LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alan Arkin, the wry character actor who demonstrated his versatility in everything from farcical comedy to chilling drama as he received four Academy Award nominations and won an Oscar in 2007 for "Little Miss Sunshine," has died. He was 89.

His sons Adam, Matthew and Anthony confirmed their father's death through the actor's publicist on Friday. “Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man," they said in a statement.

A member of Chicago's famed Second City comedy troupe, Arkin was an immediate success in movies with the Cold War spoof "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming" and peaked late in life with his win as best supporting actor for the surprise 2006 hit "Little Miss Sunshine.” More than 40 years separated his first Oscar nomination, for "The Russians are Coming," from his nomination for playing a conniving Hollywood producer in the Oscar-winning “Argo.”

In recent years he starred opposite Michael Douglas in the Netflix comedy series “The Kominsky Method,” a role that earned him two Emmy nominations.

“When I was a young actor people wanted to know if I wanted to be a serious actor or a funny one,” Michael McKean tweeted Friday. ‘I’d answer 'Which kind is Alan Arkin?’ and that shut them up.”

Arkin once joked to The Associated Press that the beauty of being a character actor was not having to take his clothes off for a role. He wasn't a sex symbol or superstar, but was rarely out of work, appearing in more than 100 TV and feature films. His trademarks were likability, relatability and complete immersion in his roles, no matter how unusual, whether playing a Russian submarine officer in "The Russians are Coming" who struggles to communicate with the equally jittery Americans, or standing out as the foul-mouthed, drug-addicted grandfather in "Little Miss Sunshine."

"Alan's never had an identifiable screen personality because he just disappears into his characters," director Norman Jewison of "The Russians are Coming" once observed. "His accents are impeccable, and he's even able to change his looks. ... He's always been underestimated, partly because he's never been in service of his own success."

While still with Second City, Arkin was chosen by Carl Reiner to play the young protagonist in the 1963 Broadway play "Enter Laughing," based on Reiner's semi-autobiographical novel.

He attracted strong reviews and the notice of Jewison, who was preparing to direct a 1966 comedy about a Russian sub that creates a panic when it ventures too close to a small New England town. In Arkin's next major film, he proved he could also play a villain, however reluctantly. Arkin starred in "Wait Until Dark" as a vicious drug dealer who holds a blind woman (Audrey Hepburn) captive in her own apartment, believing a drug shipment is hidden there.

He recalled in a 1998 interview how difficult it was to terrorize Hepburn's character.

"Just awful," he said. "She was an exquisite lady, so being mean to her was hard."

Arkin's rise continued in 1968 with "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter," in which he played a sensitive man who could not hear or speak. He starred as the bumbling French detective in "Inspector Clouseau" that same year, but the film would become overlooked in favor of Peter Sellers' Clouseau in the "Pink Panther" movies.

Arkin's career as a character actor continued to blossom when Mike Nichols, a fellow Second City alumnus, cast him in the starring role as Yossarian, the victim of wartime red tape in 1970's "Catch-22," based on Joseph Heller's million-selling novel. Through the years, Arkin turned up in such favorites as "Edward Scissorhands," playing Johnny Depp's neighbor; and in the film version of David Mamet’s "Glengarry Glen Ross" as a dogged real estate salesman. He and Reiner played brothers, one successful (Reiner), one struggling (Arkin), in the 1998 film “The Slums of Beverly Hills.”

“I used to think that my stuff had a lot of variety. But I realized that for the first twenty years or so, most of the characters I played were outsiders, strangers to their environment, foreigners in one way or another,” he told The Associated Press in 2007.

“As I started to get more and more comfortable with myself, that started to shift. I got one of the nicest compliments I've ever gotten from someone a few days ago. They said that they thought my characters were very often the heart, the moral center of a film. I didn't particularly understand it, but I liked it; it made me happy.”

Other recent credits included "Going in Style," a 2017 remake featuring fellow Oscar winners Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, and “The Kominsky Method.” He played a Hollywood talent agent and friend of Douglas' character, a once-promising actor who ran an acting school after his career sputtered.

He also was the voice of Wild Knuckles in the 2022 animated film “Minions: The Rise of Gru.”

Arkin also directed the film version of Jules Feiffer's 1971 dark comedy "Little Murders" and Neil Simon's 1972 play about bickering old vaudeville partners, "The Sunshine Boys." On television, Arkin appeared in the short-lived series "Fay" and "Harry" and played a night court judge in Sidney Lumet's drama series "100 Centre Street" on A&amp;E. He also wrote several books for children.

Born in New York City's borough of Brooklyn, he and his family, which included two younger brothers, moved to Los Angeles when he was 11. His parents found jobs as teachers, but were fired during the post-World War II Red Scare because they were Communists.

"We were dirt poor so I couldn't afford to go to the movies often," he told the AP in 1998. "But I went whenever I could and focused in on movies, as they were more important than anything in my life."

He studied acting at Los Angeles City College; California State University, Los Angeles; and Bennington College in Vermont, where he earned a scholarship to the formerly all-girls school.

He married a fellow student, Jeremy Yaffe, and they had two sons, Adam and Matthew.

After he and Yaffe divorced in 1961, Arkin married actress-writer Barbara Dana, and they had a son, Anthony. All three sons became actors: Adam starred in the TV series "Chicago Hope."

"It was certainly nothing that I pushed them into," Arkin said in 1998. “It made absolutely no difference to me what they did, as long as it allowed them to grow.”

Arkin began his entertainment career as an organizer and singer with The Tarriers, a group that briefly rode the folk musical revival wave of the late 1950s. Later, he turned to stage acting, off-Broadway and always in dramatic roles.

At Second City, he worked with Nichols, Elaine May, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara and others in creating intellectual, high-speed impromptu riffs the fads and follies of the day.

“I never knew that I could be funny until I joined Second City," he said.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alan Arkin, the wry character actor who demonstrated his versatility in everything from farcical comedy to chilling drama as he received four Academy Award nominations and won an Oscar in 2007 for "Little Miss Sunshine," has died. He was 89.His sons Adam, Matthew and Anthony confirmed their father's death through the actor's publicist on Friday. “Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man," they said in a statement.A member of Chicago's famed Second City comedy troupe, Arkin was an immediate success in movies with the Cold War spoof "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming" and peaked late in life with his win as best supporting actor for the surprise 2006 hit "Little Miss Sunshine.” More than 40 years separated his first Oscar nomination, for "The Russians are Coming," from his nomination for playing a conniving Hollywood producer in the Oscar-winning “Argo.”In recent years he starred opposite Michael Douglas in the Netflix comedy series “The Kominsky Method,” a role that earned him two Emmy nominations.“When I was a young actor people wanted to know if I wanted to be a serious actor or a funny one,” Michael McKean tweeted Friday. ‘I’d answer 'Which kind is Alan Arkin?’ and that shut them up.”Arkin once joked to The Associated Press that the beauty of being a character actor was not having to take his clothes off for a role. He wasn't a sex symbol or superstar, but was rarely out of work, appearing in more than 100 TV and feature films. His trademarks were likability, relatability and complete immersion in his roles, no matter how unusual, whether playing a Russian submarine officer in "The Russians are Coming" who struggles to communicate with the equally jittery Americans, or standing out as the foul-mouthed, drug-addicted grandfather in "Little Miss Sunshine.""Alan's never had an identifiable screen personality because he just disappears into his characters," director Norman Jewison of "The Russians are Coming" once observed. "His accents are impeccable, and he's even able to change his looks. ... He's always been underestimated, partly because he's never been in service of his own success."While still with Second City, Arkin was chosen by Carl Reiner to play the young protagonist in the 1963 Broadway play "Enter Laughing," based on Reiner's semi-autobiographical novel.He attracted strong reviews and the notice of Jewison, who was preparing to direct a 1966 comedy about a Russian sub that creates a panic when it ventures too close to a small New England town. In Arkin's next major film, he proved he could also play a villain, however reluctantly. Arkin starred in "Wait Until Dark" as a vicious drug dealer who holds a blind woman (Audrey Hepburn) captive in her own apartment, believing a drug shipment is hidden there.He recalled in a 1998 interview how difficult it was to terrorize Hepburn's character."Just awful," he said. "She was an exquisite lady, so being mean to her was hard."Arkin's rise continued in 1968 with "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter," in which he played a sensitive man who could not hear or speak. He starred as the bumbling French detective in "Inspector Clouseau" that same year, but the film would become overlooked in favor of Peter Sellers' Clouseau in the "Pink Panther" movies.Arkin's career as a character actor continued to blossom when Mike Nichols, a fellow Second City alumnus, cast him in the starring role as Yossarian, the victim of wartime red tape in 1970's "Catch-22," based on Joseph Heller's million-selling novel. Through the years, Arkin turned up in such favorites as "Edward Scissorhands," playing Johnny Depp's neighbor; and in the film version of David Mamet’s "Glengarry Glen Ross" as a dogged real estate salesman. He and Reiner played brothers, one successful (Reiner), one struggling (Arkin), in the 1998 film “The Slums of Beverly Hills.”“I used to think that my stuff had a lot of variety. But I realized that for the first twenty years or so, most of the characters I played were outsiders, strangers to their environment, foreigners in one way or another,” he told The Associated Press in 2007.“As I started to get more and more comfortable with myself, that started to shift. I got one of the nicest compliments I've ever gotten from someone a few days ago. They said that they thought my characters were very often the heart, the moral center of a film. I didn't particularly understand it, but I liked it; it made me happy.”Other recent credits included "Going in Style," a 2017 remake featuring fellow Oscar winners Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, and “The Kominsky Method.” He played a Hollywood talent agent and friend of Douglas' character, a once-promising actor who ran an acting school after his career sputtered.He also was the voice of Wild Knuckles in the 2022 animated film “Minions: The Rise of Gru.”Arkin also directed the film version of Jules Feiffer's 1971 dark comedy "Little Murders" and Neil Simon's 1972 play about bickering old vaudeville partners, "The Sunshine Boys." On television, Arkin appeared in the short-lived series "Fay" and "Harry" and played a night court judge in Sidney Lumet's drama series "100 Centre Street" on A&amp;E. He also wrote several books for children.Born in New York City's borough of Brooklyn, he and his family, which included two younger brothers, moved to Los Angeles when he was 11. His parents found jobs as teachers, but were fired during the post-World War II Red Scare because they were Communists."We were dirt poor so I couldn't afford to go to the movies often," he told the AP in 1998. "But I went whenever I could and focused in on movies, as they were more important than anything in my life."He studied acting at Los Angeles City College; California State University, Los Angeles; and Bennington College in Vermont, where he earned a scholarship to the formerly all-girls school.He married a fellow student, Jeremy Yaffe, and they had two sons, Adam and Matthew.After he and Yaffe divorced in 1961, Arkin married actress-writer Barbara Dana, and they had a son, Anthony. All three sons became actors: Adam starred in the TV series "Chicago Hope.""It was certainly nothing that I pushed them into," Arkin said in 1998. “It made absolutely no difference to me what they did, as long as it allowed them to grow.”Arkin began his entertainment career as an organizer and singer with The Tarriers, a group that briefly rode the folk musical revival wave of the late 1950s. Later, he turned to stage acting, off-Broadway and always in dramatic roles.At Second City, he worked with Nichols, Elaine May, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara and others in creating intellectual, high-speed impromptu riffs the fads and follies of the day.“I never knew that I could be funny until I joined Second City," he said.

