Lincoln, NE –&nbsp;Advocates from the Alzheimer’s Association gathered at the Nebraska State Capitol for Advocacy Day, meeting with state senators to discuss legislative initiatives aimed at improving care and support for those affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementias. The discussions centered around two key bills:&nbsp;LB253&nbsp;and&nbsp;LB61.

LB253&nbsp;seeks to ensure that insurance and Medicaid cover biomarker testing, which is crucial for achieving earlier and more accurate diagnoses.&nbsp;Biomarker testing allows for better treatment planning, helping patients and their families manage the disease more effectively. Early detection can improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and enable families to plan for future care needs. Because diagnosis leads to lower costs of care for people living with dementia, access to biomarker testing can accelerate these cost savings.&nbsp;In a 2018 analysis, diagnosis led to projected cost savings of approximately $63,000 per person, of which $30,000 was in Medicare savings, $20,000 in Medicaid savings, and $13,000 in other savings.

LB61&nbsp;would require the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to file a Medicaid waiver amendment to address the reimbursement rates for memory care services.&nbsp;Currently, Medicaid reimbursement does not adequately cover the costs of specialized dementia care, forcing memory care communities to absorb financial shortfalls or reduce services. With the number of Nebraskans living with Alzheimer’s projected to increase beyond the current 35,100 cases, ensuring sustainable memory care funding is more critical than ever.

Alzheimer’s and other dementias are among the most pressing public health challenges of our time, affecting tens of thousands of Nebraskans and millions across the country. Memory care facilities provide a cost-effective alternative to nursing home care, yet without proper funding, many families face limited access to these essential services.

A recent NIH-funded study revealed that Americans over age 55 have a 42% lifetime risk of developing dementia—more than double previous estimates.&nbsp;This underscores the urgency of legislative action to support individuals and families affected by these conditions. Managing coexisting conditions, such as diabetes, becomes significantly more complex for those with cognitive impairment, further emphasizing the need for adequate resources and specialized care.

The Alzheimer’s Association urges Nebraska lawmakers to support&nbsp;LB253&nbsp;and&nbsp;LB61&nbsp;to improve early diagnosis, enhance care options, and alleviate the financial burden on families and healthcare providers.

Jenna HynekAlzheimer’s AssociationLincoln, NE –&nbsp;Advocates from the Alzheimer’s Association gathered at the Nebraska State Capitol for Advocacy Day, meeting with state senators to discuss legislative initiatives aimed at improving care and support for those affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementias. The discussions centered around two key bills:&nbsp;LB253&nbsp;and&nbsp;LB61.LB253&nbsp;seeks to ensure that insurance and Medicaid cover biomarker testing, which is crucial for achieving earlier and more accurate diagnoses.&nbsp;Biomarker testing allows for better treatment planning, helping patients and their families manage the disease more effectively. Early detection can improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and enable families to plan for future care needs. Because diagnosis leads to lower costs of care for people living with dementia, access to biomarker testing can accelerate these cost savings.&nbsp;In a 2018 analysis, diagnosis led to projected cost savings of approximately $63,000 per person, of which $30,000 was in Medicare savings, $20,000 in Medicaid savings, and $13,000 in other savings.LB61&nbsp;would require the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to file a Medicaid waiver amendment to address the reimbursement rates for memory care services.&nbsp;Currently, Medicaid reimbursement does not adequately cover the costs of specialized dementia care, forcing memory care communities to absorb financial shortfalls or reduce services. With the number of Nebraskans living with Alzheimer’s projected to increase beyond the current 35,100 cases, ensuring sustainable memory care funding is more critical than ever.Alzheimer’s and other dementias are among the most pressing public health challenges of our time, affecting tens of thousands of Nebraskans and millions across the country. Memory care facilities provide a cost-effective alternative to nursing home care, yet without proper funding, many families face limited access to these essential services.A recent NIH-funded study revealed that Americans over age 55 have a 42% lifetime risk of developing dementia—more than double previous estimates.&nbsp;This underscores the urgency of legislative action to support individuals and families affected by these conditions. Managing coexisting conditions, such as diabetes, becomes significantly more complex for those with cognitive impairment, further emphasizing the need for adequate resources and specialized care.The Alzheimer’s Association urges Nebraska lawmakers to support&nbsp;LB253&nbsp;and&nbsp;LB61&nbsp;to improve early diagnosis, enhance care options, and alleviate the financial burden on families and healthcare providers.

Alzheimer’s Association Advocates Champion Policy Changes for Biomarker Testing and Memory Care at Advocacy Day

New Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a play Wednesday to lower egg prices.&nbsp;

New Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a play Wednesday to lower egg prices.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">&quot;The average dozen eggs in California is $9.58. And it&#39;s five dollars around the country. &quot; Prop 12 &quot;really caused prices to go up. And it didn&#39;t just affect California. It affects the rest of the country.&quot; -- Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins <a href="https://t.co/5HNTr8vJz0">pic.twitter.com/5HNTr8vJz0</a>&mdash; Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1894763992763036140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">&quot;I&#39;ve got a fancy handy dandy chart. Let me grab that. Perfect. Alright, ya&#39;ll want to talk eggs? Let&#39;s do it!&quot; -- Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins <a href="https://t.co/qNh29iLM35">pic.twitter.com/qNh29iLM35</a>&mdash; Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1894761239101763628?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥New Ag Secretary has a Plan to Combat the High Cost of Eggs

Tours of the White House resumed on Tuesday under the new administration.

President Trump&nbsp;stopped to say hello to the first official White House tour group of the year.

<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/visit/">Click here to</a> book a White House tour.

Tours of the White House resumed on Tuesday under the new administration.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> stops to say hello to the first official White House tour group of the year! 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/fjPlKQgzI1">pic.twitter.com/fjPlKQgzI1</a>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1894426618480697563?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>President Trump&nbsp;stopped to say hello to the first official White House tour group of the year.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Happening now, behind the scenes as President Trump stops by to say hello to a group touring the <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WhiteHouse</a>… Book your tour today at: <a href="https://t.co/kdwqkyOt2h">https://t.co/kdwqkyOt2h</a> <a href="https://t.co/3OnYE5ijjo">pic.twitter.com/3OnYE5ijjo</a>&mdash; Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) <a href="https://twitter.com/Scavino47/status/1894431242982232345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/visit/">Click here to</a> book a White House tour.

🎥President Trump Surprises First White House Tour Group in Years

Office of U.S. Senator Deb Fischer

WASHINGTON ­– U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) released her subcommittee assignments for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in the 119th Congress:

“Nebraska’s communities rely on connectivity—in both transportation and telecommunications—to thrive. This is especially true in our rural communities, which are too often neglected in policy conversations. I look forward to continuing my work on the Commerce Committee this Congress where I will advocate for Nebraskans’ needs, especially as Chair of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media,”&nbsp;said Senator Fischer.

The Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media has broad jurisdiction over communications matters, including telephone, internet, satellite, broadcast, wireline and wireless broadband, spectrum management, and public safety communications. In the 119th Congress, Senator Fischer will lead the subcommittee’s efforts to keep Americans connected along with Ranking Member Ben Ray Luján (D-NM).

Office of U.S. Senator Deb FischerWASHINGTON ­– U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) released her subcommittee assignments for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in the 119th Congress:<ul>
 <li>Chair, Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media</li><li>Member, Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety</li><li>Member, Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy</li>
 </ul>“Nebraska’s communities rely on connectivity—in both transportation and telecommunications—to thrive. This is especially true in our rural communities, which are too often neglected in policy conversations. I look forward to continuing my work on the Commerce Committee this Congress where I will advocate for Nebraskans’ needs, especially as Chair of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media,”&nbsp;said Senator Fischer.The Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media has broad jurisdiction over communications matters, including telephone, internet, satellite, broadcast, wireline and wireless broadband, spectrum management, and public safety communications. In the 119th Congress, Senator Fischer will lead the subcommittee’s efforts to keep Americans connected along with Ranking Member Ben Ray Luján (D-NM).

Fischer Announces Commerce Subcommittee Assignments & Chairmanship

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA —Apple on Monday announced its largest-ever spend commitment, with plans to spend and invest more than $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years, according to a media release from the company.

 This new pledge builds on Apple’s long history of investing in American innovation and advanced high-skilled manufacturing, and will support a wide range of initiatives that focus on artificial intelligence, silicon engineering, and skills development for students and workers across the country.

“We are bullish on the future of American innovation, and we’re proud to build on our long-standing U.S. investments with this $500 billion commitment to our country’s future,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “From doubling our Advanced Manufacturing Fund, to building advanced technology in Texas, we’re thrilled to expand our support for American manufacturing. And we’ll keep working with people and companies across this country to help write an extraordinary new chapter in the history of American innovation.”

As part of this package of U.S. investments, Apple and partners will open a new advanced manufacturing facility in Houston to produce servers that support Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system that helps users write, express themselves, and get things done. Apple will also double its U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Fund, create an academy in Michigan to train the next generation of U.S. manufacturers, and grow its research and development investments in the U.S. to support cutting-edge fields like silicon engineering.The $500 billion commitment includes Apple’s work with thousands of suppliers across all 50 states, direct employment, Apple Intelligence infrastructure and data centers, corporate facilities, and Apple TV+ productions in 20 states. Apple remains one of the largest U.S. taxpayers, having paid more than $75 billion in U.S. taxes over the past five years, including $19 billion in 2024 alone.Today, Apple supports more than 2.9&nbsp;million jobs across the country through direct employment, work with U.S.-based suppliers and manufacturers, and developer jobs in the thriving iOS app economy.

Opening a New Manufacturing Facility in Houston

As part of its new U.S. investments, Apple will work with manufacturing partners to begin production of servers in Houston later this year. A 250,000-square-foot server manufacturing facility, slated to open in 2026, will create thousands of jobs.Previously manufactured outside the U.S., the servers that will soon be assembled in Houston play a key role in powering Apple Intelligence, and are the foundation of Private Cloud Compute, which combines powerful AI processing with the most advanced security architecture ever deployed at scale for AI cloud computing. The servers bring together years of R&amp;D by Apple engineers, and deliver the industry-leading security and performance of Apple silicon to the data center.Teams at Apple designed the servers to be incredibly energy efficient, reducing the energy demands of Apple data centers — which already run on 100 percent renewable energy. As Apple brings Apple Intelligence to customers across the U.S., it also plans to continue expanding data center capacity in North Carolina, Iowa, Oregon, Arizona, and Nevada.

Doubling Apple’s U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Fund

As part of this new investment, Apple is doubling its U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Fund, which was created in 2017 to support world-class innovation and high-skilled manufacturing jobs across America. The growing commitment will increase the fund from $5 billion to $10 billion, focused on promoting advanced manufacturing and skills development throughout the country.The fund’s expansion includes a multibillion-dollar commitment from Apple to produce advanced silicon in TSMC’s Fab 21 facility in Arizona. Apple is the largest customer at this state-of-the-art facility, which employs more than 2,000 workers to manufacture the chips in the United States. Mass production of Apple chips began last month.Silicon used by Apple is designed to bring Apple users incredible features, performance, and power efficiency across their devices. Apple’s suppliers already manufacture silicon in 24 factories across 12 states, including Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, and Utah. The company’s investments in the sector help create thousands of high-paying jobs across the country at U.S. companies like Broadcom, Texas Instruments, Skyworks, and Qorvo.To date, Apple’s U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Fund has supported projects in 13 states — including Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Indiana — that have helped build local businesses, train workers, and create a wide range of innovative manufacturing processes and materials for Apple products.

