OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man who set fire to his family’s home and critically injured his wife has pleaded guilty to two felony charges in the wake of her death. 

Sixty-eight-year-old Carl Bohm pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree arson and attempted first-degree assault as part of an agreement with prosecutors. 

The Omaha World-Herald reports he will face up to 70 years in prison when he’s sentenced in February. 

Prosecutors considered upgrading the charges against Bohm after his wife, Janet Franks-Bohm, died in October — more than two years after the 2019 fire that also injured the couple’s daughter.

 A coroner ruled that Franks-Bohm’s death was directly related to the fire.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man who set fire to his family’s home and critically injured his wife has pleaded guilty to two felony charges in the wake of her death. Sixty-eight-year-old Carl Bohm pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree arson and attempted first-degree assault as part of an agreement with prosecutors. The Omaha World-Herald reports he will face up to 70 years in prison when he’s sentenced in February. Prosecutors considered upgrading the charges against Bohm after his wife, Janet Franks-Bohm, died in October — more than two years after the 2019 fire that also injured the couple’s daughter. A coroner ruled that Franks-Bohm’s death was directly related to the fire.

Omaha man pleads guilty to starting fire that killed wife

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday vowed to hold accountable anyone who was responsible for last year’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, whether they were physically there or not.

<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-delivers-remarks-first-anniversary-attack-capitol">In a speech to Justice </a>Department employees, Garland said prosecutors remained “committed to holding all January 6th perpetrators, at any level, accountable under law.”

His remarks come just shy of the one-year anniversary of the attack on the Capitol and as the Justice Department has faced increased pressure from some Democrats to focus more on actions that may have inspired the thousands of pro-Trump rioters to storm the building.

“We will follow the facts wherever they lead,” Garland said in his speech. “The actions we have taken thus far will not be our last.”

The investigation into the attack on the Capitol is the largest in the Justice Department’s history. So far, more than 700 people have been arrested and 350 others are still being sought by the FBI, including 250 of whom are accused of assaulting police officers.

Garland also detailed the serious assaults on law enforcement officers, describing in detail how officers were beaten and shocked with stun guns. During January’s riot, one officer was beaten and shocked with a stun gun repeatedly until he had a heart attack; another was foaming at the mouth and screaming for help as rioters crushed him between two doors and bashed him in the head with his own weapon.

“Those involved must be held accountable, and there is no higher priority for us at the Department of Justice,” Garland said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday vowed to hold accountable anyone who was responsible for last year’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, whether they were physically there or not.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FDOJ%2Fvideos%2F306414498092634%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=63" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div><a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-delivers-remarks-first-anniversary-attack-capitol">In a speech to Justice </a>Department employees, Garland said prosecutors remained “committed to holding all January 6th perpetrators, at any level, accountable under law.”His remarks come just shy of the one-year anniversary of the attack on the Capitol and as the Justice Department has faced increased pressure from some Democrats to focus more on actions that may have inspired the thousands of pro-Trump rioters to storm the building.“We will follow the facts wherever they lead,” Garland said in his speech. “The actions we have taken thus far will not be our last.”The investigation into the attack on the Capitol is the largest in the Justice Department’s history. So far, more than 700 people have been arrested and 350 others are still being sought by the FBI, including 250 of whom are accused of assaulting police officers.Garland also detailed the serious assaults on law enforcement officers, describing in detail how officers were beaten and shocked with stun guns. During January’s riot, one officer was beaten and shocked with a stun gun repeatedly until he had a heart attack; another was foaming at the mouth and screaming for help as rioters crushed him between two doors and bashed him in the head with his own weapon.“Those involved must be held accountable, and there is no higher priority for us at the Department of Justice,” Garland said.

🎥 AG: All Jan. 6 perpetrators at any level will be held accountable 

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MIKE STOBBE, Associated Press

The U.S. is urging that everyone 12 and older get a COVID-19 booster as soon as they're eligible, to help fight back the hugely contagious omicron mutant that's ripping through the country.

Boosters already were encouraged for all Americans 16 and older, but Wednesday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed an extra Pfizer shot for younger teens — those 12 to 15 — and strengthened its recommendation that 16- and 17-year-olds get it, too.

“It is critical that we protect our children and teens from COVID-19 infection and the complications of severe disease," Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC’s director, said in a statement Wednesday night.

"This booster dose will provide optimized protection against COVID-19 and the Omicron variant. I encourage all parents to keep their children up to date with CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine recommendations,” she said.

Vaccines still offer strong protection against serious illness from any type of COVID-19, including omicron — what experts say is their most important benefit. But the newest mutant can slip past a layer of the vaccines' protection to cause milder infections. Studies show a booster dose at least temporarily revs up virus-fighting antibodies to levels that offer the best chance at avoiding symptomatic infection, even from omicron.

Earlier Wednesday, the CDC's independent scientific advisers wrestled with whether a booster should be an option for younger teens, who tend not to get as sick from COVID-19 as adults, or more strongly recommended.

Giving teens a booster for a temporary jump in protection against infections is like playing whack-a-mole, cautioned CDC adviser Dr. Sarah Long of Drexel University. But she said the extra shot was worth it to help push back the omicron mutant and shield kids from the missed school and other problems that come with even a very mild case of COVID-19.

More important, if a child with a mild infection spreads it to a more vulnerable parent or grandparent who then dies, the impact “is absolutely crushing,” said panelist Dr. Camille Kotton of Massachusetts General Hospital.

“Let’s whack this one down,” agreed Dr. Jamie Loehr of Cayuga Family Medicine in Ithaca, New York.

The vaccine made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech is the only option for American children of any age. The CDC says about 13.5 million children ages 12 to 17 — slightly more than half of that age group — have received two Pfizer shots. Boosters were opened to the 16- and 17-year-olds last month.

Wednesday's decision means about 5 million of the younger teens who had their last shot in the spring are eligible for a booster right away. New U.S. guidelines say anyone who received two Pfizer vaccinations and is eligible for a booster can get it five months after their last shot, rather than the six months previously recommended.

But one committee member, Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot of Vanderbilt University, worried that such a strong recommendation for teen boosters would distract from getting shots into the arms of kids who have not been vaccinated at all.

The advisers saw U.S. data making clear that symptomatic COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are between seven and 11 times higher in unvaccinated adolescents than vaccinated ones.

While children do tend to suffer less serious illness from COVID-19 than adults, child hospitalizations are rising during the omicron wave -- the vast majority of them unvaccinated.

During the public comment part of Wednesday's meeting, Dr. Julie Boom of Texas Children's Hospital said a booster recommendation for younger teens “cannot come soon enough.”

The chief safety question for adolescents is a rare side effect called myocarditis, a type of heart inflammation seen mostly in younger men and teen boys who get either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. The vast majority of cases are mild — far milder than the heart inflammation COVID-19 can cause — and they seem to peak in older teens, those 16 and 17.

The FDA decided a booster dose was as safe for the younger teens as the older ones based largely on data from 6,300 12- to 15-year-olds in Israel who got a Pfizer booster five months after their second dose. Israeli officials said Wednesday that they've seen two cases of mild myocarditis in this age group after giving more boosters, 40,000.

Earlier this week, FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks said the side effect occurs in about 1 in 10,000 men and boys ages 16 to 30 after their second shot. But he said a third dose appears less risky, by about a third, probably because more time has passed before the booster than between the first two shots.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641436737958.png" alt="“It is critical that we protect our children and teens from COVID-19 infection and the complications of severe disease," Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC’s director, said in a statement Wednesday night.-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>“It is critical that we protect our children and teens from COVID-19 infection and the complications of severe disease," Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC’s director, said in a statement Wednesday night.-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MIKE STOBBE, Associated PressThe U.S. is urging that everyone 12 and older get a COVID-19 booster as soon as they're eligible, to help fight back the hugely contagious omicron mutant that's ripping through the country.Boosters already were encouraged for all Americans 16 and older, but Wednesday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed an extra Pfizer shot for younger teens — those 12 to 15 — and strengthened its recommendation that 16- and 17-year-olds get it, too.“It is critical that we protect our children and teens from COVID-19 infection and the complications of severe disease," Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC’s director, said in a statement Wednesday night."This booster dose will provide optimized protection against COVID-19 and the Omicron variant. I encourage all parents to keep their children up to date with CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine recommendations,” she said.Vaccines still offer strong protection against serious illness from any type of COVID-19, including omicron — what experts say is their most important benefit. But the newest mutant can slip past a layer of the vaccines' protection to cause milder infections. Studies show a booster dose at least temporarily revs up virus-fighting antibodies to levels that offer the best chance at avoiding symptomatic infection, even from omicron.Earlier Wednesday, the CDC's independent scientific advisers wrestled with whether a booster should be an option for younger teens, who tend not to get as sick from COVID-19 as adults, or more strongly recommended.Giving teens a booster for a temporary jump in protection against infections is like playing whack-a-mole, cautioned CDC adviser Dr. Sarah Long of Drexel University. But she said the extra shot was worth it to help push back the omicron mutant and shield kids from the missed school and other problems that come with even a very mild case of COVID-19.More important, if a child with a mild infection spreads it to a more vulnerable parent or grandparent who then dies, the impact “is absolutely crushing,” said panelist Dr. Camille Kotton of Massachusetts General Hospital.“Let’s whack this one down,” agreed Dr. Jamie Loehr of Cayuga Family Medicine in Ithaca, New York.The vaccine made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech is the only option for American children of any age. The CDC says about 13.5 million children ages 12 to 17 — slightly more than half of that age group — have received two Pfizer shots. Boosters were opened to the 16- and 17-year-olds last month.Wednesday's decision means about 5 million of the younger teens who had their last shot in the spring are eligible for a booster right away. New U.S. guidelines say anyone who received two Pfizer vaccinations and is eligible for a booster can get it five months after their last shot, rather than the six months previously recommended.But one committee member, Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot of Vanderbilt University, worried that such a strong recommendation for teen boosters would distract from getting shots into the arms of kids who have not been vaccinated at all.The advisers saw U.S. data making clear that symptomatic COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are between seven and 11 times higher in unvaccinated adolescents than vaccinated ones.While children do tend to suffer less serious illness from COVID-19 than adults, child hospitalizations are rising during the omicron wave -- the vast majority of them unvaccinated.During the public comment part of Wednesday's meeting, Dr. Julie Boom of Texas Children's Hospital said a booster recommendation for younger teens “cannot come soon enough.”The chief safety question for adolescents is a rare side effect called myocarditis, a type of heart inflammation seen mostly in younger men and teen boys who get either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. The vast majority of cases are mild — far milder than the heart inflammation COVID-19 can cause — and they seem to peak in older teens, those 16 and 17.The FDA decided a booster dose was as safe for the younger teens as the older ones based largely on data from 6,300 12- to 15-year-olds in Israel who got a Pfizer booster five months after their second dose. Israeli officials said Wednesday that they've seen two cases of mild myocarditis in this age group after giving more boosters, 40,000.Earlier this week, FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks said the side effect occurs in about 1 in 10,000 men and boys ages 16 to 30 after their second shot. But he said a third dose appears less risky, by about a third, probably because more time has passed before the booster than between the first two shots.

