<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/11/13/governor-orders-end-to-remote-work-directs-state-workers-back-to-offices/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen, stating that the COVID-19 pandemic is over, has ordered an end to remote work for state employees, directing them to return to their offices full time by Jan. 2.

But while Pillen characterized the move as fitting a “common sense expectation” that workers are most productive working together in an office, a state union official expressed fears that the move will hurt recruiting and retaining state employees at a time when many state agencies are short-staffed.

The most recent report on vacancies in state agencies showed more than 2,500 unfilled jobs as of Sept. 30.

Justin Hubly, the executive director of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees (NAPE), which represents nearly 8,000 state workers, said that he’s aware of few problems with state workers toiling at home, or working “hybrid” hours split between a couple days a week at home and the rest at a work site.

Remote work, which increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, might have saved the state money, Hubly said, by reducing the “footprint” of state offices required — a contention one state agency said saved $500,000.

He said it is very appropriate for some jobs to be done remotel, such asy accounting and payroll supervision, that don’t require meeting the public.

“We’re still super short staffed,” he said. “I’m really fearful if we force people back, we’re going to lose a workforce.”

Pillen, in his executive order, said that the pandemic is over and that Nebraskans expect their leaders to “restore” the state’s workforce “to the posture it was prior to the pandemic.”

The executive order also appears to seek an end to flexible work schedules — something that is advertised on the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://statejobs.nebraska.gov/">statejobs.nebraska.gov website</a>&nbsp;as an advantage of working for the State of Nebraska.

“Say goodbye to burnout and hello to work-life balance with flexible work schedules,” says the webpage in pitching working for the state.

Pillen’s executive order states, ” … The regular work hours of all public servants employed by the State of Nebraska shall be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., each day except Saturdays, Sundays and (holidays).”

However, the executive order adds that agency heads can make individual exceptions to sustain “critical operations” in agencies with worker shortages, in the event office space is lacking, or when an employee’s regular work hours are outside of 8-to-5.

The Governor’s Office provided the results of state agency surveys of remote work done in August. For instance, the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance responded that 98% of its examiners, licensing and telephone answering workforce are allowed to work remotely one day out of a two-week period.

The Department of Administrative Services, which includes the state personnel division, responded that 20% of its 350 workers, along with two administrators, are on permanent remote or hybrid work status.

DAS said the remote work policy preceded the pandemic and was implemented to “maximize” leased office space by allowing the Department of Insurance to move into state-owned offices, saving $500,000 a year.

The agency included 2016 state guidelines for “telecommuting,” which stated it was an voluntary arrangement that was another alternative for meeting an agency’s needs. Co-locating teams of workers, the agency pointed out, also has it advantages.

Hubly said that remote work is a bargaining subject in the state union contract and that NAPE will decide whether it wants reopen bargaining on its contract now, given the directive.

He disagreed with the governor’s characterization that the “common sense expectation” of people was that workers were most productive at an office.

The expectation of taxpayers, Hubly said, is “that&nbsp;their public services are provided as efficiently as possible.”

Paul Hammel<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/11/13/governor-orders-end-to-remote-work-directs-state-workers-back-to-offices/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen, stating that the COVID-19 pandemic is over, has ordered an end to remote work for state employees, directing them to return to their offices full time by Jan. 2.But while Pillen characterized the move as fitting a “common sense expectation” that workers are most productive working together in an office, a state union official expressed fears that the move will hurt recruiting and retaining state employees at a time when many state agencies are short-staffed.The most recent report on vacancies in state agencies showed more than 2,500 unfilled jobs as of Sept. 30.Justin Hubly, the executive director of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees (NAPE), which represents nearly 8,000 state workers, said that he’s aware of few problems with state workers toiling at home, or working “hybrid” hours split between a couple days a week at home and the rest at a work site.Remote work, which increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, might have saved the state money, Hubly said, by reducing the “footprint” of state offices required — a contention one state agency said saved $500,000.He said it is very appropriate for some jobs to be done remotel, such asy accounting and payroll supervision, that don’t require meeting the public.“We’re still super short staffed,” he said. “I’m really fearful if we force people back, we’re going to lose a workforce.”Pillen, in his executive order, said that the pandemic is over and that Nebraskans expect their leaders to “restore” the state’s workforce “to the posture it was prior to the pandemic.”The executive order also appears to seek an end to flexible work schedules — something that is advertised on the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://statejobs.nebraska.gov/">statejobs.nebraska.gov website</a>&nbsp;as an advantage of working for the State of Nebraska.<h2>Website pitches flexible hours</h2>“Say goodbye to burnout and hello to work-life balance with flexible work schedules,” says the webpage in pitching working for the state.Pillen’s executive order states, ” … The regular work hours of all public servants employed by the State of Nebraska shall be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., each day except Saturdays, Sundays and (holidays).”However, the executive order adds that agency heads can make individual exceptions to sustain “critical operations” in agencies with worker shortages, in the event office space is lacking, or when an employee’s regular work hours are outside of 8-to-5.The Governor’s Office provided the results of state agency surveys of remote work done in August. For instance, the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance responded that 98% of its examiners, licensing and telephone answering workforce are allowed to work remotely one day out of a two-week period.The Department of Administrative Services, which includes the state personnel division, responded that 20% of its 350 workers, along with two administrators, are on permanent remote or hybrid work status.<h2>Telework saved $500,000 in office leases</h2>DAS said the remote work policy preceded the pandemic and was implemented to “maximize” leased office space by allowing the Department of Insurance to move into state-owned offices, saving $500,000 a year.The agency included 2016 state guidelines for “telecommuting,” which stated it was an voluntary arrangement that was another alternative for meeting an agency’s needs. Co-locating teams of workers, the agency pointed out, also has it advantages.Hubly said that remote work is a bargaining subject in the state union contract and that NAPE will decide whether it wants reopen bargaining on its contract now, given the directive.He disagreed with the governor’s characterization that the “common sense expectation” of people was that workers were most productive at an office.The expectation of taxpayers, Hubly said, is “that&nbsp;their public services are provided as efficiently as possible.”

Governor orders end to remote work, directs state workers back to offices

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court" target="_blank">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Monday adopted its first code of ethics, in the face of sustained criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/Code-of-Conduct-for-Justices_November_13_2023.pdf">Click here to read</a> the 15-page document

<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24164533-supreme-court-code-of-conduct" target="_blank">The policy</a>, agreed to by all nine justices, does not appear to impose any significant new requirements on them, and, indeed, they said in an unsigned statement that they have long adhered to ethics standards.

“The absence of a Code, however, has led in recent years to the misunderstanding that the Justices of this Court, unlike all other jurists in this country, regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules,” the justices wrote. “To dispel this misunderstanding, we are issuing this Code, which largely represents a codification of principles that we have long regarded as governing our conduct.”

The code leaves compliance to the justices themselves and does not create any other means of enforcement.

The issue has vexed the court for several months, over a series of stories questioning&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utXfYIM7kZI" target="_blank">the ethical practices of the justices</a>. Many of those stories focused on Justice Clarence Thomas and his failure to disclose travel and other financial ties with wealthy conservative donors including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-ethics-finances-justices-thomas-alito-08ec6e88a7c29c55c9d3991903ca0db7" target="_blank">Harlan Crow</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-secretly-attended-koch-brothers-donor-events-scotus" target="_blank">the Koch brothers</a>. But Justices&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alito-supreme-court-ethics-fishing-trip-thomas-924606543d555cdfc87595428fd7619c" target="_blank">Samuel Alito</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-sotomayor-book-sales-ethics-colleges-b2cb93493f927f995829762cb8338c02" target="_blank">Sonia Sotomayor</a>&nbsp;also have been under scrutiny.

Three justices,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-justice-amy-coney-barrett-ethics-9088cbf33256ff6995b740087f78c698" target="_blank">Amy Coney Barrett</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elena-kagan-supreme-court-oregon-ethics-4b70b05db01eabfee58fd245d75b8cbb" target="_blank">Elena Kagan</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-justice-kavanaugh-ethics-thomas-76c1e5474093d17127707535ccdea852" target="_blank">Brett Kavanaugh</a>, have voiced support for an ethics code in recent months. In May, Chief Justice John Roberts said there was more the court could do to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-john-roberts-ethics-5a3a356831e418140a7da78624718ef6" target="_blank">“adhere to the highest ethical standards,”</a>&nbsp;without providing any specifics.

Public trust in and approval of the court is hovering near record lows, according to a Gallup Poll released just before the court’s new term began on Oct. 2.

As recently as last week, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the justices could quiet some of the criticism and a Democratic push to impose an ethics code on the court by putting in place their own policy.

Durbin’s panel has been planning to subpoena Crow and conservative activist&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eea7dac688f0408b97be0ebf605a583e" target="_blank">Leonard Leo</a>&nbsp;about their roles in organizing and paying for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-clarence-thomas-ethics-trips-920da69fb952beaa69f84ad16562f60f" target="_blank">justices’ luxury travel</a>.

The committee has been investigating&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-ethics-documents-conflicts-9fa2847e60e11601c872c3ba3eea12a3" target="_blank">the court’s ethics</a>&nbsp;and passed an ethics code, though all 10 Republicans on the panel voted against it.

Republicans complained that Democrats were mostly reacting to decisions they didn’t like from the conservative-dominated court,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0" target="_blank">including overturning the nationwide right to an abortion</a>.

The proposal would require that justices provide more information about potential conflicts of interest. It would allow impartial panels of judges to review justices’ decisions not to step aside from cases and require public, written explanations about their decisions not to recuse. It would also seek to improve transparency around gifts received by justices and set up a process to investigate and enforce violations around required disclosures. The Democratic bill had little prospect of becoming law in the Republican-controlled House, much less the closely divided Senate.

