WASHINGTON (AP) — A Canadian woman was sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison in Washington Thursday in the mailing of a threatening letter containing the poison ricin to then-President Donald Trump at the White House.

Pascale Ferrier, 56, had pleaded guilty to violating biological weapons prohibitions in letters sent to Trump and to police officials in Texas, where she had been jailed in 2019 after refusing to leave a park area as it closed.

Her defense attorney Eugene Ohm said Ferrier has no criminal record prior that and is an “inordinately intelligent” French immigrant who had earned a master’s degree in engineering and raised two children as a single parent.

But in September 2020, prosecutors said Ferrier made the ricin, a potentially deadly poison derived from processing castor beans, then mailed it to Trump with a letter that referred to him as “The Ugly Tyrant Clown” and read in part: “If it doesn’t work, I’ll find better recipe for another poison, or I might use my gun when I’ll be able to come. Enjoy! FREE REBEL SPIRIT.”

The letter from Pascale Ferrier, which also told Trump “give up and remove your application for this election,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-news-arrests-quebec-politics-f4806754642c2075a4ddb1f04d4441f5">was intercepted</a>&nbsp;at a mail sorting facility in September 2020, before it could reach the White House.

She&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-arrests-canada-donald-trump-2a1c3de40cebc39dab6a4e04d342e631">was arrested</a>&nbsp;trying to enter a border crossing in Buffalo, New York, carrying a gun, a knife and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, authorities said. Investigators also found eight similar letters to Texas officials.

In a winding speech, Ferrier told the judge that she considers herself a “peaceful and genuinely kind person,” but gets angry about problems like unfairness, abuses of power and “stupid rules." She spoke about feeling like she had done little to support her values while raising her children, and considered herself to be an “activist” rather than a “terrorist.”

“I want to find peaceful means to achieve my goals,” she said.

U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich handed down the 262-month sentence outlined in a plea agreement with prosecutors, which also requires Ferrier to leave the country once she is released and be under supervised release for life if she ever returns to the U.S.

The judge noted a “real disconnect" between the Canadian grandmother who has worked toward another degree while behind bars and the crimes Ferrier pleaded guilty to. “That isn't really activism, that's productive,” she said.

Prosecutor Michael Freedman said the sentence was an “appropriately harsh punishment” that sends a clear message.

“There is absolutely no place for politically motivated violence in the United States of America,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600785018276.png" alt="Pascale Ferrier" />
 <figcaption>Pascale Ferrier</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A Canadian woman was sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison in Washington Thursday in the mailing of a threatening letter containing the poison ricin to then-President Donald Trump at the White House.Pascale Ferrier, 56, had pleaded guilty to violating biological weapons prohibitions in letters sent to Trump and to police officials in Texas, where she had been jailed in 2019 after refusing to leave a park area as it closed.Her defense attorney Eugene Ohm said Ferrier has no criminal record prior that and is an “inordinately intelligent” French immigrant who had earned a master’s degree in engineering and raised two children as a single parent.But in September 2020, prosecutors said Ferrier made the ricin, a potentially deadly poison derived from processing castor beans, then mailed it to Trump with a letter that referred to him as “The Ugly Tyrant Clown” and read in part: “If it doesn’t work, I’ll find better recipe for another poison, or I might use my gun when I’ll be able to come. Enjoy! FREE REBEL SPIRIT.”The letter from Pascale Ferrier, which also told Trump “give up and remove your application for this election,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-news-arrests-quebec-politics-f4806754642c2075a4ddb1f04d4441f5">was intercepted</a>&nbsp;at a mail sorting facility in September 2020, before it could reach the White House.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692295294433.png" alt="RCMP officers in St. Hubert, Canada, prepare to enter an apartment complex in connection with the mailing of ricin to President Trump -photo courtesy Royal Canadian Mounted Police" />
 <figcaption>RCMP officers in St. Hubert, Canada, prepare to enter an apartment complex in connection with the mailing of ricin to President Trump -photo courtesy Royal Canadian Mounted Police</figcaption>
 </figure>She&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-arrests-canada-donald-trump-2a1c3de40cebc39dab6a4e04d342e631">was arrested</a>&nbsp;trying to enter a border crossing in Buffalo, New York, carrying a gun, a knife and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, authorities said. Investigators also found eight similar letters to Texas officials.In a winding speech, Ferrier told the judge that she considers herself a “peaceful and genuinely kind person,” but gets angry about problems like unfairness, abuses of power and “stupid rules." She spoke about feeling like she had done little to support her values while raising her children, and considered herself to be an “activist” rather than a “terrorist.”“I want to find peaceful means to achieve my goals,” she said.U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich handed down the 262-month sentence outlined in a plea agreement with prosecutors, which also requires Ferrier to leave the country once she is released and be under supervised release for life if she ever returns to the U.S.The judge noted a “real disconnect" between the Canadian grandmother who has worked toward another degree while behind bars and the crimes Ferrier pleaded guilty to. “That isn't really activism, that's productive,” she said.Prosecutor Michael Freedman said the sentence was an “appropriately harsh punishment” that sends a clear message.“There is absolutely no place for politically motivated violence in the United States of America,” he said.

Woman sentenced for sending poisoned letter to Trump in White House

KANSAS CITY– A man popularly known as Kansas City Chiefs superfan “ChiefsAholic” was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday for robbing several financial institutions and laundering the proceeds through area casinos, according to the United State's Attorney.

Xaviar Michael Babudar, 29, was charged in a 19-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. The indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Babudar on May 24, 2023, and includes additional charges.

Babudar, who lived a nomadic existence at various locations around the Kansas City metropolitan area, enjoyed a robust social media presence as Kansas City Chiefs superfan Twitter user @ChiefsAholic, attending most games dressed as a wolf in Chiefs clothing. According to the indictment, Babudar’s ability to attend these games and sustain this lifestyle was funded by his perpetration of a string of bank and credit union robberies throughout 2022. Babudar laundered the robbery proceeds through area casinos, and used the robbery proceeds to attend numerous Chiefs home and away games. He also placed various wagers on the outcomes of Chiefs games. During this time, the indictment says, Babudar did not report any wages earned in the states of Missouri or Kansas.

The indictment charges Babudar with three counts of armed bank robbery, one count of bank theft, 11 counts of money laundering, and four counts of transporting stolen property across state lines.

Babudar allegedly stole $70,000 from the Clive, Iowa, branch of Great Western Bank on March 2, 2022. He then carried this money to Missouri, depositing it in two separate transactions into his personal savings account.

Babudar allegedly stole $170,860 from the Omaha, Nebraska, branch of First National Bank of Omaha on April 28, 2022. Omaha police officers recovered $163,560 following the theft.

Babudar allegedly stole $303,845 from the West Des Moines, Iowa, branch of First Class Community Credit Union on July 13, 2022. In the course of this robbery, Babudar allegedly brandished what appeared to be a silver and black firearm, jumped over the teller counter, and demanded that the bank employees open the bank vault. He carried this money back to Missouri, and the next day deposited $23,000 into his savings account. He used some of the proceeds to make various casino chip purchases over the next three months at casinos in Missouri and Illinois, then cashed out his winnings and deposited them into his savings account.

Babudar allegedly stole $125,900 from the Nashville, Tennessee, branch of The Tennessee Credit Union on Nov. 17, 2022. In the course of this robbery, Babudar allegedly brandished what appeared to be a silver and black firearm, climbed over the teller counter, and demanded that the bank employees take him to the bank vault. A few days later, he used some of the stolen money to purchase $20,000 in casino chips in multiple transactions from a local casino.

Babudar allegedly stole $25,000 from the Clive, Iowa, branch of First Interstate Bank on Nov. 30, 2022. Following two unsuccessful robberies of the Wings Financial Credit Union in Savage, Minn., and the Royal Credit Union in Apple Valley, Minn., on Nov. 29, 2022, the indictment says, Babudar returned to Clive, Iowa. The Great Western Bank that he had robbed on March 2, 2022, had become a branch of First Interstate Bank. In the course of this robbery, Babudar allegedly brandished what appeared to be a silver and black firearm, jumped over the teller counter, and ordered the bank employees at gunpoint to open the bank vault. Babudar then carried the stolen money back to Missouri, where he deposited a portion of it into his personal checking account.

Babudar was charged in Tulsa County, Okla., with the robbery of the Tulsa Teachers Federal Credit Union on Dec. 16, 2022. Babudar was released on bond in February 2023.

Months earlier, the indictment says, Babudar had placed two winning bets at the Argosy Casino in Alton, Ill. On June 10, 2022, Babudar bet $5,000 that Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes II would win the Most Valuable Player at Super Bowl LVII, which would pay out $45,000 should that occur. Babudar also bet $5,000 that the Kansas City Chiefs would win Super Bowl LVII, which would pay out $55,000 should that occur. When the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl on Feb. 12, 2023, and Mahomes won the Most Valuable Player award, Babudar won $100,000. Argosy Casino mailed Babudar a $100,000 check in early March 2023.

Days later, the indictment says, Babudar cut his ankle monitor and fled from Oklahoma. Babudar evaded law enforcement until his arrest in Sacramento on July 7, 2023. He remains detained in federal custody without bond.

Following Babudar’s arrest in Oklahoma last December, FBI investigators began reviewing bank records, casino transaction records, and sensitive financial reporting to determine the breadth and scope of additional potential criminal activities. According to the affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Babudar purchased and redeemed more than $1 million in chips from various casinos in Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois between April and December 2022. Investigators also reviewed previously unsolved bank robberies throughout the Midwest during that time frame. Babudar’s cell phone was placed in the same cities and locations for these previously unsolved bank robberies and attempted robberies, the affidavit says.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689010403536.png" alt="Babudar from an earlier arrest in Tulsa County" />
 <figcaption>Babudar from an earlier arrest in Tulsa County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY– A man popularly known as Kansas City Chiefs superfan “ChiefsAholic” was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday for robbing several financial institutions and laundering the proceeds through area casinos, according to the United State's Attorney.Xaviar Michael Babudar, 29, was charged in a 19-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. The indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Babudar on May 24, 2023, and includes additional charges.Babudar, who lived a nomadic existence at various locations around the Kansas City metropolitan area, enjoyed a robust social media presence as Kansas City Chiefs superfan Twitter user @ChiefsAholic, attending most games dressed as a wolf in Chiefs clothing. According to the indictment, Babudar’s ability to attend these games and sustain this lifestyle was funded by his perpetration of a string of bank and credit union robberies throughout 2022. Babudar laundered the robbery proceeds through area casinos, and used the robbery proceeds to attend numerous Chiefs home and away games. He also placed various wagers on the outcomes of Chiefs games. During this time, the indictment says, Babudar did not report any wages earned in the states of Missouri or Kansas.The indictment charges Babudar with three counts of armed bank robbery, one count of bank theft, 11 counts of money laundering, and four counts of transporting stolen property across state lines.Babudar allegedly stole $70,000 from the Clive, Iowa, branch of Great Western Bank on March 2, 2022. He then carried this money to Missouri, depositing it in two separate transactions into his personal savings account.Babudar allegedly stole $170,860 from the Omaha, Nebraska, branch of First National Bank of Omaha on April 28, 2022. Omaha police officers recovered $163,560 following the theft.Babudar allegedly stole $303,845 from the West Des Moines, Iowa, branch of First Class Community Credit Union on July 13, 2022. In the course of this robbery, Babudar allegedly brandished what appeared to be a silver and black firearm, jumped over the teller counter, and demanded that the bank employees open the bank vault. He carried this money back to Missouri, and the next day deposited $23,000 into his savings account. He used some of the proceeds to make various casino chip purchases over the next three months at casinos in Missouri and Illinois, then cashed out his winnings and deposited them into his savings account.Babudar allegedly stole $125,900 from the Nashville, Tennessee, branch of The Tennessee Credit Union on Nov. 17, 2022. In the course of this robbery, Babudar allegedly brandished what appeared to be a silver and black firearm, climbed over the teller counter, and demanded that the bank employees take him to the bank vault. A few days later, he used some of the stolen money to purchase $20,000 in casino chips in multiple transactions from a local casino.Babudar allegedly stole $25,000 from the Clive, Iowa, branch of First Interstate Bank on Nov. 30, 2022. Following two unsuccessful robberies of the Wings Financial Credit Union in Savage, Minn., and the Royal Credit Union in Apple Valley, Minn., on Nov. 29, 2022, the indictment says, Babudar returned to Clive, Iowa. The Great Western Bank that he had robbed on March 2, 2022, had become a branch of First Interstate Bank. In the course of this robbery, Babudar allegedly brandished what appeared to be a silver and black firearm, jumped over the teller counter, and ordered the bank employees at gunpoint to open the bank vault. Babudar then carried the stolen money back to Missouri, where he deposited a portion of it into his personal checking account.Babudar was charged in Tulsa County, Okla., with the robbery of the Tulsa Teachers Federal Credit Union on Dec. 16, 2022. Babudar was released on bond in February 2023.Months earlier, the indictment says, Babudar had placed two winning bets at the Argosy Casino in Alton, Ill. On June 10, 2022, Babudar bet $5,000 that Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes II would win the Most Valuable Player at Super Bowl LVII, which would pay out $45,000 should that occur. Babudar also bet $5,000 that the Kansas City Chiefs would win Super Bowl LVII, which would pay out $55,000 should that occur. When the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl on Feb. 12, 2023, and Mahomes won the Most Valuable Player award, Babudar won $100,000. Argosy Casino mailed Babudar a $100,000 check in early March 2023.Days later, the indictment says, Babudar cut his ankle monitor and fled from Oklahoma. Babudar evaded law enforcement until his arrest in Sacramento on July 7, 2023. He remains detained in federal custody without bond.Following Babudar’s arrest in Oklahoma last December, FBI investigators began reviewing bank records, casino transaction records, and sensitive financial reporting to determine the breadth and scope of additional potential criminal activities. According to the affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Babudar purchased and redeemed more than $1 million in chips from various casinos in Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois between April and December 2022. Investigators also reviewed previously unsolved bank robberies throughout the Midwest during that time frame. Babudar’s cell phone was placed in the same cities and locations for these previously unsolved bank robberies and attempted robberies, the affidavit says.