Growing R&amp;D Investments Across the U.S.

Apple continues to expand its R&amp;D across the U.S. In the past five years, Apple has nearly doubled its U.S.-based advanced R&amp;D spend, and it will continue to accelerate its growth.Recently, Apple announced the newest addition to its iPhone lineup, iPhone 16e. iPhone 16e delivers fast, smooth performance and breakthrough battery life, thanks to the industry-leading efficiency of the A18 chip and the new Apple C1 — the first cellular modem designed by Apple, and the most power-efficient modem ever on an iPhone. Apple C1 adds a new chapter to the story of Apple silicon and is the result of years of R&amp;D investment, bringing together the work of thousands of engineers. Apple C1 is the start of a long-term strategy that will allow Apple to innovate and optimize the modem system for additional Apple products.In the next four years, Apple plans to hire around 20,000 people, of which the vast majority will be focused on R&amp;D, silicon engineering, software development, and AI and machine learning. The expanded commitment includes significant investment in Apple’s R&amp;D hubs across the country. This includes growing teams across the U.S. focused on areas including custom silicon, hardware engineering, software development, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.

Supporting American Businesses with a New Manufacturing Academy in Detroit

To help companies transition to advanced manufacturing, Apple will open the Apple Manufacturing Academy in Detroit. Apple engineers, along with experts from top universities such as Michigan State, will consult with small- and medium-sized businesses on implementing AI and smart manufacturing techniques. The academy will also offer free in-person and online courses, with a skills development curriculum that teaches workers vital skills like project management and manufacturing process optimization. The courses will help drive productivity, efficiency, and quality in companies’ supply chains.Apple has long been committed to investing in education and skills development for American workers and students. That includes ongoing and expanding grant programs for organizations like 4-H, Boys &amp; Girls Clubs of America, and FIRST, which work closely with Apple in communities across the country to create free programming that helps young people learn vital skills like coding.

Apple’s support for the next generation of innovators also includes efforts like the company’s New Silicon Initiative, which prepares students for careers in hardware engineering and silicon chip design. Last year, this program expanded to students at Georgia Tech, and it now reaches students at eight schools across the country. Apple is continuing to expand the initiative, including a new collaboration with UCLA’s Center for Education of Microchip Designers (CEMiD) beginning this year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740416369218.png" alt="Image courtesy Apple" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy Apple</figcaption>
 </figure>CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA —Apple on Monday announced its largest-ever spend commitment, with plans to spend and invest more than $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years, according to a media release from the company.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740428118054.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure> This new pledge builds on Apple’s long history of investing in American innovation and advanced high-skilled manufacturing, and will support a wide range of initiatives that focus on artificial intelligence, silicon engineering, and skills development for students and workers across the country.“We are bullish on the future of American innovation, and we’re proud to build on our long-standing U.S. investments with this $500 billion commitment to our country’s future,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “From doubling our Advanced Manufacturing Fund, to building advanced technology in Texas, we’re thrilled to expand our support for American manufacturing. And we’ll keep working with people and companies across this country to help write an extraordinary new chapter in the history of American innovation.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740416459994.png" alt="Apple suppliers already manufacture silicon in 24 factories across 12 states. Pictured: Texas Instruments’ new semiconductor wafer fabrication plant in Lehi, Utah.-image Apple" />
 <figcaption>Apple suppliers already manufacture silicon in 24 factories across 12 states. Pictured: Texas Instruments’ new semiconductor wafer fabrication plant in Lehi, Utah.-image Apple</figcaption>
 </figure>As part of this package of U.S. investments, Apple and partners will open a new advanced manufacturing facility in Houston to produce servers that support Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system that helps users write, express themselves, and get things done. Apple will also double its U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Fund, create an academy in Michigan to train the next generation of U.S. manufacturers, and grow its research and development investments in the U.S. to support cutting-edge fields like silicon engineering.The $500 billion commitment includes Apple’s work with thousands of suppliers across all 50 states, direct employment, Apple Intelligence infrastructure and data centers, corporate facilities, and Apple TV+ productions in 20 states. Apple remains one of the largest U.S. taxpayers, having paid more than $75 billion in U.S. taxes over the past five years, including $19 billion in 2024 alone.Today, Apple supports more than 2.9&nbsp;million jobs across the country through direct employment, work with U.S.-based suppliers and manufacturers, and developer jobs in the thriving iOS app economy.<h2>Opening a New Manufacturing Facility in Houston</h2>As part of its new U.S. investments, Apple will work with manufacturing partners to begin production of servers in Houston later this year. A 250,000-square-foot server manufacturing facility, slated to open in 2026, will create thousands of jobs.Previously manufactured outside the U.S., the servers that will soon be assembled in Houston play a key role in powering Apple Intelligence, and are the foundation of Private Cloud Compute, which combines powerful AI processing with the most advanced security architecture ever deployed at scale for AI cloud computing. The servers bring together years of R&amp;D by Apple engineers, and deliver the industry-leading security and performance of Apple silicon to the data center.Teams at Apple designed the servers to be incredibly energy efficient, reducing the energy demands of Apple data centers — which already run on 100 percent renewable energy. As Apple brings Apple Intelligence to customers across the U.S., it also plans to continue expanding data center capacity in North Carolina, Iowa, Oregon, Arizona, and Nevada.<h2>Doubling Apple’s U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Fund</h2>As part of this new investment, Apple is doubling its U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Fund, which was created in 2017 to support world-class innovation and high-skilled manufacturing jobs across America. The growing commitment will increase the fund from $5 billion to $10 billion, focused on promoting advanced manufacturing and skills development throughout the country.The fund’s expansion includes a multibillion-dollar commitment from Apple to produce advanced silicon in TSMC’s Fab 21 facility in Arizona. Apple is the largest customer at this state-of-the-art facility, which employs more than 2,000 workers to manufacture the chips in the United States. Mass production of Apple chips began last month.Silicon used by Apple is designed to bring Apple users incredible features, performance, and power efficiency across their devices. Apple’s suppliers already manufacture silicon in 24 factories across 12 states, including Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, and Utah. The company’s investments in the sector help create thousands of high-paying jobs across the country at U.S. companies like Broadcom, Texas Instruments, Skyworks, and Qorvo.To date, Apple’s U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Fund has supported projects in 13 states — including Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Indiana — that have helped build local businesses, train workers, and create a wide range of innovative manufacturing processes and materials for Apple products.<ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/02/apple-will-spend-more-than-500-billion-usd-in-the-us-over-the-next-four-years/#gallery-0f72def2383dbead0391764fdc67fc70">Three workers in protective clothing at Texas Instruments’ semiconductor wafer fabrication plant in Lehi, Utah.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/02/apple-will-spend-more-than-500-billion-usd-in-the-us-over-the-next-four-years/#gallery-83ce6d3c3cfd25412511ced31823f9a1">Workers with machinery at Texas Instruments’ semiconductor wafer fabrication plant in Lehi, Utah.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/02/apple-will-spend-more-than-500-billion-usd-in-the-us-over-the-next-four-years/#gallery-34ef6484d0b73f1710315bc217ac2ed6">Equipment at Texas Instruments’ semiconductor wafer fabrication plant in Lehi, Utah.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/02/apple-will-spend-more-than-500-billion-usd-in-the-us-over-the-next-four-years/#gallery-6462fe15bf3beb20288d51429dc2dd74">A worker in protective clothing examines machinery at Texas Instruments’ semiconductor wafer fabrication plant in Lehi, Utah.</a></li>
 </ul><h2>Growing R&amp;D Investments Across the U.S.</h2>Apple continues to expand its R&amp;D across the U.S. In the past five years, Apple has nearly doubled its U.S.-based advanced R&amp;D spend, and it will continue to accelerate its growth.Recently, Apple announced the newest addition to its iPhone lineup, iPhone 16e. iPhone 16e delivers fast, smooth performance and breakthrough battery life, thanks to the industry-leading efficiency of the A18 chip and the new Apple C1 — the first cellular modem designed by Apple, and the most power-efficient modem ever on an iPhone. Apple C1 adds a new chapter to the story of Apple silicon and is the result of years of R&amp;D investment, bringing together the work of thousands of engineers. Apple C1 is the start of a long-term strategy that will allow Apple to innovate and optimize the modem system for additional Apple products.In the next four years, Apple plans to hire around 20,000 people, of which the vast majority will be focused on R&amp;D, silicon engineering, software development, and AI and machine learning. The expanded commitment includes significant investment in Apple’s R&amp;D hubs across the country. This includes growing teams across the U.S. focused on areas including custom silicon, hardware engineering, software development, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.<ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/02/apple-will-spend-more-than-500-billion-usd-in-the-us-over-the-next-four-years/#gallery-21d04e72c542a9ec02b8b37a5dea8373">Two workers at Apple’s R&amp;amp;D facility in Austin, examining a screen.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/02/apple-will-spend-more-than-500-billion-usd-in-the-us-over-the-next-four-years/#gallery-7a703b6b6bc0eeba97a733ebc97057bf">Two workers at Apple’s R&amp;amp;D facility in Austin, facing away from one another.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/02/apple-will-spend-more-than-500-billion-usd-in-the-us-over-the-next-four-years/#gallery-cfc96e9dde8f1ce1f60c9ce38384a7b2">A worker wearing headphones at Apple’s R&amp;amp;D facility in Austin.</a></li>
 </ul><h2>Supporting American Businesses with a New Manufacturing Academy in Detroit</h2>To help companies transition to advanced manufacturing, Apple will open the Apple Manufacturing Academy in Detroit. Apple engineers, along with experts from top universities such as Michigan State, will consult with small- and medium-sized businesses on implementing AI and smart manufacturing techniques. The academy will also offer free in-person and online courses, with a skills development curriculum that teaches workers vital skills like project management and manufacturing process optimization. The courses will help drive productivity, efficiency, and quality in companies’ supply chains.Apple has long been committed to investing in education and skills development for American workers and students. That includes ongoing and expanding grant programs for organizations like 4-H, Boys &amp; Girls Clubs of America, and FIRST, which work closely with Apple in communities across the country to create free programming that helps young people learn vital skills like coding.Apple’s support for the next generation of innovators also includes efforts like the company’s New Silicon Initiative, which prepares students for careers in hardware engineering and silicon chip design. Last year, this program expanded to students at Georgia Tech, and it now reaches students at eight schools across the country. Apple is continuing to expand the initiative, including a new collaboration with UCLA’s Center for Education of Microchip Designers (CEMiD) beginning this year.

Apple announces historic $500 billion U.S. investment

Office of Attorney General Mike Hilger

On February 10, 2025, Timothy Tesmer, Nebraska's Chief Medical Officer, revoked the license of Curlee M. Schneiders, L.P.N., in response to a petition filed by the Nebraska Attorney General's Office. The petition charged her with gross incompetence or gross negligence and unprofessional conduct, including failing to utilize appropriate judgment in administering safe nursing practice, failing to exercise technical competence, failure to follow policies of the facility, failure to exercise supervision over persons authorized to practice under the direction of a licensed nurse, and committing any act which endangers patient safety or welfare.&nbsp;

According to the petition, Schneiders was employed and working as a licensed practical nurse at E.N.V.H., Bellevue, Nebraska, on June 2, 2024. An elderly male veteran (Patient) requested a snack and was brought to a common area where Schneiders was sitting at the nurse's station. Schneiders was wearing headphones.

