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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Durbin slams Patel support of Jan. 6 defendants

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Explosion Thursday Morning at Broken Bow Power Plant

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/02/14/pillen-plan-to-merge-two-agencies-hits-rough-waters-at-legislative-hearing/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts and key ag leaders were among those who threw cold water this week, at least for now, on an idea from Gov. Jim Pillen to merge two state agencies.

<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59431&amp;docnum=LB317&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">Legislative Bill 317</a>, by State Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth and introduced at the request of Gov. Jim Pillen, would fold the&nbsp;<a href="https://dnr.nebraska.gov/about" target="_blank">Nebraska Department of Natural Resources</a>&nbsp;into the&nbsp;<a href="https://dee.nebraska.gov/about" target="_blank">Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy</a>. Pillen has said his goal is to enhance the state’s focus on water.

The combined agency would be the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment, effective July 1, if adopted by the Legislature this spring.

Pillen has also set his sights on creating a Water Quality and Quantity Task Force, eyeing 15-18 members likely to be appointed by the governor, which he said would seek proactive solutions and possible policy help to proactively protect the state’s water resources.

Jasper Fanning, general manager of the Upper Republican Natural Resources District, testifying on behalf of the association for the&nbsp;<a href="https://dnr.nebraska.gov/water-planning/interactive-maps" target="_blank">state’s 23 NRDs</a>, argued against the merger for now.

Fanning described the Department of Natural Resources as very collaborative and problem-solving, urging a more surgical and refined approach to merger conversations. He said carving out only&nbsp;<a href="https://dee.nebraska.gov/organigram/organization_chart" target="_blank">water-related structures</a>, if that’s the goal, could be a focus.&nbsp;

The task force could help frame those conversations, Fanning said.

“This is probably a terrible analogy, but you don’t arrange for and conduct a shotgun wedding and then make the first step after that wedding looking at what the [pregnancy] test result is,” Fanning said.

He continued: “We need to take a scalpel and a very refined approach as opposed to just kind of a broad, sweeping approach to [the] discussion.”

The merger would replace the director of the Natural Resources Department with a “chief water officer” as a division leader below the new merged agency’s director.&nbsp;

The water position would require legislative approval and, at a minimum, require at least five years’ experience in a position of responsibility in irrigation work. Multiple testifiers said the chief water officer should be required to be a licensed professional engineer, as currently required.&nbsp;

Brandt and others said that requirement would return in a future amendment.

Fanning said Jesse Bradley, interim director of both of the agencies proposed to merge, needs to continue to be focused on the “most important water issue and project governance in the history of the State of Nebraska.”

For the NRD general manager, that is the&nbsp;<a href="https://dnr.nebraska.gov/perkins-county-canal" target="_blank">Perkins County Canal</a>, a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/appendix.php?section=1-105" target="_blank">100-year interstate compact</a>&nbsp;that former Gov. Pete Ricketts, now U.S. senator, unearthed and passed on to Pillen.

The canal would capture water in Keith County in western Nebraska from Colorado. Lawmakers have already appropriated funds for such construction, which Colorado officials have criticized as a “canal to nowhere.”

“Some might disagree with that, but I think the Perkins County Canal, and the South Platte [River] Compact, is the most important thing in Nebraska’s water future,” Fanning said.

Fanning said Environment and Energy focuses on federal mandates, pass-through funding and “a lot of check-the-box things, not really asking the question every day, ‘How do we best serve Nebraskans and what can we do to help Nebraska grow?’” He said that would take up necessary staff time.

“Anything that takes Mr. Bradley’s efforts and his staff’s efforts away from focusing on ensuring Nebraska’s water future, which has significant impacts on Lincoln and Omaha’s water supply, it’s a big deal,” Fanning said.

Bradley has been interim director of Natural Resources since August 2024, and he&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/pillen-eyeing-merger-appoints-interim-natural-resources-director-to-lead-environment-and-energy/">assumed the top role at Environment and Energy on Wednesday</a>, as Pillen eyed the merger.

The interim director said the merger would improve focus on long-term issues, such as nitrogen management, water utilization and soil health. He said it would also help streamline the process for planning and permitting.

He said he supports the merger and told the committee he believes staff are excited to work together and break through existing silos. Both agencies are already co-located at the same office building in northwest Lincoln.

Natural Resources has a budget of more than $104 million, largely in cash funds, and has about 112 employees. Environment and Energy has a budget of nearly $99 million, split in half roughly between cash and federal funds, and has 252 employees.

Pillen told the Natural Resources Committee, which Brandt chairs, that water is the “lifeblood” of Nebraska and that future innovations will lead to an “economic boom” in the state.&nbsp;

He noted new hydrogen plants, companies based around biofuels and biobased products, animal processing plants and data centers are looking to locate in the state and will need water.