KC Chiefs ‘Superfan’ indicted for thousands in bank robberies

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Mail-order access to a drug used in the most common form of abortion in the U.S. would end under a federal appeals court ruling issued Wednesday that cannot take effect until the Supreme Court weighs in.

The decision by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-mifepristone-appeals-court-341bc44446e4b99071f0d8edb81ad4b8">three judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals</a>&nbsp;in New Orleans overturned part of a lower court ruling that would have revoked the Food and Drug Administration’s 23-year-old approval of mifepristone. But it left intact part of the ruling that would end the availability of the drug by mail, allow it to be used through only the seventh week of pregnancy rather than the 10th, and require that it be administered in the presence of a physician.

Those restrictions won’t take effect right away because the Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-pill-mifepristone-access-f781488016640bf571faf36096339ea4">previously intervened</a>&nbsp;to keep the drug available during the legal fight.

The panel’s ruling would reverse changes the FDA made in 2016 and 2021 that eased some conditions for administering the drug.

“In loosening mifepristone’s safety restrictions, FDA failed to address several important concerns about whether the drug would be safe for the women who use it,” Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod wrote for the panel. She was joined by Judge Cory Wilson. Judge James Ho dissented, arguing to fully uphold a Texas-based federal judge’s April ruling that would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">revoke the drug’s approval</a>, which the FDA granted in 2000.

President Joe Biden's administration said it would appeal, with Vice President Kamala Harris decrying the potential effect on abortion rights, as well as on the availability of other medications.

“It endangers our entire system of drug approval and regulation by undermining the independent, expert judgment of the FDA,” Harris' statement said.

Abortion rights advocates said the ruling poses a major threat to abortion availability following last year's Supreme Court ruling that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and the nationwide right to abortion.

"If the Supreme Court affirms this decision, it will prevent patients from receiving their medication in the mail in all 50 states in the nation," Jennifer Dalven of the American Civil Liberties Union said during an online news conference. “That means that patients will have to travel often hundreds of miles, especially if they’re coming from a state that has banned abortion, for the sole purpose of picking up a pill.”

Abortion opponents hailed the ruling, although they, too, might appeal to seek full revocation of the FDA's approval of the drug.

“Chemical Abortion Pills take one life almost every time, an innocent child, and exposes women to all kinds of known problems,” said a statement from the anti-abortion Students for Life of America.

Erin Hawley, an attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom, which filed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-food-and-drug-administration-donald-trump-texas-medication-bdd99c39613c71f62d10dfc2f2d1bf07">Texas lawsuit</a>, said her organization had not yet decided whether to appeal to the Supreme Court to try to get mifepristone's approval fully revoked. The conservative Christian legal group was also involved in the Mississippi case that led to the June 2002 Supreme Court ruling that has allowed states to ban abortion.

An attorney for drugmaker Danco Laboratories, which argued in favor of upholding the FDA approval and revisions, did not respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment. Drugmaker GenBioPro, which was not part of the lawsuit, noted that the ruling would keep its generic mifepristone available, subject to the restrictions.

There is virtually no precedent for a U.S. court overturning the approval of a drug that the FDA has deemed safe and effective. While new drug safety issues often emerge after FDA approval, the agency is required to monitor medicines on the market, evaluate emerging issues and take action to protect U.S. patients. Congress delegated that responsibility to the FDA — not the courts— more than a century ago.

However, during a May 17 hearing, the 5th Circuit panel pushed back frequently against assertions that U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s April 7 ruling was unprecedented and unwarranted.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-judge-matthew-kacsmaryk-abortion-pill-fda-75964b777ef09593a1ad948c6cfc0237">Kacsmaryk,</a>&nbsp;Ho and Wilson are all appointees of former President Donald Trump. Elrod was appointed to the 5th Circuit by former President George W. Bush. All of the judges have a history of supporting abortion restrictions.

Elrod’s opinion said the full revocation of FDA’s approval of the drug was likely barred by legal time limits. Ho argued that the approval violated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/comstock-act-abortion-pills-dbf61e25f6f23cd3772c597dd6d4e337">the 19th century Comstock Act.</a>&nbsp;He also said the FDA gave the green light to mifepristone under a law that allows approval for drugs that treat serious or life threatening illness. “Pregnancy is not an illness,” Ho wrote.

Mifepristone is one of two pills used in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-medication-abortion-works-f913375ec6f8ebcb1f1055e57a3aef63">medication abortions</a>. The other drug, misoprostol, is also used to treat other medical conditions. Health care providers have said they could switch to misoprostol if mifepristone is no longer available or is too hard to obtain. Misoprostol is somewhat less effective in ending pregnancies.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680967457500.png" alt="At issue is a Texas-based federal judge’s April ruling&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">revoking the drug’s approval</a>, which was granted more than 20 years ago by the Food and Drug Administration-AP photo" />
 <figcaption>At issue is a Texas-based federal judge’s April ruling&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">revoking the drug’s approval</a>, which was granted more than 20 years ago by the Food and Drug Administration-AP photo</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Mail-order access to a drug used in the most common form of abortion in the U.S. would end under a federal appeals court ruling issued Wednesday that cannot take effect until the Supreme Court weighs in.The decision by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-mifepristone-appeals-court-341bc44446e4b99071f0d8edb81ad4b8">three judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals</a>&nbsp;in New Orleans overturned part of a lower court ruling that would have revoked the Food and Drug Administration’s 23-year-old approval of mifepristone. But it left intact part of the ruling that would end the availability of the drug by mail, allow it to be used through only the seventh week of pregnancy rather than the 10th, and require that it be administered in the presence of a physician.Those restrictions won’t take effect right away because the Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-pill-mifepristone-access-f781488016640bf571faf36096339ea4">previously intervened</a>&nbsp;to keep the drug available during the legal fight.The panel’s ruling would reverse changes the FDA made in 2016 and 2021 that eased some conditions for administering the drug.“In loosening mifepristone’s safety restrictions, FDA failed to address several important concerns about whether the drug would be safe for the women who use it,” Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod wrote for the panel. She was joined by Judge Cory Wilson. Judge James Ho dissented, arguing to fully uphold a Texas-based federal judge’s April ruling that would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">revoke the drug’s approval</a>, which the FDA granted in 2000.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Mifepristone is approved by the FDA as safe and effective. <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to make decisions about her own health care. Read my full statement: <a href="https://t.co/GAWz375gWe">pic.twitter.com/GAWz375gWe</a>&mdash; Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) <a href="https://twitter.com/VP/status/1691936314201874448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>President Joe Biden's administration said it would appeal, with Vice President Kamala Harris decrying the potential effect on abortion rights, as well as on the availability of other medications.“It endangers our entire system of drug approval and regulation by undermining the independent, expert judgment of the FDA,” Harris' statement said.Abortion rights advocates said the ruling poses a major threat to abortion availability following last year's Supreme Court ruling that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and the nationwide right to abortion."If the Supreme Court affirms this decision, it will prevent patients from receiving their medication in the mail in all 50 states in the nation," Jennifer Dalven of the American Civil Liberties Union said during an online news conference. “That means that patients will have to travel often hundreds of miles, especially if they’re coming from a state that has banned abortion, for the sole purpose of picking up a pill.”Abortion opponents hailed the ruling, although they, too, might appeal to seek full revocation of the FDA's approval of the drug.“Chemical Abortion Pills take one life almost every time, an innocent child, and exposes women to all kinds of known problems,” said a statement from the anti-abortion Students for Life of America.Erin Hawley, an attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom, which filed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-food-and-drug-administration-donald-trump-texas-medication-bdd99c39613c71f62d10dfc2f2d1bf07">Texas lawsuit</a>, said her organization had not yet decided whether to appeal to the Supreme Court to try to get mifepristone's approval fully revoked. The conservative Christian legal group was also involved in the Mississippi case that led to the June 2002 Supreme Court ruling that has allowed states to ban abortion.An attorney for drugmaker Danco Laboratories, which argued in favor of upholding the FDA approval and revisions, did not respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment. Drugmaker GenBioPro, which was not part of the lawsuit, noted that the ruling would keep its generic mifepristone available, subject to the restrictions.There is virtually no precedent for a U.S. court overturning the approval of a drug that the FDA has deemed safe and effective. While new drug safety issues often emerge after FDA approval, the agency is required to monitor medicines on the market, evaluate emerging issues and take action to protect U.S. patients. Congress delegated that responsibility to the FDA — not the courts— more than a century ago.However, during a May 17 hearing, the 5th Circuit panel pushed back frequently against assertions that U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s April 7 ruling was unprecedented and unwarranted.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-judge-matthew-kacsmaryk-abortion-pill-fda-75964b777ef09593a1ad948c6cfc0237">Kacsmaryk,</a>&nbsp;Ho and Wilson are all appointees of former President Donald Trump. Elrod was appointed to the 5th Circuit by former President George W. Bush. All of the judges have a history of supporting abortion restrictions.Elrod’s opinion said the full revocation of FDA’s approval of the drug was likely barred by legal time limits. Ho argued that the approval violated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/comstock-act-abortion-pills-dbf61e25f6f23cd3772c597dd6d4e337">the 19th century Comstock Act.</a>&nbsp;He also said the FDA gave the green light to mifepristone under a law that allows approval for drugs that treat serious or life threatening illness. “Pregnancy is not an illness,” Ho wrote.Mifepristone is one of two pills used in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-medication-abortion-works-f913375ec6f8ebcb1f1055e57a3aef63">medication abortions</a>. The other drug, misoprostol, is also used to treat other medical conditions. Health care providers have said they could switch to misoprostol if mifepristone is no longer available or is too hard to obtain. Misoprostol is somewhat less effective in ending pregnancies.

US appeals court backs abortion pill restrictions

LOS ANGELES (AP) —Jerry Moss, a music industry giant who co-founded A&amp;M Records with Herb Alpert and rose from a Los Angeles garage to the heights of success with hits by Alpert, the Police,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-lifestyle-california-richard-carpenter-karen-carpenter-c3d79d349ec958a2146804b95ee04f18">the Carpenters</a>&nbsp;and hundreds of other performers, has died at 88.

