GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — A federal judge in Wisconsin has dismissed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/952a1f302034e872fefb69bd19276700">a lawsuit from a taxpayers group seeking to block President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program</a>, ruling that the group doesn’t have standing to bring the lawsuit.

The Brown County Taxpayers Association argued that Biden’s order unlawfully circumvented Congress’ power over spending. They also argued the plan was discriminatory by seeking to give particular help to borrowers of color.

U.S. District Judge William Griesbach, an appointee of President George W. Bush, tossed the case Thursday, writing that the group does not have standing to challenge the plan simply because they are taxpayers.

Biden enacted the debt relief plan under the HEROES Act, which was passed after the Sept. 11 attacks sparked an American-led military campaign aimed at terrorism. The act gave the executive branch authority to forgive student loan debt in association with military operations or national emergencies.

The president cited COVID-19 as reason to invoke the act. The lawsuit, filed by the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty on behalf of the taxpayers group, had argued it was an overextension of executive power that improperly sidestepped Congress.

Similar lawsuits have been filed in other states.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-education-lawsuits-executive-branch-88a53926a6583fdb7b8c311206f5357f">In Indiana, a libertarian group has argued that Biden’s plan creates additional tax burdens</a>&nbsp;for students who would have their loans forgiven by other means.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-lawsuits-covid-missouri-862d783188de45b698c54b00820d3616">Six Republican-led states also filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in Missouri raising specific objections to loan forgiveness for federal loans that are owned by private banks. The Biden administration quickly removed eligibility for the estimated 770,000 borrowers with such loans.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — A federal judge in Wisconsin has dismissed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/952a1f302034e872fefb69bd19276700">a lawsuit from a taxpayers group seeking to block President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program</a>, ruling that the group doesn’t have standing to bring the lawsuit.The Brown County Taxpayers Association argued that Biden’s order unlawfully circumvented Congress’ power over spending. They also argued the plan was discriminatory by seeking to give particular help to borrowers of color.U.S. District Judge William Griesbach, an appointee of President George W. Bush, tossed the case Thursday, writing that the group does not have standing to challenge the plan simply because they are taxpayers.Biden enacted the debt relief plan under the HEROES Act, which was passed after the Sept. 11 attacks sparked an American-led military campaign aimed at terrorism. The act gave the executive branch authority to forgive student loan debt in association with military operations or national emergencies.The president cited COVID-19 as reason to invoke the act. The lawsuit, filed by the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty on behalf of the taxpayers group, had argued it was an overextension of executive power that improperly sidestepped Congress.Similar lawsuits have been filed in other states.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-education-lawsuits-executive-branch-88a53926a6583fdb7b8c311206f5357f">In Indiana, a libertarian group has argued that Biden’s plan creates additional tax burdens</a>&nbsp;for students who would have their loans forgiven by other means.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-lawsuits-covid-missouri-862d783188de45b698c54b00820d3616">Six Republican-led states also filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in Missouri raising specific objections to loan forgiveness for federal loans that are owned by private banks. The Biden administration quickly removed eligibility for the estimated 770,000 borrowers with such loans.

Judge dismisses one lawsuit against student loan forgiveness

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita police officer was arrested early Saturday on suspicion of drunken driving, become the city's third officer to be apprehended within about two weeks.

Police said in a release that the officer, who was off-duty, is also facing a charge of possession of a gun while intoxicated. The officer, who has been with the department for two years, has been placed on administrative leave while a criminal and internal investigation is conducted, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article267013776.html">Wichita Eagle reported.</a>

The incident follows two other arrests of Wichita officers within five days at the end of last month.

A detective and 15-year veteran of the force was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Sept. 23 after she collided with a city bus in downtown. A police recruit was arrested on suspicion of criminal threat Sept. 28 when police responded to a domestic violence call.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/9/1569326377026.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita police officer was arrested early Saturday on suspicion of drunken driving, become the city's third officer to be apprehended within about two weeks.Police said in a release that the officer, who was off-duty, is also facing a charge of possession of a gun while intoxicated. The officer, who has been with the department for two years, has been placed on administrative leave while a criminal and internal investigation is conducted, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article267013776.html">Wichita Eagle reported.</a>The incident follows two other arrests of Wichita officers within five days at the end of last month.A detective and 15-year veteran of the force was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Sept. 23 after she collided with a city bus in downtown. A police recruit was arrested on suspicion of criminal threat Sept. 28 when police responded to a domestic violence call.

Arrest of Wichita officer is 3rd for force within 2 weeks

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s warning that the world is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-nuclear-risk-1d0f1e40cff3a92c662c57f274ce0e25?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_02">at risk of a nuclear “Armageddon”</a>&nbsp;was designed to send an unvarnished message that no one should underestimate the extraordinary danger if Russia deploys tactical nuclear weapons in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-iran-middle-east-business-5b8bcee162e155e58423f64671c7b3a5?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_06">its war against Ukraine</a>, administration officials said Friday.

The president’s grim assessment, delivered during a Democratic fundraiser on Thursday night, rippled around the globe and appeared to edge beyond the boundaries of current U.S. intelligence assessments. U.S. security officials continue to say they have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-business-nuclear-weapons-961200d584e048cecd15fa29ee8c2057?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_05">no evidence that Vladimir Putin has imminent plans</a>&nbsp;for a nuclear strike.

Biden veered into talk about Ukraine at the end of his standard fundraising remarks, saying that Putin was “not joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons.”

“We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis,” he added. He suggested the threat from Putin is real “because his military is — you might say — significantly underperforming.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Friday did not directly respond to a question about whether Biden had gone into the event intending to invoke Armageddon, as the White House sought to clarify the president's off-the-cuff comments.

She told reporters: “Russia’s talk of using nuclear weapons is irresponsible and there’s no way to use them without unintended consequences. It cannot happen.” She added that "if the Cuban missile crisis has taught us anything, it is the value of reducing nuclear risk and not brandishing it.”

Biden’s national security team for months has warned that Russia could use weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine as it has faced a series of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-general-assembly-russia-ukraine-kyiv-business-d1355f7c528a10c872e2a26b9d532e16">strategic setbacks on the battlefield</a>. But the president's remarks were the starkest warnings yet by the U.S. government about the nuclear stakes.

One U.S. official said Biden was also trying to warn against underestimating the danger any level of tactical nuclear weapons.

There’s some concern in the administration that Russia has determined it can use its nuclear arsenal in a manner short of a “full-blown” nuclear attack on Ukraine and face only limited reaction from U.S. and Western allies who are determined to keep the Ukraine conflict from turning into a broader war, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss administration thinking

Putin has repeatedly alluded to using his country’s vast nuclear arsenal, including last month when he announced plans to conscript Russian men to serve in Ukraine.

“I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction ... and when the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal,” Putin said. “It’s not a bluff.”

In Europe, leaders sought to turn down the volume after Biden’s stark warning.

Asked about Biden’s remarks, French President Emmanuel Macron said it was crucial to speak with care on the nuclear threat.

“I have always refused to engage in political fiction, and especially ... when speaking of nuclear weapons,” Macron said at a EU summit in Prague. “On this issue, we must be very careful.”

European Council President Charles Michel told reporters that leaders take “every escalation very seriously,”

“Threats will not intimidate us,” Michel said. “Instead, we are going to remain calm. We are going to keep cool heads and we will, each time, denounce the irresponsible character of these threats.”

Jean-Pierre reiterated on Friday the U.S. has “not seen any reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture nor do we have indications that Russia is preparing to imminently use nuclear weapons.”

It’s not the first time that Biden’s comments have appeared to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-migration-world-war-ii-warsaw-652da1c2ab1c88de3032241089bfa516">push against the margins of U.S. policy</a>.

Last month, Biden, in a CBS “60 Minutes” interview, said that “U.S. forces, U.S. men and women,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-biden-china-nancy-pelosi-government-and-politics-abe8b7b0c6600e5fa869effae0d76ef2">would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.</a>&nbsp;”

The White House said after the interview that U.S. policy toward Taiwan hasn’t changed. That policy says Washington wants to see Taiwan’s status resolved peacefully but doesn’t say whether U.S. forces might be sent in response to a Chinese attack.

In March, as he wrapped up a speech in Warsaw, Biden seemed to call for the ouster of Putin, saying, “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.” Before Biden could even board Air Force One to begin the flight back to Washington, aides were scrambling to clarify that he wasn’t calling for an immediate change in government in Moscow.

