BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a>&nbsp;

WASHINGTON — Though the Biden administration’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gop-plan-reverse-final-title-ix-rule-passes-us-house-biden-says-hed-veto%C2%A0%C2%A0" target="_blank">final rule for Title IX</a>&nbsp;extending federal protections for LGBTQ students went into effect nationwide Thursday, a slew of legal challenges has temporarily blocked over half of all states from enforcing the updated regulations.

After the Department of Education&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/more-half-states-sue-block-biden-title-ix-rule-protecting-lgbtq-students" target="_blank">released the final rule</a>&nbsp;in April, 26 states — all with GOP attorneys general — rushed to challenge the measure. Given the myriad legal challenges, the updated regulations only went into effect Thursday in 24 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Catherine Lhamon, assistant secretary for the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, celebrated the final rule on Thursday during a briefing.

Cardona said the updated regulations “are the culmination of a lengthy and thorough process that included unprecedented public input from students, parents, educators, administrators, experts and other stakeholders.”

“These regulations make crystal clear that everyone has the right to schools that respect their rights and offer safe, welcoming learning environments,” he added.

Lhamon said it’s “a very fluid legal environment” and the department continues “to defend the rule we believe in in these cases, with the Department of Justice as our counsel in the courts.”

“We anticipated this moment when we were finalizing the 2024 regulations, and we know they are legally sound,” she said, noting that the department has appealed the injunctions that have so far been issued and sought clarification of their application.

“While the appeals of these rulings are pending, we have asked the United States Supreme Court to allow the unchallenged provisions — which are the bulk of the final rule —&nbsp; to take effect in the enjoined states as scheduled,” Lhamon said.

But the Supreme Court has yet to decide on that emergency request, which came in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24A78/319569/20240722154922885_Title%20IX%20Louisiana%20Stay%20Application.pdf" target="_blank">pair</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24A79/319576/20240722155838924_Title%20IX%20Tennessee%20Stay%20Application.pdf" target="_blank">filings</a>&nbsp;from U.S. Solicitor General&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/2024/07/federal-government-asks-court-to-allow-enforcement-of-title-ix-rule/" target="_blank">Elizabeth Prelogar</a>&nbsp;last week.

The final rule “protects against discrimination based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics,” per the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-releases-final-title-ix-regulations-providing-vital-protections-against-sex-discrimination" target="_blank">department</a>. The updated regulations are also aimed at “restoring and strengthening full protection from sexual violence and other sex-based harassment.”

The administration initially&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/appeals-court-blocks-title-ix-rule-protecting-lgbtq-kids-reversing-alabama-federal-judge-0" target="_blank">scored a legal win</a>&nbsp;Tuesday when an Alabama federal judge rejected an attempt by Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina to halt enforcement of the final rule. But a federal appeals court granted the states’ request for an administrative injunction Wednesday, which temporarily blocked the final rule from taking effect in those Southern states.

Judge Jodi W. Dishman of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma also&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.okwd.126841/gov.uscourts.okwd.126841.48.0.pdf" target="_blank">halted the final rule</a>&nbsp;from taking effect in the state on Wednesday after the state individually sued the administration back in May.

The final rule is temporarily blocked in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

But the challenges to Title IX span beyond the 26 states that initially sued the administration —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scag.gov/media/pskl4phx/ks-v-u-s-dept-of-education-list-of-schools-enjoined.pdf" target="_blank">affecting schools</a>&nbsp;across the country.

<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/07/03/kansas-judge-issues-injunction-blocking-new-federal-anti-discrimination-rules-in-education/">Judge John Broomes</a>&nbsp;of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561.53.0.pdf" target="_blank">expanded the temporary blockage</a>&nbsp;to also include “the schools attended by the members of Young America’s Foundation or Female Athletes United, as well as the schools attended by the children of the members of Moms for Liberty.”

These groups sued alongside Kansas, Alaska, Utah and Wyoming earlier this year.

Congressional Republicans have fiercely opposed the final rule.

In July, the GOP-controlled House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gop-plan-reverse-final-title-ix-rule-passes-us-house-biden-says-hed-veto%C2%A0%C2%A0" target="_blank">passed a measure</a>&nbsp;to reverse the updated regulations under the Congressional Review Act — a procedural tool Congress can use to overturn certain actions from federal agencies.

But the measure is unlikely to find success in the Democratic-controlled Senate, and President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the legislation should it land on his desk.

LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have pushed back against GOP-led efforts to block the final rule from taking effect.

“Every student in this country deserves access to an education without fear of bullying and discrimination,” Brandon Wolf, national press secretary for the LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign, said in an emailed statement to States Newsroom.

“But MAGA politicians, promoting blatant discrimination, have fueled eight preliminary injunctions blocking enforcement of the Biden administration’s new Title IX rules in 26 states.”

Wolf added that “we must continue to fight for LGBTQ+ students across the country because everyone deserves a safe educational experience — full stop.”

Meanwhile, the department has yet to decide on a separate rule establishing new criteria regarding transgender athletes.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711150983660.png" alt="File photo U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and University of Kansas Chancellor Doug Girod during a visit to the campus in 2023-photo KU" />
                        <figcaption>File photo U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and University of Kansas Chancellor Doug Girod during a visit to the campus in 2023-photo KU</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a>&nbsp;</p><p>WASHINGTON — Though the Biden administration’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gop-plan-reverse-final-title-ix-rule-passes-us-house-biden-says-hed-veto%C2%A0%C2%A0" target="_blank">final rule for Title IX</a>&nbsp;extending federal protections for LGBTQ students went into effect nationwide Thursday, a slew of legal challenges has temporarily blocked over half of all states from enforcing the updated regulations.</p><p>After the Department of Education&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/more-half-states-sue-block-biden-title-ix-rule-protecting-lgbtq-students" target="_blank">released the final rule</a>&nbsp;in April, 26 states — all with GOP attorneys general — rushed to challenge the measure. Given the myriad legal challenges, the updated regulations only went into effect Thursday in 24 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.</p><p>U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Catherine Lhamon, assistant secretary for the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, celebrated the final rule on Thursday during a briefing.</p><p>Cardona said the updated regulations “are the culmination of a lengthy and thorough process that included unprecedented public input from students, parents, educators, administrators, experts and other stakeholders.”</p><p>“These regulations make crystal clear that everyone has the right to schools that respect their rights and offer safe, welcoming learning environments,” he added.</p><p>Lhamon said it’s “a very fluid legal environment” and the department continues “to defend the rule we believe in in these cases, with the Department of Justice as our counsel in the courts.”</p><p>“We anticipated this moment when we were finalizing the 2024 regulations, and we know they are legally sound,” she said, noting that the department has appealed the injunctions that have so far been issued and sought clarification of their application.</p><p>“While the appeals of these rulings are pending, we have asked the United States Supreme Court to allow the unchallenged provisions — which are the bulk of the final rule —&nbsp; to take effect in the enjoined states as scheduled,” Lhamon said.</p><p>But the Supreme Court has yet to decide on that emergency request, which came in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24A78/319569/20240722154922885_Title%20IX%20Louisiana%20Stay%20Application.pdf" target="_blank">pair</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24A79/319576/20240722155838924_Title%20IX%20Tennessee%20Stay%20Application.pdf" target="_blank">filings</a>&nbsp;from U.S. Solicitor General&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/2024/07/federal-government-asks-court-to-allow-enforcement-of-title-ix-rule/" target="_blank">Elizabeth Prelogar</a>&nbsp;last week.</p><h2>Discrimination protection</h2><p>The final rule “protects against discrimination based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics,” per the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-releases-final-title-ix-regulations-providing-vital-protections-against-sex-discrimination" target="_blank">department</a>. The updated regulations are also aimed at “restoring and strengthening full protection from sexual violence and other sex-based harassment.”</p><p>The administration initially&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/appeals-court-blocks-title-ix-rule-protecting-lgbtq-kids-reversing-alabama-federal-judge-0" target="_blank">scored a legal win</a>&nbsp;Tuesday when an Alabama federal judge rejected an attempt by Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina to halt enforcement of the final rule. But a federal appeals court granted the states’ request for an administrative injunction Wednesday, which temporarily blocked the final rule from taking effect in those Southern states.</p><p>Judge Jodi W. Dishman of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma also&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.okwd.126841/gov.uscourts.okwd.126841.48.0.pdf" target="_blank">halted the final rule</a>&nbsp;from taking effect in the state on Wednesday after the state individually sued the administration back in May.</p><p>The final rule is temporarily blocked in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.</p><h2>Challenges affect more schools</h2><p>But the challenges to Title IX span beyond the 26 states that initially sued the administration —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scag.gov/media/pskl4phx/ks-v-u-s-dept-of-education-list-of-schools-enjoined.pdf" target="_blank">affecting schools</a>&nbsp;across the country.</p><p><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/07/03/kansas-judge-issues-injunction-blocking-new-federal-anti-discrimination-rules-in-education/">Judge John Broomes</a>&nbsp;of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561.53.0.pdf" target="_blank">expanded the temporary blockage</a>&nbsp;to also include “the schools attended by the members of Young America’s Foundation or Female Athletes United, as well as the schools attended by the children of the members of Moms for Liberty.”</p><p>These groups sued alongside Kansas, Alaska, Utah and Wyoming earlier this year.</p><h2>House GOP tries to stop rule</h2><p>Congressional Republicans have fiercely opposed the final rule.</p><p>In July, the GOP-controlled House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gop-plan-reverse-final-title-ix-rule-passes-us-house-biden-says-hed-veto%C2%A0%C2%A0" target="_blank">passed a measure</a>&nbsp;to reverse the updated regulations under the Congressional Review Act — a procedural tool Congress can use to overturn certain actions from federal agencies.</p><p>But the measure is unlikely to find success in the Democratic-controlled Senate, and President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the legislation should it land on his desk.</p><h2>LGBTQ+ students</h2><p>LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have pushed back against GOP-led efforts to block the final rule from taking effect.</p><p>“Every student in this country deserves access to an education without fear of bullying and discrimination,” Brandon Wolf, national press secretary for the LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign, said in an emailed statement to States Newsroom.</p><p>“But MAGA politicians, promoting blatant discrimination, have fueled eight preliminary injunctions blocking enforcement of the Biden administration’s new Title IX rules in 26 states.”</p><p>Wolf added that “we must continue to fight for LGBTQ+ students across the country because everyone deserves a safe educational experience — full stop.”</p><p>Meanwhile, the department has yet to decide on a separate rule establishing new criteria regarding transgender athletes.</p>

