ST. JOSEPH —A fan who died at Chiefs Training Camp died of natural causes,
according to the Buchanan County Medical Examiner’s Office.

County Medical Examiner, Dr. Adam Wineinger, has ruled that
Jessica Tangen died of natural causes Sunday while attending the
Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp on the Missouri Western State University campus
in St. Joseph.

The family of Tangen, who was from Riverside, says she was a
life-long Chiefs fan. Tangen was 43.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691176069142.jpeg" alt="Jessica Tangen pictured with (l-r) daughter Kyla and mother, Lee/Photo provided by Mosaic Life Care" />
 <figcaption>Jessica Tangen pictured with (l-r) daughter Kyla and mother, Lee/Photo provided by Mosaic Life Care</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostST. JOSEPH —A fan who died at Chiefs Training Camp died of natural causes,
according to the Buchanan County Medical Examiner’s Office.County Medical Examiner, Dr. Adam Wineinger, has ruled that
Jessica Tangen died of natural causes Sunday while attending the
Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp on the Missouri Western State University campus
in St. Joseph.The family of Tangen, who was from Riverside, says she was a
life-long Chiefs fan. Tangen was 43.

Medical examiner on cause of fan's death at Chiefs training camp

By ARIANA FIGUEROA&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Thursday decided to allow the Biden administration to keep in place a temporary two-year rule that restricts asylum at the U.S. border, while the legal challenges to a lower court’s ruling play out.

The decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals aids the Biden administration, which argued that the rule is needed as an immigration enforcement policy after the end of Title 42. That pandemic-era tool was used by the administration to bar migrants from claiming asylum and to quickly expel them.

Thursday’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aclu.org/documents/east-bay-sanctuary-covenant-v-biden-ca9-stay-order">order</a>&nbsp;was a 2-1 decision by Judges William Fletcher and Richard Paez, who ruled in favor of the stay — both appointed by President Bill Clinton — and Judge Lawrence VanDyke, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, dissenting.

The order also expedites a hearing on the Biden administration rule, with both sides expected to send their arguments to the court by Sept. 14. A date for the hearing has not been scheduled yet.

Fletcher and Paez did not give any reasoning for their decision, but VanDyke in his dissent argued that the rule seemed similar to a Trump-era rule that was also struck down by the same appeals court.

“The Biden administration’s ‘Pathways Rule’ before us in this appeal is not meaningfully different from the prior administration’s rules that were backhanded by my two colleagues,” he wrote. “This new rule looks like the Trump administration’s Port of Entry Rule and Transit Rule got together, had a baby, and then dolled it up in a stylish modern outfit, complete with a phone app.”

Under the Biden administration’s rule, in order for migrants to claim asylum in the U.S., they would first have to schedule an appointment at a U.S. port of entry and apply for a legal pathway in the country they traveled through.

The number of asylum cases is at a historic high, with more than 1.5 million pending, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://trac.syr.edu/whatsnew/email.221222.html">the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.</a>

Once the rule went in place, it was quickly challenged by civil rights groups and immigration advocates, who argued that it mirrored a Trump-era immigration policy that was a near-total ban on asylum.

In late July,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/07/25/federal-judge-blocks-biden-rule-that-limits-asylum-for-migrants-at-the-border/">a federal judge blocked the Biden rule</a>&nbsp;on the grounds that it violated federal law that allows for anyone to claim asylum on U.S. soil. That same judge also struck down the Trump-era rule that banned asylum.

Katrina Eiland, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, who argued the case, praised the decision from the appeals court.

“The stay ruling doesn’t say anything about the legality of the ban, and we are confident that we will prevail when the court has a full opportunity to consider the claims,” Eiland said.

“We are pleased the court placed the appeal on an expedited schedule so that it can be decided quickly, because each day the Biden administration prolongs its efforts to preserve its illegal ban, people fleeing grave danger are put in harm’s way.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691163209612.png" alt="Migrants wait throughout the night on May 10, 2023, in a dust storm at Gate 42, on land between the Rio Grande and the border wall, hoping they will be processed by immigration authorities before the expiration of Title 42 (Corrie Boudreaux for Source NM)." />
 <figcaption>Migrants wait throughout the night on May 10, 2023, in a dust storm at Gate 42, on land between the Rio Grande and the border wall, hoping they will be processed by immigration authorities before the expiration of Title 42 (Corrie Boudreaux for Source NM).</figcaption>
 </figure>By ARIANA FIGUEROA&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Thursday decided to allow the Biden administration to keep in place a temporary two-year rule that restricts asylum at the U.S. border, while the legal challenges to a lower court’s ruling play out.The decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals aids the Biden administration, which argued that the rule is needed as an immigration enforcement policy after the end of Title 42. That pandemic-era tool was used by the administration to bar migrants from claiming asylum and to quickly expel them.Thursday’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aclu.org/documents/east-bay-sanctuary-covenant-v-biden-ca9-stay-order">order</a>&nbsp;was a 2-1 decision by Judges William Fletcher and Richard Paez, who ruled in favor of the stay — both appointed by President Bill Clinton — and Judge Lawrence VanDyke, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, dissenting.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690239152931.png" alt="The floating barrier buoys are&nbsp;the latest escalation of Texas’ border security operation&nbsp;that also includes razor-wire fencing.-photo Texas Department of Public Safety" />
 <figcaption>The floating barrier buoys are&nbsp;the latest escalation of Texas’ border security operation&nbsp;that also includes razor-wire fencing.-photo Texas Department of Public Safety</figcaption>
 </figure>The order also expedites a hearing on the Biden administration rule, with both sides expected to send their arguments to the court by Sept. 14. A date for the hearing has not been scheduled yet.Fletcher and Paez did not give any reasoning for their decision, but VanDyke in his dissent argued that the rule seemed similar to a Trump-era rule that was also struck down by the same appeals court.“The Biden administration’s ‘Pathways Rule’ before us in this appeal is not meaningfully different from the prior administration’s rules that were backhanded by my two colleagues,” he wrote. “This new rule looks like the Trump administration’s Port of Entry Rule and Transit Rule got together, had a baby, and then dolled it up in a stylish modern outfit, complete with a phone app.”Under the Biden administration’s rule, in order for migrants to claim asylum in the U.S., they would first have to schedule an appointment at a U.S. port of entry and apply for a legal pathway in the country they traveled through.The number of asylum cases is at a historic high, with more than 1.5 million pending, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://trac.syr.edu/whatsnew/email.221222.html">the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.</a>Once the rule went in place, it was quickly challenged by civil rights groups and immigration advocates, who argued that it mirrored a Trump-era immigration policy that was a near-total ban on asylum.In late July,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/07/25/federal-judge-blocks-biden-rule-that-limits-asylum-for-migrants-at-the-border/">a federal judge blocked the Biden rule</a>&nbsp;on the grounds that it violated federal law that allows for anyone to claim asylum on U.S. soil. That same judge also struck down the Trump-era rule that banned asylum.Katrina Eiland, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, who argued the case, praised the decision from the appeals court.“The stay ruling doesn’t say anything about the legality of the ban, and we are confident that we will prevail when the court has a full opportunity to consider the claims,” Eiland said.“We are pleased the court placed the appeal on an expedited schedule so that it can be decided quickly, because each day the Biden administration prolongs its efforts to preserve its illegal ban, people fleeing grave danger are put in harm’s way.”

Court allows Biden rule limiting asylum at the border to be kept in place

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Two U.S. Navy sailors were charged Thursday with providing sensitive military information to China — including details on wartime exercises, naval operations and critical technical material.

<a href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-08/wei_indictment.pdf">Click here to read</a> the indictment

The two sailors, both based in California, were charged with similar moves to provide sensitive intelligence to the Chinese. But they were separate cases, and it wasn’t clear if the two were courted or paid by the same Chinese intelligence officer as part of a larger scheme. Federal officials at a news conference in San Diego declined to specify whether the sailors were aware of each other's actions.

Both men pleaded not guilty in federal courts in San Diego and Los Angeles. They were ordered to be held until their detention hearings, which will take place Aug. 8 in those same cities.

U.S. officials have for years expressed concern about the espionage threat they say the Chinese government poses, bringing criminal cases in recent years against Beijing intelligence operatives who have stolen sensitive government and commercial information, including through illegal hacking.

The pair of cases also comes on the heels of another insider-threat prosecution tied to the U.S. military, with the Justice Department in April arresting a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman on charges of leaking classified military documents about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia’s war in Ukraine</a>&nbsp;and other sensitive national security topics on Discord, a social media platform popular with people playing online games.

U.S. officials said the cases exemplify China’s brazenness in trying to obtain insight into U.S. military operations.

“Through the alleged crimes committed by these defendants, sensitive military information ended up in the hands of the People’s Republic of China,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California. He added that the charges demonstrate the Chinese government’s “determination to obtain information that is critical to our national defense by any means, so it could be used to their advantage.”

Jinchao Wei, a 22-year-old sailor assigned to the San Diego-based USS Essex, was arrested Wednesday while boarding the ship. He is accused of passing detailed information on the weapons systems and aircraft aboard the Essex and other amphibious assault ships that act as small aircraft carriers.

Prosecutors said Wei, who was born in China, was approached by a Chinese intelligence officer in February 2022 while he was applying to become a naturalized U.S. citizen, and admitted to the officer that he knew the arrangement could affect his application. Even so, at the officer’s request, Wei provided photographs and videos of Navy ships, including the USS Essex, which can carry an array of helicopters, including the MV-22 Ospreys, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday.

The indictment alleges Wei included as many as 50 manuals containing technical and mechanical data about Navy ships as well as details about the number and training of Marines during an upcoming exercise.

Wei continued to send sensitive U.S. military information multiple times over the course of a year and even was congratulated by the Chinese officer once Wei became a U.S. citizen, Grossman said. He added that Wei “chose to turn his back on his newly adopted country” for greed.

The Justice Department charged Wei under a rarely-used Espionage Act statute that makes it a crime to gather or deliver information to aid a foreign government.

After pleading not guilty in San Diego, Wei was assigned a new public defender who declined to comment following the hearing. Wei did not visibly react when read the charges.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Sheppard told the judge that Wei had passed information to Chinese intelligence as recently as two days ago. He said Wei, who also went by the name Patrick Wei, told a fellow sailor in February 2022 that he was “being recruited for what quite obviously is (expletive) espionage.”

