In this clever new scam, con artists are getting greedy. Not only are
 they trying to steal your Instagram password, they also are phishing 
for your email log-in. Follow these tips for spotting this tricky scam and protecting your passwords. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

You receive an official-seeming email from Instagram. &nbsp;According to the message, you have violated copyright laws, and your account will be deleted within 24 hours.
 But don’t worry! If you think that Instagram has made a mistake, all 
you need to do is click the button and “verify” your account. Then, you 
are taken to a website that prompts you to input your Instagram 
credentials. Most scams would end there, but not this one!

Immediately, another message appears. This pop-up claims that you must also verify your email address. You’ll
 see a list of e-mail providers. Choose yours, and you’ll be urged to 
enter your email address and password. As a final touch, the scam site 
redirects to the real Instagram website, a trick that “lends additional 
credibility to the scam,” <a href="https://usa.kaspersky.com/blog/instagram-hijack-new-wave/17354/" target="_blank">explains Kaspersky</a>.

On BBB.org, read our tips for spotting scams on <a href="https://www.bbb.org/all/spot-a-scam/how-to-spot-a-scam-email" target="_blank">email</a> and <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/23460-bbb-tip-how-to-spot-a-fake-social-media-account" target="_blank">social media</a>. &nbsp;Read more about how to <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/16758-bbb-tip-phishing-scams" target="_blank">protect yourself from phishing cons</a>. If you’ve been the victim of this or a similar scam, report it to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker" target="_blank">BBB Scam Tracker</a>. Your report can help educate other consumers by raising awareness of scammers’ tactics.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579883951052.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BBBIn this clever new scam, con artists are getting greedy. Not only are
 they trying to steal your Instagram password, they also are phishing 
for your email log-in. Follow these tips for spotting this tricky scam and protecting your passwords. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>How the scam works</h2>You receive an official-seeming email from Instagram. &nbsp;According to the message, you have violated copyright laws, and your account will be deleted within 24 hours.
 But don’t worry! If you think that Instagram has made a mistake, all 
you need to do is click the button and “verify” your account. Then, you 
are taken to a website that prompts you to input your Instagram 
credentials. Most scams would end there, but not this one!Immediately, another message appears. This pop-up claims that you must also verify your email address. You’ll
 see a list of e-mail providers. Choose yours, and you’ll be urged to 
enter your email address and password. As a final touch, the scam site 
redirects to the real Instagram website, a trick that “lends additional 
credibility to the scam,” <a href="https://usa.kaspersky.com/blog/instagram-hijack-new-wave/17354/" target="_blank">explains Kaspersky</a>.<h2>How to spot these scams:&nbsp;</h2><ul>
 <li>Double check the “from” email address and link destinations. Hover over any links in an email you receive to see where the link really leads.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.varonis.com/blog/spot-phishing-scam/" target="_blank">Suspicious links</a>
 are one of the main giveaways of email scams.&nbsp;Also, make sure the 
“from” address is actually from the business it claims to be. &nbsp; </li><li>Understand how businesses handle communications. If
 you know how a company handles disputes and suspicious activity with 
your account, it will be easier to spot a scam. Will they email you? 
Call? Send a text message? </li><li>Look into the claims. Don’t act without first 
verifying the claims. Log into your account or look up the company’s 
official phone number (check your bill or welcome email) and call them 
to confirm that there really is a case of suspicious activity associated
 with your account before you decide what to do. </li><li>Don’t panic and don’t feel intimidated. Scammers 
want you to panic. They may use intimidation tactics, such as claiming 
your account will be shut down in 24 hours, to pressure you into giving 
up your personal information or making payments. Legitimate businesses 
will not intimidate you in this way. Stay calm and think things through 
before you act. </li>
 </ul><h2>For more information</h2>On BBB.org, read our tips for spotting scams on <a href="https://www.bbb.org/all/spot-a-scam/how-to-spot-a-scam-email" target="_blank">email</a> and <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/23460-bbb-tip-how-to-spot-a-fake-social-media-account" target="_blank">social media</a>. &nbsp;Read more about how to <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/16758-bbb-tip-phishing-scams" target="_blank">protect yourself from phishing cons</a>. If you’ve been the victim of this or a similar scam, report it to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker" target="_blank">BBB Scam Tracker</a>. Your report can help educate other consumers by raising awareness of scammers’ tactics.Cover image courtesy Pixabay

Fake copyright email scares Instagram users into sharing passwords

By DOUGLAS SCHULER and LAURA MARIE EDINGER-SCHONS <a href="https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2022/03/10/why-hundreds-of-western-companies-are-abandoning-russia-with-barely-a-shrug/">Courtesy States Newsroom</a>

Many companies in the U.S. and elsewhere have been quick to sever ties to Russia – going well beyond applying the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-28/sanctions-imposed-so-far-on-russia-from-the-u-s-eu-and-u-k">sanctions ordered by their governments</a>.

IKEA, Nike and H&amp;M are <a target="_blank" href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/03/business/ikea-h-and-m-russia/index.html">temporarily closing their Russian stores</a>. Disney, Sony and Warner Bros. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/mar/01/disney-and-warner-bros-pause-film-releases-in-russia-over-ukraine-invasion">paused the release of new films</a> in Russia. Apple, Samsung and Microsoft <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-microsoft-and-other-tech-companies-stop-sales-in-russia/">stopped selling their products there</a>. McKinsey, Ernst &amp; Young and many other top <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/big-auditors-to-leave-russia-amid-invasion-of-ukraine-11646666419?mod=djemCFO">accounting</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ft.com/content/6c412673-d65e-4e75-adbb-08146c42387c">consulting firms</a> said they are leaving the Russian market – possibly for good.

In all, <a target="_blank" href="https://som.yale.edu/story/2022/over-200-companies-have-withdrawn-russia-some-remain">over 300 companies have announced plans</a>
 to close stores, reassign staff or stop selling products in Russia 
since the invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, according to a running tally 
by Yale management professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld. Most recently, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/08/business/mcdonalds-pepsi-coke-russia/index.html">McDonald’s</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/08/business/stocks-economy-inflation-ukraine">Starbucks</a> and Coca-Cola joined the list on March 8, 2022, announcing they would close stores and cease sales.

In some ways, these decisions fit in with a <a target="_blank" href="https://theconversation.com/how-corporate-ceos-found-their-political-voice-83127">recent trend in which companies have increasingly staked out</a>
 public positions on often controversial social and political issues, 
such as restrictions on trans rights and ability to vote. As <a target="_blank" href="https://business.rice.edu/person/douglas-schuler">business professors</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=k7slUggAAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=ao">who study why</a> companies engage in activism, we feel the same factors that have driven those decisions to speak out are at work over Ukraine.

But we also believe Ukraine stands out for one important reason: For 
many of these companies, it may have been one of the easiest stands 
they’ve ever taken – even if there is a financial cost.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.doi.org/10.1177/0022242920937000">Corporate sociopolitical activism</a>
 – the technical term we use – entails companies making public 
declarations or taking actions about significant social or political 
issues that extend beyond their core business.

Until relatively recently, <a target="_blank" href="https://theconversation.com/how-corporate-ceos-found-their-political-voice-83127">companies rarely took stands</a> on social or political issues.

That didn’t really change until the 2000s, when LBGTQ rights were under attack and major companies such as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-walmart-arkansas-analysis-idUSKBN0MT13E20150402">Walmart spoke out</a> against bills that would have allowed discrimination.

Since then, there’s been a <a target="_blank" href="https://qz.com/work/1797058/2020-is-the-year-corporate-activism-and-global-political-risk-converge/">surge in companies taking proactive stands</a> on issues ranging from climate activism and racism to abortion and voting rights.

For example, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis in 2020, hundreds of CEOs <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/11/ceos-unveil-plans-against-racial-inequality-after-george-floyd-death.html">signed a pledge</a> against racial discrimination and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ceoaction.com/purpose/">created an organization dedicated</a> to diversity, equity and inclusion. In 2021, the CEOs of Dell, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and AT&amp;T <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2021/04/02/983709091/these-are-the-businesses-speaking-out-against-texass-newly-proposed-election-law">spoke out against a Texas bill</a> aimed at making it more difficult for citizens to vote.