Alan Arkin, Oscar-winning 'Little Miss Sunshine' actor, dies at 89

Governor talks issues during two-day rural fly-around

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

HOLDREGE, Nebraska — Gov. Jim Pillen and conservative state lawmakers are “going to end” abortion in Nebraska, and their push will not stop with bans at 12 or six weeks, he said during a recent barnstorming stop in this agricultural community.

Many in the group of more than 80 people at the Sun Theatre for one of Pillen’s town halls cheered Wednesday when he repeated the stance he campaigned on: He wants to ban abortion at conception. Abortion-rights advocates have pledged to fight such a goal.

Without naming him, Pillen criticized State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston for withholding the pivotal 33rd vote for cloture that would have let Legislative Bill 626 pass during this year’s legislative session. That bill would have banned abortions after an ultrasound detects embryonic cardiac activity, typically after about 6 weeks.

Pillen said he “thought we had the heartbeat bill” but “got nicked by one person caving in to pressure.” So Pillen and others seeking restrictions pressed to combine an abortion ban at 12 weeks gestational age with Legislative Bill 574. That bill originally aimed to outlaw some gender-related health care for young people.

Nebraska law previously allowed abortions up to 20 weeks after fertilization, or about 22 weeks gestational age.

“We didn’t give up,” he said. “We were able to combine them and get it at the last hour to get it down to 12 weeks. I can assure you as long as I’m the governor, that’s unacceptable. I pushed hard to get us to 12, but we’re going to end abortion.”

Pillen described Nebraska as “a pro-life state.”&nbsp;

Told of the governor’s comments, Andi Curry Grubb of Planned Parenthood of Nebraska said she was “not surprised.” Most Nebraskans do not want additional restrictions, she said.&nbsp;

“We’ve known all along, even before the Dobbs decision, that this was the goal,” she said, referring to the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/24/dobbs-shifted-ground-beneath-nebraska-abortion-debate/">Dobbs v. Jackson ruling a year ago</a>&nbsp;by the U.S. Supreme Court that there is no constitutional right to abortion. “And they continue to lie during debate and during hearings and in interviews and say that’s not the goal, but this … is not going to stop at 574.”

The governor also defended&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Final/LB574.pdf">LB 574</a>&nbsp;from critics of its limits on gender-affirming care and people who say the law discriminates against LGBTQ minors. He said he was “really proud” to work with state senators to “make sure we don’t have transgender laws across the land.”

“The answer is love and life,” he said. “If somebody decides to be a transgender at 19 years of age, I’ll love them like any other Nebraskan. But we’re going to protect our kids until they’re old enough to make those decisions on their own.”

When asked whether he thinks the combination of abortion and transgender care in LB 574 can&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/23/nebraska-lawmakers-respond-to-arkansas-court-decision-striking-gender-care-law/">withstand legal scrutiny</a>, Pillen said that he had talked to Attorney General Mike Hilgers and thinks it can.

“We’re going to fight like heck, and we’re going to win,” Pillen said. “We’ve worked really, really hard with the legislation. … And just so you know, the 12-week-old life bill, that’s rock solid.”

Guns, opportunity scholarships, taxes&nbsp;

One man asked Pillen how he squared his Christian faith with&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/25/gov-jim-pillen-signs-bill-for-concealed-carry-of-handguns-without-permit-or-training/">signing a bill into law</a>&nbsp;that would lead to more gun-related deaths. Legislative Bill 77 lets Nebraskans to carry concealed handguns without a permit or state-mandated gun safety training.

“I’m a believer that where there’s guns there’s not violence, so that’s why I signed it,” Pillen said. “The hardcore reality is, it doesn’t matter … bad people are going to have guns…. So we need the constitutional freedom to protect ourselves.”

Pillen also discussed passing a tax relief package that includes new state investments in a baseline level of state aid to schools for every K-12 district and 80% state and federal funding of special education costs.

He got nods and applause when he discussed his push to have the state fund community colleges and get them&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/03/property-tax-portion-of-nebraskas-tax-relief-package-advances-41-0/">off local property tax rolls</a>. He also defended tax credits for donors paying for&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/16/opportunity-scholarship-supporters-to-fight-petition-drive-opposing-the-tax-credits/">private school education</a>&nbsp;for low-income children.

“Opportunity scholarship funds — there might be folks in this room that said that is pure hogwash, but I’ll debate you until I take my last breath,” he said. “We need both private schools and public schools, because we need the right fit for our kids.”

Opponents of the opportunity scholarship bill have begun a ballot initiative to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/06/public-schools-supporters-launch-drive-to-put-school-choice-bill-on-ballot/">repeal the new tax credit</a>. They argue the law will eventually siphon funding needed for public schools.&nbsp;

Pillen said conservatives need to win two additional legislative seats in order to end abortion in Nebraska. He said he is working on a plan with conservative donors around the state to invest more campaign money in legislative races to grow the Republican majority.

He said Republicans should hold 39 of 49 Unicameral seats based on the GOP edge in voter registrations. Today, Republicans hold 32 seats, while Democrats and nonpartisans hold 17.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1688126614718.png" alt="Gov. Jim Pillen addresses a town hall crowd in Holdrege, Neb., on Wednesday. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Gov. Jim Pillen addresses a town hall crowd in Holdrege, Neb., on Wednesday. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Governor talks issues during two-day rural fly-around</h2>By AARON SANDERFORD <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/woman-who-shouted-shame-following-critical-gun-bill-passage-is-banned-from-nebraska-capitol/">Nebraska Examiner</a>HOLDREGE, Nebraska — Gov. Jim Pillen and conservative state lawmakers are “going to end” abortion in Nebraska, and their push will not stop with bans at 12 or six weeks, he said during a recent barnstorming stop in this agricultural community.Many in the group of more than 80 people at the Sun Theatre for one of Pillen’s town halls cheered Wednesday when he repeated the stance he campaigned on: He wants to ban abortion at conception. Abortion-rights advocates have pledged to fight such a goal.<h2>Riepe roadblock</h2>Without naming him, Pillen criticized State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston for withholding the pivotal 33rd vote for cloture that would have let Legislative Bill 626 pass during this year’s legislative session. That bill would have banned abortions after an ultrasound detects embryonic cardiac activity, typically after about 6 weeks.Pillen said he “thought we had the heartbeat bill” but “got nicked by one person caving in to pressure.” So Pillen and others seeking restrictions pressed to combine an abortion ban at 12 weeks gestational age with Legislative Bill 574. That bill originally aimed to outlaw some gender-related health care for young people.Nebraska law previously allowed abortions up to 20 weeks after fertilization, or about 22 weeks gestational age.“We didn’t give up,” he said. “We were able to combine them and get it at the last hour to get it down to 12 weeks. I can assure you as long as I’m the governor, that’s unacceptable. I pushed hard to get us to 12, but we’re going to end abortion.”Pillen described Nebraska as “a pro-life state.”&nbsp;Told of the governor’s comments, Andi Curry Grubb of Planned Parenthood of Nebraska said she was “not surprised.” Most Nebraskans do not want additional restrictions, she said.&nbsp;“We’ve known all along, even before the Dobbs decision, that this was the goal,” she said, referring to the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/24/dobbs-shifted-ground-beneath-nebraska-abortion-debate/">Dobbs v. Jackson ruling a year ago</a>&nbsp;by the U.S. Supreme Court that there is no constitutional right to abortion. “And they continue to lie during debate and during hearings and in interviews and say that’s not the goal, but this … is not going to stop at 574.”<h2>Pillen says critics wrong about LB 574</h2>The governor also defended&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Final/LB574.pdf">LB 574</a>&nbsp;from critics of its limits on gender-affirming care and people who say the law discriminates against LGBTQ minors. He said he was “really proud” to work with state senators to “make sure we don’t have transgender laws across the land.”“The answer is love and life,” he said. “If somebody decides to be a transgender at 19 years of age, I’ll love them like any other Nebraskan. But we’re going to protect our kids until they’re old enough to make those decisions on their own.”When asked whether he thinks the combination of abortion and transgender care in LB 574 can&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/23/nebraska-lawmakers-respond-to-arkansas-court-decision-striking-gender-care-law/">withstand legal scrutiny</a>, Pillen said that he had talked to Attorney General Mike Hilgers and thinks it can.“We’re going to fight like heck, and we’re going to win,” Pillen said. “We’ve worked really, really hard with the legislation. … And just so you know, the 12-week-old life bill, that’s rock solid.”<h2>Guns, opportunity scholarships, taxes&nbsp;</h2>One man asked Pillen how he squared his Christian faith with&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/25/gov-jim-pillen-signs-bill-for-concealed-carry-of-handguns-without-permit-or-training/">signing a bill into law</a>&nbsp;that would lead to more gun-related deaths. Legislative Bill 77 lets Nebraskans to carry concealed handguns without a permit or state-mandated gun safety training.“I’m a believer that where there’s guns there’s not violence, so that’s why I signed it,” Pillen said. “The hardcore reality is, it doesn’t matter … bad people are going to have guns…. So we need the constitutional freedom to protect ourselves.”Pillen also discussed passing a tax relief package that includes new state investments in a baseline level of state aid to schools for every K-12 district and 80% state and federal funding of special education costs.He got nods and applause when he discussed his push to have the state fund community colleges and get them&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/03/property-tax-portion-of-nebraskas-tax-relief-package-advances-41-0/">off local property tax rolls</a>. He also defended tax credits for donors paying for&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/16/opportunity-scholarship-supporters-to-fight-petition-drive-opposing-the-tax-credits/">private school education</a>&nbsp;for low-income children.“Opportunity scholarship funds — there might be folks in this room that said that is pure hogwash, but I’ll debate you until I take my last breath,” he said. “We need both private schools and public schools, because we need the right fit for our kids.”Opponents of the opportunity scholarship bill have begun a ballot initiative to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/06/public-schools-supporters-launch-drive-to-put-school-choice-bill-on-ballot/">repeal the new tax credit</a>. They argue the law will eventually siphon funding needed for public schools.&nbsp;<h2>Two more seats for total ban</h2>Pillen said conservatives need to win two additional legislative seats in order to end abortion in Nebraska. He said he is working on a plan with conservative donors around the state to invest more campaign money in legislative races to grow the Republican majority.He said Republicans should hold 39 of 49 Unicameral seats based on the GOP edge in voter registrations. Today, Republicans hold 32 seats, while Democrats and nonpartisans hold 17.

