NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. flu season keeps getting worse.

Health officials said Friday that 7.5% of outpatient medical visits last week were due to flu-like illnesses. That's as high as the peak of the 2017-18 flu season and higher than any season since.

The annual winter flu season usually doesn’t get going until December or January, but this one began early and has been complicated by the simultaneous spread of other viruses.

The measure of traffic in doctor's offices is based on reports of symptoms like coughs and sore throats, not on lab-confirmed diagnoses. So it may include other respiratory illnesses.

That makes it hard to compare to flu seasons from before the COVID-19 pandemic. Other years also didn't have this year's unusually strong wave of RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, a common cause of cold-like symptoms that can be serious for infants and the elderly.

Meanwhile, 44 states reported high or very high flu activity last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

That may not bode well for the near future. It's likely there was more spread of respiratory viruses during Thanksgiving gatherings and at crowded airports, experts say.

The dominant flu strain so far is the kind typically associated with higher rates of hospitalizations and deaths, particularly in people 65 and older.

The CDC estimates there have been at least 78,000 hospitalizations and 4,500 deaths from flu so far this season. The deaths include at least 14 children.

Flu shots are recommended for nearly all Americans who are at least 6 months old or older.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670014458189.png" alt="CDC Flu map&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>CDC Flu map&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. flu season keeps getting worse.Health officials said Friday that 7.5% of outpatient medical visits last week were due to flu-like illnesses. That's as high as the peak of the 2017-18 flu season and higher than any season since.The annual winter flu season usually doesn’t get going until December or January, but this one began early and has been complicated by the simultaneous spread of other viruses.The measure of traffic in doctor's offices is based on reports of symptoms like coughs and sore throats, not on lab-confirmed diagnoses. So it may include other respiratory illnesses.That makes it hard to compare to flu seasons from before the COVID-19 pandemic. Other years also didn't have this year's unusually strong wave of RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, a common cause of cold-like symptoms that can be serious for infants and the elderly.Meanwhile, 44 states reported high or very high flu activity last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.That may not bode well for the near future. It's likely there was more spread of respiratory viruses during Thanksgiving gatherings and at crowded airports, experts say.The dominant flu strain so far is the kind typically associated with higher rates of hospitalizations and deaths, particularly in people 65 and older.The CDC estimates there have been at least 78,000 hospitalizations and 4,500 deaths from flu so far this season. The deaths include at least 14 children.Flu shots are recommended for nearly all Americans who are at least 6 months old or older.

Flu season worsens as 44 states report high activity

PALMDALE , Calif. (AP) — America’s newest nuclear stealth bomber made its debut Friday after years of secret development and as part of the Pentagon’s answer to rising&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-middle-east-china-united-states-beijing-4521a349b4171b4e9792a5ed96f6f44f">concerns over a future conflict with China</a>.

The B-21 Raider is the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-air-force-technology-mo-state-wire-politics-df0e81b91ad9a945032ba4972c754426">first new American bomber aircraft</a>&nbsp;in more than 30 years. Almost every aspect of the program is classified.

As evening fell over the Air Force’s Plant 42 in Palmdale, the public got its first glimpse of the Raider in a tightly controlled ceremony. It started with a flyover of the three bombers still in service: the B-52 Stratofortress, the B-1 Lancer and the B-2 Spirit. Then the hangar doors slowly opened and the B-21 was towed partially out of the building.

“This isn’t just another airplane,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. “It’s the embodiment of America’s determination to defend the republic that we all love.”

The B-21 is part of the Pentagon’s efforts to modernize all three legs of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-nuclear-weapons-politics-01ec89ceb9224443880acd4213ef6c73">its nuclear triad</a>, which includes silo-launched nuclear ballistic missiles and submarine-launched warheads, as it shifts from the counterterrorism campaigns of recent decades to meet China’s rapid military modernization.

China is on track to have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-europe-china-united-states-beijing-af4dd76e993f450df7af8e63d1a0187c">1,500 nuclear weapons</a>&nbsp;by 2035, and its gains in hypersonics, cyber warfare and space capabilities present “the most consequential and systemic challenge to U.S. national security and the free and open international system,” the Pentagon said this week in its annual China report.

”We needed a new bomber for the 21st Century that would allow us to take on much more complicated threats, like the threats that we fear we would one day face from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-china-beijing-moscow-europe-3d694c61d318e083076b681cd913102d">China, Russia,</a>&nbsp;” said Deborah Lee James, the Air Force secretary when the Raider contract was announced in 2015.

While the Raider may resemble the B-2, once you get inside, the similarities stop, said Kathy Warden, chief executive of Northrop Grumman Corp., which is building the bomber.

“The way it operates internally is extremely advanced compared to the B-2, because the technology has evolved so much in terms of the computing capability that we can now embed in the software of the B-21,” Warden said.

Other changes include advanced materials used in coatings to make the bomber harder to detect, Austin said.

“Fifty years of advances in low-observable technology have gone into this aircraft,” Austin said. “Even the most sophisticated air defense systems will struggle to detect a B-21 in the sky.”

Other advances likely include new ways to control electronic emissions, so the bomber could spoof adversary radars and disguise itself as another object, and use of new propulsion technologies, several defense analysts said.

“It is incredibly low observability,” Warden said. “You’ll hear it, but you really won’t see it.”

Six Raiders are in production. The Air Force plans to build 100 that can deploy either nuclear weapons or conventional bombs and can be used with or without a human crew. Both the Air Force and Northrop also point to the Raider’s relatively quick development: The bomber went from contract award to debut in seven years. Other new fighter and ship programs have taken decades.

The cost of the bombers is unknown. The Air Force previously put the price at an average cost of $550 million each in 2010 dollars — roughly $753 million today — but it’s unclear how much is actually being spent. The total will depend on how many bombers the Pentagon buys.

“We will soon fly this aircraft, test it, and then move it into production. And we will build the bomber force in numbers suited to the strategic environment ahead,” Austin said.

The undisclosed cost troubles government watchdogs.

“It might be a big challenge for us to do our normal analysis of a major program like this,” said Dan Grazier, a senior defense policy fellow at the Project on Government Oversight. “It’s easy to say that the B-21 is still on schedule before it actually flies. Because it’s only when one of these programs goes into the actual testing phase when real problems are discovered." That, he said, is when schedules start to slip and costs rise.

The B-2 was also envisioned to be a fleet of more than 100 aircraft, but the Air Force built only 21, due to cost overruns and a changed security environment after the Soviet Union fell. Fewer than that are ready to fly on any given day due to the significant maintenance needs of the aging bomber.

The B-21 Raider, which takes its name from the 1942 Doolittle Raid over Tokyo, will be slightly smaller than the B-2 to increase its range, Warden said. It won’t make its first flight until 2023. However, Warden said Northrop Grumman has used advanced computing to test the bomber’s performance using a digital twin, a virtual replica of the one unveiled Friday.

Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota will house the bomber’s first training program and squadron, though the bombers are also expected to be stationed at bases in Texas and Missouri.

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, a Republican of South Dakota, led the state’s bid to host the bomber program. In a statement, he called it “the most advanced weapon system ever developed by our country to defend ourselves and our allies.”

Northrop Grumman has also incorporated maintenance lessons learned from the B-2, Warden said.

In October 2001, B-2 pilots set a record when they flew 44 hours straight to drop the first bombs in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks. The B-2 often does long round-trip missions because there are few hangars globally that can accommodate its wingspan, which limits where it can land for maintenance. The hangars also must be air-conditioned because the Spirit’s windows don’t open and hot climates can cook cockpit electronics.

The new Raider will also get new hangars to accommodate its size and complexity, Warden said.

However, with the Raider’s extended range, ’it won’t need to be based in-theater,” Austin said. “It won’t need logistical support to hold any target at risk.”

A final noticeable difference was in the debut itself. While both went public in Palmdale, the B-2 was rolled outdoors in 1988 amid much public fanfare. Given advances in surveillance satellites and cameras, the Raider was just partially exposed, keeping its sensitive propulsion systems and sensors under the hangar and protected from overhead eyes.

“The magic of the platform,” Warden said, “is what you don’t see.”

