c604542ad250f75ab754b80">In “The Weight,”</a>&nbsp;with its lead vocals passed around among group members like a communal wine glass, he evoked a pilgrim's arrival to a town where nothing seems impossible:“I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin’ about half past dead / I just need some place where I can lay my head / Hey, mister, can you tell me where a man might find a bed? / He just grinned and shook my hand, ‘No,’ was all he said.”The Band played at the 1969 Woodstock festival, not far from where they lived, and became newsworthy enough to appear on the cover of Time magazine. But the spirit behind their best work was already dissolving. Albums such as “Stage Fright” and “Cahoots” were disappointing even for Robertson, who would acknowledge that he was struggling to find fresh ideas. While Manuel and Danko were both frequent contributors to songs during their “Basement Tapes” days, by the time “Cahoots” was released in 1971, Robertson was the dominant writer.They toured frequently, recording the acclaimed live album “Rock of Ages” at Madison Square Garden and joining Dylan for 1974 shows that led to another highly praised concert release, “Before the Flood.” But in 1976, after Manuel broke his neck in a boating accident, Robertson decided he needed a break from the road and organized rock's ultimate sendoff, an all-star gathering at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom that included Dylan, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Muddy Waters and many others. The concert was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/martin-scorsese-cannes-history-529f5f118fe0fed0ea1b07bd15220d93">filmed by Martin Scorsese</a>&nbsp;and the basis for his celebrated documentary “The Last Waltz,” released in 1978.Robertson had intended The Band to continue recording together but “The Last Waltz” helped permanently sever his friendship with Helm, whom he had once looked to as an older brother. In interviews and in his 1993 memoir “Wheel on Fire,” Helm accused of Robertson of greed and outsized ego, noting that Robertson had ended up owning their musical catalog and calling “The Last Waltz” a vanity project designed to glorify Robertson. In response, Robertson contended that he had taken control of the group because the others — excepting Hudson — were too burdened by drug and alcohol problems to make decisions on their own.“It hit me hard that in a band like ours, if we weren't operating on all cylinders, it threw the whole machine off course,” Robertson wrote in his memoir “Testimony,” published in 2016.The Band regrouped without Robertson in the early 1980s, and Robertson went on to a long career&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/58ff0b66c1454076aef10a8918486989/gallery/71acaf5b8b534572801a19aafb05789c">as a solo artist</a>&nbsp;and soundtrack composer. His self-titled 1987 album was certified gold and featured the hit single “Show Down at Big Sky” and the ballad “Fallen Angel,” a tribute to Manuel, who was found dead in 1986 in what was ruled a suicide (Danko died of heart failure in 1999, and Helm of cancer in 2012).Robertson, who moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s while the others stayed near Woodstock, remained close to Scorsese and helped oversee the soundtracks for “The Color of Money,” “The King of Comedy,” “The Departed” and “The Irishman” among others. He also produced the Neil Diamond album “Beautiful Noise” and explored his heritage through such albums as “Music for the Native Americans” and “Contact from the Underworld of Redboy.”The Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994; Robertson attended, Helm did not. In 2020, Robertson looked back and mourned in the documentary “Once Were Brothers” and in the title ballad, on which Robertson sang “When the light goes out and you can’t go on / You miss your brothers, but now they’re gone.”Robertson married the Canadian journalist Dominique Bourgeois in 1967. They had three children before divorcing.Jaime Royal Robertson was born in Toronto and spent summers at the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve where his mother Rosemarie Dolly Chrysler grew up. He never met his father, Alexander David Klegerman, who died before he was born and whose existence Robertson only learned of years later. His mother had since married a factory worker, James Robertson, whom Robbie Robertson at first believed was his biological parent.Music was an escape from what he remembered as a violent and abusive household; his parents separated when he was in his early teens. He would watch relatives play guitar and sing at the Six Nations reserve, and became “mesmerized” by how absorbed they were in their own performances. Robertson was soon practicing guitar himself and was playing in bands and writing songs in his teens.He had a knack for impressing his elders. When he was 15, his group opened for Hawkins at a club in Toronto. After overhearing Hawkins say he was in need of new material, Robertson hurried home, worked up a couple of songs and brought them over to his hotel. Hawkins recorded both of them, “Someone Like You,” and “Hey Boba Lu,” and Robertson would soon find himself on a train to Hawkins' home base in Fayetteville, Arkansas.Over the next few years, he toured with Hawkins in the U.S. and Canada as members left and the performers who eventually became The Band were brought in. By 1963, Robertson and the others had grown apart from Hawkins and were ready to work on their own, recording a handful of singles as the Canadian Squires and stepping into rock history when mutual acquaintances suggested they should tour behind Dylan, then rebelling against his image as folk troubadour and infuriating fans who thought he had sold out.In 1965-66, they were Dylan's co-adventurers in some of rock's most momentous shows, with Dylan playing an acoustic opening set, then joined by the Hawks for an electric set that was booed so fiercely, Helm dropped out and was replaced on the road by Mickey Jones. As captured in audio recordings and in footage by filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker seen decades later in the Dylan documentary “No Direction Home,” the music on stage for such Dylan songs as “Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues” and “Ballad of a Thin Man” more than equaled the fury of its detractors, culminating in a May 1966 show at Manchester, England, when one fan screamed out “Judas!”“I don't belieeeeve you," Dylan snarled in response. “You're a liar!” Calling on the Hawks to ”play f----ing loud," he led them through an all-out finale, “Like a Rolling Stone.”“A kind of madness was percolating,” Robertson wrote in his memoir. “The whole atmosphere was heightened. I adjusted the strap on my Telecaster so I could release it with a quick thumb movement and use the guitar as a weapon. The concerts were starting to feel that unpredictable.”Later in 1966, Dylan was badly injured in a motorcycle accident and recuperated in the Woodstock area, where The Band also soon settled. Under no contractual obligations or any sort of deadlines, Dylan and his fellow musicians stepped out of time altogether. They jammed on old country and Appalachian songs and worked on such originals as “Tears of Rage” and “I Shall Be Released” that were originally intended as demo recordings for other artists. “The Basement Tapes,” as they were eventually called, were among rock's first bootlegs before being released officially — in part in 1975, and in a full six-CD set in 2014.Working and writing with Dylan encouraged The Band to try an album of its own. “Music from Big Pink” featured the Dylan-Danko collaboration “This Wheel's On Fire” and Dylan-Manuel's “Tears of Rage,” along with such Band originals as Manuel's “In a Station” and Robertson's “Caledonia Mission.”In his memoir, Robertson remembered the first time their old boss listened to “Music from Big Pink.”“After each song, Bob looked at ‘his’ band with proud eyes. When ‘The Weight’ came on, he said, ‘This is fantastic. Who wrote that song?’" he wrote. "‘Me,’ I answered. He shook his head, slapped me on the arm, and said, ‘Damn! You wrote that song?’"

Robbie Robertson, lead guitarist, songwriter of The Band, dies at 80

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials said Tuesday they have referred 22 more cases involving unruly passengers on airline flights to the FBI for possible criminal charges.