Nebraska Gov. says he won’t stop on abortion, seeks total ban

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States flew nuclear-capable bombers to the Korean Peninsula on Friday in its latest show of force against North Korea, days after the North staged massive anti-U.S. rallies in its capital.

The long-range B-52 bombers took part in joint aerial drills with other U.S. and South Korean fighter jets over the peninsula, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said in a statement. The bombers’ flyover is the latest in a series of temporary U.S. deployments of strategic assets in South Korea in response to North Korea’s push to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-kim-jong-un-nuclear-arsenal-9b1093e2939b87facfdf1f74612d3738">expand its nuclear arsenal</a>.

Two weeks ago, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-submarine-north-korea-missiles-3bf330fa9f8a19cb9b90f0af3d6bac3a">U.S. deployed a nuclear-powered submarine</a>&nbsp;capable of carrying about 150 Tomahawk missiles to South Korean waters for the first time in six years. The USS Michigan’s arrival came a day after North Korea resumed missile tests to protest previous U.S.-South Korean drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal.

The South Korean Defense Ministry said the B-52 bombers' deployment boosted the visibility of U.S. strategic assets to the peninsula. It said the allies have been demonstrating their firm resolve to strengthen combined defense postures and will continue joint drills involving U.S. strategic bombers.

On Sunday, more than 120,000 North Koreans participated in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-antius-rallies-leaflets-13d61a2ef5c3f2b9dca0b8b3216030d3">mass rallies in Pyongyang</a>&nbsp;to mark the 73rd anniversary of the start of the Korean War. During the rallies, officials and residents delivered speeches vowing “merciless revenge” against the United States over the war while accusing the U.S. of plotting an invasion on North Korea.

The Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula in a technical state of war. The U.S. stations about 28,000 troops in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggression by North Korea.

Since its June 15 launches of two short-range ballistic missiles, North Korea hasn’t performed any further public weapons tests. But the U.S. bombers’ deployment could prompt it to launch weapons again in protest.

Enhancing “regular visibility of U.S. strategic assets" to the Korean Peninsula was part of agreements reached between U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-yoon-south-korea-nuclear-submarines-agreement-8f1e003990cb434afa0980707e471396">summit in Washington in April</a>. Biden stated at the time that any North Korean nuclear attack on the U.S. or its allies would “result in the end of whatever regime” took such action.

Since the start of 2022, North Korea has carried out more than 100 missile tests in a bid to enlarge its arsenal of nuclear-capable missiles targeting the U.S. mainland and South Korea. The allies have responded by expanding their military exercises.

In late May, a North Korean launch of a rocket carrying its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-spy-satellite-ruling-party-c9f16baacd3a8bdb87d8393f481d0cb8">first spy satellite ended in failure</a>, with the rocket plunging into waters soon after liftoff. North Korea has since repeatedly said it would attempt a second launch, saying it’s crucial to build space-based surveillance system to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1688122374321.png" alt="FILE - In this photo provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry, U.S. B-52H bombers, center, and F-16 fighter jets and South Korean Air Force F-35A fighter jets, right bottom, fly over the Korean Peninsula during a joint air drill in South Korea on April 14, 2023. The United States flew nuclear-capable bombers to the Korean Peninsula on Friday, June 30, in its latest show of force against North Korea, days after the North staged massive anti-U.S. rallies in its capital. (South Korea Defense Ministry via AP, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - In this photo provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry, U.S. B-52H bombers, center, and F-16 fighter jets and South Korean Air Force F-35A fighter jets, right bottom, fly over the Korean Peninsula during a joint air drill in South Korea on April 14, 2023. The United States flew nuclear-capable bombers to the Korean Peninsula on Friday, June 30, in its latest show of force against North Korea, days after the North staged massive anti-U.S. rallies in its capital. (South Korea Defense Ministry via AP, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States flew nuclear-capable bombers to the Korean Peninsula on Friday in its latest show of force against North Korea, days after the North staged massive anti-U.S. rallies in its capital.The long-range B-52 bombers took part in joint aerial drills with other U.S. and South Korean fighter jets over the peninsula, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said in a statement. The bombers’ flyover is the latest in a series of temporary U.S. deployments of strategic assets in South Korea in response to North Korea’s push to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-kim-jong-un-nuclear-arsenal-9b1093e2939b87facfdf1f74612d3738">expand its nuclear arsenal</a>.Two weeks ago, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-submarine-north-korea-missiles-3bf330fa9f8a19cb9b90f0af3d6bac3a">U.S. deployed a nuclear-powered submarine</a>&nbsp;capable of carrying about 150 Tomahawk missiles to South Korean waters for the first time in six years. The USS Michigan’s arrival came a day after North Korea resumed missile tests to protest previous U.S.-South Korean drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal.The South Korean Defense Ministry said the B-52 bombers' deployment boosted the visibility of U.S. strategic assets to the peninsula. It said the allies have been demonstrating their firm resolve to strengthen combined defense postures and will continue joint drills involving U.S. strategic bombers.On Sunday, more than 120,000 North Koreans participated in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-antius-rallies-leaflets-13d61a2ef5c3f2b9dca0b8b3216030d3">mass rallies in Pyongyang</a>&nbsp;to mark the 73rd anniversary of the start of the Korean War. During the rallies, officials and residents delivered speeches vowing “merciless revenge” against the United States over the war while accusing the U.S. of plotting an invasion on North Korea.The Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula in a technical state of war. The U.S. stations about 28,000 troops in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggression by North Korea.Since its June 15 launches of two short-range ballistic missiles, North Korea hasn’t performed any further public weapons tests. But the U.S. bombers’ deployment could prompt it to launch weapons again in protest.Enhancing “regular visibility of U.S. strategic assets" to the Korean Peninsula was part of agreements reached between U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-yoon-south-korea-nuclear-submarines-agreement-8f1e003990cb434afa0980707e471396">summit in Washington in April</a>. Biden stated at the time that any North Korean nuclear attack on the U.S. or its allies would “result in the end of whatever regime” took such action.Since the start of 2022, North Korea has carried out more than 100 missile tests in a bid to enlarge its arsenal of nuclear-capable missiles targeting the U.S. mainland and South Korea. The allies have responded by expanding their military exercises.In late May, a North Korean launch of a rocket carrying its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-spy-satellite-ruling-party-c9f16baacd3a8bdb87d8393f481d0cb8">first spy satellite ended in failure</a>, with the rocket plunging into waters soon after liftoff. North Korea has since repeatedly said it would attempt a second launch, saying it’s crucial to build space-based surveillance system to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility.

US flies nuclear bombers in a fresh show of force against North Korea

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Thursday struck down&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/affirmative-action">affirmative action</a>&nbsp;in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.

(Click below to watch the President's statement)

The court's conservative majority overturned admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation's oldest private and public colleges, respectively.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/20-1199_hgdj.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the opinion&nbsp;

Chief Justice John Roberts said that for too long universities have “concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”

Justice Clarence Thomas — the nation's second Black justice, who had long called for an end to affirmative action — wrote separately that the decision “sees the universities’ admissions policies for what they are: rudderless, race-based preferences designed to ensure a particular racial mix in their entering classes.”

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent that the decision “rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress.”

Echoing her dissent, President Joe Biden said he “strongly, strongly” disagrees with the court's ruling. He urged colleges not to let the ruling “be the last word.”

"They should not abandon their commitment to ensure student bodies of diverse backgrounds and experience that reflect all of America,” Biden said from the White House. He said colleges should evaluate “adversity overcome” by candidates.

Both Thomas and Sotomayor, the two justices who have acknowledged affirmative action played a role in their admissions to college and law school, took the unusual step of reading a summary of their opinions aloud in the courtroom.

In a separate dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — the court’s first Black female justice — called the decision “truly a tragedy for us all.”

Jackson, who sat out the Harvard case because she had been a member of an advisory governing board, wrote, “With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces ‘colorblindness for all’ by legal fiat. But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life.”

The vote was 6-3 in the North Carolina case and 6-2 in the Harvard case. Justice Elena Kagan was the other dissenter.

Two former presidents offered starkly different takes on the high-court ruling.

Former President Donald Trump, the current GOP presidential frontrunner, wrote on his social media network that the decision marked “a great day for America. People with extraordinary ability and everything else necessary for success, including future greatness for our Country, are finally being rewarded.”

Former President Barack Obama said in a statement that affirmative action “allowed generations of students like Michelle and me to prove we belonged. Now it’s up to all of us to give young people the opportunities they deserve — and help students everywhere benefit from new perspectives.”

The Supreme Court had twice upheld&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-admissions-us-supreme-court-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-harvard-university-95be5363a3245fbf185babe8423426a4">race-conscious college admissions programs</a>&nbsp;in the past 20 years, including as recently as 2016.

But that was before the three appointees of former President Donald Trump joined the court. At arguments in late October, all six conservative justices expressed doubts about the practice, which had been upheld under Supreme Court decisions reaching back to 1978.

Lower courts also had upheld the programs at both UNC and Harvard, rejecting claims that the schools discriminated against white and Asian American applicants.

The college admissions disputes are among several high-profile cases focused on race in America, and were weighed by the conservative-dominated, but most diverse court ever. Among the nine justices are four women, two Black people and a Latina.

The justices earlier in June decided a voting rights case in favor of Black voters in Alabama and rejected a race-based challenge to a Native American child protection law.

