OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Court records show a woman killed in an Omaha, Nebraska, house explosion had filed a protection order against her 28-year-old grandson a day before the explosion, saying she feared the man would harm her and “start my house on fire.” 

Omaha fire officials identified two people killed in the Tuesday morning blast as 73-year-old Theresa Toledo and 45-year-old Angela Miller. 

Officials said two others, 72-year-old Larry Rodriguez and 28-year-old Alexander Toledo, were critically injured in the blast. 

Officials have not said what caused the blast. 

Documents filed in Douglas County Court on Monday by Theresa Toledo asked a judge to order Alexander Toledo out of the home. 

A judge granted the domestic abuse protection order that same day.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Court records show a woman killed in an Omaha, Nebraska, house explosion had filed a protection order against her 28-year-old grandson a day before the explosion, saying she feared the man would harm her and “start my house on fire.” Omaha fire officials identified two people killed in the Tuesday morning blast as 73-year-old Theresa Toledo and 45-year-old Angela Miller. Officials said two others, 72-year-old Larry Rodriguez and 28-year-old Alexander Toledo, were critically injured in the blast. Officials have not said what caused the blast. Documents filed in Douglas County Court on Monday by Theresa Toledo asked a judge to order Alexander Toledo out of the home. A judge granted the domestic abuse protection order that same day.

Omaha house explosion victim sought order against grandson

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police say a woman was fatally shot in a north Omaha neighborhood. 

Police say in a news release that the shooting happened around 8:15 p.m. 

Tuesday in the area of 40th Avenue and Bedford Street. 

Officers sent to the scene found a woman, later identified as 25-year-old Ashlon Wilson, on the ground and unresponsive.

 Wilson was taken to an Omaha hospital in critical condition and later died of her injuries.

 Police have not announced any arrests in her death.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police say a woman was fatally shot in a north Omaha neighborhood. Police say in a news release that the shooting happened around 8:15 p.m. Tuesday in the area of 40th Avenue and Bedford Street. Officers sent to the scene found a woman, later identified as 25-year-old Ashlon Wilson, on the ground and unresponsive. Wilson was taken to an Omaha hospital in critical condition and later died of her injuries. Police have not announced any arrests in her death.

Woman fatally shot Tuesday night in north Omaha

BOWDLE, S.D. (AP) — The United States Geological Service says it detected a small earthquake in northern South Dakota late Tuesday night. 

The USGS says the earthquake just before midnight registered at 3.2 on the Richter scale, which is just above the threshold for feeling a tremor.

 The agency says three people within 15 miles of the epicenter near Bowdle reported feeling minor shaking.

 While earthquakes are rare in South Dakota, they are not unheard of. 

The USGS has records of 67 earthquakes that were either in South Dakota or close enough to be felt within the state’s borders since 1900.

BOWDLE, S.D. (AP) — The United States Geological Service says it detected a small earthquake in northern South Dakota late Tuesday night. The USGS says the earthquake just before midnight registered at 3.2 on the Richter scale, which is just above the threshold for feeling a tremor. The agency says three people within 15 miles of the epicenter near Bowdle reported feeling minor shaking. While earthquakes are rare in South Dakota, they are not unheard of. The USGS has records of 67 earthquakes that were either in South Dakota or close enough to be felt within the state’s borders since 1900.

Tiny earthquake felt in northern South Dakota

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has used her budget address to state lawmakers to defend her coronavirus response.

 She cast the state’s financial outlook on a national scale and laid out proposals to spend millions in excess funds from federal coronavirus aid bolstering the state’s budget.

 While South Dakota is currently suffering through one of the worst virus outbreaks in the nation, the state’s economy and budget forecast are significantly rosier. 

A combination of using federal aid to offset state expenses tied to the pandemic and a $19 million budget surplus allows Noem to propose over $230 million in state-funded projects.

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has used her budget address to state lawmakers to defend her coronavirus response. She cast the state’s financial outlook on a national scale and laid out proposals to spend millions in excess funds from federal coronavirus aid bolstering the state’s budget. While South Dakota is currently suffering through one of the worst virus outbreaks in the nation, the state’s economy and budget forecast are significantly rosier. A combination of using federal aid to offset state expenses tied to the pandemic and a $19 million budget surplus allows Noem to propose over $230 million in state-funded projects.

Noem defends handling of coronavirus with budget address

LONDON (AP) — British regulators warned Wednesday that people who have a history of serious allergic reactions shouldn’t receive the new Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as they investigate two adverse reactions that occurred on the first day of the country’s mass vaccination program.

The U.K.’s Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is looking into whether the reactions were linked to the vaccine. The two people affected were staff members with the National Health Service who had a history of allergies, and both are recovering. Authorities have not specified what their reactions were.

In the meantime, the regulator has issued the warning for anyone who has had a significant allergic reaction to a vaccine, medicine or food. That includes anyone who has been told to carry an adrenaline shot or others who have had potentially fatal allergic reactions.

“As is common with new vaccines the MHRA have advised on a precautionary basis that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination after two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday,” Professor Stephen Powis, medical director for the NHS in England, said in a statement. “Both are recovering well.”

The medical regulatory agency also said vaccinations should not be carried out in facilities that don’t have resuscitation equipment.

Pfizer and BioNTech said they were working with investigators “to better understand each case and its causes.″

Late-stage trials of the vaccine found “no serious safety concerns,” the companies said. More than 42,000 people have received two doses of the shot during those trials.

“In the pivotal phase three clinical trial, this vaccine was generally well tolerated with no serious safety concerns reported by the independent Data Monitoring Committee,” the companies said.

Documents published by the two companies showed that people with a history of severe allergic reactions were excluded from the trials, and doctors were advised to look out for such reactions in trial participants who weren’t previously known to have severe allergies.

Even in non-emergency situations, health authorities must closely monitor new vaccines and medications because studies in tens of thousands of people can’t detect a rare risk that would affect 1 in 1 million.

Dr. Peter Openshaw, a professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, said there is a “very small” chance of an allergic reaction to any vaccine.

The MHRA last week gave emergency authorization to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, making Britain the first country to allow its widespread use.

The U.K. began its mass vaccination program on Tuesday, offering the shot to people over 80, nursing home staff and some NHS workers. It’s not clear how many people have received the jab so far.

As part of its emergency authorization for the vaccine, the MHRA required healthcare workers to report any adverse reactions to help regulators gather more information about safety and effectiveness.

The agency is monitoring the vaccine rollout closely and “will now investigate these cases in more detail to understand if the allergic reactions were linked to the vaccine or were incidental,” he said. “The fact that we know so soon about these two allergic reactions and that the regulator has acted on this to issue precautionary advice shows that this monitoring system is working well.”

Dr. June Raine, head of the medical regulatory agency, informed a Parliamentary committee about the reactions during previously scheduled testimony on the pandemic.

“We know from the very extensive clinical trials that this wasn’t a feature” of the vaccine, she said. “But if we need to strengthen our advice, now that we have had this experience in the vulnerable populations, the groups who have been selected as a priority, we get that advice to the field immediately.”