Moss, inducted with Alpert into the Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, died Wednesday at his home in Bel Air, California, according to a statement released by his family. He died of natural causes, his widow Tina told The Associated Press.

“They truly don’t make them like him anymore and we will miss conversations with him about everything under the sun,” the statement reads in part, “the twinkle in his eyes as he approached every moment ready for the next adventure.”

For more than 25 years, Alpert and Moss presided over one of the industry's most successful independent labels, releasing such blockbuster albums as Alpert's “Whipped Cream &amp; Other Delights,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/carole-king">Carole King's</a>&nbsp;“Tapestry” and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/peter-frampton">Peter Frampton's</a>&nbsp;“Frampton Comes Alive!” They were home to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/f25940ce392e4302a307e9847e7fbc80">the Carpenters</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cat-stevens-album-king-land-38ea9f80a80803d0d214a39c0d95728e">Cat Stevens,</a><a href="https://apnews.com/hub/janet-jackson">Janet Jackson</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/soundgarden-chris-cornell-vicky-lawsuit-recordings-7c79d7e92ef962dc69225e07a109f67e">Soundgarden,</a><a href="https://apnews.com/79d1bef5fc54495d8da01adfa38f893b/joe-cocker-dies-70">Joe Cocker</a>&nbsp;and Suzanne Vega, the Go-Gos and Sheryl Crow.

Among the label's singles: Alpert's “A Taste of Honey,” the Captain and Tennille's “Love Will Keep Us Together,” Frampton's “Show Me the Way” and “Every Breath You Take,” by the Police.

“Every once in a while a record would come through us and Herbie would look at me and say, ‘What did we do to deserve this, that this amazing thing is going to come out on our label?’” Moss told Artist House Music, an archive and resource center, in 2007.

His music connections also led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jerry-moss-horse-racing-1d4753a5fe8e783b5cb8112f0857a8bd">a lucrative horse racing business</a>&nbsp;that he owned with his second wife, Ann Holbrook. In 1962, record manufacturer Nate Duroff lent Alpert and Moss $35,000 so they could print 350,000 copies of Alpert's instrumental "The Lonely Bull," the label's first major hit. A decade later, Duroff convinced Moss to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/0f92ef9ef12b47b087d77db2d1f044cd">invest in horses.</a>

The Mosses' Giacomo, named for the son of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sting">A&amp;M artist Sting,</a>&nbsp;won the Kentucky Derby in 2005.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zenyatta-broodmare-career-ends-1cb8ded172a64395bd65ef5253da4505">Zenyatta,</a>&nbsp;in honor of the Police album "Zenyatta Mondatta," was runner-up for Horse of the Year in 2008 and 2009 and won the following year. A hit single by Sting gave Moss the name for another profitable horse, Set Them Free.

Moss made one of his last public appearances in January when he was honored with a tribute concert at the Mark Taper Forum in downtown Los Angeles. Among the performers were Frampton, Amy Grant and Dionne Warwick, who wasn't an A&amp;M artist but had been close to Moss from the time he helped promote her music in the early 1960s. While Moss didn’t speak at the ceremony, many others praised him.

“Herb was the artist and Jerry had the vision. It just changed the face of the record industry,” singer Rita Coolidge said on the event’s red carpet. “Certainly A&amp;M made such a difference and it’s where everybody wanted to be.”

Moss' survivors include his second wife, Tina Morse, and three children.

Born in New York City and an English major at Brooklyn College, Moss had wanted to work in show business since waiting tables in his 20s and noticing that the entertainment industry patrons seemed to be having so much fun. After a six-month Army stint, he found work as a promoter for Coed Records and eventually moved to Los Angeles, where he met and befriended Alpert, a trumpeter, songwriter and entrepreneur.

With an investment of $100 each, they formed Carnival Records and had a local hit with "Tell It to the Birds," an Alpert ballad released under the name of his son, Dore Alpert. After learning that another company was called Carnival, Alpert and Moss used the initials of their last names and renamed their business A&amp;M, working out an office in Alpert's garage and designing the distinctive logo with the trumpet across the bottom.

"We had a desk, piano, piano stool, a couch, coffee table and two phone lines. And that for the two of us worked out very well, because we could go over the songs on the piano and make phone calls to the distributors," Moss later told Billboard. "We also had an answering service at the time. I'd do all my own billing."

For several years they specialized in "easy listening" acts such as Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Brazilian artist&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5668be45b7f84a5e88bb50c9b32090ff">Sergio Mendes</a>&nbsp;and the folk-rock trio the Sandpipers. After attending the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, rock's first major festival, Moss began adding rock performers, including Cocker,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-europe-music-arts-and-entertainment-london-65ab9d9862893ff8f75afaf0879ffc72">Procol Harum</a>&nbsp;and Free.

One of their biggest triumphs was "Frampton Comes Alive!" a live double album from 1976 that sold more than 6 million copies in its first year and transformed Frampton from mid-level performer to superstar.

"Peter was a huge live star in markets like Detroit and San Francisco, so we made a suggestion that he make a live record," Moss told Rolling Stone in 2002. "What he was doing onstage wasn't like the records — it was outrageously better. I remember being at the mix of 'Frampton Comes Alive!' at Electric Lady studios, and I was so blown away I asked to make it a double album."

A&amp;M continued to expand their catalog through the 1970s and '80s, taking on the Police, Squeeze, Joe Jackson and other British New Wave artists, R&amp;B musicians Janet Jackson and Barry White and country rockers 38 Special and the Ozark Mountain Daredevils.

By the late '80s, Alpert and Moss were operating out of a Hollywood lot where Charlie Chaplin once made movies, but they struggled to keep up with ever-higher recording contracts and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2b90d45f86ab423f8654071f8bf4cff2">sold A&amp;M</a>&nbsp;to Polygram for an estimated $500 million. They remained at the label, but clashed with Polygram's management and left in 1993, one of their last signings a singer-musician from Kennett, Missouri:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sheryl-crow">Sheryl Crow.</a>&nbsp;(Alpert and Moss later sued Polygram for violating their contract’s integrity clause and reached a $200 million settlement.)

For a few years, Alpert and Moss ran Almo Records, where performers included Garbage, Imogen Heap and Gillian Welch.

"We wanted people to be happy," Moss told The New York Times in 2010. “You can't force people to do a certain kind of music. They make their best music when they are doing what they want to do, not what we want them to do.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692266627571.png" alt="Moss, inducted with Alpert into the Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, died Wednesday at his home in Bel Air, California," />
 <figcaption>Moss, inducted with Alpert into the Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, died Wednesday at his home in Bel Air, California,</figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) —Jerry Moss, a music industry giant who co-founded A&amp;M Records with Herb Alpert and rose from a Los Angeles garage to the heights of success with hits by Alpert, the Police,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-lifestyle-california-richard-carpenter-karen-carpenter-c3d79d349ec958a2146804b95ee04f18">the Carpenters</a>&nbsp;and hundreds of other performers, has died at 88.Moss, inducted with Alpert into the Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, died Wednesday at his home in Bel Air, California, according to a statement released by his family. He died of natural causes, his widow Tina told The Associated Press.“They truly don’t make them like him anymore and we will miss conversations with him about everything under the sun,” the statement reads in part, “the twinkle in his eyes as he approached every moment ready for the next adventure.”For more than 25 years, Alpert and Moss presided over one of the industry's most successful independent labels, releasing such blockbuster albums as Alpert's “Whipped Cream &amp; Other Delights,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/carole-king">Carole King's</a>&nbsp;“Tapestry” and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/peter-frampton">Peter Frampton's</a>&nbsp;“Frampton Comes Alive!” They were home to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/f25940ce392e4302a307e9847e7fbc80">the Carpenters</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cat-stevens-album-king-land-38ea9f80a80803d0d214a39c0d95728e">Cat Stevens,</a><a href="https://apnews.com/hub/janet-jackson">Janet Jackson</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/soundgarden-chris-cornell-vicky-lawsuit-recordings-7c79d7e92ef962dc69225e07a109f67e">Soundgarden,</a><a href="https://apnews.com/79d1bef5fc54495d8da01adfa38f893b/joe-cocker-dies-70">Joe Cocker</a>&nbsp;and Suzanne Vega, the Go-Gos and Sheryl Crow.Among the label's singles: Alpert's “A Taste of Honey,” the Captain and Tennille's “Love Will Keep Us Together,” Frampton's “Show Me the Way” and “Every Breath You Take,” by the Police.“Every once in a while a record would come through us and Herbie would look at me and say, ‘What did we do to deserve this, that this amazing thing is going to come out on our label?’” Moss told Artist House Music, an archive and resource center, in 2007.His music connections also led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jerry-moss-horse-racing-1d4753a5fe8e783b5cb8112f0857a8bd">a lucrative horse racing business</a>&nbsp;that he owned with his second wife, Ann Holbrook. In 1962, record manufacturer Nate Duroff lent Alpert and Moss $35,000 so they could print 350,000 copies of Alpert's instrumental "The Lonely Bull," the label's first major hit. A decade later, Duroff convinced Moss to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/0f92ef9ef12b47b087d77db2d1f044cd">invest in horses.</a>The Mosses' Giacomo, named for the son of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sting">A&amp;M artist Sting,</a>&nbsp;won the Kentucky Derby in 2005.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zenyatta-broodmare-career-ends-1cb8ded172a64395bd65ef5253da4505">Zenyatta,</a>&nbsp;in honor of the Police album "Zenyatta Mondatta," was runner-up for Horse of the Year in 2008 and 2009 and won the following year. A hit single by Sting gave Moss the name for another profitable horse, Set Them Free.Moss made one of his last public appearances in January when he was honored with a tribute concert at the Mark Taper Forum in downtown Los Angeles. Among the performers were Frampton, Amy Grant and Dionne Warwick, who wasn't an A&amp;M artist but had been close to Moss from the time he helped promote her music in the early 1960s. While Moss didn’t speak at the ceremony, many others praised him.“Herb was the artist and Jerry had the vision. It just changed the face of the record industry,” singer Rita Coolidge said on the event’s red carpet. “Certainly A&amp;M made such a difference and it’s where everybody wanted to be.”Moss' survivors include his second wife, Tina Morse, and three children.Born in New York City and an English major at Brooklyn College, Moss had wanted to work in show business since waiting tables in his 20s and noticing that the entertainment industry patrons seemed to be having so much fun. After a six-month Army stint, he found work as a promoter for Coed Records and eventually moved to Los Angeles, where he met and befriended Alpert, a trumpeter, songwriter and entrepreneur.With an investment of $100 each, they formed Carnival Records and had a local hit with "Tell It to the Birds," an Alpert ballad released under the name of his son, Dore Alpert. After learning that another company was called Carnival, Alpert and Moss used the initials of their last names and renamed their business A&amp;M, working out an office in Alpert's garage and designing the distinctive logo with the trumpet across the bottom."We had a desk, piano, piano stool, a couch, coffee table and two phone lines. And that for the two of us worked out very well, because we could go over the songs on the piano and make phone calls to the distributors," Moss later told Billboard. "We also had an answering service at the time. I'd do all my own billing."For several years they specialized in "easy listening" acts such as Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Brazilian artist&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5668be45b7f84a5e88bb50c9b32090ff">Sergio Mendes</a>&nbsp;and the folk-rock trio the Sandpipers. After attending the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, rock's first major festival, Moss began adding rock performers, including Cocker,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-europe-music-arts-and-entertainment-london-65ab9d9862893ff8f75afaf0879ffc72">Procol Harum</a>&nbsp;and Free.One of their biggest triumphs was "Frampton Comes Alive!" a live double album from 1976 that sold more than 6 million copies in its first year and transformed Frampton from mid-level performer to superstar."Peter was a huge live star in markets like Detroit and San Francisco, so we made a suggestion that he make a live record," Moss told Rolling Stone in 2002. "What he was doing onstage wasn't like the records — it was outrageously better. I remember being at the mix of 'Frampton Comes Alive!' at Electric Lady studios, and I was so blown away I asked to make it a double album."A&amp;M continued to expand their catalog through the 1970s and '80s, taking on the Police, Squeeze, Joe Jackson and other British New Wave artists, R&amp;B musicians Janet Jackson and Barry White and country rockers 38 Special and the Ozark Mountain Daredevils.By the late '80s, Alpert and Moss were operating out of a Hollywood lot where Charlie Chaplin once made movies, but they struggled to keep up with ever-higher recording contracts and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2b90d45f86ab423f8654071f8bf4cff2">sold A&amp;M</a>&nbsp;to Polygram for an estimated $500 million. They remained at the label, but clashed with Polygram's management and left in 1993, one of their last signings a singer-musician from Kennett, Missouri:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sheryl-crow">Sheryl Crow.</a>&nbsp;(Alpert and Moss later sued Polygram for violating their contract’s integrity clause and reached a $200 million settlement.)For a few years, Alpert and Moss ran Almo Records, where performers included Garbage, Imogen Heap and Gillian Welch."We wanted people to be happy," Moss told The New York Times in 2010. “You can't force people to do a certain kind of music. They make their best music when they are doing what they want to do, not what we want them to do.”_____

Jerry Moss, co-founder of A&M Records dies at 88

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge who put&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">access to the abortion pill misefpristone in limbo</a>&nbsp;earlier this year presided Tuesday over another potentially groundbreaking case: a state lawsuit seeking to force Planned Parenthood pay back millions of dollars it received through Medicaid.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-judge-matthew-kacsmaryk-abortion-pill-fda-75964b777ef09593a1ad948c6cfc0237">U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk</a>&nbsp;did not immediately rule following a hearing in the Texas Panhandle city of Amarillo, where Planned Parenthood has no clinics.

