CHANTILLY, Va. (AP) — Jill Biden and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy welcomed the delivery Wednesday of a second shipment of tens of thousands of pounds of baby formula that the Biden administration is importing from Europe to ease&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-robert-califf-cce94aeeb3b53af5617d32086df01410">critical supply shortages</a>&nbsp;in the U.S.

The first lady and the nation’s doctor each sought to empathize with anxious parents nationwide who have been scrambling to find enough formula for their children.

Both said President Joe Biden and his team understand what parents are going through and were working hard to solve the latest domestic crisis to challenge the administration. Biden has come under growing political pressure for not acting more quickly to try to head off the supply crisis.

“As a mom and a Nana, it’s impossible to hear the stories of children suffering and not imagine your own children in the same position,” the first lady said, using her grandchildren’s nickname for her. “Food is the first and most important way we nurture our children.”

Murthy, a father of two young children, said he knows “how important it is to parents that they have confidence in their ability to safely and securely feed their child. And I know how frustrating and scary it can be when that security feels out of reach.”

“That is why we will not rest until every parent has the formula they need for their child,” he pledged.

Biden and Murthy spoke on the tarmac at Dulles International Airport in Virginia in front of a FedEx Express plane that had just delivered 120,000 pounds, or 60 tons, of infant formula from Ramstein Air Base in Germany under the administration’s Operation Fly Formula program.

With Wednesday’s delivery and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-indianapolis-00f39fd46778ecdd543c22f3630d79ba">a shipment of 78000 pounds</a>&nbsp;(35,380 kilograms) of specialty infant formula that was flown by military aircraft to Indianapolis over the weekend, “we now have brought the equivalent of 1.5 million eight-ounce bottles of infant formula to the United States,” Murthy said.

More deliveries are scheduled to arrive soon. The administration has cut the timeframe for deliveries to three days, down from up to four weeks, he said.

Jill Biden said her husband knows there is “more to do” to solve the baby formula shortages.

“I’m here today to say to parents, ‘you aren’t alone,’” she said. “At the highest levels of Joe’s administration, he and his team understand what you’re going through and they are finding solutions. And they won’t stop until all parents can get the formula all their children need.”

Under Operation Fly Formula, infant formula that meets U.S. health and safety standards is imported from overseas manufacturers and delivered to hospitals and retailers in the United States.

The first shipment arrived Sunday, bringing 132 pallets of Nestle Health Science Alfamino Infant and Alfamino Junior formula to Indianapolis — enough for 500,000 eight-ounce bottles.

The 114 pallets of Nestle’s Gerber Good Start Extensive HA formula delivered Wednesday will be transported by FedEx to a Nestle distribution facility near Allentown, Pennsylvania, the White House said.

The three formulas are for children who are allergic to cow’s milk protein.

The baby formula shortage stems mostly from Abbott Nutrition’s plant in Sturgis, Michigan, which the FDA closed in February due to contamination issues. Abbott, one of a handful of companies that control the vast majority of the market for infant formula, then announced a massive recall of its product on Feb. 17, which led to the nationwide supply shortage.

Abbott and the Food and Drug Administration recently reached an agreement to reopen the plant next week. But it will take about two months before product is ready for delivery.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653517823167.png" alt="The first lady and the nation’s doctor each sought to empathize with anxious parents nationwide who have been scrambling to find enough formula for their children.-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>The first lady and the nation’s doctor each sought to empathize with anxious parents nationwide who have been scrambling to find enough formula for their children.-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>CHANTILLY, Va. (AP) — Jill Biden and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy welcomed the delivery Wednesday of a second shipment of tens of thousands of pounds of baby formula that the Biden administration is importing from Europe to ease&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-robert-califf-cce94aeeb3b53af5617d32086df01410">critical supply shortages</a>&nbsp;in the U.S.The first lady and the nation’s doctor each sought to empathize with anxious parents nationwide who have been scrambling to find enough formula for their children.Both said President Joe Biden and his team understand what parents are going through and were working hard to solve the latest domestic crisis to challenge the administration. Biden has come under growing political pressure for not acting more quickly to try to head off the supply crisis.“As a mom and a Nana, it’s impossible to hear the stories of children suffering and not imagine your own children in the same position,” the first lady said, using her grandchildren’s nickname for her. “Food is the first and most important way we nurture our children.”Murthy, a father of two young children, said he knows “how important it is to parents that they have confidence in their ability to safely and securely feed their child. And I know how frustrating and scary it can be when that security feels out of reach.”“That is why we will not rest until every parent has the formula they need for their child,” he pledged.Biden and Murthy spoke on the tarmac at Dulles International Airport in Virginia in front of a FedEx Express plane that had just delivered 120,000 pounds, or 60 tons, of infant formula from Ramstein Air Base in Germany under the administration’s Operation Fly Formula program.With Wednesday’s delivery and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-indianapolis-00f39fd46778ecdd543c22f3630d79ba">a shipment of 78000 pounds</a>&nbsp;(35,380 kilograms) of specialty infant formula that was flown by military aircraft to Indianapolis over the weekend, “we now have brought the equivalent of 1.5 million eight-ounce bottles of infant formula to the United States,” Murthy said.More deliveries are scheduled to arrive soon. The administration has cut the timeframe for deliveries to three days, down from up to four weeks, he said.Jill Biden said her husband knows there is “more to do” to solve the baby formula shortages.“I’m here today to say to parents, ‘you aren’t alone,’” she said. “At the highest levels of Joe’s administration, he and his team understand what you’re going through and they are finding solutions. And they won’t stop until all parents can get the formula all their children need.”Under Operation Fly Formula, infant formula that meets U.S. health and safety standards is imported from overseas manufacturers and delivered to hospitals and retailers in the United States.The first shipment arrived Sunday, bringing 132 pallets of Nestle Health Science Alfamino Infant and Alfamino Junior formula to Indianapolis — enough for 500,000 eight-ounce bottles.The 114 pallets of Nestle’s Gerber Good Start Extensive HA formula delivered Wednesday will be transported by FedEx to a Nestle distribution facility near Allentown, Pennsylvania, the White House said.The three formulas are for children who are allergic to cow’s milk protein.The baby formula shortage stems mostly from Abbott Nutrition’s plant in Sturgis, Michigan, which the FDA closed in February due to contamination issues. Abbott, one of a handful of companies that control the vast majority of the market for infant formula, then announced a massive recall of its product on Feb. 17, which led to the nationwide supply shortage.Abbott and the Food and Drug Administration recently reached an agreement to reopen the plant next week. But it will take about two months before product is ready for delivery.

Jill Biden welcomes 2nd mass delivery of baby formula

By JAMES DENSLEY and JILLIAN PETERSON <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-we-know-about-mass-school-shootings-in-the-us-and-the-gunmen-who-carry-them-out-183812">The Conversation</a>

When the <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/1990s/columbine-high-school-shootings">Columbine High School massacre took place in 1999</a> it was seen as a watershed moment in the United States – the worst mass shooting at a school in the country’s history.

Now, it ranks fourth. The three school shootings to surpass its death
 toll of 13 – 12 students, one teacher – have all taken place within the
 last decade: 2012’s <a href="https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/12/us/sandy-hook-timeline/index.html">Sandy Hook Elementary attack</a>,
 in which a gunman killed 26 children and school staff; the 2018 
shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, 
which <a href="https://theconversation.com/parkland-shooting-one-year-later-congress-still-avoids-action-on-gun-control-111796">claimed the lives of 17 people</a>; and now the <a href="https://theconversation.com/19-children-2-adults-killed-in-texas-elementary-school-shooting-3-essential-reads-on-americas-relentless-gun-violence-183811">Robb Elementary School assault in Uvalde, Texas</a>, where on May 24, 2022, at least 19 children and two adults were murdered.

We <a href="https://www.metrostate.edu/about/directory/james-densley">are criminologists</a> <a href="https://www.hamline.edu/faculty-staff/jillian-peterson/">who study</a> <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/">the life histories</a> of public mass shooters in the U.S. As part of that research, we built <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/mass-shooter-database/">a comprehensive database</a>
 of mass public shootings using public data, with the shooters coded on 
over 200 different variables, including location and racial profile. For
 the purposes of our database, mass public shootings are defined as 
incidents in which four or more victims are murdered with at least one 
of those homicides taking place in a public location and with no 
connection to underlying criminal activity, such as gangs or drugs.

Our database shows that since 1966, when our database timeline 
begins, there have been 13 such shootings at schools across the U.S – 
the first in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/18/us/five-children-killed-as-gunman-attacks-a-california-school.html">Stockton, California</a>, in 1989.

Four of those shootings – including the one at Robb Elementary School
 – involved a killing at another location, always a family member at a 
residence. The most recent perpetrator <a href="https://www.npr.org/live-updates/texas-school-shooting-2022-05-24">shot his grandmother</a> prior to going to the school in Uvalde.

The majority of mass school shootings were carried out by a lone gunman, with just two – Columbine and the <a href="https://www.kait8.com/2022/03/24/24-years-later-remembering-westside-school-shooting-victims/">1988 shooting at Westside School in Jonesboro</a>, Arkansas – carried out by two gunmen. In all, some 146 people were killed in the attacks and at least 182 victims injured.

The choice of “gunmen” to describe the perpetrators is accurate – all of the mass school shootings in our database were <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/mass-shooter-database/">carried out by men or boys</a>. And the average age of those involved in carrying out the attacks was 18.

This fits with the picture that has emerged of the <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/robb-elementary-school-gunman-salvador-ramos-bought-two-rifles-on-his-18th-birthday-texas-officials-say">shooter in the Robb Elementary School attack</a>. He turned 18 just days ago and reportedly <a href="https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article261766762.html">purchased two military-style weapons</a>. It is believed that the shooter used one miltary-style weapon in the attack, authorities said May 25, 2022.