PALMDALE , Calif. (AP) — America’s newest nuclear stealth bomber made its debut Friday after years of secret development and as part of the Pentagon’s answer to rising&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-middle-east-china-united-states-beijing-4521a349b4171b4e9792a5ed96f6f44f">concerns over a future conflict with China</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Unveiled today, the B-21 Raider will be a dual-capable, penetrating-strike stealth bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. The B-21 will form the backbone of the future Air Force bomber force consisting of B-21s and B-52s.(U.S. Air Force photo) <a href="https://t.co/X6KSU7sy6U">pic.twitter.com/X6KSU7sy6U</a>&mdash; U.S. Air Force (@usairforce) <a href="https://twitter.com/usairforce/status/1598858254615912448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The B-21 Raider is the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-air-force-technology-mo-state-wire-politics-df0e81b91ad9a945032ba4972c754426">first new American bomber aircraft</a>&nbsp;in more than 30 years. Almost every aspect of the program is classified.As evening fell over the Air Force’s Plant 42 in Palmdale, the public got its first glimpse of the Raider in a tightly controlled ceremony. It started with a flyover of the three bombers still in service: the B-52 Stratofortress, the B-1 Lancer and the B-2 Spirit. Then the hangar doors slowly opened and the B-21 was towed partially out of the building.“This isn’t just another airplane,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. “It’s the embodiment of America’s determination to defend the republic that we all love.”The B-21 is part of the Pentagon’s efforts to modernize all three legs of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-nuclear-weapons-politics-01ec89ceb9224443880acd4213ef6c73">its nuclear triad</a>, which includes silo-launched nuclear ballistic missiles and submarine-launched warheads, as it shifts from the counterterrorism campaigns of recent decades to meet China’s rapid military modernization.China is on track to have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-europe-china-united-states-beijing-af4dd76e993f450df7af8e63d1a0187c">1,500 nuclear weapons</a>&nbsp;by 2035, and its gains in hypersonics, cyber warfare and space capabilities present “the most consequential and systemic challenge to U.S. national security and the free and open international system,” the Pentagon said this week in its annual China report.”We needed a new bomber for the 21st Century that would allow us to take on much more complicated threats, like the threats that we fear we would one day face from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-china-beijing-moscow-europe-3d694c61d318e083076b681cd913102d">China, Russia,</a>&nbsp;” said Deborah Lee James, the Air Force secretary when the Raider contract was announced in 2015.While the Raider may resemble the B-2, once you get inside, the similarities stop, said Kathy Warden, chief executive of Northrop Grumman Corp., which is building the bomber.“The way it operates internally is extremely advanced compared to the B-2, because the technology has evolved so much in terms of the computing capability that we can now embed in the software of the B-21,” Warden said.Other changes include advanced materials used in coatings to make the bomber harder to detect, Austin said.“Fifty years of advances in low-observable technology have gone into this aircraft,” Austin said. “Even the most sophisticated air defense systems will struggle to detect a B-21 in the sky.”Other advances likely include new ways to control electronic emissions, so the bomber could spoof adversary radars and disguise itself as another object, and use of new propulsion technologies, several defense analysts said.“It is incredibly low observability,” Warden said. “You’ll hear it, but you really won’t see it.”Six Raiders are in production. The Air Force plans to build 100 that can deploy either nuclear weapons or conventional bombs and can be used with or without a human crew. Both the Air Force and Northrop also point to the Raider’s relatively quick development: The bomber went from contract award to debut in seven years. Other new fighter and ship programs have taken decades.The cost of the bombers is unknown. The Air Force previously put the price at an average cost of $550 million each in 2010 dollars — roughly $753 million today — but it’s unclear how much is actually being spent. The total will depend on how many bombers the Pentagon buys.“We will soon fly this aircraft, test it, and then move it into production. And we will build the bomber force in numbers suited to the strategic environment ahead,” Austin said.The undisclosed cost troubles government watchdogs.“It might be a big challenge for us to do our normal analysis of a major program like this,” said Dan Grazier, a senior defense policy fellow at the Project on Government Oversight. “It’s easy to say that the B-21 is still on schedule before it actually flies. Because it’s only when one of these programs goes into the actual testing phase when real problems are discovered." That, he said, is when schedules start to slip and costs rise.The B-2 was also envisioned to be a fleet of more than 100 aircraft, but the Air Force built only 21, due to cost overruns and a changed security environment after the Soviet Union fell. Fewer than that are ready to fly on any given day due to the significant maintenance needs of the aging bomber.The B-21 Raider, which takes its name from the 1942 Doolittle Raid over Tokyo, will be slightly smaller than the B-2 to increase its range, Warden said. It won’t make its first flight until 2023. However, Warden said Northrop Grumman has used advanced computing to test the bomber’s performance using a digital twin, a virtual replica of the one unveiled Friday.Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota will house the bomber’s first training program and squadron, though the bombers are also expected to be stationed at bases in Texas and Missouri.U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, a Republican of South Dakota, led the state’s bid to host the bomber program. In a statement, he called it “the most advanced weapon system ever developed by our country to defend ourselves and our allies.”Northrop Grumman has also incorporated maintenance lessons learned from the B-2, Warden said.In October 2001, B-2 pilots set a record when they flew 44 hours straight to drop the first bombs in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks. The B-2 often does long round-trip missions because there are few hangars globally that can accommodate its wingspan, which limits where it can land for maintenance. The hangars also must be air-conditioned because the Spirit’s windows don’t open and hot climates can cook cockpit electronics.The new Raider will also get new hangars to accommodate its size and complexity, Warden said.However, with the Raider’s extended range, ’it won’t need to be based in-theater,” Austin said. “It won’t need logistical support to hold any target at risk.”A final noticeable difference was in the debut itself. While both went public in Palmdale, the B-2 was rolled outdoors in 1988 amid much public fanfare. Given advances in surveillance satellites and cameras, the Raider was just partially exposed, keeping its sensitive propulsion systems and sensors under the hangar and protected from overhead eyes.“The magic of the platform,” Warden said, “is what you don’t see.”

Pentagon debuts new stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider

WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Chris Wray is raising national security concerns about TikTok, warning Friday that control of the popular video sharing app is in the hands of a Chinese government “that doesn't share our values.”

Wray said the FBI was concerned that the Chinese had the ability to control the app’s recommendation algorithm, “which allows them to manipulate content, and if they want to, to use it for influence operations.” He also asserted that China could use the app to collect data on its users that could be used for traditional espionage operations.

"All of these things are in the hands of a government that doesn’t share our values and that has a mission that's very much at odds with what’s in the best interests of the United States. That should concern us,” Wray told an audience at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

Those concerns are similar to ones he raised during congressional appearances last month when the issue came up. And they come during ongoing dialogue in Washington about the app.

TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance. A TikTok spokesperson did not immediately return an email seeking comment on Friday.

But at a Senate hearing in September, TikTok Chief Operating Officer Vanessa Pappas responded to questions from members of both parties by saying that the company protects all data from American users and that Chinese government officials have no access to it.

“We will never share data, period,” Pappas said.

Concerned about China’s influence over TikTok, the Trump administration in 2020 threatened to ban the app within the U.S. and pressured ByteDance to sell TikTok to a U.S. company. U.S. officials and the company are now in talks over a possible agreement that would resolve American security concerns, a process that Wray said was taking place across U.S. government agencies.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670097767255.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Chris Wray is raising national security concerns about TikTok, warning Friday that control of the popular video sharing app is in the hands of a Chinese government “that doesn't share our values.”Wray said the FBI was concerned that the Chinese had the ability to control the app’s recommendation algorithm, “which allows them to manipulate content, and if they want to, to use it for influence operations.” He also asserted that China could use the app to collect data on its users that could be used for traditional espionage operations."All of these things are in the hands of a government that doesn’t share our values and that has a mission that's very much at odds with what’s in the best interests of the United States. That should concern us,” Wray told an audience at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.Those concerns are similar to ones he raised during congressional appearances last month when the issue came up. And they come during ongoing dialogue in Washington about the app.TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance. A TikTok spokesperson did not immediately return an email seeking comment on Friday.But at a Senate hearing in September, TikTok Chief Operating Officer Vanessa Pappas responded to questions from members of both parties by saying that the company protects all data from American users and that Chinese government officials have no access to it.“We will never share data, period,” Pappas said.Concerned about China’s influence over TikTok, the Trump administration in 2020 threatened to ban the app within the U.S. and pressured ByteDance to sell TikTok to a U.S. company. U.S. officials and the company are now in talks over a possible agreement that would resolve American security concerns, a process that Wray said was taking place across U.S. government agencies.

FBI director raises national security concerns about TikTok

By JAZARI KUAL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/gov-ricketts-and-nebraska-delegation-wrap-up-trade-mission-to-japan/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN
 — Gov. Pete Ricketts on Friday wrapped up his second trip in about a 
month to Japan, calling the past week’s trade mission to promote 
Nebraska ag products a success.

According to a media release, the 
governor and trade delegation met with Japanese government and business 
leaders to promote Nebraska beef, pork, ethanol and other ag products. 
The Husker team encouraged Japanese businesses to invest in Nebraska.

Nebraska’s delegation included Ivan 
Rush, director at the Nebraska Beef Council; Shana Beattie, past 
president of the Nebraska Pork Producers Association; Mark Knobel, 
chairman of the Nebraska Wheat Board; and Mark McHargue, president of 
the Nebraska Farm Bureau. They met with leaders of agencies including the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and U.S. Embassy in Japan.

On Thursday, the governor and 
delegation met with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to 
discuss the benefits of Nebraska ethanol and to explore opportunities 
for partnership, said a tweet on the governor’s official account.&nbsp;

The governor and industry experts, 
including Jan tenBensel, chairman of the Nebraska Ethanol Board, also 
spoke with Japanese officials about solutions Nebraska ethanol offers as
 Japan seeks to provide cheaper, cleaner fuel for vehicle and air 
travel.&nbsp;

Throughout the week, the delegation spoke with several companies 
investing in Nebraska to thank them and to discuss growth opportunities.
 Companies included Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which has invested in 
Monolith Materials, a Lincoln-based manufacturer focused on 
emissions-free, commercial-scale hydrogen production. Others included 
Nippon Steel, which launched Captain Beef, a premium beef brand sourced 
from Nebraska packers; Toho Cinemas, a theatre chain that serves 
Preferred Popcorn from Chapman; and Prima Ham, a food manufacturer that 
buys pork from Wholestone Farms in Fremont.

During his earlier Japan trip, 
Ricketts on Nov. 9th received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and 
Silver Star Award from the Japanese government at the Imperial Palace 
for his work on strengthening the relationship between Nebraska and 
Japan.&nbsp;

“Nebraska has a long-established 
friendship with Japan,” said Ricketts. “I have appreciated the 
hospitality, kindness, and partnership of Japanese leaders during my 
time as governor. Working together, we’ve been able to grow our 
relationship both through trade and cultural exchange.”

Currently, Japan is the largest 
international investor in Nebraska, with dozens of companies that 
support roughly 6,500 jobs in the state.

Last year, Nebraska exported over 
$1.4 billion of products and services to Japan, an all-time high, 
including $457 million in beef. Japan was also Nebraska’s largest 
purchaser of pork and eggs in 2021.