The allegations include sexually assaulting female passengers, attacking flight attendants, trying to break into the cockpit, making terror threats, and smoking in airplane lavatories.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the incidents happened as far back as late 2021 and as recently as April of this year.

The FAA can&nbsp;<a href="https://www.faa.gov/unruly">seek fines of up to $37,000</a>&nbsp;against unruly passengers, but it lacks authority to file criminal charges; that is why the agency refers some cases to the FBI.

Reports of passengers acting up on flights peaked in 2021, with many of the roughly 6,000 incidents involving anger over a since-dropped mask requirement. The number dropped under 2,500 last year and under 1,200 so far this year, the FAA said.

The FAA said it has referred more than 270 cases to the FBI since late 2021.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials said Tuesday they have referred 22 more cases involving unruly passengers on airline flights to the FBI for possible criminal charges.The allegations include sexually assaulting female passengers, attacking flight attendants, trying to break into the cockpit, making terror threats, and smoking in airplane lavatories.The Federal Aviation Administration said the incidents happened as far back as late 2021 and as recently as April of this year.The FAA can&nbsp;<a href="https://www.faa.gov/unruly">seek fines of up to $37,000</a>&nbsp;against unruly passengers, but it lacks authority to file criminal charges; that is why the agency refers some cases to the FBI.Reports of passengers acting up on flights peaked in 2021, with many of the roughly 6,000 incidents involving anger over a since-dropped mask requirement. The number dropped under 2,500 last year and under 1,200 so far this year, the FAA said.The FAA said it has referred more than 270 cases to the FBI since late 2021.

The FAA wants criminal charges against more unruly airline passengers

By CASEY QUINLAN <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/19/rural-hospitals-gird-for-unwinding-of-pandemic-medicaid-coverage/">States Newsroom</a>

Construction workers who work on federal projects are poised to receive better wages and worker protections under a Department of Labor rule touted by Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday.

Speaking at a union hall in Philadelphia, Harris praised the Biden administration’s economic agenda and pointed out that the new rule would be the first update in more than 40 years to the Davis-Bacon Act, which requires paying prevailing wages on public works projects. The Reagan administration changed the definition of prevailing wages in 1983.

“Let’s agree these workers deserve our recognition and appreciation and they deserve something more,” Harris said. “They deserve a raise. … Many workers are paid much less than they deserve, much less than the value of their work … in some cases by thousands of dollars a year, and that is wrong and completely unacceptable.”

The final rule transforms how prevailing wages, or the hourly rate of wages paid to workers in a given area, are calculated. It would base wages off of at least 30% of workers instead of 50% of workers in a trade in a certain locality, which the Biden administration said will help ensure workers’ prevailing wages aren’t dragged down by employers who pay low wages.

The regulation also makes it easier for the agency to withhold funds from contractors to ensure workers are paid properly and protects workers from employer retaliation, Biden administration officials have stated.

The rule will be effective in about two months and would affect an estimated 1.2 million workers.

Harris praised the work of union leaders during her speech. She called Sean McGarvey, president of North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), who was present at the speech, “a partner,” and thanked Jimmy Williams, the general president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. After the speech, she planned to tour Interstate 95. In June, part of I-95&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fox29.com/news/i-95-collapse-medical-examiner-confirms-identity-cause-of-death-of-tanker-truck-driver#:~:text=The%20Philadelphia%20Medical%20Examiner%27s%20Office,ruled%20an%20accident%2C%20officials%20said.">collapsed</a>&nbsp;when a gasoline tanker exploded, and the man driving the vehicle died. Harris applauded the swift rebuild of the section, which took only 12 days. The rebuilding effort received&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://boyle.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/boyle-casey-fetterman-announce-3-million-emergency-funding-i-95#:~:text=Boyle%20PA%2D02%20along%20with,Philadelphia%20on%20June%2011%2C%202023.">federal funding</a>.

Sharita Gruberg, vice president for economic justice at the National Partnership for Women and Families, said that the original formula for wage standards was supposed to make sure that federal contracts are paying workers a competitive wage but the Reagan administration’s changes in the 1980s weakened the rules.

“There’s just been all of these artificial barriers constructed since the ’80s that weaken this really strong rule that’s supposed to protect the local economy and protect workers,” Gruberg said. She added that the idea was “to make sure that these local economies are not subject to a large influx of federal dollars going to construction companies that are paying less than market rate and creating a race to the bottom.”

The administration is prioritizing these changes after it has invested billions in manufacturing facilities and repairing roads through the CHIPS and Science Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Gruberg said the administration is trying to make the most out of those investments by making these reforms.

“There’s two paths here,” she said. “One, we update these rules and make sure that these investments are reaching their full potential for communities, or we don’t and lose workers a lot of money.”

Progressive think tanks have argued that such changes will make it easier for workers to receive higher pay and better benefits. In its comment on the proposed rule in May 2022, the Economic Policy Institute&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.epi.org/publication/epi-comments-on-davis-bacon-updates-nprm/">said</a>&nbsp;research has established that prevailing wage laws increase worker pay, help more workers get pension plans, and improve workers’ health care coverage as well as make the construction industry more equitable for women and workers of color.

The Laborers’ International Union of North America also supports the change and said it will protect many LIUNA members.

“With massive investments in infrastructure through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs with prevailing wage rules, construction workers across the nation will benefit from the strengthened wage floor,” LIUNA&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.liuna.org/news/story/construction-workers-celebrate-strengthened-prevailing-wages">stated</a>.

There is still opposition to the rule from the Associated Builders and Contractors, a non-union trade group, which has said it will take legal action in response to the rule. The trade association said there’s no timeline yet for when they will bring a lawsuit.