Police have <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-05-24/texas-elementary-school-shooting">yet to release key information</a>
 on the shooter, including what motivated him to kill the children and 
adults at Robb Elementary School. The picture of the shooter that has 
emerged conforms to the profile we have built up from past perpetrators 
in some ways, but diverges in others.

We know that most school shooters have a connection to the school 
they target. Twelve of the 14 school shooters in our database prior to 
the most recent attack in Texas were either current or former students 
of the school. Any prior connection between the latest shooter and Robb 
Elementary School has not been released to the public.

Our research and <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/about-us/our-book/">dozens of interviews with incarcerated perpetrators of mass shootings</a>
 suggests that for most perpetrators, the mass shooting event is 
intended to be a final act. The majority of school mass shooters die in 
the attack. Of the 15 mass school shooters in our database, just seven 
were apprehended. The rest died on the scene, nearly all by suicide – 
the lone exception being the Robb Elementary shooter, who was shot dead 
by police.

And school shooters tend to preempt their attacks by leaving posts, messages or videos warning of their intent. 

Inspired by past school shooters, some perpetrators are <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-quest-for-significance-gone-horribly-wrong-how-mass-shooters-pervert-a-universal-desire-to-make-a-difference-in-the-world-183199">seeking fame and notoriety</a>.
 However, most school shooters are motivated by a generalized anger. 
Their path to violence involves self-hate and despair turned outward at 
the world, and our research finds they often communicate their intent to
 do harm in advance as a final, desperate <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2785799">cry for help</a>. The key to stopping these tragedies is for society to be <a href="https://theconversation.com/accused-buffalo-mass-shooter-had-threatened-a-shooting-while-in-high-school-could-more-have-been-done-to-avert-the-tragedy-183455">alert to these warning signs</a> and act on them immediately.

James Densley is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Metropolitan State University. Jillian Peterson is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Hamline University.

<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183812/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1"></iframe></div>By JAMES DENSLEY and JILLIAN PETERSON <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-we-know-about-mass-school-shootings-in-the-us-and-the-gunmen-who-carry-them-out-183812">The Conversation</a>When the <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/1990s/columbine-high-school-shootings">Columbine High School massacre took place in 1999</a> it was seen as a watershed moment in the United States – the worst mass shooting at a school in the country’s history.Now, it ranks fourth. The three school shootings to surpass its death
 toll of 13 – 12 students, one teacher – have all taken place within the
 last decade: 2012’s <a href="https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/12/us/sandy-hook-timeline/index.html">Sandy Hook Elementary attack</a>,
 in which a gunman killed 26 children and school staff; the 2018 
shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, 
which <a href="https://theconversation.com/parkland-shooting-one-year-later-congress-still-avoids-action-on-gun-control-111796">claimed the lives of 17 people</a>; and now the <a href="https://theconversation.com/19-children-2-adults-killed-in-texas-elementary-school-shooting-3-essential-reads-on-americas-relentless-gun-violence-183811">Robb Elementary School assault in Uvalde, Texas</a>, where on May 24, 2022, at least 19 children and two adults were murdered.We <a href="https://www.metrostate.edu/about/directory/james-densley">are criminologists</a> <a href="https://www.hamline.edu/faculty-staff/jillian-peterson/">who study</a> <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/">the life histories</a> of public mass shooters in the U.S. As part of that research, we built <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/mass-shooter-database/">a comprehensive database</a>
 of mass public shootings using public data, with the shooters coded on 
over 200 different variables, including location and racial profile. For
 the purposes of our database, mass public shootings are defined as 
incidents in which four or more victims are murdered with at least one 
of those homicides taking place in a public location and with no 
connection to underlying criminal activity, such as gangs or drugs.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653505039759.png" alt="Mass shootings are defined here as events in which four or more people are killed with firearms in a public place, with the murders not being attributed to any other underlying criminal activity. Map: The Conversation, CC-BY-ND Source: The Violence Project Database " />
 <figcaption>Mass shootings are defined here as events in which four or more people are killed with firearms in a public place, with the murders not being attributed to any other underlying criminal activity. Map: The Conversation, CC-BY-ND Source: The Violence Project Database </figcaption>
 </figure>Our database shows that since 1966, when our database timeline 
begins, there have been 13 such shootings at schools across the U.S – 
the first in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/18/us/five-children-killed-as-gunman-attacks-a-california-school.html">Stockton, California</a>, in 1989.Four of those shootings – including the one at Robb Elementary School
 – involved a killing at another location, always a family member at a 
residence. The most recent perpetrator <a href="https://www.npr.org/live-updates/texas-school-shooting-2022-05-24">shot his grandmother</a> prior to going to the school in Uvalde.The majority of mass school shootings were carried out by a lone gunman, with just two – Columbine and the <a href="https://www.kait8.com/2022/03/24/24-years-later-remembering-westside-school-shooting-victims/">1988 shooting at Westside School in Jonesboro</a>, Arkansas – carried out by two gunmen. In all, some 146 people were killed in the attacks and at least 182 victims injured.The choice of “gunmen” to describe the perpetrators is accurate – all of the mass school shootings in our database were <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/mass-shooter-database/">carried out by men or boys</a>. And the average age of those involved in carrying out the attacks was 18. This fits with the picture that has emerged of the <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/robb-elementary-school-gunman-salvador-ramos-bought-two-rifles-on-his-18th-birthday-texas-officials-say">shooter in the Robb Elementary School attack</a>. He turned 18 just days ago and reportedly <a href="https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article261766762.html">purchased two military-style weapons</a>. It is believed that the shooter used one miltary-style weapon in the attack, authorities said May 25, 2022.Police have <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-05-24/texas-elementary-school-shooting">yet to release key information</a>
 on the shooter, including what motivated him to kill the children and 
adults at Robb Elementary School. The picture of the shooter that has 
emerged conforms to the profile we have built up from past perpetrators 
in some ways, but diverges in others.We know that most school shooters have a connection to the school 
they target. Twelve of the 14 school shooters in our database prior to 
the most recent attack in Texas were either current or former students 
of the school. Any prior connection between the latest shooter and Robb 
Elementary School has not been released to the public.Our research and <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/about-us/our-book/">dozens of interviews with incarcerated perpetrators of mass shootings</a>
 suggests that for most perpetrators, the mass shooting event is 
intended to be a final act. The majority of school mass shooters die in 
the attack. Of the 15 mass school shooters in our database, just seven 
were apprehended. The rest died on the scene, nearly all by suicide – 
the lone exception being the Robb Elementary shooter, who was shot dead 
by police.And school shooters tend to preempt their attacks by leaving posts, messages or videos warning of their intent. Inspired by past school shooters, some perpetrators are <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-quest-for-significance-gone-horribly-wrong-how-mass-shooters-pervert-a-universal-desire-to-make-a-difference-in-the-world-183199">seeking fame and notoriety</a>.
 However, most school shooters are motivated by a generalized anger. 
Their path to violence involves self-hate and despair turned outward at 
the world, and our research finds they often communicate their intent to
 do harm in advance as a final, desperate <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2785799">cry for help</a>. The key to stopping these tragedies is for society to be <a href="https://theconversation.com/accused-buffalo-mass-shooter-had-threatened-a-shooting-while-in-high-school-could-more-have-been-done-to-avert-the-tragedy-183455">alert to these warning signs</a> and act on them immediately.James Densley is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Metropolitan State University. Jillian Peterson is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Hamline University.

What we know about mass school shootings, gunmen who carry them out

By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/omaha-construction-company-responds-to-inflation-hands-out-extra-check-to-workers-at-the-job-site/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

An
 Omaha-based construction company is responding to recent cost inflation
 by putting something extra in employee wallets, in time for the holiday
 weekend.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hawkins1.com/?utm_source=SK-PR&amp;utm_medium=InflationProtectionRelease&amp;utm_campaign=SK-PR&amp;utm_id=SK-PR">Hawkins Construction,</a>
 a regional contractor that employs about 400 people, has created an 
“inflation protection fund” and plans to disburse up to $2,000 to each 
hourly worker this year. CEO and president Chris Hawkins is visiting job
 sites Wednesday to pass out the first round of $1,000 checks.

“We
 see rising costs across the supply chain and recognize this volatility 
is affecting our employees’ bottom lines as well,” said Hawkins. 
“Through this fund, we aim to cover the unavoidable gaps created by 
increased prices at the gas pump, grocery store and other bills.”

The
 calculation was made based on the company’s estimate that the average 
cost of basic household expenses was increasing by about $2,000 due to 
year-over-year inflation. The fund and related checks are in addition to
 regular wages and performance bonuses.

Hawkins
 said he recognizes that rising costs are an “acute pain point” for 
employees and his team recognized it as “something we have to address 
right now.”

As
 the Memorial Day weekend approaches, he said, he hopes the financial 
boost could also help add a bit more variety to the family picnic menu.

“When our people are happy, it makes me happy,” he said.

This
 latest move follows a recent announcement of a pilot program that 
provides Hawkins employees free English-as-second-language classes. The 
company said it also recently gave hourly wage increases ranging from 5%
 to 12%.&nbsp;

Hawkins
 is a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated construction 
contractor that builds transportation civil infrastructure, water and 
wastewater and industrial projects.