“Moving forward, we need to double down on our efforts to protect and enhance this valuable resource,” Pillen testified. “Combining DEE and DNR sets the foundation for water quantity and quality under the same leadership.”

Pillen, who is 69 years old, grew up on a farm in Platte County where he raised pigs with his father. In 1993, he started Pillen Family Farms and later added DNA genetics, which has grown into a massive hog operation.

Much of the state has&nbsp;<a href="https://flatwaterfreepress.org/many-nebraskans-still-under-threat-of-high-nitrate-in-drinking-water-report-finds/" target="_blank">high nitrate levels</a>, which has&nbsp;<a href="https://flatwaterfreepress.org/our-dirty-water-nebraska-water-nitrates/" target="_blank">landed criticism at Pillen</a>&nbsp;and his family operation in recent years as he ascended to the governor’s office.

Pillen and lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://dee.nebraska.gov/water/nitrate-drinking-water-study" target="_blank">commissioned a study in 2023</a>&nbsp;to recommend viable solutions for nitrate-affected drinking water. They also allocated $500,000 annually for one-time income tax credits, up to $1,000, for&nbsp;<a href="https://revenue.nebraska.gov/tax-credits/reverse-osmosis-system-tax-credit-act" target="_blank">reverse osmosis systems</a>&nbsp;to help filter out&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/09/16/environmental-group-continues-fight-against-contaminants-nitrates-in-nebraskas-water/">nitrates</a>&nbsp;and other chemicals from drinking water.

The governor testified that it is “no secret” that the state has faced elevated nitrate levels for 60 years, which he said the merger and his task force would help combat.

“This has to stop. It cannot continue,” Pillen said of nitrate contamination. “We need to get aggressive and address these issues.”

He described the merger as “simply good governance” that would lead to cost savings over time.

<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/FN/LB317_20250212-120433.pdf" target="_blank">Fiscal estimates</a>&nbsp;provided by the Natural Resources and Environment and Energy Departments showed no immediate savings but projected $100,000 in rebranding costs in the next fiscal year.

Jacob Leaver, deputy state budget administrator, said the merger wouldn’t impact any current obligations or projects for either agency. He said, if merged, that cost savings might come in the 2027-2029 fiscal years.

State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln said she was surprised there were no specific savings identified. Pillen and Leaver said that was intentional.

“To be able to go out and say exactly what that is,” Pillen told the committee of potential savings, “I just don’t think it’s fair to the public servants who are part of those agencies to do that today.”

Timothy McCoy, director of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, also supported the proposal, limiting his comments to a small section in the 446-page bill that would return authority for determining the boundaries of state game refuges to his commission from Environment and Energy. McCoy, like Fanning, said he anticipated coordination with the sister agencies would continue either way.

Much of the bill is limited to correcting references if the agencies are merged, with roughly only 30 of the 393 sections in the bill offering substantive new or modified legal changes.

Many are limited to eliminating “obsolete” provisions that haven’t been used in years, Bradley explained, such as a specific soil survey fund and repealing the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Act. Nebraska&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=71-3522" target="_blank">withdrew from a related waste disposal interstate compact in 1999</a>.

LeRoy Sievers, who serves on the board of directors of the Nebraska State Irrigation Association, which has been around since 1893, argued that based on his experience, mergers don’t save money.

“Prior mergers did not save money and only created additional bureaucratic barriers,” he said. “This proposed merger will do the same.”

Sievers said he is a former assistant attorney general and legal counsel for what was previously the Nebraska Department of Water Resources and became Natural Resources in the 2000s.

He said that having a dedicated agency for water is critical in interstate litigation, which could include the Perkins County Canal, for example. Sievers said large bureaucracies hurt other states in those lawsuits while Nebraska had a leg up.

Al Davis, on behalf of the Nebraska chapter of the Sierra Club, opposed the merger, pointing to the environmental disaster in Mead, Nebraska, which he said was exacerbated by a slow response at Environment and Energy.

Davis, a former state senator from the Sandhills, said that the merger of the state’s energy functions atrophied&nbsp;potential energy innovations&nbsp;at a time when the state could be strengthening and diversifying its energy grid.

Kurt Bogner, vice chair of the Nebraska&nbsp;<a href="https://dee.nebraska.gov/resources-services/laws-regulations/environmental-quality-council/environmental-quality-council-members" target="_blank">Environmental Quality Council</a>, which adopts rules and regulations for Environment and Energy and also vets candidates for the agency director, also opposed the move.

Bogner, testifying in his individual capacity, said the council has received no information or updates on selecting a director since former director Jim Macy resigned in April 2024.