The affirmative action cases were brought by conservative activist Edward Blum, who also was behind an earlier affirmative action challenge against the University of Texas as well as the case that led the court in 2013 to end use of a key provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act.

Blum formed Students for Fair Admissions, which filed the lawsuits against both schools in 2014.

The group argued that the Constitution forbids the use of race in college admissions and called for overturning earlier Supreme Court decisions that said otherwise.

Roberts' opinion effectively did so, both Thomas and the dissenters wrote.

The only institutions of higher education explicitly left out of the ruling are the nation's military academies, Roberts wrote, suggesting that national security interests could affect the legal analysis.

Blum’s group had contended that colleges and universities can use other, race-neutral ways to assemble a diverse student body, including by focusing on socioeconomic status and eliminating the preference for children of alumni and major donors.

The schools said that they use race in a limited way, but that eliminating it as a factor altogether would make it much harder to achieve a student body that looks like America.

At the eight Ivy League universities, the number of nonwhite students increased by 55% from 2010 to 2021, according to federal data. That group, which includes, Native American, Asian, Black, Hispanic, Pacific Islander and biracial students, accounted for 35% of students on those campuses in 2021, up from 27% in 2010.

The end of affirmative action in higher education in California, Michigan, Washington state and elsewhere led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-affirmative-action-college-admissions-1d37af28939a533551cff45fa577ceb0">a steep drop in minority enrollment in the states’ leading public universities</a>.

They are among nine states that already prohibit any consideration of race in admissions to their public colleges and universities. The others are: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Oklahoma.

In 2020, California voters easily rejected a ballot measure to bring back affirmative action.

A poll last month by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnorc.org/">The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research</a>&nbsp;showed 63% of U.S. adults say the court should allow colleges to consider race as part of the admissions process, yet few believe students’ race should ultimately play a major role in decisions. A Pew Research Center survey released last week found that half of Americans disapprove of considerations of applicants’ race, while a third approve.

The chief justice and Jackson received their undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard. Two other justices, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch, went to law school there, and Kagan was the first woman to serve as the law school’s dean.

Every U.S. college and university the justices attended, save one, urged the court to preserve race-conscious admissions.

Those schools — Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Notre Dame and Holy Cross — joined briefs in defense of Harvard’s and UNC’s admissions plans.

Only Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s undergraduate alma mater, Rhodes College, in Memphis, Tennessee, was not involved in the cases.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Thursday struck down&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/affirmative-action">affirmative action</a>&nbsp;in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.(Click below to watch the President's statement)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2yQseH__Khw?start=2040" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>The court's conservative majority overturned admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation's oldest private and public colleges, respectively.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/20-1199_hgdj.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the opinion&nbsp;Chief Justice John Roberts said that for too long universities have “concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”Justice Clarence Thomas — the nation's second Black justice, who had long called for an end to affirmative action — wrote separately that the decision “sees the universities’ admissions policies for what they are: rudderless, race-based preferences designed to ensure a particular racial mix in their entering classes.”Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent that the decision “rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">For decades, the Supreme Court recognized a college’s freedom to decide how to build a diverse student body and provide opportunity. Today, the Court walked away from precedent, effectively ending affirmative action in higher education. I strongly disagree with this decision.&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1674460493803577344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Our colleges are stronger when they are racially diverse. And America is stronger because we are tapping into our full range of talent. Today&#39;s Supreme Court decision is not the last word.&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1674461363488411648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Echoing her dissent, President Joe Biden said he “strongly, strongly” disagrees with the court's ruling. He urged colleges not to let the ruling “be the last word.”"They should not abandon their commitment to ensure student bodies of diverse backgrounds and experience that reflect all of America,” Biden said from the White House. He said colleges should evaluate “adversity overcome” by candidates.Both Thomas and Sotomayor, the two justices who have acknowledged affirmative action played a role in their admissions to college and law school, took the unusual step of reading a summary of their opinions aloud in the courtroom.In a separate dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — the court’s first Black female justice — called the decision “truly a tragedy for us all.”Jackson, who sat out the Harvard case because she had been a member of an advisory governing board, wrote, “With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces ‘colorblindness for all’ by legal fiat. But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life.”The vote was 6-3 in the North Carolina case and 6-2 in the Harvard case. Justice Elena Kagan was the other dissenter.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1688060191536.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Two former presidents offered starkly different takes on the high-court ruling.Former President Donald Trump, the current GOP presidential frontrunner, wrote on his social media network that the decision marked “a great day for America. People with extraordinary ability and everything else necessary for success, including future greatness for our Country, are finally being rewarded.”Former President Barack Obama said in a statement that affirmative action “allowed generations of students like Michelle and me to prove we belonged. Now it’s up to all of us to give young people the opportunities they deserve — and help students everywhere benefit from new perspectives.”The Supreme Court had twice upheld&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-admissions-us-supreme-court-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-harvard-university-95be5363a3245fbf185babe8423426a4">race-conscious college admissions programs</a>&nbsp;in the past 20 years, including as recently as 2016.But that was before the three appointees of former President Donald Trump joined the court. At arguments in late October, all six conservative justices expressed doubts about the practice, which had been upheld under Supreme Court decisions reaching back to 1978.Lower courts also had upheld the programs at both UNC and Harvard, rejecting claims that the schools discriminated against white and Asian American applicants.The college admissions disputes are among several high-profile cases focused on race in America, and were weighed by the conservative-dominated, but most diverse court ever. Among the nine justices are four women, two Black people and a Latina.The justices earlier in June decided a voting rights case in favor of Black voters in Alabama and rejected a race-based challenge to a Native American child protection law.The affirmative action cases were brought by conservative activist Edward Blum, who also was behind an earlier affirmative action challenge against the University of Texas as well as the case that led the court in 2013 to end use of a key provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act.Blum formed Students for Fair Admissions, which filed the lawsuits against both schools in 2014.The group argued that the Constitution forbids the use of race in college admissions and called for overturning earlier Supreme Court decisions that said otherwise.Roberts' opinion effectively did so, both Thomas and the dissenters wrote.The only institutions of higher education explicitly left out of the ruling are the nation's military academies, Roberts wrote, suggesting that national security interests could affect the legal analysis.Blum’s group had contended that colleges and universities can use other, race-neutral ways to assemble a diverse student body, including by focusing on socioeconomic status and eliminating the preference for children of alumni and major donors.The schools said that they use race in a limited way, but that eliminating it as a factor altogether would make it much harder to achieve a student body that looks like America.At the eight Ivy League universities, the number of nonwhite students increased by 55% from 2010 to 2021, according to federal data. That group, which includes, Native American, Asian, Black, Hispanic, Pacific Islander and biracial students, accounted for 35% of students on those campuses in 2021, up from 27% in 2010.The end of affirmative action in higher education in California, Michigan, Washington state and elsewhere led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-affirmative-action-college-admissions-1d37af28939a533551cff45fa577ceb0">a steep drop in minority enrollment in the states’ leading public universities</a>.They are among nine states that already prohibit any consideration of race in admissions to their public colleges and universities. The others are: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Oklahoma.In 2020, California voters easily rejected a ballot measure to bring back affirmative action.A poll last month by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnorc.org/">The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research</a>&nbsp;showed 63% of U.S. adults say the court should allow colleges to consider race as part of the admissions process, yet few believe students’ race should ultimately play a major role in decisions. A Pew Research Center survey released last week found that half of Americans disapprove of considerations of applicants’ race, while a third approve.The chief justice and Jackson received their undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard. Two other justices, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch, went to law school there, and Kagan was the first woman to serve as the law school’s dean.Every U.S. college and university the justices attended, save one, urged the court to preserve race-conscious admissions.Those schools — Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Notre Dame and Holy Cross — joined briefs in defense of Harvard’s and UNC’s admissions plans.Only Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s undergraduate alma mater, Rhodes College, in Memphis, Tennessee, was not involved in the cases.

🎥Biden: Court's affirmative action decision not the last word

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday used the case of a Christian mailman who didn't want to work Sundays to solidify protections for workers who ask for religious accommodations.

In a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/22-174_k536.pdf">unanimous decision</a>&nbsp;the justices made clear that workers who ask for accommodations, such as taking the Sabbath off, should get them unless their employers show doing so would result in “substantial increased costs” to the business.

The court made clear that businesses must cite more than minor costs — so-called “de minimis” costs — to reject requests for religious accommodations at work. Unlike most cases before the court, both sides in the case had agreed businesses needed to show more.

The case before the court involved a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-post-office-christian-85291b805b5630e958ac1200ef711cf2">mail carrier in rural Pennsylvania</a>. The man was told that as part of his job he’d need to start delivering Amazon packages on Sundays. He declined, saying his Sundays are for church and family. U.S. Postal Service officials initially tried to get substitutes for the man’s shifts, but they couldn’t always accommodate him. When he didn’t show, that meant more work for others. Ultimately, the man quit and sued for religious discrimination.

The case is the latest religious confrontation the high court has been asked to referee. In recent years, the court’s 6-3 conservative majority has been particularly sensitive to the concerns of religious plaintiffs. Last year, the court split&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-coach-prayer-2981a8073ea82a1a688c367270c941aa">along ideological lines</a>&nbsp;in ruling for public high school football coach who wanted to pray on the field after games.

Other recent religious cases have drawn wide agreement among the justices, such as upholding a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/6157d29563584c35a2adf6a004f89117">cross-shaped monument</a>&nbsp;on public grounds and ruling that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stephen-breyer-us-supreme-court-religion-boston-massachusetts-a872f0bfe945ca59d5077515449ec4b4">Boston had violated</a>&nbsp;the free speech rights of a conservative activist when it refused his request to fly a Christian flag on a City Hall flagpole.

In the latest case, a federal law — Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — requires employers to accommodate employees’ religious practices unless doing so would be an “undue hardship” for the business. But a 1977 Supreme Court case, Trans World Airlines v. Hardison, says in part that employers can deny religious accommodations to employees when they impose “more than a de minimis cost” on the business.

During&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-mail-carrier-christian-sunday-work-f883ca60eff5a5deaa342149d47f9462">arguments in the case in April</a>&nbsp;the Biden administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, who was representing the Post Office, told the justices that the Hardison case as a whole actually requires an employer who wants to deny an accommodation to show more.

But Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his majority opinion for the court that while some lower courts have understood Hardison the way the Biden administration suggested, other courts incorrectly latched on to the “de minimis” language “as the governing standard.”

