ELM GROVE, Wis. (AP) — Eight nuns living at a retirement home for sisters in suburban Milwaukee died of COVID-19 complications in the last week — including four who passed away on the same day — a grim reminder of how quickly the virus can spread in congregate living situations, even when precautions are taken.

Notre Dame of Elm Grove had been free of the virus for the last nine months, but the congregation that runs the home found out on Thanksgiving Day that one of the roughly 100 sisters who live there had tested positive. Despite social distancing and other mitigation efforts that were already in place, several more positive tests followed, said Sister Debra Marie Sciano, the provincial leader for School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province.

The first death happened last week, and the death announcements kept coming. Four of the eight nuns died on Monday alone, a difficult situation for other sisters in the home and members of the broader congregation, who consider each other family.

“Even though they’re older and most of the sisters that did go to God are in their late 80s, 90s ... we didn’t expect them to go so, so quickly,” Sciano said. “So it was just very difficult for us.”

Sciano said the congregation isolated sisters who tested positive into the same area so they would have no contact with others. They are advised to stay in their rooms, where meals are brought to them. Funerals and memorial services are being broadcast on closed-circuit TV. Sciano declined to say how many other sisters have tested positive, citing the residents’ privacy.

The outbreak comes months after similar homes had reported multiple deaths from the coronavirus.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-wisconsin-religion-understanding-the-outbreak-new-york-a3155e87ad8a6ad00d3f600bad91bcf1">In July, 1</a>&nbsp;3 nuns died at a convent near Detroit and seven died at a center for Maryknoll sisters in New York. At least six nuns also died at Our Lady of the Angels convent in Greenfield, Wisconsin — a home that provides memory care for nuns of the School Sisters of St. Francis and the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

Earlier this month, church authorities said 76 Catholic nuns tested positive for COVID-19 after an outbreak at a Franciscan convent in northwestern Germany, forcing health authorities to put the entire monastery under quarantine.

Sciano said that Our Lady of the Angels in Greenfield has had no additional positive cases for many months, and the facility is still not allowing visitors.

Deena Swank, communications director for the Felecian Sisters of North America, which lost 13 sisters — about a fifth of the population at the Livonia, Michigan, convent — said they have not had additional deaths there and they are eager to get sisters vaccinated when possible.

Sciano said she’s not aware of anyone at the Notre Dame of Elm Grove home being on a priority list for vaccines, but administrators are contacting local pharmacies to try to get vaccines lined up for the future.

Convents share some of the same issues as nursing homes, which are the hardest-hit sector in the U.S. in terms of COVID-19 deaths. In many cases, their populations are elderly and live in close quarters with one another.

Linda Wickstrom, spokeswoman for the Waukesha County Department of Health &amp; Human Services said county disease investigators have been working with the facility since School Sisters of Notre Dame contacted them in November.

“Given the extreme contagiousness of this virus, it is exceedingly important for congregate settings to practice basic protocols to stop the spread of the disease,” Wickstrom said. She said the School Sisters of Notre Dame have been disinfecting high-touch surfaces, washing hands frequently, social distancing and wearing appropriate face coverings. Sciano said all residents with the virus have been isolated, and visitors are not allowed.

The School Sisters of Notre Dame established the Notre Dame of Elm Grove home in 1859 to provide an orphanage for children in the area. It later became a home for elderly and ill sisters, according to its website.

The facility’s first&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ssndcentralpacific.org/news-events/obituaries" target="_blank">COVID-19 death&nbsp;</a>happened Dec. 9, when Sisters Rose M. Feess and Mary Elva Wiesner died. Sister Dorothy MacIntyre died Dec. 11 and Sister Mary Alexius Portz died Sunday, according to the congregation’s website. Sisters Cynthia Borman, Joan Emily Kaul, Lillia Langreck and Michael Marie Laux all died on Monday.

Sciano said all of the women worked as educators. Some were missionaries. Some were musicians. Some worked on peace and justice issues. One was a published poet. According to the congregation’s website, one was a teacher and principal who loved working in the summers on an American Indian reservation in South Dakota. Another taught in Catholic elementary schools for more than 40 years and worked part-time as a gift shop coordinator at the Elm Grove home.

“We believe that each of these sisters, and and all the sisters, really, they’ve made a difference in this world,” Sciano said, adding, “I just think it’s important that people know that, and that they were committed up until the end of their lives.”

She said she hopes others can learn from the sisters’ lives and continue their mission to “maybe make this world just a little bit better place because of them.”

ELM GROVE, Wis. (AP) — Eight nuns living at a retirement home for sisters in suburban Milwaukee died of COVID-19 complications in the last week — including four who passed away on the same day — a grim reminder of how quickly the virus can spread in congregate living situations, even when precautions are taken.Notre Dame of Elm Grove had been free of the virus for the last nine months, but the congregation that runs the home found out on Thanksgiving Day that one of the roughly 100 sisters who live there had tested positive. Despite social distancing and other mitigation efforts that were already in place, several more positive tests followed, said Sister Debra Marie Sciano, the provincial leader for School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province.The first death happened last week, and the death announcements kept coming. Four of the eight nuns died on Monday alone, a difficult situation for other sisters in the home and members of the broader congregation, who consider each other family.“Even though they’re older and most of the sisters that did go to God are in their late 80s, 90s ... we didn’t expect them to go so, so quickly,” Sciano said. “So it was just very difficult for us.”Sciano said the congregation isolated sisters who tested positive into the same area so they would have no contact with others. They are advised to stay in their rooms, where meals are brought to them. Funerals and memorial services are being broadcast on closed-circuit TV. Sciano declined to say how many other sisters have tested positive, citing the residents’ privacy.The outbreak comes months after similar homes had reported multiple deaths from the coronavirus.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-wisconsin-religion-understanding-the-outbreak-new-york-a3155e87ad8a6ad00d3f600bad91bcf1">In July, 1</a>&nbsp;3 nuns died at a convent near Detroit and seven died at a center for Maryknoll sisters in New York. At least six nuns also died at Our Lady of the Angels convent in Greenfield, Wisconsin — a home that provides memory care for nuns of the School Sisters of St. Francis and the School Sisters of Notre Dame.Earlier this month, church authorities said 76 Catholic nuns tested positive for COVID-19 after an outbreak at a Franciscan convent in northwestern Germany, forcing health authorities to put the entire monastery under quarantine.Sciano said that Our Lady of the Angels in Greenfield has had no additional positive cases for many months, and the facility is still not allowing visitors.Deena Swank, communications director for the Felecian Sisters of North America, which lost 13 sisters — about a fifth of the population at the Livonia, Michigan, convent — said they have not had additional deaths there and they are eager to get sisters vaccinated when possible.Sciano said she’s not aware of anyone at the Notre Dame of Elm Grove home being on a priority list for vaccines, but administrators are contacting local pharmacies to try to get vaccines lined up for the future.Convents share some of the same issues as nursing homes, which are the hardest-hit sector in the U.S. in terms of COVID-19 deaths. In many cases, their populations are elderly and live in close quarters with one another.Linda Wickstrom, spokeswoman for the Waukesha County Department of Health &amp; Human Services said county disease investigators have been working with the facility since School Sisters of Notre Dame contacted them in November.“Given the extreme contagiousness of this virus, it is exceedingly important for congregate settings to practice basic protocols to stop the spread of the disease,” Wickstrom said. She said the School Sisters of Notre Dame have been disinfecting high-touch surfaces, washing hands frequently, social distancing and wearing appropriate face coverings. Sciano said all residents with the virus have been isolated, and visitors are not allowed.The School Sisters of Notre Dame established the Notre Dame of Elm Grove home in 1859 to provide an orphanage for children in the area. It later became a home for elderly and ill sisters, according to its website.The facility’s first&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ssndcentralpacific.org/news-events/obituaries" target="_blank">COVID-19 death&nbsp;</a>happened Dec. 9, when Sisters Rose M. Feess and Mary Elva Wiesner died. Sister Dorothy MacIntyre died Dec. 11 and Sister Mary Alexius Portz died Sunday, according to the congregation’s website. Sisters Cynthia Borman, Joan Emily Kaul, Lillia Langreck and Michael Marie Laux all died on Monday.Sciano said all of the women worked as educators. Some were missionaries. Some were musicians. Some worked on peace and justice issues. One was a published poet. According to the congregation’s website, one was a teacher and principal who loved working in the summers on an American Indian reservation in South Dakota. Another taught in Catholic elementary schools for more than 40 years and worked part-time as a gift shop coordinator at the Elm Grove home.“We believe that each of these sisters, and and all the sisters, really, they’ve made a difference in this world,” Sciano said, adding, “I just think it’s important that people know that, and that they were committed up until the end of their lives.”She said she hopes others can learn from the sisters’ lives and continue their mission to “maybe make this world just a little bit better place because of them.”

8 nuns die of COVID-19 in last week at Wisconsin convent

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH-Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - As the coronavirus sidelines huge numbers of educators, school districts around the country are aggressively recruiting substitute teachers, offering bonuses and waiving certification requirements in order to keep classrooms open.

Coming to the rescue in many cases are college students who are themselves learning online or home for extended winter breaks.

In Indiana, the 4,400-student Greenfield-Central school district about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Indianapolis made a plea for help as its substitute pool shrank. "I said, 'If you've got a student who's in college, maybe they'd like to work even a two-month thing for us - which would be a stopgap, no doubt - but it will help us a whole, whole bunch," said Scott Kern, the Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation director of human resources.

Over a dozen college students answered the call including his own daughter, 19-year-old Grace Kern, who is studying medical imaging technology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. She has been working in elementary school classrooms, helping students as teachers offer instruction remotely via a screen inside the room.