Ben Brubeck, vice president of regulatory, labor, and state affairs at the Associated Builders and Contractors, a non-union trade group, called the rule a “handout to organized labor on the backs of taxpayers, small businesses and the free market” and said the regulation is “unnecessary, costly and burdensome.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691598176685.png" alt="Vice President Kamala Harris, shown here at an event in June, touted a new Department of Labor rule while in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023.&nbsp;&nbsp;The new rule would improve wages and workplace protections for people working on projects that get federal funding-White House image" />
 <figcaption>Vice President Kamala Harris, shown here at an event in June, touted a new Department of Labor rule while in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023.&nbsp;&nbsp;The new rule would improve wages and workplace protections for people working on projects that get federal funding-White House image</figcaption>
 </figure>By CASEY QUINLAN <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/19/rural-hospitals-gird-for-unwinding-of-pandemic-medicaid-coverage/">States Newsroom</a>Construction workers who work on federal projects are poised to receive better wages and worker protections under a Department of Labor rule touted by Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday.Speaking at a union hall in Philadelphia, Harris praised the Biden administration’s economic agenda and pointed out that the new rule would be the first update in more than 40 years to the Davis-Bacon Act, which requires paying prevailing wages on public works projects. The Reagan administration changed the definition of prevailing wages in 1983.“Let’s agree these workers deserve our recognition and appreciation and they deserve something more,” Harris said. “They deserve a raise. … Many workers are paid much less than they deserve, much less than the value of their work … in some cases by thousands of dollars a year, and that is wrong and completely unacceptable.”The final rule transforms how prevailing wages, or the hourly rate of wages paid to workers in a given area, are calculated. It would base wages off of at least 30% of workers instead of 50% of workers in a trade in a certain locality, which the Biden administration said will help ensure workers’ prevailing wages aren’t dragged down by employers who pay low wages.The regulation also makes it easier for the agency to withhold funds from contractors to ensure workers are paid properly and protects workers from employer retaliation, Biden administration officials have stated.The rule will be effective in about two months and would affect an estimated 1.2 million workers.Harris praised the work of union leaders during her speech. She called Sean McGarvey, president of North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), who was present at the speech, “a partner,” and thanked Jimmy Williams, the general president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. After the speech, she planned to tour Interstate 95. In June, part of I-95&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fox29.com/news/i-95-collapse-medical-examiner-confirms-identity-cause-of-death-of-tanker-truck-driver#:~:text=The%20Philadelphia%20Medical%20Examiner%27s%20Office,ruled%20an%20accident%2C%20officials%20said.">collapsed</a>&nbsp;when a gasoline tanker exploded, and the man driving the vehicle died. Harris applauded the swift rebuild of the section, which took only 12 days. The rebuilding effort received&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://boyle.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/boyle-casey-fetterman-announce-3-million-emergency-funding-i-95#:~:text=Boyle%20PA%2D02%20along%20with,Philadelphia%20on%20June%2011%2C%202023.">federal funding</a>.Sharita Gruberg, vice president for economic justice at the National Partnership for Women and Families, said that the original formula for wage standards was supposed to make sure that federal contracts are paying workers a competitive wage but the Reagan administration’s changes in the 1980s weakened the rules.“There’s just been all of these artificial barriers constructed since the ’80s that weaken this really strong rule that’s supposed to protect the local economy and protect workers,” Gruberg said. She added that the idea was “to make sure that these local economies are not subject to a large influx of federal dollars going to construction companies that are paying less than market rate and creating a race to the bottom.”The administration is prioritizing these changes after it has invested billions in manufacturing facilities and repairing roads through the CHIPS and Science Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Gruberg said the administration is trying to make the most out of those investments by making these reforms.“There’s two paths here,” she said. “One, we update these rules and make sure that these investments are reaching their full potential for communities, or we don’t and lose workers a lot of money.”Progressive think tanks have argued that such changes will make it easier for workers to receive higher pay and better benefits. In its comment on the proposed rule in May 2022, the Economic Policy Institute&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.epi.org/publication/epi-comments-on-davis-bacon-updates-nprm/">said</a>&nbsp;research has established that prevailing wage laws increase worker pay, help more workers get pension plans, and improve workers’ health care coverage as well as make the construction industry more equitable for women and workers of color.The Laborers’ International Union of North America also supports the change and said it will protect many LIUNA members.“With massive investments in infrastructure through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs with prevailing wage rules, construction workers across the nation will benefit from the strengthened wage floor,” LIUNA&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.liuna.org/news/story/construction-workers-celebrate-strengthened-prevailing-wages">stated</a>.There is still opposition to the rule from the Associated Builders and Contractors, a non-union trade group, which has said it will take legal action in response to the rule. The trade association said there’s no timeline yet for when they will bring a lawsuit.Ben Brubeck, vice president of regulatory, labor, and state affairs at the Associated Builders and Contractors, a non-union trade group, called the rule a “handout to organized labor on the backs of taxpayers, small businesses and the free market” and said the regulation is “unnecessary, costly and burdensome.”

VP Kamala Harris unveils new wage rule for federal projects

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — American nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were freed Wednesday, nearly two weeks after they were kidnapped in Haiti’s capital, according to aid organization El Roi Haiti.

The Christian group founded by Dorsainvil’s husband asked that neither she nor her family be contacted: “There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation," the group said in a statement.

The group added that it confirmed the safe release “with a heart of gratitude and immense joy.” No other details were immediately available, including whether any ransom was paid.

The U.S. State Department said it welcomed news that the two had been freed and thanked its Haitian and U.S. interagency partners for facilitating the release.

“We have no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” the agency said. “As you can imagine, these individuals have been through a very difficult ordeal, both physically and mentally.”

Witnesses told The Associated Press that armed men had seized the New Hampshire native and her young daughter in late July from a clinic in a gang-controlled area of Port-au-Prince where Dorsainvil works.

The Christian group has offered medical care, education and other basic services to people in the country’s poorest areas.

Gang warfare has increasingly plagued Haiti since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haiti-president-jovenel-moise-killed-b56a0f8fec0832028bdc51e8d59c6af2">2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.</a>&nbsp;Gang members regularly kill, rape and hold residents for ransom. A local nonprofit has documented&nbsp;<a href="https://cardh.org/celulle-dobservation-de-la-criminalite">539 kidnappings since January</a>, a significant rise over previous years.

On July 27, the U.S. State Department had ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Haiti, which remains under a “do not travel” advisory.

In a video posted on the El Roi Haiti website, Dorsainvil describes Haitians as “full of joy, and life and love,” people she was blessed to know.

In a blog post, El Roi Haiti said Dorsainvil fell in love with Haiti’s people on a visit there after the devastating 2010 earthquake hit the Caribbean nation.

Dorsainvil graduated from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, where a program supports nursing education in Haiti.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1690900441506.png" alt="Alix Dorsainvil as shown in a photo on the El Roi Haiti web site" />
 <figcaption>Alix Dorsainvil as shown in a photo on the El Roi Haiti web site</figcaption>
 </figure>PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — American nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were freed Wednesday, nearly two weeks after they were kidnapped in Haiti’s capital, according to aid organization El Roi Haiti.The Christian group founded by Dorsainvil’s husband asked that neither she nor her family be contacted: “There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation," the group said in a statement.The group added that it confirmed the safe release “with a heart of gratitude and immense joy.” No other details were immediately available, including whether any ransom was paid.The U.S. State Department said it welcomed news that the two had been freed and thanked its Haitian and U.S. interagency partners for facilitating the release.“We have no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” the agency said. “As you can imagine, these individuals have been through a very difficult ordeal, both physically and mentally.”Officials provided no other details.Witnesses told The Associated Press that armed men had seized the New Hampshire native and her young daughter in late July from a clinic in a gang-controlled area of Port-au-Prince where Dorsainvil works.The Christian group has offered medical care, education and other basic services to people in the country’s poorest areas.Gang warfare has increasingly plagued Haiti since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haiti-president-jovenel-moise-killed-b56a0f8fec0832028bdc51e8d59c6af2">2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.</a>&nbsp;Gang members regularly kill, rape and hold residents for ransom. A local nonprofit has documented&nbsp;<a href="https://cardh.org/celulle-dobservation-de-la-criminalite">539 kidnappings since January</a>, a significant rise over previous years.On July 27, the U.S. State Department had ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Haiti, which remains under a “do not travel” advisory.In a video posted on the El Roi Haiti website, Dorsainvil describes Haitians as “full of joy, and life and love,” people she was blessed to know.In a blog post, El Roi Haiti said Dorsainvil fell in love with Haiti’s people on a visit there after the devastating 2010 earthquake hit the Caribbean nation.Dorsainvil graduated from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, where a program supports nursing education in Haiti.