Much-attacked final Title IX rule goes into effect while still blocked in 26 states

HOUSTON— Vice President Kamala Harris has responded to former President Donald Trump's statement about her race as the 'same old show.'

Harris was speaking at the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. in Houston.

In Chicago before the National Association of Black Journalists, Trump&nbsp;suggested Harris&nbsp;had misled voters about&nbsp;her race<b>&nbsp;</b>

Trump answered questions from three reporters: Kadia Goba of Semafor, Rachel Scott of ABC News and Harris Faulkner of Fox News.

<p>HOUSTON— Vice President Kamala Harris has responded to former President Donald Trump's statement about her race as the 'same old show.'</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">VP <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamalaHarris</a> reacts to former President Trump: &quot;The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth, a leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts. We deserve a leader who understands that our differences do not divide us.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/1tqNGPIpLo">pic.twitter.com/1tqNGPIpLo</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1818817157704061039?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Harris was speaking at the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. in Houston.</p><p>In Chicago before the National Association of Black Journalists, Trump&nbsp;suggested Harris&nbsp;had misled voters about&nbsp;her race<b>&nbsp;</b></p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Former President Trump on Vice President Kamala Harris: &quot;She was Indian all the way and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went, she became a Black person. I think somebody should look into that.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/RpEuRq6p5m">pic.twitter.com/RpEuRq6p5m</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1818717916285509891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Trump answered questions from three reporters: Kadia Goba of Semafor, Rachel Scott of ABC News and Harris Faulkner of Fox News.</p>

🎥Vice President Harris blasts Trump’s claim that she 'became Black'

WASHINGTON —Former President Donald Trump spoke and was interviewed&nbsp; Wednesday in Chicago at a gathering for the National Association of Black Journalists.

Trump answered questions from three reporters: Kadia Goba of Semafor, Rachel Scott of ABC News and Harris Faulkner of Fox News. 

Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic nominee was not scheduled to address the convention. 

A person familiar with her schedule said the Harris campaign was unable to find a time to appear at NABJ in person and claimed the organization turned down an offer for her to appear virtually.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722460473060.png" alt="Image from CSPAN video" />
                        <figcaption>Image from CSPAN video</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON —Former President Donald Trump spoke and was interviewed&nbsp; Wednesday in Chicago at a gathering for the National Association of Black Journalists.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Former President Trump on Vice President Kamala Harris: &quot;She was Indian all the way and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went, she became a Black person. I think somebody should look into that.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/RpEuRq6p5m">pic.twitter.com/RpEuRq6p5m</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1818717916285509891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Trump answered questions from three reporters: Kadia Goba of Semafor, Rachel Scott of ABC News and Harris Faulkner of Fox News. </p><p>Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic nominee was not scheduled to address the convention. </p><p>A person familiar with her schedule said the Harris campaign was unable to find a time to appear at NABJ in person and claimed the organization turned down an offer for her to appear virtually.</p>

🎥Trump answers whether Kamala Harris is a DEI hire

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jaredstrong/">JARED STRONG</a>&nbsp;

Federal health officials are encouraging farm workers who tend livestock and poultry to get vaccinated for seasonal influenza to help prevent a bird flu mutation that might spark a pandemic in people.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday it would devote up to $5 million to pay for the vaccinations, and that it will rely on states to implement the initiative.

There are 14 known human infections of highly pathogenic avian influenza that resulted from contact with infected dairy cattle and poultry in the United States, and all but one has happened in the past four months.

The virus has been circulated by wild birds for more than two years and has sporadically transmitted to domestic birds. A variation of the virus has been infecting U.S. dairy cattle since December, and four people who worked closely with infected cattle also became ill.

In recent weeks, nine people in Colorado who were tasked with culling infected poultry contracted the virus.

The CDC has maintained that the virus’ risk to humans is low — those who have been infected so far had minor symptoms of respiratory illness or pinkeye, or both.

It has not been shown to transmit between people, but the virus has the potential to rapidly gain that ability if it infects someone who also has a seasonal flu virus.

“Such dual infections, while rare, could potentially result in an exchange of genetic material between two different influenza viruses,” Dr. Nirav Shah, principal deputy director for the CDC, said in a call with reporters Tuesday.

Shah said that “reassortment” process could pose a “significant public health concern” if bird flu gains the ability to spread person-to-person the way seasonal flu does, potentially resulting in a virus that spreads easily and causes severe symptoms.

Shah said the CDC will devote up to $10 million for farm workers’ health related to avian flu. Half will be spent educating and training farm workers about how to avoid being infected.

The other half will pay for seasonal flu vaccines for an estimated 200,000 farm workers who tend livestock and poultry. The CDC hopes to vaccinate all of them but acknowledges that less than half of the general population typically gets a flu shot.

How the voluntary vaccination effort will proceed is unclear. State health officials are expected to implement them, most immediately in the 13 states that have confirmed infections among cows.

That includes Iowa, where 13 dairy herds have been infected. However, no new infections have been reported in the state in the past month.

A spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services — which presumably would coordinate with the CDC — did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article.

The vaccine will not protect the workers from contracting bird flu, Shah said, nor will it guarantee they won’t be infected by seasonal flu. But he said it’s an important component of the public health response to the new virus’ threat.

“The risk here is a theoretical but important risk,” Shah said.

The confirmations of new bird flu infections among cattle have waned significantly in most states, except for in Colorado. In the past 30 days, two-thirds of the nation’s 32 newly infected herds were in that state, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

Some of that might be due to Colorado’s&nbsp;<a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/colorado-requiring-dairy-products-to-be-regularly-tested-for-bird-flu-amid-outbreak/" target="_blank">robust testing protocols</a>, but it’s also “a quirk of history and geography,” said Eric Deeble, deputy under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs for the USDA.

The state has far fewer dairy farms than the leading milk-producing states, but most of them are concentrated in one county.

“They are all in very close proximity to one another, and so there is a lot of sharing of equipment, a lot of sharing of personnel and a lot of movement on and off farms to adjacent farms,” Deeble said.

The USDA has identified the movement of equipment and people between dairy farms as a primary vector for virus transmissions from herd to herd and from herd to flock.

The virus has been identified in 172 dairy herds in the United States this year. Fifty of them are in Colorado. In Texas, where the infections originated, the virus was confirmed in 22 herds, although there were many that went untested because they recovered before bird flu&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/04/17/two-veterinarians-hundreds-of-miles-apart-solved-a-cow-sickness-whodunit/" target="_blank">was identified</a>&nbsp;as the culprit.