The push for an ethics code was jump-started by a series of stories by the investigative news site ProPublica detailing the relationship between Crow and Thomas. Crow has for more than two decades paid for nearly annual vacations, purchased from Thomas and others&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-supreme-court-ethics-7e5d967b1174f224497e53955c55434f" target="_blank">the Georgia home</a>&nbsp;in which the justice’s mother still lives and helped pay for the private schooling for a relative.

ProPublica also reported on Alito’s Alaskan fishing trip with a GOP donor, travel that Leo helped arrange.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-ethics-donors-politics-4b6dc4ae23aac75d4fccb1bcff0b7e0b" target="_blank">The Associated Press reported</a>&nbsp;that Sotomayor, aided by her staff, has advanced sales of her books through college visits over the past decade.

The court’s initial step on ethics, in the spring, did not mollify critics. Roberts declined an invitation from Durbin to testify before the Judiciary panel, but the chief justice provided a “Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices” signed by all nine justices that described the ethical rules they follow about travel, gifts and outside income.

The statement provided by Roberts said that the nine justices “reaffirm and restate foundational ethics principles and practices to which they subscribe in carrying out their responsibilities as Members of the Supreme Court of the United States.”

The statement promised at least some small additional disclosure when one or more among them opts not to take part in a case. But the justices have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-ethics-thomas-kagan-alito-a398a4093576eff1694dcfc3374b2a1a" target="_blank">inconsistent in doing so</a>&nbsp;since.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672235865420.png" alt="Supreme Court Credit: Fred Schilling, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States" />
 <figcaption>Supreme Court Credit: Fred Schilling, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court" target="_blank">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Monday adopted its first code of ethics, in the face of sustained criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/Code-of-Conduct-for-Justices_November_13_2023.pdf">Click here to read</a> the 15-page document<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24164533-supreme-court-code-of-conduct" target="_blank">The policy</a>, agreed to by all nine justices, does not appear to impose any significant new requirements on them, and, indeed, they said in an unsigned statement that they have long adhered to ethics standards.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699905899449.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>“The absence of a Code, however, has led in recent years to the misunderstanding that the Justices of this Court, unlike all other jurists in this country, regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules,” the justices wrote. “To dispel this misunderstanding, we are issuing this Code, which largely represents a codification of principles that we have long regarded as governing our conduct.”The code leaves compliance to the justices themselves and does not create any other means of enforcement.The issue has vexed the court for several months, over a series of stories questioning&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utXfYIM7kZI" target="_blank">the ethical practices of the justices</a>. Many of those stories focused on Justice Clarence Thomas and his failure to disclose travel and other financial ties with wealthy conservative donors including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-ethics-finances-justices-thomas-alito-08ec6e88a7c29c55c9d3991903ca0db7" target="_blank">Harlan Crow</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-secretly-attended-koch-brothers-donor-events-scotus" target="_blank">the Koch brothers</a>. But Justices&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alito-supreme-court-ethics-fishing-trip-thomas-924606543d555cdfc87595428fd7619c" target="_blank">Samuel Alito</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-sotomayor-book-sales-ethics-colleges-b2cb93493f927f995829762cb8338c02" target="_blank">Sonia Sotomayor</a>&nbsp;also have been under scrutiny.Three justices,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-justice-amy-coney-barrett-ethics-9088cbf33256ff6995b740087f78c698" target="_blank">Amy Coney Barrett</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elena-kagan-supreme-court-oregon-ethics-4b70b05db01eabfee58fd245d75b8cbb" target="_blank">Elena Kagan</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-justice-kavanaugh-ethics-thomas-76c1e5474093d17127707535ccdea852" target="_blank">Brett Kavanaugh</a>, have voiced support for an ethics code in recent months. In May, Chief Justice John Roberts said there was more the court could do to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-john-roberts-ethics-5a3a356831e418140a7da78624718ef6" target="_blank">“adhere to the highest ethical standards,”</a>&nbsp;without providing any specifics.Public trust in and approval of the court is hovering near record lows, according to a Gallup Poll released just before the court’s new term began on Oct. 2.As recently as last week, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the justices could quiet some of the criticism and a Democratic push to impose an ethics code on the court by putting in place their own policy.Durbin’s panel has been planning to subpoena Crow and conservative activist&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eea7dac688f0408b97be0ebf605a583e" target="_blank">Leonard Leo</a>&nbsp;about their roles in organizing and paying for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-clarence-thomas-ethics-trips-920da69fb952beaa69f84ad16562f60f" target="_blank">justices’ luxury travel</a>.The committee has been investigating&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-ethics-documents-conflicts-9fa2847e60e11601c872c3ba3eea12a3" target="_blank">the court’s ethics</a>&nbsp;and passed an ethics code, though all 10 Republicans on the panel voted against it.Republicans complained that Democrats were mostly reacting to decisions they didn’t like from the conservative-dominated court,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0" target="_blank">including overturning the nationwide right to an abortion</a>.The proposal would require that justices provide more information about potential conflicts of interest. It would allow impartial panels of judges to review justices’ decisions not to step aside from cases and require public, written explanations about their decisions not to recuse. It would also seek to improve transparency around gifts received by justices and set up a process to investigate and enforce violations around required disclosures. The Democratic bill had little prospect of becoming law in the Republican-controlled House, much less the closely divided Senate.ADVERTISEMENTThe push for an ethics code was jump-started by a series of stories by the investigative news site ProPublica detailing the relationship between Crow and Thomas. Crow has for more than two decades paid for nearly annual vacations, purchased from Thomas and others&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-supreme-court-ethics-7e5d967b1174f224497e53955c55434f" target="_blank">the Georgia home</a>&nbsp;in which the justice’s mother still lives and helped pay for the private schooling for a relative.ProPublica also reported on Alito’s Alaskan fishing trip with a GOP donor, travel that Leo helped arrange.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-ethics-donors-politics-4b6dc4ae23aac75d4fccb1bcff0b7e0b" target="_blank">The Associated Press reported</a>&nbsp;that Sotomayor, aided by her staff, has advanced sales of her books through college visits over the past decade.The court’s initial step on ethics, in the spring, did not mollify critics. Roberts declined an invitation from Durbin to testify before the Judiciary panel, but the chief justice provided a “Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices” signed by all nine justices that described the ethical rules they follow about travel, gifts and outside income.The statement provided by Roberts said that the nine justices “reaffirm and restate foundational ethics principles and practices to which they subscribe in carrying out their responsibilities as Members of the Supreme Court of the United States.”The statement promised at least some small additional disclosure when one or more among them opts not to take part in a case. But the justices have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-ethics-thomas-kagan-alito-a398a4093576eff1694dcfc3374b2a1a" target="_blank">inconsistent in doing so</a>&nbsp;since.

Read the Supreme Court's new code of conduct

WASHINGTON (AP) —U.S. health officials are warning doctors to be on the lookout for possible cases of lead poisoning in children after at least 22 toddlers in 14 states were sickened by lead linked to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lead-fruit-pouch-recall-schnucks-fda-ff3ade3e5032357e922d6036cff81c8c">tainted pouches</a>&nbsp;of cinnamon apple puree and applesauce.

Children ages 1 to 3 were affected, and at least one child showed a blood lead level eight times higher than the level that raises concern, the&nbsp;<a href="https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/2023/han00500.asp?ACSTrackingID=USCDC_511-DM117142&amp;ACSTrackingLabel=HAN%20500%20-%20General%20Public&amp;deliveryName=USCDC_511-DM117142">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>&nbsp;said.

There’s no safe level of lead exposure, but the CDC uses a marker of 3.5 micrograms per deciliter to identify children with higher levels than most. The affected children's blood lead levels ranged from 4 to 29 micrograms per deciliter.

The reported symptoms included headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, a change in activity level and anemia.

The illnesses are part of an outbreak tied to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigation-elevated-lead-levels-cinnamon-applesauce-pouches-november-2023?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery">recalled pouches</a>&nbsp;of fruit puree marketed to kids from the brands WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree and Schnucks and Weis cinnamon applesauce pouches. The products were sold in stores and online.

Parents and caregivers should not buy or serve the products, and kids who may have eaten them should be tested for lead levels. Children who are affected may show no symptoms, experts said.

Lead exposure can lead to serious learning and behavior problems. Heavy metals like lead can get into food products from soil, air, water or industrial processes, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The CDC said there were cases in the following states as of Nov. 7: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Washington.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699279077387.png" alt="Image FDA" />
 <figcaption>Image FDA</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —U.S. health officials are warning doctors to be on the lookout for possible cases of lead poisoning in children after at least 22 toddlers in 14 states were sickened by lead linked to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lead-fruit-pouch-recall-schnucks-fda-ff3ade3e5032357e922d6036cff81c8c">tainted pouches</a>&nbsp;of cinnamon apple puree and applesauce.Children ages 1 to 3 were affected, and at least one child showed a blood lead level eight times higher than the level that raises concern, the&nbsp;<a href="https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/2023/han00500.asp?ACSTrackingID=USCDC_511-DM117142&amp;ACSTrackingLabel=HAN%20500%20-%20General%20Public&amp;deliveryName=USCDC_511-DM117142">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>&nbsp;said.There’s no safe level of lead exposure, but the CDC uses a marker of 3.5 micrograms per deciliter to identify children with higher levels than most. The affected children's blood lead levels ranged from 4 to 29 micrograms per deciliter.The reported symptoms included headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, a change in activity level and anemia.The illnesses are part of an outbreak tied to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigation-elevated-lead-levels-cinnamon-applesauce-pouches-november-2023?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery">recalled pouches</a>&nbsp;of fruit puree marketed to kids from the brands WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree and Schnucks and Weis cinnamon applesauce pouches. The products were sold in stores and online.Parents and caregivers should not buy or serve the products, and kids who may have eaten them should be tested for lead levels. Children who are affected may show no symptoms, experts said.Lead exposure can lead to serious learning and behavior problems. Heavy metals like lead can get into food products from soil, air, water or industrial processes, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.The CDC said there were cases in the following states as of Nov. 7: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Washington.___

More children sickened by lead in tainted applesauce pouches

WASHINGTON (AP) — The congressional delegations from Nebraska and Iowa have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ID=159D3F35-9120-49E6-833A-71850F8885BC">thrown their support behind legislation</a>&nbsp;that would return land to the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska that the federal government took decades ago but never developed.