Nebraska is the first state to visit 
Japan after new beef tariff trigger levels were approved. The new levels
 will make it less likely that beef exports will reach levels that 
trigger higher tariffs, which will provide the state with increased 
opportunity to meet Japan’s growing demand for quality beef.&nbsp;

This trade mission was Ricketts’ fourth one to Japan, with the others being in 2015, 2017 and 2019.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670086071134.png" alt="Gov. Pete Ricketts’ trade mission includes visit with Japanese leaders to Toho Cinemas, which serves Nebraska-made Preferred Popcorn. (Courtesy of Gov. Ricketts Office)" />
 <figcaption>Gov. Pete Ricketts’ trade mission includes visit with Japanese leaders to Toho Cinemas, which serves Nebraska-made Preferred Popcorn. (Courtesy of Gov. Ricketts Office)</figcaption>
 </figure>By JAZARI KUAL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/gov-ricketts-and-nebraska-delegation-wrap-up-trade-mission-to-japan/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN
 — Gov. Pete Ricketts on Friday wrapped up his second trip in about a 
month to Japan, calling the past week’s trade mission to promote 
Nebraska ag products a success.According to a media release, the 
governor and trade delegation met with Japanese government and business 
leaders to promote Nebraska beef, pork, ethanol and other ag products. 
The Husker team encouraged Japanese businesses to invest in Nebraska.<h2>Ethanol partnership</h2>Nebraska’s delegation included Ivan 
Rush, director at the Nebraska Beef Council; Shana Beattie, past 
president of the Nebraska Pork Producers Association; Mark Knobel, 
chairman of the Nebraska Wheat Board; and Mark McHargue, president of 
the Nebraska Farm Bureau. They met with leaders of agencies including the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and U.S. Embassy in Japan.On Thursday, the governor and 
delegation met with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to 
discuss the benefits of Nebraska ethanol and to explore opportunities 
for partnership, said a tweet on the governor’s official account.&nbsp;The governor and industry experts, 
including Jan tenBensel, chairman of the Nebraska Ethanol Board, also 
spoke with Japanese officials about solutions Nebraska ethanol offers as
 Japan seeks to provide cheaper, cleaner fuel for vehicle and air 
travel.&nbsp;Throughout the week, the delegation spoke with several companies 
investing in Nebraska to thank them and to discuss growth opportunities.
 Companies included Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which has invested in 
Monolith Materials, a Lincoln-based manufacturer focused on 
emissions-free, commercial-scale hydrogen production. Others included 
Nippon Steel, which launched Captain Beef, a premium beef brand sourced 
from Nebraska packers; Toho Cinemas, a theatre chain that serves 
Preferred Popcorn from Chapman; and Prima Ham, a food manufacturer that 
buys pork from Wholestone Farms in Fremont.During his earlier Japan trip, 
Ricketts on Nov. 9th received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and 
Silver Star Award from the Japanese government at the Imperial Palace 
for his work on strengthening the relationship between Nebraska and 
Japan.&nbsp;<h2>All-time high for exports</h2>“Nebraska has a long-established 
friendship with Japan,” said Ricketts. “I have appreciated the 
hospitality, kindness, and partnership of Japanese leaders during my 
time as governor. Working together, we’ve been able to grow our 
relationship both through trade and cultural exchange.”Currently, Japan is the largest 
international investor in Nebraska, with dozens of companies that 
support roughly 6,500 jobs in the state.Last year, Nebraska exported over 
$1.4 billion of products and services to Japan, an all-time high, 
including $457 million in beef. Japan was also Nebraska’s largest 
purchaser of pork and eggs in 2021.Nebraska is the first state to visit 
Japan after new beef tariff trigger levels were approved. The new levels
 will make it less likely that beef exports will reach levels that 
trigger higher tariffs, which will provide the state with increased 
opportunity to meet Japan’s growing demand for quality beef.&nbsp;This trade mission was Ricketts’ fourth one to Japan, with the others being in 2015, 2017 and 2019.

Ricketts, Nebraska delegation wrap up trade mission to Japan

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Mickey Joseph, Nebraska's interim football coach for nine games this season, is accused of putting his hands around a woman's throat, pulling her hair and punching her before being taken into custody, according to a police affidavit filed Thursday.

Joseph, 54, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of strangulation and third-degree domestic assault. Joseph denied to police that he assaulted the woman. Nebraska placed Joseph on administrative leave.

Joseph made his initial court appearance on video from the Lancaster County Jail on Thursday. He did not enter a plea. His bond was set at $20,000 and he was ordered not to have contact with the alleged victim. His next court appearance was set for Jan. 30. His attorney, Sean Brennan, did not respond to a message seeking comment.

Police went to a Lincoln residence Wednesday afternoon after a report of a domestic disturbance.

The woman said she and Joseph were in an argument when Joseph pushed her, causing her to fall onto a couch. She said Joseph got on top of her and placed his hands around her throat.

"He pushed me on the couch and strangled me," she said, according to the affidavit. She said her breathing was impeded and that she wasn't able to breathe until she pushed him off.

When she went into the kitchen, she said, Joseph grabbed her hair from behind and pulled her backward, causing her to fall to the floor. In the process of falling, she said, Joseph struck her in the left temple with a closed fist.

Police said she had visible redness and swelling around her left eye which was consistent with being struck, and she was observed to have several strands of hair clinging to her upper pant leg. She said the hairs were pulled from her when Joseph grabbed her.

The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they have been subjected to extreme abuse. The woman in the Joseph case has not publicly identified herself.

The woman also said Joseph also grabbed her phone and attempted to flush it down a toilet. Police said they saw the phone inside a container of rice on the kitchen counter.

A relative of the woman also was at the residence, and he told police he saw Joseph's hands around the woman's throat and that Joseph pushed her onto the couch after he yelled to him. Joseph left the home and was located by police at another location.

Joseph's arrest came two days after Matt Rhule was introduced as the Cornhuskers' new head coach. Rhule had said Monday he planned to meet with Joseph to discuss the possibility of Joseph remaining on the staff. Rhule declined comment through an athletic department spokesman.

Joseph is under contract through Dec. 31, 2023, and his annual salary is listed at $600,000. Under terms of the contract, he could be fired for cause if convicted of a misdemeanor or felony that impairs his ability to perform duties on behalf of the university. If a firing for cause is upheld, the university would not have to pay the remaining money owed on the contract.

Joseph was a quarterback for the Cornhuskers from 1988-91 and had run-ins with police during his playing days. He returned to Nebraska last December as receivers coach and was named interim head coach Sept. 11 after Alberts fired Scott Frost. The Huskers were 3-6 under Joseph and finished the season 4-8.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1669892752505.png" alt="Joseph-photo Lincoln Police" />
 <figcaption>Joseph-photo Lincoln Police</figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Mickey Joseph, Nebraska's interim football coach for nine games this season, is accused of putting his hands around a woman's throat, pulling her hair and punching her before being taken into custody, according to a police affidavit filed Thursday.Joseph, 54, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of strangulation and third-degree domestic assault. Joseph denied to police that he assaulted the woman. Nebraska placed Joseph on administrative leave.Joseph made his initial court appearance on video from the Lancaster County Jail on Thursday. He did not enter a plea. His bond was set at $20,000 and he was ordered not to have contact with the alleged victim. His next court appearance was set for Jan. 30. His attorney, Sean Brennan, did not respond to a message seeking comment.Police went to a Lincoln residence Wednesday afternoon after a report of a domestic disturbance.The woman said she and Joseph were in an argument when Joseph pushed her, causing her to fall onto a couch. She said Joseph got on top of her and placed his hands around her throat."He pushed me on the couch and strangled me," she said, according to the affidavit. She said her breathing was impeded and that she wasn't able to breathe until she pushed him off.When she went into the kitchen, she said, Joseph grabbed her hair from behind and pulled her backward, causing her to fall to the floor. In the process of falling, she said, Joseph struck her in the left temple with a closed fist.Police said she had visible redness and swelling around her left eye which was consistent with being struck, and she was observed to have several strands of hair clinging to her upper pant leg. She said the hairs were pulled from her when Joseph grabbed her.The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they have been subjected to extreme abuse. The woman in the Joseph case has not publicly identified herself.The woman also said Joseph also grabbed her phone and attempted to flush it down a toilet. Police said they saw the phone inside a container of rice on the kitchen counter.A relative of the woman also was at the residence, and he told police he saw Joseph's hands around the woman's throat and that Joseph pushed her onto the couch after he yelled to him. Joseph left the home and was located by police at another location.Joseph's arrest came two days after Matt Rhule was introduced as the Cornhuskers' new head coach. Rhule had said Monday he planned to meet with Joseph to discuss the possibility of Joseph remaining on the staff. Rhule declined comment through an athletic department spokesman.Joseph is under contract through Dec. 31, 2023, and his annual salary is listed at $600,000. Under terms of the contract, he could be fired for cause if convicted of a misdemeanor or felony that impairs his ability to perform duties on behalf of the university. If a firing for cause is upheld, the university would not have to pay the remaining money owed on the contract.Joseph was a quarterback for the Cornhuskers from 1988-91 and had run-ins with police during his playing days. He returned to Nebraska last December as receivers coach and was named interim head coach Sept. 11 after Alberts fired Scott Frost. The Huskers were 3-6 under Joseph and finished the season 4-8.

Woman tells police: Univ. of Nebraska coach strangled me

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats voted Friday to remove Iowa as the leadoff state on the presidential nominating calendar and replace it with South Carolina starting in 2024, a dramatic shakeup championed by President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;to better reflect the party’s deeply diverse electorate.

The Democratic National Committee's rule-making arm made the move to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-nevada-presidential-race-and-ethnicity-iowa-f1d330309665d8041f0e0f3070b2e331">strip Iowa</a>&nbsp;from the position it has held for five decades after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ee095683c85f6c97e51b6589b412f674">technical meltdowns sparked chaos</a>&nbsp;and marred results of the state's 2020 caucus. The change also comes after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-south-carolina-government-and-politics-d73dd6455829d3ee8aee65ab83fd8ef9">long push</a>&nbsp;by some of the party's top leaders to start choosing a president in states that are less white, especially given the importance of Black voters as Democrats' most loyal electoral base.

Discussion on prioritizing diversity drew such impassioned reaction at the committee gathering in Washington that DNC chair Jaime Harrison wiped away tears as committee member Donna Brazile suggested that Democrats had spent years failing to fight for Black voters: “Do you know what it’s like to live on a dirt road? Do you know what it’s like to try to find running water that is clean?”

