WASHINGTON (AP) —Pfizer is asking U.S. regulators to authorize its updated COVID-19 vaccine for children under age 5 — not as a booster but part of their initial shots.

Children ages 6 months through 4 years already are supposed to get three extra-small doses of the original Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine — each a tenth of the amount adults receive — as their primary series. If the Food and Drug Administration agrees, a dose of Pfizer’s bivalent omicron-targeting vaccine would be substituted for their third shot.

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said Monday that may help prevent severe illness and hospitalization from COVID-19 in little kids, at a time when children’s hospitals already are packed with youngsters hit by other respiratory illnesses.

Few of the nation’s youngest children have gotten their COVID-19 vaccinations since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-rochelle-walensky-222bc528985a897c2a2d6173cd3659a9">shots were OK’d in June</a>: Just 2% of tots under 2 and about 4% of 2- to 4-year-olds have gotten their primary doses so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The FDA has authorized the new bivalent COVID-19 shots — versions made by Pfizer and rival Moderna&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-business-covid-daaf1a4e5223d3b1251c4606b422ee0d">— as a booster for everyone ages 5 and older.</a>&nbsp;Those combination shots contain half the original vaccine and half tweaked to match the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron strains that until recently were dominant. Now BA.5 descendants are responsible for most COVID-19 cases.

The CDC last month released the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-covid-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-government-politics-cac663e28e4d6e44800f57c8ad50c707">first real-world data</a>&nbsp;showing that an updated booster, using either company’s version, does offer added protection to adults. The analysis found the greatest benefit was in people who’d never had a prior booster, just two doses of the original COVID-19 vaccine -- but that even those who’d had a summertime dose were more protected than if they’d skipped the newest shot

NEW YORK —&nbsp;Pfizer Inc. andBioNTech SE on Monday announced that the companies have submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization (EUA) of their Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccine as the third 3-µg dose in the three-dose primary series for children 6 months through 4 years of age, according to a media release from the company.

With the high level of respiratory illnesses currently circulating among children under 5 years of age, updated COVID-19 vaccines may help prevent severe illness and hospitalization.

If authorized, children in this age group would receive a primary series consisting of two 3-µg doses of the original Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine followed by a third 3-µg dose of the Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent vaccine. An application to extend Pfizer and BioNTech’s Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccine marketing authorization in the EU to include children ages 6 months through 4 years is under discussion with the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is currently authorized as a booster dose for ages 5 years and older in the U.S. and European Union (EU).&nbsp; The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccines (COMIRNATY®) are based on BioNTech’s proprietary mRNA technology and were developed by both BioNTech and Pfizer. BioNTech is the Marketing Authorization Holder for BNT162b2 (Original) and BNT162b2 Bivalent (Original/Omicron BA.4/BA.5) in the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and other countries, and the holder of emergency use authorizations or equivalents in the United States (jointly with Pfizer) and other countries.

Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine, Bivalent (Original and Omicron BA.4/BA.5) &nbsp; AUTHORIZED USE Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent (Original and Omicron BA.4/BA.5) is FDA-authorized under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for use in individuals 5 years of age and older as a single booster dose administered at least 2 months after either:

Monovalent refers to any authorized and approved COVID-19 vaccine that contains or encodes the spike protein of only the Original SARS-CoV-2 virus &nbsp; COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) INDICATION COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) is a vaccine approved for active immunization to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals 12 years of age and older. &nbsp; AUTHORIZED USE COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) is FDA-authorized under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to provide: &nbsp; Primary Series

&nbsp; Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine &nbsp; AUTHORIZED USES Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is FDA authorized under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for use in individuals 6 months and older to provide: &nbsp; Primary Series

&nbsp; EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION Emergency uses of the vaccines have not been approved or licensed by FDA but have been authorized by FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to prevent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in individuals aged 6 months and older for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and 5 years and older for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent. The emergency uses are only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of the medical product under Section 564(b)(1) of the FD&amp;C Act unless the declaration is terminated or authorization revoked sooner.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION &nbsp; Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent (Original and Omicron BA.4/BA.5), COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine &nbsp; Tell your vaccination provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

&nbsp; Side effects that have been reported with these vaccines include:

&nbsp; These may not be all the possible side effects of the vaccine. Call the vaccination provider or healthcare provider about bothersome side effects or side effects that do not go away.&nbsp;

Individuals should always ask their healthcare providers for medical advice about adverse events. &nbsp; Report vaccine side effects to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). The VAERS toll-free number is 1-800-822-7967 or report online to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.vaers.hhs.gov/reportevent.html" target="_blank">www.vaers.hhs.gov/reportevent.html</a>. In addition, individuals can report side effects to Pfizer Inc. at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.pfizersafetyreporting.com/" target="_blank">www.pfizersafetyreporting.com</a>&nbsp;or by calling 1-800-438-1985.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635537216378.png" alt="The Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is currently authorized as a booster dose for ages 5 years and older in the U.S. and European Union . -photo courtesy Pfizer" />
 <figcaption>The Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is currently authorized as a booster dose for ages 5 years and older in the U.S. and European Union . -photo courtesy Pfizer</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —Pfizer is asking U.S. regulators to authorize its updated COVID-19 vaccine for children under age 5 — not as a booster but part of their initial shots.Children ages 6 months through 4 years already are supposed to get three extra-small doses of the original Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine — each a tenth of the amount adults receive — as their primary series. If the Food and Drug Administration agrees, a dose of Pfizer’s bivalent omicron-targeting vaccine would be substituted for their third shot.Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said Monday that may help prevent severe illness and hospitalization from COVID-19 in little kids, at a time when children’s hospitals already are packed with youngsters hit by other respiratory illnesses.Few of the nation’s youngest children have gotten their COVID-19 vaccinations since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-rochelle-walensky-222bc528985a897c2a2d6173cd3659a9">shots were OK’d in June</a>: Just 2% of tots under 2 and about 4% of 2- to 4-year-olds have gotten their primary doses so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The FDA has authorized the new bivalent COVID-19 shots — versions made by Pfizer and rival Moderna&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-business-covid-daaf1a4e5223d3b1251c4606b422ee0d">— as a booster for everyone ages 5 and older.</a>&nbsp;Those combination shots contain half the original vaccine and half tweaked to match the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron strains that until recently were dominant. Now BA.5 descendants are responsible for most COVID-19 cases.The CDC last month released the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-covid-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-government-politics-cac663e28e4d6e44800f57c8ad50c707">first real-world data</a>&nbsp;showing that an updated booster, using either company’s version, does offer added protection to adults. The analysis found the greatest benefit was in people who’d never had a prior booster, just two doses of the original COVID-19 vaccine -- but that even those who’d had a summertime dose were more protected than if they’d skipped the newest shot-------NEW YORK —&nbsp;Pfizer Inc. andBioNTech SE on Monday announced that the companies have submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization (EUA) of their Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccine as the third 3-µg dose in the three-dose primary series for children 6 months through 4 years of age, according to a media release from the company.With the high level of respiratory illnesses currently circulating among children under 5 years of age, updated COVID-19 vaccines may help prevent severe illness and hospitalization. If authorized, children in this age group would receive a primary series consisting of two 3-µg doses of the original Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine followed by a third 3-µg dose of the Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent vaccine. An application to extend Pfizer and BioNTech’s Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccine marketing authorization in the EU to include children ages 6 months through 4 years is under discussion with the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is currently authorized as a booster dose for ages 5 years and older in the U.S. and European Union (EU).&nbsp; The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccines (COMIRNATY®) are based on BioNTech’s proprietary mRNA technology and were developed by both BioNTech and Pfizer. BioNTech is the Marketing Authorization Holder for BNT162b2 (Original) and BNT162b2 Bivalent (Original/Omicron BA.4/BA.5) in the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and other countries, and the holder of emergency use authorizations or equivalents in the United States (jointly with Pfizer) and other countries.U.S. INDICATION &amp; AUTHORIZED USEPfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine, Bivalent (Original and Omicron BA.4/BA.5) &nbsp; AUTHORIZED USE Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent (Original and Omicron BA.4/BA.5) is FDA-authorized under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for use in individuals 5 years of age and older as a single booster dose administered at least 2 months after either:<ul>
 <li>completion of primary vaccination with any authorized or approved monovalent* COVID-19 vaccine; or</li><li>receipt of the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine.</li>
 </ul>Monovalent refers to any authorized and approved COVID-19 vaccine that contains or encodes the spike protein of only the Original SARS-CoV-2 virus &nbsp; COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) INDICATION COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) is a vaccine approved for active immunization to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals 12 years of age and older. &nbsp; AUTHORIZED USE COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) is FDA-authorized under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to provide: &nbsp; Primary Series<ul>
 <li>a third primary series dose to individuals 12 years of age and older who have certain kinds of immunocompromise</li>
 </ul>&nbsp; Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine &nbsp; AUTHORIZED USES Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is FDA authorized under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for use in individuals 6 months and older to provide: &nbsp; Primary Series<ul>
 <li>a 3-dose primary series to individuals 6 months through 4 years of age</li><li>a 2-dose primary series to individuals 5 years of age and older</li><li>a third primary series dose to individuals 5 years of age and older with certain kinds of immunocompromise</li>
 </ul>&nbsp; EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION Emergency uses of the vaccines have not been approved or licensed by FDA but have been authorized by FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to prevent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in individuals aged 6 months and older for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and 5 years and older for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent. The emergency uses are only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of the medical product under Section 564(b)(1) of the FD&amp;C Act unless the declaration is terminated or authorization revoked sooner.IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION &nbsp; Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent (Original and Omicron BA.4/BA.5), COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine &nbsp; Tell your vaccination provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:<ul>
 <li>have any allergies</li><li>have had myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) or pericarditis (inflammation of the lining outside the heart)</li><li>have a fever</li><li>have a bleeding disorder or are on a blood thinner</li><li>are immunocompromised or are on a medicine that affects the immune system</li><li>are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding</li><li>have received another COVID-19 vaccine</li><li>have ever fainted in association with an injection</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>The vaccine may not protect everyone</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>You should not get COMIRNATY (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA), the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, or the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent if you have had a severe allergic reaction after a previous dose of COMIRNATY or the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or any ingredient in these vaccines</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>There is a remote chance that these vaccines could cause a severe allergic reaction. A severe allergic reaction would usually occur within a few minutes to 1 hour after getting a dose of the vaccine. For this reason, your vaccination provider may ask you to stay at the place where you received the vaccine for monitoring after vaccination. If you experience a severe allergic reaction, call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest hospital</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Seek medical attention right away if you have any of the following symptoms: difficulty breathing, swelling of the face and throat, a fast heartbeat, a bad rash all over the body, dizziness, and weakness</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the lining outside the heart) have occurred in some people who have received COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 vaccine, mRNA) or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. The observed risk is higher among adolescent males and adult males under 40 years of age than among females and older males, and the observed risk is highest in males 12 through 17 years of age. In most of these people, symptoms began within a few days following receipt of the second dose of vaccine. The chance of having this occur is very low</li>
 </ul>&nbsp; Side effects that have been reported with these vaccines include:<ul>
 <li>Severe allergic reactions</li><li>Non-severe allergic reactions such as rash, itching, hives, or swelling of the face</li><li>Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle)</li><li>Pericarditis (inflammation of the lining outside the heart)</li><li>Injection site pain</li><li>Tiredness</li><li>Headache</li><li>Muscle pain</li><li>Chills</li><li>Joint pain</li><li>Fever</li><li>Injection site swelling</li><li>Injection site redness</li><li>Nausea</li><li>Feeling unwell</li><li>Swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy)</li><li>Decreased appetite</li><li>Diarrhea</li><li>Vomiting</li><li>Arm pain</li><li>Fainting in association with injection of the vaccine</li><li>Unusual and persistent irritability</li><li>Unusual and persistent poor feeding</li><li>Unusual and persistent fatigue or lack of energy</li><li>Unusual and persistent cool, pale skin</li>
 </ul>&nbsp; These may not be all the possible side effects of the vaccine. Call the vaccination provider or healthcare provider about bothersome side effects or side effects that do not go away.&nbsp;Individuals should always ask their healthcare providers for medical advice about adverse events. &nbsp; Report vaccine side effects to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). The VAERS toll-free number is 1-800-822-7967 or report online to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.vaers.hhs.gov/reportevent.html" target="_blank">www.vaers.hhs.gov/reportevent.html</a>. In addition, individuals can report side effects to Pfizer Inc. at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.pfizersafetyreporting.com/" target="_blank">www.pfizersafetyreporting.com</a>&nbsp;or by calling 1-800-438-1985.&nbsp;