In a brief call with reporters after the hearing, Planned Parenthood representatives said they urged the judge to reject the state's attempt to recoup years of Medicaid reimbursements and order steep fines that the group says could exceed more than $1 billion.

The Texas attorney general’s office, which filed the lawsuit in 2022, did not respond to messages left Monday, or an additional one seeking comment on Tuesday evening.

The lawsuit is believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S. brought against Planned Parenthood, which over the past decade has repeatedly gone to court in America's biggest red state as lawmakers there have withdrawn funding and imposed restrictions on clinic operations. But in that time, the state had not previously taken the organization to court over money.

“This really is a meritless case that the judge should not let proceed,” Susan Manning, general counsel for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, told reporters following the hearing Tuesday.

She said Kacsmaryk gave no indication on when he might rule.

The case now before Kacsmaryk does not surround abortion, which has been mostly banned in Texas since the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade last year</a>. But Planned Parenthood argues the attempt to recoup at least $17 million in Medicaid payments for health services, including cancer screenings, is a new Republican-led effort to weaken the organization after years of legislation and litigation that has shrunk the state's footprint in Texas.

At issue is money Planned Parenthood received for health services before Texas removed the organization from the state's Medicaid program in 2021. Texas had begun trying to oust Planned Parenthood four years earlier and is seeking repayment for services billed during that time.

Texas brought the lawsuit under the federal False Claims Act, which allows fines for every alleged improper payment. Planned Parenthood says that could result in a judgement in excess of $1 billion.

The lawsuit was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-texas-medicaid-planned-parenthood-14379403b715dd838b0d18efab629db3">announced last year</a>&nbsp;by Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is now temporarily suspended from office pending the outcome of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-attorney-general-paxton-impeachment-d0fa9114868adca63d55a21a53765c45">his impeachment trial next month</a>&nbsp;over accusations of bribery and abuse of office.

Last year, Paxton said it was “unthinkable that Planned Parenthood would continue to take advantage of funding knowing they were not entitled to keep it.”

Jacob Elberg, a former federal prosecutor who specialized in health care fraud, described Texas' argument as weak.

He called the False Claims Act the government's most powerful tool against health fraud. Cases involving the law in recent years have included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-health-statutes-vermont-burlington-8422657b9b9873becf01956e8d32d924">a health records company in Florida</a>&nbsp;and a Montana health clinic&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/asbestos-clinic-false-claims-bankruptcy-ce194fae7b5c03ed53bee9a234c29b79">that submitted false asbestos claims</a>.

Elberg said it is “hard to understand” how Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider, was knowingly filing false claims at a time when it was in court fighting to stay in the program and Texas was still paying the reimbursements.

“This just isn’t what the False Claims Act is supposed to be about,” said Elberg, faculty director at Seton Hall Law School's Center for Health &amp; Pharmaceutical Law.

Planned Parenthood has roughly three dozen health clinics in Texas. One has closed since the Supreme Court ruling last year that allowed Texas to ban abortion.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge who put&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">access to the abortion pill misefpristone in limbo</a>&nbsp;earlier this year presided Tuesday over another potentially groundbreaking case: a state lawsuit seeking to force Planned Parenthood pay back millions of dollars it received through Medicaid.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-judge-matthew-kacsmaryk-abortion-pill-fda-75964b777ef09593a1ad948c6cfc0237">U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk</a>&nbsp;did not immediately rule following a hearing in the Texas Panhandle city of Amarillo, where Planned Parenthood has no clinics.In a brief call with reporters after the hearing, Planned Parenthood representatives said they urged the judge to reject the state's attempt to recoup years of Medicaid reimbursements and order steep fines that the group says could exceed more than $1 billion.The Texas attorney general’s office, which filed the lawsuit in 2022, did not respond to messages left Monday, or an additional one seeking comment on Tuesday evening.The lawsuit is believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S. brought against Planned Parenthood, which over the past decade has repeatedly gone to court in America's biggest red state as lawmakers there have withdrawn funding and imposed restrictions on clinic operations. But in that time, the state had not previously taken the organization to court over money.“This really is a meritless case that the judge should not let proceed,” Susan Manning, general counsel for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, told reporters following the hearing Tuesday.She said Kacsmaryk gave no indication on when he might rule.The case now before Kacsmaryk does not surround abortion, which has been mostly banned in Texas since the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade last year</a>. But Planned Parenthood argues the attempt to recoup at least $17 million in Medicaid payments for health services, including cancer screenings, is a new Republican-led effort to weaken the organization after years of legislation and litigation that has shrunk the state's footprint in Texas.At issue is money Planned Parenthood received for health services before Texas removed the organization from the state's Medicaid program in 2021. Texas had begun trying to oust Planned Parenthood four years earlier and is seeking repayment for services billed during that time.Texas brought the lawsuit under the federal False Claims Act, which allows fines for every alleged improper payment. Planned Parenthood says that could result in a judgement in excess of $1 billion.The lawsuit was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-texas-medicaid-planned-parenthood-14379403b715dd838b0d18efab629db3">announced last year</a>&nbsp;by Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is now temporarily suspended from office pending the outcome of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-attorney-general-paxton-impeachment-d0fa9114868adca63d55a21a53765c45">his impeachment trial next month</a>&nbsp;over accusations of bribery and abuse of office.Last year, Paxton said it was “unthinkable that Planned Parenthood would continue to take advantage of funding knowing they were not entitled to keep it.”Jacob Elberg, a former federal prosecutor who specialized in health care fraud, described Texas' argument as weak.He called the False Claims Act the government's most powerful tool against health fraud. Cases involving the law in recent years have included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-health-statutes-vermont-burlington-8422657b9b9873becf01956e8d32d924">a health records company in Florida</a>&nbsp;and a Montana health clinic&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/asbestos-clinic-false-claims-bankruptcy-ce194fae7b5c03ed53bee9a234c29b79">that submitted false asbestos claims</a>.Elberg said it is “hard to understand” how Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider, was knowingly filing false claims at a time when it was in court fighting to stay in the program and Texas was still paying the reimbursements.“This just isn’t what the False Claims Act is supposed to be about,” said Elberg, faculty director at Seton Hall Law School's Center for Health &amp; Pharmaceutical Law.Planned Parenthood has roughly three dozen health clinics in Texas. One has closed since the Supreme Court ruling last year that allowed Texas to ban abortion.

Lawsuit could bankrupt Planned Parenthood 

&nbsp;By Pratiksha Baishya – Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture Dr. Dipak Santra – Professor, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture

Panhandle Research and Education Center

The United Nations has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM2023), contributing to six of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 – Zero Hunger, Good health and well-being, Decent work, and economic growth, Responsible consumption and production, Climate change, and Life on Land (FAO 2023). The slogan “Rich in heritage, full of potential” is being used to convey and raise awareness about the multiple benefits of growing and consuming millets for the environment and human health, with a long-term goal of alleviating food insecurity. 

The key objectives for IYM2023 include providing a unique opportunity to increase global production, strengthening science and policy interactions, ensuring efficient processing and consumption, promoting better utilization of crop rotations, empowering stakeholders to take action, and building and strengthening new and old partnerships for millets worldwide (UN 2023).

In the United States, proso millet (known as ‘millet’) is the only commercially cultivated millet at present. Proso millet was first introduced in the US on the eastern Atlantic Coast by European immigrants in 1875 and is now generally grown in the Great Plains. About 90 percent of the total proso millet produced in the United States is grown in the states of Colorado, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Over the last twenty years, proso millet production in the US has been getting more popular but has been chiefly to cater to the demands of the bird-feed market, which neglects to utilize the crop to its full potential. USDA data indicates significant fluctuations in planted acreage and production statistics for proso millet over the last two decades, primarily driven by market price volatility. Combined with the lack of sound insurance coverage, farmers have no incentive to grow millet.

However, millet has several agronomic and nutritional advantages, making it an ideal substitute in the cropping system and food basket alike. Proso millet is a shallow-rooted crop that is adapted to be cultivated in semi-arid and arid environments, requiring the least amount of water among all cereals. It is a short-duration crop (60-90 days), making it an ideal alternative to be included in winter wheat-based crop rotations under dryland production conditions. It can be grown after a crop failure like winter wheat, thus aiding farmers in making additional profit.

 Regarding nutritional superiority, millets are naturally gluten-free and fiber-rich, aiding digestive health, especially for people with gluten sensitivities. Millets also have a low glycemic index (54-68) and can prevent blood sugar spikes and promote insulin sensitivity in diabetic patients. Due to these qualities, recent years have seen a steady rise in millet popularity and demand to meet the growing food demand worldwide while addressing food security concerns and climate change impacts on agriculture.

Research related to promoting proso millet among producers and consumers is still preliminary. Several knowledge gaps (lack of high-yielding varieties, agronomic constraints like weed and disease management, crop insurance, market limitations, lack of value-added products, etc.) need to be addressed to popularize the market for millet beyond just bird feed. 