Sheppard said Wei has made $10,000 to $15,000 in the past year from the arrangement with the unnamed Chinese inelligence officer. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.

The officer instructed Wei not to discuss their relationship, to share sensitive information and to destroy evidence to help them cover their tracks, officials said.

The Justice Department also charged sailor Wenheng Zhao, 26, based at Naval Base Ventura County, north of San Diego, with conspiring to collect nearly $15,000 in bribes from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for U.S. naval exercise plans, operational orders and photos and videos of electrical systems at Navy facilities between August 2021 through at least this May.

The information included operational plans for a large-scale U.S. military exercise in the Indo-Pacific region, which detailed the location and timing of naval force movements.

The Associated Press was unable to reach the federal public defender assigned to Zhao, who pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles.

The indictment further alleges that Zhao photographed electrical diagrams and blueprints for a radar system stationed on a U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan.

Prosecutors say Zhao, who also went by the name Thomas Zhao, also surreptitiously recorded information that he handed over. If convicted, Zhao could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

It was unclear if federal officials were looking at other U.S. sailors and if the investigation was ongoing.

At the Pentagon, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters that, “I think we have clear policies and procedures in place when it comes to safeguarding and protecting sensitive information. And so if those rules are violated, appropriate action will be taken.” He declined to discuss any specifics of the cases.

U.S. Attorney Grossman said the charges reflect that China “stands apart in terms of the threat that its government poses to the United States. China is unrivaled in its audacity and the range of its maligned efforts to subvert our laws.”

He added that the U.S. will use “every tool in our arsenal to counter the threat and to deter China and those who have violated the rule of law and threaten our national security.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691150192766.png" alt="U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California during a Thursday news conference on the arrests&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California during a Thursday news conference on the arrests&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>SAN DIEGO (AP) — Two U.S. Navy sailors were charged Thursday with providing sensitive military information to China — including details on wartime exercises, naval operations and critical technical material.<a href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-08/wei_indictment.pdf">Click here to read</a> the indictmentThe two sailors, both based in California, were charged with similar moves to provide sensitive intelligence to the Chinese. But they were separate cases, and it wasn’t clear if the two were courted or paid by the same Chinese intelligence officer as part of a larger scheme. Federal officials at a news conference in San Diego declined to specify whether the sailors were aware of each other's actions.Both men pleaded not guilty in federal courts in San Diego and Los Angeles. They were ordered to be held until their detention hearings, which will take place Aug. 8 in those same cities.U.S. officials have for years expressed concern about the espionage threat they say the Chinese government poses, bringing criminal cases in recent years against Beijing intelligence operatives who have stolen sensitive government and commercial information, including through illegal hacking.The pair of cases also comes on the heels of another insider-threat prosecution tied to the U.S. military, with the Justice Department in April arresting a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman on charges of leaking classified military documents about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia’s war in Ukraine</a>&nbsp;and other sensitive national security topics on Discord, a social media platform popular with people playing online games.U.S. officials said the cases exemplify China’s brazenness in trying to obtain insight into U.S. military operations.“Through the alleged crimes committed by these defendants, sensitive military information ended up in the hands of the People’s Republic of China,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California. He added that the charges demonstrate the Chinese government’s “determination to obtain information that is critical to our national defense by any means, so it could be used to their advantage.”Jinchao Wei, a 22-year-old sailor assigned to the San Diego-based USS Essex, was arrested Wednesday while boarding the ship. He is accused of passing detailed information on the weapons systems and aircraft aboard the Essex and other amphibious assault ships that act as small aircraft carriers.Prosecutors said Wei, who was born in China, was approached by a Chinese intelligence officer in February 2022 while he was applying to become a naturalized U.S. citizen, and admitted to the officer that he knew the arrangement could affect his application. Even so, at the officer’s request, Wei provided photographs and videos of Navy ships, including the USS Essex, which can carry an array of helicopters, including the MV-22 Ospreys, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday.The indictment alleges Wei included as many as 50 manuals containing technical and mechanical data about Navy ships as well as details about the number and training of Marines during an upcoming exercise.Wei continued to send sensitive U.S. military information multiple times over the course of a year and even was congratulated by the Chinese officer once Wei became a U.S. citizen, Grossman said. He added that Wei “chose to turn his back on his newly adopted country” for greed.The Justice Department charged Wei under a rarely-used Espionage Act statute that makes it a crime to gather or deliver information to aid a foreign government.After pleading not guilty in San Diego, Wei was assigned a new public defender who declined to comment following the hearing. Wei did not visibly react when read the charges.Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Sheppard told the judge that Wei had passed information to Chinese intelligence as recently as two days ago. He said Wei, who also went by the name Patrick Wei, told a fellow sailor in February 2022 that he was “being recruited for what quite obviously is (expletive) espionage.”Sheppard said Wei has made $10,000 to $15,000 in the past year from the arrangement with the unnamed Chinese inelligence officer. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.The officer instructed Wei not to discuss their relationship, to share sensitive information and to destroy evidence to help them cover their tracks, officials said.The Justice Department also charged sailor Wenheng Zhao, 26, based at Naval Base Ventura County, north of San Diego, with conspiring to collect nearly $15,000 in bribes from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for U.S. naval exercise plans, operational orders and photos and videos of electrical systems at Navy facilities between August 2021 through at least this May.The information included operational plans for a large-scale U.S. military exercise in the Indo-Pacific region, which detailed the location and timing of naval force movements.The Associated Press was unable to reach the federal public defender assigned to Zhao, who pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles.The indictment further alleges that Zhao photographed electrical diagrams and blueprints for a radar system stationed on a U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan.Prosecutors say Zhao, who also went by the name Thomas Zhao, also surreptitiously recorded information that he handed over. If convicted, Zhao could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.It was unclear if federal officials were looking at other U.S. sailors and if the investigation was ongoing.At the Pentagon, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters that, “I think we have clear policies and procedures in place when it comes to safeguarding and protecting sensitive information. And so if those rules are violated, appropriate action will be taken.” He declined to discuss any specifics of the cases.U.S. Attorney Grossman said the charges reflect that China “stands apart in terms of the threat that its government poses to the United States. China is unrivaled in its audacity and the range of its maligned efforts to subvert our laws.”He added that the U.S. will use “every tool in our arsenal to counter the threat and to deter China and those who have violated the rule of law and threaten our national security.”

Two U.S. Navy sailors accused of passing secrets to China

WASHINGTON (AP) Former President Donald Trump said it was a “very sad day for America” after pleading not guilty in Washington’s federal court to charges that he conspired to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump addressed the proceedings in a brief statement on a drizzly tarmac before he boarded his plane back to New Jersey, characterizing the case as a “persecution” designed to hurt his 2024 presidential campaign.

“We can’t let this happen in America,” Trump said.

Trump pleaded not guilty to four federal counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States. He is accused of brazenly conspiring with allies to spread falsehoods and concoct schemes intended to overturn his election loss to President Joe Biden.

The former president appeared before a magistrate judge in Washington’s federal courthouse two days after being indicted by Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">special counsel Jack Smith</a>. Of the three criminal cases he's facing, the most recent charges are especially historic since they focus on Trump's efforts as president to subvert the will of voters and obstruct the certification of Democrat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden’s</a>&nbsp;victory. His refusal to accept defeat and his lies about widespread election fraud helped fuel the violent riot on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Trump, who is now the early front-runner in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2024-presidential-candidates-who-is-running-e89fbfee94e7e7980594a9ce3994fec7">the 2024 Republican presidential primary</a>, sat stern-faced with his hands folded, shaking his head at times as he conferred with an attorney and occasionally glancing around the courtroom as his court appearance began. He stood up to enter his “not guilty” plea, answered perfunctory questions from the judge and thanked her at the conclusion of the arraignment.

His appearance Thursday unfolded — as will the rest of the case — in a downtown courthouse between the Capitol and the White House and in a building where more than 1,000 of the Capitol rioters have been charged by the Justice Department, which last November appointed Smith to lead a probe into the role of Trump and his allies in the events of that day.

<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.1.0_2.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the latest indictment&nbsp;

The indictment charges Trump with four felony counts related to his efforts to undo&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">his presidential election loss</a>, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. The charges could lead to a lengthy prison sentence in the event of a conviction, with the most serious counts calling for up to 20 years.

Smith himself attended the arraignment, sitting in the courtroom's front row behind the prosecutors handling the case and about 20 feet away from Trump. He looked at times in Trump's direction, though neither appeared to gesture at or talk to each other.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya set the next court date for Aug. 28, when a tentative trial date will be set, and directed Trump not to communicate directly about the facts of case with any individual known to be a witness.

Three police officers who defended the Capitol that day were also seen entering the courthouse. One of them, Aquilino Gonell, who retired from the Capitol Police after suffering injuries, took stock of the location's symbolism, noting that it was “the same court in which hundreds of rioters have been sentenced. It's the same court former President Trump is being arraigned in today for his alleged involvement before, during, and after the siege.”

Trump has said he is innocent. His legal team has characterized the latest case as an attack on his right to free speech and his right to challenge an election that he believed had been stolen.

One early point of contention emerged Thursday when defense lawyers bristled at the idea that a trial could be rapidly scheduled. Prosecutors said they would move quickly to provide Trump's lawyers with the information they'd need to prepare a defense, but defense attorney John Lauro said it was “somewhat absurd” that the case could be ready for trial anytime soon.

"These are weighty issues. Obviously, the U.S. has had three years to investigate this matter,” Lauro said.

The election theft case is part of escalating legal troubles for the ex-president, coming nearly two months after Trump pleaded not guilty to dozens of federal felony counts accusing him of hoarding&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-justice-department-special-counsel-2025feb3f0f4e3820d14387c67ce4316">classified documents</a>&nbsp;at his Florida estate and thwarting government efforts to retrieve them. That case is set for trial next May.

He also was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">charged in New York</a>&nbsp;with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment to a porn actor during the 2016 presidential campaign, a case scheduled for trial next March. And&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-georgia-election-investigation-fani-willis-046726b66d601cc9a5b8d5e1cbc3d8cb">prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia,</a>&nbsp;are expected in the coming weeks to announce charging decisions in an investigation into efforts to subvert election results in that state.

