WASHINGTON — Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s upcoming resignation from Congress set off a series of questions and misinformation about what health care and pension benefits lawmakers receive once they leave public service.&nbsp;

The system is a bit complex and determined by when a lawmaker entered Congress as well as how long they stayed. Members must serve at least five years, putting Greene just over the eligibility line&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2025/11/21/georgia-congresswoman-marjorie-taylor-greene-says-she-will-resign-in-january/" target="_blank">when she officially steps aside</a>&nbsp;in January.&nbsp;

Members of Congress elected after 1984 are covered under the Federal Employees’ Retirement System. The four House lawmakers and one senator elected before then may be under the Civil Service Retirement System, so their benefit may be calculated differently than that of their colleagues.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service explains in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/RL/PDF/RL30631/RL30631.39.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;about lawmakers’ retirement benefits that “pensions, like those of other federal employees, are financed through a combination of employee and employer contributions.”&nbsp;

“Under both CSRS and FERS, Members of Congress are eligible for a pension at the age of 62 if they have completed at least 5 years of service,” the report states. “Members are eligible for a pension at age 50 if they have completed 20 years of service, or at any age after completing 25 years of service. The amount of the pension depends on length of service (as measured in months) and the average of the highest three years of salary. By law, the starting amount of a Member’s retirement annuity may not exceed 80% of his or her final salary.”

All members also must pay into Social Security, and how much in taxes they pay and benefits they receive are the same as for all beneficiaries.

Members of Congress, except for leadership, are paid $174,000 a year.

Greene, who began her congressional career on Jan. 3, 2021, will be just over the five-year requirement when she formally resigns on Jan. 5.&nbsp;

Greene will receive about $8,700 in pension benefits per year for the rest of her life, after she turns 62. She is now 51.

Former U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who was first sworn in on June 2, 1987, after winning a special election, will receive considerably more in pension benefits given that she was a member for decades longer than Greene and had a higher salary during her time in leadership.&nbsp;

The National Taxpayers Union Foundation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ntu.org/foundation/detail/pelosi-to-exit-congress-with-one-of-the-largest-pensions-on-record" target="_blank">expects</a>&nbsp;Pelosi will receive an annual pension of $107,860 after she retires in January 2027.&nbsp;

Members of Congress who retire or resign are eligible to purchase health insurance from the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program as long as they had health insurance from the District of Columbia’s Affordable Care Act marketplace “for the five years of service immediately prior to retirement,” according to a different CRS&nbsp;<a href="https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R43194.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>.&nbsp;

While in Congress, lawmakers are eligible to have some of their health coverage offset by their employer — the federal government — as long as they purchase it through the D.C. marketplace, known as DC Health Link. Like others in the states, it was created by the Affordable Care Act.

As with group health insurance plans, the amount subsidized by the federal government depends on whether a lawmaker selects a health plan that covers themselves or themselves plus eligible family members.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714577209426.png" alt="Photo courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>Photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By Jennifer Shutt</p><p>WASHINGTON — Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s upcoming resignation from Congress set off a series of questions and misinformation about what health care and pension benefits lawmakers receive once they leave public service.&nbsp;</p><p>The system is a bit complex and determined by when a lawmaker entered Congress as well as how long they stayed. Members must serve at least five years, putting Greene just over the eligibility line&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2025/11/21/georgia-congresswoman-marjorie-taylor-greene-says-she-will-resign-in-january/" target="_blank">when she officially steps aside</a>&nbsp;in January.&nbsp;</p><p>Members of Congress elected after 1984 are covered under the Federal Employees’ Retirement System. The four House lawmakers and one senator elected before then may be under the Civil Service Retirement System, so their benefit may be calculated differently than that of their colleagues.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service explains in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/RL/PDF/RL30631/RL30631.39.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;about lawmakers’ retirement benefits that “pensions, like those of other federal employees, are financed through a combination of employee and employer contributions.”&nbsp;</p><p>“Under both CSRS and FERS, Members of Congress are eligible for a pension at the age of 62 if they have completed at least 5 years of service,” the report states. “Members are eligible for a pension at age 50 if they have completed 20 years of service, or at any age after completing 25 years of service. The amount of the pension depends on length of service (as measured in months) and the average of the highest three years of salary. By law, the starting amount of a Member’s retirement annuity may not exceed 80% of his or her final salary.”</p><p>All members also must pay into Social Security, and how much in taxes they pay and benefits they receive are the same as for all beneficiaries.</p><p>Members of Congress, except for leadership, are paid $174,000 a year.</p><p>Greene, who began her congressional career on Jan. 3, 2021, will be just over the five-year requirement when she formally resigns on Jan. 5.&nbsp;</p><p>Greene will receive about $8,700 in pension benefits per year for the rest of her life, after she turns 62. She is now 51.</p><p>Former U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who was first sworn in on June 2, 1987, after winning a special election, will receive considerably more in pension benefits given that she was a member for decades longer than Greene and had a higher salary during her time in leadership.&nbsp;</p><p>The National Taxpayers Union Foundation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ntu.org/foundation/detail/pelosi-to-exit-congress-with-one-of-the-largest-pensions-on-record" target="_blank">expects</a>&nbsp;Pelosi will receive an annual pension of $107,860 after she retires in January 2027.&nbsp;</p><h2>Health insurance benefits</h2><p>Members of Congress who retire or resign are eligible to purchase health insurance from the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program as long as they had health insurance from the District of Columbia’s Affordable Care Act marketplace “for the five years of service immediately prior to retirement,” according to a different CRS&nbsp;<a href="https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R43194.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>While in Congress, lawmakers are eligible to have some of their health coverage offset by their employer — the federal government — as long as they purchase it through the D.C. marketplace, known as DC Health Link. Like others in the states, it was created by the Affordable Care Act.</p><p>As with group health insurance plans, the amount subsidized by the federal government depends on whether a lawmaker selects a health plan that covers themselves or themselves plus eligible family members.&nbsp;</p>

Rep. MTG's retirement launches speculation about congressional pensions

President Donald Trump said Friday he will try to reverse any law, pardon or still-in-effect executive order that former President Joe Biden signed with an autopen, though it wasn’t immediately clear how that would work or whether it would be legal.&nbsp;

Trump declared in&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115629010097815862" target="_blank">a social media post</a>&nbsp;that any documents Biden signed with the autopen are “hereby terminated, and of no further force or effect.”

“I am hereby cancelling all Executive Orders, and anything else that was not directly signed by Crooked Joe Biden, because the people who operated the Autopen did so illegally,” Trump alleged. “Joe Biden was not involved in the Autopen process and, if he says he was, he will be brought up on charges of perjury. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The White House press office didn’t immediately respond to a request for the list of documents Trump believes he has the ability to rescind based on the manner they were signed.

States Newsroom also asked the Trump administration if officials believe the president would need to sign an executive order in order to implement his social media post.&nbsp;

Experts dismissed earlier autopen challenge&nbsp;

The post was similar to one&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/legal-experts-quash-trump-argument-biden-pardons-signed-autopen-are-void" target="_blank">Trump published in March</a>&nbsp;when he claimed any pardons Biden signed with the autopen were void, something legal experts said at the time was “absurd” and a “red herring.”

Trump brought up his frustration with autopen use again in June&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-opens-investigation-biden-autopen-use" target="_blank">when he ordered</a>&nbsp;the White House legal counsel and U.S. attorney general to investigate when and why Biden administration staff used an autopen.&nbsp;

Trump said during an Oval Office appearance at the time he hadn’t found any evidence Biden aides violated the law.

“No, but I’ve uncovered the human mind,” Trump said. “I was in a debate with the human mind and I didn’t think he knew what the hell he was doing. So it’s one of those things, one of those problems. We can’t ever allow that to happen to our country.”

Biden and spokespeople working for him have repeatedly said he knew what official documents were being signed in his name and rejected claims that White House staff used the autopen without his authorization or knowledge.&nbsp;

Biden released a statement in June following the Trump memorandum, saying the investigation “is nothing more than a distraction by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans who are working to push disastrous legislation that would cut essential programs like Medicaid and raise costs on American families, all to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and big corporations.”

“Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations,” Biden wrote at the time. “Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.”

While presidents have regularly rescinded their predecessors executive orders, usually within their first few days or weeks in office, Congress would very likely need to act in order to alter or eliminate any laws that Biden signed with an autopen. Trump seeking to overturn a law, or part of a law, unilaterally would likely lead to a lawsuit over whether he holds that power.&nbsp;

It also wasn’t immediately clear what legal authority Trump believes he has as president to undo pardons if Biden used an autopen to sign the documents.&nbsp;

David Super, a constitutional and administrative law professor at Georgetown University, told States Newsroom in March that “the Constitution does not require signatures for pardons. It simply says the president has the power to pardon.”

“So if President Biden wanted to simply verbally tell someone they’re pardoned, he could do that. It wouldn’t have to be in writing at all,” he said. “Administratively, of course, we want things in writing. It makes things a lot simpler, but there’s no constitutional requirement.”

