<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/07/researchers-explore-how-to-better-tap-into-nebraskas-prison-population-to-fill-labor-gaps/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

OMAHA — For nearly a decade, the Nebraska Center for Justice Research has examined how the state spends millions annually on programs that aim to help prisoners integrate back into society.

A focus has been tracking groups that together receive about $3.5 million a year to deliver reentry services.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-public-affairs-and-community-service/nebraska-center-for-justice-research/research-and-publications/index.php#reports">The center analyzes</a>&nbsp;participation, recidivism — “quantitative things, the numbers,” said director Ryan Spohn.

But in its latest project, the legislatively funded center stepped away from the digits to offer a different spin.

Spohn’s team went to employers for first-hand accounts of what is or isn’t working in the state’s efforts to transition individuals from a stint behind bars into the labor force.&nbsp;

It’s an inside take Spohn has long sought, and it’s as relevant a topic as ever with Nebraska facing a nagging workforce shortage.&nbsp;

“If we want these individuals to be gainfully employed, we have to have employers,” he said. “What are the successes they’re seeing? What are the challenges and barriers employers experience in hiring justice-involved individuals in Nebraska?”

The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-public-affairs-and-community-service/nebraska-center-for-justice-research/documents/vlsreports/vls-employer-report-2023.pdf">resulting 26-page report</a>&nbsp;— to be shared with state lawmakers, the Department of Correctional Services and others — relays employer perspectives and recommends ways to boost employment prospects for soon-to-be or recently released prisoners.

Among report recommendations to ease hiring and retention of justice-involved individuals:

One manufacturing supervisor, for instance, groused about how he really liked and wanted to hire an applicant, but the state case manager kept moving the goalposts.

“When I submitted (initial paperwork) he’s like, ‘Oh, I talked to this department. We also need that.’ Okay,” the supervisor said. “And then I submitted that and he’s like, ‘Oh … we actually need the increased version of that.’ And I’m like, damn.”

Among other barriers cited by employers: drug tests that conflict with work hours; difficult communication and collaboration with work release centers; inmate skill deficits; obtrusive worksite checks by state officials.

Janee Pannkuk, a state corrections official who oversees reentry services provided through&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://corrections.nebraska.gov/node/29/24?combine=vls">Vocational and Life Skills</a>&nbsp;grants, didn’t dispute any particular concern raised in the report.&nbsp;

She said state corrections officials already are working on some of the challenges identified, including beefing up communication and email capability between employers and job candidates at work release centers.&nbsp;

She said the department’s 2023-24 strategic plan outlines ways to gain more input in general from the public and formerly incarcerated.

“To me it was affirming we are on the right track,” said Pannkuk.&nbsp;

Employer perspectives reflected in the report were gathered during interviews last year with representatives of 18 businesses of various sizes and industries.

They’re part of an ongoing evaluation of the state Vocational and Life Skills program, which lawmakers created in 2014 to better prepare inmates for a productive return to their communities.

So far, the report said, nearly 10,000 men and women have received vocational training, educational credits and other support through VLS grants to entities such as Rise, Associated Builders and Contractors and Metropolitan Community College.

About 75% of VLS services are delivered in correctional facilities and 25% in communities to people within 18 months of release from prison.

Overall, employers who participated in the study touted benefits of hiring from that incarcerated or recently released population — including that they filled staffing gaps in a tough labor market.

The report noted that at the start of 2023, 73,000 Nebraska jobs were available with only 28,000 unemployed individuals in the state to fill them.&nbsp;

An oft-repeated remark by managers, according to the report, was that justice-involved employees were among their “best” workers.&nbsp;

“They’ll work a lot of hours,” said a supervisor in the food services industry. “I think sometimes they have a lot to prove.”

A human resources manager of 140 employees told the researchers that Nebraska’s unemployment rate,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraskas-latest-unemployment-rate-drops-slightly-as-state-yearns-for-more-workers/">one of the lowest in the nation,</a>&nbsp;should push employers to think about the unconventional.

“We really have to start tapping into resources that we might not have thought of before,” the manager said.

According to the report, 77% of the employers interviewed pointed out institutional barriers, or procedures within the justice system, that can limit their ability to employ justice-involved individuals. But employers also noted positive strides by the Corrections Department and VLS to prepare inmates with marketable skills.

Many said they were more confident hiring inmates who completed a VLS program. Researchers noted that most inmates arrive at worksites with OSHA certification.&nbsp;

Pannkuk said the state provides other key documents, such as a birth certificate, prior to release. More recently, she said, the state has arranged for testing for driver’s licenses.

A common refrain among employers, according to the report, was trouble communicating with local work release centers. Some supervisors said it took several calls to schedule interviews for potential hires.&nbsp;

Some said they aren’t informed of disciplinary actions that might prevent an inmate from showing up to the job site. They said the person might explain later that their housing unit was under investigation or that they had lost a work privilege. “Whether this is true or not is often never known by the employer,’’ the report said.

Said Spohn, “There are rules in our work release facilities that are just constantly in conflict with what employers need to do to get people onboarded and keep them employed. We need to figure out what those things are.”

Other employers suggest that legislators revisit certain laws, including those that restrict certain offenders from selling alcohol in the convenience store industry.

An “unexpected” recommendation from more than one employer, researchers said, was for the state to ensure that every person released had a mattress and pillow that provided enough back and neck support for employees to work without avoidable pain.

Spohn, whose team is housed at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, expects the report to be discussed during community forums. He said the Nebraska Center for Justice Research hopes it spurs more job connections.&nbsp;

According to the state, about 2,700 people are discharged from the Department of Correctional Services per year.

“If we can have people safely in the community and gainfully employed, that’s better than us paying to have them incarcerated,” Spohn said. “But that requires an employer.”

