NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Country star Mac Davis, who launched his career crafting the Elvis hits “A Little Less Conversation” and “In the Ghetto,” and whose own hits include “Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me,” has died. He was 78.

His longtime manager Jim Morey said in a press release that Davis died in Nashville on Tuesday after heart surgery and was surrounded by family and friends.

Davis had a long and varied career in music for decades as a writer, singer, actor and TV host and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006. He was named 1974’s entertainer of the year by the Academy of Country Music and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“Thank you, dear Lord Jesus, for letting us know the man to whom you gave the most incredible talent,” said Reba McEntire in a statement. “He entertained and spread joy to so many people. What a wonderful legacy he left all of us with his music. Mac was one of a kind. I’m so blessed to have been one of his many friends.”

Born in Lubbock, Texas, and raised in Georgia, Davis was inspired by fellow Lubbock native Buddy Holly, but it was Elvis who gave him his first musical big break. Davis worked as a staff songwriter in Los Angeles for Nancy Sinatra's publishing company when in 1968 Presley cut “A Little Less Conversation.”

Although it had a little success at the time, the song became a bigger hit after Presley's death, being covered by more than 30 artists and became Davis' most licensed TV soundtrack song. The song reached the top of the UK charts in 2002 after it was used in a Nike commercial and was featured in the hit movie “Ocean's 11.”

Davis also helped craft the song “Memories” that was a cornerstone of Elvis’ big 1968 comeback TV special.

“A small town boy who’d achieved the greatest kinds of fame, he remained a good guy, a family man,” said country star Kenny Chesney. “That was Mac: a giant heart, quick to laugh and a bigger creative spirit. I was blessed to have it shine on me. And Mac, who was joyous, funny and created a family around him, never stopped writing great songs, creating music and inspiring everyone around him."

Davis got a recording deal of his own in 1970, recording “Hooked on Music," “It’s Hard to be Humble,” and “Texas in my Rearview Mirror,” and getting crossover success on pop charts. He had his own TV series, “The Mac Davis Show” on NBC, and also acted in TV and film, including alongside Nick Nolte in the football film “North Dallas Forty.” He even starred on Broadway, in “The Will Rogers Follies” and toured with the musical. The group Gallery had a hit on his song “I Believe in Music.”

“He was the songwriter behind some of the most iconic and timeless songs that transcend genres and generations and was named a BMI Icon in 2015,” said BMI President and CEO Mike O’Neil. “Beyond his extraordinary talent, Mac was a dedicated friend and advocate for songwriters everywhere.”

He also wrote songs recorded by Kenny Rogers (“Something’s Burning”), Dolly Parton ("White Limozeen") and Ray Price (“Lonesomest Lonesome”). He was still writing later in life, getting co-writing credits on songs by Avicii ( “Addicted to You") and Bruno Mars ("Young Girls.")

“Today our country community lost an amazing entertainer, songwriter and artist,” said Sarah Trahern, CEO of CMA. “I remember watching Mac’s TV show as a kid as well as his three years co-hosting the CMA Awards with Barbara Mandrell, which proved his command of the TV medium as well as the music.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1601472500598.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Country star Mac Davis, who launched his career crafting the Elvis hits “A Little Less Conversation” and “In the Ghetto,” and whose own hits include “Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me,” has died. He was 78.His longtime manager Jim Morey said in a press release that Davis died in Nashville on Tuesday after heart surgery and was surrounded by family and friends.Davis had a long and varied career in music for decades as a writer, singer, actor and TV host and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006. He was named 1974’s entertainer of the year by the Academy of Country Music and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.“Thank you, dear Lord Jesus, for letting us know the man to whom you gave the most incredible talent,” said Reba McEntire in a statement. “He entertained and spread joy to so many people. What a wonderful legacy he left all of us with his music. Mac was one of a kind. I’m so blessed to have been one of his many friends.”Born in Lubbock, Texas, and raised in Georgia, Davis was inspired by fellow Lubbock native Buddy Holly, but it was Elvis who gave him his first musical big break. Davis worked as a staff songwriter in Los Angeles for Nancy Sinatra's publishing company when in 1968 Presley cut “A Little Less Conversation.”Although it had a little success at the time, the song became a bigger hit after Presley's death, being covered by more than 30 artists and became Davis' most licensed TV soundtrack song. The song reached the top of the UK charts in 2002 after it was used in a Nike commercial and was featured in the hit movie “Ocean's 11.”Davis also helped craft the song “Memories” that was a cornerstone of Elvis’ big 1968 comeback TV special.“A small town boy who’d achieved the greatest kinds of fame, he remained a good guy, a family man,” said country star Kenny Chesney. “That was Mac: a giant heart, quick to laugh and a bigger creative spirit. I was blessed to have it shine on me. And Mac, who was joyous, funny and created a family around him, never stopped writing great songs, creating music and inspiring everyone around him."Davis got a recording deal of his own in 1970, recording “Hooked on Music," “It’s Hard to be Humble,” and “Texas in my Rearview Mirror,” and getting crossover success on pop charts. He had his own TV series, “The Mac Davis Show” on NBC, and also acted in TV and film, including alongside Nick Nolte in the football film “North Dallas Forty.” He even starred on Broadway, in “The Will Rogers Follies” and toured with the musical. The group Gallery had a hit on his song “I Believe in Music.”“He was the songwriter behind some of the most iconic and timeless songs that transcend genres and generations and was named a BMI Icon in 2015,” said BMI President and CEO Mike O’Neil. “Beyond his extraordinary talent, Mac was a dedicated friend and advocate for songwriters everywhere.”He also wrote songs recorded by Kenny Rogers (“Something’s Burning”), Dolly Parton ("White Limozeen") and Ray Price (“Lonesomest Lonesome”). He was still writing later in life, getting co-writing credits on songs by Avicii ( “Addicted to You") and Bruno Mars ("Young Girls.")“Today our country community lost an amazing entertainer, songwriter and artist,” said Sarah Trahern, CEO of CMA. “I remember watching Mac’s TV show as a kid as well as his three years co-hosting the CMA Awards with Barbara Mandrell, which proved his command of the TV medium as well as the music.”

Country star and hit Elvis songwriter Mac Davis dies at 78

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a 19-year-old who is suspected of ramming two unmarked patrol cars and another vehicle to escape being arrested last week in Lincoln on several felony warrants. 

The Lincoln Journal-Star reports that Lancaster County Sheriff’s deputies spotted Duop Wiyual Duop around 2 p.m. Monday. Sheriff Terry Wagner said they tracked him down with the help Nebraska State Patrol Airwing and arrested him after a foot chase.

 Afterward, they recovered a loaded 9 mm Glock that he is accused of throwing. 

Wagner said Duop was booked into jail on his original felony warrants, carrying a concealed weapon and charges from last week’s hit-and-runs.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a 19-year-old who is suspected of ramming two unmarked patrol cars and another vehicle to escape being arrested last week in Lincoln on several felony warrants. The Lincoln Journal-Star reports that Lancaster County Sheriff’s deputies spotted Duop Wiyual Duop around 2 p.m. Monday. Sheriff Terry Wagner said they tracked him down with the help Nebraska State Patrol Airwing and arrested him after a foot chase. Afterward, they recovered a loaded 9 mm Glock that he is accused of throwing. Wagner said Duop was booked into jail on his original felony warrants, carrying a concealed weapon and charges from last week’s hit-and-runs.

Nebraska officers arrest hit-and-run fugitive, find handgun

HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — Hastings College is pausing some in-person classes and all of its athletics this week after six members of the college tested positive for the coronavirus and another 54 were self-isolating or in quarantine.

 The Hastings Tribune says the decision will keep students on campus but change the way they attend classes for the rest of the week. 

All athletic practices and contests are suspended through Saturday. The suspensions went into effect at 4 p.m. Monday and are set to expire at 9 a.m. Sunday. 

The situation will be reviewed on Friday, however, so officials can determine if the suspensions need to continue.

HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — Hastings College is pausing some in-person classes and all of its athletics this week after six members of the college tested positive for the coronavirus and another 54 were self-isolating or in quarantine. The Hastings Tribune says the decision will keep students on campus but change the way they attend classes for the rest of the week. All athletic practices and contests are suspended through Saturday. The suspensions went into effect at 4 p.m. Monday and are set to expire at 9 a.m. Sunday. The situation will be reviewed on Friday, however, so officials can determine if the suspensions need to continue.

Hastings College pauses in-person lectures, sports

MAVERICK JUNCTION, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota Highway Patrol says an elderly man has died after being struck by a vehicle on the southeastern edge of the Black Hills. 

The patrol says the 82-year-old man was killed on Highway 18 west of Maverick Junction Monday afternoon.

 Authorities say a 72-year-old woman driving a Chevy Impala was traveling on a crest in the highway when she saw the man walking across the roadway, swerved, but couldn’t avoid striking him. 