Thursday's arraignment was part of a now-familiar but nonetheless stunning ritual for Trump, requiring him to hit pause on his presidential campaign and play the role of criminal defendant. He was flown by private plane from New Jersey to Washington, where his motorcade with lights and sirens made its way through the nation's capital — a journey documented in wall-to-wall cable coverage once again.

His appearance represented a relatively rare return to Washington since he left the White House. After a trip that took him through a highway tunnel and District streets, Trump lamented what he called the "filth and the decay" of the city, which he claimed was worse than when he ended his term. But that overlooks the fact that when he left office, some businesses were boarded up and military presence in the city was ramped up in the aftermath of the insurrection sparked by his own election lies.

Federal and state election officials and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d">Trump’s own attorney general</a>&nbsp;have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former president's allegations of fraud were also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-courts-election-results-e1297d874f45d2b14bc99c403abd0457">roundly rejected by courts</a>, including by judges Trump appointed.

The courtroom Thursday filled with spectators who included several federal judges, including Chief District Court Judge James Boasberg — presumably there to observe the momentous event.

The indictment chronicles how Trump and his Republican allies, in what Smith described as an attack on a “bedrock function of the U.S. government,” repeatedly lied about the results in the two months after he lost the election and pressured his vice president,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pence-jan-6-trump-indictment-ab36fd360a0850562a07d1b404f15d69">Mike Pence</a>, and state election officials to take action to help him cling to power.

The former president was the only person charged in the case, though prosecutors referenced six unnamed co-conspirators, mostly lawyers, they say he plotted with, including in a scheme to enlist fake electors in seven battleground states won by Biden to submit false certificates to the federal government.

The indictment also relies on testimony from a broad cross-section of Trump's aides and state election officials, and cites contemporaneous notes that prosecutors say were taken by Pence.

The legal proceedings going forward will be presided over by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, an appointee of President Barack Obama who has stood out as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-only-on-ap-donald-trump-government-and-politics-sentencing-de394dd56b3251aac5a50014f4d6afa7">one of the toughest punishers of rioters</a>.

WASHINGTON (AP) Former President Donald Trump said it was a “very sad day for America” after pleading not guilty in Washington’s federal court to charges that he conspired to overturn the 2020 election.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former President Trump statement after pleading not guilty at arraignment: &quot;This is a very sad day for America...When you look at what&#39;s happening, this is a persecution of a political opponent.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/cKhR9qVrkv">pic.twitter.com/cKhR9qVrkv</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1687210806793097221?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump addressed the proceedings in a brief statement on a drizzly tarmac before he boarded his plane back to New Jersey, characterizing the case as a “persecution” designed to hurt his 2024 presidential campaign.“We can’t let this happen in America,” Trump said.Trump pleaded not guilty to four federal counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States. He is accused of brazenly conspiring with allies to spread falsehoods and concoct schemes intended to overturn his election loss to President Joe Biden.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691091873212.png" alt="A view outside the United State's Courthouse in Washington during the Trump arraignment-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>A view outside the United State's Courthouse in Washington during the Trump arraignment-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>The former president appeared before a magistrate judge in Washington’s federal courthouse two days after being indicted by Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">special counsel Jack Smith</a>. Of the three criminal cases he's facing, the most recent charges are especially historic since they focus on Trump's efforts as president to subvert the will of voters and obstruct the certification of Democrat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden’s</a>&nbsp;victory. His refusal to accept defeat and his lies about widespread election fraud helped fuel the violent riot on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.Trump, who is now the early front-runner in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2024-presidential-candidates-who-is-running-e89fbfee94e7e7980594a9ce3994fec7">the 2024 Republican presidential primary</a>, sat stern-faced with his hands folded, shaking his head at times as he conferred with an attorney and occasionally glancing around the courtroom as his court appearance began. He stood up to enter his “not guilty” plea, answered perfunctory questions from the judge and thanked her at the conclusion of the arraignment.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691091392217.png" alt="Former Presiden Donald Trump as he arrives Thursday in Washington for the arraignment-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Former Presiden Donald Trump as he arrives Thursday in Washington for the arraignment-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>His appearance Thursday unfolded — as will the rest of the case — in a downtown courthouse between the Capitol and the White House and in a building where more than 1,000 of the Capitol rioters have been charged by the Justice Department, which last November appointed Smith to lead a probe into the role of Trump and his allies in the events of that day.<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.1.0_2.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the latest indictment&nbsp;The indictment charges Trump with four felony counts related to his efforts to undo&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">his presidential election loss</a>, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. The charges could lead to a lengthy prison sentence in the event of a conviction, with the most serious counts calling for up to 20 years.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691091690627.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Smith himself attended the arraignment, sitting in the courtroom's front row behind the prosecutors handling the case and about 20 feet away from Trump. He looked at times in Trump's direction, though neither appeared to gesture at or talk to each other.U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya set the next court date for Aug. 28, when a tentative trial date will be set, and directed Trump not to communicate directly about the facts of case with any individual known to be a witness.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691093099558.png" alt="Law enforcement across the street from the courthouse on Thursday afternoon -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Law enforcement across the street from the courthouse on Thursday afternoon -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>Three police officers who defended the Capitol that day were also seen entering the courthouse. One of them, Aquilino Gonell, who retired from the Capitol Police after suffering injuries, took stock of the location's symbolism, noting that it was “the same court in which hundreds of rioters have been sentenced. It's the same court former President Trump is being arraigned in today for his alleged involvement before, during, and after the siege.”Trump has said he is innocent. His legal team has characterized the latest case as an attack on his right to free speech and his right to challenge an election that he believed had been stolen.One early point of contention emerged Thursday when defense lawyers bristled at the idea that a trial could be rapidly scheduled. Prosecutors said they would move quickly to provide Trump's lawyers with the information they'd need to prepare a defense, but defense attorney John Lauro said it was “somewhat absurd” that the case could be ready for trial anytime soon."These are weighty issues. Obviously, the U.S. has had three years to investigate this matter,” Lauro said.The election theft case is part of escalating legal troubles for the ex-president, coming nearly two months after Trump pleaded not guilty to dozens of federal felony counts accusing him of hoarding&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-justice-department-special-counsel-2025feb3f0f4e3820d14387c67ce4316">classified documents</a>&nbsp;at his Florida estate and thwarting government efforts to retrieve them. That case is set for trial next May.He also was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">charged in New York</a>&nbsp;with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment to a porn actor during the 2016 presidential campaign, a case scheduled for trial next March. And&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-georgia-election-investigation-fani-willis-046726b66d601cc9a5b8d5e1cbc3d8cb">prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia,</a>&nbsp;are expected in the coming weeks to announce charging decisions in an investigation into efforts to subvert election results in that state.Thursday's arraignment was part of a now-familiar but nonetheless stunning ritual for Trump, requiring him to hit pause on his presidential campaign and play the role of criminal defendant. He was flown by private plane from New Jersey to Washington, where his motorcade with lights and sirens made its way through the nation's capital — a journey documented in wall-to-wall cable coverage once again.His appearance represented a relatively rare return to Washington since he left the White House. After a trip that took him through a highway tunnel and District streets, Trump lamented what he called the "filth and the decay" of the city, which he claimed was worse than when he ended his term. But that overlooks the fact that when he left office, some businesses were boarded up and military presence in the city was ramped up in the aftermath of the insurrection sparked by his own election lies.Federal and state election officials and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d">Trump’s own attorney general</a>&nbsp;have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former president's allegations of fraud were also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-courts-election-results-e1297d874f45d2b14bc99c403abd0457">roundly rejected by courts</a>, including by judges Trump appointed.The courtroom Thursday filled with spectators who included several federal judges, including Chief District Court Judge James Boasberg — presumably there to observe the momentous event.The indictment chronicles how Trump and his Republican allies, in what Smith described as an attack on a “bedrock function of the U.S. government,” repeatedly lied about the results in the two months after he lost the election and pressured his vice president,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pence-jan-6-trump-indictment-ab36fd360a0850562a07d1b404f15d69">Mike Pence</a>, and state election officials to take action to help him cling to power.The former president was the only person charged in the case, though prosecutors referenced six unnamed co-conspirators, mostly lawyers, they say he plotted with, including in a scheme to enlist fake electors in seven battleground states won by Biden to submit false certificates to the federal government.The indictment also relies on testimony from a broad cross-section of Trump's aides and state election officials, and cites contemporaneous notes that prosecutors say were taken by Pence.The legal proceedings going forward will be presided over by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, an appointee of President Barack Obama who has stood out as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-only-on-ap-donald-trump-government-and-politics-sentencing-de394dd56b3251aac5a50014f4d6afa7">one of the toughest punishers of rioters</a>._____

🎥 Trump: It was a very sad day for America

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia said Thursday it will extend its unilateral production cut of 1 million barrels of oil a day through the end of September in its effort to boost flagging energy prices, a move that could push U.S. gas prices higher.

The Saudi reduction, which began in July, comes as the other OPEC+ producers have agreed to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saudi-oil-production-cut-6d34316ce6820c749d2a6cd66a9fffea">extend earlier production cuts</a>&nbsp;through next year.

The national average for U.S. gas prices stood at about $3.82 a gallon on Tuesday — about 30 cents higher than a month ago, according to motor club AAA. While today’s prices at the pump remain far lower than they were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/why-are-gas-prices-rising-541819ca1aa4d3dc0a0206271f9f8589">last year</a>, when energy costs soared worldwide in the months following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gas-prices-rising-heat-wave-production-cuts-4cecfbe2ee68eccab7224f163fc676db">experts say such a jump is unusual</a>.

This year's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/heat-wave-extremes-climate-change-f652668232cc2ec7400f7e65cfb75cb9">record-breaking summer heat</a>&nbsp;has also had an impact, driving up demand for air conditioning and forcing refineries to operate at reduced capacity.

The kingdom announced the extension in a statement on the state-run Saudi Press Agency, quoting an anonymous official in the Energy Ministry. The official added that the cut “can be extended or deepened” if the need arises.

“This additional voluntary cut comes to reinforce the precautionary efforts made by OPEC+ countries with the aim of supporting the stability and balance of oil markets,” the official said.

The move was widely expected by analysts.

Benchmark Brent crude traded Thursday at over $80 a barrel.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saudi-oil-production-cut-6d34316ce6820c749d2a6cd66a9fffea">A series of production cuts over the past year</a>&nbsp;has failed to substantially boost prices amid weakened demand from China and tighter monetary policy aimed at combatting inflation. Brent has largely hovered between $75 and $85 a barrel since last October.