By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/omaha-construction-company-responds-to-inflation-hands-out-extra-check-to-workers-at-the-job-site/">Nebraska Examiner</a>An
 Omaha-based construction company is responding to recent cost inflation
 by putting something extra in employee wallets, in time for the holiday
 weekend.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hawkins1.com/?utm_source=SK-PR&amp;utm_medium=InflationProtectionRelease&amp;utm_campaign=SK-PR&amp;utm_id=SK-PR">Hawkins Construction,</a>
 a regional contractor that employs about 400 people, has created an 
“inflation protection fund” and plans to disburse up to $2,000 to each 
hourly worker this year. CEO and president Chris Hawkins is visiting job
 sites Wednesday to pass out the first round of $1,000 checks.“We
 see rising costs across the supply chain and recognize this volatility 
is affecting our employees’ bottom lines as well,” said Hawkins. 
“Through this fund, we aim to cover the unavoidable gaps created by 
increased prices at the gas pump, grocery store and other bills.”The
 calculation was made based on the company’s estimate that the average 
cost of basic household expenses was increasing by about $2,000 due to 
year-over-year inflation. The fund and related checks are in addition to
 regular wages and performance bonuses.Hawkins
 said he recognizes that rising costs are an “acute pain point” for 
employees and his team recognized it as “something we have to address 
right now.”As
 the Memorial Day weekend approaches, he said, he hopes the financial 
boost could also help add a bit more variety to the family picnic menu.“When our people are happy, it makes me happy,” he said.This
 latest move follows a recent announcement of a pilot program that 
provides Hawkins employees free English-as-second-language classes. The 
company said it also recently gave hourly wage increases ranging from 5%
 to 12%.&nbsp;Hawkins
 is a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated construction 
contractor that builds transportation civil infrastructure, water and 
wastewater and industrial projects.Cover image courtesy Pixabay

Neb. company responds to inflation, hands out extra check at job site

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/25/shortage-of-examiners-means-closure-cutbacks-at-state-motor-vehicle-offices/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN – Nebraskans need to be flexible if they’re seeking to take a state driver’s test.

Due
 to a shortage of driver examiners at the Nebraska Department of Motor 
Vehicles, about 30 DMV offices across the state, mostly in rural areas, <a target="_blank" href="https://dmv.nebraska.gov/locations/closings">have closed temporarily or seen hours cut back.</a> The closures have prompted frustration and disappointment and have forced customers to drive to other counties to take tests.

It’s
 the latest example of how Nebraska’s tight labor market, and low 
unemployment rate, is making it harder to fill vacant positions.

State
 prisons have had to go to 12-hour shifts and raise wages to deal with 
short staffing, and just recently, the Nebraska Game and Parks 
Commission announced that hours at some state parks are being cut back 
after the agency has been able to hire only about half of its necessary 
summer personnel.

The
 state employee’s union thinks the problem is low pay, and the Nebraska 
Association of Public Employees recently asked the state to renegotiate 
the starting wage for drivers license examiners, which is now $16.48 an 
hour.

“That’s
 not going to cut it,” said Justin Hubly, executive director of NAPE. He
 said staff shortages at DMV have been a problem in the past, despite a 
10% increase in the starting wage bargained two years ago.

Rhonda Lahm, the director of DMV, said it’s more complicated than just salary.

“We’re
 experiencing what most employers are experiencing right now,” Lahm 
said, adding that “it’s never one issue. It’s multiple issues.”

To
 deal with the staff shortages, Lahm said the DMV has tried to maintain 
normal hours at its five-day-a-week locations, which are in larger 
counties like Douglas and Lancaster. Closing of rural offices, she said,
 is rotated so there is some availability of the tests.

Lahm
 said she is also prioritizing testing for commercial drivers licenses, 
or CDLs, to get truck drivers on the road to help with the nation’s 
supply chain problems.

At
 least a couple of rural counties that typically see a drivers license 
examiner once or twice a week, haven’t seen an examiner for weeks.

According to the DMV website, no driving tests were scheduled in Antelope, Knox and Cedar Counties during the months of April and May.&nbsp;

Antelope
 County Treasurer Deb Branstiter said it’s been an inconvenience but 
said her office has been able to redirect people to nearby counties that
 are still offering DMV testing.

Tests are schedusetled to resume in those three counties in June, when a new examiner is scheduled to begin working.&nbsp;

“We’re looking forward to having a driver’s license examiner back,” Branstiter said.

In
 Dakota County, the typical five-day-a-week offering of DMV testing has 
been cut back to twice a week, due to a staff shortage and the recent 
death of an examiner.

Customers are understandably frustrated, said Dakota County Treasurer Dawn Bousquet. Finding new employees is a nationwide problem, she said.

“I feel terrible for (DMV),” Bousquet said. “They’re trying the best they can to get people trained and get going.”

Lahm
 said most people can go online to renew their driver’s licenses and 
access several other services. Persons 72 or older must do an in-person 
driving test, she said. Drivers between the ages of 21 and 71 only need 
to do a driving test once every 15 years.

The department has about 17 job openings, which Lahm said is only slightly higher than normal.&nbsp;

She encouraged job seekers to give the DMV a try.

“If you want to work for a really great department, go to the Nebraska Jobs site to apply,” Lahm said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653507007027.png" alt="The Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles headquarters is in Lincoln. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>The Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles headquarters is in Lincoln. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/25/shortage-of-examiners-means-closure-cutbacks-at-state-motor-vehicle-offices/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN – Nebraskans need to be flexible if they’re seeking to take a state driver’s test.Due
 to a shortage of driver examiners at the Nebraska Department of Motor 
Vehicles, about 30 DMV offices across the state, mostly in rural areas, <a target="_blank" href="https://dmv.nebraska.gov/locations/closings">have closed temporarily or seen hours cut back.</a> The closures have prompted frustration and disappointment and have forced customers to drive to other counties to take tests.It’s
 the latest example of how Nebraska’s tight labor market, and low 
unemployment rate, is making it harder to fill vacant positions.<h2>Problems statewide</h2>State
 prisons have had to go to 12-hour shifts and raise wages to deal with 
short staffing, and just recently, the Nebraska Game and Parks 
Commission announced that hours at some state parks are being cut back 
after the agency has been able to hire only about half of its necessary 
summer personnel.The
 state employee’s union thinks the problem is low pay, and the Nebraska 
Association of Public Employees recently asked the state to renegotiate 
the starting wage for drivers license examiners, which is now $16.48 an 
hour.“That’s
 not going to cut it,” said Justin Hubly, executive director of NAPE. He
 said staff shortages at DMV have been a problem in the past, despite a 
10% increase in the starting wage bargained two years ago.Rhonda Lahm, the director of DMV, said it’s more complicated than just salary.<h2>‘Multiple issues’</h2>“We’re
 experiencing what most employers are experiencing right now,” Lahm 
said, adding that “it’s never one issue. It’s multiple issues.”To
 deal with the staff shortages, Lahm said the DMV has tried to maintain 
normal hours at its five-day-a-week locations, which are in larger 
counties like Douglas and Lancaster. Closing of rural offices, she said,
 is rotated so there is some availability of the tests.Lahm
 said she is also prioritizing testing for commercial drivers licenses, 
or CDLs, to get truck drivers on the road to help with the nation’s 
supply chain problems.At
 least a couple of rural counties that typically see a drivers license 
examiner once or twice a week, haven’t seen an examiner for weeks.According to the DMV website, no driving tests were scheduled in Antelope, Knox and Cedar Counties during the months of April and May.&nbsp;<h2>Directed to other counties</h2>Antelope
 County Treasurer Deb Branstiter said it’s been an inconvenience but 
said her office has been able to redirect people to nearby counties that
 are still offering DMV testing.Tests are schedusetled to resume in those three counties in June, when a new examiner is scheduled to begin working.&nbsp;“We’re looking forward to having a driver’s license examiner back,” Branstiter said.In
 Dakota County, the typical five-day-a-week offering of DMV testing has 
been cut back to twice a week, due to a staff shortage and the recent 
death of an examiner.Customers are understandably frustrated, said Dakota County Treasurer Dawn Bousquet. Finding new employees is a nationwide problem, she said.<h2>‘Trying the best they can’</h2>“I feel terrible for (DMV),” Bousquet said. “They’re trying the best they can to get people trained and get going.”Lahm
 said most people can go online to renew their driver’s licenses and 
access several other services. Persons 72 or older must do an in-person 
driving test, she said. Drivers between the ages of 21 and 71 only need 
to do a driving test once every 15 years.The department has about 17 job openings, which Lahm said is only slightly higher than normal.&nbsp;She encouraged job seekers to give the DMV a try.“If you want to work for a really great department, go to the Nebraska Jobs site to apply,” Lahm said.

Shortage of examiners means Neb. DMV closures, cutbacks

KANSAS CITY (AP) — With a staunch anti-abortion Republican governor and large GOP legislative majorities, Iowa would seem poised to ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-roe-v-wade-33c08858dc8b0aa5f0450858b51a648a">Roe v. Wade.</a>

There’s just one catch: a 2018 Iowa Supreme Court ruling that established the right to abortion under the state constitution.

“I don’t know if the people of Iowa know that things aren’t going to change immediately if Roe. v. Wade is overturned,” said state Rep. Sandy Salmon, a Republican and farm manager from northeast Iowa who has made abortion restrictions a cornerstone of her five legislative terms.

Supreme courts in a handful of states, including others controlled by Republicans, have recognized the right to abortion. But in no state is the issue more immediate than Iowa, where Republicans are calling for a state high court with new, conservative justices to reverse a decision made just four years ago.

The Iowa court’s decision, due within weeks, is an example of the complexities that loom in states&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-07439f9fc4542f1500ab78dfd34036b1">should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn its 1973 decision</a>&nbsp;that legalized abortion nationwide. Specifically, it highlights the inevitable confrontation between new abortion bans being prepared in anticipation of Roe’s reversal and state constitutions.

“There are states where this is to some extent unknown and an issue that state courts will likely have to confront,” said Helene Krasnof, vice president of public policy, litigation and law for abortion rights advocates Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “But this is an issue that’s present in Iowa in this very moment.”