Ashley Murray contributed to this report.&nbsp;

<p>By Jennifer Shutt</p><p>President Donald Trump said Friday he will try to reverse any law, pardon or still-in-effect executive order that former President Joe Biden signed with an autopen, though it wasn’t immediately clear how that would work or whether it would be legal.&nbsp;</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;I am hereby cancelling all Executive Orders, and anything else that was not directly signed by Crooked Joe Biden, because the people who operated the Autopen did so illegally.&quot; - President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/D5mzIl1Cai">pic.twitter.com/D5mzIl1Cai</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1994494769566028142?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Trump declared in&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115629010097815862" target="_blank">a social media post</a>&nbsp;that any documents Biden signed with the autopen are “hereby terminated, and of no further force or effect.”</p><p>“I am hereby cancelling all Executive Orders, and anything else that was not directly signed by Crooked Joe Biden, because the people who operated the Autopen did so illegally,” Trump alleged. “Joe Biden was not involved in the Autopen process and, if he says he was, he will be brought up on charges of perjury. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”</p><p>The White House press office didn’t immediately respond to a request for the list of documents Trump believes he has the ability to rescind based on the manner they were signed.</p><p>States Newsroom also asked the Trump administration if officials believe the president would need to sign an executive order in order to implement his social media post.&nbsp;</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1749205481205.png" alt="White House image" />
                        <figcaption>White House image</figcaption>
                    </figure><h2>Experts dismissed earlier autopen challenge&nbsp;</h2><p>The post was similar to one&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/legal-experts-quash-trump-argument-biden-pardons-signed-autopen-are-void" target="_blank">Trump published in March</a>&nbsp;when he claimed any pardons Biden signed with the autopen were void, something legal experts said at the time was “absurd” and a “red herring.”</p><p>Trump brought up his frustration with autopen use again in June&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-opens-investigation-biden-autopen-use" target="_blank">when he ordered</a>&nbsp;the White House legal counsel and U.S. attorney general to investigate when and why Biden administration staff used an autopen.&nbsp;</p><p>Trump said during an Oval Office appearance at the time he hadn’t found any evidence Biden aides violated the law.</p><p>“No, but I’ve uncovered the human mind,” Trump said. “I was in a debate with the human mind and I didn’t think he knew what the hell he was doing. So it’s one of those things, one of those problems. We can’t ever allow that to happen to our country.”</p><p>Biden and spokespeople working for him have repeatedly said he knew what official documents were being signed in his name and rejected claims that White House staff used the autopen without his authorization or knowledge.&nbsp;</p><p>Biden released a statement in June following the Trump memorandum, saying the investigation “is nothing more than a distraction by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans who are working to push disastrous legislation that would cut essential programs like Medicaid and raise costs on American families, all to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and big corporations.”</p><p>“Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations,” Biden wrote at the time. “Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.”</p><p>While presidents have regularly rescinded their predecessors executive orders, usually within their first few days or weeks in office, Congress would very likely need to act in order to alter or eliminate any laws that Biden signed with an autopen. Trump seeking to overturn a law, or part of a law, unilaterally would likely lead to a lawsuit over whether he holds that power.&nbsp;</p><h2>Trump doesn’t cite legal authority</h2><p>It also wasn’t immediately clear what legal authority Trump believes he has as president to undo pardons if Biden used an autopen to sign the documents.&nbsp;</p><p>David Super, a constitutional and administrative law professor at Georgetown University, told States Newsroom in March that “the Constitution does not require signatures for pardons. It simply says the president has the power to pardon.”</p><p>“So if President Biden wanted to simply verbally tell someone they’re pardoned, he could do that. It wouldn’t have to be in writing at all,” he said. “Administratively, of course, we want things in writing. It makes things a lot simpler, but there’s no constitutional requirement.”</p><p>Ashley Murray contributed to this report.&nbsp;</p>

Trump social media post claims to void Biden orders

State Treasurer urges Nebraskans to check for missing money.

Lincoln, Neb. – Nebraska State Treasurer Joey Spellerberg is urging Nebraskans to check for unclaimed property as the state prepares to close out another year of returning millions of dollars to residents.

“The unclaimed property overseen by the Treasurer’s Office doesn’t belong to the state — it belongs to our state’s residents,” Spellerberg said. “Our mission is to reconnect Nebraskans with their unclaimed assets and to make the process as easy as possible.”

As of late November, the Nebraska Unclaimed Property Program had returned approximately $260 million to rightful owners since the program’s inception. Recent returns have ranged from small utility refunds to five-figure stock accounts.

State law requires companies to turn over dormant assets to the Treasurer’s Office, which safeguards them until the rightful owner or heirs make a valid claim. 

The Unclaimed Property Program handles a variety of financial assets, including but not limited to:

- Stock certificates, dividends, and mutual funds; 

Safe deposit box contents are inventoried and kept secure. Some items may be auctioned if unclaimed following the statutory holding period, with proceeds credited to the owner’s claim. Real estate, vehicles, and state tax refunds are not part of the program.

Year to date, the Unclaimed Property Division has returned $16,277,186 across 16,487 claims. 

“Checking the Unclaimed Property website should be a year-end priority for Nebraskans,” said Unclaimed Property Director Meaghan Aguirre. “Search your name and names of your family members. It only takes a minute — and you may find money you were missing.”

<b>How to Check for Unclaimed Property</b>

Nebraska residents should visit the state’s official unclaimed property website at NebraskaLostCash.nebraska.gov. There’s never a fee to search or claim your property. Just enter your name or business name to search. If there’s a match, you can begin the free claim process online.

Individuals who have lived in multiple states should use the multi-state search portal managed by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA): MissingMoney.com. This site allows users to search participating states simultaneously.

For questions, call (877) 572-9688 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CT).

The Nebraska State Treasurer is responsible for the safekeeping and supervision of Nebraska's public funds, and mandated to receive, keep, and disburse all state money. Beyond these core duties, the office administers the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST 529) and Enable Savings Plan; manages and returns unclaimed property; collects and disperses child support payments; and ensures public transparency regarding state spending. 

<h2>State Treasurer urges Nebraskans to check for missing money.</h2><p><i>For Immediate Release</i></p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737475505087.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Lincoln, Neb. – Nebraska State Treasurer Joey Spellerberg is urging Nebraskans to check for unclaimed property as the state prepares to close out another year of returning millions of dollars to residents.</p><p>“The unclaimed property overseen by the Treasurer’s Office doesn’t belong to the state — it belongs to our state’s residents,” Spellerberg said. “Our mission is to reconnect Nebraskans with their unclaimed assets and to make the process as easy as possible.”</p><p>As of late November, the Nebraska Unclaimed Property Program had returned approximately $260 million to rightful owners since the program’s inception. Recent returns have ranged from small utility refunds to five-figure stock accounts.</p><p><b>History and Purpose</b></p><p>State law requires companies to turn over dormant assets to the Treasurer’s Office, which safeguards them until the rightful owner or heirs make a valid claim. </p><p>The Unclaimed Property Program handles a variety of financial assets, including but not limited to:</p><p>- Dormant checking and savings accounts;</p><p>- Uncashed payroll or vendor checks; </p><p>- Stock certificates, dividends, and mutual funds; </p><p>- Contents of safe deposit boxes; </p><p>- Utility and rent deposits; and </p><p>- Life insurance payments.</p><p>Safe deposit box contents are inventoried and kept secure. Some items may be auctioned if unclaimed following the statutory holding period, with proceeds credited to the owner’s claim. Real estate, vehicles, and state tax refunds are not part of the program.</p><p>#MORE#</p><p><b>Recent Activity &amp; Impact</b></p><p>Year to date, the Unclaimed Property Division has returned $16,277,186 across 16,487 claims. </p><p>“Checking the Unclaimed Property website should be a year-end priority for Nebraskans,” said Unclaimed Property Director Meaghan Aguirre. “Search your name and names of your family members. It only takes a minute — and you may find money you were missing.”</p><p><b>How to Check for Unclaimed Property</b></p><p>Nebraska residents should visit the state’s official unclaimed property website at NebraskaLostCash.nebraska.gov. There’s never a fee to search or claim your property. Just enter your name or business name to search. If there’s a match, you can begin the free claim process online.</p><p>Individuals who have lived in multiple states should use the multi-state search portal managed by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA): MissingMoney.com. This site allows users to search participating states simultaneously.</p><p>For questions, call (877) 572-9688 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CT).</p><p>###</p><p>The Nebraska State Treasurer is responsible for the safekeeping and supervision of Nebraska's public funds, and mandated to receive, keep, and disburse all state money. Beyond these core duties, the office administers the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST 529) and Enable Savings Plan; manages and returns unclaimed property; collects and disperses child support payments; and ensures public transparency regarding state spending. </p><p>Learn more at treasurer.nebraska.gov.</p>

Spellerberg Highlights Year-End Progress on Returning Unclaimed Property to Nebraskans

 (Lincoln, Neb.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— The Nebraska State Patrol, Governor Jim Pillen, and a grateful Nebraska family were pleased to present the NSP Life Saver Award to Trooper Braden Heidbrink.

“Most of you that enter this profession are very humble. You don’t do this job for moments like this,” said Colonel Bryan Waugh. “We sign up to do this job because we genuinely have a passion to serve, to protect, to be there at the most horrible, horrific moment in somebody’s life, that we can hopefully make a difference in that moment.”

On May 10, 2025, Lancaster County 911 received a call of a medical emergency in which a 4-year-old child was severely injured in a lawnmower accident in Hallam. Trooper Heidbrink was the closest first responder and arrived within minutes. Upon arrival, Trooper Heidbrink found the child’s father attempting to care for the child, who had serious injuries to both legs. Trooper Heidbrink quickly applied a tourniquet to the child’s right leg and then bandaged the child’s left leg. Hallam EMS arrived on scene and transported the child, Percy, to the hospital.

The injuries eventually required amputation of Percy’s right leg, but the quick actions of Trooper Heidbrink were credited with saving Percy’s life.