“In this case, both parties agree that the ‘de minimis’ test is not right, but they differ slightly in the alternative language they prefer. ... We think it is enough to say that an employer must show that the burden of granting an accommodation would result in substantial increased costs in relation to the conduct of its particular business,” Alito wrote.

The Biden administration has said that requests for religious accommodation come up most often when employees seek schedule changes like the Sabbath off or midday prayer breaks or exemptions from a company’s dress code or grooming policies. They also come up when an employee wants to display a religious symbol in the workplace.

As for the particular dispute in front of them, the justices sent the case back to a lower court for another look in light of their decision. The case involves Gerald Groff, a former employee of the U.S. Postal Service in Pennsylvania’s Amish Country. For years, Groff was a fill-in mail carrier who worked on days when other mail carriers were off.

But when an Amazon.com contract with the Postal Service required carriers to start delivering packages on Sundays, Groff balked. Initially, to avoid the shifts, Groff transferred to a more rural post office not yet doing Sunday deliveries, but eventually that post office was required to do them, too.

Whenever Groff was scheduled on a Sunday, another carrier had to work or his spot went unfilled. Officials said Groff’s absences created a tense environment and contributed to morale problems. It also meant other carriers had to deliver more Sunday mail than they otherwise would.

Groff resigned in 2019 rather than wait to be fired. He sued the Postal service for failing to accommodate his religious practice. Lower courts ruled against him previously. As a result of the court’s ruling, his case will get another look.

Groff said in a statement after the ruling that he was grateful the court heard his case. “I hope this decision allows others to be able to maintain their convictions without living in fear of losing their jobs because of what they believe,” he said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday used the case of a Christian mailman who didn't want to work Sundays to solidify protections for workers who ask for religious accommodations.In a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/22-174_k536.pdf">unanimous decision</a>&nbsp;the justices made clear that workers who ask for accommodations, such as taking the Sabbath off, should get them unless their employers show doing so would result in “substantial increased costs” to the business.The court made clear that businesses must cite more than minor costs — so-called “de minimis” costs — to reject requests for religious accommodations at work. Unlike most cases before the court, both sides in the case had agreed businesses needed to show more.The case before the court involved a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-post-office-christian-85291b805b5630e958ac1200ef711cf2">mail carrier in rural Pennsylvania</a>. The man was told that as part of his job he’d need to start delivering Amazon packages on Sundays. He declined, saying his Sundays are for church and family. U.S. Postal Service officials initially tried to get substitutes for the man’s shifts, but they couldn’t always accommodate him. When he didn’t show, that meant more work for others. Ultimately, the man quit and sued for religious discrimination.The case is the latest religious confrontation the high court has been asked to referee. In recent years, the court’s 6-3 conservative majority has been particularly sensitive to the concerns of religious plaintiffs. Last year, the court split&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-coach-prayer-2981a8073ea82a1a688c367270c941aa">along ideological lines</a>&nbsp;in ruling for public high school football coach who wanted to pray on the field after games.Other recent religious cases have drawn wide agreement among the justices, such as upholding a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/6157d29563584c35a2adf6a004f89117">cross-shaped monument</a>&nbsp;on public grounds and ruling that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stephen-breyer-us-supreme-court-religion-boston-massachusetts-a872f0bfe945ca59d5077515449ec4b4">Boston had violated</a>&nbsp;the free speech rights of a conservative activist when it refused his request to fly a Christian flag on a City Hall flagpole.In the latest case, a federal law — Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — requires employers to accommodate employees’ religious practices unless doing so would be an “undue hardship” for the business. But a 1977 Supreme Court case, Trans World Airlines v. Hardison, says in part that employers can deny religious accommodations to employees when they impose “more than a de minimis cost” on the business.During&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-mail-carrier-christian-sunday-work-f883ca60eff5a5deaa342149d47f9462">arguments in the case in April</a>&nbsp;the Biden administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, who was representing the Post Office, told the justices that the Hardison case as a whole actually requires an employer who wants to deny an accommodation to show more.But Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his majority opinion for the court that while some lower courts have understood Hardison the way the Biden administration suggested, other courts incorrectly latched on to the “de minimis” language “as the governing standard.”“In this case, both parties agree that the ‘de minimis’ test is not right, but they differ slightly in the alternative language they prefer. ... We think it is enough to say that an employer must show that the burden of granting an accommodation would result in substantial increased costs in relation to the conduct of its particular business,” Alito wrote.The Biden administration has said that requests for religious accommodation come up most often when employees seek schedule changes like the Sabbath off or midday prayer breaks or exemptions from a company’s dress code or grooming policies. They also come up when an employee wants to display a religious symbol in the workplace.As for the particular dispute in front of them, the justices sent the case back to a lower court for another look in light of their decision. The case involves Gerald Groff, a former employee of the U.S. Postal Service in Pennsylvania’s Amish Country. For years, Groff was a fill-in mail carrier who worked on days when other mail carriers were off.But when an Amazon.com contract with the Postal Service required carriers to start delivering packages on Sundays, Groff balked. Initially, to avoid the shifts, Groff transferred to a more rural post office not yet doing Sunday deliveries, but eventually that post office was required to do them, too.Whenever Groff was scheduled on a Sunday, another carrier had to work or his spot went unfilled. Officials said Groff’s absences created a tense environment and contributed to morale problems. It also meant other carriers had to deliver more Sunday mail than they otherwise would.Groff resigned in 2019 rather than wait to be fired. He sued the Postal service for failing to accommodate his religious practice. Lower courts ruled against him previously. As a result of the court’s ruling, his case will get another look.Groff said in a statement after the ruling that he was grateful the court heard his case. “I hope this decision allows others to be able to maintain their convictions without living in fear of losing their jobs because of what they believe,” he said.The case is Groff v. DeJoy, 22-174.

Supreme Court rules for Christian mail carrier who refused to work Sundays

NEW YORK (AP) — Bed &amp; Bath &amp; Beyond will live on, online at least, after Overstock.com acquired the bankrupt retail chain’s intellectual property assets for $21.5 million.

The online retailer Overstock.com is dumping its name online and will become Bed &amp; Bath &amp; Beyond, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bed-bath-beyond-bankruptcy-filing-a597c1013b2f641b7b32e87ad81be6d8">declared bankruptcy earlier this year</a>.

The switcheroo to a very recognizable brand was cheered on Wall Street. Shares of Overstock.com Inc., based in Midvale, Utah, soared 20%.

The deal doesn't include Bed Bath &amp; Beyond stores, the last of which are expected to be shuttered Friday, nor the Buybuy Baby chain.

The name change will roll out in Canada next month and in August, a relaunch of the company's website and mobile app as Bed Bath &amp; Beyond will appear in the U.S. Those visiting ovestock.com will be redirected to bedbathandbeyond.com.

"Combining the strengths of the Overstock operational model and the Bed Bath &amp; Beyond brand will create a powerful synergy,” Overstock.com's CEO Jonathan Johnson said in a prepared statement. “I’m excited for consumers to experience the new Bed Bath and an even bigger and better Beyond.”

Bed Bath &amp; Beyond - one of the original big box retailers known for its seemingly endless offerings of sheets, towels and kitchen gadgets - filed for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bed-bath-beyond-bankruptcy-filing-a597c1013b2f641b7b32e87ad81be6d8">bankruptcy protection</a>&nbsp;in April. The filing followed years of dismal sales and numerous attempts to turn the flailing business around.=

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661994970208.png" alt="The online retailer Overstock.com is dumping its name online and will become Bed &amp; Bath &amp; Beyond, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bed-bath-beyond-bankruptcy-filing-a597c1013b2f641b7b32e87ad81be6d8">declared bankruptcy earlier this year</a>.-Google image" />
 <figcaption>The online retailer Overstock.com is dumping its name online and will become Bed &amp; Bath &amp; Beyond, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bed-bath-beyond-bankruptcy-filing-a597c1013b2f641b7b32e87ad81be6d8">declared bankruptcy earlier this year</a>.-Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Bed &amp; Bath &amp; Beyond will live on, online at least, after Overstock.com acquired the bankrupt retail chain’s intellectual property assets for $21.5 million.The online retailer Overstock.com is dumping its name online and will become Bed &amp; Bath &amp; Beyond, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bed-bath-beyond-bankruptcy-filing-a597c1013b2f641b7b32e87ad81be6d8">declared bankruptcy earlier this year</a>.The switcheroo to a very recognizable brand was cheered on Wall Street. Shares of Overstock.com Inc., based in Midvale, Utah, soared 20%.The deal doesn't include Bed Bath &amp; Beyond stores, the last of which are expected to be shuttered Friday, nor the Buybuy Baby chain.The name change will roll out in Canada next month and in August, a relaunch of the company's website and mobile app as Bed Bath &amp; Beyond will appear in the U.S. Those visiting ovestock.com will be redirected to bedbathandbeyond.com."Combining the strengths of the Overstock operational model and the Bed Bath &amp; Beyond brand will create a powerful synergy,” Overstock.com's CEO Jonathan Johnson said in a prepared statement. “I’m excited for consumers to experience the new Bed Bath and an even bigger and better Beyond.”Bed Bath &amp; Beyond - one of the original big box retailers known for its seemingly endless offerings of sheets, towels and kitchen gadgets - filed for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bed-bath-beyond-bankruptcy-filing-a597c1013b2f641b7b32e87ad81be6d8">bankruptcy protection</a>&nbsp;in April. The filing followed years of dismal sales and numerous attempts to turn the flailing business around.=

Bed Bath & Beyond lives on!(line). Overstock.com buys retailer, changes name

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/20-1199_hgdj.pdf">Click here to read</a> the opinion&nbsp;