Cindy Gonzalez<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/07/researchers-explore-how-to-better-tap-into-nebraskas-prison-population-to-fill-labor-gaps/">Nebraska Examiner</a>OMAHA — For nearly a decade, the Nebraska Center for Justice Research has examined how the state spends millions annually on programs that aim to help prisoners integrate back into society.A focus has been tracking groups that together receive about $3.5 million a year to deliver reentry services.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-public-affairs-and-community-service/nebraska-center-for-justice-research/research-and-publications/index.php#reports">The center analyzes</a>&nbsp;participation, recidivism — “quantitative things, the numbers,” said director Ryan Spohn.But in its latest project, the legislatively funded center stepped away from the digits to offer a different spin.Spohn’s team went to employers for first-hand accounts of what is or isn’t working in the state’s efforts to transition individuals from a stint behind bars into the labor force.&nbsp;It’s an inside take Spohn has long sought, and it’s as relevant a topic as ever with Nebraska facing a nagging workforce shortage.&nbsp;“If we want these individuals to be gainfully employed, we have to have employers,” he said. “What are the successes they’re seeing? What are the challenges and barriers employers experience in hiring justice-involved individuals in Nebraska?”<h2>Moving the goalposts</h2>The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-public-affairs-and-community-service/nebraska-center-for-justice-research/documents/vlsreports/vls-employer-report-2023.pdf">resulting 26-page report</a>&nbsp;— to be shared with state lawmakers, the Department of Correctional Services and others — relays employer perspectives and recommends ways to boost employment prospects for soon-to-be or recently released prisoners.<h2>Report recommendations</h2>Among report recommendations to ease hiring and retention of justice-involved individuals:<ul>
 <li>Promote tax benefits for employers willing to hire formerly incarcerated individuals. Both Nebraska and the federal government provide such tax incentives, but only two of the 18 employers interviewed said they tapped them. Most said they were not aware any existed.</li><li>Allow people to save more money by working while incarcerated to prepare for expenses they’ll have upon release.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Ensure that newly released inmates have housing and transportation.&nbsp;</li>
 </ul>One manufacturing supervisor, for instance, groused about how he really liked and wanted to hire an applicant, but the state case manager kept moving the goalposts.“When I submitted (initial paperwork) he’s like, ‘Oh, I talked to this department. We also need that.’ Okay,” the supervisor said. “And then I submitted that and he’s like, ‘Oh … we actually need the increased version of that.’ And I’m like, damn.”Among other barriers cited by employers: drug tests that conflict with work hours; difficult communication and collaboration with work release centers; inmate skill deficits; obtrusive worksite checks by state officials.Janee Pannkuk, a state corrections official who oversees reentry services provided through&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://corrections.nebraska.gov/node/29/24?combine=vls">Vocational and Life Skills</a>&nbsp;grants, didn’t dispute any particular concern raised in the report.&nbsp;She said state corrections officials already are working on some of the challenges identified, including beefing up communication and email capability between employers and job candidates at work release centers.&nbsp;She said the department’s 2023-24 strategic plan outlines ways to gain more input in general from the public and formerly incarcerated.“To me it was affirming we are on the right track,” said Pannkuk.&nbsp;<h2>‘They’ll work a lot of hours’</h2>Employer perspectives reflected in the report were gathered during interviews last year with representatives of 18 businesses of various sizes and industries.They’re part of an ongoing evaluation of the state Vocational and Life Skills program, which lawmakers created in 2014 to better prepare inmates for a productive return to their communities.So far, the report said, nearly 10,000 men and women have received vocational training, educational credits and other support through VLS grants to entities such as Rise, Associated Builders and Contractors and Metropolitan Community College.About 75% of VLS services are delivered in correctional facilities and 25% in communities to people within 18 months of release from prison.Overall, employers who participated in the study touted benefits of hiring from that incarcerated or recently released population — including that they filled staffing gaps in a tough labor market.The report noted that at the start of 2023, 73,000 Nebraska jobs were available with only 28,000 unemployed individuals in the state to fill them.&nbsp;An oft-repeated remark by managers, according to the report, was that justice-involved employees were among their “best” workers.&nbsp;“They’ll work a lot of hours,” said a supervisor in the food services industry. “I think sometimes they have a lot to prove.”A human resources manager of 140 employees told the researchers that Nebraska’s unemployment rate,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraskas-latest-unemployment-rate-drops-slightly-as-state-yearns-for-more-workers/">one of the lowest in the nation,</a>&nbsp;should push employers to think about the unconventional.“We really have to start tapping into resources that we might not have thought of before,” the manager said.<h2>Positive strides</h2>According to the report, 77% of the employers interviewed pointed out institutional barriers, or procedures within the justice system, that can limit their ability to employ justice-involved individuals. But employers also noted positive strides by the Corrections Department and VLS to prepare inmates with marketable skills.Many said they were more confident hiring inmates who completed a VLS program. Researchers noted that most inmates arrive at worksites with OSHA certification.&nbsp;Pannkuk said the state provides other key documents, such as a birth certificate, prior to release. More recently, she said, the state has arranged for testing for driver’s licenses.A common refrain among employers, according to the report, was trouble communicating with local work release centers. Some supervisors said it took several calls to schedule interviews for potential hires.&nbsp;Some said they aren’t informed of disciplinary actions that might prevent an inmate from showing up to the job site. They said the person might explain later that their housing unit was under investigation or that they had lost a work privilege. “Whether this is true or not is often never known by the employer,’’ the report said.Said Spohn, “There are rules in our work release facilities that are just constantly in conflict with what employers need to do to get people onboarded and keep them employed. We need to figure out what those things are.”Other employers suggest that legislators revisit certain laws, including those that restrict certain offenders from selling alcohol in the convenience store industry.An “unexpected” recommendation from more than one employer, researchers said, was for the state to ensure that every person released had a mattress and pillow that provided enough back and neck support for employees to work without avoidable pain.Spohn, whose team is housed at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, expects the report to be discussed during community forums. He said the Nebraska Center for Justice Research hopes it spurs more job connections.&nbsp;According to the state, about 2,700 people are discharged from the Department of Correctional Services per year.“If we can have people safely in the community and gainfully employed, that’s better than us paying to have them incarcerated,” Spohn said. “But that requires an employer.”

Researchers explore how to better tap into Nebraska’s prison population to fill labor gaps

WASHINGTON (AP) — House members voted again Thursday to punish one of their own, targeting Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-fire-alarm-jamaal-bowman-house-bc9c1cca01fa918999621e0f7eb27165">triggering a fire alarm in one of the U.S. Capitol office buildings</a>&nbsp;when the chamber was in session.

The Republican censure resolution passed with some Democratic votes, but most Democrats stood by Bowman in opposition of an effort they said lacked credibility and integrity. The prominent progressive now becomes the third Democratic House member to be admonished this year through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/impeachment-house-censure-schiff-biden-boebert-70a2206fc0c543a307fc3ec63d5287e9">the censure process</a>, which is a punishment one step below expulsion from the House.

“It’s painfully obvious to myself, my colleagues and the American people that the Republican Party is deeply unserious and unable to legislate,” Bowman said Wednesday as he defended himself during floor debate. “Their censure resolution against me today continues to demonstrate their inability to govern and serve the American people.”

The 214-191 vote to censure Bowman caps nearly a year of chaos and retribution in the House of Representatives. Since January, the chamber has seen&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ilhan-omar-house-foreign-affairs-committee-ee2ae3fd86b895c5b078d8bf576c3360#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20The%20Republican,GOP%20lawmakers%20over%20incendiary%20remarks.">the removal of a member from a committee assignment</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555">the first ouster of a speaker</a>&nbsp;in history and, just last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-expulsion-vote-ethics-investigation-fd0f1524065883c6b2fe3e6f9afd84db">the expulsion of a lawmaker</a>&nbsp;for only the third time since the Civil War.

Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., who introduced the censure resolution, defended it, claiming Bowman pulled the alarm in September to “cause chaos and the stop the House from doing its business" as lawmakers scrambled to pass&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-mccarthy-congress-republicans-732baaa19c91f981e492fd0e6a76aba8">a bill to fund the government</a>&nbsp;before a shutdown deadline.

“It is reprehensible that a Member of Congress would go to such lengths to prevent House Republicans from bringing forth a vote to keep the government operating and Americans receiving their paychecks," McClain said in a statement.

Bowman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bowman-fire-alarm-house-shutdown-vote-misdemeanor-c32d97c1d86f2f1769596613d29678f3">pleaded guilty in October to a misdemeanor count</a>&nbsp;for the incident, which took place in the Cannon House Office Building. He agreed to pay a $1,000 fine and serve three months of probation, after which the false fire alarm charge is expected to be dismissed from his record under an agreement with prosecutors.

The fire alarm prompted a buildingwide evacuation when the House was in session and staffers were working in the building. The building was reopened an hour later after Capitol police determined there was no threat.

Bowman apologized and said that at the time he was trying to get through a door that was usually open but was closed that day because it was the weekend.

Many progressive Democrats, who spoke in his defense, called the Republican effort to censure him “unserious," and they questioned why the party decided to target one of the few Black men in the chamber and among the first to ever represent his district.

“This censure is just the latest in this chamber’s racist history of telling Black men that they don’t belong in Congress,” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.

The vote is the latest example of how the chamber has begun to deploy punishments like censure,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/impeachment-house-censure-schiff-biden-boebert-70a2206fc0c543a307fc3ec63d5287e9">long viewed as a punishment of last resort</a>, routinely and often in strikingly partisan ways.

“Under Republican control, this chamber has become a place where trivial issues get debated passionately and important ones not at all," Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said during floor debate. “Republicans have focused more on censuring people in this Congress than passing bills that help people we represent or improving this country in any way.”

While the censure of a lawmaker carries no practical effect, it amounts to severe reproach from colleagues, as lawmakers who are censured are usually asked to stand in the well of the House as the censure resolution against them is read aloud.