The Army Corps of Engineers took the roughly 2.5-square-mile (6.5-square-kilometer) tract of land along the Missouri River in Iowa in 1970 through eminent domain for a recreation project, but it was never built. The tribe has been trying to get it back.

“The Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to condemn and seize land from the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska was a classic case of government overreach," Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts, of Nebraska, said in a statement last week. "My colleagues in the Nebraska and Iowa delegations and I want to see this wrong corrected, and the land returned to the Winnebago people.”

In recent years,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-environment-and-nature-forests-california-native-americans-00156ebf0d5a16eea463b3944e828e8b">some tribes</a>&nbsp;in the U.S., Canada and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-travel-environment-and-nature-australia-forests-5627215be2449e56c8623cf3bb75b2a9">Australia</a>&nbsp;have gotten their rights to ancestral lands restored with the growth of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-sacramento-gavin-newsom-climate-and-environment-government-politics-f3a37f53129ef43ffd60f9b58506247b">Land Back movement</a>, which seeks to return land to Indigenous people. Minnesota is in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-native-american-land-back-b09c0dc8dd6289a1545684e04599f94f">process of returning</a>&nbsp;to the Upper Sioux Community tribe part of a state park that holds secret burial sites of the Dakota people.

The U.S. federal government has never transferred a national park to a tribal nation, but several are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/travel-business-environment-native-americans-parks-4f39c7980c9f8ec9bef96e1ad2116ace">co-managed with tribes,</a>&nbsp;including Grand Portage National Monument in northern Minnesota, Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Arizona and Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska.

The land that would be returned to the Winnebago Tribe if the legislation passes was originally part of the reservation created for the tribe in northeastern Nebraska by a treaty in 1865. Part of the land wound up in Iowa because the Missouri River has shifted west over the years.

Another parcel of land on the Nebraska side of the river that was taken at the same time has already been returned to the tribe, but the Iowa land remains in the federal government's hands. Neither the Corps nor the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which has been managing the land, objects to returning the land to the tribe, which should help clear the path for the proposal to pass.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The congressional delegations from Nebraska and Iowa have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ID=159D3F35-9120-49E6-833A-71850F8885BC">thrown their support behind legislation</a>&nbsp;that would return land to the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska that the federal government took decades ago but never developed.The Army Corps of Engineers took the roughly 2.5-square-mile (6.5-square-kilometer) tract of land along the Missouri River in Iowa in 1970 through eminent domain for a recreation project, but it was never built. The tribe has been trying to get it back.“The Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to condemn and seize land from the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska was a classic case of government overreach," Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts, of Nebraska, said in a statement last week. "My colleagues in the Nebraska and Iowa delegations and I want to see this wrong corrected, and the land returned to the Winnebago people.”In recent years,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-environment-and-nature-forests-california-native-americans-00156ebf0d5a16eea463b3944e828e8b">some tribes</a>&nbsp;in the U.S., Canada and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-travel-environment-and-nature-australia-forests-5627215be2449e56c8623cf3bb75b2a9">Australia</a>&nbsp;have gotten their rights to ancestral lands restored with the growth of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-sacramento-gavin-newsom-climate-and-environment-government-politics-f3a37f53129ef43ffd60f9b58506247b">Land Back movement</a>, which seeks to return land to Indigenous people. Minnesota is in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-native-american-land-back-b09c0dc8dd6289a1545684e04599f94f">process of returning</a>&nbsp;to the Upper Sioux Community tribe part of a state park that holds secret burial sites of the Dakota people.The U.S. federal government has never transferred a national park to a tribal nation, but several are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/travel-business-environment-native-americans-parks-4f39c7980c9f8ec9bef96e1ad2116ace">co-managed with tribes,</a>&nbsp;including Grand Portage National Monument in northern Minnesota, Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Arizona and Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska.The land that would be returned to the Winnebago Tribe if the legislation passes was originally part of the reservation created for the tribe in northeastern Nebraska by a treaty in 1865. Part of the land wound up in Iowa because the Missouri River has shifted west over the years.Another parcel of land on the Nebraska side of the river that was taken at the same time has already been returned to the tribe, but the Iowa land remains in the federal government's hands. Neither the Corps nor the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which has been managing the land, objects to returning the land to the tribe, which should help clear the path for the proposal to pass.

Congressional delegations back bill that would return land to Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;unveiled his proposal on Saturday to avoid a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-congress-budget-e7d934001b1e00817deb8f33a2b6852f">partial government shutdown</a>&nbsp;by extending government funding for some agencies and programs until Jan. 19 and continuing funding for others until Feb. 2.

<a href="https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20231113/FY24CR2FINAL_xml[76].pdf">Click here to read</a> the bill

The approach is unusual for a stopgap spending bill. Usually, lawmakers extend funding until a certain date for all programs. Johnson decided to go with the combination approach, addressing concerns from GOP lawmakers seeking to avoid being presented with a massive spending bill just before the holidays.

“This two-step continuing resolution is a necessary bill to place House Republicans in the best position to fight for conservative victories," Johnson said in a statement after speaking with GOP lawmakers in an afternoon conference call. “The bill will stop the absurd holiday-season omnibus tradition of massive, loaded up spending bills introduced right before the Christmas recess."

The bill excludes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ukraine-israel-budget-3762a0bdf00653e3c8a38175d3c3d3cb">funding requested by President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;for Israel, Ukraine and the U.S. border with Mexico. Johnson said separating Biden's request for an emergency supplemental bill from the temporary, stopgap measure “places our conference in the best position to fight for fiscal responsibility, oversight over Ukraine aid, and meaningful policy changes at our Southern border.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-mike-johnson-conservatives-republicans-92b118abced14e4b221f3ab0daf4e757">Hardline conservatives</a>, usually loathe to support temporary spending measures of any sort, had indicated they would give Johnson some leeway to pass legislation, known as a continuing resolution, or CR, to give Congress more time to negotiate a long-term agreement.

But some were critical in their reactions following the conference call.

"My opposition to the clean CR just announced by the Speaker to the @HouseGOP cannot be overstated," Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, tweeted on X. “Funding Pelosi level spending &amp; policies for 75 days - for future ‘promises.’”

The White House, meanwhile, panned the plan as “unserious,” unworkable and a threat to national security and domestic programs.

"This proposal is just a recipe for more Republican chaos and more shutdowns—full stop," said press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, pointing to opposition from members of both parties. “House Republicans need to stop wasting time on their own political divisions, do their jobs, and work in a bipartisan way to prevent a shutdown.”

The federal government is operating under funding levels approved last year by a Democratic-led House and Senate. Facing a government shutdown when the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, Congress passed a 47-day continuing resolution, but the fallout was severe. Kevin McCarthy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Speaker%20Kevin,its%20Republican%20leadership%20into%20chaos.">was booted</a>&nbsp;from the speakership days later, and the House was effectively paralyzed for most of the month while Republicans tried to elect a replacement.

Republicans eventually were unanimous in electing Johnson speaker, but his elevation has hardly eased the dynamic that led to McCarthy’s removal — a conference torn on policy as well as how much to spend on federal programs. This past week, Republicans had to pull two spending bills from the floor — one to fund transportation and housing programs and the other to fund the Treasury Department, Small Business Administration and other agencies — because they didn’t have the votes in their own party to push them through the House.

A document explaining Johnson’s proposal to House Republicans, obtained by The Associated Press, said funding for four spending bills would be extended until Jan. 19. Veterans programs, and bills dealing with transportation, housing, agriculture and energy, would be part of that extension.

Funding for the eight other spending bills, which include defense, the State Department, Homeland Security and other government agencies would be extended until Feb. 2.

The document sent to GOP lawmakers and key staff states that Johnson inherited a budget mess. He took office less than three weeks ago and immediately began considering appropriations bills through regular order. Still, with just days remaining before a shutdown, a continuing resolution is now required.

Underscoring the concerns about the possibility of a shutdown, the credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service lowered its outlook on the U.S. government’s debt on Friday to “negative” from “stable,” citing the cost of rising interest rates and political polarization in Congress.

House Republicans pointed to the national debt, now exceeding $33 trillion, for Moody's decision. Analysts have warned that with interest rates heading higher, interest costs on the national debt will eat up a rising share of tax revenue.

