By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/01/20/watchdog-group-says-state-capitol-bible-study-leader-should-register-as-lobbyist/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Every Wednesday morning during Nebraska legislative 
sessions, a group of about a dozen state senators gather over breakfast 
for a Bible study led by a former pastor who used to be a county 
Republican Party chairman.

Later in the day, over a provided lunch, Arin Hess, the chaplain and 
president of Capitol Studies, holds a Bible study for legislative staff 
at the State Capitol or a nearby state building.

But while Hess maintains that he’s merely maintaining a 
four-decade-long tradition of “serving civil servants with Scripture” at
 the State Capitol, some watchdogs of the Legislature, along with at 
least one state senator, contend that what happens at those studies 
amounts to lobbying and that Hess should register as one.

On Thursday, Common Cause Nebraska called on Hess to “immediately” 
register as a lobbyist, saying his teachings have led to the 
introduction of bills. The government watchdog group also said Hess’ 
work fits the definition of a lobbyist, which is one “who attempts to 
affect matters before the Nebraska Legislature on behalf of another.”

“While Hess and Capitol Studies are within their rights to advocate 
for policy related to their faith, lobbyists and their principals should
 not escape regulation,” said Gavin Geis, the executive director of 
Common Cause Nebraska.

Hess, during interviews last fall with the Nebraska Examiner and again on Thursday, said he doesn’t see a reason to register.

“About the only thing I can be guilty
 of is lobbying for Jesus,” said Hess, who is a former minister at 
Community Bible Church in Norfolk, where he once served as a county GOP 
chairman.

The call to register comes as concern is rising about the growing 
influence of “Christian nationalism” on state and federal policies. 
Christian nationalism is a belief that the United States is a “Christian
 nation” and for Christians alone.

It has led to concerns about how people with other religious beliefs 
and atheists are treated, the treatment of the LGBTQ+ community and how 
it is influencing the introduction of some bills.

For instance, State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard, who has praised Hess
 as “great encouragement” and someone “sent by God,” has introduced a 
bill the past two years calling for the posting of the national motto, 
“In God We Trust,” in prominent places in each school building.

Such proposals have been among the national initiatives of 
WallBuilders, a Texas-based group that emphasizes “the moral, religious,
 and constitutional foundation on which America was built.”

Two other bills introduced in the past two years, involving medical 
ethics and the protection of religious rights, appear to be inspired by 
WallBuilders, according to Geis. The purpose of that group, he said, is 
clearly to influence legislation.

Hess said that his Bible studies do utilize WallBuilders videos and 
that he and some state senators attended a recent WallBuilders 
convention, but he said his group is not affiliated with WallBuilders.

&nbsp;“They’re just another reference for us,” he said. 

Hess said he does not help draft legislation, as WallBuilders does. “That’s not my place.”

Erdman and Glenvil Sen. Dave Murman, another regular attendee at 
Capital Studies meetings, rejected the idea that Hess was engaged in 
lobbying and needed to register as one.

Murman said the country would fall apart without a moral code to live by.

“They provide Christian morals and values. I guess if you call that influencing legislation, that’s a good thing,” he said.

Bellevue Sen. Carol Blood said she is uncomfortable with the Bible 
study group’s use of state facilities for meetings, the use of state 
email to promote the meetings and the access to legislative offices by 
Hess during the pandemic.

Would other religious groups, she asked, get the same accommodation?

Patrick O’Donnell, the recently retired Clerk of the Legislature, 
said he was careful about the appearance of “a religious organization 
doing business in a public building.”

Because of that, the Bible studies had been held in the Capitol’s 
cafeteria, which was considered publicly available space because the 
food service there had been closed.

More recently, after the cafeteria reopened, Capitol Studies has been
 meeting outside the State Capitol, in a meeting room in a state office 
building across the street. At other times, Bible studies have been held
 in a senator’s office. O’Donnell said lawmakers are free to choose what
 meetings they have in their own offices.

Hess, who served 40 years as a pastor in Norfolk, took over as 
chaplain and president of Capital Studies in May 2021 after the death of
 the previous director, Perry Gauthier. It is funded by donations and 
billed as nondenominational and nonpartisan.

Up to 900 people a day visit the State Capitol, Hess said, and his job is to “serve the officials and their staff members by providing prayer, Bible study and spiritual support in their daily lives.”

“I’m coming in as an under shepherd for Jesus Christ to pastor for these people,” he said.

The Bible studies focus on topics such as “Christian Ancestry” and “Select Psalms for Civil Servants.”

Hess said if the Bible study topic touches on legislation that is 
being being debated, he will make reference to it, though he feels he is
 only pointing out what the Gospels say.

“I am not going to change their viewpoint,” he said. Rather, it’s “Let’s look at what the Bible has to say.”

“When the Bible doesn’t speak 
specifically on an issue, I pray that God will clearly show the path 
they should take,” Hess added.

He said he doesn’t feel that Capitol Studies gets any preferential 
treatment because other religious group could set up similar meetings if
 they chose to.

Geis, of Common Cause, said what is taught at the Bible studies is 
not the point, it’s that what is taught is influencing senators and 
leading to legislation, which means that lobbying is occurring.

Kate High, a Common Cause board member from Lincoln, first raised concerns about Capitol Studies.

She said that, on her own behalf, she filed a complaint with the 
Internal Revenue Service this fall about the group’s 501(C)(3) status, 
arguing that Capitol Studies violates the prohibition of&nbsp;excessive 
lobbying.

High said she thinks Hess needs to register as a lobbyist.

“I do believe that people have a 
right to their own religious ideas,” High said. “But you just need to 
touch the bases and follow the rules like everyone else.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661523699684.png" alt="The Nebraska State Capitol Building. (Rebecca S. Gratz for Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>The Nebraska State Capitol Building. (Rebecca S. Gratz for Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/01/20/watchdog-group-says-state-capitol-bible-study-leader-should-register-as-lobbyist/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — Every Wednesday morning during Nebraska legislative 
sessions, a group of about a dozen state senators gather over breakfast 
for a Bible study led by a former pastor who used to be a county 
Republican Party chairman.Later in the day, over a provided lunch, Arin Hess, the chaplain and 
president of Capitol Studies, holds a Bible study for legislative staff 
at the State Capitol or a nearby state building.But while Hess maintains that he’s merely maintaining a 
four-decade-long tradition of “serving civil servants with Scripture” at
 the State Capitol, some watchdogs of the Legislature, along with at 
least one state senator, contend that what happens at those studies 
amounts to lobbying and that Hess should register as one.On Thursday, Common Cause Nebraska called on Hess to “immediately” 
register as a lobbyist, saying his teachings have led to the 
introduction of bills. The government watchdog group also said Hess’ 
work fits the definition of a lobbyist, which is one “who attempts to 
affect matters before the Nebraska Legislature on behalf of another.”“While Hess and Capitol Studies are within their rights to advocate 
for policy related to their faith, lobbyists and their principals should
 not escape regulation,” said Gavin Geis, the executive director of 
Common Cause Nebraska.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674232977963.jpeg" alt="Arin Hess, a former pastor in Norfolk, ministers to state senators and State Capitol staffers through a nonprofit called Capitol Studies. (Courtesy of Arin Hess)" />
 <figcaption>Arin Hess, a former pastor in Norfolk, ministers to state senators and State Capitol staffers through a nonprofit called Capitol Studies. (Courtesy of Arin Hess)</figcaption>
 </figure>Hess, during interviews last fall with the Nebraska Examiner and again on Thursday, said he doesn’t see a reason to register.<h2>‘Lobbying for Jesus’</h2>“About the only thing I can be guilty
 of is lobbying for Jesus,” said Hess, who is a former minister at 
Community Bible Church in Norfolk, where he once served as a county GOP 
chairman.The call to register comes as concern is rising about the growing 
influence of “Christian nationalism” on state and federal policies. 
Christian nationalism is a belief that the United States is a “Christian
 nation” and for Christians alone.It has led to concerns about how people with other religious beliefs 
and atheists are treated, the treatment of the LGBTQ+ community and how 
it is influencing the introduction of some bills.For instance, State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard, who has praised Hess
 as “great encouragement” and someone “sent by God,” has introduced a 
bill the past two years calling for the posting of the national motto, 
“In God We Trust,” in prominent places in each school building.<h2>Bills promoted by WallBuilders</h2>Such proposals have been among the national initiatives of 
WallBuilders, a Texas-based group that emphasizes “the moral, religious,
 and constitutional foundation on which America was built.”Two other bills introduced in the past two years, involving medical 
ethics and the protection of religious rights, appear to be inspired by 
WallBuilders, according to Geis. The purpose of that group, he said, is 
clearly to influence legislation.Hess said that his Bible studies do utilize WallBuilders videos and 
that he and some state senators attended a recent WallBuilders 
convention, but he said his group is not affiliated with WallBuilders.&nbsp;“They’re just another reference for us,” he said. Hess said he does not help draft legislation, as WallBuilders does. “That’s not my place.”Erdman and Glenvil Sen. Dave Murman, another regular attendee at 
Capital Studies meetings, rejected the idea that Hess was engaged in 
lobbying and needed to register as one.Murman said the country would fall apart without a moral code to live by.“They provide Christian morals and values. I guess if you call that influencing legislation, that’s a good thing,” he said.But others have concerns.Bellevue Sen. Carol Blood said she is uncomfortable with the Bible 
study group’s use of state facilities for meetings, the use of state 
email to promote the meetings and the access to legislative offices by 
Hess during the pandemic.Would other religious groups, she asked, get the same accommodation?Patrick O’Donnell, the recently retired Clerk of the Legislature, 
said he was careful about the appearance of “a religious organization 
doing business in a public building.”Because of that, the Bible studies had been held in the Capitol’s 
cafeteria, which was considered publicly available space because the 
food service there had been closed.More recently, after the cafeteria reopened, Capitol Studies has been
 meeting outside the State Capitol, in a meeting room in a state office 
building across the street. At other times, Bible studies have been held
 in a senator’s office. O’Donnell said lawmakers are free to choose what
 meetings they have in their own offices.Hess, who served 40 years as a pastor in Norfolk, took over as 
chaplain and president of Capital Studies in May 2021 after the death of
 the previous director, Perry Gauthier. It is funded by donations and 
billed as nondenominational and nonpartisan.Up to 900 people a day visit the State Capitol, Hess said, and his job is to “serve the officials and their staff members by providing prayer, Bible study and spiritual support in their daily lives.”<h2>An ‘under shepherd’</h2>“I’m coming in as an under shepherd for Jesus Christ to pastor for these people,” he said.The Bible studies focus on topics such as “Christian Ancestry” and “Select Psalms for Civil Servants.”Hess said if the Bible study topic touches on legislation that is 
being being debated, he will make reference to it, though he feels he is
 only pointing out what the Gospels say.“I am not going to change their viewpoint,” he said. Rather, it’s “Let’s look at what the Bible has to say.”“When the Bible doesn’t speak 
specifically on an issue, I pray that God will clearly show the path 
they should take,” Hess added.He said he doesn’t feel that Capitol Studies gets any preferential 
treatment because other religious group could set up similar meetings if
 they chose to.Geis, of Common Cause, said what is taught at the Bible studies is 
not the point, it’s that what is taught is influencing senators and 
leading to legislation, which means that lobbying is occurring.Kate High, a Common Cause board member from Lincoln, first raised concerns about Capitol Studies.She said that, on her own behalf, she filed a complaint with the 
Internal Revenue Service this fall about the group’s 501(C)(3) status, 
arguing that Capitol Studies violates the prohibition of&nbsp;excessive 
lobbying.High said she thinks Hess needs to register as a lobbyist.“I do believe that people have a 
right to their own religious ideas,” High said. “But you just need to 
touch the bases and follow the rules like everyone else.”