FDA to consider Pfizer omicron booster for kids under 5

Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Adam Bates, 37, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on December 2, 2022, by United States District Court Judge John M. Gerrard to a term of 120 months’ imprisonment following his conviction for possession of child pornography. After he completes his prison sentence, Bates will also serve ten years on supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

On July 1, 2016, Bates’ state parole officer contacted the Nebraska State Patrol to report that she found Bates in possession of a cellular phone in violation of his parole conditions during a recent parole visit. On July 8, 2016, investigators spoke with Bates who admitted he had cell phones. He consented to a search of the phones and investigators found child pornography saved on one of the phones. Investigators obtained a search warrant to search Bates’s electronic devices. Investigators located numerous images of child pornography on one of Bates’s phones. At the time, Bates was on parole due to a 2011 conviction from Lancaster County for possession of child pornography.

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

By UNITED STATES ATTORNEY-OMAHAActing United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Adam Bates, 37, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on December 2, 2022, by United States District Court Judge John M. Gerrard to a term of 120 months’ imprisonment following his conviction for possession of child pornography. After he completes his prison sentence, Bates will also serve ten years on supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.On July 1, 2016, Bates’ state parole officer contacted the Nebraska State Patrol to report that she found Bates in possession of a cellular phone in violation of his parole conditions during a recent parole visit. On July 8, 2016, investigators spoke with Bates who admitted he had cell phones. He consented to a search of the phones and investigators found child pornography saved on one of the phones. Investigators obtained a search warrant to search Bates’s electronic devices. Investigators located numerous images of child pornography on one of Bates’s phones. At the time, Bates was on parole due to a 2011 conviction from Lancaster County for possession of child pornography.This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol, and brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.justice.gov/psc" target="_blank">www.justice.gov/psc</a>.

Lincoln man sentenced to prison for 2nd offense child pornography conviction

WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security announced Monday its intent to extend the REAL ID full enforcement date by 24 months, from May 3, 2023 to May 7, 2025, according to a statement from the agency.

<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/real-id">Click here for</a> additional details on Real ID

Under the new regulations published to execute this change, states will now have additional time to ensure their residents have driver’s licenses and identification cards that meet the security standards established by the REAL ID Act. As required by the law, following the enforcement deadline, federal agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), will be prohibited from accepting driver’s licenses and identification cards that do not meet these federal standards. &nbsp;

“DHS continues to work closely with U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories to meet REAL ID requirements,”&nbsp;said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “This extension will give states needed time to ensure their residents can obtain a REAL ID-compliant license or identification card. DHS will also use this time to implement innovations to make the process more efficient and accessible. We will continue to ensure that the American public can travel safely.”&nbsp;

The extension is necessary, in part, to address the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ability to obtain a REAL ID driver’s license or identification card. REAL ID progress over the past two years has been significantly hindered by state driver’s licensing agencies having to work through the backlogs created by the pandemic. Many of these agencies took various steps in response to the pandemic including automatically extending the expiration dates of driver’s licenses and identification cards and shifting operations to appointment only.&nbsp;

Passed by Congress in 2005 following a 9/11 Commission recommendation, the REAL ID Act establishes minimum security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards. Security standards include incorporating anti-counterfeiting technology, preventing insider fraud, and using documentary evidence and record checks to ensure a person is who they claim to be. Under the new regulations, beginning May 7, 2025, every traveler 18 years of age or older will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card, state-issued enhanced driver’s license, or another TSA-acceptable form of identification at airport 1security checkpoints for domestic air travel.&nbsp;

Since enactment of the REAL ID Act in 2005, advancements in technology have enabled TSA to make significant improvements in checkpoint screening, particularly in the areas of identity management, on-person screening, accessible property screening and alarm resolution. Through the deployment of technologies such as Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT), Advanced Technology (AT) X-ray, then Computed Tomography (CT), Bottled Liquids Scanners (BLS), and Credential Authentication Technology (CAT), as well as deployment of Passenger Screening Canines (PSC) and the rollout of TSA PreCheck®, TSA has continually advanced its security capabilities. TSA also increased its vetting capability through Secure Flight, a risk-based passenger prescreening program that enhances security by identifying low and high-risk passengers before they arrive at the airport by matching their names against trusted traveler lists and watchlists. REAL ID requirements will strengthen these improvements further by providing an additional layer of confidence in the identity of the traveler.&nbsp;