This story was originally published by the&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/07/30/worried-about-bird-flu-mutation-feds-seek-livestock-worker-vaccinations/" target="_blank">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>, a States Newsroom affiliate.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722448527185.png" alt="Cow Photo courtesy of Iowa State Dairy Association)." />
                        <figcaption>Cow Photo courtesy of Iowa State Dairy Association).</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jaredstrong/">JARED STRONG</a>&nbsp;</p><p>Federal health officials are encouraging farm workers who tend livestock and poultry to get vaccinated for seasonal influenza to help prevent a bird flu mutation that might spark a pandemic in people.</p><p>The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday it would devote up to $5 million to pay for the vaccinations, and that it will rely on states to implement the initiative.</p><p>There are 14 known human infections of highly pathogenic avian influenza that resulted from contact with infected dairy cattle and poultry in the United States, and all but one has happened in the past four months.</p><p>The virus has been circulated by wild birds for more than two years and has sporadically transmitted to domestic birds. A variation of the virus has been infecting U.S. dairy cattle since December, and four people who worked closely with infected cattle also became ill.</p><p>In recent weeks, nine people in Colorado who were tasked with culling infected poultry contracted the virus.</p><p>The CDC has maintained that the virus’ risk to humans is low — those who have been infected so far had minor symptoms of respiratory illness or pinkeye, or both.</p><p>It has not been shown to transmit between people, but the virus has the potential to rapidly gain that ability if it infects someone who also has a seasonal flu virus.</p><p>“Such dual infections, while rare, could potentially result in an exchange of genetic material between two different influenza viruses,” Dr. Nirav Shah, principal deputy director for the CDC, said in a call with reporters Tuesday.</p><p>Shah said that “reassortment” process could pose a “significant public health concern” if bird flu gains the ability to spread person-to-person the way seasonal flu does, potentially resulting in a virus that spreads easily and causes severe symptoms.</p><h2>A new vaccination campaign</h2><p>Shah said the CDC will devote up to $10 million for farm workers’ health related to avian flu. Half will be spent educating and training farm workers about how to avoid being infected.</p><p>The other half will pay for seasonal flu vaccines for an estimated 200,000 farm workers who tend livestock and poultry. The CDC hopes to vaccinate all of them but acknowledges that less than half of the general population typically gets a flu shot.</p><p>How the voluntary vaccination effort will proceed is unclear. State health officials are expected to implement them, most immediately in the 13 states that have confirmed infections among cows.</p><p>That includes Iowa, where 13 dairy herds have been infected. However, no new infections have been reported in the state in the past month.</p><p>A spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services — which presumably would coordinate with the CDC — did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article.</p><p>The vaccine will not protect the workers from contracting bird flu, Shah said, nor will it guarantee they won’t be infected by seasonal flu. But he said it’s an important component of the public health response to the new virus’ threat.</p><p>“The risk here is a theoretical but important risk,” Shah said.</p><h2>Colorado has most recent infections</h2><p>The confirmations of new bird flu infections among cattle have waned significantly in most states, except for in Colorado. In the past 30 days, two-thirds of the nation’s 32 newly infected herds were in that state, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.</p><p>Some of that might be due to Colorado’s&nbsp;<a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/colorado-requiring-dairy-products-to-be-regularly-tested-for-bird-flu-amid-outbreak/" target="_blank">robust testing protocols</a>, but it’s also “a quirk of history and geography,” said Eric Deeble, deputy under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs for the USDA.</p><p>The state has far fewer dairy farms than the leading milk-producing states, but most of them are concentrated in one county.</p><p>“They are all in very close proximity to one another, and so there is a lot of sharing of equipment, a lot of sharing of personnel and a lot of movement on and off farms to adjacent farms,” Deeble said.</p><p>The USDA has identified the movement of equipment and people between dairy farms as a primary vector for virus transmissions from herd to herd and from herd to flock.</p><p>The virus has been identified in 172 dairy herds in the United States this year. Fifty of them are in Colorado. In Texas, where the infections originated, the virus was confirmed in 22 herds, although there were many that went untested because they recovered before bird flu&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/04/17/two-veterinarians-hundreds-of-miles-apart-solved-a-cow-sickness-whodunit/" target="_blank">was identified</a>&nbsp;as the culprit.</p><p>This story was originally published by the&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/07/30/worried-about-bird-flu-mutation-feds-seek-livestock-worker-vaccinations/" target="_blank">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>, a States Newsroom affiliate.&nbsp;</p>

Worried about bird flu mutation, feds seek livestock worker vaccinations

WASHINGTON —NRRM, LLC, which does business as CarShield,&nbsp;along with American Auto Shield, LLC (AAS), the administrator of its&nbsp;vehicle service contracts (VSCs),&nbsp;will pay $10 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that its advertisements and telemarketing for VSC are deceptive and misleading, and that many purchasers found that many repairs were not “covered,” despite making payments of up to $120 per month. The FTC also alleges CarShield’s celebrity and consumer endorsers made false statements in its ads, according to a media release from the FTC.

The stipulated order settling the Commission’s complaint also bars&nbsp;CarShield and AAS from making deceptive and misleading statements in the future and requires them to ensure their endorsers’ testimonials are truthful, accurate, and not deceptive.

“For many consumers, a personal vehicle is one of their most valuable assets and a vital lifeline for getting to work, taking their kids to school, and obtaining medical care. Instead of delivering the ‘peace of mind’ promised by its advertisements, CarShield left many consumers with a financial headache,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Worse still, CarShield used trusted personalities to deliver its empty promises. The FTC will hold advertisers accountable for using false or deceptive claims to exploit consumers’ financial anxieties.”

NRRM is a Missouri-based company that advertises VSCs to consumers throughout the United Sates. AAS, based in Lakewood, Colorado, designs and administers the VSCs.

<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/NRRM-dba-Carshield-Complaint.pdf">According to the FTC’s complaint</a>, CarShield advertises and sells VSCs costing approximately $80 to $120 a month. CarShield’s ads for VSCs often feature celebrities such as sports commentator Chris Berman and actor Ice-T. These endorsers try to assure consumers that buying a CarShield service plan will provide them with “peace of mind” and “protection” from the cost and inconvenience of vehicle breakdowns, which will inevitably occur.

The complaint alleges many ads claim that all repairs or repairs to “covered” systems, such as the engine and transmission, will be covered and use language that makes consumers believe CarShield will pay for all necessary repairs. For example, one ad that ran 18,000 times on television stated, “With CarShield’s administrators, they make sure you don’t get stuck with expensive car repair bills like this.” It also touts CarShield VSCs as “your best line of defense against expensive breakdowns.”

The company sells its plans using telemarketers who answer inbound calls and make outbound calls responding to consumers, including those who made web inquiries. Using scripted statements written by CarShield and cleared by AAS, the telemarketers pitch the VSCs and tell consumers that, whether they use a dealer or local mechanic for the repair work, “there is just a $100 deductible for any covered repair.”&nbsp;

However, consumers do not always get what they think they bought when signing up for the VSCs. Instead, the complaint alleges that CarShield’s ads deceptively represent that: 1) all repairs or repairs to “covered” vehicle systems will be paid for under the plans; 2) consumers will receive a rental car at no cost when their car breaks down; and 3)&nbsp;consumers can use the repair facility of their choice for repairs.

Specifically, many consumers could not use the repair facility of their choice, as many do not accept the VSCs. Many consumers also find that repairs they thought were covered are not. In fact, none of CarShield’s VSCs covers all repairs or even repairs to “covered” vehicle systems. Instead, the plans contain myriad exclusions.&nbsp;Consumers with denied claims receive no rental car, while many consumers with “approved” claims must pay a portion of their rental car costs.

In addition, while CarShield’s celebrity endorsers said they had signed up and used the company’s VSCs, in many cases this was not true.&nbsp;They were not “real” customers and had never saved money&nbsp;by using an AAS VSC. Finally, many CarShield ads deceptively feature consumer endorsers who claim to have saved a specific amount of money using their plans but have not in fact saved that amount.

<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/NRRM-dba-Carshield-MotiontoApprovedStipulatedOrder.pdf">The proposed order</a>&nbsp;settling the complaint addresses the defendants’ alleged violations of the FTC Act. First, it prohibits CarShield from making the misrepresentations described in the complaint, along with any other misrepresentations related to any good or service. It also prohibits&nbsp;CarShield and AAS&nbsp;from failing to make required disclosures and from violating the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule.

Next, the order bars CarShield from misrepresenting any endorser’s ownership, use of, or experience with any product or service and requires AAS to inform third-party marketers of the order and to review and monitor their advertising and marketing. The order also imposes standard reporting and compliance provision that will remain in place for up to 10 years.