Bowman is now the 27th person to be censured by the chamber — and the third just this year. Last month, Republicans voted to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-house-censure-resolution-tlaib-8085189047a4c40f2d44ada4604aa076">censure Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan</a>&nbsp;in an extraordinary rebuke of her rhetoric about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel-Hamas war</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696253301965.png" alt="-Rep. Jamal Bowman pulling the alarm photo U.S. Capitol Police" />
 <figcaption>-Rep. Jamal Bowman pulling the alarm photo U.S. Capitol Police</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — House members voted again Thursday to punish one of their own, targeting Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-fire-alarm-jamaal-bowman-house-bc9c1cca01fa918999621e0f7eb27165">triggering a fire alarm in one of the U.S. Capitol office buildings</a>&nbsp;when the chamber was in session.The Republican censure resolution passed with some Democratic votes, but most Democrats stood by Bowman in opposition of an effort they said lacked credibility and integrity. The prominent progressive now becomes the third Democratic House member to be admonished this year through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/impeachment-house-censure-schiff-biden-boebert-70a2206fc0c543a307fc3ec63d5287e9">the censure process</a>, which is a punishment one step below expulsion from the House.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Headed back home this morning. Wonder if I need to pull this red alarm thingy to get out the Russell Senate Office building…? <a href="https://t.co/9d7gKTABsJ">pic.twitter.com/9d7gKTABsJ</a>&mdash; Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) <a href="https://twitter.com/Eric_Schmitt/status/1708463092080705986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“It’s painfully obvious to myself, my colleagues and the American people that the Republican Party is deeply unserious and unable to legislate,” Bowman said Wednesday as he defended himself during floor debate. “Their censure resolution against me today continues to demonstrate their inability to govern and serve the American people.”The 214-191 vote to censure Bowman caps nearly a year of chaos and retribution in the House of Representatives. Since January, the chamber has seen&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ilhan-omar-house-foreign-affairs-committee-ee2ae3fd86b895c5b078d8bf576c3360#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20The%20Republican,GOP%20lawmakers%20over%20incendiary%20remarks.">the removal of a member from a committee assignment</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555">the first ouster of a speaker</a>&nbsp;in history and, just last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-expulsion-vote-ethics-investigation-fd0f1524065883c6b2fe3e6f9afd84db">the expulsion of a lawmaker</a>&nbsp;for only the third time since the Civil War.Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., who introduced the censure resolution, defended it, claiming Bowman pulled the alarm in September to “cause chaos and the stop the House from doing its business" as lawmakers scrambled to pass&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-mccarthy-congress-republicans-732baaa19c91f981e492fd0e6a76aba8">a bill to fund the government</a>&nbsp;before a shutdown deadline.“It is reprehensible that a Member of Congress would go to such lengths to prevent House Republicans from bringing forth a vote to keep the government operating and Americans receiving their paychecks," McClain said in a statement.Bowman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bowman-fire-alarm-house-shutdown-vote-misdemeanor-c32d97c1d86f2f1769596613d29678f3">pleaded guilty in October to a misdemeanor count</a>&nbsp;for the incident, which took place in the Cannon House Office Building. He agreed to pay a $1,000 fine and serve three months of probation, after which the false fire alarm charge is expected to be dismissed from his record under an agreement with prosecutors.The fire alarm prompted a buildingwide evacuation when the House was in session and staffers were working in the building. The building was reopened an hour later after Capitol police determined there was no threat.Bowman apologized and said that at the time he was trying to get through a door that was usually open but was closed that day because it was the weekend.Many progressive Democrats, who spoke in his defense, called the Republican effort to censure him “unserious," and they questioned why the party decided to target one of the few Black men in the chamber and among the first to ever represent his district.“This censure is just the latest in this chamber’s racist history of telling Black men that they don’t belong in Congress,” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.The vote is the latest example of how the chamber has begun to deploy punishments like censure,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/impeachment-house-censure-schiff-biden-boebert-70a2206fc0c543a307fc3ec63d5287e9">long viewed as a punishment of last resort</a>, routinely and often in strikingly partisan ways.“Under Republican control, this chamber has become a place where trivial issues get debated passionately and important ones not at all," Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said during floor debate. “Republicans have focused more on censuring people in this Congress than passing bills that help people we represent or improving this country in any way.”While the censure of a lawmaker carries no practical effect, it amounts to severe reproach from colleagues, as lawmakers who are censured are usually asked to stand in the well of the House as the censure resolution against them is read aloud.Bowman is now the 27th person to be censured by the chamber — and the third just this year. Last month, Republicans voted to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-house-censure-resolution-tlaib-8085189047a4c40f2d44ada4604aa076">censure Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan</a>&nbsp;in an extraordinary rebuke of her rhetoric about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel-Hamas war</a>.

House votes to censure Rep. for pulling a fire alarm in Capitol building

Lincoln, December 6, 2023- The Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) has set hearingdates in separate investigations into service outages affecting 911, involving telecommunicationcarriers Lumen (<a href="https://www.nebraska.gov/psc/orders/state911/2023-09-12%20911-075%20PI-248%20Order%20Opening%20Investigation.pdf" target="_blank">911-075/PI248</a>) and Windstream (<a href="https://www.nebraska.gov/psc/orders/state911/2023-09-12%20911-076%20PI-249%20Order%20Opening%20Investigation.pdf" target="_blank">911-076/PI 249</a>).

The hearing into the Windstream investigation will be held in the Commission hearing room,beginning at 9:00 a.m., on Wednesday, December 20.&nbsp;

The hearing into the Lumen investigation will be held in the Commission hearing room,beginning at 9:30 a.m., on Thursday, January 4.

Online access to both hearings will be available. Information on how to connect online can befound in the calendar item for each hearing on the homepage of the&nbsp;<a href="https://psc.nebraska.gov/" target="_blank">PSC website</a>.

The investigations seek to determine the cause and scope of the outages, why redundancyrequired failed and a solution to prevent such events from happening again.

Commission Chair Dan Watermeier said, “The hearings are being held so that Commissioners can ask questions and get answers directly from the carriers involved in these outages. Any decision regarding the investigations will be made at a later date.”&nbsp;

Lincoln, December 6, 2023- The Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) has set hearingdates in separate investigations into service outages affecting 911, involving telecommunicationcarriers Lumen (<a href="https://www.nebraska.gov/psc/orders/state911/2023-09-12%20911-075%20PI-248%20Order%20Opening%20Investigation.pdf" target="_blank">911-075/PI248</a>) and Windstream (<a href="https://www.nebraska.gov/psc/orders/state911/2023-09-12%20911-076%20PI-249%20Order%20Opening%20Investigation.pdf" target="_blank">911-076/PI 249</a>).The hearing into the Windstream investigation will be held in the Commission hearing room,beginning at 9:00 a.m., on Wednesday, December 20.&nbsp;The hearing into the Lumen investigation will be held in the Commission hearing room,beginning at 9:30 a.m., on Thursday, January 4.Online access to both hearings will be available. Information on how to connect online can befound in the calendar item for each hearing on the homepage of the&nbsp;<a href="https://psc.nebraska.gov/" target="_blank">PSC website</a>.The investigations seek to determine the cause and scope of the outages, why redundancyrequired failed and a solution to prevent such events from happening again.Commission Chair Dan Watermeier said, “The hearings are being held so that Commissioners can ask questions and get answers directly from the carriers involved in these outages. Any decision regarding the investigations will be made at a later date.”&nbsp;

PSC SETS HEARING DATES FOR 911 OUTAGE INVESTIGATIONS

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Four Republican presidential candidates were given several opportunities Wednesday to criticize&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">former President Donald Trump</a>, who was absent from the debate again. But they mostly targeted each other, with former United Nations Ambassador&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Nikki Haley</a>&nbsp;taking the brunt of the attacks as she gets more interest from donors and voters.

With just over a month before the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024">2024 primary calendar</a>&nbsp;begins, the debate demonstrated how firm Trump's grip remains on the party.

But the focus on Haley reflected how other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haley-desantis-trump-alternative-republican-donors-president-8cb080d3f236f77347d592200041c3b2">candidates perceive her as a threat</a>&nbsp;to their chances of taking on Trump directly. Aside from former New Jersey Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/chris-christie">Chris Christie</a>, most the candidates have spent more time in debates going after each other than taking aim at Trump, reflecting the former president’s popularity among Republicans and what many see as diminishing returns in attacking him.

The last scheduled debate before Iowa's GOP caucuses on Jan. 15 may have limited impact on the race, airing on a lesser-known television network, NewsNation, from a state Republican presidential candidates have carried since 1980.

Trump remains dominant in national and early-state polls. And after holding counterprogramming rallies during the first three debates, he didn't bother this time and instead went to a closed-door fundraiser. His campaign posted an ad during the debate focusing on President Joe Biden as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-trump-biden-rematch-labor-day-c84d0905fd5d238e088618c5ed41c2e7">both parties head toward a potential rematch</a>&nbsp;of the 2020 election Trump lost.

Christie repeatedly tore into Trump on Wednesday and challenged Florida Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ron-desantis">Ron DeSantis</a>&nbsp;to answer directly if he believed Trump was fit or unfit to be president again. The crowd at the University of Alabama booed him at one point as he attacked Trump.

“His conduct is unacceptable. He’s unfit. And be careful of what you’re going to get,” warned Christie, who has been alone among leading Republicans in his focus on the race's clear front-runner.