The Iowa Supreme Court decision that’s under consideration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/882e886e3a504e34b6586aa5b882f77f">struck down a 2017 law</a>&nbsp;signed by then-Gov. Terry Branstad requiring a woman to wait 72 hours before receiving an abortion. The court ruled 5-2 that an abortion is a fundamental right protected by the state constitution’s guarantee of liberty.

“Autonomy and dominion over one’s body go to the very heart of what it means to be free,” wrote then-Chief Justice Mark Cady, who died in 2019. “Implicit in the concept of ordered liberty is the ability to decide whether to continue or terminate a pregnancy.”

Since that decision, Branstad’s successor, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, has signed other restrictions, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-iowa-us-news-ap-top-news-des-moines-47954c73f5be430f842fe8bfe1b2b9bb">outlawing abortion once cardiac activity is detected in the embryo</a>&nbsp;and requiring a 24-hour waiting period. Both measures were struck down in state district court. Reynolds appealed the waiting-period decision to the Iowa Supreme Court last year.

In the years since Cady’s opinion, Reynolds has appointed four of the court’s seven members. The Republican-controlled Legislature also gave her more control over the process of selecting the panel that recommends potential nominees.

Drake University Law School professor Sally Frank said if the court were to overturn a right established only four years ago, it “would give an even more political look to a decision here than the U.S. Supreme Court.”

Yet abortion opponents argued that court rulings in a half-dozen states, including Iowa, are examples of laws inappropriately established by judges rather than elected officials.

“This case presents the opportunity for the Iowa Supreme Court to return the issue back to the people to decide through their elected representatives in the Legislature,” said Mallory Carroll, a spokeswoman for the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List.

Polls indicate support for keeping abortion legal. The Des Moines Register Iowa Poll found in September that 57% supported keeping abortion legal in most or all cases, compared with 38% who said it should be illegal in most or all cases. According to AP VoteCast, a 2020 survey of the electorate, 65% of Iowa voters said the U.S. Supreme Court should leave Roe v. Wade as it is, while a third said it should be overturned.

Reynolds has said she is “proud of the legislation she signed in 2018,” including the ban on abortions once cardiac activity is detected, as early as six weeks and before many women know they are pregnant. While the measure included exceptions to protect the life of the mother and for pregnancies that are the result of incest or rape, Reynolds recently declined to endorse any exceptions.

“I’m not going to set any parameters,” she told reporters last week. “We have a ruling before the Iowa Supreme Court and we’re going to wait and see what they do, and that actually will affect what our next steps are moving forward.”

Supreme courts in Alaska, Florida, Kansas, Montana and Minnesota have ruled that their constitutions protect the right to abortion. Among them, Republicans hold legislative majorities and the governorships in Florida and Montana.

In Montana and Florida, challenges to abortion restrictions are before those states’ supreme courts.

Majority Republicans in the Kansas Legislature are seeking to invalidate a 2019 state Supreme Court decision that declared access to abortion a “fundamental right” with a referendum on the August primary ballot to amend the state constitution.

Iowa Republicans also are pursuing a constitutional amendment that specifies the state constitution does not recognize, grant, or secure a right to abortion. The amendment could not stop the Legislature from enacting a statutory right to abortion, but would present an obstacle to any court weighing what the state would be required to enforce.

The measure needs a second approval in the Legislature and will likely come up next year, Salmon, the GOP state lawmaker, said. If approved it would go before voters, probably in 2024.

It’s the removal of the abortion guarantee in the 2018 court ruling that would clear the way for lawmakers to ban the procedure, Salmon’s ultimate goal.

“That means that abortion would not be a service offered in this state,” Salmon said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652558835992.png" alt="Abortion protesters in Kansas City -photo Planned Parenthood&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Abortion protesters in Kansas City -photo Planned Parenthood&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — With a staunch anti-abortion Republican governor and large GOP legislative majorities, Iowa would seem poised to ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-roe-v-wade-33c08858dc8b0aa5f0450858b51a648a">Roe v. Wade.</a>There’s just one catch: a 2018 Iowa Supreme Court ruling that established the right to abortion under the state constitution.“I don’t know if the people of Iowa know that things aren’t going to change immediately if Roe. v. Wade is overturned,” said state Rep. Sandy Salmon, a Republican and farm manager from northeast Iowa who has made abortion restrictions a cornerstone of her five legislative terms.Supreme courts in a handful of states, including others controlled by Republicans, have recognized the right to abortion. But in no state is the issue more immediate than Iowa, where Republicans are calling for a state high court with new, conservative justices to reverse a decision made just four years ago.The Iowa court’s decision, due within weeks, is an example of the complexities that loom in states&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-07439f9fc4542f1500ab78dfd34036b1">should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn its 1973 decision</a>&nbsp;that legalized abortion nationwide. Specifically, it highlights the inevitable confrontation between new abortion bans being prepared in anticipation of Roe’s reversal and state constitutions.“There are states where this is to some extent unknown and an issue that state courts will likely have to confront,” said Helene Krasnof, vice president of public policy, litigation and law for abortion rights advocates Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “But this is an issue that’s present in Iowa in this very moment.”The Iowa Supreme Court decision that’s under consideration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/882e886e3a504e34b6586aa5b882f77f">struck down a 2017 law</a>&nbsp;signed by then-Gov. Terry Branstad requiring a woman to wait 72 hours before receiving an abortion. The court ruled 5-2 that an abortion is a fundamental right protected by the state constitution’s guarantee of liberty.“Autonomy and dominion over one’s body go to the very heart of what it means to be free,” wrote then-Chief Justice Mark Cady, who died in 2019. “Implicit in the concept of ordered liberty is the ability to decide whether to continue or terminate a pregnancy.”Since that decision, Branstad’s successor, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, has signed other restrictions, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-iowa-us-news-ap-top-news-des-moines-47954c73f5be430f842fe8bfe1b2b9bb">outlawing abortion once cardiac activity is detected in the embryo</a>&nbsp;and requiring a 24-hour waiting period. Both measures were struck down in state district court. Reynolds appealed the waiting-period decision to the Iowa Supreme Court last year.In the years since Cady’s opinion, Reynolds has appointed four of the court’s seven members. The Republican-controlled Legislature also gave her more control over the process of selecting the panel that recommends potential nominees.Drake University Law School professor Sally Frank said if the court were to overturn a right established only four years ago, it “would give an even more political look to a decision here than the U.S. Supreme Court.”Yet abortion opponents argued that court rulings in a half-dozen states, including Iowa, are examples of laws inappropriately established by judges rather than elected officials.“This case presents the opportunity for the Iowa Supreme Court to return the issue back to the people to decide through their elected representatives in the Legislature,” said Mallory Carroll, a spokeswoman for the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List.Polls indicate support for keeping abortion legal. The Des Moines Register Iowa Poll found in September that 57% supported keeping abortion legal in most or all cases, compared with 38% who said it should be illegal in most or all cases. According to AP VoteCast, a 2020 survey of the electorate, 65% of Iowa voters said the U.S. Supreme Court should leave Roe v. Wade as it is, while a third said it should be overturned.Reynolds has said she is “proud of the legislation she signed in 2018,” including the ban on abortions once cardiac activity is detected, as early as six weeks and before many women know they are pregnant. While the measure included exceptions to protect the life of the mother and for pregnancies that are the result of incest or rape, Reynolds recently declined to endorse any exceptions.“I’m not going to set any parameters,” she told reporters last week. “We have a ruling before the Iowa Supreme Court and we’re going to wait and see what they do, and that actually will affect what our next steps are moving forward.”Supreme courts in Alaska, Florida, Kansas, Montana and Minnesota have ruled that their constitutions protect the right to abortion. Among them, Republicans hold legislative majorities and the governorships in Florida and Montana.In Montana and Florida, challenges to abortion restrictions are before those states’ supreme courts.Majority Republicans in the Kansas Legislature are seeking to invalidate a 2019 state Supreme Court decision that declared access to abortion a “fundamental right” with a referendum on the August primary ballot to amend the state constitution.Iowa Republicans also are pursuing a constitutional amendment that specifies the state constitution does not recognize, grant, or secure a right to abortion. The amendment could not stop the Legislature from enacting a statutory right to abortion, but would present an obstacle to any court weighing what the state would be required to enforce.The measure needs a second approval in the Legislature and will likely come up next year, Salmon, the GOP state lawmaker, said. If approved it would go before voters, probably in 2024.It’s the removal of the abortion guarantee in the 2018 court ruling that would clear the way for lawmakers to ban the procedure, Salmon’s ultimate goal.“That means that abortion would not be a service offered in this state,” Salmon said.___

Courts stymie abortion bans in GOP-led states

By JENNIFER SHUTT <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/commission-recommends-new-names-for-9-army-bases-to-end-ties-to-confederacy/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — The group in charge 
of renaming military installations that have continued to honor 
Confederates released its recommendations for nine bases on Tuesday.

The Naming Commission, created by Congress in a defense authorization
 bill, is set to give its final report to the U.S. House and Senate 
Armed Services committees before Oct. 1, though its recommendations this
 week show where changes are likely to occur.

The group, made up of eight individuals including retired military 
officers, proposed changing the names of three Virginia installations, 
two Georgia bases, and one facility each in Alabama, Louisiana, North 
Carolina and Texas.

​​“This was an exhaustive process that entailed hundreds of hours of 
research, community engagement and internal deliberations,” retired Navy
 Adm. Michelle Howard, chair of the Naming Commission, said in a 
statement.

“This recommendation list includes American heroes whose stories 
deserve to be told and remembered; people who fought and sacrificed 
greatly on behalf of our nation.”