The Alternative Crops Lab under Dr. Dipak Santra at UNL PREEC (University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research, Extension and Education Center) aims to investigate some of these gaps in the coming years. This year, we have started a field experiment to compare the greenhouse gas emissions (particularly nitrous oxide) between corn and proso millet to test if proso millet is a better sustainable crop than corn. In addition, a variety trial for proso millet was conducted for the first time at Havelock Farm in Lincoln to see how the crop performs in the eastern Nebraska climatic conditions. Work has been started to analyze the farmer profitability for different insurance coverage levels based on existing corn and proso millet data. With an anticipated increase in demand for proso millet post-IYM2023, we also aim to test the consumer preferences/demand for various products using proso millet as a primary ingredient.&nbsp;

&nbsp;By Pratiksha Baishya – Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture Dr. Dipak Santra – Professor, Department of Agronomy and HorticulturePanhandle Research and Education CenterThe United Nations has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM2023), contributing to six of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 – Zero Hunger, Good health and well-being, Decent work, and economic growth, Responsible consumption and production, Climate change, and Life on Land (FAO 2023). The slogan “Rich in heritage, full of potential” is being used to convey and raise awareness about the multiple benefits of growing and consuming millets for the environment and human health, with a long-term goal of alleviating food insecurity. The key objectives for IYM2023 include providing a unique opportunity to increase global production, strengthening science and policy interactions, ensuring efficient processing and consumption, promoting better utilization of crop rotations, empowering stakeholders to take action, and building and strengthening new and old partnerships for millets worldwide (UN 2023).In the United States, proso millet (known as ‘millet’) is the only commercially cultivated millet at present. Proso millet was first introduced in the US on the eastern Atlantic Coast by European immigrants in 1875 and is now generally grown in the Great Plains. About 90 percent of the total proso millet produced in the United States is grown in the states of Colorado, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Over the last twenty years, proso millet production in the US has been getting more popular but has been chiefly to cater to the demands of the bird-feed market, which neglects to utilize the crop to its full potential. USDA data indicates significant fluctuations in planted acreage and production statistics for proso millet over the last two decades, primarily driven by market price volatility. Combined with the lack of sound insurance coverage, farmers have no incentive to grow millet.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692147186713.jpeg" alt="millet testing.jpg" />
 <figcaption>millet testing.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>However, millet has several agronomic and nutritional advantages, making it an ideal substitute in the cropping system and food basket alike. Proso millet is a shallow-rooted crop that is adapted to be cultivated in semi-arid and arid environments, requiring the least amount of water among all cereals. It is a short-duration crop (60-90 days), making it an ideal alternative to be included in winter wheat-based crop rotations under dryland production conditions. It can be grown after a crop failure like winter wheat, thus aiding farmers in making additional profit. Regarding nutritional superiority, millets are naturally gluten-free and fiber-rich, aiding digestive health, especially for people with gluten sensitivities. Millets also have a low glycemic index (54-68) and can prevent blood sugar spikes and promote insulin sensitivity in diabetic patients. Due to these qualities, recent years have seen a steady rise in millet popularity and demand to meet the growing food demand worldwide while addressing food security concerns and climate change impacts on agriculture.Research related to promoting proso millet among producers and consumers is still preliminary. Several knowledge gaps (lack of high-yielding varieties, agronomic constraints like weed and disease management, crop insurance, market limitations, lack of value-added products, etc.) need to be addressed to popularize the market for millet beyond just bird feed. The Alternative Crops Lab under Dr. Dipak Santra at UNL PREEC (University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research, Extension and Education Center) aims to investigate some of these gaps in the coming years. This year, we have started a field experiment to compare the greenhouse gas emissions (particularly nitrous oxide) between corn and proso millet to test if proso millet is a better sustainable crop than corn. In addition, a variety trial for proso millet was conducted for the first time at Havelock Farm in Lincoln to see how the crop performs in the eastern Nebraska climatic conditions. Work has been started to analyze the farmer profitability for different insurance coverage levels based on existing corn and proso millet data. With an anticipated increase in demand for proso millet post-IYM2023, we also aim to test the consumer preferences/demand for various products using proso millet as a primary ingredient.&nbsp;

 Millets for a Sustainable Future

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — The Lahaina fire caused about $3.2 billion in insured property losses, calculated Karen Clark &amp; Company, a prominent disaster and risk modeling company. That doesn’t count damage to property not insured.

The risk firm said more than 2,200 buildings were damaged or destroyed by fire with a total of more than 3,000 buildings damaged by fire or smoke or both. Because so many of the buildings were wood frame and older, the damage rates were higher than other fires, the firm said.

— What spurred the fires? Right now, it’s unclear; authorities say the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfires-recovery-maui-lahaina-search-c3da091a10e7aaa69022f002d3e241b9">cause is under investigation</a>

— What is the status of the fires? The county says the fire in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wildfire-hawaii-lahaina-historic-kindom-capital-396463f6eba6580bfc80d75538b0adf3">centuries-old Lahaina</a>&nbsp;has been 85% contained, while another blaze known as the Upcountry fire has been around 60% contained

— How does the loss of life confirmed so far&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/maui-deadliest-fires-us-history-507273968474a03bec332f42d10a018b">compare with other U.S. fires</a>? For now, it is the country’s deadliest fire in more than 100 years, with officials saying nearly 100 people are dead, but the governor says scores of more bodies could be found

— How are search efforts going? The police chief said Monday that crews using cadaver dogs have scoured about 32% of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfires-recovery-maui-lahaina-search-photos-ec6e573ffb19e9fed9a8123878a09a5e">search area</a>, with just three bodies identified so far

— Why did the fire cause so much destruction so quickly? The governor says the flames on Maui were fueled by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfires-climate-change-92c0930be7c28ec9ac71392a83c87582">dry grass</a>&nbsp;and propelled by strong winds from a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfire-maui-dora-winds-ec23c16abfbeb6ba689f1a98263720db">passing hurricane</a>, and raced as fast as a mile (1.6 kilometers) every minute in one area

— Did emergency notification services work? Officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-lahaina-wildfire-warnings-sirens-chaos-f4bb9bb77c093ac8ff16440b54ade4a6">failed to activate sirens and instead relied on a series of sometimes confusing social media posts;</a>&nbsp;meanwhile, residents faced power and cellular outages

—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfires-maui-electricity-power-utilities-c46a106db3c5019ac835ddcb01fde25f">An electric utility is facing criticism</a>&nbsp;and a lawsuit for not shutting off the power amid high wind warnings and as dozens of poles began to topple; in what may have been one of multiple ignition sources, a video shows a cable dangling in a charred patch of grass, surrounded by flames

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692136293887.png" alt="The risk firm said more than 2,200 buildings were damaged or destroyed-photo FEMA" />
 <figcaption>The risk firm said more than 2,200 buildings were damaged or destroyed-photo FEMA</figcaption>
 </figure>LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — The Lahaina fire caused about $3.2 billion in insured property losses, calculated Karen Clark &amp; Company, a prominent disaster and risk modeling company. That doesn’t count damage to property not insured.The risk firm said more than 2,200 buildings were damaged or destroyed by fire with a total of more than 3,000 buildings damaged by fire or smoke or both. Because so many of the buildings were wood frame and older, the damage rates were higher than other fires, the firm said.WHAT TO KNOW — What spurred the fires? Right now, it’s unclear; authorities say the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfires-recovery-maui-lahaina-search-c3da091a10e7aaa69022f002d3e241b9">cause is under investigation</a>— What is the status of the fires? The county says the fire in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wildfire-hawaii-lahaina-historic-kindom-capital-396463f6eba6580bfc80d75538b0adf3">centuries-old Lahaina</a>&nbsp;has been 85% contained, while another blaze known as the Upcountry fire has been around 60% contained— How does the loss of life confirmed so far&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/maui-deadliest-fires-us-history-507273968474a03bec332f42d10a018b">compare with other U.S. fires</a>? For now, it is the country’s deadliest fire in more than 100 years, with officials saying nearly 100 people are dead, but the governor says scores of more bodies could be found— How are search efforts going? The police chief said Monday that crews using cadaver dogs have scoured about 32% of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfires-recovery-maui-lahaina-search-photos-ec6e573ffb19e9fed9a8123878a09a5e">search area</a>, with just three bodies identified so far— Why did the fire cause so much destruction so quickly? The governor says the flames on Maui were fueled by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfires-climate-change-92c0930be7c28ec9ac71392a83c87582">dry grass</a>&nbsp;and propelled by strong winds from a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfire-maui-dora-winds-ec23c16abfbeb6ba689f1a98263720db">passing hurricane</a>, and raced as fast as a mile (1.6 kilometers) every minute in one area— Did emergency notification services work? Officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-lahaina-wildfire-warnings-sirens-chaos-f4bb9bb77c093ac8ff16440b54ade4a6">failed to activate sirens and instead relied on a series of sometimes confusing social media posts;</a>&nbsp;meanwhile, residents faced power and cellular outages—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfires-maui-electricity-power-utilities-c46a106db3c5019ac835ddcb01fde25f">An electric utility is facing criticism</a>&nbsp;and a lawsuit for not shutting off the power amid high wind warnings and as dozens of poles began to topple; in what may have been one of multiple ignition sources, a video shows a cable dangling in a charred patch of grass, surrounded by flames

Risk company: Hawaii fires caused $3.2 billion in insured property losses

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea asserted Wednesday that a U.S. soldier who bolted across the heavily armed Korean border last month did so after becoming disillusioned with the inequality of American society and racial discrimination in its Army.

It was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-travis-king-e16bea3ea33dfedbea61d1f65317be94">North Korea’s first official confirmation</a>&nbsp;of detention of Pvt. Travis King, who had served in South Korea and sprinted into the North while on a civilian tour of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-travis-king-tourist-witness-92f96befe0b2b8d2e7d016d645d21180">border village on July 18</a>. He became the first American confirmed to be detained in the North in nearly five years.

The official Korean Central News Agency, citing an investigation by relevant North Korean authorities, reported that King told them he decided to enter North Korea because he “harbored ill feelings against inhuman mistreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army.”

The report said King also expressed his willingness to seek refuge in North Korea or a third country, saying he “was disillusioned at the unequal American society.”

KCNA is a propaganda outlet and its content is carefully calibrated to reflect North Korea’s official line that the United States is an evil adversary.

The report said North Korea’s investigation into King’s “illegal” entry would continue. Verifying the authenticity of the comments attributed to King in North Korea’s state media is impossible.

The United States, South Korea and others have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-travis-king-11a0429e279d498f8c3aa9c10f818b32">accused North Korea of using foreign detainees</a>&nbsp;to wrest diplomatic concessions. Some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-past-border-entries-3b2e36d7cd162f8320768a049c50a361">foreign detainees</a>&nbsp;have said after their releases that their declarations of guilt while in North Korean custody were made under coercion.

A U.S. Defense Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the U.S. had no way to verify North Korea’s claims about King. The official said the Pentagon was working through all available channels to bring King back to the U.S.

“This is 100% North Korean propaganda in its element. King, as an American citizen held in North Korea, has no sway in how (North Korea) chooses to cast its narrative,” said Soo Kim, an expert with Virginia-based consultancy LMI and a former CIA analyst.

“As for King’s release, his fate rests in North Korea’s hands. Perhaps the regime will try to ‘bargain’ King’s life in exchange for financial concessions from the U.S. More than likely, negotiations won’t be easy, and terms will be dictated by Pyongyang,” she said.

The soldier’s family said his mother, Claudine Gates, is appealing to North Korea to treat her son humanely.

“She’s a mom worried about her son and would be grateful for a phone call from him,” family spokesman Jonathan Franks said in the statement. “Lastly, she has been in touch with the Army this evening and appreciates a (Defense Department) statement that it remains focused on bringing Travis home.”

Tae Yongho, who was a minister at the North Korean Embassy in London before his defection in 2016, speculated North Korea might release King eventually because it didn't immediately express its intentions of accepting King as refugee in the North and spoke about a third country resettlement. Tae, now a lawmaker in South Korea, also cited North Korea's description of King as an illegal entrant, rather than someone who “voluntarily” entered the North.

Tae earlier said North Korea would be reluctant to hold a low-ranked solider like King for long because he won’t provide it with high-profile U.S. intelligence and would require high costs and resources to manage his life.

Some analysts have said North Korea might try to tie King’s release to the U.S. cutting back its military activities with South Korea, amid heightened animosities between the wartime foes.

North Korea has conducted more than 100 weapons tests since the beginning of last year, many of them in the name of issuing warnings over the expansion of U.S.-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal. Next Monday, the allies are to begin major annual drills, which North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal.

The leaders of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-yoon-kishida-camp-david-missile-defense-f3ce58da383f2255ee479624645db542">U.S., South Korea and Japan</a>&nbsp;are also expected to announce plans for expanded military cooperation on ballistic missile defense in the face of North Korea’s evolving nuclear threats when they meet for a trilateral summit at Camp David on Friday, according to U.S. officials.

On Tuesday, North Korea slammed U.S.-led plans for an open&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/un-north-korea-human-rights-meeting-council-86af9a8632c6d85df3a7ed4c24daf8a7">U.N. Security Council</a>&nbsp;meeting on its human rights record as “despicable” and only aimed at achieving Washington’s geopolitical ambitions.

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong said the council must first deal with the American human rights issue, calling the United States a depraved “empire of evils.” In a statement carried by state media, Kim accused the U.S. of fostering racial discrimination, gun-related crimes, child maltreatment and forced labor.