LONDON (AP) — British regulators warned Wednesday that people who have a history of serious allergic reactions shouldn’t receive the new Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as they investigate two adverse reactions that occurred on the first day of the country’s mass vaccination program.The U.K.’s Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is looking into whether the reactions were linked to the vaccine. The two people affected were staff members with the National Health Service who had a history of allergies, and both are recovering. Authorities have not specified what their reactions were.In the meantime, the regulator has issued the warning for anyone who has had a significant allergic reaction to a vaccine, medicine or food. That includes anyone who has been told to carry an adrenaline shot or others who have had potentially fatal allergic reactions.“As is common with new vaccines the MHRA have advised on a precautionary basis that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination after two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday,” Professor Stephen Powis, medical director for the NHS in England, said in a statement. “Both are recovering well.”The medical regulatory agency also said vaccinations should not be carried out in facilities that don’t have resuscitation equipment.Pfizer and BioNTech said they were working with investigators “to better understand each case and its causes.″Late-stage trials of the vaccine found “no serious safety concerns,” the companies said. More than 42,000 people have received two doses of the shot during those trials.“In the pivotal phase three clinical trial, this vaccine was generally well tolerated with no serious safety concerns reported by the independent Data Monitoring Committee,” the companies said.Documents published by the two companies showed that people with a history of severe allergic reactions were excluded from the trials, and doctors were advised to look out for such reactions in trial participants who weren’t previously known to have severe allergies.Even in non-emergency situations, health authorities must closely monitor new vaccines and medications because studies in tens of thousands of people can’t detect a rare risk that would affect 1 in 1 million.Dr. Peter Openshaw, a professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, said there is a “very small” chance of an allergic reaction to any vaccine.The MHRA last week gave emergency authorization to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, making Britain the first country to allow its widespread use.The U.K. began its mass vaccination program on Tuesday, offering the shot to people over 80, nursing home staff and some NHS workers. It’s not clear how many people have received the jab so far.As part of its emergency authorization for the vaccine, the MHRA required healthcare workers to report any adverse reactions to help regulators gather more information about safety and effectiveness.The agency is monitoring the vaccine rollout closely and “will now investigate these cases in more detail to understand if the allergic reactions were linked to the vaccine or were incidental,” he said. “The fact that we know so soon about these two allergic reactions and that the regulator has acted on this to issue precautionary advice shows that this monitoring system is working well.”Dr. June Raine, head of the medical regulatory agency, informed a Parliamentary committee about the reactions during previously scheduled testimony on the pandemic.“We know from the very extensive clinical trials that this wasn’t a feature” of the vaccine, she said. “But if we need to strengthen our advice, now that we have had this experience in the vulnerable populations, the groups who have been selected as a priority, we get that advice to the field immediately.”___

Warning issued about Pfizer virus vaccine after patients fall ill

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration dived back into Capitol Hill’s confusing COVID-19 negotiations, offering a $916 billion package to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans but eliminate a $300-per-week employment benefit favored by a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made the offer to Pelosi late Tuesday afternoon, he said in a statement. He offered few details, though House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy said it proposes the $600 direct payment for individuals and $1,200 for couples, which is half&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/61b3d38360745d64a98a2ab813501b13">the payment delivered by the March pandemic relief bill</a>.

Mnuchin reached out to Pelosi after a call with top congressional GOP leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who remains at odds with Democratic leaders over COVID-19 relief. Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., responded to Mnuchin’s entreaty with a statement that said they would prefer to let a bipartisan group take the lead.

The bipartisan group, led by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, among others, is seeking to rally lawmakers in both parties behind a $908 billion framework that includes a $300-per-week pandemic jobless benefit and $160 billion for states and local governments. It is more generous than a GOP plan that’s been filibustered twice already but far smaller than a wish list assembled by House Democrats.

McConnell had earlier proposed shelving a top Democratic priority — aid to state and local governments — in exchange for dropping his own pet provision, a shield against lawsuits for COVID-related negligence. Democrats angrily rejected the idea, saying McConnell was undermining the efforts of a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators and reneging on earlier statements that state and local aid would likely have to be an element of a COVID-19 relief agreement given Democratic control of the House.

The $916 billion Mnuchin offer, the separate ongoing talks among key rank-and-file senators, and the shifting demands by the White House all add up to muddled, confusing prospects for a long-delayed COVID-19 aid package. The pressure to deliver is intense — all sides say failure isn’t an option.

The Mnuchin plan resurrects direct payments that are popular with Trump and the public but that are disliked by many Republican lawmakers who say they are costly and send too much aid to people who do not need it. Democrats generally embrace the idea.

“Right now we’re targeting struggling families, failing businesses, health care workers and we don’t have a stimulus check to every single person, regardless of need,” said Collins.

McConnell said Congress will not adjourn without providing the long-overdue COVID-19 relief. He had previously said he would not put any pandemic relief bill on the floor that does not include the liability shield, which is being sought by businesses, universities, nonprofits, and others that are reopening during the pandemic.

“Leaving here without a COVID relief package cannot happen,” McConnell said. “Why don’t we set aside the two obviously most contentious issues. We know we’re going to be confronted with another request after the first of the year. We’ll live to fight those another day.”

Top Senate Democrat Schumer immediately rejected the entreaty, saying the state and local relief is sought by many Republicans, too, including some conservatives like Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Mitt Romney of Utah. Pelosi blasted McConnell’s offer as an attempt to undercut the bipartisan group whose framework she supports as a foundation for the negotiations.

Pelosi initially demanded more than $900 billion for state and local governments this spring, but the fiscal situation in the states hasn’t been as bad as feared and Democratic leaders could be willing to accept a $160 billion proposal by the moderate group.

Already, Capitol Hill leaders are moving a government shutdown deadline to the end of next week, but progress is slow and key decisions are yet to be made. The House has scheduled a vote on a one-week temporary government funding bill for Wednesday. Without the measure, the government would shut down this weekend.

Separately, Pelosi and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., spoke by phone on Monday to try to kick start talks on a separate $1.4 trillion government-wide spending bill. That measure is held up over issues like protections for the sage grouse, the Census and accounting maneuvers being employed by lawmakers to squeeze $12 billion more into the legislation.

McConnell initially proposed a sweeping five-year liability shield, retroactive to December 2019, to protect companies and organizations from COVID-19-related lawsuits. Democrats, along with their allies in labor and civil rights groups, roundly dismissed that approach as a danger to workers. And there hasn’t been a wave of lawsuits.

“Contrary to the majority leader’s dire predictions, there has been no flood of COVID lawsuits. In fact, quite the opposite,” said Schumer, D-N.Y. “Far from the pandemic of lawsuits, there’s barely been a trickle.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1601548046725.png" alt="Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met with House Speaker Nancy&nbsp; Pelosi again Tuesday." />
 <figcaption>Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met with House Speaker Nancy&nbsp; Pelosi again Tuesday.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration dived back into Capitol Hill’s confusing COVID-19 negotiations, offering a $916 billion package to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans but eliminate a $300-per-week employment benefit favored by a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators.Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made the offer to Pelosi late Tuesday afternoon, he said in a statement. He offered few details, though House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy said it proposes the $600 direct payment for individuals and $1,200 for couples, which is half&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/61b3d38360745d64a98a2ab813501b13">the payment delivered by the March pandemic relief bill</a>.Mnuchin reached out to Pelosi after a call with top congressional GOP leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who remains at odds with Democratic leaders over COVID-19 relief. Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., responded to Mnuchin’s entreaty with a statement that said they would prefer to let a bipartisan group take the lead.The bipartisan group, led by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, among others, is seeking to rally lawmakers in both parties behind a $908 billion framework that includes a $300-per-week pandemic jobless benefit and $160 billion for states and local governments. It is more generous than a GOP plan that’s been filibustered twice already but far smaller than a wish list assembled by House Democrats.McConnell had earlier proposed shelving a top Democratic priority — aid to state and local governments — in exchange for dropping his own pet provision, a shield against lawsuits for COVID-related negligence. Democrats angrily rejected the idea, saying McConnell was undermining the efforts of a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators and reneging on earlier statements that state and local aid would likely have to be an element of a COVID-19 relief agreement given Democratic control of the House.The $916 billion Mnuchin offer, the separate ongoing talks among key rank-and-file senators, and the shifting demands by the White House all add up to muddled, confusing prospects for a long-delayed COVID-19 aid package. The pressure to deliver is intense — all sides say failure isn’t an option.The Mnuchin plan resurrects direct payments that are popular with Trump and the public but that are disliked by many Republican lawmakers who say they are costly and send too much aid to people who do not need it. Democrats generally embrace the idea.“Right now we’re targeting struggling families, failing businesses, health care workers and we don’t have a stimulus check to every single person, regardless of need,” said Collins.McConnell said Congress will not adjourn without providing the long-overdue COVID-19 relief. He had previously said he would not put any pandemic relief bill on the floor that does not include the liability shield, which is being sought by businesses, universities, nonprofits, and others that are reopening during the pandemic.“Leaving here without a COVID relief package cannot happen,” McConnell said. “Why don’t we set aside the two obviously most contentious issues. We know we’re going to be confronted with another request after the first of the year. We’ll live to fight those another day.”Top Senate Democrat Schumer immediately rejected the entreaty, saying the state and local relief is sought by many Republicans, too, including some conservatives like Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Mitt Romney of Utah. Pelosi blasted McConnell’s offer as an attempt to undercut the bipartisan group whose framework she supports as a foundation for the negotiations.Pelosi initially demanded more than $900 billion for state and local governments this spring, but the fiscal situation in the states hasn’t been as bad as feared and Democratic leaders could be willing to accept a $160 billion proposal by the moderate group.Already, Capitol Hill leaders are moving a government shutdown deadline to the end of next week, but progress is slow and key decisions are yet to be made. The House has scheduled a vote on a one-week temporary government funding bill for Wednesday. Without the measure, the government would shut down this weekend.Separately, Pelosi and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., spoke by phone on Monday to try to kick start talks on a separate $1.4 trillion government-wide spending bill. That measure is held up over issues like protections for the sage grouse, the Census and accounting maneuvers being employed by lawmakers to squeeze $12 billion more into the legislation.McConnell initially proposed a sweeping five-year liability shield, retroactive to December 2019, to protect companies and organizations from COVID-19-related lawsuits. Democrats, along with their allies in labor and civil rights groups, roundly dismissed that approach as a danger to workers. And there hasn’t been a wave of lawsuits.“Contrary to the majority leader’s dire predictions, there has been no flood of COVID lawsuits. In fact, quite the opposite,” said Schumer, D-N.Y. “Far from the pandemic of lawsuits, there’s barely been a trickle.”