Watchdog: State Capitol Bible study leader should register as lobbyist

APTOS, Calif. (AP) — A frustrated President Joe Biden said Thursday there is “no there there” when he was persistently questioned about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-hillary-clinton-karine-jean-pierre-58228d94cdcfe4ebe00521b049037868">discovery of classified documents</a>&nbsp;and official records at his home and former office.

(click below to watch the President's comment)

“We found a handful of documents were filed in the wrong place,” Biden said to reporters who questioned him during a tour of the damage from storms in California. “We immediately turned them over to the Archives and the Justice Department.”

Biden said he was “fully cooperating and looking forward to getting this resolved quickly.”

“I think you're going to find there's nothing there,” he said. “There's no there there.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-812ef44a5333f6d93423a67a683fa024">The White House has disclosed</a>&nbsp;that Biden attorneys found classified documents and official records on four occasions in recent months — on Nov. 2 at the offices of the Penn Biden Center in Washington, and then in follow up searches on Dec. 20 in the garage of the president’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, and on Jan. 11 and 12 in the president’s home library.

The discovery complicates a federal probe into former President Donald Trump, who the Justice Department says took hundreds of records marked classified with him upon leaving the White House in early 2021 and resisted months of requests to return them to the government.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-trump-side-by-side-fb2c4ebccdbdbb9039c1c5e227b1da53">The two cases are different</a>&nbsp;— Biden for example, willingly turned over the documents once found. But the issue is wearing on the president and his aides, who have repeatedly said they acted swiftly and appropriately when the documents were discovered, and are working to be as transparent as possible though key questions remain unanswered.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/classified-documents-biden-home-wilmington-33479d12c7cf0a822adb2f44c32b88fd">Attorney General Merrick Garland</a>&nbsp;last week appointed Robert Hur, a former Maryland U.S. attorney, to serve as special counsel to oversee the Justice Department’s inquiry into the documents. Garland said the extraordinary circumstances warranted a special counsel, and he also made the decision in part to show the Justice Department’s “commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters.”

Hur is taking over for federal prosecutor John Lausch, who was initially asked to review the documents and whose team has already been interviewing former Biden aides responsible for packing up boxes during his time as vice president. Those interviews include Kathy Chung, who served as an administrative assistant during that time, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Biden expressed frustration that the documents matter was coming&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-tours-california-storm-damage-ad4193df692da681ab10dab1aa11fa27">up as he surveyed coastal storm damage,</a>&nbsp;telling reporters that it “bugs me” that he was being asked about the handling of the classified material even as “we have a serious problem here” in California.

"Why you don’t ask me questions about that?" he pressed.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-hillary-clinton-karine-jean-pierre-58228d94cdcfe4ebe00521b049037868">Biden’s team has faced criticism</a>&nbsp;for its fragmented disclosures — the public wasn't notified of the documents until early January and after that the additional findings dripped out slowly. It has occasionally led to heated exchanges between reporters and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in the White House briefing room. She ran into trouble when she suggested last Friday that all documents had been recovered, only to have an additional discovery disclosed over the weekend.

Biden said Thursday he has “no regrets” over how and when the public learned about the documents.

“I’m following what the lawyers have told me they want me to do," he said.

APTOS, Calif. (AP) — A frustrated President Joe Biden said Thursday there is “no there there” when he was persistently questioned about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-hillary-clinton-karine-jean-pierre-58228d94cdcfe4ebe00521b049037868">discovery of classified documents</a>&nbsp;and official records at his home and former office.(click below to watch the President's comment)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F557971022872716%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=1186" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>“We found a handful of documents were filed in the wrong place,” Biden said to reporters who questioned him during a tour of the damage from storms in California. “We immediately turned them over to the Archives and the Justice Department.”Biden said he was “fully cooperating and looking forward to getting this resolved quickly.”“I think you're going to find there's nothing there,” he said. “There's no there there.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-812ef44a5333f6d93423a67a683fa024">The White House has disclosed</a>&nbsp;that Biden attorneys found classified documents and official records on four occasions in recent months — on Nov. 2 at the offices of the Penn Biden Center in Washington, and then in follow up searches on Dec. 20 in the garage of the president’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, and on Jan. 11 and 12 in the president’s home library.The discovery complicates a federal probe into former President Donald Trump, who the Justice Department says took hundreds of records marked classified with him upon leaving the White House in early 2021 and resisted months of requests to return them to the government.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-trump-side-by-side-fb2c4ebccdbdbb9039c1c5e227b1da53">The two cases are different</a>&nbsp;— Biden for example, willingly turned over the documents once found. But the issue is wearing on the president and his aides, who have repeatedly said they acted swiftly and appropriately when the documents were discovered, and are working to be as transparent as possible though key questions remain unanswered.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/classified-documents-biden-home-wilmington-33479d12c7cf0a822adb2f44c32b88fd">Attorney General Merrick Garland</a>&nbsp;last week appointed Robert Hur, a former Maryland U.S. attorney, to serve as special counsel to oversee the Justice Department’s inquiry into the documents. Garland said the extraordinary circumstances warranted a special counsel, and he also made the decision in part to show the Justice Department’s “commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters.”Hur is taking over for federal prosecutor John Lausch, who was initially asked to review the documents and whose team has already been interviewing former Biden aides responsible for packing up boxes during his time as vice president. Those interviews include Kathy Chung, who served as an administrative assistant during that time, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.Biden expressed frustration that the documents matter was coming&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-tours-california-storm-damage-ad4193df692da681ab10dab1aa11fa27">up as he surveyed coastal storm damage,</a>&nbsp;telling reporters that it “bugs me” that he was being asked about the handling of the classified material even as “we have a serious problem here” in California."Why you don’t ask me questions about that?" he pressed.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-hillary-clinton-karine-jean-pierre-58228d94cdcfe4ebe00521b049037868">Biden’s team has faced criticism</a>&nbsp;for its fragmented disclosures — the public wasn't notified of the documents until early January and after that the additional findings dripped out slowly. It has occasionally led to heated exchanges between reporters and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in the White House briefing room. She ran into trouble when she suggested last Friday that all documents had been recovered, only to have an additional discovery disclosed over the weekend.Biden said Thursday he has “no regrets” over how and when the public learned about the documents.“I’m following what the lawyers have told me they want me to do," he said.___

🎥 Biden says he has 'no regrets' on how he handled classified docs

BOSTON (AP) — The U.S. wireless carrier T-Mobile said Thursday that an unidentified malicious intruder breached its network in late November and stole data on 37 million customers, including addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth.

T-Mobile said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that the breach was discovered Jan. 5. It said the data exposed to theft — based on its investigation to date — did not include passwords or PINs, bank account or credit card information, Social Security numbers or other government IDs.

“Our investigation is still ongoing, but the malicious activity appears to be fully contained at this time,” T-Mobile said, with no evidence the intruder was able to breach the company's network. It said the data was first accessed on or around Nov. 25.

T-Mobile said it has notified law enforcement and federal agencies, which it did not name. It did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

The company has been hacked multiple times in recent years. In its filing, T-Mobile said it did not expect the latest breach to have material impact on its operations. But a senior analyst for Moody's Investors Service, Neil Mack, said in a statement that the breach raises questions about management's cyber governance and could alienate customers and attract scrutiny by the Federal Communications Commission and other regulators.

“While these cybersecurity breaches may not be systemic in nature, their frequency of occurrence at T-Mobile is an alarming outlier relative to telecom peers,” Mack said.

In July, T-Mobile agreed&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/8f03e9f76fa75f474f1a2584ce3a55f0">to pay $350 million to customers</a>&nbsp;who filed a class action lawsuit&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/8f03e9f76fa75f474f1a2584ce3a55f0"></a>after the company disclosed in August 2021 that personal data including Social Security numbers and driver's license info had been stolen. Nearly 80 million U.S. residents were affected.

It also said at the time that it would spend $150 million through 2023 to fortify its data security and other technologies.

Prior to the August 2021 intrusion, the company disclosed breaches in January 2021, November 2019 and August 2018 in which customer information was accessed.

T-Mobile, based in Bellevue, Washington, became one of the country’s largest cellphone service carriers in 2020&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1150e4f20d30bc327665da6aca0b1cbd">after buying rival Sprint</a>. It reported having more than 102 million customers after the merger.

