NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court ordered a lower court review of Biden administration revisions to a program preventing the deportation of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-los-angeles-united-states-immigration-deferred-action-for-childhood-arrivals-program-91c885ea7c2b59dd327d0cdbe76b7cdb">hundreds of thousands of immigrants</a>&nbsp;brought into the United States as children.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a federal district judge in Texas should take another look at the program following the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-immigration-government-and-politics-ba1233662ca743358c77ce5e0d037674">revisions adopted in August.</a>&nbsp;The ruling leaves the future of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals up in the air, with current DACA recipients protected — for now — but new applicants barred.

President Joe Biden said in a statement that he was “disappointed” in the ruling, noting, “The court’s stay provides a temporary reprieve for DACA recipients but one thing remains clear: the lives of Dreamers remain in limbo.” People protected by DACA are commonly referred to as “Dreamers,” based on never-passed proposals in Congress called the DREAM Act.

The president added, “And while we will use the tools we have to allow Dreamers to live and work in the only country they know as home, it is long past time for Congress to pass permanent protections for Dreamers, including a pathway to citizenship.”

The advocacy group Families Belong Together said in a statement, “It is beyond time for Congress and Biden to act on their promises.”

DACA was adopted by former President Barack Obama's administration and has had a complicated ride through federal court challenges.

Texas-based U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-immigration-f01fc0f485a8983b5f072e7af324c43f">declared DACA illegal</a>. He found that the program had not been subjected to public notice and comment periods required under the federal Administrative Procedures Act. But he left the program temporarily intact for those already benefiting from it, pending the appeal.

“Current DACA recipients can renew their status and apply for advance parole, but the ruling continues to block new applicants from being granted DACA,” the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, an advocacy organization, said in a statement. The organization was among advocates renewing calls Wednesday for the Biden administration and Congress to protect DACA recipients.

The ruling by three judges of the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit upholds the judge’s initial finding. But it sends the case back to him for a look at a new version of the rule issued by the Biden administration in late August. The new rule takes effect Oct. 31.

“A district court is in the best position to review the administrative record in the rulemaking proceeding,” said the opinion by Chief 5th Circuit Judge Priscilla Richman, nominated to the court by President George W. Bush. The other panel members were judges Kurt Engelhardt and James Ho, both appointees of President Donald Trump.

The new rule’s 453 pages are largely technical and represent little substantive change from the 2012 memo that created DACA, but it was subject to public comments as part of a formal rule-making process intended to improve its chances of surviving legal muster.

In&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-new-orleans-immigration-government-and-politics-13debee57c96eb87231d2cc7a856d876">July arguments</a>&nbsp;at the 5th Circuit, the U.S. Justice Department defended the program, allied with the state of New Jersey, immigrant advocacy organizations and a coalition of dozens of powerful corporations, including Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft. They argued that DACA recipients have grown up to become productive drivers of the U.S. economy, holding and creating jobs and spending money.

Texas, joined by eight other Republican-leaning states argued that they are harmed financially, incurring hundreds of millions of dollars in health care, education and other costs, when immigrants are allowed to remain in the country illegally. They also argued that the White House overstepped its authority by granting immigration benefits that are for Congress to decide.

DACA is widely expected to go to the Supreme Court for a third time. In 2016,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/743e61a580c14c90b1f16014d84c54b3">the Supreme Court deadlocked 4-4</a>&nbsp;over an expanded DACA and a version of the program for parents of DACA recipients, keeping in place a lower court decision for the benefits to be blocked.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nm-state-wire-immigration-donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-4d9ce48241c4a881adea4849b50b7f83">In 2020, the high court ruled</a>&nbsp;5-4 that the Trump administration improperly ended DACA by failing to follow federal procedures, allowing it to stay in place.

DACA recipients have become a powerful political force even though they can’t vote, but their efforts to achieve a path to citizenship through Congress have repeatedly fallen short. Any imminent threat to lose work authorization and to expose themselves to deportation could pressure Congress into protecting them, even as a stopgap measure.