Earlier that month, Biden called Putin a “war criminal” for the Russian onslaught in Ukraine before the White House walked back the comments. The White House had been avoiding applying the “war criminal” label to Putin, because it requires investigation and an international determination.

After Biden used the term, his then-press secretary, Jen Psaki, said the president was “speaking from his heart” and clarified that the administration acknowledged there is a process for making a formal determination.

As for Biden's latest eyebrow-raising remarks, “People sort of say, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s Biden. You know, he says this stuff,’” said Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, and a veteran of nuclear policy research.

“But overseas countries are saying, ‘Whoa, this is what the U.S. president says,”’ Kristensen said. “And so that means we have to be really careful about using big words” that in themselves can escalate nuclear tensions unintentionally.

Biden’s strong choice of words could have an have an unintended impact with Russia, Kristensen said, the biggest problem with the president’s latest comments.

“It’s quite clear to me that Putin will be looking at this and say to himself ’Wow, you know, I got their attention now. So they’re really afraid.'”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665104777267.png" alt="The president’s grim assessment, delivered during a Democratic fundraiser on Thursday night, rippled around the globe and appeared to edge beyond the boundaries of current U.S. intelligence assessments.-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>The president’s grim assessment, delivered during a Democratic fundraiser on Thursday night, rippled around the globe and appeared to edge beyond the boundaries of current U.S. intelligence assessments.-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s warning that the world is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-nuclear-risk-1d0f1e40cff3a92c662c57f274ce0e25?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_02">at risk of a nuclear “Armageddon”</a>&nbsp;was designed to send an unvarnished message that no one should underestimate the extraordinary danger if Russia deploys tactical nuclear weapons in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-iran-middle-east-business-5b8bcee162e155e58423f64671c7b3a5?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_06">its war against Ukraine</a>, administration officials said Friday.The president’s grim assessment, delivered during a Democratic fundraiser on Thursday night, rippled around the globe and appeared to edge beyond the boundaries of current U.S. intelligence assessments. U.S. security officials continue to say they have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-business-nuclear-weapons-961200d584e048cecd15fa29ee8c2057?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_05">no evidence that Vladimir Putin has imminent plans</a>&nbsp;for a nuclear strike.Biden veered into talk about Ukraine at the end of his standard fundraising remarks, saying that Putin was “not joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons.”“We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis,” he added. He suggested the threat from Putin is real “because his military is — you might say — significantly underperforming.”White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Friday did not directly respond to a question about whether Biden had gone into the event intending to invoke Armageddon, as the White House sought to clarify the president's off-the-cuff comments.She told reporters: “Russia’s talk of using nuclear weapons is irresponsible and there’s no way to use them without unintended consequences. It cannot happen.” She added that "if the Cuban missile crisis has taught us anything, it is the value of reducing nuclear risk and not brandishing it.”Biden’s national security team for months has warned that Russia could use weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine as it has faced a series of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-general-assembly-russia-ukraine-kyiv-business-d1355f7c528a10c872e2a26b9d532e16">strategic setbacks on the battlefield</a>. But the president's remarks were the starkest warnings yet by the U.S. government about the nuclear stakes.One U.S. official said Biden was also trying to warn against underestimating the danger any level of tactical nuclear weapons.There’s some concern in the administration that Russia has determined it can use its nuclear arsenal in a manner short of a “full-blown” nuclear attack on Ukraine and face only limited reaction from U.S. and Western allies who are determined to keep the Ukraine conflict from turning into a broader war, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss administration thinkingPutin has repeatedly alluded to using his country’s vast nuclear arsenal, including last month when he announced plans to conscript Russian men to serve in Ukraine.“I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction ... and when the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal,” Putin said. “It’s not a bluff.”In Europe, leaders sought to turn down the volume after Biden’s stark warning.Asked about Biden’s remarks, French President Emmanuel Macron said it was crucial to speak with care on the nuclear threat.“I have always refused to engage in political fiction, and especially ... when speaking of nuclear weapons,” Macron said at a EU summit in Prague. “On this issue, we must be very careful.”European Council President Charles Michel told reporters that leaders take “every escalation very seriously,”“Threats will not intimidate us,” Michel said. “Instead, we are going to remain calm. We are going to keep cool heads and we will, each time, denounce the irresponsible character of these threats.”Jean-Pierre reiterated on Friday the U.S. has “not seen any reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture nor do we have indications that Russia is preparing to imminently use nuclear weapons.”It’s not the first time that Biden’s comments have appeared to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-migration-world-war-ii-warsaw-652da1c2ab1c88de3032241089bfa516">push against the margins of U.S. policy</a>.Last month, Biden, in a CBS “60 Minutes” interview, said that “U.S. forces, U.S. men and women,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-biden-china-nancy-pelosi-government-and-politics-abe8b7b0c6600e5fa869effae0d76ef2">would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.</a>&nbsp;”The White House said after the interview that U.S. policy toward Taiwan hasn’t changed. That policy says Washington wants to see Taiwan’s status resolved peacefully but doesn’t say whether U.S. forces might be sent in response to a Chinese attack.In March, as he wrapped up a speech in Warsaw, Biden seemed to call for the ouster of Putin, saying, “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.” Before Biden could even board Air Force One to begin the flight back to Washington, aides were scrambling to clarify that he wasn’t calling for an immediate change in government in Moscow.Earlier that month, Biden called Putin a “war criminal” for the Russian onslaught in Ukraine before the White House walked back the comments. The White House had been avoiding applying the “war criminal” label to Putin, because it requires investigation and an international determination.After Biden used the term, his then-press secretary, Jen Psaki, said the president was “speaking from his heart” and clarified that the administration acknowledged there is a process for making a formal determination.As for Biden's latest eyebrow-raising remarks, “People sort of say, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s Biden. You know, he says this stuff,’” said Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, and a veteran of nuclear policy research.“But overseas countries are saying, ‘Whoa, this is what the U.S. president says,”’ Kristensen said. “And so that means we have to be really careful about using big words” that in themselves can escalate nuclear tensions unintentionally.Biden’s strong choice of words could have an have an unintended impact with Russia, Kristensen said, the biggest problem with the president’s latest comments.“It’s quite clear to me that Putin will be looking at this and say to himself ’Wow, you know, I got their attention now. So they’re really afraid.'”___

Biden's 'nuclear warning' edges beyond bounds of US intel

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Three Kansas children died in an accident just after 9a.m. Saturday in Shawnee County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2022 Kenworth semi driven by Robert Hosey Russell, 70, Huntsville, Alabama, was southbound on Interstate 335, the Kansas Turnpike, just south of Topeka.

The semi struck a 2018 Dodge van driven by Amber Marie Peery, 32, Topeka, as the driver attempted to turn through the barrier wall, according to the KHP.

Three children including two 9-year-old girls and an 8-year-old girl all from Topeka died in the crash. 

EMS transported Peery, a 5-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl both of Topeka to Stormont Vail. Russell was not injured.

The girls who died were Auburn-Washburn elementary school students, according to a statement from USD 437 Superintendent&nbsp;Scott McWilliams. "These students include a Jay Shideler Elementary third grader along with two Farley Elementary fourth graders."

"We are keeping these students and their families in our thoughts. Such a loss raises emotions and questions for our entire school community, especially our students."

"Our schools have crisis teams made up of professionals trained to help with the needs of students, parents, and school personnel at difficult times such as this."

"On Monday morning, Farley Elementary and Jay Shideler Elementary students will be notified in an age-appropriate manner about what occurred. There will be designated areas of support offered to students who need time to process, discuss, or grieve. We will have counselors and social workers available to meet with students and staff members as needed.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665414813534.png" alt="First responders on the scene of the weekend accident -photo courtesy WIBW TV&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>First responders on the scene of the weekend accident -photo courtesy WIBW TV&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Three Kansas children died in an accident just after 9a.m. Saturday in Shawnee County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2022 Kenworth semi driven by Robert Hosey Russell, 70, Huntsville, Alabama, was southbound on Interstate 335, the Kansas Turnpike, just south of Topeka.The semi struck a 2018 Dodge van driven by Amber Marie Peery, 32, Topeka, as the driver attempted to turn through the barrier wall, according to the KHP.Three children including two 9-year-old girls and an 8-year-old girl all from Topeka died in the crash. EMS transported Peery, a 5-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl both of Topeka to Stormont Vail. Russell was not injured.The girls who died were Auburn-Washburn elementary school students, according to a statement from USD 437 Superintendent&nbsp;Scott McWilliams. "These students include a Jay Shideler Elementary third grader along with two Farley Elementary fourth graders.""We are keeping these students and their families in our thoughts. Such a loss raises emotions and questions for our entire school community, especially our students.""Our schools have crisis teams made up of professionals trained to help with the needs of students, parents, and school personnel at difficult times such as this.""On Monday morning, Farley Elementary and Jay Shideler Elementary students will be notified in an age-appropriate manner about what occurred. There will be designated areas of support offered to students who need time to process, discuss, or grieve. We will have counselors and social workers available to meet with students and staff members as needed.”