Tuesday, Percy and his family joined NSP, Governor Pillen, Trooper Heidbrink’s family, and several members of Trooper Heidbrink’s National Guard unit for the presentation of the NSP Life Saver Award. Percy also got to show off his prosthetic leg.

“You responded, took care of this little guy in an incredible moment,” Governor Jim Pillen told Trooper Heidbrink. “Amazing stuff. He’s going to have a great life because of what you did in that moment.”

The Nebraska State Patrol salutes Trooper Heidbrink for his exceptional work in a chaotic situation to save Percy’s life and care for the mental wellbeing of Percy’s family after the accident.

<p><i>For Immediate Release</i></p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/7/1564017172814.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p> (Lincoln, Neb.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— The Nebraska State Patrol, Governor Jim Pillen, and a grateful Nebraska family were pleased to present the NSP Life Saver Award to Trooper Braden Heidbrink.</p><p>“Most of you that enter this profession are very humble. You don’t do this job for moments like this,” said Colonel Bryan Waugh. “We sign up to do this job because we genuinely have a passion to serve, to protect, to be there at the most horrible, horrific moment in somebody’s life, that we can hopefully make a difference in that moment.”</p><p>On May 10, 2025, Lancaster County 911 received a call of a medical emergency in which a 4-year-old child was severely injured in a lawnmower accident in Hallam. Trooper Heidbrink was the closest first responder and arrived within minutes. Upon arrival, Trooper Heidbrink found the child’s father attempting to care for the child, who had serious injuries to both legs. Trooper Heidbrink quickly applied a tourniquet to the child’s right leg and then bandaged the child’s left leg. Hallam EMS arrived on scene and transported the child, Percy, to the hospital.</p><p>The injuries eventually required amputation of Percy’s right leg, but the quick actions of Trooper Heidbrink were credited with saving Percy’s life.</p><p>Tuesday, Percy and his family joined NSP, Governor Pillen, Trooper Heidbrink’s family, and several members of Trooper Heidbrink’s National Guard unit for the presentation of the NSP Life Saver Award. Percy also got to show off his prosthetic leg.</p><p>“You responded, took care of this little guy in an incredible moment,” Governor Jim Pillen told Trooper Heidbrink. “Amazing stuff. He’s going to have a great life because of what you did in that moment.”</p><p>The Nebraska State Patrol salutes Trooper Heidbrink for his exceptional work in a chaotic situation to save Percy’s life and care for the mental wellbeing of Percy’s family after the accident.</p>

NSP Presents Life Saver Award to Trooper Braden Heidbrink

Lincoln, Neb. — The Nebraska Women in Agriculture program is pleased to announce the launch of a new online course, Tax Strategies for Farms and Ranches, available beginning Dec. 1.

This is a self-paced course designed specifically for farmers and ranchers seeking to take control of their tax planning. Whether you’re new to tax management or looking to refine your approach, this course provides practical strategies tailored to agricultural producers.

In this course, you will: Strengthen your collaboration with your tax professional to ensure clear communication and effective planning.

Develop a reliable, organized record-keeping system that not only meets tax requirements but also helps you maximize eligible deductions and credits.

Shift your perspective on taxes from simply minimizing what you owe to strategically&nbsp;optimizing your after-tax income for greater financial success.

The course includes curated materials from trusted agricultural tax resources, including USDA, RuralTax.org, and the Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska– Lincoln.

“Taxes shouldn’t be something producers only think about once a year,” said Jessica Groskopf, Director of the Nebraska Women in Agriculture Program. “By taking a more strategic approach, producers can work more effectively with their tax professionals and make decisions that support the long-term success of their farm or ranch.”

Tax Strategies for Farms and Ranches is offered at no cost, but will only be available from Dec. 1, 2025, through Feb. 28, 2026. To enroll, visit: https://go.unl.edu/ae

This course is part of the Agri-Essentials program, supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2024-70027-42470. All participants are welcome regardless of race, gender, or any other protected status.

<p><i>For Immediate Release</i></p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1764178642784.jpeg" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Lincoln, Neb. — The Nebraska Women in Agriculture program is pleased to announce the launch of a new online course, Tax Strategies for Farms and Ranches, available beginning Dec. 1.</p><p>This is a self-paced course designed specifically for farmers and ranchers seeking to take control of their tax planning. Whether you’re new to tax management or looking to refine your approach, this course provides practical strategies tailored to agricultural producers.</p><p>In this course, you will: Strengthen your collaboration with your tax professional to ensure clear communication and effective planning.</p><p>Develop a reliable, organized record-keeping system that not only meets tax requirements but also helps you maximize eligible deductions and credits.</p><p>Shift your perspective on taxes from simply minimizing what you owe to strategically&nbsp;optimizing your after-tax income for greater financial success.</p><p>The course includes curated materials from trusted agricultural tax resources, including USDA, RuralTax.org, and the Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska– Lincoln.</p><p>“Taxes shouldn’t be something producers only think about once a year,” said Jessica Groskopf, Director of the Nebraska Women in Agriculture Program. “By taking a more strategic approach, producers can work more effectively with their tax professionals and make decisions that support the long-term success of their farm or ranch.”</p><p>Tax Strategies for Farms and Ranches is offered at no cost, but will only be available from Dec. 1, 2025, through Feb. 28, 2026. To enroll, visit: https://go.unl.edu/ae</p><p>This course is part of the Agri-Essentials program, supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2024-70027-42470. All participants are welcome regardless of race, gender, or any other protected status.</p>

New Online Course, “Tax Strategies for Farms and Ranches,” Launches December 1

Multi-draws will be reduced starting Nov. 30

Lincoln, NE – The multi-state Lucky for Life® game will end on February 21, 2026, to make way for a new game.

The Nebraska Lottery joined Lucky for Life in August 2017 via a licensing agreement with the New England lotteries that created the game. The $2 Lotto game offers a top prize of $1,000 a day for life.

To prepare for the end of the game, the Nebraska Lottery is reducing the number of drawings that can be purchased in advance on a ticket. Currently, up to 84 Lucky for Life drawings can be purchased with the multi-draw feature. Beginning with the November 30 drawing, the maximum number of drawings that can be purchased will decrease by one after each drawing.

A new multi-state game, Millionaire for Life™, will launch on Sunday, February 22, 2026. Thirty-three lotteries including the Nebraska Lottery will offer the game. More details about Millionaire for Life will be available soon on&nbsp;<a href="http://nelottery.com/" target="_blank">nelottery.com</a>.

The mission of the Nebraska Lottery is to generate proceeds for good causes while providing quality entertainment options to Nebraskans. $1.051 billion has been raised for the Nebraska Lottery’s beneficiary funds since the Lottery began in 1993. All 93 counties in Nebraska have benefited from projects funded with these Nebraska Lottery proceeds.

<h2>Multi-draws will be reduced starting Nov. 30</h2><p><i>For Immediate Release</i></p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1764179399361.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Lincoln, NE – The multi-state Lucky for Life® game will end on February 21, 2026, to make way for a new game.</p><p>The Nebraska Lottery joined Lucky for Life in August 2017 via a licensing agreement with the New England lotteries that created the game. The $2 Lotto game offers a top prize of $1,000 a day for life.</p><p>To prepare for the end of the game, the Nebraska Lottery is reducing the number of drawings that can be purchased in advance on a ticket. Currently, up to 84 Lucky for Life drawings can be purchased with the multi-draw feature. Beginning with the November 30 drawing, the maximum number of drawings that can be purchased will decrease by one after each drawing.</p><p>A new multi-state game, Millionaire for Life™, will launch on Sunday, February 22, 2026. Thirty-three lotteries including the Nebraska Lottery will offer the game. More details about Millionaire for Life will be available soon on&nbsp;<a href="http://nelottery.com/" target="_blank">nelottery.com</a>.</p><p>The mission of the Nebraska Lottery is to generate proceeds for good causes while providing quality entertainment options to Nebraskans. $1.051 billion has been raised for the Nebraska Lottery’s beneficiary funds since the Lottery began in 1993. All 93 counties in Nebraska have benefited from projects funded with these Nebraska Lottery proceeds.</p>

Lucky for Life® Lotto Game Ending February 21, 2026

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1764331131237.png" alt="President Trump spoke about immigration to reporters after he announced National Guardsmen Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia has died on Thanksgiving night-image from White House video" />
                        <figcaption>President Trump spoke about immigration to reporters after he announced National Guardsmen Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia has died on Thanksgiving night-image from White House video</figcaption>
                    </figure><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1764331840667.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure>

Trump: U.S. to ‘pause migration from Third World Countries’ after DC shooting

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> announces that U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom of Summersville, West Virginia, one of the National Guardsmen savagely attacked yesterday in Washington, D.C., has just passed away.<br><br>May God be with her family 🙏 <a href="https://t.co/BEbAOxmJme">pic.twitter.com/BEbAOxmJme</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1994189513929761268?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1764267373071.png" alt="Specialist Sarah Beckstrom-photo Department of Justice" />
                        <figcaption>Specialist Sarah Beckstrom-photo Department of Justice</figcaption>
                    </figure>

Trump: Sarah Beckstrom, National Guard soldier shot in DC, has died

NORFOLK, Neb. — The 17th Annual AgCeptional Conference, held last week in Norfolk, Nebraska, brought exciting announcements about the future of the long-standing event.

Hosted in partnership with Northeast Community College for the past 17 years, the AgCeptional Conference provides a full day of learning, inspiration, and networking for those involved in the agricultural industry. Each year, the event draws nearly 350 attendees from across the region on the Friday before Thanksgiving.