CDC now urges COVID boosters starting at age 12 to fight omicron

The
 Federal Trade Commission has adjusted the maximum civil penalty dollar 
amounts for violations of 16 provisions of law the agency enforces, as 
required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act 
Improvements Act of 2015.

The Act directs agencies to implement 
annual inflation adjustments based on a prescribed formula. The new 
maximum civil penalty amounts will take effect once they are published 
in the Federal Register. 

The maximum civil penalty amount has 
increased from $43,792 to $46,517 for violations of Sections 5(l), 
5(m)(1)(A), and 5(m)(1)(B) of the FTC Act, 7A(g)(l) of the Clayton Act 
and Section 525(b) of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. It has 
increased from $576 to $612 for violations of Section 10 of the FTC Act.
 The maximum civil penalty amount has increased from $1,246,249 to 
$1,323,791 for violations of Section 814(a) of the Energy Independence 
and Security Act of 2007. The maximum civil penalty amounts for other 
law violations within the agency’s jurisdiction are listed in the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/policy/federal-register-notices/adjustments-civil-penalty-amounts">Federal Register notice</a>.

The Commission voted 4-0 to publish the Federal Register notice amending Commission Rule 1.98.

The Federal Trade Commission works to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-competition">promote competition</a>, and <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection">protect and educate consumers</a>. You can&nbsp;<a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/">learn more about consumer topics</a>&nbsp;and file a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/complaint">consumer complaint online</a> or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357). For the latest news and resources, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/social-media">follow the FTC on social media</a>, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected">subscribe to press releases</a> and read our <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs">blogs</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619632629588.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FTCThe
 Federal Trade Commission has adjusted the maximum civil penalty dollar 
amounts for violations of 16 provisions of law the agency enforces, as 
required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act 
Improvements Act of 2015.The Act directs agencies to implement 
annual inflation adjustments based on a prescribed formula. The new 
maximum civil penalty amounts will take effect once they are published 
in the Federal Register. The maximum civil penalty amount has 
increased from $43,792 to $46,517 for violations of Sections 5(l), 
5(m)(1)(A), and 5(m)(1)(B) of the FTC Act, 7A(g)(l) of the Clayton Act 
and Section 525(b) of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. It has 
increased from $576 to $612 for violations of Section 10 of the FTC Act.
 The maximum civil penalty amount has increased from $1,246,249 to 
$1,323,791 for violations of Section 814(a) of the Energy Independence 
and Security Act of 2007. The maximum civil penalty amounts for other 
law violations within the agency’s jurisdiction are listed in the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/policy/federal-register-notices/adjustments-civil-penalty-amounts">Federal Register notice</a>.The Commission voted 4-0 to publish the Federal Register notice amending Commission Rule 1.98.The Federal Trade Commission works to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-competition">promote competition</a>, and <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection">protect and educate consumers</a>. You can&nbsp;<a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/">learn more about consumer topics</a>&nbsp;and file a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/complaint">consumer complaint online</a> or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357). For the latest news and resources, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/social-media">follow the FTC on social media</a>, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected">subscribe to press releases</a> and read our <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs">blogs</a>.Cover image courtesy Pixabay

 FTC announces increases to maximum penalty amounts

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated Press

MISSION, Kan. — What students are learning about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6</a>&nbsp;may depend on where they live.

In a Boston suburb in heavily Democratic Massachusetts, history teacher Justin Voldman said his students will spend the day journaling about what happened and talking about the fragility of democracy.

“I feel really strongly that this needs to be talked about,” said Voldman, who teaches history at Natick High School, 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of Boston. As the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, he said “it is fair to draw parallels between what happened on Jan. 6 and the rise of fascism.”

Voldman said he feels fortunate: “There are other parts of the country where ... I would be scared to be a teacher.”

Liz Wagner, an eighth and ninth grade social studies teacher in a Des Moines suburb of increasingly Republican Iowa, got an email from an administrator last year, warning teachers to be careful in how they framed the discussion.

“I guess I was so, I don’t know if naïve is the appropriate word, perhaps exhausted from the pandemic teaching year last year, to understand how controversial this was going to be,” she said.

Some students questioned Wagner last year when she referred to what happened as an "insurrection." She responded by having them read the dictionary definition for the word. This year, she will probably show students videos of the protest and ask them to write about what the footage shows.

“This is kind of what I have to do to ensure that I’m not upsetting anybody,” Wagner said. “Last year I was on the front line of the COVID war, trying to dodge COVID, and now I’m on the front line of the culture war, and I don’t want to be there.”

With&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-education-coronavirus-pandemic-school-boards-35db5c9eec87b85ca8eb95a64c2f6dd7">crowds shouting at school board meetings</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-education-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-school-boards-bed36a1460957cb6be4df9d18583a765">political action committees investing millions of dollars in races</a>&nbsp;to elect conservative candidates across the country, talking to students about what happened on Jan. 6 is increasingly fraught.

Teachers now are left to decide how — or whether — to instruct their students about the events that sit at the heart of the country’s division. And the lessons sometimes vary based on whether they are in a red state or a blue state.

Facing History and Ourselves, a nonprofit that helps teachers with difficult lessons on subjects like the Holocaust, offered&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facinghistory.org/educator-resources/current-events/responding-insurrection-us-capitol" target="_blank">tips on how to broach the topic</a>&nbsp;with students in the hours after the riot.

Within 18 hours of publication, it had 100,000 page views — a level of interest that Abby Weiss, who oversees the development of the nonprofit’s teaching tools, said was unlike anything the group has seen before.

In the year that has followed, Weiss said, Republican lawmakers and governors in many states have championed legislation to limit the teaching of material that explores how race and racism influence American politics, culture and law.

“Teachers are anxious,” she said. “On the face of it, if you read the laws, they’re quite vague and, you know, hard to know actually what’s permissible and what isn’t.”

Racial discussions are hard to avoid when discussing the riot because&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-supremacy-threats-capitol-riots-2d4ba4d1a3d55197489d773b3e0b0f32">white supremacists&nbsp;</a>were among those descending on the halls of power, said Jinnie Spiegler, director of curriculum and training for the Anti-Defamation League. She said the group is concerned that the insurrection could be used as a recruitment tool and wrote&nbsp;<a href="https://www.adl.org/education/resources/tools-and-strategies/extreme-measures-how-to-help-young-people-counter" target="_blank">a newly released guide</a>&nbsp;to help teachers and parents combat those radicalization efforts.

“To talk about white supremacy, to talk about white supremacist extremists, to talk about their racist Confederate flag, it’s fraught for so many reasons,” Spiegler said.

Anton Schulzki, the president of the National Council for the Social Studies, said students are often the ones bringing up the racial issues. Last year, he was just moments into discussing what happened when one of his honors students at William J. Palmer High School in Colorado Springs said, “’You know, if those rioters were all Black, they’d all be arrested by now.”

Since then, three conservative school board candidates won seats on the school board where Schulzki teaches, and the district dissolved its equity leadership team. He is covered by a contract that offers academic freedom protections, and has discussed the riot periodically over the past year.

“I do feel,” he said, “that there may be some teachers who are going to feel the best thing for me to do is to ignore this because I don’t want to put myself in jeopardy because I have my own bills to pay, my own house, to take care of, my own kids to take back and forth to school.”

Concerned teachers have been reaching out to the American Federation of Teachers, which last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-lawsuits-discrimination-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-3ad179f58e856873305541e1c95cdc14">sued over New Hampshire’s new limits</a>&nbsp;on the discussion of systemic racism and other topics.

“What I’m hearing now over and over and over again is that these laws that have been passed in different places are really intended to chill the discussion of current events,” said Randi Weingarten, the union’s president and a former social studies teacher. “I am very concerned about what it means in terms of the teaching as we get closer and closer to January 6th.”

The biggest fear for Paula Davis, a middle school special education teacher in a rural central Indiana district, is that the discussion about what happened could be used by teachers with a political agenda to indoctrinate students. She won’t discuss Jan. 6 in her classroom; her focus is math and English.

“I think it’s extremely important that any teacher that is addressing that topic does so from an unbiased perspective,” said Davis, a regional chapter chair for Moms for Liberty, a group whose members have protested mask and vaccine mandates and critical race theory. “If it cannot be done without bias, then it should not be done.”

But there is no way Dylan Huisken will avoid the topic in his middle school classroom in the Missoula, Montana, area town of Bonner. He plans to use the anniversary to teach his students to use their voice constructively by doing things like writing to lawmakers.