3 Kansas girls dead after semi, van crash on Kansas Turnpike

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Airlines will be required to give flight attendants at least 10 hours off duty between shifts, one more hour than currently, under a rule announced this week by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said that the extra hour of rest would contribute to safety.

The rule goes into effect in 30 days, and airlines have up to 90 days to comply.

Congress directed the FAA in 2018 to increase the rest requirement for flight attendants and eliminate a provision that let crews work with less rest under some circumstances.

“It took us way too long, but we are finally here,” Nolen said at a news conference at Reagan Washington National Airport, where he was flanked by more than a dozen flight attendants.

Current federal rules allow flight attendants to work up to 14 hours in a day and get nine hours of rest between shifts.

The Association of Flight Attendants has fought for years for a longer break between shifts. The union thought it had prevailed four years ago, when Congress voted by large margins to require more rest. The union’s president, Sara Nelson, appeared with Nolen at the news conference and accused the Trump administration of attempting to kill the expansion through regulatory foot-dragging.

Union officials have pointed to a 2020-2021 increase in incidents involving unruly passengers as demonstrating the need to give cabin crews more rest between shifts. Airlines have reported fewer incidents since the federal requirement to wear face masks on flights ended in April.

“This is a small handful of people making it hell for flight attendants on the front lines,” Nelson said.

The FAA took public comments on the extra rest requirement in both 2019 and 2021 and received more than 1,000 comments from airlines, flight attendants and the public.

Airlines for America, a trade group representing the largest U.S. airlines, said safety is always the industry's top priority, and “having rested and alert flight attendants who are prepared to carry out their responsibilities, including cabin safety and other duties, is critical to this goal.” The group said it supports “scientifically validated and data-driven countermeasures to prevent fatigue.”

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Airlines will be required to give flight attendants at least 10 hours off duty between shifts, one more hour than currently, under a rule announced this week by the Federal Aviation Administration.Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said that the extra hour of rest would contribute to safety.The rule goes into effect in 30 days, and airlines have up to 90 days to comply.Congress directed the FAA in 2018 to increase the rest requirement for flight attendants and eliminate a provision that let crews work with less rest under some circumstances.“It took us way too long, but we are finally here,” Nolen said at a news conference at Reagan Washington National Airport, where he was flanked by more than a dozen flight attendants.Current federal rules allow flight attendants to work up to 14 hours in a day and get nine hours of rest between shifts.The Association of Flight Attendants has fought for years for a longer break between shifts. The union thought it had prevailed four years ago, when Congress voted by large margins to require more rest. The union’s president, Sara Nelson, appeared with Nolen at the news conference and accused the Trump administration of attempting to kill the expansion through regulatory foot-dragging.Union officials have pointed to a 2020-2021 increase in incidents involving unruly passengers as demonstrating the need to give cabin crews more rest between shifts. Airlines have reported fewer incidents since the federal requirement to wear face masks on flights ended in April.“This is a small handful of people making it hell for flight attendants on the front lines,” Nelson said.The FAA took public comments on the extra rest requirement in both 2019 and 2021 and received more than 1,000 comments from airlines, flight attendants and the public.Airlines for America, a trade group representing the largest U.S. airlines, said safety is always the industry's top priority, and “having rested and alert flight attendants who are prepared to carry out their responsibilities, including cabin safety and other duties, is critical to this goal.” The group said it supports “scientifically validated and data-driven countermeasures to prevent fatigue.”

New FAA rule: More rest between shifts for flight attendants

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — In California's capital, massive tent encampments have risen along the American River and highway overpasses have become havens for homeless people, whose numbers have jumped a staggering nearly 70% over two years.

Among the 9,300 without a home is Eric Santos, who lost his job at a brewery and was evicted from his apartment in July. Now he carries a list of places where free meals are available and a bucket to mix soap and water to wash his hands, and to sit on.

“The bucket is part of my life now,” the 42-year-old said, calling it his version of Wilson, the volleyball that becomes Tom Hanks’ companion in the film “Castaway.”

Cities big and small around the country are facing a similar experience to Sacramento.

Fueled by a long-running housing shortage, rising rent prices and the economic hangover from the pandemic, the overall number of homeless in a federal government report to be released in coming months is expected to be higher than the 580,000 unhoused before the coronavirus outbreak, the National Alliance to End Homelessness said.

The Associated Press tallied results from city-by-city surveys conducted earlier this year and found the number of people without homes is up overall compared with 2020 in areas reporting results so far.

Some of the biggest increases are in West Coast cities such as Sacramento and Portland, Oregon, where growing homelessness has become a humanitarian crisis and political football over the past decade. Numbers are also up about 30% in South Dakota and Prince George's County, Maryland, and 15% in Asheville, North Carolina.

The data comes from the Point in Time counts the federal government requires communities to conduct to reflect how many people are without homes on a given winter night. The counts usually rely on volunteer census-takers and are always imprecise. This year's tallies were conducted amid the pandemic and advocates caution changed counting methods could have thrown off results.

Research has shown places seeing spikes in homelessness often lack affordable housing. Making matters worse, pandemic government relief programs — including anti-eviction measures, emergency rental assistance and a child tax credit that kept people housed who may have been on the streets otherwise — are ending.

Donald Whitehead Jr., executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, said the counts are generally rising more where housing costs are jumping the fastest — but the government’s response makes a difference, too.

Some communities where numbers are down, he said, “are really looking at housing people versus criminalizing people and putting them in encampments.”

In Sacramento, where rents are soaring and officials disagree on how best to deal with the problem, homelessness has jumped 68% from 2020 to 2022 — the most among larger cities reporting results so far.

The surge has been driven in part by the city's legacy of being more affordable than other California cities, which has attracted new residents, overwhelming the housing market. People moving out of the San Francisco Bay Area, 90 miles (145 kilometers) to the southwest, have flooded Sacramento with more potential homeowners and renters, driving up prices.

A Zillow analysis found the average rent in July was $2,300 — a 28% increase since July 2019, before the pandemic began. Sacramento County’s median income was about $70,000 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The crisis has deepened even as things have improved in other California cities that have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-wa-state-wire-ca-state-wire-north-america-d480434bbacd4b028ff13cd1e7cea155">contended for years</a>&nbsp;with homelessness. Sacramento's efforts to address the problem have been marred by years of squabbles between the city and county governments.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg has made reducing homelessness a priority since taking office in 2017. The city now has more than 900 beds in shelters and motels, compared to about 100 five years ago and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article248544635.html">has moved to ban single-family zoning</a>, a move that could make it easier to build more housing.

“People are becoming homeless much faster than we are getting them off the street,” Steinberg told the AP.

Santos is among them. He’s been able to sign up for food assistance but is still on a waiting list to access other benefits, he said. Each night he hunts for a park bench that feels safe to sleep on. When he lost a suitcase to broken wheels, he got rid of some of his warmer clothing, a decision he regrets as the fall evenings get colder.

“Luckily I’ve been able to keep afloat with what I have,” he said.

Steinberg has advocated for adopting a legal right to shelter and a legal obligation for people to accept it when offered. The approach has drawn some criticism from advocates who say it’s just a means of taking the problem out of the public eye without providing meaningful help for those who need it.

County officials voted in August to ban camping along Sacramento's American River Parkway, with a misdemeanor charge for people who don’t comply. City voters will decide in November on a ballot measure requiring the city to open hundreds more shelter beds. But it would only take effect if the county agrees to pony up money for mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Still, the rise in homelessness is not uniform across the country.

In Boston, the number of people sleeping on the streets and in shelters has dropped 25% over two years as advocates focused on finding permanent housing for those on the streets the longest.

In some cities, “housing first” policies intended to move the homeless into permanent homes have paid off. And while the pandemic brought economic chaos, an eviction moratorium, boosted unemployment payments and family tax credits prevented some people from becoming homeless at all.

Along with Boston, numbers have fallen by about 20% or more in Houston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Even in California, homeless counts are down in San Francisco, and growth has slowed significantly in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-los-angeles-homelessness-government-and-politics-bc42f500e67201032714de7ed98c92c6">Los Angeles</a>.