“Do you know what it’s like to wait and see if the storm is going to pass you by and your roof is still intact?” Brazile asked. “That’s what this is about.”

The committee approved moving South Carolina's primary to Feb. 3 and having Nevada and New Hampshire vote three days later. Georgia would go the following week and Michigan two weeks after that.

The move marks a dramatic shift from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-nevada-presidential-race-and-ethnicity-iowa-b4a270fdf437e9b072cf295953b841d2">the current calendar</a>, which has had Iowa holding the first-in-the-nation caucuses since 1972, followed by New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary since 1920. Nevada and South Carolina have gone next since the 2008 presidential election, when Democrats last did a major overhaul of their primary calendar.

The changes will still have to be approved by the full DNC in a vote likely early next year, but it will almost certainly follow the rule-making committee’s lead.

The revamped schedule could largely be moot for 2024 if Biden opts to seek a second term, but may remake Democratic presidential cycles after that. The president has said for months that he intends to run again, and White House aides have begun making staffing discussions for his likely reelection campaign, even though no final decision has been made.

The DNC also plans to revisit the primary calendar again before 2028 — meaning more changes could be coming before then.

Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-iowa-south-carolina-e738592ee088fa4ca5614ba501d63726">wrote in a letter to rules committee members</a>&nbsp;on Thursday that the party should scrap “restrictive” caucuses altogether because their rules on in-person participation can sometimes exclude working-class and other voters. He told also told party leaders privately that he'd like to see South Carolina go first to better ensure that voters of color aren't marginalized as Democrats choose a presidential nominee.

Four of the five states now poised to start the party's primary are presidential battlegrounds, meaning the eventual Democratic winner would be able to lay groundwork in important general election locales. That's especially true for Michigan and Georgia, which both voted for Donald Trump in 2016 before flipping to Biden in 2020. The exception is South Carolina, which hasn't gone Democratic in a presidential race since 1976.

The first five voting states would be positioned to cast ballots before Super Tuesday, the day when much of the rest of the country holds primaries. That gives the early states outsize influence since White House hopefuls struggling to raise money or gain political traction often drop out before visiting much of the rest of the country.

Scott Brennan, a rules committee member from Iowa, said “small, rural states” like his “must have a voice in the presidential nominating process.”

“Democrats cannot forget about entire groups of voters in the heart of the Midwest without doing significant damage to the party in newer generations," Brennan said.

The Republican National Committee has already decided to keep Iowa’s caucus as the first contest in its 2024 presidential primary, ensuring that GOP White House hopefuls —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-2024-updates-cd5339d48064a149527e8f9a1aa7614e">which include Trump</a>&nbsp;— have continued to frequently campaign there.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, South Carolina’s lone congressional Democrat and one of Biden’s top supporters in Congress, said the president called him Thursday to inform him of his push to move his state up.

“I didn’t ask to be first," Clyburn said. "It was his idea to be first.”

Clyburn's endorsement of Biden in 2020 boosted the candidate's flagging presidential campaign just ahead of South Carolina’s primary, which he won big. That helped Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-in-state-wire-election-2020-ma-state-wire-joe-biden-b9872b58b495fd17044f359338ab3f2a">shake off early losses</a>&nbsp;in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada and eventually take the White House.

“He knows what South Carolina did for him, and he’s demonstrated that time and time again, by giving respect to South Carolina,” Clyburn said.

Still, the vote by the rules committee has faced serious pushback, with some states vowing to ignore the changes altogether. That's despite the panel approving language saying states could lose all of their delegates to the party's national convention if they attempt to violate new rules.

Iowa and New Hampshire have said laws in their states mandate them going before others, and they intend to abide by those, not DNC decrees. Only committee members from Iowa and New Hampshire objected to the proposal that passed Friday, with everyone else supporting it.

Nevada, with its heavily Hispanic population, initially balked at sharing the second-place slot with New Hampshire, a state 2,500 miles away. Nevada committee member Artie Blanco’s voice cracked as she argued against the change.

“If we want to build a strong relationship with Latinos,” Blanco said, “then Nevada must stand alone on a date and not have to share that date.”

After more discussion, Blanco said later that she would support the new calendar. It was “not ideal” for her state to go the same day as another, she said, but “we accept what the will of the president is.”

Harrison said the new slate of five early voting states will need to show they are working toward moving their primaries to those dates by early next year or risk losing their place. Some state legislatures set primary dates; others have their secretaries of state or the directors of their state parties do it.

The DNC chair choked up after the vote as he talked about South Carolina once having been the site of the first attack of the Civil War and now being in line to lead off his party’s primary.

“This proposal reflects the best of our party as a whole, and it will continue to make our party and our country stronger,” Harrison said.

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has declared that Democrats should give up “restrictive” caucuses and prioritize diversity at the start of their presidential primary calendar — dealing a major blow to Iowa's decadeslong status as the state that leads off the process.

In a letter Thursday to the rule-making arm of the Democratic National Committee, Biden did not mention specific states he'd like to see go first. But he has told Democrats he wants South Carolina moved to the first position, according to three people familiar with his recommendation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

The president's direction came as the DNC rules committee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-iowa-323020f9b1ef8fc7dbaecbe3dcb3418d">gathered in Washington on Friday</a>&nbsp;to vote on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-nevada-presidential-race-and-ethnicity-iowa-f1d330309665d8041f0e0f3070b2e331">shaking up the presidential primary calendar starting in 2024</a>. Members now expect to approve new rules putting South Carolina first, followed by New Hampshire and Nevada on the same day a week later.

Georgia and Michigan would move into the top five as new early states, and each would hold primaries in subsequent weeks, committee members say. The two battlegrounds were critical to Biden's 2020 victory over then-President Donald Trump, who had won both states in his 2016 White House campaign.

Much of the rest of the country would vote as part of Super Tuesday soon afterward.

Such changes are set to come after years of calls from many top Democrats for the voting calendar to better reflect the party's deeply diverse base than mostly white Iowa, which holds the country's first caucus, and New Hampshire, which holds the first primary. The new calendar would still have to be approved by the full DNC in a vote likely to come early next year, but the DNC will almost certainly heed the rule-making panel's recommendations.

The proposed order of the early states was first reported by The Washington Post.

“For decades, Black voters in particular have been the backbone of the Democratic Party but have been pushed to the back of the early primary process," Biden wrote in a letter on personal stationery that did not carry the White House seal. “We rely on these voters in elections but have not recognized their importance in our nominating calendar. It is time to stop taking these voters for granted, and time to give them a louder and earlier voice in the process.”

He said caucuses were “restrictive and anti-worker” because they require voters “to spend significant amounts of time” on one night gathering to choose candidates in person, “disadvantaging hourly workers and anyone who does not have the flexibility to go to a set location at a set time.”

The changes could be implemented as soon as 2024 but would be rendered largely meaningless until 2028 if Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-5a8fd26a4a9ffa9b47c5de52fface72d">opts to seek a second term</a>. The president has said for months that he intends to run again, and White House aides and Biden allies have begun staffing and structural discussions for his likely 2024 bid while refraining from overt steps while the president weighs a final decision.

Such a shakeup would nonetheless be seismic given that Iowa’s caucus has led off the Democratic voting calendar since 1976. Still, it would come two years after a series of technical glitches&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ee095683c85f6c97e51b6589b412f674">so marred party results</a>&nbsp;that they prevented The Associated Press from declaring a 2020 Iowa Democratic caucus winner.

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Ross Wilburn said in a statement Thursday night that the state party intended to abide by Iowa law and hold its caucus first.

“Our state law requires us to hold a caucus before the last Tuesday in February, and before any other contest,” Wilburn said. "When we submit our delegate selection plan to the Rules and Bylaws Committee early next year, we will adhere to the State of Iowa’s legal requirements, and address compliance with DNC rules in subsequent meetings and hearings.”

New Hampshire state law calls for it to hold the first actual primary, and officials there have for months threatened to simply move up their election regardless of what new rules the DNC approves

On the current Democratic calendar, Iowa has been followed by New Hampshire, which has held the nation’s first primary since 1920. Nevada and South Carolina have gone next since the 2008 presidential election, when Democrats last did a major primary calendar overhaul.

The Republican National Committee, meanwhile, has already decided to keep Iowa’s caucus as the first contest in its 2024 presidential calendar, ensuring that GOP White House hopefuls — which include Trump — will continue campaigning there frequently.

South Carolina holds special relevance to Biden.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-in-state-wire-election-2020-ma-state-wire-joe-biden-b9872b58b495fd17044f359338ab3f2a">His victory</a>&nbsp;in the state's first-in-the-South primary in 2020 kickstarted his presidential campaign after poor finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire on his way to winning the Democratic nomination.

Dick Harpootlian, a longtime Biden ally, fundraiser and former South Carolina Democratic Party chair, said Thursday that he and Biden discussed South Carolina’s possible advancement the night of Biden’s 2020 primary victory there. Harpootlian said he’d impressed upon Biden that the state was a better place than Iowa to hold an even earlier presidential voting contest — to which Harpootlian said Biden was receptive.

“I think he agreed that this was a much more dynamic process,” Harpootlian said. “Iowa was just a nightmare.”

The DNC rules committee has been discussing reordering the early calendar for months, touching off a fierce battle among many states to go first. In a joint statement Thursday night, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell said, “We have always said that any road to the White House goes through the heartland and President Biden understands that.”

Several states have previously tried to violate party rules and jump closer to the front, only to be threatened with having their delegates not count.

New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen issued a statement blasting “the White House’s short-sighted decision,” while fellow New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan said, “I strongly oppose the President’s deeply misguided proposal."