American nurse, daughter freed by kidnappers in Haiti

By JARED STRONG <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/usda-hopes-to-boost-fertilizer-production-as-soon-as-next-year/">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>

Attorneys general in Iowa and Nebraska have filed suit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to force it to end the federal waiver for a common ethanol blend to be sold during the summer in those states.

Here’s the idea behind the lawsuit: Eliminating that waiver would force refiners to reduce the volatility of gasoline that is blended with ethanol to produce E10, which is 10% ethanol and dominates the fuel market. If that happens, the blends could be increased to 15% ethanol without violating federal summertime fuel standards.

That has the potential to be a boon for the ethanol industry, which is important for Iowa farmers because more than half of their corn is used to produce the fuel. State lawmakers adopted legislation last year&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/04/25/iowa-biofuels-deal-will-require-most-gas-stations-to-sell-e15/">to require gas stations</a>&nbsp;to sell E15, with some exceptions.

But the change also has the potential to increase the cost of fuel and diminish available supplies, the EPA has concluded.

Governors in eight states asked the EPA in April 2022 to eliminate the waiver for E10 in their states — citing the increased pollution caused by evaporation of the fuel during warm months — as a maneuver to boost E15 sales. Kansas and North Dakota later rescinded their requests, while Missouri and Ohio joined the effort.

E10 has had a federal volatility requirement waiver since 1990, and since then its sales have ballooned. More than 98% of gasoline sold in the United States is E10, according to the Department of Energy.

In 2019, the EPA extended that waiver to E15, but a federal appeals court&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2021/07/02/d-c-court-throws-out-ethanol-rule-that-eased-year-round-sales-of-e15/">rejected the move</a>&nbsp;in 2021 and said the agency lacked the authority to make the change. The EPA issued emergency waivers to allow summertime E15 sales in 2022 and 2023.

The agency proposed a rule change in March that grants the states’ requests to cease the E10 waiver starting in 2024, but it has not finalized it.

“The EPA is already over a year late in finalizing the E15 decision,” said Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, which lobbies for ethanol-friendly policies. “Any further delay could jeopardize access to E15 during the 2024 summer.”

It’s unclear what has delayed the rule change. The agency declined to comment for this article because of the pending lawsuit, which was filed Monday.

In its proposed rule, the EPA estimated the change could cut fuel supplies to the states by about 2%. That’s because refineries would likely remove butane from the gasoline to make it less volatile. There are also uncertainties about how quickly the companies that produce and distribute the fuels can adjust their procedures.

“All of this can have significant impacts on gasoline supply not only on the petitioning states, but also on the surrounding states,” the agency said, noting that it didn’t propose to initiate the change this year because it “would result in an insufficient supply of gasoline in those states.”

Despite EPA predictions that the change will increase the cost of the blended fuel and reduce supply, the attorneys general in Iowa and Nebraska claim the opposite.

“The Biden Administration knows that increasing access to E15 will help consumers obtain some relief from the rising cost of gasoline, provide support for our farmers, and strengthen U.S. energy security during a turbulent time,” Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird noted that it has been more than a year since the EPA was required to act on the governors’ requests.&nbsp;“The Biden Administration has dragged its feet long enough,” she said.

Bird and Hilgers are Republicans, whereas President Joe Biden is a Democrat. Several of the other governors who petitioned for the change in their states are Democrats, but those states have not joined the lawsuit.

A spokesperson for Bird did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article.

The lawsuit seeks a court order that directs the EPA to finalize the rule change by the end of this year.

This article first appeared in the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/02/18/iowa-man-fights-to-save-his-hunting-preserve/">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>,&nbsp;a sister&nbsp;site of the Nebraska Examiner in the States Newsroom network.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1586882130512.jpeg" alt="&nbsp;Legislation aims to get States hope to get E-15 at more gas stations.-image Pixaby" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Legislation aims to get States hope to get E-15 at more gas stations.-image Pixaby</figcaption>
 </figure>By JARED STRONG <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/usda-hopes-to-boost-fertilizer-production-as-soon-as-next-year/">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>Attorneys general in Iowa and Nebraska have filed suit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to force it to end the federal waiver for a common ethanol blend to be sold during the summer in those states.Here’s the idea behind the lawsuit: Eliminating that waiver would force refiners to reduce the volatility of gasoline that is blended with ethanol to produce E10, which is 10% ethanol and dominates the fuel market. If that happens, the blends could be increased to 15% ethanol without violating federal summertime fuel standards.That has the potential to be a boon for the ethanol industry, which is important for Iowa farmers because more than half of their corn is used to produce the fuel. State lawmakers adopted legislation last year&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/04/25/iowa-biofuels-deal-will-require-most-gas-stations-to-sell-e15/">to require gas stations</a>&nbsp;to sell E15, with some exceptions.But the change also has the potential to increase the cost of fuel and diminish available supplies, the EPA has concluded.Governors in eight states asked the EPA in April 2022 to eliminate the waiver for E10 in their states — citing the increased pollution caused by evaporation of the fuel during warm months — as a maneuver to boost E15 sales. Kansas and North Dakota later rescinded their requests, while Missouri and Ohio joined the effort.E10 has had a federal volatility requirement waiver since 1990, and since then its sales have ballooned. More than 98% of gasoline sold in the United States is E10, according to the Department of Energy.In 2019, the EPA extended that waiver to E15, but a federal appeals court&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2021/07/02/d-c-court-throws-out-ethanol-rule-that-eased-year-round-sales-of-e15/">rejected the move</a>&nbsp;in 2021 and said the agency lacked the authority to make the change. The EPA issued emergency waivers to allow summertime E15 sales in 2022 and 2023.The agency proposed a rule change in March that grants the states’ requests to cease the E10 waiver starting in 2024, but it has not finalized it.“The EPA is already over a year late in finalizing the E15 decision,” said Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, which lobbies for ethanol-friendly policies. “Any further delay could jeopardize access to E15 during the 2024 summer.”It’s unclear what has delayed the rule change. The agency declined to comment for this article because of the pending lawsuit, which was filed Monday.In its proposed rule, the EPA estimated the change could cut fuel supplies to the states by about 2%. That’s because refineries would likely remove butane from the gasoline to make it less volatile. There are also uncertainties about how quickly the companies that produce and distribute the fuels can adjust their procedures.“All of this can have significant impacts on gasoline supply not only on the petitioning states, but also on the surrounding states,” the agency said, noting that it didn’t propose to initiate the change this year because it “would result in an insufficient supply of gasoline in those states.”Despite EPA predictions that the change will increase the cost of the blended fuel and reduce supply, the attorneys general in Iowa and Nebraska claim the opposite.“The Biden Administration knows that increasing access to E15 will help consumers obtain some relief from the rising cost of gasoline, provide support for our farmers, and strengthen U.S. energy security during a turbulent time,” Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said.Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird noted that it has been more than a year since the EPA was required to act on the governors’ requests.&nbsp;“The Biden Administration has dragged its feet long enough,” she said.Bird and Hilgers are Republicans, whereas President Joe Biden is a Democrat. Several of the other governors who petitioned for the change in their states are Democrats, but those states have not joined the lawsuit.A spokesperson for Bird did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article.The lawsuit seeks a court order that directs the EPA to finalize the rule change by the end of this year.This article first appeared in the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/02/18/iowa-man-fights-to-save-his-hunting-preserve/">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>,&nbsp;a sister&nbsp;site of the Nebraska Examiner in the States Newsroom network.