In Georgia, ​​Fort Benning would be renamed Fort Moore after Lt. Gen.
 Hal and Julia Moore, and Fort Gordon would be renamed Fort Eisenhower 
after General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower.

Hal Moore had a 32-year career in the U.S. Army that spanned from 
1945 to 1977, including deployments in Japan, Korea, Norway and Vietnam.

During the Vietnam War, while he was deployed, Julia worked to change
 the way the U.S. military handled death notifications, which at the 
time were delivered by cabbies carrying a telegram.

“Her complaints to the Pentagon led to the creation of casualty 
notification teams (as well as survivor support networks) that still 
carry out this difficult task today,” the commission writes.

Eisenhower, who began his education at West Point in 1911, would go 
on to become the Supreme Commander of Allied Expeditionary Forces 
throughout Europe during World War II. He was also the first Supreme 
Allied Commander Europe for NATO before he was elected as U.S. president
 in 1952 and re-elected in 1956.

In North Carolina, Fort Bragg would be renamed Fort Liberty. The 
commission wrote: “At the greatest moments of its history, the United 
States Army and its soldiers have earned our nation’s liberty, secured 
it for all Americans, and expanded it internationally.”

Louisiana’s Fort Polk would be renamed Fort Johnson after Sgt. 
William Henry Johnson, a Black soldier who enlisted in the segregated 
military and during World War I became “the United States’ first hero of
 the Great War, immediately receiving the French Croix de Guerre for his
 actions.”

“Upon returning to Jim Crow America, he was not awarded equal 
benefits as white soldiers,” the commission writes. “Unable to 
effectively work as a result of his wounds and lacking appropriate 
treatment for them, he died destitute in 1929. Though buried with 
military honors in Arlington National Cemetery, he faded from major 
memory for most of a century. Indeed, even his resting place was unknown
 for most of that time.”

Johnson was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart in 1996 and the Distinguished Service Cross in 2002.

In Texas, Fort Hood would be named Fort Cavazos for Gen. Richard 
Cavazos, who enrolled in the ROTC program at Texas Technical University 
and was commissioned into the Army right after graduation in 1951.

His actions during the Korean and Vietnam wars would earn him the 
Distinguished Service Cross, two Legions of Merit, a Silver Star, five 
Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart, and many other medals.

“In 1982, he became the first Hispanic-American to pin on four stars,” the commission wrote.

Alabama’s Fort Rucker would be renamed as Fort Novosel after Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel, Sr.

Novosel served in World War II in the Army Air Corps, in Korea in the
 Air Force and in Vietnam as an Army warrant officer and helicopter 
pilot.

“Assigned to Vietnam as a ‘Dustoff’ pilot, he flew helicopters 
evacuating combat zone casualties; a dangerous mission in which 
approximately one third of all medevac pilots became casualties 
themselves,” the commission wrote. “In Novosel’s two tours in Vietnam, 
he flew 2,543 extraction missions, rescuing over 5,500 seriously wounded
 soldiers.”

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.virginiamercury.com/2022/05/24/federal-commission-recommends-new-names-for-military-bases-named-for-confederates/">In Virginia</a>,
 Fort A.P. Hill would be renamed Fort Walker after Dr. Mary Walker, Fort
 Lee would become Fort Gregg-Adams after Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. 
Col. Charity Adams, and Fort Pickett would be renamed Fort Barfoot after
 Tech. Sgt. Van T. Barfoot.

Walker became the first female surgeon in Army history in 1863 and received the Medal of Honor in 1865.

The Commission wrote that “proud of her service and committed to the 
causes of equality for which she served, Mary Walker continued to wear 
the medal everyday thereafter, including through five decades of 
campaigning for women’s equality and women’s rights.”

Adams joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in 1942 before being 
selected to command the first unit of Black women to serve overseas in 
1944.

“Gender discrimination limited her promotion to lieutenant colonel, 
the highest rank attainable by any woman during the war. But her 
effectiveness was made clear when it took three units of men to replace 
her battalion after they disbanded,” the commission wrote.

Gregg, who would share the base name with Adams, enlisted in the Army
 in 1945 and was a soldier in 1948 when Truman ordered the armed forces 
to desegregate. “Gregg did so with great skill, leading by example and 
embarking on a career of excellence,” the commission wrote.

Barfoot enlisted in the Army in 1940, later receiving the Medal of 
Honor for his actions in May 1944 in Italy while fighting Nazi German 
soldiers. He would stay in the military for 34 years, including tours in
 Korea and Vietnam.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in a statement Tuesday 
that he’s pleased to see the Naming Commission making progress and that 
he looks forward to seeing the completed report later this year.

“Today’s announcement,” Austin said, “highlights the Commission’s 
efforts to propose nine new installation names that reflect the courage,
 values, sacrifices, and diversity of our military men and women.”

By JENNIFER SHUTT <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/commission-recommends-new-names-for-9-army-bases-to-end-ties-to-confederacy/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — The group in charge 
of renaming military installations that have continued to honor 
Confederates released its recommendations for nine bases on Tuesday.The Naming Commission, created by Congress in a defense authorization
 bill, is set to give its final report to the U.S. House and Senate 
Armed Services committees before Oct. 1, though its recommendations this
 week show where changes are likely to occur.The group, made up of eight individuals including retired military 
officers, proposed changing the names of three Virginia installations, 
two Georgia bases, and one facility each in Alabama, Louisiana, North 
Carolina and Texas.​​“This was an exhaustive process that entailed hundreds of hours of 
research, community engagement and internal deliberations,” retired Navy
 Adm. Michelle Howard, chair of the Naming Commission, said in a 
statement.“This recommendation list includes American heroes whose stories 
deserve to be told and remembered; people who fought and sacrificed 
greatly on behalf of our nation.”<h2>Georgia bases</h2>In Georgia, ​​Fort Benning would be renamed Fort Moore after Lt. Gen.
 Hal and Julia Moore, and Fort Gordon would be renamed Fort Eisenhower 
after General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower.Hal Moore had a 32-year career in the U.S. Army that spanned from 
1945 to 1977, including deployments in Japan, Korea, Norway and Vietnam.During the Vietnam War, while he was deployed, Julia worked to change
 the way the U.S. military handled death notifications, which at the 
time were delivered by cabbies carrying a telegram.“Her complaints to the Pentagon led to the creation of casualty 
notification teams (as well as survivor support networks) that still 
carry out this difficult task today,” the commission writes.Eisenhower, who began his education at West Point in 1911, would go 
on to become the Supreme Commander of Allied Expeditionary Forces 
throughout Europe during World War II. He was also the first Supreme 
Allied Commander Europe for NATO before he was elected as U.S. president
 in 1952 and re-elected in 1956.<h2>North Carolina, Louisiana</h2>In North Carolina, Fort Bragg would be renamed Fort Liberty. The 
commission wrote: “At the greatest moments of its history, the United 
States Army and its soldiers have earned our nation’s liberty, secured 
it for all Americans, and expanded it internationally.”Louisiana’s Fort Polk would be renamed Fort Johnson after Sgt. 
William Henry Johnson, a Black soldier who enlisted in the segregated 
military and during World War I became “the United States’ first hero of
 the Great War, immediately receiving the French Croix de Guerre for his
 actions.”“Upon returning to Jim Crow America, he was not awarded equal 
benefits as white soldiers,” the commission writes. “Unable to 
effectively work as a result of his wounds and lacking appropriate 
treatment for them, he died destitute in 1929. Though buried with 
military honors in Arlington National Cemetery, he faded from major 
memory for most of a century. Indeed, even his resting place was unknown
 for most of that time.”Johnson was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart in 1996 and the Distinguished Service Cross in 2002.<h2>Texas, Alabama</h2>In Texas, Fort Hood would be named Fort Cavazos for Gen. Richard 
Cavazos, who enrolled in the ROTC program at Texas Technical University 
and was commissioned into the Army right after graduation in 1951.His actions during the Korean and Vietnam wars would earn him the 
Distinguished Service Cross, two Legions of Merit, a Silver Star, five 
Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart, and many other medals.“In 1982, he became the first Hispanic-American to pin on four stars,” the commission wrote.Alabama’s Fort Rucker would be renamed as Fort Novosel after Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel, Sr.Novosel served in World War II in the Army Air Corps, in Korea in the
 Air Force and in Vietnam as an Army warrant officer and helicopter 
pilot.“Assigned to Vietnam as a ‘Dustoff’ pilot, he flew helicopters 
evacuating combat zone casualties; a dangerous mission in which 
approximately one third of all medevac pilots became casualties 
themselves,” the commission wrote. “In Novosel’s two tours in Vietnam, 
he flew 2,543 extraction missions, rescuing over 5,500 seriously wounded
 soldiers.”3 bases in Virginia<a target="_blank" href="https://www.virginiamercury.com/2022/05/24/federal-commission-recommends-new-names-for-military-bases-named-for-confederates/">In Virginia</a>,
 Fort A.P. Hill would be renamed Fort Walker after Dr. Mary Walker, Fort
 Lee would become Fort Gregg-Adams after Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. 
Col. Charity Adams, and Fort Pickett would be renamed Fort Barfoot after
 Tech. Sgt. Van T. Barfoot.Walker became the first female surgeon in Army history in 1863 and received the Medal of Honor in 1865.The Commission wrote that “proud of her service and committed to the 
causes of equality for which she served, Mary Walker continued to wear 
the medal everyday thereafter, including through five decades of 
campaigning for women’s equality and women’s rights.”Adams joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in 1942 before being 
selected to command the first unit of Black women to serve overseas in 
1944.“Gender discrimination limited her promotion to lieutenant colonel, 
the highest rank attainable by any woman during the war. But her 
effectiveness was made clear when it took three units of men to replace 
her battalion after they disbanded,” the commission wrote.Gregg, who would share the base name with Adams, enlisted in the Army
 in 1945 and was a soldier in 1948 when Truman ordered the armed forces 
to desegregate. “Gregg did so with great skill, leading by example and 
embarking on a career of excellence,” the commission wrote.Barfoot enlisted in the Army in 1940, later receiving the Medal of 
Honor for his actions in May 1944 in Italy while fighting Nazi German 
soldiers. He would stay in the military for 34 years, including tours in
 Korea and Vietnam.Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in a statement Tuesday 
that he’s pleased to see the Naming Commission making progress and that 
he looks forward to seeing the completed report later this year.“Today’s announcement,” Austin said, “highlights the Commission’s 
efforts to propose nine new installation names that reflect the courage,
 values, sacrifices, and diversity of our military men and women.”

