KANSAS CITY (AP) — The recent court ruling striking down a national eviction moratorium has heightened concerns that tenants won’t receive tens of billions of dollars in promised federal aid in time to avoid getting kicked out of their homes.

A federal judge on May 5, found the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exceeded its authority when it imposed the moratorium last year. Housing advocates believe the ban saved lives and not only should continue, but be extended past its initial June 30 deadline.

For now, the moratorium remains: A judge stayed the court’s order following an appeal from the Justice Department.

Without the moratorium, advocates say, the only thing standing between many tenants and eviction is the nearly $50 billion allocated by Congress for rental assistance. Advocates say very few tenants have received any of the money — which is up to individual states to distribute — and they fear it won’t get to the neediest people in time if the moratorium is scrapped.

“Unfortunately, rental assistance funds are not reaching struggling families nearly as quickly as is needed,” said Oren Sellstrom, litigation director for the Lawyers for Civil Rights in Boston. “Here in Massachusetts, tenants report that submitting a rental assistance application is like sending it into a black hole.”

The government didn’t do much better last year, when several states failed to spend the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-new-york-andrew-cuomo-coronavirus-pandemic-us-news-bfbf0744510d50a1e173247ee5f9ba1b">federal coronavirus relief monies</a>&nbsp;they had set aside for rental assistance, the advocates said. Among them were New York, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Mississippi and Kansas.

Diane Yentel, CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said some of the same problems are being seen now, namely landlords refusing to participate, programs refusing to give money directly to tenants and cumbersome application processes.

“The CDC moratorium is essential to our efforts to prevent people from getting evicted before they can get rental assistance,” said Caitlin Cedfeldt, a staff attorney at Legal Aid of Nebraska.

Landlords, many of whom have challenged the moratorium, say the court’s decision increases pressure on the federal and state governments to speed up rental assistance distribution.

“Instead of propping up legally-questionable policies, government at every level needs to cut the red tape and focus on distributing the $46 billion in rental assistance efficiently,” Bob Pinnegar, president &amp; CEO of the National Apartment Association, said in an email interview. “Getting rental assistance funds into the hands of those renters and rental housing providers who need it most is the only way to prevent irrevocable harm to our nation’s housing supply.”

President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday announced changes aimed at doing just that. Government agencies implementing the rental relief program will be required to offer assistance directly to renters if landlords choose not to participate, said Gene Sperling. Sperling is the White House coordinator of Biden’s American Rescue Plan, a sweeping, $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package Congress passed to help the country defeat the coronavirus and nurse the economy back to health. Also, the waiting time for delivering the assistance to renters is cut in half if landlords aren’t involved, Sperling said.

“We need to make sure that as we implement these emergency funds that we are nimble enough to address growing needs,” he said.

The eviction ban was put in place last year to prevent families from losing their homes and moving into shelters or sharing crowded conditions with relatives or friends, conditions health officials said could exacerbate the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus.

Proponents of the moratorium argue it is necessary since the pandemic is still a threat and so many people are at risk of eviction or foreclosure. Nearly 4 million people in the U.S. said they faced eviction or foreclosure in the next two months, according to the Census Bureau’s biweekly Household Pulse Survey.

“In the short term, Congress and the Biden administration have the power to strengthen the moratorium across the country and halt all evictions for the remainder of the pandemic,” Dawn Phillips, executive director of Right To The City Alliance, a national coalition of 90 housing-justice organizations, said in an email interview.

A handful of states are picking up the slack themselves. The state of Connecticut and the city of Philadelphia both have their own eviction moratoriums in place.

“While we’re ahead of the curve in working to get our rental relief money out compared to our peers, we still have a long way to go,” said Democratic Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, who indicated that his state’s moratorium would probably remain in place for another month. ” ... We’re trying to work with tenants and landlords to put together something that allows people to stay in their homes a lot longer.”

In Philadelphia, lawmakers credit a local moratorium with helping to reduce evictions from about 20,000 a year to only 5,000 last year. On top of that, a program started in September requires landlords to apply for rental assistance prior to going to court to evict tenants. The so-called diversion program has been credited with preventing thousands of evictions.

“We had to create alternatives to eviction,” said Philadelphia City Council member Helen Gym, who helped put the program in place.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — The recent court ruling striking down a national eviction moratorium has heightened concerns that tenants won’t receive tens of billions of dollars in promised federal aid in time to avoid getting kicked out of their homes.A federal judge on May 5, found the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exceeded its authority when it imposed the moratorium last year. Housing advocates believe the ban saved lives and not only should continue, but be extended past its initial June 30 deadline.For now, the moratorium remains: A judge stayed the court’s order following an appeal from the Justice Department.Without the moratorium, advocates say, the only thing standing between many tenants and eviction is the nearly $50 billion allocated by Congress for rental assistance. Advocates say very few tenants have received any of the money — which is up to individual states to distribute — and they fear it won’t get to the neediest people in time if the moratorium is scrapped.“Unfortunately, rental assistance funds are not reaching struggling families nearly as quickly as is needed,” said Oren Sellstrom, litigation director for the Lawyers for Civil Rights in Boston. “Here in Massachusetts, tenants report that submitting a rental assistance application is like sending it into a black hole.”The government didn’t do much better last year, when several states failed to spend the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-new-york-andrew-cuomo-coronavirus-pandemic-us-news-bfbf0744510d50a1e173247ee5f9ba1b">federal coronavirus relief monies</a>&nbsp;they had set aside for rental assistance, the advocates said. Among them were New York, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Mississippi and Kansas.Diane Yentel, CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said some of the same problems are being seen now, namely landlords refusing to participate, programs refusing to give money directly to tenants and cumbersome application processes.“The CDC moratorium is essential to our efforts to prevent people from getting evicted before they can get rental assistance,” said Caitlin Cedfeldt, a staff attorney at Legal Aid of Nebraska.Landlords, many of whom have challenged the moratorium, say the court’s decision increases pressure on the federal and state governments to speed up rental assistance distribution.“Instead of propping up legally-questionable policies, government at every level needs to cut the red tape and focus on distributing the $46 billion in rental assistance efficiently,” Bob Pinnegar, president &amp; CEO of the National Apartment Association, said in an email interview. “Getting rental assistance funds into the hands of those renters and rental housing providers who need it most is the only way to prevent irrevocable harm to our nation’s housing supply.”President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday announced changes aimed at doing just that. Government agencies implementing the rental relief program will be required to offer assistance directly to renters if landlords choose not to participate, said Gene Sperling. Sperling is the White House coordinator of Biden’s American Rescue Plan, a sweeping, $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package Congress passed to help the country defeat the coronavirus and nurse the economy back to health. Also, the waiting time for delivering the assistance to renters is cut in half if landlords aren’t involved, Sperling said.“We need to make sure that as we implement these emergency funds that we are nimble enough to address growing needs,” he said.The eviction ban was put in place last year to prevent families from losing their homes and moving into shelters or sharing crowded conditions with relatives or friends, conditions health officials said could exacerbate the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus.Proponents of the moratorium argue it is necessary since the pandemic is still a threat and so many people are at risk of eviction or foreclosure. Nearly 4 million people in the U.S. said they faced eviction or foreclosure in the next two months, according to the Census Bureau’s biweekly Household Pulse Survey.“In the short term, Congress and the Biden administration have the power to strengthen the moratorium across the country and halt all evictions for the remainder of the pandemic,” Dawn Phillips, executive director of Right To The City Alliance, a national coalition of 90 housing-justice organizations, said in an email interview.A handful of states are picking up the slack themselves. The state of Connecticut and the city of Philadelphia both have their own eviction moratoriums in place.“While we’re ahead of the curve in working to get our rental relief money out compared to our peers, we still have a long way to go,” said Democratic Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, who indicated that his state’s moratorium would probably remain in place for another month. ” ... We’re trying to work with tenants and landlords to put together something that allows people to stay in their homes a lot longer.”In Philadelphia, lawmakers credit a local moratorium with helping to reduce evictions from about 20,000 a year to only 5,000 last year. On top of that, a program started in September requires landlords to apply for rental assistance prior to going to court to evict tenants. The so-called diversion program has been credited with preventing thousands of evictions.“We had to create alternatives to eviction,” said Philadelphia City Council member Helen Gym, who helped put the program in place.___

After court nixes eviction ban, race is on for federal help

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today provided an overview 
of some of the key tax provisions in the American Rescue Plan Act.

Several provisions affect the 2020 tax return people are filling out 
this filing season, including one exempting up to $10,200 in 
unemployment compensation from tax and another benefiting many people 
who purchased subsidized health coverage through either federal or state
 Health Insurance Marketplaces. In addition, the law also includes a 
third round of Economic Impact Payments, now going out to eligible 
Americans, that are generally equal to $1,400 per person for most 
people, as well as several other key changes for tax-year 2021.

The best way to keep up with tax law developments is by regularly checking IRS.gov.

In the meantime, the IRS urges taxpayers who have already filed their
 2020 returns to avoid filing amended returns, refund claims or 
contacting the IRS about obtaining newly-enacted tax benefits. Taking 
any of these actions now will not speed up a future refund and may even 
slow down an existing refund claim. Instead, as noted below, the IRS 
will automatically provide these benefits to eligible filers.

Some unemployment compensation not taxed for many

For tax year 2020 only, the first $10,200 of unemployment 
compensation is not taxable for most households. This tax benefit is 
only available to those whose modified adjusted gross income is below 
$150,000 during 2020. The same income cap applies to all filing 
statuses.

This means that those eligible who haven't filed a 2020 return yet 
can subtract the first $10,200 from the total compensation received and 
only include the difference in their taxable income. For couples where 
both spouses received unemployment compensation, each spouse can 
subtract $10,200. <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/new-exclusion-of-up-to-10200-of-unemployment-compensation">Details</a>, including a worksheet, are available at <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040">IRS.gov/form1040</a>.

For any eligible taxpayer who has already filed and reported their 
compensation as fully taxable, the IRS is automatically adjusting their 
return and providing them this tax benefit. Refunds, based on this 
adjustment, are being issued in May and continuing through the summer.