The Biden administration disappointed some pro-DACA advocates with its conservative legal strategy of keeping age eligibility unchanged. DACA recipients had to have been in the United States in June 2007, an increasingly out-of-reach requirement. The average age of a DACA recipient was 28.2 years at the end of March, compared to 23.8 years in September 2017.

There were 611,270 people enrolled in DACA at the end of March, including 494,350, or 81%, from Mexico and large numbers from Guatemala, Honduras, Peru and South Korea.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592490581956.png" alt="The advocacy group Families Belong Together said in a statement, “It is beyond time for Congress and Biden to act on their promises.”-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>The advocacy group Families Belong Together said in a statement, “It is beyond time for Congress and Biden to act on their promises.”-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court ordered a lower court review of Biden administration revisions to a program preventing the deportation of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-los-angeles-united-states-immigration-deferred-action-for-childhood-arrivals-program-91c885ea7c2b59dd327d0cdbe76b7cdb">hundreds of thousands of immigrants</a>&nbsp;brought into the United States as children.The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a federal district judge in Texas should take another look at the program following the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-immigration-government-and-politics-ba1233662ca743358c77ce5e0d037674">revisions adopted in August.</a>&nbsp;The ruling leaves the future of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals up in the air, with current DACA recipients protected — for now — but new applicants barred.President Joe Biden said in a statement that he was “disappointed” in the ruling, noting, “The court’s stay provides a temporary reprieve for DACA recipients but one thing remains clear: the lives of Dreamers remain in limbo.” People protected by DACA are commonly referred to as “Dreamers,” based on never-passed proposals in Congress called the DREAM Act.The president added, “And while we will use the tools we have to allow Dreamers to live and work in the only country they know as home, it is long past time for Congress to pass permanent protections for Dreamers, including a pathway to citizenship.”The advocacy group Families Belong Together said in a statement, “It is beyond time for Congress and Biden to act on their promises.”DACA was adopted by former President Barack Obama's administration and has had a complicated ride through federal court challenges.Texas-based U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-immigration-f01fc0f485a8983b5f072e7af324c43f">declared DACA illegal</a>. He found that the program had not been subjected to public notice and comment periods required under the federal Administrative Procedures Act. But he left the program temporarily intact for those already benefiting from it, pending the appeal.“Current DACA recipients can renew their status and apply for advance parole, but the ruling continues to block new applicants from being granted DACA,” the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, an advocacy organization, said in a statement. The organization was among advocates renewing calls Wednesday for the Biden administration and Congress to protect DACA recipients.The ruling by three judges of the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit upholds the judge’s initial finding. But it sends the case back to him for a look at a new version of the rule issued by the Biden administration in late August. The new rule takes effect Oct. 31.“A district court is in the best position to review the administrative record in the rulemaking proceeding,” said the opinion by Chief 5th Circuit Judge Priscilla Richman, nominated to the court by President George W. Bush. The other panel members were judges Kurt Engelhardt and James Ho, both appointees of President Donald Trump.The new rule’s 453 pages are largely technical and represent little substantive change from the 2012 memo that created DACA, but it was subject to public comments as part of a formal rule-making process intended to improve its chances of surviving legal muster.In&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-new-orleans-immigration-government-and-politics-13debee57c96eb87231d2cc7a856d876">July arguments</a>&nbsp;at the 5th Circuit, the U.S. Justice Department defended the program, allied with the state of New Jersey, immigrant advocacy organizations and a coalition of dozens of powerful corporations, including Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft. They argued that DACA recipients have grown up to become productive drivers of the U.S. economy, holding and creating jobs and spending money.Texas, joined by eight other Republican-leaning states argued that they are harmed financially, incurring hundreds of millions of dollars in health care, education and other costs, when immigrants are allowed to remain in the country illegally. They also argued that the White House overstepped its authority by granting immigration benefits that are for Congress to decide.DACA is widely expected to go to the Supreme Court for a third time. In 2016,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/743e61a580c14c90b1f16014d84c54b3">the Supreme Court deadlocked 4-4</a>&nbsp;over an expanded DACA and a version of the program for parents of DACA recipients, keeping in place a lower court decision for the benefits to be blocked.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nm-state-wire-immigration-donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-4d9ce48241c4a881adea4849b50b7f83">In 2020, the high court ruled</a>&nbsp;5-4 that the Trump administration improperly ended DACA by failing to follow federal procedures, allowing it to stay in place.DACA recipients have become a powerful political force even though they can’t vote, but their efforts to achieve a path to citizenship through Congress have repeatedly fallen short. Any imminent threat to lose work authorization and to expose themselves to deportation could pressure Congress into protecting them, even as a stopgap measure.The Biden administration disappointed some pro-DACA advocates with its conservative legal strategy of keeping age eligibility unchanged. DACA recipients had to have been in the United States in June 2007, an increasingly out-of-reach requirement. The average age of a DACA recipient was 28.2 years at the end of March, compared to 23.8 years in September 2017.There were 611,270 people enrolled in DACA at the end of March, including 494,350, or 81%, from Mexico and large numbers from Guatemala, Honduras, Peru and South Korea.