Nebraska and Iowa sue EPA to end E10 volatility waiver

NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. (AP) —A single ticket sold in Florida is good for a $1.58 billion&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mega-millions-jackpot-155-billion-tuesday-b588a87889a4ba7ff27c1ee8a9a24fc6">Mega Millions jackpot</a>, ending a stretch of lottery futility that had stretched for nearly four months.

A Publix grocery store in Neptune Beach sold the winning ticket, according to the Florida Lottery. The winning numbers drawn Tuesday night were: 13, 19, 20, 32, 33 and the yellow ball 14.

A message was left seeking comment Wednesday from Publix. Messages left for the Florida Lottery weren’t immediately returned.

Before the big win, there had been 31 straight drawings since the last time someone won the game’s jackpot on April 18. That enabled the prize to steadily grow to be the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lottery-jackpot-mega-millions-powerball-b77dd9c7de3f0ab09545a01113b1f111">third-largest ever in U.S. history</a>.

Mega Millions jackpot winners are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-lottery-us-news-ap-top-news-ia-state-wire-b5572da1e5d74f6e974bea45c707b5cb">so rare thanks to odds</a>&nbsp;of one in 302.6 million.

The $1.58 billion payout would go to the winner if they opt for an annuity, doled out over 30 years. But people usually prefer a lump sum option, which for Tuesday’s jackpot was an estimated $783.3 million.

The prize money is subject to federal taxes. Many states also tax lottery winnings.

Mega Millions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-alabama-alaska-lotteries-business-86424cf8e2b7cccf8ae9d06f6652d559">is played in 45 states</a>, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Neptune Beach has just over 7,000 residents and is 16 miles (26 kilometers) east of Jacksonville on Florida's Atlantic Coast.

NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. (AP) —A single ticket sold in Florida is good for a $1.58 billion&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mega-millions-jackpot-155-billion-tuesday-b588a87889a4ba7ff27c1ee8a9a24fc6">Mega Millions jackpot</a>, ending a stretch of lottery futility that had stretched for nearly four months.A Publix grocery store in Neptune Beach sold the winning ticket, according to the Florida Lottery. The winning numbers drawn Tuesday night were: 13, 19, 20, 32, 33 and the yellow ball 14.A message was left seeking comment Wednesday from Publix. Messages left for the Florida Lottery weren’t immediately returned.Before the big win, there had been 31 straight drawings since the last time someone won the game’s jackpot on April 18. That enabled the prize to steadily grow to be the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lottery-jackpot-mega-millions-powerball-b77dd9c7de3f0ab09545a01113b1f111">third-largest ever in U.S. history</a>.Mega Millions jackpot winners are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-lottery-us-news-ap-top-news-ia-state-wire-b5572da1e5d74f6e974bea45c707b5cb">so rare thanks to odds</a>&nbsp;of one in 302.6 million.The $1.58 billion payout would go to the winner if they opt for an annuity, doled out over 30 years. But people usually prefer a lump sum option, which for Tuesday’s jackpot was an estimated $783.3 million.The prize money is subject to federal taxes. Many states also tax lottery winnings.Mega Millions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-alabama-alaska-lotteries-business-86424cf8e2b7cccf8ae9d06f6652d559">is played in 45 states</a>, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.Neptune Beach has just over 7,000 residents and is 16 miles (26 kilometers) east of Jacksonville on Florida's Atlantic Coast.

Mega Millions player wins $1.58 billion jackpot, 3rd largest prize in US history

WINDHAM, N.H. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday blasted special counsel Jack Smith anew and vowed to continue campaigning on his criminal cases even as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-election-capitol-riot-indictment-protective-order-71cd642e876c47fff4e1283c15f8ca01">prosecutors seek a protective order</a>&nbsp;to limit the evidence that he and his team can share.

In the early voting state of New Hampshire, Trump assailed Smith as a “thug prosecutor” and a “deranged guy” a week after being indicted on felony charges for his efforts&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-hearings-trump-capitol-10351fe6d555eaee7554379ceed8bb24">to overturn the results</a>&nbsp;of the 2020 election in the run-up to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The former president lobbed the insults at Smith just days after the Department of Justice asked a judge to approve a protective order stopping Trump from publicly disclosing evidence. Federal prosecutors contend that Trump is seeking to “try the case in the media rather than in the courtroom."

The judge overseeing the case has scheduled a hearing over the protective order for Friday morning.

Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jan-6-indictment-protective-order-chutkan-7188eddf6cac0a34379aae71eb16a226">lawyers have argued that</a>&nbsp;the prospective order is too broad and would restrict his First Amendment rights of free speech, something Trump echoed on stage Tuesday.

“I will talk about it. They’re not taking away my First Amendment,” Trump said, speaking to supporters during a rally at a high school in the southeastern New Hampshire town of Windham.

The former president said he needs to be able to respond to reporters' questions about the case on the campaign trail — something he has not made a practice of doing — and cited the movie “2000 Mules,” which made&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-technology-health-arizona-e1b49d2311bf900f44fa5c6dac406762">various debunked claims</a>&nbsp;about mail ballots, drop boxes and ballot collection in the 2020 presidential election.

“All of this will come up during this trial," Trump said.

In the four-count indictment filed against Trump last week, the Justice Department accused him of orchestrating a scheme to block the peaceful transfer of power. He was told by multiple people in trusted positions that his claims were false, prosecutors said, but he spread them anyway to sow public mistrust about the election.

Trump, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, repeated his lies about the election on Tuesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">despite the fact</a>&nbsp;that numerous federal and local election officials of both parties, a long list of courts, top former campaign staffers and even his attorney general have all said there is no evidence of the fraud he alleges.

“There was never a second of any day that I didn’t believe that that election was rigged. It was a rigged election, and it was a stolen disgusting election and this country should be ashamed," Trump said.

Trump, who is also facing charges in Florida and New York, is gearing up for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-2020-election-georgia-grand-jury-investigation-30f7874b58137831cfa5dd86415a9e9f">possible fourth indictment</a>, in a case out of Fulton County, Georgia, over alleged efforts by him and his allies to illegally meddle in the 2020 election in that state. The county district attorney, Fani Willis, has signaled that any indictments in the case would likely come this month.