LB 317 would remove the Council’s advisory role to vet candidates for the governor, a responsibility that Bogner suggested should be carried over.

Bruce Rieker, for the Nebraska Farm Bureau, and John Hansen, for the Nebraska Farmers Union, also testified in opposition to the change.

Among Brandt’s committee members, many appeared open to the merger.

State Sen. Barry DeKay of Niobrara, committee vice chair, noted it’s not as if Natural Resources and Environment and Energy are “oil and water,” because both already work together.&nbsp;

State Sen. Mike Moser of Columbus voiced what he described as the “elephant in the room” to Brandt: balancing the use of water for agriculture, cities and industry.

Moser told Fanning that, whatever moves forward, he hopes local NRDs will embrace the changes and make it work well.

“That’s our goal,” Fanning said. “We’re always working to improve collaboration with both agencies, and that’s what we want on a daily basis.”

Brandt said he’s open to taking more time to meet with stakeholders and specify how the merger would work. He said he remains committed to getting his bill over the finish line this year.

“Everybody wants better water issues tomorrow than we have today,” Brandt told his committee. “I think we all share that goal in this room.”

History of the Nebraska Departments of Natural Resources, Environment and Energy

Current:&nbsp;<a href="https://dee.nebraska.gov/about#:~:text=The%20agency%20was%20originally%20created,of%20Environmental%20Quality%20in%201992." target="_blank">Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy</a>

Current:&nbsp;<a href="https://dnr.nebraska.gov/about" target="_blank">Nebraska Department of Natural Resources</a>

Nebraska is the only state with separate natural resources districts, which were created in 1972 as multipurpose, locally elected management bodies. There are currently 23 NRDs statewide.