At Schneiders' direction, a certified nurse assistant provided the Patient with food that did not meet the criteria for his required soft diet. Schneiders was in the room during the entirety of the time the Patient attempted to consume his food but glanced at him only briefly. In video surveillance, the Patient was seen choking while Schneiders was in the room. The Patient lost consciousness and remained unconscious without Schneiders' assistance for approximately 10 minutes. During this time, the certified nurse assistant was responding to other patients. The elderly male veteran did not survive.

Dr. Tesmer found Schneiders committed gross negligence and “shockingly unprofessional conduct”, failed to properly supervise the certified nurse assistant, and that her actions constituted gross negligence as she was the only staff member who had the opportunity to adequately monitor the Patient while he ate. Schneiders' nursing license was revoked effective February 20, 2025.

Office of Attorney General Mike HilgerOn February 10, 2025, Timothy Tesmer, Nebraska's Chief Medical Officer, revoked the license of Curlee M. Schneiders, L.P.N., in response to a petition filed by the Nebraska Attorney General's Office. The petition charged her with gross incompetence or gross negligence and unprofessional conduct, including failing to utilize appropriate judgment in administering safe nursing practice, failing to exercise technical competence, failure to follow policies of the facility, failure to exercise supervision over persons authorized to practice under the direction of a licensed nurse, and committing any act which endangers patient safety or welfare.&nbsp;According to the petition, Schneiders was employed and working as a licensed practical nurse at E.N.V.H., Bellevue, Nebraska, on June 2, 2024. An elderly male veteran (Patient) requested a snack and was brought to a common area where Schneiders was sitting at the nurse's station. Schneiders was wearing headphones.At Schneiders' direction, a certified nurse assistant provided the Patient with food that did not meet the criteria for his required soft diet. Schneiders was in the room during the entirety of the time the Patient attempted to consume his food but glanced at him only briefly. In video surveillance, the Patient was seen choking while Schneiders was in the room. The Patient lost consciousness and remained unconscious without Schneiders' assistance for approximately 10 minutes. During this time, the certified nurse assistant was responding to other patients. The elderly male veteran did not survive.Dr. Tesmer found Schneiders committed gross negligence and “shockingly unprofessional conduct”, failed to properly supervise the certified nurse assistant, and that her actions constituted gross negligence as she was the only staff member who had the opportunity to adequately monitor the Patient while he ate. Schneiders' nursing license was revoked effective February 20, 2025.

Nebraska Practical Nurse License Revoked Following Death of Veteran

LINOLN, NE&nbsp;– Reassuring news this last week for Nebraska motorists and corn growers. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has confirmed its intent to uphold the current April 28, 2025 implementation date for year-round access to E15. Nebraska is among eight states that had long been fighting a summertime ban on the higher ethanol blend. Last year, the EPA issued its&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.epa.gov%2Fgasoline-standards%2Ffinal-rule-response-request-states-removal-gasoline-volatility-waiver&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ccio.webmstr%40nebraska.gov%7C8489aed3c74340462b4108dd538a7891%7C043207dfe6894bf6902001038f11f0b1%7C0%7C0%7C638758576388694764%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=qNg3TRvb5xLInXtCL4Oggl4UZyYiT1XuwC%2BXUWLnWec%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">final rule</a>, a significant win for Nebraska and other ethanol-producing states.&nbsp;

“Nebraska is in a leading position to reap the benefits of E-15, both from the production as well as the consumer side. This is a significant step forward in growing our state’s ag and biofuels economy,” said Gov. Pillen.&nbsp;

In a release from the EPA, Administrator Lee Zeldin&nbsp;stated: “Today’s decision underscores EPA’s commitment to consumer access to E15 while ensuring a smooth transition for fuel suppliers and refiners.”

Office of Governor Jim PillenLINOLN, NE&nbsp;– Reassuring news this last week for Nebraska motorists and corn growers. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has confirmed its intent to uphold the current April 28, 2025 implementation date for year-round access to E15. Nebraska is among eight states that had long been fighting a summertime ban on the higher ethanol blend. Last year, the EPA issued its&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.epa.gov%2Fgasoline-standards%2Ffinal-rule-response-request-states-removal-gasoline-volatility-waiver&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ccio.webmstr%40nebraska.gov%7C8489aed3c74340462b4108dd538a7891%7C043207dfe6894bf6902001038f11f0b1%7C0%7C0%7C638758576388694764%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=qNg3TRvb5xLInXtCL4Oggl4UZyYiT1XuwC%2BXUWLnWec%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">final rule</a>, a significant win for Nebraska and other ethanol-producing states.&nbsp;“Nebraska is in a leading position to reap the benefits of E-15, both from the production as well as the consumer side. This is a significant step forward in growing our state’s ag and biofuels economy,” said Gov. Pillen.&nbsp;In a release from the EPA, Administrator Lee Zeldin&nbsp;stated: “Today’s decision underscores EPA’s commitment to consumer access to E15 while ensuring a smooth transition for fuel suppliers and refiners.”

Gov. Pillen Reacts to EPA Confirmation to Keep Date for Implementation of E15 Access

DAMASCUS —U.S. forces continue to battle terrorist activity in the Middle East.

On Feb. 21, U.S. forces conducted a precision airstrike in Northwest Syria, killing Wasim Tahsin Bayraqdar, a senior leadership facilitator of the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), an Al-Qaeda affiliate, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.

"The airstrike is part of CENTCOM's ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond."

"We will relentlessly pursue and destroy terrorist threats, no matter their location, in order to protect our homeland and our allies and partners," said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander, U.S. Central Command.⁩

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740235103563.png" alt="Photo U.S. Central Command." />
 <figcaption>Photo U.S. Central Command.</figcaption>
 </figure>DAMASCUS —U.S. forces continue to battle terrorist activity in the Middle East.On Feb. 21, U.S. forces conducted a precision airstrike in Northwest Syria, killing Wasim Tahsin Bayraqdar, a senior leadership facilitator of the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), an Al-Qaeda affiliate, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command."The airstrike is part of CENTCOM's ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond.""We will relentlessly pursue and destroy terrorist threats, no matter their location, in order to protect our homeland and our allies and partners," said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander, U.S. Central Command.⁩

U.S. forces kill Al Qaeda affiliate, Hurras al-Din, leader in Syria

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security last week announced a nationwide and international multimillion-dollar ad campaign warning illegal aliens to leave our country now or face deportation with the inability to return to the US.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media, "This campaign serves as a strong warning to criminal illegal aliens to not come to America. If they do, they will be hunted down and deported.

Thank you President Trump for securing our border and putting America first."

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security last week announced a nationwide and international multimillion-dollar ad campaign warning illegal aliens to leave our country now or face deportation with the inability to return to the US.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">🚨A MESSAGE TO ILLEGAL ALIENS🚨 &quot;We will hunt you down... you will be caught. You will be removed, and you will never return.&quot; –<a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Sec_Noem</a> <a href="https://t.co/Yeozwi3VS2">pic.twitter.com/Yeozwi3VS2</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1891897694827803009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>DHS Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media, "This campaign serves as a strong warning to criminal illegal aliens to not come to America. If they do, they will be hunted down and deported.

Thank you President Trump for securing our border and putting America first."

🎥New ad campaign warns illegal aliens 'we will hunt you down'

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/thenderson/">TIM HENDERSON</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>

Many policies are symbolic, meant to reassure residents that the city isn’t taking part in immigration enforcement.

Even as the Trump administration criticizes state and local sanctuary policies as an impediment to its deportation aims, officials touting the policies are finding there isn’t much they can do to prevent immigration arrests.

Some states and counties are nonetheless defending their sanctuary policies as a way to slow arrests, especially for purely immigration-related offenses, and to assure residents that local leaders are not taking part in the Trump administration’s deportation plans.

Localities in Connecticut, Oregon and Washington joined a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sfcityattorney.org/2025/02/07/san-francisco-leads-lawsuit-protecting-sanctuary-jurisdictions-from-illegal-federal-overreach/" target="_blank">February lawsuit</a>&nbsp;led by the city and county of San Francisco and Santa Clara County in California against a Trump administration executive order calling for defunding cities with sanctuary policies, calling the order “illegal and authoritarian.” California is also&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/justice/2024/12/sanctuary-cities-san-diego-letter/" target="_blank">preparing to defend</a>&nbsp;its state policies limiting cooperation with immigration authorities, based on a 2017 law that withstood a court challenge under the first Trump administration.

The laws under scrutiny generally limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The policies either prevent local officials from holding prisoners for immigration arrests or, alternatively, from notifying immigration authorities what time prisoners will be released, so federal agents can arrest them on immigration charges that could lead to deportation. There are generally exceptions for some serious crimes.

Chicago, Philadelphia and Seattle — all high-profile sanctuary locations — are among the cities that have seen&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/are-cities-ice-raids-are-taking-place-rcna189390" target="_blank">Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests</a>.

ICE can always find other ways to arrest a person, but it’s harder without local cooperation.

“You’re adding to the time and expense and resources ICE needs,” said Kathleen Bush-Joseph, a policy analyst for the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank devoted to immigration policy.

She noted a 2018&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cato.org/blog/california-trust-act-reduced-deportations" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;from the CATO Institute, a libertarian think tank, suggesting that deportations fell in California after a 2013 law limited cooperation with ICE for minor and immigration crimes, though they later rose again.

“There is suggestive evidence that sanctuary policies reduce deportations but many reasons to also be skeptical of big effects,” the report concluded.

Most deportation arrests happen when ICE agents get fingerprint records from jails, whether run by city governments or independently elected sheriffs as they are in many counties, and identify people subject to court deportation orders. All jails regardless of sanctuary policy send the fingerprints for federal background checks during the booking process.

Still, federal officials complain that sanctuary policies can force them to arrest people on the street where it’s more dangerous and time-consuming than a transfer of custody inside a jail.

That happened recently in heavily Democratic Tompkins County in upstate New York, where the county and the city of Ithaca reaffirmed their sanctuary policies after criticism by the Trump administration.

A man who had been held in the county’s jail since 2023 was released on a judge’s order in late January, before ICE agents could arrive to arrest him for deportation. Several agencies, including state police, later arrested him in a parking lot in a show of force, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://cnycentral.com/news/local/federal-government-challenges-ithacas-sanctuary-city-policy-with-arrest" target="_blank">local press accounts</a>.

The 27-year-old man, a citizen of Mexico, had been identified for deportation in early January because he had returned to the United States after being deported seven times in 2016. He pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting a police officer and a jail guard and was sentenced to time served.

After the ICE arrest, acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove criticized the county, writing in a Jan. 30&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/violent-illegal-alien-arrested-after-release-local-jail-despite-federal-arrest-warrant" target="_blank">statement</a>: “We will use every tool at our disposal to prevent sanctuary city policies from impeding and obstructing lawful federal operations designed to make America safe again.”

Tompkins County Attorney Maury Josephson, in a statement to Stateline, called Bove’s statement “false and offensive.” Josephson wrote that the sheriff, Derek Osborne, had notified ICE about the prisoner’s release and that federal agents “had every opportunity to come to the jail to obtain the individual in question without any need for a pursuit or other incident.”