The numbers have also dropped in California's Orange County, where there have been extensive efforts to remove encampments — though some&nbsp;<a href="https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/entertainment/story/2022-06-02/advocates-and-nonprofit-leaders-question-the-accuracy-of-orange-county-homeless-count">advocates there question the accuracy</a>&nbsp;of the count.

In Boston, Steven Hamilton moved into a new apartment in September after decades staying on a friend or relative’s couch or in a homeless shelter.

With the help of a program run by the Boston Medical Center, he was able to get a subsidized apartment in a public housing development. His portion of monthly rent is $281 — or about 30% of his Social Security payments.

“I’m grateful,” he said. “I am not looking to move nowhere else. I am going to stay here until eternity. I lost a lot of stuff. I’m not going through that again.”

After what he called a “horrible nightmare” in a shelter with residents injecting drugs in the bathroom, the studio apartment has changed his outlook. He’s planning to get furniture, save money for a car and hopes to invite his family for Thanksgiving.

“I have a place I can call my own,” he said.

Hamilton's studio apartment is the result of a Boston strategy whereby the city and area nonprofits use extensive outreach to get people who've been on the streets for over a year into apartments and then provide services such as drug treatment and life-skills training like budgeting with the help of case managers.

Since 2019, annual funding in Boston for homeless programs has jumped from $31 million to over $51 million.

Those efforts were bolstered last year by a city program that pulled together a list of homeless individuals to target for housing and other services. The city also moved to shut down one of its biggest homeless encampments, going tent-to-tent to assess the needs of those living there and referring more than 150 to shelters and other housing.

The efforts have not been seamless. There have been reports of a cleared-out tent city re-emerging. And family homelessness numbers, though down from 2020, have ticked up in the past year.

Still, the city has been able to reduce the numbers of homeless people to about 6,000, down 25% since 2020.

Boston's shelters have become less crowded even as Zillow found the city's average rent rose to $2,800 this summer — up 13% from three years earlier.

Housing advocates say prioritizing chronically homeless people ensures funds have the greatest impact, since the long-term homeless spend so much time in shelters. It also costs less to provide permanent housing than temporary shelter.

Lewis Lopez is among the success stories.

After cycling in and out of Boston shelters for several years, Lopez finally secured keys to his own apartment. No longer fearing his possessions would be stolen or he would get into fights over food, the 61-year-old felt he had finally gotten his life back.

“I felt so free, like a ton of bricks were lifted off my shoulders,” Lopez said of the studio apartment he has lived in for five years, paid for partly with federal funds.

“I felt like part of society again,” he said.

By Associated PressSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — In California's capital, massive tent encampments have risen along the American River and highway overpasses have become havens for homeless people, whose numbers have jumped a staggering nearly 70% over two years.Among the 9,300 without a home is Eric Santos, who lost his job at a brewery and was evicted from his apartment in July. Now he carries a list of places where free meals are available and a bucket to mix soap and water to wash his hands, and to sit on.“The bucket is part of my life now,” the 42-year-old said, calling it his version of Wilson, the volleyball that becomes Tom Hanks’ companion in the film “Castaway.”Cities big and small around the country are facing a similar experience to Sacramento.Fueled by a long-running housing shortage, rising rent prices and the economic hangover from the pandemic, the overall number of homeless in a federal government report to be released in coming months is expected to be higher than the 580,000 unhoused before the coronavirus outbreak, the National Alliance to End Homelessness said.The Associated Press tallied results from city-by-city surveys conducted earlier this year and found the number of people without homes is up overall compared with 2020 in areas reporting results so far.Some of the biggest increases are in West Coast cities such as Sacramento and Portland, Oregon, where growing homelessness has become a humanitarian crisis and political football over the past decade. Numbers are also up about 30% in South Dakota and Prince George's County, Maryland, and 15% in Asheville, North Carolina.The data comes from the Point in Time counts the federal government requires communities to conduct to reflect how many people are without homes on a given winter night. The counts usually rely on volunteer census-takers and are always imprecise. This year's tallies were conducted amid the pandemic and advocates caution changed counting methods could have thrown off results.Research has shown places seeing spikes in homelessness often lack affordable housing. Making matters worse, pandemic government relief programs — including anti-eviction measures, emergency rental assistance and a child tax credit that kept people housed who may have been on the streets otherwise — are ending.Donald Whitehead Jr., executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, said the counts are generally rising more where housing costs are jumping the fastest — but the government’s response makes a difference, too.Some communities where numbers are down, he said, “are really looking at housing people versus criminalizing people and putting them in encampments.”In Sacramento, where rents are soaring and officials disagree on how best to deal with the problem, homelessness has jumped 68% from 2020 to 2022 — the most among larger cities reporting results so far.The surge has been driven in part by the city's legacy of being more affordable than other California cities, which has attracted new residents, overwhelming the housing market. People moving out of the San Francisco Bay Area, 90 miles (145 kilometers) to the southwest, have flooded Sacramento with more potential homeowners and renters, driving up prices.A Zillow analysis found the average rent in July was $2,300 — a 28% increase since July 2019, before the pandemic began. Sacramento County’s median income was about $70,000 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.The crisis has deepened even as things have improved in other California cities that have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-wa-state-wire-ca-state-wire-north-america-d480434bbacd4b028ff13cd1e7cea155">contended for years</a>&nbsp;with homelessness. Sacramento's efforts to address the problem have been marred by years of squabbles between the city and county governments.Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg has made reducing homelessness a priority since taking office in 2017. The city now has more than 900 beds in shelters and motels, compared to about 100 five years ago and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article248544635.html">has moved to ban single-family zoning</a>, a move that could make it easier to build more housing.But so far, it hasn’t been enough.“People are becoming homeless much faster than we are getting them off the street,” Steinberg told the AP.Santos is among them. He’s been able to sign up for food assistance but is still on a waiting list to access other benefits, he said. Each night he hunts for a park bench that feels safe to sleep on. When he lost a suitcase to broken wheels, he got rid of some of his warmer clothing, a decision he regrets as the fall evenings get colder.“Luckily I’ve been able to keep afloat with what I have,” he said.Steinberg has advocated for adopting a legal right to shelter and a legal obligation for people to accept it when offered. The approach has drawn some criticism from advocates who say it’s just a means of taking the problem out of the public eye without providing meaningful help for those who need it.County officials voted in August to ban camping along Sacramento's American River Parkway, with a misdemeanor charge for people who don’t comply. City voters will decide in November on a ballot measure requiring the city to open hundreds more shelter beds. But it would only take effect if the county agrees to pony up money for mental health and substance abuse treatment.Still, the rise in homelessness is not uniform across the country.In Boston, the number of people sleeping on the streets and in shelters has dropped 25% over two years as advocates focused on finding permanent housing for those on the streets the longest.In some cities, “housing first” policies intended to move the homeless into permanent homes have paid off. And while the pandemic brought economic chaos, an eviction moratorium, boosted unemployment payments and family tax credits prevented some people from becoming homeless at all.Along with Boston, numbers have fallen by about 20% or more in Houston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Even in California, homeless counts are down in San Francisco, and growth has slowed significantly in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-los-angeles-homelessness-government-and-politics-bc42f500e67201032714de7ed98c92c6">Los Angeles</a>.The numbers have also dropped in California's Orange County, where there have been extensive efforts to remove encampments — though some&nbsp;<a href="https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/entertainment/story/2022-06-02/advocates-and-nonprofit-leaders-question-the-accuracy-of-orange-county-homeless-count">advocates there question the accuracy</a>&nbsp;of the count.In Boston, Steven Hamilton moved into a new apartment in September after decades staying on a friend or relative’s couch or in a homeless shelter.With the help of a program run by the Boston Medical Center, he was able to get a subsidized apartment in a public housing development. His portion of monthly rent is $281 — or about 30% of his Social Security payments.“I’m grateful,” he said. “I am not looking to move nowhere else. I am going to stay here until eternity. I lost a lot of stuff. I’m not going through that again.”After what he called a “horrible nightmare” in a shelter with residents injecting drugs in the bathroom, the studio apartment has changed his outlook. He’s planning to get furniture, save money for a car and hopes to invite his family for Thanksgiving.“I have a place I can call my own,” he said.Hamilton's studio apartment is the result of a Boston strategy whereby the city and area nonprofits use extensive outreach to get people who've been on the streets for over a year into apartments and then provide services such as drug treatment and life-skills training like budgeting with the help of case managers.Since 2019, annual funding in Boston for homeless programs has jumped from $31 million to over $51 million.Those efforts were bolstered last year by a city program that pulled together a list of homeless individuals to target for housing and other services. The city also moved to shut down one of its biggest homeless encampments, going tent-to-tent to assess the needs of those living there and referring more than 150 to shelters and other housing.The efforts have not been seamless. There have been reports of a cleared-out tent city re-emerging. And family homelessness numbers, though down from 2020, have ticked up in the past year.Still, the city has been able to reduce the numbers of homeless people to about 6,000, down 25% since 2020.Boston's shelters have become less crowded even as Zillow found the city's average rent rose to $2,800 this summer — up 13% from three years earlier.Housing advocates say prioritizing chronically homeless people ensures funds have the greatest impact, since the long-term homeless spend so much time in shelters. It also costs less to provide permanent housing than temporary shelter.Lewis Lopez is among the success stories.After cycling in and out of Boston shelters for several years, Lopez finally secured keys to his own apartment. No longer fearing his possessions would be stolen or he would get into fights over food, the 61-year-old felt he had finally gotten his life back.“I felt so free, like a ton of bricks were lifted off my shoulders,” Lopez said of the studio apartment he has lived in for five years, paid for partly with federal funds.“I felt like part of society again,” he said.