The victim, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene. 

MAVERICK JUNCTION, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota Highway Patrol says an elderly man has died after being struck by a vehicle on the southeastern edge of the Black Hills. The patrol says the 82-year-old man was killed on Highway 18 west of Maverick Junction Monday afternoon. Authorities say a 72-year-old woman driving a Chevy Impala was traveling on a crest in the highway when she saw the man walking across the roadway, swerved, but couldn’t avoid striking him. The victim, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver wasn’t injured.

Elderly man struck and killed on Black Hills highway

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Authorities say a $10,000 reward is being offered to help catch suspects in a Rapid City gun store robbery and recover some of the stolen weapons. 

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms industry, are each putting up $5,000 for information relating to the Sept. 23 robbery at FIrst Stop Gun &amp; Coin. 

Investigators believe up to 40 guns were stolen and surveillance footage captured three people breaking into the store. 

Police have recovered 21 of the firearms and currently have a juvenile in custody.

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Authorities say a $10,000 reward is being offered to help catch suspects in a Rapid City gun store robbery and recover some of the stolen weapons. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms industry, are each putting up $5,000 for information relating to the Sept. 23 robbery at FIrst Stop Gun &amp; Coin. Investigators believe up to 40 guns were stolen and surveillance footage captured three people breaking into the store. Police have recovered 21 of the firearms and currently have a juvenile in custody.

$10,000 reward offered in Rapid City gun store robbery

WASHINGTON (AP) - Computer systems across a major hospital chain operating in the U.S. and Britain were down Monday due to what the company termed an unspecified technology "security issue."

Universal Health Services Inc., which operates more than 400 hospitals and other clinical care facilities, said in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uhsinc.com/statement-from-universal-health-services/" target="_blank">a short statement p</a>&nbsp;osted to its website Monday that its network was offline and doctors and nurses were resorting to "back-up processes" including paper records.

The Fortune 500 company, with 90,000 employees said "patient care continues to be delivered safely and effectively" and no patient or employee data appeared to have been "accessed, copied or misused."

UHS provided no details, but people posting to an online Reddit forum who identified themselves as employees said the chain's network was hit by ransomware overnight Sunday. The posts echoed the alarm of a clinician at a UHS facility in Washington, D.C., who described to The Associated Press a mad scramble, including anxiety over determining which patients might be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.

Ransomware is a growing scourge in which hackers infect networks with malicious code that scrambles data and then demand payment to restore services.

Increasingly, ransomware purveyors are downloading data from networks they infiltrate before encrypting targeted servers, using it for extortion. Earlier this month, the first known fatality related to ransomware occurred in Duesseldorf, Germany, after an attack caused IT systems to fail and a critically ill patient needing urgent admission died after she had to be taken to another city for treatment

UHS itself may not be a household name, but its hospitals are part of communities from Washington, D.C., to Fremont, California, and Orlando, Florida, to Anchorage, Alaska. Some of its facilities provide care for people coping with psychiatric conditions and substance abuse problems.

The company based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, did not immediately respond to emails seeking more information, such as whether patients had to be diverted to other hospitals.

The Washington clinician described a high-anxiety scramble to handle the loss of computers and some phones starting Sunday. The person, involved in direct patient care, was not authorized to speak publicly and described the chaotic situation on condition of anonymity.

The loss of computer access meant that medical staff could not easily see lab results, imaging scans, medication lists, and other critical pieces of information doctors rely on to make decisions. Phone problems complicated the situation, making it harder to communicate with nurses.

"These things could be life or death," the clinician said.

The facility has a "downtime protocol," in which everything is supposed to be done with paper and pencil, the staffer added, "but no one was expecting to have to use it." Lab orders had to be hand-delivered.

There was a lot of concern about how to determine whether or not patients had been exposed to the coronavirus.

The clinician said no harm came to any of the 20 or so patients they attended to. However, anxiety reigned during the entire shift. Handing off a patient to another department, always a delicate task because of the potential for miscommunication, became especially nerve-wracking.

Ransomware attacks have crippled everything from major cities to school districts, and federal officials are concerned they could be used to disrupt the current presidential election. Last week, a major supplier of software services to state, county and local governments, Tyler Technologies, was hit.

In the U.S. alone, 764 healthcare providers were victimized last year by ransomware, according to data compiled by the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft. It estimates&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.emsisoft.com/en/35583/report-the-cost-of-ransomware-in-2020-a-country-by-country-analysis/" target="_blank">the overall cost of ransomware attacks</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. to $9 billion a year in terms of recovery and lost productivity. The only way to effectively recover, for those unwilling to pay ransoms, is through diligent daily system data backups.

In an apparently unrelated cyberattack affecting a U.S. medical facility, Nebraska Medicine hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, suffered an outage last week that led to the postponement of appointments for patients with elective procedures or other non-critical health concerns, The Omaha World-Herald reported.

The hospital said emergency rooms remained open, and no patients were diverted to other hospitals. It said no records were deleted or destroyed thanks to the system's back-up and recovery processes. The statement did not include any further information about the attack.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574871171412.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) - Computer systems across a major hospital chain operating in the U.S. and Britain were down Monday due to what the company termed an unspecified technology "security issue."Universal Health Services Inc., which operates more than 400 hospitals and other clinical care facilities, said in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uhsinc.com/statement-from-universal-health-services/" target="_blank">a short statement p</a>&nbsp;osted to its website Monday that its network was offline and doctors and nurses were resorting to "back-up processes" including paper records.The Fortune 500 company, with 90,000 employees said "patient care continues to be delivered safely and effectively" and no patient or employee data appeared to have been "accessed, copied or misused."UHS provided no details, but people posting to an online Reddit forum who identified themselves as employees said the chain's network was hit by ransomware overnight Sunday. The posts echoed the alarm of a clinician at a UHS facility in Washington, D.C., who described to The Associated Press a mad scramble, including anxiety over determining which patients might be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.Ransomware is a growing scourge in which hackers infect networks with malicious code that scrambles data and then demand payment to restore services.Increasingly, ransomware purveyors are downloading data from networks they infiltrate before encrypting targeted servers, using it for extortion. Earlier this month, the first known fatality related to ransomware occurred in Duesseldorf, Germany, after an attack caused IT systems to fail and a critically ill patient needing urgent admission died after she had to be taken to another city for treatmentUHS itself may not be a household name, but its hospitals are part of communities from Washington, D.C., to Fremont, California, and Orlando, Florida, to Anchorage, Alaska. Some of its facilities provide care for people coping with psychiatric conditions and substance abuse problems.The company based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, did not immediately respond to emails seeking more information, such as whether patients had to be diverted to other hospitals.The Washington clinician described a high-anxiety scramble to handle the loss of computers and some phones starting Sunday. The person, involved in direct patient care, was not authorized to speak publicly and described the chaotic situation on condition of anonymity.The loss of computer access meant that medical staff could not easily see lab results, imaging scans, medication lists, and other critical pieces of information doctors rely on to make decisions. Phone problems complicated the situation, making it harder to communicate with nurses."These things could be life or death," the clinician said.The facility has a "downtime protocol," in which everything is supposed to be done with paper and pencil, the staffer added, "but no one was expecting to have to use it." Lab orders had to be hand-delivered.There was a lot of concern about how to determine whether or not patients had been exposed to the coronavirus.The clinician said no harm came to any of the 20 or so patients they attended to. However, anxiety reigned during the entire shift. Handing off a patient to another department, always a delicate task because of the potential for miscommunication, became especially nerve-wracking.Ransomware attacks have crippled everything from major cities to school districts, and federal officials are concerned they could be used to disrupt the current presidential election. Last week, a major supplier of software services to state, county and local governments, Tyler Technologies, was hit.In the U.S. alone, 764 healthcare providers were victimized last year by ransomware, according to data compiled by the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft. It estimates&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.emsisoft.com/en/35583/report-the-cost-of-ransomware-in-2020-a-country-by-country-analysis/" target="_blank">the overall cost of ransomware attacks</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. to $9 billion a year in terms of recovery and lost productivity. The only way to effectively recover, for those unwilling to pay ransoms, is through diligent daily system data backups.In an apparently unrelated cyberattack affecting a U.S. medical facility, Nebraska Medicine hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, suffered an outage last week that led to the postponement of appointments for patients with elective procedures or other non-critical health concerns, The Omaha World-Herald reported.The hospital said emergency rooms remained open, and no patients were diverted to other hospitals. It said no records were deleted or destroyed thanks to the system's back-up and recovery processes. The statement did not include any further information about the attack.

Cyberattack hobbles major US/UK hospital chain FRANK BAJAK

LINCOLN – North Platte-area archers now have a venue to practice their sport as a public archery range has opened at Buffalo Bill Ranch State Recreation Area.

