WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led House passed a bill Thursday that would bar federally supported schools and colleges from allowing transgender athletes whose biological sex assigned at birth was male to compete on girls or women's sports teams.

The legislation approved by a 219-203 vote is unlikely to advance further because the Democratic-led Senate will not support it and the White House said President Joe Biden would veto it.

Supporters said the legislation, which would put violators at risk of losing taxpayer dollars, is necessary to ensure competitive fairness. They framed the vote as supporting female athletes disadvantaged by having to compete against those whose gender identify does not match their sex assigned at birth. Opponents criticized the bill as ostracizing an already vulnerable group for political gain.

The House action comes as at least&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-sports-ban-north-carolina-e09882f3f3e2ace72de2004d2f438a7e">20 other states</a>&nbsp;have imposed similar limits on trans athletes at the K-12 or collegiate level.

The bill would amend landmark civil rights legislation passed more than 50 years ago. The amendment would prohibit recipients of federal money from permitting a person “whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.” The bill defines sex as “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”

The sponsor, Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., highlighted the case of Emma Weyant, a resident of his district and a 2020 member of the U.S. Olympic swimming team who finished second in the NCAA women’s 500-yeard freestyle championship last year. She was defeated by Lia Thomas, who had competed for three years on the University of Pennsylvania men’s swimming team before joining the women’s team.

“The integrity of women’s sports must be protected,” Steube said.

Rep. Aaron Bean, R- Fla, said that every time a male takes a lane in the pool or at the starting line, a female athlete loses the opportunity to compete.

“We are in a battle for the very survival of women’s sports,” Bean said.

Democrats said every child regardless of gender identify deserves the opportunity to belong to a team and that preventing competitors from doing so sends the message that they don’t matter.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who has a transgender daughter, said Republicans were cruelly scapegoating transgender children to score political points. She said three-quarters of transgender students report having experienced harassment or discrimination at school and many have considered suicide.

“These bills tell some of the most vulnerable children in our country that they do not belong," Jayapal said. "Shame on you.”

Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., said most people in the United States don’t know anyone who is transgender and that can create fear for politicians to exploit. The bill, he said, does nothing to address the severe inequities in the resources dedicated to men’s and women’s sports.

He highlighted the stance taken by Gov. Spencer Cox, R-Utah, who last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-health-legislature-mental-health-utah-f0e76dad68c1dd9986cee0be1b057cef">vetoed</a>&nbsp;a bill banning transgender students from playing girls sports. Cox said: “I struggle to understand so much of it and the science is conflicting. When in doubt however, I always try to err on the side of kindness, mercy and compassion."

Pocan noted that in Utah at the time of the veto there were four transgender players out of 85,000 competing in high school sports, with only one competing in girls sports.

“There’s your raging national problem,” Pocan said. “What’s the Republicans response to this nonexistent issue? Hurt kids for being kids.”

In a message this week threatening a veto, the White House said that being part of a team is an important part of growing up, staying engaged in school and learning leadership and life skills. It said a national ban that does not account for competitiveness or grade level targets people for who they are and is discriminatory.

The administration also has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trans-athletes-sports-ban-2f6cf412d306e73e68efa2377fb5081a">issued a proposed rule</a>&nbsp;that would prevent any school or college that receives federal money from imposing a “one-size-fits-all” policy that categorically bans trans students from playing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity. Such policies would be considered a violation of Title IX.

Any limits would have to consider the sport, the level of competition and the age of students. Elementary school students would generally be allowed to participate on any teams consistent with their gender identity, for example. More competitive teams at high schools and colleges could add limits, but those would be discouraged in teams that don’t have tryouts or cuts.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682003635674.png" alt="House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. speaks ahead of the vote -photo courtesy House GOP" />
 <figcaption>House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. speaks ahead of the vote -photo courtesy House GOP</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led House passed a bill Thursday that would bar federally supported schools and colleges from allowing transgender athletes whose biological sex assigned at birth was male to compete on girls or women's sports teams.The legislation approved by a 219-203 vote is unlikely to advance further because the Democratic-led Senate will not support it and the White House said President Joe Biden would veto it.Supporters said the legislation, which would put violators at risk of losing taxpayer dollars, is necessary to ensure competitive fairness. They framed the vote as supporting female athletes disadvantaged by having to compete against those whose gender identify does not match their sex assigned at birth. Opponents criticized the bill as ostracizing an already vulnerable group for political gain.The House action comes as at least&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-sports-ban-north-carolina-e09882f3f3e2ace72de2004d2f438a7e">20 other states</a>&nbsp;have imposed similar limits on trans athletes at the K-12 or collegiate level.The bill would amend landmark civil rights legislation passed more than 50 years ago. The amendment would prohibit recipients of federal money from permitting a person “whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.” The bill defines sex as “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”The sponsor, Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., highlighted the case of Emma Weyant, a resident of his district and a 2020 member of the U.S. Olympic swimming team who finished second in the NCAA women’s 500-yeard freestyle championship last year. She was defeated by Lia Thomas, who had competed for three years on the University of Pennsylvania men’s swimming team before joining the women’s team.“The integrity of women’s sports must be protected,” Steube said.Rep. Aaron Bean, R- Fla, said that every time a male takes a lane in the pool or at the starting line, a female athlete loses the opportunity to compete.“We are in a battle for the very survival of women’s sports,” Bean said.Democrats said every child regardless of gender identify deserves the opportunity to belong to a team and that preventing competitors from doing so sends the message that they don’t matter.Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who has a transgender daughter, said Republicans were cruelly scapegoating transgender children to score political points. She said three-quarters of transgender students report having experienced harassment or discrimination at school and many have considered suicide.“These bills tell some of the most vulnerable children in our country that they do not belong," Jayapal said. "Shame on you.”Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., said most people in the United States don’t know anyone who is transgender and that can create fear for politicians to exploit. The bill, he said, does nothing to address the severe inequities in the resources dedicated to men’s and women’s sports.He highlighted the stance taken by Gov. Spencer Cox, R-Utah, who last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-health-legislature-mental-health-utah-f0e76dad68c1dd9986cee0be1b057cef">vetoed</a>&nbsp;a bill banning transgender students from playing girls sports. Cox said: “I struggle to understand so much of it and the science is conflicting. When in doubt however, I always try to err on the side of kindness, mercy and compassion."Pocan noted that in Utah at the time of the veto there were four transgender players out of 85,000 competing in high school sports, with only one competing in girls sports.“There’s your raging national problem,” Pocan said. “What’s the Republicans response to this nonexistent issue? Hurt kids for being kids.”In a message this week threatening a veto, the White House said that being part of a team is an important part of growing up, staying engaged in school and learning leadership and life skills. It said a national ban that does not account for competitiveness or grade level targets people for who they are and is discriminatory.The administration also has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trans-athletes-sports-ban-2f6cf412d306e73e68efa2377fb5081a">issued a proposed rule</a>&nbsp;that would prevent any school or college that receives federal money from imposing a “one-size-fits-all” policy that categorically bans trans students from playing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity. Such policies would be considered a violation of Title IX.Any limits would have to consider the sport, the level of competition and the age of students. Elementary school students would generally be allowed to participate on any teams consistent with their gender identity, for example. More competitive teams at high schools and colleges could add limits, but those would be discouraged in teams that don’t have tryouts or cuts.

House passes trans athlete ban for girls and women's sports

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) — SpaceX’s giant new rocket blasted off on its first test flight Thursday but exploded minutes after rising from the launch pad and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.

Elon Musk’s company was aiming to send the nearly 400-foot (120-meter) Starship rocket on a round-the-world trip from the southern tip of Texas, near the Mexican border. It carried no people or satellites.

The plan called for the booster to peel away from the spacecraft minutes after liftoff, but that didn't happen. The rocket began to tumble and then exploded four minutes into the flight, plummeting into the gulf. After separating, the spacecraft was supposed to continue east and attempt to circle the world, before crashing into the Pacific near Hawaii.

Throngs of spectators watched from South Padre Island, several miles away from the Boca Chica Beach launch site, which was off limits. As it lifted off, the crowd screamed: “Go, baby, go!”

The company plans to use&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/spacex-musk-starship-launch-test-flight-11de145e989e0534b6399640bc437b8e">Starship</a>&nbsp;to send people and cargo to the moon and, eventually, Mars. NASA has reserved a Starship for its next moonwalking team, and rich tourists are already booking lunar flybys.

It was the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starship-space-launch-rocket-spacex-musk-c22f4b7dc476c6ca2d44522a2f9b68a5">second launch attempt</a>. Monday’s try was scrapped by a frozen booster valve.

At 394 feet and nearly 17 million pounds of thrust, Starship easily surpasses NASA’s moon rockets — past, present and future. The stainless steel rocket is designed to be fully reusable with fast turnaround, dramatically lowering costs, similar to what SpaceX’s smaller Falcon rockets have done soaring from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Nothing was to be saved from the test flight.

The futuristic spacecraft flew several miles into the air during testing a few years ago, landing successfully only once. But this was to be the inaugural launch of the first-stage booster with 33 methane-fueled engines.

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) — SpaceX’s new rocket, the biggest and most powerful ever built, blasted off Thursday on its first test flight, thundering into the South Texas sky in an attempt to orbit the world.