Latest virus relief plan offers direct payments, jobless benefit

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Fire officials say an explosion that leveled a home in Omaha, Nebraska, has left one person dead and two others critically injured. 

Omaha Fire Department Battalion Chief Scott Fitzpatrick says firefighters who responded to the explosion shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday found one person dead. 

Fitzpatrick says two other people were rushed to a hospital.

 The explosion also caused significant damage to homes on either side of the house. 

The blast in south-central Omaha rained splintered lumber and other debris throughout the neighborhood, and witnesses say it was felt and heard miles away. 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Fire officials say an explosion that leveled a home in Omaha, Nebraska, has left one person dead and two others critically injured. Omaha Fire Department Battalion Chief Scott Fitzpatrick says firefighters who responded to the explosion shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday found one person dead. Fitzpatrick says two other people were rushed to a hospital. The explosion also caused significant damage to homes on either side of the house. The blast in south-central Omaha rained splintered lumber and other debris throughout the neighborhood, and witnesses say it was felt and heard miles away. The cause wasn't immediately released.

1 killed, 2 critically injured in Omaha house explosion

KANSAS CITY(AP) — Tina Morton recently faced a choice: Pay bills — or buy a birthday gift for a child? Derrisa Green is falling further behind on rent. Sylvia Soliz has had her electricity cut off.

Unemployment has forced aching decisions on millions of Americans and their families in the face of a rampaging viral pandemic that has closed shops and restaurants, paralyzed travel and left millions jobless for months. Now, their predicaments stand to grow bleaker yet if Congress fails to extend two unemployment programs that are set to expire the day after Christmas.

If no agreement is reached in negotiations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/momentum-growing-covid-19-relief-392eb300276f9df7303c64cc4e45cf0e">taking place on Capitol Hill,</a>&nbsp;more than 9 million people will lose federal jobless aid that averages about $320 a week and that typically serves as their only source of income.

Green, 39, and her husband are among them. An end to their unemployment benefits would force them to keep missing rent payments on their home in Dyer, Indiana, near Chicago. The couple have eight children. Green's husband is a self-employed truck driver whose business disappeared when the pandemic erupted in the spring. Only in October did he start to pick up occasional work.

He now receives about $235 a week in unemployment aid. Even so, “all of our bills are late,” Green said. They’ve received several shutoff notices from utilities before managing to pay just before service was to be cut off.

“That’s really scary," Green said, "because what are we going to do when we lose the unemployment money?”

The end of jobless aid is approaching at an especially perilous time. Job growth&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-health-coronavirus-pandemic-economy-17b58d8673d61754b5a85da3e53d5a07">slowed sharply in November,&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-coronavirus-pandemic-nevada-2308b917aa4466845c1ad123fa34561f">the resurgence of viral cases&nbsp;</a>appears to be out of control across the country.

Even with the prospect of an effective vaccine being widely distributed in coming months, economists say the picture will worsen before it improves. Many foresee a net loss of jobs in December for the first time since April.

On Friday, President-elect Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-travel-health-coronavirus-pandemic-holiday-travel-51cac6ad45b2f7093984c7eae7c43529">called on Congress</a>&nbsp;to quickly approve&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-coronavirus-pandemic-local-governments-bills-mitch-mcconnell-197485a0ec4c80a18409c2cef99dd998">a bipartisan $908 billion package</a>&nbsp;that would establish a $300-a-week jobless benefit as well as send aid to states and localities, help schools and universities, revive subsidies for businesses and support transit systems and airlines. Details are still being worked out, but the outlines of a final bill could emerge soon.

More than 20 million people are now receiving unemployment benefits. More than half are beneficiaries of two programs that were part of rescue aid legislation Congress enacted in March. One program made self-employed and contract workers eligible for jobless aid for the first time and provided 39 weeks of support. The other program supplied 13 weeks of extended benefits to the 26 weeks that most states provide.

About 9.1 million who are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-jobless-claims-unemployment-coronavirus-pandemic-united-states-a9abee07cc3eb7246e7e3c8603430a49">receiving aid from those programs</a>&nbsp;will be cut off Dec. 26, according to a report from the Century Foundation. An additional 4.4 million are expected to exhaust all 39 weeks by year's end. If Congress agrees to provide more weeks of aid and to revive both programs, those beneficiaries could keep receiving aid next year.

That would be a life-saver for Sylvia Soliz who lives in Corpus Christi, Texas. Soliz, 36, who still owes part of her rent for November and December, has received an eviction notice. She's also just had her electricity cut off.

Back in March, Soliz was laid off from her job as a nurse's assistant at a senior living facility. She's now receiving $414 in jobless aid every two weeks. With four children, it doesn't go very far.

“The day I get it, it’s already gone because my kids need so many things,” Soliz said. “Of course, I have to pay a portion to whatever bill I have, so that way I can stretch it out. But every time another check comes in, it’s another bill.”

Soliz is applying for a new job, and she checks in with her old employer. So far, no luck. She also worries about contracting COVID-19. Soliz is hopeful that Congress will agree to provide more aid, but she feels “they are basically gambling with us."

A cutoff of jobless benefits now, with so many millions of Americans still receiving the aid, would be unusually early compared with previous recessions. In the aftermath of the Great Recession of 2008-2009, the government extended unemployment benefits to 99 weeks, and the additional aid lasted through 2013. When that program ended, about 1.3 million people lost benefits — a small fraction of the number who would lose jobless aid this time.

Other government protections will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-education-student-loans-e287c7fe6d44de94e08981899d973a91">also expire at the end of this year</a>, including a federal moratorium on evictions for renters. A suspension of payments on federal student loans will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/financial-markets-coronavirus-pandemic-student-loans-fdba50ad8d575b627284563a62aa6a5e">expire at the end of January.</a>

“I am very afraid of people facing homelessness — that’s our top concern," said Andrew Stettner, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation. “It’s a terrible unforced policy error to make. It will slow the recovery that we’re having by cutting off these benefits so early.”

About one in six renters in the United States are behind on their rent, according to a survey from the Census Bureau. And 12% of adults say their families didn't have enough to eat at some point in the past week, the survey found. That's up from just 3.7% in 2019, according to the left-leaning&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/tracking-the-covid-19-recessions-effects-on-food-housing-and">Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.</a>

A wrenching set of choices has confronted Keli Paaske, who lives in the Kansas City area. Since being furloughed in the spring from her sales job at a company that makes fire doors, Paaske, 56, has cut back her grocery budget. She thought she'd be called back once the virus waned. But when her boss phoned in August, it was with a different message: Her job had been eliminated.