Amid end to COVID help, homelessness surging in many cities

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers slowed their hiring in September but still added 263,000 jobs, a solid figure that will likely keep the Federal Reserve on pace to keep raising interest rates aggressively to fight persistently high inflation.

<a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm">Friday’s government report</a>&nbsp;showed that hiring fell from 315,000 in August to the weakest monthly gain since April 2021. The unemployment rate dropped from 3.7% to 3.5%, matching a half-century low.

The Fed is hoping that a slower pace of hiring would eventually mean less pressure on employers to raise pay and pass those costs on to their customers through price increases — a recipe for high inflation. But September's job growth was likely too robust to satisfy the central bank's inflation fighters.

Last month, hourly wages rose 5% from a year earlier, the slowest year-over-year pace since December but still hotter than the Fed would want. The proportion of Americans who either have a job or are looking for one slipped slightly, a disappointment for those hoping that more people would enter the labor force and help ease worker shortages and upward pressure on wages.

The jobs report “was still likely too strong to allow (Fed) policymakers much breathing room," said Matt Peron, director of research at Janus Henderson Investors.

Likewise, Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, said she didn't think September's softer jobs and wage numbers would stop the Fed from raising its benchmark short-term rate in November by an unusually large three-quarters of a point for a fourth consecutive time — and by an additional half-point in December.

On Wall Street, stocks tumbled Friday morning — a sign that investors foresee more aggressive Fed rate hikes ahead. The S&amp;P 500 index sank 1.9% in early trading. And the yield on the 2-year Treasury note, which tends to track expectations for Fed actions, rose to 4.31% from 4.26% late Thursday.

The public anxiety that has arisen over high prices and the prospect of a recession is also carrying political consequences as President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party struggles to maintain control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.

In its epic battle to rein in inflation, the Fed has raised its benchmark interest rate five times this year. It is aiming to slow economic growth enough to reduce annual price increases back toward its 2% target.

It has a long way to go. In August, one key measure of year-over-year inflation, the consumer price index, amounted to 8.3%. And for now, consumer spending — the primary driver of the U.S. economy — is showing resilience. In August,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-business-economy-prices-12062bc2f39d2929997475111654c7c6">consumers spent a bit more than in July</a>, a sign that the economy was holding up despite rising borrowing rates, violent swings in the stock market and inflated prices for food, rent and other essentials.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-jackson-wyoming-economy-prices-2158fcfcb5ef0073a4dfb00f791f59bc">warned bluntly that the inflation fight will “bring some pain,”</a>&nbsp;notably in the form of layoffs and higher unemployment. Some economists remain hopeful that despite the persistent inflation pressures, the Fed will still manage to achieve a so-called soft landing: Slowing growth enough to tame inflation, without going so far as to tip the economy into recession.

It’s a notoriously difficult task. And the Fed is trying to accomplish it at a perilous time. The global economy, weakened by food shortages and surging energy prices resulting from Russia’s war against Ukraine, may be on the brink of recession. Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economic-growth-international-monetary-fund-government-and-politics-1c893f6ed1dee8360d6467c2fbd9c7fe">warned Thursday that the IMF is downgrading its estimates for world economic growth</a>&nbsp;by $4 trillion through 2026 and that “things are more likely to get worse before it gets better.’’

Powell and his colleagues on the Fed’s policymaking committee want to see signs that the abundance of available jobs — there’s currently an average of 1.7 openings for every unemployed American — will steadily decline. Some encouraging news came this week, when the Labor Department reported that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-business-ddb0f7c3437661b74b62e03cb267aab9">job openings fell by 1.1 million in August to 10.1 million</a>, the fewest since June 2021.

On the other hand, by any standard of history, openings remain extraordinarily high: In records dating to 2000, they had never topped 10 million in a month until last year.

Last month's decline in unemployment was widely shared across demographic groups. The jobless rate for Hispanics tumbled to 3.8%, the lowest level in government records dating to 1973. Unemployment for Black Americans also fell, from 6% in August to 5.8% in September, still above its record low of 5.1% in November 2019.

In September, restaurants and bars added 60,000 jobs, as did healthcare companies. State and local governments cut 27,000 jobs. Retailers, transportation and warehouse companies reduced employment modestly.

Many Americans appear to have decided that there are still plenty of jobs available and that they can take their time accepting one. Among them is Jenny Savitscus of Columbus, Ohio, who recently earned a technology certificate at a program run by Goodwill. Savitscus, 45, who'd like a job in high technology, said she's willing to hold out for an employer that will offer flexible hours and work-at-home options.

“There are opportunities out there,’’ she said. “Employers and job seekers are trying to find the right balance’’ between work and home life. She said she can afford to wait for just the right position because she has two part-time teaching jobs.

Friday's government report underscored how resilient the job market remains even if it may be slowing.

“The U.S. labor market continues to decelerate, but there are no signs that it’s stalling out,’’ said Nick Bunker, head of economic research at the Indeed Hiring Lab. “Payroll growth is no longer at the jet speed we saw last year, but employment is still growing quickly.”

Radial, a company that powers the online businesses for Lucky Brands, Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, is one employer that is hiring more cautiously. The company plans to hire 15,000 seasonal workers at its 25 warehouses — 7,000 fewer than a year ago — and 2,000 at its customer-service centers, said Sabrina Wnorowski, chief human resource officer for Radial, based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

Wnorowski said the company’s more moderate approach to hiring reflects a renewed focus on adding workers closer to the peak of the holiday season to make them more productive. She noted that online sales growth is slowing and that the tight job market appears to be weakening a bit. Peloton, for example, the maker of high-end exercise equipment, announced Thursday that it is cutting 500 jobs — 12% of its workforce.

Yet some companies continue to plow ahead with hiring. Walt Rowen, president of Susquehanna Glass Co. in Columbia, Pennsylvania, said the company, which makes decorative glass products, needs around 15 seasonally workers along with a full-time staff of 40 to 45. Rowen has raised entry-level pay from around $9 an hour before the pandemic to $14 an hour and yet still struggles to fill vacancies.

“It’s getting harder and harder,’’ he said. “You used to be able to interview 10, bring in five and keep three. Now we’re interviewing 20, getting five and keeping one.’’