Water management in the state is largely shared by the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Environment and Energy and NRDs, with specific support from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739809669479.jpeg" alt="State Sens. Loren Lippincott, Steve Erdman, Brian Hardin, Teresa Ibach and Robert Dover joined Gov. Jim Pillen, at center right, and Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly, at right, for a tour of water resources on April 29, 2023. (Photo courtesy of State Sen. Teresa Ibach)" />
 <figcaption>State Sens. Loren Lippincott, Steve Erdman, Brian Hardin, Teresa Ibach and Robert Dover joined Gov. Jim Pillen, at center right, and Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly, at right, for a tour of water resources on April 29, 2023. (Photo courtesy of State Sen. Teresa Ibach)</figcaption>
 </figure>Zach Wending<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/02/14/pillen-plan-to-merge-two-agencies-hits-rough-waters-at-legislative-hearing/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts and key ag leaders were among those who threw cold water this week, at least for now, on an idea from Gov. Jim Pillen to merge two state agencies.<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59431&amp;docnum=LB317&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">Legislative Bill 317</a>, by State Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth and introduced at the request of Gov. Jim Pillen, would fold the&nbsp;<a href="https://dnr.nebraska.gov/about" target="_blank">Nebraska Department of Natural Resources</a>&nbsp;into the&nbsp;<a href="https://dee.nebraska.gov/about" target="_blank">Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy</a>. Pillen has said his goal is to enhance the state’s focus on water.The combined agency would be the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment, effective July 1, if adopted by the Legislature this spring.Pillen has also set his sights on creating a Water Quality and Quantity Task Force, eyeing 15-18 members likely to be appointed by the governor, which he said would seek proactive solutions and possible policy help to proactively protect the state’s water resources.<h2>‘We need to take a scalpel’</h2>Jasper Fanning, general manager of the Upper Republican Natural Resources District, testifying on behalf of the association for the&nbsp;<a href="https://dnr.nebraska.gov/water-planning/interactive-maps" target="_blank">state’s 23 NRDs</a>, argued against the merger for now.Fanning described the Department of Natural Resources as very collaborative and problem-solving, urging a more surgical and refined approach to merger conversations. He said carving out only&nbsp;<a href="https://dee.nebraska.gov/organigram/organization_chart" target="_blank">water-related structures</a>, if that’s the goal, could be a focus.&nbsp;The task force could help frame those conversations, Fanning said.“This is probably a terrible analogy, but you don’t arrange for and conduct a shotgun wedding and then make the first step after that wedding looking at what the [pregnancy] test result is,” Fanning said.He continued: “We need to take a scalpel and a very refined approach as opposed to just kind of a broad, sweeping approach to [the] discussion.”The merger would replace the director of the Natural Resources Department with a “chief water officer” as a division leader below the new merged agency’s director.&nbsp;The water position would require legislative approval and, at a minimum, require at least five years’ experience in a position of responsibility in irrigation work. Multiple testifiers said the chief water officer should be required to be a licensed professional engineer, as currently required.&nbsp;Brandt and others said that requirement would return in a future amendment.<h2>The Perkins County Canal</h2>Fanning said Jesse Bradley, interim director of both of the agencies proposed to merge, needs to continue to be focused on the “most important water issue and project governance in the history of the State of Nebraska.”For the NRD general manager, that is the&nbsp;<a href="https://dnr.nebraska.gov/perkins-county-canal" target="_blank">Perkins County Canal</a>, a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/appendix.php?section=1-105" target="_blank">100-year interstate compact</a>&nbsp;that former Gov. Pete Ricketts, now U.S. senator, unearthed and passed on to Pillen.The canal would capture water in Keith County in western Nebraska from Colorado. Lawmakers have already appropriated funds for such construction, which Colorado officials have criticized as a “canal to nowhere.”“Some might disagree with that, but I think the Perkins County Canal, and the South Platte [River] Compact, is the most important thing in Nebraska’s water future,” Fanning said.Fanning said Environment and Energy focuses on federal mandates, pass-through funding and “a lot of check-the-box things, not really asking the question every day, ‘How do we best serve Nebraskans and what can we do to help Nebraska grow?’” He said that would take up necessary staff time.“Anything that takes Mr. Bradley’s efforts and his staff’s efforts away from focusing on ensuring Nebraska’s water future, which has significant impacts on Lincoln and Omaha’s water supply, it’s a big deal,” Fanning said.Bradley has been interim director of Natural Resources since August 2024, and he&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/pillen-eyeing-merger-appoints-interim-natural-resources-director-to-lead-environment-and-energy/">assumed the top role at Environment and Energy on Wednesday</a>, as Pillen eyed the merger.The interim director said the merger would improve focus on long-term issues, such as nitrogen management, water utilization and soil health. He said it would also help streamline the process for planning and permitting.He said he supports the merger and told the committee he believes staff are excited to work together and break through existing silos. Both agencies are already co-located at the same office building in northwest Lincoln.Natural Resources has a budget of more than $104 million, largely in cash funds, and has about 112 employees. Environment and Energy has a budget of nearly $99 million, split in half roughly between cash and federal funds, and has 252 employees.<h2>‘Double down’ on water enhancement</h2>Pillen told the Natural Resources Committee, which Brandt chairs, that water is the “lifeblood” of Nebraska and that future innovations will lead to an “economic boom” in the state.&nbsp;He noted new hydrogen plants, companies based around biofuels and biobased products, animal processing plants and data centers are looking to locate in the state and will need water.“Moving forward, we need to double down on our efforts to protect and enhance this valuable resource,” Pillen testified. “Combining DEE and DNR sets the foundation for water quantity and quality under the same leadership.”Pillen, who is 69 years old, grew up on a farm in Platte County where he raised pigs with his father. In 1993, he started Pillen Family Farms and later added DNA genetics, which has grown into a massive hog operation.Much of the state has&nbsp;<a href="https://flatwaterfreepress.org/many-nebraskans-still-under-threat-of-high-nitrate-in-drinking-water-report-finds/" target="_blank">high nitrate levels</a>, which has&nbsp;<a href="https://flatwaterfreepress.org/our-dirty-water-nebraska-water-nitrates/" target="_blank">landed criticism at Pillen</a>&nbsp;and his family operation in recent years as he ascended to the governor’s office.Pillen and lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://dee.nebraska.gov/water/nitrate-drinking-water-study" target="_blank">commissioned a study in 2023</a>&nbsp;to recommend viable solutions for nitrate-affected drinking water. They also allocated $500,000 annually for one-time income tax credits, up to $1,000, for&nbsp;<a href="https://revenue.nebraska.gov/tax-credits/reverse-osmosis-system-tax-credit-act" target="_blank">reverse osmosis systems</a>&nbsp;to help filter out&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/09/16/environmental-group-continues-fight-against-contaminants-nitrates-in-nebraskas-water/">nitrates</a>&nbsp;and other chemicals from drinking water.The governor testified that it is “no secret” that the state has faced elevated nitrate levels for 60 years, which he said the merger and his task force would help combat.