"My dad told me that a bunch of teachers are out and they're struggling to get substitutes in. And I was like, 'Well, all my classes are online, except for one, so I have the time to do it.' And I would hate for the schools and the students to struggle," she said.

The teaching force already was stretched in many places before the pandemic hit as fewer students entered the profession, and retirees who often fill in as substitutes have been staying home in large numbers because of concerns about their health. As contact tracing forces teachers into quarantine,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ohio-coronavirus-pandemic-034c27c20ab6c179c487e363ce9fa346" target="_blank">staffing shortages</a>&nbsp;have become so severe that many schools have had no choice but to switch to distance learning.

In Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, appealed late last month to college students who were coming home for their winter break to help in hospitals, virus testing sites - and in schools. In cases where teachers are leading instruction remotely because they have to be in quarantine, for example, Lamont said college students could be paid to come into the classrooms and help provide supervision.

"Look you could binge watch Netflix for three weeks but we have some other ways that you could really be of assistance, helping your entire community get through this pandemic," Lamont said at a news briefing.

Isabel Orozco, a freshman at Wellesley College, is working as a substitute teacher in the Cheshire, Connecticut district, where she graduated high school in June. She said she's considering taking all of her spring semester classes online, so she can continue working in the public schools.

"Anything I can do to help, I feel good about," she said.

College students have been tapped in growing numbers this year by Kelly Education, which contracts with districts to provide substitutes. Company president Nicola Soares said the pandemic has laid bare problems with shortages that have been worsening for years.

"So when I think about the pandemic and everything that we have seen for the past 10 months it has absolutely exacerbated the issue around teacher shortages and also substitute teacher shortages," Soares said, adding that she doesn't expect much relief next school year. "We have seen a lot of folks leave the profession. The openings are going to increase, so it is domino effect."

In South Carolina, Lisa Usry, of Charleston, encountered this firsthand. One of her first jobs of the year was filling in for a teacher in his mid-60s who quit abruptly.

"He worked a couple weeks and said, 'I'm out of here' and walked out the door," she recalled.

In Nebraska, more districts are applying for exemptions to a requirement that substitutes have a teaching certificate. The exemption, once only used by a few large districts, allows administrators to hire subs who have 60 college credits and have completed a teaching course and another that addresses bias and discrimination.

Because the state's substitute requirements had been so high, it had relied heavily on retirees in years past, said Jenni Benson, president of the Nebraska State Education Association. But it has been a harder sell this year, with the association finding that only 33% of the 500 retired teachers it surveyed in August planned to sub this year, while the others said no or were unsure.

Seventy-four-year-old Pat Shepard, a retired Spanish teacher from of Lincoln, Nebraska, was among those who went ahead and kept working, more even than past years as her district offered bonuses for subs that committed to a certain number of jobs each month. Some of her substitute teacher friends, though, decided to take the year off.

"One she has a father who is 89 with a heart condition and a brand new grandbaby so she is not willing. I've had some others who are cancer survivors and things like that. And they are just not willing to take that risk," she said. "I'm a little bit more concerned now after Thanksgiving because our our cases here are just getting more and more everyday in the city."

In Iowa, more substitute jobs are going unfilled, even after the state lowered its requirements. In the past districts could manage by dividing an absent teacher's students among the other teachers in the building. But that won't work in a pandemic, said Coy Marquardt, associate executive director at the Iowa State Education Association.

To get by, some administrators and counselors are being called into action to serve as substitutes, although even that isn't enough.

"That is one of the reasons why some of the districts went and are still in virtual or remote because they just didn't have the staffing," he said.

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH-Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - As the coronavirus sidelines huge numbers of educators, school districts around the country are aggressively recruiting substitute teachers, offering bonuses and waiving certification requirements in order to keep classrooms open.Coming to the rescue in many cases are college students who are themselves learning online or home for extended winter breaks.In Indiana, the 4,400-student Greenfield-Central school district about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Indianapolis made a plea for help as its substitute pool shrank. "I said, 'If you've got a student who's in college, maybe they'd like to work even a two-month thing for us - which would be a stopgap, no doubt - but it will help us a whole, whole bunch," said Scott Kern, the Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation director of human resources.Over a dozen college students answered the call including his own daughter, 19-year-old Grace Kern, who is studying medical imaging technology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. She has been working in elementary school classrooms, helping students as teachers offer instruction remotely via a screen inside the room."My dad told me that a bunch of teachers are out and they're struggling to get substitutes in. And I was like, 'Well, all my classes are online, except for one, so I have the time to do it.' And I would hate for the schools and the students to struggle," she said.The teaching force already was stretched in many places before the pandemic hit as fewer students entered the profession, and retirees who often fill in as substitutes have been staying home in large numbers because of concerns about their health. As contact tracing forces teachers into quarantine,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ohio-coronavirus-pandemic-034c27c20ab6c179c487e363ce9fa346" target="_blank">staffing shortages</a>&nbsp;have become so severe that many schools have had no choice but to switch to distance learning.In Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, appealed late last month to college students who were coming home for their winter break to help in hospitals, virus testing sites - and in schools. In cases where teachers are leading instruction remotely because they have to be in quarantine, for example, Lamont said college students could be paid to come into the classrooms and help provide supervision."Look you could binge watch Netflix for three weeks but we have some other ways that you could really be of assistance, helping your entire community get through this pandemic," Lamont said at a news briefing.Isabel Orozco, a freshman at Wellesley College, is working as a substitute teacher in the Cheshire, Connecticut district, where she graduated high school in June. She said she's considering taking all of her spring semester classes online, so she can continue working in the public schools."Anything I can do to help, I feel good about," she said.College students have been tapped in growing numbers this year by Kelly Education, which contracts with districts to provide substitutes. Company president Nicola Soares said the pandemic has laid bare problems with shortages that have been worsening for years."So when I think about the pandemic and everything that we have seen for the past 10 months it has absolutely exacerbated the issue around teacher shortages and also substitute teacher shortages," Soares said, adding that she doesn't expect much relief next school year. "We have seen a lot of folks leave the profession. The openings are going to increase, so it is domino effect."In South Carolina, Lisa Usry, of Charleston, encountered this firsthand. One of her first jobs of the year was filling in for a teacher in his mid-60s who quit abruptly."He worked a couple weeks and said, 'I'm out of here' and walked out the door," she recalled.In Nebraska, more districts are applying for exemptions to a requirement that substitutes have a teaching certificate. The exemption, once only used by a few large districts, allows administrators to hire subs who have 60 college credits and have completed a teaching course and another that addresses bias and discrimination.Because the state's substitute requirements had been so high, it had relied heavily on retirees in years past, said Jenni Benson, president of the Nebraska State Education Association. But it has been a harder sell this year, with the association finding that only 33% of the 500 retired teachers it surveyed in August planned to sub this year, while the others said no or were unsure.Seventy-four-year-old Pat Shepard, a retired Spanish teacher from of Lincoln, Nebraska, was among those who went ahead and kept working, more even than past years as her district offered bonuses for subs that committed to a certain number of jobs each month. Some of her substitute teacher friends, though, decided to take the year off."One she has a father who is 89 with a heart condition and a brand new grandbaby so she is not willing. I've had some others who are cancer survivors and things like that. And they are just not willing to take that risk," she said. "I'm a little bit more concerned now after Thanksgiving because our our cases here are just getting more and more everyday in the city."In Iowa, more substitute jobs are going unfilled, even after the state lowered its requirements. In the past districts could manage by dividing an absent teacher's students among the other teachers in the building. But that won't work in a pandemic, said Coy Marquardt, associate executive director at the Iowa State Education Association.To get by, some administrators and counselors are being called into action to serve as substitutes, although even that isn't enough."That is one of the reasons why some of the districts went and are still in virtual or remote because they just didn't have the staffing," he said.

College students recruited as teachers to keep schools open

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence and the leaders of the House and Senate received their first COVID-19 vaccinations as they tried to reassure Americans the shot is safe.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?507423-1/vice-president-pence-receives-covid-19-vaccine&amp;fbclid=IwAR1Uc6sJFQy6u2buts_05bZ2j-PihNzWTLEeqSg4BOoMX36ufU-Ka6H2Hrk">Click here to watch</a>&nbsp;a replay of Pence receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Pence celebrated the milestone Friday as “a medical miracle” that could eventually end a pandemic that has killed more than 310,000 Americans. 

Conspicuously absent was President Donald Trump, who has remained largely out of sight five days into the largest vaccination campaign in the nation’s history. Trump’s relative silence comes as he continues to rage about his defeat in the Nov. 3 election and embraces increasingly extreme efforts to overturn the people’s will.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence was vaccinated for COVID-19 on Friday in a live-television event aimed at reassuring Americans the vaccine is safe.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?507423-1/vice-president-pence-receives-covid-19-vaccine&amp;fbclid=IwAR1Uc6sJFQy6u2buts_05bZ2j-PihNzWTLEeqSg4BOoMX36ufU-Ka6H2Hrk">Click here to watch</a> a replay of Pence receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

In remarks after his shot, Pence called the speed with which the vaccine was developed “a medical miracle.”

“The American people can be confident: we have one and perhaps within hours two” safe vaccines,” Pence said, referring to expected FDA approval for Moderna’s vaccine. Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine was the first to be approved.

“Building confidence in the vaccine is what brings us here this morning,” he added.

Pence’s wife Karen and Surgeon General Jerome Adams also received shots during the televised White House event.

President Donald Trump’s administration helped deliver vaccinations against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak">the coronavirus</a>&nbsp;earlier than even some in his administration thought possible, launching&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/756e5b743058701c4a2ebefd0af1ade4">Operation Warp Speed</a>&nbsp;— the government campaign to help swiftly develop and distribute vaccines — this spring with great fanfare in the White House Rose Garden.