Paaske had hesitated to spend $360 needed to euthanize her 15-year old dog, who had a brain tumor, before going through with it. Without unemployment aid, Paaske isn't sure how she would manage. She may seek financial help from her parents, who are in their 80s, something she has resisted doing. If she doesn't find a job by March, she said, she'll stop leasing her car.

Across the country, a cutoff of jobless aid would disproportionately affect Black Americans, according to data from the Century Foundation. About 18% of unemployment aid recipients are Black, the Foundation said, though Black Americans make up just 12% of the workforce. More than 57% of recipients are white. Nearly 13% are Latino. (There is no demographic data on about one-fifth of recipients.)

Tina Morton used to clean houses near where she lives in Winchester, Kentucky. But there’s been little work since the pandemic struck. Like many other single mothers, she has struggled with the need to find another job while simultaneously caring for children — a son and two nephews she has custody of — who are attending school online at home.

“Single parents cannot go out here and ... just find any job," said Morton, 39. “We’ve got our kids here that are stuck at home.”

Last week, Morton had to choose between paying a phone bill and buying one of her nephews a birthday present. (She got him a present). If her jobless aid ends, she expects to face painful decisions.

She's particularly worried about her two nephews.

“That’s what hurts me the most,” she said. “My job is to give them more — give them better than where they came from.”

KANSAS CITY(AP) — Tina Morton recently faced a choice: Pay bills — or buy a birthday gift for a child? Derrisa Green is falling further behind on rent. Sylvia Soliz has had her electricity cut off.Unemployment has forced aching decisions on millions of Americans and their families in the face of a rampaging viral pandemic that has closed shops and restaurants, paralyzed travel and left millions jobless for months. Now, their predicaments stand to grow bleaker yet if Congress fails to extend two unemployment programs that are set to expire the day after Christmas.If no agreement is reached in negotiations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/momentum-growing-covid-19-relief-392eb300276f9df7303c64cc4e45cf0e">taking place on Capitol Hill,</a>&nbsp;more than 9 million people will lose federal jobless aid that averages about $320 a week and that typically serves as their only source of income.Green, 39, and her husband are among them. An end to their unemployment benefits would force them to keep missing rent payments on their home in Dyer, Indiana, near Chicago. The couple have eight children. Green's husband is a self-employed truck driver whose business disappeared when the pandemic erupted in the spring. Only in October did he start to pick up occasional work.He now receives about $235 a week in unemployment aid. Even so, “all of our bills are late,” Green said. They’ve received several shutoff notices from utilities before managing to pay just before service was to be cut off.“That’s really scary," Green said, "because what are we going to do when we lose the unemployment money?”The end of jobless aid is approaching at an especially perilous time. Job growth&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-health-coronavirus-pandemic-economy-17b58d8673d61754b5a85da3e53d5a07">slowed sharply in November,&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-coronavirus-pandemic-nevada-2308b917aa4466845c1ad123fa34561f">the resurgence of viral cases&nbsp;</a>appears to be out of control across the country.Even with the prospect of an effective vaccine being widely distributed in coming months, economists say the picture will worsen before it improves. Many foresee a net loss of jobs in December for the first time since April.On Friday, President-elect Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-travel-health-coronavirus-pandemic-holiday-travel-51cac6ad45b2f7093984c7eae7c43529">called on Congress</a>&nbsp;to quickly approve&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-coronavirus-pandemic-local-governments-bills-mitch-mcconnell-197485a0ec4c80a18409c2cef99dd998">a bipartisan $908 billion package</a>&nbsp;that would establish a $300-a-week jobless benefit as well as send aid to states and localities, help schools and universities, revive subsidies for businesses and support transit systems and airlines. Details are still being worked out, but the outlines of a final bill could emerge soon.More than 20 million people are now receiving unemployment benefits. More than half are beneficiaries of two programs that were part of rescue aid legislation Congress enacted in March. One program made self-employed and contract workers eligible for jobless aid for the first time and provided 39 weeks of support. The other program supplied 13 weeks of extended benefits to the 26 weeks that most states provide.About 9.1 million who are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-jobless-claims-unemployment-coronavirus-pandemic-united-states-a9abee07cc3eb7246e7e3c8603430a49">receiving aid from those programs</a>&nbsp;will be cut off Dec. 26, according to a report from the Century Foundation. An additional 4.4 million are expected to exhaust all 39 weeks by year's end. If Congress agrees to provide more weeks of aid and to revive both programs, those beneficiaries could keep receiving aid next year.That would be a life-saver for Sylvia Soliz who lives in Corpus Christi, Texas. Soliz, 36, who still owes part of her rent for November and December, has received an eviction notice. She's also just had her electricity cut off.Back in March, Soliz was laid off from her job as a nurse's assistant at a senior living facility. She's now receiving $414 in jobless aid every two weeks. With four children, it doesn't go very far.“The day I get it, it’s already gone because my kids need so many things,” Soliz said. “Of course, I have to pay a portion to whatever bill I have, so that way I can stretch it out. But every time another check comes in, it’s another bill.”Soliz is applying for a new job, and she checks in with her old employer. So far, no luck. She also worries about contracting COVID-19. Soliz is hopeful that Congress will agree to provide more aid, but she feels “they are basically gambling with us."A cutoff of jobless benefits now, with so many millions of Americans still receiving the aid, would be unusually early compared with previous recessions. In the aftermath of the Great Recession of 2008-2009, the government extended unemployment benefits to 99 weeks, and the additional aid lasted through 2013. When that program ended, about 1.3 million people lost benefits — a small fraction of the number who would lose jobless aid this time.Other government protections will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-education-student-loans-e287c7fe6d44de94e08981899d973a91">also expire at the end of this year</a>, including a federal moratorium on evictions for renters. A suspension of payments on federal student loans will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/financial-markets-coronavirus-pandemic-student-loans-fdba50ad8d575b627284563a62aa6a5e">expire at the end of January.</a>“I am very afraid of people facing homelessness — that’s our top concern," said Andrew Stettner, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation. “It’s a terrible unforced policy error to make. It will slow the recovery that we’re having by cutting off these benefits so early.”About one in six renters in the United States are behind on their rent, according to a survey from the Census Bureau. And 12% of adults say their families didn't have enough to eat at some point in the past week, the survey found. That's up from just 3.7% in 2019, according to the left-leaning&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/tracking-the-covid-19-recessions-effects-on-food-housing-and">Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.</a>A wrenching set of choices has confronted Keli Paaske, who lives in the Kansas City area. Since being furloughed in the spring from her sales job at a company that makes fire doors, Paaske, 56, has cut back her grocery budget. She thought she'd be called back once the virus waned. But when her boss phoned in August, it was with a different message: Her job had been eliminated.Paaske had hesitated to spend $360 needed to euthanize her 15-year old dog, who had a brain tumor, before going through with it. Without unemployment aid, Paaske isn't sure how she would manage. She may seek financial help from her parents, who are in their 80s, something she has resisted doing. If she doesn't find a job by March, she said, she'll stop leasing her car.Across the country, a cutoff of jobless aid would disproportionately affect Black Americans, according to data from the Century Foundation. About 18% of unemployment aid recipients are Black, the Foundation said, though Black Americans make up just 12% of the workforce. More than 57% of recipients are white. Nearly 13% are Latino. (There is no demographic data on about one-fifth of recipients.)Tina Morton used to clean houses near where she lives in Winchester, Kentucky. But there’s been little work since the pandemic struck. Like many other single mothers, she has struggled with the need to find another job while simultaneously caring for children — a son and two nephews she has custody of — who are attending school online at home.“Single parents cannot go out here and ... just find any job," said Morton, 39. “We’ve got our kids here that are stuck at home.”Last week, Morton had to choose between paying a phone bill and buying one of her nephews a birthday present. (She got him a present). If her jobless aid ends, she expects to face painful decisions.She's particularly worried about her two nephews.“That’s what hurts me the most,” she said. “My job is to give them more — give them better than where they came from.”

A bleak outlook for millions facing cutoff of US jobless aid

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Fire officials say an explosion has leveled a home in a south-central Omaha neighborhood, damaging nearby homes and leading to at least one person being injured. 