Trump alluded to that Tuesday, predicting that when it comes to indictments, “I should have four by sometime next week." He also launched into a highly personal attack on Willis, who is Black, calling the 52-year-old prosecutor "a young woman, a young racist in Atlanta.”

“She’s got a lot of problems. But she wants to indict me to try to run for some other office,” he said.

A spokesperson for Willis declined to comment.

Beyond his criminal cases,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-investigations-other-charges-b8b064a00caad4306fb54d2f6a320468">Trump faces several civil cases</a>&nbsp;that are working their way through the courts.

Although he usually boasts that his legal problems only help his campaign prospects, he made a rare statement Tuesday that they are taking a financial toll. His political operation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-legal-bills-pac-defense-fund-campaign-filing-2024-36fe10e4988a56de34f120cff38e1552">spent more than $40 million on legal fees so far this year,</a>&nbsp;according to recent campaign finance disclosures.

Trump, who has portrayed the investigations as politically motivated, said they are forcing him “to spend time and money away from the campaign trail in order to fight bogus made-up accusations and charges.”

“That's what they're doing. 'I'm sorry, I won't be able to go to Iowa today. I won't be able to go to New Hampshire today,'" he said. “Because I'm sitting in a courtroom on bull—-.”

The crowd cheered and broke into chants of “bull——!”

Trump smiled and shook his head while he watched the crowd chant.

WINDHAM, N.H. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday blasted special counsel Jack Smith anew and vowed to continue campaigning on his criminal cases even as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-election-capitol-riot-indictment-protective-order-71cd642e876c47fff4e1283c15f8ca01">prosecutors seek a protective order</a>&nbsp;to limit the evidence that he and his team can share.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former President Trump: &quot;I&#39;m sorry I won&#39;t be able to go to Iowa today, I won&#39;t be able to go to New Hampshire today because I&#39;m sitting in a court room on bullshit because his attorney general charged me with something.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Ox2n9rrH7v">pic.twitter.com/Ox2n9rrH7v</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1689005551139627008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In the early voting state of New Hampshire, Trump assailed Smith as a “thug prosecutor” and a “deranged guy” a week after being indicted on felony charges for his efforts&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-hearings-trump-capitol-10351fe6d555eaee7554379ceed8bb24">to overturn the results</a>&nbsp;of the 2020 election in the run-up to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.The former president lobbed the insults at Smith just days after the Department of Justice asked a judge to approve a protective order stopping Trump from publicly disclosing evidence. Federal prosecutors contend that Trump is seeking to “try the case in the media rather than in the courtroom."The judge overseeing the case has scheduled a hearing over the protective order for Friday morning.Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jan-6-indictment-protective-order-chutkan-7188eddf6cac0a34379aae71eb16a226">lawyers have argued that</a>&nbsp;the prospective order is too broad and would restrict his First Amendment rights of free speech, something Trump echoed on stage Tuesday.“I will talk about it. They’re not taking away my First Amendment,” Trump said, speaking to supporters during a rally at a high school in the southeastern New Hampshire town of Windham.The former president said he needs to be able to respond to reporters' questions about the case on the campaign trail — something he has not made a practice of doing — and cited the movie “2000 Mules,” which made&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-technology-health-arizona-e1b49d2311bf900f44fa5c6dac406762">various debunked claims</a>&nbsp;about mail ballots, drop boxes and ballot collection in the 2020 presidential election.“All of this will come up during this trial," Trump said.In the four-count indictment filed against Trump last week, the Justice Department accused him of orchestrating a scheme to block the peaceful transfer of power. He was told by multiple people in trusted positions that his claims were false, prosecutors said, but he spread them anyway to sow public mistrust about the election.Trump, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, repeated his lies about the election on Tuesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">despite the fact</a>&nbsp;that numerous federal and local election officials of both parties, a long list of courts, top former campaign staffers and even his attorney general have all said there is no evidence of the fraud he alleges.Trump will have none of that.“There was never a second of any day that I didn’t believe that that election was rigged. It was a rigged election, and it was a stolen disgusting election and this country should be ashamed," Trump said.Trump, who is also facing charges in Florida and New York, is gearing up for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-2020-election-georgia-grand-jury-investigation-30f7874b58137831cfa5dd86415a9e9f">possible fourth indictment</a>, in a case out of Fulton County, Georgia, over alleged efforts by him and his allies to illegally meddle in the 2020 election in that state. The county district attorney, Fani Willis, has signaled that any indictments in the case would likely come this month.Trump alluded to that Tuesday, predicting that when it comes to indictments, “I should have four by sometime next week." He also launched into a highly personal attack on Willis, who is Black, calling the 52-year-old prosecutor "a young woman, a young racist in Atlanta.”“She’s got a lot of problems. But she wants to indict me to try to run for some other office,” he said.A spokesperson for Willis declined to comment.Beyond his criminal cases,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-investigations-other-charges-b8b064a00caad4306fb54d2f6a320468">Trump faces several civil cases</a>&nbsp;that are working their way through the courts.Although he usually boasts that his legal problems only help his campaign prospects, he made a rare statement Tuesday that they are taking a financial toll. His political operation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-legal-bills-pac-defense-fund-campaign-filing-2024-36fe10e4988a56de34f120cff38e1552">spent more than $40 million on legal fees so far this year,</a>&nbsp;according to recent campaign finance disclosures.Trump, who has portrayed the investigations as politically motivated, said they are forcing him “to spend time and money away from the campaign trail in order to fight bogus made-up accusations and charges.”“That's what they're doing. 'I'm sorry, I won't be able to go to Iowa today. I won't be able to go to New Hampshire today,'" he said. “Because I'm sitting in a courtroom on bull—-.”The crowd cheered and broke into chants of “bull——!”Trump smiled and shook his head while he watched the crowd chant.“Thank you very much,” he said.

🎥 Trump vows to keep campaigning on criminal cases 

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio voters on Tuesday resoundingly rejected a Republican-backed measure that would have made it more difficult to change the state’s constitution, setting up a fall campaign that will become the nation’s latest referendum on abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned nationwide protections last year.

The defeat of Issue 1 keeps in place a simple majority threshold for passing future constitutional amendments, rather than the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/constitutional-access-ohio-house-abortion-ballot-95cae24b996ce943c976dbf06d7d9867">60% supermajority that was proposed</a>. Its supporters said the higher bar would protect the state’s foundational document from outside interest groups.

Voter opposition to the proposal was widespread, even spreading into traditionally Republican territory. In fact, in early returns, support for the measure fell far short of former President Donald Trump’s performance during the 2020 election in nearly every county.

Dennis Willard, a spokesperson for the opposition campaign One Person One Vote, called Issue 1 a “deceptive power grab” that was intended to diminish the influence of the state’s voters.

“Tonight is a major victory for democracy in Ohio,” Willard told a jubilant crowd at the opposition campaign’s watch party. “The majority still rules in Ohio.”