“Not addressing the attack,” Huisken said, “is to suggest that the civic ideals we teach exist in a vacuum and don’t have any real-world application, that civic knowledge is mere trivia.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1614042711157.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated PressMISSION, Kan. — What students are learning about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6</a>&nbsp;may depend on where they live.In a Boston suburb in heavily Democratic Massachusetts, history teacher Justin Voldman said his students will spend the day journaling about what happened and talking about the fragility of democracy.“I feel really strongly that this needs to be talked about,” said Voldman, who teaches history at Natick High School, 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of Boston. As the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, he said “it is fair to draw parallels between what happened on Jan. 6 and the rise of fascism.”Voldman said he feels fortunate: “There are other parts of the country where ... I would be scared to be a teacher.”Liz Wagner, an eighth and ninth grade social studies teacher in a Des Moines suburb of increasingly Republican Iowa, got an email from an administrator last year, warning teachers to be careful in how they framed the discussion.“I guess I was so, I don’t know if naïve is the appropriate word, perhaps exhausted from the pandemic teaching year last year, to understand how controversial this was going to be,” she said.Some students questioned Wagner last year when she referred to what happened as an "insurrection." She responded by having them read the dictionary definition for the word. This year, she will probably show students videos of the protest and ask them to write about what the footage shows.“This is kind of what I have to do to ensure that I’m not upsetting anybody,” Wagner said. “Last year I was on the front line of the COVID war, trying to dodge COVID, and now I’m on the front line of the culture war, and I don’t want to be there.”With&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-education-coronavirus-pandemic-school-boards-35db5c9eec87b85ca8eb95a64c2f6dd7">crowds shouting at school board meetings</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-education-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-school-boards-bed36a1460957cb6be4df9d18583a765">political action committees investing millions of dollars in races</a>&nbsp;to elect conservative candidates across the country, talking to students about what happened on Jan. 6 is increasingly fraught.Teachers now are left to decide how — or whether — to instruct their students about the events that sit at the heart of the country’s division. And the lessons sometimes vary based on whether they are in a red state or a blue state.Facing History and Ourselves, a nonprofit that helps teachers with difficult lessons on subjects like the Holocaust, offered&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facinghistory.org/educator-resources/current-events/responding-insurrection-us-capitol" target="_blank">tips on how to broach the topic</a>&nbsp;with students in the hours after the riot.Within 18 hours of publication, it had 100,000 page views — a level of interest that Abby Weiss, who oversees the development of the nonprofit’s teaching tools, said was unlike anything the group has seen before.In the year that has followed, Weiss said, Republican lawmakers and governors in many states have championed legislation to limit the teaching of material that explores how race and racism influence American politics, culture and law.“Teachers are anxious,” she said. “On the face of it, if you read the laws, they’re quite vague and, you know, hard to know actually what’s permissible and what isn’t.”Racial discussions are hard to avoid when discussing the riot because&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-supremacy-threats-capitol-riots-2d4ba4d1a3d55197489d773b3e0b0f32">white supremacists&nbsp;</a>were among those descending on the halls of power, said Jinnie Spiegler, director of curriculum and training for the Anti-Defamation League. She said the group is concerned that the insurrection could be used as a recruitment tool and wrote&nbsp;<a href="https://www.adl.org/education/resources/tools-and-strategies/extreme-measures-how-to-help-young-people-counter" target="_blank">a newly released guide</a>&nbsp;to help teachers and parents combat those radicalization efforts.“To talk about white supremacy, to talk about white supremacist extremists, to talk about their racist Confederate flag, it’s fraught for so many reasons,” Spiegler said.Anton Schulzki, the president of the National Council for the Social Studies, said students are often the ones bringing up the racial issues. Last year, he was just moments into discussing what happened when one of his honors students at William J. Palmer High School in Colorado Springs said, “’You know, if those rioters were all Black, they’d all be arrested by now.”Since then, three conservative school board candidates won seats on the school board where Schulzki teaches, and the district dissolved its equity leadership team. He is covered by a contract that offers academic freedom protections, and has discussed the riot periodically over the past year.“I do feel,” he said, “that there may be some teachers who are going to feel the best thing for me to do is to ignore this because I don’t want to put myself in jeopardy because I have my own bills to pay, my own house, to take care of, my own kids to take back and forth to school.”Concerned teachers have been reaching out to the American Federation of Teachers, which last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-lawsuits-discrimination-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-3ad179f58e856873305541e1c95cdc14">sued over New Hampshire’s new limits</a>&nbsp;on the discussion of systemic racism and other topics.“What I’m hearing now over and over and over again is that these laws that have been passed in different places are really intended to chill the discussion of current events,” said Randi Weingarten, the union’s president and a former social studies teacher. “I am very concerned about what it means in terms of the teaching as we get closer and closer to January 6th.”The biggest fear for Paula Davis, a middle school special education teacher in a rural central Indiana district, is that the discussion about what happened could be used by teachers with a political agenda to indoctrinate students. She won’t discuss Jan. 6 in her classroom; her focus is math and English.“I think it’s extremely important that any teacher that is addressing that topic does so from an unbiased perspective,” said Davis, a regional chapter chair for Moms for Liberty, a group whose members have protested mask and vaccine mandates and critical race theory. “If it cannot be done without bias, then it should not be done.”But there is no way Dylan Huisken will avoid the topic in his middle school classroom in the Missoula, Montana, area town of Bonner. He plans to use the anniversary to teach his students to use their voice constructively by doing things like writing to lawmakers.“Not addressing the attack,” Huisken said, “is to suggest that the civic ideals we teach exist in a vacuum and don’t have any real-world application, that civic knowledge is mere trivia.”

Teachers at culture war frontlines with Jan. 6 education

Health officials in Hays reported the state's first case of COVID and flu in a patient.

During Wednesday's online news conference, with more than a dozen chief medical officers from Kansas and Missouri, Dr. Heather Harris, chief medical officer at HaysMed, said that as of Tuesday night, the hospital had its first case of COVID and flu diagnosed in a patient.

(Click below to hear Dr. Harris comments)

The patient resides outside of Ellis County and had not been vaccinated for either the flu or COVID, Harris told Hays Post, noting Ellis County numbers are climbing and with at-home testing, officials are probably only seeing a portion of the positives.&nbsp;

"Vaccination is the best way to stay well," she said, also encouraging residents to stay home if they are sick.

Flurona refers to a patient with influenza and COVID at the same time.&nbsp;This patient was one of five in the ICU at Hays Medical Center. Israel reported one of the world's first dual cases last week, according to <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/flurona-israel-records-its-first-case-of-patient-with-covid-and-flu-at-same-time/">the Times of Israel.&nbsp;</a>

Harris also said Hays Medical Center currently had 14 active COVID cases and nine recovering. Among the five in the ICU,&nbsp; three of were on ventilators.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641407370791.png" alt="Heather Harris, chief medical officer at HaysMed, during Wednesday's online news conference hosted by the University of Kansas Medical Center." />
 <figcaption>Heather Harris, chief medical officer at HaysMed, during Wednesday's online news conference hosted by the University of Kansas Medical Center.</figcaption>
 </figure>Health officials in Hays reported the state's first case of COVID and flu in a patient.During Wednesday's online news conference, with more than a dozen chief medical officers from Kansas and Missouri, Dr. Heather Harris, chief medical officer at HaysMed, said that as of Tuesday night, the hospital had its first case of COVID and flu diagnosed in a patient.(Click below to hear Dr. Harris comments)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Nz62gGguXhw?start=1585" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>The patient resides outside of Ellis County and had not been vaccinated for either the flu or COVID, Harris told Hays Post, noting Ellis County numbers are climbing and with at-home testing, officials are probably only seeing a portion of the positives.&nbsp;"Vaccination is the best way to stay well," she said, also encouraging residents to stay home if they are sick.Flurona refers to a patient with influenza and COVID at the same time.&nbsp;This patient was one of five in the ICU at Hays Medical Center. Israel reported one of the world's first dual cases last week, according to <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/flurona-israel-records-its-first-case-of-patient-with-covid-and-flu-at-same-time/">the Times of Israel.&nbsp;</a>Harris also said Hays Medical Center currently had 14 active COVID cases and nine recovering. Among the five in the ICU,&nbsp; three of were on ventilators.&nbsp;

🎥 Hospital in Hays reports state's first case of Flurona 

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Police in Sioux Falls have arrested a man after he allegedly pointed a gun at a pawn shop employee and then tried to sell the weapon. 

The Argus Leader reported two men walked into the pawn shop Monday afternoon. 

A police spokesman said one of them pulled out a revolver that was still in its holster. 

The trigger was exposed, however, and the man pointed it at the worker and asked for money. 

He then put the weapon down and tried to sell it.

 They couldn't reach a deal and the man left with the gun. 

The two men returned while officers were in the shop and the man who pulled out the gun was arrested.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Police in Sioux Falls have arrested a man after he allegedly pointed a gun at a pawn shop employee and then tried to sell the weapon. The Argus Leader reported two men walked into the pawn shop Monday afternoon. A police spokesman said one of them pulled out a revolver that was still in its holster. The trigger was exposed, however, and the man pointed it at the worker and asked for money. He then put the weapon down and tried to sell it. They couldn't reach a deal and the man left with the gun. The employee called police. The two men returned while officers were in the shop and the man who pulled out the gun was arrested.

SD man points gun at pawn shop worker, then tries to sell it

WASHINGTON (AP) — The suspect was covered from head to toe, skulking through the dark streets of the nation’s capital before methodically placing two explosives outside the offices of the Republican and Democratic national committees.

Only 17 hours later — and just before the U.S. Capitol was stormed by a sea of pro-Trump rioters — were the pipe bombs discovered. It quickly became one of the highest-priority investigations for the FBI and the Justice Department.