All 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and four of five U.S. territories covered by the REAL ID Act and related regulations are issuing REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and identification cards. These standards have significantly improved the reliability and accuracy of state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617726479094.jpeg" alt="REAL ID Compliant- The credential has a gold star in the upper right corner." />
 <figcaption>REAL ID Compliant- The credential has a gold star in the upper right corner.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security announced Monday its intent to extend the REAL ID full enforcement date by 24 months, from May 3, 2023 to May 7, 2025, according to a statement from the agency.<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/real-id">Click here for</a> additional details on Real IDUnder the new regulations published to execute this change, states will now have additional time to ensure their residents have driver’s licenses and identification cards that meet the security standards established by the REAL ID Act. As required by the law, following the enforcement deadline, federal agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), will be prohibited from accepting driver’s licenses and identification cards that do not meet these federal standards. &nbsp;“DHS continues to work closely with U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories to meet REAL ID requirements,”&nbsp;said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “This extension will give states needed time to ensure their residents can obtain a REAL ID-compliant license or identification card. DHS will also use this time to implement innovations to make the process more efficient and accessible. We will continue to ensure that the American public can travel safely.”&nbsp;The extension is necessary, in part, to address the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ability to obtain a REAL ID driver’s license or identification card. REAL ID progress over the past two years has been significantly hindered by state driver’s licensing agencies having to work through the backlogs created by the pandemic. Many of these agencies took various steps in response to the pandemic including automatically extending the expiration dates of driver’s licenses and identification cards and shifting operations to appointment only.&nbsp;Passed by Congress in 2005 following a 9/11 Commission recommendation, the REAL ID Act establishes minimum security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards. Security standards include incorporating anti-counterfeiting technology, preventing insider fraud, and using documentary evidence and record checks to ensure a person is who they claim to be. Under the new regulations, beginning May 7, 2025, every traveler 18 years of age or older will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card, state-issued enhanced driver’s license, or another TSA-acceptable form of identification at airport 1security checkpoints for domestic air travel.&nbsp;Since enactment of the REAL ID Act in 2005, advancements in technology have enabled TSA to make significant improvements in checkpoint screening, particularly in the areas of identity management, on-person screening, accessible property screening and alarm resolution. Through the deployment of technologies such as Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT), Advanced Technology (AT) X-ray, then Computed Tomography (CT), Bottled Liquids Scanners (BLS), and Credential Authentication Technology (CAT), as well as deployment of Passenger Screening Canines (PSC) and the rollout of TSA PreCheck®, TSA has continually advanced its security capabilities. TSA also increased its vetting capability through Secure Flight, a risk-based passenger prescreening program that enhances security by identifying low and high-risk passengers before they arrive at the airport by matching their names against trusted traveler lists and watchlists. REAL ID requirements will strengthen these improvements further by providing an additional layer of confidence in the identity of the traveler.&nbsp;All 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and four of five U.S. territories covered by the REAL ID Act and related regulations are issuing REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and identification cards. These standards have significantly improved the reliability and accuracy of state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards.&nbsp;

DHS extends REAL ID full enforcement deadline again

NEMAHA COUNTY—Authorities investigating a drowning at a Kansas lake have identified the victim as 31-year-old Jesse W. Dove of Strasburg, Virginia.

On Friday, the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call about a watercraft occupied by a man that had capsized at the Centralia Lake, according to a media release.

 The caller advised that there was a man in the water. Immediately upon receiving the call, multiple agencies were dispatched to the call, including Law Enforcement, Fire &amp; Rescue, EMS, Wildlife &amp; Parks, and LifeNet. 

After an extensive search, it was determined that the response was no longer a rescue, but a recovery. The search continued until dark, when it was determined that the search would have to continue early Saturday morning. 

On Saturday, with the help of Kansas Wildlife and Parks and a local civilian who was familiar with the lake, authorities recovered Dove's body.

Dove was a second-generation Deputy of the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, according to officials in Virginia.&nbsp; A procession bringing his body home entered Warren County just after 6a.m. Monday.&nbsp;

NEMAHA COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating&nbsp;&nbsp;an apparent drowning accident at the&nbsp;<a href="https://cityofcentraliaks.org/Centralia-Lake">Centralia Lake</a>, according to a social media report from the Nemaha County Sheriff's office.

&nbsp;The&nbsp; lake reopened to the public on Saturday. The sheriff's office reported no additional details.&nbsp;

Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670255826361.png" alt="Photo courtesy Warren County Sheriff’s Office" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Warren County Sheriff’s Office</figcaption>
 </figure>NEMAHA COUNTY—Authorities investigating a drowning at a Kansas lake have identified the victim as 31-year-old Jesse W. Dove of Strasburg, Virginia.On Friday, the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call about a watercraft occupied by a man that had capsized at the Centralia Lake, according to a media release. The caller advised that there was a man in the water. Immediately upon receiving the call, multiple agencies were dispatched to the call, including Law Enforcement, Fire &amp; Rescue, EMS, Wildlife &amp; Parks, and LifeNet. After an extensive search, it was determined that the response was no longer a rescue, but a recovery. The search continued until dark, when it was determined that the search would have to continue early Saturday morning. On Saturday, with the help of Kansas Wildlife and Parks and a local civilian who was familiar with the lake, authorities recovered Dove's body.Dove was a second-generation Deputy of the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, according to officials in Virginia.&nbsp; A procession bringing his body home entered Warren County just after 6a.m. Monday.&nbsp;------------NEMAHA COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating&nbsp;&nbsp;an apparent drowning accident at the&nbsp;<a href="https://cityofcentraliaks.org/Centralia-Lake">Centralia Lake</a>, according to a social media report from the Nemaha County Sheriff's office.&nbsp;The&nbsp; lake reopened to the public on Saturday. The sheriff's office reported no additional details.&nbsp;Check the Post for additional details as they become available.------------

Sheriff IDs 31-year-old man who drowned in Kansas lake

By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-man-to-be-imprisoned-for-leaving-a-noose-on-black-co-workers-work-machine/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

OMAHA — A 66-year-old Omaha man has 
been sentenced to four months in prison for leaving a noose on the seat 
of a work machine used by a Black co-worker at La Vista-based Oriental 
Trading Co.

The man, Bruce A. Quinn, was 
sentenced Friday to four months imprisonment and one year of supervised 
release by U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Susan Bazis. Quinn had 
pleaded guilty in September to the federal civil rights violation, 
interference with federally protected activities.

According to the Nebraska U.S. 
Attorney’s Office, court records showed that the 63-year-old Black 
co-worker discovered orange twine, deliberately twisted and knotted into
 the shape of a noose, on the seat of an industrial floor scrubber he 
uses at the workplace. He was said to be the only Black employee trained
 to use the scrubber.

The co-worker, reportedly distraught 
and physically shaken at the June 2020 incident, told investigators that
 he took the noose to be a death threat directed at him.

“Federal courts have long recognized 
the noose as one of the most vile symbols in American history,” said 
Assistant General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil 
Rights Division. “Individuals, like this defendant, who use a noose to 
convey a threat of violence at a workplace will be held accountable for 
their actions.”

The case was investigated by the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.&nbsp;

FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowal decried the use of “an ugly historical symbol.”

“This case highlights the FBI’s 
mission to aggressively investigate civil rights crimes and bring to 
justice those who victimize someone because of the color of their skin,”
 Kowal said.

By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-man-to-be-imprisoned-for-leaving-a-noose-on-black-co-workers-work-machine/">Nebraska Examiner</a>OMAHA — A 66-year-old Omaha man has 
been sentenced to four months in prison for leaving a noose on the seat 
of a work machine used by a Black co-worker at La Vista-based Oriental 
Trading Co.The man, Bruce A. Quinn, was 
sentenced Friday to four months imprisonment and one year of supervised 
release by U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Susan Bazis. Quinn had 
pleaded guilty in September to the federal civil rights violation, 
interference with federally protected activities.According to the Nebraska U.S. 
Attorney’s Office, court records showed that the 63-year-old Black 
co-worker discovered orange twine, deliberately twisted and knotted into
 the shape of a noose, on the seat of an industrial floor scrubber he 
uses at the workplace. He was said to be the only Black employee trained
 to use the scrubber.The co-worker, reportedly distraught 
and physically shaken at the June 2020 incident, told investigators that
 he took the noose to be a death threat directed at him.“Federal courts have long recognized 
the noose as one of the most vile symbols in American history,” said 
Assistant General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil 
Rights Division. “Individuals, like this defendant, who use a noose to 
convey a threat of violence at a workplace will be held accountable for 
their actions.”The case was investigated by the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.&nbsp;FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowal decried the use of “an ugly historical symbol.”“This case highlights the FBI’s 
mission to aggressively investigate civil rights crimes and bring to 
justice those who victimize someone because of the color of their skin,”
 Kowal said.

Prison for man who left noose on Black co-worker’s work machine

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;is hearing the case Monday of a Christian graphic artist who objects to designing wedding websites for gay couples, a dispute that's the latest clash of religion and gay rights to land at the highest court.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/live.aspx">Click here to </a>listen to the oral arguments that begin at 9a.m. CST

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-us-supreme-court-entertainment-religion-discrimination-075f74b1f2828d117dc933d75b8bf191">designer and her supporters say</a>&nbsp;that ruling against her would force artists — from painters and photographers to writers and musicians — to do work that is against their faith. Her opponents, meanwhile, say that if she wins, a range of businesses will be able to discriminate, refusing to serve Black customers, Jewish or Muslim people, interracial or interfaith couples or immigrants, among others.