But five days into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-health-workers-coronavirus-vaccine-56df745388a9fc12ae93c6f9a0d0e81f">the largest vaccination campaign in the nation’s history</a>, Trump has held no public events to trumpet the rollout. He hasn’t been inoculated himself. He has tweeted only twice about the shot. Pence, meanwhile, has taken center stage — touring a vaccine production facility this week and receiving a dose himself on live television Friday morning. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell both said Thursday that they will get vaccinated in the next few days.

Pence, along with his wife, Karen, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams, received their shots Friday morning in an office suite in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building from three medical technicians from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Trump’s relative silence comes as he continues to stew about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">his defeat in the Nov. 3 election</a>&nbsp;and embraces increasingly extreme efforts to overturn the people’s will. He’s pushed aside the plans of aides who wanted him to be the public face of the vaccination campaign, eschewing visits to labs and production facilities to thank workers, or hosting efforts to build public confidence in the shot, according to people familiar with the conversations.

The sheepish approach has been surprising, especially for a president rarely shy to take credit, said Lawrence Gostin, a professor at Georgetown Law who focuses on public health.

“The President’s relatively low profile on the COVID response since the election is curious and counter to Mr. Trump’s own interests,” he said. Gostin, who has criticized Trump’s handling of the pandemic in the past, said that he “deserves a great deal of credit” for Operation Warp Speed and placing a bet on two vaccines that use&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/9340521654">groundbreaking mRNA technology</a>.

“Having exhibited leadership in the vaccines’ development, he should take great pride in publicly demonstrating his trust in COVID vaccines,” he said.

Trump did appear at a White House “summit” ahead of the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the Pfizer vaccine last week. That event included an introductory video highlighting the past comments of those — including top government infectious-disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci — who doubted a shot would be ready this year.

But many Trump aides are puzzled by his low profile now that the vaccine is actually being injected. They see it as a missed opportunity for the president, who leaves office at noon on Jan. 20, to claim credit for helping oversee the speedy development and deployment of the vaccine that is expected to finally contain the virus that has killed more than 310,000 Americans.

Trump himself has tried to minimize any credit that might go to his successor, President-elect Joe Biden, who will preside over the bulk of the nationwide injection campaign next year. Biden expects to receive his shot as soon as next week.

“Don’t let Joe Biden take credit for the vaccines,” Trump has told reporters. “Don’t let him take credit for the vaccines because the vaccines were me, and I pushed people harder than they’ve ever been pushed before.”

Despite Trump’s claims, FDA scientists were the ones who came up with the idea for Operation Warp Speed, the White House-backed effort through which millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines and treatments are being manufactured even as they are still being evaluated. And much of the groundwork for the shots was laid over the past decade, including through research on messenger RNA, or mRNA, used in the vaccines developed by both Pfizer and Moderna. Pfizer developed its vaccine outside Operation Warp Speed but is partnering with the federal government on manufacturing and distribution.

Trump’s low-key approach could have an impact on public health. Fauci told NBC News this week that 75% to 85% of the nation needs to be vaccinated to achieve “herd immunity,” making the public education campaign about the vaccine’s safety all the more pressing.

A survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-norc-poll-us-half-want-vaccine-shots-4d98dbfc0a64d60d52ac84c3065dac55">only about half of Americans want to get the vaccine as soon as possible</a>. Another quarter of the public isn’t sure, while the remaining quarter say they aren’t interested. Some simply oppose vaccines in general. Others are concerned that the injections have been rushed and want to see how the rollout goes.

As Trump sat on the sidelines, some of his favored commentators, including Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, were questioning the safety of the vaccine.

White House deputy press secretary Brian Morgenstern said Trump “will continue to update the country through a variety of means while giving medical professionals and hardworking staff at OWS the space to do their jobs and save lives.”

While senior officials are beginning to make plans to receive the vaccine in public to help build public confidence, Trump, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-donald-trump-health-archive-hope-hicks-7fece2838ff7a9bd91ccf5ac287348b3">hospitalized with COVID-19</a>&nbsp;in October, is taking his time.

According to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is not yet enough information to determine whether those who have had COVID-19, like Trump, should get the vaccine. Still, Fauci recommended that Trump take it publicly without delay.

“Even though the president himself was infected, and he has, likely, antibodies that likely would be protective, we’re not sure how long that protection lasts. So, to be doubly sure, I would recommend that he get vaccinated as well as the vice president,” Fauci told ABC News.

It was not clear whether first lady Melania Trump, who came down with COVID-19 at the same time as her husband, would be vaccinated.

“The last thing I would say to every American is be confident that we have cut red tape, but we’ve cut no corners when it comes to the development of this vaccine,” Pence said this week at an Indiana vaccine production facility.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters this week that Trump, who has previously spread misinformation about other vaccines, was trying to send a message about priorities by delaying his own inoculation.

“The president wants to send a parallel message which is, you know, our long-term care facility residents and our front-line workers are paramount in importance,” she said.

Gostin disagreed. ”It will be enormously damaging to public trust in the vaccine if President Trump isn’t visibly enthusiastic, including getting his shot on national television,” he argued. “It simply isn’t good enough to have Vice President Pence as a proxy.”

Presidents and their family members have often made a display of their vaccinations to boost public confidence. President Dwight Eisenhower highlighted that one of his grandchildren was among the first wave of American children vaccinated for polio. In 2009, President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, vaccinated both their young daughters, who were in a higher risk group, for the swine flu.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608296829519.png" alt="A doctor from Walter Reed National Medical Center gives Vice President Mike Pence the COVID-19 vaccination Friday morning-image courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>A doctor from Walter Reed National Medical Center gives Vice President Mike Pence the COVID-19 vaccination Friday morning-image courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence and the leaders of the House and Senate received their first COVID-19 vaccinations as they tried to reassure Americans the shot is safe.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?507423-1/vice-president-pence-receives-covid-19-vaccine&amp;fbclid=IwAR1Uc6sJFQy6u2buts_05bZ2j-PihNzWTLEeqSg4BOoMX36ufU-Ka6H2Hrk">Click here to watch</a>&nbsp;a replay of Pence receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.Pence celebrated the milestone Friday as “a medical miracle” that could eventually end a pandemic that has killed more than 310,000 Americans. Conspicuously absent was President Donald Trump, who has remained largely out of sight five days into the largest vaccination campaign in the nation’s history. Trump’s relative silence comes as he continues to rage about his defeat in the Nov. 3 election and embraces increasingly extreme efforts to overturn the people’s will.WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence was vaccinated for COVID-19 on Friday in a live-television event aimed at reassuring Americans the vaccine is safe.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?507423-1/vice-president-pence-receives-covid-19-vaccine&amp;fbclid=IwAR1Uc6sJFQy6u2buts_05bZ2j-PihNzWTLEeqSg4BOoMX36ufU-Ka6H2Hrk">Click here to watch</a> a replay of Pence receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.In remarks after his shot, Pence called the speed with which the vaccine was developed “a medical miracle.”“The American people can be confident: we have one and perhaps within hours two” safe vaccines,” Pence said, referring to expected FDA approval for Moderna’s vaccine. Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine was the first to be approved.“Building confidence in the vaccine is what brings us here this morning,” he added.Pence’s wife Karen and Surgeon General Jerome Adams also received shots during the televised White House event.President Donald Trump’s administration helped deliver vaccinations against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak">the coronavirus</a>&nbsp;earlier than even some in his administration thought possible, launching&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/756e5b743058701c4a2ebefd0af1ade4">Operation Warp Speed</a>&nbsp;— the government campaign to help swiftly develop and distribute vaccines — this spring with great fanfare in the White House Rose Garden.But five days into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-health-workers-coronavirus-vaccine-56df745388a9fc12ae93c6f9a0d0e81f">the largest vaccination campaign in the nation’s history</a>, Trump has held no public events to trumpet the rollout. He hasn’t been inoculated himself. He has tweeted only twice about the shot. Pence, meanwhile, has taken center stage — touring a vaccine production facility this week and receiving a dose himself on live television Friday morning. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell both said Thursday that they will get vaccinated in the next few days.Pence, along with his wife, Karen, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams, received their shots Friday morning in an office suite in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building from three medical technicians from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.Trump’s relative silence comes as he continues to stew about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">his defeat in the Nov. 3 election</a>&nbsp;and embraces increasingly extreme efforts to overturn the people’s will. He’s pushed aside the plans of aides who wanted him to be the public face of the vaccination campaign, eschewing visits to labs and production facilities to thank workers, or hosting efforts to build public confidence in the shot, according to people familiar with the conversations.The sheepish approach has been surprising, especially for a president rarely shy to take credit, said Lawrence Gostin, a professor at Georgetown Law who focuses on public health.“The President’s relatively low profile on the COVID response since the election is curious and counter to Mr. Trump’s own interests,” he said. Gostin, who has criticized Trump’s handling of the pandemic in the past, said that he “deserves a great deal of credit” for Operation Warp Speed and placing a bet on two vaccines that use&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/9340521654">groundbreaking mRNA technology</a>.“Having exhibited leadership in the vaccines’ development, he should take great pride in publicly demonstrating his trust in COVID vaccines,” he said.Trump did appear at a White House “summit” ahead of the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the Pfizer vaccine last week. That event included an introductory video highlighting the past comments of those — including top government infectious-disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci — who doubted a shot would be ready this year.But many Trump aides are puzzled by his low profile now that the vaccine is actually being injected. They see it as a missed opportunity for the president, who leaves office at noon on Jan. 20, to claim credit for helping oversee the speedy development and deployment of the vaccine that is expected to finally contain the virus that has killed more than 310,000 Americans.Trump himself has tried to minimize any credit that might go to his successor, President-elect Joe Biden, who will preside over the bulk of the nationwide injection campaign next year. Biden expects to receive his shot as soon as next week.“Don’t let Joe Biden take credit for the vaccines,” Trump has told reporters. “Don’t let him take credit for the vaccines because the vaccines were me, and I pushed people harder than they’ve ever been pushed before.”Despite Trump’s claims, FDA scientists were the ones who came up with the idea for Operation Warp Speed, the White House-backed effort through which millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines and treatments are being manufactured even as they are still being evaluated. And much of the groundwork for the shots was laid over the past decade, including through research on messenger RNA, or mRNA, used in the vaccines developed by both Pfizer and Moderna. Pfizer developed its vaccine outside Operation Warp Speed but is partnering with the federal government on manufacturing and distribution.Trump’s low-key approach could have an impact on public health. Fauci told NBC News this week that 75% to 85% of the nation needs to be vaccinated to achieve “herd immunity,” making the public education campaign about the vaccine’s safety all the more pressing.A survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-norc-poll-us-half-want-vaccine-shots-4d98dbfc0a64d60d52ac84c3065dac55">only about half of Americans want to get the vaccine as soon as possible</a>. Another quarter of the public isn’t sure, while the remaining quarter say they aren’t interested. Some simply oppose vaccines in general. Others are concerned that the injections have been rushed and want to see how the rollout goes.As Trump sat on the sidelines, some of his favored commentators, including Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, were questioning the safety of the vaccine.White House deputy press secretary Brian Morgenstern said Trump “will continue to update the country through a variety of means while giving medical professionals and hardworking staff at OWS the space to do their jobs and save lives.”While senior officials are beginning to make plans to receive the vaccine in public to help build public confidence, Trump, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-donald-trump-health-archive-hope-hicks-7fece2838ff7a9bd91ccf5ac287348b3">hospitalized with COVID-19</a>&nbsp;in October, is taking his time.According to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is not yet enough information to determine whether those who have had COVID-19, like Trump, should get the vaccine. Still, Fauci recommended that Trump take it publicly without delay.“Even though the president himself was infected, and he has, likely, antibodies that likely would be protective, we’re not sure how long that protection lasts. So, to be doubly sure, I would recommend that he get vaccinated as well as the vice president,” Fauci told ABC News.It was not clear whether first lady Melania Trump, who came down with COVID-19 at the same time as her husband, would be vaccinated.“The last thing I would say to every American is be confident that we have cut red tape, but we’ve cut no corners when it comes to the development of this vaccine,” Pence said this week at an Indiana vaccine production facility.White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters this week that Trump, who has previously spread misinformation about other vaccines, was trying to send a message about priorities by delaying his own inoculation.“The president wants to send a parallel message which is, you know, our long-term care facility residents and our front-line workers are paramount in importance,” she said.Gostin disagreed. ”It will be enormously damaging to public trust in the vaccine if President Trump isn’t visibly enthusiastic, including getting his shot on national television,” he argued. “It simply isn’t good enough to have Vice President Pence as a proxy.”Presidents and their family members have often made a display of their vaccinations to boost public confidence. President Dwight Eisenhower highlighted that one of his grandchildren was among the first wave of American children vaccinated for polio. In 2009, President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, vaccinated both their young daughters, who were in a higher risk group, for the swine flu.