But the trail grew cold almost immediately. A year later, federal investigators are no closer to learning the person’s identity. And a key question remains: Was there a connection between the pipe bombs and the riot at the Capitol?

The suspect is among hundreds of people still being sought by the FBI following last January’s deadly insurrection. So far, 250 people seen on video assaulting police at the Capitol still haven’t been fully identified and apprehended by the FBI, and another 100 are being sought for other crimes tied to the riot.

The investigation has been a massive undertaking for federal law enforcement officials. More than 700 people have been charged with federal crimes stemming from the Jan. 6 attack, and arrests are still being made regularly.

But for the FBI agents working on the cases, the job is far from over. Agents and investigative analysts have been poring over thousands of hours of surveillance video, going second by second in each video to try to capture clear images of people who attacked officers inside the Capitol.

“This investigation takes time because it is a lot of lot of work, a lot of painstaking work that they look at the video kind of frame by frame,” said Steven D’Antuono, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s field office in Washington.

In one case, police body camera footage captures a man using a cane with electric prods on the end jabbing at officers and shocking them as they fight to hold back the riotous crowd trying to break through a barricaded line of officers at one of the doors of the Capitol. The crackling sound of the electricity can be heard as he prods his cane into one of the officers. The man, known only as “AFO114” — using shorthand for “assaulting a federal officer” — is still being sought.

“The assaults against the police officers are extremely serious,” D’Antuono said. More than 100 police officers were attacked by rioters on Jan. 6, some attacked by multiple people and some attacked multiple times, he said.

In another video, a man is seen repeatedly bashing a police officer over the head with a 6-foot (1.8-meter) metal pole as he tries to push his way into the Capitol. And a third shows a man spraying some kind of chemical from a can into the faces of other officers.

“There is still a lot of work to be done on this,” D’Antuono said. “There were a lot of people up there at the Capitol, a lot of people that either committed violence up there did other unlawful actions up there.”

In the search for the person who left the pipe bombs at the RNC and DNC offices, investigators have interviewed more than 900 people, collected 39,000 video files and examined more than 400 leads. They have dived into the components of the explosives and have been working to try to discern anything they can about the suspect, from analyzing the person's gait to trying to collect information about purchases of the distinctive Nike sneakers the person wore.

But they are still no closer to finding the suspect’s identity and are hoping renewed attention on the video of the person may spark a tip to crack the case.

The explosive devices were placed outside the two buildings between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021, but weren’t located by law enforcement until the next day. U.S. Capitol Police and agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were called to the Republican National Committee’s office around 12:45 p.m. on Jan. 6. About 30 minutes later, as the agents and bomb technicians were still investigating at the RNC, another call came in for a similar explosive device found at the Democratic National Committee headquarters nearby. The bombs were rendered safe, and no one was hurt.

Video released by the FBI shows a person in a gray hooded sweatshirt, a face mask and gloves appearing to place one of the explosives under a bench outside the DNC and separately shows the person walking in an alley near the RNC before the bomb was placed there. The person wore black and light gray Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers with a yellow logo.

“We’ve used and continue to use every investigative tool that we lawfully have to find this individual,” D’Antuono said. But, a year later, investigators still don’t know whether the suspect is a man or a woman. The person carried the bombs — made of threaded galvanized pipes, kitchen timers and homemade black powder — in a backpack.

“We’re still nose to the grindstone here and trying to find this individual, trying to bring the person to justice,” D'Antuono said. “But there is hopefully maybe somebody still out there that knows the person or sees the video again.”

It is unclear whether the bombs were related to planning for the insurrection or whether they were unrelated to the deadly riot. Both buildings are within a few blocks of the Capitol.

And the fact the suspect was covered from head to toe has made identifying the person extremely difficult for the FBI.

“In normal times, like if this wasn’t COVID,” D’Antuono said, “a person walking down the street in D.C. covered from head to toe with a mask on, glasses and gloves would have been a red flag.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The suspect was covered from head to toe, skulking through the dark streets of the nation’s capital before methodically placing two explosives outside the offices of the Republican and Democratic national committees.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GNmjMIyoxHo?start=11" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Only 17 hours later — and just before the U.S. Capitol was stormed by a sea of pro-Trump rioters — were the pipe bombs discovered. It quickly became one of the highest-priority investigations for the FBI and the Justice Department.But the trail grew cold almost immediately. A year later, federal investigators are no closer to learning the person’s identity. And a key question remains: Was there a connection between the pipe bombs and the riot at the Capitol?The suspect is among hundreds of people still being sought by the FBI following last January’s deadly insurrection. So far, 250 people seen on video assaulting police at the Capitol still haven’t been fully identified and apprehended by the FBI, and another 100 are being sought for other crimes tied to the riot.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641396762471.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The investigation has been a massive undertaking for federal law enforcement officials. More than 700 people have been charged with federal crimes stemming from the Jan. 6 attack, and arrests are still being made regularly.But for the FBI agents working on the cases, the job is far from over. Agents and investigative analysts have been poring over thousands of hours of surveillance video, going second by second in each video to try to capture clear images of people who attacked officers inside the Capitol.“This investigation takes time because it is a lot of lot of work, a lot of painstaking work that they look at the video kind of frame by frame,” said Steven D’Antuono, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s field office in Washington.In one case, police body camera footage captures a man using a cane with electric prods on the end jabbing at officers and shocking them as they fight to hold back the riotous crowd trying to break through a barricaded line of officers at one of the doors of the Capitol. The crackling sound of the electricity can be heard as he prods his cane into one of the officers. The man, known only as “AFO114” — using shorthand for “assaulting a federal officer” — is still being sought.“The assaults against the police officers are extremely serious,” D’Antuono said. More than 100 police officers were attacked by rioters on Jan. 6, some attacked by multiple people and some attacked multiple times, he said.In another video, a man is seen repeatedly bashing a police officer over the head with a 6-foot (1.8-meter) metal pole as he tries to push his way into the Capitol. And a third shows a man spraying some kind of chemical from a can into the faces of other officers.“There is still a lot of work to be done on this,” D’Antuono said. “There were a lot of people up there at the Capitol, a lot of people that either committed violence up there did other unlawful actions up there.”In the search for the person who left the pipe bombs at the RNC and DNC offices, investigators have interviewed more than 900 people, collected 39,000 video files and examined more than 400 leads. They have dived into the components of the explosives and have been working to try to discern anything they can about the suspect, from analyzing the person's gait to trying to collect information about purchases of the distinctive Nike sneakers the person wore.But they are still no closer to finding the suspect’s identity and are hoping renewed attention on the video of the person may spark a tip to crack the case.The explosive devices were placed outside the two buildings between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021, but weren’t located by law enforcement until the next day. U.S. Capitol Police and agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were called to the Republican National Committee’s office around 12:45 p.m. on Jan. 6. About 30 minutes later, as the agents and bomb technicians were still investigating at the RNC, another call came in for a similar explosive device found at the Democratic National Committee headquarters nearby. The bombs were rendered safe, and no one was hurt.Video released by the FBI shows a person in a gray hooded sweatshirt, a face mask and gloves appearing to place one of the explosives under a bench outside the DNC and separately shows the person walking in an alley near the RNC before the bomb was placed there. The person wore black and light gray Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers with a yellow logo.“We’ve used and continue to use every investigative tool that we lawfully have to find this individual,” D’Antuono said. But, a year later, investigators still don’t know whether the suspect is a man or a woman. The person carried the bombs — made of threaded galvanized pipes, kitchen timers and homemade black powder — in a backpack.“We’re still nose to the grindstone here and trying to find this individual, trying to bring the person to justice,” D'Antuono said. “But there is hopefully maybe somebody still out there that knows the person or sees the video again.”It is unclear whether the bombs were related to planning for the insurrection or whether they were unrelated to the deadly riot. Both buildings are within a few blocks of the Capitol.And the fact the suspect was covered from head to toe has made identifying the person extremely difficult for the FBI.“In normal times, like if this wasn’t COVID,” D’Antuono said, “a person walking down the street in D.C. covered from head to toe with a mask on, glasses and gloves would have been a red flag.”

🎥 FBI still hunting Jan. 6 suspects, pipe bomber a year later

WASHINGTON — The IRS urges taxpayers to check into their options to 
avoid being subject to estimated tax penalties, which apply when someone
 underpays their taxes. Taxpayers who paid too little tax during 2021 
can still avoid a surprise tax-time bill and possible penalty by making a
 quarterly <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments">estimated tax payment</a>
 now, directly to the Internal Revenue Service. The deadline for making a
 payment for the fourth quarter of 2021 is Tuesday, January 18, 2022.

Income taxes are <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-as-you-go-so-you-wont-owe-a-guide-to-withholding-estimated-taxes-and-ways-to-avoid-the-estimated-tax-penalty">pay-as-you-go</a>.
 This means that taxpayers need to pay most of their tax during the year
 as income is earned or received. There are two ways to do this:

Either payment method--withholding or estimated tax payments--or a 
combination of the two, can help avoid a surprise tax bill at tax time 
and the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/estimated-taxes">accompanying penalty</a> that often applies.

If a taxpayer failed to make required quarterly estimated tax 
payments earlier in the year, making a payment soon to cover these 
missed payments will usually lessen and may even eliminate any possible 
penalty. Because the penalty calculation considers the date on which the
 payment or payments were made, even making a payment now, rather than 
waiting until the April filing deadline, often helps.

People who owed tax when they filed their 2020 tax return may find 
themselves in the same situation again when they file for 2021. This 
will likely be true, especially if they failed to take action to avoid 
another shortfall by increasing their withholding during 2021.

People in this situation often include those who itemized in the past
 but are now taking the standard deduction, two wage-earner households, 
employees with non-wage sources of income and those with complex tax 
situations.