“There is no bigger issue in this race than Donald Trump,” he said earlier.

DeSantis suggested Trump, who is 77, is too old for the job.

“Over a four-year period, it is not a job for someone that’s pushing 80,” DeSantis said. “We need someone who’s younger.”

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy again raised his hand as a candidate who would support Trump even if he were convicted in any of the four felony indictments he faces. Ramaswamy accused his other opponents of bowing to Trump for years to secure political posts or financial gain, but the closest the 38-year-old ever came to criticizing Trump was to call for a new generation of leadership.

Haley stood silently during the extended discussion, and neither the moderators nor her rivals asked for her opinion.

The debate's brief focus on Trump was a reprieve for Haley, who spent most of the debate on the defensive.

DeSantis accused Haley of backing down from media criticism and Ramaswamy suggested she was too close to corporate interests as she gets new attention from donors. He touted his own willingness to pick high-profile fights with his critics and went after Haley just moments into the debate, reflecting the rivalry between the two candidates reflected in dueling early-state television ads.

They also tussled over China, long an animating issue for conservatives worried about Beijing’s influence. Later in the debate, Haley credited Trump for taking a hard line with Beijing on trade but said he was too passive on other fronts, including allowing China to capture American technology for its own military use and purchase American farmland.

Interrupting Haley, DeSantis accused her of allowing Chinese investment in South Carolina when she was governor and suggested her corporate donors would never allow her to be tough on Beijing.

“First of all, he’s mad because those Wall Street donors used to support him and now they support me,” Haley retorted before accusing DeSantis of being soft on Chinese investment in Florida.

Ramaswamy, always the most eager to deliver personal barbs on the debate stage, turned a foreign policy discussion into another attack on Haley, seemingly trolling her to name provinces in Ukraine and suggesting she does not understand the country. As he kept piling on, Christie stepped in to declare Haley “a smart, accomplished woman” and dismiss Ramaswamy as “the most obnoxious blowhard in America.”

With Trump absent, the atmosphere around the debate lacked some of the buzz sometimes associated with such affairs, especially in ostensibly open primaries. Less than two hours to go before the opening salvo, the media room, which is normally the practice hall for the University of Alabama’s Million Dollar Band, was barely half full. The television and radio platforms around the periphery -- the spin room, in debate parlance -- were noticeably quiet, lacking the high-profile surrogates or campaign staffers who might normally be appearing live on cable news or talk radio to pitch on their candidates’ behalf.

Outside Moody Music Hall on campus, more buzz came from state high school football championship games being played in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The debate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/republican-debate-channel-time-livestream-2024-2c2e70ffe9017719a83483199493aa2c">may have been hard to find for many prospective viewers</a>. It aired on NewsNation, a cable network&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/republican-kelly-debate-newsnation-9e93b815985f5e47b91a682bc3617cdf">still trying to build</a>&nbsp;its audience after taking over WGN America three years ago. NewsNation's Elizabeth Vargas moderated alongside Megyn Kelly, a former Fox News anchor who now hosts a popular podcast, and Eliana Johnson of the conservative news site Washington Free Beacon.

The field of invited candidates has shrunk in half since eight were on the stage at the first debate in Milwaukee in August, as the Republican National Committee tightened the criteria to reach the stage each time. For Tuesday, candidates had to get at least 6% in multiple polls and amass 80,000 unique donors.

Former Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mike-pence-2024-president-campaign-republican-trump-0ec44fc2a5b8683f34883e0ea72b2ab2">Mike Pence</a>, South Carolina Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tim-scott-drops-out-2024-race-b9cc8fbeba57a123789d8d0484164e38">Tim Scott</a>&nbsp;and North Dakota Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/doug-burgum-republican-presidential-campaign-north-dakota-88d7335748c5c936a328dae96fef780e">Doug Burgum</a>&nbsp;have all dropped out of the race after participating in at least one debate. Former Arkansas Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/asa-hutchinson">Asa Hutchinson</a>&nbsp;is continuing his campaign but failed to qualify.

The debate setting in Alabama was another reminder of Trump’s strong position — and how he outpaced an even larger Republican field when he first ran and won in 2016. Trump swept Southern primaries from Virginia to Arkansas and Louisiana in his first campaign.

He further demonstrated his hold this week with an endorsement from Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, who ascended in Republican politics from the party’s establishment wing but chose the debate in her home state as the right time to align herself with the former president.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701917375349.png" alt="-With just over a month before the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024">2024 primary calendar</a>&nbsp;begins, the debate demonstrated how firm Trump's grip remains on the party.-photo courtesy Team Haley" />
 <figcaption>-With just over a month before the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024">2024 primary calendar</a>&nbsp;begins, the debate demonstrated how firm Trump's grip remains on the party.-photo courtesy Team Haley</figcaption>
 </figure>TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Four Republican presidential candidates were given several opportunities Wednesday to criticize&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">former President Donald Trump</a>, who was absent from the debate again. But they mostly targeted each other, with former United Nations Ambassador&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Nikki Haley</a>&nbsp;taking the brunt of the attacks as she gets more interest from donors and voters.With just over a month before the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024">2024 primary calendar</a>&nbsp;begins, the debate demonstrated how firm Trump's grip remains on the party.But the focus on Haley reflected how other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haley-desantis-trump-alternative-republican-donors-president-8cb080d3f236f77347d592200041c3b2">candidates perceive her as a threat</a>&nbsp;to their chances of taking on Trump directly. Aside from former New Jersey Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/chris-christie">Chris Christie</a>, most the candidates have spent more time in debates going after each other than taking aim at Trump, reflecting the former president’s popularity among Republicans and what many see as diminishing returns in attacking him.The last scheduled debate before Iowa's GOP caucuses on Jan. 15 may have limited impact on the race, airing on a lesser-known television network, NewsNation, from a state Republican presidential candidates have carried since 1980.Trump remains dominant in national and early-state polls. And after holding counterprogramming rallies during the first three debates, he didn't bother this time and instead went to a closed-door fundraiser. His campaign posted an ad during the debate focusing on President Joe Biden as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-trump-biden-rematch-labor-day-c84d0905fd5d238e088618c5ed41c2e7">both parties head toward a potential rematch</a>&nbsp;of the 2020 election Trump lost.Christie repeatedly tore into Trump on Wednesday and challenged Florida Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ron-desantis">Ron DeSantis</a>&nbsp;to answer directly if he believed Trump was fit or unfit to be president again. The crowd at the University of Alabama booed him at one point as he attacked Trump.“His conduct is unacceptable. He’s unfit. And be careful of what you’re going to get,” warned Christie, who has been alone among leading Republicans in his focus on the race's clear front-runner.“There is no bigger issue in this race than Donald Trump,” he said earlier.DeSantis suggested Trump, who is 77, is too old for the job.“Over a four-year period, it is not a job for someone that’s pushing 80,” DeSantis said. “We need someone who’s younger.”Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy again raised his hand as a candidate who would support Trump even if he were convicted in any of the four felony indictments he faces. Ramaswamy accused his other opponents of bowing to Trump for years to secure political posts or financial gain, but the closest the 38-year-old ever came to criticizing Trump was to call for a new generation of leadership.Haley stood silently during the extended discussion, and neither the moderators nor her rivals asked for her opinion.The debate's brief focus on Trump was a reprieve for Haley, who spent most of the debate on the defensive.DeSantis accused Haley of backing down from media criticism and Ramaswamy suggested she was too close to corporate interests as she gets new attention from donors. He touted his own willingness to pick high-profile fights with his critics and went after Haley just moments into the debate, reflecting the rivalry between the two candidates reflected in dueling early-state television ads.They also tussled over China, long an animating issue for conservatives worried about Beijing’s influence. Later in the debate, Haley credited Trump for taking a hard line with Beijing on trade but said he was too passive on other fronts, including allowing China to capture American technology for its own military use and purchase American farmland.Interrupting Haley, DeSantis accused her of allowing Chinese investment in South Carolina when she was governor and suggested her corporate donors would never allow her to be tough on Beijing.“First of all, he’s mad because those Wall Street donors used to support him and now they support me,” Haley retorted before accusing DeSantis of being soft on Chinese investment in Florida.Ramaswamy, always the most eager to deliver personal barbs on the debate stage, turned a foreign policy discussion into another attack on Haley, seemingly trolling her to name provinces in Ukraine and suggesting she does not understand the country. As he kept piling on, Christie stepped in to declare Haley “a smart, accomplished woman” and dismiss Ramaswamy as “the most obnoxious blowhard in America.”With Trump absent, the atmosphere around the debate lacked some of the buzz sometimes associated with such affairs, especially in ostensibly open primaries. Less than two hours to go before the opening salvo, the media room, which is normally the practice hall for the University of Alabama’s Million Dollar Band, was barely half full. The television and radio platforms around the periphery -- the spin room, in debate parlance -- were noticeably quiet, lacking the high-profile surrogates or campaign staffers who might normally be appearing live on cable news or talk radio to pitch on their candidates’ behalf.Outside Moody Music Hall on campus, more buzz came from state high school football championship games being played in Bryant-Denny Stadium.The debate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/republican-debate-channel-time-livestream-2024-2c2e70ffe9017719a83483199493aa2c">may have been hard to find for many prospective viewers</a>. It aired on NewsNation, a cable network&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/republican-kelly-debate-newsnation-9e93b815985f5e47b91a682bc3617cdf">still trying to build</a>&nbsp;its audience after taking over WGN America three years ago. NewsNation's Elizabeth Vargas moderated alongside Megyn Kelly, a former Fox News anchor who now hosts a popular podcast, and Eliana Johnson of the conservative news site Washington Free Beacon.The field of invited candidates has shrunk in half since eight were on the stage at the first debate in Milwaukee in August, as the Republican National Committee tightened the criteria to reach the stage each time. For Tuesday, candidates had to get at least 6% in multiple polls and amass 80,000 unique donors.Former Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mike-pence-2024-president-campaign-republican-trump-0ec44fc2a5b8683f34883e0ea72b2ab2">Mike Pence</a>, South Carolina Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tim-scott-drops-out-2024-race-b9cc8fbeba57a123789d8d0484164e38">Tim Scott</a>&nbsp;and North Dakota Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/doug-burgum-republican-presidential-campaign-north-dakota-88d7335748c5c936a328dae96fef780e">Doug Burgum</a>&nbsp;have all dropped out of the race after participating in at least one debate. Former Arkansas Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/asa-hutchinson">Asa Hutchinson</a>&nbsp;is continuing his campaign but failed to qualify.The debate setting in Alabama was another reminder of Trump’s strong position — and how he outpaced an even larger Republican field when he first ran and won in 2016. Trump swept Southern primaries from Virginia to Arkansas and Louisiana in his first campaign.He further demonstrated his hold this week with an endorsement from Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, who ascended in Republican politics from the party’s establishment wing but chose the debate in her home state as the right time to align herself with the former president.