Finally, the order imposes a $10 million monetary judgment against&nbsp;CarShield and AAS,&nbsp;which will be used to provide refunds to defrauded consumers. The full amount of the judgment must be paid to the FTC within seven days of when the court enters the order.

The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the complaint and proposed order was 5-0. FTC staff filed the complaint and proposed order in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.&nbsp;The case was brought by the agency’s East Central Region. The FTC thanks the Missouri Attorney General’s Office for its help in bringing this case.

<p>WASHINGTON —NRRM, LLC, which does business as CarShield,&nbsp;along with American Auto Shield, LLC (AAS), the administrator of its&nbsp;vehicle service contracts (VSCs),&nbsp;will pay $10 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that its advertisements and telemarketing for VSC are deceptive and misleading, and that many purchasers found that many repairs were not “covered,” despite making payments of up to $120 per month. The FTC also alleges CarShield’s celebrity and consumer endorsers made false statements in its ads, according to a media release from the FTC.</p><p>The stipulated order settling the Commission’s complaint also bars&nbsp;CarShield and AAS from making deceptive and misleading statements in the future and requires them to ensure their endorsers’ testimonials are truthful, accurate, and not deceptive.</p><p>“For many consumers, a personal vehicle is one of their most valuable assets and a vital lifeline for getting to work, taking their kids to school, and obtaining medical care. Instead of delivering the ‘peace of mind’ promised by its advertisements, CarShield left many consumers with a financial headache,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Worse still, CarShield used trusted personalities to deliver its empty promises. The FTC will hold advertisers accountable for using false or deceptive claims to exploit consumers’ financial anxieties.”</p><p>NRRM is a Missouri-based company that advertises VSCs to consumers throughout the United Sates. AAS, based in Lakewood, Colorado, designs and administers the VSCs.</p><p><a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/NRRM-dba-Carshield-Complaint.pdf">According to the FTC’s complaint</a>, CarShield advertises and sells VSCs costing approximately $80 to $120 a month. CarShield’s ads for VSCs often feature celebrities such as sports commentator Chris Berman and actor Ice-T. These endorsers try to assure consumers that buying a CarShield service plan will provide them with “peace of mind” and “protection” from the cost and inconvenience of vehicle breakdowns, which will inevitably occur.</p><p>The complaint alleges many ads claim that all repairs or repairs to “covered” systems, such as the engine and transmission, will be covered and use language that makes consumers believe CarShield will pay for all necessary repairs. For example, one ad that ran 18,000 times on television stated, “With CarShield’s administrators, they make sure you don’t get stuck with expensive car repair bills like this.” It also touts CarShield VSCs as “your best line of defense against expensive breakdowns.”</p><p>The company sells its plans using telemarketers who answer inbound calls and make outbound calls responding to consumers, including those who made web inquiries. Using scripted statements written by CarShield and cleared by AAS, the telemarketers pitch the VSCs and tell consumers that, whether they use a dealer or local mechanic for the repair work, “there is just a $100 deductible for any covered repair.”&nbsp;</p><p>However, consumers do not always get what they think they bought when signing up for the VSCs. Instead, the complaint alleges that CarShield’s ads deceptively represent that: 1) all repairs or repairs to “covered” vehicle systems will be paid for under the plans; 2) consumers will receive a rental car at no cost when their car breaks down; and 3)&nbsp;consumers can use the repair facility of their choice for repairs.</p><p>Specifically, many consumers could not use the repair facility of their choice, as many do not accept the VSCs. Many consumers also find that repairs they thought were covered are not. In fact, none of CarShield’s VSCs covers all repairs or even repairs to “covered” vehicle systems. Instead, the plans contain myriad exclusions.&nbsp;Consumers with denied claims receive no rental car, while many consumers with “approved” claims must pay a portion of their rental car costs.</p><p>In addition, while CarShield’s celebrity endorsers said they had signed up and used the company’s VSCs, in many cases this was not true.&nbsp;They were not “real” customers and had never saved money&nbsp;by using an AAS VSC. Finally, many CarShield ads deceptively feature consumer endorsers who claim to have saved a specific amount of money using their plans but have not in fact saved that amount.</p><p><a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/NRRM-dba-Carshield-MotiontoApprovedStipulatedOrder.pdf">The proposed order</a>&nbsp;settling the complaint addresses the defendants’ alleged violations of the FTC Act. First, it prohibits CarShield from making the misrepresentations described in the complaint, along with any other misrepresentations related to any good or service. It also prohibits&nbsp;CarShield and AAS&nbsp;from failing to make required disclosures and from violating the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule.</p><p>Next, the order bars CarShield from misrepresenting any endorser’s ownership, use of, or experience with any product or service and requires AAS to inform third-party marketers of the order and to review and monitor their advertising and marketing. The order also imposes standard reporting and compliance provision that will remain in place for up to 10 years.</p><p>Finally, the order imposes a $10 million monetary judgment against&nbsp;CarShield and AAS,&nbsp;which will be used to provide refunds to defrauded consumers. The full amount of the judgment must be paid to the FTC within seven days of when the court enters the order.</p><p>The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the complaint and proposed order was 5-0. FTC staff filed the complaint and proposed order in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.&nbsp;The case was brought by the agency’s East Central Region. The FTC thanks the Missouri Attorney General’s Office for its help in bringing this case.</p>

CarShield to pay $10M to settle deceptive advertising charges

JERUSALEM — U.S. forces continue to face daily threats in the Red Sea and the surrounding area.

Over the past week U.S. forces successfully destroyed 11 Iranian-backed Houthi drones including six on Friday in the Red Sea, according to the U.S. Central Command.

They also destroyed two surface-to-air missiles and five missile launchers and on Thursday destoyed a drone launcher. All of these were in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.


It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure.

<p>JERUSALEM — U.S. forces continue to face daily threats in the Red Sea and the surrounding area.</p><p>Over the past week U.S. forces successfully destroyed 11 Iranian-backed Houthi drones including six on Friday in the Red Sea, according to the U.S. Central Command.</p><p>They also destroyed two surface-to-air missiles and five missile launchers and on Thursday destoyed a drone launcher. All of these were in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.
</p><p>It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure.</p>

U.S. forces continue to face daily threats in the Red Sea

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. –&nbsp;NORAD detected, tracked, and intercepted two Russian TU-95 and two People's Republic of China H-6 military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Wednesday, according to a statement from the&nbsp;North American Aerospace Defense Command.&nbsp;

 NORAD fighter jets from the United States and Canada conducted the intercept.

The Russian and Chinese aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace.

&nbsp;In February, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected and tracked four Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone three times over four days.

The presence of Chinese aircraft is a new development.

An ADIZ begins where sovereign airspace ends and is a defined stretch of international airspace that requires the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security.

&nbsp;"NORAD remains ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North America."

<p>COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. –&nbsp;NORAD detected, tracked, and intercepted two Russian TU-95 and two People's Republic of China H-6 military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Wednesday, according to a statement from the&nbsp;North American Aerospace Defense Command.&nbsp;</p><p> NORAD fighter jets from the United States and Canada conducted the intercept.</p><p>The Russian and Chinese aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace.</p><p>&nbsp;In February, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected and tracked four Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone three times over four days.</p><p>The presence of Chinese aircraft is a new development.</p><p>An ADIZ begins where sovereign airspace ends and is a defined stretch of international airspace that requires the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security.</p><p>&nbsp;"NORAD remains ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North America."</p>

U.S. Fighter jets intercept Chinese, Russian bombers near Alaska

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">ARIANA FIGUEROA</a>&nbsp;-<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/"><i>States Newsroom</i></a>

WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a Tuesday call with reporters committed to a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic presidential candidate.

“I would be willing to do more than one debate,” Trump said.

Harris, who says she is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/democratic-delegates-swiftly-give-harris-enough-support-clinch-presidential-nomination" target="_blank">won pledges&nbsp;</a>from enough Democratic delegates by late Monday night to gain the nomination. President Joe Biden on Sunday dropped his reelection bid and endorsed Harris.

During the call, Trump also said that he’s not worried about campaigning against Harris because “she’s the same as Biden” in her policies.

Trump later in the call criticized Harris for the Biden administration’s immigration approach, a topic that he has made a core part of his platform in his third run for the White House.

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to States Newsroom’s request for comment on Trump’s remarks about debating.

Trump also said he is not sure he wants to take part in a debate hosted by ABC News that was scheduled for Sept. 10 with then-presumptive Democratic nominee Biden.

Biden’s shaky performance in a June 27 debate with Trump led to weeks of growing Democratic unease with his campaign, and members of both the U.S. House and Senate called for the president to drop his reelection bid.