Built by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and local volunteers, the range is free to use and open during daylight hours. A vehicle park entry permit is required.

Julie Geiser, a public information officer and instructor of outdoor skills for Game and Parks in North Platte, saw a need for an archery range.

“This is the only public archery range near North Platte, so we’re really excited to offer this for archery shooters to come and practice. I hope this will be a great asset to archery shooters in our community.”

The archery range is located west of the campground. It has seven square targets in wooden frames set at 10, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 and 60 yards. It is available on a first-come, first-served basis and archers must bring their own equipment.

LINCOLN – North Platte-area archers now have a venue to practice their sport as a public archery range has opened at Buffalo Bill Ranch State Recreation Area.Built by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and local volunteers, the range is free to use and open during daylight hours. A vehicle park entry permit is required.Julie Geiser, a public information officer and instructor of outdoor skills for Game and Parks in North Platte, saw a need for an archery range.“This is the only public archery range near North Platte, so we’re really excited to offer this for archery shooters to come and practice. I hope this will be a great asset to archery shooters in our community.”The archery range is located west of the campground. It has seven square targets in wooden frames set at 10, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 and 60 yards. It is available on a first-come, first-served basis and archers must bring their own equipment.

Public archery range open at Buffalo Bill Ranch SRA

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota’s top health official says hospitals have plenty of capacity to care for COVID-19 patients, even as the state has become one of the nation’s coronavirus hotspots. 

Health officials reported Monday that the number of active infections in the state is at 3,828, including more than 200 who are being treated in hospitals. 

Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rysdon says 33 hospitals in the state are caring for coronavirus patients and that over 1,000 hospital beds remain available.

 According to the COVID Tracking Project, the state's seven-day positivity average for coronavirus testing is over 25%.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota’s top health official says hospitals have plenty of capacity to care for COVID-19 patients, even as the state has become one of the nation’s coronavirus hotspots. Health officials reported Monday that the number of active infections in the state is at 3,828, including more than 200 who are being treated in hospitals. Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rysdon says 33 hospitals in the state are caring for coronavirus patients and that over 1,000 hospital beds remain available. According to the COVID Tracking Project, the state's seven-day positivity average for coronavirus testing is over 25%.

SD Secretary of Health: Hospitals can handle more virus cases

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming’s governor says a wildfire in the southern region of the state grew to more than twice the size reported the previous night. 

The Casper Star-Tribune reported Republican Gov. Mark Gordon says in a tweet that the area affected by the blaze increased to an estimated 125 square miles by Saturday afternoon. 

Gordon says no firefighters had been injured as strong winds helped to spread the swelling wildfire, which has been designated as the Mullen Fire.

 Authorities ordered new mandatory evacuations and closures Saturday, while there had not yet been any confirmed structure losses.

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming’s governor says a wildfire in the southern region of the state grew to more than twice the size reported the previous night. The Casper Star-Tribune reported Republican Gov. Mark Gordon says in a tweet that the area affected by the blaze increased to an estimated 125 square miles by Saturday afternoon. Gordon says no firefighters had been injured as strong winds helped to spread the swelling wildfire, which has been designated as the Mullen Fire. Authorities ordered new mandatory evacuations and closures Saturday, while there had not yet been any confirmed structure losses.

Southern Wyoming wildfire more than doubles size overnight

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police have arrested two men in connection with the the fatal shooting of 20-year-old man near an apartment complex in the south part of the city. 

Police said they responded to a report of shots being fired at about 1:20 a.m. Sunday near the Arbor Villa Apartments and found Playontae Wilson dead. 

They said they later arrested a 21-year-old man without incident and booked him into the Douglas County jail for murder, possession of a stolen firearm and theft. 

A 26-year-old-man was arrested later and booked into jail for criminal homicide in connection with Wilson's shooting.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police have arrested two men in connection with the the fatal shooting of 20-year-old man near an apartment complex in the south part of the city. Police said they responded to a report of shots being fired at about 1:20 a.m. Sunday near the Arbor Villa Apartments and found Playontae Wilson dead. They said they later arrested a 21-year-old man without incident and booked him into the Douglas County jail for murder, possession of a stolen firearm and theft. A 26-year-old-man was arrested later and booked into jail for criminal homicide in connection with Wilson's shooting.

Omaha police arrest 2 over fatal shooting near apartments

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Douglas County Department of Corrections director says a person being booked into the county jail fired a gun that officers discovered during a strip search and wounded himself. 

Director Mike Myers said in a statement that the incident occurred Sunday night when Omaha police officers were trying to book the person into jail. 

The person threatened corrections officers and staff with the gun, then fired.

 The Omaha World-Herald reports that the person was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and no other people were injured.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Douglas County Department of Corrections director says a person being booked into the county jail fired a gun that officers discovered during a strip search and wounded himself. Director Mike Myers said in a statement that the incident occurred Sunday night when Omaha police officers were trying to book the person into jail. The person threatened corrections officers and staff with the gun, then fired. The Omaha World-Herald reports that the person was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and no other people were injured.

Person being booked into Omaha jail fires gun, injures self

NEW YORK (AP) — At a University of Maryland lab, people infected with the new coronavirus take turns sitting in a chair and putting their faces into the big end of a large cone. They recite the alphabet and sing or just sit quietly for a half hour. Sometimes they cough.

The cone sucks up everything that comes out of their mouths and noses. It’s part of a device called “Gesundheit II” that is helping scientists study a big question: Just how does the virus that causes COVID-19 spread from one person to another?

It clearly hitchhikes on small liquid particles sprayed out by an infected person. People expel particles while coughing, sneezing, singing, shouting, talking and even breathing. But the drops come in a wide range of sizes, and scientists are trying to pin down how risky the various kinds are.

The answer affects what we should all be doing to avoid getting sick. That’s why it was thrust into headlines a few days ago when a U.S. health agency appeared to have shifted its position on the issue, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-archive-public-health-cfb43dd5a28dd449cd1100a067cfd112">later said</a>&nbsp;it had published new language in error.

The recommendation to stay at least 6 feet (2 meters) apart — some authorities cite about half that distance — is based on the idea that larger particles fall to the ground before they can travel very far. They are like the droplets in a spritz of a window cleaner, and they can infect somebody by landing on their nose, mouth or eyes, or maybe being inhaled.

But some scientists are now focusing on tinier particles, the ones that spread more like cigarette smoke. Those are carried by wisps of air and even upward drafts caused by the warmth of our bodies. They can linger in the air for minutes to hours, spreading throughout a room and build up if ventilation is poor.

The potential risk comes from inhaling them. Measles can spread this way, but the new coronavirus is far less contagious than that.

For these particles, called aerosols, “6 feet is not a magic distance,” says Linsey Marr, a leading researcher who is studying them at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. But she says it’s still important to keep one’s distance from others, “the farther the better,” because aerosols are most concentrated near a source and pose a bigger risk at close range.

Public health agencies have generally focused on the larger particles for coronavirus. That prompted more than 200 other scientists to publish a&nbsp;<a href="https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaa939/5867798" target="_blank">plea</a>&nbsp;in July to pay attention to the potential risk from aerosols. The World Health Organization, which had long dismissed a danger from aerosols except in the case of certain medical procedures, later&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-how-is-covid-19-transmitted" target="_blank">said</a>&nbsp;that aerosol transmission of the coronavirus can’t be ruled out in cases of infection within crowded and poorly ventilated indoor spaces.

The issue drew attention recently when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted and then deleted statements on its website that highlighted the idea of aerosol spread. The agency said the posting was an error, and that the statements were just a draft of proposed changes to its recommendations.

Dr. Jay Butler, CDC’s deputy director for infectious disease, told The Associated Press that the agency continues to believe larger and heavier droplets that come from coughing or sneezing are the primary means of transmission.

Last month Butler told a scientific meeting that current research suggests aerosol spreading of the coronavirus is possible but it doesn’t seem to be the main way that people get infected. Further research may change that conclusion, he added, and he urged scientists to study how often aerosol spread of the coronavirus occurs, what situations make it more likely and what reasonable steps might prevent it.

Marr said she thinks infection by aerosols is “happening a lot more than people initially were willing to think.”

As a key piece of evidence, Marr and others point to so-called “superspreader” events where one infected person evidently passed the virus to many others in a single setting.

In March, for example, after a choir member with coronavirus symptoms attended a rehearsal in Washington state, 52 others who had been seated throughout the room were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.06.15.20132027v2" target="_blank">found</a>&nbsp;to be infected and two died. In a crowded and poorly ventilated restaurant in China in January, the virus evidently&nbsp;<a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.16.20067728v1" target="_blank">spread&nbsp;</a>from a lunchtime patron to five people at two adjoining tables in a pattern suggesting aerosols were spread by the air conditioner. Also in January, a passenger on a Chinese bus apparently&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2770172" target="_blank">infected</a>&nbsp;23 others, many of whom were scattered around the vehicle.