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers slowed their hiring in September but still added 263,000 jobs, a solid figure that will likely keep the Federal Reserve on pace to keep raising interest rates aggressively to fight persistently high inflation.<a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm">Friday’s government report</a>&nbsp;showed that hiring fell from 315,000 in August to the weakest monthly gain since April 2021. The unemployment rate dropped from 3.7% to 3.5%, matching a half-century low.The Fed is hoping that a slower pace of hiring would eventually mean less pressure on employers to raise pay and pass those costs on to their customers through price increases — a recipe for high inflation. But September's job growth was likely too robust to satisfy the central bank's inflation fighters.Last month, hourly wages rose 5% from a year earlier, the slowest year-over-year pace since December but still hotter than the Fed would want. The proportion of Americans who either have a job or are looking for one slipped slightly, a disappointment for those hoping that more people would enter the labor force and help ease worker shortages and upward pressure on wages.The jobs report “was still likely too strong to allow (Fed) policymakers much breathing room," said Matt Peron, director of research at Janus Henderson Investors.Likewise, Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, said she didn't think September's softer jobs and wage numbers would stop the Fed from raising its benchmark short-term rate in November by an unusually large three-quarters of a point for a fourth consecutive time — and by an additional half-point in December.On Wall Street, stocks tumbled Friday morning — a sign that investors foresee more aggressive Fed rate hikes ahead. The S&amp;P 500 index sank 1.9% in early trading. And the yield on the 2-year Treasury note, which tends to track expectations for Fed actions, rose to 4.31% from 4.26% late Thursday.The public anxiety that has arisen over high prices and the prospect of a recession is also carrying political consequences as President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party struggles to maintain control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.In its epic battle to rein in inflation, the Fed has raised its benchmark interest rate five times this year. It is aiming to slow economic growth enough to reduce annual price increases back toward its 2% target.It has a long way to go. In August, one key measure of year-over-year inflation, the consumer price index, amounted to 8.3%. And for now, consumer spending — the primary driver of the U.S. economy — is showing resilience. In August,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-business-economy-prices-12062bc2f39d2929997475111654c7c6">consumers spent a bit more than in July</a>, a sign that the economy was holding up despite rising borrowing rates, violent swings in the stock market and inflated prices for food, rent and other essentials.Fed Chair Jerome Powell has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-jackson-wyoming-economy-prices-2158fcfcb5ef0073a4dfb00f791f59bc">warned bluntly that the inflation fight will “bring some pain,”</a>&nbsp;notably in the form of layoffs and higher unemployment. Some economists remain hopeful that despite the persistent inflation pressures, the Fed will still manage to achieve a so-called soft landing: Slowing growth enough to tame inflation, without going so far as to tip the economy into recession.It’s a notoriously difficult task. And the Fed is trying to accomplish it at a perilous time. The global economy, weakened by food shortages and surging energy prices resulting from Russia’s war against Ukraine, may be on the brink of recession. Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economic-growth-international-monetary-fund-government-and-politics-1c893f6ed1dee8360d6467c2fbd9c7fe">warned Thursday that the IMF is downgrading its estimates for world economic growth</a>&nbsp;by $4 trillion through 2026 and that “things are more likely to get worse before it gets better.’’Powell and his colleagues on the Fed’s policymaking committee want to see signs that the abundance of available jobs — there’s currently an average of 1.7 openings for every unemployed American — will steadily decline. Some encouraging news came this week, when the Labor Department reported that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-business-ddb0f7c3437661b74b62e03cb267aab9">job openings fell by 1.1 million in August to 10.1 million</a>, the fewest since June 2021.On the other hand, by any standard of history, openings remain extraordinarily high: In records dating to 2000, they had never topped 10 million in a month until last year.Last month's decline in unemployment was widely shared across demographic groups. The jobless rate for Hispanics tumbled to 3.8%, the lowest level in government records dating to 1973. Unemployment for Black Americans also fell, from 6% in August to 5.8% in September, still above its record low of 5.1% in November 2019.In September, restaurants and bars added 60,000 jobs, as did healthcare companies. State and local governments cut 27,000 jobs. Retailers, transportation and warehouse companies reduced employment modestly.Many Americans appear to have decided that there are still plenty of jobs available and that they can take their time accepting one. Among them is Jenny Savitscus of Columbus, Ohio, who recently earned a technology certificate at a program run by Goodwill. Savitscus, 45, who'd like a job in high technology, said she's willing to hold out for an employer that will offer flexible hours and work-at-home options.“There are opportunities out there,’’ she said. “Employers and job seekers are trying to find the right balance’’ between work and home life. She said she can afford to wait for just the right position because she has two part-time teaching jobs.Friday's government report underscored how resilient the job market remains even if it may be slowing.“The U.S. labor market continues to decelerate, but there are no signs that it’s stalling out,’’ said Nick Bunker, head of economic research at the Indeed Hiring Lab. “Payroll growth is no longer at the jet speed we saw last year, but employment is still growing quickly.”Radial, a company that powers the online businesses for Lucky Brands, Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, is one employer that is hiring more cautiously. The company plans to hire 15,000 seasonal workers at its 25 warehouses — 7,000 fewer than a year ago — and 2,000 at its customer-service centers, said Sabrina Wnorowski, chief human resource officer for Radial, based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.Wnorowski said the company’s more moderate approach to hiring reflects a renewed focus on adding workers closer to the peak of the holiday season to make them more productive. She noted that online sales growth is slowing and that the tight job market appears to be weakening a bit. Peloton, for example, the maker of high-end exercise equipment, announced Thursday that it is cutting 500 jobs — 12% of its workforce.Yet some companies continue to plow ahead with hiring. Walt Rowen, president of Susquehanna Glass Co. in Columbia, Pennsylvania, said the company, which makes decorative glass products, needs around 15 seasonally workers along with a full-time staff of 40 to 45. Rowen has raised entry-level pay from around $9 an hour before the pandemic to $14 an hour and yet still struggles to fill vacancies.“It’s getting harder and harder,’’ he said. “You used to be able to interview 10, bring in five and keep three. Now we’re interviewing 20, getting five and keeping one.’’

Another month of solid US hiring suggests more big interest rate hikes

By BRENT MARTIN St. Joseph Post

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — A dispute over whether an Idaho couple can build a new home
near a lake close to the U.S. border with Canada could have a huge impact on
agriculture throughout the country.

The dispute has reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard
oral arguments this week.

Northern Missouri Congress Sam Graves is watching closely,
because the Supreme Court could strike down or uphold the Environmental
Protection Agency interpretation of the Clean Water Act, which it calls Waters
of the United States.

“It continues to be batted back and forth and it’s going to
hurt farmers,” Graves tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “It’s literally going to
allow the EPA to come onto your property. It’s going to include almost all
property out there, allow the EPA to come onto your property and regulate you.”

During oral arguments, government lawyers sought to assure the
Supreme Court that WOTUS will not affect farmers.

“Some of the folks that support this will tell you that
farmers are exempt and that is absolutely not the case,” Graves claims. “There
is not any provision within this proposal that the Biden administration is
putting up that exempts farmers out of this. That is flat out false.”

WOTUS
 seeks to expand what waters can be regulated under the
Clean Water Act to include swamps, bogs, and marshes. Opponents contend 
the EPA
is exceeding the authority it has been granted by Congress which limits 
the Clean Water Act to navigable waters. The EPA contends it is 
operating under
the authority of the act and that WOTUS is vital to the environmental 
health of
the nation’s waterways.

Graves is hopeful the Supreme Court strikes down WOTUS.

“We are hoping for a favorable decision on that,” Graves says.
“I’m glad that finally we’re going to put this to rest once and for all.”

Graves says it appeared the issue was resolved with a
compromise reached during the last administration.

“This started with the Obama administration and the EPA’s
overreach,” according to Graves. “Then, the Trump administration rolled it back
and we came up with a compromise and now the Biden administration is putting
all these, and even further, restrictions back into it. So, it continues to go
back and forth.”

It will be some time before the Supreme Court issues its opinion.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665161048540.jpeg" alt="The Missouri River / Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>The Missouri River / Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTIN St. Joseph PostST. JOSEPH, Mo. — A dispute over whether an Idaho couple can build a new home
near a lake close to the U.S. border with Canada could have a huge impact on
agriculture throughout the country.The dispute has reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard
oral arguments this week.Northern Missouri Congress Sam Graves is watching closely,
because the Supreme Court could strike down or uphold the Environmental
Protection Agency interpretation of the Clean Water Act, which it calls Waters
of the United States.“It continues to be batted back and forth and it’s going to
hurt farmers,” Graves tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “It’s literally going to
allow the EPA to come onto your property. It’s going to include almost all
property out there, allow the EPA to come onto your property and regulate you.”During oral arguments, government lawyers sought to assure the
Supreme Court that WOTUS will not affect farmers.Graves, a Republican, doesn’t buy it.“Some of the folks that support this will tell you that
farmers are exempt and that is absolutely not the case,” Graves claims. “There
is not any provision within this proposal that the Biden administration is
putting up that exempts farmers out of this. That is flat out false.”WOTUS
 seeks to expand what waters can be regulated under the
Clean Water Act to include swamps, bogs, and marshes. Opponents contend 
the EPA
is exceeding the authority it has been granted by Congress which limits 
the Clean Water Act to navigable waters. The EPA contends it is 
operating under
the authority of the act and that WOTUS is vital to the environmental 
health of
the nation’s waterways.Graves is hopeful the Supreme Court strikes down WOTUS.“We are hoping for a favorable decision on that,” Graves says.
“I’m glad that finally we’re going to put this to rest once and for all.”Graves says it appeared the issue was resolved with a
compromise reached during the last administration.“This started with the Obama administration and the EPA’s
overreach,” according to Graves. “Then, the Trump administration rolled it back
and we came up with a compromise and now the Biden administration is putting
all these, and even further, restrictions back into it. So, it continues to go
back and forth.”It will be some time before the Supreme Court issues its opinion.