The explosion happened just after 8 a.m. Tuesday near 51st and M streets.

 Local television news stations showed footage of splintered lumber and other debris strewn around the blast site, as well as firefighters using firehoses to douse the resulting flames. 

Witnesses said the blast was heard blocks away. 

The Omaha World-Herald says first responders have reported at least one casualty at the scene, but no other information on injuries was immediately available.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Fire officials say an explosion has leveled a home in a south-central Omaha neighborhood, damaging nearby homes and leading to at least one person being injured. The explosion happened just after 8 a.m. Tuesday near 51st and M streets. Local television news stations showed footage of splintered lumber and other debris strewn around the blast site, as well as firefighters using firehoses to douse the resulting flames. Witnesses said the blast was heard blocks away. The Omaha World-Herald says first responders have reported at least one casualty at the scene, but no other information on injuries was immediately available.

Explosion levels house in south-central Omaha

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Trump administration said Monday that it fully restored the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that shields hundreds of thousands of young people from deportation, complying with a federal judge’s order.

The Department of Homeland Security posted on its website that it is accepting new applications, petitions for two-year renewals and requests for permission to temporarily leave the U.S.

The department said it “may seek relief from the order,” signaling that its concession to the court order may be short-lived if its legal efforts succeed.

The announcement is still a major victory for young people who have been unable to apply since Trump ended DACA in September 2017. His administration has long argued that DACA is unconstitutional.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that Trump violated federal law in how he ended the program, Chad Wolf, the acting Homeland Security secretary, said the administration would study its options and, until then, wouldn’t accept new applications and would grant renewals for one year instead two. DACA shields about 650,000 people from deportation and makes them eligible for work permits.

Monday’s announcement came hours before a deadline set by District Judge Nicholas Garaufis in the Eastern District of New York for the administration to post public notice that it would accept applications under terms before Trump ended DACA in 2017. The judge ruled Friday that Wolf was unlawfully serving in his position.

DACA was started in 2012 during the Obama administration. It allows certain immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children to work and be exempt from deportation, though it does not confer legal status on recipients.

President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to reinstate DACA when he takes office in January but permanent legal status and a path to citizenship would require congressional approval.

DACA recipients and their supporters greeted the news with a mix of elation and awareness that their futures are precarious, even with Biden’s support.

Maria Garcia, 18, an aerospace engineering student at Arizona State University, said she will apply for the program as soon as she can. She and her parents and two brothers arrived in Phoenix in 2006 Mexico. Her older brother, now 23, is already a DACA recipient and has a job. Her younger brother, now 16, is in high school and plans to eventually seek DACA protection as well.

Garcia said the court’s decision last week “was wonderful news.”

“There are a lot of other students who are undocumented who don’t qualify for DACA. They have to find a permanent solution,” she said.

Michelle Celleri, an attorney at advocacy group Alliance San Diego, was preparing an application for a client who was putting the final touches on her petition when Trump canceled DACA in 2017.

“Her feeling is, ‘I’ll do anything. I’m sick of being in the dark and I want to move forward,’” Celleri said.

Celleiri said she is advising clients to submit applications before Dec. 22, when there is a key hearing in Texas in a lawsuit by several states challenging DACA’s legality.

“There’s just way too much happening right now,” she said. “I don’t want people caught in the crossfire.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592490581956.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Trump administration said Monday that it fully restored the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that shields hundreds of thousands of young people from deportation, complying with a federal judge’s order.The Department of Homeland Security posted on its website that it is accepting new applications, petitions for two-year renewals and requests for permission to temporarily leave the U.S.The department said it “may seek relief from the order,” signaling that its concession to the court order may be short-lived if its legal efforts succeed.The announcement is still a major victory for young people who have been unable to apply since Trump ended DACA in September 2017. His administration has long argued that DACA is unconstitutional.After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that Trump violated federal law in how he ended the program, Chad Wolf, the acting Homeland Security secretary, said the administration would study its options and, until then, wouldn’t accept new applications and would grant renewals for one year instead two. DACA shields about 650,000 people from deportation and makes them eligible for work permits.Monday’s announcement came hours before a deadline set by District Judge Nicholas Garaufis in the Eastern District of New York for the administration to post public notice that it would accept applications under terms before Trump ended DACA in 2017. The judge ruled Friday that Wolf was unlawfully serving in his position.DACA was started in 2012 during the Obama administration. It allows certain immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children to work and be exempt from deportation, though it does not confer legal status on recipients.President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to reinstate DACA when he takes office in January but permanent legal status and a path to citizenship would require congressional approval.DACA recipients and their supporters greeted the news with a mix of elation and awareness that their futures are precarious, even with Biden’s support.Maria Garcia, 18, an aerospace engineering student at Arizona State University, said she will apply for the program as soon as she can. She and her parents and two brothers arrived in Phoenix in 2006 Mexico. Her older brother, now 23, is already a DACA recipient and has a job. Her younger brother, now 16, is in high school and plans to eventually seek DACA protection as well.Garcia said the court’s decision last week “was wonderful news.”“There are a lot of other students who are undocumented who don’t qualify for DACA. They have to find a permanent solution,” she said.Michelle Celleri, an attorney at advocacy group Alliance San Diego, was preparing an application for a client who was putting the final touches on her petition when Trump canceled DACA in 2017.“Her feeling is, ‘I’ll do anything. I’m sick of being in the dark and I want to move forward,’” Celleri said.Celleiri said she is advising clients to submit applications before Dec. 22, when there is a key hearing in Texas in a lawsuit by several states challenging DACA’s legality.“There’s just way too much happening right now,” she said. “I don’t want people caught in the crossfire.”

US fully restores protections for young immigrants

World War II flying ace Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, has died at 97. His wife, Victoria Yeager, said on his Twitter account that Yeager died Monday. 

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine called the death “a tremendous loss to our nation.” 

The retired Air Force brigadier general became the fastest human in 1947 when he piloted the experimental X-1 rocket plane past 660 mph. It was the first time anyone had flown faster than the speed of sound. 

Yeager became a fighter pilot in World War II and shot down 13 German planes. He was shot down over German-held France but escaped with the help of French partisans.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607439470645.png" alt="Yeager / U.S. Air Force" />
 <figcaption>Yeager / U.S. Air Force</figcaption>
 </figure>Associated PressWorld War II flying ace Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, has died at 97. His wife, Victoria Yeager, said on his Twitter account that Yeager died Monday. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine called the death “a tremendous loss to our nation.” The retired Air Force brigadier general became the fastest human in 1947 when he piloted the experimental X-1 rocket plane past 660 mph. It was the first time anyone had flown faster than the speed of sound. Yeager became a fighter pilot in World War II and shot down 13 German planes. He was shot down over German-held France but escaped with the help of French partisans.

Chuck Yeager, first to break sound barrier, dies at 97

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration will hold a White House summit Tuesday as Pfizer’s vaccine is expected to be endorsed by a panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers as soon as this week, with delivery of 100 million doses — enough for 50 million Americans — expected in coming months.

The Pfizer vaccine is one of two on track for emergency FDA authorization this month, the other coming from drugmaker Moderna.

Seeking to tamp down public skepticism over the vaccine and secure a key component of Trump’s legacy, Tuesday’s summit will highlight the administration’s plans to distribute and administer the vaccine. But officials from President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team, which will oversee the bulk of the largest vaccination program in the nation’s history once he takes office Jan. 20, were not invited.

The “Operation Warp Speed” summit will feature Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and a host of government experts, state leaders and business executives, as the White House looks to explain that the vaccine is safe and lay out the administration’s plans to bring it to the American people.

Senior administration officials provided details on the summit on Monday. An official with the Biden transition confirmed no invitation was extended.

Officials from the pharmaceutical companies developing the vaccines also were not expected to attend, despite receiving invitations, according to people familiar with the matter. Some expressed concerns about the event contributing to the politicization of the vaccine development process and potentially further inhibiting public confidence in the drugs.