The Saudis are particularly keen to boost oil prices in order to fund Vision 2030, an ambitious plan to overhaul the kingdom's economy, reduce its dependence on oil and create jobs for a young population. The plans include several massive infrastructure projects, including the construction of a futuristic $500 billion city called Neom.

Higher prices would also help Russian President Vladimir Putin fund his war on Ukraine, as Western countries have used a price cap to try to cut into Moscow's revenues.

Western sanctions mean&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/putin-health-covid-prices-european-union-65de1c4934227208bfa68bb7d4c47716">Moscow is forced to sell its oil at a discount</a>&nbsp;to countries like China and India. Its estimated export revenue fell by $1.4 billion to $13.3 billion in May, down 36% from a year ago, the International Energy Agency said in a report in June.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia said Thursday it will extend its unilateral production cut of 1 million barrels of oil a day through the end of September in its effort to boost flagging energy prices, a move that could push U.S. gas prices higher.The Saudi reduction, which began in July, comes as the other OPEC+ producers have agreed to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saudi-oil-production-cut-6d34316ce6820c749d2a6cd66a9fffea">extend earlier production cuts</a>&nbsp;through next year.The national average for U.S. gas prices stood at about $3.82 a gallon on Tuesday — about 30 cents higher than a month ago, according to motor club AAA. While today’s prices at the pump remain far lower than they were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/why-are-gas-prices-rising-541819ca1aa4d3dc0a0206271f9f8589">last year</a>, when energy costs soared worldwide in the months following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gas-prices-rising-heat-wave-production-cuts-4cecfbe2ee68eccab7224f163fc676db">experts say such a jump is unusual</a>.This year's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/heat-wave-extremes-climate-change-f652668232cc2ec7400f7e65cfb75cb9">record-breaking summer heat</a>&nbsp;has also had an impact, driving up demand for air conditioning and forcing refineries to operate at reduced capacity.The kingdom announced the extension in a statement on the state-run Saudi Press Agency, quoting an anonymous official in the Energy Ministry. The official added that the cut “can be extended or deepened” if the need arises.“This additional voluntary cut comes to reinforce the precautionary efforts made by OPEC+ countries with the aim of supporting the stability and balance of oil markets,” the official said.The move was widely expected by analysts.Benchmark Brent crude traded Thursday at over $80 a barrel.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saudi-oil-production-cut-6d34316ce6820c749d2a6cd66a9fffea">A series of production cuts over the past year</a>&nbsp;has failed to substantially boost prices amid weakened demand from China and tighter monetary policy aimed at combatting inflation. Brent has largely hovered between $75 and $85 a barrel since last October.The Saudis are particularly keen to boost oil prices in order to fund Vision 2030, an ambitious plan to overhaul the kingdom's economy, reduce its dependence on oil and create jobs for a young population. The plans include several massive infrastructure projects, including the construction of a futuristic $500 billion city called Neom.Higher prices would also help Russian President Vladimir Putin fund his war on Ukraine, as Western countries have used a price cap to try to cut into Moscow's revenues.Western sanctions mean&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/putin-health-covid-prices-european-union-65de1c4934227208bfa68bb7d4c47716">Moscow is forced to sell its oil at a discount</a>&nbsp;to countries like China and India. Its estimated export revenue fell by $1.4 billion to $13.3 billion in May, down 36% from a year ago, the International Energy Agency said in a report in June.

Expect jump in U.S. gas price as Saudis extends oil production cuts

By Nebraska Department of Correctional Services

August 3, 2023 (Lincoln, Neb.)&nbsp;–&nbsp;Angelita Zuniga (44), a corporal at the Reception and Treatment Center (RTC), turned herself in to Nebraska State Patrol investigators at the Lancaster County Jail yesterday. 

She was arrested for first degree sexual abuse of an inmate or parolee (Neb. Rev. Stat. §28-322.01), a felony offense.

Zuniga has been employed by the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) since June 27, 2022. Zuniga resigned her position with NDCS.

By Nebraska Department of Correctional ServicesAugust 3, 2023 (Lincoln, Neb.)&nbsp;–&nbsp;Angelita Zuniga (44), a corporal at the Reception and Treatment Center (RTC), turned herself in to Nebraska State Patrol investigators at the Lancaster County Jail yesterday. She was arrested for first degree sexual abuse of an inmate or parolee (Neb. Rev. Stat. §28-322.01), a felony offense.Zuniga has been employed by the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) since June 27, 2022. Zuniga resigned her position with NDCS.

NDCS staff member arrested for alleged sex abuse of inmate

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;pleaded not guilty Thursday to trying to overturn the results of his 2020 presidential election loss, answering for the first time to federal charges that accuse him of orchestrating a brazen and ultimately failed attempt to block the peaceful transfer of presidential power.

Trump appeared before a magistrate judge in Washington’s federal courthouse two days after being indicted on four felony counts by Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">special counsel Jack Smith</a>. The charges accuse him of trying to subvert the will of voters and undo his election loss in the days before Jan. 6, 2021, when supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a violent and bloody clash with law enforcement.

Trump,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2024-presidential-candidates-who-is-running-e89fbfee94e7e7980594a9ce3994fec7">the 2024 Republican presidential primary</a>&nbsp;front-runner, is facing charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruct Congress’ certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. His appearance Thursday, and the rest of the court case, will unfold in a courthouse blocks in clear view of the Capitol and in a building where more than 1,000 of the Capitol rioters have been charged.

Trump has said he is innocent, and his legal team has characterized the latest case as an attack on his right to free speech. The case is part of an ongoing set of escalating legal troubles for the ex-president, coming nearly two months after Trump pleaded not guilty to dozens of federal felony counts accusing him of hoarding&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-justice-department-special-counsel-2025feb3f0f4e3820d14387c67ce4316">classified documents</a>&nbsp;and thwarting government efforts to retrieve them.

Smith himself was in the courtroom and sat in the front row behind the prosecutors handling the case. Three police officers who defended the Capitol that day were also seen entering the courthouse.

The indictment from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith</a>&nbsp;charges Trump with four felony counts related to his efforts to undo&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">his presidential election loss</a>, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. The charges could lead to a yearslong prison sentence in the event of a conviction.

This is the third criminal case brought against Trump in less than six months.

He was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">charged in New York</a>&nbsp;with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment to a porn actor during the 2016 presidential campaign. Smith’s office also has charged him with 40 felony counts in Florida, accusing him of illegally&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-justice-department-special-counsel-2025feb3f0f4e3820d14387c67ce4316">retaining classified documents</a>&nbsp;at his Palm Beach estate, Mar-a-Lago, and refusing government demands to give them back. He has pleaded not guilty in both those cases, which are set for trial next year.

And&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-georgia-election-investigation-fani-willis-046726b66d601cc9a5b8d5e1cbc3d8cb">prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia,</a>&nbsp;are expected in coming weeks to announce charging decisions in an investigation into efforts to subvert election results in that state.

Trump’s lawyer John Lauro has asserted in television interviews that Trump’s actions were protected by the First Amendment right to free speech and that he relied on the advice of lawyers. Trump has claimed without evidence that Smith’s team is trying to interfere with the 2024 presidential election.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691091873212.png" alt="A view outside the United State's Courthouse in Washington during the Trump arraignment-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>A view outside the United State's Courthouse in Washington during the Trump arraignment-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;pleaded not guilty Thursday to trying to overturn the results of his 2020 presidential election loss, answering for the first time to federal charges that accuse him of orchestrating a brazen and ultimately failed attempt to block the peaceful transfer of presidential power.<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.1.0_2.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the latest indictment&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691091392217.png" alt="Former Presiden Donald Trump as he arrives Thursday in Washington for the arraignment-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Former Presiden Donald Trump as he arrives Thursday in Washington for the arraignment-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>Trump appeared before a magistrate judge in Washington’s federal courthouse two days after being indicted on four felony counts by Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">special counsel Jack Smith</a>. The charges accuse him of trying to subvert the will of voters and undo his election loss in the days before Jan. 6, 2021, when supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a violent and bloody clash with law enforcement.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691091690627.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Trump,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2024-presidential-candidates-who-is-running-e89fbfee94e7e7980594a9ce3994fec7">the 2024 Republican presidential primary</a>&nbsp;front-runner, is facing charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruct Congress’ certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. His appearance Thursday, and the rest of the court case, will unfold in a courthouse blocks in clear view of the Capitol and in a building where more than 1,000 of the Capitol rioters have been charged.Trump has said he is innocent, and his legal team has characterized the latest case as an attack on his right to free speech. The case is part of an ongoing set of escalating legal troubles for the ex-president, coming nearly two months after Trump pleaded not guilty to dozens of federal felony counts accusing him of hoarding&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-justice-department-special-counsel-2025feb3f0f4e3820d14387c67ce4316">classified documents</a>&nbsp;and thwarting government efforts to retrieve them.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691093099558.png" alt="Law enforcement across the street from the courthouse on Thursday afternoon -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Law enforcement across the street from the courthouse on Thursday afternoon -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>Smith himself was in the courtroom and sat in the front row behind the prosecutors handling the case. Three police officers who defended the Capitol that day were also seen entering the courthouse.The indictment from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith</a>&nbsp;charges Trump with four felony counts related to his efforts to undo&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">his presidential election loss</a>, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. The charges could lead to a yearslong prison sentence in the event of a conviction.The former president was the only person charged in the case, though prosecutors referenced six unnamed co-conspirators, mostly lawyers, they say he plotted with, including in a scheme to enlist fake electors in seven battleground states won by Biden to submit false certificates to the federal government.The indictment chronicles how Trump and his Republican allies, in what Smith described as an attack on a “bedrock function of the U.S. government,” repeatedly lied about the results in the two months after he lost the election and pressured his vice president,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pence-jan-6-trump-indictment-ab36fd360a0850562a07d1b404f15d69">Mike Pence</a>, and state election officials to take action to help him cling to power.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691094922366.png" alt="Trump statement on his social media platform" />
 <figcaption>Trump statement on his social media platform</figcaption>
 </figure>This is the third criminal case brought against Trump in less than six months.He was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">charged in New York</a>&nbsp;with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment to a porn actor during the 2016 presidential campaign. Smith’s office also has charged him with 40 felony counts in Florida, accusing him of illegally&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-justice-department-special-counsel-2025feb3f0f4e3820d14387c67ce4316">retaining classified documents</a>&nbsp;at his Palm Beach estate, Mar-a-Lago, and refusing government demands to give them back. He has pleaded not guilty in both those cases, which are set for trial next year.And&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-georgia-election-investigation-fani-willis-046726b66d601cc9a5b8d5e1cbc3d8cb">prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia,</a>&nbsp;are expected in coming weeks to announce charging decisions in an investigation into efforts to subvert election results in that state.Trump’s lawyer John Lauro has asserted in television interviews that Trump’s actions were protected by the First Amendment right to free speech and that he relied on the advice of lawyers. Trump has claimed without evidence that Smith’s team is trying to interfere with the 2024 presidential election.