The case comes at a time when the court is dominated 6-3 by conservatives and following a series of cases in which the justices have sided with religious plaintiffs. It also comes as, across the street from the court, lawmakers in Congress are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-religion-gay-rights-marriage-clarence-thomas-2d09d9213472d04195c64d09644f124c">finalizing a landmark bill</a>&nbsp;protecting same-sex marriage.

The bill, which also protects interracial marriage, steadily gained momentum following the high court's decision earlier this year to end constitutional protections for abortion. That decision&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade case</a>&nbsp;prompted questions about whether the court — now that it is more conservative — might also overturn its 2015 decision declaring a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-courts-marriage-supreme-court-of-the-united-states-united-states-government-9e1933cd1e1a4e969ab45f5952bbb45f">nationwide right to same-sex marriage</a>. Justice&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/clarence-thomas">Clarence Thomas</a>&nbsp;explicitly said that decision should also be reconsidered.

The case being argued before the high court Monday involves&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-religion-colorado-discrimination-360d60888809823779d033acce40c9bf">Lorie Smith</a>, a graphic artist and website designer in Colorado who wants to begin offering wedding websites. Smith says her Christian faith prevents her from creating websites celebrating same-sex marriages. But that could get her in trouble with state law. Colorado, like most other states, has what's called a public accommodation law that says if Smith offers wedding websites to the public, she must provide them to all customers. Businesses that violate the law can be fined, among other things.

Five years ago, the Supreme Court heard a different challenge involving Colorado's law and a baker, Jack Phillips, who objected to designing a wedding cake for a gay couple. That case&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-ap-top-news-courts-supreme-courts-politics-459b5e723c4c47ffa40df839097503c9">ended with a limited decision</a>, however, and set up a return of the issue to the high court. Phillips' lawyer, Kristen Waggoner of the Alliance Defending Freedom, is now representing Smith.

Like Phillips, Smith says her objection is not to working with gay people. She says she'd work with a gay client who needed help with graphics for an animal rescue shelter, for example, or to promote an organization serving children with disabilities. But she objects to creating messages supporting same-sex marriage, she says, just as she won't take jobs that would require her to create content promoting atheism or gambling or supporting abortion.

Smith says Colorado’s law violates her free speech rights. Her opponents, including the Biden administration and groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP Legal Defense &amp; Educational Fund, disagree.

Twenty mostly liberal states, including California and New York, are supporting Colorado while another 20 mostly Republican states, including Arizona, Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee, are supporting Smith.

The case is 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, 21-476.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670097259543.png" alt="Web designer Lorie Smith is shown in her office on Nov. 7, 2022, in the southwest part of Littleton, Colo. The Supreme Court is being warned about the potentially dire consequences of a case involving Smith, a Christian graphic artist, who objects to designing wedding websites for same-sex couples. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)" />
 <figcaption>Web designer Lorie Smith is shown in her office on Nov. 7, 2022, in the southwest part of Littleton, Colo. The Supreme Court is being warned about the potentially dire consequences of a case involving Smith, a Christian graphic artist, who objects to designing wedding websites for same-sex couples. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;is hearing the case Monday of a Christian graphic artist who objects to designing wedding websites for gay couples, a dispute that's the latest clash of religion and gay rights to land at the highest court.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/live.aspx">Click here to </a>listen to the oral arguments that begin at 9a.m. CSTThe&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-us-supreme-court-entertainment-religion-discrimination-075f74b1f2828d117dc933d75b8bf191">designer and her supporters say</a>&nbsp;that ruling against her would force artists — from painters and photographers to writers and musicians — to do work that is against their faith. Her opponents, meanwhile, say that if she wins, a range of businesses will be able to discriminate, refusing to serve Black customers, Jewish or Muslim people, interracial or interfaith couples or immigrants, among others.The case comes at a time when the court is dominated 6-3 by conservatives and following a series of cases in which the justices have sided with religious plaintiffs. It also comes as, across the street from the court, lawmakers in Congress are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-religion-gay-rights-marriage-clarence-thomas-2d09d9213472d04195c64d09644f124c">finalizing a landmark bill</a>&nbsp;protecting same-sex marriage.The bill, which also protects interracial marriage, steadily gained momentum following the high court's decision earlier this year to end constitutional protections for abortion. That decision&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade case</a>&nbsp;prompted questions about whether the court — now that it is more conservative — might also overturn its 2015 decision declaring a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-courts-marriage-supreme-court-of-the-united-states-united-states-government-9e1933cd1e1a4e969ab45f5952bbb45f">nationwide right to same-sex marriage</a>. Justice&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/clarence-thomas">Clarence Thomas</a>&nbsp;explicitly said that decision should also be reconsidered.The case being argued before the high court Monday involves&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-religion-colorado-discrimination-360d60888809823779d033acce40c9bf">Lorie Smith</a>, a graphic artist and website designer in Colorado who wants to begin offering wedding websites. Smith says her Christian faith prevents her from creating websites celebrating same-sex marriages. But that could get her in trouble with state law. Colorado, like most other states, has what's called a public accommodation law that says if Smith offers wedding websites to the public, she must provide them to all customers. Businesses that violate the law can be fined, among other things.Five years ago, the Supreme Court heard a different challenge involving Colorado's law and a baker, Jack Phillips, who objected to designing a wedding cake for a gay couple. That case&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-ap-top-news-courts-supreme-courts-politics-459b5e723c4c47ffa40df839097503c9">ended with a limited decision</a>, however, and set up a return of the issue to the high court. Phillips' lawyer, Kristen Waggoner of the Alliance Defending Freedom, is now representing Smith.Like Phillips, Smith says her objection is not to working with gay people. She says she'd work with a gay client who needed help with graphics for an animal rescue shelter, for example, or to promote an organization serving children with disabilities. But she objects to creating messages supporting same-sex marriage, she says, just as she won't take jobs that would require her to create content promoting atheism or gambling or supporting abortion.Smith says Colorado’s law violates her free speech rights. Her opponents, including the Biden administration and groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP Legal Defense &amp; Educational Fund, disagree.Twenty mostly liberal states, including California and New York, are supporting Colorado while another 20 mostly Republican states, including Arizona, Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee, are supporting Smith.The case is 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, 21-476.___

🎤Supreme Court taking up clash of religion and gay rights

ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he wants to keep the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate in place to protect the health of the troops, as Republican governors and lawmakers press to rescind it.

This past week more than 20 Republican governors sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking that the administration remove the mandate, saying it has hurt the U.S. National Guard’s ability to recruit troops. Those troops are activated by governors to respond to natural disasters or unrest.

Congress may consider legislation this coming week to end the mandate as a requirement to gather enough support to pass this years’ defense budget, which is already two months late.

Austin said he would not comment on pressure from the Hill.

“We lost a million people to this virus," Austin told reporters traveling with him Saturday. “A million people died in the United States of America. We lost hundreds in DOD. So this mandate has kept people healthy.”

“I’m the guy” who ordered the military to require the vaccine, Austin added. “I support continuation of vaccinating the troops.”

Last year Austin directed that all troops get the vaccine or face potential expulsion from the military; thousands of active duty forces have been discharged since then for their refusal to get the shots.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670210293452.png" alt="This past week more than 20 Republican governors sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking that the administration remove the mandate,The letter&nbsp;was signed by Missouri's Mike Parsons, Nebraska’s Pete Ricketts, Alabama’s Kay Ivey, Arizona’s Doug Ducey, Arkansas’ Asa Hutchinson, Florida’s Ron DeSantis, Idaho’s Brad Little, Indiana’s Eric Holcomb, Iowa’s Kim Reynolds, Mississippi’s Tate Reeves, Montana’s Greg Gianforte, New Hampshire’s Chris Sununu, North Dakota’s Doug Burgum, Oklahoma’s Kevin Stitt, South Carolina’s Henry McMaster, South Dakota’s Kristi Noem, Texas’ Greg Abbott, Utah’s Spencer Cox, Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin and Wyoming’s Mark Gordon." />
 <figcaption>This past week more than 20 Republican governors sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking that the administration remove the mandate,The letter&nbsp;was signed by Missouri's Mike Parsons, Nebraska’s Pete Ricketts, Alabama’s Kay Ivey, Arizona’s Doug Ducey, Arkansas’ Asa Hutchinson, Florida’s Ron DeSantis, Idaho’s Brad Little, Indiana’s Eric Holcomb, Iowa’s Kim Reynolds, Mississippi’s Tate Reeves, Montana’s Greg Gianforte, New Hampshire’s Chris Sununu, North Dakota’s Doug Burgum, Oklahoma’s Kevin Stitt, South Carolina’s Henry McMaster, South Dakota’s Kristi Noem, Texas’ Greg Abbott, Utah’s Spencer Cox, Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin and Wyoming’s Mark Gordon.</figcaption>
 </figure>ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he wants to keep the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate in place to protect the health of the troops, as Republican governors and lawmakers press to rescind it.This past week more than 20 Republican governors sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking that the administration remove the mandate, saying it has hurt the U.S. National Guard’s ability to recruit troops. Those troops are activated by governors to respond to natural disasters or unrest.Congress may consider legislation this coming week to end the mandate as a requirement to gather enough support to pass this years’ defense budget, which is already two months late.Austin said he would not comment on pressure from the Hill.“We lost a million people to this virus," Austin told reporters traveling with him Saturday. “A million people died in the United States of America. We lost hundreds in DOD. So this mandate has kept people healthy.”“I’m the guy” who ordered the military to require the vaccine, Austin added. “I support continuation of vaccinating the troops.”Last year Austin directed that all troops get the vaccine or face potential expulsion from the military; thousands of active duty forces have been discharged since then for their refusal to get the shots.