“But make no mistake," Hassan said in a statement. “New Hampshire’s law is clear and our primary will continue to be first in the nation.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670001141259.png" alt="Joe Biden on the campaign trail in 2020-photo courtesy WZTV" />
 <figcaption>Joe Biden on the campaign trail in 2020-photo courtesy WZTV</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats voted Friday to remove Iowa as the leadoff state on the presidential nominating calendar and replace it with South Carolina starting in 2024, a dramatic shakeup championed by President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;to better reflect the party’s deeply diverse electorate.The Democratic National Committee's rule-making arm made the move to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-nevada-presidential-race-and-ethnicity-iowa-f1d330309665d8041f0e0f3070b2e331">strip Iowa</a>&nbsp;from the position it has held for five decades after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ee095683c85f6c97e51b6589b412f674">technical meltdowns sparked chaos</a>&nbsp;and marred results of the state's 2020 caucus. The change also comes after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-south-carolina-government-and-politics-d73dd6455829d3ee8aee65ab83fd8ef9">long push</a>&nbsp;by some of the party's top leaders to start choosing a president in states that are less white, especially given the importance of Black voters as Democrats' most loyal electoral base.Discussion on prioritizing diversity drew such impassioned reaction at the committee gathering in Washington that DNC chair Jaime Harrison wiped away tears as committee member Donna Brazile suggested that Democrats had spent years failing to fight for Black voters: “Do you know what it’s like to live on a dirt road? Do you know what it’s like to try to find running water that is clean?”“Do you know what it’s like to wait and see if the storm is going to pass you by and your roof is still intact?” Brazile asked. “That’s what this is about.”The committee approved moving South Carolina's primary to Feb. 3 and having Nevada and New Hampshire vote three days later. Georgia would go the following week and Michigan two weeks after that.The move marks a dramatic shift from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-nevada-presidential-race-and-ethnicity-iowa-b4a270fdf437e9b072cf295953b841d2">the current calendar</a>, which has had Iowa holding the first-in-the-nation caucuses since 1972, followed by New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary since 1920. Nevada and South Carolina have gone next since the 2008 presidential election, when Democrats last did a major overhaul of their primary calendar.The changes will still have to be approved by the full DNC in a vote likely early next year, but it will almost certainly follow the rule-making committee’s lead.The revamped schedule could largely be moot for 2024 if Biden opts to seek a second term, but may remake Democratic presidential cycles after that. The president has said for months that he intends to run again, and White House aides have begun making staffing discussions for his likely reelection campaign, even though no final decision has been made.The DNC also plans to revisit the primary calendar again before 2028 — meaning more changes could be coming before then.Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-iowa-south-carolina-e738592ee088fa4ca5614ba501d63726">wrote in a letter to rules committee members</a>&nbsp;on Thursday that the party should scrap “restrictive” caucuses altogether because their rules on in-person participation can sometimes exclude working-class and other voters. He told also told party leaders privately that he'd like to see South Carolina go first to better ensure that voters of color aren't marginalized as Democrats choose a presidential nominee.Four of the five states now poised to start the party's primary are presidential battlegrounds, meaning the eventual Democratic winner would be able to lay groundwork in important general election locales. That's especially true for Michigan and Georgia, which both voted for Donald Trump in 2016 before flipping to Biden in 2020. The exception is South Carolina, which hasn't gone Democratic in a presidential race since 1976.The first five voting states would be positioned to cast ballots before Super Tuesday, the day when much of the rest of the country holds primaries. That gives the early states outsize influence since White House hopefuls struggling to raise money or gain political traction often drop out before visiting much of the rest of the country.Scott Brennan, a rules committee member from Iowa, said “small, rural states” like his “must have a voice in the presidential nominating process.”“Democrats cannot forget about entire groups of voters in the heart of the Midwest without doing significant damage to the party in newer generations," Brennan said.The Republican National Committee has already decided to keep Iowa’s caucus as the first contest in its 2024 presidential primary, ensuring that GOP White House hopefuls —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-2024-updates-cd5339d48064a149527e8f9a1aa7614e">which include Trump</a>&nbsp;— have continued to frequently campaign there.House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, South Carolina’s lone congressional Democrat and one of Biden’s top supporters in Congress, said the president called him Thursday to inform him of his push to move his state up.“I didn’t ask to be first," Clyburn said. "It was his idea to be first.”Clyburn's endorsement of Biden in 2020 boosted the candidate's flagging presidential campaign just ahead of South Carolina’s primary, which he won big. That helped Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-in-state-wire-election-2020-ma-state-wire-joe-biden-b9872b58b495fd17044f359338ab3f2a">shake off early losses</a>&nbsp;in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada and eventually take the White House.“He knows what South Carolina did for him, and he’s demonstrated that time and time again, by giving respect to South Carolina,” Clyburn said.Still, the vote by the rules committee has faced serious pushback, with some states vowing to ignore the changes altogether. That's despite the panel approving language saying states could lose all of their delegates to the party's national convention if they attempt to violate new rules.Iowa and New Hampshire have said laws in their states mandate them going before others, and they intend to abide by those, not DNC decrees. Only committee members from Iowa and New Hampshire objected to the proposal that passed Friday, with everyone else supporting it.Nevada, with its heavily Hispanic population, initially balked at sharing the second-place slot with New Hampshire, a state 2,500 miles away. Nevada committee member Artie Blanco’s voice cracked as she argued against the change.“If we want to build a strong relationship with Latinos,” Blanco said, “then Nevada must stand alone on a date and not have to share that date.”After more discussion, Blanco said later that she would support the new calendar. It was “not ideal” for her state to go the same day as another, she said, but “we accept what the will of the president is.”Harrison said the new slate of five early voting states will need to show they are working toward moving their primaries to those dates by early next year or risk losing their place. Some state legislatures set primary dates; others have their secretaries of state or the directors of their state parties do it.The DNC chair choked up after the vote as he talked about South Carolina once having been the site of the first attack of the Civil War and now being in line to lead off his party’s primary.“This proposal reflects the best of our party as a whole, and it will continue to make our party and our country stronger,” Harrison said.-----------WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has declared that Democrats should give up “restrictive” caucuses and prioritize diversity at the start of their presidential primary calendar — dealing a major blow to Iowa's decadeslong status as the state that leads off the process.In a letter Thursday to the rule-making arm of the Democratic National Committee, Biden did not mention specific states he'd like to see go first. But he has told Democrats he wants South Carolina moved to the first position, according to three people familiar with his recommendation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.The president's direction came as the DNC rules committee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-iowa-323020f9b1ef8fc7dbaecbe3dcb3418d">gathered in Washington on Friday</a>&nbsp;to vote on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-nevada-presidential-race-and-ethnicity-iowa-f1d330309665d8041f0e0f3070b2e331">shaking up the presidential primary calendar starting in 2024</a>. Members now expect to approve new rules putting South Carolina first, followed by New Hampshire and Nevada on the same day a week later.Georgia and Michigan would move into the top five as new early states, and each would hold primaries in subsequent weeks, committee members say. The two battlegrounds were critical to Biden's 2020 victory over then-President Donald Trump, who had won both states in his 2016 White House campaign.Much of the rest of the country would vote as part of Super Tuesday soon afterward.Such changes are set to come after years of calls from many top Democrats for the voting calendar to better reflect the party's deeply diverse base than mostly white Iowa, which holds the country's first caucus, and New Hampshire, which holds the first primary. The new calendar would still have to be approved by the full DNC in a vote likely to come early next year, but the DNC will almost certainly heed the rule-making panel's recommendations.The proposed order of the early states was first reported by The Washington Post.“For decades, Black voters in particular have been the backbone of the Democratic Party but have been pushed to the back of the early primary process," Biden wrote in a letter on personal stationery that did not carry the White House seal. “We rely on these voters in elections but have not recognized their importance in our nominating calendar. It is time to stop taking these voters for granted, and time to give them a louder and earlier voice in the process.”He said caucuses were “restrictive and anti-worker” because they require voters “to spend significant amounts of time” on one night gathering to choose candidates in person, “disadvantaging hourly workers and anyone who does not have the flexibility to go to a set location at a set time.”The changes could be implemented as soon as 2024 but would be rendered largely meaningless until 2028 if Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-5a8fd26a4a9ffa9b47c5de52fface72d">opts to seek a second term</a>. The president has said for months that he intends to run again, and White House aides and Biden allies have begun staffing and structural discussions for his likely 2024 bid while refraining from overt steps while the president weighs a final decision.Such a shakeup would nonetheless be seismic given that Iowa’s caucus has led off the Democratic voting calendar since 1976. Still, it would come two years after a series of technical glitches&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ee095683c85f6c97e51b6589b412f674">so marred party results</a>&nbsp;that they prevented The Associated Press from declaring a 2020 Iowa Democratic caucus winner.Iowa Democratic Party Chair Ross Wilburn said in a statement Thursday night that the state party intended to abide by Iowa law and hold its caucus first.“Our state law requires us to hold a caucus before the last Tuesday in February, and before any other contest,” Wilburn said. "When we submit our delegate selection plan to the Rules and Bylaws Committee early next year, we will adhere to the State of Iowa’s legal requirements, and address compliance with DNC rules in subsequent meetings and hearings.”New Hampshire state law calls for it to hold the first actual primary, and officials there have for months threatened to simply move up their election regardless of what new rules the DNC approvesOn the current Democratic calendar, Iowa has been followed by New Hampshire, which has held the nation’s first primary since 1920. Nevada and South Carolina have gone next since the 2008 presidential election, when Democrats last did a major primary calendar overhaul.The Republican National Committee, meanwhile, has already decided to keep Iowa’s caucus as the first contest in its 2024 presidential calendar, ensuring that GOP White House hopefuls — which include Trump — will continue campaigning there frequently.South Carolina holds special relevance to Biden.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-in-state-wire-election-2020-ma-state-wire-joe-biden-b9872b58b495fd17044f359338ab3f2a">His victory</a>&nbsp;in the state's first-in-the-South primary in 2020 kickstarted his presidential campaign after poor finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire on his way to winning the Democratic nomination.Dick Harpootlian, a longtime Biden ally, fundraiser and former South Carolina Democratic Party chair, said Thursday that he and Biden discussed South Carolina’s possible advancement the night of Biden’s 2020 primary victory there. Harpootlian said he’d impressed upon Biden that the state was a better place than Iowa to hold an even earlier presidential voting contest — to which Harpootlian said Biden was receptive.“I think he agreed that this was a much more dynamic process,” Harpootlian said. “Iowa was just a nightmare.”The DNC rules committee has been discussing reordering the early calendar for months, touching off a fierce battle among many states to go first. In a joint statement Thursday night, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell said, “We have always said that any road to the White House goes through the heartland and President Biden understands that.”Several states have previously tried to violate party rules and jump closer to the front, only to be threatened with having their delegates not count.New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen issued a statement blasting “the White House’s short-sighted decision,” while fellow New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan said, “I strongly oppose the President’s deeply misguided proposal."“But make no mistake," Hassan said in a statement. “New Hampshire’s law is clear and our primary will continue to be first in the nation.”