“This has to stop. It cannot continue,” Pillen said of nitrate contamination. “We need to get aggressive and address these issues.”<h2>Uncertain cost savings</h2>He described the merger as “simply good governance” that would lead to cost savings over time.<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/FN/LB317_20250212-120433.pdf" target="_blank">Fiscal estimates</a>&nbsp;provided by the Natural Resources and Environment and Energy Departments showed no immediate savings but projected $100,000 in rebranding costs in the next fiscal year.Jacob Leaver, deputy state budget administrator, said the merger wouldn’t impact any current obligations or projects for either agency. He said, if merged, that cost savings might come in the 2027-2029 fiscal years.State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln said she was surprised there were no specific savings identified. Pillen and Leaver said that was intentional.“To be able to go out and say exactly what that is,” Pillen told the committee of potential savings, “I just don’t think it’s fair to the public servants who are part of those agencies to do that today.”Timothy McCoy, director of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, also supported the proposal, limiting his comments to a small section in the 446-page bill that would return authority for determining the boundaries of state game refuges to his commission from Environment and Energy. McCoy, like Fanning, said he anticipated coordination with the sister agencies would continue either way.Much of the bill is limited to correcting references if the agencies are merged, with roughly only 30 of the 393 sections in the bill offering substantive new or modified legal changes.Many are limited to eliminating “obsolete” provisions that haven’t been used in years, Bradley explained, such as a specific soil survey fund and repealing the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Act. Nebraska&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=71-3522" target="_blank">withdrew from a related waste disposal interstate compact in 1999</a>.<h2>Environmental leaders voice concerns</h2>LeRoy Sievers, who serves on the board of directors of the Nebraska State Irrigation Association, which has been around since 1893, argued that based on his experience, mergers don’t save money.“Prior mergers did not save money and only created additional bureaucratic barriers,” he said. “This proposed merger will do the same.”Sievers said he is a former assistant attorney general and legal counsel for what was previously the Nebraska Department of Water Resources and became Natural Resources in the 2000s.He said that having a dedicated agency for water is critical in interstate litigation, which could include the Perkins County Canal, for example. Sievers said large bureaucracies hurt other states in those lawsuits while Nebraska had a leg up.Al Davis, on behalf of the Nebraska chapter of the Sierra Club, opposed the merger, pointing to the environmental disaster in Mead, Nebraska, which he said was exacerbated by a slow response at Environment and Energy.Davis, a former state senator from the Sandhills, said that the merger of the state’s energy functions atrophied&nbsp;potential energy innovations&nbsp;at a time when the state could be strengthening and diversifying its energy grid.Kurt Bogner, vice chair of the Nebraska&nbsp;<a href="https://dee.nebraska.gov/resources-services/laws-regulations/environmental-quality-council/environmental-quality-council-members" target="_blank">Environmental Quality Council</a>, which adopts rules and regulations for Environment and Energy and also vets candidates for the agency director, also opposed the move.Bogner, testifying in his individual capacity, said the council has received no information or updates on selecting a director since former director Jim Macy resigned in April 2024.LB 317 would remove the Council’s advisory role to vet candidates for the governor, a responsibility that Bogner suggested should be carried over.Bruce Rieker, for the Nebraska Farm Bureau, and John Hansen, for the Nebraska Farmers Union, also testified in opposition to the change.<h2>Merger wouldn’t be ‘oil and water’</h2>Among Brandt’s committee members, many appeared open to the merger.State Sen. Barry DeKay of Niobrara, committee vice chair, noted it’s not as if Natural Resources and Environment and Energy are “oil and water,” because both already work together.&nbsp;State Sen. Mike Moser of Columbus voiced what he described as the “elephant in the room” to Brandt: balancing the use of water for agriculture, cities and industry.Moser told Fanning that, whatever moves forward, he hopes local NRDs will embrace the changes and make it work well.“That’s our goal,” Fanning said. “We’re always working to improve collaboration with both agencies, and that’s what we want on a daily basis.”Brandt said he’s open to taking more time to meet with stakeholders and specify how the merger would work. He said he remains committed to getting his bill over the finish line this year.“Everybody wants better water issues tomorrow than we have today,” Brandt told his committee. “I think we all share that goal in this room.”<h2>History of the Nebraska Departments of Natural Resources, Environment and Energy</h2>Current:&nbsp;<a href="https://dee.nebraska.gov/about#:~:text=The%20agency%20was%20originally%20created,of%20Environmental%20Quality%20in%201992." target="_blank">Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy</a><ul>
 <li>The Nebraska Department of Environmental Control is established (1971).</li><li>The department is renamed the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (1992).</li><li>Nebraska Energy Office is folded into the Environmental Quality Department, becoming DEE (2019).</li><li>State-delegated environmental health programs from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, housed in the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, are moved over to DEE (2021).</li>
 </ul>Current:&nbsp;<a href="https://dnr.nebraska.gov/about" target="_blank">Nebraska Department of Natural Resources</a><ul>
 <li>The&nbsp;<a href="https://dot.nebraska.gov/about/history/#:~:text=In%201933%2C%20the%20Legislature%20passed,Department%20of%20Roads%20and%20Irrigation.&amp;text=In%201957%2C%20the%20Legislature%20divided,become%20a%20division%20within%20NDOT." target="_blank">State Board of Irrigation</a>&nbsp;is established (1895).</li><li>The board is renamed the State Board of Irrigation, Highways and Drainage (1911).</li><li>The name changes again to the Department of Public Works, expanded to include the Bureau of Roads and Bridges; Bureau of Irrigation, Water Power and Drainage; and the Motor Vehicle Records Division (1919).</li><li>The department is renamed the Nebraska Department of Roads and Irrigation (1933).</li><li>The&nbsp;<a href="https://dnr.nebraska.gov/water-planning/history-water-management-nebraska" target="_blank">Nebraska Department of Water Resources</a>&nbsp;is established as the prior department is divided into three separate state agencies, alongside the Department of Roads and the Department of Motor Vehicles (1957).</li><li>The Natural Resources Commission merges with the Nebraska Department of Water Resources to become the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (2000).</li>
 </ul>Nebraska is the only state with separate natural resources districts, which were created in 1972 as multipurpose, locally elected management bodies. There are currently 23 NRDs statewide.Water management in the state is largely shared by the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Environment and Energy and NRDs, with specific support from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Pillen Plan to Merge Two Agencies Hits Rough Waters at Legislative Hearing

