On Friday, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced a new security assistance package, according to a statement from the agency.

This package, which totals up to $2.1 billion and includes critical air defense and ammunition capabilities, is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).

<a href="https://media.defense.gov/2023/Jun/09/2003238573/-1/-1/0/UKRAINE-FACT-SHEET-JUNE-9.PDF">Click here to </a>see the $40 billion list of security assistance.

This&nbsp;USAI&nbsp;package&nbsp;illustrates the continued commitment to both&nbsp;Ukraine’s critical near-term&nbsp;capabilities as well as&nbsp;the&nbsp;enduring&nbsp;capacity of Ukraine’s Armed Forces to defend its&nbsp;territory and deter Russian aggression&nbsp;over the long&nbsp;term.

Unlike Presidential Drawdown authority, which DoD has continued to leverage to deliver equipment to Ukraine from DoD stocks at a historic pace, USAI is an authority under which the United States procures capabilities from industry or partners. This announcement represents the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional priority capabilities to Ukraine.

The capabilities in this announcement include:

The United States will continue to work with its Allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686400612176.png" alt="Airmen load weapons cargo bound for Ukraine onto a C-17 Globemaster III during a security assistance mission at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Sept. 14, 2022.-Photo By:Air Force Staff Sgt. Marco A. Gomez" />
 <figcaption>Airmen load weapons cargo bound for Ukraine onto a C-17 Globemaster III during a security assistance mission at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Sept. 14, 2022.-Photo By:Air Force Staff Sgt. Marco A. Gomez</figcaption>
 </figure>On Friday, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced a new security assistance package, according to a statement from the agency.This package, which totals up to $2.1 billion and includes critical air defense and ammunition capabilities, is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).<a href="https://media.defense.gov/2023/Jun/09/2003238573/-1/-1/0/UKRAINE-FACT-SHEET-JUNE-9.PDF">Click here to </a>see the $40 billion list of security assistance.This&nbsp;USAI&nbsp;package&nbsp;illustrates the continued commitment to both&nbsp;Ukraine’s critical near-term&nbsp;capabilities as well as&nbsp;the&nbsp;enduring&nbsp;capacity of Ukraine’s Armed Forces to defend its&nbsp;territory and deter Russian aggression&nbsp;over the long&nbsp;term.Unlike Presidential Drawdown authority, which DoD has continued to leverage to deliver equipment to Ukraine from DoD stocks at a historic pace, USAI is an authority under which the United States procures capabilities from industry or partners. This announcement represents the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional priority capabilities to Ukraine.The capabilities in this announcement include:<ul>
 <li>Additional munitions for Patriot air defense systems;</li><li>HAWK air defense systems and missiles;</li><li>105mm and 203mm artillery rounds;</li><li>Puma Unmanned Aerial Systems;</li><li>Laser-guided rocket system munitions;</li><li>Support for training, maintenance, and sustainment activities.</li>
 </ul>The United States will continue to work with its Allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements.

U.S. sending Ukraine another $2.1 billion in additional military aid

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;indictment on charges of mishandling classified documents is set to play out in a federal court in Florida. But hundred of miles away, part of Trump’s defense is well underway in a different venue — the halls of Congress, where Republicans have been preparing for months to wage an aggressive counter-offensive against the Justice Department.

<a href="https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2023-06-09-jdj-to-garland-re-mal.pdf">Click here to read the</a>&nbsp;House Judiciary Committee response

The federal indictment against Trump, unsealed Friday, includes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-florida-indictment-highlights-857476c71e98e91521212a826efc8816">37 counts</a>, including allegations that the former president intentionally possessed classified documents, showed them off to visitors, willfully defied Justice Department demands to return them and made false statements to federal authorities about them. The evidence details Trump's own words and actions as recounted by lawyers, close aides and other witnesses.

The Republican campaign to discredit federal prosecutors skims over the substance of those charges, which were brought by a grand jury in Florida. GOP lawmakers are instead working, as they have for several years, to foster a broader argument that law enforcement — and President Joe Biden — are conspiring against the former president and possible Republican nominee for president in 2024.

“Today is indeed a dark day for the United States of America,” tweeted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, soon after Trump said on his social media platform Thursday night that an indictment was coming. McCarthy blamed Biden, who has declined to comment on the case and said he is not at all involved in the Justice Department’s decisions.

McCarthy called it a “grave injustice” and said that House Republicans “will hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable.”

Republican lawmakers in the House have already laid extensive groundwork for the effort to defend Trump since taking the majority in January. A near constant string of hearings featuring former&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-republicans-security-clearance-congress-3c061c936425c735a3eac12f431b0386">FBI agents</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-united-states-government-us-republican-party-business-6e34ad121a1e52892b782b0b7c0e59c3">Twitter executives</a>&nbsp;and federal officials have sought to paint the narrative of a corrupt government using its powers against Trump and the right. A GOP-led House subcommittee on the “weaponization” of government is probing the Justice Department and other government agencies, while at the same time Republicans are investigating Biden’s son Hunter Biden.

“It’s a sad day for America,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, a leading Trump defender and ally in the House, said in a statement on Thursday evening. “God bless President Trump.”

Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs was more strident. “We have now reached a war phase,” he tweeted. “Eye for an eye.”

Democrats say the Republicans are trafficking in conspiracy theories, with potentially dangerous consequences. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both Democrats from New York, issued a joint statement Friday urging calm around the Trump case, saying everyone should “let this case proceed peacefully in court.”

Recent Republicans rhetoric “not only undermines the Department of Justice but betrays the essential principle of justice that no one is above the commands of law, not even a former President or a self-proclaimed billionaire,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.

Key elements of the GOP strategy are to discredit the prosecutors and investigate the investigators — a playbook that Republicans employed during Trump’s presidency as his own Justice Department probed his connections to Russia, and also used in April when Trump was charged in a hush money investigation in New York.

In the days leading to the New York indictment, House Republicans laid out a full-on campaign against Alvin Bragg, the Democratic district attorney in Manhattan who brought the case against the former president.

Charging that the prosecution was “pure politics,” Jordan held a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-bragg-house-judiciary-hearing-indictment-8447027e482d30c94550daeb13b6dc12">field hearing</a>&nbsp;near Bragg’s New York offices to examine what they said were his “pro-crime, anti-victim” policies. Jordan is also the top Republican on the weaponization subcommittee.

As special counsel Jack Smith was preparing this week to release the indictment, Trump's allies on Capitol Hill were working overtime to prepare the defense of the former president. Jordan issued a series of letters to the Justice Department, demanding documents related to his investigation into Trump’s handling of classified records. Jordan cited the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/durham-report-fbi-trump-clinton-2016-campaign-f3039e651eeb35a09091c363419e6766">recent report</a>&nbsp;by special counsel John Durham that found that the FBI rushed into its investigation of ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and routinely ignored or rationalized evidence that undercut its premise.

In the June 1 letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Jordan requested information about the ongoing investigation in order to “ensure any ongoing investigations are not poisoned by this same politicization.”

Just as the indictment was unsealed on Friday, Jordan sent another letter to Garland, this time laying out testimony from a former FBI official who testified to the committee about the raid at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. The Ohio Republican wrote that Steven D’Antuono, a former assistant director at the FBI’s Washington Field Office, told the committee the Justice Department “was not following the same principles” as previous raids.

Defending Trump also has the potential to ease tensions among House Republicans as they face their own troubles on Capitol Hill, after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gas-stoves-republican-revolt-freedom-caucus-1952006c4f6fa7a727cf635208d851d1">conservative-led revolt</a>&nbsp;over the recent debt ceiling deal divided the party this week and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-republicans-speaker-mccarthy-gas-stoves-efe22cb525349daf704828ad777b403e">halted most legislation</a>&nbsp;from passing on the floor.

But even if Republicans are able to shape public perception of the probes, there is one thing they cannot do — control the outcome of Trump's trial. The former president is at great legal risk, no matter what the public believes, under two indictments — and potentially more as prosecutors in Georgia and Washington investigate his actions leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Still, some Republicans maintain that the multiple indictments could help Trump improve his standing in polls of Republican voters and solidify the impression that the government is conspiring against him.

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina told CNN she believes the indictment “handed Donald Trump the nomination” in the 2024 GOP primary.

And as the House panel has ramped up its efforts to defend the former president, the word “weaponization” has taken root among Trump’s Republican allies. Nearly every GOP lawmaker used the term — as did a member of Trump's legal team hours before the charges were unsealed to the public.

“It puts a stamp of reality on something that really is unreal in terms of the weaponization of the Department of Justice,” said James Trusty, one of Trump’s lawyers, on ABC Friday morning. Trump announced later in the day that Trusty was leaving his team.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas tweeted that “the weaponization of our Department of Justice against enemies of the Biden admin. will do enormous damage to the rule of law &amp; have a lasting impact.”

Cruz’s GOP colleagues in the Senate were more muted, with Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and others who have criticized the former president declining to weigh in on the indictment.

Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, the only GOP senator to vote to convict Trump in both of his impeachment trials, was a rare voice of criticism. While Romney stressed that Trump is entitled to presumption of innocence, he said he believes the charges are serious and Trump brought them on himself.