Elon Musk’s company launched the nearly 400-foot (120-meter) Starship rocket from the southern tip of Texas, near the Mexican border. The plan called for the booster to peel away and plummet into the Gulf of Mexico shortly after liftoff, with the spacecraft hurtling ever higher toward the east in a bid to circle the world, before crashing into the Pacific near Hawaii.

No people or satellites were aboard for this debut launch.

Throngs of spectators watched from several miles away from the Boca Chica Beach launch site, which was off-limits.

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) — SpaceX’s giant new rocket blasted off on its first test flight Thursday but exploded minutes after rising from the launch pad and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Liftoff of Starship! <a href="https://t.co/4t8mRP37Gp">pic.twitter.com/4t8mRP37Gp</a>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1649043715686793218?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Elon Musk’s company was aiming to send the nearly 400-foot (120-meter) Starship rocket on a round-the-world trip from the southern tip of Texas, near the Mexican border. It carried no people or satellites.The plan called for the booster to peel away from the spacecraft minutes after liftoff, but that didn't happen. The rocket began to tumble and then exploded four minutes into the flight, plummeting into the gulf. After separating, the spacecraft was supposed to continue east and attempt to circle the world, before crashing into the Pacific near Hawaii.Throngs of spectators watched from South Padre Island, several miles away from the Boca Chica Beach launch site, which was off limits. As it lifted off, the crowd screamed: “Go, baby, go!”The company plans to use&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/spacex-musk-starship-launch-test-flight-11de145e989e0534b6399640bc437b8e">Starship</a>&nbsp;to send people and cargo to the moon and, eventually, Mars. NASA has reserved a Starship for its next moonwalking team, and rich tourists are already booking lunar flybys.It was the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starship-space-launch-rocket-spacex-musk-c22f4b7dc476c6ca2d44522a2f9b68a5">second launch attempt</a>. Monday’s try was scrapped by a frozen booster valve.At 394 feet and nearly 17 million pounds of thrust, Starship easily surpasses NASA’s moon rockets — past, present and future. The stainless steel rocket is designed to be fully reusable with fast turnaround, dramatically lowering costs, similar to what SpaceX’s smaller Falcon rockets have done soaring from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Nothing was to be saved from the test flight.The futuristic spacecraft flew several miles into the air during testing a few years ago, landing successfully only once. But this was to be the inaugural launch of the first-stage booster with 33 methane-fueled engines.--------------SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) — SpaceX’s new rocket, the biggest and most powerful ever built, blasted off Thursday on its first test flight, thundering into the South Texas sky in an attempt to orbit the world.Elon Musk’s company launched the nearly 400-foot (120-meter) Starship rocket from the southern tip of Texas, near the Mexican border. The plan called for the booster to peel away and plummet into the Gulf of Mexico shortly after liftoff, with the spacecraft hurtling ever higher toward the east in a bid to circle the world, before crashing into the Pacific near Hawaii.No people or satellites were aboard for this debut launch.Throngs of spectators watched from several miles away from the Boca Chica Beach launch site, which was off-limits.The company plans to use&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/spacex-musk-starship-launch-test-flight-11de145e989e0534b6399640bc437b8e">Starship</a>&nbsp;to send people and cargo to the moon and, eventually, Mars. NASA has reserved a Starship for its next moonwalking team, and rich tourists are already booking lunar flybys.It was the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starship-space-launch-rocket-spacex-musk-c22f4b7dc476c6ca2d44522a2f9b68a5">second launch attempt</a>. Monday’s try was scrapped by a frozen booster valve.

SpaceX giant rocket explodes minutes after launch from Texas

United
 States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Michael Dale Bouwens, 69,
 of Lincoln was sentenced on April 18 in Lincoln by 
Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard for receipt
 of child pornography.&nbsp; 

Bouwens was sentenced to 84 months in prison and
 will also serve 10 years on supervised release. There is no parole in 
the federal system.&nbsp; After serving his prison sentence, Bouwens will 
also be required to register as a sex offender.

In May of 2021, law enforcement reviewed a 
cybertip regarding suspected child pornography. The IP address on the 
cybertip was traced to a residence in Lincoln belonging to Bouwens.


A search warrant was executed on Bouwens’s 
residence and he was interviewed by law enforcement. He admitted that he
 had an interest in child pornography and used his laptop to search for 
child pornography
 online. He said he had last downloaded child pornography a couple days 
prior to the interview.&nbsp; A forensic review of several of the devices 
seized from Bouwens’s home contained approximately 19,666 files that 
qualify as child pornography and 262 videos of
 child pornography.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe
 Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of 
child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the 
Department of Justice.
 Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood 
marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend 
and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well
 as to identify and rescue victims. For more information
 about Project Safe Childhood, please visit <a href="http://www.justice.gov/psc" target="_blank">www.justice.gov/psc</a>.


This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

U.S. Attorney's OfficeUnited
 States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Michael Dale Bouwens, 69,
 of Lincoln was sentenced on April 18 in Lincoln by 
Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard for receipt
 of child pornography.&nbsp; Bouwens was sentenced to 84 months in prison and
 will also serve 10 years on supervised release. There is no parole in 
the federal system.&nbsp; After serving his prison sentence, Bouwens will 
also be required to register as a sex offender.In May of 2021, law enforcement reviewed a 
cybertip regarding suspected child pornography. The IP address on the 
cybertip was traced to a residence in Lincoln belonging to Bouwens.
A search warrant was executed on Bouwens’s 
residence and he was interviewed by law enforcement. He admitted that he
 had an interest in child pornography and used his laptop to search for 
child pornography
 online. He said he had last downloaded child pornography a couple days 
prior to the interview.&nbsp; A forensic review of several of the devices 
seized from Bouwens’s home contained approximately 19,666 files that 
qualify as child pornography and 262 videos of
 child pornography.This case was brought as part of Project Safe
 Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of 
child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the 
Department of Justice.
 Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood 
marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend 
and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well
 as to identify and rescue victims. For more information
 about Project Safe Childhood, please visit <a href="http://www.justice.gov/psc" target="_blank">www.justice.gov/psc</a>.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Child porn charges earn Neb. man seven years in lockup

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — American-made Patriot missiles have arrived in Ukraine, the country's defense minister said Wednesday, providing Kyiv with a long-sought new shield against the Russian airstrikes that have devastated cities and civilian infrastructure.

The U.S. agreed in October to send the surface-to-air systems, which can target aircraft, cruise missiles and shorter-range ballistic missiles such as those that Russia has used to bombard residential areas and the Ukrainian power grid.

“Today, our beautiful Ukrainian sky becomes more secure,” Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in a tweet.

The missiles are the latest contribution from Western allies, who have also pledged tanks, artillery and some types of fighter jets as Ukraine gears up for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-counteroffensive-russia-war-oleksiy-danilov-interview-6e8e4fec0916bf10a9bcd642374103f9">an expected counteroffensive</a>.

Reznikov thanked the United States, Germany and the Netherlands, without saying how many missile systems had been delivered or when they arrived.

Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said late Tuesday that delivery of the systems would be a landmark event, allowing Ukrainians to knock out Russian targets at a greater distance.

Germany’s federal government website on Tuesday listed a Patriot system as among the military items delivered within the past week to Ukraine. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock confirmed that to lawmakers Wednesday in Berlin.

Germany has also delivered the second of four medium-range IRIS-T air defense systems that it pledged last year, Baerbock said.

Reznikov said he first asked for Patriot systems when visiting the U.S. in August 2021, five months before Russia's full-scale invasion and seven years after Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula. He described possessing the system as “a dream” but said he was told in the U.S. at the time that it was “impossible.”

Ukrainian personnel have been trained on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-patriot-missile-system-explainer-b16125509161de8a7a3b4c38022534c7">Patriot battery</a>, which requires up to 90 troops to operate and maintain it.

“Our air defenders have mastered (the Patriot systems) as far as they could. And our partners have kept their word,” Reznikov wrote.

Experts have cautioned that the system’s effectiveness is limited and that it may not significantly change the shape of the war, even though it will add to Ukraine’s arsenal against its bigger enemy.

The Patriot was first deployed by the U.S. in the 1980s. The system costs approximately $4 million per missile, and the launchers cost about $10 million each, analysts say. At such a cost, it’s not advantageous to use the Patriot to shoot down the smaller, cheaper Iranian drones that Russia has been buying and using in Ukraine.

In other developments Wednesday, China denied recent reports that Chinese drones have been found on Ukraine battlefields. China has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-taiwan-weapons-germany-ukraine-2a51d2c64c12fca75683d20fbafba475">insisted that it will not help arm Russia</a>, one of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-china-defense-minister-putin-xi-military-cooperation-018129169d50f64df3a06793f89776c5">its key allies</a>.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a statement that Beijing maintains strict control over the export of drones in keeping with international standards preventing them from being used for nonpeaceful purposes.

China, which has repeatedly criticized the U.S. and other countries’ support for Ukraine as “adding fuel to the fire” of the war, has an “objective and fair stance” and seeks peace, the statement said.

Elsewhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-putin-285966d09f3b0659e29c3292ff957d3d">recently visited</a>&nbsp;Moscow-controlled parts of Ukraine’s southern Kherson and easternmost Luhansk provinces.