This year, the conference committee announced a new partnership with the Nebraska Women in Agriculture Program at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. The collaboration will strengthen the conference’s educational impact and provide additional resources and opportunities for participants.

“We are excited to be partnering with the AgCeptional committee to help advance their programming so we can continue to serve those in the region” said Jessica Groskopf, Director of Nebraska Women in Agriculture.

In addition to the new partnership, the committee revealed that the 2026 AgCeptional Conference will be held in West Point, Nebraska, at the Nielsen Community Center. The move, scheduled for November 20, 2026, opens new possibilities for the event, including vendor exhibits, a coffee truck, and a social hour to close out the day.

Organizers say the changes reflect the conference’s continued growth and commitment to serving women and professionals in agriculture through relevant programming and new opportunities to connect.

For more information about the AgCeptional Women’s Conference visit wia.unl.edu/agceptional

All attendees are welcome to participate regardless of race, gender, or any other protected status.

<p><i>For Immediate Release</i></p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1764178483137.jpeg" alt="Women in Ag (Courtesy&nbsp;West Central Research, Extension and Education Center)" />
                        <figcaption>Women in Ag (Courtesy&nbsp;West Central Research, Extension and Education Center)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>NORFOLK, Neb. — The 17th Annual AgCeptional Conference, held last week in Norfolk, Nebraska, brought exciting announcements about the future of the long-standing event.</p><p>Hosted in partnership with Northeast Community College for the past 17 years, the AgCeptional Conference provides a full day of learning, inspiration, and networking for those involved in the agricultural industry. Each year, the event draws nearly 350 attendees from across the region on the Friday before Thanksgiving.</p><p>This year, the conference committee announced a new partnership with the Nebraska Women in Agriculture Program at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. The collaboration will strengthen the conference’s educational impact and provide additional resources and opportunities for participants.</p><p>“We are excited to be partnering with the AgCeptional committee to help advance their programming so we can continue to serve those in the region” said Jessica Groskopf, Director of Nebraska Women in Agriculture.</p><p>In addition to the new partnership, the committee revealed that the 2026 AgCeptional Conference will be held in West Point, Nebraska, at the Nielsen Community Center. The move, scheduled for November 20, 2026, opens new possibilities for the event, including vendor exhibits, a coffee truck, and a social hour to close out the day.</p><p>Organizers say the changes reflect the conference’s continued growth and commitment to serving women and professionals in agriculture through relevant programming and new opportunities to connect.</p><p>For more information about the AgCeptional Women’s Conference visit wia.unl.edu/agceptional</p><p>All attendees are welcome to participate regardless of race, gender, or any other protected status.</p>

AgCeptional Conference Announces New Partnership and Move to West Point for 2026

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia,&nbsp;identified the guard members at a news conference as Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24. Both remained hospitalized in critical condition.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1764267409790.png" alt="Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe -photo Department of Justice" />
                        <figcaption>Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe -photo Department of Justice</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia,&nbsp;identified the guard members at a news conference as Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24. Both remained hospitalized in critical condition.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1764267373071.png" alt="Specialist Sarah Beckstrom-photo Department of Justice" />
                        <figcaption>Specialist Sarah Beckstrom-photo Department of Justice</figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro (<a href="https://twitter.com/USAttyPirro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USAttyPirro</a>): &quot;Two uniform guardsmen were ambushed in a brazen and targeted attack. A lone gunman opened fire without provocation, ambush style...&quot;<br><br>FBI Director Kash Patel (<a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBIDirectorKash</a>): &quot;It is an ongoing investigation of terrorism.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Ob9qwSEcNH">pic.twitter.com/Ob9qwSEcNH</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1994060975905857664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥DOJ releases names of National Guard soldiers shot near White House

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump delivers remarks on the horrific attack on the Great National Guard Warriors <a href="https://t.co/xDxRzJENU0">https://t.co/xDxRzJENU0</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1993865712583180642?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;My great fellow Americans, earlier today on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday, two members of the National Guard serving in Washington, D.C. were shot at point blank range in a monstrous, ambush-style attack just steps away from the White House... This heinous assault… <a href="https://t.co/3nmv426LRq">pic.twitter.com/3nmv426LRq</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993868356538057112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DHSgov</a> is confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan... He was flown in by the Biden Administration in September 2021 on those infamous flights... His status was extended under legislation signed by President Biden.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/rMCQe6CMIo">pic.twitter.com/rMCQe6CMIo</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993869422717456872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;Tonight, I can announce that I have directed the <a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeptofWar</a> to mobilize an additional 500 troops to help protect our capital city... and we will bring the perpetrator of this barbaric attack to swift and certain justice.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/4G7bj6s9Zg">pic.twitter.com/4G7bj6s9Zg</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993870051082998158?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden, and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/jAPGBP5HH2">pic.twitter.com/jAPGBP5HH2</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993870729293746180?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DHSgov</a> is confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan... He was flown in by the Biden Administration in September 2021 on those infamous flights... His status was extended under legislation signed by President Biden.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/rMCQe6CMIo">pic.twitter.com/rMCQe6CMIo</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993869422717456872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥President Trump's remarks on the attack on National Guard soldiers

By:<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/author/ccoyne/">Caity Coyne</a><br><a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/">West Virginia Watch</a>

Two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot while on deployment in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, according to a statement from Gov. Patrick Morrisey.

In a news briefing around 4:45 p.m., FBI director Kash Patel said the two victims were “in critical condition.”

That announcement came after previous conflicting reports from Morrisey regarding their status.

Morrisey initially&nbsp;posted on social media&nbsp;at 3:33 p.m. that one of the victims was dead and another sent to the hospital following the shooting. He then announced at 3:42 p.m. that both members of the West Virginia National Guard were dead.

In a third post at 4:04 p.m., however, Morrisey said he was receiving “conflicting reports” about the condition of the West Virginia National Guard members.

“… [The state] will provide additional updates once we receive more complete information,” Morrisey continued.

The shooting<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/11/26/repub/breaking-two-national-guard-members-shot-in-washington-d-c-officials-confirm/">&nbsp;took place blocks&nbsp;</a>from the White House around 2:15 p.m. According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/DCPoliceDept/status/1993767333979168981?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet" target="_blank">Washington Metropolitan Police Department</a>, the scene was secure and one suspect was in custody at 2:58 p.m.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a news briefing that the incident was “a targeted shooting” perpetrated by one person.

“What we know … is that this is a targeted shooting — one individual who appeared to target these Guardsmen,” Bowser said. “That individual has been taken into custody.”

President Donald Trump was in Florida on Wednesday but was briefed on the shooting, White House officials said. In social media posts, Trump said the perpetrator was an “animal” and was “also severely wounded” in the incident. Regardless, he continued, the shooter will “pay a very steep price.”

“God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement,” Trump said. “These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!”

The shooting comes less than a week after a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/20/national-guard-washington-dc-00663137" target="_blank">federal judge ruled</a>&nbsp;that the deployment of National Guard troops from several states to Washington, D.C. at the request of Trump was illegal. The Trump administration was given until Dec. 11 to pull troops out or file an appeal to the ruling.&nbsp;

Morrisey&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/08/18/morrisey-orders-national-guard-to-dc-in-support-of-trump-takeover-dems-say-its-political-theater/">announced in August</a>&nbsp;that he would be sending 300-400 members of the West Virginia National Guard to Washington D.C. after Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/restoring-law-and-order-in-the-district-of-columbia/" target="_blank">declared</a>&nbsp;a “public safety emergency” in the nation’s capital. That declaration&nbsp;<a href="http://cnn.com/2025/09/10/politics/washington-dc-trump-crime-emergency-end" target="_blank">ended in September</a>, but troops have remained in the district.

<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/briefs/west-virginia-national-guard-deployment-to-dc-could-last-through-november/">In late September</a>, a spokesperson for the state’s National Guard said members could remain in D.C. through November.

Earlier this year, the West Virginia Citizen Action Group&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/CAG-suit-2025.pdf">filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;against Morrisey and the West Virginia National Guard regarding West Virginia troops being deployed to D.C. CAG was&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/08/21/aclu-files-lawsuit-over-wv-national-guard-deployment-to-dc/">represented by</a>&nbsp;the West Virginia arm of the American Civil Liberties Union.

The ACLU attorneys&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/10/24/judge-more-information-needed-regarding-legality-of-wv-national-guard-deployment-in-d-c/">argued</a>&nbsp;that the deployment by Morrisey was unlawful and an abuse of state powers that allow the governor to activate National Guard troops for matters outside of the state only under limited circumstances. They said the ongoing deployment was causing real and irreparable harm to people in West Virginia.

Attorneys for the state of West Virginia countered that CAG, the plaintiff, was not facing any real or clear harm from the deployment. The only parties who could claim to be “directly harmed” due to the National Guard deployment, the state argued, are residents of D.C. or members of the Guard themselves.

Attorneys with the ACLU were asking the court for a temporary injunction that would have seen all West Virginia National Guard members deployed to D.C. sent home.

On Nov. 10, Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Richard Lindsay sided with the state of West Virginia and&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/11/10/judge-rules-wv-national-guards-deployment-in-d-c-is-lawful-dismisses-case-without-prejudice/">dismissed the case,</a>&nbsp;meaning troops remained in D.C.