GOP rivals clash over Trump in final fiery debate of 2023

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is sending a $175 million package of military aid to Ukraine, including guided missiles for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), anti-armor systems and high-speed anti-radiation missiles, the Pentagon and State Department announced on Wednesday.

The capabilities in this package, valued at up to $175 million, include:&nbsp;

The latest aid comes as Congress remains stalled on legislation that would provide new funding for Ukraine as it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">battles to push back Russian forces</a>, as well as money for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel's war with Hamas</a>&nbsp;and other security needs. The Biden administration has said funding to aid Ukraine is running out, and the Pentagon packages of weapons and other equipment for the war have become much smaller in recent months.

In a statement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that unless Congress approves the supplemental funding, “this will be one of the last security assistance packages we can provide to Ukraine.”

The White House is seeking&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ukraine-israel-budget-3762a0bdf00653e3c8a38175d3c3d3cb">nearly $106 billion</a>, but the bill has gotten bogged down in negotiations over border security and because of increasing reluctance from Republican lawmakers to approve significant spending on the Ukraine war. GOP lawmakers are insisting on policy changes to halt the flow of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-zelenskyy-border-security-8592ddcb1627fc6d0b43349bac3fe329">condition for the assistance</a>.

As part of the push to break the deadlock, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was scheduled to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-military-assistance-economy-557cbced7f7c1242ea08c52dadefc33b">address U.S. senators</a>&nbsp;by video Tuesday, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he had to cancel his appearance.

The latest weapons package will be provided through presidential drawdown authority, or PDA, which pulls weapons from existing U.S. stockpiles and sends them quickly to the war front.

Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Tuesday there is about $1.1 billion left in funding to replenish U.S. military stockpiles for weapons and equipment sent to Ukraine. And he said there is roughly $4.8 billion in drawdown authority still available.

Although the war has been static along most of its more than 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line as wintry weather has set in, both sides have continued to launch airstrikes. Ukraine is working to keep up the pressure over the winter, in order to prevent Russia from solidifying battle lines.

The new aid will also include AIM-9M and AIM-7 missiles for air defense; artillery rounds, vehicles to tow equipment, demolition munitions and other missiles and more than 4 million rounds of ammunition.

To date, the United States has committed more than $44 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687902906182.png" alt="Pallets of ammunition are loaded onto an 86th Airlift Wing C-130J Super Hercules at Ramstein Air Base, Germany&nbsp;Photo By:Air Force Capt. Emma Quirk" />
 <figcaption>Pallets of ammunition are loaded onto an 86th Airlift Wing C-130J Super Hercules at Ramstein Air Base, Germany&nbsp;Photo By:Air Force Capt. Emma Quirk</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is sending a $175 million package of military aid to Ukraine, including guided missiles for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), anti-armor systems and high-speed anti-radiation missiles, the Pentagon and State Department announced on Wednesday.The capabilities in this package, valued at up to $175 million, include:&nbsp;<ul>
 <li>AIM-9M and AIM-7 missiles for air defense;</li><li>Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);</li><li>155mm and 105mm artillery rounds;</li><li>High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs);</li><li>Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;</li><li>Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems;</li><li>More than 4 million rounds of small arms ammunition;</li><li>Vehicles to tow and haul equipment;</li><li>Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing;</li><li>Equipment to protect critical national infrastructure;</li><li>Spare parts, maintenance, and other ancillary equipment.</li>
 </ul>The latest aid comes as Congress remains stalled on legislation that would provide new funding for Ukraine as it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">battles to push back Russian forces</a>, as well as money for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel's war with Hamas</a>&nbsp;and other security needs. The Biden administration has said funding to aid Ukraine is running out, and the Pentagon packages of weapons and other equipment for the war have become much smaller in recent months.In a statement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that unless Congress approves the supplemental funding, “this will be one of the last security assistance packages we can provide to Ukraine.”The White House is seeking&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ukraine-israel-budget-3762a0bdf00653e3c8a38175d3c3d3cb">nearly $106 billion</a>, but the bill has gotten bogged down in negotiations over border security and because of increasing reluctance from Republican lawmakers to approve significant spending on the Ukraine war. GOP lawmakers are insisting on policy changes to halt the flow of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-zelenskyy-border-security-8592ddcb1627fc6d0b43349bac3fe329">condition for the assistance</a>.As part of the push to break the deadlock, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was scheduled to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-military-assistance-economy-557cbced7f7c1242ea08c52dadefc33b">address U.S. senators</a>&nbsp;by video Tuesday, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he had to cancel his appearance.The latest weapons package will be provided through presidential drawdown authority, or PDA, which pulls weapons from existing U.S. stockpiles and sends them quickly to the war front.Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Tuesday there is about $1.1 billion left in funding to replenish U.S. military stockpiles for weapons and equipment sent to Ukraine. And he said there is roughly $4.8 billion in drawdown authority still available.Although the war has been static along most of its more than 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line as wintry weather has set in, both sides have continued to launch airstrikes. Ukraine is working to keep up the pressure over the winter, in order to prevent Russia from solidifying battle lines.The new aid will also include AIM-9M and AIM-7 missiles for air defense; artillery rounds, vehicles to tow equipment, demolition munitions and other missiles and more than 4 million rounds of ammunition.To date, the United States has committed more than $44 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022.

$44 Billion: U..S. sends new $175M military aid to Ukraine

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The man suspected of fatally shooting three people and wounding another at a Las Vegas university Wednesday was a professor who unsuccessfully sought a job at the school, a law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press.

The gunman was killed in a shootout with law enforcement, police said. The attack at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas sent shock waves through a city still scarred by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/las-vegas-mass-shooting-memorial-design-0204943b1ae05fceb4d5da34902fed22">deaths of 60 people</a>&nbsp;in a 2017 mass shooting.