“The purpose of the trip was to meet with the military, whom I did not want to distract for a long time and a long distance from the deployment of the units they command,” he said.

Kyiv officials have reported daily civilian, but not military, casualties from Russian bombardment.

At least four civilians were killed and 27 others were wounded Tuesday and overnight, Ukraine’s defense ministry reported.

A 50-year-old man and 44-year-old woman were killed in a Russian airstrike on a border town in the northeastern Kharkiv region, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said in televised remarks.

Russian forces launched 12 rocket, artillery, mortar, tank and drone attacks on Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, killing one civilian at a market in the center of Kherson, the region’s namesake capital, and a nearby school, Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said.

A woman was killed and another was wounded in northern Ukraine after Russian forces shelled the border village of Richki from multiple rocket launchers, the local military administration said.

Russian forces also fired exploding drones at Ukraine’s southern Odesa region.

___ Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, Christopher Bodeen in Beijing, and Geir Moulson in Berlin, contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673396092973.png" alt="Ukrainian troops trained at Oklahoma’s Fort Sill Army base operating and maintaining the Patriot missile defense system-Photo U.S. Defense Department" />
 <figcaption>Ukrainian troops trained at Oklahoma’s Fort Sill Army base operating and maintaining the Patriot missile defense system-Photo U.S. Defense Department</figcaption>
 </figure>KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — American-made Patriot missiles have arrived in Ukraine, the country's defense minister said Wednesday, providing Kyiv with a long-sought new shield against the Russian airstrikes that have devastated cities and civilian infrastructure.The U.S. agreed in October to send the surface-to-air systems, which can target aircraft, cruise missiles and shorter-range ballistic missiles such as those that Russia has used to bombard residential areas and the Ukrainian power grid.“Today, our beautiful Ukrainian sky becomes more secure,” Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in a tweet.The missiles are the latest contribution from Western allies, who have also pledged tanks, artillery and some types of fighter jets as Ukraine gears up for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-counteroffensive-russia-war-oleksiy-danilov-interview-6e8e4fec0916bf10a9bcd642374103f9">an expected counteroffensive</a>.Reznikov thanked the United States, Germany and the Netherlands, without saying how many missile systems had been delivered or when they arrived.Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said late Tuesday that delivery of the systems would be a landmark event, allowing Ukrainians to knock out Russian targets at a greater distance.Germany’s federal government website on Tuesday listed a Patriot system as among the military items delivered within the past week to Ukraine. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock confirmed that to lawmakers Wednesday in Berlin.Germany has also delivered the second of four medium-range IRIS-T air defense systems that it pledged last year, Baerbock said.Reznikov said he first asked for Patriot systems when visiting the U.S. in August 2021, five months before Russia's full-scale invasion and seven years after Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula. He described possessing the system as “a dream” but said he was told in the U.S. at the time that it was “impossible.”Ukrainian personnel have been trained on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-patriot-missile-system-explainer-b16125509161de8a7a3b4c38022534c7">Patriot battery</a>, which requires up to 90 troops to operate and maintain it.“Our air defenders have mastered (the Patriot systems) as far as they could. And our partners have kept their word,” Reznikov wrote.Experts have cautioned that the system’s effectiveness is limited and that it may not significantly change the shape of the war, even though it will add to Ukraine’s arsenal against its bigger enemy.The Patriot was first deployed by the U.S. in the 1980s. The system costs approximately $4 million per missile, and the launchers cost about $10 million each, analysts say. At such a cost, it’s not advantageous to use the Patriot to shoot down the smaller, cheaper Iranian drones that Russia has been buying and using in Ukraine.In other developments Wednesday, China denied recent reports that Chinese drones have been found on Ukraine battlefields. China has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-taiwan-weapons-germany-ukraine-2a51d2c64c12fca75683d20fbafba475">insisted that it will not help arm Russia</a>, one of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-china-defense-minister-putin-xi-military-cooperation-018129169d50f64df3a06793f89776c5">its key allies</a>.The Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a statement that Beijing maintains strict control over the export of drones in keeping with international standards preventing them from being used for nonpeaceful purposes.China, which has repeatedly criticized the U.S. and other countries’ support for Ukraine as “adding fuel to the fire” of the war, has an “objective and fair stance” and seeks peace, the statement said.Elsewhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-putin-285966d09f3b0659e29c3292ff957d3d">recently visited</a>&nbsp;Moscow-controlled parts of Ukraine’s southern Kherson and easternmost Luhansk provinces.“The purpose of the trip was to meet with the military, whom I did not want to distract for a long time and a long distance from the deployment of the units they command,” he said.Kyiv officials have reported daily civilian, but not military, casualties from Russian bombardment.At least four civilians were killed and 27 others were wounded Tuesday and overnight, Ukraine’s defense ministry reported.A 50-year-old man and 44-year-old woman were killed in a Russian airstrike on a border town in the northeastern Kharkiv region, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said in televised remarks.Russian forces launched 12 rocket, artillery, mortar, tank and drone attacks on Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, killing one civilian at a market in the center of Kherson, the region’s namesake capital, and a nearby school, Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said.A woman was killed and another was wounded in northern Ukraine after Russian forces shelled the border village of Richki from multiple rocket launchers, the local military administration said.Russian forces also fired exploding drones at Ukraine’s southern Odesa region.___ Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, Christopher Bodeen in Beijing, and Geir Moulson in Berlin, contributed to this report.

US-made Patriot guided missile systems arrive in Ukraine

United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Dylan Roberts, 31, of Lincoln was sentenced this week in federal
court in Lincoln.&nbsp; Senior United States 
District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Roberts to 240 months in prison
 for distributing cocaine and fentanyl resulting in serious bodily 
injury.&nbsp; After serving his sentence, Roberts will
 be placed on supervised release for 4 years.&nbsp; There is no parole in the
 federal system.&nbsp;


On August 18, 2021, 
Roberts distributed cocaine to an individual at a residence in Lincoln.&nbsp;
 The individual used that substance in his vehicle outside his 
residence.&nbsp; Shortly thereafter, he lost consciousness.&nbsp;
 Emergency personnel arrived on scene and found the victim lying on the 
ground outside his home.&nbsp; The victim was transported to the hospital, 
was administered Narcan to reverse the effects of the overdose, and 
ultimately survived.&nbsp; Law enforcement seized the
 remainder of the substance sold by Roberts from the victim’s vehicle.&nbsp; A
 lab determined that the substance contained cocaine and fentanyl.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;


This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Taskforce.

U.S. Attorney's OfficeUnited States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Dylan Roberts, 31, of Lincoln was sentenced this week in federal
court in Lincoln.&nbsp; Senior United States 
District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Roberts to 240 months in prison
 for distributing cocaine and fentanyl resulting in serious bodily 
injury.&nbsp; After serving his sentence, Roberts will
 be placed on supervised release for 4 years.&nbsp; There is no parole in the
 federal system.&nbsp;
On August 18, 2021, 
Roberts distributed cocaine to an individual at a residence in Lincoln.&nbsp;
 The individual used that substance in his vehicle outside his 
residence.&nbsp; Shortly thereafter, he lost consciousness.&nbsp;
 Emergency personnel arrived on scene and found the victim lying on the 
ground outside his home.&nbsp; The victim was transported to the hospital, 
was administered Narcan to reverse the effects of the overdose, and 
ultimately survived.&nbsp; Law enforcement seized the
 remainder of the substance sold by Roberts from the victim’s vehicle.&nbsp; A
 lab determined that the substance contained cocaine and fentanyl.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Taskforce.

Neb. man gets 20 years on federal cocaine, fentanyl charges

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

LINCOLN
 — A woman who protested the approval of “constitutional carry” in the 
state will no longer be allowed in the Nebraska State Capitol or its 
grounds, except in select circumstances.

Melody Vaccaro, executive director of <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/16/nebraska-students-demand-more-gun-reform-five-years-after-national-school-walkouts/">Nebraskans Against Gun Violence</a>, shouted “Shame!” multiple times immediately after senators voted Wednesday to approve <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=49710">Legislative Bill 77</a>, proposed by State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon. The proposal, <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/19/nebraska-gives-final-passage-to-concealed-carry-of-handguns-without-permit-or-training/">approved 33-14</a>, is Brewer’s long-fought effort to remove permit and training requirements for concealed carry of a handgun.

Vaccaro told the Nebraska Examiner 
she was asked to leave the Capitol, and Nebraska State Patrol served her
 with a “banned and barred” notice, restricting access except for 
“scheduled appointments.”

“I would understand when you make an 
outburst — spirit takes you and you make an outburst — of course, 
they’re going to escort you out and you’re going to have to leave,” 
Vaccaro said. “That seems pretty reasonable.”

But what followed was not reasonable,
 Vaccaro said, and she is “still reconciling” herself to the “banned and
 barred” notice. She said it takes away her First Amendment rights and 
restricts her access to legislative or other government proceedings. 
Vaccaro said the notice also does not include an appeal process.

She said other members of the public,
 who have openly carried AR-15s in the Capitol or threatened senators, 
have not been given similar restrictions.