🎥  Vice Pres., congressional leaders get vaccines; Trump absent

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal authorities expressed increased alarm Thursday about a long-undetected intrusion into U.S. and other computer systems around the globe that officials suspect was carried out by Russian hackers. The nation’s cybersecurity agency warned of a “grave” risk to government and private networks.

The hack compromised federal agencies and “critical infrastructure” in a sophisticated attack that was hard to detect and will be difficult to undo, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in an unusual warning message. The Department of Energy acknowledged it was among those that had been hacked.

The attack, if authorities can prove it was carried out by Russia as experts believe, creates a fresh foreign policy problem for President Donald Trump in his final days in office.

Trump, whose administration has been criticized for eliminating a White House cybersecurity adviser and downplaying Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, has made no public statements about the breach.

President-elect Joe Biden, who inherits a thorny U.S.-Russia relationship, spoke forcefully about the hack, declaring that he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris “will make dealing with this breach a top priority from the moment we take office.”

“We need to disrupt and deter our adversaries from undertaking significant cyberattacks in the first place,” he said. “We will do that by, among other things, imposing substantial costs on those responsible for such malicious attacks, including in coordination with our allies and partners.”

“There’s a lot we don’t yet know, but what we do know is a matter of great concern,” Biden said.

CISA officials did not respond to questions and so it was unclear what the agency meant by a “grave threat” or by “critical infrastructure” possibly targeted in the attack that the agency says appeared to have begun last March. Homeland Security, the agency’s parent department, defines such infrastructure as any “vital” assets to the U.S. or its economy, a broad category that could include power plants and financial institutions.

The agency previously said the perpetrators had used network management software from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hacking-solarwinds-cybersecurity-texas-1467388fe7234f2d3619289a49060eab">Texas-based SolarWinds t</a>&nbsp;o infiltrate computer networks. Its new alert said the attackers may have used other methods, as well.

Tech giant Microsoft, which has helped respond to the breach,&nbsp;<a href="https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2020/12/17/cyberattacks-cybersecurity-solarwinds-fireeye/" target="_blank">revealed late Thursday&nbsp;</a>that it had identified more than 40 government agencies, think tanks, non-governmental organizations and IT companies infiltrated by the hackers. It said four in five were in the United States — nearly half of them tech companies — with victims also in Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom, Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

“This is not ‘espionage as usual,’ even in the digital age. Instead, it represents an act of recklessness that created a serious technological vulnerability for the United States and the world,” Microsoft said in a blog post.

Over the weekend, amid reports that the Treasury and Commerce departments were breached, CISA directed all civilian agencies of the federal government to remove SolarWinds from their servers. The cybersecurity agencies of Britain and Ireland issued similar alerts.

A U.S. official previously told The Associated Press that Russia-based hackers were suspected, but neither CISA nor the FBI has publicly said who is believed to be responsible. Asked whether Russia was behind the attack, the official said: “We believe so. We haven’t said that publicly yet because it isn’t 100% confirmed.”

Another U.S. official, speaking Thursday on condition of anonymity to discuss a matter that is under investigation, said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/solarwinds-fireeye-hack-explained-07e55dfd7fb9e6de96b55a7788eaa93e">the hack was severe and extremely damaging&nbsp;</a>although the administration was not yet ready to publicly blame anyone for it.

“This is looking like it’s the worst hacking case in the history of America,” the official said. “They got into everything.”

At the Department of Energy, the initial investigation revealed that malware injected into its networks via a SolarWinds update has been found only on its business networks and has not affected national security operations, including the agency that manages the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, according to its statement. It said vulnerable software was disconnected from the DOE network to reduce any risk.

The intentions of the perpetrators appear to be espionage and gathering information rather than destruction, according to security experts and former government officials. If so, they are now remarkably well situated.

Thomas Bossert, a former Trump Homeland Security adviser, said in an opinion article in The New York Times that the U.S. should now act as if the Russian government had gained control of the networks it has penetrated. “The actual and perceived control of so many important networks could easily be used to undermine public and consumer trust in data, written communications and services,” he wrote.

Members of Congress said they feared that taxpayers’ personal information could have been exposed because the IRS is part of Treasury, which used SolarWinds software. Experts involved in the hack response say the intruders are not likely interested in such data because they are intelligence agents narrowly focused on sensitive national security data — and trying to steal taxpayer info would likely set off alarms.

Tom Kellermann, cybersecurity strategy chief of the software company VMware, said the hackers are now “omniscient to the operations” of federal agencies they’ve infiltrated “and there is viable concern that they might leverage destructive attacks within these agencies” now that they’ve been discovered.

Among the business sectors scrambling to protect their systems and assess potential theft of information are defense contractors, technology companies and providers of telecommunications and the electric grid.

A group led by CEOs in the electric power industry said it held a “situational awareness call” earlier this week to help electric companies and public power utilities identify whether the compromise posed a threat to their networks.

And dozens of smaller institutions that seemed to have little data of interest to foreign spies were nonetheless forced to respond to the hack.

The Helix Water District, which provides drinking water to the suburbs of San Diego, California, said it provided a patch to its SolarWinds software after it got an advisory the IT company sent out about the hack to about 33,000 customers Sunday.