King, 23, was among about 28,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggression from North Korea. At the time he joined the civilian tour and crossed the border, he was supposed to b&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-travis-king-border-fe5da15f52122af9acc45412fe391465">e heading to Fort Bliss, Texas</a>, following his release from prison in South Korea on an assault conviction.

U.S. officials say he has been declared AWOL, which can be punished by confinement in the brig, forfeiture of pay or dishonorable discharge with the severity based on their time away and whether they were apprehended or returned on their own.

The U.S. and North Korea, which fought during the 1950-53 Korean War, are still technically at war since that conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. They have no diplomatic ties and Sweden provided consular services for Americans in past cases, though Swedish diplomats reportedly have not returned to North Korea since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692140954260.png" alt="A TV screen shows a file image of American soldier Travis King during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, July 24, 2023. The deputy commander of the U.N. Command said Monday it has started conversations with North Korea over King who ran into the North last week across the Koreas' heavily armed border. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)" />
 <figcaption>A TV screen shows a file image of American soldier Travis King during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, July 24, 2023. The deputy commander of the U.N. Command said Monday it has started conversations with North Korea over King who ran into the North last week across the Koreas' heavily armed border. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)</figcaption>
 </figure>SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea asserted Wednesday that a U.S. soldier who bolted across the heavily armed Korean border last month did so after becoming disillusioned with the inequality of American society and racial discrimination in its Army.It was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-travis-king-e16bea3ea33dfedbea61d1f65317be94">North Korea’s first official confirmation</a>&nbsp;of detention of Pvt. Travis King, who had served in South Korea and sprinted into the North while on a civilian tour of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-travis-king-tourist-witness-92f96befe0b2b8d2e7d016d645d21180">border village on July 18</a>. He became the first American confirmed to be detained in the North in nearly five years.The official Korean Central News Agency, citing an investigation by relevant North Korean authorities, reported that King told them he decided to enter North Korea because he “harbored ill feelings against inhuman mistreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army.”The report said King also expressed his willingness to seek refuge in North Korea or a third country, saying he “was disillusioned at the unequal American society.”KCNA is a propaganda outlet and its content is carefully calibrated to reflect North Korea’s official line that the United States is an evil adversary.The report said North Korea’s investigation into King’s “illegal” entry would continue. Verifying the authenticity of the comments attributed to King in North Korea’s state media is impossible.The United States, South Korea and others have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-travis-king-11a0429e279d498f8c3aa9c10f818b32">accused North Korea of using foreign detainees</a>&nbsp;to wrest diplomatic concessions. Some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-past-border-entries-3b2e36d7cd162f8320768a049c50a361">foreign detainees</a>&nbsp;have said after their releases that their declarations of guilt while in North Korean custody were made under coercion.A U.S. Defense Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the U.S. had no way to verify North Korea’s claims about King. The official said the Pentagon was working through all available channels to bring King back to the U.S.“This is 100% North Korean propaganda in its element. King, as an American citizen held in North Korea, has no sway in how (North Korea) chooses to cast its narrative,” said Soo Kim, an expert with Virginia-based consultancy LMI and a former CIA analyst.“As for King’s release, his fate rests in North Korea’s hands. Perhaps the regime will try to ‘bargain’ King’s life in exchange for financial concessions from the U.S. More than likely, negotiations won’t be easy, and terms will be dictated by Pyongyang,” she said.The soldier’s family said his mother, Claudine Gates, is appealing to North Korea to treat her son humanely.“She’s a mom worried about her son and would be grateful for a phone call from him,” family spokesman Jonathan Franks said in the statement. “Lastly, she has been in touch with the Army this evening and appreciates a (Defense Department) statement that it remains focused on bringing Travis home.”Tae Yongho, who was a minister at the North Korean Embassy in London before his defection in 2016, speculated North Korea might release King eventually because it didn't immediately express its intentions of accepting King as refugee in the North and spoke about a third country resettlement. Tae, now a lawmaker in South Korea, also cited North Korea's description of King as an illegal entrant, rather than someone who “voluntarily” entered the North.Tae earlier said North Korea would be reluctant to hold a low-ranked solider like King for long because he won’t provide it with high-profile U.S. intelligence and would require high costs and resources to manage his life.Some analysts have said North Korea might try to tie King’s release to the U.S. cutting back its military activities with South Korea, amid heightened animosities between the wartime foes.North Korea has conducted more than 100 weapons tests since the beginning of last year, many of them in the name of issuing warnings over the expansion of U.S.-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal. Next Monday, the allies are to begin major annual drills, which North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal.The leaders of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-yoon-kishida-camp-david-missile-defense-f3ce58da383f2255ee479624645db542">U.S., South Korea and Japan</a>&nbsp;are also expected to announce plans for expanded military cooperation on ballistic missile defense in the face of North Korea’s evolving nuclear threats when they meet for a trilateral summit at Camp David on Friday, according to U.S. officials.On Tuesday, North Korea slammed U.S.-led plans for an open&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/un-north-korea-human-rights-meeting-council-86af9a8632c6d85df3a7ed4c24daf8a7">U.N. Security Council</a>&nbsp;meeting on its human rights record as “despicable” and only aimed at achieving Washington’s geopolitical ambitions.North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong said the council must first deal with the American human rights issue, calling the United States a depraved “empire of evils.” In a statement carried by state media, Kim accused the U.S. of fostering racial discrimination, gun-related crimes, child maltreatment and forced labor.King, 23, was among about 28,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggression from North Korea. At the time he joined the civilian tour and crossed the border, he was supposed to b&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-travis-king-border-fe5da15f52122af9acc45412fe391465">e heading to Fort Bliss, Texas</a>, following his release from prison in South Korea on an assault conviction.U.S. officials say he has been declared AWOL, which can be punished by confinement in the brig, forfeiture of pay or dishonorable discharge with the severity based on their time away and whether they were apprehended or returned on their own.The U.S. and North Korea, which fought during the 1950-53 Korean War, are still technically at war since that conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. They have no diplomatic ties and Sweden provided consular services for Americans in past cases, though Swedish diplomats reportedly have not returned to North Korea since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.___

North Korea: US soldier fled because of racism in Army

Canon Rath talks again with Courtney Hughbanks from Make A Wish Greater Nebraska to talk about the upcoming Kearney Evening of Wishes event going on this Thursday.&nbsp;

NORTH PLATTE, NEB - The Kearney Evening of Wishes event is going on this Thursday at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney. Make A Wish Nebraska is celebrating 40 years of wishes. The 16th annual Gala is back to help fundraise money.&nbsp;&nbsp;

This year at the event, there will be guest speakers, wish families, auctions, and so much more to make the evening one you will never forget. For the money raised during the event, the proceeds will go towards Make A Wish Greater Nebraska. "All the proceeds will be going towards Greater Nebraska Wish Kids which is all the wish kids that are west of York County," said Courtney Hughbanks. "That includes the North Platte surrounding areas and everywhere to the Wyoming border."&nbsp;

If you would like to learn more about the Kearney Evening Of Wishes event going on next Thursday in Kearney, check out the podcast above. If you would like to purchase a ticket to the event,&nbsp;<a href="https://kearney23.home.qtego.us/" target="_blank">click here.&nbsp;</a>If you would like to learn more about Make A Wish Nebraska,&nbsp;<a href="https://wish.org/nebraska" target="_blank">click here.</a>&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655346441244.png" alt="<a href="https://www.npkubota.com/">Post Podcast Sponsored By North Platte Kubota</a>" />
 <figcaption><a href="https://www.npkubota.com/">Post Podcast Sponsored By North Platte Kubota</a></figcaption>
 </figure>Canon Rath talks again with Courtney Hughbanks from Make A Wish Greater Nebraska to talk about the upcoming Kearney Evening of Wishes event going on this Thursday.&nbsp;<div><iframe title="(Audio) Kearney Evening Of Wishes - Conversation #3 with Courtney Hughbanks" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=6u3ky-147f696-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=1&fonts=Times%20New%20Roman&skin=1b1b1b&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>NORTH PLATTE, NEB - The Kearney Evening of Wishes event is going on this Thursday at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney. Make A Wish Nebraska is celebrating 40 years of wishes. The 16th annual Gala is back to help fundraise money.&nbsp;&nbsp;This year at the event, there will be guest speakers, wish families, auctions, and so much more to make the evening one you will never forget. For the money raised during the event, the proceeds will go towards Make A Wish Greater Nebraska. "All the proceeds will be going towards Greater Nebraska Wish Kids which is all the wish kids that are west of York County," said Courtney Hughbanks. "That includes the North Platte surrounding areas and everywhere to the Wyoming border."&nbsp;If you would like to learn more about the Kearney Evening Of Wishes event going on next Thursday in Kearney, check out the podcast above. If you would like to purchase a ticket to the event,&nbsp;<a href="https://kearney23.home.qtego.us/" target="_blank">click here.&nbsp;</a>If you would like to learn more about Make A Wish Nebraska,&nbsp;<a href="https://wish.org/nebraska" target="_blank">click here.</a>&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692113733991.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

(Audio) Kearney Evening Of Wishes - Conversation #3 with Courtney Hughbanks

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Hawaii officials worked painstakingly to identify the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/live-updates-maui-fire-hawaii-wildfire-162a9fcdefe648d6bcd6557af70d894f">99 people confirmed killed</a>&nbsp;in wildfires that ravaged Maui and expected to release the first names Tuesday, even as teams intensified the search for more dead in neighborhoods reduced to ash.

A week after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lahaina-maui-hawaii-wildfires-deaths-survivors-8a8bf7e4257c1cedaa161e4002b3e7fd">blaze tore through historic Lahaina</a>, many who survived have started moving into hundreds of hotel rooms set aside for displaced locals while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/maui-wildfires-donation-explainer-c06fb5fba22f3878875a26ff6f15564a">donations</a>&nbsp;of food, ice, water and other essentials have poured in.

Crews using cadaver dogs have scoured about 25% of the search area, the police chief said Monday. Gov. Josh Green asked for patience and space to search properly as authorities became overwhelmed with requests to visit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/ec6e573ffb19e9fed9a8123878a09a5e">the burn area</a>.

“For those people who have walked into Lahaina because they really wanted to see, know that they’re very likely walking on iwi,” he said at a news conference on Maui, using the Hawaiian word for “bones.”

Just three bodies have been identified so far and officials will start releasing names on Tuesday, according to Maui Police Chief John Pelletier, who renewed an appeal for families&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfire-victims-maui-lahaina-67cbaaed21545c1af0f6ee7c582322e3">with missing relatives</a>&nbsp;to provide DNA samples.

Green warned that scores more bodies could be found. The wildfires, some of which have not yet been fully contained, are already the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/maui-deadliest-fires-us-history-507273968474a03bec332f42d10a018b">deadliest in the U.S.</a>&nbsp;in more than a century. Their cause was under investigation.

When asked Tuesday morning by Hawaii News Now if children are among the missing, Green said, “tragically, yes ... When the bodies are smaller, we know it's a child.”

He added that some of the sites being searched “are too much to share or see from just a human perspective.”

Another complicating factor, Green said, is that stormy weather is forecast for the weekend, prompting discussions on how to handle high winds. Officials are mulling whether to “preemptively power down or not for a short period of time, because right now all of the infrastructure is weaker.”

The local power utility&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfires-maui-electricity-power-utilities-c46a106db3c5019ac835ddcb01fde25f">has already faced criticism</a>&nbsp;for not shutting off power as strong winds buffeted a parched area under high risk for fire. It’s not clear whether the utility’s equipment played any role in igniting the flames.

Hawaiian Electric Co. Inc. President and CEO Shelee Kimura said many factors go into a decision to cut power, including the impact on people who rely on specialized medical equipment and concerns that shutting off power in the fire area would have knocked out water pumps.

Green has said the flames on Maui raced as fast as a mile (1.6 kilometers) every minute in one area, fueled by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfires-climate-change-92c0930be7c28ec9ac71392a83c87582">dry grass</a>&nbsp;and propelled by strong winds from a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfire-maui-dora-winds-ec23c16abfbeb6ba689f1a98263720db">passing hurricane</a>.

And he was conflicted about the anticipated storm.