The one-page notice from the State 
Patrol allows Vaccaro to schedule an appointment in order to go to the 
Capitol and does not list the reasons that led to the notice.&nbsp;

The Patrol, which has the “primary 
responsibility” of security needs in the Capitol, could not immediately 
be reached for comment.&nbsp;

Brewer told the Examiner that nobody 
in his seven years as a legislator has ever behaved in a similar manner 
from the balcony. He said Vaccaro’s outburst differs from visitors 
clapping or mumbling, which has happened this session.&nbsp;

He said the public’s behavior is 
critical to the ability of the body to function, “and you may not like 
what we do, but it’s not your place to cause it to be disrupted.”

“I think that was appropriate,” he 
said of the “banned and barred” notice. “If you don’t do that, it 
degrades into a situation where you don’t have a Legislature anymore, 
you have kind of a madhouse. … I think you behave poorly, bad things 
happen.”

In the future, if Vaccaro wishes to 
go to the Capitol, she must coordinate with NSP Capitol Security 
Communications at least one day prior to make arrangements.

Unannounced visits would violate the order, amounting to <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=28-521">second degree criminal trespass</a>, a Class II or III misdemeanor, or <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=81-2008">failure to obey orders</a> of the State Patrol, a Class III misdemeanor.

A Class III misdemeanor is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=28-106">punishable</a>
 by up to three months in jail, a $500 fine, or both. Punishment for a 
Class II is up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both.

Vaccaro said she had watched the two 
hours of allotted debate on LB 77. During the debate, fourth graders and
 other school-aged children were visiting the Capitol, coming and going 
from the chamber. This, she added, made her think about school shootings
 in Uvalde, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee, and the rate of gun deaths 
for children.

“It’s so shameful,” Vaccaro said. “It’s so dark and morally corrupt, and I just was aghast.”

State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue 
said on the floor that she does not approve of similar actions in the 
balcony, though she can understand “guttural reactions” to legislation.

“We have to remember that they’re human and that they’re Nebraskans,” Blood said. “And that’s not a direct threat.”

To Vaccaro, Wednesday’s actions follow a string of “silencing” Nebraskans this session, including <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/21/hard-feelings-aired-by-citizens-denied-the-opportunity-to-testify-in-nebraska-legislature/">limiting public testimony</a> or how many questions senators may ask at hearings.

“I just think this is kind of the new
 norm that we’re under,” Vaccaro said. “This is the new Legislature, and
 I think it’s just going to get worse and worse and worse.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681940953986.png" alt="Melody Vaccaro, executive director of Nebraskans Against Gun Violence, joins students, State Sen. Jane Raybould of Lincolna and members of the community to discuss gun reforms on Thursday, March 16, 2023, in Lincoln. The groups called for action to prevent gun violence. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Melody Vaccaro, executive director of Nebraskans Against Gun Violence, joins students, State Sen. Jane Raybould of Lincolna and members of the community to discuss gun reforms on Thursday, March 16, 2023, in Lincoln. The groups called for action to prevent gun violence. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By ZACH WENDLING <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/woman-who-shouted-shame-following-critical-gun-bill-passage-is-banned-from-nebraska-capitol/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN
 — A woman who protested the approval of “constitutional carry” in the 
state will no longer be allowed in the Nebraska State Capitol or its 
grounds, except in select circumstances.Melody Vaccaro, executive director of <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/16/nebraska-students-demand-more-gun-reform-five-years-after-national-school-walkouts/">Nebraskans Against Gun Violence</a>, shouted “Shame!” multiple times immediately after senators voted Wednesday to approve <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=49710">Legislative Bill 77</a>, proposed by State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon. The proposal, <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/19/nebraska-gives-final-passage-to-concealed-carry-of-handguns-without-permit-or-training/">approved 33-14</a>, is Brewer’s long-fought effort to remove permit and training requirements for concealed carry of a handgun.Vaccaro told the Nebraska Examiner 
she was asked to leave the Capitol, and Nebraska State Patrol served her
 with a “banned and barred” notice, restricting access except for 
“scheduled appointments.”“I would understand when you make an 
outburst — spirit takes you and you make an outburst — of course, 
they’re going to escort you out and you’re going to have to leave,” 
Vaccaro said. “That seems pretty reasonable.”But what followed was not reasonable,
 Vaccaro said, and she is “still reconciling” herself to the “banned and
 barred” notice. She said it takes away her First Amendment rights and 
restricts her access to legislative or other government proceedings. 
Vaccaro said the notice also does not include an appeal process.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681941079969.jpeg" alt="Melody Vaccaro received and signed this “banned and barred” notice Wednesday from the Nebraska State Patrol. (Courtesy of Melody Vaccaro)" />
 <figcaption>Melody Vaccaro received and signed this “banned and barred” notice Wednesday from the Nebraska State Patrol. (Courtesy of Melody Vaccaro)</figcaption>
 </figure>She said other members of the public,
 who have openly carried AR-15s in the Capitol or threatened senators, 
have not been given similar restrictions.The one-page notice from the State 
Patrol allows Vaccaro to schedule an appointment in order to go to the 
Capitol and does not list the reasons that led to the notice.&nbsp;The Patrol, which has the “primary 
responsibility” of security needs in the Capitol, could not immediately 
be reached for comment.&nbsp;Brewer told the Examiner that nobody 
in his seven years as a legislator has ever behaved in a similar manner 
from the balcony. He said Vaccaro’s outburst differs from visitors 
clapping or mumbling, which has happened this session.&nbsp;He said the public’s behavior is 
critical to the ability of the body to function, “and you may not like 
what we do, but it’s not your place to cause it to be disrupted.”“I think that was appropriate,” he 
said of the “banned and barred” notice. “If you don’t do that, it 
degrades into a situation where you don’t have a Legislature anymore, 
you have kind of a madhouse. … I think you behave poorly, bad things 
happen.”In the future, if Vaccaro wishes to 
go to the Capitol, she must coordinate with NSP Capitol Security 
Communications at least one day prior to make arrangements.Unannounced visits would violate the order, amounting to <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=28-521">second degree criminal trespass</a>, a Class II or III misdemeanor, or <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=81-2008">failure to obey orders</a> of the State Patrol, a Class III misdemeanor.A Class III misdemeanor is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=28-106">punishable</a>
 by up to three months in jail, a $500 fine, or both. Punishment for a 
Class II is up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both.Vaccaro said she had watched the two 
hours of allotted debate on LB 77. During the debate, fourth graders and
 other school-aged children were visiting the Capitol, coming and going 
from the chamber. This, she added, made her think about school shootings
 in Uvalde, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee, and the rate of gun deaths 
for children.“It’s so shameful,” Vaccaro said. “It’s so dark and morally corrupt, and I just was aghast.”State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue 
said on the floor that she does not approve of similar actions in the 
balcony, though she can understand “guttural reactions” to legislation.“We have to remember that they’re human and that they’re Nebraskans,” Blood said. “And that’s not a direct threat.”To Vaccaro, Wednesday’s actions follow a string of “silencing” Nebraskans this session, including <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/21/hard-feelings-aired-by-citizens-denied-the-opportunity-to-testify-in-nebraska-legislature/">limiting public testimony</a> or how many questions senators may ask at hearings.“I just think this is kind of the new
 norm that we’re under,” Vaccaro said. “This is the new Legislature, and
 I think it’s just going to get worse and worse and worse.”

'SHAME!': Woman banned from Neb. Capitol after gun bill passage

By AARON SANDERFORD <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/19/nebraska-gives-final-passage-to-concealed-carry-of-handguns-without-permit-or-training/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Nebraskans who want to carry concealed handguns in public will soon be able to do so legally without a state permit or state-mandated gun safety training.

Once the bill becomes law, Omaha and 
Lincoln will lose the authority to enforce the stricter city gun 
ordinances, which local police chiefs and police unions have said helped
 them prevent some gang-related violent crimes.

The Legislature gave final approval 
Wednesday to Legislative Bill 77, sponsored by State Sen. Tom Brewer, 
aimed at reducing state and local restrictions on handgun possession. 
It’s the seventh year Brewer has sought passage of such a bill.

Brewer, a retired Army colonel who 
represents north-central Nebraska, celebrated an end to years of 
confusion about where Nebraskans can carry a concealed handgun because 
of varying local restrictions. He said his only aim was to ensure people
 could freely exercise their constitutional right.

“The hundreds of hours meeting with 
individuals, law enforcement, cities, trying to weave through all the 
obstacles, we finally got there,” Brewer said. “It was a good day. It 
was a good win. We got a constitutional right back for people who should
 have that right.”

State Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar 
described Wednesday as “a wonderful day for our Second Amendment rights 
in Nebraska!” Her comments echoed the views of other conservatives.

Opponents of the bill, including the 
police chiefs and mayors in Omaha and Lincoln, have told lawmakers the 
state needs different public safety approaches in rural and urban 
Nebraska.&nbsp;

State Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha said 
the state should have done what it has done with other laws, which is to
 tailor them to the needs of the type of city affected.

“I am hearing from people in my community that they do not want this bill passed,” he said.

State Sen. Jane Raybould of Lincoln 
led much of the organized resistance to the bill during floor debate. 
She said statistics from 34 states that have passed fewer restrictions 
on carrying concealed handguns indicate that more Nebraskans will be 
injured and killed in gun violence after the passage of LB 77.

The Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention list guns as the leading cause of death nationally for young 
people, although some conservatives have challenged the accuracy of the 
statistics.&nbsp;

“We have become one nation under guns,” Raybould said. “And that is not an American value, nor even a moral value.”