“These allegations are serious and if proven, would be consistent with his other actions offensive to the national interest,” Romney said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;indictment on charges of mishandling classified documents is set to play out in a federal court in Florida. But hundred of miles away, part of Trump’s defense is well underway in a different venue — the halls of Congress, where Republicans have been preparing for months to wage an aggressive counter-offensive against the Justice Department.<a href="https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2023-06-09-jdj-to-garland-re-mal.pdf">Click here to read the</a>&nbsp;House Judiciary Committee responseThe federal indictment against Trump, unsealed Friday, includes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-florida-indictment-highlights-857476c71e98e91521212a826efc8816">37 counts</a>, including allegations that the former president intentionally possessed classified documents, showed them off to visitors, willfully defied Justice Department demands to return them and made false statements to federal authorities about them. The evidence details Trump's own words and actions as recounted by lawyers, close aides and other witnesses.The Republican campaign to discredit federal prosecutors skims over the substance of those charges, which were brought by a grand jury in Florida. GOP lawmakers are instead working, as they have for several years, to foster a broader argument that law enforcement — and President Joe Biden — are conspiring against the former president and possible Republican nominee for president in 2024.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My statement on the unprecedented indictment of President Trump by Biden&#39;s DOJ: <a href="https://t.co/NtSd8hwqqy">pic.twitter.com/NtSd8hwqqy</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1666988328523034624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Joe Biden has used his Justice Department to go after parents as “domestic terrorists,” to spy on Catholic parishes, to terrorize &amp; harass prolife Christians - and tonight to indict his top political opponent, Trump. He has trampled the rule of law to benefit himself. He has led…&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1666958453225529378?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Joe Biden has now indicted his top political opponent. Full on Banana Republic stuff.&mdash; Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) <a href="https://twitter.com/Eric_Schmitt/status/1666981314572984320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Most Republicans believe we live in a country where Hillary Clinton did very similar things and nothing happened to her.&mdash; Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/1667892656184127488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“Today is indeed a dark day for the United States of America,” tweeted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, soon after Trump said on his social media platform Thursday night that an indictment was coming. McCarthy blamed Biden, who has declined to comment on the case and said he is not at all involved in the Justice Department’s decisions.McCarthy called it a “grave injustice” and said that House Republicans “will hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable.”Republican lawmakers in the House have already laid extensive groundwork for the effort to defend Trump since taking the majority in January. A near constant string of hearings featuring former&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-republicans-security-clearance-congress-3c061c936425c735a3eac12f431b0386">FBI agents</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-united-states-government-us-republican-party-business-6e34ad121a1e52892b782b0b7c0e59c3">Twitter executives</a>&nbsp;and federal officials have sought to paint the narrative of a corrupt government using its powers against Trump and the right. A GOP-led House subcommittee on the “weaponization” of government is probing the Justice Department and other government agencies, while at the same time Republicans are investigating Biden’s son Hunter Biden.“It’s a sad day for America,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, a leading Trump defender and ally in the House, said in a statement on Thursday evening. “God bless President Trump.”Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs was more strident. “We have now reached a war phase,” he tweeted. “Eye for an eye.”Democrats say the Republicans are trafficking in conspiracy theories, with potentially dangerous consequences. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both Democrats from New York, issued a joint statement Friday urging calm around the Trump case, saying everyone should “let this case proceed peacefully in court.”Recent Republicans rhetoric “not only undermines the Department of Justice but betrays the essential principle of justice that no one is above the commands of law, not even a former President or a self-proclaimed billionaire,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.Key elements of the GOP strategy are to discredit the prosecutors and investigate the investigators — a playbook that Republicans employed during Trump’s presidency as his own Justice Department probed his connections to Russia, and also used in April when Trump was charged in a hush money investigation in New York.In the days leading to the New York indictment, House Republicans laid out a full-on campaign against Alvin Bragg, the Democratic district attorney in Manhattan who brought the case against the former president.Charging that the prosecution was “pure politics,” Jordan held a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-bragg-house-judiciary-hearing-indictment-8447027e482d30c94550daeb13b6dc12">field hearing</a>&nbsp;near Bragg’s New York offices to examine what they said were his “pro-crime, anti-victim” policies. Jordan is also the top Republican on the weaponization subcommittee.As special counsel Jack Smith was preparing this week to release the indictment, Trump's allies on Capitol Hill were working overtime to prepare the defense of the former president. Jordan issued a series of letters to the Justice Department, demanding documents related to his investigation into Trump’s handling of classified records. Jordan cited the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/durham-report-fbi-trump-clinton-2016-campaign-f3039e651eeb35a09091c363419e6766">recent report</a>&nbsp;by special counsel John Durham that found that the FBI rushed into its investigation of ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and routinely ignored or rationalized evidence that undercut its premise.In the June 1 letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Jordan requested information about the ongoing investigation in order to “ensure any ongoing investigations are not poisoned by this same politicization.”Just as the indictment was unsealed on Friday, Jordan sent another letter to Garland, this time laying out testimony from a former FBI official who testified to the committee about the raid at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. The Ohio Republican wrote that Steven D’Antuono, a former assistant director at the FBI’s Washington Field Office, told the committee the Justice Department “was not following the same principles” as previous raids.Defending Trump also has the potential to ease tensions among House Republicans as they face their own troubles on Capitol Hill, after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gas-stoves-republican-revolt-freedom-caucus-1952006c4f6fa7a727cf635208d851d1">conservative-led revolt</a>&nbsp;over the recent debt ceiling deal divided the party this week and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-republicans-speaker-mccarthy-gas-stoves-efe22cb525349daf704828ad777b403e">halted most legislation</a>&nbsp;from passing on the floor.But even if Republicans are able to shape public perception of the probes, there is one thing they cannot do — control the outcome of Trump's trial. The former president is at great legal risk, no matter what the public believes, under two indictments — and potentially more as prosecutors in Georgia and Washington investigate his actions leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection.Still, some Republicans maintain that the multiple indictments could help Trump improve his standing in polls of Republican voters and solidify the impression that the government is conspiring against him.Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina told CNN she believes the indictment “handed Donald Trump the nomination” in the 2024 GOP primary.And as the House panel has ramped up its efforts to defend the former president, the word “weaponization” has taken root among Trump’s Republican allies. Nearly every GOP lawmaker used the term — as did a member of Trump's legal team hours before the charges were unsealed to the public.“It puts a stamp of reality on something that really is unreal in terms of the weaponization of the Department of Justice,” said James Trusty, one of Trump’s lawyers, on ABC Friday morning. Trump announced later in the day that Trusty was leaving his team.Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas tweeted that “the weaponization of our Department of Justice against enemies of the Biden admin. will do enormous damage to the rule of law &amp; have a lasting impact.”Cruz’s GOP colleagues in the Senate were more muted, with Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and others who have criticized the former president declining to weigh in on the indictment.Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, the only GOP senator to vote to convict Trump in both of his impeachment trials, was a rare voice of criticism. While Romney stressed that Trump is entitled to presumption of innocence, he said he believes the charges are serious and Trump brought them on himself.“These allegations are serious and if proven, would be consistent with his other actions offensive to the national interest,” Romney said.

Trump's GOP defenders in Congress leap into action after indictment

By Paul Hamel <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/02/08/state-approved-use-of-pesticide-coated-seed-corn-for-ethanol-plant-a-decade-ago/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — A judge on Friday rejected an effort by a friend and partner of deceased businessman Aaron Marshbanks to file a late claim against the businessman’s estate, which is wrapped up in perhaps the largest case of bank fraud in state history.

Lancaster County Judge Holly Parsely ruled Friday that&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/02/friend-business-partner-of-marshbanks-wonders-where-assets-went-in-massive-bank-fraud-case/">Brandon Dallmann, who said he was a friend and business partner</a>&nbsp;of Marshbanks, missed a deadline for filing a claim against the estate and had provided no good reason why that happened.

“Deadlines exist for a reason and they must be enforced if good cause for the delay in presenting a claim cannot be found,” the judge wrote in a seven-page ruling.

Marshbanks, a former treasurer for the Lincoln Christian school board and an investor in rental properties, was found dead under suspicious circumstances on Nov. 2 inside a downtown Lincoln parking garage.

In the aftermath of his death, dozens of financial institutions filed claims against his estate, alleging that he, along with his financial adviser, had obtained millions of dollars of loans — many unsecured — via fraud.

The claims by the more than two dozen parties add up to more than $50 million, which those in the banking industry have said is the largest bank fraud in state history.

In settling the claims against his estate, a Jan. 24 deadline was set.

Dallmann, who was a partner in several of Marshbanks’ limited liability companies, failed to meet that deadline. He instead filed his claim on Feb. 6 and asked the court to grant an exception.

At a court hearing last month, Dallmann said he was seeking to convert some of his holdings in cryptocurrency into real estate and had “traded” $2 million in assets to Marshbanks to do that.

He said he had been told by the attorney for Marshbanks’ widow that the estate would probably be insolvent and that it would be a waste of time to file a financial claim.

But later Dallmann, who said he had initially helped the widow with the estate, obtained his own attorney and filed a claim.

Dallmann testified that he did not know whether or not his $2 million was ever invested in real estate.

Marshbanks, according to court records, owned dozens of rental properties in Omaha, Lincoln, Council Bluffs and Louisiana.

But it has been unclear where the millions he obtained through fraudulent bank loans ended up.

Just recently,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/03/bank-purchases-half-finished-luxury-home-acreage-of-deceased-businessman-who-defrauded-banks/">a bank that had loaned him $2.5 million</a>&nbsp;to build a luxury home, “barndominium” and massive backyard pond purchased the 5,000-square-foot home and complex near Walton at a foreclosure sale. The bank is seeking to sell the acreage.

Also recently, a district court judge, at the request of state banking officials, appointed a receiver to sort out and distribute any Marshbanks assets held by his financial adviser, Jesse Hill of Hickman.

In December, the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/12/29/state-banking-officials-seek-to-freeze-accounts-of-financial-adviser-involved-in-alleged-bank-fraud/">moved to freeze the assets of Hill</a>&nbsp;and his firm, First SOJO Capital Group LLC.

The department alleged that Hill&nbsp;had committed multiple violations of the State Securities Act, including false claims of financial assets and fabrication of financial statements.