Others have taken more decisive action. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/08/1035045952/lyft-uber-will-pay-drivers-legal-fees-if-theyre-sued-under-texas-abortion-law">Uber and Lyft</a>
 said they would pay to defend their drivers if they got sued under a 
Texas law that allows anyone to sue a person who helps someone get an 
abortion. And in 2016, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/27/bathroom-bill-to-cost-north-carolina-376-billion.html">PayPal and the NCAA pulled business</a> from North Carolina after the state passed a bill limiting LGBTQ protections.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/great-expectations-navigating-challenging-stakeholder-expectations-of-brandsexpectations-of-brands">Surveys show</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/publication/documents/2021-11/ipsos-global-trends-2021-report.pdf">today’s consumers expect</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.5wpr.com/new/wp-content/uploads/pdf/5W_consumer_culture_report_2020final.pdf">companies to live up</a> to the <a target="_blank" href="https://certusinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Markstein-Social-Responsibility-_-Certus-Insights-Research-_.pdf">values they espouse</a> in their press releases, and big corporate groups such as the Business Roundtable even began <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessroundtable.org/business-roundtable-redefines-the-purpose-of-a-corporation-to-promote-an-economy-that-serves-all-americans">urging companies</a> to focus on creating value for everyone – not just shareholders.

More specifically, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.econbiz.de/Record/don-t-mix-business-with-politics-understanding-stakeholder-reactions-to-corporate-political-activism-appels-moritz/10012303252">research</a> has identified <a target="_blank" href="https://www.doi.org/10.5465/amr.2018.0084">three major factors</a> that typically drive a company’s decision to pursue corporate activism: employee beliefs, consumer pressure and the <a target="_blank" href="https://hbr.org/2018/01/the-new-ceo-activists">CEO’s personal involvement</a> or conviction.

It’s not always clear what is driving corporate decisions to suspend 
operations in Russia, but it seems as if all three factors are at play.

IKEA, for example, <a target="_blank" href="https://about.ikea.com/en/newsroom/2022/03/03/ikea-pauses-operations-in-russia-and-belarus">cited the support and security</a>
 of its workforce in announcing its “pause” in Russia and a donation of 
20 million euros for humanitarian assistance for those displaced by the 
war. After a #BoycottMcDonald’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mashed.com/789748/heres-why-boycott-mcdonalds-is-trending-on-twitter/">began trending on Twitter</a>
 to protest its presence in Russia, the fast-food chain said it was 
temporarily closing its stores there. And Tesla CEO Elon Musk <a target="_blank" href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22958373/ukraine-russia-starlink-spacex-elon-musk">agreed to provide Ukraine</a> with free satellite internet after a Ukrainian official requested it on Twitter.

But ultimately, the decision whether or not to sever a relationship 
with a country – even if temporarily – is very different from taking a 
stand on an anti-trans measure.

Even so, the speed with which U.S. and other Western companies have 
abandoned Russia is something we’ve never seen in our lifetimes. And it 
suggests the decision was likely a no-brainer.

For one thing, Russia’s invasion has been met with widespread 
revulsion in the West. And even before the war, the public’s perception 
of Russia in Western countries <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/02/07/russia-and-putin-receive-low-ratings-globally">was very low</a>.

One post-invasion poll found that 86% of Americans <a target="_blank" href="https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3837">saw the invasion as unjustified</a> – with broad bipartisan agreement – and another showed that half of the respondents would <a target="_blank" href="https://www.live5news.com/2022/03/07/poll-finds-majority-want-russian-oil-ban-divided-biden/">compare the actions of Vladimir Putin</a> with those of Adolf Hitler.

And governments including those like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dw.com/en/german-chancellor-olaf-scholz-announces-paradigm-change-in-response-to-ukraine-invasion/a-60932652">Germany</a>
 that have close commercial ties to Russia have strongly condemned its 
actions and joined unprecedented sanctions. About 80% of Germans said 
they approved of their government’s decision to sanction Russia and 
export weapons to Ukraine – or said it didn’t go far enough.

Ultimately, the Russian market is just not that big for companies in the U.S, such as <a target="_blank" href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/03/04/what-apple-risks-by-stopping-all-sales-operations-in-russia">Apple</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://deadline.com/2022/03/disney-ukraine-theme-parks-disneyplus-1234973007/">Disney</a>. For others, such as McDonald’s, which has been <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-08/mcdonald-s-faces-tough-questions-with-large-exposure-to-russia?sref=Hjm5biAW">in Russia since 1990 and has about 850 locations there</a>, days of pressure finally persuaded company officials they had to pull out.

On many hot-button social issues like <a target="_blank" href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/350174/mixed-views-among-americans-transgender-issues.aspx">trans rights</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/09/13/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns/">gun control</a>, the general public is split almost right down the middle, meaning taking a stand could alienate a lot of consumers.

But on the issue of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many companies likely were more worried about the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/mcdonalds-us-brands-pressure-stop-business-russia-rcna18990">risks to their reputation</a>
 were they to do nothing. With so many other companies pulling out, it 
likely seemed better to explain to shareholders and customers back home <a target="_blank" href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/02/business/companies-pulling-back-russia-ukraine-war-intl-hnk/index.html">why they’re leaving</a> than <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60660006">why they’re staying</a>.

This article is republished from <a target="_blank" href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a target="_blank" href="https://theconversation.com/why-apple-disney-ikea-and-hundreds-of-other-western-companies-are-abandoning-russia-with-barely-a-shrug-178516">original article</a>.

Associate Professor of Business and Public Policy, Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University