Many sanctuary policies are mostly symbolic, meant to assure residents that the city isn’t taking part in federal immigration enforcement. Many policies say city employees will not ask about immigration status when people seek services.

Some sanctuary policies can help indirectly fight deportations by providing legal help and advice for immigrants on how to respond to questions from federal agents, said Jennifer Ibañez Whitlock, a supervisory policy and practice counsel for the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

“There have been some steps forward in creating an immigration public defender system, but it’s not available at the federal level yet,” Ibañez Whitlock said. That can make it tricky when an immigration prisoner is moved to another state for detention, and they could lose their legal representation, she said.

Sanctuary policies also aim to improve public safety by assuring immigrants it’s safe for them to report and help investigate crimes. Often the policies forbid asking questions about immigration status for people seeking services.

“For us it’s simple. We are striving to create a culture of trust and security within our communities so that our residents know that they can come to the county when they are in need or when they can be of help,” said Tony LoPresti, county counsel for Santa Clara County, California, during a news conference announcing the San Francisco lawsuit this month.

“That includes feeling safe coming to local law enforcement to report crimes or to participate in investigations without fearing that they or their loved ones face deportation,” LoPresti added.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740147958319.png" alt="U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrest a man from Venezuela in Miami in February after a wire fraud conviction. As the Trump administration attacks local sanctuary policies, some states and local governments continue to do what little they can to protect some immigrants from deportation. (Courtesy of Miami ICE Enforcement &amp; Removal Operations office)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrest a man from Venezuela in Miami in February after a wire fraud conviction. As the Trump administration attacks local sanctuary policies, some states and local governments continue to do what little they can to protect some immigrants from deportation. (Courtesy of Miami ICE Enforcement &amp; Removal Operations office)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/thenderson/">TIM HENDERSON</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a><h2>Many policies are symbolic, meant to reassure residents that the city isn’t taking part in immigration enforcement.</h2>Even as the Trump administration criticizes state and local sanctuary policies as an impediment to its deportation aims, officials touting the policies are finding there isn’t much they can do to prevent immigration arrests.Some states and counties are nonetheless defending their sanctuary policies as a way to slow arrests, especially for purely immigration-related offenses, and to assure residents that local leaders are not taking part in the Trump administration’s deportation plans.Localities in Connecticut, Oregon and Washington joined a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sfcityattorney.org/2025/02/07/san-francisco-leads-lawsuit-protecting-sanctuary-jurisdictions-from-illegal-federal-overreach/" target="_blank">February lawsuit</a>&nbsp;led by the city and county of San Francisco and Santa Clara County in California against a Trump administration executive order calling for defunding cities with sanctuary policies, calling the order “illegal and authoritarian.” California is also&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/justice/2024/12/sanctuary-cities-san-diego-letter/" target="_blank">preparing to defend</a>&nbsp;its state policies limiting cooperation with immigration authorities, based on a 2017 law that withstood a court challenge under the first Trump administration.The laws under scrutiny generally limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The policies either prevent local officials from holding prisoners for immigration arrests or, alternatively, from notifying immigration authorities what time prisoners will be released, so federal agents can arrest them on immigration charges that could lead to deportation. There are generally exceptions for some serious crimes.Chicago, Philadelphia and Seattle — all high-profile sanctuary locations — are among the cities that have seen&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/are-cities-ice-raids-are-taking-place-rcna189390" target="_blank">Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests</a>.ICE can always find other ways to arrest a person, but it’s harder without local cooperation.“You’re adding to the time and expense and resources ICE needs,” said Kathleen Bush-Joseph, a policy analyst for the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank devoted to immigration policy.She noted a 2018&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cato.org/blog/california-trust-act-reduced-deportations" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;from the CATO Institute, a libertarian think tank, suggesting that deportations fell in California after a 2013 law limited cooperation with ICE for minor and immigration crimes, though they later rose again.“There is suggestive evidence that sanctuary policies reduce deportations but many reasons to also be skeptical of big effects,” the report concluded.Most deportation arrests happen when ICE agents get fingerprint records from jails, whether run by city governments or independently elected sheriffs as they are in many counties, and identify people subject to court deportation orders. All jails regardless of sanctuary policy send the fingerprints for federal background checks during the booking process.Still, federal officials complain that sanctuary policies can force them to arrest people on the street where it’s more dangerous and time-consuming than a transfer of custody inside a jail.That happened recently in heavily Democratic Tompkins County in upstate New York, where the county and the city of Ithaca reaffirmed their sanctuary policies after criticism by the Trump administration.A man who had been held in the county’s jail since 2023 was released on a judge’s order in late January, before ICE agents could arrive to arrest him for deportation. Several agencies, including state police, later arrested him in a parking lot in a show of force, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://cnycentral.com/news/local/federal-government-challenges-ithacas-sanctuary-city-policy-with-arrest" target="_blank">local press accounts</a>.The 27-year-old man, a citizen of Mexico, had been identified for deportation in early January because he had returned to the United States after being deported seven times in 2016. He pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting a police officer and a jail guard and was sentenced to time served.After the ICE arrest, acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove criticized the county, writing in a Jan. 30&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/violent-illegal-alien-arrested-after-release-local-jail-despite-federal-arrest-warrant" target="_blank">statement</a>: “We will use every tool at our disposal to prevent sanctuary city policies from impeding and obstructing lawful federal operations designed to make America safe again.”Tompkins County Attorney Maury Josephson, in a statement to Stateline, called Bove’s statement “false and offensive.” Josephson wrote that the sheriff, Derek Osborne, had notified ICE about the prisoner’s release and that federal agents “had every opportunity to come to the jail to obtain the individual in question without any need for a pursuit or other incident.”Many sanctuary policies are mostly symbolic, meant to assure residents that the city isn’t taking part in federal immigration enforcement. Many policies say city employees will not ask about immigration status when people seek services.Some sanctuary policies can help indirectly fight deportations by providing legal help and advice for immigrants on how to respond to questions from federal agents, said Jennifer Ibañez Whitlock, a supervisory policy and practice counsel for the American Immigration Lawyers Association.“There have been some steps forward in creating an immigration public defender system, but it’s not available at the federal level yet,” Ibañez Whitlock said. That can make it tricky when an immigration prisoner is moved to another state for detention, and they could lose their legal representation, she said.Sanctuary policies also aim to improve public safety by assuring immigrants it’s safe for them to report and help investigate crimes. Often the policies forbid asking questions about immigration status for people seeking services.“For us it’s simple. We are striving to create a culture of trust and security within our communities so that our residents know that they can come to the county when they are in need or when they can be of help,” said Tony LoPresti, county counsel for Santa Clara County, California, during a news conference announcing the San Francisco lawsuit this month.“That includes feeling safe coming to local law enforcement to report crimes or to participate in investigations without fearing that they or their loved ones face deportation,” LoPresti added.

Even sanctuary policies can’t stop ICE arrests

WASHINGTON —For the second time within 48 hours, the U.S. conducted a Bomber Task Force Mission in the Middle East on Thursday, demonstrating force projection capabilities and partner nation integration in the region, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.

Two B-52s from RAF Fairford, U.K., flew across Europe and six partner countries in CENTCOM's area of responsibility during their mission, which included aerial refueling and training missions at ranges. 

Additionally, one partner nation provided fighter escorts for the bombers throughout the mission.

U.S. forces conducted a similar Bomber Task Force Mission in the Middle East on Monday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740081202044.png" alt="Photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —For the second time within 48 hours, the U.S. conducted a Bomber Task Force Mission in the Middle East on Thursday, demonstrating force projection capabilities and partner nation integration in the region, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.Two B-52s from RAF Fairford, U.K., flew across Europe and six partner countries in CENTCOM's area of responsibility during their mission, which included aerial refueling and training missions at ranges. Additionally, one partner nation provided fighter escorts for the bombers throughout the mission.U.S. forces conducted a similar Bomber Task Force Mission in the Middle East on Monday.

Show of force: Second U.S. bomber task force mission this week

Conservative cities and states across the country have taken to President Donald Trump’s deportation plans and are increasing cooperation with federal authorities — even seeking new laws against illegal immigration that would be enforced by local and state police.

Florida’s legislature held a special session last week and&nbsp;<a href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/02/13/florida-legislature-passes-immigration-bills-the-governor-is-expected-to-sign/" target="_blank">passed legislation</a>&nbsp;creating a state-level immigration enforcement operation. Tennessee’s&nbsp;<a href="https://tennesseelookout.com/2025/01/30/tennessee-house-passes-immigration-enforcement-bill-aclu-plans-legal-challenge/" target="_blank">new law</a>&nbsp;creates a similar office and makes it a felony for public officials to back sanctuary policies.

<a href="https://x.com/KathleenBushJo2/status/1884268940110749965" target="_blank">Iowa</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/federal-court-temporarily-blocks-oklahomas-anti-immigrant-hb-4156#:~:text=OKLAHOMA%20CITY%20%E2%80%94%20A%20federal%20court,and%20conflicts%20with%20federal%20law." target="_blank">Oklahoma</a>&nbsp;passed state deportation laws that have been blocked by courts. Six Colorado counties are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.douglas.co.us/douglas-county-appeals-denver-judges-dismissal-of-immigration-lawsuit/" target="_blank">suing the state</a>&nbsp;over its sanctuary policies, and Indiana is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/ag-sues-st-joe-county-police-over-alleged-lack-of-cooperation-with-immigration-officials#:~:text=%2D%20Indiana%20Attorney%20General%20Todd%20Rokita,to%20honor%20ICE%20detainment%20requests" target="_blank">suing one of its counties</a>&nbsp;over immigration enforcement.

The New Hampshire House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/house-democrats-join-republicans-passing-anti-sanctuary-city-bill-pointing-compromise" target="_blank">overwhelmingly</a>&nbsp;passed legislation that would prohibit sanctuary cities, though that bill has a competing version in the state Senate. And last week, Georgia’s Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2025/02/13/georgia-senate-passes-bill-to-take-lawsuit-immunity-away-from-so-called-sanctuary-cities/" target="_blank">passed</a>&nbsp;a bill that would allow local government employees and officials in sanctuary cities to be held civilly liable for any crimes committed by immigrants without permanent legal status.

In Louisiana, Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill last week&nbsp;<a href="https://lailluminator.com/2025/02/14/new-orleans-sanctuary/" target="_blank">filed a motion</a>&nbsp;in U.S. District Court in New Orleans to force the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office to abandon its sanctuary approach.

Despite Trump’s pledge to deport millions of people living in the United States illegally, the key targets so far have been the roughly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2024/12/19/immigration-enforcement-deportations-biden/" target="_blank">750,000 people</a>&nbsp;who already have open deportation orders signed by a judge, said Kathleen Bush-Joseph, a policy analyst for the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank devoted to immigration policy.

Suburban Nassau County on Long Island, New York, is one locality planning closer cooperation with immigration authorities. The county voted Republican in last year’s presidential race for the first time since 1988.

The county has agreed to allow 10 detectives to help arrest wanted immigrants with criminal convictions and to hold them for up to 72 hours, in exchange for reimbursement from ICE, County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, said in a statement.