Name changes for 9 Army bases to end ties to Confederacy recommended

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. births bumped up last year for the first time since 2014. The number of babies born was still lower than before the coronavirus pandemic.

The 1% increase was a bit of a rebound from 2020, the first year of the pandemic, which witnessed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/birth-rates-science-coronavirus-pandemic-health-d51571bda4aa02eafdd42265912f1202">largest one-year drop in the U.S. births</a>&nbsp;in nearly 50 years.

But there were still about 86,000 fewer births last year than in 2019, according to a government report released Tuesday.

“We’re still not returning to pre-pandemic levels,” said Dr. Denise Jamieson, chair of gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-health-us-news-ap-top-news-pandemics-8f871bc2cbe89b72e9eb01a21ebddb5b">U.S. births had been declining</a>&nbsp;for more than a decade before COVID-19 hit, and “I would expect that we would continue to see small, modest decreases,” she said.

Officials think last year’s uptick reflects births from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-science-health-3dc7033a62728f1a99a176c5577af58c">pregnancies that had been put off</a>&nbsp;during the uncertain early days of the pandemic. Deliveries were way down in January 2021, but improved as the year went on, said Brady Hamilton of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Much of the increase was seen in older moms.

“These are births that were postponed,” said Hamilton, lead author of the new report.

The report is based on a review of nearly all birth certificates issued last year.

— Nearly 3.7 million births were reported last year, up from the roughly 3.6 million recorded in 2020.

— Birth rates dropped again for teens and for women younger than 25, but rose 3% for women in their early 30s, 5% for women in their late 30s, and 3% for women in their early 40s.

— Birth rates rose 1% for Hispanic women and 3% for white women. But they fell 1% for Asian women, 3% for Black women, and 4% Native American and Alaska Native women. That may reflect the pandemic’s harsher impact on the health and lives of some racial groups, experts said.

—The U.S. was once among only a few developed countries with a fertility rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself — about 2.1 kids per woman. But it’s been sliding, and in 2020 dropped to about 1.6, the lowest rate on record. It rose slightly last year, to nearly 1.7.

—The percentage of infants born small and premature — at less than 37 weeks — rose 4%, to about 10.5%. It was the highest it’s been since 2007.

The premature birth rate had declined slightly in 2020, and health officials aren’t sure why the increase occurred. But older moms are more likely to have preterm births, as are women infected with COVID-19, said the CDC’s Joyce Martin, a study co-author.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. births bumped up last year for the first time since 2014. The number of babies born was still lower than before the coronavirus pandemic.The 1% increase was a bit of a rebound from 2020, the first year of the pandemic, which witnessed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/birth-rates-science-coronavirus-pandemic-health-d51571bda4aa02eafdd42265912f1202">largest one-year drop in the U.S. births</a>&nbsp;in nearly 50 years.But there were still about 86,000 fewer births last year than in 2019, according to a government report released Tuesday.“We’re still not returning to pre-pandemic levels,” said Dr. Denise Jamieson, chair of gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-health-us-news-ap-top-news-pandemics-8f871bc2cbe89b72e9eb01a21ebddb5b">U.S. births had been declining</a>&nbsp;for more than a decade before COVID-19 hit, and “I would expect that we would continue to see small, modest decreases,” she said.Officials think last year’s uptick reflects births from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-science-health-3dc7033a62728f1a99a176c5577af58c">pregnancies that had been put off</a>&nbsp;during the uncertain early days of the pandemic. Deliveries were way down in January 2021, but improved as the year went on, said Brady Hamilton of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Much of the increase was seen in older moms.“These are births that were postponed,” said Hamilton, lead author of the new report.The report is based on a review of nearly all birth certificates issued last year.Some of the key findings:— Nearly 3.7 million births were reported last year, up from the roughly 3.6 million recorded in 2020.— Birth rates dropped again for teens and for women younger than 25, but rose 3% for women in their early 30s, 5% for women in their late 30s, and 3% for women in their early 40s.— Birth rates rose 1% for Hispanic women and 3% for white women. But they fell 1% for Asian women, 3% for Black women, and 4% Native American and Alaska Native women. That may reflect the pandemic’s harsher impact on the health and lives of some racial groups, experts said.—The U.S. was once among only a few developed countries with a fertility rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself — about 2.1 kids per woman. But it’s been sliding, and in 2020 dropped to about 1.6, the lowest rate on record. It rose slightly last year, to nearly 1.7.—The percentage of infants born small and premature — at less than 37 weeks — rose 4%, to about 10.5%. It was the highest it’s been since 2007.The premature birth rate had declined slightly in 2020, and health officials aren’t sure why the increase occurred. But older moms are more likely to have preterm births, as are women infected with COVID-19, said the CDC’s Joyce Martin, a study co-author.___

US births rose last year for the first time since 2014

UVALDE, Texas (AP) — An 18-year-old gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers at a Texas elementary school barricaded himself inside a classroom, “shooting anyone that was in his way,” an official said Wednesday, describing the latest in a gruesome, yearslong&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/school-shootings">series of mass killings</a>&nbsp;at churches, schools and stores.

Police and others responding to Tuesday’s attack broke windows at the school in an effort to allow students and teachers inside to escape, Lt. Christopher Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety said Wednesday on NBC’s “Today.”

Olivarez told CNN that all victims were in the same fourth-grade classroom at Robb Elementary School. Eventually, the shooter was killed by law enforcement.

Tuesday’s assault in the heavily Latino town of Uvalde was the deadliest shooting at a U.S. school since a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senator-chris-murphy-pleads-for-action-on-gun-violence-641fb7c7244ff497c7f9c4c1bc96366c">Sandy Hook Elementary</a>&nbsp;in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012.

Families waited hours for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-school-shootings-victims-a197fa6758a87d4b496dfca4d707ba47">word on their children</a>. At the town civic center where some gathered, the silence was broken repeatedly by screams and wailing. “No! Please, no!” one man yelled as he embraced another man.

“My heart is broken today,” said Hal Harrell, the school district superintendent. “We’re a small community, and we’re going to need your prayers to get through this.”

Gov. Greg Abbott said one of the two adults killed was a teacher.

Adolfo Cruz, a 69-year-old air conditioning repairman, was still outside the school as the sun set, seeking word on his 10-year-old great-granddaughter, Eliajha Cruz Torres.

He drove to the scene after receiving a terrifying call from his daughter shortly following the first reports of the shooting. He said other relatives were at the hospital and the civic center.

Waiting, he said, was the heaviest moment of his life.

The attack was the latest grim moment for a country&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/list-of-deadliest-us-school-shootings-f25dad31e68c8acbdbcb952352df9249">scarred by a string of massacres</a>, coming just 10 days after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/buffalo-supermarket-shooting-victims-982351652caf7ecf3da304c6c64f62fb">deadly, racist rampage at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket</a>. And the prospects for any reform of the nation’s gun regulations seemed as dim, if not dimmer, than in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook deaths.

But President Joe Biden appeared ready for a fight, calling for new gun restrictions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-to-address-nation-over-uvalde-school-shooting-c2c414829a7397cb6e3de82636de2ba9">in an address to the nation</a>&nbsp;hours after the attack.

“As a nation we have to ask, when in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When in God’s name are we going to do what has to be done?” Biden asked. “Why are we willing to live with this carnage?”

It was not immediately clear how many people in all were wounded, but the school district’s police chief, Pete Arredondo, said there were “several injuries.”

The attack on the school began about 11:30 a.m. The gunman had already shot his grandmother, according to Olivarez of the Department of Public Safety. After fleeing that scene, he crashed his car at the school and made his way inside.

Olivarez said that when local and state officers responded they heard gunshots — and were shot at themselves.

“The shooter was able to make entry into a classroom, barricaded himself inside that classroom and again just began shooting numerous children and teachers that were in that classroom having no regard for human life. … Just began shooting anyone that was in his way,” he said. “At that point we had a tactical law enforcement arrive … that were able to able to make forcible entry into that classroom. They were met with gunfire as well but they were able to shoot and kill that suspect.”

Earlier, a law enforcement official had said one Border Patrol agent who was working nearby when the shooting began rushed into the school without waiting for backup and shot and killed the gunman. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about it.

The agent was wounded but able to walk out of the school, the law enforcement official said.

Jason Owens, a top regional official with the Border Patrol, said some area agents have children at Robb Elementary.

“It hit home for everybody,” he said.

Staff members in scrubs and devastated victims’ relatives could be seen weeping as they walked out of Uvalde Memorial Hospital, which said 13 children were taken there. Another hospital reported a 66-year-old woman was in critical condition.

Officials did not immediately reveal a motive, but they identified the assailant as Salvador Ramos, a resident of the community about 85 miles&nbsp; west of San Antonio. Law enforcement officials said he acted alone.

Uvalde, home to about 16,000 people, is about 75 miles (120 kilometers) from the border with Mexico. Robb Elementary, which has nearly 600 students in second, third and fourth grades, is in a mostly residential neighborhood of modest homes.