“While we do utilize SolarWinds, we are not aware of any district impacts from the security breach,” said Michelle Curtis, a spokesperson for the water district.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608241401011.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal authorities expressed increased alarm Thursday about a long-undetected intrusion into U.S. and other computer systems around the globe that officials suspect was carried out by Russian hackers. The nation’s cybersecurity agency warned of a “grave” risk to government and private networks.The hack compromised federal agencies and “critical infrastructure” in a sophisticated attack that was hard to detect and will be difficult to undo, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in an unusual warning message. The Department of Energy acknowledged it was among those that had been hacked.The attack, if authorities can prove it was carried out by Russia as experts believe, creates a fresh foreign policy problem for President Donald Trump in his final days in office.Trump, whose administration has been criticized for eliminating a White House cybersecurity adviser and downplaying Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, has made no public statements about the breach.President-elect Joe Biden, who inherits a thorny U.S.-Russia relationship, spoke forcefully about the hack, declaring that he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris “will make dealing with this breach a top priority from the moment we take office.”“We need to disrupt and deter our adversaries from undertaking significant cyberattacks in the first place,” he said. “We will do that by, among other things, imposing substantial costs on those responsible for such malicious attacks, including in coordination with our allies and partners.”“There’s a lot we don’t yet know, but what we do know is a matter of great concern,” Biden said.CISA officials did not respond to questions and so it was unclear what the agency meant by a “grave threat” or by “critical infrastructure” possibly targeted in the attack that the agency says appeared to have begun last March. Homeland Security, the agency’s parent department, defines such infrastructure as any “vital” assets to the U.S. or its economy, a broad category that could include power plants and financial institutions.The agency previously said the perpetrators had used network management software from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hacking-solarwinds-cybersecurity-texas-1467388fe7234f2d3619289a49060eab">Texas-based SolarWinds t</a>&nbsp;o infiltrate computer networks. Its new alert said the attackers may have used other methods, as well.Tech giant Microsoft, which has helped respond to the breach,&nbsp;<a href="https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2020/12/17/cyberattacks-cybersecurity-solarwinds-fireeye/" target="_blank">revealed late Thursday&nbsp;</a>that it had identified more than 40 government agencies, think tanks, non-governmental organizations and IT companies infiltrated by the hackers. It said four in five were in the United States — nearly half of them tech companies — with victims also in Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom, Israel and the United Arab Emirates.“This is not ‘espionage as usual,’ even in the digital age. Instead, it represents an act of recklessness that created a serious technological vulnerability for the United States and the world,” Microsoft said in a blog post.Over the weekend, amid reports that the Treasury and Commerce departments were breached, CISA directed all civilian agencies of the federal government to remove SolarWinds from their servers. The cybersecurity agencies of Britain and Ireland issued similar alerts.A U.S. official previously told The Associated Press that Russia-based hackers were suspected, but neither CISA nor the FBI has publicly said who is believed to be responsible. Asked whether Russia was behind the attack, the official said: “We believe so. We haven’t said that publicly yet because it isn’t 100% confirmed.”Another U.S. official, speaking Thursday on condition of anonymity to discuss a matter that is under investigation, said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/solarwinds-fireeye-hack-explained-07e55dfd7fb9e6de96b55a7788eaa93e">the hack was severe and extremely damaging&nbsp;</a>although the administration was not yet ready to publicly blame anyone for it.“This is looking like it’s the worst hacking case in the history of America,” the official said. “They got into everything.”At the Department of Energy, the initial investigation revealed that malware injected into its networks via a SolarWinds update has been found only on its business networks and has not affected national security operations, including the agency that manages the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, according to its statement. It said vulnerable software was disconnected from the DOE network to reduce any risk.The intentions of the perpetrators appear to be espionage and gathering information rather than destruction, according to security experts and former government officials. If so, they are now remarkably well situated.Thomas Bossert, a former Trump Homeland Security adviser, said in an opinion article in The New York Times that the U.S. should now act as if the Russian government had gained control of the networks it has penetrated. “The actual and perceived control of so many important networks could easily be used to undermine public and consumer trust in data, written communications and services,” he wrote.Members of Congress said they feared that taxpayers’ personal information could have been exposed because the IRS is part of Treasury, which used SolarWinds software. Experts involved in the hack response say the intruders are not likely interested in such data because they are intelligence agents narrowly focused on sensitive national security data — and trying to steal taxpayer info would likely set off alarms.Tom Kellermann, cybersecurity strategy chief of the software company VMware, said the hackers are now “omniscient to the operations” of federal agencies they’ve infiltrated “and there is viable concern that they might leverage destructive attacks within these agencies” now that they’ve been discovered.Among the business sectors scrambling to protect their systems and assess potential theft of information are defense contractors, technology companies and providers of telecommunications and the electric grid.A group led by CEOs in the electric power industry said it held a “situational awareness call” earlier this week to help electric companies and public power utilities identify whether the compromise posed a threat to their networks.And dozens of smaller institutions that seemed to have little data of interest to foreign spies were nonetheless forced to respond to the hack.The Helix Water District, which provides drinking water to the suburbs of San Diego, California, said it provided a patch to its SolarWinds software after it got an advisory the IT company sent out about the hack to about 33,000 customers Sunday.“While we do utilize SolarWinds, we are not aware of any district impacts from the security breach,” said Michelle Curtis, a spokesperson for the water district._____

Hack against US government worse than first reported

Nebraska State Troopers will be working overtime during the holidays to keep Nebraska roads safe. The Nebraska State Patrol is teaming up with hundreds of law enforcement agencies across the country for the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” effort.

The campaign runs from Friday, December 18, through Friday, January 1, and includes dozens of law enforcement agencies throughout Nebraska. Troopers will perform high-visibility patrols throughout the state, monitoring the roads for impaired drivers.

“As we close out 2020, we urge everyone on the road to work together to make these final weeks safe for those traveling,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “We’ll all have some interesting memories of this year, but losing a loved one in a traffic crash is a memory nobody should take from the holiday season.”

NSP urges motorists to take advantage of many methods available to prevent impaired driving. Multiple organizations offer free rides during the holidays, in addition to options such as ride-sharing, taxi services, or designating a driver.

This effort is made possible thanks in part to a grant for $23,000 from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office.

By:&nbsp;Cody Thomas – Public Relations Director

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608302520316.jpeg" alt="NSP Photo" />
 <figcaption>NSP Photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Nebraska State Troopers will be working overtime during the holidays to keep Nebraska roads safe. The Nebraska State Patrol is teaming up with hundreds of law enforcement agencies across the country for the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” effort.The campaign runs from Friday, December 18, through Friday, January 1, and includes dozens of law enforcement agencies throughout Nebraska. Troopers will perform high-visibility patrols throughout the state, monitoring the roads for impaired drivers.“As we close out 2020, we urge everyone on the road to work together to make these final weeks safe for those traveling,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “We’ll all have some interesting memories of this year, but losing a loved one in a traffic crash is a memory nobody should take from the holiday season.”NSP urges motorists to take advantage of many methods available to prevent impaired driving. Multiple organizations offer free rides during the holidays, in addition to options such as ride-sharing, taxi services, or designating a driver.This effort is made possible thanks in part to a grant for $23,000 from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office.By:&nbsp;Cody Thomas – Public Relations Director

Troopers Patrol for Impaired Drivers during Holiday Season

DENVER (AP) — Dozens of states filed an anti-trust lawsuit against Google on Thursday, alleging that the search giant has an illegal monopoly over the online search market that hurts consumers and advertisers.

The lawsuit, announced by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. by states represented by bipartisan attorneys general. The lawsuit was joined by the attorneys general of 34 other states as well as the District of Columbia and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico.

“Consumers are denied the benefits of competition, including the possibility of higher quality services and better privacy protections. Advertisers are harmed through lower quality and higher prices that are, in turn, passed along to consumers,” Weiser said in press release.

The lawsuit was joined by the attorneys general of Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Google did not respond to a request for comment.

The case is the third antitrust salvo to slam Google during the past two months as the Department of Justice and attorneys general from across the U.S. weigh in with their different variations on how they believe the company is abusing its immense power to do bad things that harm other businesses, innovation and even consumers who find its services to be indispensable.

In many ways, the flurry of U.S. antitrust suits represent an attempt to catch up with European regulators who have spent the past several years trying to crack down on Google, mostly with huge fines, to little noticeable effect so far.

On Wednesday, 10 states led by Republican attorneys general filed a lawsuit against Google accusing it of “anti-competitive conduct” in the online advertising industry, including a deal to manipulate sales with rival Facebook. It targeted the heart of Google’s business — the digital ads that generate nearly all of its revenue, as well as all the money that its corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., depends upon to help finance a range of far-flung technology projects.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/9/1568081892173.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>DENVER (AP) — Dozens of states filed an anti-trust lawsuit against Google on Thursday, alleging that the search giant has an illegal monopoly over the online search market that hurts consumers and advertisers.The lawsuit, announced by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. by states represented by bipartisan attorneys general. The lawsuit was joined by the attorneys general of 34 other states as well as the District of Columbia and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico.“Consumers are denied the benefits of competition, including the possibility of higher quality services and better privacy protections. Advertisers are harmed through lower quality and higher prices that are, in turn, passed along to consumers,” Weiser said in press release.The lawsuit was joined by the attorneys general of Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.Google did not respond to a request for comment.The case is the third antitrust salvo to slam Google during the past two months as the Department of Justice and attorneys general from across the U.S. weigh in with their different variations on how they believe the company is abusing its immense power to do bad things that harm other businesses, innovation and even consumers who find its services to be indispensable.In many ways, the flurry of U.S. antitrust suits represent an attempt to catch up with European regulators who have spent the past several years trying to crack down on Google, mostly with huge fines, to little noticeable effect so far.On Wednesday, 10 states led by Republican attorneys general filed a lawsuit against Google accusing it of “anti-competitive conduct” in the online advertising industry, including a deal to manipulate sales with rival Facebook. It targeted the heart of Google’s business — the digital ads that generate nearly all of its revenue, as well as all the money that its corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., depends upon to help finance a range of far-flung technology projects.___

Nebraska joins anti-trust lawsuit against Google

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A cash-strapped Kansas foster care contractor that struggles to pay its bills and is under investigation for falsifying documents spent $80,000 on tickets to see the Chicago Cubs, owned by the family of Nebraska's governor, as it sought new business in that state, according to a whistleblower report.

St. Francis Ministries bought the tickets in 2019, including $65,000 worth of playoff tickets that it expected to be refunded for because the Cubs didn't make the playoffs. That same year, the agency was awarded a $197 million, five-year contract from the state of Nebraska to oversee the care of abused and neglected children in Douglas and Sarpy Counties in the Omaha area.

The whistleblower report that&nbsp;<a href="https://omaha.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/whistleblower-omaha-area-child-welfare-contractor-spent-80k-on-cubs-tickets/article_7983b68c-3eee-11eb-a415-6fd32b179977.html" target="_blank">The Omaha World-Herald</a>&nbsp;obtained through a public records request did not say that the ticket purchase directly affected St. Francis' bid for the Nebraska contract.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts was not aware of the purchase of those tickets until it was reported in the press, said his spokesman, Taylor Gage, noting that the governor no longer sits on the Cubs' board.