Idaho dispute could lead to Supreme Court ruling affecting agriculture

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-man-gets-prison-for-threatening-colorado-election-official/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — A Lincoln man was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in prison
 for making threatening posts on an Instagram page concerning Colorado 
Secretary of State Jena Griswold.

Among the posts made by 42-year-old Travis Ford were ones that said, 
“Do you feel safe? You shouldn’t.”And “Your security detail is far too 
thin and incompetent to protect you. This world is unpredictable these 
days.…anything can happen to anyone.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland, in a press release, said the sentence makes clear that “meaningful penalties” await those who illegally threaten election workers.

“The Justice Department will not hesitate to hold accountable those 
whose illegal threats of violence endanger the public servants who 
administer our elections,” Garland said.

According to federal court documents, Ford also posted similar 
threats associated with the president of the United States and another 
public figure.

The Associated Press reported that U.S. District Judge John M. Gerrard rejected pleas by Ford’s attorney for a lighter sentence.

Gerrard said there’s “nothing special” about being steadily employed,
 noting that Ford made 18 serious threats over three months. The judge 
called arguments over vaccine mandates “complete nonsense,” according to
 the AP.

The FBI Denver Field Office investigated the case, with the assistance of the FBI Omaha Field Office.

The case was part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task 
Force launched in June 2021. That task force was launched in the wake of
 false claims that the 2020 election was “stolen” and resulting threats 
and intimidation aimed at election workers.

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/09/21/nebraska-election-officials-say-their-job-is-more-stressful-under-the-spotlight/">Nebraska election workers have reported</a> higher stress and some angry calls from those questioning the validity of the 2020 election results.

A “voter accuracy” group in the state has also questioned whether vote-counting machines were accurate — <a target="_blank" href="https://sos.nebraska.gov/sites/sos.nebraska.gov/files/doc/Fake%20vs%20Fact%20March%202022_0.pdf">claims totally refuted by Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen in a Powerpoint entitled “Fake vs. Fact.”</a>

Also on Thursday, federal officials arrested a 64-year-old Hiawatha, 
Iowa, man for allegedly sending a threatening communication to an 
election official on the Maricopa (Arizona) County Board. Mark A. Rissi 
also allegedly threatened an official in the Arizona Attorney General’s 
Office.

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-man-gets-prison-for-threatening-colorado-election-official/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — A Lincoln man was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in prison
 for making threatening posts on an Instagram page concerning Colorado 
Secretary of State Jena Griswold.Among the posts made by 42-year-old Travis Ford were ones that said, 
“Do you feel safe? You shouldn’t.”And “Your security detail is far too 
thin and incompetent to protect you. This world is unpredictable these 
days.…anything can happen to anyone.”<h2>‘Meaningful penalties’</h2>Attorney General Merrick Garland, in a press release, said the sentence makes clear that “meaningful penalties” await those who illegally threaten election workers.“The Justice Department will not hesitate to hold accountable those 
whose illegal threats of violence endanger the public servants who 
administer our elections,” Garland said.According to federal court documents, Ford also posted similar 
threats associated with the president of the United States and another 
public figure.The Associated Press reported that U.S. District Judge John M. Gerrard rejected pleas by Ford’s attorney for a lighter sentence.Gerrard said there’s “nothing special” about being steadily employed,
 noting that Ford made 18 serious threats over three months. The judge 
called arguments over vaccine mandates “complete nonsense,” according to
 the AP.The FBI Denver Field Office investigated the case, with the assistance of the FBI Omaha Field Office.<h2>Higher stress</h2>The case was part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task 
Force launched in June 2021. That task force was launched in the wake of
 false claims that the 2020 election was “stolen” and resulting threats 
and intimidation aimed at election workers.<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/09/21/nebraska-election-officials-say-their-job-is-more-stressful-under-the-spotlight/">Nebraska election workers have reported</a> higher stress and some angry calls from those questioning the validity of the 2020 election results.A “voter accuracy” group in the state has also questioned whether vote-counting machines were accurate — <a target="_blank" href="https://sos.nebraska.gov/sites/sos.nebraska.gov/files/doc/Fake%20vs%20Fact%20March%202022_0.pdf">claims totally refuted by Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen in a Powerpoint entitled “Fake vs. Fact.”</a>Also on Thursday, federal officials arrested a 64-year-old Hiawatha, 
Iowa, man for allegedly sending a threatening communication to an 
election official on the Maricopa (Arizona) County Board. Mark A. Rissi 
also allegedly threatened an official in the Arizona Attorney General’s 
Office.

Nebraska man gets prison for threatening Colorado election official

GRAND ISLAND, NEB. — The Nebraska State Patrol is able to release additional information regarding the discovery of a deceased individual Wednesday morning just east of Harvard.

Following preliminary investigation, investigators believe the remains are those of Jasmine Garnett, 25, of Columbus. Garnett had been reported missing since September 16.

Garnett’s body was located Wednesday morning by a citizen working in the area of Road 3195 in Clay County. The citizen reported the discovery to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, which requested that NSP conduct the death investigation.

The case is being investigated as a homicide; however, investigators believe there is no threat to the public at this time. The investigation remains ongoing.

By Nebraska State PatrolGRAND ISLAND, NEB. — The Nebraska State Patrol is able to release additional information regarding the discovery of a deceased individual Wednesday morning just east of Harvard.Following preliminary investigation, investigators believe the remains are those of Jasmine Garnett, 25, of Columbus. Garnett had been reported missing since September 16.Garnett’s body was located Wednesday morning by a citizen working in the area of Road 3195 in Clay County. The citizen reported the discovery to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, which requested that NSP conduct the death investigation.The case is being investigated as a homicide; however, investigators believe there is no threat to the public at this time. The investigation remains ongoing.

Body of Nebraska woman missing since last month found; homicide suspected

News Release United States Attorney-Omaha

Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Gregory Lukassen, 50, of Omaha, Nebraska, was found guilty on October 5, 2022, following a two-day jury trial in federal court for Distribution, Receipt, and Possession of Child Pornography. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher scheduled Lukassen’s sentencing for January 5, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. Lukassen faces up to 20 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of five years.

In January 2020, officers contacted Lukassen at a residence in Bellevue, Nebraska, after receiving Cybertip Reports from the National&nbsp;Center&nbsp;for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicating that online service providers had reported uploads of child pornography. Lukassen admitted to chatting online regarding sexual fantasies and claimed to have received child pornography unintentionally during those chats. Forensic examinations of devices seized from Lukassen showed cache and/or thumbnail files of at least 38 unique images of child pornography on the devices, including some of the images reported in the Cybertips.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.projectsafechildhood.gov/" target="_blank">www.projectsafechildhood.gov</a>.

This case was investigated by the Bellevue Police Department and&nbsp;Homeland Security Investigations..

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/6/1559657144941.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>News Release United States Attorney-OmahaActing United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Gregory Lukassen, 50, of Omaha, Nebraska, was found guilty on October 5, 2022, following a two-day jury trial in federal court for Distribution, Receipt, and Possession of Child Pornography. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher scheduled Lukassen’s sentencing for January 5, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. Lukassen faces up to 20 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of five years.In January 2020, officers contacted Lukassen at a residence in Bellevue, Nebraska, after receiving Cybertip Reports from the National&nbsp;Center&nbsp;for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicating that online service providers had reported uploads of child pornography. Lukassen admitted to chatting online regarding sexual fantasies and claimed to have received child pornography unintentionally during those chats. Forensic examinations of devices seized from Lukassen showed cache and/or thumbnail files of at least 38 unique images of child pornography on the devices, including some of the images reported in the Cybertips.This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.projectsafechildhood.gov/" target="_blank">www.projectsafechildhood.gov</a>.This case was investigated by the Bellevue Police Department and&nbsp;Homeland Security Investigations..

Omaha man convicted of distributing child pornography

Past governors haven’t fared well after appointing themselves

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/10/06/ricketts-could-appoint-himself-to-fill-u-s-senate-seat-but-should-he/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Gov. Pete Ricketts ought to consider appointing 
himself to the U.S. Senate, or making that happen, some political 
observers said Thursday, even though the track record for such moves 
isn’t great.