No charges have been filed against Hill. The FBI, as well as the state banking department, continue to investigate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686565102310.png" alt="Lincoln tech consultant Brandon Dallmann, at left, confers with his attorneys after a court hearing last month concerning the estate of a deceased friend and business partner implicated in the largest bank fraud in state history. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Lincoln tech consultant Brandon Dallmann, at left, confers with his attorneys after a court hearing last month concerning the estate of a deceased friend and business partner implicated in the largest bank fraud in state history. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By Paul Hamel <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/02/08/state-approved-use-of-pesticide-coated-seed-corn-for-ethanol-plant-a-decade-ago/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — A judge on Friday rejected an effort by a friend and partner of deceased businessman Aaron Marshbanks to file a late claim against the businessman’s estate, which is wrapped up in perhaps the largest case of bank fraud in state history.Lancaster County Judge Holly Parsely ruled Friday that&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/02/friend-business-partner-of-marshbanks-wonders-where-assets-went-in-massive-bank-fraud-case/">Brandon Dallmann, who said he was a friend and business partner</a>&nbsp;of Marshbanks, missed a deadline for filing a claim against the estate and had provided no good reason why that happened.<h2>‘Deadlines exist for a reason’</h2>“Deadlines exist for a reason and they must be enforced if good cause for the delay in presenting a claim cannot be found,” the judge wrote in a seven-page ruling.Marshbanks, a former treasurer for the Lincoln Christian school board and an investor in rental properties, was found dead under suspicious circumstances on Nov. 2 inside a downtown Lincoln parking garage.In the aftermath of his death, dozens of financial institutions filed claims against his estate, alleging that he, along with his financial adviser, had obtained millions of dollars of loans — many unsecured — via fraud.The claims by the more than two dozen parties add up to more than $50 million, which those in the banking industry have said is the largest bank fraud in state history.<h2>Deadline was missed</h2>In settling the claims against his estate, a Jan. 24 deadline was set.Dallmann, who was a partner in several of Marshbanks’ limited liability companies, failed to meet that deadline. He instead filed his claim on Feb. 6 and asked the court to grant an exception.At a court hearing last month, Dallmann said he was seeking to convert some of his holdings in cryptocurrency into real estate and had “traded” $2 million in assets to Marshbanks to do that.He said he had been told by the attorney for Marshbanks’ widow that the estate would probably be insolvent and that it would be a waste of time to file a financial claim.But later Dallmann, who said he had initially helped the widow with the estate, obtained his own attorney and filed a claim.Dallmann testified that he did not know whether or not his $2 million was ever invested in real estate.Marshbanks, according to court records, owned dozens of rental properties in Omaha, Lincoln, Council Bluffs and Louisiana.But it has been unclear where the millions he obtained through fraudulent bank loans ended up.Just recently,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/03/bank-purchases-half-finished-luxury-home-acreage-of-deceased-businessman-who-defrauded-banks/">a bank that had loaned him $2.5 million</a>&nbsp;to build a luxury home, “barndominium” and massive backyard pond purchased the 5,000-square-foot home and complex near Walton at a foreclosure sale. The bank is seeking to sell the acreage.<h2>Receiver appointed</h2>Also recently, a district court judge, at the request of state banking officials, appointed a receiver to sort out and distribute any Marshbanks assets held by his financial adviser, Jesse Hill of Hickman.In December, the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/12/29/state-banking-officials-seek-to-freeze-accounts-of-financial-adviser-involved-in-alleged-bank-fraud/">moved to freeze the assets of Hill</a>&nbsp;and his firm, First SOJO Capital Group LLC.The department alleged that Hill&nbsp;had committed multiple violations of the State Securities Act, including false claims of financial assets and fabrication of financial statements.No charges have been filed against Hill. The FBI, as well as the state banking department, continue to investigate.

Judge rejects late claim in massive bank fraud case involving Aaron Marshbanks

KANSAS CITY (AP) — After years of criticizing mail voting and so-called ballot harvesting as ripe for fraud, Republicans at the top of the party want to change course.

They are poised to launch aggressive get-out-the-vote campaigns for 2024 that employ just those strategies, attempting to match the emphasis on early voting Democrats have used for years to lock in many of their supporters well ahead of Election Day. The goal is to to persuade voters who support GOP candidates that early voting techniques are secure and to make sure they are able to return their ballots in time to be counted, thus putting less pressure on Election Day turnout efforts.

It marks a notable shift from the party's rhetoric since 2020, when then-President Donald Trump was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-election-2020-ap-fact-check-elections-voting-fraud-and-irregularities-8c5db90960815f91f39fe115579570b4">routinely sowing doubt about mail voting</a>&nbsp;and encouraging his voters to wait and vote in-person on Election Day. As recently as last year, Republican activists peddling the stolen election narrative were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-health-government-and-politics-election-2020-55f4744b484919cd20d4d5e8d72e444e?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_03">telling GOP voters</a>&nbsp;who received mail ballots to hold onto them and turn them in at their polling place on Election Day rather than use mail or drop boxes.

Now Trump is asking donors to chip in for his “ballot harvesting fund” – saying in a fundraising email, “Either we ballot harvest where we can, or you can say goodbye to America!”

Republicans say&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-donald-trump-georgia-31624728042effd17f6ced32dfbf188d">the shift is needed</a>&nbsp;to ensure GOP victories up and down the 2024 ballot, arguing they cannot afford to give Democrats any advantage. At the same time, they acknowledge skepticism from many of their own voters conditioned by false claims of widespread voter fraud from Trump and others.

Across the country,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-indiana-ebba330c4a46c81b77b7feb564f03737">Republican-controlled legislatures</a>&nbsp;have acted against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-voting-rights-election-2020-2caf9b85bec73c807ecea15775f6da63">early voting</a>&nbsp;—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-donald-trump-ohio-fraud-ad6eaaca489d39aa4b6e63c2ce413bf8">shortening windows</a>&nbsp;for returning mail ballots, banning or limiting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-kansas-state-government-6b1315110a7cc5c09055793581ee4ac2">the use of drop boxes</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-elections-absentee-ballot-harvesting-91c4e5d67f9169e1a2104813b1fe133f">criminalizing third-party ballot collection</a>.

In announcing a “Bank Your Vote” initiative for 2024, Republican National Committee Chairwoman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-republican-national-convention-united-states-government-2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-ab2a2c94ff0f110e3c45c37cdf695695">Ronna McDaniel</a>&nbsp;said the party “has never said ‘don’t vote early,'” but acknowledged the GOP will have to work to shift voters' perceptions.

“That certainly is a challenge if you have people in your ecosystem saying, ‘Don’t vote early or don’t vote by mail,’ and those cross messages do have an impact,” McDaniel told reporters Wednesday. “I don’t think you’re seeing that heading into 2024. I think you’re seeing all of us singing from the same songbook.”

The nationwide GOP plan emphasizes “in-person early voting, absentee voting, and ballot harvesting where legal,” while also pledging “to fight against bad ballot harvesting laws.” Republicans use the term to describe when someone else returns a mailed ballot on behalf of another voter, especially third parties that gather multiple ballots.

McDaniel emphasized she remains opposed to ballot collection, and she said the party would deploy an army of poll watchers and election monitors to reassure Republican voters that their ballots will be protected.

“Do I think it’s the most secure way of voting? No,” McDaniel said. “But if it’s the law, we’re going to have to do it just like the Democrats are.”

The challenge will be providing a consistent message that reassures GOP voters.

The same day McDaniel announced her initiative, Republicans in Congress were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/district-of-columbia-voting-elections-republicans-ca212cd42f2f4186a53cd6630e63db49">holding a hearing</a>&nbsp;considering legislation that, among other things, would ban ballot collection in the District of Columbia. GOP state lawmakers around the country have chipped away at advanced voting opportunities since 2020. Some state and local election Republicans have gone further, advocating for just a single day of voting.

After the 2020 presidential election, the movie “2000 Mules” was a popular video that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-technology-health-arizona-e1b49d2311bf900f44fa5c6dac406762">made various debunked claims</a>&nbsp;about mail ballots, drop boxes and ballot collection. Even the co-chair of the new GOP strategy, U. S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., has been a critic. In November, he issued a call on social media to “End ballot harvesting.”

Nonetheless, McDaniel noted that Republican presidential candidates,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-riot-trump-election-lies-explainer-816a43ed964e6d35f03b0930e6e56c82?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=RelatedStories&amp;utm_campaign=position_03">including Trump</a>, have been talking about the importance of advance voting and ballot collection.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a high-profile GOP contender, recently told a voter he planned to launch his own “ballot harvesting” effort, according to video posted online by a Washington Post reporter. DeSantis said he wasn’t going to “fight with one hand tied behind my back.”

The Trump and DeSantis campaigns did not respond to messages seeking details about ballot collection plans.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ron-desantis-legislation-florida-elections-a9737fcc3eab5aedc572fbcc7c19b984">Florida</a>&nbsp;is among the mostly Republican-led states that have sought to ban or limit the practice in recent years, despite the GOP's reliance there on older, more conservative voters who prefer voting methods other than casting Election Day ballots.

Since the 2020 election, lawmakers in 31 states have introduced 124 bills that would restrict third-party ballot returns, according to data collected by the Voting Rights Lab, which tracks voting-related legislation in the states. Of those, 14 bills in 11 states have been enacted. That includes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-health-crime-florida-5fad57fac85e0944b6e8eeb423b195b7">one DeSantis himself signed</a>&nbsp;that makes it a felony for an individual to collect more than two mail ballots other than the person’s own or one belonging to an immediate family member.