Former President Trump pleads not guilty to 2020 election charges

DETROIT (AP) — Hyundai and Kia are telling the owners of nearly 92,000 vehicles in the U.S. to park them outside because an electronic controller in an oil pump can overheat and cause fires.

The affiliated Korean automakers are recalling the vehicles and also are telling owners to park them away from structures until repairs are made.

The recalls cover&nbsp;<a href="https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2023/RCAK-23V526-5528.pdf">certain 2023 and 2024 Hyundai Palisades</a>, as well some 2023 Tucson, Sonata, Elantra and Kona vehicles.&nbsp;<a href="https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2023/RCAK-23V531-9015.pdf">Affected Kias</a>&nbsp;include the 2023 Soul and Sportage as well as some 2023 and 2024 Seltos vehicles.

The companies say in documents posted Thursday by U.S. safety regulators that a capacitor on a circuit board in the oil pump assembly for the transmission may have been damaged by the supplier during manufacturing. That can cause a short-circuit and increase the risk of a fire.

Kia says it has six reports of melting components but no fires or injuries. Hyundai says it has confirmed four “thermal incidents” and no injuries.

Dealers will inspect and replace the oil pump controller if necessary. Hyundai owners will be notified by letter on Sept. 25. Kia will notify owners starting Sept. 28.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691066849047.png" alt="Hyundia dealer in Merriam, Kansas -Google image" />
 <figcaption>Hyundia dealer in Merriam, Kansas -Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>DETROIT (AP) — Hyundai and Kia are telling the owners of nearly 92,000 vehicles in the U.S. to park them outside because an electronic controller in an oil pump can overheat and cause fires.The affiliated Korean automakers are recalling the vehicles and also are telling owners to park them away from structures until repairs are made.The recalls cover&nbsp;<a href="https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2023/RCAK-23V526-5528.pdf">certain 2023 and 2024 Hyundai Palisades</a>, as well some 2023 Tucson, Sonata, Elantra and Kona vehicles.&nbsp;<a href="https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2023/RCAK-23V531-9015.pdf">Affected Kias</a>&nbsp;include the 2023 Soul and Sportage as well as some 2023 and 2024 Seltos vehicles.The companies say in documents posted Thursday by U.S. safety regulators that a capacitor on a circuit board in the oil pump assembly for the transmission may have been damaged by the supplier during manufacturing. That can cause a short-circuit and increase the risk of a fire.Kia says it has six reports of melting components but no fires or injuries. Hyundai says it has confirmed four “thermal incidents” and no injuries.Dealers will inspect and replace the oil pump controller if necessary. Hyundai owners will be notified by letter on Sept. 25. Kia will notify owners starting Sept. 28.

Hyundai, Kia recall: Park vehicles outside due to fire risk

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is due in federal court Thursday to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">answer to charges</a>&nbsp;that he sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election, facing a judge just blocks from the U.S. Capitol that his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">supporters stormed</a>&nbsp;to block the peaceful transfer of presidential power.

In what's by now become a familiar but nonetheless stunning ritual, Trump is expected to be processed by law enforcement, be officially taken into custody and enter a not guilty plea in front of a judge before being released, so he can rejoin the campaign trail as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024.

An indictment Tuesday from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith</a>&nbsp;charges Trump with four felony counts related to his efforts to undo the presidential election in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. The charges could lead to a yearslong prison sentence in the event of a conviction.

Trump was the only person charged in the case, though prosecutors referenced six co-conspirators — mostly lawyers — they say he plotted with, including in a scheme to enlist fake electors in seven battleground states won by President Joe Biden to submit false certificates to the federal government.

The indictment chronicles how Trump and allies, in what Smith described as an attack on a "bedrock function of the U.S. government," repeatedly lied about the results in the two months since he lost the election and pressured his vice president,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pence-jan-6-trump-indictment-ab36fd360a0850562a07d1b404f15d69">Mike Pence,</a>&nbsp;and state election officials to take action to help him cling to power.

This is the third criminal case brought against Trump in the last six months. He was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">charged in New York</a>&nbsp;with falsifying business records in connection with an alleged hush money payment to a porn actor during the 2016 presidential campaign. Smith's office has also charged him with 40 felony counts in Florida, accusing him of illegally&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-justice-department-special-counsel-2025feb3f0f4e3820d14387c67ce4316">retaining classified documents</a>&nbsp;at his Palm Beach estate, Mar-a-Lago, and refusing government demands to give them back. He has pleaded not guilty in both those cases, which are set for trial next year.

And&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-georgia-election-investigation-fani-willis-046726b66d601cc9a5b8d5e1cbc3d8cb">prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia</a>&nbsp;are expected in coming weeks to announce charging decisions in an investigation into efforts to subvert election results in that state.

Trump's lawyer, John Lauro, has asserted in television interviews that Trump's actions were protected by the First Amendment right to free speech and that he relied on the advice of lawyers. Trump himself has claimed without evidence that Smith's team is trying to interfere with the 2024 presidential election, in which Trump is the dominant front-runner to claim the Republican nomination.

Smith said in a rare public statement that he was seeking a speedy trial, though Lauro has said he intends to slow the case down so that the defense team can conduct its own investigation.

The arraignment will be handled before U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadyaha, who joined the bench last year. But going forward, the case will be presided over by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, an appointee of President Barack Obama who has stood out as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-only-on-ap-donald-trump-government-and-politics-sentencing-de394dd56b3251aac5a50014f4d6afa7">one of the toughest punishers of rioters</a>.

She has also ruled against Trump before, refusing in November 2021 to block the release of documents to the U.S. House’s Jan. 6 committee by asserting executive privilege.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686700913232.png" alt="Trump was the only person charged in the case-photo AP" />
 <figcaption>Trump was the only person charged in the case-photo AP</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is due in federal court Thursday to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">answer to charges</a>&nbsp;that he sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election, facing a judge just blocks from the U.S. Capitol that his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">supporters stormed</a>&nbsp;to block the peaceful transfer of presidential power.<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.1.0_2.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the latest indictment&nbsp;In what's by now become a familiar but nonetheless stunning ritual, Trump is expected to be processed by law enforcement, be officially taken into custody and enter a not guilty plea in front of a judge before being released, so he can rejoin the campaign trail as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024.An indictment Tuesday from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith</a>&nbsp;charges Trump with four felony counts related to his efforts to undo the presidential election in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. The charges could lead to a yearslong prison sentence in the event of a conviction.Trump was the only person charged in the case, though prosecutors referenced six co-conspirators — mostly lawyers — they say he plotted with, including in a scheme to enlist fake electors in seven battleground states won by President Joe Biden to submit false certificates to the federal government.The indictment chronicles how Trump and allies, in what Smith described as an attack on a "bedrock function of the U.S. government," repeatedly lied about the results in the two months since he lost the election and pressured his vice president,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pence-jan-6-trump-indictment-ab36fd360a0850562a07d1b404f15d69">Mike Pence,</a>&nbsp;and state election officials to take action to help him cling to power.This is the third criminal case brought against Trump in the last six months. He was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">charged in New York</a>&nbsp;with falsifying business records in connection with an alleged hush money payment to a porn actor during the 2016 presidential campaign. Smith's office has also charged him with 40 felony counts in Florida, accusing him of illegally&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-justice-department-special-counsel-2025feb3f0f4e3820d14387c67ce4316">retaining classified documents</a>&nbsp;at his Palm Beach estate, Mar-a-Lago, and refusing government demands to give them back. He has pleaded not guilty in both those cases, which are set for trial next year.And&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-georgia-election-investigation-fani-willis-046726b66d601cc9a5b8d5e1cbc3d8cb">prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia</a>&nbsp;are expected in coming weeks to announce charging decisions in an investigation into efforts to subvert election results in that state.Trump's lawyer, John Lauro, has asserted in television interviews that Trump's actions were protected by the First Amendment right to free speech and that he relied on the advice of lawyers. Trump himself has claimed without evidence that Smith's team is trying to interfere with the 2024 presidential election, in which Trump is the dominant front-runner to claim the Republican nomination.Smith said in a rare public statement that he was seeking a speedy trial, though Lauro has said he intends to slow the case down so that the defense team can conduct its own investigation.The arraignment will be handled before U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadyaha, who joined the bench last year. But going forward, the case will be presided over by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, an appointee of President Barack Obama who has stood out as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-only-on-ap-donald-trump-government-and-politics-sentencing-de394dd56b3251aac5a50014f4d6afa7">one of the toughest punishers of rioters</a>.She has also ruled against Trump before, refusing in November 2021 to block the release of documents to the U.S. House’s Jan. 6 committee by asserting executive privilege.

Trump to face judge over charges he tried to overturn 2020 presidential election

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Get ready to say goodbye to the once ubiquitous incandescent light bulb, pioneered by Thomas Edison more than a century ago. You can thank — or blame — new federal energy efficiency regulations that went into full effect this week. Quite possibly without you even noticing.

The Energy Department rules, which date back to the Obama administration, have been whipsawed in the political process for years. Some conservatives and Republican lawmakers long denounced them for interfering with consumer choice and placing undue burdens on business. Under former President Donald Trump,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/30f1a41f331c43509e02f3fea4d20e95">the Energy Department scrapped them in 2019</a>; the Biden administration subsequently revived them.

Yet by the time Aug. 1 rolled around, the critics had gone quiet, possibly because companies and consumers have already started voting for better lighting efficiency with their wallets.