Repayment of excess Advance Premium Tax Credit suspended

Taxpayers who purchased health insurance through a federal or state 
Health Insurance Marketplace won't report an excess repayment or attach 
Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit, when they file. Taxpayers use Form 8962 
to figure the amount of the premium tax credit (PTC) they are entitled 
to receive and reconcile it with any advance premium tax credit (APTC) 
they receive through the Marketplace. If the advance payment was too 
little, they claim a net premium tax credit. The process remains 
unchanged for taxpayers claiming a net PTC for 2020. They must file Form
 8962 when they file their 2020 tax return.

However, if the advance payment was higher than their allowable PTC, 
they need to pay back the difference, known as the excess APTC.

The new law suspends the repayment requirement for 2020. This means 
that affected taxpayers do not need to report excess APTC or file Form 
8962. The IRS will automatically reduce the repayment amount to zero. In
 addition, the agency will automatically reimburse anyone who has 
already repaid their 2020 excess APTC.

Child and dependent care credit increased for 2021 only

The new law increases the amount of the credit and eligible expenses 
for child and dependent care, modifies the phase-out of the credit for 
higher earners and makes it refundable.

For 2021, the top credit percentage of qualifying expenses increased from 35% to 50%.

In addition, eligible taxpayers can claim qualifying child and dependent care expenses of up to:

This means that the maximum credit in 2021 of 50% for one 
dependent's qualifying expenses is $4,000, or $8,000 for two or more 
dependents.

When figuring the credit, employer-provided dependent care benefits, 
such as those provided through a flexible spending account (FSA), must 
be subtracted from total eligible expenses.

As before, the more a taxpayer earns, the lower the credit 
percentage. But under the new law, more people will qualify for the new 
maximum 50% credit rate. That's because the adjusted gross income (AGI) 
level at which the credit percentage is reduced is raised substantially 
from $15,000 to $125,000.

Above $125,000, the 50% credit percentage is reduced as income rises,
 plateauing at a 20% rate for taxpayers with an AGI above $183,000. The 
credit percentage level remains at 20% until reaching $400,000 and is 
then phased out above that level. It is completely unavailable for any 
taxpayer with AGI exceeding $438,000.

In 2021, for the first time, the credit is fully refundable. This 
means that an eligible family can get it, even if they owe no federal 
income tax.

Workers can set aside more in a Dependent Care FSA

For 2021, the maximum amount of tax-free employer-provided dependent 
care benefits increased from $5,000 to $10,500. This means that an 
employee can set aside $10,500 in a dependent care FSA, if their 
employer has one, instead of the normal $5,000.

Workers can only do that if their employer adopts this change. Interested employees should contact their employer for details.

For 2021 only, more childless workers and couples can qualify for the
 Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a fully refundable tax benefit that 
helps many low- and moderate-income workers and working families. That's
 because the maximum credit is nearly tripled for these taxpayers and 
is, for the first time, made available to both younger workers and 
senior citizens.

In 2021, the maximum EITC for those with no dependents is $1,502, up 
from $538 in 2020. Available to filers with an AGI below $27,380 in 
2021, it can be claimed by eligible workers who are at least 19 years of
 age. Full-time students under age 24 don't qualify. In the past, the 
EITC for those with no dependents was only available to people ages 25 
to 64.

Another change is available to both childless workers and families 
with dependents. For 2021, it allows them to choose to figure the EITC 
using their 2019 income, as long as it was higher than their 2021 
income. In some instances, this option will give them a larger credit.

Changes expanding EITC for 2021 and future years

Changes expanding the EITC for 2021 and future years include:

The new law increases the amount of the Child Tax Credit, makes it 
available for 17-year-old dependents, makes it fully refundable and 
makes it possible for families to receive up to half of it, in advance, 
during the last half of 2021. Moreover, families can get the credit, 
even if they have little or no income from a job, business or other 
source.

Currently, the credit is worth up to $2,000 per eligible child. The 
new law increases it to as much as $3,000 per child for dependents ages 6
 through 17, and $3,600 for dependents ages 5 and under.

The maximum credit is available to taxpayers with a modified AGI of:

Above these income thresholds, the extra amount above the 
original $2,000 credit — either $1,000 or $1,600 per child — is reduced 
by $50 for every $1,000 in modified AGI.

Also, the credit is fully refundable for 2021. Before this year, the refundable portion was limited to $1,400 per child.

From July through December 2021, up to half the credit will be 
advanced to eligible families by Treasury and the IRS. The advance 
payments will be estimated from their 2020 return, or if not available, 
their 2019 return.

For that reason, the IRS urges families to file their 2020 return as 
soon as possible. This includes many low-and moderate-income families 
who don't normally file returns. Often, those families will qualify for 
an Economic Impact Payment or tax benefits, such as the EITC. This year,
 taxpayers have until May 17, 2021, to file a return.

To speed delivery of any refund, be sure to file electronically and 
choose direct deposit. Doing so will also ensure quick delivery of the 
Advance Child Tax Credit payments, later this year.

In the next few weeks, eligible families can choose to decline 
receiving the advance payments. Likewise, families will also be able to 
notify Treasury and IRS of changes in their income, filing status or 
number of qualifying children. Details will be available soon.

The IRS also urges community groups, non-profits, associations, 
education groups and anyone else with connections to people with 
children to share this critical information about the Child Tax Credit 
as well as other important benefits. The IRS will be providing 
additional materials and information in the near future that can be 
easily shared by social media, email and other methods.

For the most up-to-date information on the Child Tax Credit and advance payments, visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">Advance Child Tax Credit Payments in 2021</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today provided an overview 
of some of the key tax provisions in the American Rescue Plan Act.Several provisions affect the 2020 tax return people are filling out 
this filing season, including one exempting up to $10,200 in 
unemployment compensation from tax and another benefiting many people 
who purchased subsidized health coverage through either federal or state
 Health Insurance Marketplaces. In addition, the law also includes a 
third round of Economic Impact Payments, now going out to eligible 
Americans, that are generally equal to $1,400 per person for most 
people, as well as several other key changes for tax-year 2021.The best way to keep up with tax law developments is by regularly checking IRS.gov.In the meantime, the IRS urges taxpayers who have already filed their
 2020 returns to avoid filing amended returns, refund claims or 
contacting the IRS about obtaining newly-enacted tax benefits. Taking 
any of these actions now will not speed up a future refund and may even 
slow down an existing refund claim. Instead, as noted below, the IRS 
will automatically provide these benefits to eligible filers.<h2>Retroactive changes for 2020</h2><h2>Some unemployment compensation not taxed for many</h2>For tax year 2020 only, the first $10,200 of unemployment 
compensation is not taxable for most households. This tax benefit is 
only available to those whose modified adjusted gross income is below 
$150,000 during 2020. The same income cap applies to all filing 
statuses.This means that those eligible who haven't filed a 2020 return yet 
can subtract the first $10,200 from the total compensation received and 
only include the difference in their taxable income. For couples where 
both spouses received unemployment compensation, each spouse can 
subtract $10,200. <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/new-exclusion-of-up-to-10200-of-unemployment-compensation">Details</a>, including a worksheet, are available at <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040">IRS.gov/form1040</a>.For any eligible taxpayer who has already filed and reported their 
compensation as fully taxable, the IRS is automatically adjusting their 
return and providing them this tax benefit. Refunds, based on this 
adjustment, are being issued in May and continuing through the summer.<h2>Repayment of excess Advance Premium Tax Credit suspended</h2>Taxpayers who purchased health insurance through a federal or state 
Health Insurance Marketplace won't report an excess repayment or attach 
Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit, when they file. Taxpayers use Form 8962 
to figure the amount of the premium tax credit (PTC) they are entitled 
to receive and reconcile it with any advance premium tax credit (APTC) 
they receive through the Marketplace. If the advance payment was too 
little, they claim a net premium tax credit. The process remains 
unchanged for taxpayers claiming a net PTC for 2020. They must file Form
 8962 when they file their 2020 tax return.However, if the advance payment was higher than their allowable PTC, 
they need to pay back the difference, known as the excess APTC.The new law suspends the repayment requirement for 2020. This means 
that affected taxpayers do not need to report excess APTC or file Form 
8962. The IRS will automatically reduce the repayment amount to zero. In
 addition, the agency will automatically reimburse anyone who has 
already repaid their 2020 excess APTC.<h2>Looking ahead to the 2021 tax season</h2><h2>Child and dependent care credit increased for 2021 only</h2>The new law increases the amount of the credit and eligible expenses 
for child and dependent care, modifies the phase-out of the credit for 
higher earners and makes it refundable.For 2021, the top credit percentage of qualifying expenses increased from 35% to 50%.In addition, eligible taxpayers can claim qualifying child and dependent care expenses of up to:<ul>
 <li>$8,000 for one qualifying child or dependent, up from $3,000 in prior years, or</li><li>$16,000 for two or more qualifying dependents, up from $6,000 before 2021.</li>
 </ul>This means that the maximum credit in 2021 of 50% for one 
dependent's qualifying expenses is $4,000, or $8,000 for two or more 
dependents.When figuring the credit, employer-provided dependent care benefits, 
such as those provided through a flexible spending account (FSA), must 
be subtracted from total eligible expenses.As before, the more a taxpayer earns, the lower the credit 
percentage. But under the new law, more people will qualify for the new 
maximum 50% credit rate. That's because the adjusted gross income (AGI) 
level at which the credit percentage is reduced is raised substantially 
from $15,000 to $125,000.Above $125,000, the 50% credit percentage is reduced as income rises,
 plateauing at a 20% rate for taxpayers with an AGI above $183,000. The 
credit percentage level remains at 20% until reaching $400,000 and is 
then phased out above that level. It is completely unavailable for any 
taxpayer with AGI exceeding $438,000.In 2021, for the first time, the credit is fully refundable. This 
means that an eligible family can get it, even if they owe no federal 
income tax.<h2>Workers can set aside more in a Dependent Care FSA</h2>For 2021, the maximum amount of tax-free employer-provided dependent 
care benefits increased from $5,000 to $10,500. This means that an 
employee can set aside $10,500 in a dependent care FSA, if their 
employer has one, instead of the normal $5,000.Workers can only do that if their employer adopts this change. Interested employees should contact their employer for details.<h2>Childless EITC expanded for 2021</h2>For 2021 only, more childless workers and couples can qualify for the
 Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a fully refundable tax benefit that 
helps many low- and moderate-income workers and working families. That's
 because the maximum credit is nearly tripled for these taxpayers and 
is, for the first time, made available to both younger workers and 
senior citizens.In 2021, the maximum EITC for those with no dependents is $1,502, up 
from $538 in 2020. Available to filers with an AGI below $27,380 in 
2021, it can be claimed by eligible workers who are at least 19 years of
 age. Full-time students under age 24 don't qualify. In the past, the 
EITC for those with no dependents was only available to people ages 25 
to 64.Another change is available to both childless workers and families 
with dependents. For 2021, it allows them to choose to figure the EITC 
using their 2019 income, as long as it was higher than their 2021 
income. In some instances, this option will give them a larger credit.<h2>Changes expanding EITC for 2021 and future years</h2>Changes expanding the EITC for 2021 and future years include:<ul>
 <li>Singles and couples who have Social Security numbers can claim 
the credit, even if their children don't have SSNs. In this instance, 
they would get the smaller credit available to childless workers. In the
 past, these filers didn't qualify for the credit</li><li>More workers and working families who also have investment income 
can get the credit. Starting in 2021, the limit on investment income is 
increased to $10,000. After 2021, the $10,000 limit is indexed for 
inflation. The current limit is $3,650.</li><li>Married but Separated spouses can choose to be treated as not 
married for EITC purposes. To qualify, the spouse claiming the credit 
cannot file jointly with the other spouse, cannot have the same 
principal residence as the other spouse for at least six months out of 
the year and must have a qualifying child living with them for more than
 half the year.</li>
 </ul><h2>Expanded Child Tax Credit for 2021 only</h2>The new law increases the amount of the Child Tax Credit, makes it 
available for 17-year-old dependents, makes it fully refundable and 
makes it possible for families to receive up to half of it, in advance, 
during the last half of 2021. Moreover, families can get the credit, 
even if they have little or no income from a job, business or other 
source.Currently, the credit is worth up to $2,000 per eligible child. The 
new law increases it to as much as $3,000 per child for dependents ages 6
 through 17, and $3,600 for dependents ages 5 and under.The maximum credit is available to taxpayers with a modified AGI of:<ul>
 <li>$75,000 or less for singles,</li><li>$112,500 or less for heads of household and</li><li>$150,000 or less for married couples filing a joint return and qualified widows and widowers.</li>
 </ul>Above these income thresholds, the extra amount above the 
original $2,000 credit — either $1,000 or $1,600 per child — is reduced 
by $50 for every $1,000 in modified AGI.Also, the credit is fully refundable for 2021. Before this year, the refundable portion was limited to $1,400 per child.<h2>Advance Child Tax Credit payments</h2>From July through December 2021, up to half the credit will be 
advanced to eligible families by Treasury and the IRS. The advance 
payments will be estimated from their 2020 return, or if not available, 
their 2019 return.For that reason, the IRS urges families to file their 2020 return as 
soon as possible. This includes many low-and moderate-income families 
who don't normally file returns. Often, those families will qualify for 
an Economic Impact Payment or tax benefits, such as the EITC. This year,
 taxpayers have until May 17, 2021, to file a return.To speed delivery of any refund, be sure to file electronically and 
choose direct deposit. Doing so will also ensure quick delivery of the 
Advance Child Tax Credit payments, later this year.In the next few weeks, eligible families can choose to decline 
receiving the advance payments. Likewise, families will also be able to 
notify Treasury and IRS of changes in their income, filing status or 
number of qualifying children. Details will be available soon.The IRS also urges community groups, non-profits, associations, 
education groups and anyone else with connections to people with 
children to share this critical information about the Child Tax Credit 
as well as other important benefits. The IRS will be providing 
additional materials and information in the near future that can be 
easily shared by social media, email and other methods.For the most up-to-date information on the Child Tax Credit and advance payments, visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">Advance Child Tax Credit Payments in 2021</a>.