U.S. Defense Chief: Keep COVID military vaccine mandate

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged kidnapping and continue asking for help to locate a suspect.

Aldrick L. Scott, 47, of Topeka, is wanted by the Douglas County Nebraska Sheriff's Office in connection with the disappearance of 43-year-old Cari Allen.

Nebraska officials are working to locate Allen, according to a social media report from Omaha Police. She is described as a white female, 5-foot-8, 130 pounds, blonde hair and hazel eyes. She&nbsp;was last seen Saturday, Nov. 19 at 11 p.m. Scott has ties to Topeka and Shawnee County, according to the sheriff's department. On Monday, the sheriff's office released photos of Scott.

Anyone with information on Allen's whereabouts is encouraged to call the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 402-444-6000 or 911.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669652492930.png" alt="Scott-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Scott-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged kidnapping and continue asking for help to locate a suspect.Aldrick L. Scott, 47, of Topeka, is wanted by the Douglas County Nebraska Sheriff's Office in connection with the disappearance of 43-year-old Cari Allen.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669587276863.png" alt="Allen-photo Omaha Police" />
 <figcaption>Allen-photo Omaha Police</figcaption>
 </figure>Nebraska officials are working to locate Allen, according to a social media report from Omaha Police. She is described as a white female, 5-foot-8, 130 pounds, blonde hair and hazel eyes. She&nbsp;was last seen Saturday, Nov. 19 at 11 p.m. Scott has ties to Topeka and Shawnee County, according to the sheriff's department. On Monday, the sheriff's office released photos of Scott.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669652758142.png" alt="Scott-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Scott-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Anyone with information on Allen's whereabouts is encouraged to call the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 402-444-6000 or 911.

Search continues for man in Nebraska woman's disappearance 

GRAND ISLAND, NEB.&nbsp; — The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office pursuit that ended with a fatal crash Saturday night.

Preliminary information shows that a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputy attempted a traffic stop at approximately 10:15 p.m. Saturday. After a short time, the vehicle, a Toyota 4 Runner crashed and overturned in a ditch near the intersection of F Road and 11 Road in Hamilton County. The driver of the Toyota was ejected during the crash and transported to Grand Island Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased.

The driver of the Toyota has been identified as Jordan Eastman, 34, of Giltner. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office has requested the Nebraska State Patrol conduct the investigation into the incident. The investigation is ongoing.

By Nebraska State Patrol&nbsp;GRAND ISLAND, NEB.&nbsp; — The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office pursuit that ended with a fatal crash Saturday night.Preliminary information shows that a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputy attempted a traffic stop at approximately 10:15 p.m. Saturday. After a short time, the vehicle, a Toyota 4 Runner crashed and overturned in a ditch near the intersection of F Road and 11 Road in Hamilton County. The driver of the Toyota was ejected during the crash and transported to Grand Island Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased.The driver of the Toyota has been identified as Jordan Eastman, 34, of Giltner. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office has requested the Nebraska State Patrol conduct the investigation into the incident. The investigation is ongoing.

NSP investigating Hamilton Co. Sheriff’s Office pursuit, fatal crash

By ROBERT ZULLO <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/reliability-watchdog-warns-of-potential-electric-shortfalls-this-winter/">States Newsroom</a>

The nonprofit regulator charged with 
helping ensure the reliability of the North American electric grid is 
warning of potential electric supply shortfalls during severe weather 
this winter in several regions of the country.

Earlier this month, the North 
American Electric Reliability Corporation, which sets and enforces 
reliability standards for the bulk power system in the U.S., Canada and 
part of Mexico, said New England and parts of the South and Midwest, are
 “at risk of having insufficient energy supplies during severe winter 
weather.”

The organization <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nerc.com/pa/RAPA/ra/Reliability%20Assessments%20DL/NERC_WRA_2022.pdf">pointed</a> to fuel supply problems, potential shipping disruptions,
 limited natural gas infrastructure, fossil and nuclear plant 
retirements and high potential peak electric demand as contributing risk
 factors during sustained cold weather.

“While the grid has a sufficient 
supply of capacity resources under normal winter conditions, we are 
concerned that some areas are highly vulnerable to extreme and prolonged
 cold,” said John Moura, NERC’s director of reliability assessment and 
performance analysis, in a statement. “As a result, load-shedding may be
 required to maintain reliability.” 
(<a target="_blank" href="https://www.entergynewsroom.com/storm-center/restoration/loadshed/#:~:text=When%20the%20demand%20for%20electricity,is%20called%20%E2%80%9Cshedding%20load.%E2%80%9D">Load-shedding</a> means intentionally interrupting the flow of electricity to customers to reduce the strain on the grid.)

For the part of the grid overseen by the <a target="_blank" href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/09/26/amid-a-massive-american-clean-energy-shift-grid-operators-play-catch-up/">Midcontinent Independent System Operator</a>,
 an area that includes all or parts of 15 U.S. states including Nebraska
 and Iowa. &nbsp;NERC worries that more than 4.2 gigawatts of nuclear and 
coal power plants have been retired. That’s the rough equivalent of four
 large (1,000 megawatt) power plants.

“An extreme cold-weather event that 
extends deep into MISO’s area could lead to high generator outages from 
inadequate weatherization in southern units and unavailability of fuel 
for natural-gas-fired generators,” the report says.

MISO predicts its peak winter demand 
will be 102 gigawatts, with 113 gigawatts of electric generation 
available “under normal grid conditions,” Brandon Morris, a spokesman, 
said in an email. The organization’s all-time peak winter record for 
power demand was 109 gigawatts on Jan. 6, 2017.&nbsp; However, Morris said 
staff members from the organization noted in a winter readiness workshop
 last month that extreme cold weather, intense winter storms and/or fuel
 supply issues could create challenges for MISO and local utilities.

Power generators in MISO, however, 
have shown improvement in preparing their plants for extreme weather, 
according to a winterization survey the organization conducted, Morris 
said.&nbsp;

NERC made a broad series of 
recommendations to mitigate risks to the power grid from extreme 
weather. First, it said power generators should be preparing for winter 
conditions and communicating with grid operators. They also should 
ensure they have adequate fuel on hand and the organizations that 
monitor them should keep tabs on fuel supplies as well. But NERC also 
urged state regulators and policymakers to “preserve critical generation
 resources at risk of retirement prior to the winter season and support 
requests for environmental and transportation waivers.”