In addition, families who received advance payments of the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/2021-child-tax-credit-and-advance-child-tax-credit-payments-topic-h-reconciling-your-advance-child-tax-credit-payments-on-your-2021-tax-return">Child Tax Credit</a>
 during 2021 but don't expect to qualify for the credit when they file 
their 2021 return, may need to make an estimated tax payment.

The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator">Tax Withholding Estimator</a>, available on IRS.gov, can often help people determine if they need to make an estimated tax payment.

Alternatively, taxpayers can use the worksheet included with estimated tax <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040-es">Form 1040-ES</a>, also available on IRS.gov. In addition, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-505">Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax</a>,
 has additional details, including worksheets and examples, that can be 
especially helpful to those who have dividend or capital gain income, 
owe alternative minimum tax or self-employment tax, or have other 
special situations.

The fastest and easiest way to make an estimated tax payment is to do so electronically using IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/direct-pay">Direct Pay</a>. Taxpayers can schedule a payment in advance for the January deadline.

Taxpayers can now also make a payment through their <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account">IRS Online Account</a>. There they can see their payment history, any pending or recent payments and other useful tax information.

The IRS does not charge a fee for these services. Plus, using these 
or other electronic payment options ensures that a payment gets credited
 promptly.

For information on other payment options, visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments">IRS.gov/payments</a>.

Though it's too early to file a 2021 return, it's never too early to 
get ready for the tax-filing season ahead. For more tips and resources, 
check out the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/steps-to-take-now-to-get-a-jump-on-next-years-taxes">Get Ready</a> page on IRS.gov.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — The IRS urges taxpayers to check into their options to 
avoid being subject to estimated tax penalties, which apply when someone
 underpays their taxes. Taxpayers who paid too little tax during 2021 
can still avoid a surprise tax-time bill and possible penalty by making a
 quarterly <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments">estimated tax payment</a>
 now, directly to the Internal Revenue Service. The deadline for making a
 payment for the fourth quarter of 2021 is Tuesday, January 18, 2022.Income taxes are <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-as-you-go-so-you-wont-owe-a-guide-to-withholding-estimated-taxes-and-ways-to-avoid-the-estimated-tax-penalty">pay-as-you-go</a>.
 This means that taxpayers need to pay most of their tax during the year
 as income is earned or received. There are two ways to do this:<ul>
 <li>Withholding from paychecks, pension payments and some government
 payments, such as Social Security benefits or unemployment 
compensation. Most people pay their tax this way.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Making quarterly <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments">estimated tax payments</a> throughout the year to the IRS. Self-employed people and investors, among others, often pay tax this way.</li>
 </ul><h2>Act now to avoid a penalty</h2>Either payment method--withholding or estimated tax payments--or a 
combination of the two, can help avoid a surprise tax bill at tax time 
and the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/estimated-taxes">accompanying penalty</a> that often applies.If a taxpayer failed to make required quarterly estimated tax 
payments earlier in the year, making a payment soon to cover these 
missed payments will usually lessen and may even eliminate any possible 
penalty. Because the penalty calculation considers the date on which the
 payment or payments were made, even making a payment now, rather than 
waiting until the April filing deadline, often helps.<h2>Who needs to make a payment</h2>People who owed tax when they filed their 2020 tax return may find 
themselves in the same situation again when they file for 2021. This 
will likely be true, especially if they failed to take action to avoid 
another shortfall by increasing their withholding during 2021.People in this situation often include those who itemized in the past
 but are now taking the standard deduction, two wage-earner households, 
employees with non-wage sources of income and those with complex tax 
situations.In addition, families who received advance payments of the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/2021-child-tax-credit-and-advance-child-tax-credit-payments-topic-h-reconciling-your-advance-child-tax-credit-payments-on-your-2021-tax-return">Child Tax Credit</a>
 during 2021 but don't expect to qualify for the credit when they file 
their 2021 return, may need to make an estimated tax payment.<h2>Additional points to consider:</h2><ul>
 <li>Most income is taxable. Besides wages, interest and other investment income, which also includes income related to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/virtual-currencies">virtual currencies</a>, refund interest and income from the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/gig-economy-tax-center">gig economy</a> are taxable.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/what-if-i-receive-unemployment-compensation">Unemployment compensation</a>
 is fully taxable in 2021. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 allowed 
an exclusion of unemployment compensation of up to $10,200 for 2020 
only. Often, this means that an estimated tax payment should be made, 
especially if no federal income tax was withheld from these payments.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Various financial transactions, especially late in the 
year, can often have an unexpected tax impact. Examples include year-end
 and holiday bonuses, stock dividends, capital gain distributions from 
mutual funds, and stocks, bonds, virtual currency, real estate or other 
property sold at a profit.</li>
 </ul>The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator">Tax Withholding Estimator</a>, available on IRS.gov, can often help people determine if they need to make an estimated tax payment.Alternatively, taxpayers can use the worksheet included with estimated tax <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040-es">Form 1040-ES</a>, also available on IRS.gov. In addition, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-505">Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax</a>,
 has additional details, including worksheets and examples, that can be 
especially helpful to those who have dividend or capital gain income, 
owe alternative minimum tax or self-employment tax, or have other 
special situations.<h2>How to make an estimated tax payment</h2>The fastest and easiest way to make an estimated tax payment is to do so electronically using IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/direct-pay">Direct Pay</a>. Taxpayers can schedule a payment in advance for the January deadline.Taxpayers can now also make a payment through their <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account">IRS Online Account</a>. There they can see their payment history, any pending or recent payments and other useful tax information.The IRS does not charge a fee for these services. Plus, using these 
or other electronic payment options ensures that a payment gets credited
 promptly.For information on other payment options, visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments">IRS.gov/payments</a>.<h2>Planning ahead</h2>Though it's too early to file a 2021 return, it's never too early to 
get ready for the tax-filing season ahead. For more tips and resources, 
check out the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/steps-to-take-now-to-get-a-jump-on-next-years-taxes">Get Ready</a> page on IRS.gov.

IRS: Make quarterly payment soon to avoid a surprise bill, penalty

The Federal Trade Commission<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/reports/biennial-report-congress-under-do-not-call-registry-fee-extension-act-2007"> issued its biennial report to Congress</a>
 on the National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry. The new report details the 
number of consumers – now totaling more than 244 million – who have 
placed their telephone numbers on the Registry over the past two years. 
It also states the FTC received more than five million <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/national-do-not-call-registry-data-book-fiscal-year-2021/dnc_data_book_2021.pdf">Do Not Call complaints in fiscal year (FY) 2021</a>, with people overwhelmingly reporting these violations came via robocalls, as opposed to live telemarketing.

Imposter
 scam and warranty protection scam calls led list of commonly reported 
call topics in FY 2021, followed by calls related to reducing debt and 
medical needs and prescriptions. Since the pandemic began, the FTC has 
received more than 18,000 COVID-related Do Not Call complaints, 
according to the report. In response to the consistently high number of 
complaints from the public about impersonator scams, the FTC recently 
launched a rulemaking initiative to combat <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/12/ftc-launches-rulemaking-combat-sharp-spike-impersonation-fraud">business and government impersonation fraud</a>.

The
 report notes that the DNC Registry exists to provide consumers with a 
choice regarding whether or not to receive telemarketing calls. 
Accordingly, it is important that the FTC continue to work alongside the
 Federal Communications Commission to ensure that the Registry is 
effective and accessible for both consumers and telemarketers. As new 
technology provides new challenges, both agencies actively seek to 
address and confront them by, among other things, encouraging private 
industry, other government agencies, academia, and other interested 
parties to create and develop new strategies to help consumers avoid 
unwanted telemarketing calls.

The report also includes the number 
of entities paying fees to access the Registry and the amount of the 
fees; the impact on the Registry of the five-year re-registration 
requirement (which was subsequently rescinded), new telecommunications 
technology, and number portability and abandoned telephone numbers; and 
the impact of the established business relationship exception on 
businesses and consumers. The final section includes updates on recent 
DNC-related enforcement actions, including recent cases against VoIP 
service providers, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2020/09/globex-telecom-associates-will-pay-21-million-settling-ftcs-first">Globex Telecom, Inc.</a>, and <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2020/12/ftc-takes-action-against-second-voip-service-provider">Alcazar Networks, Inc.</a>

The
 DNC Registry currently has 244.3 million active registrations, an 
increase of more than 2.8 million from the previous fiscal year. 
According to the report, during FY 2021, 2,000 businesses and other 
entities paid nearly $13 million to access the Registry. More than 
12,000 entities subscribed to access the Registry, including 9,595 who 
registered for five or fewer area codes free of charge, and 512 entities
 (such as charitable organizations) claimed “exempt organization” status
 and received free access to the Registry. 

In FY 2020, 1,952 
entities paid Registry access fees totaling nearly $12.5 million. That 
year, 10,420 entities subscribed to Registry, including those who 
registered to access five or fewer area codes at no charge, and 556 
entities claimed “exempt organization” status and accessed the Registry 
without paying a fee.

The Commission also publishes an annual <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/11/ftc-releases-2021-do-not-call-registry-data-book-reports">Do Not Call Registry Data Book</a>
 that provides substantial detail on registration numbers and other 
statistical information about the Registry. Similar information is also 
available the FTC’s <a href="https://public.tableau.com/profile/federal.trade.commission#!/vizhome/ DoNotCallComplaints/Maps">Tableau public page(link is external)</a>, which is updated regularly and allows users to interact with the data to drill down to state or county data.

The Commission vote approving the report and its submission to Congress was 4-0.