Biden, Dems make dramatic change to presidential primary calendar

By ARIANA FIGUEROA <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/11/29/albertsons-kroger-mega-deal-raises-questions-from-lawmakers-about-higher-food-prices/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — Members of a U.S. Senate
 Judiciary Committee panel raised concerns during a hearing this week that
 a proposed merger between two of the largest U.S. supermarket chains 
could mean a monopoly on groceries and lead to higher food prices for 
Americans.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?524439-1/hearing-merger-kroger-albertsons-grocery-store-chains&amp;live">Click here to watch</a> a replay of the hearing

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat who chairs the Subcommittee
 on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, along with the 
top Republican on the panel, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, grilled the CEOs of 
the Kroger Co., based in Cincinnati, and Albertsons Companies Inc., based in Boise, Idaho. The two companies are attempting to merge.&nbsp;

“Over the last decade, the grocery 
industry has become increasingly consolidated, with the top four chains 
now making up more than two-thirds of all grocery sales,” Klobuchar 
said. “A lack of competition in the industry means higher prices and 
lower quality.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

After Kroger announced a $24.6 
billion proposed purchase of its rival Albertsons last month, Klobuchar 
and Lee announced they planned to convene a hearing on the merger, 
citing concerns about already high food prices due to inflation, and 
their worry that a potential merger could worsen the problem.

Another concern senators expressed 
was layoffs and store closures that could follow the merger. Sen. Josh 
Hawley, a Missouri Republican, pressed Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen on how
 many workers would be laid off if the two companies merged.&nbsp;

McMullen said Kroger had no plans to 
lay off workers or close stories and pointed to a previous acquisition 
of Harris Teeter in 2014 where there were no layoffs or store closures.

“We’ve ended up not laying off anybody because what we found is that merged companies do things better than we do,” he said.

Congress would not be able to stop 
the merger, as those dealings are reviewed by the Federal Trade 
Commission and the Justice Department. It would likely take until 2024 
to complete the merger. If deemed necessary, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/merger-review">the FTC can take legal proceedings</a> to stop mergers, either in federal courts or before an FTC administrative law judge.

Kroger leaders have argued that the 
deal will help them compete with top grocery retailers like Walmart and 
online behemoths like Amazon. Walmart controls about 21% of the grocery 
market share, followed by Kroger at 10% and Costco at 7%, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/profile-of-amazons-new-retail-ceo-doug-herrington-2022-7">according to Business Insider</a>. Albertsons controls about 5.8% of the grocery market share.&nbsp;

Albertsons is the second-largest 
supermarket company, owning 2,300 stores and employing 290,000 people. 
Kroger is the largest supermarket operator in the U.S., with more than 
2,700 stores and 450,000 employees and owns other supermarket chains 
like Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer and Ralphs.

Labor unions have also raised 
concerns. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, 
which represents more than 1 million grocery workers, said in a 
statement following the hearing that Kroger and Albertsons have not been
 transparent about wages, jobs and benefits for workers.&nbsp;

“Now, more than ever, Kroger and 
Albertsons executives must provide the answers and information needed to
 address the serious concerns our members and the American people have 
about this proposed merger,” according to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ufcw.org/press-releases/ufcw-international-union-statement-on-senate-judiciary-subcommittee-hearing-on-proposed-kroger-albertsons-merger/">statement</a>.&nbsp;

Klobuchar and Lee wrote a<a target="_blank" href="https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/2/b/2b61dbcf-3bb9-49d2-a8e9-3622b1c1f9a9/7A05803C37BA9F78A1B037066B860D13.quill---letter-l7137---letter-to-ftc-chair-khan-re-albertsons-kroger-merger-002-.pdf"> joint letter </a>to
 Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, asking for her assurance that
 the commission will thoroughly investigate the merger.&nbsp;

They asked the agency to include 
findings from its investigation last fall “into grocery prices and the 
availability of food products, sending data requests to a number of 
companies, including Kroger,” in its proposed analysis of the new 
merger.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/summary-findings/">According to the Consumer Price Index</a>,
 food-at-home, such as grocery store or supermarket food purchases, 
increased 0.5% from September to October and was 12.4% higher than 
October of last year.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Klobuchar and Sen. Alex Padilla, a 
California Democrat, grilled McMullen on how he expected Kroger to keep 
its grocery prices low if the company took out its biggest competitor, 
Albertsons, arguing that Kroger would not have an incentive to keep 
prices low without competition.&nbsp;

“I just don’t see less competition 
going forward,” McMullen said, adding that his company would still 
compete with Costco, Walmart and Amazon.

Sumit Sharma, a senior researcher of technology competition at Consumer Reports, disagreed with that assessment.&nbsp;

“The most likely outcome is increased
 prices, fewer choices for consumers, and reduced supermarket access for
 some consumers,” he said.

Padilla said that in California alone
 there are several areas where Albertsons and Kroger are the only 
supermarkets and if this merger goes through, his constituents will only
 have one option to do their food shopping.

“That’s the concern,” he said. “With less competition, prices go up.”&nbsp;

Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas 
Republican, did not ask questions about the implications of the merger 
for food prices and instead took issue with the uniform that Kroger 
employees wear, which is an apron.&nbsp;

He cited a religious discrimination <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2022/10/31/kroger-rainbow-patch-case-settlement-announced/69605961007/">lawsuit</a>
 that Kroger recently settled in late October, in which the store paid 
$180,000 to employees who were fired months after they were given new 
apron uniforms displaying a heart patch with rainbow colors.&nbsp;

The former employees interpreted the 
aprons as supportive of the LGBTQ+ community, and said the aprons 
violated their religious beliefs.&nbsp;

“If this merger goes through, who’s going to be making decisions about uniforms?” Cotton asked.&nbsp;

McMullen said that uniforms are put together by an associate resource group that designs them.&nbsp;

“The heart is a symbol of our 
fundamental purpose … to be in community spirit,” McMullen said about 
the patch. “And part of being the human spirit is the heart and that 
heart is our fundamental strategy to support our purpose. The colors 
were not tied to any specific thing.”

Klobuchar and Lee said they were 
skeptical the merger would not increase food prices, following what 
happened in a 2015 merger between Albertsons and Safeway.

In 2015, as part of that merger, Albertsons had to participate in a divestiture and was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2015/01/ftc-requires-albertsons-safeway-sell-168-stores-condition-merger">required to sell 168</a> stores before it was allowed to merge with Safeway, per an order by the FTC.

Haggen bought most of the Albertsons stores, but in less than a year, the company filed for bankruptcy and Albertsons <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2015/09/ftc-approves-application-modification-divestiture-agreement-between-albertsons-haggen-holdings-llc">ended up buying back most of the stores.</a>&nbsp;

“I think this weighs heavily on the 
minds of a lot of people who have concerns about this agreement, just 
looking at the immediate past and what happened,” Klobuchar said.

Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson <a target="_blank" href="https://agportal-s3bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/uploadedfiles/Another/News/Press_Releases/Complaint_FINAL.pdf">filed a lawsuit </a>earlier
 this month to block Albertsons from giving its shareholders a $4 
billion dividend payout before the proposed merger with Kroger until the
 merger can be reviewed by state and federal antitrust officials.&nbsp;

Ferguson argued that the $4 billion 
dividend payments exceeded what Albertsons had on hand, which according 
to SEC filings was $2.5 billion. Albertsons was prepared to borrow the 
rest for the dividend payments.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

By reducing Albertsons’ cash on hand,
 Ferguson argued, it would make it difficult for Albertsons to keep up 
with inventory orders, “forcing customers to go to other grocery stores 
when shelves are not stocked with the products they seek,” and that less
 “inventory to stock could also impact employee hours.”

“Paying out $4 billion before 
regulators can do their job and review the proposed merger will weaken 
Albertsons’ ability to continue business operations and compete,” 
Ferguson said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/ag-ferguson-files-lawsuit-block-albertsons-paying-4-billion-shareholders-merger">statement</a>.
 “Free enterprise is built on companies competing, and that competition 
benefits consumers. Corporations proposing a merger cannot sabotage 
their ability to compete while that merger is under review.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