Khalilah LeGrand, a spokeswoman for Nebraska's Department of Health and Human Services, said St. Francis was awarded the Omaha-area contract because it presented the best bid.

A spokeswoman for St. Francis, Morgan Rothenberger, offered no comment on the reason for the ticket purchase. The agency's top two officials departed last month, and Kansas officials are investigating its financial stability and use of state dollars. Kansas officials announced this month that St. Francis employees also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/salina-kansas-topeka-1b3b0e420e470e18a7dec207441ad8f7" target="_blank">falsified documents to show visits with families that never took place</a>.

Mike Deines, the spokesman for the Kansas Department for Children and Families, said in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday that the agency has found no evidence of children being harmed.

William Clark, the interim president and CEO of St. Francis, commended the whistleblower, saying in a statement that it took courage "to come forward and bring questionable actions to light."

According to the report, cash shortages forced St. Francis on "multiple occasions" in 2019 to prioritize its bills, deciding which to pay and which to put off. The agency had a line of credit with a bank but did not meet all the requirements for that line of credit during the year. The report also said the agency had borrowed money from a private individual during the year to make weekly payments.

In Nebraska, quarterly state reviews show St. Francis' overburdened case managers have struggled since the agency took on the Omaha contract. A review released Monday showed that from January through September, more than half of St. Francis workers have had caseloads above the limits set in state law. The review also found St. Francis had not conducted thorough background checks on new employees.

Meanwhile, St. Francis and Nebraska child welfare officials skipped a legislative hearing Wednesday.

Nebraska state Sen. Sara Howard of Omaha, the Health and Human Services Committee chairwoman, questioned how long the state Department of Health and Human Services will allow St. Francis to exceed state-mandated caseload sizes for its workers.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A cash-strapped Kansas foster care contractor that struggles to pay its bills and is under investigation for falsifying documents spent $80,000 on tickets to see the Chicago Cubs, owned by the family of Nebraska's governor, as it sought new business in that state, according to a whistleblower report.St. Francis Ministries bought the tickets in 2019, including $65,000 worth of playoff tickets that it expected to be refunded for because the Cubs didn't make the playoffs. That same year, the agency was awarded a $197 million, five-year contract from the state of Nebraska to oversee the care of abused and neglected children in Douglas and Sarpy Counties in the Omaha area.The whistleblower report that&nbsp;<a href="https://omaha.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/whistleblower-omaha-area-child-welfare-contractor-spent-80k-on-cubs-tickets/article_7983b68c-3eee-11eb-a415-6fd32b179977.html" target="_blank">The Omaha World-Herald</a>&nbsp;obtained through a public records request did not say that the ticket purchase directly affected St. Francis' bid for the Nebraska contract.Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts was not aware of the purchase of those tickets until it was reported in the press, said his spokesman, Taylor Gage, noting that the governor no longer sits on the Cubs' board.Khalilah LeGrand, a spokeswoman for Nebraska's Department of Health and Human Services, said St. Francis was awarded the Omaha-area contract because it presented the best bid.A spokeswoman for St. Francis, Morgan Rothenberger, offered no comment on the reason for the ticket purchase. The agency's top two officials departed last month, and Kansas officials are investigating its financial stability and use of state dollars. Kansas officials announced this month that St. Francis employees also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/salina-kansas-topeka-1b3b0e420e470e18a7dec207441ad8f7" target="_blank">falsified documents to show visits with families that never took place</a>.Mike Deines, the spokesman for the Kansas Department for Children and Families, said in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday that the agency has found no evidence of children being harmed.William Clark, the interim president and CEO of St. Francis, commended the whistleblower, saying in a statement that it took courage "to come forward and bring questionable actions to light."According to the report, cash shortages forced St. Francis on "multiple occasions" in 2019 to prioritize its bills, deciding which to pay and which to put off. The agency had a line of credit with a bank but did not meet all the requirements for that line of credit during the year. The report also said the agency had borrowed money from a private individual during the year to make weekly payments.In Nebraska, quarterly state reviews show St. Francis' overburdened case managers have struggled since the agency took on the Omaha contract. A review released Monday showed that from January through September, more than half of St. Francis workers have had caseloads above the limits set in state law. The review also found St. Francis had not conducted thorough background checks on new employees.Meanwhile, St. Francis and Nebraska child welfare officials skipped a legislative hearing Wednesday.Nebraska state Sen. Sara Howard of Omaha, the Health and Human Services Committee chairwoman, questioned how long the state Department of Health and Human Services will allow St. Francis to exceed state-mandated caseload sizes for its workers."Where is our line?" she asked.

Child welfare contractor spent $80K on Cubs tickets

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The federal government must pay some landowners along the lower Missouri River for flooding damage caused by changes the Army Corps of Engineers made to the river to protect endangered species, a judge has ruled.

The ruling this week by Senior Judge Nancy Firestone, with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, could cost the government millions of dollars and increase the cost of protecting endangered species, The Omaha World-Herald&nbsp;<a href="https://omaha.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/judge-rules-landowners-should-be-paid-for-flood-damage-along-missouri-river/article_90eb1dc0-3fc4-11eb-9d4d-67f827d30297.html#tncms-source=login" target="_blank">reported</a>.

"This is a big deal," said Anthony Schutz, an associate law professor at the University of Nebraska. "The potential liability could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars depending upon how many people are included."

The ruling affects land along the river from Sioux City, Iowa, to St. Louis, although not all landowners will qualify for compensation and not all flood-related damages will be covered.

Firestone ruled that the Corps caused increased flooding by changing the river's flow to improve habitat for some species to comply with the Endangered Species Act. The agency violated constitutional protections against taking property without compensation because it did not pay landowners for the damage, she said.

Attorney Dan Boulware, who represented more than 400 plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said his firm has tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a settlement with the government. He expects the government to appeal.

"The government needs to step up and do what's right," he said.

Neither the Corps nor the U.S. Justice Department would comment on the ruling, the World-Herald reported.

U.S. senators from Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas wrote a letter to the secretary of the Army last month urging the agency to settle the case.

"The Corps continues to ignore clear liability for its actions and instead expresses its intent to exhaust all appeals for years to come," the senators wrote. "We once again strongly urge that the Corps cease further delay and make our constituents whole."

It is not a class-action lawsuit, so each individual plaintiff's case is judged separately to determine if damages are warranted. Firestone said a test sample showed 16 of 44 property owners didn't qualify for damages.

The lawsuit involves flooding from 2007 to 2015, except for damages from historic flooding in 2011. It also does not include flooding last year, which occurred after the case was brought.

The judge ruled that the Corps caused an average reduction in land values of about 25% along the river. A specific dollar amount for the losses has not been determined.

The Corps does not have to pay for crop damage or damage to farm equipment and buildings, Firestone said. Boulware said the plaintiffs are considering whether to appeal that part of the ruling.

Instead, the Corps must pay for a "flowage easement," a term for privately owned land on which the Corps has some perpetual rights. The terms for the Corps' use of the land involved in this case must still be determined.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608225838608.jpg" alt="Photo courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The federal government must pay some landowners along the lower Missouri River for flooding damage caused by changes the Army Corps of Engineers made to the river to protect endangered species, a judge has ruled.The ruling this week by Senior Judge Nancy Firestone, with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, could cost the government millions of dollars and increase the cost of protecting endangered species, The Omaha World-Herald&nbsp;<a href="https://omaha.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/judge-rules-landowners-should-be-paid-for-flood-damage-along-missouri-river/article_90eb1dc0-3fc4-11eb-9d4d-67f827d30297.html#tncms-source=login" target="_blank">reported</a>."This is a big deal," said Anthony Schutz, an associate law professor at the University of Nebraska. "The potential liability could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars depending upon how many people are included."The ruling affects land along the river from Sioux City, Iowa, to St. Louis, although not all landowners will qualify for compensation and not all flood-related damages will be covered.Firestone ruled that the Corps caused increased flooding by changing the river's flow to improve habitat for some species to comply with the Endangered Species Act. The agency violated constitutional protections against taking property without compensation because it did not pay landowners for the damage, she said.Attorney Dan Boulware, who represented more than 400 plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said his firm has tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a settlement with the government. He expects the government to appeal."The government needs to step up and do what's right," he said.Neither the Corps nor the U.S. Justice Department would comment on the ruling, the World-Herald reported.U.S. senators from Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas wrote a letter to the secretary of the Army last month urging the agency to settle the case."The Corps continues to ignore clear liability for its actions and instead expresses its intent to exhaust all appeals for years to come," the senators wrote. "We once again strongly urge that the Corps cease further delay and make our constituents whole."It is not a class-action lawsuit, so each individual plaintiff's case is judged separately to determine if damages are warranted. Firestone said a test sample showed 16 of 44 property owners didn't qualify for damages.The lawsuit involves flooding from 2007 to 2015, except for damages from historic flooding in 2011. It also does not include flooding last year, which occurred after the case was brought.The judge ruled that the Corps caused an average reduction in land values of about 25% along the river. A specific dollar amount for the losses has not been determined.The Corps does not have to pay for crop damage or damage to farm equipment and buildings, Firestone said. Boulware said the plaintiffs are considering whether to appeal that part of the ruling.Instead, the Corps must pay for a "flowage easement," a term for privately owned land on which the Corps has some perpetual rights. The terms for the Corps' use of the land involved in this case must still be determined.

Government ordered to pay landowners on lower Missouri River

As COVID-19 vaccinations roll out to more and more people, health authorities are keeping close watch for any unexpected side effects.