Biden: Disappointed in court ruling on revised ‘Dreamers’ program

WASHINGTON —Three U.S. Postal Service employees have been indicted and arrested in connection with a $1.3 million fraud and identity&nbsp;theft&nbsp;scheme, according to a media release from the U.S. Department of Justice. The suspects allegedly used stolen credit cards to purchase luxury items.

The indictment charges Johnny Damus, Rashaan Richards, Devon Richards, Conrad Heron, Louis Jeune Verly,&nbsp; Kareem Shepherd, Marcus Ford, Fabiola Mompoint, Nathanael Focault and Johanathan Persaud in connection with their theft and unauthorized use of credit cards to defraud several national financial institutions, credit card companies, and major retailers, resulting in more than $1.3 million in intended losses as well as the theft of hundreds of identities.&nbsp; 

As alleged, the defendants conspired to steal credit cards from the mail; use those stolen credit cards at a variety of stores, including high-end retailers; and sell some of the merchandise purchased with the stolen cards on the website LuxurySnob.com (“LuxurySnob”).

NATHANAEL Nathanael Focault and Johnathan Persaud, U.S. Postal Employees, were arrested Sept. 30, in the Eastern District of New York and will be presented before Judge James L. Cott.

Fabiola Mompoint, a U.S. Postal Employee, was arrested Sept. 30 in the District of New Jersey and will be presented before Judge James L. Cott.

Devon Richards was arrested Sept. 30,&nbsp; in the Eastern District of New York and will be presented before Judge James L. Cott.

According to the allegations in the Indictment:

Between in or around December 2018, up to and including the present, members of the conspiracy worked with U.S. Postal Service mail carriers, including, among others, FABIOLA MOMPOINT, NATHANAEL FOUCAULT, and JOHNATHAN PERSAUD to steal credit cards from the mail stream before those cards were delivered to the assigned credit card customers.&nbsp; After obtaining the stolen credit cards, members of the conspiracy activated the cards using stolen personally identifiable information (“PII”) of the intended recipients.&nbsp; Members of the conspiracy, including RASHAAN RICHARDS, DEVON RICHARDS, CONRAD HERON, LOUIS JEUNE VERLY, and KAREEM SHEPHERD (collectively, “the Shoppers”), and others known and unknown, then used the stolen cards to purchase luxury goods—including items manufactured by, among others, Chanel, Fendi, Hermes, and Dior—from high-end retailers, including major department stores in, among other places, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey.&nbsp; Often, JOHNNY DAMUS, instructed the Shoppers to purchase particular luxury items in specific quantities.&nbsp; Working together with a close associate (“CC-1”), DAMUS functionally operated LuxurySnob.com, on which many of these fraudulently obtained luxury items were sold.&nbsp; LuxurySnob purports to be an “online consignment and personal shopping company” specializing in “pre-owned luxury items,” but, in fact, many of the items it sells were purchased using stolen credit cards.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said:  “As alleged, the defendants engaged in a years-long scheme to manipulate credit card companies and major retailers across New York and New Jersey by stealing credit cards and using those cards to purchase, and subsequently sell, luxury goods.  The defendants took advantage of the public trust we place in U.S. Postal Service employees for their own financial gain.  Thanks to the diligence of USPIS, the NYPD, and USPS-OIG, the defendants will now be held accountable for their brazen criminal conduct.”