Some Nebraska Republicans, on background, predicted Ricketts would 
not appoint himself, though they, too, felt he should consider it.

With the expected resignation of U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, 
R-Neb., to become the president of the University of Florida, Ricketts 
is in position to select a successor to fill the seat until the 2024 
elections.

Several times in U.S. history, sitting governors have appointed 
themselves to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate, or resigned so their 
former lieutenant governors could make the appointment.

But should Ricketts consider a similar move? Would there 
be blowback? Historically — and Ricketts is a history buff — several 
governors who either appointed themselves or resigned to be appointed 
didn’t fare well in subsequent elections.

J.L. Spray, a Lincoln lawyer and Republican National 
Committeeman, said Ricketts won’t “rush into any kind of a decision” but
 said he should think about it.

“I think he 
should consider a whole group of people who are qualified and will 
accept the position, and will run hard. And that includes himself,” 
Spray said.

Randy Adkins, a University of Nebraska at Omaha political science 
professor, said it would be a no-brainer for Ricketts to give himself 
the job.

Ricketts’ other likely political futures, Adkins said, are as an 
“also-ran” presidential candidate or as a member of a GOP president’s 
cabinet, in a post such as secretary of Agriculture. Or he could appoint
 himself to a safe GOP seat in the U.S. Senate.

“The rational choice, to me, is that he’s going to be interested in 
this (Senate) job himself,” Adkins said. “He has to seriously consider 
it. And I think people are going to urge him to consider it.”

John Hibbing, a political science professor at the University of 
Nebraska-Lincoln, said Ricketts has moved to the right in recent months 
and is well-positioned to be “a U.S. senator from Nebraska.”

Hibbing and others raised an interesting scenario: that the Senate 
post goes unfilled until the new governor takes office in January. That 
is likely to be a Ricketts ally, University of Nebraska Regent Jim 
Pillen, who could then appoint Ricketts to Sasse’s seat.

Remember, Lt. Gov. Mike Foley endorsed Pillen’s primary rival, Falls 
City businessman Charles Herbster. SoRicketts’ resigning to let Foley 
make the appointment might come with risks.

Ricketts could also appoint a “placeholder” to occupy the Senate seat
 until the 2024 election. Spray said that could be someone such as 
former Gov. Kay Orr or former Omaha Mayor and U.S. Rep. Hal Daub.

That would open the possibility for Ricketts to run for the seat in 2024, which has been speculated by some observers.

Ricketts, a 58-year-old Republican, is in the final three 
months of his second term as governor and cannot run again because of 
term limits.

In 2006, he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate against
 incumbent U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, so, pundits say, Ricketts has an 
interest in serving in Washington.

While Ricketts has been coy about his plans after leaving 
office, speculation around the State Capitol has always centered on his 
angling for a cabinet job in a GOP administration, perhaps U.S. Commerce
 secretary, or testing the waters for a presidential bid or getting on a
 ticket as a vice presidential candidate.

His family, which owns the Chicago Cubs and founded TD 
Ameritrade, are major donors to Republican campaigns, so financially, he
 would have backing. But the GOP field of possible presidential 
candidates is crowded and includes former President Donald Trump as well
 as governors with bigger national profiles, such as Florida Gov. Ron 
DeSantis.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665152287298.png" alt="Gov. Pete Ricketts talks to Capt. Jared L. Baker, left, outgoing commander of the 1057th Military Police Company and Capt. Grant J. Hewitt, the inbound commander of the 1057th, during a visit to Kuwait earlier this year for a change of command ceremony. (Courtesy of Nebraska National Guard Capt. Brittney Truscott)" />
 <figcaption>Gov. Pete Ricketts talks to Capt. Jared L. Baker, left, outgoing commander of the 1057th Military Police Company and Capt. Grant J. Hewitt, the inbound commander of the 1057th, during a visit to Kuwait earlier this year for a change of command ceremony. (Courtesy of Nebraska National Guard Capt. Brittney Truscott)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Past governors haven’t fared well after appointing themselves</h2>By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/10/06/ricketts-could-appoint-himself-to-fill-u-s-senate-seat-but-should-he/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — Gov. Pete Ricketts ought to consider appointing 
himself to the U.S. Senate, or making that happen, some political 
observers said Thursday, even though the track record for such moves 
isn’t great.Some Nebraska Republicans, on background, predicted Ricketts would 
not appoint himself, though they, too, felt he should consider it.With the expected resignation of U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, 
R-Neb., to become the president of the University of Florida, Ricketts 
is in position to select a successor to fill the seat until the 2024 
elections.<h2>Governors have appointed themselves</h2>Several times in U.S. history, sitting governors have appointed 
themselves to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate, or resigned so their 
former lieutenant governors could make the appointment.But should Ricketts consider a similar move? Would there 
be blowback? Historically — and Ricketts is a history buff — several 
governors who either appointed themselves or resigned to be appointed 
didn’t fare well in subsequent elections.J.L. Spray, a Lincoln lawyer and Republican National 
Committeeman, said Ricketts won’t “rush into any kind of a decision” but
 said he should think about it.“I think he 
should consider a whole group of people who are qualified and will 
accept the position, and will run hard. And that includes himself,” 
Spray said.Randy Adkins, a University of Nebraska at Omaha political science 
professor, said it would be a no-brainer for Ricketts to give himself 
the job.<h2>A good choice</h2>Ricketts’ other likely political futures, Adkins said, are as an 
“also-ran” presidential candidate or as a member of a GOP president’s 
cabinet, in a post such as secretary of Agriculture. Or he could appoint
 himself to a safe GOP seat in the U.S. Senate.“The rational choice, to me, is that he’s going to be interested in 
this (Senate) job himself,” Adkins said. “He has to seriously consider 
it. And I think people are going to urge him to consider it.”John Hibbing, a political science professor at the University of 
Nebraska-Lincoln, said Ricketts has moved to the right in recent months 
and is well-positioned to be “a U.S. senator from Nebraska.”<h2>Next governor could appoint</h2>Hibbing and others raised an interesting scenario: that the Senate 
post goes unfilled until the new governor takes office in January. That 
is likely to be a Ricketts ally, University of Nebraska Regent Jim 
Pillen, who could then appoint Ricketts to Sasse’s seat.Remember, Lt. Gov. Mike Foley endorsed Pillen’s primary rival, Falls 
City businessman Charles Herbster. SoRicketts’ resigning to let Foley 
make the appointment might come with risks.Ricketts could also appoint a “placeholder” to occupy the Senate seat
 until the 2024 election. Spray said that could be someone such as 
former Gov. Kay Orr or former Omaha Mayor and U.S. Rep. Hal Daub.That would open the possibility for Ricketts to run for the seat in 2024, which has been speculated by some observers.Ricketts, a 58-year-old Republican, is in the final three 
months of his second term as governor and cannot run again because of 
term limits.In 2006, he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate against
 incumbent U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, so, pundits say, Ricketts has an 
interest in serving in Washington.<h2>Ricketts ran for U.S. Senate</h2>While Ricketts has been coy about his plans after leaving 
office, speculation around the State Capitol has always centered on his 
angling for a cabinet job in a GOP administration, perhaps U.S. Commerce
 secretary, or testing the waters for a presidential bid or getting on a
 ticket as a vice presidential candidate.His family, which owns the Chicago Cubs and founded TD 
Ameritrade, are major donors to Republican campaigns, so financially, he
 would have backing. But the GOP field of possible presidential 
candidates is crowded and includes former President Donald Trump as well
 as governors with bigger national profiles, such as Florida Gov. Ron 
DeSantis.<h2>Track record not good</h2>Appointing oneself to the U.S. Senate has some political risks, historically.One famous case involved Minnesota Gov. Wendell Anderson, who 
resigned in 1976 so his lieutenant governor could appoint Anderson to 
the Senate to replace Walter Mondale. But two years later, Anderson, a 
Democrat, was defeated in his attempt to retain his seat.In Wyoming, Gov. John Hickey&nbsp;appointed himself as U.S.senator in 1961, but one year later, Hickey lost an election to retain the seat.Hibbing, the UNL political scientist, said, Nebraska voters might 
“raise their eyebrows a bit” if Ricketts appointed himself. But in a 
GOP-dominated state like Nebraska, he said it would certainly not cost 
him an election.Adkins, at UNO, said the ultimate judges of whether it would be 
appropriate for Ricketts to fill the vacancy himself would be the voters
 in 2024.