IRS: Retroactive benefits help Americans filing 2020 tax returns

Lincoln, NE – May 11, 2021 – Due to high sales, officials in the states participating in the Mega Millions® Lotto game have increased the estimated jackpot amount for the Tuesday, May 11 drawing to $402 million or $272.1 million with the cash option selected.

The Mega Millions jackpot starts at $20 million and continues to grow each drawing until it is won. There have been 23 consecutive Mega Millions drawings since February 19 without a jackpot winner.

The Nebraska Lottery began offering Mega Millions in March of 2010. The largest Mega Millions jackpot on record occurred in October 2018 when one ticket was sold in South Carolina for a $1.537 billion jackpot.

Mega Millions jackpot winners have two options for collecting their payment: 30 annuity payments or one cash payment at present value. The annuity option provides annual payments that increase each year. The present cash value is less than the advertised jackpot, which is based on the 29-year annuity option. Winning Mega Millions numbers are announced every Tuesday and Friday at 10:00 p.m. Central Time and posted at the Nebraska Lottery website,&nbsp;<a href="http://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=vO6EBHxkBWuJBNyAXsok8lanxZTLSIUtoqiCqDUXCtE5cxf-2BQZLCrDZWRG-2BD-2BdnZAg5a_c-2BOB8316sDaZ5paYyyKRh-2FC4v8rm7BY6VL-2BnXb9ELzfCH7RplZyesblRqEoV-2Bhl8DO-2FmuPGpvdqq0muHUzsKx-2BgAHRMAYmN4V2IyHhNlDp63xy3jiZjyzcZ939hgSBZ6YT97E0SpQMYqNB7GWUEFsnReQEgAfBP-2Bdm8YpNtMCTFRMpGI4ZB-2FJmXoOdcYC2vGvnxlIAOhzgjWNpU7Zl-2BATgFrKlkmKwHtQFMB-2FsWRF2oRSCrEnVqfo34Zh3q9zBwRTsVZWE-2BNyQnCtpEpExSGlPIDKUwIbOHoGqNKkQq1IJ0lrN08zjJmFhxIeEeathRptpcpjC4hj-2FTRXH7TMP7JRMYwoy7-2F2EqUtzrJyJaJUS1qK-2FCR9-2FuPaDDoPYVwUPvlsrKb5dcDcHa0cQFRZ8qtsA-3D-3D" target="_blank">nelottery.com</a>.

Because of the high Mega Millions jackpot, the Nebraska Lottery encourages customers to play within their means. “It’s important for Nebraska Lottery players to remember that no matter how large the jackpot is, the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302 million,” said Lottery Director Brian Rockey. “Your odds of winning remain the same, regardless of how many tickets are purchased or how many people play.” If you or someone you know has a problem with compulsive gambling, free help is available at problemgambling.nebraska.gov.

The mission of the Nebraska Lottery is to generate proceeds for good causes while providing quality entertainment options to Nebraskans. Over $818 million has been raised for the Nebraska Lottery’s beneficiary funds since the Lottery began in 1993. All 93 counties in Nebraska have benefited from projects funded with these Nebraska Lottery proceeds.

Lincoln, NE – May 11, 2021 – Due to high sales, officials in the states participating in the Mega Millions® Lotto game have increased the estimated jackpot amount for the Tuesday, May 11 drawing to $402 million or $272.1 million with the cash option selected.The Mega Millions jackpot starts at $20 million and continues to grow each drawing until it is won. There have been 23 consecutive Mega Millions drawings since February 19 without a jackpot winner.The Nebraska Lottery began offering Mega Millions in March of 2010. The largest Mega Millions jackpot on record occurred in October 2018 when one ticket was sold in South Carolina for a $1.537 billion jackpot.Mega Millions jackpot winners have two options for collecting their payment: 30 annuity payments or one cash payment at present value. The annuity option provides annual payments that increase each year. The present cash value is less than the advertised jackpot, which is based on the 29-year annuity option. Winning Mega Millions numbers are announced every Tuesday and Friday at 10:00 p.m. Central Time and posted at the Nebraska Lottery website,&nbsp;<a href="http://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=vO6EBHxkBWuJBNyAXsok8lanxZTLSIUtoqiCqDUXCtE5cxf-2BQZLCrDZWRG-2BD-2BdnZAg5a_c-2BOB8316sDaZ5paYyyKRh-2FC4v8rm7BY6VL-2BnXb9ELzfCH7RplZyesblRqEoV-2Bhl8DO-2FmuPGpvdqq0muHUzsKx-2BgAHRMAYmN4V2IyHhNlDp63xy3jiZjyzcZ939hgSBZ6YT97E0SpQMYqNB7GWUEFsnReQEgAfBP-2Bdm8YpNtMCTFRMpGI4ZB-2FJmXoOdcYC2vGvnxlIAOhzgjWNpU7Zl-2BATgFrKlkmKwHtQFMB-2FsWRF2oRSCrEnVqfo34Zh3q9zBwRTsVZWE-2BNyQnCtpEpExSGlPIDKUwIbOHoGqNKkQq1IJ0lrN08zjJmFhxIeEeathRptpcpjC4hj-2FTRXH7TMP7JRMYwoy7-2F2EqUtzrJyJaJUS1qK-2FCR9-2FuPaDDoPYVwUPvlsrKb5dcDcHa0cQFRZ8qtsA-3D-3D" target="_blank">nelottery.com</a>.Play ResponsiblyBecause of the high Mega Millions jackpot, the Nebraska Lottery encourages customers to play within their means. “It’s important for Nebraska Lottery players to remember that no matter how large the jackpot is, the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302 million,” said Lottery Director Brian Rockey. “Your odds of winning remain the same, regardless of how many tickets are purchased or how many people play.” If you or someone you know has a problem with compulsive gambling, free help is available at problemgambling.nebraska.gov.The mission of the Nebraska Lottery is to generate proceeds for good causes while providing quality entertainment options to Nebraskans. Over $818 million has been raised for the Nebraska Lottery’s beneficiary funds since the Lottery began in 1993. All 93 counties in Nebraska have benefited from projects funded with these Nebraska Lottery proceeds.