USPIS Inspector-in-Charge Daniel B. Brubaker said:&nbsp; “These nine defendants, three of which are postal employees, sought to enrich themselves by stealing mail directly from hundreds of postal customers.&nbsp; They further compounded their crimes by committing identity theft against those customers to facilitate their elaborate scheme to defraud several national financial institutions.&nbsp; Make no mistake, the Postal Inspection Service will not allow thieves, no matter who they are, to use the U.S. Mail to harm postal customers or the financial institutions that serve them.&nbsp; We are pleased the members of this criminal syndicate have been apprehended and their crime spree brought to an abrupt end.”

USPS-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Modafferi said:&nbsp; “The Special Agents of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General will continue to maintain the integrity of the U.S. Postal Service and its personnel. The conduct alleged is disgraceful, and our office will continue to vigorously investigate postal service employees and their co-conspirators who violate the public’s trust. The USPS OIG is thankful for the&nbsp;relationships with our law enforcement partners and the Department of Justice for their dedication and efforts in this investigation.”

WASHINGTON —Three U.S. Postal Service employees have been indicted and arrested in connection with a $1.3 million fraud and identity&nbsp;theft&nbsp;scheme, according to a media release from the U.S. Department of Justice. The suspects allegedly used stolen credit cards to purchase luxury items.The indictment charges Johnny Damus, Rashaan Richards, Devon Richards, Conrad Heron, Louis Jeune Verly,&nbsp; Kareem Shepherd, Marcus Ford, Fabiola Mompoint, Nathanael Focault and Johanathan Persaud in connection with their theft and unauthorized use of credit cards to defraud several national financial institutions, credit card companies, and major retailers, resulting in more than $1.3 million in intended losses as well as the theft of hundreds of identities.&nbsp; As alleged, the defendants conspired to steal credit cards from the mail; use those stolen credit cards at a variety of stores, including high-end retailers; and sell some of the merchandise purchased with the stolen cards on the website LuxurySnob.com (“LuxurySnob”).NATHANAEL Nathanael Focault and Johnathan Persaud, U.S. Postal Employees, were arrested Sept. 30, in the Eastern District of New York and will be presented before Judge James L. Cott.Fabiola Mompoint, a U.S. Postal Employee, was arrested Sept. 30 in the District of New Jersey and will be presented before Judge James L. Cott.Devon Richards was arrested Sept. 30,&nbsp; in the Eastern District of New York and will be presented before Judge James L. Cott.The remaining defendants are at large.According to the allegations in the Indictment:Between in or around December 2018, up to and including the present, members of the conspiracy worked with U.S. Postal Service mail carriers, including, among others, FABIOLA MOMPOINT, NATHANAEL FOUCAULT, and JOHNATHAN PERSAUD to steal credit cards from the mail stream before those cards were delivered to the assigned credit card customers.&nbsp; After obtaining the stolen credit cards, members of the conspiracy activated the cards using stolen personally identifiable information (“PII”) of the intended recipients.&nbsp; Members of the conspiracy, including RASHAAN RICHARDS, DEVON RICHARDS, CONRAD HERON, LOUIS JEUNE VERLY, and KAREEM SHEPHERD (collectively, “the Shoppers”), and others known and unknown, then used the stolen cards to purchase luxury goods—including items manufactured by, among others, Chanel, Fendi, Hermes, and Dior—from high-end retailers, including major department stores in, among other places, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey.&nbsp; Often, JOHNNY DAMUS, instructed the Shoppers to purchase particular luxury items in specific quantities.&nbsp; Working together with a close associate (“CC-1”), DAMUS functionally operated LuxurySnob.com, on which many of these fraudulently obtained luxury items were sold.