<i>This is a developing story and more will be reported as information becomes available.</i>

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1764191421017.png" alt="Photo courtesy WTTG" />
                        <figcaption>Photo courtesy WTTG</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/author/ccoyne/">Caity Coyne</a><br><a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/">West Virginia Watch</a></p><p>Two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot while on deployment in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, according to a statement from Gov. Patrick Morrisey.</p><p>In a news briefing around 4:45 p.m., FBI director Kash Patel said the two victims were “in critical condition.”</p><p>That announcement came after previous conflicting reports from Morrisey regarding their status.</p><p>Morrisey initially&nbsp;posted on social media&nbsp;at 3:33 p.m. that one of the victims was dead and another sent to the hospital following the shooting. He then announced at 3:42 p.m. that both members of the West Virginia National Guard were dead.</p><p>In a third post at 4:04 p.m., however, Morrisey said he was receiving “conflicting reports” about the condition of the West Virginia National Guard members.</p><p>“… [The state] will provide additional updates once we receive more complete information,” Morrisey continued.</p><p>The shooting<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/11/26/repub/breaking-two-national-guard-members-shot-in-washington-d-c-officials-confirm/">&nbsp;took place blocks&nbsp;</a>from the White House around 2:15 p.m. According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/DCPoliceDept/status/1993767333979168981?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet" target="_blank">Washington Metropolitan Police Department</a>, the scene was secure and one suspect was in custody at 2:58 p.m.</p><p>D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a news briefing that the incident was “a targeted shooting” perpetrated by one person.</p><p>“What we know … is that this is a targeted shooting — one individual who appeared to target these Guardsmen,” Bowser said. “That individual has been taken into custody.”</p><p>President Donald Trump was in Florida on Wednesday but was briefed on the shooting, White House officials said. In social media posts, Trump said the perpetrator was an “animal” and was “also severely wounded” in the incident. Regardless, he continued, the shooter will “pay a very steep price.”</p><p>“God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement,” Trump said. “These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!”</p><p>The shooting comes less than a week after a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/20/national-guard-washington-dc-00663137" target="_blank">federal judge ruled</a>&nbsp;that the deployment of National Guard troops from several states to Washington, D.C. at the request of Trump was illegal. The Trump administration was given until Dec. 11 to pull troops out or file an appeal to the ruling.&nbsp;</p><p>Morrisey&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/08/18/morrisey-orders-national-guard-to-dc-in-support-of-trump-takeover-dems-say-its-political-theater/">announced in August</a>&nbsp;that he would be sending 300-400 members of the West Virginia National Guard to Washington D.C. after Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/restoring-law-and-order-in-the-district-of-columbia/" target="_blank">declared</a>&nbsp;a “public safety emergency” in the nation’s capital. That declaration&nbsp;<a href="http://cnn.com/2025/09/10/politics/washington-dc-trump-crime-emergency-end" target="_blank">ended in September</a>, but troops have remained in the district.</p><p><a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/briefs/west-virginia-national-guard-deployment-to-dc-could-last-through-november/">In late September</a>, a spokesperson for the state’s National Guard said members could remain in D.C. through November.</p><p>Earlier this year, the West Virginia Citizen Action Group&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/CAG-suit-2025.pdf">filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;against Morrisey and the West Virginia National Guard regarding West Virginia troops being deployed to D.C. CAG was&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/08/21/aclu-files-lawsuit-over-wv-national-guard-deployment-to-dc/">represented by</a>&nbsp;the West Virginia arm of the American Civil Liberties Union.</p><p>The ACLU attorneys&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/10/24/judge-more-information-needed-regarding-legality-of-wv-national-guard-deployment-in-d-c/">argued</a>&nbsp;that the deployment by Morrisey was unlawful and an abuse of state powers that allow the governor to activate National Guard troops for matters outside of the state only under limited circumstances. They said the ongoing deployment was causing real and irreparable harm to people in West Virginia.</p><p>Attorneys for the state of West Virginia countered that CAG, the plaintiff, was not facing any real or clear harm from the deployment. The only parties who could claim to be “directly harmed” due to the National Guard deployment, the state argued, are residents of D.C. or members of the Guard themselves.</p><p>Attorneys with the ACLU were asking the court for a temporary injunction that would have seen all West Virginia National Guard members deployed to D.C. sent home.</p><p>On Nov. 10, Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Richard Lindsay sided with the state of West Virginia and&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/11/10/judge-rules-wv-national-guards-deployment-in-d-c-is-lawful-dismisses-case-without-prejudice/">dismissed the case,</a>&nbsp;meaning troops remained in D.C.</p><p><i>This is a developing story and more will be reported as information becomes available.</i></p>

Two members of WV National Guard shot in Washington, D.C., Governor says

<a>(Lincoln, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;</a>—&nbsp;Stuffed turkeys and packed roads. Thanksgiving brings the start of the holiday season and some of the busiest travel days of the year.

“Every seat needs to be filled around your holiday table, which means everyone needs to travel safely to their Thanksgiving destination,” said Colonel Bryan Waugh, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “No matter how far you’re traveling, take safety seriously on the road.”&nbsp;

Troopers will be on patrol across the state to reduce fatal and serious crashes in Nebraska. Any traveler in need of help on the road can call the NSP Highway Helpline at *55 to speak directly with an NSP dispatcher.

“Let’s make sure the memories of this Thanksgiving focus on family and fellowship, rather than a tragedy on the road,” said Colonel Waugh. “Always drive sober, keep your focus on the road, watch your speed, and buckle up.”

<p><i>For Immediate Release</i></p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652985552430.png" alt="Traffic flows along Interstate 80. (Rebecca S. Gratz )" />
                        <figcaption>Traffic flows along Interstate 80. (Rebecca S. Gratz )</figcaption>
                    </figure><p><a>(Lincoln, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;</a>—&nbsp;Stuffed turkeys and packed roads. Thanksgiving brings the start of the holiday season and some of the busiest travel days of the year.</p><p>“Every seat needs to be filled around your holiday table, which means everyone needs to travel safely to their Thanksgiving destination,” said Colonel Bryan Waugh, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “No matter how far you’re traveling, take safety seriously on the road.”&nbsp;</p><p>Troopers will be on patrol across the state to reduce fatal and serious crashes in Nebraska. Any traveler in need of help on the road can call the NSP Highway Helpline at *55 to speak directly with an NSP dispatcher.</p><p>“Let’s make sure the memories of this Thanksgiving focus on family and fellowship, rather than a tragedy on the road,” said Colonel Waugh. “Always drive sober, keep your focus on the road, watch your speed, and buckle up.”</p>

Troopers Encourage Safe Travel for Thanksgiving Weekend

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>

WASHINGTON — Democratic members of Congress who released a video in mid-November telling members of the military that they are not required to follow illegal orders announced Tuesday the Federal Bureau of Investigation has asked to speak with them about the matter.&nbsp;

Four House members, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin wrote the inquiry will not deter them from publicly stating their concerns about the Trump administration.&nbsp;

“Last night, the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division appeared to open an inquiry into me in response to a video President Trump did not like,” Slotkin wrote in a statement published on social media.&nbsp;

“The President directing the FBI to target us is exactly why we made this video in the first place,” Slotkin added. “He believes in weaponizing the federal government against his perceived enemies and does not believe laws apply to him or his Cabinet. He uses legal harassment as an intimidation tactic to scare people out of speaking up.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Kelly’s office said it had “received this inquiry via the Sergeant at Arms.”&nbsp; The House members said the FBI has contacted the House Sergeant at Arms office requesting interviews.

“Senator Kelly won’t be silenced by President Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s attempt to intimidate him and keep him from doing his job as a U.S. Senator,” the spokesperson said.&nbsp;

Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire separately issued a joint statement alleging that “Trump is using the FBI as a tool to intimidate and harass Members of Congress.”

“No amount of intimidation or harassment will ever stop us from doing our jobs and honoring our Constitution,” they wrote. “We swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to keep it. We will not be bullied. We will never give up the ship.”

President Donald Trump after learning of the video&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-accuses-6-democratic-lawmakers-seditious-behavior-punishable-death" target="_blank">posted on social media</a>&nbsp;that he believed the statement from six Democratic lawmakers represented “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH.”

Those six lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SenatorSlotkin/status/1990774492356902948" target="_blank">posted a video</a>&nbsp;on social media on Nov. 18 telling members of the military and intelligence community that they “can” and “must refuse illegal orders.”

“No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution. We know this is hard and that it’s a difficult time to be a public servant,” they said. “But whether you’re serving in the CIA, in the Army, or Navy, or the Air Force, your vigilance is critical.”

The Defense Department&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/pentagon-investigates-arizona-sen-mark-kelly-after-he-appears-video-blasted-trump" target="_blank">announced</a>&nbsp;Monday that it was looking into “serious allegations of misconduct” against Kelly, a former Navy captain and NASA astronaut, for his participation in the video.&nbsp;

The statement said defense officials may recall Kelly “to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures.”&nbsp;

Kelly wrote in a statement responding to the investigation that he had “given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.”

“If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work,” Kelly wrote.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/DeptofWar/status/1993436056008507865/photo/1" target="_blank">posted on social media</a>&nbsp;Tuesday that he wants the Secretary of the Navy to brief him “on the outcome of your review by no later than December 10, 2025.”