BOSTON (AP) — The U.S. wireless carrier T-Mobile said Thursday that an unidentified malicious intruder breached its network in late November and stole data on 37 million customers, including addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth.T-Mobile said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that the breach was discovered Jan. 5. It said the data exposed to theft — based on its investigation to date — did not include passwords or PINs, bank account or credit card information, Social Security numbers or other government IDs.“Our investigation is still ongoing, but the malicious activity appears to be fully contained at this time,” T-Mobile said, with no evidence the intruder was able to breach the company's network. It said the data was first accessed on or around Nov. 25.T-Mobile said it has notified law enforcement and federal agencies, which it did not name. It did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.The company has been hacked multiple times in recent years. In its filing, T-Mobile said it did not expect the latest breach to have material impact on its operations. But a senior analyst for Moody's Investors Service, Neil Mack, said in a statement that the breach raises questions about management's cyber governance and could alienate customers and attract scrutiny by the Federal Communications Commission and other regulators.“While these cybersecurity breaches may not be systemic in nature, their frequency of occurrence at T-Mobile is an alarming outlier relative to telecom peers,” Mack said.In July, T-Mobile agreed&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/8f03e9f76fa75f474f1a2584ce3a55f0">to pay $350 million to customers</a>&nbsp;who filed a class action lawsuit&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/8f03e9f76fa75f474f1a2584ce3a55f0"></a>after the company disclosed in August 2021 that personal data including Social Security numbers and driver's license info had been stolen. Nearly 80 million U.S. residents were affected.It also said at the time that it would spend $150 million through 2023 to fortify its data security and other technologies.Prior to the August 2021 intrusion, the company disclosed breaches in January 2021, November 2019 and August 2018 in which customer information was accessed.T-Mobile, based in Bellevue, Washington, became one of the country’s largest cellphone service carriers in 2020&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1150e4f20d30bc327665da6aca0b1cbd">after buying rival Sprint</a>. It reported having more than 102 million customers after the merger.

37 million T-Mobile customers were hacked

LOS ANGELES (AP) —<a href="https://apnews.com/DavidCrosby">David Crosby,</a>&nbsp;the brash rock musician who evolved from a baby-faced harmony singer with the Byrds to a mustachioed hippie superstar and an ongoing troubadour in Crosby, Stills, Nash &amp; (sometimes) Young, has died at 81.

The New York Times reported Thursday, based on a text message from Crosby's sister in law, that the musician died Wednesday night. Several media outlets reported Crosby's death citing anonymous sources; The Associated Press was not able to confirm Crosby's death despite calls and messages to multiple representatives and Crosby's widow.

Crosby underwent a liver transplant in 1994 after decades of drug use and survived diabetes, hepatitis C and heart surgery in his 70s.

While he only wrote a handful of widely known songs, the witty and ever opinionated Crosby was on the front lines of the cultural revolution of the ’60s and ’70s — whether triumphing with Stephen Stills,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-arts-and-entertainment-bob-dylan-graham-nash-eb296a99ac3078e2eb66215488ac5eac">Graham Nash</a>&nbsp;and Neil Young on stage at Woodstock, testifying on behalf of a hirsute generation in his anthem “Almost Cut My Hair” or mourning the assassination of Robert Kennedy in “Long Time Gone.”

He was a founder and focus of the Los Angeles rock music community from which such performers as the Eagles and Jackson Browne later emerged. He was a twinkly-eyed hippie patriarch, the inspiration for Dennis Hopper’s long-haired stoner in “Easy Rider.” He advocated for peace, but was an unrepentant loudmouth who practiced personal warfare and acknowledged that many of the musicians he worked with no longer spoke to him.

“Crosby was a colorful and unpredictable character, wore a Mandrake the Magician cape, didn’t get along with too many people and had a beautiful voice — an architect of harmony,” Bob Dylan wrote in his 2004 memoir, “Chronicles: Volume One.”

Crosby's drug use left him bloated, broke and alienated. He kicked the addiction in 1985 and 1986&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c794f730038a4ca2c8f119f358a26240">during a year’s prison stretch</a>&nbsp;in Texas on drug and weapons charges. The conviction eventually was overturned.

“I’ve always said that I picked up the guitar as a shortcut to sex and after my first joint I was sure that if everyone smoked dope there’d be an end to war,” Crosby said in his 1988 autobiography, “Long Time Gone,” co-written with Carl Gottlieb. “I was right about the sex. I was wrong when it came to drugs.”

He lived years longer than even he expected and in his 70s enjoyed a creative renaissance, issuing several solo albums while collaborating with others including his son James Raymond, who became a favorite songwriting partner.

“Most guys my age would have done a covers record or duets on old material,” he told Rolling Stone in 2013, shortly before “Croz” was released. “This won’t be a huge hit. It’ll probably sell nineteen copies. I don’t think kids are gonna dig it, but I’m not making it for them. I’m making it for me. I have this stuff that I need to get off my chest.”

In 2019, Crosby was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0766ba0a5b604a428743802049a26939">featured in the documentary “David Crosby: Remember My Name,”</a>&nbsp;produced by Cameron Crowe.

While his solo career thrived, his seemingly lifetime bond with Nash dissolved. Crosby was angered by Nash’s 2013 memoir “Wild Tales” (whiny and dishonest, he called it) and relations between the two spilled into an ugly public feud, with Nash and Crosby agreeing on one thing: Crosby, Stills and Nash was finished. Donald Trump’s election as U.S. president did lead Crosby to suggest that he was open to a Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young protest tour, but his old bandmates declined to respond.

Crosby became a star in the mid-1960s with the seminal folk-rock group The Byrds, known for such hits as “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and “Mr. Tambourine Man.” Clean-cut and baby-faced at the time, he contributed harmonies that were a key part of the band’s innovative blend of The Beatles and Dylan. Crosby was among the first American stars to become close to The Beatles, and helped introduce George Harrison to Eastern music.

Troubled relations with bandmates pushed Crosby out of The Byrds and into a new group. Crosby, Stills and Nash's first meeting is part of rock folklore: Stills and Crosby were at Joni Mitchell’s house in 1968 (Stills would contend they were at Mama Cass'), working on the ballad “You Don’t Have to Cry,” when Nash suggested they start over again. Nash’s high harmony added a magical layer to Stills' rough bottom and Crosby’s mellow middle and a supergroup was born.

Their eponymous debut album was an instant success that helped redefine commercial music. The songs were longer and more personal than their individual prior outputs, yet easily relatable for an audience also embracing a more open lifestyle.

Their spirited harmonies and themes of peace and love became emblematic of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their version of the Mitchell song “Woodstock” was the theme for the documentary about the 1969 rock concert during which the group made only its second live appearance together. Crosby had produced Mitchell’s first album, “Song to a Seagull,” in 1968, and for a time was her boyfriend (as was Nash).

Now wearing the drooping, bushy mustache that would define him ever after, Crosby provided harmony and rhythm guitar, and his songs reflected his own volatile personality. They ranged from the misty-eyed romanticism of “Guinevere,” to the spirituality of “Deja Vu,” to the operatic paranoia of “Almost Cut My Hair.”

Some critics panned the group as soft-headed and self-indulgent.

“If you’re into living-room rock, fireplace harmonies and just a taste of good old social consciousness, this is your group,” reported Rolling Stone, which nonetheless rarely missed a chance to write about the band.

But CSN, as they would soon be called, won a best new artist Grammy and remained a worldwide touring act and brand name decades later.

The first album was an easy, happy recording, but the mood darkened during the second album, “Deja Vu.” The band was joined&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-arts-and-entertainment-bob-dylan-graham-nash-eb296a99ac3078e2eb66215488ac5eac">by Neil Young,</a>&nbsp;who had feuded with Stills while both were in Buffalo Springfield and continued to do so.

Everyone in the band was troubled: Nash and Mitchell were splitting up, and so were Stills and singer Judy Collins. Crosby, meanwhile, was so devastated by the death of girlfriend Christine Hinton in a car accident, that he would lay on the studio floor and sob.

Featuring a rougher, less unified sound, the album released in 1970 and was another commercial smash. Yet within two years, the quartet had broken up, destined to continuously reunite and splinter for the rest of their lives.

They worked in every combination possible — as solo artists, as duos, trios and, occasionally, all four together. They played stadiums and clubs. They&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3331110b71e891d7371e51e74dabf7ad">showed up at the Berlin Wall in 1989</a>&nbsp;as the Cold War was ending and turned up in 2011 for the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York.

In recent years, Crosby toured often, and candidly answered questions on Twitter with a blend of affection and exasperation, whether commenting on rock star peers or assessing the quality of a fan’s marijuana joint. He loved sailing and his greatest regret, besides hard drugs, was selling his 74-foot boat because of money problems. Among the songs completed on the boat was the classic “Wooden Ships,” co-written with Stills and Jefferson Airplane’s Paul Kantner.

Crosby was born David Van Cortlandt Crosby on Aug. 14, 1941, in Los Angeles. His father was Oscar-winning cinematographer Floyd Crosby of “High Noon” fame. The family, including his mother, Aliph, and brother, Floyd Jr., later moved to Santa Barbara.

Crosby was exposed early to classical, folk and jazz music. In his autobiography, Crosby said that as a child he used to harmonize as his mother sang, his father played mandolin and his brother played guitar.

“When rock ‘n’ roll came in during that era and the Age of Elvis possessed America, I wasn’t into it,” he recalled.

His brother taught him to play guitar and, still in his teens, he began performing in Santa Barbara clubs. He moved to Los Angeles to study acting in 1960 but abandoned the idea and became a folk singer, working around the country before joining The Byrds. Like so many folk performers, Crosby was dazzled by the Beatles’ 1964 movie “A Hard Day’s Night” and decided to become a rock star.

Crosby&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e50f854d5a33237ef46ccaede16436d4">married longtime girlfriend Jan Dance</a>&nbsp;in 1987. The couple had a son, Django, in 1995. Crosby also had a daughter, Donovan, with Debbie Donovan. Shortly after he underwent the liver transplant, Crosby was reunited with Raymond, who had been placed for adoption in 1961. Raymond, Crosby and Jeff Pevar later performed together in a group called CPR.

“I regretted losing him many times,” Crosby told the AP of Raymond in 1998. “I was too immature to parent anybody, and too irresponsible.”

In 2000, Melissa Etheridge revealed that Crosby was the father of the two children she shared with then-partner Julie Cypher. Cypher carried the children Crosby fathered by artificial insemination, Etheridge told Rolling Stone. One son,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-opioids-julie-cypher-music-0c0c1bfb50bbe51984f77fdbd8c90b2f">Beckett, died in 2020</a>.

Crosby didn’t help raise the children but said, “If, you know, in due time, at a distance, they’re proud of who their genetic dad is, that’s great.”