Professor of Sustainable Business, University of Mannheim

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646948339628.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By DOUGLAS SCHULER and LAURA MARIE EDINGER-SCHONS <a href="https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2022/03/10/why-hundreds-of-western-companies-are-abandoning-russia-with-barely-a-shrug/">Courtesy States Newsroom</a>Many companies in the U.S. and elsewhere have been quick to sever ties to Russia – going well beyond applying the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-28/sanctions-imposed-so-far-on-russia-from-the-u-s-eu-and-u-k">sanctions ordered by their governments</a>.IKEA, Nike and H&amp;M are <a target="_blank" href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/03/business/ikea-h-and-m-russia/index.html">temporarily closing their Russian stores</a>. Disney, Sony and Warner Bros. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/mar/01/disney-and-warner-bros-pause-film-releases-in-russia-over-ukraine-invasion">paused the release of new films</a> in Russia. Apple, Samsung and Microsoft <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-microsoft-and-other-tech-companies-stop-sales-in-russia/">stopped selling their products there</a>. McKinsey, Ernst &amp; Young and many other top <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/big-auditors-to-leave-russia-amid-invasion-of-ukraine-11646666419?mod=djemCFO">accounting</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ft.com/content/6c412673-d65e-4e75-adbb-08146c42387c">consulting firms</a> said they are leaving the Russian market – possibly for good.In all, <a target="_blank" href="https://som.yale.edu/story/2022/over-200-companies-have-withdrawn-russia-some-remain">over 300 companies have announced plans</a>
 to close stores, reassign staff or stop selling products in Russia 
since the invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, according to a running tally 
by Yale management professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld. Most recently, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/08/business/mcdonalds-pepsi-coke-russia/index.html">McDonald’s</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/08/business/stocks-economy-inflation-ukraine">Starbucks</a> and Coca-Cola joined the list on March 8, 2022, announcing they would close stores and cease sales.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>In some ways, these decisions fit in with a <a target="_blank" href="https://theconversation.com/how-corporate-ceos-found-their-political-voice-83127">recent trend in which companies have increasingly staked out</a>
 public positions on often controversial social and political issues, 
such as restrictions on trans rights and ability to vote. As <a target="_blank" href="https://business.rice.edu/person/douglas-schuler">business professors</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=k7slUggAAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=ao">who study why</a> companies engage in activism, we feel the same factors that have driven those decisions to speak out are at work over Ukraine.But we also believe Ukraine stands out for one important reason: For 
many of these companies, it may have been one of the easiest stands 
they’ve ever taken – even if there is a financial cost.<h2>Taking a stand</h2><a target="_blank" href="https://www.doi.org/10.1177/0022242920937000">Corporate sociopolitical activism</a>
 – the technical term we use – entails companies making public 
declarations or taking actions about significant social or political 
issues that extend beyond their core business.Until relatively recently, <a target="_blank" href="https://theconversation.com/how-corporate-ceos-found-their-political-voice-83127">companies rarely took stands</a> on social or political issues.That didn’t really change until the 2000s, when LBGTQ rights were under attack and major companies such as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-walmart-arkansas-analysis-idUSKBN0MT13E20150402">Walmart spoke out</a> against bills that would have allowed discrimination.Since then, there’s been a <a target="_blank" href="https://qz.com/work/1797058/2020-is-the-year-corporate-activism-and-global-political-risk-converge/">surge in companies taking proactive stands</a> on issues ranging from climate activism and racism to abortion and voting rights.For example, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis in 2020, hundreds of CEOs <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/11/ceos-unveil-plans-against-racial-inequality-after-george-floyd-death.html">signed a pledge</a> against racial discrimination and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ceoaction.com/purpose/">created an organization dedicated</a> to diversity, equity and inclusion. In 2021, the CEOs of Dell, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and AT&amp;T <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2021/04/02/983709091/these-are-the-businesses-speaking-out-against-texass-newly-proposed-election-law">spoke out against a Texas bill</a> aimed at making it more difficult for citizens to vote.Others have taken more decisive action. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/08/1035045952/lyft-uber-will-pay-drivers-legal-fees-if-theyre-sued-under-texas-abortion-law">Uber and Lyft</a>
 said they would pay to defend their drivers if they got sued under a 
Texas law that allows anyone to sue a person who helps someone get an 
abortion. And in 2016, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/27/bathroom-bill-to-cost-north-carolina-376-billion.html">PayPal and the NCAA pulled business</a> from North Carolina after the state passed a bill limiting LGBTQ protections.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/great-expectations-navigating-challenging-stakeholder-expectations-of-brandsexpectations-of-brands">Surveys show</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/publication/documents/2021-11/ipsos-global-trends-2021-report.pdf">today’s consumers expect</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.5wpr.com/new/wp-content/uploads/pdf/5W_consumer_culture_report_2020final.pdf">companies to live up</a> to the <a target="_blank" href="https://certusinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Markstein-Social-Responsibility-_-Certus-Insights-Research-_.pdf">values they espouse</a> in their press releases, and big corporate groups such as the Business Roundtable even began <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessroundtable.org/business-roundtable-redefines-the-purpose-of-a-corporation-to-promote-an-economy-that-serves-all-americans">urging companies</a> to focus on creating value for everyone – not just shareholders.<h2>Why companies speak out</h2>More specifically, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.econbiz.de/Record/don-t-mix-business-with-politics-understanding-stakeholder-reactions-to-corporate-political-activism-appels-moritz/10012303252">research</a> has identified <a target="_blank" href="https://www.doi.org/10.5465/amr.2018.0084">three major factors</a> that typically drive a company’s decision to pursue corporate activism: employee beliefs, consumer pressure and the <a target="_blank" href="https://hbr.org/2018/01/the-new-ceo-activists">CEO’s personal involvement</a> or conviction.It’s not always clear what is driving corporate decisions to suspend 
operations in Russia, but it seems as if all three factors are at play.IKEA, for example, <a target="_blank" href="https://about.ikea.com/en/newsroom/2022/03/03/ikea-pauses-operations-in-russia-and-belarus">cited the support and security</a>
 of its workforce in announcing its “pause” in Russia and a donation of 
20 million euros for humanitarian assistance for those displaced by the 
war. After a #BoycottMcDonald’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mashed.com/789748/heres-why-boycott-mcdonalds-is-trending-on-twitter/">began trending on Twitter</a>
 to protest its presence in Russia, the fast-food chain said it was 
temporarily closing its stores there. And Tesla CEO Elon Musk <a target="_blank" href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22958373/ukraine-russia-starlink-spacex-elon-musk">agreed to provide Ukraine</a> with free satellite internet after a Ukrainian official requested it on Twitter.<h2>A corporate no-brainer</h2>But ultimately, the decision whether or not to sever a relationship 
with a country – even if temporarily – is very different from taking a 
stand on an anti-trans measure.Even so, the speed with which U.S. and other Western companies have 
abandoned Russia is something we’ve never seen in our lifetimes. And it 
suggests the decision was likely a no-brainer.For one thing, Russia’s invasion has been met with widespread 
revulsion in the West. And even before the war, the public’s perception 
of Russia in Western countries <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/02/07/russia-and-putin-receive-low-ratings-globally">was very low</a>.One post-invasion poll found that 86% of Americans <a target="_blank" href="https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3837">saw the invasion as unjustified</a> – with broad bipartisan agreement – and another showed that half of the respondents would <a target="_blank" href="https://www.live5news.com/2022/03/07/poll-finds-majority-want-russian-oil-ban-divided-biden/">compare the actions of Vladimir Putin</a> with those of Adolf Hitler.And governments including those like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dw.com/en/german-chancellor-olaf-scholz-announces-paradigm-change-in-response-to-ukraine-invasion/a-60932652">Germany</a>
 that have close commercial ties to Russia have strongly condemned its 
actions and joined unprecedented sanctions. About 80% of Germans said 
they approved of their government’s decision to sanction Russia and 
export weapons to Ukraine – or said it didn’t go far enough.Ultimately, the Russian market is just not that big for companies in the U.S, such as <a target="_blank" href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/03/04/what-apple-risks-by-stopping-all-sales-operations-in-russia">Apple</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://deadline.com/2022/03/disney-ukraine-theme-parks-disneyplus-1234973007/">Disney</a>. For others, such as McDonald’s, which has been <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-08/mcdonald-s-faces-tough-questions-with-large-exposure-to-russia?sref=Hjm5biAW">in Russia since 1990 and has about 850 locations there</a>, days of pressure finally persuaded company officials they had to pull out.On many hot-button social issues like <a target="_blank" href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/350174/mixed-views-among-americans-transgender-issues.aspx">trans rights</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/09/13/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns/">gun control</a>, the general public is split almost right down the middle, meaning taking a stand could alienate a lot of consumers.But on the issue of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many companies likely were more worried about the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/mcdonalds-us-brands-pressure-stop-business-russia-rcna18990">risks to their reputation</a>
 were they to do nothing. With so many other companies pulling out, it 
likely seemed better to explain to shareholders and customers back home <a target="_blank" href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/02/business/companies-pulling-back-russia-ukraine-war-intl-hnk/index.html">why they’re leaving</a> than <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60660006">why they’re staying</a>.This article is republished from <a target="_blank" href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a target="_blank" href="https://theconversation.com/why-apple-disney-ikea-and-hundreds-of-other-western-companies-are-abandoning-russia-with-barely-a-shrug-178516">original article</a>.<h2>Douglas Schuler</h2>Associate Professor of Business and Public Policy, Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University<h2>Laura Marie Edinger-Schons</h2>Professor of Sustainable Business, University of Mannheim

OPINION: Western companies abandoning Russia with barely a shrug

BENNINGTON, Neb. (AP) — Douglas County officials say one person was killed and another seriously injured when an attempt to cut down a tree at a construction site northwest of Omaha went wrong.

 Deputies and firefighters were called Wednesday afternoon to the scene just south of the Omaha suburb of Bennington. 

A person called 911 to say a tree that was being cut down fell the wrong way, crushing one worker to death. 

The injured worker was taken to an Omaha hospital with severe leg injuries.

 Authorities have not released the names of the person killed or the man injured.

By Associated PressBENNINGTON, Neb. (AP) — Douglas County officials say one person was killed and another seriously injured when an attempt to cut down a tree at a construction site northwest of Omaha went wrong. Deputies and firefighters were called Wednesday afternoon to the scene just south of the Omaha suburb of Bennington. A person called 911 to say a tree that was being cut down fell the wrong way, crushing one worker to death. The injured worker was taken to an Omaha hospital with severe leg injuries. Authorities have not released the names of the person killed or the man injured.

Officials: 1 killed, 1 injured when tree cutting goes wrong

LA VISTA, Neb. (AP) — Police in suburban Omaha have identified two people killed in a seven-vehicle crash at a busy intersection southwest of Omaha. 

Police say 76-year-old Dale Starry and 28-year-old Marina Krol, both of La Vista, died in the pileup at a La Vista intersection. 

Police Chief Bob Lausten tells station WOWT that Starry was speeding northbound on 72nd Street when he slammed into the back of another vehicle, causing a chain reaction.

 Krol was in one of the other vehicles hit. 

Lausten says investigators have obtained video evidence from the area in the minutes before the crash and have interviewed witnesses.

By Associated PressLA VISTA, Neb. (AP) — Police in suburban Omaha have identified two people killed in a seven-vehicle crash at a busy intersection southwest of Omaha. Police say 76-year-old Dale Starry and 28-year-old Marina Krol, both of La Vista, died in the pileup at a La Vista intersection. Police Chief Bob Lausten tells station WOWT that Starry was speeding northbound on 72nd Street when he slammed into the back of another vehicle, causing a chain reaction. Krol was in one of the other vehicles hit. Lausten says investigators have obtained video evidence from the area in the minutes before the crash and have interviewed witnesses.

Police identify 2 killed in 7-car crash southwest of Omaha

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Three directors at newspaper publisher Lee Enterprises have been reelected over the objections of the hedge fund that has been trying to buy the company since last fall. 

Lee says its chairman, CEO and lead independent director were all reelected as expected at its annual meeting Thursday, with each receiving support from more than 70% of the votes cast. 

Alden Global Capital had urged shareholders to vote against two of those directors after a judge blocked its effort to nominate its own directors.

 Alden, which already owns more than 200 newspapers, probably won’t abandon its effort to buy Lee after this latest setback, but it wasn’t immediately clear what the New York-based hedge fund might try next.