Butler said such events raise concern about aerosol spread but don’t prove it happens.

There could be another way for tiny particles to spread. They may not necessarily come directly from somebody’s mouth or nose, says William Ristenpart of the University of California, Davis. His&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-17888-w" target="_blank">research&nbsp;</a>found that if paper tissues are seeded with influenza virus and then crumpled, they give off particles that bear the virus. So people emptying a wastebasket with tissues discarded by somebody with COVID-19 should be sure to wear a mask, he said.

Scientists who warn about aerosols say current recommendations still make sense.

Wearing a mask is still important, and make sure it fits snugly. Keep washing those hands diligently. And again, staying farther apart is better than being closer together. Avoid crowds, especially indoors.

Their main addition to recommendations is ventilation to avoid a buildup of aerosol concentration. So, the researchers say, stay out of poorly ventilated rooms. Open windows and doors. One can also use air-purifying devices or virus-inactivating ultraviolet light.

Best of all: Just do as much as you can outdoors, where dilution and the sun’s ultraviolet light work in your favor.

“We know outdoors is the most spectacularly effective measure, by far,” says Jose-Luis Jimenez of the University of Colorado-Boulder. “Outdoors it is not impossible to get infected, but it is difficult.”

The various precautions should be used in combination rather than just one at a time, researchers say. In a well ventilated environment, “6 feet (of separation) is pretty good if everybody’s got a mask on” and nobody stays directly downwind of an infected person for very long, says Dr. Donald Milton of the University of Maryland School of Public Health, whose lab houses the Gesundheit II machine.

Duration of exposure is important, so there’s probably not much risk from a short elevator ride while masked or being passed by a jogger on the sidewalk, experts say.

Scientists have&nbsp;<a href="https://nicholas.duke.edu/news/online-tool-calculates-risk-classroom-transmission-airborne-covid-19" target="_blank">published</a>&nbsp;online&nbsp;<a href="https://cires.colorado.edu/news/covid-19-airborne-transmission-tool-available" target="_blank">tools</a>&nbsp;for calculating risk of airborne spread in various settings.

At a recent meeting on aerosols, however, Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, noted that preventive steps can be a challenge in the real world. Keeping apart from other people can be difficult in homes that house multiple generations. Some old buildings have windows that were “nailed shut years ago,” he said. And “we have far too many communities where they simply don’t have access to clean water to wash their hands.”

It might seem strange that for all the scientific frenzy to study the new coronavirus, the details of how it spreads can still be in doubt nine months later. But history suggests patience.

“We’ve been studying influenza for 102 years,” says Milton, referring to the 1918 flu epidemic. “We still don’t know how it’s transmitted and what the role of aerosols is.”

NEW YORK (AP) — At a University of Maryland lab, people infected with the new coronavirus take turns sitting in a chair and putting their faces into the big end of a large cone. They recite the alphabet and sing or just sit quietly for a half hour. Sometimes they cough.The cone sucks up everything that comes out of their mouths and noses. It’s part of a device called “Gesundheit II” that is helping scientists study a big question: Just how does the virus that causes COVID-19 spread from one person to another?It clearly hitchhikes on small liquid particles sprayed out by an infected person. People expel particles while coughing, sneezing, singing, shouting, talking and even breathing. But the drops come in a wide range of sizes, and scientists are trying to pin down how risky the various kinds are.The answer affects what we should all be doing to avoid getting sick. That’s why it was thrust into headlines a few days ago when a U.S. health agency appeared to have shifted its position on the issue, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-archive-public-health-cfb43dd5a28dd449cd1100a067cfd112">later said</a>&nbsp;it had published new language in error.The recommendation to stay at least 6 feet (2 meters) apart — some authorities cite about half that distance — is based on the idea that larger particles fall to the ground before they can travel very far. They are like the droplets in a spritz of a window cleaner, and they can infect somebody by landing on their nose, mouth or eyes, or maybe being inhaled.But some scientists are now focusing on tinier particles, the ones that spread more like cigarette smoke. Those are carried by wisps of air and even upward drafts caused by the warmth of our bodies. They can linger in the air for minutes to hours, spreading throughout a room and build up if ventilation is poor.The potential risk comes from inhaling them. Measles can spread this way, but the new coronavirus is far less contagious than that.For these particles, called aerosols, “6 feet is not a magic distance,” says Linsey Marr, a leading researcher who is studying them at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. But she says it’s still important to keep one’s distance from others, “the farther the better,” because aerosols are most concentrated near a source and pose a bigger risk at close range.Public health agencies have generally focused on the larger particles for coronavirus. That prompted more than 200 other scientists to publish a&nbsp;<a href="https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaa939/5867798" target="_blank">plea</a>&nbsp;in July to pay attention to the potential risk from aerosols. The World Health Organization, which had long dismissed a danger from aerosols except in the case of certain medical procedures, later&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-how-is-covid-19-transmitted" target="_blank">said</a>&nbsp;that aerosol transmission of the coronavirus can’t be ruled out in cases of infection within crowded and poorly ventilated indoor spaces.The issue drew attention recently when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted and then deleted statements on its website that highlighted the idea of aerosol spread. The agency said the posting was an error, and that the statements were just a draft of proposed changes to its recommendations.Dr. Jay Butler, CDC’s deputy director for infectious disease, told The Associated Press that the agency continues to believe larger and heavier droplets that come from coughing or sneezing are the primary means of transmission.Last month Butler told a scientific meeting that current research suggests aerosol spreading of the coronavirus is possible but it doesn’t seem to be the main way that people get infected. Further research may change that conclusion, he added, and he urged scientists to study how often aerosol spread of the coronavirus occurs, what situations make it more likely and what reasonable steps might prevent it.Marr said she thinks infection by aerosols is “happening a lot more than people initially were willing to think.”As a key piece of evidence, Marr and others point to so-called “superspreader” events where one infected person evidently passed the virus to many others in a single setting.In March, for example, after a choir member with coronavirus symptoms attended a rehearsal in Washington state, 52 others who had been seated throughout the room were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.06.15.20132027v2" target="_blank">found</a>&nbsp;to be infected and two died. In a crowded and poorly ventilated restaurant in China in January, the virus evidently&nbsp;<a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.16.20067728v1" target="_blank">spread&nbsp;</a>from a lunchtime patron to five people at two adjoining tables in a pattern suggesting aerosols were spread by the air conditioner. Also in January, a passenger on a Chinese bus apparently&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2770172" target="_blank">infected</a>&nbsp;23 others, many of whom were scattered around the vehicle.Butler said such events raise concern about aerosol spread but don’t prove it happens.There could be another way for tiny particles to spread. They may not necessarily come directly from somebody’s mouth or nose, says William Ristenpart of the University of California, Davis. His&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-17888-w" target="_blank">research&nbsp;</a>found that if paper tissues are seeded with influenza virus and then crumpled, they give off particles that bear the virus. So people emptying a wastebasket with tissues discarded by somebody with COVID-19 should be sure to wear a mask, he said.Scientists who warn about aerosols say current recommendations still make sense.Wearing a mask is still important, and make sure it fits snugly. Keep washing those hands diligently. And again, staying farther apart is better than being closer together. Avoid crowds, especially indoors.Their main addition to recommendations is ventilation to avoid a buildup of aerosol concentration. So, the researchers say, stay out of poorly ventilated rooms. Open windows and doors. One can also use air-purifying devices or virus-inactivating ultraviolet light.Best of all: Just do as much as you can outdoors, where dilution and the sun’s ultraviolet light work in your favor.“We know outdoors is the most spectacularly effective measure, by far,” says Jose-Luis Jimenez of the University of Colorado-Boulder. “Outdoors it is not impossible to get infected, but it is difficult.”The various precautions should be used in combination rather than just one at a time, researchers say. In a well ventilated environment, “6 feet (of separation) is pretty good if everybody’s got a mask on” and nobody stays directly downwind of an infected person for very long, says Dr. Donald Milton of the University of Maryland School of Public Health, whose lab houses the Gesundheit II machine.Duration of exposure is important, so there’s probably not much risk from a short elevator ride while masked or being passed by a jogger on the sidewalk, experts say.Scientists have&nbsp;<a href="https://nicholas.duke.edu/news/online-tool-calculates-risk-classroom-transmission-airborne-covid-19" target="_blank">published</a>&nbsp;online&nbsp;<a href="https://cires.colorado.edu/news/covid-19-airborne-transmission-tool-available" target="_blank">tools</a>&nbsp;for calculating risk of airborne spread in various settings.At a recent meeting on aerosols, however, Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, noted that preventive steps can be a challenge in the real world. Keeping apart from other people can be difficult in homes that house multiple generations. Some old buildings have windows that were “nailed shut years ago,” he said. And “we have far too many communities where they simply don’t have access to clean water to wash their hands.”It might seem strange that for all the scientific frenzy to study the new coronavirus, the details of how it spreads can still be in doubt nine months later. But history suggests patience.“We’ve been studying influenza for 102 years,” says Milton, referring to the 1918 flu epidemic. “We still don’t know how it’s transmitted and what the role of aerosols is.”___

Tiny airborne particles may pose a big coronavirus problem

New York (AP) —President Donald Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes the year he ran for president and in his first year in the White House, according to a report Sunday in The New York Times.