LOS ANGELES (AP) —<a href="https://apnews.com/DavidCrosby">David Crosby,</a>&nbsp;the brash rock musician who evolved from a baby-faced harmony singer with the Byrds to a mustachioed hippie superstar and an ongoing troubadour in Crosby, Stills, Nash &amp; (sometimes) Young, has died at 81.The New York Times reported Thursday, based on a text message from Crosby's sister in law, that the musician died Wednesday night. Several media outlets reported Crosby's death citing anonymous sources; The Associated Press was not able to confirm Crosby's death despite calls and messages to multiple representatives and Crosby's widow.Crosby underwent a liver transplant in 1994 after decades of drug use and survived diabetes, hepatitis C and heart surgery in his 70s.While he only wrote a handful of widely known songs, the witty and ever opinionated Crosby was on the front lines of the cultural revolution of the ’60s and ’70s — whether triumphing with Stephen Stills,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-arts-and-entertainment-bob-dylan-graham-nash-eb296a99ac3078e2eb66215488ac5eac">Graham Nash</a>&nbsp;and Neil Young on stage at Woodstock, testifying on behalf of a hirsute generation in his anthem “Almost Cut My Hair” or mourning the assassination of Robert Kennedy in “Long Time Gone.”He was a founder and focus of the Los Angeles rock music community from which such performers as the Eagles and Jackson Browne later emerged. He was a twinkly-eyed hippie patriarch, the inspiration for Dennis Hopper’s long-haired stoner in “Easy Rider.” He advocated for peace, but was an unrepentant loudmouth who practiced personal warfare and acknowledged that many of the musicians he worked with no longer spoke to him.“Crosby was a colorful and unpredictable character, wore a Mandrake the Magician cape, didn’t get along with too many people and had a beautiful voice — an architect of harmony,” Bob Dylan wrote in his 2004 memoir, “Chronicles: Volume One.”Crosby's drug use left him bloated, broke and alienated. He kicked the addiction in 1985 and 1986&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c794f730038a4ca2c8f119f358a26240">during a year’s prison stretch</a>&nbsp;in Texas on drug and weapons charges. The conviction eventually was overturned.“I’ve always said that I picked up the guitar as a shortcut to sex and after my first joint I was sure that if everyone smoked dope there’d be an end to war,” Crosby said in his 1988 autobiography, “Long Time Gone,” co-written with Carl Gottlieb. “I was right about the sex. I was wrong when it came to drugs.”He lived years longer than even he expected and in his 70s enjoyed a creative renaissance, issuing several solo albums while collaborating with others including his son James Raymond, who became a favorite songwriting partner.“Most guys my age would have done a covers record or duets on old material,” he told Rolling Stone in 2013, shortly before “Croz” was released. “This won’t be a huge hit. It’ll probably sell nineteen copies. I don’t think kids are gonna dig it, but I’m not making it for them. I’m making it for me. I have this stuff that I need to get off my chest.”In 2019, Crosby was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0766ba0a5b604a428743802049a26939">featured in the documentary “David Crosby: Remember My Name,”</a>&nbsp;produced by Cameron Crowe.While his solo career thrived, his seemingly lifetime bond with Nash dissolved. Crosby was angered by Nash’s 2013 memoir “Wild Tales” (whiny and dishonest, he called it) and relations between the two spilled into an ugly public feud, with Nash and Crosby agreeing on one thing: Crosby, Stills and Nash was finished. Donald Trump’s election as U.S. president did lead Crosby to suggest that he was open to a Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young protest tour, but his old bandmates declined to respond.Crosby became a star in the mid-1960s with the seminal folk-rock group The Byrds, known for such hits as “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and “Mr. Tambourine Man.” Clean-cut and baby-faced at the time, he contributed harmonies that were a key part of the band’s innovative blend of The Beatles and Dylan. Crosby was among the first American stars to become close to The Beatles, and helped introduce George Harrison to Eastern music.Troubled relations with bandmates pushed Crosby out of The Byrds and into a new group. Crosby, Stills and Nash's first meeting is part of rock folklore: Stills and Crosby were at Joni Mitchell’s house in 1968 (Stills would contend they were at Mama Cass'), working on the ballad “You Don’t Have to Cry,” when Nash suggested they start over again. Nash’s high harmony added a magical layer to Stills' rough bottom and Crosby’s mellow middle and a supergroup was born.Their eponymous debut album was an instant success that helped redefine commercial music. The songs were longer and more personal than their individual prior outputs, yet easily relatable for an audience also embracing a more open lifestyle.Their spirited harmonies and themes of peace and love became emblematic of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their version of the Mitchell song “Woodstock” was the theme for the documentary about the 1969 rock concert during which the group made only its second live appearance together. Crosby had produced Mitchell’s first album, “Song to a Seagull,” in 1968, and for a time was her boyfriend (as was Nash).Now wearing the drooping, bushy mustache that would define him ever after, Crosby provided harmony and rhythm guitar, and his songs reflected his own volatile personality. They ranged from the misty-eyed romanticism of “Guinevere,” to the spirituality of “Deja Vu,” to the operatic paranoia of “Almost Cut My Hair.”Some critics panned the group as soft-headed and self-indulgent.“If you’re into living-room rock, fireplace harmonies and just a taste of good old social consciousness, this is your group,” reported Rolling Stone, which nonetheless rarely missed a chance to write about the band.But CSN, as they would soon be called, won a best new artist Grammy and remained a worldwide touring act and brand name decades later.The first album was an easy, happy recording, but the mood darkened during the second album, “Deja Vu.” The band was joined&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-arts-and-entertainment-bob-dylan-graham-nash-eb296a99ac3078e2eb66215488ac5eac">by Neil Young,</a>&nbsp;who had feuded with Stills while both were in Buffalo Springfield and continued to do so.Everyone in the band was troubled: Nash and Mitchell were splitting up, and so were Stills and singer Judy Collins. Crosby, meanwhile, was so devastated by the death of girlfriend Christine Hinton in a car accident, that he would lay on the studio floor and sob.Featuring a rougher, less unified sound, the album released in 1970 and was another commercial smash. Yet within two years, the quartet had broken up, destined to continuously reunite and splinter for the rest of their lives.They worked in every combination possible — as solo artists, as duos, trios and, occasionally, all four together. They played stadiums and clubs. They&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3331110b71e891d7371e51e74dabf7ad">showed up at the Berlin Wall in 1989</a>&nbsp;as the Cold War was ending and turned up in 2011 for the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York.In recent years, Crosby toured often, and candidly answered questions on Twitter with a blend of affection and exasperation, whether commenting on rock star peers or assessing the quality of a fan’s marijuana joint. He loved sailing and his greatest regret, besides hard drugs, was selling his 74-foot boat because of money problems. Among the songs completed on the boat was the classic “Wooden Ships,” co-written with Stills and Jefferson Airplane’s Paul Kantner.Crosby was born David Van Cortlandt Crosby on Aug. 14, 1941, in Los Angeles. His father was Oscar-winning cinematographer Floyd Crosby of “High Noon” fame. The family, including his mother, Aliph, and brother, Floyd Jr., later moved to Santa Barbara.Crosby was exposed early to classical, folk and jazz music. In his autobiography, Crosby said that as a child he used to harmonize as his mother sang, his father played mandolin and his brother played guitar.“When rock ‘n’ roll came in during that era and the Age of Elvis possessed America, I wasn’t into it,” he recalled.His brother taught him to play guitar and, still in his teens, he began performing in Santa Barbara clubs. He moved to Los Angeles to study acting in 1960 but abandoned the idea and became a folk singer, working around the country before joining The Byrds. Like so many folk performers, Crosby was dazzled by the Beatles’ 1964 movie “A Hard Day’s Night” and decided to become a rock star.Crosby&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e50f854d5a33237ef46ccaede16436d4">married longtime girlfriend Jan Dance</a>&nbsp;in 1987. The couple had a son, Django, in 1995. Crosby also had a daughter, Donovan, with Debbie Donovan. Shortly after he underwent the liver transplant, Crosby was reunited with Raymond, who had been placed for adoption in 1961. Raymond, Crosby and Jeff Pevar later performed together in a group called CPR.“I regretted losing him many times,” Crosby told the AP of Raymond in 1998. “I was too immature to parent anybody, and too irresponsible.”In 2000, Melissa Etheridge revealed that Crosby was the father of the two children she shared with then-partner Julie Cypher. Cypher carried the children Crosby fathered by artificial insemination, Etheridge told Rolling Stone. One son,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-opioids-julie-cypher-music-0c0c1bfb50bbe51984f77fdbd8c90b2f">Beckett, died in 2020</a>.Crosby didn’t help raise the children but said, “If, you know, in due time, at a distance, they’re proud of who their genetic dad is, that’s great.”___

Legendary musician David Crosby dies at 81

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;said Thursday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/Dobbs_Public_Report_January_19_2023.pdf">it has not determined who leaked a draft</a>&nbsp;of the court's opinion overturning abortion rights, but that the investigation continues.

Eight months after Politico published its explosive&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-07439f9fc4542f1500ab78dfd34036b1">leak detailing the draft of Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade</a>, the court said its investigative team “has to date been unable to identify a person responsible by a preponderance of the evidence.”

Never before had an entire opinion made its way to the public before the court was ready to announce it.

Chief Justice John&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-covid-us-supreme-court-health-john-roberts-7737a7e3a2fbbcac985549941b884a61">Roberts ordered an investigation</a>&nbsp;the next day into what he termed an “egregious breach of trust.”

Investigators “conducted 126 formal interviews of 97 employees, all of whom denied disclosing the opinion” in sworn statements, the court said in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/Dobbs_Public_Report_January_19_2023.pdf">a 23-page document posted on its website</a>.

Some employees had to amend their written statements after they “admitted to telling their spouses about the draft opinion or vote count,” the report said.

The court said it could not rule out that the opinion was inadvertently disclosed, “for example, by being left in a public space either inside or outside the building."

Investigators looked closely at connections between court employees and reporters, and they found nothing to substantiate rampant speculation on social media about the identity of the leaker.

The investigation concluded that it “is unlikely that the Court’s information technology (IT) systems were improperly accessed by a person outside the Court,” following an examination of the court’s computers, networks, printers, and available call and text logs.

The “risk of both deliberate and accidental disclosures of Court-sensitive information” grew with the coronavirus pandemic and shift to working from home, the report said. More people working from home, ”as well as gaps in the Court’s security policies, created an environment where it was too easy to remove sensitive information from the building and the Court’s IT networks,” the report said.

Investigators are continuing to “review and process some electronic data that has been collected and a few other inquiries remain pending,” the report said.

Roberts also asked former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, himself a onetime federal judge, to assess the investigation. Chertoff, in a statement issued through the court, described it as thorough.

Politico published the draft decision on May 2. Less than 24 hours later, Roberts confirmed the draft’s authenticity and said he had directed the court’s marshal, former Army Col. Gail Curley, to lead the investigation.