Holly Bender, the Sierra Club’s 
senior director of energy campaigns, called NERC’s suggestion to suspend
 environmental rules to keep fossil plants running “the wrong strategy.”
 Rather, Bender said the report makes the case that reliance on fossil 
fuels itself poses risks and she urged state regulators to instead push 
energy efficiency and weatherization programs that will cut power use. 
“Whether it’s water shortages in the summer or frozen coal piles and 
short fuel supply in the winter, fossil fuels like coal and gas struggle
 through extreme weather,” she said. “In addition to the public health, 
environmental, and climate impacts, fossil fuels are increasingly 
unreliable, contributing to energy insecurity and unpredictable price 
spikes that impact the most vulnerable members of our communities the 
most.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670086191293.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By ROBERT ZULLO <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/reliability-watchdog-warns-of-potential-electric-shortfalls-this-winter/">States Newsroom</a>The nonprofit regulator charged with 
helping ensure the reliability of the North American electric grid is 
warning of potential electric supply shortfalls during severe weather 
this winter in several regions of the country.Earlier this month, the North 
American Electric Reliability Corporation, which sets and enforces 
reliability standards for the bulk power system in the U.S., Canada and 
part of Mexico, said New England and parts of the South and Midwest, are
 “at risk of having insufficient energy supplies during severe winter 
weather.”The organization <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nerc.com/pa/RAPA/ra/Reliability%20Assessments%20DL/NERC_WRA_2022.pdf">pointed</a> to fuel supply problems, potential shipping disruptions,
 limited natural gas infrastructure, fossil and nuclear plant 
retirements and high potential peak electric demand as contributing risk
 factors during sustained cold weather.“While the grid has a sufficient 
supply of capacity resources under normal winter conditions, we are 
concerned that some areas are highly vulnerable to extreme and prolonged
 cold,” said John Moura, NERC’s director of reliability assessment and 
performance analysis, in a statement. “As a result, load-shedding may be
 required to maintain reliability.” 
(<a target="_blank" href="https://www.entergynewsroom.com/storm-center/restoration/loadshed/#:~:text=When%20the%20demand%20for%20electricity,is%20called%20%E2%80%9Cshedding%20load.%E2%80%9D">Load-shedding</a> means intentionally interrupting the flow of electricity to customers to reduce the strain on the grid.)For the part of the grid overseen by the <a target="_blank" href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/09/26/amid-a-massive-american-clean-energy-shift-grid-operators-play-catch-up/">Midcontinent Independent System Operator</a>,
 an area that includes all or parts of 15 U.S. states including Nebraska
 and Iowa. &nbsp;NERC worries that more than 4.2 gigawatts of nuclear and 
coal power plants have been retired. That’s the rough equivalent of four
 large (1,000 megawatt) power plants.“An extreme cold-weather event that 
extends deep into MISO’s area could lead to high generator outages from 
inadequate weatherization in southern units and unavailability of fuel 
for natural-gas-fired generators,” the report says.MISO predicts its peak winter demand 
will be 102 gigawatts, with 113 gigawatts of electric generation 
available “under normal grid conditions,” Brandon Morris, a spokesman, 
said in an email. The organization’s all-time peak winter record for 
power demand was 109 gigawatts on Jan. 6, 2017.&nbsp; However, Morris said 
staff members from the organization noted in a winter readiness workshop
 last month that extreme cold weather, intense winter storms and/or fuel
 supply issues could create challenges for MISO and local utilities.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670086259419.png" alt=" Utility area covered by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator. (Courtesy of MISO)" />
 <figcaption> Utility area covered by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator. (Courtesy of MISO)</figcaption>
 </figure>Power generators in MISO, however, 
have shown improvement in preparing their plants for extreme weather, 
according to a winterization survey the organization conducted, Morris 
said.&nbsp;NERC made a broad series of 
recommendations to mitigate risks to the power grid from extreme 
weather. First, it said power generators should be preparing for winter 
conditions and communicating with grid operators. They also should 
ensure they have adequate fuel on hand and the organizations that 
monitor them should keep tabs on fuel supplies as well. But NERC also 
urged state regulators and policymakers to “preserve critical generation
 resources at risk of retirement prior to the winter season and support 
requests for environmental and transportation waivers.”Holly Bender, the Sierra Club’s 
senior director of energy campaigns, called NERC’s suggestion to suspend
 environmental rules to keep fossil plants running “the wrong strategy.”
 Rather, Bender said the report makes the case that reliance on fossil 
fuels itself poses risks and she urged state regulators to instead push 
energy efficiency and weatherization programs that will cut power use. 
“Whether it’s water shortages in the summer or frozen coal piles and 
short fuel supply in the winter, fossil fuels like coal and gas struggle
 through extreme weather,” she said. “In addition to the public health, 
environmental, and climate impacts, fossil fuels are increasingly 
unreliable, contributing to energy insecurity and unpredictable price 
spikes that impact the most vulnerable members of our communities the 
most.”

Reliability watchdog warns of winter electric shortfalls

KANSAS CITY (AP) —When members of the small Pennsylvania chapter of Secular Democrats of America log on for their monthly meetings, they're not there for a virtual happy hour.

“We don’t sit around at our meetings patting ourselves on the back for not believing in God together,” said David Brown, a founder from the Philadelphia suburb of Ardmore.

The group, mostly consisting of atheists and agnostics, mobilizes to knock on doors and make phone calls on behalf of Democratic candidates “who are pro-science, pro-democracy, whether or not they are actually self-identified secular people,” he said. “We are trying to keep church and state separate. That encompasses LGBTQIA+, COVID science, bodily autonomy and reproductive rights.”

Brown describes his group as “small but mighty," yet they're riding a big wave.

Voters with no religious affiliation supported Democratic candidates and abortion rights by staggering percentages in the 2022 midterm elections.

And they're voting in large numbers. In 2022, some 22% of voters claimed no religious affiliation, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-race-and-ethnicity-only-on-ap-congress-a15f6d6ebd6f629c6e92531a0c7172e6">AP VoteCast</a>, an expansive survey of more than 94,000 voters nationwide. They contributed to voting coalitions that gave Democrats victories in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arizona.

The unaffiliated — often nicknamed the “nones” — voted for Democratic House candidates nationwide over Republicans by more than a 2-1 margin (65% to 31%), according to VoteCast. That echoes the 2020 president election, when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/votecast-trump-wins-white-evangelicals-d0cb249ea7eae29187a21a702dc84706">Democrat Joe Biden took 72% of voters</a>&nbsp;with no religious affiliation, while Republican Donald Trump took 25%, according to VoteCast.

For all the talk of the overwhelmingly Republican voting by white evangelical Christians in recent elections, the unaffiliated are making their presence felt.

Among all U.S. adults, 29% are nones — those who identify as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” — according a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/12/14/about-three-in-ten-u-s-adults-are-now-religiously-unaffiliated/">2021 report</a>&nbsp;by the Pew Research Center. That’s up 10 percentage points from a decade earlier, according to Pew. And the younger the adults, the more likely they are to be unaffiliated, according to a 2019 Pew analysis, further signaling the growing clout of the nones.

“People talk about how engaged white evangelicals are, but you don’t know the half of it,” said Ryan Burge, a professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University who focuses on the interaction of religious and political behavior.

Atheists and agnostics form only a subset of nones and are less numerous than evangelicals. But they are more likely than evangelicals to make a campaign donation, attend a political meeting or join a protest, Burge said, citing the Harvard-affiliated Cooperative Election Study.

“When you consider how involved they are in political activity, you realize how important they are at the ballot box,” he said.

The nones equaled Catholics at 22% of the electorate, though they were barely half the figure for Protestants and other Christians (43%), according to VoteCast. Other religious groups totaled 13%, including 3% Jewish and 1% Muslim.

Separately, 30% of voters identified as born again or evangelical Christians.

In several bellwether races this year, the secular vote made its impact felt, according to AP VoteCast.

__About four in five people with no religious affiliation voted against abortion restrictions in referendums in Michigan and Kentucky.

__Between two-thirds and three-quarters of nones supported Democratic candidates in statewide races in Arizona and Wisconsin.

__About four in five people with no religion voted for Josh Shapiro and John Fetterman, the Democrats elected Pennsylvania's newest governor and senator, respectively.

While Shapiro openly speaks about his Jewish values motivating his public service, Fetterman has not incorporated any discernible religious tradition in his public statements. He often frames issues in ethical terms— such as promoting criminal justice reform and raising the minimum wage, even calling abortion rights “sacred” — without reference to a religious tradition.

Fetterman's campaign did not return a request for comment.

The secular population is a diverse group, Pew reported in 2021. Two-thirds identify as “nothing in particular” — a group that is alienated from politics as well as religion, Burge said.

But atheists and agnostics, though only a third of the nones, punch above their weight, given their heavy involvement in politics.

The twin trends of a growing secular cohort among Democrats and the increased religiosity of Republicans are not coincidental.

Several prominent Republican candidates and their supporters have promoted Christian nationalism, which fuses an American and Christian sense of identity, mission and symbols.

That prompts a reaction by many secular voters, Burge said: “At least among white people, it’s become clear the Democratic Party has become the party for the non-religious people.”

Yet it's not their party alone. The Democratic coalition draws heavily from religious groups — Black Protestants, liberal Jews, Catholics of color. The Black church tradition, in particular, has a highly devout base in support of moderate and progressive policies.

“I think the Democrats have the biggest problem in the world because they have to keep atheists and Black Protestants happy at the same time,” Burge said.

Tensions surfaced in 2019 when the Democratic National Committee passed a resolution praising the religiously unaffiliated in language that some saw as overstating their clout and denigrating religious values.

Differences between secular and religious Democrats showed up in VoteCast. Majorities of Democratic voters across all religious affiliations say abortion should be legal at least most of the time, but 6 in 10 Democratic voters unaffiliated with a religion say it should always be legal, compared with about 4 in 10 Democratic voters affiliated with Christian traditions. In general, 69% of Democratic voters unaffiliated with a religion identify as liberal, compared with 46% of Christians who voted for Democrats.

But growing secular constituency doesn't worry Bishop William Barber, a leader in one of the nation's most prominent faith-based progressive movements.