Trump also noted that he hasn’t agreed to the ABC debate because he “agreed to a debate with Joe Biden,” and not Harris.

Harris held her first campaign rally Tuesday in Milwaukee, where she leaned into her prior work as a prosecutor and the attorney general for the state of California.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721587521577.png" alt="File photo CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>File photo CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">ARIANA FIGUEROA</a>&nbsp;-<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/"><i>States Newsroom</i></a></p><p>WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a Tuesday call with reporters committed to a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic presidential candidate.</p><p>“I would be willing to do more than one debate,” Trump said.</p><p>Harris, who says she is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/democratic-delegates-swiftly-give-harris-enough-support-clinch-presidential-nomination" target="_blank">won pledges&nbsp;</a>from enough Democratic delegates by late Monday night to gain the nomination. President Joe Biden on Sunday dropped his reelection bid and endorsed Harris.</p><p>During the call, Trump also said that he’s not worried about campaigning against Harris because “she’s the same as Biden” in her policies.</p><p>Trump later in the call criticized Harris for the Biden administration’s immigration approach, a topic that he has made a core part of his platform in his third run for the White House.</p><p>The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to States Newsroom’s request for comment on Trump’s remarks about debating.</p><p>Trump also said he is not sure he wants to take part in a debate hosted by ABC News that was scheduled for Sept. 10 with then-presumptive Democratic nominee Biden.</p><p>Biden’s shaky performance in a June 27 debate with Trump led to weeks of growing Democratic unease with his campaign, and members of both the U.S. House and Senate called for the president to drop his reelection bid.</p><p>Trump also noted that he hasn’t agreed to the ABC debate because he “agreed to a debate with Joe Biden,” and not Harris.</p><p>Harris held her first campaign rally Tuesday in Milwaukee, where she leaned into her prior work as a prosecutor and the attorney general for the state of California.</p>

Trump says he’s willing to debate Harris, more than once

West Yellowstone, Montana —Tourists enjoying Yellowstone National Park were forced to run for cover when the was a massive geyser explosion.

&nbsp;Just before 10:30a.m. Tuesday, a localized&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/news/hydrothermal-explosions-yellowstone-national-park" target="_blank">hydrothermal explosion</a>&nbsp;occurred near Sapphire Pool in Biscuit Basin, located just north of Old Faithful, according to the National Park Service.

No injuries were reported and the extent of damage is unknown at this time.&nbsp;

Biscuit Basin including the parking lot and boardwalks, are temporarily closed for safety reasons. The Grand Loop Road remains open.&nbsp; Park staff and staff from USGS will monitor conditions and reopen the area once deemed safe.&nbsp;

No&nbsp;other monitoring data show changes in the Yellowstone region. Tthe explosion does not reflect a change in the volcanic system, which remains at normal background levels of activity. The park service indicated this is an&nbsp;evolving incident, and additional details will be shared as more facts are known.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721765630612.png" alt="Photo National Park Service" />
                        <figcaption>Photo National Park Service</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>West Yellowstone, Montana —Tourists enjoying Yellowstone National Park were forced to run for cover when the was a massive geyser explosion.</p><p>&nbsp;Just before 10:30a.m. Tuesday, a localized&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/news/hydrothermal-explosions-yellowstone-national-park" target="_blank">hydrothermal explosion</a>&nbsp;occurred near Sapphire Pool in Biscuit Basin, located just north of Old Faithful, according to the National Park Service.</p><p>No injuries were reported and the extent of damage is unknown at this time.&nbsp;</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721766258883.png" alt="Photo National Park Service" />
                        <figcaption>Photo National Park Service</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Biscuit Basin including the parking lot and boardwalks, are temporarily closed for safety reasons. The Grand Loop Road remains open.&nbsp; Park staff and staff from USGS will monitor conditions and reopen the area once deemed safe.&nbsp;</p><p>No&nbsp;other monitoring data show changes in the Yellowstone region. Tthe explosion does not reflect a change in the volcanic system, which remains at normal background levels of activity. The park service indicated this is an&nbsp;evolving incident, and additional details will be shared as more facts are known.</p>

Geyser explosion closes portion of Yellowstone National Park

WASHINGTON— President Joe Biden will address the nation from the White House Wednesday evening on&nbsp;his decision to end his 2024 reelection bid.

<p>WASHINGTON— President Joe Biden will address the nation from the White House Wednesday evening on&nbsp;his decision to end his 2024 reelection bid.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tomorrow evening at 8 PM ET, I will address the nation from the Oval Office on what lies ahead, and how I will finish the job for the American people.</p>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1815766423056080912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>&nbsp;He will speak at 7 p.m. CDT&nbsp;</p>

Biden to give a White House address on decision to exit the race

WASHINGTON—&nbsp; Vice President Kamala Harris has secured enough Democratic delegates to become her party’s nominee, according to her campaign. She said in a statement that she is looking forward to formally accepting the nomination while also making her case against a second Donald Trump presidency.

The Democrat convention is next month in Chicago.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721737749444.png" alt="Image courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>Image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON—&nbsp; Vice President Kamala Harris has secured enough Democratic delegates to become her party’s nominee, according to her campaign. She said in a statement that she is looking forward to formally accepting the nomination while also making her case against a second Donald Trump presidency.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721737632143.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>The Democrat convention is next month in Chicago.</p>

Read statement from Kamala Harris on accepting the nomination soon

WASHINGTON— President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday in Las Vegas. On Monday Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the president's physician, provided an update on Biden's recovery.

&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;announced Sunday&nbsp;that he is dropping his reelection bid against Donald Trump. He has not been seen in public since last week.

<p>WASHINGTON— President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday in Las Vegas. On Monday Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the president's physician, provided an update on Biden's recovery.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721673941588.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;announced Sunday&nbsp;that he is dropping his reelection bid against Donald Trump. He has not been seen in public since last week.</p>

Read doctor's Monday update on Biden's COVID recovery

WASHINGTON —&nbsp;Vice President Kamala Harris&nbsp;spoke Monday at a White House celebration with the NCAA championship teams, her first appearance since President Biden announced he was leaving the race.

Harris is set to travel to Wilmington Monday afternoon to meet with Biden campaign staff.

<p>WASHINGTON —&nbsp;Vice President Kamala Harris&nbsp;spoke Monday at a White House celebration with the NCAA championship teams, her first appearance since President Biden announced he was leaving the race.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a>: &quot;Joe Biden&#39;s legacy of accomplishment over the past three years is unmatched in modern history.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/m12gjVAkD6">pic.twitter.com/m12gjVAkD6</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1815421541628125644?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721650226823.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Harris is set to travel to Wilmington Monday afternoon to meet with Biden campaign staff.</p>

🎥Harris makes first public comments since Biden ended campaign

WASHINGTON—&nbsp;The Secret Service director&nbsp;Kim Cheatle testified Monday before the House Oversight committee as calls mount for her to resign over security failures at a rally where a 20-year-old gunman&nbsp;attempted to assassinate&nbsp;former President&nbsp;Donald Trump.

Click below to watch a replay of the hearing.

Rep. Eric Burlison, Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri and Rep. Jake LaTurner of Kansas are members of the House Oversight Committee.

<p>WASHINGTON—&nbsp;The Secret Service director&nbsp;Kim Cheatle testified Monday before the House Oversight committee as calls mount for her to resign over security failures at a rally where a 20-year-old gunman&nbsp;attempted to assassinate&nbsp;former President&nbsp;Donald Trump.</p><p>Click below to watch a replay of the hearing.</p><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hyP3tKtgtnw?si=Pqhet5TaSu_xleoJ&amp;start=999" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><p>Rep. Eric Burlison, Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri and Rep. Jake LaTurner of Kansas are members of the House Oversight Committee.</p>

🎥 Secret Service director testifies on attempted assassination of Donald Trump

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Sunday he was dropping out of the 2024 race following a disastrous debate with Republican Donald Trump.&nbsp;

Lawmakers immediately called for Biden to resign from office.

In a statement from his office, Kansas 4th District Rep. Ron Estes wrote, "President Joe Biden's announcement that he will suspend his reelection campaign is an admission of something that Americans have observed for a long time – he is not fit to be president, which also means he can no longer serve as commander in chief."