“I want the rain, ironically, but that’s why we’re racing right now to do all the recovery that we can, because winds or heavy rain in that disaster setting, which it’s showing right now, it will make it even harder to get the final determination of who we lost,” Green said.

Authorities have paused a system that had allowed Lahaina residents and others to visit devastated areas with police permits. Kevin Eliason said when he was turned away, the line of cars waiting to get a permit was at least 3 miles (5 kilometers) long.

“It’s a joke,” Eliason said. “It’s just crazy. They didn’t expect, probably, tens of thousands of people to show up there.”

The blaze that swept into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wildfire-hawaii-lahaina-historic-kindom-capital-396463f6eba6580bfc80d75538b0adf3">centuries-old Lahaina</a>&nbsp;last week destroyed nearly every building in the town of 13,000. That fire has been 85% contained, according to the county. Another blaze known as the Upcountry fire has been 65% contained.

Even where the fire has retreated, authorities have warned that toxic byproducts may remain, including in drinking water, after the flames&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfires-toxic-fumes-recovery-2a2e25c013c9fce39041718848028c3b">spewed poisonous fumes</a>. That has left many unable to return home.

The Red Cross said 575 evacuees were spread across five shelters on Monday, including the War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku. Green said thousands of people will need housing for at least 36 weeks. He said Tuesday that some 450 hotel rooms and 1,000 Airbnb rentals were becoming available.

“We want to get everyone out of all of the shelters by week's end,” he told Hawaii News Now.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday he and first lady Jill Biden will visit Hawaii “as soon as we can” to survey the damage. He said he doesn’t want his presence to interrupt recovery and cleanup efforts. During a stop in Milwaukee to highlight his economic agenda, Biden pledged that “every asset, every asset they need will be there for them.”

More than 3,000 people have registered for federal assistance, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and that number was expected to grow.

FEMA was providing $700 to displaced residents to cover the cost of food, water, first aid and medical supplies, in addition to qualifying coverage for the loss of homes and personal property.

The Biden administration was seeking $12 billion more for the government’s disaster relief fund as part of its supplemental funding request to Congress.

Green said “leaders all across the board” have helped by donating over a million pounds (454,000 kilograms) of food as well as ice, water, diapers and baby formula. U.S. Marines, the Hawaii National Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard have all joined the aid and recovery efforts.

“When people are hurting, the community steps up and takes care of each other," Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke said Monday.

As firefighters battled the flames last week, a flurry of court actions were lodged over water access.

Some state officials say there is not enough for firefighters in central Maui, and blame a recent ruling by an environmental judge. The ruling by Judge Jeffrey Crabtree did not directly affect water supplies to Lahaina, the attorney general's office said Monday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692131080149.png" alt="&nbsp;More than 190 search and rescue team members are working diligently across Maui to ensure the safety of all affected survivors.-photo FEMA" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;More than 190 search and rescue team members are working diligently across Maui to ensure the safety of all affected survivors.-photo FEMA</figcaption>
 </figure>LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Hawaii officials worked painstakingly to identify the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/live-updates-maui-fire-hawaii-wildfire-162a9fcdefe648d6bcd6557af70d894f">99 people confirmed killed</a>&nbsp;in wildfires that ravaged Maui and expected to release the first names Tuesday, even as teams intensified the search for more dead in neighborhoods reduced to ash.A week after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lahaina-maui-hawaii-wildfires-deaths-survivors-8a8bf7e4257c1cedaa161e4002b3e7fd">blaze tore through historic Lahaina</a>, many who survived have started moving into hundreds of hotel rooms set aside for displaced locals while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/maui-wildfires-donation-explainer-c06fb5fba22f3878875a26ff6f15564a">donations</a>&nbsp;of food, ice, water and other essentials have poured in.Crews using cadaver dogs have scoured about 25% of the search area, the police chief said Monday. Gov. Josh Green asked for patience and space to search properly as authorities became overwhelmed with requests to visit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/ec6e573ffb19e9fed9a8123878a09a5e">the burn area</a>.“For those people who have walked into Lahaina because they really wanted to see, know that they’re very likely walking on iwi,” he said at a news conference on Maui, using the Hawaiian word for “bones.”Just three bodies have been identified so far and officials will start releasing names on Tuesday, according to Maui Police Chief John Pelletier, who renewed an appeal for families&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfire-victims-maui-lahaina-67cbaaed21545c1af0f6ee7c582322e3">with missing relatives</a>&nbsp;to provide DNA samples.Green warned that scores more bodies could be found. The wildfires, some of which have not yet been fully contained, are already the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/maui-deadliest-fires-us-history-507273968474a03bec332f42d10a018b">deadliest in the U.S.</a>&nbsp;in more than a century. Their cause was under investigation.When asked Tuesday morning by Hawaii News Now if children are among the missing, Green said, “tragically, yes ... When the bodies are smaller, we know it's a child.”He added that some of the sites being searched “are too much to share or see from just a human perspective.”Another complicating factor, Green said, is that stormy weather is forecast for the weekend, prompting discussions on how to handle high winds. Officials are mulling whether to “preemptively power down or not for a short period of time, because right now all of the infrastructure is weaker.”The local power utility&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfires-maui-electricity-power-utilities-c46a106db3c5019ac835ddcb01fde25f">has already faced criticism</a>&nbsp;for not shutting off power as strong winds buffeted a parched area under high risk for fire. It’s not clear whether the utility’s equipment played any role in igniting the flames.Hawaiian Electric Co. Inc. President and CEO Shelee Kimura said many factors go into a decision to cut power, including the impact on people who rely on specialized medical equipment and concerns that shutting off power in the fire area would have knocked out water pumps.Green has said the flames on Maui raced as fast as a mile (1.6 kilometers) every minute in one area, fueled by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfires-climate-change-92c0930be7c28ec9ac71392a83c87582">dry grass</a>&nbsp;and propelled by strong winds from a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfire-maui-dora-winds-ec23c16abfbeb6ba689f1a98263720db">passing hurricane</a>.And he was conflicted about the anticipated storm.“I want the rain, ironically, but that’s why we’re racing right now to do all the recovery that we can, because winds or heavy rain in that disaster setting, which it’s showing right now, it will make it even harder to get the final determination of who we lost,” Green said.Authorities have paused a system that had allowed Lahaina residents and others to visit devastated areas with police permits. Kevin Eliason said when he was turned away, the line of cars waiting to get a permit was at least 3 miles (5 kilometers) long.“It’s a joke,” Eliason said. “It’s just crazy. They didn’t expect, probably, tens of thousands of people to show up there.”The blaze that swept into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wildfire-hawaii-lahaina-historic-kindom-capital-396463f6eba6580bfc80d75538b0adf3">centuries-old Lahaina</a>&nbsp;last week destroyed nearly every building in the town of 13,000. That fire has been 85% contained, according to the county. Another blaze known as the Upcountry fire has been 65% contained.Even where the fire has retreated, authorities have warned that toxic byproducts may remain, including in drinking water, after the flames&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfires-toxic-fumes-recovery-2a2e25c013c9fce39041718848028c3b">spewed poisonous fumes</a>. That has left many unable to return home.The Red Cross said 575 evacuees were spread across five shelters on Monday, including the War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku. Green said thousands of people will need housing for at least 36 weeks. He said Tuesday that some 450 hotel rooms and 1,000 Airbnb rentals were becoming available.“We want to get everyone out of all of the shelters by week's end,” he told Hawaii News Now.President Joe Biden said Tuesday he and first lady Jill Biden will visit Hawaii “as soon as we can” to survey the damage. He said he doesn’t want his presence to interrupt recovery and cleanup efforts. During a stop in Milwaukee to highlight his economic agenda, Biden pledged that “every asset, every asset they need will be there for them.”More than 3,000 people have registered for federal assistance, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and that number was expected to grow.FEMA was providing $700 to displaced residents to cover the cost of food, water, first aid and medical supplies, in addition to qualifying coverage for the loss of homes and personal property.The Biden administration was seeking $12 billion more for the government’s disaster relief fund as part of its supplemental funding request to Congress.Green said “leaders all across the board” have helped by donating over a million pounds (454,000 kilograms) of food as well as ice, water, diapers and baby formula. U.S. Marines, the Hawaii National Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard have all joined the aid and recovery efforts.“When people are hurting, the community steps up and takes care of each other," Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke said Monday.As firefighters battled the flames last week, a flurry of court actions were lodged over water access.Some state officials say there is not enough for firefighters in central Maui, and blame a recent ruling by an environmental judge. The ruling by Judge Jeffrey Crabtree did not directly affect water supplies to Lahaina, the attorney general's office said Monday.

Governor: Children among those lost to fires on Maui

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — HP has failed to shunt aside class-action legal claims that it disables the scanners on its multifunction printers when their ink runs low. Though not for lack of trying.

On Aug. 10, a federal judge ruled that HP Inc. must face a class-action lawsuit claiming that the company designs its “all-in-one” inkjet printers to disable scanning and faxing functions whenever a single printer ink cartridge runs low. The company had sought — for the second time — to dismiss the lawsuit on technical legal grounds.

“It is well-documented that ink is not required in order to scan or to fax a document, and it is certainly possible to manufacture an all-in-one printer that scans or faxes when the device is out of ink,” the plaintiffs&nbsp;<a href="https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/doc1/035122824894">wrote in their complaint</a>. “Indeed, HP designs its all-in-one printer products so they will not work without ink. Yet HP does not disclose this fact to consumers.”

The lawsuit charges that HP deliberately withholds this information from consumers to boost profits from the sale of expensive ink cartridges.

Color printers require four ink cartridges -- one black and a set of three cartridges in cyan, magenta and yellow for producing colors. Some will also refuse to print if one of the color cartridges is low, even in black-and-white mode.

HP declined to comment on the issue, citing the pending litigation. The company’s court filings in the case have generally not addressed the substance of the plaintiff’s allegations.

In early 2022, U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman&nbsp;<a href="https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/doc1/035122742272">dismissed the complaint</a>&nbsp;on legal grounds but did not address the lawsuit's claims. The judge allowed the plaintiffs to amend their claim and resubmit it. On Aug. 10, the judge largely rejected HP's request to dismiss the revised complaint, allowing the case to proceed.

All-in-one inkjet printers generally seem like a bargain compared to the cost of separate devices with scanning, copying and fax functions. For instance, HP currently sells its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-officejet-pro-8034e-all-in-one-printer">all-in-one OfficeJet Pro 8034e</a>&nbsp;online for just $159. But its least expensive standalone scanner, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-scanjet-pro-2000-s2-sheet-feed-scanner">ScanJet Pro s2</a>, lists for $369 — more than twice the cost of the multifunction printer.

Of course, only one of these devices requires printer ink. “Printer ink is wildly expensive,” Consumer Reports states in its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/printers/buying-guide/">current printer buying guide</a>, noting that consumer ink costs can easily run more than $70 a year.

Worse, a significant amount of ink is never actually used to print documents because it's consumed by printer maintenance cycles. In 2018, Consumer Reports tested hundreds of all-in-one inkjet printers and found that, when used intermittently, many models delivered&nbsp;<a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/printers/the-high-cost-of-wasted-printer-ink/">less than half of their ink to printed documents</a>. A few managed no more than 20% to 30%.