“Jesus didn’t worry about it, so why would I?” said Barber, president of Repairers of the Breach, which calls for moral advocacy by faith and other leaders on behalf of the poor, immigrants and other marginalized communities. “Jesus said the one who is not against me is for me.”

“We have a lot of people who claim they’re agnostic or atheist, and they will come to our rallies,” said Barber, who is also co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign. “They will say, ‘I don’t necessarily believe in God, but I believe in right. I believe in love. I do believe in justice.’”

Brown, of the Secular Democrats group in Pennsylvania, said he had no problem supporting Democratic candidates like Shapiro, who talked openly about his Jewish values on the campaign trail. His opponent, Republican Doug Mastriano, incorporated Christian nationalist themes and imagery in his campaign.

“While on the one hand I am frustrated that politicians feel the need to justify their doing the right thing by religious affiliation, I also appreciate that this was a calculated decision to appeal to religious voters,” Brown said. “I have no problem with it because I feel it was in the service of defeating a Christian nationalist candidate on the other side.”

In fact, Brown even traveled to Georgia in late November to campaign door-to-door for an ordained minister — Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, the Democrat in a runoff election. And for the same reason — despite religious differences, he sees Warnock as sharing many of the values of secular voters.

By PETER SMITH&nbsp;KANSAS CITY (AP) —When members of the small Pennsylvania chapter of Secular Democrats of America log on for their monthly meetings, they're not there for a virtual happy hour.“We don’t sit around at our meetings patting ourselves on the back for not believing in God together,” said David Brown, a founder from the Philadelphia suburb of Ardmore.The group, mostly consisting of atheists and agnostics, mobilizes to knock on doors and make phone calls on behalf of Democratic candidates “who are pro-science, pro-democracy, whether or not they are actually self-identified secular people,” he said. “We are trying to keep church and state separate. That encompasses LGBTQIA+, COVID science, bodily autonomy and reproductive rights.”Brown describes his group as “small but mighty," yet they're riding a big wave.Voters with no religious affiliation supported Democratic candidates and abortion rights by staggering percentages in the 2022 midterm elections.And they're voting in large numbers. In 2022, some 22% of voters claimed no religious affiliation, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-race-and-ethnicity-only-on-ap-congress-a15f6d6ebd6f629c6e92531a0c7172e6">AP VoteCast</a>, an expansive survey of more than 94,000 voters nationwide. They contributed to voting coalitions that gave Democrats victories in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arizona.The unaffiliated — often nicknamed the “nones” — voted for Democratic House candidates nationwide over Republicans by more than a 2-1 margin (65% to 31%), according to VoteCast. That echoes the 2020 president election, when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/votecast-trump-wins-white-evangelicals-d0cb249ea7eae29187a21a702dc84706">Democrat Joe Biden took 72% of voters</a>&nbsp;with no religious affiliation, while Republican Donald Trump took 25%, according to VoteCast.For all the talk of the overwhelmingly Republican voting by white evangelical Christians in recent elections, the unaffiliated are making their presence felt.Among all U.S. adults, 29% are nones — those who identify as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” — according a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/12/14/about-three-in-ten-u-s-adults-are-now-religiously-unaffiliated/">2021 report</a>&nbsp;by the Pew Research Center. That’s up 10 percentage points from a decade earlier, according to Pew. And the younger the adults, the more likely they are to be unaffiliated, according to a 2019 Pew analysis, further signaling the growing clout of the nones.“People talk about how engaged white evangelicals are, but you don’t know the half of it,” said Ryan Burge, a professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University who focuses on the interaction of religious and political behavior.Atheists and agnostics form only a subset of nones and are less numerous than evangelicals. But they are more likely than evangelicals to make a campaign donation, attend a political meeting or join a protest, Burge said, citing the Harvard-affiliated Cooperative Election Study.“When you consider how involved they are in political activity, you realize how important they are at the ballot box,” he said.The nones equaled Catholics at 22% of the electorate, though they were barely half the figure for Protestants and other Christians (43%), according to VoteCast. Other religious groups totaled 13%, including 3% Jewish and 1% Muslim.Separately, 30% of voters identified as born again or evangelical Christians.In several bellwether races this year, the secular vote made its impact felt, according to AP VoteCast.__About four in five people with no religious affiliation voted against abortion restrictions in referendums in Michigan and Kentucky.__Between two-thirds and three-quarters of nones supported Democratic candidates in statewide races in Arizona and Wisconsin.__About four in five people with no religion voted for Josh Shapiro and John Fetterman, the Democrats elected Pennsylvania's newest governor and senator, respectively.While Shapiro openly speaks about his Jewish values motivating his public service, Fetterman has not incorporated any discernible religious tradition in his public statements. He often frames issues in ethical terms— such as promoting criminal justice reform and raising the minimum wage, even calling abortion rights “sacred” — without reference to a religious tradition.Fetterman's campaign did not return a request for comment.The secular population is a diverse group, Pew reported in 2021. Two-thirds identify as “nothing in particular” — a group that is alienated from politics as well as religion, Burge said.But atheists and agnostics, though only a third of the nones, punch above their weight, given their heavy involvement in politics.The twin trends of a growing secular cohort among Democrats and the increased religiosity of Republicans are not coincidental.Several prominent Republican candidates and their supporters have promoted Christian nationalism, which fuses an American and Christian sense of identity, mission and symbols.That prompts a reaction by many secular voters, Burge said: “At least among white people, it’s become clear the Democratic Party has become the party for the non-religious people.”Yet it's not their party alone. The Democratic coalition draws heavily from religious groups — Black Protestants, liberal Jews, Catholics of color. The Black church tradition, in particular, has a highly devout base in support of moderate and progressive policies.“I think the Democrats have the biggest problem in the world because they have to keep atheists and Black Protestants happy at the same time,” Burge said.Tensions surfaced in 2019 when the Democratic National Committee passed a resolution praising the religiously unaffiliated in language that some saw as overstating their clout and denigrating religious values.Differences between secular and religious Democrats showed up in VoteCast. Majorities of Democratic voters across all religious affiliations say abortion should be legal at least most of the time, but 6 in 10 Democratic voters unaffiliated with a religion say it should always be legal, compared with about 4 in 10 Democratic voters affiliated with Christian traditions. In general, 69% of Democratic voters unaffiliated with a religion identify as liberal, compared with 46% of Christians who voted for Democrats.But growing secular constituency doesn't worry Bishop William Barber, a leader in one of the nation's most prominent faith-based progressive movements.“Jesus didn’t worry about it, so why would I?” said Barber, president of Repairers of the Breach, which calls for moral advocacy by faith and other leaders on behalf of the poor, immigrants and other marginalized communities. “Jesus said the one who is not against me is for me.”“We have a lot of people who claim they’re agnostic or atheist, and they will come to our rallies,” said Barber, who is also co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign. “They will say, ‘I don’t necessarily believe in God, but I believe in right. I believe in love. I do believe in justice.’”Brown, of the Secular Democrats group in Pennsylvania, said he had no problem supporting Democratic candidates like Shapiro, who talked openly about his Jewish values on the campaign trail. His opponent, Republican Doug Mastriano, incorporated Christian nationalist themes and imagery in his campaign.“While on the one hand I am frustrated that politicians feel the need to justify their doing the right thing by religious affiliation, I also appreciate that this was a calculated decision to appeal to religious voters,” Brown said. “I have no problem with it because I feel it was in the service of defeating a Christian nationalist candidate on the other side.”In fact, Brown even traveled to Georgia in late November to campaign door-to-door for an ordained minister — Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, the Democrat in a runoff election. And for the same reason — despite religious differences, he sees Warnock as sharing many of the values of secular voters.

Non-religious voters wield clout, tilt heavily Democratic

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — When BNSF railroad conductor Justin Schaaf needed to take time off from work this summer, he had to make a choice: go to the dentist to get a cavity in his molar filled or attend a party for his son's 7th birthday.

"Ultimately I decided to take the day off for my kid’s birthday party,” Schaaf said. “Then when I am finally able to get into the dentist four, five, six months later, the tooth is too bad to repair at that point, so I have to get the tooth pulled out.”

Those are the kind of tradeoffs that railroad workers worry they might still have to make after Congress voted this week to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-pete-buttigieg-strikes-congress-c95510555dcd4cdc2d839e61d1195b06">impose a contract</a>&nbsp;on them to avoid the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-strikes-climate-and-environment-government-politics-92ea7632a29f807ccc0e2658c50d731e">economic disaster</a>&nbsp;that would accompany a railroad strike. Workers and their unions say the deal didn’t do enough to address their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-government-and-politics-207229bcd558b6a6c1d58f3f85e2d804">quality-of-life concerns</a>&nbsp;and didn’t add any sick days.