Johnson said in reaction to the Moody's announcement that House Republicans are committed to working in a bipartisan fashion for fiscal restraint, beginning with the introduction of a debt commission.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;unveiled his proposal on Saturday to avoid a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-congress-budget-e7d934001b1e00817deb8f33a2b6852f">partial government shutdown</a>&nbsp;by extending government funding for some agencies and programs until Jan. 19 and continuing funding for others until Feb. 2.<a href="https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20231113/FY24CR2FINAL_xml[76].pdf">Click here to read</a> the bill<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This proposal is just a recipe for more Republican chaos and more shutdowns—full stop. <a href="https://t.co/1ZlXFPLrPj">https://t.co/1ZlXFPLrPj</a>&mdash; Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1723534629796290838?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The approach is unusual for a stopgap spending bill. Usually, lawmakers extend funding until a certain date for all programs. Johnson decided to go with the combination approach, addressing concerns from GOP lawmakers seeking to avoid being presented with a massive spending bill just before the holidays.“This two-step continuing resolution is a necessary bill to place House Republicans in the best position to fight for conservative victories," Johnson said in a statement after speaking with GOP lawmakers in an afternoon conference call. “The bill will stop the absurd holiday-season omnibus tradition of massive, loaded up spending bills introduced right before the Christmas recess."The bill excludes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ukraine-israel-budget-3762a0bdf00653e3c8a38175d3c3d3cb">funding requested by President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;for Israel, Ukraine and the U.S. border with Mexico. Johnson said separating Biden's request for an emergency supplemental bill from the temporary, stopgap measure “places our conference in the best position to fight for fiscal responsibility, oversight over Ukraine aid, and meaningful policy changes at our Southern border.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-mike-johnson-conservatives-republicans-92b118abced14e4b221f3ab0daf4e757">Hardline conservatives</a>, usually loathe to support temporary spending measures of any sort, had indicated they would give Johnson some leeway to pass legislation, known as a continuing resolution, or CR, to give Congress more time to negotiate a long-term agreement.But some were critical in their reactions following the conference call."My opposition to the clean CR just announced by the Speaker to the @HouseGOP cannot be overstated," Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, tweeted on X. “Funding Pelosi level spending &amp; policies for 75 days - for future ‘promises.’”The White House, meanwhile, panned the plan as “unserious,” unworkable and a threat to national security and domestic programs."This proposal is just a recipe for more Republican chaos and more shutdowns—full stop," said press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, pointing to opposition from members of both parties. “House Republicans need to stop wasting time on their own political divisions, do their jobs, and work in a bipartisan way to prevent a shutdown.”The federal government is operating under funding levels approved last year by a Democratic-led House and Senate. Facing a government shutdown when the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, Congress passed a 47-day continuing resolution, but the fallout was severe. Kevin McCarthy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Speaker%20Kevin,its%20Republican%20leadership%20into%20chaos.">was booted</a>&nbsp;from the speakership days later, and the House was effectively paralyzed for most of the month while Republicans tried to elect a replacement.Republicans eventually were unanimous in electing Johnson speaker, but his elevation has hardly eased the dynamic that led to McCarthy’s removal — a conference torn on policy as well as how much to spend on federal programs. This past week, Republicans had to pull two spending bills from the floor — one to fund transportation and housing programs and the other to fund the Treasury Department, Small Business Administration and other agencies — because they didn’t have the votes in their own party to push them through the House.A document explaining Johnson’s proposal to House Republicans, obtained by The Associated Press, said funding for four spending bills would be extended until Jan. 19. Veterans programs, and bills dealing with transportation, housing, agriculture and energy, would be part of that extension.Funding for the eight other spending bills, which include defense, the State Department, Homeland Security and other government agencies would be extended until Feb. 2.The document sent to GOP lawmakers and key staff states that Johnson inherited a budget mess. He took office less than three weeks ago and immediately began considering appropriations bills through regular order. Still, with just days remaining before a shutdown, a continuing resolution is now required.Underscoring the concerns about the possibility of a shutdown, the credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service lowered its outlook on the U.S. government’s debt on Friday to “negative” from “stable,” citing the cost of rising interest rates and political polarization in Congress.House Republicans pointed to the national debt, now exceeding $33 trillion, for Moody's decision. Analysts have warned that with interest rates heading higher, interest costs on the national debt will eat up a rising share of tax revenue.Johnson said in reaction to the Moody's announcement that House Republicans are committed to working in a bipartisan fashion for fiscal restraint, beginning with the introduction of a debt commission.

Government shutdown showdown: Read the unique GOP plan

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secret Service agents protecting President Joe Biden’s granddaughter opened fire after three people tried to break into an unmarked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-secret-service" target="_blank">Secret Service</a>&nbsp;vehicle in the nation’s capital, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

The agents, assigned to protect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-weddings-government-and-politics-0891f4680200675263b158a9dddfb0c3" target="_blank">Naomi Biden</a>, were out with her in the Georgetown neighborhood late Sunday night when they saw the three people breaking a window of the parked and unoccupied SUV, the official said. The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on Monday on the condition of anonymity.

One of the agents opened fire, but no one was struck by the gunfire, the Secret Service said in a statement. The three people were seen fleeing in a red car, and the Secret Service said it put out a regional bulletin to Metropolitan Police to be on the lookout for it.

Washington has seen a significant rise in the number of carjackings and car thefts this year. Police have reported more than 750 carjackings this year and more than 6,000 reports of stolen vehicles in the district. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-henry-cuellar-carjacking-capitol-texas-87eddb457f20ec614fbb473115480987" target="_blank">carjacked near the Capitol</a>&nbsp;last month by three armed assailants, who stole his car but didn’t physically harm him.

Violent crime in Washington has also been on the rise this year, up more than 40% compared with last year. In February, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congresswoman-angie-craig-assault-minnesota-4f6bcfe0dea259dbc5bd4a243351e43a" target="_blank">assaulted in her apartment building</a>, suffering bruises while escaping serious injury.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689281802758.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Secret Service agents protecting President Joe Biden’s granddaughter opened fire after three people tried to break into an unmarked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-secret-service" target="_blank">Secret Service</a>&nbsp;vehicle in the nation’s capital, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.The agents, assigned to protect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-weddings-government-and-politics-0891f4680200675263b158a9dddfb0c3" target="_blank">Naomi Biden</a>, were out with her in the Georgetown neighborhood late Sunday night when they saw the three people breaking a window of the parked and unoccupied SUV, the official said. The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on Monday on the condition of anonymity.One of the agents opened fire, but no one was struck by the gunfire, the Secret Service said in a statement. The three people were seen fleeing in a red car, and the Secret Service said it put out a regional bulletin to Metropolitan Police to be on the lookout for it.Washington has seen a significant rise in the number of carjackings and car thefts this year. Police have reported more than 750 carjackings this year and more than 6,000 reports of stolen vehicles in the district. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-henry-cuellar-carjacking-capitol-texas-87eddb457f20ec614fbb473115480987" target="_blank">carjacked near the Capitol</a>&nbsp;last month by three armed assailants, who stole his car but didn’t physically harm him.Violent crime in Washington has also been on the rise this year, up more than 40% compared with last year. In February, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congresswoman-angie-craig-assault-minnesota-4f6bcfe0dea259dbc5bd4a243351e43a" target="_blank">assaulted in her apartment building</a>, suffering bruises while escaping serious injury.

Secret Service for Biden's granddaughter fired gun on suspect

Lincoln, NE ‐ November 13, 2023 ‐ One lucky player who bought a Nebraska Pick 5 ticket for the Saturday, November 11 drawing is holding a ticket worth $310,000.

The Nebraska Lottery has confirmed that one ticket sold for Saturday's Nebraska Pick 5 draw matched all five winning numbers for the $310,000 jackpot. The ticket was sold at Pump &amp; Pantry #32, 604 E Hwy 30, in Cozad. The winning numbers from Saturday's Nebraska Pick 5 draw were 07, 18, 35, 36, 38. Players are encouraged to check their tickets at any Nebraska Lottery retailer, online at&nbsp;<a href="http://nelottery.com/" target="_blank">nelottery.com</a>, or by calling the Lottery office at 402-471-6100.

Winning Nebraska Lottery Lotto tickets expire 180 days after the drawing. Prizes of $20,000 or more must be claimed in person at Lottery headquarters in Lincoln. Additional information about claiming prizes can be found at the Nebraska Lottery website,&nbsp;<a href="http://nelottery.com/" target="_blank">nelottery.com</a>, or by calling 800-587-5200.

Nebraska Pick 5 is Nebraska's unique Lottery game: all the proceeds from Nebraska Pick 5 stay in Nebraska, and all the winning tickets are sold in Nebraska at Nebraska Lottery Lotto game retailers. The odds of winning the Nebraska Pick 5 jackpot, which starts at $50,000 and grows by $10,000 each drawing that it is not won, are 1 in 658,008. The overall odds of winning any Nebraska Pick 5 prize which has drawings seven nights a week, are 1 in 9.2.

Neil WatsonLincoln, NE ‐ November 13, 2023 ‐ One lucky player who bought a Nebraska Pick 5 ticket for the Saturday, November 11 drawing is holding a ticket worth $310,000.The Nebraska Lottery has confirmed that one ticket sold for Saturday's Nebraska Pick 5 draw matched all five winning numbers for the $310,000 jackpot. The ticket was sold at Pump &amp; Pantry #32, 604 E Hwy 30, in Cozad. The winning numbers from Saturday's Nebraska Pick 5 draw were 07, 18, 35, 36, 38. Players are encouraged to check their tickets at any Nebraska Lottery retailer, online at&nbsp;<a href="http://nelottery.com/" target="_blank">nelottery.com</a>, or by calling the Lottery office at 402-471-6100.Winning Nebraska Lottery Lotto tickets expire 180 days after the drawing. Prizes of $20,000 or more must be claimed in person at Lottery headquarters in Lincoln. Additional information about claiming prizes can be found at the Nebraska Lottery website,&nbsp;<a href="http://nelottery.com/" target="_blank">nelottery.com</a>, or by calling 800-587-5200.Nebraska Pick 5 is Nebraska's unique Lottery game: all the proceeds from Nebraska Pick 5 stay in Nebraska, and all the winning tickets are sold in Nebraska at Nebraska Lottery Lotto game retailers. The odds of winning the Nebraska Pick 5 jackpot, which starts at $50,000 and grows by $10,000 each drawing that it is not won, are 1 in 658,008. The overall odds of winning any Nebraska Pick 5 prize which has drawings seven nights a week, are 1 in 9.2.ADVERTISING

$310,000 Nebraska Pick 5 Winning Ticket Sold in Cozad

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military conducted airstrikes on two locations in eastern Syria involving Iranian-backed groups, hitting a training location and a weapons facility, according to the Pentagon and U.S. officials. It marks the third time in a bit more than two weeks that the U.S. has retaliated against the militants for what has been a growing number of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-navy-warship-missiles-intercepted-2f5fc9c8a3737f762b29d5c53ec08a5b" target="_blank">attacks on bases housing U.S. troops</a>&nbsp;in Iraq and Syria.