Mega Millions Jackpot Now $402 Million

MAY 10, 2021 (OMAHA, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested two people following a late-morning pursuit between Lincoln and Omaha.

At approximately 11:30 a.m., Monday, the NSP Aviation Support Division was notified that the Seward County Sheriff’s Office was in pursuit of a Kia Forte that had fled a traffic stop. Deputies discontinued their pursuit as the vehicle was passing through Lincoln on eastbound Interstate 80.

NSP pilots were able to locate the vehicle between Lincoln and Omaha and direct troopers on the ground to its location as it was traveling eastbound near mile marker 430. A trooper attempted a traffic stop, but the vehicle refused to yield and accelerated to speeds over 100 miles per hour. The trooper initiated a pursuit.

As the Kia approached the Gretna interchange at mile marker 432, it drove through the median and started traveling westbound on I-80. After several miles, the vehicle voluntarily stopped near mile marker 424. The driver and passenger were both taken into custody without incident.

The driver, Lamar Parsons Ferguson, 34, of Saint Paul, Minnesota, was arrested for felony flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving, and possession of a controlled substance. The passenger, Mia Miller, 23, of Columbia Heights, Minnesota, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. Both were lodged in Sarpy County Jail. Additional charges are possible in connection with the Seward County pursuit.

MAY 10, 2021 (OMAHA, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested two people following a late-morning pursuit between Lincoln and Omaha.At approximately 11:30 a.m., Monday, the NSP Aviation Support Division was notified that the Seward County Sheriff’s Office was in pursuit of a Kia Forte that had fled a traffic stop. Deputies discontinued their pursuit as the vehicle was passing through Lincoln on eastbound Interstate 80.NSP pilots were able to locate the vehicle between Lincoln and Omaha and direct troopers on the ground to its location as it was traveling eastbound near mile marker 430. A trooper attempted a traffic stop, but the vehicle refused to yield and accelerated to speeds over 100 miles per hour. The trooper initiated a pursuit.As the Kia approached the Gretna interchange at mile marker 432, it drove through the median and started traveling westbound on I-80. After several miles, the vehicle voluntarily stopped near mile marker 424. The driver and passenger were both taken into custody without incident.The driver, Lamar Parsons Ferguson, 34, of Saint Paul, Minnesota, was arrested for felony flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving, and possession of a controlled substance. The passenger, Mia Miller, 23, of Columbia Heights, Minnesota, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. Both were lodged in Sarpy County Jail. Additional charges are possible in connection with the Seward County pursuit.

Two Arrested By NSP After Pursuit Between Lincoln and Omaha

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hit by a cyberattack, the operator of a major U.S. fuel pipeline said it hopes to have services mostly restored by the end of the week as the FBI and administration officials identified the culprits as a gang of criminal hackers.

U.S. officials sought to soothe concerns about price spikes or damage to the economy by stressing that the fuel supply had so far not experienced widespread disruptions, and the company said Monday that it was working toward “substantially restoring operational service” by the weekend.

The White House said in a statement late Monday that it was monitoring supply shortages in parts of the Southeast and that President Joe Biden had directed federal agencies to bring their resources to bear.

Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, halted operations last week after revealing a ransomware attack that it said had affected some of its systems.

Nonetheless,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-hacking-government-and-politics-technology-business-b2a867c0705acd953c90d6e2a58fabb9">the attack underscored the vulnerabilities of the nation’s energy sector</a>&nbsp;and other critical industries whose infrastructure is largely privately owned. Ransomware attacks are typically carried out by criminal hackers who scramble data, paralyzing victim networks, and demand large payments to decrypt it.

The Colonial attack was a potent reminder of the real-world implications of the burgeoning threat. Even as the Biden administration works to confront organized hacking campaigns sponsored by foreign governments, it must still contend with difficult-to-prevent attacks from cybercriminals.

“We need to invest to safeguard our critical infrastructure,” Biden said Monday. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the attack “tells you how utterly vulnerable we are” to cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure.

The attack came as the administration, still grappling with its response to massive breaches by Russia of federal agencies and private corporations, works on an executive order aimed at bolstering cybersecurity defenses. The Justice Department, meanwhile, has formed a ransomware task force designed for situations just like Colonial Pipeline, and the Energy Department on April 20 announced a 100-day initiative focused on protecting energy infrastructure from cyber threats. Similar actions are planned for other critical industries, such as water and natural gas.

Despite that, the challenge facing the government and the private sector remains immense.

In this case, the FBI publicly assigned blame Monday by saying the criminal syndicate whose ransomware was used in the attack is named DarkSide. The group’s members are Russian speakers, and the syndicate’s malware is coded not to attack networks using Russian-language keyboards.

Anne Neuberger, the White House deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, said at a briefing that the group has been on the FBI’s radar for months. She said its business model is to demand ransom payments from victims and then split the proceeds with the ransomware developers, relying on what she said was a “new and very troubling variant.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hit by a cyberattack, the operator of a major U.S. fuel pipeline said Monday it hopes to have services mostly restored by the end of the week as the FBI and administration officials identified the culprits as a gang of criminal hackers.

Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, halted operations last week after revealing a ransomware attack that it said had affected some of its systems. On Monday, U.S. officials sought to soothe concerns about price spikes or damage to the economy by stressing that the fuel supply had so far not been disrupted, and the company said it was working toward “substantially restoring operational service” by the weekend.

Nonetheless, the attack underscored the vulnerabilities of the nation’s energy sector and other critical industries whose infrastructure is largely privately owned. Ransomware attacks are typically carried out by criminal hackers who scramble data, paralyzing victim networks, and demand large payments to decrypt it.

“We need to invest to safeguard our critical infrastructure,” President Joe Biden said Monday.

The attack came as the administration, still grappling with its response to massive breaches by Russia of federal agencies and private corporations, works on an executive order aimed at bolstering cybersecurity defenses. The Justice Department, meanwhile, has formed a ransomware task force designed for situations just like Colonial Pipeline, and the Energy Department on April 20 announced a 100-day initiative focused on protecting energy infrastructure from cyber threats. Similar actions are planned for other critical industries.

In this case, the FBI moved with unusual speed to pinpoint blame, saying the criminal syndicate whose ransomware was used in the attack is named DarkSide. The group’s members are Russian speakers, and the syndicate’s malware is coded not to attack networks using Russian-language keyboards.

Anne Neuberger, the White House deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, said at a briefing that the group emerged just months ago. She said the group’s business model is to demand ransom payments from victims and then split the proceeds, relying on what she said was a “new and very troubling variant.”

She declined to say if Colonial Pipeline had paid any ransom, and the company has not given any indication of that one way or the other. Though the FBI has historically discouraged victims from making payments for fear of promoting additional attacks, she acknowledged “the very difficult” situation that victims face and said the administration needs to look “thoughtfully at this area” of how best to deter ransomware.

The U.S. sanctioned the Kremlin last month for a hack of federal government agencies that officials have linked to a military intelligence unit and described as an intelligence-gathering operation. In this case, though, the hackers are not known to be working at the behest of any foreign government.

The group posted a statement on its dark web site describing itself as apolitical. “Our goal is to make money, and not creating problems for society,” DarkSide said.

Asked Monday whether Russia was involved, Biden said, ”“I’m going to be meeting with President (Vladimir) Putin, and so far there is no evidence based on, from our intelligence people, that Russia is involved, although there is evidence that the actors, ransomware, is in Russia.

“They have some responsibility to deal with this,” he added.

U.S. officials have sought to head off anxieties about the prospect of a lingering economic impact and disruption to the fuel supply, especially given Colonial Pipeline’s key role in transporting gasoline, jet fuel, diesel and other petroleum products through 10 states between Texas and New Jersey.

Colonial is in the process of restarting portions of its network. It said Monday that it was evaluating the product inventory in storage tanks at its facilities. Administration officials stressed that the company proactively took some of its systems offline, as opposed to hackers doing it, and that its operating systems were spared.

In response to the attack, the administration loosened regulations for the transport of petroleum products on highways as part of an “all-hands-on-deck” effort to avoid disruptions in the fuel supply.

“The time of the outage is now approaching critical levels and if it continues to remain down we do expect an increase in East Coast gasoline and diesel prices,” said Debnil Chowdhury, IHS Markit Executive Director. The last time there was an outage of this magnitude was in 2016, he said, when gas prices rose 15 to 20 cents per gallon. But the Northeast had significantly more local refining capacity at that time, potentially intensifying any impact.

If the pipeline outage persists, the industry may want to turn to barges to transport fuel, but that could require a waiver of the Jones Act, a U.S. maritime law that requires products shipped between U.S. ports to be moved by American-flagged ships.

The pipeline utilizes both common and custom technology systems, which could complicate efforts to bring the entire network back online, according to analysts at Third Bridge.

Gasoline futures ticked higher Monday. Futures for crude and fuel, prices that traders pay for contracts for delivery in the future, typically begin to rise anyway each year as the driving season approaches. The price you pay at the pump tends to follow.

The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline has jumped 6 cents over the past two weeks, to $3.02 per gallon, which is $1.05 higher than a year ago. The year-ago numbers are skewed somewhat because the nation was going into lockdown due to the pandemic.

The attack on the Colonial Pipeline could exacerbate the upward pressure on prices if it is unresolved for a period of time.

NEW YORK (AP) — The cyberextortion attempt that has forced the shutdown of a vital U.S. pipeline was carried out by a criminal gang known as DarkSide that cultivates a Robin Hood image of stealing from corporations and giving a cut to charity, two people close to the investigation said Sunday.

<a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency/esc-ssc-wsc-regional-emergency-declaration-2021-002-05-09-2021">Click here to read </a>the emergency declaration from the Department of Transportation.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ga-state-wire-business-c6ef4314af911fb58b8445d2b121e82d">shutdown, meanwhile, stretched into its third day</a>, with the Biden administration loosening regulations for the transport of petroleum products on highways as part of an “all-hands-on-deck” effort to avoid disruptions in the fuel supply.

Experts said that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-342d43005020fbbc2fb279bd593428f7">gasoline prices</a>&nbsp;are unlikely to be affected if the pipeline is back to normal in the next few days but that the incident — the worst cyberattack to date on critical U.S. infrastructure — should serve as a wake-up call to companies about the vulnerabilities they face.