Since then, there had been silence from the court — until Thursday.

The court had declined to say anything about the status of the investigation or whether an outside law firm or the FBI has been called in or whether it had taken steps to try to prevent a repeat. Speaking in Colorado in September, Justice Neil Gorsuch said he hoped a report was coming “soon” but he did not say whether it would be made public.

Gorsuch joined Roberts in condemning the breach of trust the leak engendered. Justice Clarence Thomas spoke in even starker terms about the leak’s effect on the justices.

“When you lose that trust, especially in the institution that I’m in, it changes the institution fundamentally. You begin to look over your shoulder. It’s like kind of an infidelity that you can explain it, but you can’t undo it,” he said while speaking at a conference in Dallas less than two weeks after the leak became public.

The leak itself sparked protests and round-the-clock security at justices’ homes. Alito said it made the conservative justices who were thought to be in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade “targets for assassination” that “gave people a rational reason to think they could prevent that from happening by killing one of us.”

In early June, a man carrying a gun, a knife and zip ties was arrested near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s house in Maryland after threatening to kill the justice. The man told police he was upset by the leaked draft.

Responding to protests outside the court, officials ringed the building with hard-to-climb fencing, the same barrier that was in place for months following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

When the final decision was released on June 24, it was remarkably similar to the draft that was leaked. Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Justice Amy Coney Barrett voted to overturn Roe.

Speculation has swirled since the draft’s release about who might be the source. Only the justices, a small number of staff and the justices’ law clerks, young lawyers who spend a year at the court helping the justices with their work, would have had access to the document.

Conservatives pointed fingers at the liberal side of the court, speculating that the leaker was someone upset about the outcome. Liberals suggested it could be someone on the conservative side of the court who wanted to ensure a wavering justice didn’t switch sides.

It would have taken just one conservative justice to side with Roberts to alter the decision. Instead of overturning Roe entirely, Roberts favored weakening abortion rights.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656081470334.png" alt="Protestors outside the court when the Roe decision was announced June 24-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Protestors outside the court when the Roe decision was announced June 24-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;said Thursday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/Dobbs_Public_Report_January_19_2023.pdf">it has not determined who leaked a draft</a>&nbsp;of the court's opinion overturning abortion rights, but that the investigation continues.Eight months after Politico published its explosive&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-07439f9fc4542f1500ab78dfd34036b1">leak detailing the draft of Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade</a>, the court said its investigative team “has to date been unable to identify a person responsible by a preponderance of the evidence.”Never before had an entire opinion made its way to the public before the court was ready to announce it.Chief Justice John&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-covid-us-supreme-court-health-john-roberts-7737a7e3a2fbbcac985549941b884a61">Roberts ordered an investigation</a>&nbsp;the next day into what he termed an “egregious breach of trust.”Investigators “conducted 126 formal interviews of 97 employees, all of whom denied disclosing the opinion” in sworn statements, the court said in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/Dobbs_Public_Report_January_19_2023.pdf">a 23-page document posted on its website</a>.Some employees had to amend their written statements after they “admitted to telling their spouses about the draft opinion or vote count,” the report said.The court said it could not rule out that the opinion was inadvertently disclosed, “for example, by being left in a public space either inside or outside the building."Investigators looked closely at connections between court employees and reporters, and they found nothing to substantiate rampant speculation on social media about the identity of the leaker.The investigation concluded that it “is unlikely that the Court’s information technology (IT) systems were improperly accessed by a person outside the Court,” following an examination of the court’s computers, networks, printers, and available call and text logs.The “risk of both deliberate and accidental disclosures of Court-sensitive information” grew with the coronavirus pandemic and shift to working from home, the report said. More people working from home, ”as well as gaps in the Court’s security policies, created an environment where it was too easy to remove sensitive information from the building and the Court’s IT networks,” the report said.Investigators are continuing to “review and process some electronic data that has been collected and a few other inquiries remain pending,” the report said.Roberts also asked former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, himself a onetime federal judge, to assess the investigation. Chertoff, in a statement issued through the court, described it as thorough.Politico published the draft decision on May 2. Less than 24 hours later, Roberts confirmed the draft’s authenticity and said he had directed the court’s marshal, former Army Col. Gail Curley, to lead the investigation.Since then, there had been silence from the court — until Thursday.The court had declined to say anything about the status of the investigation or whether an outside law firm or the FBI has been called in or whether it had taken steps to try to prevent a repeat. Speaking in Colorado in September, Justice Neil Gorsuch said he hoped a report was coming “soon” but he did not say whether it would be made public.Gorsuch joined Roberts in condemning the breach of trust the leak engendered. Justice Clarence Thomas spoke in even starker terms about the leak’s effect on the justices.“When you lose that trust, especially in the institution that I’m in, it changes the institution fundamentally. You begin to look over your shoulder. It’s like kind of an infidelity that you can explain it, but you can’t undo it,” he said while speaking at a conference in Dallas less than two weeks after the leak became public.The leak itself sparked protests and round-the-clock security at justices’ homes. Alito said it made the conservative justices who were thought to be in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade “targets for assassination” that “gave people a rational reason to think they could prevent that from happening by killing one of us.”In early June, a man carrying a gun, a knife and zip ties was arrested near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s house in Maryland after threatening to kill the justice. The man told police he was upset by the leaked draft.Responding to protests outside the court, officials ringed the building with hard-to-climb fencing, the same barrier that was in place for months following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.When the final decision was released on June 24, it was remarkably similar to the draft that was leaked. Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Justice Amy Coney Barrett voted to overturn Roe.Speculation has swirled since the draft’s release about who might be the source. Only the justices, a small number of staff and the justices’ law clerks, young lawyers who spend a year at the court helping the justices with their work, would have had access to the document.Conservatives pointed fingers at the liberal side of the court, speculating that the leaker was someone upset about the outcome. Liberals suggested it could be someone on the conservative side of the court who wanted to ensure a wavering justice didn’t switch sides.It would have taken just one conservative justice to side with Roberts to alter the decision. Instead of overturning Roe entirely, Roberts favored weakening abortion rights.

Supreme Court has failed to find leaker of abortion opinion

By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/amazon-update-new-bluffs-facility-has-opened-omahas-72-state-site-still-inactive/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

OMAHA — Another new area Amazon 
warehouse, this one in Council Bluffs, swung into action recently, 
albeit with a much smaller crew than originally envisioned.&nbsp;

The 270,000-square-foot sorting 
center at South 24th Street and Veterans Memorial Highway was completed 
at least a half year ago and opened just prior to this past holiday 
season as a “supplemental fulfillment center,” said Amazon spokesman 
Andy DiOrio.&nbsp;

He said about 70 people work at the site, filling e-commerce orders destined for customer doorsteps.&nbsp;The online retail giant previously said it expected that Bluffs plant to create about 500 jobs once opened.

“Uses of facilities may change based on business and customer needs,” DiOrio said in an email.&nbsp;

Yet another Amazon complex that was 
also completed last year — this one near North 72nd and State Streets in
 Omaha — remains inactive.&nbsp;

DiOrio offered no timetable on when 
operations might launch at that facility. Spanning more than 140,000 
square feet, the project was one of Omaha’s biggest commercial building 
permits in 2021.

DiOrio was asked to update the two Amazon developments in the wake of <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/01/17/nebraskas-first-fulfillment-center-opens-on-sprawling-sarpy-county-site/">this week’s opening</a>
 of the company’s first Nebraska fulfillment center, which is larger 
than 1 million square feet at Highways 50 and 370 in Sarpy&nbsp; County.&nbsp;

That mega center opened later than 
its originally projected 2022 date, but earlier than the 2024 date 
Papillion officials said was likely due to supply chain problems. Amazon
 envisions about 1,000 workers at the site eventually, but it opened 
with about 300 workers, DiOrio said. 

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/07/21/no-activity-spotted-at-two-newly-constructed-amazon-plants-in-omaha-and-council-bluffs/">Last July,</a>
 when Papillion officials discussed the delayed timetable for the Sarpy 
center, other Amazon warehouses across the nation had been experiencing 
delays or cancellations. The company had reported a $3.8 billion net loss in the first quarter of 2022, compared to the $8.1 billion profit a year earlier.

More recently, in the third quarter of 2022, Amazon reported a profit of nearly $2.9 billion.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674164977527.png" alt="The newly constructed Amazon facility near North 72nd and State Streets in Omaha was inactive on July 21, 2022— and remains so at start of 2023. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>The newly constructed Amazon facility near North 72nd and State Streets in Omaha was inactive on July 21, 2022— and remains so at start of 2023. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/amazon-update-new-bluffs-facility-has-opened-omahas-72-state-site-still-inactive/">Nebraska Examiner</a>OMAHA — Another new area Amazon 
warehouse, this one in Council Bluffs, swung into action recently, 
albeit with a much smaller crew than originally envisioned.&nbsp;The 270,000-square-foot sorting 
center at South 24th Street and Veterans Memorial Highway was completed 
at least a half year ago and opened just prior to this past holiday 
season as a “supplemental fulfillment center,” said Amazon spokesman 
Andy DiOrio.&nbsp;He said about 70 people work at the site, filling e-commerce orders destined for customer doorsteps.&nbsp;The online retail giant previously said it expected that Bluffs plant to create about 500 jobs once opened.“Uses of facilities may change based on business and customer needs,” DiOrio said in an email.&nbsp;Yet another Amazon complex that was 
also completed last year — this one near North 72nd and State Streets in
 Omaha — remains inactive.&nbsp;DiOrio offered no timetable on when 
operations might launch at that facility. Spanning more than 140,000 
square feet, the project was one of Omaha’s biggest commercial building 
permits in 2021.DiOrio was asked to update the two Amazon developments in the wake of <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/01/17/nebraskas-first-fulfillment-center-opens-on-sprawling-sarpy-county-site/">this week’s opening</a>
 of the company’s first Nebraska fulfillment center, which is larger 
than 1 million square feet at Highways 50 and 370 in Sarpy&nbsp; County.&nbsp;That mega center opened later than 
its originally projected 2022 date, but earlier than the 2024 date 
Papillion officials said was likely due to supply chain problems. Amazon
 envisions about 1,000 workers at the site eventually, but it opened 
with about 300 workers, DiOrio said. <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/07/21/no-activity-spotted-at-two-newly-constructed-amazon-plants-in-omaha-and-council-bluffs/">Last July,</a>
 when Papillion officials discussed the delayed timetable for the Sarpy 
center, other Amazon warehouses across the nation had been experiencing 
delays or cancellations. The company had reported a $3.8 billion net loss in the first quarter of 2022, compared to the $8.1 billion profit a year earlier.More recently, in the third quarter of 2022, Amazon reported a profit of nearly $2.9 billion.