In a statement, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the strikes targeted sites near Abukama and Mayadin and were used by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as well as Iran-backed militias.

“The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests,” Austin said.

A U.S. official said one site also included weapons storage. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of a military operation.

The militant groups, many operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, have carried out nearly 50 attacks since Oct. 17 on bases housing U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria.

That was the day a powerful explosion rocked a Gaza hospital, killing hundreds and triggering protests in a number of Muslim nations. The Israeli military has relentlessly attacked Gaza in retaliation for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2" target="_blank">devastating Hamas rampage in southern Israel on Oct. 7</a>. And a number of groups have vowed retaliation against the U.S. for backing Israel in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war" target="_blank">war against Hamas</a>.

According to the Pentagon, about 56 U.S. personnel have been injured in the attacks in Syria and Iraq, but all have returned to duty. Their injuries are a combination of traumatic brain injury and other minor wounds.

<a href="https://popup.taboola.com/en/?template=colorbox&amp;utm_source=associatedpress-apnews&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=rec-reel-2n5-a-2:Mid%20Article%20Reco%20Reel%20Slider:" target="_blank">by Taboola&nbsp;</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military conducted airstrikes on two locations in eastern Syria involving Iranian-backed groups, hitting a training location and a weapons facility, according to the Pentagon and U.S. officials. It marks the third time in a bit more than two weeks that the U.S. has retaliated against the militants for what has been a growing number of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-navy-warship-missiles-intercepted-2f5fc9c8a3737f762b29d5c53ec08a5b" target="_blank">attacks on bases housing U.S. troops</a>&nbsp;in Iraq and Syria.In a statement, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the strikes targeted sites near Abukama and Mayadin and were used by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as well as Iran-backed militias.“The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests,” Austin said.ADVERTISEMENTA U.S. official said one site also included weapons storage. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of a military operation.The militant groups, many operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, have carried out nearly 50 attacks since Oct. 17 on bases housing U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria.That was the day a powerful explosion rocked a Gaza hospital, killing hundreds and triggering protests in a number of Muslim nations. The Israeli military has relentlessly attacked Gaza in retaliation for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2" target="_blank">devastating Hamas rampage in southern Israel on Oct. 7</a>. And a number of groups have vowed retaliation against the U.S. for backing Israel in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war" target="_blank">war against Hamas</a>.According to the Pentagon, about 56 U.S. personnel have been injured in the attacks in Syria and Iraq, but all have returned to duty. Their injuries are a combination of traumatic brain injury and other minor wounds.<a href="https://popup.taboola.com/en/?template=colorbox&amp;utm_source=associatedpress-apnews&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=rec-reel-2n5-a-2:Mid%20Article%20Reco%20Reel%20Slider:" target="_blank">by Taboola&nbsp;</a>

US launches additional airstrikes on Iran-backed groups in Syria

WASHINGTON (AP) — The credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service lowered its outlook on the U.S. government’s debt on Friday to “negative” from “stable,” citing the cost of rising interest rates and political polarization in Congress.

Moody’s retained its top triple-A credit rating on U.S. government debt, though it is the last of the three major credit rating agencies to do so. Fitch Ratings lowered&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/credit-rating-downgrade-deficit-68fb6c578190d8361b6639e603714e5a" target="_blank">its rating to AA+ from AAA in August</a>, and Standard &amp; Poor’s downgraded the U.S. in 2011. A reduced outlook, however, raises the risk that Moody’s could eventually strip its triple-A rating from the U.S. as well.

A lower rating on U.S. debt could cost taxpayers if it leads borrowers to demand higher interest rates on Treasury bills and notes. The yield on the 10-year Treasury has risen significantly since July, from about 3.9% to 4.6% Friday, an unusually sharp rise.

Some market analysts have said the August Fitch downgrade may have contributed to that increase, though most point to other factors as bigger drivers, such as the Federal Reserve’s commitment to keeping its benchmark rate at a 22-year high to battle inflation.

“In the context of higher interest rates, without effective fiscal policy measures to reduce government spending or increase revenues, Moody’s expects that the U.S.'s fiscal deficits will remain very large, significantly weakening debt affordability,” the agency said in a statement.

The Biden administration criticized Moody’s decision.

“While the statement by Moody’s maintains the United States’ Aaa rating, we disagree with the shift to a negative outlook,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said. “The American economy remains strong, and Treasury securities are the world’s preeminent safe and liquid asset.”

The federal government’s budget deficit jumped to $1.7 trillion in the budget year that ended Sept. 30, up from $1.38 trillion the previous year. Analysts have warned that with interest rates heading higher, interest costs on the national debt will eat up a rising share of tax revenue.

Separately, congressional lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-congress-budget-e7d934001b1e00817deb8f33a2b6852f" target="_blank">left Washington for the weekend</a>&nbsp;without a plan to avoid a potential government shutdown that could occur by Nov. 17. Moody’s cited congressional dysfunction as one reason it lowered its outlook on U.S. debt.

“Recently, multiple events have illustrated the depth of political divisions in the U.S.: Renewed debt limit brinkmanship, the first ouster of a House Speaker in U.S. history, prolonged inability of Congress to select a new House Speaker, and increased threats of another partial government shutdown,” Moody’s said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service lowered its outlook on the U.S. government’s debt on Friday to “negative” from “stable,” citing the cost of rising interest rates and political polarization in Congress.Moody’s retained its top triple-A credit rating on U.S. government debt, though it is the last of the three major credit rating agencies to do so. Fitch Ratings lowered&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/credit-rating-downgrade-deficit-68fb6c578190d8361b6639e603714e5a" target="_blank">its rating to AA+ from AAA in August</a>, and Standard &amp; Poor’s downgraded the U.S. in 2011. A reduced outlook, however, raises the risk that Moody’s could eventually strip its triple-A rating from the U.S. as well.A lower rating on U.S. debt could cost taxpayers if it leads borrowers to demand higher interest rates on Treasury bills and notes. The yield on the 10-year Treasury has risen significantly since July, from about 3.9% to 4.6% Friday, an unusually sharp rise.Some market analysts have said the August Fitch downgrade may have contributed to that increase, though most point to other factors as bigger drivers, such as the Federal Reserve’s commitment to keeping its benchmark rate at a 22-year high to battle inflation.“In the context of higher interest rates, without effective fiscal policy measures to reduce government spending or increase revenues, Moody’s expects that the U.S.'s fiscal deficits will remain very large, significantly weakening debt affordability,” the agency said in a statement.The Biden administration criticized Moody’s decision.“While the statement by Moody’s maintains the United States’ Aaa rating, we disagree with the shift to a negative outlook,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said. “The American economy remains strong, and Treasury securities are the world’s preeminent safe and liquid asset.”The federal government’s budget deficit jumped to $1.7 trillion in the budget year that ended Sept. 30, up from $1.38 trillion the previous year. Analysts have warned that with interest rates heading higher, interest costs on the national debt will eat up a rising share of tax revenue.Separately, congressional lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-congress-budget-e7d934001b1e00817deb8f33a2b6852f" target="_blank">left Washington for the weekend</a>&nbsp;without a plan to avoid a potential government shutdown that could occur by Nov. 17. Moody’s cited congressional dysfunction as one reason it lowered its outlook on U.S. debt.“Recently, multiple events have illustrated the depth of political divisions in the U.S.: Renewed debt limit brinkmanship, the first ouster of a House Speaker in U.S. history, prolonged inability of Congress to select a new House Speaker, and increased threats of another partial government shutdown,” Moody’s said.

Moody's warns America: AAA credit rating is at risk

BERLIN (AP) — Five U.S. servicepeople were killed when a military helicopter crashed over the eastern Mediterranean Sea during a training mission, U.S. officials said Sunday.

The military's European Command said all five crew members on board were killed when the aircraft went down “during a routine air refueling mission as part of military training.”

The military first announced the crash&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/military-aircraft-crash-mediterranean-50b45d9fc4956ede96076a7d21f42eb4">on Saturday</a>&nbsp;and said that the cause is under investigation, but there are no indications of any hostile activity involved. It said on Sunday that “search and rescue efforts began immediately, including nearby U.S. military aircraft and ships.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement that “we mourn the tragic loss of five U.S. service members during a training accident in the Mediterranean Sea early Saturday morning."

“While we continue to gather more information about this deadly crash, it is another stark reminder that the brave men and women who defend our great nation put their lives on the line each and every day to keep our country safe,” he said.

European Command said that out of respect for the families of the service members and in line with Department of Defense policy, the identities of the crew members are being withheld for 24 hours until the families of those killed have been notified.

It wasn’t immediately clear which military service the aircraft belonged to. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/air-force">Air Force</a>&nbsp;has sent additional squadrons to the region and the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, which has an array of aircraft on board, has also been operating in the eastern Mediterranean.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699821775651.png" alt="U.S. European Command" />
 <figcaption>U.S. European Command</figcaption>
 </figure>BERLIN (AP) — Five U.S. servicepeople were killed when a military helicopter crashed over the eastern Mediterranean Sea during a training mission, U.S. officials said Sunday.The military's European Command said all five crew members on board were killed when the aircraft went down “during a routine air refueling mission as part of military training.”The military first announced the crash&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/military-aircraft-crash-mediterranean-50b45d9fc4956ede96076a7d21f42eb4">on Saturday</a>&nbsp;and said that the cause is under investigation, but there are no indications of any hostile activity involved. It said on Sunday that “search and rescue efforts began immediately, including nearby U.S. military aircraft and ships.”U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement that “we mourn the tragic loss of five U.S. service members during a training accident in the Mediterranean Sea early Saturday morning."“While we continue to gather more information about this deadly crash, it is another stark reminder that the brave men and women who defend our great nation put their lives on the line each and every day to keep our country safe,” he said.European Command said that out of respect for the families of the service members and in line with Department of Defense policy, the identities of the crew members are being withheld for 24 hours until the families of those killed have been notified.It wasn’t immediately clear which military service the aircraft belonged to. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/air-force">Air Force</a>&nbsp;has sent additional squadrons to the region and the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, which has an array of aircraft on board, has also been operating in the eastern Mediterranean.