The pipeline, operated by Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline, carries gasoline and other fuel from Texas to the Northeast. It delivers roughly 45% of fuel consumed on the East Coast, according to the company.

It was hit by what Colonial called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-canada-health-coronavirus-technology-288c8979c10b648ba72a4b0fc34b02ac">a ransomware attack, in which hackers&nbsp;</a>typically lock up computer systems by encrypting data, paralyzing networks, and then demand a large ransom to unscramble it.

On Sunday, Colonial Pipeline said it was actively in the process of restoring some of its IT systems. It says it remains in contact with law enforcement and other federal agencies, including the Department of Energy, which is leading the federal government response. The company has not said what was demanded or who made the demand.

However, two people close to the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, identified the culprit as DarkSide. It is among ransomware gangs that have “professionalized” a criminal industry that has cost Western nations tens of billions of dollars in losses in the past three years.

DarkSide claims that it does not attack hospitals and nursing homes, educational or government targets and that it donates a portion of its take to charity. It has been active since August and, typical of the most potent ransomware gangs, is known to avoid targeting organizations in former Soviet bloc nations.

Colonial did not say whether it has paid or was negotiating a ransom, and DarkSide neither announced the attack on its dark web site nor responded to an Associated Press reporter’s queries. The lack of acknowledgment usually indicates a victim is either negotiating or has paid.

On Sunday, Colonial Pipeline said it is developing a “system restart” plan. It said its main pipeline remains offline but some smaller lines are now operational.

“We are in the process of restoring service to other laterals and will bring our full system back online only when we believe it is safe to do so, and in full compliance with the approval of all federal regulations,” the company said in a statement.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gina-raimondo-commerce-secretary-cd2794577a58ccae4b7cca9ce47af79d">Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo</a>&nbsp;said Sunday that ransomware attacks are “what businesses now have to worry about,” and that she will work “very vigorously” with the Department of Homeland Security to address the problem, calling it a top priority for the administration.

“Unfortunately, these sorts of attacks are becoming more frequent,” she said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “We have to work in partnership with business to secure networks to defend ourselves against these attacks.”

She said President Joe Biden was briefed on the attack.

“It’s an all-hands-on-deck effort right now,” Raimondo said. “And we are working closely with the company, state and local officials to make sure that they get back up to normal operations as quickly as possible and there aren’t disruptions in supply.”

The Department of Transportation issued&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency/esc-ssc-wsc-regional-emergency-declaration-2021-002-05-09-2021" target="_blank">a regional emergency declaration</a>&nbsp;Sunday, relaxing hours-of-service regulations for drivers carrying gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other refined petroleum products in 17 states and the District of Columbia. It lets them work extra or more flexible hours to make up for any fuel shortage related to the pipeline outage.

One of the people close to the Colonial investigation said that the attackers also stole data from the company, presumably for extortion purposes. Sometimes stolen data is more valuable to ransomware criminals than the leverage they gain by crippling a network, because some victims are loath to see sensitive information of theirs dumped online.

Security experts said the attack should be a warning for operators of critical infrastructure — including electrical and water utilities and energy and transportation companies — that not investing in updating their security puts them at risk of catastrophe.

Ed Amoroso, CEO of TAG Cyber, said Colonial was lucky its attacker was at least ostensibly motivated only by profit, not geopolitics. State-backed hackers bent on more serious destruction use the same intrusion methods as ransomware gangs.

“For companies vulnerable to ransomware, it’s a bad sign because they are probably more vulnerable to more serious attacks,” he said. Russian cyberwarriors, for example, crippled the electrical grid in Ukraine during the winters of 2015 and 2016.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ransomware-gangs-hacking-police-cybercrime-pipeline-3a38c27c4fafe0c39461fb71bf91a42a">Cyberextortion attempts in the U.S.&nbsp;</a>have become a death-by-a-thousand-cuts phenomenon in the past year, with attacks forcing delays in cancer treatment&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-ransomware-healthcare-system-7531ca8d2742d855cd374213d111821c">at hospitals,&nbsp;</a>interrupting schooling and paralyzing police and city governments.

Tulsa, Oklahoma, this week became the 32nd state or local government in the U.S. to come under ransomware attack, said Brett Callow, a threat analyst with the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft.

Average ransoms paid in the U.S. jumped nearly threefold to more than $310,000 last year. The average downtime for victims of ransomware attacks is 21 days, according to the firm Coveware, which helps victims respond.

David Kennedy, founder and senior principal security consultant at TrustedSec, said that once a ransomware attack is discovered, companies have little recourse but to completely rebuild their infrastructure, or pay the ransom.

“Ransomware is absolutely out of control and one of the biggest threats we face as a nation,” Kennedy said. “The problem we face is most companies are grossly underprepared to face these threats.”

Colonial transports gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and home heating oil from refineries on the Gulf Coast through pipelines running from Texas to New Jersey. Its pipeline system spans more than 5,500 miles, transporting more than 100 million gallons (380 million liters) a day.

Debnil Chowdhury at the research firm IHSMarkit said that if the outage stretches to one to three weeks, gas prices could begin to rise.

“I wouldn’t be surprised, if this ends up being an outage of that magnitude, if we see 15- to 20-cent rise in gas prices over next week or two,” he said.

The Justice Department has a new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-hacking-business-45977e01475a23513051ac549026fffb">task force dedicated to countering ransomware attacks.</a>

While the U.S. has not suffered any serious cyberattacks on its critical infrastructure, officials say Russian hackers in particular are known to have infiltrated some crucial sectors positioning themselves to do damage if armed conflict were to break out. While there is no evidence&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-technology-general-news-government-and-politics-c9dab7eb3841be45dff2d93ed3102999">the Kremlin benefits financially from ransomware,</a>&nbsp;U.S. officials believe President Vladimir Putin savors the mayhem it wreaks in adversaries’ economies.