The partnership gives Nassau County more leeway to hold people on suspicion of immigration violations than it would have if it were acting independently, he wrote, because of&nbsp;<a href="https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2025-01/oag-immigrationenforcement-guidance-1.10.pdf" target="_blank">state guidance</a>&nbsp;questioning the legality of jailing someone after their release by a court.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1738002670796.png" alt="Photo Homeland Security" />
 <figcaption>Photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/thenderson/">TIM HENDERSON</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>Conservative cities and states across the country have taken to President Donald Trump’s deportation plans and are increasing cooperation with federal authorities — even seeking new laws against illegal immigration that would be enforced by local and state police.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">KBI director, Kansas attorney general allow agents to work with ICE on immigration cases | | <a href="https://t.co/RfW1IPzKSL">https://t.co/RfW1IPzKSL</a> <a href="https://t.co/zkUMzyNJx0">pic.twitter.com/zkUMzyNJx0</a>&mdash; Kansas AG&#39;s Office (@KSAGOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/KSAGOffice/status/1891972999227576388?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Florida’s legislature held a special session last week and&nbsp;<a href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/02/13/florida-legislature-passes-immigration-bills-the-governor-is-expected-to-sign/" target="_blank">passed legislation</a>&nbsp;creating a state-level immigration enforcement operation. Tennessee’s&nbsp;<a href="https://tennesseelookout.com/2025/01/30/tennessee-house-passes-immigration-enforcement-bill-aclu-plans-legal-challenge/" target="_blank">new law</a>&nbsp;creates a similar office and makes it a felony for public officials to back sanctuary policies.<a href="https://x.com/KathleenBushJo2/status/1884268940110749965" target="_blank">Iowa</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/federal-court-temporarily-blocks-oklahomas-anti-immigrant-hb-4156#:~:text=OKLAHOMA%20CITY%20%E2%80%94%20A%20federal%20court,and%20conflicts%20with%20federal%20law." target="_blank">Oklahoma</a>&nbsp;passed state deportation laws that have been blocked by courts. Six Colorado counties are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.douglas.co.us/douglas-county-appeals-denver-judges-dismissal-of-immigration-lawsuit/" target="_blank">suing the state</a>&nbsp;over its sanctuary policies, and Indiana is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/ag-sues-st-joe-county-police-over-alleged-lack-of-cooperation-with-immigration-officials#:~:text=%2D%20Indiana%20Attorney%20General%20Todd%20Rokita,to%20honor%20ICE%20detainment%20requests" target="_blank">suing one of its counties</a>&nbsp;over immigration enforcement.The New Hampshire House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/house-democrats-join-republicans-passing-anti-sanctuary-city-bill-pointing-compromise" target="_blank">overwhelmingly</a>&nbsp;passed legislation that would prohibit sanctuary cities, though that bill has a competing version in the state Senate. And last week, Georgia’s Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2025/02/13/georgia-senate-passes-bill-to-take-lawsuit-immunity-away-from-so-called-sanctuary-cities/" target="_blank">passed</a>&nbsp;a bill that would allow local government employees and officials in sanctuary cities to be held civilly liable for any crimes committed by immigrants without permanent legal status.In Louisiana, Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill last week&nbsp;<a href="https://lailluminator.com/2025/02/14/new-orleans-sanctuary/" target="_blank">filed a motion</a>&nbsp;in U.S. District Court in New Orleans to force the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office to abandon its sanctuary approach.Despite Trump’s pledge to deport millions of people living in the United States illegally, the key targets so far have been the roughly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2024/12/19/immigration-enforcement-deportations-biden/" target="_blank">750,000 people</a>&nbsp;who already have open deportation orders signed by a judge, said Kathleen Bush-Joseph, a policy analyst for the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank devoted to immigration policy.Suburban Nassau County on Long Island, New York, is one locality planning closer cooperation with immigration authorities. The county voted Republican in last year’s presidential race for the first time since 1988.The county has agreed to allow 10 detectives to help arrest wanted immigrants with criminal convictions and to hold them for up to 72 hours, in exchange for reimbursement from ICE, County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, said in a statement.The partnership gives Nassau County more leeway to hold people on suspicion of immigration violations than it would have if it were acting independently, he wrote, because of&nbsp;<a href="https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2025-01/oag-immigrationenforcement-guidance-1.10.pdf" target="_blank">state guidance</a>&nbsp;questioning the legality of jailing someone after their release by a court.

The Latest on How States are Cooperating with Trump’s Deportation Plans

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>

WASHINGTON — All Senate Republicans, except two, voted on Thursday to confirm Kash Patel to a 10-year term as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, an agency in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump.

In a 51-49 vote, the Senate GOP approved the 18th of Trump’s nominees just one month into the president’s second term. All Democrats and independents opposed Patel’s nomination.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, along with Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, broke with the GOP to vote against Patel, citing a “compelling need for an FBI Director who is decidedly apolitical.”

“While Mr. Patel has had 16 years of dedicated public service, his time over the past four years has been characterized by high profile and aggressive political activity.&nbsp; Mr. Patel has made numerous politically charged statements in his book and elsewhere discrediting the work of the FBI, the very institution he has been nominated to lead,” Collins said in a statement ahead of the vote.

Murkowski said her “reservations with Mr. Patel stem from his own prior political activities and how they may influence his leadership.”

“The FBI must be trusted as the federal agency that roots out crime and corruption, not focused on settling political scores,” Murkowski&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/lisamurkowski/status/1892651718053396919" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;on social media.

Patel, a career Department of Justice prosecutor who also worked for the first Trump administration, will now head up the federal law enforcement agency responsible for stamping out terrorism, white-collar crime, violent crime and public corruption among other criminal activity.

Patel, of Nevada, also has a lengthy resume of media appearances, consulting positions and commercial publications, according to his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25540408-patel-kashyap-final278/" target="_blank">financial disclosure</a>.

He sits on the board of directors for the Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns Truth Social, but pledged to resign upon confirmation as FBI director.

However, Patel declared on his disclosure that he will not divest from his investments in the Chinese online clothing retailer Shein while he serves as head of the FBI. Patel’s investments in the company are valued between $1 million and $5 million, and are registered in the Cayman Islands, where Shein’s parent company, Elite Depot Ltd., is based.

Patel pulled in between $230,000 and $550,000 in recent years from book sales, including his 2023 title “Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth and the Battle for Our Democracy.” Patel is also the author of a children’s series that depicts a cartoon Donald Trump as a king confronting opposition, including battling a fictional stolen election — even though kings are not elected.

Patel, 44, a frequent guest on right-wing media,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjWCnh42Sc4" target="_blank">told</a>&nbsp;podcast host Shawn Ryan last year that he’d “shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopen it the next day as a museum of the ‘deep state.’”

Patel was also one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/j6-choir-trump-national-anthem-capitol-riot-79618f1f2a689c308dfdc34d54d327ea" target="_blank">producers</a>&nbsp;on the recorded version of the “Star-Spangled Banner” sung by defendants jailed in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-waco-rally-texas-9a5676b734bb087a977ffe0216d0a6a8" target="_blank">played</a>&nbsp;the song on the campaign trail.

However during his confirmation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/senate-committee/fbi-director-nominee-kash-patel-testifies-at-confirmation-hearing-part-1/654894" target="_blank">hearing</a>, Patel spoke out against Jan. 6 defendants who committed violence against law enforcement.

When asked about his previous comments about shutting down the FBI headquarters, Patel told senators that accusations that he would “put political bias before the Constitution are grotesquely unfair.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised Patel on the Senate floor as the right choice to lead the FBI “at a critical time” and restore trust in an agency suffering from “a perception that politics has infected the FBI’s important work.”

“The next director of the FBI needs to focus on rooting out politics, so the FBI can enforce the law, uphold the Constitution, and keep Americans safe,” Thune said.

“The bureau also needs a renewed focus on empowering the FBI’s field offices to be good partners to local law enforcement. I’m encouraged that Mr. Patel has the support of the National Police Association, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and multiple state attorneys general — all of whom will be his partners in law enforcement should Mr. Patel be confirmed,” the South Dakota Republican continued.

Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Eric_Schmitt/status/1892589465308184925" target="_blank">posted</a>&nbsp;his support on social media Thursday morning.

“Kash will reform the agency and not a moment too soon,” Schmitt wrote.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin wrote on social media early Thursday in all caps that within hours he and his colleagues would “CONFIRM KASH PATEL”

“We’re almost there, America,” the Oklahoma Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SenMullin/status/1892606859464351777" target="_blank">posted</a>.

Trump was charged with multiple federal crimes in recent years stemming from classified documents held at his Florida estate after his presidency and his attempt to subvert the 2020 presidential election results.

Both cases were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/doj-special-counsel-smith-drops-federal-criminal-cases-against-trump" target="_blank">dropped</a>&nbsp;after Trump won his second presidency in November, according to a long-standing policy that the department does not prosecute sitting presidents.

Durbin slams Patel support of Jan. 6 defendants

Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, said Thursday morning that his Republican colleagues are “willfully ignoring myriad red flags about Mr. Patel.”

Durbin, of Illinois, led the morning remarks outside the Washington, D.C., FBI headquarters at the J. Edgar Hoover Building.

The committee’s ranking member criticized Patel’s support for those who broke into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, many of whom violently attacked law enforcement.

“I was there that day on January 6, as many of my colleagues standing here (were) with me. Those insurrectionists are not political prisoners. They were rioters on a mission from Donald Trump,” Durbin said.

Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-issues-pardons-1500-defendants-charged-jan-6-attack-us-capitol" target="_blank">granted clemency</a>&nbsp;to all of the nearly 1,600 Jan. 6 defendants on his first night in office, with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-republicans-have-little-say-about-trump-pardons-1500-jan-6-defendants" target="_blank">little pushback</a>&nbsp;from Senate Republicans.

The Trump administration has forced out FBI agents and Department of Justice prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/trump-officials-target-agents-prosecutors-who-worked-on-trump-investigations-3a80b280" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a>.

Durbin alleged in a Feb. 11&nbsp;<a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2025-02-11%20RJD%20Letter%20to%20DOJ%20OIG%20re%20Patel%20Allegations.pdf" target="_blank">letter</a>&nbsp;that he obtained “highly credible information from multiple sources that Kash Patel has been personally directing the ongoing purge of career civil servants at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who spoke alongside Durbin and five other Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary panel, accused Patel of being a “sycophantic suck-up.”

“Kash Patel, mark my words, will cause evil in this building behind us, and Republicans who vote for him will rue that day,” Whitehouse said.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the criticism by Collins, Murkowski and Senate Democrats of Patel.

During Trump’s first administration, Patel served as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council, and as a senior adviser to Trump’s director of national intelligence, Rick Grenell. Patel briefly served as the chief of staff to the acting defense secretary from November 2020 to January 2021.

Prior to joining Trump’s White House, Patel worked as a national security adviser on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from March 2018 to January 2019 and as senior counsel for the committee in the months prior.

Patel was a trial attorney with the Department of Justice National Security Division from 2014 to 2017 during former President Barack Obama’s second term in office.

Patel began his career as a public defender&nbsp;<a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article296428549.html" target="_blank">in Miami</a>, Florida.