Justice Clarence Thomas, the nation's second Black justice who had long called for an end to affirmative action, wrote separately that the decision “sees the universities’ admissions policies for what they are: rudderless, race-based preferences designed to ensure a particular racial mix in their entering classes.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1667264915999.jpeg" alt="Activists demonstrate as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on a pair of cases on affirmative action in college admissions, in Washington, Oct. 31, 2022. The Supreme Court ruled Thursday, June 29, 2023, that colleges and universities must stop considering race in admissions, forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies. In a 6-3 decision, the court struck down admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation's oldest private and public colleges, respectively. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)" />
 <figcaption>Activists demonstrate as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on a pair of cases on affirmative action in college admissions, in Washington, Oct. 31, 2022. The Supreme Court ruled Thursday, June 29, 2023, that colleges and universities must stop considering race in admissions, forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies. In a 6-3 decision, the court struck down admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation's oldest private and public colleges, respectively. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Thursday struck down&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/affirmative-action">affirmative action</a>&nbsp;in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/20-1199_hgdj.pdf">Click here to read</a> the opinion&nbsp;The court's conservative majority overturned admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation's oldest private and public colleges, respectively.Chief Justice John Roberts said that for too long universities have “concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”Justice Clarence Thomas, the nation's second Black justice who had long called for an end to affirmative action, wrote separately that the decision “sees the universities’ admissions policies for what they are: rudderless, race-based preferences designed to ensure a particular racial mix in their entering classes.”Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent that the decision “rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress.”Both Thomas and Sotomayor, the two justices who have acknowledged affirmative action played a role in their admissions to college and law school, took the unusual step of reading a summary of their opinions aloud in the courtroom.In a separate dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — the court’s first Black female justice — called the decision “truly a tragedy for us all.”Jackson, who sat out the Harvard case because she had been a member of an advisory governing board, wrote, “With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces ‘colorblindness for all’ by legal fiat. But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life.”The vote was 6-3 in the North Carolina case and 6-2 in the Harvard case. Justice Elena Kagan was the other dissenter.The Supreme Court had twice upheld&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-admissions-us-supreme-court-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-harvard-university-95be5363a3245fbf185babe8423426a4">race-conscious college admissions programs</a>&nbsp;in the past 20 years, including as recently as 2016.But that was before the three appointees of former President Donald Trump joined the court. At arguments in late October, all six conservative justices expressed doubts about the practice, which had been upheld under Supreme Court decisions reaching back to 1978.Lower courts also had upheld the programs at both UNC and Harvard, rejecting claims that the schools discriminated against white and Asian American applicants.The college admissions disputes are among several high-profile cases focused on race in America, and were weighed by the conservative-dominated, but most diverse court ever. Among the nine justices are four women, two Black people and a Latina.The justices earlier in June decided a voting rights case in favor of Black voters in Alabama and rejected a race-based challenge to a Native American child protection law.The affirmative action cases were brought by conservative activist Edward Blum, who also was behind an earlier affirmative action challenge against the University of Texas as well as the case that led the court in 2013 to end use of a key provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act.Blum formed Students for Fair Admissions, which filed the lawsuits against both schools in 2014.The group argued that the Constitution forbids the use of race in college admissions and called for overturning earlier Supreme Court decisions that said otherwise.Roberts' opinion effectively did so, both Thomas and the dissenters wrote.The only institutions of higher education explicitly left out of the ruling are the nation's military academies, Roberts wrote, suggesting that national security interests could affect the legal analysis.Blum’s group had contended that colleges and universities can use other, race-neutral ways to assemble a diverse student body, including by focusing on socioeconomic status and eliminating the preference for children of alumni and major donors.The schools said that they use race in a limited way, but that eliminating it as a factor altogether would make it much harder to achieve a student body that looks like America.At the eight Ivy League universities, the number of nonwhite students increased by 55% from 2010 to 2021, according to federal data. That group, which includes, Native American, Asian, Black, Hispanic, Pacific Islander and biracial students, accounted for 35% of students on those campuses in 2021, up from 27% in 2010.The end of affirmative action in higher education in California, Michigan, Washington state and elsewhere led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-affirmative-action-college-admissions-1d37af28939a533551cff45fa577ceb0">a steep drop in minority enrollment in the states’ leading public universities</a>.They are among nine states that already prohibit any consideration of race in admissions to their public colleges and universities. The others are: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Oklahoma.In 2020, California voters easily rejected a ballot measure to bring back affirmative action.A poll last month by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnorc.org/">The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research</a>&nbsp;showed 63% of U.S. adults say the court should allow colleges to consider race as part of the admissions process, yet few believe students’ race should ultimately play a major role in decisions. A Pew Research Center survey released last week found that half of Americans disapprove of considerations of applicants’ race, while a third approve.The chief justice and Jackson received their undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard. Two other justices, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch, went to law school there, and Kagan was the first woman to serve as the law school’s dean.Every U.S. college and university the justices attended, save one, urged the court to preserve race-conscious admissions.Those schools — Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Notre Dame and Holy Cross — joined briefs in defense of Harvard’s and UNC’s admissions plans.Only Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s undergraduate alma mater, Rhodes College, in Memphis, Tennessee, was not involved in the cases.

Read the decision: Supreme Court rejects use of race for college admissions

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

OMAHA — More than two years after leaving public office, former State Sen. Ernie Chambers emerged in South Omaha on Wednesday to call out as “sexist and racist” a $10 million bond set for a Hispanic woman accused of manslaughter.

“Even mobsters don’t have $10 million bonds imposed on them,” said the civil rights activist and longest-serving Nebraska lawmaker.

Chambers joined Latino community advocate Ben Salazar at a news conference in criticizing the bond amount for Jessica Hernandez, 26, who is charged in connection with the beating death of gym owner Carlos Salguero-Canar.&nbsp;

Salazar said they weren’t making a judgment on Hernandez’s innocence or guilt. The two said their raised voices were a matter of protecting the constitutional rights of a person of color who hadn’t yet been tried or convicted.

They pointed out that co-defendant Nadim Zarazua-Hernandez Jr., 24, is accused of carrying out the fatal blows, and that his bond was a much lower $200,000. He is out of jail after posting 10% of that, or $20,000.

Jessica Hernandez, a mother of two, would have to post $1 million, or 10% of the bond, to be released pending a trial. She’s charged with manslaughter and evidence tampering.

Chambers said he plans to file a formal complaint with the Nebraska Judicial Qualifications Commission against Douglas County Court Judge Grant Forsberg and the Douglas County Attorney’s Office, who he called “co-conspirators in this blatant show of racism and sexism.”

While it was not uncommon for Chambers to file misconduct complaints against officials during his half-century as a state lawmaker, he said this would be one of the few times he’d done so since his last legislative term ended in January 2021.

Said Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine: “It’s a high bond, there is no question. But we don’t set the bond.”

Prosecutors have said that Salguero-Canar, 30, was beaten to death June 2 and found at an apartment complex near 27th and Harrison Streets. Surveillance video acquired by law enforcement showed Zarazua-Hernandez striking Salguero-Canar until he collapsed.&nbsp;

At some point, Salguero-Canar and Jessica Hernandez dated. Prosecutors have said that she gave false information and tampered with evidence in the case.

Hernandez’s attorney, Bassel El-Kasaby, said the prosecution has accused his client of “orchestrating” the crime as a sort of “mastermind.”

He said, however, that the probable cause affidavit that contains the basis for detention is sealed, and that he has not been allowed access to the document.

“I’m doing bond review hearings blindfolded,” said El-Kasaby, who did not participate in Wednesday’s&nbsp; news event, organized by Salazar. El-Kasaby said a hearing is scheduled Thursday to determine whether he can access the affidavit.

Salazar said he was also bothered that local authorities allowed the father of Hernandez’s two children, ages 6 and 3, to take the children to Oregon, where he lives.

Hernandez’s family members said that a local police officer accompanied the father to their house and that the officer told them the father had the right to take the children with him. Neither the family nor the children’s mother wanted the children to go.

A spokesman for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said it could not confirm or deny that it was aware of the circumstances, but noted that DHHS is not involved in all such incidents.

“Sometimes it is only law enforcement involved,” said the DHHS spokesman.

Standard procedure, if DHHS were involved in a child’s removal from a parent, would be to&nbsp;rule out legal or criminal barriers. Consideration would go first to a biological parent, then relatives, kinship and traditional foster care.

Margo Juarez was among a handful of advocates who attended the news event in la Plaza de la Raza along South 24th Street. Juarez serves on the Omaha Public Schools board, but she spoke in her capacity as a community representative.

She said she was concerned about the well-being of the children “and how that was handled.”

By Cindy Gonzalez<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/">Nebraska Examiner</a>OMAHA — More than two years after leaving public office, former State Sen. Ernie Chambers emerged in South Omaha on Wednesday to call out as “sexist and racist” a $10 million bond set for a Hispanic woman accused of manslaughter.“Even mobsters don’t have $10 million bonds imposed on them,” said the civil rights activist and longest-serving Nebraska lawmaker.<figure>
 <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/hernandez__jessica-240x300.jpeg" alt="Jessica Hernandez, accused of manslaughter and evidence tampering. (Courtesy of the Omaha Police Department)" />
 <figcaption>Jessica Hernandez, accused of manslaughter and evidence tampering. (Courtesy of the Omaha Police Department)</figcaption>
 </figure>Chambers joined Latino community advocate Ben Salazar at a news conference in criticizing the bond amount for Jessica Hernandez, 26, who is charged in connection with the beating death of gym owner Carlos Salguero-Canar.&nbsp;Salazar said they weren’t making a judgment on Hernandez’s innocence or guilt. The two said their raised voices were a matter of protecting the constitutional rights of a person of color who hadn’t yet been tried or convicted.They pointed out that co-defendant Nadim Zarazua-Hernandez Jr., 24, is accused of carrying out the fatal blows, and that his bond was a much lower $200,000. He is out of jail after posting 10% of that, or $20,000.Jessica Hernandez, a mother of two, would have to post $1 million, or 10% of the bond, to be released pending a trial. She’s charged with manslaughter and evidence tampering.Chambers said he plans to file a formal complaint with the Nebraska Judicial Qualifications Commission against Douglas County Court Judge Grant Forsberg and the Douglas County Attorney’s Office, who he called “co-conspirators in this blatant show of racism and sexism.”While it was not uncommon for Chambers to file misconduct complaints against officials during his half-century as a state lawmaker, he said this would be one of the few times he’d done so since his last legislative term ended in January 2021.Said Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine: “It’s a high bond, there is no question. But we don’t set the bond.”Prosecutors have said that Salguero-Canar, 30, was beaten to death June 2 and found at an apartment complex near 27th and Harrison Streets. Surveillance video acquired by law enforcement showed Zarazua-Hernandez striking Salguero-Canar until he collapsed.&nbsp;At some point, Salguero-Canar and Jessica Hernandez dated. Prosecutors have said that she gave false information and tampered with evidence in the case.Hernandez’s attorney, Bassel El-Kasaby, said the prosecution has accused his client of “orchestrating” the crime as a sort of “mastermind.”He said, however, that the probable cause affidavit that contains the basis for detention is sealed, and that he has not been allowed access to the document.“I’m doing bond review hearings blindfolded,” said El-Kasaby, who did not participate in Wednesday’s&nbsp; news event, organized by Salazar. El-Kasaby said a hearing is scheduled Thursday to determine whether he can access the affidavit.Salazar said he was also bothered that local authorities allowed the father of Hernandez’s two children, ages 6 and 3, to take the children to Oregon, where he lives.Hernandez’s family members said that a local police officer accompanied the father to their house and that the officer told them the father had the right to take the children with him. Neither the family nor the children’s mother wanted the children to go.A spokesman for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said it could not confirm or deny that it was aware of the circumstances, but noted that DHHS is not involved in all such incidents.“Sometimes it is only law enforcement involved,” said the DHHS spokesman.Standard procedure, if DHHS were involved in a child’s removal from a parent, would be to&nbsp;rule out legal or criminal barriers. Consideration would go first to a biological parent, then relatives, kinship and traditional foster care.Margo Juarez was among a handful of advocates who attended the news event in la Plaza de la Raza along South 24th Street. Juarez serves on the Omaha Public Schools board, but she spoke in her capacity as a community representative.She said she was concerned about the well-being of the children “and how that was handled.”