On Tuesday, a health worker in Alaska suffered a severe allergic reaction after receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. She is in the hospital for another night under observation while another worker, vaccinated Wednesday, has recovered. Doctors already knew to be on the lookout after Britain reported two similar cases last week.

In the U.S., vaccine recipients are supposed to hang around after the injection in case signs of an allergy appear and they need immediate treatment — exactly what happened when the health worker in Juneau became flushed and short of breath 10 minutes after the shot. The second worker experienced eye puffiness, light headedness and scratchy throat.

Allergies are always a question with a new medical product, but monitoring COVID-19 vaccines for any other, unexpected side effects is a bigger challenge than usual. It’s not just because so many people need to be vaccinated over the next year. Never before have so many vaccines made in different ways converged at the same time — and it’s possible that one shot option will come with different side effects than another.

The first vaccine beginning&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-health-workers-coronavirus-vaccine-56df745388a9fc12ae93c6f9a0d0e81f">widespread use in the U.S</a>. and many Western countries, made by Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech, and a second option&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-2nd-shot-us-af9bc295fa685aaa04e204e4db62e336">expected soon</a>&nbsp;from competitor Moderna Inc. both are made the same way. The Food and Drug Administration says huge studies of each have uncovered no major safety risks.

But the allergy concern “points out again the importance of real-time safety monitoring,” said Dr. Jesse Goodman of Georgetown University, a former FDA vaccine chief.

And authorities have multiple ways of tracking how people fare as these COVID-19 vaccines, and hopefully additional ones in coming months, get into more arms.

Getting either the Pfizer-BioNTech shot or the Moderna version can cause some temporary discomfort, just like many vaccines do.

In addition to a sore arm, people can experience a fever and some flu-like symptoms — fatigue, aches, chills, headache. They last about a day, sometimes bad enough that recipients miss work, and are more common after the second dose and in younger people.

These reactions are a sign that the immune system is revving up. COVID-19 vaccines tend to cause more of those reactions than a flu shot, about what people experience with shingles vaccinations. But some are similar to early coronavirus symptoms, one reason hospitals are staggering when their employees get vaccinated.

The FDA found no serious side effects in the tens of thousands enrolled in studies of the two vaccines.

Still, problems so rare they don’t occur in even very large studies sometimes crop up when a vaccine is used more widely and without the stringent rules of a clinical trial.

The first allergy reports from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uk-allergic-reaction-pfizer-vaccine-64ddccd70c38a39f880da27941db3540">England</a>&nbsp;were in people with a history of serious allergies, and British authorities warned those with severe prior experiences to hold off vaccination as they determine what ingredient might be a problem.

U.S. health authorities are giving more nuanced advice. People always are asked about allergies before vaccinations, and instructions for the Pfizer-BioNTech shot say avoid it if you’re severely allergic to one of its ingredients or had a severe reaction to a prior dose. Health workers can go over the ingredient list.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people to stick around for 15 minutes after vaccination, and those with a history of other allergies for 30 minutes, so they can be treated immediately if they have a reaction.

The Alaska health worker, who doctors said had no history of allergies, was following that advice and got prompt care for a particularly severe reaction called anaphylaxis. She has recovered after a night of observation in the hospital — but won’t be allowed a second vaccine dose.

Alaska doctors alerted U.S. authorities, who will continue the monitoring required to tell just how common this kind of reaction really is. That will be especially important as enough vaccine arrives for injections to be given outside of health care settings that have lots of experience handling this type of reaction.

“Balancing any potential risks with the benefits the vaccine provides in the pandemic is an ongoing process,” CDC’s Dr. Jay Butler cautioned Wednesday.

The challenge is telling whether the vaccine caused a health problem or if it’s coincidence. Don’t jump to conclusions that there’s a connection, health authorities stress.

The way to tell: Comparing any reports of possible side effects with data showing how often that same condition occurs routinely in the population.

The government has multiple ways to do that. Doctors are required to report any patient problems. But the FDA is scrutinizing massive databases of insurance claims for early red flags that any health problems are occurring more often in the newly vaccinated than everyone else.

On its list to check is Bell’s palsy, a temporary facial paralysis that occurred in a handful of people in both vaccine studies. The FDA said it’s probably coincidence, but will track to be sure.

Vaccine recipients can help with the extra safety tracking. Called “&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/vsafe.html" target="_blank">v-safe</a>,” the program run by CDC automatically sends a daily text the first week after each vaccine dose asking how people feel, and then a weekly text for the next five weeks. Any responses that suggest concern prompt a phone call for further information.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608072923749.png" alt="Vaccine arrival in Kansas earlier this week -photo courtesy office of Kansas Governor" />
 <figcaption>Vaccine arrival in Kansas earlier this week -photo courtesy office of Kansas Governor</figcaption>
 </figure>By LAURAN NEERGAARD, Associated PressAs COVID-19 vaccinations roll out to more and more people, health authorities are keeping close watch for any unexpected side effects.On Tuesday, a health worker in Alaska suffered a severe allergic reaction after receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. She is in the hospital for another night under observation while another worker, vaccinated Wednesday, has recovered. Doctors already knew to be on the lookout after Britain reported two similar cases last week.In the U.S., vaccine recipients are supposed to hang around after the injection in case signs of an allergy appear and they need immediate treatment — exactly what happened when the health worker in Juneau became flushed and short of breath 10 minutes after the shot. The second worker experienced eye puffiness, light headedness and scratchy throat.Allergies are always a question with a new medical product, but monitoring COVID-19 vaccines for any other, unexpected side effects is a bigger challenge than usual. It’s not just because so many people need to be vaccinated over the next year. Never before have so many vaccines made in different ways converged at the same time — and it’s possible that one shot option will come with different side effects than another.The first vaccine beginning&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-health-workers-coronavirus-vaccine-56df745388a9fc12ae93c6f9a0d0e81f">widespread use in the U.S</a>. and many Western countries, made by Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech, and a second option&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-2nd-shot-us-af9bc295fa685aaa04e204e4db62e336">expected soon</a>&nbsp;from competitor Moderna Inc. both are made the same way. The Food and Drug Administration says huge studies of each have uncovered no major safety risks.But the allergy concern “points out again the importance of real-time safety monitoring,” said Dr. Jesse Goodman of Georgetown University, a former FDA vaccine chief.And authorities have multiple ways of tracking how people fare as these COVID-19 vaccines, and hopefully additional ones in coming months, get into more arms.HOW WILL I FEEL AFTER VACCINATION?Getting either the Pfizer-BioNTech shot or the Moderna version can cause some temporary discomfort, just like many vaccines do.In addition to a sore arm, people can experience a fever and some flu-like symptoms — fatigue, aches, chills, headache. They last about a day, sometimes bad enough that recipients miss work, and are more common after the second dose and in younger people.These reactions are a sign that the immune system is revving up. COVID-19 vaccines tend to cause more of those reactions than a flu shot, about what people experience with shingles vaccinations. But some are similar to early coronavirus symptoms, one reason hospitals are staggering when their employees get vaccinated.WHAT ABOUT SERIOUS RISKS?The FDA found no serious side effects in the tens of thousands enrolled in studies of the two vaccines.Still, problems so rare they don’t occur in even very large studies sometimes crop up when a vaccine is used more widely and without the stringent rules of a clinical trial.The first allergy reports from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uk-allergic-reaction-pfizer-vaccine-64ddccd70c38a39f880da27941db3540">England</a>&nbsp;were in people with a history of serious allergies, and British authorities warned those with severe prior experiences to hold off vaccination as they determine what ingredient might be a problem.U.S. health authorities are giving more nuanced advice. People always are asked about allergies before vaccinations, and instructions for the Pfizer-BioNTech shot say avoid it if you’re severely allergic to one of its ingredients or had a severe reaction to a prior dose. Health workers can go over the ingredient list.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people to stick around for 15 minutes after vaccination, and those with a history of other allergies for 30 minutes, so they can be treated immediately if they have a reaction.The Alaska health worker, who doctors said had no history of allergies, was following that advice and got prompt care for a particularly severe reaction called anaphylaxis. She has recovered after a night of observation in the hospital — but won’t be allowed a second vaccine dose.Alaska doctors alerted U.S. authorities, who will continue the monitoring required to tell just how common this kind of reaction really is. That will be especially important as enough vaccine arrives for injections to be given outside of health care settings that have lots of experience handling this type of reaction.“Balancing any potential risks with the benefits the vaccine provides in the pandemic is an ongoing process,” CDC’s Dr. Jay Butler cautioned Wednesday.WHAT IF OTHER RISKS CROP UP?The challenge is telling whether the vaccine caused a health problem or if it’s coincidence. Don’t jump to conclusions that there’s a connection, health authorities stress.The way to tell: Comparing any reports of possible side effects with data showing how often that same condition occurs routinely in the population.The government has multiple ways to do that. Doctors are required to report any patient problems. But the FDA is scrutinizing massive databases of insurance claims for early red flags that any health problems are occurring more often in the newly vaccinated than everyone else.On its list to check is Bell’s palsy, a temporary facial paralysis that occurred in a handful of people in both vaccine studies. The FDA said it’s probably coincidence, but will track to be sure.Vaccine recipients can help with the extra safety tracking. Called “&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/vsafe.html" target="_blank">v-safe</a>,” the program run by CDC automatically sends a daily text the first week after each vaccine dose asking how people feel, and then a weekly text for the next five weeks. Any responses that suggest concern prompt a phone call for further information.___

Health officials track safety as COVID-19 vaccines roll out

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional negotiators are closing in on a $900 billion COVID-19 economic relief package that would deliver additional help to businesses, $300-per-week jobless checks and $600 stimulus payments to most Americans. But there was no deal quite yet.

The long-delayed measure was coming together as Capitol Hill combatants finally fashioned difficult compromises, often at the expense of more ambitious Democratic wishes for the legislation, to complete the second major relief package of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>.