Iranian hackers have also been aggressive in trying to gain access to utilities, factories and oil and gas facilities. In one case in 2013, they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-new-york-iran-new-york-city-hacking-20e754ada2eb49edbfe6f5ea823bf5c8">broke into the control system of a U.S. dam.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1620643205978.png" alt="&nbsp;The pipeline system spans more than 5,500 miles between Houston, Texas and Linden, New Jersey-image courtesy Colonial Pipeline" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;The pipeline system spans more than 5,500 miles between Houston, Texas and Linden, New Jersey-image courtesy Colonial Pipeline</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Hit by a cyberattack, the operator of a major U.S. fuel pipeline said it hopes to have services mostly restored by the end of the week as the FBI and administration officials identified the culprits as a gang of criminal hackers.U.S. officials sought to soothe concerns about price spikes or damage to the economy by stressing that the fuel supply had so far not experienced widespread disruptions, and the company said Monday that it was working toward “substantially restoring operational service” by the weekend.The White House said in a statement late Monday that it was monitoring supply shortages in parts of the Southeast and that President Joe Biden had directed federal agencies to bring their resources to bear.Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, halted operations last week after revealing a ransomware attack that it said had affected some of its systems.Nonetheless,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-hacking-government-and-politics-technology-business-b2a867c0705acd953c90d6e2a58fabb9">the attack underscored the vulnerabilities of the nation’s energy sector</a>&nbsp;and other critical industries whose infrastructure is largely privately owned. Ransomware attacks are typically carried out by criminal hackers who scramble data, paralyzing victim networks, and demand large payments to decrypt it.The Colonial attack was a potent reminder of the real-world implications of the burgeoning threat. Even as the Biden administration works to confront organized hacking campaigns sponsored by foreign governments, it must still contend with difficult-to-prevent attacks from cybercriminals.“We need to invest to safeguard our critical infrastructure,” Biden said Monday. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the attack “tells you how utterly vulnerable we are” to cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure.The attack came as the administration, still grappling with its response to massive breaches by Russia of federal agencies and private corporations, works on an executive order aimed at bolstering cybersecurity defenses. The Justice Department, meanwhile, has formed a ransomware task force designed for situations just like Colonial Pipeline, and the Energy Department on April 20 announced a 100-day initiative focused on protecting energy infrastructure from cyber threats. Similar actions are planned for other critical industries, such as water and natural gas.Despite that, the challenge facing the government and the private sector remains immense.In this case, the FBI publicly assigned blame Monday by saying the criminal syndicate whose ransomware was used in the attack is named DarkSide. The group’s members are Russian speakers, and the syndicate’s malware is coded not to attack networks using Russian-language keyboards.Anne Neuberger, the White House deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, said at a briefing that the group has been on the FBI’s radar for months. She said its business model is to demand ransom payments from victims and then split the proceeds with the ransomware developers, relying on what she said was a “new and very troubling variant.”---------WASHINGTON (AP) — Hit by a cyberattack, the operator of a major U.S. fuel pipeline said Monday it hopes to have services mostly restored by the end of the week as the FBI and administration officials identified the culprits as a gang of criminal hackers.Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, halted operations last week after revealing a ransomware attack that it said had affected some of its systems. On Monday, U.S. officials sought to soothe concerns about price spikes or damage to the economy by stressing that the fuel supply had so far not been disrupted, and the company said it was working toward “substantially restoring operational service” by the weekend.Nonetheless, the attack underscored the vulnerabilities of the nation’s energy sector and other critical industries whose infrastructure is largely privately owned. Ransomware attacks are typically carried out by criminal hackers who scramble data, paralyzing victim networks, and demand large payments to decrypt it.The Colonial attack was a potent reminder of the real-world implications of the burgeoning threat. Even as the Biden administration works to confront organized hacking campaigns sponsored by foreign governments, it must still contend with difficult-to-prevent attacks from cybercriminals.“We need to invest to safeguard our critical infrastructure,” President Joe Biden said Monday.The attack came as the administration, still grappling with its response to massive breaches by Russia of federal agencies and private corporations, works on an executive order aimed at bolstering cybersecurity defenses. The Justice Department, meanwhile, has formed a ransomware task force designed for situations just like Colonial Pipeline, and the Energy Department on April 20 announced a 100-day initiative focused on protecting energy infrastructure from cyber threats. Similar actions are planned for other critical industries.Despite that, the challenge facing the government and the private sector remains immense.In this case, the FBI moved with unusual speed to pinpoint blame, saying the criminal syndicate whose ransomware was used in the attack is named DarkSide. The group’s members are Russian speakers, and the syndicate’s malware is coded not to attack networks using Russian-language keyboards.Anne Neuberger, the White House deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, said at a briefing that the group emerged just months ago. She said the group’s business model is to demand ransom payments from victims and then split the proceeds, relying on what she said was a “new and very troubling variant.”She declined to say if Colonial Pipeline had paid any ransom, and the company has not given any indication of that one way or the other. Though the FBI has historically discouraged victims from making payments for fear of promoting additional attacks, she acknowledged “the very difficult” situation that victims face and said the administration needs to look “thoughtfully at this area” of how best to deter ransomware.The U.S. sanctioned the Kremlin last month for a hack of federal government agencies that officials have linked to a military intelligence unit and described as an intelligence-gathering operation. In this case, though, the hackers are not known to be working at the behest of any foreign government.The group posted a statement on its dark web site describing itself as apolitical. “Our goal is to make money, and not creating problems for society,” DarkSide said.Asked Monday whether Russia was involved, Biden said, ”“I’m going to be meeting with President (Vladimir) Putin, and so far there is no evidence based on, from our intelligence people, that Russia is involved, although there is evidence that the actors, ransomware, is in Russia.“They have some responsibility to deal with this,” he added.U.S. officials have sought to head off anxieties about the prospect of a lingering economic impact and disruption to the fuel supply, especially given Colonial Pipeline’s key role in transporting gasoline, jet fuel, diesel and other petroleum products through 10 states between Texas and New Jersey.Colonial is in the process of restarting portions of its network. It said Monday that it was evaluating the product inventory in storage tanks at its facilities. Administration officials stressed that the company proactively took some of its systems offline, as opposed to hackers doing it, and that its operating systems were spared.In response to the attack, the administration loosened regulations for the transport of petroleum products on highways as part of an “all-hands-on-deck” effort to avoid disruptions in the fuel supply.“The time of the outage is now approaching critical levels and if it continues to remain down we do expect an increase in East Coast gasoline and diesel prices,” said Debnil Chowdhury, IHS Markit Executive Director. The last time there was an outage of this magnitude was in 2016, he said, when gas prices rose 15 to 20 cents per gallon. But the Northeast had significantly more local refining capacity at that time, potentially intensifying any impact.If the pipeline outage persists, the industry may want to turn to barges to transport fuel, but that could require a waiver of the Jones Act, a U.S. maritime law that requires products shipped between U.S. ports to be moved by American-flagged ships.The pipeline utilizes both common and custom technology systems, which could complicate efforts to bring the entire network back online, according to analysts at Third Bridge.Gasoline futures ticked higher Monday. Futures for crude and fuel, prices that traders pay for contracts for delivery in the future, typically begin to rise anyway each year as the driving season approaches. The price you pay at the pump tends to follow.The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline has jumped 6 cents over the past two weeks, to $3.02 per gallon, which is $1.05 higher than a year ago. The year-ago numbers are skewed somewhat because the nation was going into lockdown due to the pandemic.The attack on the Colonial Pipeline could exacerbate the upward pressure on prices if it is unresolved for a period of time.----------NEW YORK (AP) — The cyberextortion attempt that has forced the shutdown of a vital U.S. pipeline was carried out by a criminal gang known as DarkSide that cultivates a Robin Hood image of stealing from corporations and giving a cut to charity, two people close to the investigation said Sunday.<a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency/esc-ssc-wsc-regional-emergency-declaration-2021-002-05-09-2021">Click here to read </a>the emergency declaration from the Department of Transportation.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ga-state-wire-business-c6ef4314af911fb58b8445d2b121e82d">shutdown, meanwhile, stretched into its third day</a>, with the Biden administration loosening regulations for the transport of petroleum products on highways as part of an “all-hands-on-deck” effort to avoid disruptions in the fuel supply.Experts said that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-342d43005020fbbc2fb279bd593428f7">gasoline prices</a>&nbsp;are unlikely to be affected if the pipeline is back to normal in the next few days but that the incident — the worst cyberattack to date on critical U.S. infrastructure — should serve as a wake-up call to companies about the vulnerabilities they face.The pipeline, operated by Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline, carries gasoline and other fuel from Texas to the Northeast. It delivers roughly 45% of fuel consumed on the East Coast, according to the company.It was hit by what Colonial called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-canada-health-coronavirus-technology-288c8979c10b648ba72a4b0fc34b02ac">a ransomware attack, in which hackers&nbsp;</a>typically lock up computer systems by encrypting data, paralyzing networks, and then demand a large ransom to unscramble it.On Sunday, Colonial Pipeline said it was actively in the process of restoring some of its IT systems. It says it remains in contact with law enforcement and other federal agencies, including the Department of Energy, which is leading the federal government response. The company has not said what was demanded or who made the demand.However, two people close to the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, identified the culprit as DarkSide. It is among ransomware gangs that have “professionalized” a criminal industry that has cost Western nations tens of billions of dollars in losses in the past three years.DarkSide claims that it does not attack hospitals and nursing homes, educational or government targets and that it donates a portion of its take to charity. It has been active since August and, typical of the most potent ransomware gangs, is known to avoid targeting organizations in former Soviet bloc nations.Colonial did not say whether it has paid or was negotiating a ransom, and DarkSide neither announced the attack on its dark web site nor responded to an Associated Press reporter’s queries. The lack of acknowledgment usually indicates a victim is either negotiating or has paid.On Sunday, Colonial Pipeline said it is developing a “system restart” plan. It said its main pipeline remains offline but some smaller lines are now operational.“We are in the process of restoring service to other laterals and will bring our full system back online only when we believe it is safe to do so, and in full compliance with the approval of all federal regulations,” the company said in a statement.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gina-raimondo-commerce-secretary-cd2794577a58ccae4b7cca9ce47af79d">Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo</a>&nbsp;said Sunday that ransomware attacks are “what businesses now have to worry about,” and that she will work “very vigorously” with the Department of Homeland Security to address the problem, calling it a top priority for the administration.“Unfortunately, these sorts of attacks are becoming more frequent,” she said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “We have to work in partnership with business to secure networks to defend ourselves against these attacks.”She said President Joe Biden was briefed on the attack.“It’s an all-hands-on-deck effort right now,” Raimondo said. “And we are working closely with the company, state and local officials to make sure that they get back up to normal operations as quickly as possible and there aren’t disruptions in supply.”The Department of Transportation issued&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency/esc-ssc-wsc-regional-emergency-declaration-2021-002-05-09-2021" target="_blank">a regional emergency declaration</a>&nbsp;Sunday, relaxing hours-of-service regulations for drivers carrying gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other refined petroleum products in 17 states and the District of Columbia. It lets them work extra or more flexible hours to make up for any fuel shortage related to the pipeline outage.One of the people close to the Colonial investigation said that the attackers also stole data from the company, presumably for extortion purposes. Sometimes stolen data is more valuable to ransomware criminals than the leverage they gain by crippling a network, because some victims are loath to see sensitive information of theirs dumped online.Security experts said the attack should be a warning for operators of critical infrastructure — including electrical and water utilities and energy and transportation companies — that not investing in updating their security puts them at risk of catastrophe.Ed Amoroso, CEO of TAG Cyber, said Colonial was lucky its attacker was at least ostensibly motivated only by profit, not geopolitics. State-backed hackers bent on more serious destruction use the same intrusion methods as ransomware gangs.“For companies vulnerable to ransomware, it’s a bad sign because they are probably more vulnerable to more serious attacks,” he said. Russian cyberwarriors, for example, crippled the electrical grid in Ukraine during the winters of 2015 and 2016.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ransomware-gangs-hacking-police-cybercrime-pipeline-3a38c27c4fafe0c39461fb71bf91a42a">Cyberextortion attempts in the U.S.&nbsp;</a>have become a death-by-a-thousand-cuts phenomenon in the past year, with attacks forcing delays in cancer treatment&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-ransomware-healthcare-system-7531ca8d2742d855cd374213d111821c">at hospitals,&nbsp;</a>interrupting schooling and paralyzing police and city governments.Tulsa, Oklahoma, this week became the 32nd state or local government in the U.S. to come under ransomware attack, said Brett Callow, a threat analyst with the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft.Average ransoms paid in the U.S. jumped nearly threefold to more than $310,000 last year. The average downtime for victims of ransomware attacks is 21 days, according to the firm Coveware, which helps victims respond.David Kennedy, founder and senior principal security consultant at TrustedSec, said that once a ransomware attack is discovered, companies have little recourse but to completely rebuild their infrastructure, or pay the ransom.“Ransomware is absolutely out of control and one of the biggest threats we face as a nation,” Kennedy said. “The problem we face is most companies are grossly underprepared to face these threats.”Colonial transports gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and home heating oil from refineries on the Gulf Coast through pipelines running from Texas to New Jersey. Its pipeline system spans more than 5,500 miles, transporting more than 100 million gallons (380 million liters) a day.Debnil Chowdhury at the research firm IHSMarkit said that if the outage stretches to one to three weeks, gas prices could begin to rise.“I wouldn’t be surprised, if this ends up being an outage of that magnitude, if we see 15- to 20-cent rise in gas prices over next week or two,” he said.The Justice Department has a new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-hacking-business-45977e01475a23513051ac549026fffb">task force dedicated to countering ransomware attacks.</a>While the U.S. has not suffered any serious cyberattacks on its critical infrastructure, officials say Russian hackers in particular are known to have infiltrated some crucial sectors positioning themselves to do damage if armed conflict were to break out. While there is no evidence&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-technology-general-news-government-and-politics-c9dab7eb3841be45dff2d93ed3102999">the Kremlin benefits financially from ransomware,</a>&nbsp;U.S. officials believe President Vladimir Putin savors the mayhem it wreaks in adversaries’ economies.Iranian hackers have also been aggressive in trying to gain access to utilities, factories and oil and gas facilities. In one case in 2013, they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-new-york-iran-new-york-city-hacking-20e754ada2eb49edbfe6f5ea823bf5c8">broke into the control system of a U.S. dam.</a>-------

Cyberattack: Pipeline officials hope most service back by weekend

The Internal Revenue Services offers an online tool to track your federal tax refund status.