He received his law degree from Pace University Law School in 2005. He is from Garden City, New York.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740091174453.png" alt="Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley during a Dec. meeting with Patel -courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley during a Dec. meeting with Patel -courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>WASHINGTON — All Senate Republicans, except two, voted on Thursday to confirm Kash Patel to a 10-year term as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, an agency in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump.In a 51-49 vote, the Senate GOP approved the 18th of Trump’s nominees just one month into the president’s second term. All Democrats and independents opposed Patel’s nomination.Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, along with Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, broke with the GOP to vote against Patel, citing a “compelling need for an FBI Director who is decidedly apolitical.”“While Mr. Patel has had 16 years of dedicated public service, his time over the past four years has been characterized by high profile and aggressive political activity.&nbsp; Mr. Patel has made numerous politically charged statements in his book and elsewhere discrediting the work of the FBI, the very institution he has been nominated to lead,” Collins said in a statement ahead of the vote.Murkowski said her “reservations with Mr. Patel stem from his own prior political activities and how they may influence his leadership.”“The FBI must be trusted as the federal agency that roots out crime and corruption, not focused on settling political scores,” Murkowski&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/lisamurkowski/status/1892651718053396919" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;on social media.Patel, a career Department of Justice prosecutor who also worked for the first Trump administration, will now head up the federal law enforcement agency responsible for stamping out terrorism, white-collar crime, violent crime and public corruption among other criminal activity.Patel, of Nevada, also has a lengthy resume of media appearances, consulting positions and commercial publications, according to his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25540408-patel-kashyap-final278/" target="_blank">financial disclosure</a>.He sits on the board of directors for the Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns Truth Social, but pledged to resign upon confirmation as FBI director.However, Patel declared on his disclosure that he will not divest from his investments in the Chinese online clothing retailer Shein while he serves as head of the FBI. Patel’s investments in the company are valued between $1 million and $5 million, and are registered in the Cayman Islands, where Shein’s parent company, Elite Depot Ltd., is based.Patel pulled in between $230,000 and $550,000 in recent years from book sales, including his 2023 title “Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth and the Battle for Our Democracy.” Patel is also the author of a children’s series that depicts a cartoon Donald Trump as a king confronting opposition, including battling a fictional stolen election — even though kings are not elected.Patel, 44, a frequent guest on right-wing media,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjWCnh42Sc4" target="_blank">told</a>&nbsp;podcast host Shawn Ryan last year that he’d “shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopen it the next day as a museum of the ‘deep state.’”Patel was also one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/j6-choir-trump-national-anthem-capitol-riot-79618f1f2a689c308dfdc34d54d327ea" target="_blank">producers</a>&nbsp;on the recorded version of the “Star-Spangled Banner” sung by defendants jailed in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-waco-rally-texas-9a5676b734bb087a977ffe0216d0a6a8" target="_blank">played</a>&nbsp;the song on the campaign trail.However during his confirmation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/senate-committee/fbi-director-nominee-kash-patel-testifies-at-confirmation-hearing-part-1/654894" target="_blank">hearing</a>, Patel spoke out against Jan. 6 defendants who committed violence against law enforcement.When asked about his previous comments about shutting down the FBI headquarters, Patel told senators that accusations that he would “put political bias before the Constitution are grotesquely unfair.”<h2>Thune praises Patel</h2>Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised Patel on the Senate floor as the right choice to lead the FBI “at a critical time” and restore trust in an agency suffering from “a perception that politics has infected the FBI’s important work.”“The next director of the FBI needs to focus on rooting out politics, so the FBI can enforce the law, uphold the Constitution, and keep Americans safe,” Thune said.“The bureau also needs a renewed focus on empowering the FBI’s field offices to be good partners to local law enforcement. I’m encouraged that Mr. Patel has the support of the National Police Association, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and multiple state attorneys general — all of whom will be his partners in law enforcement should Mr. Patel be confirmed,” the South Dakota Republican continued.Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Eric_Schmitt/status/1892589465308184925" target="_blank">posted</a>&nbsp;his support on social media Thursday morning.“Kash will reform the agency and not a moment too soon,” Schmitt wrote.Sen. Markwayne Mullin wrote on social media early Thursday in all caps that within hours he and his colleagues would “CONFIRM KASH PATEL”“We’re almost there, America,” the Oklahoma Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SenMullin/status/1892606859464351777" target="_blank">posted</a>.Trump was charged with multiple federal crimes in recent years stemming from classified documents held at his Florida estate after his presidency and his attempt to subvert the 2020 presidential election results.Both cases were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/doj-special-counsel-smith-drops-federal-criminal-cases-against-trump" target="_blank">dropped</a>&nbsp;after Trump won his second presidency in November, according to a long-standing policy that the department does not prosecute sitting presidents.<h2>Durbin slams Patel support of Jan. 6 defendants</h2>Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, said Thursday morning that his Republican colleagues are “willfully ignoring myriad red flags about Mr. Patel.”Durbin, of Illinois, led the morning remarks outside the Washington, D.C., FBI headquarters at the J. Edgar Hoover Building.The committee’s ranking member criticized Patel’s support for those who broke into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, many of whom violently attacked law enforcement.“I was there that day on January 6, as many of my colleagues standing here (were) with me. Those insurrectionists are not political prisoners. They were rioters on a mission from Donald Trump,” Durbin said.Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-issues-pardons-1500-defendants-charged-jan-6-attack-us-capitol" target="_blank">granted clemency</a>&nbsp;to all of the nearly 1,600 Jan. 6 defendants on his first night in office, with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-republicans-have-little-say-about-trump-pardons-1500-jan-6-defendants" target="_blank">little pushback</a>&nbsp;from Senate Republicans.The Trump administration has forced out FBI agents and Department of Justice prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/trump-officials-target-agents-prosecutors-who-worked-on-trump-investigations-3a80b280" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a>.Durbin alleged in a Feb. 11&nbsp;<a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2025-02-11%20RJD%20Letter%20to%20DOJ%20OIG%20re%20Patel%20Allegations.pdf" target="_blank">letter</a>&nbsp;that he obtained “highly credible information from multiple sources that Kash Patel has been personally directing the ongoing purge of career civil servants at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who spoke alongside Durbin and five other Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary panel, accused Patel of being a “sycophantic suck-up.”“Kash Patel, mark my words, will cause evil in this building behind us, and Republicans who vote for him will rue that day,” Whitehouse said.The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the criticism by Collins, Murkowski and Senate Democrats of Patel.<h2>Patel’s background</h2>During Trump’s first administration, Patel served as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council, and as a senior adviser to Trump’s director of national intelligence, Rick Grenell. Patel briefly served as the chief of staff to the acting defense secretary from November 2020 to January 2021.Prior to joining Trump’s White House, Patel worked as a national security adviser on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from March 2018 to January 2019 and as senior counsel for the committee in the months prior.Patel was a trial attorney with the Department of Justice National Security Division from 2014 to 2017 during former President Barack Obama’s second term in office.Patel began his career as a public defender&nbsp;<a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article296428549.html" target="_blank">in Miami</a>, Florida.He received his law degree from Pace University Law School in 2005. He is from Garden City, New York.

U.S. Senate confirms Kash Patel as FBI director, with two Republicans dissenting

Broken Bow, Ne - An explosion was reported around 6:30am Thursday morning at the Broken Bow Power Plant. The Broken Bow City Administrator is calling it a "catastrophic system failure". Broken Bow like many communities across the region had temperatures near -30 this morning. 

Most of the town was without power this morning. Broken Bow Pubic Power says power has been restored to much of the community, but there are still portions of Broken Bow without power as of 10am Central Time. 

Broken Bow, Ne - An explosion was reported around 6:30am Thursday morning at the Broken Bow Power Plant. The Broken Bow City Administrator is calling it a "catastrophic system failure". Broken Bow like many communities across the region had temperatures near -30 this morning. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740068109615.png" alt="Broken Bow Power Plant on fire on Thursday morning, picture taken by Leah Peterson" />
 <figcaption>Broken Bow Power Plant on fire on Thursday morning, picture taken by Leah Peterson</figcaption>
 </figure>Most of the town was without power this morning. Broken Bow Pubic Power says power has been restored to much of the community, but there are still portions of Broken Bow without power as of 10am Central Time.

Explosion Thursday Morning at Broken Bow Power Plant

WASHINGTON —U.S. forces conducted a Bomber Task Force Mission in the Middle East, this week to demonstrate force projection capabilities in the region, according to a statement from the&nbsp;U.S. Central Command.

The test involved the flight of two&nbsp; B-52 H Long-Range Strategic Bombers from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom across the Middle East. 

During the Flight, the Bombers flew over Europe as well as nine partner nations in the Middle East, carrying out Aerial-Refueling and Live-Munitions Drops at ranges in several nations. Additionally, U.S. Air Force F-15s as well as Fighter Jets from 4 Allied Air Forces in CENTCOM’s Area-of-Responsibility, provided escorts during the mission.

“Bomber Task Force missions demonstrate U.S. power projection capability, commitment to regional security, and ability to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the CENTCOM region,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740002612425.png" alt="Image from video during the mission- U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Image from video during the mission- U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —U.S. forces conducted a Bomber Task Force Mission in the Middle East, this week to demonstrate force projection capabilities in the region, according to a statement from the&nbsp;U.S. Central Command.The test involved the flight of two&nbsp; B-52 H Long-Range Strategic Bombers from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom across the Middle East. During the Flight, the Bombers flew over Europe as well as nine partner nations in the Middle East, carrying out Aerial-Refueling and Live-Munitions Drops at ranges in several nations. Additionally, U.S. Air Force F-15s as well as Fighter Jets from 4 Allied Air Forces in CENTCOM’s Area-of-Responsibility, provided escorts during the mission.“Bomber Task Force missions demonstrate U.S. power projection capability, commitment to regional security, and ability to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the CENTCOM region,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander.

Show of force: U.S. sends bomber task force over the Middle East

February 17, 2025 (OMAHA, Neb.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— The Nebraska State Patrol is heartbroken to announce that a Nebraska State Trooper has been killed in the line of duty today.

The&nbsp; Trooper was Kyle McAcy #302, who gave his life in the line of duty this morning while assisting motorists who had been involved in a crash on Interstate 80 near Ashland. 

Preliminary investigation shows that Trooper McAcy was responding with other troopers to a crash on Interstate 80 near mile marker 424, between Ashland and Greenwood. During that response, Trooper McAcy was outside his patrol unit and was struck by a snowplow.

Trooper McAcy has been a dedicated Trooper for 10 years and an incredible friend to countless people. Please keep his family, friends, colleagues, and all who have the honor of knowing him in your hearts following this unimaginable loss.&nbsp; Trooper McAcy served in North Platte prior to taking post on the eastern side of the state.

“Our NSP family is devastated today,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “Kyle was a dedicated trooper, a devoted public servant, and most importantly a good friend to many in Omaha and beyond. His loss is being felt by countless people. Please keep his family, friends, colleagues, and community in your hearts as they deal with this unimaginable loss.”

Trooper McAcy, 31, was a ten-year veteran of the Nebraska State Patrol. He was a graduate of Camp 56 and wore badge #302. Trooper McAcy has served in the Patrol Division, Carrier Enforcement, and as a Crisis Negotiator. He was stationed in Omaha.