&nbsp; LuxurySnob purports to be an “online consignment and personal shopping company” specializing in “pre-owned luxury items,” but, in fact, many of the items it sells were purchased using stolen credit cards.U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, the defendants engaged in a years-long scheme to manipulate credit card companies and major retailers across New York and New Jersey by stealing credit cards and using those cards to purchase, and subsequently sell, luxury goods. The defendants took advantage of the public trust we place in U.S. Postal Service employees for their own financial gain. Thanks to the diligence of USPIS, the NYPD, and USPS-OIG, the defendants will now be held accountable for their brazen criminal conduct.”USPIS Inspector-in-Charge Daniel B. Brubaker said:&nbsp; “These nine defendants, three of which are postal employees, sought to enrich themselves by stealing mail directly from hundreds of postal customers.&nbsp; They further compounded their crimes by committing identity theft against those customers to facilitate their elaborate scheme to defraud several national financial institutions.&nbsp; Make no mistake, the Postal Inspection Service will not allow thieves, no matter who they are, to use the U.S. Mail to harm postal customers or the financial institutions that serve them.&nbsp; We are pleased the members of this criminal syndicate have been apprehended and their crime spree brought to an abrupt end.”USPS-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Modafferi said:&nbsp; “The Special Agents of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General will continue to maintain the integrity of the U.S. Postal Service and its personnel. The conduct alleged is disgraceful, and our office will continue to vigorously investigate postal service employees and their co-conspirators who violate the public’s trust. The USPS OIG is thankful for the&nbsp;relationships with our law enforcement partners and the Department of Justice for their dedication and efforts in this investigation.”

Postal Service workers jailed for $1.3M credit card fraud, theft scheme

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Major oil-producing countries led by Saudi Arabia and Russia have decided to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-inflation-health-germany-elections-d873521f8b165774de3902439dd5a6ee">slash the amount of oil they deliver</a>&nbsp;to the global economy.

And the law of supply and demand suggests that can only mean one thing: higher prices are on the way for crude, and for the diesel fuel, gasoline and heating oil that are produced from oil.

The decision by the OPEC+ alliance to cut 2 million barrels a day starting next month comes as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-prices-government-and-politics-a46c2373c53b22a03913ef00cf02b51e">Western allies are trying to cap the oil money</a>&nbsp;flowing into Moscow's war chest after it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine?utm_source=apnewsnav&amp;utm_medium=featured">invaded Ukraine</a>.

Here is what to know about the OPEC+ decision and what it could mean for the economy and the oil price cap:

Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman says that the alliance is being proactive in adjusting supply ahead of a possible downturn in demand because a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-inflation-covid-health-2f23aa3df0f2f6916ad458785dd52c59">slowing global economy</a>&nbsp;needs less fuel for travel and industry.

“We are going through a period of diverse uncertainties which could come our way, it’s a brewing cloud,” he said, and OPEC+ sought to remain “ahead of the curve.” He described the group's role as “a moderating force, to bring about stability."

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-5f010ed0b66fb71e8d46040419a70203">Oil prices had fallen</a>&nbsp;after a summer of highs. Now, after the OPEC+ decision, they are heading for their biggest weekly gain since March. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 3.2% on Friday, to $91.31 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 2.8% to $97.09, though it's still down 20% from mid-June, when it traded at over $123 per barrel.