5 U.S. service members killed in crash over Mediterranean Sea

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/11/11/nebraska-tourism-hopes-a-40-increase-in-spending-authority-awakens-sleeping-giant/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;The Nebraska Tourism Commission has signaled that a request to increase its spending authority to promote tourism by 40% could be on the table in 2024.

Commissioner Rob Sabin, chair of Nebraska Tourism and general manager of Hilton Omaha, said during an interim hearing Thursday that the commission is seeking an increase in spending authority from $7.5 million to $10.5 million. The commission is funded through a 1% lodging tax.&nbsp;

While receipts have exceeded $7.5 million, Sabin said, commissioners are unable to use excess funds.

“Nebraska is a sleeping giant in the landscape of U.S. tourism,” Sabin said, adding that it’s the job of the Tourism Commission to awaken the beast.

There is a growing marketplace for Nebraska through conventions and sports, Sabin said, which is on top of attractions such as Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium and Lake McConaughy.

Sabin told the Legislature’s Revenue Committee that the increased spending ask is based on inflation, the commission’s balance that accrued from reduced spending during the COVID-19 pandemic and a desire to target potential tourist cities in a “second ring” of destinations.

Those include Chicago, Oklahoma City and Denver.

The median budget of tourism offices in bordering states is over $18 million, Sabin said, and those states have less to offer but more resources to lure in travelers.

State Sen. John Lowe of Kearney requested an interim study to examine revenue and other funding options for the Nebraska Tourism Commission through Legislative Resolution 97. He said that he hates spending Nebraska taxpayers’ money but noted that the spending authority increase would come from already raised funds.&nbsp;

David Fudge of the Nebraska Travel Association, which works closely with the Tourism Commission, echoed Sabin’s comments that greater spending could be used to advertise Nebraska’s attractions to a broader geographic area.

“People won’t come to Nebraska if they don’t know about it,” Fudge said.

Fudge said a possible 2024 request is to tie the spending authority for tourism promotion to lodging tax revenues so the commission can “make adjustments on the fly” based on outcomes.

“We need to fix the system so it also takes into account and encourages industry growth,” Fudge said.

Rich Otto of the Nebraska Hospitality Association also testified in support of increasing the spending authority, suggesting a 3% annual increase could be a long-term solution.

Possible legislation to change the commission’s spending authority could be referenced to the Appropriations Committee instead of Revenue, Fudge noted, so it’s important to inform both.

The Tourism Commission is also working with K.C. Belitz, director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, for a new marketing campaign that will get more visitors today but the “newest citizens of Nebraska” tomorrow, according to Sabin.

State Sen. Brad von Gillern of Elkhorn, vice chair of the Revenue Committee, asked whether a 40% increase in spending would lead to a 40% in tourism revenue.

Sabin responded that revenues would likely go up.

“We do believe that once we start spending to those amounts and start bringing more people in —&nbsp;especially when you go into Chicago and Oklahoma City —&nbsp;that we’re not only going to retain our current revenue generation,” Sabin said. “We’re actually going to continue to strengthen that.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699791930867.jpeg" alt="Kiewit Luminarium, a new Nebraska tourist attraction on Omaha’s Rivefront. (Courtesy of Kiewit Luminarium)" />
 <figcaption>Kiewit Luminarium, a new Nebraska tourist attraction on Omaha’s Rivefront. (Courtesy of Kiewit Luminarium)</figcaption>
 </figure>Zach Wendling<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/11/11/nebraska-tourism-hopes-a-40-increase-in-spending-authority-awakens-sleeping-giant/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;The Nebraska Tourism Commission has signaled that a request to increase its spending authority to promote tourism by 40% could be on the table in 2024.Commissioner Rob Sabin, chair of Nebraska Tourism and general manager of Hilton Omaha, said during an interim hearing Thursday that the commission is seeking an increase in spending authority from $7.5 million to $10.5 million. The commission is funded through a 1% lodging tax.&nbsp;While receipts have exceeded $7.5 million, Sabin said, commissioners are unable to use excess funds.“Nebraska is a sleeping giant in the landscape of U.S. tourism,” Sabin said, adding that it’s the job of the Tourism Commission to awaken the beast.There is a growing marketplace for Nebraska through conventions and sports, Sabin said, which is on top of attractions such as Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium and Lake McConaughy.Sabin told the Legislature’s Revenue Committee that the increased spending ask is based on inflation, the commission’s balance that accrued from reduced spending during the COVID-19 pandemic and a desire to target potential tourist cities in a “second ring” of destinations.Those include Chicago, Oklahoma City and Denver.The median budget of tourism offices in bordering states is over $18 million, Sabin said, and those states have less to offer but more resources to lure in travelers.State Sen. John Lowe of Kearney requested an interim study to examine revenue and other funding options for the Nebraska Tourism Commission through Legislative Resolution 97. He said that he hates spending Nebraska taxpayers’ money but noted that the spending authority increase would come from already raised funds.&nbsp;David Fudge of the Nebraska Travel Association, which works closely with the Tourism Commission, echoed Sabin’s comments that greater spending could be used to advertise Nebraska’s attractions to a broader geographic area.“People won’t come to Nebraska if they don’t know about it,” Fudge said.Fudge said a possible 2024 request is to tie the spending authority for tourism promotion to lodging tax revenues so the commission can “make adjustments on the fly” based on outcomes.“We need to fix the system so it also takes into account and encourages industry growth,” Fudge said.Rich Otto of the Nebraska Hospitality Association also testified in support of increasing the spending authority, suggesting a 3% annual increase could be a long-term solution.Possible legislation to change the commission’s spending authority could be referenced to the Appropriations Committee instead of Revenue, Fudge noted, so it’s important to inform both.The Tourism Commission is also working with K.C. Belitz, director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, for a new marketing campaign that will get more visitors today but the “newest citizens of Nebraska” tomorrow, according to Sabin.State Sen. Brad von Gillern of Elkhorn, vice chair of the Revenue Committee, asked whether a 40% increase in spending would lead to a 40% in tourism revenue.Sabin responded that revenues would likely go up.“We do believe that once we start spending to those amounts and start bringing more people in —&nbsp;especially when you go into Chicago and Oklahoma City —&nbsp;that we’re not only going to retain our current revenue generation,” Sabin said. “We’re actually going to continue to strengthen that.”

Nebraska Tourism hopes a 40% increase in spending authority awakens ‘sleeping giant’

NEW YORK (AP) — The proportion of U.S. kindergartners exempted from school vaccination requirements has hit its highest level ever, 3%, U.S. health officials said Thursday.

More parents are questioning routine childhood vaccinations that they used to automatically accept, an effect of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arkansas-governor-hutchinson-covid-vaccine-hesitancy-09cadd2e75ddd5a4c0758b2cb1b6cbfd">the political schism</a>&nbsp;that emerged during the pandemic around COVID-19 vaccines, experts say.

Even though more kids were given exemptions, the national vaccination rate held steady: 93% of kindergarteners got their required shots for the 2022-2023 school year, the same as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-immunizations-children-measles-acba3eb975fdfcd41732ed87511387f2">the year before</a>, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7245a2.htm?s_cid=mm7245a2_w">in a report</a>&nbsp;Thursday. The rate was 95% in the years before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The bad news is that it’s gone down since the pandemic and still hasn’t rebounded,” said Dr. Sean O’Leary, a University of Colorado pediatric infectious diseases specialist. “The good news is that the vast majority of parents are still vaccinating their kids according to the recommended schedule.”

All U.S. states and territories require that children attending child care centers and schools be vaccinated against&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/by-age/years-4-6.html">a number of diseases</a>, including, measles, mumps, polio, tetanus, whooping cough and chickenpox.

All states allow exemptions for children with medical conditions that prevents them from receiving certain vaccines. And most&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncsl.org/health/states-with-religious-and-philosophical-exemptions-from-school-immunization-requirements">also permit exemptions</a>&nbsp;for religious or other nonmedical reasons.

In the last decade, the percentage of kindergarteners with medical exemptions has held steady, at about 0.2%. But the percentage with nonmedical exemptions has inched up, lifting the overall exemption rate from 1.6% in the 2011-2012 school year to 3% last year.

Last year, more than 115,000 kindergartners were exempt from at least one vaccine, the CDC estimated.

Ten states — all in the West or Midwest — reported that more than 5% of kindergartners were exempted from at least one kind of required vaccine. Idaho had the highest percentage, with 12% of kindergartners receiving at least one exemption. In contrast, 0.1% had exemptions in New York.

The rates can be influenced by state laws or policies can make it harder or easier to obtain exemptions, and by local attitudes among families and doctors about the need to get children vaccinated.

“Sometimes these jumps in exemptions can be very local, and it may not reflect a whole state,” said O’Leary, who chairs an American Academy of Pediatrics committee on infectious diseases.

Hawaii saw the largest jump, with the exemption rate rising to 6.4%, nearly double the year before.

Officials there said it’s not due to any law or policy change. Rather, “we have observed that there has been misinformation/disinformation impacting people’s decision to vaccinate or not via social media platforms,” officials at the state’s health department said in a statement.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/connecticut-religion-health-education-government-and-politics-6d9ce916908bbdacce4e7a7840a57a87">Connecticut</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-maine-coronavirus-pandemic-67b7dd0f9f93615928efbbc9c46baf5e">Maine</a>&nbsp;saw significant declines, which CDC officials attributed to recent policy changes that made it harder to get exemptions.

Health officials say attaining 95% vaccination coverage is important to prevent outbreaks of preventable diseases, especially of measles, which is extremely contagious.