Nebraska Broadcasters Association&nbsp;

The Nebraska Broadcasters Association will induct Dennis &amp; Kathi Brown, Dale Johnson, Mike McKnight and Dave Wingert into the NBA Hall of Fame on August 12h in La Vista during the NBA Annual Convention. Established in 1972, the NBA Hall of Fame will grow to 123 members with these pending inductees.

Our first husband &amp; wife owner/operator inductees, Dennis and Kathi Brown met while working at a Colorado radio station. Sharing a passion for radio and a dream of ownership, their 1991 purchase of KCSR AM in Chadron, Nebraska saved the station from going under. Strongly focused on community service, Dennis and Kathi grew KCSR through a dedicated team of local employees that paved the way for them to buy KBPY FM in 2011. Beyond their strong commitment to local news, weather, high school sports and more, Kathi has helped countless businesses grow through advertising solutions. Dennis has been a tireless advocate for radio broadcasting on Capitol Hill and is a three-time Chairman of the NBA Board of Directors. Dennis and Kathi remain actively involved in station operations every day, taking great pride in serving the Chadron area.

In a Nebraska radio career now spanning 51 years, Dale Johnson is a highly respected source of radio news in Lincoln. After his early years as an announcer in Holdrege, Kearney, Omaha and Grand Island, Dale spent 38 years as news director for Lincoln’s KFOR before joining Nebraska Public Media in 2023 where he currently serves as morning host and news reporter. Dale’s unique ability to build trust with interviewees has allowed him access to Nebraska’s biggest newsmakers, earning numerous industry awards from AP, RTDNA, the NBA and UPI. In 2005, Dale was the only Nebraska media member to accompany Governor Dave Heineman on a trade mission to Cuba. Dale enjoys giving back as a frequent guest speaker on writing and conducting interviews at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL) College of Journalism and Mass Communications.

When Mike McKnight joined Omaha’s WOWT TV in 1977, he never dreamed that 49 years later he’d still be holding people accountable as a one-man watchdog through his tireless investigative reporting. An advocate for the truth – despite threats often made against him – Mike has taken on big business, government agencies, sketchy contractors and others with a knack for gathering evidence and righting wrongs with professionalism and integrity. One of Nebraska’s most respected reporters, McKnight has earned regional Edward R. Murrow Awards and an Eric Sevareid Award along with numerous awards from AP, the NBA, Omaha Press Club and others. Mike was on the ground floor of establishing courtroom camera access in Nebraska, and to this day, enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists at UNL through tips and feedback on their weekly live newscasts.

With an on-air resume covering 60 years and still counting, Dave Wingert has touched numerous radio audiences with his energy, wit and infectious personality. While his career includes stops in Kansas City, Seattle and ten years in national syndication as “Dave ‘Til Dawn,” Wingert made Omaha radio his home through his presence on KQKQ, KGOR and KLTQ before becoming the morning show host in 2016 on “Boomer Radio” – KOBM FM – where he continues entertaining his loyal “Wingy” fans to this day. Beyond his on-air effervescence, Dave is known for giving his time and talents to support the community through fundraising efforts for the Durham Museum, Omaha Community Playhouse and The Salvation Army to name a few. Through vast changes in technology, formats and ownership, Wingert’s legendary career shines on.