• Social Security number or TIN • Filing status • Exact refund amount

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://sa.www4.irs.gov/irfof/lang/en/irfofgetstatus.jsp">HERE</a>&nbsp;to track your refund.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSThe Internal Revenue Services offers an online tool to track your federal tax refund status.To track a refund, taxpayers will need:• Social Security number or TIN • Filing status • Exact refund amountClick&nbsp;<a href="https://sa.www4.irs.gov/irfof/lang/en/irfofgetstatus.jsp">HERE</a>&nbsp;to track your refund.

IRS: Where's my tax refund? Here's how to find out

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government will protect gay and transgender people against sex discrimination in health care, the Biden administration declared Monday, reversing a Trump-era policy that narrowed rights at the intersection of changing social mores and sensitive medical decisions.

It marked the latest step by President Joe Biden to advance the rights of gay and transgender people across society, from military service, to housing, to employment opportunities.

The policy announcement by the Department of Health and Human Services affirms that federal laws forbidding sex discrimination in health care also protect gay and transgender people. The Trump administration had defined “sex” to mean gender assigned at birth, thereby excluding transgender people from the law’s umbrella of protection.

“Fear of discrimination can lead individuals to forgo care, which can have serious negative health consequences,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Everyone — including LGBTQ people — should be able to access health care, free from discrimination or interference, period.”

Both opponents and supporters of Biden’s action said it’s likely to lead to litigation.

Speaking for the medical community, the American Medical Association said in a statement the Biden administration “did the right thing” by ending “a dismal chapter which a federal agency sought to remove civil rights protections.” But some conservatives warned that doctors could be forced to perform gender reassignment procedures against their professional judgement.

Becerra said HHS will now be aligned with a landmark 6-3&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/courts-supreme-courts-mi-state-wire-neil-gorsuch-ap-top-news-ef3c19a79b65c060fd9e82b9dd87a1d9">Supreme Court decision last year in a workplace discrimination case</a>, which established that federal laws against sex discrimination on the job also protect gay and transgender people.

In a tweet at the time, then-President Donald Trump called the decision “horrible &amp; politically charged.” Undeterred by the ruling, his administration proceeded&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bae1456be55955aab379a3541391f93b">to try to narrow protections against discrimination in health care.&nbsp;</a>But Biden early on in his term directed government agencies to apply the Supreme Court’s reasoning to areas under their jurisdiction.

Monday’s action means that the HHS Office for Civil Rights will again investigate complaints of sex discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Hospitals, clinics and other medical providers can face denial of Medicare and Medicaid payments for violations of the law.

Since the Trump transgender rule had been blocked by a federal judge, the Biden administration action essentially restores a policy established during the Obama years. The Affordable Care Act prohibited sex discrimination in health care but did not use the term “gender identity.” The Obama administration interpreted the law as shielding gay and transgender people as well.

Conservative lawyer Roger Severino, who as a former HHS official oversaw the drafting of the Trump rules, said the Biden administration cut corners in issuing its new policy.

“This is inflaming the culture wars, especially when you are trying to circumvent the process,” said Severino, now at the Ethics and Public Policy Center think tank. Partly because of conflicting lower court rulings on the Trump and Obama policies, Becerra should have undertaken a formal rule-making, which can take months. “I expect lawsuits,” Severino added.

But civil rights advocates said the Supreme Court’s ruling on transgender protections essentially wiped the slate clean for Biden. “The Supreme Court has already laid out the reasoning that applies under all sex discrimination laws,” said Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, a lawyer for Lambda Legal. “They did so in an employment case but their reasoning applies equally in health care, in education, and in housing.”

In recent years the understanding of sex has broadened to acknowledge a person’s inner sense of being male, female, neither or a combination.

Behind the dispute over rights for transgender people is a medically recognized condition called “gender dysphoria” — discomfort or distress caused by a discrepancy between the gender that a person identifies as and the gender assigned at birth. Consequences can include severe depression. Treatment can range from gender confirmation surgery and hormones to people changing their outward appearance by adopting a different hairstyle or clothing.

Under the Obama-era rule, a hospital could be required to perform gender-transition procedures such as hysterectomies if the facility provided that kind of treatment for other medical conditions.

LGBTQ groups say explicit protections are needed for people seeking gender transition treatment, and even for transgender people who need care for illnesses such as diabetes or heart problems.

But Tony Perkins, president of the religious conservative Family Research Council, called sex “an objective biological reality” and said the Biden administration is promulgating “a nonsensical definition” of discrimination. “While this decision will advance America’s cultural psychosis, it will potentially put the physical well-being of individuals at grave risk,” Perkins said in a statement.

More than 1.5 million Americans identify as transgender, according to the Williams Institute, a think tank focusing on LGBT policy at the UCLA School of Law. A bigger number — 4.5% of the population— identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, according to Gallup.

HHS is a traditional battleground for conflicts over social issues. During the Trump administration the department bent to the will of conservatives. Other Trump policies applauded by the right restricted abortion referrals and broadened employers’ ability to opt out of providing birth control to women workers covered by their health plans. Under Biden, the policy pendulum has been swinging back in the opposite direction.

One of Biden’s first steps after taking office was a Jan. 20 executive order on combating discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.

Biden quickly followed that up with another order&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-reverse-ban-transgender-military-f0ace4f9866e0ca0df021eba75b3af20">reversing a Trump-era Pentagon policy&nbsp;</a>that largely barred transgender individuals from serving in the military.

And earlier this spring, the Department of Housing and Urban Development&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-government-and-politics-db45d1468f7f8dde5dedfcffabbba697">withdrew a Trump policy</a>&nbsp;that would have allowed taxpayer-funded homeless shelters to deny access to transgender people.

At HHS, Biden’s term has seen the Senate confirmation of Dr. Rachel Levine to be assistant secretary for health, a senior position that involves oversight of public health initiatives, HIV/AIDS, women’s health and minority health, as well as other areas including research protections. Levine, formerly Pennsylvania’s top health official, is the first openly transgender person to be confirmed by the Senate.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government will protect gay and transgender people against sex discrimination in health care, the Biden administration declared Monday, reversing a Trump-era policy that narrowed rights at the intersection of changing social mores and sensitive medical decisions.It marked the latest step by President Joe Biden to advance the rights of gay and transgender people across society, from military service, to housing, to employment opportunities.The policy announcement by the Department of Health and Human Services affirms that federal laws forbidding sex discrimination in health care also protect gay and transgender people. The Trump administration had defined “sex” to mean gender assigned at birth, thereby excluding transgender people from the law’s umbrella of protection.“Fear of discrimination can lead individuals to forgo care, which can have serious negative health consequences,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Everyone — including LGBTQ people — should be able to access health care, free from discrimination or interference, period.”Both opponents and supporters of Biden’s action said it’s likely to lead to litigation.Speaking for the medical community, the American Medical Association said in a statement the Biden administration “did the right thing” by ending “a dismal chapter which a federal agency sought to remove civil rights protections.” But some conservatives warned that doctors could be forced to perform gender reassignment procedures against their professional judgement.Becerra said HHS will now be aligned with a landmark 6-3&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/courts-supreme-courts-mi-state-wire-neil-gorsuch-ap-top-news-ef3c19a79b65c060fd9e82b9dd87a1d9">Supreme Court decision last year in a workplace discrimination case</a>, which established that federal laws against sex discrimination on the job also protect gay and transgender people.In a tweet at the time, then-President Donald Trump called the decision “horrible &amp; politically charged.” Undeterred by the ruling, his administration proceeded&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bae1456be55955aab379a3541391f93b">to try to narrow protections against discrimination in health care.&nbsp;</a>But Biden early on in his term directed government agencies to apply the Supreme Court’s reasoning to areas under their jurisdiction.Monday’s action means that the HHS Office for Civil Rights will again investigate complaints of sex discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Hospitals, clinics and other medical providers can face denial of Medicare and Medicaid payments for violations of the law.Since the Trump transgender rule had been blocked by a federal judge, the Biden administration action essentially restores a policy established during the Obama years. The Affordable Care Act prohibited sex discrimination in health care but did not use the term “gender identity.” The Obama administration interpreted the law as shielding gay and transgender people as well.Conservative lawyer Roger Severino, who as a former HHS official oversaw the drafting of the Trump rules, said the Biden administration cut corners in issuing its new policy.“This is inflaming the culture wars, especially when you are trying to circumvent the process,” said Severino, now at the Ethics and Public Policy Center think tank. Partly because of conflicting lower court rulings on the Trump and Obama policies, Becerra should have undertaken a formal rule-making, which can take months. “I expect lawsuits,” Severino added.But civil rights advocates said the Supreme Court’s ruling on transgender protections essentially wiped the slate clean for Biden. “The Supreme Court has already laid out the reasoning that applies under all sex discrimination laws,” said Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, a lawyer for Lambda Legal. “They did so in an employment case but their reasoning applies equally in health care, in education, and in housing.”In recent years the understanding of sex has broadened to acknowledge a person’s inner sense of being male, female, neither or a combination.Behind the dispute over rights for transgender people is a medically recognized condition called “gender dysphoria” — discomfort or distress caused by a discrepancy between the gender that a person identifies as and the gender assigned at birth. Consequences can include severe depression. Treatment can range from gender confirmation surgery and hormones to people changing their outward appearance by adopting a different hairstyle or clothing.Under the Obama-era rule, a hospital could be required to perform gender-transition procedures such as hysterectomies if the facility provided that kind of treatment for other medical conditions.LGBTQ groups say explicit protections are needed for people seeking gender transition treatment, and even for transgender people who need care for illnesses such as diabetes or heart problems.But Tony Perkins, president of the religious conservative Family Research Council, called sex “an objective biological reality” and said the Biden administration is promulgating “a nonsensical definition” of discrimination. “While this decision will advance America’s cultural psychosis, it will potentially put the physical well-being of individuals at grave risk,” Perkins said in a statement.More than 1.5 million Americans identify as transgender, according to the Williams Institute, a think tank focusing on LGBT policy at the UCLA School of Law. A bigger number — 4.5% of the population— identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, according to Gallup.HHS is a traditional battleground for conflicts over social issues. During the Trump administration the department bent to the will of conservatives. Other Trump policies applauded by the right restricted abortion referrals and broadened employers’ ability to opt out of providing birth control to women workers covered by their health plans. Under Biden, the policy pendulum has been swinging back in the opposite direction.One of Biden’s first steps after taking office was a Jan. 20 executive order on combating discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.Biden quickly followed that up with another order&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-reverse-ban-transgender-military-f0ace4f9866e0ca0df021eba75b3af20">reversing a Trump-era Pentagon policy&nbsp;</a>that largely barred transgender individuals from serving in the military.And earlier this spring, the Department of Housing and Urban Development&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-government-and-politics-db45d1468f7f8dde5dedfcffabbba697">withdrew a Trump policy</a>&nbsp;that would have allowed taxpayer-funded homeless shelters to deny access to transgender people.At HHS, Biden’s term has seen the Senate confirmation of Dr. Rachel Levine to be assistant secretary for health, a senior position that involves oversight of public health initiatives, HIV/AIDS, women’s health and minority health, as well as other areas including research protections. Levine, formerly Pennsylvania’s top health official, is the first openly transgender person to be confirmed by the Senate.