Trump is set to kick off the event with remarks aiming to “celebrate” vaccine development, according to an official who previewed the event. Trump also will sign an executive order to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-hunger-coronavirus-pandemic-4c7f1705c6d8ef5bac241e6cc8e331bb">prioritize Americans for coronavirus vaccines procured by the federal government</a>. A second official said the order would restrict the U.S. government from donating doses to other nations until there is excess supply to meet domestic demand. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans for the summit.

It was not immediately clear what, if any, impact the order would have on other nations’ abilities to access the vaccines. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday he expects his country to receive about 250,000 doses of a vaccine from Pfizer by the end of the year.

The Food and Drug Administration’s panel of outside vaccine experts is to meet Thursday to conduct a final review of the Pfizer drug, and it will meet later this month on a vaccine developed by Moderna. The FDA is not required to follow the panel’s advice, though it usually does. Agency decisions on the two drugs are expected within days of each meeting. Both have been determined to be 95% effective against the virus that causes COVID-19. Plans call for distributing and then administering about 40 million doses of the two companies’ vaccines by the end of the year — with the first doses shipping within hours of FDA clearance.

Biden said Friday that “there’s no detailed plan that we’ve seen” for how to get the vaccines out of containers, into syringes and then into people’s arms.

Trump administration officials insist that such plans have been developed, with the bulk of the work falling to states and municipal governments to ensure their most vulnerable populations are vaccinated first. The administration says it has leveraged partnerships with manufacturers, distributers and health care providers, so that outside of settings like veterans’ hospitals, “it is highly unlikely that a single federal employee will touch a dose of vaccine before it goes into your arm.”

In all, about 50,000 vaccination sites are enrolled in the government’s distribution system, the officials said.

Each of the forthcoming vaccines has unique logistical challenges related to distribution and administration. The Pfizer vaccine must be transported at super-cooled temperatures, and comes in batches of 975 doses. Each vial contains 5 doses, requiring careful plannning. The administration has prepared detailed videos for providers on how to safely prepare and administer doses, to be posted after the FDA issues its emergency use authorization.

One such plan is to be announced Tuesday: Pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens have stood up a “mobile vaccination service” ready to vaccinate people in every nursing home and long-term care facility in the country. The roughly 3 million residents of those facilities are among the most vulnerable for COVID-19 and have been placed at the front of the line to access the vaccine, along with more than 20 million healthcare workers. So far 80-85% of the facilities have signed on to the service, the officials said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600861747887.png" alt="Photo courtesy Johnson &amp; Johnson" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Johnson &amp; Johnson</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration will hold a White House summit Tuesday as Pfizer’s vaccine is expected to be endorsed by a panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers as soon as this week, with delivery of 100 million doses — enough for 50 million Americans — expected in coming months.The Pfizer vaccine is one of two on track for emergency FDA authorization this month, the other coming from drugmaker Moderna.Seeking to tamp down public skepticism over the vaccine and secure a key component of Trump’s legacy, Tuesday’s summit will highlight the administration’s plans to distribute and administer the vaccine. But officials from President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team, which will oversee the bulk of the largest vaccination program in the nation’s history once he takes office Jan. 20, were not invited.The “Operation Warp Speed” summit will feature Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and a host of government experts, state leaders and business executives, as the White House looks to explain that the vaccine is safe and lay out the administration’s plans to bring it to the American people.Senior administration officials provided details on the summit on Monday. An official with the Biden transition confirmed no invitation was extended.Officials from the pharmaceutical companies developing the vaccines also were not expected to attend, despite receiving invitations, according to people familiar with the matter. Some expressed concerns about the event contributing to the politicization of the vaccine development process and potentially further inhibiting public confidence in the drugs.Trump is set to kick off the event with remarks aiming to “celebrate” vaccine development, according to an official who previewed the event. Trump also will sign an executive order to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-hunger-coronavirus-pandemic-4c7f1705c6d8ef5bac241e6cc8e331bb">prioritize Americans for coronavirus vaccines procured by the federal government</a>. A second official said the order would restrict the U.S. government from donating doses to other nations until there is excess supply to meet domestic demand. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans for the summit.It was not immediately clear what, if any, impact the order would have on other nations’ abilities to access the vaccines. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday he expects his country to receive about 250,000 doses of a vaccine from Pfizer by the end of the year.The Food and Drug Administration’s panel of outside vaccine experts is to meet Thursday to conduct a final review of the Pfizer drug, and it will meet later this month on a vaccine developed by Moderna. The FDA is not required to follow the panel’s advice, though it usually does. Agency decisions on the two drugs are expected within days of each meeting. Both have been determined to be 95% effective against the virus that causes COVID-19. Plans call for distributing and then administering about 40 million doses of the two companies’ vaccines by the end of the year — with the first doses shipping within hours of FDA clearance.Biden said Friday that “there’s no detailed plan that we’ve seen” for how to get the vaccines out of containers, into syringes and then into people’s arms.Trump administration officials insist that such plans have been developed, with the bulk of the work falling to states and municipal governments to ensure their most vulnerable populations are vaccinated first. The administration says it has leveraged partnerships with manufacturers, distributers and health care providers, so that outside of settings like veterans’ hospitals, “it is highly unlikely that a single federal employee will touch a dose of vaccine before it goes into your arm.”In all, about 50,000 vaccination sites are enrolled in the government’s distribution system, the officials said.Each of the forthcoming vaccines has unique logistical challenges related to distribution and administration. The Pfizer vaccine must be transported at super-cooled temperatures, and comes in batches of 975 doses. Each vial contains 5 doses, requiring careful plannning. The administration has prepared detailed videos for providers on how to safely prepare and administer doses, to be posted after the FDA issues its emergency use authorization.One such plan is to be announced Tuesday: Pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens have stood up a “mobile vaccination service” ready to vaccinate people in every nursing home and long-term care facility in the country. The roughly 3 million residents of those facilities are among the most vulnerable for COVID-19 and have been placed at the front of the line to access the vaccine, along with more than 20 million healthcare workers. So far 80-85% of the facilities have signed on to the service, the officials said.___

White House Summit aims to boost faith in virus vaccine

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers are giving themselves more time to sort through their end-of-session business on government spending and COVID-19 relief, preparing a one-week stopgap spending bill that would prevent a shutdown this weekend.

House floor leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said on Twitter that the temporary government funding bill is slated for a vote on Wednesday, when it is sure to easily pass. The development comes as Capitol Hill is struggling to figure out how to deliver long-delayed pandemic relief, including additional help for businesses hard hit by the pandemic, further unemployment benefits, funding to distribute COVID-19 vaccines and funding demanded by Democrats for state and local governments.

Disagreements flared Monday over one key provision — a proposed liability shield from COVID-19-related lawsuits for businesses, schools and organizations that reopen.

Hoyer had previously told lawmakers that this week would probably be the last of the session, but talks are going more slowly than hoped on a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill under assembly by senior members of the powerful Appropriations committees. The stopgap measure would prevent a government shutdown through Dec. 18.

“I am disappointed that we have not yet reached agreement on government funding,” Hoyer said.

Three main items of legislation are at issue in the end-of-session agenda: a defense policy bill that President Donald Trump is threatening to veto; the $1.4 trillion government-wide spending bill; and perhaps $900 billion in long-sought COVID-19 relief.

There are two sets of talks on COVID-19 relief — on the leadership level and by a group of Senate moderates — occurring at the same time, and it’s unclear how the negotiators might sort themselves out, lending an air of confusion to the process.

The bipartisan Senate group was set to meet again Monday evening. But a long weekend of talks pushed senators apart on one difficult negotiation, the proposed liability protection that has been a priority of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

“We have seen some hopeful signs of engagement from our Democratic colleagues, but we have no reason to think the underlying disagreements about policy are going to evaporate overnight,” McConnell said Monday.

Republicans initially proposed a sweeping five-year liability shield, retroactive to December 2019, to protect companies and organizations from COVID-19-related lawsuits. Democrats, along with their allies in labor and civil rights groups, roundly dismissed that approach as a danger to workers.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said she wants to make sure “we’re not sacrificing the rights of people who have been made sick or killed by their employers with a pro-corporate liability release.”