One big reason for the slide is fears that large parts of the global economy are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/is-us-economy-in-recession-8be54810a122a2f84f0f7b3329ab1c9e">slipping into recession</a>&nbsp;as high energy prices — for oil, natural gas and electricity —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-germany-prices-cca7e5afd38fbcfc1ad72934e8e59bd9">drive inflation and rob consumers of spending power</a>.

Another reason: The summer highs came about because of fears that much of Russia's oil production would be lost to the market over the war in Ukraine.

As Western traders shunned Russian oil even without sanctions, customers in India and China bought those barrels at a steep discount, so the hit to supply wasn't as bad as expected.

Oil producers are wary of a sudden collapse in prices if the global economy goes downhill faster than expected. That’s what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and during the global financial crisis in 2008-2009.

The U.S. and Britain imposed bans that were mostly symbolic because neither country imported much Russia oil. The White House held off pressing the European Union for an import ban because EU countries got a quarter of their oil from Russia.

In the end, the 27-nation bloc decided to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-hungary-european-union-d0d4144c84749f84676a2f41b03b2ad4">cut off Russian oil that comes by ship</a>&nbsp;on Dec. 5, while keeping a small amount of pipeline supplies that some Eastern European countries rely on.

Beyond that, the U.S. and other Group of Seven major democracies are working out the details on a price cap on Russian oil. It would target insurers and other service providers that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-business-brussels-european-union-258c0a5a0ada0433fa6dd0cc8e435a1d">facilitate oil shipments from Russia</a>&nbsp;to other countries. The EU approved a measure along those lines this week.

Many of those providers are based in Europe and would be barred from dealing with Russian oil if the price is above the cap.

HOW WILL OIL CUTS, PRICE CAPS AND EMBARGOES CLASH?

The idea behind the price cap is to keep Russian oil flowing to the global market, just at lower prices. Russia, however, has threatened to simply stop deliveries to a country or companies that observe the cap. That could take more Russian oil off the market and push prices higher.

That could push costs at the pump higher, too.

U.S. gasoline prices that soared to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-states-business-fdcf2e9fbb835cd9bc3886b8dc4a7bc0">record highs of $5.02 a gallon</a>&nbsp;in mid-June had been falling recently, but they have been on the rise again, posing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-business-europe-3e1808077371b88ae043c86584763afd">political problems for President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;a month before midterm elections.

Biden, facing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-prices-881c8411bad80180f025e138f0bd444e">inflation at near 40-year highs</a>, had touted the falling pump prices. Over the past week, the national average price for a gallon rose 9 cents, to $3.87. That's 65 cents more than Americans were paying a year ago.

“It’s a disappointment, and we’re looking at what alternatives we may have,” he told reporters about the OPEC+ decision.

WILL THE OPEC PRODUCTION CUT MAKE INFLATION WORSE?

Likely yes. Brent crude should reach $100 per barrel by December, says Jorge Leon, senior vice president at Rystad Energy. That is up from an earlier prediction of $89.

Part of the 2 million-barrel-per-day cut is only on paper as some OPEC+ countries aren't able to produce their quota. So the group can deliver only about 1.2 million barrels a day in actual cuts.

That's still going to have a “significant" effect on prices, Leon said.

“Higher oil prices will inevitably add to the inflation headache that global central banks are fighting, and higher oil prices will factor into the calculus of further&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-jackson-wyoming-economy-prices-56ec82b99e24cab74a9ed102848930a3">increasing interest rates</a>&nbsp;to cool down the economy,” he wrote in a note.

That would exacerbate an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-france-germany-prices-da1d935fa8bcba4c283f7c5b559a5c9a">energy crisis in Europe</a>&nbsp;largely tied to Russian cutbacks of natural gas supplies used for heating, electricity and in factories and would send gasoline prices up worldwide. As that fuels inflation, people have less money to spend on other things like food and rent.