While some states are silent on the issue, 31 states allow someone other than the voter to return a ballot on behalf of another voter. Nine limit how many ballots one person can return, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Many states limit ballot handling to a family member, household member or caregiver.

In California, efforts to lock in the early vote could be decisive next year in a string of U.S. House districts, most of them in the southern California suburbs, that are expected to play a pivotal role in determining control of the chamber. California is a Democratic stronghold, but Republicans retain pockets of strength across rural and small-town areas and the Central Valley farm belt, while the state's suburban congressional districts have yielded many tights races in recent election cycles.

As many as nine congressional seats are considered competitive, and several races will play out in districts won by President Joe Biden but where the seat is held by a Republican. Each of California’s 22 million registered voters is mailed a ballot one month before Election Day.

“In any close election, the ability to capture absentee votes becomes extremely important, especially in a state like ours, where every single voter has a ballot in their home,” conservative activist Jon Fleishman said.

Democrats were critical of the new GOP effort after years of messaging by Republicans against mail voting.

“Donald Trump and extremist Republicans have spent years telling lies about elections to justify their losses. That includes demonizing mail ballots and ballot collection,” said Jena Griswold, Colorado’s secretary of state and head of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State. “These hypocritical extremists are only interested in spreading chaos and trying to gain power at any cost.”

Top Republicans must make the case within their own ranks, said Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C.

“We’ve got to have a change of culture among Republican voters,” said Hudson, who chairs the House GOP’s national campaign committee. “And it’s going to require us all on the same page.”

KANSAS CITY (AP) — After years of criticizing mail voting and so-called ballot harvesting as ripe for fraud, Republicans at the top of the party want to change course.They are poised to launch aggressive get-out-the-vote campaigns for 2024 that employ just those strategies, attempting to match the emphasis on early voting Democrats have used for years to lock in many of their supporters well ahead of Election Day. The goal is to to persuade voters who support GOP candidates that early voting techniques are secure and to make sure they are able to return their ballots in time to be counted, thus putting less pressure on Election Day turnout efforts.It marks a notable shift from the party's rhetoric since 2020, when then-President Donald Trump was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-election-2020-ap-fact-check-elections-voting-fraud-and-irregularities-8c5db90960815f91f39fe115579570b4">routinely sowing doubt about mail voting</a>&nbsp;and encouraging his voters to wait and vote in-person on Election Day. As recently as last year, Republican activists peddling the stolen election narrative were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-health-government-and-politics-election-2020-55f4744b484919cd20d4d5e8d72e444e?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_03">telling GOP voters</a>&nbsp;who received mail ballots to hold onto them and turn them in at their polling place on Election Day rather than use mail or drop boxes.Now Trump is asking donors to chip in for his “ballot harvesting fund” – saying in a fundraising email, “Either we ballot harvest where we can, or you can say goodbye to America!”Republicans say&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-donald-trump-georgia-31624728042effd17f6ced32dfbf188d">the shift is needed</a>&nbsp;to ensure GOP victories up and down the 2024 ballot, arguing they cannot afford to give Democrats any advantage. At the same time, they acknowledge skepticism from many of their own voters conditioned by false claims of widespread voter fraud from Trump and others.Across the country,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-indiana-ebba330c4a46c81b77b7feb564f03737">Republican-controlled legislatures</a>&nbsp;have acted against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-voting-rights-election-2020-2caf9b85bec73c807ecea15775f6da63">early voting</a>&nbsp;—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-donald-trump-ohio-fraud-ad6eaaca489d39aa4b6e63c2ce413bf8">shortening windows</a>&nbsp;for returning mail ballots, banning or limiting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-kansas-state-government-6b1315110a7cc5c09055793581ee4ac2">the use of drop boxes</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-elections-absentee-ballot-harvesting-91c4e5d67f9169e1a2104813b1fe133f">criminalizing third-party ballot collection</a>.In announcing a “Bank Your Vote” initiative for 2024, Republican National Committee Chairwoman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-republican-national-convention-united-states-government-2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-ab2a2c94ff0f110e3c45c37cdf695695">Ronna McDaniel</a>&nbsp;said the party “has never said ‘don’t vote early,'” but acknowledged the GOP will have to work to shift voters' perceptions.“That certainly is a challenge if you have people in your ecosystem saying, ‘Don’t vote early or don’t vote by mail,’ and those cross messages do have an impact,” McDaniel told reporters Wednesday. “I don’t think you’re seeing that heading into 2024. I think you’re seeing all of us singing from the same songbook.”The nationwide GOP plan emphasizes “in-person early voting, absentee voting, and ballot harvesting where legal,” while also pledging “to fight against bad ballot harvesting laws.” Republicans use the term to describe when someone else returns a mailed ballot on behalf of another voter, especially third parties that gather multiple ballots.McDaniel emphasized she remains opposed to ballot collection, and she said the party would deploy an army of poll watchers and election monitors to reassure Republican voters that their ballots will be protected.“Do I think it’s the most secure way of voting? No,” McDaniel said. “But if it’s the law, we’re going to have to do it just like the Democrats are.”The challenge will be providing a consistent message that reassures GOP voters.The same day McDaniel announced her initiative, Republicans in Congress were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/district-of-columbia-voting-elections-republicans-ca212cd42f2f4186a53cd6630e63db49">holding a hearing</a>&nbsp;considering legislation that, among other things, would ban ballot collection in the District of Columbia. GOP state lawmakers around the country have chipped away at advanced voting opportunities since 2020. Some state and local election Republicans have gone further, advocating for just a single day of voting.After the 2020 presidential election, the movie “2000 Mules” was a popular video that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-technology-health-arizona-e1b49d2311bf900f44fa5c6dac406762">made various debunked claims</a>&nbsp;about mail ballots, drop boxes and ballot collection. Even the co-chair of the new GOP strategy, U. S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., has been a critic. In November, he issued a call on social media to “End ballot harvesting.”Nonetheless, McDaniel noted that Republican presidential candidates,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-riot-trump-election-lies-explainer-816a43ed964e6d35f03b0930e6e56c82?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=RelatedStories&amp;utm_campaign=position_03">including Trump</a>, have been talking about the importance of advance voting and ballot collection.Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a high-profile GOP contender, recently told a voter he planned to launch his own “ballot harvesting” effort, according to video posted online by a Washington Post reporter. DeSantis said he wasn’t going to “fight with one hand tied behind my back.”The Trump and DeSantis campaigns did not respond to messages seeking details about ballot collection plans.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ron-desantis-legislation-florida-elections-a9737fcc3eab5aedc572fbcc7c19b984">Florida</a>&nbsp;is among the mostly Republican-led states that have sought to ban or limit the practice in recent years, despite the GOP's reliance there on older, more conservative voters who prefer voting methods other than casting Election Day ballots.Since the 2020 election, lawmakers in 31 states have introduced 124 bills that would restrict third-party ballot returns, according to data collected by the Voting Rights Lab, which tracks voting-related legislation in the states. Of those, 14 bills in 11 states have been enacted. That includes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-health-crime-florida-5fad57fac85e0944b6e8eeb423b195b7">one DeSantis himself signed</a>&nbsp;that makes it a felony for an individual to collect more than two mail ballots other than the person’s own or one belonging to an immediate family member.While some states are silent on the issue, 31 states allow someone other than the voter to return a ballot on behalf of another voter. Nine limit how many ballots one person can return, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Many states limit ballot handling to a family member, household member or caregiver.In California, efforts to lock in the early vote could be decisive next year in a string of U.S. House districts, most of them in the southern California suburbs, that are expected to play a pivotal role in determining control of the chamber. California is a Democratic stronghold, but Republicans retain pockets of strength across rural and small-town areas and the Central Valley farm belt, while the state's suburban congressional districts have yielded many tights races in recent election cycles.As many as nine congressional seats are considered competitive, and several races will play out in districts won by President Joe Biden but where the seat is held by a Republican. Each of California’s 22 million registered voters is mailed a ballot one month before Election Day.“In any close election, the ability to capture absentee votes becomes extremely important, especially in a state like ours, where every single voter has a ballot in their home,” conservative activist Jon Fleishman said.Democrats were critical of the new GOP effort after years of messaging by Republicans against mail voting.“Donald Trump and extremist Republicans have spent years telling lies about elections to justify their losses. That includes demonizing mail ballots and ballot collection,” said Jena Griswold, Colorado’s secretary of state and head of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State. “These hypocritical extremists are only interested in spreading chaos and trying to gain power at any cost.”Top Republicans must make the case within their own ranks, said Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C.“We’ve got to have a change of culture among Republican voters,” said Hudson, who chairs the House GOP’s national campaign committee. “And it’s going to require us all on the same page.”___

GOP set to encourage early voting, mail balloting after years of opposite messaging

FUERTH, Germany (AP) — The artificial intelligence chatbot asked the believers in the fully packed St. Paul's church in the Bavarian town of Fuerth to rise from the pews and praise the Lord.

The ChatGPT chatbot, personified by an avatar of a bearded Black man on a huge screen above the altar, then began preaching to the more than 300 people who had shown up on Friday morning for an experimental Lutheran church service almost entirely generated by AI.

“Dear friends, it is an honor for me to stand here and preach to you as the first artificial intelligence at this year's convention of Protestants in Germany," the avatar said with an expressionless face and monotonous voice.

The 40-minute service — including the sermon, prayers and music — was created by ChatGPT and Jonas Simmerlein, a theologian and philosopher from the University of Vienna.

“I conceived this service — but actually I rather accompanied it, because I would say about 98% comes from the machine,” the 29-year-old scholar told The Associated Press.

The AI church service was one of hundreds of events at the convention of Protestants in the Bavarian towns of Nuremberg and the neighboring Fuerth, and it drew such immense interest that people formed a long queue outside the 19th-century, neo-Gothic building an hour before it began.