The rules establish strict new efficiency standards for bulbs used in homes and businesses and bans the manufacture and sale of those that don't meet those requirements. Practical incandescent bulbs, which trace their origin to&nbsp;<a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US223898A/en">an 1880 Edison patent</a>, can't meet those standards. Neither can halogen bulbs. The rules also ban imports of less efficient bulbs.

But those requirements carry a bit less heft than they would have several years back, largely because advances in LED technology and manufacturing have dramatically lowered prices and improved quality. LED stands for “light emitting diode,” a semiconductor device that converts electricity directly into light.

Between 2015 and 2020, for instance, the percentage of American households that reported using LED bulbs for most or all of their lighting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=51858">jumped more than tenfold</a>&nbsp;— from 4% to 47%, according to the Energy Information Administration, an independent federal statistics agency.

SO DO I HAVE TO THROW AWAY MY OLD INCANDESCENTS?

Fortunately not. The rules don’t affect bulbs that you already own; they also exempt special purpose incandescents such as those used inside ovens.

But suppose you discard — or give away — your halogen and incandescent bulbs. Odds are good that replacing them with LED bulbs could save you a fair amount of money.

As the rules reinforce existing market changes, the Energy Department believes that U.S. consumers can save&nbsp;<a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-administration-implements-new-cost-saving-energy-efficiency-standards-light-bulbs">almost $3 billion annually</a>&nbsp;on their utility bills. Similarly, it projects that the rules could cut carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next 30 years.

Incandescent bulbs create illumination by running an electric current through a filament that heats it until it glows. Edison's first practical light bulb used a carbonized cotton thread for that purpose; modern bulbs use tungsten filaments in an inert gas.

But incandescents are not very efficient. Only roughly 5% of the energy used by an incandescent bulb produces light; the remaining 95% or so is lost as heat. This is why you let an incandescent bulb cool off before unscrewing it.

They also burn out frequently, requiring replacement roughly every year.

The light-emitting components in LED bulbs, by contrast, are manufactured via the same process used to make computer chips, which makes them extremely efficient. They generate almost no heat and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/lighting-choices-save-you-money#:~:text=Although%20once%20known%20mainly%20for,longer%20than%20traditional%20incandescent%20bulbs.">use up to 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs</a>&nbsp;while lasting up to 25 times longer, according to the Energy Department.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Get ready to say goodbye to the once ubiquitous incandescent light bulb, pioneered by Thomas Edison more than a century ago. You can thank — or blame — new federal energy efficiency regulations that went into full effect this week. Quite possibly without you even noticing.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Here&#39;s some news to light up your day.💡 Our new energy-efficiency standards for light bulbs will: 💵 Save consumers $3B a year on utility bills 📉 Cut 222M metric tons of carbon emissions over three decades 📚 <a href="https://t.co/GNjtzvh3DF">https://t.co/GNjtzvh3DF</a> <a href="https://t.co/Phl6qHquK6">pic.twitter.com/Phl6qHquK6</a>&mdash; U.S. Department of Energy (@ENERGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/ENERGY/status/1518986019630206976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Energy Department rules, which date back to the Obama administration, have been whipsawed in the political process for years. Some conservatives and Republican lawmakers long denounced them for interfering with consumer choice and placing undue burdens on business. Under former President Donald Trump,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/30f1a41f331c43509e02f3fea4d20e95">the Energy Department scrapped them in 2019</a>; the Biden administration subsequently revived them.Yet by the time Aug. 1 rolled around, the critics had gone quiet, possibly because companies and consumers have already started voting for better lighting efficiency with their wallets.Here's what you need to know.WHAT CHANGES UNDER THE NEW RULES?The rules establish strict new efficiency standards for bulbs used in homes and businesses and bans the manufacture and sale of those that don't meet those requirements. Practical incandescent bulbs, which trace their origin to&nbsp;<a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US223898A/en">an 1880 Edison patent</a>, can't meet those standards. Neither can halogen bulbs. The rules also ban imports of less efficient bulbs.But those requirements carry a bit less heft than they would have several years back, largely because advances in LED technology and manufacturing have dramatically lowered prices and improved quality. LED stands for “light emitting diode,” a semiconductor device that converts electricity directly into light.Between 2015 and 2020, for instance, the percentage of American households that reported using LED bulbs for most or all of their lighting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=51858">jumped more than tenfold</a>&nbsp;— from 4% to 47%, according to the Energy Information Administration, an independent federal statistics agency.SO DO I HAVE TO THROW AWAY MY OLD INCANDESCENTS?Fortunately not. The rules don’t affect bulbs that you already own; they also exempt special purpose incandescents such as those used inside ovens.But suppose you discard — or give away — your halogen and incandescent bulbs. Odds are good that replacing them with LED bulbs could save you a fair amount of money.As the rules reinforce existing market changes, the Energy Department believes that U.S. consumers can save&nbsp;<a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-administration-implements-new-cost-saving-energy-efficiency-standards-light-bulbs">almost $3 billion annually</a>&nbsp;on their utility bills. Similarly, it projects that the rules could cut carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next 30 years.WHY DO LED BULBS SAVE ENERGY AND MONEY?Incandescent bulbs create illumination by running an electric current through a filament that heats it until it glows. Edison's first practical light bulb used a carbonized cotton thread for that purpose; modern bulbs use tungsten filaments in an inert gas.But incandescents are not very efficient. Only roughly 5% of the energy used by an incandescent bulb produces light; the remaining 95% or so is lost as heat. This is why you let an incandescent bulb cool off before unscrewing it.They also burn out frequently, requiring replacement roughly every year.The light-emitting components in LED bulbs, by contrast, are manufactured via the same process used to make computer chips, which makes them extremely efficient. They generate almost no heat and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/lighting-choices-save-you-money#:~:text=Although%20once%20known%20mainly%20for,longer%20than%20traditional%20incandescent%20bulbs.">use up to 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs</a>&nbsp;while lasting up to 25 times longer, according to the Energy Department.

New energy efficiency rules begin and ban incandescent light bulbs

The Nebraska State Patrol announced on Tuesday that they are now hiring troopers to join there next training academy class in January. Nebraska State Patrol troopers receive a starting salary of $30 an hour. Colonel John Bolduc says that troopers patrol Nebraska’s roadways, investigate criminal activity, fly drones, handle K9s, negotiate in crisis situations and more.&nbsp;

The next class of recruits will begin the NSP Training Academy on January 2, 2024 and are scheduled to graduate on June 14, 2024. Recruits are paid $27.46 per hour while attending the 22-week training program at the NSP Training Academy. &nbsp;

Applicants must be a United States citizen and at least 21 years of age by June 14, 2024, when they take the oath of office. Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED equivalence. Additional information about the hiring process, including physical requirements and benefits of serving as a Trooper, can be found at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nebraskatroopers.com/" target="_blank">NebraskaTroopers.com.</a>&nbsp;

By Alex Benzegala Panhandle PostThe Nebraska State Patrol announced on Tuesday that they are now hiring troopers to join there next training academy class in January. Nebraska State Patrol troopers receive a starting salary of $30 an hour. Colonel John Bolduc says that troopers patrol Nebraska’s roadways, investigate criminal activity, fly drones, handle K9s, negotiate in crisis situations and more.&nbsp;The next class of recruits will begin the NSP Training Academy on January 2, 2024 and are scheduled to graduate on June 14, 2024. Recruits are paid $27.46 per hour while attending the 22-week training program at the NSP Training Academy. &nbsp;Applicants must be a United States citizen and at least 21 years of age by June 14, 2024, when they take the oath of office. Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED equivalence. Additional information about the hiring process, including physical requirements and benefits of serving as a Trooper, can be found at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nebraskatroopers.com/" target="_blank">NebraskaTroopers.com.</a>&nbsp;

Nebraska State Patrol hiring troopers 

Des Moines (AP) —The Mega Millions jackpot increased to an estimated $1.25 billion after no one beat the odds Tuesday night and won the massive lottery prize.

The winning numbers drawn were: 8, 24, 30, 45, 61 and the yellow ball: 12.

No one has won the Mega Millions jackpot since April 18, allowing it to grow larger and larger. The $1.25 billion prize for Friday’s drawing is one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/top-10-us-lottery-jackpots-b24950a388d0a0f6544d2276956ff220">largest in U.S. history</a>. Tuesday night’s drawing for $1.1 billion was the 30th straight without a winner.

The lottery drought is due to a combination of poor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-lottery-us-news-ap-top-news-ia-state-wire-b5572da1e5d74f6e974bea45c707b5cb">luck and terrible odds</a>, as the chance of winning the Mega Millions jackpot is 1 in 302.6 million. The odds of winning smaller prizes, ranging from $2 to $1 million, are significantly better.

The new $1.25 billion jackpot is for a sole winner who chooses to collect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">through an annuity</a>, with annual payments over 30 years. A sole winner who opts for a lump sum payment would receive an estimated $625.3 million.

Winners also would be subject to federal taxes, and many states also tax lottery winnings.

Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Des Moines (AP) —The Mega Millions jackpot increased to an estimated $1.25 billion after no one beat the odds Tuesday night and won the massive lottery prize.The winning numbers drawn were: 8, 24, 30, 45, 61 and the yellow ball: 12.No one has won the Mega Millions jackpot since April 18, allowing it to grow larger and larger. The $1.25 billion prize for Friday’s drawing is one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/top-10-us-lottery-jackpots-b24950a388d0a0f6544d2276956ff220">largest in U.S. history</a>. Tuesday night’s drawing for $1.1 billion was the 30th straight without a winner.The lottery drought is due to a combination of poor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-lottery-us-news-ap-top-news-ia-state-wire-b5572da1e5d74f6e974bea45c707b5cb">luck and terrible odds</a>, as the chance of winning the Mega Millions jackpot is 1 in 302.6 million. The odds of winning smaller prizes, ranging from $2 to $1 million, are significantly better.The new $1.25 billion jackpot is for a sole winner who chooses to collect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">through an annuity</a>, with annual payments over 30 years. A sole winner who opts for a lump sum payment would receive an estimated $625.3 million.Winners also would be subject to federal taxes, and many states also tax lottery winnings.Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Mega Millions jackpot climbs to $1.25 billion after no one hits top prize

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump was charged Tuesday in a Justice Department investigation into his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-hearings-trump-capitol-10351fe6d555eaee7554379ceed8bb24">efforts to overturn the results</a>&nbsp;of the 2020 presidential election in the run-up to the violent riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol.