The attack came as the school was counting down to the last days of the school year with a series of themed days. Tuesday was to be “Footloose and Fancy,” with students wearing nice outfits.

Ramos had hinted on social media that an attack could be coming, according to state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who said he had been briefed by state police. He noted that the gunman “suggested the kids should watch out,” and that he had bought two “assault weapons” after turning 18.

Before heading to the school, Ramos shot his grandmother, Gutierrez said.

Other officials said that the grandmother survived and was being treated, though her condition was not known.

Investigators believe Ramos posted photos on Instagram of two guns he used in the shooting, and they were examining whether he made statements online in the hours before the assault, a law enforcement official said.

Law enforcement officers were serving multiple search warrants Tuesday night and gathering telephone and other records, the official said. Investigators were also attempting to contact Ramos’ relatives and were tracing the firearms.

The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Condolences poured in from leaders around the world. Pope Francis pleaded that it was time say ”‘enough’ to the indiscriminate trade of weapons!” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine, which is at war with Russia after Moscow invaded, said that his nation also knows “the pain of losing innocent young lives.”

The tragedy in Uvalde was the deadliest school shooting in Texas history, and it added to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-texas-shootings-gun-violence-0fc46ce400c3fed9081ee5c033d2aba5">a grim tally in the state</a>, which has been the site of some of the deadliest shootings in the U.S. over the past five years.

In 2018, a gunman fatally shot 10 people at Santa Fe High School in the Houston area. A year before that, a gunman at a Texas church killed more than two dozen people during a Sunday service in the small town of Sutherland Springs. In 2019, another gunman at a Walmart in El Paso killed 23 people in a racist attack targeting Hispanics.

The shooting came days before the National Rifle Association annual convention was set to begin in Houston. Abbott and both of Texas’ U.S. senators were among elected Republican officials who were the scheduled speakers at a Friday leadership forum sponsored by the NRA’s lobbying arm.

In the years since Sandy Hook, the gun control debate in Congress has waxed and waned. Efforts by lawmakers to change U.S. gun policies in any significant way have consistently faced roadblocks from Republicans and the influence of outside groups such as the NRA.

A year after Sandy Hook, Sens. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, and Patrick J. Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican, negotiated a bipartisan proposal to expand the nation’s background check system. But the measure failed in a Senate vote, without enough support to clear a 60-vote filibuster hurdle.

Last year, the House passed two bills to expand background checks on firearms purchases. One bill would have closed a loophole for private and online sales. The other would have extended the background check review period. Both languished in the 50-50 Senate, where Democrats need at least 10 Republican votes to overcome objections from a filibuster.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653483385339.png" alt="Tuesday’s assault in the heavily Latino town of Uvalde was the deadliest shooting at a U.S. school since a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senator-chris-murphy-pleads-for-action-on-gun-violence-641fb7c7244ff497c7f9c4c1bc96366c">Sandy Hook Elementary</a>&nbsp;in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012.-photo courtesy KSAT-TV" />
 <figcaption>Tuesday’s assault in the heavily Latino town of Uvalde was the deadliest shooting at a U.S. school since a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senator-chris-murphy-pleads-for-action-on-gun-violence-641fb7c7244ff497c7f9c4c1bc96366c">Sandy Hook Elementary</a>&nbsp;in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012.-photo courtesy KSAT-TV</figcaption>
 </figure>UVALDE, Texas (AP) — An 18-year-old gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers at a Texas elementary school barricaded himself inside a classroom, “shooting anyone that was in his way,” an official said Wednesday, describing the latest in a gruesome, yearslong&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/school-shootings">series of mass killings</a>&nbsp;at churches, schools and stores.Police and others responding to Tuesday’s attack broke windows at the school in an effort to allow students and teachers inside to escape, Lt. Christopher Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety said Wednesday on NBC’s “Today.”Olivarez told CNN that all victims were in the same fourth-grade classroom at Robb Elementary School. Eventually, the shooter was killed by law enforcement.Tuesday’s assault in the heavily Latino town of Uvalde was the deadliest shooting at a U.S. school since a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senator-chris-murphy-pleads-for-action-on-gun-violence-641fb7c7244ff497c7f9c4c1bc96366c">Sandy Hook Elementary</a>&nbsp;in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012.Families waited hours for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-school-shootings-victims-a197fa6758a87d4b496dfca4d707ba47">word on their children</a>. At the town civic center where some gathered, the silence was broken repeatedly by screams and wailing. “No! Please, no!” one man yelled as he embraced another man.“My heart is broken today,” said Hal Harrell, the school district superintendent. “We’re a small community, and we’re going to need your prayers to get through this.”Gov. Greg Abbott said one of the two adults killed was a teacher.Adolfo Cruz, a 69-year-old air conditioning repairman, was still outside the school as the sun set, seeking word on his 10-year-old great-granddaughter, Eliajha Cruz Torres.He drove to the scene after receiving a terrifying call from his daughter shortly following the first reports of the shooting. He said other relatives were at the hospital and the civic center.Waiting, he said, was the heaviest moment of his life.“I hope she is alive,” Cruz said.The attack was the latest grim moment for a country&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/list-of-deadliest-us-school-shootings-f25dad31e68c8acbdbcb952352df9249">scarred by a string of massacres</a>, coming just 10 days after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/buffalo-supermarket-shooting-victims-982351652caf7ecf3da304c6c64f62fb">deadly, racist rampage at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket</a>. And the prospects for any reform of the nation’s gun regulations seemed as dim, if not dimmer, than in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook deaths.But President Joe Biden appeared ready for a fight, calling for new gun restrictions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-to-address-nation-over-uvalde-school-shooting-c2c414829a7397cb6e3de82636de2ba9">in an address to the nation</a>&nbsp;hours after the attack.“As a nation we have to ask, when in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When in God’s name are we going to do what has to be done?” Biden asked. “Why are we willing to live with this carnage?”It was not immediately clear how many people in all were wounded, but the school district’s police chief, Pete Arredondo, said there were “several injuries.”The attack on the school began about 11:30 a.m. The gunman had already shot his grandmother, according to Olivarez of the Department of Public Safety. After fleeing that scene, he crashed his car at the school and made his way inside.Olivarez said that when local and state officers responded they heard gunshots — and were shot at themselves.“The shooter was able to make entry into a classroom, barricaded himself inside that classroom and again just began shooting numerous children and teachers that were in that classroom having no regard for human life. … Just began shooting anyone that was in his way,” he said. “At that point we had a tactical law enforcement arrive … that were able to able to make forcible entry into that classroom. They were met with gunfire as well but they were able to shoot and kill that suspect.”Earlier, a law enforcement official had said one Border Patrol agent who was working nearby when the shooting began rushed into the school without waiting for backup and shot and killed the gunman. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about it.The agent was wounded but able to walk out of the school, the law enforcement official said.Jason Owens, a top regional official with the Border Patrol, said some area agents have children at Robb Elementary.“It hit home for everybody,” he said.Staff members in scrubs and devastated victims’ relatives could be seen weeping as they walked out of Uvalde Memorial Hospital, which said 13 children were taken there. Another hospital reported a 66-year-old woman was in critical condition.Officials did not immediately reveal a motive, but they identified the assailant as Salvador Ramos, a resident of the community about 85 miles&nbsp; west of San Antonio. Law enforcement officials said he acted alone.Uvalde, home to about 16,000 people, is about 75 miles (120 kilometers) from the border with Mexico. Robb Elementary, which has nearly 600 students in second, third and fourth grades, is in a mostly residential neighborhood of modest homes.The attack came as the school was counting down to the last days of the school year with a series of themed days. Tuesday was to be “Footloose and Fancy,” with students wearing nice outfits.Ramos had hinted on social media that an attack could be coming, according to state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who said he had been briefed by state police. He noted that the gunman “suggested the kids should watch out,” and that he had bought two “assault weapons” after turning 18.Before heading to the school, Ramos shot his grandmother, Gutierrez said.Other officials said that the grandmother survived and was being treated, though her condition was not known.Investigators believe Ramos posted photos on Instagram of two guns he used in the shooting, and they were examining whether he made statements online in the hours before the assault, a law enforcement official said.Law enforcement officers were serving multiple search warrants Tuesday night and gathering telephone and other records, the official said. Investigators were also attempting to contact Ramos’ relatives and were tracing the firearms.The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.Condolences poured in from leaders around the world. Pope Francis pleaded that it was time say ”‘enough’ to the indiscriminate trade of weapons!” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine, which is at war with Russia after Moscow invaded, said that his nation also knows “the pain of losing innocent young lives.”The tragedy in Uvalde was the deadliest school shooting in Texas history, and it added to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-texas-shootings-gun-violence-0fc46ce400c3fed9081ee5c033d2aba5">a grim tally in the state</a>, which has been the site of some of the deadliest shootings in the U.S. over the past five years.In 2018, a gunman fatally shot 10 people at Santa Fe High School in the Houston area. A year before that, a gunman at a Texas church killed more than two dozen people during a Sunday service in the small town of Sutherland Springs. In 2019, another gunman at a Walmart in El Paso killed 23 people in a racist attack targeting Hispanics.The shooting came days before the National Rifle Association annual convention was set to begin in Houston. Abbott and both of Texas’ U.S. senators were among elected Republican officials who were the scheduled speakers at a Friday leadership forum sponsored by the NRA’s lobbying arm.In the years since Sandy Hook, the gun control debate in Congress has waxed and waned. Efforts by lawmakers to change U.S. gun policies in any significant way have consistently faced roadblocks from Republicans and the influence of outside groups such as the NRA.A year after Sandy Hook, Sens. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, and Patrick J. Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican, negotiated a bipartisan proposal to expand the nation’s background check system. But the measure failed in a Senate vote, without enough support to clear a 60-vote filibuster hurdle.Last year, the House passed two bills to expand background checks on firearms purchases. One bill would have closed a loophole for private and online sales. The other would have extended the background check review period. Both languished in the 50-50 Senate, where Democrats need at least 10 Republican votes to overcome objections from a filibuster.___

Officials: All those killed at Texas school were in one room

WASHINGTON (AP) — A massive recall is getting most of the blame for the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/baby-formula-shortage-what-to-know-735cef06e68ed9c5a46233bdfcf0573d">baby formula shortage</a>, but experts say the products have long been vulnerable to this type of crisis due to decades-old policies that have allowed a handful of companies to corner the market.