Members of Congress’ official actions are generally protected under&nbsp;<a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S6-C1-3-1/ALDE_00013300/" target="_blank">the speech and debate clause</a>&nbsp;of the Constitution.&nbsp;

A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R45043?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22speech+and+debate+clause%22%7D&amp;s=4&amp;r=4" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service states the judiciary’s “immunity principle protects Members from ‘intimidation by the executive’ or a ‘hostile judiciary’ by prohibiting both the executive and judicial powers from being used to improperly influence or harass legislators.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1764102122289.png" alt=" Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin -image from the controversial video" />
                        <figcaption> Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin -image from the controversial video</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a></p><p>WASHINGTON — Democratic members of Congress who released a video in mid-November telling members of the military that they are not required to follow illegal orders announced Tuesday the Federal Bureau of Investigation has asked to speak with them about the matter.&nbsp;</p><p>Four House members, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin wrote the inquiry will not deter them from publicly stating their concerns about the Trump administration.&nbsp;</p><p>“Last night, the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division appeared to open an inquiry into me in response to a video President Trump did not like,” Slotkin wrote in a statement published on social media.&nbsp;</p><p>“The President directing the FBI to target us is exactly why we made this video in the first place,” Slotkin added. “He believes in weaponizing the federal government against his perceived enemies and does not believe laws apply to him or his Cabinet. He uses legal harassment as an intimidation tactic to scare people out of speaking up.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Kelly’s office said it had “received this inquiry via the Sergeant at Arms.”&nbsp; The House members said the FBI has contacted the House Sergeant at Arms office requesting interviews.</p><p>“Senator Kelly won’t be silenced by President Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s attempt to intimidate him and keep him from doing his job as a U.S. Senator,” the spokesperson said.&nbsp;</p><p>Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire separately issued a joint statement alleging that “Trump is using the FBI as a tool to intimidate and harass Members of Congress.”</p><p>“No amount of intimidation or harassment will ever stop us from doing our jobs and honoring our Constitution,” they wrote. “We swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to keep it. We will not be bullied. We will never give up the ship.”</p><p>President Donald Trump after learning of the video&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-accuses-6-democratic-lawmakers-seditious-behavior-punishable-death" target="_blank">posted on social media</a>&nbsp;that he believed the statement from six Democratic lawmakers represented “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH.”</p><p>The FBI declined to comment.&nbsp;</p><h2>Illegal orders</h2><p>Those six lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SenatorSlotkin/status/1990774492356902948" target="_blank">posted a video</a>&nbsp;on social media on Nov. 18 telling members of the military and intelligence community that they “can” and “must refuse illegal orders.”</p><p>“No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution. We know this is hard and that it’s a difficult time to be a public servant,” they said. “But whether you’re serving in the CIA, in the Army, or Navy, or the Air Force, your vigilance is critical.”</p><p>The Defense Department&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/pentagon-investigates-arizona-sen-mark-kelly-after-he-appears-video-blasted-trump" target="_blank">announced</a>&nbsp;Monday that it was looking into “serious allegations of misconduct” against Kelly, a former Navy captain and NASA astronaut, for his participation in the video.&nbsp;</p><p>The statement said defense officials may recall Kelly “to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures.”&nbsp;</p><p>Kelly wrote in a statement responding to the investigation that he had “given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.”</p><p>“If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work,” Kelly wrote.</p><h2>Hegseth asks for briefing</h2><p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/DeptofWar/status/1993436056008507865/photo/1" target="_blank">posted on social media</a>&nbsp;Tuesday that he wants the Secretary of the Navy to brief him “on the outcome of your review by no later than December 10, 2025.”</p><p>Members of Congress’ official actions are generally protected under&nbsp;<a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S6-C1-3-1/ALDE_00013300/" target="_blank">the speech and debate clause</a>&nbsp;of the Constitution.&nbsp;</p><p>A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R45043?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22speech+and+debate+clause%22%7D&amp;s=4&amp;r=4" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service states the judiciary’s “immunity principle protects Members from ‘intimidation by the executive’ or a ‘hostile judiciary’ by prohibiting both the executive and judicial powers from being used to improperly influence or harass legislators.”</p>

Dems threatened by Trump over video say they’re now being probed by the FBI

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gobble &amp; Waddle living their best life. <br><br>🇺🇸 Don’t miss the Presidential Turkey Pardon — 12 PM EST! <a href="https://t.co/YwCtCdn3Mz">pic.twitter.com/YwCtCdn3Mz</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1993353700434199001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;The turkeys being pardoned today go by the names Gobble and Waddle. When I first saw their pictures... I was going to call them Chuck and Nancy — but then I realized I wouldn&#39;t be pardoning them. I would never pardon those two people.&quot; 🤣 <a href="https://t.co/XuhIbTGUbI">pic.twitter.com/XuhIbTGUbI</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993368386395685351?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We thank God for his many blessings and the great success that this country has seen in a short period of time. We draw strength from the love of family and friends, and we express our undying gratitude for the men in the women of the United States armed forces.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/uULjzeAqER">pic.twitter.com/uULjzeAqER</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993371788097593447?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;Gobble, I just want to tell you this — very important — you are hereby unconditionally pardoned!&quot;<br><br>🤣🦃 <a href="https://t.co/WmjvScCf6K">pic.twitter.com/WmjvScCf6K</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993371733865160937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;These are two of the largest Turkey’s ever presented to an American president—over 50 pounds each... despite their size, <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a> has formally certified that these are the first ever MAHA turkeys.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/H5kW4yM1Rn">pic.twitter.com/H5kW4yM1Rn</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993368718655570036?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: President Trump says an investigation has shown Biden used an autopen for last year&#39;s turkey pardon.<br><br>&quot;I determined that last year&#39;s turkey pardons are totally invalid, as are the pardons of about every other person that was pardoned other than Where&#39;s Hunter.&quot; 🤣🤣 <a href="https://t.co/tZBfHwJKq6">pic.twitter.com/tZBfHwJKq6</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993368344100323390?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Not much holiday cheer as President pardons Thanksgiving Turkeys

WASHINGTON, D.C.&nbsp;– U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy&nbsp; launched a new civility campaign titled&nbsp;“The Golden Age of Travel Starts with You.”

The campaign, according to a statement from the agency, is intended to jumpstart a nationwide conversation around how we can all restore courtesy and class to air travel. This won’t just make the travel experience better for the flying public – it will ensure the safety of passengers, gate workers, flight attendants, and pilots.&nbsp;

It’s not just your imagination – the data backs up the feeling that travel has become more unruly.&nbsp;

Secretary Duffy posed a few key questions every flyer should ask themselves this holiday season to help Americans reach their destinations as quickly, efficiently and comfortably as possible: &nbsp;

There’s no question we’ve lost sight of what makes travel fun – the excitement, the relaxation, the cordial conversations. Americans already feel divided and stressed. We can all do our part to bring back civility, manners, and common sense. When we can unite around shared values, we can feel more connected as a country.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<p>WASHINGTON, D.C.&nbsp;– U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy&nbsp; launched a new civility campaign titled&nbsp;“The Golden Age of Travel Starts with You.”</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Our civility campaign is all about asking ourselves — how can we all inject a little more kindness into travel this holiday season?<br><br>Ushering in the return to the Golden Age of travel… and it starts with all of us🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/a8IpGBgIC4">pic.twitter.com/a8IpGBgIC4</a></p>&mdash; Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/1993082015562772963?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The campaign, according to a statement from the agency, is intended to jumpstart a nationwide conversation around how we can all restore courtesy and class to air travel. This won’t just make the travel experience better for the flying public – it will ensure the safety of passengers, gate workers, flight attendants, and pilots.&nbsp;</p><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5UUOD-sa5As?si=Fe3kUnj9BYXF97Q0&amp;start=6" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><p>It’s not just your imagination – the data backs up the feeling that travel has become more unruly.&nbsp;</p><ul>
                        <li>Since 2019, the FAA has seen a&nbsp;400% increase of in-flight outbursts—ranging from disruptive behavior to outright violence  &nbsp;</li><li>13,800 unruly passenger incidents since 2021&nbsp;</li><li>Unruly passenger reports rose 6x between 2020 and 2021&nbsp;</li><li>1 in 5 flight attendants experienced physical incidents in 2021&nbsp;</li><li>2024 saw&nbsp;double the number of unruly passenger events compared with 2019&nbsp;</li>
                    </ul><p>Secretary Duffy posed a few key questions every flyer should ask themselves this holiday season to help Americans reach their destinations as quickly, efficiently and comfortably as possible: &nbsp;</p><ol>
                        <li>Are you helping a pregnant woman or the elderly with placing their bags in the overhead bin?</li><li>Are you dressing with respect?</li><li>Are you keeping control of your children and helping them through the airport?</li><li>Are you saying thank you to your flight attendants?</li><li>Are you saying please and thank you in general?</li>
                    </ol><p>There’s no question we’ve lost sight of what makes travel fun – the excitement, the relaxation, the cordial conversations. Americans already feel divided and stressed. We can all do our part to bring back civility, manners, and common sense. When we can unite around shared values, we can feel more connected as a country.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

🎥DOT Secretary: Stop wearing pajamas on airplanes

WASHINGTON&nbsp; — First lady&nbsp;Melania Trump&nbsp;on Monday welcomed this year’s official White House Christmas tree to the White House.