The suspect previously worked at East Carolina University in North Carolina, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to release the information publicly.

Police didn't immediately identify the gunman, the victims or a possible motive.

Reports of shots fired at about 11:45 a.m. sent police swarming onto the campus while students and professors barricaded themselves inside classrooms and dorm rooms.

Police said the shooting started on the fourth floor of the building that houses UNLV’s Lee Business School. The gunman went to several floors before he was killed in a shootout with two university detectives outside the building, said UNLV Police Chief Adam Garcia.

Authorities gave the all-clear about 40 minutes after the first report of an active shooter.

Professor Kevaney Martin took cover under a desk in her classroom, where another faculty member and three students took shelter with her.

“It was terrifying. I can’t even begin to explain,” Martin said. “I was trying to hold it together for my students, and trying not to cry, but the emotions are something I never want to experience again.”

Martin said she was texting friends and loved ones, hoping to receive word a suspect had been detained. When another professor came to the room and told everyone to evacuate, they joined dozens of others rushing out of the building. Martin had her students pile into her car and drove them off campus.

“Once we got away from UNLV, we parked and sat in silence,” she said. “Nobody said a word. We were in utter shock.”

Students and the community were alerted to the emergency by a university post on X that warned: “This is not a test. RUN-HIDE-FIGHT.”

Matthew Felsenfeld said he and about 12 classmates barricaded their door in a building near the student union.

“It’s the moment you call your parents and tell them you love them,” said Felsenfeld, a 21-year-old journalism student.

Another student, Jordan Eckermann, 25, said he was in his business law class in a second-floor classroom when he heard a loud bang that he thought came from a neighboring music class.

But then a piercing alarm went off, sending students to their feet. Some ran from the room in panic while others heeded their professor’s instructions to stay calm, said Eckermann.

He walked out and locked eyes with a law enforcement officer in a bulletproof vest holding a long gun. Clothing, backpacks and water bottles lay scattered on the floor.

Eckerman said he mouthed to the officer, “Where do I go?”

Minutes later, when he was outside, Eckermann said he heard bursts of gunshots, totaling at least 20 rounds. The air smelled of gun powder. He said he kept walking away from campus, even though he didn't know where to go.

UNLV’s 332-acre (135-hectare) campus is less than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) east of the Las Vegas Strip.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many of the 30,000 students were on campus at the time, but Sheriff Kevin McMahill said students had been gathered outside the building to eat and play games. If police hadn’t killed the attacker, “it could have been countless additional lives taken,” he said.

“No student should have to fear pursuing their dreams on a college campus,” the sheriff said.

The shooting occurred just miles from the location of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. In the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-country-music-us-news-ap-top-news-music-4eeaef2efced49698855d13830de3327">Oct. 1, 2017, massacre</a>, a gunman opened fire from a high-rise suite at the Mandalay Bay, killing 60 people attending a music festival below and wounding hundreds more.

In response to the campus shootings, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop of all flights coming into Harry Reid International Airport. The university is roughly 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) north of the airport.

Classes were canceled through Friday at the university, and UNLV’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unlv-shooting-d8b15dd0d408b0a248e918dea1434915">basketball game</a>&nbsp;at the University of Dayton, Ohio, was canceled Wednesday night because of the shootings.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A gunman killed three people and critically wounded a fourth Wednesday at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas before being killed in a shootout with police, authorities said. The attack sent shock waves through a city still scarred by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/las-vegas-mass-shooting-memorial-design-0204943b1ae05fceb4d5da34902fed22">deaths of 60 people</a>&nbsp;in a 2017 mass shooting only a few miles away on the famous Strip.

Police said the shooting started on the fourth floor of the building that houses UNLV’s Lee Business School, and the gunman went to several floors before he was killed in a shootout outside the building.

UNLV Police Chief Adam Garcia said at an evening news conference that two university detectives immediately got into a shootout with the killer.

Sheriff Kevin McMahill said students had gathered outside the building to eat and play games. If police hadn't killed the attacker, “it could have been countless additional lives taken,” he said.

Authorities didn’t immediately release any additional details about the shootings, the victims, the suspect or a possible motive.

“It was terrifying, I can’t even begin to explain,” Martin said. “I was trying to hold it together for my students, and trying not to cry, but the emotions are something I never want to experience again.”

Student Matthew Felsenfeld said he and about 12 classmates barricaded their door in a building near the student union.

Jordan Eckermann, 25, said he was in his business law class in a second-floor classroom when he heard a loud bang that he thought came from a neighboring music class.

But then a piercing alarm went off, sending students to their feet. Some ran from the room in panic while others heeded the professor’s urging to stay calm, said Eckermann, who walked out and was directed to an exit by a law enforcement officer in a bulletproof vest holding a long gun.

UNLV’s 332-acre (135-hectare) campus is less than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) east of the Las Vegas Strip. it wasn’t immediately clear how many of the 30,000 students were on campus.

The shooting occurred in a city still scarred by one of the worst mass killings in U.S. history, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-country-music-us-news-ap-top-news-music-4eeaef2efced49698855d13830de3327">Oct. 1, 2017, massacre</a>&nbsp;by a gunman in which 60 people attending a music festival were killed and hundreds more were wounded. The gunman opened fire from a high-rise suite at the Mandalay Bay casino. The UNLV campus is just over 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from that location.

Classes were canceled through Friday at the university, and UNLV’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unlv-shooting-d8b15dd0d408b0a248e918dea1434915">basketball game</a>&nbsp;at the University of Dayton, Ohio, was canceled Wednesday night because of the Las Vegas shootings.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A person opened fire Wednesday on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus, and at least three victims were taken to hospitals, according to police who reported the shooter was found dead.

“Right now, we know there are 3 victims, but unknown extent of the injuries,” Sheriff Kevin McMahill said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “That number could change.”

McMahill did not say whether any victims had been killed.

Alerts went out across the campus after callers reported an active shooter to police at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, said Adam Garcia, a university police official. He said officers found and “engaged” a suspect, who is now dead. It was not immediately clear how the suspect died.

Students and professors on the campus of 30,000 barricaded themselves inside classrooms and dorm rooms.

Student John Harris heard what he later realized was a gunshot as he was getting out of his car in the parking garage of an on-campus apartment complex. In the elevator, Harris he got an emergency text alert text from the university.

“I wasn’t sure what to believe,” said Harris, 21, who ended up sheltering at a friend's dorm. “But as I came down to the street, and I saw there were a bunch of cops in the parking lot at the student union, I knew what I heard was a gunshot and this wasn’t a drill.”

“It was terrifying, I can’t even begin to explain,” Matin said. “I was trying to hold it together for my students, and trying not to cry, but the emotions are something I never want to experience again.”

Martin said she was texting friends and loved ones, hoping to receive word a suspect had been detained. When another professor came to the room and told everyone to evacuate, they joined dozens of others rushing out of the building. Martin had her students piled into her car and drove them off campus.

“Once we got away from UNLV, we parked and sat in silence,” she said. "Nobody said a word. We were in utter shock.”

The university said on X, formerly Twitter, that the shooter was at the Beam Hall, Frank and Estella Building, home of UNLV’s Lee Business School, and that police were responding to an additional report of shots fired at the nearby student union.

Las Vegas police posted on X that a suspect “has been located and is deceased” about 40 minutes after the initial alert was posted.

Students and the community were alerted to the emergency by a university post on X.

“This is not a test,” the university wrote. “RUN-HIDE-FIGHT.”

He said he didn’t hear gunfire or see anyone injured but said he saw out the windows as police staged to enter the neighboring building. a short while later, police came and ushered them out.

Pierre Lescure, a UNLV senior, was riding his bicycle from home to campus for a meeting when he said about 10 police cars drove pass him.

“They drove too fast and there was no ambulance, just cops. It was clearly a shooting,” Lescure said. “It could not be something else.”

UNLV's 332-acre campus is less than 2 miles east of the Las Vegas Strip.

In response to the campus shootings, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop of all flights coming into Harry Reid International Airport. The university is roughly 2 miles (3 kilometers) north of the airport.

Tony Molinaro, an FAA spokesperson, referred a request to comment to Las Vegas law enforcement.