Lawmakers heard from a coalition of 142 labor and civil rights groups urging them to resist granting companies liability for COVID claims.

“Any type of immunity would directly harm Black, Latino, and other workers of color who are overrepresented in ‘essential’ and in-person, reopened jobs,” the coalition wrote in a letter to Congress.

Negotiators suggested a scaled-back liability shield, but a six-month proposal was panned by Republicans and there is no agreement yet from Democrats. The powerful AFL-CIO said Monday it opposes even a short-term liability provision.

It’s clear that McConnell’s Republican majority is demanding the liability protection in exchange for the Democrats’ push for additional money for states and cities battling the COVID-19 crisis.

“The leader had made clear that state and local money is tied to liability protection, so there’s either going to be none for both of those or both of those are going to be provided for,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters. “My hope is we’ll do both.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-global-trade-media-5685903ea82ed6c8691376b27e2d7ce4">White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow</a>&nbsp;said Monday that Trump is comfortable with a deal along the lines of one being put together by the group of Senate moderates and pragmatists. That $900 billion plan does not include direct payments sought by Trump before the election.

Without another round of fresh aid, after the $1,200 checks sent to Americans in spring, lawmakers on the left and right said they would have trouble backing the package.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said last week he would need to direct payments for his support, and GOP Sen. Josh Hawley said Monday that he encouraged Trump to reject any package without them.

“I urged him to veto,” Hawley said he told the president during a recent phone call.

If an agreement isn’t possible on the omnibus bill, lawmakers might have no option but to pass another continuing resolution that would keep the government running on autopilot and permit them to punt the unfinished spending bills into next year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607426585699.png" alt="The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers are giving themselves more time to sort through their end-of-session business on government spending and COVID-19 relief, preparing a one-week stopgap spending bill that would prevent a shutdown this weekend.House floor leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said on Twitter that the temporary government funding bill is slated for a vote on Wednesday, when it is sure to easily pass. The development comes as Capitol Hill is struggling to figure out how to deliver long-delayed pandemic relief, including additional help for businesses hard hit by the pandemic, further unemployment benefits, funding to distribute COVID-19 vaccines and funding demanded by Democrats for state and local governments.Disagreements flared Monday over one key provision — a proposed liability shield from COVID-19-related lawsuits for businesses, schools and organizations that reopen.Hoyer had previously told lawmakers that this week would probably be the last of the session, but talks are going more slowly than hoped on a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill under assembly by senior members of the powerful Appropriations committees. The stopgap measure would prevent a government shutdown through Dec. 18.“I am disappointed that we have not yet reached agreement on government funding,” Hoyer said.Three main items of legislation are at issue in the end-of-session agenda: a defense policy bill that President Donald Trump is threatening to veto; the $1.4 trillion government-wide spending bill; and perhaps $900 billion in long-sought COVID-19 relief.There are two sets of talks on COVID-19 relief — on the leadership level and by a group of Senate moderates — occurring at the same time, and it’s unclear how the negotiators might sort themselves out, lending an air of confusion to the process.The bipartisan Senate group was set to meet again Monday evening. But a long weekend of talks pushed senators apart on one difficult negotiation, the proposed liability protection that has been a priority of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.“We have seen some hopeful signs of engagement from our Democratic colleagues, but we have no reason to think the underlying disagreements about policy are going to evaporate overnight,” McConnell said Monday.Republicans initially proposed a sweeping five-year liability shield, retroactive to December 2019, to protect companies and organizations from COVID-19-related lawsuits. Democrats, along with their allies in labor and civil rights groups, roundly dismissed that approach as a danger to workers.Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said she wants to make sure “we’re not sacrificing the rights of people who have been made sick or killed by their employers with a pro-corporate liability release.”Lawmakers heard from a coalition of 142 labor and civil rights groups urging them to resist granting companies liability for COVID claims.“Any type of immunity would directly harm Black, Latino, and other workers of color who are overrepresented in ‘essential’ and in-person, reopened jobs,” the coalition wrote in a letter to Congress.Negotiators suggested a scaled-back liability shield, but a six-month proposal was panned by Republicans and there is no agreement yet from Democrats. The powerful AFL-CIO said Monday it opposes even a short-term liability provision.It’s clear that McConnell’s Republican majority is demanding the liability protection in exchange for the Democrats’ push for additional money for states and cities battling the COVID-19 crisis.“The leader had made clear that state and local money is tied to liability protection, so there’s either going to be none for both of those or both of those are going to be provided for,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters. “My hope is we’ll do both.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-global-trade-media-5685903ea82ed6c8691376b27e2d7ce4">White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow</a>&nbsp;said Monday that Trump is comfortable with a deal along the lines of one being put together by the group of Senate moderates and pragmatists. That $900 billion plan does not include direct payments sought by Trump before the election.Without another round of fresh aid, after the $1,200 checks sent to Americans in spring, lawmakers on the left and right said they would have trouble backing the package.Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said last week he would need to direct payments for his support, and GOP Sen. Josh Hawley said Monday that he encouraged Trump to reject any package without them.“I urged him to veto,” Hawley said he told the president during a recent phone call.If an agreement isn’t possible on the omnibus bill, lawmakers might have no option but to pass another continuing resolution that would keep the government running on autopilot and permit them to punt the unfinished spending bills into next year.__

Virus relief talks drag; lawmakers fight over 1 key issue

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court declined Monday to take up an appeal from parents&nbsp; who want to prevent transgender students from using locker rooms and bathrooms of the gender with which they identify, rather than their sex assigned at birth.

The case came from a school district near Salem, Oregon’s capital city. The federal appeals court in San Francisco had upheld a Dallas, Oregon, school district policy that allows transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/af3b12ab5f654d0db98893c948ba9c91">Parents sued</a>&nbsp;over the policy in 2017, saying it caused embarrassment and stress.

A lower court refused to block the policy and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that ruling, writing that the school district did not violate students’ constitutional rights or a law that protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs.

Similar lawsuits have been dismissed by courts in other parts of the country.

About 15,000 people live in Dallas, a town in an agricultural area 15 miles&nbsp; west of Salem.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court declined Monday to take up an appeal from parents&nbsp; who want to prevent transgender students from using locker rooms and bathrooms of the gender with which they identify, rather than their sex assigned at birth.The case came from a school district near Salem, Oregon’s capital city. The federal appeals court in San Francisco had upheld a Dallas, Oregon, school district policy that allows transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/af3b12ab5f654d0db98893c948ba9c91">Parents sued</a>&nbsp;over the policy in 2017, saying it caused embarrassment and stress.A lower court refused to block the policy and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that ruling, writing that the school district did not violate students’ constitutional rights or a law that protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs.Similar lawsuits have been dismissed by courts in other parts of the country.About 15,000 people live in Dallas, a town in an agricultural area 15 miles&nbsp; west of Salem.

Court declines case against bathroom access for transgender students

PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — A 36-year-old Plattsmouth has been sentenced in a fatal crash that prosecutors say was caused by road rage. 

Michael Burch pleaded no contest in July to motor vehicle homicide and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. 

He was sentenced Monday to three years on each charge and his driver's license was suspended for 15 years. 

Deputy Sarpy County Attorney Michael Mills said road rage caused Burch to ram a motorcycle driven by 47-year-old Jody Emmert in August 2019, causing Emmert's death. 

Prosecutors say Emmert applied his brakes as Burch was following  him too closely, angering Burch, who hit the motorcycle on Highway 75 in Sarpy County.

PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — A 36-year-old Plattsmouth has been sentenced in a fatal crash that prosecutors say was caused by road rage. Michael Burch pleaded no contest in July to motor vehicle homicide and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. He was sentenced Monday to three years on each charge and his driver's license was suspended for 15 years. Deputy Sarpy County Attorney Michael Mills said road rage caused Burch to ram a motorcycle driven by 47-year-old Jody Emmert in August 2019, causing Emmert's death. Prosecutors say Emmert applied his brakes as Burch was following him too closely, angering Burch, who hit the motorcycle on Highway 75 in Sarpy County.

Plattsmouth man sentenced in road rage crash that killed 1

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Seven more people who work for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services have tested positive for COVID-19.