Those government rules — aimed at assuring safe, affordable formula — are getting renewed scrutiny as President Joe Biden’s administration rushes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-government-and-politics-53857b4ba1006a8bf85caad251517f4c">import formula</a>&nbsp;from Europe.

“There’s perfectly good and safe baby formula available around the world. We just don’t have access to it,” said Bindiya Vakil, CEO of Resilinc, a supply chain analytics firm. ”We’ve created this problem by not setting up an infrastructure for imports.”

Federal regulators&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-politics-science-e4aef87dfb74039f1612ca5279e85227">are expected</a>&nbsp;to soon allow Abbott Nutrition to reopen the Michigan plant that’s been closed since February due to contamination problems.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-government-and-politics-1e54ff345ab2a4be93f2e24d991e4450">The factory</a>&nbsp;is the largest of its kind in the U.S. and its shutdown — combined with pandemic-related supply chain problems — hobbled supplies of popular formulas and specialty formulas for children with rare medical conditions.

Lawmakers will hold three hearings on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-business-health-d3e32ba9e2381f77c299391e762abe21">the issue</a>&nbsp;this week, calling on company executives, government regulators and outside experts to testify. The attention could spur changes to government safety and contracting rules that have been in place since the 1980s and favor big U.S. manufacturers that are capable of navigating the complex requirements.

Baby formula is one of the few American products essentially unaffected by globalization, with 98% of the supply manufactured domestically. Four companies account for roughly 90% of the market: Abbott, Reckitt, Nestle and Perrigo, according to industry figures. That consolidation mirrors similar trends across the food industry.

But infant formula wasn’t part of a Biden administration initiative last year spotlighting dangerously concentrated industries, including prescription drugs, airlines, hearing aids and internet services.

Food experts say strict formula regulations set by the Food and Drug Administration have long limited competition.

Beginning in 1980, Congress gave the FDA authority to rigorously enforce the nutritional content of all formula sold in the U.S., imposing extra research and manufacturing standards that have few equivalents worldwide. The changes came after some babies were sickened by deficient formulas in the 1970s.

“They are pretty much the strictest food safety guidelines in the U.S. and America has some of the strictest guidelines in the world,” said Wendy White, a food safety expert at Georgia Tech.

Companies must consult with the FDA before selling a new formula, altering ingredients in an existing one or making major manufacturing changes. The result is only the biggest manufacturers have plants and procedures that comply with federal rules. And would-be competitors have little incentive to enter the field, given the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-pandemics-a19eb76d3c0b6077a7c2d1ae92a4a67f">declining</a>&nbsp;U.S. birth rate.

“You have to have a lot of expertise, a lot of resources and a lot of research dollars,” White said.

There are other hurdles for foreign manufacturers looking to compete. The U.S. has long imposed tariffs and quotas on dairy imports from abroad, including Canada, in order to shield American milk producers from competition.

Responding to political pressure, the Biden administration has begun&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-indianapolis-00f39fd46778ecdd543c22f3630d79ba">airlifting shipments</a>&nbsp;of formula from Europe. The FDA is also waiving some requirements to encourage more imports from overseas manufacturers that are expected to boost supplies in coming weeks.

The biggest driver of the U.S. market, by far, is a massive federal nutrition program that provides formula and other foods to lower-income women and children. The WIC program accounts for more than 50% of the U.S. market, providing formula for more than 1.2 million babies, according to the National WIC Association, which represents state and local administrators who run the benefit.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648164055231.png" alt="In February Abbott, one of the country’s largest infant formula makers announced a recall of Similac-FDA image" />
 <figcaption>In February Abbott, one of the country’s largest infant formula makers announced a recall of Similac-FDA image</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A massive recall is getting most of the blame for the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/baby-formula-shortage-what-to-know-735cef06e68ed9c5a46233bdfcf0573d">baby formula shortage</a>, but experts say the products have long been vulnerable to this type of crisis due to decades-old policies that have allowed a handful of companies to corner the market.Those government rules — aimed at assuring safe, affordable formula — are getting renewed scrutiny as President Joe Biden’s administration rushes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-government-and-politics-53857b4ba1006a8bf85caad251517f4c">import formula</a>&nbsp;from Europe.“There’s perfectly good and safe baby formula available around the world. We just don’t have access to it,” said Bindiya Vakil, CEO of Resilinc, a supply chain analytics firm. ”We’ve created this problem by not setting up an infrastructure for imports.”Federal regulators&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-politics-science-e4aef87dfb74039f1612ca5279e85227">are expected</a>&nbsp;to soon allow Abbott Nutrition to reopen the Michigan plant that’s been closed since February due to contamination problems.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-government-and-politics-1e54ff345ab2a4be93f2e24d991e4450">The factory</a>&nbsp;is the largest of its kind in the U.S. and its shutdown — combined with pandemic-related supply chain problems — hobbled supplies of popular formulas and specialty formulas for children with rare medical conditions.Lawmakers will hold three hearings on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-business-health-d3e32ba9e2381f77c299391e762abe21">the issue</a>&nbsp;this week, calling on company executives, government regulators and outside experts to testify. The attention could spur changes to government safety and contracting rules that have been in place since the 1980s and favor big U.S. manufacturers that are capable of navigating the complex requirements.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653255522967.png" alt="Formula that arrived in the U.S. from Europe Sunday- White House photo" />
 <figcaption>Formula that arrived in the U.S. from Europe Sunday- White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Baby formula is one of the few American products essentially unaffected by globalization, with 98% of the supply manufactured domestically. Four companies account for roughly 90% of the market: Abbott, Reckitt, Nestle and Perrigo, according to industry figures. That consolidation mirrors similar trends across the food industry.But infant formula wasn’t part of a Biden administration initiative last year spotlighting dangerously concentrated industries, including prescription drugs, airlines, hearing aids and internet services.Food experts say strict formula regulations set by the Food and Drug Administration have long limited competition.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653176350929.png" alt="The first pallets from Operation Fly Formula were loaded onto a military plane in Germany Saturday and arrived in the U.S. Sunday. -White House photo" />
 <figcaption>The first pallets from Operation Fly Formula were loaded onto a military plane in Germany Saturday and arrived in the U.S. Sunday. -White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Beginning in 1980, Congress gave the FDA authority to rigorously enforce the nutritional content of all formula sold in the U.S., imposing extra research and manufacturing standards that have few equivalents worldwide. The changes came after some babies were sickened by deficient formulas in the 1970s.“They are pretty much the strictest food safety guidelines in the U.S. and America has some of the strictest guidelines in the world,” said Wendy White, a food safety expert at Georgia Tech.Companies must consult with the FDA before selling a new formula, altering ingredients in an existing one or making major manufacturing changes. The result is only the biggest manufacturers have plants and procedures that comply with federal rules. And would-be competitors have little incentive to enter the field, given the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-pandemics-a19eb76d3c0b6077a7c2d1ae92a4a67f">declining</a>&nbsp;U.S. birth rate.“You have to have a lot of expertise, a lot of resources and a lot of research dollars,” White said.There are other hurdles for foreign manufacturers looking to compete. The U.S. has long imposed tariffs and quotas on dairy imports from abroad, including Canada, in order to shield American milk producers from competition.Responding to political pressure, the Biden administration has begun&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-indianapolis-00f39fd46778ecdd543c22f3630d79ba">airlifting shipments</a>&nbsp;of formula from Europe. The FDA is also waiving some requirements to encourage more imports from overseas manufacturers that are expected to boost supplies in coming weeks.The biggest driver of the U.S. market, by far, is a massive federal nutrition program that provides formula and other foods to lower-income women and children. The WIC program accounts for more than 50% of the U.S. market, providing formula for more than 1.2 million babies, according to the National WIC Association, which represents state and local administrators who run the benefit.Beginning in 1989, federal law has required states to award contracts to a single formula company, based on whichever one can offer the biggest discounts.The effect is that contract winners quickly squeeze out much of the competition on store shelves. Today, all 50 WIC contracts are held by three companies: Abbott, Reckitt and Nestle, according to the association. Abbott is the leader, with 34 state contracts.The competitive effects of these sole-source contracts have been researched for years. A 2011 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that whichever company wins a state’s WIC contract typically sees their market share grow by 74%, on average, as WIC recipients switch to their brand.But not everyone supports overhauling the system. Brian Dittmeier of the National WIC Association says doing away with sole-source contracts would jeopardize the savings that allow the plan to serve so many Americans. Instead he says manufacturers should be held accountable for not investing in their own capacity.“This is a manufacturing failure,” Dittmeier said. “The fact is there just is not enough product to fulfill the demand that manufacturers have drummed up over the years.” His group supports calls by some lawmakers for a federal antitrust investigation into the industry.WIC contracts are generally rebid every four years and market share swings back and forth between the handful of players who compete.Dr. Steven Abrams, a pediatrician at the University of Texas at Austin, says Congress should revisit the WIC program.“We need to take a comprehensive look at where the failures happened and where we can fix them” said Abrams. “We need to consider whether we really want to have a situation where there’s that much dominance in the program.”