By Associated PressOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Three directors at newspaper publisher Lee Enterprises have been reelected over the objections of the hedge fund that has been trying to buy the company since last fall. Lee says its chairman, CEO and lead independent director were all reelected as expected at its annual meeting Thursday, with each receiving support from more than 70% of the votes cast. Alden Global Capital had urged shareholders to vote against two of those directors after a judge blocked its effort to nominate its own directors. Alden, which already owns more than 200 newspapers, probably won’t abandon its effort to buy Lee after this latest setback, but it wasn’t immediately clear what the New York-based hedge fund might try next.

Lee Enterprises directors reelected despite hedge fund fight

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is developing guidance that will ease the nationwide mask mandate on airplanes, buses and other mass transit next month, according to a U.S. official, but the existing face covering requirement will be extended through April 18.

The requirement, which is enforced by the Transportation Security Administration, had been set to expire on March 18, but was extended by a month to allow the public health agency time to develop new, more targeted policies. The requirement extends to planes, buses, trains and transit hubs.

According to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the announcement head of time, the CDC is developing a “revised policy framework” for when masks should be required on transit systems based off its newly released “COVID-19 community levels” metric.

As of March 3 more than 90% of the U.S. population is in a location with low or medium COVID-19 Community Levels, where public face-masking is no longer recommended in indoor settings.

“We have to look not only at the science with regard to transmission in masks but also the epidemiology and the frequency that we may encounter a variant of concern or a variant of interest in our travel corridors,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on March 2, explaining why the agency was delaying removing the requirement for transit but allowed people to gather maskless in movie theaters and sports arenas.

News of the extension and policy review was first reported by Reuters.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is developing guidance that will ease the nationwide mask mandate on airplanes, buses and other mass transit next month, according to a U.S. official, but the existing face covering requirement will be extended through April 18.The requirement, which is enforced by the Transportation Security Administration, had been set to expire on March 18, but was extended by a month to allow the public health agency time to develop new, more targeted policies. The requirement extends to planes, buses, trains and transit hubs.According to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the announcement head of time, the CDC is developing a “revised policy framework” for when masks should be required on transit systems based off its newly released “COVID-19 community levels” metric.As of March 3 more than 90% of the U.S. population is in a location with low or medium COVID-19 Community Levels, where public face-masking is no longer recommended in indoor settings.“We have to look not only at the science with regard to transmission in masks but also the epidemiology and the frequency that we may encounter a variant of concern or a variant of interest in our travel corridors,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on March 2, explaining why the agency was delaying removing the requirement for transit but allowed people to gather maskless in movie theaters and sports arenas.News of the extension and policy review was first reported by Reuters.

CDC extends mask mandate on public transportation

By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/perkins-county-canal-project-moves-forward-amid-questions-about-final-cost/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN
 — After an afternoon-long debate, state lawmakers advanced a 
controversial proposal to begin designing a $500-million canal to divert
 water from the South Platte River.

Legislative Bill 1015, introduced on behalf of Gov. Pete Ricketts, advanced from first-round debate on a 36-3 vote. 

But
 there were questions about why the long-forgotten Perkins County Canal,
 which was abandoned in the 1920s, had now become a state priority.

“This thing’s one hundred years old. All of a sudden, we have this urgency,” said State Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha.

Ricketts
 and other supporters have resurrected the canal project, saying that 
unless it is built, Colorado will suck up the flows of the South Platte 
River for development on the Front Range. That would reduce flows for 
irrigation and wildlife in Nebraska.

Supporters
 of the canal, which would begin in Colorado, maintain that the only way
 to capture the off-season flows Nebraska was granted via a 1923 water 
compact with Colorado is to build the Perkins County Canal, which is 
enshrined in the compact.

But
 the Appropriations Committee, which writes the state budget, has 
recommended only about $53 million to do design work on the canal 
project. State Sen. John Stinner of Gering, the chairman of that 
committee, said it would be fiscally irresponsible to commit $500 
million to the canal — one of the most expensive construction projects 
in state history — without more study.

Lathrop
 also questioned whether $500 million would be enough to complete the 
canal and whether lawmakers would be abandoning other state priorities, 
such as tax cuts, in favor of the canal.

Sen.
 Mike Flood of Norfolk defended the project, saying water is the 
lifeblood of the state. He said passing the bill would signal to 
Colorado “how serious we are about water.”

Venango
 Sen. Dan Hughes, who chose LB 1023 as his priority bill, said that 
unless Nebraska exercises its right to the waters of the South Platte, 
it will be soaked up by Colorado. The Front Range, he said, is projected
 to double in population in the next 30 years.&nbsp;

“If we don’t build this canal, that water will go away. It will be lost to use forever,” Hughes said.

The bill faces two more rounds of debate. The issue could also come up when the Legislature debates the state budget.

Nebraska Examiner senior reporter Paul Hammel contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646924133522.png" alt="Work on the Perkins County Canal near Ovid, Colorado began in 1894, but the project halted after running out of money. (Courtesy of the Perkins County Historical Society)" />
 <figcaption>Work on the Perkins County Canal near Ovid, Colorado began in 1894, but the project halted after running out of money. (Courtesy of the Perkins County Historical Society)</figcaption>
 </figure>By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/perkins-county-canal-project-moves-forward-amid-questions-about-final-cost/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN
 — After an afternoon-long debate, state lawmakers advanced a 
controversial proposal to begin designing a $500-million canal to divert
 water from the South Platte River.Legislative Bill 1015, introduced on behalf of Gov. Pete Ricketts, advanced from first-round debate on a 36-3 vote. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646924202283.png" alt="Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>But
 there were questions about why the long-forgotten Perkins County Canal,
 which was abandoned in the 1920s, had now become a state priority.“This thing’s one hundred years old. All of a sudden, we have this urgency,” said State Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha.<h2>Compact granted flows</h2>Ricketts
 and other supporters have resurrected the canal project, saying that 
unless it is built, Colorado will suck up the flows of the South Platte 
River for development on the Front Range. That would reduce flows for 
irrigation and wildlife in Nebraska.Supporters
 of the canal, which would begin in Colorado, maintain that the only way
 to capture the off-season flows Nebraska was granted via a 1923 water 
compact with Colorado is to build the Perkins County Canal, which is 
enshrined in the compact.<h2>$53 million proposed</h2>But
 the Appropriations Committee, which writes the state budget, has 
recommended only about $53 million to do design work on the canal 
project. State Sen. John Stinner of Gering, the chairman of that 
committee, said it would be fiscally irresponsible to commit $500 
million to the canal — one of the most expensive construction projects 
in state history — without more study.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646924229718.png" alt="State Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango (Courtesy of Unicameral Information Office)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango (Courtesy of Unicameral Information Office)</figcaption>
 </figure>Lathrop
 also questioned whether $500 million would be enough to complete the 
canal and whether lawmakers would be abandoning other state priorities, 
such as tax cuts, in favor of the canal.Sen.
 Mike Flood of Norfolk defended the project, saying water is the 
lifeblood of the state. He said passing the bill would signal to 
Colorado “how serious we are about water.”Venango
 Sen. Dan Hughes, who chose LB 1023 as his priority bill, said that 
unless Nebraska exercises its right to the waters of the South Platte, 
it will be soaked up by Colorado. The Front Range, he said, is projected
 to double in population in the next 30 years.&nbsp;“If we don’t build this canal, that water will go away. It will be lost to use forever,” Hughes said.The bill faces two more rounds of debate. The issue could also come up when the Legislature debates the state budget.Nebraska Examiner senior reporter Paul Hammel contributed to this report.

Perkins Co. canal project moves forward amid questions about cost

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House approved a massive spending bill Wednesday night that would rush $13.6 billion in U.S. aid to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-business-europe-evacuations-2f94db1fa8cb96c47d7885efafbf4e79">battered Ukraine and its European allies,&nbsp;</a>after top Democrats were forced to abruptly drop their plan to include fresh funds to battle COVID-19.

Passage of the Ukraine aid and the $1.5 trillion government-wide legislation carrying it let both parties lay claim to election-year victories for their priorities. Democrats won treasured domestic initiatives, Republicans achieved defense boosts, and both got their imprint on funds to counter Russia’s brutal invasion of its western neighbor. Senate approval was assured by week’s end or perhaps slightly longer.

Hours earlier, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had to abandon the bill’s $15.6 billion for combating the pandemic, a decision she called “heartbreaking” and that spelled&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-congress-e7e8b60780867d86ae5005b74edc864f">defeat for a top priority of President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and party leaders. The money was mostly to bolster U.S. supplies of vaccines, treatments and tests and battle the disease around the world, but a Democratic revolt over Republican-demanded state aid cuts to cover the new initiatives’ costs forced her to scrap that spending.