President Joe Biden hailed Tuesday's result, releasing a statement saying: “This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken voters’ voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own health care decisions. Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won.”

A major national group that opposes abortion rights, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, called the result “a sad day for Ohio" while criticizing the outside money that helped the opposition — even though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-rights-ohio-election-constitution-special-interests-06217130060cd97d398169052b6d511a">both sides relied on national groups</a>&nbsp;and individuals in their campaigns.

Republican lawmakers who had pushed the measure — and put it before voters during the height of summer vacation season — explained away the defeat as a result of too little time to adequately explain its virtues to voters. A main backer, Republican Senate President Matt Huffman, predicted lawmakers would try again, though probably not as soon as next year.

“Obviously, there are a lot of folks that did not want this to happen — not just because of the November issues, but for all of the other ones that are coming,” he said, expressing disappointment that Republicans didn't stick together. In a statement, Republican House Speaker Jason Stephens advised supporters to move past Tuesday's results to focus on trying to defeat the abortion rights measure: “The people of Ohio have spoken."

While&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ohio-referendum-election-2023-7ea8656d35adce9dfb8d9a9bf8c69d60">abortion</a>&nbsp;was not directly on the special election ballot, the result marks the latest setback for Republicans in a conservative-leaning state who favor imposing tough restrictions on the procedure. Ohio Republicans placed the question on the summer ballot in hopes of undercutting the citizen initiative that voters will decide in November that seeks to enshrine abortion rights in the state.

Other states where voters have considered abortion rights since last year’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;have protected them, including in red states such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">Kansas</a>&nbsp;and Kentucky.

Dr. Marcela Azevedo, one of the leaders of a coalition advancing the fall abortion question, said Tuesday that Issue 1’s defeat should allow the measure to pass in November.

Interest in Tuesday's special election&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ohio-constitutional-amendments-voters-turnout-election-65381bfc596ab5e34c830f67cef05fc2">was intense</a>, even after Republicans ignored their own law that took effect earlier this year to place the question before voters in August. Voters cast nearly 700,000 early in-person and mail ballots ahead of Tuesday’s final day of voting, more than double the number of advance votes in a typical primary election. Early turnout was especially heavy in the Democratic-leaning counties surrounding Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati.

One Person One Vote represented a broad, bipartisan coalition of voting rights, labor, faith and community groups. The group also had as allies four living ex-governors of the state and five former state attorneys general of both parties, who called the proposed change bad public policy.

In place since 1912, the simple majority standard is a much more surmountable hurdle for Ohioans for Reproductive Rights, the group advancing November’s abortion rights amendment. It would establish “a fundamental right to reproductive freedom” with “reasonable limits.”

Voters in several states have approved ballot questions protecting access to abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, but typically have done so with less than 60% of the vote. AP VoteCast polling last year found that 59% of Ohio voters say abortion should generally be legal.

Eric Chon, a Columbus resident who voted against the measure, said there was a clear anti-abortion agenda to the election. Noting that the GOP voted just last year to get rid of August elections entirely due to low turnout for hyperlocal issues, Chon said, “Every time something doesn’t go their way, they change the rules.”

The election result came in the very type of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-constitution-access-august-election-f76b958805b4ff5a1cf7ad21724b68da">August special election</a>&nbsp;that Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a candidate for U.S. Senate, had previously testified against as undemocratic because of historically low turnout.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-gun-rights-vaccines-constitution-ohio-4e3443dfafd071c94a72204606723a47">Republican lawmakers</a>&nbsp;just last year had voted to mostly eliminate such elections, a law they ignored for this year’s election.

Al Daum, of Hilliard, just west of Columbus, said he didn’t feel the rules were being changed to undermine the power of his vote and said he was in favor of the special election measure. Along with increasing the threshold to 60%, it would mandate that any signatures for a constitutional amendment be gathered from all of Ohio’s 88 counties, not just 44.

It’s a change that Daum said would give more Ohio residents a chance to make their voices heard.

Voters’ rejection of the proposal marked a rare rebuke for Ohio Republicans, who have held power across every branch of state government for 12 years. GOP lawmakers had cited possible future amendments related to gun control, minimum wage increases and more as reasons a higher threshold should be required.

Protect Ohio Women, the campaign working to defeat the fall abortion rights amendment, vowed to continue fighting into the fall.