Trump, who has fiercely guarded his tax filings and is the only president in modern times not to make them public, paid no federal income taxes in 10 of the past 15 years.

The details of the tax filings complicate Trump’s description of himself as a shrewd and patriotic businessman, revealing instead a series of financial losses and income from abroad that could come into conflict with his responsibilities as president. The president’s financial disclosures indicated he earned at least $434.9 million in 2018, but the tax filings reported a $47.4 million loss.

The tax filings also illustrate how a reputed billionaire could pay little to nothing in taxes, while someone in the middle class could pay substantially more than him. Roughly half of Americans pay no income taxes, primarily because of how low their incomes are. But IRS figures indicate that the average tax filer paid roughly $12,200 in 2017, about 16 times more than what the president paid.

The disclosure, which the Times said comes from tax return data it obtained extending over two decades, comes at a pivotal moment ahead of the first presidential debate Tuesday and weeks before a divisive election against Democrat Joe Biden.

Speaking at a news conference Sunday at the White House, Trump dismissed the report as “fake news” and maintained he has paid taxes, though he gave no specifics. He also vowed that information about his taxes “will all be revealed,” but he offered no timeline for the disclosure and made similar promises during the 2016 campaign on which he never followed through.

In fact, the president has fielded court challenges against those seeking access to his returns, including the U.S. House, which is suing to get Trump’s tax returns as part of congressional oversight.

During his first two years as president, Trump received $73 million from foreign operations, which in addition to his golf properties in Scotland and Ireland included $3 million from the Philippines, $2.3 million from India and $1 million from Turkey, among other nations. The president in 2017 paid $145,400 in taxes in India and $156,824 in the Philippines, compared to just $750 in U.S. income taxes. The Times said the tax records did not reveal any unreported connections to Russia.

Trump found multiple ways to reduce his tax bills. He has taken tax deductions on personal expenses such as housing, aircraft and $70,000 to style his hair while he filmed “The Apprentice.” Losses in the property businesses solely owned and managed by Trump appear to have offset income from his stake in “The Apprentice” and other entities with multiple owners.

During the first two years of his presidency, Trump relied on business tax credits to reduce his tax obligations. The Times said $9.7 million worth of business investment credits that were submitted after Trump requested an extension to file his taxes allowed him to offset his obligations and pay just $750 each in 2016 and 2017.

Income tax payments help finance the military and domestic programs.

Trump, starting in 2010, claimed and received an income tax refund that totaled $72.9 million, which the Times said was at the core of an ongoing audit by the IRS. The Times said a ruling against Trump could cost him $100 million or more.

The president could also face mounting financial pressure in the years ahead. The tax records show he’s carrying a total of $421 million in loans and debt that are primarily due within four years. Most of that debt comes from the Doral golf resort in Florida ($125 million) and Trump’s Washington hotel ($160 million), two properties that the Times said are struggling financially.

Richard Neal, D-Mass., the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee who has tried unsuccessfully to obtain Trump’s tax records, said the Times report makes it even more essential for his committee to get the documents.

“It appears that the President has gamed the tax code to his advantage and used legal fights to delay or avoid paying what he owes,” Neal wrote in a statement. “Now, Donald Trump is the boss of the agency he considers an adversary. It is essential that the IRS’s presidential audit program remain free of interference.”

A lawyer for the Trump Organization, Alan Garten, and a spokesperson for the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on the report.

Garten told the Times that “most, if not all, of the facts appear to be inaccurate.”

He said in a statement to the news organization that the president “has paid tens of millions of dollars in personal taxes to the federal government, including paying millions in personal taxes since announcing his candidacy in 2015.”

The New York Times said it declined to provide Garten with the tax filings in order to protect its sources, but it said its sources had legal access to the records.

During his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f1bf2aef22d54f4fa7dd4b7ffe1c0ddc">first general election debate</a>&nbsp;against Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, Clinton said that perhaps Trump wasn’t releasing his tax returns because he had paid nothing in federal taxes.

Trump interrupted her to say, “That makes me smart.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1601291509606.png" alt="President Trump addressed the New York Times report on his taxes during a Sunday afternoon news conference -photo courtesy White House." />
 <figcaption>President Trump addressed the New York Times report on his taxes during a Sunday afternoon news conference -photo courtesy White House.</figcaption>
 </figure>New York (AP) —President Donald Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes the year he ran for president and in his first year in the White House, according to a report Sunday in The New York Times.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">FAKE NEWS!&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1310432401454235650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump, who has fiercely guarded his tax filings and is the only president in modern times not to make them public, paid no federal income taxes in 10 of the past 15 years.The details of the tax filings complicate Trump’s description of himself as a shrewd and patriotic businessman, revealing instead a series of financial losses and income from abroad that could come into conflict with his responsibilities as president. The president’s financial disclosures indicated he earned at least $434.9 million in 2018, but the tax filings reported a $47.4 million loss.The tax filings also illustrate how a reputed billionaire could pay little to nothing in taxes, while someone in the middle class could pay substantially more than him. Roughly half of Americans pay no income taxes, primarily because of how low their incomes are. But IRS figures indicate that the average tax filer paid roughly $12,200 in 2017, about 16 times more than what the president paid.The disclosure, which the Times said comes from tax return data it obtained extending over two decades, comes at a pivotal moment ahead of the first presidential debate Tuesday and weeks before a divisive election against Democrat Joe Biden.Speaking at a news conference Sunday at the White House, Trump dismissed the report as “fake news” and maintained he has paid taxes, though he gave no specifics. He also vowed that information about his taxes “will all be revealed,” but he offered no timeline for the disclosure and made similar promises during the 2016 campaign on which he never followed through.In fact, the president has fielded court challenges against those seeking access to his returns, including the U.S. House, which is suing to get Trump’s tax returns as part of congressional oversight.During his first two years as president, Trump received $73 million from foreign operations, which in addition to his golf properties in Scotland and Ireland included $3 million from the Philippines, $2.3 million from India and $1 million from Turkey, among other nations. The president in 2017 paid $145,400 in taxes in India and $156,824 in the Philippines, compared to just $750 in U.S. income taxes. The Times said the tax records did not reveal any unreported connections to Russia.Trump found multiple ways to reduce his tax bills. He has taken tax deductions on personal expenses such as housing, aircraft and $70,000 to style his hair while he filmed “The Apprentice.” Losses in the property businesses solely owned and managed by Trump appear to have offset income from his stake in “The Apprentice” and other entities with multiple owners.During the first two years of his presidency, Trump relied on business tax credits to reduce his tax obligations. The Times said $9.7 million worth of business investment credits that were submitted after Trump requested an extension to file his taxes allowed him to offset his obligations and pay just $750 each in 2016 and 2017.Income tax payments help finance the military and domestic programs.Trump, starting in 2010, claimed and received an income tax refund that totaled $72.9 million, which the Times said was at the core of an ongoing audit by the IRS. The Times said a ruling against Trump could cost him $100 million or more.The president could also face mounting financial pressure in the years ahead. The tax records show he’s carrying a total of $421 million in loans and debt that are primarily due within four years. Most of that debt comes from the Doral golf resort in Florida ($125 million) and Trump’s Washington hotel ($160 million), two properties that the Times said are struggling financially.Richard Neal, D-Mass., the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee who has tried unsuccessfully to obtain Trump’s tax records, said the Times report makes it even more essential for his committee to get the documents.“It appears that the President has gamed the tax code to his advantage and used legal fights to delay or avoid paying what he owes,” Neal wrote in a statement. “Now, Donald Trump is the boss of the agency he considers an adversary. It is essential that the IRS’s presidential audit program remain free of interference.”A lawyer for the Trump Organization, Alan Garten, and a spokesperson for the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on the report.Garten told the Times that “most, if not all, of the facts appear to be inaccurate.”He said in a statement to the news organization that the president “has paid tens of millions of dollars in personal taxes to the federal government, including paying millions in personal taxes since announcing his candidacy in 2015.”The New York Times said it declined to provide Garten with the tax filings in order to protect its sources, but it said its sources had legal access to the records.During his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f1bf2aef22d54f4fa7dd4b7ffe1c0ddc">first general election debate</a>&nbsp;against Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, Clinton said that perhaps Trump wasn’t releasing his tax returns because he had paid nothing in federal taxes.Trump interrupted her to say, “That makes me smart.”