State Sen. Jen Day of Omaha warned 
that the bill would make it legal for an elderly man with dementia or 
someone accused of a violent felony to carry a concealed handgun. Day, 
Raybould and Sen. John Cavanaugh warned of unintended consequences of 
the bill’s language, which would eliminate city ordinances about weapons
 that are more restrictive than state law.&nbsp;

Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte 
joined several senators from central and western Nebraska who said 
criminals aren’t worried about following the law and that they are 
already armed.&nbsp;

“We have laws out there that say you can’t possess drugs,” Jacobson said. “How is that working?”

Sen. Steve Halloran of Hastings joked that he might propose a bill requiring criminals to take a gun safety course.

Emotions were high during the rare 
filibuster on the third and final reading for the bill — both on the 
legislative floor and among visitors in the gallery.&nbsp;

Immediately after LB 77 passed, the 
Nebraska State Patrol removed a local gun-control advocate from the 
gallery after she yelled “shame” to senators from the balcony. She 
shouted that voters would remember their decision. She was later banned 
from the Capitol.

LB 77 received exactly the 33 votes 
it needed to overcome a filibuster, requiring the votes of all 32 
Republicans in the Legislature and one Democrat, State Sen. Mike 
McDonnell of Omaha. Last year, a similar Brewer bill fell two votes 
short of ending a filibuster.&nbsp;

Two other Omaha Democrats who had 
previously voted to end debate on the bill, State Sens. Terrell McKinney
 and Justin Wayne, didn’t attend the vote Wednesday. Brewer said he had 
worried their absence might make him wait another year on the bill.

McDonnell, a former president of the 
union representing Omaha firefighters, credited Brewer for working with 
local law enforcement unions to address some of their concerns. He said 
that’s why he supported the bill, which passed 33-14.

Sgt. Anthony Conner of the Omaha 
Police Officers Association said the union worked with Brewer to blunt 
the worst potential impacts of the bill.&nbsp;

Conner said Brewer amended his bill 
to clarify that people who commit felonies and lose their gun rights 
will face felonies for carrying guns, instead of a misdemeanor. And 
repeatedly refusing to tell law enforcement officers about a concealed 
handgun will be a felony.

The Omaha and Lincoln police unions 
do worry, though, about losing local gun ordinances. Local law 
enforcement officers sometimes enforce those ordinances more stringently
 after shootings to turn down the temperature on escalating fights 
between gangs.

“We were glad he worked with us, but 
it would be inaccurate to say we support the bill,” Conner said. 
“Senator Brewer said he would work with us in the future if we see 
problems.”

State Sen. Tom Briese of Albion said 
most law enforcement agencies in Nebraska supported LB 77, including the
 county sheriffs association.

Carrying a concealed handgun is still
 restricted under LB 77 in certain places. Among them: bars, churches, 
hospitals, banks, schools, government buildings and courtrooms. After 
the bill becomes law, Nebraskans won’t legally be able to carry a 
concealed handgun at government meetings, political rallies, major 
sporting events, police stations, jails or prisons.

Nebraska law already allows people to
 openly carry guns in most places, including the Capitol, as long as the
 weapon is visible.&nbsp;

But adults 21 and over who haven’t 
lost their gun rights will be able to legally carry at most other places
 in the state. They won’t be able to carry while having alcohol or drugs
 in their system. People can lose their gun rights if they are convicted
 of a felony or have been civilly committed.&nbsp;

Gov. Jim Pillen plans to sign the 
bill into law Tuesday. LB 77 has no emergency clause, so it will become 
law 90 days after the legislative session ends.

Nebraska Examiner intern <a target="_blank" href="mailto:zwendling@nebraskaexaminer.com">Zach Wendling</a> contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681940791848.png" alt="State Sens. Jane Raybould, left, and Tom Brewer meet on the floor of the Legislature during debate on Brewer’s gun legislation on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Lincoln. Raybould emerged as a primary opponent to the concealed carry legislation. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>State Sens. Jane Raybould, left, and Tom Brewer meet on the floor of the Legislature during debate on Brewer’s gun legislation on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Lincoln. Raybould emerged as a primary opponent to the concealed carry legislation. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By AARON SANDERFORD <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/19/nebraska-gives-final-passage-to-concealed-carry-of-handguns-without-permit-or-training/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — Nebraskans who want to carry concealed handguns in public will soon be able to do so legally without a state permit or state-mandated gun safety training.Once the bill becomes law, Omaha and 
Lincoln will lose the authority to enforce the stricter city gun 
ordinances, which local police chiefs and police unions have said helped
 them prevent some gang-related violent crimes.The Legislature gave final approval 
Wednesday to Legislative Bill 77, sponsored by State Sen. Tom Brewer, 
aimed at reducing state and local restrictions on handgun possession. 
It’s the seventh year Brewer has sought passage of such a bill.Brewer, a retired Army colonel who 
represents north-central Nebraska, celebrated an end to years of 
confusion about where Nebraskans can carry a concealed handgun because 
of varying local restrictions. He said his only aim was to ensure people
 could freely exercise their constitutional right.“The hundreds of hours meeting with 
individuals, law enforcement, cities, trying to weave through all the 
obstacles, we finally got there,” Brewer said. “It was a good day. It 
was a good win. We got a constitutional right back for people who should
 have that right.”State Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar 
described Wednesday as “a wonderful day for our Second Amendment rights 
in Nebraska!” Her comments echoed the views of other conservatives.<h2>Opponents call changes dangerous</h2>Opponents of the bill, including the 
police chiefs and mayors in Omaha and Lincoln, have told lawmakers the 
state needs different public safety approaches in rural and urban 
Nebraska.&nbsp;State Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha said 
the state should have done what it has done with other laws, which is to
 tailor them to the needs of the type of city affected.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681940852285.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte at the Capitol on April 13, 2023, in Lincoln. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte at the Capitol on April 13, 2023, in Lincoln. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>“I am hearing from people in my community that they do not want this bill passed,” he said.State Sen. Jane Raybould of Lincoln 
led much of the organized resistance to the bill during floor debate. 
She said statistics from 34 states that have passed fewer restrictions 
on carrying concealed handguns indicate that more Nebraskans will be 
injured and killed in gun violence after the passage of LB 77.The Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention list guns as the leading cause of death nationally for young 
people, although some conservatives have challenged the accuracy of the 
statistics.&nbsp;“We have become one nation under guns,” Raybould said. “And that is not an American value, nor even a moral value.”State Sen. Jen Day of Omaha warned 
that the bill would make it legal for an elderly man with dementia or 
someone accused of a violent felony to carry a concealed handgun. Day, 
Raybould and Sen. John Cavanaugh warned of unintended consequences of 
the bill’s language, which would eliminate city ordinances about weapons
 that are more restrictive than state law.&nbsp;<h2>Emotions high</h2>Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte 
joined several senators from central and western Nebraska who said 
criminals aren’t worried about following the law and that they are 
already armed.&nbsp;“We have laws out there that say you can’t possess drugs,” Jacobson said. “How is that working?”Sen. Steve Halloran of Hastings joked that he might propose a bill requiring criminals to take a gun safety course.Emotions were high during the rare 
filibuster on the third and final reading for the bill — both on the 
legislative floor and among visitors in the gallery.&nbsp;Immediately after LB 77 passed, the 
Nebraska State Patrol removed a local gun-control advocate from the 
gallery after she yelled “shame” to senators from the balcony. She 
shouted that voters would remember their decision. She was later banned 
from the Capitol.<h2>McDonnell overcomes filibuster</h2>LB 77 received exactly the 33 votes 
it needed to overcome a filibuster, requiring the votes of all 32 
Republicans in the Legislature and one Democrat, State Sen. Mike 
McDonnell of Omaha. Last year, a similar Brewer bill fell two votes 
short of ending a filibuster.&nbsp;Two other Omaha Democrats who had 
previously voted to end debate on the bill, State Sens. Terrell McKinney
 and Justin Wayne, didn’t attend the vote Wednesday. Brewer said he had 
worried their absence might make him wait another year on the bill.McDonnell, a former president of the 
union representing Omaha firefighters, credited Brewer for working with 
local law enforcement unions to address some of their concerns. He said 
that’s why he supported the bill, which passed 33-14.Sgt. Anthony Conner of the Omaha 
Police Officers Association said the union worked with Brewer to blunt 
the worst potential impacts of the bill.&nbsp;Conner said Brewer amended his bill 
to clarify that people who commit felonies and lose their gun rights 
will face felonies for carrying guns, instead of a misdemeanor. And 
repeatedly refusing to tell law enforcement officers about a concealed 
handgun will be a felony.The Omaha and Lincoln police unions 
do worry, though, about losing local gun ordinances. Local law 
enforcement officers sometimes enforce those ordinances more stringently
 after shootings to turn down the temperature on escalating fights 
between gangs.“We were glad he worked with us, but 
it would be inaccurate to say we support the bill,” Conner said. 
“Senator Brewer said he would work with us in the future if we see 
problems.”State Sen. Tom Briese of Albion said 
most law enforcement agencies in Nebraska supported LB 77, including the
 county sheriffs association.<h2>Still some limits</h2>Carrying a concealed handgun is still
 restricted under LB 77 in certain places. Among them: bars, churches, 
hospitals, banks, schools, government buildings and courtrooms. After 
the bill becomes law, Nebraskans won’t legally be able to carry a 
concealed handgun at government meetings, political rallies, major 
sporting events, police stations, jails or prisons.Nebraska law already allows people to
 openly carry guns in most places, including the Capitol, as long as the
 weapon is visible.&nbsp;But adults 21 and over who haven’t 
lost their gun rights will be able to legally carry at most other places
 in the state. They won’t be able to carry while having alcohol or drugs
 in their system. People can lose their gun rights if they are convicted
 of a felony or have been civilly committed.&nbsp;Gov. Jim Pillen plans to sign the 
bill into law Tuesday. LB 77 has no emergency clause, so it will become 
law 90 days after the legislative session ends.Nebraska Examiner intern <a target="_blank" href="mailto:zwendling@nebraskaexaminer.com">Zach Wendling</a> contributed to this report.