Former Nebraska lawmaker Ernie Chambers and activist Ben Salazar decry high bond set for Hispanic woman

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 6-year-old Iowa boy who was hospitalized after he was found unconscious in a wave pool at at a suburban Omaha waterpark has died, police said Wednesday.

Police did not identify the boy but his family said on a GoFundMe site that he had no brain activity since the incident on Sunday and was taken off life support, the Omaha World-Herald&nbsp;<a href="https://omaha.com/news/local/child-rushed-to-hospital-from-fun-plex-waterpark-has-died-omaha-police-say/article_76703888-15da-11ee-80b2-1bf685861f91.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest">reported</a>.

“He was a sweet 6 year old, our first son, a twin to his sister, and everything to our family,” the boy’s mother, Makda Gebre, wrote on the site. “We are devastated.”

The Sioux City, Iowa, family said it was asking for donations to help with funeral expenses.

Medical personnel were called to the pool in Ralston Sunday afternoon. He was taken to the Creighton University Medical Center-Bergan Mercy and then transported to Children’s Hospital &amp; Medical Center.

Fun-Plex has remained closed since Sunday.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 6-year-old Iowa boy who was hospitalized after he was found unconscious in a wave pool at at a suburban Omaha waterpark has died, police said Wednesday.Police did not identify the boy but his family said on a GoFundMe site that he had no brain activity since the incident on Sunday and was taken off life support, the Omaha World-Herald&nbsp;<a href="https://omaha.com/news/local/child-rushed-to-hospital-from-fun-plex-waterpark-has-died-omaha-police-say/article_76703888-15da-11ee-80b2-1bf685861f91.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest">reported</a>.“He was a sweet 6 year old, our first son, a twin to his sister, and everything to our family,” the boy’s mother, Makda Gebre, wrote on the site. “We are devastated.”The Sioux City, Iowa, family said it was asking for donations to help with funeral expenses.Medical personnel were called to the pool in Ralston Sunday afternoon. He was taken to the Creighton University Medical Center-Bergan Mercy and then transported to Children’s Hospital &amp; Medical Center.Fun-Plex has remained closed since Sunday.

Police: 6-year-old boy who was found in Nebraska wave pool has died

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden in recent weeks has started using a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine at night to help with sleep apnea, the White House said Wednesday. The revelation comes after indents from the mask were visible on the president’s face as he departed the White House.

The president has disclosed since 2008 a history with sleep apnea, a potentially serious but common condition in which breathing can stop and start in the night. Biden used the machine Tuesday night, White House officials said. The imprint lines on his face were apparent when he left Wednesday morning for a speech in Chicago.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sleep-apnea-machines-recall-1c0b269dbda55fb6f42c3b33939abdaa" target="_blank">A CPAP machine</a>&nbsp;is a motorized device that pumps air through a mask to open a sleeper’s airway. About 5 million Americans have tried them.

While his history with the condition has long been disclosed, it didn’t come up during his most recent physical in February. When he was vice president, doctors noted Biden had an irregular heartbeat probably linked to apnea.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-age-2024-campaign-oldest-president-voters-92d4f3daee6e12cb1cd6f119c7f6053a" target="_blank">80-year-old president</a>&nbsp;is running for reelection and is the oldest person ever to hold the nation’s highest office.

Roughly 30 million people in the U.S. are thought to have the condition, though only about 6 million are diagnosed with it, according to the American Medical Association.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5b1533185f4d4372bc56452c161e6aa7" target="_blank">In people with the condition</a>, throat and tongue muscles relax and block the airway during sleep, caused by obesity, aging or facial structure.

They stop breathing, sometimes for up to a minute and hundreds of times each night, then awake with loud gasping and snoring. That prevents them from getting deep, restorative sleep. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to dangerous drowsiness and increased heart attack risk. The problem is more common in men than women.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687995753754.png" alt="The revelation comes after indents from the mask were visible on the president’s face as he departed the White House Wednesday- photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>The revelation comes after indents from the mask were visible on the president’s face as he departed the White House Wednesday- photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden in recent weeks has started using a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine at night to help with sleep apnea, the White House said Wednesday. The revelation comes after indents from the mask were visible on the president’s face as he departed the White House.The president has disclosed since 2008 a history with sleep apnea, a potentially serious but common condition in which breathing can stop and start in the night. Biden used the machine Tuesday night, White House officials said. The imprint lines on his face were apparent when he left Wednesday morning for a speech in Chicago.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sleep-apnea-machines-recall-1c0b269dbda55fb6f42c3b33939abdaa" target="_blank">A CPAP machine</a>&nbsp;is a motorized device that pumps air through a mask to open a sleeper’s airway. About 5 million Americans have tried them.While his history with the condition has long been disclosed, it didn’t come up during his most recent physical in February. When he was vice president, doctors noted Biden had an irregular heartbeat probably linked to apnea.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-age-2024-campaign-oldest-president-voters-92d4f3daee6e12cb1cd6f119c7f6053a" target="_blank">80-year-old president</a>&nbsp;is running for reelection and is the oldest person ever to hold the nation’s highest office.Roughly 30 million people in the U.S. are thought to have the condition, though only about 6 million are diagnosed with it, according to the American Medical Association.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5b1533185f4d4372bc56452c161e6aa7" target="_blank">In people with the condition</a>, throat and tongue muscles relax and block the airway during sleep, caused by obesity, aging or facial structure.They stop breathing, sometimes for up to a minute and hundreds of times each night, then awake with loud gasping and snoring. That prevents them from getting deep, restorative sleep. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to dangerous drowsiness and increased heart attack risk. The problem is more common in men than women.

Imprint lines on Biden's face prompt White House health disclosure

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Human remains have likely been recovered from the wreckage of the submersible that imploded on a voyage to view the wreckage of the Titanic, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.

The announcement came hours after the announcement that debris from the Titan, collected from the seafloor more than 12,000 feet (3,658 meters) below the surface of the North Atlantic, had arrived in St. John's, Newfoundland. Twisted chunks of the submersible were unloaded at a Canadian Coast Guard pier.

Recovering and scrutinizing the wreckage is a key part of the investigation into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-shipwreck-titan-submersible-search-deepsea-atlantic-implosion-90b9c54c3887c99099170a5afded15bc">why the Titan imploded</a>&nbsp;last week, killing all five people on board. The multiday search and eventual recovery of debris from the 22-foot (6.7-meter) vessel captured the world's attention.

"There is still a substantial amount of work to be done to understand the factors that led to the catastrophic loss of the Titan and help ensure a similar tragedy does not occur again,” Coast Guard Chief Capt. Jason Neubauer said in a statement released late Wednesday afternoon.

The “presumed remains” will be brought to the United States, where medical professionals will conduct a formal analysis, and the Coast Guard has convened an investigation of the implosion at the highest level, Neubauer said, noting that the Marine Board of Investigation will analyze and test evidence, including pieces of debris, at a port in the U.S.

He said the evidence will provide “critical insights" into the cause of the implosion.

Debris from the Titan, which is believed to have imploded on June 18 as it made its descent, was located about 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) underwater and roughly 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the Titanic on the ocean floor. The Coast Guard is leading the investigation, in conjunction with several other government agencies in the U.S. and Canada.

Authorities have not disclosed details of the debris recovery, which could have followed several approaches, according to Carl Hartsfield, who directs a lab at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution that designs and operates autonomous underwater vehicles and has been serving as a consultant to the Coast Guard.

“If the pieces are small, you can collect them together and put them in a basket or some kind of collection device," Hartsfield said Monday. Bigger pieces could be retrieved with a remote-operated vehicle, or ROV, such as the one brought to the wreckage site by the Canadian ship Horizon Arctic to search the ocean floor. For extremely big pieces a heavy lift can be used to pull the pieces up with a tow line, he said. Representatives for Horizon Arctic did not respond to requests for comment.

Pelagic Research Services, a company with offices in Massachusetts and New York that owns the ROV, said on Wednesday that it is “still on mission” and cannot comment&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-shipwreck-titan-submersible-search-deepsea-atlantic-a89dbd2f6d3edd7e4a52566e451a5e6d">on the investigation</a>, said company spokesperson Jeff Mahoney.

“They have been working around the clock now for 10 days, through the physical and mental challenges of this operation,” Mahoney said.

Analyzing the physical material of recovered debris could reveal important clues about what happened to the Titan, and there could be electronic data recorded by the submersible’s instruments, Hartsfield said.

"So the question is, is there any data available? And I really don’t know the answer to that question,” he said Monday.

OceanGate CEO and pilot Stockton Rush was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missing-titanic-submersible-passengers-6616175a166cda894a83d7ebe21a6aa4">killed in the implosion</a>&nbsp;along with two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

OceanGate Expeditions, the company that owned and operated the Titan, is based in the U.S. but the submersible was registered in the Bahamas. The OceanGate company in Everett, Washington, closed when the Titan was found. The Titan’s mother ship, the Polar Prince, is based in Canada.