Biden's announcement throws the Democratic Party into chaos just months before the election. Biden has thrown his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s instant favorite for the nomination at its August convention in Chicago.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720133821321.png" alt="File photo White House" />
                        <figcaption>File photo White House</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Sunday he was dropping out of the 2024 race following a disastrous debate with Republican Donald Trump.&nbsp;</p><p>Lawmakers immediately called for Biden to resign from office.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If Joe Biden is unable to serve another term, then he must resign right now. If he&#39;s unfit to campaign, he should not have the nuclear codes - it&#39;s that simple.</p>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1815100264380252171?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If Joe Biden isn&#39;t fit to run for re-election, he&#39;s clearly no longer fit to serve as President. He already did what he thought was best for his party. Now he needs to do what’s best for our country. It’s time for President Biden to resign from office.</p>&mdash; Rep. Sam Graves (@RepSamGraves) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepSamGraves/status/1815101527431745620?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Then RESIGN your office. If you can’t run a mere political campaign, you can’t be President <a href="https://t.co/wbO9fs0TyN">https://t.co/wbO9fs0TyN</a></p>&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1815082478417358942?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">At this unprecedented juncture in American history, we must be clear about what just happened. The Democrat Party forced the Democrat nominee off the ballot, just over 100 days before the election.<br> <br>Having invalidated the votes of more than 14 million Americans who selected Joe…</p>&mdash; Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1815093011669516433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Joe Biden should resign.<br><br>If he’s not capable of being a candidate after he won the primary he’s not capable of being President. <a href="https://t.co/pb7LTFFxpd">https://t.co/pb7LTFFxpd</a></p>&mdash; Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) <a href="https://twitter.com/Eric_Schmitt/status/1815099700233855036?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>In a statement from his office, Kansas 4th District Rep. Ron Estes wrote, "President Joe Biden's announcement that he will suspend his reelection campaign is an admission of something that Americans have observed for a long time – he is not fit to be president, which also means he can no longer serve as commander in chief."</p><p>Biden's announcement throws the Democratic Party into chaos just months before the election. Biden has thrown his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s instant favorite for the nomination at its August convention in Chicago.&nbsp;</p>

Lawmakers: Biden must resign after ending reelection campaign

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/paige-gross/">PAIGE GROSS</a>

Air travel, banking, media and hospital systems are just some of the industries affected by a bug in a software update that has scrambled business operations for many globally Friday morning.

Many of those who use Microsoft Windows are likely experiencing a “blue screen of death” or an error page. The issue is due to a single bug in a software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, which provides antivirus software for Microsoft users.

The company pushed out an update to the software overnight, and at 1:30 a.m. EST, CrowdStrike said its “Falcon Sensor” software was causing Microsoft Windows to crash and display a blue screen,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/global-cyber-outage-grounds-flights-hits-media-financial-telecoms-2024-07-19/" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a>.

CrowdStrike President and CEO George Kurtz released a statement early Friday morning<a href="https://x.com/George_Kurtz/status/1814235001745027317" target="_blank">&nbsp;on X</a>, saying that the incident was not a security concern or a cyberattack. He added that the issue has been identified and that the company has been deploying a fix.

“We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website,” Kurtz said.

The bug was causing major delays and cancellations at airports across the globe. Flight tracking data site&nbsp;<a href="https://www.flightaware.com/live/cancelled" target="_blank">FlightAware&nbsp;</a>noted nearly 24,000 delays and 2,300 cancellations globally by 9:30 a.m. Friday. While some airlines have been able to resume operation of their digital systems, others are finding analogue solutions in the meantime.

The U.S. Department of Transportation said it was monitoring the situation and suggested those experiencing travel delays and cancellations to use its&nbsp;<a href="http://flightrights.gov/" target="_blank">FlightRights.gov</a>&nbsp;website to help navigate their delays in travel.

Some states’ 911 and non-emergency lines were experiencing issues, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2024/07/19/alaska-experiencing-statewide-911-outage/" target="_blank">Alaska</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/microsoft-global-outage-metro-service-dc-virginia-maryland-fairfax-county-systems-down-impacts-it-tech-airports-dulles-regean-dca-iad-airlines-banks-media-reporting-issues-widespread-911-call-centers-police-fire-ems" target="_blank">Virginia</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562024/approved/20240719a.shtml" target="_blank">New Jersey</a>.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy released a statement early Friday morning saying that the state had activated its State Emergency Operations Center in response to the disruptions and has provided guidance to other agencies about how to work through the situation.

“We are also engaging county and local governments, 911 call centers, and utilities to assess the impact and offer our assistance.,” he said.

Microsoft released&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/MSFT365Status/status/1814251159537729592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1814251159537729592%7Ctwgr%5E5f8cc315987d34735a3ace896336faf95a49a44f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2F6abc.com%2Fpost%2Fhow-global-outage-is-impacting-services-philadelphia%2F15070804%2F" target="_blank">a trouble shooting guide</a>&nbsp;on X early Friday morning.

By 10 a.m. Friday, some global companies were seeing relief in their outages.&nbsp;<a href="https://downdetector.com/" target="_blank">Downdetector</a>, which tracks real-time outages, showed companies like Visa, Zoom, UPS and Southwest Airlines gaining more normal operations than they were experiencing in the early morning hours.

Speaking to the hosts of Today this morning, Kurtz said he was “deeply sorry for the impact we’ve caused to customers, to travelers, to anyone affected.” He said some customers have been able to reboot and are seeing progress getting online, and that trend will likely continue throughout the day.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721398046262.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/paige-gross/">PAIGE GROSS</a></p><p>Air travel, banking, media and hospital systems are just some of the industries affected by a bug in a software update that has scrambled business operations for many globally Friday morning.</p><p>Many of those who use Microsoft Windows are likely experiencing a “blue screen of death” or an error page. The issue is due to a single bug in a software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, which provides antivirus software for Microsoft users.</p><p>The company pushed out an update to the software overnight, and at 1:30 a.m. EST, CrowdStrike said its “Falcon Sensor” software was causing Microsoft Windows to crash and display a blue screen,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/global-cyber-outage-grounds-flights-hits-media-financial-telecoms-2024-07-19/" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a>.</p><p>CrowdStrike President and CEO George Kurtz released a statement early Friday morning<a href="https://x.com/George_Kurtz/status/1814235001745027317" target="_blank">&nbsp;on X</a>, saying that the incident was not a security concern or a cyberattack. He added that the issue has been identified and that the company has been deploying a fix.</p><p>“We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website,” Kurtz said.</p><p>The bug was causing major delays and cancellations at airports across the globe. Flight tracking data site&nbsp;<a href="https://www.flightaware.com/live/cancelled" target="_blank">FlightAware&nbsp;</a>noted nearly 24,000 delays and 2,300 cancellations globally by 9:30 a.m. Friday. While some airlines have been able to resume operation of their digital systems, others are finding analogue solutions in the meantime.</p><p>The U.S. Department of Transportation said it was monitoring the situation and suggested those experiencing travel delays and cancellations to use its&nbsp;<a href="http://flightrights.gov/" target="_blank">FlightRights.gov</a>&nbsp;website to help navigate their delays in travel.</p><p>Some states’ 911 and non-emergency lines were experiencing issues, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2024/07/19/alaska-experiencing-statewide-911-outage/" target="_blank">Alaska</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/microsoft-global-outage-metro-service-dc-virginia-maryland-fairfax-county-systems-down-impacts-it-tech-airports-dulles-regean-dca-iad-airlines-banks-media-reporting-issues-widespread-911-call-centers-police-fire-ems" target="_blank">Virginia</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562024/approved/20240719a.shtml" target="_blank">New Jersey</a>.</p><p>New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy released a statement early Friday morning saying that the state had activated its State Emergency Operations Center in response to the disruptions and has provided guidance to other agencies about how to work through the situation.</p><p>“We are also engaging county and local governments, 911 call centers, and utilities to assess the impact and offer our assistance.,” he said.</p><p>Microsoft released&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/MSFT365Status/status/1814251159537729592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1814251159537729592%7Ctwgr%5E5f8cc315987d34735a3ace896336faf95a49a44f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2F6abc.com%2Fpost%2Fhow-global-outage-is-impacting-services-philadelphia%2F15070804%2F" target="_blank">a trouble shooting guide</a>&nbsp;on X early Friday morning.</p><p>By 10 a.m. Friday, some global companies were seeing relief in their outages.&nbsp;<a href="https://downdetector.com/" target="_blank">Downdetector</a>, which tracks real-time outages, showed companies like Visa, Zoom, UPS and Southwest Airlines gaining more normal operations than they were experiencing in the early morning hours.</p><p>Speaking to the hosts of Today this morning, Kurtz said he was “deeply sorry for the impact we’ve caused to customers, to travelers, to anyone affected.” He said some customers have been able to reboot and are seeing progress getting online, and that trend will likely continue throughout the day.</p>

IT glitch causing delays in flights, business operations globally

MILWAUKEE —&nbsp;Donald Trump accepted the GOP presidential nomination on Thursday at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/republican-national-convention">the Republican National Convention</a>&nbsp;in Milwaukee.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5124681/presidential-nominee-donald-trump">Click here to watch</a> Trump's full acceptance speech

The former president began his acceptance speech with a personal message that drew directly from his brush with death at the campaign rally on Saturday.