Amazon update: One Neb. facility opened, another inactive

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/01/18/state-senators-complete-bill-introductions-fall-short-of-record-volume/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — State senators have wrapped up the bill introduction period
 for the 2023 session, falling short of filing a record number of 
proposals.

A total of 812 legislative bills were introduced through Wednesday — 
the deadline for bill introduction — which is short of the record 885 
bills introduced in 1997 for a similar &nbsp;90-day session.

The 1990s were a big decade for bill introduction, with more than 800
 bills introduced four times, in 1991, 1995, 1997 and 1999, during the 
first year of the Nebraska Legislature’s two-year sessions.

State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair had introduced a rule change to limit 
each of the 49 senators to introduce only 12 bills each session. He 
contended that too many proposals are being introduced, which has 
reduced the time available to debate bills.

Hansen said he could see bill introductions rising even higher.

But the Rules Committee, during an executive session Tuesday, did not advance the bill limit proposal.

Sens. Wendy DeBoer of Omaha and Eliot Bostar of Lincoln each 
questioned whether a limit was necessary and whether such a limit would 
work.

Bostar said lawmakers would “find a way” around any limit by 
combining more subjects into one proposal. Introducing bills, DeBoer and
 Bostar argued, was a way to represent a senator’s constituents, and 
limiting it would be problematic.

Among the 190 bills and proposed constitutional amendments filed Wednesday were proposals that would:

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661523699684.png" alt="The Nebraska State Capitol Building. (Rebecca S. Gratz for Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>The Nebraska State Capitol Building. (Rebecca S. Gratz for Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/01/18/state-senators-complete-bill-introductions-fall-short-of-record-volume/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — State senators have wrapped up the bill introduction period
 for the 2023 session, falling short of filing a record number of 
proposals.A total of 812 legislative bills were introduced through Wednesday — 
the deadline for bill introduction — which is short of the record 885 
bills introduced in 1997 for a similar &nbsp;90-day session.<h2>Bill limit rejected</h2>The 1990s were a big decade for bill introduction, with more than 800
 bills introduced four times, in 1991, 1995, 1997 and 1999, during the 
first year of the Nebraska Legislature’s two-year sessions.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674149533899.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair (Courtesy of Unicameral Information Office)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair (Courtesy of Unicameral Information Office)</figcaption>
 </figure>State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair had introduced a rule change to limit 
each of the 49 senators to introduce only 12 bills each session. He 
contended that too many proposals are being introduced, which has 
reduced the time available to debate bills.Hansen said he could see bill introductions rising even higher.But the Rules Committee, during an executive session Tuesday, did not advance the bill limit proposal.Sens. Wendy DeBoer of Omaha and Eliot Bostar of Lincoln each 
questioned whether a limit was necessary and whether such a limit would 
work.Bostar said lawmakers would “find a way” around any limit by 
combining more subjects into one proposal. Introducing bills, DeBoer and
 Bostar argued, was a way to represent a senator’s constituents, and 
limiting it would be problematic.<h2>190 measures introduced Wednesday</h2>Among the 190 bills and proposed constitutional amendments filed Wednesday were proposals that would:<ul>
 <li>Allow teachers to use “reasonable physical intervention” to “safety manage” unruly students. <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=50685">Legislative Bill 811</a>,
 introduced by Glenvil Sen. Dave Murman, is similar to other student 
discipline proposals made in recent years. The ACLU of Nebraska is 
opposed to the bill, saying the answer is “more funding, resources and 
training” for educators, not physical force.</li><li>Require voter approval of a development project receiving more than 
$20 million in tax-increment financing or TIF. Omaha Sen. Machaela 
Cavanaugh said that the city has been “reckless” in its use of TIF and 
that voters, under LB 746, would be required to approve large 
development projects that use TIF “before we tear down libraries or 
build streetcars.” That is a reference to the already approved use of 
more than $60 million in TIF for the new Mutual of Omaha building and a 
streetcar line.</li><li>Allow the state to give out up to $10 million a year in “emergency” food grants to qualifying nonprofit organizations. <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB763.pdf">LB 763</a> was introduced by Omaha Sen. Wendy DeBoer.</li><li>Allow a losing election candidate to request a hand recount. <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=50760">LB 808</a>, introduced by Hastings Sen. Steve Halloran, comes after an unsuccessful legislative candidate in Lincoln, Russ Barger, <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/12/15/court-rejects-bargers-request-for-hand-recount-in-lincoln-legislative-race/">was denied a request for a hand recount</a>.
 A judge ruled that state law requires recounts to be conducted the same
 way the original vote count was done, by machine.&nbsp;Secretary of State 
Bob Evnen has said there’s no reason to believe that a hand recount 
would be superior to one done by machine and that the state’s 
vote-counting machines have been proven highly accurate in frequent 
testing.</li><li>Limit school superintendent salaries to no more than five times what
 is paid to a first-year teacher in that school district. Murman, who 
chairs the Legislature’s Education Committee, introduced<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB800.pdf"> LB 800</a>, which is titled the “Superintendent Pay Transparency Act.”</li><li>Allocate $100 million over two years to the State Department of 
Economic Development to develop “innovative housing solutions.” Omaha 
Sen. Justin Wayne introduced <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB789.pdf">LB 789</a>.
 Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha would allocate a similar amount under LB
 786, but funds would be directed to Omaha’s housing needs.</li><li>Return the state to a “winner-take-all” system of awarding electoral
 votes for president. Sen. Loren Lippincott of Central City introduced 
LB 764. Such proposals have failed in the past. They seek to do away 
with awarding three of Nebraska’s five electoral votes by district. 
President Joe Biden, a Democrat, won one of the state’s votes that way 
in the 2nd Congressional District in 2020, while former President Donald
 Trump won the statewide vote and the other two congressional districts.</li><li>Allocate $60 million in state funds to help Sarpy County build a new
 sewer system south of Gretna. Bellevue Sen. Rick Holdcroft introduced 
LB 769, which would aid the $250 million sewer project, which is being 
built in phases to open up more land in southern Sarpy County for 
development. The return on investment is “billions” of dollars of new 
tax revenues for the state, Holdcroft said.</li><li>Protect medical professionals who decline to 
participate in a health care service on the basis of “conscience,” moral
 or religious belief. The Medical Ethics and Diversity Act, <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB810.pdf">LB 810,</a> was introduced by Murman and 13 other senators.</li>
 </ul>

Neb. senators complete bill introductions, fall short of record volume

By AARON SANDERFORD <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/01/18/omaha-senator-pushes-parole-board-changes-marijuana-decriminalization/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Nebraska Parole Board members who miss more than three meetings a year would lose their seat on the panel that decides which state prisoners can re-enter society early, under a bill State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha introduced Wednesday.

He said he did so, in part, because 
board members have missed a number of Parole Board meetings in recent 
years. When some members of the five-member board are absent, the 
remaining board members have tended to vote less often to grant parole.

McKinney said he was frustrated by the findings of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://flatwaterfreepress.org/the-full-nebraska-parole-board-appears-at-less-than-half-of-hearings-when-members-miss-votes-fewer-get-paroled/">Flatwater Free Press</a>
 showing that fewer than half of the Parole Board’s meetings between May
 2018 and December 2021 were attended by all five board members.&nbsp;

Nearly 200 inmates who could have 
been paroled stayed in prison longer because fewer board members 
attended meetings, the analysis concluded. Fewer people were paroled 
when fewer board members attended a meeting.

<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB631.pdf">Legislative Bill 631</a>
 was part of a group of criminal justice and school-related bills 
McKinney introduced Wednesday aimed at trying to ease prison crowding, 
improve paroled prisoners’ outcomes and keep kids out of the 
school-to-prison pipeline.

LB 631 would change the type of 
person who serves on the governor-appointed Parole Board. McKinney said 
the board needs more perspectives in order to better screen prisoners 
for likelihood of success if paroled.&nbsp;

The bill would require the board to 
have at least one woman, at least one person of color, at least one 
person who has been incarcerated and at least one person ho understands 
how to help someone work their way back into the community after 
release.

The Nebraska Criminal Justice 
Reinvestment report found that the rates of parole granted by the board 
dropped from 78% in 2018 to 58% in 2020, McKinney said.

“I’m trying to make sure that if 
you’re on the Parole Board, you’re doing your job,” McKinney said. “When
 we are making decisions like that, we’ve got to make sure we’ve got as 
many diverse perspectives at the table as possible.”

The bill would require that a minimum
 of four Parole Board members be present to have a quorum to vote, up 
from three. Attempts to reach Parole Board members Wednesday about the 
bill were unsuccessful. The Governor’s Office had no immediate comment. 
The five full-time members of the board receive a base pay of at least 
$86,400.

McKinney also proposed a bill that 
would decriminalize marijuana use and possession, expunge the criminal 
records of people who were convicted of nonviolent, marijuana-related 
crimes and would restore their ability to access the state safety net.

<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB634.pdf">LB 634</a>
 would make it legal for anyone 21 or older to use, possess or grow 
small amounts of marijuana without violating state law. It would outlaw 
marijuana use in public places and vehicles.

County prosecutors would have 30 days
 to object after being notified of the intention to expunge a person’s 
criminal record. Those whose records are expunged would be able to 
access public benefits such as food stamps.

McKinney said poor people disproportionately face legal consequences for using marijuana.&nbsp;

LB 634 also would remove marijuana 
from Nebraska’s list of controlled substances. The drug would still be 
listed as a controlled substance under federal law. That hasn’t stopped 
states such as Colorado from legalizing and taxing recreational and/or 
medical marijuana use.

McKinney acknowledged that his effort
 might simply start a conversation rather than passing, given a 
conservative Legislature. But he said Nebraska lawmakers should seize an
 opportunity to “be proactive” and not be the last state to embrace a 
national movement to decriminalize.

“I want to make sure we’re having a 
real discussion about cannabis and the role it is playing in our society
 and why we need to look at it in a different way — and to make some 
changes,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense to me that we’ve got men and 
women incarcerated right now (for cannabis), but I could get on my phone
 and buy American cannabis stocks.”