The Federal Trade Commission works to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-competition">promote competition</a>, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection">stop deceptive and unfair business practices and scams</a>, and <a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/">educate consumers</a>. Report fraud, scams, or bad business practices at <a href="https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/">ReportFraud.ftc.gov</a>. Get consumer advice at <a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/">consumer.ftc.gov</a>. Also, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/social-media">follow the FTC on social media</a>, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected">subscribe to press releases</a>, and read the FTC’s <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs">blogs</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619632629588.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FTCThe Federal Trade Commission<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/reports/biennial-report-congress-under-do-not-call-registry-fee-extension-act-2007"> issued its biennial report to Congress</a>
 on the National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry. The new report details the 
number of consumers – now totaling more than 244 million – who have 
placed their telephone numbers on the Registry over the past two years. 
It also states the FTC received more than five million <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/national-do-not-call-registry-data-book-fiscal-year-2021/dnc_data_book_2021.pdf">Do Not Call complaints in fiscal year (FY) 2021</a>, with people overwhelmingly reporting these violations came via robocalls, as opposed to live telemarketing. Imposter
 scam and warranty protection scam calls led list of commonly reported 
call topics in FY 2021, followed by calls related to reducing debt and 
medical needs and prescriptions. Since the pandemic began, the FTC has 
received more than 18,000 COVID-related Do Not Call complaints, 
according to the report. In response to the consistently high number of 
complaints from the public about impersonator scams, the FTC recently 
launched a rulemaking initiative to combat <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/12/ftc-launches-rulemaking-combat-sharp-spike-impersonation-fraud">business and government impersonation fraud</a>.The
 report notes that the DNC Registry exists to provide consumers with a 
choice regarding whether or not to receive telemarketing calls. 
Accordingly, it is important that the FTC continue to work alongside the
 Federal Communications Commission to ensure that the Registry is 
effective and accessible for both consumers and telemarketers. As new 
technology provides new challenges, both agencies actively seek to 
address and confront them by, among other things, encouraging private 
industry, other government agencies, academia, and other interested 
parties to create and develop new strategies to help consumers avoid 
unwanted telemarketing calls.The report also includes the number 
of entities paying fees to access the Registry and the amount of the 
fees; the impact on the Registry of the five-year re-registration 
requirement (which was subsequently rescinded), new telecommunications 
technology, and number portability and abandoned telephone numbers; and 
the impact of the established business relationship exception on 
businesses and consumers. The final section includes updates on recent 
DNC-related enforcement actions, including recent cases against VoIP 
service providers, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2020/09/globex-telecom-associates-will-pay-21-million-settling-ftcs-first">Globex Telecom, Inc.</a>, and <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2020/12/ftc-takes-action-against-second-voip-service-provider">Alcazar Networks, Inc.</a>Biennial Report DataThe
 DNC Registry currently has 244.3 million active registrations, an 
increase of more than 2.8 million from the previous fiscal year. 
According to the report, during FY 2021, 2,000 businesses and other 
entities paid nearly $13 million to access the Registry. More than 
12,000 entities subscribed to access the Registry, including 9,595 who 
registered for five or fewer area codes free of charge, and 512 entities
 (such as charitable organizations) claimed “exempt organization” status
 and received free access to the Registry. In FY 2020, 1,952 
entities paid Registry access fees totaling nearly $12.5 million. That 
year, 10,420 entities subscribed to Registry, including those who 
registered to access five or fewer area codes at no charge, and 556 
entities claimed “exempt organization” status and accessed the Registry 
without paying a fee.The Commission also publishes an annual <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/11/ftc-releases-2021-do-not-call-registry-data-book-reports">Do Not Call Registry Data Book</a>
 that provides substantial detail on registration numbers and other 
statistical information about the Registry. Similar information is also 
available the FTC’s <a href="https://public.tableau.com/profile/federal.trade.commission#!/vizhome/ DoNotCallComplaints/Maps">Tableau public page(link is external)</a>, which is updated regularly and allows users to interact with the data to drill down to state or county data.The Commission vote approving the report and its submission to Congress was 4-0.The Federal Trade Commission works to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-competition">promote competition</a>, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection">stop deceptive and unfair business practices and scams</a>, and <a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/">educate consumers</a>. Report fraud, scams, or bad business practices at <a href="https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/">ReportFraud.ftc.gov</a>. Get consumer advice at <a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/">consumer.ftc.gov</a>. Also, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/social-media">follow the FTC on social media</a>, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected">subscribe to press releases</a>, and read the FTC’s <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs">blogs</a>.Cover image courtesy Pixabay

FTC issues new report on Do Not Call Registry

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden urged concern but not alarm Tuesday as the U.S. set new records for daily reported COVID-19 cases and his administration struggled to ease concerns about testing shortages, school closures and other disruptions caused by the surging omicron variant.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with his COVID-19 response team at the White House, Biden looked both to convey his administration's urgency toward addressing the new variant and to convince wary Americans that the current surge bears little resemblance to the onset of the pandemic or last year's deadly winter. The president emphasized that vaccines, booster shots and therapeutic drugs have mitigated the danger for the overwhelming majority of Americans who are fully vaccinated.

“You can still get COVID, but it’s highly unlikely, very unlikely, that you’ll become seriously ill," Biden said of vaccinated people.

“There’s no excuse, there’s no excuse for anyone being unvaccinated," he added. "This continues to be a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”

Compared to last year, more Americans are employed, most kids are in classrooms, and instances of death and serious illness are down — precipitously so among the vaccinated.

Still, over the past several weeks Americans have seen dire warnings about hospitals reaching capacity amid staffing shortages, thousands of holiday flight cancellations in part because crews were ill or in quarantine, and intermittent reports of school closures because of the more-transmissible variant.

“I believe schools should remain open,” Biden said, adding that they have the funding needed for testing and other mitigation measures to stay open during the surge.

On Tuesday, Biden was set to announce that the U.S. is doubling its order for an anti-viral pill produced by Pfizer that was recently authorized by the FDA to prevent serious illness and death from COVID-19. That means 20 million doses, with the first 10 million pills to be delivered by June.

A senior administration official said that combined with other therapies, such as monoclonal antibodies and convalescent plasma, 4 million treatments that are effective against the omicron variant would be available by the end of January.

“They’re a game changer and have the potential to dramatically alter the impact of COVID-19, the impact it’s had on this country and our people,” Biden said of the pills.

Biden, though, is facing new pressure to ease a nationwide testing shortage, as people seek to determine if they or their family members have been infected with the variant. Long lines and chaotic scenes over the holidays marred the administration's image as having the pandemic in hand.

“On testing, I know this remains frustrating. Believe me it's frustrating to me, but we're making improvements,” Biden said.

In a reversal, the White House announced last month that it would make 500 million rapid antigen tests available free to requesting Americans, but it will be weeks, if not months, before those tests are widely available. The administration notes those tests are on top of existing supply of rapid tests and that even a small increase will help ease some of the shortages. Additionally, private insurers will be required to cover the cost of at-home tests starting later this month.

Test manufacturers have until Tuesday night to respond to the government's contract request, and the first awards are expected to be made this week. Meanwhile, the administration is still developing a system for Americans to order the tests as well as a means to ship them to peoples' homes.

“We’ll set up a free and easy system, including a new website to get these tests out to Americans,” COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said last week. “We’re actively working to finalize that distribution mechanism, which includes a website where people will be able to order tests for free. And we’ll share more details in the weeks ahead -- days and weeks ahead.”

In a Monday letter, GOP Sens. Richard Burr and Roy Blunt, the top Republicans on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, pressed the Department of Health and Human Services for answers on how the administration was working to address nationwide testing shortages.

“With over $82.6 billion specifically appropriated for testing, and flexibility within the department to allocate additional funds from COVID-19 supplemental bills or annual appropriations if necessary, it is unclear to us why we are facing such dire circumstances now," they wrote. “It does not appear to be because of lack of funding, but a more fundamental lack of strategy and a failure to anticipate future testing needs by the administration.”

White House officials have noted that the spike in testing demand is driven not just by omicron, but by people seeking to travel safely during the holidays and return to school after, and that the shortages are global in nature.