The convention itself — Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag in German — takes place every two years in the summer at a different place in Germany and draws tens of thousands of believers to pray, sing and discuss their faith. They also talk about current world affairs and look for solutions to key issues, which this year included global warming, the war in Ukraine — and artificial intelligence.

This year's gathering is taking place from Wednesday to Sunday under the motto “Now is the time.” That slogan was one of the sentences Simmerlein fed ChatGPT when he asked the chatbot to develop the sermon.

“I told the artificial intelligence ‘We are at the church congress, you are a preacher … what would a church service look like?’” Simmerlein said. He also asked for psalms to be included, as well as prayers and a blessing at the end.

“You end up with a pretty solid church service,” Simmerlein said, sounding almost surprised by the success of his experiment.

Indeed, the believers in the church listened attentively as the artificial intelligence preached about leaving the past behind, focusing on the challenges of the present, overcoming fear of death, and never losing trust in Jesus Christ.

The entire service was “led” by four different avatars on the screen, two young women, and two young men.

At times, the AI-generated avatar inadvertently drew laughter as when it used platitudes and told the churchgoers with a deadpan expression that in order “to keep our faith, we must pray and go to church regularly.”

Some people enthusiastically videotaped the event with their cell phones, while others looked on more critically and refused to speak along loudly during The Lord's Prayer.

Heiderose Schmidt, a 54-year-old who works in IT, said she was excited and curious when the service started but found it increasingly off-putting as it went along.

“There was no heart and no soul,” she said. “The avatars showed no emotions at all, had no body language and were talking so fast and monotonously that it was very hard for me to concentrate on what they said.”

“But maybe it is different for the younger generation who grew up with all of this,” Schmidt added.

Marc Jansen, a 31-year-old Lutheran pastor from Troisdorf near the western German city of Cologne, brought a group of teenagers from his congregation to St. Paul. He was more impressed by the experiment.

“I had actually imagined it to be worse. But I was positively surprised how well it worked. Also the language of the AI worked well, even though it was still a bit bumpy at times," Jansen said.

What the young pastor missed, however, was any kind of emotion or spirituality, which he says is essential when he writes his own sermons.

Anna Puzio, 28, a researcher on the ethics of technology from the University of Twente in The Netherlands, also attended the service. She said she sees a lot of opportunities in the use of AI in religion — such as making religious services more easily available and inclusive for believers who for various reasons may not be able experience their faith in person with others in houses of worship.

However, she noted there are also dangers when it comes to the use of AI in religion.

“The challenge that I see is that AI is very human-like and that it's easy to be deceived by it," she said.

“Also, we don’t have only one Christian opinion, and that’s what AI has to represent as well,” she said. "We have to be careful that it's not misused for such purposes as to spread only one opinion.”

Simmerlein said it is not his intention to replace religious leaders with artificial intelligence. Rather, he sees the use of AI as a way to help them with their everyday work in their congregations.

Some pastors seek inspiration in literature, he says, so why not also ask AI for ideas regarding an upcoming sermon. Others would like to have more time for individual spiritual guidance of their parishioners, so why not speed up the process of writing the sermon with the help of a chatbot to make time for other important duties.

“Artificial intelligence will increasingly take over our lives, in all its facets,” Simmerlein said. “And that’s why it’s useful to learn to deal with it.”

However, the experimental church service also showed the limits to implementing artificial AI in church, or in religion. There was no real interaction between the believers and the chatbot, which wasn't able to respond to the laughter or any other reactions by the churchgoers as a human pastor would have been able to do.

“The pastor is in the congregation, she lives with them, she buries the people, she knows them from the beginning," Simmerlein said. “Artificial intelligence cannot do that. It does not know the congregation.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686446907767.png" alt="People attend a church service in Nuremberg, Germany, Friday, June 9, 2023. Hundreds of German Protestants have attended a church service in Bavaria that was generated almost entirely by artificial intelligence. The service was created by ChatGPT and Jonas Simmerlein, a theologian and philosopher from the University of Vienna. The ChatGPT chatbot, personified by different avatars on a huge screen above the altar, led the more than 300 people through 40 minutes of prayer, music, sermons and blessings. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)" />
 <figcaption>People attend a church service in Nuremberg, Germany, Friday, June 9, 2023. Hundreds of German Protestants have attended a church service in Bavaria that was generated almost entirely by artificial intelligence. The service was created by ChatGPT and Jonas Simmerlein, a theologian and philosopher from the University of Vienna. The ChatGPT chatbot, personified by different avatars on a huge screen above the altar, led the more than 300 people through 40 minutes of prayer, music, sermons and blessings. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)</figcaption>
 </figure>FUERTH, Germany (AP) — The artificial intelligence chatbot asked the believers in the fully packed St. Paul's church in the Bavarian town of Fuerth to rise from the pews and praise the Lord.The ChatGPT chatbot, personified by an avatar of a bearded Black man on a huge screen above the altar, then began preaching to the more than 300 people who had shown up on Friday morning for an experimental Lutheran church service almost entirely generated by AI.“Dear friends, it is an honor for me to stand here and preach to you as the first artificial intelligence at this year's convention of Protestants in Germany," the avatar said with an expressionless face and monotonous voice.The 40-minute service — including the sermon, prayers and music — was created by ChatGPT and Jonas Simmerlein, a theologian and philosopher from the University of Vienna.“I conceived this service — but actually I rather accompanied it, because I would say about 98% comes from the machine,” the 29-year-old scholar told The Associated Press.The AI church service was one of hundreds of events at the convention of Protestants in the Bavarian towns of Nuremberg and the neighboring Fuerth, and it drew such immense interest that people formed a long queue outside the 19th-century, neo-Gothic building an hour before it began.The convention itself — Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag in German — takes place every two years in the summer at a different place in Germany and draws tens of thousands of believers to pray, sing and discuss their faith. They also talk about current world affairs and look for solutions to key issues, which this year included global warming, the war in Ukraine — and artificial intelligence.This year's gathering is taking place from Wednesday to Sunday under the motto “Now is the time.” That slogan was one of the sentences Simmerlein fed ChatGPT when he asked the chatbot to develop the sermon.“I told the artificial intelligence ‘We are at the church congress, you are a preacher … what would a church service look like?’” Simmerlein said. He also asked for psalms to be included, as well as prayers and a blessing at the end.“You end up with a pretty solid church service,” Simmerlein said, sounding almost surprised by the success of his experiment.Indeed, the believers in the church listened attentively as the artificial intelligence preached about leaving the past behind, focusing on the challenges of the present, overcoming fear of death, and never losing trust in Jesus Christ.The entire service was “led” by four different avatars on the screen, two young women, and two young men.At times, the AI-generated avatar inadvertently drew laughter as when it used platitudes and told the churchgoers with a deadpan expression that in order “to keep our faith, we must pray and go to church regularly.”Some people enthusiastically videotaped the event with their cell phones, while others looked on more critically and refused to speak along loudly during The Lord's Prayer.Heiderose Schmidt, a 54-year-old who works in IT, said she was excited and curious when the service started but found it increasingly off-putting as it went along.“There was no heart and no soul,” she said. “The avatars showed no emotions at all, had no body language and were talking so fast and monotonously that it was very hard for me to concentrate on what they said.”“But maybe it is different for the younger generation who grew up with all of this,” Schmidt added.Marc Jansen, a 31-year-old Lutheran pastor from Troisdorf near the western German city of Cologne, brought a group of teenagers from his congregation to St. Paul. He was more impressed by the experiment.“I had actually imagined it to be worse. But I was positively surprised how well it worked. Also the language of the AI worked well, even though it was still a bit bumpy at times," Jansen said.What the young pastor missed, however, was any kind of emotion or spirituality, which he says is essential when he writes his own sermons.Anna Puzio, 28, a researcher on the ethics of technology from the University of Twente in The Netherlands, also attended the service. She said she sees a lot of opportunities in the use of AI in religion — such as making religious services more easily available and inclusive for believers who for various reasons may not be able experience their faith in person with others in houses of worship.However, she noted there are also dangers when it comes to the use of AI in religion.“The challenge that I see is that AI is very human-like and that it's easy to be deceived by it," she said.“Also, we don’t have only one Christian opinion, and that’s what AI has to represent as well,” she said. "We have to be careful that it's not misused for such purposes as to spread only one opinion.”Simmerlein said it is not his intention to replace religious leaders with artificial intelligence. Rather, he sees the use of AI as a way to help them with their everyday work in their congregations.Some pastors seek inspiration in literature, he says, so why not also ask AI for ideas regarding an upcoming sermon. Others would like to have more time for individual spiritual guidance of their parishioners, so why not speed up the process of writing the sermon with the help of a chatbot to make time for other important duties.“Artificial intelligence will increasingly take over our lives, in all its facets,” Simmerlein said. “And that’s why it’s useful to learn to deal with it.”However, the experimental church service also showed the limits to implementing artificial AI in church, or in religion. There was no real interaction between the believers and the chatbot, which wasn't able to respond to the laughter or any other reactions by the churchgoers as a human pastor would have been able to do.“The pastor is in the congregation, she lives with them, she buries the people, she knows them from the beginning," Simmerlein said. “Artificial intelligence cannot do that. It does not know the congregation.”___

Can a chatbot preach? Hundreds attend church to find out

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;welcomed hundreds to the White House on Saturday for a delayed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-pride-lgbtq-white-house-ddd40bb1a1110654b9d836e87507db51">Pride Month celebration</a>&nbsp;aimed at showing LGBTQ+ people that his administration has their back at a time when advocates are warning of a spike in discriminatory legislation, particularly aimed at the transgender community, sweeping through statehouses.