US restores health protections for gay, transgender people

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The son of a Lincoln police officer who was killed in the line of duty last year is training to become a police officer. 

Carlos Herrera is on track to graduate from the police academy this spring and become a Lincoln police officer in June. 

His father, Mario Herrera, died last September about two weeks after he was shot while serving a warrant in Lincoln. Mario Herrera was the first Lincoln police officer killed on the job in more than 50 years. 

Carlos Herrera said he grew up wanting to be a police officer, so he applied after leaving the U.S. Marine Corps.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1620687869514.png" alt="Officer Mario Herrera" />
 <figcaption>Officer Mario Herrera</figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The son of a Lincoln police officer who was killed in the line of duty last year is training to become a police officer. Carlos Herrera is on track to graduate from the police academy this spring and become a Lincoln police officer in June. His father, Mario Herrera, died last September about two weeks after he was shot while serving a warrant in Lincoln. Mario Herrera was the first Lincoln police officer killed on the job in more than 50 years. Carlos Herrera said he grew up wanting to be a police officer, so he applied after leaving the U.S. Marine Corps.

Son of slain Lincoln officer training to join the police

WASHINGTON (AP) —COVID-19 vaccines finally are headed for more kids as U.S. regulators on Monday expanded use of Pfizer’s shot to those as young as 12, sparking a race to protect middle and high school students before they head back to class in the fall.

Shots could begin as soon as a federal vaccine advisory committee issues recommendations for using the two-dose vaccine in 12- to 15-year-olds, expected Wednesday.

Vaccinating children of all ages will be critical to a return to normalcy. Most COVID-19 vaccines rolling out worldwide have been authorized for adults. Pfizer’s vaccine is being used in multiple countries for teens as young as 16, and Canada recently became the first to expand use to 12 and up. Parents, school administrators and public health officials elsewhere are anxiously awaiting the shot to become available to more kids.

“This is a watershed moment in our ability to fight back the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr. Bill Gruber, a Pfizer senior vice president who’s also a pediatrician, told The Associated Press.

The Food and Drug Administration declared the Pfizer vaccine is safe and offers strong protection for younger teens based on testing of more than 2,000 U.S. volunteers ages 12 to 15. The study found no cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated adolescents compared to 18 among kids given dummy shots. More intriguing, researchers found the kids developed higher levels of virus-fighting antibodies than earlier studies measured in young adults.

The younger teens received the same vaccine dosage as adults and had the same side effects, mostly sore arms and flu-like fever, chills or aches that signal a revved-up immune system, especially after the second dose.

Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech recently requested similar authorization in the European Union, with other countries to follow.

The latest news is welcome for U.S. families struggling to decide what activities are safe to resume when only the youngest family members remain unvaccinated.

“I can’t feel totally comfortable because my boys aren’t vaccinated,” said Carrie Vittitoe, a substitute teacher and freelance writer in Louisville, Kentucky, who is fully vaccinated as are her husband and 17-year-old daughter.

The FDA decision means her 13-year-old son soon could be eligible, leaving only her 11-year-old son who would be unvaccinated. The family hasn’t yet resumed going to church, and summer vacation will be a road trip so they don’t have to get on a plane.

“We can’t really go back to normal because two-fifths of our family don’t have protection,” Vittitoe said.

Pfizer isn’t the only company seeking to lower the age limit for its vaccine. Moderna recently said preliminary results from its study in 12- to 17-year-olds show strong protection and no serious side effects. Another U.S. company, Novavax, has a COVID-19 vaccine in late-stage development and just began a study in 12- to 17-year-olds as well.

Next up is testing whether the vaccine works for even younger children. Both Pfizer and Moderna have begun U.S. studies in children ages 6 months to 11 years. Those studies explore whether babies, preschoolers and elementary-age kids will need different doses than teens and adults. Gruber said Pfizer expects its first results sometime in the fall.

Outside of the U.S., AstraZeneca is studying its vaccine among 6- to 17-year-olds in Britain. And in China, Sinovac recently announced it has submitted preliminary data to Chinese regulators showing its vaccine is safe in children as young as 3.

Children are far less likely than adults to get seriously ill from COVID-19 yet they still have been hard-hit by the pandemic. They represent nearly 14% of the nation’s coronavirus cases. At least 296 have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. alone and more than 15,000 have been hospitalized, according to a tally by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

That’s not counting the toll of family members becoming ill or dying -- or the disruption to school, sports and other activities so crucial to children’s overall well-being.

“Children right now are struggling,” Gruber said. Plus, “we need as many people in the country who have the potential to transmit the virus to be protected.”

Experts say children must get the shots if the country is to vaccinate the 70% to 85% of the population necessary to reach what’s called herd immunity.

In the meantime, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says unvaccinated people -- including children -- should continue taking precautions such as wearing masks indoors and keeping their distance from other unvaccinated people outside of their households.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608677701818.png" alt="A worker at Truman Medical Center in Kansas City prepares doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine against the virus that causes COVID-19 -Photo courtesy Truman Medical Center" />
 <figcaption>A worker at Truman Medical Center in Kansas City prepares doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine against the virus that causes COVID-19 -Photo courtesy Truman Medical Center</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —COVID-19 vaccines finally are headed for more kids as U.S. regulators on Monday expanded use of Pfizer’s shot to those as young as 12, sparking a race to protect middle and high school students before they head back to class in the fall.Shots could begin as soon as a federal vaccine advisory committee issues recommendations for using the two-dose vaccine in 12- to 15-year-olds, expected Wednesday.Vaccinating children of all ages will be critical to a return to normalcy. Most COVID-19 vaccines rolling out worldwide have been authorized for adults. Pfizer’s vaccine is being used in multiple countries for teens as young as 16, and Canada recently became the first to expand use to 12 and up. Parents, school administrators and public health officials elsewhere are anxiously awaiting the shot to become available to more kids.“This is a watershed moment in our ability to fight back the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr. Bill Gruber, a Pfizer senior vice president who’s also a pediatrician, told The Associated Press.The Food and Drug Administration declared the Pfizer vaccine is safe and offers strong protection for younger teens based on testing of more than 2,000 U.S. volunteers ages 12 to 15. The study found no cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated adolescents compared to 18 among kids given dummy shots. More intriguing, researchers found the kids developed higher levels of virus-fighting antibodies than earlier studies measured in young adults.The younger teens received the same vaccine dosage as adults and had the same side effects, mostly sore arms and flu-like fever, chills or aches that signal a revved-up immune system, especially after the second dose.Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech recently requested similar authorization in the European Union, with other countries to follow.The latest news is welcome for U.S. families struggling to decide what activities are safe to resume when only the youngest family members remain unvaccinated.“I can’t feel totally comfortable because my boys aren’t vaccinated,” said Carrie Vittitoe, a substitute teacher and freelance writer in Louisville, Kentucky, who is fully vaccinated as are her husband and 17-year-old daughter.The FDA decision means her 13-year-old son soon could be eligible, leaving only her 11-year-old son who would be unvaccinated. The family hasn’t yet resumed going to church, and summer vacation will be a road trip so they don’t have to get on a plane.“We can’t really go back to normal because two-fifths of our family don’t have protection,” Vittitoe said.Pfizer isn’t the only company seeking to lower the age limit for its vaccine. Moderna recently said preliminary results from its study in 12- to 17-year-olds show strong protection and no serious side effects. Another U.S. company, Novavax, has a COVID-19 vaccine in late-stage development and just began a study in 12- to 17-year-olds as well.Next up is testing whether the vaccine works for even younger children. Both Pfizer and Moderna have begun U.S. studies in children ages 6 months to 11 years. Those studies explore whether babies, preschoolers and elementary-age kids will need different doses than teens and adults. Gruber said Pfizer expects its first results sometime in the fall.Outside of the U.S., AstraZeneca is studying its vaccine among 6- to 17-year-olds in Britain. And in China, Sinovac recently announced it has submitted preliminary data to Chinese regulators showing its vaccine is safe in children as young as 3.Children are far less likely than adults to get seriously ill from COVID-19 yet they still have been hard-hit by the pandemic. They represent nearly 14% of the nation’s coronavirus cases. At least 296 have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. alone and more than 15,000 have been hospitalized, according to a tally by the American Academy of Pediatrics.That’s not counting the toll of family members becoming ill or dying -- or the disruption to school, sports and other activities so crucial to children’s overall well-being.“Children right now are struggling,” Gruber said. Plus, “we need as many people in the country who have the potential to transmit the virus to be protected.”Experts say children must get the shots if the country is to vaccinate the 70% to 85% of the population necessary to reach what’s called herd immunity.In the meantime, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says unvaccinated people -- including children -- should continue taking precautions such as wearing masks indoors and keeping their distance from other unvaccinated people outside of their households.___