A hoped-for announcement Wednesday failed to materialize as lawmakers across the spectrum hammered out details of the sprawling legislation and top negotiators continued to trade offers. But lawmakers briefed on the outlines of the aid bill freely shared them.

It’s the first significant legislative response to the pandemic since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2099a53bb8adf2def7ee7329ea322f9d">the landmark CARES Act</a>&nbsp;in March, which delivered $1.8 trillion in aid and more generous jobless benefits and direct payments to individuals. Since then, Democrats have repeatedly called for ambitious further federal steps to provide relief and battle the pandemic, while Republicans have sought to more fully reopen the economy and to avoid padding the government’s $27 trillion debt.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/electoral-college-confirm-joe-biden-win-2d4fd7368d8fd6cb47ff0b2cc206271a">President-elect Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;is eager for an aid package to prop up the economy and deliver direct aid to the jobless and hungry, even though the package falls short of what Democrats want. He called the emerging version “an important down payment” and promised more help next year.

Republicans, too, are anxious to approve some aid before going home for the year.

“We’re still close and we’re gonna get there,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told reporters Wednesday evening as he left the Capitol. And during a Senate GOP lunchtime call a day earlier, party leaders stressed the importance of reaching an agreement before the upcoming Georgia Senate runoff election.

The details were still being worked out, but lawmakers in both parties said leaders had agreed on a top-line total of about $900 billion, with direct payments of perhaps $600 to most Americans and a $300-per-week bonus federal unemployment benefit to partially replace a $600-per-week benefit that expired this summer. It also includes the renewal of extra weeks of state unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless. More than $300 billion in subsidies for business, including a second round of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b0d2a36521f39010273317fa3562c2e4">“paycheck protection” payments</a>&nbsp;to especially hard-hit businesses, are locked in, as is $25 billion to help struggling renters with their payments and provide food aid and farm subsidies, and a $10 billion bailout for the Postal Service.

Democrats acknowledged that the removal of a $160 billion-or-so aid package for state and local governments whose budgets have been thrown out of balance by the pandemic was a bitter loss.

“It’s heartbreaking for us,” said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, whose state has big fiscal problems.

The emerging package was serving as a magnet for adding on other items, and the two sides continued to swap offers. It was apparent that another temporary spending bill would be needed to prevent a government shutdown at midnight on Friday. That was likely to easily pass.

House lawmakers returned to Washington on Wednesday in hopes of a vote soon on the broader package, which would combine the COVID-19 relief with a $1.4 trillion governmentwide funding bill and a host of other remaining congressional business, including extending expiring tax breaks and passing other unfinished legislation.

Negotiations intensified on Tuesday after months of futility. Before the election, with Democrats riding high in the polls, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took a hard line for more aid. Now, McConnell is playing a strong hand after a better-than-expected performance in the elections limited GOP losses in Senate races.

The frightening, record surge in COVID caseloads and deaths, combined with troubling economic indicators, however, is mandating an agreement, though the emerging package contains less economic stimulus than the March aid bill.

“The case for fiscal policy right now is very, very strong,” Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday. “I think that is widely understood now. It’s a very positive thing that we may finally be getting that.”

McConnell successfully pushed to get Democrats to drop their much-sought $160 billion state and local government aid package while giving up a key priority of his own — a liability shield for businesses and other institutions like universities fearing COVID-19 lawsuits. Democrats cited other gains for states and localities in the emerging deal such as help for transit systems, schools and vaccine distribution.

The addition of the $600 direct payments came after recent endorsements from both President Donald Trump and progressives including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who remains dissatisfied about the overall package.

“Everything that is in that package is vitally needed,” Sanders said Wednesday on MSNBC. “The problem is that it is a much smaller package than the country needs in this moment of economic desperation.”

A poisonous dynamic has long infected the negotiations, but the mood was businesslike in two meetings in Pelosi’s Capitol suite Tuesday that resulted in a burst of progress.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608204783633.png" alt="Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell continues to say, "We're going to stay here until we get a COVID package no matter how long it takes, we’ll be here until we get a COVID package." " />
 <figcaption>Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell continues to say, "We're going to stay here until we get a COVID package no matter how long it takes, we’ll be here until we get a COVID package." </figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional negotiators are closing in on a $900 billion COVID-19 economic relief package that would deliver additional help to businesses, $300-per-week jobless checks and $600 stimulus payments to most Americans. But there was no deal quite yet.The long-delayed measure was coming together as Capitol Hill combatants finally fashioned difficult compromises, often at the expense of more ambitious Democratic wishes for the legislation, to complete the second major relief package of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>.A hoped-for announcement Wednesday failed to materialize as lawmakers across the spectrum hammered out details of the sprawling legislation and top negotiators continued to trade offers. But lawmakers briefed on the outlines of the aid bill freely shared them.It’s the first significant legislative response to the pandemic since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2099a53bb8adf2def7ee7329ea322f9d">the landmark CARES Act</a>&nbsp;in March, which delivered $1.8 trillion in aid and more generous jobless benefits and direct payments to individuals. Since then, Democrats have repeatedly called for ambitious further federal steps to provide relief and battle the pandemic, while Republicans have sought to more fully reopen the economy and to avoid padding the government’s $27 trillion debt.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/electoral-college-confirm-joe-biden-win-2d4fd7368d8fd6cb47ff0b2cc206271a">President-elect Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;is eager for an aid package to prop up the economy and deliver direct aid to the jobless and hungry, even though the package falls short of what Democrats want. He called the emerging version “an important down payment” and promised more help next year.Republicans, too, are anxious to approve some aid before going home for the year.“We’re still close and we’re gonna get there,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told reporters Wednesday evening as he left the Capitol. And during a Senate GOP lunchtime call a day earlier, party leaders stressed the importance of reaching an agreement before the upcoming Georgia Senate runoff election.The details were still being worked out, but lawmakers in both parties said leaders had agreed on a top-line total of about $900 billion, with direct payments of perhaps $600 to most Americans and a $300-per-week bonus federal unemployment benefit to partially replace a $600-per-week benefit that expired this summer. It also includes the renewal of extra weeks of state unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless. More than $300 billion in subsidies for business, including a second round of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b0d2a36521f39010273317fa3562c2e4">“paycheck protection” payments</a>&nbsp;to especially hard-hit businesses, are locked in, as is $25 billion to help struggling renters with their payments and provide food aid and farm subsidies, and a $10 billion bailout for the Postal Service.Democrats acknowledged that the removal of a $160 billion-or-so aid package for state and local governments whose budgets have been thrown out of balance by the pandemic was a bitter loss.“It’s heartbreaking for us,” said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, whose state has big fiscal problems.The emerging package was serving as a magnet for adding on other items, and the two sides continued to swap offers. It was apparent that another temporary spending bill would be needed to prevent a government shutdown at midnight on Friday. That was likely to easily pass.House lawmakers returned to Washington on Wednesday in hopes of a vote soon on the broader package, which would combine the COVID-19 relief with a $1.4 trillion governmentwide funding bill and a host of other remaining congressional business, including extending expiring tax breaks and passing other unfinished legislation.Negotiations intensified on Tuesday after months of futility. Before the election, with Democrats riding high in the polls, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took a hard line for more aid. Now, McConnell is playing a strong hand after a better-than-expected performance in the elections limited GOP losses in Senate races.The frightening, record surge in COVID caseloads and deaths, combined with troubling economic indicators, however, is mandating an agreement, though the emerging package contains less economic stimulus than the March aid bill.“The case for fiscal policy right now is very, very strong,” Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday. “I think that is widely understood now. It’s a very positive thing that we may finally be getting that.”McConnell successfully pushed to get Democrats to drop their much-sought $160 billion state and local government aid package while giving up a key priority of his own — a liability shield for businesses and other institutions like universities fearing COVID-19 lawsuits. Democrats cited other gains for states and localities in the emerging deal such as help for transit systems, schools and vaccine distribution.The addition of the $600 direct payments came after recent endorsements from both President Donald Trump and progressives including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who remains dissatisfied about the overall package.“Everything that is in that package is vitally needed,” Sanders said Wednesday on MSNBC. “The problem is that it is a much smaller package than the country needs in this moment of economic desperation.”A poisonous dynamic has long infected the negotiations, but the mood was businesslike in two meetings in Pelosi’s Capitol suite Tuesday that resulted in a burst of progress.Pressure for a deal is intense. Unemployment benefits run out Dec. 26 for more than 10 million people. Many businesses are barely hanging on after nine months of the pandemic. And money is needed to distribute new vaccines that are finally offering hope for returning the country to a semblance of normalcy.The looming agreement follows efforts by a bipartisan group of rank-and-file lawmakers to find middle ground between a $2.4 trillion House bill and a $500 billion GOP measure fashioned by McConnell.Their $908 billion proposal has served as a template for the talks, although the bipartisan group, led by Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, favored aid to states and localities instead of another round of stimulus payments. The CARES Act provided for $1,200 payments per individual and $500 per child.“I think that the work that our bipartisan group did really helped to stimulate this,” Collins said.With Congress otherwise getting ready to close up shop, lawmakers are eager to use the relief package to carry other unfinished business.A leading candidate is a 369-page water resources bill that targets $10 billion for 46 Army Corps of Engineers flood control, environmental, and coastal protection projects. Another potential addition would extend favorable tax treatment for “look through” entities of offshore subsidiaries of U.S. corporations. Meanwhile, thousands of craft brewers, wineries, and distillers are facing higher taxes in April if their tax break isn’t extended.The end-of-session rush also promises relief for victims of shockingly steep surprise medical bills, a phenomenon that often occurs when providers drop out of insurance company networks. That measure, combined with an assortment of other health policy provisions, generates savings for federal funding for community health centers.___