“Turns out, Omicron is driving a spike in demand for testing...everywhere,” tweeted Ben Wakana, the deputy director of strategic communications &amp; engagement for the White House's COVID-19 response team, highlighting similar shortages in the U.K., Canada and Australia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641323717358.png" alt="“There’s no excuse, there’s no excuse for anyone being unvaccinated," he added. "This continues to be a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”" />
 <figcaption>“There’s no excuse, there’s no excuse for anyone being unvaccinated," he added. "This continues to be a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden urged concern but not alarm Tuesday as the U.S. set new records for daily reported COVID-19 cases and his administration struggled to ease concerns about testing shortages, school closures and other disruptions caused by the surging omicron variant.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F226587086315586%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=58" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Speaking ahead of a meeting with his COVID-19 response team at the White House, Biden looked both to convey his administration's urgency toward addressing the new variant and to convince wary Americans that the current surge bears little resemblance to the onset of the pandemic or last year's deadly winter. The president emphasized that vaccines, booster shots and therapeutic drugs have mitigated the danger for the overwhelming majority of Americans who are fully vaccinated.“You can still get COVID, but it’s highly unlikely, very unlikely, that you’ll become seriously ill," Biden said of vaccinated people.“There’s no excuse, there’s no excuse for anyone being unvaccinated," he added. "This continues to be a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”Compared to last year, more Americans are employed, most kids are in classrooms, and instances of death and serious illness are down — precipitously so among the vaccinated.Still, over the past several weeks Americans have seen dire warnings about hospitals reaching capacity amid staffing shortages, thousands of holiday flight cancellations in part because crews were ill or in quarantine, and intermittent reports of school closures because of the more-transmissible variant.“I believe schools should remain open,” Biden said, adding that they have the funding needed for testing and other mitigation measures to stay open during the surge.On Tuesday, Biden was set to announce that the U.S. is doubling its order for an anti-viral pill produced by Pfizer that was recently authorized by the FDA to prevent serious illness and death from COVID-19. That means 20 million doses, with the first 10 million pills to be delivered by June.A senior administration official said that combined with other therapies, such as monoclonal antibodies and convalescent plasma, 4 million treatments that are effective against the omicron variant would be available by the end of January.“They’re a game changer and have the potential to dramatically alter the impact of COVID-19, the impact it’s had on this country and our people,” Biden said of the pills.Biden, though, is facing new pressure to ease a nationwide testing shortage, as people seek to determine if they or their family members have been infected with the variant. Long lines and chaotic scenes over the holidays marred the administration's image as having the pandemic in hand.“On testing, I know this remains frustrating. Believe me it's frustrating to me, but we're making improvements,” Biden said.In a reversal, the White House announced last month that it would make 500 million rapid antigen tests available free to requesting Americans, but it will be weeks, if not months, before those tests are widely available. The administration notes those tests are on top of existing supply of rapid tests and that even a small increase will help ease some of the shortages. Additionally, private insurers will be required to cover the cost of at-home tests starting later this month.Test manufacturers have until Tuesday night to respond to the government's contract request, and the first awards are expected to be made this week. Meanwhile, the administration is still developing a system for Americans to order the tests as well as a means to ship them to peoples' homes.“We’ll set up a free and easy system, including a new website to get these tests out to Americans,” COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said last week. “We’re actively working to finalize that distribution mechanism, which includes a website where people will be able to order tests for free. And we’ll share more details in the weeks ahead -- days and weeks ahead.”In a Monday letter, GOP Sens. Richard Burr and Roy Blunt, the top Republicans on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, pressed the Department of Health and Human Services for answers on how the administration was working to address nationwide testing shortages.“With over $82.6 billion specifically appropriated for testing, and flexibility within the department to allocate additional funds from COVID-19 supplemental bills or annual appropriations if necessary, it is unclear to us why we are facing such dire circumstances now," they wrote. “It does not appear to be because of lack of funding, but a more fundamental lack of strategy and a failure to anticipate future testing needs by the administration.”White House officials have noted that the spike in testing demand is driven not just by omicron, but by people seeking to travel safely during the holidays and return to school after, and that the shortages are global in nature.“Turns out, Omicron is driving a spike in demand for testing...everywhere,” tweeted Ben Wakana, the deputy director of strategic communications &amp; engagement for the White House's COVID-19 response team, highlighting similar shortages in the U.K., Canada and Australia.

🎥 President Biden talks omicron surge, schools and antiviral pills

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has canceled a press conference he had planned to hold in Florida on the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters.

Trump said in a statement Tuesday evening that he would instead be discussing his grievances at a rally he has planned in Arizona later this month.

Trump had been expected to use the press conference to rail against the congressional committee investigating the events of Jan. 6, when a mob of his supporters violently stormed the Capitol in an effort to halt the peaceful transfer of power, and to repeat his lies about the 2020 election.

Trump continues to falsely insist the election was “stolen” and that the “real” insurrection was on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020, the day Democrat Joe Biden won the votes that led to his 306-232 Electoral College victory. Federal and state election officials, Trump’s own attorney general and numerous judges — including some he appointed — have all said repeatedly that the election was fair and that there is no credible evidence of serious fraud.

“In light of the total bias and dishonesty of the January 6th Unselect Committee of Democrats, two failed Republicans, and the Fake News Media, I am canceling the January 6th Press Conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, and instead will discuss many of those important topics at my rally on Saturday, January 15th, in Arizona,” Trump wrote.

Trump, whom one ally said had soured on the event because he felt it would not be covered fairly, had faced pressure to cancel from some who thought it was ill-advised, especially in an election year. Republicans are hoping to win back control of the House and Senate in this fall’s midterm elections and some in the party fear the former president’s ongoing obsession with the 2020 election and efforts to defend the rioters could turn off voters the party needs to win.

Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump friend and ally, told the news outlet Axios that he had urged Trump to cancel, telling him over a round of golf in West Palm Beach this weekend that “there could be peril in doing a news conference. ... Best to focus on election reform instead.”

The event would have been Trump’s second press conference since leaving office. While he has been banned from Twitter and other social media outlets, he has appeared regularly on conservative news outlets and held numerous rallies and other events.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625581218114.png" alt="Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the results of the presidential election. -U.S. Department of Justice " />
 <figcaption>Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the results of the presidential election. -U.S. Department of Justice </figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has canceled a press conference he had planned to hold in Florida on the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters.Trump said in a statement Tuesday evening that he would instead be discussing his grievances at a rally he has planned in Arizona later this month.Trump had been expected to use the press conference to rail against the congressional committee investigating the events of Jan. 6, when a mob of his supporters violently stormed the Capitol in an effort to halt the peaceful transfer of power, and to repeat his lies about the 2020 election.Trump continues to falsely insist the election was “stolen” and that the “real” insurrection was on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020, the day Democrat Joe Biden won the votes that led to his 306-232 Electoral College victory. Federal and state election officials, Trump’s own attorney general and numerous judges — including some he appointed — have all said repeatedly that the election was fair and that there is no credible evidence of serious fraud.“In light of the total bias and dishonesty of the January 6th Unselect Committee of Democrats, two failed Republicans, and the Fake News Media, I am canceling the January 6th Press Conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, and instead will discuss many of those important topics at my rally on Saturday, January 15th, in Arizona,” Trump wrote.Trump, whom one ally said had soured on the event because he felt it would not be covered fairly, had faced pressure to cancel from some who thought it was ill-advised, especially in an election year. Republicans are hoping to win back control of the House and Senate in this fall’s midterm elections and some in the party fear the former president’s ongoing obsession with the 2020 election and efforts to defend the rioters could turn off voters the party needs to win.Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump friend and ally, told the news outlet Axios that he had urged Trump to cancel, telling him over a round of golf in West Palm Beach this weekend that “there could be peril in doing a news conference. ... Best to focus on election reform instead.”The event would have been Trump’s second press conference since leaving office. While he has been banned from Twitter and other social media outlets, he has appeared regularly on conservative news outlets and held numerous rallies and other events.

Trump cancels press conference scheduled on anniversary of Capitol attack

Everyone loves a good deal, and scammers know it. Counterfeit coupons
 are popular way for scammers to steal your identity and money. Motives 
and methods vary, but phony coupons often mean serious losses for 
retailers, consumers, or both.

You come across a website, either through a web search or an ad on 
social media, for coupons from major retailers. Usually, fake coupons 
are worth much more than real ones, offering steep discounts like 80% 
off. By using brands’ official logos, it's nearly impossible to tell if 
it’s fake or not.

In some cases, getting the “coupons” requires subscribing to a coupon
 service and paying a monthly membership fee. Once you sign up, the 
service promises to either send you digital coupons or paper coupons in 
the mail. You may never receive any coupons, or you might receive 
coupons that are fake. Plus, by signing up, you’ve handed over your 
personal details and possibly your credit card information to a 
dishonest stranger.

You may also come across coupons that offer deals in exchange for 
sharing a link on social media. Don’t do it! The link leads to a 
third-party website where visitors enter personal information in 
exchange for the coupon. In most cases, after signing up, you never 
receive any coupons. Instead, you’ve given your personal details to 
scammers.

Learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/16758-bbb-tip-phishing-scams">phishing scams</a> to protect your personal information. Find other general tips at <a href="http://www.BBB.org/AvoidScams">BBB.org/AvoidScams</a>.

If you’ve spotted a coupon scam, report it. Share your experience at <a href="http://www.BBB.org/ScamTracker">BBB.org/ScamTracker</a> to help others recognize scams before it’s too late.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579883951052.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BBBEveryone loves a good deal, and scammers know it. Counterfeit coupons
 are popular way for scammers to steal your identity and money. Motives 
and methods vary, but phony coupons often mean serious losses for 
retailers, consumers, or both.<h2>How the scam works</h2>You come across a website, either through a web search or an ad on 
social media, for coupons from major retailers. Usually, fake coupons 
are worth much more than real ones, offering steep discounts like 80% 
off. By using brands’ official logos, it's nearly impossible to tell if 
it’s fake or not.In some cases, getting the “coupons” requires subscribing to a coupon
 service and paying a monthly membership fee. Once you sign up, the 
service promises to either send you digital coupons or paper coupons in 
the mail. You may never receive any coupons, or you might receive 
coupons that are fake. Plus, by signing up, you’ve handed over your 
personal details and possibly your credit card information to a 
dishonest stranger.You may also come across coupons that offer deals in exchange for 
sharing a link on social media. Don’t do it! The link leads to a 
third-party website where visitors enter personal information in 
exchange for the coupon. In most cases, after signing up, you never 
receive any coupons. Instead, you’ve given your personal details to 
scammers.<h2>How to avoid coupon scams </h2><ul>
 <li>Don’t fall for deals that are too good to be true. Be skeptical. If a coupon is valued near or above the retail price of an item, consider it a red flag. </li><li>Check the source of the coupon. If the coupon 
doesn’t come from a recognized coupon distributor, the manufacturer, or a
 specific store, be wary. If you aren’t sure about a coupon, visit the 
company’s website directly to look for the coupon on their official site
 or contact their customer service line to inquire. </li><li>Think before you click on links in emails. If you 
receive a coupon via email, hover your mouse over the link without 
clicking on it to see where it will take you. If the URL looks like a 
random assortment of letters and numbers, or if it is a shortened link 
that doesn’t reveal where it’s taking you, don’t click it. Only visit 
official websites to avoid downloading malware onto your computer. </li><li>Read coupons carefully. If a coupon doesn’t have an
 expiration date, if it looks photocopied, or if it contains spelling 
and grammar errors, you’re probably dealing with a fake. </li><li>Don’t trade personal information for perks. A real 
business will not ask for your personal information, such as your credit
 card number or bank account information, in exchange for a coupon or to
 enter a giveaway. Promotional offers that ask for personal information 
are usually scams. You shouldn’t have to pay to receive a coupon either. </li><li>Do a search for coupon scams. When in doubt, search
 the coupon offer along with the word “scam.” This will often bring up 
similar offers that are fake and can help you determine whether a coupon
 is real or not.</li>
 </ul><h2>For more information </h2>Learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/16758-bbb-tip-phishing-scams">phishing scams</a> to protect your personal information. Find other general tips at <a href="http://www.BBB.org/AvoidScams">BBB.org/AvoidScams</a>.If you’ve spotted a coupon scam, report it. Share your experience at <a href="http://www.BBB.org/ScamTracker">BBB.org/ScamTracker</a> to help others recognize scams before it’s too late.