Nebraska Broadcasters Association&nbsp;The Nebraska Broadcasters Association will induct Dennis &amp; Kathi Brown, Dale Johnson, Mike McKnight and Dave Wingert into the NBA Hall of Fame on August 12h in La Vista during the NBA Annual Convention. Established in 1972, the NBA Hall of Fame will grow to 123 members with these pending inductees.Our first husband &amp; wife owner/operator inductees, Dennis and Kathi Brown met while working at a Colorado radio station. Sharing a passion for radio and a dream of ownership, their 1991 purchase of KCSR AM in Chadron, Nebraska saved the station from going under. Strongly focused on community service, Dennis and Kathi grew KCSR through a dedicated team of local employees that paved the way for them to buy KBPY FM in 2011. Beyond their strong commitment to local news, weather, high school sports and more, Kathi has helped countless businesses grow through advertising solutions. Dennis has been a tireless advocate for radio broadcasting on Capitol Hill and is a three-time Chairman of the NBA Board of Directors. Dennis and Kathi remain actively involved in station operations every day, taking great pride in serving the Chadron area.In a Nebraska radio career now spanning 51 years, Dale Johnson is a highly respected source of radio news in Lincoln. After his early years as an announcer in Holdrege, Kearney, Omaha and Grand Island, Dale spent 38 years as news director for Lincoln’s KFOR before joining Nebraska Public Media in 2023 where he currently serves as morning host and news reporter. Dale’s unique ability to build trust with interviewees has allowed him access to Nebraska’s biggest newsmakers, earning numerous industry awards from AP, RTDNA, the NBA and UPI. In 2005, Dale was the only Nebraska media member to accompany Governor Dave Heineman on a trade mission to Cuba. Dale enjoys giving back as a frequent guest speaker on writing and conducting interviews at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL) College of Journalism and Mass Communications.When Mike McKnight joined Omaha’s WOWT TV in 1977, he never dreamed that 49 years later he’d still be holding people accountable as a one-man watchdog through his tireless investigative reporting. An advocate for the truth – despite threats often made against him – Mike has taken on big business, government agencies, sketchy contractors and others with a knack for gathering evidence and righting wrongs with professionalism and integrity. One of Nebraska’s most respected reporters, McKnight has earned regional Edward R. Murrow Awards and an Eric Sevareid Award along with numerous awards from AP, the NBA, Omaha Press Club and others. Mike was on the ground floor of establishing courtroom camera access in Nebraska, and to this day, enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists at UNL through tips and feedback on their weekly live newscasts.With an on-air resume covering 60 years and still counting, Dave Wingert has touched numerous radio audiences with his energy, wit and infectious personality. While his career includes stops in Kansas City, Seattle and ten years in national syndication as “Dave ‘Til Dawn,” Wingert made Omaha radio his home through his presence on KQKQ, KGOR and KLTQ before becoming the morning show host in 2016 on “Boomer Radio” – KOBM FM – where he continues entertaining his loyal “Wingy” fans to this day. Beyond his on-air effervescence, Dave is known for giving his time and talents to support the community through fundraising efforts for the Durham Museum, Omaha Community Playhouse and The Salvation Army to name a few. Through vast changes in technology, formats and ownership, Wingert’s legendary career shines on.

Dennis & Kathi Brown, Dale Johnson,  Mike McKnight and Dave Wingert to join NBA Hall of Fame

Omaha, Neb.- Union Pacific and Texas Operation Lifesaver partnered today to train approximately 100 Houston Independent School District (HISD) police officers on critical rail safety measures — equipping them with the knowledge to prevent rail incidents and respond swiftly and safely in the event an emergency occurs.

Held at HISD's High School for Law and Justice, the Rail Investigation Safety Course is designed to prepare law enforcement officers for the real-world scenarios they may encounter when responding to railroad incidents. The specialized training provided hands-on education about railroad operations, legal considerations, and best practices for emergency response.

"Rail safety is a shared responsibility, and we're committed to working with local agencies to keep the entire Houston community safe around railroad tracks," said Clint Schelbitzki, Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs at Union Pacific. "This training goes beyond just checking a box—giving first responders the tools to prevent tragedies and effectively respond when seconds matter."

Participants learned how to assess railroad environments, interpret rail signage and signals, and navigate emergency response procedures involving trains and tracks. The course also included guidance on investigative protocols, legal considerations, and available resources for law enforcement.

Union Pacific and Texas Operation Lifesaver regularly collaborate with first responders, schools, and community groups to reinforce safe behaviors around railroads. Anyone interested in participating in this training can visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.oli.org/" target="_blank">www.oli.org</a>&nbsp; for more information.

Texas Operation Lifesaver is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing collisions, injuries, and fatalities at highway-rail crossings and along railroad rights-of-way through public education, enforcement, and engineering initiatives.