Nebraska gives final passage to concealed carry of handguns

NEW YORK (AP) — Democrat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/robert-f-kennedy-jr">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>, an anti-vaccine activist and scion of one of the country’s most famous political families, is running for president.

(click below to watch the announcement courtesy Kennedy campaign )

Kennedy filed a statement of candidacy earlier this month with the Federal Election Commission.

The 69-year-old’s campaign to challenge incumbent President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination is a long shot.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marianne-williamson-president-2024-biden-democratic-primary-14e59754bed9e0c54dad4fdfbbc1fa6b">Self-help author Marianne Williamson</a>&nbsp;is also running in the Democratic race.

Kennedy, a nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of his slain brother Robert F. Kennedy, was once a bestselling author and environmental lawyer who worked on issues such as clean water.

But more than 15 years ago, he became fixated on a belief that vaccines are not safe.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e">He emerged as one of the leading voices in</a>&nbsp;the anti-vaccine movement, and his work has been described by public health experts and even members of his own family as misleading and dangerous.

Kennedy had been long involved in the anti-vaccine movement, but the effort intensified after the COVID-19 pandemic and development of the COVID-19 vaccine.

His anti-vaccine charity, Children’s Health Defense, prospered during the pandemic, with revenues more than doubling in 2020 to $6.8 million, according to filings made with charity regulators.

His organization has targeted false claims at groups that may be more prone to distrust the vaccine, including mothers and Black Americans, experts have said, which could have resulted in deaths during the pandemic.

Kennedy released a book in 2021, “The Real Anthony Fauci,” in which he accused the U.S.’s top infectious disease doctor of assisting in “a historic coup d’etat against Western democracy” and promoted unproven COVID-19 treatments such as ivermectin, which is meant to treat parasites, and the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine.

His push against the COVID-19 vaccine has linked him at times with anti-democratic figures and groups. Kennedy has appeared at events pushing the lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and with people who cheered or downplayed the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

A photo posted on Instagram showed Kennedy backstage at a July 2021 Reawaken America event with former President Donald Trump’s ally Roger Stone, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and anti-vaccine profiteer Charlene Bollinger. All three have promoted the lie about the 2020 election being stolen.

Bollinger has appeared with Kennedy at multiple events. She and her husband sponsored an anti-vaccine, pro-Trump rally near the Capitol on Jan. 6. Bollinger celebrated the attack and her husband tried to enter the Capitol. Kennedy later appeared in a video for their Super PAC.

Kennedy has repeatedly invoked Nazis and the Holocaust when talking about measures aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19, such as mask requirements and vaccine mandates.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-apology-anne-frank-comments-9a6855403b91f5debf98f23c6db90551">He has sometimes apologized for those comments</a>, including when he suggested that people in 2022 had it worse than Anne Frank, the teenager who died in a Nazi concentration camp after hiding with her family in a secret annex in an Amsterdam house for two years.

Kennedy has at times invoked his family’s legacy in his anti-vaccine work, including sometimes using images of President Kennedy.

His sister Kerry Kennedy, who runs Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, the international rights group founded by their mother, Ethel, said her brother has at times removed some of the content at her request.

She&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e">told the Associated Press in a 2021 interview</a>&nbsp;her brother is “completely wrong on this issue and very dangerous.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Democrat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/robert-f-kennedy-jr">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>, an anti-vaccine activist and scion of one of the country’s most famous political families, is running for president.(click below to watch the announcement courtesy Kennedy campaign )<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EsuLBPjdt-w?start=160" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Kennedy filed a statement of candidacy earlier this month with the Federal Election Commission.The 69-year-old’s campaign to challenge incumbent President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination is a long shot.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marianne-williamson-president-2024-biden-democratic-primary-14e59754bed9e0c54dad4fdfbbc1fa6b">Self-help author Marianne Williamson</a>&nbsp;is also running in the Democratic race.Kennedy, a nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of his slain brother Robert F. Kennedy, was once a bestselling author and environmental lawyer who worked on issues such as clean water.But more than 15 years ago, he became fixated on a belief that vaccines are not safe.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e">He emerged as one of the leading voices in</a>&nbsp;the anti-vaccine movement, and his work has been described by public health experts and even members of his own family as misleading and dangerous.Kennedy had been long involved in the anti-vaccine movement, but the effort intensified after the COVID-19 pandemic and development of the COVID-19 vaccine.His anti-vaccine charity, Children’s Health Defense, prospered during the pandemic, with revenues more than doubling in 2020 to $6.8 million, according to filings made with charity regulators.His organization has targeted false claims at groups that may be more prone to distrust the vaccine, including mothers and Black Americans, experts have said, which could have resulted in deaths during the pandemic.Kennedy released a book in 2021, “The Real Anthony Fauci,” in which he accused the U.S.’s top infectious disease doctor of assisting in “a historic coup d’etat against Western democracy” and promoted unproven COVID-19 treatments such as ivermectin, which is meant to treat parasites, and the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine.His push against the COVID-19 vaccine has linked him at times with anti-democratic figures and groups. Kennedy has appeared at events pushing the lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and with people who cheered or downplayed the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.A photo posted on Instagram showed Kennedy backstage at a July 2021 Reawaken America event with former President Donald Trump’s ally Roger Stone, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and anti-vaccine profiteer Charlene Bollinger. All three have promoted the lie about the 2020 election being stolen.Bollinger has appeared with Kennedy at multiple events. She and her husband sponsored an anti-vaccine, pro-Trump rally near the Capitol on Jan. 6. Bollinger celebrated the attack and her husband tried to enter the Capitol. Kennedy later appeared in a video for their Super PAC.Kennedy has repeatedly invoked Nazis and the Holocaust when talking about measures aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19, such as mask requirements and vaccine mandates.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-apology-anne-frank-comments-9a6855403b91f5debf98f23c6db90551">He has sometimes apologized for those comments</a>, including when he suggested that people in 2022 had it worse than Anne Frank, the teenager who died in a Nazi concentration camp after hiding with her family in a secret annex in an Amsterdam house for two years.Kennedy has at times invoked his family’s legacy in his anti-vaccine work, including sometimes using images of President Kennedy.His sister Kerry Kennedy, who runs Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, the international rights group founded by their mother, Ethel, said her brother has at times removed some of the content at her request.She&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e">told the Associated Press in a 2021 interview</a>&nbsp;her brother is “completely wrong on this issue and very dangerous.”

🎥RFK Jr. launches 2024 presidential challenge to Biden

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has temporarily extended women's access to an abortion pill until Friday while the justices consider whether to allow restrictions on mifepristone to take effect as a legal challenge to the medication's Food and Drug Administration approval continues.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/041923zr1_kjfm.pdf">In an order</a>&nbsp;signed by Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday, the court indicated it will act by Friday night. Alito provided no explanation for why the court put off a more lasting decision.

The justices had given themselves a deadline on Wednesday in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-judge-matthew-kacsmaryk-abortion-pill-fda-75964b777ef09593a1ad948c6cfc0237">a fast-moving case from Texas</a>&nbsp;in which abortion opponents are seeking to roll back FDA approval mifepristone. used in the most common method of abortion in the United States

The drug first won FDA approval in 2000, and conditions on its use have been loosened in recent years, including making it available by mail in states that allow access.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-pill-mifepristone-ff152a443d8439e8fa5d9376070822b2">The Biden administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories</a>, the maker of the drug, want the nation’s highest court to reject limits on mifepristone’s use imposed by lower courts, at least as long as the legal case makes it way through the courts. They say women who want the drug and providers who dispense it will face chaos if limits on the drug take effect. Depending on what the justices decide, that could include requiring women to take a higher dosage of the drug than the FDA says is necessary.

Alliance Defending Freedom, representing anti-abortion doctors and medical groups in a challenge to the drug, is defending the rulings in calling on the Supreme Court to let the restrictions take effect now.

The legal fight over abortion comes less than a year after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">conservative justices reversed Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and allowed more than a dozen states to effectively ban abortion outright.

Even as the abortion landscape changed dramatically in several states,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-mifepristone-abortion-drug-3855bb5d5c791e4c0465958bae94519e">abortion opponents</a>&nbsp;set their sights on medication abortions, which make up more than half of all abortions in the United States.