<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.1.0_2.pdf">Click here to read</a> the indictment

The charges include conspiracy to defraud the United States government and witness tampering.

The indictment, the third criminal case brought against the former president as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024, follows a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jan-6-justice-department-charges-ab1ad197e9abcb3eb9095237b98bee7d">long-running federal investigation</a>&nbsp;into schemes by Trump and his allies to subvert the peaceful transfer of power and keep him in office despite a decisive loss to Joe Biden.

Even in a year of rapid-succession legal reckonings for Trump, Tuesday's criminal case was especially stunning in its allegations that a former president assaulted the underpinnings of democracy in a frantic and ultimately failed effort to cling to power.

Federal prosecutors say Donald Trump was “determined to remain in power” in conspiracies that targeted a “bedrock function of the United States federal government: the nation’s process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election.”

Trump is due in court on Thursday before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan.

The criminal case comes while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-desantis-2024-rivalry-republican-039d07d08e7fef506bf7b8b1cd40ca75">Trump leads the field of Republicans</a>&nbsp;vying to capture their party’s presidential nomination. It is sure to be dismissed by the former president and his supporters — and even some of his rivals — as just another politically motivated prosecution. Yet the charges stem from one of the most serious threats to American democracy in modern history.

They focus on the turbulent two months after the November 2020 election in which Trump refused to accept his loss and spread lies that victory was stolen from him. The turmoil resulted in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">the U.S. Capitol riot</a>&nbsp;on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump loyalists violently broke into the building, attacked police officers and disrupted the congressional counting of electoral votes.

In between the election and the riot, Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-joe-biden-arts-and-entertainment-elections-georgia-2b27f4c92919556bf6548117648693b7">urged local election officials to undo voting results</a>&nbsp;in their states, pressured former Vice President Mike Pence to halt the certification of electoral votes and falsely claimed that the election had been stolen — a notion repeatedly rejected by judges.

The indictment had been expected since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jan-6-investigation-2020-election-7caa4d45b9dc287af868aa12f87fe254">Trump said in mid-July</a>&nbsp;that the Justice Department informed him he was a target of its long-running Jan. 6 investigation. A bipartisan House committee that spent months investigating the run-up to the Capitol riot&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/january-6-final-hearing-investigation-wraps-0bceb95826c1c836023d2810ccbeccca">also recommended prosecuting Trump</a>&nbsp;on charges, including aiding an insurrection and obstructing an official proceeding.

The mounting criminal cases against Trump — not to mention multiple civil cases — are unfolding in the heat of the 2024 race. A conviction in this case, or any other, would not prevent Trump from pursuing the White House or serving as president.

In New York,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indictment-new-york-florida-hush-money-election-764309dce49f81a50bf9f610ffd5ceb6">state prosecutors have charged Trump</a>&nbsp;with falsifying business records about a hush money payoff to a porn actor before the 2016 election. The trial begins in late March.

In Florida, the Justice Department has brought more than three dozen&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-justice-department-indictment-classified-documents-miami-8315a5b23c18f27083ed64eef21efff3">felony counts against Trump</a>&nbsp;accusing him of illegally possessing classified documents after leaving the White House and concealing them from the government. The trial begins in late May.

The latest federal indictment against Trump focuses heavily on actions taken in Washington, and the trial will be held there, in a courthouse located between the White House he once occupied and the Capitol his supporters once stormed. No trial date has been set.

Prosecutors in Georgia are investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to reverse his election loss to Biden there in 2020. The district attorney of Fulton County is expected to announce a decision on whether to indict the former president in early August.

The investigation of Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election was led by Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">special counsel Jack Smith</a>. His team of prosecutors has questioned senior Trump administration officials before a grand jury in Washington,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pence-trump-grand-jury-2020-jan-6-9dac6db37ab8923ff1b0f09f3a9a32c8">including Pence</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-biden-presidential-elections-election-2020-pat-cipollone-12a8357dfec8bc9a245e5e310638aedc">top lawyers from the Trump White House</a>.

Rudy Giuliani, a Trump lawyer who pursued post-election legal challenges,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-giuliani-jan-6-justice-department-324e9537d58c0248806739d43b198d91">spoke voluntarily to prosecutors</a>&nbsp;as part of a proffer agreement, in which a person’s statements can’t be used against them in any future criminal case that is brought.

Prosecutors also interviewed election officials in Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and elsewhere who came under pressure from Trump and his associates to change voting results in states won by Biden, a Democrat.

Focal points of the Justice Department’s election meddling investigation included the role played by some of Trump’s lawyers, post-election fundraising,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-panel-july-12-hearing-live-updates-78d2471f3788a82290f04d02b2b50520">a chaotic December 2020</a>&nbsp;meeting at the White House in which some Trump aides discussed the possibility of seizing voting machines and the enlistment of fake electors to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-joe-biden-presidential-elections-election-2020-electoral-college-311f88768b65f7196f52a4757dc162e4">submit certificates to the National Archives</a>&nbsp;and Congress falsely asserting that Trump, not Biden, had won their states’ votes.

Trump has been trying to use the mounting legal troubles to his political advantage, claiming without evidence on social media and at public events that the cases are being driven by Democratic prosecutors out to hurt his 2024 election campaign.

The indictments have helped his campaign raise millions of dollars from supporters, though he raised less after the second than the first, raising questions about whether subsequent charges will have the same impact.

A fundraising committee backing Trump’s candidacy began soliciting contributions just hours after the ex-president revealed he was the focus of the Justice Department’s Jan. 6 investigation, casting it as “just another vicious act of Election Interference on behalf of the Deep State to try and stop the Silent Majority from having a voice in your own country.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland last year appointed Smith, an international war crimes prosecutor who also led the Justice Department’s public corruption section, as special counsel to investigate efforts to undo the 2020 election and Trump’s retention of hundreds of classified documents at his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Mar-a-Lago. Although Trump has derided him as “deranged” and suggested that he is politically motivated, Smith’s past experience includes overseeing significant prosecutions against high-profile Democrats.

The Justice Department’s investigation into the efforts to overturn the 2020 election began well before Smith’s appointment, proceeding alongside separate criminal probes into the Jan. 6 rioters themselves.

More than 1,000 people have been charged in connection with the insurrection, including some with seditious conspiracy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1690927220268.png" alt="In a video released by the&nbsp;White House,&nbsp;President Trump&nbsp;addressed protesters who breached the U.S. Capitol-image CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>In a video released by the&nbsp;White House,&nbsp;President Trump&nbsp;addressed protesters who breached the U.S. Capitol-image CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump was charged Tuesday in a Justice Department investigation into his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-hearings-trump-capitol-10351fe6d555eaee7554379ceed8bb24">efforts to overturn the results</a>&nbsp;of the 2020 presidential election in the run-up to the violent riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol.<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.1.0_2.pdf">Click here to read</a> the indictmentThe charges include conspiracy to defraud the United States government and witness tampering.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1690926987746.png" alt="President Trump during the DC&nbsp; Rally on Jan. 6-White House image" />
 <figcaption>President Trump during the DC&nbsp; Rally on Jan. 6-White House image</figcaption>
 </figure>The indictment, the third criminal case brought against the former president as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024, follows a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jan-6-justice-department-charges-ab1ad197e9abcb3eb9095237b98bee7d">long-running federal investigation</a>&nbsp;into schemes by Trump and his allies to subvert the peaceful transfer of power and keep him in office despite a decisive loss to Joe Biden.Even in a year of rapid-succession legal reckonings for Trump, Tuesday's criminal case was especially stunning in its allegations that a former president assaulted the underpinnings of democracy in a frantic and ultimately failed effort to cling to power.Federal prosecutors say Donald Trump was “determined to remain in power” in conspiracies that targeted a “bedrock function of the United States federal government: the nation’s process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election.”Trump is due in court on Thursday before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan.The criminal case comes while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-desantis-2024-rivalry-republican-039d07d08e7fef506bf7b8b1cd40ca75">Trump leads the field of Republicans</a>&nbsp;vying to capture their party’s presidential nomination. It is sure to be dismissed by the former president and his supporters — and even some of his rivals — as just another politically motivated prosecution. Yet the charges stem from one of the most serious threats to American democracy in modern history.They focus on the turbulent two months after the November 2020 election in which Trump refused to accept his loss and spread lies that victory was stolen from him. The turmoil resulted in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">the U.S. Capitol riot</a>&nbsp;on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump loyalists violently broke into the building, attacked police officers and disrupted the congressional counting of electoral votes.In between the election and the riot, Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-joe-biden-arts-and-entertainment-elections-georgia-2b27f4c92919556bf6548117648693b7">urged local election officials to undo voting results</a>&nbsp;in their states, pressured former Vice President Mike Pence to halt the certification of electoral votes and falsely claimed that the election had been stolen — a notion repeatedly rejected by judges.The indictment had been expected since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jan-6-investigation-2020-election-7caa4d45b9dc287af868aa12f87fe254">Trump said in mid-July</a>&nbsp;that the Justice Department informed him he was a target of its long-running Jan. 6 investigation. A bipartisan House committee that spent months investigating the run-up to the Capitol riot&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/january-6-final-hearing-investigation-wraps-0bceb95826c1c836023d2810ccbeccca">also recommended prosecuting Trump</a>&nbsp;on charges, including aiding an insurrection and obstructing an official proceeding.The mounting criminal cases against Trump — not to mention multiple civil cases — are unfolding in the heat of the 2024 race. A conviction in this case, or any other, would not prevent Trump from pursuing the White House or serving as president.In New York,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indictment-new-york-florida-hush-money-election-764309dce49f81a50bf9f610ffd5ceb6">state prosecutors have charged Trump</a>&nbsp;with falsifying business records about a hush money payoff to a porn actor before the 2016 election. The trial begins in late March.In Florida, the Justice Department has brought more than three dozen&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-justice-department-indictment-classified-documents-miami-8315a5b23c18f27083ed64eef21efff3">felony counts against Trump</a>&nbsp;accusing him of illegally possessing classified documents after leaving the White House and concealing them from the government. The trial begins in late May.The latest federal indictment against Trump focuses heavily on actions taken in Washington, and the trial will be held there, in a courthouse located between the White House he once occupied and the Capitol his supporters once stormed. No trial date has been set.Prosecutors in Georgia are investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to reverse his election loss to Biden there in 2020. The district attorney of Fulton County is expected to announce a decision on whether to indict the former president in early August.The investigation of Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election was led by Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">special counsel Jack Smith</a>. His team of prosecutors has questioned senior Trump administration officials before a grand jury in Washington,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pence-trump-grand-jury-2020-jan-6-9dac6db37ab8923ff1b0f09f3a9a32c8">including Pence</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-biden-presidential-elections-election-2020-pat-cipollone-12a8357dfec8bc9a245e5e310638aedc">top lawyers from the Trump White House</a>.Rudy Giuliani, a Trump lawyer who pursued post-election legal challenges,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-giuliani-jan-6-justice-department-324e9537d58c0248806739d43b198d91">spoke voluntarily to prosecutors</a>&nbsp;as part of a proffer agreement, in which a person’s statements can’t be used against them in any future criminal case that is brought.Prosecutors also interviewed election officials in Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and elsewhere who came under pressure from Trump and his associates to change voting results in states won by Biden, a Democrat.Focal points of the Justice Department’s election meddling investigation included the role played by some of Trump’s lawyers, post-election fundraising,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-panel-july-12-hearing-live-updates-78d2471f3788a82290f04d02b2b50520">a chaotic December 2020</a>&nbsp;meeting at the White House in which some Trump aides discussed the possibility of seizing voting machines and the enlistment of fake electors to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-joe-biden-presidential-elections-election-2020-electoral-college-311f88768b65f7196f52a4757dc162e4">submit certificates to the National Archives</a>&nbsp;and Congress falsely asserting that Trump, not Biden, had won their states’ votes.Trump has been trying to use the mounting legal troubles to his political advantage, claiming without evidence on social media and at public events that the cases are being driven by Democratic prosecutors out to hurt his 2024 election campaign.The indictments have helped his campaign raise millions of dollars from supporters, though he raised less after the second than the first, raising questions about whether subsequent charges will have the same impact.A fundraising committee backing Trump’s candidacy began soliciting contributions just hours after the ex-president revealed he was the focus of the Justice Department’s Jan. 6 investigation, casting it as “just another vicious act of Election Interference on behalf of the Deep State to try and stop the Silent Majority from having a voice in your own country.”Attorney General Merrick Garland last year appointed Smith, an international war crimes prosecutor who also led the Justice Department’s public corruption section, as special counsel to investigate efforts to undo the 2020 election and Trump’s retention of hundreds of classified documents at his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Mar-a-Lago. Although Trump has derided him as “deranged” and suggested that he is politically motivated, Smith’s past experience includes overseeing significant prosecutions against high-profile Democrats.The Justice Department’s investigation into the efforts to overturn the 2020 election began well before Smith’s appointment, proceeding alongside separate criminal probes into the Jan. 6 rioters themselves.More than 1,000 people have been charged in connection with the insurrection, including some with seditious conspiracy.____