The event, which the administration described as the largest Pride event hosted at the White House, was initially scheduled for Thursday, but was postponed because of poor air quality from hazardous air flowing in from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-canada-quebec-smoke-new-york-washington-86eb7685c5330c548fd93891fffcfd65">Canadian wildfires</a>. But the haze that blanketed a huge swath of the East Coast this past week had lifted over the nation's capital, allowing the president and first lady Jill Biden to hold their South Lawn party.

“So today, I want to send a message to the entire community — especially to transgender children: You are loved. You are heard. You're understood. And you belong,” Biden said.

Pride Month is being celebrated this year as state lawmakers have introduced at least 525 bills and enacted 78 bills that whittle away at LGBTQ+ rights, according to the Human Rights Campaign, a group that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer rights.

That tally includes a recent flurry of bills that affect transgender people, including legislation recently passed by Republican governors vying for the 2024 presidential nomination.

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-desantis-florida-033556c6a4c301d9ad342c74a6410800">recently signed a bill</a>&nbsp;into that bans gender-affirming medical care such as puberty blockers or hormone therapy for transgender youths. Earlier in the week, a federal judge temporarily blocked portions of a law that DeSantis signed shortly before announcing that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ron-desantis-2024-presidential-election-live-updates-0495d567326db1e760179d01f1f7c45e">he was running for president.</a>

In North Dakota, Gov. Doug Burgum last month signed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-dakota-transgender-pronouns-bill-senate-4e5df2f2c3c456e1f9b6a173c7cac4b7">a bill that prohibits public schools and government entities</a>&nbsp;from requiring teachers and employees to refer to transgender people by the pronouns they use. Burgum, who like DeSantis has made culture issues a central part of his tenure as governor,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/doug-burgum-north-dakota-president-1b187576423968c422d2adbd70c9b3dc">joined the White House primary field</a>.

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/joshhelfgott/reels/?hl=en">Josh Helfgott</a>, an LGBTQ+ activist and social media influencer from New York City, said marking Pride Month at the White House felt like one of the most important moments of his life. But he said the tide of legislation added another layer to this year’s celebrations.

“Pride this year is so important because we cannot be silent when faced with hate and bigotry,” Helfgott said “The other side is so loud, incredibly loud. ”

Anjali Rimi of San Francisco attended the White House event with her mother, who recently immigrated from India.

Rimi came to the United States more than 20 years ago because, she said, she was shunned by family and society as a transgender person.

Times were tough in the United States, too, she said. She was pushed out of a job after she came out, was homeless for a time, and took asylum in Canada for about a decade before returning to the United States.

“It’s a moment that we are going to cherish for a lifetime,” said Rimi, an activist in San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community. "This is a joyful moment, but it’s also one that reminds us that we have so much work to do.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686427144852.png" alt="White House photo" />
 <figcaption>White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;welcomed hundreds to the White House on Saturday for a delayed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-pride-lgbtq-white-house-ddd40bb1a1110654b9d836e87507db51">Pride Month celebration</a>&nbsp;aimed at showing LGBTQ+ people that his administration has their back at a time when advocates are warning of a spike in discriminatory legislation, particularly aimed at the transgender community, sweeping through statehouses.(Click to watch a replay of the party)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F291855209850412%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=28" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>The event, which the administration described as the largest Pride event hosted at the White House, was initially scheduled for Thursday, but was postponed because of poor air quality from hazardous air flowing in from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-canada-quebec-smoke-new-york-washington-86eb7685c5330c548fd93891fffcfd65">Canadian wildfires</a>. But the haze that blanketed a huge swath of the East Coast this past week had lifted over the nation's capital, allowing the president and first lady Jill Biden to hold their South Lawn party.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">June 10, 2023. The largest Pride Month celebration ever held at the White House. <a href="https://t.co/UPs0PBBSZR">pic.twitter.com/UPs0PBBSZR</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1667701935284137985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“So today, I want to send a message to the entire community — especially to transgender children: You are loved. You are heard. You're understood. And you belong,” Biden said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The Biden-Harris Administration stands with the LGBTQI+ community and has their backs in the face of these attacks. <a href="https://t.co/GX2hw0Fd4t">pic.twitter.com/GX2hw0Fd4t</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1667533172983185409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Pride Month is being celebrated this year as state lawmakers have introduced at least 525 bills and enacted 78 bills that whittle away at LGBTQ+ rights, according to the Human Rights Campaign, a group that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer rights.That tally includes a recent flurry of bills that affect transgender people, including legislation recently passed by Republican governors vying for the 2024 presidential nomination.In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-desantis-florida-033556c6a4c301d9ad342c74a6410800">recently signed a bill</a>&nbsp;into that bans gender-affirming medical care such as puberty blockers or hormone therapy for transgender youths. Earlier in the week, a federal judge temporarily blocked portions of a law that DeSantis signed shortly before announcing that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ron-desantis-2024-presidential-election-live-updates-0495d567326db1e760179d01f1f7c45e">he was running for president.</a>In North Dakota, Gov. Doug Burgum last month signed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-dakota-transgender-pronouns-bill-senate-4e5df2f2c3c456e1f9b6a173c7cac4b7">a bill that prohibits public schools and government entities</a>&nbsp;from requiring teachers and employees to refer to transgender people by the pronouns they use. Burgum, who like DeSantis has made culture issues a central part of his tenure as governor,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/doug-burgum-north-dakota-president-1b187576423968c422d2adbd70c9b3dc">joined the White House primary field</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today, the People&#39;s House – your house – sends a clear message to the country and to the world. America is a nation of pride. <a href="https://t.co/ZZS9oTpDww">pic.twitter.com/ZZS9oTpDww</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1667715777145847808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><a href="https://www.instagram.com/joshhelfgott/reels/?hl=en">Josh Helfgott</a>, an LGBTQ+ activist and social media influencer from New York City, said marking Pride Month at the White House felt like one of the most important moments of his life. But he said the tide of legislation added another layer to this year’s celebrations.“Pride this year is so important because we cannot be silent when faced with hate and bigotry,” Helfgott said “The other side is so loud, incredibly loud. ”Anjali Rimi of San Francisco attended the White House event with her mother, who recently immigrated from India.Rimi came to the United States more than 20 years ago because, she said, she was shunned by family and society as a transgender person.Times were tough in the United States, too, she said. She was pushed out of a job after she came out, was homeless for a time, and took asylum in Canada for about a decade before returning to the United States.“It’s a moment that we are going to cherish for a lifetime,” said Rimi, an activist in San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community. "This is a joyful moment, but it’s also one that reminds us that we have so much work to do.”

🎥Biden marks LGBTQ+ Pride Month with White House lawn party

By Paul Hammel <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/02/08/state-approved-use-of-pesticide-coated-seed-corn-for-ethanol-plant-a-decade-ago/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — The state license of a Scottsbluff mental health counselor has been revoked for engaging in a three-year sexual relationship with a client.

Michael L. Leach recently agreed to a revocation lasting at least two years following an investigation by the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office on behalf of the State Health and Human Services Department.

Leach had been licensed as a mental health practitioner, a counselor and a drug and alcohol counselor.

The petition seeking disciplinary action by the Attorney General’s Office stated that Leach had treated a woman for post-traumatic stress and depression following her hospitalization in 2014.

Two years later, the relationship became sexual, and that continued until the client ended it in 2019.

It is “unprofessional conduct” for such a practitioner to engage in a “sexually intimate, dating or romantic relationship” with a client during counseling or within five years of ending such services, according to state rules governing such state licenses.

The revocation settlement was signed May 10.

Leach, when reached, said he cooperated fully in the investigation and took full responsibility for his actions.

“I am sorry for the harm and suffering I have caused,” he said.

By Paul Hammel <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/02/08/state-approved-use-of-pesticide-coated-seed-corn-for-ethanol-plant-a-decade-ago/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — The state license of a Scottsbluff mental health counselor has been revoked for engaging in a three-year sexual relationship with a client.Michael L. Leach recently agreed to a revocation lasting at least two years following an investigation by the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office on behalf of the State Health and Human Services Department.Leach had been licensed as a mental health practitioner, a counselor and a drug and alcohol counselor.The petition seeking disciplinary action by the Attorney General’s Office stated that Leach had treated a woman for post-traumatic stress and depression following her hospitalization in 2014.Two years later, the relationship became sexual, and that continued until the client ended it in 2019.It is “unprofessional conduct” for such a practitioner to engage in a “sexually intimate, dating or romantic relationship” with a client during counseling or within five years of ending such services, according to state rules governing such state licenses.The revocation settlement was signed May 10.Leach, when reached, said he cooperated fully in the investigation and took full responsibility for his actions.“I am sorry for the harm and suffering I have caused,” he said.

State revokes license of Scottsbluff mental health practitioner

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Mention televised legislative debates, and what may come to mind are stuffy, policy-wonk discussions broadcast by C-SPAN. This year's Nebraska Legislature was more like a reality TV show, with culture-war rhetoric, open hostility among lawmakers, name-calling, yelling and more.

Many Nebraskans couldn't get enough of it.

“It was addictive,” said Jamie Bonkiewicz, 41, of Omaha. “If I wasn’t there, I was streaming it every day, just to hear what would come out of those senators’ mouths.”

Watching on television, streaming on computers and phones, following along in their cars, Nebraskans seemed captivated by what was easily one of the body's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-legislature-filibuster-nonpartisan-814790373744b59cd1822f472f6ab3ec">most acrimonious sessions</a>&nbsp;on record.

“Watching the Nebraska Legislature is like watching the worst train wreck that won’t end and the hits just keep coming,” Megan Moslander of Omaha tweeted when lawmakers triggered a constitutional challenge by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-transgender-ban-nebraska-filibuster-b0b88845d29f1aaadf7936b7304a0507">combining</a>&nbsp;restrictions on abortion and trangender health care into a single bill.