Scam Alert: Watch out for fake coupons on social media

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge in Texas has granted a preliminary injunction stopping the Navy from acting against 35 sailors for refusing on religious grounds to comply with an order to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The injunction is a new challenge to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s decision to make vaccinations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-e08a6e68308b27ad7653ca9210d953dc">mandatory for all members of the military</a>. The vaccination requirement allows for exemptions on religious and other grounds, but none of the thousands of requests for religious waivers so far have been granted.

There was no indication that the order would affect service members beyond the 35 sailors who sued Austin and the Navy.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said officials are reviewing the injunction and are in discussion with the Department of Justice “as to what options might be available to us going forward.”

Well over 90% of the military has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including at least 98.5% of active and reserve members of the Navy. Austin asserts that vaccines are a valid and necessary medical requirement to protect service members and their families and ensure the combat readiness of the force.

In his decision Monday, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor wrote that the Navy’s process for considering a sailor’s request for a religious exemption is flawed and amounts to “theater.”

O’Connor, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, wrote that the group of 35 sailors who sued the government in November and sought a preliminary injunction against the Navy have a right on religious and First Amendment grounds to refuse the vaccination order.

“The Navy servicemembers in this case seek to vindicate the very freedoms they have sacrificed so much to protect,” O’Connor wrote. “The COVID-19 pandemic provides the government no license to abrogate those freedoms. There is no COVID-19 exception to the First Amendment. There is no military exclusion from our Constitution.”

Without commenting on the case in Texas, Kirby last month defended the validity of the military service’s processes for considering religious exemptions.

“Each exemption asked for on religious grounds is evaluated by a chaplain, by a chain of command, by medical experts and is given quite a lot of thought, and they’re all decided case by case individually,” he said Dec. 21.

In his decision in favor of the injunction sought by the 35 Navy sailors, O’Connor wrote that they objected to being vaccinated on four grounds: “opposition to abortion and the use of aborted fetal cell lines in development of the vaccine; belief that modifying one’s body is an affront to the Creator; divine instruction not to receive the vaccine, and opposition to injecting trace amounts of animal cells into one’s body.”

“Plaintiffs’ beliefs about the vaccine are undisputedly sincere, and it is not the role of this court to determine their truthfulness or accuracy,” the judge wrote.

The injunction was first reported by The Washington Post.

The sailors who sued are members of the Naval Special Warfare Command, including SEALs. The suit was filed by First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit that focuses on defending religious liberty.

In the early stages of the pandemic, the Navy struggled with one particularly critical COVID-19 outbreak. Hundreds of sailors aboard the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-health-ap-top-news-international-news-politics-b2ca82bd3cb121ba8c013f98d00cbcb3">USS Theodore Roosevelt</a>&nbsp;aircraft carrier were infected, starting in late March while on a deployment to Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia. The ship was taken out of operation at Guam, its commanding officer was relieved of duty and the crisis led to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-mark-esper-international-news-virus-outbreak-806e7feb6749380553a3ae613871dbb4">resignation of acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly</a>.

Since then, the Navy and other services have managed to avoid major disruptions. In December, officials said about two dozen sailors on board the USS Milwaukee, or roughly 25% of the ship’s crew, had tested positive for COVID-19, keeping the vessel sidelined in port at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. On Monday, the Navy announced that the ship had returned to sea.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1638310118543.png" alt="The injunction is a new challenge to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s decision to make vaccinations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-e08a6e68308b27ad7653ca9210d953dc">mandatory for all members of the military</a>-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>The injunction is a new challenge to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s decision to make vaccinations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-e08a6e68308b27ad7653ca9210d953dc">mandatory for all members of the military</a>-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge in Texas has granted a preliminary injunction stopping the Navy from acting against 35 sailors for refusing on religious grounds to comply with an order to get vaccinated against COVID-19.The injunction is a new challenge to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s decision to make vaccinations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-e08a6e68308b27ad7653ca9210d953dc">mandatory for all members of the military</a>. The vaccination requirement allows for exemptions on religious and other grounds, but none of the thousands of requests for religious waivers so far have been granted.There was no indication that the order would affect service members beyond the 35 sailors who sued Austin and the Navy.Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said officials are reviewing the injunction and are in discussion with the Department of Justice “as to what options might be available to us going forward.”Well over 90% of the military has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including at least 98.5% of active and reserve members of the Navy. Austin asserts that vaccines are a valid and necessary medical requirement to protect service members and their families and ensure the combat readiness of the force.In his decision Monday, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor wrote that the Navy’s process for considering a sailor’s request for a religious exemption is flawed and amounts to “theater.”O’Connor, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, wrote that the group of 35 sailors who sued the government in November and sought a preliminary injunction against the Navy have a right on religious and First Amendment grounds to refuse the vaccination order.“The Navy servicemembers in this case seek to vindicate the very freedoms they have sacrificed so much to protect,” O’Connor wrote. “The COVID-19 pandemic provides the government no license to abrogate those freedoms. There is no COVID-19 exception to the First Amendment. There is no military exclusion from our Constitution.”Without commenting on the case in Texas, Kirby last month defended the validity of the military service’s processes for considering religious exemptions.“Each exemption asked for on religious grounds is evaluated by a chaplain, by a chain of command, by medical experts and is given quite a lot of thought, and they’re all decided case by case individually,” he said Dec. 21.In his decision in favor of the injunction sought by the 35 Navy sailors, O’Connor wrote that they objected to being vaccinated on four grounds: “opposition to abortion and the use of aborted fetal cell lines in development of the vaccine; belief that modifying one’s body is an affront to the Creator; divine instruction not to receive the vaccine, and opposition to injecting trace amounts of animal cells into one’s body.”“Plaintiffs’ beliefs about the vaccine are undisputedly sincere, and it is not the role of this court to determine their truthfulness or accuracy,” the judge wrote.The injunction was first reported by The Washington Post.The sailors who sued are members of the Naval Special Warfare Command, including SEALs. The suit was filed by First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit that focuses on defending religious liberty.In the early stages of the pandemic, the Navy struggled with one particularly critical COVID-19 outbreak. Hundreds of sailors aboard the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-health-ap-top-news-international-news-politics-b2ca82bd3cb121ba8c013f98d00cbcb3">USS Theodore Roosevelt</a>&nbsp;aircraft carrier were infected, starting in late March while on a deployment to Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia. The ship was taken out of operation at Guam, its commanding officer was relieved of duty and the crisis led to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-mark-esper-international-news-virus-outbreak-806e7feb6749380553a3ae613871dbb4">resignation of acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly</a>.Since then, the Navy and other services have managed to avoid major disruptions. In December, officials said about two dozen sailors on board the USS Milwaukee, or roughly 25% of the ship’s crew, had tested positive for COVID-19, keeping the vessel sidelined in port at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. On Monday, the Navy announced that the ship had returned to sea.___

Judge blocks Navy from acting against 35 COVID vaccine refusers

WASHINGTON (AP) — A record 4.5 million American workers quit their jobs in November, a sign of confidence and more evidence that the U.S. job market is bouncing back strongly from last year's coronavirus recession.

The Labor Department also reported Tuesday that employers posted 10.6 million job openings in November, down from 11.1 million in October but still high by historical standards.

Employers hired 6.7 million people in November, up from 6.5 million in October, the Labor Department reported Tuesday in its monthly Jobs Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.

The job market has bounced back from last year’s brief but intense coronavirus recession. When COVID hit, governments ordered lockdowns, consumers stayed home and many businesses closed or cut hours. Employers slashed more than 22 million jobs in March and April 2020, and the unemployment rate rocketed to 14.8%.

But massive government spending — and eventually the rollout of vaccines — brought the economy back. Employers have added 18.5 million jobs since April 2020, still leaving the U.S. still 3.9 million jobs short of what it had before the pandemic. The December jobs report, out Friday, is expected to show that the economy generated almost 393,000 more jobs this month, according to a survey by the data firm FactSet.

By PAUL WISEMAN, AP Economics WriterWASHINGTON (AP) — A record 4.5 million American workers quit their jobs in November, a sign of confidence and more evidence that the U.S. job market is bouncing back strongly from last year's coronavirus recession.The Labor Department also reported Tuesday that employers posted 10.6 million job openings in November, down from 11.1 million in October but still high by historical standards.Employers hired 6.7 million people in November, up from 6.5 million in October, the Labor Department reported Tuesday in its monthly Jobs Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.The job market has bounced back from last year’s brief but intense coronavirus recession. When COVID hit, governments ordered lockdowns, consumers stayed home and many businesses closed or cut hours. Employers slashed more than 22 million jobs in March and April 2020, and the unemployment rate rocketed to 14.8%.But massive government spending — and eventually the rollout of vaccines — brought the economy back. Employers have added 18.5 million jobs since April 2020, still leaving the U.S. still 3.9 million jobs short of what it had before the pandemic. The December jobs report, out Friday, is expected to show that the economy generated almost 393,000 more jobs this month, according to a survey by the data firm FactSet.The unemployment rate has fallen to 4.2%, close to what economists consider full employment.

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