NSP has asked the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office to conduct the crash investigation. As winter weather conditions continue across the state, NSP urges all motorists to be safe if they must travel.&nbsp;

February 17, 2025 (OMAHA, Neb.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— The Nebraska State Patrol is heartbroken to announce that a Nebraska State Trooper has been killed in the line of duty today.The&nbsp; Trooper was Kyle McAcy #302, who gave his life in the line of duty this morning while assisting motorists who had been involved in a crash on Interstate 80 near Ashland. Preliminary investigation shows that Trooper McAcy was responding with other troopers to a crash on Interstate 80 near mile marker 424, between Ashland and Greenwood. During that response, Trooper McAcy was outside his patrol unit and was struck by a snowplow.Trooper McAcy has been a dedicated Trooper for 10 years and an incredible friend to countless people. Please keep his family, friends, colleagues, and all who have the honor of knowing him in your hearts following this unimaginable loss.&nbsp; Trooper McAcy served in North Platte prior to taking post on the eastern side of the state.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739843479943.jpeg" alt="Trooper Kyle McAcy #302" />
 <figcaption>Trooper Kyle McAcy #302</figcaption>
 </figure>“Our NSP family is devastated today,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “Kyle was a dedicated trooper, a devoted public servant, and most importantly a good friend to many in Omaha and beyond. His loss is being felt by countless people. Please keep his family, friends, colleagues, and community in your hearts as they deal with this unimaginable loss.”Trooper McAcy, 31, was a ten-year veteran of the Nebraska State Patrol. He was a graduate of Camp 56 and wore badge #302. Trooper McAcy has served in the Patrol Division, Carrier Enforcement, and as a Crisis Negotiator. He was stationed in Omaha.NSP has asked the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office to conduct the crash investigation. As winter weather conditions continue across the state, NSP urges all motorists to be safe if they must travel.&nbsp;

Former North Platte Trooper killed while responding to crash on Interstate 80 near Ashland

DAMASCUS —On Saturday, U.S. Forces conducted a precision airstrike in Northwest Syria targeting and killing a senior finance and logistics official in the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), an Al-Qaeda affiliate, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.

"The airstrike is part of CENTCOM's ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond.'

On Feb. 12, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), enabled by U.S. Central Command&nbsp; forces, conducted an airstrike in the vicinity of Rawa, Iraq, killing five ISIS operatives, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.

An initial post-strike clearance confirmed the dead ISIS operatives, various medium and small caliber weapons, grenades, suicide explosive belts, and ammunition.

The ISF-led operation is part of the ongoing Defeat-ISIS campaign to disrupt and degrade ISIS' capabilities, dismantle their attack networks, and ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS. Coalition Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CTF-OIR) enabled ISF during the operation by providing technical support and intelligence. CJTF-OIR advises, assists, and enables partner forces to secure the lasting defeat of ISIS and to enable the establishment of enduring security cooperation frameworks. 

"ISF continue to be a credible and capable fighting element leading the D-ISIS mission in Iraq and are a valuable partner in efforts to diminish ISIS’s presence and its radical ideologies.'

"ISIS remains a threat to the region and beyond, and CENTCOM, along with partners and allies, will continue to aggressively pursue these terrorists."

"We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists in order to defend our homeland, and U.S., allied, and partner personnel in the region,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander, U.S. Central Command.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739746302792.png" alt="U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons patrol the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.-Photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons patrol the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.-Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>DAMASCUS —On Saturday, U.S. Forces conducted a precision airstrike in Northwest Syria targeting and killing a senior finance and logistics official in the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), an Al-Qaeda affiliate, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command."The airstrike is part of CENTCOM's ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond.'On Feb. 12, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), enabled by U.S. Central Command&nbsp; forces, conducted an airstrike in the vicinity of Rawa, Iraq, killing five ISIS operatives, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.An initial post-strike clearance confirmed the dead ISIS operatives, various medium and small caliber weapons, grenades, suicide explosive belts, and ammunition.The ISF-led operation is part of the ongoing Defeat-ISIS campaign to disrupt and degrade ISIS' capabilities, dismantle their attack networks, and ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS. Coalition Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CTF-OIR) enabled ISF during the operation by providing technical support and intelligence. CJTF-OIR advises, assists, and enables partner forces to secure the lasting defeat of ISIS and to enable the establishment of enduring security cooperation frameworks. "ISF continue to be a credible and capable fighting element leading the D-ISIS mission in Iraq and are a valuable partner in efforts to diminish ISIS’s presence and its radical ideologies.'"ISIS remains a threat to the region and beyond, and CENTCOM, along with partners and allies, will continue to aggressively pursue these terrorists.""We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists in order to defend our homeland, and U.S., allied, and partner personnel in the region,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander, U.S. Central Command.

U.S. forces kill senior operative of Al-Qaeda affiliate 

DAYTONA BEACH — President Donald Trump attended the Super Bowl last Sunday. This Sunday he attended the&nbsp;Daytona 500, for the second time as president.

DAYTONA BEACH — President Donald Trump attended the Super Bowl last Sunday. This Sunday he attended the&nbsp;Daytona 500, for the second time as president.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Trump lap at the Daytona 500. <a href="https://t.co/e7KEURXLHz">pic.twitter.com/e7KEURXLHz</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1891220003891872103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🇺🇸President Donald J. Trump Has Arrived: Air Force One SOARS Over the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Daytona500?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Daytona500</a> 🏎️ <a href="https://twitter.com/NASCAR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASCAR</a> <a href="https://t.co/yAcAPgH8ip">pic.twitter.com/yAcAPgH8ip</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1891199529988280662?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Trump, The Beast, and the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Daytona500?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Daytona500</a>—It doesn&#39;t get more American than that! 🇺🇸 <a href="https://twitter.com/NASCAR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASCAR</a> <a href="https://t.co/NbPubVuxAa">pic.twitter.com/NbPubVuxAa</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1891198367180407186?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">&quot;This is your favorite President. I&#39;m a big fan. I am a really big fan of you people that you do this. I don&#39;t know, but I just want you to be safe. You&#39;re talented people, and you&#39;re great people, and great Americans. Have a good day. Have a lot of fun, and I&#39;ll see you later.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/IAOiQJ5jvE">https://t.co/IAOiQJ5jvE</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1891206029771186501?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">EPIC!!! Happening Now at the <a href="https://twitter.com/NASCAR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASCAR</a> 500…LET’S GO!!! <a href="https://t.co/GXg83oHLUC">pic.twitter.com/GXg83oHLUC</a>&mdash; Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) <a href="https://twitter.com/Scavino47/status/1891201831637852484?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥President Trump takes laps in The Beast ahead of Daytona 500

Republican state legislators are filing a flurry of bills addressing junk food, vaccines, fluoride.

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/avollers/">ANNA CLAIRE VOLLERS</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>

Republican state legislators across the country are filing a flurry of bills to advance the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda promoted by activist lawyer and former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who’s in line to be the next U.S. health secretary.

Under the MAHA banner, state lawmakers are working to regulate candy and soda purchases under social welfare programs, remove fluoride from public water systems, roll back state vaccination requirements, and remove ultra-processed food from schools.

They’ve&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Leo4AzHouse/posts/pfbid02JfgSgCw6Q2cCBMg6wtZu6BaURnikQMoqnvzDvxEcawMRbGPybnEkQBewqNrXneNnl" target="_blank">enlisted celebrities</a>&nbsp;to help. They’re using&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Jacob4Wyoming/status/1886478813804048864" target="_blank">#RFK</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Leo4AzHouse/posts/pfbid02JfgSgCw6Q2cCBMg6wtZu6BaURnikQMoqnvzDvxEcawMRbGPybnEkQBewqNrXneNnl" target="_blank">#MAHA</a>&nbsp;hashtags on social media to share legislative wins. Lawmakers even&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=983860476948534&amp;set=pb.100059737712851.-2207520000" target="_blank">walked the red carpet</a>&nbsp;at a January gala celebrated as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/the-maha-gala#:~:text=more%20than%20800%20of%20US%20health%20secretary%20nominee%20Robert%20F.%20Kennedy%20Jr.%E2%80%99s%20most%20loyal%20followers%20have%20gathered%20to%20celebrate%20the%20official%20start%20of%20the%20Make%20America%20Healthy%20movement" target="_blank">official start</a>&nbsp;of the MAHA movement in the Trump era.

“It’s pretty exciting for me,” said Wyoming Republican state Rep. Jacob Wasserburger, who has sponsored a MAHA bill in his state.

“I was a pretty overweight kid when I was growing up. … When I was about 16, I started trying to get healthy, and it seemed to me like there were some badly flawed issues with our health care in this country that weren’t being addressed,” he said.

Kennedy is a vocal vaccine skeptic with controversial and sometimes misleading views on a number of public health policies, from fluoride in public water to the underlying causes of HIV and autism. He’s decried ultra-processed foods, government overreach and greedy corporations for harming human health and the environment.

His often unorthodox — and in some cases, false — views have inspired some conservative lawmakers and given political cover to others, spurring them to reshape public health policy in myriad ways.

One popular MAHA measure is to prevent families who qualify for food stamps from using their benefits to purchase candy or soda.

Republican legislators in states including&nbsp;<a href="https://azmirror.com/2025/02/04/republicans-follow-lead-of-rfk-jr-with-effort-to-ban-snap-users-from-buying-soda-candy/?nvep=&amp;hmac=&amp;emci=89624625-bae3-ef11-90cb-0022482a94f4&amp;emdi=ea000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&amp;ceid=53701" target="_blank">Arizona</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2025/legislation/h0109/" target="_blank">Idaho</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/05/buying-candy-soda-with-food-stamps-banned-under-proposed-kansas-bill/" target="_blank">Kansas</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1821889" target="_blank">Tennessee</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://le.utah.gov/~2025/bills/static/HB0403.html" target="_blank">Utah</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://legiscan.com/WY/bill/HB0323/2025" target="_blank">Wyoming</a>&nbsp;have introduced bills directing their respective state agencies to ask the federal government to allow them to remove candy and soda from the list of eligible products that can be purchased with food stamps, officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders&nbsp;<a href="https://governor.arkansas.gov/news_post/governor-sanders-calls-for-reforms-to-the-snap-program/" target="_blank">sent a letter</a>&nbsp;to the feds in December asking them to bar junk food items from SNAP, which is a federal program administered by the states.

In Wyoming, Wasserburger sponsored a bill that would prevent people in SNAP from using their benefits to purchase candy and soda.

“I’m all in favor of people having food choice and freedoms, but if taxpayers are going to be funding the cost of that food with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the funding should be going to what it says: nutrition,” Wasserburger told Stateline.

“Taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for the soda and candy bars. Anybody can go buy that with their own money.”

The bill recently passed the Wyoming House and is headed to the Senate.

Proponents of the SNAP bills argue candy and sugary drinks harm the health of recipients, many of whom are children. And taxpayers, they say, shouldn’t have to pay for unhealthy foods that can lead to obesity and other issues.

Critics of the bills argue that the fundamental problem for SNAP recipients is that healthy food is&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/05/buying-candy-soda-with-food-stamps-banned-under-proposed-kansas-bill/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20fundamental%20problem%20for%20SNAP%20recipients%20and%20for%20all%20of%20us%20is%20that%20healthy%20food%20is%20more%20expensive%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20Karen%20Siebert%2C%20a%20lobbyist%20for%20a%20network%20of%20food%20banks%20that%20serve%20all%20105%20Kansas%20counties%20including%20Harvesters%2C%20Kansas%20Food%20Bank%20and%20Second%20Harvest%20Community%20Food%20Bank." target="_blank">more expensive</a>&nbsp;and can be harder to find in low-income neighborhoods. Lobbyists contend that identifying foods as “good” or “bad” amounts to government overreach.