“We’ve got a war going on in Ukraine,” Pelosi told reporters, explaining the urgency Democrats felt in making concessions in bargaining with Republicans. “We have important work that we’re doing here.” She said with her party in the 50-50 Senate needing at least 10 GOP votes to pass legislation, Democrats “are going to have to know there has to be compromise.”

The House approved the overall bill in two separate votes. The measure’s security programs were overwhelmingly approved by 361-69, the rest by 260-171, with most Republicans opposed.

The Ukraine aid included $6.5 billion for the U.S. costs of sending troops and weapons to Eastern Europe and equipping allied forces there in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion and bellicose threats. There was another $6.8 billion to care for refugees and provide economic aid to allies, and more to help federal agencies enforce economic sanctions against Russia and protect against cyber threats at home.

Biden had requested $10 billion for Ukraine.

Pelosi said she talked to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for 45 minutes Wednesday. She said they discussed the weapons and other assistance his country needs and “the crimes against humanity that Putin is committing,” including a Russian airstrike that destroyed a maternity hospital. “This is the beast that Putin is,” Pelosi said.

While enmity toward Putin and a desire to send assistance to the region is virtually universal in Congress, lawmakers have had a harder time finding unity on other steps. In one area where both parties were eager to demonstrate action, the House voted 414-17 to banning Russian oil imports, a prohibition that Biden imposed this week.

Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., called the $1.5 trillion measure a “reasonable compromise” and said its extra defense spending was “clearly necessary in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine.”

In a remarkable and widespread rank-and-file rebellion, Democratic lawmakers froze the House into inactivity for most of Wednesday. Their demand: a refusal to accept Republicans’ insistence that the new COVID-19 spending be paid for with cuts in previously enacted pandemic aid to 30 states.

Pelosi eventually relented and decided to remove all pandemic spending from the government-wide, $1.5 trillion package. That underscored the pressure Congress feels to help Ukraine resist Russia before it’s too late and to help nearby nations bolster their militaries and absorb over 2 million refugees fleeing the fighting.

The House planned to vote next week on a separate measure providing the full $15.6 billion for pandemic programs, without cutting state aid. It was expected to pass but to likely face fatal GOP opposition in the Senate.

The $1.5 trillion measure and its 2,741 pages would keep agencies functioning through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. Since it began Oct. 1, the government has functioned on short-term measures that prevented federal shutdowns but held programs to levels agreed to under President Donald Trump.

Democrats won a 6.7% increase over last year in domestic programs, to a total of $730 billion. Republicans were able to boost defense programs to $782 billion, a 5.6% increase.

Last spring, Biden proposed increases of 16% for domestic and just 2% for defense programs for this year. Neither was realistic because of Democrats’ tiny congressional majorities.

Since then, Russia’s pummeling of Ukraine made it impossible for Democrats to resist defense increases. And the relentless pandemic, families’ growing costs from inflation and collapse of Biden’s huge social and environment bill made it harder to stop Democrats’ domestic boosts.

The bill would increase spending for child nutrition and child care, local law enforcement, improving broadband in rural areas, and education aid for disabled students and historically black colleges and universities.

The IRS would get an infusion to whittle down a backlog of tax returns. There would be boosts for veterans’ medical care, biomedical research and processing migrants entering the U.S. at the southwestern border.

“For the first time in a long time, I believe we’ve shown just how government can work for working people,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., chair of the House Appropriations Committee.

The measure retains strict decades-old curbs against using federal money for nearly all abortions. It has $300 million in military assistance for Ukraine and $300 million to help nearby countries like the Baltic nations and Poland. Service members would get 2.7% pay raises, and Navy shipbuilding would get a boost in a counter to China.

More money would be spent to prevent and respond to sexual assaults in the military. There was also language saying a plaque should be installed outside the Capitol listing all police officers who battled Trump supporters who attacked the building on Jan. 6, 2021.

Helping propel the bill to approval were thousands of hometown projects for both parties’ lawmakers. In the House alone, there were 2,021 such projects for Democrats worth $2.5 billion, and 706 worth $1.7 billion for Republicans, according to figures from that chamber. Totals for Senate projects were not immediately available.

These expenditures, once called earmarks but now dubbed community projects, were ubiquitous until Congress banned them in 2011, but revived in more limited form this year. This legislation includes money for an agricultural education program in Vermont, a water project in central California and money for the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library in Starkville, Mississippi.

As a backstop against delays, the House by voice vote passed a bill keeping government agencies afloat through Tuesday. Agencies would have to start shutting down Saturday if the Senate doesn’t complete the $1.5 trillion package.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646882942433.png" alt="Hours earlier, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had to abandon the bill’s $15.6 billion for combating the pandemic, a decision she called “heartbreaking”-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Hours earlier, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had to abandon the bill’s $15.6 billion for combating the pandemic, a decision she called “heartbreaking”-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The House approved a massive spending bill Wednesday night that would rush $13.6 billion in U.S. aid to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-business-europe-evacuations-2f94db1fa8cb96c47d7885efafbf4e79">battered Ukraine and its European allies,&nbsp;</a>after top Democrats were forced to abruptly drop their plan to include fresh funds to battle COVID-19.Passage of the Ukraine aid and the $1.5 trillion government-wide legislation carrying it let both parties lay claim to election-year victories for their priorities. Democrats won treasured domestic initiatives, Republicans achieved defense boosts, and both got their imprint on funds to counter Russia’s brutal invasion of its western neighbor. Senate approval was assured by week’s end or perhaps slightly longer.Hours earlier, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had to abandon the bill’s $15.6 billion for combating the pandemic, a decision she called “heartbreaking” and that spelled&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-congress-e7e8b60780867d86ae5005b74edc864f">defeat for a top priority of President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and party leaders. The money was mostly to bolster U.S. supplies of vaccines, treatments and tests and battle the disease around the world, but a Democratic revolt over Republican-demanded state aid cuts to cover the new initiatives’ costs forced her to scrap that spending.“We’ve got a war going on in Ukraine,” Pelosi told reporters, explaining the urgency Democrats felt in making concessions in bargaining with Republicans. “We have important work that we’re doing here.” She said with her party in the 50-50 Senate needing at least 10 GOP votes to pass legislation, Democrats “are going to have to know there has to be compromise.”The House approved the overall bill in two separate votes. The measure’s security programs were overwhelmingly approved by 361-69, the rest by 260-171, with most Republicans opposed.The Ukraine aid included $6.5 billion for the U.S. costs of sending troops and weapons to Eastern Europe and equipping allied forces there in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion and bellicose threats. There was another $6.8 billion to care for refugees and provide economic aid to allies, and more to help federal agencies enforce economic sanctions against Russia and protect against cyber threats at home.Biden had requested $10 billion for Ukraine.Pelosi said she talked to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for 45 minutes Wednesday. She said they discussed the weapons and other assistance his country needs and “the crimes against humanity that Putin is committing,” including a Russian airstrike that destroyed a maternity hospital. “This is the beast that Putin is,” Pelosi said.While enmity toward Putin and a desire to send assistance to the region is virtually universal in Congress, lawmakers have had a harder time finding unity on other steps. In one area where both parties were eager to demonstrate action, the House voted 414-17 to banning Russian oil imports, a prohibition that Biden imposed this week.Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., called the $1.5 trillion measure a “reasonable compromise” and said its extra defense spending was “clearly necessary in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine.”In a remarkable and widespread rank-and-file rebellion, Democratic lawmakers froze the House into inactivity for most of Wednesday. Their demand: a refusal to accept Republicans’ insistence that the new COVID-19 spending be paid for with cuts in previously enacted pandemic aid to 30 states.Pelosi eventually relented and decided to remove all pandemic spending from the government-wide, $1.5 trillion package. That underscored the pressure Congress feels to help Ukraine resist Russia before it’s too late and to help nearby nations bolster their militaries and absorb over 2 million refugees fleeing the fighting.The House planned to vote next week on a separate measure providing the full $15.6 billion for pandemic programs, without cutting state aid. It was expected to pass but to likely face fatal GOP opposition in the Senate.The $1.5 trillion measure and its 2,741 pages would keep agencies functioning through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. Since it began Oct. 1, the government has functioned on short-term measures that prevented federal shutdowns but held programs to levels agreed to under President Donald Trump.Democrats won a 6.7% increase over last year in domestic programs, to a total of $730 billion. Republicans were able to boost defense programs to $782 billion, a 5.6% increase.Last spring, Biden proposed increases of 16% for domestic and just 2% for defense programs for this year. Neither was realistic because of Democrats’ tiny congressional majorities.Since then, Russia’s pummeling of Ukraine made it impossible for Democrats to resist defense increases. And the relentless pandemic, families’ growing costs from inflation and collapse of Biden’s huge social and environment bill made it harder to stop Democrats’ domestic boosts.The bill would increase spending for child nutrition and child care, local law enforcement, improving broadband in rural areas, and education aid for disabled students and historically black colleges and universities.The IRS would get an infusion to whittle down a backlog of tax returns. There would be boosts for veterans’ medical care, biomedical research and processing migrants entering the U.S. at the southwestern border.“For the first time in a long time, I believe we’ve shown just how government can work for working people,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., chair of the House Appropriations Committee.The measure retains strict decades-old curbs against using federal money for nearly all abortions. It has $300 million in military assistance for Ukraine and $300 million to help nearby countries like the Baltic nations and Poland. Service members would get 2.7% pay raises, and Navy shipbuilding would get a boost in a counter to China.More money would be spent to prevent and respond to sexual assaults in the military. There was also language saying a plaque should be installed outside the Capitol listing all police officers who battled Trump supporters who attacked the building on Jan. 6, 2021.Helping propel the bill to approval were thousands of hometown projects for both parties’ lawmakers. In the House alone, there were 2,021 such projects for Democrats worth $2.5 billion, and 706 worth $1.7 billion for Republicans, according to figures from that chamber. Totals for Senate projects were not immediately available.These expenditures, once called earmarks but now dubbed community projects, were ubiquitous until Congress banned them in 2011, but revived in more limited form this year. This legislation includes money for an agricultural education program in Vermont, a water project in central California and money for the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library in Starkville, Mississippi.As a backstop against delays, the House by voice vote passed a bill keeping government agencies afloat through Tuesday. Agencies would have to start shutting down Saturday if the Senate doesn’t complete the $1.5 trillion package.___