Under <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB632.pdf">LB 632</a>, schools would be barred from suspending students who act up in pre-kindergarten through second grade.

McKinney said too many students 
facing discipline at that age are losing academic time to suspensions. 
Studies show learning loss at that age is much harder to bounce back 
from.

McKinney said that while some 
disruptive students need to be removed from the classroom, schools 
should be able to find ways to keep even those children in the building.
 One option might be in-school suspension, he said. Another might be 
behavior interventions in class.&nbsp;

In his district in North Omaha, he 
said, children might not have internet access or have a parent home who 
can help them with their studies. Others might benefit from the 
stabilizing influence of being at school, he said.&nbsp;

“We need our schools to find a better
 way to educate and modernize how we educate our kids,” he said. “The 
attention span of kids is decreasing. Something needs to be adjusted. 
And we need to be better at finding alternatives (to suspension).”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674149373631.png" alt="The new entrance to the Reception and Treatment Center, which merges the old Lincoln Corrections Center and Diagnostic and Evaluation Center into one, 1,350-bed facility. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>The new entrance to the Reception and Treatment Center, which merges the old Lincoln Corrections Center and Diagnostic and Evaluation Center into one, 1,350-bed facility. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By AARON SANDERFORD <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/01/18/omaha-senator-pushes-parole-board-changes-marijuana-decriminalization/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — Nebraska Parole Board members who miss more than three meetings a year would lose their seat on the panel that decides which state prisoners can re-enter society early, under a bill State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha introduced Wednesday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674149430648.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha, left, and community activist Paul Fielmann speak about the donation of 96 copies of “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” to the state prison system. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha, left, and community activist Paul Fielmann speak about the donation of 96 copies of “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” to the state prison system. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>He said he did so, in part, because 
board members have missed a number of Parole Board meetings in recent 
years. When some members of the five-member board are absent, the 
remaining board members have tended to vote less often to grant parole.McKinney said he was frustrated by the findings of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://flatwaterfreepress.org/the-full-nebraska-parole-board-appears-at-less-than-half-of-hearings-when-members-miss-votes-fewer-get-paroled/">Flatwater Free Press</a>
 showing that fewer than half of the Parole Board’s meetings between May
 2018 and December 2021 were attended by all five board members.&nbsp;<h2>Parole Board changes</h2>Nearly 200 inmates who could have 
been paroled stayed in prison longer because fewer board members 
attended meetings, the analysis concluded. Fewer people were paroled 
when fewer board members attended a meeting.<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB631.pdf">Legislative Bill 631</a>
 was part of a group of criminal justice and school-related bills 
McKinney introduced Wednesday aimed at trying to ease prison crowding, 
improve paroled prisoners’ outcomes and keep kids out of the 
school-to-prison pipeline.LB 631 would change the type of 
person who serves on the governor-appointed Parole Board. McKinney said 
the board needs more perspectives in order to better screen prisoners 
for likelihood of success if paroled.&nbsp;The bill would require the board to 
have at least one woman, at least one person of color, at least one 
person who has been incarcerated and at least one person ho understands 
how to help someone work their way back into the community after 
release.The Nebraska Criminal Justice 
Reinvestment report found that the rates of parole granted by the board 
dropped from 78% in 2018 to 58% in 2020, McKinney said.“I’m trying to make sure that if 
you’re on the Parole Board, you’re doing your job,” McKinney said. “When
 we are making decisions like that, we’ve got to make sure we’ve got as 
many diverse perspectives at the table as possible.”The bill would require that a minimum
 of four Parole Board members be present to have a quorum to vote, up 
from three. Attempts to reach Parole Board members Wednesday about the 
bill were unsuccessful. The Governor’s Office had no immediate comment. 
The five full-time members of the board receive a base pay of at least 
$86,400.<h2>Marijuana decriminalization</h2>McKinney also proposed a bill that 
would decriminalize marijuana use and possession, expunge the criminal 
records of people who were convicted of nonviolent, marijuana-related 
crimes and would restore their ability to access the state safety net.<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB634.pdf">LB 634</a>
 would make it legal for anyone 21 or older to use, possess or grow 
small amounts of marijuana without violating state law. It would outlaw 
marijuana use in public places and vehicles.County prosecutors would have 30 days
 to object after being notified of the intention to expunge a person’s 
criminal record. Those whose records are expunged would be able to 
access public benefits such as food stamps.McKinney said poor people disproportionately face legal consequences for using marijuana.&nbsp;LB 634 also would remove marijuana 
from Nebraska’s list of controlled substances. The drug would still be 
listed as a controlled substance under federal law. That hasn’t stopped 
states such as Colorado from legalizing and taxing recreational and/or 
medical marijuana use.McKinney acknowledged that his effort
 might simply start a conversation rather than passing, given a 
conservative Legislature. But he said Nebraska lawmakers should seize an
 opportunity to “be proactive” and not be the last state to embrace a 
national movement to decriminalize.“I want to make sure we’re having a 
real discussion about cannabis and the role it is playing in our society
 and why we need to look at it in a different way — and to make some 
changes,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense to me that we’ve got men and 
women incarcerated right now (for cannabis), but I could get on my phone
 and buy American cannabis stocks.”<h2>Reducing school suspensions&nbsp;</h2>Under <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB632.pdf">LB 632</a>, schools would be barred from suspending students who act up in pre-kindergarten through second grade.McKinney said too many students 
facing discipline at that age are losing academic time to suspensions. 
Studies show learning loss at that age is much harder to bounce back 
from.McKinney said that while some 
disruptive students need to be removed from the classroom, schools 
should be able to find ways to keep even those children in the building.
 One option might be in-school suspension, he said. Another might be 
behavior interventions in class.&nbsp;In his district in North Omaha, he 
said, children might not have internet access or have a parent home who 
can help them with their studies. Others might benefit from the 
stabilizing influence of being at school, he said.&nbsp;“We need our schools to find a better
 way to educate and modernize how we educate our kids,” he said. “The 
attention span of kids is decreasing. Something needs to be adjusted. 
And we need to be better at finding alternatives (to suspension).”

Neb. senator pushes Parole Board changes, pot decriminalization

WASHINGTON (AP) — The countdown toward&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-us-department-of-the-treasury-united-states-government-janet-yellen-business-6fe9b54dcdfea58bead0f4c5f9f89a64">a possible U.S. government default</a>&nbsp;is in the offing — with frictions between President Joe Biden and House Republicans raising alarms about whether the U.S. can sidestep a potential economic crisis.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-states-government-us-department-of-the-treasury-janet-yellen-business-cf6cf1dcfc3d0d81fb5a20f8ad442f7a">Treasury Department projects</a>&nbsp;that the federal government will on Thursday reach its legal borrowing capacity of $38.381 trillion, an artificially imposed cap that lawmakers have increased roughly 80 times since the 1960s. Markets so far remain calm, as the government can temporarily rely on accounting tweaks to stay open, meaning that any threats to the economy are several months away. Even many worried analysts assume there will be a deal.

But this particular moment seems more fraught than past brushes with the debt limit because of the broad differences between Biden and new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who presides over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-mccarthy-first-week-4f9040a752fb1fd7cc5c949adf734ab3">a restive Republican caucus</a>.

Those differences increase the risk that the government could default on its obligations for political reasons, a problem that could rattle financial markets and — if not resolved — plunge the world's largest economy into a wholly preventable recession.

The pair have several months to forge a deal, as the Treasury Department imposes “extraordinary measures” to keep the government operating until at least June. But years of intensifying partisan hostility have led to a conflicting set of demands that jeopardize the ability of the U.S. lawmakers to work together on a basic duty.

Biden insists on a clean increase to the debt limit so that existing financial commitments can be sustained, refusing to even start talks with Republicans. McCarthy is calling for negotiations that he believes will lead to spending cuts. It's unclear how much he wants to trim and if his fellow Republicans would support any deal after a testy start to the new Congress that required 15 rounds of voting to elect McCarthy speaker.

Asked twice Wednesday if there was evidence that House Republicans can ensure that the government will avert a default, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it's their “constitutional responsibility” to protect the full faith and credit of the United States. She did not say whether the White House saw signs at this stage that a default was off the table.

“We're just not going to negotiate that,” Jean-Pierre said. “They should feel the responsibility.”

For his part, McCarthy said Biden needs to recognize the political realities that come with a divided government. He equates the debt ceiling to a credit card limit and calls for a level of fiscal restraint that did not occur under President Donald Trump, a Republican who in 2019 signed a bipartisan suspension of the debt ceiling.

“Why create a crisis over this?" McCarthy said this week. "I mean, we’ve got a Republican House, a Democratic Senate. We’ve got the president there. I think it’s arrogance to say, ‘Oh, we’re not going to negotiate about pretty much anything’ and especially when it comes to funding.”

Any deal would also need to pass the Democratic Senate. Many Democratic lawmakers are skeptical about the ability to work with Republicans aligned with the “Make America Great Again” movement started by Trump. The MAGA movement has claimed that the 2020 election lost by Trump was rigged, a falsehood that contributed to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

“There should be no political brinkmanship with the debt limit,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “It’s reckless for Speaker McCarthy and MAGA Republicans to try and use the full faith and credit of the United States as a political bargaining chip.”

In order to keep the government open, the Treasury Department on Thursday was introducing a series of accounting maneuvers known as “extraordinary measures.” These measures put a hold on contributions and investment redemptions for government workers' retirement and health care funds, giving the government enough financial space to handle its day-to-day expenses until roughly June.

What happens if these measures are exhausted without a deal to raise the debt limit is unknown. A prolonged default could be devastating, with crashing markets and panic-driven layoffs if confidence evaporated in a cornerstone of the global economy, the U.S. Treasury note.

Analysts at Bank of America cautioned in a Friday report that “there is a high degree of uncertainty about the speed and magnitude of the damage the U.S. economy would incur.” The underlying challenge is that the government would have to balance its books on a daily basis if it lacks the ability to issue debt. If the government cannot issue debt, it would have to impose cuts equal in size on an annual basis to 5% of the total U.S. economy. But the analysts say their baseline case is that the U.S. avoids default.

Still, if past debt ceiling showdowns such as the one that occurred in 2011 are any guide, Washington may be in a nervous state of suspended animation with little progress until the “X-date,” the deadline when extraordinary measures are depleted. That creates its own set of challenges.