President Trump responds to New York Times report on his taxes

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Sunday postponed a Trump administration order that would have banned the popular video sharing app TikTok from U.S. smartphone app stores around midnight.

A more comprehensive ban remains scheduled for November, about a week after the presidential election. The judge, Carl Nichols of the U.S District Court for the District of Columbia, did not agree to postpone the later ban.

The ruling followed an emergency hearing Sunday morning in which lawyers for TikTok argued that the administration's app-store ban would infringe on First Amendment rights and do irreparable harm to the business.

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump declared that TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, was a threat to national security and that it must either sell its U.S. operations to American companies or be barred from the country.

TikTok is still scrambling to firm up a deal tentatively struck a week ago in which it would partner with Oracle, a huge database-software company, and Walmart in an effort to win the blessing of both the Chinese and American governments. In the meantime, it is fighting to keep the app available in the U.S.

TikTok said in a statement that it was pleased with the court ruling and continues to work to turn its deal proposal into an actual agreement. The Commerce Department, which is responsible for the specific orders banning TikTok, said it will comply with the judge's order but intends to vigorously defend the administration's efforts against the app.

Judge Nichols did not explain his reasoning publicly, and instead filed his judicial opinion under seal. Initially both the U.S. government's brief in the case and the entire Sunday morning hearing were also due to be sealed from the public, although the court later relented.

In arguments to Judge Nichols, TikTok lawyer John Hall said that TikTok is more than an app, since it functions as a “modern day version of a town square."

“If that prohibition goes into effect at midnight, the consequences immediately are grave,'" Hall said. “It would be no different than the government locking the doors to a public forum, roping off that town square" at a time when a free exchange of ideas is necessary heading into a polarized election.

TikTok lawyers also argued that a ban on the app would affect the ability of tens of thousands of potential viewers and content creators to express themselves every month and would also hurt its ability to hire new talent. In addition, Hall argued that a ban would prevent existing users from automatically receiving security updates, eroding national security.

Justice Department lawyer Daniel Schwei said that Chinese companies are not purely private and are subject to intrusive laws compelling their cooperation with intelligence agencies. The Justice Department has also argued that economic regulations of this nature generally are not subject to First Amendment scrutiny.

“This is the most immediate national security threat," argued Schwei. “It is a threat today. It is a risk today and therefore it deserves to be addressed today even while other things are ongoing and playing out."

Schwei also argued that TikTok lawyers failed to prove the company would suffer irreparable business harm.

The Justice Department laid out its objections to TikTok's motion for a temporary injunction in a brief under seal, but it was unsealed in redacted form to protect confidential business information.

Trump set the process in motion with executive orders in August that declared TikTok and another Chinese app, WeChat, threats to national security. The White House says the video service is a security risk because the personal information of its millions of U.S. users could be handed over to Chinese authorities.

Trump has given tentative approval to a proposed deal in which Oracle and Walmart could initially own a combined 20% of a new U.S. entity, TikTok Global. But Trump also said he could retract his approval if Oracle doesn’t have “total control" of the company; the president did not explain what he meant by that.

The deal remains unfinalized, and the two sides have also appeared at odds over the corporate structure of TikTok Global. ByteDance said last week that it will still own 80% of the U.S. entity after a financing round. Oracle, meanwhile, put out a statement saying that Americans “will be the majority and ByteDance will have no ownership in TikTok Global.”

Government-owned media in China have criticized the deal as bullying and extortion. ByteDance said Thursday it has applied for a Chinese technology export license after Beijing tightened control over exports last month in an effort to gain leverage over Washington’s attempt to force an outright sale of TikTok to U.S. owners.

China's foreign ministry has said the government will “take necessary measures” to safeguard its companies but gave no indication what steps it can take to affect TikTok’s fate in the United States.

TikTok is also asking a federal court to declare Trump’s Aug. 6 executive order unlawful.

The Chinese firm said the president doesn’t have the authority to take these actions under the national-security law he cited; that the ban violates TikTok’s First Amendment speech rights and Fifth Amendment due-process rights; and that there’s no authority for the restrictions because they are not based on a national emergency.

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Sunday postponed a Trump administration order that would have banned the popular video sharing app TikTok from U.S. smartphone app stores around midnight.A more comprehensive ban remains scheduled for November, about a week after the presidential election. The judge, Carl Nichols of the U.S District Court for the District of Columbia, did not agree to postpone the later ban.The ruling followed an emergency hearing Sunday morning in which lawyers for TikTok argued that the administration's app-store ban would infringe on First Amendment rights and do irreparable harm to the business.Earlier this year, President Donald Trump declared that TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, was a threat to national security and that it must either sell its U.S. operations to American companies or be barred from the country.TikTok is still scrambling to firm up a deal tentatively struck a week ago in which it would partner with Oracle, a huge database-software company, and Walmart in an effort to win the blessing of both the Chinese and American governments. In the meantime, it is fighting to keep the app available in the U.S.TikTok said in a statement that it was pleased with the court ruling and continues to work to turn its deal proposal into an actual agreement. The Commerce Department, which is responsible for the specific orders banning TikTok, said it will comply with the judge's order but intends to vigorously defend the administration's efforts against the app.Judge Nichols did not explain his reasoning publicly, and instead filed his judicial opinion under seal. Initially both the U.S. government's brief in the case and the entire Sunday morning hearing were also due to be sealed from the public, although the court later relented.In arguments to Judge Nichols, TikTok lawyer John Hall said that TikTok is more than an app, since it functions as a “modern day version of a town square."“If that prohibition goes into effect at midnight, the consequences immediately are grave,'" Hall said. “It would be no different than the government locking the doors to a public forum, roping off that town square" at a time when a free exchange of ideas is necessary heading into a polarized election.TikTok lawyers also argued that a ban on the app would affect the ability of tens of thousands of potential viewers and content creators to express themselves every month and would also hurt its ability to hire new talent. In addition, Hall argued that a ban would prevent existing users from automatically receiving security updates, eroding national security.Justice Department lawyer Daniel Schwei said that Chinese companies are not purely private and are subject to intrusive laws compelling their cooperation with intelligence agencies. The Justice Department has also argued that economic regulations of this nature generally are not subject to First Amendment scrutiny.“This is the most immediate national security threat," argued Schwei. “It is a threat today. It is a risk today and therefore it deserves to be addressed today even while other things are ongoing and playing out."Schwei also argued that TikTok lawyers failed to prove the company would suffer irreparable business harm.The Justice Department laid out its objections to TikTok's motion for a temporary injunction in a brief under seal, but it was unsealed in redacted form to protect confidential business information.Trump set the process in motion with executive orders in August that declared TikTok and another Chinese app, WeChat, threats to national security. The White House says the video service is a security risk because the personal information of its millions of U.S. users could be handed over to Chinese authorities.Trump has given tentative approval to a proposed deal in which Oracle and Walmart could initially own a combined 20% of a new U.S. entity, TikTok Global. But Trump also said he could retract his approval if Oracle doesn’t have “total control" of the company; the president did not explain what he meant by that.The deal remains unfinalized, and the two sides have also appeared at odds over the corporate structure of TikTok Global. ByteDance said last week that it will still own 80% of the U.S. entity after a financing round. Oracle, meanwhile, put out a statement saying that Americans “will be the majority and ByteDance will have no ownership in TikTok Global.”Government-owned media in China have criticized the deal as bullying and extortion. ByteDance said Thursday it has applied for a Chinese technology export license after Beijing tightened control over exports last month in an effort to gain leverage over Washington’s attempt to force an outright sale of TikTok to U.S. owners.China's foreign ministry has said the government will “take necessary measures” to safeguard its companies but gave no indication what steps it can take to affect TikTok’s fate in the United States.TikTok is also asking a federal court to declare Trump’s Aug. 6 executive order unlawful.The Chinese firm said the president doesn’t have the authority to take these actions under the national-security law he cited; that the ban violates TikTok’s First Amendment speech rights and Fifth Amendment due-process rights; and that there’s no authority for the restrictions because they are not based on a national emergency.

Federal judge postpones ban on popular app TikTok

WASHINGTON (AP) — Many American workers applying for unemployment benefits after being thrown out of a job by the coronavirus face a new complication: States’ efforts to prevent fraud have delayed or disrupted their payments.

California has said it will stop processing new applications for two weeks as it seeks to reduce backlogs and stop phony claims. Pennsylvania has found that up to 10,000 inmates are improperly collecting aid.

The biggest threat is posed by sophisticated international fraud rings that often use stolen identities to apply for benefits, filling out the forms with a wealth of accurate information that enables their applications to “sail through the system,” said Michele Evermore, an expert on jobless aid at the National Employment Law Project.