After pandemic funding fight House OKs $13.6B for Ukraine, $1.5T spending bill

GENEVA (AP) —An expert group convened by the World Health Organization said Tuesday it “strongly supports urgent and broad access” to booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine amid the global spread of omicron, capping a reversal of the U.N. agency’s repeated insistence last year that boosters weren’t necessary for healthy people and contributed to vaccine inequity.

In a statement, WHO said its expert group concluded that immunization with authorized COVID-19 vaccines provide high levels of protection against severe disease and death amid the continuing spread of the hugely contagious omicron variant. WHO eased back on its earlier position in January by saying boosters were recommended once countries had adequate supplies and after protecting their most vulnerable.

It said vaccination, including the use of boosters, was especially important for people at risk of severe disease.

Last year, WHO’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-united-nations-world-health-organization-6384ff91c399679824311ac26e3c768a">moratorium&nbsp;</a>on booster doses while dozens of countries embarked on administering the doses, saying rich countries should immediately donate those vaccines to poor countries instead. WHO scientists said at the time they would continue to evaluate incoming data.

The updated recommendations came from an 18-member advisory group that focuses on the impact of “variants of concern” — the most worrying variants, like omicron — and assesses the vaccines’ effectiveness against them.

Numerous scientific studies have proven that booster doses of authorized vaccines help restore waning immunity and protect against serious COVID-19. Booster programs in rich countries including Britain, Canada and the U.S. have been credited with preventing the surge in omicron infections from spilling over into hospitals and cemeteries.

WHO said it is continuing to monitor the global spread of omicron, including a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-world-health-organization-public-health-7e4cd2f5f6cd2ec87393b3cc9ce41c9c">“stealth” version</a>&nbsp;known as BA.2, which has been documented to have re-infected some people after an initial case of omicron. There’s mixed research on whether it causes more severe disease, but vaccines appear just as effective against it.

WHO noted that the current authorized COVID-19 vaccines are all based on the strain that was first detected in Wuhan, China more than three years ago.

“Since then, there has been continuous and substantial virus evolution and it is likely that this evolution will continue, resulting in the emergence of new variants,” the agency said. It added that coronavirus vaccines would likely need to be updated.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638443255492.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>GENEVA (AP) —An expert group convened by the World Health Organization said Tuesday it “strongly supports urgent and broad access” to booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine amid the global spread of omicron, capping a reversal of the U.N. agency’s repeated insistence last year that boosters weren’t necessary for healthy people and contributed to vaccine inequity.In a statement, WHO said its expert group concluded that immunization with authorized COVID-19 vaccines provide high levels of protection against severe disease and death amid the continuing spread of the hugely contagious omicron variant. WHO eased back on its earlier position in January by saying boosters were recommended once countries had adequate supplies and after protecting their most vulnerable.It said vaccination, including the use of boosters, was especially important for people at risk of severe disease.Last year, WHO’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-united-nations-world-health-organization-6384ff91c399679824311ac26e3c768a">moratorium&nbsp;</a>on booster doses while dozens of countries embarked on administering the doses, saying rich countries should immediately donate those vaccines to poor countries instead. WHO scientists said at the time they would continue to evaluate incoming data.The updated recommendations came from an 18-member advisory group that focuses on the impact of “variants of concern” — the most worrying variants, like omicron — and assesses the vaccines’ effectiveness against them.Numerous scientific studies have proven that booster doses of authorized vaccines help restore waning immunity and protect against serious COVID-19. Booster programs in rich countries including Britain, Canada and the U.S. have been credited with preventing the surge in omicron infections from spilling over into hospitals and cemeteries.WHO said it is continuing to monitor the global spread of omicron, including a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-world-health-organization-public-health-7e4cd2f5f6cd2ec87393b3cc9ce41c9c">“stealth” version</a>&nbsp;known as BA.2, which has been documented to have re-infected some people after an initial case of omicron. There’s mixed research on whether it causes more severe disease, but vaccines appear just as effective against it.WHO noted that the current authorized COVID-19 vaccines are all based on the strain that was first detected in Wuhan, China more than three years ago.“Since then, there has been continuous and substantial virus evolution and it is likely that this evolution will continue, resulting in the emergence of new variants,” the agency said. It added that coronavirus vaccines would likely need to be updated.

WHO says COVID boosters needed, reversing previous call

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A man has been sentenced to four years in prison for a 2020 accidental shooting at the Kansas City Zoo that killed another man.

Anthony Meneses, 29, of Kansas City, was sentenced Tuesday in federal court after pleading guilty last year to being a felon in possession of a firearm, federal prosecutors for Missouri said in a news release. There is no parole in the federal system.

The shooting happened on Aug. 9, 2020, in the zoo’s parking lot while Meneses was in the back seat of a car, authorities said. Meneses grabbed a gun in the pocket of a seat in front on him and the gun fired.

The gunshot hit 19-year-old Jason Smith, who was in the front seat of the car, police said. Smith died at a hospital, and police said an investigation determined the shooting was accidental.

Meneses was barred from possessing a weapon because he had a prior felony conviction for tampering with a motor vehicle, prosecutors said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597337741228.png" alt="Meneses-photo MODOC" />
 <figcaption>Meneses-photo MODOC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A man has been sentenced to four years in prison for a 2020 accidental shooting at the Kansas City Zoo that killed another man.Anthony Meneses, 29, of Kansas City, was sentenced Tuesday in federal court after pleading guilty last year to being a felon in possession of a firearm, federal prosecutors for Missouri said in a news release. There is no parole in the federal system.The shooting happened on Aug. 9, 2020, in the zoo’s parking lot while Meneses was in the back seat of a car, authorities said. Meneses grabbed a gun in the pocket of a seat in front on him and the gun fired.The gunshot hit 19-year-old Jason Smith, who was in the front seat of the car, police said. Smith died at a hospital, and police said an investigation determined the shooting was accidental.Meneses was barred from possessing a weapon because he had a prior felony conviction for tampering with a motor vehicle, prosecutors said.

Man sentenced for fatal accidental shooting at Kansas City Zoo

&nbsp; By ARRON SANDERFORD <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

BELLEVUE — Kansas lawyer Kris Kobach came to Nebraska’s Offutt Air Force Base on Tuesday to announce that he was filing a federal lawsuit for 36 Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members he said have been denied religious exemptions to the military-mandated COVID-19 vaccine.

Kobach, representing the Alliance for Free Citizens, and lawyers Jessica Hart Steinmann and Rachel Jag of the America First Policy Institute said they chose to file in Nebraska because “about half” of the Air Force members who joined the lawsuit are based at Offutt.

The Nebraska case is part of a national effort to fast-track one of several anti-mandate lawsuits to a more conservative U.S. Supreme Court, which might prove receptive to carving out religious-based legal exceptions to vaccine mandates.