Many viewers tuned in as national media attention focused on a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/filibuster-transgender-gender-affirming-therapy-bill-nebraska-cavanaugh-b9018fd1bf72112ca984ff58679eda6d">filibuster</a>&nbsp;by Omaha Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh. They stayed for the surrounding turmoil.

Cavanaugh, 44, and a handful of other progressive lawmakers vowed to block every bill — even ones they supported — in an attempt to derail a proposed ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Conservative lawmakers dug in on other hot-button bills to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-health-nebraska-omaha-06b7febb41715e7e0b28ae3a2b62c6ca">restrict abortions</a>, loosen&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/constitutional-carry-bill-nebraska-a8168215d00c1e4bf51017e82e8da80b">gun laws</a>&nbsp;and divert public money to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/private-school-scholarships-nebraska-taxpayers-c7be118aa5a43b3ebc2da82aacaa4e29">private school scholarships</a>.

So much for Nebraska nice: Again and again during the 90-day session, lawmakers called each other “trash” and “garbage,” accused each other of unethical behavior and angrily swore retribution for various offenses. Cavanaugh amplified the protesters' chants and accused fellow lawmakers of pursuing genocide against trans kids.

There were silly moments, too: To hold the floor, she offered a recipe for pesto and deliberated over her favorite Girl Scout cookies and Omaha’s best doughnuts.

Art and Carolyn Wagner, retirees in Pleasant Dale, tuned in constantly.

“When we heard about the filibuster, that's when we started watching it on TV,” he said. “We had it on almost every day, probably for four to six hours a day. Some days, we watched it all day until the end — 10 hours or more.”

As with most state legislatures, Nebraska's floor debate can been viewed live on public television or streamed online. But unlike most others, it doesn't make an archive available. A group following the Legislature began posting debates to its YouTube channel, but it hasn't been widely publicized and the footage can take more than a day to appear.

That wasn't soon enough for many who wanted to catch what would happen next.

Bonkiewicz had little interest in the legislative process until she discovered last year that a family member had founded the far-right Nebraskans for Founders’ Values group. She vowed to become more involved in confronting what she sees as growing extremism and, when she wasn't protesting or meeting with lawmakers, she streamed the action live.

“It was chaos. It was like reality TV,” she said. “I've watched ‘Real Housewives’ and other reality shows, and it's addictive like that, the drama of it.”

Nebraska Public Media, which televises and streams the debates, said technology privacy policies make gauging viewership difficult, but it appeared to be up based on how many people called seeking help to tune in.

Nebraska lawmakers took notice as citizens weighed in on both sides.

“I mean, you should see our emails,” said Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, a conservative who authored the successful scholarship bill. “We've gotten thousands and thousands of people commenting on legislation and debate. And they say they're watching it all.”

Cavanaugh said family members and friends in New York, Los Angeles, St. Louis and Nashville, Tennessee, told her their friends and family were watching after her filibuster made national news. She's been overwhelmed with the response.

“The number of people reaching out saying they've been watching is astounding,” Cavanaugh said. “It's been thousands of people. I've been in the Legislature five years now, and stayed pretty anonymous for four of them. Now I have people stopping me at the grocery store. People stop me at Lowe's. They stop me at my kids' games.”

For years on the chamber floor, lawmakers mostly ignored the stationary cameras. This year, many began looking directly into the lenses and appealing to "those watching live.”

The Legislature has seen its share of drama in years past, but much of it came before livestreaming was available, said Ari Kohen, a professor of political theory and philosophy at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The pandemic changed the dynamic, with people turning to streaming to combat boredom. Then came the filibuster, as conservatives&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lgbtq-laws-states-gender-affirming-zephyr-fc2528326823c8232cb0aaa7ece0beab">nationwide</a>&nbsp;pushed culture war attacks on abortion rights and transgender identity, Kohen said.

As the country’s only officially nonpartisan, single-chamber legislative body, the unique makeup of the Nebraska Legislature also helped viewers track what was going on. There are only 49 seats, all held by part-time, citizen-lawmakers who tend to use everyday language in their debates, Kohen said.

“There are the characters you’re rooting for and the characters you don’t like,” he said.

The drama peaked when Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar, who at 27 has become one of the body's most conservative members, hobbled in from a hospital, two other lawmakers keeping her vertical, to cast the final vote needed to pass the abortion-transgender bill. The chamber echoed with the howls of protesters in the rotunda, just outside the doors.

Kohen compared it to watching a reality cooking show — you don't need to know your way around the kitchen to get hooked.

Nebraskans now have to wait until January 2024 for the next installment, featuring conservatives pushing for more abortion restrictions and progressives vowing to thwart them, along with rule changes to stymie another epic filibuster.

“They very clearly told people they would be back for season two,” Kohen said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661523699684.png" alt="The Nebraska State Capitol Building -photo Rebecca S. Gratz for Nebraska Examiner" />
 <figcaption>The Nebraska State Capitol Building -photo Rebecca S. Gratz for Nebraska Examiner</figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Mention televised legislative debates, and what may come to mind are stuffy, policy-wonk discussions broadcast by C-SPAN. This year's Nebraska Legislature was more like a reality TV show, with culture-war rhetoric, open hostility among lawmakers, name-calling, yelling and more.Many Nebraskans couldn't get enough of it.“It was addictive,” said Jamie Bonkiewicz, 41, of Omaha. “If I wasn’t there, I was streaming it every day, just to hear what would come out of those senators’ mouths.”Watching on television, streaming on computers and phones, following along in their cars, Nebraskans seemed captivated by what was easily one of the body's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-legislature-filibuster-nonpartisan-814790373744b59cd1822f472f6ab3ec">most acrimonious sessions</a>&nbsp;on record.“Watching the Nebraska Legislature is like watching the worst train wreck that won’t end and the hits just keep coming,” Megan Moslander of Omaha tweeted when lawmakers triggered a constitutional challenge by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-transgender-ban-nebraska-filibuster-b0b88845d29f1aaadf7936b7304a0507">combining</a>&nbsp;restrictions on abortion and trangender health care into a single bill.Many viewers tuned in as national media attention focused on a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/filibuster-transgender-gender-affirming-therapy-bill-nebraska-cavanaugh-b9018fd1bf72112ca984ff58679eda6d">filibuster</a>&nbsp;by Omaha Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh. They stayed for the surrounding turmoil.Cavanaugh, 44, and a handful of other progressive lawmakers vowed to block every bill — even ones they supported — in an attempt to derail a proposed ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Conservative lawmakers dug in on other hot-button bills to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-health-nebraska-omaha-06b7febb41715e7e0b28ae3a2b62c6ca">restrict abortions</a>, loosen&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/constitutional-carry-bill-nebraska-a8168215d00c1e4bf51017e82e8da80b">gun laws</a>&nbsp;and divert public money to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/private-school-scholarships-nebraska-taxpayers-c7be118aa5a43b3ebc2da82aacaa4e29">private school scholarships</a>.So much for Nebraska nice: Again and again during the 90-day session, lawmakers called each other “trash” and “garbage,” accused each other of unethical behavior and angrily swore retribution for various offenses. Cavanaugh amplified the protesters' chants and accused fellow lawmakers of pursuing genocide against trans kids.There were silly moments, too: To hold the floor, she offered a recipe for pesto and deliberated over her favorite Girl Scout cookies and Omaha’s best doughnuts.Art and Carolyn Wagner, retirees in Pleasant Dale, tuned in constantly.“When we heard about the filibuster, that's when we started watching it on TV,” he said. “We had it on almost every day, probably for four to six hours a day. Some days, we watched it all day until the end — 10 hours or more.”As with most state legislatures, Nebraska's floor debate can been viewed live on public television or streamed online. But unlike most others, it doesn't make an archive available. A group following the Legislature began posting debates to its YouTube channel, but it hasn't been widely publicized and the footage can take more than a day to appear.That wasn't soon enough for many who wanted to catch what would happen next.Bonkiewicz had little interest in the legislative process until she discovered last year that a family member had founded the far-right Nebraskans for Founders’ Values group. She vowed to become more involved in confronting what she sees as growing extremism and, when she wasn't protesting or meeting with lawmakers, she streamed the action live.“It was chaos. It was like reality TV,” she said. “I've watched ‘Real Housewives’ and other reality shows, and it's addictive like that, the drama of it.”Nebraska Public Media, which televises and streams the debates, said technology privacy policies make gauging viewership difficult, but it appeared to be up based on how many people called seeking help to tune in.Nebraska lawmakers took notice as citizens weighed in on both sides.“I mean, you should see our emails,” said Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, a conservative who authored the successful scholarship bill. “We've gotten thousands and thousands of people commenting on legislation and debate. And they say they're watching it all.”Cavanaugh said family members and friends in New York, Los Angeles, St. Louis and Nashville, Tennessee, told her their friends and family were watching after her filibuster made national news. She's been overwhelmed with the response.“The number of people reaching out saying they've been watching is astounding,” Cavanaugh said. “It's been thousands of people. I've been in the Legislature five years now, and stayed pretty anonymous for four of them. Now I have people stopping me at the grocery store. People stop me at Lowe's. They stop me at my kids' games.”For years on the chamber floor, lawmakers mostly ignored the stationary cameras. This year, many began looking directly into the lenses and appealing to "those watching live.”The Legislature has seen its share of drama in years past, but much of it came before livestreaming was available, said Ari Kohen, a professor of political theory and philosophy at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.The pandemic changed the dynamic, with people turning to streaming to combat boredom. Then came the filibuster, as conservatives&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lgbtq-laws-states-gender-affirming-zephyr-fc2528326823c8232cb0aaa7ece0beab">nationwide</a>&nbsp;pushed culture war attacks on abortion rights and transgender identity, Kohen said.As the country’s only officially nonpartisan, single-chamber legislative body, the unique makeup of the Nebraska Legislature also helped viewers track what was going on. There are only 49 seats, all held by part-time, citizen-lawmakers who tend to use everyday language in their debates, Kohen said.“There are the characters you’re rooting for and the characters you don’t like,” he said.The drama peaked when Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar, who at 27 has become one of the body's most conservative members, hobbled in from a hospital, two other lawmakers keeping her vertical, to cast the final vote needed to pass the abortion-transgender bill. The chamber echoed with the howls of protesters in the rotunda, just outside the doors.Kohen compared it to watching a reality cooking show — you don't need to know your way around the kitchen to get hooked.Nebraskans now have to wait until January 2024 for the next installment, featuring conservatives pushing for more abortion restrictions and progressives vowing to thwart them, along with rule changes to stymie another epic filibuster.“They very clearly told people they would be back for season two,” Kohen said.