“Our pro-life, pro-parent coalition is more motivated than ever,” the group said in a statement.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691543919337.png" alt="A yard sign in Mount Vernon, Ohio, against Ohio Issue (Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal)" />
 <figcaption>A yard sign in Mount Vernon, Ohio, against Ohio Issue (Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal)</figcaption>
 </figure>COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio voters on Tuesday resoundingly rejected a Republican-backed measure that would have made it more difficult to change the state’s constitution, setting up a fall campaign that will become the nation’s latest referendum on abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned nationwide protections last year.The defeat of Issue 1 keeps in place a simple majority threshold for passing future constitutional amendments, rather than the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/constitutional-access-ohio-house-abortion-ballot-95cae24b996ce943c976dbf06d7d9867">60% supermajority that was proposed</a>. Its supporters said the higher bar would protect the state’s foundational document from outside interest groups.Voter opposition to the proposal was widespread, even spreading into traditionally Republican territory. In fact, in early returns, support for the measure fell far short of former President Donald Trump’s performance during the 2020 election in nearly every county.Dennis Willard, a spokesperson for the opposition campaign One Person One Vote, called Issue 1 a “deceptive power grab” that was intended to diminish the influence of the state’s voters.“Tonight is a major victory for democracy in Ohio,” Willard told a jubilant crowd at the opposition campaign’s watch party. “The majority still rules in Ohio.”President Joe Biden hailed Tuesday's result, releasing a statement saying: “This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken voters’ voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own health care decisions. Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won.”A major national group that opposes abortion rights, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, called the result “a sad day for Ohio" while criticizing the outside money that helped the opposition — even though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-rights-ohio-election-constitution-special-interests-06217130060cd97d398169052b6d511a">both sides relied on national groups</a>&nbsp;and individuals in their campaigns.Republican lawmakers who had pushed the measure — and put it before voters during the height of summer vacation season — explained away the defeat as a result of too little time to adequately explain its virtues to voters. A main backer, Republican Senate President Matt Huffman, predicted lawmakers would try again, though probably not as soon as next year.“Obviously, there are a lot of folks that did not want this to happen — not just because of the November issues, but for all of the other ones that are coming,” he said, expressing disappointment that Republicans didn't stick together. In a statement, Republican House Speaker Jason Stephens advised supporters to move past Tuesday's results to focus on trying to defeat the abortion rights measure: “The people of Ohio have spoken."While&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ohio-referendum-election-2023-7ea8656d35adce9dfb8d9a9bf8c69d60">abortion</a>&nbsp;was not directly on the special election ballot, the result marks the latest setback for Republicans in a conservative-leaning state who favor imposing tough restrictions on the procedure. Ohio Republicans placed the question on the summer ballot in hopes of undercutting the citizen initiative that voters will decide in November that seeks to enshrine abortion rights in the state.Other states where voters have considered abortion rights since last year’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;have protected them, including in red states such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">Kansas</a>&nbsp;and Kentucky.Dr. Marcela Azevedo, one of the leaders of a coalition advancing the fall abortion question, said Tuesday that Issue 1’s defeat should allow the measure to pass in November.Interest in Tuesday's special election&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ohio-constitutional-amendments-voters-turnout-election-65381bfc596ab5e34c830f67cef05fc2">was intense</a>, even after Republicans ignored their own law that took effect earlier this year to place the question before voters in August. Voters cast nearly 700,000 early in-person and mail ballots ahead of Tuesday’s final day of voting, more than double the number of advance votes in a typical primary election. Early turnout was especially heavy in the Democratic-leaning counties surrounding Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati.One Person One Vote represented a broad, bipartisan coalition of voting rights, labor, faith and community groups. The group also had as allies four living ex-governors of the state and five former state attorneys general of both parties, who called the proposed change bad public policy.In place since 1912, the simple majority standard is a much more surmountable hurdle for Ohioans for Reproductive Rights, the group advancing November’s abortion rights amendment. It would establish “a fundamental right to reproductive freedom” with “reasonable limits.”Voters in several states have approved ballot questions protecting access to abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, but typically have done so with less than 60% of the vote. AP VoteCast polling last year found that 59% of Ohio voters say abortion should generally be legal.Eric Chon, a Columbus resident who voted against the measure, said there was a clear anti-abortion agenda to the election. Noting that the GOP voted just last year to get rid of August elections entirely due to low turnout for hyperlocal issues, Chon said, “Every time something doesn’t go their way, they change the rules.”The election result came in the very type of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-constitution-access-august-election-f76b958805b4ff5a1cf7ad21724b68da">August special election</a>&nbsp;that Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a candidate for U.S. Senate, had previously testified against as undemocratic because of historically low turnout.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-gun-rights-vaccines-constitution-ohio-4e3443dfafd071c94a72204606723a47">Republican lawmakers</a>&nbsp;just last year had voted to mostly eliminate such elections, a law they ignored for this year’s election.Al Daum, of Hilliard, just west of Columbus, said he didn’t feel the rules were being changed to undermine the power of his vote and said he was in favor of the special election measure. Along with increasing the threshold to 60%, it would mandate that any signatures for a constitutional amendment be gathered from all of Ohio’s 88 counties, not just 44.It’s a change that Daum said would give more Ohio residents a chance to make their voices heard.Voters’ rejection of the proposal marked a rare rebuke for Ohio Republicans, who have held power across every branch of state government for 12 years. GOP lawmakers had cited possible future amendments related to gun control, minimum wage increases and more as reasons a higher threshold should be required.Protect Ohio Women, the campaign working to defeat the fall abortion rights amendment, vowed to continue fighting into the fall.“Our pro-life, pro-parent coalition is more motivated than ever,” the group said in a statement.

Win for abortion-rights supporters; Ohio voters reject Issue 1

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;is reinstating a regulation aimed at reining in the proliferation of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-are-ghost-guns-aab2ded78314603e8e87e92dbe4def3f">ghost guns</a>, firearms without serial numbers that have been turning up at crime scenes across the nation in increasing numbers.

The court on Tuesday voted 5-4 to put on hold a ruling from a federal judge in Texas that invalidated the Biden administration's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-bureau-of-alcohol-tobacco-firearms-and-explosives-gun-politics-5f0f26cdb5d3bcbc6f9c5daf471c118d">regulation of ghost gun kits</a>. The regulation will be in effect while the administration appeals the ruling to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans — and potentially the Supreme Court.

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined with the court's three liberal members to form the majority. Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas would have kept the regulation on hold during the appeals process. Neither side provided an explanation.

The Justice Department had told the court that local law enforcement agencies seized more than 19,000 ghost guns at crime scenes in 2021, a more than tenfold increase in just five years.

"The public-safety interests in reversing the flow of ghost guns to dangerous and otherwise prohibited persons easily outweighs the minor costs that respondents will incur,"&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-us-supreme-court-only-on-ap-19ad9190f158f5df1ac5d2f569dcdc80">Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar</a>, the administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer, wrote in a court filing.

The new rule was issued last year and changed the definition of a firearm under federal law to include unfinished parts, like the frame of a handgun or the receiver of a long gun, so they can be tracked more easily. Those parts must be licensed and include serial numbers. Manufacturers must also run background checks before a sale — as they do with other commercially made firearms. The requirement applies regardless of how the firearm was made, meaning it includes ghost guns made from individual parts or kits or by 3D printers.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;is reinstating a regulation aimed at reining in the proliferation of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-are-ghost-guns-aab2ded78314603e8e87e92dbe4def3f">ghost guns</a>, firearms without serial numbers that have been turning up at crime scenes across the nation in increasing numbers.The court on Tuesday voted 5-4 to put on hold a ruling from a federal judge in Texas that invalidated the Biden administration's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-bureau-of-alcohol-tobacco-firearms-and-explosives-gun-politics-5f0f26cdb5d3bcbc6f9c5daf471c118d">regulation of ghost gun kits</a>. The regulation will be in effect while the administration appeals the ruling to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans — and potentially the Supreme Court.Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined with the court's three liberal members to form the majority. Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas would have kept the regulation on hold during the appeals process. Neither side provided an explanation.The Justice Department had told the court that local law enforcement agencies seized more than 19,000 ghost guns at crime scenes in 2021, a more than tenfold increase in just five years."The public-safety interests in reversing the flow of ghost guns to dangerous and otherwise prohibited persons easily outweighs the minor costs that respondents will incur,"&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-us-supreme-court-only-on-ap-19ad9190f158f5df1ac5d2f569dcdc80">Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar</a>, the administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer, wrote in a court filing.The new rule was issued last year and changed the definition of a firearm under federal law to include unfinished parts, like the frame of a handgun or the receiver of a long gun, so they can be tracked more easily. Those parts must be licensed and include serial numbers. Manufacturers must also run background checks before a sale — as they do with other commercially made firearms. The requirement applies regardless of how the firearm was made, meaning it includes ghost guns made from individual parts or kits or by 3D printers.The rule does not prohibit people from purchasing a kit or any type of firearm.U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor, in Fort Worth, Texas, struck down the rule in late June, concluding that it exceeded the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' authority. O'Connor wrote that the definition of a firearm in federal law does not cover all the parts of a gun. Congress could change the law, he wrote.Lawyers for individuals, businesses and advocacy groups challenging the rule told the Supreme Court that O'Connor was right and that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bureau-of-alcohol-tobacco-firearms-and-explosives">the ATF</a>&nbsp;had departed from more than 50 years of regulatory practice in expanding the definition of a firearm.The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which has long supported regulation of ghost guns, praised the Supreme Court's action. “The challenged rule simply requires that ghost gun kits are regulated like the guns that they are. It will save lives,” David Pucino, the group's deputy chief counsel, said in a statement.