The shooting occurred in a city still scarred by one of the worst mass killings in U.S. history, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-country-music-us-news-ap-top-news-music-4eeaef2efced49698855d13830de3327">Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting</a>&nbsp;at the Mandalay Bay casino in Las Vegas, in which 60 were killed and hundreds more wounded. The UNLV campus is just over 3 miles (5 kilometers) from that location.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Multiple victims were taken to hospitals Wednesday after a gunman opened fire on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The sheriff said there was no further threat after police located a suspect, who ended up dead.

It wasn't immediately clear how many people were shot or their conditions. Sheriff Kevin McMahill did not say whether any victims had been killed.

“There are a number of victims that have been transported to area hospitals,” McMahill told reporters. “So I don't want to give you false information and tell you how many victims that we have. But we will be providing that update very, very shortly.”

Police were called about an active shooter on campus at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, said Adam Garcia, a university police official. He said officers found and “engaged” a suspect, who is now dead. It was not immediately clear how the suspect died.

An Associated Press reporter saw a team of SWAT officers with FBI insignia move as a group onto campus just before 1 p.m., soon after police reported the dead suspect.

University officials on social media urged anyone on campus to continue sheltering in place, saying: “This remains an active investigation.”

UNLV has more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at its 332-acre campus is less than 2 miles east of the Las Vegas Strip.

The shooting occurred in a city still scarred by one of the worst mass killings in U.S. history, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-country-music-us-news-ap-top-news-music-4eeaef2efced49698855d13830de3327">Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting</a>&nbsp;at the Mandalay Bay casino in Las Vegas, in which 60 were killed and hundreds more wounded. The UNLV campus is just over three miles from that location.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Police said a suspect was found dead Wednesday as officers responded to an active shooter and reports of multiple victims at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The university said on X, formerly Twitter, the shooter was at the Beam Hall, Frank and Estella Building, home of UNLV’s Lee Business School, and that police were responding to an additional report of shots fired at the nearby student union.

Shooting suspect was professor who recently applied for a job at UNLV

KEARNEY – The University of Nebraska at Kearney’s&nbsp;<a href="https://unknews.unk.edu/2023/10/20/i-just-cant-wait-to-live-here-unk-students-get-sneak-peek-at-new-sorority-housing/">new sorority housing</a>&nbsp;will be named after one of the school’s most accomplished alumnae.

With support from the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, NU System President Ted Carter and UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen, the 41,000-square-foot residence hall under construction on UNK’s east campus will be known as Bess Furman Armstrong Hall.

“Bess’s legacy is a testament to the power of education and the impact one individual can have on our nation and world,” Kristensen said. “As we celebrate the naming of Bess Furman Armstrong Hall, we are reminded of the vital role our institution plays in shaping the leaders of tomorrow and the trail Bess charted for future generations of UNK students.”

A Danbury native, Furman Armstrong was destined for a career in journalism. Her father was publisher of the Danbury News and she learned to set type and assist at the newspaper office as a young child.

Furman Armstrong attended the Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney (now UNK), where she served as the first woman editor of The Antelope student newspaper before graduating in 1918.

She worked as a schoolteacher before landing her first job with a Nebraska newspaper and wrote an award-winning report on presidential candidate Al Smith’s campaign appearance in Omaha. That led to an Associated Press position in Washington, D.C., where she became the first woman reporter regularly assigned to cover the U.S. House of Representatives by a press association.

Furman Armstrong covered the White House during five presidential administrations, as a reporter for the Associated Press from 1929 to 1936, then as a correspondent for The New York Times from 1943 to 1961. She became lifelong friends with former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and used her writing talent to champion women’s rights and influence the role of women in politics.

In 1961, Furman Armstrong joined the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare as a public affairs assistant. She became head of the department’s press information division the following year, making her the first woman to hold a top public affairs position with a cabinet agency. Furman Armstrong also worked for the Office of War Information during World War II, wrote a history of the U.S. Public Health Service and authored two books – “White House Profile” and her autobiography, “Washington By-Line.”

She served as president of the Women’s National Press Club in 1946 and was inducted into the Nebraska Journalism Hall of Fame in 1975, six years after her death.

Bess Furman Armstrong Hall is scheduled to open in January, with a ribbon-cutting event planned for Feb. 1.

“I’m happy that the building will be named after a strong, accomplished woman, like the women who will live there,” UNK Student Body President Temo Molina said during last week’s Board of Regents meeting.

Located just east of the Nebraskan Student Union, the 140-bed residence hall features dedicated housing pods, chapter rooms, lounges and study areas for each Panhellenic sorority – Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Alpha Xi Delta and Gamma Phi Beta – along with an outdoor patio and green space. There are flexible housing units designed to meet the chapters’ future needs, as well.

It also includes chapter rooms and a shared lounge for UNK’s multicultural chapters – the Sigma Lambda Gamma and Lambda Theta Nu sororities and Sigma Lambda Beta fraternity – giving them a permanent on-campus home for the first time.

The new sorority housing is part of a $32.65 million project that replaces University Residence North (URN) and University Residence South (URS). Located directly south of the sorority building,&nbsp;<a href="https://unknews.unk.edu/2023/02/08/martin-hall-dedication-marks-new-chapter-for-unk-fraternities/">Martin Hall reopened in January</a>&nbsp;following a major renovation that transformed the nearly 70-year-old residence hall into a modern living space for UNK fraternity members.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701892590664.jpeg" alt="UNK’s new sorority housing will be known as Bess Furman Armstrong Hall, honoring a Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney graduate and pioneering woman journalist. (Photo by Erika Pritchard, UNK Communications)" />
 <figcaption>UNK’s new sorority housing will be known as Bess Furman Armstrong Hall, honoring a Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney graduate and pioneering woman journalist. (Photo by Erika Pritchard, UNK Communications)</figcaption>
 </figure>Tyler EllysonUNK CommunicationsKEARNEY – The University of Nebraska at Kearney’s&nbsp;<a href="https://unknews.unk.edu/2023/10/20/i-just-cant-wait-to-live-here-unk-students-get-sneak-peek-at-new-sorority-housing/">new sorority housing</a>&nbsp;will be named after one of the school’s most accomplished alumnae.With support from the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, NU System President Ted Carter and UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen, the 41,000-square-foot residence hall under construction on UNK’s east campus will be known as Bess Furman Armstrong Hall.“Bess’s legacy is a testament to the power of education and the impact one individual can have on our nation and world,” Kristensen said. “As we celebrate the naming of Bess Furman Armstrong Hall, we are reminded of the vital role our institution plays in shaping the leaders of tomorrow and the trail Bess charted for future generations of UNK students.”A Danbury native, Furman Armstrong was destined for a career in journalism. Her father was publisher of the Danbury News and she learned to set type and assist at the newspaper office as a young child.Furman Armstrong attended the Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney (now UNK), where she served as the first woman editor of The Antelope student newspaper before graduating in 1918.She worked as a schoolteacher before landing her first job with a Nebraska newspaper and wrote an award-winning report on presidential candidate Al Smith’s campaign appearance in Omaha. That led to an Associated Press position in Washington, D.C., where she became the first woman reporter regularly assigned to cover the U.S. House of Representatives by a press association.Furman Armstrong covered the White House during five presidential administrations, as a reporter for the Associated Press from 1929 to 1936, then as a correspondent for The New York Times from 1943 to 1961. She became lifelong friends with former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and used her writing talent to champion women’s rights and influence the role of women in politics.In 1961, Furman Armstrong joined the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare as a public affairs assistant. She became head of the department’s press information division the following year, making her the first woman to hold a top public affairs position with a cabinet agency. Furman Armstrong also worked for the Office of War Information during World War II, wrote a history of the U.S. Public Health Service and authored two books – “White House Profile” and her autobiography, “Washington By-Line.”She served as president of the Women’s National Press Club in 1946 and was inducted into the Nebraska Journalism Hall of Fame in 1975, six years after her death.Bess Furman Armstrong Hall is scheduled to open in January, with a ribbon-cutting event planned for Feb. 1.“I’m happy that the building will be named after a strong, accomplished woman, like the women who will live there,” UNK Student Body President Temo Molina said during last week’s Board of Regents meeting.Located just east of the Nebraskan Student Union, the 140-bed residence hall features dedicated housing pods, chapter rooms, lounges and study areas for each Panhellenic sorority – Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Alpha Xi Delta and Gamma Phi Beta – along with an outdoor patio and green space. There are flexible housing units designed to meet the chapters’ future needs, as well.It also includes chapter rooms and a shared lounge for UNK’s multicultural chapters – the Sigma Lambda Gamma and Lambda Theta Nu sororities and Sigma Lambda Beta fraternity – giving them a permanent on-campus home for the first time.The new sorority housing is part of a $32.65 million project that replaces University Residence North (URN) and University Residence South (URS). Located directly south of the sorority building,&nbsp;<a href="https://unknews.unk.edu/2023/02/08/martin-hall-dedication-marks-new-chapter-for-unk-fraternities/">Martin Hall reopened in January</a>&nbsp;following a major renovation that transformed the nearly 70-year-old residence hall into a modern living space for UNK fraternity members.