Union PacificOmaha, Neb.- Union Pacific and Texas Operation Lifesaver partnered today to train approximately 100 Houston Independent School District (HISD) police officers on critical rail safety measures — equipping them with the knowledge to prevent rail incidents and respond swiftly and safely in the event an emergency occurs.Held at HISD's High School for Law and Justice, the Rail Investigation Safety Course is designed to prepare law enforcement officers for the real-world scenarios they may encounter when responding to railroad incidents. The specialized training provided hands-on education about railroad operations, legal considerations, and best practices for emergency response."Rail safety is a shared responsibility, and we're committed to working with local agencies to keep the entire Houston community safe around railroad tracks," said Clint Schelbitzki, Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs at Union Pacific. "This training goes beyond just checking a box—giving first responders the tools to prevent tragedies and effectively respond when seconds matter."Participants learned how to assess railroad environments, interpret rail signage and signals, and navigate emergency response procedures involving trains and tracks. The course also included guidance on investigative protocols, legal considerations, and available resources for law enforcement.Union Pacific and Texas Operation Lifesaver regularly collaborate with first responders, schools, and community groups to reinforce safe behaviors around railroads. Anyone interested in participating in this training can visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.oli.org/" target="_blank">www.oli.org</a>&nbsp; for more information.Texas Operation Lifesaver is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing collisions, injuries, and fatalities at highway-rail crossings and along railroad rights-of-way through public education, enforcement, and engineering initiatives.

Union Pacific, Operation Lifesaver Strengthen Rail Safety in Houston

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

State lawmakers embrace RFK Jr.’s health policies

LINCOLN, NE&nbsp;– Governor Jim Pillen announced his appointment of Jesse Bradley as interim director for the Department of Environment and Energy (DEE). Bradley will continue in his current role as interim director for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). His duties overseeing DEE are effective immediately.

Gov. Pillen called out Bradley’s steady leadership of DNR since assuming the position of interim director in August 2024. This is the second time Bradley has been interim director of that agency. He was appointed in 2020 as well.

In his lead role at DNR, Bradley has worked with natural resources districts across the state to implement the Nitrogen Reduction Incentive Act. He has been part of the agency’s push to leverage new technologies to improve system processes to utilize data-informed management decisions.

Bradley has been with DNR since 2006, when he started as an integrated water management analyst. In 2012, he became head of the Water Planning Division and two years later, was promoted to deputy director of DNR. He has degrees in environmental geology and hydrogeology and is a licensed professional geologist in Nebraska.

“Water management is critical to the state of Nebraska – and we need to continue to innovate and improve water quantity and quality for the next seven generations,” said Gov. Pillen. “Jesse’s vast experience in that area, coupled with his ability to bridge the gap between local needs, the state and federal regulators, make him strongly qualified to lead DNR and DEE when they are combined through passage of LB317.”

LB317, which has been introduced on behalf of the Governor by Senator Tom Brandt, proposes naming the newly formed agency the&nbsp;Department of Water, Energy and Environment. The bill will have a hearing before the Natural Resources Committee on Thursday, Feb. 13.

The Environment Quality Council (EQC) provides names to the Governor for consideration as director of DEE. Gov. Pillen said he will continue to consult with the group as the legislation moves ahead.

Office of Governor Jim PillenLINCOLN, NE&nbsp;– Governor Jim Pillen announced his appointment of Jesse Bradley as interim director for the Department of Environment and Energy (DEE). Bradley will continue in his current role as interim director for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). His duties overseeing DEE are effective immediately.Gov. Pillen called out Bradley’s steady leadership of DNR since assuming the position of interim director in August 2024. This is the second time Bradley has been interim director of that agency. He was appointed in 2020 as well.In his lead role at DNR, Bradley has worked with natural resources districts across the state to implement the Nitrogen Reduction Incentive Act. He has been part of the agency’s push to leverage new technologies to improve system processes to utilize data-informed management decisions.Bradley has been with DNR since 2006, when he started as an integrated water management analyst. In 2012, he became head of the Water Planning Division and two years later, was promoted to deputy director of DNR. He has degrees in environmental geology and hydrogeology and is a licensed professional geologist in Nebraska.“Water management is critical to the state of Nebraska – and we need to continue to innovate and improve water quantity and quality for the next seven generations,” said Gov. Pillen. “Jesse’s vast experience in that area, coupled with his ability to bridge the gap between local needs, the state and federal regulators, make him strongly qualified to lead DNR and DEE when they are combined through passage of LB317.”LB317, which has been introduced on behalf of the Governor by Senator Tom Brandt, proposes naming the newly formed agency the&nbsp;Department of Water, Energy and Environment. The bill will have a hearing before the Natural Resources Committee on Thursday, Feb. 13.The Environment Quality Council (EQC) provides names to the Governor for consideration as director of DEE. Gov. Pillen said he will continue to consult with the group as the legislation moves ahead.