A King County Superior Court commissioner <a target="_blank" href="https://agportal-s3bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/uploadedfiles/Another/News/Press_Releases/TRO%20granted.pdf">granted</a> Ferguson’s motion on Nov. 3.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669817140647.png" alt="U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, at a U.S. Senate hearing on the proposed merger of grocery chains Kroger and Albertsons. Nov. 29, 2022. (Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, at a U.S. Senate hearing on the proposed merger of grocery chains Kroger and Albertsons. Nov. 29, 2022. (Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom)</figcaption>
 </figure>By ARIANA FIGUEROA <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/11/29/albertsons-kroger-mega-deal-raises-questions-from-lawmakers-about-higher-food-prices/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — Members of a U.S. Senate
 Judiciary Committee panel raised concerns during a hearing this week that
 a proposed merger between two of the largest U.S. supermarket chains 
could mean a monopoly on groceries and lead to higher food prices for 
Americans.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?524439-1/hearing-merger-kroger-albertsons-grocery-store-chains&amp;live">Click here to watch</a> a replay of the hearingU.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat who chairs the Subcommittee
 on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, along with the 
top Republican on the panel, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, grilled the CEOs of 
the Kroger Co., based in Cincinnati, and Albertsons Companies Inc., based in Boise, Idaho. The two companies are attempting to merge.&nbsp;“Over the last decade, the grocery 
industry has become increasingly consolidated, with the top four chains 
now making up more than two-thirds of all grocery sales,” Klobuchar 
said. “A lack of competition in the industry means higher prices and 
lower quality.”&nbsp;&nbsp;After Kroger announced a $24.6 
billion proposed purchase of its rival Albertsons last month, Klobuchar 
and Lee announced they planned to convene a hearing on the merger, 
citing concerns about already high food prices due to inflation, and 
their worry that a potential merger could worsen the problem.Another concern senators expressed 
was layoffs and store closures that could follow the merger. Sen. Josh 
Hawley, a Missouri Republican, pressed Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen on how
 many workers would be laid off if the two companies merged.&nbsp;McMullen said Kroger had no plans to 
lay off workers or close stories and pointed to a previous acquisition 
of Harris Teeter in 2014 where there were no layoffs or store closures.“We’ve ended up not laying off anybody because what we found is that merged companies do things better than we do,” he said.Congress would not be able to stop 
the merger, as those dealings are reviewed by the Federal Trade 
Commission and the Justice Department. It would likely take until 2024 
to complete the merger. If deemed necessary, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/merger-review">the FTC can take legal proceedings</a> to stop mergers, either in federal courts or before an FTC administrative law judge.<h2>Competing with Walmart</h2>Kroger leaders have argued that the 
deal will help them compete with top grocery retailers like Walmart and 
online behemoths like Amazon. Walmart controls about 21% of the grocery 
market share, followed by Kroger at 10% and Costco at 7%, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/profile-of-amazons-new-retail-ceo-doug-herrington-2022-7">according to Business Insider</a>. Albertsons controls about 5.8% of the grocery market share.&nbsp;Albertsons is the second-largest 
supermarket company, owning 2,300 stores and employing 290,000 people. 
Kroger is the largest supermarket operator in the U.S., with more than 
2,700 stores and 450,000 employees and owns other supermarket chains 
like Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer and Ralphs.Labor unions have also raised 
concerns. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, 
which represents more than 1 million grocery workers, said in a 
statement following the hearing that Kroger and Albertsons have not been
 transparent about wages, jobs and benefits for workers.&nbsp;“Now, more than ever, Kroger and 
Albertsons executives must provide the answers and information needed to
 address the serious concerns our members and the American people have 
about this proposed merger,” according to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ufcw.org/press-releases/ufcw-international-union-statement-on-senate-judiciary-subcommittee-hearing-on-proposed-kroger-albertsons-merger/">statement</a>.&nbsp;Klobuchar and Lee wrote a<a target="_blank" href="https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/2/b/2b61dbcf-3bb9-49d2-a8e9-3622b1c1f9a9/7A05803C37BA9F78A1B037066B860D13.quill---letter-l7137---letter-to-ftc-chair-khan-re-albertsons-kroger-merger-002-.pdf"> joint letter </a>to
 Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, asking for her assurance that
 the commission will thoroughly investigate the merger.&nbsp;They asked the agency to include 
findings from its investigation last fall “into grocery prices and the 
availability of food products, sending data requests to a number of 
companies, including Kroger,” in its proposed analysis of the new 
merger.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/summary-findings/">According to the Consumer Price Index</a>,
 food-at-home, such as grocery store or supermarket food purchases, 
increased 0.5% from September to October and was 12.4% higher than 
October of last year.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Keeping prices low</h2>Klobuchar and Sen. Alex Padilla, a 
California Democrat, grilled McMullen on how he expected Kroger to keep 
its grocery prices low if the company took out its biggest competitor, 
Albertsons, arguing that Kroger would not have an incentive to keep 
prices low without competition.&nbsp;“I just don’t see less competition 
going forward,” McMullen said, adding that his company would still 
compete with Costco, Walmart and Amazon.Sumit Sharma, a senior researcher of technology competition at Consumer Reports, disagreed with that assessment.&nbsp;“The most likely outcome is increased
 prices, fewer choices for consumers, and reduced supermarket access for
 some consumers,” he said.Padilla said that in California alone
 there are several areas where Albertsons and Kroger are the only 
supermarkets and if this merger goes through, his constituents will only
 have one option to do their food shopping.“That’s the concern,” he said. “With less competition, prices go up.”&nbsp;<h2>Cotton questions Kroger uniforms</h2>Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas 
Republican, did not ask questions about the implications of the merger 
for food prices and instead took issue with the uniform that Kroger 
employees wear, which is an apron.&nbsp;He cited a religious discrimination <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2022/10/31/kroger-rainbow-patch-case-settlement-announced/69605961007/">lawsuit</a>
 that Kroger recently settled in late October, in which the store paid 
$180,000 to employees who were fired months after they were given new 
apron uniforms displaying a heart patch with rainbow colors.&nbsp;The former employees interpreted the 
aprons as supportive of the LGBTQ+ community, and said the aprons 
violated their religious beliefs.&nbsp;“If this merger goes through, who’s going to be making decisions about uniforms?” Cotton asked.&nbsp;McMullen said that uniforms are put together by an associate resource group that designs them.&nbsp;“The heart is a symbol of our 
fundamental purpose … to be in community spirit,” McMullen said about 
the patch. “And part of being the human spirit is the heart and that 
heart is our fundamental strategy to support our purpose. The colors 
were not tied to any specific thing.”<h2>2015 Merger</h2>Klobuchar and Lee said they were 
skeptical the merger would not increase food prices, following what 
happened in a 2015 merger between Albertsons and Safeway.In 2015, as part of that merger, Albertsons had to participate in a divestiture and was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2015/01/ftc-requires-albertsons-safeway-sell-168-stores-condition-merger">required to sell 168</a> stores before it was allowed to merge with Safeway, per an order by the FTC.Haggen bought most of the Albertsons stores, but in less than a year, the company filed for bankruptcy and Albertsons <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2015/09/ftc-approves-application-modification-divestiture-agreement-between-albertsons-haggen-holdings-llc">ended up buying back most of the stores.</a>&nbsp;“I think this weighs heavily on the 
minds of a lot of people who have concerns about this agreement, just 
looking at the immediate past and what happened,” Klobuchar said.<h2>Blocked dividend payout</h2>Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson <a target="_blank" href="https://agportal-s3bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/uploadedfiles/Another/News/Press_Releases/Complaint_FINAL.pdf">filed a lawsuit </a>earlier
 this month to block Albertsons from giving its shareholders a $4 
billion dividend payout before the proposed merger with Kroger until the
 merger can be reviewed by state and federal antitrust officials.&nbsp;Ferguson argued that the $4 billion 
dividend payments exceeded what Albertsons had on hand, which according 
to SEC filings was $2.5 billion. Albertsons was prepared to borrow the 
rest for the dividend payments.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;By reducing Albertsons’ cash on hand,
 Ferguson argued, it would make it difficult for Albertsons to keep up 
with inventory orders, “forcing customers to go to other grocery stores 
when shelves are not stocked with the products they seek,” and that less
 “inventory to stock could also impact employee hours.”“Paying out $4 billion before 
regulators can do their job and review the proposed merger will weaken 
Albertsons’ ability to continue business operations and compete,” 
Ferguson said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/ag-ferguson-files-lawsuit-block-albertsons-paying-4-billion-shareholders-merger">statement</a>.
 “Free enterprise is built on companies competing, and that competition 
benefits consumers. Corporations proposing a merger cannot sabotage 
their ability to compete while that merger is under review.”&nbsp;&nbsp;A King County Superior Court commissioner <a target="_blank" href="https://agportal-s3bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/uploadedfiles/Another/News/Press_Releases/TRO%20granted.pdf">granted</a> Ferguson’s motion on Nov. 3.

🎥 Albertsons-Kroger merger raises questions about higher food prices

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Presidents Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/emmanuel-macron">Emmanuel Macron</a>&nbsp;vowed to maintain a united front against Russia on Thursday amid growing worries about waning support for Ukraine's war effort in the U.S. and Europe. Biden also signaled he might be willing to tweak aspects of his signature climate legislation that have raised concerns with France and other European allies.

Biden was honoring Macron with a grand&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-jill-united-states-macron-state-dinners-73f5a0d51b4058c7b96ec1e43c59a3e1">state dinner</a>&nbsp;Thursday evening — the first of the U.S. president's COVID-19 shadowed presidency for a foreign leader. But following up on Biden's upbeat comments might not go as smoothly as that fancy affair. Republicans who are about to take control of the House have shown less willingness than Biden to spend billions on Ukraine, and Democratic lawmakers said Thursday they were not about to jump back into the climate legislation.

In fact, for all the positive statements, Macron's visit to Washington has been tempered by his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/astronomy-biden-science-health-france-8f86bb87db731567307c29b62748cb7c">criticism of Biden's Inflation Reduction Act</a>&nbsp;and the challenges both leaders face amid the mounting costs of keeping military and economic aid flowing to Kyiv with no end in sight for the Russian invasion.

Despite the differences, Biden and Macron sought to underscore that the U.S.-France alliance remains solid and that the West must hold steadfast against Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.

“Today, we reaffirm that, as I said, we’re going to stand together against this brutality,” Biden said. “Putin thinks that he can crush the will of all those who oppose his imperial ambitions by attacking civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, choking off energy to Europe to drive up prices, exacerbating the food crisis. That’s hurting very vulnerable people not just in Ukraine but around the world and he’s not going to succeed.”

Both leaders at an outdoor welcoming ceremony paid tribute to their countries’ long alliance. But they acknowledged difficult moments lay ahead as Western unity shows some wear nine months into the war in Ukraine.

In Washington, Republicans are set to take control of the House, where GOP leader Kevin McCarthy has said his party’s lawmakers will not write a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-donald-trump-humanitarian-assistance-congress-c47a255738cd13576aa4d238ec076f4a">“blank check”</a>&nbsp;for Ukraine. Across the Atlantic, Macron’s efforts to keep Europe united will be tested by the mounting costs of supporting Ukraine in the war and as Europe battles rising energy prices that threaten to derail the post-pandemic economic recovery.