HP isn't alone in facing such legal complaints. A different set of plaintiffs sued the U.S. unit of printer and camera maker Canon Inc. in 2021 for similarly handicapping its all-in-one printers without disclosure. The parties&nbsp;<a href="https://ecf.nyed.uscourts.gov/doc1/123119481077">settled that case</a>&nbsp;in late 2022. Terms were not disclosed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692124742204.png" alt="The lawsuit charges that HP deliberately withholds this information from consumers to boost profits from the sale of expensive ink cartridges.-Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>The lawsuit charges that HP deliberately withholds this information from consumers to boost profits from the sale of expensive ink cartridges.-Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — HP has failed to shunt aside class-action legal claims that it disables the scanners on its multifunction printers when their ink runs low. Though not for lack of trying.On Aug. 10, a federal judge ruled that HP Inc. must face a class-action lawsuit claiming that the company designs its “all-in-one” inkjet printers to disable scanning and faxing functions whenever a single printer ink cartridge runs low. The company had sought — for the second time — to dismiss the lawsuit on technical legal grounds.“It is well-documented that ink is not required in order to scan or to fax a document, and it is certainly possible to manufacture an all-in-one printer that scans or faxes when the device is out of ink,” the plaintiffs&nbsp;<a href="https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/doc1/035122824894">wrote in their complaint</a>. “Indeed, HP designs its all-in-one printer products so they will not work without ink. Yet HP does not disclose this fact to consumers.”The lawsuit charges that HP deliberately withholds this information from consumers to boost profits from the sale of expensive ink cartridges.Color printers require four ink cartridges -- one black and a set of three cartridges in cyan, magenta and yellow for producing colors. Some will also refuse to print if one of the color cartridges is low, even in black-and-white mode.HP declined to comment on the issue, citing the pending litigation. The company’s court filings in the case have generally not addressed the substance of the plaintiff’s allegations.In early 2022, U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman&nbsp;<a href="https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/doc1/035122742272">dismissed the complaint</a>&nbsp;on legal grounds but did not address the lawsuit's claims. The judge allowed the plaintiffs to amend their claim and resubmit it. On Aug. 10, the judge largely rejected HP's request to dismiss the revised complaint, allowing the case to proceed.All-in-one inkjet printers generally seem like a bargain compared to the cost of separate devices with scanning, copying and fax functions. For instance, HP currently sells its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-officejet-pro-8034e-all-in-one-printer">all-in-one OfficeJet Pro 8034e</a>&nbsp;online for just $159. But its least expensive standalone scanner, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-scanjet-pro-2000-s2-sheet-feed-scanner">ScanJet Pro s2</a>, lists for $369 — more than twice the cost of the multifunction printer.Of course, only one of these devices requires printer ink. “Printer ink is wildly expensive,” Consumer Reports states in its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/printers/buying-guide/">current printer buying guide</a>, noting that consumer ink costs can easily run more than $70 a year.Worse, a significant amount of ink is never actually used to print documents because it's consumed by printer maintenance cycles. In 2018, Consumer Reports tested hundreds of all-in-one inkjet printers and found that, when used intermittently, many models delivered&nbsp;<a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/printers/the-high-cost-of-wasted-printer-ink/">less than half of their ink to printed documents</a>. A few managed no more than 20% to 30%.HP isn't alone in facing such legal complaints. A different set of plaintiffs sued the U.S. unit of printer and camera maker Canon Inc. in 2021 for similarly handicapping its all-in-one printers without disclosure. The parties&nbsp;<a href="https://ecf.nyed.uscourts.gov/doc1/123119481077">settled that case</a>&nbsp;in late 2022. Terms were not disclosed.

HP fails to derail claims it blocks scanners on multifunction printers when ink runs low

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — As children across the U.S. head back to classes and practices for fall sports, four more states are expecting their K-12 schools to keep transgender girls off their girls teams.

Kansas, North Dakota and Wyoming had new laws in place restricting transgender athletes before classes resumed, and a Missouri law takes effect at the end of this month,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-nonbinary-hormone-puberty-missouri-lawmakers-5a8922430ffab9e43cf9b7ce254bff9f">bringing the number of states with restrictions to 23</a>.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cooper-veto-north-carolina-transgender-lgbtq-743112742e4c96d3693a8d59cb317b2b">North Carolina</a>&nbsp;could enact a ban later this month, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-gender-care-ban-transgender-sports-52136dfab6b29cca547d7e97f0b7c715">Ohio could follow</a>&nbsp;in the fall. A few laws, including ones in Arizona and West Virginia, are on hold because of federal lawsuits.

This year's new restrictions are part of a larger wave of legislation across the U.S. against transgender rights. Republican legislators in some states have banned gender-affirming care for minors, restricted transgender people’s use of school and public restrooms, limited what public schools can teach about gender and sexuality and barred schools from requiring the use of a transgender student's preferred pronouns.

The sports laws have been imposed since 2020, and most are aimed at transgender girls. A majority cover less formal intramural contests organized within a single school’s student body as well as contests among different schools, and some restrict transgender boys as well. Almost all say other students and their parents can sue schools that don’t enforce the restrictions.

Lawmakers expect a child’s earliest birth certificate to determine which sports teams they can join. Principals and coaches are expected to be the enforcers.

“Those are uncomfortable conversations,” said Jeanne Woodbury, interim executive director of the LGBGT+ rights group Equality Arizona. “Everyone is going through that process.”

She added: “For trans kids, it’s never been a walk in the park, but now they have this law to contend with on top of everything else.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-college-football-united-states-gay-rights-5814b6365cf8f96b6be49e2d4b72616a">In Oklahoma</a>, where a law has been in place since 2022, athletes or their parents must file an annual affidavit “acknowledging the biological sex of the student at birth.”

Kansas and other states expect school officials to review a child’s earliest birth certificate if questions arise about an athlete’s eligibility.

Bill Faflick, executive director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association, said his state's law has been greeted by a “matter of fact” acceptance in rules seminars for administrators and coaches.

“It has not been met with any resistance and has not been met with any outpouring of support or opposition, one way or the other,” Faflick said.

Even before the laws against transgender girls on girls teams passed, some states largely blocked the practice by handling questions or concerns on a case-by-case level at the school or state athletic association level.

Supporters of the restrictions argue that they’re protecting fair competition and scholarship opportunities for young women that took decades to win. They say that well before puberty, boys have physical advantages over girls in speed, strength and lung capacity.

“It’s a puzzlement to me that more people aren’t feeling sympathy for the girls whose sports careers are ruined,” said Tom Horne, the elected Republican state school superintendent in Arizona, who is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-transgender-school-sports-law-injunction-2017dce4143c07ad5ff83f3a43639c72">defending his state’s law</a>&nbsp;in federal court.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692007652976.png" alt="&nbsp;A flag supporting LGBTQ+ rights decorates a desk on the Democratic side of the Kansas House of Representatives during a debate, March 28, 2023, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Children are heading back to classes and fall sports practices, and four more states are expecting their K-12 schools to keep transgender girls off their girls sports teams. Kansas, North Dakota and Wyoming had new laws restricting transgender athletes in place before classes resumed, and a Missouri law takes effect at the end of this month. (AP Photo/John Hanna, File)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;A flag supporting LGBTQ+ rights decorates a desk on the Democratic side of the Kansas House of Representatives during a debate, March 28, 2023, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Children are heading back to classes and fall sports practices, and four more states are expecting their K-12 schools to keep transgender girls off their girls sports teams. Kansas, North Dakota and Wyoming had new laws restricting transgender athletes in place before classes resumed, and a Missouri law takes effect at the end of this month. (AP Photo/John Hanna, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — As children across the U.S. head back to classes and practices for fall sports, four more states are expecting their K-12 schools to keep transgender girls off their girls teams.Kansas, North Dakota and Wyoming had new laws in place restricting transgender athletes before classes resumed, and a Missouri law takes effect at the end of this month,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-nonbinary-hormone-puberty-missouri-lawmakers-5a8922430ffab9e43cf9b7ce254bff9f">bringing the number of states with restrictions to 23</a>.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cooper-veto-north-carolina-transgender-lgbtq-743112742e4c96d3693a8d59cb317b2b">North Carolina</a>&nbsp;could enact a ban later this month, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-gender-care-ban-transgender-sports-52136dfab6b29cca547d7e97f0b7c715">Ohio could follow</a>&nbsp;in the fall. A few laws, including ones in Arizona and West Virginia, are on hold because of federal lawsuits.This year's new restrictions are part of a larger wave of legislation across the U.S. against transgender rights. Republican legislators in some states have banned gender-affirming care for minors, restricted transgender people’s use of school and public restrooms, limited what public schools can teach about gender and sexuality and barred schools from requiring the use of a transgender student's preferred pronouns.The sports laws have been imposed since 2020, and most are aimed at transgender girls. A majority cover less formal intramural contests organized within a single school’s student body as well as contests among different schools, and some restrict transgender boys as well. Almost all say other students and their parents can sue schools that don’t enforce the restrictions.Lawmakers expect a child’s earliest birth certificate to determine which sports teams they can join. Principals and coaches are expected to be the enforcers.“Those are uncomfortable conversations,” said Jeanne Woodbury, interim executive director of the LGBGT+ rights group Equality Arizona. “Everyone is going through that process.”She added: “For trans kids, it’s never been a walk in the park, but now they have this law to contend with on top of everything else.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-college-football-united-states-gay-rights-5814b6365cf8f96b6be49e2d4b72616a">In Oklahoma</a>, where a law has been in place since 2022, athletes or their parents must file an annual affidavit “acknowledging the biological sex of the student at birth.”Kansas and other states expect school officials to review a child’s earliest birth certificate if questions arise about an athlete’s eligibility.Bill Faflick, executive director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association, said his state's law has been greeted by a “matter of fact” acceptance in rules seminars for administrators and coaches.“It has not been met with any resistance and has not been met with any outpouring of support or opposition, one way or the other,” Faflick said.Even before the laws against transgender girls on girls teams passed, some states largely blocked the practice by handling questions or concerns on a case-by-case level at the school or state athletic association level.Supporters of the restrictions argue that they’re protecting fair competition and scholarship opportunities for young women that took decades to win. They say that well before puberty, boys have physical advantages over girls in speed, strength and lung capacity.“It’s a puzzlement to me that more people aren’t feeling sympathy for the girls whose sports careers are ruined,” said Tom Horne, the elected Republican state school superintendent in Arizona, who is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-transgender-school-sports-law-injunction-2017dce4143c07ad5ff83f3a43639c72">defending his state’s law</a>&nbsp;in federal court.Doctors, parents, and LGBTQ+ rights advocates counter that boys' physical advantages come with a surge in testosterone during puberty — changes gender-affirming care blocks.Critics also argue that transgender athletes are so few that schools and associations governing school sports can handle their individual cases without a state law.For example, in Kansas, the State High School Activities Association recorded 11 transgender athletes during the 2022-23 school year, and three were trans girls. Before Florida’s law took effect in 2021, its High School Athletic Association had cleared 13 transgender students to play in the previous eight years.Becky Pepper-Jackson appeared to be the only transgender girl seeking to play girls’ sports in West Virginia in 2021 when the then-11-year-old and her mother, Heather Jackson, sued the state over its law.Because of their lawsuit, the West Virginia law is on hold, and Becky, now a 13-year-old entering eighth grade, threw the discus and the shot put in seven track meets this spring.The state is trying to persuade a federal appeals court to let it enforce its law, and in a filing last month, it cited the longer distances Becky threw this year as a reason. The state said any time another girl finished behind Becky in either event — more than 180 times — the other athlete had been unfairly “displaced.”Jackson said the state knows her daughter only “on paper,” and Becky improved by training relentlessly at home with her own equipment.“As a parent, all we want for our children is for them to be successful and happy, period,” Jackson told The Associated Press. “That should be an opportunity for everybody, every time, everywhere in this country.”Educators and LGBTQ+ rights advocates argue that transgender kids aren’t the only athletes likely to feel the effects of the laws. Some worry that parents will challenge the right to play of cisgendered girls who are taller or more muscular than their peers — or just a whole lot better.One of athletes who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-boise-state-university-idaho-education-9d31bbc245bbe0c66a3c88d2cc6a43be">sued Idaho</a>&nbsp;over its 2020 law was a 17-year-old cisgendered girl, listed only as Jane Doe. The lawsuit said she had an “athletic build" and wanted to avoid ”invasive or uncomfortable” gender tests.“It’s going to create this feeling in some people that, ‘I can go question someone’s gender, and it’s my right to do that,’” said G.A. Buie, executive director of United School Administrators of Kansas, an association representing public school leaders.Parents, doctors and LGBTQ+ rights advocates say restrictions on transgender athletes are less about sports and more about trying to make transgender kids disappear from society.“What lawmakers fail to understand is that transgender people, nonbinary people, intersex people, have always been here,” said Anne Lieberman, policy and programs director for Athlete Ally, a group that advocates for transgender athletes. "Unless it is known that a student is trans, it is very hard to keep somebody from playing sports.”___