The U.S. has seen measles outbreaks begin when travelers infected elsewhere came to communities with low vaccination rates. That happened&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/2561e6a7023dccec900420578d758526">in 2019</a>&nbsp;when about 1,300 measles cases were reported — the most in the U.S. in nearly 30 years. Most of the cases were in were in Orthodox Jewish communities with low vaccination rates.

One apparent paradox in the report: The national vaccination rate held steady even as exemptions increased. How could that be?

CDC officials say it’s because there are actually three groups of children in the vaccination statistics. One is those who get all the shots. A second is those who get exemptions. The third are children who didn't seek exemptions but also didn’t get all their shots and paperwork completed at the time the data was collected.

“Last year, those kids in that third group probably decreased,” offsetting the increase in the exemption group, the CDC’s Shannon Stokley said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671049425198.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — The proportion of U.S. kindergartners exempted from school vaccination requirements has hit its highest level ever, 3%, U.S. health officials said Thursday.More parents are questioning routine childhood vaccinations that they used to automatically accept, an effect of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arkansas-governor-hutchinson-covid-vaccine-hesitancy-09cadd2e75ddd5a4c0758b2cb1b6cbfd">the political schism</a>&nbsp;that emerged during the pandemic around COVID-19 vaccines, experts say.Even though more kids were given exemptions, the national vaccination rate held steady: 93% of kindergarteners got their required shots for the 2022-2023 school year, the same as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-immunizations-children-measles-acba3eb975fdfcd41732ed87511387f2">the year before</a>, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7245a2.htm?s_cid=mm7245a2_w">in a report</a>&nbsp;Thursday. The rate was 95% in the years before the COVID-19 pandemic.“The bad news is that it’s gone down since the pandemic and still hasn’t rebounded,” said Dr. Sean O’Leary, a University of Colorado pediatric infectious diseases specialist. “The good news is that the vast majority of parents are still vaccinating their kids according to the recommended schedule.”All U.S. states and territories require that children attending child care centers and schools be vaccinated against&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/by-age/years-4-6.html">a number of diseases</a>, including, measles, mumps, polio, tetanus, whooping cough and chickenpox.All states allow exemptions for children with medical conditions that prevents them from receiving certain vaccines. And most&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncsl.org/health/states-with-religious-and-philosophical-exemptions-from-school-immunization-requirements">also permit exemptions</a>&nbsp;for religious or other nonmedical reasons.In the last decade, the percentage of kindergarteners with medical exemptions has held steady, at about 0.2%. But the percentage with nonmedical exemptions has inched up, lifting the overall exemption rate from 1.6% in the 2011-2012 school year to 3% last year.Last year, more than 115,000 kindergartners were exempt from at least one vaccine, the CDC estimated.The rates vary across the country.Ten states — all in the West or Midwest — reported that more than 5% of kindergartners were exempted from at least one kind of required vaccine. Idaho had the highest percentage, with 12% of kindergartners receiving at least one exemption. In contrast, 0.1% had exemptions in New York.The rates can be influenced by state laws or policies can make it harder or easier to obtain exemptions, and by local attitudes among families and doctors about the need to get children vaccinated.“Sometimes these jumps in exemptions can be very local, and it may not reflect a whole state,” said O’Leary, who chairs an American Academy of Pediatrics committee on infectious diseases.Hawaii saw the largest jump, with the exemption rate rising to 6.4%, nearly double the year before.Officials there said it’s not due to any law or policy change. Rather, “we have observed that there has been misinformation/disinformation impacting people’s decision to vaccinate or not via social media platforms,” officials at the state’s health department said in a statement.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/connecticut-religion-health-education-government-and-politics-6d9ce916908bbdacce4e7a7840a57a87">Connecticut</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-maine-coronavirus-pandemic-67b7dd0f9f93615928efbbc9c46baf5e">Maine</a>&nbsp;saw significant declines, which CDC officials attributed to recent policy changes that made it harder to get exemptions.Health officials say attaining 95% vaccination coverage is important to prevent outbreaks of preventable diseases, especially of measles, which is extremely contagious.The U.S. has seen measles outbreaks begin when travelers infected elsewhere came to communities with low vaccination rates. That happened&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/2561e6a7023dccec900420578d758526">in 2019</a>&nbsp;when about 1,300 measles cases were reported — the most in the U.S. in nearly 30 years. Most of the cases were in were in Orthodox Jewish communities with low vaccination rates.One apparent paradox in the report: The national vaccination rate held steady even as exemptions increased. How could that be?CDC officials say it’s because there are actually three groups of children in the vaccination statistics. One is those who get all the shots. A second is those who get exemptions. The third are children who didn't seek exemptions but also didn’t get all their shots and paperwork completed at the time the data was collected.“Last year, those kids in that third group probably decreased,” offsetting the increase in the exemption group, the CDC’s Shannon Stokley said.

U.S. childhood vaccination exemptions reach their highest level ever

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Saturday ordered the removal of the bishop of Tyler, Texas, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/catholic-us-bishops-lgbtq-women-pope-francis-81a602274dd604b7cc532425a289b00c">conservative prelate</a>&nbsp;active on social media who has been a fierce critic of the pontiff and has come to symbolize the polarization within the U.S. Catholic hierarchy.

A one-line statement from the Vatican said Francis had “relieved” Bishop Joseph Strickland of the pastoral governance of Tyler and appointed the bishop of Austin as the temporary administrator.

Strickland, 65, has emerged as a leading critic of Francis, accusing him in a tweet earlier this year of “undermining the deposit of faith.” He has been particularly critical of Francis’ recent meeting on the future of the Catholic Church during which hot-button issues were discussed, including ways to better welcome LGBTQ+ Catholics.

Earlier this year, the Vatican sent in investigators to look into his governance of the diocese, amid reports that priests and laypeople in Tyler had complained and that he was making unorthodox claims.

The Vatican never released the findings and Strickland had insisted he wouldn’t resign voluntarily, saying in media interviews that he was given a mandate to serve as bishop in 2012 by the late Pope Benedict XVI and couldn’t abdicate that responsibility.

The conservative website LifeSiteNews, which said it interviewed Strickland on Saturday, quoted him as saying one of the reasons given for his ouster was his refusal to implement Francis' 2021 restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass.

Francis' crackdown on the old liturgy has become a rallying cry for traditionalist Catholics opposed to the pontiff's progressive bent. Strickland told LifeSite he refused to implement the restrictions “because I can’t starve out part of my flock.”

He said he stood by his decision, would do it again and "I feel very much at peace in the Lord and the truth that he died for.”

His firing sparked an immediate outcry among some conservatives and traditionalists who had held up Strickland as a leading point of Catholic reference to counter Francis’ progressive reforms. Michael J. Matt, editor of the traditionalist newspaper The Remnant, wrote that with the firing, Francis was “actively trying to bury fidelity to the Church of Jesus Christ.”

“This is total war,” Matt wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Francis is a clear and present danger not only to Catholics the world over but also to the whole world itself.”

The two Vatican investigators sent into investigate Strickland — Bishop Dennis Sullivan of Camden, N.J., and the retired bishop of Tucson, Ariz., Bishop Emeritus Gerald Kicanas — “conducted an exhaustive inquiry into all aspects of the governance and leadership of the diocese,” said the head of the church in Texas, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo.

After their investigation, a recommendation was made to Francis that “the continuation in office of Bishop Strickland was not feasible,” DiNardo said in a statement Saturday.

The Vatican asked Strickland to resign Thursday, but he declined, prompting Francis to remove him from office two days later, DiNardo's statement said.

It is rare for the pope to remove a bishop from office. Bishops are required to offer to resign when they reach 75. When the Vatican uncovers issues with governance or other problems that require a bishop to leave office before then, the Vatican usually seeks to pressure him to offer to resign for the good of his diocese and the church.

That was the case when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-knoxville-bishop-abuse-allegation-priest-b948a9ff8794e791af97906a2abd9302">another U.S. bishop was forced out</a>&nbsp;earlier this year following a Vatican investigation. Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville, Tenn., resigned voluntarily, albeit under pressure, following allegations he mishandled sex abuse allegations and his priests complained about his leadership and behavior.

But with Strickland, the Vatican statement made clear that he had not offered to resign and that Francis had instead "relieved" him from his job.

Francis has not been shy about his concerns about the right wing in the U.S. Catholic hierarchy, which has been split between progressives and conservatives who long found support in the doctrinaire papacies of St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, particularly on issues of abortion and same-sex marriage.

In comments to Portuguese Jesuits in August,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-vatican-conservatives-abortion-us-bbfc346c117bd9ae68a1963478bea6b3">Francis blasted</a>&nbsp;the “backwardness” of these conservative bishops, saying they had replaced faith with ideology and that a correct understanding of Catholic doctrine allows for change over time.

Strickland had been associated with the most extreme of these bishops, including the former Vatican ambassador to the U.S., Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a fierce Francis critic who in 2018 called for the pope to resign.

Strickland backed Vigano's conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic, and on Saturday Vigano wrote that Strickland's ouster showed a “cowardly form of authoritarianism” by Francis. “This affair will reveal who stands with the true Church of Christ and who chooses to stand with His declared enemies,” Vigano wrote on X.

Most recently, Strickland had criticized Francis’ monthlong closed-door debate on making the church more welcoming and responsive to the needs of Catholics today. The meeting debated a host of previously taboo issues, including women in governance roles and welcoming LGBTQ+ Catholics, but in the end, its final document didn’t veer from established doctrine.

Ahead of the meeting, Strickland said it was a “travesty” that such things were even on the table for discussion.

”Regrettably, it may be that some will label as schismatics those who disagree with the changes being proposed,” Strickland wrote in a public letter in August. “Instead, those who would propose changes to that which cannot be changed seek to commandeer Christ’s Church, and they are indeed the true schismatics.”