Macron stressed that the issue has ramifications far beyond Ukraine's borders.

“What is at stake in Ukraine is not just very far from here, in a small country somewhere in Europe," he declared. "But it’s about our values. And about our principles.”

“Our two nations are sisters in the fight for freedom,” he said.

Biden indicated he would be willing to talk with Putin if the Russian leader demonstrated that he seriously wanted to end the invasion. But the U.S. president, as always, conditioned such talks on support by NATO allies.

“I’m prepared to speak with Mr. Putin if in fact there is an interest in him deciding that he’s looking for a way to end the war,” Biden said. “He hasn’t done that yet.”

In addition to their talk of Ukraine — what White House officials said was at the top of the agenda — the two leaders discussed Macron's and other leaders' concerns about the recently enacted clean energy law.

Macron has made clear that he and other European leaders are opposed to incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act that favor American-made climate technology, including electric vehicles.

Biden acknowledged “glitches” in the legislation but said “there’s tweaks we can make” to satisfy allies.

“The United States makes no apology. And I make no apologies since I wrote it for the legislation we’re talking about,” Biden added about the legislation.

However, Macron said that while the Biden administration’s efforts to curb climate change should be applauded, the subsidies would be an enormous setback for European companies.

"We want to succeed together, not one against the other,” Macron added. He said the U.S. and France would “resynchronize” their clean energy efforts to ensure there’s no “domino effect” that undermines clean energy projects in Europe.

On Capitol Hill, despite Biden's talk of possible changes in the law, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, one of the bill's main architects, said, “Congress passed a law to rev up the American electric automobile industry, create good-paying American jobs and tackle climate change at the same time. I have no intention of reopening it."

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/european-union">The European Union</a>&nbsp;has also expressed concern that tax credits in the law would discriminate against European producers and break World Trade Organization rules.

The leaders, with aides, met for about three hours after taking part in a formal ceremony with hundreds of people gathered on the South Lawn on a sunny, chilly morning. There was a 21-gun salute and review of troops, and ushers distributed small French and American flags to the guests.

Both Biden and Macron in their public comments sought to keep the focus on the situation in Ukraine.

The state visit should provide a boost to Macron diplomatically that he can leverage back in Europe. His outspoken comments help him demonstrate that he’s defending French workers, even as he maintains a close relationship with Biden. The moment also helps Macron burnish his image as the European Union's most visible and vocal leader, at a time when Europe is increasingly concerned that its economy will be indelibly weakened by the Ukraine war and resulting energy and inflation crises.

To that end, Biden praised Macron as “not just the leader of France” and for being “very outspoken and very very commanding in Europe.” In his public comments, Macron repeatedly referred to the U.S. president as "dear Joe."

Still, at moments, Macron's rhetoric has rankled U.S. and Ukrainian officials, with calls for Ukraine and Russia to meet at the negotiating table. White House officials have publicly maintained that it is solely up to Ukraine's leadership to decide when it's appropriate to engage the Russians and have stressed the war could end immediately if Putin ended his invasion.

Macron also raised eyebrows earlier this month in a speech at a summit in Bangkok when he referred to the U.S. and China as “two big elephants” that are on the cusp of creating “a big problem for the rest of the jungle.” His visit to Washington came as both the U.S. and France are keeping their eyes on China after protests have broken out in several mainland cities and Hong Kong over Beijing’s “zero COVID” strategy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1669932835544.png" alt="Thursday morning, President Biden and the First Lady welcomed President Emmanuel Macron and Mrs. Brigitte Macron of France to the White House.-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Thursday morning, President Biden and the First Lady welcomed President Emmanuel Macron and Mrs. Brigitte Macron of France to the White House.-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Presidents Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/emmanuel-macron">Emmanuel Macron</a>&nbsp;vowed to maintain a united front against Russia on Thursday amid growing worries about waning support for Ukraine's war effort in the U.S. and Europe. Biden also signaled he might be willing to tweak aspects of his signature climate legislation that have raised concerns with France and other European allies.Biden was honoring Macron with a grand&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-jill-united-states-macron-state-dinners-73f5a0d51b4058c7b96ec1e43c59a3e1">state dinner</a>&nbsp;Thursday evening — the first of the U.S. president's COVID-19 shadowed presidency for a foreign leader. But following up on Biden's upbeat comments might not go as smoothly as that fancy affair. Republicans who are about to take control of the House have shown less willingness than Biden to spend billions on Ukraine, and Democratic lawmakers said Thursday they were not about to jump back into the climate legislation.In fact, for all the positive statements, Macron's visit to Washington has been tempered by his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/astronomy-biden-science-health-france-8f86bb87db731567307c29b62748cb7c">criticism of Biden's Inflation Reduction Act</a>&nbsp;and the challenges both leaders face amid the mounting costs of keeping military and economic aid flowing to Kyiv with no end in sight for the Russian invasion.Despite the differences, Biden and Macron sought to underscore that the U.S.-France alliance remains solid and that the West must hold steadfast against Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.“Today, we reaffirm that, as I said, we’re going to stand together against this brutality,” Biden said. “Putin thinks that he can crush the will of all those who oppose his imperial ambitions by attacking civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, choking off energy to Europe to drive up prices, exacerbating the food crisis. That’s hurting very vulnerable people not just in Ukraine but around the world and he’s not going to succeed.”Both leaders at an outdoor welcoming ceremony paid tribute to their countries’ long alliance. But they acknowledged difficult moments lay ahead as Western unity shows some wear nine months into the war in Ukraine.In Washington, Republicans are set to take control of the House, where GOP leader Kevin McCarthy has said his party’s lawmakers will not write a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-donald-trump-humanitarian-assistance-congress-c47a255738cd13576aa4d238ec076f4a">“blank check”</a>&nbsp;for Ukraine. Across the Atlantic, Macron’s efforts to keep Europe united will be tested by the mounting costs of supporting Ukraine in the war and as Europe battles rising energy prices that threaten to derail the post-pandemic economic recovery.Macron stressed that the issue has ramifications far beyond Ukraine's borders.“What is at stake in Ukraine is not just very far from here, in a small country somewhere in Europe," he declared. "But it’s about our values. And about our principles.”“Our two nations are sisters in the fight for freedom,” he said.Biden indicated he would be willing to talk with Putin if the Russian leader demonstrated that he seriously wanted to end the invasion. But the U.S. president, as always, conditioned such talks on support by NATO allies.“I’m prepared to speak with Mr. Putin if in fact there is an interest in him deciding that he’s looking for a way to end the war,” Biden said. “He hasn’t done that yet.”In addition to their talk of Ukraine — what White House officials said was at the top of the agenda — the two leaders discussed Macron's and other leaders' concerns about the recently enacted clean energy law.Macron has made clear that he and other European leaders are opposed to incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act that favor American-made climate technology, including electric vehicles.Biden acknowledged “glitches” in the legislation but said “there’s tweaks we can make” to satisfy allies.“The United States makes no apology. And I make no apologies since I wrote it for the legislation we’re talking about,” Biden added about the legislation.However, Macron said that while the Biden administration’s efforts to curb climate change should be applauded, the subsidies would be an enormous setback for European companies."We want to succeed together, not one against the other,” Macron added. He said the U.S. and France would “resynchronize” their clean energy efforts to ensure there’s no “domino effect” that undermines clean energy projects in Europe.On Capitol Hill, despite Biden's talk of possible changes in the law, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, one of the bill's main architects, said, “Congress passed a law to rev up the American electric automobile industry, create good-paying American jobs and tackle climate change at the same time. I have no intention of reopening it."<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/european-union">The European Union</a>&nbsp;has also expressed concern that tax credits in the law would discriminate against European producers and break World Trade Organization rules.The leaders, with aides, met for about three hours after taking part in a formal ceremony with hundreds of people gathered on the South Lawn on a sunny, chilly morning. There was a 21-gun salute and review of troops, and ushers distributed small French and American flags to the guests.Both Biden and Macron in their public comments sought to keep the focus on the situation in Ukraine.The state visit should provide a boost to Macron diplomatically that he can leverage back in Europe. His outspoken comments help him demonstrate that he’s defending French workers, even as he maintains a close relationship with Biden. The moment also helps Macron burnish his image as the European Union's most visible and vocal leader, at a time when Europe is increasingly concerned that its economy will be indelibly weakened by the Ukraine war and resulting energy and inflation crises.To that end, Biden praised Macron as “not just the leader of France” and for being “very outspoken and very very commanding in Europe.” In his public comments, Macron repeatedly referred to the U.S. president as "dear Joe."Still, at moments, Macron's rhetoric has rankled U.S. and Ukrainian officials, with calls for Ukraine and Russia to meet at the negotiating table. White House officials have publicly maintained that it is solely up to Ukraine's leadership to decide when it's appropriate to engage the Russians and have stressed the war could end immediately if Putin ended his invasion.Macron also raised eyebrows earlier this month in a speech at a summit in Bangkok when he referred to the U.S. and China as “two big elephants” that are on the cusp of creating “a big problem for the rest of the jungle.” His visit to Washington came as both the U.S. and France are keeping their eyes on China after protests have broken out in several mainland cities and Hong Kong over Beijing’s “zero COVID” strategy.The state visit marked a return of a White House tradition of honoring close foreign allies that dates back to Ulysses S. Grant's presidency.Macron and his wife, Brigitte, came to the U.S. bearing gifts carefully tailored to their American hosts, including a vinyl record and CD of the original soundtrack from the 1966 film “Un Homme et une Femme,” which the Bidens went to see on their first date, according to the palace.Among the gifts Biden and first lady Jill Biden presented the Macrons was a mirror framed by fallen wood from the White House grounds and made by an American furniture maker.Vice President Kamala Harris hosted Macron for a lunch at the State Department before the evening state dinner in an enormous tented pavilion constructed on the White House South Lawn.___