 The department announced the latest cases Sunday and said 366 staff members have now been infected with the coronavirus. Of that total, 257 people have recovered from their illnesses. 

The department said two of the new cases were reported at the Community Corrections Center-Lincoln, two were at the department’s central office, one case each was reported at the Omaha Correctional Center, the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women in York and the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Seven more people who work for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services have tested positive for COVID-19. The department announced the latest cases Sunday and said 366 staff members have now been infected with the coronavirus. Of that total, 257 people have recovered from their illnesses. The department said two of the new cases were reported at the Community Corrections Center-Lincoln, two were at the department’s central office, one case each was reported at the Omaha Correctional Center, the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women in York and the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln.

7 more Nebraska prisons workers test positive for virus

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a former police investigator whose work helped exonerate six people wrongly convicted of the 1985 rape and murder of a Beatrice woman has died following the crash of his pickup truck.

 Radio station KWBE reports that 54-year-old Mike Oliver died after being found unresponsive Friday afternoon in his truck after it had crossed the U.S. Highway 77 median and rolled into a field. 

Authorities say an autopsy Saturday showed Oliver had died of a medical episode, not from injuries in the crash. 

The longtime Beatrice Police Department veteran had headed the task force that re-examined the investigation regarding the so-called Beatrice Six case.

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a former police investigator whose work helped exonerate six people wrongly convicted of the 1985 rape and murder of a Beatrice woman has died following the crash of his pickup truck. Radio station KWBE reports that 54-year-old Mike Oliver died after being found unresponsive Friday afternoon in his truck after it had crossed the U.S. Highway 77 median and rolled into a field. Authorities say an autopsy Saturday showed Oliver had died of a medical episode, not from injuries in the crash. The longtime Beatrice Police Department veteran had headed the task force that re-examined the investigation regarding the so-called Beatrice Six case.

Lead investigator in Beatrice 6 exoneration dies after crash

(AP)-How could scientists race out COVID-19 vaccines so fast without cutting corners? A head start helped -- over a decade of behind-the-scenes research that had new vaccine technology poised for a challenge just as the coronavirus erupted.

“The speed is a reflection of years of work that went before,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, told The Associated Press. “That’s what the public has to understand.”

Creating vaccines and having results from rigorous studies less than a year after the world discovered a never-before-seen disease is incredible, cutting years off normal development. But the two U.S. frontrunners are made in a way that promises speedier development may become the norm -- especially if they prove to work long-term as well as early testing suggests.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/9/1568903138747.png" alt="Photo: STEVEN DEPOLO / FLICKR--CC" />
 <figcaption>Photo: STEVEN DEPOLO / FLICKR--CC</figcaption>
 </figure> By LAURAN NEERGAARD&nbsp;&nbsp;(AP)-How could scientists race out COVID-19 vaccines so fast without cutting corners? A head start helped -- over a decade of behind-the-scenes research that had new vaccine technology poised for a challenge just as the coronavirus erupted.“The speed is a reflection of years of work that went before,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, told The Associated Press. “That’s what the public has to understand.”Creating vaccines and having results from rigorous studies less than a year after the world discovered a never-before-seen disease is incredible, cutting years off normal development. But the two U.S. frontrunners are made in a way that promises speedier development may become the norm -- especially if they prove to work long-term as well as early testing suggests.“Abject giddiness,” is how Dr. C. Buddy Creech, a Vanderbilt University vaccine expert, described scientists’ reactions when separate studies showed the two candidates were about 95% effective.“I think we enter into a golden age of vaccinology by having these types of new technologies,” Creech said at a briefing of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.Both shots -- one made by Pfizer and BioNTech, the other by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health -- are so-called messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines, a brand-new technology. U.S. regulators are set to decide this month whether to allow emergency use, paving the way for rationed shots that will start with health workers and nursing home residents.MORE COVID-19 NEWS:<ul>
 <li><a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-angela-merkel-germany-coronavirus-pandemic-219311abc09f9e05867cfc4be1f3c6da">–&nbsp;The Latest: Brazil state eyeing late January vaccinations</a></li><li><a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-united-nations-united-states-cf301cdf3a2f9d3394c1bae4805e7537">–&nbsp;WHO tries to bolster fragile funding with new foundation CEO</a></li><li><a href="https://apnews.com/article/will-us-national-virus-testing-strategy-ceeda0ed971631f47666882eaef89a8e">–&nbsp;Will the US ever have a national COVID-19 testing strategy?</a></li>
 </ul>Billions in company and government funding certainly sped up vaccine development — and the unfortunately huge number of infections meant scientists didn’t have to wait long to learn the shots appeared to be working.But long before COVID-19 was on the radar, the groundwork was laid in large part by two different streams of research, one at the NIH and the other at the University of Pennsylvania — and because scientists had learned a bit about other coronaviruses from prior SARS and MERS outbreaks.“When the pandemic started, we were on a strong footing both in terms of the science” and experience handling mRNA, said Dr. Tal Zaks, chief medical officer of Massachusetts-based Moderna.Traditionally, making vaccines required growing viruses or pieces of viruses — often in giant vats of cells or, like most flu shots, in chicken eggs — and then purifying them before next steps in brewing shots.The mRNA approach is radically different. It starts with a snippet of genetic code that carries instructions for making proteins. Pick the right virus protein to target, and the body turns into a mini vaccine factory.“Instead of growing up a virus in a 50,000-liter drum and inactivating it, we could deliver RNA and our bodies make the protein, which starts the immune response,” said Penn’s Dr. Drew Weissman.Fifteen years ago, Weissman’s lab was trying to harness mRNA to make a variety of drugs and vaccines. But researchers found simply injecting the genetic code into animals caused harmful inflammation.Weissman and a Penn colleague now at BioNTech, Katalin Kariko, figured out a tiny modification to a building block of lab-grown RNA that let it slip undetected past inflammation-triggering sentinels.“They could essentially make a stealth RNA,” said Pfizer chief scientific officer Dr. Philip Dormitzer.Other researchers added a fat coating, called lipid nanoparticles, that helped stealth RNA easily get inside cells and start production of the target protein.Meanwhile at the NIH, Dr. Barney Graham’s team figured out the right target — how to use the aptly named “spike” protein that coats the coronavirus to properly prime the immune system.The right design is critical. It turns out the surface proteins that let a variety of viruses latch onto human cells are shape-shifters — rearranging their form before and after they’ve fused into place. Brew a vaccine using the wrong shape and it won’t block infection.“You could put the same molecule in one way and the same molecule in another way and get an entirely different response,” Fauci explained.That was a discovery in 2013, when Graham, deputy director of NIH’s Vaccine Research Center, and colleague Jason McLellan were investigating a decades-old failed vaccine against RSV, a childhood respiratory illness.They homed in on the right structure for an RSV protein and learned genetic tweaks that stabilized the protein in the correct shape for vaccine development. They went on to apply that lesson to other viruses, including researching a vaccine for MERS, a COVID-19 cousin, although it hadn’t gotten far when the pandemic began.“That’s what put us in a position to do this rapidly,” Graham told the AP in February before the NIH’s vaccine was first tested in people. “Once you have that atomic-level detail, you can engineer the protein to be stable.”Full Coverage:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/tag/Coronaviruspandemic">Coronavirus pandemic</a>Likewise, Germany’s BioNTech in 2018 had partnered with New York-based Pfizer to develop a more modern mRNA-based flu vaccine, giving both companies some early knowledge about how to handle the technology.“This was all brewing. This didn’t come out of nowhere,” said Pfizer’s Dormitzer.Last January, shortly after the new coronavirus was reported in China, BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin switched gears and used the same method to create a COVID-19 vaccine.Moderna also was using mRNA to develop vaccines against other germs including the mosquito-borne Zika virus -- research showing promise but that wasn’t moving rapidly since the Zika outbreak had fizzled.Then at the NIH, Graham woke up on Saturday Jan. 11 to see Chinese scientists had shared the genetic map of the new coronavirus. His team got to work on the right-shaped spike protein. Days later, they sent Moderna that recipe -- and the vaccine race was on.