The core of the lawsuit’s legal argument is federal encroachment on the free exercise of religion guaranteed by the First Amendment. The lawsuit also leans on a law Congress passed in 1993, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Lawyers for the federal government have argued elsewhere that the military requires service members to be given multiple vaccines to prevent the spread of various diseases, in order to keep military units in fighting shape and to maintain order.&nbsp;

“The facts presented in the suit make clear just how transparent and wrong the military justification is for taking away the religious freedom of these airmen,” Kobach said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Two Nebraska Air National Guard members spoke Tuesday about why they joined the lawsuit during a news conference held just outside the Offutt Gate. Maj. Matt Downing, a pilot, and Maj. Adam Cassidy, a commander, said they want to keep serving.

If the lawsuit is unsuccessful, those refusing the COVID-19 vaccine face involuntary separation from the military. It’s a middle ground between honorable discharge and dishonorable discharge.

Downing said he expressed religious reservations about a COVID-19 vaccine that experts say was developed and tested using stem cells duplicated from a fetal cell line. The Vatican has described the vaccine as “morally acceptable.” Others disagree.

“We’ve been told that our rights to worship should not be afforded to us,” Downing said. “But our rights to worship do not hinder our performance or capabilities. We are not anti-vaxxer conspiracy theorists, nor should we be labeled as such.”&nbsp;

Cassidy, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he has much more to give his country over the next few years.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“But now, like Matt and several others, I find myself in a crossroads between continued service and my sincerely held convictions,” he said.&nbsp;

Downing described co-workers’ experiences of objecting to the mandate as difficult. Some have been restricted from earned travel, assignments and promotions. Others, Kobach said, could be separated from the service before they qualify for military retirement.

By Kobach’s count, 17 of the 36 people involved in the Nebraska lawsuit are pilots. He said the federal government would be wasting money to separate the pilots. An unrelated RAND Corporation study estimates the government spends $5.5 million on training each pilot.&nbsp;

His legal team plans to seek an injunction against the Air Force for members at risk of involuntary separation. They described the lawsuit as the largest filed to date against the Department of Defense’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.&nbsp;

Kobach said many of those joining the lawsuit echoed Downing’s concerns about stem cell lines. Others expressed concerns about the vaccines’ use of mRNA or genetic material.

The principal aim of the lawsuit, Kobach said, is to support airmen seeking exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine. But he said any precedent set by legal decisions in this lawsuit could impact other vaccines required by the military.

Said Kobach: “There’s a broader issue, and the broader issue is any time your free exercise of religion is impaired or blocked or threatened by a U.S. government employer, there is a constitutional question there.”

&nbsp; By ARRON SANDERFORD <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/">Nebraska Examiner</a><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646854228192.jpeg" alt="Kansas lawyer Kris Kobach announces a lawsuit involving Air Force members outside the gate at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas lawyer Kris Kobach announces a lawsuit involving Air Force members outside the gate at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>BELLEVUE — Kansas lawyer Kris Kobach came to Nebraska’s Offutt Air Force Base on Tuesday to announce that he was filing a federal lawsuit for 36 Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members he said have been denied religious exemptions to the military-mandated COVID-19 vaccine.Kobach, representing the Alliance for Free Citizens, and lawyers Jessica Hart Steinmann and Rachel Jag of the America First Policy Institute said they chose to file in Nebraska because “about half” of the Air Force members who joined the lawsuit are based at Offutt.The Nebraska case is part of a national effort to fast-track one of several anti-mandate lawsuits to a more conservative U.S. Supreme Court, which might prove receptive to carving out religious-based legal exceptions to vaccine mandates.The core of the lawsuit’s legal argument is federal encroachment on the free exercise of religion guaranteed by the First Amendment. The lawsuit also leans on a law Congress passed in 1993, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.Lawyers for the federal government have argued elsewhere that the military requires service members to be given multiple vaccines to prevent the spread of various diseases, in order to keep military units in fighting shape and to maintain order.&nbsp;“The facts presented in the suit make clear just how transparent and wrong the military justification is for taking away the religious freedom of these airmen,” Kobach said.&nbsp;&nbsp;Two Nebraska Air National Guard members spoke Tuesday about why they joined the lawsuit during a news conference held just outside the Offutt Gate. Maj. Matt Downing, a pilot, and Maj. Adam Cassidy, a commander, said they want to keep serving.If the lawsuit is unsuccessful, those refusing the COVID-19 vaccine face involuntary separation from the military. It’s a middle ground between honorable discharge and dishonorable discharge.Downing said he expressed religious reservations about a COVID-19 vaccine that experts say was developed and tested using stem cells duplicated from a fetal cell line. The Vatican has described the vaccine as “morally acceptable.” Others disagree.“We’ve been told that our rights to worship should not be afforded to us,” Downing said. “But our rights to worship do not hinder our performance or capabilities. We are not anti-vaxxer conspiracy theorists, nor should we be labeled as such.”&nbsp;Cassidy, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he has much more to give his country over the next few years.&nbsp;&nbsp;“But now, like Matt and several others, I find myself in a crossroads between continued service and my sincerely held convictions,” he said.&nbsp;Downing described co-workers’ experiences of objecting to the mandate as difficult. Some have been restricted from earned travel, assignments and promotions. Others, Kobach said, could be separated from the service before they qualify for military retirement.By Kobach’s count, 17 of the 36 people involved in the Nebraska lawsuit are pilots. He said the federal government would be wasting money to separate the pilots. An unrelated RAND Corporation study estimates the government spends $5.5 million on training each pilot.&nbsp;His legal team plans to seek an injunction against the Air Force for members at risk of involuntary separation. They described the lawsuit as the largest filed to date against the Department of Defense’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.&nbsp;Kobach said many of those joining the lawsuit echoed Downing’s concerns about stem cell lines. Others expressed concerns about the vaccines’ use of mRNA or genetic material.The principal aim of the lawsuit, Kobach said, is to support airmen seeking exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine. But he said any precedent set by legal decisions in this lawsuit could impact other vaccines required by the military.Said Kobach: “There’s a broader issue, and the broader issue is any time your free exercise of religion is impaired or blocked or threatened by a U.S. government employer, there is a constitutional question there.”

Offutt airmen are at center of lawsuit challenging COVID-19 vaccine mandate for military members

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Sarpy County Board has approved a measure to name a street in southwest Omaha for a fallen Marine from Nebraska. 

Television station WOWT reports that the board on Tuesday unanimously approved naming a segment of Gertrude Street south of the Millard community for Marine Cpl. Daegan Page, who was one of 13 U.S. service members killed Aug. 26 in a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport. 

The 26-year-old Page was born in Omaha and lived his first five years in Red Oak, Iowa, before moving with his family to Omaha. He enlisted in the Marines in 2017 and was deployed to numerous locations before his final deployment to Afghanistan.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646849461015.png" alt="Marine Cpl. Daegan Page" />
 <figcaption>Marine Cpl. Daegan Page</figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Sarpy County Board has approved a measure to name a street in southwest Omaha for a fallen Marine from Nebraska. Television station WOWT reports that the board on Tuesday unanimously approved naming a segment of Gertrude Street south of the Millard community for Marine Cpl. Daegan Page, who was one of 13 U.S. service members killed Aug. 26 in a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport. The 26-year-old Page was born in Omaha and lived his first five years in Red Oak, Iowa, before moving with his family to Omaha. He enlisted in the Marines in 2017 and was deployed to numerous locations before his final deployment to Afghanistan.

Sarpy County to name street for fallen Marine from Nebraska

LA VISTA, Neb. (AP) — Law enforcement officials say at least five people have died in two separate crashes on Nebraska roads. Police in the eastern Nebraska city of La Vista said two people were killed early Wednesday morning in a crash involving several vehicles at a busy intersection.

A day earlier, three people were killed in a crash involving three semitrailers on Interstate 80 about 25 miles west of Lincoln. 

The Seward County Sheriff’s Office says the Tuesday crash happened around 5:45 a.m. when an eastbound semitrailer crossed the median and hit a westbound semi head-on. Authorities say another westbound semi swerved to avoid the collision and overturned. 

Three people were declared dead at the scene, and a fourth person was flown to a Lincoln hospital in critical condition.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646846010271.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSLA VISTA, Neb. (AP) — Law enforcement officials say at least five people have died in two separate crashes on Nebraska roads. Police in the eastern Nebraska city of La Vista said two people were killed early Wednesday morning in a crash involving several vehicles at a busy intersection.A day earlier, three people were killed in a crash involving three semitrailers on Interstate 80 about 25 miles west of Lincoln. The Seward County Sheriff’s Office says the Tuesday crash happened around 5:45 a.m. when an eastbound semitrailer crossed the median and hit a westbound semi head-on. Authorities say another westbound semi swerved to avoid the collision and overturned. Three people were declared dead at the scene, and a fourth person was flown to a Lincoln hospital in critical condition.

Officials say at least 5 killed in separate Nebraska crashes

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha woman settled her lawsuit against the city over a violent 2019 arrest on Thanksgiving Day for $22,500.