The operator&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-tourist-sub-passengers-cost-ee2a6358b36e48326b3977090fd9311b">charged passengers $250,000</a>&nbsp;each to participate in the voyage. The implosion of the Titan has raised questions about the safety of private undersea exploration operations. The Coast Guard also wants to use the investigation to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titan-submersible-investigation-91bde867ef100c769f1dbe293f2b3020">improve safety of submersibles.</a>

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard says it has likely recovered human remains from the wreckage of the Titan submersible and is bringing the evidence back to the United States. The submersible imploded last week, killing all five people on board. The vessel was on a voyage see the wreck of the Titanic.

The return of the Titan debris to port in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador on Wednesday is a key piece of the investigation into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-shipwreck-titan-submersible-search-deepsea-atlantic-implosion-90b9c54c3887c99099170a5afded15bc">why the submersible imploded</a>. Twisted chunks of the 22-foot submersible were unloaded at a Canadian Coast Guard pier.

The U.S. Coast Guard said late Wednesday it had recovered debris and evidence from the sea floor and that included what it described as presumed human remains.

“I am grateful for the coordinated international and interagency support to recover and preserve this vital evidence at extreme offshore distances and depths,” U.S. Coast Guard Chief Capt. Jason Neubauer said in a statement. “The evidence will provide investigators from several international jurisdictions with critical insights into the cause of this tragedy. There is still a substantial amount of work to be done to understand the factors that led to the catastrophic loss of the TITAN and help ensure a similar tragedy does not occur again.”

The Canadian ship Horizon Arctic carried a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, to search the ocean floor near the Titanic wreck for pieces of the submersible. Pelagic Research Services, a company with offices in Massachusetts and New York that owns the ROV, said on Wednesday that it has completed offshore operations.

Pelagic Research Services' team is “still on mission” and cannot comment on the ongoing Titan&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-shipwreck-titan-submersible-search-deepsea-atlantic-a89dbd2f6d3edd7e4a52566e451a5e6d">investigation</a>, which involves several government agencies in the U.S. and Canada, said Jeff Mahoney, a spokesperson for the company.

“They have been working around the clock now for ten days, through the physical and mental challenges of this operation, and are anxious to finish the mission and return to their loved ones,” Mahoney said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687279790385.png" alt="Debris from the Titan was located about 12,500 feet underwater and roughly 1,600 feet&nbsp; from the Titanic on the ocean floor-photo courtesy Oceangate" />
 <figcaption>Debris from the Titan was located about 12,500 feet underwater and roughly 1,600 feet&nbsp; from the Titanic on the ocean floor-photo courtesy Oceangate</figcaption>
 </figure>PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Human remains have likely been recovered from the wreckage of the submersible that imploded on a voyage to view the wreckage of the Titanic, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.The announcement came hours after the announcement that debris from the Titan, collected from the seafloor more than 12,000 feet (3,658 meters) below the surface of the North Atlantic, had arrived in St. John's, Newfoundland. Twisted chunks of the submersible were unloaded at a Canadian Coast Guard pier.Recovering and scrutinizing the wreckage is a key part of the investigation into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-shipwreck-titan-submersible-search-deepsea-atlantic-implosion-90b9c54c3887c99099170a5afded15bc">why the Titan imploded</a>&nbsp;last week, killing all five people on board. The multiday search and eventual recovery of debris from the 22-foot (6.7-meter) vessel captured the world's attention."There is still a substantial amount of work to be done to understand the factors that led to the catastrophic loss of the Titan and help ensure a similar tragedy does not occur again,” Coast Guard Chief Capt. Jason Neubauer said in a statement released late Wednesday afternoon.The “presumed remains” will be brought to the United States, where medical professionals will conduct a formal analysis, and the Coast Guard has convened an investigation of the implosion at the highest level, Neubauer said, noting that the Marine Board of Investigation will analyze and test evidence, including pieces of debris, at a port in the U.S.He said the evidence will provide “critical insights" into the cause of the implosion.Debris from the Titan, which is believed to have imploded on June 18 as it made its descent, was located about 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) underwater and roughly 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the Titanic on the ocean floor. The Coast Guard is leading the investigation, in conjunction with several other government agencies in the U.S. and Canada.Authorities have not disclosed details of the debris recovery, which could have followed several approaches, according to Carl Hartsfield, who directs a lab at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution that designs and operates autonomous underwater vehicles and has been serving as a consultant to the Coast Guard.“If the pieces are small, you can collect them together and put them in a basket or some kind of collection device," Hartsfield said Monday. Bigger pieces could be retrieved with a remote-operated vehicle, or ROV, such as the one brought to the wreckage site by the Canadian ship Horizon Arctic to search the ocean floor. For extremely big pieces a heavy lift can be used to pull the pieces up with a tow line, he said. Representatives for Horizon Arctic did not respond to requests for comment.Pelagic Research Services, a company with offices in Massachusetts and New York that owns the ROV, said on Wednesday that it is “still on mission” and cannot comment&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-shipwreck-titan-submersible-search-deepsea-atlantic-a89dbd2f6d3edd7e4a52566e451a5e6d">on the investigation</a>, said company spokesperson Jeff Mahoney.“They have been working around the clock now for 10 days, through the physical and mental challenges of this operation,” Mahoney said.Analyzing the physical material of recovered debris could reveal important clues about what happened to the Titan, and there could be electronic data recorded by the submersible’s instruments, Hartsfield said."So the question is, is there any data available? And I really don’t know the answer to that question,” he said Monday.OceanGate CEO and pilot Stockton Rush was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missing-titanic-submersible-passengers-6616175a166cda894a83d7ebe21a6aa4">killed in the implosion</a>&nbsp;along with two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet.OceanGate Expeditions, the company that owned and operated the Titan, is based in the U.S. but the submersible was registered in the Bahamas. The OceanGate company in Everett, Washington, closed when the Titan was found. The Titan’s mother ship, the Polar Prince, is based in Canada.The operator&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-tourist-sub-passengers-cost-ee2a6358b36e48326b3977090fd9311b">charged passengers $250,000</a>&nbsp;each to participate in the voyage. The implosion of the Titan has raised questions about the safety of private undersea exploration operations. The Coast Guard also wants to use the investigation to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titan-submersible-investigation-91bde867ef100c769f1dbe293f2b3020">improve safety of submersibles.</a>----------------PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard says it has likely recovered human remains from the wreckage of the Titan submersible and is bringing the evidence back to the United States. The submersible imploded last week, killing all five people on board. The vessel was on a voyage see the wreck of the Titanic.The return of the Titan debris to port in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador on Wednesday is a key piece of the investigation into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-shipwreck-titan-submersible-search-deepsea-atlantic-implosion-90b9c54c3887c99099170a5afded15bc">why the submersible imploded</a>. Twisted chunks of the 22-foot submersible were unloaded at a Canadian Coast Guard pier.The U.S. Coast Guard said late Wednesday it had recovered debris and evidence from the sea floor and that included what it described as presumed human remains.“I am grateful for the coordinated international and interagency support to recover and preserve this vital evidence at extreme offshore distances and depths,” U.S. Coast Guard Chief Capt. Jason Neubauer said in a statement. “The evidence will provide investigators from several international jurisdictions with critical insights into the cause of this tragedy. There is still a substantial amount of work to be done to understand the factors that led to the catastrophic loss of the TITAN and help ensure a similar tragedy does not occur again.”The Canadian ship Horizon Arctic carried a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, to search the ocean floor near the Titanic wreck for pieces of the submersible. Pelagic Research Services, a company with offices in Massachusetts and New York that owns the ROV, said on Wednesday that it has completed offshore operations.Pelagic Research Services' team is “still on mission” and cannot comment on the ongoing Titan&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-shipwreck-titan-submersible-search-deepsea-atlantic-a89dbd2f6d3edd7e4a52566e451a5e6d">investigation</a>, which involves several government agencies in the U.S. and Canada, said Jeff Mahoney, a spokesperson for the company.“They have been working around the clock now for ten days, through the physical and mental challenges of this operation, and are anxious to finish the mission and return to their loved ones,” Mahoney said.Debris from the Titan was located about 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) underwater and roughly 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the Titanic on the ocean floor, the Coast Guard said last week. The Coast Guard is leading the investigation into why the submersible imploded during its June 18 descent. Officials announced on June 22 that the submersible had imploded and all five people on board were dead.The Coast Guard has convened a Marine Board of Investigation into the implosion. That is the highest level of investigation conducted by the Coast Guard.One of the experts the Coast Guard consulted with during the search said analyzing the physical material of recovered debris could reveal important clues about what happened to the Titan. And there could be electronic data, said Carl Hartsfield of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.“Certainly all the instruments on any deep sea vehicle, they record data. They pass up data. So the question is, is there any data available? And I really don’t know the answer to that question,” he said Monday.Representatives for Horizon Arctic did not respond to requests for comment.Ocean Gate CEO and pilot Stockton Rush was k&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missing-titanic-submersible-passengers-6616175a166cda894a83d7ebe21a6aa4">illed in the implosion</a>&nbsp;along with two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet.Representatives for the National Transportation Safety Board and Transportation Safety Board of Canada, which are both involved in the investigation, also declined to comment. The National Transportation Safety Board has said the Coast Guard has declared the loss of the Titan submersible to be a “major marine casualty” and the Coast Guard will lead the investigation.“We are not able to provide any additional information at this time as the investigation is ongoing,” said Liam MacDonald, a spokesperson for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.A spokesperson for the International Maritime Organization, the U.N.’s maritime agency, has said any investigative reports from the disaster would be submitted for review. Member states of the IMO can also propose changes such as stronger regulations of submersibles.Currently, the IMO has voluntary safety guidelines for tourist submersibles which include requirements they be inspected, have emergency response plans, and have a certified pilot on board among other requirements. Any safety proposals would not likely be considered by the IMO until its next Maritime Safety Committee which begins in May 2024.OceanGate Expeditions, the company that owned and operated the Titan, is based in the U.S. but the submersible was registered in the Bahamas. The OceanGate company in Everett, Washington closed when the Titan was found. Meanwhile, the Titan’s mother ship, the Polar Prince, was from Canada.The operator&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-tourist-sub-passengers-cost-ee2a6358b36e48326b3977090fd9311b">charged passengers $250,000</a>&nbsp;each to participate in the voyage. The implosion of the Titan has raised questions about the safety of private undersea exploration operations. The Coast Guard also wants to use the investigation to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titan-submersible-investigation-91bde867ef100c769f1dbe293f2b3020">improve safety of submersibles.</a>