Other factors also could affect oil prices, including the depth of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-russia-ukraine-covid-health-923304026448bda234d6890592f55463">any possible recession in the U.S. or Europe</a>&nbsp;and the duration of China’s COVID-19 restrictions, which have sapped demand for fuel.

Analysts say that Russia, the biggest producer among the non-OPEC members in the alliance, would benefit from higher oil prices ahead of a price cap. If Russia has to sell oil at a discount, at least the reduction starts at a higher price level.

High oil prices earlier this year offset much of Russia's sales lost from Western buyers avoiding its supply. The country also has managed to reroute some two-thirds of its typical Western sales to customers in places like India.

But then Moscow saw its take from oil slip from $21 billion in June to $19 billion in July to $17.7 billion in August as prices and sales volumes fell, according to the International Energy Agency. A third of Russia's state budget comes from oil and gas revenue, so the price caps would further erode a key source of revenue.

Meanwhile, the rest of Russia's economy is shrinking due to sanctions and the withdrawal of foreign businesses and investors.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Major oil-producing countries led by Saudi Arabia and Russia have decided to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-inflation-health-germany-elections-d873521f8b165774de3902439dd5a6ee">slash the amount of oil they deliver</a>&nbsp;to the global economy.And the law of supply and demand suggests that can only mean one thing: higher prices are on the way for crude, and for the diesel fuel, gasoline and heating oil that are produced from oil.The decision by the OPEC+ alliance to cut 2 million barrels a day starting next month comes as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-prices-government-and-politics-a46c2373c53b22a03913ef00cf02b51e">Western allies are trying to cap the oil money</a>&nbsp;flowing into Moscow's war chest after it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine?utm_source=apnewsnav&amp;utm_medium=featured">invaded Ukraine</a>.Here is what to know about the OPEC+ decision and what it could mean for the economy and the oil price cap:WHY IS OPEC+ CUTTING PRODUCTION?Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman says that the alliance is being proactive in adjusting supply ahead of a possible downturn in demand because a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-inflation-covid-health-2f23aa3df0f2f6916ad458785dd52c59">slowing global economy</a>&nbsp;needs less fuel for travel and industry.“We are going through a period of diverse uncertainties which could come our way, it’s a brewing cloud,” he said, and OPEC+ sought to remain “ahead of the curve.” He described the group's role as “a moderating force, to bring about stability."<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-5f010ed0b66fb71e8d46040419a70203">Oil prices had fallen</a>&nbsp;after a summer of highs. Now, after the OPEC+ decision, they are heading for their biggest weekly gain since March. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 3.2% on Friday, to $91.31 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 2.8% to $97.09, though it's still down 20% from mid-June, when it traded at over $123 per barrel.One big reason for the slide is fears that large parts of the global economy are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/is-us-economy-in-recession-8be54810a122a2f84f0f7b3329ab1c9e">slipping into recession</a>&nbsp;as high energy prices — for oil, natural gas and electricity —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-germany-prices-cca7e5afd38fbcfc1ad72934e8e59bd9">drive inflation and rob consumers of spending power</a>.Another reason: The summer highs came about because of fears that much of Russia's oil production would be lost to the market over the war in Ukraine.As Western traders shunned Russian oil even without sanctions, customers in India and China bought those barrels at a steep discount, so the hit to supply wasn't as bad as expected.Oil producers are wary of a sudden collapse in prices if the global economy goes downhill faster than expected. That’s what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and during the global financial crisis in 2008-2009.HOW IS THE WEST TARGETING RUSSIAN OIL?The U.S. and Britain imposed bans that were mostly symbolic because neither country imported much Russia oil. The White House held off pressing the European Union for an import ban because EU countries got a quarter of their oil from Russia.In the end, the 27-nation bloc decided