Trump said, "I’m not supposed to be here tonight."

Meanwhile, Trump and his campaign have&nbsp;not released information&nbsp;about his injury or the treatment he received. The former president on Thursday described his story of surviving the attack — and vowed he would not talk about it again.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721382561480.png" alt="Image courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>Image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>MILWAUKEE —&nbsp;Donald Trump accepted the GOP presidential nomination on Thursday at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/republican-national-convention">the Republican National Convention</a>&nbsp;in Milwaukee.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5124681/presidential-nominee-donald-trump">Click here to watch</a> Trump's full acceptance speech</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Balloon drop <a href="https://twitter.com/GOPconvention?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GOPconvention</a>. <a href="https://t.co/FebXGCL3nk">pic.twitter.com/FebXGCL3nk</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1814153606767210595?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Donald Trump kisses the helmet of firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was killed during Saturday&#39;s rally. <a href="https://t.co/qdGdcwr9G9">pic.twitter.com/qdGdcwr9G9</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1814133511626031333?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Donald Trump: “I am running to be president for all America, not half of America because there is no victory in winning for half of America. So, tonight with faith and devotion I proudly accept your nomination for president of the United States.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/HuspXIyYGL">pic.twitter.com/HuspXIyYGL</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1814128352028205504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The former president began his acceptance speech with a personal message that drew directly from his brush with death at the campaign rally on Saturday.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/MELANIATRUMP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MELANIATRUMP</a> enters the Republican National Convention. <a href="https://t.co/h2GI4sZggJ">pic.twitter.com/h2GI4sZggJ</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1814122476194156875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trump Dance Cam at <a href="https://twitter.com/GOPconvention?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GOPConvention</a> <a href="https://t.co/NcHThSRH84">pic.twitter.com/NcHThSRH84</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1814101438294839807?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Trump said, "I’m not supposed to be here tonight."</p><p>Meanwhile, Trump and his campaign have&nbsp;not released information&nbsp;about his injury or the treatment he received. The former president on Thursday described his story of surviving the attack — and vowed he would not talk about it again.</p>

🎥Trump urges unity after assassination attempt during RNC finale

WASHINGTON— President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday in Las Vegas. On Thursday afternoon,&nbsp;Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the president's physician, provided an update on Biden's recovery.

The president's diagnosis comes amid intense scrutiny of his health and stamina after a disastrous debate with former President Donald Trump that sparked a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-poll-drop-out-debate-democrats-59eebaca6989985c2bfbf4f72bdfa112">flurry of concern</a>&nbsp;among Democrats that Biden is not up to the rigors of winning another presidential term.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721330354017.png" alt="President Joe Biden preparing to board Air Force One on his way to Delaware Wednesday- image courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>President Joe Biden preparing to board Air Force One on his way to Delaware Wednesday- image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON— President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday in Las Vegas. On Thursday afternoon,&nbsp;Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the president's physician, provided an update on Biden's recovery.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721329858359.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721330819270.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>The president's diagnosis comes amid intense scrutiny of his health and stamina after a disastrous debate with former President Donald Trump that sparked a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-poll-drop-out-debate-democrats-59eebaca6989985c2bfbf4f72bdfa112">flurry of concern</a>&nbsp;among Democrats that Biden is not up to the rigors of winning another presidential term.</p>

Read Thurs. update from Biden's doctor on the President's health

MILWAUKEE— President Trump's vice presidential nominee JD Vance spoke Wednesday night to the Republican National Convention.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8TlBHRtrvM">Click here </a>to watch his full acceptance speech

<p>MILWAUKEE— President Trump's vice presidential nominee JD Vance spoke Wednesday night to the Republican National Convention.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">JD Vance: &quot;Our movement is about single moms like mine, who struggled with money and addiction, but never gave up. I&#39;m proud to say that tonight my my mom is here, 10 years, clean and sober. I love you mom.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/sl2P0hDk5i">pic.twitter.com/sl2P0hDk5i</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1813783939099828705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">JD Vance: &quot;I stand here humbled and I&#39;m overwhelmed with gratitude to say I officially accept your nomination to be Vice President of the United States of America.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/xSq3U4sLeR">pic.twitter.com/xSq3U4sLeR</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1813770852082860461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8TlBHRtrvM">Click here </a>to watch his full acceptance speech</p>

🎥Trump vice presidential pick talks Appalachian ties in speech at RNC

President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721298336544.png" alt="Biden boarding Air Force One Wednesday-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>Biden boarding Air Force One Wednesday-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721256037259.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I tested positive for COVID-19 this afternoon, but I am feeling good and thank everyone for the well wishes. <br> <br>I will be isolating as I recover, and during this time I will continue to work to get the job done for the American people.</p>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1813715823053193685?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Read note from Biden's doctor: President tests positive for COVID

JERUSALEM —From January to June 2024, ISIS has claimed 153 attacks in Iraq and Syria. At this rate, ISIS is on pace to more than double the total number of attacks they claimed in 2023, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.

The increase in attacks indicates ISIS is attempting to reconstitute following several years of decreased capability.

To continue the effort to defeat ISIS and prevent its ability to conduct external attacks, United States Central Command, along with our Defeat ISIS partners, Iraqi Security Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces, conducted 196 Defeat ISIS Missions resulting in 44 ISIS operatives killed and 166 detained in the first half of 2024. In Iraq, 137 partnered operations resulted in 30 ISIS operatives killed and 74 ISIS operatives detained. In Syria, 59 operations conducted alongside the SDF and other partners resulted in 14 ISIS operatives killed and 92 ISIS operatives detained. 

The above operations resulted in eight senior ISIS leaders killed and 32 captured in both Iraq and Syria. These leaders include those responsible for planning of operations outside of Syria and Iraq, recruiting, training, and weapons smuggling. The removal of these individuals from their leadership positions further degrades ISIS capabilities to conduct external operations in the U.S. and allied nations.

The continued pursuit of the approximately 2,500 ISIS fighters at large across Iraq and Syria is a critical component to the enduring defeat of ISIS.  Equally important are the ongoing international efforts to repatriate more than 9,000 ISIS detainees in detention facilities in Syria, and the repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of more than 43,000 individuals and families from the Al Hol and Al Roj camps. This is down from the peak of over 70,000 in 2019. 

“The global enduring defeat of ISIS relies on combined efforts of the Coalition and partners to remove key leaders from the battlefield and the repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of families from Al Hol and Al Roj,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command. “We continue to focus our efforts on specifically targeting those members of ISIS who are seeking to conduct external operations outside of Iraq and Syria and those ISIS members attempting to break out ISIS members in detention in an attempt to reconstitute their forces.”

<p>JERUSALEM —From January to June 2024, ISIS has claimed 153 attacks in Iraq and Syria. At this rate, ISIS is on pace to more than double the total number of attacks they claimed in 2023, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.</p><p>The increase in attacks indicates ISIS is attempting to reconstitute following several years of decreased capability.</p><p>To continue the effort to defeat ISIS and prevent its ability to conduct external attacks, United States Central Command, along with our Defeat ISIS partners, Iraqi Security Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces, conducted 196 Defeat ISIS Missions resulting in 44 ISIS operatives killed and 166 detained in the first half of 2024. In Iraq, 137 partnered operations resulted in 30 ISIS operatives killed and 74 ISIS operatives detained. In Syria, 59 operations conducted alongside the SDF and other partners resulted in 14 ISIS operatives killed and 92 ISIS operatives detained. </p><p>The above operations resulted in eight senior ISIS leaders killed and 32 captured in both Iraq and Syria. These leaders include those responsible for planning of operations outside of Syria and Iraq, recruiting, training, and weapons smuggling. The removal of these individuals from their leadership positions further degrades ISIS capabilities to conduct external operations in the U.S. and allied nations.</p><p>The continued pursuit of the approximately 2,500 ISIS fighters at large across Iraq and Syria is a critical component to the enduring defeat of ISIS.  Equally important are the ongoing international efforts to repatriate more than 9,000 ISIS detainees in detention facilities in Syria, and the repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of more than 43,000 individuals and families from the Al Hol and Al Roj camps. This is down from the peak of over 70,000 in 2019. </p><p>“The global enduring defeat of ISIS relies on combined efforts of the Coalition and partners to remove key leaders from the battlefield and the repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of families from Al Hol and Al Roj,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command. “We continue to focus our efforts on specifically targeting those members of ISIS who are seeking to conduct external operations outside of Iraq and Syria and those ISIS members attempting to break out ISIS members in detention in an attempt to reconstitute their forces.”</p>

ISIS on pace to more than double number of attacks they claimed in 2023

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a>

President Joe Biden called for a de-escalation in political rhetoric but kept up criticism of former President Donald Trump on Monday, in Biden’s first interview since a Saturday assassination attempt on Trump.