“A deal probably won’t be reached until the last minute, raising the risk that the deadline to lift the ceiling is inadvertently missed,” said Andrew Hunter, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics.

WASHINGTON (AP) — On the brink of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-states-government-us-department-of-the-treasury-janet-yellen-business-cf6cf1dcfc3d0d81fb5a20f8ad442f7a">hitting the nation's legal borrowing limit on Thursday,</a>&nbsp;the government is resorting to “extraordinary measures” to avoid a default.

But -- take a breath -- the phrase technically refers to a bunch of accounting workarounds. Yes, accounting.

Because the debt cap limits the issuance of government bonds — a way the U.S. borrows money — these workarounds shift money among accounts and should keep the government open through at least June, according to a letter last week by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

In theory, President Joe Biden and Congress are supposed to use that additional time to work out an agreement to raise the nation's legal $31.38 trillion debt ceiling. These talks often grow heated and go down to the wire, with major economic damage in the balance. But there have been roughly 80 deals to raise or suspend the borrowing cap since the 1960s.

What could be worrisome is not the existence of extraordinary measures, but what happens if they are exhausted this summer without a deal in place. Economists have warned that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-business-covid-c3d5a98cf3722562e53d0c9a499510b0">could lead to a global financial crisis.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674129864216.png" alt="Biden insists on a clean increase to the debt limit so that existing financial commitments can be sustained, refusing to even start talks with Republicans-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>Biden insists on a clean increase to the debt limit so that existing financial commitments can be sustained, refusing to even start talks with Republicans-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The countdown toward&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-us-department-of-the-treasury-united-states-government-janet-yellen-business-6fe9b54dcdfea58bead0f4c5f9f89a64">a possible U.S. government default</a>&nbsp;is in the offing — with frictions between President Joe Biden and House Republicans raising alarms about whether the U.S. can sidestep a potential economic crisis.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-states-government-us-department-of-the-treasury-janet-yellen-business-cf6cf1dcfc3d0d81fb5a20f8ad442f7a">Treasury Department projects</a>&nbsp;that the federal government will on Thursday reach its legal borrowing capacity of $38.381 trillion, an artificially imposed cap that lawmakers have increased roughly 80 times since the 1960s. Markets so far remain calm, as the government can temporarily rely on accounting tweaks to stay open, meaning that any threats to the economy are several months away. Even many worried analysts assume there will be a deal.But this particular moment seems more fraught than past brushes with the debt limit because of the broad differences between Biden and new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who presides over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-mccarthy-first-week-4f9040a752fb1fd7cc5c949adf734ab3">a restive Republican caucus</a>.Those differences increase the risk that the government could default on its obligations for political reasons, a problem that could rattle financial markets and — if not resolved — plunge the world's largest economy into a wholly preventable recession.The pair have several months to forge a deal, as the Treasury Department imposes “extraordinary measures” to keep the government operating until at least June. But years of intensifying partisan hostility have led to a conflicting set of demands that jeopardize the ability of the U.S. lawmakers to work together on a basic duty.Biden insists on a clean increase to the debt limit so that existing financial commitments can be sustained, refusing to even start talks with Republicans. McCarthy is calling for negotiations that he believes will lead to spending cuts. It's unclear how much he wants to trim and if his fellow Republicans would support any deal after a testy start to the new Congress that required 15 rounds of voting to elect McCarthy speaker.Asked twice Wednesday if there was evidence that House Republicans can ensure that the government will avert a default, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it's their “constitutional responsibility” to protect the full faith and credit of the United States. She did not say whether the White House saw signs at this stage that a default was off the table.“We're just not going to negotiate that,” Jean-Pierre said. “They should feel the responsibility.”For his part, McCarthy said Biden needs to recognize the political realities that come with a divided government. He equates the debt ceiling to a credit card limit and calls for a level of fiscal restraint that did not occur under President Donald Trump, a Republican who in 2019 signed a bipartisan suspension of the debt ceiling.“Why create a crisis over this?" McCarthy said this week. "I mean, we’ve got a Republican House, a Democratic Senate. We’ve got the president there. I think it’s arrogance to say, ‘Oh, we’re not going to negotiate about pretty much anything’ and especially when it comes to funding.”Any deal would also need to pass the Democratic Senate. Many Democratic lawmakers are skeptical about the ability to work with Republicans aligned with the “Make America Great Again” movement started by Trump. The MAGA movement has claimed that the 2020 election lost by Trump was rigged, a falsehood that contributed to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.“There should be no political brinkmanship with the debt limit,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “It’s reckless for Speaker McCarthy and MAGA Republicans to try and use the full faith and credit of the United States as a political bargaining chip.”In order to keep the government open, the Treasury Department on Thursday was introducing a series of accounting maneuvers known as “extraordinary measures.” These measures put a hold on contributions and investment redemptions for government workers' retirement and health care funds, giving the government enough financial space to handle its day-to-day expenses until roughly June.What happens if these measures are exhausted without a deal to raise the debt limit is unknown. A prolonged default could be devastating, with crashing markets and panic-driven layoffs if confidence evaporated in a cornerstone of the global economy, the U.S. Treasury note.Analysts at Bank of America cautioned in a Friday report that “there is a high degree of uncertainty about the speed and magnitude of the damage the U.S. economy would incur.” The underlying challenge is that the government would have to balance its books on a daily basis if it lacks the ability to issue debt. If the government cannot issue debt, it would have to impose cuts equal in size on an annual basis to 5% of the total U.S. economy. But the analysts say their baseline case is that the U.S. avoids default.Still, if past debt ceiling showdowns such as the one that occurred in 2011 are any guide, Washington may be in a nervous state of suspended animation with little progress until the “X-date,” the deadline when extraordinary measures are depleted. That creates its own set of challenges.“A deal probably won’t be reached until the last minute, raising the risk that the deadline to lift the ceiling is inadvertently missed,” said Andrew Hunter, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics.--------------WASHINGTON (AP) — On the brink of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-states-government-us-department-of-the-treasury-janet-yellen-business-cf6cf1dcfc3d0d81fb5a20f8ad442f7a">hitting the nation's legal borrowing limit on Thursday,</a>&nbsp;the government is resorting to “extraordinary measures” to avoid a default.Sounds ominous, right?But -- take a breath -- the phrase technically refers to a bunch of accounting workarounds. Yes, accounting.Because the debt cap limits the issuance of government bonds — a way the U.S. borrows money — these workarounds shift money among accounts and should keep the government open through at least June, according to a letter last week by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.In theory, President Joe Biden and Congress are supposed to use that additional time to work out an agreement to raise the nation's legal $31.38 trillion debt ceiling. These talks often grow heated and go down to the wire, with major economic damage in the balance. But there have been roughly 80 deals to raise or suspend the borrowing cap since the 1960s.What could be worrisome is not the existence of extraordinary measures, but what happens if they are exhausted this summer without a deal in place. Economists have warned that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-business-covid-c3d5a98cf3722562e53d0c9a499510b0">could lead to a global financial crisis.</a>So far, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Biden are playing what could be a dangerous game of chicken with the world’s largest economy in the middle.Some questions and answers on the situation:WHAT ARE “EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES”?Yellen’s Friday letter listed two measures that will begin this month in order to prevent the government from defaulting.First, the government will temporarily suspend payments to the retirement, disability and health benefit funds for federal employees. Second, it will suspend the reinvestment of maturing government bonds in the retirement savings accounts of government workers.By suspending the payments, the government can reduce the amount of outstanding debt. That enables the Treasury Department to keep financing government operations, according to Yellen’s letter.WHAT ALLOWS TREASURY TO USE THESE MEASURES?No dispute there. Congress has given Treasury the authority to do so.Because these are retirement accounts, no one is harmed by the government equivalent of an IOU. The funds are made whole after a debt ceiling increase or suspension becomes law. It’s not necessarily the measures that can harm the economy but rather the doubts among consumers and businesses about whether lawmakers will increase the borrowing cap.HOW BIG ARE THESE RETIREMENT FUNDS?There were $986 billion in net assets of the civil service and federal employees retirement funds at he end of fiscal 2021, according to a report by the Office of Personnel Management. The required government contributions to the funds are large enough to rely on these extraordinary measures for roughly five months.HOW COMMON IS THIS?“Treasury Secretaries in every Administration over recent decades have used these extraordinary measures when necessary,” Yellen wrote in her letter.The measures were first deployed in 1985 and have been used at least 16 times since then, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a fiscal watchdog.WHY DO WE HAVE A DEBT LIMIT?Before World War I, Congress needed to approve each bond issuance. The debt limit was created as a workaround to finance the war effort without needing a constant series of votes.Since then, a tool created to make it easier for the government to function has become a source of dysfunction, stoking partisan warfare and creating economic risk as the debt has increased in size over the past 20 years.HOW RISKY IS THE BRINKMANSHIP THIS TIME?It looks alarming -- and it’s not clear how Biden, McCarthy and the Democratic Senate will find common ground. A default could cause millions of job losses, a deep recession that would reverberate globally and, ironically, higher interest rates that would make it harder to manage the federal debt.McCarthy said Tuesday that talks should begin immediately on the potential spending cuts that Republicans are seeking in exchange for raising the debt limit, even though the Biden administration has equated that demand to holding the U.S. economy hostage.“Who wants to put the nation in some type of threat at the last minute of the debt ceiling?” McCarthy said. “Nobody wants to do that. That’s why we’re asking, ’Let’s change our behavior now. Let’s sit down.”The Biden administration wants the borrowing cap increased without any preconditions. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday ruled out holding talks with McCarthy.DO DEBT LIMIT SHOWDOWNS HELP REDUCE GOVERNMENT DEBT?Not so much.The Congressional Budget Office estimates that annual budget deficits will grow from roughly $1 trillion to more than $2 trillion over the next 10 years.The imbalance over the coming years increasingly reflects government expenses for programs such as Medicare and Social Security that are outstripping tax revenue. That suggests the government would need severe cuts to spending, major tax hikes or some combination of those options.In 2011 when Barack Obama was president and Biden was vice president, there was a bipartisan deal to raise the debt limit by $900 billion in return for $917 billion worth of automatic spending cuts over 10 years.But the debt reduction never fully materialized.After Donald Trump became president in 2017, Republican lawmakers fueled further debt increases by passing deficit-financed tax cuts. Debt accelerated even more with the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, which caused massive government borrowing in order to pull the U.S. out of a deep recession.The CBO last year estimated that the U.S. debt would exceed $40 trillion in 2032.