The abortion opponents filed suit in November in Amarillo, Texas. The legal challenge quickly reached the Supreme Court after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">a federal judge issued a ruling</a>&nbsp;on April 7 that would revoke FDA approval of mifepristone, one of two drugs used in medication abortions.

Less than a week later, a federal appeals court modified the ruling so that mifepristone would remain available while the case continues, but with limits. The appeals court said that the drug can’t be mailed or dispensed as a generic and that patients who seek it need to make three in-person visits with a doctor, among other things.

The generic version of mifepristone makes up two-thirds of the supply in the United States, its manufacturer, Las Vegas-based GenBioPro Inc., wrote in a court filing that underscored the perils of allowing the restrictions to be put into effect.

The court also said the drug should only be approved through seven weeks of pregnancy for now, even though the FDA since 2016 has endorsed its use through 10 weeks of pregnancy.

Complicating the situation, a federal judge in Washington has ordered the FDA to preserve access to mifepristone under the current rules in 17 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia that filed a separate lawsuit.

The Biden administration has said the rulings conflict and create an untenable situation for the FDA.

In an order issued last Friday by Alito, the court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-pill-mifepristone-ff152a443d8439e8fa5d9376070822b2">put the restrictions on hold</a>&nbsp;through Wednesday to give the court time to consider the emergency appeal.

If the justices aren't inclined to block the ruling from taking effect for now, the Democratic administration and Danco have a fallback argument, asking the court to take up the challenge to mifepristone, hear arguments and decide the case by early summer.

The court only rarely takes such a step before at least one appeals court has thoroughly examined the legal issues involved.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans already has ordered an accelerated schedule for hearing the case, with arguments set for May 17.

Mifepristone has been available for use in medication abortions in the United States since the FDA granted approval in 2000. Since then, more than 5 million women have used it, along with another drug, misoprostol, to induce abortions.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681934229833.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By MARK SHERMAN Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has temporarily extended women's access to an abortion pill until Friday while the justices consider whether to allow restrictions on mifepristone to take effect as a legal challenge to the medication's Food and Drug Administration approval continues.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/041923zr1_kjfm.pdf">In an order</a>&nbsp;signed by Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday, the court indicated it will act by Friday night. Alito provided no explanation for why the court put off a more lasting decision.The justices had given themselves a deadline on Wednesday in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-judge-matthew-kacsmaryk-abortion-pill-fda-75964b777ef09593a1ad948c6cfc0237">a fast-moving case from Texas</a>&nbsp;in which abortion opponents are seeking to roll back FDA approval mifepristone. used in the most common method of abortion in the United StatesThe drug first won FDA approval in 2000, and conditions on its use have been loosened in recent years, including making it available by mail in states that allow access.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-pill-mifepristone-ff152a443d8439e8fa5d9376070822b2">The Biden administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories</a>, the maker of the drug, want the nation’s highest court to reject limits on mifepristone’s use imposed by lower courts, at least as long as the legal case makes it way through the courts. They say women who want the drug and providers who dispense it will face chaos if limits on the drug take effect. Depending on what the justices decide, that could include requiring women to take a higher dosage of the drug than the FDA says is necessary.Alliance Defending Freedom, representing anti-abortion doctors and medical groups in a challenge to the drug, is defending the rulings in calling on the Supreme Court to let the restrictions take effect now.The legal fight over abortion comes less than a year after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">conservative justices reversed Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and allowed more than a dozen states to effectively ban abortion outright.Even as the abortion landscape changed dramatically in several states,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-mifepristone-abortion-drug-3855bb5d5c791e4c0465958bae94519e">abortion opponents</a>&nbsp;set their sights on medication abortions, which make up more than half of all abortions in the United States.The abortion opponents filed suit in November in Amarillo, Texas. The legal challenge quickly reached the Supreme Court after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">a federal judge issued a ruling</a>&nbsp;on April 7 that would revoke FDA approval of mifepristone, one of two drugs used in medication abortions.Less than a week later, a federal appeals court modified the ruling so that mifepristone would remain available while the case continues, but with limits. The appeals court said that the drug can’t be mailed or dispensed as a generic and that patients who seek it need to make three in-person visits with a doctor, among other things.The generic version of mifepristone makes up two-thirds of the supply in the United States, its manufacturer, Las Vegas-based GenBioPro Inc., wrote in a court filing that underscored the perils of allowing the restrictions to be put into effect.The court also said the drug should only be approved through seven weeks of pregnancy for now, even though the FDA since 2016 has endorsed its use through 10 weeks of pregnancy.Complicating the situation, a federal judge in Washington has ordered the FDA to preserve access to mifepristone under the current rules in 17 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia that filed a separate lawsuit.The Biden administration has said the rulings conflict and create an untenable situation for the FDA.In an order issued last Friday by Alito, the court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-pill-mifepristone-ff152a443d8439e8fa5d9376070822b2">put the restrictions on hold</a>&nbsp;through Wednesday to give the court time to consider the emergency appeal.If the justices aren't inclined to block the ruling from taking effect for now, the Democratic administration and Danco have a fallback argument, asking the court to take up the challenge to mifepristone, hear arguments and decide the case by early summer.The court only rarely takes such a step before at least one appeals court has thoroughly examined the legal issues involved.The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans already has ordered an accelerated schedule for hearing the case, with arguments set for May 17.Mifepristone has been available for use in medication abortions in the United States since the FDA granted approval in 2000. Since then, more than 5 million women have used it, along with another drug, misoprostol, to induce abortions.

Supreme Court delays ruling on abortion pill restrictions

BARTON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with a check writing scam.

On Feb. 14, the Barton County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the scam and fraudulent check case involving at least Barton County-area business, according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir. 

The individual in question wrote checks at businesses, produced proper identification and purchased large quantities of merchandise. The business later discovered the checks and identification were forged.

The Sheriff’s Office was able to identify the suspect as 65-year-old Roger Kornegay of Mount Olive, North Carolina. He had been recently released from federal parole. Investigators discovered Kornegay had been using more than 25 aliases and has a criminal history involving financial crimes.

Detectives had obtained a warrant for his arrest and have been in the process of tracking his location for several weeks.

The Sheriff’s Office learned that Kornegay was in Nebraska, possibly headed to Oberlin, Kansas. With the assistance of the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office and the Oberlin Police Department, Kornegay was arrested on a Barton County District Court warrant for forgery and theft. 

Kornegay is currently being held on a $100,000 bond in the Decatur County jai. He will be transported to Barton County Wednesday, according to Bellendir.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681916228349.jpeg" alt="Photos Barton Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photos Barton Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>BARTON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with a check writing scam.On Feb. 14, the Barton County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the scam and fraudulent check case involving at least Barton County-area business, according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir. The individual in question wrote checks at businesses, produced proper identification and purchased large quantities of merchandise. The business later discovered the checks and identification were forged.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681916413116.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The Sheriff’s Office was able to identify the suspect as 65-year-old Roger Kornegay of Mount Olive, North Carolina. He had been recently released from federal parole. Investigators discovered Kornegay had been using more than 25 aliases and has a criminal history involving financial crimes.Detectives had obtained a warrant for his arrest and have been in the process of tracking his location for several weeks.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681916433018.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The Sheriff’s Office learned that Kornegay was in Nebraska, possibly headed to Oberlin, Kansas. With the assistance of the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office and the Oberlin Police Department, Kornegay was arrested on a Barton County District Court warrant for forgery and theft. Kornegay is currently being held on a $100,000 bond in the Decatur County jai. He will be transported to Barton County Wednesday, according to Bellendir.&nbsp;

Suspect in check writing scam captured after trip to Nebraska

By AARON SANDERFORD <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/19/new-u-s-sen-pete-ricketts-raises-200k-for-campaign-1-57-million-for-joint-committee/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

OMAHA — Former Nebraska
 Gov. Pete Ricketts raised $200,000 in his first quarter as an appointed
 U.S. senator this spring. But that’s only part of his funding picture.

Like many senators, Ricketts formed a
 joint fundraising committee composed of his Senate campaign, his 
political committee to support other congressional conservatives, and 
the National Republican Senatorial Committee. The joint committee raised
 $1.57 million from mid-January through March, flexing a little of the 
fundraising muscle Ricketts brings to Washington, D.C.&nbsp;

The Ricketts Victory Fund and other 
candidates’ joint committees are subject to legal limits on how much 
donors and groups can give to federal candidates and campaigns. Federal 
law, for example, limits campaign donations from individuals to $3,300 
per federal candidate per election.&nbsp;

But the joint committees let big 
donors give larger single donations that can then be distributed to 
multiple races and political parties and causes. This bulk giving lets 
the committee steer donor funds to whichever participant in the 
committee needs it.&nbsp;

The unusual thing about how Ricketts 
is raising funds as a new senator, political observers said, is that he 
raised more money early on for his joint committee than for his 
campaign. Others in the Nebraska delegation with joint committees, 
including U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer and Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., prioritized 
campaign fundraising at this point in the cycle.

Fischer, for example, raised $170,000
 for her Fischer Victory Fund in the first quarter and $374,000 for her 
campaign. The Bacon Victory Fund raised $60,000 over the same span. 
Members of Congress often use the joint committee funds to boost other 
colleagues’ campaigns, as well as their own.