President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-economy-government-and-politics-fe5f657b036b2b612d072368584e00cd">signed a bill</a>&nbsp;Friday to block a strike and force workers to accept the agreements union leaders made in September, even though four of the 12 unions — which include a majority of rail workers — voted to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-congress-government-and-politics-79d2e2c2779598b0a14396464ee4f7e9">reject them.</a>&nbsp;Business groups had been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-economy-congress-government-and-politics-6b60d53fefc7b85f301b0a3e7011715b">urging</a>&nbsp;Biden to intervene for weeks.

For Schaaf, he's not sure if the new contract will make it any easier to find another day off sometime next year to pay to have a fake tooth implanted in his mouth.

“If I had the option of taking a sick day ... I would have never been in that situation,” he said from his home in Glasgow, Montana.

Schaaf said it was discouraging, but not surprising, to see Congress step in to settle the contract dispute ahead of next Friday's strike deadline. Lawmakers have made a habit of stepping in to impose contracts when railroads and their unions reach the brink of a strike — 18 times since the passage of the 1926 Railway Labor Act, by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uschamber.com/security/supply-chain/fact-sheet-congress-has-intervened-18-times-in-railroad-labor-negotiations">U.S. Chamber of Commerce's count</a>&nbsp;— because of the potential economic consequences.

Many businesses rely on railroads to deliver raw materials and ship their final products, so a rail strike would send a catastrophic ripple through the economy. Passenger railroads also would be disrupted because so many use tracks owned by the freight railroads.

The five-year deals that rail workers wound up with include 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses. But concerns about the lack of paid sick time and the demanding schedules that unions say make it hard for workers to ever take a day off dominated the contract talks. The rail unions say they weren’t able to get more concessions out of the railroads because the big companies knew Congress would intervene.

The railroads&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-business-strikes-940da8fc519f8c526ca614e201d01216">refused</a>&nbsp;to add paid sick days to the deal at the end of three years of negotiations because they didn’t want to pay much more than a special board of arbitrators appointed by Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-strikes-a83dffef79d38e36dc25588b19bf54b4">recommended</a>&nbsp;this summer. Plus, the railroads say the unions have agreed over the years to forego paid sick leave in favor of higher wages and strong short-term disability benefits that kick in after as little as four days.

The railroads agreed to offer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-government-and-politics-6172442e20ccf3295b39c2f3184e03cf">three unpaid days</a>&nbsp;for engineers and conductors to tend to medical needs as long as they are scheduled at least 30 days in advance. They also promised to negotiate further to improve the way regular days off are scheduled to help workers better know when they will be off.

But to retired engineer Jeff Kurtz, there is still a lot of work to be done to restore the quality of life he enjoyed before he left the railroad eight years ago. He doubts rail workers today would be able to get time off for key family events on short notice the way he did when he found out his son was getting his doctorate right before Christmas in 2009.

“You hear when you hire out on the railroad you’re going to miss some things. But you’re not supposed to miss everything,” said Kurtz, who remains active even in retirement with the Railroad Workers United coalition that includes workers from every union. “You shouldn’t miss your kids growing up. You shouldn’t miss the seminal moments in your family’s life.”

Over the past six years, the major railroads have eliminated nearly one-third of their jobs as they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-aab7d3084a8d17d8d721d2cb750be323">overhauled operations</a>, making the work more demanding for those who remain.

The unions say they won’t stop fighting for more paid sick leave, but now they may have to wait for negotiations on the next contract beginning in 2025.

The head of the Association of American Railroads trade group, Ian Jefferies, acknowledged “there is more to be done to further address our employees’ work-life balance concerns” but he said the compromise deals that Congress voted to impose should help make schedules more predictable while delivering the biggest raises rail workers have seen in more than four decades.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1669996927368.png" alt="President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-economy-government-and-politics-fe5f657b036b2b612d072368584e00cd">signed a bill</a>&nbsp;Friday to block a strike and force workers to accept the agreements union leaders made in September-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-economy-government-and-politics-fe5f657b036b2b612d072368584e00cd">signed a bill</a>&nbsp;Friday to block a strike and force workers to accept the agreements union leaders made in September-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — When BNSF railroad conductor Justin Schaaf needed to take time off from work this summer, he had to make a choice: go to the dentist to get a cavity in his molar filled or attend a party for his son's 7th birthday.He chose his son."Ultimately I decided to take the day off for my kid’s birthday party,” Schaaf said. “Then when I am finally able to get into the dentist four, five, six months later, the tooth is too bad to repair at that point, so I have to get the tooth pulled out.”Those are the kind of tradeoffs that railroad workers worry they might still have to make after Congress voted this week to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-pete-buttigieg-strikes-congress-c95510555dcd4cdc2d839e61d1195b06">impose a contract</a>&nbsp;on them to avoid the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-strikes-climate-and-environment-government-politics-92ea7632a29f807ccc0e2658c50d731e">economic disaster</a>&nbsp;that would accompany a railroad strike. Workers and their unions say the deal didn’t do enough to address their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-government-and-politics-207229bcd558b6a6c1d58f3f85e2d804">quality-of-life concerns</a>&nbsp;and didn’t add any sick days.President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-economy-government-and-politics-fe5f657b036b2b612d072368584e00cd">signed a bill</a>&nbsp;Friday to block a strike and force workers to accept the agreements union leaders made in September, even though four of the 12 unions — which include a majority of rail workers — voted to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-congress-government-and-politics-79d2e2c2779598b0a14396464ee4f7e9">reject them.</a>&nbsp;Business groups had been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-economy-congress-government-and-politics-6b60d53fefc7b85f301b0a3e7011715b">urging</a>&nbsp;Biden to intervene for weeks.For Schaaf, he's not sure if the new contract will make it any easier to find another day off sometime next year to pay to have a fake tooth implanted in his mouth.“If I had the option of taking a sick day ... I would have never been in that situation,” he said from his home in Glasgow, Montana.Schaaf said it was discouraging, but not surprising, to see Congress step in to settle the contract dispute ahead of next Friday's strike deadline. Lawmakers have made a habit of stepping in to impose contracts when railroads and their unions reach the brink of a strike — 18 times since the passage of the 1926 Railway Labor Act, by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uschamber.com/security/supply-chain/fact-sheet-congress-has-intervened-18-times-in-railroad-labor-negotiations">U.S. Chamber of Commerce's count</a>&nbsp;— because of the potential economic consequences.Many businesses rely on railroads to deliver raw materials and ship their final products, so a rail strike would send a catastrophic ripple through the economy. Passenger railroads also would be disrupted because so many use tracks owned by the freight railroads.The five-year deals that rail workers wound up with include 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses. But concerns about the lack of paid sick time and the demanding schedules that unions say make it hard for workers to ever take a day off dominated the contract talks. The rail unions say they weren’t able to get more concessions out of the railroads because the big companies knew Congress would intervene.The railroads&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-business-strikes-940da8fc519f8c526ca614e201d01216">refused</a>&nbsp;to add paid sick days to the deal at the end of three years of negotiations because they didn’t want to pay much more than a special board of arbitrators appointed by Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-strikes-a83dffef79d38e36dc25588b19bf54b4">recommended</a>&nbsp;this summer. Plus, the railroads say the unions have agreed over the years to forego paid sick leave in favor of higher wages and strong short-term disability benefits that kick in after as little as four days.The railroads agreed to offer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-government-and-politics-6172442e20ccf3295b39c2f3184e03cf">three unpaid days</a>&nbsp;for engineers and conductors to tend to medical needs as long as they are scheduled at least 30 days in advance. They also promised to negotiate further to improve the way regular days off are scheduled to help workers better know when they will be off.But to retired engineer Jeff Kurtz, there is still a lot of work to be done to restore the quality of life he enjoyed before he left the railroad eight years ago. He doubts rail workers today would be able to get time off for key family events on short notice the way he did when he found out his son was getting his doctorate right before Christmas in 2009.“You hear when you hire out on the railroad you’re going to miss some things. But you’re not supposed to miss everything,” said Kurtz, who remains active even in retirement with the Railroad Workers United coalition that includes workers from every union. “You shouldn’t miss your kids growing up. You shouldn’t miss the seminal moments in your family’s life.”Over the past six years, the major railroads have eliminated nearly one-third of their jobs as they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-aab7d3084a8d17d8d721d2cb750be323">overhauled operations</a>, making the work more demanding for those who remain.The unions say they won’t stop fighting for more paid sick leave, but now they may have to wait for negotiations on the next contract beginning in 2025.The head of the Association of American Railroads trade group, Ian Jefferies, acknowledged “there is more to be done to further address our employees’ work-life balance concerns” but he said the compromise deals that Congress voted to impose should help make schedules more predictable while delivering the biggest raises rail workers have seen in more than four decades.

Railroad workers: Deal won't resolve quality-of-life concerns

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.

<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.