In a statement Saturday, the diocese of Tyler announced Strickland's removal but said the church's work would continue in Tyler.

“Our mission is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to foster an authentic Christian community, and to serve the needs of all people with compassion and love,” it said.

In a social media post sent a few hours before the Vatican’s noon announcement, Strickland wrote a prayer about Christ being the “way, the truth and the life, yesterday, today and forever.” He had changed the handle from his previous @bishopoftyler to @BishStrickland.

The incoming temporary administrator for Tyler, Austin Bishop Joe Vásquez, said he would be travelling to the diocese over the coming weeks to be on hand for the priests, staff and lay faithful “to assess their needs.”

He asked for prayers for his work and the people of Tyler “during this time of transition.”

NEW YORK (AP) —In the United States, the national conference of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/catholic-bishops-lgbtq-transgender-health-care-d840600deab56a681e02d16463322892">Catholic bishops rejects</a>&nbsp;the concept of gender transition, leaving many&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-religion-united-states-gender-identity-marquette-368a622737d78df1f1f254a1e8e68aaf">transgender Catholics</a>&nbsp;feeling excluded.

Last week, the Vatican made public a sharply contrasting statement, saying it’s permissible, under certain circumstances, for trans people to be baptized as Catholics and serve as godparents.

“It is a major step for trans inclusion … it is big and good news,” said Francis DeBernardo, executive director of Maryland-based New Ways Ministry, which advocates for greater LGBTQ acceptance in the church.

The document was signed Oct. 21 by Pope Francis and Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, who heads the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. It was posted Wednesday on that office's website.

If it did not cause scandal or “disorientation” among other Catholics, a transgender person “may receive baptism under the same conditions as other faithful,” the document said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603292366279.png" alt="Pope Francis image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Pope Francis image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Saturday ordered the removal of the bishop of Tyler, Texas, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/catholic-us-bishops-lgbtq-women-pope-francis-81a602274dd604b7cc532425a289b00c">conservative prelate</a>&nbsp;active on social media who has been a fierce critic of the pontiff and has come to symbolize the polarization within the U.S. Catholic hierarchy.A one-line statement from the Vatican said Francis had “relieved” Bishop Joseph Strickland of the pastoral governance of Tyler and appointed the bishop of Austin as the temporary administrator.Strickland, 65, has emerged as a leading critic of Francis, accusing him in a tweet earlier this year of “undermining the deposit of faith.” He has been particularly critical of Francis’ recent meeting on the future of the Catholic Church during which hot-button issues were discussed, including ways to better welcome LGBTQ+ Catholics.Earlier this year, the Vatican sent in investigators to look into his governance of the diocese, amid reports that priests and laypeople in Tyler had complained and that he was making unorthodox claims.The Vatican never released the findings and Strickland had insisted he wouldn’t resign voluntarily, saying in media interviews that he was given a mandate to serve as bishop in 2012 by the late Pope Benedict XVI and couldn’t abdicate that responsibility.The conservative website LifeSiteNews, which said it interviewed Strickland on Saturday, quoted him as saying one of the reasons given for his ouster was his refusal to implement Francis' 2021 restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass.Francis' crackdown on the old liturgy has become a rallying cry for traditionalist Catholics opposed to the pontiff's progressive bent. Strickland told LifeSite he refused to implement the restrictions “because I can’t starve out part of my flock.”He said he stood by his decision, would do it again and "I feel very much at peace in the Lord and the truth that he died for.”His firing sparked an immediate outcry among some conservatives and traditionalists who had held up Strickland as a leading point of Catholic reference to counter Francis’ progressive reforms. Michael J. Matt, editor of the traditionalist newspaper The Remnant, wrote that with the firing, Francis was “actively trying to bury fidelity to the Church of Jesus Christ.”“This is total war,” Matt wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Francis is a clear and present danger not only to Catholics the world over but also to the whole world itself.”The two Vatican investigators sent into investigate Strickland — Bishop Dennis Sullivan of Camden, N.J., and the retired bishop of Tucson, Ariz., Bishop Emeritus Gerald Kicanas — “conducted an exhaustive inquiry into all aspects of the governance and leadership of the diocese,” said the head of the church in Texas, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo.After their investigation, a recommendation was made to Francis that “the continuation in office of Bishop Strickland was not feasible,” DiNardo said in a statement Saturday.The Vatican asked Strickland to resign Thursday, but he declined, prompting Francis to remove him from office two days later, DiNardo's statement said.It is rare for the pope to remove a bishop from office. Bishops are required to offer to resign when they reach 75. When the Vatican uncovers issues with governance or other problems that require a bishop to leave office before then, the Vatican usually seeks to pressure him to offer to resign for the good of his diocese and the church.That was the case when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-knoxville-bishop-abuse-allegation-priest-b948a9ff8794e791af97906a2abd9302">another U.S. bishop was forced out</a>&nbsp;earlier this year following a Vatican investigation. Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville, Tenn., resigned voluntarily, albeit under pressure, following allegations he mishandled sex abuse allegations and his priests complained about his leadership and behavior.But with Strickland, the Vatican statement made clear that he had not offered to resign and that Francis had instead "relieved" him from his job.Francis has not been shy about his concerns about the right wing in the U.S. Catholic hierarchy, which has been split between progressives and conservatives who long found support in the doctrinaire papacies of St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, particularly on issues of abortion and same-sex marriage.In comments to Portuguese Jesuits in August,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-vatican-conservatives-abortion-us-bbfc346c117bd9ae68a1963478bea6b3">Francis blasted</a>&nbsp;the “backwardness” of these conservative bishops, saying they had replaced faith with ideology and that a correct understanding of Catholic doctrine allows for change over time.Strickland had been associated with the most extreme of these bishops, including the former Vatican ambassador to the U.S., Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a fierce Francis critic who in 2018 called for the pope to resign.Strickland backed Vigano's conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic, and on Saturday Vigano wrote that Strickland's ouster showed a “cowardly form of authoritarianism” by Francis. “This affair will reveal who stands with the true Church of Christ and who chooses to stand with His declared enemies,” Vigano wrote on X.Most recently, Strickland had criticized Francis’ monthlong closed-door debate on making the church more welcoming and responsive to the needs of Catholics today. The meeting debated a host of previously taboo issues, including women in governance roles and welcoming LGBTQ+ Catholics, but in the end, its final document didn’t veer from established doctrine.Ahead of the meeting, Strickland said it was a “travesty” that such things were even on the table for discussion.”Regrettably, it may be that some will label as schismatics those who disagree with the changes being proposed,” Strickland wrote in a public letter in August. “Instead, those who would propose changes to that which cannot be changed seek to commandeer Christ’s Church, and they are indeed the true schismatics.”In a statement Saturday, the diocese of Tyler announced Strickland's removal but said the church's work would continue in Tyler.“Our mission is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to foster an authentic Christian community, and to serve the needs of all people with compassion and love,” it said.In a social media post sent a few hours before the Vatican’s noon announcement, Strickland wrote a prayer about Christ being the “way, the truth and the life, yesterday, today and forever.” He had changed the handle from his previous @bishopoftyler to @BishStrickland.The incoming temporary administrator for Tyler, Austin Bishop Joe Vásquez, said he would be travelling to the diocese over the coming weeks to be on hand for the priests, staff and lay faithful “to assess their needs.”He asked for prayers for his work and the people of Tyler “during this time of transition.”----------------NEW YORK (AP) —In the United States, the national conference of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/catholic-bishops-lgbtq-transgender-health-care-d840600deab56a681e02d16463322892">Catholic bishops rejects</a>&nbsp;the concept of gender transition, leaving many&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-religion-united-states-gender-identity-marquette-368a622737d78df1f1f254a1e8e68aaf">transgender Catholics</a>&nbsp;feeling excluded. Last week, the Vatican made public a sharply contrasting statement, saying it’s permissible, under certain circumstances, for trans people to be baptized as Catholics and serve as godparents.“It is a major step for trans inclusion … it is big and good news,” said Francis DeBernardo, executive director of Maryland-based New Ways Ministry, which advocates for greater LGBTQ acceptance in the church.The document was signed Oct. 21 by Pope Francis and Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, who heads the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. It was posted Wednesday on that office's website.If it did not cause scandal or “disorientation” among other Catholics, a transgender person “may receive baptism under the same conditions as other faithful,” the document said.Similarly, the document said trans adults — even if they had undergone gender-transition surgery — could serve as godfathers or godmothers under certain conditions.DeBernardo said this seemed to be a reversal of a 2015 Vatican decision to bar a trans man in Spain from becoming a godparent.During his papacy, Pope Francis has frequently expressed an interest in making the Catholic Church&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-gay-rights-ap-interview-1359756ae22f27f87c1d4d6b9c8ce212">more welcoming to LGBTQ people</a>, even though doctrines rejecting same-sex marriage and sexual activity remain firmly in place.A small but growing number of U.S. parishes have formed LGBTQ support groups and welcome transgender people on their own terms. Yet several Catholic dioceses have issued guidelines targeting trans people with restrictions and refusing to recognize their gender identity.The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest who has advocated for years for greater LGBTQ inclusion in the church, welcomed the new document.“In many dioceses and parishes, including in the US, transgender Catholics have been severely restricted from participating in the life of the church, not because of any canon law, but stemming from the decisions of bishops, priests and pastoral associates,” he said via email.“So the Vatican’s statement is a clear recognition not only of their personhood, but of their place in their own church,” he said. “I hope that it helps the Catholic church treat them less as problems and more as people.”According to the Vatican, the document was a response to a letter submitted in July by a Brazilian bishop asking about LGBTQ people’s possible participation in baptisms and weddings.DeBernardo said the document “proves that the Catholic Church can — and does — change its mind about certain practices and policies," and he suggested that some diocesan anti-trans policies might now have to be rescinded. But he expressed disappointment that the document maintained a ban on same-sex couples serving as godparents.