UNK names Bess Furman Armstrong Hall after distinguished graduate and journalist

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden" target="_blank">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday said it was “stunning” that Congress has not yet approved tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance for Ukraine, as his administration warned of dire consequences for Kyiv — and a “gift” to Russia’s Vladimir Putin — if lawmakers don’t act.

Speaking at the White House, Biden said Republicans who are insisting on border policy changes as a condition for voting for the aid “are playing chicken with our national security,” even as he expressed openness to some policy changes.

“Republicans in Congress are willing to give Putin the greatest gift he could hope for,” Biden said, saying American credibility was on the line both with other would-be aggressors and with its allies. “Any disruption in our ability to supply Ukraine clearly strengthen’s Putin’s position.”

“If we don’t support Ukraine, what is the rest of the world going to do?” he added.

Biden’s address comes hours after he huddled with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/Volodymyr-Zelenskyy" target="_blank">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy</a>&nbsp;and leaders of the Group of Seven advanced democracies, which have staunchly supported Ukraine against Russia’s ongoing invasion.

Biden has asked Congress for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ukraine-israel-budget-3762a0bdf00653e3c8a38175d3c3d3cb" target="_blank">nearly $106 billion</a>&nbsp;to fund the wars in Ukraine, Israel and other security needs, but has faced stiff resistance on Capitol Hill. Some Republicans have grown tired of providing support to Ukraine after the U.S. has already sent $111 billion, and other GOP lawmakers are insisting on stiff changes to U.S. border policy as a condition of voting for the measure.

Biden said he supports more funding for border security. “I am willing to make significant compromises on the border,” he said. “We need to fix the broken border system. It is broken.” He added that he’s ”ready to change policy as well,” but accused Republicans of wanting a political issue more than bipartisan compromise.

“Republicans think they get everything they want without any bipartisan compromise,” Biden said. “Now they’re willing to literally kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield and damage our national security in the process.”

But Biden has not publicly said what policy changes he would embrace.

The White House has sent increasingly sharp warnings to lawmakers of what would happen if they don’t approve the measure before the end of the year, saying Ukraine’s military would be stalled, or worse.

“We’re the reason Putin hasn’t totally overrun Ukraine,” Biden said.

On Capitol Hill, Senate Democrats were trying to advance the aid package later Wednesday, but the legislation had no way forward as Republicans vowed to withhold support unless it includes changes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-zelenskyy-border-security-8592ddcb1627fc6d0b43349bac3fe329" target="_blank">U.S. border policy</a>. Negotiations over the legislation all but collapsed this week.

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden" target="_blank">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday said it was “stunning” that Congress has not yet approved tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance for Ukraine, as his administration warned of dire consequences for Kyiv — and a “gift” to Russia’s Vladimir Putin — if lawmakers don’t act.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F1420064122200539%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=3" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Speaking at the White House, Biden said Republicans who are insisting on border policy changes as a condition for voting for the aid “are playing chicken with our national security,” even as he expressed openness to some policy changes.“Republicans in Congress are willing to give Putin the greatest gift he could hope for,” Biden said, saying American credibility was on the line both with other would-be aggressors and with its allies. “Any disruption in our ability to supply Ukraine clearly strengthen’s Putin’s position.”“If we don’t support Ukraine, what is the rest of the world going to do?” he added.Biden’s address comes hours after he huddled with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/Volodymyr-Zelenskyy" target="_blank">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy</a>&nbsp;and leaders of the Group of Seven advanced democracies, which have staunchly supported Ukraine against Russia’s ongoing invasion.Biden has asked Congress for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ukraine-israel-budget-3762a0bdf00653e3c8a38175d3c3d3cb" target="_blank">nearly $106 billion</a>&nbsp;to fund the wars in Ukraine, Israel and other security needs, but has faced stiff resistance on Capitol Hill. Some Republicans have grown tired of providing support to Ukraine after the U.S. has already sent $111 billion, and other GOP lawmakers are insisting on stiff changes to U.S. border policy as a condition of voting for the measure.Biden said he supports more funding for border security. “I am willing to make significant compromises on the border,” he said. “We need to fix the broken border system. It is broken.” He added that he’s ”ready to change policy as well,” but accused Republicans of wanting a political issue more than bipartisan compromise.“Republicans think they get everything they want without any bipartisan compromise,” Biden said. “Now they’re willing to literally kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield and damage our national security in the process.”But Biden has not publicly said what policy changes he would embrace.The White House has sent increasingly sharp warnings to lawmakers of what would happen if they don’t approve the measure before the end of the year, saying Ukraine’s military would be stalled, or worse.“We’re the reason Putin hasn’t totally overrun Ukraine,” Biden said.On Capitol Hill, Senate Democrats were trying to advance the aid package later Wednesday, but the legislation had no way forward as Republicans vowed to withhold support unless it includes changes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-zelenskyy-border-security-8592ddcb1627fc6d0b43349bac3fe329" target="_blank">U.S. border policy</a>. Negotiations over the legislation all but collapsed this week.Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been an ardent supporter of aid to Ukraine, has told fellow Republicans to vote against the security package advancing.“Legislation that doesn’t include policy changes to secure our borders will not pass the Senate,” McConnell said in a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday. “The situation unfolding at our southern border on President Biden’s watch is a crisis of historic proportions.”Republicans pointed to the record numbers of migrants crossing the southern border and argued it posed a security threat because border authorities cannot adequately screen them. But their demand that Congress pass significant changes to U.S. border policy interjects into the debate an issue that lawmakers have grappled over for decades with little success.By holding the test vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is daring his Republican counterparts to vote against the cause of Ukraine funding that most have previously supported. He said in a speech the Senate is facing a question that “goes to the actual preservation of Western and democratic values in the world.”Democrats were also making their case through a series of events on Capitol Hill with Ukrainian officials, including the speaker of Ukraine’s parliament.The pressure appeared to have little affect on the GOP’s stance. But senators expressed some hope that Biden’s remarks would revive the talks over border security policy.“This kind of thorny, difficult problem is exactly what Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell have worked on before. And we could use their help and their leadership on this,” said Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., one of the senators involved in negotiations over border policy.As they look past the test vote, GOP senators have prepared a proposal for the bipartisan group in the talks. So far, senators have found some agreement on raising the initial standard for migrants to enter the asylum system but were stuck over placing limitations on humanitarian parole, a program that allows the executive branch to temporarily admit migrants.“We’re clearly engaging in the negotiations, trying to be able to solve this,” said Sen. James Lankford, a Republican of Oklahoma who is involved in the talks.But even if senators somehow find a way forward on the aid package, it still faces significant obstacles in the House. Hardline conservatives who control the chamber have vowed to block it unless it tacks to a broad set of hard-line border and immigration policies.House Speaker Mike Johnson, already deeply skeptical of funding for Ukraine, has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-ukraine-border-security-zelenskyy-bf932727abd5e8ff3cf5c9c848a3cf78" target="_blank">signaled he won’t support the aid package</a>&nbsp;if it does not adhere to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-immigration-bill-255921c69678468580d0d106282623f0" target="_blank">H.R. 2</a>, a bill that would remake the U.S. immigration system with conservative priorities. It passed the House on a party-line vote in May, but has been rejected by Senate Democrats.Meanwhile, the U.S. is expected to announce&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-weapons-funding-24735694f4f93e5a571f30004957e1a9" target="_blank">a $175 million package</a>&nbsp;of military aid to Ukraine on Wednesday, including guided missiles for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), anti-armor systems and high-speed anti-radiation missiles, according to U.S. officials.Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Tuesday there is about $1.1 billion left in funding to replenish U.S. military stockpiles for weapons and equipment sent to Ukraine. And he said there is roughly $4.8 billion in drawdown authority still available.