 The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska announced the settlement Tuesday. 

City officials didn’t immediately respond to questions about the settlement, but they didn’t admit any wrongdoing as part of the deal. 

In the lawsuit, Makayla Townsell says two officers showed up at her home on Thanksgiving Day 2019 as she was hosting a large family gathering.

 The officers were there to investigate a report of neglect involving her teenage son. 

The lawsuit says one officer threw Townsell to the ground, handcuffed and arrested her without probable cause. 

Charges against her were later dismissed, and the neglect report was deemed unfounded.

By Associated PressOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha woman settled her lawsuit against the city over a violent 2019 arrest on Thanksgiving Day for $22,500. The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska announced the settlement Tuesday. City officials didn’t immediately respond to questions about the settlement, but they didn’t admit any wrongdoing as part of the deal. In the lawsuit, Makayla Townsell says two officers showed up at her home on Thanksgiving Day 2019 as she was hosting a large family gathering. The officers were there to investigate a report of neglect involving her teenage son. The lawsuit says one officer threw Townsell to the ground, handcuffed and arrested her without probable cause. Charges against her were later dismissed, and the neglect report was deemed unfounded.

Nebraska woman settles lawsuit over Thanksgiving 2019 arrest

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he will ask Congress for $2.6 billion for foreign aid programs that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/03/08/statement-by-president-joe-biden-on-international-womens-day/" target="_blank">promote gender equality worldwide</a>, more than double the size of last year’s request.

Biden announced his intentions on International Women’s Day, which is set aside to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world.

Biden created the first-ever White House Gender Policy Council on International Women’s Day last year to help promote gender equity throughout the administration.

He said everyone deserves to live up to their “God-given” potential, regardless of gender, and that societies perform better when women and girls are allowed to prosper.

“Ensuring that every woman and girl has that chance isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s also a strategic imperative that advances the prosperity, stability, and security of our nation and the world,” the president said in a written statement.

The White House also hosted a livestreamed International Women’s Day event Tuesday to discuss the announcement, featuring Secretary of State Antony Blinken from Europe, acting budget director Shalanda Young, U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power and Jen Klein, director of the Gender Policy Council. They are to be joined by young women leaders from Ukraine, Brazil, Zambia, Burma, Jordan and the United States. Biden was not scheduled to participate.

Jill Biden marked International Women’s Day with a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS/status/1501183204010573824?s=20&amp;t=dVxHOa6TVvRWwtURyHu3LA" target="_blank">video tribute to women&nbsp;</a>throughout the world “who courageously use their voice, no matter the cost.”

“To our sisters from Ukraine who are fighting to keep their country free and their families alive: We stand with you in solidarity,” the first lady said. “To our sisters in Russia who are protesting and speaking out against the invasion at great personal risk: We see your courage,” she added.

“And to women warriors around the world, those fighting for justice and working for change: Thank you for building a better future for all of us,” said the first lady, who is visiting Arizona.

Biden’s $2.6 billion funding request will be included in his federal budget proposal for fiscal year 2023, which starts Oct. 1.

Biden sought $1.2 billion for gender equality programs in his 2022 budget proposal. The numbers haven’t been finalized since Congress is still working on the budget.

The White House has not said when Biden will send his 2023 spending proposal to Congress.

Biden-⁠Harris Administration Celebrates First Anniversary of the Establishment of the White&nbsp;House Gender Policy&nbsp;Council

One year ago today, on International Women’s Day, President Biden issued an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/03/08/executive-order-on-establishment-of-the-white-house-gender-policy-council/">Executive Order</a>&nbsp;establishing the White House Gender Policy Council and charged it with leading a government-wide effort to advance gender equity and equality both at home and abroad. &nbsp; In the year since, the Biden-Harris Administration laid out an ambitious agenda in the first-ever&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/National-Strategy-on-Gender-Equity-and-Equality.pdf">National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality</a>&nbsp;and has taken significant steps to advance equal rights and opportunity: &nbsp; Expanded Economic Opportunity and Supported Women in the Workforce

Prevented and Responded to Gender-Based Violence

Expanded Access to Health Care, including Reproductive Health Care

Advanced Gender Equality Around the World

Promoted Diverse Leadership and Full Participation

Advanced equality for transgender Americans&nbsp;by signing an Executive Order to restore open service for transgender service members, expanding access to comprehensive gender-affirming medical care for transgender veterans, delivering more inclusive federal IDs like passports for transgender and non-binary people, and addressing anti-transgender violence, which continues to disproportionately impact trans women and girls of color.&nbsp;

In the past year, the Biden-Harris Administration has produced historic results. As the President said in his State of the Union address, “We are stronger today than we were a year ago…and we will be stronger a year from now than we are today.” Going forward, the Administration remains committed to helping women get back to work; creating good jobs; closing gender and racial wage gaps; lowering costs for families; ensuring that care is accessible and affordable – including child care, home health care and paid leave; expanding access to health care, including reproductive health care; advancing LGBTQI+ equality and civil rights; and preventing and responding to gender-based violence, wherever it occurs. In doing so, we will continuing our extensive engagement with domestic and international partners, which in the last year has included collaborating with nonprofit and community-based organizations, civil society groups, faith-based organizations, unions, worker organizations and academics; engaging over 270 girls, young women and gender nonconforming youth leaders from across the United States and more than dozen countries to provide input into the development of the National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality; and hosting a historic White House roundtable with intersex advocates. We look forward to continuing this collaboration in the years ahead, in service of our vision of a world where people of all genders are guaranteed the equity, equality, and dignity they deserve.

Biden will ask Congress for $2.6B to promote gender equity

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Authorities say a man who tried to slither past U.S. border agents in California had 52 lizards and snakes hidden in his clothing. 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the man was driving a truck when he arrived at the San Ysidro border crossing with Mexico on Feb. 25 and was pulled out for additional inspection. 

A CBP statement Tuesday says authorities found 52 live reptiles tied up in small bags “which were concealed in the man’s jacket, pants pockets, and groin area.” 

The critters were seized and the man was arrested.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646828531641.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>SAN DIEGO (AP) — Authorities say a man who tried to slither past U.S. border agents in California had 52 lizards and snakes hidden in his clothing. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the man was driving a truck when he arrived at the San Ysidro border crossing with Mexico on Feb. 25 and was pulled out for additional inspection. A CBP statement Tuesday says authorities found 52 live reptiles tied up in small bags “which were concealed in the man’s jacket, pants pockets, and groin area.” The critters were seized and the man was arrested.

Border authorities find 52 reptiles hidden in man's clothing

News Release Wyoming Highway Patrol

WHEATLAND, Wyo.-A Wyoming teenager is dead following a crash in the southeastern part of the state.

According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, on March 7, troopers responded to an injury accident at milepost three on Wyoming 320 north of Wheatland, Wyoming.  At 7:24 a.m.

A 1994 Mercury Grand Marquis was headed north on Wyoming 320 when the driver lost control of the vehicle and entered the southbound lane colliding with a 2014 Peterbilt commercial vehicle.  The roadways were snow and ice-covered at the time of the crash.  

The driver of the Mercury has been identified as 18-year-old Wheatland, Wyoming resident Karson M. Yorges.  Yorges was not wearing a seatbelt and succumbed to his injuries at the crash scene.

The driver of the Peterbilt has been identified as 44-year-old Fort Laramie, Wyoming resident Russell G. Smith.  Smith was wearing a seatbelt and was not injured in the crash.

The crash is still under investigation for potential contributing factors.

This is the 13th fatality on Wyoming's roadways in 2022 compared to 18 in 2021, 11 in 2020, and 27 in 2019 to date.

News Release Wyoming Highway PatrolWHEATLAND, Wyo.-A Wyoming teenager is dead following a crash in the southeastern part of the state.According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, on March 7, troopers responded to an injury accident at milepost three on Wyoming 320 north of Wheatland, Wyoming. At 7:24 a.m.A 1994 Mercury Grand Marquis was headed north on Wyoming 320 when the driver lost control of the vehicle and entered the southbound lane colliding with a 2014 Peterbilt commercial vehicle. The roadways were snow and ice-covered at the time of the crash. The driver of the Mercury has been identified as 18-year-old Wheatland, Wyoming resident Karson M. Yorges. Yorges was not wearing a seatbelt and succumbed to his injuries at the crash scene.The driver of the Peterbilt has been identified as 44-year-old Fort Laramie, Wyoming resident Russell G. Smith. Smith was wearing a seatbelt and was not injured in the crash.The crash is still under investigation for potential contributing factors.This is the 13th fatality on Wyoming's roadways in 2022 compared to 18 in 2021, 11 in 2020, and 27 in 2019 to date.