The bogus applications have combined with large backlogs and miscounts to make unemployment benefit data, a key economic indicator, a less-reliable measure of the nation’s job market.

On Thursday, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dol.gov/ui/data.pdf" target="_blank">Labor Department said</a>&nbsp;the number of people applying for unemployment rose slightly last week to 870,000, a historically high figure that shows the outbreak is still forcing many companies to cut jobs, six months into the crisis that has killed more than 200,000 people in the U.S.

The overall number of people collecting jobless aid in the U.S. fell slightly to 12.6 million. The steady decline in recent weeks indicates some of the unemployed are getting re-hired. Yet it also means others have exhausted their benefits, which last six months in most states.

About 105,000 people who have used up their regular aid were added to an extended jobless benefit program, created in the economic relief package approved by Congress this spring. That program is now paying benefits to 1.6 million people.

Applications for jobless aid soared in March after the outbreak suddenly shut down businesses across the U.S., throwing tens of millions out of work and triggering a deep recession. Since then, as states have slowly reopened their economies, about half the jobs that were initially lost have been recovered.

Yet job growth&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3b986be61c960c484a274837c5791909">has been slowing</a>, and unemployment remains elevated at 8.4%. Many employers appear reluctant to hire in the face of deep uncertainty about the course of the virus.

Most economists say it will be hard for the job market or the economy to sustain a recovery unless Congress enacts another rescue package. The economy may not fully recover until a vaccine becomes available.

The concerns about fraud have focused mainly on a new program, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which made self-employed people, gig workers and contractors eligible for jobless aid for the first time.

The program has been targeted for fraud in many states and has also double-counted beneficiaries. Last week, California cut nearly in half the number of people receiving benefits under PUA, apparently after purging double-counts. It now says 3.4 million people are collecting the aid.

Sharon Hilliard, director of California’s Employment Development Department, said her agency has stopped accepting applications for aid for two weeks while it adopts reforms. The department will try to clear a backlog of nearly 600,000 first-time applications and review about 1 million people who have received benefits but whose cases have come under scrutiny.

Kimberly Maldonado, a 31-year-old out-of-work music instructor, is among the thousands of Californians whose benefits are tied up by bureaucratic snags and the suspension.

Maldonado applied four weeks ago. She said she calls daily to check on the status yet reaches only a recording that says the department is overwhelmed. For her, the wait is growing critical.

“It’s literally the difference between food on my table or not,” says Maldonado, who lives in Placentia. “I’ve got a 2-year-old, and I’m not really sure how I pay for anything in the coming weeks.”

Christopher Thornberg, a founder of Beacon Economics, an economic consulting firm, said all the new programs have taxed most states’ unemployment agencies and made the economic data less reliable.

“It’s kind of the Wild West,” Thornberg said. “I have just largely dismissed this data.”

Other state unemployment agencies have been bedeviled by fraud during the crisis.

Washington was the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0527a08454bf406e56805c55a5f208c0">first state to be hit</a>&nbsp;as an international fraud ring based in Nigeria managed to steal up to $650 million in benefit payments, though at least half that money has been recovered. Texas, Florida and Oklahoma have also been affected.

On Wednesday, Pennsylvania officials announced that 18 inmates and two girlfriends on the outside were charged in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e144440159e3268c6821b7c0ff245325">scheme to fraudulently obtain</a>&nbsp;jobless benefits. The 20 defendants were accused of seeking a combined $300,00 from PUA.

Pennsylvania this summer began requiring applicants to upload two forms of identification, a challenge for poor people and immigrants who may not have a driver’s license or passport.

“Any time you try to do fraud prevention or fraud detection, it is often over-inclusive, and the people who are hurt are often the most vulnerable workers,” said Julia Simon-Mishel, supervising attorney at Philadelphia Legal Assistance. “I don’t have a single client who hasn’t had a benefit interrupted at some point.”

The new requirements have halted benefit payments for Angela Grimley, 38, who lives in Voorhees, New Jersey, but worked in Pennsylvania as a hotel events planner. She hasn’t received money for nearly six weeks, despite regular calls and emails to Pennsylvania’s unemployment agency.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Many American workers applying for unemployment benefits after being thrown out of a job by the coronavirus face a new complication: States’ efforts to prevent fraud have delayed or disrupted their payments.California has said it will stop processing new applications for two weeks as it seeks to reduce backlogs and stop phony claims. Pennsylvania has found that up to 10,000 inmates are improperly collecting aid.The biggest threat is posed by sophisticated international fraud rings that often use stolen identities to apply for benefits, filling out the forms with a wealth of accurate information that enables their applications to “sail through the system,” said Michele Evermore, an expert on jobless aid at the National Employment Law Project.The bogus applications have combined with large backlogs and miscounts to make unemployment benefit data, a key economic indicator, a less-reliable measure of the nation’s job market.On Thursday, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dol.gov/ui/data.pdf" target="_blank">Labor Department said</a>&nbsp;the number of people applying for unemployment rose slightly last week to 870,000, a historically high figure that shows the outbreak is still forcing many companies to cut jobs, six months into the crisis that has killed more than 200,000 people in the U.S.The overall number of people collecting jobless aid in the U.S. fell slightly to 12.6 million. The steady decline in recent weeks indicates some of the unemployed are getting re-hired. Yet it also means others have exhausted their benefits, which last six months in most states.About 105,000 people who have used up their regular aid were added to an extended jobless benefit program, created in the economic relief package approved by Congress this spring. That program is now paying benefits to 1.6 million people.Applications for jobless aid soared in March after the outbreak suddenly shut down businesses across the U.S., throwing tens of millions out of work and triggering a deep recession. Since then, as states have slowly reopened their economies, about half the jobs that were initially lost have been recovered.Yet job growth&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3b986be61c960c484a274837c5791909">has been slowing</a>, and unemployment remains elevated at 8.4%. Many employers appear reluctant to hire in the face of deep uncertainty about the course of the virus.Most economists say it will be hard for the job market or the economy to sustain a recovery unless Congress enacts another rescue package. The economy may not fully recover until a vaccine becomes available.The concerns about fraud have focused mainly on a new program, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which made self-employed people, gig workers and contractors eligible for jobless aid for the first time.The program has been targeted for fraud in many states and has also double-counted beneficiaries. Last week, California cut nearly in half the number of people receiving benefits under PUA, apparently after purging double-counts. It now says 3.4 million people are collecting the aid.Sharon Hilliard, director of California’s Employment Development Department, said her agency has stopped accepting applications for aid for two weeks while it adopts reforms. The department will try to clear a backlog of nearly 600,000 first-time applications and review about 1 million people who have received benefits but whose cases have come under scrutiny.Kimberly Maldonado, a 31-year-old out-of-work music instructor, is among the thousands of Californians whose benefits are tied up by bureaucratic snags and the suspension.Maldonado applied four weeks ago. She said she calls daily to check on the status yet reaches only a recording that says the department is overwhelmed. For her, the wait is growing critical.“It’s literally the difference between food on my table or not,” says Maldonado, who lives in Placentia. “I’ve got a 2-year-old, and I’m not really sure how I pay for anything in the coming weeks.”Christopher Thornberg, a founder of Beacon Economics, an economic consulting firm, said all the new programs have taxed most states’ unemployment agencies and made the economic data less reliable.“It’s kind of the Wild West,” Thornberg said. “I have just largely dismissed this data.”Other state unemployment agencies have been bedeviled by fraud during the crisis.Washington was the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0527a08454bf406e56805c55a5f208c0">first state to be hit</a>&nbsp;as an international fraud ring based in Nigeria managed to steal up to $650 million in benefit payments, though at least half that money has been recovered. Texas, Florida and Oklahoma have also been affected.On Wednesday, Pennsylvania officials announced that 18 inmates and two girlfriends on the outside were charged in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e144440159e3268c6821b7c0ff245325">scheme to fraudulently obtain</a>&nbsp;jobless benefits. The 20 defendants were accused of seeking a combined $300,00 from PUA.Pennsylvania this summer began requiring applicants to upload two forms of identification, a challenge for poor people and immigrants who may not have a driver’s license or passport.“Any time you try to do fraud prevention or fraud detection, it is often over-inclusive, and the people who are hurt are often the most vulnerable workers,” said Julia Simon-Mishel, supervising attorney at Philadelphia Legal Assistance. “I don’t have a single client who hasn’t had a benefit interrupted at some point.”The new requirements have halted benefit payments for Angela Grimley, 38, who lives in Voorhees, New Jersey, but worked in Pennsylvania as a hotel events planner. She hasn’t received money for nearly six weeks, despite regular calls and emails to Pennsylvania’s unemployment agency.“It’s a hot mess,” she said.