Nebraska Legislature as reality TV, featuring filibuster and culture war drama

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

For the first time in history, the White House has launched a national plan to address gender-based violence on a federal level, introducing seven strategic action plans to help communities across the United States.

“As long as there are women in this country and around the world who live in fear of violence, there’s more we have to do to fulfill this sacred commitment,” President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/National-Plan-to-End-GBV.pdf">said in the U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence</a>. “No one — no one, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, should experience abuse. Period. And if they do, they should have the services and support they need to get through it.”

Gender-based violence is a public safety and public health crisis, according to the White House, and it is affecting urban, suburban, rural and tribal communities across the U.S.

The national plan defines gender-based violence as any harmful threat or act directed at an individual or group based on actual or perceived sex, gender, gender identity, sex characteristics or sexual orientation.

Gender-based violence impacts all populations, but the experiences of persons of color are disproportionately affected. The national plan reported that Black women and Indigenous women are killed by a current or former partner at a rate 2.5 times that of white women.

An estimated 56% of Indigenous women have reported experiencing sexual violence in their lifetime, more than 55% have experienced physical violence by an intimate partner and 49% have experienced stalking, according to the White House’s plan.

“Gender-based violence violates fundamental human rights, destroys communities, and fosters social inequities,” Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a press release. “Identifying and preventing these crimes is a top department priority, underscored by this first-ever national plan and the government’s collective commitment to this cause.”

The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey reported that more than half of women (54.3%) and nearly one-third (31%) of men in the United States had reported some form of sexual violence victimization in their lifetimes.

The rate of intimate partner violence of women was seven times the rate of men, according to National Crime Victimization Survey, and the rate of rape or sexual assault of women was also seven times the rate of men.

The White House launched the national plan on May 25, resulting from the Biden administration’s Gender Policy Council, which was established in 2021.

“Sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, and human trafficking are serious violent crimes that make our nation less equal and less just,” Acting Director Allison Randall of the Office on Violence Against Women&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-highlights-initiatives-prevent-and-address-gender-based-violence">said in a press release</a>.

“Only a comprehensive response that is deeply informed by survivors and historically marginalized communities can end gender-based violence,” Randall added.

The seven strategic pillars part of the national plan include: prevention; support, healing, safety, and well-being; economic security and housing stability; online safety; legal and justice systems; emergency preparedness and crisis response; and research and data.

The White House said that these strategies are building upon existing federal initiatives, and the national plan will provide an essential framework for strengthening ongoing federal action and interagency collaboration.

Each strategic pillar identifies different goals and objectives to help address gender-based violence. For instance, the prevention pillar outlines three goals which include: Enhancing and promoting gender-based violence prevention; enhancing dissemination and implementation of gender-based violence prevention strategies; and improving prevention efforts to change social norms that support or condone gender-based violence and to promote healthy and respectful relationships across the life course.

The national plan serves as a framework for federal agencies and other stakeholders working to end gender-based violence. It is intended to inform and guide federal and nonfederal entities’ research, policy development, program planning, service delivery, and other efforts.

This story originally appeared in the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.azmirror.com/blog/white-house-launches-national-plan-to-address-gender-based-violence-in-the-u-s/">Arizona Mirror</a>, a States Newsroom affiliate.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686408349629.png" alt="Jennifer Klein is Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Gender Policy Council" />
 <figcaption>Jennifer Klein is Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Gender Policy Council</figcaption>
 </figure>By Shondiin Silversmith&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>For the first time in history, the White House has launched a national plan to address gender-based violence on a federal level, introducing seven strategic action plans to help communities across the United States.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The Biden-Harris Administration is proud to announce the launch of the first-ever U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, a critical roadmap to guide the Federal government’s future efforts to address and prevent GBV. 1/2<a href="https://t.co/qf39PRkaD2">https://t.co/qf39PRkaD2</a> <a href="https://t.co/ph2fug2YfQ">pic.twitter.com/ph2fug2YfQ</a>&mdash; White House Gender Policy Council (@WhiteHouseGPC) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouseGPC/status/1661818724947558400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“As long as there are women in this country and around the world who live in fear of violence, there’s more we have to do to fulfill this sacred commitment,” President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/National-Plan-to-End-GBV.pdf">said in the U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence</a>. “No one — no one, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, should experience abuse. Period. And if they do, they should have the services and support they need to get through it.”Gender-based violence is a public safety and public health crisis, according to the White House, and it is affecting urban, suburban, rural and tribal communities across the U.S.The national plan defines gender-based violence as any harmful threat or act directed at an individual or group based on actual or perceived sex, gender, gender identity, sex characteristics or sexual orientation.Gender-based violence impacts all populations, but the experiences of persons of color are disproportionately affected. The national plan reported that Black women and Indigenous women are killed by a current or former partner at a rate 2.5 times that of white women.An estimated 56% of Indigenous women have reported experiencing sexual violence in their lifetime, more than 55% have experienced physical violence by an intimate partner and 49% have experienced stalking, according to the White House’s plan.“Gender-based violence violates fundamental human rights, destroys communities, and fosters social inequities,” Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a press release. “Identifying and preventing these crimes is a top department priority, underscored by this first-ever national plan and the government’s collective commitment to this cause.”The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey reported that more than half of women (54.3%) and nearly one-third (31%) of men in the United States had reported some form of sexual violence victimization in their lifetimes.The rate of intimate partner violence of women was seven times the rate of men, according to National Crime Victimization Survey, and the rate of rape or sexual assault of women was also seven times the rate of men.The White House launched the national plan on May 25, resulting from the Biden administration’s Gender Policy Council, which was established in 2021.“Sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, and human trafficking are serious violent crimes that make our nation less equal and less just,” Acting Director Allison Randall of the Office on Violence Against Women&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-highlights-initiatives-prevent-and-address-gender-based-violence">said in a press release</a>.“Only a comprehensive response that is deeply informed by survivors and historically marginalized communities can end gender-based violence,” Randall added.The seven strategic pillars part of the national plan include: prevention; support, healing, safety, and well-being; economic security and housing stability; online safety; legal and justice systems; emergency preparedness and crisis response; and research and data.The White House said that these strategies are building upon existing federal initiatives, and the national plan will provide an essential framework for strengthening ongoing federal action and interagency collaboration.Each strategic pillar identifies different goals and objectives to help address gender-based violence. For instance, the prevention pillar outlines three goals which include: Enhancing and promoting gender-based violence prevention; enhancing dissemination and implementation of gender-based violence prevention strategies; and improving prevention efforts to change social norms that support or condone gender-based violence and to promote healthy and respectful relationships across the life course.The national plan serves as a framework for federal agencies and other stakeholders working to end gender-based violence. It is intended to inform and guide federal and nonfederal entities’ research, policy development, program planning, service delivery, and other efforts.This story originally appeared in the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.azmirror.com/blog/white-house-launches-national-plan-to-address-gender-based-violence-in-the-u-s/">Arizona Mirror</a>, a States Newsroom affiliate.&nbsp;This story originally appeared in the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.azmirror.com/blog/white-house-launches-national-plan-to-address-gender-based-violence-in-the-u-s/">Arizona Mirror</a>, a States Newsroom affiliate.&nbsp;

White House launches national plan to address gender-based violence 

MANCHESTER, Mo. (AP) — A 54-year-old man died after eating raw oysters from a seafood stand in the St. Louis suburb of Manchester, health officials announced Friday.

Officials are urging the public to dispose of any oysters purchased recently from the business.

The culprit in Thursday's death is the Vibrio bacteria, which doesn’t make an oyster look, smell, or taste any different. The oysters were probably already contaminated when they arrived at the stand, St. Louis County Public Health said in a news release. The man had eaten them sometime in the past week.

The release said the business is cooperating with the investigation and that there is no evidence that the business did anything to contaminate them. Health officials are trying to determine their source.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686408636553.png" alt="Image of oblong-shaped, Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria -CDC" />
 <figcaption>Image of oblong-shaped, Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria -CDC</figcaption>
 </figure>MANCHESTER, Mo. (AP) — A 54-year-old man died after eating raw oysters from a seafood stand in the St. Louis suburb of Manchester, health officials announced Friday.Officials are urging the public to dispose of any oysters purchased recently from the business.The culprit in Thursday's death is the Vibrio bacteria, which doesn’t make an oyster look, smell, or taste any different. The oysters were probably already contaminated when they arrived at the stand, St. Louis County Public Health said in a news release. The man had eaten them sometime in the past week.The release said the business is cooperating with the investigation and that there is no evidence that the business did anything to contaminate them. Health officials are trying to determine their source.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 80,000 people get vibriosis in the U.S. each year, and about 100 people die from it.