Talking to NBC News anchor Lester Holt, Biden said he called the injured Trump on Saturday to convey his well wishes.

But he argued to Holt that Trump, whom Republicans officially nominated as their presidential candidate at their convention Monday, remains a threat to U.S. democracy who routinely employed violent rhetoric and led an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Biden said it was a mistake to use the word “bullseye” on a call with Democratic donors last week, when telling them to concentrate on the Republican candidate instead of the fallout from Biden’s poor debate performance.

Many elected officials and fundraisers after the debate wondered if Biden should withdraw from his reelection campaign.

“I meant focus on him,” Biden said of Trump. “Focus on what he’s doing. Focus on his policies.”

The former president survived a shooting on Saturday that killed one person and left two others injured at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The gunman was killed at the scene.

Biden said he did not intentionally use violent rhetoric, but did not apologize or back down from his criticisms of Trump as a “threat to democracy.”

“How do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when a president says things like he says?” Biden said.

“I’m not engaged in that rhetoric,” Biden said. “My opponent is engaged in that rhetoric, talking about there will be a bloodbath if he loses.”

He also noted Trump said he would commute the sentences of those convicted for attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and mocked then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband after he was assaulted by a man with a hammer during a home invasion.

“This doesn’t sound like you’re turning down the heat,” Holt said.

Biden responded that some ideas that Trump champions — continuing to challenge the 2020 election results despite losing in dozens of court cases, demanding a loyalty pledge from Republicans, calling political opponents “vermin” and saying he would be a dictator on day one of a second term — were antithetical to democracy.

Biden focused especially on the Jan. 6 attack, when a mob of Trump supporters sought to stop Congress and Vice President Mike Pence from certifying Biden’s 2020 victory over then-President Trump.

“When you say there’s nothing wrong with going to the Capitol, breaking in, threatening people, a couple cops dying, putting up a noose and gallows for the former vice president, and then you say you’re going to forgive people for that? That you’re going to pardon them?” Biden said.

“Violence is never appropriate,” he said. “Never, never, never, never, never in politics.”

<p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a></p><p>President Joe Biden called for a de-escalation in political rhetoric but kept up criticism of former President Donald Trump on Monday, in Biden’s first interview since a Saturday assassination attempt on Trump.</p><p>Talking to NBC News anchor Lester Holt, Biden said he called the injured Trump on Saturday to convey his well wishes.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">There’s no place at all for violence in politics at all in America. Zero.<a href="https://t.co/BrDeLD8bKq">pic.twitter.com/BrDeLD8bKq</a></p>&mdash; Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1813033120998039586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>But he argued to Holt that Trump, whom Republicans officially nominated as their presidential candidate at their convention Monday, remains a threat to U.S. democracy who routinely employed violent rhetoric and led an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.</p><p>Biden said it was a mistake to use the word “bullseye” on a call with Democratic donors last week, when telling them to concentrate on the Republican candidate instead of the fallout from Biden’s poor debate performance.</p><p>Many elected officials and fundraisers after the debate wondered if Biden should withdraw from his reelection campaign.</p><p>“I meant focus on him,” Biden said of Trump. “Focus on what he’s doing. Focus on his policies.”</p><p>The former president survived a shooting on Saturday that killed one person and left two others injured at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The gunman was killed at the scene.</p><p>Biden said he did not intentionally use violent rhetoric, but did not apologize or back down from his criticisms of Trump as a “threat to democracy.”</p><p>“How do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when a president says things like he says?” Biden said.</p><p>“I’m not engaged in that rhetoric,” Biden said. “My opponent is engaged in that rhetoric, talking about there will be a bloodbath if he loses.”</p><p>He also noted Trump said he would commute the sentences of those convicted for attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and mocked then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband after he was assaulted by a man with a hammer during a home invasion.</p><p>“This doesn’t sound like you’re turning down the heat,” Holt said.</p><p>Biden responded that some ideas that Trump champions — continuing to challenge the 2020 election results despite losing in dozens of court cases, demanding a loyalty pledge from Republicans, calling political opponents “vermin” and saying he would be a dictator on day one of a second term — were antithetical to democracy.</p><p>Biden focused especially on the Jan. 6 attack, when a mob of Trump supporters sought to stop Congress and Vice President Mike Pence from certifying Biden’s 2020 victory over then-President Trump.</p><p>“When you say there’s nothing wrong with going to the Capitol, breaking in, threatening people, a couple cops dying, putting up a noose and gallows for the former vice president, and then you say you’re going to forgive people for that? That you’re going to pardon them?” Biden said.</p><p>“Violence is never appropriate,” he said. “Never, never, never, never, never in politics.”</p><p>He pledged to “keep talking about the issues” and chastised Holt and the rest of the news media for what he said was a lack of focus on real policy issues.</p><p>“Sometime come and talk to me about what we should be talking about, OK? The issues,” Biden said at the close of the roughly 20-minute interview.</p><h2>Classified documents charges</h2><p>Holt asked Biden about the news earlier Monday that Judge Aileen Cannon, a federal judge in South Florida,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-judge-dismisses-trump-classified-documents-criminal-case" target="_blank">dismissed the charges</a>&nbsp;against Trump in a case accusing him of improperly storing classified documents from his presidency.</p><p>Biden said he felt the decision from a Trump-appointed federal judge was reached in error.</p><p>“I’m not surprised,” Biden said. “But my generic point is that … the basis upon which the case was thrown out, I find specious.”</p><h2>Debate fallout</h2><p>Asked by Holt if he’d “weathered the storm” of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-camp-works-stem-growing-democratic-unease-over-reelection-prospects" target="_blank">Democratic discontent</a>&nbsp;over&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-and-trump-trade-insults-accusations-lying-acrimonious-presidential-debate" target="_blank">his June 27 debate</a>&nbsp;performance that shook confidence in his candidacy, Biden said he was staying in the race, citing his victories in primaries and caucuses that didn’t see a serious challenge to his reelection.</p><p>“Look, 14 million people voted for me to be the nominee in the Democratic Party, OK?” Biden said. “I listen to them.”</p><p>Biden again conceded he’d “had a bad, bad night” at the debate, but told Holt that news reports should have paid more attention to Trump’s performance.</p><p>“I screwed up,” Biden said. “Why didn’t the press cover all the lies he told?”</p><p>Asked about comments from senior members of his party in Congress, including Pelosi and former No. 3 House Democrat Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, seeming to leave open the possibility he could step aside, Biden said he remained ready to campaign on a strong record.</p><p>The race remains close even after the poor debate, Biden said. He added that he’s had one of the most successful presidencies since Franklin Roosevelt nearly 100 years ago.</p><p>“I’ve gotten more done than any president has in a long, long time in three-and-a-half years, so I’m willing to be judged on that.”</p><p>Biden, 81, said he understood the concerns about his age and called it a “legitimate question” to ask how he would perform over the next four years.</p><p>But when Holt asked if Biden was motivated to “get back on the horse” and debate Trump again “in the next few weeks,” Biden pushed back, noting a packed public schedule since the debate.</p><p>“I’m on the horse,” he told the interviewer. “Where you been?”</p><h2>Vance pick</h2><p>Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/former-president-trump-taps-ohio-us-sen-jd-vance-running-mate-2024" target="_blank">choice of U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio</a>&nbsp;as his running mate showed that he would surround himself “with people who agree completely with him,” Biden said.</p><p>Holt noted Vance has made comments about Biden, but the president urged Holt to examine Vance’s comments about Trump. In 2016, as a private citizen with a somewhat public profile as a businessperson and memoirist, Vance made&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/07/opioid-of-the-masses/489911/" target="_blank">several harsh comments</a>&nbsp;about Trump.</p><p>Biden expressed some frustration that Holt did not seem interested in that history.</p><p>“He said some things about me, but see what he said about Trump,” Biden said. “What’s with you guys? Come on, man.”</p><p>The president said Vance has endorsed Republican positions to severely restrict abortion, cut taxes on high-income earners and to deny climate change.</p>

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