Fraud, backlogs disrupt US unemployment benefit payments

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/09/22/heartbroken-grandparents-make-emotional-appeals-for-kansas-foster-care-reform/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Kathy Winters had
 responsibility for care of two of her grandchildren for 16 months, but 
eventually learned from caseworkers, child advocates and her attorney 
that adoption of the boys would be impossible unless she offered court 
testimony denouncing her daughter.

Winters, who is now 
retired from the Lenexa Police Department, said Monday she refused to 
play along with the people who advised her to offer false testimony 
against the boys’ mother.

“If I did not say bad 
things about my daughter in court, which I did not believe, I would lose
 my grandsons and not be allowed to adopt them,” Winters told a 
committee of the Kansas Legislature studying foster care. “I told them I
 could not lie under oath and under God.”

She said the boys were 
subsequently ordered into foster care. They were transferred to a home 
that within one month became the subject of a substantiated allegation 
of child abuse. Her supervised visits with the two children were limited
 to one hour each month.

“They would scream for me 
not to leave them,” Winters said. “I still have nightmares of this and 
cannot bear to hear a child cry.”

Winters, who co-founded Kansas Family Rights Coalition in 2008, said she had not seen her grandsons in 12 years.

Cindy Poe, who lived in 
Topeka when her three grandchildren were placed in foster care, shared 
another perspective with lawmakers. The maternal grandmother said her 
anxiety about being separated from the children was transformed into 
heartbreak in 2014 when one of them, 10-month-old Kadillak Marie, died 
after left in a sweltering vehicle by her foster parents in Wichita.

She alleged the couple 
caring for the girl were in the house eating pizza and smoking marijuana
 while the infant was perished in a car amid 90-degree heat.

“I want to know why this 
foster system is so poorly (managed),” she said. “That’s all it took, a 
child’s death, to get peoples’ attention. The foster parents got crap on
 jail time.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600877254585.png" alt="Kathy Winters, right, comforts Cindy Poe following Poe's testimony Tuesday about the death of her grandchild within the foster care system. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) " />
 <figcaption>Kathy Winters, right, comforts Cindy Poe following Poe's testimony Tuesday about the death of her grandchild within the foster care system. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) </figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/09/22/heartbroken-grandparents-make-emotional-appeals-for-kansas-foster-care-reform/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Kathy Winters had
 responsibility for care of two of her grandchildren for 16 months, but 
eventually learned from caseworkers, child advocates and her attorney 
that adoption of the boys would be impossible unless she offered court 
testimony denouncing her daughter.Winters, who is now 
retired from the Lenexa Police Department, said Monday she refused to 
play along with the people who advised her to offer false testimony 
against the boys’ mother.“If I did not say bad 
things about my daughter in court, which I did not believe, I would lose
 my grandsons and not be allowed to adopt them,” Winters told a 
committee of the Kansas Legislature studying foster care. “I told them I
 could not lie under oath and under God.”She said the boys were 
subsequently ordered into foster care. They were transferred to a home 
that within one month became the subject of a substantiated allegation 
of child abuse. Her supervised visits with the two children were limited
 to one hour each month.“They would scream for me 
not to leave them,” Winters said. “I still have nightmares of this and 
cannot bear to hear a child cry.”Winters, who co-founded Kansas Family Rights Coalition in 2008, said she had not seen her grandsons in 12 years.<h2>A child’s death</h2>Cindy Poe, who lived in 
Topeka when her three grandchildren were placed in foster care, shared 
another perspective with lawmakers. The maternal grandmother said her 
anxiety about being separated from the children was transformed into 
heartbreak in 2014 when one of them, 10-month-old Kadillak Marie, died 
after left in a sweltering vehicle by her foster parents in Wichita.She alleged the couple 
caring for the girl were in the house eating pizza and smoking marijuana
 while the infant was perished in a car amid 90-degree heat.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600877319793.png" alt="Cindy Poe shared with a Kansas legislative committee with oversight of the foster care the agony of having three grandchildren removed from her after declining to make disparaging remarks about her daughter in court. One of those grandchildren, a girl, died when left unattended in a vehicle by her new foster family. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Cindy Poe shared with a Kansas legislative committee with oversight of the foster care the agony of having three grandchildren removed from her after declining to make disparaging remarks about her daughter in court. One of those grandchildren, a girl, died when left unattended in a vehicle by her new foster family. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>“I want to know why this 
foster system is so poorly (managed),” she said. “That’s all it took, a 
child’s death, to get peoples’ attention. The foster parents got crap on
 jail time.”The Legislature’s foster 
care oversight committee opened two days of meetings by inviting Kansans
 and organizations with an interest in foster care to share insight into
 the state’s privatized system responsible for more than 7,000 children.
 Their testimony came before comments by officials of the Kansas 
Department for Children and Families.Kansas has a history of 
struggle regarding children in state custody. They are legally removed 
from homes due to neglect and abuse. The children know what it feels 
like to be rejected, traumatized and marginalized. In recent years, DCF 
has allowed foster children to be bounced among temporary homes and 
compelled to sleep in office buildings. DCF has been criticized for 
losing track of dozens of children in foster care and for death of 
children in the system.<h2>Hysterical wailing</h2>Jason Drahota, a former 
foster parent, told legislators that he and his wife welcomed a 
2-year-old boy into their home in 2015. The child’s parental rights were
 terminated in 2016 and the boy “was dearly loved and he absolutely knew
 it,” Drahota said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600877352383.png" alt="Jason Drahota outlined in testimony to a committee of the Kansas Legislature the decision by a state agency to overturn a decision to allow a 5-year-old boy to remain with his family for purposes of adoption. Taking the boy from them after nearly three years was traumatizing. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Jason Drahota outlined in testimony to a committee of the Kansas Legislature the decision by a state agency to overturn a decision to allow a 5-year-old boy to remain with his family for purposes of adoption. Taking the boy from them after nearly three years was traumatizing. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>Eventually, one of the 
child’s half-brothers turned 17 and sought custody. The initial decision
 in 2018 was to allow the boy to remain with the Drahotas and for the 
family to proceed with adoption.On appeal to DCF, the boy was ordered into his step-brother’s custody.“We asked for clarity on 
why this was reversed,” Drahota said. “Why was this in the child’s best 
interest now? We received absolutely no clarity.”He said the 5-year-old boy
 became hysterical when informed of DCF’s decision. His wailing carried 
through office walls to the waiting room where his foster parents were 
seated.“It was a sound that still plays in our head and hurts us to this day,” he said. “The little boy never got to see us again.”<h2>Listening</h2>Abbey Dohm, a foster 
parent for 10 years and volunteer director of foster care at City Life 
Church in Wichita, said Kansas children would be better served if state 
officials, private contractors and the legal system took seriously input
 from foster parents.“Foster parents are with 
the children 24/7. We see the children at their best and at their 
worst,” Dohm said. “We interact with schools and churches and sports. 
Foster parents are advocates for the children in their home. They are 
family.”She said Kansas’ system of
 foster care had been in crisis for a long time. The number of children 
in foster care vastly exceeds availability of foster homes, she said.“In some cases,” she said,
 “it is in the best interest of children to return home to family. But 
there are also cases where this is not appropriate. Foster parents 
deserve and need a bigger voice within the system.”<h2>Reform ideas</h2>Gordon Hibbard, a 
Manhattan resident and former president of the Kansas 4-H Foundation, 
said he was drawn into the foster care issue after his son and 
daughter-in-law committed to become foster parents.He said the Legislature 
and Gov. Laura Kelly lacked the “money or the will” to implement changes
 to address the state’s ill-equipped, underfunded system.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600877386402.png" alt="Jared Broyles, executive director of Foster the Cause, says he’s leading an organization based in Topeka that recruits and trains Christians to serve as foster parents. He apologized for past indifference of some churches to the state’s foster care crisis. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Jared Broyles, executive director of Foster the Cause, says he’s leading an organization based in Topeka that recruits and trains Christians to serve as foster parents. He apologized for past indifference of some churches to the state’s foster care crisis. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>He said legislators ought 
to remove all incentives, quotas or financial awards available to 
private agencies that could cloud decisions regarding what was best for a
 foster child. Kansas should appoint an ombudsman — someone outside DCF —
 to investigate violation or inconsistent application of policy on 
foster care. Compensation and training of caseworkers must be increased,
 he said.“We need psychiatric 
residential treatment facilities to help build a framework for healing 
and restoration,” Hibbard said. “I have been told currently that we have
 more than 80 children on the wait list to receive these services.”Jared Broyles, executive 
director of Foster the Cause, said the organization has focused in the 
Topeka area on recruiting, training and supporting new Christian foster 
and adoptive families through collaborations with churches.“Let me say how very sorry
 I am that we as the church in Kansas have left the state to do the work
 alone for far too long. We were wrong. But we are here now,” Broyles 
said.Tim Carpenter has reported on Kansas for 35 years. He covered the Capitol for 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal and previously worked for the Lawrence Journal-World and United Press International.&nbsp;