Nearly $1 million of the $1.57 
million raised for Ricketts Victory Fund came from a handful of GOP 
mega-donors with Nebraska ties. The committee received $600,000 from 
Ricketts’ parents, Joe and Marlene Ricketts. The Ricketts family helped 
start the TD Ameritrade financial firm.

Sandhills Publishing executive Tom 
Peed and his family gave the Ricketts Victory Fund $200,000. Mickey 
Anderson and his family, who run Baxter Auto Group, gave the fund 
$100,000, and Tonn Ostergard of Crete Carrier gave $50,000.

Not all of that money will make its 
way to Ricketts’ campaign. This quarter, the Ricketts Victory Fund 
transferred $203,000 to the Ricketts campaign, which boosted his cash on
 hand to $368,000 by the end of March. Money sent to a campaign 
committee from joint committees is counted as a fund transfer and not as
 money raised. That’s why Ricketts’ campaign finance forms list more 
cash on hand than his campaign reported having raised.&nbsp;

As for the $200,000 that Ricketts 
raised for his campaign, about $51,000 came from individual donors. The 
rest came from political groups and committees, including from fellow 
Republicans in Congress. Ricketts also saw an infusion of smaller-dollar
 donations raised by WinRed, the Republican version of ActBlue, a 
digital-first national group that raises similar funds for Democrats.

Ricketts faces the unusual task of 
running in 2024 to finish former Sen. Ben Sasse’s vacated term and 
running again in 2026 for a full term. He has one announced opponent for
 the 2024 race, former 1st
 District candidate John Glen Weaver. He had not filed any fundraising 
paperwork with the Federal Election Commission as of Tuesday.&nbsp;

Former GOP gubernatorial candidate 
Charles Herbster has flirted with challenging Ricketts after losing the 
2022 GOP primary to Gov. Jim Pillen. Ricketts endorsed and helped fund 
Pillen’s campaign.&nbsp;

Matthew Trail, a spokesman for the 
Ricketts campaign, said Ricketts has strong support “across the state.” 
Trail said conservatives “are invested and engaged” in the senator’s 
campaign and said Ricketts is “working hard for every vote.”&nbsp;

Fischer, facing a re-election bid in 
2024, raised $374,000 from January through March, the most her campaign 
has collected in any first quarter this far ahead of the primary 
election.&nbsp;

She raised $100,000 from individual 
donors and $274,000 from political committees and groups. Her joint 
fundraising committee, Fischer Victory Fund, transferred $100,000 to the
 campaign. That helped her campaign stockpile $1.75 million in cash on 
hand.

Fischer has no announced opponents, 
though she, like Ricketts, could face challenges from both the right and
 left. She said she would keep fighting for Nebraskans’ priorities, 
including national security, border security, farmers and ranchers, and 
veterans.

“We’ll be ready for any challenge,” Fischer said.&nbsp;

Flood recovering after three elections in 7 months

Nebraska’s newest House member, 
Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, raised nearly $200,000 in the first 
quarter of his first full term in Congress.&nbsp;

By AARON SANDERFORD <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/19/new-u-s-sen-pete-ricketts-raises-200k-for-campaign-1-57-million-for-joint-committee/">Nebraska Examiner</a>OMAHA — Former Nebraska
 Gov. Pete Ricketts raised $200,000 in his first quarter as an appointed
 U.S. senator this spring. But that’s only part of his funding picture.Like many senators, Ricketts formed a
 joint fundraising committee composed of his Senate campaign, his 
political committee to support other congressional conservatives, and 
the National Republican Senatorial Committee. The joint committee raised
 $1.57 million from mid-January through March, flexing a little of the 
fundraising muscle Ricketts brings to Washington, D.C.&nbsp;The Ricketts Victory Fund and other 
candidates’ joint committees are subject to legal limits on how much 
donors and groups can give to federal candidates and campaigns. Federal 
law, for example, limits campaign donations from individuals to $3,300 
per federal candidate per election.&nbsp;But the joint committees let big 
donors give larger single donations that can then be distributed to 
multiple races and political parties and causes. This bulk giving lets 
the committee steer donor funds to whichever participant in the 
committee needs it.&nbsp;The unusual thing about how Ricketts 
is raising funds as a new senator, political observers said, is that he 
raised more money early on for his joint committee than for his 
campaign. Others in the Nebraska delegation with joint committees, 
including U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer and Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., prioritized 
campaign fundraising at this point in the cycle.Fischer, for example, raised $170,000
 for her Fischer Victory Fund in the first quarter and $374,000 for her 
campaign. The Bacon Victory Fund raised $60,000 over the same span. 
Members of Congress often use the joint committee funds to boost other 
colleagues’ campaigns, as well as their own.Nearly $1 million of the $1.57 
million raised for Ricketts Victory Fund came from a handful of GOP 
mega-donors with Nebraska ties. The committee received $600,000 from 
Ricketts’ parents, Joe and Marlene Ricketts. The Ricketts family helped 
start the TD Ameritrade financial firm.Sandhills Publishing executive Tom 
Peed and his family gave the Ricketts Victory Fund $200,000. Mickey 
Anderson and his family, who run Baxter Auto Group, gave the fund 
$100,000, and Tonn Ostergard of Crete Carrier gave $50,000.Not all of that money will make its 
way to Ricketts’ campaign. This quarter, the Ricketts Victory Fund 
transferred $203,000 to the Ricketts campaign, which boosted his cash on
 hand to $368,000 by the end of March. Money sent to a campaign 
committee from joint committees is counted as a fund transfer and not as
 money raised. That’s why Ricketts’ campaign finance forms list more 
cash on hand than his campaign reported having raised.&nbsp;As for the $200,000 that Ricketts 
raised for his campaign, about $51,000 came from individual donors. The 
rest came from political groups and committees, including from fellow 
Republicans in Congress. Ricketts also saw an infusion of smaller-dollar
 donations raised by WinRed, the Republican version of ActBlue, a 
digital-first national group that raises similar funds for Democrats.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681913074970.jpeg" alt="The Nebraska Republican Party’s Executive Committee meets to decide who will earn the party’s nomination for the June 28, 2022, special election for the 1st Congressional District. Shown is John Glen Weaver. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>The Nebraska Republican Party’s Executive Committee meets to decide who will earn the party’s nomination for the June 28, 2022, special election for the 1st Congressional District. Shown is John Glen Weaver. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Ricketts faces the unusual task of 
running in 2024 to finish former Sen. Ben Sasse’s vacated term and 
running again in 2026 for a full term. He has one announced opponent for
 the 2024 race, former 1st
 District candidate John Glen Weaver. He had not filed any fundraising 
paperwork with the Federal Election Commission as of Tuesday.&nbsp;Former GOP gubernatorial candidate 
Charles Herbster has flirted with challenging Ricketts after losing the 
2022 GOP primary to Gov. Jim Pillen. Ricketts endorsed and helped fund 
Pillen’s campaign.&nbsp;Matthew Trail, a spokesman for the 
Ricketts campaign, said Ricketts has strong support “across the state.” 
Trail said conservatives “are invested and engaged” in the senator’s 
campaign and said Ricketts is “working hard for every vote.”&nbsp;<h2>Fischer raises $374,000</h2>Fischer, facing a re-election bid in 
2024, raised $374,000 from January through March, the most her campaign 
has collected in any first quarter this far ahead of the primary 
election.&nbsp;She raised $100,000 from individual 
donors and $274,000 from political committees and groups. Her joint 
fundraising committee, Fischer Victory Fund, transferred $100,000 to the
 campaign. That helped her campaign stockpile $1.75 million in cash on 
hand.Fischer has no announced opponents, 
though she, like Ricketts, could face challenges from both the right and
 left. She said she would keep fighting for Nebraskans’ priorities, 
including national security, border security, farmers and ranchers, and 
veterans.“We’ll be ready for any challenge,” Fischer said.&nbsp;<h2>Flood recovering after three elections in 7 months</h2>Nebraska’s newest House member, 
Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, raised nearly $200,000 in the first 
quarter of his first full term in Congress.&nbsp;But he’s still paying down $213,000 
in debt from campaign spending on three races last year, including a 
competitive GOP primary with former U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb.Flood also ran in a special election 
last June, after Fortenberry was convicted of three campaign-related 
felonies, plus a general election in November against former State Sen. 
Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln.&nbsp;&nbsp;His campaign says he is making 
progress on a payment plan while working to fund a competitive campaign 
in 2024. The campaign showed $83,000 in cash on hand. Flood campaign 
spokesman Corben Waldron said the congressman “won’t take anything for 
granted.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680539471542.jpeg" alt="Adrian Smith, R-Neb." />
 <figcaption>Adrian Smith, R-Neb.</figcaption>
 </figure>Flood has no announced opponents in the Lincoln-heavy 1st Congressional District, which now also includes significant portions of Papillion and La Vista.<h2>Smith has nearly $1 million cash on hand</h2>Nebraska’s senior member of the House
 delegation, U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., raised $142,000 in the 
first quarter of 2023. His campaign has $901,000 in cash on hand.Smith has no announced challengers in the mostly rural 3rd Congressional District, the state’s most conservative.One interesting aside: The state’s largest federal campaign war chest
 moved to Florida — Sasse’s campaign finance forms showed his campaign 
had $2.5 million in cash on hand.