Read indictment: Trump charged for efforts to overturn 2020 election 

By ZACH WENDLING <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/woman-who-shouted-shame-following-critical-gun-bill-passage-is-banned-from-nebraska-capitol/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/woman-who-shouted-shame-following-critical-gun-bill-passage-is-banned-from-nebraska-capitol/"></a> LINCOLN&nbsp;—&nbsp;Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said Monday that his office “strongly supports” reproductive health privacy in response to a letter last week from nine state lawmakers.

Those lawmakers in a July 26 letter asked Hilgers to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/07/26/nebraska-lawmakers-urge-nebraska-ag-to-clarify-stance-on-reproductive-health-privacy/">clarify his stance</a>&nbsp;on reproductive health privacy and medical autonomy. They questioned why it might be important to have Nebraskans’ medical records from other states and whether it is Hilgers’ intention to prosecute individuals who receive or aid in legal abortion care.

Their letter came after Hilgers joined attorneys general from&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-attorney-general-pushes-against-expansion-of-federal-reproductive-health-privacy/">18 other states</a>&nbsp;last month in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ago.nebraska.gov/news/attorney-general-hilgers-signs-mississippi-letter-ensure-law-enforcement-protects-nebraskans">opposing</a>&nbsp;a proposed federal expansion of reproductive health privacy.

Hilgers wrote to Omaha State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh, who led the letter effort, stating that his office is “defending the status quo” of patient privacy while the proposed Biden administration rule would create “significant loopholes.”

Hilgers said a 2000 Clinton-era rule, which sought to “balance individuals’ privacy interests against the legitimate interests in certain uses of health information,” remains the status quo.&nbsp;

It allows law enforcement to obtain records under a court order and permits (but does not require) medical providers to disclose limited information without consent if it’s needed to determine whether someone else broke the law and is not intended to be used against the victim, according to Hilgers.

Preserving that rule, Hilgers said, does not mean law enforcement can get the disclosure of records “on simply their say-so.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ new proposal would tighten the use and disclosure of protected health information, including reproductive care, in investigative or enforcement proceedings if the care was provided lawfully.

The changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rule would extend to care across state lines and expand the definition of reproductive care to all care related to the reproductive system.&nbsp;

Hilgers offered a handful of instances in which law enforcement might need health information that he said could be limited or prohibited under the proposal. Those examples include:

“Far from applying to a narrow class of abortion-related procedures, the Proposed Rule chills investigative efforts into serious criminal wrongdoing and other misconduct,” Hilgers wrote. “In doing so, it undermines our ability to keep Nebraska citizens —&nbsp;and in particular Nebraska patients —&nbsp;safe.”

Cavanaugh said this argument of harming investigations is “disingenuous” since tools exist to fully prosecute human trafficking and other criminal cases.&nbsp;

Hilgers told the lawmakers that some of their questions “appear to rest on the premise” that the rule is in the “limited scope” of preventing law enforcement from obtaining records that could be used to prosecute women for abortions.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689780455345.jpeg" alt="&nbsp;Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By ZACH WENDLING <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/woman-who-shouted-shame-following-critical-gun-bill-passage-is-banned-from-nebraska-capitol/">Nebraska Examiner</a><a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/woman-who-shouted-shame-following-critical-gun-bill-passage-is-banned-from-nebraska-capitol/"></a> LINCOLN&nbsp;—&nbsp;Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said Monday that his office “strongly supports” reproductive health privacy in response to a letter last week from nine state lawmakers.Those lawmakers in a July 26 letter asked Hilgers to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/07/26/nebraska-lawmakers-urge-nebraska-ag-to-clarify-stance-on-reproductive-health-privacy/">clarify his stance</a>&nbsp;on reproductive health privacy and medical autonomy. They questioned why it might be important to have Nebraskans’ medical records from other states and whether it is Hilgers’ intention to prosecute individuals who receive or aid in legal abortion care.Their letter came after Hilgers joined attorneys general from&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-attorney-general-pushes-against-expansion-of-federal-reproductive-health-privacy/">18 other states</a>&nbsp;last month in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ago.nebraska.gov/news/attorney-general-hilgers-signs-mississippi-letter-ensure-law-enforcement-protects-nebraskans">opposing</a>&nbsp;a proposed federal expansion of reproductive health privacy.Hilgers wrote to Omaha State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh, who led the letter effort, stating that his office is “defending the status quo” of patient privacy while the proposed Biden administration rule would create “significant loopholes.”Hilgers said a 2000 Clinton-era rule, which sought to “balance individuals’ privacy interests against the legitimate interests in certain uses of health information,” remains the status quo.&nbsp;It allows law enforcement to obtain records under a court order and permits (but does not require) medical providers to disclose limited information without consent if it’s needed to determine whether someone else broke the law and is not intended to be used against the victim, according to Hilgers.Preserving that rule, Hilgers said, does not mean law enforcement can get the disclosure of records “on simply their say-so.”<h2>‘Chills investigative efforts’</h2>The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ new proposal would tighten the use and disclosure of protected health information, including reproductive care, in investigative or enforcement proceedings if the care was provided lawfully.The changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rule would extend to care across state lines and expand the definition of reproductive care to all care related to the reproductive system.&nbsp;Hilgers offered a handful of instances in which law enforcement might need health information that he said could be limited or prohibited under the proposal. Those examples include:<ul>
 <li>Obstetricians who may have botched a series of C-sections.</li><li>Human traffickers who take their victims to a clinic or hospital for any reproductive care.</li><li>Rapists who sexually assault underaged victims, who then become pregnant and seek any reproductive care.</li><li>Sexual predator family members who assault minor children and coerce them into obtaining an abortion.</li>
 </ul>“Far from applying to a narrow class of abortion-related procedures, the Proposed Rule chills investigative efforts into serious criminal wrongdoing and other misconduct,” Hilgers wrote. “In doing so, it undermines our ability to keep Nebraska citizens —&nbsp;and in particular Nebraska patients —&nbsp;safe.”Cavanaugh said this argument of harming investigations is “disingenuous” since tools exist to fully prosecute human trafficking and other criminal cases.&nbsp;<h2>Rule is beyond ‘limited scope’</h2>Hilgers told the lawmakers that some of their questions “appear to rest on the premise” that the rule is in the “limited scope” of preventing law enforcement from obtaining records that could be used to prosecute women for abortions.“That is emphatically not the case,” Hilgers said.Nebraska law specifically prohibits the prosecution of women for obtaining an abortion procedure, Hilgers noted, including the 12-week abortion ban, tied to gestational age, passed by the Legislature in May.Hilgers did not respond to the letter’s citing of an “unfortunate history” of prosecuting pregnancy outcomes.They pointed to a Norfolk, Nebraska,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-charges-nebraska-f330455d60aa3c01534bcb74216f8404">abortion-related case</a>&nbsp;in which the mother helped her then-17-year-old daughter obtain abortion pills last spring for an abortion in the teen’s third trimester. The pair then burned and buried the aborted fetus.The mother faces sentencing after pleading guilty to providing an illegal abortion, false reporting and tampering with human skeletal remains. The daughter pleaded guilty to concealing or abandoning a dead body and was sentenced this month to 90 days in jail and two years of probation.The lawmakers joining Machaela Cavanaugh in the letter were Megan Hunt of Omaha, Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, Jen Day of Omaha, John Cavanaugh of Omaha, George Dungan of Lincoln, John Fredrickson of Omaha, Carol Blood of Bellevue and Jane Raybould of Lincoln.