<p>WASHINGTON&nbsp; — First lady&nbsp;Melania Trump&nbsp;on Monday welcomed this year’s official White House Christmas tree to the White House.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">First Lady Melania Trump receives the 2025 White House Christmas Tree 🌲 <a href="https://t.co/exxZAN5Qf6">pic.twitter.com/exxZAN5Qf6</a></p>&mdash; Office of the First Lady (@FirstLadyOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/FirstLadyOffice/status/1993045306116866403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“It will be beautiful! We are going to plan, and it’s starting today” <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a> ❤️🎄 <a href="https://t.co/bfAMYzQjSQ">pic.twitter.com/bfAMYzQjSQ</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1993006026782826922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">First Lady Melania Trump (<a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a>) receives White House Christmas Tree. <a href="https://t.co/jGFkc8IJH8">pic.twitter.com/jGFkc8IJH8</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1993005187934347329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“It will be beautiful! We are going to plan, and it’s starting today” <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a> ❤️🎄 <a href="https://t.co/bfAMYzQjSQ">pic.twitter.com/bfAMYzQjSQ</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1993006026782826922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥First lady welcomes Christmas tree to the White House

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">Jacob Fischler</a>-

A senior federal judge dismissed charges Monday against two public officials with long-running public disputes with President Donald Trump, saying the controversial appointment of the president’s former personal attorney as a prosecutor doomed the cases.

Senior U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, whom former President Bill Clinton appointed to the bench in South Carolina, wrote in a Monday order that Attorney General Pam Bondi did not have the authority to make Lindsey Halligan the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.&nbsp;

The judge said the deadline for an interim appointee to that position had lapsed.

Because that process was invalid, the prosecutions against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both of whom had investigated or prosecuted Trump, must be dropped, Currie&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136.213.0_1.pdf" target="_blank">wrote</a>.

Currie dismissed the indictments without prejudice, meaning they could be revived. But at least in Comey’s case, in which charges were brought on the eve of the statute of limitations expiring, that appeared unlikely.

U.S. attorneys are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, but the attorney general can appoint someone on an interim basis for 120 days. After that, the judges in the district are responsible for appointing an interim prosecutor.

“Ms. Halligan was not appointed in a manner consistent with this framework,” Currie wrote.

Bondi appointed Erik Siebert as the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in January, while his confirmation was pending in the Senate. After 120 days, the judges in the district allowed him to continue.

Siebert resigned in September, reportedly under pressure from Trump and Bondi to bring charges against Comey. Bondi then named Halligan, at the time a White House aide who had also worked for Trump in a private capacity, as the interim U.S. attorney.&nbsp;

But Bondi could not do that because, after 120 days, the responsibility for naming an interim U.S. attorney fell to the district court judges, Currie wrote.

“The 120-day clock began running with Mr. Siebert’s appointment on Jan. 21, 2025,” she wrote. “When that clock expired on May 21, 2025, so too did the Attorney General’s appointment authority. Consequently, I conclude that the Attorney General’s attempt to install Ms. Halligan as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was invalid and that Ms. Halligan has been unlawfully serving in that role.”

Halligan, after gaining office in September, quickly secured a two-count indictment against the former FBI chief from a grand jury in Alexandria. Comey was accused of lying to Congress about whether he had authorized a press leak of information related to an FBI investigation of Russian actors’ involvement in Trump’s first presidential campaign.&nbsp;

However, U.S. District Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/judge-cites-profound-investigative-missteps-court-case-against-james-comey" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;last week that issues with evidence, testimony and statements to the grand jury in the case outweighed the usual heavily guarded secrecy of proceedings. He said “profound investigative missteps” could result in the dismissal of Comey’s indictment.

Comey has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/former-fbi-director-comey-pleads-not-guilty-criminal-charges-demanded-trump" target="_blank">pleaded</a>&nbsp;not guilty.

James won a civil case against Trump related to business fraud, though a state appeals court later overturned the sentence as overly punitive.

Trump has publicly blasted James and Comey as using the mechanisms of legal proceedings to persecute him.&nbsp;

In an extraordinary public message to Bondi just before Halligan replaced Siebert, Trump complained that the prosecutions against both were not developing faster.

The Justice Department did not respond to a message seeking comment Monday.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758848907803.png" alt="Image from former FBI Director James Comey's  Instagram" />
                        <figcaption>Image from former FBI Director James Comey's  Instagram</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">Jacob Fischler</a>-</p><p>A senior federal judge dismissed charges Monday against two public officials with long-running public disputes with President Donald Trump, saying the controversial appointment of the president’s former personal attorney as a prosecutor doomed the cases.</p><p>Senior U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, whom former President Bill Clinton appointed to the bench in South Carolina, wrote in a Monday order that Attorney General Pam Bondi did not have the authority to make Lindsey Halligan the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.&nbsp;</p><p>The judge said the deadline for an interim appointee to that position had lapsed.</p><p>Because that process was invalid, the prosecutions against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both of whom had investigated or prosecuted Trump, must be dropped, Currie&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136.213.0_1.pdf" target="_blank">wrote</a>.</p><p>Currie dismissed the indictments without prejudice, meaning they could be revived. But at least in Comey’s case, in which charges were brought on the eve of the statute of limitations expiring, that appeared unlikely.</p><h2>120-day clock</h2><p>U.S. attorneys are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, but the attorney general can appoint someone on an interim basis for 120 days. After that, the judges in the district are responsible for appointing an interim prosecutor.</p><p>“Ms. Halligan was not appointed in a manner consistent with this framework,” Currie wrote.</p><p>Bondi appointed Erik Siebert as the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in January, while his confirmation was pending in the Senate. After 120 days, the judges in the district allowed him to continue.</p><p>Siebert resigned in September, reportedly under pressure from Trump and Bondi to bring charges against Comey. Bondi then named Halligan, at the time a White House aide who had also worked for Trump in a private capacity, as the interim U.S. attorney.&nbsp;</p><p>But Bondi could not do that because, after 120 days, the responsibility for naming an interim U.S. attorney fell to the district court judges, Currie wrote.</p><p>“The 120-day clock began running with Mr. Siebert’s appointment on Jan. 21, 2025,” she wrote. “When that clock expired on May 21, 2025, so too did the Attorney General’s appointment authority. Consequently, I conclude that the Attorney General’s attempt to install Ms. Halligan as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was invalid and that Ms. Halligan has been unlawfully serving in that role.”</p><h2>Quick indictment</h2><p>Halligan, after gaining office in September, quickly secured a two-count indictment against the former FBI chief from a grand jury in Alexandria. Comey was accused of lying to Congress about whether he had authorized a press leak of information related to an FBI investigation of Russian actors’ involvement in Trump’s first presidential campaign.&nbsp;</p><p>However, U.S. District Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/judge-cites-profound-investigative-missteps-court-case-against-james-comey" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;last week that issues with evidence, testimony and statements to the grand jury in the case outweighed the usual heavily guarded secrecy of proceedings. He said “profound investigative missteps” could result in the dismissal of Comey’s indictment.</p><p>Comey has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/former-fbi-director-comey-pleads-not-guilty-criminal-charges-demanded-trump" target="_blank">pleaded</a>&nbsp;not guilty.</p><p>James won a civil case against Trump related to business fraud, though a state appeals court later overturned the sentence as overly punitive.</p><p>Trump has publicly blasted James and Comey as using the mechanisms of legal proceedings to persecute him.&nbsp;</p><p>In an extraordinary public message to Bondi just before Halligan replaced Siebert, Trump complained that the prosecutions against both were not developing faster.</p><p>The Justice Department did not respond to a message seeking comment Monday.</p>

Judge drops James Comey and Letitia James charges, saying prosecutor served ‘unlawfully’

Charles Herbster, who lost to Gov. Jim Pillen in 2022, says Pillen’s ‘shortcomings make it hard to say no,’ will decide closer to new year

<i>By Juan Salinas II | Nebraska Examiner</i><br>

LINCOLN — The Republican primary race for Nebraska governor is already heating up, and it might soon get serious.&nbsp;

Trump donor and multi-state agribusinessman Charles Herbster has made more pointed statements about Gov. Jim Pillen in recent weeks on social media.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Herbster’s posts have shifted in tone from talking about national politics and President Donald Trump, with some references to state politics, to more direct criticism of Pillen as he continues mulling a 2026 rematch bid for governor.

Starting this month, Herbster has criticized Pillen for not listening to the business community, for not selling the state aggressively enough to business leaders elsewhere and for resisting voter-approved medical cannabis, the legalization of which Herbster now&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wowt.com/video/2025/11/12/herbster-reverses-position-medical-cannabis/" target="_blank">says should be respected</a>.&nbsp;

“Our governor should be the state’s leading salesman,” Herbster wrote&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/cwherbster/status/1985424695341301966?s=46&amp;t=B4v5xSml401BbJ1-tGAokQ" target="_blank">one post</a>. “To say we should not focus on attracting new businesses is beyond reckless — it is not leadership.”

In another&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/cwherbster/status/1988321270757241199?s=46&amp;t=B4v5xSml401BbJ1-tGAokQ" target="_blank">social media post</a>, Herbster said, “Governor Jim Pillen has done everything he can to delay and dismantle the voter-enacted medical cannabis statutes.”

Herbster also has started reviving his 2022 campaign staple of saying he wants to “Make Nebraska Great Again” and sounds more and more like someone running for governor.&nbsp;

Asked this week whether his statements should be read as telegraphing a 2026 bid, he told the Examiner, “Governor Pillen’s shortcomings make it hard to say no.” Herbster said his decision on whether to run would come closer to the new year.&nbsp;

“We are not on a path to success,” Herbster said. “Our governor seems stubbornly convinced he alone has all the answers and continues to double down on failure. He can tout some social-issue wins — which I wholeheartedly support — but Nebraskans are worried about the economy.”