to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-hungary-european-union-d0d4144c84749f84676a2f41b03b2ad4">cut off Russian oil that comes by ship</a>&nbsp;on Dec. 5, while keeping a small amount of pipeline supplies that some Eastern European countries rely on.Beyond that, the U.S. and other Group of Seven major democracies are working out the details on a price cap on Russian oil. It would target insurers and other service providers that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-business-brussels-european-union-258c0a5a0ada0433fa6dd0cc8e435a1d">facilitate oil shipments from Russia</a>&nbsp;to other countries. The EU approved a measure along those lines this week.Many of those providers are based in Europe and would be barred from dealing with Russian oil if the price is above the cap.HOW WILL OIL CUTS, PRICE CAPS AND EMBARGOES CLASH?The idea behind the price cap is to keep Russian oil flowing to the global market, just at lower prices. Russia, however, has threatened to simply stop deliveries to a country or companies that observe the cap. That could take more Russian oil off the market and push prices higher.That could push costs at the pump higher, too.U.S. gasoline prices that soared to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-states-business-fdcf2e9fbb835cd9bc3886b8dc4a7bc0">record highs of $5.02 a gallon</a>&nbsp;in mid-June had been falling recently, but they have been on the rise again, posing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-business-europe-3e1808077371b88ae043c86584763afd">political problems for President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;a month before midterm elections.Biden, facing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-prices-881c8411bad80180f025e138f0bd444e">inflation at near 40-year highs</a>, had touted the falling pump prices. Over the past week, the national average price for a gallon rose 9 cents, to $3.87. That's 65 cents more than Americans were paying a year ago.“It’s a disappointment, and we’re looking at what alternatives we may have,” he told reporters about the OPEC+ decision.WILL THE OPEC PRODUCTION CUT MAKE INFLATION WORSE?Likely yes. Brent crude should reach $100 per barrel by December, says Jorge Leon, senior vice president at Rystad Energy. That is up from an earlier prediction of $89.Part of the 2 million-barrel-per-day cut is only on paper as some OPEC+ countries aren't able to produce their quota. So the group can deliver only about 1.2 million barrels a day in actual cuts.That's still going to have a “significant" effect on prices, Leon said.“Higher oil prices will inevitably add to the inflation headache that global central banks are fighting, and higher oil prices will factor into the calculus of further&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-jackson-wyoming-economy-prices-56ec82b99e24cab74a9ed102848930a3">increasing interest rates</a>&nbsp;to cool down the economy,” he wrote in a note.That would exacerbate an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-france-germany-prices-da1d935fa8bcba4c283f7c5b559a5c9a">energy crisis in Europe</a>&nbsp;largely tied to Russian cutbacks of natural gas supplies used for heating, electricity and in factories and would send gasoline prices up worldwide. As that fuels inflation, people have less money to spend on other things like food and rent.Other factors also could affect oil prices, including the depth of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-russia-ukraine-covid-health-923304026448bda234d6890592f55463">any possible recession in the U.S. or Europe</a>&nbsp;and the duration of China’s COVID-19 restrictions, which have sapped demand for fuel.WHAT WILL THIS MEAN FOR RUSSIA?Analysts say that Russia, the biggest producer among the non-OPEC members in the alliance, would benefit from higher oil prices ahead of a price cap. If Russia has to sell oil at a discount, at least the reduction starts at a higher price level.High oil prices earlier this year offset much of Russia's sales lost from Western buyers avoiding its supply. The country also has managed to reroute some two-thirds of its typical Western sales to customers in places like India.But then Moscow saw its take from oil slip from $21 billion in June to $19 billion in July to $17.7 billion in August as prices and sales volumes fell, according to the International Energy Agency. A third of Russia's state budget comes from oil and gas revenue, so the price caps would further erode a key source of revenue.Meanwhile, the rest of Russia's economy is shrinking due to sanctions and the withdrawal of foreign businesses and investors.

 How will OPEC+ cuts affect gas prices, inflation?

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.’’