And even some Republicans say the definitions in the bills are&nbsp;<a href="https://azmirror.com/2025/02/04/republicans-follow-lead-of-rfk-jr-with-effort-to-ban-snap-users-from-buying-soda-candy/#:~:text=Heap%20agreed%20with%20supporters%20of%20the%20bill%20that%20obesity%20is%20a%20major%20issue%20in%20Arizona%20and%20across%20the%20country%2C%20but%20sided%20with%20opponents%20that%20the%20definitions%20in%20it%20were%20too%20vague.%C2%A0" target="_blank">too vague</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://azmirror.com/2025/02/04/republicans-follow-lead-of-rfk-jr-with-effort-to-ban-snap-users-from-buying-soda-candy/#:~:text=Those%20definitions%20would%20preclude%20SNAP%20participants%20from%20purchasing%20granola%20bars%2C%20sports%20energy%20bars%20and%20possibly%20many%20cereals%20like%20Honey%20Nut%20Cheerios%2C%20while%20allowing%20the%20purchase%20of%20things%20like%20potato%20chips.%C2%A0" target="_blank">Arizona’s bill</a>, for example, could have prevented SNAP participants from buying granola bars and some cereals, while allowing them to buy potato chips. The&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/05/buying-candy-soda-with-food-stamps-banned-under-proposed-kansas-bill/#:~:text=Under%20those%20definitions%2C%20Kit%20Kat%20and%20Twix%2C%20which%20contain%20flour%2C%20wouldn%E2%80%99t%20be%20restricted.%20Certain%20juices%20that%20contain%20high%20amounts%20of%20sugar%20but%20are%20more%20than%20half%20fruit%20juice%20by%20volume%20also%20wouldn%E2%80%99t%20be%20banned." target="_blank">Kansas</a>&nbsp;bill defines prohibited candy in such a way that Kit Kat and Twix bars, which contain flour, wouldn’t be restricted.

Many of the state bills follow on the heels of a federal version, the&nbsp;<a href="https://brecheen.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1372" target="_blank">Healthy SNAP Act</a>, which Republicans reintroduced in Congress last month.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739629912875.png" alt="RFK Jr. swearing in ceremony on Thursday- image Whit House" />
 <figcaption>RFK Jr. swearing in ceremony on Thursday- image Whit House</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Republican state legislators are filing a flurry of bills addressing junk food, vaccines, fluoride.</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/avollers/">ANNA CLAIRE VOLLERS</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a> Republican state legislators across the country are filing a flurry of bills to advance the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda promoted by activist lawyer and former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who’s in line to be the next U.S. health secretary.Under the MAHA banner, state lawmakers are working to regulate candy and soda purchases under social welfare programs, remove fluoride from public water systems, roll back state vaccination requirements, and remove ultra-processed food from schools.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN 🇺🇸 Based on all health indicators and global comparisons, Americans are becoming sicker, beset by illnesses that our medical system isn&#39;t addressing effectively. The Trump Administration IS CHANGING THAT! 1/4 <a href="https://t.co/oIeHWvqK4e">pic.twitter.com/oIeHWvqK4e</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1890190620641440243?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>They’ve&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Leo4AzHouse/posts/pfbid02JfgSgCw6Q2cCBMg6wtZu6BaURnikQMoqnvzDvxEcawMRbGPybnEkQBewqNrXneNnl" target="_blank">enlisted celebrities</a>&nbsp;to help. They’re using&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Jacob4Wyoming/status/1886478813804048864" target="_blank">#RFK</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Leo4AzHouse/posts/pfbid02JfgSgCw6Q2cCBMg6wtZu6BaURnikQMoqnvzDvxEcawMRbGPybnEkQBewqNrXneNnl" target="_blank">#MAHA</a>&nbsp;hashtags on social media to share legislative wins. Lawmakers even&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=983860476948534&amp;set=pb.100059737712851.-2207520000" target="_blank">walked the red carpet</a>&nbsp;at a January gala celebrated as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/the-maha-gala#:~:text=more%20than%20800%20of%20US%20health%20secretary%20nominee%20Robert%20F.%20Kennedy%20Jr.%E2%80%99s%20most%20loyal%20followers%20have%20gathered%20to%20celebrate%20the%20official%20start%20of%20the%20Make%20America%20Healthy%20movement" target="_blank">official start</a>&nbsp;of the MAHA movement in the Trump era.“It’s pretty exciting for me,” said Wyoming Republican state Rep. Jacob Wasserburger, who has sponsored a MAHA bill in his state.“I was a pretty overweight kid when I was growing up. … When I was about 16, I started trying to get healthy, and it seemed to me like there were some badly flawed issues with our health care in this country that weren’t being addressed,” he said.Kennedy is a vocal vaccine skeptic with controversial and sometimes misleading views on a number of public health policies, from fluoride in public water to the underlying causes of HIV and autism. He’s decried ultra-processed foods, government overreach and greedy corporations for harming human health and the environment.His often unorthodox — and in some cases, false — views have inspired some conservative lawmakers and given political cover to others, spurring them to reshape public health policy in myriad ways.<h2>Candy, soda and SNAP</h2>One popular MAHA measure is to prevent families who qualify for food stamps from using their benefits to purchase candy or soda.Republican legislators in states including&nbsp;<a href="https://azmirror.com/2025/02/04/republicans-follow-lead-of-rfk-jr-with-effort-to-ban-snap-users-from-buying-soda-candy/?nvep=&amp;hmac=&amp;emci=89624625-bae3-ef11-90cb-0022482a94f4&amp;emdi=ea000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&amp;ceid=53701" target="_blank">Arizona</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2025/legislation/h0109/" target="_blank">Idaho</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/05/buying-candy-soda-with-food-stamps-banned-under-proposed-kansas-bill/" target="_blank">Kansas</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1821889" target="_blank">Tennessee</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://le.utah.gov/~2025/bills/static/HB0403.html" target="_blank">Utah</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://legiscan.com/WY/bill/HB0323/2025" target="_blank">Wyoming</a>&nbsp;have introduced bills directing their respective state agencies to ask the federal government to allow them to remove candy and soda from the list of eligible products that can be purchased with food stamps, officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders&nbsp;<a href="https://governor.arkansas.gov/news_post/governor-sanders-calls-for-reforms-to-the-snap-program/" target="_blank">sent a letter</a>&nbsp;to the feds in December asking them to bar junk food items from SNAP, which is a federal program administered by the states.In Wyoming, Wasserburger sponsored a bill that would prevent people in SNAP from using their benefits to purchase candy and soda.“I’m all in favor of people having food choice and freedoms, but if taxpayers are going to be funding the cost of that food with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the funding should be going to what it says: nutrition,” Wasserburger told Stateline.“Taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for the soda and candy bars. Anybody can go buy that with their own money.”The bill recently passed the Wyoming House and is headed to the Senate.Proponents of the SNAP bills argue candy and sugary drinks harm the health of recipients, many of whom are children. And taxpayers, they say, shouldn’t have to pay for unhealthy foods that can lead to obesity and other issues.Critics of the bills argue that the fundamental problem for SNAP recipients is that healthy food is&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/05/buying-candy-soda-with-food-stamps-banned-under-proposed-kansas-bill/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20fundamental%20problem%20for%20SNAP%20recipients%20and%20for%20all%20of%20us%20is%20that%20healthy%20food%20is%20more%20expensive%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20Karen%20Siebert%2C%20a%20lobbyist%20for%20a%20network%20of%20food%20banks%20that%20serve%20all%20105%20Kansas%20counties%20including%20Harvesters%2C%20Kansas%20Food%20Bank%20and%20Second%20Harvest%20Community%20Food%20Bank." target="_blank">more expensive</a>&nbsp;and can be harder to find in low-income neighborhoods. Lobbyists contend that identifying foods as “good” or “bad” amounts to government overreach.And even some Republicans say the definitions in the bills are&nbsp;<a href="https://azmirror.com/2025/02/04/republicans-follow-lead-of-rfk-jr-with-effort-to-ban-snap-users-from-buying-soda-candy/#:~:text=Heap%20agreed%20with%20supporters%20of%20the%20bill%20that%20obesity%20is%20a%20major%20issue%20in%20Arizona%20and%20across%20the%20country%2C%20but%20sided%20with%20opponents%20that%20the%20definitions%20in%20it%20were%20too%20vague.%C2%A0" target="_blank">too vague</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://azmirror.com/2025/02/04/republicans-follow-lead-of-rfk-jr-with-effort-to-ban-snap-users-from-buying-soda-candy/#:~:text=Those%20definitions%20would%20preclude%20SNAP%20participants%20from%20purchasing%20granola%20bars%2C%20sports%20energy%20bars%20and%20possibly%20many%20cereals%20like%20Honey%20Nut%20Cheerios%2C%20while%20allowing%20the%20purchase%20of%20things%20like%20potato%20chips.%C2%A0" target="_blank">Arizona’s bill</a>, for example, could have prevented SNAP participants from buying granola bars and some cereals, while allowing them to buy potato chips. The&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/05/buying-candy-soda-with-food-stamps-banned-under-proposed-kansas-bill/#:~:text=Under%20those%20definitions%2C%20Kit%20Kat%20and%20Twix%2C%20which%20contain%20flour%2C%20wouldn%E2%80%99t%20be%20restricted.%20Certain%20juices%20that%20contain%20high%20amounts%20of%20sugar%20but%20are%20more%20than%20half%20fruit%20juice%20by%20volume%20also%20wouldn%E2%80%99t%20be%20banned." target="_blank">Kansas</a>&nbsp;bill defines prohibited candy in such a way that Kit Kat and Twix bars, which contain flour, wouldn’t be restricted.Many of the state bills follow on the heels of a federal version, the&nbsp;<a href="https://brecheen.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1372" target="_blank">Healthy SNAP Act</a>, which Republicans reintroduced in Congress last month.

State lawmakers embrace RFK Jr.’s health policies

JACKSON COUNTY —Three adults and a teen were injured in an accident just after 9p.m. Friday in Jackson County.

According to Sheriff Tim Morse, a&nbsp;2021 Toyota Prius driven by 74-year-old Betty J. Montague Hoyt, was westbound on 110th Road and failed to yield to a northbound 2020 Nissan Altima driven by 64-year-old Regional E. Woods Topeka.

The cars collided in the intersection. Some of the occupants had to be Fire and EMS had to extricate some of the occupants from the wreckage.

JACKSON COUNTY —Three adults and a teen were injured in an accident just after 9p.m. Friday in Jackson County.According to Sheriff Tim Morse, a&nbsp;2021 Toyota Prius driven by 74-year-old Betty J. Montague Hoyt, was westbound on 110th Road and failed to yield to a northbound 2020 Nissan Altima driven by 64-year-old Regional E. Woods Topeka.The cars collided in the intersection. Some of the occupants had to be Fire and EMS had to extricate some of the occupants from the wreckage. The driver of the Toyota and the driver of the Nissan were both triaged code red, while the passenger of the Toyota, a 15-year-old girl from Hoyt and the passenger of the Nissan, 63-year-old Katherine M. Woods, of Topeka were triaged code yellow, according to Sheriff Morse.All occupants were transported by Jackson County EMS and PBPN EMS to Topeka hospitals. The Kansas Highway Patrol, Hoyt Police Department, Hoyt, Mayetta, PBPN Fire Departments responded to the incident.