If Herbster gets in, 2026 would be a rematch between the two candidates who received the most votes in the 2022 GOP gubernatorial primary. That race included former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha, who is now running for the open seat in Nebraska’s Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District. Lindstrom finished third in that 2022 GOP primary.&nbsp;

Pillen cruised to general election victory against then-Democratic State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue.&nbsp;

That 2022 contest was one of the most expensive gubernatorial races in Nebraska history,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/06/nebraskas-costliest-governors-race-left-wild-numbers-in-its-wake/">with&nbsp;$29 million flowing into it</a>. Herbster largely self-funded his campaign, while Pillen raised large sums and also benefitted from outside help by then-Gov. Pete Ricketts.

Herbster during that 2022 primary earned the endorsement of President Donald Trump, while Pillen was backed by Ricketts. Pillen appointed Ricketts to the U.S. Senate shortly after becoming governor. Ricketts, R-Neb., won a special election in November to serve out the final two years of former GOP U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse’s term. Ricketts is currently in a heated race against former Omaha labor leader Dan Osborn, a registered nonpartisan.&nbsp;

Herbster spent weeks of that campaign denying the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/14/gop-state-senator-seven-other-women-say-charles-herbster-groped-them-he-denies-allegations/">allegations of eight women</a>&nbsp;who alleged in a 2022 Nebraska Examiner article that Herbster had groped them. All eight accounts were&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/19/three-people-speak-on-the-record-to-confirm-allegations-of-groping-by-charles-herbster/">corroborated either by witnesses</a>&nbsp;or people the women told what happened immediately afterward. But the reasons for his loss were&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/13/where-herbster-stumbled-and-how-pillen-won-nebraskas-gop-gubernatorial-primary/">more complex than the national political narrative</a>.

Several GOP operatives have expected Pillen to draw at least one primary challenger, partly because of national and local polling numbers that indicate he could be vulnerable. Among the criticisms they and others have said he is likely to face are about increased state spending, the effectiveness of state investments in property tax relief and his tax and budget proposals.

But Pillen is an incumbent, and Nebraska rarely changes horses midstream. The last incumbent Republican to lose the Governor’s Mansion was Gov. Kay Orr, who lost to Democrat Ben Nelson in 1990. Pillen had more than $3 million in cash on hand last year, state campaign finance reports show. Many expect him to raise more than $10 million.&nbsp;

<h2>Charles Herbster, who lost to Gov. Jim Pillen in 2022, says Pillen’s ‘shortcomings make it hard to say no,’ will decide closer to new year</h2><p><i>By Juan Salinas II | Nebraska Examiner</i><br></p><figure>
                        <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_4142-1536x1024.jpg" alt="&nbsp;Nebraska reporters cover Gov. Jim Pillen’s press conference at the Governor’s Mansion on April 28, 2025. Pillen is running for reelection. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption>&nbsp;Nebraska reporters cover Gov. Jim Pillen’s press conference at the Governor’s Mansion on April 28, 2025. Pillen is running for reelection. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>LINCOLN — The Republican primary race for Nebraska governor is already heating up, and it might soon get serious.&nbsp;</p><p>Trump donor and multi-state agribusinessman Charles Herbster has made more pointed statements about Gov. Jim Pillen in recent weeks on social media.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Herbster’s posts have shifted in tone from talking about national politics and President Donald Trump, with some references to state politics, to more direct criticism of Pillen as he continues mulling a 2026 rematch bid for governor.</p><p>Starting this month, Herbster has criticized Pillen for not listening to the business community, for not selling the state aggressively enough to business leaders elsewhere and for resisting voter-approved medical cannabis, the legalization of which Herbster now&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wowt.com/video/2025/11/12/herbster-reverses-position-medical-cannabis/" target="_blank">says should be respected</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>“Our governor should be the state’s leading salesman,” Herbster wrote&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/cwherbster/status/1985424695341301966?s=46&amp;t=B4v5xSml401BbJ1-tGAokQ" target="_blank">one post</a>. “To say we should not focus on attracting new businesses is beyond reckless — it is not leadership.”</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/IMG_2249-300x225.jpg" alt="Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster greets people who were leaving after his weather-cancelled rally with former President Donald Trump in Greenwood, Nebraska. It was delayed until Sunday. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption>Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster greets people who were leaving after his weather-cancelled rally with former President Donald Trump in Greenwood, Nebraska. It was delayed until Sunday. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>In another&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/cwherbster/status/1988321270757241199?s=46&amp;t=B4v5xSml401BbJ1-tGAokQ" target="_blank">social media post</a>, Herbster said, “Governor Jim Pillen has done everything he can to delay and dismantle the voter-enacted medical cannabis statutes.”</p><p>Herbster also has started reviving his 2022 campaign staple of saying he wants to “Make Nebraska Great Again” and sounds more and more like someone running for governor.&nbsp;</p><p>Asked this week whether his statements should be read as telegraphing a 2026 bid, he told the Examiner, “Governor Pillen’s shortcomings make it hard to say no.” Herbster said his decision on whether to run would come closer to the new year.&nbsp;</p><p>“We are not on a path to success,” Herbster said. “Our governor seems stubbornly convinced he alone has all the answers and continues to double down on failure. He can tout some social-issue wins — which I wholeheartedly support — but Nebraskans are worried about the economy.”</p><p>If Herbster gets in, 2026 would be a rematch between the two candidates who received the most votes in the 2022 GOP gubernatorial primary. That race included former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha, who is now running for the open seat in Nebraska’s Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District. Lindstrom finished third in that 2022 GOP primary.&nbsp;</p><p>Pillen cruised to general election victory against then-Democratic State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue.&nbsp;</p><p>That 2022 contest was one of the most expensive gubernatorial races in Nebraska history,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/06/nebraskas-costliest-governors-race-left-wild-numbers-in-its-wake/">with&nbsp;$29 million flowing into it</a>. Herbster largely self-funded his campaign, while Pillen raised large sums and also benefitted from outside help by then-Gov. Pete Ricketts.</p><p>Herbster during that 2022 primary earned the endorsement of President Donald Trump, while Pillen was backed by Ricketts. Pillen appointed Ricketts to the U.S. Senate shortly after becoming governor. Ricketts, R-Neb., won a special election in November to serve out the final two years of former GOP U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse’s term. Ricketts is currently in a heated race against former Omaha labor leader Dan Osborn, a registered nonpartisan.&nbsp;</p><p>Herbster spent weeks of that campaign denying the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/14/gop-state-senator-seven-other-women-say-charles-herbster-groped-them-he-denies-allegations/">allegations of eight women</a>&nbsp;who alleged in a 2022 Nebraska Examiner article that Herbster had groped them. All eight accounts were&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/19/three-people-speak-on-the-record-to-confirm-allegations-of-groping-by-charles-herbster/">corroborated either by witnesses</a>&nbsp;or people the women told what happened immediately afterward. But the reasons for his loss were&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/13/where-herbster-stumbled-and-how-pillen-won-nebraskas-gop-gubernatorial-primary/">more complex than the national political narrative</a>.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_1430-300x200.jpg" alt="Nebraska Gov Jim Pillen at a Nebraska football game at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 4, 2025. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption>Nebraska Gov Jim Pillen at a Nebraska football game at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 4, 2025. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Several GOP operatives have expected Pillen to draw at least one primary challenger, partly because of national and local polling numbers that indicate he could be vulnerable. Among the criticisms they and others have said he is likely to face are about increased state spending, the effectiveness of state investments in property tax relief and his tax and budget proposals.</p><p>But Pillen is an incumbent, and Nebraska rarely changes horses midstream. The last incumbent Republican to lose the Governor’s Mansion was Gov. Kay Orr, who lost to Democrat Ben Nelson in 1990. Pillen had more than $3 million in cash on hand last year, state campaign finance reports show. Many expect him to raise more than $10 million.&nbsp;</p><p>The governor&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/05/29/nebraska-gov-jim-pillen-announces-reelection-bid-amid-herbster-speculation/">announced his reelection bid in May</a>. His campaign video focused on controversies familiar to those who followed his 2022 campaign, including support for tougher immigration enforcement and other culture-war issues. Pillen, in&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/06/02/nebraska-governor-brags-about-historically-conservative-budget-wins/">his end of session speech to state lawmakers</a>, touted the passage of bills that limit high school and college sports participation to students’ sex at birth, banning lab-grown meat and lowering income tax rates.</p><p>Herbster said Nebraskans are with Pillen on some of those issues, but he said more needs to be done about core issues that have long been central for statewide campaigns — particularly job creation and reducing property taxes.&nbsp;</p><p>People, Herbster said, are “worried about property taxes.” He said “they’re worried about making ends meet.”</p><p>Pillen’s campaign declined to comment Friday on Herbster’s potential bid.</p><p>Pillen, whose family owns a major hog operation based in Columbus, has prioritized property tax relief, including investing $1 billion into a state effort to fund more of special education costs and a baseline amount of state aid to K-12 schools.</p><p>The governor said last week that he wants to address property taxes again soon. But state lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/11/19/nebraskas-projected-budget-deficit-grows-to-471-million-ahead-of-2026-legislative-session/">face a larger projected deficit</a>&nbsp;this upcoming session than the one senators just filled this spring.</p><p>Nebraska Democrats have hinted at an announcement of a gubernatorial candidate as early as this week.&nbsp;Some Democratic political observers have speculated that a state senator might run.&nbsp;Others have made noise about a possible third-party or nonpartisan candidate.</p><p>Republicans outnumber Democrats in Nebraska by roughly 2-to-1, with about 22% registered either nonpartisan or with a third party. The GOP primary for governor is May 12. The general election is&nbsp;Nov. 3.</p>